As Swami Vivekananda has rightly pointed out, “Strength is life, Weakness is Death”. Mental strength has always been a very important attribute for mankind to succeed in life, to have a smooth sailing without succumbing to the travails of life. The only way to release frustrations is to constantly expose yourself to positive thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing ones.
If one analyses a little bit, we will se that the cause of all crimes in this world is weakness. We steal, we kill, we lie, we beat up people not because we are physically strong or because we are deceptive by nature but because we are weak. If we can feel from within that we are strong and no one can do any harm to us, we would never pre-empt any harm to others. Thoughts which elicit weakness make the mind morbid, and ultimately make it impervious to truth. The one thing that I have learnt the hard way is that if we can accept responsibilities for our own fate, without blaming others for our misgivings, it gives us tremendous inner strength. However it is a natural human tendency to blame others, and that causes a lot of misery to us. That has happened to me numerous times also.
Just like happiness, strength has to be generated from within ourselves. I have seen my mother as a pillar of strength even at times of ultimate stress and sorrow. She derives all of it through her unwavering faith and belief in God. It is also absolutely true that if we keep brooding over weaknesses, remedy would not be achieved. In these tough times, thinking of strength and being positive always helps. Some people are gifted with this rare talent of staying positive. This is really a rare gift.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Being a Bachelor……
Bachelorhood is certainly one of the most challenging phases that any man goes through in his life once he is an adult. Some people thrive on it; some disintegrate very quickly, while there are some who grind through it before tying the nuptial knot. I belonged to the first category up to a year back, but from then on I have demoted myself to the third category. I would be graduating from this elite and charismatic group of young, self-proclaimed handsome and eligible individuals on 23rd of November this year. Hence I thought of bidding adieu to this phase of my life with a few thoughts.
To be honest, bachelorhood presents itself with sets of both pros and cons, as does any other sphere of life. A bachelor can gawk at beautiful women with his tongue hanging out without the fear of getting chewed up by anybody, he can spend money foolishly, he does not need to take his dirty feet off the coffee table, or put his used-up dishes in the sink or even to wash them, he can take his sweet little time to take the garbage out, or to take a shower and change his obnoxious smelling clothes, he can snore loud enough to blow the windows out as there would be no one to kick him in the mid-section, he would have the control of the TV remote, there would be no unnecessary expensive doctor visits and of course, he does not have to listen to any nagging (except from his mother sometimes). Over and above, he does not have to set his forlorn and mangy bedroom in order, as he can sleep on literally anything. He can visit a friend’s house anytime and make merry, without having the urge to come back home, or to take a drink or two less. However, he would also be unfortunate enough not to receive too many home-cooked meals, there would be no beautiful woman to take care of him at the end of the day, no one to take him to the doctor if he does gets sick seriously some day and no one to share his deepest thoughts with, which does sting one day, no matter how independent he is.
A lot of bachelors that I have seen thus far have been very charismatic, as I mentioned before. Good, stylish and “correct” bachelors have always been a “woman's man”, a philogynist, and have always been perceived as a "nice fellow." They have always had the ability to fit themselves to all sorts of society under all sorts of circumstances. Good breeding, chivalry and a sense of style, without being ostentatious, being replete with a sense of humour and kindliness of heart have been their forte.
Bachelors have always been the most charming of entertainers. They have been equally gracious and devoted to all women because of the absence of that feminine proprietorship which always tends to make the married man withhold his most graceful compliments, his most tender glances and his most winning smile. I have always tried to imbibe such qualities from careful study and observation, but I do not know whether I have been successful or not!! Sometimes I have been impecunious but managed it with some artistry as well. The combination of the practical and artistic is what many women crave for – a cake of pragmatism topped with a white cream of romanticism.
As I look back on my bachelorhood which is about to end a little over 16 weeks from today, I cogitate on what aspects I have to work on to make my wife’s life a bit easier. Loving Kuhu would never ever be a problem for me; we share a terrific compassionate chemistry between ourselves and I don’t think that any other woman would give me the comfort zone that she provides so effortlessly. The challenge would be to get used to accepting additional responsibilities and getting rid of my habit of instinctive decision making. For then, I would be having another soul embedded within me and I do have to start considering multiple perspectives before jumping to conclusions. Hope, Kuhu would bear with me, if it does take time for me to make a smooth transition. Alvida kunwarapan…!!
To be honest, bachelorhood presents itself with sets of both pros and cons, as does any other sphere of life. A bachelor can gawk at beautiful women with his tongue hanging out without the fear of getting chewed up by anybody, he can spend money foolishly, he does not need to take his dirty feet off the coffee table, or put his used-up dishes in the sink or even to wash them, he can take his sweet little time to take the garbage out, or to take a shower and change his obnoxious smelling clothes, he can snore loud enough to blow the windows out as there would be no one to kick him in the mid-section, he would have the control of the TV remote, there would be no unnecessary expensive doctor visits and of course, he does not have to listen to any nagging (except from his mother sometimes). Over and above, he does not have to set his forlorn and mangy bedroom in order, as he can sleep on literally anything. He can visit a friend’s house anytime and make merry, without having the urge to come back home, or to take a drink or two less. However, he would also be unfortunate enough not to receive too many home-cooked meals, there would be no beautiful woman to take care of him at the end of the day, no one to take him to the doctor if he does gets sick seriously some day and no one to share his deepest thoughts with, which does sting one day, no matter how independent he is.
A lot of bachelors that I have seen thus far have been very charismatic, as I mentioned before. Good, stylish and “correct” bachelors have always been a “woman's man”, a philogynist, and have always been perceived as a "nice fellow." They have always had the ability to fit themselves to all sorts of society under all sorts of circumstances. Good breeding, chivalry and a sense of style, without being ostentatious, being replete with a sense of humour and kindliness of heart have been their forte.
Bachelors have always been the most charming of entertainers. They have been equally gracious and devoted to all women because of the absence of that feminine proprietorship which always tends to make the married man withhold his most graceful compliments, his most tender glances and his most winning smile. I have always tried to imbibe such qualities from careful study and observation, but I do not know whether I have been successful or not!! Sometimes I have been impecunious but managed it with some artistry as well. The combination of the practical and artistic is what many women crave for – a cake of pragmatism topped with a white cream of romanticism.
As I look back on my bachelorhood which is about to end a little over 16 weeks from today, I cogitate on what aspects I have to work on to make my wife’s life a bit easier. Loving Kuhu would never ever be a problem for me; we share a terrific compassionate chemistry between ourselves and I don’t think that any other woman would give me the comfort zone that she provides so effortlessly. The challenge would be to get used to accepting additional responsibilities and getting rid of my habit of instinctive decision making. For then, I would be having another soul embedded within me and I do have to start considering multiple perspectives before jumping to conclusions. Hope, Kuhu would bear with me, if it does take time for me to make a smooth transition. Alvida kunwarapan…!!
Mitigating a Violent Future….
In my earlier post, I had raised a concern about the dangerous times that we live in. The virulent poor and neglected rural youth, who see no future for themselves, take recourse to insurrection, take up guns against the state, and eventually target the lives of innocent civilians. All this happens due to machiavellian attitudes of certain responsible authorities in the backward regions of India. I feel that the authorities can take steps to mitigate this brewing trouble and shape a peaceful future for our children. We, as responsible citizens should also do our bit to avoid compunction.
First of all, politicians with a non-decrepit vision for the poor, who are not just dishing out damp squibs at the hapless and innocent, who are committed to developing their local areas, need to be elected for the constituencies, irrespective of their caste. Voters should refrain from voting in favour of only those candidates who belong to their caste. Such leaders should be the harbinger of our social movement. The urban-rural connection needs to be made stronger and more intimate. Our most educated, mature, cultured and modern thinking people are in the cities. Educated people should become role models and ambassadors for a new, emergent and vibrant India in the villages, for the sake of our future.
We can always look to use the massive student population in our country and leverage their enthusiasm. Exchange programs and voluntary activities (which would be graded by colleges) where every urban student spends a few days/weeks in villages would really be of immense significance. When this happens, the city students will infuse modern values among their rural and less privileged counterparts. At the same time they can also come back with a better understanding of rural issues. We can also look to provide incentives and sops to global corporate giants to set up bases in smaller towns in India, which would improve employment opportunities for the locals. This may be challenging for the government, but if we have to secure the future of our children, then we have to look at developing the core rural structure of India.
It is time we stop treating the symptoms of bomb blasts and IED explosions in Maoist hit areas, and start treating the infection itself, which is creating an identity for the rural youth. Crocin (deploying CRPF and the Army) would not cure the infection any more; it is time for a strong and sustained dose of antibiotics , i.e. a concerted effort at starting a slew of developmental activities for the underprivileged youth.
First of all, politicians with a non-decrepit vision for the poor, who are not just dishing out damp squibs at the hapless and innocent, who are committed to developing their local areas, need to be elected for the constituencies, irrespective of their caste. Voters should refrain from voting in favour of only those candidates who belong to their caste. Such leaders should be the harbinger of our social movement. The urban-rural connection needs to be made stronger and more intimate. Our most educated, mature, cultured and modern thinking people are in the cities. Educated people should become role models and ambassadors for a new, emergent and vibrant India in the villages, for the sake of our future.
We can always look to use the massive student population in our country and leverage their enthusiasm. Exchange programs and voluntary activities (which would be graded by colleges) where every urban student spends a few days/weeks in villages would really be of immense significance. When this happens, the city students will infuse modern values among their rural and less privileged counterparts. At the same time they can also come back with a better understanding of rural issues. We can also look to provide incentives and sops to global corporate giants to set up bases in smaller towns in India, which would improve employment opportunities for the locals. This may be challenging for the government, but if we have to secure the future of our children, then we have to look at developing the core rural structure of India.
It is time we stop treating the symptoms of bomb blasts and IED explosions in Maoist hit areas, and start treating the infection itself, which is creating an identity for the rural youth. Crocin (deploying CRPF and the Army) would not cure the infection any more; it is time for a strong and sustained dose of antibiotics , i.e. a concerted effort at starting a slew of developmental activities for the underprivileged youth.
Friday, July 30, 2010
These are Dangerous Times……..
Right now, in the heart of our proud motherland, we have seven Naxal-affected states, disturbances in all seven north-eastern states, and of course the ever present strife in Kashmir. Violent images from Kashmir filled television sets even a few weeks back. Hence 15 of India’s 28 states are afflicted by violent internal conflicts. Add to that religious/caste/regionalism-based violence and honour killings instigated by the archaic Khap Panchayats. At a time when India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, we have a stable government at the helm, and we see more affluence around us than any other time, these conflicts which are tearing us apart from within, are certainly unwarranted.
Reasons for such conflicts are manifold however. Despite liberalisation of our economy, its benefits are not reaching a major chunk of the Indian population,which is the rural poor. These poor fellows are the worst affected – inflation kills their savings and purchasing power, their lands get grabbed by corporates, and their politicians whom they imposed their faith on, starts favouring the rich guys. These unfortunate victims do not get a voice as even the media ignore them. Every now and then, especially before elections, a politician comes and tosses cheap rice or wheat at them, and keeps them on drip-feed. Our rural poor never see the benefits of liberalisation.
To add to their woes, poor education, archaic caste-based social discrimination and a general lack of job opportunities lead to pent-up frustrations that urban people like us can never understand. The leaders of these movements apparently do, and that’s why a youth with his whole life ahead of him takes up guns against the state and becomes a rebel. It is irrelevant to discuss whether the CRPF is technically adept at fighting the Naxals or not.
The important aspect that we have to ponder upon is that unless the rural Indian youth sees a better life coming, the infection (perpetual violence instigated by the extremist groups, thereby victimising the urban population) is only going to grow. From 15 states we would have all 28 states infected one fine day. Trouble is brewing very quickly friends. Beware!
Reasons for such conflicts are manifold however. Despite liberalisation of our economy, its benefits are not reaching a major chunk of the Indian population,which is the rural poor. These poor fellows are the worst affected – inflation kills their savings and purchasing power, their lands get grabbed by corporates, and their politicians whom they imposed their faith on, starts favouring the rich guys. These unfortunate victims do not get a voice as even the media ignore them. Every now and then, especially before elections, a politician comes and tosses cheap rice or wheat at them, and keeps them on drip-feed. Our rural poor never see the benefits of liberalisation.
To add to their woes, poor education, archaic caste-based social discrimination and a general lack of job opportunities lead to pent-up frustrations that urban people like us can never understand. The leaders of these movements apparently do, and that’s why a youth with his whole life ahead of him takes up guns against the state and becomes a rebel. It is irrelevant to discuss whether the CRPF is technically adept at fighting the Naxals or not.
The important aspect that we have to ponder upon is that unless the rural Indian youth sees a better life coming, the infection (perpetual violence instigated by the extremist groups, thereby victimising the urban population) is only going to grow. From 15 states we would have all 28 states infected one fine day. Trouble is brewing very quickly friends. Beware!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
We are spoilt for choices…..
In one of my earlier visits to Kolkata about 2 years back, I visited the swanky South City Mall. We were just browsing through the different outlets, implementing the concept of “window shopping” and I felt like a village bumpkin faced with an avalanche of choices. In one of the departmental stores, I managed to count 15 types of cheese, around 120 shades of lipstick and about 75 types of deodorant sprays cutting across brands and flavours. Even while picking up a tube of toothpaste, I struggled to decide whether I should choose the herbal variety with added fluoride or the cavity-busting option with baking soda.
The same dilemma strikes you when you are browsing through matrimonial sites, given the countless number of those that have cropped up. Among 500 “prospective” applications, you end up “shortlisting” 50 candidates, but you need only ONE soulmate. An arduous task indeed, since one cannot have a “Swayamvar” these days and polygamy is not allowed in India!!
These days when kids pass out of school, they are presented with a plethora of career options besides engineering and medicine – hotel management, sports medicine, dramatics, fashion design, interior design, clinical research, hospitality management, oral and written communications expert, event management and sports management. Most of these were virtually unheard of even 20 years ago.
When I do visit posh restaurants, the difficulty is not what to eat but what not to. The exotic sounding “specials” are just too many in number, especially if you want to go beyond the middle class budget. I remember listening to a person, who on visiting a rich man’s house, was struck by the ordeal of making a simple choice of what to drink. When the poor guy asked for orange juice, he was asked if he wanted it to be organic or regular, with or without calcium and finally with maximal or minimal pulp. That’s when he switched to tea, but then he had to choose among herbal tea, green tea, Ceylon tea and iced tea. To have his Ceylon tea with milk, he had to choose among goat milk, camel milk and cow milk. To have his tea sweetened, he had to choose between beet sugar and cane sugar!! Finally having got tired of such meticulous hospitality, he settled for a glass of water. Then he was asked Mineral water or normal water. When he asked for the former, he had to confirm whether it would be flavoured or non-flavoured. The poor fellow finally said “I would rather die of thirst.”
Modern society has become so addicted to variety, which is really many many versions of the same thing that sometimes they just fail to keep things simple. They call this variety the “spice of life”!
The same dilemma strikes you when you are browsing through matrimonial sites, given the countless number of those that have cropped up. Among 500 “prospective” applications, you end up “shortlisting” 50 candidates, but you need only ONE soulmate. An arduous task indeed, since one cannot have a “Swayamvar” these days and polygamy is not allowed in India!!
These days when kids pass out of school, they are presented with a plethora of career options besides engineering and medicine – hotel management, sports medicine, dramatics, fashion design, interior design, clinical research, hospitality management, oral and written communications expert, event management and sports management. Most of these were virtually unheard of even 20 years ago.
When I do visit posh restaurants, the difficulty is not what to eat but what not to. The exotic sounding “specials” are just too many in number, especially if you want to go beyond the middle class budget. I remember listening to a person, who on visiting a rich man’s house, was struck by the ordeal of making a simple choice of what to drink. When the poor guy asked for orange juice, he was asked if he wanted it to be organic or regular, with or without calcium and finally with maximal or minimal pulp. That’s when he switched to tea, but then he had to choose among herbal tea, green tea, Ceylon tea and iced tea. To have his Ceylon tea with milk, he had to choose among goat milk, camel milk and cow milk. To have his tea sweetened, he had to choose between beet sugar and cane sugar!! Finally having got tired of such meticulous hospitality, he settled for a glass of water. Then he was asked Mineral water or normal water. When he asked for the former, he had to confirm whether it would be flavoured or non-flavoured. The poor fellow finally said “I would rather die of thirst.”
Modern society has become so addicted to variety, which is really many many versions of the same thing that sometimes they just fail to keep things simple. They call this variety the “spice of life”!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Maa….My Strength, My Beloved
In my previous posts, I have written about how much I miss my dad (BABA) who is no more. I have also written about my would-be wife Kuhu, who is as precious to me as God’s Gift. However, for some time now, I also wanted to write something about the woman who has carried my weight for 9 months in her womb, who has given me life, who has brought me up with immense love, care, friendship and blessing, who has encouraged me time and again to put in that extra effort in life, and who has given me the freedom to express myself completely in front of her. Today, as I write my 25th post for my blog, I dedicate this special little occasion to that special lady. She is MY MOM.
As a young woman, she was always extremely beautiful, and her beauty was that much augmented by her politeness, softness, caring attitude and personality. Even now, at 56, when she decks up for parties or other gatherings, she looks amazing. Being a dutiful and responsible daughter-in-law in our family, she has always held relationships together with her maturity and gravity. She was an outstanding wife, and has always been a caring mother too. My maternal uncle (MAMU) always tells me that amongst all his sisters, my mom was the most caring, and she has exhibited this attribute throughout her life. We have been the beneficiaries to her love and affection.
She has been a pillar of strength throughout her life. Even after dad passed away, she was very steady in front of baba’s body. However, she could not hold back her tears when she saw me enter the room on that dreaded day, after I reached home all the way from Bangalore. She actually cried one month later when I had brought her along to my house in Bangalore. She has always taught us to be tough and positive, not to carp and mope about setbacks in life, to be humble in success, to be polite and respect people even if they are inferior in stature to us. Without Maa’s upbringing, I would not have become the human being that I am today. I do not proclaim that I am as good and as polite as she is, but whatever goodness I possess has to be attributed to her.
Since I have left Kolkata, I have always called her twice a day, and longed to hear her voice saying “Maa go, bolo..” which in Bengali means “Tell me, sweet little son..” Apart from being a very good friend, she has always been a source of strength for me and I have the courage to discuss almost anything with her. I still remember those days when we used to chat and chirp away like college mates, late into the night, after everybody fell asleep in our house. Those were the times when my innermost feelings, my anxieties and my doubts got elicited in front of my best friend. She has always been, and right now along with Kuhu, she is the most important lady in my life.
Finally I would like to say that:
“Maa, I do not have the right words to describe my feelings towards you in just a few paragraphs. I have always given my best efforts in life to make you proud, to bring a smile to your face. Sometimes I have succeeded, sometimes I have failed and I know that you would forgive me for those blemishes. After all I am your sweet little Butu. I know that you would always shower me with your love and blessings and help me to bring more honour to you and baba. I miss you and I love you a lot!!”
As a young woman, she was always extremely beautiful, and her beauty was that much augmented by her politeness, softness, caring attitude and personality. Even now, at 56, when she decks up for parties or other gatherings, she looks amazing. Being a dutiful and responsible daughter-in-law in our family, she has always held relationships together with her maturity and gravity. She was an outstanding wife, and has always been a caring mother too. My maternal uncle (MAMU) always tells me that amongst all his sisters, my mom was the most caring, and she has exhibited this attribute throughout her life. We have been the beneficiaries to her love and affection.
She has been a pillar of strength throughout her life. Even after dad passed away, she was very steady in front of baba’s body. However, she could not hold back her tears when she saw me enter the room on that dreaded day, after I reached home all the way from Bangalore. She actually cried one month later when I had brought her along to my house in Bangalore. She has always taught us to be tough and positive, not to carp and mope about setbacks in life, to be humble in success, to be polite and respect people even if they are inferior in stature to us. Without Maa’s upbringing, I would not have become the human being that I am today. I do not proclaim that I am as good and as polite as she is, but whatever goodness I possess has to be attributed to her.
Since I have left Kolkata, I have always called her twice a day, and longed to hear her voice saying “Maa go, bolo..” which in Bengali means “Tell me, sweet little son..” Apart from being a very good friend, she has always been a source of strength for me and I have the courage to discuss almost anything with her. I still remember those days when we used to chat and chirp away like college mates, late into the night, after everybody fell asleep in our house. Those were the times when my innermost feelings, my anxieties and my doubts got elicited in front of my best friend. She has always been, and right now along with Kuhu, she is the most important lady in my life.
Finally I would like to say that:
“Maa, I do not have the right words to describe my feelings towards you in just a few paragraphs. I have always given my best efforts in life to make you proud, to bring a smile to your face. Sometimes I have succeeded, sometimes I have failed and I know that you would forgive me for those blemishes. After all I am your sweet little Butu. I know that you would always shower me with your love and blessings and help me to bring more honour to you and baba. I miss you and I love you a lot!!”
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Symbolising the Indian Rupee…..
A few days back, the Union Cabinet approved the unique symbol for the Indian Rupee. It is learnt that hundreds of potential symbols were sifted through before finalising on this particular symbol, which is a combination of the letters denoting the “R” sound in two scripts – English and Devanagari. With this symbol, Indian Rupee becomes only the fifth currency in the world to have a symbol, along with US dollar, British pound, Japanese yen and the European euro. This will separate the Indian Rupee from the similarly named currencies of its south and south-east Asian neighbours.
This is a very special moment for every Indian. It reflects the fact that the Indian currency, backed by a trillion dollar economy is slowly making its presence felt in the international scene. Its G20 membership, foreign investment flows, high GDP growth rate (2nd only behind China), expanding international trade in terms of export and mergers & acquisitions further underline the fact that India is gradually creating a global economic clout for itself through the weight of its economy.
It is a fact that as of now, the Indian rupee is nowhere near as convertible as the “Big Four” currencies that it has joined in this elite club of currency symbols. The Indian Rupee is also not treated as a reserve currency as has been pointed out by many authors. It is also true that India is still plagued by a huge rural-urban divide, high unemployment rates, farmer suicides, chronic hunger and lack of basic healthcare, sanitation and education for millions. Having said that, the new symbol for the Indian Rupee is not a peep into the past or a glare into the present, but a vision into the future. It is a true reflection of the progressive Indian economy.
A special word of appreciation also needs to be mentioned for D Udaya Kumar, an IIT Bombay PhD scholar, who has designed this symbol. He must have spent sleepless nights in designing it and has eventually come up with this special image that is fully Indian in spirit. This unique symbol would create a brand for India that would help shape our future which in indeed very promising, especially if the men who count can follow up our promises with appropriate actions.Hoping for the best !!
This is a very special moment for every Indian. It reflects the fact that the Indian currency, backed by a trillion dollar economy is slowly making its presence felt in the international scene. Its G20 membership, foreign investment flows, high GDP growth rate (2nd only behind China), expanding international trade in terms of export and mergers & acquisitions further underline the fact that India is gradually creating a global economic clout for itself through the weight of its economy.
It is a fact that as of now, the Indian rupee is nowhere near as convertible as the “Big Four” currencies that it has joined in this elite club of currency symbols. The Indian Rupee is also not treated as a reserve currency as has been pointed out by many authors. It is also true that India is still plagued by a huge rural-urban divide, high unemployment rates, farmer suicides, chronic hunger and lack of basic healthcare, sanitation and education for millions. Having said that, the new symbol for the Indian Rupee is not a peep into the past or a glare into the present, but a vision into the future. It is a true reflection of the progressive Indian economy.
A special word of appreciation also needs to be mentioned for D Udaya Kumar, an IIT Bombay PhD scholar, who has designed this symbol. He must have spent sleepless nights in designing it and has eventually come up with this special image that is fully Indian in spirit. This unique symbol would create a brand for India that would help shape our future which in indeed very promising, especially if the men who count can follow up our promises with appropriate actions.Hoping for the best !!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Providing Universal Education….
The original Right to Education (RTE) Act framed by the honourable Government of India stated that no school can deny admission to a child on the basis of screening tests. However, several good schools around the country, especially the private ones, raised objections to this as they felt that this would result in a fall in their standards. Fair enough. As a result, the government decided to tweak the RTE Act a fraction and now, has directed the private schools to reserve (that is not to conduct screening tests) for 25% of its students, while the remaining 75% students would be screened as per the existing procedure.
However, the more fundamental question is whether illiteracy can be eradicated by simply enacting legislations or providing quotas. If an Act like RTE has to be really successful, especially at the core of Indian rural setup, then the number and quality of government schools have to be improved. As envisaged, this would require some additional investment and planning from the government.
Poor kids from villages cannot afford high quality education that private schools would provide. A subsidised fee structure, mid-day meals(which has already been introduced) and a good visionary curriculum along with good teachers who are paid well can do wonders to the dynamics of educational system of India. Rural people would feel confident of sending their kids to school and not encourage them to drop out for economic reasons, as they would then know that the child is really securing his and the family's future. This is all the more reason why such state-run schools should be the face for mass education in our country. It would always be a mammoth effort for private schools who predominantly thrive in an urban setup to reach the heart of rural India.
If the quality of government schools improves, there would be a healthy competition between private and public schools, which right now is a pretty lop-sided contest. In that scenario, the quality of education imparted to kids would be of the highest order, and India can boast of having a vibrant and diversified school sector. Private schools, in the interim, should be allowed a free hand in administering student quality in whichever way they seem convenient, and should not be imposed with quotas. After all, it is the child of today who would do our nation proud tomorrow.
However, the more fundamental question is whether illiteracy can be eradicated by simply enacting legislations or providing quotas. If an Act like RTE has to be really successful, especially at the core of Indian rural setup, then the number and quality of government schools have to be improved. As envisaged, this would require some additional investment and planning from the government.
Poor kids from villages cannot afford high quality education that private schools would provide. A subsidised fee structure, mid-day meals(which has already been introduced) and a good visionary curriculum along with good teachers who are paid well can do wonders to the dynamics of educational system of India. Rural people would feel confident of sending their kids to school and not encourage them to drop out for economic reasons, as they would then know that the child is really securing his and the family's future. This is all the more reason why such state-run schools should be the face for mass education in our country. It would always be a mammoth effort for private schools who predominantly thrive in an urban setup to reach the heart of rural India.
If the quality of government schools improves, there would be a healthy competition between private and public schools, which right now is a pretty lop-sided contest. In that scenario, the quality of education imparted to kids would be of the highest order, and India can boast of having a vibrant and diversified school sector. Private schools, in the interim, should be allowed a free hand in administering student quality in whichever way they seem convenient, and should not be imposed with quotas. After all, it is the child of today who would do our nation proud tomorrow.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Being truly Modern…
Being “modern” does not give us the license to forget traditional values, to dismantle ourselves completely from the roots to which we belong, to be supercilious at will and also to show complete disregard towards and vituperating our own indigenous culture.
Today, in Indian middle class society, we often misinterpret “modernity” with cheap and useless acts of ostentation. There is a general perception that, to be considered “modern” and “up to date”, you should be trendy in your apparel, should possess the latest models of a mobile phone, a watch and an ipod; speak English (albeit not so well) at the cost of neglecting your mother tongue, gesticulate shamelessly beyond all civilized limits among a group of people; call your husband by name and refuse to anoint yourself with vermilion powder (“Sindur”) even after marriage (many working women do it !!); and of course, deriding people who are spiritually inclined, labelling it as “a waste of time”. To me, all such acts, which have become so commonplace in the last 25 years, do not have even an iota of ethics as its foundation. This is nothing but a travesty of the concept of modernity.
As time goes by, our life passes through a process of social and cultural change, either through improvement or decline. We should always look to welcome the former, but at the same time not renounce tradition completely. I honestly believe that modernity should always start manifesting itself in the mind – people should be open to improvements in their daily lifestyle, without sacrificing sound values of yesteryears, carry themselves well in front of people, wear clean and ironed clothes (need not be too trendy), use technology to their advantage rather than being too flashy thereby creating a nuisance, possess a soothing, genteel and mature personality with respect to speaking prowess and facial expressions, and finally respecting traditional rituals and practices.
The experience of modernity is, in fact, to live in traditional ways and to repeat tradition in unrecognizable forms. To be socially fructuous, we should stop emulating western cultures mindlessly and try to tap in only the best practices from them. If and when that happens, we as individuals would feel complete and the beauty, richness and greatness of our culture would be fully appreciated by ourselves. It would also get the outside world enamoured and only then, we can proudly say that we are a truly “modern’ society looking towards a progressive future.
Today, in Indian middle class society, we often misinterpret “modernity” with cheap and useless acts of ostentation. There is a general perception that, to be considered “modern” and “up to date”, you should be trendy in your apparel, should possess the latest models of a mobile phone, a watch and an ipod; speak English (albeit not so well) at the cost of neglecting your mother tongue, gesticulate shamelessly beyond all civilized limits among a group of people; call your husband by name and refuse to anoint yourself with vermilion powder (“Sindur”) even after marriage (many working women do it !!); and of course, deriding people who are spiritually inclined, labelling it as “a waste of time”. To me, all such acts, which have become so commonplace in the last 25 years, do not have even an iota of ethics as its foundation. This is nothing but a travesty of the concept of modernity.
As time goes by, our life passes through a process of social and cultural change, either through improvement or decline. We should always look to welcome the former, but at the same time not renounce tradition completely. I honestly believe that modernity should always start manifesting itself in the mind – people should be open to improvements in their daily lifestyle, without sacrificing sound values of yesteryears, carry themselves well in front of people, wear clean and ironed clothes (need not be too trendy), use technology to their advantage rather than being too flashy thereby creating a nuisance, possess a soothing, genteel and mature personality with respect to speaking prowess and facial expressions, and finally respecting traditional rituals and practices.
The experience of modernity is, in fact, to live in traditional ways and to repeat tradition in unrecognizable forms. To be socially fructuous, we should stop emulating western cultures mindlessly and try to tap in only the best practices from them. If and when that happens, we as individuals would feel complete and the beauty, richness and greatness of our culture would be fully appreciated by ourselves. It would also get the outside world enamoured and only then, we can proudly say that we are a truly “modern’ society looking towards a progressive future.
Friday, July 16, 2010
My Inspiration in life - Swami Vivekananda
The one aspect that comes straight to my mind when I think of Swami Vivekananda is “courage” that is derived from a “spirit of doing well to others”. To me Swamiji has always been a symbol of “positive intent” and “mental toughness”, and one needs so much of these two attributes in today’s world, especially when we are young and restless.
I have been staying alone, out of my hometown, for the past five years. During this sojourn, whenever I have felt like giving up on a task, whenever I have felt like crying for something, whenever I have felt that life has given me a raw deal, I have gone back and read Vivekananda’s teachings. It has given me tons of strength, courage, inspiration and peace-of-mind to face life alone a thousand miles away from my home.
Since he was an educated individual himself, and had led a worldly life during the initial few years of his life, his words and teachings have the power to address problems that a common man faces today. His teachings are like an ocean of knowledge, peace and strength, which are expressing themselves in the most rudimentary forms possible. They have the power to transform a life, as they have done for me.
I should confess that I am not able to follow those words every time in life. I am still imbibing the lessons imparted by this great, enlightened soul, but they have given me a direction in life. Every time I do not get my mom or fiancée beside me when I am feeling depressed here in Bangalore. In those trying times, I just take out one hour of my time, and read Swami Vivekananda’s teachings. That is enough to flush out all negativities out of my mind. I wish I was born in the era that he lived in, and had the opportunity to meet the most Enlightened Soul that India has ever had.
I have been staying alone, out of my hometown, for the past five years. During this sojourn, whenever I have felt like giving up on a task, whenever I have felt like crying for something, whenever I have felt that life has given me a raw deal, I have gone back and read Vivekananda’s teachings. It has given me tons of strength, courage, inspiration and peace-of-mind to face life alone a thousand miles away from my home.
Since he was an educated individual himself, and had led a worldly life during the initial few years of his life, his words and teachings have the power to address problems that a common man faces today. His teachings are like an ocean of knowledge, peace and strength, which are expressing themselves in the most rudimentary forms possible. They have the power to transform a life, as they have done for me.
I should confess that I am not able to follow those words every time in life. I am still imbibing the lessons imparted by this great, enlightened soul, but they have given me a direction in life. Every time I do not get my mom or fiancée beside me when I am feeling depressed here in Bangalore. In those trying times, I just take out one hour of my time, and read Swami Vivekananda’s teachings. That is enough to flush out all negativities out of my mind. I wish I was born in the era that he lived in, and had the opportunity to meet the most Enlightened Soul that India has ever had.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Bandhs do not serve the purpose that they are meant to serve…
Although the honourable Supreme Court of India has banned “Bandhs” way back in 1998, still we (the common man that is) continue to bear this form of protest from the political parties, and to be honest, traditionally, such Bandhs have not served any constructive purpose, apart from creating inconvenience to the common man.
The last Bandh that plagued our country was on the issue of price hike of petroleum. Ironically, one of the State Governments that supported the Bandh, levies the highest sales tax on petrol and diesel amongst all states in the country, making these commodities the most expensive in their state. So how can one expect any credibility in such coercive form of protests that are forced upon the common man without any elective choice, especially upon those who earn a daily living? On top of that, people’s support for the cause is also not present, making such Bandhs nothing short of coercion, and eventually turning them detrimental to the actual cause itself. The result is there for all to see. The ruling National Government has not rolled back the petroleum price hike even after the “successful” Bandh. In net effect, the common man has got nothing out of this, but to rub salt into the wound, he has lost a day of his income, which nobody in the hierarchy would ever bother to replenish.
The symbolic one-day Bandh advertises the futility of protest as it detaches anger from any possibility of change. Most of the time it is not aimed at bringing about revolution, it exists merely to express one’s affliction at the current problem. The lack of productivity that a Bandh brings about has been written and talked about a million times before. The organization that calls for a Bandh puts nothing at risk and suffers no discomfort, the latter being completely transferred to the common man with their enforced idleness. Instead of being a form of disagreement to a burning issue, which is what they are supposed to be, more often than not, Bandhs turn out to be a noisy inaction. Hence it is not a surprise that the most “successful” Bandh fails by definition!!
The last Bandh that plagued our country was on the issue of price hike of petroleum. Ironically, one of the State Governments that supported the Bandh, levies the highest sales tax on petrol and diesel amongst all states in the country, making these commodities the most expensive in their state. So how can one expect any credibility in such coercive form of protests that are forced upon the common man without any elective choice, especially upon those who earn a daily living? On top of that, people’s support for the cause is also not present, making such Bandhs nothing short of coercion, and eventually turning them detrimental to the actual cause itself. The result is there for all to see. The ruling National Government has not rolled back the petroleum price hike even after the “successful” Bandh. In net effect, the common man has got nothing out of this, but to rub salt into the wound, he has lost a day of his income, which nobody in the hierarchy would ever bother to replenish.
The symbolic one-day Bandh advertises the futility of protest as it detaches anger from any possibility of change. Most of the time it is not aimed at bringing about revolution, it exists merely to express one’s affliction at the current problem. The lack of productivity that a Bandh brings about has been written and talked about a million times before. The organization that calls for a Bandh puts nothing at risk and suffers no discomfort, the latter being completely transferred to the common man with their enforced idleness. Instead of being a form of disagreement to a burning issue, which is what they are supposed to be, more often than not, Bandhs turn out to be a noisy inaction. Hence it is not a surprise that the most “successful” Bandh fails by definition!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Revitalising Test Cricket…
The oldest and the most challenging form of my favourite game and passion, cricket, is under serious threat of becoming obsolete. The dwindling public interest, resulting in a chain reaction of lesser sponsorships and media glare, empty stadiums and players choosing T20 ahead of it to prolong their careers is solely responsible for the fact that Test Cricket is gasping for breath. I can think of only one cricketer, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who has had the belly to abdicate himself from the lure of T20 and instead concentrate more on Test Cricket, which he thinks, would test his abilities as a cricketer ten fold.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also aware of this sorry state of affairs and is mooting quite a lot of innovative initiatives to preclude this great form of the game from becoming stale. Day-night test cricket is being talked about along with pink balls. However, the biggest problem with Test Cricket is boredom for the spectator, to watch a game of cricket 8 hours a day for a period of five days, and even after that, not being guaranteed of a result!!
One possible solution to this problem might be to introduce a “Limited Overs” flavour to Test Cricket. As most know, each of the five days in Test Cricket requires 90 overs of cricket to be played. That means a total of 450 overs for both teams over five days. If we can think of dividing these overs between two teams, that is, a maximum of 225 overs per team to bat for the entire match, then pale draws would be completely eliminated. One team may use a certain number of overs in its first innings, and then use up the remaining overs in the second innings. Whichever team scores more runs in those allotted 225 overs would go on to win the match. This way, teams can be stopped of batting for 3 days uninterrupted, as they sometimes do to force a draw, like the Test Match in Colombo way back in 1997, when Srilanka scored 952 runs against India.
If we can have night matches with coloured clothing and pink balls with 225 overs per team and a result guaranteed at the end of five days, with the existing rules like follow-on and bouncers allowed in an over unchanged, then I am sure we can revitalise, rejuvenate and reincarnate this ailing but toughest form of this wonderful sport. Let us keep our fingers crossed!!
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also aware of this sorry state of affairs and is mooting quite a lot of innovative initiatives to preclude this great form of the game from becoming stale. Day-night test cricket is being talked about along with pink balls. However, the biggest problem with Test Cricket is boredom for the spectator, to watch a game of cricket 8 hours a day for a period of five days, and even after that, not being guaranteed of a result!!
One possible solution to this problem might be to introduce a “Limited Overs” flavour to Test Cricket. As most know, each of the five days in Test Cricket requires 90 overs of cricket to be played. That means a total of 450 overs for both teams over five days. If we can think of dividing these overs between two teams, that is, a maximum of 225 overs per team to bat for the entire match, then pale draws would be completely eliminated. One team may use a certain number of overs in its first innings, and then use up the remaining overs in the second innings. Whichever team scores more runs in those allotted 225 overs would go on to win the match. This way, teams can be stopped of batting for 3 days uninterrupted, as they sometimes do to force a draw, like the Test Match in Colombo way back in 1997, when Srilanka scored 952 runs against India.
If we can have night matches with coloured clothing and pink balls with 225 overs per team and a result guaranteed at the end of five days, with the existing rules like follow-on and bouncers allowed in an over unchanged, then I am sure we can revitalise, rejuvenate and reincarnate this ailing but toughest form of this wonderful sport. Let us keep our fingers crossed!!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Mobile phone etiquette is fast disappearing….
Advancement of technology is fast becoming a nuisance for the ethically inclined – it is transforming itself from being a boon to being a bane of our progressive, educated, tech-savvy and young society. High-tech gadgets, most notably mobile phones, are making many of us forget the time and place which we are in, when we do use them. To people around us, this seems to be very unprofessional (if indiscretions happen at the workplace), rude and sometimes out-and-out offensive.
These days, none of us can afford to switch off our mobile phones even for a few hours even if we want to. It’s fast becoming a highly essential piece of non-sense that keeps us bothering most of the time. The silly little idiot-piece just rings anytime anywhere causing loss of concentration to many. Sometimes we do not even have the basic common sense to use a soft, pleasant ring tone, or if we cannot get one, to at least keep our phones on vibration mode.
We carry it anywhere, starting from conference rooms, to public transport, libraries, movie theatres, ICCU wards and even to funerals. People make or take phone calls in places like hospitals and libraries, even when the posters are admonishing at their face with words like “Please switch off your mobile phones.” I have seen a couple of funeral services myself, where even elderly gentlemen fail to understand the gravity of the situation around them and keep their mobile phones not only switched on, but also in sound mode. To me, these guys should go back to some good schools and learn some basic etiquette which we teach to class V kids.
It is true that manners change as society changes, and perhaps with technology invading our private space far too often for our liking, we are definitely in need of a manifesto which would provide us with a new set of manners.
These days, none of us can afford to switch off our mobile phones even for a few hours even if we want to. It’s fast becoming a highly essential piece of non-sense that keeps us bothering most of the time. The silly little idiot-piece just rings anytime anywhere causing loss of concentration to many. Sometimes we do not even have the basic common sense to use a soft, pleasant ring tone, or if we cannot get one, to at least keep our phones on vibration mode.
We carry it anywhere, starting from conference rooms, to public transport, libraries, movie theatres, ICCU wards and even to funerals. People make or take phone calls in places like hospitals and libraries, even when the posters are admonishing at their face with words like “Please switch off your mobile phones.” I have seen a couple of funeral services myself, where even elderly gentlemen fail to understand the gravity of the situation around them and keep their mobile phones not only switched on, but also in sound mode. To me, these guys should go back to some good schools and learn some basic etiquette which we teach to class V kids.
It is true that manners change as society changes, and perhaps with technology invading our private space far too often for our liking, we are definitely in need of a manifesto which would provide us with a new set of manners.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
The essence of Education….
There are a plethora of misconceptions that flood our minds when we mention the term “Education” – collection of facts, acquiring degrees, book-learning and diverse knowledge. Actually it is neither. To me the essence of education is concentration of the mind, and detachment from the fruits of action. If I had to do my education all over again, and had any voice in the matter, I would not study facts at all. I would develop the power of concentration and detachment, and having prepared my mind accordingly, would collect facts at will.
When we look around, we see “educated” men beating up their wives, getting involved in mammoth corporate frauds, insulting other people and of course, committing suicides over acute depression. The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle of life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy and the courage of a lion, is not worth its name.
Real education should facilitate people to stand on his own legs and be counted in life. It should generate within us a sense of duty so that we do not hate ourselves for what we do not have, do not grumble against nature’s adjustments. If we do that then we would never be satisfied with anything in life. Education should encourage us to harness our strengths, to perform our job well, to not compare ourselves with people who are apparently better off and make ourselves stronger. We should always remember that excess competition rouses envy and kills the kindliness of the heart. At the end of the day, if we can concentrate our mind in performing our duties by greasing its wheels with love, so that there is no friction of distaste, disrespect, suspicion and hatred, then only we would have received true education.
When we look around, we see “educated” men beating up their wives, getting involved in mammoth corporate frauds, insulting other people and of course, committing suicides over acute depression. The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle of life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy and the courage of a lion, is not worth its name.
Real education should facilitate people to stand on his own legs and be counted in life. It should generate within us a sense of duty so that we do not hate ourselves for what we do not have, do not grumble against nature’s adjustments. If we do that then we would never be satisfied with anything in life. Education should encourage us to harness our strengths, to perform our job well, to not compare ourselves with people who are apparently better off and make ourselves stronger. We should always remember that excess competition rouses envy and kills the kindliness of the heart. At the end of the day, if we can concentrate our mind in performing our duties by greasing its wheels with love, so that there is no friction of distaste, disrespect, suspicion and hatred, then only we would have received true education.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Kolkata – The Heritage City…..
I have left Kolkata in 2005 to cater first to my academic commitments and then to my professional commitments. During this time I have stayed in Delhi for 2 years, been to Mumbai about 3 times for a month or so, spent six weeks in Pune and currently staying in Bangalore for the past 3 years. However, the rate of modernisation that I have witnessed in all the cities above has been quite a few notches above my sweet little hometown, Kolkata. I would say that on current basis, Kolkata is still 3 years behind Mumbai and Delhi in terms of being state-of-the-art.
The trams, Victoria Memorial, New Market, Jorasanko Thakurbari (the residence of the Tagores), Monument (Shahid Minar), Coffee House, Presidency College, hand-pulled rickshaws, Durga Puja in “bonedi” (traditional orthodox Bengali families, especially in the northern areas of the city) households like the Sovabazar Rajbari, and the streets in the northern and central parts of the city may not be the most tech-savvy sights to behold, but they fill you with a sense of charm and aura. Five star hotels like the Oberoi Grand, the General Post Office (GPO) and the St Pauls Cathedral with traditional oriental architecture still stand tall in the heart of the city. Whenever you walk through the streets of Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Baghbazar, Bowbazar, Sealdah, Bidhan Sarani and adjoining areas you would not get a feeling that you are in the 3rd largest metro-city in India.
It is not that there are no malls, flyovers or pubs in Kolkata, but when you step into Kolkata, you get a feeling of the old British-India in most things you observe. The southern and eastern parts of the city has been quite developed for the past decade or so, with multiple flyovers, Forum, South City and City Centre Malls, 5 star hotels like ITC Sonar and The Park, a software city (Sector V in SaltLake), the various expressways like Kona and Belghoria, and the IIM Joka campus, but I get a feeling that the charm of the city still lies in its heritage and roots.
It is still the cultural capital of India with its appreciation for Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore Songs) and Indian Classical music, and you would feel it if you happen to stay there around “Pochishe Boishakh” (Tagore’s birthday, typically on the 8th of May). However, I must say that in spite of having stayed in all “modern” and “developed” 21st century metro cities in India, I still love Kolkata which is rich with its cultural and architectural heritage, and crave to get back there. Long live Heritage Kolkata.
The trams, Victoria Memorial, New Market, Jorasanko Thakurbari (the residence of the Tagores), Monument (Shahid Minar), Coffee House, Presidency College, hand-pulled rickshaws, Durga Puja in “bonedi” (traditional orthodox Bengali families, especially in the northern areas of the city) households like the Sovabazar Rajbari, and the streets in the northern and central parts of the city may not be the most tech-savvy sights to behold, but they fill you with a sense of charm and aura. Five star hotels like the Oberoi Grand, the General Post Office (GPO) and the St Pauls Cathedral with traditional oriental architecture still stand tall in the heart of the city. Whenever you walk through the streets of Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Baghbazar, Bowbazar, Sealdah, Bidhan Sarani and adjoining areas you would not get a feeling that you are in the 3rd largest metro-city in India.
It is not that there are no malls, flyovers or pubs in Kolkata, but when you step into Kolkata, you get a feeling of the old British-India in most things you observe. The southern and eastern parts of the city has been quite developed for the past decade or so, with multiple flyovers, Forum, South City and City Centre Malls, 5 star hotels like ITC Sonar and The Park, a software city (Sector V in SaltLake), the various expressways like Kona and Belghoria, and the IIM Joka campus, but I get a feeling that the charm of the city still lies in its heritage and roots.
It is still the cultural capital of India with its appreciation for Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore Songs) and Indian Classical music, and you would feel it if you happen to stay there around “Pochishe Boishakh” (Tagore’s birthday, typically on the 8th of May). However, I must say that in spite of having stayed in all “modern” and “developed” 21st century metro cities in India, I still love Kolkata which is rich with its cultural and architectural heritage, and crave to get back there. Long live Heritage Kolkata.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Good English speakers are a rarity these days….
If you look around, you would find thousands of people claiming that they can communicate “well” in the English language. Most of them are young professionals like I am, working in diversified fields from electronics and power generation, to software development, to mechanical design. However, once you start a conversation with them, you are quick to realize that beyond a certain depth and calibre, they lack that punch and, weaknesses in their spoken English become protuberant.
They make basic grammatical errors, glaring pronunciation mistakes; poor sentence constructions and their lack of vocabulary would probably make a school kid look like a Wordsworth!! Most of them cannot even express a simple thought into a few words with adequate clarity. However, ironically, when you ask them about their favourite sources of entertainment, they would choose a host of English movies, western music, and foreign novels, which in normal circumstances should have augmented their command over the English language. I just wonder sometimes that the pressure of social and professional expectations forces such people to belie themselves, but to be honest, such acts expose their weakness even more.
I am not carping on young English-speaking individuals in our country. At the same time, I feel that instead of portraying an image of themselves which they are not, people should cogitate honestly on self weaknesses and improve their English-speaking skills by observing benchmark individuals - Karan Thapar, Pranoy Roy, Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, N Vishwanathan, Satyajit Ray (interview archives), Amartya Sen, Arnab Goswami and John Dykes on television. Believe me, if somebody tries to emulate the speaking prowess of these men, they would not be flogging a dead horse. At the same time, I do not advocate meaningless rant either, but whatever they speak should be technically perfect, even if the vocabulary used is not bombastic.
My philosophy is, if you are speaking a language, then you should speak it well. In this tough era of competition, communication skills separate the good from the best, and among communication skills, good English-speaking is right at the helm. Poor oratory is an anathema, and would continue to be so in the near and distant future. Even then, good English speakers are like a spot of diamond in a ton of coal. In testing times like this, I expect young India to rise to the occasion and be counted!!
They make basic grammatical errors, glaring pronunciation mistakes; poor sentence constructions and their lack of vocabulary would probably make a school kid look like a Wordsworth!! Most of them cannot even express a simple thought into a few words with adequate clarity. However, ironically, when you ask them about their favourite sources of entertainment, they would choose a host of English movies, western music, and foreign novels, which in normal circumstances should have augmented their command over the English language. I just wonder sometimes that the pressure of social and professional expectations forces such people to belie themselves, but to be honest, such acts expose their weakness even more.
I am not carping on young English-speaking individuals in our country. At the same time, I feel that instead of portraying an image of themselves which they are not, people should cogitate honestly on self weaknesses and improve their English-speaking skills by observing benchmark individuals - Karan Thapar, Pranoy Roy, Harsha Bhogle, Ravi Shastri, N Vishwanathan, Satyajit Ray (interview archives), Amartya Sen, Arnab Goswami and John Dykes on television. Believe me, if somebody tries to emulate the speaking prowess of these men, they would not be flogging a dead horse. At the same time, I do not advocate meaningless rant either, but whatever they speak should be technically perfect, even if the vocabulary used is not bombastic.
My philosophy is, if you are speaking a language, then you should speak it well. In this tough era of competition, communication skills separate the good from the best, and among communication skills, good English-speaking is right at the helm. Poor oratory is an anathema, and would continue to be so in the near and distant future. Even then, good English speakers are like a spot of diamond in a ton of coal. In testing times like this, I expect young India to rise to the occasion and be counted!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The curious case of eight new IITs….
In 2008, the honourable Govt of India announced the setting up of eight new IITs in our country. The logic was that since IIT has the ability to produce world beaters year after year, why not enhance their presence throughout India, and give a chance to more number of students to receive top grade technical education.
The gesture was very noble indeed from our educated and suave Prime Minister but some serious questions were begging to be answered. The “Brand India” image that the original 5 IITs (IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay and IIT Chennai) managed to create was because they were only 5 in number. Number of quality faculty was adequate, the seats were lesser, and only the most meritorious of students got the best attention from the best professors. The results were there for all to see. The IIT pass-outs turned out to be world beaters in one form or the other.
Then two new IITs were introduced – Roorkee engineering college was converted to IIT Roorkee, and IIT Guwahati was flagged off. The alarming thing is in the yearly IIT ratings, these two redbrick institutes of excellence have always shared the 6th and 7th spots – they have never been able to better the performance and infrastructure of the previous 5 IITs. The message, I thought, should have been loud and clear. You cannot force quality out of any institute just by naming it as an IIT. The infrastructure, quality of research and the student quality also matters. Right now, even the premiere IITs lack quality faculty. The really good professors have started retiring and there is no adequate back up for them, because in our country, the remuneration for professors and research associates are so low, that brilliant students never take up teaching. So from where do you get quality professors??
Even as the existing ones were gasping for breath, 8 new IITs were announced – IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Ropar, IIT Patna, IIT Kota, IIT Bhuvaneshwar, IIT Indore and IIT Mandi. IIT Indore and IIT Mandi will start functioning from this session while the rest have already started from last session. It is heard that IT-BHU is also about to be converted to an IIT.
I genuinely feel that these new institutes should never be called “IITs” as that would dilute the original IIT brand. Let them first prove to the world that they can also produce world beaters year after year who can do our nation proud. I feel, this would be very difficult for the newly formed institutes of excellence, as the faculty quality is not there. Although each of the new so called “IITs” I have mentioned have a mentor IIT, still they have a lot of catching up to do with the top five. It just so heartbreaking to see that now every other student will have an “IIT ian” tag, even if they do not deserve it , and the country’s image in front of the world would be at stake. Precious honours like an IIT degree should always be sparingly awarded and rightfully earned and not lavishly distributed. Is somebody listening out there?
The gesture was very noble indeed from our educated and suave Prime Minister but some serious questions were begging to be answered. The “Brand India” image that the original 5 IITs (IIT Kharagpur, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay and IIT Chennai) managed to create was because they were only 5 in number. Number of quality faculty was adequate, the seats were lesser, and only the most meritorious of students got the best attention from the best professors. The results were there for all to see. The IIT pass-outs turned out to be world beaters in one form or the other.
Then two new IITs were introduced – Roorkee engineering college was converted to IIT Roorkee, and IIT Guwahati was flagged off. The alarming thing is in the yearly IIT ratings, these two redbrick institutes of excellence have always shared the 6th and 7th spots – they have never been able to better the performance and infrastructure of the previous 5 IITs. The message, I thought, should have been loud and clear. You cannot force quality out of any institute just by naming it as an IIT. The infrastructure, quality of research and the student quality also matters. Right now, even the premiere IITs lack quality faculty. The really good professors have started retiring and there is no adequate back up for them, because in our country, the remuneration for professors and research associates are so low, that brilliant students never take up teaching. So from where do you get quality professors??
Even as the existing ones were gasping for breath, 8 new IITs were announced – IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Ropar, IIT Patna, IIT Kota, IIT Bhuvaneshwar, IIT Indore and IIT Mandi. IIT Indore and IIT Mandi will start functioning from this session while the rest have already started from last session. It is heard that IT-BHU is also about to be converted to an IIT.
I genuinely feel that these new institutes should never be called “IITs” as that would dilute the original IIT brand. Let them first prove to the world that they can also produce world beaters year after year who can do our nation proud. I feel, this would be very difficult for the newly formed institutes of excellence, as the faculty quality is not there. Although each of the new so called “IITs” I have mentioned have a mentor IIT, still they have a lot of catching up to do with the top five. It just so heartbreaking to see that now every other student will have an “IIT ian” tag, even if they do not deserve it , and the country’s image in front of the world would be at stake. Precious honours like an IIT degree should always be sparingly awarded and rightfully earned and not lavishly distributed. Is somebody listening out there?
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Donating Blood…feeling of ultimate joy and honour
My day today began in a very lethargic fashion. I woke up at 8.30am, which was an hour late from any other day, and reached my office cubicle at 10.30am. Till then I did not know that 07th of July 2010 would turn out to be one of my most special days of my life. Today I had the honour of donating blood for the first time ever. It was a special feeling. The Rotary Club was organizing a Blood Donation Camp in our campus for the past two days, and such events have taken place previously too, but today, something within me was urging me to go ahead. I always used to feel that such events are just like any other mass gathering where people just go to spend time. Today, I was destined to have a realization of bliss. It was God’s gift to me on this day. I am proud I did it.
As I entered the camp, there were volunteers who asked me to fill up a bio-data form, which basically asked about previous illnesses. A sticker with a serial number was attached on my left wrist, just as a mark of identification. My BP was checked (it turned out to be normal!!) followed by my pulse rate (it was 56 only; probably my heart was not beating as fast today!). Some slide tests were also performed on my blood for haemoglobin. After everything was hunky dory, I was led to an easy chair, reminiscent of the one that I have seen my grandfather use. It was a half laid-back half sitting position for me. The blood collection started.
There were quite a few people around me who had joined this noble gesture to save precious lives. It was a privilege for me to make an effort to help thousands of patients cursed with diseases like Thalassemia and Leukaemia for whom blood transfusions are the only source of relief, albeit temporary ones. My father, in his last days, required 5 bottles of blood every day to make up for all bleeding that he experienced due to a blood clot in the brain. Although we could not save him, there are so many other lives that are waiting to be saved, and so many smiles that are waiting to be back at the faces of thousands. I was cursing myself that in spite of being a universal donor (O positive blood group) I had never donated blood and hence deprived myself from this ineffable feeling. For the first time, I felt I was doing something for which God has given me life.
At the end of it all, 450 gm of blood was sucked out of my body, but I felt even stronger than before just because I had made an attempt to save lives. I was awarded a certificate of appreciation for the act, but I had no words to express my gratification to the organizers for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and bliss.
As I entered the camp, there were volunteers who asked me to fill up a bio-data form, which basically asked about previous illnesses. A sticker with a serial number was attached on my left wrist, just as a mark of identification. My BP was checked (it turned out to be normal!!) followed by my pulse rate (it was 56 only; probably my heart was not beating as fast today!). Some slide tests were also performed on my blood for haemoglobin. After everything was hunky dory, I was led to an easy chair, reminiscent of the one that I have seen my grandfather use. It was a half laid-back half sitting position for me. The blood collection started.
There were quite a few people around me who had joined this noble gesture to save precious lives. It was a privilege for me to make an effort to help thousands of patients cursed with diseases like Thalassemia and Leukaemia for whom blood transfusions are the only source of relief, albeit temporary ones. My father, in his last days, required 5 bottles of blood every day to make up for all bleeding that he experienced due to a blood clot in the brain. Although we could not save him, there are so many other lives that are waiting to be saved, and so many smiles that are waiting to be back at the faces of thousands. I was cursing myself that in spite of being a universal donor (O positive blood group) I had never donated blood and hence deprived myself from this ineffable feeling. For the first time, I felt I was doing something for which God has given me life.
At the end of it all, 450 gm of blood was sucked out of my body, but I felt even stronger than before just because I had made an attempt to save lives. I was awarded a certificate of appreciation for the act, but I had no words to express my gratification to the organizers for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to experience joy and bliss.
My first day at IIT Delhi…..
It was the month of June in 2005. After months of hard work, sacrifice and dedication, I had finally managed to receive the offer letter from one of the leading engineering institutes in Asia – Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. After completing B.Tech in Chemical Engineering, I had always dreamt of getting into an IIT to complete my Masters. The day had finally arrived when I would arrive at my dream institute.
On July 21st, 2005, I got down from Poorva Express at New Delhi railway station at 9.50 in the morning with loads of luggage including bedding. Before leaving Kolkata I had caught viral fever, and had to take 2 Crocin tablets a day throughout my journey. I hired a coolie and somehow managed to reach the auto stand with my body temperature soaring high. The auto-wallah dropped me inside the IIT campus at Jwalamukhi Hostel where all new entrants were supposed to report. There were seven boys’ hostels and the eighth was being constructed at that time. I was dying to get into my room and just lie down. I did not even have the physical strength to carry my luggage into my room.
Guess what!! The hostel coordinator informed that currently there were no hostel rooms available and we have to stay in an apartment within the campus, known as Indraprastha (IP) Apartment for 2 weeks. IP was about a kilometer away from Jwalamukhi at the opposite corner, and I had to take an auto to go there!! I was just not able to even stand on my feet, forget carrying luggage. When I reached IP, I found that 2 people had already reached the apartment that was allotted to me. It was a 2-room apartment of about 800 sq ft, and 4 people were supposed to stay in there. Finally I received a cot for myself and just lied down for 1 hour without even speaking a word.
At lunch I met my first friend at IIT Delhi – Sharad, who was from Gwalior. My fever was slowly starting to recede, although the weakness was still there. I had taken one more Crocin after lunch. In the evening, the Department of Chemical Engineering had hosted a small tea party for all freshers, where all professors and students were supposed to know each other, at least by face. Besides Sharad, I also met my other classmates, from different parts of India, who eventually turned out to be outstanding buddies. We introduced ourselves to the professors, and the HOD at that time, Prof Barun Guha, was very warm to all of us. It was here that we received the schedule of events, including Orientation Ceremony and Course Registration, which was supposed to be followed before classes began 2 days later.
After food, all of my friends and me went and sat in the garden till 10.30 pm, had a lot of laughter and shared past experiences, and hence got to know and understand each other even better. The day, which had started disastrously, starting from not getting a room in the hostel, to travelling to IP with all luggage and 102-degree fever, ended in a grand fashion. IIT Delhi was slowly putting its arms around me and telling that “Hey buddy, do not get bogged down by so little physical pain….the toughest times are yet to come…the toughest professors are yet to be encountered….and life’s toughest lessons are yet to be learnt… .” I smiled and absorbed every word.
On July 21st, 2005, I got down from Poorva Express at New Delhi railway station at 9.50 in the morning with loads of luggage including bedding. Before leaving Kolkata I had caught viral fever, and had to take 2 Crocin tablets a day throughout my journey. I hired a coolie and somehow managed to reach the auto stand with my body temperature soaring high. The auto-wallah dropped me inside the IIT campus at Jwalamukhi Hostel where all new entrants were supposed to report. There were seven boys’ hostels and the eighth was being constructed at that time. I was dying to get into my room and just lie down. I did not even have the physical strength to carry my luggage into my room.
Guess what!! The hostel coordinator informed that currently there were no hostel rooms available and we have to stay in an apartment within the campus, known as Indraprastha (IP) Apartment for 2 weeks. IP was about a kilometer away from Jwalamukhi at the opposite corner, and I had to take an auto to go there!! I was just not able to even stand on my feet, forget carrying luggage. When I reached IP, I found that 2 people had already reached the apartment that was allotted to me. It was a 2-room apartment of about 800 sq ft, and 4 people were supposed to stay in there. Finally I received a cot for myself and just lied down for 1 hour without even speaking a word.
At lunch I met my first friend at IIT Delhi – Sharad, who was from Gwalior. My fever was slowly starting to recede, although the weakness was still there. I had taken one more Crocin after lunch. In the evening, the Department of Chemical Engineering had hosted a small tea party for all freshers, where all professors and students were supposed to know each other, at least by face. Besides Sharad, I also met my other classmates, from different parts of India, who eventually turned out to be outstanding buddies. We introduced ourselves to the professors, and the HOD at that time, Prof Barun Guha, was very warm to all of us. It was here that we received the schedule of events, including Orientation Ceremony and Course Registration, which was supposed to be followed before classes began 2 days later.
After food, all of my friends and me went and sat in the garden till 10.30 pm, had a lot of laughter and shared past experiences, and hence got to know and understand each other even better. The day, which had started disastrously, starting from not getting a room in the hostel, to travelling to IP with all luggage and 102-degree fever, ended in a grand fashion. IIT Delhi was slowly putting its arms around me and telling that “Hey buddy, do not get bogged down by so little physical pain….the toughest times are yet to come…the toughest professors are yet to be encountered….and life’s toughest lessons are yet to be learnt… .” I smiled and absorbed every word.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Bengal should look to retain its best talents…
Being a Bengali staying in Kolkata, or in any other town in Bengal, how many times have you seen your neighbour’s son, your colleague’s daughter, one or more of your nephews or nieces travel outside their state for studies or a job? I am sure such instances are countless.
Since I was born in Kolkata and spent 25 years of my life here before shifting base, I can elaborate the situation particularly prevalent in the capital city with authenticity. Let us start with the schools. Parents are spoilt for choices when they have to choose a school for their kids – you have Don Bosco Park Circus, La Martinere, St Thomas, St James, Calcutta Boys, St Xaviers Collegiate School, Ashok Hall, Prat Memorial, Loreto House, Gokhale Memorial, South Point High School, Carmel High School, Mahadevi Birla Girls High School Modern High School for Girls, Bethune Collegiate, Hindu School, Bagbazar Multipurpose, and Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Collegiate school among the traditional powerhouses. Then you also have DPS and Heritage School who have set up campuses recently in the city and offer the state-of –the-art education facilities to the children. Hence parents cannot even think of sending their kids outside Kolkata for their scholastic education because they have faith in all schools above.
However once the kid passes out of school, a gamut of possibilities arise. The first consideration for further studies in Bengal is the WBJEE. Besides Jadavpur University (JU), which has an All-India rank of about 15 (In our days it was in the top 10), the parents have no faith in any other engineering college. BESU (earlier famously known as Shibpur BE College) is more engrossed in a perpetual mesh of student politics and internal strife. Among the rest, not too many inspire confidence.
Hence if a student fails to get into JU, parents start thinking of sending the child either to Bangalore, or Manipal Institute of Technology, or BHU, or to the numerous reputed engineering colleges in Maharashtra. The situation in General streams is a little better because you have colleges like Presidency, St Xaviers, Lady Brabourne, Bethune, North City, Surendranath College, and Deenbandhu Andrews which command respect. However the irony is that most students who do well in their Class 12 board exams, especially in Science Stream, do not want to study general subjects.
The situation goes from bad to worse for post graduate studies. There is not even a single institute, apart from selected streams in University of Calcutta, in which students dream of completing their Masters. The job situation is not any better either. Besides Sector V in Salt lake City, which is a bastion for software professionals hired from almost any background, you do not have too much to look forward to. People like me, who want to work in their area of expertise of core engineering, have very few opportunities in Kolkata. That is the saddest part of it all.
The number of talented Bengali students who work or do a Masters in Kolkata is only a minor percentage of the number of good students who pass out of Kolkata’s schools. If we have 20 outstanding schools, we have only 7-8 good colleges, 2 good engineering colleges and 1 good university. The numbers do tell a story. Its time the administration wakes up to this menace, set up some good universities and invest in industries in Bengal, so that we do not just keep losing talent so cheaply.
Since I was born in Kolkata and spent 25 years of my life here before shifting base, I can elaborate the situation particularly prevalent in the capital city with authenticity. Let us start with the schools. Parents are spoilt for choices when they have to choose a school for their kids – you have Don Bosco Park Circus, La Martinere, St Thomas, St James, Calcutta Boys, St Xaviers Collegiate School, Ashok Hall, Prat Memorial, Loreto House, Gokhale Memorial, South Point High School, Carmel High School, Mahadevi Birla Girls High School Modern High School for Girls, Bethune Collegiate, Hindu School, Bagbazar Multipurpose, and Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Collegiate school among the traditional powerhouses. Then you also have DPS and Heritage School who have set up campuses recently in the city and offer the state-of –the-art education facilities to the children. Hence parents cannot even think of sending their kids outside Kolkata for their scholastic education because they have faith in all schools above.
However once the kid passes out of school, a gamut of possibilities arise. The first consideration for further studies in Bengal is the WBJEE. Besides Jadavpur University (JU), which has an All-India rank of about 15 (In our days it was in the top 10), the parents have no faith in any other engineering college. BESU (earlier famously known as Shibpur BE College) is more engrossed in a perpetual mesh of student politics and internal strife. Among the rest, not too many inspire confidence.
Hence if a student fails to get into JU, parents start thinking of sending the child either to Bangalore, or Manipal Institute of Technology, or BHU, or to the numerous reputed engineering colleges in Maharashtra. The situation in General streams is a little better because you have colleges like Presidency, St Xaviers, Lady Brabourne, Bethune, North City, Surendranath College, and Deenbandhu Andrews which command respect. However the irony is that most students who do well in their Class 12 board exams, especially in Science Stream, do not want to study general subjects.
The situation goes from bad to worse for post graduate studies. There is not even a single institute, apart from selected streams in University of Calcutta, in which students dream of completing their Masters. The job situation is not any better either. Besides Sector V in Salt lake City, which is a bastion for software professionals hired from almost any background, you do not have too much to look forward to. People like me, who want to work in their area of expertise of core engineering, have very few opportunities in Kolkata. That is the saddest part of it all.
The number of talented Bengali students who work or do a Masters in Kolkata is only a minor percentage of the number of good students who pass out of Kolkata’s schools. If we have 20 outstanding schools, we have only 7-8 good colleges, 2 good engineering colleges and 1 good university. The numbers do tell a story. Its time the administration wakes up to this menace, set up some good universities and invest in industries in Bengal, so that we do not just keep losing talent so cheaply.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Give direction to your Anger – It can propel you…….
For centuries we have been hearing the adage that anger can cause nothing but destruction – to families, to relationships, to business deals, to friendship and other spheres of life. Protracted feelings of anger is said to spoil years of hard work. In the Vedas, anger is listed as one of six “Ripus” (enemies to human beings) along with lust, greed, alcohol, jealousy and attachment. Too much anger is also known to increase the risk of heart diseases and shoot up your BP levels. In the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says that anger leads the human mind and brain to the path of self-destruction and affliction, so man should never let anger take control of him.
I, however, have an antithesis on this common human emotion. Whatever I have said thus far about the ill-effects of anger is absolutely true, but can we as human beings really get rid of anger completely? If yes, then we would become yogis, but if not, we should find out a way for ourselves so that anger does not harm us.
From life, I have learnt that anger is not always fiendish. Whenever somebody has said something or done something that I have not liked, I have tried not to revile on his face by expressing anger. I have tried not to be virulent either. However, I have strived to achieve excellence in my work and respond to that person through my achievements, and not through words. I have tried to convert my anger into will-power, determination and the hunger to succeed.
I have always felt that if I had not been angry, I would not have been a 1st class Honours graduate from University of Calcutta; I would not have entered into an IIT, passed out of an IIT with 9.0 CGPA, and also I would not have filed two patents for my company. I had a point to prove to many people because they had angered me over a period of many years, and it was this anger that propelled me to give that extra 10% effort every time. Now it gives me immense pleasure to see that those same people do not have the guts to look straight into my eyes.
To me, anger is like nuclear energy – if you cannot control it, it can destroy a continent, but if you can use it productively, then it can provide electricity and power to billions. So, from now on, if somebody berates you, avoid a riposte, just smile and walk away, and return to the same guy 2 years later with a bag full of achievements in life, which he must not have even dreamt of.
I, however, have an antithesis on this common human emotion. Whatever I have said thus far about the ill-effects of anger is absolutely true, but can we as human beings really get rid of anger completely? If yes, then we would become yogis, but if not, we should find out a way for ourselves so that anger does not harm us.
From life, I have learnt that anger is not always fiendish. Whenever somebody has said something or done something that I have not liked, I have tried not to revile on his face by expressing anger. I have tried not to be virulent either. However, I have strived to achieve excellence in my work and respond to that person through my achievements, and not through words. I have tried to convert my anger into will-power, determination and the hunger to succeed.
I have always felt that if I had not been angry, I would not have been a 1st class Honours graduate from University of Calcutta; I would not have entered into an IIT, passed out of an IIT with 9.0 CGPA, and also I would not have filed two patents for my company. I had a point to prove to many people because they had angered me over a period of many years, and it was this anger that propelled me to give that extra 10% effort every time. Now it gives me immense pleasure to see that those same people do not have the guts to look straight into my eyes.
To me, anger is like nuclear energy – if you cannot control it, it can destroy a continent, but if you can use it productively, then it can provide electricity and power to billions. So, from now on, if somebody berates you, avoid a riposte, just smile and walk away, and return to the same guy 2 years later with a bag full of achievements in life, which he must not have even dreamt of.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
A loving wife is God’s most precious gift…..
The ultimate aim for any man, whether he is a billionaire industrialist, a sportsperson, a film personality or a lesser mortal like me, is to have a loving and understanding wife. There would be innumerable opinions about the advantages of being single, about the infidelities of women, about their tantrums, but at the end of it all, it is the wife who fills up all the void spaces in a man’s life. If a mother brings up a child and cares for him till he is established as a young man, the wife sustains and augments that state for the rest of the man’s life with her love, sympathy, affection and understanding. She makes her man a better human being, a wonderful and caring father, an achiever in the professional field, and of course, a sweet husband.
The one quality which I feel separates all women from that ONE special woman in your life is chastity. Chastity will be the first virtue that you would notice in a loving wife. Any man, who however he may have strayed in life, can be brought back to the right path by a gentle, loving and chaste wife. As Lord Krishna had rightly pointed out in the Mahabharata, that Pandavas should be held completely responsible for the disrobing of Draupadi in an open court, because it was they who had treated their wife Draupadi as a commodity and gambled with her, against the trickery of Shakuni. A wife can never be a chattel, but she is a life-partner, and hence should never be gambled with.
It is this loving wife who can hold a family together; it is the wife who can possess the gravity and maturity that any husband would be proud of. If she leaves you, you will disintegrate mentally and emotionally very quickly before even realising it. So do not be rude to her, do not insult her, do not make her cry but respect her as you would do the same for a goddess, because in reality, she is God’s most treasured gift to you, because of all your good deeds in life.
I am indeed proud to say that my mother was such a wife, and my love, my would-be wife, Kuhu, has every possibility to become the ideal loving wife that every man dreams for. I trust both of them immensely, and I am really lucky to have both of them, especially Kuhu, since she has come so close to me in just over two months, in my life right now.
The one quality which I feel separates all women from that ONE special woman in your life is chastity. Chastity will be the first virtue that you would notice in a loving wife. Any man, who however he may have strayed in life, can be brought back to the right path by a gentle, loving and chaste wife. As Lord Krishna had rightly pointed out in the Mahabharata, that Pandavas should be held completely responsible for the disrobing of Draupadi in an open court, because it was they who had treated their wife Draupadi as a commodity and gambled with her, against the trickery of Shakuni. A wife can never be a chattel, but she is a life-partner, and hence should never be gambled with.
It is this loving wife who can hold a family together; it is the wife who can possess the gravity and maturity that any husband would be proud of. If she leaves you, you will disintegrate mentally and emotionally very quickly before even realising it. So do not be rude to her, do not insult her, do not make her cry but respect her as you would do the same for a goddess, because in reality, she is God’s most treasured gift to you, because of all your good deeds in life.
I am indeed proud to say that my mother was such a wife, and my love, my would-be wife, Kuhu, has every possibility to become the ideal loving wife that every man dreams for. I trust both of them immensely, and I am really lucky to have both of them, especially Kuhu, since she has come so close to me in just over two months, in my life right now.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Search for Happiness…
Most of us foolishly feel that somebody else or something else can make us happy. We search for voluptuous girlfriends, loving wives, lucrative jobs, the latest car model and plush apartments. However after years of struggle we find out that true happiness consists in killing selfishness and that no one can make us happy except ourselves.
Happiness presents itself before man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head. They are really two sides of the same coin. You cannot have one and leave out the other. If a man is rich, he has no children or he is a repository of multiple diseases. If he is hungry and poor, he has a whole regiment of children and does not know what to do with them. If he has plenty to eat, his digestion is out of order and he cannot eat. If his digestion is good, he does not have enough food to put into his mouth. Our problem is that we feel we can have happiness without misery.
As long as there is desire, no real happiness can come. I am saying this from my own experiences. Do not depend on others to give you happiness. Be independent, search for your own happiness from within you. Be spiritually strong and educated, have faith in God and you will be free of all misery. Having said that, it is not easy to do. You have to train your mind day in and day out to achieve this, but that is THE only way to flush out all misery out of your life. So dig deep within yourself….happiness is waiting to be explored!!
Happiness presents itself before man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head. They are really two sides of the same coin. You cannot have one and leave out the other. If a man is rich, he has no children or he is a repository of multiple diseases. If he is hungry and poor, he has a whole regiment of children and does not know what to do with them. If he has plenty to eat, his digestion is out of order and he cannot eat. If his digestion is good, he does not have enough food to put into his mouth. Our problem is that we feel we can have happiness without misery.
As long as there is desire, no real happiness can come. I am saying this from my own experiences. Do not depend on others to give you happiness. Be independent, search for your own happiness from within you. Be spiritually strong and educated, have faith in God and you will be free of all misery. Having said that, it is not easy to do. You have to train your mind day in and day out to achieve this, but that is THE only way to flush out all misery out of your life. So dig deep within yourself….happiness is waiting to be explored!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
My walk to office everyday…..
From March 2009, I had started walking to my office everyday. The reason was to reduce the flab that had begun to accumulate around my sweet big belly due to lack of physical activity. I found a short cut, through a small colony (“BASTI” in colloquial terms), which turned out to be just short of 2 km.
As days passed, I began observing the people living in that colony, their habits and their daily activities. I dare say that all families belong to lower income brackets. I could not help but adore them and enjoy their smiles and grievances day after day.
When I went past them at round about 8.30 am in the morning, all their children gathered near the small school that is the only centre of education in that small locality. There are approximately 200 children of ages 6-12, who chirp away outside the school building with their innocent smiles, eyes filled with dreams and blue uniforms. The mothers wash their utensils in a common tap on the street corner, having intermittent chats amongst themselves, the fathers take out their bicycles to leave for another long day’s work, and the grandmothers pour all their love and affection to the cows and calves. In fact I have also seen them bath the animals in the morning, clean them and provide them with lots of fodder, and believe me, be it animals or human beings, when you love them really well, tears come out from their eyes. Some kids are naughty too and don’t want to go to school and mothers start scolding them. The stray dogs are also part of their families and give an expression as if they also want the kid to go to school and learn. The tail just keeps wagging with a childish effervescence.
When I come back around 6.30 pm, darkness still does not set in here and its time for the children to have a ball with friends. There is not enough space to play cricket or football, but they just have a lot of fun. They run around with the dogs, run 30m sprints and the winner gets some extra milk from his mom. There is a big banyan tree under the shades of which the elderly sit for an evening conversation. Some children just run to their fathers and urge them to come home. That is also a very special sight. Sometimes I return at around 8.30 pm also, and at those times the picture is somewhat different. Everybody retires to their shanties and spend time with their families. There is just so much peace and happiness around, both among human beings and animals.
Sometimes I wish that I could also live a life like that, where you don’t just join the rat race to chase money and fame but be possessive towards peace and happiness, for they say, that it is in such places that God resides.
As days passed, I began observing the people living in that colony, their habits and their daily activities. I dare say that all families belong to lower income brackets. I could not help but adore them and enjoy their smiles and grievances day after day.
When I went past them at round about 8.30 am in the morning, all their children gathered near the small school that is the only centre of education in that small locality. There are approximately 200 children of ages 6-12, who chirp away outside the school building with their innocent smiles, eyes filled with dreams and blue uniforms. The mothers wash their utensils in a common tap on the street corner, having intermittent chats amongst themselves, the fathers take out their bicycles to leave for another long day’s work, and the grandmothers pour all their love and affection to the cows and calves. In fact I have also seen them bath the animals in the morning, clean them and provide them with lots of fodder, and believe me, be it animals or human beings, when you love them really well, tears come out from their eyes. Some kids are naughty too and don’t want to go to school and mothers start scolding them. The stray dogs are also part of their families and give an expression as if they also want the kid to go to school and learn. The tail just keeps wagging with a childish effervescence.
When I come back around 6.30 pm, darkness still does not set in here and its time for the children to have a ball with friends. There is not enough space to play cricket or football, but they just have a lot of fun. They run around with the dogs, run 30m sprints and the winner gets some extra milk from his mom. There is a big banyan tree under the shades of which the elderly sit for an evening conversation. Some children just run to their fathers and urge them to come home. That is also a very special sight. Sometimes I return at around 8.30 pm also, and at those times the picture is somewhat different. Everybody retires to their shanties and spend time with their families. There is just so much peace and happiness around, both among human beings and animals.
Sometimes I wish that I could also live a life like that, where you don’t just join the rat race to chase money and fame but be possessive towards peace and happiness, for they say, that it is in such places that God resides.
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