Higher education system in India, especially since the past five years, is going through turbulent times. We would like our students to go for higher education, we are competing with China for producing the highest number of PhDs, we denounce the trend of brain drain, when our students go to foreign shores for further studies, but, when we cannot provide jobs for our existing PhDs, maybe there is something seriously wrong with our system. I have friends who went for jobs outside Delhi, but I…Continue Reading “Crisis in Academics- Teachers as Casual Laborers”
Modi crying in public at a nationally televised event is important. It does not change the course of history but you can’t completely discount it either. For a man who is built as a well scripted advertisement, this was the moment when the man forgot the camera. Or, the character took a well departed but definitive turn. We are used to see him not showing a shred of remorse, not exhibit an iota of emotion. So, what impact should his public breakdown have on you?…Continue Reading “What influence should Modi’s tears have on you”
I work for a tech company. Like tech tech company…apps, data analytics, digital tools and stuff. Why am I saying this? Because, no matter how wrong in reality, we still believe that education annihilates bigotry. It does not. Now, you may ask, who is a soft terrorist? For arguments sake, let’s assume that hard terrorists are the exploding types, the gun toting, stoning and beheading types. Now, people who carry none of the above action attributes but have the same thoughts can be called soft…Continue Reading “My conversations with a soft terrorist”
I was born in 1981. Independence is already a few centuries into history. Despite the incursions and little tiffs now and then, loss to China is no memory at all, and apart from a few idiots, few believe in the need for military posturing there. No more wars with Pakistan have happened so far. Kargil was over too soon. Despite the media jingoism, the life of a man on the street was not affected in any manner. To those concerned, it was a victory over…Continue Reading “What the 2014 elections taught me about patriotism”
The average Indian has a short memory, a big heart and the gullibility of a child. No matter how much the MNCs crib about our efficiency, we are easy to work with. Show us a video on whatsapp and we will kill a thousand, you kill a thousand and we will make you our prime minister. Individually, may be, not. But as a nation, we are extremely forgiving. Especially, in the matters of faith. I have heard eleven years olds talk passionately about coal scam…Continue Reading “The forgiving Indian”
A couple of days back, my friends were sitting and discussing the elections. The conversation then, moved to our childhood memories of the Ayodhya related riots in Delhi in 1990s, then the 1984 riots, etc. We all feared that BJP coming to power would also vitiate the atmosphere, and everything would just boil down to religious politics. People were not as afraid during the last BJP government, as Atal Behari Vajpayee was seen as a statesman figure, but Modi with his cronies like Amit Shah,…Continue Reading “My Memories of Curfew in Old Delhi”
My house was burgled yesterday. Writing a blog post about it seems like an absurd reaction. But, compared to other reactions floating around in my head, this one is the most sane. It was like any other day. My wife called me just before reaching home. She was on the phone as she climbed the stairs. A daily affair. Then she shrieked. The door was wide open, the broken lock had fallen on the stairs. She walked across the terrace and found the main house…Continue Reading “My house was burgled yesterday, I decided to write about it”
In Indian politics symbolism is ..almost everything. AAP got votes and accolades on that basis. No lal batti, no kothi…now people ask why Delhi is turning against AAP in twenty days? Because, the symbolism has changed. This time, it’s not the people blocking roads and closing metro stations. It’s the government. A govt whose leaders speaks a new arrogant language: “constitution badal dalenge” “republic day parade nahin hone denge” “main CM hun, kahin bhi baithunga” “danda maro, police theek ho jayegi” I am the law…Continue Reading “Anarchy – Fair or cruel term to explain Aam Admi Party’s latest methods?”
When we ask for charity, we make up all sorts of excuses. Give away that old sweater you don’t need it. You spend so much on eating out. Give away the price of a meal. It’s not a big deal. It’s sad. Asking for charity is like asking for a loan that we are not even going to use. Or, pay back for that matter. But should we be so overwhelmingly apologetic? You should have a long face and go crawling on your knees if…Continue Reading “An indecent proposal”
Nothing about Mayawati was one dimensional. Her rise, her rule or her departure from power – every bit of it is laced with controversy. But, that’s true for all or most political leaders in UP. When Mayawati won the election, people hoped that she can’t be much worse than the anarchy loving Yadav clan. When she was ruling, nothing could be worse. Once the Yadavs came back to power in Lucknow, people fondly remembered her citing corruption and waywardness is better than rampant hooliganism. Lesson…Continue Reading “Ambedkar Memorial & Park, Lucknow”
I was never interested in politics. It’s a dirty business. One vote won’t make a difference. Saare chor hain…the sense of dismissal was absolute. But I am looking forward to the coming election. There is only one explanation – I have grown up and matured. No matter how powerful the urge to refrain from this politics business, elections are important. You are not being asked to clean public toilets, teach slum kids, start a foundation or adopt a child. Definitely, voting is the most convenient…Continue Reading “So, who are you voting for this time?”
In our country 3000 children die of hunger and malnourishment every day. The talk of books for children sounds like a cruel joke, or may be, frivolous one at best. And, therein lays the tragedy. We believe these goals are choices whose priority should be debated. However, in a civilized world, saving the lives of few should never become an excuse to provide an inferior and deprived life for the rest. Thankfully, after years of apathy, a change in attitude seems to have come about….Continue Reading “The Idea Caravan – Giving away a million books”
I have always been against organised religion, which is similar to organised crime in both modus operandi and effect on society. They both claim to protect the followers, both incite fear in those who don’t subscribe and both thrive on donations. They both have same brutal standards of service when it comes to their paying customers. I have written about religious places occupying the most beautiful places in nature, being ironically demanding of money before. But all I got to do is walk into a…Continue Reading “Iskcon – what’s cooking at the multinational temple chain?”
If you are born in Delhi, you will have a different idea of the rivers. Let me see, you have dedh Yamuna, you know Ganga and you may know a few that flow through Ghaziabad. You may not have seen too many rivers and one in spate becomes a spectacle. In a country that has a million rivers, it will be sad if you have seen so few. During a recent train journey to Bhubaneswar, I spotted countless rivers from the train. Only when we…Continue Reading “Rivers of the nation”
Breakfast like a champion! I never did. Never became a champion too. But who cares. Breakfast is for weenies. Babies and animals need to stuff themselves as soon as they wake up. I planned on being neither. Using my own will and volition, I always chose to stay in bed and wake up after the rest of the world has gone to their offices or anywhere else their mundane lives took them. I indulged in food only when my heart and stomach agreed on an…Continue Reading “The rise and fall of masala oats”
What’s said about stories can also be said about dreams. Good things in life are not even true. In fact, dreams are worse. The ones you see while sleeping, you can’t remember after waking up. The ones you see while waking up, won’t let you sleep and will grind your life to powder before coming true. You will never be able to forget these. You don’t have a choice. None of the dreams are voluntary. They are forced and oppressive. At best, they are beautiful commercial…Continue Reading “The futility of dreams”
Happiness is overrated. Peace is overrated. But we need those concepts as much as we need religion and alcohol. We are strange beings. We are like the sea. To be at peace, to be constant, is impossible. It’s against nature. As soon as civilization began, so began the efforts to discipline the mind. The yogas, the tantras, the chants and the martial arts…what have we not done to control the wild horses in our heads. Few claim to have succeeded; others are just headless chickens…Continue Reading “You are wrong. Happiness is overrated.”
Dear Mai Baap, Let me begin by telling you that I consider it my good fortune to be born here, a great civilization that dates back thousands of years. I congratulate you on preserving so many things from those times – our society, its mindset, our attitude toward women, our infrastructure and the relation between the ruler and the ruled. I am sure we can teach the Egyptians a few things about preservation. No matter what others say, we must take pride in our heritage….Continue Reading “Thanks for Aadhar Card Circus, Mai Baap!”
Don’t get me wrong. I am all for women empowerment. If I had my way, I will make every woman a gender-altered avatar of Hanuman. But given the context in which the above statement is being made in Delhi during last few weeks, I can’t but oppose the idea in all its forms. I would rather my wife join me for morning tea in this lovely winter than run off to some neighbourhood training camp and perfect her karate chops. I don’t want my wife…Continue Reading “Should every woman be able to defend herself? Heck, no!”
Blaming others for what you have become is a sign of a much deeper malaise. Cribbers and whiners have never done anyone any good, so why read about another one? You won’t have any sympathy for a serial killer who blames his father for keeping him tied to a bed post when he was young. Why listen to the mad ramblings of a guy who claims the very air of Delhi makes him sick then? I had a brilliant sociology professor in college who would…Continue Reading “All Delhi Men Are Rapists. It’s Not Their Fault.”