Slight twinge in the ribs reminds me of the afternoon many years ago
When I lay down in the grass waiting for the rainbow
Sparkle in the eyes and spring in the knees
Waiting to jump ahead and run.
As the dry page flutters at the turn of the decade
The banyan tree doesn't have the same shade any more.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 03, 2008
Singular Drift
It is a striking thing to note that the primary goals of humankind are profoundly misplaced. Capitalism may have given us great gifts to savour but it robbed us of our basic identity as humans.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Blood-Bath
At the far end of the horizon,
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Just walk!
One of the complex emotions we experience as city-dwellers is when we return to normalcy from a break at a beautiful forest. It brings with it such a roller coaster ride of emotions. As the miles turn to blocks, the daunting concrete skyline of the city looms on us like there is no tomorrow. At worst, it takes on the look of a devil ready to consume us head on. At best, the devil is asleep.
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
JobYantra
So, You want a job change? You got sick of the glass ceiling and too much of caffeine or worse, nicotine in your blood. A resume in hand, you made up your mind.
What do you do next? If you are in India, you may probably think of naukri.com and monster.com. Or, work with a placement consultant.
Irrespective of all the hype around them, the fact is they are mere images of an oasis. It is much more powerful and realistic if you have friends in the employer ranks to refer your application. What if you have no friends at your dream company?
A stalemate!
You have a unique skill set and you want employers who meet your unique needs. It so often seems like all the right doors are never open. Believe it or not, the right employers love you more than you realize. In the knowledge economy, the right employee is more precious than a bag of gold.
But, let's be realistic. It is so very impossible to find the right kind of job. Nothing seems to guide us to the right team or company. I emphasize on team because the quality of your life boils down to the quality of your team. The brand equity of a company accounts for zilch if the teammates are a sorrow to work with.
All this makes job search appear like a hunt for the wild goose. A fool's errand, perhaps.
Yes, but not after Job Yantra came to the party. It is a focused job platform accesible only via select partners. It means a far higher probability of the right employers screening your application.
The big elephants in the room are not laughing.
Read more at http://jobyantra.com/
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Ramayan 3392 AD
I recently discovered this fantastic comic strip, courtesy of a friend. A product of Virgin comics, it surely ranks among the best portrayals of the epic.
It also is a big relief after the popular trauma caused by Ekta Kapoor's (mis)adventures with things best left untouched.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tigers and the Streets
I am currently researching to collect graphical stories of radically fresh human beings.
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
AMZ*Prime Club 866-557-2820 US
I just got charged $79 on my debit card and I can't recollect if I asked for anything!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Rabbits
It took a Fibonacci to see the beauty in arrangements of mother nature. To expect it of mere humans is equivalent to buying an empty cone of ice cream in hot summer!
Hope is too expensive to be wasted in black holes.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
Commentary
Are you one of those who are fascinated by sports commentary? I definitely am one. The impressions of all my favorite sport moments are undoubtedly influenced by the commentary around the seconds.
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Shivaji
There is a 300 feet statue of Shivaji being built on marine drive. People like me who do not belong to mumbai but belong to mumbai(!) are slightly irritated at the idea.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Why is Obama Good for the World
Imagine when you were a kid.....running around the folks of your family in the backyard of your home.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A long turn
At the end of the tunnel
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Surface
Much awaited Surface was recently launched at AT&T stores. One of the few microsoft products which may make life a little easy.
But, now it is almost proverbial that Microsoft stands for unreliability. Surface can very well turn out to be an ugly face! If you are a regular user of office 2007, you know what i mean.
The worst thing that can happen is at a Vegas poker table. Imagine the system going down right on the brink of you winning a million dollar pot!!
You can run but cannot hide from Microsoft.
We need more of you Google. You ain't doing enough.
Not Yet.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Harold, Kumar and Global Food Crisis!
George Bush finally nailed it last week. He now has an answer to the conundrum of raising food prices. It is the dark, thin Indians who are causing the mess! All this outsourcing and other diseases have put enough money into their pockets. Voila!
As Indians eat more rasgullahs and jilebis , the fat fagots in Texas need to shell out a few extra dollars for a bag of rice. Is it a case of shortage? No! It is just plain increase in prices.
Harold and Kumar know better. They smoked pot with the master. Kumar also knows the burden of having to live up to the legacy of a father, successful or not.
All that pot blinds ones eyes to the ethanol being grown on rice fields.
Or may be, it is the burgers of white castle who are the real culprits.
As Indians eat more rasgullahs and jilebis , the fat fagots in Texas need to shell out a few extra dollars for a bag of rice. Is it a case of shortage? No! It is just plain increase in prices.
Harold and Kumar know better. They smoked pot with the master. Kumar also knows the burden of having to live up to the legacy of a father, successful or not.
All that pot blinds ones eyes to the ethanol being grown on rice fields.
Or may be, it is the burgers of white castle who are the real culprits.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Paradox of Venice
many long walks
slow but sharp turns
the big man
entered the church with his head down
the little fellow on the shoulder
stopped giggling
there were blood stains
and wild whispers
the eyes looked up
it was hard to say
who looked bigger - the roof or the chair?
altitude
was incomprehensible
emotion was
well, dried
folded papers and torn wallet
that's all was left
where did he come from
where was he to go
whispers got louder
eyes closed
the last i saw
the kid was giggling
i am not there
yet, i am there
it is a paradox
- and, it is not.
slow but sharp turns
the big man
entered the church with his head down
the little fellow on the shoulder
stopped giggling
there were blood stains
and wild whispers
the eyes looked up
it was hard to say
who looked bigger - the roof or the chair?
altitude
was incomprehensible
emotion was
well, dried
folded papers and torn wallet
that's all was left
where did he come from
where was he to go
whispers got louder
eyes closed
the last i saw
the kid was giggling
i am not there
yet, i am there
it is a paradox
- and, it is not.
Friday, April 11, 2008
O negative
How strange is the fact that inspite of being termed negative, O -ve humans can donate to anybody but can receive only from an other O -ve?
Is giving to everybody not positive enough to account for the negativity of not taking from anybody?
Who has the authority to change the names of blood groups?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Food for thought
If in an infinite chain of things, a few links can be explained, by the same method all can be explained!
-Vivekananda
-Vivekananda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)