Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Of Message Boards and TV Serials
Before I start, I want you to forgive me, because this post might have a slightly serious tone to it. But I'm sure you'll understand the sentiment if, like me, you've been reading user comments on Indian online news portals for the past week. Let me hit you with some priceless ones.
"If anybody says gays are by birth and related to genes...can they tell if a new born is a gay or not? This is height of shamelessness that people approve gay relationship. Anybody who are approving gay relationship....may their next generation become gay...then they will realize and have."
- On the gay legalization thingy
"No one can quench their burning passions that too when Sex Education provoking them further. Children will become wild and go astray like sheep which has no thinking on their own and direction. When aged and educated are perverted why not children."
-On Sex Education in schools
And there are many more, which range from the grammatically incorrect to the hilarious, to the indecipherable. But at the same time, the lack of awareness and deep-rooted prejudice present within Indians is disturbing to say the least. And mind you, this is the computer literate, internet-savvy populace that we are talking about here. Which makes one think about the average awareness levels existing in India. Apart from making me shudder, this thought also prompted me to write this blog post. I had planned to analyze and systematically take apart the prevalent dogma and superstition, which I believe were the underlying reasons for this sorry state of affairs. I was going to critique the socio-political issues plaguing India today. In short, I had decided to rant. Until I remembered Star World and Boston Legal.
The following is the transcript of my favourite closing argument by Alan Shore, the witty and compelling protagonist of Boston Legal; a character played superbly by James Spader. In this episode of the courtoom "dramady", Alan acts as counsel for Abby Holt, a 15 year old girl who contracts HIV after unprotected sex . She goes on to sue her school for not imparting proper sex education and only preaching abstinence. Clark Brown, the judge presiding over the case is a Boston Legal regular; a conservative octogenarian who provides comic relief.
Adam Jovanka, counsel for the school:
Your Honor, I think we all agree that fifteen is too young to be having sex. Is there anyone here who takes issue with that? Sometimes, when the right answer is “no”, you say no. You don’t start tinkering with morality to coincide with logistics. Kids need to hear “no”, not “here’s how, just in case”, but “no”. Abstinence was the right answer here. If she hadn’t had sex, she wouldn’t be H.I.V. positive. And even if you are so determined to opt for pragmatism, abstinence is still the right answer. Since the implementation of this policy, the teen pregnancy rate has gone down 30%. More and more kids are choosing not to have sex. And that’s good. Whether they get sick or pregnant or not. And if parents disagree, by the way, they can choose to teach their kids about condoms and birth control pills and diaphragms. But once the school starts doing so, come on, you’re implicitly telling the kids it’s expected of them to be sexually active. And many start doing so because they feel all their friends are. Sure, we can pass out condoms. But it is simply more responsible, more moral and yes, more safe to practice abstinence. That’s what we should be telling them. And this school is.
Alan Shore, counsel for Abby Holt :
This case isn’t about teenage pregnancy. She didn’t get pregnant. She got H.I.V. I can see why you would want to make it about teenage pregnancy, since, well, actually I can’t. The United States had the worst teen pregnancy rate of any industrialized nation. And contrary to what Mr. Jovanka would like us to believe, there is no evidence whatsoever that suggests using condoms or teaching students about condoms makes them any more inclined to have sex.
None. They’re already inclined to have sex and have been since early puberty. They’re simply going to do it, we all do it. Birds do it, bees do it. Educated fleas do it. One day, Your Honor even you”
[Slamming of gavel..]
Yes, the fact is this case has nothing to do with the efficacy of abstinence only programs. This case is about religion, politics and federal funding. Our present administration, in blind service to the religious right, has transcended the separation of Church and State and consistently implemented a faith-based political and moral mandate. And now that same policy has been passed on to our educational system. If schools teach abstinence only, they get federal funding. If they teach any other type of sex education, they don’t. And as a result, the students in these abstinence only programs aren’t being taught the truth about that magnificent technological marvel, the condom. That’s not a dirty word, Your Honor. Condoms.
[Judge slams gavel again.]
They first came on the scene some 3,000 years ago in Egypt. For centuries they wert merrily along in modified forms warding off syphilis, gonorrhea, preventing unplanned pregnancies, until science and medicine eventually caught up and the pill became a much more effective, less intrusive contraceptive. Penicillin and other antibiotics were miracle cures for gonorrhea and syphilis. The poor humble condom languished. And then came AIDS, this terrifying new disease that panicked the world. For many years, it has been fatal, gruesomely so in every case. There was no vaccine, no cure, no treatment. But there were condoms, and they worked. They were safe, time-tested, easy to use, and they protected both partners. The condom is arguably the single most important invention of the past 2,000 years. In fact, it has been said without exaggeration that the health of the world depends on them. Now one would think that the obvious choice would be for schools to tell their students as much.
But Abby’s school, indeed all schools, that teach abstinence only, have chosen to lie. They teach that condoms are ineffective at preventing pregnancies, which is a lie. They teach that condoms are ineffective at prevent disease, which is a lie. Some of the literature actually compares using a condom to playing Russian Roulette, which is a frightening, despicable, unforgivable lie.
Abby Holt has H.I.V., which in all likelihood will develop into AIDS. We’ve sort of forgotten about AIDs in this country. Treatments have improved dramatically. Drugs are keeping people alive for many years after they become infected. But the Grim Butcher’s bill for this pandemic still keeps growing and growing. 65 million people worldwide have become infected. One time unprotected sex can kill you. A condom can save you. It is inconceivable, that every child in the world isn’t taught that. We should be in criminal court this very moment, trying this obscenely duplicitous school for conspiracy to commit murder. Ah. But frankly, I have no stomach for that. I think of the horror that has been inflicted on this fifteen year old girl, and I’m just so profoundly sad. I can point out the evils of this corrupt system. I can tell you have effective condoms are, the lives they save and on and on and on and”¦ but words seem to be these hollow, useless things rattling around in this courtroom. Because ultimately the lies this school told Abby Holt will probably kill her. They have certainly altered her life forever. And in the face of that, all I can think of is “why”?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Flyover
I miss the solace of sanity
I watch the people flow
and I give in to vanity
I miss the shackles of mortality
I miss the feeling of sin
I miss the flavor of guilt
I miss the urges that defined me
I miss the confines of my mind
I exult in the freedom of nothingness
I celebrate the death of divinity
I stake my claim to be me
Monday, June 15, 2009
Proposed song lyrics for new Boyband
The song will have a romantic, bluesy, modernish classical feel
Verse1:
main hun ek patanga
tu meri mombatti (dhik chak dhik chak)
(dhik chak dhik chak)
aaja na aaja mere paas (ten tana tanau)
Verse2:
hathi naali me bah nahi sakta...
mai tere bina rah nahi sakta...(dhik chak dhik chak dhik chak)
tum nahi hote to hum nahi hote
chal mil ke uda de pyar ki hum gilli
Chorus:
kutta mar gaya razai me...
mai paagal ho gaya teri judaai me
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Random Thoughts
"society has got it all wrong. We should marry when we are in our 60s"
"The lakes of joka be dried and something built in its place. They are wasting a lot of space"
"Kill all the fucking crows one by one. Better still, burn the trees"
"The environmental-ist lobby is stupid. Global warming, environmental damage are all bakwaas"
"what is this obsession with entrepreneurship ?? I want to be a slave all my life."
"We make fun of women so we can show we are masochist rock stars."
"Why do you try to find a purpose in living?? Why are you not happy accepting we are just another piece of crap built by random interference"
Some thoughts overheard in IIM Cal. Not too difficult figuring out who thought of them, is it??
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Missed Call
Why the IPL is good for India's economy
The IPL Strategy Break!!!!
Three observations about the IPL
- The IPL in South Africa proved that even an Indian marketing gimmick can fool people all over the world.
- Did you see the non-Indians dancing to the bollywood tunes (I am not exactly sure whether they were dancing presuming them to be the ones from which those have been plagiarized) ??
- The commentators discussing how making a cocktail of Bollywood and Cricket - the best two drinks from India - has made the greatest punch ever.
I see these commentators coming straight out from a country liquor shop.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Thought provoking lyrics
lataka dikha diya
hamane jhataka laga diya tumane tada ho tumako tada mataka ke chal diye ham to khataka huwa hai
kyuun tumako tada ho tumako tada manch ki jo aurat hai desh ka sensation nazar milaayi nazaron se
sabhi ko temptation chhod denge chhod denge ham ho ho ho old saara chhod denge ham o ho ho dhin
tak dhin tak dhin o ho ho deviyon ka saath denge ham lataka dikha diya hamane jhataka laga diya
tumane tada ho tumako tada mataka ke chal diye ham to khataka huwa hai kyuun tumako tada ho tumako
tada ghuum le kidhar bhi udhar hi glamour hai umar bhi javaan hai sabhi to humour hai hamanein vo
joke sune censor bhi nahin sune hamane jo dress pahanin filmstar bhi na
pahanein chuudidaar-vuudidaar bhuul jaayein hollywood bollywood chhuute pichhe ye pahan vo pahan
bore ho gaye aakir mein ghaaghara bhi bhaaga pichhe chhod denge chhod denge ham ho ho ho old
saara chhod denge ham o ho ho dhin tak dhin tak dhin o ho ho deviyon ka saath denge ham lataka
dikha diya hamane jhataka laga diya tumane tada ho tumako tada mataka ke chal diye ham to khataka
huwa hai kyuun tumako tada ho tumako tada kamariya kamal si lachak hai noodal si dil ko puncture
jo kare nazar hai needle si apani jo kabarein hain, b b c mein bhi nahin ham jaisi sundarata m tv
mein bhi nahin mithi-mithi baaton ka mukkaala mandi mein bhi mahal mein bhi, muqaabala jhuuth
nahin bola mainne gopaala jhuuth hai to pi le tu cocacola chhod denge chhod denge ham ho ho
ho old saara chhod denge ham o ho ho dhin tak dhin tak dhin o ho ho deviyon ka saath denge
ham lataka dikha diya hamane jhataka laga diya tumane tada ho tumako tada mataka ke chal diye
ham to khataka huwa hai kyuun tumako tada ho tumako tada manch ki jo aurat hai desh ka
sensation nazar milaayi nazaron se sabhi ko temptation chhod denge chhod denge ham ho ho ho old
saara chhod denge ham o ho ho dhin tak dhin tak dhin o ho ho deviyon ka saath denge ham
(Speakes volumes about the youth of this nation)
(Speakes volumes about the kind of talentless hacks that are hired by Bollywood)
Madam I'm Adam
(They are palindromes)
(Marvel at my creativity, minions)
(Han shot first)
(The notes are bigger than the column itself)
(Oh! The humanity!)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Dawning of a new Dawn, Crowning of a New Crow
Read that title. Understand the import of it.
As we, as heralds of a greater tomorrow, stand on the cusp of greatness, basking in our new found insignificance, completely aware of the challenges that await us as we stride into uncertainty, face the new dawn, let us realize the magnitude of what it will take. If you have understood any of that, if you have peeked into a picturesque vista of randomness that was the lack of logical though culminating in a long sentence, then you my friend need help.
I stand to make each post a cathartic experience and the scope afforded by the curiously intelligent gaze of a blank text box, but affords that.
I stand to impress upon all you acolytes of comfort, children of a generation born into apathy and bred into indifference, that standing is sometimes good as your legs will otherwise fall asleep.
I stand because I can, plus my boss says I always sit.
I can blog on a host of aspects. The complete lack of direction and the final futility of life that is striking us like a blonde in a red dress, now that we're "grown ups" and working. Cloistered as we've always been by the niches of academia and home, we've all now come face to face with the randomness of working life and the complete lack of purpose that is the tenuous pursuit of "remaining". All we can ask is why. Am i a nihilist? No. Nihilists had it all wrong. Succumb to the ultimate paradox of self awareness they all did. Moving on.
I can blog on a host of aspects. Why did the plane crash off brazil? Why did Nadal lose? Is it all random? Is a good presentation contingent on the hopes and expectations of my bosses? Is it all so subjective in the end that nothing matters?
The purpose of this post is this, now. If you've read till this point, realize : It's all random. We are children of randomness and the best we can do it to love it. The meandering exercise that was the pursuit of reaching this one paragraph is a reflection of the meandering route through life, perhaps. Or maybe it's just the coffee talking.
Either way, I dont mean to pontificate, I mean to waste your time. Love it.
The End.
I Have a Dream
Friday, June 5, 2009
AM and PM
AM - Antonio Maino
PM - u know
2. Lessness - That's how Preity Zinta calls Wadia when he cracks a PJ.(Hope u got it)
3. Leaving for the day - Most of the times I say this when I leave in the night.
Why am I posting this?
Coz I can
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Office, Office
As I sat at home on Monday morning and frittered the time away, I was reminded of Office Space. Hilarious movie, I am sure you'll agree. But so very relevant. And after just a month as a "management trainee", I have realised that not only does it apply to my 1-year software stint in 06-07, it also applies, perhaps more so, here. In the end all that matters is how much bullshit you can pull and get away with. My theory is that office social rules, (and maybe life's rules in the civilized world) are made, bent and broken by a series of one-upmanship games. It’s all about how shameless you can be.
For example, it was implicitly expected of us trainees to wear business casuals to work. Friday was a bone the HR had thrown us, where we could show up in our Sunday best. “This is how we present ourselves while dealing with our external partners (read: clients, vendors, blabla)”, they'd hint. The fact that the only ‘external partners’ we'd be meeting during the training period were the caterers working in the office mess, was a non-issue. Now, this rule kind of applied only for us newbies I figured, because the rest of the office showed up in tees and jeans the whole week. So, I got shameless and followed the example and not surprisingly, people around me pretended not to notice. Office is fun that way. The farce of corporate political correctness has pervaded so deep, that nobody dared point out to me, this "flagrant foul" that I had committed. This sort of confrontation unsettles the working-class professional. This guy would sell his grandmother at the blink of an eye if it meant that he could meet his sales targets, but being blunt to a co-worker was a no-no.
Then, one fine morning, when I had run out of fresh socks, I thought, why not push my theory to see where it breaks? I am proud to say that I became the only male to wear open footwear in office. Quite an achievement, I must say. And apart from the occasional uncomfortable stare that I get, my theory is still holding good. Stare all you want fellas, but sticks and stones will break my bones, but… stares… won’t… do that.
Anyhoo…I wonder which of my co-workers will eventually step up and say something, because I'm all for continuing this social experiment. A commendable sacrifice for the cause of mankind, I must say. Either I'll end up empowering employees to wear shorts to client meetings, or break this mask of sickening professional nicety. In either case, I'm guaranteed of getting the credit for ridding this world of a whole lot of corporate bullshit and bringing stuff out into the open.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Dollars' Trilogy
My personal favorite amongst his songs is the 'Ecstacy of Gold' from the good, the bad and the ugly but here is another interesting piece of music I have come to admire - from another of the dollars' trilogy, For a few dollars more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btmGHLJeG24
PS1: If you havent seen the good, the bad and the ugly - do so immediately.
PS2: If you havent heard ecstacy of gold, do so as well
PS3: No prizes for guessing the name of composer (or googling it)
I am the Talon. and I have come.
I take this opportunity, humbled by its scope and irritated by the background color, to thank the dignitaries who saw it fit to vest with me, stewardship of this post. I assure you, with the utmost sincerity, I shall not make much sense.
I take this opportunity, to applaud the che tee. It is colorful and it has a dude on it.
I applaud the congress since it's not orange.
I applaud the applauders 'cuz their hands are usually numb.
I admire the numbness of the hand as it promotes further use.
I use my admiration of my hand in ways that may numb your senses.
I sense you're bored.
Yes, boars are funny. and scary. usually not at the same time.
The end.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Micro Blog.... (because its IN)
Genesis
And God Said: Let there be random bakar: and there was random bakar
And God saw random bakar, that it was good: and he has been happy ever since.
Ok, enough with that already....let me just say this blog will be anything but an attempt to glorify what we were taught (and what we didn't do a good job of learning from) about finance, marketing, OR, strategy or statistics. Although we might have some basic economics stuff - nothing too flashy or showy. We know that we are no pros to be taken seriously. Not yet anyways.
So, we will be writing on a collection of disparate topics - ranging from Serial Killers to popular Music, Movies to Comparitive Mythology to Particle Physics. Oh, we will particularly pin up stuff that comes up in bakar sessions with friends and seems too weird or interesting to not jot down.
We expect loads of comments because we are hoping to make this popular and our final intention is to make money by putting google ad-sense on the blog. A la Gordon Gekko.
Naah, just kidding! Or am I ??? :D
PS: Is god a him or her ??