THIS POST HAS BEEN DELETED AS IT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL READERS..

MADRAS MUSINGS

The air was hung with the odour of sulphur laced smoke..The festival of lights was over, and the air was all that harked back to the pomp and gaiety of the day before... People had clearly put their seemingly generous bonuses to good use, splashing out on crackers that ranged from the traditional to the 30-thousand-crackers-going-off-at-a-tim-name-be-damned!!

Chikungunya has been all the rage in Chennai these past few days, people from 2 years to 80 years contracting it.. Diwali, in this sense, couldnt be better timed, for there is nothing better than chemical laced smoke to drive away mosquitoes of any kind.. Could Diwali be the brainchild of anti-malaria activists trying to garner support from all and sundry for their noble cause?

I have never seen such festivity in my life.. In all my 8 Diwalis in Dubai combined my auditory and olfactory capacities have not had to undetgo such an assault!! Here comes two styles of celebration; One showing extraordinary largesse toward a more proclamatory tone, while another more muted, enforced as it may be..

I cannot help but mull: Have people forgot the essence of Diwali? That which was supposed to be the festival of lights now comes with extra trimmings: It is now the festival of lights, cacophony and smoke...The India of now may make the Vietnam, Korea et al of yore seem like marble playing fields!!

I have no issues with gunpowder that exudes ephemeral patterns of multicoloured luminescence.. Anything purchased and detonated with the intention of gaining that extra 100 decibels in the friendly neighbourhood rat race is what pisses me off, as it not only goes against the spirit of the festival, it's also very bad for the ears!!!!

PRETTY FLY FOR A WHITE GUY..

It's been galactic years since I last posted, and the plain simple reason is that I have had nothing to write about(writer's block, do I hear?). Life trudges along at a wary pace in this sleepy college town, except for when exam season is in full bloom. These past few days, my mind has been cluttered with but one thought.. americana.. Maybe it's the largesse I'm showing towards sitcoms and movies that project the country as a place where even the unemployed lead swanky lives.. Everytime I see something taking place in an american backdrop, it evokes nostalgic memories that come gushing through from my 1999 trip and extrapolated as to how it would be to lead a life there.. It's ignominious how I absolutely detested the place when I was actually there, but now that I'm not, it just seems like THE place to be..

I guess the main reason we so revere the western way of life is the rose tinted glasses through which everything relateed to their country reaches us.. The media of their country goes out of its way to ensure that in the eyes of the world, america is utopia.. The Indian media, on the other hand goes through great pains to see to it that everything related to their country is dragged into the mire, except if it has anything to do with Pakistan(when latent patriotic sentiments start bubbling over)..

Life throws up numerous circumstances wherein you yearn for something, only to devalue it when it is with you, and once you go away from what you pine for, you start yearning for it again..or something to that effect..


P.S: Watched "The graduate" today, and found it far below expectations. It was endearing in parts, but in others it was hair-tearing-slow.. The soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel was by far the best I've heard in a movie, with gems such as "Sounds of Silence","Mrs. Robinson" and "Scarborough fair". Dustin Hoffman looks life he walked off the sets of this movie and immediately onto the sets of ""Rain Man".. Anne Bancroft is extremely aged, and the shots showing her contrasting skin take bad taste to a whole new nadir.. Mr. Robinson is by far the best character in the film.. The low point ofthe movie was the first scene, where Anne Bancroft tries to seduce Dustin Hofmann.. The scene looks contrived and artificial every which way you look at it..

A speech I wrote for a debate in KMC Manipal:

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION SHOULD BE RESTRICTED IN ART AND LITERATURE

Art and literature are two of the most subjective forms of human expression which in turn is the primary ideal on which democracy today rests. In an environment where the human mind is so conditioned as to blindly follow a predefined path, any suggestion to the contrary evokes frenetic feelings that may simmer over into violence. As a society we want our young people to evolve into literate, thoughtful, and caring human beings;. We feel the need to shield them from disturbing or distorting ideas. Of course, what is agitating to one person or segment of society may be exciting and innovative to others. This combination of multiplicity of values and concern for young people is what forms the cornerstone of the argument for censorship.

My worthy opponents would, of course argue that the subjectivity of what can be considered "objectionable material" limits the worthiness of any person or group to exert complete control over what reaches the public. My contention is that if our very own elected representatives cannot decide what is best for us, who can? We get the leaders we deserve, and we get the leaders we choose. Restrictions are deemed necessary in a democratic society provided they answer a pressing social need and are proportional to the legitimate aim of the restriction.
Freedom of expression is not a simple and absolute concept but a liberty that is betrayed by even deeper values which, although implicit in the various justifications for free thought may not apply equally strongly to all circumstances.

Civil libertarians long wanted a world in which Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms" could be produced, or James Joyce's "Ulysses" published or Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" be read without interference. What they hadn't bargained for was a world in which homosexual rape is simulated on the stage, in which the public flocks to witness professional fornication. Might not our disquiet be merely a cultural hangover? Was anyone ever corrupted by a book? John Hinckley stalked and attempted to assasinate President Reagan after seeing the renowned film "Taxi Driver" and falling in love with Jodie Foster. Blaming books or films for the acts of disturbed individuals is a simplistic approach that could probably hit the root of the problem. A huge furore erupted when Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn was banned for being too racist. This public outcry was mitigated by twain himself who said "I wrote 'Tom Sawyer' and 'Huck Finn' for adults exclusively, and it always distressed me when I find that boys and girls have been allowed access to them." After all, if you believe that no one was ever corrupted by a book, you have also to believe that no one was ever improved by a book. We have no problem contrasting repressive laws governing alcohol, drugs and tobacco with laws regulating alcohol, drugs and tobacco. We have not made smoking a criminal offense. We have, however, and with good liberal conscience, prohibited cigarette advertising on television. The idea of restricting individual freedom, in a liberal way, is not at all unfamiliar to us.

I would like to conclude by saying simply that society need not be tolerant of the intolerance of others.As Mark Twain once said: " The mind that becomes soiled in youth can never again be washed clean."

POLITICOS EXTRORDINAIRE

I can see the downpour from my window.. Thick drops of precipitation stream down the walls of my spartan lodgings, leaving it's walls threadbare.. A veritable blanket of lush green foliage has draped the entire campus, and you may even be forgiven for thinking that it looks serene.. It's actually the result of wild, uncontrolled growth of weeds(pun intended) that has been anything but manicured.. Outside the college, the road-interspersed potholes are making a 30 minute ride to mangalore anything but desirable..Back breaking, to be more precise.. Two dorm mates have undergone operations on sensitive areas.. Days together are spent without power and electricity or both.. In short, the semester could have gotten off to a better start!


The start of the semester has also ushered in a change in the DASA(the NRI students) mindset that in my firm opinion we wuold do well to dispense of; the scourge of politics.. With alliances being formed and "stabbed" almost on a daily basis, all "parties"(congregations of fux happening to belong to the same region) are fervidly scouring opportunities to pick up prime positions.. Frankly, I couldnt give less of a damn who becomes Gen-Sec or President or *pick any sought after position*.. Usually, that would also constitute the views of the entire DASA populace, but desperate attempts to embed ourselves into the system means that that perspective has undergone a paradigm shift and those who thought they were above such petty haggling have, having received that first whiff of power, thrown themselves headlong into the frantic negotiations that precede ballots of such 'undisputable importance'.. All this is no doubt entertaining to watch from afar in no small measure due to the dramatic twists and turns the saga invariably throws up.. All I can say that if someone worthy were to get a post in free and fair elections, there's nothing like it.. Too much to ask for? As long as any two people come from the same place, yes... Till then and Sept. 2nd, I guess I'll just have to sit back and enjoy the show..

THE MAN WITHOUT THE GOLD
Being beaten by the last men standing can be more harrowing and agonizing than being pipped at the start, and I imbibed that the arduous way a few days ago..

Goldman Sachs, the No.1 investment bank in the world, a company first on the list of prospective companies of many an MBA, a company that attracts doe-eyed and frenetic crowds to every school they visit gave us that very honour on the 12th of August. It attracted a wide cross section of eager and desperate unplaced final years and the hundred odd third years who managed to keep themselves from the allure that a five day sojourn to Bangalore offers.. The intended purpose of the jaunt was to filter the hundreds of applicants down to a manageably miniscule number which they would then absorb into the hallowed precincts of their organization.. The task was as laborious for them as it was nerve racking for us, what with a day and a half of frenzied activity awaiting the powers that be, but the task at hand promised to be phenomenally intriguing as well..

It was the first time the third years were subjected to such a rigmarole and as such wasn't something on which was precariously perched the course their life would take.. The stakes: A two month Internship at Goldman Sachs Bangalore fetching 250$, followed by probable absorption into their Bangalore operations via New York..

I, like seven score of my batchmates, put in our resumes, hopeful of plush placement in our third year itself, which would effectively render our remaining two years null and void.. The pre placement talk attracted a madding crowd, the stars glistening in every eye.. The talk itself proved to comprise of nothing more than a biased appraisal of the company's gleaming track record, and only the most discerning listener managed to keep his cool.. This was followed by an aptitude test to determine the top twenty students from each year, who would then have to brave the grind of two more rounds.. The test itself was pretty tough, what with 20 questions to solve in 20 minutes.. It was going to be quite an undulating task.. I solved whatever I could (4 or 5), then went ahead and liberally guessed the rest(no negative marking, and detailed probabilistic research has shown that selecting all C's means that atleast 40% is bound to be correct).. Most unexpectedly, I made the cut, and aspirations came to take shape..

Next hurdle was the Group discussion on "India's population: Bane or a boon" which was veritably the most general theme they could pick.. Eveyone had a view but few were able to put it through convincingly, and by virtue of being one of them, I was through to the final round: The interviews.. The dreams were more than taking shape, they were almost a reality.. I was begining to reminisce about the heart of Wall Street and how it would be to actually work there.. Sure that the interviews would be a breeze, I set about revising programming languages...
Day Two, and 4 pm brought with it the home stretch.. I was almost there, and it would only be a matter of time.. After the anguish that a 2 hour delay invariably brings with it, the interviews were flagged off.. I was first to be called, and after a breezy, languid interview that threw up no major hiccups, my self assurance towered.. There apparently was a second round of interviews, and I did get through to it.. The HR dame called me in, and I surprisingly didn't glare at her gargantuan hooters even once during the tete-a-tete which was pretty gentle..

Then there was a third interview, which is referred to as the stress interview by all those who went through its rigours..Each statement elicited scorching responses and scalding questions from the other side of the court and every aspirant that survived the terrors that run loose within those ramparts either broke down or giggled hysterically...I went in expecting the worst but inexplicably, barring one or two really uncomfortable moments(A couple of glaring typos that somehow escaped notice in the other interviews and being pesterd incessantly about my GPA) I thought it was overstated..Meanwhile, news percolated that they wanted atleast one girl, even if that meant compromising on the quality of the interns..

After an hour or so of discussions and deliberations, the results were announced..........agony.... Left out... Rejection.. My memory was clouded, only to be revived later with the realization that this was only the first battle in a long and tumultuous war... There was another year, another opportunity.. A hope that they will not again sieve out only the top 3 gpas among those shortlisted for the final round.. A chance to prove them wrong...A chance at getting in..

7 THOUGHTS FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD...

1. Pining for college life and hoping that the verve I imbibe at the top of every semester doesnt fizzle out befor 3 weeks..

2. I'm fucking pissed right now.. The worst part of it is that I don't know the reason...

Maybe it's because my own family can't appreciate me..

Maybe it's because of my grandmother's extremely parochial attitude..

Maybe it's a Mc-Enroesque the-world-is-against-me angry-young-man-wannabe thing..

Maybe I'm giving vent to the frustration that accompanies being stuck indoors the whole day..

Maybe it's just me

which brings me back to point 1.....

3. Chennai is boring..Not for the virile, this city.. Worried about my drooping dick..What with Surathkal next on the itinerary, it may as well sag and breathe it's last...which brings me to point 1...

4. I hate the declivity sport is going through.. It's rapidly on the wane... As long as dope is restricted to the privacy of the hostel room and appreciating good music(most will read floyd), it's ok..But when you take it into the public arena right in the middle of sports from something as fast paced as athletics to something as tranquil as cycling, it kills tyhe sport.. If doping is not enough, sport suffers from predictability..

Whether it's federer in tennis, Australia in cricket, Schumy(till last yr) in F1 or the likes, one sidedness kills sport. The FIFA WC came as a breather.

5. I hate the hypocrites that populate our society.. When women's lib activists lobby aggressively for reservation in parliament but want to be treated on the same footing as men.. If you want respect, earn it by standing on the same platform.

6.Mukesh Ambani's premonition that retail will spur growth in the future is laudable.. Here is a man with foresight who can put his money where his mouth is.. He more than backed up his vision with his considerable financial muscle.. India has for long felt the need for a pan-India retail behemoth, and with a bellweather like reliance entering the arena, that void is sure to be filled.. Mukesh Ambani's association with IIMB has definitely made the ramparts of the Bannarghetta road citadel more desirable to me..

7. I'm concerned about my inability to show my true feelings to people other than the ones I love.. I hate to be perceived as passive when in fact I have very strong opinions which deserve to be heard... People I have voiced these opinions to will, I hope, vouch for that..