I shouldn't be cribbing about the things I don't like in my country.. the country I live in, the one that is my motherland.. A country that I love so much, but I cannot help it. I cannot keep it in any longer.
To be frank, after having lived 4 whole years in Singapore, I'm finding it slightly hard to adjust to the Indian way of life all over again. It's true that life here is more luxurious and comfortable because of the lower cost of living, and that I'm living with my parents, my family; but there are so many other things that happen that make me wonder.. WHY are we putting up with all this? WHY are we accepting this way of life? Is it because people here haven't experienced a life that can be orderly and by the rules, or is it because that have just gotten too used to it (that's the answer I get from my parents), or is it because we all know that even if we want things to change, we can't do anything alone.. not anytime soon atleast.. it's true that if you want to see a change in the world, you need to start it.. but when you do that here, you feel like an idiot. I stop at a red light, even though it's night and the roads are empty.. but several cars whiz past me.. How am I supposed to react?
Talking about cars and traffic lights, I can write a few hundred pages on how people just don't seem to have any common sense, concern for others, or for others' ears and for the environment (sound pollution), and sometimes I wonder, for their lives as well. Here are a few scenarios that I'm sure everybody has experienced and probably gotten used to, but I still have to write about it. One - The guy walking in the middle of the road knows that you're driving towards him, but his pace just does not change. He looks at you, turns away and continues walking as if you're supposed to slow down and make sure you don't hit him. And if you do, you're at fault.. you're the one with a vehicle right? Yup, so it's you. Two - Why does the vehicle on the leftmost lane(?) decide to turn into a street on the right, everytime?? Three - Lanes. Really? No more comments. Four - You're at a traffic signal and there's a car in front of you and a dozen behind you. The instant the signal turns green, the last car in the line starts to honk. Yeah, like you would stand there on purpose if the car in front you had moved. You like to waste time. Five - Talking about honking, normal honks are still okay, there's this partcicular type pa-pe-pa-pe-pa in a sing song way that gets onto my nerves. Anything but a normal beep should be banned. Six - Taxi drivers just don't care. The traffic's increasing by the minute, and when cheaper cars like Nano hit the road, I wonder how it's going to be manageable. Even if they start making flyovers, each one takes almost 3 years for completion and during that time, that road is jammed beyond control. Anyway, enough about the traffic. And I don't want to get started on the condition of the roads and different departments (water, electricity, phone) digging them, turn by turn. (Why they can't co-ordinate, I don't know).
I had gone to the BSNL office with a complaint about our landline. The lady at the counter immediately put in our number in the system and in a couple of seconds she had the complete call history and the relevant details. To be frank, I was a little surprised at the fact that everything was computerized and done in a matter of seconds. I guess I was assuming a long wait and a few calls here and there before I got my answer. Is that my perception of how things work in India? Actually, everything does work that way. I see my parents experiencing that everyday. 'It'll be done tomorrow' has become the punch line for mostly everyone, most government officers included, and that too only after persistent calling. And even though they're paid, you're supposed to pay them. When I question my parents, they say that's how it works. You can forget about getting your job done if not.
There are laws in this country.. but they aren't strict. Hence people take the easy way out and choose not to follow them. You might get caught once in a way, but there's always the 100 rupee note you can discreetly put into the officer's hands when you shake it. Even if the officer is an honest one and registers a case against you, it will take years for it to actually get a hearing in the court. Some cases get their hearing dates after the person is dead and gone. No rules.. No followers.. Corruption.. Bribery.. How can a country progress like this? I think it all boils down to illiteracy. With 30 crore Indians still illiterate, there isn't much that can be done.. If only every state was like Kerala. But it's not like the literate people are doing everything right. Even the most intelligent people sometimes lack basic common sense.Politicians are busy making false promises, getting votes, rising to power and trying to retain the power. Hence they don't find the time to actually do something for the benefit of the country. Even if they do, it all seems so short term. They don't look at the future.
Every thing seems like it's a chaos to me. And it also looks like people don't care. They're used to it. They experience it, crib about it and then carry on with their lives. I do it too. I don't have any other choice.. I'm voicing my opinions here, but other than that what else can I do? I will only be wasting my time writing letters to the officials that might go unread.. or meeting them to express my concerns when it might just come out of the other ear.. Even the educated and intelligent people cannot do anything about the state of affairs.Some say that that's the excitement of living here.. else it just gets too monotonous, organized and boring (I've heard people say that about life in Singapore), but seriously, is this the kind of excitement we're looking for?
When people talk about brain drain and how intelligent people just go away to America and other countries, I don't blame them. I used to, not anymore. The pay packet might be higher and you might progress more quickly abroad, but I don't think that's the only reason people choose to leave the country. I don't know when things will change here.. but I hope they do, and soon.. I don't know who our messiah is going to be.. I just hope something is done before things go out of hand. (If that's not happened already).
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Names changed on request!
You must've have come across this phrase while reading articles in a magazine or newspaper. Usually, when it is a real life story with certain personal or embarrassing details, the actual name of the person isn't divulged and another random name is used. At the bottom of the article there is one single note for all the changed names as the newspapers have to mention it to ascertain it's genuineness. Hence, when you read the article, you go with the flow and you don't care about the names used, 'cos even if the names are common, in all likelihood you wouldn't know the person mentioned in the article. And you don't care.
That makes sense.
But many a time I come across articles where the sentence goes like this.
"Ramya, an electrical engineering student from BITS (name changed on request), was walking back to her hostel after class when..." This would probably be followed by a few other people whose names had been changed and this would be mentioned in brackets for every name changed, all in the same article.
I find this a little stupid, and frankly I don't understand the purpose of mentioning it every time, instead of just writing it once in small print at the end of the article. Somehow I find myself concentrating more on the names of the people than the incident itself while reading the article. And then I start commenting on why they had to use such a weird name, with a pseudo initial as well! There are so many nice and pleasant names, but no, they find the most obscure names on the planet and print it.
Just a random post - I'm just amused that at times, I concentrate more on the names than the actual important content in the article. ;)
That makes sense.
But many a time I come across articles where the sentence goes like this.
"Ramya, an electrical engineering student from BITS (name changed on request), was walking back to her hostel after class when..." This would probably be followed by a few other people whose names had been changed and this would be mentioned in brackets for every name changed, all in the same article.
I find this a little stupid, and frankly I don't understand the purpose of mentioning it every time, instead of just writing it once in small print at the end of the article. Somehow I find myself concentrating more on the names of the people than the incident itself while reading the article. And then I start commenting on why they had to use such a weird name, with a pseudo initial as well! There are so many nice and pleasant names, but no, they find the most obscure names on the planet and print it.
Just a random post - I'm just amused that at times, I concentrate more on the names than the actual important content in the article. ;)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sorry? Ejjjaaaaclty! :P
For those who don't know, this is a famous dialogue from the movie Salaam Namaste. The context isn't important, and it's not like it made much sense in the movie anyway, hehe. What I'm going to write about is completely unrelated to the above, however, this is the best title I could think of for my post.
These days all of us use earphones a lot, though we know that they damage our ear drums and our hearing abilities will deteriorate over time. I've also read that the usage of ear phones increases the bacteria in our ears 700-fold! I even see young children aged 7-8 using earphones.
I was wondering... since this trend has begun only with our generation, no one has really seen what earphone usage will do to us when we get old. Or may be we won't have to wait to grow that old to find out. But we still use it anyway. (I do too. Not so much these days but I used to.)
I guess it won't be long before our hearing will become such that if anyone said anything to us, we would say, "Sorry?" And then...The little earphone devil would say "Ejjjaaaactly.. what I was hoping would happen to you!!"
:P
These days all of us use earphones a lot, though we know that they damage our ear drums and our hearing abilities will deteriorate over time. I've also read that the usage of ear phones increases the bacteria in our ears 700-fold! I even see young children aged 7-8 using earphones.
I was wondering... since this trend has begun only with our generation, no one has really seen what earphone usage will do to us when we get old. Or may be we won't have to wait to grow that old to find out. But we still use it anyway. (I do too. Not so much these days but I used to.)
I guess it won't be long before our hearing will become such that if anyone said anything to us, we would say, "Sorry?" And then...The little earphone devil would say "Ejjjaaaactly.. what I was hoping would happen to you!!"
:P
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Dear Sir or Madman...
I came across some actual blunders made by job seekers in Reader's Digest.. they're hilarious!
- I am sure you have looked through several resumes with the same information about work experience, education, and references. I am not going to give you any of that stuff.
- My mother delivered me without anaesthesia, so I have an IQ of 146 and can therefore learn anything.
- I realize that my total lack of appropriate experience may concern those considering me for employment.
- I have integrity, so I will not steal office supplies and take them home.
- Please don't regard my 14 positions as job-hopping. I never once quit a job.
- I'm attacking my CV for your review.
- I realized that my resume is no longer exemplary thanks to my family destroying the computer file.
- Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.
- Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!
- I am sure you have looked through several resumes with the same information about work experience, education, and references. I am not going to give you any of that stuff.
- My mother delivered me without anaesthesia, so I have an IQ of 146 and can therefore learn anything.
- I realize that my total lack of appropriate experience may concern those considering me for employment.
- I have integrity, so I will not steal office supplies and take them home.
- Please don't regard my 14 positions as job-hopping. I never once quit a job.
- I'm attacking my CV for your review.
- I realized that my resume is no longer exemplary thanks to my family destroying the computer file.
- Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.
- Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Happy Birthday Soleil :D
Soleil realised in semester x that Confused Soul and Cookie Monster were cousins.
Clue 4: In RVR, go to level x and find dudette x.
=)
Clue 4: In RVR, go to level x and find dudette x.
=)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Do these questions have answers?
I read this poem somewhere:
They say you should always leave loved ones with loving words, 'coz you never know.. it may be the last time you see them. But is that how life works? Every day of your life when you talk to your family, friends, etc., is this what you think about? If you have an argument with someone and you decide to give the other person time to cool down before you talk again, is that not contradictory to what I first said? Or do these feelings come in only when you do lose someone and then fade away? Do we actually have the time these days to think about all this? Should we even think about all this? Should we not live life to fullest?
They say life is short.. is it really? If you've lived 20 years, isn't that a long long time? They say you shouldn't let little things bother you.. they say you must forgive and forget.. If you're upset because of someone or something for one day, is that bad? If 20 years is a long time, how small is one day? How can you live everyday just being happy? They say you should everyday as if it was your last.. Can you do that? If people say things to you and don't behave well, should you let that go? What happens to your feelings? You give someone time to get alright, but even during that time, doesn't it matter to you how that person behaves? Isn't life made up of little things anyway? And if they say life is short, then every little thing should count, right?
What is life really all about?
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly, and pray the Lord your soul to keep.
If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss, and call you back for just one more.
If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would tape each word and action, and play them back throughout my days
If I knew it would be the last time, I would spare an extra minute or two,
To stop and say "I love you," instead of assuming you know I do.
So just in case tomorrow never comes, and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you, and I hope we never will forget.
Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes, you'll surely regret the day
That you didn't take that extra time for a smile, a hug, or a kiss,
And you were too busy to grant someone, what turned out
to be their one last wish.
So hold your loved ones close today, and whisper in their ear,
That you love them very much, and you'll always hold them dear.
Take time to say "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," "Thank you" or "It's okay",
And if tomorrow never comes, you'll have no regrets about today.
They say you should always leave loved ones with loving words, 'coz you never know.. it may be the last time you see them. But is that how life works? Every day of your life when you talk to your family, friends, etc., is this what you think about? If you have an argument with someone and you decide to give the other person time to cool down before you talk again, is that not contradictory to what I first said? Or do these feelings come in only when you do lose someone and then fade away? Do we actually have the time these days to think about all this? Should we even think about all this? Should we not live life to fullest?
They say life is short.. is it really? If you've lived 20 years, isn't that a long long time? They say you shouldn't let little things bother you.. they say you must forgive and forget.. If you're upset because of someone or something for one day, is that bad? If 20 years is a long time, how small is one day? How can you live everyday just being happy? They say you should everyday as if it was your last.. Can you do that? If people say things to you and don't behave well, should you let that go? What happens to your feelings? You give someone time to get alright, but even during that time, doesn't it matter to you how that person behaves? Isn't life made up of little things anyway? And if they say life is short, then every little thing should count, right?
What is life really all about?
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Don't worry, be happy!
I had written this sometime in semester 2. I was waiting for a lecture to start when suddenly these thoughts flooded my mind and I put it down on paper..
Sometimes I wonder why things that happen in our lives, happen at all. 'Coz some of these things change your life entirely - may be forever. You wish that some things never happened, or certain other things happened - but what we always forget is that if everything happened our way, wouldn't life become too predictable and boring? You would just say "I want it that way" and it would happen - no, that's not what life is all about. You need to experience unexpected things, and derive excitement and happiness from those things, cos if there are no chanllenges, there's no excitement. Challenges come in 3 categories - easy, difficult, impossible. Those who take on the easy alone have a boring and staright forward life. Those who take on the difficult have a tough but satisfying life. Those who take on the impossible are remembered forever! (I read this quote somewhere) Always remember - all that happens, happens for good. If God does not give you everything you want, it is because there is a reason behind it - and it is for your good. Time will teach you everything, even if you don't understand it at the moment. 'Coz time is the greatest healer..
I can still relate to what I had written so many months ago.. What I had gone through then is very similar to what I am going through now.. The emotions are the same, the situation slightly different.. I guess that's life!
Sometimes I wonder why things that happen in our lives, happen at all. 'Coz some of these things change your life entirely - may be forever. You wish that some things never happened, or certain other things happened - but what we always forget is that if everything happened our way, wouldn't life become too predictable and boring? You would just say "I want it that way" and it would happen - no, that's not what life is all about. You need to experience unexpected things, and derive excitement and happiness from those things, cos if there are no chanllenges, there's no excitement. Challenges come in 3 categories - easy, difficult, impossible. Those who take on the easy alone have a boring and staright forward life. Those who take on the difficult have a tough but satisfying life. Those who take on the impossible are remembered forever! (I read this quote somewhere) Always remember - all that happens, happens for good. If God does not give you everything you want, it is because there is a reason behind it - and it is for your good. Time will teach you everything, even if you don't understand it at the moment. 'Coz time is the greatest healer..
I can still relate to what I had written so many months ago.. What I had gone through then is very similar to what I am going through now.. The emotions are the same, the situation slightly different.. I guess that's life!
Monday, July 28, 2008
The return of Confused Soul.. :P
It's been exactly a year since my last post. I don't really know why - I guess I just lost interest in blogging, or 'cos there were other things happening in my life, or as always, I didn't know what to blog about :) But now I'm back, and I hope to continue blogging the way I used to!
What really inspired this post was my trip to Banaras (also known as Varanasi), in UP. I went there with my mom and her mom - my granny, cos my granny wanted to take me to a few temples in and around Banaras. And I must say it was an eye-opening experience. I don't have any pictures with me unfortunately, I wish I had taken some.
~The roads, if I could call them that, were just pure mud. Stones and puddles all over, it was a complete mess. And such narrow streets! I wonder how people manage to drive there! And I am surprised people there haven't turned deaf - every single vehicle on the streets honks continuously.
~Traffic - my definition of it in Banaras: It's an ocean full of fish swimming in all directions - you find your way through and try not to get hit. Lol.. It was pretty hilarious.
~Temples. People go there with so much devotion, but the way everything has become so commercial, it is really sad. You can't visit any temple in peace. Right from the time you are half a km away from the temple, pandits come to you from nowhere and follow you till you reach the temple, offering you a good darshan in a short time, buying all the necessary items for the pooja, etc. There are a million shops selling things that are offered to God - prasad, flowers, milk, coconut, etc. and all the vendors call out to you to go and buy from their shop. You just cannot enter the temple in peace. As if this is not bad enough, you have beggars before you enter the temple, inside the temple, and when you are out, asking you for money. There are some who say they sweep the temple and so ask for money. Don't we put enough in hundis for the management of the temple? Then they say things like you will get a good spouse, make good money in business if you give them money. The problem is also that if you give any one needy person a few coins, the rest will come crowd around you. Everything has become so commercialized - it was a sad sight.
~Tourists. All the Indians treat tourists like they are Gods or some aliens from outer space. I wonder what impression they get of India. All the Indians try to make as much money from the tourists and I wonder if they resort to cheating them in doing so, by giving them false information or charging them exorbitant amounts. At the station, this foreigner was taking snaps of a little girl cleaning the railway tracks.
~Train arrival announcements. My train was late by a couple of hours. While we were waiting at the station, each train's arrival brought with it - *Ting ting ting*, then the announcement in Hindi, then in English, repeated atleast twelve times each! When the current went off a couple of times, I was so happy! Lol.. But it came back in a minute each time.. The announcements were really very annoying.. they were too loud, and were made too many times. And there was absolutely no mention about my train being late for the two hours that we waited. We were wondering if we had missed the train or something.
India is such a beautiful place. It has so much to offer in terms of culture and traditions, monuments, temples, etc. It has already become such a popular tourist destination. Rajasthan was full of tourists when I went there. I hope the government takes steps to put some systems into place, and to make potential tourist spots clean and organized, with good systems into place for tourists to get reliable information and to get bookings done. And when it comes to Indian devotees visiting temples and the like, I hope something is done so that we can have hassle-free and peaceful visits to religious places.
What really inspired this post was my trip to Banaras (also known as Varanasi), in UP. I went there with my mom and her mom - my granny, cos my granny wanted to take me to a few temples in and around Banaras. And I must say it was an eye-opening experience. I don't have any pictures with me unfortunately, I wish I had taken some.
~The roads, if I could call them that, were just pure mud. Stones and puddles all over, it was a complete mess. And such narrow streets! I wonder how people manage to drive there! And I am surprised people there haven't turned deaf - every single vehicle on the streets honks continuously.
~Traffic - my definition of it in Banaras: It's an ocean full of fish swimming in all directions - you find your way through and try not to get hit. Lol.. It was pretty hilarious.
~Temples. People go there with so much devotion, but the way everything has become so commercial, it is really sad. You can't visit any temple in peace. Right from the time you are half a km away from the temple, pandits come to you from nowhere and follow you till you reach the temple, offering you a good darshan in a short time, buying all the necessary items for the pooja, etc. There are a million shops selling things that are offered to God - prasad, flowers, milk, coconut, etc. and all the vendors call out to you to go and buy from their shop. You just cannot enter the temple in peace. As if this is not bad enough, you have beggars before you enter the temple, inside the temple, and when you are out, asking you for money. There are some who say they sweep the temple and so ask for money. Don't we put enough in hundis for the management of the temple? Then they say things like you will get a good spouse, make good money in business if you give them money. The problem is also that if you give any one needy person a few coins, the rest will come crowd around you. Everything has become so commercialized - it was a sad sight.
~Tourists. All the Indians treat tourists like they are Gods or some aliens from outer space. I wonder what impression they get of India. All the Indians try to make as much money from the tourists and I wonder if they resort to cheating them in doing so, by giving them false information or charging them exorbitant amounts. At the station, this foreigner was taking snaps of a little girl cleaning the railway tracks.
~Train arrival announcements. My train was late by a couple of hours. While we were waiting at the station, each train's arrival brought with it - *Ting ting ting*, then the announcement in Hindi, then in English, repeated atleast twelve times each! When the current went off a couple of times, I was so happy! Lol.. But it came back in a minute each time.. The announcements were really very annoying.. they were too loud, and were made too many times. And there was absolutely no mention about my train being late for the two hours that we waited. We were wondering if we had missed the train or something.
India is such a beautiful place. It has so much to offer in terms of culture and traditions, monuments, temples, etc. It has already become such a popular tourist destination. Rajasthan was full of tourists when I went there. I hope the government takes steps to put some systems into place, and to make potential tourist spots clean and organized, with good systems into place for tourists to get reliable information and to get bookings done. And when it comes to Indian devotees visiting temples and the like, I hope something is done so that we can have hassle-free and peaceful visits to religious places.
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