Boys and Girls

I am sipping a cup of tea in my home’s balcony. Beyond the rain-induced moistness in the air lie the mountainous terrains. Buildings abound and then there lie, at the bottom, the criss-crossing roads and streets, and the ever plying and dodging traffic on them. Beautiful rendition of nature and that is what people and poets alike call the bliss! But I see bliss floating in the eyes and ears of those young kids which are sauntering on the front street right now. Oblivious to the world and unmindful of the life, they are all immersed in the post-school jaunt – some calling others names, some coaxing others to go to the kiosk, some actually snogging Hey, sorry these are not kids, these are adolescent teenagers, if the italicized emphasis of words hit the meaning. They are carefree and careless …..

And so was I, about 10 years back. Diving into the first waves of insouciant manhood from the headland of innocent childhood. It was all expansive as universe, all too imperfect unlike the orderliness of my earlier military school. Yes, a new school happened right at the time when I was feeling a new ‘me’ inside my veins. I could run 10 miles a day, I could solve the Kashmir issue, I could be the Casanova ala Shahrukh, I could actually do everything …. That is how I thought. It was the sudden power of flush of adulthood. I could actually see love happening vis-à-vis the girls. I could savour the beauty of their lips and their body. I could read what love – the everywhere word- had to say. No wonders, I fell in love with every girl I met.

I also questioned why world is so snobbish and selfish. Why religions fight and why do nations war? Why people give bribes to get work done? Why can’t we all be pure …. Questions, questions, questions …. all emanating from the new beauty and reason that I could see radiating everywhere. Why can’t boys and girls mix without inhibition, even if the rightness of it is shown in our movies every time? Why is everything about sex so bad even if the impulses are so pleasing? Why are things forbidden, for God’s sake???

The answers had to be earned though. And it took me a decade to know why things are as they are. The energy is sobered and the mind acclimatized now. But also there is a submitted self to the whims of the world.

I look at those boys and girls again. I look at their effervescent smile and their nonchalant gait. Everyone feeling the warmth of the company, and everyone beaming the same incredulous queries and beliefs about the world. How blissful is that? I suddenly feel envious as I slurp the last drops of my tea.

The Three Sci-Wishes of My Life

It sometimes bewilders me how all the Science and Humanities that I studied in my school and college has started appearing in true valuable forms now. It is only now that I am viewing them as not study subjects but as purveyors of intellect much needed to understand, study and better the life around us.

Every subject is fascinating and has direct implications on our life. But I ever wondered, what would those complex Chemistry Formulae mean in my real life, or how the Physics Motion Laws manifest themselves in front of me, or how the Pancreatic Enzymes ever intrigue me to visualize their churning of my ingested food. These aren’t into-the-face stuff, and really not something which evolve with us as we draw away from books. Something present but also veneered ….Unless we start looking through the stratum and stencil the concepts against the world around us. Every theory then looks substantiated, and every formula proved and used. Just the sheer cognition stretches the imagination and insight alike to newer horizons. How vast is the Universe, How can we define Time, How is our Human Body so precisely defined, Why is F=ma all the time, Where was E=mc2 before one century, How is the quantum level so energy rich, Is there God who designed all this, If not Him then who else? I mean, the questions then ultimately blend into an integrated form of Science, Philosophy, Arts, Theology etc, all culminating in this pursuit of understanding of life.

We are at a strange moment of time. At the start of 20th century, the discovery of electrons, protons, atomic structure, relativity etc was the hallmark; then nuclear fission-fusion, recognition of DNA double helix, design of transistors etc marked our scientific achievements in the mid-century; and in the last part of the century, undoubtedly, Computers, and in particular, WWW (World Wide Web) have been our greatest breakthrough. So, where can we go now in this century? I believe, again our efforts will be dictated by the need to comprehend and ameliorate our lives. As per me, none could be more fulfilling than these three discoveries/inventions/explorations:-

1> Life outside Earth
Wow! It sounds so cool. More and more movies are making this concept a reality. But believe me, now it is not a fancy, but an absolute necessity to find Life outside Earth. And it is a necessity, to learn from other Lives their system and culture. Do they actually follow religion, do they build homes or just live in a big society, and do they fight wars? A whole lot of concepts that we assume are a must, can be put to test then. Too quixotic an idea, but I, for one smidgen of a moment, can’t believe that there is no Life outside Earth, and that it can’t teach us something to better our lives.

2> Cure for AIDS
I have chosen just AIDS to highlight the need for medication for the most lethal kinds of diseases. We have come miles ahead in dealing with the pernicious diseases, viz Small Pox, TB, Polio etc, but as weeds, the new hitherto unknown diseases keep festering. Of all, AIDS is the most enigmatic. There has been a lot of research going on towards the discovery of a cure for the last two decades. It is high time we arrived at an efficacious solution sooner than later.

3> Fusion of HeavyWater to generate Energy
Nothing could be more relevant now, considering the Save Climate Brouhaha all around us, than the need for Renewable Energies. Wind, Solar, Hydro et al are the storehouse of energy, ready to be harnessed. Just unimaginable why we haven’t gone after them as zealously as we have after the manufacture of bombs. But soon we will have to. And the richest source, for me, could be the HeavyWater (found aplenty in Oceans) to generate energy through Fusion. Right now the process is too expensive and dangerous, but once mastered, it will be the panacea of all the climatic ills.

My sci-wishes are only three, but I believe, if fulfilled, they will have sea-change on the whole humanity. The real science, so diligently learned by the kid inside me, will be realized for me then. “Necessity is the mother of Invention,” no other time the saying has had more pertinent meaning.

The Sixth Sense Technology

My friends had mentioned about it sometime back, but it had failed to garner much of my attention. Then I read the heading ‘The Sixth Sense Technology’ in one of the blogs three days back. Today I came across a video of it. I had to peek into it. My God! This is awesome. Not because it is technologically outlandish as every new invention is, but because it has the potential to alter our lives in many better ways. You need to have a look at it:-



Measure its usefulness for the disabled ones. Gauge its effects on the scientific explorations. Consider its impact on our daily lives. It could be revolutionary. This is what I call scientific innovation at its best. Only wish it doesn’t fall into bad hands.

Two words for the genius, Pranav Mistry, too. I know my adorations are more pronounced because he is an Indian. But they are also so because he is a typical example of a capable mind blossoming into its full potential. Being an IITian, he is no doubt a brilliant mind, but he is also a potential-turned-realized mind. How often we can claim this of people around us, or more importantly, about our inner selves? His should make us realise what a life of destiny means.

Home bound

There is something about India which belies and defies everything. In fact, everything said about India now-a-days harps on this aspect unfailingly. A land of brutal-lovingness; a haven of evil necessities; a reflector of life, death and sundries; a place of assault and assimilation; a contrast within contrasts. No oxymoron or figure of speech can describe it.

But as everyone says, you have to feel it to experience it. My recent India trip was nothing short of repeated amazement about it. The Delhi airport elicited a shaming comparison with the other posh airports of the world. But the very next hour, the buzzing, improving and promising life out there gave the proverbial optimism I haven’t experienced anywhere else. The clogged streets, the jammed roads, the interminable queues in offices, banks, hospitals, the Naxalites violence, the drought and flood, the poor people begging on the roads etc– all are too mean and maddening to frustrate and deflate you to the core. But simultaneously there is also a stable working Government and the Prime Minister, rapidly-improving economy, Nobel Prize winner, youth-exhorting Rahul Gandhi, IT companies, world-encompassing Bollywood, improving Cricket and Sports, mangled but happening Commonwealth Games. Add to the list - Diwali, the family, aam ka achaar, dhaba ki chai and paranthe, the ultimate beautiful and cultured girls, the sobering temples. You have everything that life can give, torture or inspire in you. India is everyone’s life story.

Moving from a cozy life-style to the rigorous one is never easy, but as years grow by, one realizes, demanding life only, is the real and pleasing thing in the end. India definitely needs me, but I think, for now, I need India more than that.

The great world of racism

Black and White! So integrated, yet so far away. I will tell you a story I picked from some movie, I believe. There was a bevy of housewives discussing their daily lives in one of the ladies’ home on a hot summer leisurely afternoon. A laundry man appeared outside, and before anybody could utter anything, he said, “Only Whites please.” The black lady proceeded to bring the White Clothes only, leaving the laundry man a bit disapproved. Another black lady present there said, “He meant only White People.”

Though the meaning was apparent, I can grasp the meaning of its context only now. I am sorry; I think I can understand it now, but I know it is beyond my cognition, yet. It is beyond anyone’s cognition, I should say. In the above story, no one was racist, but everyone was feeling it somewhere. The ladies were so closely knit but still there was a divide, created unobtrusively between them.

I feel that divide every time and everywhere around me. In fact, I saw that divide inside me. I was born an Indian, and did my preliminary studies, higher studies, graduation, post-graduation better than most of my countrymen could afford. I led an absolutely fine life, but somewhere all these years was also buried deep inside that complexity of colour and have-nots. I am brown, and as with most of Indians, have a fascination towards white, more so with a feeling of deference. All my life, I couldn’t abide by this whole logic why I am less than others. Leave my feelings, why people all around me feel white is better than brown, and brown is better than black. I could see people staring wide-eyed at some American White couple, and also sniggering at some African Black one. Someone having a white girlfriend would be considered princely, while someone with a black one would be the butt of all taunts.

I moved outside India three years ago. The cloistered feelings were challenged more often than not now. A brown guy walking the streets amidst the crowd of white people; eyes fixed on you, some with disaffectedness, some with insularity and some out of mere curiousness. You go to McDonald’s, and there is some suppressed chirping around you. You go to watch the movie in a cinema hall, and you leave behind a group of young guys and girls smirking in an incomprehensible language. Yet, I was never abused, taunted or racially profiled openly at any of the places. Not even once. The shopkeepers were nice, the landlords helpful, the locals guiding, everyone, in fact, as normal as one could be. Since then I have traveled to a lot of places: America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and met a lot of people. I have shared seats on airplanes, dined in restaurants, danced in discos, played in grounds etc with people of different nationalities, colours and religions. Nowhere I was assaulted or affronted directly. Where was the fucking racism?

Yet I felt that divide, a veneer separating me from others around and vice-versa. Then one morning I could detect where that divide was. I was in a hurry to go to my office, and boarded the empty lift from my top floor. Down two levels, the lift stopped, and outside appeared, a white man. At first, he flinched and stopped, gave a worried look, finally sported a courteous smile, and walked inside. I stepped aside, careful to leave some space between us. Down two further levels, the lift stopped again, and I was ready for another encounter. But this time, appeared another man, a brown Bangladeshi. He hesitated to see two of us. We made a face this time around, and gave a perfunctory smile at the end. He then walked inside, careful to leave some space from the rest two of us. The lift then descended nonchalantly to the ground floor, but during those moments, the whole world of human love & its formality, and the great divide was exhibited in front of me. I was shell-shocked, because for the first time, I wondered how tightly I have been conscripted, strait-jacketed and faulted by the long-held-developed notions and beliefs. Not only I, but all three of us on that day on that lift were mere servants to the thoughts of the world.

I haven’t been able to fully extricate myself from these notions. It will take some time to dispose of the thoughts of a lifetime and the world around you. But I feel my life is much better now. I can understand the queries in the eyes and minds of the fixated onlookers on me, and can also appreciate the undertones of brown, black and less recognized people. I still prefer white women, but can also date a black woman, if time comes. It feels mighty different now, I must say. And have also realized, the insecure and the superior feelings, both at the same time, not only remain limited to colour. They are, in fact, present in every aspect of our lives: region, religion, nation, states, wealth etc. Even the wealthy Americans, the suave Europeans, the strong Africans, the intellectual Chinese and Indians, in fact, all the fucking great Earthians, can’t help feel these double feelings, based on some radically-generated and pre-conceived notions, at some aspect and point of their life and time. Such is the great vagary of life, and hence it remains beyond my cognition.

Remembering Mahatma

I know I should have written it a day earlier. Better late than never. Anyway the point is not about singing a panegyric, on the eventful day of 02nd Oct, about Mahatma Gandhi. But about the need of answering this question,"Nehru: Bapu, the whole country is moving. Gandhi: Yes, but in which direction?"

Each year, on Gandhi Jayanti, I read something like this, “Is the Mahatma relevant today?” A stark reminder of the times we live in. And a cognition that such a pass has come that we are asking this question. But ask me, and I will answer, “A firm yes.” Not so because of the deeds he performed, but because of the ideals and the firm belief he had in those.

Tell me, which nation has fought its war of independence totally on non-violent terms? It makes my head high just thinking of it. Don’t wonder whether we would have got our freedom earlier or easier if we had adopted a different policy. Just consider there were hawks and belligerents at that time too, but the majority listened to him. And they listened because he showed a more morally soothing and justified path. Contrast this with the path the modern day jihadis, terrorists, freedom-fighters are following. Why go there, contrast this with the way we live our current simple lives. Everywhere we reject the ideals and morals as not-relevant-now or impractical vis-à-vis the current realities of life. Aisa nahin ho sakta aaj kal, agar yeh sahi bhi hai to. Here is where he was different and not like us. He didn’t give in to the world, but believed in what has been right since time immemorial.

Two days back, I was reading a letter he had written to Hitler in 1940, asking him to re-judge what he was doing. Not a single sign or word of aggression, even if the situation warranted that. Just the words of idealism thrown in. So firm believer he was in the power of reasoning and truth.

He was and remains the look-up-to personality for many: Obama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aang San Su Ki, Lech Walesa etc. United Nations declared 02nd Oct as International Day of Non-Violence in June 2007. Many schools in Europe celebrate or remember his birthday or martyr day. He was chosen as the second-most influential personality of the century by Time magazine at the end of 20th century. Even the first one on that list, Albert Einstein, said, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

I hope we really don’t die wondering whether such a man ever existed. Let not the ‘belief in ideals’ die in the name of practicalities. This is the least we can do for him this Gandhi Jayanti.

It is Rio's chance

Tomorrow the world decides which city will host the 2016 Olympics. The candidate cities are Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Tokyo. The latter two, having already hosted the Olympics, have a lesser chance than the former two.

Most independents, including me, are supporting Rio to get the nod. The reason is obvious: It would be really exotic and exciting for a Brazilian city to host the world’s greatest sporting show. Olympics are synonymous with global aspirations, and need to have a pan-world connection. What better to host the Games in a city which is more dreamlike for most of the people? Actually, if given a chance, it would be first South American city to host it. Chicago might have better credentials, and might actually provide a superior show. But that would be too perfect an act. The Games need a reflection of the actual world, and that world resides in cities of Beijing, Rio, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Bangkok etc. So, for a change, the judges, please cast aside your rooted thinking of grandiose criteria (infrastructure, security, connectivity, investment etc) as the only deciding factors, and give people’s heart and vibrancy a chance.

For a change, I too, for the first time, won’t endorse Obama’s plea. He too is going to be there to champion his city’s candidature. But I hope he fails, and then gleefully endorses, “It’s time for change.”

Euro Trip Revisited

Ah! The Euro Trip. Those certain 16 days will remain forever etched in my memory. It is very easy to declare any recent moment the best, just for the need and emphasis for it. But if life does start talking sweetly after it, it indeed is the moment.

No, it wasn’t the best I have felt, but it was certainly the time when I learnt the most. And that is what I like about travels and had hoped from this one too. I had planned to write a daily dairy of the tour, but feel it is impractical now, for the lack of time and also for the sheer volume of it. It deserves a good synopsis though. So, here are some travel guiding points picked from the sojourn:-

1> Prepare an itinerary which suits your taste. If you are driven by History and Religion, go to the numerous Churches and Palaces. But if they darn you off, no point in going through the ordeal. The world has plenty to offer for everyone.

2> But whatever you decide, do a thorough analysis of the places to be visited. They come in handy to feel the place and also the occasion. History and Geography of the place, not necessarily knowledge of their kings and chronology etc etc, do have their bearings on the experience.

3> Just like taking a small luggage, have a small group too. It offers less pain of going through the likes, dislikes, frills, tantrums, and also idiosyncrasies of the rest of the members. But more than that, it gives you the chance to explore out of the group and meet the world.

4> Stays in places which you feel are comfortable for and needed by you. It is not only for the budget, but I feel hostels provide the most wonderful staying area for the youth. But if you want something peaceful, do check out their websites for their score on this front.

5> Learn the local languages’ basic words and sentences. It will help, and you won’t have to repent the moments when you wanted to stay something but couldn’t. Some of the phrases, “Good Morning”, “Hello”, “Thank You”, “I need help”, “You look gorgeous” etc etc are an immeasurably strong necessity.

6> It is always a good idea to travel many places on foot. So check out its viability in the places you are visiting, and whether you can carry this out, as it can be very tiring.

7> Make the trip wholesome. I mean, the usual affinities aside, a fulfilling trip on all counts, helps the travel invigorate. Fun factor is a must even if the trip is just sight seeing or educational. It is just that things have to be in balance as per the taste.

8> Finally, travel is not about visiting the places; it is about experiencing the place, culture and people. Have eyes, ears, senses open for each and every moment, and you will relish the time spent for lifetime.

It is not that we did everything I have stated here. In fact, it was the guideline and will also serve as the lesson for our future tours. But on most of the counts, we did OK. So, another reason why I feel it went so smooth. I want to do another Euro Tour of the ilk, but know future time and place won’t allow me that. An added reason why we must enjoy each and every bit of the place we go through.

Europe Calling !!!

Well well then. Finally the moment has arrived. Long cherished, sought after and planned. I am indeed going on Euro Trip tomorrow ….

The excitement is not that much of seeing new places, but more of experiencing the moments. I still remember and relish most of my previous travels; hope it emulates and betters them all.

So, off from work, study, Internet etc etc for 2 weeks, and a big hello to Europe ….

Happy Independence Day

After many years, on the eve of this Independence Day, I feel that childhood-sense of pride and passion for the day. Back in those days, I used to buy a small paper flag and hoist it proudly on the roof of my house. That was my salute to the nation.

As world and life unfolded, 15th August became another day. Actually, it became a holiday. India is not going to run away from me, even if Independence Day is not celebrated.

But as all things turn full circle, this time around, that gleaming misty-eyed flag-waving passion seems to be pouring out involuntarily. Happy Independence Day, India. Long live the nation of destiny.

Live Blogging

I always had a wish to do Live Blogging … the sort of Tweeting, you know. I am not such an influential person to warrant one. But it can be fun and needed too, when you have a lot of time to pass.

Yeah, right now I am flying over the Atlantic, about to reach New York in 2 hours or so. The flight from Amsterdam is a lengthy 7-hour one, and hence by no means an easy one. You develop strains, spasms, uneasiness etc just by sitting for this much time. But this time it has been a rather comfortable one. Surprising …because I already have taken a 5-hour flight from Cyprus to Amsterdam, and waited 6 more hours in the Transfer. Also there is no in-seat entertainment. There are more-cramped seats and a very cold interior. The food was great though, in fact the best one that I have eaten till now. It was Asian chicken served with rice, and fantastic salad and pastry.

The girl sitting beside me is right now lying in the lap of her boyfriend. They have been kissing non-stop (almost) since the time they were waiting for the flight at the airport. No embarrassments for them though. Everything works here … On my earlier flight, there was a Dutch couple beside me. They had come to Cyprus for vacation. Less charming than the current one, but they were more involving, as we kept talking about our life, culture, India etc all along our journey.

I started reading two novels: Zahir and The White Tiger. I feel pleasantly surprised that I like Zahir, as it is my second attempt at it after the first one was aborted after a few pages only. The White Tiger is, as publicized, the Slumdog Millionare of the books. Lots of India’s brutal revelation in the first few pages. I hope there are much more diverse things ahead.

What else to write? Most of the people around are sleeping, or better said, trying to sleep, constantly straightening their legs or arms. Some are immersed in their books. One looking askance to see what I am typing so engrossedly. Life in an aircraft is a perfunctory one. Just done to reach its destination.

Well, time to wind up, as I wish to take another small nap. A very average blog today, but it will do. Will try to post as soon as get hold of Internet in my hotel room in New York.

The Right to Education

This may not be as glaring as ‘Raakhi Ka Syamwaar’ thing in media, but a few years later, this 'Right to Education Bill' might be considered the watershed moment of Indian emancipation. My experience of Indianness has been crying for this since long.

My single belief is that of all the sectors, if any sector can be the panacea, it is the Education sector. Education, even literacy, brings us the power to think right, cultivate and build virtues, differentiate between good and bad. It has got nothing to do with the monetizing power it gives to the individual. It gives a soul to our lives. The above is not didactical in its efficacy, as once my friend remarked that despite having good education, people like Hitler, Osama, Madoff etc were/are not necessarily good persons.

Quite right, as we can’t fight fanaticism and extremity. But if ever there is any way to counter these idiosyncrasies, then again it is through good education only. We have a higher probability to achieve goodness in society by providing everyone compulsory education. This brings us to point what constitutes a good education.

People are very much against rote learning. I am not totally averse to it, as sometimes by-hearting things helps us later. But what I consider a fruitful learning is the ability to liken a subject or idea to take it to extremity. If I like Physics, I should be so engrossed with it as to have a belief of finding undiscovered realities of nature. This is the specifics of a subject, but it will also generate a healthy attitude towards life in general, and other subjects, in particular. Such are all the aspects of our life interrelated.

Anyway this is the apotheosis of an education system. Right now if India can just impart even the famous 3 R’s (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) to all its citizens, it will create a sea-change down the years. India’s spending in Education Sector is way too low, but somehow tough decisions, if warranted on other sectors, need to be made. As an anonymous quote goes, “Give me a fish, and I will eat for a day. Teach me fishing, and I will eat for a lifetime.”

Gay is not a 'happy' word

Gay is not a word that only means ‘happy’. That is how I was introduced to this word. I should say ‘concept’, because it is quite unique on its face value. Or at least I thought so. When I had a fad about chatting on Yahoo, I had accidentally dropped into ‘Gays/Lesbians Room’ one day. A guy accosted me. Instantly I shooed him away stating, “I am not your type.”

“What type I am then? Do you think I am abnormal or lesser human being? What if you had been born like this type which you vehemently declare a no-no type?” I don’t remember what else exactly did he say, but he was full of angst and anguish.

I wasn’t emotionalized by it though. A queer lamenting his life …

Sometime back a lady friend of mine, in an informal conversation, asked me, “How a man can become a gay?” I don’t know why she asked it, but I asked her back, “How a girl can become a lesbian then? I suppose that is the way with males too.” It was a very impertinent answer wrapped in a question, but her reply was very succinct.

“Sexually a female body is more captivating for both males and females. Where the females lacked in gaining strength, they attained in having a softer, cleaner and lovelier body. A man can have an affinity for another man, but for him to neglect a female body and root for a man’s one instead is something totally out of human nature.”

Yeah, it is true. For a man, nothing could be more enticing that a curvaceous and voluptuous female body. Kingdoms have fallen over it. So, for some sections of human beings to be averse to it is a bad propensity on their part.

My belief was severely challenged a few days back, again on account of some in-front-of-eyes happenings. Delhi High Court annulled a law decreeing homosexuality a criminal offence. Hey, was there really any such law? I was surprised and angered too. For all their incomprehensible proclivities, they are not criminals. Also what about the STDs? Who among them will approach a doctor if they have some disease? We are generating or compounding many problems by an irrelevant so-called solution or deterrent. Go for the terrorists or robbers, my law-makers.

Anyway, this leads us to another, in fact the most important, question. Is it a since-birth inclination or a wrongly developed perversion? Nobody knows this yet, even if people can keep debating it. While some can put on table biological experimental reports proving its natal connections, some like Baba Ramdev can preach its curability through Yoga. All these are beside the point though. It is not a crime. Period.

Even if I grew more understanding, even though not fully acceptable, towards gayism, I had doubts about its purpose. I read an article yesterday then. A man proclaiming his love for another one, in pure terms of affection and belongingness. They never had sex, but were riveted towards each other just through a sheer bonding which they couldn’t find anywhere else. For them, sex was unimportant; they just felt happy with each other.

Ah! again I can not comprehend this :) But at least this was a bit of an answer to my friend’s question. May be she too can view it from a different angle now.

The real 'machos'

Like an earnest employee, I was standing in the lift (elevator) waiting for my floor to arrive. Hurried even though I was, the lift had to stop in between. In entered a person with an assumed grandiose gait. Wrist bands on the arms, uplifted shirt-collar, strong perfume, goggles perched inside the front-pocket – I mean everything that you can think of to be associated with a so-called macho. He didn’t dither though to hum a tune in the presence of his superiors. And mind you this was an office premise.

He might have been the subject of my questioning, but in reality, I meet everyday several such machos. Studs driving their cars wildly with songs blaring full sound, philanderers hitting on everything conceivably female, the hunks puffing out with their gauzily dressed girlfriends in front of cinema-halls or discotheques. The grandness of these actions is hard to miss. And I am not complaining; for this is the time and prerogative of them, and more so, who am I to object.

But it confounds me hard when I see everyone copying it. I mean, every boy or girl, with supposedly defined good looks seems to believe that he/she has a right or in fact, duty to act like a stud or a coquette. Starting from even the school days, he will come attired in fancy clothes, flirt with the girls, treat studies as a burden, throw discipline and morals as playable; all the rules to follow to be anointed a macho are already laid down by his predecessors. Beautiful girls on their part have to be trendy, acting as superiorly divine beings, with an anathema towards any less charming person or thing. Their rules too are defined since the time of machoism. And why not? Everywhere for them, it is the macho who wins. In movies, it is the person who lags behind in studies, who comes late, who treats everyone as secondary, is the hero and the prize of all. In ongoing life too, we doff our hats to the one who can brag how he cheated in exam, how he dodged his assignments in office, how he drove wildly to scare the hell out of everyone. In short, anyone who is and acts smart is macho.

But what they don’t realize is the ultimate truth of life: in real life, it is the doers who win. All around me, the successful persons are the ones who have valued life as the house of many flavours. The best persons of my school, college, university, job lives have been the ones who have been good at everything; studies, sports, music, social behaviour and norms, even flirting, and not to mention the ever-needed qualities of honesty, sincerity, integrity, braveness etc They know what is Newton’s second law, are good at playing soccer, can strum a guitar, are courteous to teachers and elders, have a besotting girlfriend, and if needed, can help the friends, fight a war, support a cause, even catch the moon. They are not ostentatious, but possessor of qualities. They are who I call macho.

But who to tell these pretentious ones? They have their own world, aloof from the other pleasurable tenets of life. In order to relish something flitting, they miss on the durable ones. Such are the vagaries of life that everyone understands the truth someday. The machos too will ….

Stop and look over, "Life is beautiful !"

Why miracles don’t happen in life? Because they are not meant to. Life itself is such a miracle. Have you ever wondered about the vast expanse of earth in front of us, and the ever teeming life there? It is an amalgamation of stories: love, hope, spirit, peace, success. You name it; every good is present in this world. Yet we fail to feel or even spot it. We never bother to stop and relish it, because such is our preoccupation with the supposedly fulfilling family-life, work, obsessions etc that we take these for granted. Then one day, we come back and realize, “Is this the same place we have been living in? Where was it all these days?”

It is such an oft-repeated philosophy that everyone stands by it. But very few are able to even understand, leave aside execute it. The moments I have been able to do even an iota of this, I have felt non-pareil moments of blissfulness. The words have just sprung out then, “Life is indeed beautiful”.

Hail the watershed moment!

Wow! What a victory by the UPA, nay Congress. I had been glued to my Internet throughout the counting day. My prayers, viz of any alliance (UPA or NDA) getting a sizable number of seats, were definitely answered. But what was more reveling was a sense of some political emancipation soothing through me all the day.

For the first time, I felt Indian polity has arrived. I was deeply skeptical about the results, considering how the Indian electorate votes. The whole exercise is, or was, based on regional or caste/religion dispensation of the candidates and the voters. The seemingly uneducated/poor rural people have been the targets of the sighs of this wrong and myopic voting pattern. They are granted sympathy of being unrefined, but are also not spared the blame. Ah! They are much beyond our erudition. The results of 2004 National Elections and Assembly Election in AP were the apt case in point. But this time’s results surpass everything.

There is uniform voting all over the country, and the uniformity is in the selection of a national, just and delivering government. Consider the performance of Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Naveen Patnaik in Orissa, SS Chauhan in MP, or the booting out of Left from WB and Kerala. The electorate has rejected incompetence and Mandal/Kamandal malignance. I am going overboard, but the signs are really there for all to see and change. I had felt the same about Indian economy about 10 years back. Now it seems the most maligned of sectors, Indian polity, too is knocking on those doors. It is for us now to open them with arms of acceptance, appreciation and participation, and let the Indian polity usher in an era of deliverance.

India's electoral middle-mix

57 % voting in the fourth phase of election! It is a respectable number if you consider the past figures, but still think, just 57%. The elections are meant to be a pan-population exercise, and not a percentage one.

Even though 57% of India’s population is twice the size of USA’s one, it doesn’t resemble every section of society. I am mostly referring to middle class here. The middle class consists of myriad of people who got educated, weathering several impediments, and are doing white-collar jobs at different parts of the country and world. Most of them are working out of their native places, or are too damned occupied to exercise their suffrage. This middle class is supposedly the backbone of India, giving the finest of technocrats and businessmen to the world. They are considered erudite in real sense too, who can discern the right and wrong of polity, and choose the apt leaders of the nation.

The whole of India has moved with them, but Indian polity still remains an aloof proposition to them or vice-versa. Part of the fault lies with this bourgeoisie, for they remain cocooned in their office shells oblivious to the world outside. Ask an IT professional the names of different chief ministers or government officials; he will be hard pressed to remember even the different states. So it is obvious he is not going to take that extra effort to go to his constituency and vote. On its part, government too is not inclined to do anything to ensure their participation. Its main target, the proletariat section, is there to be taken for a ride.

So, how can we bring this much-needed interaction? First, make voting a paramount, even if not mandatory, exercise. To ensure this, take the domain of voting to outside the constituency area too. IT and telecoms can be great assets in ensuring this. Second, start attaching corporate and office sectors with Indian polity. It is an abhorrent idea on first read, as corporate sector loathes nothing more than association with polity. But it will also help cleanse the political sphere. Finally, do away partly with this notion of single government job holding. A politician or government official, under certain cases, should be allowed to pursue his interests in other private sectors too. A capitalist and a government official need not be antagonists, but in fact can be useful complements. The idea is to mix the current ethos of India with the heart of Indian polity, which still remains a distant zone for normal people, like me.

The Earth Hour Campaign

"Switch Off on 28th March for Healthy Earth." 2009 is a critical year for action on climate change, with the world's leaders meeting at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December to sign a new deal to supersede the Kyoto Protocol. Supported by




Euro countries and More details -> http://www.earthhour.org/home/

I am writing this after the period 8:30 – 9:30 pm is already over. I had expected a total blackout of the city. But it was not much different. The reason I could find soon. I myself tried to put off all the lights, but after a while, it didn’t seem feasible and wise too. There were many works hindered by it, and lighting candles would not have provided the solution either. As per the facts, lighting candles would cost more in totality. Also, the total energy saved by this exercise in whole one day is equivalent to that saved by whole China in six seconds.

Anyway, the purpose of the whole campaign is not to save energy but to highlight its importance. In our lives, there are many things which we earmark as the to-do things, because they have been deemed right by tradition or theory. But as a result, unfortunately, we miss out on many other important things too which are yet to achieve our acceptance. Environmental preservation is one of them. On second thoughts, everyone considers it ultra significant, but somehow is not able to make it his first-hand habit. Not a blatant mistake, but just oblivion or indifference because of the lack of exposure to it.

Today’s endeavour is a wonderful step in the direction of enlightening everyone.

Time to wake up, Pakistan

Before someone judges me on the basis of my nationality and religion, let me tell you that I am writing it as a human first - a human that is deeply distressed by the happenings going around in Pakistan. On first look, actually it should not bother me a wee bit – Pakistan is none of my business. But it becomes mine, when it starts engulfing the whole humanity in general and India in particular.

The attack by the militants on SriLankan cricket team is not only cowardly and abominable, but I dare say, also laughable. What sort of motive does these goons wanted to achieve by attacking SriLankan cricketers, who can hardly be categorized as the so-reviled enemies of Islam and Muslim world. Bloody, they were just cricketers who had gone to play when everyone else had refused to tour the country. So, why this- just because some injustice has perceivably be done to them, and as a result, they want the whole world to suffer. But what is most frightening is that the proportion of these sick people seems to be increasing all the time, and also encompassing the so-defined learned and educated people. I always believe that a small chunk of every society, country, religion or any group will be misguided, and continue to play nuisance with the others and the rest of that same group. But when that nonsense becomes a movement, it is unspeakably dangerous. How could you define that the attacks happened even with the ‘Presidential Kind of Security’ provided to the players? How could the terrorists carry machine guns, grenades, heavy rocket launchers with them through a crowded place, and also go scot-free without any of them getting caught or killed? It is too early to pass judgement, but it seems, contrary to my deep belief, that many people have started empathizing with the Taliban and their ideology. The implementation of Sharia law in Swat valley is just a case in point.

My call to these aggrieved people is how long will they keep blaming the West, US, UK, Israel, India etc for the wrongs done to them? We all agree, and every sane mind will, that most of these problems are the results of the political and military games played by the bigger powers at different points of time. But is this the way to avenge? If they really want to shame them, better beat them in economy, technology, sports, society etc. Become engineers, doctors, scientists. Develop technologies. Play as champions in sports. These things won’t be easy, but that is the only way. Continuing this blame game, why don’t they also know that despite many despicable acts done by US, it remains the most democratic and open society the world has right now. For all the wrongdoings of Israel, it is the spearhead of many new technologies. For all the antagonism of India, it is the most promising country in the world. So, please stop this obsession with others, and look inwards.

I generally refrain from relating these things with religion. But now, we can’t deny the truth that these are related to religion. I have friends who practice different religions, but the best of them are those who are moderate ones, for they can view the wrongs of their religion with a reasonable eye. So, we need some sense going with our beliefs. Even the most moderate ones whom I know, agree that Islam is more rigid with its ideologies. Not a problem, but it surely is when one starts defying the logic. How can one debar the girls from education in the name of religion? How can one force someone to grow beard when it is his choice? How can one ban music, sports, entertainment etc when it is our soul to all intents and purposes? If they believe that these things purify them, then they better be eradicated. One extreme example of this happened when I, along with my friends, was sitting in a lawn in front of Al Asqa Mosque on Temple Mount in Jerusalem. An elderly bearded person arrived to us, and after the usual hello-givings, he started preaching us that Muhamed was the last Prophet of God, and so we should follow him. If someone doesn’t follow him, he is useless to arrive on this earth. I was just stunned to hear that someone can actually harbour these kinds of thoughts. Ah! Muhamed better arrive again to earth to teach these people.

Whatever I , or many others, have been writing or preaching does not and can not find its intended audience because they would be busy planning the next attack. I know these hurt the moderate, intellectual Pakistanis and Muslims the most. But in this hour, the need is for the conscience and beliefs to be right and clear. Nobody can afford people moving from this zone to the other zone of insane barbarians.

If this is not checked, we might be headed towards another World War. I am a bit cynical here, but unfortunately, all the things – economic recession, growing unrest, a motiveless mania all point to an impending conflagration. The First War was fought on Imperialism and Colonialism, the second on Nazism and Fascism, the third might be on Islamic Fundamentalism. As someone had dreadfully presaged, it will start from the Middle East and South Asia, with attacks on India on eastern front and Israel on the western front, soon engulfing Europe, then finally drawing US and China to complete the trash. The only point to take solace from is that the World Wars sounded death knells to those sick ideologies of Imperialism and Fascism, then it might do so for this Fundamentalism too. If that is the case, better it be tomorrow then, than living in an age of counter-accusative hate and distrust.

The BackPack of Travel

Earlier people might have called them vagabonds, but today they are the esteemed ‘backpackers’. The first time I had heard of one traveling the whole of world for two years, I was instantly jiggered; the gumption, leave aside money and time, needed to do so is monumental. But that is travel - we may never understand the joy of it unless we do so.

This is not to mean that I am a big time traveler. On the contrary, I am a much laidback person, preferring a cosy day at home to a slog in the outside. But whenever I had managed to visit some places, I have been overwhelmed. Part of that comes from the sheer occasion of being present at those places, and the rest of it from the sweet and sour travails of reaching there. I can’t categorically say though whether the occasion was better or the experience. I think it has to be experience.

I believe tourist spots fall into three main categories. First, the most likable 3’S category (Sun, Sand and Sex). Go flipping around the periphery of Europe, S-E Asia, Caribbean - in fact all the exotic islands, one can find these places in plenty. The buzz of life or night-life, on beaches or discotheques, is hard to find anywhere else. But as with most things salacious, these are ephemeral. The second type of tourist places is the ‘Nature Trail’. Mountains, snow-laden hilltops, steep cliffs, deserts, water resorts etc provide enough of excitement, challenge or recreation for the hardened nature-lovers. Indeed there is nothing more soothing than natural beauty. But there is another genre which is probably more esoteric than all these, at least for some. The Historic and Religious places. Some are absolutely smitten with history and religion, so no wonders they feel truly whelmed on just being at those places. It is not uncommon for them to feel vicarious about the legends and stories –true or untrue- associated with those sites.

Not tough to judge by now, if I have to place myself in any category, then I will fit in the third slot. I do like buzz and nature, but somehow those experiences don’t last with me forever. Talking of my recent trips, I have liked Manali coolness, or Ayia Napa intoxication, or St Louis’ Six Flags topsi-turvyness, or Nile’s felucca ride or London Eye merry-go-round or Israel’s Dead Sea. But nothing can match the excitement of their historical counterparts: ‘Vaishno Devi darshan, Baths of Aphrodite, Dayton’s Air Museum, Luxor’s pharaohs’ tombs, British Museum, and the whole of Jerusalem. In fact, the most lasting image till now of my whole travel-career is walking on the alleys of Bethlehem in Palestine on the Christmas 25th Dec Night with the Palestinians and us exchanging looks, glances and also glares of many unanswered and unfathomable tenor. That is what I call experience, and that is what I always try to find: the feeling of the place.

Take whatever one may; the reasons are galore, and only one is sufficient to drive one away on a trail. I wish I too could pack my back up one day, and get oblivious to the world around. But sometimes the word ‘backpacker’ isn’t meant to become everyone, at least not to me who didn’t visit the Taj in spite of living only an hour’s drive for five straight years :)

Aais paais, you duffer

I threw my school satchel on the sofa, and ran as fast as I could, evading my mother’s calls, to my friend’s house. The sweltering summer didn’t dither me, neither did the closed window. I knocked his window, and after some earnest whisperings too, he opened it. I demanded, “Where is it?” Still rubbing off his sleep, he gave it to me disapprovingly. I had got my prized possession, and ran back, again as fast as I could, to my home. My mother had laid out my lunch, and I sat on the dining table, and opened it by the side of my plate. Ah! ‘The new comic’s release of Super Commando Dhruv’ How long had I been waiting for you, Dhruv.? You are great, better than Nagraj. My school mates are buffoons. They don’t realize that you, unlike Nagraj, do things without supernatural powers. Thus quickly granting victory to me, I got immersed into the comics, with my mother coaxing me to eat first and read it later.

I am smiling now while I write this. The professed sense of adulthood can’t approve it, but a few years back, those were my moments – each day. I was reliving these moments with my colleagues during our post-lunch walk a few days back. Following a discussion, we had somehow jaunted off to our childhood, and before long, we were throwing out similar, if not same, stories of nonchalant innocence. Each gushed out his blissful days in never-to-return mood. Remarkably we were all floating in the same zone.

There is this laid out field of cricket, the only difference being that the field is the lawn of some house. Leg side play is barred because the wall patrolling the leg side has some glass-pane windows, some already broken. There is a well in between, and whenever the ball is hit inside it, the batsman is admonished for being too perfect. Not only he is given out, but he also has to borrow the bucket to draw the ball out, from some hard-faced and hotheaded uncle of us.

Then there is this lukka chippi (hide and seek) being played among the half-raised walls of an under-construction house. Vivek has counted till ten. Hey see, Raj has swapped his yellow shirt with the brown one of Sohan. And Ram is sporting the now-borrowed blue cap of Gopi on his bald head. Gopi is walking with his scalp just peeking above the wall. To complicate matters, Raj is dangling the flaps of his yellow shirt beyond one corner. Poor Vivek! That’s you, Sohan. No idiot, aais paais. It’s me! Raj. Go and count till ten again, you duffer.

Also there is the clutter of kites flying around. Today instead of borrowing comics from my ever-sleepy friend, I had run straight to my roof, because I had an inkling of a kite landing on my roof. Even though I didn’t find the kite, I found the string which led me to its mother-kite, hopelessly suspended from the maze of electric wires. I rescued her, and now it is flying high among the skies. Hey, some other kite is coming. Shit, it is of big bully Kitu’s. Oh! It is gone. Hey, you fool Ron, why didn’t you sharpen our strings with the crushed-bulb mixed colloid.

Never mind, there are a plethora of other things still. Vish amrit, buddhiya kabbadi, kho kho, denga paani ….

We were just laughing; then followed the ever-consoling sigh of the days gone by. Someone looked up his watch. It is time to go now. I have a conference call to attend. We walked back, perhaps a bit differently this time, if not with moist eyes, then at least with moist feelings.

Happy New Year 2009

There ain't a new story of New Year. If ever there is, it is strikingly similar to this one:-

The Story Of New Year

Two years later, the same resolutions and denials, the same overworked (or overslept) soul, and the same moment of sleep-bursting crackers remain :)

But one thing has changed. 2009 is now the stage. So, over to you 2009. And the mandatory, Happy New Year to all.