Time is really a strange term. It flies when you don’t notice it and when you do, its inching away at terribly slow speed. It’s been a month since television channels started airing undisclosed footages and paying tributes to those who went away to never return back. Some even reviewed the security post 26/11 at sensitive spots to expose the apathy of a Government who hasn’t yet learnt its lesson. A year down the line, nothing has changed really. Mr. R.R. Patil whose famous quotes still make my blood boil is back as a Minister. So are many other politicians who went on terror tours.
No matter how much is being said about the fortification of the city by the Mumbai Police and other assorted forces, we all know the truth. It is this truth or rather the realization of it is reflected in the eyes of the average Mumbaikar. People talk endlessly about the ‘spirit’ of Mumbai and how the city has a habit of bouncing back from every calamity that continues to mar its beauty. I have a question- Do we have any other option? The wealthy guys will stop going for work for a month and quit travelling by first class in locals and opt for private transportation instead, the middle class will take a leave of two days and then resume going back to the old grind but what about those whose salary is on a per day basis. Can this guy afford to stay back at home citing fear of a terror attack? Everyone tries to put up a brave front and act tough and at the end of the day, the fear of losing your livelihood overrules the fear of losing your life. This is the spirit we all talk about.
Shabana Azmi rightly said “We are a society looking for short-term solutions to long-term problems.” So many citizen groups were formed after the attacks stressing the need for a secure neighborhood. Facebook and Orkut had hundreds of communities and groups coming up to which people swarmed to express their solidarity. How many of them are active right now? These people aren’t even close to what they are trying to be- heroes. My hero is the victim who has the guts to visit the same place where he escaped death and speak about it. My hero is the widow who continues to run from pillar to post trying to get compensation instead of indifference from the Government. My hero is the policemen who patrol the streets assuring people of their safety when they know that their pistol won’t come close to killing the terrorist and the only weapon they have is their courage. My hero is Karambir Kang and many others like him who chose to respond to the call of duty even when their own safety was at peril. My hero is Ratan Tata who re-opened the Taj in a matter of few months to show that the there a few cracks in the building is not enough to break his courage. This is the spirit we should be talking about and not the spirit to travel again in local trains after the attacks.
After a year, all I wish to do is to pray for the victims and their family because it is not easy to draw strength knowing that your loved ones could have been saved. It requires immense resilience to accept the fact Kasab alive and that your money is spent on keeping him alive. I just hope this is the last time I express my anguish over our own apathy and helplessness. Let this be the last time please.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Runaway Techies
Recently I had the fortune of visiting the I.I.T. Bombay campus and that has left me with a slight pain in the jaw. The reason being, I was gaping at the sheer enormity of the campus. I am yet to see the whole campus because whenever I assumed that the road was coming to an end, it took a new turn only to end at infinity. The greenery was such a beautiful sight to behold and it was hard to believe that there was a crazy traffic waiting for you outside the entrance if you just bothered to turn your back.
When I checked out the fees, I was pleasantly surprised to see the figures below 20K. While it is not really a meager amount, but if you look at the facilities they provide, it’s actually a bargain. But right now I am feeling contemptuous at the I.I.T. graduates who pack up their things and just zip off to some ‘foreign’ country to earn big bucks. How mean and selfish I say. The Government doesn’t spend an obscene amount on your training and education just to see you off at the airport. It does so with the hope and expectation that the best brains don’t turn their backs on their homeland and work their bums off at some other country. Sure every guy has the right to decide about his career. The temptation of a lucrative job at the outset of your career is too hard to resist and that is a fact I am completely aware of. But can you guys please think of coming back to India after a few years and do your nation a service?
I am a bit sympathetic to those graduates from private institutes. I am well aware of the fleecing at such institutes and most of the authorities are at mortal danger of choking since they are sucking money at alarming speed. If they decide to work abroad and try to recover back their investment, it seems acceptable. The certificates from such obscure institutes aren’t going to make them shine in the job scenario in India. But I can’t help going Grrr…. when I see an IITian snub job offers from India saying that they can’t adjust in their birthplace now that they are so well settled in the country of their choice. Sure Mr. Geek, you are so well ‘adjusted’ to the random curry-bashing and snide racist remarks you face in your adopted country. You have now ‘adjusted’ and accepted your colleagues perception of India as ‘Land of snake charmers’ and have not bothered to correct him. We Indians are so amazing, we adapt so well in a new environment without a complaint. Except the environment where they grew up in.
I just hope our beloved and very valuable techies realize this one important fact- India needs you and very badly. Don’t make me believe this commonly held perception that IITians have brains but not a heart.
When I checked out the fees, I was pleasantly surprised to see the figures below 20K. While it is not really a meager amount, but if you look at the facilities they provide, it’s actually a bargain. But right now I am feeling contemptuous at the I.I.T. graduates who pack up their things and just zip off to some ‘foreign’ country to earn big bucks. How mean and selfish I say. The Government doesn’t spend an obscene amount on your training and education just to see you off at the airport. It does so with the hope and expectation that the best brains don’t turn their backs on their homeland and work their bums off at some other country. Sure every guy has the right to decide about his career. The temptation of a lucrative job at the outset of your career is too hard to resist and that is a fact I am completely aware of. But can you guys please think of coming back to India after a few years and do your nation a service?
I am a bit sympathetic to those graduates from private institutes. I am well aware of the fleecing at such institutes and most of the authorities are at mortal danger of choking since they are sucking money at alarming speed. If they decide to work abroad and try to recover back their investment, it seems acceptable. The certificates from such obscure institutes aren’t going to make them shine in the job scenario in India. But I can’t help going Grrr…. when I see an IITian snub job offers from India saying that they can’t adjust in their birthplace now that they are so well settled in the country of their choice. Sure Mr. Geek, you are so well ‘adjusted’ to the random curry-bashing and snide racist remarks you face in your adopted country. You have now ‘adjusted’ and accepted your colleagues perception of India as ‘Land of snake charmers’ and have not bothered to correct him. We Indians are so amazing, we adapt so well in a new environment without a complaint. Except the environment where they grew up in.
I just hope our beloved and very valuable techies realize this one important fact- India needs you and very badly. Don’t make me believe this commonly held perception that IITians have brains but not a heart.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Being positive
As the blog title suggests I am going to mention all the things which make my life fruitful, people who enrich my life and the silly things which I love doing. I am listing out these things because whenever I will be down and out, I will glance at this list and be thankful for all the things I have been blessed with.
1. I love to wake up to the sound of chirping birds- I still enjoy that luxury of seeing sparrows near my window every day.
2. I love it when my parents fuss over my food and get me all sort of junk food so that I can gain some weight.
3. I love to stroll and not run to the railway station to catch the train.
4. I can catch up with my friends at the station and happily chatter till we reach college.
5. I love the lunch time when everyone gathers around and pounce on each other’s dabba. If it’s paranthas for lunch, it will disappear even before you say ‘mujhe bhi chahiye’.
6. I enjoy the feeling that I can doze off during a boring lecture because my bench mate will wake me up when the professor stares.
7. I love the idle talk on the way to the railway station and missing trains just because you want to catch up on all the college news.
8. I love to snuggle under a warm blanket on a cool night and sleep pleasantly.
9. I love to stick to my cell phone 24/7. Although the recent reports of cancer causing radiations from them do give me enough reasons to stay away from it , but then it’s back to normal within a week.
10. I love the mixing of colours when I make a rangoli. The way one colour blends in with the other is a visual treat.
11. I love it when I make a little candle to gift someone and se their faces brighten up.
12. I love to see the arrays of earrings and bangles on display in the train. I wonder if anyone notices the way these shiny things catch the sunlight and reflect back beautiful rays.
13. I love it when my house is filled with little kids making a ruckus and when they finally manage with some efforts to call me ‘Sweee taa’
14. I love it when I dance like no one is watching during ganpati viserjan.
15. I love to close my umbrella and walk in the rain while at the same time jumping on poodles of water, never mind the curses showered by friends on me.
16. I love it when I can just go on sleeping and sleeping and sleeping and not worry about a thing in the world.
17. I love being around Pagu, Alias and Unpronounceable, who can sense it when I am feeling low and then cheer me up.
18. I love it when someone comments on the blog because I know somewhere they have taken the effort to read it.
19. I still love to sit on the swing in gardens until a child politely points it out to me that it is his turn.
20. And last but not the least, I love being myself :)
1. I love to wake up to the sound of chirping birds- I still enjoy that luxury of seeing sparrows near my window every day.
2. I love it when my parents fuss over my food and get me all sort of junk food so that I can gain some weight.
3. I love to stroll and not run to the railway station to catch the train.
4. I can catch up with my friends at the station and happily chatter till we reach college.
5. I love the lunch time when everyone gathers around and pounce on each other’s dabba. If it’s paranthas for lunch, it will disappear even before you say ‘mujhe bhi chahiye’.
6. I enjoy the feeling that I can doze off during a boring lecture because my bench mate will wake me up when the professor stares.
7. I love the idle talk on the way to the railway station and missing trains just because you want to catch up on all the college news.
8. I love to snuggle under a warm blanket on a cool night and sleep pleasantly.
9. I love to stick to my cell phone 24/7. Although the recent reports of cancer causing radiations from them do give me enough reasons to stay away from it , but then it’s back to normal within a week.
10. I love the mixing of colours when I make a rangoli. The way one colour blends in with the other is a visual treat.
11. I love it when I make a little candle to gift someone and se their faces brighten up.
12. I love to see the arrays of earrings and bangles on display in the train. I wonder if anyone notices the way these shiny things catch the sunlight and reflect back beautiful rays.
13. I love it when my house is filled with little kids making a ruckus and when they finally manage with some efforts to call me ‘Sweee taa’
14. I love it when I dance like no one is watching during ganpati viserjan.
15. I love to close my umbrella and walk in the rain while at the same time jumping on poodles of water, never mind the curses showered by friends on me.
16. I love it when I can just go on sleeping and sleeping and sleeping and not worry about a thing in the world.
17. I love being around Pagu, Alias and Unpronounceable, who can sense it when I am feeling low and then cheer me up.
18. I love it when someone comments on the blog because I know somewhere they have taken the effort to read it.
19. I still love to sit on the swing in gardens until a child politely points it out to me that it is his turn.
20. And last but not the least, I love being myself :)
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