Category: Society & Culture

  • 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

  • Thats what I’ve been trying to say

    but never found the words..so when i got this mail, i had to share it….here it goes
    The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less.
    We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
    We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
    We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
    We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
    We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
    These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships.
    These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
    It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or close the window.
    Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
    Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
    Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
    Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

    now, to more mundane things…..this is shocking to most guys my age, whose imagination was triggered by ‘baywatch’. 🙂
    loved billy crystal in the academy awards…especially this “the last time i compered was 13 years back, and things were so different – bush was president, the economy was down, and we had just finished a war in iraq..”

    and yippeeee for schumi, he has started the season with a bang…which leads to
    manuscrypts trivia
    “All the gold in the world cannot buy a dying man one more breath. So, what does that make today worth?”
    ~ Og Mandino
    “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
    ~ Albert Einstein
    “i am objective, i object to everything” ~ manu…..(naw!!, he just saw it on a t-shirt) 🙂