Where are the twitters?

Sparrows are really getting rarer these days. There are more people willing to tweet on twitter than see where the real twitters have gone. They have all but vanished. Some say that they are extinct and others say that our telecom towers have something to do with it. Sparrows would never be a concern for most people because there are many more critical issues like recession, world peace and terrorism on people's mind.

I remember how as a kid I could see them at a very close distance and discovered a lot about them. I saw them pecking at grains thrown outside a kirana store or enter an empty house just to see where they could build a little nest. The sparrow was important in the scheme of things because they would survive anything or so it seems. The recent opening of shopping malls with all the foodgrains inside the store has hampered the easy food availability of these birds.

Maybe they have migrated somewhere. But in the quiet surroundings of a house, it made those twitters wonderful. Maybe we forgot to keep some small space in our house for those unfortunate creatures. Maybe we don't care.

Democracy- the only alternative?

What if you lived in 15th Century Italy and championed the cause of heliocentrism(the theory that says that the sun is at the centre of the universe)??

If one would have polled people from across Europe during that period, they would have all vouched for the geocentric view(the theory that says that the earth is at the centre of the universe). And because we the bearers of the democratic institution would have basked in it's glory and fortefied that claim. But we now know for sure that Galileo was right.

Rightfully, in questions of science, we all know that theories are discussed before being awarded it's right to become a law. Voting, polling and democracy does not drive scientific temper. This is so because the whole population is not capable enough to figure out the analytical disposition towards science. This is not just the case with science but also with art, music, technology, law and other fields of human achievement.

Then why is this different when it comes to choosing our elected representatives. We all have something against the people standing for the elections. What about those that vote them to power! Do you think that a large section of the population that can't read or write, that can get influenced by caste and religion based politics rather than economic reforms vote the right candidate to power? How can they take informed decisions when the information itself is so thinly disguised in various coatings of populism? Would that be a just and right outcome?

How can a nation where 99% marriages are based on caste and religion, where Ram Mandir and Valentine's day become major issues, where statues burn along with the city and where a film or an artist needs multiple permissions to gain rightful access to freedom of his expression?

Leave it to the custodians of democracy to see it through. We will be a witness to another jamboree of election mayhem where we hope that people take rational decisions. Lastly...as Galileo said 'the opinion of thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual'. Reasonings fail in a democracy.

List of things to do....

We don't do a lot of things that we are supposed to do. Sounds weird!!

We are supposed to exercise regularly;
supposed to not eat fatty food;
supposed to give up someking;
give up drinking;
drive slowly;
eat slowly;
walk fast;
sleep early;
talk less;
spend less;
earn more;
stop complaining;
stop nagging;
rise early.....

Wish we could do all that! I don't know if then things would have been easier but this world would have been a lot tougher and weirder.

Makeover

How can we change the world and why should we change the world???

Because the world isn't perfect;
Because we have inherited it;
Because we shall not leave it the way it was given to us;
Because we get education so that we can make changes;
Because this world is a beautiful place that should remain so.

Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to change your world. Your world might be this planet, one's country or state or city or town or locality. Everything needs a healing, a makeover, a change. We need not change the whole 'world' as such. We can change as per our canvas. Maybe by doing little things right or taking that extra effort of make it right.

Afterall.....a change is a change and it can be soothing to oneself.

Artificial Intelligence

What great fun when search engine sites like Google assimilated data from everywhere and made life simpler for us! It enabled us to search for anything and everything. We could just dive into the toolbar and search for any topic on earth. For sure we knew that we would get an answer. Answer to the questions for our own little universe.

But search is not just limited finding data or information. All the indications point to a possibility of the assemblage of a system that would answer anything. Soemthing like the modern day Oracle. It would be traversing onto the human quest for artificial intelligence.

I lost my spectacles in the morning. I must have misplaced it somewhere. But how wonderful would it be if I could just type into google with 'specs whereabouts'.
Not as intelligent a machine as that but something that can think on its own. Something can can be creative and non-biased. Intelligence is all about being creative and innovative.

So the question isn't if there could be a machine that can do all that but how soon. Till then, I will search my specs on my own.

Democracy and Love.

Love is the most beautiful thing on earth. By love, I do not mean about love between parents or siblings but purely and simply between a man and a women. I am not knowledgeable about the love between a man and man or for that matter lesbian love but I understand that the emotions would remain the same.

Parental love is more or less undemocratic sort of love. We are born into a house and we are raised by our parents, grow among our siblings and relatives. I am grateful to all of them but then, we don't have a choice. We are born into a particular family and thats it. We have somehow becomes used to the habbit or idea of loving them. Period.

On the other had, when a man loves a woman or vice-versa, the love is of a different kind altogether. It is the most wonderful kind of love since we get to choose the person. Isn't it wonderful? Think of it hard and long. Someone choosing us for who we are and that we become an important part of their life, their dreams, their aspirations. A whole world of thoughts and ideas revolve around two people in the state of love. And the feeling is shared mutually. Choice. Democracy. Here we are at it again.

There are a whole host of reasons when one chooses most other things in life. We look for a certain perfection, a certain standard, a certain denomination of things. We would not want anything lesser. But love can shatter that feeling altogetherly. Most of our soul mates wouldn't be perfect beings of creation. Most of them haven't got drop dead good looks or model like features. But we still think and tell them that they are the most beautiful in the world. Not that we are lying. Just that we want to believe so. Blind love or what! But then really, there are atleast a hundred faces more beautiful than your beloved. Again....love is a democratic institution. We have the choice to love the person for whatever reasons but mostly for no reasons at all. Even under societal and other pressures!

We expect a lot a trash from everything and anything in life. Return on investments. If you love only in order to be loved back - this is narcissistic love. Loving someone is not dependent upon emotional reciprocity. We can change the person we love or accept them as they are to us. There we go again on freedom of expression. Part of democracy!!

Isn't there a strong resemblance between love and democracy. Love gives us the right to choose someone irrespective of their background, caste, creed, religion and even their quality. We are also free to choose the person we love and have the right to express our feelings to them. So much like democracy naa??

Isn't it then important to choose democracy over everything else? And do something to preserve it's existence. Then why do we sit in the solid confinement of our house while elections take place?? India is as good as country to be loved as any other nation. Doesn't it require our cohesive love? So what if our country has plentiful of problems? Shall we stop to love it? Or go out to vote so that we can atleast change something? Do we have to expect anything in return for it? Nope.

Democracy is like love. And love is like democracy. Love ke liye kuch bhi karega. Put your votes. India requires our love!!!

Old phone stories!!

Why are we so attached to some products that we can't simply let them go? Even when we can afford to buy a better product.

Like my Nokia phone. It has been over 3 years now that I am using it. But I can't seem to want to throw it away for a better product. Perhaps it satisfies the basic need of the product. Perhaps it is only attachment. Perhaps it is the fear of the unknown( understanding new product features).

The phone has died many a deaths and I have written eulogies for it for some time. But it is in a good working condition. It has been a born again kind of phone which somehow surprises me everyday.

Should marketers address this particular segment of thrifty junkets like me who would save till death does them apart? Maybe. Maybe leave them alone. But you have a loyal Nokia customer. They should have a data of all such customers and keep pouring them to offer a replacement( conditions applied). Maybe they are not bothered because mobiles are selling in such abundance. They shall start thinking when sales start going down. But then it would be too late. Never forget the customer even when you are going up.

Maybe someone will gift me a new phone. Till then...me, myself and me NOKIA...

Wasteful advertising!

Why do luxury car advertisers love to waste their money? It seems one of the many things:
1) That they have huge budget to spend;
2) They don't have enough brains to think on creative ad spends;
3) They would be recovering the money from it's buyers;
4) They want to create a so called media hype for the product or
5) It is an advertising ritual that has been followed and now gets worshipped as a benchmark.

Whatever! I don't understand the sense of advertising in newspapers with a full page or double spread glossy colour ad. It might just make a good wall poster for a kid. But will it sell the car? I doubt. Some idiot who has made it in life to earn a crore of rupees to spend on a car is not naive enough to know where to look for the luxury car. And it isn't like there are zillions of options in that space where he can choose from. Nor would he be unfamiliar with it's features, brand or design.

The best advertising is always free and where the consumer is himself attached to the product for what it offers and means to him. It doesn't matter what the company spends on advertising. The product must have some connect with the consumer and solve his innate desire, offer a unique solution, be easy of use, stand out from the rest, make him feel great and somehow transform his whole life or part of it! Wow! Isn't that difficult! Maybe thats why advertisers think that they can just bombard their money and make the consumer like their product. But it doesn't work that way.

Like in love, as also in advertising, loving is enirely on in our hands. So keep trying till you get attention.

Old junk and nostalgia!

If you have old things in your closet that you have stored just for the heck of it then you are a nostalgic person. Most people have a streak of materialism inside of them. We like to collect things as we travel, shop to places and then there are some gifts that we like to treasure.

As we grow, we throw most of these items after a point of time. Those things fill up space and sometimes we aren't attached to them like we used to. But some of us do save this as some kind of memorabilia. We often keep old clothes of our younger days, toys, greeting cards from former gfs/bfs, shoes that won us a race, scrap or sticker books, games, cards, petals stored inside a book, gadgets.....the list is long.

The real thrill comes from when we go to our old cupboards or some lost corner of our house to clean that space or clear junk. And wow! You have it. You get hold of your treasure trove, pick old cartons and get lost. Yup! We do like to remember old time that were associated with that junk. As we recall events and stories with these items, we realise something. It isn't worth debunking the junk. So it goes back to it's old place to be found again some day later...and so on

Send gifts to India this Valentine's Day!!

I have recently started a gifitng portal called http://www.buygiftstoindia.com/. The portal hopes to cater to the growing demands of people who wish to send gifts to their loved ones based in India. Although the current focus is on NRI’s wanting to send gifts to their friends, relatives and loved ones in India, the company is also looking at the resident Indians to use the service to send gifts within India. The site has relationships with many vendors and gifts can be delivered in over 500 cities in record time. The site targets primarily people who send gifts during Diwali, Dassera, Christmas, Raksha-Bandhan, New Year, Valentine's Day, anniversaries and also occassions like weddings and birthdays.
Ensuring the growing demand of the Indian community, the site has an array of products like toys, cakes, perfumes, sarees, sweets, flowers, gourmet baskets, electronic products, candles, handicrafts, cosmetics, mens and womens apparels, leather products, etc.
Internet forms an unique opportunity for Indians staying abroad to send gifts to India. The early apprehensions in internet security transactions have been deftly taken care of by the site with it's robust security system. We have also selected the best products from various proficient vendors. Prompt delivery of products and the best quality is ensured by us.

A thing or two about Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day has so many times been usually misunderstood. Especially in India. There have been controversies over it and the situation usually starts boiling when major political parties even hear about Saint Valentine. Yes, he was a saint. And like many saints in India, he did what he did for a just cause. And I reckon, we respect saints.

There have been many instances where we have found reasons to hate each other. To hate, the reasons are plenty; to love-not one in twenty. We hate over religion, over caste, over colour, over language, over territory, over class,etc. We might find zillion more reasons to show our affection for hate. But then, hate becomes symbolic of our character. It can consume us totally. It only allows us to see the world as a bad place.

Maybe the Valentine's Day teaches us and reminds us that there is a day for love after all. So obnoxiously bad that we need a day to celebrate love. It should be a festival of life-to love people, to be loved by people. What else is so important than be truly consumed by the richness, the diversity and the incredible journey of love? Every living organism craves for love. That is also how our species survives, prospers and thrives. Money, status, fame are drivers for a superficial state of happiness; it is only through love that we reach a higher state of living.

Whenever people or the society have lost their faith in love, the civilisation has been dealt a severe blow. But why is love such a good thing and why am I emphatically harbouring it's merits? See, if we all hate and kill each other-nobody would remain on this earth. We would destroy and be destroyed. On the other hand, if we love each other-we would only be making this world a better place. Things like passion, intensity, crativity, innovation, etc are 'byproducts' of love. Because love allows us the strength to make the best of our existing resources.

So this Valentine's Day-share your love with your neighbours, relatives, parents, office colleagues, proffessors, teachers, children, people on the street......and possibly that special someone. Send Gifts to them, love them, shower them with presents, spend time with them. You wouldn't regret....I bet!!

The irony of it all!!!

U.S.A. and Australia are very well known for their sports talent. They have athletes who have excelled in most sporting activities on earth. They have also been consistent performers in the Olympics and all International sports arena. Their sportmen have broken many records. Even inside their country, these players have a huge fan following. They regularly attend the games, events and even travel outside where their teams are participating. But have you watched closely? Closely enough!

These very countries have some of the highest number of obsesity rates, problems like diabetes and other lifestyle diseases. Even the sports fans share this sad figure. How do nations with such huge fan base and sports craziness not translate into equally efficient people; exercising people, fit people? Therein lies the irony! Why can't the sport fans be so inspired that they give up on fast food, beer and start exercising, so as to emulate their heroes?

Similar is the case with the Indian film industry. Most of the stars in the main arena like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan,etc have thir girl friends, former girl friends or wives from a different caste or religion altogether. These stars have a huge fan following; the kind of fans who are crazy over their every move. The cross-community-cross-religion barricades is a big thing in India and the who's who of Bollywood have religiously broken those barriers by coupling outside their very religion or community. But that isn't the case with their fan base or the country. Which is the reason why even now inter-caste or inter-religion marriages are such a no-no scenario. Why is it that although every aspect of their life is emulated in their country; when it comes to marrying, the diversity ceases to exist. The fans don't really follow their heroes after all.

Herein lies an underlying message. The onscreen heroes or the sport stars live a very different life. People want to be so like their hereos and hence like to see their own image in their stars. They would emulate to the point where it becomes comfortable. Thats why there are stars and there are the common Tom, Dick, Sita and Sachin.....the commoners..

Carpenter dreams!

What makes a good carpenter?? Although there is a certain skill involved in carpentry, one expects some benchmarking standards from a practitioner of this art. But then comes a case where all the carpenters of all the world do similar work. Then who is a better carpenter? Someone who maintains standards? Naah! The one who exceeds it. How does one exceed standards? By design. By innovation. By creation. By ideation. A mundane carpenter would make a table with four legs. A skilfull one would perhaps have three legs on his creation. It is not only about creating something for the sake of creation but also it's usefulness. An application of an idea to it's complete useful state of execution makes a carpenter a genuis. Therein lies the human engine of change and possibilities. Nothing would come if all carpenters took the same tools to make the same final product that performs the same functions. It is at this point that change is required, demanded from the artist of his kind. The skills of a carpenter applies to everybody. The only way to know is to keep trying and fulfilling your dreams. Your sketchboard could be different. Your tools could be handpicked ones or made by your own self but the dreams are all your. The world is all yours. Because you are the artist and you are one.

The democratic republic called India.

Handling crime is an important indicator of a socialist democratic republic. India is a democratic country. There are various ways of testing our democracy but it manages to remain very strong. Democracy is more generally defined as something which is 'for the people, by the people and of the people'. This specifically pertains to our own version of things. India has many democratic versions. Similar to all the software versions that our companies seem to churn our so regularly.
Here in India, every individual has his or her right to commit his or her quota of crime. People from all strata of society have the democratic right of expressing themselves when it comes to performing crminal activities. In countries like the USA, only people in the high end of society with deep pockets and taste can commit crime of any respectable stature. But, very proudly shall I say that, my country is liberated. Every beggar, struggler, student, teacher, middle-class man, lady, minister, police, doctor, bureaucrat, employee, business tycoon, movie celebrity, etc can remain involved in criminal performances with equal glee.
India does not remain biased against any individual. This is the hallmark of our society! People can spit on the road, throw waste, jump ques, cheat, create ruckus, go on hartals, travel ticketless, jump traffic signals, hit and run, rape, molest, avoid paying taxes, smoke in public places, murder, loot, rob, do scams, steal, pollute, destroy, bribe, commit forgery and fraud, beat, vandalise, arsonise, hooliganise, scandalise,etc. We even regularly allow our neighbours to conrtibute to the above tally by free -invitation- open- access-open source attempts on us. These and many more hoaxes might be illegal everywhere else but here; we have legalised it. Deregulation of crime is thus the best way of dealing with it. We have shown this to the world.
When every individual gets the freedom to express themself through such mass action, inaction becomes ruled out. Fools are those that think otherwise. Democracy is all about when every human being gets himself to act in a way that contributes to the society. Hence there is absolute individual liberty, fraternity and equality amongst us all. No other country would allow so much freedom to perform tasks such as those mentioned above. Thats why businesses thrive here. Whoever said that starting something was bureacratic. Our affinity for 'jugaad' is legendary. After zero, discovery of jugaad is the biggest contribution of India to the world. Here, everything is possible, for everybody, anybody; as per your own abilities.
We call this the festival of life in doing as we please. There is no other place like India.
Protecting crime and criminals of all characters is in the nature of a liberal democracy.

The Satyam Fiasco.

Why would you start a company from scratch, take it to billion dollar dreams and then throw it all away? India wasn't a place for starting a new business, that too in software services; way back in 1987. Mr. Ramlinga Raju did just that. When he spoke to the media yesterday, his company, Satyam Computer Services Ltd., had grown to 53k people with 185 fortune 500 clients and operations in 66 countries.

Those were the times, in 1987, when getting a phone connection took months, foreign travel was a luxury, foreign goods looked with jealousy from neighbours and a four wheeler was big status symbol. Staring a software company took guts, intense passion, hard-work, firm commitment and a dying resolve to attain something. This risk taking adventure was a rarity during times when a secured government job was considered to be a life-long responsibility. Our own license raj was shattered when the new-age companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Satyam and several others made a paradigm shift in the way businesses were managed. India started to make it's mark and the economy shifted gears. Change took place. The world took notice and the country filled with a young generation willing to believe in their abilities and take their chances.

But then, when you start something from nothing, make global footprints, you are a visionary, aren't you? Yesterday we lost a role model, a change leader and a thinker. Is it just greed that allows us to fudge accounts and take the stakeholders for a ride? Let us not argue about who all are invloved.

Corporate frauds have happened at Enron, Tyco, Worldcom, Xerox and several other multinationals in many countries across the world. Let us hope that the concerned authorities manage to do their jobs and take suitable actions. But in all the companies stated above, the frauds were performed by individuals who had come as outsiders in their company. Satyam Computers might be the few instances when the creator itself has destroyed it's creation.

Slumdog Millionaire-My assessment.

Let me not figure out how many awards this movie manages to get. Also, let us not, for a while, look at the other aspects of the movie like acting, technical details,etc. The movie grabbed my attention for other reasons. It is one of those instances when a movie maker has entralled the audience with a gripping story, drama and all the masala that we so yearn for. Although, most of us mumbaikars have a fair idea about the city, we continue to get startled when a new dimension or angle has been fairly presented. There are plenty of places that are still left undiscovered. Even though we know that they exist, it is good for our blinker state not to visit them entirely.The city is romantic in its essence and this aspect has been beautifully captured by the director.
The movie is about five things:
1) It does not require you to be a genius to make a million;
2) Education does not imply only classroom study but that life has it's own lessons to offer;
3) Finding love goes much beyond money, fame, risk and success;
4) Follow your dreams-the path clears itself in front of you &
5) Even in the most depressing circumstances, there are enough reasons for you to be hopeful.
Mumbai has a strange way of rewarding people who believe in themself and the city. Your education, economic background, etc doesn't matter. Hopefully we all will make the best use of all the resources offerred to us. That is what a movie is all about. It is about life. It should inspire you, entertain you and also make you think. Most importantly, it should touch your heart. Like this one did.

Thriving on Boredom.

Why do we get bored? Is it because we have very little to do or plenty of things on our 'to do' list?
Boredom usually comes from choices. Our ancestors never got bored. There is no real evidence or anecdotal claim of boredom in their life. Boredom is a more metronomical, urban phenomenon that makes us wonder about itself in all its depth.
Kids never get bored. They have no idea what it means to be bored. Ignorance. They are so ignorant about their surroundings that boredom never creeps into their dictionary. Also, curiosity plays a very big part. As adults, we feel that we have lived, experienced everything that is out there. Nothing really astounds us, thrills us or overwhelms us to the point of exuberance. One day, even gamblers become so jaded with the rush of blood that comes with gambling that their addiction is just another mundane addition to their daily chore.
Perhaps as we all go, our world is filled with so many things to do. We have hundreds of things that attract us and hence our attention time span has diminished. We try to seek pleasure into things but over time something else attracts our attention. This mind churning makes us bored.
We intend to do a whole lot of things but end up doing nothing. Not because we don't have many things to do or don't want to do them, but we are too confused to know which ones are important. Maybe priorotizing would help. Maybe ignorance would help. Better still-sit in a closed room. Think about nothing and do nothing. Maybe that should help.....

The world of artworks.

How are art prices determined??

Frankly, I have no clue. My guess is as good as yours. But there must be a lot of probability involved in the process of discovering an artist and determining a price deemed right for his works. Since in the art world all works are different, what formula works and becomes a hit is very difficult to predict.

Some high profile collector gets his fancy over a piece of art, the artist gets discovered, the market allows him his price and a cycle starts. The art market does not have an index like the stock market where prices could be discovered. So the price is so much more on sentiment than rational thought.

Thats why art prices can remain irrational far longer than any other asset prices. The quality aspects are also well understood by only a very few discerning eyes. Hence, nobody has the gumption to challenge the verdict put on a Leonardo or a Picasso work. Even newer artists are determined by the same benchmarks.

Only when an individual challenges these predetermined benchmarks with some unique works and follows it up with regularity; does his work get immediate mention, media attention, fame. Money follows. Look for such exponents. you would be very rich if you could do it early on in the career of and artist. Otherwise, if you are one of the moneybags, make an artist well known by throwing money for his works and 'discovering' him. Either ways-your heart and your art should be on the same wavelength.

Recession blues.

Is recession good or bad? People lose jobs, companies shut down and consumers prefer to sit at home rather than spend their already dwindling savings. This should make a recession sound like any nightmare that one can imagine. But perhaps there is a sliver lining to it. Although the boom times bring a lot of cheer and joy, they only add to our woes. Today, boom symbolises the need to be an ever spending creature. We strive to spend and make ourself happy. This happiness lasts till we are through with the particular product or service. We never really savour the things that we buy. Because, we didn't know why we bought it in the first place. We have only conditioned ourself to spend with the assuption that a certain joy would cross our path by doing so. The boom years also bring along with it the extreme competition to compare our being with someone higher up the ladder. The bank balance becomes our source to attaining the peace of mind which never steps into our door. Recessions are much better. They are perhaps a way of settling scores. They teach us a lesson-to be thrifty. Also, they allow us to find happiness in other avenues of life. Seasons change, time changes and so does the economic cycles. We only have to adapt, adjust and behave accordingly. Maybe we should also learn to admire the adversities. They come with lessons and they help in our betterment. Happiness follows......

Never ending wishes.....

We all wish for a happy New Year. But inspite of all our wishes, it isn't going to be like that. Not that I am being sarcastic by implying that we all have a bad year ahead. But over the years, I have come to the conclusion that it is only through crisis that we learn. All our efforts in doing good things are essentially wasted because we are never really ready. Human society has only learned, progressed and innovated itself through crisis. Creation always happens after the crisis. Hence, mass killings bring people together to fight injustice, war brings people to talk about peace, recession brings people to talk about restraint. Large scale unemployment is one of the reasons that made capitalism thrive. The 1930s depression made the US to think about more productive avenues to boost production and make economic growth sustainable. Even now, 26/11 attacks in Mumbai has brought back sharp focus on security issues. The problems, in all their calamity are lying there-dormant. It takes one of these problems to make change happen. Although, it is very unfortunate that we require collosal loss of confidence in our own existence to actually challenge the status quo, therein lies our awakening. We want to be shattered, destroyed to leave our comfort zone and act. Maybe we are all to doomed to act rationally only under extreme circumstances. So the new year-we will have it anyways. Which one? You decide.....

Love Science Shopping

What if you love a person so much that you can't let go?? Even when the person is long dead or long gone! Can you bring them back? Is there a way? Maybe science could help. It could basically help you to terminate all memories associated with that person. It could help you to delete everything about that person. But what if you don't want to delete them. What if you still desire to have that person around you? Is there a way? Yeah. There is one. If you could manage to preserve one strand of your loved one's hair or maybe some teeth extract, science has a cure. Yeah. Cloning. Although it is a very old science by todays scientific standards, cloning comes very close to anything yet discovered to regain your loved one. Their affection. Their rightful affection. The cloned person would be exactly like your loved one, only a little different in looks. And what more-you could have more than one clone of the same person!! But then, what if that clone of yours doesn't like you or share any feelings for you? After all you have done, imagine if the person just doesn't relate to you. Fear not! Your loved clone would be made to love you. Since you have paid for it, it is binding on the part of any company from whom the clone is awailed to make the clone as per your requirements. With all neccessary customization and tweaks. You don't like something from the original version or you need updates-change it. You would keep getting newer versions of your clone. So start collecting nuclear DNA's of the original person. But what if the original person does not want to get cloned? Well....you could still make basic features of the original person available to you. Will this make things like real love redundant? Bunk it man!! There is no greater joy than shopping. This one is Love science shopping! Great variety!! Great prices! Great products! Choose your pick!

On Extortion.

Like many careers, extortion is as self-respecting a career as can be. It never really got the respect that it deserved. All other factions of criminal activities have their desired effect on the society. But extortion has been misunderstood and greatly repelled by people. It is not as ingrained in our brain, one form of job where a person or a group of people throw fear into another person or group of people. Extortion has all the real elements of a real job. An extortioner has to carefully choose his target; among a wide range of people. Then he has to be capable of understanding the target genre, his profession, his income level, etc. It is only later that our beloved hero would call his target for money. There is always the added threat from competition and the police. But the payoffs can be good for all the risks taken. But then-why have extortioners not been able to command the sort of respect or fear like their mafia counterparts? Even though, many extortioners diversify into other activities or they take greater challenges. Maybe because, extortion is a permission based activity. Even though it may look like coercion. You call a person and ask him to pay instead of robbing or stealing from him. Unlike most things in life, manners don't count in this form of trade. Society likes to get robbed, destroyed, devasted to wake-up. Most form of successful activities are about that only-robbing, stealing, stabbing. It is a fine art. More on that later......

'MENU' KI FARK PENDA!!!

It is in the nature of restaurant menus to amuse a person far more than offering him a variety. I reckon, this is a deliberate ploy on part of the hotel to implant their sadistic curse on the eating public. This has also to do with the fact that while those folks serve, we eat. More often than not, I have greatly admired the menu and have been determined to have a dish on my palate which resembles closely the heavenly greatness associated with gourmet meals. But, my excitement has been withheld to containing myself to the mundane. Because, thats what seems to be available and time summons that I try only the 'flying of the shelf' variety for food. I assume that except for office-goers, we mostly taste outside food for the variety and the option it gives us to order and reorder while courting our gastronomical demands. I would always like to eat at a place where the menu is very small and precise. Too many ingredients on the menu makes it a difficult task to understand the finer nuances of food. Besides, many people visit hotels with the menu firmly ingrained in their brain.Seeing the menu is a fake custom. But we can't try to avoid it. We have to throw ourself into the menucard and pour over less interesting details like the price, interracial differences between dishes and grill the waiter over the less understood part. Here, people who get their queries sorted are the ones more likely to order , again, the same stuff they did the last time they ate outside. Interestingly, the lag time between ordering the food and eating it is also the time one should mull over the menucard. But most hotels prefer to take the menucard away from it's clients at that exact moment when he needs the most. Having ordered something, he is going to review his decision and also think himself into ordering more. I don't know why-hotels spend a fortune on the interiors, but they are always short on the menu cards!!Keep the bill please!

LOVE IS LIKE DIABETES

Love is like diabetes. Not that I like diabetes as a form of disease. Nor would I want anybody to have diabetes. Far from it. But when people suffer from it, their body requires high doses of insulin. To get over it, they have to refrain from taking sugar, in all its forms. They have to basically curtail their sugar consumption. Now love is like that only. Like sugar, the person you love might not entirely be good for you. Not that sugar is bad for you. You just don't have the capacity to absorb, process sugar. Similarly, it is not that the person you love is bad for you. Its just that in the whole scheme of things, you might not be able to justify that person, however sugar dandy-good they might be. So then, a diabetic indeed understands this. So he maintains his sugar consumption and starts to do things that are good for him. Like exercising, like controlling his diet, like avoiding junk food. Even though he might hate it, he has to do it. See, at some stage, the love for one's life far exceeds the desire for sugar. So the person compromises certain aspects of his lifestyle. Thus love is also about loving someone, even though superficially, in the first instance. This might look forceful, but it is not. But, this might start a trajectory of events that are beneficial for the survival, for the goodness of one's own self. Similar to exercising and other activities, this might turn in one's favour. Diabetes is all about trying to do good things with oneself. Loving is all about finding goodness in people. Not that you love diabetes for the change it does to you. But you would love the fact that one starts loving oneself for the change it does it you. Love is where it all started. Love is where it would end.

THE HUMAN MADNESS

Some two thousand years before Christ, few people in England moved huge rocks weighing 40-50 tonnes, carried them over 80 kms and built what is today known as stonehenge. Thereby, they paid their respects to their ancestors. But why do people across geographies,societies,periods do that? Why do they perform immposible looking tasks? Just for the heck of it? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Why do people have to cross the Atlantic, build pyramids, cross the North Pole, climb Mount Everest, traverse the seas and run marathons?? Most academics would agree that such innane activities does no real tangible good to the betterment of society. It is unlike discovering medicines or inventing the computer or even making great insights into science and technology. Then what it is about such insurmountable tasks that inspire people and also motivates a whole generation of others? How do these individuals make hereos out of themself? Maybe because, as humans go, we are one of the only species that can think. And as the human spirit goes, we are definitely mad. By giving such performances, we are making sure that nothing is beyond us,nothing it is that can't be achieved. We are beyond limits,in anything that we do. So, travelling in a hot air baloon around the world gives us pleasure. We know those risks, we know what could be the outcome. Possible death. So what!How beautiful, how amazing! Thats what living is about. Its about dying a hundred deaths to seek pleasure. Pleasure that would ruin us, make us suffer, take our breath away, leave us stranded....Let it be. Life would never come again. Then why should we embrace it to our self. Let it free, let it abandon, get lost, let it wander. In the process, it may inspire a few, surprise a few and bring a whole new discovery among us. A new land, a new space and a new horizon awaits us. Salute the adventuror! Let a life of chance begin!

TO DO OR NOT TO DO

I don't know where the tide flows nor do I know where the wind blows. I don't know what is good nor do I know where I would be persuaded to. Crime is there in all of us. It has just to be nurtured. We are much more fascinated by murders, frauds, scams, evils than we are by the good deeds done by some. Crime is much more than a simple act of good versus bad. It is also about our innate desire to do get away from the clutches of the society. To break it's rules and disband it's ideals. When somebody does it for us, we are astounded. Actually, each one of us has the propensity of commit a crime. Only few of us have the gumption to exercise the act. Imagine a world where the rules of the society don't innhabit. Or imagine, if we wouldn't be caught doing something. Wouldn't we jump traffic rules, stop paying taxes or better still-loot a bank? For most of us,the answer is a resounding yes. Crime starts in our mind. Then the question does not remain about good or bad any longer. It then becomes a question about something else. Just pure guts! Criminals have similar brain conditions like a chess playing grandmaster, rush of blood like an Olympian and the skill sets of a business tycoon. What sets them apart is the part they play in society and their wish to be different, noticeable and individualistic. Criminals can in way move a society forward. New systems, defence mechanisms, superior technology have all been possible thanks to the crimes committed by equally committed people to their cause. Hackers brought in better guarding tools,murderers brought transformation in medical science, financial frauds brought amazing quantifiable models. The many wars brought a better society altogether. Every evil that man has performed has always resulted in further looking into our selves. We should be greatful to the evils of this world. Without the evil, the goodness is bad enough to be even glanced at.

ALIEN INVASION

The last few days have been very painful for me. Some days back, on my way home from my morning jog,something hit my leg. Thud! Since then, my toenail has broken. I walk in excrutiating pain.And this has gone to my head. I can't remember things. But I guess, I'm alright. I have a new job-'Insider surveillance officer'. I can't remember how I got it. But, it is what people I'm told are doing these days. Our people, as they say. My job is to find outsiders. These are defined as creatures who have invaded our space. They are everywhere. They were in NaziGermany, America, England, Australia. Now, they have come to Mumbai, Bombay, Bambai. Whatever. Oh!I can't remember anything. This pain in my toenail has gone to my head.But, I know about these viruses that attack computer terminals and destroy them. Outsiders are of similar nature. So I'm told. They can take any form. Now, they have disguised as humans. They are out to take our jobs, food, shelter and multiply. They attack the insider species. They are spiteful,disgusting and mean. So I'm told. But, its been days. And, I haven't located any! Sadly, I don't know how they look like. I've no formal training to locate and destroy them. And then, this toenail. The pain has gone to my head. There would be special gadgets to exterminate them. Impaling them, rather! I would get them on my promotion. But first, I have to locate them & notify the nearest concentration camp for their torture.This has to be done carefully.Because,the outsiders can be friendly, helpful & peaceful. Oh!Is it? My toenail makes me forget things.Ghajini style. I wonder as to why I got this job? I'm the chosen one. As I'm told. Maybe because of some royal blood. Blue blood. Pure blood. Genetics. Maybe my toenail. But, if we can weed out all the outsiders, this world would be free of them. Then I'm told, would there be an utopian world, a paradise. I guess, when that happens, my job would be free of finding these creatures of the untraceble kind. Maybe, they are in the ocean. If only I could think, recognise them. Did I get a hit on the head?

The idea of pure bliss

How is happiness defined? Is it something to do with the joy of doing things that we like? What if it can be controlled! If you ever walk into the mall, you'll notice it. Most such shopping places are filled to the brim with stuff. Clothes, food items, consumer durables, toys,etc. The arrangement makes us unhappy unless we buy them. Sometimes for no good reason. More of something so arranged makes a compulsive behaviour of things seeking attention. So, there it is. Our emotions were made to suit us. You would either feel sad on not having any of those items inside your home or would feel very sad on not having enough to buy enough of them! What if our emotions could get controlled? Like having a pill to feel happy, to have an energy drink to feel like in love, to make oneself feel sad...I guess not. Maybe such stuff is already in the market. But happiness can't be derived from such things. After the initial high from any substance, we would also feel the depths of depression. Happiness is one of mankinds way of comparing between good and bad,ugly and beautiful. We only become happy when comparing one thing to the other, oneself to someone or comparing a situation to another. When the comapring stops, bliss starts. That to me is enlightenment. Once enlightened....you are too small for comparision and too big to be ignored....keep at it...thinking

The tales of a survivor

Consider yourself very lucky, if you've found this letter. I won't give you my location, for fear of being found. I shall not even divulge my co-ordinates. But one thing is very clear to me-I'm a very happy man. My wife of 2 years left me for good. People like each other for all the wrong reasons. For all you care to know, we fought, I cried. She left, she gained. From not being able to live without each other, we managed to be able to not see each other. Anyways, my plane crashed. I was travelling somewhere over the ocean. Only three of us survived. Two died. They couldn't come to terms with the disaster. Some people can't live with change. For all you care to know, the fear of anonymity killed them. The knowledge that you can't get out of here. Anyways, my first act of survival was a horrid one. Food, shelter, the things we take for granted in the modern world; I had to struggle for them. But, I scrapped through. After the plane wreck, we managed to salvage some tools, books, toothbrush, paper, pen. I never knew such rich usages of a screwdriver. Almost like they could be repatented. For all you care to know, life here is an awakening. I don't have to use the alarm clock, switch on the TV, use all those useless gadgets. W've made them to further complicate our life. I even had to learn writing anew. All those years of typing on the keyboard! Anyways, there are species out here and we live in harmony. There is a rule here, if you care to understand. Never take more than you can give. See, I made myself home here. I was bored of the life in the world where all life is spent in accumulating,possessing and fighting over stupid things. Things that have no significance. And this is paradise. For all you know, remember the ads of these real-estate ventures. They all promised of paradise,luxury and an utopian world. They know nothing. Anyways, I'm not telling you this for any grandeur mission or like some new age guru. I'm feeling sorry for you folks. I'm standing at a vantage point on a high cliff and you all seem drowned-doomed.

Confessions of the Dracula.

You might not like this. So be careful for what you read. But I don't care. I might not be a human being. Maybe, I'm special. That would count off most people out there-like you. I've extraordinary supernatural powers. I derive my strength from the blood of birds, animals & err....humans. See, I warned you. But,humans just don't get it. They behave as if they understand things, occurrences, phenomenons. Then explain this. I live in the deep reccesses of the underground, where I abide by the rules of the occult for they hinge on the very edge of my survival. I've lived & traversed this planet for a thousand years. Time...eh....the way you know it.But I don't wear a wrist watch darlings; time clings to me. And my world, the underworld,hangs on to every word that I utter. Unlike humans, I promise, I deliver. Such is my precision laden skills for everything that I do. But, get 'em very clear. I don't wear black clothes, nor do I have protuded teeth or do I have claw like fingernails. For all you know, I can take the form of any substance,any element and any real thing in nature. So next time when darkness falls & you are alone, shivering in fear-remember me. I might just be around, just in case.....to grab your neck............

ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA.

There was nothing special about the day, I suppose. School gets over early due to the winter. But I got a rupee coin. It was lying on the road-glittering or so seemed to my eyes. I had to pick it up. Just imagine what all can be had with that much money! I could not stop from making immediate plans. I ran off to the candyfloss wala. We had a mela(festival) nearby. My friends had already been there. I could only afford now, with this money. I simply like the jalebis here.I had them too. But, I saved the rest for 'the greatest show on earth'; thats what people say. And yes indeed! The biscope is the most amazing thing ever made. I watched Ram Rajya inside the biscope. My father does not like cinema.He says that this is kaliyug. And all of us will be ruined. He is always right. Because, after he knows what I've been upto-I am certainly ruined. But I like it. Tomorrow I will tell all my friends about this big adventure. And I just remembered. Tomorrow is a new year. Nothing much changes for me. But I hope that 1946 would be different. For a ten year old, even a rupee can change life. Happy new year!!!

Today never came.

Some little part of yesterday and some little part of tommorrow makes our today. Sadly, we never live this day. For some reason, I could never figure it out myself. Why should all the good things on earth should have happened yesterday? So that all the good things could happen only tommorrow. What about today? Today, we have never yet lived! Remember all the good nostalgia about the past and some sweet memories. But they are gone. And yes, how about dreams. They are yet to come. For sure, I believe, today doesn't exist. Time keeps moving all the time. It takes the 'today' away from us. Our past can be stored as memories, in pictures and in our brain. This way, we can stop time, calm the clock. Even the future can be created. We even indulge in seasoned and lucid imaginations of the future. But the present walks past us all the time and hardly do we glance. Because, the present can't be whisked atop in glory. It can't be stored,preserved or stopped. It can be subjected to humiliation and sabotaged. One thing for certain,if things are to be done, now is the time. Today breaths down our neck....all of tommorrow and all of yesterday....

DECEMBER DUES

Of all the months of the year, december must be given equal, if not, better respect. So what if it comes as the last month of the year. We suddenly await the arrival of the next year in advance. But we forget that there is still plenty of time to go. December is also the month when people want to get rid of their missed targets and forgotten resolutions. Its their month of sin and hence most people repent this particular month by simply ignoring it. By all ghastly means!Remember 31st december parties. If 2007 was wished by whole and sundry as a happy new year-then every day of that year has to be celebrated as a new year. Including 31st december. But look how shoddily we treat it. The last year of the day has thus equal rights to be treated on par with any other day of the year. Instead, we burn effigies of the old year on the stroke of midnight,of the 31st of every year. Such torture and disdain for delightful december! What a plight for a month,where people dance, party and celebrate. Just for the death of a calendar year. Oh december, if you were a person, living, such shame! Let the soul of december be alive to see itself the year hence......

Limits..

If you can swim in 7 feet of water, you can very well manage 100 feet of water beneath you. Once you eliminate the risk of drowning, the depth ceases to exist anymore. Then, what remains are only waves, undercurrents and the flow of water. But the human mind still thinks only about the depth. Maybe we are functioned to believe so. Try jumping into water from a certain height or from a cliff for that matter. Our whole system reacts negatively to the occassion. Even though, we understand that death is an uncertain occurrence and an outcome inevitable. As we stand there on the edge, our mind becomes the most important stumbling block for our forseable success. The mind plays a game. It allows you to decide for an outcome. To jump or not to jump, to fight or to flight. The best possible way to deal with the situation is to not think at all. To steer our mind completely of any thoughts. To make it blank. This is the stage that spiritualists call enlightenment. This is basically the point where you have nothing more to think. It is also because no matter what you do, the experience has no command over you, once you cross that stage. When you reach that point, just jump. The consequence is pure bliss.

THE DAY DREAMER

Very few of us really get the time to daydream. It is one of the most incredibly sustained stressfree activity in our life. Maybe because we reach the depth of our soul while we dream. Maybe, because we want to be something we are not. But, what if we could merge our dreams?How about entering somebody's dream and controling it. Like a mass hypnotic chaos of fulfillment. Can it be possible to enter into the brain of someone and realter, rechannel or simply recast a dream? If we could do that, it would be closest to an utter disdain of one's privacy. See, newspapers did it. Then came the radio....then TV...then internet & mobile telephony. All these mediums have somehow shrunk our world. But, mostly it has broadened our mirror into the private life of an individual. The next intrusion would be of greater proportion. The virtual world would take things over. Ultimately, you and I would never be able to distinguish between the fact and the fake, the real and the virtual. But, we would also be able to enter into the mind of an individual. Enter into his thought process. We would then know what an artist thinks when he paints, what a politician thinks when he speaks...and what a terrorist imagines when he gets closer to his target! Imagine a world where your thought process could have magnified impact on the society as a whole. From consumer surveys to opinion polls to your next crime-everything graphed mentally. Imagine then-your dream would land you in deep trouble. Stop dreaming!

ONE FLEW OVER MY HEAD

I guess, everything around us is programmed. Like some structure, that gets created and subsequently destroys itself. As kids, we are programmed to believe certain things. Like god, religion, spirits, etc. These programs were created out of fear, doubt, disillusion. But at some level, they make the system work. Because every system requires a subsystem that works in harmony with the main system. Our species has come so far that we have somehow found a way to recognise and maybe even govern the system. The programmed has become the programmer. This could create anarchy. The transformation of our planet into one whole junkyard-dustbin is a prime example. Amazingly, into our very system does counter systems exist. These are rebels or revolutionaries. They never followed the rules layed down by the system. This spectacular digression that takes one away from the path of the system is a very unique aspect of our system. But then, who is the janitor of our universe? Or are there layers and layers of universes working in an equal semblance of programs. Do we live in a world that is the only one existing system in the entire universe? Far from it! Probabilities don't support my belief.Perhaps at some point, there are tangencies where many universes interact. We don't have to look for external life or intelligence or a support system. Maybe, all of it meet right here...who knows....we are just the part of the system. How long is our program designed to work??????

ON MATHEMATICS

There is a very little chance of people loving this subject. But, if we really understand it, then there is no alternative but to fall for it. Mathematics is one such subject. During school days, it took a braveheart to really like this most misunderstood subject. As we surpass ourself in age, we tend to mostly ignore it. Better still, we are all the more keen to put maths into the dustbin. It becomes all the more clear when we realise how this subject had become the embodiment of our previous embarrassement. Remember, the time one tried to pickup the nuances of a subject that put fear in the heart of even the most courageous of souls. Quite differently, maths is a subject that dwells into the finest of aspects of human existence. See, what if there is another Galaxy somewhere! Just like ours. And there, they have different set of rules. Different laws of physics altogether. Now in our planet, two goats + Two goats make four goats. So too in theirs. Two Aliens + Two Aliens will make four Aliens and not five, six..however different should their laws be. Maths never changes. The beauty of this subject is so vast that it is eternally linked to all fields of science. No scientific proof is complete without it being derived/compiled in maths. The only crime this subject does is that it gives us answers devoid of emotion or irrationality. It chooses to be blunt and seeks no forgiveness. We happily co-exist with it; totally unaware that all we think as the truth might just be there-lurking to be opened as a fact. Maths cannot lie. Only we can.Hence we deny.

The Chewing Gum Theory.

Some things in life are just made for you. Some good things and some pretty nasty ones. But try as you might want to, they never relieve you of your duty to cling to them. Just like chewing gum! I remember chewing gums that got stuck to my hair, my shoes. Can't understand why anybody would want to do that. Manufacture something that causes so much misery to mankind. But then, some things stick to you all your life. It could be a name or your hair style or your accent or whatever. It can consume your whole life and give you a character. Just like the chewing gum. I don't know what happens to that chewing gum. Somebody chews it to his satisfaction and then throws it away. Unfortunately, it sticks to some part of somebody and refuses to leave. You don't know how to get rid of it. I remember having this single song being played in my childhood years. And during rainy seasons, I have this feeling that a garrision of clouds are hovering over my head; plotting to wet me or worse-drown me. But in a world where nothing goes unnoticed, even the shirt that you wear becomes your identity. I had this friend who's shirt was so wierd that it's colour, pattern and design was the only one. Yes, I have never seen another one like his. In this entire universe! I think, some things become part of your own self. They become part of your torturous period of awakening. They become your nostalgia. They take you from your childhood to your teenagehood to your adulthood to your old age. Interestingly,they also develop a personality. They borrow some part of your persona. They take all your experiences along the journey. They could be the teddy bears that you hung to or the toy from your birthday gift or a pet name or a bicycle or an umbrella. They are your chewing gums. You might throw them, but they still remain. Like that song. It carried me through childhood. And as I looked back, it was still whistling its way into the dreamy eyes of some children and their world.

Rallying for the losers...!!!!

Our life is like the speck of dust, stuck on the window pane of a high skyscraper building!Insignificant. Glad we never realise it. Otherwise, we would have all, for once, jumped from the terrace of the same building. But, humans have a special tendency to commit suicide. Very few species in the lower rungs of evolution show such unique character. This is also because we think and we look for answers. There are several viruses that take birth and die everyday. They never as much care for their existence or their purpose in life. Most of the other species hardly care if they are supposed to be contributing to the value of their society or making progress in their mechanism to survive. Hence, the onus falls on us-humans. We have so fooled ourselves into thinking that from sunrise to sunset, we have the destiny to make something happen, that we overlook many good things in our life. Perhaps our persistence, tenacity and committment to the cause of human endeavour has the potent element to make failures out of people. We never want to celebrate the ability of some individuals who are just happy to look into the sky without any reason or who just see the stars with a childish twinkle. Procrastination, idleness and couch syndrome are much frowned upon. But these characters add as much to who we are as does the many conquerors of this world. Its just with a quirk of dismal fate that we never relish the most peaceful,unbinding and joyful things in life these days. Lets make it a choice to celebrate something like a 'World relaxation day'. The stress will kill us all. And there are many highrises to jump from.

SUNSHINE FROM AN ETERNAL MIND

What if we suddenly realise that our memory has vanished? What if our very existence is questioned? Then we would have to start everything from scratch. Just like that! Here, I'm not talking about amnesia. Something more profound. Something that sits at the cradle of our survival. Our knowledge that our identity has an essence of truth. What if that truth vanishes. Just like that! Ghajini style. Memory-erased,identity-erased. Perhaps, who we are or what we think we are or what we ourself associate ourself to be can be an illusion. People, surroundings, environment, gives us a meaning. Things we touch, we feel-those represent our sense of being. What if that itself is ruptured. Just like that! We humans have an inert desire to link things with something, find patterns and have positive mutations of understanding. If we reconcile ourself to the fact that the whole army of truth is just a tiny speck in the annals of the universe, then our awakening begins. Life symbolises nothing but the spectacle of an illusion brought to us every day. Day after day. Untill we accept it as truth. Then, we try to assemble everything around that truth, as to build our world adjoining it. This becomes our universe. We can't wait till someone comes and shatters those pictures. Men did not pole vault to glory, they stumbled upon it. The fraction of what we take from those stumblings are the creative blocks of existentialism. Start a life everyday from scratch.Just like that.

FRIENDSHIP.........GREETINGS

There is a strange problem that I have been facing. Is there some way by which one can come to term with this? We meet so many people everyday, talk to several on our way to the office,school,college or simply while we travel. We don't tag all of them under the category of a friend. This is because, as we grow older, our 'real' friends decrease and things like acquaint, colleague, accomplice, guide, partner, etc come into our dictionary. We are born out of choice with regards to parents, cousins, sisters, brothers, uncles, etc. But, we almost always choose our friends. Since the time we are born, we start seeing, meeting people. Friendship becomes so naturally in our childhood. Remember, everybody who was anybody used to be a friend then. Adulthood is more about calculated friendship. We don't want to gamble away our time, money, efforts over some friendship. But, the question remains. How many people do we really meet in our lifetime? Hundred, thousand, ten-thousand! I assume, you are not the one sitting at the ticket counter, dispersing tickets and hence meeting 'n' number of people on any day! Okay!What if, we rewind our life. Then we would have to meet all those people again. Everyone. It is a strange coincidence that people choose to meet other people so without any planning. What is the probability of it all? I wish, we could all meet each other atleast once. See, we are a planet of over six billion people. Why is there so much of reproduction if we all have to whither away without ever meeting. I know it sounds crazy. But, wishing for this friendship day......Let everyone of us remain a friend to each other...............for a reason or for no damn reason. See, friendship does not require one!

RUNNING AGAINST TIME

Time is an interesting concept. I have never understood it. Hence, I would like to demystify it for you. Seconds, minutes and hours settle well inside our wrist watch. Days, months and years rest hanging on the wall over a calender. But, we all forsee the future or harp back on the past. Sometime with fondness and sometimes with tears. Fear is usually left for the future;alongwith anxiety. But really, what is time? Does one ever feel that one is walking through the space of time while the seconds are ticking by! We don't want to loose time. But, we are all doing it now, then, always. I think, time represents something. It is against whom we are all fighting, competing, interacting, evolving. We never realise it. If it wasn't for time, we would all be hibernating. Remember Polar bears. They have a body clock. It tells them that its time to sleep. From this winter to the coming summer. We are not winning anything, taking anything, leaving anything, making anything, changing anything. Our contribution to this world is negligible as regards to the consequence of this universe. We are only the product of our time. Our journey begins and ends with time. As soon as we do something, our creation vanishes. Because, time will ensure that it sweeps on it it's feet of emptiness. The sand clock has already started when we are born. We will leave without it, when we are gone....

The Evolution of Toothbrush and Paste

There is one thing about a toothbrush. It never fails to clean our teeth. Even with bad toothpaste. But as toothbrushes have evolved, the human tooth decay has been accentuated. Our ancestors always had a good set of teeth. That was required for their survival. But also, the art of planting paste to a toothbrush is the most daunting task known to mankind. Ever. But even more difficult is the muscle activity involved in moving the little brush over your teeth,standing near the wash basin and then spilling all the poison out of the mouth. If early human would have known this daily ritual, he would have died out of a massive stroke. Anyways, here I am explaining the virtues of tooth polish. Just like shoe cream polishes one's shoes and varnish polishes the furniture and a hair remover polishes off everything else-a toothpaste with a toothbrush polishes your teeth. It also prevents tooth decay, keeps gums healthy and avoids bad breath. But that is for the advertisements to say. With the fit of ads on tooth pastes and brushes, I begin to wonder if the dental trouble is the most important problem before the nation. Even though many doctors suggest brushing, twice daily,I still prefer the ancient way. After dinner or lunch or in their spare time,the ancient way was to sit together huddled, in a corner. Over discussing daily affairs, those people used to use both their hands with all their fingers to progress inside of their respective set of teeth. As these hands entered the mouth, the nails completed rest of the task. The teeth set was spank clean. Dentists were never required

A Mango is Forever!!

I have never walked past a mango without not wanting to eat it. But, have I been ever satisfied!With countless tonnes of this tropical fruit inside my stomach, I still feel something missing. My stomach asks for more and my hunger is unsatiated. The thing with peeling off the skin of this divine fruit and gulping part of it's tender juice feels heavenly. But, thats just the thing with heaven. You can have all of it and still yearn for more. With a mango-you never know. It can take you in it's grip, bound you to it's taste and plunder you mentally. It perhaps is the only fruit that has a sensous amber of delicacy. It has a fragrance that can put thousand perfumed bottles from Paris to shame. It is said that Emperor Akbar would have left India with it's heat and unrespiteful sultriness. But for the mango. It can take the shape of bottled syrup, ice-cream, and innumerable desserts with unequivocal greatness. The devotion to a mere fruit might seem strange to you. People indulge in stranger activities. But the patience, temparament that takes to become a mango-makes it the king of fruit.

The Long Waiting Game

Life is an endless wait. Everybody is waiting for something. Some people get it, some people don't. But many of us never know what we are waiting for! As soon as we arrive on this planet-we are surrounded by people who we never knew before. How soon do we become part of this kaleidoscope. But if really think hard, all this wait in our mother's womb is a long wait. Did we ever figure it out. What after that? Did you know what you'll find after those nine months? If you stand still at a place and look around the chaos-you'll notice something. People are waiting for train tickets, movie tickets, at ATM machines, at bus stops, at restaurants; and the que for something insignificantly significant is theirs afterall. But all the time, you were not part of the line-you were actually the chaos. By not waiting for something, anything, you had become unimportant. We also wait for a good career, for the right person in life, for money, for the road that would take us to the right path. There is not right or wrong way to wait for something nor is my wait more important than yours.Its just that the waiting game gives us hope.Perhaps things, we believe, would turn around. Waiting lets your lonliness fly. One is always associated with that wait. Don't despair! If the period is cut short to spontaneous demand and supply, then we would be desparately depressed. Waiting is an activity that adds value to the final product. Remember death. Life becomes more sweet only because of the long wait to death. Nobody cared about being born. But most of us also never craved for death.Wait. You'll get the answer....

Charter to Happiness........Flight to Pain

Ever wondered, what life is all about? Ever since we come here-there is a constant desire in us to do something, be something and make something happen. But the greatest of all it is the desire to be happy. That is the ultimate thing! Like I just saw this movie-The Pursuit of happyness, I thought, let me share something with you. Ours is a life-long pursuit to achieve happiness.We strive for it, but never go so near as to be in it's wake of embrace. Happiness is something we would never get inside our doors. Thats how things are meant to be. Otherwise we wouldn't improve. The whole of human progress is based on our endeavor to go after happiness. But we never are happy. Satisfied, yes. Happy, no. In real life only the dead ones are really happy. Our strive for perfection, our goals, our monetary pursuits and in every aspect of our life; we seem to be getting close to happiness. But happiness never remains or wants to attain a part of us. This is how it is meant to be. See, if we all are happy, joyous, we would certainly cease to exist. There would be no comprehensive growth. There would be no TV set invented. Because, people are happy with their radios. There would be no computers. Because, people are happy with their TV’s. There would be no laptops. Because, people are happy with their PC’s. Life goes on. Greed is the supreme form of dissonance. In all it's forms, it leads us to further pursue our well being. It can also lead to sadness. But without it, we would all be happy and jolly good fellows. And then. There would be no such thing as improvement, betterment, growth, invention, creative. All the creativity in the world is through the evil hands of greed. Sadness again? Choose at your own peril!!

The Great Human Search Engine

There is a new kind of a search engine available. Although, this is the oldest that mankind has known. And this knows everything. It has all the information-and much more. More than google and Yahoo put together! And this one is also the most cost effective. But beware! This is available for only those who dare to listen, talk and do a whole lot of bullshit. I was travelling in a train with my friend. We happened to talk about vacations during the hot summer months in Mumbai. We chanced upon Mahabaleshwar, Goa, Simla other destinations as various options. Our conversation was overheard by someone-a total stranger. Unknowingly, we had pressed the search button. We had it. The man impressed upon us various locales for a summer holiday, alongwith travel fares, hotel room details, bargain shops for everything and so on. I wasn't suprised. I have been offered career & job options, stock tips, fitness & health tips, financial knowledge and whole vast array of data from absolute strangers. These people have simply jumped upon the chance of offering their 'expertise', over topics discussed by me, over my phone or with a travelling friend; inside trains,buses(mostly). I have also had philosophical discussions with auto- rickshawallas & taxi drivers-all to be ruined after their overcharging me through tampered meters. Most crowded places in India will have people most eager to discuss on issues like weather changes, Indian economy, budget, Indian film industry, corruption and so on...You just have to do is press the search button. By which, I mean, open your mouth & say something-anything. Complex issues get a quick redressal. But lastly......After the Australian cricket team's debacle in their home series recently, I overheard a heated discussion about fitness,advertising money,attitude problems and so on. I heard enough. But what to do-I had to join them. After all, I'm also part of it. The Great Human Search Engine!!

LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

Of all the various physical activities I have done, running and walking are at the topmost. Running is an endurance activity that is as painful as it is enjoyable. As you run past buildings, trees, vehicles and people-a strange kind of freedom engulfs oneself. I can't put it into words.But the feeling is liberating. Even walking does it. You are free of bondages. You can feed your mind with all the crap in the world. A simple walk can bring more questions than you are prepared to answer. More answers than there are questions. An entire gamut of it. All this while,your legs carry you. Its almost a ritual. But with each step, you have surrounded yourself to the environment. Walk and the mountains move behind you. You have left them far behind. The wind caresses your being. We do far too many things with a rational or a specific purpose in mind. Walking, running should have no purpose. Then it enables you to get very far. We have never traversed the roads,the parks,the mountains under our feet. There is a whole planet waiting for us. It does not get discovered by us, having wandered it's path. They were always there. We discover ourself. And that is the eternal truth.Keep walking. Keep running. Then even time stops!

SPORTS ARE US!

What makes a good sporting nation? How does a nation excel in any sport or dominate one? Is it monetary power? Then Kenya, Ethiopia wouldn't be so good at athletics? Is is their gene quality?Then what genetics does China have? Is it parental support? Say that to most of the boxing fraternity-they have none to speak of! Is it supperb infrastructure? Brazil had very little for their football to get rolling. I believe that only natural angst towards a particular entity can circumvent children towards sports. Russians had to prove their communist colour. The Cubans rode on their foe America. Most of the African nations had a deep angst towards their white counterparts. Not to forget the 'black' americans. This angst can be towards the society, the system or the whole mechanism, we call our world. Many americans took their angst towards a seemingly evil society by taking to drugs. Any sport is an unnatural ally to narcotic drugs. Sports thrills us,increases our dopamine levels. It gives a high, very much like narcotics; sports having all the positives intact; unike narcotics. This is why many nations will drive their children towards sports. Every day a game gives a goal to drive people. China is a very recent example. It has made a giant leap in making itself the sporing equivalent of a dragon. Watch out for it during the Beijing olympics. But why do people get hysterical when it's team loses in a sport game? The reason lies elsewhere. During the ancient greek times, the gladiators were very popular. Slaves being popular is quite remniscient of ancient yet modern greece. But again, it was the angst of the common folks who failed to find heroes in society.Gladiators became their sporting heroes.In most nations,people are sceptical of it's politicos. They distrust them to an extent that their love flows naturally towards the sports stars. But even these demi-gods are to be tested-time & again. Whether it's Brazil's loss in the world cup or India's cricketing turmoil, we have little patience for failure. Gods don't.

ON Traffic Signal

Ants follow a very discreet pattern to their life. They simply trace a straight path to gather food,deliver it to their stock 'godowns'. Even elephants, lions, hyenas, penguins have disciplined their life towards survival rules. These are animals who live under extreme neccesity-but never do they cheat. They obey the so called 'Law of the Jungle'. Then why do humans never follow traffic rules? Atleast in many developing countries. Does following traffic signals undermine certain economic prosperity? The answer is yes! Every animal in the jungle knows that disobedience of a certain law brings disparity. This could be in the form of isolation while hunting or predator attacks or even sudden death. Even among mafia organisations-broken rules can bring loss of business,enmity,greater policing and distrust. A traffic signal is also a poignant example of a human society. At any point a traffic signal signifies the pivot around which the society,it's economy and it's people revolve. The act of the people to stop at a red signal,wait for their chance to arrive or just disregard every rule and move on reflects the society. Every country has a traffic signals where people respect the laws irrespective of the police or certain punishment. As economies have evolved, so have their traffic signal points. There is a clear symbolic relationship between economic prosperity and traffic signals. The patience, respect of the most low profiled law, clearly brings out the characteristic of the people. Only such people who approach traffic signals as dutiful law abiders can propel a nation towards economic harmony.

On Trials and Tribulations

There are many flavours to an ice-cream. Most people prefer it on top of a cone, inside a cup or they like it with another dessert. People mostly savour a strawberry, a vanilla or a chocolate ice-cream. Those are the most selling flavours in the world. Ever wondered why people like a certain ice-cream flavour to others? I reckon its how we are conditioned to order things in our life. We like things that are readily available; especially food items. We generally go to any restaurant and order things that are tried and tested,ordered and reordered,over the course of time. This is our strategic neccesity towards safety. Tried and Tested. That is how we do all things in life. Choose a Bride or Groom-which has been tried and tested. Choose a tried and tested car. Choose a tried and tested mobile phone. Choose a tried and tested career. If we put people into a torture chamber or put a gun to their head or put them under extreme or put them to oath-they would all testify. Had they known the consequences of the unknown-they would have ventured out to the dark dungeons of uncertainty. They would have silently withstood the secrets to their desires. The future is I believe not as uncertain. It is just the moment, it passes but safely. Desire and happiness are all about walking the untrodden path. Harmony is only had when we walk a tightrope with a deep river on one side and a deeper valley on the other. But life after all starts with just one single. That step is to conquer the fear between choosing a vanilla ice-cream and chilli flavoured one. Have a treat!!!

ON SAINT VALENTINE

Writers are like that only. Even if you lock them inside a dark room for days, they would still write. And I bet-the written words would say more about light than darkness. Now that Valentine Day will get near, I decided to do my due diligence and get the truth out. Over the course of history, many people did many things. Issac Newton sat under an apple tree. He became famous because the apple landed right there, over his head. Most apples are sacrificed for fruit salad. This one wrote history. Now move to Rome-269AD.Emperor Claudius was a dejected man. Saint Valentine was marrying people off to other people. Now married men did not make good soldiers.And married men did not want to fight wars(They already did that with their wives). Emperor Claudius and Rome was in a war with many of his neighbours.Here,Saint Valentine was secretly marrying men off. So, Claudius punished Saint Valentine to death. Cut to 2007 AD.St.Valentine is a famous man. But now men have become wiser. They don't want to marry. This is a known fact. It is better to go to a war than marry. Although, Valentine's day is celebrated with much vigour-methinks, secretly, it should be converted to Emperor Claudius's day. Atleast many lives of married men would be saved. For all the thorns that prick and all the petals that fall......Happy Emperor Claudius Day!
Now you can send gifts to your loved ones this Valentine's Day through http://www.buygiftstoindia.com/

ON Mother Earth

People are getting fatter by the day. This has unleashed forces of unforeseen consequences on our planet. The weight of our Earth is increasing by the day. One of my friend(name witheld on request), has left the parameters of gravitational forces. In fact, his sideways growth has been prominently displayed by the parallel bulge of our planet. I remember, when I was born, I was told;birth brought-only a little feet, few hairs and a small being into this world. We are but an absymal percentage of our twenty year old self(for romantic reasons,I'll stick to 20 years)when we are born. And then, we add weight. So much weight has been added with so many of us being born;the planet has also put on fat. Our Earth is many times heavier than it was before. The planet is like a basketball. But as the ball starts getting fatter, the ball cannot manage to enter the net. The planet is like a football. As it gets heavier, it will never have the energy to travel to the goalpost. The planet is like a cricket ball. One day, it will never bounce or move or turn. The planet is like a laddoo. We eat it, we gobble it, we chew it, we consume it. But there is only one laddoo. A very big Laddoo. And we all have to share it. The planet is like a soap bubble. And soap bubbles evaporate. Just like that. The planet is like a birthday gift, we got as kids. I tore apart the wrapper, hastily; removed the gift. It was a toy sports car. I drove it for a few months. Then it's tyres worn out, it's steering moved out and one day-the engine stopped moving. I forgot about the gift-the car....there was only one car. So I started crying. But, we have only one gift......try saving it........

ON HAIR GROWTH

There are about one lakh tufts of human hair, sitting on the head of womenfolks. But for that one reason, I regret sitting behind a girl during an examination. Every strand of hers would reflect my misfortune. And here, I am not being a romantic. I am trying to make people understand the social consequences of growing large swathes of unmanagable; what else-hair. On one such exam sojourn, I was a victim to unrelenting torture. This lady, had her hair swaying; to the tune of a fan,perched above us. Everytime she turned her head, moved herself back or forth; her hair took to task all my examination ammunition. She made my pencils, pens, sharpner, eraser, admit card, supplements, move all over the place. My exam tools kept dropping. They had no idea that they had been subjugated to extreme acts of painful passion due to some hair raising tacts. The pain was magnified by the fact that her hair smelled of some lavender shampoo(Brand won't be mentioned here). That those hair still reeked of dandruff, is another matter. Hair are the undisciplined case of growth emanating out of one's head. Many women(All infact) feel that it's their birthright to showcase their growth through long periods of unkempt hair that obey gravitational laws, moving downwards. I have nothing against hair growth. Infact, I am for the 'Society for cruelty against hair growth'. But, I think,all hair growth needs military discipline; especially if they alter the course of my exam paper. Hair has enough significance in human civilisation to glorify them. 'Mummies' have been known to sustain hair growth, even after..err...mummification. But, just imagine! What if, sleeping peacefully, inside their coffins, these hair, out of their own imagined journey, start to disturb-other mummies. What if some pharoah awakens, disturbed by his queens hair growth; out of deep slumber! That too after having died from the same reason. Now you understand......

The truth about Lies

Truth is like a black & white feature film inside a dilapidated theatre. But a lie is like a technicolour movie inside a multiplex. We, forever,walk alongside truth but the direction gets us to falsehood and lies. Actually, humans wouldn't have survived by truth. We would have died long ago; our ancestors believing that we are slower than most predators, lacking in sharp jaws or muscled claws would have died. We lived on because we somehow believed the lie, we told ourself; that we are all powerful. We developed our own tools, romanced our own dreams and magnified our own glory. That is the story of mankind. Hope is a lie, God is a lie, religion is a lie, love is a lie and so are many more things in life. The distance of the moon from the earth was a truth and hence it's reach became an unsurmountable fact. But by reaching those dissy heights made it a lie. If we really had faith in truth, our world would have come crashing down. We take challenges because somehow the dream in us surpasses the truth of rationality. We cross barriers thinking that our protection is guaranteed by certain powerful forces. A lie gives out the creative side of human intelligence. Truth is but very boring, stoic; born out of fatigue. Ideas emerge out of lies. Every mathmatical model that brings 2+2=4, is the truth. But making that conversion into 5 or 6 is the true esscence of human civilisation. Thats how things work. Every generation has to live with it's own truth. That hinders it's growth. Our progress is ceased by constant scrutiny that we surrender ourselves to. If we really find the truth in us,we can do nothing. The most extraordinary things have been borne out of the most ordinary human brings. If we can tell ourself the right kind of lie then anything becomes a possibility. Every distance is attainable, every dream reachable and every means managable. Let the true lies out of the closet........

Life and Death via Orkut, facebook, twitter, myspace

Good people never kill themselves. They simply wither away and die. Unoticed. But death is what we do after we live. Between birth and death, we somehow do certain things. I don't know whether we do right things or the wrong ones; we just never figure it out. Life takes away from us the joys, the sorrows like a gift or a punishment. And we add these chapters to ourselves, thinking, maybe; we've created them out of our own capacities. Some say-standing on the 'Times Square' in New York for enough duration would make us meet all representatives of humanity from our world. Perhaps, we should ponder upon it. I think, on Orkut, facebook, myspace, twitter, we are all holding hands; somehow sharing our fate. This is our fate that we can transmit information, interact and reach out. We are holding a mirror to the world, but only our face emerges. Shall we degenerate; our cells would die; we'll start getting old. Would we still come here daily; wishing birthdays, greeting festivals, etc. Shall we say 'Happy 95th birthday'-the next thing we know is that, he/she's gone. Never before has it been so good nor so bad. As much as I can understand, I hope that we the people on all social communities face a similar dilema....we are a generation that are co-joined; like some secret community. As we go along, we leave our trails but somehow uncertain of our own paths. Our DNA carries something unique-like a time capsule filled with super information of our race. What we eat, what we wear, what we enjoy is all there, out in the open. Someday, everyone will realise it. All of have lived before they died.....I have seen it here.....even in lonliness we share togetherness

on Childhood

I have yet to sort out if I am into adulthood or if its still that child inside me. There is not much joy or freedom when one becomes an adult. Even juvenile courts don't entertain you and nana-nani parks are still far beyond your reach. Recently, I went to one park, got surprised; then dissapointed and finally retreated from there. There is not much one can do there. As a child, you walk home with pride after having hit a ball for a 'six' or if you kicked the hell out of your best friend and worst enemy. People praise you for finishing your 'complan'on time and singing irrelevant nursery rhymes for the hundreth time. The only thing that bothers your existence is the mountain load of homework. But then,you can fall sick, go for vacations and know that Diwali and Christmas and several other festivals exist; and not just on calendar. Childhood is also when paradisical diseases like smallpox, malaria, dyssentry, jaundice meant that your mother took you to the doctor and all the good and very good things in life come back with full force to haunt you.With several doses of tonic and pills; you took to bed comics, food, video games and forgot about the world for a while. Money is root of all evil. Even then, childhood is the age when the all knowing parents are the perfect resourceful ATM's and your uncle, aunts, granparents also serve as reserve bankers. Anything in the whole damn world was then buyable as long as it was a toy. How I now envy children-with their unending energy and their freedom. In my next birth,I'll surely start back as a child............

On Taxi drivers

Taxi drivers make great conversationalists. They know all about the world, have the best G.K. and have an opinion about all things under the sun. But they don't know traffic rules or how as to follow them. They also display a great sense of humour; especially when caught by a traffic police. But its their pick of language or the lack of it, laced with sharp swearing words that are the source of my thorough entertainment. If one respects them for that and leaves them alone then there is lot to be learned. See, they meet so many people in any given day. They must be watching,glaring,staring, listening and talking to so many strangers. And it is not even a forced conversation. So, when a taxi driver greeted me with 'Happy new Year'; I knew he meant it. But that doesn't mean that I had a happy start to the new year. Not when I saw the taxi fare.Most taxis in Mumbai would have a tampered meter. Relax. This is not some kind of a monopolistic fraud mechanism of a racket to loot people of their hard earned money. No taxi driver receives a bonus,pension plan or such; leave alone a tip(I haven't talked about travelling allowance as yet). So they just move a few screws of their meter. It is their way of coping with street stress and driving mental harrassement. This long piece of explanation is also my way of coping with the habit of paying over and above the normal fare. I love to hate my way of rationalising things that need a little bit of change. The world needs some honesty. This also is my resolution this year.

On Celebrations

So the new year has finally arrived. But then,what do expect?After 31st dec 2008;any school kid worth his self-respect will tell you that it's the turn of 1st Jan,2009. Then why do so many people celebrate something which on the face of it is so obvious? People sms, light fire-crackers, dance and drink themselves to glory as if a new chapter has been written on the face of this planet. Next thing one does is to spend a fortune; eating out at overcrowded hotels, walking on moneyed streets and shouting to assume the birth of a significant achievement. Suddenly, the reality dawns on them. The following day is as mundane as one can as yet realize it. Only body aches and hangovers remain. But then, why do we celebrate? Is it to run away from boring work environment, bustling streets, jammed roads, daily overcrowded travelling? Then again we find the same things repeat itself during these festivities. Is it that we love the virul effect of merry faces and joyous moods among people? But it is our birthright to be a little crazy, appear a little madly behaved and enjoy life without the burden of responsibility. If we could throw caution to the winds-this is it. Celebrations is another of our national sport.

on 2007 and 2008.........

Let us just face it. The year 2007 was unlike any year in the history of mankind. Never before has there been a year 2007 in any calendar of any century(I've checked it). This year was very special(even though I found the T.C., everytime I travelled ticketless). The year was special-not because I travel mostly in a merc(parking problems with the helicopter)nor because my Island; in the north of north pole; is finally getting ready to inhabit nor because I got a seat in the saloon before the Beckhams but because I have finally found a solution to keep mobile bills under control. I also realised the importance of being late for meetings, gatherings and such social tasks. Hope this year brings out the best in form of increased bonuses,fewer taxes and more holidays. The thing that my schools had but the work environment does not is that there are fewer vacations. Life would be much enjoyable next year with diwali, Ganpati, Chritmas and May vacations thrown in. But my predictions has it that the next 365 days of 2009(I am the first one to use that year) would be more fun filled that before. That is assuming that the U.S. doesn't find another small country to bombard it's missiles. But if the recent form of Mr.Laloo Prasad Yadav is anything to go by, then the world has a bright future. He has already enlightened the students of IIM's and the Harvard's. He could well write management policies for the entire business corporations(but he certainly has to stop T.C.'s from catching hold of me everytime I...). The only thing I can't predict is whether Victoria Beckham would shop less than the GDP of enitire Africa or whether she would consume more food than new-borns. Lest I forget. Happy new year!!

Santa and christmashmmmm

Santa brings gifts for everyone. Even if you put your stinking socks out there in the balcony-the socks would certainly be filled with great presents. The good part is that the gifts are tax free. But wait. Santa lives somewhere in the North Pole. Hence, the gifts take some time to arrive. Besides the reindeers might be replaced soon. There is some trouble brewing from the likes of Maneka Gandhi & other animal activists. But then, what can travel so fast, yet be environment friendly & cheap as fuel for transportation? Cargo planes can't travel the interiors & small streets of many countries. But christmas is also about carols, cakes, hymns. Like any festival, this one is also about celebrating. By celebrations, it means not to shop from morning to evening. Perhaps, if we could donate something. I have never seen street kids or the homeless; for that matter,getting gifts from Santa. They even have no socks to hang. May we all celebrate. May we be gifted. But Santa's overload cart suddenly lands at our doorstep with a punctured tyre-let us help distribute the goodies. Like in the end....everything should hang in the balance. Merry christmas!

Tom & Jerry......A tribute to Barbera

Few creators have the opportunity to see their creations grow bigger than themselves. But it takes a genius to figure out something that transcends borders, generations, sexes, age barriers and multitudes of lives. Joe Barbera is no more. What he left behind is such cuteness that makes a deep void to fill. Tom & Jerry were not mere cartoon characters. They symbolised life. Their constant struggles, pranks & emotions made things much simpler. Barbera & Hanna not just made animation out of 'Tom & Jerry',' The Flintstones', 'Yogi Bear', ' Scooby Doo', 'Johnny Quest', 'The Jetsons'....& more-they made them a part of our little existence back then. It made the complexity of being kids that much more meaningful. All my 'kiddish' memories, more or less revolve around these larger than life cartoon characters. They somehow had all the answers,the brains & a whole lot of character. I sometimes believe that even if people are half of what our cartoons represented, the world would be a better place to live in. Yabba Dabba Doo! Some people create magic while they are here. Joe Barbera & Bill Hanna left a lot of magic even after they are gone. Long live the memory of innocent souls. For Tom will always run after Jerry.Jerry will always run after dear life. Both will be after the swiss cheese. And Jerry & Tom would still be friends. Because life will go forever. The end.

ON SUPERHEROS

I have always revelled in the bedtime stories recited by my elders. Most of them had a common theme;the victory of good over evil. So there were holy ghosts, angel spirited demons & good for nothing villians; who had to give in to the greatness of Kings, Gods & more or less wierd little good characters. But so far as I am concerned, I thought, I have been a hapless victim of a generational fraud to super humanize characters; so that even simple fellows are made to look extraordinary. I was at a stage where I failed to find a 'spiderman' or a 'He-Man' in real life. I knew that I was duped and fooled into the make-believe world of surrealism. I even tried to put the cloak of the superheroes but it is not worth the effort. It takes a lot of pain on the self to stop trains, to move boulders, to fly high into the sky, to save the world & to rescue some damsel in distress. But I still adored characters like 'The Count Dracula'. Even the 'Mittals' can't afford a mansion in Transylvania with bats, cats & hunch-backed humans for company. In these days of high inflation, the self financed superhero lifestyle is hard to maintain. Even MI6 agent 'Mr.Bond' would require standing in que for his daily dose of Octane-6 fuel to power his many Aston Martins! The eco-friendly option for spiderman with webs gushing out of fists is still prefferable. I still dread the jet-lag that I would have to suffer travelling all hemispheres; in wanting to save the world. But like my grandma reminded me...behind every successful man there is the prescence of a woman. Here I would add: Behind every successful super-hero there is a super-villian. Let them all survive in bliss.........