It's amazing how we're fooled into believing that we're truly a developing nation. 1000 farmers have committed suicide but Reliance still gets permission to do Range Farming. We have staggering growth figures but are shockingly low in human development indices. From infant mortality rates to basic Health Care services being inaccesible and unaffordable to the poor, there isn't much to be satisfied about. While we're selling Brand India to the world, improverished Indians are literally dying to be heard, to be helped.
So, what's new? We've heard all this. We still go to work in our airconditioned cars in the middle of winter, because the price for each barrel of oil is now coming down, no? We ignore beggars when we stop at traffic lights. Most of them have probably cut off their own arms to make some money for their families. Didn't you read that article in the Times?
This year there will be more billionaires from India than from China, yet there is so much chaos, both rural and urban, and such utter apathy that it makes you wonder where these billionaires are investing their monies.
We have a Twenty Point Programme with a broad vision to "improve the quality of life of the poor and the under-privileged population of the country".
Isn't this the objective of all development, government intervention and planning?
From minimum wages to prices of essential commodities, there is a glaring inefficiency on the part of our leaders. The majority which needs to benefit the most, is more often than not, ignored.
I don't have immediate answers to many nagging questions. There is no correct alternative. All we can do is make sure that the choices we make do the most good for the most number of people.
If Reservations need to be implemented, we should go ahead with minimum bias, have a common measure, instead of Religion or Sex. Dr. Manmohan Singh has now proclaimed that they wish to implement Reservations for Muslims nationwide. The only way something this stupid on such a magnitude can be avoided is, if educated Muslims themselves take a stand against such a practice. Though we are a Hindu majority country, our pleas for equitable progress and distribution of resources are often unheard and purposely neglected.
I was truly happy that Mr. Javed Akhtar received the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration. I love his lyrics in Lagaan("Radha kaise na jale") and Swades("Pal pal hain bhaari").
Ram hi to karuna mein hai, shaanti mein Ram hai
Ram hi hai ekta main, pragati mein Ram hai
Ram bas bhakton nahin, Shatru ke bhi chintan mein hai
dekh dhaj ke paap Ravan, Ram tere man mein hai
Ram to ghar ghar mein hai, Ram har aangan mein hai
Mann se Ravan jo nikale, Ram uske mann mein hai
A Muslim wrote these lyrics, a Muslim composed soulful tunes for these words and a Muslim sang these words in the movie. Though Akhtar, Rahman and Khan have identities beyond their religion, it is this that makes me respect them and believe in the power of democracy. It is they who have to take a stand, beyond veils, on other issues of national importance.
I know, I've come back to the same Religion issue but it matters to me beacuse most problems are related to this. We cannot consider problems in terms of numbers or in isolation. We need to take into view all these other factors that play a major role in deciding policies that affect the masses.
Our great country can and will be everything we want it to be.
All we need to do is take a stand on issues that matter to us and ensure that there is a transformation, however little, before we die.
You can start today. Make a difference in a child's life by signing up for the Dronacharya & Ekalavya Mentorship Programme.
It doesn't matter who celebrates our successes or mourns our failures when it's over. All that matters is that at the end of it, you're at peace with yourself and believe that you have done everything in your power, everything you possibly could.
Saturday, November 4
Sunday, September 10
Romancing in the Rain..errr.. Railway Station
How many English, Hindi, Telugu movies have you seen where the denouement takes place at a Railway Station with the heroine almost always choosing the 3rd class compartment without the opaque glass windows? Oh yes, the same heroine who can afford Manish Malhotra couture and who lives in a lavish, chandelier-cluttered place they call home?
And how they've tried to explain the magical abilities of the hero to get off the train - sometimes from the other side, sometimes by simply jumping off the train and running on the tracks with the heroine running towards him(in bridal wear no less)but most times by pulling the overused chain. In all the lifetimes of train journeys that my friends and family have experienced, there hasn't been a single chain-pulling incident. And they've all been in love at one point or another. If there was one when I was on a train, you would've known about it by now.
So far, only Shahrukh admits to paying a fine in KANK. The others go scotfree and are seen romancing in the rain(also a criminal offence in our country).
I've found fault with some aspect or the other of almost every film that I watch. This doesn't stop me from religiously catching atleast a movie a week, the latest from Hollywood, occasionally some of our indigenous Bollywood offerings and when bribed or threatened, the 'best' from our very own Tollywood. However, there are some pretty awesome films out there. Unfortunately, most of them don’t get released here or are taken off the screens before I can say "for a change, this..". I've conscientiously been following the trials and tribulations of our favourite pirates and superheroes while they fight for truth, justice and whichever actress who was deemed bankable enough to portray the role of the lead love interest, while catching some of the better films as they thankfully release on DVD.
I don't know if it's this movie madness that has influenced me or just the romanticism of the brick red walls and the newspaper stands. I've had the best conversations and read the best books on the train. It may be coincidental but beaches and morning walks don't do it for me as much as the blue plastic seats of a train. Ofcourse the cacophony at each station, passing fields and the beautiful sunrises enhance the experience for sure(happens everyday but seen from a moving train, the horizon is something else).
Happy Anniversary to Ras who's tolerated many bad movies and has come on unplanned expeditions and train journeys with me.
Love you for making each moment unforgettable.
And how they've tried to explain the magical abilities of the hero to get off the train - sometimes from the other side, sometimes by simply jumping off the train and running on the tracks with the heroine running towards him(in bridal wear no less)but most times by pulling the overused chain. In all the lifetimes of train journeys that my friends and family have experienced, there hasn't been a single chain-pulling incident. And they've all been in love at one point or another. If there was one when I was on a train, you would've known about it by now.
So far, only Shahrukh admits to paying a fine in KANK. The others go scotfree and are seen romancing in the rain(also a criminal offence in our country).
I've found fault with some aspect or the other of almost every film that I watch. This doesn't stop me from religiously catching atleast a movie a week, the latest from Hollywood, occasionally some of our indigenous Bollywood offerings and when bribed or threatened, the 'best' from our very own Tollywood. However, there are some pretty awesome films out there. Unfortunately, most of them don’t get released here or are taken off the screens before I can say "for a change, this..". I've conscientiously been following the trials and tribulations of our favourite pirates and superheroes while they fight for truth, justice and whichever actress who was deemed bankable enough to portray the role of the lead love interest, while catching some of the better films as they thankfully release on DVD.
I don't know if it's this movie madness that has influenced me or just the romanticism of the brick red walls and the newspaper stands. I've had the best conversations and read the best books on the train. It may be coincidental but beaches and morning walks don't do it for me as much as the blue plastic seats of a train. Ofcourse the cacophony at each station, passing fields and the beautiful sunrises enhance the experience for sure(happens everyday but seen from a moving train, the horizon is something else).
Happy Anniversary to Ras who's tolerated many bad movies and has come on unplanned expeditions and train journeys with me.
Love you for making each moment unforgettable.
Thursday, August 17
an unequal world, different stories, one destiny
I was overwhelmed for the first time in my life. I pride myself in being able to hold myself together atleast in front of people 'cos the friends who know me have already seen the emotional outbursts at one time or the other.
When Jadav garu, the freedom fighter hoisted the flag at Rasoolpura, I was overcome by a sense of what the future holds for me. The tiranga and the National Anthem never fail to conjure up images of the struggle for Independence, malnourished children, a victorious Indian cricket team... but on the morning of 15th August, 2006, all I could think of was the massive responsibility we'd taken on. It is no small task to convince a community which was used to NGOs and NGO-like people coming there, sometimes with fair-skinned people, intruding on their space, taking pictures of their misery. We did the same. We obviously needed the before-after photographs. I thought their skepticism would turn into active hositility but when they saw that we were determined to change their deplorable living conditions for the better, despite the odds,it gave us a lot of credibility in their eyes.
What amazed me was that we fought as a unit. We fought our feelings of disappointment and didn't let that hamper our Spirirt of Independence. We fought against our immediate reaction of blaming the Government and politicians for the miscommunication that happened between the two agencies and instead, immediately thought of an alternative. We fought to ensure that our next step would be the right one. We contemplated hunger strikes and involving the children in our agitation but what finally won was our courage to move forward regardless of the roadblocks.
We made the right decisions, we resolved to make Freedom Under Construction a nation-wide movement. We built 3 classrooms. We painted the entire school which was covered in symbols of wheels and hands and photos of greedy men, promising the moon, thanks to the recently completed elections there. We cleaned out the rubble around the School and filled out the road in front of another Govt. Girls' High School which was always overflowing with water when it rained and did not allow passage of the students into the School. What used to be a dumping ground for garbage and an open toilet is now evened out and was used to hoist the National flag.
There were crackers and music. It was a celebration. We sang along to A.R. Rahman's Vande Mataram and worked all night. Volunteers made human chains and passed the bricks and cement. We climbed walls to paint the roofs. We literally lifted stones and moved them out. We helped in the demolition work. Members from the community, students who were alumni of the School and high School students all did their share of the work. We were no longer that group which "visits" Rasoolpura everyday, conducts Health Clinics every Sunday and a Blood Donation Camp once in a while. We were BHUMI, a team which would ensure that the people of Rasoolpura got what we consider as basic necessities - Education, Livelihood, Health Care.
People heard about the event on the radio and joined us at the spur of the moment and stayed on from 11:30 in the night till 10 in the morning. Some came all the way, just to see the work we're doing. It wasn't about making history anymore. It wasn't about showcasing our patriotism and undying love for our beloved country. It was about remembering that we live in an unequal world. It was about reinforcing our faith that transformation is indeed inevitable, as long as we remember that fact every single day and work towards it.
It is not about "helping" them, it is about being able to live with myself, knowing that our worlds are this different. However, that day at the stroke of midnight, these differences didn't matter. Our future is now entwined with theirs, tomorrow is promising and it is all just a matter of time.
Jai Hind!
When Jadav garu, the freedom fighter hoisted the flag at Rasoolpura, I was overcome by a sense of what the future holds for me. The tiranga and the National Anthem never fail to conjure up images of the struggle for Independence, malnourished children, a victorious Indian cricket team... but on the morning of 15th August, 2006, all I could think of was the massive responsibility we'd taken on. It is no small task to convince a community which was used to NGOs and NGO-like people coming there, sometimes with fair-skinned people, intruding on their space, taking pictures of their misery. We did the same. We obviously needed the before-after photographs. I thought their skepticism would turn into active hositility but when they saw that we were determined to change their deplorable living conditions for the better, despite the odds,it gave us a lot of credibility in their eyes.
What amazed me was that we fought as a unit. We fought our feelings of disappointment and didn't let that hamper our Spirirt of Independence. We fought against our immediate reaction of blaming the Government and politicians for the miscommunication that happened between the two agencies and instead, immediately thought of an alternative. We fought to ensure that our next step would be the right one. We contemplated hunger strikes and involving the children in our agitation but what finally won was our courage to move forward regardless of the roadblocks.
We made the right decisions, we resolved to make Freedom Under Construction a nation-wide movement. We built 3 classrooms. We painted the entire school which was covered in symbols of wheels and hands and photos of greedy men, promising the moon, thanks to the recently completed elections there. We cleaned out the rubble around the School and filled out the road in front of another Govt. Girls' High School which was always overflowing with water when it rained and did not allow passage of the students into the School. What used to be a dumping ground for garbage and an open toilet is now evened out and was used to hoist the National flag.
There were crackers and music. It was a celebration. We sang along to A.R. Rahman's Vande Mataram and worked all night. Volunteers made human chains and passed the bricks and cement. We climbed walls to paint the roofs. We literally lifted stones and moved them out. We helped in the demolition work. Members from the community, students who were alumni of the School and high School students all did their share of the work. We were no longer that group which "visits" Rasoolpura everyday, conducts Health Clinics every Sunday and a Blood Donation Camp once in a while. We were BHUMI, a team which would ensure that the people of Rasoolpura got what we consider as basic necessities - Education, Livelihood, Health Care.
People heard about the event on the radio and joined us at the spur of the moment and stayed on from 11:30 in the night till 10 in the morning. Some came all the way, just to see the work we're doing. It wasn't about making history anymore. It wasn't about showcasing our patriotism and undying love for our beloved country. It was about remembering that we live in an unequal world. It was about reinforcing our faith that transformation is indeed inevitable, as long as we remember that fact every single day and work towards it.
It is not about "helping" them, it is about being able to live with myself, knowing that our worlds are this different. However, that day at the stroke of midnight, these differences didn't matter. Our future is now entwined with theirs, tomorrow is promising and it is all just a matter of time.
Jai Hind!
Wednesday, August 9
Sunday, July 9
"Freedom" under construction
August 15th, 2005:
I attended 4 Independence Day flag hoisting ceremonies.
At Whisper Valley, at College, at my grand parents' apartments and at our Mahita Center.
I distributed chocolates and ensured everyone had the tricolour firmly on their tshirts. I frowned at anyone who didn't know the National song. I distributed notebooks to the toppers of each class.
I listened to lectures about the heroes of our past. I tolerated a speech goading us to "change the world".
I clapped for a BJP man who needed the claps more than the flag hoisting responsibility.
I prayed to a photo of Gandhi and one of Mother India and I yelled Bharat Mata ki Jai at the end of it all.
Jai Hind indeed.
Nothing has changed at Mahita. The very well-known organization stopped funding it, even though there was a desperate need for funds.
My grandparents are ardent cricket fans and they cheer the loudest for Sachin Tendulkar. That's India for them.
BJP shows no signs of maturity or "desh prem".
Gandhi is dead(bless his soul) and Mother India has not heard my desperate pleas.
Atleast it wasn't just another holiday for me. Atleast I distributed notebooks to 50 children, who otherwise would've probably been so disillusioned that they would drop out of school the next day.
Who am I fooling?
Who was I fooling?
This year will be different.
There won't be speeches. There won't be kaju barfis.
"At the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world sleeps", there will be 300 young women and men making history at Rasoolpura.
We will build a Boundary Wall around the Zilla Parishad High School. This will showcase, beyond everything, that collective will truly can "change the world". Each brick laid will prove that we will justify the immense responsibility that we have as the "future of the nation". We will not allow these phrases to become pointless jargon.
If we work together, transformation is inevitable.
And now, Jai Hind has a whole new meaning.
I attended 4 Independence Day flag hoisting ceremonies.
At Whisper Valley, at College, at my grand parents' apartments and at our Mahita Center.
I distributed chocolates and ensured everyone had the tricolour firmly on their tshirts. I frowned at anyone who didn't know the National song. I distributed notebooks to the toppers of each class.
I listened to lectures about the heroes of our past. I tolerated a speech goading us to "change the world".
I clapped for a BJP man who needed the claps more than the flag hoisting responsibility.
I prayed to a photo of Gandhi and one of Mother India and I yelled Bharat Mata ki Jai at the end of it all.
Jai Hind indeed.
Nothing has changed at Mahita. The very well-known organization stopped funding it, even though there was a desperate need for funds.
My grandparents are ardent cricket fans and they cheer the loudest for Sachin Tendulkar. That's India for them.
BJP shows no signs of maturity or "desh prem".
Gandhi is dead(bless his soul) and Mother India has not heard my desperate pleas.
Atleast it wasn't just another holiday for me. Atleast I distributed notebooks to 50 children, who otherwise would've probably been so disillusioned that they would drop out of school the next day.
Who am I fooling?
Who was I fooling?
This year will be different.
There won't be speeches. There won't be kaju barfis.
"At the stroke of the midnight hour, while the world sleeps", there will be 300 young women and men making history at Rasoolpura.
We will build a Boundary Wall around the Zilla Parishad High School. This will showcase, beyond everything, that collective will truly can "change the world". Each brick laid will prove that we will justify the immense responsibility that we have as the "future of the nation". We will not allow these phrases to become pointless jargon.
If we work together, transformation is inevitable.
And now, Jai Hind has a whole new meaning.
Thursday, June 29
Do you believe in miracles?
Doesn't everyone have events in their lives which they forget to remember, especially in their moments of utter dejection?
I had one such moment yesterday. And I don't want to forget.
We were sitting at our Adda, discussing our future projects and how we would go about what we've already taken on. We were wondering how we could fund our ambitious projects. We know we've bitten off more than we can chew. We know that the odds are against us. But we keep dreaming, with some incredible belief that we'll find a way. We will build the bridge when you need to cross the river. We will move mountains, if it comes to that.
That doesn't mean we don't have a contingency plan. When OGH happened, we were not sure how many people would turn up. At the last moment, there were more than 300 people, sweeping the OGH floors. Some of them were people who probably never really cleaned their own rooms. We didn't expect that. We were sure that we would work throughout the day and night, if required, and complete what we'd set out to do. But we got help from people we didn't even know would be around.
There will always be people who will criticize your dreams. There will always be people who laugh at you for "wasting time". Some will even ridicule you and even try to stop you from going into what they perceive is the self-destruct mode.
But in the midst of it all, you will find people who believe. In the power of dreams. In destiny.
6 months ago, we met each other.
Yesterday, we met Joseph Curiale.
When he spoke, we found that our souls danced to the same tunes. It might sound like poetic rubbish at first, but anyone who knows me will know that I do not resort to talking about philosophical jargon unless I mean it. He spoke our words. He was a godsend. He said he'd help us get in touch with an Art College in California, he saw our vision and believed that we would justify what we said with tangible actions.
There are no coincidences. It could be divine intervention. And I say that only because, in the last 6 months, we've passionately kept moving ahead, knowing fully well that all we had were determination and empty pockets.
I like 'The Alchemist'. Sure, it's overhyped. But I like it. Because he said something that makes sense to me.
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...It's called the principle of favorability, beginner's luck. Because life wants you to achieve your destiny."
Just reach out. That causes a ripple effect and you'll find people willing to sacrifice their lives, if required. All you need to do is ask.
I had one such moment yesterday. And I don't want to forget.
We were sitting at our Adda, discussing our future projects and how we would go about what we've already taken on. We were wondering how we could fund our ambitious projects. We know we've bitten off more than we can chew. We know that the odds are against us. But we keep dreaming, with some incredible belief that we'll find a way. We will build the bridge when you need to cross the river. We will move mountains, if it comes to that.
That doesn't mean we don't have a contingency plan. When OGH happened, we were not sure how many people would turn up. At the last moment, there were more than 300 people, sweeping the OGH floors. Some of them were people who probably never really cleaned their own rooms. We didn't expect that. We were sure that we would work throughout the day and night, if required, and complete what we'd set out to do. But we got help from people we didn't even know would be around.
There will always be people who will criticize your dreams. There will always be people who laugh at you for "wasting time". Some will even ridicule you and even try to stop you from going into what they perceive is the self-destruct mode.
But in the midst of it all, you will find people who believe. In the power of dreams. In destiny.
6 months ago, we met each other.
Yesterday, we met Joseph Curiale.
When he spoke, we found that our souls danced to the same tunes. It might sound like poetic rubbish at first, but anyone who knows me will know that I do not resort to talking about philosophical jargon unless I mean it. He spoke our words. He was a godsend. He said he'd help us get in touch with an Art College in California, he saw our vision and believed that we would justify what we said with tangible actions.
There are no coincidences. It could be divine intervention. And I say that only because, in the last 6 months, we've passionately kept moving ahead, knowing fully well that all we had were determination and empty pockets.
I like 'The Alchemist'. Sure, it's overhyped. But I like it. Because he said something that makes sense to me.
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it...It's called the principle of favorability, beginner's luck. Because life wants you to achieve your destiny."
Just reach out. That causes a ripple effect and you'll find people willing to sacrifice their lives, if required. All you need to do is ask.
Sunday, June 4
Stuck in a moment
This song encapsulates what I feel right now. I have so many pent up negative feelings and a visit to the Osmania General Hospital just makes it worse.
There is a sense of absolute distress and the negative vibes are too much to handle. It's not just the sight of sickness that you have to endure but the sounds and smells as well. And that's what is traumatic. There are some images which I just can't seem to let go off.
~ an old man sleeping in his own excreta. They didn't have enough attenders to pick him up and take him into the Hospital. No responsible ones anyway.
~ a boy, hardly 9 years old, covered in blood and whose leg had been cut through, by an electric saw or something. They didn't have enough cotton in the emergency wards.
~ the burns ward, with 18-19 year old girls. All dowry cases, apparently.
~ the unending beds filled with people who had bandaged limbs
~ the undisposed syringes, the dried blood.. all in the passage way.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Read my friend's experience at OGH.
This is the hospital which holds the record for treating the most number of patients each day(8000-10,000). Inspite of the chaos, there is a system, some hidden method in the madness and people actually seem to be able to get out of there, cured and alive. There are doctors, nurses and attenders there who work overtime to help the patients everyday. I am astonished at their immense conviction.
There is a way to take responsibility for what's happening at OGH. It's a small start but the beginning of a larger transformation. Visit our OGH page and register for the Sanitation and Awareness Drive.
And beyond everything, keep the faith that change is possible. In our lifetime.
There is a sense of absolute distress and the negative vibes are too much to handle. It's not just the sight of sickness that you have to endure but the sounds and smells as well. And that's what is traumatic. There are some images which I just can't seem to let go off.
~ an old man sleeping in his own excreta. They didn't have enough attenders to pick him up and take him into the Hospital. No responsible ones anyway.
~ a boy, hardly 9 years old, covered in blood and whose leg had been cut through, by an electric saw or something. They didn't have enough cotton in the emergency wards.
~ the burns ward, with 18-19 year old girls. All dowry cases, apparently.
~ the unending beds filled with people who had bandaged limbs
~ the undisposed syringes, the dried blood.. all in the passage way.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Read my friend's experience at OGH.
This is the hospital which holds the record for treating the most number of patients each day(8000-10,000). Inspite of the chaos, there is a system, some hidden method in the madness and people actually seem to be able to get out of there, cured and alive. There are doctors, nurses and attenders there who work overtime to help the patients everyday. I am astonished at their immense conviction.
There is a way to take responsibility for what's happening at OGH. It's a small start but the beginning of a larger transformation. Visit our OGH page and register for the Sanitation and Awareness Drive.
And beyond everything, keep the faith that change is possible. In our lifetime.
Friday, May 12
juega bonita
I finally finished reading Shantaram yesterday. I am no literary authority to write a review about this book. All I can say is, it's a book that has potential to change your life. The friend who lent me this book said, "if you like travelling, you will like this book". It is not a travelogue by any standards. What he meant was that if I enjoyed letting my mind wander and giving my imagination a free rein, I'd really appreciate Shantaram. And I so did. It made me fall in love with Bombay all over again.
There is a line from the book that stayed with me.
"Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities."
The line is open to different interpretations and I'll leave you to yours.
All I can say is, to me, the line signifies hope and a world beyond our immediate reality.
There is a line from the book that stayed with me.
"Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities."
The line is open to different interpretations and I'll leave you to yours.
All I can say is, to me, the line signifies hope and a world beyond our immediate reality.
Wednesday, May 3
thought for the day - 2
"A single death is a tragedy,
a million deaths is a statistic"
- Joseph Stalin
This line really struck me because of it's profound truth.
Suryanarayan. Jessica Lall. We know these names and we've probably sent smses to show solidarity with their families.
And you know the other side of the story.
Take time out each day to read a little about our Indian military.
Bharat Rakshak is a good start.
a million deaths is a statistic"
- Joseph Stalin
This line really struck me because of it's profound truth.
Suryanarayan. Jessica Lall. We know these names and we've probably sent smses to show solidarity with their families.
And you know the other side of the story.
Take time out each day to read a little about our Indian military.
Bharat Rakshak is a good start.
Saturday, April 29
Happy Birthday Kaave!!
kav in class3..
I know you hate the name, but what the heck I'm 21 and you're 15!! I have the right to take some liberties and call you whatever I want.
It's the first time we won't have an overdose of chocolate. It's the first time I won't give you a sappy 'you're-the-best-sis!' Archies Gallery Card. It's the first time I won't be the first one to wish you. It's the first time we won't go out for our family dinner. It's the first time you won't be able to choose some boring Cartoon movie that you'll force us to watch. It's the first time you won't use your "but it's my birthdaaaay!" dialogue to get what you want.
I know you're making your own set of firsts at LA but April 29th without you around just doesn't feel right.
You are the most beautiful and intelligent girl in my world. I know you think so too! Your kaliedoscopic talent and the "i rule!" attitude is what makes you so special.
Mom wants you to do Architecture because she believes you have the flair for it and Dad wants you to do Engineering just because.
It must be horrible with a million people telling you how you should lead your life, especially when you feel you're old enough to make your own decisions. The problem is, if it was someone stupid with no hope for a bright future, I wouldn't have really cared but sweetheart, you are made for greatness.
Justify your potential.
And I really hope Will Smith didn't make up for the chocolate cake and a hug.
Hyderabad misses you. I do too.
all grown up!!
Friday, April 7
TV knowledge makes a difference
29 crores for 11 minutes
20 $ a day for 12 days
The first figure is how much the Govt. spent on Aish, Saif, Rani and the rest of the Bollywood clan and the second is how much the athletes got during the CW Games. And if you saw the closing ceremony, you'd think it was an invitation to the next Filmfare orIIFA awards. I didn't see even one of the gold medalists go on the dias. I don't even know if all that lavishness was worth it. Instead of felicitating their wonderful showing at the CW Games, they did the usual confusion-abounding song and dance routine which was plain sick. And you know Aish, she has to give that neck-tilting, eyebrow-raising smile, gaaaawd! How did getting a beauty queen and two other relatively lesser known actors help the Indian sporting fraternity? Couldn't they have spent it on the IHF which is begging for funds? Apparently Priyanka and Lara were there too but I switched to good old NDTV after I saw 2 minutes of the craziness.
I was watching Talking Heads where Prannoy was interviewing L.K. Advani. I didn't know too much about Mr. Advani apart from his pro-Jinnah statements and that he joined the RSS when he was 14! I mean when NDA was in power, it was all Vajpayee! How can you question someone who's dedicated 64 years to public life? Anyway, he said two things that really struck me. One was that India is a secular country only because it was primarily Hindu. That's a fact. When Partition happened based on religion, we could've easily opted to be a Hindu state just like Pakistan chose to be a Muslim one but instead, we chose secularism. Why? Only because we are Hindu. Another thing he said was about Vivekanada's guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Now, he wanted to explore the fact preached by most religions that all roads lead to heaven. He actually tried the Islamic and Christian rituals for a while. That thought even crossed his mind only because he was Hindu.
Now, all we need is to have reservations for Christians and Muslims and Sikhs and Buddhists and Jains so that Hindus have a little less 0.2% of the seats which will be merit-based.
Increasing reservation is only an open acceptance of the system's failure. It means that the Govt. has failed to uplift the BCs and the OBCs and the SNLCs(still-not-labelled-classes). Instead of providing some sort of Coaching classes or improving their basics by ensuring that they have access to good education, they're politicizing it! One minister's solution was to see that Maths and Science are not made compulsory. If reservations are required, have them at the Primary School level. Give them an opportunity to compete on fair ground. Or have reservations based on financial background. I mean it's commonsense to do that. What's there to have sms polls and discussions about it? And I still don't understand what the 11% of the people who voted that reservations are required, actually defended about the present system.
The system itself is so complicated that there are a million ways to interpret it depending on your need.
If I ever write CAT again, all I need to do is get some notary to sign an OBC certificate or are there plans to implement 33% reservation for women there too?
So, all my TV knowledge is actually helping me take my mind off the other supposedly more important things. Anyway,
Shows to look out for on TV:
India Matters - NDTV (great case studies!)
Project Runway - Travel & Living (another reality show)
The Apprentice - Star World (new season started today!)
E 360 - CNN IBN (for Paras cutie)
Have a great weekend!
20 $ a day for 12 days
The first figure is how much the Govt. spent on Aish, Saif, Rani and the rest of the Bollywood clan and the second is how much the athletes got during the CW Games. And if you saw the closing ceremony, you'd think it was an invitation to the next Filmfare orIIFA awards. I didn't see even one of the gold medalists go on the dias. I don't even know if all that lavishness was worth it. Instead of felicitating their wonderful showing at the CW Games, they did the usual confusion-abounding song and dance routine which was plain sick. And you know Aish, she has to give that neck-tilting, eyebrow-raising smile, gaaaawd! How did getting a beauty queen and two other relatively lesser known actors help the Indian sporting fraternity? Couldn't they have spent it on the IHF which is begging for funds? Apparently Priyanka and Lara were there too but I switched to good old NDTV after I saw 2 minutes of the craziness.
I was watching Talking Heads where Prannoy was interviewing L.K. Advani. I didn't know too much about Mr. Advani apart from his pro-Jinnah statements and that he joined the RSS when he was 14! I mean when NDA was in power, it was all Vajpayee! How can you question someone who's dedicated 64 years to public life? Anyway, he said two things that really struck me. One was that India is a secular country only because it was primarily Hindu. That's a fact. When Partition happened based on religion, we could've easily opted to be a Hindu state just like Pakistan chose to be a Muslim one but instead, we chose secularism. Why? Only because we are Hindu. Another thing he said was about Vivekanada's guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Now, he wanted to explore the fact preached by most religions that all roads lead to heaven. He actually tried the Islamic and Christian rituals for a while. That thought even crossed his mind only because he was Hindu.
Now, all we need is to have reservations for Christians and Muslims and Sikhs and Buddhists and Jains so that Hindus have a little less 0.2% of the seats which will be merit-based.
Increasing reservation is only an open acceptance of the system's failure. It means that the Govt. has failed to uplift the BCs and the OBCs and the SNLCs(still-not-labelled-classes). Instead of providing some sort of Coaching classes or improving their basics by ensuring that they have access to good education, they're politicizing it! One minister's solution was to see that Maths and Science are not made compulsory. If reservations are required, have them at the Primary School level. Give them an opportunity to compete on fair ground. Or have reservations based on financial background. I mean it's commonsense to do that. What's there to have sms polls and discussions about it? And I still don't understand what the 11% of the people who voted that reservations are required, actually defended about the present system.
The system itself is so complicated that there are a million ways to interpret it depending on your need.
If I ever write CAT again, all I need to do is get some notary to sign an OBC certificate or are there plans to implement 33% reservation for women there too?
So, all my TV knowledge is actually helping me take my mind off the other supposedly more important things. Anyway,
Shows to look out for on TV:
India Matters - NDTV (great case studies!)
Project Runway - Travel & Living (another reality show)
The Apprentice - Star World (new season started today!)
E 360 - CNN IBN (for Paras cutie)
Have a great weekend!
my recommendations for April
I've become presumptuous enough to believe that you will take my music and movie recommendations seriously. So go ahead, flatter me.
music:
The O.C. soundtrack - esp. the song Dice(limewire it)
a feel-good track which makes you miss your boyfriend :)
makes you sing along, makes you want to dance!
movie:
V for Vendetta
for Hugo Weaving's introduction dialogue
and for the "who-cares-about-verbose-crap" kinda men - there's Natalie Portman.
music:
The O.C. soundtrack - esp. the song Dice(limewire it)
a feel-good track which makes you miss your boyfriend :)
makes you sing along, makes you want to dance!
movie:
V for Vendetta
for Hugo Weaving's introduction dialogue
and for the "who-cares-about-verbose-crap" kinda men - there's Natalie Portman.
Saturday, March 25
i want chocolate icecream
So I'm sure you were victim to another political drama played out by the bloody Italian on 23rd March and completely forgot about the 75th year of the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh. If you remembered, mail me about what you did.
Only Star News and Aaj Tak mentioned something(I know because I have my news channels at a stretch from channels 11 - 20). I did it on one of those Saturdays when they aired absolutely the most boring stuff imaginable on the tube. Only Kaal was on for the millionth time and I'm a little tired of seeing John and the snake, however sexy that can get. The effect that lasts for a moment gets destroyed when Esha Deol shows up!
Anyway, I don't know why I'm so addicted to the television.
There are so many better things to do.
One option was to join the Hyderabad Film Club. They show these really exotic movies at Sarathi Studios from places like Kazhakhstan and Turkey. The films have apparently won many awards at film festivals whose names I can't pronounce/pronounce wrong. Everytime I see the listing in the newspaper about some Film Club event, I forget to kick myself for not joining. And so, I never did.
I could've have been part of the Bird Watcher's Society of India. Except there are no birds around here and they take us to a place 50 kms away from the center of the city and because Hyderabad is growing so fast, we'll be lucky if we spot a crow. For the record, I've never seen a crow in Hyderabad. That is, as long as you don't count the living, breathing ugly people who resemble crows. There are many of those.
There is a Society to Save Rocks as well. Let the children die of starvation. They care about the rocks. They organize 'rock walks' once every month. I haven't been to a single one and I don't see myself going gaga over rocks anyway. And if you're interested in protecting the rocks rather than giving slum kids some quality education, call 04023608253. (Call and you'll see it's for real!)
I could've been a member of the Corporate Club where they organize after-work parties at crowded clubs and treasure hunts and things like that, in the name of networking but it's only for people who work and I hardly qualify.
And ofcourse there's philately, a complicated name for stamp-collecting which seems to be the eternal favourite hobby. Followed by numismatics ofcourse. Philately can only be beaten by coin-collection. Heavier and hence perhaps, more valuable. I don't know. I can honestly say I don't care.
There are also ads these days about Ikebana classes. Apprently, Hyd is home to one of the 3 'grandmasters' in flower arrangement. I can't even imagine that as a hobby, much less a profession. A single gerbura will do just fine. Who cares about driftwood and how they can be used in arrangements?
Forget sports. Even Tai Chi is too vigorous for me. Watching Safin play shoots up my heart rate and that's enough exercise.
And then while I was getting very close to filing a petition against a well-known social organization for blatantly misusing the money it raises as funds, I discovered Bharat Uday Mission. BM is almost an obsession now. If you are one of those, "forget the rocks and the dogs"(we do not have a policy on animal welfare but trust me, if it's ever needed, I won't be the one drafting it), "let's do something for the country and it's people" kinds, then all you need to do is join me. I promise, you won't be disappointed.
And now, watching television comes a close second and then comes watching tv while having chocolate icecream and then, watching tv with the boyfriend while having chocolate icecream and then... okay,
Only Star News and Aaj Tak mentioned something(I know because I have my news channels at a stretch from channels 11 - 20). I did it on one of those Saturdays when they aired absolutely the most boring stuff imaginable on the tube. Only Kaal was on for the millionth time and I'm a little tired of seeing John and the snake, however sexy that can get. The effect that lasts for a moment gets destroyed when Esha Deol shows up!
Anyway, I don't know why I'm so addicted to the television.
There are so many better things to do.
One option was to join the Hyderabad Film Club. They show these really exotic movies at Sarathi Studios from places like Kazhakhstan and Turkey. The films have apparently won many awards at film festivals whose names I can't pronounce/pronounce wrong. Everytime I see the listing in the newspaper about some Film Club event, I forget to kick myself for not joining. And so, I never did.
I could've have been part of the Bird Watcher's Society of India. Except there are no birds around here and they take us to a place 50 kms away from the center of the city and because Hyderabad is growing so fast, we'll be lucky if we spot a crow. For the record, I've never seen a crow in Hyderabad. That is, as long as you don't count the living, breathing ugly people who resemble crows. There are many of those.
There is a Society to Save Rocks as well. Let the children die of starvation. They care about the rocks. They organize 'rock walks' once every month. I haven't been to a single one and I don't see myself going gaga over rocks anyway. And if you're interested in protecting the rocks rather than giving slum kids some quality education, call 04023608253. (Call and you'll see it's for real!)
I could've been a member of the Corporate Club where they organize after-work parties at crowded clubs and treasure hunts and things like that, in the name of networking but it's only for people who work and I hardly qualify.
And ofcourse there's philately, a complicated name for stamp-collecting which seems to be the eternal favourite hobby. Followed by numismatics ofcourse. Philately can only be beaten by coin-collection. Heavier and hence perhaps, more valuable. I don't know. I can honestly say I don't care.
There are also ads these days about Ikebana classes. Apprently, Hyd is home to one of the 3 'grandmasters' in flower arrangement. I can't even imagine that as a hobby, much less a profession. A single gerbura will do just fine. Who cares about driftwood and how they can be used in arrangements?
Forget sports. Even Tai Chi is too vigorous for me. Watching Safin play shoots up my heart rate and that's enough exercise.
And then while I was getting very close to filing a petition against a well-known social organization for blatantly misusing the money it raises as funds, I discovered Bharat Uday Mission. BM is almost an obsession now. If you are one of those, "forget the rocks and the dogs"(we do not have a policy on animal welfare but trust me, if it's ever needed, I won't be the one drafting it), "let's do something for the country and it's people" kinds, then all you need to do is join me. I promise, you won't be disappointed.
And now, watching television comes a close second and then comes watching tv while having chocolate icecream and then, watching tv with the boyfriend while having chocolate icecream and then... okay,
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 15
social awakening made easy
Over the last 4 months, Bharat Uday Mission(BM) Hyderabad has grown to be the biggest and most active chapter of BM. We started with 20 members out of whom exactly 5 turned up for the meeting. Before the next one, I called every single one of the rest and we had 16 members for our next one. 3 members whom I'd met at the first meeting and the 13 were people who were either friends from my previous social service initiatives or people who were curious to find out more about BM. Till date, I haven't met the missing 15 from the first meeting. We have many members who join us with that sudden "josh". "Oh.. Bhaaarat Udayy Mission.. That's a really great cause. We should be a part of it" and then they select the "No mail" option on our group! But then I met people who had so many wonderful insights and they're the ones who really made BM Hyderabad what it is.
We're planning to do a Village Development Project(VDP). We figured that our easiest entry point would obviously be primary education. We have the knowhow required to teach children. (It's not Artificial Neural Networks anyway!) All the other issues, women's empowerment(from literacy to menopause) or employment, are immensely important as well but need indepth knowledge which I fear we don't have. We didn't want to start from scratch. Ideally, all volunteers should participate in developmental projects. All members should be socially aware. But more often than not, in an organization such as ours, which is huge and has highly qualified members from diverging fields, there tend to be a lot of tangential ideas. One of the biggest obstacle is to sift through these suggestions that we get, use the best of them and form a strong foundation.
In Hyderabad, my vision is to ensure that BM works on 2 complementary paths.
One is obviously politically motivated. Even though that sounded like I am condoning the bad word that is "politics", I mean it in a very non-controversial sense. By the time we stand for elections we should have done enough ground work at the grassroot level. I want people to be empowered enough to refuse a Rs. 100 payoff from an MLA of an opposing party and choose to vote for us, simply becase they know that we will ensure a more positive future.
Another is the social work that is essential for an organization like ours to flourish. We have two options. Either we can start making parallel systems to bypass the current one or we can improve existing ones. For example, we can start new philanthropic educational institutions, put in personal capital and motivate children to join or we can use the existing Government schools, the infrastructure already available and make the Govt. accountable. But the problem with taking the 2nd option is that while we're fighting to secure Government funds and tring to eke out the corruption that exists at every level, many children will lose out on an opportunity at education. So, what we need to do instead of starting new schools is to adopt exisiting schools established by NGOs and other like-minded organizations and at the same time have members working on making the system and the people involved more responsible. This is just one of the paradox that I found. I'm sure that there are many more. We have a very complex Governmental mechanism. I tried to find out about the different initiviatives taken up for Women and Child Healthcare that the Govt. of India has. It took me no less than 7 and a half hours(obviously not at a stretch) to first find the exact department where I had to look for the information and then to find the exact information that I was looking for. And this was all online. Imagine, if I tried doing this on the field!
Politicians and bureaucrats have to deal with many more paradoxes such as the one I've mentioned. I don't want to give them too much credit because just the other day, they tried showcasing India's freedom by giving a very fine example. They televised a speech given by a fat MP(who looked like a goonda straight out of a Bollywood masala movie and who, I'm sure, got a lot of unaccounted money). He said, very proudly, that the country he lives in today is truly free for the simple reason that he, a class 5 drop out, could rise to the level of a Member of Parliament! He then enlisted every single plan he had for the upliftment of the minorities and got a standing ovation from the commissioned audiences.
Anyway, I'm sure we have a lot to learn. We will be governing a vibrant country and not just managing a company. I also find that I have to learn a lot about the issues faced by the people we intend to work for. So, I'm planning to take a course at CSIM http://www.csim.org/csimhyderabad.html I went there yesterday to find out the details. What amazes me about institutes like this is the fact that they've built very good models for NGOs and social change activists to work with. So, we won't have to start from scratch and ofcourse the networking opportunity will also be fantastic. I spoke with a couple of people about the VDP. Through our discussions, I found that the best way to make a project work, atleast at the initial stages, is to ensure that it's feasible. To make a VDP feasible, we need to identify a village that is accessible and by that, I mean, one which is less than 75 kms away. Since Hyderabad is growing at such a rapid rate, all we will find at the outskirts are the semi-urban localities, which have issues that are quite different than the urban or rural ones that are well-documented. And BM can work on these specific problems. In my experience, they will range from migration to the cities to havign specialized self-help groups in those areas. We can also introduce microfinance structures that will help solve a lot of socio-economic problems that I assume they face. We can make the Engineering and other institutions that are usually located in those areas resposible for the upliftment as part of their SUPW.
Another choice we have is to work as a support group. There are so many NGOs, NPOs, pressure groups etc. which need human resources. We can provide them with the volunteer services. We can also give them financial support, if required. We have doctors, teachers and many other members who can provide services for these organizations free of cost. We can also make NGO-specific software etc. There are a million ways to do it. All we need is the inclination, motivation and a little bit of determination to move that lazy ass.
Enough food for thought!
Hope you had a safe, colourful and happy....
We're planning to do a Village Development Project(VDP). We figured that our easiest entry point would obviously be primary education. We have the knowhow required to teach children. (It's not Artificial Neural Networks anyway!) All the other issues, women's empowerment(from literacy to menopause) or employment, are immensely important as well but need indepth knowledge which I fear we don't have. We didn't want to start from scratch. Ideally, all volunteers should participate in developmental projects. All members should be socially aware. But more often than not, in an organization such as ours, which is huge and has highly qualified members from diverging fields, there tend to be a lot of tangential ideas. One of the biggest obstacle is to sift through these suggestions that we get, use the best of them and form a strong foundation.
In Hyderabad, my vision is to ensure that BM works on 2 complementary paths.
One is obviously politically motivated. Even though that sounded like I am condoning the bad word that is "politics", I mean it in a very non-controversial sense. By the time we stand for elections we should have done enough ground work at the grassroot level. I want people to be empowered enough to refuse a Rs. 100 payoff from an MLA of an opposing party and choose to vote for us, simply becase they know that we will ensure a more positive future.
Another is the social work that is essential for an organization like ours to flourish. We have two options. Either we can start making parallel systems to bypass the current one or we can improve existing ones. For example, we can start new philanthropic educational institutions, put in personal capital and motivate children to join or we can use the existing Government schools, the infrastructure already available and make the Govt. accountable. But the problem with taking the 2nd option is that while we're fighting to secure Government funds and tring to eke out the corruption that exists at every level, many children will lose out on an opportunity at education. So, what we need to do instead of starting new schools is to adopt exisiting schools established by NGOs and other like-minded organizations and at the same time have members working on making the system and the people involved more responsible. This is just one of the paradox that I found. I'm sure that there are many more. We have a very complex Governmental mechanism. I tried to find out about the different initiviatives taken up for Women and Child Healthcare that the Govt. of India has. It took me no less than 7 and a half hours(obviously not at a stretch) to first find the exact department where I had to look for the information and then to find the exact information that I was looking for. And this was all online. Imagine, if I tried doing this on the field!
Politicians and bureaucrats have to deal with many more paradoxes such as the one I've mentioned. I don't want to give them too much credit because just the other day, they tried showcasing India's freedom by giving a very fine example. They televised a speech given by a fat MP(who looked like a goonda straight out of a Bollywood masala movie and who, I'm sure, got a lot of unaccounted money). He said, very proudly, that the country he lives in today is truly free for the simple reason that he, a class 5 drop out, could rise to the level of a Member of Parliament! He then enlisted every single plan he had for the upliftment of the minorities and got a standing ovation from the commissioned audiences.
Anyway, I'm sure we have a lot to learn. We will be governing a vibrant country and not just managing a company. I also find that I have to learn a lot about the issues faced by the people we intend to work for. So, I'm planning to take a course at CSIM http://www.csim.org/csimhyderabad.html I went there yesterday to find out the details. What amazes me about institutes like this is the fact that they've built very good models for NGOs and social change activists to work with. So, we won't have to start from scratch and ofcourse the networking opportunity will also be fantastic. I spoke with a couple of people about the VDP. Through our discussions, I found that the best way to make a project work, atleast at the initial stages, is to ensure that it's feasible. To make a VDP feasible, we need to identify a village that is accessible and by that, I mean, one which is less than 75 kms away. Since Hyderabad is growing at such a rapid rate, all we will find at the outskirts are the semi-urban localities, which have issues that are quite different than the urban or rural ones that are well-documented. And BM can work on these specific problems. In my experience, they will range from migration to the cities to havign specialized self-help groups in those areas. We can also introduce microfinance structures that will help solve a lot of socio-economic problems that I assume they face. We can make the Engineering and other institutions that are usually located in those areas resposible for the upliftment as part of their SUPW.
Another choice we have is to work as a support group. There are so many NGOs, NPOs, pressure groups etc. which need human resources. We can provide them with the volunteer services. We can also give them financial support, if required. We have doctors, teachers and many other members who can provide services for these organizations free of cost. We can also make NGO-specific software etc. There are a million ways to do it. All we need is the inclination, motivation and a little bit of determination to move that lazy ass.
Enough food for thought!
Hope you had a safe, colourful and happy....
an all new assurance(insured from being broken)
R thinks I exploit his personal life stories, exaggerate them a little, make fun of him and use it as crap entertainment on my blog. S believes I shouldn't kiss and tell. A wants some exclusive secrets between us(nothing that I'll admit on my blog)! K feels I don't praise her enough. So, to stop all these useless complaints and to control my obsession to make things absolutely crystal clear(on my blog and otherwise) and my total aversion to rumours, I promise not to talk about my love, my friends and family here. Atleast not in he said-she said-i said terms. :) Okay, no more clauses!
Friday, March 3
jaded and blah
Kav's board exams are going on. She had a million people wishing her luck and the arrogant fool that she is, she actually wrote a common "thanks y'all" post on her blog! :D
Sweetheart, you'll do well and trust me, all those people who think they'll beat you will fail in Geography and your Telugu paper(even though it won't be corrected by Ram Murthy), will be just as easy.
I don't remember working that hard. I don't remember anyone telling me, "you know last year the highest was 93.6% so you should get 94%" or "don't settle for the English prize. Only Maths and Science matter." All the snapshots I have now are related to playing cricket on the Primary field during the preparation holidays and doing Shares and Dividends in Math. I don't remember studying anything else. But I remember thinking that would be the last year I'd see him smile or watch him on the tennis court or listen to him explaining something to all his fans who thought he was God.
Two years later, he calls me and forgets to hang up.
I got my phone bill again today. I don't know why these Tata Indicom guys think they're so %&$^#*, listing every single STD call, with the number of hours and the exact time and the number of units(I didn't know they charged every 30 seconds) and the bloody amount for each call. So, my mom looked at these 5 pages which had the same number 50 times and asked me the same question for the 50th time. "So, who's number is this?" She knows. My dad knows. I know. Anyone who reads my blog or talks to me for more than 3 minutes knows. So, why the drama?
Pa, if you ever read this, smile and let it go. :)
I'm still waiting to see Taxi.no.9211 and Ghajini. Taxi got an amazing review from Masand. Watch his show on Friday nights(10:30 I think) on CNN-IBN. Will make time this weekend. I saw the Filmfare Awards last Sat. It was, as expected, a bloody farce. Black got all the tier 1 awards and Parineeta got the inconsequential ones. And as usual, there were the same crappily choreographed dance sequences with scantily clad actresses jumping around and making a mess of the whole thing. They also repeated the same commercial ads which ran about 53 minutes for every hour so now I know exactly how many chillis the girl who lost the bet on the SBI advert eats and how many kinds of white there really are. There's also the final season of Friends being aired on Star World. I know everyone must've already seen it and I know Ross and Rachel are back together 'cos she got off the plane(or whatever)! But it was so disappointing! It doesn't make you feel all mushy like the time when Monica asks Chandler to marry him or when Ross and Rachel kiss for the first time. It's really predictable. And they don't even kiss aesthetically. It's all kinda sloppy. Oh and American Idol is back for the 15th time and they haven't started doing the "and you will know who's made it, after a short break" thing yet. And Simon is his usual amazingly opinionated, obnoxious self. I don't know why I find that attractive!! :D The worst day to watch TV is Saturday. There usually isn't any good show. They air Bold and the Beautiful back to back so that's how painful it is and then there's a rerun of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal and she is such a "would you like some tea?" kinda woman that I want someone to choke her to death before next Friday. Then, Zee claims to get the latest movies and ends up showing films like 'Wah! Life ho tho Aisi'. I saw it from beginning to end and understood why the producers were in a hurry to sell their TV rights before people forget a movie by that name had actually released in theatres! Yeah, I have a lot of free time. But then if you've read all the crap I've written you do too.
So go finish that report you need to submit tomorrow and I'll do the same.
Sweetheart, you'll do well and trust me, all those people who think they'll beat you will fail in Geography and your Telugu paper(even though it won't be corrected by Ram Murthy), will be just as easy.
I don't remember working that hard. I don't remember anyone telling me, "you know last year the highest was 93.6% so you should get 94%" or "don't settle for the English prize. Only Maths and Science matter." All the snapshots I have now are related to playing cricket on the Primary field during the preparation holidays and doing Shares and Dividends in Math. I don't remember studying anything else. But I remember thinking that would be the last year I'd see him smile or watch him on the tennis court or listen to him explaining something to all his fans who thought he was God.
Two years later, he calls me and forgets to hang up.
I got my phone bill again today. I don't know why these Tata Indicom guys think they're so %&$^#*, listing every single STD call, with the number of hours and the exact time and the number of units(I didn't know they charged every 30 seconds) and the bloody amount for each call. So, my mom looked at these 5 pages which had the same number 50 times and asked me the same question for the 50th time. "So, who's number is this?" She knows. My dad knows. I know. Anyone who reads my blog or talks to me for more than 3 minutes knows. So, why the drama?
Pa, if you ever read this, smile and let it go. :)
I'm still waiting to see Taxi.no.9211 and Ghajini. Taxi got an amazing review from Masand. Watch his show on Friday nights(10:30 I think) on CNN-IBN. Will make time this weekend. I saw the Filmfare Awards last Sat. It was, as expected, a bloody farce. Black got all the tier 1 awards and Parineeta got the inconsequential ones. And as usual, there were the same crappily choreographed dance sequences with scantily clad actresses jumping around and making a mess of the whole thing. They also repeated the same commercial ads which ran about 53 minutes for every hour so now I know exactly how many chillis the girl who lost the bet on the SBI advert eats and how many kinds of white there really are. There's also the final season of Friends being aired on Star World. I know everyone must've already seen it and I know Ross and Rachel are back together 'cos she got off the plane(or whatever)! But it was so disappointing! It doesn't make you feel all mushy like the time when Monica asks Chandler to marry him or when Ross and Rachel kiss for the first time. It's really predictable. And they don't even kiss aesthetically. It's all kinda sloppy. Oh and American Idol is back for the 15th time and they haven't started doing the "and you will know who's made it, after a short break" thing yet. And Simon is his usual amazingly opinionated, obnoxious self. I don't know why I find that attractive!! :D The worst day to watch TV is Saturday. There usually isn't any good show. They air Bold and the Beautiful back to back so that's how painful it is and then there's a rerun of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal and she is such a "would you like some tea?" kinda woman that I want someone to choke her to death before next Friday. Then, Zee claims to get the latest movies and ends up showing films like 'Wah! Life ho tho Aisi'. I saw it from beginning to end and understood why the producers were in a hurry to sell their TV rights before people forget a movie by that name had actually released in theatres! Yeah, I have a lot of free time. But then if you've read all the crap I've written you do too.
So go finish that report you need to submit tomorrow and I'll do the same.
Tuesday, February 7
mera bharat mahaan?
And now, without an iota of doubt, I can say that Raha is a bad omen for India in general and Indian cricket in particular.
I returned his favour by updating him about the cricket match regularly. I even tolerated his, "Man, the bas***s can't $$%^&## bowl! The &^$%#^%, how the *&%$##@ did the &^$#@@@@%^ get selected in the #$%^^&%# team???"
I saw every single ball bowled yesterday and what happens in the end, we lose. The friggin' D-L system never ever favoured us! And that's probably the ONLY way Pak would've won the match anyway but Dravid bhai(I know, I finally gave up my dreams of marrying him. He's looking kinda old, isn't he?) how tough is it to defend 328? And the sad part is, we had 2 balls to spare!:(
And I told you about Manmohan didn't I? He openly agreed at his Press Conference that "the shared leadership is working very well". How shameful!
The Congress took over Hyderabad this January. I'm not kidding, the only things they hadn't painted on or stuck flags in were the people. The city was all ominous hands and what not. And the area around the Stadium where the Plenary was held was renamed Rajiv Nagar. And there was a poster titled "the Gandhis", with the Mahatma on one side and the bloody Italian on the other. They've hijacked the Mahatma and made him party property. All schemes in A.P. are either called some Rajiv(ex: Rajiv Nagara Bata) or some Indira(ex: Indiramma scheme). It's almost funny but not quite! The last time around, she promised a widow, who's husband was a farmer and had committed suicide, that she would sanction her one and a half lakhs. She has got only Rs. 40,000 so far. And it doesn't look like she's going to get any more of the promised money. This is the tip of the iceberg. When is all this going to end?
Oh and as was expected, we gave in to U.S. pressure this time around too. Can you believe we voted against them again? It was an ill-advised thing to do the first time itself and now it just goes to show that we have no "independant" foreign policy. When countries like Venezuala and Cuba could take a stand, why the hell can't we? We allow Mulford to make outrageous comments, to dictate terms to us and we bend our heads and accept it without anything close to a whimper! Are we so used to colonial imperialism that we will simply accept such blatant impropriety without any corrective action? Was it democratic to vote in favour of reporting Iran to the S.C? Why wasn't there atleast a Joint session where this was debated? When one case of Sati in Rajasthan can spur a heated debate in Parliament, why wasn't this ever taken up?
I am sick and tired of bemoaning the present state of affairs in our country.
I am working towards being the change I want to see. What about you?
I returned his favour by updating him about the cricket match regularly. I even tolerated his, "Man, the bas***s can't $$%^&## bowl! The &^$%#^%, how the *&%$##@ did the &^$#@@@@%^ get selected in the #$%^^&%# team???"
I saw every single ball bowled yesterday and what happens in the end, we lose. The friggin' D-L system never ever favoured us! And that's probably the ONLY way Pak would've won the match anyway but Dravid bhai(I know, I finally gave up my dreams of marrying him. He's looking kinda old, isn't he?) how tough is it to defend 328? And the sad part is, we had 2 balls to spare!:(
And I told you about Manmohan didn't I? He openly agreed at his Press Conference that "the shared leadership is working very well". How shameful!
The Congress took over Hyderabad this January. I'm not kidding, the only things they hadn't painted on or stuck flags in were the people. The city was all ominous hands and what not. And the area around the Stadium where the Plenary was held was renamed Rajiv Nagar. And there was a poster titled "the Gandhis", with the Mahatma on one side and the bloody Italian on the other. They've hijacked the Mahatma and made him party property. All schemes in A.P. are either called some Rajiv(ex: Rajiv Nagara Bata) or some Indira(ex: Indiramma scheme). It's almost funny but not quite! The last time around, she promised a widow, who's husband was a farmer and had committed suicide, that she would sanction her one and a half lakhs. She has got only Rs. 40,000 so far. And it doesn't look like she's going to get any more of the promised money. This is the tip of the iceberg. When is all this going to end?
Oh and as was expected, we gave in to U.S. pressure this time around too. Can you believe we voted against them again? It was an ill-advised thing to do the first time itself and now it just goes to show that we have no "independant" foreign policy. When countries like Venezuala and Cuba could take a stand, why the hell can't we? We allow Mulford to make outrageous comments, to dictate terms to us and we bend our heads and accept it without anything close to a whimper! Are we so used to colonial imperialism that we will simply accept such blatant impropriety without any corrective action? Was it democratic to vote in favour of reporting Iran to the S.C? Why wasn't there atleast a Joint session where this was debated? When one case of Sati in Rajasthan can spur a heated debate in Parliament, why wasn't this ever taken up?
I am sick and tired of bemoaning the present state of affairs in our country.
I am working towards being the change I want to see. What about you?
Friday, February 3
it's the bloody radio's fault!
R: hey K said he cant make it for the movie. what do u wanna do?
L:(thinking oh great, so he's actually trying to patafy me! D was right!)
*acting coy* umm i dunno u tell me.. i really wanted to meet K
R: i know.. cool dude! ok then.. maybe some..
L: okok we'll meet but just for coffee.
R: (thinking oh great, so she's actually trying to patafy me! D was right!)
yeah good idea.. so should i pick u up on my bike?
L: ummmm.. no it's ok.. if it's CCD, i'll take a rick there.
*desperately hoping he'll ask again*
R: oh then we'll meet at any place other than CCD.(thinking he's brilliant for cracking such a god-awesome joke!)
L: *giggling hysterically*
R: (thinkin "haha.. hasi tho ..") so subway then?
L: actually i've been dying to watch RDB! (can't let this opportunity go and i can wear my pink top.. i need to ask D for her earrings)
R: good you said that, cos i already booked the tickets..(need to call D and ask her to book 2 ticks hopefully in the couples box, hope she bunked college as usual!)
L: really??
(i knew he'd say that! guys*rolling her eyes*!! oh but what shoes?? think there's a sale at loft)
R: yeah and only 2! i knew that bas***d wouldn't come!
(good D told K not come.. man hope we get tickets.. the damn theatre's been overbooked all week!)
L: u knew? wow u have ESP or sumthin kya?? hahaha
(i hope i dint sound too blonde..should i wear a bracelet or a watch? should ask D)
R: if only i was that lucky, i'd know what u think of me!(man, i rock at flirting, or do i? wat was that line i read on the flirtingforidiots.com the other day?)
L: dont fish for compliments okay.. but u're sweet.
(shit, i came up with sweet? that's like an insult for guys isn't it? let's see how he takes it. pumps or stilettos?)
R: sweet? that's what i'd have to say you are but honestly if beauty were an hour, you'd be a million lifetimes!(damn i should save some for saturday too!)
L: you've just seen my pic! i wonder what you'd say when you met me!
(i need to book an appointment at the parlour! also need to borrow the straightener from D!)
R: now look who's fishing! let me save some of it for saturday!
L: hehe okay then. call me later.
(should i have said that? i shdnt overthink it! it's just a date!)
R: i'll text you as soon as u hang up! take care babe.
(hope she doesnt take offence to that like all these tam gals!)
L:(oh he called me babe! should i tell him to shut up or smile it off?)
*in a vey high pitch* ok baaiieee!
R: called her. u're a genius and u were right, she's flat for me.
D: i told ya.
R: k lets c if this gets me some action.
D: dont be a bloody jerk. she's my friend. i'll kill you if she's hurt.
R: i already practised my lines! howz this? "did u know your hair and my pillow are perfectly colour coordinated?"
D: dont try anythin. be a good boy and the line sux..
R: how abt "you know what's on the top of my to do list? YOU"
D: i didn't know u were such a corny sob, i'd neva have told her abt u!
R: u know i'm kiddin! i'll try to b nice.. i..
D: hey call waiting.. it's L
R: call back n tell me wat she said.. it'll obly b good.. lie a li'l more abt me!
D: u r beyond ... chal bye
D: hey L, whassup?
L: u wont blv who jus called me up
D: tell me!!!! who????
L: R!!!!
D: no kidding!
L: yeah and i think we're goin on a date!
D: think?
L: ok it's a date. i need ur ear-rings and straightener.
D: sure so wat's the plan?
L: (narrates the entire conversation which you've just read word to word)
D: sounds cool.. i'm sure u'll have fun.. he's a really funny guy!
L: yeah he's cute and blah blah
D: babe i gtg.. call waiting.. it's my boyfriend
L: D i owe u one.. i'll come over tom
D: sure thing.. bbye
S: babe heard u've set up R and L! R's thrilled.
D: i know. i'm so amazing na..
S: hey L's calling me.. should i call u back?
D: yeah.. she'll bore u to death about her conversation with R.. have fun.. i gotta call R too..
D: hey R..
R: hey D, i was just gonna call L. i'll call u in a while..
S: hello..
L: *screeches* i'm getting a call from R!! i'll ttyl
*hangs up before S can say bye*
D: S, I think we've just lost 2 more friends to this craziness!
S: yeah, now i've gotta booze with my cuzs here..
D: hey it's 12. i think i should go to coll!
S: or you could open a matrimonial website, quickweddings.com
D: ur jokes are no better than his
S: atleast they're not practised..
D: gtg jaan, i'll call u at 4!
S: didya really think those lines were bad? i told him they were cool..
D: why am i not surprised? not everyone has my levels of toleration u know!! but thank god u dint tell him ur radio joke..
R and L didn't go for the movie cos R told L a very sleazy radio joke, which L took offence to. R blames S and S blames D.
And I'm off to college!
L:(thinking oh great, so he's actually trying to patafy me! D was right!)
*acting coy* umm i dunno u tell me.. i really wanted to meet K
R: i know.. cool dude! ok then.. maybe some..
L: okok we'll meet but just for coffee.
R: (thinking oh great, so she's actually trying to patafy me! D was right!)
yeah good idea.. so should i pick u up on my bike?
L: ummmm.. no it's ok.. if it's CCD, i'll take a rick there.
*desperately hoping he'll ask again*
R: oh then we'll meet at any place other than CCD.(thinking he's brilliant for cracking such a god-awesome joke!)
L: *giggling hysterically*
R: (thinkin "haha.. hasi tho ..") so subway then?
L: actually i've been dying to watch RDB! (can't let this opportunity go and i can wear my pink top.. i need to ask D for her earrings)
R: good you said that, cos i already booked the tickets..(need to call D and ask her to book 2 ticks hopefully in the couples box, hope she bunked college as usual!)
L: really??
(i knew he'd say that! guys*rolling her eyes*!! oh but what shoes?? think there's a sale at loft)
R: yeah and only 2! i knew that bas***d wouldn't come!
(good D told K not come.. man hope we get tickets.. the damn theatre's been overbooked all week!)
L: u knew? wow u have ESP or sumthin kya?? hahaha
(i hope i dint sound too blonde..should i wear a bracelet or a watch? should ask D)
R: if only i was that lucky, i'd know what u think of me!(man, i rock at flirting, or do i? wat was that line i read on the flirtingforidiots.com the other day?)
L: dont fish for compliments okay.. but u're sweet.
(shit, i came up with sweet? that's like an insult for guys isn't it? let's see how he takes it. pumps or stilettos?)
R: sweet? that's what i'd have to say you are but honestly if beauty were an hour, you'd be a million lifetimes!(damn i should save some for saturday too!)
L: you've just seen my pic! i wonder what you'd say when you met me!
(i need to book an appointment at the parlour! also need to borrow the straightener from D!)
R: now look who's fishing! let me save some of it for saturday!
L: hehe okay then. call me later.
(should i have said that? i shdnt overthink it! it's just a date!)
R: i'll text you as soon as u hang up! take care babe.
(hope she doesnt take offence to that like all these tam gals!)
L:(oh he called me babe! should i tell him to shut up or smile it off?)
*in a vey high pitch* ok baaiieee!
R: called her. u're a genius and u were right, she's flat for me.
D: i told ya.
R: k lets c if this gets me some action.
D: dont be a bloody jerk. she's my friend. i'll kill you if she's hurt.
R: i already practised my lines! howz this? "did u know your hair and my pillow are perfectly colour coordinated?"
D: dont try anythin. be a good boy and the line sux..
R: how abt "you know what's on the top of my to do list? YOU"
D: i didn't know u were such a corny sob, i'd neva have told her abt u!
R: u know i'm kiddin! i'll try to b nice.. i..
D: hey call waiting.. it's L
R: call back n tell me wat she said.. it'll obly b good.. lie a li'l more abt me!
D: u r beyond ... chal bye
D: hey L, whassup?
L: u wont blv who jus called me up
D: tell me!!!! who????
L: R!!!!
D: no kidding!
L: yeah and i think we're goin on a date!
D: think?
L: ok it's a date. i need ur ear-rings and straightener.
D: sure so wat's the plan?
L: (narrates the entire conversation which you've just read word to word)
D: sounds cool.. i'm sure u'll have fun.. he's a really funny guy!
L: yeah he's cute and blah blah
D: babe i gtg.. call waiting.. it's my boyfriend
L: D i owe u one.. i'll come over tom
D: sure thing.. bbye
S: babe heard u've set up R and L! R's thrilled.
D: i know. i'm so amazing na..
S: hey L's calling me.. should i call u back?
D: yeah.. she'll bore u to death about her conversation with R.. have fun.. i gotta call R too..
D: hey R..
R: hey D, i was just gonna call L. i'll call u in a while..
S: hello..
L: *screeches* i'm getting a call from R!! i'll ttyl
*hangs up before S can say bye*
D: S, I think we've just lost 2 more friends to this craziness!
S: yeah, now i've gotta booze with my cuzs here..
D: hey it's 12. i think i should go to coll!
S: or you could open a matrimonial website, quickweddings.com
D: ur jokes are no better than his
S: atleast they're not practised..
D: gtg jaan, i'll call u at 4!
S: didya really think those lines were bad? i told him they were cool..
D: why am i not surprised? not everyone has my levels of toleration u know!! but thank god u dint tell him ur radio joke..
R and L didn't go for the movie cos R told L a very sleazy radio joke, which L took offence to. R blames S and S blames D.
And I'm off to college!
Monday, January 23
God keep the School and....
I never realized how much I miss school till I read Tharun's blog today. Now here's one guy who's brimming with talent and has friends who take damn good photographs.
I don't remember the first day I joined school. I was amazed at how big it was but when you are in class 3, the whole world looks massive.
The best thing about school is definitely the friends I made there. I am lucky to have met some people, who are truly phenomenal. It's not like we talk everyday. It's not even like we meet once a month. It is a birthday, new year thing that we have but when we do meet, it's back to the beans and carrot curry, Emmanuel's white shorts and his "whaaat maaaainn", and our Bio ma'am who always seemed pregnant.
My teachers in HPS have had such an amazing influence on who I am today(Appa Reddy's antics, Babu's "I have two sons, both are boys", Jimmy's "you are made of impure chemicals" kinda dialogues notwithstanding). Some teachers who've made a difference are -
Dennis sir, who ensured that the Music performances were always the best in the concert. But nothing quite prepared me for "Fiddler On The Roof". The kids today are a million times more gifted and they were really unbelievable and let me tell you quite frankly, that my sister(as Hodel) easily sang the best. Her rendition of "Far from the home I love"(I hope these are the right words) brought tears to my eyes.
My class 5 Vijayalakshmi ma'am, who still asks me about Sunith whenever I go to meet her. One of my earliest memories in school was just after we were appointed as prefects. Ma'am had some work and couldn't take a class so she asked me to read out some Maths problems in class. So I started and there was this one problem,
"Mr. MOTIlal..." and they didn't let me finish. Everyone in class started laughing except Sunith. Maybe I should thank ma'am for what I have now. :)
me, Hemalatha ma'am(my class 5 Maths teacher) and Vijayalakshmi ma'am
My Primary School Telugu teacher, Aruna ma'am, for teaching me slokas which have helped me during some very tough times. I remember winning the Telugu recitation competition in class 3 and class 4. I recited this poem "నేనొక పూలమొక్క కడనిల్చి". I don't know if those were the right words. Anyway, in class 5, I came 4th and she told me that was because I hadn't prayed enough. I should thank her for inculcating this lifelong habit of praying every morning.
There are some more fleeting moments which I remember.
class 6: when Dennis made all of us kneel down in front of the princi's office cos we played holi at school.
class 7: Mansukhani's meteorite stories and I am probably the only one who still believes there's some element of truth.
Apparently when her husband and her were driving down some road in the middle of a desert, a meteor came and fell right in front of her car. She thanked her lucky stars, got out of the car, took the meteorite and now uses it as a paper weight. No kidding!
So what's so unbelieveable about that?
And what about the time when she stayed at the Raj Bhavan and ate in a golden plate, which by the way, was presented to her when she was leaving?
class 8: When i asked Sunith, "did you listen to that song, 'when love and hate collide'?" and he said, "I dont hate you".
class 12: When we protected all our mini sports day posters like some nuclear secret and those Nalanda fools actually thought they were winning and things completely changed in the next few days and they stood last!!!
when we won a million trophies on Sports Day :)
class 12: When they announced our names in the front field and how we felt so shortchanged 'cos we had our Investiture ceremony on the library steps. The only time in the history of HPS that this happened. They robbed us of a beautiful memory!
class 9: When we had to describe the life cycle of a silk worm in the science exhibition and I had to explain the concept of mating in Telugu to someone's parents.
class 5: When they announced my name as a prefect before Sunith's.
When we marched the headmistress to the pedestal every morning.
When we gave the plates and spoons at lunch.
When we played 'marampiti' in the quadrangle.
class 6: When we went for the World Cup match between Zimbabwe and West Indies and shouted "Lara raara" like we were so intelligent to have made that up!
class 11: When we went all the way in an auto to Badruka to participate in a Debates Competition and didn't have enough money to pay the autowallah. Maybe this is where the idea for my whole "autowallah culture" research paper originated.
class 8: When we travelled in second class to Ajmer for our tennis tournament. We slept on a platform in a station in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night waiting for the next train to come.
class 10: when some female came and maaroed a "he's mine and only mine" hindi movie dialogue to me and my best friend said, "who the hell are you to say so? She isn't even interested in him but just for that, now you have both Div and me for competition, let's see what you'll do.."
class 10, 11, 12: when we won the girls shield for 3 years straight and I went to receieve it every single time.
class 10: when I fought with my family to let me stay back in school
class 11: when we were so thrilled to have lunch in the main lunch hall, finally
every single friday: when we would smile at the "bearer" and ask for 3 cultets more
class 12: when I called up my cousin(who also studeied in HPS) the day they announced the prefects in class 12 and he said, "Oh I thought there was only a Deputy Head Girl. When did they change that?". Now don't blame me if I think all men are chauvinistic.
class 6: when my sis joined school and I was so protective about her.
class 10: when AC gave me 10/10 for a speech I made about my sister, for the English orals.
every single year: when we saw our paintings and craft items in the art and craft exhibition and how the primary school's always seemed better
almost every single year: when we went to the zoo for the millionth time for our class excursion
class 9: when we went to Nepal and how we proudly sported our HPS jackets;
when we first saw Mt. Everest from our hotel room and decided we should put up an eagle(our emblem) right on top, some day.
class 9: when we sang the School Song during the Platinum Jubilee and I saw some alumni with tears in their eyes.
Now I know how that feels.
HPS, in my heart, is beyond my alma mater, beyond my second home.
It is a place where I learnt how to be a good human being and how to live my life, on my own terms, with confidence. Isn't this what education is all about?
I don't remember the first day I joined school. I was amazed at how big it was but when you are in class 3, the whole world looks massive.
The best thing about school is definitely the friends I made there. I am lucky to have met some people, who are truly phenomenal. It's not like we talk everyday. It's not even like we meet once a month. It is a birthday, new year thing that we have but when we do meet, it's back to the beans and carrot curry, Emmanuel's white shorts and his "whaaat maaaainn", and our Bio ma'am who always seemed pregnant.
My teachers in HPS have had such an amazing influence on who I am today(Appa Reddy's antics, Babu's "I have two sons, both are boys", Jimmy's "you are made of impure chemicals" kinda dialogues notwithstanding). Some teachers who've made a difference are -
Dennis sir, who ensured that the Music performances were always the best in the concert. But nothing quite prepared me for "Fiddler On The Roof". The kids today are a million times more gifted and they were really unbelievable and let me tell you quite frankly, that my sister(as Hodel) easily sang the best. Her rendition of "Far from the home I love"(I hope these are the right words) brought tears to my eyes.
My class 5 Vijayalakshmi ma'am, who still asks me about Sunith whenever I go to meet her. One of my earliest memories in school was just after we were appointed as prefects. Ma'am had some work and couldn't take a class so she asked me to read out some Maths problems in class. So I started and there was this one problem,
"Mr. MOTIlal..." and they didn't let me finish. Everyone in class started laughing except Sunith. Maybe I should thank ma'am for what I have now. :)
me, Hemalatha ma'am(my class 5 Maths teacher) and Vijayalakshmi ma'am
My Primary School Telugu teacher, Aruna ma'am, for teaching me slokas which have helped me during some very tough times. I remember winning the Telugu recitation competition in class 3 and class 4. I recited this poem "నేనొక పూలమొక్క కడనిల్చి". I don't know if those were the right words. Anyway, in class 5, I came 4th and she told me that was because I hadn't prayed enough. I should thank her for inculcating this lifelong habit of praying every morning.
There are some more fleeting moments which I remember.
class 6: when Dennis made all of us kneel down in front of the princi's office cos we played holi at school.
class 7: Mansukhani's meteorite stories and I am probably the only one who still believes there's some element of truth.
Apparently when her husband and her were driving down some road in the middle of a desert, a meteor came and fell right in front of her car. She thanked her lucky stars, got out of the car, took the meteorite and now uses it as a paper weight. No kidding!
So what's so unbelieveable about that?
And what about the time when she stayed at the Raj Bhavan and ate in a golden plate, which by the way, was presented to her when she was leaving?
class 8: When i asked Sunith, "did you listen to that song, 'when love and hate collide'?" and he said, "I dont hate you".
class 12: When we protected all our mini sports day posters like some nuclear secret and those Nalanda fools actually thought they were winning and things completely changed in the next few days and they stood last!!!
when we won a million trophies on Sports Day :)
class 12: When they announced our names in the front field and how we felt so shortchanged 'cos we had our Investiture ceremony on the library steps. The only time in the history of HPS that this happened. They robbed us of a beautiful memory!
class 9: When we had to describe the life cycle of a silk worm in the science exhibition and I had to explain the concept of mating in Telugu to someone's parents.
class 5: When they announced my name as a prefect before Sunith's.
When we marched the headmistress to the pedestal every morning.
When we gave the plates and spoons at lunch.
When we played 'marampiti' in the quadrangle.
class 6: When we went for the World Cup match between Zimbabwe and West Indies and shouted "Lara raara" like we were so intelligent to have made that up!
class 11: When we went all the way in an auto to Badruka to participate in a Debates Competition and didn't have enough money to pay the autowallah. Maybe this is where the idea for my whole "autowallah culture" research paper originated.
class 8: When we travelled in second class to Ajmer for our tennis tournament. We slept on a platform in a station in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night waiting for the next train to come.
class 10: when some female came and maaroed a "he's mine and only mine" hindi movie dialogue to me and my best friend said, "who the hell are you to say so? She isn't even interested in him but just for that, now you have both Div and me for competition, let's see what you'll do.."
class 10, 11, 12: when we won the girls shield for 3 years straight and I went to receieve it every single time.
class 10: when I fought with my family to let me stay back in school
class 11: when we were so thrilled to have lunch in the main lunch hall, finally
every single friday: when we would smile at the "bearer" and ask for 3 cultets more
class 12: when I called up my cousin(who also studeied in HPS) the day they announced the prefects in class 12 and he said, "Oh I thought there was only a Deputy Head Girl. When did they change that?". Now don't blame me if I think all men are chauvinistic.
class 6: when my sis joined school and I was so protective about her.
class 10: when AC gave me 10/10 for a speech I made about my sister, for the English orals.
every single year: when we saw our paintings and craft items in the art and craft exhibition and how the primary school's always seemed better
almost every single year: when we went to the zoo for the millionth time for our class excursion
class 9: when we went to Nepal and how we proudly sported our HPS jackets;
when we first saw Mt. Everest from our hotel room and decided we should put up an eagle(our emblem) right on top, some day.
class 9: when we sang the School Song during the Platinum Jubilee and I saw some alumni with tears in their eyes.
Now I know how that feels.
HPS, in my heart, is beyond my alma mater, beyond my second home.
It is a place where I learnt how to be a good human being and how to live my life, on my own terms, with confidence. Isn't this what education is all about?
Sunday, January 22
Friday, January 20
it's not just another 4 letter word
How come a compliment from a complete stranger makes my day but one from someone who's more than familiar hardly, if ever, gets an "oh ok thanks"?
Maybe it's instinct. When you're too used to something, you assume it's ordinary and normal.
He tells me I look beautiful when he picks me up from the gym. He tells me I look beautiful when he picks me up on New Year's Eve. Is it practised? You know, one of those guy things. Another "am I looking fat?" answer kind of thing. Guys are supposed to be good at that.
But he's different. He's not like other guys. He doesn't look at girls. Much less talk to them. He's loved me ever since he knew what love was. Or so I'd like to believe.
After a point(the point comes somewhere in the 2nd year of your relationship, assuming you've known him/her for more than 3 years before you jumped right in.).. anyway, after a certain point, you know when to expect his first call in the morning, even though you beg him not to wake you up, you know what he'll order in every restaurant in the city, you know he'll bring you flowers only when you remind him to, and even then you can bet he'll say "the damn shop was closed!", you know he'll bring you a gift every new year and every festival, you know he'll crib about the petrol hike and continue to take you on those long drives, you know he'll tell you that you're looking exotic, breathtaking, incredible and some other synonyms later, he won't really try to be innovative and he'll go back to plain old "beautiful".
Maybe it's the certainties that form the foundations of a forever relationship.
"What's so romantic about growing old with someone? When does old begin? With the first sachet of hair dye? Or when you start cutting down the sugar? For that matter, when does young end? You know it won't ever. Not when your eyes meet across a crowded room, and the magic is the same as the moment you met." - O&M
Thanks Shwetha for reminding me how precious this is. :)
Maybe it's instinct. When you're too used to something, you assume it's ordinary and normal.
He tells me I look beautiful when he picks me up from the gym. He tells me I look beautiful when he picks me up on New Year's Eve. Is it practised? You know, one of those guy things. Another "am I looking fat?" answer kind of thing. Guys are supposed to be good at that.
But he's different. He's not like other guys. He doesn't look at girls. Much less talk to them. He's loved me ever since he knew what love was. Or so I'd like to believe.
After a point(the point comes somewhere in the 2nd year of your relationship, assuming you've known him/her for more than 3 years before you jumped right in.).. anyway, after a certain point, you know when to expect his first call in the morning, even though you beg him not to wake you up, you know what he'll order in every restaurant in the city, you know he'll bring you flowers only when you remind him to, and even then you can bet he'll say "the damn shop was closed!", you know he'll bring you a gift every new year and every festival, you know he'll crib about the petrol hike and continue to take you on those long drives, you know he'll tell you that you're looking exotic, breathtaking, incredible and some other synonyms later, he won't really try to be innovative and he'll go back to plain old "beautiful".
Maybe it's the certainties that form the foundations of a forever relationship.
"What's so romantic about growing old with someone? When does old begin? With the first sachet of hair dye? Or when you start cutting down the sugar? For that matter, when does young end? You know it won't ever. Not when your eyes meet across a crowded room, and the magic is the same as the moment you met." - O&M
Thanks Shwetha for reminding me how precious this is. :)
Sunday, January 1
Isn't it a beautiful day?
How often have you ushered in the new year with a sense of bliss that almost overwhelms you? Isn't it scary when everything goes your way and even chinks in the perfection are just completely concealed?2005 has been my best year in the last 21. In every single way.
Sunith has taught me to be a better human being, to take things easy, to laugh more, to enjoy the moment. He has been there for me in every sense of the word. Saying thank you would be distancing him but not showing my gratitude for being such an inspiration would be wrong. He has given me a happiness that I would never have experienced without him. He has accomplished the impossible by transforming me into a responsible, mature idividual. I owe him all my success. Without his constant and undying support, without his encouragement, without his unconditional love, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be who I am today. Spending New Year's Eve with him was but obvious. I wanted to celebrate our love and our joy together and it is one of my most memorable New Year's Eve yet. :)
Kavya has grown into a beautiful and brilliant girl. She gives me the much needed hug whenever I look like I'm hurt. Our moments of laughter, our impromptu remixes, our remote fights(which have considerably reduced!), our birthdays, our New Year jingle, our fart jokes, our clothes fights are the instances from 2005 which will stay with me forever. She behaves like an agony aunt and it's amazing how many role reversals there seem to be these days! Her sunshine smile and her great attitude make my world an incredible place to live in. I can't imagine a day without her. When did we start sharing clothes and exchanging advice? It used to be a one way thing. I miss those days of unadulterated hero worship but this is even better.
My acads have improved considerably. My MBA exams were a breeze. I got a job on my own steam. I'm praying everyday. I'm going to the temple every week. I've become more spiritual. I'm not sure if it's a BM influence. I don't know if my chakras have improved. I'm going to the gym everyday. I'm eating what Oprah defines as "right"(I had only 1 piece of cake yesterday!). I've started practising yoga. My ego is intact, even though my vanity has taken a backseat. Everything that is positive in my life would be meaningless without my family and friends, who've always believed in my ambitions and reinforced my will to achieve them. Thank you for making 2005 unforgettable.
I've started reading this book called 'Unveiling India'. It's written by Anees Jung. I intend to read more books like this every week.I've become more aware of our culture and our history. I'm making a concious effort to be an Indian. But will that definition, if there's one, confine me to any boundaries?
Before I become philosophical about the future of our country, let me recommend a couple of links which I found very interesting.
1. Emotions 2005
2. Trends 2005
and if you haven't already joined Bharat Uday Mission, be sure to do so. You can be a part of the revolution too. Make it count!
A very Happy New Year to you!
Sunith has taught me to be a better human being, to take things easy, to laugh more, to enjoy the moment. He has been there for me in every sense of the word. Saying thank you would be distancing him but not showing my gratitude for being such an inspiration would be wrong. He has given me a happiness that I would never have experienced without him. He has accomplished the impossible by transforming me into a responsible, mature idividual. I owe him all my success. Without his constant and undying support, without his encouragement, without his unconditional love, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be who I am today. Spending New Year's Eve with him was but obvious. I wanted to celebrate our love and our joy together and it is one of my most memorable New Year's Eve yet. :)
Kavya has grown into a beautiful and brilliant girl. She gives me the much needed hug whenever I look like I'm hurt. Our moments of laughter, our impromptu remixes, our remote fights(which have considerably reduced!), our birthdays, our New Year jingle, our fart jokes, our clothes fights are the instances from 2005 which will stay with me forever. She behaves like an agony aunt and it's amazing how many role reversals there seem to be these days! Her sunshine smile and her great attitude make my world an incredible place to live in. I can't imagine a day without her. When did we start sharing clothes and exchanging advice? It used to be a one way thing. I miss those days of unadulterated hero worship but this is even better.
My acads have improved considerably. My MBA exams were a breeze. I got a job on my own steam. I'm praying everyday. I'm going to the temple every week. I've become more spiritual. I'm not sure if it's a BM influence. I don't know if my chakras have improved. I'm going to the gym everyday. I'm eating what Oprah defines as "right"(I had only 1 piece of cake yesterday!). I've started practising yoga. My ego is intact, even though my vanity has taken a backseat. Everything that is positive in my life would be meaningless without my family and friends, who've always believed in my ambitions and reinforced my will to achieve them. Thank you for making 2005 unforgettable.
I've started reading this book called 'Unveiling India'. It's written by Anees Jung. I intend to read more books like this every week.I've become more aware of our culture and our history. I'm making a concious effort to be an Indian. But will that definition, if there's one, confine me to any boundaries?
Before I become philosophical about the future of our country, let me recommend a couple of links which I found very interesting.
1. Emotions 2005
2. Trends 2005
and if you haven't already joined Bharat Uday Mission, be sure to do so. You can be a part of the revolution too. Make it count!
A very Happy New Year to you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
