Random Ramblings of a Rebel

Sincerity or..?

2009-04-09T20:06:00.009+05:30

To make class assignments more meaningful and dynamic for students as part of their Part II English Course, and to add spice to the ever-monotonous cliched academic formality that we do in College in the name of assignments, it was decided, after much deliberations and after much willful wiproish wishfulness, that students do their assignments (kinda project) in groups of two each, on any Old Age home/Orphanage, by interviewing at least two residents/inmates of the Homes, find out a great deal about their lifestyle, their problems and pleasures, by spending quality time with them, and to jot them down in simple plain English, in at least about fifteen pages. This assignment topic was given in the first week of December 2008 for my Part II English students. The deadline was March 16, 2009. (Three months' time).

Having given the topic, I was quite eager to know how the students would go about doing their work, and so in each class, I gave my students tips and tricks on doing a successful assignment, how to go about doing the interview process et al. Students listened attentively, ardently, keenly, passionately to what was said - or so it seemed.

The deadline arrived 16 March 2009 - Some students were all agog over submitting their sincere work done over a period of time with dedication and commitment. Some others, in their own inimitable way, kept their 'Assignments' under a pile, casting a cursory glance on the other submissions, while a few others had a wistful response writ large on their visage.

Later, when I went through the assignments at my leisure, I was quite surprised to find two assignments, 'done' by six students, (in groups of three each!) that had only about a page and a half. It was a rude shock that I had not anticipated by any means... A few weeks later, on March 31, a few more assignments crept in, done albeit at snail's pace, and the content was hastily done up in bits and pieces, lifting and sifting, under google search's obliging eyes.!!!

Some replete with sincere commitment,

Some others faking interviews with a fervour unsurpassed in the annals of the age of the hypocrisy of assignments etc etc.

Out of a total of 86 assignments that i had received, more than half of them were brilliantly done, and that was the brighter side of it...! Around 30 were, as i found out soon, were wanting in both style and substance! This was a kinda bolt from the blue surprise for me!

This set me thinking a lot! Is three months too short a time? or is it that three months can fetch you only a page's worth of rubbish! Or is it a sign of the apathy of our times? Or is it because a student takes advantage of the leniency of the teacher to his/her advantage? Or is it that Assignments as a mode of evaluation have become redundant in today's scenario, where a google or a netnanny is always at your disposal, making the whole exercise one big foolery, or mockery or sham or whatever you wanna call it...?

Something went wrong somewhere! Where exactly?... ... ...

The answer my friend... is still blowin' in the wind...!

Wherein lies the answer?

2009-03-08T22:01:00.002+05:30

As i sat listening to Bob Dylan, last evening, over a cuppa tea, i couldnt help myself spinning a remix of his favourite number "Blowin' in the wind" which, in the words of Mick Gold is "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind"! Suiting my mind and mood to the finish! Here it goes...

How many Assignments must a student write down
Before you call him a graduate?
Yes, 'n' how many classes must a naïve girl sit through
Before she learns to punctuate?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the lecturers talk
Before they're forever understood
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a student study his degree
Before he gets settles himself in life
Yes, 'n' how many years can he go scott-free
Before he lands up a wife!
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a pupil look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must a student have
Before he can hear his teacher cry
Yes, 'n' how many classes will it take till he knows
That too many days have gone by?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind...!

A Letter to Every Indian from Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam..:

2009-01-26T13:07:00.004+05:30

The President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's Speech in Hyderabad:

Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hama 's had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.
Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'.
Give him a face - 'YOURS'.

YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores.

YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'

YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand .

Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the
authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?
In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan .
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?

What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalam

(Published by uttishthata July 6th, 2007 in APJ Abdul Kalam)

Misplaced Priorities...!!!

2008-08-18T15:00:00.004+05:30

The New Indian Express (Front Page) dt. 18 Aug.

Michael Phelps might have kept his date with history yesterday, by bagging his 8th gold in a single Games, and Uncle Sam would be basking in his victory, as would his own happy family, in their own right!

while it is indeed good tidings that ought to be celebrated (again, in the US, and rightfully so!), at least some sections of the media have really gone overboard in reporting the same to the people. Does this unwanted inflating, magnifying and overstating a news item really deserve its due from the Indian media?

well, for a change, I bought a copy of today's three leading English news dailies from Chennai and decided to see for myself how our local (Chennai) media has gone about doing its duty in reporting Michael Phelps's date with history.

"The (Un)Indian Express" was hysterical to the core, with its lead story screaming "8th Wonder of the World". Wow, whatta fabulous bloating up of 'his - story...!' The front page was placed on a platter at the feet of Phelps! (pic attached). To make matters worse, the Sports Section of the same newspaper has got yet another full page devoted to "Phelps - the gr8est!" Even a great Indian achievement as good as a Pokhran or a Bindra, has not got their due in terms of news reams, as it has been showered on the US Phelps over a period of days in the past one week, leading to his final medals tally.!!!

"The Times of India(not the US)" has devoted a decent one quarter of the front page to Phelps, and at the same time presented the apathy at AIIMS, the dry fact that stares us on the face, which reports that clinical trials at this prestigious Institute of Medical Sciences has left a whopping forty nine babies dead...! Forty nine michael phelps who didn't live to see the light of day!!! The Sports column of TOI has again come up with an elaborate analysis of Phelps capping, titled - "EIGHTOMIC WONDER..!"

What wonderful display of verbal grandiose, verbal jugllery or pun or play with words or whatever you call it...!!!

"The Hindu" has been quite modest while reporting Phelps...! Truly Indian in approach...!!! I felt my heart go out to this prestigious newspaper for having given Phelps only his share of the pie and not Uncle Sam's share of his pie!!! The news item was carried under SNAPSHOTS (or News in brief) column with a 'passport' sized photograph of Phelps, with an editorial eulogising his feat, leaving the rest of it to the sports editor to cover the icon in one fourths of their sports page. Kudos to THE HINDU for not indulging in overt sensationalising of needless priorities!

while I don't grudge the fact that Phelps has got two full pages to his credit in a good English daily like THE INDIAN EXPRESS, i can't help but quote what the former PM Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru said in his famous address to the Press people of the Chandigarh Press Club:

"Media holds a mirror to society." how good a mirror is it? A convex? a concave? a bifocal? or a Saint Gobain?

the media must remember that "what the Editor likes is not what the reader needs!" (at least most of the time!!!)

unless and until the media remembers its responsibility to the public in shaping their consciousness, in giving them what they rightfully deserve to know, they will only be wallowing in their own rights and freedom, giving miry clay and mud in the place of silver and gold!!!

and the reader cannot be led into vague sensationalisations and distortions for long, for when it comes to choosing between miry clay and mud vs silver and gold, the reader obviously knows it farrrr better....!!!

in pic: The New Indian Express, (Sports Page dt.18 Aug)

for more pics, scroll down further...

PS: - The views expressed herein are those of this rebel blogger and as such, has got nothin' to do with any of the Dailies referred to, above!

Phelps in today's Press...!

2008-08-18T13:59:00.003+05:30

The Hindu, Front Page, dt. Aug 18

2008-08-18T13:54:00.000+05:30

The Hindu, Sports Page, dt. Aug 18

2008-08-18T13:29:00.006+05:30

The Times of India, Front Page, dt Aug 18

2008-08-18T13:19:00.001+05:30

The Times of India, Sports Page, dt Aug 18

2008-08-16T20:56:00.000+05:30

Shank's Ads..:

2008-08-16T20:52:00.000+05:30

Shank Monk..!

2008-07-16T21:48:00.003+05:30

He calls himself Shank Monk...

You can never miss his philosophical speculations, if you are a regular at the Nayar tea shop at Air Force Junction. Every morning around 5 in the morning, you can find in all certainty, a lanky man with a soberly gringo mustache on him, collecting all the rubbish into one big heap and making a camp fire out of it, welcoming in the process, passers by also to join his petty gang (or fans?) into talking 'some philosophy'. He would then strut across to the tea shop, gives a royal salute to Nayarji and order in his own inimitable tone, "three cups of strong chaayee."

Then, over a cuppa tea, the ramblings start. The discussions range anywhere from paani boori to philosophy, without any let up. Then, Shank Monk goes and stands beside Nayar ji and watches him make tea. When once he saw a young man gulping down his tea fast, Mr.Shank Monk strode towards him, and touching him by his shoulders had this to say...: 'thambi, (brother) don't ever gulp down your tea.. Enjoy it sip by sip.'

A Robin Sharma at that!!!

Shank Monk makes a 'quiet and comfortable' living on the streets off Air Force road, by offering his expertise in doing any house hold work. Right from plumbing to carpenting he has every skill at his disposal. He also flaunts a mobile number on his 'advertisement' (in pic). One can see his ads adorning walls / placards on the street.

Around ten days ago, as we were having our morning tea at Nayar shop, we found Shank Monk in a frantic state. He was seen transferring his mobile house to yet another pavement. This time, it was not the rains, but the air force men who wanted the area cleaned up as they could never have this junk of dirt on the streets! It was sad to see Shank Monk lift his belongings to another place and one could hear him cursing the men for their inhumane treatment towards him and his belongings.

Two days ago, when we saw him in the morning, he was there, his usual self, beedi in hand, as usual, camp fire in progress, his fan followers in tact, with the same gusto, the same enthusiasm of yore, giving yet another philosophical treatise to the 'Alexanders' in waiting.

When one auto driver asked him, how he felt on having his belongings shifted to another place, Shank Monk had this to say, "Atha ellam paathitu iruntha velai aaguma ya?" (Will our mission/work be fulfilled if we look at these little things!)

He had us there..!

Which is the best English Newspaper in TN?

2008-04-14T09:10:00.011+05:30

Pen is mightier than the sword... "But how much mightier than the other?" seemed to be the question donning the dynamic brains of the four media giants of the Indian print industry, who have been vying with equal gusto to outrival and outsmart their opponent with more food, more mouth-watering menus, spread in delectable formats for all and sundry. The past two weeks have been witness to media cold-wars raging to a new high, albeit on pen and paper!

This morning, I woke up to the changing times, with one more newspaper THE TIMES OF INDIA at my doorstep. Eager and curious, like a child all set to open his/her birthday goodies, I scanned through the newspaper, column by column, row by row, and assessing (in my own way) how this paper is going to make its impact felt among the general reading populace of Chennai.

With yet an additional choice on offer for the English newspaper buff, in THE TIMES OF INDIA, and with the awesome foursome going all out to attract all sections by their myriad choices in subject matter and style of presentation, I set out to explore from a layman's perspective, what is common or unique among these major English dailies that keeps them ahead of the rest.

First, I did a simple comparison of the page vs price factor:

(of all the four English dailies on Monday, April 14, 2008)

The Hindu, TOI, NIE have two supplements each, while DC has one.
Pricing-wise, The Hindu is the costliest at Rs.2.50/- and NIE, DC are the cheapest at Rs.1.50/-
As regards total number of pages, TOI is on the higher side with 56 pages of news, followed by The Hindu and DC with 44 pages each, and NIE with 30 pages.

Coming next to City Coverage:

THE HINDU scores a point over and above its latest competitor, in its coverage of City News.TOI is not far behind. But, the NIE is not upto the mark, although with two pages, and DC obviously does not score in this section at all - with just one page of city news.

Now, to the State (TN) Coverage:

Two full pages of quality coverage from THE HINDU, and TOI draws a complete blank in this section -Nil Coverage! Two pages of scanty news yet again from THE NEW IE, and there is no specific TN State coverage in DC.

On News Coverage from the South: THE HINDU also scores well above all the other Dailies, in its coverage of the South. THE TIMES and THE NEW IE don't have this Section at all, while DC tries to score brownie points here with an entire page of dedicated to news from The South.

On the National News Front,

The Hindu and TOI have done a commendable job, with three pages each,while it is two (too little) pages from THE NEW IE, and an apologetic one page from DC.

On the Editorial front too,

THE HINDU is quite readable with a presentable, quality layout, while it seems like TOI have got some of their priorities wrong in the Editorial page. (it's more a pot-pourri!)

THE NEW IE furbishes a new look in this page, which will take sometime to get down well with the readers, while DC needs to take ideas from the other newspapers on how to design an Editorial page.

On the International front,

The Times is a cut above the rest, with an attractive array of news items on offer, with two full pages, while THE HINDU, THE NEW IE and DC have given one page each to International News.

As far as Business news is concerned,

both THE HINDU and THE TIMES, seem to be on equal footing.

Three full pages on the Business front in DC,

and just one page on Business news coverage from THE NEW IE.

However on the Sports front, yet again,

THE HINDU edges past THE TIMES with its variety, local flavour and style of presentation with three pages of sporting action.

DC has Three pages of DC SPORT to its credit,

while THE NEW IE has got just two pages of Sports.

On SUPPLEMENTS,

32 pages of useful City Info and Educational Info from THE TIMES,

20 pages of Metro News and Educational News from THE HINDU,

12 pages of City Potpourri and Educational Info from THE NEW IE, and

24 pages of Bull * from DC.

The Supplement "CHENNAI TIMES" is below par, and not becoming of THE TIMES, but its other supplement on Education titled "Education Times, will surely make people sit back, look up and welcome such a dazzling compendium on the Educational Front, what with a full Sixteen page broadsheet format,

compared to the twelve-page tabloid (Smallsheet format) of THE HINDU, dedicated to Education (wow, that's quite a cynosure to the eyes!)

The Education Express from THE NEW IE is lacklustre quality, and there's still much spadework that needs to be done on this front.

Chennai is (as has been said time and again, and rightfully so,) by far mostly conservative,

- going by its nightlife, which is far less vibrant compared to a Bangalore or a Mumbai,

- going by its culture of Carnatic kutcheris and pattu pavadais, from close knit family bonds to the long plaited pigtails of the womenfolk, Chennai has rarely gone beyond its conservative tradition and lifestyle (though highstyle techies from across the cities are trying their best to redo the same)!

- in its food habits too, the diehard Chennaiite, for a very long time, was contentment personified to eat idli, sambar and thayir saadam at home!

- and going by its readers' tastes - the diehard Chennai conservative would by all means stick to, and cherish News and articles that cater to his conservative values and family set up.

For the average Chennaiite, Home is where one has to gather grace! and rightfully too!

In this respect, THE HINDU lays claim to the heart of the average Chennaiite, with its intelligent coverage of news and views, followed by TOI, with color and presentation. NIE with its new stylish format, is yet to augur well with its readers, and DC, doling out news by the dozen, is dulling and lacks conviction.

Finally, to end where we left at the start, on comparison, (from my point of view),

Having standard sumptuous food at Saravana Bhavan,

Taking a meal at a Dhaba,Getting new dishes and recipes doled out by the dozen at an average restaurant,and eating food at a roadside eatery..!

is as different as chalk and cheese! or doesn't it?

IN OUR TIMES...!

2008-02-19T11:42:00.004+05:30

For the first CIA, for the II year Phil/Tam class, this January, I gave them quite an easy task, or so they thought.

Students were asked to just look at the essay "Respect for Life" from their text book and write it down in their answer sheet. In simple terms, I was giving them a chance of scoring good marks, but on one condition - every spelling mistake will cost them five marks.

Condition given and topic given, I asked students to turn off their mobile phones, and start their test. the enthusiasm of the students knew no bounds. All were joy personified.

Then, I started my observation. I could see students happily talking away, discreetly accessing messages from their inbox, a surreptitious glance, now and then in the direction of the teacher, curious students - trying, albeit in an adventurous way, to call back their 'dear ones' who had given at least a dozen missed calls by then, by eluding the gleaming eyes of the teacher. At the 'call of duty', many finished off their test as soon as their hands could get them out, and placed their answer sheets on the table.

Then, I started the valuation. The first paper that I valued had 52 spelling mistakes!!! One student had 'scored a century' in spelling mistakes, crossing 122!!! Almost awhopping seventy per cent of the class had failed...!!

I was surprised! Just around three pages of text numbering about hardly a thousand words was given, and just one student had written without any spelling mistakes - Lenin Mark. The next in tow had five mistakes, followed by the third student, who had got about eight mistakes.

One thing we can clearly understand from the situation is that, students today, lack the power of concentration. As Eliot says, "Distracted from distraction by distraction." Thanks to modern technology, there are ample things that lay claim to the mind of the student, especially during class hours, including his/her mobile gadget.

Among these artful distractions, the art of teaching has really become a challenge for the teacher, especially at the College level...!

"How are we, the teaching community, going to make the student concentrate in class?" is the million dollar question in our times, and most appropriately, the Challenge of our Time...!!!

WELCOME 2008...!

2008-01-06T22:46:00.000+05:30

Let's usher in the New Year with all the joi de vivre and enthusiasm of a rebel... Let rebels arise!!! Rebels to cliched dogmas and concocted taboos...! Amen...!

Whither has gone the propensity to rebel?????????

2007-11-30T14:15:00.000+05:30

Currently into my favourite book of all time, for, i guess, the third time in a row now,"BORN TO REBEL" by Sulloway, I wanted to share with my readers, certain important hypotheses that Sulloway the rebel puts forward in this lovli treatise of his.

Why do some people have the genius to reject the conventional wisdom of their day and to revolutionize the way we think? Copernicus, Newton, Darwin are just three of the bold visionaries who have radically transformed our understanding of the world. No matter how radical the idea, and no matter how fierce the opposition, some people have quickly recognized the brilliance of the innovation and come to its defense.

When Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, he plunged the scientific community into acrimonious debate taht has continued even to this day. In spite of intense opposition to Darwin's ideas, some scientists quickly recognized Darwin as the greatest scientific revolutionary since Isaac Newton.

Darwin's success as a revolutionary thinker raises a second critical question. Why, during radical revolutions, do some people rapidly discard the old, erroneous ways of thinking whereas others hold tenaciously to the prevailing dogma? Historians, sociologists, philosophers, and psychologists have all proposed answers to the questios I am raising.

In spite of numerous hypotheses, and considerable empirical research, there is no satisfactory answer to the question of why some people rebel and why others, just as zealously, defend the status quo.

To accept or reject the status quo is a fundamental decision that we must all sometimes make. And I for once, strongly affirm that, Confirmity to dogmas and ideologies, has made Man lose his propensity to rebel!!! Hasn't he?

Civil servants embrace the Corporate World!!!

2007-10-28T12:56:00.000+05:30

Today, being a Sunday of ceaseless, unending monsoon showers, pouring cats and dogs across the length and breath of singara chennai, making the already battered roads impassable, with its drainage overflowing, potholes swelling, and vegetable prices soaring, all to new heights, i was at home, and for once, quietly sipping my morning cuppa tea with THE HINDU for company, flipping through the vast chunck of typos and fonts of all hues and shades, setting my eyes on a perturbing news article "Corporate offers for Civil servants worry UPSC."

This set my thought process a bit excited, nay ignited, (what with a strong cuppa tea acting the much needed stimulant) and thus, with tea in hand and pen by my side, began i to give shape to my little myriad thoughts which, later on converted i, from manucriptual to typescriptual format which is reproduced below.

If Sardar Vallabhai Patel who introduced the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in place of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) were alive now, he would have got ample cause for deep regret at the debilitating state of affairs to which his brain child - the IAS has degenerated into.

This latest Corporate trend of wooing the Civil servants in large numbers to their massive fold, is indeed part of a larger malaise. By unofficial estimates, already, a whopping five per cent of the officers have been given a red carpet welcome to the world of IT and IT enabled services with lucrative pays and perks, sometimes even ten times higher than what they would have earned in the governmental set up. The loss of the cream of the country, who are responsible for stemming the rot in the political system and administration to a great extent, housing some of the most brilliant and dynamic minds, to Corporates is indeed more alarming than what is made out to be.

M.N. Vijayakumar, IAS, Karnataka cadre - has served in Karnataka for the last 25 years. And he is only one of three IAS officers, of the 200 or so working in Karnataka, who has filed his assets and liabilities. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Vijayakumar, currently of the Principal Secretary grade, has been transferred six times in six months during the H.D. Kumaraswamy regime. From September 2006 to February 2007, Vijayakumar has sat on a different seat in a different office in a different capacity—each time for “reporting serious corrupt practices by senior officers”. His wife, Jayashree J.N., has now launched a spirited, even brave, campaign on the web that throws light on how the IAS folk deal with “black sheep” in their midst and how they use the convenient alibi of “disobedience” to quell debate, discussion and action.

VINAY KUMAR VERMA, IPS, Uttar Pradesh cadre - was SP of State Crime Records Bureau; shifted to Mirzapur as SP, from where within five weeks brought to the Power Corporation; within four days was again shifted to Fatehpur PAC, immediately shunted to Bijnore, and five weeks later to Jaunpur.

RAJAT MODWEL, a 1990 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, quit after seven years of service. Took study leave to get an MBA from London after which he joined McKinsey & Co. Realised that there were better opportunities for more interesting work outside the IAS.

H.M. PANDE of the Tamil Nadu IAS cadre is under suspension. Was chargesheeted for abetting the then state minister Selvaganapathy to permit a hotel to violate building laws. He also faces an enquiry in a deal relating to purchase of water pipes worth Rs 5 crore.

These are just tips of the bigger iceberg. Adding to these woes is the 'nationally acknowledged fact' that the civil servants are ranked very low on innovation, implementation, involvement, etc., by all and sundry, including politicians, academicians and and the judiciary, thus affecting their morale and self-esteem.

Civil servants like IAS Officers, who join main stream administration in the Government through a cumbersome, laborious competitive process, are generally highly competent and motivated when they enter the service, in the initial stages. However, as years progress, there is an alarming decline in dedication levels, morale, commitment and efficiency.

The most important reason for this decline is the dictatorial power of destruction available to the vast majority of the politicians, mostly illiterate, who deem it their pleasure to harass the efficent and brilliant civil servant according to their own whims and fancies, thus throwing all forms of decorum to the wind. Added to this, comes the problem of a a transfer per se, of being shifted to a job that carries no patronage or perks.

Under these vituperative circumstances, the Corporate bandwagon's olive branch to the Civil servants in distress indeed makes the IAS Officer sit up and heave a sigh of great relief, and at the same time heralds the distress signal to the Government's efforts at administrative progress and development.

It is time the UPSC and the Government machinery gear up to face this disturbing challenge to its administrative line up, and woke up to this 'civil drain', or the day is not far off when the civil service system which, till now, has been the backbone of the administrative machinery of the nation, becomes the ‘stapes’, the smallest bone of the administrative set up with no or far less significance.

DISCLAIMER: The info given in green italics, are news items used here to authenticate and validate the main issue in focus.

On Keeping A Stealth Bomber at Bay...!

2007-10-15T21:40:00.000+05:30

Observe the picture carefully...! Now go ahead...

It's been two weeks now, since the red letter day when I decided to do away with my mobile phone once and for all... a gadget which is ummistakenly the latest gift of science bestowed upon an already burdended mankind.

Of course, the reasons for dispensing with my mobile phone are not far to seek.! On an average my mobile phone beeps around 60 t0 80 times a day with approximately forty to fifty callers...! If the calls remain unanswered, the inquisitive caller gets more inquisitive, and keeps pressing his call button at least a dozen times more...!

To avoid disturbance in classes, I used to turn on the silent mode, and stay put in class, only to return and find 35 missed calls or 40 missed calls heaped up one on one ('headaches by the number, trouble by the score!' - a remix of Harlan Howard will do no harm here!!!)

So I decide to keep him at bay (home) for a month, and then come to class. But by now, it had spiralled itself into double trouble, spelling disaster for the little time i'd kept reserved (rather treasured!) for myself. All those missed calls have by now piled up by the dozens, and convention, courtesy or formality or whatever you call it, demands me to enquire back or call back all these faithful callers who've been alarmed at the inattention bestowed on them for hours together. Before I could start my call backs, calls pour in with the following samples...:

"hello sir, what are the portions for 2mrw's exam?" etc etc...

After a while, i said to myself, 'enough is enough!'"life is too short to be spent answering mobile calls for one third of every day!!!" I've got to do something about this, before the mobile phone eats up into my little space which i battle to keep for myself every single day, in vain!

So the next day, I go to my class and tell my students to delete my number from their respective mobile devices, as I had dispensed with my mobile number once and for all...!

One student immediately asked me quite an expected question, "Sir, then how can we keep in touch with you?"

I answered gently, "You can keep in touch with me, as how i used to keep in touch with my professors seven years back, as a student... before the thief of time called nokia or motorola or samsung or whatever, came in to snatch and steal away people's valuable time and stealthily intrude into the little personal space that people have for themselves...!"

He tacitly nodded his head in silent approval.!

DISCLAIMER: All characters and situations appearing in this post are real. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely incidental.!!!

CAUTION: Beware! The stealth bomber is always at your back, trying to kill the liberated personality deep within you.!!! It's time you woke up to this stealth bomber, far more dangerous than the whole armoury of Pentagon added up!!!

CHALLENGE: Try dispensing with your mobile phone for one full week in a row and see the difference it can make to your body, soul and mind...! It's very very very difficult...! But it needs guts to do that...! Cos, sadly no de-addiction centres have come up so far to counter this menace!!! We sincerely Hope our Social workers, NGOs and other altruists do something about this, before the proverbial camel throws away its master and seats itself firmly in his place..!

PRAYER: Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high...
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake!!!
(One of the most simple and effective prayers of Tagore that fits the occasion!!!)

One Returned...!

2007-10-14T18:47:00.000+05:30

One semester has come to an end and I look back... with some satisfaction and some regret..! But let me first record with pride, an interesting incident that happened in class last week, on the last working day of this current academic semester.

I had just then finished my last class with the students of the II year BA Tam/Phil class after wishing them the very best for their upcoming exams, and all the students were just leaving class, some chatting, some discussing the syllabus, etc etc., when i noticed one student stay back. He waited for the others to leave and then, he came up to a lonesome me and said, "Thank you sir, we were indeed enlightened a lot this semester by your classes. Thanks a lot for all that you gave us this last semester."

These were really encouraging words, and for a moment i felt as if i were on cloud nine! For all the pain and trouble that you take as a teacher to enliven your class to make them feel good in class, for all the extra time that you spend over your books burning your midnight oil, for all the extra miles that you walk to better student satisfaction and to enliven classes, here you find a reward... or should I say fruition, with just these simple words of acknowledgement from a student...! Although it was from just one student, the difference it makes to your sensibilities is indeed really enormous.

This, i feel, is the real aim of education...! This I feel, is the real spirit and the motivating factor that steers you in all your endeavours as a teacher...!

And this student of mine, in my opinion, has already learnt it...!

Rains in Chennai...!

2007-10-12T21:10:00.000+05:30

Yesterday being the penultimate day of this semester, I'd asked my classes to be in full attendance, least expecting the rain gods to play spoilsport. But even amidst the heavy downpour that it was, some ten students managed to find their way through the woods to their classroom. But that's not the subject matter here...

Of course after adjourning class sine die, and leaving them in peace to enjoy the rains, and waiting in vain for the rains to subside, I decided to brave the downpour, and somehow managed to get into my car, half drenched under spell of the heavy rains, and tried to squeeze my way into the highway.

To my shock, the entire stretch of the highway from the East Tambaram Terminus to Camp Road which, just an hour ago, seemed as dry as a bone, now turned out to be a picture of unending chaos all the way...

Pits and potholes were filled up thus leaving road users like us in the lurch...! To avoid any ditches along the way, i was just tailgating vehicles moving at snail's pace in front...! Last year, this time, I vividly recollect the Selaiyur Police station, some fifty feet away from the site of this snap, flooded to over three feet of rain water, leaving precious files ( FIRs included!) at the mercy of the floods.

I was just ruminating the fact that, if an hour's lashing of rains can leave the place this chaotic, what would be the plight of dear singara chennai if it rains for one full day or one full week at a stretch...!

With the onslaught of the monsoons, and the gleeful smile of the rain gods high above in the clouds, and with all the emphasis on Rain water harvesting, one thing is quite clear...! Rains in Chennai have become, for the city dweller, more a bane than a boon...!

Why a Rebel?

2007-09-16T13:46:00.000+05:30

"Rufus the Rebel" yep... I couldnt find a better phrase to describe me...

Rebels are an indispensable part of every societal framework, be it your place of study, place of work or even at home... the indispensable fact is that, rebels are here to stay. Every new fashion is a form of rebellion, every new political party, is again a form of rebellion, and every new television channel or newspaper is equally a form of rebellion. Each has got something to rebel against! and something different to say! And that's the birth of Rebellion!!!

Sometimes, one finds, one wants to be honest with oneself and with one's conscience. WORDS come to one's rescue, and provide an alternative platform - a secure solace, to fight it out, tooth and tail.. dogmas which don the core of society like a dog's tail...

Yes..! I am a rebel to dogmatized brains, and bigoted thinkers who are, in my opinion, a bubonic plague on society. (NO PUNS INTENDED!!!!!) A layman requires reasonable resolve and the required space, to ring in his ideas... whether rebellious or revolting... But when he finds himself caught between the devil of convention and the deep sea of tradition, when he finds that his shouts are becoming voices in the wilderness, he finds himself claustrophobic in the social set up, becomes antagonistic to the whole social set up, and tries to find out ingenious ways to express his outcry.

And... that's how Rufus the Rebel found a virginian Rooom of his own.

Nostalgic reminiscences on a NOBLE ACADEMICIAN...!

2007-09-05T13:19:00.000+05:30

It was the year 1996, and I was doing my II yr Under graduation, when I decided to write out the little myriad thoughts that were accumulating in my mind, and get them published in some English magazine or Daily newspaper.

But who pray, was going to publish me?

That was, then, my million dollar question! - to write out my thoughts and get them published in some journal of repute.

My first article was on College Teachers..! thoughts, thoughts that were to be cyrstallised into an article of about 200 words...

As I put pen to paper, I could see late Sir Bacon prompting me to be aphoristic, Coleridge beckoning me to use the right word at the right place, Arnold commanding me to use the grand style, and Eliot asking me to weigh my words with the wise men of the past...!

All these great men having pervaded my psyche, I was here, a naive artist, crafting out his first piece of writing, albeit quite a small one, with the best words I could. It had taken me many days to perfect my little piece of art.

Now, my next dilemma was, whom shall i send it to? Who pray, is going to find in me a prospective writer? Now, my friend Wesley suggested, why not try giving it to the New Indian Express? That was a very good idea. So went I, to JOB TYPING, for getting my article typed out one plus one. (carbon copy for my reference, cos we were supposed to send only the orignals, and not even carbon copies, or photostat copies)

The lady did a neat job, and after having placed my typed out article in an Office Cover, as gently as i could, I wrote out the address as neatly as I could, and dropped it as carefully as i could, with a whisper of a little prayer fleeting across my lips! The 'ordeal' over, both of us, directed our steps towards Chinthamani, our favourite coffee shop, for our regular cuppa coffee.!!!

For days, I didnt hear from THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS. I left it at that. Without much ado, i started working on my next article, this time, thinking I would give a try to THE HINDU.

One afternoon, the telephone clerk, gave me a letter which was, as my joy unbounded, from THE EXPRESS Publications. The Editors had sent me a reply, asking me to affix my signature to be considered for publication. Oh my! how thoughtless of me, not to have affixed my signature, I chided my thoughtless self. I quickly affixed my signature, as artistically as i could, and then, sent it back, as quick as i could, to their PUBLICATION CENTRE.

Two days later, my ARTICLE SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY...!!!

My joy knew no bounds. I promptly rang up Dad and Mom, who were so happy, and thanked God for His everlasting Mercies.

Then, I dressed up, and went to classes, with an air of great confidence.

I didnt breathe a word about this 'cloud nine' of mine, to anyone as yet. I was planning to show it to our Head Prof.P.Natarajan, later in the day, after classes, after my heartbeats of excitement, and my RBCs started their normal routine once again.

When... during the break, I was called for, by the Librarian of our College, who had asked me to come to his chamber. It was an a/c chamber, with a lot of reference books, journals, catalogues etc. He asked me to sit. I sat!... like an ant in front of an elephant.

He stood up, gently gave his hands to me, and said, "Congrats Rufus. We are proud of you!"

It was a sweet surprise for me. I hadnt in the least expected our Librarian to extend an olive branch to a student's naive efforts.

He then started discussing a variety of issues and causes with me. Calling for his assistant, he had the ARTICLE enlarged, and displayed it in all the three notice boards of the College Library.

From then on, it was NO TURNING BACK...!

I started writing, with an unflinching support from the Librarian, and our Head, Prof.P.Natarajan, who was the first critique of my articles, my thesaurus, and my friend. Periodically, I would get calls from my Librarian, who would ask me to come to his chamber, and we would discuss a variety of social issues, and he would then give me thoughts on topics to write on.

Now, with two good Friends, Dr.Manalan, and Prof.Natarajan to back me in my Writing endeavour, I was freaking out, to say the least, adorning the pages of THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS, THE HINDU etc with my own little thoughts, as often as i could.

Today, as I look back, I write this post, with gratefulness to Dr.Jesudoss Manalan, who is still the Librarian of our lovli College, my alma mater, shaping the lives of hundreds of students like me, with words of encouragement and hope. I have just this to say for him:

THANK YOU FOR CARVING ME DEAR SIR...!

Paper Tigers...!

2007-09-02T14:01:00.000+05:30

DISCLAIMER: Weak hearted men, please don't read this blogpost. If you still want to, and feel the shock of your life, MAN, I'm not responsible..! This is in no way a tirade against feminists or women folk. I respect women and admire quite a few valiant ones among them. This is obviously for the MEN who lack the 'MACHO' Spirit, and not meant for the girls. Now read on...

MAN is born to rule, not to fool around with a woman...!

You may call it a shocking, male-chauvinistic statement, but that's what it is...

After enjoying Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" the third time, I feel fully vindicated in the above statement.

"The tragedy of machismo is that a man is never quite man enough" said Germaine Greer, the impulsive, fatally naive diva of feminism. Sounds true to a great extent, isnt it?

I feel something has gone wrong somewhere... BUT WHERE? The time when Man lost his sense of self worth and self esteem...!

In the past, those good old days of yore, when Chivalry was considered to be a virtue, a man has to obtain his girl by a magnificent display of manliness, vigour and prowess. Fighting a bull, taming a wild ox, jumping into a lake of crocodiles, hunting the BIG GAME, wrestling, and everything realating to masochism, excepting Cricket, the most feminine of all games. :-)

Today, this paper tiger of a man, has thrown away Shakepeare's beautiful dictum on MAN - "What a piece of work is MAN" and now, whereever the woman goes, he follows, crushing the rose of chivalry with his feminine toes.

Eisenhower's famous lines come to my mind: The qualities of a great MAN are vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, and profundity of character. In today's dispensation, all these qualities have been thrown to the wind, and MAN has become an insignificant speck, in a feminist Universe. He is reduced to a mere paper tiger, where he's no more a man, but a "YES MA'M" sort of being.

SHAMEEEE! to the first quarters..!

As always, I've quite admired Hemingway and Herge, cos they didnt have their heroes going after blondes or brunettes. I still remember my former HOD in American College, who used to say 'NO' to females in the staff rolls, just because he said, there are around fifteen Womens' Colleges in this City, and only a handful of Men's colleges. If you "women" will give our "men" a place in your staff rolls, then we shall think about it. Until then, a categoric 'no". We in the Staff admired him for that. Hats off to you, dear Sir. You are a MAN...! I admire you...!

Teachers who give those precious extra marks only to beautiful girls are a shameful lot, who demean "MANHOOD" and also the nobility of the teaching profession by becoming biased and weak. In the end, you find beautiful girls are not respected for their marks cos you know full well that most of them might have got it through hook or crook, not because of their brains, take your workplace for example, and count how many in the rolls were given jobs for their beauty and how many for their brains, and prove me right...!

I myself had been a victim to these 'feminine' masculines, where beautiful girls used to get all the marks just for their beauty, and not their brains, while we the guys who used to sweat it out through sleepless nights, burning our midnight oil were not given a fair share of the pie. We the MEN call it INJUSTICE TO THE CORE...! All forms of fairness in the system is lost here because this man has lost the real sense of 'macho' within his system.

The moment a man follows a girl, he loses his dignity.

The moment a MAN stoops beneath his dignity, and he becomes a "slave" and loses all his self worth.

The moment a MAN demeans his male friends in front of a woman, just to please her, loses his self respect, and respect too.. it would have been better if he were'nt born at all (as a MAN, i mean..!)

And if these MEN were to continue in their 'feminine' tricks, the present society whould become HERSTORY instead of HISTORY...! :-) No wonder, Helen Rowland summed up this sort of a MAN perfectly, in her own word thus: "It takes a woman twenty years to make a man of her son, and another woman twenty minutes to make a fool of him." How right she is..!

I'm not an anti feminist, or a male chauvinist, but a Man who wishes that MEN were MEN...!

On Being a Man...!

2007-08-17T05:56:00.000+05:30

After debating for quite sometime on What it takes to be a Man, at our Debating Club, we formulated some guidelines for Men, obviously with outside contributions too, especially from Kendall, and Prof.Daniel David to whom I owe my acknowledgements. now here we go...!

Qualities Expected of a Man:
1. King:Provides financial, emotional, and physical stability for which he is responsible.
2. Warrior/Soldier:A protector. His spirit is assertive and aggressive. He is willing to live and die for what he believes in.
3. Character: He does not compromise his morals or character on any count.
4. Disciplined: Controls his flesh. He understands that success only comes with discipline and there is no room for excuses. He has enough self-control to stop lusting, drinking, smoking, lying, and fornicating.
5. Accountable: Allows himself to be challenged and held to a higher standard than the world would dictate. No man can be strong if he is not accountable to someone else. Do not refuse instruction and always seek wise and Godly counsel. A man without accountability is a dangerous man. "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up," says a beaitful Proverb.
6. Committed: Will do whatever it takes to achieve goals. Sleepless nights are a small price to pay.
7. Visionary: There is a proverb which says, "Where there is no vision the people perish." This man is living today but also sees tomorrow, he is planning and preparing for the future. He has conceived something in his mind and is now moving toward bringing that thing into existence.
8. Leader: He is the "point man". He leads by example and sets the tone. This man understands that as he goes, so the family goes.
9. Jack of all Trades: He will excel in one particular field, and will have the sense of curiosity to know something about everything. he could lay his eyes on.
10. He's a Gentleman: Going by Cardinal Newman's definition of a Gentleman, this person doesnt hurt the feelings of all people whom he gets to meet in his life.

If these qualities seem unattainable, remember that it will not happen overnight. We are in this battle together. Be willing to change and God will order your steps.
You can meet up with kendall at menexchange.com

Choosing a girl...

2007-08-08T14:57:00.000+05:30

YES.... HOW SHOULD A GUY CHOOSE HIS GIRL, OR CHOOSE A GIRL FOR HIMSELF...

Well, looks dont matter at all, in the first place. As the dictum goes,

AAALLL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD... and also,

DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER...!

A girl who looks beautiful or charming, will alwayssss be sooo conscious of her beauty and her looks, that she will want you to praise her always, lavish her with beautiful costumes, and spend precious, valuable time in front of the mirror.

Her wardrobe will be her heaven, and variety the spice of her living. Such being the case, where will she have time for you? And even if she "devotes" a fraction of time for you, and if you are busy in that particular time, she may drift to where the magnetic power is high. As such, you and your life will be one hell of a mess.

Secondly, choose a girl who's wise and practical. A girl who knows what it is to deal with people, Interpersonal skills, positive, who can associate herself with anybody and everybody without a tinge of ego. In short, a girl who can identify herself with all and sundry.

Thirdly, choose a girl who reads a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction. A voracious reader carries with her the gift of forbearance, and patience too. She rarely acts impulsively, but reasons out and adjusts quite a lot. History indeed teaches her through the printed word.

Fourthly, go for a girl who has her own personal space. I mean a world of her own, where she creates something, paints, sings, designs, or does something unique for herself, which makes her a unique individual.

Fifthly, get a girl, who does not associate a lot of importance on purchasing vanities like display outfits, vanity fittings, embellishments etc, which not only make a dent on your wallet, but also on your psyche.

Sixthly, choose a girl who can nurture you, care for you, and understand you, not for your looks or colour, or money, but for who you are.

Seventhly, a bit of spirituality is the essence of life. Let the girl of your dreams help you lead a better life in the spirit.

These are life sustaining therapies from a chronic bachelor for those who are about to fall into the abyss of love, or out there to seek an 'attractive', 'gorgeous' woman.

IT Shocks...!

2007-07-30T07:48:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, during a training session I happened to have an interesting chat with a software professional of a famous IT Company. He had a lot of thoughts to share and some of them were, from my perspective, quite shocking. Here begins his tale of woe:

My usual day at work starts around 8 am and I've to spend nearly 40 minutes speaking to my representative from the US, updating project details carried out the previous day and about upcoming tasks.

Being the PL (Project Leader) of a team of 20 members is a very arduous task in itself. In a team of say 20, only one person will be found to be very sincere, find out bugs, if any, and streamline the whole thing. The rest of the 19 just while away their time, doing almost nothing, and enjoying at the other's expense.

Secondly, most of them are freshers and they are not committed to their work at all. Sometimes I find, the fresh faces preparing for their CAT oe GMAT exams discreetly, as they find this "Big" company just a stepping stone to their career ladder. Almost a major chunk of them leave in the first two years, around 40 per cent, and so we go on a Campus recruitment spree to fill up the lacunae.

Thirdly, We dont have job satisfaction at all. Who am I working for? It is for some company off shore, who doesnt know me at all. For him, it is the end product that matters and not the means. If not me, it's somebody else. So, we normally dont have any involvement in the job at all.

Fourthly, almost every other day we get mails in our mail box from our Company which opens like this: Remembering a Special Person - None other than a young software professional around 35 years of age, who has died of cardiac arrest. Many IT people also commit suicide because of Stress, and some end up nervous wrecks.

Fifthly, most of the parents are afraid to give their girl in marriage to a software professional, because of many factors. The odd working hours, resulting in a temptation to falling to the vices, immorality after work time, and husbands having to wait for their wives even at around 2 pm at night to finish her 'shift'.

Sixthly, now that the rupee value has risen, we've been asked to compensate it by working on Saturdays too. Our clients do not go by nation or community at all. It's sheer economy in money matters that proves the clinching factor. If you guys in India cant do it at $100, and if you charge us $120 just cos your rupee value has increased, we dont bother. We can shift our operations to the Phillippines who are willing to do the same work at $90. So it's all about pressure and competition.

Seventhly, China is bound to overtake us by the year 2011. They are catching up on a variety of things, including their language lacunae.. So it wouldnt be a surprise if in the near future, the whole world turns to them for project execution, leaving us in the lurch.

After more than four years at IT, I feel i'm reduced to a mere broiler chicken. Now I wish I had worked as a teacher in a small school, teaching a few passionate students in a poor village in my country, and do something to uplift them, which gives me immense job satisfaction and happiness, which in addition would also give me a sense of involvement, a sense of belonging etc which I dont and cannot find in IT.

That leads me to the question, what counts more? job satisfaction or money? health or wealth? peace of mind or a mind in pieces?

An inspiring poem comes to mind:

I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity.”
“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered…
“That they get bored with childhood,
they rush to grow up, and then
long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money…
and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future,
they forget the present,
such that they live in neither
the present nor the future.”

“That they live as if they will never die,
and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine
and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked…
“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons
you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone
love them. All they can do
is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good
to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive
by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds
to open profound wounds in those they love,
and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person
is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people
who love them dearly,
but simply have not yet learned
how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can
look at the same thing
and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they
forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

“Thank you for your time,” I said humbly.

“Is there anything else
you would like your children to know?”

God smiled and said,
“Just know that I am here… always.”

For more on Antidepressants, Click here

The Cop and the Collection...!

2007-06-29T23:51:00.000+05:30

This happened just over a week ago. I was driving my car in one of the not so busy streets of Chennai one fateful day, when I got a call from Wesley, my close friend of many years, who was too eager to tell me the outcome of his engagement ceremony to a soft spoken warm hearted girl from a distant town.

I was engrossed talking over the phone, little realising that a cop was tailgating me in close quarters. He soon overtook me, asked me to get down, and pay a fine of Rs.1,000/- Since I had just then filled up gas for my car, I had exhausted my monetary resources by then, and so paying him right then through the nose was way out of the question.

I promptly owned up my mistake and apologised to him. But the cop was relentless. He said he needed my licence. Having scanned through it top to bottom, he said, he would retain it with him until the fine was paid.

Little did i realise that the fine was a fine way of collecting money for private pockets, meant to be shared among conniving cops. He asked me to see him the next day before 6 pm with the money to get back the licence. The next day as i was about to proceed, he rang me up and said, since he's on some other lane, he was not in a position to get the fine that day, and so asked me to come back on another 'auspicious' day, now with an extra Rs.100/-

The next day I took one of my students Muthu along with me to see the drama, and it was a high drama. He had asked us to come to one place, but when we reached there, to our shock, he said, he's now in the fag end of another area altogether.

After about an hour's drive we managed to get in touch with him, and also managed to transact business with the cop, giving him his due. At once came a handwritten slip with the words, received Rs.1200 only towards the offence of using cell phone while driving, and the seal of the local traffic commissioner in faded ink at the bottom.

We returned, happy at having gotten back the licence, and the cop himself happy at having got his due. He was in cloud nine, or the seventh heaven, whatever. Long live the cop, and his loyal sense of duty...!

Coma, Love, Hope and Technology...!

2007-06-05T23:44:00.000+05:30

A Pole who spent 19 years in a coma has woken up and will now have to adapt to a country where the communists are no longer in power, a television station announced on Friday. Railwayman Jan Grzebski fell into a coma after he was hit by a train in 1988, the private channel Polsat said. In an interview, Grzebski said that he owed his survival to his wife, Gertruda. "She's the one who always took care of me. She saved my life," he said.
Grzebski was a father of four at the time of the accident. He is now making the acquaintance of 11 grandchildren. Doctors had not expected Grzebski to survive, let alone emerge from the coma.
"I cried a lot, and I prayed a lot. Those who came to see us kept asking: 'When is he going to die?' But he's not dead," said Gertruda. Poland's communist regime was still clinging onto power when Grzebski had his accident, only losing its grip the following year, in 1989.
On the brash neon-lit streets of new European Union member Poland, the period seems a distant memory. "What amazes me today is all these people who walk around with their mobile phones and never stop moaning. I've got nothing to complain about," said Grzebski.
News Courtesy: The Sunday Express, June 03, 2007, Chennai Edition

Shiffey on its Maiden Journey...!

2007-05-09T23:42:00.000+05:30

Lovely Little Shiffey...!

2007-05-09T23:19:00.000+05:30

An Attitudinal Art...!

2007-04-29T02:44:00.000+05:30

Well, it really is fun watching cricket... Indeed it's an art... An Art where one team outclasses the other with a fine display of 'strokes' and a masterly stroke of great 'nuances', displaying their skill and prowess to full credit, and the umpire adjudging finesse by the sheer merits of the case, where one team outsmarts the other by tactics and antics and what not...!

As things stand, when it looks like a team is found bordering on the verge of defeat, instead of sulking, drooping or getting into a nervous wreck, why cant we just admire the artistic propensities of the opposition and appreciate the skill with which they artfully dodge their counterparts into defeat...!

Well, as the saying goes, it all lies in attitude..!

This is of course a study in cricketing as an art...!

Thus, to conclude, I would like to say to all those sulkers out there, any game, whether cricket or football, tennis or golf, is an art, to be precise, an attitudinal art...!

This is one of the key postulates of the lovli FUN theory...!

Bacon without the Basics...!?

2007-04-25T01:11:00.000+05:30

As a practitioner of English Language Teaching in the Language classroom, for a little over five years, I've often felt bugged by the stale and stereotyped methods in language teaching, 'used' in classrooms at the College level.

Five pieces of poetry from Coleridge to Anne Sexton, five prose pieces from Bacon to Chesterton, and a play by T.S.Eliot or Shaw or Shakespeare, does it really merit the very purpose of a language class, where sit a cohort of students who don't even know how to write a meaningful sentence in English.

Hence, at the end of a two year course in Basic English Practice, the student scores a mere ZERO in his language abilities.

More so, in a situation like in India, where English is considered to be a 'sour grape' by most of the populace, i dont think a Anne Sexton, or a Bacon or a Chaucer can work magic in the language capabilities of the student who doesnt even know the basic nuances, the A...B...C.. of it.

The need of the hour is not, an overdose of isms, but a good feeding of the basics that goes into language teaching.

And mind you, the whole framework of the existing syllabi of the English Language Syllabus is a farce, giving an escape route to some who wallow in the valley of Shakespeare,Milton and Bacon, all-set to follow the beaten track,with the Frostian maxim

good fences make good neighbours

to their rescue.

What we want is vigour in the syllabus, strength in the mind, and a keenness to impart the best of the basics to the Language student.

The age-old maxim, 'Known devils are better than unknown angels' can never hold sway with the masses in a globalised world, where the demand is farrr greater than the supply.

This i blogged after having a futile time teaching Bacon to a class without the Basics...

Bankers' Manners...!

2007-04-24T06:15:00.000+05:30

We were happily talking over a cup of coffee, in the evening, just over three days ago, little realising that our happiness of the moment was just short lived by an interruption in the guise of a tele call.

She was a tele caller from a reputed National Bank who called me up over my mobile, around eventide. Introducing herself as Sheela from S..., she said, "Sir, we are calling from S..., and congrats sir, you have been conferred the privilege of Gold ... Customer, and as such you are entitled to an insurance for five years. You need to pay only for the first year. There are a lot of benefits accruing to you cos of this insurance, and you need to pay only for the first year. The rest of the years you need not pay.. bla bla bla... "

Finally she concluded her first phase of talk by saying,

"Sir, shall we freeze Rs.4300/- from your credit limit for the insurance?"

I said, "No madam, look i've to consult my parents, since i dont take decisions on my own, as i am not married yet"

She said, "Oh sir, your parents will definitely not stand in the way of a nice policy, and that which comes with a lovely offer."

To which i said, "But still madam, i'l just talk to them, and then give my consent."

By this time it was a solid 20 minutes by my watch, and prof.Dany & co were passively watching this tele caller trying to catch hold of a 'gullible' customer.

Then, she said, "Ok sir, pls wait, while i pass on the call to my Customer service representative."

Now, the customer service person sounded very polite in his talk, as he began with a word of praise, saying,

"Sir, i've been hearing your conversation all along, and i really appreciate your regard and respect for parents. Even i too have got five policies, but i've consulted my dad all the time, before taking each and every policy."

"Thank you" i said, happily, relieved that here at last there was a person who understood my words.

But then it was that he started his rhetorical tactics cum verbal antics to persuade me gently by saying,

"Sir, but do you think your parents will stand in the way of something good happening to you?" Do you think they will prevent you if you are getting some prize money.. Tell me sir.."

I said, "nope, but still i feel that i need to consult my parents."

He did not leave me at my words there.. He said, "Sir, just answer me.."

Now, Dany sir, seeing my plight, got the mobile from me and cut the call... and said, "rufus, we'l see if he calls back again."

No wonder, this time it was Sheela who called up and said,

"Sorry sir, i think he confused you a lot... but you see it's quite simple..."

Now, i disconnected the call.

The tele caller called back again, but in vain.

I felt i was relieved.

But my relief was only short lived. Cos, the next day, around twelve noon, Sheela was there with her kitty of verbal antics, to clown me again. This time, i picked up the call and said, "Sorry i'm not interested."

But she said, "Sir, we'll just send you the brochures home, and you'l have a full twenty one days time to peruse it and cancel it any time you wish to."

I cut the call..!

Later, pondering over the whole EPISODE, (rightly so, cos it continued to the next day,) I felt that I had 'wasted' almost forty minutes of my precious time on 'nothing.'

This leads me to pose a question to the Bankers of Repute, "SHOULD YOU PEOPLE OF GREAT REPUTE, STOOP TO THIS DEMEANING LEVEL, TO CONQUER?", thus COMPROMISING YOUR OWN MANNERS IN WINNING OVER A CUSTOMER?."

The next day, even as i went to the same bank to transact some business, i saw Gandhiji's quote where he calls the client to respect the customer. I thought that it would do more good if the Bank officials hung another lovli quote by the FATHER OF THE NATION,

"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use"

Read on to know much about a Martyr for the NATION...!

2007-04-17T16:02:00.000+05:30

Please click here to read more about Major Acharya who laid down his life in the highest traditions of the Indian Army on 29 June 1999. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, posthumously . (Pictures and copy of the letter were mailed to me by one of my Patriotic, Past student of MCC, whose name also begins with the letter 'P'. I gratefully acknowledge receipt of the lovli mail. Thanks dear "P". :-)

Do we give them their Due in the Media?

2007-04-17T16:00:00.000+05:30

Real Sportsmanship...!

2007-04-17T15:59:00.000+05:30

The Last respects for a Soldier and his last letter to his family (below)

2007-04-17T15:54:00.000+05:30

2007-04-17T15:52:00.000+05:30

Soldier or SPORTSMAN?

2007-04-13T00:11:00.000+05:30

Ever since India's fiasco at the hustings this World Cup, many heads have rolled, and much water has flown under the bridge.

But the question remains... Do our sportsmen really merit all the attention they get? or is it that the media is blowing the whole thing out of proportion by magnifying the whole hype and hoopla...

i thought of giving it a 'thought' - mulled over it.. and hence am keying out here...

Not because my Grandfather was an army officer, but because common sense demands it... and we've ample reason to vindicate it...

Soldiers of a country are expected to stand ready to defend their country's territorial integrity.

They consider it an honour and their revered duty to preserve, protect and defend their beloved country.

One of the manuals that I came across recently, prescribed the duties of a soldier thus:

"Every soldier has certain duties, responsibilities, and most have some level of authority. You should know what these are and how they apply to you. One of your obligations as a soldier is to carry out your duties to standard and the best of your ability. Bear your responsibilities knowing that you are part of a great team that only works well when each of its members do their best. If you are in a leadership position, exert authority to build the team and develop your soldiers. Your fellow soldiers are depending on you each and every day to make tough decisions based on your rank and duty position."

Being a cadet in the National Cadet Corps for three long years, i've had the privilege of being trained under the mighty seniors and army officers. The first thing we were taught were, i still remember, Obedience to Orders. Strict obedience to orders. Second was, Discipline.

A person who serves the country as a soldier, has to undergo a lot of routine work outs, and strenous exercises, rigid discipline frameworks, etc for one avowed purpose: PRIDE OF THE COUNTRY.

In war or peace, the Soldier doesnt get his recognition at all. How many armed personnel get killed everyday in escalating tensions across the country. Still, how many have been recognised? Just a handful.

What about the thousands of perishing soldiers who die for the sake of the country....

Just because Tendulkar blasts a century against Kenya or Ireland, he adorns the front pages of all newspapers, and the media give him that extra coverage, asking him how he was able to perform this 'wonder', and he attributes it to the 'guys'.

What is the sacrifice that these sportspersons make for the country that they deserve this unneeded hype?

On the other hand, soldiers sacrificing their lovli lives at the feet of their nation, rendering families homeless, not caring for any fame or name, but just the 'spirit' and the 'pride' for the country.... what recognition have they merited... except a small column which discreetly mentions,

FOUR SOLDIERS KILLED IN AMBUSH - atleast four soldiers were killed and fifty others injured in an ambush, twelve kilometers north of Kashmir. The condition of ten of them is stated to be out of danger. AGENCIES

Is this the tribute that a soldier who has sacrificed his life for his beloved country gets?... Is this the recognition they deserve for forgetting their families, their beloved friends and well wishers, their home town etc etc., and stand out in the battle field?

The sportsman who retires from "ONE DAY CRICKET'" gets the prominence that only a few can expect to get. He gets another reem of articles devoted to him singing his praises, his triumphs, his 10 wicket hauls etc... Later, after three or four years, the same guy retires from "TEST CRICKET" and another reem of articles flood the media. He is praised as a disciplined, sincere, hard worker, etc etc...

Forget the countless sponsors, the paraphernalia, the govt houses, govt land and other accolades that take many sizes and shapes, the sportsman has got himself a pride of place that rightfully the SOLDIER deserves...

By the way, I, in no way grudge the sportman his due, BUT..........

I Humbly but strongly FEEL THAT THE SPORTSMAN, ( in INDIA, the cricketer) has usurped the name and fame of the SOLDIER...!

Commemoration... nay.. Self Introspection...!

2007-04-07T00:58:00.000+05:30

With the LAST WORKING DAY of the current Academic Year drawing to a close here at MCC, I look back, and ask myself, have I done my job to my utmost satisfaction? (forget the Head!)

Have I addressed all the anxieties of the student, dispelled his doubts, clarified his confusions etc etc etc. A lot of things I had in mind for my classes were unfulfilled.. for example, the formation of a Book Club, the Performance of a Play in Class by the Students, Special Lecture series by distinguished alumni and reputed Scholars, etc, remained only a fragmented reality.

I am to blame for the lacunae... Call it my lackadaisicality or lethargy... whatever... But I have one consolation, and that i find in the poetic diction of James Russell Lowell,

Life is a leaf of paper white

Whereon each one of us may write

His word or two, and then comes night.

'Lo, time and space enough,' we cry,

'To write an epic! ' so we try

Our nibs upon the edge, and die.

Muse not which way the pen to hold,

Luck hates the slow and loves the bold,

Soon come the darkness and the cold.

Greatly begin! though thou have time

But for a line, be that sublime,

Not failure, but low aim, is crime.

These lines do indeed invigorate me, and so I wish, in the words of Milton,

"To scorn delights, and live laborious days;"

for the love of my profession.

Impose a Ban before it's too late...

2007-03-24T17:27:00.000+05:30

To all those avid admirers and ardent supporters and fervent patrons cum connoisseurs of cricket, the game where bookmakers make their mark, and bookies rule the roost, it is high time all ye people woke up to the sad fact that Cricket is no more a game. It is now the haven of horror and the habitation of the heartless.

Before the coin is tossed on the pitch, my dear ardent baktha, the game has been won. Who has won, is known only to the dadas of the game, (not our dear Dada)who are the real patrons of the game.

It's not mere 100s or 1000s but millions at stake for these bookies.

Bob's story is a sad case in point.

To do justice to the great cricketer, it would have been sane on the part of the authorities to suspend further matches in the world cup. That wont happen.

Hence, let's ask our national cricketers to concentrate on their science and arts for five more years, while other lovli games, native to our culture, which have taken a back seat for so long a time, be allowed to resurface.

I have a dream, that ONE DAY, my country will be playing cricket with the West Indies, without fear or favour, where they shall not be judged by the amount of money of the bookies, but by the skills in their batting line up.

TILL THEN, let's bid adieu to the bookie, and bon fire to our cricket bats and balls in the interest of DON BRADMAN and the game of CRICKET...!

A Case against Cruelty - A Voice to the Voiceless...!

2007-02-22T08:56:00.000+05:30

Just the day before, Prof.Dany and myself were having a cuppa tea at the Air Force road shop, when we saw a lovli little pup playing with us, and going around here and there merrily.

All of a sudden, a guy from nowhere ( i presume he's mentally imbalanced) took this sweet little pup in his hands and hit it forcefully against the ground... The innocent little one started wailing and immediately a crowd of empathetic onlookers surrounded it. I didnt know it was the little puppy that was the object of attention, till i was enlightened about the whole incident very soon.

I got so annoyed that I rang up Bindu our vet, to ask for the no of a Vet Doc, but she was busy to attend the call then. Thank God, a Good Samaritan came in the form of a girl, who promptly took the puppy, whose stomach had by now grown soo big, in the impact, and took it to a VET.

The puppy's yearning eyes and its writhing in pain can never be realised by mankind. But still, it was praiseworthy that the guy was manhandled, roughed up and put inside the Police Jeep by a Cop in civil dress himself. I was happy that there was some sense of sympathy left in society.

But the question remains... Does our country have stringent laws to tackle cruelty to animals.. or is it that our laws lack teeth?

The Thumb Generation's ODE TO THE MOBILE PHONE...!

2007-02-22T08:20:00.000+05:30

Herein, I have penned a poem after seeing two of my lovli students albeit in one of my classes, :-) glued to this latest technological marvel of our times...The Mobile Phone...And for God's sake, don't ask me who :-)

Salutations to you, dearest Mobile phone
Whose technology has enslaved me to the core
Man is born free but everywhere with a mobile phone.

Not a day passes without your presence in our lives.
Chivalry and adventure have become my constant companions
Ever since I embraced thee…

Chivalry in proposing my love to an attractive girl
With just the stroke of the thumb...
Adventure in exploring the unexplored within the mobile...
Sometimes my thumb proposes, her thumb disposes
And at other times, I charm yet another through
A mere forward…

Forward sms’ have thus become a way of life for me…

Marriages are made in Heaven,
Not anymore… you have taken over dear mobile phone…
Thou art a boon to the layman, shy and introverted,
For the naïve bloke who doesn’t know the intricacies of romance…

It is you who have made it possible
To win over a girl by a ‘chivalrous’ message
Just by a display of linguistic pomposity

(Albeit forwarded from a friend’s mobile)

Your ‘sweet’ messaging services are a boon to all alike
Relationships are
Made,
Maintained and
Managed
Through a world of forwards

Cos, for the first time
the thumb has become more mightier than the sword…

Friends need not meet over a cup of coffee any more
Lovers need not talk to each other to understand each other…
A forwarded message is all that is needed
For a ‘perfect’ understanding between partners

Furtive glances and surreptitious love letters
Have become a thing of the distant past!
Thanks to your fascinating spell
That has charmed both young and old alike…

Parents are apprehensive of your presence in their children’s bedrooms
Cos you have taken over deftly
The precious little time they had had for their dear ones.

Post and Telegraph offices the world over wear a deserted look
Cos your onslaught has given them a run for their money.

Valentine cards, Birthday cards and festive cards have plummeted in sales
Thanks to your cute and sweet picture messages
Which speak a million cards put together…!

Teachers and Professors alike find it hard to deal with you
Even as concentration in the classroom has taken a nosedive…

Yet your presence in the classroom, unseen to the teacher
Has given the student manifold chances for creativity…
Never ever will he utter the words “The lecture’s quite bugging!”
Cos with mobile in hand and girl friend in the last row
Even the ‘hell’est of classes get transformed into the heavenliest of places.

Today everybody venerates and adores you
Even the Sadhu and the sanyasi envy you
You are a present to the present generation
Cos without you many sink into despair…

Even as we venerate you,
We could hear your still, deep voice echoing in our ears
Saying thus…
“No man is an island
But beware…
Without me in hand
You may become one…!”

We don’t know whether it’s a gentle coax or a veiled threat…
But one thing is for sure…

That …
We don’t want to be in an island…!
Never…!
Cos
It’s not the heart anymore…
But the thumb that really matters…!

Aint it a Curse...?

2007-01-18T14:40:00.000+05:30

The very practice of selling of a girl, to another family for a bargain, or a deal, is what i call as dowry. The very act in itself, doesnt it deserve the meanest treatment?

Are guys without guts, that they cant earn their money and take care of the treasure that Providence Has graciously given them?

It is guys without a backbone who resort to dowry, and lean back on their father in law for assisstance.

As one who spearheads the anti-dowry agitation, an imagined organisation, entirely a creation of my mind, i just give vents to my thoughts here.

The man shall live by his sweat, not the sweat of his father in law...! aint it?

Food for thought... from a teacher's perspective though...!

2006-12-22T10:28:00.000+05:30

It indeed a rare phenomenon... where a trio keep u on tenterhooks... should i say... in the part - ii English class, who i presume, little understood what freedom in class is all about...or whether they failed to realise that it came along with its responsibilities too...

After nearly a month's time of disturbance, i had the hobson's choice... in the interest of the larger student fraternity... The trio had to face the music, for 'breach of decorum'.

The euphemistic language i use here is evidence to the much cruder stuff behind this phrase. Having laid down the preamble for my classes, and insisting on students following it atleast in spirit, i was quite immune to some of the antics played by some of the students. But most of the time, i could find three guys who were nonchalantly disturbing the very ethos of the class right from the word "Go".

This gave me anxious moments and the class too was seemingly perturbed. Good ones at the back benches were deprived of their cup of tea, and the ardent ones were also seen looking at those special ones and their teacher, alternately. This gave me the clue and slowly but steadily i opened up on the issue and said that three golden guys would face the music today for "exceptionally good" behavior. And the guys hung their heads.

Later, when they came to the dept for pardon, i rejected it rightaway. Cos, this was the umpteenth time i had gone slow on them. But, thanks to an apology they tendered thru a respectable person, i let them in...

This leads me to another question... which is, does punishment really merit these guys? Or do i just wink at their mischief, thus depriving the earnest ones their their intellectual food?

A Tribute to Blogging...! and All Bloggies...!

2006-10-18T08:20:00.000+05:30

This blog of mine is a tribute to the blog maniacs across frontiers. Ever since i started blogging over the web, a year ago, across three different blogs, (and this one being used the least, cos of its edutainment content, which i sidelined for quite sometime), i felt the passing of a year so fast and so quick, that it went unnoticed to the errant eye.
Thousands of thoughts,
over billions of blogs,
by millions of minds
across numberless nations...
This in itself is testimony to the fact that online blogging is here to stay...
A cyber shelter from the real storms of life,
A comfort station for the distressed mind,
A platform in a platter for exhibitionists...
All ye netizens of the worlds....
Unite....
Under the cybershelter of blogs...
And see your thoughts carried across frontiers...
Kudos all ye Bloggies....!

Say no to Grammer, nay Grammar...!

2006-09-02T20:31:00.000+05:30

grAMMAR... the very word sends kinda shiver down the spine of each n' every language enthusiast. The reasons are not far to comprehend. It's supposed to be the "Science of Language", and who the hell likes 'Science'.?
A set of rules that make up sentence formation, facilitating sentence structure and syntax and bla bla bla...... Oops..... did i get it right...
Ok guys... cheer up... the good news is...
You can learn to swim without undergoing a course in swimming... neither do u require a certificate in swimming to master it... dont u guys agree?
If so, lay aside (dont throw away) your grammar books till u learn the art of speaking....
more in my next blog.... till then, keeeeep the faith...!

Rest in Peace! The Demise of a Lovli Art...!

2006-07-23T15:44:00.000+05:30

The story of mankind is, in part, the story of (in simpler words) the humanisation of communication. I hope u are with me when I say this…

As F.T. Wood rightly puts it in his Origin of English Language, (Which every literature student like me has to battle with, for a degree), Indeed, the very transition from oral to literary communication was not a smooth one, coz, many believed that the spoken word was more authentic and credible than the written word…

It seems, in ancient Greece, military commanders used to send messengers to report verbally on events before delivering a written account. But it wasn't until the Victorians that Britain became a letter-writing nation. Hail Victoria! Lovli Lovli Lovli Victoria!!!

The penny post had a profound effect on mass communication. The Victorians celebrated the increased "conveyance of thought" as a symbol of moral progress.But there were discordant, critical voices too… Similar concerns greeted the introduction of the postcard in 1870. Originally a German innovation, it quickly caught on in Britain with an astonishing 70m sold in the first year. Again there was scepticism.

These were reservations that only multiplied when it came to the telegram and then, horror of horrors, the telephone. Then, the pager, and now, the e-mails and sms text messages… The art of letter writing is on its way out..

I may be quite sentimental when I say this, coz I still have my Grandma’s letters to me laminated, alongside my mom’s and dad’s letters, and my close friends’ letters addressed to ME!

Communication has changed, and so have values… Valentine cards, birthday cards and anniversary cards are out… cos text and picture messages are in… and a short text message in about 20 words does perfectly what a loooong letter in 2000 words cannot say..., Then, why at all bother about the vanishing art of letter writing?

As with today's e-mail, punctuation is absent, words are butchered, and jokes are forwarded endlessly… the mobile phone technology is a lovli case in point…

My poem The Thumb Generation’s ode to the Mobile Phone is in a way a tribute to the increasingly decreasing art of letter writing…

Now, after years of writing snail mails, I have slowly started adjusting myself to the new technological marvels… Rather than getting afraid of it, or deeming it as taboo, I’ve started extending an olive branch to them. Not only does its transience accurately reflect our modern restlessness but also, like the postcard, such media provide “a transcript of our oral culture....” Or does it not?

Now, becoming nostalgic, i owe a salute to a lovli portal which helps you have a peek into the best letters of all time...

Do have a nice peek into this thing of the past, "which was a joy forever", by clicking on this link

May the Inland Letter and the Postman Rest in Peace...! and the Post box Rust in Peace...!

Why Rufus the Rebel?

2006-07-23T15:29:00.000+05:30

"Rufus the Rebel" yep... I couldnt find a better phrase to describe me...

Rebels are an indispensable part of every societal framework, be it your place of study, place of work or even at home... the indispensable fact is that, rebels are here to stay. Every new fashion is a form of rebellion, every new political party, is again a form of rebellion, and every new television channel or newspaper is equally a form of rebellion. Each has got something to rebel against! and something different to say! And that's the birth of Rebellion!!!

Yes..! I am a rebel to dogmatized brains, and bigoted thinkers who are, in my opinion, a bubonic plague on society. (NO PUNS INTENDED!!!!!) A layman requires reasonable resolve and the required space, to ring in his ideas... whether rebellious or revolting... But when he finds himself caught between the devil of convention and the deep sea of tradition, when he finds that his shouts are becoming voices in the wilderness, he finds himself claustrophobic in the social set up, becomes antagonistic to the whole social set up, and tries to find out ingenious ways to express his outcry.

And... that's how Rufus the Rebel found a virginian Rooom of his own...!