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.