Day 1 : 17th August 2008

Yesterday was the first day. Wasn't as tough as i had thought it would be. Wrote an AIMCAT, pathetic performance, read, slept, ate a bit... n-1 more days to go.

All You Need is Perspective

Over the last few days, had a couple of conversations with people who were similar to one another, yet so different. Its keeping those conversations in backgorund that I put forth my take on the things that one takes for grnated in life, or in other words one's outlook towards life.

Ohk so before me move further, lets get some things clarified. The focus group, for the want of a better term, of this post is that of Indian students in their late teens and early twenties. The views that follow are mine, though as metnioned above, are influenced by my recent experiences. And finally, if you think you disagree, you are most welcome to share your thoughts.

Life is a journey, and during this journey we travel along a road that's unique for each one of us. The places that this road take us to are to an extent in our hands, for it can not be denied that we make our own destiny. However more often than not, the people who shape their own destiny are far outnumbered by those who are just happy to trudge along the road. They wander aimlessly on this road of life. During this journey called life, we experience a lot of things, some good some not so good. All is hunky dory as long as the experiences are good, but the real test comes when things aren't to our liking, when the going is tough. Its then that the true nature of individuals and indeed a society is revealed.

Lets consider a scenario. Most of us fail in one thing or the other. And its through these failures that we learn and indeed succeed in due course of time. Had everything been like this, life would have been so simple. Alas, it isn't so simple. No matter how successful we are, no matter what our accompalishments be, we'll find excuses to crib about things. 'Man I am such a loser, I didn't make it to the IIMs' , 'I have not been granted schloarship from MIT, i have failed my parents' are some of the common utterances of today's youth. Be it academic failure or heartbreak in a relationship, we tend to think of ourselves as the worst off person in the world. So much so that we aren't ready to listen when somebody tries to show us that all's not lost and life still has meaning. Its then that we really need to reflect and decide, are we really in such a pathetic condition? I think not.

In pursuit of materialistic goals we have neglected things that really matter in life, things that we take for granted. The next time you start to say that life couldn't be worse, pause for a moment and think, is my life in such shambles, that no matter what happens, my condition can't get any worse? If your answer is yes, then you need a reality check.

When was the last you acknowledged your family's support and indeed felt secure knowing that no matter what happens, my parents would always be there for me? Now think of all those millions who do not have families or whose parents don't love them. When you pray next, say thanks to God for your family.

Money is another factor that makes us crib a lot. It deosn't matter if we are wearing branded clothes, sporting a new cell phone and driving a fast bike. If there is something that we want but don't have money for, we'll crib. The next time you complain about something similar think of all those who don't have enough money to feed their families.

I don't want to sound all philosophical and say that since we are better than a lot of people we shouldn't be ambitious. No that's not the point. Being ambitious is a good thing but its also necessary to realize that these things are not the end of the world. Failure in an examination doesn't make you a total loser. As long as you are learning from you past mistakes, its enough.

Sometimes all what's needed is to put things in perspective.

End of an Era

Come Monday and the world of tennis fans would be engulfed in two contrasting emotions. For a large number it would be day of heartbreak, but for an equally large group, it would be a day of rejoice. Monday, 18th August 2008, marks the end of an era in the world of tennis, an era that we have been fortunate to witness. After nearly four and a half years of domination, for the most part of which he was unchallenged, Roger Federer would hand over he number one spot to his nemesis, Rafael Nadal.

This Monday we would witness something that had seemed impossible at the end of the previous year. Federer had ended 2007 by winning the Masters in addtion to his usual troika of Grand Slams; being defied only in Paris by the sultan of clay, Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal, it seemed was destined to be the number two forever. In fact he faced the danger of losing that spot to Djokovich.


However as 2008 dawned a different Rafa emerged from what we had known. He had added to his armoury a deadly backhand slice, he was even more focussed and more adapted to play at grass. At wimbledon he ended Federer's reign at grass and symbolically that in itself was the signal for the change of guard. ATP rankings and points were mere formalities, an official confirmation of what we all had known; Rafa had truly arrived! Even the most ardent Federer supporters would acknowledge, that if there was a person who deserved to dislodge Federer, it was Nadal.

Nobody is quite sure what led to Federer's decline. Some attribute it to a viral infection, some to slowing of reflexes and some simply to lack of motivation. Whatever may be the reason, it would be premature to write off the genius that Federer is. He will bounce back though it seems highly unlikely, if not impossible , that he would be able to dominate like he did in the last four and a half years.

Stress..

Deny it all you want, but the truth of the matter is that sooner or later it gets to you. Have been acting all calm and composed over the last so many days regarding the so called placement fair, but today i guess it just crossed the threshhold. And hence, the sings of the inevitable, stress! Guess its to do with the inherent insecurity that one has, apprehension about new things, fear of the unknown.

I wouldn't have accpeted it unless I realised that what the hell, its but human to feel stressed and a bit nervous, is it not? And it manisfested itself in quite a peculiar way too! I wasn't in the mood to study so decided to watch a couple of episodes of Boston Legal. I picked up my headphones, put them on and started watching. A couple of hours later, a friend of mine commented, "Why do you have your headphones on, when you have got the speakers plugged in? " Bingo!

Come to think of it, there's no point in actually denying that you are feeling stressed when you actually are. Nothing good comes out of it. Instead once you have accepted it, you can take corrective measures to reduce your stress levels, do weird things in the name of calming yourself :P. Guess that's what led me to decide to do a bit of laundry at 3 in the morning! Oh and yeah, seems even our placement cell is stressed out! Buggers have sent the same mail six times in two hours!

Big Bashing

Big B has a blog... and he's using it to bash any and everyone... so lets jus tak a leaf outta his book and bash someone! :satan:

a.) The Common Cold virus: the bloody bugger... one of the worst of its kind... why do i have to fall ill everytime i'm home? :S and yeah... u guys guessed it right... its the frustration of dragging a mop everywhere that has led to this bashing.

b.) The Union Govt. : Hmmm... now this is more serious stuff... read recently in the papers that afzal ( the mastermind behind the parliament attack) wants Advani to be the P.M. so that he gets executed and be done with it. This brings us to the question as to why it hasn't happened till now?

Ans: The Union Govt. is appeasing a particular community by procrastinating the execution... Does this mean that the Union Govt. identify that particular community with terrorism? your guess is as good as mine...

Its really a shame that the fellow hasn't been executed yet. And I don't say this because I feel pity towards him. Think of those who lost their loved ones saving the asses of our politicians. the govt. has disrespected and dishonored their memory. Perhaps its would have been better had one of the politicians been hit in the attack. Then they would have realized what it feels like. Wonder how Congress would have reacted had one of their cherished members of the Gandhi clan been injured, or God forbid died in the attack. Would they still have been dilly-dallying? I don't quite think so...

Jaipur Terrorized!

As a dust storm rages through the city, I can not help reflecting upon the much more destructive and threatening storm that had raged through the city yesterday. It was a pleasant evening, slightly cooler than what the norm is during the summer, and I was with my friends, sitting in one of the numerous coffee lounges of the city. Like many others, they too had set up a screen, courtesy the IPL. As we waited for the match to commence, somebody changed the channel to one of the 24 hour news networks. There were a few sighs and protests, but then almost everybody’s attention was drawn to the news flash at the bottom of the screen: ‘2 blasts outside Hanuman Mandir’. Disbelief turned into shock as over the fifteen minutes the number rose from two to five, and the magnitude of what had happened started sinking in. For the first time in its almost three century old history had Jaipur been terrorized. Cell phones started buzzing with anxious parents and relatives enquiring about our whereabouts and asking us to return home immediately. We were among the fortunate few whose calls managed to go through. As the clock ticked, the networks became jammed. The lounge emptied within minutes, and a place buzzing with youngsters had a deserted look in no time. Orders were cancelled, snacks left uneaten as one and all headed to the relative safety of their homes.

Outside it was entire story all together. Coinciding with the office hours, the heavy rush of traffic clogged the roads. A journey that would normally take fifteen minutes took almost double of that time. However even in this madness one thing stood out; Jaipurites hadn’t forgotten how to help fellow beings. At a couple of places where the heavy traffic resulted in minor accidents, the onlookers were ready to step forward and lend a helping hand.

Jaipur had always been a peaceful city. Having lived outside Jaipur for the better part of last three years, I always welcomed the easy going Jaipur life. It had just the right blend. You could enjoy as if in a metro, without being bothered by the hectic pace. Parents didn’t feel alarmed if you returned at 11 or twelve in the night. However it has been going downhill for the past couple of years. Crime has steadily increased, and yesterday’s incident would prove to be the final nail in the coffin.

In hindsight one could say that one should have seen this coming. Its proximity to Delhi, and lax security coupled with a booming economy made Jaipur an ideal target. The most disheartening fact about yesterday was the reaction by the security forces. Though at par with most other places in India, there was a lot of scope for improvement. Till 2 hours after the blasts the major exits out of the city had not been blocked. No directives were issued by the administration as guidelines to the citizens.

Another fact that’s worth mentioning is the strategizing that must have gone in planning these blasts. By no means was it a casual show. The details had been meticulously chalked out. The blasts shook the heart of the Old City and had been aimed at creating communal tension. Hanuman Mandir was chosen on a Tuesday, a day guaranteed to attract the largest number of devotees; and the time of the blasts again in sync with the time of the evening aarti. Though the bombs targeted a number of major areas of the walled city, Ramgunj, a locality densely populated by members of a particular faith was conveniently out of range.

The aura that had surrounded Jaipur has been shattered. Its not that night life would come to an end or the citizens would alter their life style drastically. No, it’s not that. It’s just that it would never be the same again.

Choice

Choice is the fundamental element of human nature. Where you currently lie, you choose to be!
If you happen to be cribbing about something, STOP, and make a CHOICE!

If only Life was like that....

The Children of Hurin: Book Review

"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."

Many of us have read ( or seen ) the Lord of the Rings. Most of us would agree that J.R.R. Tolkien was a genius. But it’s The Children of Hurin that will separate the true fans from those who have just put up LOTR among their list of favourite books and movies on Orkut. The Children of Hurin throws more light on the genius that was J.R.R. Tolkien.

The book is as different as it could be from The Hobbit and LOTR. First and foremost its set in the day of the Eldar or the First Age while the former are set in the Third Age. First Age was the period in Middle Earth when the original Dark Lord, Morgoth was the 'Great Enemy'.

The book had been written by J.R.R. Tolkien before LOTR or The Hobbit. It was conceived during that days of the First World War, and that’s perhaps the reason that the book is so grim and humourless. It has been edited by his youngest son Christopher Tolkien who had earlier presented us with arguably the best book on Middle Earth, 'The Silmarilion'.

The story starts on an optimistic note as Men and Elves assemble a huge army to overthrow the Dark Lord. However the optimism and hope soon end and the book follows the course of Hurin's son, Turin's joyless life. Hurin bravely tries defy the Dark Lord and is taken prisoner, a curse laid upon his children. Turin finds the curse laid upon him and tries everything from denying his identity to hiding in distant lands to evade it. But the curse somehow manages to catch up with him at every turn.

Despite all odds Turin refuses to be bogged down, to bow down to his doom, instead he assumes the name Tarumbar meaning 'the master of his doom' and his determination to fight on is evident. In what could be the last book on Middle Earth, Tolkien has painted a sombre picture and the book is not everyone's cup of tea.

OSO

Ahha its Diwali! And is the trend Diwali tends to see some of the most anticipated releases in Bollywood. While it was Veer-Zara a couple of years back, this time it were OSO and Saawariya that were doing the rounds.

Well orders from high command (read my mom) had made it absolutely clear that i was going with the family for at leats one flick this diwali. Which one was left up to me. And well, i chose OSO simply coz of one reason: Deepika Padukone! Any ways will deliberate upon this angle a little later, first let me put forth some of my observations and opinions regarding the movie:

• As with most of the bollywood movies, you would do well if you don't think a lot during the movie. In fact it would be great if you could switch your mind off before watching it!
• SRK has no doubt worked hard in the gym but his much anticipated six pack fails to impress. He would have been better off keeping his shirt on.
• If you have not been in touch with bollywood and have forgotten who are the movers and shakers, go and watch OSO right now! From Subhas Ghai to Farah Khan to Amitabh Bachchan to Priyanka Chopra, every one is in there. Farah must have called in favours by truckloads!
• Though around 40 stars have been showcased in the movie, there's a glaring omission: the sensuous Sush. After her breath taking performance in Main Hoon Na, i was waiting for Sush to appear again in a Farah flick, just to see as to how would Sush be portrayed this time. Alas, it was Shilpa Shetty in the red saari this time.
• Although the movie wasn't meant to provide any food for thought, it inadvertently did so. Though you would have to read between the lines for this. The showcasing of the irresponsible attitude of big stars, the pampering and unnecessary attention that all star kids tend to get is a case in point. I was particularly touched by SRK's observation to his dad "Agar main Om Kapoor na hoke sirf Om hota to..."
• 70s have always been a sort of enigma with our generation. We often end having conversations with our parents "hamare zamane mein..." . For the first time we got to see that zamana form a different angle. Those long side burns, bell bottoms et all.
• A couple of tracks are simply great. A taste of the enigmatic 70s once again. Its refreshing.

Hmmm... Now i return to my favourite aspect of the movie; Deepika Padukone! Boy is she hot ? You bet she is! And not only hot, she is sizzling hot! Blessed with grace and poise, this beauty has an ethereal feel to her. Barring Sush, I haven't seen such grace in any of the present day actresses. Hope she betters the achievements of the other Liril gal in bollyowwd, namely Preity Zinta.