IT’S COLD BUT I LIKE IT

This writer isn’t much into poetry; neither do I see much into the aesthetic part of life or the concept of ‘creating’ happy moments rather than living them. But a recent uninvited experience made me think otherwise.

Arguably the greatest poet of all times, William Wordsworth had made his love for Nature profoundly clear. He deprived inspiration for some of the greatest poems ever written sitting in the lap of Mother Nature. Solitude was his only companion. In his loneliness he observed some the various forms and mysteries of Nature and penned down all is thoughts which in turn ensured his mortality. William Wordsworth wrote invariably about the colors of spring season and how its’ mystical and mysterious beauty left his spell bounded.

Now I have never followed the beaten path. Like wise this time also.
I unlike the great poet had my tryst with Mother Nature, not in spring but in a cold winter morning. It was cold but I liked it.

Now I am not that kind of a person who reads between lines and sees the unseen. I prevent the labor of banging my head, to find the deeper meaning whenever possible. But that day the beauty, although not in an obvious way, was very striking.

For a person like me who lives in a place which is ‘Hot all year round’, the refreshing early morning chill was different and unique.

That day this late riser was forced by an unfortunate twist of fate to wake up early in the morning. Now even far worse luck was to follow as I was to venture into the cold. It was inevitable so with a deep breath I set out to wrestle the morning cold.

Shaking throughout, I steadily made my way towards my destination. But then I started to enjoy the surroundings. There was a fog so thick that one could have cut it with a knife. The shy sun’s struggle with the crowd was enjoyable. The falling leaves made one feel that even the Gods where sending their blessings.

Always having struggled to comprehend the fact that Nature is the most inspiring thing for all creatures, I was finally beginning to see so. The chilly wind was refreshing for the body, mind as well as soul. The solitary road, the green leaves soaked in mist, the ever so slowly moving clouds together with the elements resulted in a hearth warming combination.

So as I neared my destination, the climatic left an ever lasting memory and made me realize just how important and satisfying it is to enjoy the finer details of life. While contemplating my new love for things chilly, I kept saying to my left ‘It is goddamn cold…………but Hell………..i like it just like this’.

FRIENDSHIP-

Dedicated to all my friends

This has to be the most sensitive and difficult post which this blogger has made so far. The thing is that explaining something as complex and as powerful as Friendship is beyond the scope of this mortal creature. This one word has affected all our lives; it is powerful enough to help us crawl our way out of the deepest hole, its’ absence can force us to jump into a bottomless pit with no hope of survival. But the only reason I dare to infringe upon this powerful feeling is that I had once witnessed a very simple but extraordinary act which proves just how refreshing, enduring, benevolent and eternal true friendship is.

It made me think what all our lives would have been without our friends and the very next moment I was gasping for air and praying desperately that such an ill fated day never comes in any of our lives. Such is the degree of our dependencies on ‘Friends’.

The incident I am talking about is one which would not have provoked much interest in much of us. Some may dismiss it as ‘ordinary’, some may observe it and develop a smirk in their face, some may accept it as a lesson but I decided to rejoice. For it told me just how lucky I am to have friends who will be their besides me it thick as well as thin.

It was one of those numerous seminars which happen ever so often in my University. Those Seminars' where everyone eagerly waits for ‘High Tea’ as it is the only reason why people show up. Seminars’ where you cannot be blamed for sleeping during a Lecture. Now as I was ‘asked’ ever so politely to be a volunteer by a senior of mine and due to my inability to think of a good alibi I ended up actually going to the place where ‘Great minds meet and share’. I should have known better than reaching on time for there were hardly any souls visible.

But yes we did have the Professor who engineered this wastage of time. He is one of the senior most Profs of my Institute. A person with no hair on his head, carbon ripped glasses (it will fetch him a fortune if he decides to sell such an antique piece) and one whom I had hardly ever seen smile. There he was serious as always examining the events.

Soon a car pulled up. Another senior Prof came out. He was not much different from the previous one. Serious and ever ready to pull up a innocent student for the slightest misdoings. He meant business; all of us knew this and never dared cross his path. He also shared the same resolution of never smiling in public.

Now as he approached the entrance the made eye contact with the first Prof. What happened next was unbelievable. It was history in the making, a moment to behold and rejoice.

For the first time in my three years stay here I saw a smile in their faces and it didn’t stop there. The smirk just kept becoming bigger and bigger. Soon it took the form of a noisy laugh. The came near and hugged each other with great warmth. Their happiness was beyond measure.

They took advantage of the lonely place and chit-chatted for quite some time. I, their only audience kept my ears open and learned a valuable lesson. They talked at lengths of the time when they where younger, how much fun they had, how many times they got into trouble, how narrowly they escaped from them.

Now this eve-dropper could not abstain from drawing an analogy. Yes they were old, they were our teachers who ever so frequently chide us, corrected us. But they too were of our age once. They too were “FRIENDS”. They too did all the illogical and futile deeds ever conceivable. Just like every one of us.

Now the beauty is that no matter how royal, qualified, esteemed or wealthy you are, in front of a friend you will get reduce to being just ‘HIS FRIEND’. For friendship is powerful enough to break all bondage and barriers. At the end it gets reduce to the simplest relationship possible without any inhibitions and without strings attached.

So rejoice ever moment with a true friend for ‘these are the best days of our lives’.

“It’s like you are always stuck in second gear
when it has’nt been your Day, your Month or even Your year
I will be there for you I will be there for you.........................
for you were there for me too.”
(THE “FRIENDS” THEME SONG)

PLAYING CUPID

The past few days have been eventful as I got to play the most powerful force known, inferior only to the almighty. I imitated cupid.

Yes you read it right the same guy so moves about with a bow and love quoted arrows read to strike the most unsuspecting preys forcing them into a liaison of love and warmth.

If you ask me no one can play cupid just like no one can play GOD. Genetic manipulation, cloning, robotics may give man the false belief of having superior power over life but a minute itch in the palm of mother nature spreads havoc of immeasurable proportions which affirms the statement ‘Mortal Man’. The same holds for the next big being after GOD.

Although no one can have the ultimate power of making two people fall in love with each other for love can only happen if destined to, (clichéd but true) but two prospective love birds can always be given the extra nudge by their friendly neighborhood cupid.

So I played along trying to be as resourceful as possible, trying to make the right statements, trying to explain the beauty of love, trying to make each of them aware of just how beautiful/smart/funny/caring/joyous/kind/tender and all other humanely possible qualities are incorporated deep into the hearts, mind, body and soul of their prospective better half. Yes all these qualities can never be found in a single person but love is blind (again clichéd but once again true). It was as easy as hook-line-sinker or in this case hook-line-love.

Yes it was funny, seeing them blush at they very mentioning of the others name, seeing them making eye contact and then shying away. They wanted to be alone but could not be alone at the same time.

It was all too hilarious now it may not lead to stuff by which dreams are made of, but why should it for I realized one thing that man is so desperate for warmth and prosperity that the mere mentioning of it will make life better if not for long but for a microscopic moment none the less. So why spoil the present by being too far sighted. Live in the moment for if you act in the spur of the moment past, present and future fuse into one. Playing cupid may not have lead to a love story which will be told on for generations but in made me realize never miss the slightest opportunity to be associated with something remotely good. Absorb the moment, make the best out of it, and do not get lost in the maze of future for who knows the day after tomorrow may never come.

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT??

“Itni shridat se maine tumhe pane ki kosis ki hai
ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki sajis ki hai”

Half the woods in the green forests have been chopped down to pen down the golden rule to success, but all that they ended up achieving was promotion of Global Warning. But the path to success has many lanes and I think I may have bumped into the right trajectory. Off course this may not hold true universally but at least for this mortal writer in holds true.

Being around people who seem to achieve whatever they set their sites on I can’t help to think life is about desiring something badly, and I mean really badly.
Expertise holds an upper hand in any discipline but in the end it is all a matter of heart. For
victory is the liberty of the most perseverant. One shall succeed if thou want it the most.

Desire is the thing that differentiates achievers from dreamers. The will to rise above the crowd, the desire you be the very best and not settle for anything less, the hunger for success is what makes all the difference.

One may have a born advantage, one make have all the skills, one may have all the help ,one may have the money to buy anything but in the end it is he and only he who has the heart to outperform and the desire to win, who reigns supreme.

That brings us to the fundamental question of just what is desire. Is it a phase? Or is it a state of mind? Is it inborn? Is it attainable through practice?

The answer is a big NO. It is a feeling and nothing more. It is a call from within which all of us witness at some point or the other and which we alone can create or destroy. All of us have it, it’s a matter of self discovery and realization of the obvious.

It starts with a dream, metamorphoses into a world of infinite possibilities but then it breaks.
The dream gets a reality check. We are reminded our mortality. Now here our actions make us what we are. We can let go, allow our dreams to sink into the dark lanes of oblivious terms or we can dream on. We can light up the spark and make it a wild fire with no limitations, which can overcome any obstacle.

So it’s a question of just how much can you stuff out, how much can you sacrifice, how much can u dish out, how much can you endeavor?

The thing with life is that it has it funny ways of throwing up surprises to rattle you. But true want is untarnished by small obstacles, undeterred by failure, unscratched by pain for it knows the price of success and is more than happy to bleed for it.

So if you ever want to achieve some goal for which you deeply long for just ask yourself one simple question –How Badly Do you Want it??

“Kethe hai ki aghar kishi cheej ko dil se chaho
to puri kayanat use tumse mila ne ki shirdat karti hai”

MOI

LIGHTS ONLY

As GOOD AS IT GETS

FRONT VIEW OF THE MAIN BULIDING

A illuminated VIEW of ONE of the HOSTELS of our CAMPUS

OUR MAIN BULIDING-a side view

DIWALI IN BIT

This is the first time in my three years stay at my institute that I am spending the Festival of Lights right here. Although disappointed at first for not being able to be at home Diwali -07 was indeed a memorable affair.

As I am among the first to pull up my institute whenever it makes a mistake I thought it will be only fair to complement it when it does something right.

Well it certainly did things right this time.

The entire campus was a sight to behold. The radiance was almost blinding.

The main building was as beautiful as a newly wedded Indian Bride. The hostels were also lighted. There was light and joy everywhere. For may be our administration understood that the Lights symbolized much more than radiance. They gave us student a quick reminder that although we may be away from our homes we are in our ‘home away from home’.

Yes we were at home. The feeling was of mutual harmony and joy. There were smiles all around, genuine smiles. Everyone was dressed in their best, ready to live life the only way it should be-BIG.

As night approached our excitement doubled, we all realized the next few hours will be one of our finest hours and the memories shall last for many years to come. We sang, we danced, and yes we did burst.

We lived as if there was no tomorrow and in many ways it was true tomorrow certainly was not ‘Diwali’.

So kudos to the administration of BIT for lighting up our campus and thereby lighting up our Diwali.

HAPPY DIWALI

Yes it is that time of the year again.

Yes it is time to celebrate. The color of lights is upon us and as always it promises to bigger and better than ever before.

Diwali has always had a very special place in the hearts of all Indians. In gives us a hope, a reason to smile, a reason to believe in Life, a reason to say to ourselves that ‘Life is Beautiful’. As the lights take over in this auspicious night with the glow all the Darkness of the year is burned away and all of us make a new beginning. All of us are more resolved and strong. We feel rejuvenated, we feel free, we feel like living life to the fullest Such is the power of ‘the festival of lights’, such is the Magic of Diwali.

So Wishing all of you a Very HAPPY DIWALI.

I HAVE FOUND MY visualDNA
You too can know your dna

COMPETITION

In life things are never as obvious as they seem at first. Life has a demented way of letting you know the obvious. When, and not if, you choose to believe the virtual reality you fall flat in your face. All of us are lost in the maze, we believe what life makes us believe, we get scared by the friendliest beings, we chase the lowliest goals, and we fear success and strive for failure.

This is because of our innate misconceptions and pre-conceived notions. But once a while we see the light, we are able to rise above fundamental judgments and see things in their right perspective. Then when it finally strikes you, when after all these time the bells finally start to ring, when you realize that the round about way was the straight way you kick yourself and regret the fact of not having seen the prominent truth more prominently. Now that moment will cause you to look back and absorb the new fact, for if you accept it and correct yourself you make the right beginning all over again.

I recently had such a moment. The curtains were raised and the truth was unfolded. I had my moment .I realized that ‘competition always leads to growth.’

Yes its clichéd, yes I had heard it before, yes people and well wishers have preached so, yes life has in some way or the other made this statement hold true, but before now I did not believe in it completely.

I say ‘not completely’, as given an option of dismissal performance between giants, which will cause loss of false honor but increase of inner strength, and glorification among handicapped dwarfs I many times would have chosen the latter so as to bask in the immediate sun ignoring the storm in the not so distant future. For who doesn’t like attention, who doesn’t want glory, no matter how immediate and short lasting it may be. So I took the bait and was lost in the mist of life.

But life has a weird way or teaching you stuff. I learned it the hard way but learned it none the less. The fact that ‘competition leads to growth’ is an understatement and in no way brings about its true essence.

For anyone to succeed competition is as important as skill, determination and attitude. It keeps us at out toes, prevents complacency, makes us aware of your assets and liabilities and more important than anything else competition leads to failure.

Yes we fail because of our highly skilled peers but actually that’s the beginning of our success. ‘The one who falls can only rise’. Without competition we become stagnant, we think we are growing, actually we are falling.

So fear not competitions, because your competent peers are your gateway to success. Analyze your competition, judge it, fight it, you may loose but one day it will happen, the game of competition will lift you, you will be a winner!

“A competitive world offers two possibilities. You can lose. Or, if you want to win, you can change.”

CHANGE—THE ONLY THING CONSTANT

My world is changing everyday. Changes are occurring at the blink of an eye, after every passing second and in a heartbeat.

Changes were happening a bit too fast. Not just my life, the entire world was changing. So the metamorphosis of dull, long, repetitive ODI cricket into thrilling, nail-biting, unpredictable Twenty20 is well documented. Also the slow but qualified changes as far as India global image is concerned, which includes Vijay Malliya buying F1 team Spykar among other things, where happening at an alarming rate with sensex crossing the 17K mark.

Some of the changes were not pleasant. Like Amitabh Bachchan of ‘Mohabatein’ I too “don’t like changes”. So I repeated this clichéd dialogue of Mr Narayan Shankar and fought against the changes happening around me. Predictably, I failed.

The more I tried to prevent things from changing the more they changed. All my surroundings objects, people, events were getting a face lift. Although I would rather have prevented these ‘changes’, I realized that they were beyond my control.

For, ‘change is the only thing constant.’ ‘Changes’ will happen, one way or the other.

But I learned a great lesson. ‘Change is good when it is done by me. Change is bad when it is done to me.’

Times change, we have to change with changing times. Faces change, we have to change accordingly. Circumstances change, we have to adjust. Life stops for no one. The cycle of change rotates and evolves with every revolution. It can be mesmerizing, it can be heartbreaking, it can lead to miracles, it can cause catastrophes, but one thing that it won’t and can’t do is stop the cycle itself. So instead of trying to stop it initiate it. Change when brought about by you opens the door to limitless possibilities. In a way change makes or breaks you. You have to innovate, change for the better if you wish to survive in the highly competitive world. In a similar way changes initiated by others get the better of you and force you to first decline and finally perish.

So at the end of the day it’s your call, identify your drawbacks, change them and thus prosper else allow your competitors to identify your faults, exploit them and get the best out of you.

So change is not that bad a thing in the first place. It proves a very old saying, ‘If you want to overcome your greatest fears- EMBRACE THEM’.

AND THE LIGHTS WENT OFF…

Life is unpredictable. You never know what awaits you at the next turn. With every passing moment we witness a twist of faith, the real questions being whether this twist will be a fortunate or unfortunate one.

Life practices a reflex action of throwing up surprises. No matter how much one prepares for such surprises one is invariably caught off guard. The irony is the smallest of such surprises can make or break us. They can make us forget our greatest sorrows and leave us rejuvenated; they can also draw a hole in our hearts.

Most of the unpredictable nature of life is caused due to circumstances. Numerous times the surroundings control our actions. We are forced to ‘go with the flow’. Circumstances make us do the meanest of things as well as the holiest of activities. It’s beyond our control .We can’t resist the temptation and are lured into doing what the situation demands.

I recently had a faceoff with such a circumstance where we all were driven to do something that we wouldn’t have done otherwise. Fortunately for us we did something truly outrageous which made us pay attention to the finer details in life.

It was exam time. Adrenaline was running high. Previous failure had made us realize our fragility as student and pushed us into unknown territory-“seriousness”. Yes we are were seriously into books, so much so that he had left our merry ways of ridiculing every object which can be ridiculed. We had lost our gift.

But then it happened. Circumstances made us their tamed creatures. We submitted, THE LIGHTS WENT OFF……

All of us were dinning in our common mess. Everybody was eager to finish this unwanted chore so that we can return to our studious ways. But then we had a power failure.

No body knew what happened. No body new how to react. There was silence, but not for long. It had happened. The shield was removed, we were all back to our original selves, we were back to being rogues.

There was a scream. An illogical, meaningless scream but it broke the ice. It started the chain reaction. Soon all of us pitched it. Meaning less slogans were shouted out, mockery of uncanning suspects were handed out, tables were banged, songs were sung in the most painful manners. All this, in the protection of darkness. It gave us the license to do as will with no strings attached and no one to answer to.

Yes it was just a few lunatics makes a few noises in the dark but there was so much more to it. It reminded us of our undoubting inclination to be happy and do as one wishes to. It reminded us of how free we are and that no hardship can kill our spirits which inspires us to overcome all odds and smile no matter what.

It is refreshing to know that in a world which is hell bent to squeeze out the last ounce of fun from our life we somehow always, and I mean always find a way to break free.

RACE TO BE BACKWARD

The recent reservation policy has instilled an irrepressible zeal in many to be backward. The GUJJARS’ demanded their right to be ‘backward’ and resorted to everything from road blockage to stone pelting to become ‘backwards’. But the MEENA’s who didn’t want to loose any of their exclusive rights to ‘backwardness’ rigorously protested the GUJJARS’ bid to be ‘backward’.

This unabashed display should have shaken us up. It should have been a death blow to the dangerous being called ‘reservations’ but I served as a catalyst and triggered numerous similar claims.

Man…..how foolish is man???

But I am a die hard optimist. Even with regards to something as illogical as ‘The race to be backward’ I can mould it to suit my requirements. After all life is all about perception. You see what you want to see. So because of my keen sense of observations and the eccentric ways of my classmates I stumbled across a new definition of ‘the race to be backward’ and then found myself laughing out of my skin.

The race is held every single day. It begins with the rising sun. The racers prepare themselves fully aware of the dangers ahead, the joy of triumph and the misery of defeat. The act is no small feat; it will have far ranging consequences. It will determine the course of the day. Failure is not an option. Fully armored and rearing to go, they enter the race tracks.

But this is not an ordinary race. Speed and accuracy matter the most. There is no margin for the slightest error. But the goal is different. No body wants to be ahead every body is racing to be backward.

So as the clock strikes eight and the lazy peon finally figures out which key opens the dreaded door….THE RACE BEGINS.

It’s a war. No mercy is shown. Only the best will survive. The key is twisted, the lock opens, the door swings open and they are off.
Rushing through mad traffic, squeezing through the tiny door, they reach out for their trophy.

Not all will savor victory. “Success goes to the most perseverant”. So after squeezing your way, for the first time in the day you see the reason for this race. You grab it.

Now seated on your prize you realize it was so worth it. “THE LAST BENCH” that’s the prize. It was a race to reach the end of the class, to be as far away from the devilish looks of the professor, it was a race to be ‘backward’.

The last BENCH in the class is a student’s ultimate destination. But only a few make it. The rest say to themselves “May be tomorrow”.

So there you have it. A race to be backward. A race to distant yourself from the disease called
“Education”. A race which reminds you how hilarious and ironical life can be.
RACE ON…….

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Om puri in Pyar to hona hi tha’ Zindagi mein har kisi ko ek na ek bar pyar jaroor karna chahiye pyar insan ko bahut acha baba deta hai’

One of my favorite movies kal ho na ho has a scene during a song sequence where the lead characters try to answer the unanswerable question ‘Pyar kya hota hai?’

What transcend next are hilarious interpretations by different people. All define love to suit their needs.

To define LOVE is beyond the scope of this writer all that I can say is different love-strokes for different folks.

But something that has caught my imagination of late is the number of people around me falling (or as the old clichéd goes ‘rising’) in love. Cupid seems to be working overtime without any respite. Love is everywhere.

Back home all three of my extremely close friends have jumped on the love bandwagon. The three were poles apart but love has seemed to make them similar. All three now practice many similar activities. They blush at the mention of their better halves, they seem to day dream a lot more, they can talk at lengths but about one topic only, they all seem to have surgically fixed their cellular phones on their palms.

They also seem a lot calmer; a smirk has been permanently imprinted on their lips. A shine in their face, a jump in their steps and a joy in their voice are their newest attributes.

Back in my institute the story is almost the same. Love birds separated due to the mean and unwanted summer vacation (unwanted for them blessing for rest of us) have finally reunited and their joy seems to have no bound. It I as if they are falling in love all over again. So its deja –vu as over again. Overcrowded canteen and permanently occupied benches are a side effect of their love which we have to bear. But I am game for it.

It’s almost an epidemic now. Many new hearts have united to become one (is it actually so).I see them, they seem excited, they run around campus visibly embarrassed with all the unwanted attention, then once a while their eyes meets they light up brilliantly and they simply smile. A moment to behold.

The thing is this Blogger is a hopeless romantic. So seeing people in Love gives him an aesthetic pleasure. It reminds me faith still exists and can triumph over all odds.
Given the transformation in people I simply can’t imagine how powerful it is. But irrespective of the final faith of your love affair being in love is a heart touching experience, just the feeling of someone being their makes you appreciate life and live it in as grand a way as possible. It makes to gentler, it makes to appreciate the smaller details, and it forces you to be good to others.

So live on and love.

AN OBITUARY

Although it has been quite sometime since the sad and untimely demise of one of my favorite teachers, the truth has begun to sink in just now. Not knowing what to do, I thought the least I can do is to write something about the phenomenon that was Mrs.Daschaudary. It will be very hard to do justice to such a fine lady, friend, confidant and above all teacher but I hope to do my best.

I distinctly remember my English Literature class of grade VI. That was the first time she had thought us. An alumnus of our school, She knew stewatorians in and out, and had managed to formulate an ingenious mix of warmth and rigidity which will kept us on our toes but at the same time long for her attention.

She commanded respect. She had an unparallel gravity in her personality and an aura of invincibility surrounded her. She was always clear and precise. A no-nonsense approach always. Once she was a bit late to class. We did what we do best, create sound waves of great amplitudes and annoyingly high pitches. She was pissed. It was intolerable. She asked all of us to bend our necks and to look down for the entire period (she was a severe critic of corporal punishment). After passing her judgment she left.

The class stood there with its head held low. She had gone we could end this turmoil, she will obviously not know. All that was required was a upward movement of the neck. That never came. All of us waited for one of the others to make the move so that we could follow suit. It never happened. The rogues were tamed. But why so? Why did we allow us to undergo the pain and risk spondilitis wherein we could have ‘just raised our heads’? May be it was her. It obviously was her.

My neck was strained. But it felt good. Obeying her made me feel good.
That was only was the beginning of a truly educative journey. She always pressed on character development. Her classes paid attention to minute details. She was a perfectionist. She settled for nothing less then the best and incorporated the same values in her students. She was strict but never mean.

Now that she is no more a void has been created in all our lives. It has been sometime since I have passed out of school, but I could have never forgotten her. As the sad news broke out all my friends were in a state of shock. Every body stood quietly in disbelief not knowing how to react.

If anyone ever asks me how good she was, I will have the perfect answer.
The fact that she is remembered and missed by so many, the fact that I am writing this, the fact that all her students have grieved is reason enough.

Anthony may have said ‘The good of men gets buried with them but their bad deeds live on’, but it is also true that you are remembered and missed only because of your good deeds. Mrs. Daschaudary has done a lot of them.

‘You have left us for your heavenly journey leaving a void that shall never be filled up. You taught us to be strong, to laugh, to struggle, to triumph. You made us what we are. You inspired us. Now from all those who love you a sincere pray has been uttered –MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PEACE’

MRS. Daschaudary may have left but she surely has not gone. She will be survived by all her students.
TEACHERS DON’T DIE.

MAN....How mean is Man??

One of the least covered but most sensational sports run of recent times has to be the fearless display of gut, glory and grace by the Iraqi national football team in their dream run to the Asian cup final. Their performance is the stuff that dreams are made off. It was nothing less then a fairytale story coming true.

The Iraqi team has show great potential before. They have reached the semifinal of the 2004 Athens Olympics and also the finals of the Doha Asian games. But nothing could be compared to reaching the Asian cup final for the first time ever, defeating teams playing their full strength which includes world cup semifinalists South Korea.

This blogger due to his innate inclination towards dark horses was visibly moved and inspired by their achievement. Football is a beautiful game, the primary reason for this being its ability to bring a smirk in the face of the most miserable beings in the world. As if by a divine intervention Football makes people forget the Hell around them and simply allows them to enjoy the moment.

The Iraqi footballers gave their countrymen Hope. It was something way beyond aesthetic pleasure. It was security. A sense of well being that they too can now dream of being counted in the international community.

To sum it all up it was the assurances that ‘if our footballers can do it then so can we, in any other discipline.’

So the mass celebrations were rightly justified. After all it has been a very long time since the average Iraqi has had something to cheer about. The football crazy Iraqi’s went wild. Adrenalin was running high. It was time to sing, dance, celebrate…it was time to be HAPPY.

Just like in The pursuit of HappYness ‘this very minute part of their lives was called happiness.’

But man is mean. How can he witness the transformation of a poor, helpless nation from years of hardships to a few moments of joy? Man struck back with vengeance. Their joy was reduced to tears…tears of blood.
‘The devil hits where it hurts the most’ this was proven deadly correct.

Two suicide bombers struck during a mass celebration, killing more than fifty and injuring hundreds.

The resurgent nation never resurged. Their fairytale ended abruptly, not in the field of football but in the field of death.

The fact that it was an act of cowardice is well known. But when I first got the news I stood still for a second and introspected. I was in disbelief but I was also overwhelmed by the cruelty of man.
From deep inside a voice said ‘MAN……how mean is man?

POWER OF LETTERS –II

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

This is applicable to all. So how can our ever so powerful 26 building blocks be an exception?

Yes they are powerful and they are corrupt. This is made more than evident by the phenomena called G.P.A. My previous post tried to convey the truth-‘D’(read doom) shows absolutely no mercy.

But God and justice still prevail in this kalyug. Whenever evil has reared it’s ugly face we have been blessed with our messiah to guide us and help us crawl back to normalcy.

After being forced to succumb to the ever so powerful ‘D’ my prayers were finally answered and from the ashes of pathetic existence emerged the most unlikely savior….my HERO ……the letter ‘C’.

I never realized this obscure letter would be my brahmashtra to redeem my heart of evil and rekindle hope, faith, belief and above all the desire to win. I never realized its presence until one day it was finally morning I saw the following in my institute notice board-
BE/161/05 Bidu Prakash Das M-3 changed to “C”

HURRAY!!! Where’s the band, where’s the Champaign. Diwali had come early this year.
I was in disbelief. Could it have happened?

Could life, which screwed me up just a month before have had second thoughts and finally decided to show some mercy?

But how? My luck seemed to be worst then the chicken that tried to cross the road but know I thought may be, just may be it is not that bad.
May be its karma. May be God’s beam balance which sways back and forth took a nosedive resulting in my misery but as always in gave it’s child a hope, a support, a hero. My HERO was none other then the letter ‘C’.

So there is was my answer to the devil, my certificate of competence, my reaffirmation of faith, my death blow to the letter ‘D’.

It gave me back my lost hope, my ability to reason, my ability to fight back and WIN. For the outright havoc caused by ‘D’ (D for destruction) can only has been neutralized by the late fight back of ‘C’. But what a heroic fight back it was….Alexander would have taken note.

Its funny how one incident can make you despair and even funnier is the fact that something out of the blue can make you believe. The thing is not everybody is that fortunate to get a break after a heartbreak. I was, but may be only this one time. I learned my lesson and hopefully my readers have also.

For those in a daze even now here the missing piece-
D- 4.0 grades but FAILED (see you in summers loser)C-5.0 grades but more importantly PASS, you survived it……LIVE ON.

POWER OF LETTERS

Ek letter, ek letter …admi ko helpless kar de ta hai…

Shakespeare couldn’t agree more. So will William Wordsworth. As his name suggests words are very worthy.

Alphabets constitute logic, reason, contradiction, announcement and all others humanly practices. They are the building blocks of all our motions, communications and exercises. They form words and words form LIFE.
So it will be very true to say that our very existence depends on letters and the way we manipulate their uses.

Letters give us the power to communicate our deepest thoughts in the most powerful or powerless way (depending on its use), they also allow diplomats to shape world politics for better as well as for worst, they are used to ingrain the most noble or most evil thoughts into the absorptive mind of the youth, they can be used to persuade the world into following tolerance, nonviolence or can be used to spread hatred and cause havoc.

Such is the power of letters.

My institute has realized this a little to well and as constituted an ingenious way to display the power of letters.

Grade Point Analysis (G.P.A) is how I had a first hand realization of this solemn truth.

A single letter decides how good or bad I am, my existence as an engineer begins and ends there. That’s all that I am worth. So when I got a ‘D’ slapped across my face I realized how mortal I am.

“A ‘D’…how can this be? Is the alphabet D written like the way it is written in my GPA card? It can’t be?”
But it was. I had got a ‘D’ (read doom). May be I was being over speculative. Surely a single letter can’t define my existence? But for now it did.

One bloody letter was telling me, rather asserting the fact (it seemed like a fact) that all my dreams, hopes, ambitions were not nonexistent.
It was as if this letter constituted my greatest fears and apprehensions, which was all coming true now. I had never given the letter D much importance but now it had ascertained itself in a way that forced me to bow down and pay homage. Never had I conceded defeat to any mortal but now a letter had defeated me, comprehensibly.

Now I realize why alphabets are said to be the atoms of our existence.
My readers are free to conclude that this description is too melodramatic but it was what a felt once I saw that ‘D’, which further signifies the POWER OF LETTERS

IRONY----

Present day---

I am sitting in front of my television, but one thing is very wrong the remote is not in my hand. How can that be?

I am the youngest in my house...so quite simply I RULE…what I say goes, what I want happens and what I want the ‘idiot box’ to do it does.

All through out the week I have been excited. Many things were happening this week-Roger Federer tries to become immortal my becoming the king of Roland Garoos , Lewis Hamilton may finally proof youth and ruthless aggression triumphs over all, and most importantly “Beckham is back” and hopefully with a bang. Also I have my regular sitcoms and I think KJo has invited Shetty sisters this time (talk about souring temperatures) .
But what now…all seems like a mirage because “the remote is not in my hand.” Now the reason for this truly unlikely occurrence is that there is someone younger than me in the house now. He know controls destiny.

Although I tried to persuade then intimidate him, he dodged all my attacks using his ‘magical shield’. Each time I attack he counter attacks “BADIMOM, look what bhaiya is doing”. My mom arrives at the scene of crime and I am reminded my age (literally).

So cornered I surrender to the watching habits of my kid cousin. So first it’s the oldest crew member “CARTOON NETWORK”. It starts with Power puff girls (and he calls himself a boy…errr), cant believe this my interesting some day...How LAME, but it gets worst Swami, Birbal maharaji and it went on….whatever happened to Tom and Jerry or Tintin. Please I can’t take it any more changed the channel, which he did but soon I wished he hadn’t. Now it was Disney channel--cartoons I had never heard of and all of them where in Hindi-God save me. But them the straw that broke the camel’s (read BIDU’s) back, some channel called POGO which will double as a torture chamber. Seeing adults dress up in monkey suits making faces, cracking the worst jokes, asking their foolish and childish (again literally) viewers to imitate and repeat their words seemed too much to handle.

It was as if we were reliving the Stone Age, all our achievements seemed immaterial, every thing was either green or pink with spots, a meaningless smile and every one hopped, skipped for reasons unknown.That was it, my mind was slipping away.
I had no option but to run, which I did.I ran out of the room with my ears blocked using my palms and then it struck me…the IRONY.FLASHBACK …10 years ago

IRONY---II

10 years ago---

Things were going my way. The remote was with me and I was watching my favorite show in the entire world—‘Dexter’s laboratory’. What a show I said to myself, an act of genius.In walks my elder brother (just two years elder to me but much more mature). “hey ashes is going on,let me watch it.”“Are you crazy?” I promptly replied. “How can you even compare Dexter’s Laboratory to your stupid Ashes? Its Test cricket the boring form of them all and It doesn’t even involve India.” My patient brother tried to make reason but at last I got to him and he tried snatching my prized possession. He attacked I counter attacked with my ‘Brahma ashtra’—my MOM, “Mom look what Bhai is trying to do”. “Let your brother watch his cartoon, he is a kid after all” said my savior.

Helpless my brother abided and decided to taste my flavors. Soon I saw him running out of the room in despair. I said to myself “He is missing out on the finest form of entertainment”. I could not care less and carried on with my endeavor to gain ultimate wisdom.

So there you have it, I am suffering today the same fate I once handed out not so long ago. Come to think of, it isn’t suffering of any sort. It’s the way of life. Life always makes a full circle. What goes around comes around.We are all so distinct yet we are go through the same circle of life…thats an IRONY… THE IRONY OF LIFE.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

One of the most popular characters ever to dawn the Indian television screen “JASSI’ had once remarked that “How strange it is that the one name by which we will be known all our lives is actually not chosen by us but given to us?”

The writers by making such a statement had meant to give the viewers an insight into this complicated character, it can be inferred that she was extremely BORING but at the same thing looked beyond the fundamental meanings of things thus making her interesting at the same time. But this writer choose to ignore both of the above points (partly because I was not a follower of that show) and instead zeroed in the debate as to whether a person’s name single handedly defines his existence and differentiates him from others or is it just a form of nomenclature and nothing more.

Not able to make much headway into these two contradicting statements I decided to venture into more familiar territory, my own name.
Yes my name, for those who don’t know it its’ BIDU PRAKASH DAS.

Now I agree it isn’t a regular name so it might qualify as a strange one also.
Many times during the beginning of our semester when the teacher reads out the roll list invariably when my name shows up they all will-pause for a second, take a deeper look, raise their eyebrow and then pronounce it, but never correctly. Bidu gets twisted to beedu,bedo or even bibhu…talk about tongue twisters.
Even some of my closest friends find my name funny and manipulate in according to their own terms to suit their requirements (read tease me to death).
Introduction to a total stranger also lands me in a spot purely because of my name…
”What was your name again…Bikram, Bijay?”
I reply in vain “Bidu”
“What did you say…b-ee-du…ok”
Sometimes it really gets on my nerve, correcting people each and every time they pronounce your name is laborious to say the least and it is also embarrassing, so when I realize I can’t win I just let it be and swallow the bitter pill.

So it sometimes makes me complain “Mom dad couldn’t you think of a better name?”
My mom being as cunning as she is promptly replies” anything for my son’s happiness. Let us go to the court tomorrow itself an file an affidavit to change your name to whatever you want.”
Being cornered and out of moves I accept my defeat and reply, “Fine no need for that I will live with it.”I tell you my Mom….

READ ON...the next post is a continuation of this one.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

But once you think of it, it’s not that bad to live with such a name. Like it or hate it one thing you cant do is ignore my name. It may not sound that good but it surely is unique.
So when you shout out aloud my name in a crowd be rest assured that only I head will turn around in respond (provided off course I am there) but that may not be the case for other so called ‘beautiful names’.

Also I don’t have to add strange prefixes or postfixes to my name to get registered into any happening web service.(e-mail, messengers etc). For others it may have to be ajay123 or 123vijay but for me a simple Bidu does the trick. No hiccups here.

But I must say, I truly appreciated the value of my name once I typed in the words bidu prakash das (within double quotes) into google search engines.
I returned zero hits.
Yes you read it right zero hits.

Hear I am using the most powerful search engine in the world, the same engine which is at par with the printing press or steam engine as great inventions which have affected and changed the way we live our everyday lives, that one invention which gave two non political, non military Stanford graduates the power to revolutionize the world bowing down in front of my NAME. All my friends’ name returned some hit or the other but not mine. It lost my name won.
The thing that I could make out from this discovery was that I have a barren land, which no one has discovered till date. It is mine for the taking. If I think straight and work hard I can carve a niche for myself which will be totally my own. So thank you mom and dad for giving me this name and allowing me to truly make a unique ‘name’ for myself.

So in my conclusion I think I have realized that irrespective of one’s birth name each one should strive for a name beyond alphabets and one made on the foundation of accomplishment and recognition…. so STRIVE ON

AGONY AND ECSTACY

This is a two-piece continuation of the same post, which I did deliberately to exhibit the sharp contrasts of emotions, which I am trying to portray…so please read the next one also.

AGONY…….???

Who kehte hai na…jo hota hai ache ke liye hota hai……
Galat kehte hai…


Agony----What is it?
Only a person whose heart has been ripped can truly say what exactly agony is. I, like most of us have been in agony at some point of my existence. So if you ask me I would say -To be in a state where you loose FAITH and start doubting your EXISTANCE is equivalent to being in AGONY.

In the words of the patriarch of the Indian film fraternity Mr. Bachchan himself ‘umeed’ is what makes the world go round and makes us hang on a little bit longer. Now what can be so gruesome that forces us to loose FAITH? Now that’s how cruel agony can be. Also man may loose everything in life but one thing in life but he can always boast about one thing, his LIFE his EXISTANCE, the one thing that makes us the most superior being in the face of the 3rd rock from the sun. But the cruel hands of AGONY snatch away without a trickle of remorse our this sense of security and force us to concede the pleasures of being alive.

After being aware of the devastating ill effects of agony lets us imagine the cause. It can be as small as a heartbreak (small to others and obviously not to the person who undergoes the pain) or massive like the devil ringing the Death Bell of a near and dear one. It hurts more when your state is neither caused by you or is controlled by you. You feel SATAN hand picked you to lent his frustration out…you ask again and again..why me God…why me??? You feel no end to your misery…you don’t realize the reason you came to the world. To feel helpless and hopeless as if destiny had walked right up your door, slapped you in your face and made you realize how insignificant and worthless you and your very existence actually is. It does not matter how you end up in such a state but not if but when you do, its’ is a torture which even the most sadistic minds would dare not experiment with.

And then you bow down to your knees and say to yourself…life is a BITCH….

AGONY AND ECSTACY

ECSTASY…???


Jubilance, joy, happiness, pleasure when we ‘think’ we are undergoing such great emotions what exactly are we….I say we are ecstatic…in a state of ecstasy .

My critics will argue that ecstasy is a synonym of the words I have used above, but I feel it rightly describes our mindset in a way, which is exactly opposite to AGONY…a state of much happiness as compared to a state of despair.

Ecstasy what is it???
Again a state of mind. A felling, which gives you the impression that you are on top of the world. A truly marvelous combination of joy and self belief which makes you feel that impossible is nothing, no goal is too high to achieve and no path is too difficult to transverse. You can now stare at destiny, right into its eyes and say ‘I am the master of my own destiny’.

Such ecstasy can be caused by absolutely everything and anything. It can be the result of a once in a lifetime achievement or it can be the effect of one’s wild imagination, which may carry no practical implications whatsoever. Irrespective of its cause it has very sweeping effect across one’s mindset. It is very mysterious but a single event of ecstasy can cause a chain of reactions, which may very well be the defining moment in that person’s life.

And what a feeling that is? A combination of a sense of achievement coupled with the satisfaction of you being able to make a difference. You regain your lost hope feel you stand out and are accounted for in this world. It makes you realize how beautiful life is and how much there is to it. IT again makes you go down to your knees and murmur to yourself…

Who kehte hai na…jo hota hai ache ke liye hota hai……
Saht kehte hai…


Whatever inference can be drawn from this writing is upon the reader to discover all I want to say is that both AGONY and ECSTACY are state of the minds.
So think straight and win the mind game called LIFE

WHAT A GIRL!

Yes this blog in an opinion blog, a take on life but I have to pause for a moment and pay tribute to the most lovable person I have ever meet. Yes you guessed it; she is a girl, my girl. What can I say to u about her? She is just perfect. I never thought I would meet such a wonderful person who will fill my life with love, warmth and would inspire me to live life the only way it should be lived-BIG.I have known her for such a long time that I can't remember doing anything else before knowing her. She walked into my life and since then she has taken control, loving me and inspiring me each and every moment. Like a guarding angel this truly magnificent creation of the Almighty has been with me through thick as well as thin. I know not what I would have been if not for her.Now that I am away most of the time I miss her lots and I am sure that she yearns for me even more but having realized that it is for the greater good both of us have swallowed the bitter pill. But whenever I return I find her love grown many folds. She embraces me with all her strength making me realize how fortunate I am to have this girl in my life.Sacrifice is another word synonymous with her name. She has the ability to kill all her most precious dreams without even a word coming out of her just for the sake of others and especially me. I have asked her numerous times to mend her ways and for a change put herself first but habits don’t change easily. To be honest I don’t want her do change a tat bit. She is the epitome of love, care and the best part is that she is ALL MINE.So there you have it my description of the most beautiful girl in the entire wide world. I would love to write at lengths about her but no matter how hard I try I can never do justice to her-MY MOTHER.
THE MOTHER LOVES HER CHILD MOST DIVINELY NOT WHEN SHE SURROUNDS HIM WITH COMFORT AND ANTICIPATES HS WANTS, BUT WHEN SHE RESOLUTELY HOLDS HIM TO HIS HIGHEST STANDARDS AND IS CONTENT WITH NOTHING LESS THEN HIS BEST
I LOVE YOU MOM!
HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY.

PAPER PRESENTATION

Here is the summarised abstract of a paper presentation i made on DNA COMPUTATION

What it is?. DNA computing is a form of computing which uses DNA and molecular biology, instead of the traditional silicon-based computer
The Origin- Adleman was struck by how how a living enzyme "reads" DNA much the same way computer pioneer 1936is was calculated how a machine could read data.
If you look inside the cell you find a bunch of amazing little tools,The cell is a treasure chest. ?
Adleman used his computer to solve the classic problems there by drawing similarity between dna strand and the computer.For example -"traveling salesman" mathematical problem -- how a salesman can visit a given number of cities without passing through any city twice -- by exploiting the predictability of how DNA interacts. He generated thousands of random paths, in much the same way that a computer can sift through random numbers to break a code.
Advantages-
The primary advantage offered by most proposed models of DNA based computation is the ability to handle millions of operations in parallel. The massively parallel processing capabilities of DNA computers may give them the potential to find tractable solutions to otherwise intractable problems, as well as potentially speeding up large, but otherwise solvable, polynomial time problems requiring relatively few operations. The use of DNA to perform massive searching and related algorithms will be referred to as "classic" DNA computation for the purposes of this discussion. Proposed "classical" models of DNA computers derive their potential advantage over conventional computers from their ability to: Perform millions of operations simultaneously; Generate a complete set of potential solutions; Conduct large parallel searches; and Efficiently handle massive amounts of working memory. of optimal encoding techniques, and the ability to perform necessary bio-operations conveniently in vitro or in vivo.

. . Disadvantages-
Biologists are only now grasping the basics of how and why DNA unzips, recombines and sends and receives information. DNA is notoriously fragile and prone to transcription errors -- as the world's cancer rate thus a lot a work is still required for it to be success.
A limited amount of work has been directed at real-life applications and the practical feasibility of DNA computers. While the practical benefits of DNA based computational schemes are still questionable and the vast majority of work to date has been theoretical, there have been many allusions to
These models also have some of the following drawbacks: Each stage of parallel operations requires time measured in hours or days, with extensive human or mechanical intervention between steps; Generating solution sets, even for some relatively simple problems, may require impractically large amounts of memory; and Many empirical uncertainties, including those involving: actual error rates, the generation
The future-These realizations and others have tempered initial expectations that DNA would ultimately replace silicon chips. Still, researchers in this field believe they remain on the vanguard of a computational revolution. After all, a single gram of dried DNA, about the size of a half-inch sugar cube, can hold as much information as a trillion compact disk.

EXAM FEVER

They are finally over.....

Like a fire breathing dragon it reared its ugly head upon us. It vultured upon our sorry state hovering high with a killer instinct looking down upon its’ preys smelling blood and hoping to extract blood soon. Some fared well whereas some cursed their luck. Some rejoiced in victory whereas some sank deep into the deep, dark sea of despair. May be we (at least I) were partly to be blamed for our this state but I cant help to think that SATAN himself had planed this massacre for us. But Alas! they are finally over. The one good thing I can say surely about all of us is that we all SURVIVED it
Examination times are crucial times this all of know very well. But I have tumbled upon a new discovery in my latest encounter with them. They are also dam FUNNY times.
In a herculean sized hostel like mine where student of all imaginable brain sizes and level of preparation interact you are bound to have your ‘gut-aching’ moment.
IT WAS FUNNY when a certain BATCH TOPPER went to sleep every night, during the exam at sharp 10 pm (even during the CORE ECE papers) and woke up at 9 in the morning. He was genuinely surprised when all of us gasped at this act of horror. Although all of us knew that he was going to get double the marks that any one of us (those who l studied all night long) could possibly get.
IT WAS FUNNY when the coolest stud of our batch decided to sleep out the exam period(not just in his room but also in the examination hall). He confessed ‘One night preparation won’ t do me much good so it is better if I save my energy for the summers’. He and our BATCH TOPPER slept long and well. The irony (again quite funny) was that they were doing the same activity but for reasons that were poles apart.
IT WAS FUNNY when a very superstitious person decided to were the same pair of jeans throughout the examination. His reason was ‘I had worn this pair in the first exam. I had not studied much but did well. It was because of my lucky jeans. So I intend to were it in all my examinations’. All I could think off was that ‘Thank God he had a bath in the first day. This prevented him from coming to the conclusion that not taking a bath was lucky for him. Thus our nostrils were spared from much torture’.
IT WAS certainly FUNNY quiet a lot of times during our examination I just hope that it will still be funny when our results come out.

THE APPLICATION

MY lovable institute is up to its old tricks again making us do the most illogical activities which has no practical implications attached whatsoever.
This time around we students who had missed any of their classes on the 1st or 2nd of March are suppose to write an application justifying their this heinous crime. We are required to submit it with our respective teachers.
On 2nd we had only a single lecture, having finally realized that MID-SEM was rearing its ugly face over us the majority of the class didn’t show up.(But almost all showed up in CP or MX fanatically searching for tuite sheet sols…..)
So on the first day after midsem we got our rude shock. We were supposed to write the dam thing and submit it then and there. Synchronous sounds of pages being torn filled the air. All of started banging our heads hard, desperately trying to remember the great art of writing an ‘APPLICATION’. It was a crisis. I firmly believe that panic leads to humor. The actions which followed reaffirmed my faith.
In the small time frame given to us we filled our blank papers’ with some ink and submitted it. I being seated in the first row was forced to keep turning back and collect the applications which were being passed on from behind. I passed them on but not before having a sneak peak of the reason provided.
They came in all sizes and forms and finally left me gasping for air.
We obviously had the usual alibis-‘I had fever/cold/migraine…..’. Some went a step ahead and wrote that they even had the med-cert and will be more than happy to provide it if required. May be they were trying reverse psychology-if they say they have I they won’t be asked to provide it.
Some said that they had stomach ache and added that the reason for their sorry state was the uneatable mess food. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
One was truly outrageous-‘Sir as I had more than 75% attendance, I felt no need to attend the class’. Talk about sticking it in your face. Courageous or foolish you decide.
Another one said , as I desperately had to go to the loo and the institute levorotary made me(I think all) nauseous I had no option but to go back to my hostel.
But this one had to the show stealer –‘As 2nd was the last working day before Holi , I was fully aware of a possible holi bash. Afraid of this I decided to hide myself in the safe vicinities of my hostel room’.
One can make that some of the outrageous alibis were intentionally written that way. A way of getting back …..i guess. But one can’t help to imagine if actually these were true reasons.
Weird but very hilarious.
PS-None mentioned about bunking class to prepare for midsem.

INDIA ROCKING

I recently read the papers on the eve of our 58th Republic Day and found out that ‘the soft spoken general’-VLADIMIR PUTIN will b our country’s guest of honor on this great occasion.
I then thought he must be one really pissed of guy. The leader of the ’Red Army’ must be ragging red now that India has officially back-stabbed it’s old friends in Moscow and signed the so-called “ground breaking “ Indo-Us nuclear deal. But to my utter surprise, when asked about the implications of the deal on India’s relationship with Russia, he acknowledged India’s right to search for alternate and cheap energy sources and reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment towards Delhi. He also announced that his country will be supplying us with enriched Uranium to serve our energy needs, very generous indeed Mr. Putin. But WHY????
Another News in everybody’s lips is the alleged Racial slur witnessed by a Bollywood Beauty in channel 4’s hit reality series. It kicked off a real storm. With such a diplomatic reaction of quantum proportions it seemed as if they were trying to prevent two countries from going to war. But once again I was unfazed. Nothing new was happening-if u ask me. Racism and Britain went and in hand. I have not seen a single of those ”VIDESI born confused DESI” flicks without racism been acknowledged in it. Even in Football black players have become accustomed to the “Monkey Chants”. Then why are Tony Blair,Gordon Brown(Britain’s Prime minister in waiting) all so very concerned? Once again I ask WHY???
One may think that both Putin and Blair are doing the ‘right’ thing.But they are Politicians, they have better things to do then do the right thing.
Why all of a sudden is India everywhere?
The answer lies in the question itself. All this is happening because INDIA IS EVEYWHERE.
India with its’ young population, availability of cheap labor, immense brain pool is virtually guaranteed to be the flavor of the future. Thus the ‘firangis’ don’t want to stay away from the party. As a result we have F-16’s and MiG-21’s fiercely pitted against each other, lobbying very hard just be get the IAF contract for new fighter planes. We also have the likes of Vodafone ready to pay whatever price is necessary just to get a foothold in the largest and also fastest growing telecommunications market in the world. We also have retail giants realizing the potential of Indian consumers and forming alliance with Indian counterparts .Finally we have our very own Laxmi Niwas Mittal ready to undergo the difficult task of setting a Green field project (A first time for Mittal steel) rather than acquisitions. All this trouble because it is worth it. India is worth it.
Having missed an opportunity with CHINA, no one is taking any chances now. Everyone wants a seat on the success train whose engine happens to be controlled by INDIA.
So I guess Blair,Putin,Bush are not being kind to India. On the contrary they are being kind to themselves by doing what is right for their economy. Now we are in a position to choose. Predictably no country wants to do anything to look bad in our eyes hence all the attention.
Another very crucial change that has come about due to Indian’s economic crusade is the mind set of its’ people. So a sreesanth dancing down the pitch(with absolute no regret of his actions) causes no surprise. In the 70’s during the “LICENSE RAJ” Amitabh Bachchan became the numero-uno star because of the character he portrayed. A ‘angry young man’ frustrated with the system trying to break away and create his on rules. The general audience identified with him and hence the popularity. Even today he has the same popularity but for a different reason altogether. Today he represents a different cause. His is a success story. Today our nation identifies with his success more than with him. His smile represents the smile o the nation. I say this is all very good. A more confident Indian has more chances of being successful. This new found confidence is already showing results.
But a word of caution. We are Indians. Whatever good things are being said about our nation is a hypothesis. We Indians have a tendency of letting victory slip away from our fingertips. Let that be history and nothing more. Yes nothing much has been achieved and a lot of hard work needs to be done to achieve “VISION 2020” but I will say this much-WE HAVE MADE A BEAUTIFUL BEGINNING.
INDIA-keep ROCKING

THE SOUND ADVICE

ADVICE-Telling someone else what to should do in a particular situation.
It’s a dangerous habit if you ask me. I often wondered when I can’t make a full circle judgment about the things happening in my life, how can I ever tell someone else how to go about things.
Anyways I am writing what I am because for the first time in my life I actually got to hear a ‘sound advice’. The funny part is that it was not even given to me but I got so influenced that I think it’s worth sharing.
There I was in my first BOOZE party ever. I had come there with three more persons. The person who was throwing the party lets call him STUD, we shall call the other two INSANE and DUDE. Each of their name suggests their characteristics.
STUD was finally giving us a treat for the enormous success he had had in the recent pass.
None of us exactly knew what great deed he had accomplished but we didn’t care as long as the food was worth going to the DHABA in the cold. Among other reasons the one I was aware of was him hooking up him a girl. According to INSANE this amounted to a booze party. His wish was granted.
I had promised someone very special ,who was very well aware of what engineering students do in their 4 year curriculum, that I shall stay away from the three ing’s-doping, boozing and smoking. I was sticking to my commitment. I was there to ensure that the three drinkers reached back without getting a suspension order midway.
We had to sit on the roof of the DHABA. Shivering was an additional price all boozers have to pay here.
Broken chairs and tables, lying in a corner were proof that it was a boozers’ joint.
INSANE said he remains stable till the 9th peck; he was out by the third one. DUDE didn’t say much. He was our drinking champ. He kept munching the chips and emptying the glasses. STUD could not manage more than one.
INSANE kept asking DUDE-”you game for a Bottom’s Up”.(For those like me unaware of the art of boozing, bottom’s up means trying to finish the entire bottle in one go and seeing who does it faster.)DUDE fully aware of INSANE’s condition gave up without a fight allowing him to do his victory dance.
Its funny how drunk people can talk about all the irrelevant things in the world without the slightest idea of what they are saying. As INSANE once again opened his mouth(and I tried closing my ears) to blabber something stupid then came the “sound advice”.

“Cheers to you dude” said INSANE while smashing his glass with STUD’s(GOD only knows how it didn’t break).
“How serious are you about this girl?”He asked.
“I really dot know, I am taking it easy. Let time take its’ toll. I am not that serious.” replied STUD.
INSANE’s brow got raised, either due to the reply he had heard or due to his bitter drink.
He replied and I listened in amaze-“See here, I suggest that you change your mindset a bit. It’s your life and I am no one to intervene but your answer reminded me of myself.
I thought the same way when I first got into a relationship.”
Dude got a call. He went do attend it while INSANE continued…..
“As far as I remember I first wanted to get into a relationship because I thought it was HIP to do so .I saw countless school flicks which forced me to think that to be happening I need to be committed.”
I realized that this was going somewhere so I paid more attention.
He then said” Then after getting into a relationship I realized it is more happening to be the playboy of the town then to be a dull committed guy in love. I started getting into relationships to get out of it. I have had twelve girlfriends till date.”
I had heard that last line before. Each time he had said it in a boastful tone. But not this time, now it was more in a regretful note.
Then he said it .He said that one line which gets stuck inside your head and gets repeated inside your brain cells for time infinite.
“And now if I am suppose to fall in love with the 13th girl I meet ,what am I to say to her. Will she trust me when she comes to know that I have had flings all my life. How am I to make her trust me? I can only lie, else I am doomed.”
There you had it a person whom I thought was nearly invincible (both in relationships and otherwise) confessing his deepest secret.
He continued ”Take it from me dude, being in a long-term relationship is the best thing that can happen to one.”
The word long-term from a guy like INSANE did sound odd but it did make sense.
DUDE was finally back, unaware of what he had missed.
While returning INSANE was so darn ‘out’ that I had to literarily drag him back.
Carrying (no pun intended) his half dead body was laborious, but keeping in mind the advice he gave, I didn’t mind at all.
I leave it to the readers to introspect on what he said all that I can say is that his “sound advice” was good enough t be written about.





The above article is an act of fiction. But fiction takes inspiration from truth and life.