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!!