The Side Effects of Hosting IPL Matches in Delhi

Now then, like thousands of people living in NCR who travel to central Delhi on a daily basis to earn a modest living, and then back home, I was on my way to Noida after a particularly long day at work. It was Friday, and the Let's-make-merry-it's-Friday-afterall feeling had just begun to envelop my now-rising-from-a-deep-weekday-slumber mind, and I had almost started dreaming up plans for the upcoming weekend. It was at this point, when I suddenly realized that my car was not really moving at its usual 45-50 kmph pace. For those who are familiar with the area around Outer-circle, Connaught Place, I was travelling towards Noida via the Dilli Gate route since the route through ITO/Pragati Maidan gets really choked-up after 6 pm.

Anyways, the traffic snarl that pretty much formed an overwhelming part of the local scenery at that particular point in time jolted me rudely out of my daydreams. The driver and I tried to come up with some possible reasons for this jam and to think up of means to escape the madness that threatened to engulf everybody in sight. As you might have guessed by now, we could come up with no alternative plans and resigned ourselves to the imminent fate that awaited us - crawling at snail's pace whenever the opportunity presented itself and waiting for our chance to get out of that mess at the next signal, however long that might take. 

One-and-half lanes of the barely-3-lane road in question were taken up by vehicles that had been parked there (people really have no civic sense, and authorities seem to be apathetic, so to say), and Metro-related construction work was also going, adding to the mess. While we were caught up in that huge jam, there was actually no space to even open your car door and step out, if required. 

Ultimately, it took us nearly 50 minutes to steer clear of the jam on a 2 km stretch, and finally breathe a sigh of relief. Before long, we saw a long queue of people waiting for their turn to get into the Ferozshah Kotla stadium. We realized that there was an IPL match scheduled for that day. And, that jam occurred just because there was an event planned in the vicinity - that too in the heart of the city!! And, now I'm reliably informed that this is pretty much the state of affairs whenever there's any match being hosted at Ferozshah Kotla.

I mean, it goes on to say something about the traffic management skills of our police, and the disaster readiness of the city, on an overall level. It was in that endless moment that I realized that ours is a city which is actually sitting on a disaster waiting to happen. If any untoward incident would have happened at that time, where would that have left us? There was no way one could have gotten out of that place to safety, or any help would have reached the hapless people caught up in that situation - no Police, no Fire engine, no Ambulance, No Nothing! 

I'm not sure that the organizers really think about such trivia - for them, I guess, if the players and the VIPs are safe and secure, their work is done. Maybe, even the authorities who permit such events to happen even in the view of the limited-and-already-bursting-at-seams infrastructure don't place much importance on the lives and wellness of the common citizenry. Maybe the rest us are simply the mob that has no face, no voice, and hence, no noteworthy existence. Amazingly, even the Media that otherwise runs with a mike in hand and camera on the tow to report just anything and everything that transpires in this universe is totally mum on this aspect.

I wonder when the safety needs of not-so-important people like you and me will be given some kind of a priority in this entire scheme of things..

A common sight in Delhi

All Cricket and No Politics is not a Bad Idea...

Okay, so the much acclaimed and revered Sachin Tendulkar got nominated for the Rajya Sabha a few days ago. Big Deal, is what one would like to say! This piece of news is not supposed to be more important and engaging than, say, kidnapping of officers, murders, corruption, economy and the like. But considering that this is just not ANY trivia related to Cricket, this one is actually worth pondering upon since it concerns our Parliament as well.

While people come up with varied threads on this topic ranging from how there are other more "deserving" sports persons for this honor, right down to how it's a poll gimmick by Congress considering the huge fan following that Sachin has; I think we should stop for a moment and look at the issue from the perspective of the election to the highest law making body in the country.

To be among those who would be instrumental in drafting the destiny of our beloved land, one must at least have demonstrated a good degree of concern and understanding for one or the other issues plaguing our society. After all, how can one be expected to solve a problem when one does not even understand it. And no matter how well you have performed in your chosen profession, you need to have a vision for the country when you decide to join this field.

While I really admire Sachin for being a cricketer par excellence, I would think twice before applauding this particular decision regarding his RS nomination, for this is not about electing somebody to chair a sports body. This is about giving somebody the right to take decisions on our collective behalf; it's about placing our collective destiny in someone's hands. For this reason one must not get swayed by Sachin's sports achievements alone. There is a lot more which needs to be pondered upon.

To be honest, I frankly don't remember the last time when I heard about Sachin getting involved with some social cause. Unlike, say, someone like Aamir Khan, he has not been around to engage in any activity meant to generate public opinion on any matter of national interest. This is when even he would know about the sort of much-needed attention which his presence would generate. And as for the claims related to him being the flag-bearer of Indian Cricket in the world, well, all I know is that he chose to remain mum when BCCI decided not to send any team to the Asian Games in 2010, citing the tour of New Zealand as an excuse. This was clearly a time when he could have taken up the chance to represent "India" and not BCCI. In this case, even if the main team could not have gone to the games, a second team could have been sent. It's just that the "God" chose to simply see and not speak out.

When I say all this, I don't mean to belittle his cricketing achievements in any way. I just want us to think whether he is the person whom we really want to be taking decisions on our behalf in the Parliament, decisions that could have far-reaching impact on our fate...      

Starting Afresh

It feels really weird, you know, this writing a fresh post after such a long time. But don't worry; I'm not going to go on a full-on recap mode or something along those lines. In fact, you'd be quite glad to know that I acknowledge the fact, without even the slightest trace of acrimony, that you people wouldn't really be super anxious to know about the absolutely regular and sort-of-everyday affairs of my not-too-exciting life while I was Missing-in-Action. Nevertheless, it IS a different kind of feeling.

It is so very different from the excitement which I had felt coursing through me when I had first attempted a shot at blogging sometime during July 2010; or when I had posted a piece after a long gap of some 4 months, when it was merely about having to choose from such a long list of things to talk about, for the talkative bird in me was fighting against her prime instinct to talk about everything on her mind right there in a single post (now THAT would have, like, made it in the record books as one of the longest posts ever!).

But this time it's like meeting some very old and dear friend after a very long time, when you want to talk about so many things, but you don't know whether you should be saying it all out because the other person may not be able to keep up with you; it's like wanting to bare your soul in front of her but not being able to do that because you think that it may shatter some notions (good ones, of course) about you which she might be carrying around in her head; it's like not being able to look her in her eyes while admitting to something really cheesy which you did, and then being relieved and smiling broadly when you finally look up and don't catch even the slightest hints of disapproval.

Hell, it's like looking at your own reflection in some clear pool with no shadows, after a long time...

And so, here was me, starting afresh and trying to reconnect with you guys after a long hiatus. I'll be back with my regular chatter, really soon this time! Cheerio!

What's in a Name..

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

so says Shakespeare's Juliet in the timeless classic "Romeo and Juliet". However, the very recent case involving the renaming of West Bengal to Paschim Banga/Bongo proves the tragedy queen wrong as, apparently, there's a lot "in a name".

As the intellectuals and the politicians fight it out among themselves over whether the change in name "corrects historical wrongs" or not, and whether some other name would have been a more satisfactory change, or whether this change would be able to revamp the image of the state, I guess the concerned people forgot to take note of the fact that it would not change ANYTHING on the ground (you heard it right, Ms. Banerjee). The only differences would be the ones visible on the official letterhead's title, the state's web site's title, vehicle number plates and other such mundane stuff.

I fail to understand how this change is going to BENEFIT - because, in particular, the government is supposed bring about changes for this only - the common man who continues to make endless rounds of the government offices to get even the smallest of things done; or how the poor in the state will get food, shelter, security, education and health care because of this; or how this change will add glitter-effect to the reputation of the state which has seen mass murders and strikes against oppressive policies; or how the scars of the partition of the state can be healed through THIS.

This, according to me, is something that does nothing except waste precious time and, the even more precious and the already widely-squandered-and-abused exchequer's money. I'm sure Ms. Banerjee would be able to win more accolades and goodwill if she were to channelise her energy and efforts in the direction of bringing about socio-economic development in the state, instead of engaging herself in such fruitless exercises. Name-games and blame-games never win you anything, forget about elections!!...

Doesn't change anything!..

I'm a Lazy Girl...

I'm feeling extremely sleepy right now (I can actually feel the effort which I'm putting in so that my eyelids wouldn't shut down all of a sudden), but for some inexplicable reason, I feel like writing something for all of you to read, as well. So kindly take some extra pains to read through this piece, however hard it may seem, for I'm using all my literary capabilities in making this sound as coherent and sensible as I possibly can; and I'm sure this would come as a big surprise to all the regular visitors on this blog, because I'm generally much more sanguine about my writings turning out suitable enough for human consumption.

My thoughts are all muddled-up at this very moment and I'm just not able to think clearly; so much so that I'm quite sure that I wouldn't be able to tell apart a physics theory from a chemical reaction! And so, the question may arise that why, for the love of all things that are holy, am I still sitting in front of my laptop's screen in place of drifting away peacefully to sleep. The answer lies in a very well known saying which goes like "As You Sow, So You Reap". This is, sort of, a confession to an outrageous crime which I've been committing pretty frequently for quite some time now, by not paying much attention to my final-year dissertation. And now, the mid-semester evaluation is due in a few days. So, because of my lackadaisical attitude, I'm a dead duck.

Right now, as I type these words very, very, very slowly (for I have little energy left in me, and also because if I don't do anything to keep myself busy, I'll drop off right here in front of the screen), the financial database Prowess is working at snail's speed in order to retrieve some data which I desperately need for the above mentioned dissertation.

I wish there was some way to avoid the academic fiasco which stares me in the face at the moment. Sigh.

By the way, the database just displayed the required data. So I'm off to sleep. I'll write in again soon if I survive next week's evaluation!!

Sachin Tendulkar

I don't think that I'm going to even think about explaining the title this time around. It is self explanatory, thank you very much. In fact, I had planned to simply put some thousand-odd pictures of this living legend over here in this post instead of writing anything at all. That would have served the purpose well enough, I guess!

Is it even possible for a human being - a mere mortal - to even give a fitting-enough introduction to this demigod who prefers to dwell upon this planet rather than somewhere in the skies above, forget about completing the entire description? So, I'm not going to try doing anything of this sort. I'm only going to try and write something which may not do full justice to his stature, but would also not offend any die hard Sachin fan

Well, I've been held by the charm of this magician ever since I first got introduced to this sport. The way he would swing his bat to send the ball racing down towards the boundary (or above the boundary, right into the stands) - he does that with equal panache even now after so many years - would leave me gaping at the TV screen, no matter how many times he did it - and he did it often enough. The quick runs between the wickets, the unconventional sweeps, the hooks, the pulls, everything, got my pulse racing like nothing else. The way he would slaughter the opposition's bowling attack was more than enough to send any team into a very-justified panic attack at the very thought of having him in the middle while it was their turn to field. The huge pileup of runs scored by him leaves little to be said. However, it is not the sheer number of his centuries and other career milestones alone, but the grit and determination which he possesses, which make me hold him in awe. He has not stopped trying to improve himself even though he has achieved a God-like stature in Cricket.

Today he hit his first century of this year's edition of World Cup - and England constitute a good enough bowling threat. It may not have been one of his best, but the awe factor stills lingers about it. I'm sure there would be many more to follow. But, nevertheless, I wish him All The Best!!

Shopping And All

It actually feels very nice to get up fresh in the morning, having cleared the emotional clutter of last week, and to write about something which is so very close to my heart, or, no, something that has now become an inseparable part of my whole existence upon this planet - Shopping!! I'm sure that all the ladies who happen to have come across this piece, would now not be willing to give up on reading the rest of it; and as far as the men are concerned, even they can feel free to read on...

So, I'd told you that I was pretty darned upset last week - for the uninitiated, I'd been a victim of one highly dangerous sadist - and so I'd spent quite a lot of my time simply moping away, you know, staring blankly out of the window, not talking or smiling much, and all that. It was in those moments of self-doubt and emotional outbursts, when Shopping came to my rescue like some old and trusted friend.

It took me even less than a second to decide that all I needed to do was to hold the hands of my Guardian Angel (Her Excellency, Shopping), and let her guide my way out of that feeling of despair which hung in the air all around me. So, I simply followed the cue and found my way to the only shopping mall in the city - not that it is much of a mall, by the by - and let myself loose upon most of the too-willing saleswomen who welcomed me into their showrooms with bright smiles and hellos.

I felt that air of gloom lifting up and being replaced by the very-familiar breeze of cheerfulness as I tried piece after piece of clothing, and examined one accessory after another. I could feel life returning to my body. I could feel the sparkle returning to my eyes. I could smile without having to fake any emotions.

I returned with just a single piece of clothing and matching earrings after nearly 2 hours of effort. But most importantly, I returned with myself! So, all in all, it's not really a bad exercise, this shopping. I hope all you men out there are listening!!

The Sadist

Well, okay, the title doesn't demand much explanation this time around, and this really bugs me because there's no way I can use the curtain-raising moment to showcase my skills at sarcasm, or to blow a bit of my own trumpet. So much for having my own blog, and all that jazz! But, to start with it all, I'd like to have the definition here for all of you understand what's going to follow. So, according to Dictionary.com (a wonderful online dictionary, by the way), a sadist gets sexual gratification by causing pain to others, and such a person ENJOYS being cruel.

And, I became one of the victims of one of the several of this particular species, just a couple of days ago.

The effect which such people have on the psyche of normal, happy and chirpy birds like yours truly, is quite tear-evoking and also hatred-evoking. Once such a person has unleashed one of his tricks upon the folks belonging to the latter category, there's no way they can manage to regain their smiling demeanor and hopeful attitude towards life for the next few days at least. It's like you suddenly got engulfed by something dark and vicious from all around; like the flow of something vital in you, got stopped. The feeling of hopelessness and despair is too crushing, at times.

It is in one of these moments when the erstwhile chirpy bird can seem to remember almost all the profanities and cuss words he/she ever heard in their life, but this time, they speak them out aloud with quite a lot of malice intertwined. They wonder if it were indeed possible for such a person to have been created by the Lord Almighty. It seems more likely that the Devil got to work on their mind.

The sadist just laughs away while you writhe away in pain; he smirks with a malicious glint in his eyes while you grind your teeth because your hands are tied with the cords of institutional-setups; he immerses himself in pleasure as he bruises one more of his victim knowing fully well that the healing would be a long, painful process, and the scars may even stay there for life.

I may see light again after some more days because I have a strong emotional support, but I wonder what happens to the less fortunate of my kind. I'll try to come up with a lighter piece of writing which sounds happier and more cheerful, next time. But thanks for reading through my grief.

Post-Twilight Syndrome

Now, isn't this one a self-explanatory title as well? And so, without taking up much time and writing space in telling all and sundry about my now-famous quality of giving apt titles to my posts, I would immediately get down to today's business.

As a prelude to whatever is going to follow, I want to tell all you people that I read all the four books in the Twilight Series within a span of THREE days! While I read through this charming series, I skipped meals without realizing that I was hungry, I missed my lectures without any regard for the then-upcoming Minors, I stepped out of my room only when it was ABSOLUTELY essential, I talked only if there was no other option available, I logged-in to my Facebook account only to post status updates about the reading experiences of this very series; in short, I behaved like someone possessed, or better still, like some young-woman-on-a-mission!!

And then, before I'd even had enough of this saga, it was all over. I'd fallen hopelessly in love with Edward Cullen, his mystique, and the entire magic that he had woven so effortlessly all around me and my whole world; and then, suddenly, it was all over. It was as if I had been cruelly pulled-out of some beautiful enigmatic world; as if he was reality and for some odd reason I was being made to live a long nightmare. I would dream of him while I slept, and my waking hours were more-or-less devoted to thinking about him, and him alone. 

Twilight had become my world, and Edward Cullen had become my God; and I don't care if it's a blasphemy because for me, this was the truth.

Things got a tad bit better after a few days, but that feeling of awe has still not subsided. 

But it's amazing, you know, this feeling of loosing control...

Belated Wishes and All

For all those who think that this post is going to be some kind of an open apology letter to somebody whom I forgot to wish on their birthday or anniversary, it's definitely not so. But yes, it does concern two people, who were very close to me till a few years ago and who's birthdays fell on the same day, the 27th January, i.e., yesterday.

We don't talk anymore. We don't know what the other one is doing these days. We don't even talk about each other with our common friends. We're not interested in each other's lives, anymore. We're not even Facebook friends (imagine that!).

There was a time when we were very close friends; the inseparable sorts, if you know what I mean. There was a time when we hadn't even imagined that we would get to be at such a stage in our shared lives when we wouldn't even care to know what is happening to the other ones.

And when I say all this, it doesn't imply that I'm blaming them for not keeping in touch, and for just going "poof" from my life all of a sudden. Even I had ceased to make efforts after a certain point of time. I don't know if I could have done better than what I did. And, I don't know what may happen if, at some point of time in our lives, we were to stumble upon each others' existence once again. Would we even acknowledge the other one's presence? I don't know.

It was their birthday yesterday. And I was reminded of the time when I used to try and be the first one to wish them. Then, I just stopped caring, for some odd reason.

Happy Belated Birthday, you two girls! I wish with all my heart that you would get to read this. I didn't want to write this last sentence, but I still did, again, for some odd, unknown reason.

I'm not sad. But I just wonder what this life would have been like WITH them. I guess I would never know how we came to this point where we'd outgrown that beautiful friendship.

Nothingness..

This time around, I'd get down to explaining the title of this post right at the beginning, without much ado. I'm sure I can hear some loud cheers already from all those who are tired of lengthy, often bordering-on-the-boring and nearly-satirical passages which seem to precede any relevant and meaningful stuff that is even remotely related to the topic of the post. And, in case you've failed to notice, even this little piece of self-admonition was just that - lengthy and irrelevant. But then, old habits die hard, you know.

Well, coming back to the afore-mentioned explanation, I decided to do this particular post because it was grand plan of mine to announce to the whole world, or at least to those inhabitants of this planet who happen to come across this particular blog (the rest will never know, poor souls), that I've spent one entire week doing absolutely NOTHING!! That's right, I did absolutely nothing worthwhile with my life for an entire week. And it was an experience which can not be expressed in words.

It was a mix of frustration which arose out of the fact that I was not doing ANYTHING at all - constructive or destructive, and a feeling of supreme relaxation at having resigned myself totally to my fate. For the first time in my life, I spent such a long period without having achieved some milestone in at least one of the several endeavors which I'm used to taking up all at the same time. And the unbelievable part of it is that I don't feel any kind of a regret at having done such a thing.

And to top it all, I don't even know what more to say about it...

So here's a post, from an authoress as illustrious as yours truly, which is going to end abruptly.

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