Just do it!

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.

Mahatma Gandhi

The man certainly knew the pulse of the nation. The man knows how to express.
What more reason does one need to do what is right. The fact that it is right thing to do is good enough reason to do it.

The Uncrowning Glory!

So I don't know what is the big fuss about Taj. That people are going crazy or at least driving me crazy to vote for it as one of the seven wonders of the world.

How will my vote help ? I know the cliched answer, every vote counts.
But counts for what?
Will it make Agra a more tourist friendly place?
Will it make the Taj less prone to pollutants?
The only wonder I wonder about is how will it benefit with Taj being in the seven wonders of the world?
If I don't vote for Taj does it make it less beautiful?
Why do we associate cricket, or Oscars and now Taj with patriotism? Does it make me less patriotic (sic) if I don't vote for Taj.

For me, the beauty of Taj does not lie that it made into the list. Its beauty lies in full glory on a full moon or in break of dawn when the sun rises. Its beautiful when millions of Indians have hummed odes to Taj in Bollywood movies. Its beautiful when it brings the sense of awe and an insipiring smile on a face. Nevermind, all the hardships one faces because of the administrations.

I don't need the voting - the eight blunder of the world. Your seven blunder list may vary.
I don't need any third party list to say Arre Huzoor Wah Taj boliye !

But those who are still adamant or are keen on "voting" you can vote for Taj here. I am not voting for sure. If Taj loses by a vote, you know who was not patriotic enough.

Also, you can vote for Indion Idol or Voice of India or comedy Circus or Sa Re Ga Ma Pa if you are suffering from CVS (Compulsory Voting Syndrome). Alas, you can not vote for the President of India ! Sorry, tough luck.

NBA - Nation Bachao Aandolan

I have a new president nominee to save the nation, Mr Aamir Khan. He already has shown signs of revolutionizing the constitution. Last week, he went ahead and added one more basic right for every Indian.

Every Indian should own a DVD of Lagaan.

So now, Roti, Kapda aur Lagaan is the new mantra.

He has good credentials, He is a farmer by birth. No, I did not mean that he is dipping his samosas in Kissan ketchup but he is a Kisaan. Jai Lagaan, Jai Kisaan.

He can also fight corruption by bumping off politicians, does it rang any bell ?
Dam(n) it, he can also go and sit with NBA. Though his height may limit him from playing basketball.

And if he wins, expect a new hair-style[1] from him after the trend-setting Dr Kalam's curls which incidentally inspired another Khan in Tere Naam[2].

But wait, Mr Khan is known for disappearing from the public eye for years if he has no movie to release, so there may be a case where we don't see our president for next 5 years. Wish we can say the same for our other politicians !

If there is no other benefit than at least he won't be veiled in purdah whenever we get his glimpse.

The signs are too visible and he does make a very good candidate. Mr Aamir Khan is the right choice, Baby ! A-ha. After all, Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar.

Though my only concern is, does every Indian need to buy a DVD player too ?

[1] - He is going bald in his forthcoming movie oops..movieee I mean. Thanks Himesh !
[2] - I made this strand of connection between Salman Khan and Dr Kalam.

The turning of Dr. Seuss in his grave !

Was writing another cheesy rhyme,
Just stopped short of committing the crime,
What is the purpose of writing a verse ?
When it does not make any sense or worse,
It exposes my idiocy, and proves that I am no good,
So I will delete this piece. Yes, I better should.
But, for a moment, let it see the light of the day,
The comments are open, have your say !

Vent of Paint-up emotions

So this MSU Fine Arts fracas is going real crazy. Chandramohan won a stay of 5 days in jail and still counting. Courtesy BJP and VHP. The PVC[1] and VC[2] have suspended the dean[3]. They have also closed the exhibition. I think they were not invited to open the exhibition at the first place, that's what got them angry. Cos they could not light the lamp, they are adding fuel to the fire.

Somewhere else in India, there is an all-India protest about the whole issue. I wonder why Ahmedabad is not there in the picture.

Also, somewhere else Maneka Gandhi has gone all-human. She is trying to save the human creative aspect. Christ ! What will happen to all the animals. I guess human is an animal too, and some animals are more equal than the others.

If this thing interested you, you can go and visit this blog. You can also leave your signature over here to show that you care.

[1] - Trivia : PVC is used for foot-wear sole.
[2] - Trivia : VC stands for Vice - chancellor. Vice means bad habits.
[3] - Trivia : Dean, in Hindi, means helpless or something like that. You get the drift.

Hurt of a Nation

The people are so touchy these days. They are so sensitive and emotional.

So one BJP leader gets hurt by the painting of Lalit Kala Akademi award winner and a student in MSU Fine Arts. Some MLA in Maharashtra is hurt that Buddha is in the bathroom. Of Rakhi Sawant, no less to get things straight. How dare one put God and Rakhi Sawant in the same room? Have pity on God, at least.

It wasn't only the Big Brother who felt the heat for the most famous lip-lock in the Indian history since Vatsayan days which happened between a Buddha follower and apni Shilpa. Ek Gere aadmi ke saath...Iissssh ! And damn, one will be hurt when somebody Murthy decides that its OK to play the music of the anthem rather than singing it hoarsely. What would happen to so many budding Himeshes who thought Murthy was their Indian Idol ? How dumb Murthy was that he did not know that even a mute person has to compulsorily sing the anthem to show that she cares for the country ?

Of course, Mr Satya Paul did not know that Pallu of the saree can only have the Indian flag not the knee-jerk creativity he showed. How dare he ? To give the credit, he made sure that if not India then some other nation would have got offended with all flag saree for Ms Noodle Straps. 2 minutes it took for her getting vocally flogged. Set. Max. Go. But some people never learn so Ms Bedi goes a step back this time and puts a tatoo of a Sikh symbol on her back. How regressive ! Kuch to sikho Ms Bedi. You should have taken the thing up front instead. How spine less of you to enrage someone's feeling back-to-back.

So it continues, these people are working harder so that the rest of us can express our sentiments and emotions. Who says that world is being indifferent and zombie-like ? Now, I am hurt too. Let me sulk. Not in the corner, Right in front of the world. I want my 15 minutes of shame.

Majority

A majority of us feel that murder, loot, rape, arson are wrong.
A majority of us think that honesty, integrity, following the rules are right.
A majority of us do not commit the above crimes.
A majority of us do not do the right thing.

You don't need a majority to do the right thing.
But you need a majority to decide, to concur on the wrong.
The majority says that it is wrong. The One asks what is right ?

Dream On.....

When chips are down, the stakes are high,
When the heart that bleeds, the thoughts that cry,
The eyes are listless, the lips are dry,
When hope glows, doubts that sigh,
The If, the but, the how and the why,
Something says that its worth the try,
Its ok to fall when you dream for the sky.

The state machine of the mind

Mann apne ko kuch halka paaye....
Jaise kandho par rakha bojh hat jaaye...
Jaise bhola sa bachpan phir se aaye...
Jaise barson mein koi Ganga nahaaye....

There are few gems that beautifully describe what I feel some time or the other.
The one above fits the bill today.

The Caucus

A latest addition to the blogosphere. My manager and mentor and friend Rahul has started his blog.
His first post tackles the pertinent issues related to the job world.

I have added the link in my "Friends who write" widget. Also, you can directly go to his blog The Caucus.

On job, my take is jobs don't have future, people do. I did not make this one. Wish I had.

I hope he keeps writing frequently.

Missing in Action ?

Summer is here. The days are getting longer. But I still don't find enough time to complete my things. That was my excuse for not writing since long. To quote SRK, "I am running 2 days behind in my life". Well, in my case, it will be weeks.

So far, work is keeping me busy. Also, we started off with volleyball tournament at my work place.
Lately, I have been busy with the blog and the website for the tournament.

We won our first match. It was relief more than anything after being "minnows" in the last tournament where we were beaten left, right and center.

Do visit the blog and the website.

Vote Populi

I can't be blogging right now. I am voting for Sanjaya if the following theory is to be believed.

American Idol: Are Indian call centers skewing the vote ?

Indians are known for voting the worst of the lot. Always.
Take the case of the MLAs and MPs, the BCCI selectors voting for the Indian Cricket team (alright, this one was below the belt, I apologize), the indian franchise of the "Idol" or who can forget the desi version with Qazi Tauqeer winning Fame Gurukul. Gasp.
Now you know now why Shilpa won the Big Brother, for that matter.

Folks, this is just the beginning, after the "Idol' we may even vote for the next President. No not of India, we want Amitabh to be the president of US of A.
USA - The Uttam State of Amitabh or Allahabad, worse Amar. Take your pick and call me.
Though the lines are busy as I am voting for Sanjaya.

Google goes the old-fashioned way

with Gmail Paper.

Now, nature is also a call away with Google TiSP without seeking absence from the digital world.

Learn more about them over here !

All in the day

The other day, I went to Crosswords and bought Po Bronson's Why do I love these people ? (The name may sound cheesy, but the book is not. More on the book some time later.) When I came out of the book store, a 5 or 6 year old kid stopped my way.

Saahab, Can I polish these shoes.

These were suedes, I told him, the usual polish wax won't work on these shoes. Never to give up so easily, he said at least I can get them brushed. Somehow I relented, one of the reason that I attribute is, he did not try emotional black mail on me but only sold his skills.

How much will it cost ?
Pay as per your will.
5 is good ?
Haan.
If I get the shoe box, I can carry all the wax and brush along with me and earn more money. It will cost 120 rupees.
What's your name ?
Vijay
Ok ? You work in this area all the time?
Haan.
Where is the shop that sells the shoe-box?
Its near the railway station.
Vijay, not today, but one of these days, I will buy it for you.

**********************************

While driving back to office, a van with school kids over took me. While it was beside my two-wheeler, someone threw out a stone. No,that was just for the effect, in fact, it was a ball made out of crumpled paper. It was enough to startle me and break my reverie. I was suppose to take the next left and I was thinking I should go and yell at the kid. The van raced ahead and one head poked out of the window and looked at me. Was it guilt or was it relief that he did not get caught ?. I am not a good face reader. I took my left turn.

**********************************

It's worse than Sahara in Ahmedabad this summer. Though I have never been to Sahara, neither have I travelled with Air Sahara but that's beside the point. The point is, it's worse than Sahara in Ahmedabad.
So at work-place we had a power cut. May be due to over-load or may be somebody tired of working tripped the circuit-breaker but that's beside the point. The point is, there was a power cut.

Few of my co-workers and me landed up in the lounge and we were cribbing about the Great Indian Robbery where 1 billion were robbed of their cricket dream and some more nationalistic issues that may or may not have included Rakhi Sawant. Suddenly, the Sage spoke : "You know, the best thing we can do right now is to serve chilled water to those people out there". Everyone looked at the direction that he was indicating. Now, we are on the 4th floor and we have long corridors with glass windows on one side and halls having Dilbert-ish cubicles on the other side. The corridor broadens up near the lounge where we have couches. So the view through the glass windows had the top floor of a building being brought down by few labourers.

There was a silence that lasted a second longer. I said
We do not have enough water to serve them.
We can buy a 20-liter bottle.
Another period of silence.

Do you really want to do it.
Actually, no, the building seems far. And we will have to take it to the top floor.
Umm ok.

A customary silence where the intention was acknowledged.
We revert to pressing national issues which at that moment of time required our undivided attention.

**********************************

Remember why he died....

Is it a new beginning, I wonder ( I am not talking about cricket, not yet.) Or is it a continuum of the last year's legal break through in Jessica Lal's case. Some sixteen months ago, he was murdered by the oil mafia and today the district court ordered death penalty for the prime accused and life-terms for the rest of the accomplices.

But its not over till its over. Its too early to celebrate justice. This is just the district court, the defendants will go to High Court or may be till Supreme court. The public memory is too short, the vision is short-sighted. Its not about one killer. Its about the fight against crime. The idea is to keep the momentum going against the culprits. The key is to never let go hope. Like in another case, the verdict is still open on Satyendra Dubey's murder trial.

Its about remembering why Manjunath died [1].

On this, I urge you to read this wonderful essay "The Banality of Heroism" via Guy Kawasaki's post.

[1] The statement is inspired from a quote in the movie "300".

Cricket Google(y)

Follow this link. A concise page for the cricket buffs. Very Googlish. Thanks to Om Malik's daily blog.

I have also added in my Live Wire link list.