Home!!!

So here I am visiting home after nearly a couple of years. The place I yearned to go all these days and do all the things I used to do.

In fact I was so excited that I was beaming like a little kid when my flight crossed into Indian territorial waters and even cheered aloud when I landed in Bangalore.

I am having a great time no doubt but I cant help but notice that people have drifted apart. I called my friends whose numbers I knew by heart and half their numbers had changed and the other half was nowhere to be found. That was my first indication.

I visited my old haunts but somehow these places were just empty chairs and a few cherished memories. People and not places are what count in the end is what dawned on me. The beach, the old restaurant are just places. Their souls have gone missing.

But then that's what family is there for, the pleasing familiarity is what sets them apart and somehow they always seem to be there. As do a few close friends who are well almost family.

The power of 'The one'

An interesting aside came to me as I was reading about the holocaust. We often hear each other say what can we as an individual do? We are just one man against the might of society. How will we succeed where others have failed.

Thats a gross underestimation of the power of the individual spirit. In the holocaust's case all it took was one man's hatred to turn an entire country against a particular group of people. The cold efficacy with which one man's willing was carried out is a strong testament to the power of the one. I could have chosen the example of Mahatma Gandhi or Nelson Mandela but somehow the fact that the power of the one can cause so much destruction drives the point home just that bit harder.

Furthermore, imagine if someone had to stand up against such hatred the refrain again would have been what can one man do? But then you were up against the one man propagated through all these people he had manipulated.

Harness the power of the one within you to do some good. Its way stronger than you can ever imagine it to be.

PS: This is one video which somehow emphasized the point even more. Read about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

Love thyself

I hear people complain often about how their lives are so unpleasant. How they don't like what they are and wish they could be this and that.

I just don't get it. Don't people realize that the key to ones happiness is to love yourself first?

I am not saying be stubborn and self centered. That's not my point at all.

You should be open to suggestions and criticisms and adapt yourself accordingly but you *got* to love and respect yourself for who you are first.

Remember this- If you wanna be loved for who you are then you got the love that person first.

Cause if you don't nobody will.

Genius

What's it about that man which brings a nation of 1 billion people grinding to a halt. Whose every success or failure is cheered and booed in equal measure. What's it about this man which makes Indians halfway around the world wake up at god forsaken times just to catch a glimpse of him. And lastly what is it about this man which has made us do all those silly things described above for nearly 20 years.

In a word. Genius.

What prompted me to write this article was the incidents of last week, me and my roommate being the lazy folks that we are never once wake up in time even for classes. So the other day when my roommate was awake at close to dawn and bringing the whole house down it had to be something special. And oh it was. The genius was in full flow. Just as he has done all these years, he managed to put a smile(Nay- a cheer) on all and sundry. People forget their momentary sorrows and differences and sit and admire as one. My entire facebook feed was filled with Sachin! How he can bring a country of 1 billion diverse people together is just beyond you and me.

But that's what genius is about- Its the same quality which Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher all seem to posses. When these guys get it going on they can humble the best. They bring the world to their feet and make the world just a little bit happier. Enjoy these geniuses, cause before long they will be gone and all will be left are their memories. They are a special lot and when combined with the humility and grace of people like Sachin they are just that extra bit special.

So Sachin, Rock on! Its been a privilege to have been able to watch you. Thanks for all the memories and keep them coming for a long time to come.

Religious manipulation=terrorism?

Finally got the chance to watch Black Friday(For those interested a good version with subtitles is available at http://www.hulu.com/watch/102523/black-friday).

Black Friday is a movie which is a look at the investigation following the 1993 Mumbai blasts. It explores various aspects of the blasts and its aftermath. What particularly interested and scared me was the fact that its been 16 years since those blasts and yet the possibility that they may occur tomorrow is just as bright as it was all those years ago. The 1993 Mumbai blasts were a direct result or backlash from the 1992/93 riots that ensued in Mumbai following the Babri masjid demolition. The blasts at Mumbai post 2000 were again a direct result of the Gujarat riots which were a backlash from the godhra carnage. The cycle is an endless and bloody one.

It all boils down to the fact that we as humans are a divided lot and there will always be people smart enough to use these divisions to create hatred for their own private gains. It doesn't take much effort for one to instigate us on some grounds against another person, religion or community. All it needs are a few personal references, a few instances showing how we have been oppressed and lo we have your terrorist.

Religion is to blame for most of these follies. It has taught us to be in a herd and stand up for what we believe in without reasoning.Religion doesn't preach violence- Manipulators do. Break the cycle. Do not give them the chance to use us against one another.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi

Reserved!

So it was the summer of 2002 and I was all set to join college. All I had to do was to choose which college I would get into and this meant attending the counselling session. So here I was choosing some mid tier colleges which my mid tier grades would fetch me and suddenly the guy next to me says to his dad- " So dad which college do I get into, there is Anna university but its too far from our place. Maybe MIT(Madras! institute of technology) would be better." This guy with the same grades as me was going to get into one of the top tier colleges in Chennai and his only consideration seemed to be the distance from his house. I was aghast! He practically ruined that day for me. And that my friends, was my first brush with the reservation conundrum. And it left a deep imprint in me which for many days was decidedly anti- reservation.

Fast forward to 2006- I was involved in an organization(Pudiyador.org) that seeks to enrich the lives of kids who are less fortunate than us. As a part of this I was teaching a bunch of 11Th grade kids their physics lessons. I was shocked at the level of knowledge these kids had. They had difficulty doing basic arithmetic and these kids were meant to compete at an equal footing with people like me? And its not like these kids weren't smart. They just had not been provided the opportunity to learn which you and me had got.

This made me realize firstly how lucky I am and secondly what reservation aims to achieve. It aims for a level playing field which is necessitated by the chasm which exists between the have and the have-nots in our country. It aims to do what our public education system cannot. But is it the answer? The primary argument against reservation is that its on the basis of communities and not based on economic condition of the people. A very valid argument. But that's how our country is being operated. Everything works on the basis of religion and we don't seem to be complaining elsewhere. Its only when it affects us directly do we begin to dissect it and point out its frailties.

Reservation is necessary- If out of 10 people who avail the benefits of reservation only 1 truly deserves it then so be it. At least 1 person is getting benefited. The other 9 would have gotten by just fine either way. Until we can bridge the gap in early education between the rich and the poor reservation is here to stay. Whether it evolves to be on the basis of economic status or will it continue by the divisions which we have brought on ourselves only time will tell.

There's something about Monday

The alarm clock rings and you feel like taking the sledgehammer to it.

Why do Mondays have to be day when you have to get up earlier than usual.

People seem to share your opinion- The girl next door has a scowl on her face- She probably had to wake up early too.

Deadlines deadlines deadlines and Friday seems so far away.

There is something draconian about a Monday.

Life seems to be a drag and a fresh start to all our troubles.

The whole world conspires to make your life hell

and you have jerks like this author spreading the cheer.

There is definitely something about a Monday- And no.. not in a good way.

But oh well there is still a Friday to look forward to :)

There's something about friday

There's something about a Friday

Even the alarm clock seems to know it and sings rather cheerfully,

People seem to be happier- the girl next door carries a wide smile,

You go to work and your deadlines seem to melt away with all your other troubles,

Life seems to be a walk in the clouds- Ah its a Friday after all- A temporary end to all our troubles.

Some say Sunday is god's day but then I feel its Friday,

When the whole world conspires to make sure you have a blast

A whistle on your lips and a song on the side

Ah there is definitely something about A Friday.

Walls

We supposedly live in a global world without boundaries- Where we treat people equally- Where we have no preconceived notions of people and what they represent. But do we really? Even the ones among us who say we do. And that includes me.

How many times have we judged a person even before we get to know them- How many times have we judged a person based on where they are from, how they look, what religion they follow, what color they are- We all do this in one form or the other. When is it that we can live in a world where we can work towards a common goal without worrying about all this.

Because until then we have failed as a race.

We are one. The only way to make things happen is to realize that. Make the world a better place for us all. Break down the walls. Erase those boundaries. Make an effort, start today. Have a simple philosophy- Don't do to others what you cant tolerate being done to you.

The indian education hullabaloo

One of my lunch mates these days is an American and the inspiration to pen my thoughts on this topic is a direct result of a conversation I had with him a few days ago.

The Indian guys in the group were explaining how the Indian education system works and it struck me as appalling as to how draconian a system we have. Every time we explained how something works in Indian schools he burst out laughing. And this is a bunch of us coming from the best schools in the country. The idea of learning by rote and the manner of punishments meted out to the so called 'failures' makes the whole concept of schooling irrelevant.

This got me thinking on whats the primary goal of education- UNESCO defines the role of education as follows:

Education should be a means to empower children and adults alike to become active participants in the transformation of their societies. Learning should also focus on the values, attitudes and behaviors which enable individuals to learn to live together in a world characterized by diversity and pluralism.

Does our education system do any of this? We are just hell bent on making stencilled out students confirming to industrial standards with no scope for creative or cultural or social expression. The fact that some have found means to not confirm to these so called rules is a testament to their stubbornness rather than the system through which they have been put through. But what is it that's so really wrong with our system? It lacks one crucial quality - freedom.

Freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom to just do what you want to do. We claim to be a free country and in principle we are but in essence we are curbing the freedom of kids. How many kids get to do what they are good at? Especially if what they are good at is not something which is socially or economically acceptable. How many kids have had to abandon their obvious talent on something and join the rat race to compete at something they are not even interested in. The problem is however more deep rooted than we think and is not limited to the education system. Its society at large. The way we look down upon on someone who does not do well within the established set of rules and goals of the system is despicable. He/she is labelled a failure. Who knows of how many extraordinary talents we lost to this kind of attitude. Its about time this came to an end.

There has to be a change. Every single person is different - allow that expression of difference. That will bring the much needed diversity in our world. All we now have are meaningless copies sput out by the system. The change has to first come in terms of attitude of the society at large - we have to accept that not everyone wants to be an engineer or a doctor or whatever it is that's in fashion now. Parents have to realize that their children are not a means to achieve their dreams or the societies dreams . Give them that freedom. Cultivate and nourish their interests. You ll make truly better people out of them. And yes - they will be able to fend for themselves in this so called dog-eat-dog world.

The way I see it these people will not be the also-rans we are, they will be the head of the curve.

This felt more like a rant than my previous post. :)

ps: An organization which has similar views on education and is doing something about it:

http://pudiyador.org/pudiyador/index.shtml

A rant

Why can't we just do what we want to do,

say what we want to say,

and just be what we want to be.

Why do we always have to live someone else's life,

doing things the way they are 'meant' to be done,

leading a life of conformance and acceptance.

Is it really that hard?

Why cant we all just Live.

The truth about lies

girl: Am I getting fat?

guy: (Without a moment's hesitation) Of course not, In fact I think you have lost a bit of weight recently.

girl: Wow that girl sure is pretty.

guy: Oh no.. Not as pretty as you. (While secretly thinking woo hoo What a girl!)

teacher: Where is your homework?

student: My cow ate it.

Now unless you are a Gandhian I am sure your responses to the above situations might have been just as dishonest(Probably a bit more imaginative). Why do people lie? Is lying really such a bad thing as most people around me keep telling me?

Before I penned this down I thought of all the lies I cooked up over this week. Almost all of them had the same effect. They just made people happy or more comfortable about you or themselves. Take the teacher example: Now find me one person who thinks that's a worse response than telling the teacher I was too lazy to do it or that I was too busy having fun to be worried by mundane things like my homework. The thing about lies is as long as they dont hurt anybody they are perfectly acceptable.

So...Keep lying. It makes the world a better place.

Disclaimer: Dont refresh your memory to see when I was lying and when I was not. If what I said was something nice I probably was lying ;)

Abyss

Its happening all over again,
All I can see is light all around and a speck of darkness in the end.

I feel light.. I am laughing....
The inevitability of the darkness fails to cloud my euphoria,
But its there, present and threatening to take over and plunge me into the depths of despair.

Suddenly its dark and I can see light at the end of the tunnel
I am falling.. Into an abyss.

Love....

"I go to office daily, come home, eat and sleep and wait for the weekends." Sounds familiar? Well that's the only response I get from the mid 20's crowd when asked the generic and loaded question "How's life?". At this point I can bet a few of you are thinking this fella has got the title of the blog as Love and is rambling about something totally different, has he truly lost it?

Well No, I haven't quite lost it, at least not yet. Here's love in a whole new perspective and the most important kind of love we all need to pursue but don't.
Whats the one thing around which your life revolves? Whats the one thing you spend most of your time and effort on?
Its what you do.
So why do you whatever it is that you do? Do you enjoy it? Do you truly deeply and madly love it? I can't think of one person I know who ll answer in the affirmative to this including yours truly. So what do we do about it?

Follow your heart. Just do what you love. Some may say this is wistful, impractical even downright crazy but there is sense to all this madness. If you do something which you love doing you ll inevitably be good at it. Its a rare gift to know what you love to do. Many people(me included) are not that gifted and that's what stops them from taking the step into the unknown. Don't throw away that gift, Its your key to 'true happiness'.

PS: I was inspired to write this after reading this:
http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html

Its all about money honey! Or is it?

Calvin:True friends are hard to come by ... I need more money.

Happiness is a tricky concept. You cant quantify it neither can you be really sure of it. Whats that got to do with the title? Well inexorably the biggest link to happiness is through yet another tricky concept. That of money.

Lets not kid ourselves here. I am not going to be one of those guys with their ludicrous views that money aint essential at all. You need it unless you intend to live like an animal. You need money to survive and live in a civilized and respectable way but once that is taken care of do you really need it? My view on this is you do but how much is anyone's guess, that's a rather personal choice. Somehow all my introspection and the posts which result from that wind up on the concept of "True Happiness". I think I mentioned it in my last post to be truly happy live life like a kid. I again have to return to that holy grail: True happiness. Give yourself a minute and think about the last thing in the recent past which made you 'Truly' happy and I can bet that it did not involve money.

So whats this true happiness thing I keep harping about. So when are you truly happy? Say people earn a million bucks a year but just absolutely hate their job and wish they would rather be doing something other than earning all this money. The same people once in a while get to spend that money and 'believe' that makes them happy. For me the bottom line is if happiness is tied to money you can never be truly happy and live life the way it is to be lived.
You ll never be rich enough and consequently never be happy enough. Money is just the means to reach the 'truly happy' state but not a end and be all in itself.

The most important things which I feel are needed to be truly happy(In no particular order)
Love...
Wait hang on. That's all you need.

That's another post for another day and don't worry its not going to be a corny one involving flowers and heart shaped thingies.

Why do we have to grow up?

Writing this on the eve of yet another year passing on in my eventful life.
How I wish I was a kid again. (Mind you there are people who believe that I never crossed that stage ;) ). On a more serious note though I really cannot think of one advantage of growing up. All the pressures of getting a career, making relationships work, not pissing off the right people. As a kid you can just say to hell with it. Try to remember the last time you were as happy as when you were first given a toy car to drive. I guess a part of it has to do with the novelty factor. As you grow up totally new experiences are hard to come by.

As a kid you cant wait to grow up but once you are there you think what the fuss was all about. Life is weird in that way. You keep wanting something and then when you get it its never good as you imagined it would be.

My opinion on all this: Live life like a kid: Cherish every small experience, look for random new experiences and most importantly bring out the child in you. You cant possibly be any happier.
:)