Thursday, June 21, 2007

A Lifetime of Questions

Questions in essence are the core of our lives. Every single day of our life, we have to answer someone or something. Can you think of a single day of your life when you did not have to answer a question?.More importantly these questions have a typical relationship to the phase of life your in . Sample this question set and the related phase of the one's life.

When you are a School going kid
1) Beta(son), which School are you studying in?
2) Which class are your studying in?
3) Beta, Can you Tell ABCD.. to your uncle(gosh I hated it when my dad used to ask me narrate this stuff to his Friends to show off. Could never get past P)
When you have just completed your schooling and are enjoying the innocence of Adolescence.
1) What do you want to do after school ? (Meaning in Indian context mostly do you want to be a doctor or Engineer)
2) Why don't you apply for so and so college? (this mostly depends on your class 12 score) . And god damn everybody has an advice for you in this phase.
When you are just out of College and have somehow landed up in some job.
1) Which company do you work for? What does the company do?
2) How much is this Company paying for a fresher?
3) Oh you work for XYZ company!!, my friend's son/daughter also works for the same company. Do you by any chance know him/her ?(Would have loved to know the Daughters but unfortunately ,such references are less in number)
When you have worked for 2-3 years for the same company
1) Oh you are still with the company? Don't you want to change? (translated looks like the guy is not finding any other job, poor chap.) Why the hell can a guy not stay in the same company for 3 years and still be happy ?. (Damn!! one more question)
Two years hence
1) When are you getting married?
2) Are you searching for some girl to get married? (I wonder why a 26 year old guy can't stay single and still be happy!!)

So what does the Future of my Questionable life look like ? I guess this what is going happen in the next few years with me.

1) Which company you are working for? (this will stay until you retire)
2) Can we go to the Shopping mall today ?(Guess who can ask this question)
3) Are you planning to buy a house ? or Do you stay at a rented place ?

And thus will go on a life full of Questions (and Answers of course).

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

This is Glocalization!!

If you are looking for a profound example of the impact globalization is having on the simple things in life, picture this conversation between my friend who is located in US of A and me located in Bangalore( Bengalooru).

me : Hey buddy how are you ?
Friend : Doing fine man . Will call you over Gtalk this weekend.
me : I am doing to Belgaum(a Small sleepy town in Karnataka,India more known for it's state border row between Maharashtra and Karnataka) for a Cousin's marriage this weekend.
Friend: Wow!! you are going to Belgium. It is a beautifal country. And your cousin is marrying in Belgium. Lucky him. How did he manage that ? The world is indeed going glocal!!
me : hehehehehe.......

Friday, June 15, 2007

To Kill a Mocking bird..

13 days since I opened my blog !! . Well have been busy off late( would love to say that although all I was doing was loafing around). Anyway had the chance to read Harper Lee's 1960 Classic "TO Kill a Mocking Bird" in between all the loafing around. A book which lives up to it's recommendations.( quite a few of my friends recommended the book and the movie as well).

It quite literally transported me back to my good old days of growing up. While I did not grow up in a small town like Maycomb( the book is based this small Southern US town), I could easily connect to adventures around the Haunted House of Boo Radley.(a strange neighbour who was never seen by the Narrator of the Story in all the years she stayed in the neighborhood). Growing up a large neighbourhood which essentially consisted of first generation Immigrants from Small Towns/Villages of India to the soon to be Silicon Valley of India(My beloved City Bengalooru), I had my share of strange neighbors and even stranger happenings around them. Like we had a house two blocks off my house, where an old lady lived with her 3 ferocious dogs. Imagine a small two bedroom apartment with 3 dogs and a lady !! . So ferocious where the dogs that we used to change directions the movement we saw the lady taking her dogs for a walk. When not going for an Walk, the dogs where tied to a heavy iron pole (incidentally a street light pole:)) in front of the house. Still can remember the day, when our friend group decided that we had had enough with the dogs and we had to something about them.

So one fine day in the Summer Vacations, we decided that we will throw stones at the tied dogs and scare them!! . And because all this had to be done without the lady seeing us, we decided we will hide behind the apartments in the next block for this Dare-Devil act. Everything was planned including searching for the right kind of stones to aim at the Dogs. So on the designated day, we friends grouped and waited for the dogs to be out in the open tied to iron pole. When the time came, we started taking shots at the dogs one by one. I had barely aimed my first stone at the dogs when I heard a clanking sound( The sound of window panes breaking ). Scared as we were, we ran helter-skelter and hid ourselves wherever we could. Apparently one of my friends in over enthusiasm had broken the old lady's bedroom window. Evening came and nothing happened and we thought the matter had been settled. (We all positively hoped that the lady had not seen us running).

But late in the evening (usually the time the lady takes the dogs for a walk) , I see the old lady headed straight to my home. Scared, I ran inside the home and hid myself. But I could hear the lady narrating the whole incident to my mom and worse, even telling I was involved with the gang of children who broke her windows . The lady left soon after and you can well imagine what my mom did to me after that. All I can say is that I had to limp to the playground the next day and mutely watch my friends play .

Now when I reflect back, I think Dogs are afterall the best friend a man can have but I guess it was all a part of growing up. A passing phase of life.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Maa Kasam !! Maine kuch nahi kiya ......

This is what the BJP MLA Renukacharya is saying to the alleged sexual harassment controvesy involving a Nurse Jayalakshmi The "respected" is MLA is accused of having an affair with Jayalakshmi with pictures of the MLA kissing her in Public appearing all over the media a couple of weeks back.

And this week, the police filed a case against MLA Renukacharya for sexual harrassment . So what does our MLA do ? He of course denies the allegation . Politicians are experts in that , so nothing new here. But the way he defends himself is surely worth a blog . It reminds me of our 1970s Macho hero Dharmendra( Dharam Paaji to his fans) . Picture this statement from Renukacharya. "Mother promise, I am innocent. I have not done anything." . (Maa Kasam, Mein begunaah hoon. maine kuch nahi kiya aka Dharam Paaji style ). Also reminds me of my primary and secondary school days when we used steal chocolates/sweets of our privileged friends from the school bags/lunch boxes and when caught in the act, used yell out , Mother promise yaar , I did not do anything . XYZ stole them. Not me . Mother promise( with hands on the chest) " . Looks like our MLA went to school afterall :) but apparently is still to graduate from it .

If this was not enough, picture this statement from our MLA. "Jayalakshmi is characterless.She has relationships with many men. Mother promise , I have tapes of her deeds which I can release in the public . But I am worried about Jayalakshmi's future. So I won't make the tapes public. But mother promise , I have the tapes". Could not stop laughing until I rolled over on reading this . First the Mother promise thing, then then the "worry" about Future of Jayalakshmi. Talk of the soft corners which people have . As if not Releasing the tapes will make Jayalakshmi "Sati Savitri" . Innocent until proven guilty huh ???

Mother promise, If I ever meet this MLA, I will felicitate him for the free entertainment he is giving to people like me.