Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.
In today's wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sown, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed and children scarred.
To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
The soldiers courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such.
For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting.
And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe and, perhaps most powerfully, their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict.
At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in the Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden.
Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one's own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago: "I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'oughtness' that forever confronts him."
We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of deprivation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Extracts from the speech
The best lines from Obama's noble prize acceptance speech. Obama has slipped down on my fan list but there is a beauty in strong prose. Obama said a lot of things and he left some unsaid. He mentioned Gulf war 1 and Afghanistan invasion but not the Iraq war. The context tells us a lot
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING
Its an old forward that I had saved long time back. Read it after a long long time and it felt so true
BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!
What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...
We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."
FATE DETERMINES WHO COMES INTO OUR LIVES.....HEART DETERMINES WHO STAYS
BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!
What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends... maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...
We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."
FATE DETERMINES WHO COMES INTO OUR LIVES.....HEART DETERMINES WHO STAYS
Saturday, December 5, 2009
cat tomorrow
I am playing the most slow placed game in history. There is a dart-board and I have darts. However, there are two quirky rules- I can throw only one dart a year and I will settle only for the bulls-eye.
3rd attempt and counting.
I know what I want and I will fight the hardest to get it.
Time to kill the CAT.
Signing off for tonight
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
From tha archives-nahin,ek ghazal
Beyond my poetry and prose in English, I have also occasionally dabbled in writing poetry in Hindi, or o be more specific ghazals(Hindi and Urdu for a large part of history was the same language written in different scripts). This ghazal(the first one I ever completed) does not really adhere to traditional rhyme and meter. Thats why I call my blog disjointed verses.
By the way, I use the takhallus,(poetic pseudonym) Daag . Urdu poetry has this tradition that the poet in the last sher(stanza refers back to himself in the third person).
There is a story behind this ghazal and indeed there is a theme that connects all the ghazals I have written till now(I have written so less that its possible). But that story of solitude and loneliness is another blog post. This ghazal was part of my second year of engineering magazine(around three and a half years old.) Time flows.
By the way, I use the takhallus,(poetic pseudonym) Daag . Urdu poetry has this tradition that the poet in the last sher(stanza refers back to himself in the third person).
There is a story behind this ghazal and indeed there is a theme that connects all the ghazals I have written till now(I have written so less that its possible). But that story of solitude and loneliness is another blog post. This ghazal was part of my second year of engineering magazine(around three and a half years old.) Time flows.
Nahin, ek ghazal
Usne mujhe aashiq kahke taal diya,magar
Baat mein uski ek jaadu tha jo main rootha bhee nahin.
Kehti hai khel hain sab,magar mujhe bataaye woh aaj
Aag agar idhar hai to kya dhuan udhar nahin.
Ye khumar nahin suroor hai tera kya bataaon tumhe,
main tere ishq mein yun dooba ki jaaga hi nahin.
Main uske do isharon mein hee sab samajh jaata hoon,
Woh teen lafzon mein bhee kyun haal bata paati nahin.
Wahi meri munsif hai, wahi meri qaatil bhee,
Mere ishq ke haq mein phaisla degi ya nahin.
'Daag', jal rahee hai ek ghazal seene mein,
Arz karta hoon baar-baar, phir bhee kyun bujhtee nahin.
Baat mein uski ek jaadu tha jo main rootha bhee nahin.
Kehti hai khel hain sab,magar mujhe bataaye woh aaj
Aag agar idhar hai to kya dhuan udhar nahin.
Ye khumar nahin suroor hai tera kya bataaon tumhe,
main tere ishq mein yun dooba ki jaaga hi nahin.
Main uske do isharon mein hee sab samajh jaata hoon,
Woh teen lafzon mein bhee kyun haal bata paati nahin.
Wahi meri munsif hai, wahi meri qaatil bhee,
Mere ishq ke haq mein phaisla degi ya nahin.
'Daag', jal rahee hai ek ghazal seene mein,
Arz karta hoon baar-baar, phir bhee kyun bujhtee nahin.
Syed Ashraf Husain 'Daag'
नहीं, एक ग़ज़ल
उसने मुझे आशिक कहके ताल दिया,मगर
बात में उसकी एक जादू था जो मैं रूठा भी नहीं |
कहती है खेल हैं सब,मगर मुझे बताये वोह आज
आग अगर इधर है तो क्या धुआं उधर नहीं |
ये खुमार नहीं सुरूर है तेरा क्या बताओं तुम्हे,
मैं तेरे इश्क में यूँ डूबा की जागा ही नहीं |
मैं उसके दो इशारों में ही सब समझ जाता हूँ,
वोह तीन लफ़्ज़ों में भी क्यूँ हाल बता पाती नहीं |
वही मेरी मुंसिफ है, वही मेरी कातिल भी,
मेरे इश्क के हक में फैसला देगी या नहीं |
'दाग़', जल रही है एक ग़ज़ल सीने में,
अर्ज़ करता हूँ बार-बारफ़, फिर भी क्यूँ बुझती नहीं .|
बात में उसकी एक जादू था जो मैं रूठा भी नहीं |
कहती है खेल हैं सब,मगर मुझे बताये वोह आज
आग अगर इधर है तो क्या धुआं उधर नहीं |
ये खुमार नहीं सुरूर है तेरा क्या बताओं तुम्हे,
मैं तेरे इश्क में यूँ डूबा की जागा ही नहीं |
मैं उसके दो इशारों में ही सब समझ जाता हूँ,
वोह तीन लफ़्ज़ों में भी क्यूँ हाल बता पाती नहीं |
वही मेरी मुंसिफ है, वही मेरी कातिल भी,
मेरे इश्क के हक में फैसला देगी या नहीं |
'दाग़', जल रही है एक ग़ज़ल सीने में,
अर्ज़ करता हूँ बार-बारफ़, फिर भी क्यूँ बुझती नहीं .|
स्येद अशरफ हुसैन 'दाग़ '
Monday, November 16, 2009
And then once in a while
I must confess, I am an obsessive web-surfer. I can surf bbcnews, nytimes.com ,wikipedia etc for hours. I enjoy reading the stuff in news and the mundane stuff which is not.
And then once in while ,I read some thing that breaks my heart. So while surfing bbcnews, I read this article about a woman who had gone drinking leaving her kids at home and it left me disturbed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8362815.stm
I am not a big emotional wreck who cries at each and every moment. However the description of the kids situation was pretty saddening. There are some folks who don't deserve to be sad. Kids are one of them.
Anyway from the article:-
I hope the kids are happy now and I hope the mother realizes, there is no injustice and cruelty greater than cruelty to the weak, innocent and the helpless.
I would be too judgemental but I do wish the mother one day may feel genuine regret and remorse.
There is no bigger and sharper prick than that of the conscience.
And then once in while ,I read some thing that breaks my heart. So while surfing bbcnews, I read this article about a woman who had gone drinking leaving her kids at home and it left me disturbed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8362815.stm
I am not a big emotional wreck who cries at each and every moment. However the description of the kids situation was pretty saddening. There are some folks who don't deserve to be sad. Kids are one of them.
Anyway from the article:-
The eldest daughter was leaning out of the lounge window, was rain-soaked and had been crying, he said.I think it was the description of the four year old girl trying to feed her brother that set the rage and the outrage off. There is a feeling of helplessness there, a desperation that transcends boundaries and cultures.Stevenson's one-year-old son was "hysterical" in his cot upstairs.
The youngster was soaked in urine as was the three-month-old boy who was also covered in sick in his cot.
The four-year-old girl had tried to feed the baby by using chairs to climb up to a kitchen cupboard and reach a tin of milk powder.
I hope the kids are happy now and I hope the mother realizes, there is no injustice and cruelty greater than cruelty to the weak, innocent and the helpless.
I would be too judgemental but I do wish the mother one day may feel genuine regret and remorse.
There is no bigger and sharper prick than that of the conscience.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Am I confused?
Oh yes I am.
I was reading this guys article recently who could not decide whether to pursue a MBA or stay on with his company who were sending him to US. He said ,"I am a very confused person".
I read it , thought for a while and realized if he is in the kingdom of the confused, I am the realm's emperor.
So as a record for posterity, I will list down the choices that I have faced:-
a) Let me put it simply. If I could, I would have split into nine and followed nine different professions. And this is at the minimum.
b) I actually wanted to be a lawyer but told myself there are already too many lawyers out there.
c) One of the most gut-wrenching decisions has been the army. Being an army brat, I gave it serious thought but later decided I could not live out my life preparing for a war that never happens. Also to explain the disconnect I have reached the conclusion that there is a greater possibility of me contributing positively to the community in other roles.
d) I wanted to my BA honours in English and go into journalism. firstly my parents thought pretty low of journalist. Secondly, when I met the ex-head of Allahabad University's English department(he incidentally had taught my mother), he told me that the English curriculum is not challenging and a bright student like me will find it dry. Yes, there was a time when I was considered bright.
e) I wanted to be a doctor and this was also a pretty serious fling. It was only once I had sat for the medical entrance exams and qualified for dental that I suddenly realized, medicine as a career was a full time commitment and I really could not wait till 30 to be financially independent. (5.5 years MBBS, 3 years MD, 2 years D.Ch. Add a few years here and there and you have life starting at 31-32. Not moi.)
f) I had looked at the physics in class 11th and immediately swapped hindi for maths. So engineering was my option. I thought I could be more creative in engineering(Ah ,the days of innocence). I gave IIT a good attempt and joined computers engineering at AIT(when NIT Warrangal plans got torpedoed by the dammed naxals. Its another story),coz everyone convinced me I had an obession about computers.
g) I had also wanted to be a gelologist,a marine archaelogist, a marine engineer(gave it up when a relative in the merchant navy,told me put it after the last last option.) and also a historian. None were to be.
Now these were options that I have pretty much closed. Lets come to the options that unfortunately are not.
h) I wanted to do my PhD in computers. Now I am thinking about management. However a doctorate will push me into teaching and academic roles. I am not sure if I want that
i) I want to do my MBA and this is what I hope to soon pursue. However even here I am unsure if I want a long term plan or a short term plan. I like the short term idea. Work for six years and explore other options
j) I think somewhere in the future I want to set up my NGO to help others. However I am surprised how easily money can fill up the need of job-satisfaction.
k) I am still thinking of an IAS attempt as a viable career move. However I am unsure whether I want to commit.
l) I am also writing a book which is stuck at 15% mark. I also desire to be a motivational speaker and tour the world.
So dont talk to me aout how confused you are. I am way ahead of everybody.
And I think I missed out a few options
I was reading this guys article recently who could not decide whether to pursue a MBA or stay on with his company who were sending him to US. He said ,"I am a very confused person".
I read it , thought for a while and realized if he is in the kingdom of the confused, I am the realm's emperor.
So as a record for posterity, I will list down the choices that I have faced:-
a) Let me put it simply. If I could, I would have split into nine and followed nine different professions. And this is at the minimum.
b) I actually wanted to be a lawyer but told myself there are already too many lawyers out there.
c) One of the most gut-wrenching decisions has been the army. Being an army brat, I gave it serious thought but later decided I could not live out my life preparing for a war that never happens. Also to explain the disconnect I have reached the conclusion that there is a greater possibility of me contributing positively to the community in other roles.
d) I wanted to my BA honours in English and go into journalism. firstly my parents thought pretty low of journalist. Secondly, when I met the ex-head of Allahabad University's English department(he incidentally had taught my mother), he told me that the English curriculum is not challenging and a bright student like me will find it dry. Yes, there was a time when I was considered bright.
e) I wanted to be a doctor and this was also a pretty serious fling. It was only once I had sat for the medical entrance exams and qualified for dental that I suddenly realized, medicine as a career was a full time commitment and I really could not wait till 30 to be financially independent. (5.5 years MBBS, 3 years MD, 2 years D.Ch. Add a few years here and there and you have life starting at 31-32. Not moi.)
f) I had looked at the physics in class 11th and immediately swapped hindi for maths. So engineering was my option. I thought I could be more creative in engineering(Ah ,the days of innocence). I gave IIT a good attempt and joined computers engineering at AIT(when NIT Warrangal plans got torpedoed by the dammed naxals. Its another story),coz everyone convinced me I had an obession about computers.
g) I had also wanted to be a gelologist,a marine archaelogist, a marine engineer(gave it up when a relative in the merchant navy,told me put it after the last last option.) and also a historian. None were to be.
Now these were options that I have pretty much closed. Lets come to the options that unfortunately are not.
h) I wanted to do my PhD in computers. Now I am thinking about management. However a doctorate will push me into teaching and academic roles. I am not sure if I want that
i) I want to do my MBA and this is what I hope to soon pursue. However even here I am unsure if I want a long term plan or a short term plan. I like the short term idea. Work for six years and explore other options
j) I think somewhere in the future I want to set up my NGO to help others. However I am surprised how easily money can fill up the need of job-satisfaction.
k) I am still thinking of an IAS attempt as a viable career move. However I am unsure whether I want to commit.
l) I am also writing a book which is stuck at 15% mark. I also desire to be a motivational speaker and tour the world.
So dont talk to me aout how confused you are. I am way ahead of everybody.
And I think I missed out a few options
33rd verse. Wisdom of the TAO
I am replacing my desire for power
over others with my efforts
to understand and master myself
in any and all situations.
The things I love....
I have to learn to leave alone.
over others with my efforts
to understand and master myself
in any and all situations.
The things I love....
I have to learn to leave alone.
Simply adore the last line. Even the idea about knowing oneself is powerful.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Feelings
Feelings always seem,
a mirage.
A rainbow sandwich ,
with layers,
unknown,unseen and
untasted.
I bite, I munch, I savor,
I introspect,
And I still dont know,
what I feel for you,
how your memories bring up the tastes,
they do.
Doubt is my enemy,
I know.
There were the sparks,
But I thought it was just a phase,
You and me had nothing in common,
I thought and I told myself.
Now the cycle of doubt completes,
You hang over me and all around,
Like a smog on a wintery morning,
And on a happy day or sad day,
I replay in head again and again,
Your laugh,
Your smiles and the waving of compliments,
Your random new accent.
In times like these,
Where I am myself unsure of the truth,
How do I tell it to you,
For when you will read this here,
You will smell a scent from the past,
And wonder if it's you,
This narcissistic refers to.
a mirage.
A rainbow sandwich ,
with layers,
unknown,unseen and
untasted.
I bite, I munch, I savor,
I introspect,
And I still dont know,
what I feel for you,
how your memories bring up the tastes,
they do.
Doubt is my enemy,
I know.
There were the sparks,
But I thought it was just a phase,
You and me had nothing in common,
I thought and I told myself.
Now the cycle of doubt completes,
You hang over me and all around,
Like a smog on a wintery morning,
And on a happy day or sad day,
I replay in head again and again,
Your laugh,
Your smiles and the waving of compliments,
Your random new accent.
In times like these,
Where I am myself unsure of the truth,
How do I tell it to you,
For when you will read this here,
You will smell a scent from the past,
And wonder if it's you,
This narcissistic refers to.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Realization !
Just read this poem . Liked it. Thought I would share it.
What is within you is better than
What is behind you and ahead of you
We should live like a Lotus leaf
It is surrounded by water but dry
Not a drop of water settles on it
It is detached attachment or nishkama karma
Do your duty and leave the rest to GOD
We have free-will and choice as
we have reason but there is a subtle
distinction between GOD’s will and pleasure
He wills both vice and virtue but
what pleases Him is virtue.
Destiny is real as birth and death
Many are called, but few are Chosen
Self-pity is defeating but hubris is a delusion
we surrender not because we have to but
as we are United in Spirit, the spirit that was
never born and shall never perish !
What is within you is better than
What is behind you and ahead of you
We should live like a Lotus leaf
It is surrounded by water but dry
Not a drop of water settles on it
It is detached attachment or nishkama karma
Do your duty and leave the rest to GOD
We have free-will and choice as
we have reason but there is a subtle
distinction between GOD’s will and pleasure
He wills both vice and virtue but
what pleases Him is virtue.
Destiny is real as birth and death
Many are called, but few are Chosen
Self-pity is defeating but hubris is a delusion
we surrender not because we have to but
as we are United in Spirit, the spirit that was
never born and shall never perish !
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Late night regrets
A dark cloud muffles the stars,
Its now late at night,
Loneliness creeps upto me in the darkness,
And I am there looking at your number.
I want to call,
Feel a frayed connection,
Imaginary or real,
And simply talk my heart out.
I look at the past,
And wonder ifff,
Just if,
I should have taken the risk,
And created magic myself when I could ,
Rather than hope for it to rise from nothing,
For I wonder if just maybe,
Just Maybe,
There could be a story between us
The connection though frayed,
Still exists.
Maybe time has not all,
Run out,
For I still remember you,
Pretty as the flowers,
With the flowers,
But now time has taken you,
So far far away
I ramble,
Delusional,
Hallucinating on a dark night,
Its late and lonely,
And I look at your number.
Again as always,
I wonder if I should call,
For you shall never call,
But I must maintain facades,
And today I feel overcome by regret,
So I shall call when I can again,
Fake the laugh.
And the attitude.
Its now late at night,
Loneliness creeps upto me in the darkness,
And I am there looking at your number.
I want to call,
Feel a frayed connection,
Imaginary or real,
And simply talk my heart out.
I look at the past,
And wonder ifff,
Just if,
I should have taken the risk,
And created magic myself when I could ,
Rather than hope for it to rise from nothing,
For I wonder if just maybe,
Just Maybe,
There could be a story between us
The connection though frayed,
Still exists.
Maybe time has not all,
Run out,
For I still remember you,
Pretty as the flowers,
With the flowers,
But now time has taken you,
So far far away
I ramble,
Delusional,
Hallucinating on a dark night,
Its late and lonely,
And I look at your number.
Again as always,
I wonder if I should call,
For you shall never call,
But I must maintain facades,
And today I feel overcome by regret,
So I shall call when I can again,
Fake the laugh.
And the attitude.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Eid Mubarak
This is a belated Eid Mubarak to everyone around.
This Eid has been the loneliest Eid's ever for me. In the entire mosque there was no one I know. Even in the years I have been away from home, and even last year I always had company. Classmates like nayab,tosif etc. Now they are all elsewhere. After the Eid namaz , I wished Eid Mubarak to the imam with the traditional hug and then some random people. I like the way how you can wish a totally random person Eid Mubarak and he will immediately wish you back.
So passed my Eid namaz. I came home and spent hours calling up relatives. then I gave myself a treat and prepared a multi layered custard as desert for dinner. All I can tell you there were five distinct layers .
Anyway so this Ramzan taught me a ot of things. The early morning five to evening six-thirty fasts were a bit hectic. I would feel very sleepy around 3 and my PM for lack of a socket was sitting next to me. The yawns were devastating. I also learnt I am very weak. However alhamdolillah the month passed. At the beginning it seemed a big task. Now I just dont know where the days flew.
Anyway Ramzan is the month where we forsake food and water.But more than that its the month of self-control. And I realized I was weak in many aspects.
Ramzan is a month to retrospect. I did not really get the time to do it often but still I carry forward valuable lessons.
Untile next year. 320 days left. :)
Eid Mubarak everybody.
This Eid has been the loneliest Eid's ever for me. In the entire mosque there was no one I know. Even in the years I have been away from home, and even last year I always had company. Classmates like nayab,tosif etc. Now they are all elsewhere. After the Eid namaz , I wished Eid Mubarak to the imam with the traditional hug and then some random people. I like the way how you can wish a totally random person Eid Mubarak and he will immediately wish you back.
So passed my Eid namaz. I came home and spent hours calling up relatives. then I gave myself a treat and prepared a multi layered custard as desert for dinner. All I can tell you there were five distinct layers .
Anyway so this Ramzan taught me a ot of things. The early morning five to evening six-thirty fasts were a bit hectic. I would feel very sleepy around 3 and my PM for lack of a socket was sitting next to me. The yawns were devastating. I also learnt I am very weak. However alhamdolillah the month passed. At the beginning it seemed a big task. Now I just dont know where the days flew.
Anyway Ramzan is the month where we forsake food and water.But more than that its the month of self-control. And I realized I was weak in many aspects.
Ramzan is a month to retrospect. I did not really get the time to do it often but still I carry forward valuable lessons.
Untile next year. 320 days left. :)
Eid Mubarak everybody.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Beautiful prose
I am now planning to chronicle pieces of prose that I love and I come across. There is a grace when writers use their pen as a brush.
1)Invisible Immigrants, Old and Left With ‘Nobody to Talk To’ Moving article on the plight of lonely parents.
2) Mr. Kennedy took a break to offer his views on the scrutinizing of the private lives of public officials, something with which he clearly was quite familiar. Mr. Kennedy said he had no quarrel with such inquiries.
1)
Invisible Immigrants, Old and Left With ‘Nobody to Talk To’ Moving article on the plight of lonely parents.
2) Mr. Kennedy took a break to offer his views on the scrutinizing of the private lives of public officials, something with which he clearly was quite familiar. Mr. Kennedy said he had no quarrel with such inquiries.
“But do I think it tells the whole story of character? No I truly do not,” he wrote. Men and women, he said, are more complicated than that. “Some people make mistakes and try to learn from them and do better. Our sins don’t define the whole picture of who we are.”
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What was that?
I was upto my nose in work related to the new project when an aquaintance who works in the same building comes to look me and Dharam up as we have shifted to the building ,she works in.
I take a break from work to say hello and chat for 2-3 minutes.
Somparna- Chalo yaar ciao. Have fun.
Me-Oye wait for 2 more min
Somparna-Why ( puzzled)?
Me- We are just about to start a gilli danda match. Have fun after-all.
Me continuing-Its one in the day. How the hell do we have fun at work.
Somparna-Aaargh.Nooo
I take a break from work to say hello and chat for 2-3 minutes.
Somparna- Chalo yaar ciao. Have fun.
Me-Oye wait for 2 more min
Somparna-Why ( puzzled)?
Me- We are just about to start a gilli danda match. Have fun after-all.
Me continuing-Its one in the day. How the hell do we have fun at work.
Somparna-Aaargh.Nooo
Stop a moment
"Take a deep breath, and let yourself imagine, just for a second, that the arc of history does, in fact, bend toward justice."
I just read this line in an article on NYTimes. Beautiful line.
Have a nice day.
I just read this line in an article on NYTimes. Beautiful line.
Have a nice day.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The pages of a closed book ruffle again
"Phir usi bewafa pe marte hai,
Phir wohi zindagi hamaari hai"
The pages of a closed book rustle again,
Someone calls, who I had long ago forgotten,
A wind that had long ago died awakens,
My heart suddenly skips a beat.
Its her again,my heart moans,
Cruel crusher of love,
Heartless destroyer of a poet's heart,
And a brazen pretender as if nothing happened.
I spent years forgetting her,
Telling myself each day its all over,
Till I myself grew blind to the realities,
But someone returns from the past,
Destroying the calm,still the same heartbreaker as ever,
And I suddenly despair on realizing,
Love even if one-sided,never dies,
And she will haunt me forever
Phir wohi zindagi hamaari hai"
The pages of a closed book rustle again,
Someone calls, who I had long ago forgotten,
A wind that had long ago died awakens,
My heart suddenly skips a beat.
Its her again,my heart moans,
Cruel crusher of love,
Heartless destroyer of a poet's heart,
And a brazen pretender as if nothing happened.
I spent years forgetting her,
Telling myself each day its all over,
Till I myself grew blind to the realities,
But someone returns from the past,
Destroying the calm,still the same heartbreaker as ever,
And I suddenly despair on realizing,
Love even if one-sided,never dies,
And she will haunt me forever
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Toastmasters Project 4
This is my toastmaster's project 4 speech. Having realized previously the importance of humour, I wanted a totally humorous speech, so that the audiences attention is fully captured. Also with a club level humorous speech contest coming up next week, I wanted a trial run of the speech.
It went well. The audience was literally in splits.
Dial M for
Dial M for Murder. Ooops sorry, I got carried away.. M mean something else not murder definitely. But for now I will keep u guessing.
Let’s say we Indians have a special affinity for the M word. Which M word ? That M word. The one that everyone wants to experience. Yet most of the people who experience think they were better off, without it.
Folk its M for marriage
As western culture is fixated with love, Indian culture has an obsession with marriage. Since ancient times marriage is part of our psychology. And its firmly grounded there. Marriage seems to be the start of a settled life. For parent’s it seems till the times their children are not married, their duties are still not done. So the moment the child becomes eligible for marriage he/she is prodded into thinking about marriage. Don’t smile people. I know since the day you got your married each of you have at least one mused about marriage
Now talking about marriage let me put it this way. I am an unwilling iconoclast.
I firmly believe marriage is not a small thing. Its not even a word. Marriage is a complete sentence… A life sentence….
I can see a few people smiling. We all know when a newly married guy smiles but when he smiles after 10 years of marriage is when everyone is flummoxed.
There are lines from Salman Rushdie’s novel Shame that I love “I don’t believe in arranged marriages. There are some things you should not be able to blame your poor parents for”. Tragically the day I recited these lines to my parents, they developed a deep animosity for the author. How can someone say this ? It is our duty?
Everytime I hear words like marriage and duty, I remember the idea of firing a gun held someone else’s shoulder. Mine unfortunately.
Indian parents suddenly develop this attachment to rituals and culture which can be a bit to the kids disadvantage.
My dad said the other day,”Son I left the decision of marriage to my sisters and relatives and it has been a very good journey . You should also do the same.” It was a family function. I looked around and I could see the past when I was ten years old or so. As the only male kid with nearly 10 sisters as first cousins in my age group, I grew up indeed in a disadvantaged position. Relatives would come visiting and my sister would team up with her other cousin sisters. The attack would be sudden. “Charge” is all I would hear and next moment I would be getting beaten to a pulp in a fight I had already lost. “Resistance is futile” could very have been their theme.
So as I remembered those moments, fear took hold of me again and I literally begged my parents to promise that if a time came that I was desperate enough to allow them to choose a match, the task shall not be out sourced to any sisters. If they could have beaten me to pulp as a child, imagine the havoc they could create now.
Of course my dad refuses to believe I even have a choice. "Son ,you don’t have the right to choose your own match. That is with me". With most of the western world world already weary about marriages , we could be the only nation where marriage is a joyful occasion. At family functions these days all those old-old aunts now have nothing else to chat with me about except my marriage. Even when I would insist even the idea is far away they would not stop. So I started to chat with them about funerals.
Instant silence.
All you unmarried people out here ,remember the tip. May help you.
In western civilization if you cant date or fraternize with the opposite sex, YOU WILL die alone and lonely. In India, “ Bapu to dhoond hee denge”. Parent will find a match. The parents finding a bride/groom is a great back-up option. We ,Indians can actually be single and happy. Because parents are there.
Of course arranged marriages are not all that bad. There was this white kid who was asking his father, “Dad I have heard in India, a man does not know his wife till he marries her. Is it true? ”It happens everywhere, son. Everywhere.
Of course with section 377 of Indian Penal Code being struck down suddenly society has had to comprehend a new reality which most do not acknowledge.
"What is the use of the law ?",asked a relative of mine."There are no gays in India".
Sure , I mused. Then who were all those people in the gay pride parade in the metros.
Society may still does not accept gay or lesbian couples but it will change. I have a close friend who recently came out of the closet You can imagine the havoc that happened when the only son told his parents he was gay. His parents went ballistic. But we must give parents the credit that they deserve. Their love for their child remained undiminished, but they did voice their opposition to his choice.
We were talking the other day and somehow the topic veered to marriage. He goes like, ”The problem with choosing my own bride is that my parents wont be happy if the bride does not have the same social status. ” I thought for a moment and said, ”Dude, you are gay. Your parents would be distribute sweets if you ever get a girl home”.
He looks at me and says,”Oh shucks, I forgot I have told them”
I think just to satisfy society, we could have inter-orientation marriages. Imagine an advertisement like “Committed well settled handsome gay couple look for professionally qualified lesbian couple to satisfy parents demand for marriage. Caste no bar. Please send both your horoscopes immediately at desperate-to-satisfy-parents@
Now these days at functions etc people are asking my mom,” What sort of a girl do you want?” When my mother told me this , I was like,”a) I am not getting married and b) even if I am, Why are they asking you. They should be asking me. Its not as if you will be the one marrying.
This again did not go down well with my parents. The world just does not appreciate humour.
I will just give you all one tip about successful marriages that you may not have heard anywhere.
The secret to a successful marriage after so much of research still remains a secret.!!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Toastmasters Project 3 speech text
This is the text of my project 3 speech. You can all see the video in my earlier speech. The basis of this speech is an old college magazine article that I wrote.
However it was totally redone for the speech. /* xyz*/ denote speech instruction
One error of judgment, one stroke of misfortune, a momentarily loss of control, one turn too fast. And it’s all over!/*Pause 3 sec*/
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and welcome guests,
Yes it just takes one moment on the road to change everything. Just one turn too fast and it could just as well be the last.
80,000 people die in road accidents in India each year. What does it mean?
……Someone has just now lost a life in a road accident, and before I finish my speech, there would be another death on the road.
Still the horror never hits us. The day we hear about an acquaintance or a close friend being killed or injured in a road accident I am sure most of us slow down a bit. I know because I vividly remember the day in 12th class when a classmate was crushed by a bus while on his scooter. I never knew the guy even remotely but I can assure you that day I just pushed my scooter a little less hard and so did the rest of us.
You could wonder why the moral lecture? What has another death forgotten in the sands of time got to do with you? I say, everything! Because YOU would probably be driving, today or tomorrow. And when you get behind the wheel you ought to know the mortal danger you are in.
‘I rode at 100 km/hr’ /*Pull your collar up while doing it*/said my friend. That’s 28 m/sec! Measure it and try to imagine covering the distance in a second on foot. It’s impossible. And yet we seldom think twice before using the accelerator while driving.
Maybe some of that callousness would disappear if you were to see the results of rash driving first-hand. Because no description can fully describe the horror of being there. The sound of metal twisting, the wails of the wounded , the moans of the barely conscious, the horror of the onlookers and pain that is unimaginable. Of course there are people who can boast about walking away unhurt from the wreckage of vehicles. But they were just lucky. Death was just enjoying being irrational.
Let’s imagine an accident. Someone is driving, and suddenly he collides with another vehicle at high speeds. Maybe it was not his fault. Maybe the other driver was rash and drunk. But maybe he could have gone a little slower.
And now suppose that person is you. /*Very slow */
After that one moment you wake up to find your leg bent at an impossible angle. But you are too confused to realize it’s broken. Maybe your lungs are filling up with blood because of broken ribs. You are literally drowning in your own blood and there is nothing you can do. I wonder if anyone would like a similar scenario,' to wake up from an accident only to realize you are dying'. There are injuries for which doctors can do nothing more than just move on to the next patient who could probably be saved. Also in India, where you would probably be bundled by bystanders in a rickshaw and sent to a hospital which will probably refuse to accept you for the fear of a police case.
Or you could be like my friend who was hit by a truck in the wee hours on a national highway. No one stopped to help and she lay there in a ditch, for over two hours, dying just 200 meters from the comfort of her home on a chilly morning. It turned out to be a beautiful December day. It was just not so bright for her.
Of course initially, because of shock you will not feel any pain. You can stare at your mangled hands with indifference. But then if you can just survive for some time, then the shock will wear out and you will start feeling pain that you never knew was possible. God forbid, if you had been driving recklessly before the accident then at that moment you are lying there hating yourself. You would probably do anything to go back and set it right. But this is life my friend! What’s done can never be undone.
And if you are counting on surviving the accident, don’t forget it could involve anything -from long lonely months of recuperation in a hospital, the guilt of having caused the death of innocents or even leading a crippled life.
Friends, drive safe. There are only two self -evident truths which I know of and they are that mixing drinking with driving kills and helmets save lives. Only a fool can deny these. So drive knowing the risks. Because the problem is not driving but bad driving.
There is a simple reason why I spoke about accidents the way I did. Why I talked about death as if it was just around the corner. Because if you can imagine the pain after a crash or even better see yourself lying unattended on a stretcher still,/*2 sec pause slow*/ very still; ,/*3 sec pause even slower*/ then maybe you will just be a little easy on the accelerator next time.
Over to you Mr. Toastmaster
However it was totally redone for the speech. /* xyz*/ denote speech instruction
One turn too fast
One error of judgment, one stroke of misfortune, a momentarily loss of control, one turn too fast. And it’s all over!/*Pause 3 sec*/
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters and welcome guests,
Yes it just takes one moment on the road to change everything. Just one turn too fast and it could just as well be the last.
80,000 people die in road accidents in India each year. What does it mean?
……Someone has just now lost a life in a road accident, and before I finish my speech, there would be another death on the road.
Still the horror never hits us. The day we hear about an acquaintance or a close friend being killed or injured in a road accident I am sure most of us slow down a bit. I know because I vividly remember the day in 12th class when a classmate was crushed by a bus while on his scooter. I never knew the guy even remotely but I can assure you that day I just pushed my scooter a little less hard and so did the rest of us.
You could wonder why the moral lecture? What has another death forgotten in the sands of time got to do with you? I say, everything! Because YOU would probably be driving, today or tomorrow. And when you get behind the wheel you ought to know the mortal danger you are in.
‘I rode at 100 km/hr’ /*Pull your collar up while doing it*/said my friend. That’s 28 m/sec! Measure it and try to imagine covering the distance in a second on foot. It’s impossible. And yet we seldom think twice before using the accelerator while driving.
Maybe some of that callousness would disappear if you were to see the results of rash driving first-hand. Because no description can fully describe the horror of being there. The sound of metal twisting, the wails of the wounded , the moans of the barely conscious, the horror of the onlookers and pain that is unimaginable. Of course there are people who can boast about walking away unhurt from the wreckage of vehicles. But they were just lucky. Death was just enjoying being irrational.
Let’s imagine an accident. Someone is driving, and suddenly he collides with another vehicle at high speeds. Maybe it was not his fault. Maybe the other driver was rash and drunk. But maybe he could have gone a little slower.
And now suppose that person is you. /*Very slow */
After that one moment you wake up to find your leg bent at an impossible angle. But you are too confused to realize it’s broken. Maybe your lungs are filling up with blood because of broken ribs. You are literally drowning in your own blood and there is nothing you can do. I wonder if anyone would like a similar scenario,' to wake up from an accident only to realize you are dying'. There are injuries for which doctors can do nothing more than just move on to the next patient who could probably be saved. Also in India, where you would probably be bundled by bystanders in a rickshaw and sent to a hospital which will probably refuse to accept you for the fear of a police case.
Or you could be like my friend who was hit by a truck in the wee hours on a national highway. No one stopped to help and she lay there in a ditch, for over two hours, dying just 200 meters from the comfort of her home on a chilly morning. It turned out to be a beautiful December day. It was just not so bright for her.
Of course initially, because of shock you will not feel any pain. You can stare at your mangled hands with indifference. But then if you can just survive for some time, then the shock will wear out and you will start feeling pain that you never knew was possible. God forbid, if you had been driving recklessly before the accident then at that moment you are lying there hating yourself. You would probably do anything to go back and set it right. But this is life my friend! What’s done can never be undone.
And if you are counting on surviving the accident, don’t forget it could involve anything -from long lonely months of recuperation in a hospital, the guilt of having caused the death of innocents or even leading a crippled life.
Friends, drive safe. There are only two self -evident truths which I know of and they are that mixing drinking with driving kills and helmets save lives. Only a fool can deny these. So drive knowing the risks. Because the problem is not driving but bad driving.
There is a simple reason why I spoke about accidents the way I did. Why I talked about death as if it was just around the corner. Because if you can imagine the pain after a crash or even better see yourself lying unattended on a stretcher still,/*2 sec pause slow*/ very still; ,/*3 sec pause even slower*/ then maybe you will just be a little easy on the accelerator next time.
Over to you Mr. Toastmaster
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Sweet revenge, Toastmasters project 3
So two weeks back, I had lost to another guy in the toastmasters club in the prepared speech section.
My revenge came on Wednesday when I defeated him with my latest speech.
I wanted some more detailed feedback on myself ,so I used my cellphone to record the speech.
The sound is muffled , the video is poor but I think its better think its bett er than nothing.
I come in after about 30 seconds in the video. The speech lasts 5 minutes.
Anyway from the video I realized my pauses are very poor. Also my voice is still not reflecting emotions well. I think the body language and gestures were decent.
the speech is titled 'One turn too fast'
Saturday, August 8, 2009
CAT Update
"Muzamahil ho gaye quvaa 'Ghalib',
Woh anaasir mein aitadaal kahaan"
muzamahil=lethargic, quvaa=powers, anaasiir=elements, aitadaal=moderation
Ghaalib,your powers have become lethargic,
There is no moderation in the elements.
The above is one of my favourite ghaalib sher's. It expresses so eloquently the frustration of a person who is realizing that the powers that he was proud of are vanishing.
I would wonder about my powers as a poet and a writer wondering at times if my best phas was over.
Now recently I have a new angst. I am being openly devastated in the mock-CAts. The last two papers have been the worst. And I managed a score that I had never ever got. Meaning even less than my zero attempt CAT(initial no prep).
So I am wondering now if my powers have eclipsed. Its funny how two bad performances can so thoroughly shake up the confidence.
Anyway this is my hall of shame, my repository of mock cat scores
While I do feel frustrated, I shall still try and hold onto hope. Because I have made a stand here. And I will clear the CAT and join the college I desire to, not what I manage to get. ABCL, I am still coming.
Adios
Woh anaasir mein aitadaal kahaan"
muzamahil=lethargic, quvaa=powers, anaasiir=elements, aitadaal=moderation
Ghaalib,your powers have become lethargic,
There is no moderation in the elements.
The above is one of my favourite ghaalib sher's. It expresses so eloquently the frustration of a person who is realizing that the powers that he was proud of are vanishing.
I would wonder about my powers as a poet and a writer wondering at times if my best phas was over.
Now recently I have a new angst. I am being openly devastated in the mock-CAts. The last two papers have been the worst. And I managed a score that I had never ever got. Meaning even less than my zero attempt CAT(initial no prep).
So I am wondering now if my powers have eclipsed. Its funny how two bad performances can so thoroughly shake up the confidence.
Anyway this is my hall of shame, my repository of mock cat scores
While I do feel frustrated, I shall still try and hold onto hope. Because I have made a stand here. And I will clear the CAT and join the college I desire to, not what I manage to get. ABCL, I am still coming.
Adios
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Be the change you want to be in the world
I have been wondering these last couple of days, what is my contribution to the community and society at large? The answer I have realized is nil and it pricks me.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Thats what resounds in my mind. There are things around that rankle me. Problems with the nation and the community. Its a good idea to lay out the solution and say its easy. The tough part is implementing the idea. Walk the talk they say.
And I know, my conscience will not let me sleep. I will hedge my risks but when the time is right I will put them into action. Of course my parents and relatives take me for a loony. "You have been so brilliant and now you will waste it all for social service. It doesn't pay". This was the response I got from home. But I am stupidly stubborn.
"Sab ke baatein sun leta hoon main chup chaap magar ,
Apne dil ki karte jaana meri aadat hai."
So my aspirations always cloudy become a little more clear. I want to walk a lot of paths. I know one that I will definitely walk.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Thats what resounds in my mind. There are things around that rankle me. Problems with the nation and the community. Its a good idea to lay out the solution and say its easy. The tough part is implementing the idea. Walk the talk they say.
And I know, my conscience will not let me sleep. I will hedge my risks but when the time is right I will put them into action. Of course my parents and relatives take me for a loony. "You have been so brilliant and now you will waste it all for social service. It doesn't pay". This was the response I got from home. But I am stupidly stubborn.
"Sab ke baatein sun leta hoon main chup chaap magar ,
Apne dil ki karte jaana meri aadat hai."
So my aspirations always cloudy become a little more clear. I want to walk a lot of paths. I know one that I will definitely walk.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A year of enslavement :)
So finally a year has passed since I started working. Its been a mixed year. I expected more, got less; I hoped to learn a lot, learnt nothing; I hoped to remain unchanged, I now dont recognize myself in the mirror;I thought I knew myself, now I know the journey of self exporation has just began.
Last year , around this time, I was rich. I was using my parents accounts. Now I am broke. Coz now I burn up my own money.
Anyway now I know the meaning of things I never knew before. I now know I cant really be happy while being employed by someone else. For a short duration I could survive provided I am being paid obscenely high, which again I am not.
Jab agle saal yahi waqt aaa raha hoga,
Kaun jaanta hai kaun kis jagah hoga
Adios
Last year , around this time, I was rich. I was using my parents accounts. Now I am broke. Coz now I burn up my own money.
Anyway now I know the meaning of things I never knew before. I now know I cant really be happy while being employed by someone else. For a short duration I could survive provided I am being paid obscenely high, which again I am not.
Jab agle saal yahi waqt aaa raha hoga,
Kaun jaanta hai kaun kis jagah hoga
Adios
Monday, July 20, 2009
The autopsy of a speech
So I gave a speech last wednesday. This was my project two of the Toastmasters club.As I had procrastinated for nearly five months since my lst project, I had hoped to write a good speech. And I did before the speech think I had managed a pretty decent speech.
The text of the speech is two posts down.
Anyway then my 5 month duration speech was challenged by a guy who had at night written a speech.
I am not a bad orator. I know my strengths. In tostmasters meet , I m regularly the best speaker in the on the spot sessions and was also the best speaker when I gave my speech last time.
When I finished, I listened to the ovation and I thought I had done a pretty good job. Then in the table-topics I was good as usual. And then I could hear the silence within me when the results came in. I lost in both sections. This was something totally unexpected. Of all the meeting I have attended since Jan,this was the first time I had won nothing.
Let me confess,I am a sore loser. If I play a game to win, I hate it when its otherwise. Thats why I dont enjoy ludo. Its too much of luck.
So I tried to be magnaminous in defeat, congratulating the winner but inside there was all turmoil.
There are reasons to bitch about. The winner is choosen by an audience vote and because there was no way to write the names of people I think I lost a few votes in confusion.
But why did I loose in the prepared speech contest? The speech was good, but I didn't make the audience laugh. That ws my fault. The speech was just too serious. However the oppositions speech was also not that great. It was just one long story and some speech.
So I shall come back with a vegenance. I am planning to give project 3 in the next speech to reclaim my honour.
Shall keep you posted.
The text of the speech is two posts down.
Anyway then my 5 month duration speech was challenged by a guy who had at night written a speech.
I am not a bad orator. I know my strengths. In tostmasters meet , I m regularly the best speaker in the on the spot sessions and was also the best speaker when I gave my speech last time.
When I finished, I listened to the ovation and I thought I had done a pretty good job. Then in the table-topics I was good as usual. And then I could hear the silence within me when the results came in. I lost in both sections. This was something totally unexpected. Of all the meeting I have attended since Jan,this was the first time I had won nothing.
Let me confess,I am a sore loser. If I play a game to win, I hate it when its otherwise. Thats why I dont enjoy ludo. Its too much of luck.
So I tried to be magnaminous in defeat, congratulating the winner but inside there was all turmoil.
There are reasons to bitch about. The winner is choosen by an audience vote and because there was no way to write the names of people I think I lost a few votes in confusion.
But why did I loose in the prepared speech contest? The speech was good, but I didn't make the audience laugh. That ws my fault. The speech was just too serious. However the oppositions speech was also not that great. It was just one long story and some speech.
So I shall come back with a vegenance. I am planning to give project 3 in the next speech to reclaim my honour.
Shall keep you posted.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The way of the TAO
'I choose to enjoy living the great mystery. The Tao that can be named is not the Tao.'
So I have brought this extremely thin book on the 88 verses of Tao. I was just browsing in the campus book-store and I come across this gem of a book. I had free discount coupons at home but I decided not to risk the edition being snatched before I could come back. So I bought it.
And now I am intoxicated after having drunk deep poetry.
'My work when it is done ,is forgotten. That is why it lasts forever.'
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Secret-Toastmasters international project two
Good Evening Toastmaster ,fellow toast masters and honored guests.
It is written in the toastmaster manual that in case of a prepared speech, one must begin by doing something to arouse the curiosity of the audience or they may get bored and not really listen. But I disagree. I would not mind if some of you were to wander off in my speech. Because I am going to tell you a secret. One that all of us know but never acknowledge. And this secret can change your life.
I begin this tale with a story. In early 1940s a daughter was prematurely born as the 20th of 22 children to a black couple in Tennyssee, USA. Despite the complications, because the couple were black, the local white hospital refused to treat the child. And because the couple were very poor, they could not afford to spend money going to the doctor in the neighboring county. But the child was a born fighter and she survived. However tragedy struck soon when their daughter was diagnosed with polio. “She will never be able to walk”, was what the doctors told her parent. But the mother hoped against hope and took the child for weekly therapy sessions. By the age of ten the child could walk with leg braces. Pretty much like the young Forest Gump in that immortal movie. Then one day the mother returned home to find Wilma playing basketball without the leg braces. Some called it a miracle. I think human will had triumphed.
Why some may ask is this story relevant. It is important as I look around and I find so many people miserable with where they are, unhappy with who they are. They stand convinced that there is something lacking in them and they deserve all the misery. I wonder if they are right?
Let us all look inside. Are there things that make us unhappy, are there things we want to change? And are these the very things that we believe we cannot change ourselves.
Yes, my friends, there are things that we want to do but never get around to doing it because we think its just too big a task for us. We are intimidated by the odds even before we start.
But there is a truth is that we all forget. The secret that we never say out loud. And that truth is that our happiness is in our own hands. Do you believe this? Even if you do not say to yourself, My happiness is in my hands.
What do I mean by happiness is in our own hands. Does it mean we should accept whatever happens to us. Does it mean that even after a particularly bad day in office you don’t have the right to be unhappy. Maybe your code just refused to work. Or you think your efforts are not being appreciated and you got unwarranted criticism. Am I telling you to still be happy?
No, while you have the right to be miserable, I insist that you realize that your happiness is within you. No one else controls your happiness. We have within us to end up where-ever we want to be.
Human will has always had the upper hand. We as humans wonder –“Can I do it?” and frequently fail to convince even ourselves that we can achieve it. I ask all of you, why don’t we ask “Why can’t I do it”. Because I can assure the day we do, we will ourselves realize that all our limits are made by ourselves only. We believe in our limitations and so they exist.
Helen Keller was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She did it because she did not believe in her limitations.
There is a band that I listen to on the web sometimes. The funny thing is that the band consists of only one person who is the singer, the lead guitarist, the sound technician as well as the drummer. Only one person in the band. I think you could all imagine how bad it would sound.
The band is deafboyone and the only member of the band is deaf. Imagine being a musician and not being able to hear. Yet Deafboy one makes wonderful music. The lyrics of one song are “I am standing across the crowded bar. I can see what she wants, But you. You have to shout!”. The deaf singer instead of being unhappy pokes fun at all of us who cannot understand sign language. Because he does not need to hear. He can simply see and understand.That is the power of human will and belief in our innate abilities.
Who are you all after-all? What is your inheritance ,your identity? You all are humans bestowed with free will and intelligence far above animals.
They say man is an ape. But are apes human? All of you must know that chimpanzees our closest relatives can be taught language and how to communicate. But do you know, psychologists have realized that even when a chimpanzee has been taught how to ask for a fruit through signs, he just wont do it. They just don’t get the utility of a language.
And that’s why I say while man may have evolved from monkeys, we are no apes. As humans you are not bound to follow the herd. And those who do ,please, please quit the herd mentality. Stop monkeying around
So how do you go about claiming your happiness. Firstly tell , yourself that only you are responsible for your happiness. They say we let others be responsible for our unhappiness by giving them that power.
Take it back and hold your happiness within yourself.
Secondly believe in your abilities and your strength. You are not another human. You are A HUMAN, capable of splitting the atom and conquering the deepest oceans.
Thirdly think how you can achieve your dreams. Plan and if you think its possible take that step towards achieving them. Not all who set about trying to achieve their dreams succeed, but I assure you all of those who try feel satisfied.
I started with a tale about Wilma, the polio affected black girl in Jim Crow South. Wilma was actually a real person. After having taught herself to walk, Wilma became the local school basketball star.
But her achievements and fame do not stop there. In 1960 Wilma Rudolph became the first American lady to win three gold medals in the Olympics’ track and field events. The girl who was not supposed to walk set a world record and became the fastest runner on this planet.
Over to you MOC Kartick
Monday, July 6, 2009
Justice for Marwa Al Sherbini??
So I learnt about this horrible and tragic incident, about a woman who was murdered in court in front of her three year old son, by a man who she had successfully sued for racially insulting her. Where did this incident happen?? Did it happen in some corner of Saudi-Arabia or Iraq? No , it happened in a court in Dresden in Germany.
And did we hear about it? No, we did not. Of the only western media link that I could find about the story was in BBC news.At this moment I must genuinely doubt the media's fairness. When a rabid mullah makes some silly fatwah about the Hijab or some ither thing they will splash it all around. It is implied Muslims must apologize. Its afterall in our name. Who cares if we never gave the permissions?
I dont really support or encourage the Hijab. But I beleive the choice must exist. The woman who chooses to wear the hijaab is not inferior to the one who walks in mini's.
I can assure you this story will send a chill up your spine? Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.
Marwa Sherbini, a 32-year-old Egyptian national was suing her attacker after he insulted her for wearing the Islamic headscarf.
Sherbini stood in court to give evidence against court appeal before German man took out a knife and stabbed her 18 times.
Marwa took her 3-year old son Mostapha to play in a Dresden park. A German man, identified only as Axel W, insulted her because of wearing headscarf and called her a "terrorist". She filed a case against him in German courts after the incident.
When she won the case and the court fined him the €780 for having abused her. But German man appealed against the verdict, German media said.
Also, her husband and her son were present in the court room. When the assailant attacked Marwa her husband ran to rescue her. But the assailant stabbed him 3 times. Meanwhile, a German security officer in court shot the husband in the leg too.
The husband Elwy Okaz lapsed into a coma and was taken to hospital suffering from serious injuries to the stomach and liver.
Marwa Sherbini was a star pupil at her Alexandria School, El Nasr Girls' College (EGC), one of the oldest and most prestigious educational establishments for girls in Alexandria. Her personality and academic achievements led to her selection as Head Girl of the school before she joined the Faculty of Pharmacy at Alexandria University, graduating in 2000 with flying colors. After she got married to Elwy Okaz, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute, she moved with him to Germany.
HATE-CRIME IGNORED:-
German officials did not acknowleged about bloody event which is taken in front of the 3 year old son's eyes during 24 hours and did not informed Marva's family or Egyptian embassy..
A German official described the incidence as individual and that it was driven out of the so called "feelings of extreme xenophobia." So, now when a German guy stabs a pregnant Egyptian woman eighteen times, he is called "sick," but if an Arab or Muslim does the same with a European or American person, he will be called 'terrorist.'
Also, the media reported that German officials put the son of Sherbinis, Mostafa in an orphanage, rejecting to hand him over Egyptian embassy for send him to family members.
According to father of MArwa who spoked to an Egyptian TV, they learned the killing from a family friend after on a phone conversation after 24 hours.
"My daughter was pregnant in her third month," the heartbroken mother told Egypt's Al-Masri Al-Youm daily on Sunday, July 5.
"I never imagined she would be a victim of terrorism and we would see her pictures in the media."
MY MUSINGS:-
I wonder first of all, why is there not a commotion in the media. How is this incident so underreported. Why no New York Times or a Washington Post article. After all this lady was fighting for her rights peacefully.
Secondly, why is there no enquiry how this happened. How the hell did the murderer stab 18 times a pregnant woman in court and no one intervened.
And why the hell was her husband shot by the police officer.
This incident is not a one off incident. Its an example of increasing Islamophobia in the world. Many people see a media bias. I refuse to beleive. But this incident makes me question. Obama's new dog got a 1000 times more coverage than the death of this lady. May her soul rest in peace. And I hope someone fights her fight.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The season started-- Last sunday
CAT 2009, I am coming. So beware all you competitors, for from the ashes rises a phoenix.
:) So my CAT prep starts. nearly five months. Enough time, I think.
Anyway I gave my first mock cat after nearly 8 months and as expected got bashed to a pulp. In the free AIMCAT got 13 marks in DI, 71 in verbal and 15 in quant. Did not clear two cut-offs. The good part was verbal. My blade is still not broken. According to time coaching out of the the 34053 people all India who took the test my rank was 40th. :) I am inconsistently consistent .
The same was 13000 and 15000 in the other two.
Its a long way to the top. But I have tasted blood and I am coming
:) So my CAT prep starts. nearly five months. Enough time, I think.
Anyway I gave my first mock cat after nearly 8 months and as expected got bashed to a pulp. In the free AIMCAT got 13 marks in DI, 71 in verbal and 15 in quant. Did not clear two cut-offs. The good part was verbal. My blade is still not broken. According to time coaching out of the the 34053 people all India who took the test my rank was 40th. :) I am inconsistently consistent .
The same was 13000 and 15000 in the other two.
Its a long way to the top. But I have tasted blood and I am coming
Monday, June 1, 2009
The future is still unwritten
The future is still unwritten and I am writing it now.
The last couple of days I have been thinking a lot about my future, where I want to be, what I want to be. The choices are flummoxing but I have to evaluate each and every one of them. The way I see it,the time for procrastination and inaction is drawing to a close. The era of dragons is dawning.Mysore has been a decent place. But its time to move on.
After having worked in the IT sector for 10 months, I know what I had seen was a mirage. I dont see a long term career for myself here. Its just not satisfying wasting entire weeks worrying over pieces of inconsequential code. My code failure will not kill.It might have a financial cost to client but that is it. So I have decided to resign somewhere in Jan-March 2010. By that time I would have had 16 months or so of work ex and I think that would be enough in a lot of places. This decision is nearly 99% confirmed but there is always that chance for doubt.
I always wanted to be CEO but now when I look deeper that was just a facade for positions of leadership. A lot of money could stifle that urge but I think less money yet making a difference will not be all that bad.
In my college I wondered where I would like to work,now I wonder what I can do for the rest of my life.
I had choosen MBA over MS long time back and I still stick with it. But I wonder now how different will the work profile be after the degree. I look around and I see many managers with the same degree from the same colleges I aspire and I just have that teeny-weeny doubt.
Since childhood, I had that dream to fly across the oceans and settle in a foreign country. The dream still remains but I wonder if it is wise. Will not it be like the ultimate betrayal. Escaping to better pastors only because you have the option to do so. I have this feeling that I will never be quite at peace if I do not give something back to the community. In the easiest of words, it would simply be selfish. Maybe I lack the capitalist attitude.
So what shall I do when I finally decide to quit? There are multiple options that I have yet to choose from:-
a) Work for an NGO for some time and pursue my MBA. I am exploring the idea. It enthuses me a lot because it would give me a feel of social work. Its good to talk about giving back to society and caring for the poor in eloquent words, its quite another thing to actually walk along those words.
b) Become an entrepreneur . Again there are certain ideas cooking up right now . One idea has infact developed quite a lot but that involves me teaching physics to 12th level students. The plan is good and the cash flow could fund future ventures but I am not sure if that is what I want to be. This idea does not merge too well with my long term career plans. Of course now that I am questioning everything its a good time to ask whether even those goals are based on anything solid or as everything else they are merely wisps of smoke that the next wind shall scatter and merge with the surroundings.
c) Give the Indian civil services a solid try. This is an idea fraught with risks. However there is life little gain without risks. To even start I need to quit everything and study 12 plus hours a day for seven months plus. The civil services or IAS as it is called is the toughest exams in the country with nearly 4.5 lakh applicants in contention for less than 300 seats.
This is as I said earlier fraught with dangers. It could be nearly a year before I realize where exactly I stand but if I can clear this exam the rewards are multi-fold. There is the actual possibility of doing something good for others, the possibility of being agents of change.
d) Fourth option. Keep working at the company I am working presently and quietly head off to the MBA when the chance comes. The only issue is that the work at my company is seldom ever intellectually satisfying. So its more like doing donkey work. It makes no sense to keep working here when I cant see the IT sector as a long term career for myself.
So the future is unwritten and I am writing it now. The trick is to plan.
The last couple of days I have been thinking a lot about my future, where I want to be, what I want to be. The choices are flummoxing but I have to evaluate each and every one of them. The way I see it,the time for procrastination and inaction is drawing to a close. The era of dragons is dawning.Mysore has been a decent place. But its time to move on.
After having worked in the IT sector for 10 months, I know what I had seen was a mirage. I dont see a long term career for myself here. Its just not satisfying wasting entire weeks worrying over pieces of inconsequential code. My code failure will not kill.It might have a financial cost to client but that is it. So I have decided to resign somewhere in Jan-March 2010. By that time I would have had 16 months or so of work ex and I think that would be enough in a lot of places. This decision is nearly 99% confirmed but there is always that chance for doubt.
I always wanted to be CEO but now when I look deeper that was just a facade for positions of leadership. A lot of money could stifle that urge but I think less money yet making a difference will not be all that bad.
In my college I wondered where I would like to work,now I wonder what I can do for the rest of my life.
I had choosen MBA over MS long time back and I still stick with it. But I wonder now how different will the work profile be after the degree. I look around and I see many managers with the same degree from the same colleges I aspire and I just have that teeny-weeny doubt.
Since childhood, I had that dream to fly across the oceans and settle in a foreign country. The dream still remains but I wonder if it is wise. Will not it be like the ultimate betrayal. Escaping to better pastors only because you have the option to do so. I have this feeling that I will never be quite at peace if I do not give something back to the community. In the easiest of words, it would simply be selfish. Maybe I lack the capitalist attitude.
So what shall I do when I finally decide to quit? There are multiple options that I have yet to choose from:-
a) Work for an NGO for some time and pursue my MBA. I am exploring the idea. It enthuses me a lot because it would give me a feel of social work. Its good to talk about giving back to society and caring for the poor in eloquent words, its quite another thing to actually walk along those words.
b) Become an entrepreneur . Again there are certain ideas cooking up right now . One idea has infact developed quite a lot but that involves me teaching physics to 12th level students. The plan is good and the cash flow could fund future ventures but I am not sure if that is what I want to be. This idea does not merge too well with my long term career plans. Of course now that I am questioning everything its a good time to ask whether even those goals are based on anything solid or as everything else they are merely wisps of smoke that the next wind shall scatter and merge with the surroundings.
c) Give the Indian civil services a solid try. This is an idea fraught with risks. However there is life little gain without risks. To even start I need to quit everything and study 12 plus hours a day for seven months plus. The civil services or IAS as it is called is the toughest exams in the country with nearly 4.5 lakh applicants in contention for less than 300 seats.
This is as I said earlier fraught with dangers. It could be nearly a year before I realize where exactly I stand but if I can clear this exam the rewards are multi-fold. There is the actual possibility of doing something good for others, the possibility of being agents of change.
d) Fourth option. Keep working at the company I am working presently and quietly head off to the MBA when the chance comes. The only issue is that the work at my company is seldom ever intellectually satisfying. So its more like doing donkey work. It makes no sense to keep working here when I cant see the IT sector as a long term career for myself.
So the future is unwritten and I am writing it now. The trick is to plan.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Musings
Lonely mornings, a cup of tea,
I think of the world as it whizzes by.
Away from home have I have wandered,
Searching for things I saw far away,
Mirages, illusions and hallucinations it seems,
Far away from home indeed.
And now as I sit about and wonder,
About all my wanderings,
I ask if we have a choice,
A choice to stay rooted.
To the wanderer's I ask?,
Why do we wander so much,
Was it worth it all?
I think of the world as it whizzes by.
Away from home have I have wandered,
Searching for things I saw far away,
Mirages, illusions and hallucinations it seems,
Far away from home indeed.
And now as I sit about and wonder,
About all my wanderings,
I ask if we have a choice,
A choice to stay rooted.
To the wanderer's I ask?,
Why do we wander so much,
Was it worth it all?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Update
So, I have been inactive for nearly a month now and was sporadically active before that so even that does not count much.
However now I am back.
Will blog regularly coz I need to clear my mind. Have decisions to make and some cannot wait
However now I am back.
Will blog regularly coz I need to clear my mind. Have decisions to make and some cannot wait
Sunday, April 19, 2009
As they tear your hopes apart
To watch clicke here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
So I saw this incredible video today of Susan Boyle a participant in Britains Got Talent show. As a 48 year old lady , she comes on stage and is mocked by the audience for saying she wants to be a professional singer and also that there is something sexy to her beyond her age. She confesses she has never been kissed. The audience sneers. Judges mock her and it appears that she is just another side show to amuse the audience so that they can make fun of her dreams. And then she sings," I dream a dream." And no one laughs. Because her voice resounds loud and clear over all those sneers. And even the judges know they were wrong to dismiss her just because she was not that hot babe in a micro-skirt. The song is as beautiful as its lyrics are deep.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high,
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Then I was young and unafraid
When dreams were made and used,
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung,
No wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hopes apart
As they turn your dreams to shame.
And still I dream he'll come to me
And we will live our lives together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seems
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.
I just love the song. She sung it so well that I actually shed tears, though mainly because her voice had that deep quality that stirs something deep within eachof us. No one cries for anyone else, we all cry for ourselves. :)
Enjoy the song and please watch the vi
So I saw this incredible video today of Susan Boyle a participant in Britains Got Talent show. As a 48 year old lady , she comes on stage and is mocked by the audience for saying she wants to be a professional singer and also that there is something sexy to her beyond her age. She confesses she has never been kissed. The audience sneers. Judges mock her and it appears that she is just another side show to amuse the audience so that they can make fun of her dreams. And then she sings," I dream a dream." And no one laughs. Because her voice resounds loud and clear over all those sneers. And even the judges know they were wrong to dismiss her just because she was not that hot babe in a micro-skirt. The song is as beautiful as its lyrics are deep.
I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high,
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Then I was young and unafraid
When dreams were made and used,
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung,
No wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hopes apart
As they turn your dreams to shame.
And still I dream he'll come to me
And we will live our lives together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms
We cannot weather...
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seems
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.
I just love the song. She sung it so well that I actually shed tears, though mainly because her voice had that deep quality that stirs something deep within eachof us. No one cries for anyone else, we all cry for ourselves. :)
Enjoy the song and please watch the vi
Saturday, April 4, 2009
NOT IN MY BLOODY NAME
I was about sleep when I saw this video which absoutely made my blood boil. Its the video of this teenage girl being flogged by the Taliban in the province where Sharia is now being implemented in Pakistan. While many people think Islam to be this atavistic homogeneous entity I have long argued to the contrary.
So this is a video where a girl is being flogged for having come out of the house with a male person who was neither her father or husband. So basically haraam according to a very narrow reading of the Shariah. The video is disturbing to put it mildly. Watch it if you dare at the end of the day only.
Anyway the video has been filmed by a mobile and distributed widely to act as a warning. I find it low and a debasing act.
Because its in my bloody name, I insist on taking the right away as a muslim .I never gave them the right but still I must lodge my protest.The taliban are as misguided fools as Dante.
Its funny how big demons we become when we think our repressions are justified. Islam is not harsh. It's gentle and merciful.
See the video here
So this is a video where a girl is being flogged for having come out of the house with a male person who was neither her father or husband. So basically haraam according to a very narrow reading of the Shariah. The video is disturbing to put it mildly. Watch it if you dare at the end of the day only.
Anyway the video has been filmed by a mobile and distributed widely to act as a warning. I find it low and a debasing act.
Because its in my bloody name, I insist on taking the right away as a muslim .I never gave them the right but still I must lodge my protest.The taliban are as misguided fools as Dante.
Its funny how big demons we become when we think our repressions are justified. Islam is not harsh. It's gentle and merciful.
See the video here
Monday, March 16, 2009
Looking Inwards
Latest pics with my brand new camera.
First pic is the minaret of an ancient mosque in Sriranagapatnam.
Second is pic that I title splendid desolation.
Third is me in the moment
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Everything Explained in three lines.
I have this urge to seek simple explainations for everything. Like a string theory joining all forces , a line that would be forever green. But its a little hard to find that one deep line.
So my room-mate and me have this habit of using 3 lines to explain everything in life. These are the lines that I originally used but now many people who have heard me use the same. To those who wander here, I warn you- The lines that follow are seductive. Turn away now or you may inadvertently muttering these lines at meetings, moments of desolation and who knows where.
When that happens see a shrink but please come back and let me know. So without further ado,I share my wisdom.
(a) Har dil mein armaan hote to hai, bas koi samjhe zara- from the song Tinka-tinka.(Each and every heart has desires within. May the right person understand them)- This is the explaination for the paradox of love and so many other things. This equates the hot gal, the plain jane and the outright scary gal. This is also true for guys. We all have big desires-opposite sex, fame and so many other small and big things. This line explains that the desires will forever exist. Its naturalfor who can tell the heart to stop dreaming of people we will never even come close to.
(b) Humko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin, Dil ko kush rakne ke liye Ghaalib yeh khyaal achcha hai-.A line of poetry from the famous Urdu poet Ghaalib translated as I know the truth about paradise (its a fable and all is a lie) but I will still beleive in it because its a great idea to keep my heart glad. I mostly state only the second line "Dil ko kush rakne ke liye Ghaalib yeh khyaal achcha hai" as an musing when I simply shift my stance. Its the line that I am reminded of when I give failure the label of destiny or fate. Its a line about all the times that we change the timelines of our dreams or even modify the vision itself.
(c) Kisi ko duniya mein mukammal jahaan naheen milta, Kaheen zameen nahin milti, to kahin aasmaan nahin milta. (Another poetry line sayin no one in on this earth finds a perfect world or a state. Somewhere there is not enough land while at other places there is a dearth of sky)- This line explains why the simplest of satisfaction is so hard and elusive to get. We are never satisfied. I ,for one never sleep satisfied at night despite being blessed with so many things. And the tragedy is I do not know what will satisfy me. And there is valid fear that nothing may satisfy me ever.
There are other seconday theories also but their validity is quite limited. Someof them are-
(a) The only reward of hard work is the oppurtunity to do more
(b) Agar zigar mein ho himmat to duniya se bagawat kar lo, Warna jahaan maa-baap kahen wahin shaadi kar lo
So now u go forward and find explaination for the things in life using the above lines. Enjoy the inne perspective about things that these lines bestow.
So my room-mate and me have this habit of using 3 lines to explain everything in life. These are the lines that I originally used but now many people who have heard me use the same. To those who wander here, I warn you- The lines that follow are seductive. Turn away now or you may inadvertently muttering these lines at meetings, moments of desolation and who knows where.
When that happens see a shrink but please come back and let me know. So without further ado,I share my wisdom.
(a) Har dil mein armaan hote to hai, bas koi samjhe zara- from the song Tinka-tinka.(Each and every heart has desires within. May the right person understand them)- This is the explaination for the paradox of love and so many other things. This equates the hot gal, the plain jane and the outright scary gal. This is also true for guys. We all have big desires-opposite sex, fame and so many other small and big things. This line explains that the desires will forever exist. Its naturalfor who can tell the heart to stop dreaming of people we will never even come close to.
(b) Humko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin, Dil ko kush rakne ke liye Ghaalib yeh khyaal achcha hai-.A line of poetry from the famous Urdu poet Ghaalib translated as I know the truth about paradise (its a fable and all is a lie) but I will still beleive in it because its a great idea to keep my heart glad. I mostly state only the second line "Dil ko kush rakne ke liye Ghaalib yeh khyaal achcha hai" as an musing when I simply shift my stance. Its the line that I am reminded of when I give failure the label of destiny or fate. Its a line about all the times that we change the timelines of our dreams or even modify the vision itself.
(c) Kisi ko duniya mein mukammal jahaan naheen milta, Kaheen zameen nahin milti, to kahin aasmaan nahin milta. (Another poetry line sayin no one in on this earth finds a perfect world or a state. Somewhere there is not enough land while at other places there is a dearth of sky)- This line explains why the simplest of satisfaction is so hard and elusive to get. We are never satisfied. I ,for one never sleep satisfied at night despite being blessed with so many things. And the tragedy is I do not know what will satisfy me. And there is valid fear that nothing may satisfy me ever.
There are other seconday theories also but their validity is quite limited. Someof them are-
(a) The only reward of hard work is the oppurtunity to do more
(b) Agar zigar mein ho himmat to duniya se bagawat kar lo, Warna jahaan maa-baap kahen wahin shaadi kar lo
So now u go forward and find explaination for the things in life using the above lines. Enjoy the inne perspective about things that these lines bestow.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Cooking for two, alas three
I take Mysore as the golden period in my life where I must do everything I have ever desired in life because I am unlikely to get the oppurtunity to be in such a small and crappy city again. The city sleeps at nine-thirty. Mysore is small and I spent a miniscule amount of time commuting. This gives me time for a lot of other things. Also I am likely to be on bench for a long long time right now. This may be depressing for many but I adore the idea. I get time for myself and there is no overtime pressure.
So among the things that I always wanted to do was to learn to cook. Now I could always cook a bit but that was very scarce.
Out here in Mysore in the south part of India, the taste of food is rather unsatisfactory. Initially when I was being trained, I could adjust as I thought it was temporal but later when I got posted here I knew it could not continue. So what do three engineers do in front of an intractable problem about taste?
They start to cook dinner.
So while breakfast and lunch during the weekdays is at the work place we mostly cook the dinner. Tragically its still limited to vegetarian fare. But we can cook the entire Indian meal- daal,subzi, chaawal and roti. Along with stuff like raita, desserts like sevain,halwa etc also frequent.
How much have I progressed. I am not very good with the subzi but I can cook the dal and chaawal independently along with some types of vegetables. I am also the weekend breakfast specialist which ranges from dalia, upma to chanae as well as varieties of halwa.
But the most difficult skill I havemastered is rotis. Ladies and gentlemen, kneading the dough or aata is one simple looking skill which is hard as a nut to master. Getting that right consistency is tough and adding water is an art. So many times I ended up with a wet slurry that had to be then added to an equal amount of dry atta. I would be bad mouthing rotis trying to remove all the atta from my hand while my patient flatmate would be improving my disaster. Poor dharam, he really had a lot of patience. He was the only guy who had prior cooking skills worth mentioning.
Now of course I tend to get the consistency of the dough right and my chapattis are large, thin and round. This is a thing which many girls cannot boast of. And I say so because so many girls I know go like "Wow, your chappatis are round.(envy there)". Ladies, the rotis take effort.
And this is an appreciation for all the ladies who cook for thei families. Kudos to you all. Its a hard task. And from my mom to so many women around also work. I would want praise every-day if I was to cook.
A measure of my progress came when some days back we prepared wonderful chole bhatoore, a punjabi dish. It was superb. I said to myself we have crossed a level.
Anyway I have to go now. There is dinner to be cooked. Planning for matar-paneer , daal and rotis. Maybe rice also
So among the things that I always wanted to do was to learn to cook. Now I could always cook a bit but that was very scarce.
Out here in Mysore in the south part of India, the taste of food is rather unsatisfactory. Initially when I was being trained, I could adjust as I thought it was temporal but later when I got posted here I knew it could not continue. So what do three engineers do in front of an intractable problem about taste?
They start to cook dinner.
So while breakfast and lunch during the weekdays is at the work place we mostly cook the dinner. Tragically its still limited to vegetarian fare. But we can cook the entire Indian meal- daal,subzi, chaawal and roti. Along with stuff like raita, desserts like sevain,halwa etc also frequent.
How much have I progressed. I am not very good with the subzi but I can cook the dal and chaawal independently along with some types of vegetables. I am also the weekend breakfast specialist which ranges from dalia, upma to chanae as well as varieties of halwa.
But the most difficult skill I havemastered is rotis. Ladies and gentlemen, kneading the dough or aata is one simple looking skill which is hard as a nut to master. Getting that right consistency is tough and adding water is an art. So many times I ended up with a wet slurry that had to be then added to an equal amount of dry atta. I would be bad mouthing rotis trying to remove all the atta from my hand while my patient flatmate would be improving my disaster. Poor dharam, he really had a lot of patience. He was the only guy who had prior cooking skills worth mentioning.
Now of course I tend to get the consistency of the dough right and my chapattis are large, thin and round. This is a thing which many girls cannot boast of. And I say so because so many girls I know go like "Wow, your chappatis are round.(envy there)". Ladies, the rotis take effort.
And this is an appreciation for all the ladies who cook for thei families. Kudos to you all. Its a hard task. And from my mom to so many women around also work. I would want praise every-day if I was to cook.
A measure of my progress came when some days back we prepared wonderful chole bhatoore, a punjabi dish. It was superb. I said to myself we have crossed a level.
Anyway I have to go now. There is dinner to be cooked. Planning for matar-paneer , daal and rotis. Maybe rice also
Sunday, March 8, 2009
PJ- packet series
An empty mind is a devils workshop. So these days I have been musing about packets with a bias to http packets. Used these jokes to win a geeky contest.
Here are some packet PJs.
Q). What did one packet say tothe other?
Ans-Life is short
Q).What did one virtual circuit or the VOIP packet say to the other?
Ans. Follow me.
Q). What did one packet say to the other while entering the undersea fibre optic cable.
Ans. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Q). What did the other packet reply?
Ans.) Idiot,analyze the dispersion. Its a laser
Q). What did the packet ask the router?
Ans. Are you a higher being
Q.) What did the two UDP packets whisper about the http packet?
Ans. He is so fat
Here are some packet PJs.
Q). What did one packet say tothe other?
Ans-Life is short
Q).What did one virtual circuit or the VOIP packet say to the other?
Ans. Follow me.
Q). What did one packet say to the other while entering the undersea fibre optic cable.
Ans. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Q). What did the other packet reply?
Ans.) Idiot,analyze the dispersion. Its a laser
Q). What did the packet ask the router?
Ans. Are you a higher being
Q.) What did the two UDP packets whisper about the http packet?
Ans. He is so fat
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Darkness at the fringes
So today was a dark dark day.
Things kept adding on till finally I felt like running away from it all.
And now as I sit in my flat I feel the storm in my emotions.Its like sailing through a sea where each wave is larger than the last and finally at the back of the mind comes a thought as to when it ends.
The day paradoxically begins on a pleasant note. There was nothing odd. But it became one of those days where things kept going a bit wrong. Late to work, even late to swipe in, the struts code seeming so alien. And it all added to a dark dark mood.
Then the moment I got home ended up in a war of the words with our house-owner. I dont shirk away from conflicts but that just wasn't the time.
So I wonder how do we know we are in the right place,the right job. Its a tough thought but we must have a job that we forever enjoy.
And the day you just feel like running away from it all, what do you do?I used flexible timings choice to return in six hours instead of 9.25 hours but what if it was not there.
Things kept adding on till finally I felt like running away from it all.
And now as I sit in my flat I feel the storm in my emotions.Its like sailing through a sea where each wave is larger than the last and finally at the back of the mind comes a thought as to when it ends.
The day paradoxically begins on a pleasant note. There was nothing odd. But it became one of those days where things kept going a bit wrong. Late to work, even late to swipe in, the struts code seeming so alien. And it all added to a dark dark mood.
Then the moment I got home ended up in a war of the words with our house-owner. I dont shirk away from conflicts but that just wasn't the time.
So I wonder how do we know we are in the right place,the right job. Its a tough thought but we must have a job that we forever enjoy.
And the day you just feel like running away from it all, what do you do?I used flexible timings choice to return in six hours instead of 9.25 hours but what if it was not there.
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