Bangalore Autowallah's

Every time I step out of my place in Bangalore to go somewhere, it might invariably lead to a war of words with an auto-wallah for the exorbitant amounts they charge for a ride in their precious(read made of gold) auto's. Having been here for almost two years now, it now comes as second nature to argue with an auto-wallah. Some of the reasons that that they give are downright funny and it’s sometimes hard to maintain a straight face while arguing with them.

A few years back Star One used to air a game show, "Family Fortunes". In the same format I give you "Top 10 stupid reasons given by Autowallah's for charging high"(arranged from most common to rarer)

10) Mujhe akaele aana hoga(I've to come alone)
9) Meter nahi chalta hai(Meter doesnt work)
8) Bahut traffic hoga (Traffic will be high at this time)
7) Mein wahan nahi jaata (I dont go that way)
6) Petrol ka daam bad gaya, jante ho?(Petrol prices have increased)
5) Mein Wahan se akele aaya hoon. (I've come alone till here)
4) De do saab. 10 baaje ke baad one half lega(Give sir. After 10 we charge one and half (meter) (this at 9, when he is almost asking double))
3) Meri gaadi naayi hai.(My vehicle is new)
2) Kya saab, aapke paas toh paise hai. (Why (are you penny-pinching) sir, you have money)

The last and the one that takes the cake along with the icing and also the box that it came in...
1) Bahut thand hai saab.(Its cold)

Got any more?

I've some very sarcastic replies(and i know you have too) for all of the above, but will save that for some other time. In the meanwhile keep arguing, lest the autowallah's swindle you of your hard-earned money..

To The (Over) Enthusiastic Photo Uploader...

Ok... I've said this once, briefly though... But I don’t mind repeating... For those who care to listen... I'm not saying that I haven't done it. I have and have learnt from it too.

To,
The (Over) Enthusiastic Photo Uploader

29/09/11

Hi,

You probably would know me. I'm one of your innumerable friends on Facebook(a year or two ago would have said Orkut). I know that you love to take photos and own a very good camera too. But then this is the age of Digital Photography and anyone with a 20000+ quid can get a decent DSLR/SLR (if I ask you to expand DSLR/SLR, you would give me a blank stare). And as everyone wants to be a Jack of all trades, you want to become a photographer too. You might know Photoshop too. Oh Cool, The better. But what bothers/irks me are the throngs of photos that you upload on the social networking site. Trust me it’s a virtual eye sore. Not many of your friends would say this but this is just my opinion/view and a humble plea, from me and few other that a bugged of this "Upload Your Photos" phenomenon.

These days I open (the new)Facebook and find that the inhabitants have made it a photo sharing site(the enlarged pics don't help either). The self confessed photographer has come up in all of us and we have been clicking away and hoping that some jobless soul will like and comment on it and you can proclaim "Hey, I'm a good phtographer."

You had gone on a trip to Timbuktu. Ok, we know that already. You had updated your status as "Rollicking in Timbuktu". And then you come back and put up a heap of photos of what you did there. Gleefully Facebook says "XYZ added such-and-such-number of photos in the album Rollicking in Timbuktu"... Everyone goes W.O.W, G.A.G.A... 5 photos into the album and they are already brain dead, cos all they see is the same thing posted over and over again in different angles and different tones that would help anyone, with a image manipulation software, build a 3D image of the same without missing any bit of the scene, if they had access to the album.

Entire lines in an album are dedicated to leaves, trees, sand, lamp, cows, cow dung (you get the point). Ya we know you took it. But is it really necessary to flaunt them? And with the new FB uploader it is real easy to upload. Select the whole folder --> Upload. Leave the rest to you superfast internet connection and Go have a cup of coffee, come back and voila it's up. And then you have the whole world drooling on your "well taken" photos (well, at least you think so). 300 odd photos and half of them are useless. What’s the whole point of uploading so many photos? A few are fine but 300? Are you ok? We, Ok I, aren’t that curious and mostly not interested to wade through all of them. Upload selectively.

And did you forget something after you uploaded? Oh, Not the wait for the comments. Think again. Need a clue? 5 letter word starts with and ends with L. Yeah, Label. Pls do that. You might sometimes get lucky and get a truly good shot, but then the world doesn’t know what it’s looking at. Do that if u want to avoid questions like "where is this?", "is this XYZ place?” But then you would be happy, cos you are getting the comments that you wanted, ain’t it? Let sense prevail.

About Photoshop. It’s a great tool. Used sparingly can make your photo better. Used excessively it can do the opposite too. A picture would say what 1000 words can, but with excessive editing you end up removing the 999 words. BTW what happened to those good ol’ original pictures?

Come on people. Be realistic. A horde of photos on Picassa is just fine. But on Facebook, think again. No one has that much time to shift through the entire collection. Most would view a few pics, like/comment on them and get back to work (yeah, we are all busy people you see). Most of them don’t care. Some comment just for the sake of it or sometimes to follow the conversation which is happening below the photo. Basically, the joke is on you. Better thing to do would be to put it on Picassa and share the link on FB (Real tech savvy). You will know how many are actually interested.

And as Ernst Haas puts it
“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.“

The Camera is a powerful tool in the hands of the capable. Use it well.

Regards,
A Guy on your Friend List

P.S: While you are at it you can visit my album "Random Glimpses" on FB(#shameless publicity) :P

Credits

Facebook Turnoffs.. My two cents

This post has spent a lot of time in the depths of my saved drafts in Blogspot. After being urged by someone to post, I'm finally putting up my 2 cents.

Lately I've been spending less time on everybody's "favorite"(easier to say in trend, but leave) social networking site, Facebook(FB). Its not like i don't log in. Its just limited. I need my dose of connectivity. Nowadays when I open FB and check out the news feed there are a lot of things that get my attention. Some in a good way, others not so. The other ones, of course, are the ones I'm talking about here. I might be cliched to say about how people should and should not post on FB. But there are a few trends that really put me off on FB these days.

Let me start with people liking their own status updates, videos, photos, comments and the list goes on. One question - So did you hate it before you posted it and then realization dawned on you that you like it after posting? Come on. Liking something you have posted yourself is like Hi Five-ing yourself in public.

Photos. Is Facebook a social networking site or photo sharing site? It confusing seeing the amount of pics people put in a single album. You got Picasa or Flickr (and countless others) for that. The endless stream of (sometimes useless) photos, at times of the same thing, is mind numbing to say the least. Keep it uncluttered. Otherwise if you want to make people jealous, well, go on. And in profile pics don't put a thank you for each and every comment. We know you are happy about our comments and grateful. But a simple "Thank you all" and its variations will do.

Groups. I've lost count of the number of times I had to remove myself from groups I've been added to and forced to read the N number of notification from them. Your likes are yours and not necessarily of others. Don’t force it on others unless you are absolutely sure that they would like it. If not send a link and let the other person decide if he/she wants to take the drop or not.

If you got anything private to discuss take it off Facebook walls. Call the person up or get on chat and discuss. Or at least use the Facebook "privacy" settings (they are there for a reason) and keep it between those who know of it.(TBH I’ve made this mistake myself) And talking of walls, it isn’t there for Graffiti. DoNt TyPe LiKe ThIs, BeCaUsE iF yOu Do, YoU rEaLlY sOuNd lIkE aN iDiOt Or GoT a NuT LoOsE Up ThErE.

The box for status messages says "What's on your mind?" and not "What you are doing now, now and now and now again and finally Now?". No one is that curious. But if you want your stalkers to get bored and leave you in peace then, carry on with it.

Add me.. Add me.. Farmville.. Cityville... Send me.. Send me.. this that.. this that. Stop. They might as well add you to Loonsville and send you a straight jacket.

Your name is part of your identity. It gets real difficult people to find you on FB if you keep customizing your name now and then. Keep the real one. Not the one you would like to be known with.

It's complicated. Ya? really? If its so damn complicated, then how about logging out and fixing it and then coming back and reverting to "Single" or "In a relationship" or just hiding it altogether. Sounds better, sounds simpler.

Tagging. Good thing about FB which is spoiled by using where not necessary and not applicable. I wont go on much about this.

Cant understand why people still keep sending gifts on Facebook using applications. Thanks but how about sending me something in real life? How about that hug you sent when I really need one in real life?

Stop clicking on anything that says "click me", "watch me" blah blah blah. It’s spam. It might or might not give you a headache but it definitely gives others an headache.

One think I totally dislike about FB is that there is no dislike link. It’s like Dictatorship. Either like or keep quiet.

Remember one thing. You are in a public network. Use your common sense. Post sense.

Though not original, those were my 2 cents.

Disclaimer: These are my views. You might agree with a few and protest against a few. If you like it thanks.

Circumstances

I often think about the way circumstances impact a person. Some will feel that it is a complete waste of time but others might agree with me that it does shape how a person reacts. If it is not the opportunities inherent in these circumstances, it might be the prejudices or the beliefs that are born out of them. We learn to read people, start thinking about unspoken words in pregnant pauses and also learn to manipulate and deliver what others want. Those prejudices that are born, take shape and grow with every false smile, every polite conversation and meaningless sycophancy, mostly to project ourselves as someone others want to see or say get into the good book or maybe just for personal benefit.It is sometimes rather scary to see how our prejudices prevent us in taking a rational decision, even if we know its the right one, and believe in people who will in turn act on their prejudices.Isn't it a probability that our illusory persona had made them lean towards us? Conversely, their mind would have probably learnt to sniff out one false twitch of muscle from another, again by circumstances, that they would start repelling us before we do.

It is actually amusing, how in this age of free thoughts,we let the people in circumstances shape us up rather than the free thoughts themselves, which lie dormant under the buried layers of experiences we have accumulated.

Remember this. You can lie to anyone in the world and get away with it. But not to the person who stares back at you when you look into the mirror. At the end of the day, if we get to bed knowing that our sense of identity had withstood one more day, we should feel lucky.

Or proud. :)

A few things...

Life has given me my share of ups and downs. And is still making me ride it like a sine wave. But along the way it has taught me few valuable lessons too. Here go a few...

-> If you’re smiling right now, you’re doing something right.

-> It’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel.

-> The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re scared to make a mistake.

-> No matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.

-> Freedom is the greatest gift. Self-sufficiency is the greatest freedom.

-> If you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop. You’re on to something big. Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.

-> It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance. You’ll rarely be 100% sure it will work. But you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Sometimes you just have to go for it!

-> Complaining is like slapping yourself for slapping yourself. It doesn’t solve the problem, it just hurts you more.

-> The one with nothing to hide is always the one left standing tall.

-> You can press forward long after you can’t. It’s just a matter of wanting it bad enough.

-> There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. Knowledge is basically useless without action.

-> In work and business, when they need you more than you need them, you have succeeded.

-> Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective.

-> We are all weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we call it love.

-> True friendship and true love do sustain the tests of distance and time.

-> You can’t change who you are. You can only change what you know and how you apply this knowledge.

-> It is okay to be angry. It is never okay to be cruel.

-> Even when you feel like you have nothing, someone else likely has far less. Find them and help them. You’ll see why.

-> Having a thousand credentials on the wall will not make you a decent human being. But genuinely helping one person everyday will.

-> There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. Knowledge is basically useless without action.

-> You can’t change who you are. You can only change what you know and how you apply this knowledge.

-> Having a 1000 friends is good. But find out that one person who will stand by you when you are in need.

-> Change happens for a reason. Roll with it. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

Remember.. Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. :)

Congrats Espana

The curtains finally came down on the biggest sports carnival in the Rainbow Nation. Spain claimed leaving the Oranje heartbroken, who had surprised everyone(not me though) by reaching the finals. The world cup lived up to its billing but not the big stars. But in their place rose few others who stood up on the occasion and delivered and the world unearthed a new group of talented youngsters. Congrats Spain.

But...
Oranje Forever :)

Waiting for the time India would make its FIFA World Cup bow..

Rip open the Package..

This is a speech that Chetan Bhagat gave @ Symbiosis

Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first.Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble . Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love.

We are people, not programmed devices.....
"Don't be serious, be sincere."

I would say that i couldn't have put it better(How so, after all he is the writer). This i guess puts my thoughts that i have been trying to convey to everyone, but could not put it in words as good as the ones above.

Now that i have found those words maybe i'll just add a few more of my own. Try to enjoy life while you can, at least while you are in college, and leave no place for regrets. Dont try to be someone else, just be yourself. Being unpopular is not a bad thing, but dont envy others at their popularity. When in doubt ask yourself what you really want. We have all the answers within us, its just that we never explore it. Its as the saying goes " Everyone is gifted, the only problem is that some people never open their package". So rip open that package, break the shackles and let yourself free. The world is at your disposal, make the best out of it. and Spread the cheer :)

ADIOS...

Tapestry of life

The threads seek each other out,
choosing from a multitude of colours and sizes.
Drawing each one to itself,
firmly weaving them into its own tapestry,
cutting loose where the pattern ends.
Working year after year,
making mistakes,
tearing out threads,
repairing the fabric and moving on.

This is the tapestry of life, the great pictures whose end cannot be seen. Many threads, many lives, many colours of different shapes and sizes go into making our one thread strong and our picture beautiful. Even in it's tragedy, even in sorrow, the picture is always beautiful. And in the end it will come to rest in the great halls of the dead along with so many others who have gone before. Each life tells a different tale, many are similar, no two alike, like a fingerprint we leave behind the story of our lives , quickly forgotten, lost in the dusty archives of the annals of time.

States

Well lot has happened in the past few weeks which concerns states.

First one that created a lot of problems is the AP-Telengana issue. Some say that smaller states solves a lot of administrative problems as they are easier to govern and stuff.. I say it might lead to a lot of problems. Even in the current case of Telengana, one of the premier cities of India Hydrebad is thrown into turmoil and it might have to be turned into a Union teritory. And right after this was sancationed(almost), more ppl have jumped on the bandwagon wanting states for their own. Now maybe the next thing we hear is that a city wants to be split into 2(yeah, even that can happen). Maybe we might see Berlin Wall 2. Who knows.. maybe we'll have another India-Pak withing the country and maybe LOC's between all states.. This is India.. anything is possible... Again let me enquire with the rule makers.. "with the Telengana for the telegus and the gorkhaland for the goorkhas and so on, do you have an India for the Indians? or is the cultural, ethinic and linguistic diversity we are so proud of, gonna tear us apart? "

Secondly my mind is in a very jumbbled state. I just dont know what i want to do and what i dont want to do. I've just stopped putting my head into everything thought the urge to do so is very high. I've started to add sarcasm to anything related to college and none of it is funny. i just wanna jump out of there and get some of my otehr things in order cos i understand i'm going nowhere if i stay there.

Lastly i read 2 states. Good book ,definitely better than his previous novel 3 mistakes of life, 2 states has all the ingredients of a Chetan Bhagath novel. You have wit , humour , situations that bring out your emotions. It is a story of a boy and girl from 2 different states of India ie Punjab and Tamilnadu and how they want to get married but thier communites are against it and how they toil to solve eveything so that they can get married. In a way I think it’s Chetan’s best book I read till date right up there with 5 point someone(there are some references of that book in this, sort of like a sequel book to that one). I laughed ,got emo and empathised with the concept of Indianness. Having lived in both North and South i can vouce for a lot of those things that are said in the book. Sometimes its quiet stop and go, sometimes drags a bit, but still is a good read.

Strangly( i dont know why it clicked to me now as i was typing), a crude answer to the above 2 "states" was derived from this book.

For the first one.. After the birth of twins, the nurse asks the lead character Krish, " Which will be their state?" he replies " They'll be from a state called India". I hope some important people are listening(or atleast readin this book).

For the second
“Sometimes in your life you just meet someone or hear something that nudges you on the right path. And that becomes the best advice. It could just be a bit of common sense said in a way that resonates with something in you. It’s nothing new, but because it connects with you it holds meaning for you.”

hmm.. I hope something happens..

"Hope"nhagen holds the key

"Copenhagen can be one of two things. It can be an historic event where the world unites against carbon pollution in a collective spirit of co-operation and collaboration, or Copenhagen can be a suicide pact. The choice is that stark." says President Nasheed, President of Maldives, who is being forced to watch as his homeland is wiped from the map. With each year that passes, the rising sea claims more land, and at the current rate it will claim everything.

From the 7th-18th of December the eyes of the world will be on the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark which will play host to the biggest, and perhaps the most important, Climate Conference which can go a long way in determining the fate of the world. COP (Confederation of Parties) 15 is the place where world leaders are expected to, in my layman’s terms, pick up where Kyoto left off and produce an agreement to which ALL of the world’s nations can agree to protect the earth’s climate. as i write So far 98 heads of state and government have already made it to Denmark.

Global Warming has had a an adverse affect of the world till now and if nothing is done about it soon then maybe 2012(ya.. the movie) will be a reality. There has been quiet a resistance from various countries about emission cuts, but hopefully all of them will see the light and agree to some forms of restriction for the better good of the world than their own country. Its not the time to be selfish, it is the time to reason, to know facts, to understand the need, and to ACT. The year has seen a marked interest in concern about Global Warming in people and many people even had public demonstrations on the 24th of October 2009 which was the "International Day of Climate Action" which saw a over 1800 demonstration all over the globle, which shows that people are actually concerned. And 2009 can be a landmark year if Hopenhagen is a resonding success.

All said, failure in Copehangen is not an option as the fate of the world lies with a few. And as Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy says "If the world fails to deliver a political agreement at the UN climate conference in December, it will be “the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century”

This is a call for all you world leaders.. ACT before its too late.. For the better good of the planet, think sensibly. Good Luck.. Lets hope for the best... Lets Go Green

P.S. Dr. Manmohan Singh Sir, Pls do attend the meeting. Its time for you to show you are one of the better leaders of the world.

Remembering 26/11

Its been a year since the country was witness to the horrific events of 26th November 2008 when a group of terrorists ran amok in the City of Mumbai. That 70 odd hours of ordeal is hard to ‘forget’ and ‘forgive’. The whole country came to standstill and people watched ‘terror at its worst’ live for three long days. The memory of those days of horror is still afresh in the minds of millions of Indians who watched those audacious terror attacks. The media frenzy generated could be compared with those generated after the 9/11 attacks.

I vividly remember watching a sports program on TV and switching channels and suddenly stopping at a news channel(guess it was CNN IBN) which was showing footage of the attack. I at first thought that it was the shooting of a new movie and only after a few moments realising that the shooting was real and it was really happening. And what followed he the next 60 hours was something that no movie could ever show. Having lived in Mumbai not long ago i used to have horrific dreams of this at night. And i remembering waking up the next day and walking towards the TV one thing only " is it over yet? is it over yet? Pls god.. Let it be over" And finally it was.. But at what cost..

Lets face it.. Whilst the last commando and the last hostage may have left the scene, and the last burnt tile or broken door been replaced months ago, the truth is Mumbai and the whole of the country will not be over it until we are able to squarely face what happened to us during those three days. What is more confusing is the fact that justice has not been served.

Now it has been a year when Mumbai was shaken, infact the whole country. And when I think of it today I still go numb… I go numb because of the fact that nothing has been done to give justice to the people who lost their lives that day, they are still mourning and hoping for justice. Kasab should have just been hanged without trial to say the least. Even though he was captured and investigations were put forth and a trail was going on, no judgment has been passed yet which makes up question our own judicial system. And the latest we hear is that the government has spent 31 crores for that man. Now that puts a lot of doubt in the minds of the common public.. Pls.. At least for the sake of the thousands of lives that changed after the event, for those brave soldiers and Policemen, For the sake of the country.. Let justice be served...

Once IC-814 took off for Pakistan, the terrorists won the advantage, and eventually achieved their aim of freeing some of the sub-continent's most dangerous men at Kandahar. "Never again", we said hoping that the country would not suffer at the hands of those terrorists again. But Mumbai 26/11 happened. Well This time also we'll say "Never again." But lets hope only this time we mean it..

Saluting those brave Commandos and Policemen who risked their lives for the cause of the country.

Ending my post with a line from a movie
We are resilient by force not by choice – A Wednesday...

Reasons Aplenty

A student died. Reason – Senseless ragging in college.

Another one attempted suicide. Reason – Depression due to the overloaded syllabus.

Girls beaten up in a pub. Reason – moral policing…whatever that means.

A girl gang raped. Reason – a group of spoilt brats decided to celebrate their victory in a game of cricket.

A man shot another after some quarrel. Reason – The deceased had parked his vehicle in front of this man’s house.

A tourist abducted, killed. Reason – greed for money and more.

Many kids kidnapped, killed, eaten by 2 men…gosh! Reason – some strange neurological disorder, disturbed childhood etc. etc. etc.

Some girl child killed in the womb. Reason – A son is the desire.

Girls sold off to wealthy men double their age. Reason – Need for money, poverty.

A man locks his family inside their house for 5 years - Reason - He does not trust the society.

Thousands of innocent people killed in Mumbai. Reason – a bunch of mavericks believe it’s their duty to kill people and please HIM.

A dog crushed to death by a speeding vehicle. Reason – well what reason can one give for the death of an animal, when there isn’t any explanation for the many human deaths everyday!

It's so Confusing...

Its been a long journey from where i was a tiny tot till now.. and suddenly i find that i no longer go along with the crowd and start realizing that there are and were many things about myself that i didn't know and may not like and some that i tried to hide. and at this stage i started feeling insecure and wondering where I'll will be in a year or two, but then get scared because i just realised that i barely know where i am now. I start realizing that people are mean, selfish, arrogant, and that, maybe, those friends that i thought were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people i have ever met and i think those who i thought would be no good could have turned out to be better people, and the people i have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. But i guess most people of my age will be going through the same phase. They and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as I am. As look at my present job and it is not even close to what i thought i would be doing, or maybe I'm looking forward for another job and realizing that I'm going to have to start at the bottom and that scares me. Maybe i was just hoping against hope that the sky's open up and they let me fall into my dream job. My opinions have gotten stronger and wiser, but i have also been known to throw regular tantrums which i didn't do so regularly earlier. I see what others are doing and find myself judging and being opinionated more than usual because suddenly i realize that i have certain boundaries in life and I'm constantly adding things to the list of what is acceptable and what isn't, and what is downright nonsense. One minute, I'm insecure and then the next, secure as if i on a wave. I laugh and cry with the greatest enthusiasm. I Sometimes feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and i try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where i was are or move forward onto untraveled paths. i get heart broken and all emotional and wonder how someone i loved could do such damage to me. I lie on my bed and wonder why i can't meet anyone decent enough that i want to get to know better. Or maybe i love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why I'm doing this because i realise that i aren't such a bad person. I want to settle down for good because now all of a sudden that becomes top priority as slowly and steadily i realise that i was over depending. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. I go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with my friends about the same topics because i cannot seem to make a decision. Now the time is such that the major worries are about money, the future, settling down and making a life for myself... and its a rat race. While winning the race would be great, right now i just like to be a contender! I dont know how many of you out there can relate to this. I just know that I'm enjoying the best, even though confusing, of times and worst,even with lot of ups, of times, trying as hard as i can to figure this whole thing out.

Well i guess i have just entered the limbo that people call the "Quarter-life Crisis" :)

India For Indians.. or not?

To,
Mr. Bal Thackeray
Shiv Sena supremo

Sir,

You have taken your hostility over giving the right of "Maharastian Manoos" to them a bit too far this time. You reaction towards Sachin Tendulkar's line of "Mumbai is for all Indians" was totally unwarrented and uncalled for. What is wrong is a national icon saying that? In a country which is a secular democratic and where everyone has the right to excise his religion, his language and his opinion you have no right to say that he cant do so. A person of your stature must restrain from making such comments on an International icon, a person who is loved and respected in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and the world and has brought glory for India as well as Maharashtrians

You say that "By making these remarks, you have got run-out on the pitch of Marathi psyche. You were not even born when the 'Marathi Manoos' got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai,". But we ask you what about the sacrifice of millions of people to get the Independence of India? Whats wrong is calling one self a Indian before a "my state name" man? Does India Come first or the state? Will the state be there is the county was no there? its like calling yourself a old man even before u were a child.. Andd guess what, saying what you have said you are putting yourself and your party in dispute with the greatest Maharashtrian icon alive today.

I might admire you for your frankness always. The way you have always put forward your opinions(good or not) may it be regarding Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Hitler, LTTE etc. But there is a limit to which people can tolerate this( and i mean the general public and not your own people). And you don't say bad about a figure of Sachin's stature, a Gentleman, a international figure, a person the whole country loves(and as his comments state he does too), and just get away without drawing opposition. But if these comments are a way of drawing attention to yourselves and also your party then that would be a disgrace.

The worst part is that your comments came at a time when the Sena and your estranged nephew Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are engaged in a game of one-upmanship to woo Maharashtrians. While the criticism of Tendulkar seemed to be aimed at cornering the MNS, it has certainly backfired on you,and now as you see your are drawing flak from all sides and even your closest alies(read BJP) have not supported you on your comments.

One last question for you. Please do answer this. For your comments Mumbai for Maharashtrians and similarly as for similar sentiments elsewhere like Kashmir for Kashmiri's, Tamilnadu for tamilains and Kerala for Malayali's can you show us an India for INDIANS? Can someone show us that?

Thanking You,

Scathingly Yours
A Young Indian

PS: there are honetly my opinions on the issue which i feel as an Indian and dont reflect anything political or against any party.

The Great Indian Dream

A dream is an aspiration. And we all have that wistful look when we think about our dreams.

We hope for THAT dream to come true. We really, really long for that achievement to be ours.A dream is not a domain of a select few… everybody has a wild fancy for something or the other. You…me…him…her…them...we… all aspire.

Our dreams change with our age, and when a dream is achieved, we move on to the higher plane of a new dream.

Sharing few dreams, we Indians dream of…

Common Man : Roti, Kapada aur Makan	A Farmer : His name in the Green Revolution.
Our Bollywood Actors : Oscar awards for their films.	Cricket Lovers : India wins every match and Sachin scores a century every time!
A Bachelorette : A tall, fair, handsome, well-educated, well-settled, only son, affluent family/NRI as groom.	An Eligible Bachelor : A beautiful, fair, slim, convent educated, professionally qualified bride.
A Student : Get admission in a premier institute a la IIT or an IIM!	Parents of Teens : Kids become either doctors or engineers.
Our Netas : Be the Prime Minister of India, one day!	A Businessman : Be the Dhiru Bhai Ambani of his field.
An Investor : Stock market to remain bullish, always.	A Corporate Executive : Work for the world’s best company and to be at the top of the corporate ladder!
A Housewife : Meri sari uski sari se safed ho!	A Couple : A happy, peaceful, blissful, prosperous married life.
A Delhiite : A bigger car, more diamonds and gold jewelry than my neighbor.	A Mumbaikar : Catch the 7:57 Fast Virar local with a window seat.
Children : Have powers like Ben 10 to transform into aliens and crush all the enemies.	A Blogger : Followers increase by a dozen every day, comments hit a double century for every post, get the every award in the blogosphere and churn out amazing posts every day!
EVERY INDIAN : A peaceful, prosperous, terror-free, poverty-free, crime-free, clean and green, united India.

Whatever our dreams…May they come true.

Because, nothing happens unless first a dream. And to accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. As a man's dreams are an index to his greatness. So, no one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to flee and fly high.

So go on and Dream India…DREAM!!

http://shilpaagarg.blogspot.com/2009/10/indian-dream.html

Our time is NOW!!!

Its time for celebration
For Sweets and hugs
For Kudos and pats on the backs
For we have achieved what we set out for
and dispelling all apprehensions

What we have yearned for
We achieved our goals
We transcended expectations
The peak was conquered
The depth overcome

Our time is now and there is more to be done
But for now, lets relax
and bask in the glory of our achievement.
But dont sleep off,
For there lie more unconquered peaks and
more depths to overcome

Breaking Out

I peeked out into the wonderful world outside
From within my parents shell around me
And waited eagerly for the fine day
I would be granded wings on my own.

With a heart spilling with emotions
I stepped out of the broken shell.
Crushing its pieces under by feet,
I walked out into the brightness.

In the light that has been shielded by my shell,
I saw the world as it really was.
No longer under a filter, my heart slowly learned
The stinking truth of the real world.

Where lies roamed free without a reason,
A hidden sneer always tailed a plastic smile,
Where some fasted for a better posture,
While others to hide their hunger.

Where people killed like dogs in the streets,
While others learned to blind themselves
And to stare at their own paths
Where the only mantra was "I, Me and Mine".

I tried to shield myself and ignore it
But the blanket around me slowly faded away.
I found myself stink with the world around me.
I had finally become a part of the chaos.

Around me I heard sound of cracking shells
Eager faces glancing out of their breaking shells
To stare into the unknown world,
And to face the brightness of truth.

To Follow or Not to Follow....

We all follow many practices and methods without really knowing the purpose or reason for it. Most of the times we fail to ask the reason and sometimes we bother to ask the reason but seldom end up with a satisfying answer. Most of the times the answer would be my parents/elders used to do, so just stop questioning and follow them; all is for our good.

Here are 2 stories.. guess you can make out the moral from them...

Indian version:
During the olden there was a gurukulam where an old gurukul was raising a pet animal – a cat. The cat was so mischievous and naughty that it will disturb the class. So before starting the class he will ask the class leader to tie the cat. And this became a routine for the class leader. Before every day's class he will tie the cat only then the guru will start the class. One day he passed away. Later his son took his responsibilities. And this habit of tying the cat before morning classes continued. At one point of time, the guru had to leave to other place so he asked his friend to take care of the gurukulam. The cat was still there, it was becoming old too. One day it died. The next day before the new guru was to start the class, he asked the boy to tie the cat. The students said that it passed away. But the guru said it’s a custom to tie a cat before starting the class, so asked the class leader to bring a cat and tie it only then he would start the class.

Foreign version:
There was a young newly wed couple leading a happy life. The husband was so caring and used to help her on kitchen activities, cleaning the house and stuff. He used to share almost all the work that she does. One fine day she wanted to give a total rest for her hubby and asked him to just watch TV or go for a gaming and that she will prepare a surprise meal for both. The hubby chose to watch TV. He was relaxing in the couch watching his favorite sports channel. For a long time he dint hear anything from his wife. So went to kitchen to check on her. He saw her struggling with a turkey meat. She wanted to cut the raw meat into two halves before putting it in the microwave. He offered to help her to cut it. He also tried even with a bigger knife but the meat was too hard and stubborn that it dint slit. He left the idea of cutting it, he asked her "Why don’t we microwave the full meat without cutting?"
She said no it should be cut before cooking. That’s how her mother used to do. So he called her mother and asked why cant the meat be cooked without cutting. She said even she isn’t aware of it. She just followed what her mother used to do. So this young man called her wife's grand mother and asked. The wise grandmother said, those days since she did not have a big vessel she always used to cut the meat and cook.

So we see there are many such habits that are followed blindly. We believe they are done for some reason and its all good for us. Yeah all the habits some of which are today's customs were all followed for a reason during the ancient days. But is the still needed to follow the rules laid way back without even knowing why they were laid out for? Way not try out new methods to do a thing and just not do what every one else is doing? I guess we all have had instances where we have mindlessly followed something with no reason. I have and have got struck more times than one. and I have learnt some valuable lessons from them. I would say that trying out new ways to do a thing may not be an instant success but maybe somewhere down the line you may find a better way of doing the thing than the so called traditional methods. I would like to end this post with this quote from Thomas Alva Edison responding to the idea that he had failed after 10,000 experiments to develop a storage battery

"I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work"