....Here I Am !

Education in India - Is someone Listening?

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:43:00 +0000

(The following article was originally written for The Forthright )

A lot has been written about the system of education in this country. A number of questions have been raised like- are we doing the right things for progress, is our research output anywhere near comparable to other nations and why in the world does a country of more than a billion people fail to produce enough Nobel laureates.

So, before I proceed any further let me tell you that this is in no way intended to provide magical answers to the questions posed.

A couple of weeks back the results of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) survey were out and there was much hullabaloo all over. The reason – out of the 74 economies that had participated in the survey (which compares the quality of education in these participating economies) India was placed second from last, only ahead of Kyrgyzstan. The results were appalling to many- probably from the fact that the system of education in the country has been considered to be one of the most rigorous and we have even seen people like Mr.Obama mentioning that he fears that the Indian and Chinese students may capture all the jobs- but for those who have been continuously lamenting about how pathetic the system is, it came as no surprise, only that the results made their point more evident, along with the right facts and statistics.

It is impossible to disbelieve all that was out especially considering the fact that this is a country where education just means passing examinations and earning degree certificates which in turn has shown a steady tolerance to the problem of rote learning. You could easily get away by-hearting those formulas, math exams can be cracked remembering the right steps and for all that we just need memory. There is nothing for us to point fingers at the student here, they just can’t be blamed for, that’s the way it is and we have been trained to do it left, right and centre.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise when a survey which was done in Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu shows the students, in the primary, in very poor light. Only 17% of students, in Tamil Nadu, were estimated to possess proficiency in reading that is at or above the baseline. And in Himachal Pradesh, this was 11%. The PISA study also found that only 12% of students in Himachal Pradesh and 15% in Tamil Nadu were proficient in mathematics. Put it without any statistics and according to the survey, not even half of the children, 15 years of age, could perform basic arithmetic or basic reading – something which brings in a lot of concern especially driven from the fact that the two states being talked about here, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, have always been on the right side of development and have been considered among those progressive states in the country.

Although one could easily shy away from the facts saying that most countries considered, as a part of the survey, are either developed economies or small countries with a history of quality education, it is a reality that the system has failed to provide what it is supposed to – the quality. In fact, we are still in a state where only a meager percentage of the population, usually the urban middle class and upper castes, have access to good schools and teachers and it would be no exaggeration to say that majority of our children, especially on the rural side, are either employed as laborers or found in those schools which lack teachers and are devoid of those basic resources and facilities, including access to books. It’s sad that this is the case but this is quite the reality and the need of the hour is to really reduce the disparity for, we can’t really be serious about economic development with just including the fortunate sections. It has to be with the inclusion of the all the people and for that education is the real key.

Increasing enrollment is a major task. It is indeed wonderful that the mid day meal scheme and the Right to Education Act have actually achieved that to an extent, but the real dilemma really lies on what constitutes education. Is it a mere ability to write one’s name or is it something more than that- to actually go out into the real-world?
The RTE and the mid day meal scheme maybe buzzwords, but the real truth is that we can’t just stop with these laws alone, we just cannot afford to have children in schools just because they have been provided a meal or the law, through the RTE, makes it mandatory for them to be there. Not that these aren’t important. Yes, the mid day meal scheme is important, the RIGHT TO EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT, but equally important is THE RIGHT EDUCATION and we just have to find ways and means to ensure this quality for I certainly don't think we would want the world to see us as 'Bharat Drowning'.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

It’s not often that I sit down to watch a movie alone. Blame it on my patience or my short attention span but rarely do I sit through one when alone for, I often end up sleeping (something on which I’m working, trying to improve ;) ) . Always it’s either with mom or a couple of friends and most times its Malayalam when in the former case. So, as a part of the improvement process, I had decided to see this – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. A lot had been said about the movie, reviews I read described it as ‘awesome’, there were incessant referrals to this movie in a couple news debates and some people had even suggested it to me telling it’s a ‘must see’.

I finally saw it a couple of days back and I must say it could easily be in my list of ‘most liked movies’. A very light hearted movie with probably the best message – ‘to live life to the fullest'. I watched it again today and I should say that the movie is just too refreshing and somewhere deep inside it's bound to have an influence on you as a person.

I didn't mean this to be some sort of a review (there are enough ones all over) but just a gentle reminder that in case any of you haven’t watched it, you must. I can bet you will LIKE IT.

Just too good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Hours of mall hopping and later

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:42:00 +0000

The last time I had been there it definitely resembled a book store. One of my most preferred places, whenever I visited the mall, I always ended up here waiting for mom to finish off her business. It was the case this time too. I visited the place first for, I always liked the sight of books stacked up, all kept in an organized and neat fashion. Although I wouldn’t count myself among those voracious readers, in fact I read very little, at the least I would at least take a look at the cover, read those last few pages, arrive at a judgment and leave it there. But this time around with more Ra One CDs’ than books on display it looked more like a marketing office for the movie, with the only good thing- a stack of Deccan Chronicle newspapers placed on a table with a few chairs around. I instantly grabbed one, I had to for, I had a long time to while away at least till one of those shops where possibly struck from the list mom had in mind.

7 pages and a couple of scams later, something interesting happened. With anyone else, I could have probably guessed they were here to buy some birthday gift for their friends or probably here to spend the cash they had received for Christmas- New Year but with these 4 guys, 10-12 years of age or so, I was sure they weren’t here for either. Perhaps it was one of those moments when one would involuntarily end up thanking God for all he has given. With torn stained shirts and loose fitting trousers which were half their actual fit, they had walked in carrying exam pads on their hands and one of them carrying a red bag on his shoulders. Well quite unsurprisingly they didn’t know the rule of keeping the baggage at the entrance and just as they entered the guard shooed them off to the baggage counter, with a belittling smile on his face. They were definitely a confused lot, they didn’t have much idea on what to do with their pads and after some talk with the person there they were convinced they could take that with them.

They tried their hand at some books, to begin with. I wasn’t sure if they knew English, but they took a few of them, turned the pages probably searching for some pictures, but not for long. They quickly left it there probably discouraged by the endless lines of text and the lack of any graphic content. Next to the accessories section where they were quite fascinated on seeing the headphones. I saw them talking to the salesman for a while, probably they enquired its price and then they were off to the Audio/Video CD section. There were curious eyes following them everywhere, a few of them puzzled and a few others with a sheepish smile on their faces. There weren’t many Tamil CD’s on display, they spent a long time seeing those Ra One disks and few other music CD’s. And finally there was a one hard look at Aishwarya Rai on the Dhoom 2 disk, exchange of a few giggles between them and in a flash they were at the baggage counter, probably unable to withstand those spurious eyes any longer or maybe they had just seen that kid, of the same age as theirs, who was fighting with his dad for a book in the young readers section.

And just as I turned back to the newspaper, quite ironically there was Sonam Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra with their respective New Year resolutions. I wasn’t keen on reading the newspaper any further for, the next page was the horoscopes and I didn’t need any reassurance for the week ahead. I was sure it would be good- no exams, no college, a possible meet-up with a few school buddies and loads of sleep- ideal as far I’m concerned. Moments later, I saw a hand wave from the entrance. I knew it was mom and as desired I didn’t wait to finish the newspaper. And as I walked out I wasn’t sure where I was heading to next. For sure it had to be to one of those curses of the multi-brand retail in this country or what I call as a ‘Husband-Hate Store (HHS) ’, ; but then I didn’t bother much for, all it took, for an HHS, to please me was a couch at the corner of their store- to comfortably place my ass, to take those occasional glances at the rare single ones that passed by and to feel pity at all those cool dud(e)’s who languished around seeing their bank balances getting sucked - while on the other side, the never ending search for the perfect salwar continued.

And at the end of it, maybe there was a small realization that after all, all these malls weren’t just a mere reflection of how brand conscious the urban Indian had become. In some way they have also enabled those kids, like the ones I saw in the book store, to see a world away from their grungy homes and to dream of a time when they wouldn’t be looked upon as they were.

But aside that, after what was nearly three and a half hours of mall hopping, quite expectedly, there was nothing much that had been achieved except for a few cramped muscles and that ‘only 60% satisfied’ look on Mom’s face.

Rushing through

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:13:00 +0000

It been some time since I have written something here. With the semester coming to an end, it’s the usual rushing up of things – half a dozen projects to complete with deadlines nearing, dozens of assignments pending, lab records to be made and on top of that tons and tons to scramble into this little head. Well of course I know there is no point complaining but me being me I do. In fact I complain a lot, I curse everyone in the process – the college, the system, the professors and myself too, for being complacent all this while. And when it comes to the end of a semester there is this familiar thought that always crosses my mind – maybe I should have listened in those classes, maybe I should have written some notes and maybe I should have thought about doing those projects much earlier just to avoid this last minute rush.
Yes, I’m running, like behind a train, a lot of things to catch up and I keep muttering all my way. A week to hell but more importantly two to heaven and I’m waiting.

And I just created a meme (my first one)

may God bless you and me
~Vijay

P.S:- Meanwhile I opened a flickr page a few days back and have uploaded a few photos. Please do have a look at them and put in your valuable suggestions. Will update them as soon as this drudgery called eksaams is done. Here is the link-> http://www.flickr.com/photos/menon_vj/

P.S. And in case you have reached this line I thank you for bearing me.

Still Wondering......

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:31:00 +0000

I always keep thinking what I really want to do and the moment I start thinking, I lose track and it ends there, with a no clue bell ringing in the head. But this time it was different, the thought actually started in the lab class today with a friend of mine saying that he was planning to attend CAT coaching classes from next semester, he wants to become a banker he says, in fact he always tells that. At least he has a definite goal in mind and that definitely set me thinking and the fact that I was determined to waste time in the lab probably made me think deeper…………………….

For as far as I can remember the first thing I wanted to become was an Astronomer. Of course I never knew back then what it was to be one but then I have often found kids saying that, probably the word is high sounding enough or maybe it has something which appeals to little children, and I think I was one of them. I never took it seriously ever after, in fact I’m glad I didn’t, I always sucked when it came to physics.
And then, I don’t exactly remember when, but I know it was during one of those summer vacations we had in school. Dad, mom and me had gone to stay at our place in Kerala. There was some repair work to be done at home and the painter was at his job. I still can’t figure out why, but somehow the smell of the paint, the precision with which he did the job and the thought of standing on the ladder and coloring walls fascinated me and the next moment I wanted to be a painter and I even when on to beg him for that paint brush, I so wanted to paint those walls.I left that too.
Then came Tennis. To begin with I had no clue what the game was except for the fact that two people would hit the ball back and forth and if you miss you lose. But then there was Andre Agassi playing back then, he was my favorite player (he still is one of mine), favorite, back then, for the sole reason that he was bald. I just loved his bald head, it just fascinated me and I begin to love the game, I begun watching it for his ever shining bald head. Then came Roger Federer, I hated him in the beginning for beating Agassi but then I begun to love his game, his style and that made me decide I was going to learn Tennis. Well that too ended there, I never learned the game but then, from time to time I keep thinking – “what if I start when I’m 19, let’s say I learn the game and become a pro in 10 years, that means I will be 29, Federer will be 40 then, what if I get to play him someday, nothing more can happen…..”, but alas it hasn’t happened until this very moment, with the only solace being -I’m only 18.

And somewhere in between all this Math happened. To begin with I hated math. I still remember those days when I used to cry before the day of my Math exams, I never knew a thing and I used to plead with my father to teach me. But again, I don’t know when it happened, I struck chord with Math, I was fascinated with numbers and I knew I wanted to be a Math professor, someone who would just see a problem and within no time come with a solution. I even went to the extent of practicing in front of the mirrors how I would take a class, I became fascinated seeing those videos of Arthur Benjamin, I bought his books which explained “How to become a Math Genius” and went on to even write things as crazy as “Math is life” on my orkut page. But I did carry forward the passion. I wanted to take up Math after 12^th, but unfortunately I wasn’t good enough to get into one of those premier institutes which offered a bachelors in Math, but I still have a passion for the subject, even now I occasionally imagine myself in the classroom explaining numbers to my class when on my bike rides back home and I still wonder if I will ever take it up sometime later.

Entry into engineering and I knew I didn’t want to be a programmer despite the fact that I took up computers, I still don’t want to be one. And a few months later blogging happened. And all of a sudden I wanted to be a writer, I discovered many amazing blogs, but that fascination didn’t last long either for, I knew I sucked when it came to writing, I just knew I was no good. Then grew the fascination for quizzes, not that I wasn’t fond of them earlier but then, all of a sudden I started liking the idea of bombarding enthusiastic quizzers with questions they could never imagine, I enjoyed watching pick brain (Giri Balasubramaniam) doing exactly that with a “oh! Kids I thought that was an easy one” look on his face and I so wanted to be a quizmaster……
I have always enjoyed facts, I love to hear them, I enjoy watching the News- the only reason why I don’t think TV is nowhere close to being an idiot box, I just love the newspapers and hence grew the fascination for becoming a political analyst. Ok, that is a bit too much, high sounding it is, but then I always liked those guys who sat next to the likes of Pranoy Roy and Arnab Goswami (I’m not a big fan of his) on TV and spoke facts- just plains FACTS . I would love to be one.

Then to becoming a journalist, then a politician and the latest ones I have thought would probably make you laugh out of your wits- 1) taking up economics- I thought about this just today during the lab and 2) becoming a humor writer, probably the most ridiculous of all the thoughts I have had.

And yeah even after all this I still couldn’t figure out what I really want to be, maybe I want to become all of them- a math professor, a quizmaster, a political analyst, a journalist, a Tennis player, a humor writer, an economist, a politician……
But then I fear even God wouldn't be impressed with such a profile.

And that just sums up the crazy, dumb and confused me…

~Screw it!~

P.S:- In case you haven’t heard about Arthur Benjamin he is popularly known as a Mathemagician and is a wizard when it comes to mental calculations. More about him here ---> (wiki link) - (I have attached a video of his in the end, do have a look).

P.S:- And one more thing- Off late I have been writing for an online portal called –The Forthright. Please do have a look at my latest article on the issue of Cricket overkill in the country there- Cricket Overkill:Time for a re-think?

Video:

The Week that was

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:47:00 +0000

It isn’t often we get those week long breaks during a semester and last week was exactly that, a much longed week for Diwali. Holidays are always much awaited and when it’s something as long as a week it becomes a pure delight. As is the routine I had called up friends, who were back with me at school, weeks before. We always try to meet and in fact they’re one of those reasons why I wait for such long holidays, a whole of bunch of guys whom I dearly miss. We finally met on Sunday, not everyone could come and not for long as I had a train to catch that evening but nevertheless as always it’s always great to see them, I’m at my best with them.
Then off to the station to board a train to Kerala, a marriage to attend the next morning. As always social gatherings and especially weddings have always proved to be a pain, I detest going for such functions except for the delicious food they served there. The guy’s fate was sealed at 11:30 and the pandemonium suggested it was time for the most awaited moment of the whole exercise – time for Sadhya- the traditional Kerala meal which is served on a banana leaf. 3 payasams and host of other delicilous dishes later it’s time to leave, I had a train to catch that evening to Kannur. We (I & parents) had to go to Kannur to visit a temple -Sri Rajarajeshwara Temple at a place called Thaliparambu. A very ancient and a pretty famous temple known especially for frequent visits by a host of people including Yedyurappa, Jayalalitha etc.. (quite ironically). The temple seemed very strange- the custom that women are allowed to enter only after 8 in the evening, after the Athazha pooja apparently because that is time when lord Shiva, the main deity here, is very pleased and in company of his wife Goddess Parvathy looked bizarre and the other thing that surprised me was a deity of Yakshi. Yakshi’s are usually considered as female spirits with malevolent behavior but then I learn that the one here is something which represents prosperity.Completely strange.....

Click here for more about the temple here (wiki link)

The next day we were off to Goa, a couple of days there- lots of beaches, a few churches and Saturday I was back in Chennai. The return journey wasn’t quite a pleasant one, a 3 hour delay because of a bird-hit and after all that drudgery when you enter to see water leaking AC vents above your head and those dirty curtains, you are just assured that you’re indeed flying India’s National Carrier – AIR INDIA and that we in India aren’t doing any amount of exaggeration on claiming to run a Rs 66,000crore debt airline.

An ideal week I would say except for some dark thougts , no early morning wake-ups, no college and more importantly no drudging hours in that classroom for the sake of attendance

Heaven….
If only things were permanent

P.S: AIR INDIA people actually think they’re a bit too smart. Nothing was more annoying, not the leaky vents or the dirty curtains but the fact that despite having given the pack which contained the tea bag and the milk powder, they never served the water for that. Of course I did have my revenge I took the pack home and made it myself. They think they can cheat me, Buggers!

That was just a word of caution, might help you……

Survivor's Guide to life in an Apartment

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:55:00 +0000

The title would seem pretty strange at the first site and you might just go on to think “what’s the big deal living in an apartment?” But trust me, living in an apartment is an art and this is probably the most important manual you should go through
1) if you’re one of my types, someone who is not so outgoing, who is not so comfortable when it comes to a social gathering of unfamiliar faces and someone who even detests to go any of those gatherings unless he’s promised a familiar face there
2) at least one who is planning to shift to an apartment for the first time.

But then everyone is welcome to take a leaf out of this.

Making your life hell in an apartment is easy, nosy neighbours, irritating characters all around, the secretary who just can’t get his ass out of your business and many more, its actually dead simple!
So to all of you bothered souls, the newbies, and to the experienced lot, here we go….

1) Neighbours: Neighbours can be a big problem at times, not only can they be nosy but they can also just extend their hands with the request “ Do you have extra milk packets? My son has turned a cat today, only drinking milk nothing else! (With that poor beta look)” Ok, I do know cats eat much more, but small boy! So in case you’re lucky to have one of those kinds as your neighbour or you’re someone who doesn’t want to be forced into a conversation when you’re trying to get out to the house, sighing a “thank god! Wife is sleeping”, here is something you can do. The next time you spot a neighbour when you get out, just do this- do a “OH MY GAAWD! I forgot my keys” act and run inside just like in those “urgent” moments. Actually before running inside you can smile at the neighbour just to make-believe that you did not ignore him/her on purpose and a little hit with your hand on the forehead can add to the effect- yeah the verysame way you do when you crib- “oh man that silly mistake, shit shit shit!” after an exam. After you get in, fetch the keys if you really have to, drink a glass or two of water, walk here and there, call your wife sweetie or puppy or whatever (of coz most ladies won’t care a damn for it, but here, the time is what is important and not your wife’s – “yes darling”) and after you’ve made sure that the elevator has taken your neighbour, give yourself a pat on your back, keep your head high and GET OUT.
Alternatively you can also go on to install video door phones, helps a lot!

2) Elevators: I have often heard people say that an elevator can be the best place to meet a person and moreover since the present day buildings are really tall there is much time to get yourself introduced. HELL WRONG! I tell you don’t listen to all those fools, they’re trying to misguide you. Understand yaar elevators are probably the only place where the scientist in you comes out, see there is so much competition in this world. Phew! Turning yourself into a Galileo is dead simple. Simply keep staring at the ceiling of the elevator, admire the fan, try rotating your head clockwise & anticlockwise staring at the ceiling, who knows if you’re lucky you might discover a “MR X (heart symbol with arrow) and some other name” and read those safety instructions again and again (skimming not enough) thorough reading, I tell you it helps! And in case you’re bored with being a Galileo every time, keep staring at your feet, praise the lord for his wonderful creation and act as if you’re seeing it for the first time in your life. It’s inevitable, the elevator will give you a “tingoooong” or something like that signaling its time to end the drama. Now, don’t give that funny face after reading the idea, our elevators aren’t that slow okay? Accept it ya, thanks to OTIS, JOHNSON and there was one more fella, cha forgot will add as P.S after googling a bit. And yeah you also needn’t laugh much at the idea or deem it as being ridiculous, it isn’t all that ridiculous considering the fact that you ended up reading this piece. So…

3) Residence Associations: Ok the first advice here is- before you plan to become a representing member of your block/tower or whatever OR more ideally even before you plan to go to such meetings be sure to keep your soul at home. Trust me, whenever they call you for an important meeting, 70% of it will be on how the lady in the 10^th floor of the 3^rd tower is so arrogant that she never gets out of her house and the rest will be spent on thinking how the guy in the 4^th floor of the 1^st tower who’s always seen at home and when asked always says the usual “work from home” reply runs his family. And in case you’re find that there is absolute silence there and you feel that there is seriously something important being talked about, there might be two reasons- 1) there aren’t enough women there, which by itself is enough reason for you to stop going (in case you’re a guy) and 2) maybe all of those people are newbies like you (bad point?)
And in case you end up sitting for one of those meetings, its okay, as long as the first part on keeping your soul at home is done, a slew of ridiculous ideas wouldn’t ruin your day much. Learn to bear with them and the second most important thing you will need is - PATIENCE, none of those meetings will start on time and in case you’re wondering on a measure- it’s like the same amount you should possess when you’re out shopping with your wife. Sounds like spoon-feeding? Happens! Most of my friends are TN state board!

P.S Please put in your suggestions, maybe we can make this a more comprehensive one

Image courtesy- http://www.cartoonstock.com

Life can't get worse- The Story of an almost IITian

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:20:00 +0000

Note: I know the post is pretty long, but pls bear with me

“I didn’t even know there was something called facebook or for that matter much about internet until I reached college” – says a friend of mine. A rather shocking statement considering the fact that he is of the same age as me and I on the other hand knew much about facebook right in my 10^th std and about internet a couple years before that.

That statement made me a little curious, it’s was not like he didn’t have a computer at home or anything, so I ask him how he wasn’t aware of the trend that was rising like a wave, gathering everyone’s attention and probably was becoming a part of everyone’s life, to which he says “Arey try to understand, I was in one of those coaching centre’s in Andhra preparing for IIT”. Nothing new really- “preparing for IIT” was a standard answer you would get from every other person, in his 12^th class in the country, in fact even I had done it or rather I was seen doing it, perhaps one of the many false images people have/had about me. But in spite of my so called preparation, (I did attend coaching classes) I wasn’t like him, I was indeed aware of the things around be it the facebook or the other prominent things that happened. This fact made me a little more inquisitive and so I asked him on how he could have missed such a big thing.

“Buddy you don’t understand how it is like in Andhra. I had joined a reputed coaching institute during my 11^th and 12^th class, a residential one”. Apparently his parent’s had put him there probably hoping that he would one of those success stories those institute’s always advertised of, and they thought that he would be one of those “gifted” few who would ultimately enter the premier institute- the IIT.
It’s sad that he is not in an IIT now, he had missed the cutoff by less than 10 marks and he was telling all this sitting right next me, in the college canteen! I’m little saddened by the fact that he had missed it by a mere 10 marks and at the same time I’m drawn into his story. To me what he said after this was completely indigestible and the fact that for everything he said I could see myself in his position made the feeling even more horrible.

“Life there is worse than being in a jail” he says. A typical day of his begins at 5:45 in the morning with a loud thud on the door signaling that it’s time for the machine within him to start. “They give us 15 minutes for our daily routines and by the stroke of 6 we’re supposed to be at a classroom for the 1^st study hour of the day- 6:00 to 7:30”-he says. At 7:30 the breakfast is served and by 8:00 the regular school begins. They teach only math, physics and chemistry and this continues until 1 in the afternoon. After 1 is their longest break he says, exactly 1 hr for lunch which he says is the same old stuff- rice and some curry, nothing new. I ask him by mistake if they serve fried rice or biriyani and he’s quite amused at that and tells me that those are forbidden words because they think a fried rice or biriyani can hamper his preparations! By 2:00p.m you’re supposed to be back at the classroom for the day’s 2^nd study hr- 2:00 to 4:45p.m. After that it’s break time for 45 minutes, and at 5:30 it’s time for him to go back again – the 3^rd study hour- 5:30 to 8:30. Half an hour for dinner and again from 9:00 it’s study time again right upto 12 midnight.
All this is fine he says, he doesn’t like the weekends much, there is no school on weekends which means its study time from 6:00a.m to 12 midnight with only 3 breaks totaling to 3hrs, solid studying for 15 hrs! At this point I become a little nosy and ask him what happens if someone sits in front of the book and sleeps to which he calmly replies- “Menon, you don’t think they’re fools right? They make us study in classrooms where we have a supervisor in every corner, everyone is given an individual bench and in case the supervisor finds you sleeping he will just come and poke you with the long stick he always carries”.
I was totally shocked on hearing that and next I ask him whether they get to see news and matches on TV if any. The moment I ask that he’s thinks I’m mad- “leave alone the news or sports on TV man!, they don’t even allow us to read newspapers inside the campus!”. There is not even enough time to have a bath” he says. To him having a bath was a luxury which he says is something he could afford to do only once in 3 days during the summer and once in 5 during the winter.
What about going home? Do they allow that? I ask next and he says – “Yes, twice in a year and if we’re lucky we might have a telengana bandh. We’re allowed to go home during these days too. And as far as parent’s coming here is concerned, they’re allowed only once in a year for our birthdays’. And monthly once we’re allowed to go out but only for a haircut that too for a maximum of 45 minutes”- he says. He seemed happy when he said the last statement and I ask him what makes those 45 min so special. He says that those 45minutes according to him is the most precious time- a time when he can go to the nearby shop to get some biriyani or fried rice parceled and throw those packets to his friends who would be waiting near the back gate.
I was completely out of words when I heard that, that was something terrible I just heard and I was sure it can’t get worse than that. Shocking indeed!
The fact that they were being taught only math, physics and chemistry made me ask him about the board exams. “It’s simple. Board exams are like a cake walk for us. We hardly study for a day. 3 days before the exam they tell us all the probable questions and we’re asked to by-heart all the answers. Only problem is with physics, since the answers are pretty long it takes time for us to do it, but still we mange it quite easily” -he says. That is not all he reminds me –“at 9:00 p.m on the day before the exams they hand us the question papers along with the sets. We are asked to practice those until 2 in the morning. How much more easy can it get, huh?” – he asks me.

WTF??? That’s even more shocking to me, I mean how can a system like that even exist, question papers along with the sets leaked out on the previous night - I raise that point to which he replies- “Dude common it an open secret, everyone knows it’s the case here in Andhra!”
In the beginning I thought he was doing a bit of exaggeration when he said Jail was better but then after hearing this I could do nothing but empathize with this poor soul. I just couldn’t imagine their plight, those grueling study hours, the rude supervisor, the endless wait for their biriyani’s……..
And at the end of all this I ask him- “How could ever cope up man? How did you even survive? Aren’t you angry at your parent’s?” Surprisingly I did not find any regret on his face, in fact he was smiling and he coolly said- “Never man! My parent’s only did what everyone else in Andhra does. And moreover I’m happy they put me there otherwise I wouldn’t even have reached where I’m now!”

In a country where every other child is brought up with a fixed goal in front of him – to somehow get in to an IIT – it doesn’t come as a surprise when someone like Mr.Narayan Murthy comes out with a statement that the quality of students in deteriorating. I find it quite evident, for there are many students in these premier institutes who have got in from coaching centre’s like the one described above and I’m pretty sure that almost all of those lucky ones will have a story like the one above. Many people did get offended by what Mr.Murthy said but I think we need accept facts and that was something someone had to say at one point or another. It’s indeed a wakeup call to our system, we do need to buck up because 20yrs down the line I don’t think we would want someone like Mr.Murthy to say- “Oh! IIT? – Just another engineering college!”

I was actually flabbergasted by the way my friend responded to that last question I asked him. I think if I were him I would have definitely cursed myself and my parent’s for ruining 2yrs of my life. Incredible, that reply, I thought!

Disclaimer:Any resembelance between the character described here and you, the reader, is purely NOT coincidental!

The Facebook Disasters'

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:48:00 +0000

There are moments when I have praised the almighty Zuckerberg (yeah he’s an almighty at those times) for having found “the thing” called facebook but then many a times I have felt –“Oh! God why did this ever become popular. Everyone is on it, the facebook moms, the facebook aunts and the facebook romeos."

Today was one those days, the facebook regret day.As usual, it was 9:00 A.M and I religiously logged, I do that every day, God knows why but it just keeps going. So there was that (1) near the facebook tab on the browser and the first guess was – “Some bugging friend of you has answered a question about you, find out what” – but thank god for a change it wasn’t the case and this happened to be a friend request.I just saw the profile pic before the name, not a youg girl, sheesh! ( who cares anymore) but then it was a lady, I had seen the pic before and it was again her, let’s called her “the desperate aunt”, the 3^rd time she was sending me the request.Mom happened to be her friend, so..

Me: Amma, Do you know who this lady is?
Mom: Eda she’s a very distant relative of ours, lives in Bombay. There is no way you might have seen her.
Me: Oh! I see. (Thank God!) “Not now”- for the 4^th time.

This has turned annoying, people keep sending you requests despite several “Not Now’s” and of the ones who are already there in the lists, there are many who fit the tag- THE FACEBOOK DISASTERS.
It’s easy to classify them. Let’s have a look at a few of them.

1) Facebook Aunts: Most of them are inactive but the ones who aren’t are a big pain.

Aunt 1 messaged you: Hey vij, did you see the photos I shared on my wall. Please like that and also put a comment. --- Probably she thought facebook was giving away a lipstick for most number of likes,poor lady!

Aunt 2 has invited you for Farmville--- Bullshit! Rejected right away. I’m not telling you not to play but then why do you bother me such requests??

2) Facebook Romeos: These guys think they will give the real Romeo a run for his money, God save them!
Romeo 1 commented on Miss Photo: ( This guy and everybody in the world knows that the photo wasn’t anything near good but then he’s a wannabe romeo and he will do whatever it takes to prove that)----“Hey you look so cute yaar. Beautiful, amazing, fantastic, awesome, wonderful…….”

Hey, Romeo what is the secret ya?- Thesaurus aah?

3) Facebook Preacher: These guys are mostly philosophy professors.

                                        “ Sometimes people r Nothing..
                                         U make them Something..
                                         & When they become Something..
                                         They feel that u r nothing..
                                         Thats life……….”

See their experience, they have seen it all. But then the next moment he puts up a status- “That was short but has rich meaning”--- Sure it has, learned.Tussi great ho,accepted, but not one more time, please!

Note 1: This list is non-exhaustive.Will add more later. Suggestions are welcome:)

image courtesy: http://nobodyscores.loosenutstudio.com

A Lost Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:31:00 +0000

It's one of those days again, the day for some self-evaluation. Each time I do it, I promise myself - NOT next time but then I can't seem to get rid of this- at least not this time.Each of those sessions starts with a hope - a slightest of hope that something has changed from the last time but alas, like every time I realize the hope was all in vain,for I find myself wherever I was, however I was, the same old me- relentlessly cribbing, forever complaining and completely lost- maybe forever.I seem to suck up at whatever I do, be it here on this space or anywhere, maybe drawing some comparisons with the Irene as being an overrated disaster!

But then as these thoughts go by I ask myself-" Wasn't I the same the last time around?"- I seem to have no answer to that and each time I ask myself the same old question, I just stare at it and the only thing I do - succumb to it with a few tears trickling down my ever lost face, perhaps, with the hope for a desperate turnaround and a rare thought of solace - Maybe, such is life!

image courtesy - getangry.com

Random Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:06:00 +0000

After a long time it was the computer cleaning day today and I found many pics that had never seen the world outside. Especially after the last post, after which many dear readers branded me as being an anti-national (something which I strongly disagree and tried to clarify to the best of my ability), I just thought I should post a few of those, just for a change.
All the pics where taken using a Canon Powershot A1000.

-- 5:00 AM, Tank Road, Mylapore

JACK FRUIT (\m) - The only thing I miss about Kerala! ---

-- En-route to Yelagiri Hills

Lovely Marina --

And this poor canon is leaving me soon, my bro is taking it away to Lisbon ( :/) and I'm thinking of buying a new one.Please suggest me some good ones (needn't necessarily be a Canon).
Will post a few more later.

Regards

~Vijay

PS: I love to receive gifts, so in case you're thinking - "Let me gift this poor chap a camera"- I declare you as awesome and remind you that you're more than welcome to do so !

PS: BTW what do you think about the new look here? Good, bad or Ugly?

I do NOT support Anna Hazare

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:27:00 +0000

This post was originally posted in The Forthright ........

‘Support Anna Hazare’, ‘Free India of corruption’, read the banners, news channels have totally rejected existence of other important newsy issues and have sent their entire fleet of camera to cover the protest(s) 24*7 and the nation is abuzz with umpteen protest marches. People who are still unaware of the Anna-ism, which has caught our nation in a tight grip, would be very few. Chances are that you happen to be one of those unaware souls, which we really doubt but still if miraculously you do not really know who Anna is and what is he upto and what is the protest all about then please do not feel ashamed as a reading of what is to follow would make you feel that you are not missing on anything.

Well let me make it clear in the beginning, I’m not into Anna Hazare but I also have nothing against him. I understand he’s trying to fight corruption; one of the gravest problems our country is facing right now. The issue has been a serious problem for a long time but not as big as it has become since Anna took over, probably enraged over the series of scams, which allegedly saw thousands of crores go down the drain.

The issue here is not whether Anna is right in fasting or not or how many people are behind him but then what bothers me the most is that most of the people, who say they support his movement, do not understand the reason they’re doing it...................

Click here to read more >>>>

( Please note that the "click here" link redirects to a page in The Forthright)

P.S: The examples used in the above post are same as the ones used in a previous post. This was done deliberately because there appeared a misconception.

P.S: Please also note that the views expressed are purely personal and no part of the article is meant to undermine the good intentions of Shri.Anna Hazare or his supporters.
And as always you are welcome to differ.

Let's talk good about India today

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:22:00 +0000

15^th August 2011- Yet another Independence day and the nation has turned an year older, 64 this time. There is nothing new this year, as always we had the flag hoisting by PM, a speech by him, the independence day parade and it is still a holiday here (and this time an extended weekend one much to the relief of many).Looking back, it was exactly 64 years ago we attained independence and India has definitely gone a long way since. From a nation whose initial years after independence were marked with turbulent events, a massive exchange of population with Pakistan and the war following it, we have certainly become one of emerging powers of the world. All these years we have achieved a whole lot – a near 9% growth rate, next only to China, a consistent increase in our per capita income, massive expansion of our cities, increased globalization and FDI’s etc etc. Even in the worst of economic crisis we have managed to stay firm while the bigger economies tumbled- which by no means is a small achievement.

Of course there are burning issues like corruption, lack of food security, unemployment and a worrying trend of poor governance in our country but then let’s not talk about all this today. Let’s give Mother India her day, let her enjoy her birthday for I think she definitely deserves a lot more.

Greetings on the Independence Day

~Vijay

Corruption: Aren't WE the real problem?

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:48:00 +0000

The following article was published in the Hindu NXG and was selected for BlogAdda's Tangy Tuesday Picks

Each time you put on a news channel there is something which is killing the Indian growth story. There is either a debate on “My Scam VS Your Scam” by the different parties involved or at least something on the Lokpal bill. But for now let’s forgot all about Raja or 2G or CWG or Kalmadi, let us look corruption this way.

Let’s consider we’re driving for instance a two wheeler and we’re caught by the Police for not possessing a valid license. According the rule books, the ones we seldom hear of, the person has to pay a fine of Rs 500 or serve a maximum sentence of 3 months in prison and it doesn’t end there, the person who allowed you drive the vehicle, that is the father if the rider is his child, has to pay a fine of Rs 1000 or serve a maximum of 3 months in prison. But the truth, I wouldn’t say it is a sad one, is that most of us haven’t even heard of such a thing and the immediate thing we do in such a situation is to try to bribe the policemen. Flash a 50 or 100 rupee and you’re through, you not only saved your skin but your dad’s too. Now, the question is – Is this wrong? Who’s to blame for the corruption here, The driver or the Policemen? And are we going to stop this?- Perhaps never, I do it, you do it and the rest will do it. So stop complaining.

Ok, leave the policeman thing. Let’s think you didn’t have 500 to pay him. Now, take the case of obtaining a driving license. The first thing we do in such cases is to go to a driving school and register yourself there. The moment you do that, he takes you to the nearest RTO and gets you a learner’s license, almost immediately and that too without even paying the requisite fee of Rs 60 . How is that? I never touched a currency with my hand, none there asked me for it, but at the end of 30 minutes after registering I am in possession of a learner’s license. Now isn’t that Corruption? And who’s to blame here, me, the driving school fellow, or the officials at the RTO? I know most of you have done it, so have I and there are millions who will do it. So, what’s the point complaining?

Now comes an issue where you’re in desperate need for a railway ticket. You search as much as possible in the website, trying every combination, looking for every quota, and in the end all you come to know is a waiting list137. Now, the next thing you do is to call your travel agent, ask him to book one giving the necessary details. And to your surprise, the very next day (mind you he was one day late) he comes home with a ticket, a confirmed one, in the very same train which you saw had a waiting list of 137. What about this? Isn’t this Corruption? How could he alone get the ticket?In this case who’s to be blamed? Me, the travel agent or the railway officials?

But then one more question arises, in all such cases what if there was corruption some way or the other? In the end haven’t you got what you wanted? Isn’t that enough for you? None of you can complain they’re like this, like that, didn’t you encouraged themin some or the other?

The very point is every day you see people around complaining about corruption. But apart from that what else have we done? We haven’t stopped bribing the policemen, we haven’t stopped approaching the driving school for a license nor have we discouraged a travel agent. And now, the latest trend is we start supporting the Lokpal Bill. I am not downplaying the Lokpal Bill, of course Anna ji is doing a commendable job, but in the larger picture what does it achieve ?Can it ever do anything for cases such as mentioned?

I bet no Lokpal or jokepal can eradicate corruption, maybe it can control the high level ones, but in that also I have no hope because to be frank ideas are flowing at large, see, we can’t even trace where all that money for the CWG went and who knows there maybe better ways to go unnoticed. If you ask me, all this will continue, a few may protest, but they will go, we may have new ones, but this debate will continue till as long as we care. And at the end of all this, I have decided one thing, I am not bothering to complain anymore. Why would I? There is no way I can pass a Bill which checks my conscience every time and more over I have no reason to complain, I got my things done smoothly, I am happy.

Onboard Train No : 16042

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 06:26:00 +0000

At 5:53 p.m. the train had finally arrived, keeping up with the tradition, late by 33 minutes. It had been a long and boring wait at the station for the past 70 minutes or so and as it arrived I could only hope things would get better at least with a few good co-passengers.

As it stopped, there was a mad rush at the door just like the one when there is a free distribution of Tirupati Laddu and after having taken a few hits I managed to get in and seat myself at seat no: 42, a lower berth. Out of the 8 berths in my compartment 5 were filled- all men- and this included a cool dude with a Samsung Galaxy II, two IT guys and a man, whom I thought would be in his late thirties. It was largely silent except for the occasional “Sir, Sir any seat sir?” calls from the RAC ( Rats Awaiting Cancellation) fellows at the ticket checker, who just dismissed their ramblings with a “poyyaa approma solraen” ( which roughly translates as GO MAN! I WILL TELL YOU LATER) every time.

I was sitting there thinking what next, having done with all the newspapers I had, when the train stopped at Trichur. Yet again there were hoards of passengers getting in and this time, much to my relief, someone had entered mine- a girl or rather a lady, not a hot chick type though. She could have been in her late 20’s or early 30’s I guessed, wearing a top and jeans and with baggage on both hands. The compartment, which could until then be compared to a funeral, was lighted up all at once and you could see help flying in from all the fellows out of there- from the very same fellows who didn’t even bother when a guy got in struggling with 3 suitcases and almost tripped. Guys dashed to get a hand on her luggage, place them on the right spot and find their princess the right seat and there she stood, blushing, probably enjoying the fruits of being a woman. Now as she settled down, the cool dude who had until then placed his priced Galaxy inside a large cover and was operating it secretly, took it out on his left hand, gave it a nice quick rotation and with his right took out another mobile from his pocket, flipping it. He seemed to be busy all of a sudden- taking calls in one then disconnecting it and then taking another call on the other etc. The IT guy who was perhaps watching this dude perform, suddenly started talking about a presentation which was scheduled for 9:30 next morning and started cursing his high IQ for having chosen this train for a flight. All this continued, the girl/lady giving it a little attention, or so I presumed, glued to the mobile herself, until a book-wallah with his host of Sidney Sheldon’s, Robin Sharma’s and Chetan Baghat’s came by and placed them on the seat hoping for someone to pick them up. As he placed them, the cool dude (galaxy fellow), who until then never gave a damn for all those newspapers I placed beside him, jumped in and started picking them one by one and flipping almost all telling he had read all these ages ago. The girl looked at a few of them, placed them right back there, went straight to her upper berth, put the blanket top to bottom and that was it- it all ended there- deafening silence once again- the GALAXY back in its covers, the cool dude back to his earphones, the IT fellow back to chasing the ticket checker for a berth and I, back to wondering- Now, What Next?

image courtesy: Google Images

You might also like:

* Why you should vote for UPA

* Enchanting Tihar

* Being Dumb

Time for some Recognitions...

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:34:00 +0000

It's been a good 6 months into blogging and now I've finally received my first blog award- courtesy Mishi, a wonderful lady from Lahore, a newbie herself. So the first thing- Thank you Mishi for your wonderful gesture.The best part of receiving such an award, I think, is the fact that you know that there are some people who take their precious time in reading whatever I write, be it good, bad or ugly. I don't really know whether I truly deserved it or not( a debate very much open for you guys to comment on), but anyways I am more than happy for having received this.

So now according to the rules, apart from passing this award to 3 other bloggers, I will also have to write 3 good, 3 bad things about blogging.

So here are the good things:
1) It's just plain fun,yeah more fun than sitting before your X-BOX. There's nothing to lose here.Everything is a gain - new friends, new thoughts, new ideas, various viewpoints and more. Simply puy it's just a place where you get to read loads, learn loads and of course not to forget the wonderful people you come across.

2) Blogging is addictive and for more than one reason I like it being that way. Each time you put up somethings you're all eyes for some wonderful comments and suggestions which are just worth their wait in gold.

3) Well this is something I've felt very personally. As I've put it in many of my posts, the reason I am here is because one of those days I just felt that I was worthless and that loneliness and that feeling of despair made me start this. Not that I feel I am pretty important now but it has changed a lot for me all thanks to you readers and your wonderful words of encouragement.

Now on to the bad things?
Seriously I don't find anything bad about blogging except for the fact that you just get hooked to it.But I certainly don't mind that, in fact I need something like this to keep me good.So no bad things.Sorry for breaking the rule, I couldn't help but do that.

Now the last part- awarding this to 3 new bloggers. If this award wasn't for the "Best new blogger" I think I would have had a dozen people to give it to.To be frank I haven't come across many new bloggers yet but the one's I've come across have just been awesome. So, here's my list ( in no particular order)

1)Simple Stories
Madhav Mishra or maniac hunter as he calls himself is a blogger from Gurgaon and a wonderful one too. Hi's style is really different and a touch of humor to his simple stories makes for some awesome reads.

2)Diary of a Narcissist
Abhishek is a blogger from Chennai. Though one may include him in the list of veterans having started blogging way back in 1971 ( not a typo, he's famous for that! ) I would still consider him to be a newbie. His blog is a tad different from most of us since I haven't seen him write about politics or India or anything social, just his daily life. And as far as his blog name Narcissist is concerned I wonder if he's one ( No, I think. A question to him- buddy what's the motivation behind that name? )

3)I think my obvious choice would be Mishi. But having got one already I don't think I should be troubling her once again.

To all those winners here, you guys have to have this Award posted on your wall, write a post about it..and before you pass it on to 3 other bloggers you got to describe three good and three bad things about Blogging.

Phew! At last I wrote this.The lazy me took a lot of time in acknowledging this award.
That's it from me - thank you all once again.

Signing off on a very happy note
~Vijay

Why you should vote for UPA

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:48:00 +0000

After 7 years of incredible governance from UPA, what would you do if elections were held tomorrow?
Whom would you vote for? If you ask me for a suggestion I would blindly say UPA and here’s why…

1) Jobs, jobs and more jobs: If you’re wondering how, then let me explain. Until UPA came into power, the likes of CBI were jobless with only petty Mayawati-like cases to handle but now it has changed a lot. In-fact according to sources they have decided to directly recruit statisticians and number theory experts because the current employees in the CBI are unable to handle the mind boggling figures involved in those scams. So in case you are a math undergraduate, you must be chanting “UPA ki jai” or at least “Raja/Kalmadi ki jai” to the polling booth.

2) For your children: Yes I mean it; please vote for UPA at least for the sake of your children. I have often seen children finding it difficult to remember the names of the prime minister and the president of India. But trust me if UPA is in power that will never be a problem. The PM is immaterial as long as he never speaks and has no say, no one needs to care a damn about him and with regards to the president, well you know how it is- she’s just a dummy there. So in case they ask a question like “Who is the PM/President of India?” your child can very well write- Sonia G, CBSE has promised they won’t penalize. So that makes it great for your children just remember one name- Sonia G (even the initial won’t matter much).

3) “Dreams are not what you see in sleep. They are the things that do not let you sleep”- said by Kalam. Well if you’re an ardent follower of Kalam and his principles you got to vote for the UPA. Their policies have been so great that none in India sleep at night, all of them are awake dreaming about lower petrol prices!

4) All you guys working in Media wake up – you guys are the ones who should be most indebted to UPA. Just think of a scenario if they were not in power, you guys would be sitting at home looking after your kids and managing your servants. Courtesy UPA, TRP’s are soaring and magazines are flying out of their shelves. So again I warn you, cross voting => you guys will be jobless in no time.

I don’t fall into any of the categories described above, unfortunately I am not doing a math undergraduation (being dumb), of course I don’t have children and I am not working for a media house. But still, in spite of all these I will still vote for them. I started this blog one fine day when I felt very lonely and it has been 26 posts since then (including this). Good or bad, some of them purely arose because of UPA and helped me fill some pages. And you know, I am loyal and moreover I have a desire to maintain this blog for long- so please whatever you say- I am going for it!

PS:- Dr.Swamy, you too will have to vote for the UPA, ask your concise, if not for them your book would never be a bestseller!

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*Being Dumb

*The Grand IPL sale

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What makes this so special ?

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:04:00 +0000

This article was published at Sportskeeda as an entry for the blog an iphone contest. If you think this article is good enough then please give a like in this link please like here .

The Championships

“I am a bit amazed by the amount of coverage this particular tournament is getting. I mean I’ve never seen any other sport other than cricket which has bothered news channels with special shows and expert reviews but, this one… What makes this so special?” asked a friend of mine.

Ask Boris Becker and he would say “To me it’s the most important tournament” ….

Ask Roger Federer and he would say “It’s always special to be back here, after all this where it all began!”….

Ask Maria Sharapova and she would say “I would still take it if I won 10 titles and nothing anywhere else”….

It all started 125 summers ago, in the year 1877, at the All England Croquet Club just as a tournament to raise money for repairing a broken roller at the club and now- it is one of the greatest sporting events in the world!.

If you haven’t still guessed, I am talking about the Wimbledon- the Mecca or Disneyland of tennis, as many would call it and rightly so. Each time a player walks into this theatre they are like an ardent pilgrim on the verge of realizing a dream- a dream they have nurtured right from their early tennis lessons-which is to play here, here in the front of this English crowd.

And for people to ask “What is in it that makes it so great?” is very much obvious because none of them expect a tournament- played just once in a year, spanning over just 2 weeks, situated on a road which for 11 months shows no signs of this upcoming festival and is in fact a home for driving tutors and pet walkers’- to be special just like that, just beacuse it is one of the four grandslams. Surely there must a reason, something unique there..

One thing is certain, though lucrative, it can’t alone be the reason, because the 20million dollars on offer here is comparable to that on offer at New York, Paris and Melbourne which have themselves staged grandslams for at least a century now. Then what is it that makes this London showpiece stand alone?

The majestic centre court

Well there are many things unique to “the Championships” at Wimbledon. One obvious thing is that it is only grandslam played on grass and more importantly the only grandslam to retain its original surface.In may ways it’s different from the other majors- the French open, the US open and the Australian open. The complete white dress code, the royal box, hardly visible advertisement boards, the strawberries and cream are all unique to Wimbledon and as soon as the championships begin we see a change- a sudden one when men become gentlemen, women become ladies and a "shut up" becomes a thankyou! .

Many would say that the major reason for the incredible success of this tournament is “nothing has changed here over these years, it has always been the same and that is the reason for it being so special”. But is it so? Certainly not I would say. I mean, don’t we have state-of-the-art facilities for the players and fans here?, don’t we have modern technology being used here? remember the 84 million pound roof? Well I would say that it has just been an illusion all along and well to create one must have taken great efforts, but believe me this illusion is precisely the reason why the Wimbledon stands where it is now. It has successfully achieved what no other sporting event has ever done, which is to preserve its great traditions, swim deep in the sea of changes amidst a seaming changelessness.

It is definitely this achievement along with the emotions it invokes in every tennis fan which makes it special, makes it stand alone and which makes each of us stand up and say “What a tournament it was this time, I can’t wait for the next one!”

This article was published at Sportskeeda as an entry for the blog an iphone contest. If you think this article is good enough then please give a like in this link please like here .

image courtesy: Google images

Being dumb...

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:27:00 +0000

Here are some of the dumbest things I have done ( not in any particular order):

Ramming my bicycle against a roadside tree the first time I tried riding it.
Pursuing B.Tech.
Going to a neighbour’s place and discovering there was something called sugar, which I proudly said was never used at home (but later came to know it wasn’t the case) - ending up as a huge embarrassment for my parents.
Trying in vain to advise those guys on facebook who are never tired of flooding my walls answering silly questions like “what gender is your brother? A) Male B) Female C) No idea D) I don’t give a damn about it”.
Believing a guy who buried 95 rupees in the school playground with the hope of growing a “money” plant.
Well to write all that here, shamelessly!

Now that you’ve guessed my level, any competitor?
Well as sush suggested I am tagging all you guy's here: Sushma , Vyankatesh, Gowthami Nandigala, IRFANUDDIN,sunwicked,SUB,Sanjana,Harsha,jojofeelings,Mishi,
Will definitely add more.

A close shot

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:13:00 +0000

When the maestro met the invincible...

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 09:44:00 +0000

"It's going to be the best player in the world today Vs the best player in the history of the game" - well this was what Nadal said when asked on his opinion about the the most awaited match of the season so far- the 16 time grand slam champion Roger Federer meeting the invincible Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open.The match had the whole of the of the tennis fraternity abuzz with excitement and in the end it was all worth it, perhaps that was one of the best matches I had seen for a long time.

Well, that was the winning moment and the roar said it all!

Coming into the match with a 43 match winning streak with just 1 more needed to equal McEnroe's record for the best start to a season(42-0) and a chance to become the world number 1, there was a lot at stake for the unbeatable Djokovic and clearly he was the favorite to win the contest. But playing as an underdog Roger kept his cool and it finally resulted in a battle everyone had aspired for, with each player matching point to point, stroke to stroke and game to game. And in the end, the better player defeated darkness and Djokovic's dream run in a match, which if one would ask me was one of the biggest wins Federer has had outside grandslam finals.Perhaps yesterday's match was a fitting reply to anyone who had doubted Federer's ability after the Australian Open 2010.
And finally after the epic 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 win, one about which he can be really proud of, there was a roar from the maestro followed by a standing ovation from the crowd and to end it all a gracious wave to the crowd followed by an awesome smile from Mirka.Definitely this one was worth its wait in gold!

image courtesy: yahoo images

Enchanting Tihar

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:11:00 +0000

Being summer time most of us will be busy planning for holidays and the choice of a destination is always difficult. But if you ask me I would suggest a trip to the Tihar Jail for nothing can be more interesting and entertaining than Tihar. In fact if you’re lucky you may spot, not tigers, but some DMK ministers as the party high command has decided to shift their headquarters to Delhi for two reasons- first being that it will enable them to hold on to Sonia’s pallu more firmly and second since the move will enable them to hold party meetings in the Tihar jail as most of their men are enjoying the summer there. So, trust me it will be awesome!

Welcome to “Enchanting Tihar- the most happening place in India”- this is the official theme of the soon to become tourist hotspot- a 400acre sprawling campus in the heart of the capital. Once considered one of the most dreadful places to be in, now all of a sudden it has become a pit stop for most people on their rise to riches.

The prison boasts of housing people across boundaries, you can find everyone from ordinary convicts to politicians, bureaucrats and billionaires. Some of the high profile convicts include our own telecom Raja, the MD of Dynamix Balwas- Shahid Balwa-once considered the 50^th richest man in India, Db Reality MD Vinod Goenka, Unitech boss Sanjay Chandra, the king of CWG Kalmadi and the latest addition- the old man’s dear daughter Kanimozhi and perhaps many more.(That’s all I could remember)

First few months are agonizing but with friends and relatives around its fun says Vinod who has been convicted in the 2G scam. The day starts at 6a.m and by 8 they are served breakfast, which comprises of tea, and a few slices of bread, a modest one considering the kind of lifestyle they have been used to. At around half past 9 all of them have a smile on their face as its time for them to go the Patiala House which to their relief is air-conditioned. It’s almost like a party there, all of them get to meet their family and lawyers and it’s a get together of sorts. You have Raja clad in his blindingly white shirt, the Balwas with Rolex watches and Gucci shoes and the likes of Goenka and Sanjay with their Reid & Taylor attire. As soon as Raja enters he waves at his former telecom secretary Chandolia and makes way to a seat near the Balwas giving a scary look at Kalmadi who is busy talking to Kani on the DMK-Congress alliance. Though Raja and Kani have been very close, they aren’t seen having a conversation as the chubby boy is angry with Kani as she had tried to escape jail putting all the blame on him. When the Balwas were asked what they thought about the new entrant Kani, they had a sheepish smile on their face and said “until now we had no choice, we had to bear this Raja and the CWG fellow for who knows they might be ministers again, but now we’re more than happy, Kani is here- it’s going to be total fun!” .

At around 12 all of them are taken back to the prison for lunch from the jail canteen while the Patiala house is abuzz with the delivery vans from KFC and the McDonalds for their families. At around 4p.m all of their faces turn grim as its time for them to head back to the 10ft X 15ft cell, which as a part of VIP treatment has a ceiling fan, an exhaust, a TV set( I wonder if this is the same one the old man gave as a freebie in TN) and a restroom attached to it. As they are about to leave Kalmadi is seen leaning on to his wife and complaining about the mosquitoes and moths, while Raja is discussing about a possible shift to his secretary’s cell- the argument being- for better understanding of the chargesheet and more privacy!

At 7 they’re served dinner and after that, most of them are glued to their TV sets preparing notes on how much each of them have swallowed, for when they meet tomorrow at Patiala house they have got to have the raw facts in hand for two reasons- first to counter Raja who keeps on boasting about his abilities, and second to impress Kani with their deep knowledge!

Is he the man ?

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:46:00 +0000

From a not so well known social activist to a middle class hero or “youth icon“– this is possibly the shortest way to describe the man of the moment – Anna Hazare. One look at his khadi attire and the traditional white cap and we’re convinced, beyond doubt, that he is a Gandhian. But is this middle class hero of ours truly one? He was definitely one to me until I recently read an article.

Now consider this man- he literally rules a village in Maharashtra (sorry I can’t remember the name) as if he is a feudal lord and there his is the final word. In case anyone is found drinking, he just orders for them to be tied to a poll and publicly flogged. Labourers in his village are paid around Rs 50 as daily wages and he believes in rigid implementation of family planning including forced vasectomies. Nowhere close to a Gandhian right ?? – This is the real Anna Hazare for you!

Sure, he seems to be doing the right things, he is fighting against corruption, but then considering his biographical details, is he really the "hero" we should admire? or do we just rationalize these facts? I am confused,what do you say ?

Footprints in the sand

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:48:00 +0000

( A shot taken at Marina Beach, Chennai )

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from anguish,
sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there has only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you have seen only one set of footprints,
my child, is when I carried you.”

~ Mary Stevenson

5 things I wish I could do...

noreply@blogger.com (Vijay Menon) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Self realization/ evaluation sessions have always been my way. I do it from week to week and day to day but each time, I end up forgetting what I compiled and that session is done until the next one.So, this time i.e yesterday I decided to take it one step further, to pen down all the observations, and as a result this list was born.

1)Being Optimistic: I am a pessimist to the core. There is nothing which receives a positive response in my mind and every single task starts with an " impossible " and stays" impossible " until I have realized it. I know this won't get me far and so this is been something I desperately want to change!

2)Except to a very few good friends of mine, I don't talk much and I always keep to myself. I talk less, very less and perhaps that is why each time I meet up with one of my relatives this introvert-ness of mine becomes their talking point.I hate it the most, I curse them for starting the topic, but then, they're right, I should know how to get along with people and now I want to shrug off this image and I am trying.

Wish I was more of an extrovert!

3) Being more responsible: Be it in managing cash or my belongings, I am the worst one you could ever think of for the job. Its not that I spend too much or something, infact I am a bloody miser, but each time my pockets are fed with some currency I am so generous to donate more than half of those to the washing machine :( . Time to keep a wallet I guess !

4) Stop comparing myself with bro: I know this is really sick, but I can't stop this. Of course he's better in every possible manner but still, this needs an end and I think its high time I did that. Perhaps I should learn to be Me, Myself and just accept things the way they are.

5) And lastly I don't think I should be having these self evaluation sessions too often. It's really depressing!