To Charla, for making people happy. :)
"Oye! Dhyaan se! Don't fall off." Niharika stared at Rohan as he stood leaning from the train compartment door. The wind blew through his hair making it look like a comet's tail. The wind pierced it's way through his eyes forcing them to close. After some time he turned to Niharika and said, "Wanna try?"
"Pagal hain. I don't wanna do this,"
"Come on. Please"
"Okay," she said. Her eyes had that tinge of excitement, which probably everyone has when they do something 'awesome' for the first time.
"Great! Now hold these two bars and look outside" instructed Rohan.
And Niharika did accordingly. And the wind blew through her hair. And it pierced her eyes. But she kept looking outside. The wind has it's own magic.
Rohan then took over and started looking outside. And then he yelled.
"Fuck You!"
"Dude why did you do that," asked Niki(typing Niharika again again is slighting irritating)
"Man, I like standing here. It's like the wind is strong, but you can cut right through it and stay unaffected. Duniya bhi aisi kamini cheez hain. It fucks you, but you hardly come out unaffected. The world changes you. You fit yourself in the world. But here you can just be you, and still win. I like it. Oh and I love the way the wind blows into my hair. It's so cool."
Both of them smiled. Rohan was now just standing at the door.
Niki asked,"So tell me one thing, is changing yourself the only way to face the world?"
"Certainly not. You can change the world. But changing yourself is just easier and the benefit is immediate"
"True." replied Niki.
"Dooooood(Dude) look at that!!" Rohan said pointing at a random field.
"What?" asked Niki
"It's a scare-crow! In an actual field! Have you ever seen one?"
"No, but okay." she said smilingly.
At that point Devna came.
"Tell me you've come to brush your teeth" said Rohan.
"No, what are you guys upto?"
"Aye haye. We just saw a scare-crow. Isn't that awesome? Have you ever seen one?" said an excited Rohan.
Devna made a weird expression and said "Of course I have. Maybe you should camp in the country side more."
Everyone started laughing.
"Acha I have to take a piss, so bye!" And Devna left.
"Dooooood, look outside. What the fuck is this? Trees. Fields. No animals. And more trees. What is this? Kaun rehta hain yahan? And do these people vote?" asked Rohan.
"Hmm...True."
"Man, you know what would be super awesome, that if we were dictators with supernatural powers. And then we could destroy these pseudo-hills with like some great flashing red light coming from our palm." said Rohan.
"No yaar. People would get killed" said Niki.
"Gee. You are an altruist. So how about we come to these tree areas once in a year, show off our flashing power to the people and go back?"
"Yah that's nice. You are truly a power hungry slut. You know what I think about this?"
"Nahi. Batao."
"I think this is very romantic."
"It is."
And they smiled, still looking outside, hoping that one day they would stand here with the person they love.
"You wanna go back?" said Rohan.
"Yeah. Let's go back." said Niki.
And they walked back inside. And the wind continued to blow.
26 November 2009
7 October 2009
The First Lecture
To Devna Soni. I will always be your Faccha.
The professor stared silently at the classroom door. Years earlier he had been on the other side of the door waiting for his first college lecture to start. Never did he realise, until now of course, that the feeling would be far weirder and worse than it was then. This was going to be embarrassing, he thought.
He opened the classroom doors and saw a group of nearly 70 students. All of them, all 70 of them, turned their heads into his direction. They placed themselves on their benches and everything was at peace. The professor gulped and walked towards the teachers table.
“Good Morning. I am Mr. X and I am going to teach you Microeconomics for this Semester,” he said.
Everyone in the first row wrote down his name and subject. Mr. X was still freaked out. He continued.
“You will find your syllabus in the brochure that you received at the time of your admission. It is largely the same course that you’ve studied in school, just in greater detail. Are there any questions?”
Not a soul in the classroom said anything. Mr. X’s hands and feet went cold. He feared this only, lack of matter in his opening lecture. But then suddenly something happened.
“In the circles of education, there is something called the Last Lecture. Every professor before his retirement is informed about his Last Lecture. In that final lecture, the teacher sums up his life, what he has learnt and conveys whatever he wishes to tell his students. It is like a dying man’s message. A final message that will alter their thinking or at least so is the aim.”
“But what has been extremely less talked about or perhaps never has been, is The First Lecture. Every teacher has a first class, and no one knows what to say. Everyone just ends up talking about the subject they teach and then to kill time, tell a class of over 50 to introduce themselves. What I think is that, the last lecture should in fact be the first. It is because the earlier you confuse young minds the better it is.”
“I might sound like a fool, but listen carefully. The older you get, the more adjusted your mind is to the world. And that is exactly what some people want—the continuation of status quo. But if you are exposed to various thoughts, to various life experiences and to varied teachings, it is then that you are confused, and it is only now that you make an informed choice. The ideal market is that of perfect competition”
He stopped and took a close look at the class. Some seemed interested, some seemed bored and the first row was still taking notes, as if this was going to be questioned on.
“What I have learnt and what I know of this Subject is what I am going to transfer to you. But I feel the duty of a teacher goes far beyond that. During my education, I have had many teachers. Definitely more than a 100. But there are only a few that I remember today. It is to those few that I feel truly indebted. And that is because they taught me how to live life. They told me about their mistakes, so that I don’t commit the same errors. And I am going to tell you those and my own mistakes, so that life is easier for you.”
Mr. X paused.
“However, there is a flip side to that. I may ask you to abstain in a certain situation, but if your consciousness asks for you to do something else, you trash my idea and go ahead with yours. Because that is what students should do. They should question. They should ask. They should fight with the teacher. And most importantly they should experiment. Experiment with new ways of doing things. This is the time of your life. Experiment. Just don’t run to the nearest bar and go drinking, because I told you to experiment new things.”
Laughter. At least they were listening if not comprehending. That acted as a compensation for Mr. X to continue.
“But there are teachers who will never want you to succeed. Because if you outrun them, you should be the teacher and not that ass who taught you. That is the distinction between a good teacher and a true teacher. A true one would always want you to outrun them, because there is nothing more pleasing than a student succeeding.”
“You must understand a teacher faces a hell lot of issues. A very important one of them is what to teach? It is so confusing to answer that. But if your own student outruns you, you at least have the satisfaction that whatever you had, you’ve taught him and that your job is now over. And that you have truly achieved the purpose of a teacher.”
The class smiled.
“So listen to the advice that I give you. But also experiment with new things. Try out alternate methods of doing things. And eventually leave me behind. Outrun me, and make me the happiest teacher in the world. But in this entire process there is one thing you should never forget and that is Humility. Be humble. Always understand that there are people below you, but at some point, you were there too. So give them respect. And that there will always be people above you. You need to learn from them. So respect them too. Never let your talent take possession of you. Never.”
“I think that is enough for today. I want you all to go through the reading list which is also in the brochure. Oh, are there any questions?”
The class was silent. In the last row a boy thought to himself—Kitna bada Chu hain yeh.
The boy next to him thought---Kitna bada double Chu hain yeh.
The boy next to this one raised his hand.
“Yes,” said Mr X identifying the third boy.
“Sir, why did you decide to become a teacher?” he asked.
Mr. X smiled. He replied.
“Simply put, because I love to give.”
The third boy nodded. The girl sitting next to him thought—Kitna Gay hain.
The third boy thought---Kitna amazing hain.
“Any more questions?” asked Mr. X once again.
No one said anything.
“Well it was nice to meet you guys. See you around.”
Mr. X exited.
And the class was now officially confused.
The professor stared silently at the classroom door. Years earlier he had been on the other side of the door waiting for his first college lecture to start. Never did he realise, until now of course, that the feeling would be far weirder and worse than it was then. This was going to be embarrassing, he thought.
He opened the classroom doors and saw a group of nearly 70 students. All of them, all 70 of them, turned their heads into his direction. They placed themselves on their benches and everything was at peace. The professor gulped and walked towards the teachers table.
“Good Morning. I am Mr. X and I am going to teach you Microeconomics for this Semester,” he said.
Everyone in the first row wrote down his name and subject. Mr. X was still freaked out. He continued.
“You will find your syllabus in the brochure that you received at the time of your admission. It is largely the same course that you’ve studied in school, just in greater detail. Are there any questions?”
Not a soul in the classroom said anything. Mr. X’s hands and feet went cold. He feared this only, lack of matter in his opening lecture. But then suddenly something happened.
“In the circles of education, there is something called the Last Lecture. Every professor before his retirement is informed about his Last Lecture. In that final lecture, the teacher sums up his life, what he has learnt and conveys whatever he wishes to tell his students. It is like a dying man’s message. A final message that will alter their thinking or at least so is the aim.”
“But what has been extremely less talked about or perhaps never has been, is The First Lecture. Every teacher has a first class, and no one knows what to say. Everyone just ends up talking about the subject they teach and then to kill time, tell a class of over 50 to introduce themselves. What I think is that, the last lecture should in fact be the first. It is because the earlier you confuse young minds the better it is.”
“I might sound like a fool, but listen carefully. The older you get, the more adjusted your mind is to the world. And that is exactly what some people want—the continuation of status quo. But if you are exposed to various thoughts, to various life experiences and to varied teachings, it is then that you are confused, and it is only now that you make an informed choice. The ideal market is that of perfect competition”
He stopped and took a close look at the class. Some seemed interested, some seemed bored and the first row was still taking notes, as if this was going to be questioned on.
“What I have learnt and what I know of this Subject is what I am going to transfer to you. But I feel the duty of a teacher goes far beyond that. During my education, I have had many teachers. Definitely more than a 100. But there are only a few that I remember today. It is to those few that I feel truly indebted. And that is because they taught me how to live life. They told me about their mistakes, so that I don’t commit the same errors. And I am going to tell you those and my own mistakes, so that life is easier for you.”
Mr. X paused.
“However, there is a flip side to that. I may ask you to abstain in a certain situation, but if your consciousness asks for you to do something else, you trash my idea and go ahead with yours. Because that is what students should do. They should question. They should ask. They should fight with the teacher. And most importantly they should experiment. Experiment with new ways of doing things. This is the time of your life. Experiment. Just don’t run to the nearest bar and go drinking, because I told you to experiment new things.”
Laughter. At least they were listening if not comprehending. That acted as a compensation for Mr. X to continue.
“But there are teachers who will never want you to succeed. Because if you outrun them, you should be the teacher and not that ass who taught you. That is the distinction between a good teacher and a true teacher. A true one would always want you to outrun them, because there is nothing more pleasing than a student succeeding.”
“You must understand a teacher faces a hell lot of issues. A very important one of them is what to teach? It is so confusing to answer that. But if your own student outruns you, you at least have the satisfaction that whatever you had, you’ve taught him and that your job is now over. And that you have truly achieved the purpose of a teacher.”
The class smiled.
“So listen to the advice that I give you. But also experiment with new things. Try out alternate methods of doing things. And eventually leave me behind. Outrun me, and make me the happiest teacher in the world. But in this entire process there is one thing you should never forget and that is Humility. Be humble. Always understand that there are people below you, but at some point, you were there too. So give them respect. And that there will always be people above you. You need to learn from them. So respect them too. Never let your talent take possession of you. Never.”
“I think that is enough for today. I want you all to go through the reading list which is also in the brochure. Oh, are there any questions?”
The class was silent. In the last row a boy thought to himself—Kitna bada Chu hain yeh.
The boy next to him thought---Kitna bada double Chu hain yeh.
The boy next to this one raised his hand.
“Yes,” said Mr X identifying the third boy.
“Sir, why did you decide to become a teacher?” he asked.
Mr. X smiled. He replied.
“Simply put, because I love to give.”
The third boy nodded. The girl sitting next to him thought—Kitna Gay hain.
The third boy thought---Kitna amazing hain.
“Any more questions?” asked Mr. X once again.
No one said anything.
“Well it was nice to meet you guys. See you around.”
Mr. X exited.
And the class was now officially confused.
30 September 2009
Wake me up when September Ends.
Oh September is already over. And today is the third of October. But I am still going to post this on a the 30/09/09 date, else September will have Zero posts; And I wouldn't like that.
This is a draft of what I was planning to post. Will finish it and post it at a later date. Just have a look :
Truth is referred to as a true statement, true being something which is a fact. A fact cannot be reversed or changed. It is final in its nature. It is in its essence what it is. There can be multiple views to a fact, but the fact remains the same. Thus, something which is true, will always be true, the inference however can be varied.
Oratory gives perspective to facts. It gives facts inference and whatever conclusion you want to draw, you can draw from it with Oratory as a tool. Thus if two people have a fact in front of them and they have to convince people of their respective conclusions, they can only do so with the help their speaking abilities.
It can be better understood this way. Suppose there is a shadow. Now the fact in this analogy is that a shadow is created by an object. Now if you’re looking at the shadow how do you identify the object; you simply change the direction in which you are looking. Now since you haven’t ever seen that object before, whatever you see of it then you assume that it is that. Oratory provides that change in direction. Whatever you want someone to see of the object; you can with that change in direction, which in essence is oratory. In other words, oratory is a change in direction which is done to identify the object; the identification of the object being the discretion of the Orator. Now that could either provide you awesome clarity or just confuse you beyond measure.
This is a draft of what I was planning to post. Will finish it and post it at a later date. Just have a look :
Truth is referred to as a true statement, true being something which is a fact. A fact cannot be reversed or changed. It is final in its nature. It is in its essence what it is. There can be multiple views to a fact, but the fact remains the same. Thus, something which is true, will always be true, the inference however can be varied.
Oratory gives perspective to facts. It gives facts inference and whatever conclusion you want to draw, you can draw from it with Oratory as a tool. Thus if two people have a fact in front of them and they have to convince people of their respective conclusions, they can only do so with the help their speaking abilities.
It can be better understood this way. Suppose there is a shadow. Now the fact in this analogy is that a shadow is created by an object. Now if you’re looking at the shadow how do you identify the object; you simply change the direction in which you are looking. Now since you haven’t ever seen that object before, whatever you see of it then you assume that it is that. Oratory provides that change in direction. Whatever you want someone to see of the object; you can with that change in direction, which in essence is oratory. In other words, oratory is a change in direction which is done to identify the object; the identification of the object being the discretion of the Orator. Now that could either provide you awesome clarity or just confuse you beyond measure.
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