"Mumbai Rescued"... A bizzare headline

About 10 days back, i was aimlessly loitering across our college library.Feeling bored and lonely, i needed some respite, i decided to chill in college for a bit. Library always serves me 2 purposes. When i am in one of those serious modes, i would pick something up randomly and read.Whatever little i know about Indian politics are from these endeavours. Otherwise(most of times that is), i would lurk around and find someone to hit a conversation with).

That day the library had very few people. I caught a glance of one of my classmates Sarah.. who was reading the Indian Express.The headline said.. Mumbai Rescued.... the first question that came across my mind was.. FROM WHAT? IS saving Oberoi and Taj the end of the story here?

Yes, all ten terrorists were captured, 9 of them were killed, But does that save Mumbai?

13 days after the vicious terrorist attacks, i logged on to the same news channels which had covered the events. For a minute i really wondered how fucked are we? People were dancing on the streets, celebrating victory! Democracy's victory!!! they said..People spoke about how the spirit of freedom had overcome political agendas. Just one word came across ma mind!! BULLSHIT!

Over the past 4-5 years.. 929 people have died in blasts(Officials figures). There have been 19 reported TERRORIST ATTACKS in India. Mumbai and Delhi have suffered the highest number of casualties. I didn't have the courage to find out the number of people injured during these blasts. Also, the very next day after the prepostorous Attacks in Mumbai,there wer 9 School kids (aged 4-5) who were ran over by a lorry in my hometown.. None of India's so called National news channels even gave a mention about the incident. So what is national news? 9 innocent school children dying a pitiful death... aren't their lives worth a penny?

We blame the politicians for every damn thing... we must realize that they are nothing, but a cross section of US. We forgive easily.. we move on.. Tomorrow Rab ne Bana Di JOdi will release in INDIA... and people will be content with the garbage Aditya Chopra serves us.Our lives will move on..we forget that another 929 lives could also have moved on!


Barkha Dutt went head over heels reporting at the Taj and Oberoi, when people at the VT station were being shot at ..i mean 'SHOT AT' simultaneously. I do not propose to say that the hostages at Taj or Oberoi should not be given importance.. My basic question is Simple.. What is the value of Human Life in this nation? I mean we are not talking about cocunuts here!! N still, we the common man post elections blurt out to the media sayin " The spirit of freedom and democracy has gained victory!!" GIMME A FUCKIN BREAK!

So who is to blame?? The media for being so commercialized? The politicians, for being so oppurtunistic? The terrorists, who are just fucked in the head?? or us.. u me and this stupid society which doesn't think to save their life.. LITERALLY!!!

I recently read AMi's blog... n while reading the blog.. i realized how these attacks have changed lives. she loves her Mumbai... But i can give it in writing, these attacks will be remembered as 26/11 in the days to come... and nothing more than that. Remembrance!!!! Democracy!! Freedom... Geuninely speaking.. i am just a fortunate soul who is extremely lucky to still be alive in this country!!! MUMBAI RESCUED.. makes for a good headline!LK Advani said today.. that India will be harsh against these terror... 929 people have died already... So someone please explain to me "what is being harsh?".


And yeah... in the midst of national tension, we had an Idiotic Father and an PAthetic CM who were engaged in a cat fight.. Why? Because one of India's real heroes died while trying to save the people of the this country. Sandeep Unnkrishnan.. Thank you! We are sorry.. for being so FUCKED in the head!

The 2 A's dat makes my like miserable every single day!!!!

Ahh.. i am such a lazy bum... i started off with topics for nearly four posts over the past one month or so... but i could never finish typing them... i am not very sure of the reasons why i leave things incomplete.... i have about 3 books which i have finished half way... a tv series which i had vowed to finish about 3 months back.... and a whole load of other things.. which i don't thing i will discussing here... for sure....!!!

Bangalore has been really kind to be honest.i have been here for about 2 weeks now... i must say.. bangalore has its own charm... the weather especially... it makes you feel good about yourself... especially for people who come from the coasts.. who are so used to that sticky feeling after a long day's work(grrrrr)... you really feel pleased.. even if you have a are loaded with work... primarily bcause.. U DON'T FEEL STICKY at all!!!!

I have been interning for about 2 weeks now... i finally realized my hidden potentials. I know now that i can wake up at 7,without any assistance(i hope nokia alarms don't count in here), without anyone calling me, pushing me, or kicking me, or lifting me off the bed. BY now, i have realized that i can sit at one single place, and work for hours(GTALK does help though)...

Work has been fun.. The ambience is great.. so are the people.. and as i earlier said.. this place doesn't make me feel sticky... so i am enjoying my work as an intern here.

But, Some philosophical mind of ancient times had once told, life is a bed of roses... and i have realized its true...

I had An encounter.. WITH THE 2 MOST DEVIOUS A'S IN THE LONG HISTORY OF THE HUMAN CIVIILIZATION...
1)AUTO RICKSHAW Drivers
2)ATM CARDS, AND THEIR USERS!!!

Auto Rickshaws are an enigma by itself.... i am not sure as to when was the first auto rickshaw made.. but.. whoever who made it... must have thought about 3 countries for sure while making it.. India, Pakistan And Bangladesh.. I would say.. autorickshaws are damn cool... the fresh air that one gets... the buffed up music systems one gets to find these days.. and the meandering moves it makes through the streets of our Culturally Diverse Country truly makes it special. The transport sector is Service oriented... BUT.. out here in Bangalore.. its a different scenario.. altogether....

The Drivers are arrogant, ruthless and agressive... they dont take you where you wanna go.. they take you where they wanna go... every day.. and i am not exaggerating, every single day.. i have to encounter atleast 15 such sadistic drivers before one of them budges... and says.. "Theek Hai Saab... LE jayega.. lekin Double pay karne ka hai boss". I am Generally left with no option... u can't insert a needle in any of the buses here.. and going late to work is not that enterprising an idea...

Its just crazy...there are times when i literally feel like breaking their bloody jaws...I mean everything is ok... the look that they give.. when you tell them your preferred destination... that sarcastic hideous look.. grrrr.. i hate their bloody guts. i dont understand the logic behind this... i am willing to pay them.. for their work.. at times.. i am even willing to pay them twice the amount.. and still.. they just won't drive... they would't blink an eye.. is it ego... is it pride.. or is it plain letarghy... i really don't know.... but as far as i am concerned... these guys... they are unfathomably arrogant!! but you cant help.. TII...This is India.. U can't do shit about such things!!!

The other A.. ATM machines, and especially their users...
there are days when i wait outside an atm machine.. for 5 - 10 minutes... jus observing people fiddle around with that machine... trying to figure out how to decimate that machine... at times.. i do feel like recording clips of how Our people use atm's... trust me... the kinda screw up's we make make for really gud education!!

For those who don't know what ATM's are.. in the simplest of forms.. its a device which allows you to withdraw money from your own bank account using a card which is provided to you by the bank themselves. it follows a 7 step process
1)INSERT THE CARD WHEB THE GREEN LIGHT STARTS BLINKIN(ICICI ATM TAKES THE CARD INSIDE THE MACHINE.. SO U DON'T HAVE TO PANIC)
2)ENTER YOUR PIN CODE
3)CHOOSE WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DO, TO WITHDRAW MONEY(WHICH IS OUR PRIME PURPOSE), CLICK ON THE BANKING OPTION.. WHICH WILL BE SHOWN ON THE SCREEN.
4)THEN CHOOSE THE OPTION CASH WITHDRAWAL.. THEIR A HOST OF OTHER OPTIONS... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON FIDDLE AROUND WITH IT..
5)CHOOSE YOUR TYPE OF ACCOUNT, SAVINGS OR CURRENT
6)THE MACHINE WILL ASK YOU IF YOU WANT A PRINTED ADVICE... IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MONEY.. BUT SINCE A LOT OF US HAVE AN IQ CLOSE TO THAT OF A DOLPHIN(NO DISPREPECT TO ANY DOLPHINS READING THIS).. PLEASE CHOOSE THE OPTION YES.. IT BASICALLY PRODUCES A RECIEPT WHICH WILL GIBVE YOU YOUR BALANCE AFTER YOU HAVE WITHDRAWN CASH.
7)AND PRESS OK..
next thing you know the money will come out of the machine... it will make a beeping Sound.. GUyz.. don't worry.. collect the cash.. the reciept which will come out from the right hand side... n leave(n for icici customers.. the card will come out...)

n let the next guy,, come in... these 7 steps.. take a maximum of 1 minute 30 seconds.. to the max...

The worst bit is... the educated class of our society.. young minds.. college students are also seen doing mind numbing blunders while using an atm machine.. is it that hard.. or am i just over reacting... i don't know.. i have had some really bitter experiences... i once missed my train to ma native coz an idiot was trying to operate the atm with instructions in a language he had not even heard of..he was dressed as if he had set out to conquer england... he took 5 minutes... n came outside.. with a smile.. as if.. he had just conquered england... n yes... he was a college student... TII.. once agian.. This is India...

And yes.. our atm machines are also state of the art... in a survey that i conducted on ma own will.. i found out that 1 out of every 3 atm's don't work in most cities... a lot od it has to do with the beating it takes by the users... still.. its a stagerring statistic...

I do get frustrated by such errands... it hurts me when we act as lunatics... i am an optimistic person though.. i am postive things will change... lets all hope for a better tomorrow

2ND YEAR WAS A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 years done!!

It’s actually a stupid realization, but it’s true. 2 years in manipal’s over. It’s been an eventful ride, which is not surprising. I was just wondering how much I have changed over the years. To change is actually not a big deal. A lot depends on the kind of environment we are in. I guess rather than realization, it’s a place that moulds people.

In any case, these two years have been a lot of fun. First year was actually a test, a test of character, and a quest to find who I really was. The ride was bumpy I must say, but it thought me quite a bit. A friend of mine had once told me MANIPAL EITHER MAKES YOU, OR IT BREAKS YOU. These words still keep ringing in my mind, and maybe they inspired me to battle it out against all the odds that were against me.

I know the word OBSTACLE may sound a little too obsolete, but I guess whenever man tries to battle change, it is a huge OBSTACLE. To accept change is to duel with ones own ego, and maybe that is the most difficult part of it all. I was exposed to a lot of realities, and a lot of different things. It did take time to sink in and acclimatize, imbibe the Manipal Life. After 2 years, the fruits are beginning to reap. And life seems all the more better.

The year began with a new house, a new (and I must add very sensible housemate) and a lot of new dreams. The Manipal Journal became bigger and stronger. A lot of new friends entered into my life, and I began to understand a few of my other friends better. During this little journey, a few of them raced ahead, and I couldn’t catch up to them, and by then the sensibilities of a lot of them changed. It’s here that the change occurred. A sudden transformation which initially was a little difficult to handle. It was just like one of those little hiccups that one gets all the time. It bothered me for a while, but as time flew by, along with it flew these little hiccups. I realized that people sometimes change drastically, and things may not always be the way it seems to be.

By the end of 3rd semester, I grew rather close with a few people, and maybe for the first time in manipal, I found close friends. Vacations came at the wrong time though. Just when I was bridging the gaps with a few people, there came a 30 day lay off, and things slowly shifted back to square one once again. Regardless of that, I loved the 3rd semester, for a variety of reasons. A few good photographs, a good run at the inter mahe tennis tournament and the realization of finding good friends may well have been the reasons.

Maybe the highlight of the year was the 4th semester. Utsav, article 19 and mmsc… all in the space of a month. There was a lot of love in the air suddenly. The 3rd years spread the message of love through their emotional video HUM. The video was a strong factor in bringing their whole class together. As a batch, we made up for the fiasco created during our freshie party by organizing a decent farewell for our seniors. Once again there was a lot of emotion during the party.. People kept screaming to one another... We will miss you (its very common during every farewell party). I did have fun though. To observer love is actually a fun thing to do!!!!

As the year drew to a close, I finally began to realize that it was time to bid adieu to a lot of people I genuinely cared for. A hap hazardly planned trip to Gokarna changed a lot of things, and maybe changed my life in a little way. I met and interacted with the people I loved being the most with, but I guess every good chapter comes to a close. When every bus to Bangalore left after the exams, I suddenly felt very lonely, a feeling I had not felt in a long while. realization sunk in that those people would no longer be there

i generally don't edit ma posts.. but since i have nothin else to do right now.. i thot of addin on somethin dat i forgot 2 add in this post earlier.. my juniors...
they are a funny lot... very happy and sweet... i guess i am kinda friendly with everyone... i must say their enthusiasm does surprise my every now and den... one more year lay ahead... n i hope to find a lot of gud frenz der....

It’s been a year with no regrets. A few disappointments do cringe up though. A few things need to be told, a few things need to be done. I guess that’s the beauty of life… there is always scope for improvement.
I am looking forward to another eventful year… and hopefully a year with fewer disappointments. The plans are set, but when it comes to execution, I have a problem… I am generally SLOW at it