Quotes, sayings and idioms are nice..most of the time. They guide and inspire us to do the right thing. But at times, in real life, basing important things on what a great man once said might not be the smartest thing to do. Gandhiji's ideology of offering the other cheek after being slapped on one can prove fatal in this day of knife/pistol wielding muggers and local bhais (Assuming that in real life, munnabhais are not really amusing!). For times like these we might be better off being cynical about what great men said. To drive home this point, I'll quote what a great man once said [sic]
It is unwise to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same - George Bernard Shaw
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
The logic about logic
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion - Dale Carnegie
There's a whole lot to understand and learn from Dale Carnegie's thought. On the face of it, it is a simple thought, effectively put. But the more I pondered about it, I began to feel that understanding this thought fully well and keeping it on the top of my mind always could work as a panacea! With the exception of those in captivity or leading lives of seclusion, one can't escape dealing with people in almost anything. And then at some point or the other even the most logical person is going to be driven by emotion.
There's a whole lot to understand and learn from Dale Carnegie's thought. On the face of it, it is a simple thought, effectively put. But the more I pondered about it, I began to feel that understanding this thought fully well and keeping it on the top of my mind always could work as a panacea! With the exception of those in captivity or leading lives of seclusion, one can't escape dealing with people in almost anything. And then at some point or the other even the most logical person is going to be driven by emotion.
At work and with things where most people would consciously try and keep emotion out of the picture I tend to be down right practical and logical. I think dealing with logical people makes things a lot easier and progress speedy.
The other day I met an elderly gentleman and my first impression was that I was dealing with a logical person. I got into my comfort zone of being open and direct and made no attempt to be diplomatic or sugar coat my thoughts. He asked me for feedback on something he had created and I articulated the pluses and the minuses. The minute my thoughts turned into words I realized the otherwise calm and composed septuagenarian was not prepared for negative feedback. His reaction almost felt like a slap across my face. He shouted at me for the difference of opinion. It was something I couldn't comprehend. If it was something he was so sensitive about, why did he ask for feedback in the first place. I managed to get out of the situation without creating a scene just by continuously telling myself (while he was shouting at me) that I was dealing with a creature of emotion.
Bottom line, you can't take all the emotion out of any situation. What seems completely logical to me pulls some emotional chords for the person in front of me and vice versa. When the emotional wave is high, the trick is in shielding yourself from the emotional wave and accepting that to your listener the logic is illogical!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Making a dash to the finish line....
It is a blur...and I can barely see it through the winter mist.
But I am certain it is not a figment of my imagination...
and I am making a dash to the finish line...
When I crossover the line so fine,
I pull the satin ribbon along....
willingly it snaps free and gaily entangles around my sprinting frame
I look down at it and the words on the ribbon are clear to me now...
'2006 - The year that was...'
A little premature for a 'goodbye 2006' post, but that's the best part about blogging...this is my space, I can write what I feel like, when I feel like it! :) I make the rules here and I don't have to wait for December to roll out a '2006 special edition'. I feel a sense of urgency to roll down the curtains on my 2006 and I think I will do it now, when I have the time. The way the past 11 months have gone by (even before I got used to writing 2006 in checks and under my signatures) I feel December will not even care to herald itself and I won't even know! I might as well get prepared to put 2007 date stamps.
I wonder why the whole world (including me) makes such a big deal about a new year. Why is it that every December we sit and reminisce about the year gone by and make resolutions about the new year? But then, if these unwritten rules weren't followed, we would we buying 'special editions' of magazines throughout out the year and then Santa/God/X would have an administrative nightmare with resolutions coming in every now and then! On the other hand people might have made more frequent attempts (as opposed to once in a year) to 'turn into a better leaf' thus increasing the probability of turning the world into a better place.
In spite of all that I said above, I still find myself deriving comfort from choosing the end of the year to reminisce and to look forward to 2007 and hoping (as always) that it will bring all that I ever wished for! That, I guess, is what keeps us all going year after year. If I remembered all that I hoped/prayed/asked for on January 1st in the years gone by, I probably wouldn't be very hopeful this new year. If I held a grudge against fate I wouldn't be blindly making a dash to the finish.
While closing the book of accounts for 2006, all I want to feel is acceptance and comfort. I don't want to feel nagged that the balance sheet is not perfectly balanced. All I want to take away is a little more courage to face what is to come and the ability to be unperturbed by any future discrepancies in the balance sheet.
But I am certain it is not a figment of my imagination...
and I am making a dash to the finish line...
When I crossover the line so fine,
I pull the satin ribbon along....
willingly it snaps free and gaily entangles around my sprinting frame
I look down at it and the words on the ribbon are clear to me now...
'2006 - The year that was...'
A little premature for a 'goodbye 2006' post, but that's the best part about blogging...this is my space, I can write what I feel like, when I feel like it! :) I make the rules here and I don't have to wait for December to roll out a '2006 special edition'. I feel a sense of urgency to roll down the curtains on my 2006 and I think I will do it now, when I have the time. The way the past 11 months have gone by (even before I got used to writing 2006 in checks and under my signatures) I feel December will not even care to herald itself and I won't even know! I might as well get prepared to put 2007 date stamps.
I wonder why the whole world (including me) makes such a big deal about a new year. Why is it that every December we sit and reminisce about the year gone by and make resolutions about the new year? But then, if these unwritten rules weren't followed, we would we buying 'special editions' of magazines throughout out the year and then Santa/God/X would have an administrative nightmare with resolutions coming in every now and then! On the other hand people might have made more frequent attempts (as opposed to once in a year) to 'turn into a better leaf' thus increasing the probability of turning the world into a better place.
In spite of all that I said above, I still find myself deriving comfort from choosing the end of the year to reminisce and to look forward to 2007 and hoping (as always) that it will bring all that I ever wished for! That, I guess, is what keeps us all going year after year. If I remembered all that I hoped/prayed/asked for on January 1st in the years gone by, I probably wouldn't be very hopeful this new year. If I held a grudge against fate I wouldn't be blindly making a dash to the finish.
While closing the book of accounts for 2006, all I want to feel is acceptance and comfort. I don't want to feel nagged that the balance sheet is not perfectly balanced. All I want to take away is a little more courage to face what is to come and the ability to be unperturbed by any future discrepancies in the balance sheet.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
My ballad...
On a pleasant evening in 2001
When the only thing down was the sun…
We met at Bangalore on Lavelle road
And since then never have we been bored…
She came along wth a friend or two…
And after the usual niceties and who’s who
We started on a note very sweet
From Koramangala sukh sagar some sweets we did eat
After some time had passed
And some courage she had amassed,
She asked to be left alone with me
No doubt, much to my glee!
We went driving around town in the night
With her, even Bangalore roads were a pleasant sight
And no onlooker would rate
That it was our first ever date.
We were the made-for-each-other kind
And in her love I did go blind.
We went together everywhere,
Rain or shine we din’t so much care!
In all these years, there was just one moment
When I let her down and I still repent
I think our relationship is unique
And apart from her, no other I seek
Just as I thought we were ready for a commitment of life
I realize I have to face tough strife
I hear her say I want to go ‘Fida’ or have the ‘Xing’
And to my dismay a Fiesta or Santro she is eyeing!
Author: Zennie
Make, model and year: Maruti Suzuki, Zen, 2001
Owner: Shilpa Narayan
When the only thing down was the sun…
We met at Bangalore on Lavelle road
And since then never have we been bored…
She came along wth a friend or two…
And after the usual niceties and who’s who
We started on a note very sweet
From Koramangala sukh sagar some sweets we did eat
After some time had passed
And some courage she had amassed,
She asked to be left alone with me
No doubt, much to my glee!
We went driving around town in the night
With her, even Bangalore roads were a pleasant sight
And no onlooker would rate
That it was our first ever date.
We were the made-for-each-other kind
And in her love I did go blind.
We went together everywhere,
Rain or shine we din’t so much care!
In all these years, there was just one moment
When I let her down and I still repent
I think our relationship is unique
And apart from her, no other I seek
Just as I thought we were ready for a commitment of life
I realize I have to face tough strife
I hear her say I want to go ‘Fida’ or have the ‘Xing’
And to my dismay a Fiesta or Santro she is eyeing!
Author: Zennie
Make, model and year: Maruti Suzuki, Zen, 2001
Owner: Shilpa Narayan
Friday, September 29, 2006
Kaleideoscope
9:30am, Arrival lounge, Bangalore airport
I am told that I can't go all the way up to the baggage claim area. The security guy at the gate pays no heed to my request that 'my old parents will need help with the luggage' and 'that's the reason I got a ticket into the arrival lounge'. What's the point if all I can do with this ticket is stick my nose against the glass window and watch my parents struggle with the luggage at the conveyor?? Ah well, this is a country where all the rules are followed! I cursed the terrorists for all the terror they have managed to spread and just hoped that there will be someone near the belt to help my parents! Then I just went and stuck my nose at the glass window and felt good about being short...cause the glass was dirty everywhere above my nose with all and sundry sticking their noses! :)
On the other side of the 'laksman rekha' a girl stood and handed out plastic red roses and a Kemp fort coupon with a promise "get a free parker pen*" with some fine print at the end which was too fine for me to read from a 2 feet distance. She was neatly dressed and it looked like she drew her inspiration from some regional film actress. She did not have enough roses/coupons to give every person who walked out of the terminal. She had some random algorithm to gauge who deserved her 'smile, rose, coupon' package. Without even giving her the slightest hint, I played a mind-game with her. I would give myself a point every time I guessed the package recipient accurately! Initially I got a couple of wrong hits...but gradually I figured her thinking pattern and declared myself the winner!
A shabbily dressed guy (he came to receive someone in his night clothes!) went up to the security guy and posed a similar request to allow him to enter into the baggage claim area. When the security guy declined, this guy crossed the 'lakshman rekha' and stood just near the gate on the other side. He seemed to derive a lot of satisfaction in standing on the other side and it looked like someone else had just declared himself a winner! The security guy kept requesting him to move back...but this pajama clad guy (I could bet my life he hadn't come to pick someone he wanted to set an impression on) just pretended to be lost in thought and gazed into infinity.
All kinds of people walked out of the gate. There were those who still seemed to be thinking of the business deal they had struck and were mentally still in the board room. There were others who were first time fliers and just seemed mighty happy about the deal they got with the flight tickets! Then, there were travelers from abroad who were just trying to comprehend if this really was the airport at the Silicon valley of India. I took my nose off the window and sat down to observe the stream of people. I took my eyes off the gate and the stream when a little girl probably 6 years of age started running excitedly around the bunch of chairs chasing her cousin/brother/family friend who must have been double her age and size. Her target was too fast for her, but for a moment she din't think it was unachievable. She gleefully just kept going round and round in circles as if someone had put her there to demonstrate that life is about the journey, not about the end.
I began building little stories around each of the characters. What would have been the purpose of their trip? Were they coming back happy, sad or neutral? I thought back to the very first time I flew (incidentally out of this very airport) and smiled to myself thinking of the excitement and the anticipation of a weird feeling in the tummy when the aircraft took off. Memories of some of the significant trips I had made out of here came flooding by. I thought of the uncountable times I had come here to see someone off or to pick someone up. My mind ran its little what-if analysis of some of these significant trips and how my life would be different if some of these trips hadn’t been made. I am glad I can’t be certain that the difference would be for the better or for the worse. It was just a little holiday that my mind took to go down memory lane…and when it came back…it wasn’t without some unwanted holiday weight!
To lighten things up, ironically, there was this plump 7-8 year old fair, curly haired girl. Her parents were obviously trying to reach someone who should have been here by now to pick them up. They were not too happy about being kept waiting and I pitied the person on the other side of the line. The family shared the 'plumpness' gene and this didn't look like a couple you would like to mess with! In sharp contrast, the little girl didn't seem to be bothered about not being home or in a car on the way home. She seemed pretty happy about not having an air hostess tying her to a seat. She kept herself busy by playing hopscotch on the mosaic tiles. She had made her own rules about which tile to step on and which one to miss and the fact that she looked clumsy and un-lady like was not in her scheme of thoughts. In the span of some 10 tiles in her charlie chaplin hop, she managed to win an admirer! This 1.5 year old boy (who had just about learnt to walk and was keen on honing his newly acquired skills) set himself free from his mother's grip and ran to the curly charlie chaplin! The speed and accuracy with which the 1.5 year old had picked the 'most interesting company' in the crowd of people was to be admired. It could only have been done by someone who hadn't spent a life time trying to learn the obvious!
The pajama clad guy's parents and sister finally emerged and no one judged him by his cover! Right behind them a group of pilots and air hostesses smartly walked by dragging their neat and chic suitcases. The group kind of maintained a little distance from one of the pilot-air hostess pair. They looked like they had a little something special going on between them. The way they were alienated from the rest of the group made it seem like they were breaking some commonly accepted rules in the society!
Everyone walking past the gate had a different pattern and a certain beauty about them. Here was a slice of life…in the power wielding security guy, the egotistical pajama man, the innocent girl running around in circles, the visionary toddler, the happy Charlie Chaplin and her angry parents. Even though I won the mind-game with the girl handing out the roses using some reasoning, I could have stood there all day and wouldn’t have been able to predict what pattern would emerge out of the gate next. Life is indeed a box of chocolates. The next one I picked could have been nuts, dark chocolate, plain, milk…..anything!
10:30 am, STILL Arrival lounge, STILL Bangalore airport.
Sweet music in my ears…my phone ringing...but I am not too happy about being distracted from the very engaging job at hand. There are so many more people to observe and analyze. ‘Where are you?’ In the maze of all this, I had missed taking note and observing what I came for in the first place. My parents, baggage et al, had walked right under my nose at around 9:40am (probably when it was stuck up against the glass window) while I was busy rotating the kaleidoscope!
I am told that I can't go all the way up to the baggage claim area. The security guy at the gate pays no heed to my request that 'my old parents will need help with the luggage' and 'that's the reason I got a ticket into the arrival lounge'. What's the point if all I can do with this ticket is stick my nose against the glass window and watch my parents struggle with the luggage at the conveyor?? Ah well, this is a country where all the rules are followed! I cursed the terrorists for all the terror they have managed to spread and just hoped that there will be someone near the belt to help my parents! Then I just went and stuck my nose at the glass window and felt good about being short...cause the glass was dirty everywhere above my nose with all and sundry sticking their noses! :)
On the other side of the 'laksman rekha' a girl stood and handed out plastic red roses and a Kemp fort coupon with a promise "get a free parker pen*" with some fine print at the end which was too fine for me to read from a 2 feet distance. She was neatly dressed and it looked like she drew her inspiration from some regional film actress. She did not have enough roses/coupons to give every person who walked out of the terminal. She had some random algorithm to gauge who deserved her 'smile, rose, coupon' package. Without even giving her the slightest hint, I played a mind-game with her. I would give myself a point every time I guessed the package recipient accurately! Initially I got a couple of wrong hits...but gradually I figured her thinking pattern and declared myself the winner!
A shabbily dressed guy (he came to receive someone in his night clothes!) went up to the security guy and posed a similar request to allow him to enter into the baggage claim area. When the security guy declined, this guy crossed the 'lakshman rekha' and stood just near the gate on the other side. He seemed to derive a lot of satisfaction in standing on the other side and it looked like someone else had just declared himself a winner! The security guy kept requesting him to move back...but this pajama clad guy (I could bet my life he hadn't come to pick someone he wanted to set an impression on) just pretended to be lost in thought and gazed into infinity.
All kinds of people walked out of the gate. There were those who still seemed to be thinking of the business deal they had struck and were mentally still in the board room. There were others who were first time fliers and just seemed mighty happy about the deal they got with the flight tickets! Then, there were travelers from abroad who were just trying to comprehend if this really was the airport at the Silicon valley of India. I took my nose off the window and sat down to observe the stream of people. I took my eyes off the gate and the stream when a little girl probably 6 years of age started running excitedly around the bunch of chairs chasing her cousin/brother/family friend who must have been double her age and size. Her target was too fast for her, but for a moment she din't think it was unachievable. She gleefully just kept going round and round in circles as if someone had put her there to demonstrate that life is about the journey, not about the end.
I began building little stories around each of the characters. What would have been the purpose of their trip? Were they coming back happy, sad or neutral? I thought back to the very first time I flew (incidentally out of this very airport) and smiled to myself thinking of the excitement and the anticipation of a weird feeling in the tummy when the aircraft took off. Memories of some of the significant trips I had made out of here came flooding by. I thought of the uncountable times I had come here to see someone off or to pick someone up. My mind ran its little what-if analysis of some of these significant trips and how my life would be different if some of these trips hadn’t been made. I am glad I can’t be certain that the difference would be for the better or for the worse. It was just a little holiday that my mind took to go down memory lane…and when it came back…it wasn’t without some unwanted holiday weight!
To lighten things up, ironically, there was this plump 7-8 year old fair, curly haired girl. Her parents were obviously trying to reach someone who should have been here by now to pick them up. They were not too happy about being kept waiting and I pitied the person on the other side of the line. The family shared the 'plumpness' gene and this didn't look like a couple you would like to mess with! In sharp contrast, the little girl didn't seem to be bothered about not being home or in a car on the way home. She seemed pretty happy about not having an air hostess tying her to a seat. She kept herself busy by playing hopscotch on the mosaic tiles. She had made her own rules about which tile to step on and which one to miss and the fact that she looked clumsy and un-lady like was not in her scheme of thoughts. In the span of some 10 tiles in her charlie chaplin hop, she managed to win an admirer! This 1.5 year old boy (who had just about learnt to walk and was keen on honing his newly acquired skills) set himself free from his mother's grip and ran to the curly charlie chaplin! The speed and accuracy with which the 1.5 year old had picked the 'most interesting company' in the crowd of people was to be admired. It could only have been done by someone who hadn't spent a life time trying to learn the obvious!
The pajama clad guy's parents and sister finally emerged and no one judged him by his cover! Right behind them a group of pilots and air hostesses smartly walked by dragging their neat and chic suitcases. The group kind of maintained a little distance from one of the pilot-air hostess pair. They looked like they had a little something special going on between them. The way they were alienated from the rest of the group made it seem like they were breaking some commonly accepted rules in the society!
Everyone walking past the gate had a different pattern and a certain beauty about them. Here was a slice of life…in the power wielding security guy, the egotistical pajama man, the innocent girl running around in circles, the visionary toddler, the happy Charlie Chaplin and her angry parents. Even though I won the mind-game with the girl handing out the roses using some reasoning, I could have stood there all day and wouldn’t have been able to predict what pattern would emerge out of the gate next. Life is indeed a box of chocolates. The next one I picked could have been nuts, dark chocolate, plain, milk…..anything!
10:30 am, STILL Arrival lounge, STILL Bangalore airport.
Sweet music in my ears…my phone ringing...but I am not too happy about being distracted from the very engaging job at hand. There are so many more people to observe and analyze. ‘Where are you?’ In the maze of all this, I had missed taking note and observing what I came for in the first place. My parents, baggage et al, had walked right under my nose at around 9:40am (probably when it was stuck up against the glass window) while I was busy rotating the kaleidoscope!
Monday, September 18, 2006
I also-ran a marathon!
I proudly proclaim to be an Also-ran! :)
I completed the marathon!
I took 5 hours to complete it..:( Am a little disappointed with that as I was aiming at doing it in 4hours 15 minutes or so. But the joy of completing a marathon (in spite of the pathetic arrangements made by the organizers) is the predominant feeling.
We started at around 6am and had good attention from the volunteers and traffic cops for the 1st 2 hours or so. We were given preference at the traffic signals and with the barricades in the right places I wasn't worried about being run over by a bus/truck! The weather was just right and Bangalore did look beautiful! I observed a lot of the beauty that I hadn't noticed in so many years, while zipping past in my car. A lot of areas in Bangalore are still very green and running in the backdrop of a lake set against greenery is a unique kind of experience. It just makes you feel great, about life and about yourself. And there were a lot of very sweet Bangaloreans who stood by, cheering us and making us feel like celebrities! You also form a bond with your fellow runners and everytime you do something against the commonly known best methods, someone or the other reminds you 'hey, dont do that, do this instead' It is a nice feeling...you are out there with a bunch of people you don't even know and you are helping each other achieve what you set out to do...all by yourself...probably all for yourself. At a point when you are ready to drop and your body has just thrown up its hands...and seems 100% confident it can't budge another inch, a simple pat on the back from a fellow runner with 'hey, you can do much better than that' or a hand sticking out from the sidewalk to just shake yours for what you have achieved thus far just magically pushes your body to run along and takes you another km or so.
When I started, I was very conscious of all the fundas for conserving energy and was at par with my target for the 1st 2 hours. Once you run about 5km, your body just gets into rhythm and all the panting etc stops. At that point, you feel you can run for ever! I know glucose level in my body dips very suddenly and after I had done 15km, I craved for some sugar, some salts, something! All the water stops had water...no dearth of that but nothing to replenish your salts. I kept myself motivated by telling that surely at the 21km stop I would be treated to something more than water. All I got was an apologetic shake of the head from the volunteer when I asked for glucose/electral. I was cursing myself for not carrying money...I could have bought myself something from the shops near by :(
After I did about 22-23km...I was bored. All the runners were separated by atleast 1/2 a km...barricades were beginning to be removed...traffic had increased..and auto waalas were being their usual selves...and my body was deprived of sugar. That is when I started to walk a little...and run a little. My feet weren't tired...I wasn't panting...I was just a little dizzy cause of lack of salts. I was a little paranoid about blacking out. At one of the water stops, as usual, I begged for something sweet, and I got lucky. Got the last mentos chewy dragee that a volunteer had! :) Fortified with that, I felt replenished and started to run as if I had just started the marathon! I know..I know..most if it is probably psychological...but thats what this is all about.. after 10km it ceases to be an effort on the body...it is overwhelmingly about the mind! And even a seemingly trivial thing (like a blarring indica taxi) is enough to upset the shaky focus you have built in your head...and makes you want to stop.
At about 28km, my messiah came along! He was one of the members of the medical team and was cycling with water and electral. He stopped and offered me electral! He must have thought I din't know what I was doing...cause I gulped down so much of it in one go...that I could have been in trouble. I profusely thanked him and ran along again. I knew I would need some again after 4km or so and tried to keep him in sight. That kept me going and I caught him again when he had stopped to help the runners.
The last 7km or so was just pathetic. There were hardly any water stops...all the barricades were removed (and I was beginning to lose track of the track). The messiah had departed...and no new ones cycled past me. Somewhere around then the emergency van drove past and the guy stopped to check if I was doing ok or if I wanted to join some of the runners who had quit and were in the van, being driven to the stadium. I was dizzy but I did not even have to think before I shook my head and said 'thanks, but no thanks'. It did not even occur to me that quitting was an option...that's how much I wanted to run the marathon and am glad, everything aligned well for that.
I completed the marathon!
I took 5 hours to complete it..:( Am a little disappointed with that as I was aiming at doing it in 4hours 15 minutes or so. But the joy of completing a marathon (in spite of the pathetic arrangements made by the organizers) is the predominant feeling.
We started at around 6am and had good attention from the volunteers and traffic cops for the 1st 2 hours or so. We were given preference at the traffic signals and with the barricades in the right places I wasn't worried about being run over by a bus/truck! The weather was just right and Bangalore did look beautiful! I observed a lot of the beauty that I hadn't noticed in so many years, while zipping past in my car. A lot of areas in Bangalore are still very green and running in the backdrop of a lake set against greenery is a unique kind of experience. It just makes you feel great, about life and about yourself. And there were a lot of very sweet Bangaloreans who stood by, cheering us and making us feel like celebrities! You also form a bond with your fellow runners and everytime you do something against the commonly known best methods, someone or the other reminds you 'hey, dont do that, do this instead' It is a nice feeling...you are out there with a bunch of people you don't even know and you are helping each other achieve what you set out to do...all by yourself...probably all for yourself. At a point when you are ready to drop and your body has just thrown up its hands...and seems 100% confident it can't budge another inch, a simple pat on the back from a fellow runner with 'hey, you can do much better than that' or a hand sticking out from the sidewalk to just shake yours for what you have achieved thus far just magically pushes your body to run along and takes you another km or so.
When I started, I was very conscious of all the fundas for conserving energy and was at par with my target for the 1st 2 hours. Once you run about 5km, your body just gets into rhythm and all the panting etc stops. At that point, you feel you can run for ever! I know glucose level in my body dips very suddenly and after I had done 15km, I craved for some sugar, some salts, something! All the water stops had water...no dearth of that but nothing to replenish your salts. I kept myself motivated by telling that surely at the 21km stop I would be treated to something more than water. All I got was an apologetic shake of the head from the volunteer when I asked for glucose/electral. I was cursing myself for not carrying money...I could have bought myself something from the shops near by :(
After I did about 22-23km...I was bored. All the runners were separated by atleast 1/2 a km...barricades were beginning to be removed...traffic had increased..and auto waalas were being their usual selves...and my body was deprived of sugar. That is when I started to walk a little...and run a little. My feet weren't tired...I wasn't panting...I was just a little dizzy cause of lack of salts. I was a little paranoid about blacking out. At one of the water stops, as usual, I begged for something sweet, and I got lucky. Got the last mentos chewy dragee that a volunteer had! :) Fortified with that, I felt replenished and started to run as if I had just started the marathon! I know..I know..most if it is probably psychological...but thats what this is all about.. after 10km it ceases to be an effort on the body...it is overwhelmingly about the mind! And even a seemingly trivial thing (like a blarring indica taxi) is enough to upset the shaky focus you have built in your head...and makes you want to stop.
At about 28km, my messiah came along! He was one of the members of the medical team and was cycling with water and electral. He stopped and offered me electral! He must have thought I din't know what I was doing...cause I gulped down so much of it in one go...that I could have been in trouble. I profusely thanked him and ran along again. I knew I would need some again after 4km or so and tried to keep him in sight. That kept me going and I caught him again when he had stopped to help the runners.
The last 7km or so was just pathetic. There were hardly any water stops...all the barricades were removed (and I was beginning to lose track of the track). The messiah had departed...and no new ones cycled past me. Somewhere around then the emergency van drove past and the guy stopped to check if I was doing ok or if I wanted to join some of the runners who had quit and were in the van, being driven to the stadium. I was dizzy but I did not even have to think before I shook my head and said 'thanks, but no thanks'. It did not even occur to me that quitting was an option...that's how much I wanted to run the marathon and am glad, everything aligned well for that.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Marathon - 17th Sept 2006
I said "I wanna run the marathon. It is one of my little dreams and I want to put a tick mark against this item in my checklist of life"
Dippie said "Yes yes...go run. You are not mediocre"
Mommie said "Huh? Won't you be tired? Why are you doing this?"
Neeru said "Ya, you can do it once"
Chhavi said "Oh ya? That's cool, Arc and i wanted to do it together"
Pathak said "42kms? that's crazy. Boss..its a lot...infact even 21km is a lot" (I said "Don't act like my mommie")
Shrinidhi said "Good run the marathon. In the next 7 yrs I may also run one;) "
Others "Wow, how exciting!" "Are you sure" "Have you trained enough?" "Don't you have anything better to do?" "Hey, we will come and run the last 7km with you"
Amidst all this I started training...about 1.5 months back. After a week's training and figuring out where I stand and what I am really capable of, the Monica in me said 'Hey, you aren't going to win this. Don't run. What's the point running when you can't win'.
I said "Shut up. for the sake of my checklist, I am willing to be labeled an 'Also-ran'...cause this is no ordinary feat..it is the marathon"
And today, just 2 days before the marathon, there is no real data to prove I can make it. Infact everything is against the fact that I can make it. My feet hurts after I run 15km and my body begins to feel tired.
The-Monica-in me says "Hey...Ms Also Ran, don't tell me you aren't even going to be that."
The only hope I have is my mind...and my desire to make it. I hope it will push my body beyond its threshold. When my body wants to give up, I hope the Monica in me jumps out of my skin, puts me on a skating board tied around her waist..and zips away to the finish dragging my body along! :)
Lets see what I can blog (read 'brag') about on the 18th. (Am sure I will sleep through the 17th!)
After thought: Need I mention, that the Monica referred to here is the 'Friends' Monica?
Dippie said "Yes yes...go run. You are not mediocre"
Mommie said "Huh? Won't you be tired? Why are you doing this?"
Neeru said "Ya, you can do it once"
Chhavi said "Oh ya? That's cool, Arc and i wanted to do it together"
Pathak said "42kms? that's crazy. Boss..its a lot...infact even 21km is a lot" (I said "Don't act like my mommie")
Shrinidhi said "Good run the marathon. In the next 7 yrs I may also run one;) "
Others "Wow, how exciting!" "Are you sure" "Have you trained enough?" "Don't you have anything better to do?" "Hey, we will come and run the last 7km with you"
Amidst all this I started training...about 1.5 months back. After a week's training and figuring out where I stand and what I am really capable of, the Monica in me said 'Hey, you aren't going to win this. Don't run. What's the point running when you can't win'.
I said "Shut up. for the sake of my checklist, I am willing to be labeled an 'Also-ran'...cause this is no ordinary feat..it is the marathon"
And today, just 2 days before the marathon, there is no real data to prove I can make it. Infact everything is against the fact that I can make it. My feet hurts after I run 15km and my body begins to feel tired.
The-Monica-in me says "Hey...Ms Also Ran, don't tell me you aren't even going to be that."
The only hope I have is my mind...and my desire to make it. I hope it will push my body beyond its threshold. When my body wants to give up, I hope the Monica in me jumps out of my skin, puts me on a skating board tied around her waist..and zips away to the finish dragging my body along! :)
Lets see what I can blog (read 'brag') about on the 18th. (Am sure I will sleep through the 17th!)
After thought: Need I mention, that the Monica referred to here is the 'Friends' Monica?
Friday, September 08, 2006
Am Lovin it...
I always knew music influenced my moods a lot. Wonder why I din't think of ensuring I had good music around me most of the day! A simple and effective way of being happy and chirpy.
At the moment, am lovin my new phone ringing...(even if it is some tele-marketing folks trying to sell me a credit card I will never take)...coz when it rings, my fav mp3 clip plays and makes me feel like doing a jig (w/o bothering where I am!).
It makes me feel like taking those broken wings and learning to fly
It makes me feel like touching things and turning them to gold
It makes me feel like I found 6 chocolates in a pack of 5!
Am lovin' it....
At the moment, am lovin my new phone ringing...(even if it is some tele-marketing folks trying to sell me a credit card I will never take)...coz when it rings, my fav mp3 clip plays and makes me feel like doing a jig (w/o bothering where I am!).
It makes me feel like taking those broken wings and learning to fly
It makes me feel like touching things and turning them to gold
It makes me feel like I found 6 chocolates in a pack of 5!
Am lovin' it....
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Ode to Friends
After my first few posts on this blog, my friends used to ask me (sarcastically) 'How come there is no post on 
on your blog..a topic so close to your heart!' I actually used to respond with 'it is just too huge to blog about. I wouldn't be doing justice if I just did a review kind of thing for Friends'. For almost every situation in life and relationships, I have an anecdote/quote from Friends (much to the irk of the other conversationalists). People seem to have trouble understanding how I could have learnt so much from a serial that was supposed to be a light hearted casual comedy. But the reality is that I have. And with people who can relate to it just as much as I can, even in the middle of a crisis (or a not-so-funny situation) we find ourselves saying 'this is just like what happened to Rachel/Monica...'!
I am not a regular fan who would say 'this is the best serial ever made'. If I had followed a Seinfeld or a Sex and the City or even India Calling as religiously as I had followed Friends I guess I would still draw parallels with those characters and the people in my life. But ofcourse, credit is due to the creators of Friends for sustaining viewer's interest for over ten years. This thing has become so much a part of me, that to me the characters are almost 'people-I-know'. I know this will sound weird when I translate this thought to words - often, when I go down memory lane, just as I reminisce about incidents from my life, I think about incidents from the serial. If it is something stupid Joey did or some wise crack from Chandler, it brings a smile to my face...and if it is something bad Rachel or Phoebe went through I feel sad about it. I can talk only for myself; but assuming this kind of involvement with a serial, a book or a movie is fairly commonplace the reach the creators have is mind boggling. I wonder what I would convey/say to the world (or to a significant portion of it) , if I was given one hearing. I would be so full of thoughts, so full of intent to make a difference with that one statement, that I would stupidly just forego the chance and end up not saying anything at all!
Anyway, as melodramatic as it might sound, all I wanted to say here is that Friends has made a difference to my life. I have learnt a whole lot from it and have benefited from it in some ways. Besides being good for laughs it helped me wade through some difficult situations in life. If something that happened to a Friends character, happened to me, it just becomes easier to accept (as opposed to being bothered by the 'Why me' question). At the end of all this eulogy for Friends, I feel guilty that this post is just about a serial and not my true life friends... ;o) those people who chose to make a difference in my life (unlike the creators of Friends who just wanted to make pockets full of money or satisfy some other selfish needs of their own!). But then again, that's just too huge to blog about!
on your blog..a topic so close to your heart!' I actually used to respond with 'it is just too huge to blog about. I wouldn't be doing justice if I just did a review kind of thing for Friends'. For almost every situation in life and relationships, I have an anecdote/quote from Friends (much to the irk of the other conversationalists). People seem to have trouble understanding how I could have learnt so much from a serial that was supposed to be a light hearted casual comedy. But the reality is that I have. And with people who can relate to it just as much as I can, even in the middle of a crisis (or a not-so-funny situation) we find ourselves saying 'this is just like what happened to Rachel/Monica...'!I am not a regular fan who would say 'this is the best serial ever made'. If I had followed a Seinfeld or a Sex and the City or even India Calling as religiously as I had followed Friends I guess I would still draw parallels with those characters and the people in my life. But ofcourse, credit is due to the creators of Friends for sustaining viewer's interest for over ten years. This thing has become so much a part of me, that to me the characters are almost 'people-I-know'. I know this will sound weird when I translate this thought to words - often, when I go down memory lane, just as I reminisce about incidents from my life, I think about incidents from the serial. If it is something stupid Joey did or some wise crack from Chandler, it brings a smile to my face...and if it is something bad Rachel or Phoebe went through I feel sad about it. I can talk only for myself; but assuming this kind of involvement with a serial, a book or a movie is fairly commonplace the reach the creators have is mind boggling. I wonder what I would convey/say to the world (or to a significant portion of it) , if I was given one hearing. I would be so full of thoughts, so full of intent to make a difference with that one statement, that I would stupidly just forego the chance and end up not saying anything at all!
Anyway, as melodramatic as it might sound, all I wanted to say here is that Friends has made a difference to my life. I have learnt a whole lot from it and have benefited from it in some ways. Besides being good for laughs it helped me wade through some difficult situations in life. If something that happened to a Friends character, happened to me, it just becomes easier to accept (as opposed to being bothered by the 'Why me' question). At the end of all this eulogy for Friends, I feel guilty that this post is just about a serial and not my true life friends... ;o) those people who chose to make a difference in my life (unlike the creators of Friends who just wanted to make pockets full of money or satisfy some other selfish needs of their own!). But then again, that's just too huge to blog about!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Kite Runner
It has been a very very long time since I cried reading a book. Even though a book might have a huge impact on you, it takes something really intense to make you cry. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini is one such book. It is Khaled's first book and has got rave reviews and I think it deserves all the attention. Most of the book focuses on relationships and a part of it has some really gory details of the atrocities by Taliban in Afghanistan. I can't bear to watch these things in a movie, so all I do is close my eyes and sometimes my ears and just nudge at my friend to ask 'can I look at the screen now? Is it over?'. Since that is not possible in a book, I read through it and have some vivid images in my head now..and shiver everytime I see it in my mind's eye.
The images should fade in sometime, but what will stay with me for a long time is the intensity of relationships as described by the author. I think the author has done a great job of describing the thoughts and emotions that the central character goes through...one needs to be able to understand these complex, subjective things so well to be able to put it so vividly. Many of us might have had great friends and can relate to the feelings that the author goes through, but I doubt if most of us can comprehend our own feelings so well. There are scores of books written about undying love between couples and the bond of best friends. The genuineness of the author makes me want to rate this as the best I have read on this subject. Till I was half way into the book, I actually thought it was the authors own real life story...somewhere in the middle, I doubted the authenticy of ths story and looked up some details to confirm that the story wasn't from his real life. I think the author missed reducing the intensity of thoughts over time, and that is what made me think that this wasn't real life. Time is the healer for most things. The author forgot to factor that in!
The images should fade in sometime, but what will stay with me for a long time is the intensity of relationships as described by the author. I think the author has done a great job of describing the thoughts and emotions that the central character goes through...one needs to be able to understand these complex, subjective things so well to be able to put it so vividly. Many of us might have had great friends and can relate to the feelings that the author goes through, but I doubt if most of us can comprehend our own feelings so well. There are scores of books written about undying love between couples and the bond of best friends. The genuineness of the author makes me want to rate this as the best I have read on this subject. Till I was half way into the book, I actually thought it was the authors own real life story...somewhere in the middle, I doubted the authenticy of ths story and looked up some details to confirm that the story wasn't from his real life. I think the author missed reducing the intensity of thoughts over time, and that is what made me think that this wasn't real life. Time is the healer for most things. The author forgot to factor that in!
It's raining dead....
It's raining dead....for the last week or so
250 in mumbai...
60 in Lebanon...
550 in Indonesia post Tsunami...
Death due to natural disasters and God's wrath is something no one on earth can thwart yet. All we have learnt till now is some techniques of predicting it, and we are fine tuning this knowledge. God's plans are something we don't have access to, and it is something we have to accept and submit to. The battle we need to pick is the one against terrorism.
I find it tough to believe that the blue print of my head (until it is blown off my shoulders by some bomb) and a terrorists is very similar...cranium, gray matter et al. At least the HLD (High level Design) is the same. . How is it possible that a mentally sane person wakes up in the morning and can feel motivated about the fact that his profession is 'terrorism' and his to-do list for the day says 1) kill x people at A 2) kill y people at B and so on. This is not a very original thought...it has intrigued a whole lot of us and a bunch of movies have been made on this. Even if it is at the expense of sounding cliched, I want to ask again and again 'when you are planting a bomb which would take the life of an innocent person who is a mother/father etc to someone don't you think of the agony it causes, the havoc it wreaks in their lives? Don't you have an innocent mother, father,sibling, spouse back home?' None of the answers that came out in any of the movies or books are even close to convincing me that these actions are justified.
In humans very emotion/thought can be attributed to a bunch of chemicals doing some random permutations and combinations. I wish bio-technology was so advanced as to allow an xray of the head and generate out a report of the logic of the most unreasonable, inexplicable and destructive thoughts that gets generated in a terrorists head. Someday, medical research will lead us to that evil chemical and we will know its composition. Someday a great scientist will find a way impede this deadly chemical. And just as small pox has been eradicated, terrorism will be eradicated. Among the vaccinations that all of us have to get as babies, one of them will be a vaccination for terrorism!
Now, that is what I call being unreasonably imaginative. For some odd reason, I feel comforted that these thoughts are all just chemicals somewhere in my head!
250 in mumbai...
60 in Lebanon...
550 in Indonesia post Tsunami...
Death due to natural disasters and God's wrath is something no one on earth can thwart yet. All we have learnt till now is some techniques of predicting it, and we are fine tuning this knowledge. God's plans are something we don't have access to, and it is something we have to accept and submit to. The battle we need to pick is the one against terrorism.
I find it tough to believe that the blue print of my head (until it is blown off my shoulders by some bomb) and a terrorists is very similar...cranium, gray matter et al. At least the HLD (High level Design) is the same. . How is it possible that a mentally sane person wakes up in the morning and can feel motivated about the fact that his profession is 'terrorism' and his to-do list for the day says 1) kill x people at A 2) kill y people at B and so on. This is not a very original thought...it has intrigued a whole lot of us and a bunch of movies have been made on this. Even if it is at the expense of sounding cliched, I want to ask again and again 'when you are planting a bomb which would take the life of an innocent person who is a mother/father etc to someone don't you think of the agony it causes, the havoc it wreaks in their lives? Don't you have an innocent mother, father,sibling, spouse back home?' None of the answers that came out in any of the movies or books are even close to convincing me that these actions are justified.
In humans very emotion/thought can be attributed to a bunch of chemicals doing some random permutations and combinations. I wish bio-technology was so advanced as to allow an xray of the head and generate out a report of the logic of the most unreasonable, inexplicable and destructive thoughts that gets generated in a terrorists head. Someday, medical research will lead us to that evil chemical and we will know its composition. Someday a great scientist will find a way impede this deadly chemical. And just as small pox has been eradicated, terrorism will be eradicated. Among the vaccinations that all of us have to get as babies, one of them will be a vaccination for terrorism!
Now, that is what I call being unreasonably imaginative. For some odd reason, I feel comforted that these thoughts are all just chemicals somewhere in my head!
Monday, July 10, 2006
How Kaavya Vishwanathan Got a Life and Lost it*
*Though it is obvious, let me still mention (lest I get sued for plagiarism!) that the title of my post is inspired by the title of the controversial book by Kaavya Vishwanathan 'How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life'
I am really impressed by what this Harvard sophomore has packed in 300 pages. I must admit that I found the book witty, amusing and expressive in a novel way. Though I say I found it novel, I might be proven wrong. Maybe all she did was ^c and ^v! In spite of all the negative publicity in the press, I can't stop myself from thinking in favor of this smart 18 year old Indian girl who almost made it big. I feel sorry for this ambitious girl who definitely seems to have a lot of talent. Assuming the story is a reflection of her own family and life, it wouldn't have been easy for her and her family to cope with all the unwanted sudden attention from the media.
Maybe in her naivety she did not follow all the rules in book writing and publishing. Maybe she deserves just one more chance to prove that she, all by herself, could write a piece that would be in the New York bestseller list for months. Who will stop and think and give her that chance...give her that life? We are so ready to stereotype, that it won't occur to most of us that she might be a different person from what is portrayed by the pitiless media. Unless proven otherwise, we tend to just accept that she is someone who is not capable of change.
The other day I came across a piece Pooja Bedi wrote in one of the editorials in TOI. She spoke about how every action of a celebrity is in the limelight and how people tend to forget that celebrities are humans too! Isn't it true that when we heard about Rahul Mahajan's involvement with drugs most of us just brushed it aside saying 'what else can you expect from someone like him...brought up in a rich family...his parents won't have the time to care..they have all the money and they spend it on all kinds of vices'...? 'CRASH', the best picture Oscar is also about the stereotyping that each one of us tends to do...in varying degrees. Does it really require a big crash, an earth shattering incident, for us to realize that we might be costing someone a life because of the stereotyping that we so conveniently do?
People are capable of change. The good could turn bad and ugly and vice versa. As an individual I have learnt that and I keep that in mind when I make key decisions in my life. Is it possible to do that as a society? Or will bubbling full of talent Kaavya Vishwanathans just lose the lives they almost got because as a society we haven't learnt to be humane?
I am really impressed by what this Harvard sophomore has packed in 300 pages. I must admit that I found the book witty, amusing and expressive in a novel way. Though I say I found it novel, I might be proven wrong. Maybe all she did was ^c and ^v! In spite of all the negative publicity in the press, I can't stop myself from thinking in favor of this smart 18 year old Indian girl who almost made it big. I feel sorry for this ambitious girl who definitely seems to have a lot of talent. Assuming the story is a reflection of her own family and life, it wouldn't have been easy for her and her family to cope with all the unwanted sudden attention from the media.
Maybe in her naivety she did not follow all the rules in book writing and publishing. Maybe she deserves just one more chance to prove that she, all by herself, could write a piece that would be in the New York bestseller list for months. Who will stop and think and give her that chance...give her that life? We are so ready to stereotype, that it won't occur to most of us that she might be a different person from what is portrayed by the pitiless media. Unless proven otherwise, we tend to just accept that she is someone who is not capable of change.
The other day I came across a piece Pooja Bedi wrote in one of the editorials in TOI. She spoke about how every action of a celebrity is in the limelight and how people tend to forget that celebrities are humans too! Isn't it true that when we heard about Rahul Mahajan's involvement with drugs most of us just brushed it aside saying 'what else can you expect from someone like him...brought up in a rich family...his parents won't have the time to care..they have all the money and they spend it on all kinds of vices'...? 'CRASH', the best picture Oscar is also about the stereotyping that each one of us tends to do...in varying degrees. Does it really require a big crash, an earth shattering incident, for us to realize that we might be costing someone a life because of the stereotyping that we so conveniently do?
People are capable of change. The good could turn bad and ugly and vice versa. As an individual I have learnt that and I keep that in mind when I make key decisions in my life. Is it possible to do that as a society? Or will bubbling full of talent Kaavya Vishwanathans just lose the lives they almost got because as a society we haven't learnt to be humane?
Monday, July 03, 2006
And the winner is...
Inspite of the FIFA fever, this post is not about the winners in football...it is about another kind of victory. Victory in the court of the Indian consumer!
And the winner is...Vanita Singh! :)
My friend, Vanita, set out against her car insurance providers (Royal Sundaram) in July 2005. When she sent a check last year to renew her insurance, the money was promptly debited from her account. Sometime later, they sent her a notification saying that she needed to pay some additional amount. She was out of country and did not read the notification for a month or so. Royal sundaram's way of dealing with the problem was slapping a 'compulsory excess' amount of about 5 times the additional amount she was to pay! All this amount was adding up to quite a lot more than what competition was offering insurance at. She decided it wasn't worth renewing her insurance with royal sundaram and asked them to cancel the insurance and refund her money. After a couple of months of follow up and long distance calls (the local office refused to entertain her calls or give her any information) they sent her a check for about 3/4 the money she had paid. When she asked for clarification all she was told was 'this is the amount the underwriters decided. We don't have any more information'.
How unnerving is that! That is when she decided to go to consumer court.
It did take a lot of time and appearance at the court over the last year. It also meant taking time off from work for this! But she persisted and finally won the case. She will be getting back her money with interest!
I am just happy to note that some systems are still working around here! :)
And the winner is...Vanita Singh! :)
My friend, Vanita, set out against her car insurance providers (Royal Sundaram) in July 2005. When she sent a check last year to renew her insurance, the money was promptly debited from her account. Sometime later, they sent her a notification saying that she needed to pay some additional amount. She was out of country and did not read the notification for a month or so. Royal sundaram's way of dealing with the problem was slapping a 'compulsory excess' amount of about 5 times the additional amount she was to pay! All this amount was adding up to quite a lot more than what competition was offering insurance at. She decided it wasn't worth renewing her insurance with royal sundaram and asked them to cancel the insurance and refund her money. After a couple of months of follow up and long distance calls (the local office refused to entertain her calls or give her any information) they sent her a check for about 3/4 the money she had paid. When she asked for clarification all she was told was 'this is the amount the underwriters decided. We don't have any more information'.
How unnerving is that! That is when she decided to go to consumer court.
It did take a lot of time and appearance at the court over the last year. It also meant taking time off from work for this! But she persisted and finally won the case. She will be getting back her money with interest!
I am just happy to note that some systems are still working around here! :)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Of God and God Men...
After my trip to Mookambika over the weekend, and seeing people with complete faith and devotion I have been thinking a lot about God and God Men. If I am asked 'Do you believe in God' I will say 'Yes'. But then, I don't feel the kind of devotion and complete faith that so many people seem to feel. I read a lot of booklets on Mata Amritanandamayi and also read stuff on the net. People have complete faith in her and look up to her as God...but I have a lot of unanswered questions on this topic. I feel a certain unease when I realize I can't see what these other people see/feel.
I chatted with a couple of people on this. It seems, if you just let go of your inhibitions and believe that God exists and will answer your prayers, you will feel the bliss that believers feel the moment the temple doors open after the puja. If you keep telling this to your subconscious mind, it will in turn train your conscious mind to feel the 'cant-be-described-in-words' experience that believers feel when Amma hugs. I guess it is a chicken and egg problem. Unless I feel it, I won't believe it...but then, they say, unless you believe it, you won't feel it. Am working on the believing part....but till then, the C&H strip from today's paper describes what I feel!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Love, drama, courage, adventure...
Love, drama, courage, adventure...these were the elements of the movie I watched yesterday. It did not have any of the top rated stars in hollywood or bollywood....but it was one of the best movies on these elements that I have seen in the recent times!
La Marche De L’Empereur (The emperor's journey)
(Probably better known in the english version - The march of the Penguins)
The 'documentary' is about the truly remarkable journey that has been taking place every winter, for thousands of years, in the most inhospitable terrain on earth - Antarctica. The emperor penguins, as if guided by the vow that their forefathers made, journey from the security of the ocean in a single file to the breeding ground. As if by magic, penguins from all over the ocean meet at the same spot, year after year.
"after a ritual courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a cacophony of ecstatic song - they will pair off into monogamous couples and mate" (http://wip.warnerbros.com/marchofthepenguins/) The original French version of the movie (which I had the good fortune of seeing!) has amazing songs by Emilie Simon. The entire setting, the music and lyrics is more romantic than the usual mushy scenes in commercial movies! (I understand the English translation of the movie just has instrumental music.)
The penguins go through this ritual which is fraught with so much danger as if the purpose of the existence is to reproduce and prove to someone that they have the courage and strength to make it through the grueling feat. We talked about the movie on our way back. We agreed that if the penguins had a little more intelligence they would probably sit back and question - 'Hey, why the hell am I going through all this mess?I might not even make it alive to the breeding ground.How will I live for months without food?' and just live happily ever after in the ocean and penguins would probably be extinct by now! :)
As one can imagine, the making of the documentary itself was very difficult. It took an entire year to shoot the movie...this meant that the 2 camera men lived in the pitiless desert, cut of from the rest of the world, for an entire year. Anyway, the result is very much worth their efforts!
La Marche De L’Empereur (The emperor's journey)
(Probably better known in the english version - The march of the Penguins)
The 'documentary' is about the truly remarkable journey that has been taking place every winter, for thousands of years, in the most inhospitable terrain on earth - Antarctica. The emperor penguins, as if guided by the vow that their forefathers made, journey from the security of the ocean in a single file to the breeding ground. As if by magic, penguins from all over the ocean meet at the same spot, year after year.
"after a ritual courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a cacophony of ecstatic song - they will pair off into monogamous couples and mate" (http://wip.warnerbros.com/marchofthepenguins/) The original French version of the movie (which I had the good fortune of seeing!) has amazing songs by Emilie Simon. The entire setting, the music and lyrics is more romantic than the usual mushy scenes in commercial movies! (I understand the English translation of the movie just has instrumental music.)
The penguins go through this ritual which is fraught with so much danger as if the purpose of the existence is to reproduce and prove to someone that they have the courage and strength to make it through the grueling feat. We talked about the movie on our way back. We agreed that if the penguins had a little more intelligence they would probably sit back and question - 'Hey, why the hell am I going through all this mess?I might not even make it alive to the breeding ground.How will I live for months without food?' and just live happily ever after in the ocean and penguins would probably be extinct by now! :)
As one can imagine, the making of the documentary itself was very difficult. It took an entire year to shoot the movie...this meant that the 2 camera men lived in the pitiless desert, cut of from the rest of the world, for an entire year. Anyway, the result is very much worth their efforts!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Filler!
I feel guilty that I haven't blogged in sometime...time just passes by and before you know it has been 6 months since the new year started.
Anyway I thought I'd just quote a few verses for the time gone by...as a filler!
Oh I have seen
Such madness in the air
Just like a dream
It makes no sense anywhere
Hopes have shattered
Shattered like broken glass
I believed it was just too good to last
(it seemed to me it was too good to last)
It seems so long ago
Oh maybe it was yesterday
Where did the time go
I guess it just slipped away
(seemed like the time was slipping away)
(From Fleetwood Mac’s Heart of Stone)
Anyway I thought I'd just quote a few verses for the time gone by...as a filler!
Oh I have seen
Such madness in the air
Just like a dream
It makes no sense anywhere
Hopes have shattered
Shattered like broken glass
I believed it was just too good to last
(it seemed to me it was too good to last)
It seems so long ago
Oh maybe it was yesterday
Where did the time go
I guess it just slipped away
(seemed like the time was slipping away)
(From Fleetwood Mac’s Heart of Stone)
Monday, May 22, 2006
A rush of blood to the head
May 20th, 2006.
"Have feet, will dance" That is the trademark of the 'Shiamak Davar institute of the performing arts' (SDIPA) - http://www.shiamak.com/. While dancing to the tune of 'Belly dancer', my very first time on stage, the predominant feeling wasn't stage fear or butterflies in the stomach...it was 'I have feet, so am dancing'.
SDIPA and its team of highly professional instructors seem to have the magical ability to make even a 'dud-in-dancing' person like me feel confident enough to go up on the stage, costume et al, in a matter of 2 weeks. It had been a fun 2 weeks (May 3rd - May 19th) at the practice sessions and it culminated in what they call the Summer funk show where all the batches perform on stage. I must have been in the 'High' of all this, as I rode down on the borrowed kinetic towards the intel airport road office, where I was to meet Latha and take off for the venue in her car. Since the kinetic was to be parked at my office, I decided not to take my helmet and lug it around all day. When I think back, it makes no sense. Why do we leave behind our safety gear when we are riding short distances? An accident is an accident! The assumption that nothing will happen when we are driving/riding a short distance is so baseless.
I was on 100ft road, at probably 40kmph when the green corsa in front of my braked suddenly. My reflex was to brake as well and I did not have enough presence of mind nor the experience to realize that braking that hard on a vehicle with wheels as small as those of a kinetic will cause it to skid. And skid it did....and I fell on my left knee...right there on the middle of one of the busiest roads in the locality I stay. The couple of 2 wheelers around me also had to brake but no one really collided into me...and those people were stable enough to help me up on my feet. I immediately dragged the kinetic to the side of the road...amidst blaring horns from irate drivers/riders probably cursing and saying 'ladies are such bad riders/drivers...why do they ever get on to these things when they can't drive/ride'.
I assessed the damage...my knee was slighty bruised, the kinetic rear view mirror had become loose...but more or less, everything was in place. Even though I wasn't looking back on to the road I had fallen on, I think my sub conscious mind registered the buses, cars etc that were plying right over the spot where I had fallen.
I thought for a while....my knee hurt. I wondered if I was blacking out or feeling dizzy. Negative. Everything was as normal as you can hope after a fall. So I hopped on to the kinetic and decided I was in good shape enough to ride the remaining 1.5km and park the kinetic in the safety of the Intel parking lot. I must have gone about 500 m, when I realized I could barely see! Suddenly my vision was blurred. I decided I must be losing consciousness so I got off the road and stopped at the side...waiting to fall again! Nothing happened. I could hear everything around me...I was wide awake and conscious....but I just couldn't see. From that point on there was no stopping my thoughts...I decided I must have fallen on my head and permanently damaged the hard wiring! I had lost the ability to reason or think logically. In my mind, there were only two possible outcomes of the incident. Either I die or lose my eye-sight! The fear of these outcomes was so overwhelming and 'bandwidth consuming', that my brain did not have the ability to process the 'request for vision' signals!My eyes just refused to see. In that muddle, the thought in my mind was still to drive and get to a place where people knew me..even if it involved a lot of guess work like 'huh...I think it is time to turn left....I think the signal has turned green'. It was probably the worst thing I could have done, but I rode that 1km with 20% vision and 80% guess work! How pathetic can one's presence of mind get?
I safely made it to the parking lot and minutes after I got off the kinetic, I began seeing! Once I was in the comfortable setting of Latha's office and my bruises were taken care of, I couldn't stop thinking of the buses that could have just run over me. The thought kept replaying in my head and I wondered about what all I would have left un-finished. A lot of incidents (not really related with me) in the recent past have made me think about the lack of predictability of life. My fall was very minor and it was no where even close to a 'near death experience'! Within hours I was on the stage, dancing! I was being paranoid and was blowing things out of proportion when I was telling myself that I will never ever get on to a 2 wheeler again! The impact of this small a thing and the power of the sub-conscious mind continues to baffle me. I still can't get over the fact that it was probably the shock of the whole thing and the unstoppable flow of my most unreasonable thoughts that resulted in something so seemingly unrelated as lack of vision. It might be something that has been studied and explained in medical terms...but with my lack of awareness coupled with unsuccessful hits in google I have just one resort...blame it on a rush of blood to the head!
"Have feet, will dance" That is the trademark of the 'Shiamak Davar institute of the performing arts' (SDIPA) - http://www.shiamak.com/. While dancing to the tune of 'Belly dancer', my very first time on stage, the predominant feeling wasn't stage fear or butterflies in the stomach...it was 'I have feet, so am dancing'.
SDIPA and its team of highly professional instructors seem to have the magical ability to make even a 'dud-in-dancing' person like me feel confident enough to go up on the stage, costume et al, in a matter of 2 weeks. It had been a fun 2 weeks (May 3rd - May 19th) at the practice sessions and it culminated in what they call the Summer funk show where all the batches perform on stage. I must have been in the 'High' of all this, as I rode down on the borrowed kinetic towards the intel airport road office, where I was to meet Latha and take off for the venue in her car. Since the kinetic was to be parked at my office, I decided not to take my helmet and lug it around all day. When I think back, it makes no sense. Why do we leave behind our safety gear when we are riding short distances? An accident is an accident! The assumption that nothing will happen when we are driving/riding a short distance is so baseless.
I was on 100ft road, at probably 40kmph when the green corsa in front of my braked suddenly. My reflex was to brake as well and I did not have enough presence of mind nor the experience to realize that braking that hard on a vehicle with wheels as small as those of a kinetic will cause it to skid. And skid it did....and I fell on my left knee...right there on the middle of one of the busiest roads in the locality I stay. The couple of 2 wheelers around me also had to brake but no one really collided into me...and those people were stable enough to help me up on my feet. I immediately dragged the kinetic to the side of the road...amidst blaring horns from irate drivers/riders probably cursing and saying 'ladies are such bad riders/drivers...why do they ever get on to these things when they can't drive/ride'.
I assessed the damage...my knee was slighty bruised, the kinetic rear view mirror had become loose...but more or less, everything was in place. Even though I wasn't looking back on to the road I had fallen on, I think my sub conscious mind registered the buses, cars etc that were plying right over the spot where I had fallen.
I thought for a while....my knee hurt. I wondered if I was blacking out or feeling dizzy. Negative. Everything was as normal as you can hope after a fall. So I hopped on to the kinetic and decided I was in good shape enough to ride the remaining 1.5km and park the kinetic in the safety of the Intel parking lot. I must have gone about 500 m, when I realized I could barely see! Suddenly my vision was blurred. I decided I must be losing consciousness so I got off the road and stopped at the side...waiting to fall again! Nothing happened. I could hear everything around me...I was wide awake and conscious....but I just couldn't see. From that point on there was no stopping my thoughts...I decided I must have fallen on my head and permanently damaged the hard wiring! I had lost the ability to reason or think logically. In my mind, there were only two possible outcomes of the incident. Either I die or lose my eye-sight! The fear of these outcomes was so overwhelming and 'bandwidth consuming', that my brain did not have the ability to process the 'request for vision' signals!My eyes just refused to see. In that muddle, the thought in my mind was still to drive and get to a place where people knew me..even if it involved a lot of guess work like 'huh...I think it is time to turn left....I think the signal has turned green'. It was probably the worst thing I could have done, but I rode that 1km with 20% vision and 80% guess work! How pathetic can one's presence of mind get?
I safely made it to the parking lot and minutes after I got off the kinetic, I began seeing! Once I was in the comfortable setting of Latha's office and my bruises were taken care of, I couldn't stop thinking of the buses that could have just run over me. The thought kept replaying in my head and I wondered about what all I would have left un-finished. A lot of incidents (not really related with me) in the recent past have made me think about the lack of predictability of life. My fall was very minor and it was no where even close to a 'near death experience'! Within hours I was on the stage, dancing! I was being paranoid and was blowing things out of proportion when I was telling myself that I will never ever get on to a 2 wheeler again! The impact of this small a thing and the power of the sub-conscious mind continues to baffle me. I still can't get over the fact that it was probably the shock of the whole thing and the unstoppable flow of my most unreasonable thoughts that resulted in something so seemingly unrelated as lack of vision. It might be something that has been studied and explained in medical terms...but with my lack of awareness coupled with unsuccessful hits in google I have just one resort...blame it on a rush of blood to the head!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Taking things for granted
"Most human beings have an infinite capacity for taking things for granted" - Aldous Huxley
I sang to myself today...while riding to work...KKs 'Tu hi meri shab hai'...Dido's 'White flag'...'Mississippi Girl' etc...etc. Rather, I had to sing to myself...as I was riding to work and not driving to work. I realized how much I have been taking my 5 year old car for granted...how much I am used to listening to music and how that cuts out the traffic noise! I don't have my car for a week...and everything seems to go haywire!How dependent I have become on things like this, which is a luxury for most people in this country. Like most human beings, I seem to have an infinite capacity for taking things for granted!
I had a scary thought after I read the news on Bausch and Lomb recalling MoistureLoc solution worldwide. I have been using this solution for a couple of months now. In some 'unique use patterns' this solution has caused blinding in some cases in the US! Huh! Just imagine, losing your eyesight overnight...it is something I have taken so much for granted!Sigh!Things like this make you stop and think about how much I can make out of life today...when I have the ability to do so. How I tend to lead a mediocre existence instead of making the most of each day. It inspires me to stop taking my existence for granted, stop being encumbered by everything happening around me and going off and doing something wonderful! (As Robert Noyce, a visionary and the first CEO of my company, would put it)
I sang to myself today...while riding to work...KKs 'Tu hi meri shab hai'...Dido's 'White flag'...'Mississippi Girl' etc...etc. Rather, I had to sing to myself...as I was riding to work and not driving to work. I realized how much I have been taking my 5 year old car for granted...how much I am used to listening to music and how that cuts out the traffic noise! I don't have my car for a week...and everything seems to go haywire!How dependent I have become on things like this, which is a luxury for most people in this country. Like most human beings, I seem to have an infinite capacity for taking things for granted!
I had a scary thought after I read the news on Bausch and Lomb recalling MoistureLoc solution worldwide. I have been using this solution for a couple of months now. In some 'unique use patterns' this solution has caused blinding in some cases in the US! Huh! Just imagine, losing your eyesight overnight...it is something I have taken so much for granted!Sigh!Things like this make you stop and think about how much I can make out of life today...when I have the ability to do so. How I tend to lead a mediocre existence instead of making the most of each day. It inspires me to stop taking my existence for granted, stop being encumbered by everything happening around me and going off and doing something wonderful! (As Robert Noyce, a visionary and the first CEO of my company, would put it)
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
The drama called life
Everytime one goes through a tough patch in life, friends and well-wishers say 'it is for the best', 'learn from these things to make yourself a stronger person' ...And so on.
All through the weekend the top news was about how an innocent engineer, Suryanarayan, was beheaded by Taliban in Afghanistan. The plight of his family was too disturbing to even watch. My heart went out to his wife and children who heard of his death on TV and broke down inconsolably. I couldn't help but wonder, what must be going through his wife's Manjula's mind...whether she would have the guts and strength of character to go through these trying times. As my mind went on its train of thoughts, I tried to think of a situation in their lives a few years later when Manjula would stop and say to herself 'yes, the beheading of my husband was for the best'. I couldn't think of a single situation for which a sane person would say that. Even if he had to die and his family had to go through the sorrow, how can his brutal killing be the best for his family?
Just as she was coping with the irreplaceable loss and probably telling herself that she needs to live for the sake of her children, a new character makes an entry : his second 'wife' and claims that she has a 8 month old baby from Suryanarayan. Life is indeed a drama....and for the sake of these people who have to face this kind of adversity, I only wish there were some dress rehearsals in the drama of life! I can only imagine how tough it must have been for Manjula to deal with infidelity amidst all this...that probably pushed her to take an extreme step of attempting suicide.
Life is cruel at times...and in a moment of weakness death might seem like an easy solution. W. Somerset Maugham's advice is quite the contrary....
"Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it."
All through the weekend the top news was about how an innocent engineer, Suryanarayan, was beheaded by Taliban in Afghanistan. The plight of his family was too disturbing to even watch. My heart went out to his wife and children who heard of his death on TV and broke down inconsolably. I couldn't help but wonder, what must be going through his wife's Manjula's mind...whether she would have the guts and strength of character to go through these trying times. As my mind went on its train of thoughts, I tried to think of a situation in their lives a few years later when Manjula would stop and say to herself 'yes, the beheading of my husband was for the best'. I couldn't think of a single situation for which a sane person would say that. Even if he had to die and his family had to go through the sorrow, how can his brutal killing be the best for his family?
Just as she was coping with the irreplaceable loss and probably telling herself that she needs to live for the sake of her children, a new character makes an entry : his second 'wife' and claims that she has a 8 month old baby from Suryanarayan. Life is indeed a drama....and for the sake of these people who have to face this kind of adversity, I only wish there were some dress rehearsals in the drama of life! I can only imagine how tough it must have been for Manjula to deal with infidelity amidst all this...that probably pushed her to take an extreme step of attempting suicide.
Life is cruel at times...and in a moment of weakness death might seem like an easy solution. W. Somerset Maugham's advice is quite the contrary....
"Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it."
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Rasatantram
Rasatantram - means chemistry in Malayalam
(Please don't read further in case you intend watching the movie and don't like to hear the story before going for the movie)
I watched this movie called Rasatantram today. It is about the chemistry of life. The central character, Premachandran, has gone through a tough life sacrificing a lot for the sake of other people. For the sake of someone, he takes the blame of a murder he hasn't committed and serves a life sentence in jail. This simple man keeps hoping that there are genuinely nice people in this world, but time and time again, he finds that it is every man for himself in this world. He tries to lead a happy life, but doesn't quite look forward to life and has a lot of sorrow and mistrust within because of the bitter experiences he has had. Even the person whom he went to prison for seems to have forgotten the favour done to him. That is the reality of most relationships. It is almost basic to be selfish and the fact is subtly potrayed in the different relations in the movie. The movie has a happy ending. One walks out feeling hopeful about life and relationships as Premachandran does find someone as selfless as he is and trusts her enough to spend his life with her.
(Please don't read further in case you intend watching the movie and don't like to hear the story before going for the movie)
I watched this movie called Rasatantram today. It is about the chemistry of life. The central character, Premachandran, has gone through a tough life sacrificing a lot for the sake of other people. For the sake of someone, he takes the blame of a murder he hasn't committed and serves a life sentence in jail. This simple man keeps hoping that there are genuinely nice people in this world, but time and time again, he finds that it is every man for himself in this world. He tries to lead a happy life, but doesn't quite look forward to life and has a lot of sorrow and mistrust within because of the bitter experiences he has had. Even the person whom he went to prison for seems to have forgotten the favour done to him. That is the reality of most relationships. It is almost basic to be selfish and the fact is subtly potrayed in the different relations in the movie. The movie has a happy ending. One walks out feeling hopeful about life and relationships as Premachandran does find someone as selfless as he is and trusts her enough to spend his life with her.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
And it rained...
And it rained today...for no apparent reason! Rainy months in Bangalore are between May and September, but it rained today! It almost felt like the Gods decided to step in and wash away all the mess man piled up here in the last two days. In the pile, you would find remains of burnt buses, cars, bikes, debris and eight dead bodies! Everything else is reversible, but for the families of the eight people who died in the violence, they have just been hit by an irreversible blow!
I read this in the paper today "Death produces a startling and immense absence that is enormously disorienting because of its infiniteness. We understand the meaning of the word 'never' with a sharp stab of pain. We look for things we could have done differently, we rail against the contrary absoluteness, the irreversible finality of this event."
Everyone around including the media seems to be saying 'Huh, what the hell happened in the last 2 days? How do you explain people reacting to their hero dying a natural death'. There are a lot of explanations, mob mentaility, anger against government etc. One theory caught my attention "The violence was probably an expression of frustration by the have nots of the city, left behind by the IT explosion which created a ritzy elite of mostly non-Kannadigas. Rajkumar was known for his passionate espousal of Kannada and his fan club probably shared these strong sentiments". Even if any of these theories are right, was the individual who was pelting a boulder or beating up someone sure that the person at the receiving end was the target he really had in mind? I guess not...and so it rained...!
I read this in the paper today "Death produces a startling and immense absence that is enormously disorienting because of its infiniteness. We understand the meaning of the word 'never' with a sharp stab of pain. We look for things we could have done differently, we rail against the contrary absoluteness, the irreversible finality of this event."
Everyone around including the media seems to be saying 'Huh, what the hell happened in the last 2 days? How do you explain people reacting to their hero dying a natural death'. There are a lot of explanations, mob mentaility, anger against government etc. One theory caught my attention "The violence was probably an expression of frustration by the have nots of the city, left behind by the IT explosion which created a ritzy elite of mostly non-Kannadigas. Rajkumar was known for his passionate espousal of Kannada and his fan club probably shared these strong sentiments". Even if any of these theories are right, was the individual who was pelting a boulder or beating up someone sure that the person at the receiving end was the target he really had in mind? I guess not...and so it rained...!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Mob Mentality
The very popular actor in the Kannada film industry, Dr. Rajkumar died yesterday (April 12th 2006)of caridac arrest. He was 78.
I was at office when I heard this news and was advised to leave office and get home as early as possible. The company even adivsed us not to venture out the next day and suggested that we work from home. I din't quite understand what could go wrong in the city if the most revered person died a natural death. But I was mistaken. I was on my way home when my friend called to tell me that a mob had shattered her windshield (both front and rear). How unreasonable and totally devoid of logic is that! I am just not able to fathom what goes on in these people's minds. I (for that matter most sane people I know) wouldn't think of doing something like that to someone I hate or dislike, let alone doing that to someone I don't even know.
Someone tried to explain 'fanatics....you don't know what goes on these people's minds'. But I am not convinced! These people are just having fun. They don't seem to be mourning. They are just out there doing things which they couldn't do on a normal day! Today as part of the state mourning, the only channels that are being aired are news channels. All I can see is chaos and confusion all around the city. People are looting petrol booths and are generally out there to create a racket. As soon as they realize that they are on TV, they wave frantically and whistle out! They certainly don't look like people who are sad about losing someone.
I guess all this is what they call 'mob mentality'! I am reminded of a certain episode in my favourite serial 'Friends'. Monica has taken upon herself to make candies and impress and befriend her neighbours. Her candies are so delicious, that neighbours gather outside her house impatienly waiting for the next batch of candies. After a while, they start shouting slogans etc. When Monica opens the door to pacify the group by telling them that the candies are just getting done, she realizes that the most vocal and violent in the group is dear old Joey! When Chandler asks him for an explanation he just says 'mob mentality'! If this is what it can do to a best friend, then I think it very well explains the situation in Bangalore today!
I was at office when I heard this news and was advised to leave office and get home as early as possible. The company even adivsed us not to venture out the next day and suggested that we work from home. I din't quite understand what could go wrong in the city if the most revered person died a natural death. But I was mistaken. I was on my way home when my friend called to tell me that a mob had shattered her windshield (both front and rear). How unreasonable and totally devoid of logic is that! I am just not able to fathom what goes on in these people's minds. I (for that matter most sane people I know) wouldn't think of doing something like that to someone I hate or dislike, let alone doing that to someone I don't even know.
Someone tried to explain 'fanatics....you don't know what goes on these people's minds'. But I am not convinced! These people are just having fun. They don't seem to be mourning. They are just out there doing things which they couldn't do on a normal day! Today as part of the state mourning, the only channels that are being aired are news channels. All I can see is chaos and confusion all around the city. People are looting petrol booths and are generally out there to create a racket. As soon as they realize that they are on TV, they wave frantically and whistle out! They certainly don't look like people who are sad about losing someone.
I guess all this is what they call 'mob mentality'! I am reminded of a certain episode in my favourite serial 'Friends'. Monica has taken upon herself to make candies and impress and befriend her neighbours. Her candies are so delicious, that neighbours gather outside her house impatienly waiting for the next batch of candies. After a while, they start shouting slogans etc. When Monica opens the door to pacify the group by telling them that the candies are just getting done, she realizes that the most vocal and violent in the group is dear old Joey! When Chandler asks him for an explanation he just says 'mob mentality'! If this is what it can do to a best friend, then I think it very well explains the situation in Bangalore today!
Monday, April 10, 2006
Kalaripayattu - Martial art of Kerala
"It's all about inner peace and fluid animal movements. Originally a traditional form of marital art that started in south India, Kalaripayattu is believed by historians to be one of the oldest exisiting martial arts in the world.
Crafted in ancient South India drawing inspiration from the raw power and sinuous strength of the majestic animal forms - Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Wild Boar, Snake, and Crocodile ........ Kalaripayattu laid down the combat code of the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas. Shrouded in deep mystery and mists of secrecy Kalaripayattu was taught by the masters in total isolation, away from prying eyes."
(From: http://www.kalaripayattu.org/)
"The Citi Never Sleeps". Citibank had this catchy slogan till a few years back. By the day, this is becoming more and more true for Bangalore. With more people going for work at night, crime rates have also been increasing. Media and chain mails are full of splashes of safety issues in Bangalore. When this became the talk of the town, my cousin and I decided that it was high time we learnt some basic self defense and joined Kalaripayattu classes. It has been about 2.5 months since we joined and it has been a great experience.
I haven't learnt any other martial art, so I have nothing to compare against! The fact that Kalari is inspired by how animals defend themselves, somehow intrigues me. It is interesting to feel as powerful as a wild boar, as immovable and sturdy as an elephant. Wouldn't it be great if someday I would be able to jump from a height, land safely without making any sound, just like a cat does! It seems the cat controls and shifts its power by controlling its breath! I am not sure how much of an expert I can become and how much of presence of mind I will be able to develop to be able to use the tricks for self-defence if a situation demands it. Right now I am learning it because it is fun, as you would expect anything novel to be!
Unrelated note:
I came across this interesting link about the phrase 'The Citi never sleeps'. http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/2005/Business-Decision-History27jun05.htm
The decision to automate the teller made by Walter Wriston (Chariman, Citibank)in 1975 has been categorised as one of the '20 business decisions that made history'. At that point, it did not seem like a very good idea to replace a person at the teller with a machine. But in 1978 when the city of NY was covered with more than a foot of snow, upsetting normal life, New Yorkers trekked through the slush to the ATMs and that was when the catch phrase 'The Citi never sleeps' was born. After this, the use of machines soared and people started accepting 'soulless machines'.
Crafted in ancient South India drawing inspiration from the raw power and sinuous strength of the majestic animal forms - Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Wild Boar, Snake, and Crocodile ........ Kalaripayattu laid down the combat code of the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas. Shrouded in deep mystery and mists of secrecy Kalaripayattu was taught by the masters in total isolation, away from prying eyes."
(From: http://www.kalaripayattu.org/)
"The Citi Never Sleeps". Citibank had this catchy slogan till a few years back. By the day, this is becoming more and more true for Bangalore. With more people going for work at night, crime rates have also been increasing. Media and chain mails are full of splashes of safety issues in Bangalore. When this became the talk of the town, my cousin and I decided that it was high time we learnt some basic self defense and joined Kalaripayattu classes. It has been about 2.5 months since we joined and it has been a great experience.
I haven't learnt any other martial art, so I have nothing to compare against! The fact that Kalari is inspired by how animals defend themselves, somehow intrigues me. It is interesting to feel as powerful as a wild boar, as immovable and sturdy as an elephant. Wouldn't it be great if someday I would be able to jump from a height, land safely without making any sound, just like a cat does! It seems the cat controls and shifts its power by controlling its breath! I am not sure how much of an expert I can become and how much of presence of mind I will be able to develop to be able to use the tricks for self-defence if a situation demands it. Right now I am learning it because it is fun, as you would expect anything novel to be!
Unrelated note:
I came across this interesting link about the phrase 'The Citi never sleeps'. http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/2005/Business-Decision-History27jun05.htm
The decision to automate the teller made by Walter Wriston (Chariman, Citibank)in 1975 has been categorised as one of the '20 business decisions that made history'. At that point, it did not seem like a very good idea to replace a person at the teller with a machine. But in 1978 when the city of NY was covered with more than a foot of snow, upsetting normal life, New Yorkers trekked through the slush to the ATMs and that was when the catch phrase 'The Citi never sleeps' was born. After this, the use of machines soared and people started accepting 'soulless machines'.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Diffusion of Responsibility
Today's Times of India (Bangalore edition) has the headlines "Bangalore to Hyderabad: Silicon Valley keen to shift base"! The article describes the pathetic state of infrastructure in the 'Garden city' and how MNCs are planning expansion in hyderabad instead of Bangalore.
The sorry state of the roads in Bangalore is obvious to each one of the residents and visitors. These days when people meet conversations begin with traffic woes and it seems to have become a very common ice-breaker. This seems to be one topic which everyone has something to say about and we talk about this just like the English open conversations with 'Nice weather today, isn't it'! Why is it that most of the 6.1 million residents of Bangalore who talk about this day in and out aren't doing anything other than talking about it?
Yesterday I had the misfortune of going into a government office here in Bangalore. The officers refused to talk in any language other than Kannada. They feigned ignorance and were not co-operative when they heard English/Hindi. The heights of all the confusion was that the forms that we are required to fill are entirely in Kannada. To me, language is just a medium of communication. Why are these officials so fanatic about their language? They are there to do their job, and it is more than obvious that they can read, write and understand english. Why is it that the person at the Help Desk (sic!) can't focus on helping people out and is so concerned that he is being spoken to in English/Hindi. It seems 38% of Bangalore are Kannadigas. This means 62 out of every 100 people who walk into the office just come out frustrated and upset with the officials and don't question the logic.
In 'The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell, the author talks about the Kitty Genovese case. In 1964, Kitty Genovese, a 28 year old Latin American was repeatedly stabbed and killed in the 20 feet distance between parking her car and the doorway to her home at Queens, NY. This incident had 38 witnesses many of them looking out of their windows. Many believed that this happened because New York was a cold and forbidding community and some even went to the extent of calling these 38 people villains. Sometime after this crime was committed, major studies were conducted to understand why and how 38 respectable law-abiding citizens watched a gruesome murder for half an hour almost as if gaping at a performance instead of trying to help. The many studies and experiments done arrived at a counterintuitive conclusion that " the greater the number of bystanders who view an emergency, the smaller the chance that any will intervene."
People tend to feel a diffusion of responsibility in groups!
That does make a lot of sense! When I am driving by and come across an accident, I'll not even try to stop if there are some onlookers. But if I am the only person around, I would probably stop and help. Probably that is why, Bangloreans are just hoping that someone else will address the infrastructure issue, especially since it is so apparent. Diffusion of responsibility could be a valid explanation for how we tend not to raise our voices for things like language disparity which could prove as an impediment to the advancement of this city and the country at large. Though this answers some questions that come up in my mind, I am still not able to think of a way I can directly contribute to the betterment of quality of life in this country!
The sorry state of the roads in Bangalore is obvious to each one of the residents and visitors. These days when people meet conversations begin with traffic woes and it seems to have become a very common ice-breaker. This seems to be one topic which everyone has something to say about and we talk about this just like the English open conversations with 'Nice weather today, isn't it'! Why is it that most of the 6.1 million residents of Bangalore who talk about this day in and out aren't doing anything other than talking about it?
Yesterday I had the misfortune of going into a government office here in Bangalore. The officers refused to talk in any language other than Kannada. They feigned ignorance and were not co-operative when they heard English/Hindi. The heights of all the confusion was that the forms that we are required to fill are entirely in Kannada. To me, language is just a medium of communication. Why are these officials so fanatic about their language? They are there to do their job, and it is more than obvious that they can read, write and understand english. Why is it that the person at the Help Desk (sic!) can't focus on helping people out and is so concerned that he is being spoken to in English/Hindi. It seems 38% of Bangalore are Kannadigas. This means 62 out of every 100 people who walk into the office just come out frustrated and upset with the officials and don't question the logic.
In 'The Tipping Point" by Malcom Gladwell, the author talks about the Kitty Genovese case. In 1964, Kitty Genovese, a 28 year old Latin American was repeatedly stabbed and killed in the 20 feet distance between parking her car and the doorway to her home at Queens, NY. This incident had 38 witnesses many of them looking out of their windows. Many believed that this happened because New York was a cold and forbidding community and some even went to the extent of calling these 38 people villains. Sometime after this crime was committed, major studies were conducted to understand why and how 38 respectable law-abiding citizens watched a gruesome murder for half an hour almost as if gaping at a performance instead of trying to help. The many studies and experiments done arrived at a counterintuitive conclusion that " the greater the number of bystanders who view an emergency, the smaller the chance that any will intervene."
People tend to feel a diffusion of responsibility in groups!
That does make a lot of sense! When I am driving by and come across an accident, I'll not even try to stop if there are some onlookers. But if I am the only person around, I would probably stop and help. Probably that is why, Bangloreans are just hoping that someone else will address the infrastructure issue, especially since it is so apparent. Diffusion of responsibility could be a valid explanation for how we tend not to raise our voices for things like language disparity which could prove as an impediment to the advancement of this city and the country at large. Though this answers some questions that come up in my mind, I am still not able to think of a way I can directly contribute to the betterment of quality of life in this country!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Serendipty
Created this blog to record and save thoughts, musings and impressions that fade with time. As time goes by and I go through these pages I hope it almost feels serendipitous!
Monday, April 03, 2006
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