horizon

Dada- the poem

He was our national animal.

With his bengali origin and northern grace.

He pawed his way and he became a symbol of brave & loyal.

But then they ungraded from spears and arrows to guns.

Its hard to keep up with technology and naturally dada struggled

And they killed him with no remorse.

Sometimes for business, sometimes for fun.

Even his southern brothers suffered the same Fate.

Now dada is only in hundreds.

And maybe dada will get extinct.

But is he does

I will still remember the grace the strength and loyalty.

Dada had it all.

But you can't compete with technology and greed.

Now they try to save him.

The same ****ers

I hope dada lives

But would they let him.

Cycle no 44

I am an insider and this makes it more interesting. I am a men's cycle in Symbiosis knowledge village and property of Symbiosis society. But I am popularly called as Atlas Cycle. One person had tried to remove the "t" in it and he wanted to make me Alas. But I am Atlas as I carry "World/guys" above me.

Some people have treated me badly in last few days, left me anywhere, broke my chain guard, my pedals and also parked me anywhere. Some say a few set of people did it. But I was there and I remember. These guys were each one in some context and hence you can not single out few people. In that sense they were faceless.

There are of course other cycles and one cycle repair shop out here. 

All these people will have their own opinions too but I have made  friend. A friend who listens to me, respects me and also shares my emotions. Maybe I am in love. May be I am in love with the golf cart. It attracts me like a magnet - I want to be its Caddy.

We have gone out a couple of times but Col. stops us and reminds us of 12'o clock deadline. 

But the question which may be bothering some who are still reading this autobiography is why me. - Why Cycle 44. Why not Cycle 37 or Cycle 59. Well lets just say that I am a good PR person and I have my contacts. That's what media is all about isn't it. 

Social Impact of Television on Youth and Children

 

Social Impact of Television on Youth and Children

Television: The Impact.

Television has had a major impact in our country for last 50 years. It  was an instrument for national integration and peace. Then as time went by it started focusing more on entertaining the audiences than to inform them. Last 18 years have been revolutionary for Television as it has become a medium of entertainment and has impacted the current teen, youth and children of the country. But how did TV  achieve to have such a major role in our country.

The children in the early 90’s saw the good old days of emergence of cable TV and last popular days of good old DD. They grew up watching serials like Mahabharat, Ramayan, Jungle Book, Shatiman etc. Now they grow up on Various reality TV shows, cartoons and soap operas. It’s a world out there alright but does it influence in a good way or a bad way.

 

Role models from TV

In the day and age of reality TV it becomes imperative that kids and youth have a clear understanding of what is really a real picture and what is TV content. But this is hard to achieve as such as we think because parents themselves are very busy nowadays to explain certain details to the kids. Thus the generation has someone like Ranbir Kapoor or Priyanka Chopra as its role model.

It becomes difficult for this generation to understand the what is good on TV and what is bad on TV as this line is really blur. This is the age of instant gratification, where everyone wants everything to happen instantly and success is measured by the time it takes to get there even if that is a short term success.  TV is such an age is very influencing medium and it’s interesting that kids have a plethora  of options to choose from.

 

 

Fashion and trends from TV

TV influences children to create their own sense of fashion. Youth want a Manchester United T-shirt as it is their favourite team. They (kids, teens and youth) pester their parents in to getting them the latest in  fashion and the newest in trends as they see it on TV.

Teen girls want to look like Hanna Montana (a popular TV icon) and thus try to either match up with her style  or they try come up with their own. This leads to peer pressure and the  economically weak kids suffer from feeling left out.

This is not a good way of creating a country that has equal opportunities for everybody. Hence it is important that while there should be no censorship on TV as it hurts the basic expression of freedom of speech, there should parental discretion and discussion on the topics which are shown on TV with taking kids into consideration.

 

A patter to choose from

Youth and children have a lot of options available with them. They can choose as to what, when or where do they want to watch any TV show. In this environment of multiple channels and limited time, families usually end up watching TV together. Also a point to be considered is that most middle class people have only one TV Set available with them. Thus many times kids end up watching adult content as mothers watch TV soaps in front of the kids who misinterpret the shows by analyzing it themselves through their limited understanding. Mothers usually just allow them to watch it as the kids generally stay quite and do not disturb her while watching her favourite soap.

Couch potatoes.

TV watching can be harmful to a person’s eyes. TV watching can be addictive and people can become couch potatoes and be lazy enough not to do anything.

Out of my comfort Zone

Getting to know more about Dr. Prakash and Dr. Mandakini Amte and their work made me realize that there are many problem areas where efforts are need but we are clearly neglecting this need as we are so detached from the realities of India. We, I, fail to see the poor and depreciating state of affairs in rural India as most of us are far from these troubles, in our own shells.

They inspired me to look beyond my comfort zone and really think about how I can help my society, my country in a better way. 80% of my country lives in rural India but our attention is perpetually fixated on the minority in the urban. I have always wanted to do my part and help my country progress but I now realize that progress cannot be directed from the cities alone but needs to take place at the hub of our country and one needs to go down to the roots, our roots, to make an actual difference.

This is how their story affected me and I will do my very best to remember this and work toward helping build a better India.

A Day with Ramsay - A short Story

I am in a Hostel and people call me Taken. My real name is only known to a few people and of course  you have no chance of finding it.

With a popular name like Taken - People usually ask me, " Hey are you taken for granted? or you taken as in sold out."

But I am used to it and I love the fact that I have such a weird name. But the other day I met a person who just  blew my mind. His name was Ramsay Shastri and he had a comical face.

Obviously people asked him if he was related to Ramsay brother's who had single handedly produced all the popular horror films films in Bollywood till recently. But he said he wasn't and that solved that.

Ramsay was a keen observer, he was knowledgeable and he worked hard. He seemed to have had an opportunity to meet various interesting people. He had met Osho had had spent three years with him. He had worked as an intern with Kalpana Chawla for five months in Nasa and he had also worked under Mother Teresa and her sisters of charity.

He told me this and I believed him.

That evening I joined him and his girlfriend at a local pizza place and we chatted. He told me about the time when he was a part of back up staff of Indian Cricket Team and also about the time when he  had organized the opening ceremony of the 1982 Asian games. I listened to him,nodded  and simply ate my pizza." Hy mm cheese was the best thing invented after chocolate",  while I was thinking this, Ramsay's girlfriend asked loudly," Jannu (Darling) have you told him of the time you managed the Queen's office for one month".

"Oh yes, Taken listen to this..."

"Bull shit" I said how can you expect me to believe all this crap. I said this and got up from my chair to leave.

The girlfriend said, "If Ram_says so I believe him".

"I DON'T" I yelled.

Look at this the girlfriend said and out came a picture with Queen, Royal family and Ramsay standing together in a group picture.

A paper napkin poem

She dies

He can not cry

His love unexpressed

A storm blows away a fertile field.

She dies

He does not cry

The silent days and silent nights

And no one knows 

what burns inside

Baggy Brown

Its surprising that in the past he has not had more caps. Its a sure thing that he loves caps and he loves them in various colours and sizes and models.

I love the fact that one of them is baggy brown. In modern times baggy green has been made popular but the fact of the matter is that without baggy brown it would be incomplete. Its hood gives the satisfaction of both casual as well as sophisticated and its baggy nature makes it comfortable. Long live baggy brown. May you never go out of fashion. 

A company called Naik (NIKE)

It was a normal thing to see a hawker enter the local train and trying to sell things. Today he had wallets and he was selling them with this positioning - " You get them at 60 /70 Rs. in shop while you will get it at Rs. 20 from me. And mind you its NAIK company. I looked at the wallet and it was a very good piece with a fake Nike logo over it.

Two States

I read the latest offering from the Staples of Chetan Bhagat. Its ok. I still miss the flavour he had from five point... but I guess he is atleast living his dream.

Self made Man...

I always thought that a man could be independent, self made and could have the freedom to create what he wants to create. But this belief was shattered today.

It was a unusual day, I had slept at 3 in the night and struggled to get up at 8. After a hurried breakfast, I drove down to Kapurbavadi and caught a ST bus. After getting my place to stand (getting to sit in a ST bus is based on luck or the fact that you got there first) I tried to keep my balance as the bus rode away in amazing speed which would have made even F1 drivers proud. He took sharp turns left, right left... straight road... sharp turns left, right, left.

It was 9 am when I had caught the bus in Thane. Technically I had a reporting time at 9.30 in Goregoan. It was impossible to reach on time and I had resigned to the fact that I was going to be late- very late.

I have no illusions about me being any thing special. I know that I am an ordinary man. I have committed sins too. So I am not a holy pure man either. But I always tried to be a fair man in life always trying for greater good and hence when the driver was speeding on the road I cheered him on to drive the way he was driving. I hoped his driving would result me being late by lesser time. And he did, he dropped me to Borivali Station at 9.30 flat.
I was so glad that I did not even bother to ask the conductor back my Rs2.(He had collected Rs. 20 from me for a Rs.18 fare and both of us did not have change then).
I had a train to catch then... to Goregoan

But my point behind this whole story is this.

• We are so dependent on so many people around us. Some of us do white collar jobs. (Hey I am wearing a white shirt today) some do the blue collar jobs ( The ST driver / ST Conductor).
• No job is small. Work deserves respect. I reached office in good time because the ST bus guys did their job well. I guess they were on time in the morning.
• Even if someone does not travel by ST (hypothetically) let us just say that he drives. He will find out that the proper functioning of his life depends upon how others work around him. Hence he can not be independent, self made and have the freedom to create what he wants to create unless people support him. Man truly is a social animal.

My time in Hosmac part 1

I am an intern in Hosmac India. I am interning here as part of my MBA Communication Management programme in Symbiosis. Its a new experience for me to work with an organization who are working in field of hospital planning and consultation.
Its been a very different journey till now as I travel not only physically to reach to its office but also travel a lot mentally pushing myself to come up with ideas and solutions to help them communicate better with the outside world. Its sort of a test of my character to find out about what exactly I have learnt and how much Can I contribute. Of course there is so much that I am learning from my time here at Hosmac that it would seem unfair not to mention the guidance and the teamwork which happens here every day.

The seminar on Healthcare Accrediation and Beyond is organized by Hosmac on 7th November in Delhi. I am currently working on the same.

Thoughts...float like a butterfly sting like a bee

1. Utilize your very second, every minute . Time is prizeless.
2. Have integrity, power and leadership.
3. If you are not failing every now and then, its a sign that you are not doing anything innovative.
4. Question yourself.
5. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee

Advance course - March 2008 - Some things left unsaid...

I met some special people during my advance course and I wanted to say something to each one of them. I am not sure if any f them will ever read this blog but still ...

To Vineet.
Thanks for being a buddy. I really love the way we have interacted.
To Tushar
I admire you interaction skills and your leadership qualities but I love you for our attitude.
To Deepti
Keeping your eyes in my memory would be something I cherish now and would do so for rest of our lives. It reminds me of the fact that all are same. We all are equal and powerful.
To Krishna
I hope you keep up your caring for others attitude and you keep smiling.

To Santosh
You are the one I could not say much but had so much more to say. I pray that you stay happy.

To all you special people this is my belated thank you.

Maulik Chandarana and Gabbar Singh

Maulik is my hostel roommate, my friend, my college classmate.

Gabbar is one iconic Bad guy, a dacoit, a symbol of terror and evil. (superb acting by late Amjad Khan in that role and brilliant screenplay by Salim Javed for the movie Sholay)

Why I am comparing Maulik with Gabbar... is he evil (No he is not) does he terrorizes me (no he doesn't). So why are they comparable...(In Ninad land of comparison)

Lets analyze why Gabbar Singh lost in Sholay.

1. Because it was a movie and villain had to lose. (Lets just keep it aside for the rest of discussion).


2. Because he procrastinates and underestimates the heroes.


3. He feels that his lair is safe and no one can touch him there.


4. He does not optimise his resources.


5. He does not plan, just stays opportunist (Basanti was captured, Abdul was captured and killed) but these acts were reactive to the opportunity rather than proactive. Its a disgrace that a bandit having a prize of Poore Pachas Hazar /50 grand ( Don't laugh... it was a big amount in 1975) is actually shown as a lazy bum who rarely ventures out on his own.

Maulik is cunning in a peculiar way. He does have a chubby demeanour of Gabbar. He also has a sharp mind and he analyses, guides, judges others but no one can do that on him. He is virtually not judgeable as he has different ideas, presentation and even different handwriting which make it impossible to know what really is going on.

Quite sure he means well though but one never knows whats inside that head of his. I call him a Good Kamina.

But there are management lessons to be learnt from Maulik here.

1. He is a busy bee. He will not procrastinate

2. He constantly evaluates his work, and also the work & behaviour patterns of others and hence it is quite hard to imagine that he would ever let his guard down.

3. He is always planning and also implementing and creating leaders and allowing to strengthen themselves. He believes in mutual growth and also helps others without being self centered or egoist. He believes in creating partnerships.

4. He does use his resources well.

I could have said more but this is what I think....

What next after swine flu?

Chikungunya (mosquito related ... not chicken) came and went away so did the bird flu, swine flu is still causing waves of panic, monkey malaria is on the rise in south east asia,
So here are my list of possible animal related diseases to affect humans in coming times...

1. Parrot piles,
2. Donkey Diarrhoea,
3. Tiger Typhoid
4. Cat Constipation
5. Rabbit rash

Add on any more which you wish...

Vahini AJI

My relative is dead. I feel sad as when I met her last on May 21 2009 I had not expected that to be our last meeting. I knew her and yet did not know her at all. For starters I did not know her real name. I always called her Vahini Aji. She was a smart lady who was a great manager in her own created domain. I have seen her with her skills where she would motivate people or talk to them in such a manner that the work always was done. She knew many things and was a good observer.

She was old. She was forgetting people recently and I heard that she died a peaceful death. I can not say goodbye but in my heart I am already saying that.

My respect to you Vahini Aji.

 

On the travelled path with a wounded heart - A verse

On the travelled path ...with a wounded heart

We travel alone miles apart

When it was time to start

An unheard chart

With half eaten tart

We depart

On the travelled path ...with a wounded heart

We travel alone miles apart

July 24/ 25

Its July 25th . Its 4.40 in the morning. And I have had no sleep tonight. 

Physically I am tired. I have danced for 2 nights at two parties. It was fun but now I am awake. Its time to do things and the battery should be recharged according to it.

I have attended lectures, submitted assignments and also played various sports recently. I played sports like basketball, badminton, swimming, table tennis etc.

But at the end of the day the joy is in things which you love most. Oh Boy, I do miss playing Tennis.

Things are about to get tough as the battle lines are being drawn. I will do my best. I will do my best.

39 days - Pune watch 1

Its been a while that I have moved to a hill top near Pune called Symbiosis Knowledge Village. Its been a learning experience with emotional roller coaster. I feel very happy at times and other times I feel drained.

But overall the city is fine. And the time I spent was okay.

Will write on it in detail soon.

Take a stand

I lost my contacts in my cell phone and I felt bad. I felt as if I am cut off from the world.

I felt alone.

Then I realized the suffering it takes to be lonely. Life is not about suffering. I have choosen to help. I would be doing that.

A short story....here I come

He was in trouble and he knew it. He just waited paitently to be caught but he just stood there and nothing happened. He thought that lets turn around and see whats going on ...why is he not been approched as yet. But he thought its better not to glance back as he may have the eyecontact with the crow. Rather the black crow.

He glanced out of the window and saw that the train was slowing down. Yes if only I could jump out, - jump out when the station comes and run away. And he did jump out only the platform was not there.
He lay there still bones broken breathing in pain and exhaling blood and the black crow came with two three other men and they lifted him. They went to the same platform which he had missed (while he was jumoing off the train ) and they kept him outside a room as they went in and discussed for God knows months, years or something like that . This was what he felt as the pain was bad. It was like thousands of knives pearcing at the same moment.

Finally he lost it and went to sleep. He saw light. "Heaven yes here I come" , he said and as he woke up he saw that he was in a hopital and he knew his misfortune that he was still alive. Alive with a couple of dozen of broken bones.

Finally the Black Crow spoke," I am the TC ticket collector in your compartment. When you jumped out to avoid me you feel in the gap in the platform which was not repaired for last 10 years and thanks to your stupidity or rather I should call it bravery it got repaired yesterday. Hence I have decided not to file charges against you for ticketless travelling and the media has rather made you a hero for your act of bravery."

Indeed what a brave act of courage and defience.