The Indian Political Theater

This post written around May 2007 is dated in the future so that it stays at top of all posts and symbolizes the burning desire to act in this regard. For other posts see below.
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That's how the Economic Times describes its political news page. And I think it aptly sums up the feelings and expressions of any regular educated middle class Indian. Especially those that belong to the creed of people who move away from home for better pastures abroad, not necessarily to different countries but to neighboring states within India itself.

Oftentimes, when I have been involved in any sort of discussion (heated debate) on the situation in Indian political scenario, both parties have derogated the current existing state of Indian politics in general and then have proceeded to thrash the party in opposition to their own favorite. What probably they miss is the point that both are agreeing that its the Hobson's choice and yet are taking no cognizance of the fact.

Getting more specific, people of my age (mid-20's) are acutely aware of what is missing and will endlessly debate about what can be done. We whine about the availability of good leaders, about there not being enough people with political will to implement development projects as we like it. But when it comes to action to get a better society, we pull back citing not enough resources and not enough experience. Recently in such a debate one person alleged that the country had not given him anything, had not helped in his progress in any way. So he was not bothered about the progress of the country and would rather think about the progress and welfare of his own family.

But here lies the crux of the matter: WE DON'T EVEN VOTE IN ELECTIONS, LET ALONE TAKE ANY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. Can you think of a bigger hypocrite than this??

I have been burning with this idea since sometime. And I have decided to do something about it. Here are a few simple things that can be done and I hope to follow them through, keeping in view that the next national elections are to be held approximately 2 years from now.

1. There is enough time, so get the voter id card. It makes you eligible to vote.
   
2. Save some holidays and plan so that during election time you can go back to your constituency and vote. Far as I have heard, you can also vote from where you are now. Need to find out more details.
3. Cast your vote. It is essential. You find that the candidates from the larger parties are not good. Simple idea says choose one of the independents. Let the government formation take care of itself. As of now, nobody can foresee anything but a coalition government at the center.

More ideas later, but I believe these are very simple and you and I as the educated but frustrated middle class can follow them through and make a lot of difference. All voting statistics in the recent times say that only 45% of the people registered do actually vote. And the winning party takes only about 30% of that. Which makes it only 13.5% affirmation for the largest party in power. Imagine the difference you could make.

Update (31.08.2007) : As of yesterday, I am an Indian citizen carrying the voter id card, that makes me eligible to vote in the forthcoming Indian parliamentary elections.

If you are reading this, then go out and get your voter id card. Don't just read this.

Update (14.12.2007) : All please follow the Lead India campaign on Star One at 8:00 pm every Saturday.

Update (01.10.2008) : Try out Jaago re ! Is a good option to get more information on the voting process and a lot of help on it. www.jaagore.com

Disgusted with self

I have been so caught up with the corporate world of managing things, achieving results and deliverables that I forgot I used to like to learn new things. That I once took pride in the fact that I was near the ideal where if I knew something, I could explain it to my grandmother or a kid.

Lots of people, including myself, think that building an application is like gluing different parts together, without thinking about form, just based on function. And indeed that is how it is promoted today in the software applications world. This approach does indeed work towards delivering results in the form of applications running in today's world.

But I am beginning to realize the difference between a mason and a sculptor. When a sculptor build a sculpture, he has the final form in his mind. It is only he who decides the design and only he who delivers it. And then it becomes a thing of beauty to behold. A thing which lasts for generations. No wonder application architects are respected so highly (I wonder how much they are paid in monetary terms).

Why do men marry??

I was visiting a newly married couple in the evening, and as usually happens the talk got around to the experiences of marital life. Those already experienced were advising on both sides and it was a very excited and spice filled discussion. While on the way back, I began reflecting on why a man would want to marry at all. What is it that a man could get out of marriage, that he could not get otherwise!

First and foremost, at least in the formative years of a marital life is someone who would share the marital bed and keep the man happy on that respect. After all, we men are all built to function that way. Sometimes I wonder if that is all that is there for all the men to do. I even had a discussion a long time back on this with a female friend of mine on this topic. She very frankly made it clear that had it not been that only men carry the million of invaders required to infuse life into the otherwise infertile egg, there would be no need for the creed of man, per se. And with all the accessories available today, she was not far from the truth.

Coming back to the topic, the second reason why a man would want to marry is for someone who would do the basic feeding, cooking, and housekeeping stuff. Men, I admit, are not socially geared to that role, although more are picking up the basics pretty good these days. But then again, you can always hire a maid for the same purpose.

Third reason, is for that yearning for constant companionship. Somebody who would take up the emotional side of man (yeah, men do have a emotional quotient), listen with a good year. Someone who is smart, intelligent and is able to engage the higher needs of existence. Preferably someone who can also handle the finances (but then you have portfolio managers for that). Again, for this a man can have very good female company that is totally platonic.

All the reason that I have listed out above are very easy for a rich man to have without having to actually be tied to any one woman, if the man has something like a few billion dollars at the start of his career. I have earlier pondered upon what a billion dollar every year would mean. Now it seems that it would free you of constrained relationships.

There is yet another reason why a man might want to marry. And that is for an offspring. For a child that a man can call his own. For a kid, for which the man can proudly say he has fathered. I think that is the most major reason, why a man would go to any lengths of time to actually search for such a potential wife. And for this, and for this alone, I could not find any counter. I am not able to see what alternative could potentially replace this need (let's leave aside those men that choose to live the life of a hermit out of the society).

After writing such a post, I still hope that someone out there is still ready to marry me sometime in the future, if not now.

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Someday, I would hopefully find such candid discussion from a woman. Would be interesting to know and assimilate. Men are supposed to be narcissistic chauvinist. I wonder what keeps the women from being so.

What Does A Billion Dollars Every Year Mean??

Recently I had a small discussion with my teammates where I was struck with the idea, what would I do if someone were to give me a billion dollars every year for the rest of my living life. Or more generally if I had all the money in this world given to me legally, how would I live my life?? What is the activity which would keep me engaged.

Here it would be safe to assume that the money would definitely fulfill all the materialistic needs and provide financial security. So it eliminates all money gathering activities such as a job, running a company, playing the stock market or value investing if you prefer. It also provides a home, or several if you prefer. You can have a fleet of servants of all kind (your personal butler, cook, secretary, nurse, driver, pilot). Finding companions won't present any difficulties. Or if you prefer a harem in the style of kings. In fact, it will easily fulfill all the tenets on the bottom three rungs of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. (I read about it here) You can go so far with the money as to provide comfortably for all those you near and dear ones that you would be working for also.

So what we have here is not what you would like to buy or splurge upon. You can buy that jet you lusted for, or eat and drink in the most expensive restaurant on a every meal basis. But will it keep your attention engaged. Most of the times we want to do certain things because we see the richer doing it and by virtue of it being out of our reach, something like a trip to the outer space by Tito. But once done these things loose their charm. But then again you can gamble all your money away every year, although chances are that probability will work against you in that case and you might end up earning more. And let's keep things like charity at bay.

While the rest had differing views on what they would do, it set me thinking. I have always been fascinated by books and of my life's aims remain reading, studying, teaching and doing related activities. The question that arises is: will it be enough to engage my attention?? I embark on the quest to list such activities.

• Gyaanpipasa (thirst for knowledge)- as is obvious, it tops my list. But with that amount of money I can embark on doing it in the style of Akbar the great, one of the greatest rulers in the history of India. He had in his court a bevy of great minds, each a champion in his field. What greater opportunity can be there than to learn from discussion with such people. Obviously, it would require me to raise my standards.
• Travel - and that too possibly on a bike, preferably one from the touring family of motorcycles by Harley-Davidson, that has each undergone proper homologation for each individual country of travel.

There are innumerable blogs and sites which come up with lists of 101 things to do. Yet reading each one of those shows that they all can be done on each consecutive day and all the activities would be finished within a year's time frame at the max. What do you do then?? After much racking of my brains, I am able to come up with just the above. Are there any others that you can come up with?? Would love to hear such ideas.

My Life Plans and Their Financial Implications

I have come to realise that it is not humanly possible to do everything you want within one lifetime. And according to the hindu philosophy of rebirth, your incarnation in the present human form is a result of crores of births and even more good actions. So it becomes essential that you if you want to enjoy your time on this earth, you plan accordingly. Obviously there are those that would say that you don't know what would happen to you the next moment. But my point is - what if you were to survive the next moment? Would it be not better lived if you had planned on how to spend it and accordingly enjoy it. And as everybody knows, one joy leads to others, and the big cascading effect.

Leaving aside the spiritual, I am planning for the materialistic joys that I may be able to enjoy in the future. And for every materialistic joy in this world I would need money, the medium to buy everything possible on this earth and hopefully a medium which will not change in my lifetime. So in all my calculations below I will assume that the rate of inflation remains at 6%, which for the long term is a good enough assumption. I would also like to assume a min 6% increase in my income on a yearly basis, such that it keeps pace with inflation at the minimum

First the very distant future

I would like to move away from the active corporate life in the early 40's and shift into an academic pursuit of knowledge and sharing of the same. Making it more definite, at the maximum age of 45 I should be in a university and pursuing my degree in philosophy, economics or english literature. Hopefully at that age I would be happily married and have a child. So I would need to provide for them and also have enough money to be able to give up the high earning corporate life and make the transition to the life of an academic.

So going by the current market scenario, I will take a leap of faith and assume that Rs. 30,000 a month will cover all inflationary expenses for an average Indian family and allow them to live in comfort (and not luxury!). Compound it at 6% for 20 years and this becomes Rs. 96,000 per month. Round it off to Rs. 1,00,000 monthly or Rs. 12,00,000 annually. Now considering all the current monthly income schemes, it is safe to assume that a 8% p.a. income can be generated without much sweat from a decent fund. So I would need a corpus of 1.5 crore rupees to generate the desired income. Now, another another assumption is that of what would be the rate of return on my investments over the next 20 years. It has been seen that a 12% rate of return is an achievable target, even if you are a passive investor. So putting these numbers into a calculator, the magic figure that comes up is an investment of Rs. 20,000 per month in an instrument which would give me a post-tax return of 12%, which is a very achieveable figure.

In my above calcuations I have assumed only inflationary expenses, i.e. things like food, petrol, clothes, some budget for fees, medical expenses, etc. I have excluded all such items such as EMI's for car, house, and any other such things which I would hopefully procure from the extra income that I would get annually. Also I have not taken into consideration that even when teaching I would have at the least a very nominal income.

Now for some magic play with the figures above.


You can find such financial calculators all over the internet. The one from moneycontrol can be found here.

So what do I do with 6% increase in my income that I would hopefully incur. Well that goes into buying that house, the car and obviously the Harley Davidson. Again there is continued inflation even during the post corporate life. Again hopefully the income from academic activities such as teaching would augment the income to beat inflation.

Welcome to the real world. We've done it.

Those are the words from Morpheus to Neo and Trinity when they are able to bring out Neo from The Matrix into their ship Nebuchadnezzar in the real world. When I entered into corporate world along with my other fellow college mates, I could almost equate my feelings with this awakening, this enlightenment.

Back in college I was the absolute king of my domain. Nobody disturbed me in my stupor and nobody cared, for everybody around me was in the same state or maybe greater. Oh, I enjoyed the discourses that I gave to my disciples (seniors, juniors and fellow classmates). Put me in control, brought a newer understanding of the basics and more confidence in self. The fame, the adulation, I lapped it up all.

I began differently from others in my batch in that I knew more about certain aspects of academic life that others didn't and took some time to realize. For example, attending classes that too sitting in the front row was not going to fetch anyone any marks. For example, completing all your assignments before time was a mark of nervousness on your part. For example, last moment cramming was of no use. You just got to know the brief description of the lessons, which you can get anyway if you apply your common sense to it. For example, you don't need to be a genius to complete an experiment in the physics lab. All that it takes is a bit of patience and perseverance. For example, every senior knows that you need to earn the respect of the junior to really be called a senior behind your back.

Anyways, armed with what little experience I had, I started a little ahead. So my full concentration went in catching up with my reading which had been languishing a bit. Obviously reading "The Economic Times" had an attached snob value in the first year. Am a bit boisterous in the fact that I don't easily make acquaintances. But with my skills and obvious disdain towards a structured environment, I attracted people filled both with acceptance and curiosity with what I was. With this I participated in fests, organized them and in general went around doing pretty much what I liked. Alongside I started with a bit of experiments on robotics, programming and design.

All above just goes to show that I grew quick and enormous within the span of four year in college. Armed with more knowledge about technical and people stuff, I became confident in being able to deal with the big bad world outside. Why bad?? Because every senior I talked to would be cringing that it not a bed of roses. You needed to trudge and plod to make your way, and there was no fun in it. But in my mind I was this super being who would just blow away walls of rock with a small breath.

That was until I actually stepped into the corporate world. One thing that I must say before I proceed is, from day one I was treated like a true professional. No longer was I a student who would be spoon fed lessons and excused for mistakes and shortcomings. There was no sympathy, only praise and encouragement.

It all started with what is called as "boot camp". A overall training in all technologies that I would be dealing with during work. It began well with me trying and succeeding in capturing the lessons, asking the right questions and completing the practice problems. Then as it gradually built on the previous lessons, it took more effort on my part. By the time it was the last few days of the training period and the last series of lectures, I was ready to give up. Even the instructor then informed us, "Even the most experienced programmers take away lessons from only the first 2-3 days of this lecture series." Notice the change in the outlook from college. Where in college I was onto ideas at a higher level of abstraction here I was trying to unveil the abstraction of Java and Oracle Application Framework classes.

But all was not that bad. Along with hard work came parties, mostly on a fortnightly basis. People unwound over dinner and drinks. Talk varied from the current movie to the hottest gossip in the team. Realization dawned that these people working with me were just another bunch of normal human beings. Only the level of commitment was higher and focus was stronger. I was among a group of go-getters. There was one nagging doubt. I had made my path laterally, in that I had never participated in the direct race path but still managed to come up tops, getting what I wanted and beating others to it. Here there was no such scope. There was just that one thing that you did and no other way. Then while talking to someone and reading more, I knew work was not life. Work is what provides the fuel to run the vehicle of life.

The team that I joined had recently faced a lot of attrition, so a major workload befell us new employees. Workload from my perspective and that of people fresh from college. It took some time, patience and struggle to do all that was given. It helped that I had an amazing work environment. First names for all (a trend that I started in college, although some preferred otherwise). People coming over to your machine to show you the works. Personalized training for the new employees on the working of the product. Most of all free internet (althought I kept it at a minimum by choice).

Now after almost 9 months (significant, yes??) I have settled down. Work is fun and life after work is all relaxed. I have been traveling around a lot. Based in Hyderabad, all major cities in the south - Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Goa, etc. - are within overnight travel. My company pays me enough so that I buy books whenever I please (my roommates are worried at my thrift in this).

Conclusion: There is no conclusion. The journey has taken a new turn and is starting to be fun. For all people in college: come, see and absorb. Initially it will just as if you are in the first year of your college. But with the maturity that comes with age things will settle down quicker and then all the fun begins. Yet there are time when I wish I was back at college and the lounging around all day, reading, thinking, talking, dreaming. Someday maybe again, but not yet, not yet.

A small anecdote to end:

Looking for the Best!!!!

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups : porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said
"If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups."
"Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change." "Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.

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This post was written for the digital edition of a publication from my college, around Mar 2007 with the current student and alumni as target. Cross-posting it here.

Do I Drive Rashly??

Couple of weeks back I met with a road accident and am still nursing a broken bone in the left forearm. Due to this I took to working out of home. In the meanwhile people in office and elsewhere took the liberty to discuss my driving skills. So when I met them now they first sympathized and then mentioned that somebody had told them that I drive rashly (some out of being politically correct moderated it to drive fast). On this note, I wanted to clarify this to all and sundry including myself:

1. When I take a risk, i.e. drive rashly, I accept that at some point I might fail. Yet with every failure of mine I increase my knowledge and experience. So the next time I fail I fail at a higher level. In fact the level at which I fail is higher than the level that most people would like to call success. Most people would rather play it safe and then cry why they are not successful.
   
2. When I carry the burden of somebody else who does not put his/her trust in me, I drive carefully because if you cannot trust me then you don't enjoy my company and I care two hoots about yours.

This post has been written by the use of the fingers of the right hand only. and it takes some effort to do that.

Passion

It had been sometime since I had met somebody who used that word. And he did use the word with some passion. Whatever you do, do it with passion. Nothing else will matter with time. Most people who have done something in their life are people with passion.

There is second category of people who use the word. But the way that they use it gives them away. These are desperate ones. Again, desperation is a very useful emotion. There are people who are successful because they were mainly desperate. It is also something that will take you to heights. But whose heights is the bigger question.

While people with passion will know where they are going, people who are desperate will not know where they are even if they are the most successful person around. Its like "Steve" in the movie "The Italian Job". He was pretty desperate and he managed to loot the others and take away all for himself. But in the end, he did not know what he had, rather what he wanted. So he landed up buying what the others had wanted to do with the loot.

Obviously, you would have met those that are sometimes desperate for something but have their ultimate passion in their mind always. Coincidences might lead them to keep their passion subdued for a brief period but it eventually boils over and permeates every sphere of their life. Most passionate people are ruthless in that they wouldn't give a second thought to you if you are a parasite. But if you have value, you won't find a greater customer for your offering. For it is they that know that the product of passion is always good.

Again don't confuse passion with obsession. Obsession is blind. It is always an end of the dark alley which leads to nowhere. One the issue for the obsession is behind, you don't know what else you can do, i.e. if you are still in your senses to think rationally. Such people usually end up dazed and disillusioned. Compare that with people who are passionate. Such people always are in the journey mode. There is no end to where they want to go, and no end to what they create in value.

So which are you, passionate or desperate??


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I had chance to meet Shiv, and receive some tips on how to write. Here are a couple:

1. Whatever you write, let it gestate for a couple of days and come back to it before publishing. If it does not make sense to you, it won't make sense to your readers.
2. Keep a small notebook handy. Jot down your thoughts as they occur to you. Any of them could be the basis for your next piece.

Well, coming from her, I obviously did not doubt the veracity. This above post has been modified once since it was actually conceived, and yet it does not look too good to me. More effort required!!!

My Fear

Time (Pink Floyd)

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but youre older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought Id something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
Its good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.


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I do strongly believe that every individual has a unique purpose in life. Some realize it, some spend their whole life searching for it, and the rest are oblivious. Those who realize it are the ones who attain nirvana. One of my biggest fears is that I would be stuck in the second category.

Mixed start to the day!

While returning after swimming, somebody hitched a ride on my bike. He actually did a short walk-run thing to get to my bike.
"So where are you coming from this early in the morning??"
It was around 0715 hrs. Me: "After my regular early morning swim."
"Where exactly is this pool??"
"Opposite to the Ohri's Banjara restaurant. Dolphin Swimming pool."
"Oh! Did not know that there was pool there. And where are you going??"
"Home. Road 10."
"Jaira Nagar."
"Yeah. Nearby!"
By this time we had reached a junction.
"Could you drop me here."
I stop the bike.
"Thanks BOSS!!!"
Long live AP Police.

After this encounter, I recalled the others that I have had with the police after having moved to Hyderabad. All have been nice so to say. There have been times when they have let go even when the fault was completely mine, not without a stern warning.

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"We like to come to work everyday. Do you??"

That's the catchline on a big hoarding on my way to office, replete with the smiling face of a female model. Oh, so not-so-inviting invitation.

Could not find the same on the website, otherwise would have posted it. The company : ADP

Rant

Saw a couple of posts on this photograph. While the photograph in itself is very heart rending, the manner in which these posts have been written is pathetic. Yes the photo can spoil anyone's morning cuppa. Yes the more emotional / sensitive ones may break down and shed tears. Yes, it would lead the realist, or the more socially concerned, to shramdaan in some form or other.

But!

1. It is a very deplorable way to gather reader comments on your blog, and then keep on harping on the discussion that started from it. What that photo above shows is malnutrition in a child from Uganda. The contrast shown is very descriptive. Why don't you verify what you are posting your blog. I don't give sh** when you post personal stuff, but I get pissed when you take liberty to say things about world affair when you don't know facts. THAT PHOTOGRAPH WAS THE WORLD PRESS PHOTO IN 1980 ! Question: Was the blogger born then?? Atleast one of them wasn't for sure. Please verify stuff like that, atleast quote your source.
   


2. I browse through thousands of photographs (and other media) over the net and download as and when I please. Even the context of the usage is my own. But when it clearly says that the photo(or media) should not be copied, but you want to use it desperately, why don't you link to it. Without such respect, you go on about alleviating the miseries of the world. You talk about doing your part, helping to raise awareness. READ THE FINE PRINT, PLEASE.
   


3. Another question: When was the last time that you actually saw such misery with your own pretty eyes?? Additionally, When is the next time you will actually do so. Yes you are concerned about world nutrition and diet I am sure. But do you realize that it is totally outside your domain. If you are so concerned, why not try to publicize such people/ organizations doing the actual ground work?? You sit in the comfort of your armchair and meditate upon such affairs, as if your thoughts will bring comfort to the downtrodden, without the slightest hint of people actually concerned about it. PLEASE REFRAIN!!

To link to the particular post is to subscribe to their view. I refrain. I know I am not capable of actually doing such work as is being by a few. Reasons are aplenty - starting with not enough time on hand, lots of traveling, more fun, reading, and generally activities which I like doing because they bring me joy and sometimes bliss. Yes, I am selfish and self-centered. I do stuff like this, only because I end up gaining something out of it. Maybe someday our paths will cross.

At the least I know my limits and contribute where I want to. I take pride in what I do. Do you??

Update: Thanks to i-man for pointing out that the link to the pic does not work. What you will need to do is goto world press photo, and there click on since 1955 (last line on the middle panel). A small album of photographs open. I am referring to the one labeled 1980.

Can I Fly??

What a stupid question that is! Obviously I can't, right?? The more insightful (fastidious) of people around me would be wont to think that I want to be an escapist. Or probably a hermit?? Who knows.

It's like asking can I walk on water?? No. But from a story that I heard, rather read, as a child a certain disciple of a certain teacher walked on water while the teacher could not. The reason: the teacher preached his students that they could do anything if they had belief in self. So while this particular student accepted the lesson without further thought, the teacher himself could not. Ergo, the result.

Coming back to the topic, I believe I know how it would be like to fly. I have this recurring dream where I am falling, falling, falling,... that's it. Nothing more to it. I am falling, full stop! So when I wake up and am in my rational state of mind, this mind that has been fed with "science" and "reason" since long past tells me this - flying is the opposite of falling. As in where there is a sense of weightlessness, there would be a sense of extra pressure on the body. Something that I observe when going down or coming up in the lift (I am trying my best to completely stop using the lift now-a-days).

But the romantic side of me tells me, flying should be devoid of burden. Being able to glide with the wind rushing in your face. Twist your toes so to move in another direction. The whoosh! And the superman dive from the heavens above to the ground below. Stopping millimeters above the ground and then lazily moving back up, nary a care about the open arms of mother earth ready to engulf me forever. Fly up to the heavens and say hi to stars, the night sky full of them and crystal clear. Will they twinkle for me *sigh*.

The only people who really get the thrill of flying are those in the Air Force, flying those almighty hurricanes. That is their job, but what a job!

The question remains, where do I want to fly to?? Nowhere, far as I can think now. It is supposed to take me closer to the inertia. I want to see what the astronauts see. I want to see the world at a glance, know it for what it is - a teeny weeny piece of dust in this universe, whose distance even when measured in parsecs need to add the prefix 'giga'. I want to able to show the same thing to every individual who thinks that a piece of land is his exclusive property. Oh! And I definitely want to fly over the Bermuda Triangle and find out the reason why it gobbles up all the things. I mean, no clue as where this list of 125 aircrafts and this list of ships vanished. There are theories here, but then they are just that - theories.

And then I want to stand, or maybe sit, in midair while Mt. Fuji erupts in all its fury (oh by the way, Mt. Fuji is in Japan and last erupted back in 1717).

And I want to fly with the jumping dolphins (the ones that I saw off Coco beach in Goa).

And I would like to find out if I really to fall onto something in my dream...

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"It is only at the end of many births, the man of wisdom surrenders to Me, realizing that Vasudeva is all. But it is very rare to come across such great souls."
The Bhagvad Gita [Chapter 7 Verse 19]

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P.S. An analysis of my dream reveals that on the night I have that dream of falling, I seem to have done some "heavy" physical exercise, so when my body and the constituent muscles relax during sleep, I dream of this particular dream. Looks like with the loosening of the muscles, I keep sinking deeper into the mattress... :D

Battleground God

For those sure of their belief/disbelief in God, try this (takes you to a 1-page intro and the link below).

For those who are super confident and without patience to go through instructions, this will take you directly to the thing.

Happy Woman's Day

My salute to all my female friends and the women in this world. I totally realize your contribution to my existence. And I support Blank Noise Project. Great effort ladies.

Sometimes in my long conversation with my female friends they utter this, "All men are dogs!" Or a variation, "Men are bastards." Asinine as it is, they would look at me (or think of me, if on the phone) and add, "Not you! But you know generally..." And then would follow a long/short diatribe against all "man"kind, depending on how the mood is. At occasions like this I am left devoid of words of defense. I know that they are not including me in their outrage, but I am also helpless to defend myself. All that goes through my mind is the shi**y behavior that lots of my male friends would get down to on seeing some woman walking by. I don't get the fun that they seem to extract out of such actions. To add, these men don't even have the balls to walk up to the female and say hi, or ask her out. But they are ready to ogle, or as the crude behavior goes "accidentally" bump into them.

Why am I incensed by such behavior?? Because it lessens my chances of meeting the fairer sex. There are times, albeit rarely, that I feel like smiling on seeing the sense of purpose and/or determination on the face of some woman. But then I have had to check myself on such occasions, knowing that such behavior would lead her to think, "Dog!" I would rather not. There were times when I have been categorically told by my female friends that I am the Mr. Nice Guy. On one occasion, a newly found friend told me about a female friend of hers, who, in her words, "would give an arm to meet" somebody like me. Yeah!!! I liked the compliment. But I am afraid I will never get to talk to her, lest I be called a lecher.

But then I am a wimp (not WIMP). Why o why do I not stop you from such behavior?? I guess it is the kind of herd mentality that you get into when you meet another of your kind. But I assure you guys, you would not find me giving you company on such occasion, however close a friend of mine you are. Many a times you have asked me, "Are you not interested in girls?? Why don't you look at them??" Oh! I am but biologically built to look at women and take an interest in them. Part of my being is from them if you want to know. But when I am in the company of people like you, or otherwise, I choose not to ogle or leer. I have met enough women in my life and am satisfied with their company. Guys, have you ever stopped to think that being from the other side of the gender does not stop them from being a human being. Give them their freedom. Yes, I don't say all of them are angels. There are times when there is an invitation even. As a matter of fact I have not many found many that are interesting enough to engage in conversation with. But it is just as with other guys, right?? Not every guy that you come in contact with is good enough to make friends with, or make an acquaintance out of.

Guys, guys, guys!!! Give respect and find more company. Live and let live. These creatures form an essential part of your existence. Woo them gently, don't jump on them. And add to it, what John Nash says in the movie, A Beautiful Mind:

Nash: "If we all go for the blonde and block each other, not a single one of us is going to get her. So then we go for her friends, but they will all give us the cold shoulder because no on likes to be second choice. But what if none of us goes for the blonde? We won't get in each other's way and we won't insult the other girls. It's the only way to win. It's the only way we all get laid."

For me: Stop being a wimp, especially when you find an acquaintance engaging in such behavior where there is no invitation and/or categorical denial.

Are you SKILLED LABOR ??

Heard in the lift -- two people, not from my company

Person 1: "A team size of 15-20 is good for daily interaction. More is trouble."
Person 2: "I have a team size of around 40. But they are mostly technical people and freshers. You can get them to do what you want!!!"

Somewhere I may have misconstrued what person 1 said, but there is no way I could have misconstrued what person 2 said. And at that point I wanted to scream, "Is that all?? They are just hired hands !! Or would you prefer the term 'Skilled Labor' "

Why is it that there is no dignity of labor, especially among the people working in the Information Technology companies?? Why do the employers treat the subordinates as hired help?? I keep meeting lots of people from this industry and most of them are in the same situation. And they know their position and respect in the organization, yet they do nothing about it.

One classic example is my flatmate. He is the highest performer in his team of 35+ people (his annual performance rating says so). Puts in long hours, works with dedication and no distractions. Yet his company regulations require him to reach office by 9 o'clock in the morning. Can't a man even have his morning peace and quiet??

And who has not heard of the classic example of the developer knowing more about a certain product than the program manager, who is supposed to advise the client on issues, talk to them and understand their requirements. And most of it seems to happen in the IT services industry. With the lure of good "on site" offers and fat pay packages they attract good talent and then work them like donkeys. Why do you agree?? Don't you have a family life?? Don't you socialize??

And far as fat salary goes, the actual developer does even get paid a quarter of what the client pays the company for the developers' performance. What I wonder is, where does the rest of the cash go?? Being in the IT industry there is hardly any capital outlay and almost zero recurring expenses. So what does the company do with the rest of the cash??

Compared to such environments, I think it is a lot better to work for the government firms. There is no respect -- they are not asking for any in return at least. My advice -- break the Indian middle class mentality while you have a chance. Go get a life. Cultivate a hobby. Give up your comfortable and cushioned desk job and walk the streets. With India opening up to varied sectors jobs are a galore. And entrepreneurship is at the high.

One story that I heard : There is a service in Mumbai, which cleans your sports shoes (when did you last wash yours??) When it was started the proprietor used to hand wash them himself. Now he employs a few hands and is planning to bring in machines. Cool, na! Add to that, it is a door-to-door pickup-n-delivery like pizzas. Ooooooh!!! Too much!

As for me, thankfully by a combination of hard work, due diligence and opportunity (what is generally known as 'luck') I am in a company where there is dignity of labor, at the least. You are given opportunities, time, guidance. To top it all, I have landed up with a good manager and a greater team. Cheers!!! So while I work late at times, I also leave pretty early at other occasions. Work is fun! And life is a blast! And it is the ideal place to let the inertia take over... :)

I Envy

• The comment on a straight guy's profile on Orkut (from a female friend of his): "This man is my closest girlfriend (oh yeah he can bitch!!)"

• People who can sing (not the BS). God chose to give them that special skill.

• The camaraderie shared by two cigarette smokers. Even strangers are bonded in this. (I am becoming obsessed.)

• The knack of a college-mate who given the rules and tools of any game, will win you the match.

• The people who know the abbreviated form of id est is "i.e." (should I have put it the other way... I wonder)
  

I am disgusted

... by the way certain people down the ladder behave, just when they know that the person up the ladder who is feeding the whole chain is not watching.

There is a driveway around my block of office buildings, albeit within the boundary of it enclosure. Essentially when you are crossing it, you might find oncoming vehicles wherein you either stop and let the vehicles pass, or you sort-of hurry on before the vehicle reaches you.

The other day I was walking behind a threesome, whom I did not know. These people were regular people wearing as they were a white shirt and blue colored trousers, with the customary identification tag around their necks. Just as we were about to cross the driveway, a four-wheeler was so near us that had it been me, I would have allowed the vehicle to pass before proceeding. This smart ass of the group of three had the audacity to do this. He put out his hand, the one that was holding the cigarette, to indicate that the vehicle must stop and just stood there on the pathway. The driver of the vehicle did stop. And then he did an action like an arm extension and the tilted head, much like the protagonist in a movie would do to prove his superiority in some scene. "Hey shit! Stay down! Dare you to raise your eyes to meet mine!" And then these three calmly walked across the pathway, laughing and joking. I pity the driver who must have had to grit his teeth to maintain his calm.

Why am I particularly peeved?? Well, had it been his manager's car, I am very sure he would have bowed and let the car pass before attempting a stunt like that. What is it that allows you to behave in a certain way in some circumstances with a certain set of people and do something else in the same situation but with a different set of people?? Does not the other same set have the same dignity??

I think, that Munnabhai said thing very succinctly in the movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai:
"Take note of how the person treats another who is below to him in the social(monetary) status. It will tell you the real value of the person." Well said! Kudos to that!

But then why am I even bothered?? Let the inertia take over.