Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Moon shine
Aachooo!!!..sniffle.. Here i am, on a wednesday evening, (which is to us like what saturday night is for the normal world), sitting and wasting my time on this sweet blog 'o mine ( this is probably the only original thing I do now-a-days), not knowing what to do. Three months into a B-School (amongst the top 10 mind you) and I am still wondering what am I here for.
As i start doodling, the theme of the 'Dark side of the moon' struck me, and how!! Every song in that album is filled with gems. When I was in engineering college, the album had a different 'context' and altered my 'behavior' forever. When I started working, it had a different meaning in itself making me understand the fact that the world is too dangerous a place for non-conformists like me.
And now that I am in a B-School each and every song makes sense; to the core. I am increasingly convinced that Roger Waters wrote DSOM seeing the plight of a HBS student (since our college was not around then). Now let me elaborate on this using pieces from DSOM
a) Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.......
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
This is a song which remains true for each and every moment of my life... and I think of more than 99% of the ppl around me... how many hours do you waste thinking that the time will come when you will spread your wings and soar... only to be pushed back into lassitude with another one of those endless assignments, group works, presentations et al. Time to sleep is much less than the time to do hat swapping or a movie analysis for that matter. Did I mention how they murder a fantabulous movie in here?? I'd rather not!! When we can' t get beyond the mundane, where is the time to fly?? I leave the reader to interpret the rest of the song... i can't commit sacrilege here...
b) Run, rabbit run.
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.
Again self explanatory. Those who think of doing quality work are generally the ones derided and who become frustrated at the apathy and fake sympathy of others. Trying to be honest with your self is next to impossible, forget with others. And need I say more about the work we do? ?
c) Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
This is perhaps the only motive of the whole MBA populace... (and I have this feeling that I am kinda falling into their gameplan too)
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.
Yeah right. And here we can't pay our Vrindy bills. Having your home in the same city as your B-School is a blessing in disguise no doubt; given that your parents give you a weekly allowance for all and sundry ;)! And who would not have come to this place without a similar dream like the one above??
d) Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside.
"I mean, they're not gunna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
sharp, shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off
lightly, 'cos I would've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once!
It was only a difference of opinion, but really...I mean good manners
don't cost nothing do they, eh?"
Us - Me and like minded souls who have been sacrificed in this so called 'altar of knowledge' for wanting to understand business
Them - I would like to call them as Max and MadMax and i hope everyone understands who they are. By the way don't even bother to understand why they are... it's one of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries: bigger than sighting an UFO or Osama Bin Laden or both...
Also, don't forget to listen to the whole song... you will understand it a lot better!!
The remaining songs will not have any explanations for they are very vivid and hit the hats on the head!
f) The lunatic is in my head.
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
g) "I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, been
over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands..."
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even
if you're not mad..."
h) and possibly the only saving grace; the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel (did i hear some one say it could be that of an oncoming train??..well it could be one for all that you know !!)
All that you touch...
...All that's to come
and everything under the sun is in tune
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.!!"
Thank you ladies and gentleman... for going through this post!!
Floyd and Zep will continue to rock the world till apocalypse.
Anyone who shares my feelings, please do comment. I don't like publicity and so would depend on you people for bringing together like minded-people who feel as concerned as I do!!
PS: I wonder why a running nose is possibly the only inspiration for me to blog??
As i start doodling, the theme of the 'Dark side of the moon' struck me, and how!! Every song in that album is filled with gems. When I was in engineering college, the album had a different 'context' and altered my 'behavior' forever. When I started working, it had a different meaning in itself making me understand the fact that the world is too dangerous a place for non-conformists like me.
And now that I am in a B-School each and every song makes sense; to the core. I am increasingly convinced that Roger Waters wrote DSOM seeing the plight of a HBS student (since our college was not around then). Now let me elaborate on this using pieces from DSOM
a) Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.......
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
This is a song which remains true for each and every moment of my life... and I think of more than 99% of the ppl around me... how many hours do you waste thinking that the time will come when you will spread your wings and soar... only to be pushed back into lassitude with another one of those endless assignments, group works, presentations et al. Time to sleep is much less than the time to do hat swapping or a movie analysis for that matter. Did I mention how they murder a fantabulous movie in here?? I'd rather not!! When we can' t get beyond the mundane, where is the time to fly?? I leave the reader to interpret the rest of the song... i can't commit sacrilege here...
b) Run, rabbit run.
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.
Again self explanatory. Those who think of doing quality work are generally the ones derided and who become frustrated at the apathy and fake sympathy of others. Trying to be honest with your self is next to impossible, forget with others. And need I say more about the work we do? ?
c) Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you're okay.
This is perhaps the only motive of the whole MBA populace... (and I have this feeling that I am kinda falling into their gameplan too)
Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
I'm in the high-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet.
Yeah right. And here we can't pay our Vrindy bills. Having your home in the same city as your B-School is a blessing in disguise no doubt; given that your parents give you a weekly allowance for all and sundry ;)! And who would not have come to this place without a similar dream like the one above??
d) Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside.
"I mean, they're not gunna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
sharp, shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off
lightly, 'cos I would've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once!
It was only a difference of opinion, but really...I mean good manners
don't cost nothing do they, eh?"
Us - Me and like minded souls who have been sacrificed in this so called 'altar of knowledge' for wanting to understand business
Them - I would like to call them as Max and MadMax and i hope everyone understands who they are. By the way don't even bother to understand why they are... it's one of the world's biggest unsolved mysteries: bigger than sighting an UFO or Osama Bin Laden or both...
Also, don't forget to listen to the whole song... you will understand it a lot better!!
The remaining songs will not have any explanations for they are very vivid and hit the hats on the head!
f) The lunatic is in my head.
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You re-arrange me 'til I'm sane.
You lock the door
And throw away the key
There's someone in my head but it's not me.
g) "I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, been
over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands..."
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even
if you're not mad..."
h) and possibly the only saving grace; the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel (did i hear some one say it could be that of an oncoming train??..well it could be one for all that you know !!)
All that you touch...
...All that's to come
and everything under the sun is in tune
but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.
"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.!!"
Thank you ladies and gentleman... for going through this post!!
Floyd and Zep will continue to rock the world till apocalypse.
Anyone who shares my feelings, please do comment. I don't like publicity and so would depend on you people for bringing together like minded-people who feel as concerned as I do!!
PS: I wonder why a running nose is possibly the only inspiration for me to blog??
Thursday, August 09, 2007
And who said man doesn't care??
Source: The BBC
So who needs to be more thankful?? the monkey who clambered upon the man for safety or the master for whom the monkey waited??
point to ponder, huh?
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
The circus!!
I frigging hate the Indian media, more so the ones based in Mumbai and
Having lived in this city of dreams for 21 years now, I still fondly remember the days when the TOI was still the Old Lady of Bori Bunder and the newspapers had a lot to look forward to early in the morning.
Compare this with what we have today: reams and reams of newsprint talking about news which is possibly irrelevant to a majority of the public.
Well you say this is what the majority of the earning populace (read: yuppies) want; well you are mistaken. I am sure not all of today’s youth is so interested in seeing blown up photographs of nubile young ladies who possibly don't have a living or a moral or both. You call me boorish; well may be I am, but more than that I am concerned about where we as a society are being pushed to by these so called partners in nation building.
Is it necessary that any developed society be unabashedly hedonistic?? Materialism is alright but does it include narcissism too?
Maybe I am confused as always but I am getting increasingly confident that it's the truth.
Consider the newspaper and media reports of the past few days. (To admit the truth, I have been kind of insulated from the news channels for the last month or so as there isn't much time for TV in a 'Top Ten B-School' but I do follow their websites regularly (oh by the way we have a great IT infrastructure in place in here J ...)
The main preoccupation of the ToI and HT, Mumbai seem to be freeing their demi-god Sanju baba...He is innocent they say. He erred then but has more than made up for it. Poor Sanju baby can't eat jail food and sleep on the floor there. And the restaurants in the city are so very excited that they have a chicken sanju baba on their menu. How truly innovating!! And another article goes on about how so much publicity is actually bad for his case...Guys do you even think outside Bollywood? What about all the others who were also held guilty and hence given heftier punishments than him? Do they not have a family? Don’t they repent? And to top it all someone says Gandhiism (and not -giri) has gone to jail... Bapu (God bless his soul) must be turning in his grave.
Another article that came in today's paper was how the chief minister of
I am not personally against the film stars or their hedonisms... but I can't take the media making a hue and cry about it.
The function of the media should be humanitarian. Consider the continuing floods in
The Economic Times (same media house as the ToI) reports the same tragedy on its front page.Why? Is it that the economic effects of a flood are much higher than the human loss?? Or is ET a better newspaper in terms of news content?
This attitude represents the highest form of apathy to a tragedy that is unimaginable in magnitude. And I am sure that these media houses are going to come out with a national donation program to help the flood affected once all is hunky dory…After all you are contributing to a natural cause... imagine how much public frenzy can be worked up... after all aren’t we a caring corporate?
As long as such short sighted media centric issues continue to dominate our psyche through the media, it is very difficult to build a proactive public opinion on issues of national importance.
I have this sinking feeling that they are taking us back into the western culture of the late '80s when the world grooved to the sound of money. Well money is still important and pleasant and will always be but what is not is the attitude of voyeurism that prevails in here. If such newspapers are to play their self-proclaimed role of nation building through the idea of building public opinion, then we are way off course. Who do you think will have the courage to steer this rocking ship back to its charted route?? To unquote Queen,
“God save the people”!!!
At night 12.00 'o clock with a nose that is overflowing like the Bhagmati in Nepal... this is all that I could manage. Maybe I'll correct the errors later...
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sez who?
Ok. i am in a lull right now...
so for the time being i'll try to put up a quotable quote every day...and maybe my comments too
I'll start with the Shaman himself
The Peace frog was always right!
When i look at the people around me (yours truly included), all bright, ambitious young lads and lasses with the fire for success burning (in) them - i realise the meaning of all this: somewhere down the line you lose your innocence. Why o why should everyone be a winner??? Is it not normal to play the game, well, just to have fun?? Is winning more important than playing itself??
Do you have to cheat for a game as simple as 'Treasure Hunt' ??
Why on earth should I not enjoy my Sunday?
Why is a B-School made out to be the monster that it never was, is or will be?? Will the hype ever phase out??
Or will I phase out faster?? ( will I - the eternal rebel, play straight into their hands??? Only the master of them all - Time, will tell.)
so for the time being i'll try to put up a quotable quote every day...and maybe my comments too
I'll start with the Shaman himself
28.07.07
Some people surrender their freedom willingly but others are forced to surrender it. Imprisonment begins with birth. Society, parents they refuse to allow you to keep the freedom you were born with. There are subtle ways to punish a person for daring to feel. You see that everyone around you has destroyed his true feeling nature. You imitate what you see.
- Jim Morrison - band member, the doors~The Peace frog was always right!
When i look at the people around me (yours truly included), all bright, ambitious young lads and lasses with the fire for success burning (in) them - i realise the meaning of all this: somewhere down the line you lose your innocence. Why o why should everyone be a winner??? Is it not normal to play the game, well, just to have fun?? Is winning more important than playing itself??
Do you have to cheat for a game as simple as 'Treasure Hunt' ??
Why on earth should I not enjoy my Sunday?
Why is a B-School made out to be the monster that it never was, is or will be?? Will the hype ever phase out??
Or will I phase out faster?? ( will I - the eternal rebel, play straight into their hands??? Only the master of them all - Time, will tell.)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
An ode to a boy band - I
This is no ordinary listing but then the subject ain't ordinary either. Welcome to the world of music of Jones, Bonham, Plant and Page – the inimitable quartet that changed the meaning of the word rock music and were the true fathers of crossover music, much before the Beatles and other Johnny-come-lately types. Anyone who has seen the live performance video of the Stairway will testify that no one could match them for the sheer energy of their performance in the drug filled haze that was everywhere- on stage and off it too.
In this limited space I have tried to come up with what zeppelin means to me as a band, as a breathing and living entity in itself years after its demise, as a tool of emancipation for all who care to lend an ear or two and a piece of their soul. Given below is an alphabetical listing of a few songs of zeppelin (I am still discovering the music you see…) that I have to come to love and will continue all through my life.
Achilles’ last stand
This is one helluva energetic song what with the drum beats that break into a frenzy.
This song also helps one go on an ego trip with ‘the mighty arms of the Atlas hold the heavens from the air’ line. Awesome solo piece towards the end… all in all a great number.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led zepp prove that they are equally adept with the folksy kind of songs. The foot starts tapping and soon breaks into a stomp!! One of the best crossover songs to ever come out of mainstream rock music!!
Black Mountain Side:
Whoever says that an acoustic guitar doesn’t suit rock needs to listen to this. Catch Page at his best with the lilting yet arrhythmic rhythm. The tabla in the background makes it difficult to believe that this one too is from Zeppelin’s stable. However variety has always been their trademark… and this one just takes it one notch higher!!
Carouselambra –
Carousel == drunken revelry. Need I say more? One of the very few songs in which jimmy, using his Gibson EDS-1275 is very muted and underplayed. The song is characterized by the heavy synth-work of Jones. The song almost reaches progressive proportions and is characterized by the three sections each being distinctive in tempo and sound.
In this limited space I have tried to come up with what zeppelin means to me as a band, as a breathing and living entity in itself years after its demise, as a tool of emancipation for all who care to lend an ear or two and a piece of their soul. Given below is an alphabetical listing of a few songs of zeppelin (I am still discovering the music you see…) that I have to come to love and will continue all through my life.
Achilles’ last stand
This is one helluva energetic song what with the drum beats that break into a frenzy.
This song also helps one go on an ego trip with ‘the mighty arms of the Atlas hold the heavens from the air’ line. Awesome solo piece towards the end… all in all a great number.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led zepp prove that they are equally adept with the folksy kind of songs. The foot starts tapping and soon breaks into a stomp!! One of the best crossover songs to ever come out of mainstream rock music!!
Black Mountain Side:
Whoever says that an acoustic guitar doesn’t suit rock needs to listen to this. Catch Page at his best with the lilting yet arrhythmic rhythm. The tabla in the background makes it difficult to believe that this one too is from Zeppelin’s stable. However variety has always been their trademark… and this one just takes it one notch higher!!
Carouselambra –
Carousel == drunken revelry. Need I say more? One of the very few songs in which jimmy, using his Gibson EDS-1275 is very muted and underplayed. The song is characterized by the heavy synth-work of Jones. The song almost reaches progressive proportions and is characterized by the three sections each being distinctive in tempo and sound.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The Police Story!!!!
Excerpt from www.in.answers.yahoo.com
Dr. Kiran Bedi:
About Me: I am a serving member of the Indian Police Service (IPS). As destiny would have it I became the first woman in India to join this service, in 1972. I have believed in Policing as a 'Power to Correct and the Power to Prevent'. Therefore my whole approach to policing has been around this belief. Be it in district police, or prison management.
Without working for rewards, many came my way. The most coveted being the Magsaysay Award in Government Service, also called the Asian Noble prize. My belief in the concept of 'Welfare Policing' made me institute two non-profit organisations, namely, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation which reach out to thousands of children and women in education, training and counselling in slums, villages and prisons. Besides also running residential drug rehab center for drug addicts. I am a Doctorate from IIT delhi, A Law graduate and a Nehru fellow. I have authored five books besides being a regular columnist in national dailies. http://www.kiranbedi.com...
Her Question :
Without working for rewards, many came my way. The most coveted being the Magsaysay Award in Government Service, also called the Asian Noble prize. My belief in the concept of 'Welfare Policing' made me institute two non-profit organisations, namely, Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation which reach out to thousands of children and women in education, training and counselling in slums, villages and prisons. Besides also running residential drug rehab center for drug addicts. I am a Doctorate from IIT delhi, A Law graduate and a Nehru fellow. I have authored five books besides being a regular columnist in national dailies. http://www.kiranbedi.com...
Her Question :
What measures would you like to see to make the Police Forces more accountable to citizens?
Tragically, the Police force today is seen to serve the best interests of political parties, bureaucrats, businessmen and other such entities. For most police personnel, this is a way of survival. The purpose of police in any society is to maintain law and order and ensure public safety. Policing, like teaching and medicine, has a very intimate connection with social life and social change. Yet, the Police are hardly seen in such terms by citizens. At best, there is a sense of cynicism and at worst, even fear of the Police forces. How do we insulate policing from such negative political and bureaucratic interferences to make it fully accountable to law and civil society?
My Answer:
The sense of cynicism and fear, both are not misplaced, mainly due to past experiences and media reports. Also I think if even if a morally upright and honest police offer wanted to be that way, he wouldn't be able to last very long, especially if he happens to be from the lower rungs of the constabulary, mainly due to peer pressure and due to insufficient monetary compensation.
To improve the accountability of the police forces, a few measures could be,
Insulate the forces from the bureaucracy and the politicians. This would include bringing about an enhanced level of professionalism
Make the policemen people friendly, change the image of the everyday policeman we meet on the streets by making him aware of the people's problems in approaching him. Equip the police force with more soft-skills and lots of sensitivity in handling matters which are emotional to the people. Also needed is a change in the attitude towards women especially the vulnerable ones.
Some sections of the society such as prostitutes, eunuchs, street urchins need to be looked at not as just another case but as people who are really disadvantaged socially and otherwise.
These skills need to be followed up with more serious and important activities of reducing crime rates, faster action in cases involving homicides, rapes etc… where evidence collection is extremely time-bound.
Another important aspect to be addressed is the removal of corruption by effective self-redressal mechanisms (the ACB not being as effective as it should be).
Lastly an increase in the remuneration to the policemen in keeping with the current inflationary trends should be provided if necessary so that a policeman can also provide a decent life to his wife and children.
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