Survival of the Darest

Mumbai 26/11 was an awakening...to the fact that India is losing it's war on terror. A government is meant for the welfare of its people. It is supposed to make it's citizens secure. It is them that respond to the terror attacks.

Not anymore.

26/11 is not really different from any other terror attack. It caught us off guard like always. We lost our fellow countrymen as always. We vowed not to "bow down to terror" as always.

What has changed is the mood among the populace. Before we could console by saying that the spirit was resilient and that we would fight out the terrorists. 

We are scared today. Not knowing where the next bullet comes from. Patriotism has no place when you have a gun stuck at your throat. The fear is so naked..and we are feeling it. 

Today , I dont believe we can win the war on terror. We simply dont have the balls to do it.We have settled into that comfort zone where we such incidents are part and parcel of our lives. It's like a bad wound we have learnt to live with. What we think of as a symptom is really a disease. 

Our leaders are like old people..given to fate. It is the common man who suffers. But he cannot live with this wound. Its gonna kill him, his friends or someone random person whom he saw on the train everyday. If not today..tomorrow..at some point its gonna affect everybody. 

We will wait for that day. The glory that we foresee for 2020 will not exist. The damage will extend beyond emotional ones to those of a state as a whole. Countries will sympathise but wont help. By failing to globalize the Kashmire issue we will ultimately end up in isolation-economically and politically.

India used to be a soft state. Today, it is timid. 

No one likes hard measures but we need them all the same. Our leaders know best what these hard measures are. Identifying the problem never helped..finding the goddamn solution did. 

Isolating and weakning the Paksitan economy. Putting international pressure on thier government. Threatening a nuclear war. Call back all embassy officials. Request friendly states to do the same. Demand not request for the men behind these attacks. If the Americans could smoke out Saddam for attacks he was not even party to..what stops us from getting the Dawoods in Karachis and Lahores? 

The low point of a democracy is when the people lose faith in it. We are not far from that point. The only way to salvage our pride and lives is to simply fight back. The Congress or BJP..whoever does it..doesnt matter. History will not remember them by their party loyalties but as individual who emerged from their shadow of politicians to become leaders.

Gen Patton said to a soldier who said he would love to become a martyr

" You god damn bastard ..you cant win a war by dying for your country..you win a war by making the other god damn bastard die for his country"

Elections@BITS

Disclaimer: The post is not biased by the influence of any party/group. It is intended solely for expressing my views and not ridicule either the candidates or the people associated with them.

Background: For the benefit of non BITSians. The student elections for President of Student Council was embroiled in a lot of controversy. It was also a first of many sorts. Rachit Chadra, perhaps the most decorated student on campus contested much against conventional norms. The nomination of the second candidate, Nitesh Kumar Singh was withdrawn two days before elections in ambiguous circumstances by the watchdog ,Electon Commission. No explanations were given to the students and decisions were taken hastily by the EC without accepting an appeal by Nitesh.It was alleged that this was done to ensure the victory of Rachit Chandra keeping in mind his credentials.The BITSian junta felt disillusioned at being imposed a candidated upon it and doubted the credibility of the Election procedures. To voice this ,it voted in majority for NONE thus calling for re elections.

First off, it is undeniable that the controversy surrounding the elections has created excitement quite unparalled in the past three years. With rumors flying thick and fast, there was always something to fodder wing gossips. Opinions often swelled into emotional outbursts.

On Rachits campaign-
Pros
1. Obviously, his exposure and knowledge would have contributed immensely to widening the ambitions of the SU.
2. His manifesto points, though not populist like Nitesh's, were spot on. The extension in timings of the SAC would have gone a big way in promoting sport on campus. The ISO accredition was a novel idea and inspite of the difficulties in getting, it must be sougt to propel OASIS into getting bigger sponsorships and consequently better organization. Discount on Laptops is quite common in other colleges..BITSians needed someone to take the trouble of starting it here.
3. He recovered well from his Audi Debate disaster to give an emotional speech in SAC, quoting Obama for making a "positive difference".
Cons
1. His performance in the Audi Debate was disappointing. He needs to do something about his throat..makes you think hes gonna cough every time he speaks.
2.His campaign managers never quite manged to recover from the Audi Deabte debacle. Far from influencing people with his manifesto points and ambitions for BITS, they said HE DESERVED to win. They failed to realise that credentials can only go so far as to make people listen to you. Beyond that it is your ability to convince them of your candidature.
3. On the eve of the elections, Gtalk status messages were swarming with people voicing their support for NONE. Again his campaign team blundered in asking people to vote because BITS needed a president for its upcoming cultural and sports fest. It took away all attention from Rachit himself and made him appear desperate and sensing defeat. Not a message you wanna give voters, however bleak the circumstances.
4. Lastly, his blog ,post elections was the nadir of his campaign. Instead of walking away gracefully, his cries and complaints about the decision of the junta, made him appear vulnerable and removed from reality. He failed to realise that it was victory for NONE(and the rights of the junta) and not really a defeat for him.

Nitesh
Pros
1. His experience of two years in the Student Union made him a good and informed candidate.
2.He did not buckle under the credentials of Rachit and used whatever opportunities came to his benefit.
3.He reached out to the voters, gave excellent interviews....in short everything right.

Cons
1. His campaign team comprised of people who had contacts but not the sense to influence them. They faulted time and again by anti campaigning. The campaigning and charachter assasination charges during the ban period, though not proved, were true and reflected poorly on Nitesh.
2. His manifesto points were aimed more at getting vote banks than the actual benefit of BITSians. Regional night and all are good for entertainment but his horizons as a prez candidate should have been much wider.
3. His vote banks were confined in pockets and he ignored Meera Bhavan inmates, which might have spelt disaster had he been allowed to contest.

My Take on the Trust Vote Market

To Congress or not to congress?

Elections now seem imminent. With our ministers being sold like fish in the market, it seems Indian politics has reached nadir. Now, I have the power to vote. The power, often disparaged, to choose my country's leaders.
Whom to vote for..Congress or BJP..or I can also decide like this

Why Congress?

The Nuclear Deal. It may not seem so valuable now but the dramatic rise in oil prices makes it necessary for India to brace alternate energy sources. The best alternative is nuclear fuel. We have with us the abilty to dictate terms on the 123 agreement thanks to our booming economy. Never before were we at such an advantageous position for getting nuclear fuel. Admittedly the problems with the IAEA need to be ironed out but it's a risk we must take.
It was expected that this deal would stir a hornet's nest. It has brought the govt on the brink of a collapse. So, kudos to the congress for standing by the deal. They may have vested interests in this deal but at the end of the day, they stood by it,which is in the best interests of the country.
It will be very difficult for any other party to see through the deal.

BJPs trump card is Hindutva. I am for regional politics but certainly not religional politics.

Why not congress?

First and foremost- reservation. The congress brought in the reservation solely to swell it's vote banks. What it did not realise is that the previously dormant youth will now cast it's vote..to seek revenge. If not the law..I as the youth of the country will seek to end the govt that got it in the first place.
Second-inflation. Congress took over the reins from the BJP at a time when everything was going great..Incredible India was not just a publicity campaign but a reflection of the state of affairs in the country. Four years later..congress has all but made a mess of the economy. Inflation has climbed from 4% to just under 12%. This with a Prime Minister who brought Liberaliztion,Privatization and Globalization(LPG) in the early 90s and a capable Finance Minister in Chidambran, only shows the soup the govt has created with the resources available to it.
Third-Shibu Soren may become a minister. This perhaps will put the icing on the cake of tainted politicians becoming ministers.
Fourth-The Gandhis have historically created blunders in foreign relations..Nehru trusted the Chinese in late 50s..we got back stabbed....he accepted a plebiscite in Kashmir that was Paks moot point in the UN for many years..Indira retreated 10kms from Lahore in 71 and returned 90,000 Pakistani POWs..Rajiv sent our troops to Sri Lanka in 87 to fight for a cause that was not theirs..we lost thousands there.
With the possibility of Rahul Gandhi becoming PM sometime soon..I would not like the congress to be in power. The congress needs to go beyond Gandhis to appeal to the common man.

My final vote..not the congress.

Patience..wazza????

We Indians cannot be patient..it is somehow embedded in our genes to just get over things as fast as possible.It is fine as long as this impulse is restricted to the concerned individual but it almost always gets displayed in public places..buses, theatres, admission lines,banks..just get the hell done with the work..no matter if you are cutting lines ,hurling or getting hurled at with abuses and angry stares(why dont people scream the hell out instead of cussing in their minds).
However, this practice is deep rooted that at times it is not even fruitful to take the effort of being just that-impatient.
I was sitting in the departure lounge of the Delhi airport. A female announced in halting English that boarding for the airline would start soon. This is followed by an announcement calling for people to get in the boarding line. In the interim period, one is expected to lay back and relax. Not in this part of the world. The first announcement had barely finished when an elderly gentleman got up promptly from his seat,a cabin baggage in tow and stood where the future line was to have started."Future" because the people checking the boarding passes werent even present yet. So there stands our uncle..all at please with the world. Then a lady seeing the sight of this "inspirational" man also gets up from her seat and stands behind him. Soon a mad race starts for the 3rd 4th ..by the time the announcement calling for the boarding was made,the line already numbered about 30.
It took a person about 10 minutes of standing to get his turn.
The seat is allotted so what is the point of standing first in the line. But we have to do this ...be ahead in pointless matters. I waited to see how many people had the sense to remain seated and get in the line in the end.
Three.
Me(expectedly..wat are geniuses for!)
An elderly man
A young girl of maybe 16...this young girl had an audacity about her that is common to girls who have strived for little and got everything(read as utterly spoilt). She wouldnt have dreamt of standing in such a long line. The logic of it probably didnt strike her..but at times people do things(even smart ..like this one) without realising.
Life is just.

My perfect little world

We will keep in touch..words said at every parting. It is so spontaneous that at times I wonder if there is even a thought behind it. Coming to coll meant leaving all the people I knew behind me. But, I believed that I would be able to keep in touch no matter what..this is the mobile age, right?. It is effortless to pick up a phone and make a call. Gradually, though the calls decreased, giving way to mails and then scraps.
It seemed that the onus of keeping in touch was upon me. All sorts of thoughts creped into my head.
Now, I realise though, that this just a part of growing up. It isn't that people are just lazy or ignorant to keep in touch. They have moved on and it is not possible to share the same camaraderie like before. Life has created a diversion and we have go to our different ways. My effort to build a bridge every time is futile...the journey is endless and if at some point of time in the future, the paths do cross again, we could enjoy each others company till whatever time it lasts.Clinging to the past is not healthy.

My day

I read one of Rohan's post about how his day had gone and thought it a nice idea.
So, here is how my day went
Getting up in the mornings is getting increasingly difficult but with a tut to give, I had to move my ass and go for SPM. Five minutes into the tut and I realised I'd made a mistake in coming at all..I could hardly make out what the questions meant. The structure of Nylon 6,6 was clogged somewhere in the back of my brain..it was in one of the amazingly boring Chem chapters in class 12th. At times I wonder if I knew more about sciences before coming to coll. Now, it is just cramming formulas one night before tests and burping them out the next morning in the vain hope of crossing that Thin Red Line..the average. Fourth semester into coll and I realise that making an A in a structured course may a remain distant dream..but hell Bs aint so bad too.
Moms cakes arrived and it has lifted my spirits like nothing else. Mom is good at making just about anything but I love her cakes the most...and with the mess food deteriorating each day..it will keep me going for the remaining three weeks before going home.
Evenings are now usually spent at the temple. As a kid I used to read a lot of books on public figures. These people questioned the world around them..particularly their faiths. I too started questioning and eventually that led to rebellion to whatever contradicted with my views. The last two years in school were particularly difficult. Without realizing I was pushing myself into seclusion. Grades were not great either. Talking at home had become nightmarish..just defending whatever I was doing.
With the second year..a sort of calming effect came over. I feel more peaceful. Happiness comes spontaneously. It is a feeling I had almost forgotten. Going to temple is something I look forward to. I am yet not sure about my views on my faith but I do know that my mind is so much more peaceful going to the temple and feeling the silence inside it. There is one particular dargah in Srinagar in Bibi Cant that I wish can go sometime in the near future. There is no other place of worship so serene..maybe because it is not religious..that is what appeals to me about Sufism.

Virgin Atlantic(Ctrl C+Ctrl V)=Kingfisher Airlines

The flight from Delhi to Pune was my first in Kingfisher and the best ever.Kudos to Mallya for giving the Indian passenger his due.The portable TV is a lovely feature,making the otherwise boring flights an enjoyable journey.
I have followed Mallyas progress in the past few years..about everyone has, given the huge media coverage he gets.Everytime,I cant help but notice the similarities between him and the other(more original)king of good times-Richard Branson,owner of Virgin Atlantic,Galatic,Music...whateva.Both are entrepreneurs,Mallya started with beverages, while Branson started with his newspaper "The Student".Both eventually diversified into various other areas.However, the manner in which they did is striking.Branson believed the best way to grab peoples' attention was to do stand out.While the feats that he achieved..becoming the first to go across the pacific and then around the world in a hot air balloon..beating the record for the Blue Ribbon in sailing,they ultimately built him a unique stature..smart,daring and brilliant.Mallyas becoming the person to reach the highest altitude in a hot air balloon..his zest for riding Formual cars(much before he bought Spyker)..being projected as a partyman..beautiful models around him,served the same aim for him.The media liked it and they have become iconic public figures.
When Branson started Virgin Atlantic, he had to deal with the monopoly of the govt owned British Airways..the stringent rules..bureaucracy..red tapism and a private airline sector lacking in innovation.Virgin Atlantic fought through all this ,providing its customers a whole new flying experience...a glamorous one.Delicious food..posh leather seats..liqour..movies..the Virgin experience.Remember this was in the 80s.Little wonder that Virgin became successful to the extent that it is launching Virgin Galactic...flights into space.
Cut to India about two years back..a booming private airline industry which soon became saturated.Kingfisher wrests its way through by giving its customers the Virgin experienceEven the colour of it's logo.It became successful too and the customers are simply loving it.So I wont be surpised when one day the first Indian company will offer its flight services to outer space..it will be Kingfisher.Maybe Mallya is already thinking about it.
My professor in the entrepreneurship course last semester said-"Entrepreneuship is not just about making something really innovative.At times, it is a slight modification of an existing concept."
Mallya has done just that...even to the extent of copying Branson's french beard and long hair.Amusingly enough..physique is one area he is yet to catch up on.

Where the streets have no name....

U2 songs always have a meaning attached to them.Where the streets..is my fav because of the awesome thought behind it and the amazing guitar by The Edge.Read this entry from Wiki to know why..."Where the Streets Have No Name" was conceived prior to one of the Joshua Tree recording sessions by guitarist The Edge.^[4] While recording the song as a band, however, they ran into difficulty. The song's frequent chord and time changes caused problems in playing the song correctly; the difficulty was so great that producer Brian Eno attempted to erase the track.^[4][5] Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. later said of the song, "It took so long to get that song right, it was difficult for us to make any sense of it. It only became a truly great song through playing live. On the record, musically, it's not half the song it is live."^[4] Originally, the third single from The Joshua Tree was meant to be the song "Red Hill Mining Town", but "Where the Streets Have No Name" was released instead.^[6]

The song is interpreted in different ways; a common interpretation of the lyrics is that it refers to the streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, where a person's religion is evident by the street they live on. In a 1987 interview, Bono said of the song:

"Where the Streets Have No Name is more like the U2 of old than any of the other songs on the LP, because it’s a sketch - I was just trying to sketch a location, maybe a spiritual location, maybe a romantic location. I was trying to sketch a feeling. I often feel very claustrophobic in a city, a feeling of wanting to break out of that city and a feeling of wanting to go somewhere where the values of the city and the values of our society don’t hold you down. An interesting story that someone told me once is that in Belfast, by what street someone lives on you can tell not only their religion but tell how much money they’re making - literally by which side of the road they live on, because the further up the hill the more expensive the houses become. You can almost tell what the people are earning by the name of the street they live on and what side of that street they live on. That said something to me, and so I started writing about a place where the streets have no name.^[6]

He also alluded to this in a 2000 interview, saying in response to the question of what place he was referring to in the song's lyrics, "I'm not sure, really, about that. I used to think it was Belfast, you know, 'cos in Belfast you can tell somebody's religion, you know, from what street they live on. You just have to say where you're born and everybody knows if you're a Catholic or a Protestant and... I think that might have been where "Where The Streets Have No Name" started from as an idea."^[7] He said later in the same interview that the song was about "Transcendence, elevation, whatever you want to call it."^[7]

The two sides of a BITSian

Being a BITSian!..is known only to a BITSian.Unlike other colleges that are situated in cities and where students interact immensely with each other..BITSians start and stop with just them.Ya,we have our fests but you dont get to see a BITSian cramming for exams on night outs,or going to classes in winters having not bathed for three days,reidies being the hangout as opposed to the hep McDs..no these and all other things are beyond the comprehension of anyone else.Tucked into a pocket six hours from the nearest city..we have evolved a culture that is unique to us.Our life is our campus and thats it..all my memories of college years will revolve around just this place.
It so strikes me that the BITSian has two sides to him..very contrasting ones The first one that is the negative, is prominently displayed in tests-cheat, cheat to all your glory!..The average BITSian views the institution of professorship as an obstacle to scoring grades..simply because he does not allow you to copy left right and center from the more sincere ones who studied since god knows when while he was indulging in fruitful activities of movie watching or LAN gaming.It seems as if cheating comes almost naturally.At times arguments center around who managed to cheat more or the more adventurous daring.In one General Biology class,I remember,a guy came in late while a test was being conducted.On taking his place and casually observing around him,he remarked to his neighbour..Damn,it is an Open Book test and I have forgotten my book.His neighbour in all seriousness replied "No need to feel bad..it is not Open Book..though you can share mine if you want to ".Reason..almost 90% of the class had their books open on the benches ,albeit under them.
The other side though less prominent is the more intriguing one.While buying books from the Coop store or signing for extras in messes or anywhere..proof of identification is rarely, if ever asked.It is so easy to fake someone else's sign and not get caught..because there is also no verification.In all my time here,I have never ever,even once, seen a BITSian do that.He will accept that he cannot afford it but never stoop low.This is the side that I take pride in.The conscience is so strong.The reason for it is simple -the culture does not allow it.Whenever people talk about organizations being successful..they usually quote figures and what not.But I believe it comes more from somewhere within everyone constituting that organization.
I dont mind if I sound boastful in saying I love my college above all and consider it the best. I have seen it in all its nakedness..the dark and the golden.But at the end of that day, if there is one place I will always come to ,is here...its foundations are rock solid and cannot be shaken.

Dr Major and Mr Hippy

Time changes a man..I realised this with a certain person. Remember the weight reduction ads that show a fat "before" pic and a slim "after" pic.If only the same could be shown with a person's personality.
Now, the person in question was an Army major I used to play squash with. A typical officer-moustache,cropped hair,upright and I would say in his mid thirties.We would often chat up after game. Among other tings he would talk about his retirement plans,german classes and the usual war stories.A normal man with normal tastes.He stopped coming after a while and I forgot about him.
Then,one day while sitting in the Army Club,I happened to glance at my neighbouring table.The middle aged person I saw did not appear to belong there.Firstly, he was bald..not THE "Bald" types but ones who do it for style and give you an uneasy feeling when you meet them.Then, he was wearing earrings...bright ones.Whatever suspicion I had of him being in the Army stopped right there.So the obvious guess was that he was a guest.Next, he was wearing a Hippy shirt..70s style.Cool..this guy seemed right out of Poorab Paschim.I didnt realise that I was actually staring at him all this while..and that he was smiling back at me!.It could only mean we were acquainted..but where??.In that anxiuos moment of contemplating to return his smile..I knew it..it was that Army major.It is true that the eyes are the window to a persons soul..it was no different with him.I now smiled back but I believe it conveyed more of amazement than mere greetings.I got up and went to him thinking to myself -This is unreal!!Whatever happened to him!.I mean there is no harm in people "changing",even to the extent that he did,but having been around Army officers ever since childhood this was outright rebellious.
After the usual formalities I asked him what he was doing nowadays.I had to know that!His reply,not surprisngly heavliy accented-"Aye,am doing good.Just spend my evenings swimming in the OSHO pool.You know it's a great chillout".Pause.He was IN Osho..that wierd cult of firangs deprived of sex and peace of mind.At least that explained his outlandish outfit."Then this summer I am giving the exam for Film and Televsion Institute of India.Want to get into acting big time.Great fun and all".Talk about a career change!..this guy could script his own story.We talked for a while more and then bid goodbye.
It was an evening of surprises and he left one more while leaving..in fact,I would it was more like a shock.Leaving hand in hand with him was a pretty lass in her early twenties!!!..no it wasnt his daughter coz I knew he didnt have one.So...
I dont know if he did clear the exam for FTII or if he appeared in some or the other film.But, I do know that he had a lot of spirit.At a stage in his life when most would have preferred to lay back..he made a call to live to the fullest.The King of good times!!

Speak Out

It's Valentines Day today.So my blog is going to be somewhat related to relationships and life.
The most nagging question that younsgsters face is what they choose to do in life. It is a common reply that one is not able to figure out what that one thing is that appeals to them.That "one" thing is exactly where we go wrong.I know that because I was a victim of that school of thinking too- do in life what you like most.This mindset changed when an elderly person said to me-"It is not necessary to do what you like the most.I have seen people pick up things that hardly appealed to them but over a period of time they developed a liking for it.Of course they sweat themselves out to be successful".It then brought me to think that it would be so much easier to make decisions for the moment..now.Not coz of your past nor for what may lie in your future.You like this thing,do it.Simple.
It then brings me to the more relevant(it being V Day)aspect of relationships.I have not been in a relationship so my views may sound idealistic but I belive they hold true. Like in life,there is no point in beating around the bush if you like someone..wether your feelings will be reciprocated..will it last..do we know each other enough...distance..and all that.At that very moment all these questions are irrelevant.It is so much easier to let go and speak your heart out. If things work out- great..if they dont..you would have lost if you hadn't been vocal anyway.Between any two individuals, more so for cupid struck,the most important thing is to communicate.From there on,life is just a bed of roses.