The Complan Boy

As a hard-core Shahid fan, I find it amusing to know that he was the same guy whom I had liked when I was a kid! ;)

I thought, Shahid was my Chocolate Hero... Just learnt that is also a Complan Boy! :)

Remember the ad in which a boy holds out a mug of Complan health drink saying, "I'm a Complan boy" and the sister nudges at him and says, "I'm a Complan girl". The boy was Shahid & the girl was Ayesha!

Have a look at the ad once again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-fysFHfBYM

And look at the pics... I am not sure though... wonder if this is real or some gossip!!

Jab We SMS-ed!

Can you guess what 6 rupees & the story below can do?
Just read on…

1) There was a boy who liked a girl. So he proposed that girl. But the girl said no.

2) So he started making friendship with the girl’s best friend, so that can maro chance on that heroine, and can finally pato-fy her.

3) But then the villain came into picture. The heroine’s brother is an actual “bhai”… so he gets angry & now there is a fight sequence. Mara mari.

4) Then what happens?
a. Then the villain & the heroine’s best friend meet & fall in love.
b. Someone said that just teach that villain some gyan by doing gandhigiri.
c. The hero should win that mara mari, that’s what happens in the movies… right?

5) And then the climax…
The boy suddenly wakes up from his sleep. He realizes that all that had happened was actually a dream!! Then the boy goes & proposes the girl. She says yes. They get married and live happily ever after!!

And then Shrikant announced the climax of the story on Radio Mirchi… And he said, “Atul, woh hero-heroine happily rahe na rahe, main tumko happy banata hoon, aapko ko deta hoon Budhwar Block Buster ke couple movie tickets!!”

Atul & me had reached our home parking by then… And we were like “yeeeeeeee”!!! We had won weekend tickets for the movie “Jab We Met”! We ran upstairs to charge Atul’s mobile, because its battery had died out, just after sending the SMS to Radio Mirchi- We thought we can get a call from RM anytime now!

Yestreday Atul picked me up from office. We were in car listening to RM. Shrikant announced on RM the first 3 lines of the story above. Then he said, send an SMS for “what happens next in the story”. I sent him an sms. My SMS was read out… I sent him 4 (a). But when he announced the ticket-winners, my name was not there. Then he said, now complete the story… send us the climax of the story. I took Atul’s mobile & sent the climax.

And guess what… Today morning me too got a call from RM that even I have won the Block Buster Budhwar ke movie tickets!!!
Yahooo!!

And I am thinking, wow, we are so great!! We earn even when we leave office… Every minute is precious, they say. So while we travel back home in Pune’s atrocious traffic, we utilize the time by earning some fun :))

Atlas Shrugged

I completed reading Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" last week. Her ideas, her philosophy and the characters in the book set my head wondering... Here goes something what I felt about this book...

Overall, Atlas Shrugged is a good read. Unlike other novels, I took a lot of time to read the book. And it was not just because it's a huge book, but because, I felt there is something to think about in every sentence in the book.

In the book, one point that Ayn Rand has tried to convey is that a man's mind is very valuable. Infact the book suggests that if people with a "great mind" go on strike, the whole world collapses!

In the book, there are 2 sections of people: people with great mind (Atlas) and people with no mind and no purpose. The people with no purpose in their life are the cause of evil. But hey, are'nt there people in this world who fall under a third category: people who desire to have a purpose in their life, but who do not possess the great brains that will tell them what their purpose is? Such people want to be good, but cannot think on their own. Such people need guidance in thinking. Such people think what they are told to think!
What happens to such people who later realise that they were under evil influence throughout? This is answered by what happened to Cheryl Taggart, Jim taggart's wife.

Unfortunately, the book doesnt answer how these "normal" people are expected to live. It made me believe that the people who are not clever will always lie at the mercy of their rulers, who can be good or bad. And since the normal people are not clever, they will not be able to choose their leaders rightly.

Another point that Ayn Rand conveyed was John Galt's declaration: "I swear - by my life and my love of it - that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." It means, you must not sacrifice yourself or your mind for others.

If I have a great mind and I can invent something that can benefit the whole world; The world has bad people, good people and the normal people. But if I feel that the world is currently under the influence of bad people, then what should I do? Since I have the great mind and the brain, I SHOULD be able to fight against the bad people, right? It is like the war between the Gods and the Devils. God has to win. But how? By destroying the whole world (the world which consisted of some poor guys who could not think) and then re-building the world again?

I feel, in such practical cases, the good guy needs to "sacrifice" something in order to gain that eternal happiness. One should not be forced to sacrifice himself - thats murder. But sometimes sacrifice gives immense pleasure. Sometimes it feels good to give away your food to someone else, to see him happy while you starve, doesnt it?

You cannot eliminate emotions from a man. You cannot seperate out reason and emotions. They are inter-linked. In the book, Dagny, Fransisco, Hank and John Galt too were shown to have emotions. Dagny decided to join the strike very late - after she "felt" anger due to what was being done to John. Her decision was coupled with emotions and it was not just reason. The book itself was contradicting it philosophy...

At the end of the book, what I felt was, Wesley Mouch and his lot tried to murder a man's mind. And Johh Galt and others killed the whole world by deciding not to use their minds!

And even after reading the book what I felt was, the book was "good in theory", but practically this is not possible. If one has the great brains, then he should use them and help those who cannot think. And I was talking just like those mentioned as "evils" in the book!! :)

I did not agree with Ayn rand's philosophy in the book. And yet, I liked the book!!

What I took from the book was: A country depends largely on its leaders. And most of the leaders do not have those great minds. But they know politics. They have their selfish ideas, which result into doom. Our country is in such a devastating situation. And we need some good theory and some great minds who can come up & get our country into good hands!

Circle Vs Line

In "Atlas Shrugged", Ayn Rand said, "A man's life should not be a circle. It should be a straight line". And this sentence triggered some thoughts in my mind...

A circle defines a boundary. A straight line represents an arrow, it points to your goal.

Life like a circle means a secure life. You have made both ends meet and now you are living a happy life. No more struggles. Things beyond this circle are not known, and hence not disturbing. Your life is confined to the boundaries of the circle. You keep traveling round and round on the circle. You live a life called as "regular".

Life like a straight line means progression. You are constantly fighting to move ahead. Every new step is an adventure. Life for you is not just about making ends meet. It is much more. You keep setting new targets for yourself and you keep moving along a new path.

Living life in a straight line is like living with the time. You move ahead with time. Things of the past are left behind. Time also always moves ahead in a straight line.

Living life in a circle means living a closed life. Bound with some rules and regulations. People who live life in a circle are more traditional, more conservative.

If you look around, most of the people live life in a circle. It takes a lot of guts to live life in a straight line. And this is a mark of a great man.

A Different Independence Day

15 August 2007. India will celebrate 60 years of independence.

Sometimes I wonder, what does Indian Independence really mean to us today? What do we do on 15th Aug? We might get up late. We will buy small tirangas with those spinning chakras attached to them. And then very efficiently we will tie them to our vehicle. All day patriotic songs will be played on Radio Mirchi. That’s it!

We crib that nothing seems to work in India. We curse our system and say “Nothing is going to happen to this country”. It’s good that we realize that there are a lot of issues with our country. And the all issues are inter-linked, forming a vicious circle. But what are we doing to break this vicious circle?

Our heroes of the past cleaned our home for us. They told us "Kar chalein hum fida jaan aur tan saathiyon, ab tumhare hawalein vatan saathiyon". They have handed us the batons. It’s our duty now to wake up and take firm steps to better our country.

This 15th August, let us all do something, anything simple, that will make this Independence Day different.

You can decide to plant a tree or make your maid servant happy by giving her a holiday too. Or you can think of doing some kind of social service. You can do that little bit to avoid pollution by not taking out your vehicle – you can cycle instead! Small things as such cannot change all our issues at an instant. But at least you can give it a start. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

So on this Independence Day, try to do something that can make a difference. It will. And what more, you can share your experiences / episodes of the day, so as to motivate all those around you!

What If I...

This was my first attempt to write a poem when I was given "half a title" for the poem! Yes, I was to write something for the section "What if I..." of our magazine and I chose to write a poem on "What if I could travel back in time?"

What If I Could Travel Back In Time?

Many a times when I look back
And stare at the “one-way” sign
I wonder what would be,
If I could travel back in time!

I would not have watched that TV serial
And instead studied a bit harder
I would not have made that “silly mistake”
And would have scored a grade higher!

I would have uttered that “sorry” word
When we had debated onto days for nigh…
I would have hugged my best friend once more,
Before I bid her a good-bye…

I would have sat beside my grandmother
As she counted her last few moments
I would keep rewinding time till that instant
Beyond which I would never let it progress.

I would have traveled back to the time,
To see the world when I was not even born,
I would then understand what our grandparents meant,
When they said “Those days have gone!”

Gradually the years would pass and
In the mirror, an old woman I’d see.
The nearing “end” wouldn’t scare me anymore,
‘Coz a child again I can be!

There are so many things that I would have done
If I could travel back in time!
But hey! Then I’d just live in the past…
And then wouldn’t my future turn grime?!

Copyright ©

I Promise!

Writing was a passion for me some many years ago. And now, after living these many years, I wonder what’s happened to me. I feel I can’t write anymore. I feel like writing, but I can’t write. And do you know the reason why? I know the reason. It’s simply because I am too busy. Or at least I feel so. What a shame.

I feel like writing so many things. Atleast twice a day some really exciting thoughts cross my mind & I decide I am going to pen down (or rather “type ‘em” or “key in”) my thoughts. But I don’t do it.

I have decided that I am going to be more serious with this passion of mine. I promise to be more regular. Yes, that’s a promise!

Basic Needs

I have seen people whose life revolves around the basic needs of life. Their aim is to eat healthy food, exercise daily, sleep well and then every morning "download" the food properly! To stay healthy, fit and fine, they will set up the most ideal routine & achieve perfection in it. When they grow old, they will feel proud that they are very healthy and suffer from no illness. They have enough stamina and are content that they have lived a perfect life.

But my view differs on this point. Its good to eat healthy food daily & keep yourself fit and fine. But to keep your body in such a perfect state, you sacrifice a lot in life. To keep your health perfect, you do not travel different places, as that alters your routine for a few days. You dont taste different foods: as you are always skeptic about the quality, hygiene and nutritive contents. You need to sacrifice on your other hobbies, as they may come in the way of your perfect healthy routine. To achieve some out-of-the-ordinary things in life, you need to put in a lot of effort, which comes at the cost of your health: eg - to get good marks, one may have to study for hours, affecting his food timings & sleep timings. To be good at office, especially a software life, again you are living a "non-ideal healthy" life. You do not venture out to do the unexplored, lest it may affect your health!

I believe in the following lines:
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out & screaming 'WOO HOO - What a ride!' "

Life is not about sitting at home, doing only the basic needs to survive. It helps you maintain your body well, but hey - what have you actually achieved in life? What was your life worth? Look at life beyond the basic needs of the body. One has to die one day anyways... Isnt it important to live a "complete" life, even if it is short? What is the use of a life which has an intact splendid body, but nothing else - nothing else at all? Sometimes to build a perfect soul, one sacrifices his health. Isnt it more important to build a perfect soul than a perfect body?

The Cricket Mania

Cricket World Cup 2007. Will India make it to the Super 8's? Suspense. Excitement. World cup record against Bermuda. Cheer. Fans. And a murder.
A murder?

Yesterday we had a collage-making competition in office, where we had to make a collage on "Cheer India for World Cup 2007". Cheer India... I thought, isn't all the cheering enough? Aren't we cheering too much already? Hoo-haa India. Aya India. And what not! I am not particularly a cricket fan. But I love sports: Sounds ironic, right? Thats because Cricket seems to have become an exception in the sports category. The real "spirit" of the game is lost. If India wins, you are a proud Indian. You party. You celebrate. And if India loses, you will burn effigies. You will attack the cricketers' houses. Well, thats not how a game is played!!

"When The Great Scorer comes to write against your name, you write not if you won or lost, but how you played the game!" And how is this game being played? There is so much money put in the sport that it no longer remains a sport. It is a game of poker being played by some rascals; and the cricketers are used like the cards.

How can I know that the match I will see today is not a pre-decided match? How can I be assured, that the players playing on the field are playing their true game, without surrendering to pressures & the power of money?

And now, with the murder of Bob Woolmer, the game has reached the peak of corruption. I think, the time has come to ban the game.

Live your Questions...!

... Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart.

Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language.

Do not now look for the answers.

They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them.

It is a question of experiencing everything.

At present, you need to live the question.

Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer some distant day.

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Tax!!

They said that you must pay your tax with a smile!
I tried it... But then they said, they wanted cash!!

As a tax payer, I want to know if I have the right to know what was done with the money I paid to the government? I do not mean the general details - but ALL the details... Where is my money going?

All of us do some kind of recording of their expenses. Some do it in their minds, while others prefer writing it down. How much you earn, how much you spend -All this is tracked in our little "finance notebooks". And there goes one entry under the title "TAX".

Currently India is experiencing a software boom. Every person - left, right & centre - works in an IT company with a hefty pay. And with this hefty pay comes a hefty tax. What is happening to this huge tax that we all are paying?

We have economists who are talking about the "economic imbalance" that is being created because of the growing software industry in India. They are talking about things like "only the software professionals are getting richer, everything else remains where it is". This maybe somewhat true... But cant our great Economists come & tell us how we can do good with the money that is flowing from the global market into India?

I am ready to pay double the tax that I am paying today - If only I can be assured that the money I am paying is going to those needy poor people... I perfectly agree about the economic imbalance. So what can be the solution? Are we expected to step down, so that everyone is equal? Or can we pull up the ones below, so that we are equal? Definitely the second option is better... But how can it be implemented? By paying our tax into the pockets of those who promise to lead our nation? Wont the rich continue to become richer in such a case?!! :)