Archiry

Requiem

2011-04-01T21:37:00.001+04:00

I am at the crossroads,
But I won’t look back.
Back at the road I’ve travelled,
I’ve covered all my tracks.
No, there’s no going back.

You don’t have to feel guilty,
I don’t hold a grudge.
The pain I felt all alone,
I found a way to merge.
No, there’s no going back.

My shoulders don’t hurt anymore,
The pain is off my back.
Shed thirty years of baggage,
Sealed all open cracks.
No, there’s no going back.

Burned all my diaries,
threw away my phone.
Photos dumped in the river,
now I’m truly alone.
No, there’s no going back.

So you won’t be reminded,
Of me when I call.
Searching for things to say,
Conversations crawl.
No, there’s no going back.

I felt like a stranger, in the place I knew.
A singer in a land of the deaf, who'd vanish like the dew.
Hollowness I fought to banish, but it only grew.
Friends I thought I had so many, turned out to be few.
No, there’s no going back.

Wonder what lies yonder,
But it can’t be worse.
Worse than talking to walls,
Life that is a curse.
Oh no, there’s no going back.

No attachments, no expectation,
No hopes, no conversation.
No regrets, no betrayal,
No disappointments, no farewells.
No, there’s no going back.

A Quill Runs Dry

2011-01-21T22:24:00.002+04:00

I have said and written all i had to,
And now my treasure chest has run dry.
And yet I feel there's so much left
Unsaid and untried.

Words that never matched the depth
Of what i truly felt.
Emotions that failed to appear in my voice,
As silences went unrent.

I can think of so many better ways,
So much I could have done.
But my hands lie weak and stilled,
While my heart refuses to run.

Time, how quickly you have gone by,
Empty notches on a vacant post.
How much I had and frittered away,
And now I am a whispering ghost.

Haunting crumbling places,
That the world will never know.
As it moves on, ignorant of
The last embers of my fainting glow.

A cruel fate, a punishment just,
Bear my scars as I must.
Faces and names, voices and sights,
Hatred and love, envy and trust.

All I am is an ancient relic,
My only function- to gather dust.
The spiders bid adieu long ago,
Their silky threads flecked with rust.

I speak a tongue that has long since died,
No one to mourn in sorrow.
No one to know if I smile or grimace,
Whether I live In the past or tomorrow.

Regret and guilt, long, deep sighs,
Abundant wealth like fame gone by.
Coins of memories, spent each day,
To ease the pain, as you lie.

My thoughts, my sole companions,
I seek solace in my cry.
It’s futile to put them down in words,
My pen has long run dry.

A whispering ghost,
Is all am I.

Two years of tuxing

2010-11-03T10:24:00.001+04:00

Two years ago to the day, my sister got herself a blue Acer Aspire one. It was my first brush with a netbook and the awesomeness that is SSD. More meaningful however, was my first interaction with a modern Linux distro.

I had dabbled a bit with Mandriva and Red Hat way back in 2004 and had wrung my hands in frustrationat having to visit the terminal each time i wanted to install a program. Also, the repositories were as big as they are now, plus internet speeds were still only a notch up on the ancient dialups i grew up on. Suffice to say, I couldn't figure out what the great fuss was and i decided to give linux a pass then.

Circa 2008 and i switched on the system and lo behold, in 6 seconds, the SSD launched me into the desktop. i was taken aback and i searched around to see if this was a reworked BIOS screen that would lead to a booting sequence, but no, it was the desktop of the Linpus Lite distro.

While limited largely by hardware, the OS was snappy, and once i activated the XFCE desktop, way more productive. And thank the stars, application installation was relatively hassle free once i figured out how to use the YUM installer. But i kept thinking - There has to be a better linux experience out there!

So i took a plunge and downloaded the 9.04 version of Ubuntu (Jaunty to us) and installed it. Although it gobbled up 4 GB out of the measly 8 GB HDD, it ran lightning quick on the netbook, and the apps base was noticeably larger than Linpus. Despite the horror stories, most of the hardware ran well with all drivers installed in the background.

In the next six months, i got myself a netbook, went through Karmic, Lucid and Maverick on it and the experience got progressively better. I ran Open Suse, Fedora, Mint in Virtual Boxes but kept coming back to Ubuntu. It was simple, similar to Windows, almost ascetic in hardware requirements and NEVER crashed on me. I also noticed that I booted into windows less frequently, maybe down to three times a week, just to keep my patches and AV definitions up to date. Windows was also required to run those oddball devices that refused to run on non windows systems, or to hook up to external monitors/ projections.

Well, i discarded my netbook and got myself a nice HP DV6 and dual booted it. This was the first time i ran into problems with Ubuntu, and Open suse. The thing with Linux is that it's great for Hardware that came out a couple of months before the last kernel release. What it's not so good at, is being compatible with upcoming or brand new hardware that's come out. With a new computer, You are playing a game of roulette, hoping that your computer will work pretty well out of the box.

I had problems getting my Wifi and my Switchable graphics working under 10.10. Of course the ever friendly forums helped me figure out how to get the wifi working, with a bit of compiling and making, but with windows, you don't have to do all that. It's something that Linux must work on. Having to figure out how to get Wifi working was something acceptable in 2003, not 2010. Of course the switchable graphics don't work, but I've made peace by not installing the radeon drivers for linux (They crashed my ubuntu desktop anyway) and making do with the Intel HD graphics which run all the compiz options on max.

Win 7 unfortunately for Linux, is just as a good an OS and i think that most people would be happy enough to carry on with it. that's where i think the linux community missed it's chance to go mainstream.

But still, as a great example of how open source can really work, i recommend everyone to atleast try out a live CD, if for nothing else, the novelty of an idea that an entire OS can be run off the USB drive and still access your hard disk files and do some productive work.

Back to Bashing.

Fast of the Furious

2010-11-02T20:01:00.000+04:00

Something unfortunate will happen in the next 48 hours, but i will be very surprised if it makes it to the frontpages of newspapers. Not when we have plethora of distractions in the forms of Diwali, Star celebrations and new releases. But if you will take some time, please ponder over what Irom Chanu Sharmila has undergone for the last ten years.

A decade in which she has been on a fast non stop. To put that into perspective, ten years ago, Shri Amitabh Bacchan hosted the KBC for the first time. Ten years ago, i buckled and stumbled my way into Senior secondary. I completed schooling, bid adieu to college, crossed the sea, watched friends get engaged, married and deliver babies. All this while, Irom Chanu Sharmila continued to fast. And she fasts still.

For those interested, she has been on a peaceful fast, protesting the carte blanche granted to our army, in their operations in the troubled paradise of the north east. I claim to be no expert in the happenings over there, but surely, ten years is a ridiculous amount of time for any government to not step in, if only to save what is by now, a shortened life.

In a world which grudgingly allows anyone their 15 seconds of fame, perhaps Irom's methods were doomed from the start. Our ignorance of her path, tread so effectively by Mahatma Gandhi before, is symptomatic of the general apathy of the mainland, towards her peripheral daughters. Hers is not a cause celebre, and when a state can be blockaded for months without central intervention, it's perhaps too much to expect anyone to step in and talk to her.

Fasting is the least of her privations. To avoid a scandal, the local authorities have regularly arrested her and force fed through the nostrils and released her when her health improved. And each time she's been released, she goes back to fasting and gradually weakens. When the point of alarm is reached, the authorities step in again, and the vicious cycle continues. over and over. for ten years. non stop.

A stark contrast from the heady and bustling scenes witnessed when any of our beloved politicians or actors decide fast for a day, under the careful glare of the camera and our commentators have a field day. Who can forget the money shot- The governor or a junior minister walking with a smile and a glass of lemon juice which is then magically held by both parties, for the benefit of flash photography, and then a great roar of triumph as the fast is broken. But then again, life is not fair and not equal for everyone, so why must legitimate, non violent protest be any different?

I have not found any interviews of her, so from the outside, i can only express my respect for her continued faith in democracy and justice, when the said institutions have only neglected her doggedly for the last ten years. I am humbled by her determination to continue but i can only hope that someone steps in and saves her. A democracy is strengthened not just by a show of numbers at the ballot box, but also by lending platforms for all sections of society to voice their opinions, without fear of being in the minority, and with a faith that the state will oblige and at least grant them a fair hearing.

It is not enough to pay lip service to assert that the assimilation of all sections of our society is complete. Not when we have such examples of our neglect and collective failure to engage with our fellow Indians. So, while the rest of us burst crackers, light our lamps, meet our friends and family, and pray for the gift of light in our lives, spare a thought for someone who starves for justice, and if nothing else, at least a sympathetic ear.

MADrasi Lite

2010-08-11T00:36:00.000+04:00

Necessity might be the mother of all invention, but right now, I am being forced to innovate out of desperation. As I await another flight to take me back to Dubai, let me share a quick tip to anyone who is traveling via Anna international airport to any destination outside. Don't bother reaching the airport 4 hours in advance. It's a precaution which is not appreciated and hence not rewarded either.

A bonus tip, when trying to make yourself comfortable on the luggage trolley due to the lack of seating, make sure you sit across the luggage rack and not parallel to the hard, cold metal rails.

Ranting aside, the main purpose of my entry is to highlight something which struck me as I traveled to the airport late at night.

Chennai has changed of course. Something that is always expected and is natural. We change as people and when we return, we yearn to return to the old and the familiar even though we know that the world as we remember it no longer exists and that the passage of time bestows rose filtered glasses on our eyes. The same thing happened to me.

But the changes are not readily apparent to anyone, during the daytime. But when you travel the road at night, the city undergoes a transformation. Gone is the gaudy heavy artifice that dots our city in the name of modernization. Look closely enough during the night and you will catch a glimpse of the timeless beauty who lurks inside the modern, swinging city trying to make its presence felt on the national stage.

The lovely tree dotted roads that twist and turn and writhe through the various hidden pockets. Roads which have been tread upon by millions during the day, sun beaten and dust worn. But at night time, she runs free, inviting you to travel along with her, thrills and bumps on the house. Gone are the playgrounds where I continuously embarrassed myself till I could take no more. A decision that I’ve had ample opportunity to regret ever since. All I see in their stead are apartments. Concrete blocks that hurt the eye with their uniformity.

The haunting beauty of the flickering neon lights as they fade away, their purpose served and no eyes to catch. They hang from every billboard, every market, every eating joint, shopping malls. White, yellow, red, green, blue. A reflection of different sensibilities, moods and tastes. A city synonymous with giant cutouts of its idols, who nowadays adorn not the posters of their upcoming “Mass Movies”, but instead appeal to their fans to try products which, to paraphrase “ even their dogs will not use”.

The huge sprawling malls that seem to have sprung up all over the city. Paradise where the young throng, budding passions engaged, ambitions birthed, wants and needs, disappointments and resolve created. Hey, chennai is growing. Spencer's isn't the only hangout anymore. They jostle for space with the small shops, the ubiquitous Potti Kadais, sacks of grains locked up safely, where things are still sold while being weighed in cups. The lifeline of those who have been left out of urban india's progress.

The wooden stools and benches that shake in the wind as water trucks thunder by, spilling water in thick splashes on the road. Trucks that were eagerly awaited during the thirsty summers when pots of water divided united families. Now, the only ones chasing after them are the loyal dogs, who never forget who they are supposed to bark and chase, no matter how flat the world becomes. How the mighty have fallen.

Walled off compounds that lay a curtain on the lives of the well to do, their gardens still moist and filled with the echoes of birds. Benchmarks by which ambitions are judged and plans hatched as dreams take flight. Places where the capital L has long lost relevance, replaced instead with the capital C. In the land of Ambassadors and Marutis, I was glad to lay my eyes on a Porsche and a VW sedan. Heck there's a huge BMW showroom en-route to the airport. Progress it certainly is.

Chennai. Dependable like piping filter coffee. Fiery like the molagga podi in Murugan idli kadai. Swaying and nodding to rhythm like the madisar gang at music academy.

Then you hit the airport and the illusion is shattered. Sigh. When, oh when, did the airport become Howrah station, I say?

Homes have become buildings, friends have become strangers, haunts are now haunted, tastes have become old fashioned. I have become old in a city where I was once treated like a child. Each time I visit the city, the whispers from past grow fainter and fainter. All that remain are dying echoes calling out, ebbing away. They don't even sound familiar anymore. And yet, like a rubber band, I keep coming back. With a yearning that dies when I step on its soil and which grows stronger when I’m away.

What is the source of this longing? That the city reminds me of a time when I never pondered over my frailties? A sweet time unencumbered by expectations of self and life? A period where I lived life one day at a time, carefree? A place where I was myself before I learned how to wear different masks to adapt to this world? Or the promise of the unattainable, that which we've lost and know we'll never regain?

Until next time Chennai. Until next time.

A Mausterpiece

2010-03-12T15:21:00.000+04:00

I have a confession to make. For the last few months, I have been suffering. Suffering from a complete lack of interest in things around me. The scheme and pattern of life seems monotonous, with nary a break in between, to relieve this bored soul. The monotony of daily humdrum grates inside, but there is little to no interest in pursuing a solution for the same.

This extends from (remaining) relationships, interest in the happenings around me (Whoop dee doo! Women have reservation in a parliament that was founded on a bedrock of equality in the first place), movies, music and yes, even books.

A dear friend of mine had mailed me and had asked me what book I was reading at the moment. His question had me stumped, as I was unable to give a definite answer one way or the other. On one hand, I have not been reading the traditional bound books regularly of late. There have a been a couple of wrestling related biographies, two Pynchon novels I am still trying to figure out, and a whole stack of classics that I bought at a good price at the book fair, and which have been gathering dust ( and religiously cleaned) since. But it's not the same sort of reading that I had been erstwhile pursuing in school or college even.

However, there is a caveat. There has been one form of fiction which I have been doggedly pursuing for the last 7 years. That form of fiction usually associated with the younger ones of society. Our first introduction to the world of infinite colours, shapes and lessons in morality, achievement and the maze of relationships that await us in adulthood.

Comics.

Sure, I follow the mainstream comic arcs like anyone else. I too await with bated breath for the resolution of the Blackest night and welcome the Return of Bruce Wayne. But outside of Marvel and DC, and to some extent Vertigo, I have been spreading my reading list and picking some true gems. Two graphic novels in particular, have made me pause and think and consequently elevate the appreciation I have for comic books.

One of these was the brilliant Aesterios Polyp, which I will write about someday, and the other one is the subject of this blog post.

Maus by Art Spiegelman.

Ever since I read The Watchmen by Alan Moore, I started thinking that maybe, just maybe, comic books could at time push and stretch into the realm of literature. Very few books have generated that kind of a response from me. I felt the same way reading Maus, aware that I held in my hand a piece of work so remarkable and so unlike anything i'd read before, that it was sure to provoke long sessions of introspection in the days ahead.

I have read, heard and watched quite a few material dealing with The Holocaust in my time. I have been horrified and saddened by those stories. But the personal connection just wasn't there. It was like reading about the World wars, looking at the maps, pausing at the fading photos in our history books, before moving onto the cold war period.

But this book! It's not just the metaphorical transformation of Jews into mice, Aryans into Cats, Poles into pigs, Americans into dogs that grabs you. No, what is remarkable is to read about the story within the story that unfolds. Art's battles with his past, his guilt whenever he sees his father, coming to terms with the baggage of his father's survival, the ending of the first part, where his father stands outside the gates of Auschwitz for the first time. Remarkable scenes the sent a shiver down the spine.

It is a relentless merciless tale that pounds you with details of human suffering and indignity. The tragedy in the tale is not just the horrors Art's father survives, but, as another survivor puts it to Art, “It was not the best who died, nor the best who survived. It was random”. No, there are no fairy tale endings here either. We find out that Art's mom, who battles both a frail health, depression as well as oppression, still fails to find an anchor of happiness and succumbs to fatalism. Art's father survives the worst of the war, only to wage another war against loneliness, trying in vain to reconnect with a son who is more interested in his tales of past suffering, but shies away from helping Art out with his present suffering.

Two things that linger on for me. After his father talks about the gas chambers, Art comes out onto the porch with his wife, where they discuss their inability to comprehend the full extent of what his father had endured. A couple of bugs sting them and Art sprays the bugs with pesticide with a nonchalance that the Nazis had in the concentration camps. The other of course is the beautiful way he shows the Mice donning a pig's mask (assuming a polish identity) at various times, to survive in various situations. If there has been a truer depiction of the various garbs we adorn in our lives, I would love to read it.

Maus is work of brutal, honest art. There are images in there that will haunt me forever. It's as much a celebration of survival as it is an exploration of our innate darkness. It is also depressing to realise that a race which has been subject to persecution of the worst kind, today indulges in the same atrocities that were once lent upon them.

Sometimes, literature like this can make elements of nihilism seem very compelling and hard to argue against. Stuff like this can both increase your hope in humanity and decrease your optimism about the future at the same.

After reading Maus, I can no longer feel feel a twinge of embarrassment at revealing what I have been upto. My friend, I read comics. Proudly. And I am not a kid.

Thoughts through a free fall

2009-12-26T00:02:00.001+04:00

Well, whaddaya know, I finally managed to watch a movie in that hallowed realm of budgetary reality, last minute arrival and fear of returning from the theatre empty handed, without a ticket. Yup, I finally became what I had long imagined myself one day to be, a front bencher.

The movie chosen for the honour was Avatar. Not much of a story as such, but what a rich canvas! 3D is the way of the future for sure. But since coming into touch with my limited critiquing abilities, I have ceased reviewing movies and games. What I will talk about instead, is the one image that I carried back with me, all the way to home. That magical moment when we dive into Pandora, from the gates of heaven. A heart stopping, breath taking moment that left me numb and smiling wistfully like a dumb pup.

Why do flying and diving hold such fascination for most of us? Is it an inner expression of freedom that rings true throughout the passage of time? A defiance against the oppressive bond of gravity that makes us drag our feet through the earth? And the activity of diving, when you return to your abode, picking up speed, wind whistling around you, wind buffeting and holding you up, the ground swelling and sprinting to embrace you. And in the last second, you hold up, and pull thumb your nose at the eager earth below as you take your time in making contact again.

We build the tallest buildings in the world, straining our necks to see the top and imagining what the view must be like from up there. And when you get there, the first thing you do is look down at the ground you just left. Why?

It's the same thing with flying. On the ground you can't wait to be airborne and during take off, a weird thrill courses through your head, as you wait with bated breath for that magic moment, when the wheels break free of the runway and the wings shudder. A couple of drops and rise that churn your stomach. All this while, your eyes are not focused on the unfamiliar neighbourhood you're passing through, but instead gazing back at the land below, taking in its shapes and contours, even though you've spent all your life on it.

Is our life then spent in jealousy of the birds and insects, free to go wherever they want, unencumbered by visas and passports, not fazed by the huge tracts of lands between destinations? All the shifting of bases nothing more than a throwback to our migration instincts? Is it why each time, a plane passes overhead, we all crane our necks up to take in its passage, even though it remains a sight as familiar as the bus or train arriving at their destinations? Is that why poets soar on flights of fancy to reach new heights and crash to all time new lows?

Cripes, where's the rip cord on this thing? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

The Trap

2009-11-27T12:34:00.000+04:00

Beads of Sweat rolling down my head.
Breath comes catching, careful i tread.
In a frustrated punch,palm meets palm,
as I tiptoe around the calm eye of a storm.

One by one, did i watch them fall.
Surrender their freedom, as chains are worn.
I cringe as i gnash my teeth,
their looks of contentment, let me down.

A farewell to a happier time.
Smiles and cheers didn't feel like a crime.
When we rode the winds without a care,
worries didn't drag us, death did we stare.

Now my fellow riders are bogged down,
bearing a cross made of worries, a world of doubting frowns,
Lines of sorrow, do mark a once cheerful face,
Mighty steeds, tragic, as they slow down.

A beacon that calls to those who would heed.
as i stand firm, in the bulwark of single hood,

Hark unto me, escape the noose that hangs,
to yank you into a life of servitude.

Heed my clarion call, turn a deaf ear to marital vows.
Women and men, learn to overthrow the yoke.
Live life as we were meant to live,
Not reduced to rehashed sitcom jokes.

Those trapped do yearn to be,
free as nature, like you and me.
Stay happy, stay single, stay strong.
A life full of grief, despair, arguments, inadequacy,
is surely a way of life that is wrong.

A life without commitment or "Quality time".
Guilt free to pursue what I think should be mine.
Sample the various flavors, drink in all the hues of the sun.
Why stop an epic tale, with an end at Chapter One?

Grounded Roots

2009-11-27T12:06:00.000+04:00

You know how things go in the twenties. Your thoughts oscillate like a teenager, your mind clamors for stability like a middle aged man and your sighs betray a want for a break from the hectic pace of life, in the stages where one should enter Vanaprastha and Sanyasa.

Tumultuous, torrid, confusing, soul shattering thoughts that makes one relive the imagined glories of the past in the morning, contemplate the exciting mysteries of tomorrow in the afternoon, before being dragged kicking and screaming, to live through the weary, burdensome chores of today, in the evening.

Well, one particular morning, when pangs of nostalgia proved exceptionally enchanting, i pulled out my school album. Besides the initial shock (S#$T, i used to look like that!! Wow, i had so much Hair!!) one thing that particularly struck me was, almost everyone in the album had moved outside Chennai. I'll be the first to admit I'm rotten at keeping in touch with folks. There's just a couple of people from school I keep in occasional touch with. But i do know that a lot of the people smirking, giggling, whispering, with a shine in their eyes, unaware of the disappointments, joys and turbulent phase of life ahead of them. As i looked at them, i wondered, how many of them will look at their school photos and wonder, Chennai is where i became the person i am today?

And as is usual, my thoughts then extended to a generation before us. A lot of them from small corners of India. In a Tam Bram family like mine, places you come across frequently in the journey into what has gone past include Kumbakkonam, Sriperumbudur, Virudhangar, Thanjavur, Karaikudi, and so on. A lot of those folks used to tell me, that Madras (love that name) used to be the promised land for them. A place with the promise of ever flowing rivers of milk and Coffee. A place where people got rich, and linked to the grand engine called South India.

A lot of them have grandchildren growing up in America. And in the span of two generations, a chasm has emerged. A gulf dividing cultures, sensibilities, viewpoints and beliefs. I have sadly, never made a trip to the towns where my grandparents grew up. Yet, i can imagine that my urban upbringing will bring about a disconnect if I ever do manage to make a trip.

There are stories there that i will never know about, sadly. About the frustrations at the moment when it dawns on you, that the well which forms the limits of your world, the arduous fights that mark your climb outside, being awestruck at the expanse of the world which awaits outside, yet which doesn't greet you. And the knowledge that once you cross the line, you can never truly come back. And the consequences of that moment.

The struggles of adjustment in a foreign land, coming to terms with the demands of frugality. Learning to cope up with the battles of being a lone wolf, away from the cocooned existence in the pack. Watching your children grow up as total strangers to your way of life. The proud moment when they spread their wings, and the sadness which marks their journey away from home, to lands beyond the extent to which eyes can see.

And finally, the loneliness. In the twilight of your life, in a land which you made your home. Cutoff from the past, yearning for it.

Stories that repeat themselves, over and over. Stories I would have loved to hear, Stories that will sadly, remain unknown to me.

Why do such thoughts occur to me? I really don't know. Will they continue to come to me? Absolutely. Will I make something of them? Working on it.

That's all i wrote.

The Sword Unsheathed

2009-11-02T22:43:00.000+04:00

Red is the colour,
of the blood,
streaming from beheaded foes.

Red is the colour,
of the warrior's eyes,
before facing the gallows.

Red is the colour
of the evening sky,
as day draws to a close.

Red is the colour,
of his flag,
A symbol of the fight against woe.

A hero arose from a people suppressed,
questioned those who did not forget.
Marked him for sacrifice, an example to make,
of those who questioned the steerage of their fate.

Oh they mocked, with glee they cackled.
And smote his village, with fire that crackled,
and burst and thundered, as it consumed,
the lives of those chained, now lost in fumes.

A black heart was created, with the cindered dust,
that rained on ravaged land, on a fiery dusk.
He howled a last cry, and with an oath,
unsheathed the sword, enemies to smote.

Silent as the night, invisible like sin.
All knowing yet untraceable, like misty wind.
Strong as a storm, fueled by rage,
furiously calm, a warrior sage.

He fought a long battle, won a few wars,
his sword gleamed red, his face earned scars.
Retribution, eye for an eye,
left the kingdom blind, toothless to try.

Try to stop him, they did,
with methods old and new.
Bribe, seduction and other vices,
the jolly motley crew.

Impervious he proved, and the losses kept mounting.
The final battle approached, the hour of reckoning.
And he walked onto the fields, where once flowers bloomed.
The assembled army quivered, awaiting their doom.

What happened at the battle, is a lore we'll never know.
No one returned alive, neither hero nor foe.
The ground had turned red, a stench filled the air,
severed limbs scattered everywhere, in the mad stampede of despair.

They say that when he went down,
he took thirty more with him.
They say when the authority taunted him,
he spat and smiled back at them.

And that was the last that was ever heard,
of the man who never spoke a word.
Who conquered the cowards who hid behind arms,
and never fell prey to their corrupting charms.

The tale of the warrior of the unsheathed blade,
lives on in legend of the truly brave.
We whisper his name, to grant us courage,
while he rests under an unmarked grave.

Make mine UBNR!!

2009-10-27T21:07:00.000+04:00

Time for a quick little post. Have booted my beloved Aspire one with a live Ubuntu Netbook Remis distro. Gotta say i am totally impressed. This is my first brush with a live CD and the more i use it, the more i like it.

I mean, yeah, having to save all those passwords each time can be a minor headache, and I have to install adobe flash each time i boot off the USB drive, but still, the idea of running an OS from USB and leaving my poor old SSD alone, holds an irresistable charm at the moment.

The default setup does include Open office, Firefox, Rythmbox, Pidgin, Evolution and a rudimentary movie player that is not a VLC substitute, but still, pretty much covers almost everything that i use my Aspire one for. The right hand SD reader doesn't show up at start, but since i use the left expansion slot permanently, it's a fault that i can live with.

The more Linux i use, the further away i go from MSWindows32.exe. Now, if only there was a decent WINE script to run those Directx and OpenGL wrappers.

Overall first impressions are very favourable. love the redesigned interface, with Maximus being the pick of the lot. Boot times aren't as good as Linpus and i think the battery dies out half an hour quicker, but otherwise, being Ubuntu, everything else works well out of the box.

Will give this baby a live trial for about a month. If I don't ever feel the inclination to get back to Linpus, then UBNR it is, for the aspire one at least. That or Linpus Lite 1.2 which should be released in a couple of weeks.

Make mine TUX 4 eva!!!

Progress

2009-10-24T22:31:00.000+04:00

Go on a trip to the museum,
All those chimps, when you see em.
Give yourself a pat on the back,
We've come a long way baby.

Take a look at the ground,
sinking under footsteps all around.
It once was the floor of the jungle,
but We've come a long way baby.

Can you hear the roars of the cars,
the cacaphony of conversations?
The bellow of civilisation, that surely proves,
We've come a long way baby.

See that bird, or that majestic beast,
that adorns the giant TV screens?
Once they roamed the earth, in their multitude,
when our deserts were green.

A time when waters flowed free and clear,
gave rise to life, and which now fear,
the return of her plundering murderous children,
snuffing the life that she holds dear.

Sorry, please excuse that cough,
dust riddled lungs don't do me proud.
A cancer on the planet, clogging our skies,
Death in pollution's disguise.

As we strip our forests bare,
and suck the oceans dry.
Our time may be running short but still,
our ambitions still fly high.

And till the last man draws his last sigh,
each of us will still smile.
Pat ourselves on the back and say
We've come a long way baby.

Temptations

2009-10-04T00:02:00.005+04:00

There you are, in front of my eyes.

You linger on in the periphery of my sight.

Your tantalising form, mocks and burns,

the lightest touch, sends shivers through the nights.

I know you do me no good, killing me slowly.

A shadow of who i was once, awaiting only,

another interlude, a stay in paradise,

A hunger that grows stronger, approaching its demise.

You have no idea, do you? Of what it takes,

To turn my head away, only to hesitate.

Another glimpse stolen, weakening resolve,

Fingers start twitching, tremors cascade from above.

I thought that i was strong, I thought I had the steel

to remove you forever, from the kingdom of my dreams.

But the worst part of all of it, is that you just don't care.

You lie there, mocking, resplendent, shining in my hungry stare.

All those sweaty nights, spent trying to rid myself,

of your lasting effects, the curse of your spell.

I still can't quit chocolate, diet as i might,

a burden heavy on the heart, and yet filled with delight.

Some day i will leave your shores forever,

and hopefully move on another vice.

Meanwhile I'll have another,

filled with nuts and crispies rice.

Pavlov's World

2009-10-03T23:42:00.002+04:00

There's this great joke doing the circles everywhere. You know it all too well. Every day now, some random unknown banker/world bank official/ previously unknown economist will tell you, quite seriously, "There are serious indications that the Recession has bottomed out and the recovery has begun". Flip over to the next page and you're greeted with " (Insert region name) Unemployment still at worrying levels/Decade High)". Flip over to the India page and you'll have bankers, consultants, ministers pat themselves at the "Fundamentally Sound Indian economy which has emerged unscathed". Right next to the para talking about rising prices and negative inflation(talk about about mutual incompatibility).

Nothing works on Time? Recession

Prices are high? Recession

Fraying relationships? Recession

Hate your job? Recession

The latest buzzword for chai wallah to your respected retired uncle? Recession

We parrot the word, dive into panic, and follow the herd without pausing to ask the 5 Ws and 1H we learnt about in journalism. Who caused the recession? What caused it? Where did it start? Why is a property bubble implosion in America threatening my paper wallah? When exactly did it start?(2007, 08 or 09? make up your mind Friedman). How exactly is the global economy (read America) different today from what it was three years ago?

Oh, it's not just economics. Let's talk about healthcare. We know all about the Swine Flu. However, how is it fundamentally different from the regular flu? Or the Bird Flu? I am not knocking on the unfortunate victims, but I question the panic mongering and (sadly) profiteering indulged in by pharma cos, in the name of treatment. The sad fact is, all of us take so much of what we've been told for granted, that if I were to ask you about how exactly black money could be brought back to india, when we don't have any idea about it's size, you'll splutter in indignous disbelief. "It's money that will go into children's education(like the 2.5 % we have been charged on every item, to see no visible difference in schools), healthcare (like the supposed thousands of crores the government is pumping into the sector every year) and development( the biggest black hole in the indian budget)."

Hey if Rajni and Vikram have made two movies about it, it must be true, right?

/ End Rant

The Invisibles

2009-09-18T11:24:00.002+04:00

Not inspired by the mind bending series by Grant Morrisson, so there.

The newspaper delivery boy
The Onyx worker who cleans the garbage dump
The Bus Driver and Conductor
The people working at ticket counters
Your fellow passengers and driver on a bus/ share auto
The waiter who serves you at a hotel/pub
The beggars you meet in a day
The shop owner at the mobile recharge place
The store assistants at the grocery/clothing store
The temple boys
The doctor's assistants
The usher at the movies
The petrol bunk boys and girls
The people who clean our excrement ridden railway tracks
The lady who sweeps the dust off the roads in the morning
The iron man
The chaukidaar who shouts on nightly patrols
The electrician/plumber
The cable guy
The delivery guys

The list of people who we see but do not notice. The new invisibles. I'm sure there are tons of people i've missed.

Austere Penance

2009-09-14T23:26:00.002+04:00

Doesn't the word Amar Chitra Katha conjure up images of yellowed pages, their glorious rustling and those pages after dripping with glorious 4 color art(i hate the desktop era 16 million print) ? In my case, Uncle Pai's merry crew served as my first introduction to the rich, under explored and ill understood world of indian mythology.

There were certain formulae, certain rules which every story followed. There would be an Asura, who is fuelled by certain motivation, to seek certain boons from either Bramha or Shiva. And the way to get your boon? AUSTERE PENANCE!!! I am not kidding, right from Hiranyaksha to Rahu to Chanur, and so on, every major antagonist undergoes severe meditation (with the classic anthill forming on their bodies) and god miraculously appears, grants their boons, (indirectly sowing seeds for chaos) before god/goddesses save the day.

Well, imagine my surprise when i opened today's paper, to see the word "Government's Austere Drive". Having once watched the Lok Sabha channel once (don't ask, it was a dull and lonely afternoon), i could not for the life of me imagine any of our beloved saints in delhi undertaking fasts and chanting sessions. But then again, i could imagine them as the Asuras of myth, seeking forbidde boons to obtain forbidden fruits.

But as i read through the article, i couldn't help but laugh. Austerity in India means a minister must fly economy class and make a fuss about not making any fuss. Austerity in India means only taking 3 additional people along( when only the minister is needed). Austerity in India means "Sacrificing" five star hotel stay and "only" living in posh government guest houses, situated in heart of the cities.

Do away with austerity and start collecting their dues i say!! the mountains of unpaid BSNL bills. The Crores of unpaid travel bills (for family and friends on official trips), electricity overuse, and plain old bungalow grabbing, even after being booted out by their constituencies! levy charges from their personal pay and disqualify them, when they fail to attend even 30 % of the parliament sessions.

Cynical i know. perhaps i should switch over to Hindustan Times. what say?

Invasion

2009-09-12T08:25:00.002+04:00

You return home after a tiring day out,
a sigh emanates from your lips.
Feel like whooping, too tired to shout,
and slowly, with a dream, sink into the couch.

The world goes silent, or perhaps you grow deaf,
and listen to the music of your soul.
A light that shines from within, fills your eyes,
and you discards the burdens of growing old.

Then the sting, that travels up the spine,
eyes flare open, bliss left behind.
A dread that throbs and burns you up,
a buzz announces terror, come to sup.

The nightmares that never ever leave,
on stormy nights, or humid dreams.
An enemy who cannot be slayed,
mock our progress, to our dismay.

They dwell in our homes, much before we do.
And linger long after we've left.
An evil so ancient that it will endure,
and outlast humanity, with contempt.

You slap your skin here, Oh another spot there!
Stop moving so fast, it isn't fair.
There's one of me, and thousands of you,
powerless in the glare of your stare.

There goes that hum again, the call of pain.
Of parting with blood we'll painfully regain.
I've tried smoke, mats and gel,
yet you soldier on, with total disdain.

I close my doors and windows are shut,
The lords outside try to burn you out.
Yet you always killed and continue to,
helpless we are, our defenses few.

Perhaps we only get our due,
for killing this world to suit our needs.
We may conquer space, land and sea,
but your creed conquers us with glee.

Through the ages, you've truly earned,
the title of being our greatest foe.
We will pray and hope for a day,
when we lay to waste, the menace of the mosquito.

The Great Game Resumes

2009-09-08T07:45:00.002+04:00

Well, i am taking a break from all the rhyming and indulging my verses for once. A recharge as it were, for regular prose, lest i forget how to compose it.

I recall a quote i read somewhere, which said " Politicians are bullies who never grew up and Politics remains an extension of playground warfare". Which just about sums up my feelings as i read about Chinese incursions into Indian territory.

I have tremendous respect for the men and women in uniform, who stay awake so that we may sleep. The armed forces always command a sense of respect and gratitude in India. But their masters, our ministers seldom do so.

Far too often, our politics has used the might of our army for public display and bragging purposes. Remember the year long standoff that India and Pakistan indulged in, post the attacks on the Parliament? What purpose did that action serve, besides keeping soldiers on both sides on high alert, with tensed nerves? I can't stay in a nervous state for more than five minutes, so imagine what 13 months of "High Alert" mode can do to a person.

Those who bay for the blood of their enemies, all in the name of "national honor and pride" are seldom the ones facing enemy fire in the battlefield. It is this disconnect between the glamour and horrors of war, that result in inexplicable delays in procurement of equipment, revision of pay, and upgrade in post retirement benefits. While the babus themselves are busy in increasing their salaries and extending the reach of benefits doled out to them.

As far as Chinese incursions go, my gut feeling is that the Chinese authorities are playing mind games with our leadership, to gauge their reaction levels. In today's world, apart from USA, no country has the sanction to invade another in the name of "liberation and spread of democracy". But what can be tested, is the reaction times of foreign armies, as well as the strength(or the lack of) of their intelligence network. Officialese notwithstanding, the People's Army can add another feather into it's cap, with two successful exercises of incursions into hostile territories.

This "Bluff" game has made the Centre nervous and left them high strung. While our ministers spend their time in drafting the expression of outrage, General Ping and his boys must be patting themselves in the back, over a job well done. The scars of the lost war may have healed, but the wound festers within.

Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai. Just like the Ambanis.

Adrift

2009-09-05T20:03:00.003+04:00

I bob gently, up and down,
nauseous and yet not.
Seldom does panic desert me,
the way to the shore, lost.

While i try to ponder and decide,
is it murder or suicide?
To waste your life as it goes by,
Always shrinking and shirking,
from a burden only you can feel.

Not an anchor on whom to fix,
my empty reserves of prayers. Bliss
which teases and never comes,
into my arms, efforts undone.

Am i alive? Am i dead?
Not a feeling left in my head.
A heart that pumps a blood so cold,
freezes love and blackens gold.

Where is the rope that will bind,
a person to what they hope to find?
What is this elusive hunger to live?
A shoulder to lend, a hand to give?

The kingdom of life, a paradise, an island,
on the ocean of eternal sleep.
As i bob up and down, i slowly part,
with all the memories that i keep.

The temples of Beauty, Love and Lust,
Affection, Sympathy, Hope and Trust.
Their flames burn a bright farewell, to those who travel
ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The silent sea all around me,
frothing and never still.
Impatient to claim me for itself,
moving in for the kill.

No regrets or unfulfilled wishes,
Stilled ambitions, lost kisses.
No remaining ties to my world,
nothing of note to remind.

As i bob up and down, I duck and sink
and leave the living world behind.

Flying to the Moon

2009-07-23T19:48:00.006+04:00

I can hear her, when she comes calling.

The moon, when she croons.

The sweetest song, enthralling,

which she whispers, to us loons.

When she bathes the world at night,

our stage is flooded with her spotlight.

The dogs and cats let us know,

and await us, as their eyes do glow.

And the winds that rush through the trees,

bring noises and messages with the breeze.

A whole world ripe, ready for taking,

filled with chaos of our making.

The fools who term our freedom as madness,

shiver with fright, that we harness.

Your deepest fear, always thus,

that you too could be one of us.

Why bear one life, when you can be,

not one person, but rather three.

Why live chained by a moral code,

and not take a journey down our road?

To do as you please, live in the now.

Focus not on the why, but the how.

fearing death, why live so weak?

Stop the talk and start to speak.

See the world the way we do,

break the cages you're shackled into.

See reality, so mundane,

bland enough to turn one insane.

It's not too late, even for you.

Take not one life, spare not two.

Behind every circle lies a square,

happiness is a mask for despair.

It's not a thing entirely bad,

to be called a person mad.

It means that you don't conform,

like these idiots, from the day they're born.

The moon, she knows all this.

Smiling as she sees our bliss.

As long as she guides our flow,

our blessed tribe will continue to grow.

A Day At The Beach

2009-07-19T19:08:00.000+04:00

The first image that “Chennai” brings to my mind, is the vast expanse of sand against which the Bay of Bengal introduces itself, gently. The beach has remained eternal and constant, while the city adjoining has undergone a 'sea' change.

As we so proudly proclaim, we are blessed with one of the longest coastlines in the world. The sight of the Marina beach on a Sunday evening can be a sobering reminder of the multitude that reside beyond it's shores. I've read in several books that one can smell the sea much before gazing upon it. Sadly, that remains another art that I've yet to master.

As you approach the water, you become aware of the noise of the city, slowly ebbing away until you reach that magical mid point, where neither the city nor the bay intrude upon the aural senses. A time where you can actually hear your inner voice, feel your heart beat, temples throb. Then you feel the caress of the wind, that welcomes you like a lover, long lost. You soak in the warmth of the sand as it slowly sinks, to accommodate the rude intrusion of your feet. And as you proceed, you hear the gentle grunt, not the mighty roar, of the water as it crashes upon the eastern shelf of the Indian subcontinental shelf.

Once you look back at where you came from, you realize that this is a city built around the shore. This becomes apparent as you gaze upon the several Victorian architectural splendors, each with a rich history, all along Kamaraj Salai. Then you look forward to the coast and notice the litter strewn across the shoreline, all the way from the light house to the harbor. Such callousness towards a natural wonder leaves one seething with anger.

That anger soon evaporates when a gust of sea breezes pushes you as you push against it, to reach the grayish muddy waters. Water that approaches discreetly, as if shy of it's coolness, in calm defiance of the scorching mid day sun. With each wave that laps your feet, you feel the tug of that ancient bond. The bond that we, children of the ocean (after all, life did take it's tottering steps in it's nurturing depths) can't deny, though our history of progress has made us forget.

And then the knick knack vendors, beggars, horse riders all clamor for your attention, breaking the idyll of the spell. It reminds you of the noisy bustling and ultimately soul sapping world that you must return to. Ever notice how one always “Rushes to the shore” but always “Trudges back to the land”?

As you return back to the mainland, and look back at the sea with longing, you also notice that your footprints are lost in the midst of a billion footprints of all shapes and sizes. Which will be replaced tomorrow by a million more footprints, all lost and swept away by the winds of change and time.

The only things that will remain eternal are the waves, still gently trying to reclaim and bring back the errant land, that ran away from it's fold, eons ago.

Six Degrees of Solitude

2009-07-19T19:04:00.000+04:00

Questions that sear and plague the mind.

Riddles whose answers seem unkind.

Despair that seeps into your bones, so cold.

Worries that leave the young feeling cold.

The burden of the world we seem to bear,

taking on risks we'd never dare.

All for a smile or a loving look,

measuring one's worth, summed up in the pass book.

Envying your peers, as they move on.

Trying to shake off that attitude forlorn.

Lack of opportunities, your only excuse,

which lets you sleep- the classic ruse.

Never admit that you're bored.

Bored of yourself and insecure.

Make a resolution, determined to change,

and fall back into the routine you wanted to disengage.

Now your chair creaks in an empty home.

A shrine to the past that will soon be gone.

And you're forced to admit – you weren't that good.

No one will mourn your passing,

nor they should.

Civil Disobedience or Public Nuisance?

2009-07-18T20:51:00.000+04:00

We are a nation that is in love with it's history yet mystifyingly ignorant of it. We're great on the names, not so good on the details. For e.g. We know the main ruling dynasties – the Mauryas, The Guptas, The Mughals etc. Some naughty people would also include the Nehru Gandhi family in this category. Yet ask any college going (Non History obviously) student to name all the rulers in succession and you'll hit a stone wall 9 times out of 10.

There was an auto strike called yesterday, to protest the rise in oil prices. While i appreciate the fine samaritans that the auto wallahs of Chennai are (after all, it's not like they fleece their customers , or demand non standard fares, or tamper with non functioning meters, or anything), what drew my ire was the lack of uniformity in their protest.

Now, being currently domiciled in the northern parts of the city, i had to rush to the western side pretty urgently. As i neared the bus stand, i saw a large crowd, which was explained by a bystander – Auto strike Saar! Naturally this meant an unusually tense struggle, trying to get into the bus. That was fine. However, when i reached my destination, to my surprise, i found various autos plying. When i asked one guy why this was so, all he said was – those guys belong to a different union sir. We dont have any issues.

Here's my gripe. On what basis, or authority, does one bloc of public service decide to suspend activities, restricted to one part of a city? What were they protesting really? Didn't we have a severe hike in oil prices last year too? And isn't it the government itself which is fixing the prices, and not some shady private company?

Our civic authorities have not designated areas for bus stops in most of the city. So, elderly and sick citizens often have to stand in the heat and wait for a bus, or as a recourse, employ the services of an auto. Never mind the fact that our buses are extremely hazardous for any senior citizen, right from the steep steps, to the lack of adequate support while standing, or the impatient driver, who just can't wait to get out of the bus stand.

When i quizzed a protester after returning, he claimed to be a follower of the glittering example set by our father of the nation. “Sir, Gandhiji launched a civil disobedience movement to protest injustice. We are also protesting the harsh raise in price.”

To cut a long story short, i was so astounded, shell shocked and overcome upon seeing such accurate understanding of our founding fathers' beliefs, that i silently muttered a prayer. A prayer to save us from such stalwarts of public order. Jai Hind!

Roger That!

2009-07-06T17:05:00.002+04:00

I can recall watching the Sampras Agassi showdown in Wimbeldon, back when i was in school. Which happened before humanity discovered the joys of Twittering, Social Networking and sold it's collective privacy to online marketing. But i digress.

Watching the match, i could feel the goosebumps on my skin, and a sinking awareness that i was witenssing something that was transcending the much abused "great" and settling into the abode of the "Immortal". While the tennis on that day was nothing short of genius, it was the poetry that it inspired on the next day, that etched the occasion into the forefront of memory. One particular line still brings about a smile to my face- " Today, Pete Sampras did not just play tennis. He walked on water."

Roger Federer is one of the unfortunate men to inspire awe, appreciation, respect even. But never love. Just like Michael Schumacher, Sir Alex Ferguson, Lennox Lewis, or even Pete Sampras at the peak of his powers, Federer is a sporting champion. But not a People's champion.

Perhaps it has to do with envy. Envy that singes most of us, when we see examples of God's gifts seperating the tremendous from the common. We like to cherish heroes who give us hope that those hailing from our world can ascend to the heavens. We cheer heroes who seem to carry the same flaws, suffer from the same anxiety and moments of doubt that plague our daily lives and act as excuses, holding us back.

And when sheer genius appears, slapping our complacence and laughing at our idiotic beliefs, we react with anger, envy and derision.

Yesterday's match was one of the greatest displays of tennis you could have ever found. A true sporting afficionado would not have held it to be below the drama and skill of last years epic battle. There seems to be a unanimous opinion that this match simply didn't have enough "Attacking" tennis. Hey, it wasn't for the lack of effort from either player, who spilled their guts and then some, on the court.

The reason why most people still seem to put down Roger Federer ("he hasn't achieved a Grand Slam like Rod Laver!, "Hey, Rafael Nadal owns the guy! Let him come back and then we'll see!") is because he laughs at the time honored theories of how to succeed in tennis.

The man makes his tennis effortless, which somehow, to the majority of the public, doesn't seem exciting or magical enough. We were mesmerised by the speed of Roddick's serve. Yet were baffled by how 50 of Federer's serves went unreturned. We keep hearing about how good his forehand and backhand is, how he uses angles and dips the ball into his opponent. But none of that craftsmanship is visible to us.

No matter how many grand slams he goes onto win, some of us "Sporting Gurus" will continue to lay doubts on his legacy and place in the pantheon of sporting gods.

Federer could aptly care less. While Sampras did walk on water all those years ago, Federer has created a symphony on the lawn court, with the racquet as his instrument. We who are deaf, are yet to hear the magic of his lute.

The Return of the Native

2009-07-06T16:43:00.002+04:00

Almost a month has passed, since my return to my homeland. A return that had conjured thousands of scenes in the confines of mind. A passage that i thought would mark an evolution in my thoughts and approach. A journey that i'd eagerly anticipated & somewhat worried over.

And now? All i can think of is -"For this? You devoted the focus of your cortex, towards this?"

You know, it's funny how most travel stories always center around the disenchantment of a traveller when he returns home. But i think we always get it wrong. It's not the wandering and now returning native who finds his home "Alien". Oh no, it's the home that's moved on and made peace with his absence.

I spent a week, furiously noting down what i felt were brilliant notes on what exactly is wrong with the system of our country. The noise, the crowds, the chaos, public displays of Litterage (PDL anyone?), random chaos, failure to provide basic infrastructure etc. You know the routine. It's happened to all of us, when the fabled "US Relative" makes a visit and starts on the "This country" rap.

But two quick trips to different cities have proved to be a boon. Travel is a gift bestowed on us, that we seldom appreciate or indulge in. Yet it presents us the only opportunity, to hear our thoughts, while in transit. It gives us refuge from worries of the present, regrets of the past and fearful anticipation of the future.

I realised that India can function with all it's weaknesses, accomodating the dreams, desires, schemes, ambitions and anger of a billion people.Yes, things are wrong. Terribly wrong here. And salves for our festering wounds still seem far away on the horizon. But at the end of the day, the grumbling voice of one, is lost in the uproar and cries of a billion. A system that somehow seems to work, trudge towards progress at a pace that would grant a snail a gold medal at the Olympics.

A system that can be summed up in two phrases : "So What?" and "No, it's not possible".

And you know what, i've settled into the movement of the city, adjusted to the roar of my people, sweating like the rest of us, prostrating, cursing, resisting, screaming as we go about trying to be better than the person sitting next to us.

I know what you're thinking: "Yeah yea. So you've returned from the Gulf. So What?"

The Return

2009-04-30T17:35:00.000+04:00

The world seems suddenly lighter,

my thoughts they wander free.

Discarding the invisible shackles,

I now wander free.

The ties that clipped my wings,

lie now at my feet.

Free to choose glory or ruin,

Free to stand on my feet.

My pride shall never be pawned again,

nor will i suffer fools.

Better to reign in hell than

get crushed in servitude.

Do what feels to me is right,

Do what to me feels honest.

No paeans to false gods,

no praising false prophets.

The shores of home are calling,

Hint of a warm embrace.

I did not leave in triumph

Nor do i return in disgrace.

PC Config for May

2009-04-28T21:24:00.000+04:00

Well, it's been a while since i wrote about the PC industry. Last time i wrote, i had gone ape over AMD's resurgence in competitiveness. Let me admit it, ever since Abu Dhabi picked up a major stake in it, i have become even more of an AMD guy. Misplaced sense of loyalty i agree.

Back to topic. AMD followed up the lacklustre showing of the original Phenom with a reworked Phenom II that has finally allowed them to march in step with Intel's Core 2 lineup. Look up on the net for reviews of the Phenom II 920, 940 and 955. I will sum up simply that rupee for rupee, AMD and Intel are evenly matched at the moment.

But, the fly in the soup still remains. AMD has NO product that can compete with the Intel i7 lineup. But since AMD has been targeting the lower and mid segment of the market, they remain viable options as of now.

On the graphics front, the ATI acquisition is finally beginning to make sense. The failure of the 2xxx and 3xxx series did not deter them and they've followed up with a master stroke in the form of the 48xx series. AMD's strategy of not trying to top Nvidia's Top end performance and instead focus on the sub 200$ market has meant tremendous paisa vasool for us.

But on the pricing front, the Indian market sticks out like a sore thumb by pricing the 4850 at 8k upwards. One can buy the vastly more powerful 4870 at these prices abroad. Here's hoping that a price correction happens pretty soon.

Onto my dream specs for the summer.

Amd Phenom II X3 720 - 7500/

Biostar Tforce 790GX 128M motherboard (for a shot at unlocking the X3 720's fourth core) - 5000/

Corsair 2x2 GB DDR 2 800 - ~3000

Seagate Barracuda 500 GB - ~3000

500 W SMPS - ~1500

Regular ATX cabinet - ~ 1500

Geforce 260 192 Core Card - ~ 11000

BenQ 22 " LCD monitor - ~ 8500

The rest like K/B and Mouse can be found for around 600, and you could get decent speakers for around 2000 more. throw in a 1000 for a DVD writer.

This gives you a decent gaming rig for under 40 K that should serve most of your gaming needs (barring Crysis) for the next 2 years at the very least.

you could also throw in a 4850 instead of the 260, and give yourself future breathing space with the option to crossfire in the future, when the prices for the 4850 drop.

well, that's about it for my rig recommendation for the summer.

I will throw in my next recommendation around September.

Oh Coffee Coffee!!

2009-04-27T20:47:00.000+04:00

Came across an interesting tidbit the other. Seems like Coffee is the second most shipped item in the world, after petroleum. Seriously.

Glad to know that the demand for the cuppa hasn't reduced despite all the downturns.

Kaappi and i go back a very long way. It is an essential part of the Tam Bram upbringing. The urgent demands to get some "Kaappi Podi Urgentaa" from the market, whenever a relative from the south would come by. The wonderful smell from the gunny bags in the shop as the boy in the "Chettiar Kaddai" (now that's an exclusive outlet, in Jamshedpur, if there ever was one) would lift a bunch of them in that weird shaped spoon.

The tiny pouch that would be the receptacle and fit in my tiny palms. The mad rush home when Amma would begin the process of making that "DecoGtion" which would act as the ultimate benchmark for south indian hospitality. That wonderful smell that would waft into all rooms of the house and me silently abusing those lucky relatives who would get a sip of that wonderful elixir.

Oh Yes, being a coffee aficionado in the heart of Tea(Chai) country was perplexing, exasperating and wonderfully rewarding in terms.

Moving to Madras(Yes, i still love that graceful old name for the city) was in small parts the equivalent of a pilgrimage for coffee loving me. All those wonderful shops of Kaafee Podis, waiting for me..

Alas, as was to be a trend for the rest of my life, rubbing my hands in glee with anticipation was always a precursor to the shattering of hopes subsequently.

That vile invader called "Instant Coffee" happened. Battalions after battalions of the army of true coffee lovers fell victim to the pretender to the throne. In vain, did i see the weak of the soul fall prey to the sweet lies proclaimed in the beautifully shot ads. Oh, the enemy was well organised. He found allies in all parts of India. And the horror!! That last bastion of "Kaappi", Chennai, caved in and drowned in the sea of coffee packets!!

I must admit, to my eternal shame, that witnessing the loss of the nobility of the bean, scarred me and i hid. I hid under the rock of plain milk for several years, doing nothing.

When Kaddai after Kaapi Kaddai shuttered their doors forever, i hid. When "Nescafe" and "Bru" became synonymous with the term Coffee, I Hid.

When my Patti betrayed the elixir of gods and took her first sip of packet podi, I shed a tear. While I hid.

Oh The Carnage...

Now, as i come back to the battlefield, i marvel the efficiency the enemy has shown. There are no carcasses here, rotting away, oh no. The bones have been pecked and cleaned and all indications of blood have been wiped away.

the kingdom of the packet has also been butchered and swept away in the annals of time, by the Empire of the "Starbucks" that stretches across the globe. Truly, it can be said, "The Empire of the Cafes catches no Winks".

I am the last of my kind. I am a lone warrior, a pariah who is wandering the desert, in the search for my manna. I have sinned a hundred times, consuming cup after cup of that celebration of manufactured taste and smell. Yet feeling dirty, as a vampire who sucks the life out of the hope for a Kaappi revival.

Where are my brethren? Are there no remnants of my ilk, who dotted the landscape just a decade ago? Is there no one who will join me as we try to reclaim the holy land? Will no one heed my call, and join forces to defeat the greater foe, the cult of TEA?

I shun the sweet waters, I abhor the daughters of Grape.
I turn my face away from packets of artifice.
I live, therefore i thirst and wander weary
awaiting a return to erstwhile glory.

Oh Coffee Oh Kappi
How far art thou fallen.
Oh Coffee Oh Kappi
Vitality that has been stolen.

Seeing Red

2009-04-26T20:42:00.001+04:00

May is almost here and we all know what that means… Blackest Night is upon us and I for one am hoping that Geoff Johns is able to turn in a better summer crossover than Grant Morrison did on Final Crisis.

If that first para made no sense to you, it’s ok. *whispers* it’s a comic related thingy, u know, juvenile stuff */whisper*

If you read Green Lantern, you’ll know that the basic premise is driven by the association of a particular emotion with a color. So for eg. Red is associated with Rage, Green with Will, Yellow with Fear etc.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to whack out and started seeing red all over the place. Kind of like Jim Carrey’s character in The Number 23.

The abundance of Red in our lives can only lead to a simple conclusion.

We are a society filled with Anger and Hate.

That explains the following phenomenon:

· The most popular shades of Lipstick, Hair Dye and Nail Polish? You guessed it!

· The most popular color for Cars? Wow! You’re Good

· The color of the traffic light that causes the most number of accidents?

· What color are the hearts drawn in most cards?

· What was the color of the Carpet that stars like Bale, Crowe walked on?

I could go on and on. Point is, with the media feeding you constant news reminding us of the beast within us, with constant reminders of the divisions that mark us, constant reminders of the perils around us, and with the abundance of the color red around us, is it any wonder then,

Ki Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai?

/The Red Indian Signs Off/

Vote Blank Politics

2009-04-25T21:50:00.002+04:00

The second phase in the grand exercise we call parliamentary elections just concluded. This time now, till we have the swearing in of the next government in Delhi, is exactly the stuff that Messrs Pranoy Roy & Co live and breathe for. This also used to be the time, when newspapers could safely count on our politicians to supply enough fodder to fill out all their pages with glee.

But a bit of distance helps changing perspectives. This is my first election from foreign shores. And if i were to sum up my opinion on this one, in one word, i would choose APATHY.

Granted, Shekhar Suman's plunge into the matkas and jhatkas of regular politics has robbed us of the excellent Poll Khol programme. That apart, this election seems remarkably bereft of character. While i can't put my finger on the exact reason, the maddening passion that generally marks the tussle and tumble of the Indian politics just seems off this time.

Whether this is due to greater concerns on the impact of the recession, or saturation of political coverage due to the armada of TV Channels, or the gradual blurring of ideology that used to distinguish our major parties or perhaps, the lack of a young leader, with a refreshing change of attitude/ideas/approach is up for debate.

While every Raju, Ganpat and Murari is predicting a hung parliament this time, i am a firm believer that opportunism and greed will hold their sway and give us a sworn in government at least for the next 2 years. what happens post that is beyond the scope of even the magic crystal ball.

What is of much greater interest to me however, is the voter turnout among the newly registered voters. I am also going to watch out for the positions and maneuvering that the so called "Third Front" is doubtless going to indulge in.

Sadly, i see the sun setting on the stellar public life of Dr Manmohan Singh a year from now. He was a spotless man in a muck of rajniti, and he along with Montek Singh will go into the history books unsung.

I will not put my neck out to predict a winner but i do think that unless BJP finds a new generation of leaders or allows the current gen to step out of Vajpayee and Advanis shadows, the party risks being relegated to the fringes of the right. Which is a danger in itself to our country. A Congress that is fearless of the "Threat from the Right" will relapse into the babugiri of the last 5 decades at the drop of a hat.

Dont agree with what I've written? That's ok with me. So long as we all take the Elections seriously, i dont mind anyone faulting my views at all.

Love It or Hate It
Dont Ignore IT.

Now back to my regular mind killing, creativity sapping, spark sapping dreary existence.

A Historic Amnesia

2009-04-25T21:46:00.002+04:00

First off let me admit, the current bit of introspection comes after watching Anurag Kahyap’s Gulal. The movie is a must watch for anyone interested in the shenanigans and Machiavellian scheming that goes on unreported, in the dusty heartlands of India. I found the first half to be a welcome breath of fresh air in hindi cinema, which for once, tackled a subject that has not yet been brought to life on the silver screen.

However the main plot of the movie, which deals with aristocratic discontent in a post Indira Gandhi India, got me thinking. Here is a chunk of Indian history, which had huge ramifications for the notion of a democratic republic of india. Here is a piece of celluloid that deals with one of the most important issues –the absorption( or devouring, depending on the viewpoint) of the 600+ erstwhile princely states that now make up the landmass of our country. Here is a movie that deals with the struggle of assimilation, a tale that involves coercion, bargains, deals, unfulfilled promises and threats.

And yet, I as an Indian who underwent the prescribed education in school, remain blissfully ignorant of this part in the story of the country. In fact, most of the education I received has since fallen by the wayside. This by no means is a knock on my wonderful school. I would like to look at it as a symptom of our faulty view of education.

History is one of the most moving and overwhelming subjects that ought to be taught with a view of not just imparting dates and places and sizes of kingdoms on maps. No, the objective of our lessons should be to transport us back into the palaces. To visualize the splendor as well as the societal conditions that existed then. To not drill plain names into our heads, but to give us living breathing figures, prone to the same passions and miscalculations that plague our daily lives.

When I refer to historic India, we all remember the grand names, like the Mauryas, Guptas, Mughals, Marathas etc with all the fervor of a freshly landed tourist with a guide book in hand. But how many of us can actually recount the shaping of our culture, the evolution of our language, the introduction and spread of several faiths, the sowing of the seeds of future conflicts, the reasons for the various conquests, the reasons for the burgeoning population, the wealth and eventual pillage at the hands of invaders, the arrival and reasons for the spread of the east india company.

Bluntly put, we are taught history in 3 main stages. The classic age, where we are told India was “the golden bird”. A whole lot of pats on the backs as we recall our advancements in sciences and arts and commerce, upto the Gupta period. Then we deal with the Mughal Rule and the subsequent shameful era of the Raj. The crowning glory then is the freedom struggle and the partition and 15th august.

But where are the details, of our participation in the World Wars? And what happened to our story post independence? What of the struggles of a young India, tottering after 2 crippling centuries of british looting? What about the simmering communal tensions, that devastate us even today? What about the genesis of the march of the Dalits to the forefront of national politics? What about the License Raj, a time when there were limits on the amount of sugar a family could consume? What about India’s struggles against Pakistan and China? What about the battles with domestic terrorism in the west, the heartlands and the northeast?

The story of the accession of J&K, Junagadh, Hyderabad and the ilk remain silent chapters, safely skipped over in our classes and exams. And the biggest omission of them all, in my eyes, remains the criminal exclusion of the Emergency.

There is no way that you can instill the meaning of freedom, democracy, rights and duties, the influence of judiciary, press freedom, censorship etc without teaching us about the Emergency. The other silent areas include the Sikh Riots, The crushing of the Khalistan Movement, the IPKF fiasco, the Babri Masjid, the Stock market crashes of 92, 2000 etc.

If you ever wonder why the new generation is apathetic to the trials and upheavals that we have witnessed as a country, look no further than to our text books. We call ourselves a nation, yet we do not know the meaning of it. The value of freedom, the meaning of it, as opposed to the definition, will only be truly found out when one is locked up in a cage. Far too many of us abuse the electoral system with our non participation, to really understand the magnificence of the privilege afforded to us.

Enough of the rant. Maybe next time, my anger would have simmered down enough to write in a more cohesive manner.

Resolving Resolutions

2009-02-21T20:29:00.002+04:00

So two more months are almost up in what looks to be yet another addition to my lackluster life. And conforming to precedents, i made two resolutions. one is still going strong ( i would continue to wallow in self mockery and self pity) while i have fallen off the wagon on the other.

i made a solemn vow to shed that ugly bulge that manages to make itself prominent on the sides. and just about everywhere else. i made this solemn promise while looking into the mirror (eye of the tiger in the background).. and couldnt help notice my triple chin do the best imitation of a ripple. when i growled.. or was that my stomach?

wish i could cut to a montage of me running on the beach, lifting heavy trunks of wood, smashing blocks of concrete, changing the earth's orbit with my pushups etc. and finally, coming back to the mirror and marvelling at the rock hard abs and rippling biceps.. keyword - " WISH"..

woke up for three mornings straight, and proceeded to sleep straight away. getting ready for office is tough right?

evenings fared no better. somehow, coming home always coincided with dinner. which can't be postponed AT ANY COST!! but something had to give somewhere..

enter brainwave, bulb lighting up, apples falling from trees, bath tubs and the like... i found the perfect formula.. no carbs, no proteins, no fats... no problem..

how much time does it take for laser to come back from the moon? how much time does it take for a chocolate bar to enter the mouth? that's about how long my resolution lasted..

end result, i have to get myself new pair of pants, shirts and shoes.. but hey, dont knock it. i am a member of the time honored " Healthy Indian" club. i dont mind that i leave a lasting impression on the road, or that it takes 5 people to sit in the back, to balance the taxi out. or that the lift screams in agony whenever some moron steps in with me.. seriously those people need to lose weight...

see, my brutal honesty is intact as ever. now if you dont mind, i have that wonderful milkshake to catch up with.

Truly (Aspirin)g ?

2009-02-09T21:16:00.003+04:00

5 days from now, messrs hallmark & co will shell out huge advertising dough to convince everyone about the potency of love at first sight. meanwhile, a couple of rockheads in india will be out for blood, rounding up more hapless college goers, who just want a bit of privacy.

i have never bought into the whole hoopla of first impressions. there have been lots of times when the book turned out to be much better than the cover. one such case is the netbook that my sis got for herself.
ostensibly, the netbook was to be utilised for academic pursuits. basically, i got her the cheapest netbook that i could find which happened to be the Acer Aspire One. Running on an Intel Atom processor, with 512 MB ram and 8 GB SSD drive, in a small package that throws in a 9 inch display with wifi. sweet deal with the linux option.

although i scoffed at this weakling initially, i must admit that as time has flown, i prefer using it to my godzillaic 17 inch presario laptop. and the Linpus Lite linux distro grows on you like a charm. getting the VLC, Open Office rpms from the yum installer was simple, and installing the NTFS debian package also made it read my external hard disks.

nifty and nimble. boots in 20 seconds flat. easy to lug around in a backpack, and attracts the right kind of looks. the only downer is that the battery lasts for 2 and a half hours, with the 3 cell version that i bought, although a more expensive 6 cell battery option is there.

desktop replacement it aint. but for practical portability, this one is hands down the best deal on the planet, which i had for 999 AED (around 250 $ i think).

kudos for intel and the atom, for making the netbook a reality. however, it's more of a case of intel cannibalizing it's lineup. lets face it, why splurge 400 $ upwards for basic functionality? in these times?

the great depression

2009-02-06T22:06:00.003+04:00

little tommy only knows
his house is his no more.
his mom is moving him somewhere else
little tommy bids goodbye to beloved shores.

there is mohammed, worrying about
his father's land that will now be sold.
and his feeble protests fall on ears deaf,
as roots are severed, to stock up the gold.

IT meister Arjun sighs,
as the pink slip greets him.
all those loans for a house and car,
have claimed another victim.

Peter Han is worried sick, as
his stocks obey the laws of gravity.
mountains of unsold goods touch the sky,
but the base reeks of depravity.

history repeating itself again,
once again we succumbed to greed.
countless tears that have been shed,
hopes and ambitions bleed.

is there an end in sight?
i dont know.
will tomorrow be a better place to be?
i dont know.

perhaps this is a passing cloud,
not a thunderstorm.
but dreams shall endure
when nightmares come true,
tis our curse to carry on.

21 questions

2009-02-06T21:51:00.000+04:00

why is despondency so hard to shake off?
why does each day make me loathe 8 to 5:30 jobs?
why does an uncertain future scare the $%^& out of me?
why am i doing what i am doing?
why does everything seem so meaningless?
how can i be so tired of living when i havent even lived half of it?
is it good or bad to want to leave one's home?
why does guilt always accompany any answer to the above question?
what does one have to show for 40 years of service?
how come, no matter how much progress we make, the middle class never becomes affluent?
why cant one shake off worries and take risks in life?
why does one long for solitude and then subsequently long for company?
all of us speak. does anyone really understand us?
is leaning towards deism a step towards heresy?
why do we create borders when only 30 % of the earth is land?
if all the world is the stage and we are all the players, where the hell is the audience?
does anything that we do really matter?
is life really hell and death our redemption?
are these the questions triggered by a recession?
why am i so prone to fatalism?
why are you still reading this?

AMD IS BACK BABY!!!

2009-01-16T10:51:00.003+04:00

as a certified fan of the UAE owned semiconductor giant, and as a long time athlon fan, i am tremendously excited to see AMD's fine return to form with the phenom 2 x4 920 and 940 processors.

i know that benchies on the net give them a negative rating vis a vis core i7, but for me it was interesting to note that clock for clock, outside of hardcore video editing environments, they ran neck and neck with the core 2 quads (45 nm) and almost matched the core i7 in a few benchmarks.

for me, that's a tremendous achievement if you consider the fact that right now, the phenom 2 is only working with DDR2 ram. once we get the AM3+ mobos readied and throw in a couple of DDR3 sticks in, i fully expect the phenom 2s to leave the C2Qs in the dust.

but let's get down to where it really matter, gaming. i was most excited to see the phenom 2 perform outstandingly in games, where it was a 30-40 % faster than the older phenom quads.

and the price!!! for the price of a phenom 2 quad, and with AM2 mobo and a 4 gig stick of DDR2 ram, i will have more than enough cash to throw in a 4850x2, a 260 core216 or even a 280 video card, for the same price as a bare bones core i7 setup.

that to me seems like a tremendous value for money proposition, which will give us a reasonable system that can finally answer the only question that has mattered to PC hardware in the last year and a half.

yup, we got an answer to " Can it Run Crysis Bro?"

yeah man, 1250 $ will give you what you need

grant morrison is a #!@$#@$ genius

2009-01-16T10:26:00.004+04:00

damn, just finished reading Final Crisis 6. to say that it is a culmination of one of the most well connected and well conceived arcs i have read is a massive understatement.

spoiler warning for those who have somehow managed to navigate the web without running into the finale of FC6.

batman's death is a fitting conclusion to his gradual deconstruction that grant began with RIP. i know that a lot of fanboys have cried themselves hoarse over the apparent low payoff that bruce's death was given ("Just two pages, count them, Two Pages, TWO!!!")

my take on it is, you cant read final crisis like any regular summer crossover event. Grant Morrison has delivered an innovative experiment, where rather give us a third person view, similar to the isometric experience that we get in RTS games, he actually gives us an upclose and extremly intimate look at how even superheroes are affected in face of an evil that you dont have an answer to.

by not focusing on action pieces, and giving us page after page of character interaction, we finally get to see how people react when the world around them is falling apart.

for those who found it very confusing, i admit it requires quite a bit of knowledge of DC folklore, but there are pleanty of FC annotations available on the web. while you dont really need to know much about Anthro or Kamandi to get to the gist of FC, knowing about kirby's tremendous work with the fourth world will give you a greater appreciation of what a real crisis should be.

not some all powering sci fi villain who merely absorbs universes, not some angst ridden hero turned villain who wanted to recreate the universe. no, the greatest evil has to be a god who wants to remake the world in his image.

for 5 issues, we have seen our heroes become helpless as the skies turned red. helpless as their loved ones succumbed to the anti life equation. helpless as 6 billion eyes and 3 billion voices spoke out in the voice of Darkseid.

the highlight of FC for me, will be Turpin giving into darkseid, and the thumbs up splash will forever remain as wallpaper material.

the other highlight for me, will be the apparent death of batman. a lot of batfans will complain that bruce picking up a gun and firing on someone is totally out of character. that point i agree on.

but, when bruce confronted darkseid, he was not the same bruce we know. think about it. the guy just endured insane levels of mental torture at the hands of the black glove i RIP. he was pushed beyond breaking point and managed to overcome all odds in the end.

then he got captured and had to relive all the painful memories of his life again. scene by scene. think about reliving your nightmares for over a month, every single day. that's what he managed to overcome. WITH ONLY HIS MEMORIES!!!

before firing the gun, bruce broke his cardinal vow of never killing anyone. he drove The Lump to death by using his memories as a weapon. even though he promised lump that a part of him would live on in bruce's mind, lump did die thanks to bruce.

so when he confronted darkseid, he was at the end of the tether, mentally. he saw that there was just no way out of this. coupled with his total inabilty to affect any of the outcomes in the previous crisis' he finally snapped as he saw the total fall of his world.

his refusal to give into the antilife equation in the face of certain death makes him the ultimate badass of FC. superman was missing, wonder woman gave into the ALE, but Bats hung onto his humanity and made the greatest sacrifice.

for those complaining that superman's entry wasnt dramatic enough, please.. did you even read the page again? remember how the furies werent even tickled by the entire superheroes team minus the trinity?

kal el flies in through the red skies, burns his way to the bludhaven bunker, lays waste to the furies and emerges with a smoking corpse wearing batman's costume.

i dont think it's bruce by any shot. i think that it is turpins' body wearing the batman costume. i think that darkseid has transfered himself into bruce's body. but next issue, we will see him finally lose to bruce's willpower. i think the end of bruce will be him shutting down mentally and living in a vegetative state, to prevent darkseid from breaking out again.

that would explain the whole thorgal preparation that bruce underwent for over a year.

once again, morisson shows a tremendous abulity to weave a tapestry of events that are held together by strands of providence.

this is the most uncrossover crossover event i have read in a long time and for the guts displayed, i give hime 4 stars out of 5.

now, if only DC had managed to get out all books on schedule. i mean it's ridiculous that we are yet to see what clark kent did in superman beyond and legion of three worlds and yet see his return into the regular world this week.

DC editors, you must take a blow to the nose for this.

what a happy new year

2009-01-16T10:08:00.002+04:00

ladies and gentlemen, and whoever reads my blog, (yeah, u are a separate entity altogether) i am back again for the umpteenth time. like the comic character who dies, to get resurrected, only to die again.

quite a lot has happened since i last posted. we somehow made it through to a new year. but with the same headlines for the last two months. time seems to be stuck in a loop.

"pakistan rejects indian evidence" "india says pakistan must take concrete steps" " economy witnessed a decline of <%> in 2008" " declares record loss, to layoff employees"

yup, its a good time to be a scrooge, no matter how oxymoronic the sentence reads.

for those concerned about my welfare who number the same as a million divided by a million, well i got some good news and bad news.

good news is, i am on a payroll. bad news is this is the worst time to be, in the middle east. for too long now, governments have invested way too much into the economies, without serious development of local manufacturing industry. falling oil revenue, and rising budgetary allocations coupled with serious hedging of funds in the american economy has left the region exposed.

the biggest employer here, apart from the government, is the real estate. the real estate market witnessed a boom in the UAE because of the freehold visas, wherein anyone purchasing property here in dubai was promised a long term residency visa. rising demand led to the influx of a lot of speculative buyers, who were looking to make quick profits in short term.

as prices rose, higher bonuses had to be paid, which soon rubbed off on other sectors as well. salaries for the upper management rose faster than the airbus a340, and the great middle eastern boom was born.

needless to say, as property prices crashed in the aftermath of the subprime fiasco, the rulers here lost a huge amount of investment. now, the media has finally gotten around to admitting that all's not well here, and officially, 3200 people have lost jobs in the last quarter. conventional wisdom tells me you multiply that number by about 20, to get the real picture.

newer construction projects have been put on hold, and existing ones have witnessed a tremendous slowdown. property prices are in a freefall, as buyers are indulging in panic selling, to recover whatever amount they can, frmo their investment.

now, here's where we come in with the killer punch.

i work as a PR Coordinator remember? well, i am a PR Coordinator for a construction material manufacturing company. go ahead and laugh for a good 5 minutes. man, i've got my work cut out for the next few months

my half century

2008-11-13T21:44:00.001+04:00

and didnt notice it, but that lost post was number 50!!!! patting myself on the back, even if no one else will..

applause applause!!

here's to blogger.com putting up with me for a good number of more years. keep reading and keep stealing!!

It Starts!

2008-11-13T21:03:00.003+04:00

Here we go. That was my first reaction while reading the sports columns this last week.

While most of the focus was dedicated to Ricky Ponting’s post tea bowling options, I thought was more remarkable was the unanimity with which every cricket pundit worth his salt was busy moaning what they called was the list rites for test cricket.

Before I put in my two fils worth on that issue, let me first congratulate fellow Jharkhand leader MS Dhoni, who so inspired Peter Roebuck, that the one time reliable journalist wrote the sort of prose that besotted kids write about their favorite actress, before grammar and shame grab them in a vice like grip thereafter.

I mean, despite writing in a previous article that “India had stooped to win the Nagpur test”, Roebuck later called Dhoni “an Obama in White”. Which ranks amongst the most moronic statements of all time.

Kudos to Dhoni for boldly challenging the aussies where no one threw the gauntlet down at them before. It takes a hell lot of guts to throw etiquette out of the window and stifle the run rate with an 8-1 field. Pure genius, a move that the usually aggressive kangaroos couldn’t find an answer too.

But lest anyone start celebrating our team’s so called rise to the top, just remember that the same team lost badly to the Lankans not too long ago. And if you would like to point out that punter’s men haven’t recovered from the retirement of warne, langer, mc grath, martyn and gilchrist, don’t be too smug but we’ll pretty much face the same situation in two years time, when laxman and dravid retire. And your grandchildren will face the same when sachin retires.

Moving onto the main topic, it amazes me to see how no one saw the Nagpur test for what it was. A gritty long drawn battle of wills and test of patience. Gripping stuff that only test cricket can provide. Anyone can slog their willow to register half centuries when you only need to stay on for 20 overs. Harbhajan’s two half centuries are a perfect example. But from personal experience (which amounts to the longest stay at the crease- clocked in 3 overs before being bowled u know), staying at the wicket and seeing the opposition off is the greatest exam for a batsman.

Sure, there weren’t too many crowds at the test matches. This is right around the time when half yearly exams rear their ugly head. The time when post diwali, working people realize that their bank balance resembles a famine victim. And let’s be honest. With the state that most stadiums are in, where u inevitably focus on the electronic display to watch replays most of the time, watching matches from home is a much better option anyday.

Well, we got the poms who are still smarting over the Stanford gate and we can look forward to seeing Kevin Petersen come up with 10 new ways of saying that defeats don’t matter much.

Post that, crossing my fingers and hoping that the indo pak series happens here in the uae where things should be much safer for both teams. Not to mention, where tickets could be easier to get also.

to end things off, having watched the ICL extensively over the last few weeks, i have come to the ultimate conclusion, that unless Subhash Chandra invests more effort and money into getting better cheerleaders, Lalit Modi's brainchild will continue to get my 4 hours of attention. l0l

leaping off the edge

2008-11-10T09:27:00.000+04:00

this is right around the time when shopping for new games becomes a massive headache. all the best titles seem reserved for this time and you see ur good friends indulge in flaming fanboy wars that are utterly futile.

i had the followed games pencilled on my list of must haves around august.

fallout 3

fable2

gears of war 2

tomb raider underground

prince of persia

saints row 2

mirrors edge.

since then though, i've had to scratch out fallout 3. the reason being that i had had enough of dystopia, and wanted to play some good old fun games again.

i agree gears isnt the most positive outlook on life, but any game that lets you chanisaw enemies stays in my list.

but i must admit to having been completely floored by mirror's edge so far. from what i've seen so far, this game looks to be the 'portal' for 2008. and in my books, that's just about as high praise as one can offer games.

i admit being disappointed with the games released this year thus far. it's not a patch on last year, when i tearfully parted with my earnings but felt justified with hours of pure pleasure playing Bioshock, Assasin's Creed, Gears, Halo 3, R6 Vegas, Fifa 08, PGR3 and Mass Effect.

this year, i have only been impressed by Burnout Paradise, which i think is the best reason to get the wireless steering wheel and the beloved and unfortunately banned GTA 4.

but just like Assasins and Portal(love that song btw, look up "portal- i am still alive"), Mirror's edge has become a game changer.

a different protagonist from the usual stereotype? check.

a game world played entirely on nausea inducing rooftops? check

total dependance on wits and not guns, to survive? check

total sense of immersion into the game world? check

dont know about you, but while i wouldnt mind not getting any of the above listed games well into next year, Gears and Mirrors edge have made a move from should haves to must haves for me.

that and the nokia 5800 xpress coming to UAE and India in December and rest of the world in 2009(yay!!)

Nehalem headaches for AMD

2008-11-10T09:09:00.000+04:00

oh my god!! that was my first reaction when the nehalem(aka intel Core i7) benchmarks hit the net.

they say that imitation is the best form of flattery, but what happens when the imitation outperforms the original?

Intel's version of the AMD Hyper Transport is called Hyper Connect, and boy, does it connect or what..

even in the conroe days, AMD always held the edge in Memory latency and read write tests due to the pioneering integrated memory controller design they implemented in the athlon 64 over 5 years ago. (has it been that long? wow)

well, intel decided to bury the grizzled Front Side Bus and usher in their version of the integrated controller in the core i7. where they really blew AMD away of course, was by making it a triple channel controller, over the dual channel approach that AMD has favoured.

while the Core i7 is an absolute delight for workstation applications, gaming scenarios arent all that clear.

the cheapest core i7 (which would be the 920), isnt all that faster in games when compared to the similarly price Q9770. in fact, if you get right down to it, you could get a much cheaper dual core, say an E8500, add in a solid water cooling kit, OC it to near 4 Ghz and get double the gaming performance.

this is because most of the games right now are written to take advantage of dual core systems as the lowest common denominator in performance.

the few games that do utilise the extra cores (which right now seems to be supreme commander, not convinced that Crysis, Bioshock or UT3 make good use of quaddies), benefit far more from the much higher clock speed that u will get with a dual core.

there's the rub. since the i7 is in it's infancy, u have to shell out huge money, to get a decent motherboard, DDR3 memory(it wont run on DDR2).

plus there's also the fact that intel offers much better performance when it revises and refreshes product lines. it happened when it made a transition from 65nm to 45 nm and will happen again when they move from current 45nm to 32 nm sometime next year.

bottom line is, the i7 is mostly a fancy piece of nanotech that will be an absolute must 6 months down the line, when prices drop.

my suggestion till then, is to get an 8500, OC it to 4Gs, pair it up with a pair of radeon 4850s in crossfire(much better than the 4850x2 imho) and pack in 4 gigs of ddr2 1066 ram and u will have a system that will serve u fine for atleast 2 years.

The Inconvenient Truth

2008-11-10T08:51:00.001+04:00

well, the world has changed a lot since i last blogged.

Tina Fey blew the world away with a better Palin than Sarah.

Kim Jong II is trying desperately to prove to the world that he's still alive and kicking( or hasnt kicked the bucket).

i finally saw two programmes in HD that finally justified the promise that my LCD tv held, apart from being spectacular for gaming.

have spent 50 hours in Oblivion and have only finished 30 % of the game.

biggest whammy of all though, is that Obama won the race to the white house.

i'll admit, i was one of the skeptics who thought there was no way an african american would ever win the presidential ballot.

i admired the guy ever since he decided to advertise on Burnout Paradise. more than his acceptance of internet donations, the burnout decision proved to me that this was finally a 21st century candidate.

but that was always tempered with a realization that it didnt matter an iota what the world thought of him. what would matter is whether the american voting public would buy his message for change.

did they ever.

but while Obama basks in congratulations for a much deserved victory, New Delhi is rightly concerned. while the indian news media went gaga over O's victory, not ONE of them bothered to check his views and thoughts on matters pertaining to the subcontinent.

strange as it sounds, democratic presidents have never been good for India.

Obama is a guy who's against the following:

he's gone on record saying he's against outsourcing and would like to introduce legislature that makes it financially inviable to move jobs offshore.
He's also against increasing the number of H1B visas quota that industry giants like Microsoft have been clamoring for.
Days into his election, he issued a statement saying that he was looking into placing Bill Clinton as an interlocutor between india and pakistan, to resume the stalled peace process
he also represents the traditional Washington thinking that always hyphenates India Pakistan together, rather than deal with each seperately.

ironically, the greatest improvement in indo us relations after the 98 nuclear tests was reached when there were two right wing governments in respective centres.

the congress would like us believe that the whole deal was a personal endeavor for manmohan singh, but the truth is, the seeds and details were sown in by Jaswant singh and Robert mulford in the previous administrations.

Obama inherits an america that is being broken slowly in financial terms. good old companies like Ford and GM have announced they are on the verge of bankruptcy.

the 150 billion dollar bailout package that obama has proposed seems highly impractical. where's the money to put into this scheme, when america has spent more than a trillion dollars on needless warmongering?

in fact, the american press has proved more questioning of fairy tale packages, while the indian press largely ignored the 12000 crore bailout package that the government put into UTI when it crashed.

methinks that once the party is over and housecleaning begins in january, new delhi might be in for some nasty surprises.

The Pieces Fall in Together

2008-09-24T08:23:00.000+04:00

Yawn!!! Sorry. Couldn't help it. Been a long night keeping tabs on the Google Android launch. More on that later.

The big G is one of those companies that seems to inspire a lot of love on the net. Which kind of makes it an antithesis to Microsoft, which inspires (almost) universal hate. I mean even Jerry Seinfeld couldn't help Bill Gates.

Admittedly, Google is a brilliant search engine. No other search engine comes close. However, hints of a Microsoftesque ambition unravelled one by one.

Take the foray into desktop search, Office document management, Maps, Street view, Earth, Blogger, Orkut etc. The list goes on, and is diverse. In fact, Google is trying to be omniscient and omnipresent.

The only thing that held them back however, was a compelling platform to integrate services. For a myriad of reasons (maybe they're cooking it up in G labs, as we speak), the integrated one stop point for their services has been a tough sell to the PC market.

And then all of a sudden, they released the Chrome browser. That was when one had to say " Aha!! The game is afoot".

As a Chrome user for more than 2 weeks, i can say that it doesn't offer anything revolutionary over other desktop counterparts. Other than the ability to run each browser tab in separate memory threads, it's a run of the mill browser and didn't make any sense as a Google product. It wasn't like it loaded Maps or Docs or Talk at start. Those still require visiting the website or downloading the App.

No, what was interesting though, is that it was an attempt to launch a platform for their web services, and gain some developer feedback. Much like Apple's Safari was. Now you see where we are heading, aren't you?

A couple of hours ago, T-Mobile launched the G1 phone(aka HTC Dream). Like i was telling a friend of mine, the Dream looks like a nightmare, but it's the underlying software that's the talking point.

Hardware wise, it's a decent package, although the lack of video recording and stereo bluetooth support is galling for a 2008 phone. we can assume that developers will get cracking on those issues with the Android SDK right away.

Android!! The cornerstone of Google's strategy. The reason d'etre for their 'Be there, everywhere' syndrome. All of Big G's plans seem to be tied up with their mobile OS. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the G1.

For starters, the phone requires logging in with a Google Account. thereafter, it ties up you phone contacts with the Google Address Book. it also treats Gmail as the default Email client. Gtalk is ubiquitous as the default chat client. Maps and Street view are presented in all their glory. Docs come preloaded, and there are default Facebook and Orkut and Blogger(YAY!!!) apps as well. and for browsing, you get the Google Chrome(AAH!! Now i see)

and there's a wonderful App Market that is better than Apple's Iphone Apps, simply because it doesn't tie you down to using a proprietary software to sync.

Oh, and it comes with a direct Google Search App(well, duh!!)

look, tying up contacts with the google address book can be a wonderful idea. the worst case scenario that the ads are showing, is where you drop your phone into water, and get a replacement phone. then you simply login to your google account and presto, all contacts restored!!

this is the closest we have come to mass cloud computing. Cloud computing is an approach which stores data in a central server, and treats every thing else as an access terminal. the benefits are that the end user's computer needn't be all powerful. all the configuration expenses are met at the server end. the only thing needed on nodal ends are input, output devices and a strong network connection.

what concerns me however, is that with the million handsets that HTC is going to sell for sure, and with the beautiful Qwerty keypad plus WiFi means that surfing on a mobile will be terribly attractive.

what it means for Google, is that with each user logged into a Gmail account, they now get more user data, which can be used to main profiles. granted, they say that all user information is deleted in 9 months, plus that user privacy is respected. i admired the way they stood upto the Bush administration and refused to hand over search tracking data. Something that some other companies didnt have the guts to do(Yahoo, MSN anyone?)

But it seems that with Android out, and the way it has integrated all it's apps to the moblie platforms, that user statistics and potential ad base for the Ad sense are the only reasons for the strong push Google is putting in.

Big Brother is finally here. and it's name is Google.

and finally, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then apple must be blushing right now. not a single touch screen phone has deviated from the Large Screen and minimal buttons approach that Apple Pioneered.

should you buy the G1 with the attractive 179 $ plan? i would suggest waiting to see what Nokia cooks up with the Tube(AKA Xpress Music 5800) before jumping in.

A Well Oiled Machine

2008-07-16T10:23:00.000+04:00

Look at that header again. Pun intended.

Here’s an activity. Take out the commodities listing for the last month. Note the price of a barrel of petrol . And now, plot a graph.

What you will get, is a wildly oscillating Sine Wave. The same kind of graph you get, when you plot the average blogger’s interest in blogging.

It was at 148 $ a barrel two days ago, fell to 136 a pop yesterday.

Why was the difference of 12 dollars created? Simply because a bunch of Brazilian oil workers had threatened to call a strike. Threatened to call a strike, mind you, not an actual declaration of a strike.

What is going on with oil? Sudden spike of demand? I find that hard to believe. It’s not like consumers have found an alternative to oil. So our dependency on oil Is still intact.

Are there problems on the supply side? Saudi Arabia, the largest exporter of petrol, has increased production levels to way beyond theoretical levels.

So, what gives?

The OPEC says that it hasn’t raised its prices at production level. The refiners say that they haven’t raised their costs of refinement. The governments say that they are doing all they can, to reduce prices.

As a responsible global citizen, all I want to say is, enough with the officialese. Let me have an honest answer.

Why is it that when a Russian oil minister sneezes, prices go up( “ Fears about a slowdown in oil production”)why is it, that ( for the Indian context) in the same country, a person in Bombay pays a different rate for petrol, than a person in Bangalore? (I know, petrol duties and all that rot)

Of course, as long as we have eminently sensible people like George W Bush, who have been renowned for taking wise steps to secure oil supplies.

Here is Dubya’s solution to decrease oil prices. Cut down forests and nature reserves, so that American oil companies can drill for oil.

Never mind that it takes around 8-10 years before an oil field can begin mass production. Never mind that all that drilling will not have any benefit for the next 5 years. Never mind that all bush’s plan will achieve, is more deforestation of the American Greens.

Like I said before, Dubya is a sensible guy.

The Great(?) Depression of the 21st Century

2008-07-16T10:07:00.000+04:00

Reading the newspapers of the last six months, one would get the impression that all the action lay in the business section.

Day after day, we’ve been fed data that suggests that we are in the midst of a recession that will rival the Great Depression of the 1930s. Some experts(who seem to appear on all channels, speaking the same words again) have claimed that this is the BIG ONE!!! That doomsday is at hand.

Rchi has a rule of the thumb. Which says that if there is an earth shattering announcement on page one, the real news will lie on page 4 of the following day.

Of course we all know there is massive inflation in the economy. Of course the prices of commodities have risen to ridiculous levels. But my point is, prices always rise over a working cycle of a generation.

To wit, let me quote my dad, who never ceases to point out – “ You youngsters have a starting monthly salary, that equals my annual salary, in my mid career stage.”

To which I point out – “ Uh Yeah dad. But your starting monthly salary, was probably greater than grandpa’s annual salary”

Prices rise, with rising income levels, which ensure that no matter how much the middle class earns, things which are considered ‘a luxury’ (middle class speak, dear Armani toting reader), remain in the realm of luxury, no matter what your income is.

The golden rules still apply from the dinosaurs age –

· SAVE as much as you can.
· If any item has more than 3 zeros, ignore it
· If you don’t have the cash for it, ignore it
· Credit cards are a taboo
· Always Ask – Do I ABSOLUTELY need this

The last one is the most painful, but the most important nevertheless.

Of course, the haves will always be sheltered from the ‘The Devastating Effects of a Slowing Economy’™

Me? I will continue to burn in envy, every time I see that Ferrari whiz past, with a Rolex hanging out of the window

Turn the Page

2008-05-19T14:37:00.000+04:00

Prepare yourself for what will come across as blasphemy. I have turned over to the dark side!!

At the turn of the century, I was part of a mob, that threw Robert Jordan books at a guy, who dared suggest, that Audio Books would become a feasible alternative to books, once we could fit in MP3s into small sized devices.

“earphones instead of a book? a narrator’s steady, clear and wonderful voice, instead of the crackling, raspy wheezy voice in my head? 10 grams in my pocket, vs half a kilo in my hand(REF Wheel of Time)!!!! You shame me friend, you really do”

Yup. That was me. Admittedly me.

Circa 2007. Ipods are plenty around. As are audiobooks. And remember how all of us(ok ok, some of us) look back at our past, and in a rare moment of honesty, recognize that perhaps we were overweight, insecure pompous and ignorant know it alls, who in a moment of madness, did things we normally wouldn’t have?

If you said yes, then you were probably an English Football fan (that’s soccer, my yankee friends). Fortunately I grew up in india.

Anyways, I decided to give them a try and got a copy of a famous fantasy series, that currently spans nearly 200 novels.

I started listening to it, and before long, I was running out of memory space. God help me, but I like the idea of audiobooks.

Now I know what the bibliophiles will say, and I agree with most of what you will argue. It’s not the same as holding pages in your hands. It’s not the same as needing to squint in poor lighting conditions, or bend over in impossible yogic positions. It’s not the same as reading worm infested pages, a sure sign of quality. (the more obscure and harder to follow a book is, greater the number of worm riddled pages).

It’s not the same as leaving a bookmark and getting up next morning to resume where you left off. It’s not the same as flipping a number of pages, that contain mundane descriptions of clothing, meals, or beauty. It’s not the same as reading that book jacket synopsis, often of a higher quality than the book itself. It’s not the same as reading the glowing (no doubt paid for) review by an author.

Probably you are right. Meanwhile, that audiobook friend of mine, whom we ganged up on? He is successful, has listened to enough books to hold attention at parties, and has earned the sobriquet of being “ a well read and learned man!!!”..

Imagine that…

R.I.P.

2008-05-19T13:45:00.001+04:00

No prizes for guessing what this post is about. I have just finshed reading Batman 676, which begins the “ Batman R.I.P.” arc by Grant Morrison. While I didn’t quite dig into the whole batman and son and the resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul storylines, the hints thrown about the current arc had me intrigued.

Certainly, the teaser thrown in DC Universe 0, was one of the best batman joker interludes I have read so far, surpassing Alan Moore’s famous “shine the light” in the killing joke.

The mood is appropriately dark and full of foreboding, pointing to the imminent demise of Bruce Wayne as batman. The only thing that doesn’t work for me, is the suddenness with which Bruce Wayne decides to integrate Jezebel Jet into his life.

Given the past history, I am guessing that bruce suspects Jezebel of being “hand in black glove”, and is setting her up. Another minor gripe, is that Alfred seems to have forgotten about Selina Kyle , in Bruce’s list.

Oh well, no one believes that Bruce will be gone from the cape from too long. None of these guys stay dead permanently. That includes Captain America. The dead one was a skrull you know..

Right now, I have to say that secret invasion seems to be the stronger crossover event, compared to final crisis. So far, we only have the return of Barry Allen to look forward to.

Here’s cheers to Grant and Geoff!!!

SWEET VICTORY

2008-05-11T21:31:00.000+04:00

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIEND!!!!!

Man Utd beat off the pretenders today. we beat wigan 2-0. ronaldo scored again. but my man, Ryan Giggs, appropriately sealed the deal.

poor blues could only manage a 1-1 draw against bolton!!!

sir alex, take a bow!!!

a most deserving victory i say.. only one message for the reds

let's win the double and we will show

who's man united, here we go!!!

I AM .... writing this review

2008-05-11T21:14:00.000+04:00

No prizes for guessing. Caught Robert Downey Jr. take to the skies yesterday. What can I say? Jon Favreau proves that not all marvel writers are RUSTY!!!

I went in with some trepidation, as I am still smarting from the punishment that the PUNISHER was. And let's just say, that Jennifer Garner didn’t exactly electrify me in ELEKTRA. And lets forget how INCREDIBLY bad the HULK was. Haven’t seen spidey 3 yet, so judgement on that awaits.

Back to the story. God knows why all directors think that a comic book movie must start with an origin story. Does no one remember that most of these characters were created well before the parents of the target audience even graduated?

The origin was okay, although I did roll my eyes over how Hollywood tried to pass off Hindi as Arabic. All in the name of being politically correct and sensitive.

The story isn’t all that different from the comic origin, change of location excluded. But the first sight of the first armor didn’t exactly set the audience cheering.

But thereafter, the CGI guys took ovter. I have to compliment the stellar effects work done by the guys at ILM. Watching Tony try painfully nailing hovering and flight jet physics down, is a treat. And the first time he takes to the skies.. LOOK OUT BELOW!!!!

The armor V3.0, which most of us are familiar with, looks stunning, and is easily the highlight of the movie. The battle with the F22 raptors is the stuff that jet boy dreams are made of. My only complaint? There isn’t enough of iron man flying around!!! The only downer is that the end villain battle is way too abrupt, and is more of posturing than serious beat em up action.

Support characters are good, but the first movie seems to be all about tony stark, and less about iron man. No complaints though. This one is easily one of the top 5 comic book adaptations I have seen.

Loved the nick fury cameo in the end. Although, given how the JLA movie got shelved, it looks like an AVENGERS movie will remain on the storyboards forever.

Well, here's looking forward to the dark knight, and the watchmen next year.

trouble in the middle earth

2008-05-05T23:00:00.000+04:00

havent heard much from the foreign ministry about america lately? wondering what the government is upto? well, i will let you in on a secret. it's no longer the 123 occupying manmohan singh's mind. it's the 300.

what 300?it all began, a not so long long time ago, in a not so far far away land. an immortal line in indian cinema goes - all we need is food clothing and shelter.

since india doesnt have the time to provide shelter to the hundreds of millions who sleep on the pavements( we provide open sky accommodation you see), housing was the first myth to go bust.

our country is so poverished, that we cant even afford decent clothing. anyone who disagrees is welcome to take a look at our hindi movies for the last 5 years.

of course the feminists will argue that it's a representation of repression, exploitation. dear sisters, please note that even the men submit themselves to the rationing of clothes. salman khan was the first to accommodate the producer's request.

why, even the biggest superstar, SRK, could not afford shirts for his home production om shanti om.. poor guy(pun intended) had to go shirtless, singing "dil mein mere hai dard e disco". you see, discos dont allow shirtless guys in, upper class snobs that they are.

back to the topic, with shelter and clothing been dispensed with, what was the one comfort we had?

FOOD!!!!

for 6 decades, we ate like there was no tomorrow. for decades, our ancestors conducted genetic experiments, to allow us to naturally store more fats and cholesterol than other races.

we were into bio tech way ahead of anyone else you know. any wonder then, the only guy, who can make sense out of the whacked out genetics on heroes, is an indian?

the highest levels of diabetes and heart disease were a small side effect. nothing major at all.

but all this bliss would not last for long.

the wicked west, with it's health obsession, tummy tucks( the sworn enemy of a truly indian cultural product - the prosperous belly) and that evil word - DIET(close your ears!!!)

while we ate heartily, they starved naughtily. till one fine day, the white man decided to eat something for a change. but, rather mysteriously, no food grains could be found.

he looked high, he looked low. but all he could find were empty silos.

so he said, let me buy some rice. a tonne to a dollar, would be so nice.

so imagine his surprise, when he found, that cheap grain, was no longer around.

in anger, did he look east, where he found the indians, having a feast!!

(i am so proud of myself for that impromptu rhyme. i take a bow, i take a vow)

well, that intelligent, rational and cautious gentleman called george w bush, could not restrain himself any longer..

he burst out- " the increasing appetite of the 300 million indian middle class, is the main cause for the global food crisis."

the manmohan government wont admit it, but it is quaking in it's boots. we all know what happens when you get W mad, dont we.. with the threat of an impending nuclear strike, the left threatened with a nationwide strike.

not to loose hope though. our bright ministers have a few arguments in their favor.

for one, they will claim that we dont have 300 million middle class indians. we have 100 million rich ones, and the others. if you take away the number of bangladeshi immigrants, non marathi speaking mumbaikars, non gujrati voters, tamil speaking kannadigas, and those pesky NRIs, we only have 50 million others.

secondly, we are all into dieting. indians dont eat much you see. we are a culture that celebrates saving, not craving. our healthy politicians and police authorities are just exceptions to the rule.

plus, a lot of people starve in our country. we are very happy to parade them everytime richard gere and co decide to come here for a cultural experience. we proudly trumpet our poverty, our social failures to foreign bodies. just ask WHO or the world bank.

we dont have any rice for ourselves. from a surplus producer, we have transformed into an export prohibiting society. in fact we are wondering if you could send RICE (condoleeza) here.

please dont nuke us. we will be happy to be your pawns, in the great south asian game to counter china.

the white house is yet to respond to these admittedly sensible arguements

The Spillover Effect

2008-05-05T22:51:00.000+04:00

a casual glance at the headlines for the last month or so reveals an interesting scenario. buried under all the fuss over obama vs clinton, is a series of statements issued from the white house, which could be put in the following categories:

1) the united states is a champion of democracy, and will not tolerate the anti people hegemonies around the world.

2) the threat of an unfriendly nation(read iran) obtaining nuclear weapons is the greatest threat for america

3) iran must give up it's nuclear policies, or else face the consequences

4) iran has proven links with al qaeda, and is fomenting anti american rhetoric in iraq

5) hillary clinton's challenge to iran, to the effect that you co operate, or we will take you down..

sounds familiar? just substitute iraq in iran's place and what do you get?

2003 redux

with george bush recently poking fun at john mc cain for distancing himself from the bush administration, and the democrat hopefuls making it clear that there is no love lost, why do i get the feeling, that W is preparing himself to give the ultimate greeting gift to a new president?

a losing and isolating war in three theaters? ( afghanistan, iraq and iran)

maybe i am just jumping to conclusions, but who knows?

te(ch)sting times

2008-05-05T22:39:00.000+04:00

what an eventful month has passed. dont know where to start.

AMD released a b3 revision of the phenom processors. b3 was a fix for the overhyped but rarely seen TLB bug.

while AMD isnt going for a ghz shattering attempt, they are positioning themselves as a very reasonable quad core alternative to intel's upper dual core offerings.

from the benchies seen on the web, plus feedback from a couple of friends, i can say that if you arent an overclocker, or a hardcore gamer, then the phenom processor is a very good alternative to the invincible core 2 duo.

bear in mind though, that the choice of motherboard is EXTREMELY important for the best results. while AMD has been touting the fact that you could drop in a phenom into any socket AM2+ mobo, there are reports on the web that you would need a motherboard equipped with a 790 fx chipset, to ensure that the BSOD doesnt greet you like an ex girlfriend.

the best choice is obviously the high end 9850 proc, running at 2.5 ghz.

video cards are a bit more muddled. all it boils down to is whether you are a fan of nvidia or AMD.

there is not a whole lot to choose between a 9600GT or a radeon 3870. but at lower budgets, amd rules the roost, with the 3850 card.

for a bit more though, the 8800GT is still a no brainer. best bang for the buck.

this month's award for the best rumor goes to the one which speculates that the 3g iphone aka iphone 2 might be released (gasp!!!!) UNLOCKED.....

oh please say it's true steve, please say it's true.

HEROES!!! ( the guitar kind)

2008-03-15T17:46:00.000+04:00

well, after a long long search, in shops far far away, i finally managed to lay my hands on Guitar hero 3 for the 360 ( cue : guitar riffs)

man, the package is heavy.. and Loooooong... bue upon opening the box, greets you the most beautiful controller this side of the wiimote.

having trudged through the first few songs on the easy mode, i must woefully admit that i am no guitar hero. my hand's too faithful to newton's first law.

oh well, practice makes perfect!!! here's to noisy afternoons ahead!!

State of the Hardware

2008-03-06T12:49:00.000+04:00

Wow, what a huge change in the landscape between my last post and this one. While Intel still remains the king of the hill, AMD has atleast brought the Phenom to life. While the Barcelona is a long way off from even matching the Wolfdale, much less the Penryn( let’s leave overclocking a long way back please), it does hit the sweet spot on the wallet.

Look at it this way, a Phenom, coupled with a 790 mobo leaves you with enough money to splurge on a 9600 GT or a 3870 card. And a 700 Watt PSU. Plus the fact that most games aren’t optimized for dual cores even today, leaves a lot of headroom for the future.

Personally though, I must admit that the PC’s gaming days seem to be numbered. I have been a keyboard mouse faithful for ever since I can remember, but having purchased a 360 last year, I can confidently say, that for the same amount of money, no PC can guarantee a smooth experience for the next 3 years atleast.

If you are looking to get a console, get the PS3. with the victory of the Blu Ray, and the upcoming metal gears solid 4, the PS3 remains a no brainer. But my next console will be a wii.

As fer the mobiles, my heart remains set on the iphone, but the ridiculous price tag ( I can get a wii for much less u know), plus the fact that iphone clones can be had for around half the price make it tough to justify.

What the hell, dissing the iphone is the luxury of the haves. So let this have not progress in life to own one and join the crowd of those who say “ it’s too much of a luxury”..
Amen..

ReLoaded

2008-03-06T12:48:00.000+04:00

well, here i am, after a very long hiatus. What was I upto? Well, after scraping through college, relatively unscathed, it was time to fulfil certain social obligations and enter the world of jealousy, scheming, comparisons, naked ambition and greed. No, not the cricket field, but corporatedom.

While discretion is definitely the better part of valor when it comes to describing your first paycheck, the first splurge, the first regret, and the realization at the end of six months, that there are no savings worth the name. suffice to say, that certain lessons have been learned.

Hmm, moving onto other things, the world seems to be engrossed in the presidential tamasha going on in the amrika, john mc cain and the GOP must be rubbing hands in glee. Hell of a head start to a presidential campaign if you ask me.

Congrats to dhoni and company. All of a sudden, the same guy who was questioned for dropping Sourav ( Gasp!! The audacity!! The gall of it!!) is now being hailed as a visionary!!

Here’s hoping history remembers me that kindly.
Well, consider this more as a prologue. There’s more to come, more regularly from now on.

Cheers all

black Mark ?

2007-07-31T19:08:00.000+04:00

The Indian media and the Asian media at large, have gone all over town, hailing Dr. Haneef’s release by the Australian authorities, as a victory for democracy. While that particular emotion might have justifiable ground, to prosper, there’s a larger malaise that has gone unremarked upon.

My beef( god forbid!!!) is that no one seems to be asking the Australian immigration minister, who had ordered the cancellation of Dr. Haneef’s visa, ( “ it was done, keeping in mind his CHARACTER”), on what basis, he made his (un)sound judgement.

In any normal, justice dispensing process, Dr. Haneef could successfully sue the Australian government, for slander. Without any conclusive proof to backup the illegal detention, on the flimsiest of excuses ( he was a 2^nd cousin, for god’s sake, even siblings often have no clue what their relations are upto!!), an Indian citizen, was detained and his character was under scrutiny and then released, without an acceptance of a mistake, nor an apology.

But why blame just the Australian minister alone? After all, this is a country where a marvel like muralitharan is regularly jeered for throwing, while brett lee is held up for public adoration.. Perish the thought, this isn’t racism. But truth be told, atleast the judiciary proved it’s impartial credentials, by calling a spade a spade.

No, what really got me worked up, is that while the central government was silent and working in the back channels, the Karnataka government took it upon itself, to suddenly announce how it was helping the authorities to uncover terrorism related information!!! In the rush to earn some praise, the first commandment of law- Innocent till proven guilty, was forgotten.

A hapless wife was left to defend and plead for her husband’s release, in the media.

Yet another chapter in the 3^rd world, where subservience to the 1^st world( why exactly are we 3^rd? I do not know) continues unabashed. Where a Pakistan regularly throws it’s citizens to an American prison, for FOREIGN exchange.. Where India accepts a humiliating 123 nuclear deal, to get American acceptance of it’s nuclear status..

When will we realize, that today, we are the biggest market for the so called developed world? When will we gather our collective arms and flex them for our benefit? When will we start demanding treatment as equals? When shall we start promoting regional unity and pride?

Maybe never.. maybe never..

A matter of Alma Mater

2007-05-14T23:10:00.000+04:00

forgive me, if i switch back to my school days, when i used to watch WWF..

" Finally... I've gone back, to being... a Newbie again"..

college just got over. Not as in end of semester. But as in KAPUT!! BANG!! Adios kind.

while there is the usual grumbling of what little good an education of 5 years did to me, which of course is the badge of the student tribe, there is an unexpected hollowness too.

This arose when i wrote a poem dedicated to my class ( which has thus far, only been appreciated by exactly ONE person). Here's a list of things that i think i will miss the most about my college.

1) unsurprisingly , first on the list are the 10 best friends i have made.. hey, i do sometimes get sentimental you know.. NOT!!!

2) The absolutely fantastic college grounds, which we made good use of. battles were fought, and invariably lost, when i used to play.. must be coincidence

3) even when i used to feel like i hadn't learned anything useful yet, there was always that comfortable thought- " I still have 5 more years, 4 more, 3 more, 2 more, 1 more, NO MORE!!! oh the tragedy!!!"

4) The ridiculously inexpensive canteen where even i could afford to hog out.. of course there were only 3 items i ever ate, but that's another story.

5) the look of respect i used to get, when i declared myself a student of ANNA UNIV.. and the inevitable look of disappointment when i burst the bubble and confessed to being a student of Electronic ( oh, you mean computers!!) Media.

6) My delightful class, with the 63 most decent and nicest human beings to ever have been assembled in a classroom. Exaggerated sense of modesty prevents me from adding my name on that list.

7) The 2 Funtastic IVs we went on. nuff said about them.

8) Always asking for a treat, always getting the same answer- " what the hell will u eat?"

and the worst part is.. now i am officially a member of that club, which i used to ridicule as a child. Now, i must become a pompous dandy, who must never watch cartoons again, worry about bank balances, careers, property, get acidity while keeping tabs on classmates, worry about that bulging waistline, try to act like 18, when i'm 80, argue to all that i do not wear a wig..

OH GOD, Have mercy.. i am ( GULP!!!) an Adult...

SONSET

2007-04-22T19:51:00.000+04:00

The world remembers, not just those
who won for themselves, victories galore.
So long as you fight, an earnest fight,
no one cares, if you were dark or white.

Glory is his, who lives for the battle,
whose attack leaves opposition rattled.
A path to possible victory, one who chose,
inspires poets, to abandon prose.

Farewell to thee, prince of trinidad and tobago.
the last of the windies, around whom did we rally.
We shall miss , on the pitch, your waltz and the tango,
the centuries that racked up your tally.

How you disptached both pace and spin,
to parts of the stadium, crying for attention.
The way you surged past, Tendulkar Sachin,
became the best batsman of this generation.

The way you disdained from using your pads,
ensuring bat and ball, did always meet.
Never was a day, you moped around,
your bat made a music, always sweet.

The way you collected multiple tons,
when mortals were satisfied, with just one.
When you chased down a target, impossible they said,
you shrugged and got the job done.

The way you were atlas, bearing the weight,
while dwarfs around you, deserted the sinking ship.
We hail you more, for bearing the brunt,
yet never devaluing your craftsmanship.

You left, on top, throne never conquered,
leave it safe, from any usurper.
Walk away, son of port of spain, with a head high,
rest assured, there's not a single dry eye.

Never shall we see the likes of you again,
wish you luck, as you move on.
It was said, of Bradman once,
i say to you,
Brightly fades the don.

a fishy tale

2007-04-11T17:30:00.000+04:00

well folks, a short one this time. some really swell people in my class, decided to throw a bash to celebrate the bunch of them getting a job offer at EFX. so, these mighty generous folks agreed to sponsor a smashing time at mayajaal. for over 50 people.. count that, over FIFTY people..

while all of us had a great time( well, i shall skip the lunch part, and paruthi veeran), my post ain't about the time we spent there..

remember the old adage, " you can't ever forget cycling, nor swimming!". well, it's evening time, and some guys decided to make the maximum use of the trip, and decided to wade through the swimming pool. while it took time for the guys, to shed their inhibitions and their clothes( they did wear swimming trunks, you dirty minded you!!!), in the presence of the faint hearted maidens(term used very lightly) from my class, eventually, almost all of us were in the water.

while a few were thrown in the deep end, yours truly decided that a dignified dip was better than a forceful push. so, i removed my shirt, causing severe trauma for some of the unfortunate witnesses( hope they manage to recover someday), and remembered the adage and leaped in.

this being the first time in 7 years that i went inside of a swimming pool, the first sensation was a slap in my stomach. before i had time to register the pain, my brain chuckled" you are so drowning!!"

all i could see were bubbles in my eyes, and then, GASP, air... before i could shout for joy, i was submerged again.. and my life started rewinding.. now, 22 years of garbage is a whole load of crap, to comprehend in 3 breathless seconds.. anyways, just before i could focus on Keira again( god bless her), i heard shouts of friends, asking" dude, you sure you know how to swim?"..

before i could answer " Oh hell yeah!!", H2O decided she missed me too much, and took me in her cold embrace again..

then, i swear, i heard my NCC drill master scream" get a foothold, or you never going to get your bread!!!".. the stuff of my nightmares..

somehow, i dug deep into my reserves [ which is about 3 kilos of saturated fat, at this moment :( ] and kicked onto the floor, and my head suddenly burst through the water, and i rose to breathe..

and i am thinking, at that moment " this ain't supposed to happen!!! need memory plus bad!!!"

well, as a souvenir, i have been struggling with a cold that refuses to part, like a bad ex girlfriend.. maybe, the bottom of the pool wouldn't have been that bad, after all..

grave reservations

2007-03-30T11:42:00.000+04:00

hurrah to the supreme court, for showing us that it has the guts to stand up to the dirty game that goes on, in the name of politics.

i refer to the recent staying of the reservation policy that arjun singh tried to push through, with the full complicity of the parliament.

reservation is a sensitive topic, i agree. however, it seems to me, that most people forget the first passage about reservation, that was written in our constitution. baba ambedkar himself wrote, that he envisioned the reservation policy to continue, for not more than 10 top 15 years. unfortunately, with the kind of votebank politics that is practised in the " world's largest democracy", we are stuck with a legacy, that, in the words of the SC " promotes backwardness".

if the intention is to remove the admittedly barbaric practice of caste ism, then the reservation policies are not the best way to go ahead. imagine this, when a child gets admitted to school, his caste is noted. when he fills his board entrance forms, his caste is noted. when he enters college, his caste is noted. and if the congress party has it's way, soon, when you enter employment, your caste will be noted.

so, at every crucial step in life, your caste identity is given more prominence than yourself. way to go!!!

blatant flouting of the constitution is seen everyday. for eg. one of the provisions of the reservation policies, is that at no stage, should reservation exceed 50 % of the seats. however, the state of tamil nadu has " enjoyed" nearly 65 % reservation policies since independence.

many people think that anti reservation thinking is a manifestation of a pro forward caste mentality. far from it. barring rajasthan, in no state will you see the forward castes pressing forward for a reservation for themselves. why? because, one of the main reasons for the huge exodus of many forward caste students to the USA and UK, is that college seats are open to all students.

i also see a situation in the future, where the battle for dominance between the MBC, OBC, SC/ST will see politicians try to weasel out with further reservations. no one will attempt to take the correct way.

build more schools. pay parents to send children to school in rural areas. increase the number of seats in colleges. ensure that faculty are qualified enough to teach subjects. have a more student friendly education loan program. abolish mention of caste in the public sphere. let us all learn to become ourselves first.

then again, it's too much to ask a monkey to learn swimming you know. expect to see more protests, bandhs( our lovely state leads again. tomorrow!!), interviews with people who would otherwise never come on national news.

3 cheers to the caste-ing ouch!!

a tale of two cities

2007-03-24T10:41:00.000+04:00

i know for a fact that a good majority of the blogs posted today, from india, will moan or vilify the indian cricket team's performance. but i shall touch on that topic later.

what really has made an impact in me, is the continued courage that the people of Pakistan have shown, in the battle for democracy. If you are a reader of Deccan chronicle, you would have read a column, where ayaz amir reports of an army committee's recommendation, that a fully functional democarcy would be feasible, in pakistan, by 2030!!!

he asks " why has democracy taken such a long time, to take birth in our country, when our neighbor, India, having inherited the same laws and public institutions that we did, has been a " fully functioning democracy, since 1947?"

almost all of us take our right to vote for granted, not realising what a gift it is. for instance,history is replete, with cases of women and people who lived in social minority, who had to struggle and fight, for the right to universal adult franchise( or right to vote, for those whose civics lessons are slightly weak). yet, we in india, have given this right, to all those above the age of 18, right from 1950( when the first elections were announced).

while USA, which calls itself a champion of democracy, has yet to elect a non christian, or a member of jewish, hispanic or african origin, to the top posts, we in india, do not give too much importance to the fact, that our president is a mussalaman, our prime minister is a sikh, our chief justice is a dalit and the chairperson of the ruling coalition was born a roman catholic.

while the american media is busy salivating over the prospects of hillary clinton becoming the first woman president( which she won't as the american heartland is still conservative), we can take a look at our record and see that women have always he ld important posts in most political parties.

and hats off to the indian army, for never placing itself above the parliament, the judiciary and the executive , despite their abyssmal track record, over the last 60 years. as we approach the 60th anniversary of our independence, we can solemnly thank the armed forces, for never taking powers unto themselves.

i hear a lot of bickering by people from all the religions, who crib constantly, that they face persecution and restrictions on the practice of their faith. i humbly ask them, to undertake trips to italy, nepal, or the gulf states, or the latin american countries, before they pass judgement on the freedom or lack of it, in professing their faith.

and about the world cup, well, it's only just a game. the sooner people accept the fact that we are better off with a calculator in hand and not the bat, the lesser our disappointments would be. we need an overhaul of our batting and ask sachin, dravid, saurav to make way for another generation to build a team. between them, this is the 5th world cup, which should be more than enough opportunity to have won the trophy.

Man utd rebuilt their team two years ago. a painful two seasons followed, in which the young inductees made mistakes, learnt from them, got used to each other. now, no matter how the season ends, they have performed superbly thus far. we need to adopt the same approach,

i definitely feel sorry for Sony Max, for having placed such a huge bid for the telecast rights. honestly, 75 % of the potential audience would be wiped out, were bangladesh to beat bermuda today. it would take sometime for them to recoup their losses.

and this is a very bad time to be the head honcho of pepsi right now. having paid ridiculous sums of money, and making one of the worst ads i have ever seen on TV( tiger- ladega to jitega, howz that for a boomerang? ), somebody must be sweating buckets right now.

interestingly, aside from the subcontinent, the rest of the world has not given too much importance to this world cup. evidence can be seen in the post match ceremony, where th eadvertisers backdrop has only indian companies on it.

poor timing and ticket sales plus more or less dull play have made this one of the most zzzz inducing world cups ever.

oh well, atleast aus vs south africa should be interesting.

but for a sport that only 30 odd countries play( overoptimistic calculation) it's sad that someone got motivated to kill bob woolmer, for whatever reasons.. it's about time people realised it's not a serious sport at all

Losing Neverland

2007-02-05T10:15:00.000+04:00

When chocolate’s too fatty, ice cream too cold,

it’s a sure sign, that you’re getting old.

When cartoon network, induces a yawn,

but Ayn rand, keeps you up till dawn.

(most satisfying line I ever wrote)

A visit to a barber, you did not care,

of the state of the abundant hair.

Each clipped strand, now a cause for care,

for that patch of scalp, now laid bare.

Days were once, when you run for miles,

a whole day outside, brought about a smile.

Now you remember those days way back,

when that potbelly was, once a six pack.

when once, you just could not stand girls,

fussy and snooty, obsessed with their curls.

now you rack your brains, invent some guile,

to make them reward you, with a smile.

When a pass book was abstract, mind numbing bore,

Fashion of the day, turned your eye sore.

When each day was different, from the one just spent.

Weekends and weekdays, now no longer different.

As I wrote this, I realized,

I’ve grown older too.

if you agreed more than once,

then so have you.

of nonsense and ability

2007-01-17T18:30:00.000+04:00

You know something; I was reading the newspaper in the morning. And one thing caught my eye. I read that there was more outrage and anger expressed by the English, over the alleged racist remarks directed against shilpa shetty, than when the video tape of saddam's execution was shown, on prime time news television.

And then, I turn to that paragon of balanced reportage, the epitome of unbiased opinion, the BBC (note the caps)..

What do I see? reports of Gordon Brown's comments in India, where he said stuff to the effect that UK was a multicultural society, and that any programme on TV, that gave an impression to the contrary, was open to govt scrutiny..

Hmmm.. Mission accomplished, producers of big brother, I would say. you have managed to get the best advertising that one could ever have asked for( imagine, PATNA Shilpa fan association is protesting against the racist conduct, in big brother), for a prog, that sells itself on the baser and sleazier conducts of people, shut off from their normal surroundings.

Wait, what's archith saying? Isn’t this the same programme that is being aired called big boss?

Well dearie, what we are seeing in India, is kind of like the Indonesian playboy.. Just Google big brother and go to some 5 results and you will see what I am talking about..

It’s sad, that people can't see through sham, when it's being thrown at their face.. the whole situation's so beautifully orchestrated( she even cried, CRIED!!!!), it's as obvious as the fact that India wont won the next 2 world cups, that it's all scripted.

One more prime example I would say, of the age old adage- the public is an ass, that doesn’t recognise a beating, when it's given one..

Iraq, saddam, big brother.. We’ve got a long way to go baby..

In other things, I saw a superb match between baghdatis and Gael monfils.. hands down, the best match of the tournament, not because of the comeback, as I think safin's was better, but for the quality of tennis, that was produced..

And monfils came back from the brink of exhaustion, to win the 4th set, 6-0..

I think, in a season or two, this guy could become the roger beater all of us are searching for..

Well, that just about wraps things up, for now, but I must mention, that we are in for a super super weekend..

all EPL fans, better get your trumpets and team songs ready... with Chelsea and Liverpool and arsenal and MAN U(woo hoo!!!) squaring off, there couldn’t have been a better reason for me, to have opted for a set top box..

Ciao till the next time

The silence of happiness

2007-01-12T16:22:00.000+04:00

The most enchanting line, I have ever read in a book, remains “ I shall never forget the day, my father took me, to the graveyard, of forgotten books..”

Memory fails me(quite often it seems, nowadays) and the title remains, not even on the fringes of my tongue..

But, it forced me to think, how true, the allegory is. Fact is, most of us shall end, no matter how valiantly we fight against it, nameless stats in the census that a government shall take, sometime in the future.

I would even argue, that our greatest fear, and cause for discontent, and anger, remains the thought, that someday, we too shall lie, unmourned and unremarked. Underground and unloved.( both words show up as errors in WORD™)

Unless you’re a hindu of course..

I see around me, people lining up, to make that JUMPstart to their careers, “stay ahead of the competition”, “earn that 6 Lakhs per annum” minimum salary, get into that “TOP INSTI machan!!”, get into that “fortune 500 Company dude, that’s something you know”..

And know what, maybe most of them are genuinely happy at getting those things. But somehow, somewhere, the impression I get, is that more than the elation of success, it’s the crushing blow of failure, that seems to occupy the minds, most of the time.

What’s really at stake here? A house? A car? Jet setting status? A trophy wife/husband? Or, your ego/ability/inability, to get those things, while people around you, are getting those?

Sad fact is, I see people treating the above, as the end, rather than the means to an end..

The greatest line for me, in Fight Club, is when Brad Pitt’s character says-
“ your life is worth more than the last column in your pass book”.

Maybe that’s why, we tend to remember the guys,who challenged our notions of what happiness is.. you know the conversation-“ can you believe it? That guy Left his mit seat, to join some ashram somewhere..MIT!!!!” , or “ how a person could leave a 7 figure salary, MNC job, to come back home, is beyond me, you know..”

Somewhere underneath that veneer of skepticism, is the reluctant acknowledge, that that person is a reminder of our own personal failure, to breathe life, into our dreams..

Despite all the “ BOOMING ECONOMY©®” talk, I also see a mushrooming of psychologists and Lifestyle gurus.. you would think that a job/car/house/wife/jetsetting would do(maybe not in that order).. maybe not..

I remember this dialogue from before sunrise, where Julie delpy’s character says.-“ people with the greatest ability to change the world, often remain silent and we stay ignorant of their ways. Which is a good thing, cos once they come back into this world, they become part of it” or words to that effect..

I have many dreams.. seeing Gangotri once, before it melts away forever, seeing St. Peter’s church, going to Jerusalem, learning Aryan Sanskrit, to read our epics and texts, the way they were written, learning to speak in atleast 6 languages, write a poem in Tamil someday(yeah, scoff all you want), working with VALVE or Rockstar in my lifetime..

Atleast, I am aware that these are things that I truly want. But I fear that they make look at the world, not see it.

I cannot honestly say that I know what the joy of a delicious meal is, because I have never faced starvation. I do not know loneliness, because I am yet to enter a place full of strangers, I do not know the solutions to the world’s problems, because I do not know what it’s problems are.

I do not know what’s wrong with me, because I cannot pretend I know myself completely.

I think that we have restrained ourselves, in the chains of expectations, to drown our happiness, in the sea of dreams..

I cannot hear the call of happiness.. but I do not know, if I have turned deaf, to the sound of my inner self.

all i know is, nothing.

Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe

2006-11-30T21:50:00.000+04:00

My friends, wherever they are

Hi y’all

Another vacation is upon me.. but sadly, it is the last one, in the next 3 years. So, I intend to laze around, and make it as unproductive as possible. Of course, being me, that won’t take much effort.

In the grand tradition of all the students, of seasons past, and seasons to come, hols are the perfect opportunity, to catch up on all the movies that you miss while college is on.

I have been averaging around 3 flicks a day.. I am not complaining at all, but my mom is already budgeting the cost of my next, MORE POWERFUL spectacles.

I caught up on Don(no comments please,,,) and vivah.. now that is a movie which is a brilliant example of identifying your core target audience, and catering to them, unabashedly.

It is structured to tug at the hearts and the hands holding the handkerchiefs, of the Bhabhis and saas, across the hindi heartland. While I did not think too highly of it, it remains an ok, watchable film. But word of caution, don’t watch it with the female of the species.. you run the risk of being labeled “ Insensitive”, when you cant help sniggering at several sequences.

I did not think too much of Dhoom2. it remains an expensive, yet thoughtless imitation of several movies which we have committed to memory. And it baffles me, how a skinny bones Ash, can become an object of admiration.. watchable on DVD or Tv, when it comes out.. that’s my opinion..

Gonna catch up on Casino royale this week.

I heard the music of Guru.. as usual, for a Rehman score, you have to grow close to it.. but it is def one of his best scores to date.. 4 and a half thumbs to Mani and A.R.

And for literature, I read Jude the Obscure.. I would recommend this book to anyone, wishing to be a journo or a writer, not because the writing is brilliant, but because I think, that the book is a work of courage.

Let me explain. Thomas hardy wrote it in the 19^th century. The book deals with failed marriage, divorce, marriage between cousins, separation from the church, searing dismissal of the papal doctrines of leading life, child murder and adultery.

Now, imagine writing all this, in today’s times... there would be a parliamentary inquiry, and the book would be banned.. TV channels would have material for their talk shows for a month and so on..

Now, hardy wrote it in 19^th Century, and braved the cold shoulders of the church, the parliament, and ostracism by his peers. As a favor to the publisher, he modified the ending, to show that JUDE, an immoral man, by society’s standards( a point that is debatable, which is the essence of the book), must suffer, as “ Wickedness must be punished!” sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Apart from that, I have been reading a 7 part volume, called the Krishna Avatara, by K.L. Munshi.

It is a practical take, on how the legend of shri Krishna could have come about. It also offers information, that we generally do not get, as most of us, have only grown up on 3 interpretations of Ved Vyasa’s Mahabharata and the Vishnu Purana.

I recommend reading it, for those interested in reading about Indian mythologies.

In other news, I watched the Lok Sabha session today, for a change. While the behaviour of the Honourable Members has not improved a lot, I was very impressed by the arguments, put forth by Shrimati Sushila Mahajan( I think that was the name), who raised the issue of inflation, in the house at 5in the evening, when the parliament was empty.

While her points would merit a whole post, I will stick to the last point she made, to Mr. Sharad Pawar, who was also present.

She wanted to know, why, a government, which pays it’s farmers, only 700 per quintal of wheat, and had tonnes rotting away in storage, paid a huge sum, of around 1100 per quintal of wheat, from Australia, to feed the same farmers!!

Mr. Pawar’s mind was noticeably elsewhere( might I suggest, that he was preparing for interviews on ganguly’s return, to the team?)

A scandal of massive proportions, is being ignored by all, in the wake of a delayed sanju judgement, and shibu soren’s conviction.. which exposes BJP’s hypocrisy, as JMM was part of NDA once..

and i am disgusted with a news media, that has more airtime for Aishwarya's Kundali and Sanjay Dutt's judgement, and little on the increasing deforestation in tribal areas( save for the Hindu) and the rise in personal Loans to foreigns Banks.. trust me, that is heading us on the Argentinian way, yet not a whimper of concern, from our Economic experts..

Well, that’s about all I have done thus far.. what have you been upto? Do keep me updated on what’s going on..

Catch up with ya later..

Bye

archith

a century ago

2006-09-27T20:23:00.000+04:00

some very significant things, that took place, a hundred years ago:

Britain finally adopted an Indian Standard Time.. thus setting into motion, a century long struggle, for the college student, to arrive in class, on TIME
Rolls Royce was officially registered.. and true beauty and snobbishness, made a graceful merger, a long long time, after cleopatra's passing away( AHH! What a pretty nose!)
The Great Earthquake of San Francisco, happened. and i am not such an inhuman beast, to make a triviality, of such a tragedy.
the first Phonographic Player, called the Victorola, was manufactured. think of it as the first steps of man, before he WALK(man)ed away, to the gradens to music, to pluck the delicate (I) Pods
SOS was internationally adopted as a distress call.. and dolphins were laughing, at how, despite all our so called " Intelligence", the only language, on the high seas, were CLICKS
the first Commercial feature film, called " the story of the Kelly Gang" was released. and thus, people unfit for any other decent job, suddenly found themselves, fully occupied and paid, for not doing anything noteworthy, but just bitch in general. we also call them Movie Critics..
The All India Muslim League was formed. and so, Sunny Deol could, ninety years later, make a comeback, and shout his lungs out, and indian music composers no longer had to feel guilty about lifting western music. oh, and we became a nation of great batsmen..

much thanks to wiki, for making this possible..

A Civil Right Part 1

2006-09-22T21:18:00.000+04:00

Well, this post is strictly aimed at a very niche junta.. I know that most of you might feel this post is not worth your while, to go through, so go ahead and skip this. This is serious fanboy stuff here.

Now, ordinarily, being the only guy in my class, who actively spends hours online, to keep track with what the comic book industry is dishing out these days( I think), I am accustomed to being the outcast.

So yeah, I did identify with Peter Parker and ilk, way back in school. Which resonates with most comic geeks, I know.

And being in India, was a toughie, as the DC and Marvel issues we got in libraries, were old stuff. I mean , I even read an old issue, with the 1^st appearance of Superboy in it.

That issue is now worth a cool 50K $, but I never told my librarian that.. anyways, I was on the verge of quitting on comics for good. Cos most stories were meting out the same thing over and over again. I had also almost quit on Bruce Wayne, when they healed his broken back overnight, and Peter Parker, when the awful Clone saga started.

So, till 2003, I kept in touch with the continuity, intermittently, but still, querying FTP servers, for old issues.

But last 3 years, saw a renaissance of sorts. First off, I think Jim Lee is the best thing to happen to comics, since Frank Miller. I fell in love with Selina Kyle, again( for like 3^rd time), after reading HUSH.

I seriously recommend it to people, who aren’t remotely interested in comics, to go through it, for the artwork alone.

Then, Marvel unleashed the powerful, gripping House of M. I mean the characterization was on the lines of what we read, in good novels. And for once, a big crossover, had a serious repercussion on the comic universe( after 84, when the Crisis on Infinite Earths, wiped out BILLIONS of people).

I mean, the biggest change was, that the mutants, were down to a real MINORITY for a long long time.

Then, DC came up with the Infinite Crisis, which has thankfully removed all the darkness that had crept into the comics industry. Face it, most children wouldn’t feel right, reading the stories that were written upto 2004.

And now DC has 52 which is slowly unfolding into a beautiful piece of comic storytelling.

But, now back to the relevance to the photo on top. Read part 2 below..

A Civil Right Part 2

2006-09-22T21:12:00.000+04:00

Marvel has started the best crossover of all time, titled Civil War. Why?

For a change, the two sides battling it out, aren’t villains Vs the Heroes. Oh no..

For the first time, it’s HEROES VS HEROES..

Beat that DC..

Well, the story line goes something like, due to certain events, unfolding in the marvel universe, the American government makes it mandatory for super heroes to register with the government or not operate at all.

Which effectively meant, that unless you complied with the government, you were an outlaw.

Which kind of resonates with the Patriot Act.

So, there are two sides. One Pro registration, and one anti Registration. And unlike regular comics, the split goes right into the heart of the Superheroes tribe.

Some, like Iron Man and Spiderman, are for registration, and join with the US government.

And, the biggest result of this, is that PETER PARKER REVEALS HIS IDENTITY TO THE WORLD!!!!

Now, I have never seen an action with such ramifications, for a long long time.

And for the greatest irony, the celebrated World War veteran, that American icon, the man with the red white and blue on his dress, and the star on his shield, Captain America, decides not to register!!

So, now, the government and it’s registered supers, are on a hunt, to round off all the dissenters.

Meanwhile, Cap is trying to gather those who feel like him, and have an army of sorts.

It’s leading up to something really big.. and the thing is, the basic concept is about the dilemma we all face. Where do we draw the dividing line, between subservience to the state, and individual conscience..

And what are the foundations of friendships? How will you treat someone, who disagrees with you, on a core level?

The writing is fanatabulous, artwork is tops, and the pacing is brilliant. I just hope, that they are able to end it on a satisfying level.

Marvel has redeemed my faith in comics.

And yeah, the geek in me still lives on...

the hidden secret

2006-09-13T20:38:00.000+04:00

you know, amidst all the hype, about the tremendous BOMB blast, at a prominent VC's residence recently,( which turned out, not to be a bomb, after all), one detail in the world around us, got unnoticed.

save for the dedicated brethren, who still uphold, the centuries hallowed tradition, of bunking college and dredging their way, to the cinema, closest to their coll, none else, have bothered to note, the alarming rise, in ticket costs, all around chennai.

before you brush it off, as a one off thing, only at satyam, let me assure you, that even at the best theaters, like udayam, and Kasi, one can now purchase, what was once, a Princely,40 bucks, wow you must be rich, box seat, for a now, you definitely need a credit card, 70 BUCKS!!! and at satyam, it's fairly simple. you just pay twice as much as you used to, to come out and crib about the movie later on.

and on a side note, for the last 2 days, there is no ZEE sports on air, even as i speak.. just as teh tri series is going on..

something smells fishy here you know.. and it's not just karawadu

anniversary

2006-09-07T20:00:00.000+04:00

yeah, it's true.. despite what you might have thought, and all the misgivings that i might have had, archiry continues on, for another year..

and i owe it all, to all those, who didn't read me first 30 posts, something which would have prompted a setting up of stop this blog community, on orkut...

too late, those ridiculous posts are lost to humanity forver.. cos better sense prevailed( for once), and i deleted those first attempts of mine...

as a sample though, there are a few weaker ones, thAT i have left untouched...

so, a year on, what has changed?

well, for starters, no one would have believed it back then, but months have gone by, without any india matches.. imagine, our players complaining, that they arent getting enough matches!!!

Darrell, Zizou and Agassi, were Hair today, and gone tomorrow( though the exits were remarkably different, in nature and grace).. and if reports are to be believed( OH, SAY IT AIN'T SO, PLEEEEAAAASE!!!!) Michael has lost the drive, and politely said F! to motorsport( yeah, go ahead agnostic guy, ur sarcasm is awaited :) )

Superman Return(ed) to earth, to find that the world has gone by, and learned to live without him.. and that no one welcomes him, anymore.. and i am not just talking about the movie's script here, oh no..

the Left continues to play that child's game, we call In/Out, with the congress.. and the Bechaara Jungli Politicians watch on helplessly, sunk into the ground, by a " Mole" in their midst..

TamilNadu said "AMMA stop that" , and moved onto younger leaders( HAAH!! Like that's gonna ever happen!!)

Preity Zinta's hubby goes abroad for 2 years, without returning, and she gives birth to a superboy... this logic, Krrishi se mat kehna..

and poor female, has to lose a husband, to a frigid ice queen(Ash got competition, at last), and no one felt bad... in fact, a friend of mine said " Kabhi Karan Na Kehna"

the Pm's Nuclear Energy deal blew up in his place... catty sources said the idea was destined to bomb out, in the first place..

we still have no idea, what Sonia Gandhi really looks like, after that famous " i listened to my inner voice" , which , some say, exclaimed " Mama Mia"...

Natwar Singh remains a foreign neta, within the congress.

TN is the only state, where rice is cheap.. 2 per Kilo.. beat that, anyone?

on a personal note,

my weight chart went haywire, like a ship in a stormy sea.
my hairline is showing remarkable rates of decceleration.. in fact, it's just 200 Mph short of creating a sonic boom.
and my heart still lies safely ensconced within the confines of my chest, much to my friends eternal suspicion and disbelief..

so, all in all, not a bad year.. best thing of course, was that Lara Croft made a smashing return to the console, and to my heart.. that of course, is the subject of my other blog( ZZT!! shameless plug)..

so, thanks y'all, for reading and commenting.

know this,

no matter who you are, or where you are,

DONT TRY THIS, ON YOUR BLOG!!
;)

My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine (Blank)

2006-08-26T13:12:00.000+04:00

yeah, that's right. this is a post, about one of the most monumental moments in my life.. you know, how it is, when, you are told, that the idol you have worshipped for so long, had feet of clay.

you feel a tear bubbling under your eyes, then the floddgates open, and good bye, calm persona...

the events over last 3 days, have left me with little faith in humanity now.. nothing, it seems, is sacred any more... there is nothing that a bunch of human beings will not descerate, in the name of progeressive science..

i speak of course, of the removal of Pluto, from the exalted council of planets..

my astrologer uncle, told me, that he had foreseen this calamity( " It was under the influence of Saturn you know, very very evil planet!!").. And never once did he warn us, about it..

imagine, an entire childhood of naming Pluto, as one of the nine planets.. the number of quizzes, that i won, just because i was the only guy, who knew the name of that " Small, blue planet, outtest(sic) in solar system".. what happens to the results of those quizzes now, huh?

there was an irritating guy , who was my nemesis, in 2nd std. we used to battle it out in quizzes, and exams( now, of course, even harbouring such thoughts, of competing for scholastic achievements, on my part, require the greatest suspension of belief, in mankind's history)..

and we were even stevens, right upto 5th, where i beat him in a quiz, which asked us to name the outermost planet.

and on the same day, in my GK test, i wrote the nine planets in order(courtesy the title of this post)..

needless to say, i was up, in our tally(something like 11-10, in my favor).. and then, i left Jamshedpur..

needless to say, that guy grew up in a complex, the memories of his defeat to me(he told me once- " of all the people in this country, why did i lose to YOU!!!!!"), scarred him emotionally, completely..

now, with this news, do my answers, stand incorrect now? does this mean that we have a status quo still? will it ever make him a normal human being again? does this mean, that whatever ego i had, because of this, must now shrivel and die?

and it's not just this... now textbooks will have to be corrected.. maps will have to be republished.. teachers will have to be retrained, in astronomy, to get rid of the habit..

Disney will have to come up with another reason, for naming Pluto (what else?) Pluto..

there will be books, about conspiracies against a poor innocent planet, by the Big brother, Arrogant Earth( Jupiter sighs, due to gas problems).. there will be counter claims, by the scientists, who will justify their decisions.

there will be an outcry on the internet, where people will spend 10 min more, per week, to put their opinion.. and i have spent 20 so far, btw..

then, Hollywood wont let go of this oppurtunity. either Discovery, or Warner Bros., will launch a space probe, make a Docu/ Film called " Pluto : Planet or Not!!"..

and Nasa will get more funds, to prove, once and for all, if Pluto is or is not a planet..

all in all, around 3 Billion $ will move around the globe...

i smell something fishy here.. i invite my good conspiracy theorist friend, to look into it..

Entrez Vous, Dan Brown..

Need For Speed 2

2006-08-17T16:56:00.000+04:00

this is more of a PS to what i wrote yesterday. so if you havent read that piece, then please read this after you have finished reading part 1.

right, i will make this really brief...

i mentioned the power to weight ratios yesterday.. i realise that i might have left picture incomplete . so here's the list of P2W ratios, for those interested..

Bugatti Veyron- 529 BHP/tonne

Zonda F Clubsport- 521( this is the production version, the first prototype, without any cockpit, reached a 1000 BHP/tonne figure)

Ferrari Enzo-483

Koenigsegg CCX-765!

now, to put things into perspective, here's the specification for the 2006 F1 car, made up by the FIA..

The 2006 F1 cars have a power-to-weight ratio of 1250 hp/tonne (930 W/kg)

that translates into some dizzying numbers.. like

0 to 100 km/h: 1.9 seconds
0 to 200 km/h: 3.9 seconds
0 to 300 km/h: 8.4 seconds

an F1 car can come to a complete stop from 300 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds. without locking UP!!!!

so, here's to all the petrosexuals( i came across this term in autocar india)...
DREAM ON!!!

need for speed!!!

2006-08-16T19:06:00.000+04:00

most of my teenage nights were spent in fantasies( Not those kind, you pervert you!!!).. while some of those did involve skydiving, climbing Mt Everest, and getting a Nobel prize( it's a fantasy people!!!), some nights, in my dreams, a blur of scarlet would appear, and my dream would break up.

I would wake up, hold my head in my hands, and check them tears.... but that vision of holding the steering wheel, with the prancing horse in it, would prove so moving, and the realisation that most likely, i might one day die and be forgotten in the annals of time, without ever experiencing the force of 2 G, as an enzo sets off, overwhelmed me..( yeah i know, the Enzo came much after the ashes of my teenage years lay to rest somewhere, so substitute a modena there)

i am still nowhere remotely close to having my dream realised, but the last few months have slowly forced me to create a space, in the enshrined hallow that me mind had set apart, for ferrari..

2 companies, by the names of Pagani, and Koenigsegg( go on, try pronouncing it ;) ), have increased my agony.. now, i fear that i may die, without ever touching a Ferrari, or a Zonda or, that masterpiece, every millionaire worth his dollar's dream, the CCX..

now for a flashback.. way back, around 1986, there was a little known car called the McLaren F1..

now, anyone who has driven it, would tell you, that it was like a deathwish, driving that car, and that most people actually took mind numbing injections, to supress their fear, while driving it.

ok, maybe that last bit was an exaggeration, but still, fact is, it shattered the speed record for a production car, clockin in that magic number, that all car lovers have memorised( like bradman's average), 241 MPH (385 KPH) on a straight. And drove straight into many car freaks hearts.

that record held for nealy 18 years.. seems incredible isnt it? that despite all the progress we made in that time, a car made in 86 was still the fastest on the planet..

well, you have to remember, that 241 MPH was made on a straight piece of airway tarmac..
in those intervening years, cars have become faster around the corners( the SLR is faster than the F1 , in corners, by around 40 MPH), and much safer to drive..

so, anyways, in 2002, came the koenigsegg CCR, which came straight off the production line, lined up on the test track, and clocked in 242 MPH!!!

the earth split, and skies cracked, and Mclaren almost panicked..
to get a sense of what actually happened, just imagine a newcomer in brazil, entering the world cup for the 1st time, and scoring 10 goals in one tournament..

so, the CCR held the record, but, in came TOP GEAR with a new format, and they have a pretty good lap setup, for cars to prove how fast they are, overall..

every episode since, they have a chart, which maintains the lap times posted by cars, driven by that man, every child wants to be, THE STIG(will we ever get know, if he's human or not??)

well, till a few months ago, the top car was the masterpiece of automobile engg(i am a full blooded TIFOSI, so shoot me) was the ENZO.

then, Pagani, a small company, came in with the Zonda F, which had a 500 BHP engine.. nothing remarkable on the surface, but the car weighed only 500 KG!! that makes a power to weight ratio of 1000 BHP/ tonne!!

sure enough, the Zonda came in at the top... and all looked well, for the dreamers like me..

Enter Bugatti, with the Veyron.. if you havent heard of it, shame on you.. it costs around 700,000 pounds, and, this is where it gets interestin, apparently, has a top speed of ( hold your breath!!) 405 KPH!!!! that's right, 405..

so,anyways, the problem was, bugatti are very secretive about the car. only a few pieces have been sold to select buyers( which includes the like of Beckham).. more to it, they have refused to let Even Jeremy Clarkson, feature it on the show, making people suspect, that, maybe, just maybe, bugatti concentrated too much on straight line, and cut around the corners(pun intended).

remember i had mention koeningsegg earlier? there's a reason..

they decided, that for far too long, they had languished in the background, and was time to assert themselves..

they released the CCX.. if ever there was poetry on 4 wheel, this was it, my friends.. an 850 BHP V6 engine, screamed F1 performance..

and it did.. on Top gear, it shattered the Enzo's record, by a fair mile.. only after, it challenged the mighty STIG and forced him to crash(the only car, that proved too much for him)..

and this is the best part, the car posted it's time, AFTER, they put rear spoilers on the car(which actually slows the car around cars, by generating excessive downforce)..

like putting 1 KG shoes on Powell, and him still braking the olympic record..

and the CCX posted 398 KPH, right out of the box...

the thing that most of us swift watching, and enzo dreaming guys are anticipating this year, is a straight down drag strip battle between the veyron and the CCX...

and, there go my nights again!! sigh!!!

and if you want to, check both these beauties out on the net. SIGH!!! if only....

ID 15

2006-08-14T19:48:00.000+04:00

All set for the flurry of patriotic barrage tomorrow. All those grumbling scrooges will suddenly rediscover their love for our nation. And all that carping about our faulty system, the nexus all around us, the poor INFRASTRUCTURE ( favorite word of all noveau upper class segment, a sure sign that they have arrived), poor hygiene etc, will suddenly vanish.

Everyone will be all smiles for a day, pin a flag on their dresses, watch Vande Mataram ( took a SONY Music to arrive, for such an album to release), or a RangDe Basanti, the rest of the day, as if it were Sunday.

INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! Pah! Humbug...

We do not know and cherish our independence, nor do we appreciate what a boon this freedom is.

None of us ever count ourselves blessed, that we and our parents, were born, without the burden of oppression, weighing us down.

There is also a wistful talk, gaining currency( pun intended), that had we continued under the British rule, we might have progressed further than the place we find ourselves in.

All our troubles seem to be caused, either by 1) “ Those dirty politicians” or 2) “ The aging and outdated bureaucracy!!”

How convenient.. though, fact remains, that both of the above, remain reflections of the current state of society, which is made up of people like you and me.

We bemoan the lack of ethics and honesty, yet, pride ourselves, by telling tales of times, when we got the better of the law, or bent the law, to our advantage.

We keep despairing, that if, somehow, we could give telephones, and roads, and other things that are paired under the term “ Infrastructure”, somehow, the villager, who doesn’t earn enough to even earn a square meal for his family, will transform into a picture of rural prosperity.

We grow up today, in an atmosphere, that rewards an adoption of value systems and practices, that have entered our shores, on a tourist visa. Think about it. While Tamil Nadu is relatively better off, as far as linguistic preservation is concerned, the average populace, feels that proficiency in mother tongue, is not essential, as much as a knowledge of English or Hindi is.

We are a generation, that dreams of going abroad , and work there, after polishing off an education there.

We are a generation, who do not believe that going out to vote, is a essential duty. No, the common refrain is “ there is nobody worth voting for”. Thus, the 400 million people, who nevertheless turn up to vote, are dismissed, as people whose sensibilities lie on a lower scale than the “Smart” You.

We are a generation, that looks down on professions like teaching, or on women or men( Yes, Men!!) who take the option of running a home, rather than slog in an office.

We are a generation, that judges a man’s worth, only by the last line, in the person’s pass book.

We are a generation that can discuss The beatles, but will be hard pressed, to name atleast 5 ragas, or 5 epics.

We are a generation, that has no time for appreciation of literature( not popular trash, meted out in name of pot boilers), theater, drama, philosophy( That guy thinks he is some big philosopher, hah hah!!), religion, cinema( as opposed to movies, there’s a difference you know).

We are a generation, that knows more America, than the heartland of India. Who can name places in New York, but not agartala. Who will gladly take a trip to London, but will blink on suggestions of lakshadweep.

We are a generation that can identify a Bill Clinton, but not a J.P. Narayan.

We are a generation, that prefers eating pizzas, to idli, and don’t mind the trips to the cardio later on.. it’s the price we have to pay for progress, you see.

We are also the generation, that is going to smash the records, for broken marriages, psychological counseling, stress disorders, job hopping, and burnouts.

And the scary thing is... we are the generation, that is going to run this country, for the next 20 years..

INDEPENDENCE DAY!!! Pah! Humbug...

P.S. : I know what many will say:

1) you’ve got some issues man!

2) Aren’t you one of those yourself?

3) So what, if I like doing these things? You got a problem with that?

4) Why bother? Just get along in life!!

5) I don’t care..

alvida kehna padega

2006-08-12T22:16:00.000+04:00

It’s really a very bad time, to be in karan johar’s boots right now. Now, don’t mistake me, I have never liked a single movie of his, and have not yet committed the sin, of watching any of them on the big screen.

Far from it, I am in fact, as my classmates will testify, quite the bugbear, when it comes to discussions on his oeuvre.

But you have to feel sorry for the guy. His latest tear jerker was released yesterday, amidst tremendous hype, and within one hour of the ending of the first screening, news channels(except that supposed saint NDTV) went on a blitz, to cover audience reactions.

And, most of them announced quite smugly, that KANK was more SKUNK and was surely going to TANK at the B.O.

Well, it seems surprising, that one man and his movie would draw such ire, from the media.

Sure, it’s a lousy movie. Even my friends who absolutely devour rona dhona stuff reverently, told me that this was definitely not a movie that was worth the 150 bucks they forked out.

Sure, the movie doesn’t live upto it’s hype, and the music sounds just like a cover version of Kal Ho Naa Ho.

Sure, SRK hams his way throughout, and the others really have not much to do, in substantial terms.

But surely, those aren’t causes enough, for this outrage and vitriol to come out in full force.

Headlines Today, in particular, seems pleased to announce that KANK is not a “ Typical Karan Film”.

Poor guy has just made 2 movies before this, and produced two. How can a generalization be arrived at?

And about the hype, well, it’s the movie biz for god’s sake.. try investing 40 Crores and then not publicize your efforts.. plus, wasn’t the media too, eager to partake in adding to the hype?

Don’t mistake me. I am not suggesting anyone to watch this movie. Nor am I defending Karan as a director.

All I am saying is, give the guy a break. This movie doesn’t look like it’s going to top this year’s collection records.

That ought to be verdict enough.

hatred and ill effects

2006-08-08T19:29:00.000+04:00

you know, today, there was this really boring class( i know all of them are, but this was the tops).
i got a flash back to my IIT classes in the now dim summer of 2001.

there i was, all wet behind the ears, truly believing in the lie, that a lot of hours spent with the prescribed sure shot guide books( absolute bargain!!! 3 for price of one!!!) and enduring the torture of classes from 5 to 8 and then 10 to 1, on sundays(!!!), would suddenly bump up my till then dormant mind, into stratospheric zones, and leap frog into the hallowed and media shined(stretching grammar here, but what the hell) gates of IIT.

well, 2nd class onwards, it was a tremendous struggle against newton's laws of gravity, trying to stop my falling head, from joining the class table.

somehow, sleeping made me dream of elizabeth hurley and Ash, which made for a far better sunday morning, than trying to figure out the mysteries of molarity and molalities.

and i used to feel like this typical good for nothing guy in the movies(but who ultimately hits it big), when i never used to respond to the enthusiasm with which my friends attacked a conversion problem( Wurtz Vs Hoffman was a truly polarizing moment in classroom, students actually threatened each other with test tubes).

so, to come back from the past, there i was, terribly bored.. and due to unfortunate turn of events, i was seated in the FRONT BENCH!!! i had boldly gone, where i had never gone before....

and here i was, that old familiar feeling coming again, of head on a collision course with the table..

had to think of something fast, to distract my sleeping mind.. so, while normally, i think of Keira, this time, i had to resort to this poetry.. had my own set of bull !@$% scruples to adhere to..

it's titled- A Rose that became a Thorn, or Milk that has turned Sour...

Why must we argue, for arguement's sake?
This much anger, leaves hate, in it's wake.
Now it seems impossible, we were friends before,
We are moving apart, like waves from the shore.

It kills me now, to think of those times,
We would kill for each other, Partners in Crime.
For you, i would have, the whole world fought.
But now, your hurt, doesn't leave me distraught.

All thoughts of you, prick me like a thorn,
It's best if we stop,let new friendships be born.
I lie hoping, that time can, heal my wounds,
That this darkness shall make way, for a shiny moon.

I am fighting so hard, not to sink into Hate.
Nor curse unto you, a miserable fate.
So please remove yourself, from the realms of my eye.
Let me never hear, the echoes of your cries.

I am begging you, to take your leave.
And all the things, from each other, that we recieved.
Let there not remain, a single trace,
Of the time, we held each other's hearts, in Grace.

I am glad, this torment's over,
Now we can move on.
Never will i ponder,
Where all that love had gone..

yeah, it's over..

P.S. for the sake of my continuing existence, let me assure you. that there are no real life ppl, on whom this is based. just wrote it for a lark. it was Cathartic (another of those perfectly useless words, never found anywhere outside CAT/GRE manuals).

Death of a Martyr

2006-08-04T10:45:00.000+04:00

My friends and family lie convinced,
i drape a curtain over their sights.
The person they love, they think, is
a result, of imagination's flight.

And that a wolf lurks beneath,
the finest coat of wool, on a sheep.
That one day, these jaws will snap,
on those caught in my image trap.

I lie poked, and stabbed, but still,
not to move, lest those shrill,
voices utter their terrible cry:
“ This man's life is all a lie!”

And yet, if I not respond to their,
jabs and jives, nor their stares,
My guilt, they shall proclaim.
My silence, a reason to maim,
Damnation, would they joyfully declare..

All because, I never did mould,
to the shape, ordained by the world of old.
All because, I listened to my heart,
from servitude, did I depart,
onwards to my destiny..

And because, i spoke in a tongue,
they understood, and they tried to run.
But my vision, did theirs shorten,
as it tugged at longings, long forgotten.

Ashamed them to admit,
they felt as I did.
That it's not a crime, to dream of being splendid.

That all of us, beneath the skin,
are flesh and bones, kith and kin.

That the only god, lies within,
the walls of conscience, untouched by sin.

That the wealth of the heart, greater than gold.

This new world is the same as the old.

And we live in a world, which worships vice.

Backs are stabbed, deemed a fair price.

It hurt them, when I called their bluff,

All their money would never be enough.

For one who cared not a pence,

Of how much land lay within the fence,

You set up, to cut yourself,

Off from the rest of the world.

I cry, not for the wounds,

Them, I do not mind.

Saddened, while I see,

My race remains blind.

To the glory, that awaits the one,

Who, all appearances, temptations,

will shun.

Bring forth, the knife, that will end,

Be it may, the final stab, of a friend.

Let me close my sights, on this,

World that has forgotten, it’s heavenly bliss.

age of mythology

2006-07-31T16:14:00.000+04:00

A few myths of our age, tend to get bandied about, with much enthusiasm, both by the haves(minority) and the have nots..

One of them being, that at the end of the day, the better man, or product, or ideology will win or triumph.

And the gullible fools that we are , we believe in them, wide eyed and heartened.. all the while, ignoring the evidence strewn around, to the contrary.

Take for instance, the battle of the sexes. If you have interacted with members of the deadlier species(they’ve earned that ttile, believe me ;) ), you would have to be pretty much shallow, and in these days, unchavunistic( word doesn’t exist in MS WORD), to claim that we are better examples of homo sapiens, than them.

Yet, fortunately for us, men pretty much run the engines of the world..

Sad but true.

Not convinced? Ok, let’s take our freedom struggle.. on the face of it, Gandhiji was up against an empire, of which it was famously said, that “the son never gets to sit at the throne” (much to Charles’s chagrin).. so, they hired a PR guy, to put a spin on it( those were the only spinners England produced, for a long long time), and thru clever wordplay, changed it to “ sun never sets on the empire”..

I digress.. anyways, it was only Gandhiji and his modest clothing, up against the king and 40 % of the world... it shudnt have posed much of a problem for them English, to put him down, yeah?

Well, 59 years later, we know the answer to that.

Or, take Apple Vs Microsoft... once you have used the Mac Os(esp X onwards), you realize that the Skoda you were driving( or, in this case, Windows), was a horse cart, compared to Merc in your hands...

Yet, Microsoft spoilt Steve Jobs apples, leading to the world first virtual sin( Bill bit the apple, bwah hah hah!!) and 97 % of PC users trudge on with OS crashes, missing files, driver issues etc.. while the Mac users feel like they are the descendants of the Elves from LOTR..

Was going to mention the whole reservation thing, and how, it pulls the incentive to perform, out from under you feet, but we will leave that discussion for some other day..

Or, take the battle between USA and Russia.. it was called a cold war, because things got quite heated up, in between. On the one hand, Russia had the might of philosophy of Marx, Engels and literature like Dostoevsky and a whole lot of Vodka...

America had marx(groucho kind), angels(the baseball kind) and archie comics and DC.. plus a whole lot of beer..

Who would you have picked to win?

Yeah, poor old roshiya Motoska lost out, all because Bruce Willis and a whole lot of Hollywood stars, destroyed the language, with their accents..

So much so, that the Russian people never forgave their presidents, this insult to the GREAT LANGUAGE...

And, AK 47 and Vodka spread out, happily ever after..

Of course, one positive aspect of this was, that tennis benefited immensely , and women’s tennis actually became watchable( even if reason were non sport related)..

So, anyhowz, in conclusion, don’t believe in that stupid adage any more than u have to... and nice guys always finish last..

Like I have bitterly found out ...

requiem for a lad

2006-07-23T11:51:00.000+04:00

you know, the other day, i was brushing my teeth. there is nothing remarkable in that particular activity, in itself, but, while i attempted, to manouver the last remains of the elachi, into the depths of my, uhh, whatever... i noticed two protrusions on my upper jaw.

boy, was that a long sentence or what..

anyways, panic set in soon, and alarms went off in my tiny, nanoscopic brain... you see, that was the moment, i knew, that i had officially crossed over, into the dark side..

i had become, shudder!!!, a full fledged, card carrying member, of that vile, hated club, we call " ELDERS!!!!!"..

The horror....

i dont know which smart ass, came up with the name of wisdom teeth.. they are anything but that.. more like, wisDOOM teeth..

you know, it's not that you have two more molars to clean up from now on. no.. that's not the problem..

the problem is, you know, once you have hit that stage, in your life, there is no turning back..

from now on, you cant officially wear torn jeans, without listening to that snaigger behind your back.

you will suddenly find that adam sandler movie disgusting, after laughing your whole teenage away, at his movies.

you will suddenly care about your scalp, but those hairy days will never return..

your biscuits and six packs, will mysteriously transform into barrells and tyres.

on that last point though, since i never had the privilege of washboards, i guess, i wont be affected..

while your teenage was spent in the wish that you would grow up sooner, all of a sudden, you will realise just how quickly the wrinkles and grey hair appear. that wasnt ever taken into account, was it?

remember how u used to make fun of that "UNCLE", who, u felt, was trying too hard to make an impression? one day, you will look in the mirror and GASP!! that uncle is you!!!

i can see it already, me wearing shirts 3 sizes larger than those i am having now, constantly combing non existent hair, trying to suck that gut in, when a member of the female species walks past, trying to talk like a person twenty years younger to me, gasping for breath when i walk 1 km, and spending most of my vacation, in the relaxing atmosphere of a spa, or clinic..

even worse, i will start liking all that art junk, classical music and will try to get a ferrari...

before u know it, mid life crisis welcomes u into it's arms..

THE HORROR!! THE HORROR! THE HORROR...

he was a good teenager, and fought for long.
but his wisdom tooth came, and his youth was gone.

R.I.P.
archie
1984-2006

what GAP?

2006-07-08T14:31:00.000+04:00

warning: this has nothing to do with that fashion label.... read on..

you know, the other day,

my mom and me got talking.. and looking through her school and college pics, made me realise that the so called generation gap, is not aboutdifferent ideas, or attitudes.. hell no... ask you parents how their teenage days went.

they would list their favorite music, which would include western music, they would have tried experimenting with their looks, clothes.. they too, like us, would have believed in same illusion- that we discovered what love feels like..

only the names would have changed.. the bell bottoms of yesterday, have become the pedal pushers of today( i can hear the divas, goin- " pedal pushers, are like, so yesterday!!!")

the elvis and beatles have been replaced by today's pop assembly line icons.. ( fact is though, none of today's greats, could hold a "candle in the wind" to the greats of those days)

the cary grant and gregory peck has been replaced by the tom cruises of today( dont worry, i cringed while writing this line too)..

point is though, that we grow up, believing that we are so unlike our parents, that it's next to impossible to make them see the truth( " You wouldnt understand dad, you have never been in love!")..

but as i looked at my mom's photo, where her 'gang'(her words, not mine) and her, posed with their arms around each's shoulders, i was struck at how yours truly too, had taken a pic in the exact pose...

i think it's time we acknowledged the truth of our predicament.. the fact is, there exists not a generation gap, but one of communication..

few of us have the ability, to carry on a conversation, entirely in one language.. sooner or later, english or hindi, will make their presence felt..

and honestly, if one were to read the english that our grandparents had to endure, at their school level, i am not sure how many of us would emerge unscathed, from the rigours of spellings and grammar.

nothing can be( should be, could be, actually ;) ) greater proof of this, than the mushrooming of the english speaking classes all around you..

i see some students, handle math and science with ease, but tremble at the prospect of entering the group discussion or public speaking opportunities..

and how many of us could actually speak for an hour, without some expletives creeping into our talk? very few of us, i am sure..

and let's get started started on the most essential area, which has become non existent almost, today..

the art of letter writing..

growing up in an era of TV, and phones, and mailing and chatting, it's not a surprise to me, that the basic and beautiful art of letter writing, has become a relic of a glorious past..

reading the letters written by my dad to his dad, i was struck by the beautiful composition of it, and the symphonic structuring of the letter.. when i asked him, on how he could come up, with such poignant verse, he had a simple observation to make.

" each letter, to me, representd an oppurtunity, to communicate with someone, to tell them, what was my current state of mind. and such opportunities presented themeselves rarely.. maybe once or twice a month, if you could save enough.. so, each letter was crafted with care... i approached it like a scripting session.. made rough copies, re read it, and read it again.."

they took care to see to it, that each letter was one worth cherishing. and such handwriting!!! sigh! seeing the letters my parents wrote to each other, in the months following their engagement, i am entirely convinced, that insofar as handwriting goes, i am truly the black sheep in the family.

but i digress. the point i am trying to make, is that in today's times, we take every thing for granted.. but somewhere down the line, in the pursuit of ease of communication, we lost the penchant for the beauty of careful prose..

think over this.. ten years from now, what will remain of the chats, or conversations that you have had? mere text files, subject to the horrors of magnetism..

you can never wrap them up in cloth, to be looked at again whever you wanted.. you can never look at a computer screen and become wistful.. somehow, paper is the best medium for making one thoughtful..

sure, we have made tremendous economic and social progress..but still, somehow, we have become stilted, when it comes to making our fellow beings, understand what we wish t tell them..

imagine this.. even today, if in the office or class, u see a person who is extraordinarily proficient in english, the most common epithet that is bestowed on him/her is " shakespeare"..

400 years have passed, yet he remains the benchmark, by which we measure the lingual abilities of people.. and find everyone, wanting...

anger management

2006-07-07T20:11:00.000+04:00

you know, on the other day, someone i know, asked me- " how the hell, did you manage to get a job? that too at !@@$( it's a company, but i dont have time for lawsuits and suits of any kind)...
some guys have all the luck..."

well, you know, Mr. unnamed friend, you really pissed me off.. so, i wanted to get back at you.. but if there's one thing that i have realised, over the 22 years that i have spent on terra firma(well grounded childhood helps), it's that good revenge is like a meal.. the longer you take to prepare, the better it tastes...

so, i let my anger simmer in me, and then, decided, to mash it all in, and heat in the oil of indignance, and generously sprinkle it, with loads of abuse...

imagine my surprise, when, upon opening the larder of imagination, i found it to be utterly empty... like a locust had held a party and had left only emptiness behind...

" this just wont do", i promised myself... " i am capable of venomous spite, wont give in, without a fight!!"...

so, i started to look for a reason to be angry with the world again... i tried to develop a short temper... i snapped at all those people, whom i knew... i pulled strings, which i knew, would lead supporting structures to collapse..

but nothing worked out... even the pup, whom i growled at, laughed and continued wagging it's tail... i could almost hear it say- " ok two legged funny thing... you got a very high voice, can we get on with the playing please?"

it's disappointing to know, that one of the fundamental rights are being taken away from me... the right to anger..

imagine if there was no anger.... no angry young man, no angry middle aged young man, no angry old man, no angry T Rex, no angry politician( in same order)....

so, i am demanding my right, to be recognised as a human being, capable of anger, and demand that i be treated with avoidance and anger , in return..

it's the democratic thing to do..

an idle mind and other such things

2006-07-06T19:11:00.000+04:00

well, i like to write good night rhymes once in a while.. and pester me friends to read them. so, here's a sample of the inane stuff they have to put up with... and i swear that these are 100 % original....

and much thanks to hema, for collecting them and sending them to me.. u rock :)

12/1/2006

Let the stars twinkle tonight,
when they gaze upon your sleeping face.
Good night :-)

13/1/2006

Let your mind set at rest,
The world of dreams is the best.
free of trouble,worry and fights,
sleep well and early,have a good night!

14/1/2006

The sky is ready,lovely blanket.
Winds are ready,soothing feather.
Nightingale ready to serenade.
As u make your sleep,in your bed.

15/1/2006

Fret not on what could have been,
focus insteadon what can be.
Happiness you should keep,
as the innocent make their way to sleep.

16/1/2006

Bid adieu to the day of light.
Hate and anger,sorrow and fright.
Laughter,joy,unlimited delight..
await the one who sleeps tonight.

17/1/2006

i walkin the clouds,float in the air.
Divein the seas,frollic in the fair.
Of so much happiness do i partake.
must i wake? oh! must i wake!

18/1/2006

I am a car running on empty,
A weary traveller looking for respite.
The oasis of dreams lie in my sight,
I trudge on,hoping to reach it tonight.

24/1/2006

I have sunk like the titanic, in my lake of sorrow.
Grief of today, can't face tomorrow.
No one from whom, glee i could borrow.
my heart lies stabbed, on the mark of an arrow.

25/1/2006

Oh what a tangled web we weave.
Only in end to us decieve.
time does not heal,te ones who grieve.
pain and suffering is all they recieve.


27/1/2006

The smell of floowers, warmth of the sun.
A cheerful smile, mark summer's return.
Time for many tales to unfold,
eternal beauty - a joy to behold.

28/1/2006

Even on the darkest night,
when nothing lies in sight.
i look to my heart,
it guides me right.
my memories remain my greatest might.
forever burning, ever bright.

29/1/2006

I wear an armor, of the thickest hide.
Alone in battle, enemies i smite.
yet slowly i bleed my way to death.
The rose over my heart, thorn in the flesh...

30/1/2006

Tired bones,weary sighs, feel that drag all while.
sad times, happy climes, make you glad to be alive.
with that thought, hope you sink in bed so deep,
that the prying hands of the world,won't snatch you from your sleep..

31/1/2006

I have missed it the whole day, won't miss it at night.
The face i search for, burn into my sight.
The face that makes me hate, being all alone.
The face that has made my heart,it's own.

02/02/2006

Why hath man wrought his blight?
Why kill children,destroy life?
plague the lands, endlessly consume.
erect all buildings,can't see the moon.

04/02/2006

The tallest trees starts as a seed.
Earth can move with smallest deed.
One thing satys through hell and after.
Ties of blood run thicker then water.

05/02/2006

A heart is fragile, yet we load it with worries.
The mind isn,t agile, to play out our stories.
flesh and bone we are,be happy instead.
a night's rest lies ahead.

06/02/2006

courage lies in the heart, not the might o arms.
Wisdom is eternal, not bodily charm.
conscience is the father of the soul.
Keep these in mind, as you reach your goal.

07/02/2006

With the passing of day,and onset of night.
The best days of life are taking flight.
i laugh while others despair.
vanity shall never me ensnare.

08/02/2006

The oldest wine tastes divine.
Oldest tree has the toughest spine.
ages makes one frail, but also wise.
Savour each day, life's spice.

rest will follow

zen and the art of illusion

2006-06-24T14:12:00.000+04:00

while watchin the Da Vinci Code, in theater( not in india, but UAE), i was struck by something.. how, all of us lead lives, in blind acceptance of illusions that are all around us.. we prefer to sit in the cushion of delibrate ignorance, than face the GROUND realities, so as to speak...

even the most fundamental questions remain unanswered, yet, we choose to go on, without a pause, for the fear that questioning would halt us in our tracks...

for example, the greatest lie foistered on us, is that democracy empowers the masses.. look around you, honestly, and see if that is so.. all we have managed to do, in the absence of monarchy, is replace a nobility of blood, with a nobility of wealth... the aristrocrats of yesteryears, have been replaced with the ministers and industrialists of today..

the only thing that remains the same, is the fate of the destitute... the world over, if you are born poor, then, 90 % of the time, you die poor... the shackles of fate ensnare people so tightly, that making our own destiny remains a dream that few are able to make real...

and, the last few months have shown us, how our so called economic progress was just a lot of optimistic gung ho... all it took was the sensex to dive by 3000 points, and all of a sudden, hitherto unnoticed ' Fundamental Flaws' were discovered in our economic, which were the cause of ' Market Correction'.. now, place this talk of so called progress of last few years, with your life... while your average salary has only grown up by a notch or two, prices have been rising faster than Mallika Sherawat's hemline..

while any man on the streets would have told you, that in 5 years time, a 10 Rs. note would buy you lesser quantities of anything, our ministers were going to town with tales of our prosperity... unfortunately, that's all that they remain.. mere tales...

there are several instances, i am sure, in your life as well, where, you realise all of a sudden that even the most fundamental assumptions of your, were flawed... that can either shatter your morale, or, you can grin and then try to move on, while making place for corrections...

my aim, here, is not to ramble on and on.. so, will cut short...

whither art thou, democracy?

2005-09-17T18:27:00.000+04:00

we are a democracy of a billion people. and pride ourselves on that fact. it's a cornerstone of a billion people's lives when they wake up in the morning.
in fact, it's a boasting point when we meet our neighbours(rare as that may be). but after 60 years of democracy, what we have been left with, is pretty much the same problems since independance.
poverty, uneducation, famine, floods, corruption are still with us. while development occurs with 33 % of the population, it happens at the expense of the 15 % of the populace, below poverty line.
what have been the major achievements since 1947?
we brought about a reservation system, ostensibly, to undo the damage caused by centuries of malpractices where birth was awarded more than ability. however, in the end result, what has happened is the opposite. more than ever now, if u wish to get into the elite colleges, despite having scored a modest 75 %, you had better be one of the oppressed people.
this takes place right from school, to college, to now, even jobs( if certain political parties had their way).
secondly, in a democracy, where any one has the right to stand up in an election, we have the absurd demand for 33% reservation for women, is this an acknowledgement by them, that they are unable to fight against the men, who subjugate them? is not the ballot more powerful than the gun? yet, politicans never lose an oppurtunity to pose for photos with women MPs and then proceed to hinder the progress of the bill.
thirdly, is it just me, or is there a visible lack of participation from the educated middle class in politics? all i see are a few good people, amongst a sea of rogues( harsh words, but true nevertheless). unless politics are cleansed of the dirt accumulated over the years, i don't see a change happening anytime soon.
our country need less of the raja bhaiyyas, and more of APJ and Manmohan singh. will that ever occur though?

dressing down?

2005-09-09T20:32:00.000+04:00

hi people. this is my first post. i always wanted to listen to what others had to say, but was searching for space where i could have my say. the point about this blog, is that it is not theme based. i am going to put up my views on issues taht affect me, or ar to my liking.

let me start off, with the dress code that my college, ANNA UNIVERSITY has come up with.

on the surface level, it seems so sane, that you would think only an idiot would oppose. to quote the VC" the students were found wearing clothes that proved to be distracting not just for students, but teachers as well." or, sample this:" to bring about a professional attitude, students have been asked to wear only formal shirts and pants."

no problem, except for this: right down the street, lies a little college called IIT, where i see students roaming in capris and cargo, and( god take pity on you) half pants. not that it's a sight to behold, but fact is, on any given day, a student from IIT commands greater value than ( much as i hate to admit it) Anna University.

professionalism is not about clothes you wear. rather, its about the attitude and skills you have acquired. and instead of working on making our students more employable, our VC is misdirecting his energies in needless directions.

let's face it, from LKG to 12th, we spend all our time in uniforms. college is the one time we get to wear clothes we like and can experiment with looks. granted, results arent amazing most of the time, but what the heck, if it cant be done now, when can it be done?

and the buck stops not there. as some of u may be aware, in anna, right now, a guy speaks to a female only at the risk of getting himselg suspended. that's right. its an offence right now.

my beef with that is, many students get in here, from schools, where guys and gals are seperated, or from unisex schools. restricting or preventing interaction between girls and boys, is an unhealthy trend. especially when you keep in mind, that when u get out of college, to ur workplace, u will work with women.

we seem to be regressing with each passing day. our college now has a patrol van, which checks for conformity with dress code, cell phones( more on that next week), and guys talking to girls.

students who were found giving interviews to the press, have been suspended.

all this atrocities, in the supposed land of democracy.

i wonder.