Living life...Musically!!

God has created this Universe. Humans included. And since the time of Adam and Eve, humans have also created many things. I’ve studied and heard umpteen numbers of times that the greatest invention by human is the “wheel”. Sorry. I disagree. Ok..Ok..There are many uses and inventions that followed the invention of wheel. But neither as a kid nor as an adult the wheel has amazed me ever.  I feel world would have been a better place to live without it. If you doubt my argument, ask the environmentalist. I’m writing this blog to share my amazement over that one invention (or discovery?) by (of?) human. Music.

Music is the essence of life of most of the people in this world. I can say for sure that no one can survive without actually loving music in some or the other form. Nothing else has the power to arouse the kind of emotion that music can. And the impact becomes more tangible and visible when lyrics are intertwined with music.

I remember, as a kid my favorite songs were those that can make me dance. We used to go to the birthday parties of our friends for cake and sweets but no birthday party can finish without having dance performances from all the kids. And who can forget all the marriages in the family? Can anyone imagine any marriage without music? Music played at high volume use to put some extra energy in our veins!!

Then we became teenager and we started understanding the type of music and started categorizing music on the basis genres. Those were the days of puppy love and crushes. We started making more sense out of the songs we listened. We started making collection of songs and greater the collection, greater your esteem among your friends.

Adolescence is the time when we actually live the music. It flows in our blood. There are songs that remind us of that someone special. If you are still with that someone then you are listening to love songs and ghazals with deep meaning lyrics. And if you’ve broken up with that someone then sad songs come to your rescue. But whatever state you are in, music is there in your life as your companion.

And this goes on and on for your whole your life. Don’t you listen your parents often suddenly singing a song when that song comes on TV or radio? When it comes to music, age is no bar. It represents the celebration of life. Celebration of life becomes sweeter when it is done musically. I can’t even imagine life without it. Music can make you experience all the emotions. Love, happiness, sadness and many more. Hang on…one of my favorite songs is coming on radio. By the way, your favorite song is?

 

 

It's Rain Time!!

As a kid, my favorite season was summer season. We, as children, always believed that the best thing in the world is the holidays and the vacations. So, summers automatically raced ahead of any other season by a long distance. Summers were the time of enjoying in our own world, reunion with cousins, swimming, mangoes and what not. We never bothered about the temperature at that time. What mattered at that time was that we don’t have to worry about the homework and all the boring routine. I never actually understood the logic behind the inclination of grown-ups towards rainy season.

For me, rainy season was that part of the year when you are supposed to start a new academic session, again the hectic school schedule, you can’t play cricket, you can’t go swimming, you have to be mentally prepared for unforeseen cancellation of any outings. So in all, I hated rainy season.

But time changed and so changed my outlook towards the seasons. It all started when I started understanding the fact that beauty of this earth is mostly because of the rains. It provides respite from long drawn summers to Indians. Many parts of India witness mercury shooting up to 48 degrees during summers. So rains are always a welcome relief.

Last week, I tasted the first rain of this year. The fragrance of maiden drops of water on soil is unmatchable. You want to get soaked in those messengers of greenery even if that means catching cold. You can actually spend hours looking at the rain from your window with a cup of coffee in your hand. You actually want to do a rain dance!! Rains bring a green blanket for earth with it. Now I also realize why all the good Indian sayings have taken rains as the example: “Khusiyo ki baarish” or “Dhan ki varsha” etc.

But rains are not about only the scenic beauty. Rains means happiness. It also brings in prosperity. Good monsoons are always a cause of joy for farmers. It’s the source of ground water. Our necessity of using (or may be wasting) disproportionate amount of water is also fulfilled by these rains. But I fear for the day when there will not be enough rains. And the effects of that are already visible. Human greed has resulted in imbalance of things. We hear about floods and draughts more often now. Blessings don’t take much time to turn into fury. So rains also remind us of our responsibilities towards the nature.

Lessons of Life

We all dream a lot. Dreaming with eyes closed. Dreaming with eyes wide open. Dreams of career. Dreams of a beautiful spouse. Dreams of high social status. And then, we try our best to make those dreams come true. It’s not an overstatement that we, most of the times, dream of things which are unrealistic. But it’s not human to not dream. But while dreaming, we unintentionally tend to disconnect with people who are real. Our parents. Our friends. Our loved ones.

Life, in some or the other way, keeps reminding us of the people who are worth dying for. And I got one dose two days back. One of my best friends lost his mother to cancer. He tried his best with money and time and care. He even sacrificed a seat in one of the country’s best b-schools for his mother. But at the end of the day, everything was not in his hand. But then everything is in no one’s hands.

This whole thing makes me wonder what wrong he ever did in his life to deserve this? To lose his mother so early?  These are those frustrating questions that no one has answers for. It’s all destinies and nothing is in our control.

But we can do one thing that is in our control. Love the people who are close to us more than ever.

I think we don’t need these examples to change our outlook towards important people in our lives. But these examples help greatly to remind us that we should not lose our chance to enjoy life and spend some special moments with them. While they are here. We are here.

Hail Bangalore!! Hail India!!

I’m an avid blog reader. Actually, I started writing blogs because I’ve, myself , followed many blogs for years. Just continuing my habit of reading blogs, I recently read a blog on Obama’s outburst against US companies that are involved in outsourcing. So, I got an idea of writing something on the same topic.

Our politicians can really take a leaf out of Obama’s intentions of fulfilling promises, which he made during his election campaign. One such promise was to stop job loss in US because of outsourcing. This man is taking each of his promises one by one and this is really commendable. But all his moves to counter recession smell of highly condemned socialism. And this is coming from the self-proclaimed champion of capitalism who has been teaching the whole world how to do business since time immemorial!!

This policy of protectionism is not new. It has been followed by the capitalist countries whenever their own share has been in danger (remember the time when Japan flooded US market with its small cars??).

 Mr. Obama’s recent remark against the companies “which are creating jobs in Bangalore, India and not in Buffalo, NY” has its own set of supporters and critics. The supporters consist precisely of the general public of US that, like any other country’s common people, has been lured by populist measures. The accusation of Obama against companies, which are indulged in outsourcing, as tax evaders holds little water. Can it be possible for companies to outsource just because they don’t want to pay taxes? And all that talk of low-cost-high-skilled human resources and improved efficiency doesn’t seem logical to the policy makers of Obama administration. And what about many other indirect advantages of outsourcing like creation of more jobs for the home country citizens by the way of giving companies room for more expansion and investment through the cost that has been saved?

But its politics to talk of populist measures even if they are illogical. In this whole episode, Obama has done one thing unintentionally and that is – he has given Bangalore the kind of publicity which would have taken many more years if would have done only by Infy’s and Wipros of Indian silicon valley. Now, the name “Bangalore” has been firmly pasted into the minds of many people across the globe. He has proved himself to be the best ambassador of the Brand Bangalore in particular and Brand India in all.

Indians have often been accused of being xenophobic. It’s heartening to see as an Indian that accusers have now become the accused. The statements made by Obama are not going to affect India at all (courtesy: Narayana Murthy and other dignitories) but it will, in turn, create more business opportunities in India. We hope that the corporate world in US will make the policy makers to see the benefits of outsourcing and stop this policy of unwarranted protectionism.

Morning Blues Are Here Again

They have come again. The same feeling. The same resistance to wake up in the morning. The same old habit of extending the alarm by brief-10-minutes durations. Yeah..yeah..I’m talking about the morning blues!!

It has only been two-weeks since my academically-compulsory summer training started to give me (along with 419 other students of my college) a hands-on-experience-of-the-real-world. But hang on!! Why do I need this experience? Having already spent good five years working, I don’t see any value addition for myself. But, as they say, not everything in life happens the way you want it to happen.

So, I was forced to make a compromise with my destiny (but isn’t that something everyone does many times in life?). The day starts with a rush to reach the company amid the question in my mind - “What am I gonna do the next 10 hours??”. The same question comes with brutal consistency everyday. But thank God, I’ve Internet access. And the day ends with a relief of passing one more day. I can bet that many of my colleagues are definitely missing DLP, Amphi, BBC, DC etc the same way I’m missing.

I remember the day when I got selected to do my summers in this company. The ONLY reason I decided to participate in the selection process of this company was the promised location - Indore. 

Indore. The city of cultures, festivals, and most importantly, the food. My usage of ‘THE ‘ before ‘food’ itself tells the whole story. The city is famous for its wide range of cuisines. The menu includes mouth-watering stuffs like patties, garadu, hot dog, bhutte ka kis, Rabri-jalebi and what not. You can see the malls mushrooming everywhere like any other metro or fast developing city of India but the real differentiator here is that while looking at scenic beauty or modernity of the city, you can feel the religious chants penetrating your ears. People here might be very fluent in english but the tone in which they speak hindi is very unique. I must say that Indore presents a very good example of a city which is competing with the modern world while firmly keeping its roots intact. Hats off to the spirit of Indore.

I’m waiting desperately for my summer training to end but at the same time, I can feel the pain of leaving the city I love the most. And one question still persists. Despite being the only city in India which can boast of having both - an IIM and an IIT, more than 30 engineering colleges, reputed colleges in the field of medicines and commerce etc does not have industry big-shots? This question actually pinches me. May God give some good brains to the politicians here and may they create an environment which can bring big MNC’s here and my dream of living here can be fulfilled. Amen!!

I Want To Be The PM Of India

I’m very fond of enriching my vocabulary. I love learning new words and their spellings. I never faced any difficulty learning spellings of words till 1st June 1996. The news of that day announced the new PM of our country - Honorable Shri H.D. Devegowda. Now, I was struggling to learn his name’s spelling. But there were many other intriguing things that I came to know about, later on. It was the government which was formed by the party of a person with a strength less than 10% of the total seats in parliament. I took some time to understand the concept of coalition governments and politics in India, in general.

Few days back, EC announced the dates of general elections in India. Attention world!! The great Indian “Tamasha” will commence in April. The world will watch this “Tamasha” with its eyes wide open - wondering (and applauding) the magnitude of this whole political drama. Many foreigners want to come and witness this grand event when second most populous and the largest democracy on the planet will choose its next government. 

Gone are the days when general elections were considered to be a one or two party shows. Coalition politics is the order of the day where many parties (having weird abbreviations!!) will contest the elections and eventually choose the person who will be at the helm of country’s affairs - The Prime Minister. And no, we are not in the era where the PM’s post is the prerogative of a famous surname. Its not the prerogative of the leader of the largest party in the parliament either. Today, anyone can be the PM. The names which are cropping up till now are - Manmohan singh, L.K. Advani, Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Mayawati and the list goes on. I just want to add one more name to the list - Amit Kumar Sharma. I thought when everyone is joining the race of “me too - me too”, why should I stop myself from saying “ME TOO”.

This is not an impulsive decision. A long thought process is behind this decision. I started with identifying the qualities required to be the PM. First one which crossed my mind was the education. And no, I’m not talking about the degrees one can accumulate from (possibly fraud) universities of our country. I’m talking about the education of our country’s people, culture, problems etc. These are very much required for anyone who aspires to be the PM.

Second one is the vision. A person should be very clear about where he/she wants to take our country from here. And no, I’m not talking about the list of grandiose lies which every political party comes up with. I’m talking about the realistic vision. The vision should be to take our country to the next levels by tapping all the talents and resources available. The vision should be to attain growth that should be inclusive in nature. We don’t want a PM to make rich richer and poor poorer.

Third is the outlook. The outlook towards all the communities of our country. The outlook towards communalism, regionalism, ethnicity, linguistic issues etc. We cannot afford a person who is capable of poisoning the social fabric of our country. The person should not be biased towards any community - positively or negatively.

Last one is the Honesty. I’m talking about the honesty in intentions. The person should have the honest intentions of serving the country and its people. Politics is and should remain a thankless job. It is not for those who are seeking power and money.

Now, you’ll wonder whether I possess these qualities or not. Maybe I do or maybe I don’t. Maybe the urgent thrust to complete my education and to earn a fat salary is the biggest hurdle, not only for me but for many young people who dream to have the politicians having above mentioned qualities. We all have been brought in the environment  where every person thinks of having a Bhagat Singh who will sacrifice his life for the country, but he should take birth not at our home but at neighbor’s home. We all have other big plans for ourselves.  Good qualification, good job, big house, cars, beautiful and smart spouse and many other things are our targets. And when we’ll grow old, we’ll tell our spouse while sitting in the garden - “Darling, the level of politics has gone so down that no one can save this country”.

I may not become the PM of our country and I may not be able to choose the PM but I’ll make sure that the MP for whom I’m going to vote have the above mentioned qualities. People who don’t vote forfeit the right to criticize the politicians and politics. Actually they deserve what they are getting in terms of leaders. But I’ve made a resolution. I’m not going to be a silent spectator. I’m going to get my voice heard. And I’m going to make a start by making sure that I vote on 23rd April (date of vote in my city).  By the way, when is the voting in your city?

India and Slumdog Millionaire

I was 6 or 7 years old when my class teacher asked us to listen to english news everyday. It was her way of reminding us that we were studying in a convent school. And for once in my whole student life, I obliged my teacher. That was the time when english news was telecasted on DD, daily at 10:00 in the evening. I somehow managed to remain awake till the news. I followed the news very enthusiastically. I mean how many times in your student life you get a sense of finishing homework by watching TV? So, I obediently finished my homework. But, I was stuck at one phrase - Third world country. I asked my mom what is the meaning of that and whether India falls under that category or not. No prizes for guessing what answer I got from my mom.

I'd just been introduced to another India. I mean most of us, the one who's writing this blog and the ones who will read this blog, belong to that strata of society where mentioning a wish is equivalent to getting your wish fulfilled. Since then, that "third world country" tag attached to my country has pinched me. But I'm now used to this tag and I've made a compromise with my mind. But that compromise seems to be severely affected by recent events, particularly the movie - Slumdog Millionaire.

SM is a movie made by a foreigner, for the audience which is foreigner and has won the awards organized by foreigners. No, I'm not taking any credit away from the director. I give my heartiest congratulations to all the people who won the awards but what pinches me is the whole fuss created around and the whole "self-congratulatory" atmosphere. Why do we, as Indians, are more conscious about the western recognition? Its good to get recognition from the world for your talent but this unnecessary beating of drums from roof tops seems to be childish. The film depicted the slums, hindu-muslim riots, underworld and all those things that has already been shown in many Indian movies and believe me, in a much better way (Watch Satya, Company, Bombay if you doubt me!!). And I can say for sure as an ardent Rahman fan that he has given much better songs than Jai Ho!!

It would be unfair to talk about only SM. Certain Sunita Williams, who has never put a foot in India, goes to space and India erupts in joy!! Certain Bobby Jindal, who thought it was necessary to change your religion to succeed in US, wins the election of a governor, and Indian media never gets tired of the headlines and editorials about him. Fine. These are the "individuals" who have been very successful in their respective careers but do we, as a nation, need to congratulate ourselves for these accomplishments which are truly individualistic in nature? What is the contribution of India in their successes? Or, other way round, what these people are going to contribute for India?

My whole point is that we need to stop being silly. We are a third world country and there is no doubt about it. But if some foreigner shows it on the canvas to the foreigners and bags some awards, do we need to enjoy it? I would better enjoy Rahman's and Resul's awards because they are really been given for personal excellence and talent. 

One of my professors recently said that we don’t have pride as a nation. This statement never seemed truer before!! We need to understand the psyche of the so called “first world” countries that they are never going to do anything for us. I would love to see the headline " India has decided to do this to Pak" instead of "US acknowledges cross-border terrorism". They just love to see the streets with cows, snake charmers and beggars. And face it. They are the most biased and selfish people you can ever think of. We’ve to fight with all our miseries ourselves. I know its better said than done but at least we can start thinking about doing something for our country. We need to remind ourselves that we can really teach others many great things (I don’t want to mention those things because of paucity of space) which we’ve inherited by the virtue of the fact that we are INDIANS.