after a long long time... :)

Relevance of censorship

In this age of information, who decides what is relevant and proper? The internet of things and data, has become too much to handle. With the ever increasing expanse of media, more and more people have found voice. But at the same time it has also created a wider set of opinions and diverse views. The need of censorship often arises when there is threat to citizen's interests and hurts public sentiments be it religious or otherwise. It is often debated upon whether censorship also curbs our basic right of free expression.
 In a country like India, which is home to diverse cultures and traditions, the conflict of appropriateness rises too often. Unruly actions and speeches often make headlines in daily news. Intolerance and malice run deep in some sections of the powerful. Many artists and speakers have often faced their spite, which comes in the way of artistic expression. M.F. Hussain, a celebrated painter had to flee from the country fearing threat to his life. So has Taslima Nasreen, who had to flee from her country after being threatened by extremists. This kind of atmosphere is inhibitory for art and innovation.
In movies too, the censor boards are set up to filter out content which may harm the viewers. Some film makers and critics argue that refining may take away the actual message. The recent debate on the ban of a film on a self proclaimed god, has added fuel to the fire. His followers would most certainly demand to see the movie release, whereas for others it is just ridiculous and improper.
The question is how far can we go to protect the interest of public. The information is all too freely available and accessible. It is high time we put a thought to what we are sharing on social media and other social platforms. It is in the interest of everybody to be conscious of our rights and their appropriate use. We have to in the end act to the best of our judgement, make informed decisions and be responsible individuals.  

in God's own lap!

No points for guessing, it's Kerala I'm talking about. The year 2013 ended with a much awaited trip to the God's Own Country. The pristine beauty of the beaches, the setting sun with sand below the feet, the divine backwaters, vast stretches of tea and spice plantations, fresh and juicy coconuts and pineapples are things my mind refuses to let go even after 2 months. The trip was custom planned by a friend and included some major hot spots of the state. It started from the capital, Trivandrum, here we visited the famous Kovallam Beach, and started off the boating bouts in style with a motor boat. I say bouts because there were many more boat trips of various kinds during the trip. The few days in the city were succeeded by what was later the most memorable part of the trip, Alleppey backwaters. The boathouse was complete with all the modern amenities including air conditioning. It was pleasant to see all the extra effort that was being put to make the experience more fascinating, as the towels in the rooms were arranged like swans and boats. Even the pineapples served as dessert was cut in the shape of fish! The view with endless expanse of water lined with houses and coconut trees on either side was breath-taking. We sat with set cameras and watched as countless other boats, each different from the other crossed our way. During the evening they docked the boat near one of the houses and it was then we were greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes :P The next day we set towards Thekaddy with it's numerous spice gardens. Throughout the journey there were a number of private spice estates and they had made quite a lavish business out of the whole "spice walk" concept. But we gave that a miss and our multi-talented and hindi speaking driver Jaison (that's a rarity!) more than made up for it. He introduced us to a number of spices growing along the road wherever we went and believe me that covered everything from pepper to coffee. So basically it's spices everywhere! Also visited the famous Periyaar Tiger Reserve here, though the cats refused to show up like always, the ferry ride across the reserve was enchanting. Up next was the hill station, Munnar. The road on both sides leading to this place was covered with all encompassing tea gardens, even the road fence was a tea shrub! This was unlike anything i'd ever seen before in such vast stretches of hilly terrain. We'd to finally let go off such beauty when we arrived at Cochin, which was a beauty too but of a different, refined and metro kind ;) The old Jew street with it's shady shops of antiques and the colorful facade of relinquished houses was a treat for the eyes, though we couldn't make it in time to see the synagogue. The chinese fishing nets lined the beach side with ready to cook & eat shops by their side in Fort Cochi. The ongoing bamboo festival which caught my eye (such things don't escape me!) was a bonus. The penultimate leg of the trip included visiting the Kodanad Elephant Camp, which housed some huge tuskers and some baby elephants. Athirapally waterfalls on the last day of our trip made us fall in love with Kerala all over again. But as always u have bread to earn! :P

Being Busy!

it's been ages since i last wrote a blog..one myt attribute it to the numerous essays i'v been writing lately for entrance exams! done with interviews for the time being..but still no relief..ofcourse the results will start pouring in soon and to add to that colg exams and all the glaring backlog in studies! never had i imagined final year to be so hectic and packed..there's just no time to indulge in leisure..coming to the varied interview experiences i'v had in the past 2 months..i'll say that all of them were very different and in different senses of the word :P  i don't remember reading newspaper more religiously ever before..shatabdi had almost become a second home with me on rails every alternate day..have started dreading those journeys now which left me totally exhausted and drained! back home colg is no easy either with the toughest of subjects introduced in this last semester and add to that the stupid attendance criteria..coping with the work pressures has been a daunting task indeed..chalo i'll leave the rona dhona till the results arrive :P searching for the silver lining.......  

STOP!

well will it ever?? as the nation continues to grieve over the death of the 23yr old braveheart who succumbed to the assault injuries today..the bigger question before all of us is when will these crimes against women stop?! as i see these endless debates on television with big-shot panelists i cannot help but feel the issue being slighted in the heat of political rivalry and rhetoric..each one is trying to outdo the other sitting in newsrooms reading premeditated scripts! not that i don't credit them for revving up this national movement of sorts but sometimes all of it seems just too made up! it is not just about a particular incident or a girl but about all those women and girls in the streets out there vulnerable to the prying eyes of vulture like men looking for a snatch! the patriarchal society does not cease to exist..every minute or more so every second there are cases of modesty being outraged, acid attack, eve teasing or rape being reported and yet there seems to be no fear of law among the perpetrators of such heinous acts! it is the victim who continues to suffer for the rest of her life while the criminals scot free..it is this fear which has made home in the minds of those with a young girl at home..giving birth to one and then having to protect her all the while seems too cumbersome a task! it is often made sure that the girls are sent out with a proper set of instructions guiding their conduct ( y not fit a gps instead!)..but can a society really progress if half of it is subject to such physical, mental and emotional trauma at all times! y shud girls be at the receiving end always? y shud there be a constant fear of being the 'weaker' sex? when will the men do away with this show of virile strength? when will they accept the fact that women are not mere objects of desire? when will justice to the victims be granted or is suicide less painful? when will the police be more sensitive and responsible? well there are too many questions but the chances of finding their answers in this lifetime seem grim! women have proven themselves in almost all fields today and it is high time they be granted their due in the society! they do not wish to be put on pedestals and worshiped all they wish for is some respect and dignity from fellow beings! A lot of introspection and an ounce of blame is the need of the hour!!

padharo mahre des!

This is one life event which deserves to get me out of hibernation and start blogging again..a week long trip to Rajasthan came as a huge respite from a monotonous life and of-course the winter chill! Rajasthan has always been one of my favourite holiday destinations..the colours and the warmth of the land and its people have always attracted me immensely..this time the opportunity for a vacation popped up out of the blue and gladly enough every body's schedules were in line with it..what made it even more special was the company of both family and friends :) since we had to span almost the entire breadth of the state in a week's time, so the journey was literally the destination and we made sure that we enjoyed it to the hilt..taking brief halts at roadside dhabas and tea stalls..enjoying farm fresh radishes and carrots :P not to forget the marwari food rich in both ghee and chilly..also a heaven for those with a sweet tooth like myself..offers mouth watering ghewars, pheni, kachauris :D..

the sheer scenic beauty needless to say was breathtaking..no high rise buildings, no honking cars..just a plain stretch of road with the horizon in view..the rising and setting of sun which had never been of much importance before left me awestruck as i saw the sky change multitudes of colours throughout the day! the pristine beauty and riches of the land has attracted rulers and conquerors from times immemorial..and most of them left their mark in the form of huge, magnificent forts and palaces..most structures were built out of boulders cut from the surrounding Aravalis without cement and fillers..I don't boast of a sharp memory when it comes to remembering names of forts and palaces..not my fault all maharajahs decided to have similar names! :P..but no show of wealth can be complete without intricately carved facades and chamber walls, gold, gem and glass studded ceilings..the most beautifully lethal artillery adorned the armoury..leisure too followed suit in the form of sheesh mahal (similar to the one in mughal-e-azam! :P ).. 

Sheesh Mahal

hookah and gambling chambers, gold plates palanquins and hathi howdahs (elephant seats)..another striking feature is the surrounding view from these forts..as most of them as built on hill tops so the city view beneath is astounding..while the Jodhpur palace brings into view a city with houses painted blue..the yellow sandstone intrinsic to Jaisalmer makes the city appear golden under a glowing bright sun! also the color pink is associated with Jaipur thanks to its local market and hawa mahal..all this said and done the highlight of the trip was none other than the desert safari..and what cud have been better than my b'day to experience the delight of riding a camel into the golden sand dunes as the colorfully clad local children sang folk songs adding to the vibrancy in the air..the sand of the Sam Thar desert was given the analogy of being finer than milk powder and my liking for milk powder only grew when i stepped onto it :D as we sat there on the desert sand under a clear azure sky there was calm and serenity all around..watching the sun set inch by inch was no less than meditation (even though i'v never really done justice with that! :P)  the night sky was just as clear with millions of stars shining down at us as we retreated to our tents..the trip was as much a treat for the eyes as for the soul :)..surprisingly real :) 

Bharosa 3

what better canvas than mum's hands! :D

the divide

it's been quite some time since i last blogged..hope i haven't lost the flair! ;) not that i have something out of the box to write abt today..but just to overcome this saturation of mind which has engulfed me over the past few months i intend to stir up a healthy discussion here..unlike the ones we have in our humanities class! and the topic is not very profound either..it is what we come across daily, a reality that stares at us wide eyed! Poverty..
What makes ppl poor? well i answered a similar question two days back but that was an 'aptitude' test and one had to be technically and politically correct..but when this question popped up in the morning today it made me think (coz this time it wasn't about just belling a cat!)..the discussion began with ppl citing reasons like unemployment, lack of education..blah blah! i say this with such disdain is not because they r wrong but because i don't agree..and i have my reasons to do so..let us begin with the simple narrative..that of a beggar..now all of us have encountered ppl on street lights, outside temples asking for alms..and that it is illegal and unjustifiable for ppl to make such easy money..they don't send their children to school and why wud they when they have an extra pair of hands to earn for them..thus education or the lack of it is not sufficient to guarantee poverty becoz these ppl already r street smart..among the many illustrations of changing definition of poverty was the example of another such small little entrepreneur today..a popcorn seller..and mind u ppl apply all their knowledge of maths when it comes to calculating his monthly wage =60k (yes that's right! 200*10*30) and moreover he doesn't even pay tax! here we are in a state of shock aren't we??..thinking of what consequence is our pay package..but what we forget in this simple arithmetic is that earning a living was never that simple..this 15yr old boy must feed a huge family, a bunch of corrupt officials, and there will be days of bad weather and bouts of ill health too..but who bothers, the guy is no longer poor we say! on the other hand there is this well to do businessman or bureaucrat who has drained the country of resources, sought and received the best possible education and earns ten times more and still professes his income is below that of the popcorn seller..and paying tax is out of question all together..not surprisingly these are the very ppl who r quick to twitch their nose when they encounter poor..they'll complain about the govt policies from reservation to housing schemes..but a midst all this crying foul they forget that it is becoz of such ppl that they r what they r today..they have mistreated and misused these very ppl wherever and whenever they cud..it was never their prerogative to give them an opportunity to rise and shine..and they did everything possible to curb the poor's longing and needs..
i believe it is high time we become more sensitive to this part of the deprived society..affluence shud give way to compassion and altruism..our maid would not become any richer by our discarded clothes but only if we cud even start with that!

The Art of Reuse - Bug Byte

Hey guys!
I created something last weekend for a competition by Hidesign (The Art of Reuse)..the objective was to create a piece of art using leather scraps..

Please vote for my artwork...article number- 41 (Bug Byte) ONLY!
LOGIN TO FACEBOOK and open the following page to vote..

https://www.facebook.com/hidesign/app_205521576149308

your votes will make all the difference.. make sure to tell ur friends about it too :)
thanks! :) 

just employed!

and the placement season ended too soon for me! :) mixed feelings..

i was so gud they couldn't let me go..haha..well i don't know what conspired to get me this news early morning today..i won't lie though it was a great one yet for a moment there i wasn't exuberant..all other prospects were whirling in my mind and obviously seemed to be more lucrative than the one in hand! anyways now that i've come to terms with the fact which this situation presents, there is absolutely nothing to do but blame human nature.. yeh dil maange more sentiment never seems to die! 

Just got a consolatory call from a worried frnd who thought i hadn't made it only to find out how unsocial and impolite i had been to have made it and not conveyed it! :D this is a complex sentence but so is my present state of mind! but fearing more such calls which start and end with expletives :P i have succumbed to the social pressure of expressing my joy..aftrall a facebook post with a happy face emoticon is all that is required to spread the word..only if i had realised this sooner ;)

trinity @ amex

Saying goodbyes is tough..and i'm at another such junction..this one is dedicated to two of my female friends..yes this is rare! :D even though u two myt not ever read it but these last six months were so much easier with u guys being around..from the little tamil i know now to the punjabi i'v spoken over the days! our conversations starting and ending with the word pasikudu over the office communicator! :D the gossipy chirpy breakfast, lunch and tea breaks that we had were better than ones in college..hearing out each others day to day stories, giving consolation, condolences, compliments and congratulations made the bond stronger..not a day went without cracking jokes and pulling each others leg..the innocence u both brought to the conversations with was like a breath of fresh air..I have never felt any young between you two! :P..
My south indian macchi has always been the primary target of all our pranks..from the autowallah asking her for 'pacchis' rupees and she replying with 'bhaiya no less than pacchas' :D but no matter what we love her english to hindi translations which always miss out on the gender!and that certainly did not stop her from being the most talkative of the lot..a total foodie, one person about whom i can say that she truely lives to eat! her innumerable crushes which i share makes her fear i myt run away with the guy she chooses to marry ;)..coming to Ravz :P..yes we have this new team now nafs, vidz and ravz! :D now u can figure out what utter non-sense we'v been upto! from her don like gait to her batman suit..she has it all :D sharing hometown certainly makes our heart grow fonder..she appreciates my choice of clothing but the same cannot be said when it comes to guys! :P the few weekends that we could plan to roam around and shop are unforgettable..i really cherished this bond we three shared and if only we could always stay in touch..chalo enough of sentipana! i just hope u gals invite me to ur respective weddings soon! ;)

happens!

It is time to do away with laziness and mental fatigue! phewww...a clustered mind for the past few weeks has been the culprit behind my not so regular updates! I had thought of writing about my solo visit to the Taj, Agra but i think i'll skip that! Sooooo let me talk my mind..i know this one would be tough! It is a peaceful summer midnight..yes the tv is off and both my roommates are asleep..and my laptop has just informed me of a completed download!  the wifi here has a mind of its own..and i just suffered a minor heart-attack when my bookmarked torrent site displayed a msg saying it's been disabled following court orders! ok I'll resist the temptation of opening the download until i'm done with the task i have at hand ryt now..infront of me is a shoe rack with i don't know how many pairs none of which is myn (cause they are scattered on the floor! :P) When i first came here and saw half of an almirah as the only safe haven for my belongings, i was miserable! I had never been good at stacking up things in the almirah even at home but that was least of my problems back then..so the very next day i decided to have some hangers..to add some order and arrangement to my clothes..i took out all the stuff from my bag and put it all at once in the almirah neatly..but the very next day while searching for something it was in a complete disarray..and my roommate laughed that this is bound to happen to somebody who has been out of home for the first tym..and this cycle of pulling and pushing things into it has been continuing ever since..with the hangers dangling having nothing on them! to top it all I noticed my almirah also had a big drawer after a month or so, and my happiness knew no bounds!
office is no better! didn't know the chair i had been sitting on for four months had a lever to push it up! :P have been fiddling to deploy a code for the past 1 month but to no avail..tried emptying my overflowing mailbox by deleting some items but when nothing happened even after deleting so many of them, i realised that even the deleted items had to be deleted! ok i think i should not let out all the beans at one go!
blame it on the hazards of work-life balance! gosh! life's tough!! :P hope u could make a sense out of this post, and had a good laugh at my expense while i was trying to pen down all my frustrations and misfortunes :D 

DD 1.3!

yahan wahan saara jahan dekh lia h 

kahin bhi tere jaise koi nai h

Dilli 6! Chandni Chowk. Pranthe Wali Gali. Red Fort.
It is everyday that we visit malls and showrooms..but how often do we think of getting a sneak-peek into our rich heritage..an impromptu trip to old delhi..accidental entry into paranthe wali gali and a bad choice of parantha fillings! as we roamed around the market aimless pushing through hawkers and rickshaw walas..no matter how much was the feeling of desh prem, our noses were twitched! :P and then avoiding all the hustle-bustle we were pushed into a gali..and guess what! it was the all too well known pranthe wali gali! As we waited in a queue outside 'the god knows how many generations old' shop..couldn't stop but stare at the menu..and the feeling of chalo kuch alag khaate hain overcame our taste buds! And with this thought we ordered what i believe was the weirdest in the menu..rabri and banana prantha! sweet fillings inside salted flour crust and to top it all fried! that was surely enough to keep us away from food for the rest of the day! :D aftr we were done with our lunch adventure..we decided it was time for some 'official' sight-seeing!
There it was standing tall right infront of us..The Red Fort! and the weather suddenly became more complying as is visible in the pic..as we entered the fort the first thing we encountered were shops! and believe me the sight like that of dilli haat wasn't what i was looking forward to..but as we moved into the interiors of the fort, the view we witnessed was magnificent! more of regal! Diwan-e-aam..its subdued yet beautiful architecture in sandstone was for the King to address the common man..and if he considered u to be special he could also address u from his peacock throne :P..Diwan-e-khaas..about which the sufi poet Amir Khusro famously wrote 'if there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here!'
All was plundered from the throne to kohinoor..but what they could not take away was its significance! 

DD 1.2

The Baha'i House of Worship or the Lotus Temple as it is popularly called sits regally, symbolizing common foundation of all religions. The common characteristic of Baha'i Houses of Worship is that they are all nine-sided. Nine is the highest digit which symbolizes comprehensiveness, oneness and unity. Thus this 27 petaled lotus flower is surrounded by 9 pools beneath it. Not to bore u with more details. This has always been one of the must visit places in my list and even a scorching Sunday afternoon wasn't enough to deter me from paying it a visit. As we danced (literally! thanks to the burning floor and long queue) our way to the temple premises, we were taken to the sanctum of the temple. As is known bahaism does not support idol worship so we were lead into a colossal hall with church like benches. Some hymns and prayers were being sang out as we sat down to experience the power of silence and magic of meditation..strict instructions were given regarding the prohibition of talking to one another or clicking pictures.

well i did both of that! :P called up home sitting there..took a few snapshots..and when the silence finally doomed upon us we decided it was time to leave ;)
But the charm and grace of the temple created as much havoc in my mind as a gulab-jamun does to my taste buds :D

Dilli Darshan 1.1 ;)

i know this series shud have started a lot earlier! :P..thanks for the reminder ..CV ban gya?? ;) Good Friday! fridays are usual with my massi calling me up and saying aa rahi h na! it takes as much effort as fighting a world war to win over her..bcoz everytime i lack logic and reason not to visit her..so as u myt have guessed delhi is almost a second home for me..i literally know more about it than even a localite! yet its expanse never gets me tired..and every weekend i look forward to exploring new places..having a south indian in my team made it easier..usko dilli dekhna h aur mujhe ghumna! last friday had a khaas trip to Hauz Khaas village and Iindia Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, during sunset ..left both of us equally awestruck :D ..Today was equally interesting..had to go to office..:P  but that certainly didn't keep me from roaming..since it was an off day for many so i too bunked half a day and took a metro without knowing my destination! called up a frnd and asked her what could be done in half a day..Chandni Chowk was what she suggested..Red fort has been one of the places i have always wanted to visit but somehow couldn't..meanwhile sitting in the metro i also pinged my roommate..knew she had to go somewhere for work..so as it turned out she was in the metro on her way back! half a day would not have done justice to the magnificent red fort so i thot i myt as well keep it for another day..so i called up my frnd and told her about the change of plans..updated my roommate on my intentions ;) and asked her to wait for me at a metro station..so that we could get together and go to Saket..yeah i know malls! but it just added another place to my "been there" list. Exhausted, but totally made the most out of the day and out of my wallet too ;) thanks for the amazing time i had in ur company today Deepika ;) yes ppl u can be jealous! :P

ice-breaker

Indians do not assert! well this statement to my surprise came from an outsider..as it so happened, the vice-prez of our team from america paid us a visit a few days back..amongst all he said this one truely struck a chord with me..no indian i bet would like to hear this, but only aftr 2 days i realised how hauntingly true it was.. sending out emails and taking conference calls are things i do all the time these days..and yesterday i was a part of one such call..it was a team meeting wherein the foreigners decided to play an ice-breaker game..and the deal was that each one of us was to tell our 'fav dessert'! so while the foreigners went for apple pie, blueberry muffins etc etc..the surprisingly sad part was that the indians in the meeting too followed their lead..finding more comfort and taste in brownie with ice cream, lemon cheese cake....and then they asked me..i told them it was a gulab jamun..though i had to repeat that twice and finally a foreigner had to explain his fellows what it was..but it made me feel a sense of pride which even aftr so many yrs of independence is subdued...it is high time we start representing ourselves with shoulders held high and feel proud of the rich culture we'v grown up in..why are we so unsure of ourselves?..why r we the first ones to become all foreign? is this globalization!??!

arey yr!

Not a day passes when i don't think of you..at office, at home..day in and day out..but sadly enough i'm not able to do justice to you..before you start thinking of all sorts of weird things.. :P let me clarify it is studies i'm talking about..haha..after spending more than 10 hours on laptop everyday i hardly have the enthusiasm to open any book..reading a newspaper has become as exceptional as spotting a tiger in sariska..everyday mathematics has become a challenge and believe me it is a matter of great concern when u take several minutes to add few digits while buying ice-cream or pizza! :P warning signs have started showing in leaps and bounds! it is high time i take those signals seriously..weekends come and go adding only more to my cupboard and little to my brain..but it is important to realise and not get blown away by small attractions and incentives.. and then what is money without maths! :)

ciao :(

well if u r reading it the title is dedicated to u :P..aftr a brief stint at home finally leaving again..it is a terrible feeling! although the place i'm going to is no longer new to me yet there is nothing inviting about it..it's been just 4 days at home yet i'v tried to get as much of the city as possible to keep me going for the next few months..yes holidays don't come easy!..but to be honest i have my share of fun away from home too ;)..having extended family and friends have made it a lot more easier..there have hardly been any weekends when i managed to spend the entire day in my room..in fact i have my outings pre-planned two weekends in advance :D and as i mentioned in my earlier post have been shopping unhindered because if things that money can buy can make you happy then so it be!
but where else can u find churma and kheer made by ur mother..a father u can play pranks with and a brother who has started listening to miserably slow and sad songs ever since u left.. :P
home forever is sweet! 

HOLIday 8/3/12

Dinner ready h so i'll keep it short..ghar pe hun :) :) :) drove nano today..zindagi mil gai dobara..haha..

life, work, ppl and light!

yes i'm writing this post again thanks to the fluctuations in electricity!!!! had it been an exam i would have lost my cool but since this is just leisure writing so i'll try composing it again..going home for a few days now..holi has never been so important an occasion before but all of a sudden it feels like it cudn't get any bigger and better..have had enough encounters with cold ppl and corporate clowns! Phewww! it took me so long to find this perfect phrase! :P staring into the laptop is as continuous as breathing but certainly not as involuntary..but believe me work has been fruitful..got my second pay cheque today..and that should help to gulp down another month in this city..my heartfelt gratitude to shopping for keeping me sane! had an amazing weekend this tym around..met some old frnds aftr a long time, visited planetarium, book fair, craft museum..hope i continue to make the most of this survival experience away from home..padhai has taken a back seat..need to gear up on that account as well..chalo baaki sab dekha jaega..philhaal chd i'm coming! let's play holi! ;)