That unputdownable moment!

            How often do we manage to bring ourselves to applaud someone’s success whole-heartedly and sans any malice? How frequently do we come across people who appreciate others’ achievements without any envy? The odds are very low, if not negligible and when you do come across such a situation, believe me, you have reasons to celebrate.

            I believe someone who receives such adulation is a blessed person, for he is loved in the purest of all forms. Envy, I believe is the worst of all cardinal sins, for it reflects the shallow you and yet, I find myself privy to this emotion very frequently. Lamenting the lack of something which the other person has and wishing you would rather be the one who had it, comes very naturally and easily to most of us. It is not totally our fault but that of our endless insecurities and so we end up taking the easier of the two routes.

            It is easier to hate than love, easier to loathe than appreciate. You can count yourself lucky if you have that one person in your life whom you can wish all the delights sans any hidden agendas, whom you can love without any reasons, whom you can appreciate without needing a motivation and whose success and achievements would matter to you more than your own. The realization of this feeling, the dawning of this delight is the purest and the most ecstatic of all forms of happiness, as pure as a child’s laughter and as unadulterated as the first rain drops.

            A few days back, my dear friend, your success brought me this delight and allowed the lesser mortal in me to experience this unputdownable joy and be immortalized for that one moment of time. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and cheers to you!

Anguish of an ardent fan

Make no mistake, I am an ardent Mani Ratnam fan. And I am not even a critic. But the fact that one of the most intelligent film-makers made this movie, or shall I say, sheer torture, saddens me to no ends. For someone who has made Bombay, Roja, Mouna Raagam, Nayakan, Kannathil Muthamittal and numerous other cult movies, Raavan comes, perhaps as an indicator that Mr. Ratnam's directorial career is heading towards an unceremonius,fag end. How can someone who made Naayakan, give us Raavan? Raavan, is neither a love-hate story nor a movie depicting the reason why naxalites are what they are. Some may call it a delapitated version of modern Ramayana. I will call it as Mr. Ratnam's biggest mistake. I have a serious advice for him, please watch all the movies you had directed till now and then go about your next movie, for you shall know, better than any of your viewers, that your ardent and most loyal fans like me, did not deserve this.
I shall not delve into the storyline per say but there are a few aspects that everyone reading this should know. For those who have seen Rajnikant's hit Tamil movie 'Chandramukhi', Abhishek Bachhan seems to have watched countless re-runs of the dog scene of its hit song 'Ra Ra'..(the tamil version of Bhul Bhulaiya's Mere Dholna, nothing as exquisite as the Vidya Balan song)..his acting is not even a topic worth discussing and I don't believe myself when I write that Abhishek's acting isn't the worst part about this movie. There is no storyline. I had read somewhere ages back that Mr. Ratnam had shot four climax scenes for this movie because he was unable to decide which one to go with. Perhaps till the end, he did not know which storyline to go by. One minute you are shown a gross-looking Govinda as a caricature of Hanuman and the other minute you are made to believe that the naxalites are like that because of the atrocities of the police. This ever so topsy-turvy storyline(if you may call it that) is too much for someone who had expected another classic like Kannathil Muthamittal(albeit with subtitles) from this genius. Mani Sir, I still revere you, and come what may, I will still watch all your movies despite you holding on to the plastic-demon couple but giving us Raavan and expecting the same adulation as Naayakan and Roja fetched you, is like asking us to support Pakistan in an India-Pakistan cricket match. 
Perhaps the genius did realise that this venture shall not be well received and won't create the same magic as his previous blockbusters. For those who heard and saw it, recently there were rumours of Mrs. Plastic Bachhan and Mr. Stone Bachhan expecting their first kid. That might have been a ploy to create some much-needed publicity for this movie. Nevertheless, even if trade pundits go on to declare that Raavan is the biggest hit of all times, everyone who has watched this movie and everyone who is reading this and will still watch the movie, will know it within his heart, that it is difficult to choose the better movie out of the two, Kites and Raavan. 
I will not stop you from watching this movie but do watch that show which costs you the least. Perhaps then, you shall not face the anguish which I am facing right now.

Symbiotically, apathetically Sproutified!!!

This post is dedicated to all the students who fell a prey to the contaminated sprouts. May God never suject you to such an excruciating experience ever.

Disclaimer-All views in this post are based on real-life incidents, yet merely reflect the opinion of the writer. Any facts or figure presented in the write-up are open to debate and discussion and shall in no way be binding on the writer.


The unfortunate set of students must never have fathomed that eating healthy will lead them to probably the most horrible and excruciating experience of their lives. I am talking about the recent food poisoning (read: sprout poisoning) case in a very reputed educational institute and the mere reminder of it disgusts me to no end.

About 200 people who had sprouts that fateful tuesday for lunch would never have imagined what was in store for them. People started showing symptoms of acute food poisoning around midnight and were soon being whisked away to the nearest hospital. As the numbers grew and people began to be sent to six different hospitals, different theories crept about the cause of this pandemic which was soon identified to be sprouts. It did not require rocket science to determine that contaminated mess food was the culprit and soon media and police cordoned off the campus.

It was difficult to find out who was admitted where; such was the pandemonium at campus. I wish the campus administration had acted more promptly and had done something to restore the normality at campus. Baring a faculty or two, in my four and a half day stay at Aditya Birla, I saw nobody visiting the ailing patients from the management side. You add irresponsible, provocating and absolutely infuriating comments like “The students had partied outside and so they might have got infected due to eating contaminated food there” to that and it is enough to boil anyone’s blood. Five days have passed since that fateful lunch and yet no concrete action has come to the notice. The authorities continue to be apathetic. A day after people began to be hospitalized; students were served bread that was infected with fungus. The indifference of the management hardly surprises anymore for what is the cost of human lives in front of a million dollar contract. In a land where people sell their kin for a mere hundred rupees and where murder comes cheaper than a brand new pair of Levi’s jeans, this is hardly a thought provoking concept anymore.

So what do we do now? Surely, none of us still believe in the system, do we? I expect each one of you reading this to rise up to the occasion. It is time when we stop being mules and led by a stick, it is time to speak out and stop being indifferent to what is happening to us and to those around us. It is time to voice our concerns for ourselves, to get things done rather than sitting and expecting them to happen on their own. For those who have no clue how and what to do, just remember that together each one of us can make a lot of difference. You might not know what to contribute and how to but if and when somebody takes an initiative, be a part of it. It is not a question of the safety and well-being of a few students; it is a fight for everyone. Think over it and do what needs to be done for your well-being is solely your responsibility.

Dilemma of a 3 pointer

What I intend to talk about in this post might throw some of you out of your comfortable cushions so I would like to begin this post with a disclaimer.


“All characters in this post are neither fictional nor based on anyone’s figment of imagination. The author intends to harm nobody’s feelings, only intends to bring out a few relevant points to the notice of all and sundry. Any resemblance to the characters and plot in this post is an event that has taken place somewhere in the past and is not co-incidental.”

When our generation was younger, our parents faced tremendous societal pressure in terms of what their kids were going to do in their lives. If your son did not get through IIT entrance, the entire clan was looked down upon. If your daughter was not a medical student, she had wasted her life. Despite such a hostile environment, some lesser mortals like yours truly dared to dream different, carve out a different career path for themselves, not just because they were rebellious and against any set pattern in and around them but probably also because they were aware of their abilities and inabilities, their limitations and most significantly, their aspirations. Sometimes, even I cannot help but rue the destiny of millions of those who faced the brunt of such pressure day in, day out without so much of a whimper.

Nonetheless, treading the path destiny had in store for them, each one of us has reached to my favorite stage in the world, my college. God! Do I love my college or not, for where else will you find a more realistic, yet absolutely theatrical atmosphere than this, where else will you come across actors as veteran and as versatile as here and for where else will you face plots thicker than that of Sherlock Holmes’ novels and spicier than all the soap operas you might have watched in your lifetime. The stage is a connoisseur’s delight.

I have already cribbed about the CGPA system, and even when I am not at the receiving end, I cannot help noticing its flaws and the excruciating treatment it metes out to some of my fellow-men. If success were proportional to the amount of hard work you put in, earth would be heaven and people would be saints. Sadly, that is not the case and so many poor souls bear the brunt who are arguably much, more hard-working but just a tad unluckier. My heart goes out to them.

However, I do find the reactions of people quite amusing. Undoubtedly, if you do not get accolades for your efforts, you are bound to be disheartened but to limit your horizon to marks alone is probably the biggest injustice you can do to yourself. Marks in CGPA system are like Justin Timberlake’s famous song- ‘what goes around comes right back’. I know a score of people who are more talented than any I have ever come across and yet they do not get their due in terms of grades but people always hold such men in high regards. Even without getting philosophical, one can easily deduce that to be admired among your fellow-men is surely a coveted feeling if not enviable.

The education system is out there to ruin you. It will turn you into a poacher if you are not careful. Getting good grades is very important but is it worth losing your peace, your friends and your sleep over? A 2.9 is hardly that different from a 3.1 GPA. In the end, you might be a tad better off in terms of marks but you will lose out on a lot of good things in life, a bargain I do not consider worth even giving a thought to.

It is very important to have fun in your life, to go out with friends, to do things like getting drunk before a term paper and to watch out movies back to back before your exams. This is our time, if not now then when? Be sincere in life, not serious. You only get one life and what a waste it would be, if not lived fully!

Moral ReArmament Camp

Strange as it may sound, I dedicate this piece to the sun, the clouds, the trees, the hills and foremost to the sunshine in my life.


Moral Rearmament Camp. Sounds as far from me as a star would be from the earth. Honestly, given a choice, I would have never gone for such a camp. I am not much of a believer of switching off from the world in order to go on a journey of self-exploration. For me, self-actualization comes in any form, in any way, anytime you are ready for it. The minute I am making a deliberate attempt to shut down my brains from a particular thing, I can be assured that I shall not be successful in my endeavor. However, my college authorities never agreed with my intellectual insights and so I set for Panchgani on a cold, Saturday morning, thoroughly deprived off sleep and cribbing about it at length.

Panchgani is located at roughly four and a half thousand metres above the sea level in the rain shadow area of the Krishna valley. Without any exaggeration, the valley is amongst the most beautiful places I have ever set my eyes upon, second only to Patratu valley of Jharkhand. It is quiet, serene, laidback and despite being used to a much faster and hectic lifestyle, I could not but appreciate what it stood for.

The place is quiet, almost eerie in night. You will find just a few buildings in more than 60 acres of space in the Asia Plateau and big jungles elsewhere. Small pathways meander through different landscapes, some on plains while other over heights and all of them are enriched with various species of flora and fauna. When it comes down to it, it gets very dangerous and I still cannot forget the sight of that baby snake I spotted on the first afternoon of my four-day trip. The icing on the cake, however, is the sight of the table-land guarding the Asia Plateau. It is the second largest table-land in Asia and the sight up there is one to behold.

Coming back to the purpose of the trip, which by the way was not merely sight-seeing, we had various sessions on moral-building, teamwork, effective leadership etc. but there are two I specially want to mention, ones that actually touched my soul. The first one was a session taken by Mr. Deepak Mullick, a successful corporate by all means. His story, one where he overcame medical and moral obstacles of his life, is one that effortlessly inspires you. It is not possible to pen down every bit of his one hour long session but I would like to share a lyrical piece with you all that was written to Mr. Mullick by a Baramati farmer friend of his when he was almost down and out. It goes as follows:

Look beyond


Until you feel better


Be patient and wait


For patience is truly


A wonderful trait


For most of life’s battles


Are won beyond the field


Fight it out, don’t turn away


Problems are fickle, you will find a way


When the sun comes out


And the clouds float away

Simple, beautiful lines which say a lot even when they apparently say nothing at all. The second session was even better, one on human relationships. In our race towards the oasis of success and achievement, we forget that our life is enriched by the people who are a part of us and not by the amount of wealth we accumulate or the fan following we manage to acquire. Our relationships take a backseat giving a way to our ambitions. Sadly, by the time we realize where we went wrong, it is too late to go back. I am not going to be philosophical but in all sincerity, I would urge each one of you to get a hold of your personal life before it is too late. It is never too late to do the right thing.

I learnt a valuable lesson, one which I should have learnt ages back. For me, the USP of the camp was the session on human relationships and with it, the purpose of the camp was justified. I stood corrected at the end of the camp; it was not futile after all! I only wish I had realized it back then what I did after this camp.

Convocation..and the road ahead

“To those who are present and those who have been permitted to remain absent, I now confer upon you, this degree of Bachelor of Computer Applications.”


These words will remain in my memory etched permanently. It was my Convocation day yesterday, a day when I finally graduated, a day when I crossed a barrier but also one when I acquired new responsibilities. Graduation is merely a stopover because there are so many heights that still remain to be scaled. However, the euphoric feeling of being a graduate, of wearing the Italian gown and flinging the hat up in the air, of rising from your seat as your degree is conferred upon you; ah! It is unparallel!

Youth is no more about being rashly independent or devoid of responsibilities. Youth is about independence, youth is about innate power and potential. With independence comes responsibilities, towards one’s nation, towards one’s family and friends but most significantly, towards oneself. The greatest injustice you can do to yourself is probably to mar your capabilities and end up as an under-achiever. This, when it comes from one of the most lethargic, complacent and under-achievers you shall ever know, is to make you take a pause. Take that pause and think. Forget your country, parents, everything; for it is a moment just meant for self-analysis. There are so many scientists, warriors, sportsmen; who have achieved fame, wealth, adulation, everything. Am I asking you to tread the path they have had? No. These things may matter for some and hold no meaning for others. Your contentment and peace of mind matters most to you and rightly so. My question to you is, will you be at peace if you remain where you are? Youth needs to be impatient, for humanity respects that impatience. Youth has to crave for more, scale new heights, make their own goals and achieve them. Gone are the days when a mere 9 to 5 job and a lucrative salary meant end of your desires. These things still do matter but self-actualization has taken the front seat.

We live in an age, in an era where probably the most significant thing for us is ourselves. We love challenges, we love bets, we are audacious enough to hope and bet against the odds. That is what makes us different from our forefathers for we have the bottom-to-top approach, unlike our ancestors. We believe in shaping our lives first and trust me, that is the right way to go. Unless you have built the smallest unit right, the entire machine will never work properly. Unless your smallest pipe isn’t clog-free, water shall not flow out even from the largest of your canals. What I am hinting here is to make sure that we are hungry, we are passionate, we go all out to achieve goals for ourselves; for only after then can we do some service to our country. Our country is made up of us, we are its future. Let us put one piece on its place at a time.

As Dr. Shashi Tharoor said yesterday-“the impatience of youth needs to be respected, for there lies the key to the progress of a growing nation.” The thing is, we need to be impatient first. With these thoughts and the euphoria of having graduated, I now set upon, first to celebrate my graduation and then to higher destinations.

From the eyes of a beholder..

It was a warm Tuesday morning, like any other in that part of the city. The railway station being one of the busiest in the country, it was no surprise that at any given moment, thousands of travelers thronged in and out of the various platforms. A normal morning and an even more normal sight. Yet, for one particular passenger coming out of platform no.16, that morning was special, for how often do the people on streets welcome you before the first rays from the sun hit the streets? That passenger was me, coming out of Howrah station and I was in Calcutta, at long, last!


To be honest, I had gone to Calcutta with a set of prejudices, those being the exploding population and the smuttiness on the roads. However, one hour in the city and I was ready to look at it with an unbiased point of view, not because I fell head over heels in love with the city but courtesy a simple rationale. A city whose inhabitants have had the senses to maintain their heritage right from the Victorian era have to be given the credit due to them and this is precisely why it wasn’t a surprise to find out the little but important things about the city I eventually did.

Probably one of the best things about Calcutta is that the minute you step out of the railway station, the Howrah Bridge welcomes you. It feels like a homecoming of sorts, what with arguably the city’s most important construction greeting you. One may stand beneath it and admire it at bay. For someone like me with an intensive love for architectural marvels, this and the Victoria Memorial present a very pleasing sight for I can spend a lifetime there and you have to experience looking at the Ganges from atop the bridge to know what I am talking about.

Calcutta is any tourists’ delight. You have a variety of places to visit and you can pick and choose them depending on your tastes. You have Howrah Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu, Victoria Memorial, High Court, the Indian Museum, Queen’s Mansion etc. for the heritage buffs, Science city for the geeks, Belur Math, Dakshineshwar temple and Kalighat etc. for the spirituals and the Eden Gardens for the cricket lovers. I was lucky enough to be able to go in and it was more than a pilgrimage of sorts. Having said that, the real Calcutta doesn’t lie in places I have mentioned for you cannot know what the city has in store for you by merely visiting these places. The real Calcutta lies in places like Babughat or Gariahat for these have the spirit of joy we know Calcutta for. People may have little or more than what they need, yet you will find the sense of contentment in both the cases.

At best, I can define Calcutta as a city of paradoxes. There is a strange sense of calm even in the loudest of clutter. There is beauty on every nook and corner despite the filth on the streets. The life is slow but the buses are fast enough to scare the living delights out of you. There is variety even in the most mundane of activities. There is spice in the sweetest of things. You are alone in the most crowded of places and even when you are alone, you are in sync with what is around you. You sit with a thousand others inside Belur Math and yet you are alone with your God. You go with a select few to watch a movie at Menoka and yet the entire theatre watches it together, echoing the same comments, same sentiments. People maybe divided between Mamta Banerjee and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee but are united as one when inside the Eden Gardens.

Calcutta is an eclectic mix of present and past, good and bad, slow and fast. It becomes very difficult for me to talk about this city, to rate it or worse still, to echo what I feel for this city; for how do you explain something that is best understood when experienced, best felt when you are a part of it and best seen yourself and not through someone else’s eyes? Calcutta is an experience, a beauty to behold and a memory to treasure. It is ‘madlee bangaliii’ as they say and therefore it isn’t a wonder that it is the ‘city of joy’.