For once, it was refreshing to see the news channels focus on kids keeping aside the usual news about politics, crime and sensationalism, kids being the only form of purity left untouched by these three things. It was Childrens day, the 14th of November.
As is my habit, for a moment, I just went back to good old childhood days and started comparing what I used to do back then, and what kids of today do. A lot has changed for kids from those days. To begin with, the kid I meet downstairs on my way out of my home can actually tell the difference between a Prado Land Cruiser and a Range Rover while, back then when I was his age, a car just meant a Maruti, nothing else. And one wouldn't even want to go down the path of Chacha Chowdhury vs. Playstation, let's leave it there.
Coming back, on most November 14ths, I would spend time preparing a speech on Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister who loved children and whose birthday has now come to be celebrated as Childrens day in his fond memory. A good reason, a great choice, a perfect thing to do - Dedicate a day for children, the future of the world.
In the process of preparing the day's speech, I would rush to the library and.. Wait.. "library", doesn't the word just sound familiar? Isn't that the place where there used to be piles of books, a strict librarian who would warn you at even the slightest murmur? Isn't that the place where 'pin-drop-silence' was maintained in its perfect sense, where even a turn of a page would be heard by every person in the room.
But where is it now? Do today's kids even know what a library is? With the advent of internet and the comforts it has brought with it, the books, the knowledge and the research is just a click away and nobody has to do as much as step out of their house for any information they want, leave alone going to the community library and getting a membership there, the strict librarian again dictating his terms while accepting you in :)
So where is the library now? Is it Wikipedia? Gutenberg? Or the one across the street where the older people are headed during the evenings?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Another year, another Independence day
While on my way to office today, I read a board which said "Freedom turns 62". A thought struck me immediately - doesn't that mean that Freedom already retired? I mean, in the literal sense, the whole generation which was born around the time of independence has retired from all kinds of government and private service by now. Of course, except the political service and a few others :)
Well, that's in a way a welcome change, because from now on a whole new generation will be leading India in all spheres of activities, generations which do not have one leg still stuck in the British Raj days and one leg moving towards the 'modern' world. That will mean no looking back and thinking "Ah! we did a great job" and basking in old glories of a successful movement. I don't mean to forget the past but sometimes, its good to shed some old baggage, look forward to fresh ideas from the newer generations while banking on the excellent platform the earlier generations so far have built.
Good luck India, on the eve of another Independence day tomorrow. Let the Thiranga fly high!!
Talking about a recent idea from the 'fresh ideas from new generations' pool, I have one suggestion. It’s a great idea to 'walk and talk' but be sure you walk aside the road, not across when you talk. Avoids a lot of trouble, I can assure all :-)
Well, that's in a way a welcome change, because from now on a whole new generation will be leading India in all spheres of activities, generations which do not have one leg still stuck in the British Raj days and one leg moving towards the 'modern' world. That will mean no looking back and thinking "Ah! we did a great job" and basking in old glories of a successful movement. I don't mean to forget the past but sometimes, its good to shed some old baggage, look forward to fresh ideas from the newer generations while banking on the excellent platform the earlier generations so far have built.
Good luck India, on the eve of another Independence day tomorrow. Let the Thiranga fly high!!
Talking about a recent idea from the 'fresh ideas from new generations' pool, I have one suggestion. It’s a great idea to 'walk and talk' but be sure you walk aside the road, not across when you talk. Avoids a lot of trouble, I can assure all :-)
Friday, June 05, 2009
Save The World...
So they say today is World Environment Day. Good!
But I am confused. "Environment Day" - Isn't the phrase just ironic? It has been my understanding that environment ( or nature or big bang or small bang whatever that is) created "day" for us just like it created night, air, water, fire etc etc.
Environment creates day for us and now, we create a Day for the Environment - June 5th. Nice, ironical though.
Of course, it is us who are the reason for this irony. Because without our greedy consumption of natural resources, one would never have to worry about the depletion, the climate changes and the least about making movies about global warming and such like and the very need to have a day in calendar wouldn't have arisen. A day, to remind people that we never 'give back' to the environment what we have been draining from it all along.
When I think about this, the environment day and the awareness about saving it, it reminds me of the Indian Independence struggle. Imagine the Environment as India and the whole Mankind as the British. Just like the British ruled India and decided what to do with India against the Indians' choice, Mankind rules the Environment using it the way we want, paying no heed to what the environment wants and draining out every good thing that is there and never bothering to refill.
At least the Indians had a voice, in the form of the leaders, but here, environment can't even resist loudly and the resistance is too small for many of us to even hear it. If you put your ear out carefully and listen, the trees/air/sea/earth around you are crying out to be saved from the people, just like we Indians did for independence. And for once, lets hear the cry and do what we can.
If you think this is like any another "Day" [read Fathers/Mothers/Friendship/Valentine's] and decide to go buy a card and give it someone on this occasion, you are mistaken. Because the very idea of this day is not to give cards.. Card -> Paper -> Cutting Trees -> Kills environment. So no cards please. And if you are thinking of calling your friend and wishing him "Happy Environment Day", you are not allowed to that too. First, there's nothing "happy" about it. Second the cellular waves, the sound.. all of them cause pollution which again is bad to the Environment.
So think twice before wishing someone about today. The best you can do is go plant a tree, avoid plastic, slow down on using your mobile phones, give your vehicle rest some times, and if possible, reduce your power consumption. Not just today, but everyday. It will do good for you, me, the environment and we will be saved in more than one way.
Save the environment. Save the world. We do not want tsunamis, earthquakes, melting Himalayas, rising Indian Oceans and people like me writing about it.
But I am confused. "Environment Day" - Isn't the phrase just ironic? It has been my understanding that environment ( or nature or big bang or small bang whatever that is) created "day" for us just like it created night, air, water, fire etc etc.
Environment creates day for us and now, we create a Day for the Environment - June 5th. Nice, ironical though.
Of course, it is us who are the reason for this irony. Because without our greedy consumption of natural resources, one would never have to worry about the depletion, the climate changes and the least about making movies about global warming and such like and the very need to have a day in calendar wouldn't have arisen. A day, to remind people that we never 'give back' to the environment what we have been draining from it all along.
When I think about this, the environment day and the awareness about saving it, it reminds me of the Indian Independence struggle. Imagine the Environment as India and the whole Mankind as the British. Just like the British ruled India and decided what to do with India against the Indians' choice, Mankind rules the Environment using it the way we want, paying no heed to what the environment wants and draining out every good thing that is there and never bothering to refill.
At least the Indians had a voice, in the form of the leaders, but here, environment can't even resist loudly and the resistance is too small for many of us to even hear it. If you put your ear out carefully and listen, the trees/air/sea/earth around you are crying out to be saved from the people, just like we Indians did for independence. And for once, lets hear the cry and do what we can.
If you think this is like any another "Day" [read Fathers/Mothers/Friendship/Valentine's] and decide to go buy a card and give it someone on this occasion, you are mistaken. Because the very idea of this day is not to give cards.. Card -> Paper -> Cutting Trees -> Kills environment. So no cards please. And if you are thinking of calling your friend and wishing him "Happy Environment Day", you are not allowed to that too. First, there's nothing "happy" about it. Second the cellular waves, the sound.. all of them cause pollution which again is bad to the Environment.
So think twice before wishing someone about today. The best you can do is go plant a tree, avoid plastic, slow down on using your mobile phones, give your vehicle rest some times, and if possible, reduce your power consumption. Not just today, but everyday. It will do good for you, me, the environment and we will be saved in more than one way.
Save the environment. Save the world. We do not want tsunamis, earthquakes, melting Himalayas, rising Indian Oceans and people like me writing about it.
Monday, June 01, 2009
I Write
What would my autobiography be called?
That's the question I have been asking myself these days.
I think the title of an autobiography is what makes it interesting. It is obvious that the readers know a thing or two about the person in question already as, in all probability, he/she is/was a famous person. So the only thing that lures one into reading a book written about someone is an intriguing title.
It should be both - a phrase that catches the attention of the reader, and also a phrase that perfectly represents the life story of the person. I am not sure many people have come up with such titles. Most of the times it would be "Autobiography of.. " or "The story of.." which makes it bland and normal. Or in other cases, it will be a perfect phrase that catches the attention but does not match the content.
Coming back to the thought of mine, if I were ever to write one, it would be anyone's guess to think that it would be named "Questions without Answers", but no. Being an optimist, I would like to think that I would've found the answers to most of the questions before I start writing down my story, if ever I would. I would like it to be something along "Answers to Questions without Answers" not "Questions without Answers", or would it be too long? I don't know. :-)
I came up with one in the title of the post, but am not sure if someone had already used it up.
I thought its not worth wasting the weekend thinking about something that I might not even do, so I let it go but the thought found its place finally on this blog.
So titles are welcome. No royalty will be paid though ;-)
That's the question I have been asking myself these days.
I think the title of an autobiography is what makes it interesting. It is obvious that the readers know a thing or two about the person in question already as, in all probability, he/she is/was a famous person. So the only thing that lures one into reading a book written about someone is an intriguing title.
It should be both - a phrase that catches the attention of the reader, and also a phrase that perfectly represents the life story of the person. I am not sure many people have come up with such titles. Most of the times it would be "Autobiography of.. " or "The story of.." which makes it bland and normal. Or in other cases, it will be a perfect phrase that catches the attention but does not match the content.
Coming back to the thought of mine, if I were ever to write one, it would be anyone's guess to think that it would be named "Questions without Answers", but no. Being an optimist, I would like to think that I would've found the answers to most of the questions before I start writing down my story, if ever I would. I would like it to be something along "Answers to Questions without Answers" not "Questions without Answers", or would it be too long? I don't know. :-)
I came up with one in the title of the post, but am not sure if someone had already used it up.
I thought its not worth wasting the weekend thinking about something that I might not even do, so I let it go but the thought found its place finally on this blog.
So titles are welcome. No royalty will be paid though ;-)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Return of the IPL and Simplicity
Refraining myself from watching IPL was tough. It was South Africa and the matches were in odd times - the 4.30 pm ones, so I thought I should try not watching the matches. It worked for a while because the Deccan Chargers won the first four and as long as they won I didn't have a problem not watching the game. I am sure many would agree, cricket and sentiments always go together. Such is the love of the game that you do want to believe in irrational sentiments too, just because you want your team to win.
But it was time and again proved that cricket is addictive, and IPL even more. Day by day the matches got better and the results interesting. With different combinations resulting in different semi-finalists, my interest in the other matches also grew and I watched KKR hit badly and Delhi, as always, was good to watch.
Finally DC won. Peace ensued. :-)
Amidst all this, the post is not a three line summary of the IPL. Another thing I wanted to write about was about the blog, its simplicity and the English language. Repeatedly, I get a comment that the blog is simple (and nice). Lets talk simple first. Nice, we all know, it is. :-)
I agree this blog is no Midnight's Children and I wanted it that way (or rather I can't write the other way). I don’t want you to run for the dictionary every time you start reading the blog.
Another reason the blog is simple is that most of us from small non-hindi speaking towns know the difficulties associated with mastering the vocabulary of three languages - the native, the national and the international, all before you are 10 years of age and being able to read, write and speak proficiently in all of them. Its no easy task and in the process you tend to learn the LCD [Least Common Denominator] vocabulary of the three languages to be able to express yourself clearly and most important of all, pass all the exams :-)
I am sure you all remember the days when we used to by-heart the meanings of English words closing the meaning side in the book with the palm and finally learning them after hundreds of repetitions.
Besides, the vocabulary is so confusing. Lets see. Think "pummel" and "plummet". How close they look. You might remember the two meanings associated with the two words but again fail to realize which meaning was which word's. That's just the beginning :-)
Over all, reasons are many .. my writing habit was primitive (ended by the time I passed school), vocabulary limited (the non-GRE types), and the blog is for a broader reader base (I want even kids to read this blog :-)).. hence the simplicity.
Isn't simple beautiful?
But it was time and again proved that cricket is addictive, and IPL even more. Day by day the matches got better and the results interesting. With different combinations resulting in different semi-finalists, my interest in the other matches also grew and I watched KKR hit badly and Delhi, as always, was good to watch.
Finally DC won. Peace ensued. :-)
Amidst all this, the post is not a three line summary of the IPL. Another thing I wanted to write about was about the blog, its simplicity and the English language. Repeatedly, I get a comment that the blog is simple (and nice). Lets talk simple first. Nice, we all know, it is. :-)
I agree this blog is no Midnight's Children and I wanted it that way (or rather I can't write the other way). I don’t want you to run for the dictionary every time you start reading the blog.
Another reason the blog is simple is that most of us from small non-hindi speaking towns know the difficulties associated with mastering the vocabulary of three languages - the native, the national and the international, all before you are 10 years of age and being able to read, write and speak proficiently in all of them. Its no easy task and in the process you tend to learn the LCD [Least Common Denominator] vocabulary of the three languages to be able to express yourself clearly and most important of all, pass all the exams :-)
I am sure you all remember the days when we used to by-heart the meanings of English words closing the meaning side in the book with the palm and finally learning them after hundreds of repetitions.
Besides, the vocabulary is so confusing. Lets see. Think "pummel" and "plummet". How close they look. You might remember the two meanings associated with the two words but again fail to realize which meaning was which word's. That's just the beginning :-)
Over all, reasons are many .. my writing habit was primitive (ended by the time I passed school), vocabulary limited (the non-GRE types), and the blog is for a broader reader base (I want even kids to read this blog :-)).. hence the simplicity.
Isn't simple beautiful?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Godavari and beyond...
A couple of pictures from the recent trip to Godavari, Papikondalu and beyond..
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I Vote...
The first phase of the elections is over and I have voted for the first time. It was a short process thanks to the elaborate arrangements by the respective authorities, it took just 20 minutes to reach the polling booth and come back. In spite of that, the city registered the lowest voting percentage in the whole state, bad news!
The most common excuse we hear from urban, educated voters is either "Whom should we vote for, they are all the same" or "I want to an option in the ballot which says - I don't want to vote for any of the candidates here". But if you think about it, politicians or politics in India are not as worse as we think. Within 60 years of independence we are already marching well ahead in terms of development and giving tough competition to countries which were always independent. Most of the credit for this goes to the Government, which in turn is made up of the very politicians and politics we are talking about. I don’t disagree with the fact that there is corruption, and vote-bank politics but then, it is not ALL bad.
I hope most of us voted, and voted sensibly to elect the next Government which will decide the future of the biggest democracy in the world in what I presume will be one of the toughest periods of the 21st century, considering the global recession and continuing international problems.
On a parting note, it was disheartening to see the flow of money, liquor and gifts in AP to lure people to vote, but I wish to believe that whoever distributed them grossly underestimated the power of vote by assuming they can 'buy' it. Hope they will learn their lesson soon.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Everything New ...
అందరికీ విరోధి నామ సంవత్సర ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు.
One more thing made easy now i.e., posting in native languages with Gmail/Blogger now supporting Indian languages. And what better way to start posting in telugu than to wish all the telugu readers, in fact everybody out there, a very happy Ugadi - the telugu new year.
Hope the new bring brings great success and happiness to everybody.
Someday, I wish to write a whole post in telugu :-) Hope it comes soon... !
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Dust your books today..
Many of us have the habit of forgetting the books we read. Of course, some books are difficult to forget in that they leave a lasting impression on us, a few of them life-changing. But the others, its easy to forget. This tends to happen with fiction for me. These books have a thrilling plot, I read the book, appreciate the story and then forget it.
A couple of years later my hands fall on the same book, I start reading it again afresh, forgetting the fact that I had already read it. Half way into the plot I suddenly realize that the characters are familiar, the plot is as expected and I had already guessed the villain, only to realize that I am reading the book for the second time.
Might have happened with some of you too.
Reading books is a good habit. And it is a lifelong habit. We never know when we will pick the next book. It may be tomorrow, next month or next year. Being a very non-regular reader myself and having started reading quite a few years ago, and with a not-so-great memory, I always wanted a tool which would help me keep a list of books I have read, write reviews for myself and be able to rate and review them personally.
So I found this tool.. http://shelfari.com thanks to a friend who forwarded me the invite. It now stands towards the bottom right of the blog, showing the books that are currently on my 'reading shelf'. The interface is really cool with the shelf look. If you are looking for a similar tool to organize your dis-organized reading habit, I sugget this might be the one.
I hope I am not the last one to realize such a tool exists ;-) Rather, I wasn't actively looking for a tool until one came my way.
A couple of years later my hands fall on the same book, I start reading it again afresh, forgetting the fact that I had already read it. Half way into the plot I suddenly realize that the characters are familiar, the plot is as expected and I had already guessed the villain, only to realize that I am reading the book for the second time.
Might have happened with some of you too.
Reading books is a good habit. And it is a lifelong habit. We never know when we will pick the next book. It may be tomorrow, next month or next year. Being a very non-regular reader myself and having started reading quite a few years ago, and with a not-so-great memory, I always wanted a tool which would help me keep a list of books I have read, write reviews for myself and be able to rate and review them personally.
So I found this tool.. http://shelfari.com thanks to a friend who forwarded me the invite. It now stands towards the bottom right of the blog, showing the books that are currently on my 'reading shelf'. The interface is really cool with the shelf look. If you are looking for a similar tool to organize your dis-organized reading habit, I sugget this might be the one.
I hope I am not the last one to realize such a tool exists ;-) Rather, I wasn't actively looking for a tool until one came my way.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Life at 25..
A score and five years have gone by. Lots of things learnt. And at 25, life is more about knowing where to go, but to go or not to go is the bigger question.
Slowly, with time, I guess, the answers will be evident.
Wishing the great legends born on the same day their bicentennial birthday wishes on the way out, I quote Robert Frost here..
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
.. signing off to see where the woods have brought me after the journey thus far.
Slowly, with time, I guess, the answers will be evident.
Wishing the great legends born on the same day their bicentennial birthday wishes on the way out, I quote Robert Frost here..
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
.. signing off to see where the woods have brought me after the journey thus far.
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