Prarambh

What a first week it has been in the land of the Nawabs. Haven’t spent much time in the city, been on campus mostly since I landed here. First things first, the city, right from getting out at the station gives the impression of chaos, and the traffic at best represents Brownian movement. It was so nice to finally reach the campus after what can only be described as a nightmarish journey.

The campus, bless the lord, is a sea of tranquility, and the atmosphere can be best described as “warm indifference”, since although the people are very nice and warm, there is a subtle air of indifference, one that alludes to the fact that it wouldn’t matter to the pacific around if a certain individual existed here or not.. The campus is impressive in terms of facilities, and comes as a much welcome dollop of green amidst the vast tracts of farmlands on the gangetic plains.

The induction module by the institute was quite disappointing, a sequence of long lectures, mostly soporific: the good part was the hall was air conditioned. The induction module by our seniors was meant to prepare us mostly towards getting rid of our stage fear, and handling stress with dignity. Although our senior batch had their intentions in the right place, the repeated use of the phrase “This is not a joke” actually made it a joke! Learnt a few survival skills, primary one being sleep management.

Come Friday evening, we decided to make a dash to the city, and there is just one term I have for it: A jungleraj. The sports bar that we went to had the sign outside “Arms and ammunitions not allowed”, and was manned by security guards carrying automatic weapons. The restaurant next door, a “family” place by their own confession, had a bouncer, who wore a bullet proof vest. Something I have never seen before, or associated with our country.

Another prominent feature across the state, right in the center of the busiest intersection of the city, Hazratganj, is a statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. I do not think I need to offer any explanations for this one.

Now coming to my favorite pet peeve, the weather. On the hot and dry days, the campus is under the spell of Loo, and everything we can lay our hands on is literally roasted. The concrete buildings get so hot, they radiate heat for most part of the night, and make any iota of comfortable sleep impossible. The last three days were a little humid, and that made us sweat endlessly, without letup.. Finally, the rain gods, kind and benevolent as they are, blessed us with the first showers of the season, and well, knowing me, I took a walk in the rain along the “ring road”. It was blissful.

Formal registration happened yesterday, and the institute gave us the books for the first term, weighing around half a quintal!! Good luck to me, more later..

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - II

It is my last night in town. I was at the alumni-fresher meet of my would-be alma mater, and that’s when it hit me. I will indeed be leaving behind all my friends, my beloved city and everything, to start a new life, in a far away hamlet, located off the city of nabobs. I made new friends, was given a new nick-name, which I fear will stick with me for the rest of my life.

........

B’lore has been exceptionally kind to me, and on my last evening, it blessed me with precious rain. How much I will miss this, I cannot explain.

........

The last few days have been kind of crazy, with me running helter-skelter to complete some formalities, or to finish a chore. I also ended up doing things that I have not done ever, but always wanted to do. A walk in Lalbagh under an overcast sky was prominent in the list.

........

I hope to finish my packing, and go cheer my friends, who are running the Sunfeast 10K tomorrow. Lord bless their souls.

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Au revoir, les enfants...

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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Not so long ago, I had a tryst with a not very discreet feline character. It was a not so cold wintry morning, with a light drizzle making it ever more pleasant. I was rather tense, I always am before a date, and this one involved a rather long brunch. It went rather ok, although I thought I goofed up bad a couple of instances. Eventually, we parted, and I hoped I would hear more from her. It turns out, I did hear from her, and after two more dates, I am finally moving in.

Am going to move out of 'home' to 'helL'. The revelation itself came as a shocker, I was much rather expecting to do a local shift in b'lore, from Basvangudi to Bannerghata road, but alas, that was not to be.. Here I am, suddenly, with just about 5 weeks more in this city, where I have lived all my adulthood. This beautiful city, it has been exceptionally kind to me, has given me everything. A lot of what I am, it is because of this city, that I can proudly call namma bengaluru.

It will be hard to move out, to leave behind an amazing gang of friends, those long Sunday barbecues, the complete homely neighborhoods, the peace and quiet of lalbagh, and bustle of gandhibazar, the evenings at tavern, the singing of the koels, those bike rides at night, the pandemonium of parrots flying over emgee, the fun sessions at mr lahiri's house, lunch at queens', essentially everything.. It was an amazing ride all through, and although I am guilty of leaving all this behind in hope of a more interesting one, b'lore, you will always remain special.

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The problem with religion

A nine year old girl in Brazil is allegedly raped by her step-father, and gets pregnant, carrying twins. Doctors say that because of her tender age, and the twins inside her womb, her life is in danger, so she goes in for an abortion. The church responds to this by excommunicating her, and all those who helped her get the abortion done-her mother, the doctors involved. The step-father is not ex-communicated.

Now, I am a secular person, and not against any particular religion, but any doctrine, which ignores basic facts about rape, that too of a child by a family member, and then her right to life, and responds by ostracizing her at a time when she needs the support of the society, I cease to have any respect for the people who run that doctrine.

To me, what was shocking was not just the response of the local archbishop, but also the defense of his actions by the Vatican. Where has all the sense and sensibility gone? This represents a fundamental problem with religion altogether, which is following the text of its Gods by the letter, not in spirit. In a case like the one above, the church takes no action against the step-father but goes to great lengths to defend the life of the unborn twins, when it has no respect for the life of the nine year old.

The idea of religion, and the concept of having a few men dressed in robes of a revered color having the ultimate say in the interpretation of the religious texts needs reform. And this reform will not come by a mass social movement, it will be a silent revolution, taking place in the minds of free men and women, when every individual will choose for himself and herself, whether he would rather follow his conscience, and do what seems ‘right’ or listen to someone (mis)interpret the gospels of the messiahs. The color of the robes, and the actual preachings of the texts concerned is not important, what is important is that the underlying message of humanity is not lost: we must follow the basic principles of morality, and our actions must be determined with what seems right or wrong to our inner-voice. The independence from organized religion and moving towards an enlightened individual will eventually bring in universal harmony. Motivation for one’s action should be morality; religion, at least the way it is supposed to be, is a platform for moral actions, and this may not be needed in an enlightened world, in my opinion.

I am sure the day this happens, I will see unicorns grazing in my backyard, and people flying around on broomsticks.

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The Dark Knight

America, Congratulations on your new (and shall we say totally awesome) President-elect.

Let me not go into the rhetoric like how this is a historic moment, or what this means in terms of change. However, let me point out the story of a 114 year old black woman, daughter of former slaves, who happened to vote this time. The interesting point, in her long life, and ever since blacks and women have been allowed to vote, she has voted just once before. Care to guess for whom?? Leave a comment, with your answer..

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The Curious Incident of the Stranger on the bus

Its been a long time since I posted anything, and the whole world has gone topsy-turvy since then.. More about all that later, but for now, I describe the curious incident that happened to me on a BMTC bus :

On a nice sunny Bangalore morning, I got ready to get to work, and took the usual 0830bus from my home. Initially it was all crowded because of all the school kids, but that soon cleared out, and the bus was empty. Then, standing close to the rear door, I saw that a man sitting in the rear seat was eying me quite curiously. I was surprised, but then I deduced that he seemed a rather rustic fellow, little less on bus etiquette.. Not minding him, I continued to enjoy the show on the radio, apparently meant for the 'fatafat generation'. Am not sure if I qualify for the same.

At the next stop, literally half the bus got down, and I found a place to sit on the last row.. This curious guy, finding an empty place next to me, came and perched himself there, and then, I felt a nudge on my right arm. I take out the ear-phone from my ear, and look at him, and he asks me, brimming with innocence :

Stranger : Are you a north Indian?

Me : [Very surprised, since no body in this city has been so blatantly regionalistic with me ever] Yes.

Stranger : From where are you?

Me :[Eyeing him with a great deal of suspicion] Delhi.

Stranger :[ His eyes light up in a weird kind of way] Oh.. Beautiful City. Can I ask you a question?

[Wondering as to what he has been doing all along anyway, I nod]

Stranger : Are the people in Delhi nice.

Me : [To cut him off, I answer rather sternly] Yes.

Stranger : [With a rather childlike curiosity] But I have heard people in Delhi are not nice to strangers.

Me : [Trying to a give a clean diplomatic answer] They are as nice as people in Bangalore.

Stranger : [Still not very convinced, but taking my argument at face value] Oh ok.

After this, I go to listening my music, and he starts ruminating, trying to assimilate all that I have told him, and debating with himself as to how much my words can be trusted.. A few minutes later, another nudge. I take out my ear-phones again, and look at him.

Stranger : Is it true that North Indians do not make friends with South Indians.

Me :[ With a look of consternation] No. It is not true.

Stranger : But I have heard so..

Me : North Indians are friendly people.

Stranger :[Still doubting me] Do you have friends who are south Indians?

Me : [Without thinking] Yes.

Then, I turn away, and start listening to the music. As my stop comes, I get up from my seat, and head to the door. He tugs at me, and asks

Stranger : Are you sure you have South Indians as friends?

Me : [emphatically] Yes, many of them. [The bus comes to a stop, and I get down, and look back, at the curious face of the guy in his mid twenties, trying to comprehend data fed to him by a complete stranger, seemingly against the indoctrination that he has had all his life.]

As I walked to work from the bus stand, out of sight of that strange man, I must confess, I am guilty of profiling my friend list based on regionalistic considerations : The only consolation, most of my friends turned out to be South Indians.

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Fear Factor

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
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Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

It is this creation of Thakur Rabindranath Tagore that comes to my mind, when I hear the reactions of my fellow countrymen to the terror attacks on the nation. Chain e-mails advising caution, the advice of family and friends and well-wishers to not go out 'too much' or to crowded places, to the point where travel itineraries are being changed, all follow as a consequence.

I cannot put into words how I feel, when I hear such reactions. The purpose of the terrorist’s attacks is not so much to kill (considering that they kill less than a thousand countrymen a year), but to ‘terrorize’. And this, they seem to be carrying out to perfection. Although the serial blasts in B’lore killed just two people, it scared enough number of them to warrant an increase of security at the IT-BT companies, even at the hands of CISF. This was followed by e-mails from security officers to the employees of their respective companies, asking them to follow a strict regimen, without which they will not be allowed inside. Ironical, since most employees are shareholders of the company. The best case precipitate of this is that the people end up being treated without respect, worst case: they are seen as suspects.

It is this fear psychosis that Alan Greenspan talks about, that the Americans experienced in the backdrop of the September 2001 attacks. Such fear, mostly unfounded, gives the terrorists their sense of victory. It is for this precise reason that I salute Mumbai, where the locals are just as crowded and the markets bustling, on the morning after. Bangalore may not be known to have such a spirit, but the malls on the day after were the usual, with people looking for best bargains. Yours truly was one of them, not particularly because I wanted to buy anything, but to prove that we are not scared.

I would be happiest if all my countrymen show spirit and mettle, to fight terror, where it matters most: in the mind.

PS : I fully condemn terrorist attacks, and they represent the worst possible face of humanity. My condolences with the bereaved, and sympathies with the injured.

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Quote Unquote

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

One of the most memorable movie quotes of all times, i would say. Definitely my personal favorite. This movie taught me how to believe, in oneself, even in the face of adversity.. And I confess, I cried in the scene where Andy "crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side". Such is the the power of hope, I guess.

My second favorite quote of all times is undoubtedly from the movie series Spiderman, and it goes : "Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right". This one taught me how to make choices in life, after all life is all about choices(at least in India anyway!!). Then of course there is the LOTR trilogies, which I must have seen some umpteen times, almost to the point that I remember some of the quotes. Actually, most of them.. Geek, I know!!!

So, tell me which movies have influenced you the most?? And the one movie quote that you can remember on the top of your head :)


PS : I have another confession. I know that for most people, movies are more like watch and forget, but I get quite influenced by movies, although only by the ones that carry a message. Doesn't mean I don't like laugh-riot movies, but that is left for another day :)

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Yes, Prime Minister!!!

Our PM is emulating his predecessor in his threat to resign if the government is not allowed to have its way.. Well, history goes on to say that Vajpayee emerged stronger with that threat, but Manmohan Singh looks even weaker, going and complaining to Mama Sonia, rather than putting it across to the Congress Parliamentary Party or the Congress Working Comittee. And then, all the NDA constituents had fallen meekly in line, but this is seven years later, and the comrades are no ordinary allies.

Only time will tell what the fate of the N-deal will be, but for once, I feel that India is not bothered by the prospect of mid-term elections. Our democracy has considerably matured with all the coalition governments of the past decade, and the humble citizens know that whatever be the outcome, the prospects are bright. While this may seem overtly optimistic, I am considerably pleased by this, because, this to me is an implicit trust in the foundations of democracy.

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Mid-summer crisis

A premier cellular service provider says "Barriers break when people talk".. And this is so true, now more than ever before.. With the Gurjars at the negotiating table, the trouble at ground zero seems to be ebbing. The main fall-out of this : trains have started plying again, and mind you, this is very important to keep the economy on track..

But the point I make here is entirely different.. What is it that will finally solve this impasse.. The Gurjar leaders have gone on record and said "ya to ST status de do, ya goli maar do".. With such being the ferocity of their demand, an obvious solution seems unlikely.. What is it that the Raje government can offer to help restore peace and normality.. I do not know how this impasse will end, but as long as the two sides keep talking, I am sure some solution will be found.. It has to be a compromise for both sides, but the state government must act fast and swift, to ensure the common public is not inconvenienced..

A question to all the intellectuals who are reading this.. What would you do if you were heading the government, while a particular section of the society resorted to similar voilence and economic shutdown.. I personally believe that if calls for negotiations fail, and the violence continues unabated, a complete blockade of that area might be the way to break up the agitators.. No power, no water, phone networks down, and then restrict supplies into the region. This should continue till the agitators walk the extra mile to the negotiating table.. What is important here is to let the people know that while they have a fundamental right to a peaceful gathering to put forth their demands, holding the State ransom and restoring to violence will not get them anywhere..

I am sure some of you will disagree with my methods here, but this is a last resort, to make sure a solution is found through dialog, not through the lathis.. In any case, please do leave a comment what is it that you would have done, if you were to find yourself at the helm of affairs when such trouble broke out..

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Sense and Sensibility

The nation is at war.. A silent war.. An economic war.. The prices of food are rising, since the agriculture output has been stagnant for years.. The oil prices have doubled in less than a year, and the government cant do much about it.. Inflation in general is rising, and again, the powers to be seem helpless.. Unfortunately, having a seasoned economist at the helm of affairs hasn't helped our nation much..

It is in the midst of a situation like this that our PM called for energy conservation by all Indians. This may seem like a desperate measure, may be it is, but the fact of the matter is, Indian public lacks basic common sense, and nothing much seems to be happening about correcting this.. The more educated the people, the more they waste.. Yes, its true, countrymen, the educated class seems to care a hoot about the general scenario.. The poor even today save resources, for their personal economic gains, but the rich it seems can afford to waste... A TV channel did a quick check on a successful 26 year old guy in Pune, who believes in splurging, and he says : After I work hard, I deserve to enjoy. Perfectly alright. You deserve to enjoy, but not waste Sir!!

There are umpteen examples, starting from the most myriad of things : leaving ACs and fans on unnecessarily, using a light at 3 in the afternoon on a sunny day in a brightly sunlit room, geysers on 24x7, keeping ignition on at 180 second traffic lights, keeping the refrigerator door open for minutes at a stretch, half of the dinner wasted every night, keeping the tap open while brushing etc, I could just go on and on.. These are minuscule things, I must say, but the collective cost of all these on our nation, and planet in general is huge.. But not many care : "I am paying for it, so"..

In crisis stricken times, our government deserves our support, and we need to chip in to make sure our next generation has a better future.. Well, my brethren, countrymen, let us join hands together to do our bit, not just for the nation, but for the planet at large. Every little bit counts, make sure you do yours.

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Baadal bijli chandan pani

It is a hot summer evening, and am out for a walk. It was not a busy day, and I have all the time in the world. I had come home leisurely, showered, and then strolled around in the summer breeze.. And am lost in my thoughts, when, all of a sudden, the skies open up, and let out the pent up showers of the past few weeks : big blobs of rain drops come thundering down on the parched earth. I continue my walk, and smell the trees and the earth as I saunter around, and it brings to my mind memories from summer vacations long long ago, in a tiny hamlet, when rain meant just one thing : playtime. Bless those times, when we were without a care in the world, and lives were simpler!!

Today, as I continue walking in the rain, I am filled with a feeling of contentment.. Am at peace with the universe..

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Hail the free people

The world is changing.
I feel it in the water.
I feel it in the earth.
I smell it in the air.

For how else do you explain these phenomenon.. Whether it is the nascent democracies of Nepal and Bhutan, or countries like USA or India, seasoned democracies, the will of the people reigns supreme.. There is no other way to explain an action like this in Bihar, India. Or, the election victories of former insurgent Maoists in Nepal. Or the rise of one who represents change, and hope..

To me, all of these mean just one thing : That the world is maturing as a democracy.. The time of the people has come..

PS : The only thing is wish for is that the communist regime will take a more open view to the autonomy talks, and that protesters will not be run down with tanks..

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Mother of inventions

Bill Watterson was so wrong when he said Mothers are the necessity of invention.. As these school kids really proved, indeed it is the school authorities that have been the catalyst behind the invention..

Well done, I salute your sense of creativity!! I think there may exist a huge market for this product, but what happens when these girls go out on a date in the evening ;)

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Good Ad, Bad Ad

Some of the recent advertisements have left me wondering where has all the creativity gone!!! The likes of the Hero Honda Hunk ad with the bulls and the latest Amul macho with a bunch of primates are in extremely bad taste, and I wonder why would anyone with even an iota of self-respect ever consider buying those products after seeing the ads.. At best, these ads insult the intelligence of the customers..

But all is not bad on the creative side, with the Idea Cellular ads starring Small B being my personal favorite.. The concept itself.. What an Idea!! Another great ad in my opinion was the T20 World Cup ad by Reliance Communications which said "Chote Match, Bade Sapne".. The Fevicol ads are also a delight to watch, whenever and wherever.. Kudos to the team that came up with these.. However, the most popular one of recent times is definitely the original Hutch ad with the pug.. An instant success..

The icing on the cake though is the Amul series of ads, ever since 1976, with the thumb sized moppet that "everyone loves to love".. I have literally grown up seeing these ads, and will cherish memories of them for a long long time.. Other memories from a childhood long long ago are the eternal "mile sur mera tumhara" and "ek chidiya, anek chidiya".. Classics, rather, Sholay of advertising.. Long live the creative brigade..

PS: I know I will have missed out a whole bunch of good (and bad) ads.. Please feel free to comment about your favorite ones..

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Enchanted

107 minutes of this left me completely enchanted!! It was a fantasy meets reality movie, and although it requires one to completely suspend disbelief, it guarantees entertainment. I actually came out of the theater humming, smiling, and generally feeling good about everything..

But entertainment apart, it asked me why we are not able to listen to our heart, and follow our dreams. And why dreams don't come true. Why there is no happily ever after in reality.. However, there are no easy answers coming.

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Hail the leader

In leadership, as in the martial arts, your stance is critical to your success.
If you have a weak stance, then every way you lead will be fundamentally flawed.

A small discussion in a casual gathering prompted me to do some deep thinking. And then, the above saying came to my mind.. And I realized how important it is to take a stance. Not taking a stance and waiting for things to resolve themselves is the worst possible thing. A good leader is one who has ears on the ground, and hands full..

Unfortunately, there seems to be a dearth of such leaders, everywhere I look. Not just in the government, but everywhere.. So called leaders are disconnected from their subjects, and refuse to take action till rumblings precipitate into a crisis.. In such circumstances, we can only be the change we want to be. And then, show others the way, and change the world, such that the people say, We did it ourselves, for it is rightly said, "Leadership is action, not position".

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Grounded

Bangaloreans can take heart, they will not be the only ones suffering from the connectivity issues on the new airport.. It seems even in Hyderabad, where the new airport opens in about a month, there is no proper road connectivity.. How have things come to such a turn?? Not one but two instances.. An airport takes atleast four-five years to plan, and another three to construct, and a connecting road may take, in the worst case, a couple of years.. But still, the airports are ready, but the roads are not.. Wonder where we went wrong?? And what should we do to prevent another infrastructure disaster??

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A Rotten Apple

Have been contemplating for a while to write a post about the ongoing controversy on the Bharat Ratna, and how our leaders have devalued it by using it as a tool to show personal gratitude to their fellows rather than highlighting the nation's pride in the awardees actions.. And I was also thinking about how the State Awards have become a matter of oneupmanship, where each one is trying to get his/her protege/mentor the award.. And I said to myself : Look what they have done.. What a rotten thing..

And then, events in quick succession sent me thinking : Is it just the country's political leaders who are doing this.. And the answer that I came up with was a stunning NO.. I went over the events of the past few months, and realized that this attitude is deep rooted into all of us, and with regard to every award possible.. There is no point in blaming our politicians for this : after all they come from the society, and represent the society at large.. This apple is rotten to the very core.

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Priceless!!

Tickets to the Bryan Adams Concert,Palace Grounds:Rs 4000
Dinner for two at an upscale restaurant : Rs 3800
Getting an auto to take you to these places : Priceless!!!

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