Recently I laid my hands on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and was browsing through it as I found this quote below.
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don't much care where –" said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
"– so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation.
"Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough."
If only we are able to walk long enough.....................
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
deep rooted change....version 2
I never imagined I'll blog again so soon on this topic.
India has been attacked again and after watching the harrowing scenes aired on TV the least I could do is express my feelings, anger and emotions on cyber world to relieve myself. A handful of terrorists succeeded in holding mumbai (rather the whole nation) hostage for over 48 hours.
Though anger is my first reaction to this incident at the helplessness, I am constantly reminding myself that it doesnt help. I have read through a variety of responses to this whole incident and each one had a different dimension to offer.
This quote below probably expressed the best reasoning for such incidents across the world.
A friend, a physician, commented the other day something that stayed with me. Everything we do in our life, all our actions, our efforts and our strife stand on the one singular pillar of our will to live. A patient who goes through the intense days of chemotherapy and radiation has only one force driving him to oust the cancer that has taken over his body, his will to live. A terrorist who flies a plane into a tower and happily takes the bullets of commandos, had lost his will to live. He came there knowing he would die. He came there knowing he would never have to look at himself in the mirror after having killed so many innocent people. Only sheer hopelessness could take away one's will to live. Call me an optimist, an idealist but maybe preventing terrorism would have to start at finding and eliminating this hopelessness and not just the people who fall prey to it. And finally, it is the innocent, unsuspecting people who go about their lives and get killed when this man's hopelessness seeps through bullets and bomb explosions.
It is high time that our will to live is stronger than that lone gunman's will to die.
India has been attacked again and after watching the harrowing scenes aired on TV the least I could do is express my feelings, anger and emotions on cyber world to relieve myself. A handful of terrorists succeeded in holding mumbai (rather the whole nation) hostage for over 48 hours.
Though anger is my first reaction to this incident at the helplessness, I am constantly reminding myself that it doesnt help. I have read through a variety of responses to this whole incident and each one had a different dimension to offer.
This quote below probably expressed the best reasoning for such incidents across the world.
A friend, a physician, commented the other day something that stayed with me. Everything we do in our life, all our actions, our efforts and our strife stand on the one singular pillar of our will to live. A patient who goes through the intense days of chemotherapy and radiation has only one force driving him to oust the cancer that has taken over his body, his will to live. A terrorist who flies a plane into a tower and happily takes the bullets of commandos, had lost his will to live. He came there knowing he would die. He came there knowing he would never have to look at himself in the mirror after having killed so many innocent people. Only sheer hopelessness could take away one's will to live. Call me an optimist, an idealist but maybe preventing terrorism would have to start at finding and eliminating this hopelessness and not just the people who fall prey to it. And finally, it is the innocent, unsuspecting people who go about their lives and get killed when this man's hopelessness seeps through bullets and bomb explosions.
It is high time that our will to live is stronger than that lone gunman's will to die.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Deep rooted change !
As I follow the Malegaon blasts investigation story.............I am reminded of my thought process couple of months back.
India has been rocked by a series of blasts in this year and each time the search starts and ends targeting a specific community. This was disturbing and probably created a sense of hatred among the people. The public started generalizing and associating every incident to someone from the community. I found this annoying to a certain degree. I caught myself in an argument with my roommate.
I even blogged about how this sets a bad precedent. This kind of behavior will lead to isolation of the community and the country will find itself divided over the course of time. Consequences would be severe for young ones who will find it difficult to understand as to why he or she should not have a friend belonging to a specific community. It would be a crime if we sow the seeds of hatred and discrimination in the minds of young one's.
It's interesting to see a twist in the tale of the investigation surrounding the recent blasts. The investigators might even hit a roadblock, but it's a way or means to remind everyone watching that riots, terrorism or violence is not inherited by a community or religion.
Rather it's the deed of a group of select individuals who have damaged some of their brain cells. At the end of the day it's one human being against another in the name of revenge or retribution. Catching the culprits and hanging them won't bring back the dead. It won't wipe away the fear and it certainly won't stop the killings. No. The change has to be far more deep rooted.
India has been rocked by a series of blasts in this year and each time the search starts and ends targeting a specific community. This was disturbing and probably created a sense of hatred among the people. The public started generalizing and associating every incident to someone from the community. I found this annoying to a certain degree. I caught myself in an argument with my roommate.
I even blogged about how this sets a bad precedent. This kind of behavior will lead to isolation of the community and the country will find itself divided over the course of time. Consequences would be severe for young ones who will find it difficult to understand as to why he or she should not have a friend belonging to a specific community. It would be a crime if we sow the seeds of hatred and discrimination in the minds of young one's.
It's interesting to see a twist in the tale of the investigation surrounding the recent blasts. The investigators might even hit a roadblock, but it's a way or means to remind everyone watching that riots, terrorism or violence is not inherited by a community or religion.
Rather it's the deed of a group of select individuals who have damaged some of their brain cells. At the end of the day it's one human being against another in the name of revenge or retribution. Catching the culprits and hanging them won't bring back the dead. It won't wipe away the fear and it certainly won't stop the killings. No. The change has to be far more deep rooted.
Never the same again
Cricket is and will probably remain one of my strongest passions, which is why the last couple of weeks has got me hooked to the Indian test series against Australia. This test series has marked the exit of 2 of India's greatest heroes.
For the record, Sourav and Kumble decided it's time to hang up.
And the game of cricket will never be the same again without the Silent Assassin aka Jumbo who goes about his job with the minimal fuss. He has been and will probably remain one of the best ambassadors of the game. He sets a true example for the likes of Gambhir who drag themselves into trouble with their child like behavior.
I have had the rare privilege of having played 3 games with Anil Kumble at the Bangalore league and that's when I realized the mark of a great sportsman. Those 3 games would remain in my memory for a long time.
And Dada, you have been my hero for the kind of leadership you have showcased. Your aggression and courage with a "tooth for tooth, nail for nail" attitude really helped take Indian cricket to greater heights. It was your perseverance with talent that prevented some greats like Viru, Bhajji, Zaki, Pathan, MSD from fading into oblivion. It shows the hallmark of a great leader, and now we know Indian cricket will pass on to safe hands.
New heroes will emerge and pepsi or coke might find a new face for their brands.......but I know for sure the game will never be the same again as the nation bids farewell to the giants of Indian cricket.
For the record, Sourav and Kumble decided it's time to hang up.
And the game of cricket will never be the same again without the Silent Assassin aka Jumbo who goes about his job with the minimal fuss. He has been and will probably remain one of the best ambassadors of the game. He sets a true example for the likes of Gambhir who drag themselves into trouble with their child like behavior.
I have had the rare privilege of having played 3 games with Anil Kumble at the Bangalore league and that's when I realized the mark of a great sportsman. Those 3 games would remain in my memory for a long time.
And Dada, you have been my hero for the kind of leadership you have showcased. Your aggression and courage with a "tooth for tooth, nail for nail" attitude really helped take Indian cricket to greater heights. It was your perseverance with talent that prevented some greats like Viru, Bhajji, Zaki, Pathan, MSD from fading into oblivion. It shows the hallmark of a great leader, and now we know Indian cricket will pass on to safe hands.
New heroes will emerge and pepsi or coke might find a new face for their brands.......but I know for sure the game will never be the same again as the nation bids farewell to the giants of Indian cricket.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Muddle in the US
"The muddle in the US only proves that industrial nations do not necessarily have the monopoly of wisdom."
A quote from a article that I read recently.........and I am convinced !
As I type this the 700 billion USD bail out package for the US financial markets have been approved. It clearly comes across as a measure to save the economy from sinking.
Numerous questions throng my mind as I read about the crisis and how it has snowballed into such a large catastrophe. It's nothing short of greed and stupidity!
1) What were the financial watch dogs doing when the greedy firms were taking such risks to make a killing
2) Why did the numerous nobel laurets and famed economists of USA fail to predict this. Even if they predicted, did it go to deaf ears.
3) In a capitalist economy is it right to flirt with the tax payer's money to save a sinking ship.
4) If you let them sink, are the consequences severe. What's the guarantee that such a thing would not be repeated.
At the same time it's nice to see Indian markets fairly insulated from the turmoil in the US. It's probably attributed to the conservative patterns in Indian culture. Kudos Mr Reddy and Chidambaram.
A quote from a article that I read recently.........and I am convinced !
As I type this the 700 billion USD bail out package for the US financial markets have been approved. It clearly comes across as a measure to save the economy from sinking.
Numerous questions throng my mind as I read about the crisis and how it has snowballed into such a large catastrophe. It's nothing short of greed and stupidity!
1) What were the financial watch dogs doing when the greedy firms were taking such risks to make a killing
2) Why did the numerous nobel laurets and famed economists of USA fail to predict this. Even if they predicted, did it go to deaf ears.
3) In a capitalist economy is it right to flirt with the tax payer's money to save a sinking ship.
4) If you let them sink, are the consequences severe. What's the guarantee that such a thing would not be repeated.
At the same time it's nice to see Indian markets fairly insulated from the turmoil in the US. It's probably attributed to the conservative patterns in Indian culture. Kudos Mr Reddy and Chidambaram.
Actions need to speak louder than words
When Kris Srikanth took over as the chief selector for the Indian cricket team, all were looking forward to some welcome changes. I believe change is not a very bad thing coz it provides a fresh lease of life. The selectors are taking charge at a time, when their predecessors have laid a foundation for phasing out the fab four of the Indian batting line up. The first step in this direction was taken when More and Co ignored Saurav for the Irani trophy.
However when the team for the test series against Australia was announced, we saw Saurav back in the team. This shows how the system lacks direction or continuity. Another intersting observation is the exclusion of Mr Cool aka Rohit Sharma. From what most people saw of him, he seemed one of the most composed batsmen of the new era in Indian cricket.
And phew! Today as I browse the sports column on google news I see how Rohit Sharma has answered his detractors with the bat. He slammed 106 in 144 balls with 12 hits to the fence and 4 over it in the warm up game against the Aussies. He has let his bat do all the talking.
Now it's time for Mr Saurav to follow suit. If he believes he has 2 years of cricket still left in him, it's time he proved it....else he's got to hang up, before he's shown the door.
Dada, it's time to let your actions speak louder than your words.
However when the team for the test series against Australia was announced, we saw Saurav back in the team. This shows how the system lacks direction or continuity. Another intersting observation is the exclusion of Mr Cool aka Rohit Sharma. From what most people saw of him, he seemed one of the most composed batsmen of the new era in Indian cricket.
And phew! Today as I browse the sports column on google news I see how Rohit Sharma has answered his detractors with the bat. He slammed 106 in 144 balls with 12 hits to the fence and 4 over it in the warm up game against the Aussies. He has let his bat do all the talking.
Now it's time for Mr Saurav to follow suit. If he believes he has 2 years of cricket still left in him, it's time he proved it....else he's got to hang up, before he's shown the door.
Dada, it's time to let your actions speak louder than your words.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lasting Impressions - good or bad
Recent news of bomb blasts in the country have been so disturbing. Such events have been happening in India for a while now, just that the frequency has shot up and it's time to take notice. Me and my apartment mate were discussing about the bomb blasts that rocked Delhi again couple of weeks back. As always few innocent lives were claimed and news flashed that an "unknown" terrorist outfit have claimed to have masterminded it.
Immediately my roomie remarked that we drive all Muslims out of India. I perceive this as a strong statement. I mean most of us have reached a state where we categorize an entire community on the basis of select few fanatics. Then what would we comment about the Bajrang Dal involvment in the violence on churches in Karnataka, about the attacks on missionaries in Orissa.
I personally dont belive that there's any religion that could exist in this world that would encourage people to hate each other, to take up arms against each other. But still our human mind is so good to draw perceptions so quickly. Terrorism is a mjaor issue in India and most often we find the people involved are follower's of Islam. However that doesnt make all muslims in the country terrorists. It's very important to address the issue before it snow balls into a catastrophy causing the nation to stand divided.
We were proud about the "unity in diversity" of our nation, but it's not too far away before we are going to take strong stands and leave the country divided.
Immediately my roomie remarked that we drive all Muslims out of India. I perceive this as a strong statement. I mean most of us have reached a state where we categorize an entire community on the basis of select few fanatics. Then what would we comment about the Bajrang Dal involvment in the violence on churches in Karnataka, about the attacks on missionaries in Orissa.
I personally dont belive that there's any religion that could exist in this world that would encourage people to hate each other, to take up arms against each other. But still our human mind is so good to draw perceptions so quickly. Terrorism is a mjaor issue in India and most often we find the people involved are follower's of Islam. However that doesnt make all muslims in the country terrorists. It's very important to address the issue before it snow balls into a catastrophy causing the nation to stand divided.
We were proud about the "unity in diversity" of our nation, but it's not too far away before we are going to take strong stands and leave the country divided.
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