Confessions of an exasperated job-seeking graduate

Exhilaration-Heartache-Palpitation-Nail-biting-Exhaustive-Accomplished-Defeated-Determined

It all sounds like a thrilling cricket match between India and Pakistan or rather it sounds like any of those games played in any one of those leagues mushrooming  in India. I'm talking about a completely different league. A league which every 4th year can relate to. No, definitely not the Ivy league. Those are the potpourri of feelings that go in the mind of a normal student sitting for placements. The transition from a free-willed, lethargic college guy wearing low waist pants, funky hairstyle, swear words armed at his mouth  to a seemingly responsible looking corporate-ready employee wearing corporate blue with respect tied around his neck is quite a contrasting one. Yes, this is about the placements and interviews conducted shamelessly in every college throughout India.

Come, seventh semester and you can see the college bustling with guys donning themselves with formals ( bought and worn for the first time unless it's a hostelite subjected to ragging activities oblivious to the staff). Most of them stick on to the sky blue colour, which many insultingly call salesman blue! Others go with the classic white and black. Few of the superstitious students  might even look for that lucky pen ,underwear, trouser or a sock to have their luck turned around. Hey! guess what, I think a black cat just crossed  your way.

Shirt tucked in, black shoes polished to mirror like finish, a haircut(usually a first) to pretend to look  like a smartass, trimmed or shaved beard (they don't want to see that unkempt rowdy look of yours), a belt of confidence to keep your loose ends in check and finally a judicious use talcum powder to appear bright and shinning, ready to take on the world. Many might even use a comb for the first time in their life( I did). A fancy file to hold all your credentials, fake certificates, marks card, resumes etc required to show that you really have it in you! I view some of them just as a bunch of paper tigers! This is how we boys do it. Girls usually come in their usual traditional attire with strict rules to wear nothing  too revealing or exposing lest the HR should be tempted to hire her. Keeping it simple is their mantra I guess. And a dash of deodorant not to attract chicks that are incredulously shown in some of those lame advertisements but is just used to aesthetically fit in.

I'll just run you through the entire process which is usually done in a day or two depending upon the HR and the company. The first round in any selection process is aptitude, the mass eliminator. Here in this part of the selection, they siphon out only the best students. Only those who can calculate Tanya's age after 10 years if her mother's age is thrice her present can proceed further on. Only those who can figure out the gain percent can move on if Rahul allows a discount of 10% and he marks his goods 30% above CP. Only those who know the meaning of the word "pusillanimous" have a chance of getting a job. Only those who can deduce the exact day on which 15th August fell on 1776 have a shot at getting their dream job.

I hope these questions gave you a  brief idea about how these weird and to an extent unfair aptitude part of the selection works. They want to know whether you really have some of that grey matter. Obviously everybody does. They want  to see how fast those synaptic nerves of yours can make those error-free connections within that stipulated time. Those four to five options out of which one is deemed to be correct stands between you and the next round! Though it doesn't seem to be the most accurate way of testing your logic. I think it's a tried and tested methodology which has stood the test of time and will definitely stay for the next couple of years. So clearing aptitude is kind of like crossing the Jordan river. Definitely not an herculean task, just got to think smart.

After scramming your mind with all those shortcuts, formulae and concepts, all that matters is those 90 odd minutes which might be the deciding factor in your life. As most of them say, I would like to reiterate," stick on to your basics " and needless to say that hackneyed dialogue" Practice makes Perfect" does add on to your advantage.

Some of  them announce the results and finish the entire process the same day. While some mass recruiters shift it to the next day, giving us enough time to become anxious .That whole night is spent tirelessly preparing for the technical interview, GD, HR with an indefatigable spirit. Some of them have group discussions(GD) which tests the persons communication, listening and presentation skills, command over language. GD usually covers current affairs or a few evergreen topics like India and Pak or something along those lines. Convey that thought of yours in a clear and lucid manner with confidence. If there's  a cacophony of voices erupting at once, don't involve. Let it subside and then go for it.

Then comes the technical interview. Don't bullshit them . Some of them have experiences that exceed your present age. Usually again they target the basics and try to shake us down. If you're technically sound you're off to the next and probably final round, the HR round

HR(Human Resource) people are akin to wolves in a lambs skin, with the converse also possible.  They are amicable, make us feel comfortable, some give us that wide smile showing all those pearlies. They are masters of deception. They stealthily watch your every move, ready to devour us. They are employed to get into to the psyche of the human mind. They want to  trick us, bait us, make us fall into a pit which is all part of an elaborate ruse to corner us .Think before you speak, each and every word can be used against us just like the Miranda rights. They try to delve into your mind which might be vulnerable to attack giving the inexperience and naivety we carry along when it comes to interviews. You can never predict the outcome of the HR interview. You think it was like the perfect interview anybody could ever ask for, unfortunately he would've had something else in his mind and this results in a discrepancy of expectations.

Results. After a detailed discussion with the panellists, they shortlist the names. That duration, when they call out the names is like the longest 5 minute ever. It's like a high intensity drama scene filled with adrenaline. Each name they call out adds a nail to your palpitating heart which gradually shatters your dreams. If your name is called out, those hard anticipatory moments are over. Congrats you are done with it. If you aren't through, you have one hell of a long day. It begins with that self doubt and de-motivating thought floating somewhere in the corner of your mind. You feel crestfallen and dejected. It's like you've been defeated. And then some of your friends might mistakenly wish you on getting that job. That's because of the expectation we carry along. We then smile for those 3 to 4 awkward seconds and you tell them ,"no bro couldn't crack it" and all of them give that reassuring reply, "hard luck". Other close friends might give us that little philosophical talk about how everything happens for a reason or everything happens for the good. I never actually grasped that concept . Really..very abstract! Then you get that lump in the throat where you ask yourself, "was I that bad". You try to hide that sad, morose face and wear a mask that shows your happiness and jubilation for their achievement. Your smile goes on that fluctuation mode which keeps swinging between " I'm happy for them" to "Where the hell did I screw up" . The rest of the day is spent on introspection and careful analysis of what happened throughout the day. The best part is you never know why you didn't make it. It's a closed secret. You just got to come up with those plausible theories, have that never die spirit, be optimistic and make sure frustration doesn't  get the better of you.

Frustration builds up, friends get placed and you go green with envy. Sometimes I wonder if some of them are really looking for a job desperate to just put up that," Got placed...not jobless anymore" status on Facebook. I think that 150+ likes will definitely motivate him to do better. I also think placements in India is definitely overrated. Most of them want a job at the end of 4 years, majority of  them are dead serious , others might just keep it as a backup if their plans don't work out that well. And life isn't all honky dory once you've been placed. Most of them send the offer letters 4-8 months after you finish your graduation. That period, my friends is called being "jobless". A few unlucky souls might not receive the letter. It's like you being put on hold for months and there you are eagerly waiting for their reply. The people who receive will be trained, monitored ,again tested, a few of them will be rejected and people who survive that ordeal are appointed. Tedious, isn't it.

So here's all the best to all of those future, intense interviews and placement drives. There's always a next time. You'll get a better company and deserve a better package. So these are a few life advices given by great teachers surrounding us.

My advice? The next two quotes.

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield" - Lord Alfred Tennyson  

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work , the more I have it"- Thomas Jefferson

Twitter - The Potent 140 Charactered Social Media

Well most of us know that Facebook has won the social media race hands down! But would anyone dare to oust Facebook? Would they dethrone the third largest country? (If there was ever one) and take up its position as the ultimate social media! Is Facebook losing it? And is that paranoiac feeling prompting them to go on an acquisition spree? Orkut is like a rotting corpse. Google + joined the party later only to realize that it had lost. They tried to give it a shot but ended up embarrassing themselves. Although its concept was well applauded, it failed to make a big enough splash in the ocean of social life.

So is Twitter going to be the King-Slayer? Can it thrive in this ever changing world where technologies wither away within a short duration of time?

Yes. Definitely! Twitter has definitely emerged as a dark horse and is ready to take the spotlight from the all mighty Facebook. Are you ready to embrace Twitter?

This great platform was built having a strong foundation which was to give normal people the power to disseminate information! The truth is when Twitter was established in 2006, most of us joined this network thinking it would strike a similar chord to the others. Our amateurish minds couldn’t perceive the potential this platform of 140 characters had stored within itself. Now it’s potent than ever. Ready to do as much damage as it can appreciate! It can unabashedly take on anybody; it can criticize blatantly and can make you quite a narcissist! It can trounce on certain matters say politics or about a certain views in society. It’s highly opinionated and is a rich treasure trove of knowledge.

It is powerful!

Tweets are regularly the starting point for news stories. Twitter has brought many sports fans closer to their heroes. During the Egyptian uprisings, Twitter was a key channel for protestors to disseminate material, and to also organize gatherings. The ubiquitous hashtag was revived by twitter and has played a monumental role in segregating specific information! So much so that people have doltishly used the hashtag symbol for anything and everything. Feeling Meh!

So most of us actually have a Twitter account we never used! But let’s go back to this rudimentary question, what is Twitter? It’s another innovative way of connecting with people (mostly unknown), companies, fan clubs by sending out short lucid messages called tweets which are nothing but the thoughts bouncing off your mind. It’s similar to a status post but less fancy. Your Twitter timeline is inundated with news of people you follow! If the luck gods favor you, you might strike a conversation with your favorite sports star, actor or a celebrity. Or they might even retweet you! Throw in a pinch of ingenuity, keep it witty, have a knack for words and watch your presence amplify!

At this point some of you might stop and question,” What about Facebook? Even that’ll give me a lot of information!” I Agree! But Facebook is more adulterated and polluted! It’s more about the glamour quotient! It’s about the likes you get, the selfies you take. Whereas Twitter is more of a stripped down version, a simple, brilliant, humble school boy in contrast to a beautiful, average blonde! There’s a lot of unnecessary bullshit on Facebook! It is prevalent on Twitter also but it’s confined to 140 characters only. As one of my friends put it, “It’s more formal and a lot more calm out here”

 A few more reasons I would prefer Twitter to Facebook is due to the advent of those annoying advertisements. Stop justifying! It definitely gets on peoples nerves. In a few months time video ads which will auto run are ready to pollute our timelines! We have a hard day’s work and voila! We are greeted by ads! Seriously? Yup I know you guys make a bomb out of these but stay true to your motto, “Connect with friends and the world”. Here is where Twitter crushes it to a pulp! Absolutely no ads what so ever! There might be a few sponsored tweets. But it isn’t as distracting as it is Facebook. It has changed its privacy settings infinite number of times and has also faced the ire of netizens prompting them to commit virtual suicide. In comparison the changes in settings is pretty insignificant on Twitter. It is definitely more intellectual and allows us to have a meaningful conversation with our followers. The tweet battles among various bureaucrats of different nations or celebrities are to die for. These trivial things make twitter all the more interesting 

Twitter is for the cleverer person lurking inside you, conveying an emotion or a statement within that constraint requires you to comprehend and form the correct word flow! Twitter is for that part of you which is hungry for news from genres you follow! You can follow a lot of twitter demigods who have thousands of followers because of their witty and clever tweets which usually cover everything under the sun! Unlike Facebook there are no insanely long statuses which demand a few likes which is then ludicrously equated to respect! Unlike Facebook, in Twitter you don’t need to have that premeditated murderous look on your face when you meet those people who unnecessarily tag you! #NoTagsOnTwitter

For those of you who have grown tired of this media platform which is beginning to stale! It’s been polluted and has lost its charm. Twitter can never think of such a foreboding thought. Its core values revolve around the dissemination of information and that’s what it stands for. Facebook might not see the light at the end of the tunnel in a few years time and might fade away into oblivion.

Embrace Twitter! And welcome to a new social experience which should leave you craving for more. Twitter can never perish completely nor can it be stagnant. It’s always found to be bustling at the centre of the human social sphere!

#LongLiveTwitter 

Don't forget to follow me :P

Stop and Look Up

I realize that we are doing more clickety clacks on the ubiquitous smartphone and laptop in rather painful, awkward positions and situations than people did on typewriters in their life time. I realize that some of them are slaves to their online avatar and have split personalities. I realize that people are more on social media than socializing in real life. I realize that they give more preference to thumbs up than others personal opinions. Finally I realize that we are usually online rather than living life on the line!

Are we really talking? Do you hear yourselves? Not those text based thoughts which rapidly transfer from your mind to those screens aided by those ultra fast fingers! I mean do we meet up, sympathize, and connect! I don’t mean poking or direct messages or even sending ephemeral enticing pictures.

How long can we look at the world around us without looking down? Where is our social etiquette going? On walls?  By confining it to 140 characters?  Are we really talking? Other than peering down our 5 inch screens and smiling discreetly? Are we becoming social recluses? I agree most of us share an intimate bond with our phones and the net, at least I do. But what if we looked up and saw the world with a different perspective and actually spoke to real people than those on chatheads floating at the edge of the screen.

All this rant was inspired by a video which is doing quite a bit of rounds ironically on the social media. It’s about how this generation has been paralyzed, how they put in more effort to wield influence in these online social spheres and make them more acceptable among their peers. It shows how small children’s childhood is curtailed due to excessive use of devices like iPads, phones etc. They are hooked on to it and it shows how swings are empty as they have become more technologically inclined. It also shows how a person loses out on life just because he takes a lending hand from Google maps. And then another contrasting one shows how he’s in search of an address and he serendipitously finds his future soul mate and how they do their bit to help further the human race. It exhorts us to look up and switch off that display!

These days there’s increasing number of young messengers who keep to themselves, almost drowning in their miseries, comforting themselves with a flurry of text messages, wrapping themselves up with a few old memories instead of creating new ones. Ultimately not finding solace anywhere and driving them to take drastic steps!

Stop and look up! Don’t let your life revolve around the internet or your device. Give more prominence to the people who revolve around your life. Talk with them, interact, and meet because sending random texts are just ephemeral and its void of an emotional connect.Stop and look up! Find and meet interesting people who have a similar wavelength(not virtually), share thoughts, (not by collaborating on evernote: P) smile, reciprocate feelings (not by using those trite emoticons and smileys)

As my friend put it, its all about social acceptance. More the acceptance, the more human you are. Does more likes on facebook make you feel like a hero? ( I do :P) while the person who actually clicked on that symbol would've done it either under obligation or while he was sleepy and they rarely do it on their own volition. Does more retweets on twitter make you feel important! Does checking in make you more popular? but for what cause? To make you seem cooler ? Does virtual activity really matter in reality ? How I wish the Klout score would have given us discounts! Be yourself and never settle for anything less!

No doubt that the internet has proved to be an invaluable mate to all of us all the time but it shouldn’t creep into our personal lives, so much so that we let it describe our emotion virtually. One of my friend who had taken a sabbatical from the use of whatsapp and other internet related social media described her feeling in one powerful word, “Peaceful” and another friend says she doesn’t use her phone when she’s with her friends and family and devotes that time to them exclusively. Yup I know that’s a difficult thing to do.And

posting asinine remarks on your walls like I’m feeling lonely, in a relationship and other bullshit, in hope of finding some answers from the 1000+ friends you have is futile. Instead look up, mull over life and the people you actually care and talk to them

Stop. Look up. Talk. Live in the moment

TEACHING- An Act of Inspiration or Desperation?

We have been through that phase and some others might be still going through that educational period of their busy lives. And I bet that at least once knowingly or unknowingly we might have thrown a comment at a teacher’s way of spreading knowledge or in simple words we brazenly question whether they deserve to be a teacher! Though that seems to be incorrect (sometimes correct: P) and oblivious to the teachers themselves, the bottom line is

Why did he or she become a teacher? Was it the only option?

Does teaching profession act like a safety valve when they are clueless about their career?

Are they satisfied the way they teach?

Do the students understand the way the teachers want them to understand?

Are they boring and monotonous? Are they lazy? Are they inspiring the students?

Or are they shoving knowledge or are they stifling young minds by compelling them to learn by rote?

Okay by this time I think I might have got your attention by asking these set of impertinent questions. I think most of you can vouch that around 60-70% teach for the sake of it. Complete the syllabus in time and you have one happy teacher.

Teaching or rather I’ll say teachers should be synonymous with practicality, out-of-the-box thinking, inspiring, pushing us to the limit by making utmost use of our grey cells, which are otherwise idle other than those few days of rigorous training during tests.

Teaching is a profession which requires passion, dedication and love to propagate and channelize that knowledge into a student’s mind.

Is that happening?  

Let me give you an example Walter Lewin. He is an astrophysicist who teaches three core subjects in Physics at MIT and this guy is known for his unorthodox methods of teaching and has a huge number of subscribers on his YouTube channel. We all have studied the mechanical conservation of energy, but have you seen it in the practical way?

Why can’t most of them do this? Or at least TRY to emulate and follow their steps and make the subject interesting! When something is taught in a practical, colorful way that particular concept forms an indelible print on your mind.

Some of the stumbling blocks which might hinder some enthusiastic teachers are lack of resources, which is a valid point because you can’t expect a local university to compete with MIT, Stanford or Yale. Or an Indian government school with international schools. Their funds are bigger and better than those offered in ours. Also their method of teaching is quite contrasting from ours and their pay grade is much higher but money ain't a reason for passionate teaching. You just need the fire to keep burning and it’s never too late to rekindle that. 

Has teaching become a mainstream profession where people study B.Ed, M. Sc, M.Tech etc and then randomly jump on to the teaching bandwagon? Or do they hear a calling, a calling from their heart to make a decision, to make a change which will ultimately affect the students they’ll be teaching and also the society.

We need good, real, effective teachers who can make a difference, not only from the day we join our professional colleges but right from the day we step into schools. Let it begin from elementary, through high school and all the way up. We need such educators who help students think and not muffle their opinions. We need them to encourage and inspire and not compel them to learn by rote or punish them whenever they ask stupid yet thought provoking questions.

The solution lies in the way a teacher is picked. Let it be a dreadful process so that people who don’t deserve can be eliminated. Brand teaching as the most feared profession,make it a profession wherein mundane people have second thoughts before entering it. Make it a demanding profession where people who can’t influence have nothing to do with it. But only those who can influence, empower, build character and bridge dreams. Only those will thrive and be satisfied that they have the best profession ever with a whole lot of self satisfaction that they might've have created a better individual. 

Well I'm not lambasting such teachers but just trying to convey the message that maybe they should try to be novel in their methodology, improvise and innovate so that teaching becomes a pure and unadulterated experience.  

- Benedict.R.Gershom, Bangalore 

Jubilant Indians Celebrate Death

On 21 November, Wednesday 2012, in a secretly orchestrated operation (known operation X) carried out by the Mumbai police, the lone LeT militant Ajmal Kasab was executed around 7:30 am at Yerawada jail. I think he would've preferred this to dengue.

But the real bone of contention is why are people generally hell bent upon receiving justice? Justice at the cost of life! Why are they celebrating? Isn't it shameful?


Read along...

I was petrified to see sweets being distributed to school children on the account of Kasab’s death; little do they know that he too was an innocent boy like them albeit he was taught how to hold a gun, who was influenced on religious grounds, who was taught to hate people, who was taught to kill people mercilessly.These fresh, unsoiled souls are being taught to rejoice at others execution.What are we instilling in the minds of the future citizens of India? 

Hatred, vengeance?
Many might ask am I crazy but one doesn't belittle himself when he forgives, instead it requires a hell lot of courage and that might satisfy you.

#sympathize
#indiabeprepared

Recently I read an article and I quote.” Though it took a long time, justice has been done to us…we are satisfied” these were the words of the wife of a slain police officer. The last sentence is a debatable one, she says we are satisfied! What satisfaction can we derive upon ourselves when we hear that one of the main perpetrators of 26/11 was executed? Does it give a sense of relief ? Does it allow you to dive into the sea of tranquility? Or does it resurrect you beloved ones?

None right? It might be a consolation reward for some of us and it might be the source of immense joy to others knowing that the man who killed my father or mother or relatives is finally executed. But if we delve into ourselves, it brings nothing but pain and it certainly doesn't bring satisfaction. Can you believe that you can sleep peacefully not knowing that another Kasab in the making is already being briefed by his bosses? 

Let me make myself clear, I’m neither advocating the cause of the LeT nor justifying the actions of Kasab.

I’m against the celebration of death.

“He just paid for his mistakes”, why can’t we simply take it like this? Why be happy or celebrate by bursting crackers or by distributing sweets. Imagine (pure imagination: P) if some group of people from a spurned community did the same when the so called Maximum leader passed away recently. It’s really difficult to think of the repercussions which could’ve transpired if that was the case.(oops i might get arrested:P)

Another point I would like to talk about is forgiveness and I know many might not accept this but many years ago I had read an article on Readers Digest, it was about a lady who wanted to forgive the killer who had brutally murdered her son.(http://www.rdasia.com/an-act-of-will). 

Finally I would end this post by asking you to respect death. Not death of terrorist but death of a human life.


(http://www.livemint.com/Politics/JR9x2tzilLMGKl3XycOn4J/Kasab-will-inspire-more-attacks-says-LeT-commander.html)

   

  

BEST SONG EVER !!! HIGH HOPES

SERENDIPITY

I recently happened to read some random blog-post titled, “Pink Floyd-Best Band in the World”, though I had heard about them I never really listened to any song of theirs. I mostly confined myself to contemporary rock bands like Muse, Coldplay, U2, Metallica, Linkin Park, Maroon 5 etc and other chart-busting single artist’s and then slowly the classics like Beatles, Bee Gees, ABBA etc happened to catch my attention and were eventually added to my list, but there was no Pink Floyd till that day!

According to the blog-post, the guy allegedly didn't like PF and engaged himself with some trivial discussion involving best rock bands and then one guy reasons out and tells him to listen to “HIGH HOPES” by Pink Floyd and then talk. That same night he listened to it an impossible fifty times, which did skip a beat in my heart. I downloaded it immediately (torrentz: a gift from GOD) and listened to it, it sounded dull, run-of-the-mill song, mundane.

SATISFACTION

That night before sleeping I plugged in my earphones and gave another try mostly because the number 50 was pounding my head. I really wanted to know whether the song did deserve such kind of attention. I clicked on the play button.

SILENCE

Silence sweeps all over me for the next 7-8 minutes. I was literally dumbstruck and began wondering,” What a beautiful song!” I somehow got that eerie satisfaction when I listened to it and the reason was far from my reach. But for some inexplicable reason I just couldn't comprehend. It was beyond my rationale! 

I had been entranced!

Daily life nuances like church-bells, cuckoo clocks, buzz of the mosquito, birds chirping are all incorporated in the beginning of the song which is kind of auditory treat during these modern times and also gives an archaic touch to this timeless classic. Then there’s the distinct yet subtle sound of the ringing cathedral church bell which runs in the background almost throughout the song. Then David Gilmore’s stern yet lovable voice pierces through my ears, which surely mesmerizes everybody who listens to it. The song is said to be an autobiography of David’s life, about the strained relationship between Syd Barrette and him and also about the success of the band.

The chorus, well what can I say about it, it’s meaningful, soulful, catchy, exudes optimism and is definitely melodious. It certainly turns on people into the retro progressive rock mood for sure.

Three minutes into the song, it breaks the tempo, becomes slow paced. Its then coupled with a guitar,violin, piano and a couple of slow beats and gradually manages to increase the momentum for the climax. The last paragraph which holds an important relevance in each one of our lives and even in today’s materialistic world, talks about our ambition of reaching dizzying heights and hunger to be successful which is unsatisfied. The climax played during the second chorus (“forever and ever”) and the eventual part is definitely a hair-raiser and receiving goose bumps is one way of knowing whether you still have your humane side.  

At the end, David chains your mind and heart with his heart-rending solo of lingering guitar chords or what people call it as a guitar-riff(he also uses a lap steel for his slide solo). Even though I’m music illiterate I felt some kind of feeling which overtakes me and even make a connection. It does strike a perfect chord and it’s like as if the purpose of life is fulfilled!

FINALLY

To end it all, High Hopes is a serious song; it’s not a pep number which you can play during long rides or play it in a club (it would be a serious faux pas). It is a highly personal and individualistic song. It is powerful, sublime, magical, heavenly, contagious and for some people it’s a tear-jerker. Also don’t be surprised if you make a routine habit of listening to it.

Sadly such timeless classics are buried under oblivion, thanks to the advent of EDM’s, trance, and other latest trending songs which currently rule the roost. But the bitter truth is all of these are just ephemeral in nature. Such types of classics are deeply ingrained in our hearts and can never be replaced.

Do listen to it (but not with a state of mind as if your listening to the best song, but with an open mind and you’ll know why I wrote this post)

download links: http://home.comcast.net/~svantnerwj/Pink_Floyd_-_High.mp3
                       http://www.emp3world.com/mp3/52841/Pink%20Floyd/High%20Hopes

   

  

Mr. ENVY

The green eyed monster living in each one of us.  

Envy (not to confuse with jealous) is a growing evil which rests in most of us. A man without envy aint mortal, envy according to me either maketh or breaketh a man. Envy is something innate to every person; it’s one of the many traits that GOD has bequeathed to each one of us either for good or bad. Literarily, envy is personified as a monster with green eyes?! It’s not like any other monster; this one is highly civilized, a supreme sophisticated creature belonging to the class Homo sapiens. It’s even capable of rationale and also giving into the whims of the crazy mind.  This dangerous entity is competent enough to control man and sometimes responsible for his lofty downfall!

Envy is desire.Envy is longing,coveting something that isn't rightfully yours.

Well,let me illustrate this with an apt anecdote.I recently had been to my uncle’s house warming ceremony; the house was quite big, luxurious and modest to the taste of Indians. I as observant as always just studied some people who were ushered into the new house. They wore a sullen look on their faces (assuming that the frugal wives might have just fought over with their big-hearted husbands so as to purchase an economical gift)

Their faces and body language metamorphosed rapidly from a state of “being beaten” to,” I’m-so-happy-for-you-guys” kinda feeling. Some people even feigning happiness.

That’s some talent you've got! 

They begin to hand the gift as half willingly as they bought it.They completely change their whole visage as if they were a perfect family.

Living a life without worries?Huh

         

But behind those facially amicable façade I could see envy interspersed with a sparse hint of HAPPYNESS, no wait I got it wrong. Let’s do away with pretentiousness. I could see ENVY simmering through his eyes. Yes, the house was in fact marvelous.

Admit it and congratulate them. Kick ego outside your little envious mind of yours, but sadly it controls people’s dignity!

Sometimes Mr. Envy stifles our need for appreciation which is not going to take us anywhere closer to our goal.

Some clever people show their admiration and appreciation towards others achievement by excessively and often unnecessarily praising them. We often mistake this flattery to a good character, but still deep inside everybody’s heart there is that primordial entity which begins to ignite.

Now a day’s people envy all kinds of bizarre things like most of the girls envy for a perfect hour-glass figure, boys envy a well toned body. We envy superstars and their glittering stardom and likewise they envy us for the freedom we have. Some guys envy life while others envy death. 

Finally, I bifurcate envy into one, Driving envy and two, self-destructive envy. The former is beneficial and acts like a driving force and pushes us to strive harder towards your dream while the latter has such a strong presence that it’s just going to destroy you from within without you even knowing it. You think that you might be nearing your dream but in reality you are really in a dream, it’s just a matter of time before it ultimately leads you to your impending failure.

Now let’s introspect and make a wise choice before it’s too late and find that simple antidote for this growing disease- Mudita 

WHY IIT'S?

WHY IIT’S?

India, a country obsessed with IIT graduates and IIT degrees

What’s happened to the newspapers these days?

Don’t they have enough information to publish? I don’t think that’s the case! With the IPL 2012 quickly losing its sheen and having its share of troubles like the fixing row, the brawl, molestation charges by a hungry girl who wants to grab the limelight by accusing cricketers, the president looting our money by taking her grand children on pleasure trips to the US, diplomatic Khan being banned from the MCA, and umpteen number of bull shit news.

So it seems to be that there is no dearth for news.

Then why do I see a whole page dedicated to IIT achievers as well as aspirants? Not in one but in several newspapers each and every day! I mean to say, “Why do I give a damn about these guys when I sip my morning coffee?”(You’ll understand why?) “Why do I need to see those passport sized criminal looking-like photographs with their numbers saying AIR 442, AIR 132?

Does AIR stand for,”All India Rogues”?

Some of them try to squeeze a smile and others beaming with pride and thus try insinuating the fact that he or she is better than me? Yeah you might be, so what?

Well first of all I frankly don’t know why am ranting so much about these poor little creatures! Anyways best of luck. Most of the engineering aspirants consider IIT’s as the holy grail of engineering, as a matter of fact even I do! But the main crux of the matter I want to criticize is, WHY IIT???

Yeah I know that it is the most prestigious chain of technical institutions in India! And I also agree that it is a proud moment to walkout of the portals of an IIT and carry a fancy tag of being called an IITian and pocket big bucks. And for some of you, who have already started to hate my introduction, please accept my apology. Now you guys have to answer these questions!

The first IIT according to my knowledge was established somewhere around 1950(or 1951) and it’s been around 62 years since its inception and eventually many of them were established. Now we have around 12 IIT’s. That’s a happy and satisfactory figure to the so called education department as well as to Mr. Ever-Changing Kapil Sibal. Even to many students as it increases their prospect of joining one. I think that there might have been around hundreds of batches graduated from these hallowed institutions. And then most of them follow their desires, the main desire of obtaining fat and hefty salaries so that that can comfort them and also compensate their four years of hard slogging. In fact that’s the desire of an average Joe.

Now answer me, has any Indian soul produced a single, just one Nobel awardee. Anybody? (Especially from the IIT’s) No. No one has been able to achieve this feat and the last time anyone did that was a very long time ago by Sir C V Raman (not an IITian)

I’m attacking these institutions because they have assumed quite a high position in echelons of education. When you are in such a position you are expected to do really well! Look at Harvard (Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg), Oxford, MIT (George Smoot), Stanford (Linus Pauling), Caltech, Yale and many more.They've produced some of the most brilliant people of our times. And as a matter of fact IIT's don’t even feature in top 200 universities in the world and sadly not even in top 20 among the Asian universities!

Now let’s go to the grass root problems we are facing. Why are we not able to do this? Though Indians are extremely smart, why? Though Obama reiterates time and again about the educational prowess we Indians behold. Why can’t we?

Are we to blame these coaching centres which prepare these young minds to crack the toughest exam in India? Are we to blame our parents who push us into torture and hence force us to study in anguish? Or should we blame ourselves?

There are many, and when I tell many I mean thousands of coaching centre’s for IIT’s. Especially in Kota, Rajasthan aka Mecca of IIT coaching centres, there are at least 2 to 3 centre’s for each and every lamp-post. These are what I think merely manufacturers for producing IIT entrance-exam-oriented students. They just stimulate our brains to think only for that period, I call that forceful intelligence because once you’re out of that institution, you’re just a normal guy who in earns in millions. Does he need anybody to stimulate his mind again to think out of the box? Imagine you’re reading the newspaper & you’ve seen the photo of a lad with a garland thus making it seem like a happy demise with his rank written, AIR-1. Do you ever again in your wildest dreams see him in the print ad giving him the credit to an important invention or a discovery?

Most of them crack it with ease and then hog their limelight for a few days and then he’s off to world of torment (unless he loves what he’s doing). Some of them struggle hard to complete (and compete) and some even succumb to suicide. I was shocked to see a blog dedicate to IIT suicides! (iitsuicides.blogspot.com).Strange but definitely true.

Some of the centers begin at 5 in the morn and incessantly continue till 5 in the evening. And as far as I know there are no recreational facilities available. Then how the hell will you fuel his already half –stunted- imaginative -mind? Because imagination plays a critical role when you take up exams! I’m emphasizing only on IIT’s because I and the whole world knows that people who study there are darn smart but not able to channelize their brilliant minds hence making a robust point, that none of the IIT’s have produced a Nobel laureate! SHAME ???

Ah, now it’s the turn of our loving parents, yea some of you might be from IIT’s but you can’t enforce that same rule to your children. You can’t compel your offspring to study in Narayana or FITJEE so that he gets into one. I know many friends who have gone to these so called money making institutions at the behest of parents, some of them completed their 2 year course and some abruptly dropped after a few months while some due to parental pressure  screwed their twelfth and obviously IIT.

The feeling or the urge to get into one should be from the heart, it can’t be forced upon you and finally I would like a say one thing to these centre’s, getting into an IIT isn’t everybody’s cup of tea!

Don’t join IIT just for the sake of it or lured by the fat pay checks or just to make a point to some bloke to show that you’re smarter than him. Join to become a Nobel laureate, join to bring some change in the world, join to bring glory to India!

Expertscolumn.com

The winner takes it all !!!

This was a famous song by the Swedish rock band ABBA which is quite very relevant to this blog. Well the song was a great hit, topping the charts but when you really, and I mean Really listen to the profound meaning and try to think about it, mixed emotions flood over you. This is the way the chorus goes! (To listen to the whole song click on the player on top of the post)

The winner takes it all

The loser’s standing small

Beside the victory

That’s her destiny

Take a minute and let these words absorb in you!

You feel something happening which is hard to explain. It’s like as if somebody is trying to shove a large chunk of YOU-CANT-DO-IT or something and you start reminiscing about a defeat or lose which will indelibly stay on your mind. Over to the more lucky guys, most people stand with beaming pride just reminding us that you are a loser! While some of them are quite down to earth knowing that there can be turn of luck thus preparing himself for the impending loss, unlike the other who is in for the shock of his lifetime.

Recovering from a loss is quite painful and requires a great amount of determination and willpower because when you lose, people know that you’ve lost, moreover your heart knows that you have! And there is no remedy for it. Nobody accepts any reason. Reason is not an antidote for failure or loss, though it can salvage the present situation your mind is coming in terms with, it aint doing any good but adds on to your ever growing list of lame reasons. For some,” reason” may provide a little bit of respite but that’s just yourself giving a pat on your back for trying.

Nobody cares why you’ve lost, nobody gives a damn! Some people may try to sympathize and reciprocate your feelings saying, you were this close to winning! Or your team was better than the other or even shit luck! Just believe that you were bad and accept it without any more rounds of blame game. But let this be like an incentive to perform better.

Winning is everything. Winning is glory, loosing is shame!

It's a long time since I won anything. I miss each and every bit of it, starting from the thrill, the beating of the palpitating heart, the perks, the trophies, the cash, the honor, the glory and what not. And when I watch my rivals win, dangerous envy fills inside me which may unleash its power anytime soon! But before I proceed I would like to lash out on one stereotypical dialogue usually uttered by parents or teachers after somebody looses and feels dejected.

“Winning is not important betta, participating is!

Really???  Stop that and let them participate to win! Participation can be done by any tom dick and harry or harries but Winning? Only the one who pursues, perseveres, the one who has edge over others. He is true winner. Participation is more like an excuse for underperforming. And what about the great participation certificate it’s more like chute which comforts us by reminding us that we participated. Chuck it! Winning is important and if that is so critical for you then losing is bigger deal. It helps you find the missing loops so that we dare to commit such a mistake again.

Also never ever try to underestimate your opponent. they make look dumb or try to look dumb but don't let that deceive you. Don't let the look they wear on their face, or the dress they wear, their body language either faze you or confound you. Always think that there are people better than you, but when you know that, Yes that's the moment I've been waiting for, seize that moment and there is no looking back. except for others!

But losing on the another hand is as important as winning, they give way to the winners, they put up a good fight(most of the time) but at the end its the best team which wins. Losing encourages us, that is the main driving force which is going to push us and help us strive our victory.

And for those of you who don't belong to either of them, its never to late to win or lose!   

“Whoever said, "It's not whether you win or lose that counts," probably lost”- Martina Navratilova

DRIVING THROUGH HELL

Have you ever wondered how the roads of hell would look like? Or how you would feel like when you tread on such a path? Is it broad, narrow, bumpy, or even worse?

Well apparently I’m talking about Bangalore a.k.a “Garden city” of India; ironically I also call it “driver’s hell”. Driving in Bangalore is not for the weak hearted, the amount of stress a driver in Bangalore undergoes is immense. Driving is an intense job but it just requires minimum skill. Start, gear it up, leg on the gas pedal, apply brakes (if you want) and Bobs your uncle. Well this encourages many people from villages, college drop-outs, cleaners etc to take jobs as drivers. Absolutely not a problem, their just earning their daily bread! Now a day’s many underage minors also try hand at this new found passion-DRIVING. And I hopefully think that driving through the streets of Bangalore should make it to top 10 crazy things you should do before you die!

  

But what gets on my nerve is the attitude with which people drive, some of them lack basic sense, they suddenly and abruptly change lanes leading to major accident and eventually it leads to congestion and some of them lack spatial understanding when it comes to parking. And the reckless driving through the pothole ridden Bangalore also adds to the growing tension in Jay Leno’s head as to whether he can again use India as subject of humor and what about Jeremy Clarkson??

Watch out! The " I " in INDIA stands for intolerance

The BBMP (the city corporation which is supposed to take care of Bangalore) along with the so-called ministers made ostensible promises saying that we’ll cover every pothole but end up covering their own respectable positions! Some even also made a deal claiming” You spot it and we’ll pay for it”. We spot it and that unscrupulous fool would've paid himself in crores.

Many people don’t admit the fact maybe superiority complex or any such thing but it is difficult to drive when the traffic is at peak hours, everybody’s tailgating you, and the unbearable raucous created by honking, and to add insult to injury the roads are an eyesore to watch although some parts like the NICE, the BIA and pretty much all the highways are in pristine condition. But the problem is in the city and the best part is if you thought craters are found only on the Moon, you are definitely wrong. Come during the rainy season and watch how the road eats its way through to make a crater, a potential killer.

Also a humorous fact is India is the only country in the world where even animals can drive on the driveway!

Here are some of the signboards which appear on my road to hell:

ROADS –Most of the roads in Bangalore are never fully fledged, it is perpetually under the curse of scope of improvement except that improvement never shows! With much difficulty the contractor gets the tender, uses the subsidized materials allotted to him and constructs the road which is soon- to- be defunct. Precisely within a month or two either the water and sewage management guys or the telephone guys virtually rip apart the road, do their job and close it up in haste. Also most the roads which are laid are worn out within 6 months and those corrupted contractors along with mayors, MLA’s promptly send out workers to alleviate the problem which may spiral out of control when they come to begging for votes! Cheeky! Some roads are in pathetic state and adds on as blot on the landscape. The worst part is the patch-up work these guys do promptly, thus creating a new but free land ride known as ”Up and down” which is very annoying!  

TRAFFIC – My aunt from Canada recently visited us and she was horrified to see the traffic in Bang-galore!. She was mortified. She used to frequently pop out her eyes, sit upright, hold my mom’s hands and request my dad who is a conscientious driver to watch out. She used grimacingly tell us that she felt as though the vehicle was coming on her. Bangalore traffic is nothing but a never-ending vortex of chaos. People tailgate each other, violate traffic rules (not that they don’t do in other cities and countries) to piss off the police. And crossing a major road is like crossing the mighty river Jordan! and sometimes impassable!

 A quintessential site to behold in B’lore (at peak hours). But sadly this is the case in any metropolitan cities in India!

Recently Oprah Winfrey commented that she was really perplexed as to what the red light on the traffic signal indicated? She asked them tongue in cheek whether it meant for people to stop or was merely for entertainment. Organized traffic in B’lore is a chimera!

And especially during the night times, driving is a herculean task. With crazy people putting on their high beams all the time and a myriad of diverging light rays falling on your eye, I think it is equivalent to poking your eye with a needle!!  

VEHICLES – The usage of the number of vehicles has proliferated since the last decade, thanks to generous bank loans available we get in a jiffy. And Ah at last I’ve always wanted to write about these creatures. The big yellow rodents (as my dad like to call them). Though we cannot deny the fact that these have helped us so far to commute to nearby malls and other locations, they do irritate us when they suddenly make an impossible maneuver and come into our way and we hail abuses at him, to which he is immune to! Moreover in these past years they have bred like rabbits and are increasing in population!

Population control? Please!

PEOPLE OF B’LORE – The audacity of the people of Bangalore is commendable, some of these are self-proclaimed heroes who make crossing a busy road as easy as a cake walk. Want to try? This is what they do: They just stick their hand out beside their body indicating us to stop while they are busy talking. And they do it without even looking at us! 

                                

                                    Awesome? Heroic?

the police man violating the traffic rules!
where's your helmet mister?

The cocky taxi-wallahs are as quick as lightning, they come from nowhere, honking continuously to make sure we see their finessed art of driving! And obviously to grab eyeballs. Most of these guys are illiterate, hailing from villages come to the city in order to make quick bucks. But I think I should also mention the good work the B’lore traffic police are doing. Mending the rules day by day (the speed limit is now 60 km/hr), meddling with their blackberries, accepting bribes and yea, accepting bribes!!

Though Bangalore is known as the “Silicon capital of India”, you still find beggars as small as 4 year old girl begging through the street carrying babies(a gimmick used by these in order to melt their heart and extort money!) and also you find people as old as 80 asking for alms! Some even start their apprenticeship as cleaners, they begin to wipe the windshield of the vehicles at traffic signals and then show their melancholic faces to demand money!

 To put everything in a nutshell always expect the unexpected during driving, Anticipate! And please keep your bloody complacency locked in the house!

HONKING - I think Bangaloreans have predilection towards honking. They honk when they want to express their anxiousness and disapproval.The irony lies in fact that while most of the time they do it as a pastime, it’s a serious offense in the US and UK (they use in case of emergency only). I think honking is popular because of the mind-set of people, the pedestrian stands on the road, talks on his cell (not knowing this might be his last) or smoking (knowing that each puff punctuates a hole in his lung) .While the driver thinks he has done his part by honking in order to arouse them from the state of being in their own world.

But there is nothing much positive that can be done but one thing!!!

GET WITH IT  (or should I say DRIVE  WITH IT)  

And to end it all Happy Driving!!! Watch out there comes the eunuch!        (PS better pay!)

    Survive  Bangalore , Survive  the  World!