Spare a thought for the runner-up

There is something more painful than losing, it is losing and ending runner-up. It simply makes you want to kill yourself. You rue those moments when you could have killed it, you want to go back in time just this once, you wish you had done something just at that specific moment and then when you come to realise that it is all over, you wish you were never there and had not put up a fight. I have had such close calls in my life, albeit in my own world of quizzing and school life were a moment's mad rush just ruined everything.

I hate close calls, not because I hate the lost nails or the adrenaline rush, I feel really sorry for the poor dude who just gave it everything and still lost and its even worse if the person who lost, deserved it more than the person who actually won. Such was the case with the Wimbledon Men's Finals of 2009 that pitted Andy Roddick against Roger Federer who was on the verge of becoming the most successful Grand Slam player of all time.

I am delighted that Federer won his 15th grand slam, but somehow, I am not able to focus on that. My heart goes out to Andy Roddick who took the fight to Federer and infact, Federer was looking a worried man on more than a few occasions. Bad luck, Andy, because having to serve from behind in the final set was a handicap that you could have done without. Just to put things into perspective, Federer had not broken Roddick’s surve until that final point of the match and had won his sets on tie-breaks. Just compare that with Roddick, who broke Federer twice and won the 1st and 4th set on the back of those breaks. Federer won and it is great and he has reached somewhere no one has ever gone before and to him, this is just the beginning of setting new frontiers for the next bunch of tennis players waiting to be come up the ranks. But, spare a thought for Andy Roddick who played the game of his life and for the third time lost out to Federer in a Wimbledon Final.

Kipling really meant it when he said

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same


and incidentally, these are written on the players' entrance to Wimbledon!

Our Downfall

If the world as we know comes to an end, reasons could be global warming, war or terrorism or economic meltdown. Whatever the name given, it all comes down to some of the simplest feelings that make us human: selfishness, greed, lust and jealousy. These are inalienable feelings and so one might argue that since these feelings are present in every one of us, the end of the world is bound to happen.

I think it does not have to be so, since the control of these feelings can lead to a happy life for all of us. If we are able to free ourselves from the clutches of these feelings to some measure, the world can survive. However, if we do not find it in us to overcome these feelings, we better brace ourselves, for the end of the world is much nearer than we think. We are in a world ridden by crises- poverty, hunger, conflicts- the root causes being our feeling of self and ego.

Some find it beneath themselves to use public transport, others build palatial houses to feel good and hear others praise and sing songs in their glory, many are busy making money as it has become the ultimate end for them rather than the means to live. Heads of state and executives fly around in private jets and limos whereas most of the population break their backs for 3 square meals a day. Religious leaders, blinded by their own version of teachings, instigate conflicts and declare war, killing thousands each year. It is a strange irony that faith was invented by man to hold himself up straight during times of struggle, but that has now become the main cause of conflict. We must also remember that no religion in this world propagates hate, rather all of them preach acceptance and tolerance.

Unless we learn :

to overcome our basic instincts and realise that we are all equals

to tolerate and accept each others right to live, faith and freedom and

to stop considering only ourselves, the world will end, and it will happen soon.

Che-from revolutionary to capitalist tool

The funniest thing that I saw in the year 2008 was a person wearing a T-shirt with the image of Che Guevera and using what looked like an i-phone or a PDA. I doubt whether he even knew who Che Guevera was let alone what the man stood for and his work. You see a lot of such people, who just want to show off and to impress. They pretend they are macho or intellectuals and use certain philosophical sounding words without even knowing their meaning and purpose. These are individuals with nothing to claim as their own except their dad's VISA power and are desperate for attention.

While dwelling on this topic, I would also like to discuss about those who use Che's name for spreading violence. Various organisations use his image and perpetrate crime and violence in the name of the revolution. If that comes against a government that has been treating its people unfairly or against rulers who are inept to govern a nation or whose intention is only greed, it must be justified. But when this violence comes against a democratically elected government that is functioning decently and that too for unreasonable demands, like the ones raging in our north-east for example, it is simply exploiting the image to give authenticity to their own anti-national activities.

I really do not care whether a person uses an i-phone simply because every person has the right to do whatever he wants with his money and time, but my request is, do not insult a great revolutionary like Che in the way I mentioned in the beginning. I also do not care whether an organisation believes in revolution, but when you spread violence, it must have its valid reasons and must not use images, names and the memories of TRUE revolutionaries to give authenticity to a struggle that has no meaning and purpose except political manipulations and destabilisation of a legitimate government.

Double Standards Abound

The whole world is obsessed with equality and human rights, advocated mainly by the west and agencies in Scandinavian countries do their own bit by writing damning reports about third world nations for the violation of human rights and the absence of freedom of expression and speech. An amnesty international report was severely critical of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan for its apparent lack of respect of human rights. The report said that the new anti-terror laws passed in India and the retention in custody of over 70 people for more than 2 months without trial were uphauling, Serious cases of human rights considering that India is the only nation to have tough anti-terror laws whereas the Unites States have been providing 5-star accommodation to Afghanis and Iraqis in Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.

The violation of human rights in India is a serious matter and we do have our own agencies looking into the matter. More troubling are the matters in several other countries, but when the world's biggest muscle power provide mute permission to the worlds greatest human rights violation, no one can really do nothing about it. An entire population in the West Bank and Gaza are being exterminated by Israel while it is being watched by the international community. Israel is taking four times as much water as the Palestinians from a vital shared aquifer, Israelis use 240 cubic metres of water per person against 75 cubic metres for West Bank Palestinians and 125 for Gazans, and in some areas of West Bank, it is as low as 10-15cms per person according to the World bank (The Hindu, Friday May29, 2009-"Israel: 80 per cent of West Bank water for Israelis"). A wall has been built to protect Israelis from attacks across the border, but what this has only achieved is the siege of a small strip of land supporting thousands of people, who are simply going to die due to lack of basic resources.

Last Christmas saw some of the most horrifying attack on a group of helpless population by a nation that is growing fat from the cash inflow from the United States(Israel has long been the biggest beneficiary of US aid) which can simply trample upon its helpless neighbours with the ease of crushing a fly. Is not this a violation of basic human rights? May be this does not involve the violation of our freedom to speech, which I think is the only type of human rights violation that is considered by these international agencies, for they highlight cases in Burma, China, Iran etc with great emphasis.

The media also follow up, but all this is merely a cover-up of the actual violation basic rights that happen in the west. Discrimination on the basis of race still exists and immigrants are still looked down upon. Cuba still suffers from the US blockade, a remnant of the cold war era and one based only on ideological difference. Amnesty International was founded on a newspaper article that emphasised the quote "I detest yourviews, but am prepared to die for your right to express them." by Voltaire. There may be differences in our belief, religious, political or others, but you have the right to express them and also practice any belief or ideology and in the case of Cuba, communism the offending ideology. Isn’t that an internal matter and one that should be left to the island-nation's own decision?

A resolution was moved to investigate war crimes in the recent conflict that ended the LTTE reign of terror in Sri Lanka. All that happened was that a decisive government felt the moment was right to end a bloody struggle waged by an organisation that has left thousands dead, (not to mention a former Prime Minister of India) and also acted as the beginner and inspiration for the new mode of terrorism and insurgency that is threatening the entire world. The enthusiasm and interest shown must be appreciated, but what about what is happening Gitmo, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan? Don’t they amount to any rights violations or require any investigation into war crimes?

It's a wonderful life

I would like to recommend a movie that all of you should watch.

I just saw the movie “It's A Wonderful Life” and it is one of the best I have ever seen. It is one of those movies that will definitely put a smile on your face and also a few tears of joy. It is such a wonderful story and I would call it the best Christmas movie ever. It's about a nice guy (George Bailley) who falls into trouble after his uncle accidentally looses the money from the bank that they are running and when the auditors come that day, there is a shortage and he is about to be arrested making him wish that he wasn’t born and that’s when his guardian angel comes to try and rescues him. This angel has not yet got his wings as he has not qualified yet and if he is able to help the guy (George), the angel would get his wings. Watch the movie to see whether the angel gets his wings and whether our hero is able to save himself.

We do feel sad and we at times wish that we were not born or we would rather that things were different, but this movie shows how one life touches so many others and how important we all are to this world. The movie teaches us a lot, but I sincerely hope all of you could just watch the movie 'It's A Wonderful Life' instead of me blabbering about it. I can assure you one thing, once you see this movie, it will change the way you look at yourself and also will feel a lot happier.

Make hay while its dark and damp

An article in The Hindu dated 25 Feb,2009 read 'No Joint Ventures for Rail Projects'. Railways had initially decided to invited bidders for 33 Joint Venture projects, but recently announced that it would be completed by the railways by itself as the response by the bidders were poor. The reason such a turn of events could be-

In this time of economic crunch, organisations are looking for cross-sales(more sales or profits from existing customers or their existing field of work) and are disinclined towards going into unchartered territories.

This is for the first time that the railway is offering a JV on Electric and Diesel locomotive Factories and Coach Factories and these heavy industries require enormous investment and technical skills. This requires lot of money, which the companies do not have and it needs new human resources in terms of qualified engineers, technicians and skilled labourers which adds to the cost and a lot of technology which might be unfamiliar to the company.

It is therefore essential that the government utilise this time. The price of raw materials have come down, there is an economic crisis looming and unemployment is rising. The government must initiate employment generation programmes in the form of infrastructure development and invest in education. The benefits are

1) Once the recession is over, we will be in a better position to jump ahead in the race. In Formula-1, when the safety car is on, the race cars are required to drive slowly. During this time, most of them take a pitstop to refuel and change their tyres so that when they can resume racing, they are well positioned to leap ahead. India must adopt this strategy.

2) Low raw material price means we can complete more work than before, when the price of commodities like cement, steel and fuel were sky-rocketing.

3) Investment in education, especially higher education means that more individuals will now go for specialising their skills. More graduates will prefer going into the teaching, pure science, research and development field as it is much more secure. Till now, these were neglected due to the slow rise in pay and promotion and the hardwork involved. Increased investment in education will result in highly qualified workforce for the coming projects, a highly experienced teaching force and more thrust to science and technology.

There are companies that are making use of this downturn. The developers of the Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone had asked for permission from the Board of Approval (BoA) in the Union Commerce Ministry to almost double the power generation capacity at the sector-specific SEZ at Kutch in Gujarat (The Hindu, May29-2009 ‘BoA to decide on Mundra, DLF plans’. The developer had given justification for raising the generation capacity stating that economic slowdown had resulted in a reduction in the price of power plants and the lower capital expenditure. This decision is based on the sound reasoning that once the recession is behind us, there will be a spurt of developmental activity and if they double their capacity, they will be ready to make use of the opportunity much before anyone else can even think come to a decision about their future course of action.

A little bit of foresight will enable us to overcome the economic downturn, if not benefit from it. We often hear the saying 'Make hay while the sun shines', I say 'Make mushrooms while its dark and damp'!

A True Champion

Even in the jaws of defeat, one man showed incredible character and unparalleled talent, that’s what made me a fan of Roger Federer. Until that night in July, Federer was a Tennis hero, someone who had decimated his opponents, generated comments that put him among the greatest to have ever played the game and his defeats were referred to as mere proofs that he was from this planet and human, but to me, he was just another great player, which in itself is a very short list. But the Wimbledon Final of 2008 was the greatest tennis match I ever saw and whatever happens, nothing will come close to it.

Federer was decimated by Rafael Nadal in the French Open just a few weeks ago, the only slam Federer was yet to win. But Wimbledon was a different story, it was his SLAM. He had equaled Bjorn Borgs record of 5 straight Wimbledon titles, and had not been threatened by anyone during these 5 years, apart from a small scare perhaps by Andy Roddick or Lleyton Hewitt. Federer had done it all and was going for a record-setting 6th Wimbledon title. It was a dream final, but what happened was beyond the expectations of anyone. Tennis was just a sport that I paid attention to, but rarely had I seen a live match until then.

Nadal won the first two sets and looked like he might romp to victory and a major landmark in his career as his first slam outside of the Philippe Chatrier court. In the 3rd set, serving against Nadal who was on Championship Point, I saw the greatest comebacks in history and a true miracle. A string of Aces to win the game, Federer clawed back into the game and won the 3rd and 4th set.

Although Nadal won the match and the Championship, it was in defeat that I saw Federer rise up above everything humanly possible and something beyond belief. That was when I became a fan of Roger Federer, a true champion. On this occasion, when he has overcome that one thing that can be the only stumbling block from calling him the greatest ever, he has won the French Open. Some might say that he has not won the "Grand Slam" and that his record against Nadal is not great, but I just do not care, as Bjorn Borg has won only the French Open and Wimbledon and he is called a great.

Is Federer human or something beyond? Well, he is human, but once on that court, he is god and it is a world that he rules over with grace, skill and at times, the most unbelievable of miracles.

Vivas, Tests and some TP

Actually wanted to write about today being Friday the 13th, but since I already send that out as a mail to almost everyone in my mailing list(including my Father's cousins who are using their corporate mail ids which will now make them think twice about handing out their mail IDs to net trotting jobless college kids!).

Morning started out with a Test on Bonding in Inorganic Compounds, which pretty much went bad for everyone and our instructor is going to be definitely pissed with our performance. He is one of the nicest profs we got and its sad that none of us where able to do decently. There will be serious consequences for that and I hope all of us can redeem ourselves in T-2.

I wasted another 3 hours today waiting for Chemical Experimentation Viva where again the Chemistry faculty showed how much they love us :P. Need to wait and see how mine goes as so far only 14 or so people have completed their viva and 10 of us are left and I will be the last one to go, since it is in the order of our roll numbers.

Slept off and went for Microprocessor lecture which was sounding more and more like some ancient, long lost tongue for me. Started writing some stuff in my book, which eventually ended up as-

Let the mind roam free,
To relish the feast the world offers.
Let it fly, let it grow,
do not let fear take hold of you.
"Fear threatens to overcome me,
No chance of life I see",
the thought to be banished,
if the mind is to be harnessed.


Thats it for now. Good night and Good luck!

Plays of TIMES NOW

During the Mumbai terrorist attacks on Mumbai in Nov, The Times of India and its television version brought to us the heart-wrenching visuals of grief and people trying to escape the carnage, graphic images of terrorists firing at innocent civilians and showed live footage of them holding one of Mumbai's most famous landmarks hostage and the last moments of those who went in to stop these culprits.

As a former US President told about Mr.Ed Murrow, they brought the fires of mumbai to our living rooms and the bullets and bombs were aimed at us. The reporters from the channel and the newspaper went to great lengths to cover the event as it was unfolding and gave upto date information to the world. But TIMES did more than that, they stamped their trademark on it, which I must say is not one to be proud of.

I would like to quote the front page news that appeared on The Times of India sometime during April 2004, it said 'Two Women, One night. Rs.60,000'. How could a self-respecting person not be ashamed by what they were forced to read first thing in the morning? The bigger question here is, how could the editor and reporters of such a prestigious establishment allow itself to descend to such lows? This is unfortunately the trademark of the TIMES these days. Sensationalist reporting, with several "unconfirmed reports" and claims from "unofficial sources" adding spice and taste to the days news. There were instances where the channel telecasted live footage from Ground Zero as the army operation was going, which could have given the terrorists some advantage as it might have given away the army's position or could have threatened the lives of those who were still holed up in their hotel rooms. TIMES was not alone in this act, but I am merely pointing out what they did.

Most of the news reported by the channel is also equally rubbish, so much so that it made me feel it had a group of people who were paid just to come up with stupid, spicy and sensationalist news that would catch the attention of the people and is of utterly no news value at all. They have taken journalism to a new low and the Mumbai attacks is just another example. After the attacks, repeated telecasts of the Kerala CMs statement insulting the family of one of the soldiers who laid down his life in the operation proves how sensationalist and untrue to the spirit of journalism the channel has become.

Both the newspaper and the channel, normal days, devote a lot of space and time for 'all the news that is unfit to print', which although is a play on the slogan of the New York Times, fits The Times of India only too well. Gossips, rumours and all that about celebrities and entertainment consumes so much space and importance that the real purpose of a responsible newspaper and news channel is easily forgotten.

A lot of people who I know are subscribing to the TIMES do it just for the gossip and the entertainment and use other newspapers and channels to get the real news. TIMES will become a medium just for those looking for entertainment and maybe that will do. They do give the people what they like and want and not what they should be deserve and need.

I do not say that the Times is not part of a responsible media, but those who are looking for the real news and not spicy gossip would do well to stay away from the channel TIMES NOW and the Times of India newspaper.

P.S-One could say that there are other worse offenders, but I cant go through the pain of watching those channels or those newspapers.

Political Parody

The Mumbai terrorist attack has brought to light again the cancer that plagues our politics. Politicians have seen the oppurtunity to gain an edge over its opponents as elections are about to take place in 5 states and the parliament elections are due within the next 5 months. The resignations of the Maharashtra CM, change in the central government portfolios and the comments of the CM of Kerala are getting equal attention as the terrorist attack itself.

The comments made by Vilasrao Deshmukh reflect the attitude of the politicians towards the post they occupy. He said that he has informed the high-command of his willingness to resign. I would like to know who is the high-command for him to inform. He said if is required he will resign with, but said that with so much ease as if it was just another task that he would do. The fact that party affiliations are stronger than a politicians commitment to the people itself defeats the purpose of democracy which is supposed to be a government for the people.

At this juncture, I would also like to know what is our obsession with the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty? Why is it that we cannot produce a leader from outside that family? A nation of one billion people requires a person of Italian origin to rule us? Officially, it is Dr.Manmohan Singh who is our PM, but we all know who is really making the decisions. If ever there is one more person from that family becoming PM, it will be a failure from our part. The government spends nearly Rs.180 crore on the security for the Gandhi family, but the entire budget for the NSG which is entrusted with safegaurding the nation from terrorism is only Rs.158 crore. Who are these people whose lives are worth more than that of the entire Indian population? What inherent right to rule do they have in a democracy?

The resignation of Mr.Shivraj Patil also came without any effort. He just said he was resigning due to his failure to prevent such repeated attacks. It was like an irresponsible captain leaving a sinking ship and not doing his duty by refusing to solve the problems that had arisen while he was in charge. The resignation is an insult to the people of this nation as it is a step that has come too late and adding to it is the fact that elections are just a few months away which means that the government would become for all practical purposes a lame duck within the coming two months and so his resignation does not make much of an impact.

The senseless comments made by the CM of Kerala, which I would not like to repeat, is unfortunate if not shameful. I would like to remind him that if he was not the CM of a state, not even a dog would have listened to him. I have no regrets to this comment.

The apathy shown by the politicians is a matter of shame for the worlds largest democracy. The ministers from Maharashtra also joins Mr. Shivraj Patil as they resigned just like that as if the the posts they had occupied was something that was not worth much and so one could afford to throw it away. The anger of the people of this nation is justified as for a long time we have seen politicians mesemrise with sweet words and promises but have actually delivered nothing. A wind is blowing and hopefully it will gather enough strength to throw away existing blockades to our nations well-being and usher in a new era of responsible poiliticians who work for the peoples good and not just for the good of their own family.