He was an obedient man.
He started walking to the bus stop. Fortunately, today his position in the queue was within the first ten. He felt glad, now he could hope for a place to sit. Somehow the bus was little late than usual so along with the sports column he also finished reading the editorial. Meanwhile, the queue had grown to fill the entire standing space. The bus came to the stop, being late almost filled up but not so filled up to quash his hopes for a place to sit. People standing in the queue started boarding the bus. Suddenly he heard a ruckus. People standing last in the queue had run to the forefront of the battle for boarding the bus. Within a blink of an eye the bus got filled to the last doorstep. No chance of getting in, again he would be late for the office.
He was an obedient man, he wouldn't break the queue even if he is thousand times late.
Lets go for the railway, he thought. He caught an auto to the railway station. Again he was facing a queue of some twenty five people. He would manage to board it just in the nick of time, so he thought. He reached the counter. Just before he could pass the money to the guy behind, a lady barged in. "Sir, please excuse me, thoda jaldi hai", she requested. He obliged. Again feminine sound, this time directed towards the guy behind the counter for three tickets. "Twenty one rupees madam, please give change", the guy said in a hoarse voice in response to a hundred rupee note. The lady said she had none. The counter guy said he had none to pay back the balance. The lady, being late, raised her voice accusing the counter guy of stashing up the change and intentioanlly putting the customers into discomfort. The voice of the counter guy became more hoarse. Meanwhile, the train reached the platform.
He was an obedient man, he wouldn't board the train if he hasn't got the ticket.
He got the tickets but it was the next train he could board. He went in and was standing on the footboard. Luckily, two of the three fellows occupying a bench next to him got up. He occupied the corner seat and was thinking about the positive side of the day, namely being able to get a seat. The rustic man beside him started chewing the tobacco. After twenty minutes or so, he noticed some movement. The man beside him had spit below the bench. His eyes fell upon the board right in front of his eyes requesting people not to spit. He showed it to the gentleman who had just freed his mouth to be able to speak. The gentleman kindly observed that the rules are not made for him. The gentleman was correct.
He was an obedient man. The rules are made only for obedient men.
He reached office and started working like an obedient man. Now it was lunchtime. He opened his tiffin and started munching his daily cud. The honourable fellow in the next cubicle had begun eating much before the lunchtime and it was his habit to have a banana after the lunch. Honourable fellow ate the banana and threw the peel out of the windows. He observed that the dustbin was kept just outside the room. Honourable fellow explained that he hates getting up every time and going to the dustbin, why can't office administration keep a dustbin near every cubicle?
He was an obedient man. He sympathized with the honourable fellow for bravely bearing the torture inflicted by the administration.
Note:
Hello all,
These thoughts were circulating in my brain for so many days. I don't really understand the natural urge of we, the Indians, to break every possible rule while boasting of high moral values. This is pure hypocrisy. And this hypocrisy is everywhere though I mentioned only about breaking the rules in the article. We brag about being most civilized culture and the next moment we shoo away the begger as if he is no human but an animal. We talk against the racism but refuse to accept a lady as bride if she is slightly darker in complexion. We complain about people suddenly changing the driving lane and the next moment we are ready to break the red signal. The person who pays bribe once, decides somehow to earn it back by accepting bribe himself instead of deciding that at least he would not accept bribe not inflicting the similar pain on others.
There is some inherent flaw in the character of our nation. And instead of repairing it, we are hell bent upon digging it into a canyon.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Just friends
"Mom, I am going to meet Ninad. Cya.."
"Wait a minute. When his majesty wants to be back home?"
"8 o'clock. As usual I'll be late by an hour ! And if you start talking now,
it will be one and half hours.. Hehe.."
Ninad and I grabbed places at a table at Coffee Corner, our usual place for
philosophical discussions. These philosophical discussions are very useful
in the sense that they are ideal for passing all the extra time you have got
by postponing all the assignments to the last day before deadline. On top of
that, though these discussions are completely useless in a certain way, you
don't exactly feel like you have wasted your time.
"Two coffee please. And there is no hurry. Take your own time!"
"Ninad, isn't Sameer coming here?"
"No, as usual some stupid reason. He knows that I know thats a lie. Still
we observe that gentleman-like courtesy of not calling a spade a spade."
"So what has our Mr. Philosopher got to tell me?"
"Today in college, the last lecture was Economics. That professor has the knack
of making it sound the most boring lecture in the world. So I decided to bunk
it and and went to bus-stop. There I saw Priya standing in the queue. And then.."
"Oh is that the lady love in your life? Isn't she a junior of yours?
Cool Ninad ! Sameer told me all about that !! Is she too a Ms. Philosopher?"
"Onkar, I simply hate this habit of yours of interrupting almost every sentence
that I speak !"
"What a coincidence ! I too hate this habit of mine ! Great minds think alike !..
Ok ok, sorry boss. Proceed, Mr. Socrates."
"So Priya and I got into the bus. Thankfully there were empty seats. And after maybe
ten minutes of time she realised that she had forgotten to buy a book for F.A.- Financial
Accounting- of which tomorrow she has to submit an assignment."
"OK Priya, no big deal. No need to go back. You can simply drop in to my home at
about 5 o'clock and collect the book as well as the notes if you want."
"Yeah thats good. Thank god I met you here or else I would have had to go back all
the way in this scorching heat. Yeah, I'll surely drop in by 5 o'clock."
"And yes, I forgot to ask you one thing. You remember, last week you were not
picking your cell so I had to call on your landline number?"
"Yeah, by mistake I had kept the phone on silent mode even after I returned from
college. Why? What happened?"
"The weird thing was that before passing on the call to you, your dad conducted a police
enquiry of me. Whats my full name? What do I do? Where do I stay? Whats my dad's
occupation... Didn't he tell you about that?"
"Nooo and after hanging up your call, you know what, he asked me all these things
he had asked you ! Oh my gawd, my dad is reaaaally orthodox to the core. But I clarified
everything at the end by saying that I see you like my brother.."
"What? Come on! you are not my sister. We are just friends. And thats all. Nothing
more than that, nothing less than that."
"Whats the big deal? Come on, if you are not boyfriend to a girl, you are just like
a brother to her.. Isn't it?"
"Onkar, don't give me that mischievous smile. Let me finish what I want to say and
that too without you making faces. Or else tomorrow's newspaper will have a front
page news - Tortured youth strangles his friend with bare hands ! Ok, what was I telling?
Oh yes.. then after this she got a phone call and we left this topic there itself.
When I got down at the bus-stop, Sameer was buying some stuff in the general stores
in front of the bus stop..."
"Oh Ninad, so sorry. Because you saw me, you didn't get down with her. Extremely
sorry man, I made you miss some of the precious moments of your life. Hey Bhagwan,
agar aapko mujhpe aur meri sachchaai pe jarasaa bhi yakeen hai.."
"Dammmiitt, stop yaar. Come on there is nothing like that. She gets down at the next
stop..."
"But she could have got down here too. Pyar parbat bhi hilaa sakta hai! Aur agar tere
pyaar me jaraasi bhi taakat hai toh..."
"Goddamn you, Sameer. Stop those filmi dialogues. And I told you, she is not my
girlfriend ! We are..."
"Oh, so is she your sister then? Did she tie a Rakhi to you this Rakshabandhan? Tell
me, what has..."
"Look here Sameer, she is neither my girlfriend, nor is my sister. We are just friends."
"Oh don't give me this crap. This is a very standard excuse every lover-boy gives. So
tell me what are the plans for coming Valentine? I tell you, the best thing you can gift
is..."
"And Onkar thats how it went with Sameer. And he must have added extra spice to this
story before narrating it to you. Tell me Onkar, she said she should be like a sister
to me. But I can't call her a sister.You know, what my didi means to me. Its altogether
different. Until some lady means to me like what what my didi is, I can't call her a sister.
Its not a trifle thing for me to call a lady my sister. One has to live up to those words.
But does that mean she is my girlfriend, like Sameer says? She is a good girl, but definitely she can't be my girlfriend. She is not someone whom I may like. Can't we be just friends?"
"If you have convinced yourself Ninad, then why not?"
"OK, convincing myself is one thing. But if Sameer, our close friend says something like
that, what may society talk like? I was just thinking Onkar... I tried to analyse... The
mindset of society takes generations to develop. You know, I couldn't remember a single
legend or story in mythology in which a young guy and a young girl are just friends. When
it comes to friends, its either only girls or only guys. The only way a guy and a girl of same age are related is through love which is either marital or non-marital. OK, the mythology is old stuff. The mindset of the society does change. But have a look around, do you recollect any example in modern literature, which we studied in our schools or junior collges, showing friendship between a guy and a girl even somewhere near to the guys-only or girls-only friendship? Are there even a handful number of movies showing this? After thinking all this, I am really confused.
You tell me Onkar,
Is it that a relation between a young guy and a young girl should always be declared to the society as either brother-sister relation or a relation of love? Can't they just be friends, nothing more than thator nothing less than that?
Do you have an answer?"
Do you have an answer?
"Wait a minute. When his majesty wants to be back home?"
"8 o'clock. As usual I'll be late by an hour ! And if you start talking now,
it will be one and half hours.. Hehe.."
Ninad and I grabbed places at a table at Coffee Corner, our usual place for
philosophical discussions. These philosophical discussions are very useful
in the sense that they are ideal for passing all the extra time you have got
by postponing all the assignments to the last day before deadline. On top of
that, though these discussions are completely useless in a certain way, you
don't exactly feel like you have wasted your time.
"Two coffee please. And there is no hurry. Take your own time!"
"Ninad, isn't Sameer coming here?"
"No, as usual some stupid reason. He knows that I know thats a lie. Still
we observe that gentleman-like courtesy of not calling a spade a spade."
"So what has our Mr. Philosopher got to tell me?"
"Today in college, the last lecture was Economics. That professor has the knack
of making it sound the most boring lecture in the world. So I decided to bunk
it and and went to bus-stop. There I saw Priya standing in the queue. And then.."
"Oh is that the lady love in your life? Isn't she a junior of yours?
Cool Ninad ! Sameer told me all about that !! Is she too a Ms. Philosopher?"
"Onkar, I simply hate this habit of yours of interrupting almost every sentence
that I speak !"
"What a coincidence ! I too hate this habit of mine ! Great minds think alike !..
Ok ok, sorry boss. Proceed, Mr. Socrates."
"So Priya and I got into the bus. Thankfully there were empty seats. And after maybe
ten minutes of time she realised that she had forgotten to buy a book for F.A.- Financial
Accounting- of which tomorrow she has to submit an assignment."
"OK Priya, no big deal. No need to go back. You can simply drop in to my home at
about 5 o'clock and collect the book as well as the notes if you want."
"Yeah thats good. Thank god I met you here or else I would have had to go back all
the way in this scorching heat. Yeah, I'll surely drop in by 5 o'clock."
"And yes, I forgot to ask you one thing. You remember, last week you were not
picking your cell so I had to call on your landline number?"
"Yeah, by mistake I had kept the phone on silent mode even after I returned from
college. Why? What happened?"
"The weird thing was that before passing on the call to you, your dad conducted a police
enquiry of me. Whats my full name? What do I do? Where do I stay? Whats my dad's
occupation... Didn't he tell you about that?"
"Nooo and after hanging up your call, you know what, he asked me all these things
he had asked you ! Oh my gawd, my dad is reaaaally orthodox to the core. But I clarified
everything at the end by saying that I see you like my brother.."
"What? Come on! you are not my sister. We are just friends. And thats all. Nothing
more than that, nothing less than that."
"Whats the big deal? Come on, if you are not boyfriend to a girl, you are just like
a brother to her.. Isn't it?"
"Onkar, don't give me that mischievous smile. Let me finish what I want to say and
that too without you making faces. Or else tomorrow's newspaper will have a front
page news - Tortured youth strangles his friend with bare hands ! Ok, what was I telling?
Oh yes.. then after this she got a phone call and we left this topic there itself.
When I got down at the bus-stop, Sameer was buying some stuff in the general stores
in front of the bus stop..."
"Oh Ninad, so sorry. Because you saw me, you didn't get down with her. Extremely
sorry man, I made you miss some of the precious moments of your life. Hey Bhagwan,
agar aapko mujhpe aur meri sachchaai pe jarasaa bhi yakeen hai.."
"Dammmiitt, stop yaar. Come on there is nothing like that. She gets down at the next
stop..."
"But she could have got down here too. Pyar parbat bhi hilaa sakta hai! Aur agar tere
pyaar me jaraasi bhi taakat hai toh..."
"Goddamn you, Sameer. Stop those filmi dialogues. And I told you, she is not my
girlfriend ! We are..."
"Oh, so is she your sister then? Did she tie a Rakhi to you this Rakshabandhan? Tell
me, what has..."
"Look here Sameer, she is neither my girlfriend, nor is my sister. We are just friends."
"Oh don't give me this crap. This is a very standard excuse every lover-boy gives. So
tell me what are the plans for coming Valentine? I tell you, the best thing you can gift
is..."
"And Onkar thats how it went with Sameer. And he must have added extra spice to this
story before narrating it to you. Tell me Onkar, she said she should be like a sister
to me. But I can't call her a sister.You know, what my didi means to me. Its altogether
different. Until some lady means to me like what what my didi is, I can't call her a sister.
Its not a trifle thing for me to call a lady my sister. One has to live up to those words.
But does that mean she is my girlfriend, like Sameer says? She is a good girl, but definitely she can't be my girlfriend. She is not someone whom I may like. Can't we be just friends?"
"If you have convinced yourself Ninad, then why not?"
"OK, convincing myself is one thing. But if Sameer, our close friend says something like
that, what may society talk like? I was just thinking Onkar... I tried to analyse... The
mindset of society takes generations to develop. You know, I couldn't remember a single
legend or story in mythology in which a young guy and a young girl are just friends. When
it comes to friends, its either only girls or only guys. The only way a guy and a girl of same age are related is through love which is either marital or non-marital. OK, the mythology is old stuff. The mindset of the society does change. But have a look around, do you recollect any example in modern literature, which we studied in our schools or junior collges, showing friendship between a guy and a girl even somewhere near to the guys-only or girls-only friendship? Are there even a handful number of movies showing this? After thinking all this, I am really confused.
You tell me Onkar,
Is it that a relation between a young guy and a young girl should always be declared to the society as either brother-sister relation or a relation of love? Can't they just be friends, nothing more than thator nothing less than that?
Do you have an answer?"
Do you have an answer?
Monday, February 11, 2008
He does not understand
He went inside a home in a locality looking like a slum, along with about ten of his friends. It was home of one of his friends. They occupied the chairs and sofa in the hall. After some introductory chat, his friend's mother went to the kitchen. When she came out, she and her daughter were carrying trays containing plates of sweets and glasses of juice, one each for all the people present. He was sitting at the end. When it came to him, there were more than four glasses and plates. His friend's mother asked him, "Is it ok for you to eat here among us?"
He picked a plate of sweets and a glass of juice. But he did not understand the question.
He was returning from the school along with one of his classmates. He was being teased by him right from their exit from the school. They were walking for about fifteen minutes. Being a shy boy, it was becoming difficult for him to bear the onslaught of teasing taunts which referred to a girl. Finally he screamed at his friend. His friend exclaimed, "No wonder you are a cry-baby. After all you are son of a Brahmin family".
He became more angry and spoke in a wild manner. But he had not understood the remark.
It was one of those chaotic recesses in his junior college. They all gathered together and opened their tiffins. Being a group, they used to eat their tiffins together. He opened his tiffin. It was one of his favorite dishes. Two plain Omelettes and bread. Looking at his tiffin, one of his friends blurted out, "Hey you eat eggs ! You are not a pure Brahmin. I do not eat any such stuff. I am a pure Brahmin, unlike you."
He was not a kid not to understand the remark. But he did not understand what was meant by purity in this case.
He was attending a social function. It was buffet time. There was a long queue. He got bored. The queue was looking like a never ending one as more and more people were accommodating themselves in the queue if they found someone they knew. Irritated, he remarked about it to the person standing in front of him. The ball of conversation started rolling about. It was turning out to be a pleasant exchange. The person asked him his name. He told his name. The person asked him his full name. He told his full name. The person remarked, "Oh, so you are one of us!"
He just waited for his turn for food.
He was meeting a senior from his undergrad college. Academically she was two years senior but agewise the distance was about three years . They were good friends. In the flow of conversation she happened to mention that her parents were looking out for a groom for her. He said it was a great news and it must be funny going through all that process. She said that wasn't funny in any sense as the groom was not only required to be Brahmin but also from belonging to different gotra than hers, not to mention her other demands. She explained that people from a specific gotra are said to be descendants of the same rishi and in that case they all would be siblings. Fully aware of the concept, he tried to argue that if there are only a handful of gotras and if both the parents did belong to different gotra in all the marriages, then all the people of their caste would be siblings of each other as a child would inherit genes of the father as well as the mother. She said the gotra of a child is inherited from his father. She also added that he did not understand the concept at all or else he would not speak of it in such a manner.
He felt her remarks were true. He had not understood the concept at all.
Take care,
Onkar
He picked a plate of sweets and a glass of juice. But he did not understand the question.
He was returning from the school along with one of his classmates. He was being teased by him right from their exit from the school. They were walking for about fifteen minutes. Being a shy boy, it was becoming difficult for him to bear the onslaught of teasing taunts which referred to a girl. Finally he screamed at his friend. His friend exclaimed, "No wonder you are a cry-baby. After all you are son of a Brahmin family".
He became more angry and spoke in a wild manner. But he had not understood the remark.
It was one of those chaotic recesses in his junior college. They all gathered together and opened their tiffins. Being a group, they used to eat their tiffins together. He opened his tiffin. It was one of his favorite dishes. Two plain Omelettes and bread. Looking at his tiffin, one of his friends blurted out, "Hey you eat eggs ! You are not a pure Brahmin. I do not eat any such stuff. I am a pure Brahmin, unlike you."
He was not a kid not to understand the remark. But he did not understand what was meant by purity in this case.
He was attending a social function. It was buffet time. There was a long queue. He got bored. The queue was looking like a never ending one as more and more people were accommodating themselves in the queue if they found someone they knew. Irritated, he remarked about it to the person standing in front of him. The ball of conversation started rolling about. It was turning out to be a pleasant exchange. The person asked him his name. He told his name. The person asked him his full name. He told his full name. The person remarked, "Oh, so you are one of us!"
He just waited for his turn for food.
He was meeting a senior from his undergrad college. Academically she was two years senior but agewise the distance was about three years . They were good friends. In the flow of conversation she happened to mention that her parents were looking out for a groom for her. He said it was a great news and it must be funny going through all that process. She said that wasn't funny in any sense as the groom was not only required to be Brahmin but also from belonging to different gotra than hers, not to mention her other demands. She explained that people from a specific gotra are said to be descendants of the same rishi and in that case they all would be siblings. Fully aware of the concept, he tried to argue that if there are only a handful of gotras and if both the parents did belong to different gotra in all the marriages, then all the people of their caste would be siblings of each other as a child would inherit genes of the father as well as the mother. She said the gotra of a child is inherited from his father. She also added that he did not understand the concept at all or else he would not speak of it in such a manner.
He felt her remarks were true. He had not understood the concept at all.
Take care,
Onkar
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Pledge
I am proud of the pledge of today's India.
India is my country
All Indians are my etc. etc.
And my motto is
What do I have to do with that?
Good morning, I open my eyes
Low whispers of crowd echo in my ears
Local don chopped down his son last night
Didn't used to pay him regular hafta
I give out a big yawn
"Oh! Has he shot down my son?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I leave for office, I walk to the bus-stop
In the square en route I see his sister
A heart-broken ruffian, a bottle of acid on her face
She cries for help
Crowd and I sing in unison
"Oh! Are you my sister?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I board the bus, watch the beautiful scenery
I hear a loud crash at a traffic signal on the way
His severely wounded brother cries for help
All the passengers echo me gleefully
"Eh, are you my brother?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I reach my office, relax in my A.C. cabin
He enters staggering, says in a collapsed voice
The boss found in him another candidate of V.R.S.
Warns me tomorrow it could be your turn
I say sympathetically
"I agree but has he fired me today?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I return to my home, switch on a news channel
A beautiful smile on the face of a beautiful newswoman
There is just another a billions rupees scam
I remember his father was one of the investors
Must have lost all his provident fund
I laugh carelessly
"Has my father lost even a penny?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
My wife and I go to a five star hotel
To enjoy our money with a candle-light dinner
Wife suddenly lowers her voice
Says yesterday his wife got molested
By few friendly political activists
I bark at her
"Don't spoil the romantic mood, was it my wife?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
We enjoy the night, go to bed
Once again I recite my holiest, dearest pledge
India is my country
All Indians are my etc. etc.
And my motto is
What do I have to do with that?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wrote it in the second year of my B.E.
My English was surely weaker then than it is now.
But somehow it couldn't prevent me from scribbling down these lines.
Perhaps things are a little better or my point of view has changed.
Just thought I would post it before it completely loses its relevance because of either improvement or degradation of the situation around.
Take care,
Onkar
India is my country
All Indians are my etc. etc.
And my motto is
What do I have to do with that?
Good morning, I open my eyes
Low whispers of crowd echo in my ears
Local don chopped down his son last night
Didn't used to pay him regular hafta
I give out a big yawn
"Oh! Has he shot down my son?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I leave for office, I walk to the bus-stop
In the square en route I see his sister
A heart-broken ruffian, a bottle of acid on her face
She cries for help
Crowd and I sing in unison
"Oh! Are you my sister?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I board the bus, watch the beautiful scenery
I hear a loud crash at a traffic signal on the way
His severely wounded brother cries for help
All the passengers echo me gleefully
"Eh, are you my brother?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I reach my office, relax in my A.C. cabin
He enters staggering, says in a collapsed voice
The boss found in him another candidate of V.R.S.
Warns me tomorrow it could be your turn
I say sympathetically
"I agree but has he fired me today?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
I return to my home, switch on a news channel
A beautiful smile on the face of a beautiful newswoman
There is just another a billions rupees scam
I remember his father was one of the investors
Must have lost all his provident fund
I laugh carelessly
"Has my father lost even a penny?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
My wife and I go to a five star hotel
To enjoy our money with a candle-light dinner
Wife suddenly lowers her voice
Says yesterday his wife got molested
By few friendly political activists
I bark at her
"Don't spoil the romantic mood, was it my wife?
Then what do I have to do with that?"
We enjoy the night, go to bed
Once again I recite my holiest, dearest pledge
India is my country
All Indians are my etc. etc.
And my motto is
What do I have to do with that?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wrote it in the second year of my B.E.
My English was surely weaker then than it is now.
But somehow it couldn't prevent me from scribbling down these lines.
Perhaps things are a little better or my point of view has changed.
Just thought I would post it before it completely loses its relevance because of either improvement or degradation of the situation around.
Take care,
Onkar
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Grow up, boy !!
Personality 1: I am an adult, a grown-up guy. (We call him Adult)
Personality 2: I want to live my own way. (Adult calls him as Kid)
Third person: Any other guy in this world than the two above.
Kid: Oh cool weather this morning. Time to read the Times of India.
Adult: Hey kid, its time to read only Bombay Times. Wow! Look at that babe's pic !
Kid: Yeah, it looks sexy but only after computer processing. Its fake.
Adult: I am going to look at anything as long as it pleases me, be it fake or no fake !
Kid: Time to read cartoons. Calvin and Hobbes,Garfield, Beetle Bailey.
Adult: No, its time to glance through page 3. Cartoons are meant only for infants.
Kid: I don't care. If you can look at what you want, I am going to read what I want.
( Third person tells a Blonde joke at the dining table in mess )
Kid: Oh boy !! That was indeed some joke !! (starts laughing vigorously)
Adult: Stop laughing you moron, you are supposed to laugh only at non-veg jokes.
Kid: And what are you supposed to do for that Blonde joke?
Adult: I am an adult and adults are supposed to yawn at such jokes and say
this is the stuff meant only for kids, not for an adult.
( All the third persons sitting at the table start talking about a girl )
Kid: Damn it, here why is it always the same topic and the same girl?
Adult: Remember, when you are grown up, there are no other topics in your life
to discuss except the girls and their characteristics. And it is a sign
of adulthood that you discuss the very same content round the clock. Heck, get
off, this is not the stuff meant for the kids. Don't listen to it or else
your so so so innocent mind will get spoiled.
Kid: (climbing down the stairs) Yo, lets go down skipping alternate steps.
Adult: You are still a kid. Be a man. This is childish stuff.
Kid: (walking on the road) Oh boy, what a pleasant weather. Feels like heaven.
(Kid takes in a deep breath and smiles to himself)
Adult: Heck, look here baby !! If you want to walk down with me, no such
nonsense will do. No pleasant deep breaths n smiles while walking.
Kid: You jerk, what are you supposed to do when it is so soothing a weather?
Adult: Adults only keep long faces while walking down a road. This smiley
and breathy stuff is so kiddish. Grow up boy, grow up !!
Kid: Ok, so checking e-mails is over. Now lets go to wikipedia.com
Adult: No, lets go to "adult_stuff".com.
Kid: No man, enough of that stuff. You watch that stuff 365 days.
The same edited stuff. How do you manage not to get bored?
Adult: Bored? and of that? No way, that is a ****ing good stuff.
Kid: (jumps) Hey you said a bad word.
Adult: Bad word for kids. A word representing maturity for grown-up like me.
Bad things for kids become a style statement for adults.
Adult:
Nothing has remained the same as it used to be
A time to grow up, to think only about girls for me
Newspaper to dustbin, see the fake pics in the supplement
The four letter word has now become a compliment
No carefree hops and no tears like a child
Com'on people, its high time to go wild
A smile on the face is a sign of insult
Keep up the long face, if you are an adult
Kid:
Its time to forget, time to be carefree
People don't really think much about thee
Smile when you want, cry if you need
To the cries of "adults", don't pay any heed
The world is not only about girls, its also about you
Forget the worries and do what you want to
Enjoy this mortal life, its all that you have got
Have moments of childlike joy, which "adults" have not
Personality 2: I want to live my own way. (Adult calls him as Kid)
Third person: Any other guy in this world than the two above.
Kid: Oh cool weather this morning. Time to read the Times of India.
Adult: Hey kid, its time to read only Bombay Times. Wow! Look at that babe's pic !
Kid: Yeah, it looks sexy but only after computer processing. Its fake.
Adult: I am going to look at anything as long as it pleases me, be it fake or no fake !
Kid: Time to read cartoons. Calvin and Hobbes,Garfield, Beetle Bailey.
Adult: No, its time to glance through page 3. Cartoons are meant only for infants.
Kid: I don't care. If you can look at what you want, I am going to read what I want.
( Third person tells a Blonde joke at the dining table in mess )
Kid: Oh boy !! That was indeed some joke !! (starts laughing vigorously)
Adult: Stop laughing you moron, you are supposed to laugh only at non-veg jokes.
Kid: And what are you supposed to do for that Blonde joke?
Adult: I am an adult and adults are supposed to yawn at such jokes and say
this is the stuff meant only for kids, not for an adult.
( All the third persons sitting at the table start talking about a girl )
Kid: Damn it, here why is it always the same topic and the same girl?
Adult: Remember, when you are grown up, there are no other topics in your life
to discuss except the girls and their characteristics. And it is a sign
of adulthood that you discuss the very same content round the clock. Heck, get
off, this is not the stuff meant for the kids. Don't listen to it or else
your so so so innocent mind will get spoiled.
Kid: (climbing down the stairs) Yo, lets go down skipping alternate steps.
Adult: You are still a kid. Be a man. This is childish stuff.
Kid: (walking on the road) Oh boy, what a pleasant weather. Feels like heaven.
(Kid takes in a deep breath and smiles to himself)
Adult: Heck, look here baby !! If you want to walk down with me, no such
nonsense will do. No pleasant deep breaths n smiles while walking.
Kid: You jerk, what are you supposed to do when it is so soothing a weather?
Adult: Adults only keep long faces while walking down a road. This smiley
and breathy stuff is so kiddish. Grow up boy, grow up !!
Kid: Ok, so checking e-mails is over. Now lets go to wikipedia.com
Adult: No, lets go to "adult_stuff".com.
Kid: No man, enough of that stuff. You watch that stuff 365 days.
The same edited stuff. How do you manage not to get bored?
Adult: Bored? and of that? No way, that is a ****ing good stuff.
Kid: (jumps) Hey you said a bad word.
Adult: Bad word for kids. A word representing maturity for grown-up like me.
Bad things for kids become a style statement for adults.
Adult:
Nothing has remained the same as it used to be
A time to grow up, to think only about girls for me
Newspaper to dustbin, see the fake pics in the supplement
The four letter word has now become a compliment
No carefree hops and no tears like a child
Com'on people, its high time to go wild
A smile on the face is a sign of insult
Keep up the long face, if you are an adult
Kid:
Its time to forget, time to be carefree
People don't really think much about thee
Smile when you want, cry if you need
To the cries of "adults", don't pay any heed
The world is not only about girls, its also about you
Forget the worries and do what you want to
Enjoy this mortal life, its all that you have got
Have moments of childlike joy, which "adults" have not
Monday, November 5, 2007
Objection, my lord !!
Dear friends,
Well, my last blog post was about the pursuit of happiness. Though one may be happy, it doesn't mean everything is hunky-dory in this world. Ironically enough, after my last entry about the pursuit of happiness, I am forced to write something which may perturb sensitive minds a little. These are few wonderful experiences, two of mine, one told by my friend as you will come to know.
1)
One of my friends and I were heading for a casual chitchat at M.G. road. We both were quite hungry. M.G. road is a place which a person should avoid if he is not particularly fond of continental food. Being students still, we couldn't afford beastly expensive places. And given my deep hatred for pizzas we finally decided to go for a berger or sorts in a restaurant where people generally have "meals happily".
Having rushed from my institute to M.G. road, I was craving for water. After the usual self-service at the counter, I asked the guys there for water.
"Sir, no water," a guy said indicating the tap of cold water.
"Please, I don't need cold water. Just a simple glass of water would do."
The guy goes in, five minutes over. I ask another fellow, he goes searching for water. Previous man re-appears giving me apologies for not having water.
After a desultory chitchat and some food, my friend and I parted our ways. I got myself into an auto to take to nearest bus depot. Another boy, perhaps just 15 or maybe 16 also got in asking he also wants to get there.
He looks tired. Perhaps working after school, or no school but only work.
"Do you go to school?", I generally ask these questions.
"No, I work in a restaurant." And he uttered the name of the same place where I had been.
"What man, your restaurant doesn't even have water ! What kind of joint is it?" I said in a jovial way.
"No Sir, actually what happens is that we have orders not to serve water in rush hours so that people buy Colas and cold-drinks."
Shock and awe.
Objection my lord !!
Objection my lord !!
2)
A typical story in a bangalore city bus :
a) You pay conductor 10 rupees asking for a ticket worth eight or nine rupees. He gives you ticket and tells you to collect the change later. Its a rush hour. You tug conductor's coat for the change twice, thrice. He ignores, just goes on or says two more minutes. Then comes your stop. You somehow wade your way through the crowd to get down. You consider yourself lucky that you could find your way to door and let go your change.
b) Sometimes you just forget to collect the change, so does the conductor.
c) You pay conductor exact change and ask for a ticket. Conductor gives you two rupees back and goes on with a smile.
d) Conductor neither does pay you back a single rupee nor does give you the ticket and moves on. This especially happens when you want to get down at next stop or an immediate stop after the next.
e) You somehow manage to get the ticket and after haggling with conductor. The ticket was worth less than you paid for. You bask in the joy of finally winning the ticket but forget to take a look at it.
Nearly three out of four times I have experienced one of the above scenarios.
Objection, my lord !!
3)
One of my classmates went for a leisurely walk in a garden. He saw few children about ten years old playing with the garden toys.
He feels happy watching them play innocently.
He goes near a child. He gives a flower to him or does something of this sort.
The child asks suddenly,"What is your caste, uncle?"
Objection, my lord !!
Objection, my lord !!
Objection, my lord !!
Take care and enjoy,
Onkar
Well, my last blog post was about the pursuit of happiness. Though one may be happy, it doesn't mean everything is hunky-dory in this world. Ironically enough, after my last entry about the pursuit of happiness, I am forced to write something which may perturb sensitive minds a little. These are few wonderful experiences, two of mine, one told by my friend as you will come to know.
1)
One of my friends and I were heading for a casual chitchat at M.G. road. We both were quite hungry. M.G. road is a place which a person should avoid if he is not particularly fond of continental food. Being students still, we couldn't afford beastly expensive places. And given my deep hatred for pizzas we finally decided to go for a berger or sorts in a restaurant where people generally have "meals happily".
Having rushed from my institute to M.G. road, I was craving for water. After the usual self-service at the counter, I asked the guys there for water.
"Sir, no water," a guy said indicating the tap of cold water.
"Please, I don't need cold water. Just a simple glass of water would do."
The guy goes in, five minutes over. I ask another fellow, he goes searching for water. Previous man re-appears giving me apologies for not having water.
After a desultory chitchat and some food, my friend and I parted our ways. I got myself into an auto to take to nearest bus depot. Another boy, perhaps just 15 or maybe 16 also got in asking he also wants to get there.
He looks tired. Perhaps working after school, or no school but only work.
"Do you go to school?", I generally ask these questions.
"No, I work in a restaurant." And he uttered the name of the same place where I had been.
"What man, your restaurant doesn't even have water ! What kind of joint is it?" I said in a jovial way.
"No Sir, actually what happens is that we have orders not to serve water in rush hours so that people buy Colas and cold-drinks."
Shock and awe.
Objection my lord !!
Objection my lord !!
2)
A typical story in a bangalore city bus :
a) You pay conductor 10 rupees asking for a ticket worth eight or nine rupees. He gives you ticket and tells you to collect the change later. Its a rush hour. You tug conductor's coat for the change twice, thrice. He ignores, just goes on or says two more minutes. Then comes your stop. You somehow wade your way through the crowd to get down. You consider yourself lucky that you could find your way to door and let go your change.
b) Sometimes you just forget to collect the change, so does the conductor.
c) You pay conductor exact change and ask for a ticket. Conductor gives you two rupees back and goes on with a smile.
d) Conductor neither does pay you back a single rupee nor does give you the ticket and moves on. This especially happens when you want to get down at next stop or an immediate stop after the next.
e) You somehow manage to get the ticket and after haggling with conductor. The ticket was worth less than you paid for. You bask in the joy of finally winning the ticket but forget to take a look at it.
Nearly three out of four times I have experienced one of the above scenarios.
Objection, my lord !!
3)
One of my classmates went for a leisurely walk in a garden. He saw few children about ten years old playing with the garden toys.
He feels happy watching them play innocently.
He goes near a child. He gives a flower to him or does something of this sort.
The child asks suddenly,"What is your caste, uncle?"
Objection, my lord !!
Objection, my lord !!
Objection, my lord !!
Take care and enjoy,
Onkar
Thursday, August 16, 2007
The pursuit of happiness
Hi friends,
I wanted to write something on this topic since weeks but somehow these days I am not keen on anything. Yet the impulse to write has overpowered the lack of sufficient material hence this half-hearted effort.
Few days ago, again I was off-colour, once more a bit depressed mood. That shadow it seems always hangs around me. Sometimes it gets bigger, sometimes smaller and only for those precious moments like noon it completely disappears. Enough of analogy, engineering inculcates into you this habit of modelling.
I just went to a psychiatrist, he is my one of best friend's dad. A gold medallist and social worker and so on. I had a heart-to-heart talk with him. I discussed my general problems, namely disinterest in almost everything etc which finally boils down to lack of happiness.
Again discussion came to same point. Where does this fellow called happiness live? Whats its address? Why does it always disappear after giving momentary glimpses? Where do I catch him?
Well, what do you think? Different people become happy due to different reasons. Some people become happy watching sunset, some become sad by the same. Some people like studying, some people loathe it. Some people like walking in rains, others prefer staying at home. Some people like to be among people, others like nothing like solitude. Some people like classical music, others just make long faces when it comes to that. Some people like the sound of coins and there are people who just dedicate themselves to social work not caring a damn about money. This list is simply endless. How can we conclude that there is happiness stored in anything?
And yet there are people of both kinds. People who do things they like and are happy like wee flowers and there are people who do things they think they like and still look unhappy.
Sometimes I just think that running behind happiness is like running along a circle thinking that you can reach the point lying just behind you. The more you run, more you get tired, the more you get unhappy. As many of sages have said, these days are making me realize more and more that happiness lies within you and it is not something to be obtained but something to be created (which Doctor unc told me, some things are not realized without being told :) ).
Just close your eyes, forget all your worries for a moment, remember all those joyous moments and hey, you suddenly feel happy. Open your eyes, start thinking about all those deadlines, all your worries and suddenly Ms. Happiness disappears ( I call it Ms. Happiness :) ) Again forget all your worries and Ms. Happiness is right there, winking at you.
Right ho ! These days I am trying to learn to be happy. For the first time last month , while watching Fed-Rafa match I didn't get anxious and consequently tense, unhappy. Just told myself that come on, its just there to have fun, both victory and loss are to be enjoyed. For the first time, I didn't flinch in front of my guide here. Just said, its simple, if I flinch, I'll make more mistakes (than I was supposed to make) then suddenly all those tingling sensations disappeared within few minutes which used to haunt me in every meeting with my guide (but not disappeared those mistakes, mistakes and me are like two-in-one pack :) ).
Yes, I am trying to learn to be happy (no guarantee that I'll learn it completely).
Enjoy and take care,
Onkar
P.S. By the way, is there any difference between peace of mind and happiness?
I wanted to write something on this topic since weeks but somehow these days I am not keen on anything. Yet the impulse to write has overpowered the lack of sufficient material hence this half-hearted effort.
Few days ago, again I was off-colour, once more a bit depressed mood. That shadow it seems always hangs around me. Sometimes it gets bigger, sometimes smaller and only for those precious moments like noon it completely disappears. Enough of analogy, engineering inculcates into you this habit of modelling.
I just went to a psychiatrist, he is my one of best friend's dad. A gold medallist and social worker and so on. I had a heart-to-heart talk with him. I discussed my general problems, namely disinterest in almost everything etc which finally boils down to lack of happiness.
Again discussion came to same point. Where does this fellow called happiness live? Whats its address? Why does it always disappear after giving momentary glimpses? Where do I catch him?
Well, what do you think? Different people become happy due to different reasons. Some people become happy watching sunset, some become sad by the same. Some people like studying, some people loathe it. Some people like walking in rains, others prefer staying at home. Some people like to be among people, others like nothing like solitude. Some people like classical music, others just make long faces when it comes to that. Some people like the sound of coins and there are people who just dedicate themselves to social work not caring a damn about money. This list is simply endless. How can we conclude that there is happiness stored in anything?
And yet there are people of both kinds. People who do things they like and are happy like wee flowers and there are people who do things they think they like and still look unhappy.
Sometimes I just think that running behind happiness is like running along a circle thinking that you can reach the point lying just behind you. The more you run, more you get tired, the more you get unhappy. As many of sages have said, these days are making me realize more and more that happiness lies within you and it is not something to be obtained but something to be created (which Doctor unc told me, some things are not realized without being told :) ).
Just close your eyes, forget all your worries for a moment, remember all those joyous moments and hey, you suddenly feel happy. Open your eyes, start thinking about all those deadlines, all your worries and suddenly Ms. Happiness disappears ( I call it Ms. Happiness :) ) Again forget all your worries and Ms. Happiness is right there, winking at you.
Right ho ! These days I am trying to learn to be happy. For the first time last month , while watching Fed-Rafa match I didn't get anxious and consequently tense, unhappy. Just told myself that come on, its just there to have fun, both victory and loss are to be enjoyed. For the first time, I didn't flinch in front of my guide here. Just said, its simple, if I flinch, I'll make more mistakes (than I was supposed to make) then suddenly all those tingling sensations disappeared within few minutes which used to haunt me in every meeting with my guide (but not disappeared those mistakes, mistakes and me are like two-in-one pack :) ).
Yes, I am trying to learn to be happy (no guarantee that I'll learn it completely).
Enjoy and take care,
Onkar
P.S. By the way, is there any difference between peace of mind and happiness?
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