Category: Social Commentary

  • The English have gone, but….

    Remeber the scene in ‘Pretty Woman’ where Julia Roberts goes into the swanky clothes store and gets politely thrown out, because they serve only a certain elite clientele, and she certainly didnt fit that profile. i remebered it too, a few days back….
    The city has got itself a new eatery, perfectly located at the most happening mall here… the name of the restaurant is that of the first ‘real’ train that ever ran in India,and they have a theme that matches it, complete with a section that looks like the inside of a railway carriage, and bells which are sounded regularly, followed by announcements.. the music,is of course, instrumental, thankfully old hindi tracks… and thats enough of description..
    So, we landed up at the reception, partially wet from the rains which insists on keeping me company these days, where we were met by a very neatly dressed lady… we were given a ‘top to bottom’ appraisal and obviously we werent impressive enough (well, what can a faded jacket, denim, a beard without a moustache for company, and a ‘got wet in the rain’ look muster!!), for she politely said that we would have to wait for at least an hour before she could get us a seat… nice try, ma’am!!
    to be fair, there was a crowd there, and i would have been happy if that was the reason.. but the guys have taken the ambience very seriously, and were behaving with us, exactly the way the English used to, with a contempt underlying all words and actions…
    once upon a time, we got the British to do it to us, but these days, we do it all to ourselves!!
    until next time, i guess its only food… for thought…

  • The calling…

    thats a good band, but this post aint about them, its about us..
    virtual acquaintances- to each other, thats mostly what we are..
    my tryst with yahoo messenger began during my post grad days, i think it was the place where ‘manuscrypts’ as a term originated… all my yahoo friends were people who were known to me ‘really’.. so there was no question of ‘virtual personalities’..it’s only blogging where most of the people i know are ‘virtual personalities’.. to a certain extent, they are only as virtual as their photos online.. but then again,i think i’ve seen only simon’s, pradeep’s and wings’. to be fair, images helped me find a cousin who blogs, but that, i think, was only an aberration…i have never been too fond of blogmeets, simply because i love the anonymity and the’someone, somewhere’ feeling (no, not the ‘made for you’ one, a little more ordinary)..
    more importantly, to maintain a forum where judgements are made only based on thoughts and words, not the physical manifestations… to put it a lil more bluntly acne, dandruff, body odour etc dont matter on the net.. at a similarly superficial level, nor do complexion, looks etc… personalities are what they write…but, increasingly, i find that more friends are being made on blogs than in real life,maybe because, there is no compulsion, i can read someone’s writings, if i like what i read, i’ll be back, else i wont.. simple, and no baggage.. and people take hints much better online..hehe..
    maybe its easier to reach a comfort level this way, without the regular constraints… the next step in evolution, is to find out whether once the comfort level is achieved, can it be scaled upto the real friends level? times have changed, havent they? from building friendships in the real world and facing the challenge of maintaining them online to building friendships online and facing the challenge of maintaining them in the real world?
    someone in the list is coming to bangalore, so here’s calling all creatures of the web, what about a meet over coffee??
    until next time, virtually yours…

  • So, how’s India Shining?

    hey, hey, hey, my first post for the new year, hope all of you guys had a blast….and have gotten rid of the hangovers!! i snored my way into new year, which is a ritual..cant be changed…. 🙂
    now, where cricket is concerned, india was certainly shining yesterday, felt very happy for the debutant rohan gavaskar…must be so difficult for the guy, to make a niche for himself in the game, with the shadow of sunil gavaskar looming over him perpetually. it takes solid guts to get into the field where his dad earned the title ‘little master’. there have been many instances where i thought the guy would make it into the playing eleven, only to be rejected in the end. sometimes, i felt the selectors shied away from him, coz they didnt want charges of bias leveled against them…nyways hope he does well…..and yes, i honestly feel like starting a forum to stop steve bucknor from refereeing India’s matches!!!!
    but the recent ads that are being aired on tv and splattered on print, look too much like a well orchestrated PR campaign, to ignite the patriotism in me… add to it the discussion forums, and the cartoons about the ‘shining’ and the ‘feel good factor’, and i see a lot of reasons why just some infrastructural and sector specific (read BPO, ITES, IT) booms dont actually make me feel that good… one simple example would be my state,no, not my personal state, hehe, but that of “god’s own country”- Kerala…. a hartal every 3 days, extortion mafias mushrooming, no self respecting IT company (yes, there is an infy, but thats an exception to the rule) willing to invest, and that, in the state that has the second highest literacy, and indeces and statistics, that could give the west a run for their money.. the rest of the country still has its share of foreigners getting raped, dowry deaths (i recently saw a very gruesome report on, i think ndtv, where an iron rod was pushed into a 4 year old girl’s genitals, while her mother was being tortured for more dowry), corrupt politicians who make the policy decisions for the country..so while i agree that india is gaining, i am not so sure of the shining bit!!
    this article is worth a read, on this topic.a couple of links that you guys should have a look at, one is the delhi bloggers meet photographs, for which i should be thanking simon and w-bug, hell, i havent yet asked them if it is ok to post it, guys, if theres a problem just post a message. the other link, is a total whacko, have a look at it, its totally out of the box, trust me.which brings me to
    manuscrypts trivia
    i have come across a few einstein quotes, so am gonna post them in small doses
    “The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books; a mysterious order it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. BUThe also says
    “Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. ” 🙂

  • Dharmic interpretations

    i have become such an inconsistent blogger, right? heavy workload these days, and when i do get some spare time, all i wanna do is sleep.i have been reading ‘the great indian novel’ , again!! have also bought “the namesake” by jhumpa lahiri, will be starting it today.. one good thing after marriage, i have started investing in my hobbies – reading and music hehe, sweet wifey allows the indulgence….
    btw, since yahoo groups in india are under a storm cloud, dont u think that communicating through blogs goes on to a new dimension??in TGIN, shashi tharoor, the author says that a man’s dharma has to evolve according to the age he is living in, thats perhaps the only concept in the book i would disagree on..my point being that, if it were that flexible, then the entire concept would go for a toss, because my versions of truth and dharma would be conveniently changed by me, whenever i required… whenever i thought a bit of cheating would get me what i wanted, i would do so…. so cricket teams could cheat, students could cheat in xams, life would be a treat, if you knew how to do it without getting caught….unfortunately thats what is being done now, and why the world isnt so good a place it used to be…..
    manuscrypts trivia
    An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have; the older she gets the more interested he is in her.

  • The age of innocence

    and the dream is finally over….yesterday i told my wife that this week i would be taken off from the main page, have almost understood the rediff cycle, will try a prediction on my second coming, soon.. 🙂
    since i had a 3 day weekend, lots of time for contemplation… was wondering, kids grow up very fast these days, thats only a noticed phenomenon, no practical experience…. but the things they think about and talk about, if i do a comparison to my generation’s mindshare items, i guess i would be in for a massive complex.. they do grow up faster, dont they?? and so, the age of innocence is becoming smaller…at some point of time, mentally and emotionally, we wouldnt be able to differentiate between kids and adults…another thought crossed my mind, the numerical difference between ages 20 & 40 and 70 & 90, are same, but the practicalities are so different??
    cola bashers, one for you, india has reasons for attacking Us and most of the world, coz they have WMD…. colas!!! 😉
    i read an article today in ToI, it seems arun nayar, would-be hubby of Liz Hurley (ooooomph!!), had poured hydrochloric acid in a public pool, no damages coz some pool attendants saw it, now the press is gonna skeleton hunting in cupboards…must be the result of the prayers of a few million heartbroken males, and i guess some females too 😉
    check out this feature that appeared on rediff….manu’s team ManU has just registered its first win in the league… did u know that it beat arsenal in a pre-season friendly… red devils, thats the way to march…have finished roald dahl, the guy becomes good, in an eerie way, in his later stories, so if you are buying the book, (the best of roald dahl) start from the end….theres an especially good story on adolf hitler, have to hand it to dahl, he has a way about macabreness and eeriness..hehe
    have started on “where the rain is born”, edited by anita nair (link on my medialist), its a compilation, stories, articles, poems about kerala…. so far, good…..i read a review on some book in ToI, the person who wrote the review (shit, i cant get her name, would love to do some mudslinging with the name 😉 ) writes that the particular book, though it is from an indian author, is not about kerala nostalgia, and stories swirling in mango curry…… hello, its not our fault if we happen to be a very literate state, and kinda expressive, and who manage to attract tourists consistently, and keep them happy, so that they write about it!! (ok, anger vented)now for some
    manuscrypts trivia
    all those who frequent elevators, this one’s for you
    oh copyrights-wise, its a forward 🙂
    Things to do in a Lift
    When there’s only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn’t you.
    Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock.
    Smile, and go back for more.
    Ask if you can push the buttons for other people, but push the wrong ones
    Call the Psychic Hotline from your cell phone and ask if they know what floor you’re on.
    Drop a pen and wait until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream, “That’s mine!”
    Hold the doors open and say you’re waiting for your friend.
    After awhile, let the doors close and say, “Hi Greg. How’s your day been?”
    Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.
    Move your desk in to the elevator and whenever someone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.
    Lay down a Twister mat and ask people if they’d like to play.
    Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on ask them if they hear something ticking.
    Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exit with the passengers.
    Ask, “Did you feel that?
    “Stand really close to someone, sniffing them occasionally. When the doors close, announce to the others, “It’s okay. Don’t panic, they open up again.”
    Swat at flies that don’t exist.
    Tell people that you can see their aura
    Call out, “Group hug!” then enforce it.
    Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering “Shut up, all of you, just shut up!”
    Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, “Got enough air in there?”
    Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
    Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce in horror, “You’re one of THEM!” and back away slowly.
    Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.
    Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope
    Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
    Grinning, stare at another passenger for a while, and then announce, “I have new socks on.”
    Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, “This is my personal space.”