Musings from Temple City

Chronicles from XIMB :Prologue

2010-01-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Feels like yesterday....I stepped into the hallowed portals of XIMB.Those first few classes went off in a jiffy.Needless to say, I wasn't able to relate to most of them be it Quantitative Methods or Microeconomics.Today,when i prepare to leave the campus in less than two months , I feel nostalgic about those first few days.I was amongst the first few guys to have come to the campus.I knew around 50% of my batchmates before joining the course and more than 50% knew me!Am cursing myself now for not keeping you all updated on the life in general at B-School.Believe me it is nothing short of bollywood masala stuff you get to read in Filmfare & like.Romance, rivalry,heartbreaks,backstabbing,unionism,arm twisting,rumors,gossips I saw it all & experienced it first hand to bare it all now!
So keep watching this space!
Coming Up:Chronicles from XIMB: The first 15 Days!!!

Good Old Days

2009-12-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

The gutkha stained staircases,silly pranks in Lal sir's classes,the graphiti on the desks & walls,the unwavering smile of the Tea stall wala as motorbikes breezed through the dusty bylanes of BJB College are some of the fond memories that shall reverberate on the back of my mind forever .That was circa 2002,& the good old days, when a bunch of carefree teen rebels used to think the world was all theirs'.Those were the days & believe me it was amazing to be with a bunch of starry eyed teenagers who believed that they could achieve anything under the sun!Those innumerable unsuspecting moments made my life & in a hindsight,I realize that,this element is such an essential ingredient of life.How things evolved is a different story altogether,but it would be unfair to discount the innate happiness i derived from the existence of a support system.If i divide my life into two parts,probably those years were the special one !Success followed soon after.I moved along in life and today supposedly on the greener side of the grass,i desperately search for that support system & that happiness.No wonder, i sometimes find this place like a forlorn palace full of bemused creatures.A gentleman once compared MBAs with programmed robots & sadly,inspite of being here for 18 months,i don't have many arguments to refute his claims.

In Memoriam

2009-10-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Insanity is the norm in B-School.I sometimes wonder how it would be sans the confusion that prevails in this place .It was a welcome respite to find a saner schedule in this Term.I think its like the proverbial lull before the storm with placements round the corner.Nevertheless,unlike previous terms I wasn't saddled with commitments & that gave me the much needed solitude.After grappling with the thoughts of love & hatred for past few months I finally thought to pen this memoriam in fond memory of her & probably share those hitherto hidden facets of my personal life.
She brought an air of freshness into my other wise mundane life.The finer details are immaterial.She called our meeting a destiny,I differed.In my wildest of dreams,i had never thought that we were made for each other.I always felt we both were from different worlds & we were diametrically opposite in certain aspects & unexpectedly very similar in some aspects.In those days,I used to be surprised by her unflinching faith on destiny & I still vividly remember our first meeting.Soon,we began to meet regularly for we loved each other's company.Our rendezvous used to be well planned & we liked each other's personality immensely.We used to talk for hours together.There have been instances when the waiter in the coffee shop actually told us it was time for the shop to close!We had become quite close to each other sharing every joy & sorrow of our life with each other.The cupid struck finally & i popped the question.Actually i had been thinking about it for a long time,but again i never expected her to say yes.In a way,she was very important to me as a friend & I didn't want to hurt her & impair our friendship in the process.To my utter surprise she said yes & I was stunned to hear from her own mouth that she was crazy about me.I relished every moment spent with her.The wonderful sojourns to picturesque locales of the city,getting wet in the rains of September,all those chilly evenings in the roads of Bhubaneswar,the long drives,those mystical visits to Temples,Those discreet meetings behind the Guest House,those long Duration calls & Sweet SMS'es,Shopping sprees & last but not the least the numerous visits to restaurants of all types & sizes.I relish all those moments.Life was beautiful,Thanks to you."
After four beautiful years,she left in search of life ,a family & a better future.She had called once to tell me she would always love me & I was special to her .Not being the type of men who understand complexities of life,I still haven't figured out what she meant by those words.I miss her more often than not,but probably that is the way it had to culminate.May be i can take solace from the fact that most great relationships culminated in a similar fashion!

Reviewing An Article:The first experience

2009-09-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

NREGA (The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.) redefined populism for it was combined with economic sense. In august, 2005 the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan singh launched this ambitious scheme amidst a lot of fanfare & media coverage. Noted economists & social scientists envisioned it as an ultimate panacea for rapid poverty alleviation in rural India & this article “NREGA Implemenation-1 Reasonable Beginning in Palakkad, Kerala” tries to do a post mortem analysis of the same in the communist bastion of Kerala. The article is based on the research conducted by two students of Economic Research Group of St. Stephens College, New Delhi namely Arun Jacob & Richard Varghese.

Paradoxically, Kerala which has one of the highest literacy rates in the country & has exceptionally good social indicators fares very poorly when it comes to employment. This has had tremendous social & political consequences. One such upshot was visible in the registration process which attracted many an educated youth of Kerala. So, does it point towards a disturbing social phenomenon of education being a cause for ones’ impediment rather than growth? Is kerala a failed state? Many such questions linger on the back of our mind which remains unanswered. The Article has concentrated only on the Palakkad District and has not tried to explore the interplay of relationships between Palakkad & other bigger states of Kerala. However the authors do shower their lavish praises on the administrative structures viz. the various local bodies & the decentralized model of governance. The authors have tried to use comparison as a mode to convey their findings very subtly. For example the authors have cited the high number of women registrations & attributed the same to the high literacy rate and at the same time highlighted the concept of differential wage payments that existed prior to the scheme’s launch. Similarly, they have tried to distinguish between the roles played by the local bodies of Palakkad & Jharkhand .They have scathingly pointed to the dysfunctional Governance structures in Jharkhand as one of the major reasons for limited success of the NREGA Scheme there. Another aspect of this article has been the existence of the social dimension in the analysis & findings. This is illustrated by the importance attributed to literacy, gender equity in wage payment & the fallout of such measures like limited participation of men in the scheme. The authors have also tried to bring in a perspective on corruption & how, here it has been effectively checked through a simple measure like zero -balance bank account.

Nationwide, NREGA has been plagued by implementation issues and one of its proponent, noted economist Jean Drèze has also criticized it on the same grounds. In Palakkad, NREGA’s success was primarily based on three point’s viz. Quality Local Governance institutions, Women Participation & Minimal Corruption. However the plurality in the social model of Kerala & some inherent flaws in the NREGA Scheme were deterrents in its path. The authors have carefully documented their findings in this regard. Amongst other things they have outlined the need for an institutionalised grievance redressal mechanism, Clarity on nature of work & Payments & seasonal variations. They articulate their arguments by citing the example of heavy manual work allotted to women, importance of Harvest season in a village calendar, Cost Allocation for material & wages etc. These roadblocks probably emphasize the need to revisit the “One Size Fits All” approach of the Government for central schemes.

In the article, the authors have clearly distinguished between education & awareness and how the former doesn’t translate into the latter. However, undoubtedly Mass education especially that of women should be the pre-cursor to launch of a social scheme & women should play an important role in that process of de-intermediation or re-intermediation. The existence of excellent administrative structures in Kerala is an ode to the democratic form of Governance and the success of NREGA Implementation in Palakkad belies the fact that social schemes can’t succeed within a democratic framework.

Article Source - NREGA implementation- I: Reasonable Beginning in Palakkad, Kerala by Arun Jacob & Richard Varghese

All about Hatred

2009-08-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

There has been a great deal of research on why a person loves someone.Even there was a time when I used to browse through numerous articles & books on love but today that true love is passe.I hardly seen any lovers around me.All i see is some sex starved souls trying to form illusions just to satisfy their carnal desires.So,I shifted my attention to hatred and why do people hate each other?

Few observations so far:

If its about two people then there is a high probability that the two persons might have liked each other immensely.
Prejudices stemming from self-serving biases
Past incidents that leave a lasting impact on the sub-conscious mind.How many times have you seen boys hating all the female species on this earth just because one particular female they knew ditched them or vice-versa?
Hatred often hurts both the parties but the ego within stops them from reacting.
With passage of time hatred disappears but the hurt remains.As a friend of mine put it "When a glass breaks , even if you try to join it back, the crack still remains there and if you continue to keep it , it reminds you of the damage every time."

Have you ever hated anyone?Please share your opinions,comments & suggestions.

After a Year ......

2009-08-22T13:35:00.001-07:00

At the outset apologies to all my loyal readers.I let you down badly.
So here it is & am back after the longest hiatus a blogger would have ever taken!I somehow had lost the urge to write.I would be lying if I say i don't know why.The usual blame game isn't my cup of tea but somehow i couldn't stop myself from feeling the lack of creative instinct within me.Am I sounding like a narcissist?Well I have become one!now all of you would be interested to know how has life treated me in the past one year.Well,it has been mixed actually & a sincere advice to all the wannabes.The plethora of B-Schoolers,Coaching Institutes & the likes interject a clever mix of facts,figures & statistics to make you that odd B-School look very attractive.The reality is a little different & let us be very honest about it.The obvious question at this juncture would be am I frustrated?The answer is no & it is because this place taught me the most important thing i.e. the critical & often incomprehensible interplay between human beings & the intricacies of human relationships.This place taught me how to be brutally honest & be courteous at the same time.In a nutshell, this place taught me the harsh realities of life which were hitherto unknown to me.A B-School is the last place for the faint hearted,take my word for it.Post B-School life would be different may be for good or for bad.Whatever it is, i would miss my alma mater for sure.I won't like to come back though or for that matter talk about my B-School in public forum.Now why would I do that is anybody's guess!
So,keep guessing :-)

LIVE from B-School !

2008-08-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Am in a B-School finally & this is my first post from the hallowed portals of Xavier Institute of Management,Bhubaneswar.All these years at various points of time i have written about B-Schools & their unique culture.Now,finally am a part of it.Am not quite liking the culture prevalent here with all the usual drama & politics but then thats what management is all about.You experience different moods & eventually become indifferent to the surrounding.You must be having second thoughts about a business education but there are many positives of a business education also & the foremost being the art of time management.Here,multi tasking skills are of paramount importance & so is the ability to prioritize.So,am trying to learn & sync myself with the environment.Watch out for this space.

Passion For Cinema

2008-06-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Am a great believer of the old adage idle mind is devil's workshop.So, I always challenge my brain even if it’s as mundane a activity as watching movies. Cinema has always been a favoured mode of entertainment for me. So, now that I have a lot of leisure time I decided to watch some serious cinema & exercise my brain in the process.2008 has been a bad year for Indian film industry & to be very honest hardly there has been a movie for the thinking man. We have had a few decent movies though but then they were not of the brain challenging type. Well, I have this odd habit of watching these senseless movies in the cineplex, whereas I savour the serious ones on my laptop. So, I brought home the DVDs of two movies The Blood Diamond &The Terminal
Let’s start with Blood Diamond. The movie is an amazing piece of work about a sensitive issue like Conflict Diamonds.Set in Sierra Leone it speaks of the story of Djimon Hounsou,a fisherman & his tryst with destiny.His companions in journey are Leonardo Di Caprio,an Arms trader & Diamond smuggler and Jennifer Connelly,an American journalist One of the high points of this movie is acting prowess displayed by Djimon Hounsou, Leonardo Di Caprio & Jennifer Connelly. Di Caprio with his Rhodesian accent was acclaimed by the critics & I must single out his performance as truly mindblowing.He was also nominated for "Best Actor In A Leading Role" for the 79th OSCARS.Djimon Hounsou was also nominated for "Best Actor In A Supporting Role". You can learn more about the movie at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Diamond_%28film%29. Sometimes, I wonder why new Indian filmmakers can’t make such realistic movies considering the fact that we have no dearth of such critical issues.
The Terminal is also a very enjoyable movie, typical Steven Spielberg stuff. The high Point of this movie is Tom Hanks’ acting. As Viktor novoroski, no where does he let you feel that he is an American & not a East European. Be it his accent, mannerisms or dressing he is just perfect. This movie is entirely shot in an airport terminal except for few portions. Amazing; isn't it? Importantly, you don't get bored & feel monotonous.
I would advise readers to watch these two movies & mail me their opinion or reviews.

The Tale Of Indian Press

2008-05-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Of lately i have been talking to a lot of activists.Once i asked this lady-a vociferous activist-how does one form an opinion on a particular issue?she tried to relate it to her work & emphasized on status studies & field surveys.I put it across her in an even simpler manner.What if its about an issue like say The Tibet issue?
An unusual silence followed.Soon,she started & remarked how as a student she used to browse newspapers & magazines & jotted down notes on important issues.She added on,unlike nowadays access to English newspaper & magazines were limited those days& the only access point was her university library.Even today I read three newspapers & two magazines,she proudly proclaimed."Madam,then isn't your opinion on national & international issues influenced by the articles published in the newspaper & the magazine?"i asked her.
She hesitantly replied,"Well,in a way yes,but not always".
Not just her,across the length & breadth of India, starting from students to top bureaucrats form their opinions on the basis of what the newspapers write.There is nothing wrong in that except for the fact that in India its pretty difficult to find a newspaper thats unbiased.Biasness in journalism distorts the concept of freedom of press.In a democracy like ours,the press has a very important role to play in disseminating true & correct information & newspapers are the cheapest & easily accessible source of comprehensive information.Down south & in Maharashtra political parties have their own newspapers & television channels.Its expected of them to promote their patrons & be used for political propaganda.But what about mainstream newspapers having mass readership base?If they start doing the same for purely commercial or personal interests then what can be done?Globally,newspaper readership base is shrinking & india seems to be the aberration.In these conditions ideally,we should see a scenario wherein there is tremendous competition to provide well crafted news articles & thought provoking columns;alas it doesn't happen that way.
There are some newspapers who go to any length to justify their biasness either towards the right or the left.For example,a prominent south based English newspaper echoed the lines of the Communist top brass in the Nandigram issue as well as in the recent Tibet issue,even if that was against the stand taken by democratic figureheads like Governor or for that matter the Union of India.Now,it is the same newspaper that had taken a strong stand in the case of Gujarat riots & other acts of Hindu fanaticism.The point is what signals are they sending to the reader?why are they trying to mislead the readers by providing distorting facts or for that suppressing the true facts?Similarly,there is a popular news magazine,that speaks no ill about India's so called first family.Now sycophancy is expected of the loyalists& members of the political party over which this family rules,but why a respected news magazine?If at all,it has to support a particular party or family,why doesn't it state in bold letters in its cover that it is affiliated to that particular political party.There are some other vernacular newspapers that try to influence people's emotions by touching upon sensitive issues such as motherland,religion etc.Then we have those glossy newspapers more in style & less in substance;no wonder these are the ones that sell the most because they exploit the indian mentality of loving everything western & the fondness for paparazzi journalism.The only saving grace has been the presence of some journals & weeklies who have braved all odds to bring us unbiased & accurate news articles.But,then their readership base is limited.
Now where do we go from here?In the near future its not improbable to see a situation wherein like their American& European peers the Indian newspapers see their readers diverting to the web medium for their daily dose of news & views about the issues confronting the mankind.It'll be very interesting & perhaps the fact about Press being a pillar of democracy shall actually be true.

Cricket-The Gentleman's game

2008-03-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

At the outset,let us celebrate the outstanding triple century of Virender Sehwag.I must say,it was a treat to watch such excellent batting in such hot &humid conditions.Now,that the test match has ended & expectedly in a draw i have been wondering about the future of Test Cricket post IPL & 20-20.Let me be very honest in saying that i thoroughly enjoyed the six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh & India's triumph in the inaugural ICC 20-20 World Cup.
But,as noted historian & avid cricket aficionado Ramchandra Guha recently wrote,Test cricket is akin to premium scotch,ODI's to Indian made foreign liquor & 20-20 to country made hooch.My opinions aren't much different for it was Test cricket that gave us our cricketing greats.I have observed, players who succeeded at the Test cricket level also do well in the other forms of the game;but the vice-versa isn't true.Notable examples being Ajay Jadeja & Michael Bevan.I think our generation was lucky enough to see a Wasim Akram-Waqar Younis bowling in tandem or for that matter Anil kumble & Habhajan singh.Still,I envy the older generation for they could see the Fast bowling greats of West Indies all bowling in tandem or for that matter the famed spin quartet of India.If you had a Vivian Richards who could tear your bowling apart,you also had a Peter Taylor who could get him out with his off spinners.Even i remember some exceptional duels between bat & ball as late as the mid nineties.I consider myself lucky to have seen Sachin tendulkar,Brian lara,Muthiah murlitharan,Shane warne all in their prime.
Initially,when ODI's came up big time,they were also perceived to be a threat.Has it really affected the game?i would say yes although like a slow poison its effects are being visible of lately.There have been some positives like financial security of players & plenty of money for development of cricket in other parts of the World.But,post retirement of some of the cricketing greats & with some on the verge of one aren't we finding that we are awfully short of talent in World Cricket.Have we seen someone as good as a Tendulkar or Akram?Spin bowling is a dying art & thanks to ODIs' & now 20-20's spinners are seen as people who could rush through their overs quickly to keep a tab on over rate.Now who cares that spin bowling is an art & can be perfected only in an arena like that of test cricket.Even in Fast bowling,all we see is half baked products & thanks to the hectic schedule they are injured more often than not.Even when they are fit,all they get is flat pitches where they only end up spoiling their career averages.Now,in such a scenario its only usual to expect kids to dream of becoming a batsman.
In the early days of ODI's there was a fine balance between ODI's & Test cricket.With the passage of time & growing popularity ODI's took center stage.Still,the effect on the game was minimal.It was blatant commercialization of the game & concentration of the power in the hands of businessmen & politicians -especially in south Asia- that the game began to lose its sheen.
Today,the entire cricket lovers fraternity is debating the pros & cons of 20-20 cricket & leagues such as IPL.Its a nice proposition,but then too much of everything is bad.So,lets not kill our golden goose.Cricket was always a classic game.We can do a service to the generations to come by not tampering with its class & quality.

Lessons from the past....

2008-03-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Few days back i was reading about the Australian Prime minister Kevin Rudd.It was about his unconditional apology to the stolen generations.Now for the uninitiated stolen generation refers to the those children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian and State government agencies and church missions, under various acts of their respective parliaments, denying the rights of parents and children by making Aboriginal children wards of the state, between approximately 1869 and 1969.
The hypothesis being aborigines are not a civilized lot like the whites & their off springs must be made civilized so as to enable them to assimilate into the Australian society.A point worth noting here is that the reasoning is pretty much similar to the apartheid regime that was pursued in South Africa & the various other racist agendas pursued by colonial powers .Am reminded of the "The White Man's Burden".This poem penned by Rudyard Kipling aptly justifies the thinking & the Euro-Centric view point.This view proposes that white people consequently have an obligation to rule over, and encourage the cultural development of, people from other ethnic and cultural backgrounds until they can take their place in the world by fully adopting Western ways.
But how do you define superiority?Are there any fixed parameters for defining the same?For the aborigines or for that matter any group of individuals their lifestyle is the best;even though it might appear archaic or obnoxious to someone who is not accustomed to their way of life.The Jarawa tribes of Andaman being a case in point.
Of lately,even in India the attitude of the city bred people in powerful positions especially in Politics,Industry & Bureaucracy has been disdainful towards Tribals & other marginalised groups.The theory that Industrialization is the panacea for all the developmental woes of these backward areas- infested with poor & marginalised especially tribals-has done more harm than good.The problem is that this group of educated & liberated Indians think that GDP or GNP is everything.What they forget is another concept called GNH or Gross National Happiness.Only economic wellness isn't important & in this case even that is debatable for how the unskilled & semi-literate tribals will benefit from Industrialization is unclear.
What the policy makers don't consider is other forms of wellness viz.Environment Wellness,Socio-Political Wellness,Mental wellness & Physical Wellness.Our poor performance on these counts is well reflected in our ranking of 128 amongst 155 countries in UNDP's Human Development Index.
The numerous incidents that take place in opposition to the Government policies on Industrialization are a reminder that somewhere we are getting it all wrong.Its time to introspect & ponder upon our decisions.Should then industrial Development stop?The answer is no,but there must be a congruence of views & opinions of both the groups.In short the development must be a sustainable one.Then,the question before us is what are the alternatives for sustainable development?The answer is Yes,there are many;but the key is as i have put it earlier the needs & aspirations of the poor & marginalised class must be of paramount importance & not our vision thrust upon them.Then only we can move towards an equitable society & avoid incidents such as the one that happened in Kalinganagar.

Indian Hockey - A Sad Tale

2008-03-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Indian Hockey in deep distress!This is what i could gather from the numerous talk shows in TV & newspaper articles.India lost to Britain & will not be playing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Had it been in cricket it would have definitely resulted in huge uproar & fan frenzy;but nothing of that sort happened.
Now the question is Why?
Quite contrary to what the former players say or for that matter the enthusiasts ,hockey has been dead in India & this didn't happen overnight.It has been a continuous process & it started in 1975.Yes,its true we won a Gold in 1980 Olympics but then the standard of that competition was very low with withdrawals & all.
Now,i read many fanatic fans blaming cricket for hockey's diminishing popularity.Thats ridiculous because cricket was a virtual non entity till around mid 80's.It was the world cup win followed by some other wonderful performances against Top countries that really set the stage for Cricket.Incidentally,hockey's fall coincided with cricket's rise.Secondly,Cricket was marketed very well in India & the credit here must go to the BCCI & there was absolutely no Government support.1996 World Cup really showed the way forward to BCCI & luckily they capitalized on their chances.
IHF (Indian Hockey Federation) also got its share of sponsors but they failed to capitalize.Premier Hockey League(PHL) was a very innovative proposition & it also got the requisite media support from ESPN-STAR & sponsorships.But,the event was conducted shabbily & is a very good example of Bad marketing ruining a good product.
Furthermore,the IHF is run in a very pathetic manner.How can you explain the fact that the same team is running the show for more than a decade.Its like players & coaches will come & go but we shall rule.The big question is why are these gentlemen not leaving IHF?Financial impropriety can't be ruled out.An Comprehensive Audit of the Books of Accounts of IHF is the need of the hour.But who'll initiate the proceedings when the Union sports minister himself says that he is helpless!
Even,in the past IHF couldn't really use India's clout in the Hockey World.For example,IHF could have used its power to defer the introduction of AstroTurf because,in reality Indians were masters of Hockey in grass surface.Ever since its introduction,Indians have struggled on Astroturf surfaces.
To conclude Hockey needs marketing & of course a few bravura performances from the boys.Then you'll have the entire nation chanting "Chak De India"!

B-Schools !!!!!!!!

2008-02-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since i actually wrote something noteworthy.Actually,i don't have the same urge to write as earlier.Moreover it takes a herculean effort to move your lazy bum from the bed to the computer & that too in this chilly winter.Am over with my ritualistic entrance tests.What was the outcome?My answer to this would be what difference does it make to the billions of people.None;so why would i bother?I see people cribbing about the percentiles,cut offs blah blah blah.But me,nonchalant as usual.I think people might forget their parents' name but not that of the various institutes they dream of!
The Pink paper always had the placement propaganda of Tech schools & B-Schools but now its all there in the white papers as well & that too sometimes in the first page as if the entire nation's fate depends on it.I never knew neighborhood aunties loved Statistics for they ask me about Average,Median etc.We had that great religion racket but now we have the B-School racket.They organize prabachan sessions(read Seminars),have followers(read aspirants) & have members or Loyalists(read Alumni & Coaching institutes) in their ranks.So you have a seminar session in your city where the current students or some alumni waxes eloquent about his/her alma mater & the forms or the prospectus as they say it are available with the coaching institutes.So you are first hypnotized or misled into believing the claims ,then you are made to part with say some 1000-2000 rupees for a form & if you are foolish enough,then you end up studying there wasting two valuable years of your life.What really amuses me is that the Government is silent & so are AICTE,UGC & other statutory bodies about this farce.
But i really loved the economics & the baniya in me is greedy.I want to set up a B-School or Tech School for i know this is s a sure shot way of becoming rich.I wonder if this is really the land of Gandhi!

Jagjit Singh in Town

2008-01-26T14:31:00.001-08:00

I thank my friend Prashant Pallav of Nestle for these wonderful photographs.Just like me he happens to be a great fan of Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh & we sat together in the concert held on 18th January 2008 at Pal Heights,Bhubaneswar.

Can I Be The America's President?

2008-01-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

Yes 90%
No 14%

Lets101 Quizzes - Fun Quiz

The Enigma called Women

2007-11-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Girls!!!!!!!!
The word itself is an enigma.In my twenty one years of existence,I've not been able to understand them & i doubt if I'll ever.I guess,a lifetime is not enough!What really amazes me is that no one be it old or young,rich or poor,dumb or smart has been able to avert their charm.
Now,am certainly not a believer in the fact that "Women are the pathway to hell" but then am not of those Pro-women types.It most be noted that am a believer in the theories of widow remarriage,Equal inheritance rights etc.
Of lately,I've been trying ,albeit in a clandestine manner, to decipher the complexities of a woman's mind.
What is it that really attracts man towards a woman?
Beauty...ah well,it does the job but then not in all the cases.I guess,its something more than that.
I've been lucky enough to have come across women of all types & sizes(No pun intended);Gorgeous beauties,Hardcore Feminists,Ugly super brains,Dumb beauties,demure types & of course the Flirtatious coquettes.Their viewpoints might differ,so be their nature but one feature is common i.e. they are complex & beyond the analytical limit of an ordinary man.
Now lets come to the point.The other day i happened to glance upon the scrapbook of a friend of the fairer sex.Needless to say she is a beautiful girl in her early twenties.I was indeed surprised!!!!
Why?
Firstly,her friend list had some 500 friends & that is the miracle of these social networking sites.Some of the guys in her friend list would never have had the courage to talk to her, leave alone friendship!But,thanks to internet & the website,it worked for them.
Secondly,to my utter surprise i found scraps sweetened with words like "Dear","Honey","Sweety" from persons whom she might never have seen in person.One such scrap was from a school senior who happened to be a topper & is currently studying in one of the premier IITs of the country.Now whats indeed surprising is that this guy,as far as i remember,was a shy guy & he hardly talked to girls of his batch;forget juniors.Is it the IIT after-effect?a case of acute desperation syndrome courtesy skewed sex-ratio of the IITs.
Coming back to the girl,there was also a scrap from a batchmate who was trying to win her trust & gain an entry into her coveted friend list through some common male acquaintances.Name dropping you know....
Agreed,she was a very popular girl in the school & well known too for her extra-curricular exploits.But,certain things are difficult to digest.
Moreover she has been going around with a guy for last 2 years & almost everyone knows that.So,it makes the matter even more complicated.
Everyday,we have somebody or the other lambasting the government for a pathetic sex-ratio of 933:1000.I used to wonder if it would result in addition of a few more to the already burgeoning Gay population.Alas,i was wrong.We are Indians after all & then everything is fair in Love & War.
"Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar".Understood?I couldn't.
CAN ANYONE HELP ME OUT?

Women Where are they headed !!!!! (Contd..........)

2007-09-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is an article by one Mr.Biswaprakash,an alumni of IBA,Bangalore.Its a very interesting read.Purists may scorn & feminists may issue a fatwa against me for publishing this piece.I essentially don't agree with all that has been said in this article but certain points in the article are excellent & show the keen powers of observation & articulateness of Mr.Biswaprakash.

Side-effects of feminism
Its aim was to improve the lives of women, fight against their oppression and abuse at women and their independence. Rather than rising and being on par with men in jobs,opportunities they have actually became men themselves, behaving like men. They have lost feminism, the essence of womanhood that which uniquely identifies a woman, a thing that man can never possess, a thing all important for continuance of the world.Women today are wearing men’s clothes to show their masculinity, using abusive language, smoking,guzzling, drinking, and snorting. Because they run the risk of being discriminated.They are making the first move at page 3 circuits,blind dates, and bed. They have stopped crying. They get upset when you show concern or care.They get offended at being offered priority seat.Career comes before family, ambition ahead of happiness, work ahead of life, boss ahead of hubby,deadlines ahead of sex. They don’t mind compromising values. They see and use sex as their opportunities to move up. They think men as shit that can’t cook, but think all too down-market to do it themselves. They see success in single parenthood.Women today are aggressive, overbearing, spiteful,hostile, blunt, obnoxious, pushy, hard-headed,vicious, dogmatic, thick-skinned, scary, tough,brassy, threatening, and masculine. Women today wantto be macho, ironically for the very fact for which they detest men!!!

women!!!!!!!!!!!! where are they headed?

2007-07-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as i was going through the newspaper,a piece of news attracted my attention.The news was about High divorce rates in Urban india.This piece of "Development Dark facts" makes it evident.
Did you know that the divorce rate in India is going up like crazy? That the software industry heads the divorce rates, we heard of software engineers who have divorced in 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 4 months,… A software engineer gave us these statistics: In her batch of 18 classmates (all women), 5 are yet to be married and out of the 10 that were married, 8 are divorced. She has been out of college for 3 years now.
If urban India is only getting divorced in a hurry, wait, rural India is not far behind. A resident school that is situated in a rural area in Tamilnadu had advertised for applications for post of teachers. Out of the 300 applicants (all women) 75% were divorced.
(SOURCE-KNOWLEDGE CENTRAL)
We can take solace from the fact that our divorce rate at 1.1% is amongst the lowest in the World.But,over the last decade or so the number of divorces is going northwards.Now lets come to the most important question i.e.are women alone to be blamed for this? My answer would be in negative because marriage is an union of two individuals,a bonding of two minds & therfore requires a considerable amount of effort from both the parties to go separate ways.Then why are marriages ending in such a manner?we all know its a traumatic experience for both the parties concerned. That said, it is also true that where in the past the majority of women would bear it, today they are asserting themselves. It is, therefore, not surprising that a recent survey conducted by European Sociological Review has found it's the working women who have a higher chance of divorce than homemakers. Having fought at workplace for survival, growth and identity, isn't it natural that these women have higher expectations from both their partners and themselves?Secondly,financial independence of women,courtesy the IT boom & economic liberalisation process has resulted in a sound support system & Backup.In the past,it was a distant dream on the part of a woman to walk out of a marriage because back then most women did not have many opportunities to support themselves in what was a highly genderized and rigid society, which led them to stay in marriages that may not be working.Today its a reality & its not uncommon on the part of the parents to suggest their daughters to end a meaningless or painful relationship.Secondly,In keeping with the times, men want a smart working wife. On the other hand, the innate archetype is still alive and they also desire to be revered and waited upon by their wives.This proves to be too much for a working woman,she is expected to be a superwoman & worst still,for this woman any compromise on the personal front would be anathema.She tries too hard only to find herself exhausted at the end of the day.Kids make matters even worse & its not surprising to see more & more DINKS(Double Income No Kids) couples.Time spent by couples especially from the IT/ITES/BFSI sectors is limited to a few weekend night outs or a holiday trip.Competition & a mad rush for instant gratifiaction has meant that 90 hour weeks don't raise a eyebrow anymore & nor do they attract the ire of Left because its all self-chosen!Now,the result is obvious,less quality time & promiscuity or extra-marital relationships.Thats a solid recipe for Disaster.Then what should the women do?should they stop working or for that matter marrying?
The answer!!!!!!
Well,watch out this space for some more facts & smart solutions on work-life balance.