The head is now empty....

Dear Reader...

The head is now empty. The incoherent mind that generated all the coherent ramblings is now void.

Coherent Rambling will now cease to exist. Its place will be taken by www.emptyhead.in

Please do visit me at my new home, and also update any links to my blog that you might have.

This journey is not over, I've just taken a new vehicle to travel ahead.

Hoping for your continued support....

Ashish

Hug Me...Sanjay.....

And so it has happened. A government has proved that people very low down in the hierarchy are no better than bugs. Bugs who can be squished anytime, for as little reason as possible.

"A constable who hugged Dutt, convicted under the Arms Act in 1993 Mumbai blasts case, has been suspended while the eight others whose friendly gestures towards 'Munnabhai' of silver screen were seen in a live coverage by television channels all over, will be facing a departmental probe, jail superintendent Rajendra Dhamne said on Sunday (August 26). "

Imagine being a constable serving at a jail in Pune. Being overworked and underpaid for several years. Being constantly used as a personal servant by your superiors. Living a life of nothing, but sheer misery.

And then comes a moment you've always hoped for. Munnabhai himself lands up to serve time in the prison you work on. You are suddenly a happy man. For someone who has only dreamed about movie stars, seeing one in reality is a big thing in itself. Being close to one, is just an outrageous dream come true. You are happy. All your relatives know that the iconic film personality, the original "khalnayak" of bollywood is spending time in your proximity. Your wife boasts about it to the neighbors. You go to work every morning with a smile on your face, looking forward to a day where you'll get a close glance at Sanjay Dutt.

Life doesn't get any better. Sanjay is released on bail. And you, in a moment of sheer joy, hoping to share a moment with the man himself, steal a handshake or a hug. Being the nice man that he is, Sanjay acknowledges.

You are on seventh heaven. You have shaken hands with one of Indian Cinema's biggest star, made Munnabhai himself give you his Jadu Ki Jhappi. You world has come to a stop.

But wait, save the hyperbole. You are going to need it soon. The very next day, you are fired for the very moment of joy you had dreamed of. Now your world has come to a stop.

"However, questions are now being raised over the constable's suspension as Baba Siddique, the state minister for food and civil supplies who has been constantly spotted accompanying Dutt and seen hugging and shaking hands with the actor. Many are wondering if the same treatment will be meted out to the Minister. "

First, let me put out a question. Is hugging, or shaking hands with a criminal illegal? This question is easy to answer. Under the Indian Penal Code, it is not. The next question should be, should Police and law enforcement agencies shake hands with criminals?

Well, this almost sounds rhetorical to me. It is a well known fact that in India, Police very regularly shake hands with criminals. They do more than shaking hands with criminals. There have been instances when the Police have been blamed of accepting bribes and letting criminals go. Cops and robbers do make strange roommates, but then, who'll watch them.

Now enter the minister, who has landed the iron fist on the hand shaking cops. But isn't there a very old saying - People who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. Criminals and ministers are regular bedfellows, and some ministers actually play both roles with aplomb. States of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are known for appointing certain ministers only if they have a few murder charges on their heads. So what's new about shaking hands with a criminal anyways?

Apparently, the particular politico in question was upset.

"Sources claim a very peeved Patil ordered an immediate inquiry after he saw visuals of of policemen rushing to greet Dutt at the Yerwada jail which he thought "sent a wrong message" about his force. "

Sending a wrong message? Please Mr. Minister, shaking hands with Sanjay Dutt hardly does that. And what is the right message that you are sending. That if you are a minister, you can shake hands with whoever you want. But if you are a constable, you cannot. That you are peeved when a poor constable gets a moment of limelight, but you do nothing when another minister in the same cabinet as you goes around doing the same?

You can squash the bug Mr. Minister, but you cannot stop the stench of the bug rotting under your foot.

Kudos to Times Now, for picking up the ante. I will hope that your positive journalism spreads across the world of mass media, and saves the job of a few poor constables.

All quotes are taken from this article on the Times Now Website

A blogger's conundrum.....

In the world full of stuff to write upon, what does a blogger write? This is the conundrum that faces me tonight, and I intend on sharing it.

First, let me put down a list of most obvious topics that most "celebrity" bloggers would write about(maybe some have already written about these):

1. 123 - The nuclear deal between India & US. And how the left is reacting to what seems to be right.
2. Sanjay Dutt getting bail from the Supreme Court.
3. The shocking murder of a Mumbai teenager, who was kidnapped, apparently by some "Angel" he met on Orkut.
4. India's great performance in the test series, and even better performance in the first one dayer against England.

Obvious topics done, here are the topics I would usually talk about:
1. Some analysis of a broken heart.
2. Some review of an ad, a movie or another blog.
3. Some random rant about any of the news item above.


Now these are not what I am going to write about. Because I do not know what to write about today. There is so much to write about, but for some reason, I do not feel like writing about any of these. Why? Because there are some days when silence remains the better choice. There are times when words are all powerful, but then there are times when one needs to be silent. Why?

You must be thinking, he's lost it this time! Well I have news for you, I never found it to lose it. Go figure.

60 years...

Its been 60 years today....of being a free country. On the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence, I heard a statement from an old man. He said, "Your generation does not understand the meaning of freedom, because you were born in a free country." Just having entered into my teenage then, I simply ignored the statement, thinking of it to be another rant from an old man. Today, ten years from that day, the importance of this statement is crystal clear to me.

Consider the simplest of analogies. We all take breathing air in and out of our bodies for granted. But what would happen if we spent a few days with the air supply strictly rationed. If every breath of air that we take with so much of ease right now was not so easy to take. That is when we would realize its value, its true value.

Freedom is pretty much the same. We do not know what slavery and oppression is like. We have never seen it in our life, only heard about it, or read about it. We do not know, and maybe we will never know what it is like being ruled by another country, having no say in the working of our own country. Without a right to protest, without a right to even raise our voice, maybe even without a right to write blogs freely.

What if we there were censors restricting our right to speak, write and see?

Of course, it will be a nightmare. And this nightmare will make us realize the value of freedom, the true meaning of being an independent nation that we are now. Maybe then, we will start to take our freedom seriously. And do more than just change our "Orkut" profile pictures to the national flag, to wear saffron, white and green, or to send e-mails and SMSs shouting out "Happy Independence Day".

Maybe we will take a good look at our country, and realize that there are people who are still slaves. Slaves to poverty, slaves to bureaucracy, slaves to illiteracy, slaves to oppression from people with "power".

Remember, our freedom fighters were not selfish. They knew that the freedom they are fighting to achieve will be for the future generations. Remember Bhagat Singh, who gave his life to free the country, but never saw what being free was like. There were thousands like him, unnamed, but who gave their lives for the freedom that we enjoy from the comfort of our air conditioned homes.

Let us free those still under oppression, who are slaves to the system that we live in. Let us do our little bit in making lives of others better.Let us free others from whatever holds them to slavery. Only then will we have lived a free life, only then we will know what freedom means.

Only then, we will be free.

Vande Mataram - I salute you, o motherland.
My ancestors freed you from British Rule,
and though you are free today, many of your sons and daughters are still slaves.
Slaves to ignorance, slaves to poverty,
slaves to the system, slaves to those in power...
Give me the strength to free those under oppression,
and do my bit to see them set free.
Only then, o mother, will you be truly free.
Vande Mataram.....

Embedded below is the best ever tribute paid to the countless soldiers who have lost their lives to protect our freedom, in the timeless voice of Lata Mangeshkar. Listen to it. I am sure if I wasn't able to stir your thoughts, then this will. Jai Hind.

A Random Act of Kindness

Finding a slot to park my car was a tough job. The place that never had more than 5 cars parked in its big parking space had now over 50 cars parked. After a bit of struggle, I find a space to park. As I bend into the rear seat to pick up my novel, I hear a broken voice from behind me. It says, "Bhaiya, aapko marathi aati hai?"(Brother, do you speak Marathi?). Having attended my engg. college in a small, non-descript town on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border, I knew a fair bit of it. So I answered, "Yes". The guy started to talk in Marathi, his eyes full of tears, his clothes ragged and soiled, and his voice sounding tired but relieved. Relieved that it had found ears willing to listen.

"A week ago I came to Delhi with my old parents to meet my brother who works in Gurgaon. But we were robbed on our way here from Delhi, and lost all our money, and my brother's address. We have been running around this city, hungry and thirsty, with no money or means to go back to our village. I don't know what to do. Will you help me, brother?"

I was stunned. First I thought, this is one of those beggars with another of their stories to pull money out of people. Then I noticed the old parents sitting on the pavement, teary eyed. And I noticed the struggle in the young man's eyes, who was forced to ask strangers for help. Something deep down in me told me that this lad was genuine, and so was his story. I wanted to help him, but there was a tiny bit in me that kept saying, "Ignore this guy, how do you even know that he is genuine? He could be another one of those liars that run around in this big city."

I ignored, but I ignored this voice that came from inside of me. The city of dreams was turning me into a person I wasn't, and a person I couldn't be. And I could actually hear in my head the broken voice of this lad, trying to approach a lot of strangers, and being rebuked, rebuffed and kicked off everytime he tried to help his poor parents and himself.

I put my hand on his shoulders, and told him to relax. Then I proceeded to give him a 500 Rs. note from my wallet, and told him to directly go to the railway station, buy tickets for himself and his parents, and head back to his home.

Far away from this city of dreams, that converts ordinary people into uncaring, unwielding monsters. I don't know if I was able to help him enough, I don't know whether he will be safely able to reach his hometown with his parents.

But I know one thing, at least the man from a small town will know that there is still some humanity alive on this planet. And that one day, he might be able to help another person in need.

A person he might not know, a person he might not care about, but a person he will help. Because when he was in need, he was helped!

Just think, how many days have passed since you did a random act of kindness? Helped a complete stranger, maybe helping an old woman cross the road, stopping your car to let the pedestrian walk by, giving a lift to a person stranded in the rain?

Remember, kindness just spreads. You just need to do your bit and pass it on. If the day comes when your car breaks down in heavy rains, you will find someone ready to stop over and help you out. And that will be the day you really appreciate the value of a random act of kindness.

Justice...or is it?

The last of the sentences in the '91 Mumbai Bomb blast case are out, and with this the curtains are drawn on an investigation that has lasted for over 10 years.

Today's sentencing was the one probably most awaited. A sentence on which 100 crore Rs. were hanging in mid-air. And it did come, and it wasn't very good. Sanjay Dutt was pronounced to serve a term of 6 years in jail( read the story here). Most of the country, and the film industry is in deep shock. But the question in everyone's mind is, is this fair? Did Sanjay deserve this sentence, or is it too harsh?

Arms Act(1959) says, and I quote "Whoever has in his possession any arms or ammunition with intent to use the same for any unlawful purpose or to enable any other person to use the same for any unlawful purpose shall, whether such unlawful purpose has been carried into effect or not, be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both." A glance at this law will tell you that the maximum term for an Arms Act violation is 7 years imprisonment. For a complete reading of the Arms Act, go here.

So from the law, the court has done its job correctly by awarding 6 yrs prison. But the question is, should good conduct have been considered for a lenient sentence? 6 years is a long time, and for a good actor like Sanju baba, his acting career might well be over till the time he is out of prison! At this point, just consider the offense. Possession of an AK-56 rifle, and then asking two people to destroy the rifle. AK-56, named as 56 after its year of production, has a magazine capacity of 30 bullets-each of which is a powerful 7.62mm calibre bullet that can be fired with a muzzle velocity of 735 m/s at a rate of ~600 rounds per minute (Data from wiki). In layman terms, a very powerful weapon, a killing machine that can unleash a wave of destruction. Why does a film star, knowing well that the weapon he has in his house is such a powerful tool of murder, agree to keep it? All we know is, he did. And that mistake is what lead to his conviction today.

What if it was someone else who had kept this weapon? Not Sanjay Dutt, but a common man, should he be sentenced the same? I bet that if it were a common man, the news wouldn't even have made it to the last page of the newspaper, forget the TV channels.

The law will take its course, Mr. Dutt will file an appeal in the Supreme Court, and he might get a reprieve from this sentence. But is this harsh? Has the judge tried to set an example?

If he did, he most certainly succeeded at it! May God give Sanjay the courage to stand through these tough times, and prove to the world that tough times never last, tough people do! Always.

God save the team!

India, as they say, is God's own country. And if "they" are to be believed, then the Indian cricket team is nothing short of God's own cricket team!! But it seems that though the Gods are good at other things in the universe, cricket is not a speciality. This is easily known by the sorry state of the Indian cricket team. So when India was about to lose another test match yesterday evening, cricket enthusiasts in the country were praying. Not for M.S Dhoni to stay, not for sreesanth to hold his nerves at the crease, but for the rain gods to intervene.

And intervene they did, stopping play just in time to rescue the team from losing another test match. This match will go down the records as a draw, but the sorry performance of the Indian team does not seem to end. One of the most formidable batting line-ups in the world collapsed twice in 5 days to a very inexperienced english bowling attack. I wonder what the Aussies would have done to this attack.....making mincemeat of it would be my closest guess.

The biggest problem with Indian cricket seems to be the reluctance to take action. If my performance was as pathetic as Sachin's, or as lacklustre as Rahul's at what I do, my boss would have kicked my ass for sure, if not fired me straight. Being the highest run scoring batsman in the world is one thing, but what good is such a batsman if he stops scoring?What good is being called "the wall" if you crumble as if made of poor quality concrete? 

I'd say, kick out Sachin and Dravid, and let some good youngsters take their place. Let the team know that nobody is infallible. Let performance be the only criteria for players to be in the team. 

Otherwise leave the team in God's hands, very much as it is now. God will help, but as is said, only those who helps themselves.

My suggestion to cricket lovers who sit in front of their TVs every time India takes to the field? Well, switch to cartoon network. Entertainment can't get better than Tom & Jerry running around. Cricket is somehow not worth watching anymore. Unless of course, Australia plays South Africa.

A tale of two scrambled eggs!

Well...there is no tale. The eggs got smashed, beat up, had their wounds salted...and were finally cooked on a hot pan. They end up on a plate in front of me a while later.

Kind of sounds similar to many of those victims of the great Indian vigilante justice system, save for the fact that I don't get to gobble them up! 

Note to self: Stop being a disgusting pig thinking about devouring humans.

On the same note, I believe that I am justified in being so. After all, men are pigs, aren't they. You can find us all over the streets, ogling at any woman who is of an  age group that they are interested in, some going to the extent of even teasing them and some extremists even force themselves on these poor, helpless women.

Pigs!! 

Although this brings me to my second theory, at proving why men are better managers than women are. Here goes. One of the most common work-place related euphimisms is that haggling with your manager for a higher pay is like wrestling with a pig in the mud! After a while you realise that you are all dirty, and the pig is enjoying it. Combine this with the universal "MAP-Men Are Pigs" theorem that most women will so gladly preach, we can deduce that men are better managers than women.

I can already hear chants of "Chauvinist Pig" from the female readers...but ladies, this does nothing more but to prove my point.

Enough bacon for the day...let me divert my attention to my scrambled eggs, and the most interesting bit of news that is doing its rounds these day....the amazing race for the next president of India.

I will not go into the plethora of allegations and counter-allegations that are being thrown around. What I'll rather do is ask a simple looking question: Is this how India, or rather Indians, would want to get their first woman president? Even though the President is more of glorified rubber stamp in India, if not anything else, being one is the dream of most retired politicans who are in the fading stages of their lives, as well as their political careers. 

Most Indians are in favour of the current president, Mr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam, getting a second term. The man himself has expressed his unwillingness for the same, and his reasons can be well understood. The man has had enough of being a rubber stamp, and being forced to sign on bills like the reservation bill that he is so much against in principle wouldn't have gone down too well with him. But it doesn't matter now, as two candidates for the post are already covered in mud...now we can't even tell one from another.

Already half way through the eggs, and by now wondering what they were cooked in, I turn the newspaper. Only to see the news of a DIG being hunted down for trying to molest two women aboard a moving train. These pigs, I tell you....

Another fifteen flips later, the newspaper comes to an end. And most of the stories are either about terrorists, al-quaeda, or bipasha's attempt at kissing Ronaldo. Or was it Ronaldo's attempt? Never mind, I am least bothered. John will be. A lot.

24 pages of utter rubbish. That's what newspapers have come to. Though I don't think its fair to blame it on the newspapers. After all, they'll publish anything that people want to read...and most of it is utter rubbish. This is one of the magic tricks of a democracy, what the majority wants is usually rubbish. But this topic is for another day.

If you have read through this plate of scrambled eggs....I would like you to read my friend Bhavna's blog for this recent post and restore your sanity.

Though this time around, I will not put up a post on top of hers. No point in trying to make some points, I guess.

Oh...and today is Friday the 13th...again. For the superstitious, I will suggest you head home straight after work, and find a bed to sleep in. 

For the deviliously inclined, like me, just relax...its another day for us. Unless  you know one of those folks who has just scrambled under a blanket for the fear of people like us. If you do, justify their fears. Let the legend of Friday the 13th live.....whooooooohahahahahaha

Now I must spend the rest of my time trying to figure out what I am going to do for the rest of the weekend, other than sleeping, and scrambling more eggs.

So while I yaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnn away to glory in front of a mailbox full of work, go on, break a couple of eggs, scramble them and have fun. Oh, and if you happen to be a veggie who detests at the thought of breaking eggs, let alone eating them, well...find something else to break. Just stay away from my head...I will not let you break it!

Adios

Desire...

There is other things I want to write about, India's plan to host a F1 race, the pressures of work and some more ad reviews and so on....but for some reason I am not.

I will, instead, post a song. This song is sung by Ryan Adams.You can listen to it here.

Two hearts fading, like a flower.
And all this waiting, for the power.
For some answer, to this fire.
Sinking slowly. The water's higher.
Desire

With no secrets. No obsession.
This time I'm speeding with no direction.
Without a reason. What is this fire?
Burning slowly. My one and only.
Desire

You know me. You don't mind waiting.
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying,
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me,
That you run and never tire.
Desire

Song credits:

Artist/Band: Adams Ryan
Lyrics for Song: Desire
Lyrics for Album: Demolition

Lyrics courtesy: http://www.cowboylyrics.com/

Ad review - 1: The maggi mania

The first ad to be reviewed in this review series is of a product that has been around for many years, and is a very popular snack. I am talking about Maggi, a brand that faced a virtual wipe-out from the Indian market till a few years ago when it reinvented and re-positioned itself to grab leadership in this segment. And once Nestle had things going for their Maggi brand, they started to experiment.

The rice flavoured noodles which this commercial tries to sell is a new member to Maggi's expanding portfolio. The ad features a teenager bringing the new rice-based Maggi noodles home, and the mania that follows. So has this ad worked? Lets find out.

As with all maggi ads, the message is very clear in this ad. The target consumer group is also shown from the teenager to the grandmother, which is quite vast. And with the noodle pack being shown as a replacement to Rice(that it targets to replace) the relevance of this ad is spot on.

Relevance: ****

Now, there isn't much of a head required to understand what is going on in this ad. It is a simple and clear message by Maggi to its consumers that a new flavour is launched, and it must be tried. Simple, effective and easily understood by the consumer.

Acceptance: ***& 1/2

With the earlier Maggi ads showing the entire family going ga-ga over a pack of noodles, this one isn't much different. There is a family, and one by one everyone is driven to a "mania" by a pack of noodles. So as far as freshness of concept goes, this ad scores poorly.

Freshness: * & 1/2

The ad makes sense for the product it is trying to sell. But to me, it does not make a lot of sense making a noodle ad with people shouting mania mania all over the place, and doing a pathetic dance around a pack of noodles. It must be noted here that I am not a big fan of the Maggi "Sambar" flavor ad either, where a Sardarji goes nuts over a pack of maggi. The only Maggi ad I liked was not in the noodle segment, but in the soup segment. Very silent, and very very relevant. If you are going to make a noise, either have a lot of nonsense around it, or try to be a little quiet.

Nonsense Factor: ***

Of course with the so much mania being shouted around the place, the audience is expected to retain a little bit of it in their heads when they go out to buy a pack of Maggi. It must be said that out of the ten odd times I tried to watch this ad completely on TV, my hand switched the channel instinctively as soon as the ad came on. This ad is really irritating, and completely forgettable. The worst part is though, it manages to stick around in my head convincing me that this is a product I should skip.

Recollection Factor: ***

So, has this ad worked? No. Maggi could have had a better job done with this ad. The ad is boring and drives the guy watching it nuts. Most people would like to change channels the moment this ad comes on air. Like I do.

The verdict for this ad? Well, it doesn't seem to work the way it should. In my opinion, consumers won't be drawn to buying a pack of rice Maggi just by this ad. And so, the ad does not serve the purpose it is made for.

Overall Rating: **

Do let me know your opinions on this ad, and which ad would you want reviewed next.

Till then...

P.S. Find the maggi ad on youTube here

Ad reviews!!!

Finally I find time to write, after a few weeks of back breaking work. And I am glad to introduce a new review series, where I will be reviewing the various advertisements that rule the Indian telly.

Earlier on this blog, I had started a review series on blogs, called Breview, that went along for a few posts, after which it suffered a premature closure owing primarily to my being distracted with a lot of other things. Bringing Breview back is a tough ask, but if you want me to breview your blog or a friends', do let me know.

Now, on this new Ad-review. I will be reviewing ads based on the following parameters:

1. Relevance: How relevant is the advertisement to the product that it is trying to sell?
2. Acceptance: How well accepted/understood is the ad in the Indian context? This because there are several global firms that use their international ads in India without much of a context change. So, is the ad accepted?
3. Freshness: How fresh is the ad? Is it a use of the same old boring concepts that were always used to market that category of product, or is it something totally new?
4. Nonsense factor: Does the ad have a lot of nonsense in it? And does the nonsense in the ad make any sense after all?
5. Recollection factor: Do the audience watching the ad remember it when they go to buy a product? Or rather, will the audience buy a product based on this ad?

Based on these factors, and a lot of coherent rambling as always, I will be reviewing a lot of ads in the coming days. So watch this space, and do comment to tell me which ad goes under the scanner next, along with your views on the ads reviewed.

Watch this space for more....

Law and Order

Every citizen wants their country to be safe. Be it an Indian citizen, an American citizen, or a German citizen for that matter, every citizen wants to live in an environment of safety and security. And for this safety, citizens pay a price to the government...called tax.

Now once a citizen pays for his/her safety, it becomes the government's prerogative to provide it to them. Safety from external threats is usually provided by a country's military force. And internal security is provided by the police.

You might be wondering where I am getting at with all this talk. I am getting to the law and order situation that prevails in India.

Some of my fellow countrymen(and women) might say, law...what law? Does such a thing as safety exist in India? Can a family leave their home for a vacation without worrying about it being burgled?Or can women walk on the streets alone without being eve-teased?

There are two very clear reasons for the law and order problem that exists in this country. I will talk about both.

The first problem lies in the enforcers of the law, i.e, the Police. According to the Indian constitution, police is a matter of the states to take care of. Each state is responsible for its police force. And Police is responsible for maintaining law and order in the state. However, that does not happen in India. Police is virtually non-existant in most states in India. On my recent visit to the US, I was impressed by the response time of the police to a 911 call. Try calling 100, the police response number in India. I am quite sure that if there is a response to your call, it will be hours before anyone actually arrives.

Now I happen to know quite a few policemen, both at the lower ranks and senior ranks. So I went forward and asked some officers, and a few constables, why is the Police force in such a miserable state.

Officers have a fixed reply, we have shortage of cash, there is shortage of manpower, there are too many bureaucratic hurdles in police reforms etc etc etc... Talk to the lower ranks, the constables, and a different picture emerges.

One constable, to whom I put this question to, said.."Sir, when do we investigate a FIR? Most of the time we are used as a personal servant by our officers, to bring their kids from school, to drive the mem-saab to the markets...and when we have a little time, how much do we investigate? We don't have a means to go around(this particular person had a bicycle!), we are not educated enough, we do not have weapons...and we do not get enough money."

This is the reality of the Indian Police force. When we citizens stand up and blame to cops for mis-handling of evidence, we do not see the fact that they were never taught how to handle evidence in the first place! When we talk about improper handling of witnesses by cops, we ignore the basic premise that they were never taught how to handle witnesses. The situation might be better in police forces of uptown cities like mumbai, delhi etc, but by and large, the situation is pathetic. Police force is in much need of reforms, and lower ranks who are the ones who really work need to be made more efficient, paid better, their living conditions need to be improved. Unless this happens, I do not think we can expect a lot from the rag-tag group that we call the police.

Now the second culprits. You might think I am going to talk about the judiciary, but no. Judiciary comes in third on my list of culprits. The second reason for law and order problems is the so-called "law abiding citizens" of this country. Citizens who love to take the law into their own hands, and jump on the streets whenever there is an incident. And then there are riots. Some vehicles are burnt, shops are broken, and after all this is over, no one is arrested.

The most recent incident of Sikhs going on rampage in Punjab is a wonderful example. If something illegal was done, have a peaceful march. Go and follow democratic ways of registering an FIR against the person you think has done wrong, and then follow it up. But no, we as Indians now believe in taking matters in our own hands. We'd rather go ahead and burn, break and riot all over the place. If a bus runs over a person on the street, all by-standers will take out their anger on the bus. No one thinks that this mindless destruction of property(in most cases, public property) does no good.

Yes, the police lacks in their duty when they fail to stop all this rioting. Yes, the judiciary fails in its purpose when it sits all day processing cases of film stars being kissed in public, or some artist making a painting rather than speed up murder and rape case verdicts. But the biggest culprits are we the people, who choose to get on the streets, throw stones on police, break shops...and cause disturbance.

And no, rioting is not the only way of having your voice heard. There are better ways, that involve less damage to public property. We as people do not have the right to pronounce guilty verdicts, or take the law into our hands.

But who listens? The only evolutionary progress we seem to have made is from being monkeys jumping around in a forest, to humans roaming around in concrete forests. Other than that, nothing!

I have more thoughts, but this is enough for one post....maybe a part 2 will follow. Till then....

Oh..its good...to be back home...again...

So sang John Denver...and so sing I...

Being back home in India is good....it may be hotter than hell, but if you are the devil, you feel good in hell..

Now the reason why I have metaphors going all over the place is that I am on vacation in my hometown...and will remain on it for another week. So I should be posting more this week...before I get back to New Delhi....

I'll go get some sleep now...maybe tomorrow is the day when I post something sensible...

or maybe day after tomorrow !!

as they say... Procrastinate...now!!!

adios

In no mood to write tonight...

So i will just put up some pictures from my recent trip to Washington. Hope you like them.







Also, I will be travelling back to India next weekend. This will bring a 3 month visit to the USA to its end. This has been a good trip for me, and I have learnt a lot about the culture that I had only heard of. I've met a lot of wonderful people, and I am carrying many fond memories back in my baggage, to last me a lifetime.

The next post will be from India, so till then... adios.

I Tube, You Tube

The big buzz in the online world is that the daddy of video sharing, You Tube, is being sued by the mommy of network television, Viacom. Mummy dearest, it seems, is not happy about daddy allowing everyone to have a bite out of mummy's delicious cooking. Ouch.

So mummy drags daddy to court. And all that dirty linen falls out of the closet and into full public view, where mummy and daddy will now wash the dirt and blood out of it.

In the meanwhile, daddy's found himself another muse, in the name of Fox. Now the muse in interested in daddy putting out samples of its cooking, so that people get to taste it. If they like it, they can pay for it and buy it. If they don't, well, who cares. That's just a sample that's gone out.

In case I have you wondering by now, the above more or less summarizes the legal wrangle between Viacom and google(who incidentally happens to own youTube now), and also the discussions going on between FoxTV executives, and Google. Without the legal jargon, of course.

There are a few interesting questions that have come out of this debate. One being the whole concept of legality of content. Of course, a TV show, its copyright and everything are owned by the producers(or whoever in the production company). Once the show is aired, typically it gets assigned to a bin from where it can be picked in case a rerun is needed. YouTube, doesn't allow copying of content by its users..so you just cannot go to YouTube and copy a video. But you can surely watch it, and upload one. Uploading is where it gets tricky. A user can upload almost anything to YouTube, of course adhering to the upload policies.(I believe they have some new rules about copy righted content now) So whom does the onus of responsibility lies with? The guy who is generously allowing you to post videos for all to see, or the guy who is actually copying copyrighted content without permission and uploading it?

Let the lawyers decide this one..

I will move on to a more interesting issue...why have this issue in the first place? I live in India, but I enjoy watching several programmes that are aired on US based networks. It is on a really lucky day that Star, or Zee decides to air these programmes in India(as is with the popular series Friends). But I can go to youTube, watch a scene or two and get my laughs. Or I go to youtube, and see music videos that I have never seen. Well, if you live in India and are a fan of english music, you will agree that there is a limited number of channels that actually air good english music videos. YouTube intoduced me to George strait, whose music I really loved. Now I have 3 CDs that I purchased(well, thats as many as I could find).

Point is, YouTube ultimately promotes content. Like Fox has realized, it can be used for promotional purposes. We anyways live in a world where music has lost its spirit, people do it just for the money. Which is clearly proven by all the DRM issues that are being raised, and the noise a few years back over Napster. It definitely is all about the money, but what about people who would enjoy listening to content more than actually owning it? Why do they need to pay 69 cents everytime they listen to a song?

Call me a socialist, or a communist for that matter..but I believe that channels like YouTube where great music, great videos are shared should not be clamped down, but should be promoted. Who wants to see a half hour episode on youTube, but give me my funnies...give me the videos that have disappeared from the channels....give me the music that no one plays anymore...

and stop being the capitalist jerks that you are...there are people in the world who might not be rich enough to pay you, that does not mean you can take the music out of their lives!

P.S: As for me, I am beginning to enjoy my stay in Baltimore...another travelogue will be up shortly. And Happy Fools Day to all of you. If you are still on this planet, you are a fool. So while you are here, enjoy your day :)

Passport to refreshment

And this passport bears two words on it - Coca Cola.

Coke is the older of the two fighting colas. One of the biggest global brand today, Coke had its humble foundation in Atlanta more than 100 years ago. What better reason to go and pay a visit the World of Coca-Cola, that pays tribute to the legendary brand that introduced the world to its favourite drink, the Cola.

World of Coca-Cola is one of the biggest attractions of Atlanta. Situated at Martin Luther King Jr. drive, it is a must see destination for all Cola fans.

We headed out on a sunny Sunday morning, boarded the Marta to 5 points station in downtown Atlanta(read the previous post for more on Marta). They said that to get to WOCC, we needed to walk "underground" for a while.

Before a shock takes over you, I should tell you that "underground" is another of Atlanta's tourist attractions. Underground Atlanta has a glorious past, and more about underground can be read at their website.

I will narrate my experience, which was no less than awesome.

Underground Atlanta is actually underground, and it gives the appearance of a flea market. Citizens of delhi will be able to relate it to Palika bazaar, though the underground is way too cleaner, is much more organized and has a lot of culture attached to it. There are several old cars, perfectly restored, that are parked at various places in the underground. And most of the shops are on carts. There is a food court, some excellent dining places, live performances, and most of the knick-knacks you'd expect to find in a typical city market. A truly wonderful experience.

After walking through the underground for a few minutes, we came out and saw WOCC staring at us. I must say that the location of WOCC is stunning, and it sure will take your breath away. The old time charm is also restored to some extent by horse-carriages that take you for a ride around the avenue.

We entered WOCC, purchased our tickets(reasonably priced at $9 for an adult), and headed straight in. The lift took us straight to the third floor. This floor contains a lot of historical artefacts, many dating back to early 19th century. Also on display is a mini-bottling machine, that shows how the bottling process works.




Moving ahead, there is a soda shop, with a real "soda jerk" behind the counter showing how coke was made in the good 'ol days. And it cost only 5 cents!! But I guess 5 cents was a lot of money back then.




After the soda shop is the most interesting room in the entire building. It is the sampling room, where one can sample the drinks that are served by coke all across the world. From tutty-fruity to a bitter italian flavor(that I liked), the room presents a unique, soda filled challenge for the taste buds.





After that trip to the WOCC, we spent some time exploring the area, and not before long we were at the Georgia State Capitol. The capitol has a magnificent building, with a gold dome and a replica of the statue of liberty atop it(well, that's what it looked like). The capitol is open for visitors from Monday to Friday only, and as it was a Sunday we could not get in. But its outside is no less magnificent. It has statues of famous US presidents, cannons from the US civil war, a lamp lit for the martyrs of World Wars I & II, and of course, the gold dome that is visible from a distance.






After spending half an hour looking around, we decided to head back to end our tryst with the history of one of the world's favourite drinks, and some history of the place I spent the last month and a half at.

Now for the good news, bad news drill.

Bad news is, this was my last Sunday in Atlanta. I have come to like this city very much, it has a lot to offer for the tourist and a nice place to stay too. My stay here was also made wonderful by the staff of the Residence Inn Alpharetta, where I stayed during this trip. Thanks a lot guys.

Now the good news. My trip to the US still continues, and now I am headed for a new destination. My next stop is the city of Linthicum, located in the state of Maryland. This will also land me close to Washington DC, and it luck be, I might pay the power center of the US a visit. So for now, its good bye Atlanta, hello baltimore.

The next post will be from my new destination. Till then...watch this space.

A Thursday in Blueland...

Thursday was the day scheduled for our tryst with destiny, which can be plainly stated as our day to visit Atlanta downtown, and the many attractions it offered.

We started our journey with MARTA. Before you get any ideas, MARTA is the local rail transport system that ferries people from one corner of Atlanta to another. A very efficient and easy way to get around the city of Atlanta, Marta will save you a lot of those traffic & parking problems. As is said, a city's transport system is its lifeline, and MARTA does its job really well at that.

After a 30 minutes journey, we reached downtown Atlanta. A short walk later, we were at the Georgia Aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium is "the world's largest aquarium with 8 million gallons of fresh & marine water, and over 100000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe. " Sounds impressive.

And it sure is. The variety of marine life kept in this aquarium is mind-boggling. From jelly-fish to piranhas, from penguins to eels, from sea-lions to stingrays, from sea-horses to beluga whales, the aquarium gives you a feeling that you have explored all creatures of the sea. Enough of me, now let the pictures do some talking..

Fish, fish in the tank..

Beluga Whale
African Penguins
A sea of colour
Mr. Tortoise

There were two very important lessons I learnt from my trip to the aquarium. First, that there is a massive effort involved in making any species feel at home in a foreign eco-system. The georgia aquarium is doing a great job in making all these animals feel perfectly at home.

The second lesson is, that animals kept in closed enclosures like to pose for cameras! I have clicked otters, sea-lions, beluga whales(photo above), tortoises(photo above) posing gracefully for the visitors. I don't think there is anything special the aquarium does to ensure that shutter-happy photographers like me get a good collection of photographs. I tend to believe that its not only humans that enjoy their celebrity status, but several animals exposed to being photographed also do. Ever wonder why those lions in all those safari photos pose so gracefully? I bet every time a lion sees a photographer he goes "Honey, straigten up your mane, the paparazzi is here!" , "Oh not again, I am just finishing off that gazelle. Hold on, let me get some more of that blood on my teeth".

Whatever.

Aquarium done, we started to walk towards Philips Arena, for our rendezvous with ice-hockey. On the way, we walked into the Centennial Olympic park. For the uninitiated, Atlanta city played host to the Olympics in 1996, which also happened to be the 100th Olympics after Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the ancient Greek tradition of Olympics in 1896. The Centennial Park is built to commemorate the 1996 Olympics celebrated in Atlanta. Again, I'll let the pictures do most of my job:

Olympic Memorial

The Torch
Entrance to the Olympic Park

Sports are followed religiously all across the world. Every country/region has its own favourites. Asia has cricket & Europe has football. US has a large collection of sports, each having its own dedicated fan following. And we were about to witness one of them.

Ice-hockey is originally a Canadian sport(officially Canada's winter sport). Simply referred as hockey, but played on ice with a puck. Here in US, NHL is the league of professional ice-hockey teams. The teams come from different regions from the US, and as is with each sport here, the team names are most exciting. Examples: Devils(New Jersey), Flyers(Philadelphia), Panthers(Florida), Hurricanes(Carolina). We were here to witness the encounter between Thrashers(Atlanta) and Lightening(Tampa Bay).

The atmosphere at the arena was electric. There was so much adrenaline, so much excitement, so much thrill & anticipation in the fans, that it made me remember a live India Pakistan match that I had seen once. And being the home team, Atlanta Thrashers were obviously the favourites.

The match lasted for 2 hours, and I can say, not even for one moment were we any far from the edge of our seats. Ice-hockey is a very fast paced game, and with the fan-frenzy reaching crazy levels every time the Thrashers controlled the puck, the experience was a one-in-a-lifetime experience for us. Even the breaks between periods were amazing, with tiny-tots donning ice-hockey gear and having a go at the game.

Here are some photos for you to feast your eyes on:

Thrashers...Thrashers...

The usher
The guy with the toughest job in the rink
What the puck are you waiting for?

The Star Sprangled Arena

Kids have their go

Waiting....

And so..a wonderful evening comes to an end.

Of course, this post would not be complete without thanking our gracious hosts for the evening, who took as around and made this experience an everlasting memory. Thank you guys...you are the best.

With this post, Coherent Rambling completes 100 posts, and also marks its second anniversary. It is a major milestone for me, considering the lazy writer that I am. There were many times in these two years when I contemplated closing the blog, came close to doing it actually a few times, but there was something that brought me back. Maybe this blog has evolved from being more than a medium. To me, coherent rambling is a manifestation of my inner self. My soul speaks freely here, expresses itself, and many a times I end up writing not from my head but from my heart. My medium has now become an image of me.

Or has it become me?

Do keep reading, and commenting. Your thoughts are more valuable to me than my own. On this note, I will sign off for today.

Adios

Happy Saint Valentine's Day

A very Happy St. Valentine's Day to you all. For a more historical perspective, please visit Wiki

Valentine's Day has evolved into a celebration of love. Love, in all its varying forms, is the most complex of human emotions. An emotion that can bring happiness in one's life as much as it can bring sadness. It can be linked to both joy and sorrow, to smiles & tears, to peace & to anger.

Though more commercialized today, love has become a commodity more than an emotion. There is still a group of old-schoolers who believe in the orthodox definitions of purity & sacrifice in love. The rest are just there to cash in. In today' world, love has contorted into a feeling that is not complete without physical intimacy. Most of the cases of so-called 'lovers' that I see are in it just for the intimacy, nothing else.

And mainstream commercialization takes its pride in putting a price to everything. So your love is not true till you have gifted that 100$ teddy bear, or that 50$ bunch of roses. Putting a price on love is most certainly not romantic.

Having said that, what is the one thing I'd want to do most with the person I love? Spend some quality time with her, maybe go out on a beach, or a small trek, or a long drive. A gift definitely indicates how special that person is for you, but it certainly does not mean that a gift is all it takes to love or not love a person.

And before I leave, here's some fodder for your thought on the day when love is the biggest celebrity of all :

"People walk around today calling everyone their best friend, the term doesn't have any meaning anymore. Mere acquaintances are lavished with hugs & kisses upon a second or at most a third meeting, birthday cards get passed around offices so everybody can scribble a snippet of sentimentality for a colleague they barely met, and everyone just loves everyone. As a result when you tell somebody you love them today, it isn't much heard..." -Allan Shore, Boston Legal

The Atlanta Post - Late night edition

Well..late night edition coz its 10 pm here...no other reason..honest!

All right, the headlines. Yours truly has reached atlanta safely, after a tiring 17 hr non-stop flight, followed by 3 more hours on the airplane. It was literally a pain in the proverbial butt.

The one thing that hit me as I entered US was the chilly wind. The last time I was hit by such a wind was at 3000 m above sea level. I was surprised to find such fresh air in a country that has the most number of automobiles in the world. More on this later.

My travel did not end yet. There was another 40 miles of drive left, but this was a breeze in the cadillac that had come over to recieve me(ya..some perks do come with the job).

The hotel suite is also wonderful. I am still waiting for my camera to arrive, so I will post pictures of my suite, and more later.

Well, whether I am liking it here in the US? Yes, of course. I have always been a game for new challenges, and I am loving it here.

Will I want to stay forever in the US? No. That's as direct as it gets. US is a wonderful country, no doubt. The people here are amazing, lots of shopping options...but..I like India more. Living in the US for a few months is a great idea, and worth every bit of the experience. But what we have in India is called a life. Even though the traffic is unruly, and the streets are dirty, but at the end of the day, home is home.

How do I know? Well, i've been out of mine for the last 6+ years :-)

More on atlanta to follow.

Post #97

The countdown to the 100th post has begun, and what a post that is going to be!

Reason? Well, coherent ramblings will now be posted from the US of A. That s correct. Yours truly is flying out tonight to the land of dreams, but not for very long.

Post #98 will be next week, after I get the 20+ hrs of travel out of my head. Till then, comment on the "why" series below.

adios for now..but promise to keep visiting, as I promise to post my travelogues, and my usual ramblings here...

till then...

The "why" series

Why is there no action against the lawyers who tried to deliver vigilante justice to the nithari accused, when there is swift lathicharge & arrests of students conducting peaceful demonstrations?

Why does India cry out against "racial abuse" in Big Brother, but not make a single noise when Neo sports airs advertisements saying "It is tough being a West Indian/Sri Lankan in India" ?

Why do news channels keep following mr. bacchan and his to be wife, Ms. Rai, all around the town, when there is better news to show?

Why does the income tax dept. chase and rob salary earners, but takes no action when politicians spent lakhs & crores just "celebrating" their birthdays?

Why is the govt. so interested in "talking" to ULFA when all the talk about is killing more Indians?

Why is Gujarat ashamed to watch Parzania that portrays the heart wrenching true story of a family ruined in the riots?

and last, but not the least..

Why are normal marriages not allowed by "astrologers" if there is "mangal dosha", but if the people in question are two famous celebs, there is a "workaround"?

answers, anyone?

The analysis of a heartbreak, and more... - Part II

This follows the previous post, and is mandated as a response to bhavna's comment on it. So please read the previous post and its comments before reading further.

First, I strongly believe that in the Indian society, marriage is definitely the only consequence of love. The other options of two people loving but not getting married are not really socially acceptable in India. I am not implying that they do not exist, all I am saying is that a massive part of the Indian society is still strongly against them.

That settled, let me move ahead. One topic coming out of this discussion is the definition of love. How does a person know when he/she is in love with another? How do others judge if two people are actually in love?

An interesting observation here is the conflicting views about love. It is said that loving is all about letting go, leaving the other person free...etc etc. However, a flip side to this is the fact that if a person really loves you, and wants to be with you, then he/she should stand by you during the tough times when you are talking to your parents. Contradicting, right?

I tend to believe that the whole philosophy of letting go is just existing for the consolation of people who have been dumped in love. The human mind needs something to hand on to, and in tough times the sole consolation of "true-love-being-in-letting-go" is what helps you through it.

In my opinion, true love is in wanting to stay with the person you love...always being in the company of the one you love, be it in reality, or in your head. Leaving or letting go are not options in love.

Another question is, is it love only when both people are in love with each other? I again disagree. One sided love is a very painful reality. It is like chasing a dream, it is stupid, it is senseless. But as with love, if it happens it cannot be stopped. As love knows no rationale.

I do believe that an important aspect of love is respecting the feelings of your partner. And making all attempts to keep your partner happy. This is why when I was told to leave, I have always left. Not because I believed that love is in letting go...but simply because for me, love is always keeping the other person happy. And if her happiness is in breaking off and going away...so be it.

Shouldn't get personal....

Now the interesting discussion of obeying our parents, or rather not obeying them...well I don't see why the other option is so easily ignored. Fine, my parents are my parents...but I am their child too...I too deserve some level of trust, love and respect from them. And at a mature age, I would certainly wish that they stand by me in the decisions I take in my life. I am fine if they stop me from taking a decision on a genuine reason, I will accept such a mandate. But reasons that are without reason & logic, well, are unacceptable to me. Our parents have lived for more years than us, but it certainly does not mean everything they tell us to do is the right thing for us. We might accept most of what they tell us, but all of it...I don;t know.

It is not about trust, but it is about the simple fact that everyone makes mistakes...and accept it or not...but our parents are equally susceptible to making mistakes as we are.

At least with my parents, I openly discuss their decisions, ask for the reasons behind them. Call me a bad boy, a disobedient son or whatever, but I do not accept any of their decisions that is not soundly justified enough. I do not lead a life where decisions are made based on hearsay or anything that makes no scientific/logical sense to me...

The advantage is that I never regret even a single decision I have ever made. The disadvantage is that it is tough to live this way. Very tough..there are battles lurking around each corner..and I will strongly dissuade you from following this way of living. It is much easier to accept what your parents say, and live life quietly and happily. My way of life might appear glamorous on the outside, but it is tough. So don't follow it. Period.

I don;t know if love is the most complex emotion, but it is the most painful. Without question or argument. Everyone who I know, who has loved aomeone at one point or other in their lives, know that it is painful. But it is worth every bit of it.

On this last argument, the defence rests...

The analysis of a heartbreak, and more...

A recent post on my friend bhavna's blog really set my mind into action(yes..i can hear the shouts of "its been a really long time since that last happened, duh). Jokes apart, I would first want you to read her thoughts.

Having gone through similar situations in my life(yes, its situations and not situation)...I must say I am well equipped to comment on this. So here goes....

When a person falls in love with another, the mind and heart think as one(yes, if you are in true love, this WILL happen). And the mind follows what the heart say.And all lovers care about is being together with each other.

In the great grand Indian society...togetherness forever is marriage! A man and a woman being good friends, being lovers but not getting married is suspiciously viewed by the so called "society" to the extent of persecution. And then this poor couple, and their love life crumbles under the pressures extered hitherto.

So let us accept that marriage is the only way forward for a couple desperately in love. The next step is of course in convincing the upholders of our families, that is, our parents. Let me add here that cases where close relatives, distant relatives, and even neighbors & "society" in general are big factors in any decision that parents will make. For a person in love, the goal is convincing their parents by hook or by crook that all these factors are nothing when it comes to the happiness of their child.

Unfortunately, this argument does not hold out..it loses to equal(and time tested) arguments of experience, life...and in the worst case if no argument is left..then parents use their ace. The ultimate blackmail of making a choice...between the person you love, and between the people who have raised you and cared for you since you were born.

Needless to say, love loses out. At least in my cases, and in many others that I have seen around me, it does. There is only one case where I have seen a person hold out, not make a choice, and ultimately emerge a winner. But such cases are a rarity. If you don't believe me, consider yourself in this ultimate blackmail situation for days altogether....and you will also lose out.

Am I making a villain out of the wonderful people that our parents are? Of course not. Yet the fact remains that most relationships fail because of some or the other affects of parental pressures. It is difficult to document all cases here, so I will just leave it at that.

And what antidote do parents have to a heartbreak?Marriage, of course!!I speak so because I have downed this option multiple times in my own life...but I have seen a lot of people take the path of roses..and be happy forever. I do not want such happiness in my life.

Tough to be impersonal...but I will continue...

Now the reasons why lovers are turned down...the biggest in our country is caste differences. All of us, and our parents are really sympathetic to the cause of reservations...and no one wants to divide this great nation based on caste(at least no one sane would).

But when it comes to letting in a person of another caste in our families, we are scared...we are afraid of what the society would say. We lose our appetite, our sleep..our peace of mind...and in extreme cases, get heart attacks..thinking why??Why my family...why my child had to go off and fall in love with a person from another caste???We will go to any extent to stop them from doing so...otherwise our family will forever be cursed with an "outsider".

This is what goes in a parent's mind....and the symptoms are clearly indicative...no one eats properly in the household for days...parents stop talking to their children..treating them as outcasts..as if they committed multiple murders in one night...no siree...this is the worst crime possible. The retribution is swift...no is almost always the answer..any opposition is met with the ultimate blackmail i mentioned above.

In all this, what has happened to the lovers? Their relationship stretches to breaking point, and soon the day comes when one begins thinking that getting rid of the relation is the best way forward for both of them. And a love story dies.

A painful death at the hands of people who care...of those who matter...

What happens when a relationship ends?Heartbreak....the mind dissociates itself from the heart...cold brutal logic engages in never ending battles with the heart...the soft heart is cursed endlessly for trusting another person...for expecting...for dreaming that life could be beautiful....

This battle, more than anything, takes a toll. And believe me, suicide often appears as an option. Whether I ever considered it is a story for another day, but i know it does. And the only thing that can keep that thought away is just to keep fighting. Keep trying to survive. Remeber that its always the path ridden with thorns that leads to happiness..just keep removing them from your feet..and keep walking.

And well...real love is in letting go. I can say this because I have let go...more than once...caring for the other person's well being...not even keeping any malice in my heart or my mind...

Is it easy to forgive? yes it is.

Is it easy to forget? I don't think so....at least I haven't been able to.

Is it easy to fall in love again? I don't know...really....more so because this is something I randomly read...

"you fall in love only once...the rest is just life"

I could go on and on on this..but I must stop...before more memories come back to flood my heart and my eyes...some other day, perhaps.