Wednesday, July 25, 2007

All the World's...a stage

The stage is set…the throne is adorned….and the Bhavan redecorated….
The festive occasion has come….the grand gala… swearing ceremony for the most coveted Seat in India….The New Face for President of India.
On July 25th, Ms Pratibha Patil would take the oath as new president of India, going down in the history of India as the First lady President!

This is a time for celebration…for raising a toast to the future of India.This is a time for our president to develop a Vision for India…India which could bask in the glory of being numero uno in all major walks of life.This is indeed also a time for going back to some basics.

A monthly salary of Rs.40, 000, a sprawling palatial abode and a bunch of people for “Ji-Huzuri”, is this all our politicians are fighting for?

Madam President, as Pratibha Patil would be called, has been able to rake quite a few controversies since her nomination as Presidential candidate by the current government.

This presidential election saw all. ..Thanks to the much educated and decent political faces of our country…they seem to be uncovering many a scandals, murders, rapes and crimes of similar ilk only during elections. They have numerous weapons for denigrating the character of “opposition’s candidate”. Mud slinging and Tongue lashing becomes the name of the game during elections. However what was unique this season was that the highest seat of Indian democracy was also bestowed with allegations of murder and improper means of wealth creation. What a demure way of exhibiting ones respect for the head of our country!!!!!!!!!!

The sanctity of the President’s post seems to have lost.

While Pratibha Patil basks in the glory of her newly earned title, I wonder what new she would do to make her presence matter.
I feel li’l remorseful in biding farewell to Mr. Kalam.
To me, he represented a brand…an apostle of integrity and knowledge. He was one president after Dr. Radhakrishnan, who succeeded in igniting the young minds and instilling them with the hope and vision for a better India. The others have just completed their tenure and exited peacefully.

There is no gain saying the pride which Pratibha Patil has done to the entire women clan, but aren’t we again becoming gender sensitive? I mean why should it matter if the president of India is a male or a female? Isn’t it more important that a right candidate gets elected and steers the country on the path of prosperity? Perhaps Not!

Power and money have become the cynosure for all politicians. In such a scenario Pratibha Patil doesn’t seem to be giving any respite. I am sure, like me, many wouldn’t have known about her existence in the Indian political backdrop…not that it matters, but it certainly would have helped us to relate to her. If it had to be a lady then why not pick someone who has the grit and the vigor to ensure CHANGE.

While I write this, one name which continues to flash in my mind is Roman Magsaysay Laureate- Kiran Bedi…lady who has always set a paradigm for young generations to follow. She exudes a nationwide appeal, which is as genuine as her work has been…No charades…no facades…She is strong, yet so graceful. She also happens to possess a forte, which Mr. Kalam had, and which turned out to be topping the list of qualities people wanted in their Presi…Non Political Association.
So did we miss out on some real candidates for Presidential election?
This question would remain unanswered like so many of them have been in the past….Sighhhh…

Many claim, that even Kalam wasn’t able to do anything out of league from the banal activities of a president; however what they are definitely overlooking is the magnanimous impact which Kalam has till date on the youth of this country. Can Pratibha Patil have the inductive effect? My doubts stand very much intact in their place.

There were plenty of polls thru all channels of media to reflect the choice of people, but all in vain. People’s choice was conveniently ignored by the people’s representatives, who feigned to be doing their best.

Albeit I am an optimist, I am unable to thwart the skepticisms from my mind…I am unable to jettison the disappointments and fear, which have found an abode in my heart ever since this battle began.

The time is crucial,
The Fate is uncertain,
In between, lies the banal answer….
They hog power,
They hog money,
Where is the Well being of people, honey?


I keep my fingers crossed while my heart wishes that I get proved wrong…at least this time for sure!!!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

A DAY in my life!

Ah! What an incredible feeling it is to witness the dawn of a day…
It’s still dark outside and almost everybody in the country is rejoicing the pleasure of having a sound sleep.
What an ironical thing? While the world sleeps, I get ready to perform my tasks for the day. After all most the people cannot even begin their day without me.

So I set out to take a peek into people’s life and mark the beginning of their day!
Isn’t it a noble act? I give people a sense of getting connected to the world in a glance and rejuvenate their much pressurized day.

My itinerary kicks starts by taking a round of every door in my neighborhood, my locality, my city, my country….phew!!! Traveling is my passion and I have found many people who can pay me for living my passion. Ain’t I smart?

Okie…no boasting now…But you would have to spend a day with me for knowing “what makes my profession so fun-filled”.
After all I am also a professional (like you), and do my tasks with utmost sincerity (unlike you). Thank god! You are not a mind reader!!

Let’s go to some house first. Early morning this is best place to catch my client.
Bade Babu: As the name suggests, he is a big boss in some Desi MNC. For him morning starts early, but office has its turn only close to lunch time. Now that he is awake let me grab this opportuuuuuuuuuu….. Arre….where is he taking me along??
The door shuts and here I am with Bade Babu, all alone in this..uh..small room.
I am being scanned from top to bottom by Bade Babu. Now don’t even ask me what other $hit is happening here. As soon as Bade Babu opens the door and slams me on the ground, I rush out of this house before anything more disastrous can happen. (Could you pass on some tissues to me…sob...sob)

This client was definitely not a morning person!!

Let’s go to some office now. I hope to meet some pleasant client there.
So here we enter. Stop gapping and move ahead. It’s our country’s largest IT giant.

XYZ Technologies: You want to know the name. Well “what’s in name?” didn’t somebody say this?
This company’s biggest asset is its people (many of whom get the privilege of being on bench for 8 months!!) How do I know all this? Didn’t I tell you about my intelligence? My networking is stronger than the most intelligent person in the world. Arre bhai it’s a demand of my profession after all. Can’t take a risk, you see:-)
Le’me go to the library. Somebody would definitely come to see me there.
After a wait of 5 minutes, I see a young looking employee rushing towards the library. But hey, why is he hiding behind me? Oops... incidentally his PM (Project Manager) is also coming here and this young man, instead of being in his cubicle, must be dwindling his already zilch productivity. And so he thought of hiding behind me.
“Gosh…what a tiring day it has been.” You can feel that sadly, but I certainly love my trips…

It’s about 1pm now, so time to move out and meet my next client….
How about meeting some energy oozing college kids?
Vroooooooom…

Let’s see which story gets unfurled here.

Engineering College: The place of fun…for all and none!!
Welcome my dear friend. Yes, this is one place where fun prevails amidst all situations.
Be it exams, be it freshers’ party, be it farewell, be it PL….what engineers don’t forget is to laugh and to smile!!...so let me take you to a tour of this ever green stream of science.
One place which all students consider a must go is the Canteen.
Some eat, some rag…
Some meet and some brag…
This is the gist of happenings in a canteen. Also known as the Mecca of students, for reasons well known to you now!
Let me also take you for a visit to library…No we wouldn’t be seeing many kids studying there. In fact here is what you can also see apart from bookworms…Lovebirds.
On pretext of meeting me they often coo-chi-coo with their partners…and I get the honour of being an eye witness to their love deeds….Giggle…

Well, its dusk, so let’s meet one last client now.
How about going back to some house now? Not bad right…
So let’s barge in now….where?

Mr. & Mrs. Gupta: They’ve just returned from their offices (so I just sit quietly here).
Mr. Gupta finds me next to him so he picks me up and looks thru me to get reconnected to the world. After Mrs. Gutpa gets some tea, she picks me up as well and does the same. They discuss on some topic and get into an argument...the argument is turning louder and louder….bangggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!….Mr. Gupta slams the door and zooms out of the room. Thank God, for peace can prevail now.
Slowly it gets darker as the night gulps down the evening putting every soul back to sleep.

So, this was just a small glimpse of how my day goes by. I travel, listen to all gossips, witness all cozy moments, peek in your personal life, see you crying, hear you getting scolding, go to offices, got to restaurants…and all this with U ….Would you still ask me to change my profession?
Still wondering who I am…I am your NEWSPAPER, silly.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Kalpana Chawla- Rise from the ASH !!

And we all thought that she was dead!!!!

Everyone (including me) had forgotten about her.

No, this was not because her contribution had been overlooked by our country but it’s just the time span which seemed to have covered our memory layers.
May be she didn’t like it and so she is back amidst us.

This time only as a child, a girl child.

The news of Upasana, a young girl, claiming to be a reincarnation of Kalpana Chawla has sent waves of surprise and curiosity in the minds of this entire nation.
This girl who is rumoured to be a reincarnation of kalpana chawla was born to a labourer couple, two months after the unexpected demise of the astronaut in the space.

The surprise element in this story is not the reincarnation factor but the two diametrically opposite backgrounds of the Kalpana Chawla part 1 and part 2!!

The authenticity of this news piece is yet to be established, but a lot of our fellow countrymen have already stamped it true. After all in a country like ours, such stories only appear plausible. Who would bother to find out if there is even an iota of truth in the words mouthed by that li’l girl?

What ever be the reason behind this piece of news doing rounds in the country, we must admit that many of us would want it to be true. Why? Simply because it offers something stimulating to our minds and gives us an opportunity to think beyond our mundane schedules. In layman’s term, it spices up our life!!

The entire gamut of reincarnation is still enigmatic and possesses a big challenge to the world of science. Forget explaining the concept of reincarnation in its entirety, there is no rational theory in today’s world which could remotely demystify this.

A lot has been talked about reincarnation in Hindu Mythology. One who does good in current birth would get a second life filled with happiness.
But Upasana story doesn’t seem to be falling in line with this belief.

Kalpana Chawla was one of the illustrious astronauts and had brought plenty of laurels to our country. Barring her own family, which had snipped all their ties with her (as she had dared to marry not only an outer caste man, but a man from different country altogether!) she has done proud to India. So do you think she would be reincarnating to live a life of pauper? Well, my brain is certainly unable to draw any parallels between the two.

Now, this brings about a very strange observation from my side. The story of Upasana aka Kalpana Chawla doesn’t fit current scientific explanations nor does it seem to be obeying the Indian mythology. It has apparently might have carved a paradigm for itself.

Whether the more logical world of science would be able to benefit from this sensational revelation is all left to the level of inquisitiveness generated by it.

But one entity which would have definitely loved this news the most is “media”. After all, isn’t everyone hungry for scoops and juicy news and who else could cater it so well to millions to people, if not our own media?

Moreover this news appears to be ensuing the latest fad gripping our country…The Sequelsssss….We’ve seen “Dhoom and Dhoom2”, “Koi mil gaya and Krishhh” and if rumours are to believed then even HR…Oops Himesh Reshamiya would like to do “Aap ka suroor2”…..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who the hell gives him such torturous ideas....Can somebody tell him that he just cannot ACT!!!

Anyway, picking up the thread of our conversation, I wonder if we are witnessing someone who could become a “Kalpana Chawla 2” in couple of decades or less than that.

This thought alone is sufficient to run a chill down my spine, so I think I would let the scientist unfurl this “supernova” of reincarnation. Till then let media rule the roost of thoughts in people‘s mind. After all aren’t we supposed to hear what they say and believe what they show?