It’s one of those days when you cannot think of anything else but victory. Indian cricket fans of around my age have been waiting all their lives for this one moment – when India lifted the World Cup. And more than anyone else, the little master has been in patient hunt of the most valued prize in world cricket. Years of thirst for holding the cup that matters was finally quenched yesterday, and now he can proudly set out for his final stage of a career that most probably would never be matched. Talk about greed, fans want more! We all are waiting for just one more feat from the master- the 100th hundred. And that day, Sachin fans throughout the world will experience “Moksha”.
I have no doubt that Indian cricket lovers over the world wished they could be in India for celebrating this indeed special moment which will be etched in sports history. I miss the fireworks and the massive celebrations back home. But it gives sweet joy and misty eyes when I see the numerous videos of celebration. No other religion than cricket itself can unite over a billion people, celebrating their nation’s triumph on the greatest stage of their most beloved sport. It was great to see Indians all over the world exchanging pride and joy. Undoubtedly, this will stay with us for a very very long time.
A slight thought passes through the mind though. They have done their jobs, but have we done ours?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The war for freedom
This year clearly stands out as the year of modern freedom struggles. It all started with the Tunisian revolution in December last year, which provided the spark to Egyptian protests. The success was an inspiration to other countries denied of democracy, even as we witness the uprising in Libya as I write this. One can imagine the extreme hunger for power of the dictators when they don’t budge to international political pressure, even knowing the outcome.
We have the privilege of being born in a “free” country. On paper, India is free and the largest democracy. But how much of that is true in reality? The recent Wiki-leaks article gave one more reason for Indians to be ashamed of their “leaders”. It’s an established empirical fact that an average Indian takes freedom for granted, but it’s an even greater truth that Indians are showed the rosy picture of democracy when the reality is harsh. When votes themselves go for sale, the entire system of democracy is a big failure. How many of us really think that they have a say in the government? And that their views and opinions are well “represented” in the parliament by some minister?
We say “there is no other country which allows you greater freedom than India. You can do anything you want”. Is that really what freedom is? As far as free will is concerned, it might be true. It’s not clear though if it’s really “freedom” or just lack of imposing laws which gives us the freedom of doing “ANYTHING”. Will you call carelessly throwing garbage on roads as freedom or as lack of imposing rules? Will you call driving by wrong side of road as freedom? Even worse, what about being politically free? We are heavily influenced by government policies at each and every stage of life, and most of this goes in background without making any noise or concern. Even after knowing the evil plans of politicians, we continue to largely ignore the issue saying “we cannot do anything about it”. And the reason is valid, because most of the people who are in Indian politics at present don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Obviously India is hugely capable of producing gems of politicians and it is well known that they refrain from joining politics because they do not want to get involved in the "dirty business". Is this freedom? When you live in awe of joining politics, the very basis of a country, how can one claim to be in a free country? When we allow a bunch of dictators to "govern" in the political system, how can we call ourselves democratic?
The true freedom movement is hugely due in India. And with time the revolution will well explode, all it needs is a little spark.
We have the privilege of being born in a “free” country. On paper, India is free and the largest democracy. But how much of that is true in reality? The recent Wiki-leaks article gave one more reason for Indians to be ashamed of their “leaders”. It’s an established empirical fact that an average Indian takes freedom for granted, but it’s an even greater truth that Indians are showed the rosy picture of democracy when the reality is harsh. When votes themselves go for sale, the entire system of democracy is a big failure. How many of us really think that they have a say in the government? And that their views and opinions are well “represented” in the parliament by some minister?
We say “there is no other country which allows you greater freedom than India. You can do anything you want”. Is that really what freedom is? As far as free will is concerned, it might be true. It’s not clear though if it’s really “freedom” or just lack of imposing laws which gives us the freedom of doing “ANYTHING”. Will you call carelessly throwing garbage on roads as freedom or as lack of imposing rules? Will you call driving by wrong side of road as freedom? Even worse, what about being politically free? We are heavily influenced by government policies at each and every stage of life, and most of this goes in background without making any noise or concern. Even after knowing the evil plans of politicians, we continue to largely ignore the issue saying “we cannot do anything about it”. And the reason is valid, because most of the people who are in Indian politics at present don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Obviously India is hugely capable of producing gems of politicians and it is well known that they refrain from joining politics because they do not want to get involved in the "dirty business". Is this freedom? When you live in awe of joining politics, the very basis of a country, how can one claim to be in a free country? When we allow a bunch of dictators to "govern" in the political system, how can we call ourselves democratic?
The true freedom movement is hugely due in India. And with time the revolution will well explode, all it needs is a little spark.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Explaining colors to the blind
I come across this apparently absurd phrase often. The first time I heard about this was during my undergraduate days at Sinhgad College of Engineering, Pune. Well, there was this funny "Mr. and Mrs. Sinhgad" competition where the judges asked questions to the contenders in one of the rounds. And one of the questions which was asked to a guy was "how will you describe a rainbow to a blind person?" . The question immediately appealed to me and I lost myself into thoughts. I thought of the obvious answers- about describing the colors by relating to nature, but could not find a satisfactory answer. Today I joined Twitter(out of boredom) and accidentally came across page of Kate Moss. She had tweeted "Trying to explain why I love you is like explaining colors to a blind person." Immediately I lost myself into thoughts, just like before.
What if the person is blind since birth? Imagine you have never seen colors- ever. Forget colors, you haven't seen anything. Is it possible to make a imagery so strong that you can draw colorful paintings in a blind person's brain by just making him hear the words? Probably not. But here is my attempt to do so, just for silencing this old thought at the back of my mind:
Red- The boldest and hottest of all. You feel it when you stand under the scorching sun. You feel it when you are with your love. You feel it when your hand feels the beat of your heart. You feel it when you are tensed.
Blue- The coolest of all. You feel it with the breeze and when you breathe. You feel it when you dip your hands in the cold river and wash your face with it. You feel it when you drink water. The color which refreshes you and makes you feel alive.
Green- The most soothing one. You feel it when you smell grass or perhaps flowers. You feel it when you run your hands through the velvet like farms. It is the color which calms your nerves and which makes you serene. Contradictory to Red, this one takes the pressure off.
What if the person is blind since birth? Imagine you have never seen colors- ever. Forget colors, you haven't seen anything. Is it possible to make a imagery so strong that you can draw colorful paintings in a blind person's brain by just making him hear the words? Probably not. But here is my attempt to do so, just for silencing this old thought at the back of my mind:
Red- The boldest and hottest of all. You feel it when you stand under the scorching sun. You feel it when you are with your love. You feel it when your hand feels the beat of your heart. You feel it when you are tensed.
Blue- The coolest of all. You feel it with the breeze and when you breathe. You feel it when you dip your hands in the cold river and wash your face with it. You feel it when you drink water. The color which refreshes you and makes you feel alive.
Green- The most soothing one. You feel it when you smell grass or perhaps flowers. You feel it when you run your hands through the velvet like farms. It is the color which calms your nerves and which makes you serene. Contradictory to Red, this one takes the pressure off.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The street
I remember(if I’m right)
men walked on that street
with head held high
And others-equally righteous,
used to nod and walk without fright
I remember once in awhile
the devils were disdained,
and treated befitting
And those who shammed morality
were put in the same pile
What change the “judiciary” brought
and took away that pride?
The honest disdained,
and the devils hailed
What unfair balance sought?
On the same street now
devils walk with pride
with a smile shunning the righteous
And the "guardian" devils eager
just to take a bow!
men walked on that street
with head held high
And others-equally righteous,
used to nod and walk without fright
I remember once in awhile
the devils were disdained,
and treated befitting
And those who shammed morality
were put in the same pile
What change the “judiciary” brought
and took away that pride?
The honest disdained,
and the devils hailed
What unfair balance sought?
On the same street now
devils walk with pride
with a smile shunning the righteous
And the "guardian" devils eager
just to take a bow!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A conversation...
“How’s it going?”
“Let’s say I’m still alive. Ha!”
“You and your weird stunts… will you ever change?”
“I don’t think you can change a man’s persona, can you?”
“Err. True that.”
“You tell me, rules keeping you sane and normal?”
“Don’t grin like that you dog. I can read your sarcasm.”
“Ha! C’mon, can’t I ask a normal question now?”
“You will never change. By the way, I am good.”
“Good good.”
-A pause-
“So, how is your latest movie coming along? Hope it’s not as action packed as your last one. I mean you could have died! Oh wait, I know… we have to die someday blah!”
“Well said. Ha!”
“Man, don’t you worry about your family?”
“Well if I didn’t worry about them, I wouldn’t have done that stunt scene in last movie.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Forget it.”
“Why? I thought we were...”
“…friends. Huh. You have to know everything don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“Hm. They offered a large sum for that scene. Don’t get mad now. Your face looks like a tomato!”
“You are the biggest ass I’ve known. Why didn’t you ask me if you needed money?”
“What’s the fun in that?”
“You are a jerk. You will risk your family for your own whims and fancies?”
“I like to keep my head up high.”
“So you feel if you ask me for money, your pride will be hurt?”
“C’mon! I thought you know me well!”
“I know. It’s just hard to fathom that you don’t want to cheat with what life has in store for you.”
“You got it right there bud. The real fun in life is to fight it out.”
“I like to be rather…”
“I know…safe and protected. What’s the fun in that?”
“Well, not everything in life is for fun…”
“Oh really? Then what is life for?”
“Don’t even get there. Those conversations are like a circle. You can go on and on and never reach the end, but you will find yourself where you started soon.”
“Doesn’t that happen with all conversations with no solid base of reasoning?”
“Perhaps. But the problem here is that we don’t really know anything. So we try to argue on our beliefs…”
“And beliefs we know, are ambiguous. “
“Right. So we don’t really know what is a fact is and what’s not.”
“Well. For me, I like to face the challenges of life without taking help. Because I feel I am meant to solve them myself. “
“That’s a bit too…”
“I know.”
-A pause-
“Well, I’ve been thinking. “
“Wow! You are?”
“Dog.”
“Okay go on.”
“I’ve been thinking whether I should propose Tanya.”
“Marriage. You already know my take on it.”
“I know. But unlike you, I don’t find it to be a chaos. My mind is not as disturbed as a crazy stuntman!”
“Hey! I’m not disturbed! Just look around and tell me how many…”
“Couples are happy and shit.”
“You are smart.”
“Don’t grin like that dog.”
“Ha!”
“I wonder why even we are friends. You are one weird stuntman. I’m just…”
“A normal boring guy? I know it’s difficult for me.”
“You ass.”
“Well, I guess understanding is much more important in friendship than agreeing on same things.”
“Finally ! I agree with you on something!”
“Let’s say I’m still alive. Ha!”
“You and your weird stunts… will you ever change?”
“I don’t think you can change a man’s persona, can you?”
“Err. True that.”
“You tell me, rules keeping you sane and normal?”
“Don’t grin like that you dog. I can read your sarcasm.”
“Ha! C’mon, can’t I ask a normal question now?”
“You will never change. By the way, I am good.”
“Good good.”
-A pause-
“So, how is your latest movie coming along? Hope it’s not as action packed as your last one. I mean you could have died! Oh wait, I know… we have to die someday blah!”
“Well said. Ha!”
“Man, don’t you worry about your family?”
“Well if I didn’t worry about them, I wouldn’t have done that stunt scene in last movie.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“Forget it.”
“Why? I thought we were...”
“…friends. Huh. You have to know everything don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“Hm. They offered a large sum for that scene. Don’t get mad now. Your face looks like a tomato!”
“You are the biggest ass I’ve known. Why didn’t you ask me if you needed money?”
“What’s the fun in that?”
“You are a jerk. You will risk your family for your own whims and fancies?”
“I like to keep my head up high.”
“So you feel if you ask me for money, your pride will be hurt?”
“C’mon! I thought you know me well!”
“I know. It’s just hard to fathom that you don’t want to cheat with what life has in store for you.”
“You got it right there bud. The real fun in life is to fight it out.”
“I like to be rather…”
“I know…safe and protected. What’s the fun in that?”
“Well, not everything in life is for fun…”
“Oh really? Then what is life for?”
“Don’t even get there. Those conversations are like a circle. You can go on and on and never reach the end, but you will find yourself where you started soon.”
“Doesn’t that happen with all conversations with no solid base of reasoning?”
“Perhaps. But the problem here is that we don’t really know anything. So we try to argue on our beliefs…”
“And beliefs we know, are ambiguous. “
“Right. So we don’t really know what is a fact is and what’s not.”
“Well. For me, I like to face the challenges of life without taking help. Because I feel I am meant to solve them myself. “
“That’s a bit too…”
“I know.”
-A pause-
“Well, I’ve been thinking. “
“Wow! You are?”
“Dog.”
“Okay go on.”
“I’ve been thinking whether I should propose Tanya.”
“Marriage. You already know my take on it.”
“I know. But unlike you, I don’t find it to be a chaos. My mind is not as disturbed as a crazy stuntman!”
“Hey! I’m not disturbed! Just look around and tell me how many…”
“Couples are happy and shit.”
“You are smart.”
“Don’t grin like that dog.”
“Ha!”
“I wonder why even we are friends. You are one weird stuntman. I’m just…”
“A normal boring guy? I know it’s difficult for me.”
“You ass.”
“Well, I guess understanding is much more important in friendship than agreeing on same things.”
“Finally ! I agree with you on something!”
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The (Un) Forgettable Journey
Ok that (^^) is the official title. The unofficial title to this story is :
SHIT HAPPENS
The day of my departure to US dawned. It was finally time to bid goodbye to my sweet heart homeland. The pain could not have been aggravated by anything other than THE horrendous journey back to US. The flight from Mumbai to Kuwait was smooth sailing (except at the security point, some jackass "somehow" thought my laptop bag to be his and was ready to go until I stopped him). I had a change in flight at Kuwait which went smoothly too. And then, someone in the universe conspired to have a little sadistic pleasure by ruining my day.
After the takeoff, I plugged in the earphones into the system and - TADA! The audio system was not working. The world crashed before my eyes and on the screen in front of me, I tried to imagine myself sitting for 12 hours without entertainment ! Well, flight journey is already boring and this was unbearable! But anyway, I found some relief by talking to my co passengers (one of them had the audio working while the other, like me did not. Kudos Kuwait Airlines!). Still not that bad. I somehow counted the hours and finally landed at NYC after hovering in the air for some time.
The bad news was that flight was delayed by one hour! I had a domestic flight to catch from NYC to Buffalo in about two hours and I had to do immigration, customs and then check in, security for the next flight! Well one might think two hours would still be comfortable. But then the worst part of the journey begins! Long queues at immigration is not a new thing. But its bad when you have a big family standing in front of you right in front of the desk. Still not that bad, the officer took his sweet time doing the formalities, and then when I was just about to put a step forward, he says "I'll be back, please wait" and went away somewhere. I was like "whaaaat?". I looked at the watch and it was not at all a good sight. After five minutes or so the officer returned. I rushed to the desk and immediately told him that I have a flight to catch. He did not waste time and did the finger print and photo formalities quickly. Thanking him, I rushed to claim my baggage.
After failing to spot my bags for ten minutes (!!) I realized I was looking at bags which I had already seen go past before! Disaster! I was about to panic when I thought some jackass may have thought my bag to be his, taken it off and did not care to put it back on the rollers! I was right ! For some unknown reason there was a huge array of bags lined up in other corner and luckily I found my bags there. I had no time to waste. I literally ran with the heavy(what do you expect when returning from India?) bags. JFK is quite huge and I was running all around to find the Jet Blue check in desk. I was wearing a leather jacket because there was no space in the bags! I was sweating like anything and a couple of friendly Americans who saw me rushing asked me if I was okay. Somehow I reached the check in desk. After checking in, I proceeded to the security check.
**TIME FOR FLASHBACK**
It was my last week in Bangalore and some damn guy in our PG gifted me the conjunctivitis virus. And it was really really bad (I still have a scanty red area in my eyes). And till the time of departure I had a substantial redness in eyes.
**BACK TO SECURITY CHECK**
Imagine the condition I was in - totally tired and frustrated with the long journey, completely drenched in sweat, with a leather jacket on, on a rather hot day and with red eyes ! My turn at security comes up and GUESS WHAT? The alarm goes off detecting something in my handbag! I was checked too, with the metal detector and it beeped! It was because of the gold chain that I was wearing around my neck. So I held it in hand and took it a bit higher. The detector still beeped! The officer asks "Do you have a heart pacemaker?" I was like "Hell no !", though my heart was pacing a bit already because of the time all this was taking! All this was enough to take me for a personal security check. There it beeped again! I then decided to take off the chain completely, rather than just holding it high. It worked! After checking me thoroughly with detector 3-4 times, I thought it was over. NO! Because the baggage alarm went off, the officers searched my handbags completely. Then I was questioned about my red eyes and why I was wearing a leather jacket on a hot day."Are you trying to hide something that you are wearing that jacket?" I told them I got hurt while playing cricket (:D) and that I did not have space in my bags for the jacket. Well that wasn't enough. The male officer would not stop asking questions. I had to finally tell them I have a flight to catch in fifteen minutes. Then finally the female officer asked him to quit and finally they thanked me for "my patience". After packing the handbag in anyway I could, I ran like crazy to the boarding gate just in time. No wonder I was the last passenger to board the flight.
Finally I sat in my seat. Ready to take off. And guess what I had in front of me for my one and a half hour journey - a fully functional entertainment system with all TV channels. Taking a deep breath, I purchased a can of coke and tuned into Man vs Wild. And that my friends, is how I survived in the wild ! Phew.
SHIT HAPPENS
The day of my departure to US dawned. It was finally time to bid goodbye to my sweet heart homeland. The pain could not have been aggravated by anything other than THE horrendous journey back to US. The flight from Mumbai to Kuwait was smooth sailing (except at the security point, some jackass "somehow" thought my laptop bag to be his and was ready to go until I stopped him). I had a change in flight at Kuwait which went smoothly too. And then, someone in the universe conspired to have a little sadistic pleasure by ruining my day.
After the takeoff, I plugged in the earphones into the system and - TADA! The audio system was not working. The world crashed before my eyes and on the screen in front of me, I tried to imagine myself sitting for 12 hours without entertainment ! Well, flight journey is already boring and this was unbearable! But anyway, I found some relief by talking to my co passengers (one of them had the audio working while the other, like me did not. Kudos Kuwait Airlines!). Still not that bad. I somehow counted the hours and finally landed at NYC after hovering in the air for some time.
The bad news was that flight was delayed by one hour! I had a domestic flight to catch from NYC to Buffalo in about two hours and I had to do immigration, customs and then check in, security for the next flight! Well one might think two hours would still be comfortable. But then the worst part of the journey begins! Long queues at immigration is not a new thing. But its bad when you have a big family standing in front of you right in front of the desk. Still not that bad, the officer took his sweet time doing the formalities, and then when I was just about to put a step forward, he says "I'll be back, please wait" and went away somewhere. I was like "whaaaat?". I looked at the watch and it was not at all a good sight. After five minutes or so the officer returned. I rushed to the desk and immediately told him that I have a flight to catch. He did not waste time and did the finger print and photo formalities quickly. Thanking him, I rushed to claim my baggage.
After failing to spot my bags for ten minutes (!!) I realized I was looking at bags which I had already seen go past before! Disaster! I was about to panic when I thought some jackass may have thought my bag to be his, taken it off and did not care to put it back on the rollers! I was right ! For some unknown reason there was a huge array of bags lined up in other corner and luckily I found my bags there. I had no time to waste. I literally ran with the heavy(what do you expect when returning from India?) bags. JFK is quite huge and I was running all around to find the Jet Blue check in desk. I was wearing a leather jacket because there was no space in the bags! I was sweating like anything and a couple of friendly Americans who saw me rushing asked me if I was okay. Somehow I reached the check in desk. After checking in, I proceeded to the security check.
**TIME FOR FLASHBACK**
It was my last week in Bangalore and some damn guy in our PG gifted me the conjunctivitis virus. And it was really really bad (I still have a scanty red area in my eyes). And till the time of departure I had a substantial redness in eyes.
**BACK TO SECURITY CHECK**
Imagine the condition I was in - totally tired and frustrated with the long journey, completely drenched in sweat, with a leather jacket on, on a rather hot day and with red eyes ! My turn at security comes up and GUESS WHAT? The alarm goes off detecting something in my handbag! I was checked too, with the metal detector and it beeped! It was because of the gold chain that I was wearing around my neck. So I held it in hand and took it a bit higher. The detector still beeped! The officer asks "Do you have a heart pacemaker?" I was like "Hell no !", though my heart was pacing a bit already because of the time all this was taking! All this was enough to take me for a personal security check. There it beeped again! I then decided to take off the chain completely, rather than just holding it high. It worked! After checking me thoroughly with detector 3-4 times, I thought it was over. NO! Because the baggage alarm went off, the officers searched my handbags completely. Then I was questioned about my red eyes and why I was wearing a leather jacket on a hot day."Are you trying to hide something that you are wearing that jacket?" I told them I got hurt while playing cricket (:D) and that I did not have space in my bags for the jacket. Well that wasn't enough. The male officer would not stop asking questions. I had to finally tell them I have a flight to catch in fifteen minutes. Then finally the female officer asked him to quit and finally they thanked me for "my patience". After packing the handbag in anyway I could, I ran like crazy to the boarding gate just in time. No wonder I was the last passenger to board the flight.
Finally I sat in my seat. Ready to take off. And guess what I had in front of me for my one and a half hour journey - a fully functional entertainment system with all TV channels. Taking a deep breath, I purchased a can of coke and tuned into Man vs Wild. And that my friends, is how I survived in the wild ! Phew.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Weekend at Amboli
Just had a great weekend at Amboli. For those who have not visited it.. DONT MISS IT!
Its said to be a heaven for amphibians. We went on a trail in the evening.
Darkness, forest, heavy rain, snakes, frogs and leeches! The perfect set up for an exciting trail.
We sighted two pit viper snakes, some frogs and tarantula spiders! Well the leeches feasted on our legs..and trust me, its not a good sight seeing them grow all fat after sucking our blood!
Completely drenched on the trail and hungry, we feasted on the fish and chicken curries. Exhausted, I slept instantly once back to our resort while others were experimenting with Charlie Chaplin and Shivaji Maharaj's spirits attempting planchette. Though it turned out that the answers given by them were wrong ;) , it sure must have been some entertainment! Missed it..duh!
Weekend trips always leave behind a hangover, especially when Monday awaits you !
Its said to be a heaven for amphibians. We went on a trail in the evening.
Darkness, forest, heavy rain, snakes, frogs and leeches! The perfect set up for an exciting trail.
We sighted two pit viper snakes, some frogs and tarantula spiders! Well the leeches feasted on our legs..and trust me, its not a good sight seeing them grow all fat after sucking our blood!
Completely drenched on the trail and hungry, we feasted on the fish and chicken curries. Exhausted, I slept instantly once back to our resort while others were experimenting with Charlie Chaplin and Shivaji Maharaj's spirits attempting planchette. Though it turned out that the answers given by them were wrong ;) , it sure must have been some entertainment! Missed it..duh!
Weekend trips always leave behind a hangover, especially when Monday awaits you !
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