what else?

On phone...

A: hi B!
B: how are you man?
A: I am fine, how about you?
B: cool, going good!
A: what else?
B: nothing much!
A: OK.
B: what else?
A: nothing new!
B: hmmm...
A: and?
B: you have to tell...
A: hmmm... nothing new!
B: OK. what else?
A: as usual, nothing... Just life is going on!
B: OK then!
A: Yup, bye
B: bye!

This is how my conversations are going on these days! Does that mean, nothing is happening in life? Or does that mean, I/people forgot to converse? Or is life simply that monotonous?

PS: I am about to start one more boring day at office ;-)

it troubles...

Many of us, since childhood, have some dreams/aspirations. We take different paths to reach those goals or fulfil those aspirations. As expected, the usual hurdles, partial successes, failures, and other jugglery will be there in the path. As time progresses, we reach to such state that we are too engrossed in solving the temporary issues and forget the theme of our basic goals.

If one of our good old friends call up and ask about what's the status of so -and-so goal, it blows us like anything! Because, we are already drifted too much from the roots and getting carried away by the winds and storms! It troubles... very badly!

PS: is the good old friend, your inner-self?

when caste, religion's no bar, register here!

the search for a life-partner... how important and necessary in life! rather, how uninteresting life would be, if there isn't somebody to share with? huh... we, as human beings, like many other animals around, share life with somebody of opposite sex... but, the basic difference is that animals find their mates with instinct, while we crave for so many factors to match before finalizing our mate... how pathetic? unlike in the olden days, the average age of a male or female to get married has come up to twenty five years now... that means, a quarter century... in this long period, with so many interactions and acquaintances, it's quite natural to like somebody to the extent of having confidence of sharing life with! but, is this all? are we respecting our instincts? i guess, NO!

a decent job... nice appearance... good family background... influential circle... fixed assets... color... caste... religion... location... the list never ends... the most sickening thing when it comes to human relationships is: why the hell the girl and the guy should be of same caste/religion to share their lives? i've come upon this interesting news today... somebody out has taken initiative to encourage junta to go ahead with their partner-search beyond the societal boundaries! something really good is happening out here!

musings of a loony bachelor...

what does a working lonely bachelor do during weekends? sleeps for long hours, to escape from the loneliness that surrounds due to lack or work and company... eats restaurant food, trying something different, only to discover that there are worse things in life... cleans the room if it is unbearably disorganized, of course, only to get it disorganized again in few hours... washes cloths if they are stinking too much... makes food on his own (that includes great task of mixing hot water into those countless instant mixes), and get bored of that too... tries wearing new dresses although the wardrobes are already stuffed to 200% of their capacity... does lot of work outs, to look fit and healthy... watches sunrise, sunset, full-moon and those beautiful stars... and yes, the bird-watching session too...

huh, the list never ends... but, the underlying fact is that "no matter how much/many other things we possess/pursue, life is always boring without somebody to share with"

wonder why???

On this lousy office hour on a weekend, I came upon this thought provocating post by Anjali, about the growing incompatibility between the brides and grooms in arranged marriages!!! May god help us, poor souls who can't break those barriers, and just can't sit comfortably inside the barriers mourning for the broken hearts!!!

I wonder...

It is my usual habit to halt at the local road-side kulfi vendor, along with my roomies, to savor the luxury of the dessert... Keeba was buying kulfis for us... I have noticed a pretty woman standing near that shop, while her husband was attending a phone call sitting on his bike... I guess, she must be around 27-28... she wore a red saree in north-Indian style... she has that fair complexion with a color that can only be obtained by mixing gold and sandal wood color... she was stunningly beautiful and absolutely perfect in looks... I kept gazing at her without my conscience... in a couple of seconds, she has noticed this... a momentary feeling of discomfort appeared on her face, followed by an expression of happiness... I could observe that she is faintly trying to hide her smile, closing her lips... huh, that was really amazing... she looked like a star to my eyes... I don't know whether thinking/looking like this is insane or irrational on my part... but, the beauty in front of my eyes was really mesmerizing... her expressions shifted between smiling, naughtiness, teasing, admiration, happiness and so on so many times in those couple of minutes before we came out from that shop... her hubby was still on phone... after walking a bit, I asked Keeba, "shall I go back and buy another kulfi?"... he understood me and said yes... ha hha, somehow I didn't go back... but, as the couple passed us by on their bike, she has given the same naughty smile on her face while looking back at me...

I wonder what is hidden in that smile... I feel jealous for her husband's luck... I guess, that calls for a disturbed sleep tonight!!!

can we be more sensible?

since last four days, all the roads and main centers are occupied with ad hoc Ganesh temples... keeping aside the sentiments of people, it is surprising to see the way the whole process is being celebrated... within a span of 1km of roadway, there are more than five points where these ad hoc devotional places are arranged... all of the groups are competing with the size of the statue that is erected there... not just the size of the status, but the wattage of the speakers they arrange... lord Ganesha himself can answer where the hell these people got permission to play those loud speakers, right in the middle of busy residential area!!!

lord Ganesha, whose statue is located at the nearest point to the speakers, must have already gone deaf for lifetime (in fact, for his whole life cycles to come) and he can no longer hear the pleas of people, in spite of his large ears!!! sadly enough, there is no single song that is devotional... day starts much before 5AM with a song "meri naseeb mein tu hi tu" followed by "sexy lady on the floor" and so on...

lord Ganesha must be muttering to himself "sudharjaa beta"when he sees the 'pujari' staring at the display by a modern-dressed young girl who came to offer pooja... funny enough is the publicity on display for the people who are organizing these things...

every time I see these ganesha idols being worshipped, i only think the fate of these man-made forms of god being thrown at the local dump yard after the nine days event :-( needless to mention about the stringent security needs to avoid any casualties between people, who always try to find reasons to fight!!!

I dream for the day when people celebrate the 'spirit of unity' as their religion, 'brotherhood' as the motto and 'live and let live' as their policy...

EARTHLINGS!!!

yesterday, i watched this documentary EARTHLINGS shown in our centre for ecological sciences... the documentary is all about how we, human beings are exploiting animals for different needs... food, meat, companionship etc... the whole documentary is divided into five different sections... i couldn't watch the whole documentary... in fact, i was really startled to see the way those animals are butchered/murdered just for fulfilling the food requirements of mankind... those are not even given anaesthesia before butchering... a documentary worth watching... i bet, anybody sensible enough can't eat non-vegetarian food with that liking after watching this documentary... it is really sickening to know that millions of animals are killed daily in USA itself just for supply of food...

PS: i've strongly decided to be vegetarian from now onwards!!! watch this documentary, and i bet you will feel the same!!!

how human are we?

It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon. A flock of birds was spending great time searching for food and playing on the main road. Out of the sudden, a big truck sped through... sad thing had happened again.

Birds can feel too. Although this bird had already died, another bird flew over to her immediately, just like a family member, unable to accept the truth.

Not long after that, another car stormed in causing the dead bird's body to whirl with the wind. The spouse noticed the movement. As if she was still alive, he quickly flew beside her again.

He stayed beside her and yelled ... "WHY ARE YOU NOT GETTING UP!?"

Unfortunately, she's no longer able to hear him. In the meantime, he's trying to lift her up.

He, of course, was unable to bear the burden. Another car soon passed by. He quickly flew off. Once the car had gone, he came down again.

Although other birds told him its useles, he never gave up. He was trying his best to lift her up to see her flying again. Another car passed by, her dead body whirled again as if still alive and trying to fly.

He had used all of his energy, however...

The photographer said he couldn't shoot any longer. The photographer was so worried that the living bird was going to get hurt by passing cars. So he picked up the dead bird and left it at the roadside. The live one still lingered at a nearby tree as if crying with his singing and refused to leave.

Do humans have the same feelings nowadays? I wonder.

PS: This was a mail sent by one of my friends. Two days back, I was walking to Yeshwantapur along with Krishna to eat bajji's there. We found a deadbody of an orphan woman lying beside the road. Many people (that includes both of us) were there, simply taking a look and walking away. Policemen were taking photographs for their official records. I wish we can do something to avoid this kind of happenings in our society, than just walking away!!!

marriage market...

it is second week of May and many people are getting married... a time for everybody to glitter in nice ornaments and jewellery... to meet relatives and friends... look for bride/groom for oneself... learning about relatives and relations... a time to celebrate and rejoice... marriage... a very important milestone in everybody's life, personally, socially, and in general, psychologically...

everytime i call my parents these days, they are mentioning about this or that marriage, immediately followed by the details about what that groom does, how he is, and how much he has taken as dowry!!! i still wonder how this custom of dowry, which started in rich class families as a gift to bride, has become a mandatory thing in almost all families... especially, in south indian states, this is too badly grown... it is OK from groom's side to accept some financial assistance from bride, in case he is not economically strong or able... ironically, the more the groom is able, the more they are demanding... it's something like 1:100 ratio... a person earning 30k per month needs 30 lakh as a gift... what the hell is this? that means, he is demanding the same amount of money which he can see only if he saves all his earnings (with the current rate) continuously for eight years!!! don't you think it is too pathetic? still ironic thing is that bride's side families are ready to give that lumpsome too (even if that is more than their capability)!!!

law also successfully failed to implement dowry law, because we lack that social concern... more than that, these customs are so deeply engrossed in people's mind set that we all feel like it's a natural process... many girls (i don't know what portion) whom i know, who are working in good firms and having enough educational background, still say that they are not sure if they will work after marriage because, it all depends on the groom's decision... why parents are moulding their daughters into such a dependent personalities?

if some boy says he doesn't like to take dowry, people are suspecting his manhood!!! this is another aspect of this brutal custom... the more the dowry, the more it gives fame in their local community people... why should the girl's parents wash the groom's feet for kanyadaan while groom's parents happily enjoy their stature of "groom's parents"?? is it just because of that non-deterministic probability of X and Y cromosomes which decides whether the kid is going to be male or female? if the bride is able enough and earning sufficiently more than the groom, will that groom's parents ready to wash that bride's feet?

not all our customs may be wrong... but, is there a single logical explaination for these silly things? when will our society grow up to abolish these nasty traditions? when will our parents agree for a love-marriage without asking caste/community/religion and dowry? when will the time come to delete the column "caste and religion" from applications? when will this marriage market be ended?

In honor of all those who forward chain mails...

I want to thank all my friends and other unknown people who have forwarded chain letters to me in 2003, 2004 & 2005 and 2006.

Because of your kindness:

1. I stopped drinking Coca-Cola after I found out that it's good only for removing toilet stains!!!
2. I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS!!!
3. I smell like a wet dog in a mud puddle since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer!!!
4. I stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill from hell with calls to places like Uganda, Singapore and Tokyo!!!
5. I stopped drinking water outside for fear that I will get sick from the rat poop and urine!!!
6. When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me, then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice!!!
7. I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times. (Poor girl! she's been 7 since 1993...)!!!
8. My free Nokia phone never arrived and neither did the free passes for a paid vacation to Disneyland!!!
9. Made hundreds of wishes before forwarding pics of Dalai Lama, Ganesh Vandana, Tirupathi Balaji et al. Now, most of those "wishes" are already married (to someone else)!!!
10. If ORKUT deletes my account, it's okay and it's MY business. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME "Orkut is deleting accounts: Due to sudden rush..." messages. That makes me NOT want to have an account with friends like you in the first place!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not forward this to at least 913760 people in the next 10 seconds, a thousand birds will poop on your head today at 10:30 a.m!!!

Give me a break! And GROW UP!

PS: I got this nice mail from one of my good friends, Lalloo... good job Mr.Lallit!!!

my first police complaint!!!

I have never been to a police station before... Yesterday, I went for the first time to register a complaint about loss of my mobile... We went there not with a hope of tracing my mobile but just to get acknoeledgement receipt so that i can get the same number from AIRTEL people...

It was a painful experience, I must say... I went along with kalyan who happened to be omniscient regarding whereabout's and howabout's... We have chosen Yeshwantapura police station as it is next to our institute... As soon as we entered the police station, the very sight is unfriendly and people there in khakhi dress look like 'yama dootha's... The SI over there handed me over a feeble piece of paper to write down the complaint... when i wrote subject as 'theft of mobile', he has immediately taken that paper and torn it out, while giving a look as if he is looking at some uncivilized people... then, he started questioning like 'who are you?', 'where do you reside?', etc... when we told that we are residing in indian institute of science, he was inquiring about which part of IISc are we staying? regardless of the answers given by us, he says our insti. doesn't come under their police station range... later, he wanted me to draw the road map to my place from the police station... meanwhile, he ignores us and counts the money(unofficial) he has earned that day... then, he went to Inspector and explained the situation... Inspector too has asked all the same questions and gave similar conclusions... finally, when i have shown my ID card, (i don't know what changed his mind... whether he thought that he should not collect any amount from us or felt sympathy for poor educated souls), he has given me another feeble piece of paper and asked me to write 'loss of mobile' rather than 'theft of mobile'...

finally, he has given us the acknowledgement(which is obviously another feeble piece of paper) and my job done (may god bless this SI)... but, what really pained me is the way they treated us... if this is how they are treating people who are sufficiently educated, what might be the situation with innocent, ignorant, and poor people? I cannot imagine... It seems it is highly futile exercise to seek help from police station unless there is no other way!!!

confused!!!

nothing is so exciting these days for me... i dont know what happened to me but everything is looking monotonous and boring... the september morning sky is so beautiful and wonderful... still, i am unable to enjoy its beauty... the untimely drizzle is so romantic... yet, i am not able to appreciate its cool touch... the sunset view from my balcony is really awsome... but, i am not in a position to relish it... what happened to me??? as of now, i don't have any answer... i am so confused!!! god knows how far and how long this confusion continues!!!

someone like you...

there are few things sadder in this life than watching somebody walk away from you after they have left you; watching the distance between your bodies expand until nothing is left except the empty space and silence.

This is a dialogue by Jane, a character from the movie 'someone like you', when her loved partner leaves her and walks away. I dont know exactly why i remembered these lines but sometimes i feel these lines are nothing but true. I wonder how can anybody break the promise made to their partner and choose their own path. Dont they retrospect their behavior and respect the relation at all? What happens to the one who was left behind? What happens to the colourful and happiest world imagined between the so called 'soulmates'?

Certainly, the phrase "nothing lasts forever" proves its existence and irony everywhere. Time heals the wound, but not completely. One can take some time for coming out of the phase of self-pity, and build from the zero based state, and ultimately to a comfort zone. There may be so many good (in fact better) friends in that zone. But, somewhere somehow, when the sky is so clear and pleasant, the breeze is so cool, the memories of the broken relation just rush in. A painful pleasure or a pleasant pain, whatever it may be, will make one confused. The trauma prevails for a while, and fades away in the day-to-day hectic life! The cycle repeats!! After all, pain is a part of life which nobody can escape!!!

Isn't the ultimate bliss to find Someone exactly like you??