Category: Society & Culture

  • Tech Republic

    Upfront, let me admit that an intense subconscious jealousy might be the reason for the contents of this post, but thats a big ‘might’. and before i start off, let me assure you that i have nothing against the people i write about, only sympathy at the way they are being used.. and it may not be a situation which applies to everyone in the industry… disclaimer over, post start…
    A few days back, i read an article that a reputed software company is going to start a beauty salon, on its campus.. the reason being that since the employees start work early and end late,they may not have time to get a haircut or facial, and so the oh-so-concerned employer is taking care of it… sometime earlier, i had also read about how creches were the latest HR craze in the silicon towers..reason being that employees shouldnt be bothered about finding a safe parking place for their toddlers… i assume the forthcoming attractions would be a work station which will double up as a dorm at night, with facilities for brushing/shaving etc, entertainment facilities for the last generation of visiting parents, express mating services coz baby, who has the time for love and romance, mini sperm banks and artificial insemination procedures, so that the correct genetic ingredients can be used to make a perfect tech kid who might be able to start programming after uttering the cursory ‘papa’ and ‘mama’ utterances, and its formal introduction to them, and yes, before i really lose it, please, a toilet seat instead of the regular seat….
    Welcome to the tech republic, founded on the toil of a million professionals who bravely walk that thin line between their retina and their monitor, and their fingers and the keyboard… who are led to believe that their work is making a difference to millions of users whose life has been made easier because of the billion applications/programs that are being churned out… who are worth so much, thanks to their ESOPs, that it would make every other kind of professional hide his face in shame, but who wouldnt have the time to enjoy it.. whose life, for me, is still an enigmatic code… er, before we got diverted, wasnt the whole process about improving lives? i guess,like every republic has its own set of martyrs, so too does the tech republic…
    until next time < / post >

  • Blessed??

    Ajay Devgan (in a borrowed raincoat 🙂 ) is the poster boy for this post. i have been wanting to write this ever since i saw the movie, and a few days back, when i saw another character like him, i had to write, because i know a lot of guys like these, and i sympathise with them..
    – the driver who looks on in anguish as a guy zooms past him, riding on the wrong side, because he is too nice/meek not to do it.
    -the guy who stutters at the waiter that the people who came after him have gotten a table as well as their food, and he is still waiting.
    -the guy who slogs all day at work and watches a colleague walking away with the accolades because he aggressively presented himself.
    -the woman who suffers verbal/physical abuse from her husband.
    -the kid who is forever bullied by friends/cousins…………………

    there is a feeling that aggression has to be developed if you are to succeed/ get out of the sad predicament/s you are in. but what if you are made that way, when you cannot be forcible enough, when you are too nice to take offense? are you going to be defenceless, are you going to suffer forever, is it only you who can save yourself? but if you are made that way, can you save yourself? or will you forever have to slink away to the bathroom to sit and cry in isolation? because you are too meek to even cry aloud.
    and sometimes it is not just about being meek…it is because you have a principle that what goes around will come around, and therefore cannot bring yourself to shout/ proclaim/abuse…..
    does this world cater only to people who are willing to fight? do you have to snatch something thats yours by right? do you have to shove your way forward all the time? was life ever meant to be such a big fight??
    to correct myself, i dont sympathise, i empathise, because quite a few times i see the character when i look in the mirror.
    until next time, ” Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth”.

  • Democrassy

    When an Italian born Roman Catholic asks a Muslim president to make a (now) Pakistan born Sikh, the Prime Minister, in a country thats predominantly hindu, and still a vast section of the world that considers it a xenophobic, ‘prone to fanaticism’ country, i started wishing Induism were a little more aggressive. Induism, because it can never go back to what the original way of life stood for, it has evolved due to internal and external reasons…..
    When a buffoon like Bush unleashes savagery on whatever country he deems fit for having WMDs, supporting terrorism and a whole range of blah blah that only he understands, the world turns a blind eye, and then regains sight when a Best Bakery happens. “Hindu fanaticism at its worst!!”.
    The only political party that at least makes a semblance (in its own ways) of being Hindu friendly gets chucked out of power for (supposedly) India not having shined for the poor. and pray, what shine did the country get during the first 50 years of independence, when the congress was a virtual monopoly?
    are we talking about an existence, that has created a north-south divide that is perhaps impossible to erase,
    an era which boasted of the ’emergency’?, sure that must be something of a trophy for democracy in india,
    a rule which created poster boys like laloo yadav, ram vilas paswan etc whose sole claim to fame is the caste vote
    and a rule in which the Left stood watching while china screwed us, hell, they even applauded!!
    in today’s context , the same rule which is cosying to the Left,( who still think USSR exists.)
    the secular coalition, which has a party called Muslim League in it, with ministerial berths!!
    If this country is so secular, what is its problem with a hindu party. only because hindus are a majority. and are not aggressive enough!! because muslims are a minority and they need a party to get their rights, of which they already have more than enough!!
    nobody talks of hindusim getting diluted, coz its a mature enogh religion to absorb. tomorrow if i launched a party called the hindu nationalist party, i would get a stay order from the supreme court, and the US would talk about fanaticism and immaturity and barbarism. but hey, would they let a mohammed or ram rule capitol hill? hell, they havent been able to get an african american in, that should happen in the next millenium…….
    manuscrypts trivia
    speaking of capitol hill, heard of the latest ‘washingtonienne’ sex scandal, read about it here, and then read some rare excerpts here or here.
    and a good fwd i got
    Special High Intensity Training
    In order to assure the highest levels of quality work and productivity from our employees, it will be our policy to keep all employees well trained through our one program of Special High Intensity Training. (S.H.I.T.) We are striving to give our employees more S.H.I.T. than any other company. If you feel that you do not receive your fair share of S.H.I.T., please see your manager. you will immediately be placed at the top of the S.H.I.T. list. Our managers are especially skilled in seeing that you get all the S.H.I.T. you can handle. Employees who don’t take S.H.I.T. will be placed in the Department of Employee Evaluation Program. (D.E.E.P.S.H.I.T.) Those who
    fail to take S.H.I.T. will have to go to Employees Attitude Training. (E.A.T.S.H.I.T.)
    Since our managers took. S.H.I.T. They dont have to do S.H.I.T. any more because they are full of S.H.I.T. already. If you are full of S.H.I.T., you may be qualified to train others. We can add your name to our Basic Understanding Lecture List(B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T.). Those who are full of B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T. will get S.H.I.T. jobs and can apply for a Promotion to Director of Intensity Programming(D.I.P.S.H.I.T) If you have any questions,please direct them to our Head Of Training(H.O.T S.H.I.T.)
    Thank you,

    Boss in General
    (B.I.G.S.H.I.T)

  • Hot and Happening

    Since the whole of India is like an oven, the title would have been apt even if it was out of context, but it is in context, nevertheless….
    i saw a malayalam movie thats become a hit recently. Its called “4 the poeple” (the pun, i think, is intended because it centres around four college guys).
    Four engineering graduates who are sick of the corruption, goondaism around, and take the law into their hands. their interface with the commonfolk is a website where people can register complaints against corrupt practices, gangs etc. the guys (typically, almost as a trademark) cuts off the right hand of the perpetrator and sends off the proof of his misdeeds to the police.
    I am happy for the movie’s success, coz it means the public is still at a stage where they are appreciative of (at least) someone standing for justice, fairness etc…. and more than that, willing to sacrifice a good life for the betterment of society. In a society devoid of morals, even thats a boon. right now, the process of accumulating wealth has become a passion. and it has to be, if only for survival. and therefore morals, ethics, virtues etc dont count.
    i need more money coz my old classmate has bought a new car, my colleague has bought a new house, my neighbour has two home theatres for his single home and so on and so forth…all the while listening to new age gurus, who, like a colleague so aptly put it, are only telling me what my grandma used to say anyways!!
    i am in the whirlpool, and even though i hate it, i have to swim vigorously to survive…. and if i can manage it, sink a couple of people swimming with me…
    society judges me be what i have, and not what i am, and so i play along, and will lose eventually, but yes, i tried. and i am a traitor in society’s camp coz i derive a sadisitic pleasure when i hear people talking about the heat (even though i get affected myself)..coz , its because of the tree cutting, plastic using, animal killing consumeristic greed of ours that nature is treating us with the same feeling that we treat it… no sympathies!! but hey, i am still with society, and pretty soon, hope to be hot and happening….
    meanwhile, some good quotes from some lucky people who had the time to think…… and do …in
    manuscrypts trivia
    “About the most originality that any writer can hope to achieve honestly is to steal with good judgment.” ~ Josh Billings
    “Everyone is as God has made him, and oftentimes a great deal worse.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes
    “God is at home, it’s we who have gone out for a walk.” ~ Eckhart

  • Theory of Relativity

    Heat. Lightning. More heat. Coconut trees. and between all these a tiny post, a day late….a classic case of blogginess overcoming laziness. (the style was intended to be something like the beginning of a work of fiction, i am practising every week … hehe)
    a lil bit about the title, am in no ways trying to expand on what ol’ albert said or did.. uh uh, i am not even trying to go there… on the contrary, it veers more towards the ‘how we are’ side of ‘philosophy’ than the ‘how we are’ side of science.
    It was sparked off by an article i saw in ‘the week’ about the difference in salaries of profs in the iims and the dudes who pass out of there, it was around 3 times. so, i wondered why the profs were still there – the first answer was an obvious one, they loved what they were doing.
    the other less obvious reason set off a thought process whose results were as follows – if we only look at what we are, what we earn, what we possess etc in an absolute sense , rather than in a relative sense i.e in comparison with what others have, what they earn, what they possess etc we would be more at peace with ourselves and the rest of humanity. there, thats the new theory of relativity. and so we would be able to spend more time doing things that would improve our lives…screeeeeech, just slammed the brakes on that line of thought, we will go there some other day.
    just realised a pun in this – ‘relatives are the source of misery’ 😉
    and now on to
    manuscrypts trivia
    When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. ~ Oscar Wilde
    “out of my mind, back in 5 minutes” ~ unknown
    ” i do not suffer from insanity, rather i love every minute of it” ~ another unknown