Superstitions

 It wasnt raining so much today. Yet, there was toooo much traffic on the road. I did leave later than usual, but not so late so as to be stuck in a bad traffic jam, that caused me to reach office by almost half an hour!! And as Murphy's law said, once something goes wrong, others will too. Sure enuf, today hasnt been a good day at office either...lts just end it there :(

On my way back from office, after a terrible day that began late and ended late, I was once again stuck in traffic. This time, at a long signal, i kept wondering why life was being so unfair. And thats when, something struck me. Just before leaving office this morning, I DID NOT say bye bye to mom. I was in too much hurry and rushed out of the door 20 mins later than usual. Saying bye to mom is something i do everyday. Would there be any relation, AT ALL, between that and the terrible day today?

Naah. Its just a coincidence that on the one day i dont say bye to mom, i have a bad day in a long time. I mean, how does the traffic on the road have anything to do with my mom? Even if i had said bye to her, there would have been as many cars on the road, and the traffic would have been as bad. Things at work would have been as bad as they were. They are independent from what happens at home.

Or are they?

I always wonder how we commonly follow some things under the pretext of belief, rather than of superstition- fasting on certain days, avoiding non-vegetarian on some days, going to the place of worship, praying every morning, following some particular trait that in the hindight, make no sense. I must be honest, every time I see a cat walk across me, i exclaim SOMETHING. I either curse the cat, or i cringe with a "Damn!!" or I do something else that indicates negativity around it. And yet, nothing good or bad has happened before or after that. I also wonder, what would happen if we FAIL to do one or more of the above. How about eating not fasting this time? not praying on a certain day? How about taking it HEAD-ON. See what happens?????

I know I have tried and found it pretty DIFFICULT. Its just too hard to not exclaim or even THINK when a cat crosses by. As educated as i am, i am always aware of the cat. As educated as someone else is, they continue to do their routine. I am not judging or indicating that these are bad or unnecessary things. A lot of people do it our of respect, out of habit or simply because they've been told that that is what is to be done.

But at the hear of it all, isnt it all really superstition? Would terrible things really happen if we didnt do these things once? Would the respect come down in any manner? Would the Gods be affected in any manner if we didnt fast for a day? I know i say bye to mom not out of superstition, but out of personal liking. Is murphys law actually a science-loving-belief-hating version of what is truely superstition? or is superstition a belief-loving-science-hating version of what is actually murphy's law? i.e- whats gonna happen, WILL happen.

Aisa hi hai zindagi ka khel

Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
Tere haath mein chanaa, mere haath mein bhel
Salary agar badhi toh hoga khooshiyon hi khooshiyaan,
Varna aankhon par patti bandhe, stand in front of the rail


Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
Begunaah ghum rahe aazad, bekasoor languishing in jail...
Pakde bhi gaye toh no worries for them,
Aaj nahin toh kal mil hi jaayegi bail.


Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
Exam mein kabhi, there is no option to fail,
Hameshaa lead karna hai, rehna hai aage,
It is always considered bad, if you are the tail.

Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
Kuch bhi ho jaaye, we want everything on sale,
paise bachaane ko, bus aur train mein sadte hue safar toh karein,
par weekend pe 200 Rs. ki picture dekhne kabhi na honge fail.

Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
nahi sakte hum for meeting purposes, traveling ko jhel
Therefore, shortcut and virtual ho gayee hai zindagi,
its all about Whatsapp, Facebook, chat and email..

Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
land ki bhook mein gandey ho gaye hum tooth and nail,
expansiion ki chakkar mein animals ko karte gaye samaapt,
be it tigers, birds, crows ya fir whale...

Aisa hi hai is zindagi ka khel,
many people are trying but barely managing to sail,
Zindagi ho gayee hai sasti, jeena ho gaya expensive,
Koi bhi nahi raha ab, hearty and hale.

The twilight that spoke...

We have read, heard and listened to a lot of things/people that speak about being 'Free as a Bird'. Somewhere in our minds, we all want to be a free bird, or, simply put, a bird- free, independent, can fly, etc etc. Just as a bird represents the FREE end of the spectrum, a kite (not the bird kite)- a flying Kite, represents the other CONTROLLED end of the spectrum. Just like a bird, a kite flies high in the sky, but differs from the bird because a kite is controlled by someone else. I then thought that if someone wants to be a bird, chances are they would not like to be a kite.And probably vice versa.

Until today, that is. As I was returning home in the twilight of the day, I saw in the sky something rolling, swaying aggressively end to end in its own orbit, as if losing control. I thought it must have been a bird flying around, but on a closer look (it was evening so my eyes can be forgiven here), I realized it was a kite- a kite that got cut from its strings and was set free in the sky, ready to land somewhere in the unknown. Basically, it was a kati patang.

And then, as usual, my crazy mind started thinking about something. I started to evaluate if this controlled and guided kite was indeed all that different from the free independent bird than we usually think.

Lets see.. What are the advantages of being a bird?? A bird is, well, independent, free, and on its own. No control, no restrictions, the lead-your-life-your-own-way types. Fly high into the sky!

On the flip side, when a bird is lost, it has pretty much no one to guide it. It is bound to meet obstacles all alone. And finally, and most importantly, since it flies high in the sky, it always looks DOWN at the earth! It is always downward looking.

What then, are the advantages of being a kite? for one, you always have someone to guide you. If a problem arises, a helping HAND is always around. Lets say, you are always I-am-safe-and-secure kinds. Most importantly, a kite always looks UP in order to rise high in the sky! Always upward looking.

On the wrong side of things, well, it is not independent.No much freedom of your own, limited choice and the likes.

Given this analysis, would you still want to be a free independent bird, or a controlled and guided kite? Well, lets put it this way- When the weather is nice, skies clear, and you are listening to most soothing title track from the movie Forrest Gump, and you are gazing at the sky with a drink in your hand; when things are the best they ever can be, both the kite and bird have a good joy ride, and life seems equally beautiful.

But on the day the weather turns rough and stormy, rainy; when times are really bad, both, the kite and the bird are likely to have a torrid time. Neither the independence of the bird, nor the helping hand of the kite, are going to be able to do too much.

Well then?

Whats with this term- BODY SHOP ????

What is this thing with branding IT companies as Body shops? It is probably coincidental that Chetan Bhagat targets none other than Mr. Narayana Murthy, and Infosys, 2 of the biggest names in corporate India, just a week before the release of his latest book. I certainly do not intend to questions his intentions or give him any disrespect; he is an acclaimed author and is doing well in his space. But I certainly do object to his expression, language and his constant use of the word BODY SHOP, in a definitely negative connotation.

What does the word body shop mean anyway? And why is it being used only to Embarrass someone? If I use common grammatical analogy, then, just as a Cosmetic shop means a shop that sells cosmetics, just as a sport shop means a shop that sells sport items, just as a book shop means a shop that sells books, shouldn’t the word BODY shop mean a ‘shop that sells bodies’???? I had to use this seemingly trivial stupid and CRUEL analogy, because I could not find the meaning word BODY SHOP anywhere on the internet.

Now tell me, does Infosys SELL BODIES??? Does any other IT company sell bodies? Then why this usage? The IT industry in India, of which Infosys is a pioneer and a big name, employs almost a million people, and feeds around 4 million families! This industry has been responsible for giving India a USP and brining some kind of glamour to its corporate image, not to mention how much it has contributed to the economy.
What does Infosys do? What do similar IT companies do? They sell services, IT services , which help other business do better. Just as a cosmetic shop has its customers, just as a book shop has readers who buy books, just as a sports shop has young people or sportsmen who buy sports goods, IT cos too have their own clients. Then what is so WRONG in that? Come on Mr. Bhagat, simply because you aren’t from this industry, doesn’t make this a bad deal!

On a final note, when it comes to Mr. Murthy, he is a person everyone looks up to. He, along with his colleagues, has created what is truly a phenomenon. His leadership, entrepreneurial abilities and his persona are admired around the world. I do not think anyone should score such public , brownie points against him.

Mr. Bhagat, you are a very successful man yourself, and I admire your work, and respect you for that. But please, this is not done.

How Ironic

The kind of assoles we are, its ironic how we react to the same thing very differently in different situations. Check the reactions in the HOWEVER situations:

1) You are working in a company and your friend gets a job in your company, you say “Its going to be fun. I now have company over lunch.”
However, if you have moved out of your company and the same friend joins that company,, you’d say “That sonova bitch, He is going to earn much more, and grow to positions I could have, had I stayed”

2) You have resigned and are waiting to be relieved from your current company. When your company tells you to leave tomorrow instead of after a month of notice period, you go “Cool!! I will be on board my new job soon!! Awesome!!”
However, if your company fires you, and tells you to leave tomorrow, you are like “ Screw it man!! My life is fucked! How do I get a new job now!!!!”

3) You get a mid year appraisal as a result of which, your salary increases by 8%. You go gaga and say “Shitty cool!! I got a hike in the middle of the year! I love my company!!!”
However, when you don’t get the year end main appraisal because of this mid year hike, you curse them and say “Damn them!! They didn’t increase my salary this time! Time to get a new job”

Some general non-work, real life situations:

4) A player plays badly in a test match. You be a good critic and say “Even champions have their bad times.”
However, when he plays badly in a test and then follows it up with a good performance in a T20, you accuse him by saying “Assole. All he cares about is the cash rich T20 matches!!”

5) You get good marks in an exam, so does a friend. You obviously are happy “wow!! That’s nice,,phew”
However, when you fail and he scores good marks, your reaction is a tad different “Bastard!!! How the hell did he score so much!! We studied the same notes!!!!”

6) You and your neighbor, both have water running down your taps. All is well in life and you say “our area almost never has water problems. Everyone should be happy and should have water”
However, the one time you do not have water (and most probably due to a faulty pipeline), and if your neighbor continues to have water, you rant him with “Dam him!! He hasn’t paid his bills in a while and he still gets water!! Piece of shit”

7) You are playing cricket and there is this guy who is in your team. He scores a six of the last ball and wins it for your team. You appreciate him by saying “whadda playa!!! We won because of him!!”
But when he is in the opposite team and scores for the other team and wins the match for them, you go “SON OF A BITCH.”

8) You are married and then, your best friend gets married. You are ecstatic because “ its so great!! We are a couple of couples!!! (as says Chandler in friends)!!!!
However, if you are not yet married, even worse, still single, and your best friend gets married, what do you say?? “FILL IN THE BLANK”

9) Your WIFE tells you she is pregnant. You thank all Gods and say “That is so good sweetie!!! I cant even express how happy I am. I love you so much. Thanks for that!! MMuuaahh”
However, when your GIRLFRIEND tells you she is pregnant, you swear to her “Are you sure that was me?”

Why I support Anna Hazaare and this movement.

Let me come straight to what the critics point out about Anna Hazaare’s agitation, and what I call, the PEOPLE’s MOVEMENT:

1) Critics say: This is blackmail of the government and things don’t work like this

I say: Anna Hazaare started out ALONE in this fight by sitting at the RamLeela maidan. It was the people who joined him gradually, and joined him in big numbers. Anna did not go to people’s houses with a gun in his hands to FORCE them to join him!! What does that mean? That means people support him and this is what they want. In order to BLACKMAIL someone, you need to have a bad motive and need to know a secret about someone. Anna is doing neither of the two. No one can simply blackmail someone else just like that.

2)Critics Say: Laws are not formulated like this. They need to be formulated in the legislature, by the people who are ELECTED.

I say: Why did all of this happen at the first place? It happened because the same ELECTED people were corrupt!! Scam after scam after scam!! They have frustrated the common man to no end! How do I trust them then? This movement has given hope to billions of people EXHAUSTED by the burden of the scams, and who see their tax money swindled out! If they want laws to be formulated like this, then the laws BETTER BE FORMULATED LIKE THIS!!

3) Critics Say: People don’t know the Lokpal enough to support it so strongly

I say: Do you know the minimum age limit requirement to be the PM of this country? Do you know the qualifications of the local MLA/MP of your area? Leave that, do you even know his name?? Despite not being aware of these things, you still voted anyway right? This is because you placed some amount of trust in them.. it could be any parameter but you still voted without knowing too much. Why can the Lokpal not be trusted similarly? It has atleast resulted in a movement which the people finally RELATE with! I say, if you want, consider it the LESSER OF TWO EVILS..But fight for what it represents: HOPE

4) Critics say: This will result in a trend and people will want to use such methods in a future

I say: The last time someone fasted like this to get a result was Mahatma Gandhi, 64 years ago! It doesn’t take 64 years for something to become a trend!! And for it to become a trend, remember that PEOPLE SUPPORT is needed for it to result into something big! Anna is succeeding because he is a true man with a vision for great India, a selfless soul who is not fighting for himself alone! This is why he has struck such a massive chord with the people! He is simply being supported that’s all, because he is standing for the truth! Tomorrow, if I stand on the streets and fast, even a dog will not care. Hence, it will not become a trend. And even if it does, SO WHAT? If that is what it takes to make this country great, then that is what will happen!

I say: Support Anna, support the movement, and go ALL OUT on the streets. Let your voice be heard! I know you are frustrated and so am I !!!

When my pants got wet

It has just started raining in Mumbai and I was on my way to office in Thane. The rickshaw I was travelling in, had the rain cover at the side, but the cover was not pulled down, it was rolled up. Essentially, the rickshaw was as good as one without cover, and that is exactly what happened. SWOOSH!! ran a car past from the left, and there went my pants for a toss. The water splashed all over my pants. DIRTY water :( I then rolled the covers down for the rest of the journey.

Strangely, and I am sure this happens with most of us, I kept looking outside the cover, trying to see how effectively it was protecting me. I was looking to evaluate weather now, other vehicles were running past and the cover managed to protect me. What was even more strange was that I was SAD that now, in fact, NO car really raced past, and therefore the cover, even thought pulled down, was useless because it never got the CHANCE to protect me!! Shitty strange!! I actually said to myself “Damn!! Why are no vehicles racing past now, when the covers are down!! And why did that one vehicle pass me and spoil my pants?”

I realized I was looking for some sort of negativity to justify positivity!! And then I thought of a few more very common examples in life where we hope for some bad things to happen, just so our GOOD DECESIONS are justified. We hardly realize that it is eventually much better that the bad thing didn’t happen despite the decision. Check these out:
1) We buy rainy shoes AFTER the first rains spoil our good leather shoes. Then, it stops raining and we have no use of the rainy shoes. We say “Why the hell does it not rain now? My new rainy shoes are going waste!!” Damn it, we don’t realize we are much better off without those heavy rains because greater damage would have happened!! (your PANTS for example)
2) We sell a stock and the company’s stock value rises after that. We say “Why the hell did the stock have to rise now?? I have already sold it!!” What we don’t realize is that in any given situation, it is only good that company stock prices are rising! Our selfishness blurts away the fact that had the stock fallen instead of risen, things would have gotten bad for the so many employees and shareholders of that company!
3) We give up our Reliance electricity connection in favour of the lower cost TATA connection, and then, reliance slashes its prices. We are like “F***, why the hell did I switch!!” What we fail to note is that TATA will probably lower its price further, and this will lead to what we famously call in macroeconomics “PRICE WAR”. Never good, never good.
4) The moment you get commited in a relationship, and see a better looking person of the opposite sex, you sigh to youself “Did I hurry in getting commited? Arent there better looking birds out there?” Crap, because that means you don’t remember how shittyly messed up you were when you were single!!

It is strange that in most hindi movies too, the CHAAND (moon) is always beautiful despite the DAAG (the black thing). Why the hell do we need the bloody daag to beautify the chaand!!!???
I sure don’t know the reason for this. Do you?