The World I See

Life is not fair

2016-02-21T17:34:00.000-08:00

Life is not fair
You have to get used to it

No reason be crying
No one is looking, no one is going to help

Your struggle is yours only
Put up a fight or perish

Good luck or bad luck

You have to push through

No reason be sad

It’s a downward spiral, nothing else

Be tough, be strong

It’s not for the light hearts

Move from one failure to another

But never call it over

No guarantee you’ll make through

But it’ll still be worth at the end

Musings of a free mind

2014-06-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Here you are, working in an MNC, doing 8 to 5 shift, wearing formal clothes, in gigantic sounding project. You have 10 years of experience under your belt, and somewhat under appreciated job title. You travel to office in company provided transport and eat free lunch. For most people, you have arrived in life; you are an achiever, set in life. But here is the problem...

You don't have any frigging work.

Now don't be surprised, it has been like this for a while now, actually for a long while now. Your job has become just showing up in office on required time, sitting on your desk for most part of the day, and looking like you are busy with something. You have perfected this routine over weeks and months and have mastered the skill of hiding in plain sight. You have particular expertise in the art of looking busy and hiding your screen. You drink insane amounts of tea and coffee, and take really long lunch breaks. You read every news in the world, follow all deals and coupons, have vast knowledge about upcoming irrelevant events, and know the story of all latest movies. Sometimes thinking about your situation leaves an evil grin on your face.

See, not having any work has its own benefits. Your mind is free to contemplate bigger questions in life. Like, which movie will be a bigger hit, Avatar 2 or Avengers 2? Why Anil Kapoor has so much body hair? Is Manmohan Singh a robot? And other important questions. This is the time to expand your horizons and learn new techniques, which will help you to look busy than ever while doing no work at all. This is the time to discover new websites and learn new internet lingo. This is the time to research about the latest slim diet, compare workout routines and dream about joining gym where you’ll never actually go.

However, there are some downsides as well. Without any work, without any engaging activity, your brain becomes dull. And after some time brain starts to like that stage. That leaves your brain dull and makes you dumb, and slowly this condition will start to show up everywhere, along with office, in home, at the movies, even in the market, you are dumb everywhere. Now, even the prospect of doing any actual work makes you anxious. You want to remain in this comfort zone, where life is without work, brain is dull, and you are dumb.

Having no work for a long time is really a double edged sword, you want to break free and do some work, but at the same time, you don’t want to engage your brain in any work.

My Tryst with Windows Phone 8

2013-10-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

After using Android for close to 4 years, I was yearning for something different. Didn’t want to try iphone, as I had ipod touch from many years, iphone wouldn’t have been totally new and different experience. So, I decided to try Windows Phone 8.

I choose Nokia Lumia 720, which is a mid range (pocket friendly) and relatively good looking phone. After the euphoria of using new phone passed in about a week’s time, apparent problems with the Windows Phone 8 started to become clear. Within a month, I pretty much understood why WP 8 OS is not ready for primetime and loosing battle against Android and iOS. After 2 months and 11 days, I got so frustrated that I returned Lumia 720 and switched back to Android.

Some of the most annoying issues with WP 8 are listed below, and for clarity, these issues are OS related, nothing to do with hardware. On the contrary, I am very impressed with the design of the phone, (wish Nokia makes Android phones L):

1. No Folders or any other way to organize things: WP 8 has 2 screens, start screen and an all apps screen. Say, you want to club all social apps together at one place, not possible sir. You have to live with rows of “live tiles”. On top of it, the whole start screen will get disrupted if you have to add a new tile at particular place. This is the most absurd home screen implementation I have seen.

2. Notifications: Actually there is nothing that resembles “Notifications” on WP. Phone will notify you say when you receive new whatsapp message by displaying it on top of the screen. But if you failed to see it at that moment, you have no way of knowing about that messages arrival unless you have added “live tile” for it or have that app added to lock screen (which is limited to 5 apps). Only other way is to keep checking all of your frequent apps for any activity. There is no unified Notification system in place. Yikes!!

3. Dearth of Applications: It’s pretty lonely in here. Except for the Nokia apps (here apps included), and some of the Microsoft apps, there is lack of apps in general and quality apps in particular. Here is a laundry list of apps I missed the most: Flipboard, Instagram, Pinterest, Pulse, Gmail, Youtube, iMobile (ICICI Bank app), Swiftkey, Subway Surfer, VLC. Even for the apps that are available, implementation is bad; they look pretty down market compared to same apps for Android or iOS, biggest example of that is Facebook app.

Little annoyances: There are many little nuisances that make the OS experience further annoying:

a. If contact name is little longer, it will not be fully shown on call screen.

b. Resetting the phone, that’s supposed to be a relatively straightforward task, can become real pain in the ass.

c. Can’t set separate alert tones, it’s one sound for all alert types.

d. No File Manager to access files, songs, downloads.

e. Default browser (IE) is really bad, hard to navigate between different tabs. No direct sharing of links or media to installed apps.

I am hearing Microsoft is planning next version of Windows Phone 8 (GDR3 or something). I am really hoping MS to improve things with that update. Also, hearing most of the missing apps will eventually find their way to WP 8. Till that time, it’s better to stay away from WP 8.

Quotes

2012-09-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

"More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones" ~ Truman Capote

"If you don't want anyone to

findout, don't do it" ~ Chinese Proverb

"When you're Happy, you enjoy the music. But when you're Sad, you understand the lyrics" ~ Frank Ocean

"First they laugh at you, then they ignore you, then they fight you, then you win" ~ Gandhi

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing" ~ Oscar Wilde

"Faith: it does not make things easy, it makes them possible" ~ Luke 1:37

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~ Albert Einstein

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” ~ Joseph Campbell

"He who buys what he does not need steals from himself" ~ Swedish Proverb

"Raise your words, not voice. It is rain which grows flowers, not thunder" ~ Rumi

"Simplicity is the ultimate form of Sophistication" ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

"LIFE BECOMES EASIER WHEN YOU LEARN TO ACCEPT AN APOLOGY YOU NEVER GOT" ~ Robert Brault

Book Review: The Emperor of All Maladies

2012-04-30T06:46:00.001-07:00

Rarely comes a book which leaves you thinking even after you have put it down, which makes you appreciate the fragile human life and how easily it can be ruined. Even rarely when the book's central character is not a person but a deadly disease whose name is enough to instill fear. “The Emperor of All Maladies” by Siddhartha Mukherjee is one such book.

This book is not written by just a doctor, but by a doctor who is a very good story teller. Don't judge it by its cover or name, this book is for everyone, for doctors, for avid readers, for someone looking to know more about cancer, for those who have lost loved ones to cancer, for those who are suffering from the disease. This book puts both fear and hope in your heart, by unraveling the ruthless and killer disease which cancer is and by providing insight into how scientific community is fighting to control this beast of a disease.

This book covers the history, geography, nature, progress of cancer and cancer treatments, giving the book apt tag-line “A Biography of Cancer”. It takes you on a journey of many 100 years starting with the discovery of cancer or cancer like disease up to 21st century. On the way peeling very delicately the monstrous nature of cancer, what it does to those bogged down by it and how over the years various cures are invented to tackle it.

This book introduce us to many important figures in the fight against cancer. How scientist have labored in last century to find a cure for cancer, and how that collective knowledge has helped and still helping to treating people with cancer. Many theories coined by various scientists are discussed and rejected. Irrespective of readers background, book succeeds in explaining most of the technical jargons in very simple manner, which makes it interesting for everyone.

This book is no fairytale, it has described cancer exactly what it is, and there is no false hope shown. The fight against cancer is still ongoing and lot of work is yet to be done.

If you are planning to read it, make lot of time as its going to be a long ride. Expect no twists, this isn't for John Grisham fans.

Pearl City !!

2011-09-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Till my graduation I had never been to any place beyond Delhi, and at that point even Delhi seemed far. After graduation I got job in Satyam Computers. In those pre-scam days, Satyam was much respected and big name in IT industry, so I was happy getting the job offer. But the only catch, placement was in Hyderabad, way down south. Job market was bad at time and I had no other option than joining Satyam Computers. So, in second half of 2004 I moved to Hyderabad to start a new phase of my life. I planned to stay there for 2 years and then find job back in Delhi. But that never happened, and I end up staying 6 years in Hyderabad, and it was not less then a love affair.

During the initial days of job, especially as fresher there is hardly any time to spend outside joining formalities and getting to know the people in office. Once the dust settles in office space, you start to observe the city and immediate surroundings. After 2 months, I was comfortable in my job and getting to know the city more. I had not seen many big cities before going to Hyderabad, but still I felt this place is different. Over time when I got to see many bigger cities in and out of India, that feeling still remained. It’s not just one thing which differentiate Hyderabad from other cities, but many factors which make it city to settle in.

When we visit some new place, we can feel the vibe, whether the city is welcoming outsiders or not? How its people treat the outsiders, are they annoyed with their existence or they are happy that more people are making this city their home. Hyderabad and its people always gave me the feeling that I am welcome here, I am accepted here, I can stay, I can settle. One reason for that could be the way Hyderabad has evolved; it has the perfect blend of many cultures Nizams, Hindus, Christians, that people have learned to live in harmony with each other, respect other cultures, rather enjoying the diversity.

There are almost as many cuisines in India as there are states, may be more. But there is no comparison of Hyderabadi food. If you have never had Hyderabadi Biryani, you are missing something in life. The Nizam’s influence on Hyderabad has given it’s cuisine a royal touch; It has the highest number of spices and blends. Everything prepared is cooked to perfection for taste, smell and look. And just like other things, Hyderabad offers all type of cuisines, be it Punjabi, Kolkata, Rajasthani, Thai, Continental, Kerala, et el. It might feel like every other big city offers the same thing, but differentiation for Hyderabad is in abundance of places to eat it offers. Bottom line, you’ll fall in love with the Hyderabadi food, for the homesick there are still many options.

It’s very rare for a city in India to have combination of rich heritage and modern amenities; Hyderabad is one of them. The Nizams influence and their creations are well preserved along with the economic development and infrastructure. There’s prestigious “Charminar”, “Golkonda Fort”, “Salar Jung Museum”, “Mecca Masjid”, Chowmahalla Palace” and “Qutb Shahi Tombs”, and then on the other side there are Hitech City and Gachibowli – home to some of the world’s biggest technology companies, ISB College – one of the best MBA college in India and world, Ramoji Film City – where numerous films have been shot and still shooting, Uppal Cricket Stadium and Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, and having one of the best Airports in India. Hussain Sagar Lake with tall Buddha Statue in middle and its surrounding parks only adds to the beauty of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad is a place to be, ever welcoming, warm, with friendly people, amazing food and lot of places to visit and see. Not just Hyderabad is synonym with Pearls business it’s pearl of a city in itself.

Dhoni and Marketing !!

2011-03-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

Not that I am saying Dhoni is Cheap, call it mere co-incidence or deliberated marketing, Dhoni’s most endorsements are for cheaper products. Although he is named ‘Top Earning Cricketer’ by Forbes, still his story of rising from the small town to a celebrity cricketer is most bankable. India, where emotional connection with the consumer is must for any product success, who can do it better than a star that came from the same common background as most Indians.

Have a look below at few of his endorsements:

Sonata Watches, well their advertisements always have the same theme, poor to middle class guys trying to do something cool. It could be a football match or bike racing, but the central idea remains the same.

Maxx Mobile, I bet you haven’t heard of Maxx mobiles before, don’t doubt your general knowledge, no one has. It’s a little known new entrant in the Indian mobile scene and their advertisements are as confusing as their phones.

Fashion@Big Bazaar, this superstore has long been the favourite of Indian middle class for offering products at cheap price whose quality always remain questionable. So who else can endorse clothes which only look expensive other than Dhoni?

TVS Star, now I know TVS is a good brand but Star bike? Why TVS is not using him for Apache advertisements, because his image will not fit in that category. So, here also he is selling the dream of second rug bike to emotional Indians.

Orient PSPO, it might be early endorsement for Dhoni, but he still hung around all these years, and company is not yet ready to let go Dhoni. Orient never became the fan king, that place always belongs to Khaitan and Usha.

At present Dhoni is endorsing 21 brands and some of them are not down market. Like Pepsi, Reebok and Siyaram’s. But we know pretty well, Pepsi is no Coke, Reebok is not Nike and Siyaram’s is not Raymond’s. These brands are still not the market leaders in their category.

And it does help Dhoni’s image not to endorse Mysore Sandal Soap and Amrapali Group. Please leave such marketing to Bollywood Divas or Shahrukh Khan. If anyone is giving competition to Dhoni on endorsements front it is Mr. Bachchan, who is doing any advertisement presented to him, Zen Mobiles anyone ?

Rude Indian Middle Class !!

2011-01-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

Excuse Me, this is my seat.
Hi, actually we are travelling together and having separate berths. Can you please shift to berth 56? That is a side upper.

Let me have a look ...

[2 minutes later]

...Can't take that seat.
Why ? What happened ?
That berth is next to the door and it is uncomfortable.
Actually my wife is pregnant and can't take the upper berth.
Well, I am sorry, but I can't shift there.
Please try to understand, its very difficult for her.
you also try to understand my problem.
Please.
Ok, until I am awake I'll sit there, but I need this berth for sleeping.
But ...

[1:30 hours later]

...I want to sleep now.
Can you please consider my request. It's just few hours.
Sorry, I told you before.
Please sir. Show some decency.
You didn't request nicely, otherwise I would have shifted. Now I want to sleep.
I am sorry for that, please shift. I am begging.
Sorry mate.
Fine !!

Disclaimer: A true incident.

The Interview !!

2010-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the experience of facing an interview with one of the India's biggest IT employer. It employee thousands of software engineers and alike, has presence across the globe, serve fortune 100 clients and all those nice things. I had real good intentions toward the interview, but friends cautioned me about its growing bad reputation in employee dissatisfaction and I was about to found out why.

My interview was scheduled for 10 AM on Saturday morning. Being punctual by nature, I reached there at 9:50 AM, and got the first shock. Around 100 odd people were sitting outside the main building and many were standing around. It felt like police selection camp. At first glance it looked like all bad and worse of IT industry are here [yeah, no good people]. It was hot humid day and very suffocating being out without fan or AC. Still I hold my thoughts and looked forward to meet the HR, then came the second shock.

For such a large crowd there were just 2 HR representatives, obviously it was chaos. After observing the mess for a while I bravely approached one of the HR, even before I utter my first words she asked "What do you want ?". Though, I was really dumb struck with the rudeness but managed to reply that I am here for the interview. Then she said leave your resume here and wait for your name to be called. I was still there when another well dressed man approached the HR and said "I am not here for walk-in, I am Project Manager and here for a scheduled interview". She replied "It’s not a walk-in; everyone has to follow through the same process, leave your resume here and wait for your turn". Our Mr. Project Manager just couldn't believe the harsh response and gave WTF face, but I couldn't stop myself from smiling, at last some revenge from some project manager.

Well, it took them 2 hours to figure out who is here for which interview and where they have to report next. Thanks to the water dispenser, I was able to bear the heat exhaustion. Finally around noon I was told that my interview will be happening at 7th floor. So I and others of same skill set followed the HR guy to 7th floor, and here I was shocked again. AC was not working, now I don't know the reason, probably it was a non working day or just interview or something else, but the fact of the matter is it was even more suffocating inside the building. We were asked to sit anywhere and wait for our interview turn. So, we formed a small group and sat on one side of the floor so HR guy can recognize us. We waited for good 1 hour before the HR appeared and gave us shock one more time. They had shortage of interview panels and now our interview is going to happen on telephone. I gave my best WTF look to the HR and she also acknowledged their mismanagement.

It was already 1 PM and I had started to get hunger pangs. So, I asked the HR where the cafeteria is and she replied politely that it’s closed as it is Saturday. Even the coffee machine was switched off on that floor; it was the height of cost cutting. What were they thinking that we'll bring our lunch boxes along or tea pots? I don't know if they were not expecting this large crowd and everything got out of hand, but the attitude of HR people and their response to the situation clearly suggest they don't give tiny rat’s ass anyway. The whole thing made me like my present company a lot more.

Soon we realized that even with telephonic panel also they are not able to accommodate all the people and then came the next shock; they asked almost half of the people to leave. Imagine how you feel if you come for a scheduled interview and you have to wait 2 hours outside and then 2 hours inside without AC, food or anything to drink and then asked to leave. I felt some people were clinching their fists and using many swear words. Luckily [or not] I was asked to stay, so I stayed back and waited for another 1 hour for my turn to come. While I was waiting for my turn, the whole HR gang disappeared somewhere to feast over Hyderabadi Biryani and other delicacies, they returned after 30 minutes and told me it’s my turn. For once I felt happy that wait of 5 hours is about to yield some result. I followed the HR to the conference room where the telephonic interview was going to happen, HR dialed the interviewer and I got my next shock.

Apparently, the interviewer wasn't happy about so many interviews through his way and told the HR guy that he can't take any more interviews. After HR lobbied for 10 minutes to take this just one interview as I am waiting from 5 hours, interviewer finally agreed. I got the phone and soon understood that interviewer is angrier than I realized. He started firing questions towards me, very basic questions, very normal questions and very boring questions. After toiling in that area for a while he jumped ship and started asking some good questions, but that didn't last much longer. The whole interview was over in less than 10 minutes. I wasn't sure whether it ended so soon because he figured out that I am good or he just want to end it anyway. After waiting for so long for this shame of an interview, I felt cheated, frustrated, exhausted, hungry and confused.

On my way out of the conference room, HR guy told me that I'll be informed in two days if I am through to next round, and I can leave for the time being. But I wasn't sure that I want to face the next round and work in that place, I'll rather stick to my current job where at least AC and coffee machine always work.

Till next interview, ciao !!

The Airport

2010-08-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

More than often we are caught at the Airport waiting for our flights, so much time to kill that we can’t help ourselves being observant of the type of people come to airport; People of all sizes, colour and character. Here are some of them:

The Married Couple:

They’ll be sitting at any place they can get, husband watching TV [if available] or reading book/newspaper or if nothing else pretending to sleep just to get away from the non-stop wife’s talk. The wife would be all over her husband to make sure he is giving her full attention [and not looking at other women].

The Dating Couple:

They'll be sitting at the corner seat, deeply in talk over some future topic. For them airport is totally empty, they don't care if anyone is there is not, they will just do their things [wink, wink]. And they have to kiss or cuddle every now and then to reassure each other that they are still in love.

The Single Mom:

She and her child would be at the most crowded place [security I guess]. She'll just look after her child and nobody else really matters. Helping the kid to eat, sleep or sometime playing. Its tough to be a mom, wonder why haven't seen any single dads travelling :)

The Blonde Girl:

She won't be sitting much; she clearly follows the 'stand-to-get-noticed' thing. She has to stand in various mind engaging postures, if not then roam around with dissatisfied look on the face, confused over eating choices. She doesn't mind your staring at her assets; rather it is a matter of pride for her. This is where “husbands” concentrate :-D

There are many other groups of people worth noticing, like the teenagers with their 'go-fuck-yourself' attitude and their knowledge on everything which amazes you. Then there are busy travellers which are too preoccupied with their laptops or music players or book that they hardly raise their heads. Then there is old age group, business executives, villagers and many others. Airport, if you observe closely is a world in itself.

The State of my Nation !!

2010-06-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

My nation and my job are both going through a rough phase these days. Nation is deteriorating because of inflation, Maoists, terrorists and politicians; and I am suffering at job because it is stale, same-thing-over-and-over-again, dead end and off course because of managers.

Let’s talk about nation first.

The working class to which I belong, the middle class is happy that the recession is final over [or so we have heard] and everything else is someone else’s problem. We are not bothered with anything else. To them all that happens far away in some other territory to which they don't belong. But the fact of the matter is our nation is facing many grave issues which we just want to ignore like morning walk. And we'll keep ignoring them until they become our problem, which will happen soon enough. Here is my top list:

1. Maoists / Naxalites:

Don't we all love to talk about Terrorism ? About the bad things Pakistan is doing ? Bombs explosions and encounters. This is one such topic which never loses its charm in tea breaks and serious drunk talk. But what about the threat millions of Indians are facing every day ? Why we don't talk about Maoists ? Why it is still 'NOT' considered a debatable issue ? The home grown security threat is always kept under wrap, although more than half of the Indian states are facing it. The Red Corridor is expanding and its expending fast, not only in villages, now it has reached to cities also. Increasing Rich-Poor divide, Lack of opportunities for peasants, corruption, land grabbing and exploitation of lower class are some of the reasons behind this movement. Living in urban India, it is difficult to imagine that such reasons can create wrath of this scale. Until we, the ever growing urban middle class takes a break and start thinking about this, it’s not going to stop. We need to create opportunities for poor, need to push government for answers, need to curb corruption in administration and try to create economic harmony between urban and rural India.

2. Population:

Well, let’s just say the economic growth of India is directly proportional to its population. It would be wrong to draw comparison with other nations like neighbor china and far west friend US, but lately no one seems concerned about it. Population explosion not only throws a challenge for providing basic amenities, but also for generating opportunities for earning livelihood. At whatever pace our economy grows, we can't grow enough to feed everyone, and since agriculture sector is losing its charm worldwide, getting export of essential commodities wouldn't be easy. Water scarcity is already a major problem in most parts of the country, and it’s only going to increase. Some have also suggested that next world war is not going to happen over oil, it’s going to happen over Water. Until we keep population increase under control, we are bound to face very tough time in near future.

3. Corruption:

So, you have never bribed? The pillars of Indian Administration are made of corruption and 'Jugaad'. Be it driving without helmet or defense arms deal, all involved corruption at all levels. Where corruption alone can't work, jugaad kicks in; don't you know someone who got college admission in minister quota ? It’s the Indian mentality that everything can be worked out one way or the other. Yet, we never miss any chance to cry foul about it. This corruption-jugaad raised Indian mentality cannot change unless we stop paying corrupts and looking for jugaads ourselves. If you forget to wear helmet, caught without ticket on train or found talking on phone while driving, don't try to pay bribe and escape. Face the punishment, it might be more than the bribe you are paying, but it would be do lot good for yourself and for the society.

Now about my job, I am almost facing the same problems as our nation. Internal terror elements in the form of managers, corruption in the form of managers-ass-licking-employees and ever increasing company strength where I have lost my place and credibility.

Human !!

2010-05-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

There’s one way out and one way in

Back to the beginning

There’s one way back to home again

To where I feel forgiven

What is this I feel, why is it so real

What am I to say

It’s only love, it’s only pain

It’s only fear, that run through my veins

It’s all the things you can’t explain

That make us human

I am just an image of something so much greater

I am just a picture frame, I am not the painter

Where do I begin, can I shed this skin

What is this I feel within

It’s only love, it’s only pain

It’s only fear that runs through my veins

It’s all the things you can’t explain

That make us human

It's only love, it's only pain

It's only fear that runs through my veins

It's all the things you can't explain

That make us human

Oh that make us human

By Civil Twilight

Left Alone !!

2010-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

John is in shower, bathing hurriedly as every day. Yet again he is late for office, which means getting dressed fast and breakfast on the way. How much he promises himself to wake up early the next morning and reaching office on time, it never happens. Every morning is a new challenge in waking up, so is to reach office in time. Once out of the shower, he put on the same clothes he wore yesterday. He puts the bread in the toaster before going to dressing room to apply cologne and hair gel, and then he puts on his office shoes and hears the sound of the toaster releasing the bread. He throws bread in Lunch box, and thinks for a while if he is forgetting something before finally starts for office. Everything looks fine; it’s time to run for the office. While locking his room, he heard his bedroom phone ringing. First thinking to skip it, he hesitantly rushed in to take the call.

Hello, who is it?

Hi John, It’s Kate.

Hey Kate, how are you sweet heart? I wasn’t expecting your call at this time.

I know, you must be getting late for office. But this is important, won’t take much time.

You sure, this can’t hold till I reach office, I’ll call you back as soon as I reach.

I just need couple of minutes.

Alright, go on.

I am not happy in this relationship. I feel we are just dragging it.

Why would you say that ? We love each other. I don’t feel we are dragging it or anything.

John, we don’t have time for each other, we don’t spend any time together, and all we do is talk on phone and meet once a week, sometimes that also doesn’t happen.

Kate, you know we have work commitments; we are working hard for a better future, so that when we get married we don’t need to live like this.

What’s the point in earning more money if it’s keeping us apart ?

Kate, you are speaking childish, we had this discussion before and you know it’s important for both of us.

At that time I didn’t realize that it would be this hard. I can’t live like this, I want to be loved and pampered.

I love you, why you think that way ?

I want it to be shown, not just told, I am done living for better tomorrow. And I want to know if you want to be with me or want to accomplish your work commitments ?

It’s not that simple Kate. I definitely want to be with you, but I can’t compromise with my career, I have worked hard so many years to reach here.

John, it’s really simple, either you want to be with me or you don’t. If you think you can’t compromise with your job, we shouldn’t be together.

I need time to think about it.

I am glad you said that, at least it clears out I am not that important in your life as I was thinking I am. You didn’t say you want to be with me, you need time.

I mean….

John, I’ll not wait for your call, bye !!

John kept the phone back and stared at it for a while in disbelief; he needed some time just to comprehend what just happened. He didn’t understand why he reacted that way, now it’s too late to call back, damage is already done. Sitting motionless on his bed, with his face buried in his hands, he slowly realized what he has lost.

Moral: Don’t take your loved ones for granted, success tastes bitter without love.

Cell Phone Talk !!

2010-03-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

When Girl is in Bad Mood:
B: Hello, you there ?
G: Where else I would be ? are you idiot or what ? of course I am here.
B: Oh ok, how are you ?
G: Do you even know from how much time I am waiting for your call ? You have no time for me, don't talk to me.
B: Sounds like you had a bad day, what happened ?
G: Nothing happened, nothing will happen, why you care.
B: Oh common on, pls pls tell me what happened ?
G: Boss scolded me because I reached office late and left early yesterday.
B: Let it go, don't bother.
G: I can't let it go, and it has happened because of you, I got late talking to you that night and woke up late. It's your fault.
B: You want me to talk to your boss :D ?
G: It's not funny, I am putting down the phone.
B: Sorry Sorry, was just trying to cheer you up. Alright, I am sorry for keeping you awake late.
G: Hmmmm
B: You are feeling fine now ?
G: I was feeling fine before also.
B: Yeah, I am mean how was the day otherwise ?
G: It was OK, had no work, so just killed time, newspaper, net and all.
B: Did you miss me ?
G: hehehe, yeah ... I did, you ?
B: Yeah

When Girl is in Good Mood:
B: Hello, you there ?
G: Yeah, of course I am here.
B: Oh okay, how are you sweetheart ?
G: Do you actually care ? I am fine though !! How you are ?
B: I am also fine. How was your day ?
G: It was OK, had no work in office, just killed time sitting around and reading newspaper.
B: Did you miss me ?
G: Yeah Honey ... did you ?
B: Yeah

Moral: Whether Girl is in good or bad mood, guys just want to talk the same thing anyway.

Disclaimer: It's NOT based on my personal experience.

My Love !!

2010-02-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

Dan Harper closed the door of his flat and looked around to see if anyone is watching his joyousness. He woke up early this morning, it was difficult to stay in bed on Saturday, day to meet his girl, Kate. He put on his best clothes and cologne, he wants to look good every Saturday. He took out his Mazda from the parking lot and zoomed away on the road, Elvis is signing loud on the stereo. Once out of the locality he made a mental note of the things he has to pickup on the way, even after all this time, he is religiously following his routine.

First stop is at the florist, Kate's favorite is white lily. His flowers were ready by the time he reached, after all he is the most the regular customer with only one type of order. He paid the usual 15 to the florist and thanked him for keeping it ready as he is running little late already. He hurled back to his car and carefully placed the Flowers on the back seat. Back on the road, he remembered their first date, the awkwardness, the rush, and their first kiss and many dates after that. The time they spent together, laughs and cuddles, joy and love. Still mesmerized by thoughts, he realized that he has reached his second stop.

Second stop is the chocolate shop, Kate's favorite is Dark Chocolate. He went up to the counter and asked for his usual pack. While waiting for his order, he pondered upon his dislike for chocolate, why Kate likes them so much, all this time since they are together he asked this questions many times, but never got any reply. Now, he has made his peace that it is something they don't have it common. Doesn't matter if He likes them or not, anything for Kate. His order was ready, he paid 20 at the counter and picked up his chocolate pack. He carefully placed the pack along side the flowers on the back seat and give a smile, its time for the third and last stop.

Third stop is the wine shop, and its always his choice when comes to wine. While driving towards the wine shop he thought about how Kate likes to hear about his wine stories, his knowledge on this topic is one of the reason she was impressed on first date. He asked for Carbonnleux Blanc White Bordeaux French wine, paid a 100 and quickly moved of the wine store. He placed the wine bottle at the back seat along with the chocolate pack and flowers, and started towards his meeting point.

Rose park, their every week meeting point. He picked up the things from the car back seat along with the glasses and walking fast towards their usual spot, hoping its not taken and he is not late. When he saw that their favorite bench is empty he couldn't spare the smile. He laid down the flowers and chocolates on the bench and wine bottle on the ground. After fixing himself on right side of the bench he took a good look of the park. How they have spent so many Saturday's on this bench, sitting close to each other, kissing and talking. How many memories have been associated with this place, these surroundings, he never feels more relaxed any where else. After a while he opened the bottle of wine, and poured himself a drink, and closed his eyes to cherish this moment.

After sitting there for 2 hours he picked up the half empty bottle of wine and started walking towards his car, leaving pack of chocolates and flowers on the bench. Few steps away, he stopped and turned around to take a final look at the bench and read the engraving at the back “In the loving memory of Kate Harper”. Dan Harper turned around again and kept walking towards his car.

No Notebook !!

2010-02-06T18:10:00.001-08:00

The other day I went to the super market to pickup weekly groceries. I was done with my list, but my roommate was still searching few things. I was getting bored waiting for him standing at the checkout. After waiting for 15 minutes, I tried to look him up in the super market but he was no where in sight. Finally I called him and he told he is at the cosmetics section looking for something in particular and it could time sometime. Screw him, I thought. I took my trolley and started walking aimlessly in the super market. Looking at things, making up my mind to buy them, then keeping them back again. Went through many sections home decor, electronics, clothes, beers and wines, laundry, sports … list is endless, super markets have more sections then a person possible needs in his lifetime.

After zigzagging through the sections I stumbled upon the stationary section. I didn't help myself but stood there and ponder how the time has changed.

When I was kid, before the emergence of laptops and supermarkets, stationary shop was the place I used to visit more than often. Everyday while returning from school I go to stationary shop and ask for any new type of pens or pencils. Back then collecting pens was the biggest passion I had, pens of different color, different shapes, different types. Ball pens, nib pens, gel pens, which pen is better for exams, which pen gives best handwriting, which pen smells good. It was a different time, much simpler, choices were less, but satisfaction was more. I used to feel proud holding a new pen, which no one else yet have. The feeling was not less then wining an Olympic gold. It was the time when I used to write just to feel happy, drawing alphabets on the notebook. I had a bag specially meant for pens and pencils, which was more precious to me than crown jewel. Oh, that innocent childhood. I had pens for different purposes, one for writing, one for heading, one for underlining, and some I just had but never used for anything. I loved the feel of holding the pen and writing.

Over years, with Microsoft Word replacing notebook and keyboard replacing the pen, that feeling started to dissipate. Now, I don't remember when I bought a pen or notebook last time. I wish I could have written this on notebook with a pen, but what can I do, I have two laptops and but no notebook !!

I feel your fragrance !!

2009-11-20T18:25:00.001-08:00

When I wake up, and see the sun;
When morning breeze kiss my skin;
I feel your fragrance.

When I am happy and gay;
When life looks like a long beautiful holiday;
I feel your fragrance.

When I am sad and down, just left alone;
When my heart wants to cry and looks for a shoulder;
I feel your fragrance.

When I go to sleep, and see the dreams;
When the ghosts of past haunt me hard;
I feel your fragrance.

When you are not with me, and distant apart;
When I want to see you, and show my heart;
I feel your fragrance.

Magical Nights !!

2009-06-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

It was 7 years ago…

After finishing my last lecture for the day; I started to walk towards my hostel. I was always amazed by the fact that later the lecture harder to concentrate. It always seems to be longest lecture especially when you are waiting to return to hostel to play cricket. But, today is different, not only we’ll play cricket we’ll be watching the India-Australia Semifinal tonight. With these thoughts bringing excitement to my tired mind I started to walk faster towards the hostel.

Few yards from the hostel, you can hear the shouting - yelling and can easily understand that the match is in progress. That brought a little smile on my face and started to run now. When I finally reached the hostel gate I saw the hostel ground fully occupied with the players and some spectators. And I realized that I got late today and won’t get to play…man I hate long lectures. As usual, the teams are grouped based upon engineering discipline…computer science vs. electronics. Though engineers are termed as geeks, they have the unusual ability of focusing on only one thing at a time, be it study or cricket…or a girl. Well, apart from good in academics some folks play really good cricket. I dropped my bag in room and raced back to the ground to watch the game.

Our team…computer science is batting. By little chit chat with the other spectators I learned that 5^th over is going on and our score stood at 27. Five more over to go and total of 50 is generally considered very competitive. Computer Science put up 47 on the board and now it is the turn of electronics people to show how charged they are. After 3 over, electronics is playing at 15 with 4 players out. Computer science smells the mighty win and get more aggressive on the field. By the mid of 7^th over, electronics innings is concluded at 30 runs. Computer science has won the match by a huge margin of 17 runs. Since the first match is over, I can get to play in the second and all the other matches to be played and so does more people like me who arrived late. We kept on playing till it got dark and was time for the India –Australia Semifinal.

Watching a cricket match in hostel with your friends is some of the rare moments in life which you will remember your whole lifetime. Imagine a room filled with 50 peoples all staring at the smallest TV set ever existed with the worst cable reception without flicking an eye. The loud thunder of applause when India performs and high sighs when it India doesn’t. People are giving expert opinions on who will play good tonight and who would be thrashed. Although initially we fought to get a good seat, once the match started everyone settled wherever they were. Some people were even standing on chairs to get a good view. We have forgotten dinner and study and have completed immersed ourselves in the next few hours of passionate sport.

India did well while batting first made a comprehensive 264 for 6. Australia known as the best in the business stood by their reputation by scoring 80 in the first 10 over without losing any wicket. Crowd in the hostel was dead drop silent and was waiting for some miracle to happen so that they can roar high again. After few over match shifted slightly towards India when Australia lost 3 wickets in quick succession. There was no stopping the crowd from shouting high and cursing Australia for playing so well. By the end of the match, it became anyone’s game. Australia needed 12 from the last over with 3 wickets in hand. As no one were expecting, they hit a 4 on the first ball; again sighs and cursing in the hostel hall. People are advising the Indian player on how to ball the next delivery, what the weak point of the batsman is and what should be the fielding positions. Second ball, 2 run. Third ball, they took a single. Now, they need 5 to win in 3 balls. Many people are sinking lower in their chairs, with hands on the heads thinking what has gone wrong. Then on the fourth ball, India got a wicket. There was so much noise in the room that even TV was not audible. We have not even enjoyed fully, next batsman came and scored 2 runs. Now they need just 2 runs to win in 1 ball. Everyone was on the edge on their seats holding their hearts for the unknown to come. Bowler started run up for the last bowl, people are praying, with bright eyes and hopes in their hearts. Batsman hit it straight over the bowlers head and started running, but there was a fielder there, he gathered the ball and directly hit the stumps. It’s a run out; India won the match by 1 run. There is whistling, applause, shouting and all kind of noises. People are dancing, throwing chairs and congratulating each other.

Now, 7 years later…

I live alone in an apartment with big TV and surround sound. I have ample space to watch the match from every angle possible. But I don’t watch much cricket; I get so tired that I just sleep. I have lost the appetite to enjoy a full match. It has become just another game. It feels like I have lost the attachment … or was it just the environment of those magical nights which made cricket such an attachment.

I am terrorized !!

2008-09-27T09:07:00.001-07:00

I live a very normal routine life, which at times I hate because of being so mechanical. Wake up at 7, get ready, reach office by 9:30, leave office by 7:30, reach home by 9, and sleep by 11. This is my how I live day after day. Weekends come with lively change, when I can wake up late in the afternoon, can directly start with lunch, hang out, go for shopping and can catch movie at night. Although the routine is still same, but something has got changed from last few days. I always remain suspicious about the other people; I afraid going to crowded places, to jammed packed local trains.

Everyday, when I step into the local train for my office, for a fraction of a second I think this could be my last day; there is going to be a blast in this train or in many trains today. Not only local train, when I go to cinema or a mall I fear the worse there too. The sense of consciousness has over taken the sense of tranquil mind. In the moments where I am supposed to have fun, I keep looking for suspicious things. Every stranger seems dangerous to me, with some plan in their mind. Before, when some strangers give smile to me, I always smiled back. Now, when some strangers give smile to me, I get feared as their plan is going to successful in a while and I’ll be gone soon.

Not that I force myself to be suspicious, I actually try not to think that way. But, it has become part of my life now. Everywhere my subconscious mind takes over and keeps reminding me of the possible threats. Its like someone is watching, someone is waiting to push the button. I could be the one among the next lot of dead people, who knows ??

I don’t know, what is the motive behind these blasts happening in every other city. Whatever it is at least they have succeeded in creating an atmosphere of fear. If that’s what they want, they have accomplished it. Keeping up with daily life is already not easy; these things are just making it harder.

Commercialization of Spirituality !!

2008-07-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I had been to a temple in Tamil Nadu. It is very famous for its construction and design. I was on a tour with my friends and we planned to make a visit to the temple. We reached late in night to the city, so, we directly checked in to a hotel with extra high rates and pathetic service (courtesy to the tourist rush for that temple). Receptionist told us to start early in the morning if we want to finish the "Darshan" in time. Otherwise, it will get very crowded and you have to wait hours in line for your turn. With that in mind, we scheduled to start by 6 AM and to finish off the "Darshan" by 8 AM. Tired with the long travel, we quickly went to sleep ignoring the rotten pillows and smelly mattresses. Difficult though, but we woke up at around 5 AM in the morning, all thanks to the power of Spirituality. We got ready in time and started towards the temple at 6:15 AM. With God in my heart and prayer chanting in my mind, we reached the Main Gate of the temple in 10 Minutes.

The very first thing which I took notices of is the long list of "Type of Darshans", presented on the gate itself. What was even weirder is the "Rate" for each type of Darshan/Prayer. I never thought that there could be classes in a temple too, where people according to their spending capacity can reach and remain near to the Idol and say their prayers. Already lost a part of my spiritual heart, we opted for one type of darshan which cost 100 bucks each. We bought our gate pass and queued in the line. Normal timings for the temple is from 8 AM, but keeping in mind the rush of devotees (or the money factor, who knows); they have corrected it to 7:30 AM. Our Queue started to move at 7:30 AM towards the temple, which is not visible from them main gate. I don’t know why, but they won’t let you take pictures of the temple and you can’t carry mobile phone along. Well, after few meters of zig zag walking, temple was in sight. No doubt, the design and ambience of the whole place needs applause. I wasn’t surprised when my local friend told me about the money spent here, over 500 crores, woo…that’s a big sum !!

After walking for around 20 minutes, we finally reached at the periphery of the temple. Security Guards did a through checkup, and our bags went through an XRAY machine, but they stopped us there. A special prayer with VIP people was going on in the temple and we can’t go till that’s not over. It was over in 15 minutes, our group and other people in our queue started to pour in to reach inside the temple as fast as possible. Our queue started to crawl by few centimeters, many punches and kicks, and lots of pushes (Guess devotees become eager when reach near to the Idol). We entered the temple and my eyes was all filed with the color of gold, the whole inside of the temple is gold platted, that’s where I suppose they have spent much of the crores. After few minutes we reach the main part of the temple from where the God’s Idol was clearly visible. Slowly, we moved towards the Idol and reached the spot directly in front of the Idol but at a distance from it. From there, you have to say your prayer or whatever in 4-5 seconds, and leave giving chance to the next devotee in line for a conversation with God.

To my amazement, the prasadam was different for different Queues. Simply put, it was better for costly type of darshan and not so better for the free or lesser price darshans. After eating the prasadam, we headed directly for the exit to satisfy my empty stomach. A very good eating place was available inside the premises adjacent to the temple. It was not very expensive, not cheap too; food was good though. We were all ready to leave for the hotel to start our onward journey. While going towards to hotel I tried to chant prayer in my mind t make the visit more holistic, but was not able to, I felt like I have been to a luxury resort or some theme park with nice eating facilities. The Spiritual carve with which I came to the temple remain unsatisfied. I was feeling lot less spiritual than I was before visiting the temple. Hard to confess, but during the whole temple visit, Spirituality was the last thing on my mind !!

In Search of Her...!!

2008-07-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

It was a usual day at James street station. I was waiting for my local train to reach office and just like any other day…it was late!! To kill time I generally listen songs on iPod or scan the crowd [you know what I mean :-P]…and sometimes do both. Some group of fresher’s were chit chatting about the appraisal…they were really worried about its outcome…after all it’s their first appraisal, one of them was saying…IT is going from a bad phase, appraisal won’t be good…which lead to recall my first appraisal…when the IT was still good…but my appraisal was an exception…damn IT !! It’s the same story every year…really doesn’t matter how market is :D !! Another group of not so young people was discussing about stock market, why it fell yesterday…why it would come up again…why one should invest in that stock…what steps finance minister and RBI should take…I have to confess…they should be in the finance ministry, some of the terms they used went well 4-5 feet over my head. One group of girls was standing at some distance from me…approximately at the spot where ladies compartment of the local train come [whose idea was it to have separate compartments ? :O] to jump in quickly and glue to the empty seats. I am not sure what they were talking…mainly because of the two reasons…first, they were talking very slow…and second…I was really not interested in their girly chat [rather I was interested in something else…:-P]. Well, just like any other guy…I was giving them scores based upon the overall package [You can stop reading if not accustomed with this concept :D]. Most of them were below the line…not able to make the cut, few were good…they got good scores...but none of them were really high scoring girl. And yet again I sighed…"oh God…where is the good girls…?"…at such moments I really regret my decision of coming to south India :(
!!

My train was still no where in sight, and I was out of iPod battery and scan able crowd. This is the part of traveling which I hate most, don’t know how long I have to wait…and nothing really engaging available [not even a good looking girl…huh] !! Nothing else occurred to me…so I stood up and started walking on the platform, passing other frustrated passengers like me. I had almost reached at the end of platform, when I saw someone sitting behind the pole, head bowed down…reading something…hairs falling on both sides of the book…covering the whole face [Did I tell it’s a girl ?]. I was in dilemma, whether she is hiding a good face behind those hairs or I am just wasting my time [though I do have much time]. I decided to wait and check her out…she might be the One [that’s how I feel about every other girl :-P] !! I sat on the adjacent pole…and fixed my eyes on her…some people call it staring…I really don’t mind it at times. Her face was not visible from any angle…my only hope was if she stood up herself…so I remained there waiting….and started sketching her face in my mind from her outlook which was visible to me [It wasn’t bad]. I don’t remember exactly how long I had wait…but the moment came after sometime, she stood up and put that book in her bag…and turned around…I was dumb struck on her first look…she was far more beautiful that I imagined, It was a rare incident…I was not giving her any score…instead I was standing there like a beggar watching a mouth watering dish. Before I could hold horses of my imagination, she started walking towards me…did she get annoyed by my staring ? [On other thoughts…did she get attracted towards me and want to make the first move :D]…!! I was stand still there…waiting for her to come…and say whatever she want to say…but…she by passed me…not even noticing me…as I was not present in her way…I don’t exist…I rotated to see her go…what the hell…why everyone is moving [Is everyone after her ?]…she started walking fast like she wants to get ride of my stare as soon as possible…in fact everyone was either walking in haste or running!! Where they all are going…?? Someone crossed me in hurry, giving me a little push…it is then…my senses came back…and I noticed the coming train…that answers everything…!! I also started running towards the train…but…train didn’t stop…it ran away fast…then it occurred to me…it was not coming…it was leaving when I noticed it !! What the f*** !! How can I get carried away in the illusion of beauty and miss my only chance of reaching office in time !! How much I curse myself afterwards was not enough…I did miss my train…and for no reason [isn’t watching a beautiful girl is a reason in itself ?] I had to wait another one hour for the next train…and I had nothing to do…I started walking to the other side of the platform…and sat down again at the same place where I was earlier…and made it sure not to leave this place until next train arrives !! After much much time crowd started to pour in for the next train…I was happy, at least I can kill time by scanning the crowd…giving them scores, listening to their chat…and in search for that One face !! Who knows I might get lucky this time…!! :)

Keep Breathing !!

2008-06-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

When life seems not going any way,

Keep faith it will reach some place.

When all the roads look uphill,

Remember, there is no substitute for hard work.

When everything scares as a problem,

Don’t forget to learn the lesson.

When you feel lonely and dejected,

Touch your heart and say God is with me.

When sun look hard and clouds don’t rain,

Keep breathing till you drain.

When day seems long and heart full of sorrow,

My friend, believe, tomorrow would be a new day.

Being General !!

2008-04-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since I have gained conscious about this world, I am being told that you belong to General Category and it is something to proud upon. As a child I was happy to feel privileged without any reason, thanks to the parents to whom I was born. As I grow up, I understood what actually is General Category and what the other categories are. And with more understanding that privileged feeling vanished. Reality is being a General is like a punishment. And being a Poor General is a sin. You have to score more marks, you need to pay more fees, and you have to compete with more people. Over that, government cannot help you because you are a General. It’s a burden you have received from your parents to carry on and pass it on to your children.

Why the reservation is based upon Caste, why it is not based upon just Economic Status. If I am poor, I am entitled to get the benefits. If I am not poor, I am NOT entitled to get the benefits. Why this thing can’t be implemented. No one is even considering such solution. All the political system is working on the list of castes to be included in the reservation list. Which caste’s inclusion would give more benefit to them are actually what they want, rather than which gets benefited. Without giving any thought to the competitiveness of the workforce we would be producing, our government is happy to yield the success of reservation in terms of vote bank. Better workforce cannot be based upon caste; it can only be based upon merit. Reservation has already ruined the futures of many meritorious people, who could have been the pride to nation. Now, they are just “could have been”.

By imposing reservation, we are forcing eligible people to migrate to other countries where they respect the merit. We are losing the “could have been” productive people. But who cares in a country of over one billion, if some are planning to settle overseas carrying all the potential along. By imposing reservation, we are impacting the quality of everything. From doctors, engineers to teachers, from defense forces to public systems. We are facing lack of quality not because our people are not competent, but we don’t let the competent people reach for it. They are getting derailed somewhere in the path to create seats and positions for their reserved fellows. By imposing reservation, we are inviting political instability. People tend to choose that party which promise reservation for their community. Reservation results in more reservation. People from the other castes, which are yet not under the umbrella of reservation protest for that. People who belong to castes which can never come under reservation protest against its increase. We are creating scenarios of commotion ourselves.

There is no end to it. They are thinking to develop the country by giving reservation to more and more communities. How much we have benefited from it in the last 50 years in visible. With every new government, new castes & communities are added to the reservation list. They never try to reduce the percentage or to exclude some castes which have become stronger in all these past years. We’ll always keep on developing with such system; and would never become Developed.

Chalta Hain !!

2008-01-30T01:52:00.000-08:00

I am sure every Indian would have heard this word "Chalta Hain" at some point in their life. Our whole Indian working system is a depiction of this word. We are living our life with the assurance that there is always another way to do everything. Everything can be made or break here, here it’s Chalta Hain to give/take bribe; Staging a tax fraud; forging Degree or Fake job experience; Driving without license or License without driving; Traveling without ticket; Stealing electricity; Fudging with telephone bills; or even pissing along the road side. Everything and anything can be done here, CHALTA HAIN !!

We are so used to this way of living that any change in it or a different way will not work and will only make us feel we are living a miserable life. Think what would happen if cylinders are available only ethically, means no shortcut to acquire it, no bribe to the dealer for early delivery. Claiming re-imbursement using only original bills; no fake bills to save the tax. No Driving without license and no bribe when get caught. Seeking Job on Genuine Experience and No forging of academic certificates. Traveling only with ticket and no play with telephone wires. Would we be able to live peacefully in such system ?? I guess we would feel like someone has blocked the air supply !!

But, we never also hesitate to blame the system when on the receiving end. We never leave a chance to curse how bad our working system is; how people get away with anything. And, just forget we also did the same many times. We give examples of foreign systems, claiming those countries are ahead of us because system works there, people don’t tend to think in "Chalta Hain" way. They follow the rules and ethics and lead the way. We also claim India can never achieve that kind of system purity, because "other" people here are unethical and break the rules for their benefits !!

Big or small, doing anything the other way is wrong. If we want to change the system, we have to start it from home. Who comprises the system ?? You, me and other people like us; we made the whole working system. We need to look and change our own ways before cursing others or the system. No one else will change for you, but if you change yourself, someone may also try to change by getting inspiration from you, which may lead to a chain of changes. And without such social change movement this system will never get changed. STOP CURSING OTHERS, START DOING YOURSELF !!

Or, we always have another choice, just stop blaming the system and others; and live life the "Chalta Hain" way !! :-P

Where we heading ??

2008-01-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

I ask this question a lot lately to myself. Where we all are heading ?? By ‘WE’ I am not representing any special sector of people; I am talking about whole Indian system. This question is worrying me a lot, I am very uncertain about my future, about the future of many million people who are enjoying the ride of emerging economy.

I agree India is progressing rapidly, very rapidly as compared to earlier years. Economy is growing, Intellectual count is growing; opportunities are growing; infrastructure is getting better, and many more other things to feel happy. But, is this progress index enough to make India a Developed Nation ?? Growing at this pace, how many years it will take to become one of the economic centers of the world ??

Although we are growing, we are very much depended on US, slowdown in US cause ripple effect everywhere in India. If the Stock there is going down, here also stock bull will start running downwards. All the Indian IT companies, which are posting multi billion revenue, are dependent on US. I doubt for how many more years US will keep sending the work to India for get cost benefit. By the pace salaries are growing here, cost benefit will not last much longer; it’s just a matter of few years now !! And it’s not only with India; it’s same for most of the Asian countries…who are growing !!

Still we are not able to convert the growing economy to produce advance technologies. What new and better we are providing to the world, why we are not producing any product, some idea which revolutionaries the world. Which demonstrate what we are capable of ?? For how long we’ll depend on others to innovate for us ?? When we’ll start innovating for ourselves ?? This progress will not last much long if we don’t enter the arena of research and produce advance things. As Friedman has said in "The World is flat", it’s an even playing field, innovate to survive !!

Making progress in some areas will not resolve the other numerous problems we have; what different we are trying to keep population in control ?? In few years India will become the most populous country in the world, beating its near competitor China. How we’ll cope up with that situation ?? We don’t have mountains of resources to fulfill needs of such population !! What we are doing to improve the condition of our villages ?? It’s urban India which is growing; reaping the benefit of growing economy, villages are still the same; progressing at turtle speed !!

I request all the people to think about it before you bag this month’s salary…which may vanish in few years if we’ll not take some harsh steps now !!