DIARY OF A CONFUSED MAN

Finally you Die

2009-04-29T13:50:00.000+05:30

Yess!

Finally you die!

Tag

2008-12-13T02:10:00.001+05:30

Well at first I thought I will post my tag here since Shalini tagged me here. But then I loooked at the questions.. and thought this is a more appropriate blog of mine for the questions...

The Fire Within

2006-12-29T10:10:00.000+05:30

It is the fire within. The fire within that makes us write, write and write. And the same fire within on some days burn so strong that it burns us into cinders and render us inadequate. On such days all thoughts simply burn into flames and do not come out of the pen or the keyboard. I wonder if all human beings are such mixture of emotions. They must be. But it must be true that only those people who have been able to control and tame their emotions are successful in what they want to do -- love or career or whatever... So do not lost control. And like the wise man control your mind and not let it control you.

Why does one Blog?

2006-12-28T21:51:00.001+05:30

Somebody asked me what made me a blogger. Well here are my thoughts on that. I have these other blogs too:-

1. RELATIONSHIPS -- it is my blog on what I feel about relationships.

2. The Rate Race -- It is all about that parallel life that we lead to survive, just to exist. This life is different from the life which we would like to live had we not needed money to exist

3. Fascinating Nature -- This is a photography blog where I plan to post photos nature. I feel very close to nature and it affects me deeply. The sea, the mountains, the forests they all make me feel very different when I am amongst or near them. I would like to express my feelings through my photos.. If only I had time to go out. But nevertheless, I will do whatever I can under my constraints.

4. Flora and Fauna of India-- Another photography site where I plan to capture photos of flowers and animals that will show that humans may be the greatest creation of GOD but flowers and animals are as beautiful and no less worthy of sharing this world with us and also provide succour to the humans in form of simple beauty or utility. Again this site will need time to develop.

5. India through my Photoblog -- This is the site one of whose posts you visited and wrote to me from. This is what the name suggests. It will be photos on anything that is typically Indian... from eateries to to toilets to religious places to govt buildings.. to anything else. I have planned to depict photos that will show the world what we really are-- good or bad, ugly or pretty, humourous or sad... A complete India through my Photos.. Again a long task and a difficult one. I too want to see how best I can do it and whether I really have the talent to bring out what I want.

6. The diary of a confused man.... ..This ONE--this tells exactly what I am and why I am here through my posts. I think readers will see that I am a confused man indeed, not knowing why I am here on the web, what I want from life, what I plan to post and tell here, and how to do all that. So in short I am confused and so this name to my blog.

7. Fascinating India, Fascinating World -- this is a pure views blog. My vieWs on anything that is Indian or Global. I have always felt that this world and India works peculiarly, their govt works peculiarly and I would like to point out the pecularities and so this name. The ways of the woRld Fascinate me.

If anybody reads them and the posts they will get an insight on why I am here and how I cam here and what I am doing as a blogger.

I think Blogs in particular and the web in general are nothing but a manifestation of that inner thirst of the humans to create. This creation may result in information useful to others or plain sharing of thoughts which one would like to leave behind for the others to see. While creating we may also form bonds with each another-- be it in fhe guise of providing information (strutured or otherwise) in the name of science, history and all the subjects that we study or be it in the form of sharing thoughts or be it in the form of guding others or whatever form they take.

Barring the goal of earning money from the web by selling wares, information or even porn, I think all the matter that we see on the web are there only because someone took pain to create them there. And such pains are taken by people only because there is a foremost inner desire in all of us and that is CREATE. We as human beings have a natural urge to create and leave something behind us for posterity. This why mankind is evolving, had it not been so it would have died long ago.

After meeting the desire of creation I think the next inner desire in all of us is to form bonds with fellow human beings. When it comes to the web what better way is there than to create a blog or even a website of information which others read and maybe respond too? After all when readers respond, it not only gives a satisfaction of having created and being appreciated but also it makes one feel that there are some people who are reading one's thoughts.... even if one does not meet them ever- offline or online-- even the very people-count meter that says how many people have visited one's site probably gives a satisfaction to the creator of the page (blog or otherwise).... and sometimes we do meet people online and make friends too.

Q. What compelled or 'inspired' you to start your blog(s)?

-- As you can see from my 6 blogs, I have different reasons to start the same. One was maybe I was lonely even with family and work responsibilities. I am not a psychologist but an engineer by qualification and training. So I will not really know WHY I AM BLOGGING.. Perhaps a psychlogist would be in a better position to tell me or you why I am here. But on self introspection I can hazard some guesses. After all I know myself best!! So first was that I felt that my feeling of loneliness was not because I have no one to share my life with. But it something beyond. It is something about my thoughts. I feel my thoughts are something that need an outlet and if I only have a receptor to receive my thoughts.... Whether at office or at home somehow I do not feel like sharing them with anyone- because I do not find anyone suitable to share them with - because of the simple reason-- I feel my thoughts are too erratic, out of the context, difficult to understand for the people who are around me. But I needed an outlet. So I came here. Here at least I can write my tru thoughts and be damned about who likes them and who does not and who agrees with them and who does not.

Now this probably will tell you that as a human being I am one who does not want to listen to disagreements. It is not so. I am not talking of thoughts and ideas which I think are mine and correct. On such thoughts I am very open to debates but I only accept logical debates. And that is what is missing most of the times. But my thoughts are not always and mostly not on matters of debate.. i feel they are something that need to be shared and that is all. Someone should be there to listen that is all. They need not be commented upon or debated on. Most of my thoughts are not for debate to prove them right or wrong but are thoughts that should result in better / improved thoughts and feelings. Examples of this you will find on this site. And also on other sites.

Second reason of my coming here was my hobby of writing and photography. I can use them both here. I need to have something to do to keep my mind active after i retire and what better than dong something I like best? Writing and Photography- and maybe even better if I can combine them. So the blog or a personal web site seemed to be a good idea to get ahead on that distant goal of my life. This was one additional reason for me to come here others will have different reasons for their blogging.

Third reason was forming bonds with like minded individuals. I know the world is vast and I have proof that there are people like me.. who think like me.. and my blogs are invitations to them to link up. I have formed friendships with a couple so far and that is quite good an achievement for me I think and my good luck too. At least sitting from my home I am interacting with people whom I will probably never meet!! And I meet then nothing like it!!

Fourth reason of my blogging can be I have lots of free time now after work ... so to remain mentally active this seemed to me a good way.. I liked to read books and do gardening.. and I have seen my hobbies changed with age and time.. because of changes in circumstances supporting or prohibiting the hobbies. Like money is a problem in pursuing books.. you need money to buy or visit libraries at far places from home.. you need ground for proper gardening.. indoor and terrarce gardening in pots are not that feasible in such hot weather and waterless city. Swimming needs money toooooo - costly in Delhi and NCR... these are examples of why m hobbies changed with time.. the net is the cheapest way to spend time today. And so i took to the net.

Then I asked myself what I can do here? Well I have tried chatting and found that most of the people who chat are nubile fools bent upon some form of adultery or adult activities and only a few are really interested in pure friendships or believe in them. And even among them they are unable to separate the offline lives from their online ones. So even these people are not permanent on the web- they vanish when their offline lives clash with their online ones.

I saw sites which provide information and are very useful to readers. And I felt the urge to create something as I already have explained. So I went across articles on blogs and what they do and what can be the subjects. I found that blogs basically mean a daily log on the net. Web logs in short BLOGS. But that is best for some people who have created famous blogs of their experiences while travelling across the world constantly uploading text and images through their mobile phones and laptops. Others are maintaining their personal day to day logs of what they do everyday. But this latter one I find no use. Unless I can make it humorous why should others be interested in knowing what I am doing every day!!!??

SO I rejected the idea of a real blog-- a daily log on the web. And I have deviated into the different avataars of blogs as you can see from the description of my blogs above. The ones with photos are to help me develop my hobby of photography and get me some experience and satisfaction of having someone to see them. The other ones are to share my thoughts and form bonds with people and to make me release my emotions. So these blogs are basically helping me keep my sanity in a worryful world- they take me away for a while from the real world where I am bound by rules and demands. Here amongs my blogs I am a free man free to say what I want and feel and free to do what I like? Are bloggers escapists? No I do not think I am an escapist. I think because I want to be in the real world and survive there I am a blogger. Because being a blogger I am preserving my sanity by releasing my bottled up thoughts and then coming back to the real world charged up once again.

In the process if I make a friend or two-- what better I an ask for? Because they friends I will make here will be people like me!!

Unfortunately I find people do not like to reveal themselves even when appreciating my posts. There was someone who said my thoughts were exatly like hers.. as If I was reading her mind.. But then I DO NOT know who she is. I would have liked to know her because life is short and if we can find someone who is is like us we should bond as friends. and share our minds.. this is what I think.

Indian Govt Removes blockage of blogspot site

2006-07-31T12:08:00.000+05:30

THANKS GOD!! Sense has prevailed upon the Indian Govt. I can see my blogs now!! And now I can post my photographs and thoughts once more... sighhhhhhhhhhhhh

Indian Govt Goes Haywire

2006-07-20T00:31:00.000+05:30

Someone posted some instigating materials on some blog hosted by blogspot and so Govt of India went and censored the sites. ISPs in India in their eagerness to be stooges to this Govt of India have gone and blocked the whole og blogspot!!@~ And now how do people like us blog? After all the pain taken to build up blogs.. one day we find our basic independence being censored!!

This Govt has got to go!! From Quota to censorship to taxes... it is not doing anything rightly at all!!!!

Come next vote we shall see.

Fuel price: Govt, states gain more than oil firms

2006-06-12T18:09:00.000+05:30

This is a copy paste of a news item from TOI, Delhi, 12th june 2006. It is not my article but the red colouring is. It is probably because of wrong policies of this country which is why we are all suffering- the oil companies and the citizens. I have nothing more to say.

Quote:

Are petrol and diesel priced lower in India than in the international market? Not if we are looking at retail selling prices. For instance, the price of petrol in the US is about $2.90 per gallon today, which is equivalent to about Rs 34.50 per litre, way below the retail price for petrol anywhere in India. Diesel too costs about the same amount in the US, which is quite similar to the price of diesel in India.

Then why does the government complain of oil companies making losses on these products? The price we pay for petrol or diesel is not the price the oil companies get for them. In fact, less than half of what we pay for petrol actually goes to the oil companies. Calculation done by the petroleum ministry before the latest increase in prices, the oil companies net realisation on a litre of petrol sold at Rs 47 was merely Rs 20, while on a litre of diesel sold at Rs 33.4 their realisation was Rs 20.9. The estimated cost of crude alone to produce a litre of petrol or diesel without adding any levies would be about Rs 23. Hence the situation of oil companies having to suffer losses even on petrol and diesel.

Where does the rest of the money go? The bulk of the remaining part of the price of petrol goes to the central and state governments in the form of various levies. In the case of petrol, for instance, the calculations showed that the Centre imposed various kinds of excise duties that totalled up to about Rs 15 per litre. The states, in turn, imposed sales tax that worked out to an average of just under Rs 10 per litre. Other costs like dealer commissions, freight and marketing costs between themselves accounted for barely Rs 2.20 per litre. In the case of diesel, which is taxed relatively modestly by both the Centre and states, the total amount of levies per litre was about Rs 11 per litre.

If so much of the price is in the form of taxes, why can’t they be cut? This argument has been made by many. The argument is that since tax rates include an ad valorem component — that is a component fixed as a percentage of the pre-tax price — the Centre and states gain windfall revenues when prices go up. Hence, it should be possible for them to moderate the price increase by forgoing some of this supernormal revenues. In fact, even the Rangarajan Committee — which was set up to examine the entire gamut of issues relating to petroleum product pricing in India — had suggested that the government fix specific duties — that is, duties spelt out in rupees per litre — so that the tax component of the retail price does not go up as prices do. The same Committee had also recommended that state governments agree on a uniform rate of sales tax. At the moment, the rates vary widely across states, which explains to a large extent why retail prices are so different in different parts of the country. On petrol, for instance, the sales tax rate varies from 20% to 34% and on diesel from 12% to almost 29%. The latest decision by Maharashtra to forgo additional tax revenues on the increased price is a small step in the direction and there are indications that other states, particularly Congress-ruled states, might follow suit.

Enquote

Assam plans to cash in on bird suicide village

2006-06-12T17:47:00.000+05:30

There is a news item in Times of India Delhi, on 12th june 2006. It says "Assam plans to cash in on bird suicide village"

Is it the end of innovativeness that we cannot think of other means to get some money for a poor state or village that we have to resort to such paths. Instead of showing a concern for the deaths of the Migratory Birds, mankind is now going to earn money?

Where are the enironmentalists and Greenpeace and the rest? Are you there? I am sure the birds are NOT COMMITTING SUICIDE!! It is only humans who can think and so can feel pain and sorrow.Surely it is a scientific pheonomena that needs to be investigated by the world scientific fraternity and lovers of this world

PASSION AND THE EFFECT OF FEELING IN WORK

2006-06-10T23:01:00.000+05:30

Do you see REMIX on star one? I see. This Banerjee Girl is so tomboyish! Such a fighter!! She is tough!! She is a rebel. Any youngster reading my blog will know what I mean when I call a girl tomboyish and more if he or she has seen TV SERIAL CALLED “REMIX”.

And yet in the last episode Yuvaraj her erstwhile boyfriend (Oh I know the serial will have a happy ending.. and he will come back to her!!) has attacked her thinking she has stolen his cassette without which he cannot rehearse because he thought she wanted to show her spite on him for not agreeing to perform for the charity show she was interested in. Now folks it seems that this chap did not know the purpose of the charity show being organized by Banerjee Girl (what was her first name? hmm Anwesha!!). So there was a split in the BAND CALLED “REMIX” and So yuvi thought She wanted to take revengce and so has stolen his cassette. So he comes and shouts and fights and TEARS UP THE POSTERS CREATED BY ANWESHA !! AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE TOMBOY DID!! After all THE EPISODES OF TOMBOYISHNES AND BRAVERY AND MISCHIEF.. AND HAVING HER BACK AT BOYS.. SHE THIS TIME BROKE DOWN!!
SHE CRIED!!

Now Like any LITERATURE CRITIC I will tell you what it conveyed.. (I feel like writing my literature exam answering questions on some para from Shakespeare!!)

When a person is passionate about something he or she gives his or her whole life and mind on that subject and so when they see their dreams being thrashed they feel miserable REAL MISERABLE.
When someone cries. THE WORLD STANDS STILL. That is the way it should happen. Because in that cry and the tears that flow are the shreds of humanity that most of us have forgotten. In that cry and tears we should hear our own death knells because WHEN WE (YUVRAJ type of guys who does not understand the intentions of the other person) BREAK THE DREAMS OF THE PERSON WHO HAS A PASSION THEN WE ARE ONLY SEEKING OUR END (because the person or persons in this HEARTLESS World WHO RUN after some goal WITH A PASSION is only helping the world progress- be it in medical research or be it in Narmada Bachao Andolan or be it in waking up Society.. .. and so many more..
Some how The cry of the TOM BOY that night on the TV made me realize that IF WE ARE PASSIONATE ENOUGH IN OUR ATTEMPTS.. THE WORLD HAS TO STAND STILL TO MAKE WAY.. – Yuvaraj too stood still!!!! And joined hands with her!!!

My reply to the Researcher

2006-05-28T12:07:00.000+05:30

Hello Asim, I have put up this reply on my blogs too as I find this another material fit for posting on some of my blogs. I have these blogs if you may not have noticed and not just the one on Photography where you wrote to me. Specifically they are:-

1. RELATIONSHIPS -- it is my blog on what I feel about relationships

2. The Rate Race -- It is all about that parallel life that we lead to survive, just to exist. This life is different from the life which we would like to live had we not needed money to exist

3. Fascinating Nature -- This is a photography blog where I plan to post photos nature. I feel very close to nature and it affects me deeply. The sea, the mountains, the forests they all make me feel very different when I am amongst or near them. I would like to express my feelings through my photos.. If only I had time to go out. But nevertheless, I will do whatever I can under my constraints.

4. Flora and Fauna of India-- Another photography site where I plan to capture photos of flowers and animals that will show that humans may be the greatest creation of GOD but flowers and animals are as beautiful and no less worthy of sharing this world with us and also provide succour to the humans in form of simple beauty or utility. Again this site will need time to develop.

5. India through my Photoblog -- This is the site one of whose posts you visited and wrote to me from. This is what the name suggests. It will be photos on anything that is typically Indian... from eateries to to toilets to religious places to govt buildings.. to anything else. I have planned to depict photos that will show the world what we really are-- good or bad, ugly or pretty, humourous or sad... A complete India through my Photos.. Again a long task and a difficult one. I too want to see how best I can do it and whether I really have the talent to bring out what I want.

6. The diary of a confused man.... ..this tells exactly what I am and why I am here through my posts. I think readers will see that I am a confused man indeed, not knowing why I am here on the web, what I want from life, what I plan to post and tell here, and how to do all that. So in short I am confused and so this name to my blog.

7. Fascinating India, Fascinating World -- this is a pure views blog. My vies on anything that is Indian or Global. I have always felt that this world and India works peculiarly, their govt works peculiarly and I would like to point out the pecularities and so this name. The ways of the wold Fascinate me.

I told you all the names of my blogs so that if you find time and read the posts you will get an insight on why I am here and how I cam here and what I am doing as a blogger. Besides asking me questions and reading my replies I think this will give you additional information. In fact I feel you should do the same with all bloggers who take part in your research.

Well now to answer you.

I find your research interesting because your subject is one that touches the HUMAN BEING and its mental responses to external stimulii. Blogs in particular and the web in general are nothing but a manifestation of that inner thirst of the humans to create. This creation may result in information useful to others or plain sharing of thoughts which one would like to leave behind for the others to see. While creating we may also form bonds with each another-- be it in fhe guise of providing information (strutured or otherwise) in the name of science, history and all the subjects that we study or be it in the form of sharing thoughts or be it in the form of guding others or whatever form they take.

Barring the goal of earning money from the web by selling wares, information or even porn, I think all the matter that we see on the web are there only because someone took pain to create them there. And such pains are taken by people only because there is a foremost inner desire in all of us and that is CREATE. We as human beings have a natural urge to create and leave something behind us for posterity. This why mankind is evolving, had it not been so it would have died long ago.

After meeting the desire of creation I think the next inner desire in all of us is to form bonds with fellow human beings. When it comes to the web what better way is there than to create a blog or even a website of information which others read and maybe respond too? After all when readers respond, it not only gives a satisfaction of having created and being appreciated but also it makes one feel that there are some people who are reading one's thoughts.... even if one does not meet them ever- offline or online-- even the very people-count meter that says how many people have visited one's site probably gives a satisfaction to the creator of the page (blog or otherwise).... and sometimes we do meet people online and make friends too.

Well these are my feelings in short. Time is a constraint and so I cannot elaborate further on the other aspects of blogging and the web and how it affects us today. I know that is what you are planning to do, so would rather read what you conclude. even if it is eventually something which I already know but the work of the researcher is to collate & out forward to the world, what is already existing or wants to exist in a different form evolving from the existing ones, through his observations, questionning and reasoned conclusions.

Hence now I will just answer your two questions.

1. How did you learn about blogs? Well I am a computer friendly man- meaning I like anything that relates to computers and IT. And so I had an internet connection and have been surfing the web when it was possible in India.. as soon as I could.. and so knew about all that goes on in the www. Blogs are part of the same so I knew of blogs from the web only.

2. What compelled or 'inspired' you to start your blog(s)?
-- As you can see from my 6 blogs, I have different reasons to start the same.

One was maybe I was lonely even with family and work responsibilities. I am not a psychologist but an engineer by qualification and training. So I will not really know WHY I AM BLOGGING.. Perhaps a psychlogist would be in a better position to tell me or you why I am here. But on self introspection I can hazard some guesses. After all I know myself best!! So first was that I felt that my feeling of loneliness was not because I have no one to share my life with. But it something beyond. It is something about my thoughts. I feel my thoughts are something that need an outlet. Whether at office or at home somehow I do not feel like sharing them with anyone- because I do not find anyone suitable to share them with - because of the simple reason-- I feel my thoughts are too erratic, out of the context, difficult to understand for the people who are around me. But I needed an outlet. So I came here. Here at least I can write my tru thoughts and be damned about who likes them and who does not and who agrees with them and who does not.

Now this probably will tell you that as a human being I am one who does not want to listen to disagreements. It is not so. I am not talking of thoughts and ideas which I think are mine and correct. On such thoughts I am very open to debates but I only accept logical debates. And that is what is missing most of the times. But my thoughts are not always and mostly not on matters of debate.. i feel they are something that need to be shared and that is all. Someone should be there to listen that is all. They need not be commented upon or debated on. Most of my thoughts are not for debate to prove them right or wrong but are thoughts that should result in better / improved thoughts and feelings. Examples of this you will find on my RELATIONSHIP site. And also on other sites.

Second reason of my coming here was my hobby of writing and photography. I can use them both here. I need to have something to do to keep my mind active after i retire and what better than dong something I like best? Writing and Photography- and maybe even better if I can combine them. So the blog or a personal web site seemed to be a good idea to get ahead on that distant goal of my life.

Third reason is was forming bonds with like minded individuals. I know the world is vast and I have proof that there are people like me.. who think like me.. and my blogs are invitations to them to link up. I have formed friendships with a couple so far and that is quite good an achievement for me I think and my good luck too. At least sitting from my home I am interacting with people whom I will probably never meet!! And I meet then nothing like it!!

Fourth reason of my blogging can be I have lots of free time now after work ... so to remain mentally active this seemed to me a good way.. I liked to read books and do gardening.. and I have seen my hobbies changed with age and time.. because of changes in circumstances supporting or prohibiting the hobbies. Like money is a problem in pursuing books.. you need money to buy or visit libraries at far places from home.. you need ground for proper gardening.. indoor and terrarce gardening in pots are not that feasible in such hot weather and waterless city. Swimming needs money toooooo - costly in Delhi and NCR... these are examples of why m hobbies changed with time.. the net is the cheapest way to spend time today. And so i took to the net.

Then I asked myself what I can do here? Well I have tried chatting and found that most of the people who chat are nubile fools bent upon some form of adultery or adult activities and only a few are really interested in pure friendships or believe in them. And even among them they are unable to separate the offline lives from their online ones. So even these people are not permanent on the web- they vanish when their offline lives clash with their online ones.

I saw sites which provide information and are veru useful to readers. And I felt the urge to create something as I already have explained. So I went across articles on blogs and what they do and what can be the subjects. I found that blogs basically mean a daily log on the net. Web logs in short BLOGS. But that is best for some people who have created famous blogs of their experiences while travelling across the world constantly uploading text and images through their mobile phones and laptops. Others are maintaining their personal day to day logs of what they do everyday. But this latter one I find no use. Unless I can make it humorous why should others be interested in knowing what I am doing every day!!!??

SO I rejected the idea of a real blog-- a daily log on the web. And I have deviated into the different avataars of blogs as you can see from the description of my blogs above. The ones with photos are to help me develop my hobby of photography and get me some experience and satisfaction of having someone to see them. The other ones are to share my thoughts and form bonds with people and to make me release my emotions. So these blogs are basically helping me keep my sanity in a worryful world- they take me away for a while from the real world where I am bound by rules and demands. Here amongs my blogs I am a free man free to say what I want and feel and free to do what I like? Are bloggers escapists? No I do not think I am an escapist. I think because I want to be in the real world and survive there I am a blogger. Because being a blogger I am preserving my sanity by realeasing my bottled up thoughts and then coming back to the real world charged up once again.

In the process if I make a friend or two-- what better I an ask for? Because they friends I will make here will be people like me!!

Unfortunately I find people do not like to reveal themselves even when appreciating my posts. There was someone who said my thoughts were exatly like hers.. as If I was reading her mind.. But then I DO NOT know who she is. I would have liked to know her because life is short and if we can find someone who is is like us we should bond as friends. and share our minds.. this is what I think. I AM SURE other bloggers have other reasons and through your site and research I hiope to gain insights on how the human mind works...

hope you keep me updated. Thanks.

Research on blogs and the web as a media in the new age

2006-05-28T11:53:00.000+05:30

Somebody wrote to me on my other blog here at this link saying he is doing a Research .... "I am a researcher in Delhi university and I am exploring ways in which blogs are helping people to network. I would appreciate if you could pull off some time and visit my research blog at http://nmsoc.blogspot.com and write about something your blogging experiences. In case you do not feel like submitting your writeup on my blog directly, you can email me at newmedia.soc@gmail.com. I will be delighted to receive your comments".

A very interesting Research this should be so I thought yeah why not? Let me reply to him. After all I too did have reason of my coming here to blog and do have a reason to come back again and again.. albeit not so frequently. And likewise many of you bloggers too must be having your own reasons of coming to the web to blog and why only bloggers, maybe he can get more insights into how to world wide web is moulding our thoughts and building relationships- positively or negatively, creating opinions, moving govts, giving succour to the lonely and yearning minds and so on so forth.

He should get feedback from the readers too, who do not have blogs of their own but spend time surfing and reading.. so I welcome all those readers who come to my page to also click on the link above and respond to his questions. You will notice he does not have a question addressed to the readers (those who do not have blogs) but I can dare say if you write to him why you come to the net to read the blogs and how the blogs help you form ideas, solve your problems of information, spending time or whatever he will then get a complete picture and his research material will become another intersting read for all of us. After all somebody doing a research on bloggers and their readers as a part of the macro research on how web as a media is helping in the new age is only helping us understand the power of the web and we will surely benefit from the knowledge.

Quota - Mandal II, Arjun Singh -- Congress Vote Politics

2006-04-30T15:27:00.001+05:30

I never thought I will be drawn into the controversies that rage across our country. This was because in any situation there are always two sides and invariably both sides have arguments that seem to be logical. Now here is a subject -- quota in education institutes of India from schools to college (graduate level to post graduate level to super specialisation levels)

I do not belong to quota class. So here is the challenge to all all those who belong to the quota class to ABUSE ME.. ... after all my fault is that I am from the general class so whatever I say-- logical or illogical has no meaning.. the very moment they see that I belong to the general class they will throw all my logic through the window and shout me down!! That is what I think is Indian Politics of which quota politics is a very important part!!

But I have some basic questions...and my understanding of the answers to those questions.. CAN ANYONE ADD OR CHANGE OR MODIFY THESE THOUGHTS??

1. Why do we need quota?--->>>> Do THE DOWNTRODDEN classes need quota to help them get education so thst they can uplift their society / family// groups... ??

2. Why are they unable to do this normally? "Uplifting their kind"

a. ) because they neeed money to do so!!!

b.) because they are looked down upon as untouchables (YEAH!! EVEN today in the days of Nuclear power India does have this!! Is the world listening???? If the world is listening I beseech you all -- PLEASE PUT PRESSURE ON INDIA!!! ) and so do not get an opportunity to study in the same schools that upper / general class people study in.

c.) Coming from a backward background the children stand less chance if they have to compete on equal grounds with children of upper class/ general class children

FIRST QUESTION NOW.... IS THERE ANY OTHER REASON FOR QUOTA IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES??

Now if they have money problem Govt needs to give them money and help them study... Quota is not the solution for this. Monetary solutions are!!!

(b) & (c) above can be tackled by quota.. Because if we have quota then these children will not be denied education at the time they are of school going age!!

But what about later? What is the logic of quota after the children get equal opportunity to study in schools from class 1 to class 12 (till college entrance) on equal terms with upper class/ general class/ better background chidren?

The only logic that a friend of mine put forward is that coming from lower classes these children do not get to spend EQUAL QUALITY TIME AT STUDIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO SPEND TIME ON THE FIELDS FARMING OR MILKING THEIR COWS.. just as--> examples --> a boy milkng the cows!!, farming!!!

But tell me does this not help us?

HOW DOES QUOTA HELP SOLVE MONEY PROBLEMS?? Do you mean to say that just because these people have to spend time on the fields so are unable to study at par with the more comfortable general class students /// so should get quota as an aid to enter colleges too? Is this too not boiling down to money problems? If these famlies had their daily bread will they not let their children study in peace??

Quotas are acceptable for schools.. Giving an equal chance to everybody is the logic here. But when that equal chance is given, what is the point of stretching it forever and forever to graduate and post graduate and super specialisation levels?

IF THESE STUDENTS CANNOT BECOME EQUALS EVEN AFTER 12 YEARS OF STUDY ON EQUAL TERMS IN SCHOOLS.. ARE GOVT OF INDIA AND THE QUOTA GROUPS THEMSELVES TRYING TO SAY THAT THEY ARE SO INCAPABLE THAT THEY STILL NEED SOME QUOTA TO TAKE THEM INTO HIGHER STUDIES TOO? After studying for 12 years in a school they still need the QUOTA to see them into college and then UPTO SUPERSPECIALISATION COURSES??

If these people need quotas to become super specialised Doctors for example..!! TELL ME HOW MANY OF THE PEOPLE FROM THE SAME CLASSES WILL EVER TRUST THEIR LIVES TO THESE QUOTA PRODUCED DOCTORS?

Forget what Kaspil Sibal said.. or Azim Premzi is saying... Merit does not only affect companies and national pride... it also affects lives.., IF for example we get doctors produced by Quota system... because they could not compete on equal terms and get admitted, they got admitted through the quota route.. will we get the same quality doctors and will we trust our lives to their hands?

WAKE UP INDIA... AND HIT ARJUN SINGH AND THE CONGRESS HARD... AND ALL THOSE WHO ARE PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES FOR THEIR OWN SHORT TERM GAINS..

WHAT IS NEEDED IS MORE MONEY FOR THE POOR,AND THE BACKWARD CLASSES AND MORE AND MORE SEATS IN THE COLLEGES../ MORE COLLEGES.. INSTEAD OF INCREASED QUOTA AND SUFFOCATING MERIT.

I Bleed for the downtrodden.. BUT DO THEY SEE that these are only Political Gimmicks?? You cannot sacrifice merit for votes!!!

Honesty and Dishonesty- Part- 1

2006-03-28T00:35:00.000+05:30

Obviously part-1 means I am planning to share all my thoughts on this subject. When? Who knows.

Question:-

"If someone desires something because of some reason and adopts some means to attain that desire can the desire be dishonest if either or both the reason and the means adopted are dishonest means?

This is something biting me for a long time because some of us tend to mix the three : DESIRE, REASON AND MEANS.

I think desire cannot be qualified as honest or dishonest. But its reasons i.e. cause and means adopted can. And if they are dishonest or not proper the result can be improper and harmful. But that does not make the desire dishonest. But yes we can call such desires as undesirable- one that should not be desired as it causes harm. I think it is just a matter of english word usage and anyone just using the word Honest and Dishonest is not using the worda correctly. Am i right I wonder now.

Oh! for a life of softness

2006-02-09T16:19:00.000+05:30

I close my eyes and see...
By the gurgling brook we lie...
Hands holding, fingers entwined..
Two bodies as one enshrined...
White buterflies hover over us..
Rabbits playing in the grass.
Birds singing in the spring..
The whole world seems to sing..
I smell the lavender in you..
The world attains a colourful hue..
Then suddenly I wake..
To find that it all was a dream..
A dream, I wish it was true.. and
this life is just a fake.

Calcutta through the eyes of Vir Sanghvi

2006-02-03T11:28:00.000+05:30

Now do not ask me who Mr Vir Sanghvi is! So naturally his writing style will be superb. I am not posting this because I am a Bengali, which I am, but because he is right about the ethos that flows in the city during Durga puja. Even a Bengali would not have been able to put this better like he did. So I hope he does not mind my putting his article on my blog. In any case this has been circulating in emails all over. And mind it I am a Bengalig who knows all the faults of Calcutta now called Kolkata. And I do know the faults of Delhi and Mumbai too as these are the cities I frequent or stay. I have another article by some other writer which will be next blog today. I post this article only because of its literary excellence and the way it has brought out the true picture of Calcutta.

I once sent this to my colleagues at office by email to test the reaction and the reaction I got is an eye opener of sorts. It told me why we are still a country full of regionalism and casteism and why our minds are still shallow and full of narrow regional mindedness. One Bengali Friend of mine who has never stayed in Bengal thought he had to say something against this article to prove his alleigance to his adopted state and said this :-"Shantanu,
Vir Sanghvi might say anything but it is a matter of debate - has lot of pros and cons - whatever may be the size of a journalist, pl. don't go by his statements about such things."- Alas!! Who is going by what Vir Sanghvi saus? Do I not know myself what he is saying is true!! Or do I not know that of all the states in India barring Bihar, Bengal has got left behind because of its ways and faults? But one cannot deny the strengths of a city can one? Just like one cannot deny the strengths of Delhi just because it is full of rude people! (More on this later in another Blog).

Another chap who is not a Bengali reacted even more strongly "I agreed with Mr. ...And if Pandal competition echos emotion, relegion,togeatherness than visit Mumbai during Dahi handi or Ganeshotsav, Visit Jaipur during Diwali week, Visit Mysore during Vijyadashmi. I think each region of India echos similar sentiments during different festival..."

Now who denies this? Not even Vir Sanghvi, I think! But all these shows that we as Indians are not ready to work as a Team or Feel as one YET. YES. Whoever says whatever we Indians are much Behind most countries when when it needs to team up as a nation. We do team up when we play cricket against Pakistan or we team up when we fight wars. No doubt about that. But when it comes to living in India we are groups and so we have trouble. Instead of just reading a good article from Mr Vir Sanghvi, who has probably written equally moving articles about Delhi or Mumbai or Bangalore or other cities, people feel they have to object. Why?

Since everybody has opinions I do too since I am one of the everybody. Here were my thoughts when I sent the article to my colleagues at office.

"I got this from a Bengali. I asked myself - Why send this to Bengalis only? BENGAL is not for Bengalis nor is Calcutta. So why not send this to others who have never stayed there? Or have stayed there? Or have the impression that Calcutta has only dirty roads or that it has a second class car in the tram which means it is so poor that people cannot even afford to pay for first class fare in the trams[exact words of someone to me] or that Calcutta is the only city where still you see 25 paisa coins??

When I went to Calcutta on leave recently, I said to my friend at our office at Calcutta / Kolkata that in Delhi there is something that drives people to do better for themselves, and that is what is probably needed by this country. That all people should WANT to better for themselves. For if they want to do that, they do it and in the process of achieving a better living automatically the country's economy grows. One should not wait for the govt to do something for them but rather do it themselves. But in Calcutta nobody seems to want to do better for themselves and are somehow content as they are and so has got left behind. And look at Delhi how people are better off and how they have progressed through hard work and grit. And today the highest country per capita income is in Delhi. The quality of life is so better here in Delhi. [I am not an economist but I have a feeling that I may have probably made an observation which forms the basis of Economic Growth of a Country]

When I said the above to my friend at Calutta, he said Shantanu Calcutta has a different quality of life ........ I, being a Bengali, understood what he meant. But at the same time having stayed outside of Bengal for more than 14 years, I can compare and find good in other cities and other people too.. ... when I go home I love it, the ways of Calcutta.. and when I come back here I love this too..... each city is different... and so are the people.

If you want to know about Calcutta then here is what Vir Sanghvi, a much more widely travelled man says about it.

** Begin Vir Saghvi's Article***

Subject: Pujo By Vir Sanghvi

What 'Pujo' means to a Bengali
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Most modern Indian cities strive to rise above ethnicity.

Tell anybody who lives in Bombay that he lives in a Maharashtrian city and (unless of course, you are speaking to Bal Thackeray) he will take immediate offence. We are cosmopolitan, he will say indigenously. Tell a Delhiwalla that his is a Punjabi city (which, in many ways, it is) and he will respond with much self-righteous nonsense about being the nation's capital, about the international composition of the city's elite etc. And tell a Bangalorean that he lives in a Kannadiga city and you'll get lots of techno-gaff about the internet revolution and about how Bangalore is even more cosmopolitan than Bombay.

But, the only way to understand what Calcutta is about is recognize that the city is essentially Bengali. What's more, no Bengali minds you saying that. Rather, he is proud of the fact. Calcutta's strengths and weaknesses mirror those of the Bengali character. It has the drawbacks: the sudden passions, the cheerful chaos, the utter contempt for mere commerce, the fiery response to the smallest provocation.

And it has the strengths (actually, I think of the drawbacks as strengths in their own way). Calcutta embodies the Bengali love of culture; the triumph of intellectualism over greed; the complete transparency of all emotions, the disdain with which hypocrisy and insincerity are treated; the warmth of genuine humanity; and the supremacy of emotion over all other aspects of human existence.

That's why Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your cities clean and green; stick to Delhi. You want your cities, rich and impersonal; go to Bombay. You want them high-tech and full of draught beer; Bangalore's your place. But if you want a city with a soul: come to Calcutta.

When I look back on the years I've spent in Calcutta - and I come back so many times each year that I often feel I've never been away - I don't remember the things that people remember about cities. When I think of London, I think of the vast open spaces of Hyde Park. When I think of New York, I think of the frenzy of Times Square. When I think of Tokyo, I think of the bright lights of Shinjiku. And when I think of Paris, I think of the Champs Elysee. But when I think of Calcutta, I never think of any one place. I don't focus on the greenery of the maidan, the beauty of the Victoria Memorial, the bustle of Burra Bazar or the splendour of the new Howrah 'Bridge'. I think of people.

Because, finally, a city is more than bricks and mortars, street lights and tarred roads. A city is the sum of its people. And who can ever forget - or replicate - the people of Calcutta?

When I first came to live here, I was told that the city would grow on me. What nobody told me was that the city would change my life. It was in Calcutta that I learnt about true warmth; about simple human decency; about love and friendship; about emotions and caring; about truth and honesty. I learnt other things too. Coming from Bombay as I did, it was a revelation to live in a city where people judged each other on the things that really mattered; where they recognized that being rich did not make you a better person - in fact, it might have the opposite effect. I learnt also that if life is about more than just money, it is about the things that other cities ignore; about culture, about ideas, about art, and about passion. In Bombay, a man with a relatively low income will salt some of it away for the day when he gets a stock market tip. In Calcutta, a man with exactly the same income will not know the difference between a debenture and a dividend. But he will spend his money on the things that matter. Each morning, he will read at least two newspapers and develop sharply etched views on the state of the world.

Each evening, there will be fresh (ideally, fresh-water or river) fish on his table. His children will be encouraged to learn to dance or sing. His family will appreciate the power of poetry. And for him, religion and culture will be in inextricably bound together.

Ah religion! Tell outsiders about the importance of Puja in Calcutta and they'll scoff. Don't be silly, they'll say. Puja is a religious festival. And Bengal has voted for the CPM since 1977. How can godless Bengal be so hung up on a religions festival? I never know how to explain them that to a Bengali, religion consists of much more than shouting Jai Shri Ram or pulling down somebody's mosque. It has little to do with meaningless ritual or sinister political activity.

The essence of Puja is that all the passions of Bengal converge: emotion, culture, the love of life, the warmth of being together, the joy of celebration, the pride in artistic expression and yes, the cult of the goddess.

It may be about religion. But is about much more than just worship. In which other part of India would small, not particularly well-off localities, vie with each other to produce the best pandals? Where else could puja pandals go beyond religion to draw inspiration from everything else? In the years I lived in Calcutta, the pandals featured Amitabh Bachchan, Princes Diana and even Saddam Hussain! Where else would children cry with the sheer emotional power of Dashami, upset that the Goddess had left their homes? Where else would the whole city gooseflesh when the dhakis first begin to beat their drums? Which other Indian festival - in any part of the country - is so much about food, about going from one roadside stall to another, following your nose as it trails the smells of cooking?

To understand Puja, you must understand Calcutta. And to understand Calcutta, you must understand the Bengali. It's not easy.

Certainly, you can't do it till you come and live here, till you let Calcutta suffuse your being, invade your bloodstream and steal your soul. But once you have, you'll love Calcutta forever. Wherever you go, a bit of Calcutta will go with you. I know, because it's happened to me. And every Puja, I am overcome by the magic of Bengal. It's a feeling that'll never go away.

**** End Of Vir Sanghvi's Article ***

Times of India and TV programs

2006-01-11T00:09:00.000+05:30

Times of India Delhi Edition most of the times do not correct their TV program information. This is happening for Star One program for last one month. You keep awake till the previously announced time (in the news paper) and then you see a different program being beamed!! Keep it up TOI. After all why not? You people are busy proving yourself over HT all the time.

AMITABH BACCHAN- Big B or a Big F armer?

2005-12-31T16:50:00.000+05:30

How our so-called supermen and women fool the country!! This country is full of illiterate people who have not even got a full meal to eat a day and so are happy to take that Rs. 50/- and a cloth piece to vote for the Politician who rules the nation. Add to that the businessmen who put in all their money to make the politicians work for them. And add to them the educated gentry like us who sit back and do nothing. And add to that the heros, and heroines and the mafia and you-name-them-you-have-it of the whos and whos also jumping into the wagon of power and politics. So what have you?

Well you have a nation where a FILM HERO, a widely proclaimed personality whose ill health makes the other side of the nation to go to temples and offer 'Puja' (homage to God) for his better health, a Rich man in an other sense, a person who has several business interests TRYING TO PROVE that he is A FARMER!!

And he will prove it too. Such is the law of the land. Those who are middle class and working class and poor class and MERE MORTALS will always live in fear of law, obey rules pay TAXES.. and these people will always find escape routes and flout their contacts with who's who of politics and law.

GREAT NATION INDIA !!JAI HIND!!

Meaningless

2005-12-28T00:34:00.000+05:30

This world is full of injustice!! And we have only ourselves to blame!! In this cae I do not even know what to blame... I cannot say everything here can I? I cannot!! Bull!!Shit!!

Confused? Good or Bad?

2005-12-26T18:34:00.000+05:30

I call this the diary of a confused man because I am a mixture of thoughts. I think in every direction when I do something. Is it good? Is it bad? Who knows!! But then perhaps because I do so I take time in starting anything I do. Like I am still not up-to-date with my blogs. It is true that I do not get time to sit in front of the PC to post some message here all the time but at least one message per day can be posted by me easily on the average for every seven day-week.

Why I am not doing it is because I am still trying to improve the site look- well not so much as the looks but the manoeuvarability of the site. Today I found some java code which I can use to collapse and expand my nested lists. I can now use this to build a list of my favourite posts so that a reader can just click through the menus to get the posts of his or her choice.

Wellllllll..... even if nobody does click to read my blogs (after all there are tens of thousands blogs all over.... at least I will feel good to make my site look neat and healthy.

Delhi and Delhiites

2005-12-25T13:52:00.000+05:30

This may start a riot as it is against Delhiwalas. Not all of them but some. Some who make this city bad, so much that even delhiites themselves who have the opportunity of staying at other cities in India will agree. Why do I want to start a war of cities or a war of languages or whatever? Not at all. I am just angry. I feel anger inside me that such a lovely city should be full of such bad people. Who may or may not be a majority as I do know lot of people who are not like the others who give this city a bad name.

First 'Road Rage'. I heard of this word first time I came to Delhi. So what do I say? I will certainly give this city a bad name if this city is the first city which makes me learn this word. And what road rage!! People shoot each other over minor accidents and even parking. People do not know the art & etiquette of driving. They even shoot each other over parking. All these are there in the news so I am not making these up at all. You tell the chap parking his car in front of your house to park it elsewhere as you want to park yours, he will tell you it is public land so anybody can use it. So it means if he is doing it now I do it too- park my car in front of somebody else's house. Then there have been incidents of [even] well heeled people driving over people in fits of rage (you read newspapers, I hope) and cars will not give way even when they are driving slowly and the moment you want to overtake them via the other lane these cars would accelerate. Why cars? Even two-wheelers do not give way. That is all about boldness in Delhi.

People are very bold here. Now that may be a good quality when it comes to joining the army but sometimes boldness comes with a carelessness of the consequences of our actions. Hence we find more number of people here just jumping into physical fights with fists and guns because they believe 'everything goes' or that 'do not worry aboiut future.. we shall see'. So better be safe than sorry. Never pick up a fight with a Delhiwala if you worry about your future. Because he does not. And after all why do you want to die or get bashed up for some right on the road or parking space? Not worth it. So next time you see someone parked in the middle of the road and creating a jam do not ask him to move his car or even gesture your hand to ask him which direction he wants to go, because your gesture of hand will surely make him come out the car and shout at you. And if you shout back well.. be ready for a fight. A delhiwala never believes in losing a battle. They are brave people.

I have never understood why no delhi house has a car garage, when Delhi has more cars than all the other 3- metros - mumbai, kolkata and Chennai combined! Most households have more than one cars and yet not a single garage. I had to form my own opinion why. Nobody has yet corrected me [because believe it or not I have been saying these to my Delhi Friends offline too.]

Delhi tops the cities for snobbery. You have a big car and a big designation then only you have made it or else you will be shunned like plague. The bigger the car, house or your designation the bigger you are. People will ask you to come to their houses to show that they press their underwears and children will tell you that style comes first. No harm I would say. But then in the next breath they will ridicule the south indian who wears only a slipper when they go out or the neighbour whose house is too small. Then my hackles go up. I mean no harm if you want to live a good life. Why not!! You are doing good. You have made it in your life. You think money is everything. Fine. But why be a snob? You become a snob when you show off and belittle others who may not have money but may be far better human beings than you are. I am not going through my personal examples but I do want to tell you that ladies have told my wife that if one does not have some good furniture in one's house, then one cannnot face people 'Daman nahin bachega' Means it would be shameful not to have good furniture as one would not be able to show one's face in the society/ neighbours!! LOL !! GAWD!! I NEVER DISAGREE that a good house is lovely to see and live in, but I do not have to get good furniture to show off to others!! But that is Delhi for you!!

The ten commandents told us "Do not covet thy neigbour's wife' It seems that one of the commandment of Delhi is to covet everything that is the neighbour's - from parking space to flower tubs. The only saving grace is that if the neighbour is a Delhiite then he too will reciprocate, and so many times in the process the fights happen.

I once heard an old man say to another old man in his morning walk, that when he was young, his dad taught him that 'A' is for 'AAO' (hindi word for come), 'K' for 'Kamao' (hindi for make money) and 'L' for 'laro' (hindi for fight). On the lighter side this perhaps tells in one sentence the psyche of this city. Here they only believe in making money, fighting over everything and wishing everything around them to come to them. So when a delhiite bulds a house in Delhi he uses maximum land space he has paid for his house to make it look good (so that he can save face with his neigbours) and for his cars? Why public land is there to use. So he in effect uses more than he pays for. That is Delhi in short for you.

And why are they like this? My Delhi-friends themselves tell me that Delhiites are aggressive by nature because of the History of this place. This is one city which has always been ravaged by invaders (even before the city was in its present form) and so people around here have always been fighting and resisting and so have becomne aggressive by nature. And my own feeling is that weather too makes a lot of differences. A place which rarely sees rain and does not have natural water (like rivers and seas) and nautural greenery (like forests) and are only brick and mortar created there cannot be softness in the mind. Softness in the mind comes from being closer to nature. That is why you will find people from villages better, people from the hills simpler, people from rain affected areas softer. Delhi alas does not have any of these.

My fellow Delhiwalas will come after me with their guns (maybe) but let me add that I am not blind to the good points they have, that they are hard working and tough and have ambition. I believe ambition is good for the nation, because if the people have ambition to improve their lots, then they will do so and in the process India will gain. This is why economically speaking Delhi has the maximumn per capita income in the country. This is good!! But with economic growth came social degeneration. THAT IS BAD.

Being the capital of India lots of funds are constantly pouring into this city. It is perhaps the loveliest city in India in terms of road space, developmental work speed. If only people were a bit more warm and more humane it would be the best city to live in. But maybe that is wishful thinking.

Last Night I met somebody

2005-12-24T21:04:00.000+05:30

Nopes. Whoa!! Wait!!

The writer in me made me want to make the title a bit dramatic otherwise it was not anything like what you think. We all meet people in the course of our lives. But each one makes a different impression on us. Some make us angry and make us boil and some we like and warm up to. I met her yesterday first time. I am sure it will be my last time too. But then that is life. In life we meet people and we respond to each other. How we respond depends on the chemistry of the mind driven by the occasion of the meeting, time of meeting, the environment, the general gathering, the immediate company, the weather, the venue, the day behind us and so many other factors. What I saw was impressive as she exuded spontaneity, friendliness, equality, intelligence--- a totally good Human Being - a multi faceted personality.

Well it was indeed a lovely night to make new friends, with the nip in the air and the festive season being on.

That is all about what it was. And she did survive us (in her own words!!) Amen!!

Radio Mirchi Delhi

2005-12-24T19:24:00.000+05:30

This reminded me of the Radio Mirchi (FM Radio channel - Mirchi in Hindi means Chilli- the guys proclaim that their channel is as Hot as RED CHILLIS!!) where I heard someone say "Yeh meri christmas Teri Christmas too". For non-Hindi speaking people the pun is intended on the word Merry = "Meri" in hindi means Mine and so rhyming with Merry or "Meri" in Hindi is "Teri" meaning yours. SO it is everybody's christmas as far as enjoying is concerned.

This ULTA PULTA Nitin is good. Again for non-hindi speaking people 'Ulta' means Backwards as the name Nitin reads same backwards too. And the word 'ulta Pulta' is associated with mad people....

He interviewed an "EXPERT" On what Delhites should wear this winter. I wonder why they even BOTHER to call these so called experts. This lady, I did not get her name (so that much for her fame!!) said soooo shweetly, "Ohh this is a loveeeelly season.. sooo mannnyyy marriages and festivals are going on... women can wear some nice pullover on some nice skirt, they can even wear some nice long coat, that will go nicely on their bodies. They can also wear some nice trousers and wrap their necks in some nice muffler. [Then she probably rememebered that there are umpteen ladies who do not wear trousers or skirts] You can also wear some nice salwaar kameezs and some nice pullovers, That would be simply niceeeeeeeee"

It was so sick!! The lady did not talk of colours, She did not talk of designs. She did not talk of what body types should wear what. She did not say what occasions befitted what dress this winter since she started by saying there are marriages and new year and christmas and all. She did not talk of stripes, or dots or squares or flairs or different dresses even except for pullover, trousers, skirts and long coat and then threw in a salwaar kameez.. and DESIGNS? Ohhhhhhhhhh THEY SHOULD BE NICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Why do Radio Mirchi even bother to call these 'EXPERTS' on their broadcasts!! I wonder.
And I do remember my english teacher telling us never to use the word 'Nice' either as it is poort english. Instead of nice one should rather use other descriptive words. So there is your dress expert with her sense of Hinglish!!
[The Hindi version of English].

Nitin are you listening!!

Thought of the Day- 23-12-2005

2005-12-23T14:46:00.000+05:30

"...when we finally know we are dying, and all other sentient beings are dying with us, we start to have a burning, almost heartbreaking sense of the fragility and preciousness of each moment and each being, and from this can grow a deep, clear, limitless compassion for all beings." -- Sogyal Rinpoche --

I got busy with work so much that I have been going back home late and thereafter I did not have the energy to think, let alone post some messages here. Anyway here is a quote again.More to come.

MUMBAI DIARY

2005-12-14T20:11:00.000+05:30

I am enjoying my trip to Mumbai. Office guest house has internet connections through LAN in each room. So if one wants to work one can as one can connect to LAN and if people like me want to spend some time beyond office that too is possible as one can connect to the web.!!

And here I am posting this message from my room!! I have got some pictures in the night !! Got to go back and maybe by Sunday I will be able to post them on my photoblog site
bye!

Am Touring

2005-12-14T01:47:00.000+05:30

Well here I am at Mumbai for office work. Have got my camera with me so that I can shoot some photos. But really I feel shy carrying my camera all the time on my shoulders. It makes me feel odd. As neither can I pretend to be a Professional Photgrapher nor am I a tourist. Like that day when I shot those pictures in the market, a shookeeper asked me what I was doing. I told him the truth, that I was shooting for my hobby. But then he probably wanted to hear that I was from Times or some newspaper!! But it is all in the mind though. Gradually I am geting into the habit now.

I am still thinking of more blogs that can be more interesting or rather more important to the world instead of just ranting on with my personal thoughts, which should be purely personal!! Let's see how my my plans go.. to little time though. Will manage.

New Post on my other blogs

2005-12-10T19:36:00.000+05:30

I have posted new thoughts on the blogs

1. India through my photoblog
2. The Rat Race.
3. Relationships.

good job done.. a pat on my back.. hehe.. :-))

Redesigning the site

2005-12-10T19:15:00.000+05:30

I am still changing the looks of the blogs and adding to them at the same time. Anything that I do must be a sincere job whether at work or play. bye now

I WISH I HAD MORE TIME

2005-12-09T15:04:00.000+05:30

I wish the day was more than 24 hours. I wish the nights never ended. I wish I did not sleep. I wish there was no New Year!! Whoa!! Before people come and beat me up for wishing something as good as a New Year away when they can drink up and enjoy, let me tell you these are my genuine wishes.

I do not wish Time to Stop as there is no fun in stills. But what I wish is that I had enough time and enough time and still enough left for me to do ALL THAT I WANT TO DO!!

Time is indeed scarce resource and every day I grow older.Every night I lay down to sleep I miss some more time waking when I could have done something!!.

Thought for the day

"Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive." -- Robert H. Schuller--

At last I am going somewhere

2005-11-30T00:06:00.000+05:30

Well Today I thought of helping myself through experimenting and using my own common sense since I was not able to find some good add-ons for creating thumbnails or galleries or categories to display my photos.

Yeah I saw the one about tags but which uses some other site del.ico.us and that was the problem we keep facing on the web. More you search for something farther you go away from what you originally wanted as you keep searchjign and clicking on links you see, then you start reading what it says, learn it and by the time you have used it you click on some other link....and got me? So I thought hey I will not use this tags from this site.

Then there was the photogallery option. I saw that this site allows me to store 300 MB of photos and the photogalleries are themselves another site to master and the free ones probably do not allow more than 25-30 MB!!

How can that help me? I have so many photos planned for this site in next several years!! LOL !!

So what I did is this (we call it 'totka' in bengali, meaning country method treatment or something like that in closest english which I can think of now): -

I had 5 photos of Dharamsala. In one window under posting--> edit postsI opened one such photo-post. In another window under posting--> edit posts I opened the other photoposts one after another.

Then? Then I just dragged the photo from the second window into the other!! GREAT RIGHT? I am mighty glad with myself!! See the results now. You can see the groups of photos better now without my using any tags or categories and they just appear together.

Now I have to just see how I can tweak the template to expand the message width to reduce the blank space at the sides so that I can show more pictures side by side and also find ways to further improve.. I forget what because I got distracted by the TV just now!!

PhotoBlogging

2005-11-28T17:34:00.000+05:30

I have got some old photos of mine scanned. But I wish I had more. First I am not getting time to scan all of them and then taking out from albums to scan will only damage the photos now. Still I have planned to scan some and it will still take some more time.

As for new photos? NO PROBLEMS. I have my canon digital and it is only a child's play. BUT before that I must reorganize that blog. It looks clumsy with no folders separating the different photos. I need a photoalbum maybe or maybe this HELLO that I am using has some options. Let me see now.. SO that blog is my first priority. Cheers!!

Bugs!!

2005-11-26T18:28:00.000+05:30

I tried using the create link option and did something wrong and created this post. And now I find that I am not able to delete the post in my edit posts option as author.. the delete button is not working.. Some bug??
So I did next best.. i came here and edited the message and wrote this..

How does this work?

2005-11-26T18:00:00.000+05:30

Well I now guess that this would be the next question. How does this work? I must find out soon enough about answers to how does one search for blogs - by name of author, or topic etc. I wonder how people get to blogs and read them. Of course this is prompted by a thought on what is my aim? Do I want my blogs to be read by people? Or are bloggers all lonely persons with no one to talk to so come here to talk to themselves? Or do they come here to make friends? Or do they have some grudge against something and so let it out here and feel cool about it later, since they cannot do anything about it at all. I mean there can be umpteen reasons of coming here and blogging is it not so? And if one of the reasons is to speak to someone and interact with someone then how do I get people notice my blogs is what I am wondering... I know I have to write some sensible matter to make it interesting... but first they have to come.. hmmm.. right.. how ot make them come.. in fact Even how do I go to other people's blogs? I mean How do I search for interesting blogs where I can comment and react? Have to seeeeee and find outtttt.!!!

There are some wonderfil blogs on the web I have heard. Now I have to think deeply what I want my blogs to be finally. If I was a traveller I probably could have logged my travelling notes here for the worl to see and learn from. There are blogs like that too. Or do I want to create opinion about something? Let me think now. ummm... ummmmm... And will come back. As of now I have started two blogs-- one this which is on my time to time thoughts which is like me talking to myself. The other is photos I have taken, since Once upon a time longgggg ago I used to love photography.. and had lost touch.. and now that I have got meself a new camera- a digital one too .. I think I will be able to shoot and host for people who like to see some good one.. Assuming I will take good ones!! Haha!!

And what else? Well I can give a lot of free opinions. Ahh that would be great!! Nobody to stop me giving that here.. sigghh... in real life nobody wants my opinions!! SO THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE I CAN GIVE THEM ALL!!! GR8!!! . Let me try my hand at that!! Ahhh.. like relationships - love, marriage, divorce, flirting, friendships,,, (?), Office environment - motivation, oiling, career women, (?), India -- cities and their qualities and peculiarities.. (?) ... and so many more.. hmm not many but some more at least I guess. Let's see now...

Why am I here?

2005-11-25T00:48:00.000+05:30

I guess most bloggers would have posted this question on their blogpages when they came here first time. I too must record this why for myself. It is because I got that blog about Manjunath who was killed and came here. Coming here I had to perforce become a member here as it did not allow un-registered users to post comments-- I do not really know why as there is no point really trying enforce registration on this site for posting a comment on our blogs. I mean how does it help us? One can register free and there is no user verification on the web. Anyway I myself have kept my pages open to all. But what for? I am not even thinking of posting any blogs here as yet. As it is I post many on our own intranet and now if I post here when do I work?

Anyway. Now that I am here. Let me see whether I can do justice to this web based thought sharing. With whom? Welllllllll anyone who cares.. to read.. As it is even when I try to share thoughts with someone I know from real life or even from the web, the person least cares.. So why not talk to myself instead? That is what I usually do at most of the times!!

Well so that's it!!