The balance of life. Context: Forgiving.

I have reasons to believe that despite the civilization and development brought about by time to man's thought process, basic survival instincts and strategies have pretty much remained unchanged. The "jungle raj" still exists among the hectic activity of modern life and life sustaining activities. It is imperative that man remains cautious, else even today he will be annihilated. if you compare this to the "law of the jungle" where all animals big or small have to remain cautious in order to survive, you would find it strikingly similar. In our daily lives, within colleges, offices,home, playground, pubs and not to mention during times of war, we are all indulged in self protection and self preservation by making our ground stronger and no matter how strong we are there is still a threat (like in the jungle food chain where no matter where you are in the food chain there is always a hunter and you are always the prey). You stop being hunter the nanosecond you lose focus and caution. That moment you become the PREY -  no matter who you are. Rajiv Gandhi was PM, India when he lost caution, America's Pacific Fleet was the strongest fleet in the World when they were caught sleeping in Pearl Harbor, Brazil lost focus for a nano-second when France's Zidane struck them and stole the World Cup of 1999...examples are innumerable.

In my life I decided to be cautious due to various circumstances I and my family have faced over the years and it has stood me in good heels. In most situations, I have always worked form an advantage and never allowed considerable laxity in my vigil. But it is not humanly possible to continue relentless surveillance against getting cheated, against mistrust, against the wolf in sheep's clothing. And there steps in a thing called "trust".

You trust a person because you need time off from this fight. And you need an ally, in fact you need many allies. Family, friends, lovers etc. are important because if they backfire they can cost maximum damage. Heard the adage, Known devil is better than unknown angel? When I trust someone, I give him or her my best, contribute to the relationship, make adjustments as required and give cover fire. All I ask in return is trustworthiness as I know that many may not be able to give the amount of commitment I give.

But some make the deadly mistake of treason. And that is something that doesn't classify for me as a mistake. Hence there is no forgiving it. For me treason means that the person lacks humanity. Even dogs are loyal to their masters who in some cases may feed them meagerly. Why are human beings (supposedly a superior class) not being able to even emulate their inferior brotheren?

And distrust needs retaliation. And when it comes to retaliation (apart from exceptional cases) I ensure that consequences are not exactly what you would not call awful. I am a good friend but a better enemy, I say and I mean it.

And as far as forgiveness from God goes, I have forgiven enough people to earn it. To forgive a person who has drilled a hole right through your back is to endow him powers to complete what he couldn't initially. And life gives only one chance. And if forgiving was the sole objective of mankind why would the Mahabharata war happen? Couldn't Krishna advice Arjuna to forgive his cousins (in fact Arjuna volunteer's for it)? Why did Jesus rebuke Mary even while carrying the cross to his death, couldn't he have forgiven her? Or for that matter why doesn't God forgive us all and open the gates of heaven without any discriminating criteria? Wouldn't it be much more easy to forgive everyone for their sins? (especially for God in this case).

Leave God, among human beings Gandhi is one key apostle who both preached and practiced forgiveness and non-violence through his ideal of Sathyagraha. When a girl once approached Gandhiji in Kolkata and asked him, "Bapu, you talk about forgiving and non-violent behavior; what should I do if when I am crossing the lane to my house, the guys tease me and touch me where they shouldn't. Gandhi's unequivocal response was, "Beti, I would advice you to take out your slipper and beat them, irrespective of consequences".

Sometimes, forgive is just a word. It means nothing. Because the opposing entity is too big. And treason is probably as big as it could get.

I am a good friend but a better enemy.

A 2010 Love story - Vinnaithandi Varuvaya. (Will you come past the clouds?)

Note: Though this is a Tamil movie, I would request my readers to read this post. After all who doesn't like listening to stories?

'Out of all the girls in this wide vast world why did I love Jessie?', asks Karthick. The same doubt resounds again and again like the reverberation of the Nile amidst the rocky Greek terrain it flows through. In fact even Jessie too asks him the same question. And the answer is ... a smile (coupled with a nod of the head, if you could call that an answer). 

A bit of foreword before I continue further: 

Silambarasan -  the pervert, was the first opinion of the lead actor that I had heard. Strengthened by the numerous scandalous videos that appear as soon as you type in his name in You Tube and convinced by friends who said that the father-son duo only believed in making movies that were derogatory in nature, I decided to keep away from all Simbu movies. But if anything, Vinaithandi Varuvaya shows Simbu's potential as an actor. Though I am not sure if I should hand over the bulk of the credit to director Gautham Menon. 

The movie shot against the picturesque silhouette of Alapuzha and a few shots in hitherto undiscovered Malta, is a visual treat. I was not so impressed by the graphics of Avatar as by the shots of VV. Music deserves no comments as it has been under the care of Academy award and Oscar winner AR Rahman. Deservingly, the music release was held in London and not even in India. The track Hossanna is already at the top of the charts. Kudos team!!

The story still remains 'a typical love story'. But the stealthy charm to VV is characterised by its simplicity that touches the heart without a word being spoken. What with Jessy's run-of-the-mill Polaris job as a software analyst in a blue and white saree and the laptop bag slung over her shoulder walking fast to catch the office bus, what with cinematographer Ganesh's ordinary looks and humble humorous nature, what with Karthick's blue Pulsar bike, the film smells of simplicity with not much melodrama normal Tamil films are guilty of. Even the story is so simple, the guy and girl from diverse family backgrounds love each other, the brother and father of the girl play the typical villans and there is a bit of fight and commotion as well. Then when everything seems to fall in place there is the question of practicality and career interests. Obviously, to keep it a bit different the wily Menon has added a twist to the end. But the film doesn't fail to touch the heart. 

I heard that the movie has something to do with Menon's own life and that it can be safely said that not everything about the movie is pure fiction. 

The movie - both its versions - with the twist and without - make for a good watch. 

But the question still remains and that is what I would like to ask all of you too:

Out of all the girls in the world, why did I love Jessy? (*fill in the name of the girl you love)

Books v/s books

Much has been said about the inadequacy of the current education system. But look at Dev's viewpoint of studying here. I think it is innovative to say the least though not sure of its practical propositioning.
I liked the guy's thinking a lot.

Emerging India.

I am responding to Suvro Sir's call for debate on this topic. Last time I read the post, I made a great mistake - of clicking on the links mentioned as precedents. Human mind keeps on wavering, I kept reflecting on the ideas mentioned therein so much so that I had exhausted my "blogging break". But every cloud has a silver lining; I think I have better clarity on the topic because I have thought about diverse opinions that have already come in.

Forget the jig-saw puzzle of politics, the stampede for an engineering seat, the ever speeding race for relative advantage, the rotting values, increasing crimes, hatred, tension, pollution...................SILENCE!
STOP........REWIND>>>>>>>> RETAKE.

I want to live in an India where I am I. Where my body finds a home, my mind finds peace and my soul finds expression. Just that, nothing more. Let me explain.

I wish to live in India - where my body finds a home.
I was brought up in Durgapur and all throughout I have lived in R-II/44, Housing Colony. On numerous occasions my parents have contemplated a change in location but have been dissuaded from doing so possibly due to my strong attachment and love for my home. I just want my India to provide the facilities that R-II/44 could!
My home provided us with the basic need of shelter and protection from various natural disasters and more often from unfavorable weather conditions. But more importantly, I could invite my friends over for a cup of coffee or a game of chess without fear or without permission. Sadly being an Indian, I can not invite a Pakistani to tea without inviting unwanted attention. Suvro Sir talks about how his daughter brought an infant puppy home. In my childhood I remember bringing home puppies and kittens. Though the kittens often stole milk from the kitchen and ran away, I could still unabashedly bring more in. Sadly India today warns the Dalai Lama and keeps his activities under surveillance, cannot protect the basic right to free expression of thought of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen and frustrates MF Hussain to surrender Indian citizenship. On the other hand in R-II/44, all this was possible because my home was strong and my parents were almost angels exhibiting to me the highest standards of humanity. I wish I could have the privilege of living in an India that is strong inside but humble outside, is strict like a father and enforces discipline but loves and cares like a mother who is ready to forgive when it is necessary. I wish to see an India that adheres to the saying: "athithi devobhava" and treats all that seek refuge equally and without fear or prejudice.

Where my mind finds peace:
Such is the enormous impact of the green bills that it had become the fulcrum of all human activity. I am just doing my Masters in Business Administration but even at this level I can see numerous of my classmates doing things that cannot be associated with them or their. Our purchases now a days are biased by innumerable advertisements that boldly and repeatedly scream out lies. Our opinions are played upon by the press that cannot be relied on any longer. Our living style influenced by ridiculous diktats from people who have been repeatedly victims (and in some cases intentional propagators) of "wardrobe malfunctions".
To keep the mind stable amidst all this clutter, people need "gurus" and "Babas". No wonder that Sri Ravishankarji's The Art of Living is such a big hit with the average Indian.
In spite of constitutionally being declared a secular country we have dual principles where one of our central ruling alliances is known to be communal in nature. One scion of the Gandhi family - Varun Gandhi, goes to jail his remarks against the Muslims, while Gandhi himself spent the last few days of his life advocating unity.
Our mind is full of news - corruption, bribery, scams, politics, currency garlands, Oscar, movies, affairs, Page 3,.........where is the mental space to think about proper ideas, poetry, scientific innovations or even mere observation? So much so today THOUGHT itself is missing. We choose to be listeners and then without thinking or further research on the subject amateur talk.
Chatter.. patter.. blah ..blah.. did you know Mrs. Chopra..?..he is like that.... Sonia eats pork and beef.........plastics are bad for health.. no no who said...@#$%(*@##......
SILENCE.
I NEED an INDIA where the mind will be at peace.

Soul finds expression:
.... I don't have words to explain this part. The day my soul finds expression, is when I can air my views without fear, and without bias of any sort. That I can do when my body is protected and my mind at peace. Only then TRUTH will pluck the strings of my soul and compose the melody of Love. I shall wait for that day.

Or will it be in vain?

Quotes: on Tendulkar

"Nothing bad can happen to us if we're on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it."
- Hashim Amla, the South African batsman, reassures himself as he boards a flight


22 more to go... read on!

Sachin's Double Ton : Kudos!

Who can forget the Boxing Day Test in 1999? India was visiting Australia and the series truly predicted to be a clash of the titans was being fed live to numerous cricket enthusiasts all round the world. Sachin Tendulkar, by then arguably the greatest legend in cricketing history, was displaying his batting prowess. From the bowler’s end a lanky pace-man was charging in. Rodney Marsh’s latest talent excavation, the boy from Australian beach track with a characteristic toothpaste smile, was called Brett Lee. Lee’s incredible pace broke the back of the visiting men in blue as he ended with 5 – 47. Tendulkar, had fought on with his sweeps and drives amassing 116 and 52 but could not stop the visitors from losing by around 167 runs.
11 years later destiny saw these two men once again, eye-to-eye. Brett Lee, by now had more than 300 wickets in his kitty had had gone ahead to become the fourth highest wicket taker for his country signing in his name just behind Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. But that day, the 26th of February, 2010, while Sachin Tendulkar in Gwalior blazed off to yet another high – founding the elite, hitherto unheard club of a double ton in an ODI, Brett Lee was the bleak picture of a gladiator fighting a cage fight. In his desperate effort to stay afloat in the cricketing world, Lee had decided to amputate his involvement in the longer version of the game to save his chances at the ODI version. Fortunes had been reversed as the maestro in the Blue jersey number 10 looked towards the heavens above and Lee looked down after the announcement. In the words of noted columnist, Peter Roebuck, “Such are the cruel ironies and sweet pleasures of sport.”
Sachin has been one player who has seen sportsmen emerge as stars and then prove to be mere meteors as they die after a bright flash. And who could be a better example of that other than his own friend Vinod Kambli? Though Tendulkar is one hell of a classy player, it was not as if the world of cricket has not seen class and style before him or will not even after. Vivian Richards was a man whose presence could singlehandedly change the course of a match, but statistics tell us that his deliverables were determined by his mood. Steve Waugh fell as soon as his sport became a job (so did tennis icon Andre Agassi) and lived outside his comfort zone. Douglas Hondo fell to the sad political state of affairs in his country. Ganguly fell to overconfidence, though he returned from resting on his laurels and proved his worth, one last time – a big flicker of a flame before it goes out. Andrew Flintoff and Shane Bond already have hung up half their boots too. There are others in the arena still, most notably, West Indian Brian Lara and Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasurya who are still taken note of but none have the durability and the endurance of the little master.
Even otherwise, Sachin has been a success. Lee’s image received a severe blow with his divorce from Liz Kemp, Tiger Woods’ media partners are scampering for shelter after his infidelity came to light following a traffic accident, Cheryl and Ashley Cole are having their share of “irreconcilable” problems. Sachin has been happily married and thankfully hasn’t felt entitled to bow to temptations till now. And I am sure that everything in his life has been worth the wait - even the double hundred.
It is surely not easy being Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Definitely, if cricket is religion, Sachin is GOD!

The Curious Case of Rotten Deemed Varsities.

HEADLINES:

18 Jan., 1996 - Lisa Marie Presley files for divorce from Michael Jackson.

18 Jan., 2010 - Indian Govt. files for divorce from erring Deemed Varsities.

18^th of January marked a disastrous turn-around in MJ's life after which nothing was pretty much the same. The King of Pop, subsequently, was left running from one controversy to another till he was finally laid to rest at the Forest Lawn Mausoleum in 2009. Came 18^th of January once again 14 years later and the honeymoon tryst between the UGC and Deemed Varsities in India came to an end.

Both events are similar yet different in their own ways. While both events are controversial and represent a turnaround, the latter (hopefully) will be for the better. My reactions: