I am waiting in line, to receive my graduation certificate......My thoughts begin to wander......
The last last few months have been hectic. Things and situations have changed, but then they haven'nt.
Life seems to be going on - as normal as ever, as busy as ever. There always seems to be a never-ending flow of things to do. Life seems like a race; a race that one seems to be running in, without really knowing where it leads to. All that one notices is that he is running on a highway with a lot of other people runing in front, behind and alongside. Suddenly there is a realisation that he must stop otherwise life will drift away in known, seemingly safe directions, only to be someday buried in unremembered and worthless destinations. It is at these moments at the cross roads of life there comes along some divine spark that strikes us - and we make that decision, that significant and crucial decision, that will someday shape our destiny.
I realised that the highway run is not what I want, I want to run a race where there is no routine path, where there is no easy decision. A crossroad from which various paths emerge - right, wrong, unknown, strange and uncharted.The first time I felt like this, was over 3 years back. Since then, at every junction of life, I get the feeling that I am taking a crucial decision, one that will forever change my life. Later I realise that things have not really changed all that much or not at all. This makes it all very confusing. What is seemingly most important now, becomes insignificant once a decision is taken and acted upon. So what is important and what is not?
If one cares to pause this rushed life of ours, playback the events in slow motion, we begin to understand; Our thoughts become clear. It becomes clear, how the little things in our life have fallen in place on the jigsaw puzzle. How the bigger pieces on which we spent our energies are really the easier ones to put in place; How the smaller, seemingly trivial pieces are vital, to complete the puzzle and to understand the bigger picture.. At this juncture one might also contemplate on the decisons about how the paths that we took - the supposedly right paths - never lead us anywhere. How we missed the forest for the trees, just because we failed to look deeper, or perhaps because we were not prepared to take the road less travelled.
We then wish that we could go back and take another path. Ofcourse, we cannot. However we can learn to be more careful further on and learn to recognize the key moments in life, learn to spot those subtle clues that life throws us. Ofcourse, that key moment will just pass by like any other, if we are not strong enough to resist the divergent pulls of the oft treaded paths. It needs a strong passion and courage to swim against the tide. The first step to do this lies in being able to realise that we are being carried away by the waves in random directions; to realise that we still have not attained the strength and passion that we can achieve, if only we dig deeper.
I feel that I have not still attained my full strength or found my calling in life. Someday in the future when I am ready for it, I want to be able to realise when I am actually living my key moment- A chance meeting, a big decision, or just a simple little talk, which will turn life upside down and make all the difference- and not have to rewind and play it back in my mind in flashback mode.I have taken many turns on the path that I chose a long time back, I do not know where it will lead me to- only time will tell;
The most recent juction that I crossed in my life was graduation from IIITB, and transiting from a student life to a professional work life. The journey so far has been memorable. Newer experiences and equally interesting times are ahead.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
SWEET & SOUR
Ant, grasshopper
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well-fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home.
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast demanding that the grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Kofi Annan criticise the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. Left parties call for “Bharat bundh” in West Bengal and Kerala. CPM in Kerala passes a law preventing ants from working hard so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. The judicial committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act (POTAGA), with effect from the beginning of the winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for grasshopper in educational and government service.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony. Arundhati Roy calls it “a triumph of justice”. CPM calls it the “revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden”. Many years later... The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation... Losing a lot of hard working ants and feeding grasshoppers, India is still a “developing” country.
(Courtesy: Vipin Bucksey, New Delhi)
Appeared in Deccan Herald March 2, 2007
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well-fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant’s a fool and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home.
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house. Medha Patkar goes on a fast demanding that the grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty International and Kofi Annan criticise the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. Left parties call for “Bharat bundh” in West Bengal and Kerala. CPM in Kerala passes a law preventing ants from working hard so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. The judicial committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act (POTAGA), with effect from the beginning of the winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for grasshopper in educational and government service.
The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony. Arundhati Roy calls it “a triumph of justice”. CPM calls it the “revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden”. Many years later... The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley. 100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation... Losing a lot of hard working ants and feeding grasshoppers, India is still a “developing” country.
(Courtesy: Vipin Bucksey, New Delhi)
Appeared in Deccan Herald March 2, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
.......the five lights go off.......the 2007 F1 season is GO!!!
I'm Hoping for rain in Melbourne this sunday.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Weird
The hostel where I am staying since the past 18 months seems to have rather weird people in charge.
A couple of situations I encounter quite often makes me sure of this.
7 AM:
I wake up bleary eyed..early in the morning .......find my way to the bathroom complex hoping to grab a quick shower before dashing off to class/office....and yes, my stay in the shower is very brief...reason: The water is biting cold.
This is nothing new.. repeated requests to the concerned authorities to fix up the water heating system..has not at all helped. Infact it looks like they are pissed off with the innumerable complaints they receive regarding this matter and have decided to take revenge.
Why do I feel this? . . . .
7 PM:
Location: The loo.
The taps are running with steaming hot water........ ouch!!
The hostel authorities seem to be saying: Shower in cold water[even in the middle of winter] and wash your ass in hot water.
I asked for hot water, and got it......it is only about 12 hours late that's all. . . .I have heard of Indian Stretchable Time.....but this is too much!
A couple of situations I encounter quite often makes me sure of this.
7 AM:
I wake up bleary eyed..early in the morning .......find my way to the bathroom complex hoping to grab a quick shower before dashing off to class/office....and yes, my stay in the shower is very brief...reason: The water is biting cold.
This is nothing new.. repeated requests to the concerned authorities to fix up the water heating system..has not at all helped. Infact it looks like they are pissed off with the innumerable complaints they receive regarding this matter and have decided to take revenge.
Why do I feel this? . . . .
7 PM:
Location: The loo.
The taps are running with steaming hot water........ ouch!!
The hostel authorities seem to be saying: Shower in cold water[even in the middle of winter] and wash your ass in hot water.
I asked for hot water, and got it......it is only about 12 hours late that's all. . . .I have heard of Indian Stretchable Time.....but this is too much!
Friday, February 02, 2007
TA
Now that I am done being a TA, I thought of penning down some of my activities as TA.
It was quite easy and fun being one.
Task 1. Invigilate the class test. . . . . thats pretty easy . . . . . Put up some seating arrangement. Just distribute the sheets and walk around the class, looking important and all knowing. If any one has a doubt regarding an ambiguous question which you also fail to understand. . . just say, "assume whatever is ambiguous and clearly state your assumption" :-D. That is a neat little trick I learnt from my TA's.
Task 2. Take demo for programming assignment and ask some viva.
Steps:
Meet prof.
Receive some gyan, about how to evaluate.
Allot slots for the students to meet you for the demo
[even if you already know that no one will come in their allotted time slot].
If somebody wants to show you the demo a couple of days before it is due . . . .
beware .. . that guys is seriously jobless. Afterall whoever heard of even starting
an assignment till 24 hours before it is due, let alone submitting it.
Run their programs, ask them to explain the code(!!!!)
( as per the gyan imparted by prof).
Guys will keep calling you "sir", even if you insist on being called on first name basis
--get used to it.
Nod your head as if understanding, even if you dont know JAVA and what they
are explaining makes no sense whatsoever to you, maybe you will learn something by the end of it all. Or atleast all that nodding will give your neck some much needed exercise.
If you have a beard and are asking stuff to which they dont know the answers,
be prepared to hear the word "terror" uttered when they think you are out
of ear shot.
Some female students will be heard saying, "I dont want to go to that bearded
guy!! I prefer the other friendly guy who talks sweetly".
:-)
Converse in the local language with your co-TA, expressing disgust at the poor
quality of work being demonstrated, and then get shocked when it turns out that the student sitting in front of you speaks the language!!
Task3. The toughest job : Evaluating the answer scripts
This can be a big chore, but sometimes can be the best source of entertainment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Dunno, how much of what I have written above is coherent . . . . I am tired and unable to thing clearly . . . but unable to sleep too [ aftereffect of sitting at a desk all day, with no physical activity at all]. . . . Had nothing else to do . . so I just typed this up ......will review it later sometime and delete it or make changes as appropriate.
PPS: I should also write something about being a student intern in a software company. . . . but that will come after some more weeks/months pass by. . . .
It was quite easy and fun being one.
Task 1. Invigilate the class test. . . . . thats pretty easy . . . . . Put up some seating arrangement. Just distribute the sheets and walk around the class, looking important and all knowing. If any one has a doubt regarding an ambiguous question which you also fail to understand. . . just say, "assume whatever is ambiguous and clearly state your assumption" :-D. That is a neat little trick I learnt from my TA's.
Task 2. Take demo for programming assignment and ask some viva.
Steps:
Meet prof.
Receive some gyan, about how to evaluate.
Allot slots for the students to meet you for the demo
[even if you already know that no one will come in their allotted time slot].
If somebody wants to show you the demo a couple of days before it is due . . . .
beware .. . that guys is seriously jobless. Afterall whoever heard of even starting
an assignment till 24 hours before it is due, let alone submitting it.
Run their programs, ask them to explain the code(!!!!)
( as per the gyan imparted by prof).
Guys will keep calling you "sir", even if you insist on being called on first name basis
--get used to it.
Nod your head as if understanding, even if you dont know JAVA and what they
are explaining makes no sense whatsoever to you, maybe you will learn something by the end of it all. Or atleast all that nodding will give your neck some much needed exercise.
If you have a beard and are asking stuff to which they dont know the answers,
be prepared to hear the word "terror" uttered when they think you are out
of ear shot.
Some female students will be heard saying, "I dont want to go to that bearded
guy!! I prefer the other friendly guy who talks sweetly".
:-)
Converse in the local language with your co-TA, expressing disgust at the poor
quality of work being demonstrated, and then get shocked when it turns out that the student sitting in front of you speaks the language!!
Task3. The toughest job : Evaluating the answer scripts
This can be a big chore, but sometimes can be the best source of entertainment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: Dunno, how much of what I have written above is coherent . . . . I am tired and unable to thing clearly . . . but unable to sleep too [ aftereffect of sitting at a desk all day, with no physical activity at all]. . . . Had nothing else to do . . so I just typed this up ......will review it later sometime and delete it or make changes as appropriate.
PPS: I should also write something about being a student intern in a software company. . . . but that will come after some more weeks/months pass by. . . .
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