tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39998950356737508172024-03-16T14:47:07.111+05:30A stubbornly persistent illusionMy views and opinions on anything and everything around us that is unusual, stupid and irrational…A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-2422772262963382832024-01-20T00:14:00.000+05:302024-01-20T00:14:39.002+05:30The Return of the King<p><span> </span>It was just another lazy weekend and I was busy browsing
OTTs, with an indecisive dilemma running an infinite loop on what to watch.
Sudhindra ji’s call brought me back to senses and I realized I’d have, as
usual, wasted at least 30 min trying to find something to watch that would
interest me!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“What are you doing
right now?”<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Nothing important.
Watching something interesting” **duh**<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Tej, I need a help. Lakshman ji is injured and we need a
known old face in the colony to accompany our folks to distribute Sri Rama’s Phala
Mantrakshate that has arrived from Ayodhya.”<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jh5XyYznO042VaQINKeupI0DJ9VjHjYlepCOGnjBcbSJwp6aqIr6ogA57OML5g0Lp80hoApdD1-j_e6w0_gb_H_KiLCIDzQGnH0HaRk22jSDpY8p8UDp_Xt6UU6aKFNqdvJv1vlRwJRFUfGr7OImmRj-BwY3QmfRsXW9O0TOSeadGy2fgOR3d18DJzE/s3093/Pic-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2007" data-original-width="3093" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jh5XyYznO042VaQINKeupI0DJ9VjHjYlepCOGnjBcbSJwp6aqIr6ogA57OML5g0Lp80hoApdD1-j_e6w0_gb_H_KiLCIDzQGnH0HaRk22jSDpY8p8UDp_Xt6UU6aKFNqdvJv1vlRwJRFUfGr7OImmRj-BwY3QmfRsXW9O0TOSeadGy2fgOR3d18DJzE/w640-h416/Pic-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">With zero determination, I said Okay”. Sudhindra ji
described the <b>Do’s and Don’ts</b> for a few minutes and disconnected. With a subtle
cry of confusion, I met the other RSS Karyakarta in my locality, who was assigned to distribute the Mantrakshate that has arrived from Ayodhya, to all the houses
in the colony. I thought it would just be another “visiting my homies” event. But
what happened over the next four hours was a boomerang of emotions! At the end
of it, I was feeling totally elated with all the varied emotions people
displayed. All the insightful interactions, the stories, their belief, betrayal
they experienced back in 92 and how people have been waiting for the return of Sri Rama in Ayodhya; It gave me a real picture of how big and collectively
congenial this event is for Indian Hindus! One thing was very evident - Bhaarata is
witnessing its first mega divine event since 1947. Read on.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">An uncle, on hearing why we are there, got fully teary eyed,
wiped his tears and recalled the story of how he, in his mid-30s, dared collect
funds in the Muslim majority neighborhood to buy 50 bricks and sent it to
Ayodhya for the reconstruction of Sri Rama Mandira. He took us to his Pooja room
to show us “how he has been reciting Rama taaraka mantra” every day for the
last 32 years. I, for once, thought, I may not have not seen the pious disposition
of humility of Shabari from Ramayana, but this uncle’s faith is no less. Faith can indeed move
mountains!</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another entrepreneur that we visited enthusiastically said
that he has declared 22<sup>nd</sup> Jan, Monday, a holiday for his enterprise
and wants all his employees to celebrate the return of Sri Ram Lalla to
Ayodhya. He urged us to bunk offices that day and do a grand Pooja at
home. He also said that a Live telecast of the Prana Pratishtapana event has
been arranged in the temple’s hall and we can gather together to celebrate
there in large numbers!<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj470BWDNSBmj3VH90zIdX3bZ6xdZ4hQMepW1FnNd_DACiqLMNwGBpwl0H5WAcpB-E740YiWpRbvZ2l4ewTbwMKBzLQ0FysHsAxNEV1o1_hNtAp-unPKT8BxzXlPn27ASDbqGM54fWKoEzdWs0uEWp-ByGYIH-i0ylBRquzJrDI1AKRhwoVOfgtsPA_Jmo/s3116/Pic-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3116" data-original-width="2028" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj470BWDNSBmj3VH90zIdX3bZ6xdZ4hQMepW1FnNd_DACiqLMNwGBpwl0H5WAcpB-E740YiWpRbvZ2l4ewTbwMKBzLQ0FysHsAxNEV1o1_hNtAp-unPKT8BxzXlPn27ASDbqGM54fWKoEzdWs0uEWp-ByGYIH-i0ylBRquzJrDI1AKRhwoVOfgtsPA_Jmo/w260-h400/Pic-2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I could feel the restlessness in the old lady, who said, my
sister in Chennai phoned that she has already received the mantrakashate and I
was waiting for you guys since yesterday. The Old lady’s husband lauded our
efforts of doing this and called it a divine work. We could see him feeling fetter when he expressed
his inability of not being able to join us due to a knee surgery that he had
undergone recently. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another doctor couple explained how the estrangement in the neighborhood
grew with other faiths post the babri masjid demolition incident and how their
love thy neighbors failed to look at things beyond the lens of religion. He
further said “It has been 32 years now, I don’t care anymore and will happily
celebrate on 22<sup>nd</sup> Jan, welcoming Sri Rama, come what may!” He said “A
meteoric rise is inevitable after a fateful loss and we all will witness that
rise now in our country”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some offered monetary help assuming we are going to Ayodhya
on 22<sup>nd</sup> for the Prana Pratishtapana event, which we casually
declined, while others happily agreed to at least lamp a few diyas on the day
of consecration of Sri Rama. Some also showed us the stock of firecrackers to be burnt on the consecration day. Of course, there were some Haider Hindus, who
shooed us away without even being courteous, but it is not even worth talking about
them here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While it was not surprising to hear many showering laurels
on the man who made it happen – Our Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, I was
indeed very surprised to see families taking selfies with us, clicking pictures
of us handing over the phala mantrakshate to them, offering sweets, coffee,
fruits and displaying all forms of sweet hospitality. I couldn’t recall when
was the last time people waited, took selfies and lauded strangers visiting
their houses. I was glad to read similar stories on Social media as well. I could clearly see that
this Return of the king event is re-igniting the penultimate dreams of billions
of Indians; restoring the Rama Rajya in Bhaarata! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Indulgence in this activity is something I was glad I
did not miss and will definitely remember for the rest of my life! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came back home with a sheer satisfaction of
happily exclaiming #JaiSriRam more than 1000 times. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And the old lady’s words are still abuzz in my mind -<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Raama
Banda... Rama Rajya noo baratte</i></b> (Translates to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The king has returned. The core ideals of virtue, morality and justice
will also return to India</i>). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Cant stop recalling Tolkein’s Poem from the Return of the
King<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;"><i>"From the ashes a fire shall be
woken,</i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A light from the shadows shall
spring;<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Renewed shall be blade that was
broken,<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The crownless again shall be
king.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-86112555127979077882022-12-18T23:12:00.003+05:302022-12-18T23:19:31.873+05:30A mindful conversation <p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a long time now, I have always evaded paying a visit to my sister’s home by giving the weirdest and very unreasonable excuses, purely because of traffic chaos that I have had to endure to reach Nelamangala. But circumstances this year were totally different, thanks to the unprecedented times in the family and I am a regular visitor now. My nephew who is now a student of a residential school, 400 km away from home, is studying eleventh grade. He had come home for a week for holidays. This time, my sister had asked me to come home and specifically talk to him because ever since he has gone away from home, it has become hard for her to connect with him and that he is behaving weird. This was making her very anxious. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-f7d209a0-7fff-874b-52c1-e68888f3fec3"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've seen my nephew growing in front of my eyes. From his super mischievous deeds like him painting my bike with a weird colored enamel paint, to both of us doing Harry Potter and other superhero quizzes online, we have always been on good jovial terms. We never discussed academia or had intellectual conversations together in the past. The conversation that I had with him this time was so different, that I took some time to come to terms with it. It made me see remarkable changes in his attitude and thought process, and I realized quite a few things have changed for good. This blogpost is all about the conversational epiphany that I experienced. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The conversation started with me inquiring about his hostel life. He said he is enjoying this life. He started talking about how his life has changed. From waking up at leisure 8AM in the past to 530AM, doing the laundry himself; how the absence of luxuries of zomato and swiggy is controlling his hunger pangs; how he has been accustomed to the meditation that he is forced to perform everyday for 15 min and in spite of being able to sense that he is sleep deprived, how the meditation is actually helping him concentrate better with his academia; I could feel a drastic change in his tone. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was then saying that it took him a lot of time to get used to this hostel life without gadgets and gaming. He said he has made very good friends and they all spend quality time; he explained the non-academia things they do to rewind after a busy day at college. To my surprise, he was appreciative of the conducive environment within the campus due to non-availability of mobile phones. I recalled all the games he played on the mobile phone in the past and told myself “not bad”.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And then came the most important thing, his future plans: He said he was confused about his future plans. He said he is unable to decide yet whether to go for both JEE-Mains and Advanced or just prepare for JEE-Mains so that it would help him prepare for K-CET and Comed-K in parallel. He spoke at length on why he thinks getting into an IIT would be difficult for him. He said he doesn't know if it is just insecurity with all that has happened recently or fear or both, that is stopping him from knocking the doors of IIT. Then he spoke of his hatred for chemistry. He took a pause to recall his dad’s love for chemistry and then went on talking about how he finds Chemistry so boring and difficult to even balance simple chemical equations; how he thinks those IUPAC names are just crazy and how chemistry alone has pulled his GPA down by significant margin. He was sad that he was still a seven point someone :). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At that moment, I took a pause. For someone who has always discussed movies, super heroes, gaming and fantasy novels with me, such serious conversations were a little hard for me to absorb. My nonchalant nephew that I saw just six months ago was having such a mature conversation with me. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did not express any emotion, but I realized that he sensed that disconcerting look on my face too. This entire conversation lasted for about an hour and a half. At the end of it, the realization that I am in my late thirties already was hard to come by *winks*. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I just nodded happily and gave a subtle reply “Well, that is youth for you. It sets its own boundaries without even asking whether the body & mind can take it or not”. I advised him to start preparations for K-CET, COMED-K and JEE Mains, with a vision to get into a good NIT. When I said “As a fallback, we always have very good engg colleges in Karnataka too” he looked somewhat convinced and the conversation ended. I went inside and just told my sister “Don’t worry about his behavior. He is in the process of defining himself”. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Until now, I was not a proponent of the belief that adolescence is a stage in life. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But I am convinced that it is changed now. The saying </span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Chronological age is not a biological marker" </i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">is more evident than ever; even more so with the millennials. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entire episode felt like reading a Paulo Coelho’s novel. Phew; the fingers of time played a heavy chord selection on the emotional strings of my guitar!</span></p><br /></span>A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-17113850238104756832022-04-23T13:57:00.005+05:302022-04-23T19:19:01.969+05:30The rising concern of virtue signaling in the Indian courtrooms<p> <b><u>Scene-1</u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An assailant, who has committed a heinous crime of raping
and murdering a 4-year-old girl child is standing within the balustrade. He is
pretty convinced of his fate that is awaiting him. Naturally, death is
inevitable for him and is going to be a reality very soon. And why not! The
most unpardonable, utterly disgusting and wicked sin that he has committed
deserves nothing less than death. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The reading of the final judgement begins. The judge starts off
calling the act barbaric and monstrous. The judgement also reads <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A tiny, bud-like girl was smothered by the
appellant before she could blossom in this world. The monstrous act of the
appellant suffocated the victim to such an extent that she had no option but to
leave this world.”</i> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Scene-2</u></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the milords gave the most unprecedented twist to this
case. The three judge bench declares that the crime committed cannot be termed
as the rarest of the rare to award a death sentence. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">** Audience and the victim’s family is flabbergasted** W.H.A.T?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Wait, it doesn’t end there. In what appears to be a
Bollywood mimicked woke gathering where the judge who penned the judgement
quotes Oscar Wilde <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Every Saint has a past and every Sinner has a future”</i></b> and reduces
the death sentence to 20 years of imprisonment. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m sure the above scene puts even the most intriguing
courtroom comedy scenes like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legally
Blonde</i> or even namma CSP to shame! But, this is no Netflix series. This
happened in real, three days ago in the Supreme court of India. I frankly do
not have enough imagination to recall the drama that would have unfolded in
this court hearing! The bench refers to the principles of restorative justice
and believes that the victim deserves an opportunity to become a socially
useful person and repair the damages caused. On this grounds, milords reduce
the death sentence awarded to a child rapist to 20 years’ imprisonment. Yeah!
True story, this one!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am not even going to the intricate details of what Oscar
Wilde meant in his above quote. You can read it <a href="https://www.opindia.com/2022/04/what-does-every-sinner-has-a-future-really-mean-oscar-wilde-quote-misunderstood-supreme-court/">here</a>.
But of late, repeatedly, the Supreme court of India, through its judgement, has
proven that it is more inclined on virtue signaling than sending a strong
message to the offenders. In this case, I truly fail to understand the need to
uphold the sentiments intended to demonstrate a rapist’s good character in a
courtroom! It is truly shameful that a three judge bench, of which one is a
woman, shows concern for a child rapist. And in the name of justice, all that
victim’s family received was cliché! Oh dear lord; I cannot imagine the victim
family’s plight. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of late, such folly by milords of India has become a
mainstream concern for the justice seekers of our country. There have been more
and more judgements in which judges have their own ideas of what constitutes as
justice as opposed to what is right circumstantially (Sabarimala case), giving
weightage to their own views in deciding the judgements (Freeing Rajiv Gandhi’s
assassins), unnecessary levels of virtue signaling (Sallu Bhai case), citing
examples of the legal luminaries of west instead of our own (Chief Justice DY Chandrachud).
I can go on and on!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whenever someone spoke ill of judiciary in my informal
debates with friends and family, I have always asked them not to throw rotten
tomatoes at the judiciary. I always argued that when justice fails, it is the
dawn of new bad beginnings. I am not sure If I myself have this opinion
anymore. I am no legal expert, so I discussed this case with a lawyer in the family who practices in the
supreme court. This is what he opined <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“there
was a time when our judges were capable of identifying virtue signaling attempts
by lawyers. They were capable of seeing through the façade and recognize the
hidden motivations of such virtue signaling. Now, our judges need lessons on
why it is not a good idea to base judgements in heinous crimes on restorative
justice</i>”. He said that the judges of yesteryears based judgements on mature
jurisprudence than the contemporary judges<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">With such repeated woke liberal behaviors in the courtroom,
justice is going to be far-fetched. It concerns me even more when I see that executive and legislature are
seeing improvements (Yes, I have my reasons to say so), but judiciary is
slowly becoming implausible. I sincerely pray to god that such irrational behaviors by milords will
write its own death sentence, for the greater good! Let dharma prevail.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0India20.593684 78.96288-7.7165498361788458 43.80663 48.903917836178849 114.11913tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-17315472209189354852021-01-15T23:38:00.000+05:302021-01-15T23:38:04.460+05:30Digital Detox? Now is the time<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The digital extravaganza has been an overkill of late. It
looked like it is an opportunity, during the lockdown, to fill the gap with
whatever you were doing when you could go out. During office, end of day meant
530pm, or even if we pushed it by an hour, I would surely unplug at 630 or 7pm,
considering the traffic shenanigans. The luxury of work from home did not
impose that restriction, so I was on my own in completing everyday tasks. I was
starting an hour late, thanks to Ramayan, I was taking Mahabharat break every
day for an hour and when I was not in any meeting, I would sit with my laptop in
front of television and continue working. Initial few months of lockdown felt
so good, that I started imagining televisions in office so that work is not stressful
at all. But gradually, Mahabharat and Ramayan on television ended and my own Ramayan
started. I got bored being inside four walls. Series binging with dad also came
to an end. I had no time to read amidst the work. I started dedicating some
time for my religious observances. Even though this was rewarding, this didn’t last
either.</div></div><p></p><div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8alPspAviZMPZrxhWATa5pJGUoSDPGzH5JZcyj_3KNZaug8ynL_6BkKpku8v1r9-P_6YwyDOfqiuHzsgih8ww3pb5gwibWH4tMYCAriXugqeiXmJ3K9_aXvzmfgostcRAKkIHdAzOLgg/s709/Blog_NY_Times.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Uninstall Facebook, WhatsApp Instagram" border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8alPspAviZMPZrxhWATa5pJGUoSDPGzH5JZcyj_3KNZaug8ynL_6BkKpku8v1r9-P_6YwyDOfqiuHzsgih8ww3pb5gwibWH4tMYCAriXugqeiXmJ3K9_aXvzmfgostcRAKkIHdAzOLgg/w338-h400/Blog_NY_Times.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uninstall Facebook WhatsApp Instagram<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Even though life was slowly getting back to normal, with
every new thing I was trying to do, I was spending more time with electronics
and mobile phone. By the end of Oct, I realized that I was addicted to Twitter,
WhatsApp, Insta, FB, Netflix, HOTSTAR and all other OTTs I had access to. With no
walk/run/gym and lunch and dinner served to me on my laptop table, an
unexplained lethargy had kicked in. I added screen-time for the apps. But even
after the limit was reached, I was craving to turn it off and spending more
time on SM. This was an indicator that I had to get out of it. I was struggling
to find a window of time that feels right for you to unplug and do a digital
detox, because I was in front of laptop for better part of the day. WhatsApp
web was a possibility now. And twitter tab was always open! For almost a month,
although it did not affect my day to day office work, with SM and office work
together, I ended up sitting in front of laptop for a good 12 hours a day. At
the back of my mind, I always knew, I can’t do this for long and I was sure I
can spend “that” time constructively, doing something better. The motivation that
‘reading more, writing more, spending gala time with family’ – are all better
options than spending time on SM - was always there. But when I tried chalking
out a plan to get out of it, I didn’t know where to start, how to proceed,
which ones to keep and what to delete. It was all muddled and I was caught in
the SM web. Trust me, Digital detox isn’t so easy, unless you plan it and more
importantly, prepare your mind!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAJAzt3b7kYjvZKoS4zCow4a6TohG4xg3aiNfBQFvNbY9iCcLXXWU_L2tADQol9z0vt-yTGanPG948YBIqwF5DcaJ2vdPxydzwW8nSmMUHqy_Z6oThGEva4M7aK6AKM1vbGi-MCazTic/s960/Blof_fb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAJAzt3b7kYjvZKoS4zCow4a6TohG4xg3aiNfBQFvNbY9iCcLXXWU_L2tADQol9z0vt-yTGanPG948YBIqwF5DcaJ2vdPxydzwW8nSmMUHqy_Z6oThGEva4M7aK6AKM1vbGi-MCazTic/w640-h426/Blof_fb.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Zuckerberg stating "The future is private"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">While I was almost on the verge of dropping the idea of
Digital Detox, Mr. Zuckerberg has come to my rescue, like a blessing in
disguise. His new privacy policy and updated terms & conditions, which has
created outrage globally, has in fact motivated me to take a digital detox!. A</span><span style="text-align: left;">dding fuel to the fire, the new terms by Zuki, is shocking!
Come on, using your financial transaction data, monitoring your approximate location
24/7 in-spite of location services turned OFF, selling your data to all FB
companies; outrageous and I would call it despicable too! If he really did
think this is the only way to do justice to his 21 billion $ WhatsApp deal and
generate revenue, I don’t trust any of his products at all. Besides, the
targeted ad is just the beginning. This is going to open a pandora’s box of the
shadier possibilities of what could be done to the world with data.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6RHp4GY6n-x7BNn2Bv2l5CcfB-kNdBYJHwvv6KQywRSi6joJoktq4DyC4pS-zRzoQDiJx6vH2zDKB0vRmeQidlgCvTtXZJkQn1hFkrb0ihp8t49w9f3WK83kmWuwWL71mZOc51nDz4w/s800/Blog_Vibe105to.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6RHp4GY6n-x7BNn2Bv2l5CcfB-kNdBYJHwvv6KQywRSi6joJoktq4DyC4pS-zRzoQDiJx6vH2zDKB0vRmeQidlgCvTtXZJkQn1hFkrb0ihp8t49w9f3WK83kmWuwWL71mZOc51nDz4w/w400-h300/Blog_Vibe105to.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digital Detox</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;">Also, imagine the benefits of deleting your FB-Insta-WhatsApp
accounts. With all your friend’s friend, who is not even your common friend or
acquaintance’s whereabouts and his/her information popping up on your wall, your
FB timeline is just a bunch of suggested videos with ads and twitter snapshots.
Arghh! It has long lost its good old sheen! Honestly, Facebook has become so irksome.
I am keeping FB active only because it is a perfect platform to share my blog
posts to 500+ people at once. Nothing more!</span></div></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While WhatsApp forwards can save a few tens of gigs of data
and a couple of hours, WhatsApp Status can save you remaining 22 hours. My uncle,
who in his entire life has not watched a half time of a football match, updates
his status with the hashtags #RipMaradona #SoccerLegend. I’ll not have to
tolerate such nauseating sycophancy anymore. Although Instagram wasn’t this
painful for long, the reels, are really waste of time. [Confession: I’ll really
miss Dr. Richa Negi’s refreshing dancing groove videos on Instagram.**winks**] <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I believe the best way to beat the quintessential social
establishment and protect our privacy is to stop invading other’s privacy. And
above all, the true evaluation of whether any privacy expectations are reasonable
or not can never be assessed on any Social Media application. This is exactly why
I am happy to be getting rid of FaceBook, Insta and WhatsApp. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp3Ha4R_bWgFrOOz9WzrnxfdFfR850VljYRmzQLGbYZYrEpiZcpA8vzBSSiIVWZ4pnBMwQGFfS927OCvm4DfxBZS2WQyDajjXPRIqtLVOosughOaohr8GG5FJR1IlaaMdZUUnrclyvSw/s940/blog_Towardsdatascience.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="940" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLp3Ha4R_bWgFrOOz9WzrnxfdFfR850VljYRmzQLGbYZYrEpiZcpA8vzBSSiIVWZ4pnBMwQGFfS927OCvm4DfxBZS2WQyDajjXPRIqtLVOosughOaohr8GG5FJR1IlaaMdZUUnrclyvSw/w400-h209/blog_Towardsdatascience.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Data Wars</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Whether Zuki takes it back owing to public outcry or not, whether
my friends like it or not, whether my cousins miss me on SM or not, I have
decided to delete my FB-WA-Insta accounts permanently. I’ll keep twitter for my
rants and Signal for my instant messaging needs. PERIOD. I can totally live
without the rest. And I strongly believe it is the need of the hour too! When wrong
people without morals and ethics; without concerns; without the sense of what’s
fair and what’s not, get access to our data, they will <b>always</b> gain
an advantage over the rest of us, until we decide to put an end to it. So, the
onus is on every one of us!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, what do you think of my decision? WhatsApp… errrr… Call me! Let’s start to socialize the real, good old way!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credits: Google</span></p>A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-15742112819152277732020-05-10T00:33:00.001+05:302020-05-10T00:33:43.416+05:30Is your LinkedIn another FaceBook Profile?
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">In Indian job market, job portals like Naukri and Monster
have played a big role since long, leaving very less market share for other
players like LinkedIn. There are no second thoughts about LinkedIn’s potential.
But somehow, for long, it was etched in job seeker’s mind that when someone
started preparing for a job change, the first conversation began with “Update
Naukri everyday bro, otherwise you won’t get calls”. I’m sure many in the entry
and mid-career level can connect to this. But this seems to have changed in the
recent times. There were a few recruiters asking me with an awe of surprise “You don’t
have a LinkedIn profile”? Well, I always had it. But I never bothered to update
it because I never expected job opportunities coming my way from LinkedIn. The
possibility was too feeble. But looks like things have changed. Nowadays, a lot
of recruiters use LinkedIn because of its robust networking capabilities, seamless
cross-border connections with over 600 million user base and feature rich
platform not just for employees, but for employers too. So I realized that it
is important to have mine updated and started looking into it often. I
installed the app too. This is when the surprise unfolded. <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ows7M2CvA3HnTz07cfZ76_MTqUsaL18DZrIFMhwc7PTp_MUA-KRkmGqyd4TG7a6uuCHmM59rFglVAq3-JVptSzcfZl7-lg_DsaaT-3IJ_ypW3_oMf72iGKSIht_4bIkANssIR4uFhj0/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Funny updates on LinkedIn" border="0" data-original-height="1874" data-original-width="2226" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ows7M2CvA3HnTz07cfZ76_MTqUsaL18DZrIFMhwc7PTp_MUA-KRkmGqyd4TG7a6uuCHmM59rFglVAq3-JVptSzcfZl7-lg_DsaaT-3IJ_ypW3_oMf72iGKSIht_4bIkANssIR4uFhj0/w640-h539/Grandma_Dancing%252BMP.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A video of a grandpa dancing (Left) and a MP updating distribution of ration kit (Right) on LinkedIn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">What a mess LinkedIn really is! It is nothing more than just
another facebook. From work-out and Yoga videos, ration distribution pics by certain
MP, people posting Salsa videos of their grandparents begging their followers
to like the video, content writers writing poems to scenic photograph posts
with 3000+ likes which made absolutely ZERO SENSE. In other words, I was browsing
through another social media profile of mine. With all such godforsaken updates,
I was dreading to see the updates that made sense to me. I sat for more than
two hours to remove unwanted connections, un follow/hide spammers. Despite my best
efforts, after the clean-up, my LinkedIn feed just feels better, but still far
from what I expect from a Professional networking website. I realized this is a
big problem because people perceive LinkedIn as another social networking site.
Here are a few things that you DON”T do on LinkedIn so that it remains a job
and professional networking platform. <br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Profile picture</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your profile picture is undoubtedly the most important
element of any networking site, be it professional or social platforms. Research
has established psychological evidences that without a display picture, the
accounts are perceived to be dormant. But if you have added a picture of John
Snow, Ronaldo or your favorite god Hanuman as a profile picture to give an
impression of being creative, you’re on self damage mode.<span> </span>And yeah, the professor from Money Heist as
your DP on LinkedIn does not make you a genius. Don’t get overboard with your
creativity. Keep it simple, silly!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Funny profile pictures on LinkedIn" border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="654" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjPwC60EZHpeC0MZMrNgAabnB-EBARL0TsnJktzhZIMnrHRKF2y0GsXdV5wTU0FYh-b5hljcT1uOl7gG_HwQcMTXxddl0gfDBnZbrQ2nyxDl8h8syC5k3p-00gSgDPw8-KleMNcoynmg/w640-h277/Profile_Pic.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Whacky Profile Pictures n Linkedin-1" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whacky Profile Pictures n Linkedin-1<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyfa_-9eZtNgEGBMWkjYXEQRpVufctdR4B37TPcTVFRJwiLuadXri32hsU_eNN4np08uEvu3ueO4Axx-2GxWKEvxnzv3xZxAAIRoglUSPimSBuazPV9fSSc-Z2AwHDvh1uIt3K9RUIFQ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="John Snow on LinkedIn" border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="559" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyfa_-9eZtNgEGBMWkjYXEQRpVufctdR4B37TPcTVFRJwiLuadXri32hsU_eNN4np08uEvu3ueO4Axx-2GxWKEvxnzv3xZxAAIRoglUSPimSBuazPV9fSSc-Z2AwHDvh1uIt3K9RUIFQ/w640-h220/Profile_Pic_JOhn_SNow.jpg" title="Whacky Profile Pictures n Linkedin-2" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whacky LinkedIn Profile Picture-2</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfYMM4rund8YabiETQQhd5pVOW504LXJ77AKRNtEgl5SJL6InDUVtglEDxSWaQa4Crhx10eCiVCqG5VgbG3gFEqK0KqKXaC0THowuLcU-SDP0Fjzg7sx3hg2eC3GLVXWLZrUSTQNhnJc/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Funny DP on Instagram" border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="656" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfYMM4rund8YabiETQQhd5pVOW504LXJ77AKRNtEgl5SJL6InDUVtglEDxSWaQa4Crhx10eCiVCqG5VgbG3gFEqK0KqKXaC0THowuLcU-SDP0Fjzg7sx3hg2eC3GLVXWLZrUSTQNhnJc/w640-h206/Profile_Pic1.jpg" title="Whacky Profile Pictures n Linkedin-3" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whacky LinkedIn Profile Picture-3</td></tr></tbody></table></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Adding connections</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Adding qualified connections increase your job prospects. Yes
of course. But you need not add every goddamn person you know and hype it. I was
thinking twice to send a connection request to a good friend from my previous organization,
because even though we connected over lot of cultural initiatives, we never
worked together on any products/services. But here I am, getting connection
request from a stranger car service guy who is my friend’s connection. Arggh! <span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZgXLrLw5NMJPRgSP2Q0m-MdnenSJEa1ootZmSg9Hg41m7-VRymjEB65l3ZbHczC7hck-OrXN1Ao-cCDrpS5SPqkD2r1wiTWHSXxbdsybmi-hi-aGsxqNQ-7Q0QpbdH96dOwTiLQuxmA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="2208" height="602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZgXLrLw5NMJPRgSP2Q0m-MdnenSJEa1ootZmSg9Hg41m7-VRymjEB65l3ZbHczC7hck-OrXN1Ao-cCDrpS5SPqkD2r1wiTWHSXxbdsybmi-hi-aGsxqNQ-7Q0QpbdH96dOwTiLQuxmA/w640-h602/Norway%252Bpoem.jpg" title="Funny updates on LinkedIn" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updating the pic of The Atlantic Road, Norway (Left) and Writing Poems on LinkedIn (Right)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your house maid’s husband’s distant relative who has
completed his engineering and is now seeking job, your wife’s retired PSU
uncle’s daughter who is a nutritionist, your college crush whose designation is
Home maker, your primary school friend who is doing <span> </span>research on zombies from Sudan University of
Science and Technology need not be your professional connects. DON’T YOU GET
IT? They neither belong to your domain/organization/technology/services nor can
be of any professional value addition. If they really have known connections,
ask them to introduce you to them. Accepting connections from every Tom Dick
and Harry you’ve met in life perpetually is useless. <span> </span>Go back to your profile, browse through your
connections to check how many amongst your connection can really have a
potential impact on your careers. Remember, connections are just numbers. 1000+
random connections from acquaintances do not; I repeat, DO NOT add any weight
to your digital resume. For god sake, please stop adding the entire world’s
populace to your connection list, morons!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pro-tip: Create separate email-IDs for your professional
needs and social media requirements. This will avoid a lot of your personal
contacts sending you requests and it also give you more power to manage
professional profiles.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Posting updates</u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Posting significant professional updates are indeed good way
to let everyone know of your achievements. But majority of the updates from my
connections did not seem deserved to be even there. A software engineer in my
connection had posted her pics of distributing food packets during Covid-19
lockdown. <span> </span>Why why why? Had her
profession been Social Work groups, it would be worth an update. But in IT
Industry, It will not give her any professional edge over others who have not
done it. Another friend had copied leadership quotes from Google and pasted it.
Will it help his followers inculcate leadership habits? I also found people posting
the certificates of their organization’s mandatory trainings like EHS and Data
Privacy. For heavens’ sake, stop this! A funny video with caption “Don’t give
up” made some sense. But after seeing screenshots of a newspaper article on
Happy Iftaar and a meme on Yamaha RX-100 to describe the Japanese engineering,
alas! I lost my mind.</p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1VlMSBpcxkTvKAFPCfO7Vi2Nf38f92DATDHYP4FOnGejip40S5-o7cPWzftOBfTM8-tEGfsL4aMUrdRX1eB5omBCGQfE__ZpLL4vI9NuadlZji0jWnV3KZtlMakg-kGSDKxOQbTVFgw/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2060" data-original-width="2148" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1VlMSBpcxkTvKAFPCfO7Vi2Nf38f92DATDHYP4FOnGejip40S5-o7cPWzftOBfTM8-tEGfsL4aMUrdRX1eB5omBCGQfE__ZpLL4vI9NuadlZji0jWnV3KZtlMakg-kGSDKxOQbTVFgw/w640-h614/Iftaar_Party.jpg" title="Funny Update on LinkedIn" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Iftaar party cooking update (Left) Personal updates about Daughter on LinkedIn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div></div><div>In the midst of all these unwanted junk, many important updates
go unnoticed. And even bigger problem is that unlike FaceBook, we cannot even
delete the profile. It has to be there, up and running. You never know when you’ll
have to make real use of your connections. So please don’t be willful and a
pain in someone’s professional life. Be responsible and have social conscience.
If LinkedIn becomes another FaceBook, destinies of many professionals may become
undeniably enmeshed. <span> </span>As we prepare for
another economic depression, this gibberish will not take us anywhere. Go and
act now. Because if you don’t, sooner or later we’ll be victims of our own
complacency.
<span style="font-family: "calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">No; I am not posting this blog on my LinkedIn.</span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--></div>A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-76293755282251441432020-04-19T12:31:00.000+05:302020-04-19T12:31:25.112+05:30Lessons from Covid-19 lock-down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While driving back home on the 11<sup>th</sup> of Mar,
little did I expect that I would be locked inside my house for the next 30+
days. Since then, a month has gone by and it already seems like eternity. The
worrying trends from across the globe, those horrifying videos from Italy and
NYC has forced many armchair thinkers to change the way they look at life. Aam
junta like me are no exception. I too have a few experiences from this lock-down.
This COVID-19 lock-down has not just exposed my own inabilities and not
possessing (m)any of the basic survival skills, it has also changed a few
perceptions that I believed to be true for long time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0B_c_Cetlr_0wzCSH8EWzMC1ezg09KLH1QtBnfik3SeoEpBX2j74RNjOgt2vvaXmA38x9oRFoIbq4s_msaOK88Fzt_x1pqCa3P3H3dCLDMTXF1ZxcGO9oKx0efFig5fA5HSGOuHoEi0/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="554" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0B_c_Cetlr_0wzCSH8EWzMC1ezg09KLH1QtBnfik3SeoEpBX2j74RNjOgt2vvaXmA38x9oRFoIbq4s_msaOK88Fzt_x1pqCa3P3H3dCLDMTXF1ZxcGO9oKx0efFig5fA5HSGOuHoEi0/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When lock-down started, I thought it is a good opportunity to
catch up with all my pending reading. This lock-down forced me to do a few
things by self and I miserably failed in doing simple tasks. Firstly, my
sincere efforts <i>to make a cup of coffee even
after reading the instructions on Nescafe sachet</i> went haywire. Secondly, since
house maid was also in lock-down, we decided to share chores amongst ourselves and
do our own dishes. And I was g<i>etting into
a brawl with even smallest of the utensils while doing the dishes</i>. I did
some temporary arrangement for the wasted RO water to be collected and use it
to wipe the floor. But my wife put the task on me *sobs uncontrollably*. I took
hours to wipe the floor with a mop which my maid did in 10 min without it. I
realized I couldn’t do even the simplest of the chores at home. I started feeling
like a civilized Neanderthal. I have not taken a shave since a month; so, I
also look like one *adding to the effects*.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On one hand, COVID-19 deaths increased exponentially which led
to the extension of lock-down period and on the other, I was feeling ashamed at
my own incompetence of not being able to make even a cup of coffee for myself. I
decided to catch up on the pending reading later. I realized I must up the ante
and get better at stewardship at home, for my own good. I am at it now and in
the past 20+ days, I’m still at square one, but the intriguing lessons learnt
are worth sharing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj9PUGAimI6lA6BGUBwv1pgGBfWBTI8zk6GcDRmn6qlQlVnc4y1zQK9ghKekXtGJEpc8ZBqLMczPDgGDdMrWhucxCTv8O-ia22xEpMNe2aaC14d_8peiomr3jYGpWZMmpZeWxsaolpq4/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1500" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj9PUGAimI6lA6BGUBwv1pgGBfWBTI8zk6GcDRmn6qlQlVnc4y1zQK9ghKekXtGJEpc8ZBqLMczPDgGDdMrWhucxCTv8O-ia22xEpMNe2aaC14d_8peiomr3jYGpWZMmpZeWxsaolpq4/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Household chores
are easy is a myth<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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I always had this perception that household chores are easy
as they neither require brains nor a great physical effort and that they are
routine and mundane tasks. Only when I saw my mother and wife doing the dishes
so flawlessly and effortlessly, I realized I was wrong. It is certainly not a
mundane task. It is a three-dimensional art with time, accuracy and water conservation
as its dimensions. The same goes with doing the dishes/ mopping/cleaning. I realized that all household chores can be mastered only
with practice. Household chores is easy is a presumption of stupidity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>You can survive
with just Doordarshan<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyE4YKv8NSsT1i5yj2OUZ4TKZ_ux9RgjMDlGD_ypQIsFVU264qtiWXnSedLuoDeUsTr28a_W3nOWEeFiP9XTRBjKQOt4BraNiNvljTOgeO1BJ-a4qy0zEbNenjZg_-jwZvjANaYOVVwho/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyE4YKv8NSsT1i5yj2OUZ4TKZ_ux9RgjMDlGD_ypQIsFVU264qtiWXnSedLuoDeUsTr28a_W3nOWEeFiP9XTRBjKQOt4BraNiNvljTOgeO1BJ-a4qy0zEbNenjZg_-jwZvjANaYOVVwho/s320/3.jpg" width="280" /></a>The re-telecast of Mahabharata and Ramayana are truly
blessing in disguise for me. While it is preposterous that few of my friends have
branded me swamiji for watching the great epics *tears rolling down my cheeks*,
I was like “Hey vats, keep calm”. Mythology was one quizzing topic which I
wanted to improve on since a very long time. So, the timing was just perfect. I
also started watching a few episodes of Chanakya, Jungle Book, Buniyaad; they all
had one thing in common; they were so brilliantly made with major focus on
content. Prasar Bharti has so many classics in its kitty. But is it worth with
contemporary programs also? I’m pretty sure that DD entertainment would surely be
finer than all our private channels combined. Any sane person cannot stand private
channels’ camera overplay on a woman protagonist’s cleavages for 10 min in every
episode. DD National, DD-Bharati and DD-Retro are more than ample necessities
for our entertainment needs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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More importantly and surprisingly, by Indian standards, DD News has remained a
news channel. They are ethical, news readers put forth the actual news without
any exaggeration and let the viewers decide. On DD News, dolts do not read
tarot cards, there are no resentment filled debates, they do not run
Homeopathy helpline and Asian sky shop programs. More importantly, dimwits
and lamebrains do not predict the future of this country. So, I have decided to
stick to DD news for news and watch private news channels for entertainment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Watch DD News for a week. Trust me; you’ll concur.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Home cooked food can
do wonders <o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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After I entered corporate world, there was never a time I
did not suffer from GERD. With my office canteen food, my burps are so strong
that I’m sure if converted to energy, it would work wonders; thanks to the
adulteration levels even in simple Idly and sambar. Eno and Digene are always
on my travel checklist and are always stocked up. Even though Ayurveda helped
me keep it at bay for some days, my coffee addiction has always made burps an
integral part of my life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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But since last 30+ days of lock-down, we’re washing veggies more
carefully than ever, thanks to the disturbing behavior of single source event
attendees. I am eating healthy, home cooked food and zero junk food because the junk food in supermarkets are selling like hotcakes. I would be lying if I say stopped eating junk food. After
seeing the panipuri pics all over the SM as if people are celebrating April as
National Panipuri month, I was tempted too. But even that is homemade. *winks*.
This has worked wonders for me. To my own surprise, my acidity, burps, GERD
induced chest pain and every other symptom of hyper acidity is gone. Thanks to
COVID-19 lock-down for instilling in me, the amazing benefits of eating freshly
cooked food. <b><i>Not just eat healthy, eat fresh</i></b> is a very big lesson for me, that I’ll
try to stick to. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
There are other pleasant changes that this lock-down has made
possible. Our entire family is spending quality time together. We are watching TV and dining together after ages. Dad and I are watching Roger Moore’s bond
movies together, with him recalling his good old days. I am reminding my mom to monitor her blood glucose levels regularly. My
credit card statements are at its lowest, which has also made me think of
spending carefully on unwanted luxuries. Whataybaby is happy that “appa corona
no aapees”. In other words, covid-19 has made a lot of things possible, which were even otherwise possible, but, meddled in the mediocrity of our own lives, we just didn't find it necessary. Especially us, Bangaloreans, have that one reason for all our hopeless time management skills, "Traffic jam". It's time we learn to manage time, prioritize what is important, draw a line between professional and personal urgency and start giving importance to spending quality time with family, at least occasionally.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to
Freedom”, I couldn’t connect on an emotional level with his 27 years in Prison.
But now, I cannot even fathom his struggle. Imagine being locked up inside a jail on a
remote island for so long! Here I am, locked in for 30 days and every day seems
like another race to be won. I am still trying to cling to some form of
normalcy hoping all this ends soon and we can get out, buy stuff, get back to office,
hit gym, go on long drives and to be ourselves. But looking at the increasing
numbers, it is still a dream. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like this dream; dream of freedom. Hope it becomes a
reality soon!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-69378373671066775322019-12-14T21:03:00.000+05:302019-12-14T21:06:27.476+05:30Of my mothers chit funds and my first world problems - Life lessons in a nutshell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a change, I was home. I was glancing my personal task
planner cum diary to see the pending story edits and proof reading to be
completed for the day when the phone rang. Sudha aunty, a well-wisher and a
relative (potential oxymoron) had called me to remind me about the pending
payment for the chit fund. I never keep track of this fund, purely because it
is managed by Sudha aunty. There is that element of trust on which this chit
fund operates. Other than the pending payment reminder, she also said that this
month’s payment is the end of this chit fund and that she was about to start a
new chit fund from Jan. I agreed to be part of the new chit fund also and
disconnected the call. My mom heard the conversation and inquired about the
chit fund. The word "chit fund" took her back to her professional days as a teacher. We spoke
about it for more than an hour. When we were done, I wanted to get back to work, but my
mind was roaming around the realms of how my mom spearheaded an entire family’s
offbeat expenses with the chit funds for years together. And in general, those chit
funds’ with a purpose and its role in chasing the dreams of Indian middle
class.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are wondering what a chit fund, a.k.a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti</i></b>
as it is called in vernacular language is, it is a simple rotating savings and
credit system practiced since times immemorial. There is no defined legal
framework. An organizer is usually a trusted relative, a neighbor, friend or
someone who you know at least as an acquaintance, so that there is an element
of trust for the money you invest. People who invest in the chit funds often
have specific goals/dreams that they realize using the returns from it. The
fund starts at an announced date and continues for the number of months predefined
by the organizer. Word of mouth is the only means of marketing and getting
people to invest. When it starts, every month, a fixed amount is collected from
all the subscribers. An open auction is conducted every month to determine the
lowest sum one of the subscribers is willing to withdraw that month. It is also
a credit system because subscribers are allowed to take the entire sum via the
auction even before making full payment. Again, trust is paramount here. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike the post liberalization and digital era, banking was
not accessible to the lower income group as their savings was not distinct and
continuous. If you are an early or mid 80s kids, you’ll know this. But savings
was still required for obvious reasons. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti</i></b> was a boon for all those who
had this situation. And unlike today, middle class dealt with currencies in mere
tens, hundreds and thousands. Lakhs and crores were not part of even their
wildest dreams. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mom, being a school teacher, like any other middle-class
Indian woman, was a “penny in pocket, dreams worth million” woman. With
whatever she earned, she managed her finances and savings so meticulously that it puzzles me on how our era's middle class parents managed our upbringing. I
personally know two of her affinities she chased for long, never gave up and
succeeded. Thanks to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti.</i></b> One was her collection of
sarees and the other was her collection of tools/equipment/apparatus that
reduced her efforts in the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both her affinities were something that my father neither
supported nor cared because of two reasons: One: that they were very feminine
in nature and he did not understand much of it. And secondly, because they were
not one-time investments. In her own words w<i>ith utensils and sarees, when the usual “WHY DO YOU NEED SO MANY” paradigm come up by husbands for discussion, women do not have answers.</i> So,
mom had to somehow manage them on her own, even financially.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is exactly where the chit fund, a.k.a. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti
</i></b>helped my mother. In the early-80s she earned 800 Rs a month. Since she
was a teacher, it was sort of necessary for to have her wardrobe full of
sarees. It so happened that a seller from Surat used to visit her school and
all the teachers collectively insisted him to start a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti</i></b>, exclusively for
sarees. The monthly amount for the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti </i></b>was 70 INR which they paid
for 12 months and got a new saree worth 800 Rs. Remaining 40 Rs was a
commission of sorts for the saree seller. She always tells me that back in 80s,
800 Rs had a lot of value. It is true. I just did some math to prorate the
inflation rate of 7.2% at 1985 for 34 years; it turns out, 800 Rs in 1985 is
worth 9330 Rs as on today.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I keep chiding my mother for having so many sarees that we
can sell and pre-close a part of India’s world bank loan. But she laughs it
off. More than the prized possession, she is proud of how she succeeded in filling
her wardrobe with sarees<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b>on her own, without a single penny from my father. She is all thanks to this
wonder investment scheme called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By early 90s, utensils with copper bottom was a next gen
thing, she tells me. When the copper bottom utensils were launched in the
market, they were declared hit and received widespread fame among the Indian
mothers. Not just fame, it apparently was also a measure of sophistication and
even a social privilege to an extent. My mom was particularly interested in it
because she believed that copper bottom kadais would help cook faster, thanks
to copper’s good conductance of heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it also came with a heavy price tag that she could not buy them in
one go. Again, the same <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti</i></b> came to my mother’s rescue.
There was a steel vendor near the house, where she started investing 50 Rs a
month and in the end, she could choose utensils worth of 600 Rs. There is this
one copper bottom kadai, which is her favorite. Not because of its quality or
durability, but because she simply succeeded in buying it on her own. It was
the same practical scheme of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cheeti </i></b>that enabled her to buy a
“RAMA” water filter, a hot box and a few other utensils made of copper. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her proud possessions after nearly three decades of her
professional career are her Surat Saris, a copper bottom kadai, a RAMA water
filter and a few other kitchen paraphernalia, procured through chit funds. If I
look at it today, it does not seem like a big deal at all! I can buy her all of them at one go! I cannot help but
see her goals mostly revolved around maintaining normalcy and ensuring the
family chores run smooth. Nothing beyond! I think only mothers are the
creatures on this planet who can do such insurmountable sacrifices for the
well-being of their families and yet find solace in those sacrifices.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here I am, totally delved in the first world problems and not
being able to manage my finances even after earning a 6-digit salary. When my
mom narrates such episodes to me, I can easily realize the perceived absence of
any such pressing concerns that she had as an adult, as a parent or even as a
professional. With real life experiences like chit funds, she beats my argument
and proves that my problems are not actually problems, they are just fallacies
of the relative privation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I too have invested
in many chit-funds. But if I try to recall If I have bought anything until now,
which has helped facilitate anything at home or brought about changes in running chores at home, nothing
comes to my mind. This has made me realize one thing: Whatever they did, they
had a purpose. And they were bold enough, courageous enough not to take solace
in fallacies, like we all do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whoever said “The purpose of life is a life of purpose” is
simply a genius who understood the essentials of life perfectly. Having a purpose
can not only buy you saris, water filters and copper bottom utensils, it can guide
life decisions, influence behavior, shape goals and offer a sense of direction.
Now it doesn’t surprise me that even to this day, chit funds, without a legal
framework, are very instrumental in realizing the dreams of millions of people
out there, because their investments have a purpose. This chit fund episode has
taught me a very important lesson:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>To really reap the returns of your investment, it should first
have a purpose. </i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-44246377867867442692019-09-26T21:30:00.000+05:302019-09-26T21:36:59.395+05:30Opinion: Does Greta Thunberg truly deserve Nobel Prize?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When Greta Thunberg first heard about global warming, she
was 8 and when she started giving speeches on climate changes and protested in
front of the Swedish parliament with the placard “school climate strikes” she
was 15! Well, it is nothing less than phenomenal that she has stood up for a
great cause like climate change from a very young age. I salute her bravery,
her conviction to make this planet a better place to live. And I don’t have any
problems with her age either. I am in fact proud of what she has managed to achieve
at the age of 16. But with all the contrasting side effects of her fame and her
defiance, her approach to tackle a global problem of such epic proportion having
no tangible outcomes yet, is her deed worth a Nobel? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWVKaOZUFnkTjnIyVmcZ9PRK63SmdcTl3MuLhMCTMEVhuiZxx7XZb07uTeIHKpiih2h_1MIWSLBK-y8ijL2cE4lGPr37Bvpzk-ezjhz7_b1P-1GIUGGWZd-llGhMidnx1vyfcSdS2848/s1600/image001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="608" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWVKaOZUFnkTjnIyVmcZ9PRK63SmdcTl3MuLhMCTMEVhuiZxx7XZb07uTeIHKpiih2h_1MIWSLBK-y8ijL2cE4lGPr37Bvpzk-ezjhz7_b1P-1GIUGGWZd-llGhMidnx1vyfcSdS2848/s640/image001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SKOLSTREJK FOR KLIMATET in Swedish translates to "School strike for Climate"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Her approach</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">According to Ms. Thunberg, the prospect of global warming and
the rising temperature across the globe has frightened her, so she is not going
to school and protesting. Well, good. But giving blunt replies to global leaders
in public forums and handing out leaflets with words like "I am doing this
because you adults are shitting on my future." is not the right approach
to solve the global warming problem. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ms. Thunberg is too young to even fathom what it takes to
understand the sort of a systematic approach to solve a serious problem like
climate change. She goes on to say (in her own words) "I want you to act
as if the house was on fire — because it is". And "We're facing an
immediate unprecedented crisis that has never been treated as a crisis and our
leaders are all acting like children”. While this behavior of hers could be attributed
to her being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, climate change is not a
traffic problem to be solved by envisaging a mass rapid transit system. She needs
to calm down. Global warming cannot be addressed with the urgency that she
defines. She is nobody to dictate the urgency. There are capable people and governing
bodies to act on. She needs to work on her approach to address real issues. Above
all, she should stop her <span style="margin: 0px;">‘How Dare You’
kind of overdramatic speeches and get in terms with the fact that speeches doesn’t
change much.</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Setting a detrimental example</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Greta Thunberg’s success story, on one front has gained greater
momentum and the world is grateful for the awareness she has managed to create
about climate change. But on the other, a lot of youngsters all over, Sweden in
particular, are fascinated by the idea of “Why go to school. Let’s protest in
the name of climate change”. And why not; At 16, Greta has a colossal fame with
a whooping 5.5 million Instagram followers, a Wikipedia page, invitations to
give TED talks and get to travel across the world, and now Nobel prize nomination.
What exactly has she done? Inventions? Discoveries? Humanity service? Nope! She
just symbolized a global problem and BOOM! She is a messiah to save mother earth. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SQO7NIBcXOWis4t1b-dk2LEQKfNosLsmOaFLfNvWVSgBU_0TAHPrzOiWNSDDOSftQYP-RzROkxg5rthcx_LtrgeyrKmNdbW45NxRqiFhtVBj-FaicpFE-jslT8jc3UVbSyrCHlBEP1Y/s1600/Dxg_RvzX4AIcmpr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SQO7NIBcXOWis4t1b-dk2LEQKfNosLsmOaFLfNvWVSgBU_0TAHPrzOiWNSDDOSftQYP-RzROkxg5rthcx_LtrgeyrKmNdbW45NxRqiFhtVBj-FaicpFE-jslT8jc3UVbSyrCHlBEP1Y/s640/Dxg_RvzX4AIcmpr.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greta Thunberg's lunch en route Denmark - With paper cup, Plastic Vegan salad box and polythene bread cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At 16, the idea of getting to limelight looks very lucrative
and it is too fancy to not think and dream of such colossal fame for teens. it
cannot be denied that she has set a detrimental example to others of her age group.
This is a very dangerous state for the teens to be in. This has to be addressed
by helping kids understand that the world out there isn’t an equal opportunity
employer. Encourage them to deal with failures in life.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Nobel standards</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Since childhood, I have always known the Nobel prize being
awarded to the deserved candidates in recognition of academic, cultural or breakthrough
scientific advances (except for peace prize). Perhaps the committee wants to
set right expectations about climate changes. But IMHO, the nomination committee
should have also considered the tangible achievements of Greta Thunberg and her
contribution about the climate issue.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Hands with Vested interests(?)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just Yesterday, climate activist Greta Thunberg along with
15 other children from around the world submitted a complaint to the Committee
on the Rights of the Child. They targeted Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany
and Turkey. In the complaint, she alleges that these countries are “</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #484848; font-family: "georgia" , serif; margin: 0px;">recklessly
causing and perpetuating life-threatening climate change [and] have failed to
take necessary preventive and precautionary measures to respect, protect, and
fulfill the petitioners’ rights.</span></i></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sounds something fishy? There you are! China, the highest
emitter of Co2 is not even there in the list. This just adds to my suspicion
that there could be political hands behind Greta’s motivation.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Malala symbolizing the girl’s education or Kashmir issues and
Greta Thunberg getting nominated this year by symbolizing climate change has not
just diminished the chances of identifying the really outstanding contributors
of humanity, but a fundamentally wrong message is being sent across that it is
cool to symbolize a social or economic problem and get elevated to the state of
being known or talked about by millions, especially on account of notable
achievements, when in real, you haven’t any.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 10.66px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I just hope that future for all of us is not as frightening as
Greta Thunberg or Malala is trying to portray.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-20465895627245570802019-07-24T14:16:00.001+05:302019-07-24T14:17:00.580+05:30An open letter to the regional party enthusiasts of Karnataka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Congratulations! Namma Karnataka has scored yet another
constitutional low in the Indian political diaspora. Karnataka is the center stage
of a political crisis which is witnessed never before in an Indian state. We can
perhaps tell our grandchildren that we were the mute espies of a shoddy drama
that the nation can never forget. This entire event is so appalling that even
constitution experts and political whizzes are not able to fathom your party’s conduct.
I wouldn’t be wrong if I say that the resolute displayed by your beloved
regional party and its members is the heights of contempt that anyone has shown
to Indian constitution till date. I would directly accredit this achievement to
you, the regional party enthusiast of Karnataka. Well done! Congratulations to
you for nurturing a regional party whose family business has successfully
ruined the fortune of a vibrant state </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**SLOW CLAPS**<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You knew the family
business<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just rewind a year and recall the pre-poll state of
Karnataka Assembly elections of 2018. You, I and almost everyone; even the
state, in itself was in tatters; thanks to an arrogant former CM’s monarchy
vibe. For the foreseeable future, it was unimaginable even for you to think
that this regional party could win majority and form the government. And yet, you
supported the family business blindly. How did you even arrive at the
conclusion that your regional party with 30+ seats would acquire greater
political space and do good for the state? How tactless could you get?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**SLOW CLAPS**<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You knew the party Supremo<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i>“A cat has nine lives, but he has ten”</i></b> is a famous proverb of
sorts opined about your beloved party chief. Time and again, he has proven
himself nothing more than an elite
opportunist who has always played his cards wisely to gain political sympathy
and use it just to his family’s advantage. You are a fool, if you really
believed that he had a vision for the goodwill of Kannadigas. Right from his
ministerial days to this day being the chief of your beloved regional party, he
has always been an influence peddler and a political graft. His vision is
nothing more than just to baptize his family members into ministry. For the
records, he betrayed Janatadala and BJP each twice and now Congress too. And
you still believed that your chief is a messiah? Whoa! What a shallow thought
process you have.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**SLOW CLAPS**<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You knew the
contestants <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Apart from one or two contestants, all the members of your
beloved political party are involved in Nepotism, crony capitalism, kickbacks, goondaism,
kleptocracy etc. Beyond the party president and family members, there is hardly
any second-tier leadership. This makes all the difference in bringing about a
change in society. You very well knew it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And more importantly, you knew precisely well that it was a
pre-poll alliance with Congress, whose administration was at its worst for the
last five years. And you believed that people with such track record will bring
about changes in administration! Whoa! Your idea is dope!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**SLOW CLAPS**</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You knew the fate of regional
parties<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You knew that regional parties of neighboring states have
terribly failed at national level and there are ample examples from the other
side of the country to back this sentiment. You were precisely aware of the
fact that the only regional party of Karnataka which you supported was never capable
of polarizing the votes of the regional masses unlike our neighboring states. How stupid are you to accredit a family
business as secular? In what way are they secular?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
**SLOW CLAPS**<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>You knew the myths
and facts<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a time when regional parties fueled the national
parties to come to power and a lion’s share of the central funds were also
diverted to the regional parties who supported. But this has considerably
reduced. The trend now is that one regional party is eating up the vote share
of the other regional party, creating rivals within. The result of this is that
they are caught in the web which they themselves knit<b>.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The regional parties are indirectly polarizing the votes
against themselves and are increasing the vote shares of the national party.
The same applies for your beloved party. Even more so because they are the only
regional party in Karnataka. If my understanding is right, 20+ states are ruled
by national parties. Among them, the major revenue generating states are
currently ruled by BJP, again a national party and they all have fared better
under the national party rule. So even with numbers, your part does not fare
well. You very well know what happened to a regional party's fate whose founder was poised to be the greatest anti-corruption crusader this country has seen after Gandhi and was later reduced to a mere film critic and a wannabe PM candidate. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit , serif;">In the last few weeks, there is more
evidence than ever about the true intentions of your beloved political party.
The political drama that has unfolded in the last week has put our state (and
of course the nation) to utter shame. On a positive note, it has also
strengthened people’s views that your political party is crooked and power
hungry. And why not! If they had an ounce of respect for the constitution or
the public apathy and had they come together like this to solve public problems
instead of saving their seats, Karnataka and Bangalore would be in better
position today.</span><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit , serif;">Political
inclination is good, as long as they are willing to do good (Like Orissa). But
inspite of knowing most of the above facts and of course, the party’s vested
interests, you, supporting them is not reasonable. I believe that, in a
democratic system like ours, supporting the right political party is aam
aadmi’s contribution to the purification of the nation. This purification is a
continuous process and when does rightly, it is highly infectious because it
necessarily leads to the purification of your own surroundings. Don’t impure
your political inclination by means of caste, religion, hate, for self-gain, to
conquer your subtle passions. In the longer run, the purer your political
inclination is, the more benefits you and your society will reap. It is time
you realize in your mind, word and deed that your beloved political party is
nothing more than family business. PERIOD!</span><span style="font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-47142580704935955062019-06-02T21:50:00.000+05:302019-06-02T21:52:47.898+05:30Of Lungis, Patapati cheddis and the visionary fashionistas of the 60s<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not a fashionista myself. And I have always been hauled
away from the Indian fashion of the 70s and 80s, thanks to the Raymond tailor
stitched shirts and pants which my mom wanted me to wear for all occasions. Interestingly,
one of the very few things that we, the Gen X and the millennials have in
common is that we have collectively made fun of our forefathers’ fashion statements. Today,
out of the blues, while spending a several thousand rupees on apparels to take
on Summers, I realized, we were totally off beam about our forefathers’ fashion
statements. They were essentially the trend setters and proponents of various
vogue wears without even realizing that their dressing would become chic
fashion 50 years later. It is pretty convincing that every trendy wear of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>contemporary India is just a revamped and tweaked reappearance
of what our forefathers wore for their entire life. And we, instead of thanking
them for life, continue to copy their fashion on one hand and make fun of it on
the other. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bandanas vs Hegl Mel Towel
(HMT)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hegl Mel Towel (<span style="font-family: "nirmala ui" , "sans-serif";">ಹೆಗಲ್</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "nirmala ui" , "sans-serif";">ಮೇಲ್</span>
<span style="font-family: "nirmala ui" , "sans-serif";">ಟವಲ್</span>) is a Kannada
phrase which literally means Towel on shoulders. In urban dictionary, it has
gotten its own meaning: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“An uneducated adult” </i></b>just because
our ancestors were not concerned with chic fashion and used towels instead. Of
late, the bandana, which was just a cowboy couture,has penetrated men’s
wardrobes as well. The classic patterned kerchiefs which only girls wore a
decade ago are being used today by the male fraternity too. Today’s metro-sexual
man uses the bandana as Scarfs, with sleeveless shirts, as strolls, hair tie,
helmet cap etc. The fashion gurus claim that it even plays a role in human
health and survival. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, what is a bandana? It is nothing but a multipurpose, patterned
handkerchief which is bigger in size. In other words, it is that same piece of
cloth called towel which our grandfathers carried on their shoulders, all the time!
Today, we welcome people wearing bandanas on red carpet; but we synonymize our
forefathers with towels on their shoulders as a country dweller and brand the
entire union of men from 60s as HMT? How rude are we!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The truth is that we have shamelessly copied Hegl Mel Towel
a.k.a. HMT, a foresighted fashion statement by our forefathers, without giving
the due credits to them and just renamed it.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3TVMpbOWQv5YNmvv6jt_hJFov_6o_dIxOK4WQoM8stH_OKNbiCF3SgEpJ9415iisKOfA1LRPx85o1uyc33s-um4w4uDI0Vh34FXSMR8V7o-Eon-pKDfoU0bB2-fwk-QBC6HJJ1u1wGI/s1600/HMT_Bandana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1536" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3TVMpbOWQv5YNmvv6jt_hJFov_6o_dIxOK4WQoM8stH_OKNbiCF3SgEpJ9415iisKOfA1LRPx85o1uyc33s-um4w4uDI0Vh34FXSMR8V7o-Eon-pKDfoU0bB2-fwk-QBC6HJJ1u1wGI/s640/HMT_Bandana.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hegl Mel Towel and Bandana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Flowing skirt with
draped detail vs Lungi </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My recent visit to Zara outlet took me by surprise. I was
flabbergasted to see a lungi priced at 5000 rupees. While I was trying to
digest the price, a saleswoman came to me and politely said “Men’s section on
the other side sir...”. I was hardly able to comprehend for a moment. Out of
conscience, I asked her “since when is lungi a woman’s fashion”? The saleswoman
perhaps assumed me to be from the HMT squad and informed me that it was not a
lungi. It was apparently called “flowing skirt with draped detail”. She
explained in detail, its versatility, why it is worth five grand and how their
designers thought of the airy feel that it offers. And she suggested that it is
a great idea to gift my wife a flowing skirt with draped detail. I just
imagined my wife donning a lungi and at that very moment I got an
uncontrollable urge to pull my lungi up with my legs, fold it and say “Enda MoLe…”. Unfortunately,
I was wearing jeans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still get forwards on Whats App on all the weird lungi ads.
We are such resentful generation who make fun of lungi in and out; but have no
issues in paying five grand for a flowing skirt with draped detail. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGD7jbBmyR_K4D5pGEp3iw7KI1-458IMNBINT2_bcnF3cw7_oQpyw03RuIwhF3IER44l5CuBSNI79UcBgtJZ6EhTxquR2YSoCsiLRkkCBWnwmkR7TNaAfvXxWi4uBVIYCTP4fMo54zCI/s1600/Lungi_vs_skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1057" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGD7jbBmyR_K4D5pGEp3iw7KI1-458IMNBINT2_bcnF3cw7_oQpyw03RuIwhF3IER44l5CuBSNI79UcBgtJZ6EhTxquR2YSoCsiLRkkCBWnwmkR7TNaAfvXxWi4uBVIYCTP4fMo54zCI/s640/Lungi_vs_skirt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Lungi vs Skirt with draped detail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Checked boxer vs Patapati
cheddi</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of all the disrespect to our ancestors’ fashion statements,
ridiculing the patapati cheddi is brutal AF. From movies to memes, social media
to sycophantic behavior of millennials towards someone who is wearing the
patapati cheddi, people have tried to sabotage the image of this wonder garment
in all possible ways. But luckily, it has stood the testing times. Have you
ever wondered what is the secret of a patapati cheddi’s mass success? To know it,
you need to try it. Even I didn’t; until my character in one of the plays
demanded it. When I tried it, it was apparent that the comfort of checked
boxers that male fraternity across the world is falling for, is actually a
fashion idea stolen from ancestors of our countryside. Checked boxer is nothing
but a patapati cheddi with elastic waist instead of a string knot. Period. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again, here is another fashionista from the 60s which is
shamelessly copied by our generation.Yet we make fun of patapati cheddi, but
never mind shelling extra bucks for checked boxers. It is like copying an
answer from your friend in exam and making fun of what he has written. Please
stop making fun of this wonder garment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98g8eohCnfG2CUm_EPzONQlTUWnvUZZmbc1J_lXPMg5zWEp4Nt1vE7O1JOOaLsOGsxdsm3PyDpbaFRs5LUM7-31z_4MJ8Y9Zf4tr857WY_nTzAJMuFqAHHjK5ykOq6d4OXeHH061o83M/s1600/patapati_vs_Boxers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="975" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98g8eohCnfG2CUm_EPzONQlTUWnvUZZmbc1J_lXPMg5zWEp4Nt1vE7O1JOOaLsOGsxdsm3PyDpbaFRs5LUM7-31z_4MJ8Y9Zf4tr857WY_nTzAJMuFqAHHjK5ykOq6d4OXeHH061o83M/s640/patapati_vs_Boxers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top row: patapati cheddis.<br />
Botton row: Checked boxers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“bell bottom pants”</i>
by our 70s cinema stars which has metamorphosed as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Palazzos/flares” </i>to the practical and utilitarian thread <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“girdles” </i>(<span style="font-family: "nirmala ui" , "sans-serif";">ಉಡಿದಾರ</span>) which have up-scaled as <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“ornamental
belts” </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“cummerbunds”</i> - there
are plenty of such examples out there to prove that there is nothing new about today’s
haute couture. It is purely evident that today’s chic fashion statements are just
ramifications of the yesteryear’s no-frills fashion and they are just modified
to look modern and stylish in an unconventional way. And of course, they come with
an exorbitant price tag which we are okay with. *frowns*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our forefathers did not have a sense of style. But their
fashion was very practical, without unnecessary extras and above all, they were
totally comfortable. Our generation should be deeply indebted to what they have
given us to build on. Imagine the scene if our ancestors had patented patapati
cheddis and HMTs. Our satisfaction should come from the fact that we are paying
so less for an upmarket fashion derived from a century old style. Not by making
fun of them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So next time you see an old man with a towel on his
shoulders and/or with patapati cheddi, take a selfie with him, thank him and
post it on social media proudly with hashtags:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">#Forefathers #FashionGurus #TrendSetters #PracticalFashion
#PataPatiCheddis #CoolHMT</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 107%;">Image courtesy: Google</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Patapati cheddi courtesy: Aravind Iyer</span> </span></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-80153863622036029442019-04-26T23:18:00.002+05:302019-04-26T23:18:14.594+05:30You Fatso – The story of my paunch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have finally realized that my no longer tacit
reserves of cholesterol and its self-disclosing revelations by degrees,
articulating themselves to thrust all the time and often deftly, cannot be
hidden anymore. After the pretty lady doctor in namma metro seated and facing right at my torso
for an entire minute and gave me that <i>“how can there be so much disparity
between your rumen and reticulum.. You fatso”</i> look, I have accepted that my
paunch has overdone all my efforts to keep it under control. Today, I have lost
hopes that somehow someday, my tummy will be back to normal shape. Its time I
came to terms with it. My wife chiding me of late by asking <i>“yesht tingalu”</i>
(how many months) is actually the purest intended sarcasm which I could not
even figure it out. Goddammit! **sobs uncontrollably**</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_LD1pdWqrOeg3-v9P6uD34_4Z9gn9UczWt6Rbjir5Ym6-xl8WwPBiFs7-U9dti_xbIbw_8JLhSKUwyEjiTLZsB3BXgraC0WW5tHsn3UW78GRb6GjCKaNikcSoBCyT-T3EivrQrWuwAg/s1600/pot-bellyy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_LD1pdWqrOeg3-v9P6uD34_4Z9gn9UczWt6Rbjir5Ym6-xl8WwPBiFs7-U9dti_xbIbw_8JLhSKUwyEjiTLZsB3BXgraC0WW5tHsn3UW78GRb6GjCKaNikcSoBCyT-T3EivrQrWuwAg/s1600/pot-bellyy1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Early
warning signs:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Your stomach - before it metamorphoses to belly and
eventually a potbelly; will actually send early warning signals. You should
actually be smart enough to take notice and act on it, which I totally failed
at. For e.g. while bathing I accidentally ran my hand on the precipice
underneath my navel and could not recall of its whereabouts just a year
ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it was totally serious, the
element of surprise died as soon as I walked out of the bathroom and looked at
the full length mirror in the room. I just did not even realize how whataybaby rested so
easily even with my weak grip around his waist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would I automatically become conscious of
breathing while posing for a picture? Oh dude! It all falls in place now! How I
wish I could go back and change it now! But my dear friend, time is something
that you can’t own and revisit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ga-Ga
over Yoga</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of all the attempts to get rid of my paunch, the
first one was joining Yoga at workplace. The way I took off doing 108
Suryanamaskars at one go was the epitome of happiness. I thought, at this rate,
my belly fat will just melt away. But later I learnt that it was just one
time gimmick to celebrate international Yoga day and next sessions were full of
asanas which I could barely do in right way because of my potbelly coming in
between. Even after 4 weeks, I did not see any noticeable changes. Heartbroken
on how Yoga did not help me shed even a few kilos around my waist; I
blamed Baba Ramdev wholeheartedly, my mind started exaggerating my C5-C6 disk
herniation to hyperbolic degrees. To aid my decision, god sent a thief to
office who stole my Yoga Mat. Yoga ended with a perpetual loss of 300 bucks
without burning an ounce of fat around my waist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-rs5d7MS3TbH97gC7X3Cn45d32x0PXX0u5QxompxY9lOeQaQwxJ6bf4aaErybYEmJGdPH5E44Pnx9-6cgJhi7u0gtFvLbOIEDsK_lp3_iYQhfjQz5Ao43JBavdpieXTl8m8nSF2TKqM/s1600/fat-man-doing-yoga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-rs5d7MS3TbH97gC7X3Cn45d32x0PXX0u5QxompxY9lOeQaQwxJ6bf4aaErybYEmJGdPH5E44Pnx9-6cgJhi7u0gtFvLbOIEDsK_lp3_iYQhfjQz5Ao43JBavdpieXTl8m8nSF2TKqM/s1600/fat-man-doing-yoga.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Desperate
attempts:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The next attempt was so infallible that it just
couldn’t go wrong at all! No prizes for guessing! It was buying a fit-bit band.
IT IS NOT FUNNY how I convinced myself that the better results you see with
your eyes, the more you’ll be motivated to exercise. I also vaguely
recalled one of my friends telling me about the bio feedback bullshit which
compelled me to buy it. The first couple of weeks were so good that with
completing 10,000 steps, I already started imagining that my jeans pants had
loosened up a little. That night I dreamt of a six-pack abs just by wearing a
fit-bit band and walking around. But even this fascination didn’t last long.
Just a week after that, I realized that when I was asleep during my entire 14
hour journey from Dubai to Chicago, the step count had reached 8500. WTF man! With
sheer disappointment, I waved my hands at air hostess only to realize that the
step counter again jumped another 3 steps. The dejection I experienced at 35000 feet was
just unfathomable. Fit-bit was pure shit-bit!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A
friend in need is a friend in deed</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By now, I had zeroed in
on the root cause. The actual problem was that I did not have an exercising </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">partner/friend. Exercising with friends can make it more fun and increase the
probability of sticking to an exercising routine. So I and Shashi meticulously worked
out a plan. We decided to compromise our sleep by an hour and go to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turahalli_Forest" target="_blank">Turahalli</a>
every morning for a run. The last resort of shedding my potbelly had perfectly
taken off to a head start. This time, it worked like charm. We got used to a
routine. 4 km of walk/run in the forest, bitching about stupid bosses at
workplace, talking about Data, Mobile, analytics, cloud and debating the Indian
political Diaspora; getting to witness the ostentatious displays
of peacock’s beautiful feathers to attract the peahens; Oh the bliss!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alas, just as we started shedding few kilos,
Shashi had to travel to USA for three months. And the Turahalli chapter saw a
dismal ending. But the question “Kya aap paunch vi pass se tezz hain” still remained.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65uEzWyEr_6lmoP9g6OaBz47cqwphIxGdkgKuU9N5ZqXEoo-5nhQQ0TspMvOloLkvyL2ajkY3hcZlQU4ihTer2woNeWmUWAa5FQzT2F12M8Y26jWnNvhLCc7uBEE9RTk3kpHVcKZ-SYI/s1600/obesity-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="257" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65uEzWyEr_6lmoP9g6OaBz47cqwphIxGdkgKuU9N5ZqXEoo-5nhQQ0TspMvOloLkvyL2ajkY3hcZlQU4ihTer2woNeWmUWAa5FQzT2F12M8Y26jWnNvhLCc7uBEE9RTk3kpHVcKZ-SYI/s640/obesity-meme.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Within a few months, buddy maga Bali
shifted to my apartment. But the damage was already done. In this two month
gap, my paunch had thrived on the Bajji-Bondas, Death by Chocolate and all the
possible junk which had Buy one Get One offer in D-mart. To add to it was my
eternal craving for rice. With the little bit of motivation left, we decided to
run 5K, only on the weekends. Our wives made fun of it so candidly. We took it
as a challenge. We just took it. We couldn't do a thing about it. because of inexplicably mysterious problems. It was very evident that the entire universe was acting in unison to stop my belly fat from shedding. It was sort of anti incumbency experienced by my stomach. The more I tried to exercise, the larger it grew in size. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Epilogue</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was pounding down the bajji-bonda little
hesitantly. Abhi read my mind and gave me a piece of advice: “Macha, don’t
think too much. Don't stop eating a food just because it contains fat, and
never think a food is healthy only because it does not contain fat. That was
the moment my mind was waiting for. Even before he could complete, my mind
raced ahead of time and convinced myself with a variety of reasons. A doctoral
student from IISc saying this has to make perfect sense.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A great man once said
that belly is actually a sign of happiness; And yeah! Beyond your good health
nothing matters. Happiness starts in the stomach. Above all, fat reserves are
important for the body. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am driving back home and Fat Boy Slim’s “Eat sleep
rave repeat” is playing aloud in my car. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-86562573480054196342019-03-10T21:03:00.000+05:302019-03-10T21:04:43.786+05:30Of auto correction, Cyber-slang and technology chauvinism <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My recent whatsapp conversation with a college friend of
mine did not go very well. I was totally baffled and was fumbling to even
understand what she was talking. The jargon and the chat acronyms she used were
so much that for every reply of her I had to Google to find out what it actually
meant. To save myself from embarrassment, here is an edited version of the
conversation:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> Tejjjjjj! Lngtym. Hw ya doin?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Me:</b> Heyyy Rosh! I am good! How are you? Real long time. Last
time we met was in 2008 I guess</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> IKR!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Me:</b> ** Long pause** What are you up to? </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> M gd. Settled in US for now. But its AFU life here. Hey,
DYK wr Sandy s?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Me:</b> **Long pause** He is in Singapore</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> DAFUQ? I was der for like 8Y man! DUR our coll days<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Me:</b> **Long pause** Yeah. Good old days <span>J</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> Hey Y u tkn so lng to rply?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Me:</b> Frankly, I am trying to catch up with your net lingo.
Google’s not helping either: P</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>She:</b> Roflmao! K. GTG. Buhbyeee. XOXOZZZ</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Throughout the conversation, I had this weird feeling that
she is bi-lingual, speaking English and in another language called Cyber slang,
unknown to me for which I was replying only in English. It felt weird and
awkward. At the end of it, I was not sure if I was really happy we spoke after
a long time. I kept thinking about it for a very long time. It was then I
realized that I too am a victim of this text lingo to a certain extent. Oblivious
to my own conscience, I found that I end up writing ‘thru’ for ‘through’; ‘n’
for ‘and’, ‘tomo’ for ‘tomorrow’ and so on.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ideally, with all the digital communication platforms and the
world of internet at our fingertips, our vocabularies should have been
expanding, isn’t it? But it looks like it is not the case. Considering the
exposure which my dad and grandpa had to literature and books, I definitely
have an edge over them. But I can assertively say that my grandpa and my dad
have better vocabularies than that of mine. I just paid a little more attention
to what they did differently than us. I had my answers within days. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Spellcheckers:</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At workplace, very often, I am required to review the requirement
specification documents as part of my job. For the records, requirement
specification is a document which lists the detailed description of how a
software feature is expected to work. My most preferred way of checking for
grammar and spelling correctness is MS
word spell checker. Is it that I cannot do it without it? Most certainly not.
But this gives me a quick overview of what needs correction and lists it out
for me, boom! my job is done within a short time. On the contrary, my dad, even
to this day, proof reads an entire article using his brains and eyes only. No,
he does not depend on spell check. His brain is processing it for him since 50
years; which is to say that his vocabulary is getting stronger and sharper
every day. It does not surprise me that my dad is called ‘walking
dictionary’ in his office.Whereas for me; since the computer is doing it, the computer is
getting smarter. Oh, the <b><i>machine learning</i></b>. In other words,
the machine is getting smarter everyday by making us dumb, you dumber.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Auto correction</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whatsapp has become the de-facto standard for all sorts of
communication. Text, Images, audio, documents and whatsoever format that it
supports, the texting which is widely used, comes with a serious issue tagged
with it called Auto correction. When I have interacted with acquaintances,
there were disastrous moments of me trying to say something but ended up saying
something else. I strongly have a feeling that they think I am some third grade
dropout who cannot even form basic sentences. Few disasters due to auto
correction were beyond repair; like the ones below:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>Did you see Urine? Don’t miss.. Sorry Urine.. I
mean URI.. Goddammit! </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>Hi Practice… What??? Sorry. I meant Prachi..
Ugh!</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>May be Dick by Hermaphrodite Melvin (While
discussing about Moby-dick by Herman Melville)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>Heyy.. Finally I found my GSPOT.. errrr.. GPS
(She had fainted by then I guess)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>I am yet to finish writing. I am a prostitute (I
wanted to say Procrastinator.. Argghhhhh)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span>I once told my wife “I really want to meet you. But
you are so damn fat” (She called me even before I said FAR not fat)</span></span></li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv4jhNlkvdBVzW-niypLOHABJEOtQdZr-8dIhPFcx-JJKN_YvZj2e2kFkqAreqld3gLyIJ8u7PEVoaLbuZz8jj8LTi3dg_8h2vvYgAxCd4dCP3aoZxukYJknC22hfQ1x4iD7h-CtWTcY/s1600/Auto+correct1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="ducking autocorrection" border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="399" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv4jhNlkvdBVzW-niypLOHABJEOtQdZr-8dIhPFcx-JJKN_YvZj2e2kFkqAreqld3gLyIJ8u7PEVoaLbuZz8jj8LTi3dg_8h2vvYgAxCd4dCP3aoZxukYJknC22hfQ1x4iD7h-CtWTcY/s400/Auto+correct1.jpg" title="The most famous auto correction problem on iPhone" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most famous auto correction problem on iPhone</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My grandpa never had all these problems because from
Bhadravati to Bangalore, he used to send telegrams, wrote wonderful letters and
he himself typed his messages on postcards using a typewriter. He even sent us
handmade greeting cards on various occasions. On the other hand, <b><i>The
Roget’s Thesaurus</i></b> 1941 edition and the <b><i>Rev. F. Kittel’s 1894 edition of
Kannada-English dictionary</i></b> copies at home are almost in worn-out state
with torn illustrations and title page re-joined with an adhesive tape. I can even
see a few printing mistakes corrected with a pen. They are perhaps telling a lexicon
tale that we are not willing to believe. </span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hjy6vTBS_oVcgAzwuElymatJpkY6QYpgpfgu1uaI5AxfoPYsxiIIXEdEDkdwubfjj5KliWRqkqLzXQK0RJImHpjDcumdBWTZp5OygKdzwLiAYBdzqtYv3BLVMxMxSQ5dj93s0BkFCLs/s1600/Kittel_Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Kannada to English dictionary" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hjy6vTBS_oVcgAzwuElymatJpkY6QYpgpfgu1uaI5AxfoPYsxiIIXEdEDkdwubfjj5KliWRqkqLzXQK0RJImHpjDcumdBWTZp5OygKdzwLiAYBdzqtYv3BLVMxMxSQ5dj93s0BkFCLs/s640/Kittel_Pic.jpg" title="A very old Kittel's Kannada to English dictionary" width="480" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A very old Kittel's Kannada to English dictionary</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-IN"></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">With Auto correction, auto-complete and other such tools,
the flexibility in the language usage is lost by a huge magnitude. It is true
that words don’t get their meanings from dictionaries. They get their meanings
from how they are contextually used by writers and speakers. The more speakers and
writers conform to suggestions by machines, the less creative the language
becomes. Do you remember elders in your family asking you to read “The Hindu”
and “classic literature” to enhance your English vocab? Now you know why.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PWn5PLjxP6AVI49wFC_0k_PMeJzr5I0Y6NAzk0DZrlhns0D8gf_KZjFzeYSZloGDxT-PGjL-_S0ftsKgtDqHVQvUgAhq39GdWF-oOeLGoau4cj8i8oiqsT_OCUJoiJk58pc0dvl1OKc/s1600/Postcard_1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PWn5PLjxP6AVI49wFC_0k_PMeJzr5I0Y6NAzk0DZrlhns0D8gf_KZjFzeYSZloGDxT-PGjL-_S0ftsKgtDqHVQvUgAhq39GdWF-oOeLGoau4cj8i8oiqsT_OCUJoiJk58pc0dvl1OKc/s400/Postcard_1946.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The postcard typed by my grandfather when my father was born - Year 1946</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Genetics and Language</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have you ever noticed this about yourself or someone around
you? If you did your schooling in Kannada Medium, there is high possibility
that, even to this day, you’ll do all the basic math (addition, subtraction and
multiplication) in Kannada, way faster than English. Now there are demonstrated
research works that claim our linguistic capabilities are directly linked to our
genetic predisposition. So inclination towards technology for everything is
more serious condition than it actually is.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Over dependence on technology has already done enough
damage to our daily lives. Call me old school, but I really don’t like
technology invading our private lives so much that it obliterates our ability
to learn and master a language. There is a dire need to limit our dependency and
put a stop to chauvinism that we are showing towards Auto correction, auto
complete and cyber slang. Let our linguistic capability remain intact and do
not obtuse us.</span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-50629837481382342152019-02-19T23:29:00.000+05:302019-02-19T23:31:32.133+05:30Pretentious traffic rules of namma Bengaluru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">What defines a city? For some it is a center of a wide area
in terms of its length and breadth; and for few others, it is the economy.
There are cities defined by their geographies, archaeology, the kind of trade
they do and even for its cosmopolitan culture. Do you know there is a city in
New Zealand which is demarcated by the Speed of the wind? <span> </span>There are cities that are defined by the
amount of innovation that it has advocated to the world and even by their high-speed
expressways. And then, there is our City, which is defined by the magnitude of
traffic jams and purest form of assholes giving us nail biting experiences on a
day to day basis while we commute. Oh yeah! We are Bangaloreans</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Honk</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While in your world you honk only to call attention to an
accident that may happen, in Bangalore, honking is a way of life. We honk to
say Hi, to say Bye. We honk to shift lanes, to jump signals, to notify them
that you’re about to break rule, to bully riders, to play tunes of your favorite
songs and sometimes even to get attention of the driver who has fallen asleep at
the traffic jam. And most importantly, we honk to remind people that the signal
has turned green and because our roads are full of high intellectuals who
neither understand why the signal turned green nor have patience to wait for a
couple of seconds, we honk. Expectations are very high here. As soon as the
signal turns green, we expect everyone to take off like supersonic jets within Nano
seconds. We are very forward that way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we, the sovereign socialist democratic republicans of
Bangalore have accepted the pretentious directive that honking for anything is
totally conventional and we live with it. God save us!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDlpUCy7gVoo7RWB0zNPmkXCZTZDLENntPW2B2W2s-KmqsQF82RFWrbk-a0Ee39NZptg3fNfKcEk38QfQwvav2xYvHkkdbLd19er3aE3F1Lvx-zY0_zrV1uobPFiabpa-NyDhEYacyR8/s1600/traffic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcDlpUCy7gVoo7RWB0zNPmkXCZTZDLENntPW2B2W2s-KmqsQF82RFWrbk-a0Ee39NZptg3fNfKcEk38QfQwvav2xYvHkkdbLd19er3aE3F1Lvx-zY0_zrV1uobPFiabpa-NyDhEYacyR8/s640/traffic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bangalore roads - there is neither lane nor discipline</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Strategy vs Skills</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you think you know how to drive, that is a myth dude! You’re
totally off beam. Just forget all your driving skills. It will anyway be
rendered useless. Because what you need is a strategy; a foresight showing a
prudent awareness of future possibilities. If a driver/rider is approaching
you, you should be able to judge all the odds within no time (except the right
one which he never does) and strategize your next move. Remember the CEAT’s
“India ke sadkon pe aapko alag alag mahapurush milenge” ad? Every <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pedestrian on Bangalore road is a potential “mahapurush”
with mobile in hand. Unless you’re a humanoid robot with zettabytes of
processing speed, your brain just cannot handle this amount of complexity. That
way, Bangalore roads are future ready for robots!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, we forget all our driving skills and just master the art
of prognostication…. To save our lives! </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4yQMXx4l72BXOVwxKOZXsUbWJW8cvnGrZ4dQaW4Q2DEUuHVjvJRoqCcBh2IOPh4QJ_D8In3wtkEPcSZ2cFuWrw32mO_PSUKDLwcHzN4dMQ2BYtP2lpqC0eA2yTFa7RK0NbLUeMT09iM/s1600/Pedestrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="800" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4yQMXx4l72BXOVwxKOZXsUbWJW8cvnGrZ4dQaW4Q2DEUuHVjvJRoqCcBh2IOPh4QJ_D8In3wtkEPcSZ2cFuWrw32mO_PSUKDLwcHzN4dMQ2BYtP2lpqC0eA2yTFa7RK0NbLUeMT09iM/s640/Pedestrain.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pedestrians of Bangalore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Rules</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“we don’t
drive on the left of the road. We drive on what is left on the road”</i> joke
is feeble now. Gone are those days where roads were used to dry red chilies,
breeding cows and throwing avarekai peel-off on road for a tasty <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hidkid
bele Saaru</i></b>. Now, six lanes, widened roads, underpass, Metro trains, fly-overs
and more importantly BDA’s incredible invention of the century, Magic Box
underpass in almost every corner of Bengaluru is a significant example of
India’s manifold improvements in the infrastructure front. The only thing which
is still awaiting improvement is our motorists’ brain. May be, a holocaust on Bangalore
roads is what we are waiting for. I mean it. Excluding a few occasions where we
consider abrupt right turns are our birth right and turning left is the only
option left, we are following lane discipline. And few surprises by entering
the opposite lane is only to educate and prepare you for the unexpected. And
overtaking from the left is always cool. No hard feelings there brotha! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a serious note, haven’t we pretentiously accepted that it
is OKAY for someone entering from the wrong lane or one way? What on earth is
wrong with us! We make way for wrongdoers and then proceed. Nowhere in the
world is driving in the wrong lane, an acceptable behavior. This happens only
in Bangalore. Argggghhhhhhh!!!!! </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIMSKT16DGGcgRWmbxymE-Ov3MfrZ8-aLTRN-2CETuGzprk2q61ZYxr26Qns43vGsPZ3S1uaNTaQl4rM8jq4yIFxU2u2LB0UxpnaUbtIcJWGVqXEtclwrtMOVqjKtEvqz0acHaA-L_sA/s1600/MAGIC_box_or_Tragic_box_DC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIMSKT16DGGcgRWmbxymE-Ov3MfrZ8-aLTRN-2CETuGzprk2q61ZYxr26Qns43vGsPZ3S1uaNTaQl4rM8jq4yIFxU2u2LB0UxpnaUbtIcJWGVqXEtclwrtMOVqjKtEvqz0acHaA-L_sA/s1600/MAGIC_box_or_Tragic_box_DC.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic Box or Tragic Box - By 10th standard engineers of BDA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Potholes and punishment</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Bangalore is probably the only
city on this planet which does surveys on number of potholes. NUMBER OF
POTHOLES! Yes, you read that right. If you meet with an accident due to
potholes, Bangalore city traffic police will book a case against you for
negligent driving. I am not kidding! (Read it <a href="https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story/pothole-ORR-flyover-Stuti-Pandey-Tripathi-Om-Prakash-Tripathi-BDA-BBMP-Bowring-Hospital-mortuary-Ganesha-Chaturthi/articleshow/49018503.cms?">here</a>).
Irony committed suicide. But according to our cops, if you cannot manage driving/riding
on city’s roads, with potholes as big as manholes, you are an offender. We have
raised the bar to astonishing standards yo! A minister even blocks ambulances
on road for his convoy movement. And what happened to the patient inside? He
got down from the ambulance and walked to the hospital. (Read it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU1Ag3y5GbA">here</a>). Whoa! Bravo. The
patient’s pragmatism level=GOD. Imagine a minister in western countries
blocking ambulance for his convoy movement. He would be sacked the very next
day. On the other side, as usual, namma minister got away with it easily, only
because WE have readily accepted that THIS IS OUR FATE! </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUa5NDL2fROQX4OlkxFUYMNjzGDMLq0qdJp5Y5DJa0a1UxVKcp35VqTtN5t3mcC9VpRL_oGm2l8HfMu5RhT5zc5KoZJEgffdCxHM_7clP4FSHLQ_mMP160mtyj5gtSnQAi8LbZAB_ZSA/s1600/ambulance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="615" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUa5NDL2fROQX4OlkxFUYMNjzGDMLq0qdJp5Y5DJa0a1UxVKcp35VqTtN5t3mcC9VpRL_oGm2l8HfMu5RhT5zc5KoZJEgffdCxHM_7clP4FSHLQ_mMP160mtyj5gtSnQAi8LbZAB_ZSA/s640/ambulance.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Ambulances stuck on both lanes in Bangalore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The darkness of not following rules, traffic exorcism by
cops, the daily bloodshed that BMTC has inherited to its culture is just
growing by the day and we continue to accept the mass traffic violations as a NORM!
It makes me sad that instead of learning from mistakes, we just get disparaged
and learn to live with it. I have lost hopes that government even cares what is
happening to its citizens. If you are waiting for the Government or cops to
create magic, it is practically impossible. From my own experience, often,
there is always that one asshole who did not follow rule, behind a traffic pile-up.
In other cases, hundreds of people are waiting for that one guy to break the
rules so that they can follow without taking the ownership of guilt. The least we
can do is stop being that asshole. And stop your fellow motorists from being
that asshole. Rest all will fall in place. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You change your thoughts and you change your destiny, if not
you continue to get stuck in the same traffic pile up. Until we hesitate to
act, until we start to follow rules, until we do not stand up against the mass
traffic violations, the journey on namma Bengaluru roads is a saga of pain and
frustration; nothing more. And it is here to stay…... Because we are pretentiously "tra-fucked".</div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-62676919776921399792019-01-15T22:57:00.000+05:302019-01-15T22:57:30.882+05:30Why United States of South India (USSI) is a failed ideology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the last few months, many of my friends shared with me,
an <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/united-states-south-india-can-southern-collective-get-us-better-deal-delhi-46501">online
article</a> (and various narrations of it) which demands the creation of a
separate country called United States of South India (USSI). The article has
gained widespread popularity, thanks to its partial data driven facts and baseless
perceptions which will convince any south Indian with limited or no knowledge
about the macro-economics of a country or even the political agenda behind it,
that this is a great idea. Further, I saw that there are twitter handles and Facebook
pages with a large subscriber base supporting this sham. If you look closely, it
wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that this is a funded faction. But what
really surprised me is the fact that people are falling for such fake
ideologies so easily. I was alarmed when the article made it to my family
WhatsApp group and to my surprise, my uncles who served in PSUs for 3 to 4 decades
fell for this. Few even went a step ahead and started sharing their own
perceptions and imaginations of a separate powerful (?) and peaceful South
Indian country. I couldn’t believe that educated masses bought this idea at its
face value. It didn’t surprise me that liberals are capitalizing on such
things. These assumptions and imaginations, can have devastating consequences
on the national Unity and has the potential to even destabilize our economy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is my attempt to debunk this dangerous myth that
“United States of South India” is a great idea. It is just a fabricated
veracity by a certain political wing for personal gains and more importantly, in
real, it will be a recipe for the greatest political disaster of the 21<sup>st</sup>
century. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The
“We-pay-more-tax” belief</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The article spoke at length on how Karnataka, Maharashtra
and TN pay more taxes to the center and how we are not getting the same back.
This is purely misleading people. Firstly, people should understand how the
federal structure works. In real, there is no single country on this planet
where the fiscal burden is evenly distributed. And this theory is totally
flawed because it is dependent on so many factors like geography, terrain,
industries, human resources etc. The fiscal burden can never be equally spread
across the states. And, not just states, it varies widely and largely from city
to city. For example, in Karnataka, Bangalore largely or even in its entirety solely
pay taxes to the center, thanks to its IT and manufacturing boom. But,
Maharashtra, has Mumbai paying a lion’s share of direct taxes, and there are
Pune and other cities too. So, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We pay more tax and hence we have to get
back more from center” </i></b>rhetoric is unimaginably stupid. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other side, it is more to do with rich-poor gap than
states giving taxes and getting benefits in return. Post liberalization era has
only widened this rich-poor gap. The government from 2004-2014 had a great
chance to bridge this gap by being more cautious of its economic policies. But
it neglected this completely and is now busy coaching its xenophobic dimwits to
mislead the aam aadmi of this nation to believe that we pay more taxes but do
not get anything back. In fact, the current government has done remarkable
progress in bridging the rich-poor gap by developing the very neglected regions
of the country so that they depend less on us and eventually sustain on their
own. Instead of whining, please feel happy that you’re helping your brethren on
the other side so that they eventually stop asking us for help. I understand the
frustration that there is no immediate returns! But it does not mean that we
divide the country into two! Feel proud that we are paying more only to make
our country prosper. We are only more powerful as United India. Do not succumb
for mislead propaganda like north and south divide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4hMOTRWm-BpaISpCfCGkKYVW78Oh949H7Jxk83UTyJGFVKxlnYQcyyquOGMnRXzPG7ZUybxMgmCI39_8ohfy9Ym15k_3HiK1z2scbMIrVmKFFoJHsks1MQ5h_Lmi2b4BoK5fVm07faY/s1600/south-india-commons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="760" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4hMOTRWm-BpaISpCfCGkKYVW78Oh949H7Jxk83UTyJGFVKxlnYQcyyquOGMnRXzPG7ZUybxMgmCI39_8ohfy9Ym15k_3HiK1z2scbMIrVmKFFoJHsks1MQ5h_Lmi2b4BoK5fVm07faY/s640/south-india-commons.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Superior Federals</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A good friend from a certain communist state always made fun
of the political and socio-economic problems on the other side of the country stating
that we are superior federals and we use the federal powers to the best of “our
abilities”. His focus was always on “our abilities”. By that, he meant South
Indians, which he was always proud of. When he was once drunk, he said that
there are only five states in India, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh
and North India. My every attempt to make him understand that executive or the
financial powers of the states vary with each other and so the fundamental
rights of its citizens was in vain. When he told me that during the recent
floods in his state, his parents were rescued by army jawans, I asked him “You
superior federals do not even have an army of your own that a Jawan from the
other side had to come to your rescue”? Finally he got the point. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stated this story because there are millions out there with
the “we are superior federals” mindset who consider themselves more powerful
and self-sufficient in every possible way! Imagine the situation where an Army
Jawan says he’ll rescue only people from his state or a surgeon who says he’ll
operate only patients from his region. Forget the citizens with this mind-set,
our very own chief minister asked in a public addressing “Why should I develop
this region. You guys did not vote for my party”. This is the situation in
south.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Imagine the situation of South India, if Vajapayee decided
to build highways only between Delhi-Bombay-Kolkata and called it Golden
Triangle instead of Golden Quadrilateral just because south did not vote for his
party. Pay close attention and you’ll realize that this “Superior Federals”
theory is something that Liberals are trying to infest with different
narratives in innocent minds. Do not fall for it. Love for your state/region/province is very good. But it
never should be above your love for the nation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>A new country is
no joke</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Have you ever wondered how much
did it cost the exchequer when Andhra Pradesh was divided? Just a new
secretariat building in Telangana for the government offices to function cost 1200
crores INR. The new capital of Andhra Pradesh is planning to incur a Capex of
51,000 crore INR of which 14,000 crores will be spent on just construction of
roads. Extending the existing railway lines of Amaravati by a little more than
100 km is estimated at 10,000 crores. I want you to understand, my dear friend,
that the major chunk of this is all your money. If this is the scene of a new state,
imagine the cost of building a new country. Carving out a new country is not
just about building infrastructure. A new form of government, new executive and
judiciary, new laws, intelligence and trade establishments intellect
bureaucrats to run governing bodies; all these do not happen on their own. By
the time your dream country USSI (United States of South India) come to a stable
position that you are expecting, you would probably cease to dream. So, stop daydreaming
about USSI. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Being a true Indian national,
your political inclinations and love for your province should only help it develop
and prosper. Such disguised assiduous ideologies are not only treacherous in
nature, they are gibberish and lead you to believe in claptrap doctrines. Put
your analytical thinking hats on and nip the partisanship in its bud! Diversity
is our biggest strength. Don’t let it turn into a weakness, because there is
always someone who is waiting to capitalize on it.</div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-89394197129051895082018-05-05T22:32:00.000+05:302018-05-05T22:33:55.208+05:30The Wall - part-2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://tejaswiblog.blogspot.in/2018/04/the-wall-short-story.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Please click here to read Chapter-1</span></a><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US"></span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US">Chapter-2</span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ajay could not believe what he had just
witnessed. He took a step back and gestured Sanjana to come silently and see the
horror for herself. They stood at the entrance of the backyard and just stared
at each other in shock. Facing the wall, Mrs. Rajeshwari continued the
conversation…..with imaginary Sundara Bai. Not just her voice, as Mrs.
Rajeshwari switched characters, there were significant changes in her voice
modulation, body language and her actions! Ajay had never seen such remarkable
biological differences emerging out of the same body. Sanjana was shuddered! All
these days, Sundara Bai was just a fictional character. And they did not get
the slightest hint of this horror for two long months! They were dumbfounded of
what had become of Mrs. Rajeshwari. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It took a week for the psychiatrist to
understand what had happened to Mrs. Rajeshwari. After knowing her early days
at Bombay, assessing her medical history, her daily activities and with inputs
from Ajay, psychiatrist concluded the case. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Dissociative
identity disorder.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Psychiatrist explained his mother’s
case to Ajay. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“DID
or multiple personality disorder is a mental disorder characterized by at least
two distinct state of being in same person. Presentations, however, are very
much variable between the characters.”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“But
doctor, how could my mother….”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“There
are lot of reasons why this can happen to a person. I believe, in your mother’s
case, it is depression. Prolonged suppression of her feelings from a very young
age had already disturbed her mind to a very large extent. And the loneliness
that she experienced here worked as a catalyst. A tiny spark by Shanta Bai,
your maid, is all it took for her to create Sundara Bai in her mind and
eventually manifest out of her own body.” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Doctor, Can she come out of this?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The doctor tried to be as assertive as
possible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“If
the mind can do this to your own body, it also suggests that there is
positively the same potential for healing… Because they are exhibited out of
the same mind”.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Please
tell me that my mom will get back to normal”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Well, most people do. But the timeframe
cannot be ascertained specifically. Few get well within months and a few others
take years! For the treatment, we’ll put her through a couple of therapies -
psychotherapy will improve her mental well-being. Dialectical behavior therapy
(DBT) which will help her combat the triggers that lead to the manifestation of
Sundara Bai. And with a few medications, of course. But most importantly, the
supportive care from you is very vital for her wellbeing”.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the therapy room, where Mrs. Rajeshwari
opened up slowly about her loneliness, how it affected her and how she buried
her feelings deep inside her so that her son is not distressed, Ajay was
standing outside, haplessly listening to the words of love his mother was
showering on him even from her subconscious mind. Sanjana’s silence was a
reflection of her regretful acknowledgement of what she did or did not do. When
his mother talked about her suicidal ideations, he broke down. That was the
moment of realization for him; that moment of epiphany which led him to get to
the right perspective of what his mother actually longed for. At that very
moment, he decided to do all he can to get his mother back to her usual self.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Over a period of time, the therapy sessions
started showing results. The medication helped her increase the uptake of
serotonin in the brain. She got back to her senses slowly. She started
listening to her favorite bhajans. Her medication course was finally over and
her circadian clock started functioning at normal schedule. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a profusion of time and effort for
Mrs. Rajeshwari to come out of it. Sanjana resigned her high paying job and
diverted her entire energy and attention for mother-in-law’s well-being. Ajay
was equally getting involved in his mother’s well-being.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After a long time, a terrible constraint
seemed to settle down. </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Without
quite knowing what had happened, Mrs. Rajeshwari came back to life. Everything
had changed. Yet nothing seemed so apparent except the wall at the backyard.
Ajay knew that the wall would haunt him for the rest of his life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IN;">Epilogue </span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Two
years later….</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The monsoon had just stopped with a mix of burst
and lull. It was a very pleasant evening and the verandah was flocked with school
kids taking mathematics tuitions from Mrs. Rajeshwari. The cool breeze that
blew brought in a wave of freshness and filled the entire verandah. Along with
the wind, a book glided smoothly and halted in front of the century teacher with
its pages open. She picked it up, glanced through the content and saw the name
on the book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Tarun,
come here. You have done this math all wrong”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Yes
maam”</span></i></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm;">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“If Sundarabai had ten mangoes with her and she gave
two to her neighbor, how many are left with her?” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">The insidious disease which slowly poisoned
Mrs. Rajeshwari’s life was insanity – Whether it was the insanity of her own
delusion or the insanity of snobbery by Ajay and Sanjana is debatable. Neither
Ajay’s wild consumerism nor Sanjana’s subjugation helped Mrs. Rajeshwari.
Unfortunately, this abandonment of the parents at their declining years has
become a savage indictment of almost every modern household of contemporary
India. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">Whether it is unreasonable for parents to
expect care and compassion in their twilight years or parenthood ought not to
be regarded as a liability that children have to repay – Is for us to decide</span></span></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-67017768613401487532018-04-30T23:11:00.000+05:302018-04-30T23:12:12.604+05:30The wall - A short story <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US">Prologue:</span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“It
is very difficult for me to be alone for an entire day. Let me at least teach
mathematics to children in the evenings. This severe headache is because I am
giving absolutely no work to my brain</span></i><span lang="EN-US">” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Mrs. Rajeshwari spoke in almost muted voice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mom,
it is all in your mind. Just get out of the mindset that you are alone. Trust
me, your headache will vanish. There are thousands of mothers who are alone and
they do not complain. I am meddled with my own problems in and outside of this
house. Do you want me to quit job and be with you just because you feel lonely?
You are alone for a couple of hours for a day. But you are not outcast or
abandoned…. Are you? After all, what have we not done to you? There are
hundreds of those Bhajan CDs that you like. There is TV. You have newspaper,
novels and what not. I dunno what is stopping you from exploring all these</i>”
bellowed Ajay, who was in a hurry. As he picked up his laptop bag and was about
to leave, he felt that the holler was unnecessary. He felt pity and tried to
console his mother.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“Maa… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sanjana
has already cooked breakfast and lunch. Eat on time, take your tablets without
fail and take a power nap. Watch TV for some time. She will be back by 5PM. You’ll
be alright mom. Don’t think too much</i>” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">He kissed his mother good bye, got up and walked out of the house. Sanjana was
already waiting near the car. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“What
is it”? </span></i><span lang="EN-US">She admonished</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Arghhh!
The same old make-believe solitary confinement of mother”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sanjana gave an unpleasantly prominent
look. Ajay tried to ignore and a few seconds later the car zoomed out of the
gate and the couple left for their daily chores….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US">Chapter-1</span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For Mrs. Rajeshwari, life had turned
one-eighty after her retirement. Her husband’s early demise had forced her to
take the lead at a young age. On one hand, after decades of serving as a high
school teacher, shaping other kids’ lives, taking responsibilities and driving
her own family, she was expecting a sense of relief that she will get to live
the life that she wants to. On the other hand, her own son and daughter in law were
not realizing that she had just retired from work, not from life. They made it
implicit that she had struggled all these years and now that she has retired,
all she needs is rest. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that they were
apathetic. They took her for periodic medical check-ups, never forgot her
birthday, facilitated her pension and gave it to her without fail. She had the
luxury of TV, internet and so on. Sanjana took care of all the cooking at home.
Shanta Bai visited every day to clean and do the dishes. But involuntarily,
they were not receptive to her genuine feelings! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So even beyond all these comforts, there was a
sense of privation which always bothered Mrs. Rajeshwari – Loneliness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Back in Mumbai, where she had spent the
major part of her life, she had so many friends. After her husband’s early
demise, she had moved to a house in Bandra west. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">R N Podar school</i> where she was a teacher, was just 10 minute walk
from her house. In the evenings, the verandah of her house was packed with kids.
She was a brilliant mathematics tutor. She had that zeal to teach mathematics
to kids in simple methods. Students she tutored consistently scored high marks
in mathematics. Among the kids who secured a hundred on hundred in mathematics
in Maharashtra board exams, majority were Mrs. Rajeshwari’s students. Vernacular
newspapers called her <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">century teacher</i>.
At the prime of her life, she was energetic, lively and led a meaningful life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sanjana, a bank manager now, was once her
student. By virtue of her profession, there were frequent transfers. And this
time, she was transferred to Nashik. So Ajay had to resign his IT job in Mumbai
and had joined the only software company in Nashik amidst the wine and other
small scale industries. Without an option, Mrs. Rajeshwari too unwillingly had
to relocate to Nashik. That is where her age of loneliness crept in.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For years, the fast paced life of Mumbai
had pushed Mrs. Rajeshwari to limits. The city offered a frenzied spiral of dreams;
it had given a new life to her; it had given her success and fame. Her
burgeoning dreams were synonymous with the city’s haste itself. But Nashik was
totally conflicting with what she had experienced in Mumbai for 30+ years. For
unexplained reasons, she just could not embrace living in Nashik; not because
of its tempered lifestyle, but because she started to experience a sense of
solitude. Within months after her arrival in Nashik, she had developed the
perception of being alone and isolated. With nobody to even talk to, locked in
between the four walls was something that had disturbed her to a very large
extent. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The doorbell rang and she was sure that it
is Shanta Bai.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Come
in Shanta Bai… At least you are there to talk to me. Why are you so late today?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Arrey
Maaji, in the next road, just behind your house, there is a lady; just like you
Maaji. Husband died, Son and daughter in America. She had arthritis. So they
operated and they put some metal knee for her Maaji. Some modern operation
which cost her lakhs of rupees. But the surgery was not successful only. Her knee
pain increased after operation. Now she cannot even walk outside."</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">Paap
teni! She was talking to me about her pain and loneliness Maaji. That’s why I
got late”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Instantly, there was a ray of hope, a sort
of glimmer in Mrs. Rajeshwari’s face. She imagined the neighborhood lady's and
her own life to be like two peas in a pod. She thought that if she can befriend the
lady that Shanta Bai is talking about, it’ll definitely help both kill their boredom.
She thanked Shanta Bai that the almighty himself has sent this opportunity and
asked for more details.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“What
is her name?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Sundara
Bai”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Where
exactly is her house?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Very
Next Street. Exactly behind your house maaji. If you go to your balcony and she
comes to hers, you both can actually talk to each other. Ha ha ha”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This idea appealed to Mrs. Rajeshwari. She
gave this a lot of thought overnight and decided that she herself should strike
a conversation after Sanjana and Ajay left for office. Even the thought of
getting to talk to someone sparked a sense of excitement in her. She could not
sleep the whole night. The next day morning, as usual, Sanjana and Ajay left for
office. Shanta Bai came and finished her chores and left for the day. Mrs.
Rajeshwari came to her balcony and stood there, facing the seven feet wall. She
waited until she heard a feeble noise. She spoke in a loud voice:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Hello,
Sundara bai… I am Rajeshwari. Your neighbor”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Hello.
Are you talking to me? How do you know my name?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A 30 second pause. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">*What if Sundara Bai gets back inside and fails to hear what I am
saying. Oh no! This should not happen*</i> Mrs. Rajeshwari raised her voice as
much as she could.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Shanta
Bai told me about you. I am alone at home. Are you alone too?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hmmm. In today’s world, only people who are
aged like me and you will sit at home”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Both of them laughed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Did
you have your lunch, Sundara Bai?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Hmmm.
In the beginning, I used to eat whenever I was hungry. Nowadays, I am eating to
just keep myself alive. Doctor has told me that eating on time will help you
get good sleep. So I forcefully eat something”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Yeah.
Same here. Eating just to be alive”. How many of you stay here”?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And so started their friendship. Over a
period of time, they became very good friends. They enjoyed their varied
conversations. They spoke at length about their families, their childhood and
their college days, their post marriage tantrums, about their responsibilities
as parents and how their kids had gotten busy in their own lives abandoning
them. Their mutual conversation eased their pain and touched their mental
wounds with a warm and tender acquaintance. For them, it was not just exchange
of words. It was an everyday colloquium. At times, they forgot the seven feet
wall between them and the tête-à-tête continued for hours together. This
everyday conversation was the medicine that kept Mrs. Rajeshwari and Sundarabai
alive and away from their otherwise secluded lives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A couple of months passed by. Ajay and
Sanjana did take notice that the mother had almost stopped whining. Mrs.
Rajeshwari informed Ajay and Sanjana of her shenanigans with Sundarabai at the
backyard. Ajay thanked god that the rewarding effects of this talk became a
compelling incentive for his mom to stop being lonely. He told his mother that
she can talk to her neighbor at her will and that he or Sanjana would never
object it. He also promised to check if he can do something to the wall so that
they can have direct face to face conversations. Over months, it improved the psychological
and social functioning of his mother on its own. In other words, it was a
natural recovery for Mrs. Rajeshwari from the solitude.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was Mrs. Rajeshwari’s birthday. Like
every year, they decided to make her birthday, a special day for her. Ajay and
Sanjana thought of surprising mother by coming home early, celebrating her
birthday and taking her out for dinner. They left their offices early, purchased
cake, sweets and savories from the famous store and reached home. As always,
Ajay opened the doors with his keys. As he entered, he heard Mrs. Rajeshwari’s
feeble voice busy in a conversation. He suddenly realized it could be Sundarabai,
love thy neighbor, who was a blessing in disguise. A thought spontaneously came
to his mind; Inviting Sundarabai home on mother’s birthday would make both really
happy and that it would also put an end to their month long acquaintance. He
thought this is also the best opportunity to thank Sundara Bai.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As he moved towards the backyard with his
mind reasoning on how to strike a conversation with SundaraBai, he noticed
something very unusual. That strange, bizarre and a totally unexpected scene
freaked him out. He halted abruptly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“I
tell you Sundarabai, you should really visit my Bombay once…”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“I
like the way you say ‘My Bombay’. Rajeshwari, you miss Bombay very much.
Don’t you?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Yes.
Every day! I wish you could walk. I would have asked Ajay to take both of us to
Bombay one day”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A chill ran down Ajay’s spine. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Facing the seven feet wall, </span>Mrs.
Rajeshwari, herself was doing the two sided conversation. There was no Sundarabai in real. Sundarabai was a character created by Mrs. Rajeshwari in her mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">… To be continued</span></i></b></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-72217757400049788462017-09-10T21:07:00.000+05:302017-09-10T21:07:56.264+05:30Love, life and other impediments - Part-2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://tejaswiblog.blogspot.in/2017/09/love-life-and-other-impediments-short.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Please click here to read part-1</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I could not fathom why a police officer would call me on my
mobile phone. <i>If it was any official
matter, my legal advisor would inform me of the forthcomings. Why would the
police have to chase me; that too with an arrest warrant?</i> I sensed
something was fishy. But I could not understand what it was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Officer, My name is Samarth Irrinjalakuda, I am the…..” <i>Oh Forget it</i>. “I don’t understand all
this. What have I done to get arrested?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">An accompanying constable spoke “Saar, you don’t see TV ah? Your
girlfriend is there no. She has made all your personal life public saar. Better
means you only…” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hmmmm…” The police officer gave the constable a blatant
look. The constable, with an implicit gaze, stopped talking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Officer, can you please tell me what is happening?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Mr. Samarth, your girlfriend has taken your extra marital
affair to media; the taped call recordings and dirty talk, pillow talk or
whatever you call it; your sexist conversations, everything is being aired on
Times Today news channel since noon. She has also produced before the media, recordings
of your anti-feminist views on sex, your cynical views on women centric society,
etc. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">WHAT?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Are you really surprised, Mr Samarth? With my experience in
cybercrime and CID, I could confidently say that those recordings were not forged.
It was not you. Really? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Silence<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Mr. Samarth?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Silence<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Constable spoke again in a varied tone “Hehehehe.. Saar… in
his silence wonly answer is there no saar” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was totally flabbergasted and couldn’t utter a word. After
a long pause, the police officer spoke again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Mr. Samarth, there is lot of furor out there. The women welfare
associations have gathered demanding your arrest. It is quite a commotion in front
of the police station. Since evening, all major national media is reporting your
story. Social Media is abuzz with posts against you. The hashtag #HangSamarth is
still trending on twitter. There is widespread protest in the national capital too.
We have orders from the CMO to nab you. Women and child development minister
Monica Gandhi has ordered an inquiry”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">His words terrified me. With a fretting temperament, I
opened twitter app on my mobile phone. He was true. I had 6730 notifications
and my handle had 4500+ mentions. I did not dare click on the hashtag. Fear
crept inside me like the ghost patterns did to a horror movie watcher. For a
moment, I thought of the consequences and I was hounded by the fear. I had no
idea what to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Police officer continued. “As your well-wisher, I can give
you a serious advice. Avoid media confrontations completely as much as possible.
Talk to your legal advisor immediately and try for an out of court settlement
with your girlfriend. If you go to court, media will create sensational news out
of nothing, your family will be dragged into this unnecessarily, your wife will
come into scene and then it leads to alimony and what not. These will rip you
apart Mr. Samarth. I hope you know what happened to film star Rithvick Rohan in
Konkona Rounit’s case”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Oblivious to Tania taking it to television and the chaos
that ensued, I tried to connect the dots. But everything seemed like against
the odds. I could think of just two things. Was there someone else who was
playing the cards from behind? I had no idea. Were Tania and my wife both
involved in this? That seemed very unlikely. <i>Probably Anita could be as clueless as I am right now</i>. Suddenly
something inside my mind was wide awake. It didn’t take a genius inside me to
guess that. Now it was all in place. <i>Oh
dear lord!</i> I just couldn’t fathom what mess I was into. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A.N.I.T.A. is T.A.N.I.A. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I recalled all the conversations with Tania. Salman Rushdie,
euthanasia, medieval economy, matriarchy – all were topics of my interest! It
was a perfectly planned decoy! Anita had executed the plan so flawlessly that I
was just wheedling the response tailored to her trap. And I couldn’t realize a
wee bit. A chill ran down my spine. As the halogens of the Police patrol shot
two separate beams into the road’s slowly settling dust, I was confounded with
what had just happened in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When I first met Anita at MIT sailing pavilion, we both were
students. I was at the Sloan School of management and she was pursuing her
masters at MIT School of engineering. She was an impeccably beautiful girl with
a brilliant academic record. After her bachelors from NIT Kurukshetra, she was pursuing
her Masters in Structural Engineering, a domain which itself had inclined
towards male dominion. She was the perfect concoction of beauty and brains I
had ever seen so far, in a girl. I had fallen in love with her instantaneously
at our very first meet. After my convocation, I had proposed her and she had
accepted it. As soon as we both came to India, we spoke to our parents and they
overwhelmingly accepted our love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Just like me, even she wanted to rise and shine in her
domain. Back in India, her project on constructing energy efficient buildings
was critically acclaimed. Her design had won ASEAN center of energy green
building award for 2016. A white paper <i>“Structures
with seismic viscoelastic dampers and energy dissipation devices”</i> published
by her had given her international recognition. Many state governments invited
her to be the designer of their new construction projects. Her rising fame was
recognized by the United Nations and she got a call by the UN Secretary
General to serve on the United Nations’ High Level Advisory Group on
Sustainable structures (HLAG-SS). For this, she had to be in Belgrade, Serbia for
a period of three years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Anita’s rising career aspiration was countered by my ego and
my parents’ social norms. My parents wanted a bahu just to keep the family
bloodline from extinction. Nothing more. But Anita always argued that India had
the most overeducated wives in India and that if something that had to be
changed, it was my parents’ attitude. My parents always saw her as a girl from
middle-class family who did not understand the north Indian family dynamics. To
be frank, I too was intimidated about her success. I could not get accustomed to
the fact that she was professionally more successful than me. This always
enraged Anita. She wanted to go to Serbia. But my father believed that
daughter-in-law staying away from home for three years was a sort of
premonition. And my mother always blamed her for breach of harmony at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The existence of this patriarchy in my family was something
I had hidden from her even after marriage and this enraged her. She often felt
cheated. Owing to patriarchal stress, even though I wanted to help her, I did
not. Succumbing to family pressure, I could not keep even a single of the
armada of promises I had made her. Whenever this came up to be discussed, I was
totally taking my parents’ side and worse, I was always going against her. I
tried to convince her; but she refused and was hell bent on going to Serbia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">My father and I discussed a wicked idea of forcefully
putting my child in her womb, so that she is left with no options but to stay
back. What followed it was obvious. A few months later, she told me that she
was gestating. I was so meddled with the plan’s success, that I did not even
make an attempt to congratulate her or even feel great about the news. Now, for
all three of us, she was just a medium of fulfillment. More than the happy news,
we celebrated that we overthrew her; we partied that her professional career
was coming to an end. We rejoiced at her helplessness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">By the time the baby was born, her professional career was totally
doomed. She came back to my home, only to be ill-treated by me and my parents. Doctors
termed it as postnatal depression and told her it was very common after
delivery. The more she resisted, the more she was tormented by us. She couldn’t
manage without popping 2 anti-depressant pills a day. I made sure that media
did an extensive coverage of what had happened to the most famous structural
engineer this country had ever seen. Although, no one got close to the reality,
every media house ran its own version of her doomed career. Anita’s condition
had disrupted her family’s reputation too. Her sabotaged career aspirations were
quoted as examples in the TED talks on Women’s career. For outside world, she
suffered from postnatal depression of level 3 severity. But in actual, it was
something else; something very different and something more intense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As the jeep entered police station with the siren ON, hundreds
of activists pounced on the jeep, screaming and raising slogans against me. One
woman I caught my eyes with, took a rotten tomato and threw at my face. From
being a lover, being heartbroken to being a felon, I was in a varied mood
within last 8 hours. As the police officer escorted me inside, I was falling
deep down, preparing myself for the long wait. I wiped off the rotten tomatoes
along with the anticipation from my face. I knew my life had slipped very deep
to insurmountable levels of despair. I knew my life will never be the same
again! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was charged for sedition, hatred speech and acts intended
to outrage the feelings of women. The case was running in court. The same media
houses which I had asked to cover Anita’s story, covered my case with specifics
of every hearing in detail. One day, out of the blues, Tania had absconded and
the hence case was dropped. But the damage had already been done. I could not
think of undoing it even in my wildest dreams. The same media which had assisted
me to put an end to Anita’s career had branded me the ‘Bad man of the Corporate
World’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Outside the court, the police escorted me to the jeep. I had
clear instructions by the police to avoid media. I saw Anita at the far end of
the court’s corridor handing over something to another person. As the jeep
turned right and approached the corridor, I caught a glimpse of the other person.
My eyes instantly recognized her. She was the same woman at the police station,
who threw rotten tomatoes at me! As the jeep increased its turbulence and vanished
into the traffic, I saw the woman doing a Namaste, with Anita clasping a 2000
Rs note in between her palms. Standing next to the woman, smirking, was my car driver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Epilogue:</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">True realization of self in a man’s life arises when he
encounters something in his life that staggers him into the need for
self-examination and self-explanation. In the conference hall, I was sitting alone,
at the far end of the corner, in the last row, which was away from the entrance.
On the podium, one of the board of director was reading from the script: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“On behalf of the
board of directors of Accel Ventures Inc., I take immense pleasure in
announcing that Mrs. Anita Irrinjalakuda, will take over the responsibility of
Chairman and Managing director of Accel ventures. The members, the statutory
auditors and the shareholders of this fifteen million dollar enterprise have
unanimously……”</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As she entered the stage with her daughter, she threw an
askew glance at me with a malicious grin. She had given me a taste of my own
medicine, with a dose I would remember for the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br /></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-10080943507921156442017-09-03T20:28:00.000+05:302017-09-03T20:31:43.896+05:30Love, life and other impediments - A short story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">Prologue:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">“A very lovely welcome
to you on our prime dating call services.
Are you trying to find love? Your search for respite ends here. Share
everything on your mind, at the comfort of your mobile phone, sitting right
there. Our services are available 24/7. Call charges at Rs 7 per minute.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">To continue in
English, Press 1<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">If you are looking for
a female soul mate, Press 1<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">If you are an unmarried
Male, press 1<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">If you are aged
between 25 and 30, press 1 <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">If your height is
above 5 feet, press 1<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">If you have a fair
complexion, press 1. If you have a dark complexion, press 2<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*beep*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">“Thank you for your
inputs. Please hold the line. We will now connect you with the love of your life.
She will be online with you shortly.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A sweet girl’s voice replied: "Hello Sid. My name is Tania"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hello there” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Heyyy Hiii… How are you doing today?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“I’m good. Thanks.. Ummmm. Ummmmmm - How old are you?"
I blurted out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">Never ask a man his salary and a woman her age."
*congenial giggles from both ends*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to...Ummmm..." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">It is okay Sid. Let us just say, I will be sixty five
in 2050."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I quickly did the math.
Impressive!</i> Hey listen.. your.. your voice is very sweet”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Huh? I take that as a compliment”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“So errr… errr.. are you single”? *congenial giggles from
both ends*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">I… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">****Honk Honk Honk.
Honk****</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Arghhh! The cry of goose from a truck behind my Audi Q7
brought me back to my senses. My driver gave me that “not my fault” looks. Damn!
I said a quick goodbye to her and unwillingly pressed the RED button on the MMI High 3G rear seat entertainment
display. When the 7 inch TFT displayed the call duration of 31.44 minutes, I
was surprised that we spoke for more than half an hour on the very first call. It
felt like it was just 5 minutes ago that I had handed over my phone to my
driver and had asked him to connect Bluetooth and route it only to the rear
cabin infotainment system. I was all shaky and nervous for the first time. I
spoke in a brattish way that the girl on phone would have thought of me as a
contraband thug. But I loved it. The conversation was refreshing. My mood was
bear aloft. The evening seemed truly pleasant after a long time. I cherished
how technology has become omnipresent with the modern society. The
proliferation of the internet, the cell phones and their subsequent integration
into everyday commerce and more importantly, our personal lives amazed me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">My presence in the 21<sup>st</sup> century, the last decade
in particular, an era that has perfected the art of annihilation in every walk
of life, is weirdly impressive. Perhaps the experiences of my life so far as an
entrepreneur, my connections and involvements with start-ups and their success
stories, have given me a tremendous amount of real-world success and fame. Today
I am one of the most buoyant venture capitalists of south Asia. Majority of my
ventures have made it big with a unique product or service with a very strong
competitive advantage. Few of them have made it to the S&P 500 list and a
few others are merged and acquired by Fortune 500 companies. I am the founder
of one of the top venture capital firms of India. I take pride in saying that I
have built Accel ventures from nothing to a multi-million empire of start-up
incubators. To put things short, today I have an important role in creating new
businesses that is capable of fueling the progress of our country and the
world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">You may imagine Entrepreneurs to be highly intellectual and resilient
people who pounce on problems, determined to find solution. But it is only
partially true. In reality, you have to give up a lot of things to get there. My
B-school taught me only one thing; that you cannot expect full time results
with part time effort. In fact, none of the b-schools enlighten you with old
school philosophies like “Work to Live. Don’t live to work”. Consequently, in
the quest of my professional success, I joined hands with more and more business
partners, but could not find time for my own life partner. I concentrated on
husbanding more resources into my ventures, but neglected being husband of a
beautiful wife. My relationship was Hit-and-run by my professional self-esteem
and ego. Obviously, the consequences were huge! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Coming back to my professional life, after the huge success
of Tinder in India, the current venture that I had taken up was funding of an online
dating call service, in association with mobile service providers like Airfone
and Vodatel, the first of its kind attempted in India. And as a VC for this
project, I myself was trying to validate the business operations only to see
how this can be invalidated by the users. So I registered myself with an alias only
with the intention of exploring business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">After completing all my evening calls and meetings, I went
down to my cabin, took out a new bottle of Green Killer IPA, a Belgian Beer, which
a dear friend and CEO of a renowned software company had given me. I took a sip
and checked my mobile phone for any messages. To my surprise, there were 3
missed calls on my personal number. Very few close friends and business
partners had my personal number. I dialed back. And a vaguely familiar sweet
voice answered <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hello Sid”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It didn’t take me long to realize that it was the same lady
from the dating services I had spoken to, earlier today. I cursed myself for
dialing from my personal number. Damn these dual sim phones!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Good time to talk?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Umm. Yeah. Of course! I was.. umm. Just watching TV. What
are you up to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">I was reading"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">Pretty good! Reading what?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“</span><span style="font-size: large;">I have '<i>Shalimar – The Clown</i>' in my hand"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Heyyy, *excited* By any chance, are you a Rushdie aficionado?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Yes! But what do you mean <i>“by any chance”</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Actually, isn’t it very rare that you come across a Rushdie
fanatic?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">*I told myself that last
time I heard someone saying I am a Rushdie follower was my wife*<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“You know what. Me too! Totally” I am a huge fan of his
narration. In fact, I’ve read all of his books, some even more than once! Now I
am reading Padma Lakshmi’s autobiography “Love, Loss and what we ate” just to
understand why he is such an ass in real life.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Ha ha ha ha! If Padma Lakshmi is to be believed, he is
indeed a maniacal ass” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">"You’ve read that too? Impressive!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“What do you do for a living?”<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“I am… ummm.. a businessman”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“That is cool!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“And you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“I am a school teacher”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Ah! The noble professional”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Not really a passionate teacher. I do it to keep myself
occupied. It is so hard to sit back and do nothing” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“True. Everything passes, but nothing entirely goes away.
Isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*Long silence*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>*In unison* “</b>Soooo”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>*In unison*</b> “Hahahhaahah”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>*In unison* “</b>You
go first”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Pretty woman first…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When I woke up at 8 in the morning, I realized that I had
slept on the couch itself. My neck was aching as if it was tightly tied to a
yoke for an entire day. I checked my mobile only to realize that I was talking
to her until 2:30AM in the midnight. After quickly fortifying myself with a
bowl of Cornflakes with milk and a hot shower, I got dressed and left for work.
All the way through the drive, I could not stop thinking about my conversation
with her. En route to office, I gave my phone to my driver and just nodded. He
gave an indicative agreement that he knows what to do. I dialed her number
again:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hello. Good Morning teacher”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hey Sid. Very good morning to you”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Is the teacher busy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Absolutely not! Today is a holiday”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Oh wow! What on earth for”?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Valmeeki Jayanti”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">*frowning* <i>Bloody
hell.</i> “I wish I was in your school too”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Businessmen are usually bad teachers”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“You think so?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Yeah! Why do you ask?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“I remember once my professor telling me that I would be the
worst businessman ever…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Ha ha ha ha. So you proved him wrong?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We spoke until I reached office. I said bye to her and she
wished me a good day. Within days, these phone calls became a routine. I was
constantly telling myself that I want to make it absolutely clear we are
nothing more than acquaintance. But at once, there was a huge undercurrent of
feelings arising inside me for her. I was trying to figure out what it really
was! The more we spoke; more often I
wanted to talk to her. She was different. With every subject we discussed, I
felt there was an instant connection in the way we spoke. There was something
about her that impressed me. I felt it was since long time I was asking myself
“what are you searching for” and that all seeking had stopped and I was
suddenly become aware of the fact that I have found the right answer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">In between our professional errands, our virtual encounters on
WhatsApp and phone calls continued. Day by day we dropped all our defenses and
got very close. We spoke for hours together on topics like euthanasia, medieval
economy, sex, Gynocentrism etc. At times, she would give me suggestions and sometimes
I was concerned about her wrongdoings. On certain topics, we debated so much
until we got bored of the topic. There was a sense of caring and compassion in
our talks; I could feel it. It was like we both enjoyed with pleasure, the slow,
hand in hand revelation of both of our lives, to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As days passed by, the bonding grew even stronger. By now, we
both were well aware of our personal stances. One fine day, we decided to end
this virtual intimacy and get real. We both were skeptical that our virtual identities
were not bona fide and we had discussed this long over. We both promised to
each other that when we meet, we’ll reveal our true identities. I invited her to
meet up at an informal venue on a pleasant evening and she agreed. I had
started talking to her only to explore the business behind the on-call dating
services. But this had gone absolutely beyond that. And here I was, exposing my
deepest feelings to a woman who I have just started speaking to, a few weeks
ago. I had read somewhere that only with love, one’s inner conscious will be
eager to accept the peril that lies in front of him. This was my worst fear. I
was hit by both apprehension and excitement, a pleasantly baffling experience,
which I could not express to anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I was happy that my personal life was getting a second
chance and I considered myself very fortunate. On that day, I wore my favorite
charcoal gray suit. <i>It is a date. I am
not going to discuss business.</i> And the summers were really unbearable of
late, thanks to El-Nino. I was sweating even inside my room with air condition
running. I changed to a casual wear. It looked simple and courteous. I took out
Annick
Goutal’s Eau d’Hadrien perfume and dabbed it several times onto my chest
and the base of my throat. Then I confirmed that it was not dousing and felt everything
was perfect. I picked a random watch from my watch cabinet and wore the Casio
Pro Trek PRG600 watch, which was gifted by a friend. I stood in front of mirror,
changed orientation and I convinced myself that I looked elegant. I decided to drive myself and had already asked
the driver to take half a day off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">I couldn’t decide if I wanted to pick a nice gift to her on
the way. But in real, I never believed in gifts. I always saw them as a sort of
social construct. So I decided against it. I was the first to arrive at the
venue. I sat on the table that I had reserved for us. I could not wait to see
her and talk to her. A strangely complex apprehension occupied me. A few
minutes later I called her. <i>The
subscriber you are trying to reach is currently not reachable –</i> I waited
for 30 more minutes. She did not turn up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">When she did not turn up even after an hour, I got restless
and tried calling her at repeated intervals. But I got the same message. A couple of hours passed but she did not turn
up. I was deeply disappointed. It was hard to accept that she did not show up. I
picked up the newspaper that was nearby and started glancing through it.
According to some astroswamy’s column, it was an ill-fated day for me today. I
turned to the next page. The quote of the day said that when someone
disappoints you, there is nothing that can be done but to accept it. *Fuck* It certainly
was not helping. I kept it aside. Inside, I was deeply in despair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">With an unwilling mindset, I got up and decided to leave. As
I entered the restaurant’s corridor to enter the parking lot, my phone rang.
Without even seeing who the caller was, I answered the call and uttered “Tania,
where are you. I’ve been waiting for you since 2 hours… I was…” and a callous
voice from the other end cut me through; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“Hello! Sub Inspector Surya Narayan speaking”. Before he
could finish saying that, he appeared on the other end of the corridor, facing
me, with his phone still clung to his ears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“You are under arrest”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">To be continued….</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-46675976870586840782017-01-23T21:29:00.000+05:302017-01-23T21:44:37.494+05:30Nuances from my family WhatsApp group<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
WhatsApp for sure has taken the tech world by storm and has
given its users, true power at fingertips. But one thing that the founders did
not foresee was the pain and agony that thirty something tech savvy men like me
have to go through being part of Indian family WhatsApp groups. Thanks to my
aunties and uncles in the group who have just retired and have decided to spend
the rest of their lives spreading (spamming) the gyan which they think has the potential
to change the world… or our family, at the least. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmPMKtVlChWIGm0Skwem5nr-JcY7ZFV-AcJjDq4jGywjMLjeoPiz17UofdG5C9aOiGZTnFCqRgf4IfFEqf5m2B0aJNsIlHbm1Z9Fg5bHX7VRQJDclAxFGBNXsZCCtirjA7asGMR0CAKU/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNmPMKtVlChWIGm0Skwem5nr-JcY7ZFV-AcJjDq4jGywjMLjeoPiz17UofdG5C9aOiGZTnFCqRgf4IfFEqf5m2B0aJNsIlHbm1Z9Fg5bHX7VRQJDclAxFGBNXsZCCtirjA7asGMR0CAKU/s640/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can understand their excitement. For people like my uncle
who come from the era of post cards, in-land letters and telegrams, the idea of
instant messaging itself is a fascinating thing. And even I, a couple of decades
ago, have seen a single landline telephone at home being used by the entire
neighborhood for emergency purposes. So even after years of using WhatsApp,
this “instant messaging” thing has never ceased to excite our senior folks in
the family. At times it is good. Those photo quizzes, sharing a few lighter
moments, celebrations and wishes are all feel good factors. But there is also
another side to it which is very much annoying and frustrating at times!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREW5YuCN71kp6rr3OljWnx5PyH7aPLUocMrW7s6nI3AVEYpQ2ZeM0laDOPT5mTeUGHrgUjTAFqDHqccX28VmQ_mk6fKdYaiLotIMKn0nrO4xPqkklzdVW1gXnF_snsrvdN69vLeBgKMY/s1600/WhatsApp-Group-Names-for-Crazy-Family-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREW5YuCN71kp6rr3OljWnx5PyH7aPLUocMrW7s6nI3AVEYpQ2ZeM0laDOPT5mTeUGHrgUjTAFqDHqccX28VmQ_mk6fKdYaiLotIMKn0nrO4xPqkklzdVW1gXnF_snsrvdN69vLeBgKMY/s640/WhatsApp-Group-Names-for-Crazy-Family-1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am receiving at least 10 Sai baba pics every day of which
I am asked to forward at least 5 of them to avoid bad luck, some of them within
7 seconds. Now I am forced to know what breakfast every damn member in my
family had; after a family gathering, every member in the group shares all the
awkward selfies that they have taken. Impromptu video call from Realiance Jio empowered
uncle is cool. But definitely not pleasing when you’re in the loo. Not to
forget the often “Oops.. Sorry by mistake sound recordings of 0.2 seconds each.
Wait… That is not it!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While one aunt, everyday emphasize the importance of
Sudarshana Kriya by Art of Living Ravishankar, the other aunt is always busy
preaching about all the 33 crore Hindu gods, one per day. That uncle who
forwards the same old RaGa joke thrice doesn’t even realize that it is too cliché.
And we have a dedicated public sector members in the mid-40s who are active
only when there is change in pay commissions, Dearness Allowance hikes, HRA
changes and so on which are non-existent in the corporate world. And one
category of people presume they are educating the world by forwarding only intelligent spams like “the employee who had
HIV and his blood has spilled into Frooti”, “Messages sent and certified by
CNN/NASA/BBC”, “Some weird math-magic day of a month which appear only once in
821 years”.. Uff! This category is the most irking of all. The excitement
reaches heights when there is a new baby born in the family. Every now and
then, the <b><i>aunt promoted to granny</i></b> starts sending videos of the baby doing
everything. I mean “literally everything”! The baby’s first poop video in full
HD and what not! Gimme a break.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviyIPchYNmEe2LNfWdrln_4A4qqNwC5oJLTuxaXujpGXxPxfSSQLJ9a-SaDjxXwHtllX99YxgX12UVuHkOulhhyphenhyphen9BaIRyF0vuv_oVaROYOawoi62Ozxx6b8MKXe5Khe2BStwKvZ85on0/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviyIPchYNmEe2LNfWdrln_4A4qqNwC5oJLTuxaXujpGXxPxfSSQLJ9a-SaDjxXwHtllX99YxgX12UVuHkOulhhyphenhyphen9BaIRyF0vuv_oVaROYOawoi62Ozxx6b8MKXe5Khe2BStwKvZ85on0/s320/download.jpg" width="239" /></a>All my cousins from the younger generation have a separate
group so we don’t talk much here. I know there is mute/uninstall and may other
tweaks to avoid this. I tried muting it once and to my surprise I started
getting calls as to why am I not replying to any of the messages in spite of
being online. Smart phones you see! I was caught red handed. So we still have
to be a part of the group to answer any unexpected questions which may be
directed at us like “Why is your dad not picking calls? Or how is your mother’s
sugar levels now?” We all cousins decided on a mass exodus one day only to
realize that we were added back to the group by evening. Thanks to the uncle
who takes pride being the admin. In the midst of all these, a few good morning messages
and thoughts are really genuine and feels good. The only blessed thing is that
we are almost an entirely right wing family (no personifications please) and I
am only happy to be exempted from the Modi v/s Kejriwal discussions. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I used to get irked in the beginning. It used to bother me
a lot! I always wondered if I am taking all this too seriously. But now, for my
own good, I have decided to have an air of easy unconcern and take everything that
happens in the group on a lighter note. With much thought, I have been able to
understand; have been able to grasp and comprehend what is keeping my family WhatsApp
group alive and kicking. I guess tolerating such things is a possibility only with
people you are comfortable with. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all, Love for the family is an excuse to
be stupid. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-6786195422083167562016-12-08T19:57:00.000+05:302016-12-08T19:57:37.761+05:30Does Amma deserve sanctity?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mobile flashed. “She is dead and this time it is
irrevocable”; said dad’s pun intended text message. After all the media
tantrums about Amma being dead and coming back to life several times, dad finally
confirmed that she is really dead. The only little perks of dad being in the
press are that I get breaking news a little earlier. Since yesterday evening, the
way media is fostering her accomplishments and her life, her path to
righteousness and so on, I’m pretty sure she’ll attain sanctity after death.
But does she really deserve it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcYumZg3cxCNtijP5DdCeopWTrS7PvAAeeWQBJmXoQOmDTD9KwiyIWKj3DmQfmk8JZHJ-0ig1q0AJ-McJn_taCxfqRDLm-mt-NKVbwhTuemDE6zK_UP35xhBEro9KRQ6lawhWZCvgTgg/s1600/jaya-superman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcYumZg3cxCNtijP5DdCeopWTrS7PvAAeeWQBJmXoQOmDTD9KwiyIWKj3DmQfmk8JZHJ-0ig1q0AJ-McJn_taCxfqRDLm-mt-NKVbwhTuemDE6zK_UP35xhBEro9KRQ6lawhWZCvgTgg/s640/jaya-superman.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Superman is Amma fan!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know much about her past and since I grew up in the
early and late 90s, I’ve been hearing/following her only from the past decade.
If she has done very noble deeds in the pre 90s, by virtue of which she is
getting this sainthood, then probably I am off beam. But I don’t believe that
is any true. She was never a great admirer of democracy. I have always seen her
narcissistic conduct in front of media, in party meetings and many other public
forums. Not just common man, she made even the ministers in her own cabinet
fall on her feet “literally” and receive blessings. Although my TN friends
tried to convince me that they did it out of pure respect for her, I fairly
disagree to it. Oh! Come on. In a democracy like India, there are lots of other
ways to show benevolence to your superiors. Amma in locket, Amma in wedding
ring, Amma’s picture in wedding card instead of bride, I mean that is
ridiculous! Above all, Irony committed suicide when O Panneerselvam kept her
picture in the Chief Minister’s armchair during her prolonged illness and he
sat next to it giving public statements that Amma is still the Chief Minister
and that I am just following her orders. Her dictatorship made Tamil Nadu a
totalitarian state which in other words is a great blow to democracy.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe-2Rrq_dpgwxrW1JGy7DL-UUK-lxvC5NdhtOPbPF8LYpHeACxVfhuvRu-kxe4PilM91UT7HjVmr_AJvJvTVJw13YZw7cPD2CdCxbXpVqDyaa1GD_m-vUW6XopXmlLcD5tfUuWBK24G8/s1600/article-2120782-12583E28000005DC-831_634x443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe-2Rrq_dpgwxrW1JGy7DL-UUK-lxvC5NdhtOPbPF8LYpHeACxVfhuvRu-kxe4PilM91UT7HjVmr_AJvJvTVJw13YZw7cPD2CdCxbXpVqDyaa1GD_m-vUW6XopXmlLcD5tfUuWBK24G8/s640/article-2120782-12583E28000005DC-831_634x443.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">O Panneerselvam taking blessings from Amma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Coming to her arrogance, the whole world knows about it. It
was like she always flaunted arrogance and displayed it, carried it with her in
forums where it was totally uncalled for. That stance of her only showed her
self-importance. I do not know why people called her voice of aam aadmi and
sensationalized the whole interview when she ruthlessly ill-behaved in a TV
interview with Karan Thapar. I’m not a Karan Thapar admirer. But according to
me that was a premeditated way of winning confidence of certain section of the
society; an opening that gave her secured access to votes of particular class
of people and nothing more. She was accused of changing ministers in her
cabinet who was against her strategies and ideals. I’ve also heard from many
that Nepotism was at peak in entire TN State during her tenure as chief
minister.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9IRvoIY2Md3AgiAi3QOZMSPBblLS3nqT5L942FarN-ge1XiBAcbHHXXKC3dCXxO8gZ6IZkcyPYhoRDbzmFYqLMwiVah9f1wmjqP6MDK_pFF6Ka-RFmFufjbO84IbI2Xk68B-9U9HoRM/s1600/217317-amma-vinod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9IRvoIY2Md3AgiAi3QOZMSPBblLS3nqT5L942FarN-ge1XiBAcbHHXXKC3dCXxO8gZ6IZkcyPYhoRDbzmFYqLMwiVah9f1wmjqP6MDK_pFF6Ka-RFmFufjbO84IbI2Xk68B-9U9HoRM/s400/217317-amma-vinod.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amma is in supporter's heart!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She openly accused Marans and DMK of corruption but herself
had few cases against her. Among them, funds misappropriation and disproportionate
asset cases gained national importance. When she was acquitted, she came back
with more power and egotism and she used it to further her authority in the
state and national politics. My memories of how public life was thrown out of
gear whenever she visited Bangalore for case hearings with Z grade security is
still afresh in my mind. When Chennai had severe floods and relief material was
sent, her supporters stamping every relief bag with stickers of Amma spoke
volumes on how much power hungry and autocratic she was. Her conceited image
was actually celebrated by many subordinates and followers across her state. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe even for the native Tamilians and their economy,
she has done more harm than good by giving freebies to secure more votes. Every Amma supporter in the state of Tamil Nadu state today has a color TV, mixer
grinder, Laptop and many more things to lead a comfortable life and they even
get a sumptuous meal for just 10 bucks, thanks to Amma canteen. But on the
other side, in the name of freebies, TN’s debt has increased to more than 2
lakh crore. Currently TN’s fiscal deficit is at 40,000 crore. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkT9-8EHvfUugKSNmgm8Jhdbw8Dtp8DR5PeG6niQBWYg1_6SK4G21FIP43spxax_TPBl2tvz-y30rKzG2eX1uYk9oYIZfl9D49tXtmA_-QsYlXUMWtOpY1XZwUrHRfvX1Zi69xnWmYpc/s1600/jayalalitha+milk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkT9-8EHvfUugKSNmgm8Jhdbw8Dtp8DR5PeG6niQBWYg1_6SK4G21FIP43spxax_TPBl2tvz-y30rKzG2eX1uYk9oYIZfl9D49tXtmA_-QsYlXUMWtOpY1XZwUrHRfvX1Zi69xnWmYpc/s640/jayalalitha+milk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ksheerabhishekam (milk bath) for Amma by her supporters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But why media is sensationalizing her death by calling her
“Iron Lady”, “Lady who broke Gender barriers”, Revolutionary leader” and so on?
If death can obliterate all the terrible deeds of 60 years of one’s life, what
is the difference between a true saint’s life and hers? Does she really deserve it? It is for us to
decide. This whole thing reminds me of a saying which I read somewhere:</div>
<br />
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</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Death changes everything… Time changes nothing!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy: ThUnrealTimes and Indiatimes</span></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-80291894466368185462016-10-02T15:58:00.003+05:302016-10-02T15:58:57.939+05:30Please do not throw rotten tomatoes at the judiciary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This has been a year of judicial tragedy for Indian
democracy. Or does it look like? Within a year, many celebrity criminals walked
free escaping punishment. Court freed a Chief Minister from the clutches of a
fund misappropriation case, a famous actor was acquitted of a heinous crime, a rape victim tried in a juvenile court and sent to asylum and
now the Cauvery verdict which is not at all fair for our state. From past few
days, social media is abuzz with memes, statements and cartoons making fun of
Indian Judicial system. Many of my friends on WhatsApp blamed our judiciary for
the Cauvery verdict. Some went ahead and accused even the justice bench to be
close aides of TN Chief Minister and hence the verdict is pro TN. I agree that
the verdict is unfair for Karnataka, but the blasphemy on our judiciary is not
just right. For me, there appeared to be a sense of lawlessness among people.
My dear friends, our judiciary is doing its job impeccably and there is no way
we can hold our judiciary culpable for someone else’s folly.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYIMcgblhGB6bcoKmyLhy2FZdayKywUefTZNeLlMNa2MxHaP-siWIL-ZYvwF1EMEqHwsDuLxIJ2oEe6ZVuLlOU_Yb0qnsg_Mysp8D_Z8n1U0PTUrK0kuMuF8abF38uygfZmo8-iO-MlI/s1600/tamilmemesdotcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYIMcgblhGB6bcoKmyLhy2FZdayKywUefTZNeLlMNa2MxHaP-siWIL-ZYvwF1EMEqHwsDuLxIJ2oEe6ZVuLlOU_Yb0qnsg_Mysp8D_Z8n1U0PTUrK0kuMuF8abF38uygfZmo8-iO-MlI/s1600/tamilmemesdotcom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you can recall what we all studied in primary school
social science, the three pillars of Indian democracy are the executive, the
legislature and the judiciary. It is executive and its representative’s
responsibility to maintain law and order in public life. And who are these
representatives? The President, The Prime Minister and other appointed
officials of Government. It is their duty to make sure that law and order is
not overlooked and they are legally made responsible for people’s social and
collective well-being. Judges are appointed to interpret and enforce the law.
They belong to a different pillar called judiciary. Now good governance lies in
the co-operative functioning of these two pillars. I can compare this to a
professor-student relationship. Just because two or three students in the class
failed, you cannot put the blame on professor when the rest have managed to
score well. Just because the student got sick, professor cannot
fill in for him in exams, although the professor is aware of the student's capabilities. Just like the professor has a certain decorum of
University which he has to follow, the judges are also abided by rules of the
constitution. Teaching is his job which he is doing excellently. In other
words, the “judiciary” pillar is functioning perfectly. On the other hand, the
“student” pillar (executive) cannot blame the other pillar (judiciary) for its
own mistake. In fact, the professor is trying to balance by taking that extra
load when required. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpMrdXyJGIEUdmmb4-XTwm7zcFarFSSSRRpR3XEJ5SWaXaEz8ErKIgFbl82wTT6y1sf5zbbfBPSEOVWzunxJEJpM4xUt6EyM6PPtgfCTRui6NaAKTdR1nId2uuI6UYJXNhgMae9MoCgk/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggpMrdXyJGIEUdmmb4-XTwm7zcFarFSSSRRpR3XEJ5SWaXaEz8ErKIgFbl82wTT6y1sf5zbbfBPSEOVWzunxJEJpM4xUt6EyM6PPtgfCTRui6NaAKTdR1nId2uuI6UYJXNhgMae9MoCgk/s640/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, coming onto emotions of people; it is not that emotion
does not play its part during a case hearing. After all judges are human
beings, just like you and me. Without that, judges can be replaced by robots.
So I strongly deem that emotions definitely have scope in any case hearing. But
it is always tempered according to the arguments put forth by the lawyers and
prosecutors. This is where the dexterity of the appointed lawyers come into
picture. If a lawyer fails to take advantage of this, it is not judiciary’s
problem. I believe this is what happened in the Cauvery Verdict. Any justice
bench would have given a similar verdict with the way Karnataka's legal team presented the case.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2gVznTv7_1345_YxN_wVN7wnEq_ONv9BzxTkSaOexhwmgC_BCOO4S-FEW2vkeybj102O4U5cwG4gLxEK6mwibXuEUcssb9WqaCjFUdzgcmAAibw_my4oZf8dnRH9Y448kDRue380aOY/s1600/oth%253Bananmklu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2gVznTv7_1345_YxN_wVN7wnEq_ONv9BzxTkSaOexhwmgC_BCOO4S-FEW2vkeybj102O4U5cwG4gLxEK6mwibXuEUcssb9WqaCjFUdzgcmAAibw_my4oZf8dnRH9Y448kDRue380aOY/s640/oth%253Bananmklu.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Emotion can never be a strong driver in a legal analysis. In
other words, during the entire case hearing, it should never be the bad cop. If
this happens, it is a dangerous sign. A judge can never consider the emotions
outside the purview of the case in the final judgment. In a practical scenario, deliberation is not as easy to handle as it is read from the verdicts and newspaper write-ups.The logical model of
judicial decision-making is very different from that of how we perceive things
from outside.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeNHuEuqFs3udINgGDv37eXRY8Vvi5WomEWPDFSbbXkAozrIGRKAmunu5HENASs7OBbveXr7G8ec-iqMnwuBrn_2e5DmHxpEGk3IAZmXYDYi-p_hHW47vM4yAwxW_jivTcu2-iUMz5AA/s1600/bollywoodhourdotcom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeNHuEuqFs3udINgGDv37eXRY8Vvi5WomEWPDFSbbXkAozrIGRKAmunu5HENASs7OBbveXr7G8ec-iqMnwuBrn_2e5DmHxpEGk3IAZmXYDYi-p_hHW47vM4yAwxW_jivTcu2-iUMz5AA/s400/bollywoodhourdotcom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As a common man, we are indeed emotional and it is okay to
protest. But there are lot of other peaceful ways. The least we can do is not
to give ears to the rumors that judge was unfaithful, justice bench was surreptitious, judiciary
is a failure or other such nonsense. By doing this, we are vexing others and
thus spreading hatred. Before coming to conclusion in such occasions, think
wise and don’t let your rage blind spot the facts and figures. Instead of
instinctively making the judicial system a bad cop, albeit the challenges, for
now and for a long time to come, let us appreciate the fact that ours is one of
the best judicial systems of the world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Image courtesy:</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> maggcom.com, tamilmemes.com and othlananmaklu page on fb</span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-60058370401815520892016-08-26T20:25:00.000+05:302016-08-26T20:25:14.224+05:30Ragi Mudde and the desi food disinclination propaganda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A friend’s post on
Facebook about <b><i>Ragi Mudde</i></b> being called as <b><i>Tarta De Millet Balle</i></b> in one of the uber
restaurants of the city made me furious; even more so after learning that they
are selling it for 800₹. Not the 800₹ part; Keep it aside. We all know that
those deep pocketed fat-cats who don’t mind paying are in abundance. But I was
very much agitated by the fact that restaurant owners are trying to capitalize
on regional delicacies by changing their names and without giving due credits
to the original recipe. The pro arguments that the taste is still the same; and
that fact that authentic local cuisines are taken to widespread audience is all
good. But the need to give it a funky name and make it sound trendy and jazzy
is just not right. It is a pure marketing gimmick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfkUfR8tv2phmQitXtrfq5D6_Wel2CPavTxXU4rhK3bShU25Yka3vD9dbfUZLc8XxMqglJl6yrM6HOeq1Rj0tpR39c4wj_Y6KZqXnmrTiusKb7wpR7eZ2LcrX0uNC8GONUWgNGUcwblQ/s1600/RAGI_MUDDE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfkUfR8tv2phmQitXtrfq5D6_Wel2CPavTxXU4rhK3bShU25Yka3vD9dbfUZLc8XxMqglJl6yrM6HOeq1Rj0tpR39c4wj_Y6KZqXnmrTiusKb7wpR7eZ2LcrX0uNC8GONUWgNGUcwblQ/s400/RAGI_MUDDE.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Authentic Ragi Mudde</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eating is not about
taste alone. It is strongly and intensely a social need. From times immemorial,
what people eat never showed class differences to a larger extent. But of late,
the social phenomenon of eating has taken shape in such a way that people have
started identifying themselves with others by eating what elites and the
aristocrats consume. Marooned in the mediocrity of social climbing, the blue
collar population has started consuming food they find despicable, but cannot
avoid because of social generosity. Pizza is a good example. Gradually this
also gave rise to a trend that knowledge of foreign cuisines like French and
Italian (even if you can read and pronounce the names of the food items) meant
the person is more cool and cosmopolitan. Thus the middle class got attracted
to foreign gourmet. In doing all these, somewhere in between the social
climbing and overlooking our vernacular food, highly nutritious cuisines like #RagiMudde,
which has been the staple food of the south karnataka’s middle class, is branded
with lower class association. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnTm5OCau7A8dWKMlhJsonZ57Ggavk8oNYSZyGDijZ0cMNelAxszrohzWDQzN48grwudGkXZJY-QVfVvcOxZ-Zr8pZf27lUWfNCZbALc-wKdUK1lbg__1wLM_OCH9Ypn_jjzMPc4Y-YE/s1600/Sugar-frosted-flakes_commonsensehalth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnTm5OCau7A8dWKMlhJsonZ57Ggavk8oNYSZyGDijZ0cMNelAxszrohzWDQzN48grwudGkXZJY-QVfVvcOxZ-Zr8pZf27lUWfNCZbALc-wKdUK1lbg__1wLM_OCH9Ypn_jjzMPc4Y-YE/s400/Sugar-frosted-flakes_commonsensehalth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar Frosted Flakes changed to Frosted flakes of Corn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Now the frequency of
even the middle class eating desi gourmet like #RagiMudde has considerably
reduced. Just think of your own example: How often do you eat #RagiMudde vs how
often do you eat Gobi Manchurian? There are exceptions, but aren’t the numbers
are largely inclined towards the latter? The result is that even the desi
cuisines are much in demand and hence have attained the luxury status. Now
understanding this change in people’s gourmet preferences have benefitted the
restaurants in a big way. And the result is amazingly lucrative. But on the
other side, just imagine if the restaurant still sells it with the name #RagiMudde;
most of us would be largely offended to pay 800 bucks for an austere #RagiMudde.
So the only way out is to bridge this gap. This is exactly what the uber
restaurants in the city are trying to capitalize on. Changing names of desi
food items and putting a hefty price tag and selling it. Ultimately we are the
victims.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeAQKz1lvxdcgCc3wbF56IgKo_KjdGxcVnnTrMWiJWnY6LPTK_qOSYdgM5F0PJCbSScPea4Jzbsw7QjqbsaTnbtbXFh-I5A47JyZbeXjdOzzIPo7y29TUyw0g6q23kxr-2kwBKqeMxoY/s1600/kfc_logo_1978_fonts_in_use.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeAQKz1lvxdcgCc3wbF56IgKo_KjdGxcVnnTrMWiJWnY6LPTK_qOSYdgM5F0PJCbSScPea4Jzbsw7QjqbsaTnbtbXFh-I5A47JyZbeXjdOzzIPo7y29TUyw0g6q23kxr-2kwBKqeMxoY/s400/kfc_logo_1978_fonts_in_use.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KFC advertisement in 1978 said "Kentucky Fried Chicken"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This result of
thoughtful menu planning and marketing is pure MBA stuff [which even I have
studied to an extent ;)]. They are done by expert gourmet marketing consultants
who charge a fortune for the job to be done. Just changing the name of a very
healthy desi cuisine which costs only 10 bucks to prepare is fetching them 800
bucks. Imagine the trend. Not only #RagiMudde, There are a number of other
examples as well. Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC because the word “fried”
freaked out the fitness aficionados. Sugar frosted Flakes became Frosted corn
flakes since sugar was not considered welcome ingredient in breakfast,
especially for children. People were not comfortable saying “Rapeseed oil” so
it got renamed to “Canola oil” to boost sales.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FD7pbj7p8B_Ax266AsS7vATd7AMhnsPwdSe3LMphfZxv3idHys1wG4ZvP3WNhka9FvM3NsNgmTb7OR3W-64m623_zIggtKI0KxIC19_ZtyM8LlZKhdL4P4NhrByMEmjJy1SPRMfvogA/s1600/KFC_logo_post_2010_pinterest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FD7pbj7p8B_Ax266AsS7vATd7AMhnsPwdSe3LMphfZxv3idHys1wG4ZvP3WNhka9FvM3NsNgmTb7OR3W-64m623_zIggtKI0KxIC19_ZtyM8LlZKhdL4P4NhrByMEmjJy1SPRMfvogA/s400/KFC_logo_post_2010_pinterest.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same KFC advertisement post 2000</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Don’t fall for such
mega marketing trends and pay a hefty price for just a name changed local gourmet
which is disguised as an international cuisine. If the menu does not describe
it enough to understand, call the managers and ask them what it is. I always
prefer the local fast food joints who prepare good south Indian to restaurants
who call themselves specialized in North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Tandoor
and Continental. Next time you go to a restaurant and see “fermented lentil and
rice flour crepe with spiced potato filling”, don’t get carried away. It is
nothing but Masala Dosa. If your colleague says I prepared “steamed rice breads
with spicy vegetable broth stew”, slap her hard and ask her to call it idly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And for god’s sake, never
ever pay 800 bucks for <i><b>Tarta De Millet Balle</b></i>. It is an insult to Raagi mudde.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image courtesy:<br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/">pinterest.com</a>, <a href="http://fontsinuse.com/">fontsinuse.com</a> and <a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/" target="_blank">wikipedia</a></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-53369283132117875112016-07-30T23:12:00.001+05:302016-07-30T23:14:19.344+05:30Sorry Rajni saar... I watched Kabali online<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am really sorry Rajni saar. This time with a saddened spirit,
I am telling you that I could not be a part of the “Kabali” extravaganza. I
tried hard to resist, but in the end I succumbed to the monetary inflation
of movie tickets occurring at an alarmingly high rate in Namma Bengaluru. While
my Chennai and Hyderabad friends were doing check-ins with “Kabali Da”statuses
on facebook on the very first day of its release, I had no other go but to find
solace on torrents. I myself am discouraged, but what to do saar? I am a middle
class man who cannot afford to spend 1000 bucks for 2 hours of entertainment.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYf5URS1JuoVtYETV6AMZUuur_ZjWKtRQVao20RdddZ3To14cRv6i7ziUfYy8CztOxbMBQZwrZ22j7-g4MKCju8guBw1K8cYVRwV2x_g-tT20ZmXNnr5R8JMlc3ssUDOIDAfwaAZjT1w/s1600/kabaliposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYf5URS1JuoVtYETV6AMZUuur_ZjWKtRQVao20RdddZ3To14cRv6i7ziUfYy8CztOxbMBQZwrZ22j7-g4MKCju8guBw1K8cYVRwV2x_g-tT20ZmXNnr5R8JMlc3ssUDOIDAfwaAZjT1w/s640/kabaliposter.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabali Da</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saar, I don’t have to tell you that the "The movie
aficionado" inside a true native Bangalorean is not confined to just
Kannada movies. If you recall your old days in Bangalore circa 1970s; right
from then, we have watched Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, English and even good
Malayalam movies in theaters. Post 90s, all your movies have run to packed
houses with more than 100 shows a day in namma Bengaluru's theaters. Whoa! We
are true cosmopolitan that way saar. Kabali was no different. In fact the
Kabali craze was something that I have never seen or witnessed for any of your
other movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But saar, of late, our movie watching experience in theaters
too has seen a radical change. With the
demolishing of old individual theaters and advent of malls and multiplexes, the
ticket prices have sky rocketed. This is where the problem is. Multiplexes are
sucking the pockets of Bangalore's middle class saar! The engrossing growth
that namma Bengaluru has witnessed in the past decade has infused a sense of
envy among the neighborhood. But it is never a delight when it comes to movie
watching experience for us Bangaloreans. Exorbitant movie ticket prices are
haunting us, the middle class movie lovers! Bangalore has become neighbors
envy, but not owners pride saar!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGbvOdc4PeQS04-Q59uBI9i9oi3P9IFyI5rEM8Rm7KN-P0wO5kN5boPl-39_fr6j4hGXGqimHvVoWSmTK4a7aphGB5n41zqr-CbocL-Ql8cORO_M2rvru6ddoAkzToZAdWwTzlUBDpJI/s1600/book-my-show-kabali.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGbvOdc4PeQS04-Q59uBI9i9oi3P9IFyI5rEM8Rm7KN-P0wO5kN5boPl-39_fr6j4hGXGqimHvVoWSmTK4a7aphGB5n41zqr-CbocL-Ql8cORO_M2rvru6ddoAkzToZAdWwTzlUBDpJI/s640/book-my-show-kabali.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabali ticket price in Bangalore 450Rs and 500 Rs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though the advent of malls and multiplexes is seen in
Chennai and Hyderabad, the ticket price has remained almost the same. A movie
in Prasad's iMax of Hyderabad is never more than 200 Rs. The same movie in a
Bangalore's multiplex costs a whopping 800 Rs. I don’t know why this kolaveri
saar. I myself have seen movies in Big cinemas of Chennai for as low as 10
bucks. Yes saar, you read it right. 10 jujubi bucks kanna! But Bangaloreans
cannot watch the same movie for less than 500 Rs. This is a double standard no saar?
Just log onto bookmyshow, PVR or Inox website. Choose Kabali and plainly
compare the ticket prices for Bangalore and other cities. You'll be amazed to
see that tickets in Bangalore theaters are exorbitantly high compared to other
cities.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6SuTMsCDsqOp2objvRJTMeVeNVZ8VXKb99b9kBd5MpXQRSNHCcsXNezqvfuc6Z0ETIrwHhMjTSYYUtwbsHyM1L-wr7OA0ngREbPT0kfBzfXlNp0QD-kl4n_4uuVRnvtMCHt3XyT8d18/s1600/Kabali-Chennai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6SuTMsCDsqOp2objvRJTMeVeNVZ8VXKb99b9kBd5MpXQRSNHCcsXNezqvfuc6Z0ETIrwHhMjTSYYUtwbsHyM1L-wr7OA0ngREbPT0kfBzfXlNp0QD-kl4n_4uuVRnvtMCHt3XyT8d18/s640/Kabali-Chennai.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabali ticket price in Chennai - 120 Rs and 10 Rs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not just power cuts and traffic snarls; political apathy in
Karnataka has hit the entertainment too. Unlike AP, Telangana or TN, there is
no government intervention in regulating the prices of movie tickets here. So
the multiplexes like PVR and Inox are selling the movie tickets at exorbitant
prices and naming it "Gold Class". But why the same PVR does not
offer "gold class" in Hyderabad or Chennai? No answers from them
saar. Why the movie tickets in the neighboring states are not above 250 for any
show, any movie? The government is also to be blamed. Our government takes
examples of neighboring states while increasing prices of milk and other
consumer goods. Why not for movie tickets?</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL6wfJ9I7fREbcaDavkbafVRGLqs_onG-8fSxUxBP1bDT9i6tS_EVb7x59-CkHjQ9eKHKlvPvLPu9SU1-5_8DADtgxLgVTy1sXTwfG860M7UNtx5cs0BAZiWFMxxjgvkrMkO-A5it8yM/s1600/Kabali-Hyderabad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilL6wfJ9I7fREbcaDavkbafVRGLqs_onG-8fSxUxBP1bDT9i6tS_EVb7x59-CkHjQ9eKHKlvPvLPu9SU1-5_8DADtgxLgVTy1sXTwfG860M7UNtx5cs0BAZiWFMxxjgvkrMkO-A5it8yM/s640/Kabali-Hyderabad.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabali ticket price in Hyderabad (Prasad iMax) - 150 Rs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When a new movie is released, an average Bangalorean talks
about downloading the pirated version than going to theater. Let us consider my
own case, which is also the case of lakhs of other Bangaloreans. Being a movie
fanatic and considering that I watch Bollywood, Hollywood, Telugu, Tamil and
Kannada movies too, I end up watching a minimum of 3-4 movies a month. I spend
an average of 2500-3000 Rs a month on movies. The figure is way too high if I
include my family. It is of course a burden on my pocket. So I’ve set-up a
Raspberry Pi streaming network on my PC so that I can download movies from
pirated sites and watch it directly on my home theater TV.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The home entertainment has seen a radical make-over with
advent of torrents and file sharing apps. Firstly, it is "almost"
theater experience for me. Thanks to HD content availability as soon as a movie
is released. Secondly and importantly, savings of 2000 bucks straight. Thirdly,
having to pay a hefty surcharge by yenna rascala service providers like
bookmyshow (they charge 45-50 Rs as surcharge for 2 tickets) has worn off the
hypothetical family of four. They claim to have so many offers. But I have not
found even one kanna who has been able to make use of it saar. Lastly, movies
at home are advertisement free. So many ads in between a movie are so annoying.
People who are little less tech savvy than me are buying the pirated DVDs in
open markets. People with smart phones are watching and sharing movies on their
mobile and tabs. Things like these are working wonders for middle class family
in keeping them away from theaters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still remember watching some of your movies saar. I think
it was Baba and Padayappa in Nataraj Theater. With your entry, people shouting “Thalaiva,
Thalaiva” in unison and doing Abhishekam from Nandini milk packets, throwing
coins from back…. Oh! The bliss. It was worth every penny! It is only sad that
middle class people like me cannot afford it anymore. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unless our government wakes up from sleep, nothing happens
and also you can’t do much. So forget it saar. I just wanted to tell you that I
also can’t do much other than being apologetic only. I wish you reach even
greater heights of your stardom. I’m signing off secretly wishing that piracy
flourishes until someone does something about it. Good night saar!</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Image courtesy – <a href="http://ibtimes.co.in/">ibtimes.co.in</a> and <a href="http://in.bookmyshow.com/">in.bookmyshow.com</a></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-4159343999468099492016-05-29T00:37:00.000+05:302016-05-29T00:38:33.762+05:30Men are from SLRs, Women are from selfies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had read about disasters caused with the whims of selfies,
but had ignored it as usual social exaggeration. But after looking at the
number of people indulging in selfies in so odd ways, I started realizing that
it is not an overstatement at all. I don’t think any other social problem has
affected the mental health of tech savvy population as severely as Selfie Obsession.
I’m not going to argue if men take more selfies or woman. It is much more than just
numbers because both men and women do it habitually these days. Of late, I’ve
seen lots of female photographers travelling around with their DSLRs clicking stunning
pictures. But photography has remained andro-centric to a large extent. On the
other side, selfies are becoming gyno-centric and the female population is over dramatizing
it. With selfies, I’ve seen more
occasions of narcissism displayed by women than men. Yeah! I said Narcissism
because I’ve seen girls craving for selfies. It has become a decree among the
group of teenage girls who endorse it. It has become the symbol of vanity for young
women.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UzsmuSR82Re1svFtewWwljgWOn6plKuu0OAF0AhCQ-BfMHw7hdo4DWxK17ROtqvH2P94U4pXqM1BzBJSKgrjUf4uJzr4gDDQ88F9Nu_IO2VgRKoZFlDeaa3zh_SZ3Fb51tmru7azb2c/s1600/Women-weird-pinterest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UzsmuSR82Re1svFtewWwljgWOn6plKuu0OAF0AhCQ-BfMHw7hdo4DWxK17ROtqvH2P94U4pXqM1BzBJSKgrjUf4uJzr4gDDQ88F9Nu_IO2VgRKoZFlDeaa3zh_SZ3Fb51tmru7azb2c/s640/Women-weird-pinterest.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This incident happened in Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar. I was busy
trying to capture the best of the monument and beside me was a group of people.
The guide, out of pure passion, was explaining the astronomical design
principles of Indians in 17<sup>th</sup> century and the affluence of ancient
Hindu Sanskrit texts used in astronomy.
A lady in the group, out of blues, came to him and said “bhaiya ek
minute ruko na please” (which translates to “please give us a minute”) and
started searching something in her hand bag. I thought she was about to make
notes. But to my surprise, she took out her phone, selfie stick and started
taking selfies with other girls. I was shocked! I could not fathom how self
obsessed and egocentric could she get. So much sham for just a pic of yours? I
could not comprehend the fact that she has travelled thousands of miles to do
nothing but take selfies. I just kept thinking; to what extent this selfie
craze has rid humans of common sense.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtPhAC8wDMIxnQwG9TpBv0ZqU-MvW_0yCWT3z8h1RB6icpt3bsXOS_-z4Gus3BkdHtaaAp5iPAqVVq-3gYb9wJDdZYfeseSr93zvzPK_rmCij63WapbpbTNdCWu6jxsFu4X483JnqDpA/s1600/Bipasha-Pout-Indiatimes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtPhAC8wDMIxnQwG9TpBv0ZqU-MvW_0yCWT3z8h1RB6icpt3bsXOS_-z4Gus3BkdHtaaAp5iPAqVVq-3gYb9wJDdZYfeseSr93zvzPK_rmCij63WapbpbTNdCWu6jxsFu4X483JnqDpA/s400/Bipasha-Pout-Indiatimes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bipasha Basu with Pout selfie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the same trip, the perturbation caused to me by my wife
to take selfies was so much that my DSLR was just hanging in there for major
part of the trip. From then on, I was just trying to keep a tab on things
around me. Surprisingly, almost in every tourist attraction of Rajasthan,
except the newlyweds and a “couple” of exception, the guys in the groups were
trying to experiment with their cameras & mobile phones but the girls were
busy taking selfies in whatsoever way. Back at home, when my other friends
asked us how the trip was, my wife accused me of not taking enough selfies! By
enough, she means posing and clicking until the perfect one is clicked. Her
idea of a perfect Selfie is the one which is taken with everyone’s cranky and
grumpy expression of utmost annoyance in order to make everyone look sexy and
attractive. And if the place of interest is even faintly visible, that is
great!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVFm_zuh1CsVgjAkgVlUPRcZAKWooUOefrHb9_iGC_7qgnNHzdTewclkLsQ4vixip3JNxKWzYpMqibhzoJ_UvzxhrdUYcdzBaFtA5O3_mwHPDixAcWXygFhg5gxsY0dxQIy1gawBuFzQ/s1600/takingselfies_men_vs_women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVFm_zuh1CsVgjAkgVlUPRcZAKWooUOefrHb9_iGC_7qgnNHzdTewclkLsQ4vixip3JNxKWzYpMqibhzoJ_UvzxhrdUYcdzBaFtA5O3_mwHPDixAcWXygFhg5gxsY0dxQIy1gawBuFzQ/s640/takingselfies_men_vs_women.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A popular meme on selfie narcissism by women</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you hate posing for selfies, you’d understand this. I don’t
know what is more annoying than posing for selfies in public places. Taking a
selfie is another thing altogether. At any given point of time, I can either
make a face or concentrate. I am still trying to figure out how girls
concentrate and smile at the same time easily. Most of the selfies posted on
social media according to me is pretence. And the pretence comes with different
filters to make it look even more pretence. Selfies by female celebrities with pout
has reached all time heights. Damsels posting selfies with taglines like <i>“hating me doesn’t make you pretty”</i> and <i>“phew.. I thought I wasn’t pretty anymore”</i>
are pretty common on my Instagram feed.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8a_zthx9GfVFzMygv3ELq1kzU5d037oLe59fFfw5UR2unHDTn524wQOTnITb19A95MHjOc-Fl5K5CasMbqzLDq2tA2ilYB9D1Im0e-PyhNMw9SsVycOQH4A4zhc3a4DigMz5IuqJSdo/s1600/AliaBhatt+and+Varun+Bhatt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8a_zthx9GfVFzMygv3ELq1kzU5d037oLe59fFfw5UR2unHDTn524wQOTnITb19A95MHjOc-Fl5K5CasMbqzLDq2tA2ilYB9D1Im0e-PyhNMw9SsVycOQH4A4zhc3a4DigMz5IuqJSdo/s640/AliaBhatt+and+Varun+Bhatt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing for selfie isn't easy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am trying my best not to be gender biased. But just look
around and closely observe the female selfie enthusiasts. We all have that one girl
in the group who changes whatsapp DP every day. A woman’s make-up time has
increased because of selfies, says a survey. Do you know that selfies have sent
sale of make-up kits soaring in the UK? Isn’t it is very apparent that selfie
obsession can be correlated to all the possible narcissistic qualities in a
woman; Vanity, cocky, self admiration and excessively conceited? Trying to be
cocky in public places is totally annoying. I’ve seen that they scoff at the
notion of Dos and Don’ts and continue taking selfies. The amount of vanity they
exhibit… Ugh! Both on social media and real time, too much of vanity is utterly
irksome. The internet is full of stories like <i>“people who died tragically taking selfies”</i>, <i>“selfie accidents” </i>and<i>
“selfie disasters”. </i> I truly believe
that these are just the consequences of narcissism reaching dangerous levels.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOnbCyKotMMVRk6Ct3S17dpf6kU7eSsLbKCoNhbOIXl8waqhSibGC4idNu-3Gwgu5RpeWSwfAb4R_oUP9hzxPbVBg3skLLIxv189ACx1i1p77rxlF6ydsqKXvvxaGzoyHKUl5D8AvyEI/s1600/screen-shot-2013-11-18-at-1-02-57-pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="505" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOnbCyKotMMVRk6Ct3S17dpf6kU7eSsLbKCoNhbOIXl8waqhSibGC4idNu-3Gwgu5RpeWSwfAb4R_oUP9hzxPbVBg3skLLIxv189ACx1i1p77rxlF6ydsqKXvvxaGzoyHKUl5D8AvyEI/s640/screen-shot-2013-11-18-at-1-02-57-pm.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie while driving can be very dangerous!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It doesn’t come as a surprise to me that Russian internal
ministry released a <i>“selfie safety guide”</i>.
Tourism departments across the world are adding selfie sticks to the “Not
allowed” category. I’m not saying that we should stop taking selfies. If you
like it, please do it. Occasional selfies are good. Even deviating from the
standard social custom and defining your own uber-cool is also acceptable. But
please watch out. There are more modest things that you could have done at the
moment instead of taking a selfie. Your social media feeds are not for
yourself. It is watched by virtuous people too and you need to respect them. Mothers
who take selfies everywhere are unknowingly teaching their kids nonsense. Imperfection
at times is okay and that also is a way of life. You are not obligated to tell
the world, from a restroom, that you look sexy. There are better places to do
that. Please be wary and take heed. Because…..</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Your self respect is always of a high decorum compared to
your Selfie respect. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credits: indiatimes, pinterest and time</span></div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3999895035673750817.post-72453199919411083572016-02-21T22:51:00.000+05:302016-02-21T22:52:52.697+05:30A million dollar question<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought the whole of my mind’s capacity is immense and I
always believed that emotionally, I’m a very strong man. But from past couple
of weeks, my emotional weakness has intensified within me and I’ve started to
know and feel things that I’ve never known or felt before. I’m trying to refuse
to venture into the thought that I’ve conceded defeat, but I’m not able to
fight it. I’ve never seen deaths in my family/friends circle, I’ve never seen
anyone experience hardship and physical agony this hopelessly. My granny is on
death bed from a few weeks and this is the source of my disturbance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMKsWAaGiVpRotOKG5w75RH_7JqzYmR8xXSno-5HWgdv7oUJRz9UrsMZJj65344EHADRJtLWcskemRVxqFKS_iNTef6IyhDhNBWMgPLKe_TK33Sdzmz91lMeMk42ywPOMqBrN44-rRW4/s1600/28032011333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMKsWAaGiVpRotOKG5w75RH_7JqzYmR8xXSno-5HWgdv7oUJRz9UrsMZJj65344EHADRJtLWcskemRVxqFKS_iNTef6IyhDhNBWMgPLKe_TK33Sdzmz91lMeMk42ywPOMqBrN44-rRW4/s400/28032011333.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good old days of my Grandma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the records, she is 93 and is an Alzheimer’s disease
patient from past couple of years. She was fit and fine, she used to read <i>The Deccan Herald</i> everyday and with her
little insights to what is happening around, she used to tell me how messed up
the world is, today. Things changed slowly; she lost control over her memory, she
started hallucinating and could recall only things from past. But all that was
still fine with us because we, at home, were quite used to her absentmindedness
and were pretty much accustomed to her awkward behavior. In fact, at times,
when every other person in the family retaliated to her violent behavior (she
was really uncontrollable sometimes), I nonchalantly disregarded it. Things
have changed so much in the past few months. She is lying there, in the corner
of a room, just breathing. She is making an attempt to speak something but none
of us are able to make any sense of it. She is not recognizing any of us. Her
hands and legs have crumbled being in the same position; her motor functions
are reduced by more than 90%. She has bed sores over her back. She’s going
through an absolute realm of pain & suffering and she is not even able to
express it. Imagine how relentless it is that if a housefly sits on her nose,
she has to make peace with it instead of shooing it away!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tit5Jzx9bhqzbcGWkNfzjx0C4LZXreUDTcBfFNGoyKVhAydFh3RAEbZx_tc6q7ZSgCfLkBK6CXMUvECNCGC66n9m6v9jIX7aCuBG9s-LINc4NoxTg1GcxyB7Vs7oW_wRGmVY3Kv-N7Y/s1600/samhitha+college+ayudhapuja+043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tit5Jzx9bhqzbcGWkNfzjx0C4LZXreUDTcBfFNGoyKVhAydFh3RAEbZx_tc6q7ZSgCfLkBK6CXMUvECNCGC66n9m6v9jIX7aCuBG9s-LINc4NoxTg1GcxyB7Vs7oW_wRGmVY3Kv-N7Y/s400/samhitha+college+ayudhapuja+043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With grandchildren, on her 90th birthday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the midst of it, a good number of my grandmother’s kin
are visiting my home out of purest form of reverence and compassion, for the
sweet and adorable lady that my granny was through her life. Majority of them
talk about how active she was during the prime of her life. One of my cousins
had nick named her “The Mask” because she was so swift that she used to get
coffee from the kitchen like a whirlwind.
Some are making desperate attempts to show that they also care by pretending
to sham and offer help. And of course there those one hundred percent pure
assholes too who are more interested in watching Kannada soaps than empathizing
with us for what happened. I don’t know if she can hear at all; because if she
really does, she would regret having met these people in her life for the rest
of her life. Very few are compassionate and offering every bit of help they
could, in monetary and sensitive terms, to extend her death and keep her alive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have hired a caretaker to look after her. A paramedic
comes home every week to assess her health. We are all doing our best to keep
her alive. But I think this is exactly what is making me very poignant. “Are we
extending the duration of her suffering by trying to keep her alive?” I tried
to discuss this with senior citizens of the family. Some quoted Gita and talked
about <i>“karma”</i> or <i>“soul” </i>and others gave<i> </i>reference<i> </i>to some gradation called <i>“taaratamya”. </i>I don’t have much insight
into these. I am trying to convince myself by thinking that what they say may
be true. The fact that they have seen more deaths and they don’t seem to get unbalanced
by this at all, really surprise me.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7YhvjFlKrhyE_-Ky3OiWyGYGePzFyscu-ZT_LIpIiRocjrFFmw5GyW2gWy1I7tUtYV4eESsfG1R6br1I8ugg_hPOSlvUEacVFK4-v9EDYzqySIF_XB5nruTb3q2fQiGDUUs_X-PWO9M/s1600/IMG_20160123_111431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7YhvjFlKrhyE_-Ky3OiWyGYGePzFyscu-ZT_LIpIiRocjrFFmw5GyW2gWy1I7tUtYV4eESsfG1R6br1I8ugg_hPOSlvUEacVFK4-v9EDYzqySIF_XB5nruTb3q2fQiGDUUs_X-PWO9M/s400/IMG_20160123_111431.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few days before she was bedridden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve always seen people offering prayers for someone to get
well. We’ve always been taught to hope for other’s wellbeing. But here I am, standing,
praying to god to do exactly the opposite. I don’t know if I am responding more
emotionally than is justified or assessing too highly of the scenario; I’ve
been pondering over this for some time. The more I think, the more I realize
that death is the most complicated thing I’ve ever come across in my life so
far. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every time when I am home, when I sit by her side, feeding
her food, when I look at her crumbled legs and hands, this question boggles my
brain: Should we continue to take good care of her which will only prolong her
suffering or should we stop being so conscientious and put an end to her
suffering early and be culpable and guilty for the rest of our lives? This,
trust me, is a million dollar question! </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m badly trying to restore some sanity to my brain!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
A stubbornly persistent illusionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07058062504835839956noreply@blogger.com5