Freudian Snip

That one post for the dream MICA

2011-04-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

What does the year gone by mean to me

Met the most awesome guy on Earth who gives Gerry a run for his money
Met 300 new people on the MICA Campus
Met the most lovable dog Roxy
Met the day by staying up all night
Met Parijat 25,the hostel room,home away from the HOME
Met the bugs and bravely hunted them down
Met Cleo ,the wonder cat who found bed on my belly and suitcase
Met the most friendly Rickhshawalas who are the real 'Bhai'
Met the hard water of the city who was blamed for the bad hair,bad clothes and a bad day
Met the tyre swings that gave the burdened world a push
Met a cute girl after months who accepts me as the new home Mom
Met the survivors of the riots, innocent is the word for them
Met the angst for the choice of a new home
Met the surprise from erstwhile when the quiet spoke
Met the wannabes who tried hard to be in the limelight
Met the talented , a different league
Met the festivals with great energy and enthusiasm
Met the change that has come to me

Photo Courtesy: Abhijeet Singh,my dear friend and a great photographer.

Another story

2010-03-13T21:25:00.000-08:00

There is always another side of looking at things and a Paradox to cause complete mayhem.One such story 'Hare and tortoise' with multiple interpretations caught my attention when I read about Zeno's paradox-The paradox of achilles and the tortoise,his paradoxes in essence were a not-so-subtle attempt to disapprove the very existence of motion while gave Sir Issac Newton his famous line of work.

A hare one day ridiculed the slow pace of the tortoise, who replied: “Though you be swift as the wind, I can beat you in a 100-metre race if I be given a 10-metre headstart.” The hare, believing this assertion to be a complete no-brainer, agreed. During the race the tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went plodding on with nary a halt in his stride straight towards the finish line.

The arrogant hare, confident he would win in any case, decided to catch a little shuteye in between. At last waking up, he saw his opponent had almost reached the goal and, run as fast as he might after that, he was never able to overtake him.

Now, only an idiot tortoise would challenge a hare to a race in the first place, right? So what was this famously slow moving reptile thinking when he decided to take on such a fleet-footed mammal? New studies have shown that there was no way the tortoise could have known the overconfident hare would take a short nap that would spell doom for him. Besides, when the historic event took place the proverb “slow and steady wins the race” hadn’t even been invented.

Today scientists realise that actually the tortoise was exceedingly well-read in the ancient Greeks and was relying on something called Zeno’s paradox in order to outfox his opponent. He figured that if he had a 10 metres headstart then in order to overtake him the hare would first have to cover the 10 metres distance.

But by that time he himself would have moved, say, a metre ahead. So the hare would have to then first cover that one metre. But by that time he would again be ahead by, say, a tenth of a metre which the hare would have to cover next and by which time he would be ahead by a hundredth of metre and so on. Forget overtaking the tortoise, the hare wouldn’t even be able to ever catch up with him.

For hundreds of years thereafter people thought the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the pursued started, so that the slower must always hold a lead.

In a recently held “rematch of the millennium” a much more modern hare who was well versed in calculus which has shown the paradox to be wrong, easily outran a deeply disappointed descendent of the original tortoise. In an interview later he mourned, “Mathematics just ain’t what it used to be.”

Moral: All scientific progress comes at a price.

Think of it, all economic progress too comes at a heavy price.Paradox:Why does your most hateful job becomes the job close to your heart?

Ephemeral Friendship

2010-03-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

We meet a lot of people in our lives,some stay as acquaintance,some become part of the social network,some part of our professional network,some as long-lasting friends and some who don't fit into any of these but yet remembered and cherished.I have one such friend.

Two meetings while driving back home was enough to get us talking.His sense of humor, intelligence,helping nature,constant leg pulling,honest opinions and thoughts added oodles to our friendship.I have enjoyed those bus rides with our long discussions about everything on Earth discussing Obama,financial crises ,our favorite men from mars and women from Venus unresolved issue,relatives, religion, festivals, culture to cars, gadgets,food,clothes,domestic help, estate prices,and of course the seething Mumbai traffic.Quite enjoyed the pranks that I played on him which were all taken so sportingly.

We are not talking.Not that we ended up with a big fight or something,just that he moved to another city and we got so busy with our own lives (the lame excuse we give for all our inconveniences)we just lost touch.He did text me his new number but somehow I did not bother to call back.Have I become an egomaniac?Could be.I know he is just a call away,all I need is to pick up that phone now.

Aall eez well

2010-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

1)Follow your dreams,
2)Believe in Yourself,
3)Do what you are passionate about and success will come running after you.

Looks like some chapter taken from a stephen covey or ziglar book.Mistaken.
What a self help book couldnt help, a movie '3 idiots' not only helped but has also changed our convictions.

I was amazed to see how the movie has had a deep impact on the minds of the youth.Whoever I have interacted with is taking excerpts from the movie to prove their point.The youth are questioning the choice of their careers,the decision made by the Indian parents as they are the ones who make the career decisions for their children most of the times.Everyone enjoyed the movie and liked it not because of the rib tickling comedy or the peppy songs but for the connect it has made by including real life instances of college life.

I would not consider it as a preachy movie,it is one of those which leaves you thinking just like when one is having a mind affair! So much so that i would be calling myself the Fourth Idiot!

Yeah,it's New Year!

2009-12-30T22:23:00.000-08:00

Another year in its closure,another serenade of introspection, retrospection.The time will unfold to a new beginning with the numbers changing to a perfect 10.The past thoughts, perceptions ,grudges,relations,memories are all taken to the future ,the only thing that changes are the calendars,forecasts, age(worst of all) and probably a mental image of something new.

Like all,I have thoughts on this coming year 2010.With the apocalypse of 2012,with me growing old day by day,with my days getting numbered I have whoopee plans for myself.

I wish to go bungee jumping off the Kawarau bridge in Queenstown,NZ

I wish to explore Ladakh Leh on a road trip.Only in Ladakh can a man sitting in the sun with his feet in the shade suffer from sunstroke and frostbite at the same time!

I wish to read more.My English prof always told me if you are not reading a new book a month you do not fall into the avid reader category.I am happy to have read more than one in a month from fiction ,finance ,advertising to spirituality.Stayed away from biographies,autobiographies,history.Would like to read them and explore other authors too.

I wish to write more.The blog post count has been a good progress compared to the past years.Would look forward to write on more diverse topics and appreciate the different styles of writing.Travel writing is something i need to explore.

I wish to meet a lot of new people from diverse fields,build new relationships and cherish the old ones.

I wish to become a voice artist.Give voice to Princess Fiona in the next sequel(wishful thinking guys!)

I wish to get a makeover for good :-)

I wish to do babysitting.Babies have a lot to teach you and the tinytots make me feel really good.

I wish to see a miracle and get blessed.

“What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner”

No more..

2009-12-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

High Rise windows doors adjacent
Block,compact house touch across
Blurring horns undue honking
Peace of mind dreams of
Water thirsty lakes and ponds
Food inflation stomach snores
Poor man withers without
Swines wine just one of all
Account imbalances at Copenhagen
The debtor refuses to pay
No wonder flouting toxic assets
Comes from a country nay say
Rules of game change
Gone are the bygone days
'No more,No more' whispers forever again

Red Queen is Right

2009-11-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

'' Well, in our country ,''said Alice,still panting a little,''you'd generally get to somewhere else- if you ran very fast

for a long time ,as we've been doing"

''A slow sort of country!'' said the Red Queen.''Now,here,you see,it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.

''If you want to get somewhere else,you must run atleast twice as fast as that!''

----Through The looking Glass(Lewis Carrol)

Parody of our Reality shows.

2009-10-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

Five reality shows most likely to make to the tellyland.Good Job Jerry!A nice parody of the reality shows.

Main Raakhi Sawant Banna Chaahati Hoon THE applicants will be put through a series of tests and elective surgeries. They will be graded on their ability to bring in their years of struggle into every single answer. For example: Interviewer: So Miss Dupadgaurangi, how are you this morning? Miss Dupadgaurangi: I may look well, but that is not the point. You should see how I looked when I was struggling. That was the time when these dirtydirty people would make sure that I was not getting my dues. How much I have struggled nobody knows except for me. I have struggled for so long that nobody knows how long, but it was not that long because then I would be older than I am, but as everyone in the industry knows, I am younger than I am. But then every heroine is younger than she is, no?

K se Kahoon to Kya Kahoon?
T he applicants for this show will run a television company that has not had a hit in a very long time. They will be graded on their superstitions, their ability to swear loudly and coarsely; their ability to get their employees to show up for meetings at three in the morning. It is rumoured that the ability to fight with those who contribute most to the show will result in high points. Having a brother whom one wants to promote relentlessly, ruthlessly and without any attention to whether the said brother had a shred of acting talent may or may not work in the applicant’s favour.

Fear ya austere?
This is a political game show. Candidates split into teams. One team buys itself Italian tiles so that it can make soosoo in style and then it blogs about soosooing posh as opposed to the cattle class who soosoo in sorrow. The other team takes offense at everything from the names of shops to the clothes women wear to the religious affiliations of all those who do not share their religious affiliations. Both teams then make their pitches to the nation. The nation votes by sms. Whichever team loses complains to the press that the SMS system is bad and they want to go back to maidans and rallies and booth-capturing in the old style. This is not to be confused with the elections, but if that happens, who can help it?

Meri Kahaani, Your Tears
Candidates who wish to appear on this show must have had more than their fair share of emosanal atyachar, but they should be urban, urbane, fairskinned, cute, above five feet in height, and from the twice-born castes or the Ashrafi elite. Farmers please excuse. Each contestant will get six minutes to speak with Simpering Greywall, the noted television anchor. (The rest of the twenty-six minutes will be taken by Simpering who wants to see your soul.) Each contestant will be judged on how many tears Simpering sheds during the course of the interview. The nation’s tear-ducts will also be polled. Repeat contestants may come back to try again, but if they have fresh stories of new atyachaar, they should have FIRs.

Kavita Bhabhi
Well, why not, we say?
(Author:Jerry Pinto)

Almost Single,Almost.

2009-09-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer:The views of the writer are neither personal nor professional.They are the perspectives of the writer created as a result of her rovering observations, imaginations and manifestations.You are advised not to consider the views mentioned on a serious note as the insurance for the added frustation would stand unclaimed.Readers are advised not to judge the writer on the basis of this article as most of the times she is being unreasonable.

I got in touch with my friend after 6 long years and this is what i get to hear 'Hope,you have not called me to tell me you are getting married'.Sigh.Sigh.Sigh.I would not be calling people telling them that i have lost my freedom.It wouldn't be such a good thought to share.It is even more threatening to share with your family the idea of your friends getting married.The simple reason being the search-o-meter for the perfect groom gets triggered.Why on earth play such games.

What's the trouble with this 'M' word.It works in direct proportion:more I hear people getting married ,more I despise getting into it.M-phobia perhaps.The trouble is with the search ,it is not as fascinating as Google(your search ends here) nor is it as exciting as Treasure hunt.A definite set of questions with definite set of answers from definite set of people makes your wild card options narrower and sleeker.You have a number of matrimonial search portals to help you in this regard.As Advaita Kala,author of Almost single puts forward that it is possible to choose guys of all shapes and sizes on the web.Never imagined people would market themselves for this reason.Furthermore,attention-getters flip flop with their status as single and committed as if the only thing left on earth is to symathasize with them on their single or congratulate them on their committed status quo.The virtual reality is you could pick the guy who mentions IIT IIM in his profile,the two I's thrill you and later you discover that creature is from some Nallamallai engg college and has done his MBA from some Mangowala college in a faraway district never heard of.You got duped,chances are that you werent even aware of the virtual reality.You are so excited to get to the foreign lands that the picture of the guy with statue of liberty at the backdrop becomes the indispensible profile for you.Later you realise he has full plans to take that liberty away from you.Virtual space fails in all corners,better find the one in your study corner.

Let's get into the arranged way,you meet this guy at the coffee shop and go ahead with that typical HR question'Tell me about yourself' and move on to family,likes,dislikes,hobbies blah blah.You just hate the guy sitting opposite you yet you manage to keep that smile on for courtesy sake.The cologne best dressed man on one fine date is in no way an answer to your hunt for the perfect groom.Things are getting difficult.The search seems not only difficult but unbearable.But like everything has a solution and so does this.

The typical love philosophy works everytime:Wait for the right man and no matter how old you become keep waiting........because sooner or later you will fall into this trap and then repent on the search made for that PERFECT groom.Sigh.Sigh.Sigh.

Day One:Teach India

2009-08-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

A saturday afternoon,all walking anxiously around the new english school at Bandra unable to locate the KEF LABs centre.What were we expecting,some big billboards with the welcome messages,Nahhhh!!!With the help of the faciliator we were directed to the third floor of the building wherin a class had been converted into KEF LABS.Nicely decorated with ribbons & posters,what my friend Yasmine compares to a five star treatment of the room which is agreeable if you have seen various other NGO centres .We chatted with the fellow volunteers and were treated royally with a cuppa of tea and parle biscuits with a prewarning that this kind of treatment is only for today as they do not have the budget to serve us everyday.This is understable.The induction began with a brief introduction and an interesting game.I won the game and i was happy about that,though the game involved a little alertness and pushing to get hold of your seats,i just did tht by unkindly pushing one of the girls to get my seat of honour.What not for the winner title!

This was followed by an information session about KEF LABS taken by Genevi,the english faciliator.We learnt regarding what would be our roles as volunteer and what we need to take care of.The session was good in terms of simplicity and structure.Next session we will be directly interacting with the children our actual work begins then.

Reality Bytes!!

2009-08-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Bullying,sledging and racial slur row in the confined secluded Big Boss house.Shilpa Shetty shot to fame with sympathy votes resulting in a fantastic win,something badly needed at the time when Bollywood had shown her the doors.

Sixteen guys woo the item girl to win her heart.Drama,romance and a lot of spicy discoveries about the grooms to be shown at break interval to turn the public glued to the television.After dumping her beau who intentionally used her to climb the career ladder was also not spared from the negative publicity.Medium well used Rakhi Sawant's bold show makes the audience want even more.

Cool dudes and wimpy gals drive their way out riding on bikes, working on every challenging & adventurous task coming their way.You don't need immunity to perform those tasks but you do need 'immunity' to get ahead.That's not all,there is politics,leg pulling and a whole lot of drama with each elimination round turning common college going guys into Braggadocios.So much for money so much for fame,Arrives Ranvijay as the new VJ face winning the MTV roadies and surely big fan following.

The time then came to speak the truth.Gandhiji principles being followed now.What works in the west is being experimented in the country.Schultz adapted 'Moment of truth' is now 'Sach Ka Samna'.The participants do have the undaunting courage to face the nation but doesnt seem likely with the Indian Samaj or Indian netas.A heated debate swirls across the Lok sabha,Rajya sabha.Now,even the politicians are discussing TV shows over work ,we were not the only ones.

So the big question, why the Saas Bahu Sagas have faded and its all about reality shows that has been successful in grabbing the attention of our Indian Audience?The immense pleasure that we get by peeking into other person's life is one of the major factors.We love to know what our superstars eat, wear drink and if they are kept under surveillance for us what more do we want!The next big question why are such shows made then?Controvery is the name of the game.More the controversy more the TRPS.TRPS a rating which puts the show into the swim or sink state.A rating on which the whole media industry runs learn more about TRPS .So the media people do make sure to make their shows spicy, controversial or moreover IRRESISTABLE!!!

So much for money,so much for fame,so much for Air time,so much for TRPs ,Are we talking of self regulation.Think Again.

Day Zero:Teach India

2009-07-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

'Big movements often have small beginnings'.Every beginning needs a changemaker, a leader and followers to make it a movement.A movement with a common thought with a common cause and a common purpose to bring about a CHANGE envisioned by all.I chose to be part of this movement.

Last year missed on the opportunity but this year made sure my application reached before the 15th july deadline.The volunteers were called in for an induction programme at Uttar Bhartiya Sangh Jr college which was just one of the 17 induction centres.With the numbers one can make sure of the overwhelming response.Entering the classroom you get to see an eclectic mix of volunteers right from a lady in her 70's to doctors,homemakers,working professionals,college students.The induction programme began with introduction of the five NGOs Kotak Education Foundation,Prem Foundation,Aasra,AAMRAE and an NGO at Dharavi.The introduction was followed by an interaction with the NGOs and each volunteer was given the choice to choose the NGO he/she wishes to get associated with.

Its wonderful to hear about the great initiatives taken by the various NGOs towards the literacy drive.Sometimes,you start believing that in some ways CSR activities are good atleast the fund and financial help reaches the NGO for their organised and better functioning.The reason being the number of sceptics outweigh the number of philanthropists.Having said that TOI's intiative is incredible in terms of bringing in volunteers to help bridge the education gap.

Its time to teach,it is time to learn.The movement has just begun..........

Dear Father

2009-06-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Father,

Do you remember the day when I came into this world with mixed emotions from our relative relatives.Maybe the female child born again after my elder sister left everyone in a bad taste.I despise those narrow minded souls.It was you and our mother who ignored them and welcomed me into this world with great love and care.Yo have taken all my tantrums and stubbornness with great patience.For every single achievement I made you celebrated my little success with hugs and kisses.I was a little monster when I had created my own dictionary of words for things i wanted.You decoded them for me.When you share those cute words I can only smile at my sweet innocence.I pointed for TV as 'fee',spoon as 'pancha' orange as 'Soka' and many more.You remember all of them so vividly.You have always wanted us to excel at our academics and worked hard along with us to achieve that.

I remember how stubborn i was at the age of three,I always wrote the letter C as ) in all my worksheets.Then,one day you decided to make my ways straight.I was made to write that C a hundred times with huge scoldings and I cried all along.You have stayed up all night with us to complete our lessons made sure we ate something during those long periods of study.You have worked so hard all your life and whatever you have achieved today you have truly earned it.You and our mother have made immense sacrifices for our upbringing.We are indebted to you for our entire lifetime.

Do you remember the projects we made together at the age of 8 and 9 when you slogged along with me to make my project reach the top position in the exhibition.You have taken care of our needs every now and then.If i am able to fight against the wrong it is you who has stood by me.I remember when i was in the first std and a rowdy drawing teacher used to bully students.I took up in my hands to compalin against him.You listened to my agony and supported me by taking me to the Principal and allowed me to have my say.I am bold,strong and fearless all due to you my father.You were the strict disciplinarian who never let us watch our favorite Mougli on sunday mornings unless we finished our homework.I was so scared of you then.It was this discipline that you instilled in us that has helped us in a long way.

Over the years as i have begun to understand you I have realised what a changed person you are now.You have become so possessive and sensitive about us.You visit our rooms twice every night to check on us if we are tucked in properly.You lose your sleep if we sleep disturbed.You have waited for us when we returned late though you may be dead tired after a hard day.You have shared stories and your experiences to make us face this world in a more dignified way.You taught me to be independent and headstrong.I realise now what a beautiful relationship does a father and daughter share.It is a special bond which does not require any testimony,which does not require any justification,it keeps growing over the years.

Now,when a few days back you underwent bypass surgery,when surgeons were fixing your body,i was point blank shattered inside.I prayed hard for your recovery and Dad,the good person that you are I questioned God 'Why bad things happen to good people?'.You have always been the greatest person i have ever known kind,fair and honest.God is not that cruel to put you through all this,he has just planned a new phase of life for you-rejuvenated,renewed and replenished.The fighter that you are you shall overcome all the obstacles that come your way.I know even if things go crazy for me you and mom,my rockstars are always by my side.I am working towards the dream that you have desired for me.The new beginning has begun Dad,we are always there around.It is time for your inner connect and never forget you are blessed with the most loving caring wife and not so bad children :-).

When I saw you today smiling,Triumphed after 3 days post operation.I knew my prayers have been answered.

Your loving daughter.

Nidhi

Little joys of Life

2009-05-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

I happen to holiday at a hill station over this weekend.Of all the posed , style diva and nature serenade pictures a few pictures are my most treasured..We say a picture is worth a thousand words but I feel this calls for a million!

As I was browing at articles being sold at the footpath my sister and I looked at something that left us in a state of fixation.A chirpy little baby being swayed by his grandma.The baby stayed cuddled up in the craddle looking mysteriously at passerbys.The grandma(Kakii) was selling stuff and simultaneously rocking the craddle.It was heartening to see how well the baby was tied up and well taken care of.When we asked Kakii for the pic with the baby she shyed and smiled sheepingly but anyways gave us the permission to capture the pic of her twinkling star.

The camera is flashed.The result:A smiling baby thrilled to get the undivided attention.The mother and grandma happy to see their baby twinkle.Such are the little joys of Life :-))))

The Perfect Stranger

2009-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Lites a cigaratte,

Smoke fills the air,

The fog blankets the face,

Cloudy hallows disappear,

Looks at passerby with sheer cheer,

Cute kid jumps and tags along,

Throwing peanuts at the kid,

Runs,catches,Laughs out loud,

Charming,Innocent,Dreamy.

Women haste to get a glimse of him,

Reluctant,Restless,Retired.

Doesnt care for the attention,

Looks around mysteriously,

Tapping the foot on the Beatles song,

Holding binoculars by the soft hands,

Looks atop at the high rise,

Turns around,

Notes,Scribbles in the red diary,

Strange moves,Haunting silence,

Tensed,Desperate,Worried.

Calls a number,

Huddles and walks down the path,

The kid pulls the long jacket,

Hungry,Dishevelled,Tired.

Ignoring the kid walks across,

Asks me to 'tag Along'

Observing his ways all this while,

'No Way' I say to the perfect stranger........

-Nidhi Acharya

The Hard Way

2009-04-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

Guess who?

They are worshipped.

They are studied on behaviourial competencies.

They are enticed.

They are ones who decide Q1,2,3,4 results.

They are the cynosure of every marketer.

They get royalty on loyalty.

They turn the tables around.

They are put on a pedestal.

They are the 'Customers'.

Customers are vested with the power of making and breaking the business structure.The power which even superman and spiderman might borrow one day.To pay due respect to this humungous power watts,the business came up with 'Customer Care' or say 'Customers we dont care'.There have been such interesting conversations with the customer care that now with great humility I say that i no more care.

The first conversation goes like this.Its between Vodafone-Happy To Help!(V) and myself-Happy to Listen!(me)

V: Good Morning Ma'am.Ma'am could i speak to you if you could spare me a few mins.

Me: yeah,sure

V:Ma'am we have realised that your monthly bills are on the lower side due to less usage.Are you facing any problems with our service.We needed to check on that.

Me(surprised):haha,no nothing like that.I have no problems as of now.

V:Thank you Ma'am

Hello,so if my bill comes on the lower side,they remind me that I am not making good use of it? Or was it really a part of Customer care but I no more care.

The second conversation goes like this.Its between ICICI Personal banking-Hum hai na!(IC) and myself-Main hoon na!(Me).It's a real task to get connected to the customer care and when you finally get connected this is what you get to hear.

Me:I have a problem using my credit card.While using at the ICICI payment gateway i received a message that my card is blocked due to duplicate merchant id.Could you please help me unblock my card.

IC:Sorry Ma'am you need to discard this card and go for a new card.
Me(disgusted):whattttt? another application for a new card

IC:yes Ma'am

Me:Listen,but i made another transaction using AXIS bank gateway that transaction was successful.What's wrong then?

IC:Let me check Ma'am

Me(waiting):--------

IC:Yes Ma'am it seems you made a transaction of Rs.1400 right?

Me:Yes

IC:Your card is fine Ma'am maybe some problem with the server.

Me:Alright,how much time will it take to put the server up.

IC:Ma'am you can ahead with your transaction in an hours time.

Me:Alrite,Thanks.

I was given the same lame excuse of server down thingiee for the past one month.My patience was lost and i was completely disgusted with their laid back response.My next step was to shoot a strict mail to the customer care whose response is expected in 48 hours.To my surprise,i received a response within 4 hours and my card is functional now.

I had to play the hard way for one can be taken for a ride unless one reminds them that we are their coveted CUSTOMERS.Don't ever forget that!

What's got into me:Gumption!

2009-04-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

Iris ,You take the centre stage...............

I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. And it doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.

DeVote to Vote

2009-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

The newspapers,the news channels are all buzzing in the glory of forthcoming elections.The two big parties BJP and Congress are doing their bit to get the public attention.The new wave of voice is of the people asking their fellow citizens to VOTE!

TOI has taken the LEAD Indian Vote campaign initiative urging people to make their vote count.There is something more interesting to this that has caught one's eye,its not leadindia.com camapign but the bleeindia.com campaign which has the tagline 'Take no tension.Why vote in Election?'.You wouldnt agree seeing it but aint we leaving India bleeding by not voting?!It's like when a person doesnt understand by good means he is made to understand through false means that stirs one's conscience.Likewise,The jaagore.com campaign is drawn on the same lines'That if you are not voting you are sleeping',A kind of reverse psychology used to make people aware of their wrong doing.

This would be the second time I would be voting but I am still not sure which party will be able to live up to my expectations. I would rather use form 17 A for negative or no vote option.So if i dont like any of the candidate I can use this option(official extract from CER 1961) which states
'49-O. Elector deciding not to vote. - If an elector, after hisElectoral roll number has been duly entered in the register of voters in Form-17A and has put his signature or thumb impression thereon asrequired under sub-rule (1) of rule 49L, decided not to record his vote, a remark to this effect shall be made against the said entry in Form 17A by the presiding officer and the signature or thumb impression of the elector shall be obtained against such remark.'This number may not even taken into account in the negative but to the effect its not directed towards leveraging an unsuitable candidate,I really dont mind.

Remember,If by the mere force of numbers a majority should deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right,it might, in any moral point of view-justify revolution(Lincoln)---call it a Political Revolution!

Colours Emote

2009-03-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Clamour of Sounds,
Pigeoning of holes,
In all probability a tied up soul,
The black and white are two extremes,
Grey matter bequest,a fine honor,
Civil Wars,Terror Attacks,
Red reactionary in bedlam,
Twittering of birds,in silence,
Burgeoning trees,at a distance,
Breathing space,so little,
Talking Green,the big flavor,
Slums with little hoods,
Beholds the world's eye,
Golden Globe and Oscar ladies,embrace startlets,
Religion Dividers staggers the Orange flag,
Pinks defiant in strong stride,
Colours camouflage,Into the White lands,
Disappearing hopes,Cast Away.

-Nidhi

In the pursuit of being tech-savvy

2009-03-05T02:43:00.000-08:00

I used to be called a blogger and now I am a Twitter,a Snipper, A NewsViner, A Digger----the many incarnations in a lifetime all thanks to the tools created for the virtual world.With the amount of information inundated on the WWW,we have innovators coming up with these tools to help us classify and segregate information as per our preferences.Likewise,in the hoarde to be a tech literate i thought of checking them out to know whether they really help in making a difference to the kind of information that is available to me.

I chose to be a digger first.Digg allows you to share article,images or video online.So what's so unique in that werent these taken care of by Orkut and Facebook.But the USP is its like a big voting machine that works on the principle that the more you digg the better are the chances of bringing your piece to the popular category.So you have the power to digg or bury the content.
What's the word with being a NewsViner,ah! heard of grapevine then newsvine is exactly that,you become a virtual reporter and spread the news /rumours around.Indeed,Someone took it seriously that grapevine is the fastest way of communication!Being a snipper allows you to download all the e-books,web-shared content hassle-free.

Understand this,it looks like a democratic way to use the digital media but like most of the time democracy is fooled.It's like a small toy with big packaging.It's like how we think of malls where we end up buying all the unneccessary stuff wooed by the great display and shunning those kirana stores where we got things predecided at home without burning a hole in our pockets.In line with this we are using the internet in a similar way,we end up spending more time figuring out and popularising those webpages being the digger,twitter,snipper..blah blah that we forget the most important things to be done.

In the pursuit of being tech-savvy we are forgetting that a much real word exists with real people,real thoughts and real values.No need to digg,bury,snip or poke them...they exist in reality. So surreal...they say..........

Critics Call:If God was a Banker

2009-02-27T04:55:00.000-08:00

If God was a Banker........

I read the title and presto added the book to my queue.Isnt the title exciting enough to make you anticipate what could God have done in the Global eco Crisis?Isnt it like the title that draws parallel to our school essay topics 'If i were the president...'?How idiotic of me to think of it that way and there are reasons to support my absurdity.Firstly, Ravi Subramanian got his novel published in the year 2007 when the world scenario was so bright and sunny and I-bankers were the most sought after blue-eyed guys,so the timeline rules out my first false impression.Secondly,'If God was a banker....' was written in that schoo-essay-type the poor author would be left with not much choice but to say that such a financial breakdown would have never occurred had God been a banker.Putting this into perspective Vatican has included financial greed as one of the seven sins in the era of globalisation.

Coming to the bestseller 'If God was a Banker',I liked the book because it was an easy read,helped traverse the corporate life of a banker, had a personalised touch with the various aspects of organisational politics,frauds,sexual harrassment that any individual working in the corporate can relate to.The two protoganists Swami and Sundeep's characters through the entire story helps you realise that success can be achieved but which way you choose to achieve it is all that matters.I disliked the book because at a point the story becomes very predictable,some cases are thrown overboard ,too sleazy and the ending left me utterly disappointed.The last lines remain with me though ' Life goes on as usual but one only gets smarter by the end ......'

By the end of it i realise its much easier for an IIM graduate to get their work published(Namely,Chetan Bhagat(IIM-A),Ravi Subramanian(IIM-B),Rashmi Bansal(IIM-A).......) and another interesting finding is narrate personal anecdotes and make it to the bestseller list!!

All is fair in love and cultural war

2009-02-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

One simple question-Who own's a nation's culture?Is it our multi-faceted government,is it our efficient police force or the already burdened lawmakers or is it our desi taliban (Sena,Sene,MNS)?We talk of globalisation,modernisation on one hand and on the other hand we give impetus to the self confessed moral policy makers.Recently,there have been grim incidents such as the one in the mangalore pub where young females were molested by the lumpen vigilates,adding to the woes we receive irresponsible statements from home ministers of states and after all the headlines and media attention there seems to be no logical end to this farce.

The inaction on government's part to protect its citizen has left one overwhelmed.One day the vigilates will ask you to put hoardings in their mother tongue and you will obediently put up with them,then they will ask women not to enter pubs,clubs or maybe any entertainment place wherein women are most suspectible to interact with men which doesnt seem quite right in the eyes of the self styled moral guardians and you listen to that too with the fear that you will be thrashed in public.Then one day in the name of this culture drama they will ask women to stop stepping out of the house.Alrite,Thats alarming now.Nonetheless,Its too late you gave them the liberty and now it's time to lose yours.

The drama will unfold again on the valentine's day.We need to watch now how reasonably our police force acts on this front or as always adopt the 'We are on our own' aphorism to protect ourselves. Our culture doesnt belong to them and so do not allow them to live in this false belief.They think they can own it but nobody can.No one person.A culture is more spirited than all of us.It calls for liberation not vindictiveness.

Portrait

2009-02-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

I was gifted this sketch by my friend ,may be i dont find any resemblance to it but its symbolic reflecting me,myself and I.Something i would love to Flaunt :O

What an idea!

2009-01-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Idea,the cellular service of Aditya Birla Group rightly says'An idea can change your life'.Idea is often a small spark that becomes an inferno.Ideas have defined the course of human history right from a caveman inventing fire by rubbing stones to a man inventing electricity.But few have the courage to work towards the paradigm shift.As Thomas Alva Edison puts it'Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible,and then he gets discouraged.That's not a place to become discouraged'.Well a panel consisting of marketing personnels,ad men were asked what would be their picks of revolutionary ideas that changed the world.They came up with this:
PS:Pretty interesting picks but some had to be researched as i had no clue .

1) Heineken bottle design:Heiniken is the europe's largest brewery and Heineken Beer is sold in over 170 countries.It came up with square shaped eco-bottles that took honours for its ingenious Lego puzzle design.

2) US porn Fraud which baffled the greatest fraudster of them all,Frank Abigail.Ok!if you have seen Steven Speilburg's 'Catch me if you Can'(2002) you would know what Abigail did.

3) Dove's Evolution Campaign encouraging increased self esteem and popularising that beauty has no age limit.

4) Design Barcodes-A japanese company invented a process that could incorporate visuals and designs in barcodes.

5) Barack Obama's Compaign-Like any great brand Obama has built up a strong brand of trust with the American people that perhaps it has lead to unrealistic expectations.That's my Pick ONE

6) Apple '1984' Super Bowl Campaign -In the third quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl, a strange and disorienting advertisement appeared on the TV screens of the millions of viewers tuned in to the yearly ritual. The ad opens on a gray network of futuristic tubes connecting blank, ominous buildings. Inside the tubes, we see cowed subjects marching towards a cavernous auditorium, where they bow before a Big Brother figure pontificating from a giant TV screen. But one lone woman remains unbroken. Chased by storm troopers, she runs up to the screen, hurls a hammer with a heroic grunt, and shatters the TV image. As the screen explodes, bathing the stunned audience in the light of freedom, a voice-over announces, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce the Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."
Its indeed a perennial achievement of Apple with its out of the box thinking and the exemplary i-Mac products.That's my Pick TWO

7) Potato.Can you imagine a world without potatoes!

8) The computer and the internet.That's my Pick Three.Cant imagine my life without it now.

9) Disney.Its the ultimate power to create your own unimaginable world.That's my Pick FOUR

10) Denim-There is no class or status associated with denim.Its truly global!

11) Johnie Walker'Keep Walking' campaign .Its not the destination but the journey that matters.JW still going strong.

12) Micro-chips.They changed the way technology functioned.Always for nano!That's my pick FIVE

Whats your Pick?Or Can you hear the idea clicking........:-)

Games people play.....!

2009-01-23T22:13:00.000-08:00

In conversation with a friend in the railway compartment we asked each other how typical some people can be. That was the beginning of our conversation where we exchanged look of disgust and helplessness. It's always an interesting journey in the local trains of Mumbai. It's like an icing on the cake when you end up in the ladies compartment. You dare push the damsels or they will teach you all the bad words in theirmother tongue. You dare touch their hair and they will pull your hair back. Some are deadly and some are born perpetrators. A sophistication of a different kind that can be practised only in the vicinity of the train compartment.My new found friend and I asked the two ladies to make place for us for we could see the luggage occupy the seats.As always they ignored our kind request and in turn remarked 'You can sit on our lap if you want'.We both could have got into a tiff with those bumpkins but the end result would be nothing less than an exchange of false words and an impending bad day to come.Some people are just the way they are, you cannot break their mould.
Then there are times when there are people to remind you of your rights.I was travelling in a crowded bus with my one leg dangling and the other trying to overcome the gravitational pull.Hunting for a seat with my rovering eyes i realised that an old man had occupied one of the ladies' reserved seats.I did see him seize my rightful comfort seat but then on a second thought he deserved to sit there considering his age and might have used the seat seeing no lady was around.I remained standing there but was later reminded by a man that the seat belongs to me.The old man heard it and got up without any questioning.I felt guilty but still occupied the seat considering it was a right bestowed on me.
It's how we question others and then question ourselves.That's how games people play.............. !

Bizzare...Truth Revealed!

2009-01-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

How far can one go in being honest that the facts are not only revealed but are printed in bold. Legality as a whole takes a new dimension when companies play safe to avoid any legal battles and pay huge sums in the name of compliance and regulations. One such company to outshine in the bizarre revelation is Cadbury with its product 'Dairy Milk'. Let me unwind the story. Cadbury is going to print the warning 'Contains:milk' on bars of Dairy Milk. Considering the fact that Cadbury's Dairy Milk is a brand in itself which is savoured by more than a million population,its logo that depicts a glass and half of milk poured into a chunk of chocolate is known to every little child. What makes Cadbury to double emphasize this fact is something quite not understood. According to Anaphylaxis campaign, a group which works to support people who suffer from life threatening allergic reactions, also known as anaphylactic shock the law requires manufacturers to list allergens if they are an ingredient. Alright! Now things are much clear so if the milk powder comes adulterated with melamine(China export) and you end up with anaphylactic shock, Cadbury is purely not responsible. Perhaps, Cadbury’s move is not unprecedented, Tesco puts labels on milk cartons saying they contained milk and also warned that bags of assorted nuts contained nuts.
Some things are quite implicit but its better to state than to be sorry!

Wall Street Saga...

2008-10-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Want to read a succulent, tempting thriller that keeps on your toes. I am not suggesting you a Agatha Cristie, Dan Brown, Michael Clayton or Archer’s fiction book. I am talking about the Wall Street saga, never has been a time when I have taken so much interest in the financial turnarounds. Assets, liabilities, interest, profit and loss is something my financial knowledge was limited to but now what the hell is leverage, hedge funds, private equity fund, debt, equity, securities and many more?? Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are financial institutions; I thought they were twin daughters. AIG is a top insurance firm, oh thought it was something on the lines of NIKE sponsoring a football club. Hank Paulson, Ben Berkeley, Timothy Geithner…. who are these people??? Why am I despised when taking names of Richard Fuld and Jimmy Cayne?
So, what went wrong? How does one explain this to a layman like me :-)
Lehman Brothers was like the little kid pulling the tail of a dog. You know the kid is going to hurt eventually, so no one is surprised when the dog turns around and bites the kid. But the kid only hurts himself, so no one cares about that much. Bear Sterns is the little pyro – the kid who was always playing with matches. He could harm not only himself but burn his own house down, even the entire neighborhood. The Fed stepped in not to protect him, but the rest of the block. AIG is the kid who stumbled into a bio-tech warfare lab found all these unlabelled vials, and headed out into the playground with a handful of them jammed into his pockets. Federal Reserve was the babysitter who gave the kids the dog and the matches and forgot to lock the door to the lab. The politicians hired the babysitter. The babysitter did not behave like a responsible parent and let the kid become big, fat and diabetic and was now seeking redemption by taking the whole family on a diet of rice and beans. Fannie and Freddie were the two twins who bought bad meat and made poisonous sandwiches. Henry Paulson was the good babysitter who tried to pamper the kids with a candy of $700 billion bailout plan so that the kids stop crying for a short while.
All said and done, it’s a sad time for the financial market but a good time to learn facts from fiction. Perhaps, this saga too like any other will have its up and down with a not so happy-ending. For all the fin-heads unable to answer to people who have lost their money are escaping by saying………….
Never Ask for money spent
Where the spender thinks it went
Nobody was ever meant
To remember or invent
What he did with every cent…!!!!!!

Not a really good way of calming the people isn’t???

Panacea of Life

2008-09-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Composed by me on a morning when i was out of this world..........
There is a strange feeling
My Lips are murmuring
To let out my my unspoken words
But something is holding me inside
For they are the hard facts of life
Why is that the sky not beautified
With the rainbow everyday?
Why is that the flowers do not bloom everyday?
Every day is not our day
Every moment is not our moment
All this and much more
Makes me bedazzle and swine
Why Am I not heard always
Or Why do I not lend my ear to hear
If what you sow so shall you reap
is what we all hear
Its true fact that reciprocation is part of life
that one needs to adhere
Your smile makes one feel good of others
And so does your ignorance makes you part from others.
You may meet many wrong people
before you meet the right one
But you must walk with the wrong ones to reach the right one
For Realization comes from experience.
For just being alone in the race makes you only weaker
For the world is survival of the fittest
And so hold the hands of the one who can make you strong and not let you down.
Dont be suppressed by anyone
For you have your own self-respect
And there is much to learn in this aspect.
For every twist and turn choose your way
Choose the right one to reach your destination
For its better than salvation
These are the authentic facts of life that i lend to you my dear friend.

Old Wine,Older Jokes

2008-07-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

‘What if I have a few grey hair strands,
I am still a lot wiser.
What if I take more time to speak,
I am quite more patient.
What if I walk a little slow,
I am far more steadier.’
Minced by an old man he feels wiser, patient and steadier than all of us. In this oldie context there is only one thing that gives me a pause is the ‘AGE’. Two great icons turned into archives with that ‘AGE’ context. Sachin Tendulkar, the world’s greatest batsman has lost his contract as brand ambassador of FMCG PepsiCo. John McCain seems to be losing out against Barack Obama way before the final verdict of the presidential race. Apparently, I don’t see any signs of old age in Sachin though his jet black hair could be misleading courtesy: Garnier or Godrej hair dye, his face shows no wrinkles that could also be misleading courtesy: Botox treatment. Whereas McCain has all the signs forcing to withdraw my evident support. I’m unquestionably not alone; in a university poll of swing states (Florida, Ohio, Pennyslvania) published two weeks back, nearly a quarter of respondents said that his age made it less likely they would vote for him. It wasn’t just the young who had an issue with it, either. More than 20 percent of those 55 and above agreed. So what makes him fall flat in the public face. Surprisingly, he is the culprit for the string of self-deprecating jokes. On ‘Saturday Night Live ‘he joked that we should be looking for someone ‘very, very, very old’ to be the next president. I guess his inspiration lies with the Indian politicians age bracket. It was disconcerting when he flubbed a joke on MTV about ‘being older than dirt’ with ‘more scars than Frankenstein’. It was quite alarming to hear his confession about computer illiteracy in the age of Google, YouTube and MySpace, when jehadis maintain their own websites and the rival candidate is Obama-a Borg-like Internet juggernaut. Perhaps, there is no political botox (Sigh! The stilted grins & blank expressions) in his self-flagellating humour. It’s not good to be too modest that it takes the hell out of you.
Coming to our homeland, Sachin did nothing unlike McCain to prove his age. PepsiCo brand gurus are for ‘Youngistan’ run & Sachin seemingly doesn’t fit in. A price of 4 Crores is too much wherein with the same sum two young goodie players Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma can be roped in. Inflation affects everybody isn’t it! So ‘young’,’youth’ are the new buzzwords. We are awed by the pageants of ‘Young CEOs’,‘Young Entrepreneur’,’ Young politicians’,’Young diplomats’ and of course ‘Young actors’ .The media and society have become more conducive towards the young and perhaps berated the old. All said and done, one must act one’s age & stop talking about it all the time. If you really can’t resist than lauds its merits of wisdom. No witty streak please ;-)

The Undomestic Goddess

2008-05-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mom: Nidhi, no office today rite?
Me: Hmmm…. Yes Mom No Office today what a relief (Smiles)
Mom: Nidhi, go and make tea for everyone, I am a bit tired today
Me (Sigh): Alrite, Mama (Tread heavily towards the kitchen)
Now, TEA-Making has an interesting backdrop. I, for sure dread going to the kitchen which was quite an implicit fact known to my dear mom. As always, mother knows best and they surely know how to tackle brats like me. You have guests in the form of aunties from the neighboring area, who turn up every time and then like vodafone smses on the cell ‘A time waster with useless suggestions of dating, movie, masti, magic n crap’.You need to treat them with fake smiles and agreeable expressions (Then only are you awarded the title of what-a-nice-daughter maybe!).Turnaround to the testimony my mother furtively made her secret mission and asked me to make a nice cuppa tea n coffee for my what-a-nice-daughter arbitrators. This kind of rigmarole has happened so often that it proved to be win-win-win situation for my title, my mother and of course tea-making.
Me (Served the tea and look at everyone’s face for their verdict to be): How is it Mom?
Mom (Smiles): Good, U certainly make good tea (Getting a Good remark from her surely counts she has all the traits of a Virgo Critic). But I would appreciate if you could learn and manage to cook at least a decent meal for yourself. You should take some interest in the kitchen chores too.
Me: Yes Mom, I’ll try………..
Moms have always something to add on, they are never happy with the child’s current status. She never minced these words earlier because she wanted me to be completely focused on my grad. Studies. But then eventually all this ought to be learnt sooner or later.
I was turning the pages of ‘The Undomestic Goddess’ and Bang! There you go, the story revolves around a girl just like my types with no idea of the household chores .The girl is Samantha Sweeting, 29 year old high profiled lawyer smart, gutsy and a complete workaholic. Her whole journey is a complete joyride from her career in Carter Spink to her mistaken identity of a housekeeper at Geiger’s house and her chick-lit romance with the Geiger’s house-gardener Nathaniel. The author Sophie Kinsella surely knows how to keep her readers charmed. After all the funny accidents in Miss Geiger’s kitchen, her innocence eventually proved in the 50 million pound blunder case, her partnership offered back to her she called it all quits and chose to be’ the housekeeper’. She chose what she wanted the most and found most satisfying. Crazy Isn’t! She was making the biggest mistake of her entire existence. No at all for Samantha---‘If I’ve learned one lesson from all that’s happened to me, it’s that there is no such thing as the biggest mistake of your existence. There’s no such thing as ruining your life. Life’s a pretty resilient thing, it turns out’.

Inconvenient Truth Unfolds

2008-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

Geyser for the hot water bath. Toaster popping the crispy toast sandwich for the high-powered energy breakfast. Fans rotating in full speed to respite us from the hot summer of 2008.Rooms all illuminated with the halogens and PL lights for its easier to locate things and give credibility to Edison. Cell phone needs to be kept ringing all day to flaunt the no of friends and business exhibits and charged for the important communication to be. Air conditioner is a necessity for the good night sleep in the unbearable summer warmth. Iron steaming out working over the crease of the shirts for Looks matter and clothes definitely adds to it. Huh! That’s just a quarter of the whole electricity consumption that the billion population across the world makes on a SINGLE DAY. Not surprising at all!
We have other tendencies also .We just don’t switch off our PCs at our workplace; it is such a tedious job of booting the computer. We throw and litter things around and spitting is our contribution towards the red mosaic painting on walls, road, footpath, you name it and there we go. We are so good at nit-picking such as if incidents like the Mumbai Deluge do occur we have a thousand reasons to blame the Municipal Corporation for the poor drainage system and poor infrastructure. We love to experience the heavy downpours, the rising temperatures and shaking and swirling EARTH. Deluge, Floods, Tornados, Tsunamis, Earthquakes we have seen it all. As a matter of fact all are natural disasters so naturally they are bound to happen.
We are quite cool and calm and don’t even waste our time on the petty things of life.
We haven’t even learnt the meaning of consequences so far.
That’s the Inconvenient Truth; we are inhibiting ourselves from facing the truth of Global Warming a problem so severe that it will destroy the flora and fauna of our mother Earth. This is the truth. Face it.
An amazing documentary Inconvenient Truth presented by American Vice-President Al Gore is enlightening and brings to light the grueling and shocking facts of Global Warming. When he points on that blue dot in a satellite picture taken, he said something so stirring-In his exact words: ‘You see that pale, blue dot? That’s us. Everything that has ever happened in all of human history, has happened on that pixel. All the triumphs all the tragedies, all the wars all the families, all the major advances…….it’s our only home. And that is what is at stake , our ability to live on Planet Earth, to have a future as a civilization .I believe this a moral issue , its your time to cease this issue, its our time to rise again to secure our future. What we take for granted might not be here for our children’. After hearing him there is a gearshift inside you and you say inside ‘Oh my God is that all true!’
Future generations may well have occasion to ask themselves, what were our parents thinking? Why didn’t they wake up when they had a chance? We have to hear to that question from them , now.

Critics Call:The Class

2008-03-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

This is my first book of the year and must say what an apocalyptic experience! The book
‘The Class’ by Eric Segal is not a romantic tale unlike his bestseller ‘Love Story’ nor is it the one discussing societal issue of the rich and the poor class as the name might suggest; its about the Harvard CLASS of 1958.
‘The Class’ is a powerful and moving saga of five extraordinary members of Class’58. Its about their journey of twenty five years which culminates with their alma-mater 25th REUNION at which they confront each other and the balance sheet of their lives. Daniel Rossi, Jason Gilbert, Theodore Lambros, Andrew Eliot and George Keller are the heroes of this story. Each guy from a different background and each had a different story to foretell but what stands in common is Harvard-the symbol of who they are and who they will be. If you are not the son of Harvard this is what one gets to hear-
‘There must be……some possible background in reason for one’s boiling over with joy that one is a son of Harvard, and was not by some unspeakably horrible accident of birth, predestined to graduate at Yale or Cornell’.
Its about the revelation of life that unfolds with the college years.
‘We took the world as given. Cigarettes

Were twenty several cents a pack, and gas

As much per gallon. Sex came wrapped in rubber

And veiled in supernatural scruples-call
Them chivalry
Psychology was in the mind; abstract
Things grabbed us where we lived; the my life
Worth living was the private life and- least
Worth scandal in this characterization-
We did not know we were a generation’
Each protagonist had something to share with its readers in terms of the realties of life. Eric Segal has portrayed in a remarkable way what it is like to be a ‘Harvardian’. He writes that the guys out there have such uncanny confidence, self assurance emanated from these dignitaries like a halo- whether they were discussing metaphysics or the merits of a new instructor’s wife. The guys have the ability to love themselves and treasure their own intellects. There are some fillers as to the lingo used in the college; the secret word that is the key to making good at Harvard: bullshit. With tongue-in-cheek remarks as to greater the opportunity for tossing the verbiage like so much salad(unimpeded by the need for such trivia as facts) the more likely the course would be a snap. To let the cat out of the bag , tell you the Harvard guys may not be that great at essay writing they have a secret recipe for it. Pad paragraphs with useful phrases such as ‘From a theoretical point of view’ or ‘upon first inspection we may seem to discern a certain attitude which may well survive even closer scrutiny’. The entry of the freshmen was animatedly described as ‘They glanced at one another like tigers taking measure of a menancing new rival. But in this kind of jungle you could never be sure where the real danger lurked’.
The author dynamically puts the fact that everybody pays a price for his success. Though you may learn a lot of things from such paradise symbolic places but ‘How to be happy’ that’s one thing that even Harvard can’t teach you. You may have a talent for success maybe and maybe no talent for friendship , such cold selfish nature can cripple you in the years to come.
Definitely a first class entertainment for all those seeking success (who doesn’t!) and that too from pride places like Harvard (could be IIMs here)
Leave with this quintessential message of the Odyssey
‘ The imperfections of the human state are outweighed by the glory of human love…..’

Dis(This)Ability

2008-02-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well, This is about the most self-satisfying experience of my life lived so far………..
How do you react seeing the children on the traffic light area selling articles?
How do you react to a child polishing shoes-giving it a nice shine where as his future looks dim?
How do you react to children in a bad state singing and begging in the local trains?
AND how do you react to those little angels who were not born as normal kids and have to live with those abnormalities such as mental retard ness, hearing-impairness or low vision throughout their lifetime?
You pity on them, you are taken aback with this harsh reality, Ok!then people what are you doing about it?
Well I was always like this; I used to talk and brag about the state of these children with family and friends but never did something about it. We all like to comment and criticize things but never ever have we tried to set the example or be the CHANGE we want to see in the world. But this time around it’s a different story from my side, my colleague and good friend suggested me about Indian Council of Mental Health (ICMH) and told me to go ahead, find about it and make a decision. I got in touch with Manisha, trustee of ICMH Mulund School and she told me all about her school and the special children they cater to. ICMH has two schools setup in Mulund and Nerul for the mentally challenged and hearing impaired children. It is a partner-NGO of GiveWorld Organization based in US. Well we decided why not share this my entire project team, to my surprise with my friends help we could make a big contribution of 15K towards the Mulund School. All my gratitude to the team who supported me. One doesn’t get an emotional connectivity Unless one sees with one’s own eyes and I didn’t want to lose on that.
My friend and I attended the school’s first ever cultural program, its annual function on 9th Feb. Seeing the spirit of the children and the immense efforts of all the teachers guiding them, encouraging them was all worth taking in our stride. Imagine the state of the parents when they are told that their newborn is born with abnormalities and their state is even worsened by our very own society who considers it as a social stigma and talk about bad karma. How insensitive can we get to such facts and I feel it’s the generation of our times who can really bring about a change in our outlook towards these children with special needs. I plan to visit their school soon and share even more……..
But next time I look at them, things are going to be definitely different !!

Namesake.

2008-01-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
-Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ‘What’s in a name?’ has become quite an adage for our times. But honestly, who would like to be called by some other name as Mr. and Miss so & so. As a matter of fact, everyone who belongs to this world works towards success to make his or her NAME in the world. If the NAME gives u an identity, I surely would have lot of problems in not having one or being addressed by some other weird name. Truly, author Lahiri and Mira Nair too realized it with her book and movie ’Namesake’.
When a child is born a special name ceremony is kept and from that very day he is entitled with that identity. Our politicians are too not sparing us from displaying our identity in the capital city, without which u could be suspected and can get screwed up jus like Dr. Haneef in Australia. For me, everything is in our name, would OBAMA, the candidate giving a wild chase to Hillary Clinton would like to addressed as OSAMA. Never.
It was quite interesting to find the root meaning of my name ’NIDHI’ the other day. According to the Hindu mythology, Nidhi is a treasure constituted of nine treasures [navanidhi-that’s quite a lot of wealth ;-)] belonging to Kubera, the god of wealth. According to the tradition, each Nidhi is personified as having a guardian spirit, and some tantrikas worship them. The nature and characteristics of nidhis have remained largely unexplained and have not been fully understood.
So its no use in putting efforts in understanding me- I stand misunderstood!!! And mind you that I stand for precisely my name-Nidhi. Shakespeare defied.

Stars Shine Down.......

2007-12-24T23:45:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was a fulfilling day for I had spent three hours watching a movie that completely moved me. Yes, I am writing about ‘Taare Zameen Par’ with the tagline’Every Child is Special’. I generally go for any movie after reading the film reviews, taking feedback from my buddies, listening to 98.3 Mirchi Bioscope and definitely go by Rajeev Masand’s (CNN-IBN fame) blog for his reviews (I have complete faith in his critics). But this time it was a different story, the film showcases and being an Aamir’s movie was quite enough to drag me to the multiplex. It had to be different and it proved to be so.
Its nice to see some meaningful movies coming our way with ‘Chak De’ with a hockey backdrop reflecting women’s ambitions as well as the women hockey team itself being belittled down by the sports committee, how the players across India are part of the team who play as a whole for the team INDIA. And now we have ‘Taare Zameen Par’ which went ahead with a storyline centering on a Dyslexic boy who felt helpless in this world of competition where your competence is judged by the numbers. If you like painting, if u have great imagination then you better get hold of yourself for such things can get you nowhere in this cut-throat competition, all you need to aim is to get your mark sheet printed in 90 figures no more no less. And, if you fail to have both the quotients (EQ and IQ I meant!) then get ready to be nagged by your teachers, your peer, your dear parents for it wont be long when ull be labeled ’Idiot, Duffer, lazy, crazy’. Mind you this is being expected from an 8 yr old boy.
The fact portrayed that the parents fail to understand their children and provide the emotional support they always seek came as a thunderbolt to the audience. Watching the movie, at some points every parent realized that at times they have been genuinely wrong in understanding his/her child. Looking at today’s scenario with working mom and dad, who even has the time to listen to his/her activities, his achievements and failures. If a child fails then sending him away to the boarding school the only solution, that he loses his very own existence? So the child is there left all alone to fight with this big bad world and he is left being lost and dumbfounded. In the movie, Aamir came as an angel who changed the course of the child’s life and inspired him to live like any other child, encouraged him with his art passion that later ‘Ishaan Awasthi’ the protagonist made his name by winning the first prize at the art festival. The movie is par excellence and a must watch for the not-so-caring parents and for every child to realize their inner dreams and give a go ahead to it. Many interpretations, lot many sentiments a package of emotions-a soul-searching piece.
With such rave reviews around Aamir might definitely be preaching ‘I came, I saw, I conquered’.
For more agreeable thoughts on it visit http://www.dreamslife.wordpress.com/

Revved Up!!!

2007-12-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

Long ago there was a girl who did what she felt like doing, need not be told what needs to be done, how it is to be done, the world was at her feet and she simply enjoyed the rosy ambience of a free freaky world. Interpreting it, the gal mentioned might definitely be holidaying:-), for such prudence of independence and arrogance can fall only with the unfortunates with no WORK! I was the fortunate one though (apparently not) to have got an opportunity to step into a world quite contrary to the realm I am used to.
It was 8th march International Women’s day-a day bestowed in tribute to Women, a day signifying my empowerment too when the offer letter reached my hands and I had my future path drawn. I was forewarned by my senior friends, my dear Profs that its only a few months of enjoyment and then your life is definitely not gonna be the same. Putting in the exact lingo ‘Baccho jitna mazaa karna hai karlo baad mein sab kuch badal jayega’, I used to laugh hearing those remarks, come’ on its going to be so much better, no exams, no assignments to write, no sneering looks from the Profs, no submission deadlines, no competition with fellow comrades fighting for those marks…Life is definitely going to be cool for I will have my own share of money, I shall be financially independent (though I still believe in TEAM WORK: my father earns and I spend).I was also satisfied knowing that the success of any business hinges on 4 Ts-trade, technology, treasury and talent wherein T-technology will be satisfied on my joining the tech co. and last T is definitely unquestionable considering me :- ) ,the other two will be considered with time.
Well, misconceptions are always there. Who had even thought that FORBES listed big shot companies would have Indian CEOs with Indra Nooyi chairing PepsiCo and Vikram Pandit heading the CitiGroup lately. Where had Musharaff thought that he would be defeated despite of his cunning ways and diplomacy? Where had the cricket fans thought that the Indian team would win the 20-20 World Cup in such great style? These events were definitely awe-inspiring. Now me too had my own set of misconceptions, which were ruled out with me stepping into the CORPORATE world. I remember the words of my soft skill trainer Capt.Thapas, whose words are worth remembering a lifetime. Firstly ’Nobody born on this Earth is the son of a lesser God.’ Always have belief in yourself and always learn to keep your self respect , never let people take you for granted. Secondly, ’In the Corporate world no one is your best friend or your worst enemy’ I guess it’s quite tacit. My PL’s wise words are too noteworthy that one has to deal with all kinds of people around, and everyone will have their own way of doing things. So its very important to understand them rather than get frustrated and sulk about it. Secondly, ask yourself what new did I learn today. So this fledgling definitely needs to learn a lot from her immediate surroundings.
I must say Engg life is still better……………..(what say misconception again!!!)

The Hues of Romance

2007-06-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

What day it is, 20th june-definitely not Valentine's day,its not even the month of February,the so called month of love and romance then what makes me brag about the many hues of romance??

While sitting by the window side, watching the drizzle fall on the window pane which appears like the dew droplets of a pleasant morning,fill my heart with romance.'Romance'- a word that has attained quite a mundane status for we have quite not understood its root meaning.

What is your definition of Romance?Is it all about a love story of a guy and a gal,their strength of characters,trials &tribulations and how they overcome those and has the always Happily Ever After(HEA)ending Or is it the dinner by the candlelight & ardour in his eyes,walking hand in hand by the seaside exchanging sweet nothings or is it the champagne n roses n ball-dancing.So we all thought that romance has to do something with love, togetherness and spending time with your lover.Maybe ,but i think with the changing times 'Romance' too has a changed meaning.

Romance is all about loving yourself.Its more about your journey inwards-its a journey towards one self jus like a loving relationship with another.Well you neednt wait for the right man or the right woman to experience romance.Its for you to find romance in every word, every moment and every thought for romance emanates from within you.

Romance is when you feel good about yourself and everyone around ,when your good hormones are flowing and you love the whole world.If you look forward to going to your early morning walks, or lying in a jetty under the skylit sky or the arrival of a new book on ur desk which u wanna finish as soon as u get hold of it..all these could be your experience of romance. So anything and everything that helps you to connect with joy of living is romantic.

The Romance of life is so priceless possession that it is a supreme tragedy to lose it.Romance is always in the air around you,you just have to sniff it out.Its there in the leaf that just dropped to the ground,the trees laden with droopy, bright yellow'amaltas', in the colours of dawn and dusk.Its actually nowhere without,its within you.
And when i experience romance i come out with a poetry(so good after- effects of romance-now you get ready for your dose of romance--)

Right across the reef,

A golden splendid beaming face,

Waking thy unsung place,

Stretching my arms,

Imbibing the morning freshness,

Remembering the charmer whose

Talisman gleams by my face.

The world never spread so far,

Never seemed that juvenile,

With his memories & thoughts

Brings upon a smile

Alchemy turns into valuable gold,

And I have him who has made me a wonderful soul,

Standing by me in the rocking times,

Even the inclement days seems to subside

I walk ahead holding his hands

Hoping the truth prevails

In thy eternal love.

Old Familiar Faces-Epoch II

2007-06-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Now you might be wondering why did I not mention about any guy (Phew! Did you even think of that or me just guessing). I am not treating them a passé ,nobody is going to be left out don’t worry-my first interaction was with DC (who had volunteered for CSI membership and he had asked for my photograph reqd for the form since then I was teased with him Poor Guy!)Then the turnaround with Bala (he is used to treat us every week with home-made yummy dosas n idlii), he happened to be my lab partner initiated with lots of highs but now its all ‘mutual understanding’ lol. Bala is quite hardworking, intelligent, very helpful but a bit bossy at times, he wants his things done by hook or by crook .and the list goes on-Sumit, Punit, Girish , Krunal, DC, Anurag , Sushain , Gaurav, Umesh.

Sumit is a fun, good – natured guy. A ‘good guy’ types he calls himself Pentium-10(the rate at which his thinking goes- I am talking of the wild thoughts).Punit-the mischief maker (Whatzaaaaa), he wont let u write your assignments, push you, pinch you. He irritates everyone in the group and Bechaara; he is now being nagged by an unwanted gal. Overall accha banda hai, knows his responsibilities & really sweet (he brings smiles around-not everyone can do that).Cuming to Girish aka Anna ;the thinker, the philosopher; star wars endorser, intelligent, can do 10 things at the same time with great results, sometimes he gets into his mania(we do wonder after all Girish is not that serious, he too has his funnier side), cracks sarcastic jokes, he worked hard to get a tech fest in our college-Techithon’05 was born under the leadership of our very own Anna which turned out to be a grand success. Krunal another guy on the block, very high IQ, sweet, good natured, a bit reserved, gives wonderful critics, knows to get his work done(through the thousand ‘Please yaar’ that he uses), Darshan aka DC, the GS during our tenure what to say of him he is the “King Of PJs’ ,got a sense of style in his speech, makes friends instantly, loves to talk & blabber, gets really irritable when he has a workload on his head and very creative in his usage of words. A fun guy to hang out with. Sushain, Anurag &Gaurav have always been together as a trio. Sushain was a shy guy, he used to rarely talk to gals but now see the metamorphosis he has gone through turned into a cool dude. Anurag has always been the ‘Big Boss’, making rare appearances in the college. He has literally gone to Ma’m and said ‘Oh madam aur kitna time lagega ’(when during our viva external Prof arrived late during our final VIII sem). So now its all crystal clear how my comrades were and how we were surviving in this egosystem.
Oh yes now talking about my college-They quite thought of us for a while.We went for our industrial visit to Goa! (a happening place in the name of industrial visit- what more do we want- parents ko convince karne ka idea bhi college ne hi de diya-“Mom its an industrial visit. Ma understand’’).We had a blast , the trip was in the third year, our hotel was called ‘the old anchor’ it was in the shape of a ship & a disc on the upper deck, a beautiful ambience and a beach close to the hotel.It was a wonderful trip with lots of singing, dancing, mastii & sun bathing in the sands of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa with palm groves lining the small narrow roads of Goa.
The second year was quite dull, no major activities, the only change that we saw was the entry of diplomats nah! I am talking of the diploma guys who entered in the second year. It was a nice change for our guys who looked forward to the new diploma gals. New faces are always welcomed, there is always a need for a change and experiment right Guys!From here I get hold of a pal who joined our group later on and even into the hearts of some….(hmmm….),Shrutii-the gossip queen, very studious, active in all college activities, enthusiastic about everything on Earth. And I call her my Tech partner (u have good tech skills thats why I employing u Shrutii ok!).Then there was Purva who joined my friends list with her loud laughter, gossipy talks, lot of chattering together &giving me insight into the whole US-MS application process. And yes how can I forget my friend Aditi-cute, sweet, keeps me on my toes about studies (if I forget to open my books she will gimme a call with her never ending doubts –so I am indebted to her for making me study.),she was from Lucknow had that typical north Indian accent, but now u see her tht accent has gone and she is definitely a mumbaite now. She jus cannot control her laughter and sometimes she gets into trouble too because of that .She is my cool buddy and always of immense help .
The final year had nothing much to talk about. Everyone was busy planning their career paths-busy with placements (aptitude tests->group discussion->tech interview->HR interview), banging the doors of placement office as to which company is coming next. Some were preparing for GRE, some CAT n GMAT. Some had already given it in the third year (se how proactive engineers can be!) and were ready with application process.
I definitely cannot pen down each and every moment I have spent in my coll but can only carry with me those beautiful memories in my heart. The only reason I did this because when Mahatma Gandhi said these words he was definitely right-“Memory is a very frail thing. The written word stands for ever ”
And the words of Charles Lamb remind me of ‘Old Familiar Faces’.........

I have had playmates, I have had companions ,

In my days of childhood,in my joyful school days-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

I have been laughing,I have been carousing,

Drinking late,sitting late, with my bosom cronies-

All are gone, the old familiar faces.

Ghost-like i paced round the haunts of my childhood,

Earth seem'd a desert I was bound to traverse,

Seeking to find the old familiar faces.

Old Familiar Faces-Epoch I

2007-06-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

It was a journey of four years- exciting, surprising, enigmatic and creepy. There were the days of festivity, moments of breakdown & a dozen of gruesome nightshifts. A package offered of 43 subjects (I still cannot understand what did it really had to offer me), two projects & the hullabaloo of submissions (learnt immense patience dealing with Prof).A package that unwillingly could not be negotiated nor dictated. It had to be accepted for we had a single goal to be called –‘The Engineers’. An Engineer who of course cannot give life to someone unlike Doctors but make a life quite a luxury(I am not here to debate on Doctors vs. Engg) .
I have the vivid memories of the short span of my life I have spent in my college with my wonderful group of friends, some supporting & some grotesque Profs, the ever changing Principals, the not so co-operative peons (I specially want to mention the vulture Caution: His prey was a mobile user).
I remember my first day in college, I happen to reach before time (I know my dear friends are not believing it but I do end up with surprises u see!).I roamed around the classroom (It was R11) & then found a place on the third bench and took my place of pride, I had no school or jr. college friends to join me here, filled with excitement, waiting for someone to give me company. Then there came a gal-confident, friendly and talkative—my friend Chaits, we hit off very well within mins and I even bunked the lectures that followed what a convincing power she has. I remember we were given a brief orientation by a Prof who seemed like some senior of my coll. Then the lectures began as usual we had Mechanics, Applied Science (AS), Applied Maths (AM), Computer Programming (CP) & BEE. We had a sweet Prof for Mechanics but too slow and dunce when it came to teaching that subject though in the later sems he taught us drawing in his good form. I did not understand anything (act he did not explain anything either.), and used to scribble, mumble n crib, that was all I had to while the time away. Some cronies cracked the sums, thanx to the vacation batch classes @ vidyalankar( a place highly recommended for all engg-if u haven’t been here u haven’t really been part of engg exploration).If somebody would pitch in to ask me the answer to a particular question I would give a blank stare(I am ready to share my new fx991ms calci but don’t ask me such deadening questions).
So while comprehending my first step into the engg era I made some wonderful friends which culminated into a group of four-The Chandaal Chokdii which included me(Nifty),Neha (Nutty), Zarana(Zany) & Amruta(Amu or our JUMBO) all different but yet together. Nutty has always been like a big support, of great help and a good listener. She is always ready to pitch in for help and the best natured gal I have come across. The best part is when Nutty cries and hunts for her things that she doesn’t find them and we being habituated by her unnecessary cry we all end up finding her things right over there. Well n coming to Amu aka Jumbo she is a big comic timer. I remember how she used to enact the character Hansa of ‘Khichdi’ fame, how she can speak Marathi & Kutchii so fluently is commendable (I can’t even speak Gujarati- my mother tongue forget two lang).She seems to be cool headed but she is also the one who has broken down the most over these years (Rem-Amu-CP-I submissions, when Bala said something during a lecture about Sumo &u n u got a sweet apology letter from Bala-lucky u! or when we were leaving after lunch on the last day), she is our crying doll, our sensitive darling! Now coming to my last member in the Chandaal Chokdii Zany- a big blabbermouth, non stop talker, will tell stories about her Chachi , her Maasi, her cousins(all ending with the same name Chirag), gave me insight into the Gujju Culture-very hardworking, clever & street smart. have a lot to recollect for they have been there with me through thick and thin accepting my agonies and tantrums and of course my smiles!
Friends were around , but I was missing, yes missing in the first lecture , I couldn’t reach on time-never and ended up with low attendance in Maths and yes a panga too with Prof Madhuri somehow she realized that I wasn’t that bad n now she adores me). I was saved from her orders of calling one’s parent (call your parents- common we used to hear all this in schooldays & has never happened to me in school-what’s happening here!).Then came the submissions –it was time to write assignments (or rather copy assignments), complete journals (were those experiments performed were of any use-Titration in chem, crystal lattice in phy Huh! An elec & telecom engg why am I being made to learn all that),take printouts of programs from that Dot Matrix printer (which made such humdrum noise that can put anyone in a deep slumber).Submissions was all about getting good grades & getting the precious files signed by our attorney. But this submission dimension took a deadly turn when it was our CP-I dimension, a new Prof joinee in the bandwagon whose head was filled with vacuum, took our submissions till 9.30pm who made our day so unbearable & miserable. She refused to correct our files and made us correct some flowcharts which apparently she couldn’t follow. Running through the errands we somehow got our work done. Exams followed and that was it the end of first semester.
The month of January came the time of festivity-our college was adorned with posters, draperies, beautiful rangoli at the entrance lobby (the rangoli was made using wood dust this innovative idea was born in the mind of our college creative pride-Kalps-our wonderful senior-dramatics, decoration, designing fashion show sets , fun making he was topping it all-L & T guys might be having a great time having him).In the first year we freshers were silent spectators and definitely big critics—‘Oh they should have done it that way. What a waste! These seniors don’t know how to organize…and on n on. Its true when you are in the first year you think the seniors are always wrong and you are always right. There is no sense of self-reservation; you just don’t want to listen to them and you always want one’s one way (I remember this particularly because we had taken pangas with the GS of college-NO BRAINS NA! )
After the festivity and month long vacation it was time to hit back to college with the second sem- somewhat more comfortable than the first sem we had a better orientation with subjects CP-II, AM-II,AS-II,Engg Drawing and yes my favorite Communication Skills(CS)! I rather would not talk about other subjects but wont leave you without mentioning my tryst with the CS subject. Our Prof was excellent, outstanding, I think she should start teaching organizational behavior in a top B-school-She’s Worth it! (Ah! That the L’Oreal Tagline!).We learnt all about business correspondence-writing business letters, memos, making a resume, writing about our fav.communicators (mine was Barkha Dutt and Simi Garewal quite a contrast though!).Sem II turned out to be a bit shorter & winding up in the same loop(assignments->submissions->vivas->exams).
That was the end of our first year …with mixed feelings of love, pride, hate, sorrow & hopes…………

Uncalled Battle

2007-03-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since i have posted on my blog.Hearing all the complaints from my dear friends for not keeping my blog updated its high time i feel guilty about and get going with it.It was not as if i was lost in translation or had nothing to share or discuss but can assure you the relunctance and indolence took a toll on me.Will definitely give a shot in overcoming it after all blogging is all about narcissism.
Now its very important that u revisit my blog so i had to share sumthing intriguing and definitely that topic should be driving me within too,because for very creative writing you need to have ur inspiration.I came across this article by a famous happy bachelor which really tickled my bone and i had to have my say on it.But before i go ahead i will give you a sneak into the article -my source of inspiration.
TRAVAILS OF A METRO MALE
Liberated or hoodwinked into running all errands? The world seems to be making a fool out of the metro male!
A lot has been written about the metrosexual and i guess a lot more will be written once people understand that this is not some unique species we are talking about.However, what has been conveniently ignored is the harrowing life of men operating under high pressure in a city like Delhi or Mumbai!
This debate about gender equality has banished most metro men to their kitchens ;they are running errands, they are the ones queing up outside Mother Dairy booths,they are the ones trying to get the little brat to school ,attending parent teacher meets and playing with children in the park!But does anyone recognise their pain ? No sir!Instead a myth is created ,eulogising their sacrifice by calling them modern or liberated!All in the hope that they will run a few more errands,I am sure!
Tell Me,what is so liberated about standing in line waiting to fill your vessels with some milk?Or to listen to some wretched school teacher drone about all the aweful traits your IVF-induced child is plagued with?What is so liberated about fasting on Karva chauth jus to express solidarity with your wife?Solidarity went out with Lech Welesa in Poland and we don't need it to recur either in Malabar Hill or Maharani Bagh.
An unsuspecting war has been unleashed on the hapless Indian male.They are now questioning everything about us:their psychometric tests make a narco test look like kindergarten stuff, and yet there is no one to stand up for us.We are a minority and we don't even have a Mamta Banerjee to go on a hunger strike for us.We live within such pressurised homes as if we were born into a family of Hawkins.
This column will be the voice of the male.An impassioned voice that will appeal to all who matter and also to those who don't.It will reflect on the issues that we men are inflicted with and affected by.It will about Man Poised when India is.It will be about the Indian man who has come a long way in nation-building.It will extol our virtues of patience and the tolerance of boundless sufferance.Through this column we men will show the world a side of ours that is never seen because we are never allowed to take our clothes off and those who do are punished by being kept out of the cricket team for periods of time.This will be a column that will tell the world how arduous it is to stay manly in todays world, in every which way.If you look around ,the prettiest women don't want hunks anymore!They seek softer sensitive people:so you've either got to be gay or you've got to give in.There is no third option!
They say the age of chivalry is dead and yet there is no comment on why men must be packed like sardines whereas women get to travel in Ladies Only compartments?Why men cannot be allowed to listen to Gloria Stein's lecture just because she is a feminist and we are not all that bright?This perverse exclusion must stop in India.Even politically the indian male has been weakened .Te south saw a rampaging Jaylalitha and Vajpayee was so often downon his knees that both his knees had to be replaced.And the east today sees a very hungry yet extremely rotund Mamata go on a fast but catch a man fasting and not even his own family will be there to commiserate.This is how the Indian male is being treated today.Rabindranath tagore if he were alive would have goaded the indian male a voice,a platform,from where we can be seen ,even if never heard.At least in the 60th year of India's independence,the indian male can look forward to some freedom!
Well Well....the only reaction i get after reading it was 'Finally!'.So over the centuries we have been discussing the plight of Indian women , the atrocities inflicted by the Indian male on them n Finally if the same plight ,the same pains(which is hardly a matter of fact)is being experienced by our poor Indian males i am only filled with great exhilaration.If the time is ripe for role reversal the Indian male should definitely gear up !

Caught In A Cauldron

2006-09-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

'You have to be a Buddha to live in this city and not get angry..........................'
How does my day start well nothing extraordinary nor a pleasurable one.The resolution to jog, exercise and do some asanas everyday turns out to be futile as i end up opening my eyes at the struck of the hour when its time to pack,dress up and head to college.I am bogged by the rule of '9 am deadline' wherein 'You reach at nine or go home and have a nice time'.Ah!So its a rush to catch the rickshaw and the always seemingly crowded bus.True, jostling with life is the buzz that surrounds my city Mumbai.The city of 'survival of the fittest' wherin i find myself hard to fit in ,please Dad take me to some place peaceful,calm,serene &titillating.
Standing at the lokhandwala infamous circle waiting for the share rick to drop me to my destination for its inevitable to wlk to the distant station.We rowdies don't maintain a queue and if i happen to reach even a little late i try to pitch in ahead,with disgusting &helpless smile from others.The literate and educated working lot don't want to start off their day seething over these issues, better handle the boss at work.The rickshaws pass by refraining & ignoring our kind requests taking the full advantage of our being at their mercy.Waiting for the day when these rickshawwallas will get a lesson of their life when their share system goes out of order.So if one gratifying rickshawwallah agrees its the swarm of bees rushing to his so called hive.Its all about money honey! This is my daily struggle waiting for the day when this future affluent connoisseur gets a taste of a real'good morning' :-).Thats just a snippet to show how the mumbaiker withstands all this and takes his way out.But everything has a limit and when things go out of hand you see a different picture altogether.What makes Mumbai angry? Its a question that cannot be denied.
Reader's Digest survey quoted Mumbai as a rude city with lot of criticism from all the mumbaikars for the fallacy.Mumbai is a city with a heart of gold.How can u forget the instances wherin mumbaikars pitched in to help others whether it was the deluge or the 7/11 they were all there.You still call it a rude city.Absolutely Untrue!Though they are turning angry &aggressive at trifle happenings could be a fortiore to support.Fuming Masses seethe against the other scoundrel in the other car on the road, that exasperating collegue in office, that rude salesgirl at the mall, that anoying spouse at home.Damn them all. Anger is becoming an epidemic in the city.Mumbai's rage meter has been climbing suddenly.What is making the city lose it?
Overcrowding is a scientically proven trigger for anger.It takes us back to the age old experiment where you keep adding mice to a cage .Beyond a certain number it is seen that the mice attack each other ferociously at the slightest provocation.The analogy is not co-incidental.The mice cage is evidently synonymous to Mumbai's life and style.If you're thinking of checking out the malls, go on a shopping-spree or planning to eat out at a new food joint thats opened up then avoid for you shall not be spared from jostling with the crowds.Destressing is so difficult in this city.Overcrowded trains, bad roads,endless traffic jams,long working hours, escalating costs of living, angst within the family.But instead of raving about it what needs to be done.
We need to de-catastrophe our language.Fury causes as much damage to the angry person's own body to the other person's mind.We need to learn that if we are stuck in a traffic jam its not a horror of life its just a hassle.So turn that radio ON and catch u on some good music or if your radio is not functional then sing on your own and entertain others too.
To give the full and final jist of my blog read on.A British physician John Hunter was suffering from a heart disorder.He often remarked 'My life is at the mercy of any scoundrel who chooses to put me in a passion'.this remark proved prophetic when during a board meeting he got into a heated argument, walked out and dropped dead........

Neonate Blogger

2006-07-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it was long back when we had poetries as a part of our English curriculum, wherein we used to never get the real feel of the poem losing its main purpose, we looked upon them as a syllabus we need to learn, relearn, or precisely rote all the meanings, the questions given by our teachers. Surely, there were some poems which we were made to recite as part of our oral exams and thanks to those exams I can at least remember some poems by heart for now if u ask me to learn ’The Listeners by Walter de la mere’ u shall see a big sulking face for I really don’t have any incentives (marks there!).But with passage of time, I realize that there are some things you need not have incentives; you just need to enjoy them whole-heartedly. So there is at least a thing I enjoy now and cherish every word that I put on my paper in the form of phrases, lines need not be sonnet, octet; whether its 8lines or 16 lines it doesn’t really matters for they are the true reflections of what I feel, what I observe, what I imbibe. That is the beauty of a Poem, complex yet intriguing!
So when did my journey of writing poems began, it was those inter-house poetry competitions which gave me the first plunge into the era of poetry-writing. Initially, I thought of only rhyming words to fabricate my conventional poems but with introduction of poets such as TS Eliot, Rabindranath Tagore, William Wordsworth, W.B Yeats, I realized that its all about presenting it in a well-phrased form it need not be shine-dine, sleep-deep or cool-fool. Then the journey continued ,whenever I was in a complacent mood, or idle all I needed was jus a pen and a paper to finish the unavoidable task.
I remember there was this poem on ‘LIFE’ which I wrote during the mechanics lecture in my first year of engineering.. Our Professor was the best in whiling away time, he just managed to do two problems in a 60 mins time, the two sums each at an interval of 20 mins, and another 10 mins for Roll-Calls , u see it’s a class of eighty he needs time have mercy on him. I had lost my patience after two lectures for I really cant stand such lousy profs…so instead of scribbling on my book writing Nidhi in the different fonts which even Mackintosh or Microsoft will need to own from me, I went for writing what I wanted, definitely not imaginary forces, or the moments but the words I felt within. So here we go with my poems on Life as it means to me !

Life!
The sun gave its sunshine,
To brighten the day arrived,
What lies ahead,
What lies beyond,
Is a question I cannot deny
There is so much to give and
So much to share
But what I feel
Does anyone care!
Across the miles, beyond the boundaries
My Dreams aspire me ,
To go ahead
For the very thought,
Of losing someone,
Makes me think of my life again
For what you believe
And for whom you care
Tell them that you are there…
For Life is short
And so much to give on
Live your life to the best!!!
---Nidhi Acharya
npa®

The next poem in my future blog….till then I go back to work!