Heard of this new feature by the WordPress team- posting through email. Sure sounds good and easier than opening it up on the browser. Lets see how this one handles the images, the alignment and the rest. would have to upload a pic or two to see if this thing actually works. Using my desktop background to check it out.
As we turn 60 our thoughts invariably turn to how successful have we been in living up to the dream of India, the nation as it was on the eve of 26th January, 1950. A plethora of thoughts cross our minds as to whether the constitution or we, the people were responsible for the state we are in. We are reminded of Dr. Ambedkar, Pandit Nehru and the revered Mahatma- the champions of India. Who triumphed when now we look at the series of events in hind-sight? The dreamer or the pragmatist? Who’s idea was it to create a socialist republic state of India where the powers of executive would rule over the combined strength of legislature and judiciary?
We come back to the age old question of what is the most important role of the state? According to Kautilya, who wrote in the Arthashastra, Kautthe maintenance of law and order and the dispensation of justice is the science of the government. Indeed, Robert Nozick, one of 20th century’s most influential political philosophers, was of the opinion that the first responsibility of the state is to protect its citizens against violence, theft and fraud as well as to enforce contracts. In a democracy, which as we are taught to believe is for the people, by the people and of the people who bears the responsibility of the state? We demand of our government to provide us with security, promote economic and social development and sustainably march towards a progressive land where the fundamental rights are truly fundamental and the law of the land is there for the taking. How successful have we been in making this dream come to reality?
We have evolved, as a nation and as its citizens. The 50 million strong young citizens today are more aware of what is expected of them and yet there is a strange disconnect between their desires and their foremost responsibility. We should know, for a fact that an ideal state is a misnomer because there can never be such a thing. Such is the nature of man that the idea of good and bad falls prey to the theory of relativity. It ain’t a black and white picture. A gray cat on a gray porch in a gray day for a gray cereal.
For long, we Indians have looked up to the ideals that define the west. For long have we nurtured our childhood with the hope of a truly democratic nation, for long have we passed on the responsibility to others. But times, they are a changing my friend. I being an eternal optimist am pleasantly surprised at the pace with which we have come to appreciate the basic tenets of nature-that things do not naturally fall in place, buildings do not come up all by themselves and achievements do not spring up all of a sudden. I see a punctured enthusiasm, feel the rhythmic pulse of change and am enamored by the brilliance of the times. We do live in interesting times and so did our ancestors, the difference being the slow and steady pace of education. This enlightenment is bringing about a refreshing transformation, the likes of which cometh once in a century, the likes of which has the potential to scale up and bring about a 21st century renaissance.
I am hopeful that one day in my lifetime I would look at the sky and ponder of where things were back then and where things are now. For your sake, I sincerely wish you do too.
Listening to news in today’s times ain’t an easy task. Almost every news story brings with it an inherent chest-beating about the world class Indian growth and the impending super-power status. You can sense it in the tone in which one describes the achievements however significant bloated to unexplicable heights. I am no cynic neither do I have a pessimistic view. This post isn’t about that as well. What such media coverage made me think is how far appreciation can go in actually making good things happen. There is a certain level of responsibility that comes with appreciation. The fact that your work has been appreciated makes one work and toil all the more harder to cross miles and tackle obstacles.
It applies to Narendra Modi, the fact that his work up to this date has been widely acclaimed when it comes to economics and development would definitely propel him not to take any negative stance come what may. Nitish Kumar is another case that comes to my mind. What connection I see here is the positive aspect of appreciation. Bring it on aplenty, shower it randomly and you are bound to hit jackpot. Acclaim the statues that Mayawati has erected, make it one of her biggest achievements till date and you never know how that could in some twisted unexplained way make her see the light of the day and help her take decisions that could thwart the efforts of the miscreants that come by a dime a dozen in that big mammoth state of Uttar.
Coming to the media industry in India, praise the likes of India TV for being a hilarious, laughter channel and you could next see Raju Srivastava deliver crisp Breaking News to the hungry junta. Appreciation, I say is a good thing, maybe the best of things. Without it there is no chance one can see the positive side of things, without it one can only imagine the havoc in this wide world of ours. Appreciation makes for good reading too. It makes for good viewing and for good news. Who for that matter would not like some appreciation come his way? What do we have to lose with some good half hearted appreciation for Pete’s sake?
Bring out a daily that serves only the good news at your doorstep. It makes business sense too. It could serve a gentle reminder for all those cynics who love to thrash things, who love to live in constant criticism, who love to catch the rye if you get my drift.
To become a connoisseur—of the arts, ideas, food, wine, languages, movies, sports, economics or history—is ultimately a selfish exercise. You begin because you cannot help yourself; because of an abiding interest, one that will not let you go. Digging deeper becomes self-perpetuating after a while: The more you know, the more you want to know. At some point, you reach a crest and flip over. Once you pass that stage, beautiful things happen. You will hear a snatch of a Bollywood song and be reminded of a symphony. You will make uncommon connections that are ultimately the gift and pleasure of learning something new. A butterfly’s flight will look like an adagio, which refers to slow tempo in music.
Flipping through Livemint I trudged along this wonderful article by Shoba Narayan. It summed up the exact sentiments echoing in my mind for quite some time. I have always been fascinated by people enthralled by a particular song,movie,book,wine,food,history etc. It makes me wonder what is it with a particular form of either of these that makes the followers unhooked and glued. Simple as I am I find it intriguing and magical to find something that makes the connoisseur tremble and go ecstatic. I wonder if there indeed is something that would make me forget all that is to this world and for those moments leave me feel enriched and satiated. I see friends go crazy over songs that range from Rock, trance, blues, symphonies to the more desi bhangra pop and bollywood masala. I observe people immerse themselves in arts in its varied forms, from Tarot, history, politics, social science to finance, strategy and movies. I travel across people with tastes in Tarantino to those who find SRK irresistible and I wonder if I would ever find my calling. Strange as it may seem, I delve in deeper and deeper still. Almost always I end up empty and hungry for more.
I like to call myself a music lover, a movie buff and a bookworm. I push myself to dissolve completely to everything that the numerous geniuses has served to this constantly evolving world. In this quest of mine I revisit old memories, something that a long lost song takes me to, more often than not. Having a taste, for me is connecting the pieces to my journey as of now. Being a connoisseur, to me is finding solace and comfort in things that trickle my funny bone, inflate my cerebral cortex, pull my heart-strings.
“The art in its many forms offer intangible, immeasurable pleasure if only you can figure out how to learn and experience them.”- much of my energy is spent on learning to appreciate them, understand them and enjoy them. For some, the-story-behind-the-curtains holds no fascination. For me the intrinsic joy of a song and the inherent fascination with a book comes only when I am through with the available literature on the same. In this seemingly infinite world of art, I trudge cautiously so as not to lose track of the motive. There’s a thin line that separates a reader from an observer, an encyclopedia from a connoisseur and a die-hard romantic from a pragmatist.
What are you? A dreamer or a realist? Romantic or worldly? A funnel or a sponge?
There are movies and then there are epics. There’s Kubrick and then there’s Cameroon. Stand apart, choke it with technology, splurge like there is no tomorrow add sparkles of ingenuity, flavor it with larger than the larger life characters and somehow manage to insert a story. The result that this odd eclectic mix brings out makes one want to puke exclamations, it makes one want to transcend to another world, makes one see Na’vi what they intend to portray, makes one long for that adventurous journey to the lands of Pandora. Open up the Pandora’s box and transform this splendour to something more than a one-off movie, brilliant for its time(yes!) into something akin to Star Wars, something provoking like Jurassic Park, something curious like Signs and something classy like LOTR. I demand!
While analogies exist and are created, while doubts emerge and are forestalled, while the story drags and you let it drag you you end up loving Avatar for the sheer scale of the project. It ain’t a movie I should say. Its more a project of what the world of 3D has in store for movie goers and watchers and freakers and speakers. Technical finesse aside there is no story line, no character assasination or erection, no one moment of reminiscence and therein lies the beauty of this neo-classical, technical extravaganza.
The year is 2053. Earth is supposedly dead by the ‘karma’ of the energy hungry humans, so much so that Pandora becomes the hotbed for the politics of energy. Sounds familiar? America/Iraq/Afghanistan? Some say that was the logic but what the hell? If that was indeed it I couldn’t care less could I? Avatar takes you to the flying mountains where springs still go down vanishing in the misty air like vapor. It takes you to unimaginable creatures, the likes of which would make Star Wars crumble back, Jurassic park stare enviably. It does at some times become a bit too corny, I should say. Dive in to the world of the director who gave us Titanic. He gave us the movie that made theatre goers in India coo about the lovely Rose, shed tears for the behemothical tragedy, laugh at the antics of cutie Caprio and hope for the couple. Well, the story is just the same. The blue skinned Na’vi with the outsider Jake. You know the story that follows from hereon!
A must watch for people who love what Cameroon stands for. A must watch for special effect(ive) people. A must watch for one and all!
I had a vision today. I saw myself travelling places, visiting people, meeting strangers and sleeping under the mooonlit sky. In this one brilliant flash of imagination I saw myself conquering mountains, sailing in a catamaran, diving deep into the deep blue sea, soaking the warm wintery sun amidst dense vegetation and listening to the various sounds that seemed to emanate from all around.
It was a vivid imagery. I lay naked under the December sun thinking about nothing, worrying about nothing and striving for nothing. It was a complete state of nothingness. Such blissful state of existence now seems far away from what I have seen or what I believe I will see in times to come. I gather as much. They say you exist only for yourself, you live only your life and die your own death. Fleeting ephemeral sensations are best left to fend for themselves or are they? Is it only me or people abound with such desires? Is it only here, in my mind that dissatisfaction stays or is it an oft felt sensation?
Like it or not I stay the same. Books doesnt suffice no more. Imaginations have given up hope and desires have taken the back seat, so much to gain success so much to lose myself. It takes more than one desire to let go, yet it is sufficient in itself to arouse you out of the deep slumber. I have always considered myself as a practical person, ready to lose and invariably faulter at every juncture. I have braced myself for failure at every important cross road. What is it then that makes me sad and sad still?
The untouched desires, the pent up emotions, the unchartered territories, the seamless transgression, the inevitable laughter, the incessant rupture and the approaching darkness all seems distant and prolonged. I am waiting, still.
Scalability has always been an issue I have found intriguing. Some like to call it sustainability with growth. I prefer the former. How do you foresee the final outcome of your efforts if not scalability? While working you always tend to address and think about what it will take to make it big, dent the system, rake in the maximum or capitalize on the unknown. The theory of an Antilibrary seems to provide the answer to me. What you know doesn’t matter as much as what you don’t. It aint like taking a negative stance on things. It’s more to do with focusing on the bigger, unexplainable and random occurrences that has the capability to redefine the ways in which you lead your life.
What some people fail to understand when they point to the comfort of the ‘constant’ is that they concentrate on the known to plan for the future which in itself is a flawed strategy. Future has always intrigued mankind. With advancement in mathematical and statistical procedures men have come to believe in their ability to control things before they occur of itself. They tend to gravitate towards the notion that human intelligence can now defy the course of the future. Randomness is a highly under-rated phenomena. We are constantly fighting to eliminate what comes of it and despite repeatedly failed attempts we maintain an unwavering faith in the scientific pursuits of the elimination of this bizarre yet frequent phenomena.
Some people stand out. They focus on those obscure and abstract principles. They leave their fate hanging onto those very random occurrences to strive for their goals. They are patient yet aggressive in their chase. It’s the contagion effect at work that makes them see things in a different light. Things ain’t as simple as they are made out to be in history. When looked at it backwards, things look fabulously simple. Is it because they were inherently simple or is it a hind-sight bias so commonly overlooked? Clearly things cannot be as simple and the trajectory of this world cannot be as picture-perfect as it is made out to be in those sordid history books.
Being a trader, I understand. I understand the fallacy of expectations based on things known. I understand the hind-sight bias in full detail. I recognize the need to wait and capitalize on a Black Swan. Strangely, it is through my knowledge of how things don’t work that makes me apply that very realization for a profitable trade. A paradox it is. Just as it takes a story to displace a story, it takes knowledge to discard the powers of knowledge. As a jobber, if you wanna make it big you’ve got to take chances. The basic tenet of profit maximization is a greater risk exposure. But it doesn’t come with a privileged information or advanced technical know how. It comes with the realization that you know that you know that you don’t know. If you dont know that you dont know what you dont know you are doomed!
As a career enthusiast, I understand. I understand the need to focus more on tangible things than uncontrollable factors. I understand the need to remember the power of the bizarre and I recognize the need to re-orient my aspiration keeping that in mind. I understand the necessity of channeling my energy on things that include ’strange’ in its SWOT treatment and I recognize the need to be swift and daring to be keen and enterprising.
As a mortal I understand the need to see things without judgment. I understand the great intellectual fraud that is the Bell Curve. I also realize the need to keep things abstract and under-stated.
Take your chances. Believe in the theory of randomness and you might come out a winner. Stay focused on your knowns and you relegate yourself to constancy.
Critics have lambasted the movie for its sheer disregard to the issue that is morality but hey if its Tarantino its pardonable right? An audacious show of bravura coupled with some mesmerizing performance by Christopher Waltz relegates Pitt to the background and hogs much of the limelight if not the screen time. Quite reminiscient of the Joker walking away with the acclaim while Christian Bale fumed over? Quite like it. The beginning sets the tone for the rest of the drama to follow which at times becomes pathetically silly yet strangely believable. The characters are woven with characterstic Tarantino fashion with the result alternative history becomes fiction and an out and out grosser.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead-Tread Carefully.
While Col. Hans Landa, played by hitherto unknown actor Christopher Waltz, demeans the Jews, while he sits with Shossana, while he kills the actress and while he makes the deal with the Aamerikens he shines. Gripped to our seats, shifting uncomfortably with every polite gesture, waiting for a deeply disturbing reaction, one is forever in a state of great expectations, and therein, lies the charm of the movie. Pitt starring in his maiden Tarantino flick reminds me of Mickey. Accent modulation is commendable and effective. While stellar performances abound in this movie, the linear plot uncharacterstic of a Tarantino product is justified through its playful dealings with history, alternative history and pure fiction.
Without giving too much away the movie is about Col. Hans Landa and him alone. It basically revolves around a bunch of Jewish-Americans recruited by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) fighting for the allied cause and formed to cause maximum damage to the Nazis. How they do that is pure Tarantino. The methods, the introduction of the characters and the killings are all woven into this fantastic western spaghetti pot-boiler that is bound to keep Tarantino fans loyal for many more years to come and push others to join the cult. When he makes a movie this great he is entitled to his indulgences and his occasional artistry is forgiven. Scenes like the showdown in the Tavern is one where you are bound to be confused as to laugh it out or eulogize the perfectionist that is this man Tarantino. Liberal sprayings of gore, delightful soliloquoys, enticing self-referential dialogue delivery and impeccable mannerisms mixed with violence makes it dandy for all the fans out there.
Oh and I forgot to mention, Hostel director Eli Roth plays the character of “The Bear Jew” with panache and a baseball bat!!
Highly recommended for people with taste for good cinema and disgust for everything SRK stands for. 
Rating: 3.5/5
Giving is Good
This is a tribute to the wonderful idea that is The Joy of Giving Week. Small contributions when added up make a big difference and can dent even the most gargantuan of problems. Some of us believe that making small contributions that make no visible difference to the conditions at hand are of no use and should be done away with which is not the right way of looking at it.
Am quoting Livemint Blog: Sharing is Beautiful here: Public policy impact could take decades to achieve. So one has to keep plugging away without impact. Of course, in some cases, it might be good not to have an impact, especially if one’s thinking is flawed to begin with.
I came across this wonderful blog post by one of my friends about beggars and what thy policy is and why? To be honest I was and still am amongst those who detest sparing a penny for those hapless chaps that I frequently encounter on the streets. I detest them feeling that when they have their assets intact they could do better than begging, the world has so many things for them to do and earn a living with. Yet, strangely I connected with the blog. The recent Cadbury ads about the joy of giving a gift unexpectedly to a very unlikely beneficiary is heart warming and sweet. I tried it with a rickshaw-walla a couple of days back and extra 30 bucks brought a smile on his face which totally made my day. Sparing a penny or a mere 30 bucks wont starve me of anything but it would be specially significant for some who form the bottom layer of the demographical pyramid.
Talking of Ads I found the recent HT ads “It is time” to be thoughtful, funny and provoking. The campaign strikes the right note with its audience and connects instantly. The first ad on Journalism is spot on and carries forward teh debate on Meaningful Journalism and not merely a populistic overture lidden reporting. The second one on Swine Flu is hilarious and betells a lot about us Indians and how we perceive things. The one about praising China for making the Sea-link double our size and in a record 3-4 months is special to me because sad as it may seem I found myself thinking much along the same lines when the sea-link was inaugrated with much fanfare.
Then theres the one on Child Labor which had our Pizza delivery Guy laughing out loud! The Railway Crossing, the stooping neta etc makes for an interesting view and is a telling commentary on the state of affairs here. Heres the link of the entire campaign for those who are not hooked onto the idiot box(no wonder).
Ads in our times are evolving and I am loving it!!
From my office workspace I have a bird’s eye view of the busy road and the not-so-busy office lobby. People come and go, always in a hurry to reach somewhere. None looks up, none stays, and no same face do I get to see everyday. It’s strange sometimes to find myself running around in much the same way as those I see from my nest atop.
The specification of my job demands minimum or no interaction with my colleagues. They say its as if you are an entrepreneur working on your own, day in day out. Not that there is zero conversation on the office floor, quite opposite to that but as far as the job is concerned you are on your own. They say working in a team, having a team-leader and the hierarchy-denominations hinder growth and prohibit a positive working environment what with the office politics and bitching invariably coming round to haunt you either in your back or someone in the back. I find myself strangely attracted to the possibilty of working coherently in a group, mixing my thoughts with those of others, absorbing ideas, throwing my weight around, waiting to see if it actually has some. I sometimes wonder if going solo is indeed the right way.
The life and times of a jobber aint an easy one, this you should know. Dealing with losses that come dime a dozen, humbled by bad views, demeaned by a pathetic ego and crippled by a prolonged patience makes you see that darker side of human emotions. As is the case with every damn profession it all boils down to the EQ. While IQ is glorified EQ is mushified. The lesser of the two brothers is often made to be the scapegoat of everything that is wrong with anything. Emotional Quotient is quite under-rated. Oscar Wilde says thus, “Life is too important to be taken seriously”. How succinctly put ain’t it? Thrown the EQ in the dustbin, fling IQ out the window and live as you have never lived. How men wish to be free of all things that they are not free of and sadly can never be of?
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