Age and Wisdom

Last 16th I turned 27. Arshi laughed, " he he 3 more to be 30 ".. Butterflies in my stomach..
Am I going to be 30 soon. Nooooo I dont deserve that.. What have I done to have this, look what a brat I am, outside and inside. Just fews days back I used to have uncles and aunties who were around 30, would I be one of those?

But the dirty thirty feeling has made me wiser. A friend said "really?" .. not sarcastically, just opined on the wise of the world. She had a point - is the perceived wisdom really wise? Nevertheless, I feel wise because for me today has a never before importance. Today is the day.. The motto - live life like there's no tomorrow. Arshi says.. thoughts of an artist, not a honcho. She knows I'm an artist too.

Why is this feeling sinking.. Did I miss something in the last 27 years. If I did, I'll not miss anything in the next 27 years. With a resolution to make life more beautiful, which has more satiation for me and for people around me, I let my b'day pass. One more year gone by, say hello to a wiser Ambrish.

Reservation - who's the winner?

I remember the day, I was just back from school. My 7 year old brother came rushing to me and shot this at me.."bhai reservation kya hota hai..." (brother, what is reservation) the question was beyond my years. Today, I think the answer would have been difficult even for a more mature person. However, even then it left me wondering, how did this little kid even think of a question like this. It was the news of the protests against the recommendations of mandal commission and the self-immolation attempt of Rajiv Goswami that was the topic of discussion at every nook and cranny of the city. Probably the kid mighthave overheard somebody. What is the effect it must have had on him? In the simplest terms, I guess he must have atleast realized that there are people who are being favoured by the government even without scoring "good marks". It could have been then, that the concept of 'somebody's different' might have occurred to him. It is this difference that one carries all through his life and builds further apprehensions and prejudice against another human being.

Rajiv Goswami, engulfed in flames. - Sept 19th, 1990.

Today, after 16 years of mandal commission, just as we thought there's some fresh thinking and pragmatic approach in the country's policy making, we are again pitted against the same question. What is the effect of politically inspired moves of the policy makers. Is it really a delivering effect or a dividing one? A true citizen of India would be sad to think that the indian policy making has absolutely run out of ideas to help uplift the backward class and are still resorting to a measure that promises to keep them exactly that - backward.

In the 21st century the brahmin and the feudal dominance is decreasing from every sphere of life. Not only visibly in action but also in thoughts. The concept of untouchability does not find many takers in the generation X. For all we know is that the vote inspired vicious minds are trying to keep the difference alive by playing the reservation card. Not that the concept of backward, lower caste has completely vanished into thin air, but it has decreased dramatically compared to what it was in the 1940s and 1950s when the reservation was born for good. Had it not been for continuation of reservation and the inability of the successive governments to decrease or modify it, the results would have been even better just because the striking difference between the upper and lower castes would not have been as glaring as it is now. Therefore today, the need of the hour is to continue to create awareness against untouchability, continue to educate people against caste system and at the same time provide better primary education to the backward class to build their self esteem and self confidence. Creating more boundaries and subdivision would do nothing but win or, for that matter, lose few extra votes.


More than the dividing effect reservation has, one has to think - does it really benefit the right people it is supposed to. My own experience and that of others' I have discussed this with, reveals it does not. People given easy access to medical, engineering, management colleges or govt jobs, on an average, do not fare well. A large number of seats are often left vacant and those who do occupy those seats more than often find it difficult to cope with the demanding course structures and syllabi. There are two factors behind this. The general tendency of the reserved seat candidate is to take it easy. The belief that they would atleast land a govt job either by reservation or some kind of 'jugad' makes them complacent enough not to put a sincere effort. The second factor, which is equally important, is that most of the times, students who lack the aptitude often ride on reservation to get into these spheres. Not that all students from backward classes appearing for the entrance exams lack aptitude but the lower benchmark makes it difficult to distinguish between the good and the poor student. By claiming that the lower benchmark does not harm merit, the supporters of reservation are putting a question mark on the effectiveness of the Examination process.

Therefore it would be better that instead of pushing a weak student into a highly demanding course, the governments puts a system in place that helps the student to compete with his peers - so that it is the academic or the intellectual weakness that is addressed rather than the fact that the student comes from a backward class. This system would be best effective if it includes students from all castes, religions, tribes or whatever parameters. For a start let it be targetted only towards the backward class. Ideas are plenty, but what is required is a selfless thought process, a sincere desire to help uplift the backward - something which is deliberately ignored by the sinister men in khakhi -All for the want of the precious vote.

How AB got called, got wild and got out of his mind!!

-- he he..does the title sound inspired!!

It was a hot hyderabad morning and I was on my bike on the regular route to the office - humming and switching between beatles' 'Its been a hard days Night' and shakira's 'hips don't lie' - a remix suited not to go beyond the helmet on my head. Suddenly there was some background music to my disliking - it was my phone. I got to the side of the road, got my helmet off my head, quickly took the phone out of my pocket before I would miss the call. Lo - its an unidentified number. Having already taken the pain of checking out the caller, I decided to answer..

'Hello, who's this'
'Rambabu annaaaaaa' (big brother - popular salutation in hyd).

Holy crap, its again somebody asking for Rambabu, a name thats been haunting me since the time I own a cell phone. Like a call center girl speaking out some mugged up lines I recited -
'You've dialled the wrong number - Rambabu's number happens to be "939 xxx yy0" and you've dialled an extra x to end up calling me. Please check'.
'Sooorry saar', the voice apologized. I hung up, put my helmet back, kick started and off I was again to my office. The apology had set my expectations that the Rambabu seeker would be enlightened towards the right path. (right number in this case).

Soon I was at madhapur, hyderabad's IT destination, noticed some baricades dividing the road into two, with one part reserved for some high profile visitors for the Asian development Bank meet. The cops were shooing away the adventurous rider trying to stray onto the VIP track. The track for the lesser mortals was packed with bikes, cars and cabs honking their way to their destinations. Just as I was trying to meander my way out of the jam, the phone rang again. I was expecting an important call and did not want to miss it. I found myself a way to attend the call inspite of the urgent need to get out of the traffic there. To my utter displeasure the Rambabu seeker had struck back and it was the same gentleman whom I had explained all he needed to get to Rambabu.

'My gosh - you just can't believe your ears that you've already dialled a wrong number and you're here to repeat the feat' - I snapped back.

The man did not gather enough courage to reply back and hung up. With minced oaths and wondering what made the villian of today's show think that trying the same number would somehow get him to reach Rambabu. Hello Mr. dudly, this is not the 'sarkari doorbhash' age - the age of the old govt. 'rambharose' phones that relied on luck/fate/destiny to get to the right person even after dialling the right number.

I started all over again. After about 22 minutes of wrestling with the traffic I was finally out of it and in my air conditioned office. I Could still feel the steam whizzing out of my ears - courtesy Mr. Rambabu.

The lady and cooking!!

How do the two things sound - apples and oranges?? To most of us, exactly that. The Modern woman is so averse to cooking that one really ponders why does the very idea drives her crazy. To ask my lady to cook something is to stir a hornet's nest. Before I am deemed an MCP (ask any woman and she'll tell u its Male Chauvinist Pig), let me tell you the above request comes with a 50 - 50 contribution offer - which she also understands would be 60 - 40 with a greater effort falling on me. I approach her with all precautions and with all the SOPs associated with the offer, but I am yet to find a way to have her happily get into it.


I used to think that the problem was a specific one and I am the only unfortunate one who faces the wrath of the 'thy will not cook or contribute to cook' (yes it sounds like the 11th commandment) disciple. However, out there in the modern jungle I found lots of company. It really makes me wonder why has this attitude developed?

On a closer look, I found that there's evolution behind it. Women have, primarily, been subjected to household work from the time there's life on earth. Men have assumed more authority and have attached greater importance to their role in the society. Women have been considered second to men for a long long time. Due to this, an inferior tag got attached to the role of women and to the work they do in their day to day activities. Be it, cooking or raising children or for that matter any household chore. The fact, that the so called inferior role is as important as any other, got lost into oblivion.

In the 20th century, a greater number of women came out of the cocoon and started to fly the flight which was, so far, the forte of men. A larger number of women started looking forward to a job which would earn them money. Slowly, it became a universal law that the homely role was actually inferior. The modern attitude towards cooking developed as a nemesis to the attitude met by women to the role they previously had in the society. Since they found more satisfaction and recognition in the new found role, women themselves started looking down at the household job.

In today's world the "I cannot cook" fad has actually created more problems - more so for women. Men, today are more inclined than ever before, toward cooking, whereas women are running away from it. To circumvent this, they turn towards readymade meals and fast-to-cook, good-to-eat ideas - which are most of the times, a compromise with nutrition. The result is poor nutrition and unhealthy conditions.

I try convincing her and women who are struck with the "I cannot cook" fad that its not "cool" to not know cooking. Be it a man or woman, the first thing that differentiated human being from other creatures was that human being could cook. With the reverse evolution, we might one day end up back in the jungle - probably of a different kind.

I hope she reads this and understand the value of cooking food and eating at home.

Disclaimer: The author is a strong supporter of equality of sexes, so please donot read this article with any prejudice which might arise just because the author is a male.

Honking, hyderabadi ishhtyle.

When have you been last irked on the road by a nonchalant honker? Well, a hyderabadi would have a memory that would not extend beyond today or else I would say he/she is patience personified. They dwell in every nook and cranny of the streets of hyderabad and exist in all forms - behind the wheel, on a bike, not to mention, in the good ol' yellow-black boxes of nuisance on three wheels - the autorichshaws. They have the ability to get on to your nerves fast, they can extract expletives from you in no time. They'll make you make way at any cost and then pass by you with such a contempt that you'll give a second thought to your driving skills. There is quiet a variety of honkers existing on hyd roads. I have discovered a few species of this deadly creature. Wouldn't mind the Noble prize for zoology (I know it doesn't exist) for this feat.

The impatient honker is the most irritating of the lot. He'll (I'll use the masculine pronoun to avoid the wrath of the feminist honker) honk till eternity or till you get out of his way. It can never occur to him that there could be a genuine reason why you can't make way for his grand passage. He would make you believe that you could be killed if the horn weapon was just a tad more lethal. While honking, expecting your quick action to his call, he'll look at you with such disdain as if the suggestion is - you don't have the right to exist on the street. To your relief, you get the oppurtunity to let this juggernaut pass - believe me, you are the one who's victorious - after all peace of mind is invaluable.

The next most abundant is the proactive honker. He honks not because he wants somebody out of his way, but because nobody should come into his way. He is a V.I.P. in his own sense. He'll extend the capabilities of the horn way beyond its purpose - He'll treat it as a siren to ward off the commoners. His last wish would be to employ the city police to stall the traffic when he's on the road. You dare not come into his way, else he would quickly change color to resemble his close cousin - the impatient honker. He's most of the time, young and seated on a bike, which is though most of the times a 150cc or even lesser powered bike, but gives him an illusion of a honda CBRR - 1200 cc or a suzuki hayabusa 1300 cc special edition.

The last, but not the least is the habitual honker. He'll honk with a set frequency, without a purpose. You can even write a mathematical expression which denotes the time frequency of his honking and can accurately predict the exact time he'll honk next. He's the most dull witted of the lot, doesn't even realize what he's really doing. The honking habit has just grown into him along with his driving skills. You can think of him as a cross breed of a jack-ass and one of the variety above. He's a cabbie most of the times, pays more attention to the crooner at the radio station thats playing his favourite song. Needless to say, he's quiet dangerous - not so much for his honking habit, but purely because of his absent mindedness. Maintain a safe distance from this variety, because you never know which turn that he'll take to make you land in trouble.

I have these three species identified during this short time I have been in hyderabad. I know there are a few others that exist, though not in as large a number as the cousins above. I would be elated to figure out a few more and would appreciate any external help or pointers.

Indo US nuclear deal

Folks - time for some serious talk. I have been following the Indo-US nuke deal of lately. The first question that came to my mind was what does the US gain from this deal. On closer scrutiny, got a few answers. A summary to unravel the mystery. Dedicated to the time I killed discussing this with myself.

The India US nuclear deal has generated a lot of interest worldwide - both negatively and positively. The recent visit by president bush to India, and his show of desire to complete the deal with India has raised a lot of hopes for a quick closure. However, on the flip side, the scepticism in the US congress is acting as a dampener to the otherwise quick progress. The deal is a clear indication of a changing US opinion of India, a strong signal that the two of the world's largest democracies have moved ahead of the 1998-post pokhran bitterness.

The two parties for the deal have lots to take home from this deal. India's ever growing energy demands stare straight into the face of policy makers. A nuclear power enriched India could not have been a possibility at a more appropriate time than this. India continues to grow over 7.5 percent over the last year and its is expected to grow at the same or even higher rate in the years to come, energy demands are increasing manifolds. The traditional sources of energy like thermal energy are becoming expensive due to the rise of the cost of crude and coal. Nuclear energy would provide the much desired respite from the ever increasing energy prices and a lack of supply of adequate power.

Washington is now expecting India to be a major ally and a hedge against the growing Chinese influence in South Asia. They have come to realize that denying India fissile power would make china more influential in the region. India comes as a natural choice for this role for various reasons. India is the next most strong economic power in the region and a democratic setup similar to the US. Washington's cold-war era ally - Pakistan suffers from its own kitty of problems especially the threat of nuclear technology being sold out to what US considers rouge nations like Iran and terrorist outfits like al-qaeda.

India's close ties with Iran is also a concern for the white house. The US realizes that India's close relations with Iran are a result of the supplier consumer relationship built due to the trade of oil and natural gas between the two countries. With a self sufficient India, US hopes to alienate Iran of any potential support by India to Iran's nuclear policy.

The criticism against the proposed deal is born mainly out of the fact that the deal does not talk about India signing the NPT (non proliferation treaty). This is being seen as a major shift by president Bush from United States' Nuclear policy. The deal allows India to open only 11 out of the 18 nuclear reactors for international monitoring. Moreover, it is solely india's discretion to classify future reactors as civil or military. This has not gone down well with the US senators and it will take a lot of wooing by the likes of Condoleeza Rice to establish India as a reliable ally of the United states.

whoopie!! I am a blogger now

hello folks,
Welcome me onboard, I have joined the gang of bloggers. As the description of my blog goes, I am not much of a blogger - well, then why the heck did I create one (??), thought its a good way to start to express myself, do all the talking, take out few moments for what I think about myself, the world around, the issues around. Mix a bit of fun, esp. things I am interested in , like the latest spanish (espanol) learning fever ( I know this one's very strong), and mix up a cocktail(something I would love doing, thanks Mishra for inspiring me) that I can sip at my own will, pondering over things that are yet to come, days that I am yet to see and working to make them gleeful.

till then,
ciao.