अनकही

भाषा में गलतियों के लिए क्षमा कर दीजीये । 


माँ डाट रही थी, कुछ केह रही थी, कुछ पूछ रही थी,

लेकिन कुछ समझ नहीं आ रहा था, सुनाई दे रहा था, शोर था, 

लेकिन ना जाने क्यों ख़याल कहीं और थे, कहीं दूर,

वह फिर ज़ोर से चिल्लाई, लगा की अभ हमे कुछ कहना चहिए, कुछ भी

पर क्या केह्ते? परेशान होके वह चली गयी,

और हम अकेले सोचते रह गए। 



अगले दिन विद्यालय मे अध्यापक ने पूछा की किताब कहाँ है,

किताब घर पे थी और हम ने कहा की किताब घर पे है,

उन्होंने पूछा किताब घर पे क्याँ कर रही है,

अपनी मासूमियत मे हम ने कहा की हम किताब भूल गए, 

उन्होंने लकड़ी का फटा निकाला और ज़ोर से हाथ पर मारा,

हम सेहम गए, डर गए, हाथ लाल हो गया था – किताब ही तो भूले थे। 



गणित के कुछ प्रशन कर रहे थे ट्यूशन मे,

नंबर आ रहे थे उल्टे सीधे, बड़े छोटे, लंबे चौड़े,

दोस्त कहता है –“अरे यह क्या उल्टा लिख रहा है”

हम ने उसकी कॉपी देखी और फिर बोले “अरे सही तो लिखा है”

उसके बाद ध्यान नहीं दिया, क्योंकि दिमाग़ मे तो एक दो टीन 

चार पाँच छह सात आठ नौ दस ग्यारह बारह तेरह चल रहा था। 



फिर नाजाने एक दिन सिनेमा हॉल से आने के बाद माँ हमारे कमरे मे आई,

और ज़ोर से हमे गले से लगा लिया, शायद रो रही थी वह, मायूस थी वह;

कहा की उन्हे माफ कर दे; हमे कुछ समझ नहीं आ रहा था; क्या हो रहा था यह;

सालो बाद पता चला उस दिन निकली थी आमिर जी की पिक्चर;

और उन्हे पता चला था की हम हैं एक तारा ज़मीन पर। 






गाना :  सानू एक पल चैन -- नुसरत फ़तेह अली ख़ान


धन्यवाद : गूगल और क़ुइलपाड 

Guide to Delhi Assembly Elections 2013

Yo Delhi! Elections are 3 days away and this weekend is a good time to decide who you will vote for on 4th December.

Now historically, most of us have voted based on the party we like (or the parties we don't - it's always a lack of choice), the CM candidate, family loyalties, the candidate who folded hands and asked for our votes et al. But this time around lets use a combination of everything - the manifesto, the qualifications, their track record as a MLA and their criminal record (if any).

The Manifesto

Now most of the manifestos look all the same - we will make Delhi a world class city. But I would still recommend reading them - you will know what promises are being made and that will provide a good base to judge performance in the next elections.

BJP : http://delhideservesbetter.com/bjp-manifesto.aspx
AAP : http://delhi.aamaadmiparty.org/ (The Promise of AAP)
Congress : https://www.facebook.com/sheiladikshit.official (This is the only electronic copy of the manifesto available, if you find anything else - please tell me!)


The Candidates

Be aware of the candidates in your constituency. At the end of day, these are the people that will hear your voice - the CM will be far away. Make sure it someone you can trust, someone you think is relatively reachable and someone you believe can uphold the promises being made. Additionally, a good way to judge the re-contesting candidate is to see if they have delivered anything in the last 5 years. Ask yourself - did they reach out to you? Did they make your area a better place than before? If not, don't vote for them. Look at the last link below and see the delta in the assets of re-contesting MLAs.

The affidavits contain a whole lot information - complete details of their assets, their investments, their insurance policies. Have a look!

Candidates contesting in your constituency : http://www.ceodelhi.gov.in/OnlineERMS/Form7A.aspx
Candidate assets/criminal record/their affidavits : http://myneta.info/delhi2013/
Re-contesting MLAs and how much money they made in 5 years : http://myneta.info/delhi2013/index.php?action=recontestAssetsComparison


Your Expectations

What should you expect from the candidates and this election? I think historically we have had very little expectation from our politicians and elections. I think it's time we changed that. Your expectations from a contesting politician should be the expectations that you have from a MLA. Your boss doesn't relax expectations from you just because you are lazy. If you are lazy, inefficient and incompetent you either get fired or don't move forward. And that is exactly what we should be expecting from our MLAs. If they don't perform - they need to go.


NOTA

And thankfully this time around we have NOTA. So if you don't like anyone, you don't have to vote for them. Vote "None of the above". It won't cancel the election or reject the candidates; but it will record your opinion of none of the above. And sometimes that goes a long way.


So come rain, fire,worsening health, aging, bad hair day, running late for work, traffic or whatever - be there and make sure you vote!

Godspeed.

Image : http://kaw.stb.s-msn.com/i/E2/B34F926DF8B7C47625E9D41D5C2B9.jpg

Oh! My God!

I love asking personal questions (see evidence). It just puts people in such a spot and their answers are always so surprising. So sometimes I ask them if they believe in God. And then they ask me. And I say I am spiritual and that's confusing because everything from Yoga to The Secret is about the "spirit". Hence this post is to clarify my stance on what I theologically believe. It is more for me than it is for you.

Till about this time last year, I used to call myself a Hindu (or so my Facebook used to read). Wonderful hues of saffron, a big red tika, a white kurta  and prayer thali  come to mind when I hear the word Hindu. Anyway, that changed when I read more about the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the Bombay riots and the imposition of the Hindu identity on India. I felt like I was somehow a part of this; almost guilty by association (though I no longer believe in this guilt).

A lot also had to do with my experience with religion. Few years ago, I was deeply religious - I would do puja everyday, go to the Gurudwara everyday, learn the prayers etc. While all this was calming to the mind, it never seemed fulfilling. I just felt that I could spend all this time and effort in helping the poor and that it would be more fruitful. And so I stopped the religious rituals and became more pragmatic with my belief.

And I think that is the role of religion in our lives. Religion prepares the mind for the spiritual. Once the mind is relatively calm, it is easier to understand the philosophical aspects of spirituality - the meaning of life stuff.

And that's why I did not turn to any other religion. I was pretty much done with what religion had to offer. However, my spiritual leanings still remained broadly Hindu (Vedanta/Bhagwad Gita is what I am more comfortable associating to).

1. Karma : I believe in Karma. I genuinely believe that what goes around, comes around. You do evil, you get evil. You do good, you get good. Whether the yardstick of good or bad is decided by your thoughts, actions or motivations; I am not so sure. I believe there is no universal rule to that. I think we have this inner core/gut that tells us and warns us when we are about to do something that is "not good"; and I think maybe that is the criteria to decide what is good and what is bad. As an extension I also believe in the Golden Rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" What you invest is what you receive.


2. Afterlife : No. I don't believe that life is a continuum. That there were many previous births and that there might be many future births. I think there is this life (here and now) and that is all you should be worried about.
And even if there were multiple lives, I think they would be independent of each other. So your Karma in one life would have no bearing to the Karma in another life. Your profits and debts are settled in each life itself. You can only be held accountable or deemed profitable to receive for what you knowingly commit.


3. God : I don't believe in a watchdog God; one who keeps track of your prayers, the kind of candles you light, the fasts you keep and sins you commit. I cannot get myself to believe that God would be "watching" over us. I also don't believe in any form or manifestation of God that is different from "us". What I mean is that the spirit that allows us do things, that allows us to make decisions, feel emotions, move around etc.; that energy is possibly God at macrocosm and spirit at the microcosm - but it is all still the same. While we are all divided by our bodies, mind, intellect and natural endowments, at the core we are all the same. The essence in you is the essence in me.

4. Purpose of Life : This is where I have no conclusive answer. Vedanta believes that we are all essentially the infinite (God) and for some reason we have mistaken ourselves to be this body; and that life is a journey from imperfection (associating with the lower) to perfection (associating with something higher).  My primary problem with this is that I don't know what the cause of ignorance is; why would something as infinite as God associate itself to something low like the body, only to get back to the infinite. If there is going to be this energy before there was everything, and this energy that will exist after everything; then why should there be "everything". What's the point of the world if everything is essentially the same? (That's an unanswered question in my beliefs too)
I am also uncomfortable with the idea that the life is a journey. I think it's the cause of the journey that bothers me; why must I go on this journey - to what end? What will I achieve? If I am born, and I live through this journey of ups and downs, and then I die; what changes? If in the end, death is inevitable - why should you live? What is the end goal?
Of course, the valid question is, is there an end goal? I believe there is; because then life would make sense. If there isn't, then that's just much much worse; because we are then living for nothing.
Till the time I don't know what the end goal of life is, I have a proxy. Whatever you do, just do your best. If you write, pour your heart and soul into it. If you manage portfolios, pour your heart and soul into it. If you sell pan masala, pour your heart and soul into it. Give it every ounce of your time and effort. Be the best version of yourself. It would be a tragic waste otherwise.

And that pretty much sums up what I believe (or not believe). That's my faith, my religion, my way of life, my core or whatever have you.

To the Guru

त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव ।
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणम् त्वमेव ।

त्वमेव सर्वम् मम देव देव ॥

Ud Jayega -- Kumar Gandharva

Shabari's Berries

Today is Dusshera - the victory of good over evil. This Dusshera lets try and look inwards - at our thoughts, our experiences and emotions; and filter the good from the evil. Find those that help our goal and banish those that don't. More than anything, Dusshera is the victory of the spirit over the senses and vices.

Happy Dusshera. Here is one of my favourite stories from The Ramayana :

Shabari was a saint who had immense devotion towards Ram. I don't know how to express it, but she was completely focused on Ram. One day during Ram's exile, he visited Shabari. She was thrilled to see Ram and was overcome by immense joy. She didn't know what to offer Ram. She found some wild berries but was scared that they might not be sweet. So she tasted each berry and picked out the sweet ones and offered them to Ram. Lakshman (Ram's brother) pointed out that the berries are impure as they have already been tasted by Shabari. Overcome by Shabari's devotion and love, Ram went on to have the berries.

What does this mean for us? Should we offer half bitten berries to Ram idols in the temple? Maybe. However, what I do think it could mean is to develop that level of devotion. Do we have this kind of devotion towards anything in this world? When we gift something, do we have this sort of love or do we look for what is at home and can be passed on? No one needs our rejected gifts. We get a torn/fake currency note - our first instinct is how to get rid of it and pass the misery to someone else. I don't believe in a universal ass-bashing godly figure; so I suppose if we do things halfheartedly, no one is going to kill us. But I  do believe that the essence in you is the essence in me. And so if I decide to gift, I should gift it with love. It is like gifting to another version of yourself. No matter if its a CD, a book or half-eaten berries.

Song : Arpan - Anoushka Shankar

The Stickman

They are the coolest drawings. Also the only ones I can make with ease. I still have trouble with the female version, especially the hair. Bah!

This is an awesome song and deserves an awesome video.

Thank you to :

Regina for the song. Don't sue me for copyrights!

Sketch Paint Draw App for letting me draw on my damn cool phone.

DvdVideosoft, Freemake Video Converter, Powerpoint and Windows Movie Maker for the software.

Hope you like it. Give me the strength and time that I am able to complete it!

To the good times Us had :)

Sweet Disappearance

Song : Awake my soul - Mumford & Sons

This is a work of fiction. The piece is written in first person because narrating a story that way is just way cooler.

So I was in bed and could not sleep. It was one of those annoying nights where no matter what I did - my body refused to turn off. Cough syrup, fictitious sheep, boring non-fiction books, slow soothing music and even self gratification did not help.

That's when I gave up and immense boredom descended. I pinged my friends across different time zones, watched half a movie on my laptop and even thought of a future blog post (which of course never really saw the light of day). But what bothered me the most was how desperate I was to kill my boredom and and how uncomfortable I was with myself.

I wasn't quite surprised when over the following days I felt a strange insecurity if I did not check my phone regularly, especially if there was no one around to talk to. In these bits or chunks of time, I would either crave for music or someone to talk to or something to read or something to tweet. But never would I crave for quiet time - a time when I would do nothing.

And like every thinking person, I have a theory for that. Given that this is a theory I will switch from I to We. We have been taught to value time, appreciate it and to make most of it. Each second counts. And in developing countries like ours, it is very very important; because if you don't do a lot in very little time, someone else will win the race and you will get a big zero.

So that's why I craved for stuff in my free time. I decided to chalk out some quiet time for myself and see what I had to offer myself. The first sixty seconds were pure bliss - the mind was calm and I felt like a cloud floating in the sky. And then I started thinking, imagining and creating.

I thought of her and imagined our next exchange of words.

Me : I don't know if you know but I would like you to know that I really like you

She : Go on (smiles)

Me : And I also don't know if you like me but I would really like to know

She : I like you

Me : So..So..does that mean..

She : Ya

Me : Wo-ho (dances like a crazy drunk person)

I then skipped a few years and thought of myself in a courtroom.

"Your Honour, I am a citizen of this country and it pains me to see the state of affairs. We work day in and day out and give a third of our income in taxes - that's 4 months of endless effort. And what do we get in return? Large newspaper advertisements that glorify the dead? Over the years the central and state governments have spent Rs xx crores in advertisements that promoted either the governments performance or former leaders birth/death anniversaries. That amount could have gone to feed xx children suffering from malnutrition, towards the education of xx students or towards the healthcare of xx senior citizens. But that's not where the money went. My Lord, these advertisements did not promote or spread awareness about any scheme - they were blatant narcissistic attempts of self-promotion. And I beg you today, as an aam aadmi to put an end to this. I ask of you to expedite this case. It's been over 5 years since this PIL was first filed and in all this time we have lost more and more of the tax payers money - not only to these advertisements but to the numerous scams that have plagued this country. I approach you today My Lord, to put an end to this mess.  I beg you Your Honour, please."

My mind then wandered to my parents 50th Anniversary and the elaborate arrangements I would do to recreate their marriage. The champagnes that everyone will get with the invitation card. The golden hues that will mix with the red of a typical Indian wedding. The happiness of it all. How I would finally give my parents the dream wedding they could not have. A toast to their love.

I then thought of the small cafe that I always wanted to open. How cozy yet spacious it would be - the perfect blend of home and heart.

Moved on to the wonderful levels of success I will reach. The businesses I will setup, the companies I will own and the innovations I would bring to the table. How the world would look up to me - fame, wealth and admiration; how I would have it all.

And then like all thinking persons, I asked myself - for what? To what end? Will I be happy? Will it fill me? Would I have fulfilled my purpose? Or worse - my expectations?

And that's where my theory failed. It wasn't that we do not like quiet time - I did not like quiet time. Because I didn't have answers to these questions. I didn't know if my dreams, my thoughts and my ideas were worth anything. 

And while endless sitcoms and good friends and late night drunk conversations would say, that it is okay to not know once in a while - it's a damn scary feeling. A feeling of free fall; a feeling of defeat - a feeling of limbo.

And I couldn't take it any more. I couldn't see myself escaping and succumbing to little screens and mindless jibber jabber. 

So I decided to take the ultimate escape.

I know I could have stepped up, tried harder or did something else, but I just could not. 

I am sorry.

The Week Without My Wallet

To Tarun, the caretaker of my wallet and hopefully of my secrets

Song : Chakkar Ghumyo -- Aamir , Keys Wallet Phone - The Lancashire Hotpots

I never thought that this would happen to me. Never for a whole damn week. In some drunken stupor, I left my wallet in a friends car and was able to get it back only after a week. It was quite an interesting 7 days, here are some snippets :

1. At Work
So we have an access controlled office, which means that until you flash your ID card on the small black boxes; the doors will not open. Hence unless you have an access card, you are for all practical purposes stuck. You are at the mercy of your colleagues and the kindness of the guards. So sometimes when I would enter office, I would evaluate in the elevator if someone was going to get off at my floor and would let me in. At other times, I would follow colleagues (even if it meant taking the longer route) because I was immobile if left alone. Occasionally I would make puppy faces at the guards and hoped that they would for once budge from their line of duty, and let me through.  Of course, there were backups such as temporary access cards (or stealing your colleagues'), which I did get issued on some days but not on all days (those were days when I was hopeful wallet would return or I was being over-confident that I didn't need one).

2. Plastic Money
Apologies if this sounds like if I am quoting from a textbook but the beauty of electronic money (debit and credit cards) is that you have money anywhere and everywhere you go. The world is your oyster because money can pretty much buy anything. A week without it is difficult. It puts you in a position where you have to ask your family for money, usually an amount that they consider too much and you consider too less. And this asking (or stealing) has to take place at the beginning of the day - else if you plan to have that Friday lunch/dinner outside; being broke can seriously limit your options (read happiness). Plastic money, not Red Bull gives you wings.

3. Commute
So I take the train to work and like any regular commuter I have a metro card, which is safely stashed in some pocket of my wallet. Thankfully, my mom also has a card - so when borrowing money I also borrowed the card from her. But since I had no safe pocket to keep it in, there were days when I forgot the borrowed card at home - which meant buying tickets at the train station. Now imagine a situation where this young handsome guy enters the train station (like a boss!), checks his pockets for the card - doesn't find it, opens his bag to take out money for the ticket and finds one shining 500 rupee note - the actual cost of the ticket being 5% of that. So not only is there no card, but no wallet that will have change to buy a ticket. Thankfully, this did not happen because I borrowed change from a colleague (insert puppy face). But imagine if it did - I bet you would be tweeting #fml :P

4. Identity Crisis
Last weekend a good friend of mine and I decided to visit a library. We are cool that way - we go to libraries, make noise, disturb other people and wait for the librarian to spank us (that's what she said!). So we are all dressed up and looking good and are getting our security check done at the library and the guard demands ID cards - any ID cards. That's when dark clouds gathered over my head and I could hear thunder, storm and what not. Despite pleading and begging, I was shown the door. Yes, I became the nameless, faceless idiot in the crowd.

5. Pathos of parting and waiting
So a natural follow up question would be why I waited for a week to get my wallet back. I didn't. There were times when caretaker of wallet was busy for perfectly legitimate reasons; and given that I am a corporate monkey I had my own limitations. At times, I would hope that the plans of the wallet changing hands and eventually reaching me would succeed; at other times I would make plans of the wallet changing hands and reaching me. People were not doing a particularly good job at keeping me happy, some were joking about the million dollar loan that could be on my name, while others were just saying "tu toh gaya" (you are gone!). In the end, I had become a pathos of parting and waiting - desperate and dying to see my wallet.


I have my wallet with me now. Thank you Tarun for keeping it safe. As much as I would want to claim that this was a socialist experiment, it was nothing but a product of too much drinking and being damn cool and showing off my wallet to pay the toll at Gurgaon. 


Unfortunately the following will help only when we are sober :

Image : http://i1.cpcache.com/product/596251935/keys_phone_wallet_framed_tile.jpg?height=460&width=460&qv=90

Cheer up

Feeling low, felling like crap,

Wondering what was your paap 1;

Thinking of all the things you did wrong,

Fuck it and listen to a cool song.

Dreaming of the guy who doesn't love you,

Cursing yourself for being the fuddu 2;

Really hoping he would come back,

Take control and buy yourself a Jack.

Planning to jump from the roof,

Claiming the world to be bevakoof 3;

Questioning life's purpose and meaning,

Take a step back and do some deep cleaning.

Had a terrible fight with Papa and Mummy,

Threatening to run away on your Bajaj Sunny 4;

They don't like your clothes, hair or tattoo plans,

Relax - these are all just adult pangs.

Failed a year or just an exam,

Denying yourself any and all araam 5;

Hoping you would have studied more,

Live a little and don't be a complete bore.

Found sleeping in your own puke on the sadak 6,
Designated driver gives you one slap - kadak 7;
Regretting all the alcohol and drugs,
Trust me you won't remember the next time you go glug-glug.

Annoyed with your boss's inability to use a computer,
Silently murmuring khote da putar 8;
Determined to quit and follow your dream,
Check the loan statement and carpe diem.

Life is hard and has sorrow,
But don't pity yourself and badte chalo 9;
In life there is more promise and happiness,
Lets cheer up and not depress.

Dedicated to our sad and lonely days.

Song : Lazy Lad - Ghanchakar 

Footnotes :
1 : Paap means sin in Hindi
2 : Fuddu is a slang word for dumb and foolish
3 : Bevakoof means stupid in Hindi
4 : Bajaj Sunny is a type of scooter that was manufactured by Bajaj Auto.
5 : Araam means to relax in Hindi
6: Sadak means road in Hindi
7 : Kadak means tight/strong in Hindi
8 : Khote da putar means son of stupid in Punjabi
9 : Badte Chalo means to continue moving forward in Hindi 


Don't stress, you don't want to look like this :

TED videos that I have been watching

Hello World,

Here is a meaningless post listing the TED videos that I have been watching on lazy hot weekends. Hope you see them and enjoy them as much as I did :

1. Society : Lauren Zalaznick: The conscience of television
2. Internet : Markham Nolan: How to separate fact and fiction online
3. Philosophy : Rick Warren: A life of purpose
4. Music : Dolby + Garniez play "La Vie en Rose"
5. Art : Aaron Koblin: Artfully visualizing our humanity
6. Health : Alanna Shaikh: How I'm preparing to get Alzheimer's
7. Work : Nigel Marsh: How to make work-life balance work
8. Sex : Elizabeth Pisani: Sex, drugs and HIV -- let's get rational
9. Politics: Michael Sandel: The lost art of democratic debate
10. Business : Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong
11. Hans : Hans Rosling: Stats that reshape your worldview
12. Manners : Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel
13. Babies : Alison Gopnik: What do babies think?

Have fun!

Taxpayers' Money

Before I file a RTI, need your opinion on this. There is something terribly wrong with the following advertisements.

1) Your success is my success :

Why is Ministry of Information and Broadcasting celebrating the success of the "UPA". It would have been an altogether different thing if the advertisement had said Government of India.

 2) We miss you :

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry remembers the "enduring contribution and supreme sacrifice" of Rajiv Gandhi - which I am supposed to know by staring at his face.

WHERE IS THE TAXPAYERS' MONEY GOING?

I don't care what the message of these advertisements is - this is a free country. I have a problem with the message being spread from the money I earned! Why should the UPA be applauded or Rajiv Gandhi be remembered through expensive newspaper advertisements that are paid from the money I give as tax?

Must file RTI/PIL. But need your opinions/advice first. What do you think about these advertisements?

Addendum

A PIL regarding government expenditure on self-glorifying advertisements has been filed twice, once in 2007 and once again in 2012. In 2007 it was filed by Manzoor Ali Khan and in 2012 by the Foundation for Restoration of Nation Values. Given their similar nature, the latter case was clubbed with 2007 case (see here). The 2007 PIL is still pending. In these 6 years affidavits have been filed by each state government. and the union government. WB is yet to file an affidavit I think (The last order was on 18th February 2013 see here). The next hearing is due on 7th October 2013.

Additional Links :
The 2007 PIL : http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-02-25/india/27871959_1_wasteful-expenditure-guidelines-advertisements
The 2012 PIL : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/marketing/apex-court-to-hear-pil-seeking-check-on-govt-achievement-ads/article3764309.ece
The 2007 PIL History [Go to Case Number on the left and enter these details : Case Type - WP(civil), Case Number - 305, Year - 2007] : http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/casestatus_new/caseno_new_alt.asp

Don'ts & Don'ts

I have seen all sorts of Indians do these things. Rich or poor. Uneducated or educated. Here or abroad. I am no one to tell you what to do or not to do; it is not my place. But I can hog cyber space to spread this message. Please keep in mind the following :

1. Public spaces are not garbage bins. Don't litter.
2. We are all one people. Men and Women are equals. Don't give dowry. Especially willingly.
3. There are things you want more than others. Earn it. Don't bribe.
4. All governments are corrupt. Go vote. Read the constitution. Don't complain.
5. It could be deadly. Don't drink and drive.

Thank you.

Andaaz Apna Apna

I never thought I would do these things.


1. Tattoo

Yes - I got a tattoo. Don't worry it's not permanent. I never thought I'd get Shin Chan tattooed, but impulse took the better of me. And I think it's somewhat fitting. If Shin Chan was real, he too would have to apologise to the gender forum at some point. I think I'll get a permanent tattoo if and when I complete writing a book. We'll worry about the design then!

2. Flash Mob

When it comes to dancing I have two left feet. Ask any of my friends and they will swear that Rohan can't dance. But I never let that come in the way. Even so, never thought I'd be a part of a flash mob. We danced to Gangnam style and that was pretty cool. I danced horribly but I felt really awesome anyway!


3. Stand-Up Comedy

In a certain email to Vasudha, I had once remarked that stand-up comedy is very tough and that you never know if they audience will laugh or not. And I now speak with confidence and first hand experience that it is tough as hell. I still can't believe I did stand-up comedy, even if it was for 5 mins. Debating is fine,  humour is difficult. Most of my jokes were from this video (2:44 onward):

And that's is just the top 3 things. I loved stand up and I will try very hard to better it. I like 2013.

You should also try something new, unfamiliar. Surprise yourself. 

To Roan - so crazy and mental.

Song : 
Hookah Bar -- Khiladi 786
Love You -- Free Design 

Longing

Priya was confused. She always always filled with questions. Questions that weren't particularly important, but questions nonetheless. Thoughts would always zoom in her head and she sometimes thought everything was going to burst. She wished that she could just stop thinking - that her brain would stop processing information. But all in vain.

She had once been told that a question worth asking is a question worth answering. And she had made that the axiom of her life - she asked questions and made sure that she received the answers. She couldn't wait to ask this one.

"If you could choose, how would you want to die?" Priya asked.

Shreya replied "Silent, maybe painless. I don't think about things I can't control."

There was an awkward silence after that, like the times when you ask a question only so that the other person would ask you the same; when your answer is more important than theirs. Without waiting any further, Priya responded on her own.

"I think a biggie will take me down. You know cancer or tumour. Most of all I think my heart will fail me. I just hope I don't die in a crash."

"Why would you even want to think about this? Think positive, follow the secret!"

"No, it's just like a thought - nothing to bother about. I asked you just like that." Priya tried to defend herself.

"Cool," said Shreya taking the high moral ground.

Shortly after that conversation, they left the coffee shop; almost as if God had designed that setting only for that conversation. That the relevance of the coffee shop was only if this conversation existed - without which it had no meaning or independent existence.

Shreya was walking alone - she lived nearby. Her eyes alternated between the sky and the street ahead. She thought to herself, Priya is so silly. She just wants to die fancy. She thinks that would be her legacy, that's how people would remember her. That even if she lived a life no impact or meaning or consequence, then her death would compensate for that. A huge tombstone or memorial would bear her name, the victim of the world's evil. How can one live the life of a victim? How can you die a victim?

She sat down in the park outside her home and stared endlessly at the night sky. She always admired the night sky, its endless depth and the multitude of possibilities that it promised. What if each star was the sun to a set of planets - each of them a promise for alternate life. 

She thought of the weather and the mild breeze. She had once read that the weather is the world's most common conversation starter. Even though mundane and boring, the weather is what all of us dream of. Those living in the mountains want sunny and shiny weather; those in the tropics want the snow and those in the desserts want the rain. So much of our life depends on weather, she thought.

Snow is what she always wanted. She imagined the stars falling down as snow crystals, illuminating the whole world. Snow white - that's how she always wanted to see the world. She sat there looking at sky, blood rushing to her head imagining the things she couldn't control, but could dream of.

Soon enough she decided to she had to go home. Like it happens so often in the morning when you want the dream to continue, but you have to wake up. She entered home and found her 1 minute younger brother reading a book.

"You know there is a real world outside," Shreya said.

"Of nail polishes and mini skirts. No thank you," Rahul said in a joking tone.

Rahul stared into the book and wished he could stop reading. There is enough misery I see around me and now I am even reading about it, he thought. He wanted to change the world but he could never figure out where to start. You take care of the economics and the politics fail, you take care of the politics and then the society fails, you take care of the society and then you fail. You just never know here to start. You can't change the world without a plan, but can't also have a plan to change the world - it's not just your world.

He had once heard that sleeping is an escape. That you could run away from reality and that dreams will be your safe haven. They would become your chosen reality and that would be a world worth living.

And then the white dog jumped at him, savagely aiming at the human flesh. Rahul woke up almost gasping. What do you do when the dreams start behaving like reality? When it's hard to tell the difference between reality and dreams? When it is sleep that you are trying to escape from.

Rahul got up and looked aimlessly in the dark for the bottle of water. As it happen always, when you try to be very cautious and do everything possible to not make noise, you end up hitting something and the noise just emerges. Rahul dropped the steel glass and wished the world would explode this instant.

Meera, Rahul and Shreya's mother entered the room.

"Are you okay, Rahul?" she asked. 

"I'm fine Mumma, just need some water," he responded.

"You should really sleep, it's getting late," she said.

"Yeah Mom, just going."

Before Meera went to bed, she decided to check on her father who was sleeping in the other room. All these years, he had taken such good care of her and now it was her turn. He was this tall tree that had protected the whole family - his siblings, their children, her siblings, their children. Everyone was welcome to relax in the shade of the tree. A man so tall and so wise, was alone now. But loneliness is a state of mind, what can you say about those who've lost it?

Meera's father had started forgetting things a few years ago and was now losing all bodily control. It pained her to see him like this - watching your hero crumble in front of your eyes. She thought of the times when he brought home fruits, when he would drop them to school, when she got married and when she brought him home.

There is no way forward from here, she thought. It's all downhill. She had no expectations, but would always hope that he remembered her name. What's in a name? she had once been told. Maybe it wasn't the name, but the association with it. That Meera was her daughter, that she was taking care of him, that he was with family. That would be her reward - a father recognizing his daughter. 

Sometimes he would get it right and she would be filled with happiness. Like the times when we win a card game by chance, and we think we have conquered the secret of gambling. And she wishes those moments come sooner, even though she knows they are only going to get rarer.

In the morning, Meera sat down and to read the newspaper. She hated the grim headlines - nothing was happy in the world. In the corner was a small news clipping that read :

"16-year old girl commits suicide"

Priya was always full of questions. And she had once read that the greatest question a man faces is that of suicide. Whether life is even worth living.



Song : Mai Ni Meriye by Mohit Chauhan 

Happy Birthday Blog. You're 5 now! :D



BamBam and Pebbles :

What is a Republic?

Disclaimer : I am not a political scientist. Nor a legal expert.

What does a Republic mean? I tried remembering the definition from my grade 9 political science/civics book, but failed. All I could remember was the preamble : WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA. So I decided to go on a mission to understand the term and its implications.

After many articles, trash videos and wikipedia readings later, I understand that the concept of a republic came into inception as an alternative to a monarchy. That the business of running a country/nation/whatever have you cannot be vested with a particular individual (or family) and it cannot be passed down from one generation to another. Governance is a public issue.

In more tangible terms, a republic usually has a head of state. She is either directly or indirectly elected and in some cases nominated to the post; but people usually have a say in it and its not by the virtue of blood.

But the most crucial finding is that a republic is rule by law. That law is supreme and nothing can override it. The governing body must comply with the law and function within the limits set by it. This law is usually enshrined in a charter, declaration and in India's case the Constitution. The bodies/arms of the government are bound by these laws and cannot perform an ultra vires act.

A republic is different from a democracy. In a democracy, the rule of the majority is supreme - whatever the majority decides is final. This is what the people want and this what they will get; or a more correct representation would be : this is what the elected representatives decided and this is what will be done. In a republic, however, there are certain principles that cannot be violated. For example, you cannot enact laws that violate the fundamental rights. I am not sure of this, but I hope that you cannot transform India into a Hindu nation, because the constitution upholds the ideals of a secular nation.

In a more spiritual sense, a democracy can be seen as the mind. The mind drives you to fulfill the greatest of your desires, whatever your mind wants the most you chase for it. But it is the intellect that tames the mind. Informs the mind of the pros and cons of the action and at times stops us from doing some things. That is a republic. While our intellect is guided by our principles, morals and information available; a republic is guided by a set of laws - the constitution, the guardian of which is the judiciary.

A democratic republic can be a very tricky place. The two have been and will always be in conflict; however that does not mean that they are antithetical. India has seen tons of constitutional amendments (and even one successful attempt to modify the preamble) and tussles between the judiciary and legislative.  But the Supreme Court of India has correctly remarked that not all amendments are valid, especially if they go against the "basic structure" of the Constitution. So even if you have majority in parliament but try and fiddle with the basic structure - you are doomed.

That is what republic means. I regret that till  now I was ignorant about this. That the constitution guaranteed me this and I didn't know. Know your rights, that's what I say on all days - republic, independence, consumer, voters etc.

On a completely different note, I was listening to a particular address this morning and I couldn't bear the disconnect between our elected representatives and us. Before he had even started speaking, I refused to believe him or his words. And it pains me to think that these people run our country. How can you allow someone who you don't trust to govern you? How can you?


Think beyond yourself.