Blank

It was 9:20 PM. I was sipping coffee at the open air CCD at Salarpuria Softzone. My usually hyper active state of mind was toned down to normalcy after a daylong work. Cheerful compositions of  Indian Ocean (Hille le Jhankjor Duniya) were soothing my ears. A mild downpour dampened the mud filling a pleasant fragrance of freshness in the air. And, obviously, a cab was waiting for me to drop me home.                                     

I finished my coffee and leisurely ambled towards the cab. The driver was prompt and polite. He adeptly took the vehicle out of the office premises and soon we were racing on the well lit outer ring road. Dim orange lights on the highway instilled a strange feeling of warmth in me. Cool breeze was cutting through my face. There was no traffic to hinder my momentum. I felt in full control of life with clarity of destination and a superb momentum coupled together.

WOW!! Life seemed perfect. No pressure of ambition. No anticipation of future. No attention to action. Of course, it is these which make our life interesting. But, may be a few moments of blank existence could be wonderful in our busy/exciting/challenging schedules.     

Cheers J

Pain of Helplessness

It’s a pleasant winter morning. Glints of sunshine are embracing the beauty of jungle with birds singing in gay and animals feeding on lush green meadows. Lying there hidden in the tall grasses is a hungry tigress with her ferocious eyes cemented on her prey. The scent of her prey is sending shivers through her spine prodding her to satiate her hunger; her mind is mapping counter moves for every move of the would be victim; jolts of blood are racing to the tip of her limbs; her body is filled with detonating spanks of adrenaline and with each passing moment her hunger is mounting to unbearable limits.

Unwilling to stand any more, she lifts herself up and leaps towards the prey with all its energy and preparation. And thug!!!! She has gotten no where. She reminds herself of her crippled limbs. In place of finding her powerful jaws on the neck of her prey, she finds herself dejected and fallen on the ground. She finds herself in the agony of her inability in spite of her enormous potential to ambush, hunt, strangle and rip the victim apart. She roars, deafening than ever, not to ascertain the jungle of her majestic presence but only to vent her frustration.

What should she do? Give up her existence to the whims and fancies of circumstance? Fight back abortively till the last ounce of her energy is dried out? How would she overcome the pain of her helplessness…….. HOW?????

Are we ready to LIVE IN?

Supreme courts advocacy to live in relationships has come just in time when the new term - coined into our society from west - is gaining an unprecedented popularity. However, our preparedness to this term is still open to question.

There are two facets to this issue - firstly the cultural aspect and secondly the legal aspect. Both law and Culture are a set of mores to be followed by a person in a society for his well being as well as the well being of the society. The only difference between them being that law is national in its approach where as culture is communal. Having said that, it is apt to notice that these norms ought be flexible as priorities, perspectives and lifestyles of people change with the changing face of time.

One of the reasons for prevalence of this term is urbanization. With growing urbanization and competition levels soaring high in the corporate world; working professionals are subjected extreme pressures. In such a high pressure life style, it is natural to seek an emotional support from a person of your choice. Though it can be found in a legally married life as well, it is easy to corner such a prospect given the responsibilities and commitments (additional pressure) which follow it. Adding on to it, is the undue importance given to cultural norms over personal happiness by the elderly of our society which further motivates youngsters to seek comfort in live in relationships. Another prominent factor which paved way to this culture is empowerment of women. With increasing percentage of literacy and working class among women; it is evident that today's women unlike 1980's are decisive and bold enough to defy inordinate imposition of these norms against their own will. Thus our ancestral cultural norms might end up being irrelevant in a few aspects with these changes taking place in our society. Instead of imposing an ancestral culture upon its children, our society must learn to leave the choice of culture to the discretion of an individual. As far as contentions in the light of preserving our cultural identity are concerned - it has to be understood that our cultural identity can only be preserved by highlighting the salient features of it, not by forcing our progeny to follow it. Hence, in this regard, a phenomenal change in the legal attitude of our country is commendable.

However, only a legal sanction to this issue is not enough. India is already plagued with a spate of social tensions in the name of caste, religion, region, financial strength and etc. Thus, it is in no position to host a new kind of social unrest which might emanate due to frequent break up of these relationships. These social issues will come to fore in the form of unhappy, underperforming individuals and a set of unwanted children. Our country is already muscling with several issues in regard to the later like inadequate skill building facilities, child labor and inordinate population growth; it can not afford to have a set of children - that too from urban parents - with psychological issues like rejection, under confidence and etc.

Thus, it is of at most importance for our Judicial bodies to send necessary directives to our govt. to educate youngsters with salient features of our cultural identity and set up psychological help facilities for children & couples which are evidently absent in our society.

How did they miss it - COP15

Stick to the Basics!! Stick to the Basics!! Stick to the Basics!!
All my life till date, I have been continually reminded of this fundamental sutra. However, I had always cursed myself for digressing from the same until the day of December 7th.

On the day of December 7th, to much of my own delight; I saw the world leaders making the same mistake at Copenhagen, Denmark. There were three basic facts missed by the United Nations that led to the rout which we have all witnessed.

Firstly, the summit was a conglomeration of 193 independent nations. That is to say, 193 different cultures, opinions, approaches to the issue and of course 193 different sets of personal problems to be considered before signing any agreement. Even a lay man passing by would accept that it is nearly impossible to strike a conclusive deal in a conference with a diversity of this magnitude. In a setting of 193 parties, the list of things which can go wrong is endless. How did they miss it?

Secondly, it was an ambitious conference lacking necessary homework. The conference aimed at confining emissions of the world through a legally binding accord. However, there are many speculations regarding the climate change predictions. Many countries including Russia which is 1/9th of the worlds land mass, believe that the predictions are mere exaggerations. A few also believe that the developed countries are eying at the commercial deals which would arise through technology transfer agreements after obliging the world to a legally binding accord. Every nation seems to be having a different self interest and a different estimate of this issue. With such a disparity in the approach towards the basic theme of the conference, a legally binding conclusion was close to impossible. The UN aimed to make COP15 "the turning point of the world", although necessary prior efforts to bring the world to a same tempo and estimate of the issue were not made . How did they miss it?

Thirdly, deification of Mr. Barrack Obama. Through his fantabulous oratory skills and ideals, he has successfully created an impression being the elixir of the world. But, before being anything else, he is the president of United States of America. Irrespective of his ideals and speeches, he can not do anything without the consent of his own people. And, a recent survey has indicated that the citizens of America were least concerned about the issue of climate change. It was also revealed that Americans looked at the summit as a plot set by the world to milk America of its treasure in the guise of climate change fund. How did they miss it?

Modernity - who is in control?

There is nothing to deny in saying that "science and technology" is the driving force of current economy. Any thing and everything around us is some way connected to the advent and growth of technology on this earth. This view is widely held since Marx. He has once stated that the driving force of history is technological advance. The economic structure which has been built by us (humans) is inconceivable with out these two words. For instance, with out technology we wouldn't have had manufacturing units, that is to say we wouldn't have had jobs, trade, consultancies, money, comforts and etc.

However, in the midst of such an economic structure, I would like to draw your attention towards the fundamental difference between science and technology as two different terms. Though, science and technology share the same kind of rational thinking based on empirical observation and knowledge of natural causality, there is a fundamental difference in the attitude of these two terms. Science is concerned with truth, where as technology is with utility. Where science seeks to know, technology seeks to control & conquer.

This very attitude of technology has made it an asset to the earth in a commercial sense and also a threat in an existential sense. Though the reasons for both are very well understood by us; I would like to throw some light on Technology being a threat in a different perspective.

In the current state of modernity, there are two alarming things to be addressed. Firstly, the nature of technology and secondly, our perception of nature.

There are many entities in this nature like rivers, ocean, land, forests etc. Every entity has its own share of control over the natural cycles. Like wise, over a period of time, Technology has also grown to become entity which has power or a force which seeks to control. Technology in the modern community, is not an entity which mankind can use whenever it wants. It has rooted itself into our basic existence. It paved way for the entire economic structure. It has brought us to an economic state where all of us are governed by two objectives "Efficiency and power". Once a society goes down the path of technological development it will be inexorably transformed into a technological society, a specific type of society dedicated to values of efficiency and power. There is no way out. In other words, technology has been successful in gradually enslaving us to itself.

We can even see this happening too - every nation, every company, every individual is in a continuous quest for improving efficiency as power is concomitant with efficiency. Everyone talks about energy conservation, environmental protection and etc but no one comes forward to relinquish their efficiency in the name of saving nature unless there is some economic benefit out of it. Meetings, conferences, lectures and etc are organized by the international community only to blame each other. Adding on to it, are a few companies which are using eco - friendly as a punch word in their publicity campaigns. Even at the individual level, we have unlearn t the habit of listening to our inner voice. We are inadvertently under a constant pressure from rules of efficiency.

This dominance of nature has gradually changed our perception towards nature too. Today, we have derogated nature to simply a source of raw materials rather than appreciating it as an object of autonomy and beauty. Everything is looked at as a resource that yields what man wants whenever he demands them to do so. For example, we have started looking at a river as a source of hydel power or source of transportation which can be used whenever needed. The river is not anymore seen with an appreciating perspective. An engineer would not have any qualms in destroying the natural beauty of a valley for making a dam. We simply do not have enough time to stand and stare as we are always in a hunt for higher efficiency. The irony is, day in and day out, at our work places and residences, we are persistently involved in a conquest to win over nature. And at the same time, we are in search of natural beauty for holidays.

At the outset, it seems to me that we are not in control of this place. The entity called "intelligence" which enables us to rule this world has ultimately ousted us from the drivers seat. We are in no control of our own intelligence; in fact we are blindly following it, heedless to the response of nature to our deeds. But then what is to be done? There is no viable answer to this question till date as no community wishes to give up on it's efficiency. Of course, there is a philosophical answer to it, given by thinkers like Plato, Heidegger and etc.

Precisely, they say, science is the only recourse in this predicament. The prowess of human intelligence should be focused towards exploring nature not exploiting it. Science should not be merely a unit which provides technology with timely discoveries. It should be an entity which unfolds the complete truth of nature. It is only when science has a comprehensive understanding of truth; technologies working in tandem with nature can be developed. In this conception there is no radical discontinuity between technical making and natural self-production because they both share the same structure. Plato in one of his speech said:

"We humans are not the masters of nature but work with its potentials to bring a meaningful world to fruition. Our knowledge of that world and our action in it is not arbitrary but is in some sense the completion of what lies hidden in nature."

We can only hope this will happen as soon as possible.

Incomprehensible...

On my way home from college (1700 km in train), I witnessed a peculiar set of people who actuated an interesting but an abortive thought process in me.

To the right of me was a demure Indian bride who hardly spoke a couple of sentences during her 28hr long journey. Her appearance made me believe that she was married at a very young age (she was not more than 22) and lived a life without any excitement. Dearth of happiness in her marital life was evident from the grave expression on her face. Adding on to the gravity of her life was her husband; each time I looked at him, I saw a beast intimidating a weakling with his imperious looks.

If that was the sight besides me, in front of me was a girl from IIT Patna with a cheerful countenance. The pride of qualifying through IIT JEE was pronounced in her eyes. Her body language clearly indicated the affluence of hope and excitement in her life. Her alacrity was phenomenal to an extent which made me look at her with awe only after a few moments of our interaction.

Looking at both the casts of human existence in the same diorama of life, I could not stop my self from asking how god justifies this drastic difference in life styles. If every human being on the earth is a progeny of god, why are some people privileged and some are not? For a few people success is as obvious as a man being called by nature every morning. It is obvious to an extent that the person doesn’t even realize the importance of it and turns arrogant. At the same time, success is like a distant star which is unreachable yet alluring for a few people in spite of their arduous efforts. WHY?

There are many philosophies and scientific studies which say that all of us are born with similar set of capabilities and it is our upbringing which makes us what we are. So, our performance in life is largely dependent upon circumstances in which we grow up. However, a child does not have the liberty to choose a house, a society, parents or any other parameter where he wants to take birth and grow up. That is to say, a person does not have a choice in the childhood, but it is imperative for him to face the consequences (either good or bad) in the adulthood. How does god justify this? At the age of twenty one, an individual can be considered capable enough to be the architect of his own life but not at the age of one.

In the current scenario, who has to be blamed for the young bride’s life full of privations? Is taking birth in an uneducated society and to ignorant parents her mistake? Doesn’t she deserve to be as happy as the other girl from IIT? In addition, how can GOD justify a competition between a boy from a rural background and a boy from an urban background in CAT? The difference need not be in the back grounds either; it could be in the quality of schooling, parents, facilities, exposure, influence and so on. After all, every parent can not provide his children with best schooling.

In conclusion, all of it sums up to one question

"Is GOD really the care taker of justice? Or is he playing some kind of a game?"

I don’t know and I don’t find any answer other than “every thing being the aftermath of our previous life”, which is extremely unfathomable to me.

May be the answers to these questions are out of my scope of understanding but I strongly realize that one should never fall into the domain of arrogance(which most of us do) after some achievements. It is very important to realize that every individual on this earth (supported with a proper attitude towards life) has a spark to do something great. It is just a matter of time, ambience and attitude........

Who killed Benazir?

Let me narrate a story…………….

To the west of our country, there lives an under dog named "Zardari" who has been yearning for power with out any attitude for it. He enjoyed the perks of power during the regime of his wife as a prime minister and got involved in corruption, money laundering, skimming of government projects and etc. Subsequently, he faced many law suits and was thrown out of the country. However after nine years of exile (period of musharaff's dictatorship) from Pakistan, he smartly used the National Reconciliation Ordinance in the name of his wife to get amnesty and return to Pakistan.  

After having tasted the privileges of power, he did not want to be an under dog anymore. He wanted to be truly powerful and out of the clutches of any restrictions. Now this chap looked around for possibilities and found none. But he understood that political scenario in Pakistan was changing and this was the only opportunity to taste "power". In his search for avenues, he realized that his wife has always over shadowed him. He found himself succumbing to his male ego and desperation of gettting into power. As a consequence, he chalked out a devious plan to eliminate his wife.  

He got in touch with a few anti social elements and executed his plan of killing his wife to perfection. Apart from eliminating a bottleneck (his wife); the assassination also helped him by defaming Parvez Musharaff for security lapses.  

Pakistan lost the only leader who could reinstate democracy. Now, there was a buzz in public; "Who would be the champion of democracy?”. Even before his opponent Nawaz Sheriff could come back to a state of normalcy after the shock of Bhutto's death, Zardari used a card of sympathy to answer the public. Very soon he started canvassing to augument his public support. Naïve and artless people got carried away by his façade of philanthropy, false tears, soothing promises, patriotism and accepted him as their leader. Now, the widower of slain former Prime Minister became party chairman and a member of parliament.

 
Though this chap wanted totalitarianism, his party failed to manage complete majority. He found that Nawaz Sheriff was the only recourse and tied up with him in the name of reinstating democracy. He refused to be the Prime Minister to prevent any kind of ego conflicts with Nawaz Sheriff; once his opponent who then became a proponent. At the same time, he also projected him selves as a true symbol of democracy by not being power hungry. In addition, to avoid any kind of disturbances from army (a potent center of power), he requested Musharaff to continue as the President of Pakistan.

 
Situation now appeared to be stable, but this fellow was still restive. He was busy in garnering support from other small parties and establishing a dialogue with army. As soon as a dialogue with army was established he made use of rancor in public and Nawaz Sheriff for Musharaff to dethrone him from the president’s office.

 
By augumenting support from smaller parties, he ditched Nawaz Sheriff and sent him back to opposition bench. After all, it is very difficult for two powerful people to work in coalition. Moreover, Sheriff's demands (reappointment of judges) were also threatening his very existence in Pakistan.  

By now, all his work was done. He has eliminated every one. Now, who else can be the President of Pakistan other than the touted architect of its democracy; Asif Ali Zaradari.  

As the most powerful person in Pakistan (though on paper), he was aware of the fact that he would be sandwiched between international pressure and domestic pressure from army(terrorists). To avoid any such kind of pressures, he started making pro India and anti terrorism statements. At the same time, continued supporting militant activities of army under table to safe guard his life and maintain domestic peace. (How can a Pakistani Preseident still be alive in spite of his radical statements against army?)Now, the pressure turned in to cushion of support from both the international and domestic ends.

With this cushion of support and prerogatives of presidency, he is living happily ever since.  

Now, who killed Benazir Bhutto?

Quest for an 'I'

Being an adherent of IT BHU, I would be elated to see our college become an IIT, as it would instigate a new wave of reforms with in the campus. Keeping aside the monetary issues and the personal benefits; I am looking at the transformation which would occur in the mind set of this place, over a period of time.

Stringency; as I feel, is the most vexing problem that besets our campus. This attitude has to be rooted out in order to ensure a better performance . But, unfortunately, with more and more young recruits falling into the penumbra of their stringent seniors; the quality seems to persist. And in such a scenario, the advent of an another 'I' might prove prolific in extirpating this canker. 

However, in spite of numerous advantages of another 'I', I some how can not stop myself from thinking if we really deserve it. Are we truly a class apart? Surprisingly, the doubt emanates from the reasons which we say support our conversion to an IIT. 

Coming to the first, which says, IT BHU is an established institute which has been serving the nation from the past few decades. This could be easily rebutted by citing the examples of Jadhavpur University, JNU, Delhi University etc. Even these institutes have propelled our nation with a substantial intellectual impetus. Arguments like quality of teaching, standard of professors, infrastructure etc also meet the same fate. We might be a little better than them but we are definitely; not a class apart. 

Now, coming to the most hyped and contended point which says "IT BHU has been enlisting students from the JEE system since 1973"; it is very true to say that students here are a class apart. But then, should that be a matter of focus at all?

Is there any point in boasting about the quality of influx when a university is not able to improvise it? I can state it categorically that 2 among 3 of us would accept that they have lost most of their intellectual capabilities after coming to this place. 

The quality of exodus, teaching practices, industry interface and etc. are the parameters through which the performance of a university should be measured. And in this regard, there are several other universities also which are putting up a rather good show. 

Looking into ourselves - The student community. Being the students of one of the best colleges of our nation, we are supposed to be at the heights of intellectual motivation with in our self. Only then, we will be doing some justice to the extra 'I' which would be adhered to our brand. Now, I ask, how many of us still have that spark of learning with in us? Most of us are simply in the languor of clearing IIT JEE. 

So, all the logics which support our conversion are relevant but refutable. The only point which is bolstering our protest for conversion is the promise which has been made to us by a few politicians. Hence, it can be concluded that our protest is totally on "emotional grounds" lacking a strong logical framework.  

I totally understand that I might be appearing cynical here. But, in my opinion, we should concentrate more on reforming our self than protesting in front of the Indian Parliament. The quest for another 'I' might be a secondary avocation but not our supreme focus at all.

After all, how can we justify the hunger strike or the Delhi march, by a set of students who are supposed to be intellectually motivated? Moreover, how could any one justify these moves with such a plangent logical framework? By dint of such protests, we are simply defiling our own image in the intellectual clime.  

What is success all about?

All my childhood, I have been taught about working hard, setting targets, accomplishing them and etc. In the incipient stages of my understanding of the world; I have observed society showering panegyrics on those who have a sheaf of accomplishments in their wake. By accomplishments I mean things like getting through competitive examinations, getting a good job, getting a promotion in the office etc . This led me to believe that achieving things brings about the ultimate greatness in ones life. 

But lately, I have started questioning this ingrained notion. As I feel today, successes we record might lead us to false illusions of grandeur and power. Very often I encounter people who are wrapped up in a cocoon of self satisfaction after tasting the savor of the "so called success". 

Today, I strongly feel that these conventional achievements are only a means to an end, but not the end. At the outset, worth of a persons life does not lie in the number of such successes he has garnered. But, it lies in "difference" he brings about by means of these successes. After all, only "a change" has the endurance of existing perennially in time.

In my opinion, a very successful person capable doing wonders and basking in the clime of his own achievements is merely an effete as compared to a normal person who has an aptitude towards bringing about a change; irrespective of the magnitude and subject of that change. Success in any competitive examination, educational degree or in any aspect of life for that matter can not really be called a "success" if it is not bolstered by an appropriate attitude. 

It is all about making a difference……
          where in the true greatness subsists……