Catching Up..

Now then, I know that it's been pretty long since I last posted on this blog. I've been sort of off-radar, and stuff like that. I guess you guys must have even pronounced me guilty of "ignoring" you all!! Well, okay, I HAVE ignored this personal space of mine for quite some time now, and I do have some reasons to offer. And I know that it's useless to even try and put forth any of those reasons for they would be looked down upon as being some mere excuses!! And I'd be accused of hiding behind them in order to escape any tart comments!

But, believe me when I say that I'd take even that in my stride, if that is what is required to pacify all you guys.

And as I say this, I'm reminded of all those moments (and they do seem to occur so very frequently after we're through with our formal education and the related procedures) when we come across some old friend after a very long gap. Accusations fly from one end to the other as each party tries to portray itself as being innocent and put the other one in the dock. We are sure as hell that we are the wronged side and the friend in question is some sort of a criminal who had the gall to not get in touch for such a long time.

Amid all this, we conveniently forget that we might as well have made the first move, but then, that is human nature, and little can be done to rectify it.

But this doesn't mean that we stop being buddies with them. The good part is that somewhere deep within us, we remember all those moments wherein we were all together and cherish them in our hearts. We may not talk frequently, but we wish our friends well, wherever they may be..

"You and I will meet again, 

When we're least expecting it, 

One day in some far off place, 

I will recognize your face, 

I won't say goodbye my friend, 

For you and I will meet again"

-Tom Petty

Just For A Change

Consider this as being strictly off the record, but I guess that I've, sort of, transformed into some kind of an expert at giving highly meaningful titles to my posts. It does not mean that this is not the "done thing", but then, it is not done by everyone, all the time.

To get on with things, I've decided that from today onwards, I'm going to start doing certain things (or, stop doing some of them) Just For A Change, because change, as they say, is the only constant thing in this world. So I thought that it was high time that I brought about some of it in my life as well! Do feel free to read on..

To begin with it all, I'm going to stop getting late for lectures from now on, which means that I'll be there in time to get myself seated somewhere in last row (you see, seats start getting filled up starting from the last row, a.k.a. multiplexes), just for a change.

This, in turn, would imply that I would quit taking even the slightest of all interests in what is going on the class, by way of academics and learning, and instead, start being more participative in the non-academic goings-on in the class like gossiping, giggling, poking fun at the poor lecturer, along with several other more-fulfilling and interesting things. Again, just for a change.

After striving for weeks at mastering myself at such activities, I will definitely be able to erase all my good impression from the minds of all my professors, and would finally get the opportunity to earn myself some notoriety. Besides, my academic standing would suffer some serious dent and my grades would experience a bit of slipping-from-heights. Also, I would start to get counted among the good-for-nothings in the batch, needless to say, just for some little harmless change! Interesting idea, what?

So say "yes!!" to a bit of CHANGE MANAGEMENT, people!

Do You Know What it Feels Like..

Don't get super excited, all you Enrique Iglesias fans out there, because this isn't about the afore-mentioned charismatic singer with smoldering, Greek-God-like good looks; deep, piercing eyes; dense eyelashes; one-in-a-million, enchanting voice.. Um, ahem, you get the general flow of things, right? So it's not about him (never mind if it doesn't appear to be so at this point of time), even though the title happens to have been taken from one of his chart-topping tracks(it's the "Ping-Pong Song" which I'm alluding to).

It's about random people, random events, random thoughts and the accompanying random feelings..

For example, how does it feel when you are out in the (blazing hot)sun, and then suddenly, as if from nowhere, dark clouds appear in the sky, shutting out the sun-rays, and before you know it, huge rain drops begin to splitter-splatter all around you, and a faint smile appears across your lips?

Or, do you remember the relief which you felt when you'd lost your way in some unknown locality, and it was getting dark, and there was hardly a soul around; when you were looking around wide-eyed and beginning to lose hope of being able to reach your destination safely, and then suddenly some kind stranger appeared and helped you out of that place?

And, how about that feeling of gratitude which must have over-whelmed you, when someone would have lent you his stationery in a highly-competitive entrance examination?

Didn't all these happenings and people re-enforce your faith in God and humanity, and gave you the much-needed hope of a better world and a more humane society?

Were these positive thoughts and feelings not stronger than, maybe, that burst of outrage which you feel at the various wrong-doings of those in power, or, the rampant misuse of authority along with the continued exploitation of the vulnerable masses, apart from the several such acts?

I guess, it is the fact that there is more good to be found in this world than bad, that makes us go on. So do remember to treasure all such positive thoughts and feelings and persevere for a better life, a better world.

I Haven't Anything to Write About

Well, you see, like any other author who writes about random stuff, I happen to be presently suffering from what is widely known in the intellectual circles as the "Writer's Block". Would you believe it if I were to tell you that here I am, sitting in front of my laptop's screen, all ready to type out some literary master piece and have it presented before you people via this blog, but that, nothing which can be good enough for a decent post, strikes my mind at the present moment?

I'm pretty sure that the ones among you who have been frequently visiting this blog, would find it to be quite an unusual thing to have happened to someone as creative and articulate as yours truly(really!!!).

And even in case of those among the human species who aren't possibly as gifted as the author of this blog(don't you think that I am actually a very modest person), it's actually a very surprising thing to happen because the human mind can jump from one thought to another in a matter of milliseconds, without even the concerned person getting a hint about it!

You can check this for yourself by taking a small notepad and a pen, sitting down in a quiet corner, and just writing down anything and everything you happen to be thinking about at that moment. After performing this exercise for about half an hour and then reading it all out, you would be surprised to see how your mind swung from one thought to another like some playful monkey in a rainforest! It would give you some hint about the thinking ability of the indomitable human mind.

And to think that it is despite this inherent capability of ours, that we authors often come face-to-face with situations wherein "we have nothing to write about"! Just Imagine!

P.S. Why don't you guys post some of your experiences regarding the exercise mentioned above? It'll be great fun! Also, you can send in your suggestions about what all I can write about in future posts.

Being an Engineer...

I happen to be an engineer, but being an engineer was never one of my several "childhood dreams". As a kid, I was drawn more towards the lesser charted paths.

Just to elaborate a bit further, I can remember pretty distinctly that way back in the nineties, after having read a couple odd Ancient Indian History books, I had wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up (even though I could not spell the word correctly at that time!), go scouting around the country looking for some lost remnants of the Indus Valley Civilization, and even go on to decipher the Brahmi script! I had even managed to find a confidante in a classmate who had wanted to be an Egyptologist (just imagine!). 

Call it the "Jurassic Park Effect", but alongside this, I  had even wished to become a palaeontologist. And of course, it goes without saying, that the fact that it would have been an impossible plan to carry out, never struck my young and enthusiastic mind at all.

A few years down the line, I was really moved by the plight of our people and decided that it was the need of the hour that I should assume the responsibilities of the office of the Prime Minister of India! I took it as given, that no one else was really fit enough for the job. 

On becoming a bit more mature, I got really inspired by one of teachers, Mrs. Shelly Walia, and wanted to appear for and crack the Civil Services Examination in order to become an IAS officer. God knows that I had, sort of, vowed to rid this society of all its resident evils and eradicate corruption completely (kids ARE like that, you know).

But, then, as it turned out, I studied to become an engineer.

It's not that I don't like being an engineer. No, that's not exactly the point. I took the decision to pursue engineering out of my own volition after some really serious and "rational" thinking, and what's more, I've really loved each and every moment of my days as an Engineering Student. Besides, I do not regret having taken it up as a course in life. And I've not done this half-heartedly. I've put in all my efforts into it.

But even then, sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I would have taken up one of my "dreams" a bit more seriously. I wonder what life would have been like as an archaeologist, or palaeontologist or how things would have been like as a budding politician!

I guess I would never know. 

But truly speaking, even now it's not all that bad, you know, being an engineer..

The Sad Demise of the Male Chauvinist

I really can't help it if the title seems to have been lifted straight out of some kind of an obituary, for this post is going to be about the now-extinct Male-Chauvinist species which used to roam about freely upon this planet till about two decades ago.

The kind of men I'm talking about here, used to be the ones who could be seen opening the doors for their wives/girlfriends/female acquaintances; they drew out chairs for women, and stood behind them while they sat down; they were well-groomed, and could be noticed from afar in a crowd; they chatted pleasantly with women and genuinely seemed interested in what they had to say, no matter how trivial it was in reality; and most importantly, they footed the bills(just joking!).

Those fine men of yore have now been somehow replaced by brash, loud, unfeeling cads who have little idea as to how to go about behaving in the presence of members of the fairer sex. They are in some serious need of grooming lessons along with tutorials on "How to Carry Yourself with Elegance in Public". What's more, they have no clue that they actually resemble tramps when they are dressed-up in those hippie-style clothes, and that they can actually look presentable in carefully-chosen casual-wear and formal-wear.

Maybe these men should try and take a leaf out of their grandfathers' diaries and try to learn a thing or two about "How to Behave Like a Gentleman".

But then, coming to think about it, maybe it's not about dressing-up elegantly, or opening-up the doors, or drawing-out the chairs, or saying the right things, or even declining to go Dutch; maybe it's just about the long-forgotten tradition of being nice to women and giving them the respect which is due to them. I guess, this one ability is what is totally missing in today's men, generally speaking. It is the whole-and-sole thing which makes us women wonder if chauvinism is actually dead and buried. Maybe this is what makes us look at the male-crowd of the present-day and then shake our heads dejectedly at the "Fall of Man".

I hope all you "gentlemen" out there, are listening!!

The Adoration of Rhett Butler

I am now beginning to fully realise the benefits of having named my blog "Nothing Very Specific". You see, this kind of a name lets you write about just anything and everything you ever wanted to write about (now that's what you call smart thinking, no?). 

This latest post concerns itself, as the title suggests, with the one and only Rhett Butler. Yes, all you "Gone With The Wind" lovers, even I am one of you! I fell in love with this book (and not to mention, the afore-mentioned character), the very first time I read it, which was way back in 2005 when I had just cleared my Class XII CBSE Board exams. It's been five years since then and I've re-read this book about 15-16 times, and I'm sure I wouldn't mind reading it all again.

Now coming to the topic of Rhett Butler, what I really like about this character, is his total disregard (a mild term, of course) for just anything that does not fit into the realm of rational thinking and common sense. 


He is this eternal enigma which has never failed to arouse the curiosity of people, especially women, all over the planet, even after all these years. He is absolutely selfish, but still respects the quality of selflessness in others; he's no "gentleman", but he's capable of giving due respect to a "lady"; he ridicules the efforts of his own people, and then goes on and joins the war when they are about to lose; he despises Southern customs, but then embraces them nevertheless for the sake of his daughter; he loves Scarlet, but wouldn't let her know lest she begins to use this against him; he loves her madly, but still urges her to use her "charms" to find a husband for herself when she needs the money to save Tara; he abandons her midway while on her way to home when anybody would've "got her" even though he'd risked his life to get her out of Atlanta in the first place; he loves her even when he knows that she loves Ashley...


He personifies impunity, ardour, charm, foresight, rationality and practicality. He's a curious mix of apathy and concern; love and hatred; thoughtfulness and thoughtlessness; passion and placidness. What really takes the cake is the fact that almost nothing seems to bother him, "ruffle his feathers", or even, surprise him for that matter. He can be as composed as The Pacific or as torrential as a tempest. He makes you wonder if there ever could be something that would make him give two hoots to it (remember "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"?).


He can easily make you hate him, and then make you love him again the very next moment, effortlessly. 


One moment, you would be tempted to call him a cad and then voilà, the next moment you'd be encouraging his generosity. In fact, Rhett Butler is someone who can charm you into loving him even when your mind would repeatedly warn you against doing anything of this sort.


Some character, this one!!

Why I'm Not Going to do an Independence Day Special

Before you reach any conclusions about me being a sceptic or some kind of a "non-patriot", let me begin by saying that my reasons for not doing an Independence Day Special, do not fall into any such category(you see, I have this habit of clarifying things so as to avoid any kind of misunderstandings later on). But then, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to wish you a Happy Independence Day.

To start with it, I don't believe in living my life by clichés. I mean, isn't it something very obvious to do - write something grand and opulent about our great heritage, vibrant cultures, our unity-in-diversity, our booming economy, our world-power-in-the-making status; or about how we should try and break our way-too-many shackles of  social-economic injustice, social taboos, regressive thinking, poor habits; or may be about how we as a nation are letting a gang of "politicians" take us for a ride and plunder our collective wealth, abuse our collective being and laugh at us while doing it all in broad daylight with absolute impunity. I guess, all this has been written about several times in the past, still continues to be written about at this precise moment and in fact, will also get written about in the ages to come. There's nothing new, path-breaking or revolutionary about it(now this doesn't mean that I mean to bring about some kind of a revolution out here!).

Instead, I try to steer away myself from what is touted as the "tried-and-tested" ways of life. I believe in living by my own rules and principles, one of them being "Be Different and Make a Difference". This was the whole-and-sole reason why I decided not to post something about our Independence Day, but instead, to emphasis the need to discover your own person and uphold your own personal freedom and INDEPENDENCE every day while you are alive. The question is, that should one really do something only because the custom or the occasion demands it, or should something be done only because there lies deep within you, a strong willingness to do it.

I think you should try and take some time out on this Independence Day to think about what Independence really means to you. Is it all about singing patriotic songs, unfurling the Tricolour, listening to zealous speeches, making customary noises about how we need to pay more attention towards the pressing issues which our country faces and then forgetting about it all the very next day or instead, is it about discovering your personal self, being able to think independently about what YOU really want, and celebrating an Independence Day everyday. I ask this question because it is only an Independent MIND which can lead an individual and a society to a truly Independent Existence.

Do think about it!

Freedom

The Philosophical Side of Things

If you guys remember the first post of this blog, I'd mentioned about how sometimes some random philosophical thoughts do tend to make their way past several hurdles in order to enter the blessed human mind, and then you might even recall that I had, sort of, assured all of you that such thoughts hardly ever manage to permeate MY thick skull!!

But then, horror of all horrors, that near impossible event is going to take place right here, right now, in front of your very own eyes!!(It's ACTUALLY hard to be serious guys!! Just try doing it if you don't believe me.)

Believe it or not, even I do sometimes just sit down near the window of my room during the quiet mornings(and that is when I do manage to get up at such an early hour) and look outside at the still-serene surroundings, the trees, the chirpy birds the sometimes-cloudy blue sky, the pretty colourful flowers, the green grass, the red rising sun, the picturesque hills; in short, nature in its full glory. These are some of those rare moments when even my mind, which is pretty much always engrossed in thinking about material stuff and is pretty much immune to this thinker-type thinking(hey, now that's some alliteration, no?), tends to shift focus towards the "philosophical side of things".

During such moments I tend to wonder as to who I actually am; for what particular purpose was I born; what is my destiny; what part am I expected to play in the universal scheme of things; why can I not have everything that I desire; why is it that I HAVE to stick to the rules and regulations as imposed upon me by this society of ours; why can I not just live my life peacefully and not be bothered by Toms who would just not stop Peeping into my life; why is it always me who's expected to learn to make sacrifices for a "better marital life"; and lastly, why can't i just dash it all and go off and live my own life??

Darned difficult questions, what?? Even I think so.

And then, finally, comes the moment when I come out of this reverie and curse myself for having let such thoughts come into my mind!! Then, I thank the Lord Almighty for having bestowed me with enough good sense which does not let me allow such thoughts to go circling around in my mind for a very long time!!(After reading the above paragraph, I'm sure you'd agree with me)

In fact, I feel quite sure that such ideas are just not meant for a mind like mine which revels in thinking about the more worldly, materialistic, tangible and glamorous side of life!!

Wouldn't you join in the chorus and say "yessssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

No end in sight for these circles

The Wild Horses of Imagination and the Indian Education System

Does the title say it all? Well, if it doesn't, kindly do take the pains to read on, and of course, you are more than welcome to read this piece of literary excellence even if you are sure that you know what lies ahead.

The latest snippet of news that relates itself to the brand new path-breaking changes which the National Vocational Qualification Framework plans to introduce in the way us Indians get educated in the near future, is something of a revolution when you consider the rote-learning ways which have been masquerading as "education" in our schools till now. For the ones who are clueless as to what I am harping about, the latest news is that now you wouldn't necessarily have to be a science student in order to take up engineering or medical studies after school (Read the 18th July "Hindustan" for details). In fact, one would actually be able to decide what one really wanted to do with life, at any stage of their career. So now, since just anybody would be able to apply for admissions into engineering or medical colleges, the entrance exams' patterns would also need to be changed in order to accommodate these sweeping new changes. They can now be expected to become a true judge of a student's aptitude.

Also, with this new system in place, what earlier would have been termed as "fancy thoughts", might soon just become a reality, i.e., our students might as well become their own "decision-makers" when it comes to career choices, because now school students would be able to study just anything that they want to study in school, without having to worry about hurting the "pride and prestige" of their over-ambitious parents with their oh-so-very-fragile egos that can break into a million pieces at the mere thought of their beloved kid taking-up anything other than engineering or medical studies while the neighbor's children slog it out at the nearby coaching center in order to prepare for entrance into some prestigious institute.

Imagine that there would actually be days in our students' lives when they wouldn't have to put up with something like, "Oh! The agony of having to face your grandmother's sister's daughter's brother-in-law in the wedding reception of your uncle's son! Do you even know that his son has taken-up the Physics-Chemistry-Biology-Mathematics combination in his Class XI?! And what's more, he's actually scored 95+ in each of his First Term School examinations!! And then, look at you! What a shame you've brought upon the family's name by taking-up Humanities!" So now, students would be able to go about discovering their own little talents and aptitudes while they are still in school, without having to rely on their parents' "wisdom" as to what they should do, because now they would have the opportunity to find out what they CAN do best, without having to worry that their decision to take up a particular set of subjects would prove to be a hindrance if they later on choose to do something else with their lives. 

So now, talents can actually be discovered by the ones who have them, at a pace which suits them.

Just imagine what it would be like to live in a country where talent and aptitude would not have to be sacrificed at the altar of parental ambition; where decisions wouldn't have to be made just to compete with some distant odd relative, and, where the student's will and his own assessment of his capabilities would determine what he does with his life. I guess this would amount to being our very own Renaissance, which would enable its own Newtons, Da Vincis and Descartes to blossom.

Some thought, this one!

On the lookout for another Newton?

Quit Playing "Games"...

Here I am, writing the first blog of my life (yes, you're right, I'd been living in the dark ages all this while, you know!), and what does it happen to be about? Not about me, my life; not about my innermost feelings, or about some random philosophical thoughts which somehow manage to permeate the human mind on certain very rare occasions. You see, most of the first blogs by renowned bloggers(I don't know if the adjective is appropriate or not, but then, who cares!), which I happened to have come across, are along these lines. So one can't help but just presume that this is the standard practice which is followed in the blogging world. But anyway, coming to what I WOULD be writing about(finally!!) is the "glorious" event that would be the "Commonwealth Games 2010"!!!

Well, I know that enough pot-shots have been taken at the Delhi Govt. for its sleeping-over-matters-till-it's-too-late-to-resolve-them attitude and at the various agencies (of the aforementioned "government") which had been given the task of creating infrastructure in the capital way back in 2003(that's right, SEVEN years ago!!) while keeping view of the upcoming prestigious games, and that we have all had quite enough of the blame-game which has been played all this while. But coming to think of it, seven years was a long-enough time-period during which the capital could have been made ready to host the Games. But what we instead got, are just some fancy plans for the city. Most of these projects never materialized, and quite a many of those that did, are in no way going to be completed in time for the Games. With just 60-odd days left for the Games to start, the erstwhile enthusiasm of the officials has somehow been de-throned by the Government's "do-or-die" diktat. Claims are being made as to the pace of work-completion being some close cousin of "war-footing". And yes, for all we know, the dug-up roads, half-constructed buildings, bewildered officials are actually doing a damn good job of presenting a "war-like" situation in the city, particularly in the Games Stadia, each of which wears the look of a place that has been looted and plundered of all its glory by some heartless invaders! I'm sure that those of us who happen to be living in Delhi , or in any of its satellite cities must be jolly well aware of the kind of "work" that has actually been "accomplished". None of us actually needs to go through any kind of newspaper reports in order to get acquainted with the ground situation.

What remains to be seen, though, is that what face are these people, who shouted at the top their voice from the rooftops about the coming-of-age of our country after winning the bid for the Games, going to show to the world, come October 3, 2010. In fact, after all this, the Govt. should stop for a moment and deliberate on where it went wrong, and what could have been done, instead of merely trying to brush things under the carpet. And it goes without saying that it's not really appropriate on their part to go about claiming that they want to host the Olympics, when a major embarrassment is staring us all in the face by way of Commonwealth Games.

So till the time they manage to sort out the problems of this year's Games, they should just "Quit Playing Games...."

(Play)ground for disaster!