Madness

Hello  generous readers, your very infrequent blogger is here again. But then better be infrequently good than ramble twice a week. What follows is a creation which was simmering inside  and took its time revealing itself. I hope you all enjoy it (veiled request……read it!!). I have titled it “Madness”…..do tell me what you make of it……..here it is then:

Wisecracks, banter, wit all the same,
There be people around you who matter,
Then there be people not exactly sane.
Wait! Aren't they the ones who do matter?

Realize it in time would ya,
Realize it for your own sake.
I don't wanna go "I told ya",
But time seems right to take it or break.

Amazing it would though seem,
You won't still have got the slightest hint.
See it as it must be seen,
And not with that nostalgic rose tint.

Not gonna miss it are ya?
Gonna still let it rot while it stays.
It's not gonna stay forever for ya,
Don't squander it idiot as your rival prays!

None of the places you would visit
Would ever feel adequate.
Visit that darned memory...kiss it!
Kiss it and new ones you might create.

Search for it within that head,
A head so creased....so full....so brim.
Wasn't much when it craved to be fed,
Now hidden deep,jeez d thoughts need a trim!

hahahahahaha.....hahahahaha
Oh boy!! You make me laugh so hard,
Decay in the marshes of your mind brotha',
Can't put it in words.....I ain't no Bard.

Yet I see it crystal clear from here,
From where I stand, I can sure see d future.
I see it and see you cry....I see you bear
Good,u're bearing it well,miserable creature!

I hate to preach, hover, tirade,
But I would be back just when you finish.
The finish will be such a gala, a parade,
And we would all applaud with relish.

And there would be you too there pal!
You would witness it piece by piece.
Eyes blood-shot,no breath,legs shiver,a fall,
Yup!! your end is here......say cheese!!

The time that was :D

How does one quantify life? Let me rephrase…. how does one quantify what life is worth? It can be the longevity of it or it might be the riches which accompanied it but if you ask me, it would be the sum of its experiences. That puts me in a huge dilemma because one, I have a proclivity to remember them all and second, I have had some !

Moved along a tangent I suppose but not without a very  valid excuse. For those still wondering what this is about, allow me to elucidate. Yesterday, as is our wont,  we bunked scribbling day, the five of us. The five included ‘yours truly’, ‘DKB’, “Kc’, ‘Racs’ and “Yogi’. In the gushing winds, sitting idle and reminiscing, something hit me……life, as I knew it, is up for an upheaval. Nothing dramatic happened. We did not paint the town the proverbial red, just talked and yet it seemed extraordinary.

It has been a great mystery to me how could we stick together so long. Why not? A lot of people do then why can’t we? Well, because everybody has limits and we knew none. We spoke our minds to each other, never used the he-might-be-hurt-by-this-filter,  ridiculed one another so bad that a lesser soul would have considered either a murder or a suicide ( no one was actually harmed ….in case you are wondering) and still share bonds stronger than oak.

One late summer day of 2007 I found my sense of belonging in these three other guys. One came across as a very vocal confident overgrown kid- DKB, one as a dusky, shy, lanky guy- Kc and  one as an arrogant dude- Racs. Whoever said “first impression is the last impression” must be delusional. My first impressions went for a toss and how!!! DKB was no kid….. he was household man who got stuff done and helped us with ours, Kc was the partner-clown, the ‘BHAI’  and yes, he wasn’t very shy (really!! you guessed it?!) and Racs was the calm guy who was aware of his superhuman-puts-hulk-to-shame-strength and was cool about it, really cool.

The first semester was over before it started ( not literally…duh!!) but one thing became apparent…….ours was the most exclusive and the most elusive club. Getting in took some doing and calling us over, more so. But then there are always men par for the course and a few did break in. One was , now famous because of one also famous post, ‘Drummer’ and another was ‘Yogi’, an inspiration for any country folk who dream of surviving the rigors of a bustling sly city ( I just couldn’t hold back dude )

Here in comes the part justifying the title……..the time that was. It was the best of times and it was the better of times, while the entire populace worried over attendance we were arguing over where to head…. DC isn’t an outing and CP is such a passe. We hardly annoyed any of our teachers, in fact most wouldn’t know we existed. From arguments  which could range from the role pf private banks in bringing about WW-II to donut shaped raindrops, from telling Yogi why it’s not ’shocial’ but social to telling Drummer how pronunciation is a personal thing, from repulsion of certain attention seeking acts to admiration of in your face ( and up your……..you complete it ) wit, from having each other’s back (being sensible is different dude from not having your back) to breaking it over food, from the actual musicians creating magic ( Drummer and Yogi) to songs of our own ( Kc, yours truly and the pool table) …………it was life

Along the way we unearthed some cults and conjured up some legends. Let me introduce you to some of them:

• The Usual- If you ask Kc it’s a Chicken Mcgrill and an Ice tea, if you ask Yogi it changes everyday.
• Ama Miyan- A superior disposition towards intoxicating ‘paan’ and the erstwhile ‘Nawabi’ tradition followed by spotting DKB to spot him with the remains.
• Haseena Maan Jayegi ke Rai Sahab- just one line….”tu shyaam meerraaaaa !! saachaaa naam teraaa!!”
• Khosla ka Ghosla- A legend, won’t die, wouldn’t let it and Sethi Sahab is immortal.
• The English Accent-  Drummer and Kc the proponents of the art……eh mate?
• The Punjabi Accent- O maikeya mallick oye hain!!!
• Jenny, Chandan and my unnamed maruti- Chandan was forever better loved than the owner, Jenny was where the stuff learned on Chandan was showed off and my unnamed maruti would be missed for better or, more likely, for worse.
• Second home- DC ( District Centre), only if we got attendance for it there would never be such a thing as a letter for short attendance.
• Cricket- left an indelible mark (literally)

I would restrain myself from divulging more, it is a public space after all but rest assured this is not the whole of it. I also want to mention Ravi and Ankur who joined in the last but they are here to stay and hold special places.  And last but not the least… it would have been a whole lot different without him…..Conhas Thakkar

Between those clichéd highs and lows a transition took place. A transition where I lost friends and found brothers.

Times may come when we won’t agree

Times might test our resolve to be

Bring them on i say to thee

I got my bro’s , they would be by me

I can’t say anymore…….I leave the space open for you guys……….

Go soldier, your turn now

Image by Fouquier via Flickr

Why war? Why the mindless frenzy to answer back in harsh terms? Why the hurt of an ego repaid with hurting a whole civilisation? Why ‘The Few Good Men’ putting their lives on the line? Why war?

I have never been in a war-like situation, heck I have never been in a street fight. I cannot assume the role of a person who knows anything about anything when it comes to war. Therefore I question.

I am not naive. I know no matter how true a depiction the great creative geniuses of Hollywood might churn out, they still always fall short of the real deal. They can try but should give up the hope to succeed. Much like soldiers in a war themselves.

Every soldier is scared out of his wits. Men of courage are not born with it, they just hang in……with fear knocking constantly. I am told so by Steven Spielberg. More perseverance, less courage. More blood, less alive. Strange but yet somehow logical. It confuses me. Should I salute the  soldier? Should I respect the camouflaged? Should I envy him? Must I look down upon those soldiers who fled the battle (frightened for their lives and paralysed to be of any good)? Would I have done any better? And why can’t I call these fighting men disgusting for blowing off their enemies? Why is that unpatriotic? Enemies who themselves have no less honour, who themselves are ‘Good’ too. Enemies they would befriend if they were this side of the line.

Men fight, they always have.

You know, mankind’s been trying to kill each other off since the beginning of time. Now, we finally have the power to finish the job. Ain’t nothing gonna matter once those nukes start flying; we’ll all be dust.

Rorschach, The Watchmen

Rorschach is right, but what are all those wars for then? If the world would be destroyed in such a war, it then makes no sense to choose this path.

The cold war was a jittery time for the world. It had to be. When every move any nation makes depends on whose side are you on, it can’t be but jittery. So many weapons, so very devastating. Each side waiting for the other. Had any made the move, the other would have followed. Whose side were you on? Who was your rival? USA? USSR? Does it matter? We could have all ended as dust. Yet here we are. Fighting still. Battle lines drawn up thick with the color of religion nowadays. Painted in prejudice and some greasy, oily ( a pun……if you will) self-interest.

Applaud, my friends, applaud!! And bow before the soldier!! He just protected your sorry-lazy-coward-life, busy parading its pseudo-intellect when action and not words were required. He served his country. He did his duty. RESPECT.

But did they who pushed him into it? Did they who refused to avert what could have been averted? Who refused to pull back when they could? Pride after all was at stake. If pride wipes the life off earth then so be it. Who then will award those puffed chests with reverence for their gleaming, untouched pride? My bad!! Puffed chests, hardly so. Hollow with holes, if lucky. A chest at all, if lucky. Bits and pieces, more likely.

Great intellectuals, philosophers and minds have roamed this planet and still do. Are we bereft of ideas to work out a way where arms are redundant? If it is so then what use is the intelligence. If not, then what stops us?  We all can and do agree about the importance of money. Any nation, any religion, any strata…..we agree unanimously. It’s simple.  Then how can we not agree about no inhumanity being justifiable? No inhumanity anywhere would mean no excuse for war, I suppose.Isn’t that simple? About revenge being a prescience of doom? About words over action and understanding over reaction?

Who am I fooling? It might just be my fantasy but something says we would find more excuses once these dry up. And more once the new ones dry up. And then some.

Don’t  mind what I ramble on about. But answer what I ask.

The Fourth Estate

Image via Wikipedia

The Fourth Estate, for the uninitiated, refers to the Press. Any Government stands on the three pillars of Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. Legislature, for framing and amending the laws, Executive, for ensuring execution of the laws and Judiciary, to redress the woes of the citizens. But in a democracy the Press becomes an important cogwheel in the functioning of  the Government too, thus known as The Fourth Estate (If you haven’t dozed off already, read on).

It would then seem to one that Press must have a very responsible job in it’s hand. To be known as one of the four major things that keeps a country going is as heavy as it gets. It not only must wield the unbound power it possesses with all its might but be aware of the implications that its actions may bring about. And, be responsible.

As I see it the Press must have the following basic intentions behind any step:

• The greater good of the society and country.
• Making people aware of the ground realities.
• Encouraging informed discussions on matters concerning us all.
• Finally, making the Government accountable and answerable to the citizens .

If you can pack all that up in an enjoyable way then thats a bonus. Entertainment and humor too are sidekicks to the hero, which is content. Content rules prime. Period.

Now we all know how it should be, what we also know is that it never is. I am going to crib big time so buckle up (in keeping with an accusation directed at me sometime back). The bonus and the frivolous sidekicks have overstepped the hero, the content (worst kind of climax for any Hindi potboiler).

It all began with the advent of 24hr news channels and then their uncontrolled breeding, giving rise to something like 124,356,789 (or more maybe!!) news channels dishing up stuff they would like us to believe is news. We are being subjected to antics of the likes of Rakhi Sawant (that you know who she is proves me right), the bumblings of Aamir Khan (where he pretends how everything he does has taste…..we do remember Gajini for God’s sake and Sharman clearly outperformed him in 3 idiots), the love-life of Yuvraj Singh (his cricket is hardly anything to talk about these days….so why talk about him at all) and so the circus rolls. We have shows on “NEWS’ channels dedicated solely to ‘Saas-bahu soaps’.  That would seem ludicrous enough but wait, India TV and Times Now take it to another level altogether. India TV has in the past found the staircase to heaven, the grave of Raavana, elephants humping ( talk about lack of privacy) and what not ! Times Now lets loose the clearly partisan Arnab Goswami to invite guests who he won’t himself let speak if they tend to disagree with his ideas. You can watch all this n more, if the channel in study isn’t running endless array of advertisements. They pass off voyeuristic clips as entertainment. Sorry state of (current) affairs.

The lack of regulation has had devastating consequences. To share one, the live footage of our security forces on all channels, except NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India(only they had sense to defer it by 30 mins), was used by the terrorists to be one up on them in the Mumbai attacks. Need I say more?

Now for the Print media. Traditionally they are the mature side of Press basically because they have time to reflect before they go ahead with reporting . But they too are caught in a booby trap of  increasing readership and attracting more advertisers. As long as it pays is their ‘mantra’. So we read a 24 page paper which has effectively 8 pages of news and rest is ‘Big Screaming Ad’s’. Also some of the best-selling newspapers in Delhi are so clearly biased that its nothing short of brown-nosing.

Journalism is being poisoned. Of course they reason themselves into it. The need revenue (so the unending ad’s), they need the political support (so the brown-nosing), they need readership (so the frivolity and voyeurism), they need …….don’t kid me, I don’t buy it. None of those reasons stopped The Hindu from being an excellent newspaper. It never barred The BBC from flourishing.  As they say

If you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.

Who suffers? We do.

The real news gets old and forgotten within three days or so. The IPL scandal happened this very year in April, just four months back. It seems so ages ago that we couldn’t care less. Commonwealth is a hot potato right now but wait till December and I assure you not only would it be forgotten too but we would also fail to learn anything from the fiasco. Telangana agitation and Naxal violence weren’t so long back but because now Kashmir’s troubles are brewing up so we leave the former behind with hardly any developments (and no front page coverage). We are moving from one story to another in a matter of days. Learning nothing, solving nothing.

Going by this rate I assure you there would soon arrive a day when the cellulite on Kareena Kapoor’s thighs would don the front page. How sad would that be!!

Or is it already ?

P.S.- Please share if you have any ideas or changes that may help bring out the best wrt this issue?

Fear

Image via Wikipedia

Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive — the risk to be alive and express what we really are.

Don Miguel Ruiz

“Don you state it in just the terms I would have liked, kudos!” That little appreciation for Don aside, let me first make you aware of the context behind this piece.

A few days back one of my friends planted the concept of fear in my head. It set me thinking, and took me back to my childhood ( in all the hues of rose-tint possible).

My first encounter of fear was stage fright….really long back, when I was in 4th standard. I was part of this wonderful skit where I played a soldier in the king’s court. We rehearsed once, twice….more than enough…I was exemplary….oh cummon!! this is a cakewalk. Little did the 8 yr old me knew that on stage I would be struck dumb. The moment arrived, hundreds of eyes following my every move, not the other players…just me. It was a cold Delhi winter morning, I was shivering but the sweat won’t stop. My turn to speak came…….n went. No sound except my breathing escaped me.

Horrible reliving that, but then that helped. That is actually the core of what I want to say. Fear helps till the time you rule ( just don’t let the tables turn) . It always does, no questions asked!

Lets see where can it strike you…..everywhere except where you decide you won’t let it. It could be your first board exams, could be that first cycle ride, could be a stage fright first time you take to it, could be the first time you try to confess your love for and to that ( oh so gorgeous…. the most gorgeous ever!!) damsel, the first time you sleep all alone in the dark…… hang on a second. What is the thread that binds them all? “FIRST TIME”. It’s always that first time because the mind is cautious of anything new, anything which it hasn’t experienced and cannot comprehend ( or maybe wrongly comprehend ). How will it all play out ? I don’t want to embarrass myself ! What if  I fail badly? There, that’s fear helping you be cautious, alerting you.

But then that first time passes with or without hiccups ( usually the former…much to your agony). Been there…done that…screwed up badly…but hey, here’s another chance. You have had you hiccups sir! yes you have! now take this shot at redemption and absolve yourself of this fear. Two approaches lie ahead. You recall all your mistakes, faux-pas, gaffes and whatnot. You are determined not to repeat them and take the plunge. You aren’t rock solid yet, but even the nerves help you give it your best. If you were horrible the first time around, this time you do slightly better…..you take along the confidence from this. Third chance, better again….fourth( better )…….fifth( real good)…….sixth( you are so enjoying it)……… and now its a cakewalk. Of course, some folks take more and others less attempts than that.The result, however, is you have grown and how!

The other approach is you let fear rule. The illusion which feeds on itself does just that. It catches you in the act and feeds on itself. It manifests itself in your heart and soul. Gorges you hollow and doesn’t stop unless you fall like a castle of cards ( delicately placed, at a windy place no less). Too bad, its permanent now and there won’t be a third time because you have washed your hands off it. Damn! This sucks, doesn’t it?

You are not taking the risk of being alive. You are living but you aren’t alive. They are not the same. The former holds no charm without the latter. Heck !! the former holds no meaning without the latter. Sad yet true. That was the bad part. Now for the silver lining to this dark cloud ( cliché, I know…just bear it  please!!). That silver lining is you can turn it around. HAA !! if only saying that was enough. Shall I a break a secret to you( in hushed tones)…..it is. When you say and believe you can turn it around, you can.

Get embarrassed, fail, allow yourself to the mockery, mock yourself along too ( but keep your self-esteem intact), join them ( but don’t let them pull you down) and laugh at your gaffes ( they are funny after all). You are human, so is everybody else. And the most gorgeous part of being human is you are allowed to be flawed and make mistakes. You learn and try not to repeat them ( some of you are of course repeat offenders). You can’t imagine the kind of fun it will entail, besides helping you evolve.

And if nothing else, it will leave you with lasting memories. Memories that would shed star-dust on your mood and curve up your lips in a smile whenever you enter their land. And there Mr. Fear couldn’t bring you down in spite of all the red herrings it planted in your path. Instead, it helped you gain something precious.

As for my stage fright….it took care of itself by the time I was on my first poetry recital in 6th standard. Not that I aren’t nervous before an event anymore, but only enough to will me out of my inertia.

Hmmm!! ‘Inertia’……that can hold you back too you know…..another article perhaps. Watch out !!……..

” Hey Don, listen, what do you have to say about Inertia mate?” …….

India does not need Starbucks……although they are welcome!!

Image via Wikipedia

Now whatever follows is some great deal of anguish ridden words which were triggered by an incident i found appalling…though small.

Let me break it down for you from the start……….Lovely evening, me and my tired friends decide to gather after college and relax while we enjoy a small meal at the nearby McD’s . The scrumptious food, the light banter, comments and repartees, laughter all around…….it was everything we expected it to be until ‘ D MOMENT ‘.

One of my friends, lets call him the Drummer (because, well, he is one!!) says something so vile ( for me at least) that I couldn’t help feel sorry for him. He goes ( and i quote word by word) :

” India ki isse badi insult kya hogi……Starbucks still hasn’t arrived here.( What would be a greater insult for India…..Starbucks still hasn’t arrived here.)”

Drummer

What is so vile about it?  WHAT ISN’T!!

Its vile in the way it suggests that we are so desperate for Starbucks (or any other MNC for that matter) to be here. Oh please approve of us HALLOWED STARBUCKS otherwise what is our worth in this coffee thirsty world!!! Damn countrymen!! the ubiquitous( which is obviously the same as great) Starbucks chose to ignore INDIA……we should be so ashamed, never mind disappointed!!

I reacted sharply and then chose to let it be, why spoil the evening right!! But  the thoughts lingered…. and I had to get them out.

I ain’t no ferocious patriot and do accept all the flaws of India as they are. Worts n blemishes, all the grime, hot humid and sweaty, hypocritical society, no problem sir….guilty as charged. And I also don’t think India can harp on its greatness…as yet. We have our idiosyncrasies which need rectification, but never a ‘quality check’. Despite being so poor and so over-populated we still manage to grow faster economically than everybody except a few, we must have some spine. We must be doing something right. We must have some sort of potential.

I ain’t no ‘Be Indian Buy Indian’ nationalist in this increasingly global world. I do believe that the markets are now an open playing field but if any brand chooses to ignore us they do so at their own peril. We welcome them with both hands but they aren’t doing us any favor by stepping on our shores. They know India means big bucks and thus they look towards us ( with a drooling tongue and greedy gaze, no less!!). They gain more than we do and we don’t need to look for approval.

Starbucks not being here doesn’t weaken us…but guys like Drummer do. They would go on and on about how India sucks so bad, but it wouldn’t if it were not for people like you. You look for western ratification, you judge yourself with their eyes, they scrutinize us with a magnifying glass and you point them to your weak hearts.

No country is perfect, even the US with all its money and hyped power is no less than any in areas like crime, economic disparity, lack of healthcare, unemployment…..I can go on and on. We are trying to be better, we are trying to get higher and the least we can do is, each of us, help in our own individual way. If not that, we can at least keep our mouths shut and not discourage those who want to help. Sorry Starbucks’ guys, but Drummer ensured your coffee leaves a bitter taste in my mouth  for a while to come.

If anybody took any offence from this piece, then take comfort in the fact that it was all very intentional !!!!!

P.S.= The article is against the idea and such mindset…..not the individual..lest anybody should come to that conclusion.

Lets get it started (again!)

Image by madamepsychosis via Flickr

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Zig Ziglar

Now who exactly is Zig Ziglar is a fact that escapes yours truly……but then what he said matters more.  Here I am, this is me ( borrowing from the kid who gave us summer of ’69, thanks Bryan) I am all wild, but seldom free. I have started and considering the amount of enthusiasm I bring into whatever I take up, greatness should follow soon ( cavalier me people!!).

Now what do I have to offer, why should you spend those very precious minutes of your life reading this …or any other post on my blog when they could be utilized (so constructively!!)  playing games on Facebook or watching that crappy (not all the time though) fare Bollywood dishes out or preparing plans of improving how you go about your life,  plans which take shape in the head and stay there never to be realized.

I have nothing to offer, I will be me here. It is what you take from me.  The most honest me with a no-holds-barred-lay-down on everything from SRK’s gimmicks to the futility of misplaced patriotism, from engaging short stories to insightful poetry, from an acerbic disregard for hierarchy to silent admiration for genius  (age no bar)……. and so on and so forth.

That was my role and your role would be to love me, hate me, appreciate me, criticize me, pat my back, reprimand…… make this an exercise of finding faults within the write-ups (oh boy!) or look for inspiration. Watch out for this space.