The hot summers remind me of my school days. The long summer vacations were fun, mischief and carelessness. Behind all these, there always lay a small fear, of not completing the summer vacation homework. The homework, we would tend to forget and feverishly try completing a couple of days before the school was to begin.
I get that little fear again and I hate it. I don't have any homeworks to complete, the summer vacations are long gone. Still I get that feeling at times and I totally hate it. Now that I think of it, it was so cruel of the teachers to give us summer vacation homework, it would somehow, somewhere prevent us from having 100% fun. The fun we so very well deserved. It saddens me to see, we are so bound by little things in life, which prevent us living our own lives.
A small trip from Norwalk to New York, in a train, Merrit7 to Grand Central. A plane from Mumbai to Brisbane via Singapore. A walk from nowhere to somewhere. I so want to walk away, just walk into the unknown. Walk to a place where no one is waiting for me, away from a place where no one bids good byes, expecting a safe return. I just wished I could walk one day into the morning mist and disappear. I so wish.
I am not running away, if you think so, I care not. I just want to live my life once only for me without that little fear holding back my heart's desires. I want to be free once, just once.
Showing posts with label My Views. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My Views. Show all posts
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I feel empty as I sit here, ironically this emptiness makes my heart heavy. I swivel in my chair and ponder on a thought I can't think of. Its a beautiful evening outside and the child in me wants to go out and play.
I want to laugh at myself and at the same time I feel like crying. I feel angry and I feel sorry at the same time. In short I am lost and frustrated!
I don't know what to write and at the same time I have to write!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
After so many days.. I felt that numbness again.. the numbness of your brain.. its that feeling when you don't want to feel anything..
Today a new realization, about me, dawned upon me.. in short I had one of those moments of 'self-realization', not the spiritual kinds, just when you come face to face to your own self..
Well, after that.. you go into that do-not touch me mode i.e. the numbness feeling.. and then things start connecting, and you realize how deep rooted your feelings were.. and you knew your very desire since the beginning, as all your dreams were those desires.. and how ironically, its someone else's words which make you realize that..
Then the worst part.. you start judging those desires, and I wonder why do we have to classify everything into 'Right' or 'Wrong'?! Why can't there be a classification like.. "Nothing"!! Or "Just another thing" or "Anything"!!!
Then the next bad part follows, the guilt trips, yeah I know they are terrible too.. but well.. you feel guilty of not fulfilling your desires and betraying them, and then you feel guilty of being weak and giving in to your desire of fulfilling your desires.. ah.. I know its complicated I hate it too.. so lets leave it at that..
And then you write a blog to pour out your confusion, which results in confusing others.. nevertheless, you feel light.. you smile and carry on with your day! Feeling numb again?!
Today a new realization, about me, dawned upon me.. in short I had one of those moments of 'self-realization', not the spiritual kinds, just when you come face to face to your own self..
Well, after that.. you go into that do-not touch me mode i.e. the numbness feeling.. and then things start connecting, and you realize how deep rooted your feelings were.. and you knew your very desire since the beginning, as all your dreams were those desires.. and how ironically, its someone else's words which make you realize that..
Then the worst part.. you start judging those desires, and I wonder why do we have to classify everything into 'Right' or 'Wrong'?! Why can't there be a classification like.. "Nothing"!! Or "Just another thing" or "Anything"!!!
Then the next bad part follows, the guilt trips, yeah I know they are terrible too.. but well.. you feel guilty of not fulfilling your desires and betraying them, and then you feel guilty of being weak and giving in to your desire of fulfilling your desires.. ah.. I know its complicated I hate it too.. so lets leave it at that..
And then you write a blog to pour out your confusion, which results in confusing others.. nevertheless, you feel light.. you smile and carry on with your day! Feeling numb again?!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
My today's visit to the post office finally made me write this post. Every visit to the post office reminds me of the famous serial Malgudi Days. Why? Here is why ...
Its situated in an old structure, dating back to the time when British ruled us. It has those typical stone walls and red brick roof on the outside. On the inside it has that typical high ceiling, which requires a minimum of 10feet rods to suspend ceiling fans. It smells of old papers and glue, and of the wooden girders which support the ceiling. The men in the post office at times seem to be as old as the building itself.
These buildings always filled me with mixed emotions, on one hand when they would remind me of sweet past and of serials like Malgudi Days. Yet sometimes I couldn't feel one with them, because they also felt foreign to me, maybe because of their English architecture.
The part which makes me really uneasy, is when I see these grandfather figures in the post office working on computers. Trying to type, using only the index fingers of their hands. No-no don't get me wrong, I ain't against computerization or modernization of post-offices. But the setting of the post office, and of the huge mango trees in its backyard, make me feel that this building should be inhabited by babus wearing Kolhapuri chappals along with dhotis and a white long shirt, with paan stained lips and deep set eyes peering over thick framed glasses, with neatly oiled graying hair, the oil smelling of chameli . Don't get me wrong again, I ain't making fun of their fashion sense, lest I wouldn't call them grandfather figures. But, its just that all these years, one has the tendency of associating old buildings with old time babus, who sadly have become a rare sight now.
Now one can only find such associations in serials like Malgudi Days or one's imagination. It does make me feel uneasy, when I hear the screeching printers in place of the thuds of the rubber stamps, which were so typical of a post-office. It does make me feel uneasy, when I see barely a couple of people at the post-offices, when there was a time, one would have to wait for hours for his turn at the post-office. Although, we still have postmen who drop our letters at the mailbox and we don't even see them for years together. Whereas, there was a time, when postmen were friends, old uncles on cycles, those who helped you cross roads when you would return from school. Those, who shooed away the dogs, when you played with your friends. Those, for whom we would wait for hours, to deliver us those letters from loved ones!
I wish at times, I would get my old India back, the India which is now only a memory in serials like Malgudi Days!
Its situated in an old structure, dating back to the time when British ruled us. It has those typical stone walls and red brick roof on the outside. On the inside it has that typical high ceiling, which requires a minimum of 10feet rods to suspend ceiling fans. It smells of old papers and glue, and of the wooden girders which support the ceiling. The men in the post office at times seem to be as old as the building itself.
These buildings always filled me with mixed emotions, on one hand when they would remind me of sweet past and of serials like Malgudi Days. Yet sometimes I couldn't feel one with them, because they also felt foreign to me, maybe because of their English architecture.
The part which makes me really uneasy, is when I see these grandfather figures in the post office working on computers. Trying to type, using only the index fingers of their hands. No-no don't get me wrong, I ain't against computerization or modernization of post-offices. But the setting of the post office, and of the huge mango trees in its backyard, make me feel that this building should be inhabited by babus wearing Kolhapuri chappals along with dhotis and a white long shirt, with paan stained lips and deep set eyes peering over thick framed glasses, with neatly oiled graying hair, the oil smelling of chameli . Don't get me wrong again, I ain't making fun of their fashion sense, lest I wouldn't call them grandfather figures. But, its just that all these years, one has the tendency of associating old buildings with old time babus, who sadly have become a rare sight now.
Now one can only find such associations in serials like Malgudi Days or one's imagination. It does make me feel uneasy, when I hear the screeching printers in place of the thuds of the rubber stamps, which were so typical of a post-office. It does make me feel uneasy, when I see barely a couple of people at the post-offices, when there was a time, one would have to wait for hours for his turn at the post-office. Although, we still have postmen who drop our letters at the mailbox and we don't even see them for years together. Whereas, there was a time, when postmen were friends, old uncles on cycles, those who helped you cross roads when you would return from school. Those, who shooed away the dogs, when you played with your friends. Those, for whom we would wait for hours, to deliver us those letters from loved ones!
I wish at times, I would get my old India back, the India which is now only a memory in serials like Malgudi Days!
Friday, February 22, 2008
It was a winter afternoon, but the heat was no less than the one experienced in May. I got down from my bus and headed for the six-seater stand. There was a kid hailing passengers to his vehicle, which was roaring with a rhythm, I wondered, whether these vehicles are ever shut down? I crammed my way in, sitting next to a lady, with a bold magenta lip color adoring her lips. The sun shone straight at my face, through the broken window of the seater. The kid sitting opposite me wiped sweat off his brow. A college girl with a hat, came and sat next to the boy. I couldn't help but think, things were so much better when we were in school, we had set aims, school then college and then engineering and then a good job. Little did we know that the real struggle starts here, and all this time we would think that it all ended here. I wondered whether do these people have the same questions running in their minds, that college girl, the lady next to me, the kid in front of me, the uncle sitting next to the driver.
I looked at the shops, its been so many years, I have taken the same road home, its almost 10years I have been plying to and fro on this road. There were bushes here, barren land, some huts, I remember zipping on this road on a friend's sunny and often on my scooty. It was rarely crowded then, and now, there is a perpetual traffic jam. 3 new malls have sprung in that stretch, which can be covered in say some 20 steps, the 4th mall is nearing completion.
I wonder, even the land has progressed, but have I? Well, I ain't doing all that bad, I have a super job which most people envy, I have a great life, a good pay check and most importantly I stay with my family. My mummy waits for me to get back home, there is always her lap to cuddle up, and cry when things get nasty. Its just about perfect.
Yup, just about, I wonder, why did I say just about. My stop had come, I request the boy to tell the driver to stop. I get up and hit my head against the roof, drag my bag, and my jacket gets stuck in some nail, which is nearly invisible. I struggle to free my jacket while trying to maintain my balance among innumerable pairs of legs, with their knees touching each other in a pattern which looked interwoven. I finally manage to get my jacket free, I can't hold my bag its too heavy and there is no place so that I can carry it well. I end up dragging it on top of the rail of all those legs, hitting my head a minimum of six times, and finally I jump out and take a deep breath. I pay the driver, and haul my bag over my back. Every time I do this I invariably think of the donkey's story. The one, where a merchant would place sacks of salt on the back of his donkey, and the donkey would sit in the river while crossing it, so as to reduce the load. I wished for a river, sadly my bag wasn't full of salt.
I look at the hotel, which had opened displacing a school, the parking of the hotel was a ground. I remember an old lady used to grow vegetables here, and we would buy our daily veggies from her, that was around six years ago. I keep walking. I think of school. It was when I was in school, that I would return at this hour. There was always some homework to do, there was the urge to beat your friends at badminton again in the evening, there were some table tennis tricks to learn. I don't know what will I do today on returning home, we have to go shopping for some things, but all depends on mummy's plans for the day.
I see a bus parked near the mangal karyalay, oh another marriage, it was a sleeper coach, looks like the baraatis had traveled from far. I kept walking, the colony which I was crossing, was silent, everyone must be enjoying their afternoon slumber I thought. I pass the school playground, two kids were playing alone, I wondered, do they know what life is, will they think the same when they reach my age?
Aroma of delicious food filled my nostrils, hmmm, caterers at work already! I enter another colony, this one too was drowned in their slumber. A boy lead two young kids, to tuitions, they were carrying theirs bag too.
I reached the road, which connected my colony to the one I just crossed, it was dug up completely. Oh no! No use thinking on this, there were some workers placing some optical fibers. I kept walking, construction had begun in the neighboring plot, another colony was to shoot up. So many years, all we heard were earth movers, drillers, concrete churners, we had a splitting headache earlier, but thanks to the human tendency of adaptability.
I reach my colony, my vehicles parked neatly in the parking. The lift as usual was on rest at the 9th floor. I remember mummy saying, if we had 90 floors in the building, our lift would always be on the 90th floor. I press the button, and move on to check my mail box while the lift crawls, its way down. Oh, the telephone bill!
I enter the lift, press 4 and switch on the fan, counting the floors in my mind. I reach my floor head for my door and press the door bell. Mummy was waiting for me, she opened the door and smiled, I grinned back and screamed 'Paani!' She fetched me a glass of water, while I littered the house by throwing my belongings, as I moved towards the sofa. I sprawled, and quenched my thirst and smiled at mummy thinking 'Yes, just about perfect life!'
I looked at the shops, its been so many years, I have taken the same road home, its almost 10years I have been plying to and fro on this road. There were bushes here, barren land, some huts, I remember zipping on this road on a friend's sunny and often on my scooty. It was rarely crowded then, and now, there is a perpetual traffic jam. 3 new malls have sprung in that stretch, which can be covered in say some 20 steps, the 4th mall is nearing completion.
I wonder, even the land has progressed, but have I? Well, I ain't doing all that bad, I have a super job which most people envy, I have a great life, a good pay check and most importantly I stay with my family. My mummy waits for me to get back home, there is always her lap to cuddle up, and cry when things get nasty. Its just about perfect.
Yup, just about, I wonder, why did I say just about. My stop had come, I request the boy to tell the driver to stop. I get up and hit my head against the roof, drag my bag, and my jacket gets stuck in some nail, which is nearly invisible. I struggle to free my jacket while trying to maintain my balance among innumerable pairs of legs, with their knees touching each other in a pattern which looked interwoven. I finally manage to get my jacket free, I can't hold my bag its too heavy and there is no place so that I can carry it well. I end up dragging it on top of the rail of all those legs, hitting my head a minimum of six times, and finally I jump out and take a deep breath. I pay the driver, and haul my bag over my back. Every time I do this I invariably think of the donkey's story. The one, where a merchant would place sacks of salt on the back of his donkey, and the donkey would sit in the river while crossing it, so as to reduce the load. I wished for a river, sadly my bag wasn't full of salt.
I look at the hotel, which had opened displacing a school, the parking of the hotel was a ground. I remember an old lady used to grow vegetables here, and we would buy our daily veggies from her, that was around six years ago. I keep walking. I think of school. It was when I was in school, that I would return at this hour. There was always some homework to do, there was the urge to beat your friends at badminton again in the evening, there were some table tennis tricks to learn. I don't know what will I do today on returning home, we have to go shopping for some things, but all depends on mummy's plans for the day.
I see a bus parked near the mangal karyalay, oh another marriage, it was a sleeper coach, looks like the baraatis had traveled from far. I kept walking, the colony which I was crossing, was silent, everyone must be enjoying their afternoon slumber I thought. I pass the school playground, two kids were playing alone, I wondered, do they know what life is, will they think the same when they reach my age?
Aroma of delicious food filled my nostrils, hmmm, caterers at work already! I enter another colony, this one too was drowned in their slumber. A boy lead two young kids, to tuitions, they were carrying theirs bag too.
I reached the road, which connected my colony to the one I just crossed, it was dug up completely. Oh no! No use thinking on this, there were some workers placing some optical fibers. I kept walking, construction had begun in the neighboring plot, another colony was to shoot up. So many years, all we heard were earth movers, drillers, concrete churners, we had a splitting headache earlier, but thanks to the human tendency of adaptability.
I reach my colony, my vehicles parked neatly in the parking. The lift as usual was on rest at the 9th floor. I remember mummy saying, if we had 90 floors in the building, our lift would always be on the 90th floor. I press the button, and move on to check my mail box while the lift crawls, its way down. Oh, the telephone bill!
I enter the lift, press 4 and switch on the fan, counting the floors in my mind. I reach my floor head for my door and press the door bell. Mummy was waiting for me, she opened the door and smiled, I grinned back and screamed 'Paani!' She fetched me a glass of water, while I littered the house by throwing my belongings, as I moved towards the sofa. I sprawled, and quenched my thirst and smiled at mummy thinking 'Yes, just about perfect life!'
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
He was dressed in shabby old clothes covered with stains of paint. The cigarette looked strikingly new against his old dirty clothes. His hair was a mess too, covered with dust from scraping paint. His hands appeared as if they had a thin white film/coating of white powder, the same was true for his face. He merged well with the surroundings, sitting by the roadside, on a huge stone, near a paan shop. The moment one looked at him, the cigarette would glare back at the person, obviously because it was such a great misfit in the whole setting! The hands which would normally hold a bidi were today caressing a cigarette with great tenderness and awe!
His pose, was the next thing one would notice, the right leg crossed over the left one, the left hand supporting his weight as he leaned back, his head held high, back uncomfortably straight, and the right hand, yes you guessed it right, caressing the cigarette, while the twinky (little finger) at an angle of 45o from the rest of the fingers!
This clearly shows, that the cigarette was a luxury for him! He was relishing it, with the pride often found in Rajas and Maharajas! I wished, I could click a snap of his and post it here!
I know it will sound awkward, but my post ends here, I feel I have given a pretty clear picture, now will leave the thinking to you! :) Enjoy!
His pose, was the next thing one would notice, the right leg crossed over the left one, the left hand supporting his weight as he leaned back, his head held high, back uncomfortably straight, and the right hand, yes you guessed it right, caressing the cigarette, while the twinky (little finger) at an angle of 45o from the rest of the fingers!
This clearly shows, that the cigarette was a luxury for him! He was relishing it, with the pride often found in Rajas and Maharajas! I wished, I could click a snap of his and post it here!
I know it will sound awkward, but my post ends here, I feel I have given a pretty clear picture, now will leave the thinking to you! :) Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
NANDIGRAM - PROTEST FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME
This is a protest image, for the recent violence at Nandigram. My heart special cries out for all the little innocent girls, who were allegedly raped by a bunch of hooligans.
For the complete story, read here.
This is a protest image, for the recent violence at Nandigram. My heart special cries out for all the little innocent girls, who were allegedly raped by a bunch of hooligans.
For the complete story, read here.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Small incidents in my life, which took me by surprise.. I cherish the memories..
- An email, after 8yrs, from a classmate, who used to always pick up fights with me.. but now was a great friend!
- A call from a friend after 2yrs on his birthday, sitting alone somewhere, and pouring his heart out about his loneliness.. how I felt? Sad that he was lonely, happy that he considered me a good friend and content that I could console him.
- Scrapped a person, after 12yrs whom I always knew by face, but never spoke to him.. My friend's elder brother.. now my best friend!
- It all started when I hit upon a group on Orkut, yes I finally met all my friends whom I had last seen when I was in 3rd Std, almost 15yrs later, we were chatting and talking and trying to catch up.. after all 15yrs were to be covered!
- While watching news on TV a particular name struck me.. a reporter.. from Jammu.. After 4yrs just sifting through a friend's blog the same name stares back at me... Am I excited? Yes!
- A girl, who did the same things which I did, I did not even know she existed, just had a common friend .. yes.. coincidences:- we bought earrings the same day, we ate Chinese the same day, we picked up fights the same day and tonnes more.. she somewhere in Delhi.. me here in Pune.. thanks to the common friend's observation.. I found a twin sister!!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Ever felt the raindrops on your cheeks, while sitting on the banks of a lake?!
Need I say more? :)
You must be wondering what am I talking about?? Well.. ok.. here I go..
It was one of the most beautiful days of my life, and I really really thank my friend for this wonderful experience. Me and some of my friends went on a tiny trip this Sunday i.e 17th June '07.
When we left our homes, the weather was just wonderful, some one even suggested for going on a long drive, but the others were adamant that we head straight for the destination planned. Thankfully the weather stayed the same, in fact it got better!
After reaching there, things only got better.
We sat there, in one of the most serene locations in Pune, with our best buddies, chatting away the morning, and sipping on mocktails. There was only greenery around, soft cool breeze was blowing, there were beautiful birds pecking at their feathers and occasionally at some insects too in the grass. There were huge trees around, swaying as the breeze blew. Then it started to drizzle, and the drizzle was so soft, I had never in my life seen such soft drizzle, the water droplets were almost like feathers dancing on a soft breeze. It was just wonderful!!
After having lunch, we moved on towards the lake, and it was another breathtaking site! The lake, the ducks, the soft drizzle, and the sweet scented breeze.. I just sat there..the droplets fell on my face.. the breeze in my hair..my eyes set on the ripples in the water and my ears listening to the sweet chirping of the birds!!
Well, words fail me!!
It was one of the most beautiful days of my life!! Thank you God for this beautiful world, and thank you all my friends.. who made this trip possible!!
Need I say more? :)
You must be wondering what am I talking about?? Well.. ok.. here I go..
It was one of the most beautiful days of my life, and I really really thank my friend for this wonderful experience. Me and some of my friends went on a tiny trip this Sunday i.e 17th June '07.
When we left our homes, the weather was just wonderful, some one even suggested for going on a long drive, but the others were adamant that we head straight for the destination planned. Thankfully the weather stayed the same, in fact it got better!
After reaching there, things only got better.
We sat there, in one of the most serene locations in Pune, with our best buddies, chatting away the morning, and sipping on mocktails. There was only greenery around, soft cool breeze was blowing, there were beautiful birds pecking at their feathers and occasionally at some insects too in the grass. There were huge trees around, swaying as the breeze blew. Then it started to drizzle, and the drizzle was so soft, I had never in my life seen such soft drizzle, the water droplets were almost like feathers dancing on a soft breeze. It was just wonderful!!
After having lunch, we moved on towards the lake, and it was another breathtaking site! The lake, the ducks, the soft drizzle, and the sweet scented breeze.. I just sat there..the droplets fell on my face.. the breeze in my hair..my eyes set on the ripples in the water and my ears listening to the sweet chirping of the birds!!
Well, words fail me!!
It was one of the most beautiful days of my life!! Thank you God for this beautiful world, and thank you all my friends.. who made this trip possible!!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
NOTE
Well one of my previous posts 'Who drives Whom?' could not convey the message it was supposed to convey as I feel that the sarcasm intended in the writing did not reflect that well! So I thought of writing this small note. The idea of the post was to convey how Times of India is riding on its publicity wave and the status which it had built from years and years of providing quality content! But sadly we see quality diminishing from the articles, you really have to sift thorough pages and pages of articles to find something worth reading!
Its sad to see that once a good news paper has been commercialized to such an extent that open criticisms are floating around. Its full of news of celebrities and irrelevant articles. Had we ever heard of designer wear, jewelery or for that matter diamonds! By advertising and writing varied articles on such products the hunger was created. An average middle class person was shown dreams of the luxury world. To add to it came along the never ending list of credit cards which lured the middle class into a pool of innumerable debts. Taking loan not only for homes but also for things like jewelery or a vacation to an exotic location.
Hope this article makes it clear that my previous post wasn't all praise for the TOI. Add to it the personal experiences I have had with the paper. It really saddens me, coz as a child I really believed in this paper and I always thought that my voice will be heard atleast by this news daily. On the other hand I am glad, that the real picture is now in front of me! I end this article by quoting to my self "Welcome to the real world!"
Well one of my previous posts 'Who drives Whom?' could not convey the message it was supposed to convey as I feel that the sarcasm intended in the writing did not reflect that well! So I thought of writing this small note. The idea of the post was to convey how Times of India is riding on its publicity wave and the status which it had built from years and years of providing quality content! But sadly we see quality diminishing from the articles, you really have to sift thorough pages and pages of articles to find something worth reading!
Its sad to see that once a good news paper has been commercialized to such an extent that open criticisms are floating around. Its full of news of celebrities and irrelevant articles. Had we ever heard of designer wear, jewelery or for that matter diamonds! By advertising and writing varied articles on such products the hunger was created. An average middle class person was shown dreams of the luxury world. To add to it came along the never ending list of credit cards which lured the middle class into a pool of innumerable debts. Taking loan not only for homes but also for things like jewelery or a vacation to an exotic location.
Hope this article makes it clear that my previous post wasn't all praise for the TOI. Add to it the personal experiences I have had with the paper. It really saddens me, coz as a child I really believed in this paper and I always thought that my voice will be heard atleast by this news daily. On the other hand I am glad, that the real picture is now in front of me! I end this article by quoting to my self "Welcome to the real world!"
Friday, May 11, 2007
CITIBANK & TOI WOES
I almost half expected it, I knew my letter to the Editor of the TOI won't make it to the paper. Talk about your voice being heard!! Yeah, yeah, why would TOI print a small complain letter from some unknown girl in some tiny corner of a huge and crowded city of Pune?! While they are getting paid fat cheques to run ads of the ever great Citibank! Talk of democracy and the freedom of speech in this country!!!
A LETTER TO TOI
Subject: Citibank's Issues
Hello,
I would like to bring to your notice a series of problems I faced with Citibank. I have my salary account with Citibank and had a couple of SIP for ECS clearance from this account. The initial two clearances for the SIPs were completed fine. Then there was a bounce in one of the SIPs ECS clearance giving the reason as 'No Mandate', however, I would like to bring to your notice that the mandate is submitted just once and that too at the beginning of the SIP, which was done as the initial ECS transactions were cleared. When I complained they cleared the transaction without submission of any mandate. The next month, however, ironically the reason was given as 'No balance', whereas there were sufficient funds, in the account. Sensing this as an issue, and tired of complaining every time I cancelled that particular SIP from my Citibank account.
The story doesn't end here, all this while my second SIP was being cleared without any issues. Now after closing my first ECS clearance from Citibank. I get a bounce for the second ECS transaction. the reason 'No Mandate'. This is ridiculous, this SIP's ECS transaction was being cleared without any issues for 6 whole months.
In short, if you open an account with Citibank, you do not have control over your money, maybe one day they will deny paying you your very own hard earned money claiming 'No Balance' in your account!!
--
Shweta Pandey
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
P.S I forgot to mention.. recently there were these innumerable articles on food and the places to eat. How more and more people are opting to eat outside, which are the various cuisines with which you can satiate your taste-buds etc etc.. and then one fine day I bump into a huge ad about the very new, the all important "TIMES FOOD GUIDE" which includes the list of all the eateries in your city blah blah blah!!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Who drives whom?!
An interesting observation I couldn't even forcefully ignore, give the following article a thought.
Times of India, 'a' sorry "The" Leading newspaper of the country, TOI was and is considered a status symbol. If you read the Times, yes then you are talking, else sorry! Anyways, thats besides the point.
I remember, when at school, we had a separate lecture assigned once a week, where we read several editorials from the TOI. Initially from what I can recollect, TOI was a simple looking, serious kind of newspaper. With initial pages filled with the latest news, then followed by editorials, then business and finally sports. The pattern is still very much the same.
But then as times changed the paper changed too.. A dash of color was added, there were colorful pictures and advertisements on the first and the last pages of the newspaper. Then slowly supplements were added, with the aim of covering city briefs. Slowly the city news was shifted over to the main TOI and the city supplements were converted to 'Page 3' supplements, they were full of celebrities and the news of the starry world. There were talks about designer wears, bollywood gossips, hollywood gossips, grooming tips from celebrities, costly spa treatments, exotic holiday cruises and the list goes on.
Slowly steadily things were fed into the public mind, their views, their thinking was slowly being modified. It was a hunger first created by them and also at the same time fed by them.
This was followed by the launch of the much talked about entertainment channel, Zoom ...
Interesting business strategy isn't it?! In fact very simple yet at the same time very clever, and extremely effective! Kudos.. to the Times group, they drive us, we don't drive them!
An interesting observation I couldn't even forcefully ignore, give the following article a thought.
Times of India, 'a' sorry "The" Leading newspaper of the country, TOI was and is considered a status symbol. If you read the Times, yes then you are talking, else sorry! Anyways, thats besides the point.
I remember, when at school, we had a separate lecture assigned once a week, where we read several editorials from the TOI. Initially from what I can recollect, TOI was a simple looking, serious kind of newspaper. With initial pages filled with the latest news, then followed by editorials, then business and finally sports. The pattern is still very much the same.
But then as times changed the paper changed too.. A dash of color was added, there were colorful pictures and advertisements on the first and the last pages of the newspaper. Then slowly supplements were added, with the aim of covering city briefs. Slowly the city news was shifted over to the main TOI and the city supplements were converted to 'Page 3' supplements, they were full of celebrities and the news of the starry world. There were talks about designer wears, bollywood gossips, hollywood gossips, grooming tips from celebrities, costly spa treatments, exotic holiday cruises and the list goes on.
Slowly steadily things were fed into the public mind, their views, their thinking was slowly being modified. It was a hunger first created by them and also at the same time fed by them.
This was followed by the launch of the much talked about entertainment channel, Zoom ...
Interesting business strategy isn't it?! In fact very simple yet at the same time very clever, and extremely effective! Kudos.. to the Times group, they drive us, we don't drive them!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
An Interview with a Reporter
Hey all,
A very good friend of mine, Mr. Prabhakar Kumar, who is also a news channel reporter for one of the leading news channels in India (don't want to disclose the name here), helped me clear some of my doubts regarding my previous post..
Plz go through the conversation below.. its interesting and truly an eye-opener!
"
me: Hi
hw r u?
i had a question...
prabhakar: fine
what's up
pucho
me: can you just go to my blog..
otherwise..
prabhakar: sure
me: wait
lemme just ask it here..
there was an incident in jaipur
where a priest was beaten up by some VHP members
prabhakar: k
me: a news channel camera covered all this live..
prabhakar: k
me: right from the time the VHP members were putting on their masks..
prabhakar: k
me: now this reporter was aware of the crime beforehand..
so why did he not go to the police n complain?
prabhakar: that's yellow journalism
me: one of my friend has a diff view here..
oh..
wats yellow journalism??
prabhakar: people can go to any extent to get a spicy news
that's the fact
me: ouch..
ok..
prabhakar: no ethics are followed
me: ok..
prabhakar: its the cost of competition in media
me: hmmm
prabhakar: its a mad race here
me: hmmm
prabhakar: looks glittery from outside
me: ![[smile]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_slcYmBber9BrzouZPDfH2zIMV3gIqaAdRkuErID1qMsaZXw3DSmmzPanUBcSC6oJL0qCii6D2X1BzkAJ1zm_jqWnhiDlY-QRlz9ZTh1umQ9r0=s0-d)
prabhakar: but dirty from within
me: uh-huh..
prabhakar: we are part of it
if i practise ethics
its my peersonal choice
me: ok..
prabhakar: there r N examples like this
stop getting shocked over these incidents
me:
prabhakar: & accept it as it is
me: hmmm
my friend had a diff point of view here.. and after talkin to u.. i feel he is wrong..this is what he had to say on my article.. Neil said...
Hmmm... So this may be the first time in ur posts but I think you got carried away here.
Its generally not the responsibility of the media nor is it recommended... whether it is Gopalan as in case of Veerappan or some CNN news reporters reporting from Serbia, reporters are meant to provide a coverage and thats all. Heck, they are not even supposed to voice their opinion (which is violated innumerable times) or display their emotions. There is no point of interfering in the actual event lest they are shunned and prevented from doing their jobs or worse actually affected by it. Dint mean to be verbose here... But this is open for a debate.
Sent at 5:10 PM on Wednesday
prabhakar: u r also right here
but this is just one aspect of the whole story
me: can u plz explain it a bit
prabhakar: as u said.......reporters are not supposed to do blah blah is correct
me:
prabhakar: but at the same time........reporters can even get these kinds of events organised to get some EXCLUSIVE footage
me: hmmm
prabhakar: that's other aspect which needs to be condemned
me:
thanks a lot..
wow things really are clear now..
prabhakar: welcome buddy
me: if you dont mind.. can i post this conversation on my blog..
prabhakar: hehe
sure
i don't mind
carry on
me: wow.. thanks.. great.. "
great.. "Monday, April 30, 2007
Is Indian media responsible..
A piece of news really angered me today, it is not the first time that such a thing has happened, its just that this time it made me write this article.
This news was about a pastor in Jaipur who was brutally beaten up by some members of the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) in protest to conversions carried out by the Christian community. Well my motive here is not to discuss the acts of the VHP (which again is preposterous), the point which I wanted to bring to notice was that all this was captured live by a news channel agency. The video footage had covered all the actions of the VHP members right from the time they were putting on their masks till the pastor bleeding profusely.
Its a different story when terrorist groups or the likes capture the video themselves and then send it to the media, but this is way out of what is expected from a media channel, to be aware of the crime beforehand and still not to stop it. It brings us shame to see that educated professionals of the media industry, who are the eyes, ears and voices of the masses in the country, getting involved in such acts just to get the exclusive coverage and boost their TRPs.
I guess they would have got more accolades if they would have acted like responsible citizens and would have prevented the crime from happening. We would have surely loved to see that video footage, as that would have brought us pride and would have re-instilled our faith in the country's media. But, sadly now they only bring shame to us.
This news was about a pastor in Jaipur who was brutally beaten up by some members of the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) in protest to conversions carried out by the Christian community. Well my motive here is not to discuss the acts of the VHP (which again is preposterous), the point which I wanted to bring to notice was that all this was captured live by a news channel agency. The video footage had covered all the actions of the VHP members right from the time they were putting on their masks till the pastor bleeding profusely.
Its a different story when terrorist groups or the likes capture the video themselves and then send it to the media, but this is way out of what is expected from a media channel, to be aware of the crime beforehand and still not to stop it. It brings us shame to see that educated professionals of the media industry, who are the eyes, ears and voices of the masses in the country, getting involved in such acts just to get the exclusive coverage and boost their TRPs.
I guess they would have got more accolades if they would have acted like responsible citizens and would have prevented the crime from happening. We would have surely loved to see that video footage, as that would have brought us pride and would have re-instilled our faith in the country's media. But, sadly now they only bring shame to us.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
It feels good to be back and blogging.. :)
Water
Recently I dont know why but I seem to be really noticing this one particular element H2O. Of course already a lot has been said about its sweetness on a thirsty throat. But have you ever tried the following:
1. While preparing for exams, generallly I used to stay awake late in the night and used to have a huge bottle of water to accompany me. While studying I used to sip the water and feel it go down my food pipe, its a strange feeling, you can feel the cool of the water as it moves down the food pipe.
2. People say that the right way to drink coffee is to take a sip of coffee, but dont gulp it down, keep it in your mouth, roll your tongue and feel its texture and taste, thats the way you do justice to the taste of coffee, and thats when coffee tastes the best. Ever tried that with water?
3. Try this once, take a huge bottle of water, drink a glass of water from it, it feels normal. Now slowly keep drinking the water even if your stomach is full and you dont feel like drinking water.
WARNING: Dont drink so much that you puke, keep it in control.
Carefully observe the taste of water, it gradually changes, the taste which you got with the first glass of water wont be the same which you get with the 2nd glass or the 5th one. (I personally could never go beyond the 5th)
My experimentation is still on.. If you guys still have something more to share do lemme know.. I bet this one element will surely amaze you! :)
Water
Recently I dont know why but I seem to be really noticing this one particular element H2O. Of course already a lot has been said about its sweetness on a thirsty throat. But have you ever tried the following:
1. While preparing for exams, generallly I used to stay awake late in the night and used to have a huge bottle of water to accompany me. While studying I used to sip the water and feel it go down my food pipe, its a strange feeling, you can feel the cool of the water as it moves down the food pipe.
2. People say that the right way to drink coffee is to take a sip of coffee, but dont gulp it down, keep it in your mouth, roll your tongue and feel its texture and taste, thats the way you do justice to the taste of coffee, and thats when coffee tastes the best. Ever tried that with water?
3. Try this once, take a huge bottle of water, drink a glass of water from it, it feels normal. Now slowly keep drinking the water even if your stomach is full and you dont feel like drinking water.
WARNING: Dont drink so much that you puke, keep it in control.
Carefully observe the taste of water, it gradually changes, the taste which you got with the first glass of water wont be the same which you get with the 2nd glass or the 5th one. (I personally could never go beyond the 5th)
My experimentation is still on.. If you guys still have something more to share do lemme know.. I bet this one element will surely amaze you! :)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Beggars are because of us.
I always wondered that somewhere we are responsible for the beggars on the streets of India. The survival instincts of the human race are by far the best, there is no denying that. So, if each one of us stops paying these beggars, then they will be forced to look somewhere else for their daily bread. It is because we pay them, they highly depend on us, and do not work for their daily bread, also their number keeps on increasing. Its not uncommon to hear cases of children being stolen and forced to become beggars. Not only children, women as well as men also face the same fate at times. Stories of even amputation of limbs have come to light, in order to be pitied at, and earn more from begging.
So, if we stop paying the beggars, will their number actually decrease? Won't they resort to criminal activities? Well, the possibility cannot be completely ruled out. But, isn't it the duty of the Police to keep a check on the criminal activities? Also, what assurance do we have that these beggars aren't criminals? Its a possibility that they apart from being beggars are also thieves, cheaters etc.
The another question that springs to the mind is, what about the physically challenged beggars, where will they go? I would say, just look around you, travel in a municipal bus once and you will realise. There are so many diverse, physically challenged people who work to earn their daily bread. I remember when I was in 11th standard, I used the PMT at times to travel to college, and believe me, there were two blind men and one lame man who used to travel to their work place every morning in the same bus and that too without any assistance from anyone.
I was discussing the same issue with a friend recently. We were seated in his car, when a young, healthy looking woman, in her late twenties, carrying a child came up to us to beg. I stopped him from paying her, I found her healthy enough to fend for herself and her child. He said, its not easy for them to get a job, I said its not easy even for us, graduates from reputed schools, to land in a job. I never said that getting a job is easy, but atleast its not impossible. There are so many daily wage labourers, and there is always a want for more. There are NGOs setup to help these people find jobs, help them bring that change in their life, so that they start living a more dignified life.
So think about it before you pay a beggar the next time. Its our responsibility as well to make a difference. Well this is my take on the issue, do post in your views as well, I will be glad.
Too much to talk sbout in this context. The interview you did was great, but it raises more questions.
Lets talk about yellow journalism first, from what I researched, this is yellow journalism; Yellow journalism is a pejorative reference to journalism that features scandal-mongering, sensationalism, jingoism or other unethical or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or individual journalists.
What I am saying is that Yellow Journalism refers to the sensationalization of news, so you may have some pretty ordinary news that is reported with a lot of, what can I say, salt and pepper?! Yes, its meant to increase circulation/TRPs, well basically anything that indicates a widening of the audience.
To quote something I read somewhere "While bland infotainment and unethical corporate media practices may be considered "yellow" in the sense of "cowardly," the term yellow journalism traditionally refers to news organizations for whom some combination of sensationalism, profiteering, propaganda, journalistic bias or jingoism takes dominance over factual reporting and the profession's public trust."
I think the big issue here is not just sensationalism, I think what worries you is the fact that the reporter/journalist, who was aware of the incident before-hand, did not take any action against the assailants. Its a grey area, on the one hand, if journalists start revealing their sources to the authorities, the wrong doings of the powers that be will not be exposed, as clandestine information will not be so willingly divulged by sensitive sources! Incidents like the Watergate Scandal in the US would not have come to light if the sources of the journalists had been jeopardised by the journalists themselves, and no one who is also a party to a crime would ever feel secure revealing possibly incriminating information to the Fourth Estate, would your journalist friend call the part by part revelation of the Watergate Scandal an example of Yellow Journalism? On the other hand, abusing this privilege could lead to Journalists & Reporters being used in power games, and thus defeating their purpose as guardians of truth.
I think neither side is completely wrong or right, I think, all said and done, this would have to be left to the editor to decide. Hope he/she takes the right decision, well the editor can always replace any offensive material with some photos of Ash and Abhishek's wedding!!! :-)
OK...just realised that you have censorship set up on your blog comments...I tried to post my comments twice...before I came to that realisation....I am disgusted by this, I mean it!!! I was under the impression that you supported free speech as a fundamental right, but looks like you do not!! I am pretty sure this comment will not show up in the blog comments...but i don't care, had to vent!!! If you moderate comments on posts, you should not let visitors post any comments at all!
Again, I apologise for my naivete, I will never post a comment to your blog, unless you convince me that this little piece of censorship you implement is not to hinder free speech.
Hey there..
Not at all.. I dont even read things posted by people I know .. i just publish them..
This censorship is to prevent someone from posting vulgar comments on my blog..
Hope you realise the need of this..
I am sorry if this offended you in any sense.. but trust me.. it is really in place for the reason i mentioned above and nothing else!
Well I guess there has been a slight ocnfusion..
According to you..
"Yellow Journalism refers to the sensationalization of news"
and I guess the general context, from watever i can gather, is that its also used for creation of news..
There is a very slight difference.. between creation of news.. sensationalizing news.. and news in the context of what we were talking of..about a planned assassination.
Well.. as far as scandals are concerned your point is correct.. but here the point being discussed is about some freak group taking law in their hands! I understand the delicate relationship between a journalist and his sources..
I agree that there are a lot of things on stake.. and the journalist, may be correct.. in not revealing this information beforehand.. but why only talk about this one news.. tell me in general is Indian Media really Responsible?!
I agree with you to some extent, but I still think its a grey area, political scandals that I mentioned are incidental, its still a crime nevertheless. Anyways, no, I don't think the Indian media acts responsibly, but in the time that I have been in the US, I have realised, neither does the media here, so thats two countries, I don't know about the rest but I don't think its too farfetched to believe that most media, almost all over the world is corrupt, in some cases the corruption might be too much.
Well I guess you are right..corruption has seeped so deeply inside in this today's world..its almost like blood pumping continuously through the veins of this nation!