A Humane Human

       Below this post is a link to a series of images. A series of images that showcase compassion in the rarest of occasions. A series of images that is so uncommon, that it seems unrealistic in its most basic essence. The photos aren't unique. There is a plethora of images that seem to showcase a feeling of humanity,kindness and humane morals of the internet. But sometimes I wonder, " Is that all they are? ". Are they just a digital evidence of a feeling, a morale so rarefied today that it seems impossible that the events really did take place? And if they did, then its a black day. Its a black day, if we have to search for traces of humanity and compassion in times of adversity,loss and crisis while our mundane lives have become epitomes of avarice and self-obsession.
                     Imagine a scene. It was a normal afternoon with nothing out of the ordinary. I was waiting at a signal on our ever packed roads. A luxury SUV was standing a few spots ahead me. A small kid, selling Independence Day merchandise, was knocking on windows, trying to earn some wages. A window of the SUV rolled down, and beckoned the kid. The person in the car started observing the merch. The signal turned green, the cars started crawling. The kid started hurrying, I presumed for money in exchange of the goods. The person from the car dropped something in the kids hand and then sped away. When i crossed the kid, my glance went to his hand. What i saw there, caught me unawares. There was no money. He was clutching some french fries.
                      Think. A kid, not even a teenager, had to work through the rain in order to eat some measly soggy French Fries. I refuse to believe, that this is what we have come down to. That us 'civilized' people have become Machiavellian puppeteers. On one hand, we treat people like expendables, while on the other, socialites and the intelligentsia organize cocktail parties to raise funds for the benefit of the poor.
                Recently, in UK, to stop homeless people from sheltering in nooks and alcoves, spikes were installed in a high profile London area. This shows that we don't just think of the needy and less fortunate as expendable, we consider them equal to filth or rodents. Everything seems to be a facade, every action seems to have an ulterior motive.
                            A small helping hand, with no strings attached, or even just a kind word or a smile, is all is takes. A good deed, may seem trivial to the doer, may mean the world to the receiver."For the greater good"
need not be just a dialogue from a fictional bestseller. If done right, if heralded as a beacon for a new era, a new mindset, it may work wonders.
                             Wars are claiming their toll on the world. Strained relations, broken families, teary eyes and aching hearts have become ubiquitous. But still, through all the violence, through all the anger, compassion manages to shine through. Think, what could be, if we could stave off war, mend our bonds, be unified. The first step towards a goal is the hardest. Take it. Help someone, give a kind word or a shoulder to lean on. Be what we were meant to be. Be Human.

Below is the link for  photos should stir something inside you.
http://9gag.com/gag/aVQXOKn

Perception :
http://9gag.tv/p/a5w37B/they-put-a-homeless-man-in-a-suit-and-ask-for-money-what-happens-next-will-shock?ref=tcr

LSD : Love,Sanskaar,Debauchery

                                               Now , from the title mentioned above, some may think i am about to talk about something big,bad,taboo. What you may be inclined to think involves either snorting,puffing,inhaling or ingesting a hallucinogen or it involves a trifecta which may aptly describe today's pro UPA youth population (Everybody reading this theoretically should have suffered from the " SHIT nahi , BULLSHIT " types ads featuring the UPA scion ). But what i am about to talk about is much worse than what you have in mind. The sheer trashiness of it is so chimerical yet so widespread that a realistic and aware person like me will have to get high on the aforementioned drug in order to merely survive the torture of being subjected to it.
                                 Today, my friends, is my final frontier. This is the true meaning of a David vs Goliath scenario for me . * cue lightning sounds a la Mahabharat on Doordarshan in the 1990's *
                                  Today, I take on television and all its Dramacoms  (Id call them sitcoms or programmes but that would be a insult to some real sitcoms like Sarabhai vs Sarabhai ) . In essence, that means I am taking on Ekta Kapoor and all her creative glory that renders the occasional pathetic plot twist to an otherwise drab, almost comatose script.
                                Now, I dont hate TV. But i tend to watch something that keeps my brain cells intact. As a form of entertainment, i believe TV has maxed out its potential. Movies are regularly shown on TV, music is too though now music may as well be a mixture of softcore pornography and full blown public advertisemnets for alcohol and substance abuse . Oops i forgot to mix in the tutorial on how to perfectly objectify a woman and in the process make her lust after you .
                                       But Ill finally get to the juicy bit now. Let me put up my views on serials and reality shows. According to the popular story, Alice fell down a hole and found herself stunned in Wonderland. If any of you were to fall down the hole of TV, typically after 6 pm, you would find yourself in a eclectic and unique world called " CoincidenceIronyDrama Land ". One possible scene contains a simple woman .  The typical features of  this normal, dull woman in a serial are :
1. Saree costing some lakhs
2. That saree will most definetely be a hideous flouroscent hue of a dark garish colour
3. A bindi that if flew in space could envelop the sun and cause a eclipse
4. Jewellery equalling the gold deposits of Zimbabwe (but still less than Bappi Lahiri)
5. A gut wrenching,suicide inducing sad sound track

If the woman is a pivotal character, especially a villian, there will be something extra Wow about her .
1. A full tube of kajal on her face
2. Everything in Black
3. A smirk (obviously)
4. A stupid, loyal sidekick
5. A soundbyte borrowed from RGV
6. A laugh like Archana puran Singh

Loud over the top garish costumes, unbelieveable storylines that downright refuse the concept of happily ever after and oppression of the young protoganist are the norm now. What sets some serials apart is their name itself. The name is so short and sweet that a PhD student properly motivated may be able to churn out a thesis on the name of the serial itself. How ridiculous ! On one hand we say that we are a cultured society. On the other, we donate our precious time and sacrifice our aural canals and brain neurons to the mindless, senseless idiotic chatter that is presented to us day after day. The people who make these shows however must be applauded .One main reason for that is their hyperrealistic omnipresent optimistic attitude . They depict people who are obviously immortal(remember Baa?) and people who go abroad return back due to " sanskaar ". Also , these are the same people who have been able to keep a hilariously outrageous detective show where the age old ACP uses Flemings rule to solve crimes. Also, Daya seems to be our reply to any possible superhero the west can come up with .
                I am not any authority to dictate what people can or can not do.  But i think that when the main hero returns from a coma a dozen times and old wise ladies live on for a couple of millenia , its time to swivel back and forth three times with a sound effect of " dhumdhish " and say with an echo effect " Bas karo ! " ( I really hope all of you got the effect I was talking about used to make a point ) .


P.s. If any of you like this , please share it and hope it reaches the orthodox maniacs who produce this crap.

As usual , appreciate you taking the time to read this . Comments and critique are welcome

The Game Of Thrones

                                                                  In the above shown two images are two species. One is a cold and merciless one which will not hesitate to destroy anything in its path to get what it wants . This species is also highly territorial and considered to be extremely volatile . The other is just the regular Asiatic male lion.

                                                    Now, 2014 is a momentous year for both of them. The Asiatic lion, because a census is going to be done on their numbers this year and after almost a century of pampering them and caring for them, their numbers have risen to around 400. This census will reaffirm faith that the Asiatic lion may just come back from the brink of extinction.

                                                   For the politicians although, its a whole different ball game. Elections are going to be held this year. We all know what that means !! Big promises, fundraisers, rallies, speeches, protests, violence, dharnas, morchas, demands, pompous bellicose denigration of opposing parties. But wait that's not all !

            A PROMISE FOR CHANGE . 

That is their USP . That is their ace . That is our dream.

                                                                   This year has a whole bevy of elections lined up. Various states are going to elect their respective ministers, cabinets and the whole shebang. Apart from that, on a national scale, there is going to be either a one man army rout of a entire dynasty or the squashing of the rebellion by the said dynasty. For the better part of the last year, the tension between these two camps has been palpable. Words have been exchanged, nicknames set, old issues brought up which make the afflicted relive those horrendous days . The stage is set for the big battle to decide for the supremacy .But where there are predators, there are scavengers looking to get a small piece. In politics, they appear in the form of small parties which when unable to win seats, swear fealty to a big name party to form a coalition government thus ensuring their 15 minutes of limelight.

                                                                This time around, there is also a surprise addition to the politico ranks. A new fresh leader, new winds of change are sweeping through the country( literally sweeping. Remember the mighty Broom). There was a surprise victory and a plethora of anticipations from the humble common man types winner ( lets just label him Broom Aadmi ). All was good for some time .The inhabitants of the capital were gazing dreamy eyed at their hero when a can of some rather scandalous worms was opened. That was the spark, that was all it took to set off the unreasonable part present in every Indians brain . The Broom Aadmi then resigned supposedly because his demands were no met ( in my opinion ) sulking like a 5 year old who was told he couldn't have a toy. 

                                                         The dates have been declared, the stage is set. Now all that remains is the selection . Im sure its going to be like the selection of a reality show winner, albeit on a monstrously huge scale. Because lets face it, politics and reality shows are the same if you discount the beauty aspect :P. 

                                                          As a first time voter, I am looking forward to pressing my finger into the EVM . All I hope, is that it counts. But as a layman, I just want to grab my popcorn and watch the saffron brigade march to war against  " the Dynasty ".

                              Signing off and hoping that we have learnt from the past hollow promises,

                                                    -THE TRUE AAM AADMI

                             

P.S. I know i havent gone in detail but I dont want to get into any sorts of trouble whatsoever.

 The below written article is purely fictitious . If any sentiments were harmed due to some content, I profusely apologise for the same. It was and never will be my intention to alienate or demean members of any particular group .

Just Another Post

This is not a full blown post . This is just a humble reaffirmation about all the things ive been ranting about . For all of our coolness and "SWAG" , all we have to show for it is this level of utter societal decadence and nonchalance. Follow the link below and revert if you agree ( or disagree . Its your choice really )

Beingindian channel on youtube
Link is :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igpzdog-bbs

Adolescence : A Journey

                                                Its a weird stage in your life. Stuck in limbo would be a apt way to describe it. A neophyte, a rookie out of his teens yet not a fully developed adult who will be a minuscule but tangible part of our ever expanding society. A know it all attitude is inherent from the teen phase . The weight of responsibility hovering above but not weighing down upon our shoulders. This is adolescence. This is reality. This is the beginning of one journey, and yet the end of another.
                                                As newbies, we are expected to observe. We are expected to learn, and teach, and tweak society to make it adaptable for our current generation. More so now, when the current generation labeled adolescents are being touted as Harbingers of change. The gap between technology and business needs to be bridged and we, are typically the pariahs that are supposed to pull it off. We are but kids, naive in the ways of the real world. The race between modernization and morality is getting lopsided and the decadence is showing. Our parents and their generation is in the twilight of the learning curve. With new tech booming out very day, its going to be a uphill task for them to get accustomed to it. That is where we are supposed to act as a link between real world practical knowledge and the virtual labyrinthine world.
                                              Yet, we as components of the real world, are greenhorns. The sole objective of our education is to get us through into a academic institution. The end goal : to get a white collared job . To accomplish even this, keeping in mind our herd or societal approval run mindset, we need to have a certain set of skills. We are nothing but receptacles, top open, always longing for knowledge that is supposed to enlighten us and make us thrive in the real world.
                                                The creative mind is impaired. The circuitous mind thrives. Practical knowledge impartion is negligible. Instead, focus is given on theoretical knowledge, which essentially, would mean that new developments could be made if the brighter minds utilize this knowledge. Instead, even armed with this knowledge, students are pushed, compelled to get either a sedentary job in the ever flourishing IT or finance sectors.
                                       The irony of the situation is, even a MBA applicant, who is a graduate, doesnt know the basic working of a bank. The method to do a basic transaction, or operate a fiscal operation in a bank is a method alien to most. A engineer doesn't know how to change a light bulb, change a washer in the tap, hammer a nail with precision etc. We may not know how to sew on a button, make basic food or do anything that we may require physically, but ask an electronics engineer the Thevenin theorem, or an IT grad a note on DBMS and we will parrot it to you as it is. Never mind we don't know how,when,where to apply it .
                               The need of the world isn't more engineers,more CA's or more bankers . The world needs more humans, people who are aware, people who are capable,diligent,self sufficient. We need to fix the world, iron out the kinks, but alas we are yet to figure out the tools we need to do the job.

IF ONLY,THERE WAS AN ALGORITHM,A THEOREM,A PROTOCOL TO DO IT

Just The P's

          "I speak to everyone in the same way whether he is the garbage man or the dean of a university ."    
                                                                - Albert Einstein

                                                                             The above statement justifies, in my opinion, one of the reasons that Albert Einstein became what he did. Aside from his out of the world intellect and ability to fully comprehend it, Einstein had some values which were uncommon for a man of his stature. Humility and compassion. Maybe it was because he himself was from a middle class background, but that is one of the main reasons i respect him, because he was a true intellectual Goliath as well as a humanitarian.    
                                                                But that was another era. Today, humanism, compassion, humility are either words schoolchildren learn as part of their civic syllabus or they are words to be memorized in case they appear in the GRE. And as a humanitarian and as a mute observer, this pains me to such an extent that i have to partake in lamenting on the digital media.
                                                               Today's generation, the selfie squad , is a new class, a new phylum of highly driven, highly motivated people. In the process, as a side effect maybe, it seems as if they have been robbed of their humility. As a result, the SS (for lack of a better acronym) has become a herd of self conceited mechanical workhorses with huge inflated egos and a real penchant of being indifferent and uncaring.
                                           Munnabhai did it. We all said " Kya baap film tha yaar! ". But that was it. The message of the film, though however convoluted through the storyline, reached us. It tugged at our hearts and made us realise how utterly indifferent we were. And we swatted it down and became collectively more brazen.The only message i want to give out here is
                           The cameos matter too.
                            We come across so many people on a day to day basis. We interact with them maybe just for a minute or two. But that minute can be all that matters. The cleaner, the lift operator, the guy in the canteen, Pappu the chaiwalla, the rickshaw driver, household help . They all matter. They are imperative in some way or the other for us to get through our already hectic lives with minimum hurdles. And they go unnoticed. Its a bloody thankless job! Everybody has their own lives. Everybody has bad days. The difference is, some can afford to be in doldrums about it and sulk. Some cant. They have to work, slog just in order to spread joy among their family. And working in a prosaic environment surrounded by oblivious facades doesn't help. 
                                             So if you can, spread some joy. You may not be in the best of moods, but smile. Observe comity. The three magic words do work if they come from within. Heck if you feel really effusive, go ahead and give them a jaadu ki jhappi ! ( But first ask them if its okay :P . It doesn't take much to freak people out in our perverted world ). These things may not mean much to you, but they do to the ones you express them to. Someone having a bad day may be uplifted by a smile or a thanks.

                     So spread the smile folks and spread the love and in return, you may just feel the universe thanking you for making the world just a little more lively. 

P.s. If you are having a bad day, follow this link . It MAY just make your day a little less bad.
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH476CxJxfg 

THE YEAR THAT WAS ( PART 1)

'13 was a big year . No matter what you do, who you are. Many events took place this year, some good, many bad. And in true filmy ishtyle, I now declare the commencement of the 

                              1st Annual Thullu Awards ceremony!!!

P.s. Its the word of the year for us. Selfie can burn with envy.

 

 This is a very prestigious and sought after award and is decided by a panel of two (me and my alter ego). So without further ado, I will now introduce two well known actors who are paid a obscene amount to be senseless, repetitive and crack mind numbingly boring jokes to host this gala. The categories and awardees are as follows :-

1. SPORTS 

Millions of people leave productive work to form a religion for a game that is played in only 13 countries and they do it aggressively. Only one man had the potential to make all of them cry . The one , the only

                                   ISHANT SHARMA 

He was a true game changer and turned the tables completely (albeit against us) and a huge array of memes flooded the internet chronicling the very same .

2. HISTORY

The man is on a spree of winning hearts  right now and is revved up for the elections next year. The man may be great, eminent, and very impressive but his gaffes are but a little bump in his routing of the existing government. The awardee is the man whose name is now in chants 

                                 Mr. NARENDRA MODI.

The man overall is undisputably great and i particularly like him for his caustic sense of humour, but that being said, a small lesson in history might go a long way .

3.COMMON SENSE

Okay this one has a clear winner. By miles i should add. Anybody with a double digit IQ and a brain in his skull could laugh this one off. But the people in question, did not! The award goes to

                          SHOBHAN SARKAR & ASI  

The man made a prediction that a 1000 tonnes of gold would be found at a random place near a fort. And the ASI promptly started digging !Obviously, nothing was found and the ASI was left red faced.

P.s. Sarkar had the gall to come forward again and say that this time 2500 tonnes of gold would be found. Thankfully, he was shooed away.

4. ENTERTAINMENT

The desi form of Big Brother returned again, with more masala, more tantrums and still totally fake ( And they call it reality TV -_- ). The winner here is 

                                           BIG BOSS!!

Scripted fights, flaring tempers, a constant flow of abuse, and some not so private PDA attention made this particular show the winner ahead of the mundane orthodox repelling shows ( cue garish over the top costumes, glycerin rivers and high pitched squeaky actresses caked in makeup ). 

 

5. LAW

THis was a tough one i admit, due to there being a lot of big verdicts being executed this year. But our awardee, a superstar in his own right, made jail seem like a picnic or a place for fun and frolic. Bhidu, apna winner bole toh

                                         SANJAY DUTT

He was sentenced to jail, yet he managed to juggle both jail and family ! With a arsenal of cooked up reasons, he was able to get paroled for about a month . Well, maximum points being a good family man !

6.HUMAN RIGHTS

This one was sincerely a big blotch on our developing image and truthfully it was the only contender in this category. The winner here,

                                         SC OF INDIA

Yes , it is appalling but yet its true. The SC criminalised LGBT relationships, disheartening not only the community but also activists and rationalists. A big blow to the right to freedom, and to progress.

These are just some of the categories that i could decide on. Tons more are present and as of now, unexplored . So, if you have something in mind, Ill be glad to hear about them and incorporate them . As always, critique and reviews are welcome .