Heroes

2nd April 2011. That's the day when the gross total happiness in this world would have been at its highest. That's when India won the world cup. I have never seen so many people so happy together. To put it in Ravi Shastri's words, the streets were jam packed and the atmosphere electric. There was a wave of nationalism and the usual chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai". Of course, being in Hyderabad, I was witness to a couple of bizarre slogans of "Jai Telengana" and "Jai Shri Ram"!

5th April 2011. Anna Hazare went on fast unto death to force the government to commit to civil (non-political) representation in committee drafting the Anti-Corruption bill, a committee which has fair representation for some of the most corrupt politicians of the nation. For once, there is a sense of unity amongst the people on a cause (Of course, Arundhati Roy and her band of social reformers are missing from the scene. And why shouldn't they be, Anna Hazare is not out on an armed rampage to prove his point). In recent times, this kind of unity is surpassed only by the one I described in the above paragraph.

Now, when the country hails our cricket team as heroes, I see them as nothing more than creations of the media/advertisers to encash the elated feelings of the people when the people project the team's success as their own. While on the other hand, today, Anna Hazare to me is the personification of the pain that most people feel and want to act against but just don't know how. More importantly, his actions give us hope that there might yet be things that can be done to prevent the moral fabric of our society from completely disintegrating. I pray, more than I did for the Indian team to win the world cup, that Anna Hazare is successful in his cause. Our cause. Because, for me, he is a real hero. A hero by choice, not by chance.

3D Movies, I Boycott

Imagine wearing a pair of shoes over another pair of shoes or a hat over your head and another hat over the first hat. Its both irritating and preposterous. That's why it had to take the genius of James Cameroon and an army of designers, technologists and what not to bring out Avatar, a movie that marked the beginning of 3D into mainstream cinema. While there was a technological awe associated with the movie, the reason 3D technology went so well with the producers is that it, supposedly, prevents piracy.

After Avatar there has been a rush of movies being made in 3D. Any Hollywood movie that is worth watching these days is released in 3D. If at all there are 2D versions, they get released in some obscure theaters in some obscure corner of the city.

All this was fine as long as the technology did not require wearing those stupid glasses. I mean they are nothing but a hassle. First you go to the theater and deposit money to get a pair of glasses. Then you are not sure if they are upto the standard. So you wear them and do a cleanliness check. Of course, its only when the movie starts do you realize that the glasses are no good in translating the movie into 3D. But its too late. I also have this feeling that the 3D glasses reduce the brightness and, at least for me, end up giving a headache. I think its a conspiracy against people like me who wear spects. Wearing spects over spects! How ridiculous. I wish all these producers have to wear a pair of hard leather shoes over their other pair of shoes for their whole life.

To get my voice heard, I have decided to make my money talk. From today onwards, I boycott all 3D movies till there is a better technology where those stupid spects are not required as an add-on. Or better still, producers revert to those good old 2D formats. Most movies are not worth the 3D conversion effort anyway.

Feelings

"A Christmas Carol" is a particularly moving piece of literature. I read the adapted version of the novella for stage enactment during my high school and ever since it has been on the back of my mind for the novella's projection of the ever nagging eventuality that a person might face.

For the uninitiated, A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman who detests the world and everyone around him and there is a certain sense of reciprocity to the feelings. Then, on the eve of Christmas he is faced with three ghosts who take him through a journey that changes his (remaining) life forever. A masterpiece by Charles Dickens, read it to believe it (I am no fan of Charles Dickens but this work is really awesome though some might find it a bit childish). Though, Scrooge is a highly successful businessman, in the journey to his 'success' he keeps on loosing those near him. The result is a person with a lot of potential sources of happiness (read money :P) but no one really to share it with. (Another piece of work that conveys this message very well is "Into the Wild" but in a different light).

Now, for me, what's so creepy about this book is that in real life I so often meet people like Scrooge that I am afraid that given enough time I might also become one. I like to think of myself as an optimist but truth be told, the number of grumpy old (though many of these are not exactly old) people around at times sucks out all the optimism. I understand that people have their experiences and points of view but it is difficult for me to grasp when money is given precedence over feelings. I feel really sad for people who are not able to sympathize with other people and their situations. People who, either by their innate nature or conscious thoughts, decide to exploit someone or put someone in misery. I pity them because they are eventually doomed to a 'Scroogian' life and am afraid of them because their attitudes might rub off on me. And hence I read and re-read "A Christmas Carol" to remind me of what I must never be.

Places I Want To Visit

So many wishes, so little time. But while I can I'll at least make a list, just in case I get lucky with enough money, time and companionship. Here's my list of places I want to visit:

• Bhutan : Long overdue. The place somehow mystifies me, especially those on the cliff monasteries.
• Easter Islands : Boy, aint these structures amazing. I want to believe \m/.
• Rio De Janerio : Ok, its in Brazil and has amazing beaches but Christ the Redeemer is why I want to visit this place.
• Varanasi : The oldest city in the world. Must be something about this place that has enabled it to survive this long. Pity that we have managed to destroy the beauty of "Ganga Ghats" at most places, both in an environmental and a moralistic sense. But nonetheless, I long to visit Kashi.
• Angkor Wat : Is it beautiful or is it beautiful. I don't like to visit temples because there are so many people there and the long queues irritate me. Sure would be pleasant to visit a temple where there is no dhakka-mukki. Sheer peace. But that cannot happen in India.
• The Grand Canyon : No words for this, really.

Surely not a complete list but at least a start.

Things I Want To Do

Its been 6 months since my last post on this issue and here is the progress review, as promised:

1. Visit Bhutan - Remains elusive :(
2. Play Mafia with some of my old friends : Check - Thanks to an alumni trip organized by Thrillophilia to Coorg.
3. Do something with as much passion as those people at TED
4. Get a real job: Hopefully soon
5. Do pull ups: Have started to train specifically for this at the Gym now
6. Run 4 kms. in 20 mins.: I guess I should get over this now. Its becoming sort of a drag.
7. Visit to the tall crane cabins
8. Learn to dance
9. Learn to play guitar: In progress

At this juncture in my life, a lot of things seem to be linked to pt. 4. Lately, I have been trying to decouple my life with this important aspect of life. Not sure how successful I will be. In that context, I plan to review my progress of these things one month after I succeed (even partially) in pt. 4.

Friends

A man is what the society makes of him. In that context I have been very fortunate to have had some of the most amazing people around me. This blog is a dedication to each one of them and what qualities they inspired me to instill in myself.

Akhil - Humility
The Gola (Aneesh, Shashank, Vinod, Sonik, Sandy...) - Perseverance
Ujj – The art of giving
Amit – How not to be jealous and move ahead in life by helping others
Avi – How the contrarian view of life is always so positive
Ady – How to just chill out at times, no matter how critical the situation
Dhadda - Persistence
Kanishk – The power of passion
Rohit Prasad – Panicking never solves anything
Aakash – Do what you are supposed to do, anyway
Gunjan – He introduced me to “Sunscreen” – the song
Karthik – Give notes, without any grudges
The VLSI group – Persistence, hard work and humility
Prof. RNB – Perfection and how to always be a child. Enjoying – the most important thing
Prof. DNC – Shit happens, what’s important is how you take it and come out of it
Dr. Mahant-Shetti – Humility; power of combination of an educationist and an entreprenuer
Jain (Vivek)– Being what you are
Sharma (Vikas)– Perception is reality
Nipun – Do something, things are not going to change by themselves
Sapre – A friend in need
Kaushal – Don’t ask what you deserve; ask what you want

I would like to put in a story around each of these to tell why I think the way I think but I guess that's for another time.

Writer's Block - Paradox

Its funny. I know hardly anyone reads this blog and yet while writing a post, I am stuck, afraid of what conclusions these phantom readers of mine might draw. Now, its not that I plan on writing something out of the world or anything. Its just that each post of yours discloses so much about you that you are afraid. A fear that is peculiar and paradoxical. I mean you write to express yourself, an act that inevitably is a mirror into your feelings/thoughts and what not. However, the idea of someone knowing you simply through this mode of expression is amazingly scary. At least to me it is.

How to Buy a Saree

Its not as difficult as its made out to be though that might be because I went alone and did some very objective decision-making. So here are the steps I followed:

• Inquire about some famous showrooms in town: This is especially required when shopping the first time so that one does not get cheated. Sure you'll end up spending a bit more but at least you'll be sure of what you have brought.
• Think about the type of cloth you are looking for. Now for gifting, its silk or some other exotic local fabric you should look to buy. This will reduce the pain of selection by ensuring that the saree wala cannot dump a whole heap for you to select from
• Have a range in mind: Now this won't help in terms of you selecting sarees from that range but it will surely help in knowing when the prices are getting 'obscene'. Trust me, there's no limit on how expensive sarees can get!
• See the amount of design and 'work' on the pallu. Higher this is, better is the saree and subsequently, more expensive.
• Make sure to see the saree in daylight. Showrooms have a knack of making even ordinary sarees look amazing due to their lightning.
• Color and color combination are important. I am not sure how to decide on this but best is to follow the gut feeling.

Amar Akbar Antony

Here's a lesson for today's filmmakers. Amar Akbar Antony. I have watched this movie a zillion times and I watched it again today. It is no surprise that yesterday's hindi movies were considered complete masala and entertainment for the whole family. They had mass following not just in India but across the world, especially south east asia and africa. Compared to today's movies, these movies were popular even amongst the non Indian population.

Now why would I consider Amar Akbar Antony, an utterly illogical movie at times (imagine the three heroes singing out their names in front of the villain and the fool is fooled by fake mustaches. How dumb), a landmark?

• AAA appeals across age groups : With the story of three kids getting lost, maturing into a love story (without getting too sensual like today's movies) full of comical moments appeals to the younger generation. For the elderly the whole aspect of single existence in old age, burdened with physical and emotional problems (eg. of the 'Mai') would be a point of connection. I don't say that AAA would appeal equally to everyone but it does not pitch to anyone with a half heart, by having utterly useless side-actors (which has become so very common these days)
• AAA shows the whole spectrum of social strata: From poverty to richness and from Hindus to Muslims to Isiais to Sai Baba, the film has it all. And what amazes me is the sensitivity and secularity with which all this is handled. Eg. is when 'Mai' gets her eyes following the wonderful Sai Baba song. Its so amazing. A muslim person singing in praise of Sai Baba and a hindu heroine getting back her eyesight. Isn't this secularism at its extreme and hats off to the director for avoiding any religious statements by mixing the diversity of India so well.
• AAA comes with a message, without lectures: One of today's popular directors, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, ends up giving lectures in his movies. I wish he gets lectures on what's good and what's bad by a kala bandar for the rest of his life. Anyway, AAA has its own learnings for the audience, but delivered in a subtle way. Remember how Akbar denies to forcefully marry his dream girls. Or how even the evil Pran beats up his man because he did not pay the wife and kids of his employees on time.
• Songs are amazing and they are part of the movie, not the movie itself: These days there are so many movies where after seeing the songs you'd think its so awesome. And you go to watch the movie and it turns out the songs were all that were to it. AAA and other movies of the era has songs that were a logical extension of the movie and gelled well, and more importantly the movie had more to it than just songs. I am not a great fan of Laxmikant Pyarelal (they used almost the same tunes in all movies :X) but they did give some appropriate music for movies.
• There's happy endings: Now this may just be my personal bias but I like movies that end happily and make you feel good. I mean either you make a movie that's a piece of art, so much so that people don't care how it ends, only how its made. Or you make a movie that ends happily. The folly today's directors do is they make totally sloppy movies and end them abruptly with no head or tail. Its almost as if the producer ran out of money.
• The acting's so effortless, it almost feels real: OK this one's a problem of an industry flooded with actors and actresses made out of lineage not talent. But still, its appalling, the difference in acting out roles of a normal person (I'll admit these days actors are much better in acting stylish).

Things I Want to Do

I had some things in my mind that I wanted to do out of the routine and had posted them on my earlier blog here. Well I passed out of XLRI and still have most of things unchecked. But then that does not stop me from having my own set of fanciful wishes. So here's my updated "Bucket List":

1. Visit Bhutan
2. Learn Salsa - Check
3. Read Old Man and the Sea - Check
4. Play Mafia with some of my old Friends
5. Give a presentation as impressive as at TED - (Update) - Do something with as much passion as those people at TED
6. Get a real job
7. Do pull ups
8. Run 4kms. in 18 mins. - (Update) - Ok 18 mins. is overshooting, I'll settle for 20 mins. Hey come on, I have only grown older since last time.
9. Climb up those 10 storey high cranes and see the world from the controller's cabin.
10. Learn to dance - Salsa was good but I'm still in the two left foot syndrome.
11. Learn to play guitar - Yeah man, that's a really old one but this is one thing I'd really want to do. Just for the fun of it. Actually I want to learn to play piano but that does not seem to feasible so guitar is the next best instrument.

Let's see where I reach in 6 months time.

I'm Impressed

Now this is a perfect case of getting impressed simply because you do not expect it, not because you think its impossible. Here's my salute to the PAN issuing authority of India:

• August 13 : I apply for PAN, pay online and get an immediate acknowledgement and directions on what to do next
• August 20 : I send the documents (lazy me, delay by a week)
• August 24 : They receive the courier (info. from my courier service)
• August 26 : PAN authorities tell me they have scanned my documents and have forwarded the application to IT department
• August 28 : IT department dispatches my PAN card, sends me an email to that effect with the courier service (Blue Dart, OMG they must be spending everything on postage!) and the tracking no. details.
• September 1 : I get my PAN

The total cost for this for me was Rs. 179 (Rs. 94 for the PAN and Rs. 85 for postage of documents by courier). Awesome, really awesome. Here's the link for applying online:

https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/pan/index.html

Would be glad to be of help to anyone in the process. (That's because a highly inefficient financial service provider kept delaying my application for more than a month here in Bangalore and as vendetta, I want to destroy this market for the "agents". Hehe, evil me.)

Inconsequential, Am I?

I just joined my first job and got my first salary. While I managed to splurge most of it away, there was still some left and it had a destined purpose. This portion of my salary was supposed to go towards some good work, as in donating to charity etc. In our company, which boasts of being highly CSRish, there are various programmes through which you can fulfil this need but just when I was figuring out the tax benefits this noble deed of mine would bring about, I thought.

Everything seemed so absurd. Here I was being this godly character, trying to help someone when the truth was, I was not sure my actions would have any effect at all. I mean they would, but I was sure that they would not affect even an iota of what was around me. Is this what real charity is? Cribbing about the smelly and dirty drains around, ridiculing the foreign policy of our country or mourning about the environmental degradation but doing something that changes none of that but something else all-together. I risk sounding eccentric but isn't it hypocrisy if we think that by giving some money we'll tidy up affairs for someone but, truly, we know of no way to improve our surroundings?

I think that there are very good ways of spending the money that you wish to otherwise donate. How about planting a tree every month on the roadside of the lane you walk by everyday? I am sure by the time one switches the job, the person would leave behind an indelible mark on her surroundings. By donating, aren't we just trying to outsource our good deeds because we just don't have the time or the drive for it? Aren't we admitting that we are inconsequential to ourselves but probably someone else will disagree?

Shifting To Wordpress

I thought of trying out wordpress for some time for blogging. So I'll be posting on http://iwantsoma.wordpress.com.

315 to 216

Only an engineer can understand the happiness of completing the B.Tech. project peacefully. I did mine too, that too without any issues. The panel seemed reasonably satisfied and my mentor was considerate enough and hence I got an A. But trust me I had never done such sloppy work ever before in my life. The reason was that I knew that at the end of it all, it all depended on how I would present my work(no-work in my case). So all I did was prepare well for the presentation and crap so much in the presentation to the panel that they would be compelled to believe that I did a lot of work.
In retrospect, when I think of all this, I cannot help but smile and feel that strong nostalgic feeling that I guess all the students have towards their Alma-mater. It was this feeling that propelled me to continue my education in the hope of reliving some of those days again. So now I am in XLRI pursuing a diploma in business management. What I did not know when I joined this place is that the things that I did in my BTP presentation would become my core work(that includes crapping a lot too)! The importance of presentations is of utmost importance in a B-School(ya, we do have a prof. that insists on wearing suit, yes a complete suit with tie, to all his classes. How much I hated wearing formals :( and how much they have become part of my life). These are still the initial days in this new life and am enjoying some parts of it and missing a lot of DA-IICT, especially that totally unpretentious life that one could live there. And of course that room, C-315 where I probably spent the most time per unit area ever in my life. For the next two years, room 216 of The Father Enright Men's Residence is my abode. Let's see where this journey of mine from 315 to 216 takes me.

Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn

The coolest Linux that I have had on my box as yet. Cool enough for a 512 MB ram comp. I guess! Here are the snapshots, with Beryl running.
The first image is when of the desktop when I was rotating it to shift from one workspace to another. The second one is of all the tasks that I was doing. This comes when taking your mouse to the top-right corner of the screen. I find this functionality very useful.
Apart from these cool looks, there a some very good animations during minimization and maximization of windows. But unfortunately, I cannot take a screenshot of them!
Besides, thanks to Bokaro for his help in setting up this.

BTP, Mafia and an Utterly Confused, Senti Guy

I never imagined that being in the fourth year could be such a testing experience. In fact, I thought just the reverse. After all, there is just the BTP to do, I thought. Well, as it turns out, the freedom offered by the final semester is deceptive. One believes in his/her abilities and relies on completing the project sometime. The problem is that this elusive "time" never comes. Towards the end, all you have is an utterly anxious student. Add to this anxiety the pain of leaving a very blissful life. Life without any cares, the protection of parents and most importantly, all the time in the world to do anything one wishes. The result is a person who is on the verge of an emotional breakdown(By the way, that's me).
So when a few days back my roommate suggested that we play mafia at 1:00 in the night, I thought he had gone mad. But then, I had nothing better to do(my computer had crashed so I could not watch movies. The BTP does not count.) so I agreed. Somehow(With some help from the almighty), we were able to gather enough people, and more importantly, explain the rules of the game to them. The next four hours were some of the most relaxed ones I had spent in a long time. For once, I did not have BTP on my mind or the apprehensions about my future or this whole question about weather I was going to die of some fatal disease before the girl of my dream finds out that I love her.
I don't know why but it was after a long time that I felt alive again. I wanted to take on this world, just like a few months ago when I believed in certian principles, when I had certain heroes and that infinite amount of energy to rise after every fall. I don't know what the game did to me but even with those fallen heroes, those unclear principles and the realisation of the fact that I am a mere mortal, I want to rejuvinate myself. I want to live with hope and not hoplessness. I want to enjoy both victories and failures. I want to live every moment that I have, even if it is one of the last that I spend as an undergaduate. I think that its all about hope. And none captures the virtues of hope better than "Shawshank Redemption" which says that "Hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies".

हिन्दी

यार, गूगल मस्त है ! अब हिन्दी में लिखना कितना आसान हो गया है । लेकिन अफ़सोस मेरे कंप्यूटर पर हिन्दी फोंट्स अच्छे से नही दिखते :-(.

Altruistic Thoughts

Since the last few days, I have been bugged by thoughts of changing the things around me. Everything ranging from my room to the world. As a citizen of an information age, I feel empowered by the amount of freedom and visibility Internet(especially blogs) have given. It might seem childish but its true that I want to voice my opinions on anything that I do not like and I expect to be heard and followed. I want to use the tool of technology that I have been taught to operate. But alas, my thoughts remain with me and there is no effect.
This has put me into an introspective mode. I mean why would one wish to change things and how should one go about it(given that my day-dreams have resulted into nothing for so long)?
The answer to the why part is that change is required for the betterment of the things around. I guess everybody would accept this. Then, I wonder, why is there so much friction when change takes place? I think that it is in large part due to the fact that while striving for some change, we presume that the makers of the present orders were incompetent. The folly here lies in ignoring that our perception of a "better" order might have been the result of some new perspective gained over time.
However, it is not the why that is so disturbing. It is the how? How must one go about changing things? In my endeavor to revolutionize the world I guess I lost the picture close to home. I have started lagging in my project and have become lazy, not doing anything but just thinking(blessed are those who are paid just to think! Oh ya, I'd like to become a prof.). Only recently did it strike me that all that I had to change was me. Only if I could do the things I could perfectly, I would make hell lot of difference. Believe me, I hated when oldies talked like this but somehow now I feel that they were right! I then wonder if extreme egotism is the real form of altruism.

Nation of Rebels

iPod's are cool. So is hanging out at CCD and Barista. Watching F1 is for the knowledgeable and different and if you watch cricket, you are just a conformist, being manipulated by the media and the sponsors of the game.
It is this kind of "counter-culture" thinking that Heath and Potter question in their book titled "Nation of Rebels". They take you though the arguments given by the counter-culture activists(like hippies etc.) for using organic food, environmentally friendly cars etc. Then they very lucidly explain how these arguments are not what they are put out to be. That is to say that the very desire of humans to be different is the cause of consumerism.
Let's take F1 and cricket, for instance. People watch F1 because they think that cricket is too much sponsors and too little fun. So, to be different, let's watch F1. Whereas the matter of fact is that F1 is so highly dependent of sponsors that the chances of that being manipulated is much higher. However, such arguments are never put against F1 purely because it is different.
Nation of Rebels is like the blue pill in this matrix of too many ideas. For once, one is put face to face with plausible explanations for the way things are. Why people watch totally non-sensical soap operas and why fashion comes and goes? How are we being manipulated not just by the big corporations but also by activist organisations(and probably more so)? These are some questions that we all probably never think of but when faced with the explanations, the answers seem so glaring and the questions so important that none of them can be ignored. So I suggest to anyone who has the will to learn about the bitter realities of this world to read this book.

Corridor Cricket

The exact date of the conceptualization of Corridor Cricket is hazy but it happened sometime in January 2007. Ujjwal and Ady(Uncle) are the pioneers of this game.

The Setting

A "Nilkamal" plastic chair is used as the wicket. The chair is placed in the center of the corridor. Just a few paces from it must be a perpendicular aisle where an optional fielder(sometimes two) stands. Here the audiences may also sit and watch the exciting game.

The Rules

Gully cricket players might find the rules familiar but there are certain differences.

• A batsman is out only by the following ways:-
• Bold
• Catch Out
• One-Tip-One-Hand: Note here that any fumbling of ball whereby the catch is not caught directly after the tip without the use of any other thing than a hand is counted as not out.
• If the ball hits the wall directly
• If the ball hits the player below the waist three times(not necessarily in succession).
• For every successful hit, the batsman gets a run.
• The team making higher number of runs wins the game.
• The game must be played under corridor lights only. Any game during the day is strictly prohibited.

I'll post some pictures to make things clear, but I hope you get the general idea(oops, I hope Aakash does not read this ;).