so far, so much

A long discussion on the breakfast table today pushed me to imagine beyond the daily lives and think about how we human beings are degrading the living conditions on earth. While I was trying to argue that my 100+ sqft garden is my farming ground ( huh ? you too are laughing ?), the reality is we are damaging the earth in a pretty irreparable way. Farming land percentage has reduced year over year. To generate the food for the ever growing population, and to earn enough, farmers are pushed to use harmful pesticides, which in turn is having an effect on the health and environmental conditions, and the cycle goes on.

When I visit my village, I can breathe the difference! The air is so oxygen-rich as compared to that of Pune, I usually feel more energized and lively there. Same is true when I visit a place like Mulsi. During my early days in Pune, back in 2000, there used to be soothingly cool breeze every evening. Where has all that gone now?

Point is, what happens after 50/60 years? Will I live to see those days when a large percentage of the kids will start having elderly type diseases, diabetes, lungs congestion, liver failure, lead/arsenic content growth in blood ? Will our own environment un-friendliness end up extincting us ?

Driving down the Baner Road today morning, I realized that over last week, most of the trees along the road side have fallen. Don't know what to complain about. Roads needs to be widened as there is a severe traffic problem and it is going to go out of control, in september - for commonwealth youth games in Balewadi.

But then, we need wide roads to support the vehicle population, which is a by product of the ever growing human population, which needs as many trees as possible to survive! What a paradox ! How to solve it?

The imagination scares me! Though I admit that I was the one who was so courageously arguing about how it is all about 'survival of the fittest' theory, and how human beings will probably mutate to fit into the new environmental condition. And eventually, how, we should not be worried about getting extincted, as that is the law of nature and it does not matter which species rules earth!

However small and insignificant, I am trying to grow some trees to increase the green population on earth. Are you ? Will it stop the environmental disaster that is waiting to happen? The answer is a clear NO!

But, it will make a difference! And I will live with that.

Give me a BREAK ! Please !

I open the hugely popular Indian site rediff.com and find this where a guest author has very intelligently related Aamir and Saif's religion to their qualification to carry the Olympic torch. Never mind the random comments by people who exercise their right of democracy every other moment but conveniently forget the 'duties'. May be what he says is true, but what surprises me is every other person on earth relates any important event to the religion or faiths. We human beings live because of our faiths ? What is it that is so so rooted into us that gives us this attitude ? Do we have to bring in religion into the very basic humanitarian requirements?

I open a highly reputed Indian news house timesofindia.com and find a complete section dedicated to the Olympic torch and Tibet issue. Agreed, they both are happening at the same time and can be related. But do we have to ? When our own minister for external affairs for India has made it indirectly clear that they won't do anything against China for the Tibet issue, what is the point in making 1+1=2 and relating everything related to China to the Tibet issue?

What is happening in Tibet is a shame to human beings, and our so-called-civilization-and-domination-on-earth. We are that one unfortunate species who have got an intelligent brain to make and destroy ourselves. Surely, some day, we will become the only species which kills itself and disappears from earth.

Agreed that it is very unfortunate. Is it justified ? NO WAY ! No torture and killing is justified. There is always a better way to handle a situation. I am too scared to enter into the debate about freedom and oppression - because both are so relative terms. It is such a irony that my blog heading says 'I Live In A Free World', where as it does not apply to so many people on earth. Blessed we are being in a democratic country, and that to a so called secular country, can we do anything to save others ? For example, can India as a country do anything significant to Tibet cause ? I sincerely don't think so. If our own prime minister goes to one of our own states and makes a simple statement about the state being an integral part of our country, and has to listen to complaints from over the border, what kind of stand do we have with China ? Is it worth while even to hope for that we can do something to stop the problems of tibetian people ? Why is the media so crazy and refuses to accept the truth ?

Have we got our ownership on the north-eastern states by trading the support for Tibet with China?

Really?

And if that is true, is it going to be beneficial to us in the long run?

I mean what is it? It scares me so much to imagine of a war or a major border dispute with China. Yes, we love to wear our pride on our sleeves, but let us be practical. Any major dispute with China will push us to boundaries of desperation. May be our Government has realized it quite well and that is why taking such a detached stand on Tibet? Can they do any better any way?

Keeping all this things in mind, I wonder why our media is so much obsessed with relating religion to everything ? Aamir and Saif (national award winners) are khans, Bhaichung (again a national awardee) is a Buddhist - so what, they have done enough work to deserve carrying the olympic torch - and are not chosen for their religion! Come on, don't disrespect their achievements and ability to maintain such impressive images by saying that they got to carry the torch just because of their religion.

Thinking about all these things pushes me to a corner of depression that this so called religions have been put over and above the humanitarian religion, always, and so many selfish people have used it for personal gains.

Why?

Give me a break please!
Give me a media that is responsible enough not to drag touchy issues for the sake of sensation!
Give me mind share that believes in humanitarian values much more than any religion!
Give me FREEDOM from those narrow-minded-humans hell bent on personal gains!
Give me governments who care for people!
Give me ...
Give me ...
Give me ...

In this context I remember an excellent phrase from a book called 'One' by Richard Bach. He has written very beautifully how a person's simple thoughts for goodness of people gets interpreted into a religion slowly and gets modified in the process, and later people are ready to kill each other for the sake of it by conveniently forgetting that the very existence of that religion came from a good person's caring heart to do good to humans. It is a slightly confusing book to start with, but gets better in terms of philosophical content towards the middle of the story. Worth a read.

Happy Utkal Divas !

Today is a very important day for all of us from Odissa. On this day, in 1935 (if I remember it correctly), Utkal was re-formed as a proper state.

Shubha Utkal Dibasa ebam bahut abhinandan!

Came across this page containing a list of prominent personalities who have contributed tremendously to Odissa .

Cricket match

Most of you already know that in India, a large population could not see the South Africa and India first test match live. What you don't know is that, I am one of them :( unfortunately, we were one of the very early customers of dish TV from Zee telefilms ltd, and so far have stuck to it because of no apparent reason to switch. Now when Tata Sky came in to become a competitor, don't tell me there is no politics involved here, for some strange reason, Neo Sports is only available through them. Dish TV guys have not yet stuck a chord with Neo Sports, and good old DD decided that it was not an event of 'National Importance' - and I agree it was not.

Lot of media reports are floating around emphasizing that there was politics even in this, that BCCI wants to promote IPL a big way and has lost all interest in the on-going test seriese. Is it ? If it is, then that is a very bad day in cricket history. I would hate to see only 20-20s going ahead. I may sound like one of those hat-loaded saggy-skinned old men in UK who still see test cricket, but can't help it.

Can any 20-20 match the magic of a 5th-day-result-oriented test match ? To that effect, let me tell you the truth, initial 3 days of the test match, I hated dish TV. However, I was relieved that I did not end up seeing the match that ended in such a dull show - I mean centuries, triple centuries are all fine, but who cares yaar, if there is no Kumble or Harbhajan magic or a certain Laxman anchoring the second innings ? One way, all this politics of Zee films - ICL - IPL - dish TV - Tata Sky is good to keep me out of some more emotional drain :)

Now don't think that I am that strong a cricket buff, you have to see my nephew glued to those pale looking ICL matches - to understand what I am trying to emphasize. I remain a indian cricket team international match viewer.


Will I see IPL ? Only time will tell ... don't want to commit and go back on my words at this time, but seems like I will only be satisfied with reading about the results the next day - though SetMax will live telecast it.

How about all you folks in foreign countries ? Can you follow the live matches on internet or some tv channels ?

Happy Holi!

It has been a very very hectic week, both from the professional and personal life front. Loads of activities in office, a full house at home with couple of youngsters keeping the energy flowing all the time, playing card sessions - gossiping sessions ...

The kind of energy youths exhibit, is amazing. No qualms in accepting that all those billion dollar markets that exist for entertaintment, profession, accessories - you name it - is worth, as the world definitely seem to revolve around them.

During the BE hostel days, we used to have long long chats deep into the night on almost nothing topics. But somehow, I find it pretty tiring now to speak a lot, even on useful topics. May be the sign of old age ? :)

Gearing up for a COLOURFUL holi, all preparations are done, menu is planned and who will do what is already laid out.

Happy Holi and loads of best wishes to all, enjoy the festival to fullest!

Hopefully will get back in a couple of days. In the mean time, if you have not listened to it already, consider listening to his songs at least once. Raja Hasan from the last session of SareGaMaPa challenge is a gifted singer and when he sings, you can't ignore him for sure. Try this one - Piya Hazi Ali from the movie Fiza.

Railways Budget, Lalu, News channels and attitude of good citizens

To say that I fully understood the budgets will be a big, fat and white lie. I have not managed to make and stick to a budget at my own home as yet, all I can do is imagine about the magnitude of planning and strategy decisions that goes into a country's budget!

The day when Indian Railways Minister was supposed to present the budget, since morning 7 AM, most news channels were showing things like how Lalu was brushing his teeth, serving himself brakfast, walking up to his car and so on. How disgusting !

News channels urgently need to re-invent themselves.

Coming to the budget, the one thing I liked the most was the newly introduced on-board cleaning system. Indian railways sucks in that aspect and it was long due. But can the railways maintain cleanliness single-handedly ? NO! Cleanliness is an attitude and needs nurturing by every individual. In a country where people live in filthy conditions in acute poverty, does that come naturally for everybody? NO! So in my opinion, at least the people who can make it an attitude easily, let them maintain cleanliness of railways as much as possible, and rest of the work can be done by the authorities. What I have seen is that, people normally feel that anyway it is so filthy, what more damage I will do if I throw my dirt then and there itself ! Basically, itna kachda hai, thoda aur dalo, kya farak padta hai ! The same guys when they go to USA or some other country that values cleanliness, suddenly they are the most well-behaved citizens! Come on yaar, if you are not a hipocrite, behave the same way in your motherland ? I mean what stops you from maintaining the same attitude? Same thing they do with driving, but that will require another topic and another day ...

Now coming back to cleanliness, Lalu's railways staff can clean up the mess created by people who are unknowingly creating the filth, others should behave themselves.

And I sincerely think that the railways budget had good planning for the future, in terms of re-designing coachs, reducing ticket price, taking baby-steps towards more electronic-based access and so on. Now it will boil down to the execution, but whatever the minister could do, he seems to have done it well... good show, and with the amount of profit the railways has started showing after Lalu becoming the minister (assuming that they are audited, blah blah and are real and there is no major scam involved in it), I only have praises for the minister.

Back with backlogs

For sometime I completely disappeared from earth, so to say, from my connected world. What an irony you would think, just in the previous post I emphasized the wonderful mediums of communication human kind has developed, and in this one I am talking about the lack of it! Folks, have patience and let me clarify my stand...

While changing a handset, I lost all my mobile entries - so so stupid of me, can't forgive myself for committing such a silly mistake, how could I ? I mean, who loses phone book entries, definitely not a computer engineer, right ? ... sigh, hopefully some day I will be able to get over my guilty feeling. For the time being, help me my friends, please send your contact numbers to your oh-so-stupid friend!

The second thing is, I was deeply into handling home and family for sometime, which kept me out of touch from a computer for 5 whole days! With laptops and broadband at home, that is quite an achievement I would take pride for, though a bit dramatic of me to do that !

Now that I am back with a lot of backlogs, let me get going ... so many things in mind ... cricket matches and wins, two populist-please-all budgets, a brief MNS(Maharastra NavaNirmana Sena) turn around, a film fare award ceremony with loads of pretence and last but not the least, the talk of the town - Sachin Tendulkar back as the No 1 ODI batsman in ICC cricket ratings!

Hoping to get back soon with all my typical thoughts, will sign off now for sometime ...