No one can eat just one!

At last, finally, Thank god….. I squeezed out a part of day to write something for myself and the world to see. This is part of my daily activity in my college right now. It was so rare initially, and then became occasional and now it has become quite regular. Well… If you still are wondering about what I am speaking, it is about Lay’s chips. I remember when I was in 3rd std, when we went to Kodaikanal. That was a wonderful day! The first time I ate Uncle Chips (or at least that is the time I remember eating it for the first time). It was spicy, yummy and hot. The best snack on a cold terrain. It was a specialty item for everyone. Buy a packet or two and share it with 5-6 people happily. I do not even remember seeing the packet on the plains. As time went by, it was getting widely available down the hill and still it was an occasional snack because it was considered to have high calories, packaged food and an easiest way to become fat. Yeah! We all tried avoiding it listening to parents’ words. I was too obedient to offend. Once in a while it was actually good to eat and it had importance. But off late, in my college canteen, it is the most sold item because everybody has at least a packet of Lay’s 5Re packet on an average every day. Unbelievable isn’t it? Yeah and am one among the crowd. We have Lay’s not because it is yummy and tasty anymore. That perception of Lay’s exists no more because it is readily available in plenty. If you ask me why I am consuming it every day? I would say – it acts as a substitute for the tasteless food I get in hostel or canteen. If I have my rice with Lay’s I feel satisfied that I am eating something tastier than my own food. It is just for the sake of completion of my lunch :). And I do not care about the calories or anything because that is the only palatable food we get.

Started in 1938, it has come a long way down in the market. What makes Lays still go up the ladder in the Growth stage and not reaching its maturity? It is just potato chips with various condiments on it? When people in India especially have got so many cheaper substitutes, Lay’s still remain the best selling brand. The tweens’ market is growing exponentially. It is just a 5 Re investment well within the pocket money they get. That is the convenience of small packets. People complain on the quantity (I do) yet consume everyday. It is almost a monopoly in places like colleges where you do not get unbranded snacks or smaller sized packets. That is one of the strategies which makes Lays tick.

Terror in the back-yard

Two days back there was a multi-cylinder blast just behind my hostel. Do you think I sound so casual? Well, you are right then. I am going to explain the reason behind it. It was around 11:45 pm and I was watching a movie. All of a sudden I heard some thunder like sound. I thought someone must be loading or unloading some heavy goods because there were no signs of rain. I felt the building vibrating. But I could not think of anything serious that time. Five minutes later the power went off. Then I suspected something unwanted happened. When I went out, all girls had come downstairs. People were panicky. Some said it was a blast somewhere. Some did not know. Then our hostel guardian told it was a cylinder blast in a Gas Agency just behind our hostel. I shuddered at the very thought of being so close to a terrible accident. I was feeling heavy inside though I was not afraid. We were waiting till the guardian told it was safe to go back and the power came. The entire building was fuming. I still did not recover from hearing the news just then we heard another blast- now loud and clear, scary enough. I then realized how one would feel to be near a bomb-blast. Surprisingly, most of the girls who screamed at the sound here were quite brave. Brave enough to gossip and have fun, brave enough to laugh at a nasty joke thrown by someone. It was extremely infuriating. How can such people become the saviours of India? Just imagine our country in the hands of these people. Even the guys (Software Professionals) who were staying in the nearby areas were going for a midnight stroll around the streets watching the activity and quickly changing the chat topic to something funny. They looked quite amused. Probably something entertaining was happening. No one had the slightest intention of giving a helping hand. I had a feeling that youngsters of today may not seem quite serious unless something serious happens. But I was wrong. They are never serious about anything anytime. I could see the real attitude of the generation I am living in. It was more painful than the incident itself. More shocking was this part of the episode where two policemen with their rifles were going home(supposedly)after their duty in their bike. They just noticed the commotion there and a laundry person told them that there was a cylinder blast and fire a few yards away. The policemen sincerely listened to him and then rode away to their original destination. So whom do we believe in times of need?

So now do you understand why I sounded so casual? Because the whole environment around me was casual. No one had a percent of feeling of remorse- which is the least thing we could have done at that moment. Even in the place of accident, hundreds of people were watching the operation. I was reminded of the Operation Cyclone, where a special group of police was necessary to control the crowd outside instead of helping the commandos inside. Similar situation here. Police had to control the crowd and commotion rather than help the fire extinguishing personnel. The positive point here is no one panicked. The negative point here is everyone was quite normal as if nothing has happened around. Oh yes! They had something to talk about whole night and the next day and the day after.

A walk for a good cause

I always wanted to do something different from my routine in the weekends. Last weekend was special. It was the 10 K run – a marathon organized in Hyderabad for various causes. The cause was originally Health, Fitness and Environment. But unfortunately it was transformed into one single cause – Fight against Terrorism.

So many employees from various IT companies, NGOs, school and college students participated in the event. The people who usually wake up at 9 or 10 on Sundays were present at the People’s plaza sharply at 6:30. It was a real festive ambience. I was so proud to a part of thousands of people running for some good cause. The scarlet color was Omni-present and everyone seemed to be cheered up involuntarily. No one had the apprehensions of whether they would be able to cover the entire distance in one go. They all wanted to participate and nothing else was in their minds.

It was a beautiful winter morning with no pollution of sound or air around us. The Marathon started at 7:30 and we all started our journey wanting whole-heartedly to complete it atleast within 2 hrs. We were mutually motivated and none of us were feeling tired. First kilometer was the longest. Later we got used to the distances. We were not waiting for the next milestone. Here and there, they had arranged for some rock bands to keep us away from exhaustion. The whole walk or rather run was around the Hussain Sagar Lake. Once in a while there were diversions to extend the length of the road to 10kms. We usually have a notion that people take the easiest path to complete the task. But none of them took the shorter route. Everybody was so sincere that they obeyed the directions, knowing that crossing the 10 cm tall divider would cost them nothing.

I was jogging alone for almost half of the marathon. Surprisingly I was not feeling bored neither did I fall into introspection. I was observing the outside world. I was feeling euphoric to be amidst hundreds of good people. In spite of all the attacks happening around me I felt a sense of unity and humanity the world is preserving. I discovered some beautiful architecture on the way, which was never an item in the list of Must-See places in Hyderabad. The whole task of 10K run was made much easier by these natural elements.

We could spot the 1km (Remaining) mark sooner than expected. It was really a joyous moment when we crossed the chequered flag. Everyone has won in this event or atleast that was the feeling we all had. The entire journey ended in just an hour and a half. I did not feel any tiredness or pain for the whole day. It all started the next day but made sure I went to office. 

The crux of the event is the endurance, belief in oneself and above all the pride of participation. If anyone possesses these qualities, he or she can go to farther not only in this kind of marathon but also in the marathon of life. Waiting for the next Marathon! Three cheers to Hyderabad and the 10 K foundation!!!!

It is not Mumbai- It is India

Terror rocks Mumbai. It was not a bomb blast or hijack but an open firing. A big question against Indian Security. There is no certainty of life the next second. Thousands of lives are at stake. This event has shattered the minds of every citizen of India more than any other incident that had ever taken place in Mumbai for the past 10 to 15 years. Mumbai had always shown solidarity and resilience against these attacks and as always comes back to normal the very next week. Yes, this can be acceptable and appreciated if it was the first, second, third or fourth time. But definitely not forever.

With a population of over a billion, it is next to impossible scrutinizing movement of every individual in India. So it does not make any sense comparing India with US for example. They had also faced a similar mishap during the Twin Towers attack. So how long do you think the media or the politicians were blaming the security breach there? There is no time to blame each other in this scenario. It is high time that we get into action and curb terrorism. This is beyond politics, beyond religion and beyond Indo-pak feud. All we need is to ignore all the differences in religion, status, borders and ideologies and fight against the terrorism minority who are spread all over the world.

The Home-Minister has stepped down, there is a hanging Govt in Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi is partying while the operations in Mumbai were in a crucial stage, Ritesh Deshmukh and RGV were having a stroll in the Taj Corridor, the information regarding the illegal entry of people in the Indian Territory taken easy by the officials. We blame everyone for the incident. These were a handful of people. What were the others doing? Is it practical to call everyone and enquire about the carelessness?

Whatever happened has happened. It is time to join hands. No BJP or Congress or Jananta Dal can ameliorate the situation. Only we as Indians can do it. It is election time. Do not vote the party. Vote the individuals. Vote if you believe that the person can bring you out of the unprotected shell to the protected space. Do not vote the famous people just because you feel that bad is better than worse. Vote the not so famous people who strive hard for the betterment of the society.

Media is helping us identifying the right people and the wrong people to elect. We should definitely make use of these things. Though at times, they get carried away by showing the gossips and celebrities, they stand up when there is a crisis. They point out every costly mistake a leader makes.
Salute the heroes who fought till every weed was removed. Every citizen should feel responsible for the things happening around and the time will come when everyone of us feel safe to go anywhere in the country.

No where to go

Hi everyone,
Just to keep in touch with my writing, I was searching for a topic to write. Then I bumped over one of the blogs written by some Shenoy. To tell you the truth, there were blogs which meant absolute sense and a few others which had no relevance to me but still found interesting. Maybe, this blog would be of no relevance to you or not even interesting. Still..

I was supposed to write the CAT(not the Administrative Tribunal) and IIFT in Hyderabad. The centers were somewhere in Abids and Koti. My roommate accompanied me to search them so that I need not roam around on the D days. I had the centers located on the Google maps (So thoughtful of me isn't it?). We took a road to reach the first destination and came back to the main road taking another one. The route to and fro second centre was a bit more confusing. Lady Luck guided us through the correct lefts and rights and brought us to the place where we had to catch the bus.

So what happened in the meanwhile? It was a sheer irony. I had great dreams of roaming in the cities of some part of Europe taking a map with me, struggling to ask the route to the passers-by, enjoying every inch of my walk and the sceneries, doing a great deal of window-shopping. And the reality was I was roaming with the map in the crowded city of Hyderabad, struggling to walk on the road, cursing the city and the weather, couldn't even find the windows. Then I gave a self-consoling monologue- “This is just the starting. Mera Number bhi aayega!!” .

But then I realized, this is the charm and spirit of any Indian city, this is the reality, this is the place where I can be happy the rest of my life. It would actually be strange with no people around, no buzzing streets. I can of course enjoy Europe for so many days but how long can I stay in the fairy-land? I should return home. So we decided to board the bus back to the hostel. The long stroll though not as dreamt of, was still beautiful and refreshing.

Some questions are not to be answered

1) Why does Africa, having world’s biggest gold and diamond mines, also have the highest degree of poverty and mal-nutrition?

2) Why do the machines invented make life easier today and dangerous tomorrow?

3) If Black is not a color then why are the Black called the colored people?

4) If Indians were one of the earliest civilized people, why didn't they travel east or west before the others visited India?

5) Why does the US after facing all the tornadoes and hurricanes every year not get poorer year by year?

6) How would the world have been if everyone gets everything without using money?

7) Have the developed countries stopped developing? If not, does it mean that they are developing countries?

8) If Green IT is today’s buzz word, won’t it be better to stop running computers? Won’t the world become greener after that?

9) If brain has Grey cells but not Black and White, does it mean that it does not answer Yes or No?

10) Finally, if man is a part of nature and nature is punctual why isn’t man?

So how is life?

Hello everyone,
Long since i wrote a blog. Was so pre-occupied with the happenings in my own life that I did not find time to analyse what was happening and express myself here. But now I found time because I recently read a short passage while going through an aptitude paper. Usually such passages never influence people because it is read on only one purpose which is mechanical- to score more marks. But somehow I was influenced by this and suddenly the way I look at myself and my life changed.

This was the first line of the passage..
Goethe, a German philosopher once had mentioned that one should not do what he does not like and must try hard to succeed in life doing what he really wanted to do. Otherwise there is no meaning in life doing things for others' happiness.

I was exactly having the same opinion and was really obsessed with thoughts that I was not doing what I really liked. This made me read the passage with interest rather than with purpose. But the following lines of the passage was a turning point. The author who had mentioned Goethe was actually opposing it. He wanted to convey that you should start liking what you do. Well... I really thought it was nonsense. But i couldn't help circumspecting this fact. We usually don't end up easily doing what we like and that is practically not possible as soon as you wish. It really takes a hell lot of time to fullfill your desires.

In the meantime, if you start worrying about the truth that "This is not what I always wanted", life becomes miserable and I personally faced it. But what if I started to like what I do.. Won't I be happier than what I was? This is what the author concluded. Though he did not like doing certain things in life and was compelled to do it several times as a routine, he had started to like doing them and the result was his own happiness. I had to agree with him and I did not have a choice.

A few days later there was a quote from another big philosopher which supported the author's argument. In Aristotle's words- "Start loving your work. You will never have to work again in your lifetime". This is the sense of practicality. This actually changed the way I looked at my life before reading the passage. Now I feel much happier and peaceful than before.

But this does not mean that one has to stop his journey towards one's desires. Looking this way will only make you optimistic towards your ambitions. When you are happy doing whatever you did not like, then imagine the bliss you would get out of doing what you like. Looking at life from this perspective makes the world a beautiful place to live in.