I HAVE FOUND MY visualDNA
You too can know your dna
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
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’.
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’.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
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.
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…….
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…….
Thursday, August 9, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Friday, July 27, 2007
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?
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?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
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
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.
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.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
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.
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
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
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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…….???
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….
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