The Rush for Retail

If you are one of those who follow business news closely, you would have realized by now that the most happening thing in India at the moment is Retail. Almost everyone, quite literally, has evinced interest in the booming Indian retailing industry and feel that organised retail is the way forward for future.

To mention a few: Reliance group has extensive plans to enter the Retail industry in a big way. The Tatas are also underway. Existing players like Pantaloon (with their Big Bazaar brand) etc are firming up for the stiff competition by having their own expansion plans. But the one that takes the cake is the alliance of Sunil Mittal's Wal-Mart. This move is said to be a masterstroke from Sunil Mittal.

But, why is everyone so interested in Indian retail? The answer seems pretty simple. Indian retail market is worth a mammoth 350 billion dollars. But only a paltry 20% of this is organised retail. The rest of the market is still with the small and medium roadside vendors. Herein lies the opportunity for growth. If anyone can capture even 5% of this market share, he will be having a 14-15 billion dollar Mcap. It is this money that is luring the whos-who of world retail to India.

However exciting these big numbers may seem, organised retail has its own set of problems. Firstly, crores of Indian families have small roadside shops and that is their bread and butter. Now with the big players planning to have so much coverage, these small players will be virtually wiped out from the scene. For the time being, this may be the case for only the vendors in big metros. But with the kind of money that is set to flow in, organised retail will soon enter small towns as well. What will happen to these vendors? People who had lived respectably till now by doing fairly good business, may be forced to do menial jobs for a living. Can the government do something to help these small shopkeepers? We need to wait and watch; However, at the moment, the future seems bleak.

There exists another not so obvious, but an equally dangerous problem. The retail segment is the last part in the customer supply chain. By this, I mean, it is the retail sector which is in direct contact with the customer. Therefore, anybody who is a major player in the retail industry will have the potential to control the country's economy. Now, the critical question arises-- Should we allow a foreign player to control our country's Last Mile, as it is referred to? This is a sensitive issue which needs to be addressed with due diligence.

Hence, organised retail, seemingly attractive at the first glance has more than its share of problems. We would be better off in solving them before the retail boom kicks in.

Why do I teach?

If you have read my previous posts, you would have known by now that I teach in a school. Not of any relevance, but I do.

Recently, one of my relatives (An itchy guy, who constantly tries to undermine the opposite party) asked me-- "How are you qualified to teach? When professional teachers are struggling to produce results, what can an amateur like you do"?

I kept quite for a moment. His argument was valid. Then, I said, "I intend to teach values to my students along with the subject. They have enough sources to pick up the academic knowledge. However, in today's self centered world, there are not many places to turn to for values. That's what I intend to teach my students".

The guy did not seem all that pleased. He growled, and said something in Kannada which roughly translates to-- "So, you claim to be a sea of virtues, huh"?

I had my reply ready this time, "No, I am not all that good at it. That's why I intend to teach them. I become a teacher simply by the virtue of the number of mistakes I commit. What better way to teach than having a live example of an ignorant person? One easily learns when one can understand clearly, the consequences of not learning".

My relative was puzzled. He took a long time to comprehend the meaning. Later he nodded his head vaguely. I could not decipher the meaning, nor was I inclined to. Someone else waved at me. Thanking God for providing me an escape, I moved on.

Development: The double edged sword.

Yep, I am back. Had taken a pretty long break... My hands were itching :). I am out of touch. Please forgive me if I am a bit rusty.

Yesterday, I was watching a popular news channel. It was unfolding the Singur controversy. For people who have missed it, Singur is a rural town in West Bengal where the Tatas want to set up their famed '1 Lac' car plant. The controversy is over the land. Farmers are not ready to forgo their land, but the state government is adamant to acquire it and hand it over to the Tatas. Violent protests have ensued and the town is facing a law and order problem.

As I explained to my mother, who was also watching the news along with me, I realised that this problem was not just specific to Singur, but it related to the whole country. Every developmental project has problems pertaining to land. The problems may be wide ranging-- From complaints of acquiring excess land to paltry compensation to compensation not reaching the deserving, etc etc.

But I realised these problems were only the tip of the iceberg. They can be solved through various means. But I feel the bigger problem is of a different kind. It is the scarcity of land itself. What will happen when every possible piece of land is industrialised? What next? What will happen to agriculture sector which employs more than 75% of our population? Where will the farmers go? Most important of all- What will we eat? All kinds of food we consume comes directly or indirectly from the farms. What will happen when farmer ceases to exist? I wonder whether that will be the beginning of the end.

The above mentioned scenario may seem a little far fetched for our generation. But it is bound to happen in some time if the same trend continues. The pace at which industries are growing is phenomenal. This acceleration of growth is partly due to farmers' dismay over their economic condition. The government's poor support system and low income forces them to sell their land and look for alternate employment. This leads to ills like mass migration and selective population explosion.

The solution? Well, I am not very sure. The way out may be to slow down on other sectors and develop and support agriculture based industries. That way, we can reduce the disenchantment of farmers and keep them motivated. After all, the principal need is to survive.

My mother, though, had a simple solution. She said that all the illegal lands of politicians, if seized, would be enough to build more industries than ever required. How I wish that was possible.

In essence, development, without any doubt, is a double edged sword. If used recklessly, it can destroy mankind in just one swipe.

Blogging after a long long hiatus

This is my first post in almost 2 months! For a guy who had willed to write something atleast every fortnight, its a poor show.

However, most of my readers would have known the reasons by now. There are too many things which are keeping me busy these days. Due to this, although I have so many topics on mind, I am not able to blog it.

This post is about no particular topic and is just intended to say "Hello, I am still around" :D. Jokes apart, I just wanted to break the jinx.

I promise to return with full force as soon as time permits me...

Happy 59th Birthday, My Great India

India turns 59 today. Happy Independence Day India.

Today, once again we get a chance to look back in reverence and salute the millions of great people who fought for our independence. Thousands of youth gave up lucrative future for the cause of a free India. Countless women broke the shackles and came out on streets to protest. Thousands of people sacrificed their life. Finally, the British oppressors found it impossible to stay on and India got its independence at midnight on this day 59 years back.

Since then, India has been an amazing growth story. We have grown in leaps and bounds. Today India is a recognised global superpower. We are a huge talent pool. We have some of the greatest business houses. Economic growth has been rapid. We are considered the future of the 21st century. All these and more have made India proud and I feel lucky to be part of such a great country.

If the story had ended here, I would have been one of the happiest Indians on earth. Sadly, it does not. There is another face of the coin which has been neglected for long. Even after 50 years, more than 40% of India lives below poverty line. More than 30% of children do not have primary education. More farmers have committed suicide in India than in any other country. The country is doing badly in nourishment for women and children. The infant mortality rates in India are almost equal to African countries.

Finally, the biggest problem in front of India is corruption. Corruption is rampant at all levels in the government. Crores and crores of public tax money is being siphoned off and thus stalling the development projects forever. Any attempt by citizens to curb corruption is being thwarted by the beaurocracy (Lok Ayuktha and RTI are only examples).

I feel that the greatest tribute we can offer to all the freedom fighters would be to solve these problems. What we have today was not the freedom that they wished for. Yes, they wanted a free India. Not just free from Britishers, but also free from all the problems stated above. I genuinely hope that we make progress in these regards and Mother India will have lots more to cheer about on her next birthday.

Jai Hind.

Ceasefire, At Last...

At last, Israel has agreed to an UN imposed ceasefire. This marks the end to Israel’s 5 week onslaught on Lebanon.

Sadly, the ceasefire has come a little too late. In the 30+ days of continuous pounding, Israel has successfully managed in killing hundreds of innocent people and making thousands homeless. Hundreds of innocent women and children were killed. The basic infrastructure in Lebanon which took more than 3 decades to be built, bit dust in no time.

When we look back and try to find the reasons behind this war, we will be surprised that there are no concrete ones. Israel intended to disarm and destroy Hezbollah-- A terror outfit fighting against Israel from the Lebanese border. Agreed that Hezbollah must be disbanded and there is no excuse for Lebanon for supporting it.

But what Israel failed to realize is that killing of innocent citizens and bombing bridges will not destroy a terror outfit. And the effects of this are that the people of Lebanon are once again pushed into condition they were in the 70's when the country was in civil war. 30 years of country construction has bitten dust in days. People are again pushed to the brink of poverty.

US also is equally responsible for the disaster. Without active US support, Israel could not have taken such a big step. When most of the international community was up in arms condemning the act, US was busy supplying advanced rockets and severe bombs!

Let’s look at what the war has managed to achieve. Precious little gain for Israel as Hezbollah continues to be a major force in the region. In fact, its strength and image in the region is bound to increase given its successful defense against Israeli forces. The US and Israel have once again incurred the wrath of the Muslim community. This will add to the already long list of problems for the US.

Finally, the greatest losers are the Lebanese. For no mistake of theirs' they face doom. Thousands are without home, food and basic needs. With uncertainty prevailing in the country, getting investment will be a Herculean task. Also, with US showing little interest in rebuilding, the Lebanese sure face a bleak future. Therefore, even as the ceasefire has prevented further killing, the people who are alive don’t have much to look forward to.

The Lebanese war has once again proved that war and violence has no gains even for the oppressor. I wonder if the people in power will ever learn from history.

My Brand New Profession!!

Well, you read it right!! I am starting my new career from tomorrow. No no, I am not ceasing to be a software engineer. That is my bread and butter. Cannot imagine myself not doing that! Just that I will be doing something more.

I will be turning into a teacher from tomorrow. It was a long cherised dream for me. I love teaching. Many reasons behind it. But the chief one has to be my Physics lecturer in PU. He has been one of the biggest inspirations in my life. So, there you go... I will be teaching 10th standard maths in a school. Its a small school called The Laurel school near Basvangudi. The principal is my friend's teacher. When she told that she didnt have a quality maths teacher and offered us the chance to teach, we jumped on the opportunity.

I have always believed that giving back to society starts with teaching. Thats the best service one can do, given the quality of teachers in our schools. For me, there are gains too... No, not monetary... I am not getting money for it. But, I intend to improve my communication skill by teaching those kids. That should be a great take away for me.

Though I am feeling elated to be a part of such an endeavour, I am also feeling nervous. For a person who always made fun of teachers (Ya, I was dreaded and hated by most of my teachers and not without reason. I have always been one of the top pranksters at every stage of my student life!!) , its a strange feeling to be on the other side of the table.

However, I hope the experience would be a good and a mutually beneficial one. Your benedictions are very much needed!!

The Year of the Farmer

"The farmer is the back bone of our country". How long has it been since we heard someone say this? I vividly remember my school days where our teachers would tell it pretty often. We had lessons on farmers, stating how important they were for the nation.

I dont know about the present day text books, but I can tell you that very few children know about farmers. Not one child would want to be a farmer. The child never understands the farmers' importance. Naturally, when he grows up, he wont have the slightest regard for them.

You may be wondering why I am suddenly so interested in writing about farmers. Believe me, I wanted to write this for a long time now. Recent happenings have only made my resolve stronger.

The nation seems to have realized its mistake. For the first time in a decade, India is importing food grains. Its a matter of national shame, given that we took pride in being a self sufficient nation. Needeless to say, we are paying the penalty for ignoring the farmer for this long.

Till ten years back, farmers were regarded as a core part of Indian economy. We had surplus food grains year after year. Then, once the services industry gained foot, it all changed. Agriculture was no longer the one contributing to the economy. All eyes turned towards the services industry, especially software industry. The farmer was grossly neglected for nearly a decade. The results are here for all of us to see.

For consecutive years, agriculture's contribution to the GDP has decreased. This year, it fell below the 2% mark. This, inspite of the fact that 2/3rds of our nation lives on agriculture. I read a recent report saying that in the last decade, 1 lac farmers have commited suicide due to loan burdens. Successive governments have failed to increase the living standards of farmers. Though they have ambitious plans, it all remains on paper with nothing being implemented fully. Needless to say, lot of money gets siphoned off. End result is that the farmer continues to live in dire straits. He cant repay the interest, let alone the debt amount.

India will suffer if the situation does not change in the coming years. If food grains production continues to decrease, India will have to import more and more from the outside market. This is going to burn a very big hole in our pockets. Therefore, the need of the hour is to give all possible assistance to farmers. We have made our manufacturing and services sectors self sufficient. Now, its time for the agriculture sector. The government must provide the farmers with easy loans at low rates of interest and a sufficiently large time period. It must make sure that there is no lack of water and dependence on rain water must be minimised. It must provide the farmers with quality seeds and fertilizers to get maximum yeild. Most importantly, the government must win back the confidence of the farming community. They must announce a substantial minimum support price so that the farmer dares to cultivate his land. Not to forget, these must be done at break neck speed with immaculate execution and minimum corruption.

The government at the centre has started to feel the heat. Inflation is raising rapidly. It doesnt have enough food grains to distribute in its PDS system. All these factors are acting as a wake up call for the government. As a result, 2006-07 has been announced as the Year of the Farmer. The government intends to bring about a 2nd green revolution.

But, the government must make sure that all these announcements dont end up at the usual place-- Political stunt. It must make sure that the 2nd revolution indeed takes place and takes all of the farming community with it.

Does the government have the courage, vision and the will to bring about this much needed change? It better have. The risk of not having is just too enormous to imagine.

Sonia Gandhi-- A Farce called sacrifice

Sonia Gandhi is reelected to the Lok Sabha. That she would be reelected was certain the day she filed her nomination papers. The curiosity was just about the margin. Now we know that she won a landslide with a record margin.

So, where is the sacrifice that the Congress harped so much about? Would it be fair to call 2 months absence from the LS a sacrifice? You resign in the budget session and be back for the winter session and call it a sacrifice? Maybe the Congress feels so. I would rather call it a holiday. As a refresher, let me remind you people that Sonia Gandhi resigned from her LS seat over the office of profit controversy. She was the chair person of the national advisory commitee then. This post was viewed as an office of profit (I am tempted to use the short form OOP, though many of my readers are technical people and will instantly conclude it as Object Oriented Programming :D).

Back then Sonia had become a symbol of sacrifice one more time. The Congress media managers hyped up the issue to take political mileage. They are all well aware of one thing. Public memory is pretty short. It didnt matter that Sonia was filing the nominations barely a month after she resigned. She had successfully proved that she is not a person who runs behind power.

However, there are people like me who are not particularly impressed. Firstly, there is no sacrifice. After all, she stayed away for just 2 months. That too when the parliament was not in session. If she had regretted for holding an OOP, she must have stayed away for the entire term. Just resigning from both posts and immidiately getting one of them back cant be termed as a sacrifice, how much ever you project it to be one. It is nothing but a farce. The ultimate loser here is the state which had to bear the reelection expenses.

How much ever I may dislike Sonia and her politics, I must admit that I am a big votary of her PR skills. The way she ends up projecting herself as the wronged one everytime, is just awesome. One incident fresh in everyone's mind is of course her dramatic refusal of the PM's post. After the BJP lost badly in the 2004 elections, they had nothing to fight about except the issue of Sonia's foreign origin. They kept on harping. Sonia refused the post promptly, leaving the BJP gasping for breath. Had they anticipated this move, they could have countered it effectively. Sonia Gandhi scored a double there. She won over millions of hearts and at the same time made sure that major policy decisions of the government were taken at 10, Janpath, her residence.

This time too, she has managed to pull off a spectacular win. The BJP is again caught on the wrong foot. Along with her own win, the party's success in Assam and TN have confirmed that Sonia reigns supreme in Indian politics, at least for the time being.

Well, as an after thought, I feel like adding one more thing. The person who had the required capability to counter Sonia is sadly no more. Mr Pramod Mahajan will be badly missed by the BJP.

Hennu, Honnu and Mannu.

Strange title, eh? Well, could not think of anything better! Anyways, without wasting much time, will get down to what I intend to tell.

Last week, my best friend was in Bangalore. As usual, I went to meet him. His grand parents had also come down to visit them. As ours is a long standing friendship, we both know almost everyone in each other's family.

His grandfather is a very jovial and a kind hearted person. He always leaves me amazed in the way he treats both adults and youngsters with equal respect.

That day, my friend's grandfather was in a rather pensive mood and was churning out many advises. Many of which directly related to our lives. I thought of writing about one particular advise which instantly struck chord with me.

In his usual style, my friend's grandfather commented-- "Hennu, Honnu, Mannu ella namma runa idhange maga. Sikkidre jaasti santosa nu padbaardu, sikkdidre dukha nu padbaardu".

Translated to english, it means-- "We getting the things we want so badly, cheifly the girl, money or land, is wholly and solely determined by our fate. Therefore, we must not be excessivily happy when we get it or be depressed when we dont".

The more I thought about these words, the more I realised how true they were. I instantly dismissed the last two. Honnu and Mannu (Money and Land). They were related to his age. In the present IT/BT age, making money is more and more in our hands than in fate's. A strong will coupled with hard work makes fate redundant in these cases. I felt worried about the only remaining item on the list. Hennu- Girl.

On this point, I found that my friend's grandfather was dead right. How much ever we desire or deserve someone, how much ever we try to attain our goal, the result ultimately is not in our hands. The external factors, often negatve, are innumerable. I am sure everyone knows about the factors. I prefer not to elaborate on those here.

I told my friend's grandfather that I fully agreed with him on this point. He gave a satisfied smile. My friend sighed and murmured "Ella sari, dukha padbardu andre hege? Ashtu kashta pattu sigdidre dukha aagallva?"(What do you mean, dont feel bad? Its quite natural to feel bad). I looked at my friend in surprise. Why was he asking that question? That was the first thing I asked him when we were alone. He clarified that he was talking on behalf of one more freind who was struggling to come to terms with the harsh reality of this adage.

The wise old man patted his grandson. Obviously he had seen and faced it all. "Dukha aguthe maga... Aadre dukha na nungi nagta irovne manushya. Yaava vastu nu namage sigo tanaka namdu annkobaardu. Adhe secrtettu", he smiled at his kanglish. Roughly he meant that we must make a conscious effort to forget our worries and keep smiling.

Though it was a valuable lesson, I feel strongly that its time we shunt out the last remaining item in that adage out of fate's reach. Our society took centuries to achieve the eradication of first two. Wonder how long the third will take!

Farewell, Mr Mahajan.

Last week, India lost one more of its most promising sons. Pramod Mahajan passed away after fighting his best against an inevitable death.

Mr.Mahajan was one of the very few dynamic, hardworking, creative, assertive, frank politicians in the country. Being a very prominent GenNext face of the BJP, he definitely had lots more to offer.

Another bud stubbed out much before it blossomed fully. May his soul rest in peace. That is all we can ask for.

Making a mistake is not a mistake at all. Not learning from it is!
-- Abhi

Tribute to an actor par excellence: Dr Rajkumar (1928 - 2006)

Yesterday, on April 12th, Karnataka lost its most precious jewel. Dr Rajkumar passed away after a massive cardiac arrest at about 2.30 in the afternoon, leaving behind an orphaned Karnataka. The "Annavru" of entire Karnataka had left behind a surprised and aghast "Abhimani Devarugalu".

Dr Rajkumar had been ailing for sometime now. He was repeatedly taken to hospital for treatment in the recent days. He was devastated after his younger brother Varadaraju's death. On the black wednesday, his heart could not bear it any longer and gave away marking an end to a golden era not only in the Kannada film industry but also in the national entertainment industry.

Dr Rajkumar was an actor par excellence. He knew nothing else apart from acting. His schooling ended at class 3 (Which he would later recall while receiving an honarary doctorate from Mysore University, stating that he knows too little to be a doctor), when he took interest in theatre. He was known as Muthuraj in those days. He had the full support from his father, an established theatre actor himself. After a long stint at drama where his acting skills were applauded, he made his silver screen debut in 1954 with Bedara Kannappa. Renamed Rajkumar, he never looked back. He delivered hit after hit which made him the uncrowned king of the Kannada film industry.

Dr Raj acted in 205 movies in all. Most of them are super hits. He etched and excelled in all kinds of roles. Be it mythological characters like Arjuna, Mahishasura or historical characters like Mayura, Pulakeshi, Krishnadevaraya or social characters in movies like Bangarada Manushya Kasturi Nivasa, Jeevana Chaitra or devotional characters like Bhakta Kumbara, Kaviratna Kalidaasa-- Rajkumar handled it all with elan.

Apart from his acting prowess, what endeared Dr Raj to millions of people was his lifestyle. An extremely simple man, he was humility personified. Some of his closest associates wonder how Rajkumar remained so humble even after reaching such great height. They remember with reverence how Dr Raj got up each time to receive someone who came to see him, whether he was a young boy or a old man. We could rather say he reached that height only because he remained humble. Even in his last movie Shabdavedhi, Dr Raj never arrived late on the sets even a single day!! How much more disciplined can a man get?

His principles reflected in his movies. If we decide to follow perfectionism (A philosophy where man's every action is compared to an ideal action in that particular situation to decide whether its good or bad), we need not look further. Dr Raj's movies serve as the perfect ideals. The best example I can think of is Bangarada Manushya. Can one ever forget the hero Rajeevappa, who is humanity personified?? No wonder the movie is the longest running Kannada movie till date. Other examples are Devata Manushya, Kastoori Nivasa, Sakshaatkaara, Haalu Jenu, Jeevana Chaitra, Akasmika... Not to forget, the thespian had an amazing comic sense. In every movie, Dr Raj had a message for the viewers. The icing on the cake was that Dr Raj was also a great singer. He sang some of the all time great Kannada songs.

Dr Raj's love for Kannada was apparent when chose not to act in any other language. Infact in his 5 decade long career, not once did he act in a non-Kannada film, despite getting umteen number of offers to do so. The Gokak movement in the 70's got the sharpness of a sword the moment he jumped into it. Throughout his life, Dr Raj has been at the forefront of any movement for the upliftment of Kannada and Karnataka. Dr Raj single handedly brought respectabilty to the Kannada film industry. His constant encouragement has helped innumerable actors find feet in the industry. Scores of actors attribute thier success to the great man. The greatness was once again displayed when Dr Raj firmly refused many offers to join politics. All political parties tried a lot to rope him in. But Dr Raj said that his life was totally dedicated to art. Moreover, he believed that he didnt belong to any one party. He belonged to entire Karnataka.

This one action speaks volumes about the man. In an era where all his contemporaries like MGR and NTR were using thier filmy popularity in politics, Dr Raj refused to do so. If he had intended, he could have ruled the political scene in Karnataka for any number of years. Some people I know complain that Dr Raj didnt do enough for upliftment of the society. Not that he didnt. Dr Raj has done a lot. But maybe not to the extent of other stars like NTR or Rajnikant. This is simply because these other stars nurtured a political ambition which Dr Raj didnt possess. Thus, equating these people with Dr Raj would definitely be unfair. His movies, however, remain his most important contribution to people. The messages in them, if absorbed, can create a model society.

Many awards were bestowed on the thespian. It must however be said that Dr Raj, never the one to go behind awards, was recognised very late in his career. He was awarded the Karnataka Ratna, Gubbi Veeranna Prashasti, Padma Bushan. When the Karnataka government instituted the Karnataka Ratna award, it wanted to award it first to Rajkumar. However, the ever humble Dr Raj said-- "Give it first to Kuvempu"! The icing on the cake was the Dada Saheb Palke award and the Kentuky Kernel award. He was awarded the state's best actor award a record 9 times. It was ironical that he won his only national award for singing! He was awarded the best singer for his "Nadamaya..." in Jeevana Chaitra. He is the only actor in the country (maybe even in the world) to win the best singer award. Inspite of the government recognising him very late, the public gave him scores of awards and titles. "NataSarvabhouma", "NataShekara", "Rasikara Raja", "VaraNata" are just to name a few.

As someone aptly put it, yesterday, every Kannada household lost its big brother. My family is no different. Everyone in our house is an ardent Dr Raj fan. Yesterday when I got the news in office, I went numb for a minute. Then I thought it may be a rumour and called home. My mother's tone confirmed that the news was true. She was crying. That was the case with every woman in my household. Dr Raj's death was a great loss. In recent times for our family, Dr Raj's latest movies were like parties where all the 20 of us watched it together. The examples are Akasmika and Jeevana Chaitra. The fact that Dr Raj was my grandfather's favorite actor, both my father's and my "Annavru" proves that he enjoys an enviable popularity among all three generations.

Though Dr Raj is physically not present anymore with us, his legacy will live on till Kannada and Karnataka exists. The masterpieces he has left behind, interms of his movies and songs, will continue to inspire both the common man and film fraternity alike. Even in death, Dr Raj showed that he was a great human being. He donated his eyes which will now bring light to two blind people.

One of his songs is going round in my mind repeatedly... So, I will quote it here. It goes this way-- "Aadisuvatha besara moodi aata mugisidha; Sootrava harida bombeya muridha mannagisidha..." This song is from one of the greatest Dr Raj movies-- Kastoori Nivasa. It translates to something like this-- "The almighty got bored and has ended the game; He has torn apart the binding strength, broken the toy and has floored it..."

May the great soul rest in peace. Please join me in this prayer.

My new year resolution!!

Yes, I know its a bit too late for New year resolutions.. :). But better late than never. Maybe I can term it a Hindu new year resolution!!

Right, so what is my resolution? Well, I have decided that I should do/learn atleast one thing new everyday. I have been doing it for sometime now and believe me, its a really refreshing feeling. So, I want to continue it on a long term basis.

It may not necessarily be something technical. It can be anything on this world. Just that it has to be something new. Something I didnt know previously. It may be a new UNIX command. Or some other programming construct. Or something non technical such as knowing a country's name. Yes, I dont know the names of more than half of them. It may well be some new way to stare at girls without they noticing :)).

The method to implement it typically is to ask myself at regular intervals what new I have learnt that day... This way, I am constantly on the look out to learn something.

I am starting off with a lot of zeal. Hope I can sustain it in the time to come. Wish me the best of luck in this endeavour. I also take the liberty to call upon you people to start something like this. It is really a satisfying feeling.

Being alive doesnt always mean living life.

-- Abhi.

God, make me a 5 year old again...

Hai all... This is my first blog. It required quite a lot of pestering and pampering by many people for me to create a blogger account. I am somehow not yet convinced that one can be creative in front of the computer. I am sort of still in the old times and prefer to write on paper. However, I am giving it a shot.
People tell me that I write well. Frankly, I have written too little to claim that I write well. Whatever little I have written cannot be shared with everyone since its very personal. So, I decided that its high time I write something which everyone can read. Before you people get bored out, I will start with what I intend to put across in this blog.
I recently had a very interesting experience. As some people know, we shifted some time back. Some two months back. Next to the house we were previously in, there is a kid. We call her Sonu. She is around 3 years old. She is extremely cute and lovable. She used to spend almost all her waking hours in our house. Almost all days, she used to have food with us. My mom had given her the first preference in everything, ahead of us. As I adore kids, I especially loved to spend time with Sonu. We used to go for long walks together. Though she could not speak much, I could understand exactly what she wanted. Apparently she too enjoyed my company as I occasionally presented with toys and brought her chocolates. She was also looking up to us and learning from us.
Then, we shifted. We shifted to a bigger and a better house. Also, since work kept me more and more busy, I could not go back to meet Sonu for a month or so. Recently I met her. But, much to my surprise, I found that she was struggling to even recognise me. It took her a long time to even smile at me. I was surprised because we had spent 2 years together and she used to adore me. Apparently, she had moved on. No, she didnt ask me reasons. I could have offered her a hundred, but she was not interested. It had taken her less than a month to forget us. She had found new Big Brothers and started to get along with them. Though I felt a pinch, I was not particularly upset. She was only a kid. But it definitely got me thinking.
I wonder how its so easy for kids to move on, find new mates, get inspired by new things almost daily. Its we grown ups who get stuck and are reluctant to move on. When I introspected a little, I found myself stuck pretty miserably. There are a few people and I have to say one in particular whom I just cannot do without. Though I know that a subset of these people do not feel the same way as I do, I still keep calling up and messaging. There are many instances where they simply do not respond. I must however admit that sometimes there were genuine reasons. But most of the times, its lack of interest. Previously it used to anger me a lot. Now I dont get upset anymore, maybe I have got used to it. Still, somehow I dont discontinue the process. I am plainly and miserably stuck. I just admire Sonu and kids in general for their ability to move on. I felt Sonu telling me -- Tu nahi toh koi aur sahi!! I wonder why we grown ups are not able to do it. Why are we not able to get inspired by new things, new people? When will we understand that its not the end of the road if one inspiration is gone. Why dont we just find another just like Sonu found new Big Brothers?
Few days back, I was incidently checking the dialed numbers in my mobile and was amazed as to how many times the same numbers repeated. When I checked the received calls list, the repeated numbers were no where to be found. That's when I realised how many other people were trying to reach out for me and I was simply not getting back to them. I was so busy in trying not to lose my "close" people that I simply forgot about the many others who think that I am important for them. I had shrunk my world to just a few people. The moment I realised it, I called up five of them. Some solace there.
I thank Sonu who, though small in age, made me learn an important lesson. I have decided that though a few people are most important in my life, I will not lose sight of others who think that I am important for them. However, I must admit that its a lot more difficult or near impossible for me to achieve what Sonu did with apparent ease-- Find new inspiration when one goes away. How I wish to be a five year old again...
I will leave you guys at that for the time being. If you ever manage to read it and are able to form an opinion about my writing, or the topic, please feel free to respond. I, for now, must get back to contacting those close guys. Well, they have not responded to my umpteen calls and messages for the past three days. Damn, will I ever learn!!