It’s not that I’m very emotional and I get lost in reel life and get too much attached to it. In fact, I can be totally indifferent while watching movies and sitcoms. But this was different. Maybe having been in an abruptly ended relationship has something to do with it. At some level, I feel connected to THIS story and issue. And even though I knew this was gonna happen sooner or later, as that's the theme of this soap, I was hoping against hope that this doesn’t happen. Till the last moment today, I was hoping for a cliff-hanger end of episode. You know, something like Ranvijay fires his gun and Amreek falls on ground, looking like he’s dead. And in next episode, they’ll show that the bullet only grazed his temple. Typical Hindi sitcoms. But that’s not what happened today.

The bullet went clean through his head. That’s the first thing they showed about the gun shot. His head jerked from the shot, blood trickled down his cheek and HE SMILED. He smiled knowing that he helped his friend, bought them some time, helped them live. He gave his life for his friend's love. I'm still captivated by that frame. And this was only the beginning. In next episode, Abhay & Surbhi are gonna get caught by Abhay's father at airport. And sooner or later, even they are gonna end up dead.

How can people be so cruel like animals...!! Killing someone in the name of honour...!! Is it more valuable than our loved one's life...? This is not just a story of a sitcom. This thing is happening all over India. Even at this age. The Nitish Katara case is still fresh in mind. And that of Nirupama Pathak. Heck, there are (Khap) panchayats in India who hail Honour killing and flaunt it as their right. And an Indian politician, Member of Parliament no less, supports them. Acts like these are why I feel ashamed to be part of Indian society. I have no words to express. And headache is building up.

The end of life as we know it. We didn't see it coming, that's for sure. I mean, who plans for an Apocalypse? But you know the really funny thing? It wasn't something big and horrible that did us in. It wasn't nuclear war or a deadly virus or a comet crashing into the planet. It wasn't over-population or global warming. I wish it was. You know, something... lofty and magnificent, something worthy of exterminating most of the human race.No. In the end, it was none of those things. We simply ran out of gas.

In the year 2012, the gasoline ran out. You could almost hear the giant sucking sound as the last drop of crude was pumped from the earth. Within a year, the reserves were gone, too. We were supposed to have 20 years of gas left. That's what the experts said, and... they were wrong. Detroit was still churning out gas guzzlers even as the wells went dry. You'd have thought we could survive without gas. But the end of gasoline meant the end of electricity, nuclear power. There's coal, but you still need trucks to deliver the fuel. No electricity means no refrigerators, and that means spoiled food. In days, grocery stores were picked clean. Within weeks, there was looting, rioting, and chaos.

The government had a plan, but it was too busy trying to stop the violence. When they finally declared martial law, it was already too late. Civilization collapsed into anarchy. The smart ones moved south... until they realized that millions of other smart people had the same smart idea. All those people in one place fighting for the same shelter and food. It was a bloodbath. Within three years, more than 2/3 of the world's population had starved to death, frozen to death, or slaughtered each other. The American Dream became the American nightmare.


Wow, now that's some deep thinking. The way it is told, you are compelled to think about the possibilities of such a scenario. It really seems possible. But I believe by that time we'll have electric transport system. So, transporting coal won't be a problem. Other alternate energy sources may come handy as well. So, maybe this Apocalypse can be averted after all.

End note : Another movie - The Mist - delivered another power-punch thought. Check this -

People are basically good and decent. We're a civilized society. Sure. But just as long as the machines are workin' and you can dial 9-1-1. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, you scare the shit out of them; No more rules. You’ll see how primitive they get.

• Do you consider that - Sanskrit is communal and Urdu is secular, Mandir is Communal and Masjid is Secular, Sadhu is Communal and Imam is secular, VandeMatharam is communal and Allah-O-Akbar is secular, Shriman is communal and Mian is secular, Hinduism is Communal and Islam is Secular?


• Why Godhra is blown out of proportion, when no-one talks of the ethnic cleansing of 4 lakh Hindus from Kashmir?


• When Christian and Muslim schools can teach Bible and Quran, Why Hindus cannot teach Gita in our schools?


• When Haj pilgrims are given subsidy, why Hindu pilgrims to Amarnath, Sabarimalai & Kailash Mansarovar are taxed?


• There are nearly 52 Muslim countries. Show one Muslim country which provides Haj subsidy.


• If Muslims & Christians are minorities in Maharashtra, UP, Bihar etc., are Hindus not minorities in J&K, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya etc? Why are Hindus denied minority rights in these states?


• In India today Hindus are 85%. If Hindus are intolerant, how come Masjids and madrasas are thriving? How come Muslims are offering Namaz on the road? How come Muslims are proclaiming 5 times a day on loud speakers that there is no God except Allah?


• Show one Muslim country where Hindus are extended the special rights that Muslims are accorded in India?


• Show one country where the 85% majority craves for the indulgence of the 15% minority.


• Show one Muslim country, which has a Non-Muslim as its President or Prime Minister.


• Show one Mullah or Maulvi who has declared a 'fatwa' against terrorists.


• Hindu-majority Maharashtra, Bihar, Kerala, Pondicherry , etc. have in the past elected Muslims as CM’s. Can you ever imagine a Hindu becoming the CM of Muslim - majority J&K?


• In 1947, when India was partitioned, the Hindu population in Pakistan was about 24%. Today it is not even 1%. In 1947, the Hindu population in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was 30%. Today it is about 7%. What happened to the missing Hindus? Do Hindus have human rights?

And why do you feel that we are "showing off" our majority status and pointing at the "minorities" by celebrating our festivals??? Why are you ignoring the fact that we do celebrate the minority festivals too.. we do have Christmas and easter get together, we do have social meetings on the occasions of ramzan, id and moharram where everyone participates.

As if only Boxing wasn't enough, there's WWE. People are nothing less than wild beasts there. I really don't know what protections the fighters take before entering the ring or technicality involved in these 'sports'. All I see is one fighter punching the other with all his might, puffed blackened eyes, bloody noses et al. The little biology I've studied tells me that one hard blow just above the ears or on lungs could prove fatal. When so much risk of life is involved - why the hell is it allowed to take place by the govt. And, why the hell is it called a sport? Is there any sporting attitude involved? The fighters are in the ring to kill each other. Have you ever seen a boxing or WWE fight ending with the two sides shaking hands? There's no component of sport here - except for the audience.

Audience - that's another thing that baffles me. How can anyone enjoy these fights? You gotta be inhuman to love to watch a man bleed. This reminds me of Gladiator games during Roman times. Slaves were used as Gladiators, pitted against each other, royal soldiers, lions and what not...!!! The game always ended with the Gladiator being killed in the field and all audience hooting at it. Romans have indeed left their legacy behind. Though we don't have gladiators now, we have new forms of the same - Boxing, WWE, BullFights et al. Do they deserve to be called sports? Isn't it a blot on the face of sporting spirit around the world?

Let me go one step down from International Cricket; let’s focus on our domestic Cricket. I’m not sure how many of that ‘99%’ cricket fans follow Ranji Cricket and can recall the names who represent their state in Ranji Trophy in a single go. If we can manage the names, it may be too hard to say where our state stands except last four teams. I’m not sure how many of us know that 21 years old Manoj Tiwari and 29 years old Ranadeb Bose of Bengal were the highest run getter and highest wicket taker respectively in the last season’s domestic Cricket. The names like Amol Mazumdar of Mumbai and Kanwaljit Singh of Hyderabad, who are at the edge of retirement from Cricket remained inside the empty stadium as nobody cheered for them except those 30 white dressed gentlemen.

If there is an International Cricket match we can see there is a long queue 24 hrs before opening the ticket counter, people do not mind spending the night in the queue. Nobody minds if you just sign in and sign out saying “Wow!! there is a India-Pakistan match yaar”. If it is a domestic match? Very few of us know who is playing and for what they are playing in an empty stadium. It is as if those 30 white dressed gentlemen have no work in the world they are just doing time pass. We don’t even realize that those 30 white dressed gentlemen are in the way of making another Sachin, Sourav, Rahul, Yuvraj or Dhoni for whom we will cry if they fail and we will not hesitate to spoil our voice by cheering if they win.

When we see a new face into Indian team we keep wondering whether he bowls or bats until he figures in last eleven. Just few day back when Rohit Sharma lifted last ball six of Van der Wath and played a superb innings, very next match we could see a girl holding a placard ‘Rohit Sharma, will you marry me’. He became a national hero. A complete TOI page on him. This same Mumbai lad Rohit Sharma once smashed a 45 balls century in domestic T20 Cricket, he is the only T20 centurion in Indian Cricket. I guess not all ‘99%’ knew this before that innings.

even cows had free access in that multi-purpose stadium

The media coverage for International match - I don't need to say anything; but for domestic Cricket - it's just ‘8 cm X 12 cm’ area in the last page to cover at least four matches. Live coverage for domestic Cricket is awful; the broadcaster uses the minimum optimal cameras to cover the game. The energy level of the commentator is as if he was on fast for last two days and just taking care of the equipments. Once I had the privilege of watching Assam-Bengal Ranji Group match. The pitch was slightly better than our clay roads and I guess even cows had free access in that multi-purpose stadium when there is no match.

Yes, BCCI has increased the prize money for domestic Cricket. These domestic Cricket heroes manage to get a job in some good public sectors. Is money the only reason we all are crazy for Cricket?

Dear friends, my intention is not to hurt anybody’s sentiments towards the game or doubt anybody’s Cricketing knowledge. After yesterday’s topic in the intranet I thought - do we really love Cricket or we just love our Cricketers? Are we real Cricket Fan or just fan of International Cricket?

These are the reactions to this post in our Intrnet -

Jayateerth R Katti : Great thought Uttam..
This forced me to think that I am only International cricket fan :(

Sandeep Sharma :Definitely !! It is surprising we do not love our cricket but kinda love media attention.
Wherever media focuses attention, we start following that. It is also in our mind. We are biased against domestic cricket. Organizers are to be blamed for this, who neither publish schedule nor market or advertise it well. Also, they do not provide good pitches and stadium to domestic cricketers.

May be ICL this year could bring about those changes. Like we see new enthusiasm on hockey side where India is beating all opponents by huge margin.....

The national hockey team is genuinly miffed about all this gung-ho. While all the politicians are busy showering cash, rewards and other perks on the cricketers, the hockey team is pushed back into the darkness. Did they receive even an iota of the welcome that the cricket team got that immobilized Mumbai? Leave aside the rewards. After drawing flak from several sections for their step-motherly treatment, the state governments are 'considering' rewarding these hockey players. What a shame....!!! Why do we [specially politicians] always need an external source to jerk us up to our senses? But are they really awake now? Govt.s are gonna reward the hockey team only 'coz they 'asked for it' and to ward off the outcry. Are they really thrilled and proud of their success? And the public making the outcry - are they genuinely interested in Hockey? Are they gonna watch any upcoming hockey match with as much enthusiasm as they show in a cricket match? Ask yourself.

And if you ask me, I'm also not interested in hockey or most of the other sports either. Then why am I being so much touchy and vocal here? Well, that's because I'm an Indian. That's what we do. Begani Shaadi mei abdulla deewana. or - Behti ganga mei haath dhona. If everybody is talking about something and you don't, you feel like left out and idiot. Even if we don't know what's all the fuss is about, we just love to raise our voices and make a 'contribution' to the cause. And that's the end of what we do; make noise and disperse. We don't see to it that the cause is met. "At least I did what I could. Rest is upto the leaders/politicians". Wow. We just look upto the sufferer with eyes of pity and wish that they get a better deal. Same here regarding the Indian hockey team.

We are Indian only on 1 occasion - when we are at war with Pakistan - either on front or on cricket field.

The main reason for their ignorance is, no-one and nothing is Indian in India. There are Bangali, Bihari, Gujrati, Madrasi and so on; but no one's Indian. We realize that we are Indian only on 1 occasion - when we are at war with Pakistan - either on front or on cricket field. Cricket team is the 'Indian' team. Indian hockey team? What's that? Is anyone in it from my state? Such is the state of affairs here 'coz such is our upbringing. And it's not that we look upto cricket as a great sport. We follow cricket 'coz of its glamor quotient. Glamor is the reason why now-a-days some people are taking note of Tennis, thanks to Sania. Suddenly a lot of people are interested in tennis, or better still - pretty faces and delicate curves on tennis court. Apart from some genuine die-hard F1 racing fans, how many follow F1? Karthikeyan was/is having a though time finding sponsors to finance his F1 dreams. Anyone wanna talk about football?

The sudden interest in Hockey was brought about by 'Chak De India'. I'm baffled by how movies drive our outlook in India. It's like we are all blind and movies are leading us cross the road. When Rang De Basanti released, we all took up protesting against 'political and judicial monarchy'. Protest against Reservation and Jasica Lal case are testimony to that. After 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' - it was time for Gandhigiri madrush. It took the whole India one movie to remember the basic foundation of the nation. And now 'Chak De India' to value Hockey or other sport forms in general. But as always, the flame is doused within a couple of months' span. In the latest case, the fade out was accelerated by T20 extravaganza. So, everything is 'back to normal' - as it always has been.

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The 1st season of Indian Idol produced Abhijt Sawant and Amit Sana. Abhijit's debut album was instant hit, 'coz of the initial hype of the 'Indian Idol' concept, and of course his melodious voice. He was brand ambassador for SET and one mouth freshener product, appeared in a soap for Ekta Kapoor, and I hear he playback sang in a movie of which I'm not sure. Recently his 2nd album rolled out but is not finding many takers. Radios are playing his songs once every thousand songs, if not worse.

Yet, he is the most successful Indian Idol ever. Amit Sana got lost in the crowd after his consolation debut album. So is the fate of Indian Idol of season 2. I don't even remember his name. And why only Indian Idol? Several other clone reality TV talent hunt shows were launched alongside. Fame Gurukul, Sa Re Ga Ma, Voice of India et al. How are their winners faring? None of the winners of such shows have made a headway after the initial break. Touqeer Qazi and Ruprekha Banerjee of FG, Debojit Chatterjee of SRGM - all are forgotten names. Only winners who have made it big are Shreya Ghosal, who emerged from SRGM long back and Sunidhi Chauhan, who was winner of 'Meri Aawaz Suno' way back in 1999. But they are, by large, the exceptions.

For all other reality TV talent 'stars', their 15 minutes of fame seems to have evaporated as quickly as it came. These faded stars are a sore reminder that this success and hype can be transitory, unless they have strong lobby or try to make it big banking on their talent and not the media glare - which keeps shifting from one winner to the next.

Hyderabad, 9th Sep: Rescue workers were engaged in removing the debris at an under-construction flyover in the busy Panjagutta area of Hyderabad which collapsed on Sunday night killing two persons and injuring 10 others.
The mishap initially triggered fears that at least 15 persons could have lost their lives as the giant iron girders and concrete slabs caved in and flattened several vehicles.

Check more pics @ Leonardo.
Read detailed news @ Times of India.

Karachi, 1st Sep: 10 persons were killed and several people were injured when a portion of newly inaugurated 'Shershah Northern bypass bridge' connecting to Hub River caved in at Paracha Chowk of Karachi. The authorities fear that the death toll could rise. 20-25 persons are still trapped under the debris and are calling through their cell phones for help.

Read detailed news @ Pak Tribune.


China : In south China, a bridge has collapsed, killing 28 people and injuring 22 more. The 320-meter-long (1,000-ft), 42-meter-high (138-ft) bridge spanning the Tuo river in Fenghuang county, Hunan province, fell down during the evening rush hour on Monday. About 60 workers were on the bridge itself when it collapsed.

And now, the BIG 'Common Factor' - THE REASON behind all these. See if you can remember where U read this : -

The best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped clearly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below.

The Prime Minister's pulse quickened at the very thought of these accusations, for they were neither fair nor true. How on earth was his government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing? It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending enough on bridges. The bridge was fewer that ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped clearly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below.

Ring any bells? The bridge mentioned above is the 'Brockdale Bridge' of London. Remember where u read about it? Anyways, here's the explanation for the above incident -

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of Azkaban in January" said Fudge. Since they have moved into the open, they have been wrecking havoc. The Brockdale bridge - he did it. He threatened a mass muggle killing unless I stood aside for him and --"
"Good grief. So it's your fault those people were killed and I'm having to answer questions about rusted rigging and corroded expansion joints and I don't know what else !" said the Prime Minister furiously.

Now you know for sure what I'm talking about. Voldemort and his death-eaters. It seems, he has really rose to power again and his death eaters are stalking the globe, crashing bridges in different countries they travel through. What say? :D Ok, ok. Now u'll call me moron and stuff. But at least, HP fans will be thinking about it for a long time. After all, the incidents can't be just overlooked as stray 'accidents'. I don't buy the explanations given by US experts about the Minneapolis incident that corrosion due to Pigeon stools caused the break down. How weird...!!!

Mini:	hi again! the other day I just read what u had to say abt girls liking spoilt guys.. and like the rest of my girl community..I too had a few thoughts abt it..
Me:	k. So, what's your take on it?
Mini:	well..there is a reason y girls like such guys.. it's not because they see their future life partners in such guys.
Me:	I never said gals marry such guys. When it comes marriage - 'Nice Rich Guys' are still the favorite. 'Bad Guys' are kool for dating.
Mini:	u see, most girls will not accept it.. but more often than not we r always trying to impress the opposite sex.. and bad guys kind of are a challenge.. its like..if I can make this guy fall for me..or steal this guy away.. then I can make any guy fall for me.. kind of attitude..
Me:	Wow, that point didn't occur to me. :#
Mini:	u see..girls also kind of use the "kool" guy to boost their own self esteem we all like to feel good abt ourselves right..? :$ and when this guy walks away..the opposite happens.. the moral goes down.. and then the desperation is not exactly to win back the guy.. but to win back the lost self esteem.. u see it is not abt the guy or how cool he is.. usually girls never like such guys.... its all to do with pleasing their own ego.. so girls actually dont care abt such guys.. they just look at it as an opportunity to judge their worth with the opposite sex.. I hope I am making sense here..
Me:	Well, that's certainly one large chunk of gals' attitude. But I do know lotsa gals who fell for all wrong guys, though several nice guys were ready to die for them.
Mini:	there are exceptions.. but more or less..somewhere deep within most girls have this desire to find out how good or how bad they are at getting a guy who is difficult to get.. well..u dont get it.. the girl hasnt exactly fallen for this guy.. she is just testing her worth with him.. do I make sense?
Me:	I guess both guys n gals like to indulge in something that is hard to get.
Mini:	yes..that is human nature u see..
Me:	I got your point. But that's not universal. Those were actually in love with them. Crying in loneliness, wrist slicing - I've seen them doing these.
Mini:	thats what u think..but trust me..u r far from the truth its all to do with coping with thier lost self esteem ..their ego.. they loose their personal worth when they dont manage to get what they want.. its not specific to this guy.. look at it as a job left undone.. failure in a particular project that was critical to the client and u being responsible for it.. wouldnt u bury ur head in shame..its the same case. they dont slice their wrist for the guy..they slice it for themselves.
Me:	wow, :o u talk 'Uber Kool'. U argue well.
Mini:	I am not arguing.. I am just letting u see things in a different perspective.. else u would never understand girls ;-)
Me:	by argument - I didn't mean two people up in arms against each other argument as in - knowledge imparting.
Mini:	and u know what..its not that girls fall for money.. for them money is just as important as it is for any guy..or any human being.. but some relate money to success.. if u are able to earn a decent living u have discipline in life.. u r worth trusting.. then u r a safe guy to date.. but if u r not worried abt ur future..and dont care abt a job..and would rather live in rags.. then how would a girl think of a future with u.. its not abt money..its about security
Me:	What kind of logic is that ---? Rich guys are Disciplined, trust worthy, safe.?
Mini:	Yes
Me:	Aren't rich guys spoilt, arrogant and use gals as toys?
Mini:	safe as in..they can think of some future in the relationship I think that point i made it clear previously..
Me:	Future as in 'Holiday in Switzerland' future?
Mini:	future as in a comfortable living .. not a holiday in Switzerland..but atleast a trip to Goa. maybe manali..once a yr..
Me:	My point is 'The 1st thing that a gal looks for while dating or marrying a guy is - MONEY' How much does he earn? Will he be able to give me all heavenly comforts?
Mini:	well... :p ..again u r wrong boss.. first thing they look for is some basic compatibility..then they look for the money.. as in money relates to how successful the person is on his own.. if he has a full time job..is educated enuf.. then why not go for the guy..
Me:	compatibility - who cares? not gals. all they see is money.
Mini:	money relates to stability..not materialistic pleasures.. :D :D :D .. u will be surprised to know the truth..
Me:	how else do one explain awesome beautiful gals hanging out with total fat-ass rich dorks?
Mini:	I told u right.. it boosts their self esteem.. to make a rich guy fall for her.. then she is sure that she can get the guy she wants.. she gets confidence.. the girl is usually not at all interested in the guy
Me:	Forget dating. I'm talking about marrige here.
Mini:	marriage ..again..itd a very crucial thing.. many people get married for different reasons... usually its the guys who marry for money (dowry) so dont blame the girl for choosing a rich guy if her dad is willing to pay to buy her a hubby..why not she go for the richest one
Me:	I think dowry is no longer existing in our society. even if it is, it's gonna be wiped out soon. but, gals n family hunting for the lion is not gonna end ever.
Mini:	well.again u think wrong.. One of my colleagues..k=just got engaged... and the engagement was sealed with her dad paying 2 lakhs in advance.. now she is a well earning s/w engineer.. i am talking abt people who have education and who know dowry is punishable by law so when a girls family is paying so much..they surely want a the richest buy they can get everyone wants a good deal right? dont u like it if u get a good deal in a discount sale..?? its the same case with the marriage market
Me:	well, what can I say to that except they are blots on the face of humanity.
Mini:	well..u will be surprised to know.. that 70% of the educated clan in our present society belong to this community.. I read that in some survey conducted recently..by a women NGO out here in Bangalore so if girls do go for rich guys..the society has a lot to blame for it..
Me:	different surveys say different things. I don't give them a damn. So, do U think gals are making a deal when they marry and there's no real emotions like love involved?
! - 5 minutes' silence - !
Mini:	in an arranged marriage ..its just a deal..more often than not..love comes in a lot later.. and its not just girls who are involved in it right..so r the guys.. they too want the best deal. they are willing to sell themselves in the highest market.. its the girl and her family who has to make compromises..
Me:	Well, I don't think that guys of today's age take part in this trade willingly. They just don't dare to oppose their parents who are of old mentality and ask for dowry
Mini:	Since I am a girl and have seen many of my educated friends finding it hard to find an arranged match.. I know it is true. I have seen it happen..not once ..not twice..but all the time..
Me:	what .... guy asking a gal - how much do u earn?
Mini:	nope..its even worse... what they indirectly ask is.. how much is ur family willing to pay for me as a son in law?
Me:	It's actually - "How much are u willing to pay to get my son as Son in law?" it's dealt between parents.
Mini:	that is even worse.. u dont do the deal on ur own.. u make ur parents as middle men.. and give them commission on it.. and then say things like u want companionship.. i personally believe that most guys are hypocrites.. they laugh at others selling themselves in the marriage market.. and do the same when their turn comes
Me:	NO - u r missing the point. Guys like me at least loath this ugly tradition as much as the gal does. It's like standing in mid market, with a price tag attached to ourselves, and people bidding on us.
Mini:	yeah so u see... dont blame the girls who look for maoney..guys are no different.. its again not to do with girls alone.. its general human mentality
Me:	I'm saying "GUYS TODAY DON'T LIKE IT". It's the parents who are indulging in it.
Mini:	guys who say so are hypocrites.. no one including parents can sell u off without ur consent once u r an adult
Me:	then I must say U don't understand what 'being in a family' means?
Mini:	and usually in case of girls as well.. its the family who goes searching for the rich guy.. it is imbibed into them from childhood itself.. so again..it is not gender specific..its specific to the entire human race the family pressure is more for girls than the guys.. often girls find themselves in compromising positions,, and are helpless.. need to do things for the family well..I think I should break the gender war here..
Me:	Ok, sure. It's hotting up unnecessarily.
Mini:	just want to say that, instead of closing ur mind towards the female community, try to open up and think of things from their perspective.. it will give u very good insights on why they act the way they do and sorry if I was :@ rude..

Wow. :o . What a roller coaster ride it has been. The chat script above is just an excerpt. We discussed this for almost couple of hours. Later on, our convo revolved around another major issue in today's social life. Maybe I'll write about it next week. It felt nice to converse with someone who's this much composed and clear headed. That's the power of blogs. U get to experience different views, that might change your outlook. What started as discussion on College Romance - gradually engulfed marriage, dowry, society and what not? Great talking to her. Well, she didn't leave any contact info and said "I'll talk to u here". That way, she can contact me whenever she wants but not the other way around. Not fare. :(

Guess I'll get lot more reaction from several others in the coming days. Looking forward to it.

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Really how easy it is to carry a bomb inside a corporate house.

• If the security doesn't check you because you have 'ID cards' - that's a big flaw. Anybody knows how easily one can get a fake card in India.
• If they don't check you 'coz they know you in person or by face - even that is not professional behavior. Terrorists don't drop from sky. They could be anyone among us. There's nothing to feel offended at this. I'm not branding your company as nurturing ground of terrorists. What I'm saying is security personals shouldn't turn a blind eye on anyone.
• Even if some known face [to the security] is not directly involved in such activities, they can be compelled/forced to carry out the operation. Taking family hostage or any such pressure is sufficient for someone to succumb. Now, if someone feels that this possibility is 'too filmy' - then lemme tell u that films are not just wild imaginations of film-makers.

Now, if someone feels that "Our office is not that high profile location, and thus won't be targeted by terrorists"; I'll just say 'Why take the chance'? We people just don't believe that something could happen to us, as if we were born just to live a stir-less life. Everything good - is happening to someone else, every bad news - involves someone else. Why don't we realize someday we could be that someone?

Now that the security at all the high-profile areas is expected to be top-notch, terrorists will obviously target some soft target, which priorly won't attract much attention. Their primary motive is to cause huge massacre. And if that involves techies in silicon valley, what more could they want? If your office building is in a residential area or is surrounded by other company buildings, the area is bustling with IT people; then U should know this could be a target. We better be prepared.

Metal detector scans are of no use. No one's gonna try to wreck havoc with a knife. I'm not sure how bombs or RDX is detected. So, not sure about the feasibility of the proper system installation. The least I expect is any big package to be inspected, thoroughly. Or security experts would know better what to do.

Now, this inspection thing might irritate some people. I hope we become a little more tolerant and respect the greater concern. It's for your own safe being. Would you prefer disturbance of checking for few seconds or being the victim of another Hyderabad kind of incident?

Related Post : How safe is Bangalore?

Those who think that it's impossible to dodge the security with that much explosive - I'll say - dude wake up. Anyways, even if they don't enter the main building - a powerful explosion at the gate itself will cause huge damage. Entry gate is the most crowded at any given moment with ever streaming crowd pushing and shoving to get in or out. One strong blast amidst such packed crowd will throw mangled bodies, which were cheering alive person moments ago, at least 10 meters away. Pieces of flesh will be flying here and there. Even the thought of such possibility gives me shivers. I feel sick - at the same time hatred for all those devils who are executing these sins in the name of jihad.

I'm not against some particular community. That's just not done. Just as I'd like to say All men are not dog, the whole community is not terrorist. I don't get why my countrymen don't understand this game of greedy politicians? We have been through this before - since the age of Mugals - East India Company - partition - more recently - Mumbai Riots - Mumbai Serial Blasts - Gujarat. Still we don't learn a lesson and every time we become the puppets in the hands of politicians. It's high time that we all stand together against all such separatist force. Gather 'round people and let's show them what we've got.

End note: Quoting 'Times View'.

As a nation, we are impotent when it comes to tackling terror. After every attack, our police and politicians make the same old noises, but nothing changes. Mumbai's been hit time and time again by serial blasts. Delhi's been targeted repeatedly, including once on the eve of Diwali. Hyderabad has been struck twice within 4 months this year. The IISc in Bangalore was attacked in 2005 .... the list is endless.

What's almost as terrible as our inability to prevent these attacks is our abysmal record in bringing the perpetrators to book. It's taken 14 years for sentencing in the 1993 Mumbai blasts - and the masterminds are still at large. Clearly, there's no resolve to act. Worse, there are stories of political protection.

there hasn't been an attack on US soil since 2001

The US has come in for criticism for its brute response to 9/11. This is not a defense of Washington's approach to terrorism, but the fact is, there hasn't been an attack on US soil since 2001. Is India going to simply stand by and watch innocent lives being snuffed out with chilling regularity? It's time we took a hard line on terrorism.

OKAY. So, here is the BIG question. Who is right here ...?? The WCD for taking up the cause of Working Women who do face a lot of harassment at workplace or SFF who are fighting for the Men who are exploited under such laws... !! WCD has a valid point - that women at all walks of life, specially at workplaces are subjected to sexual harassment and they do need a safeguard to protect them. But I guess this is just half the truth. Men are not spared. In today's age, gals no longer stay away from flirting with their seniors to gain promotions n all. And those who think that the story told in "Aitraz" is just a filmy story, think again. THIS IS happening. So, should men also sought the implementation of a similar law for themselves?

On one hand, we talk about gender equality n all. And on the other, when it's about opportunities, there is uproar to give women special treatment by portraying them as weaker sex. I guess Swarup Sarkar is right asking "the government should bring a cross-gender law to prevent any kind of harassment at workplaces"


I am a newbee in this corporate world. So maybe I don't know the twists n turns of this world. But what I've seen here in past 6 months, I'm pretty much sure that women are not the only victim.

Do give your opinion and views on this matter. Leave your comments and cast your opinion on this poll. Looking forward to it.

What makes one violate another humans space is yet another mystery but all I can say it leaves quite a distaste for life. Perverts can be found in all aspects of life and we often tend to ignore. Some of us stand up to them but it has not made a tremendous difference so far.

In such a hostile society and bad times, it feels nice to c a forum like 'Blank Noice' taking stance for the cause of women and humanity as a whole. It is addressing various issues involved in countering this menace. And, on top of everything, it's not any other usual "Women's right activists" group who look down upon every man as hounds. They know the good n the bad, the victims n the abusers. They r not just helping victims recover, they r encouraging everyone to fight back and bring an end to it. And who r 'they'? 'THEY' are not just the moderators of the site 'Blank Noise' but every single person who comes forward to support the cause, guy or gal. No gender war is raging here. 'Aam Janta' is fighting the filthy mud-bloods to make the world a better place to live.

Do give this a visit. You can get involved in this cause in your city, be part of the campaign, share ideas & experiences and many many more ways. I've been going through it relentlessly for the past 6 - 7 hrs. I feel so much shocked n shaken by all the stories. Two observations there that are worth a great deal of thought are -

Varsha says - I always ask myself, why do we have to go through this? Its not possible that so many men could be sexually deprived. Subconsciously, men are fighting for the place that they consider theirs. When they see women on streets, they feel that public place is rightfully theirs and they all are trying to intimidate us. it sounds dramatic, but i think its true."
Amit ken says - If you are a guy and reading this, please keep in mind that your behavior towards women which you consider ‘normal’ or ‘fun’, like whistling, winking, singing, touching or trying to be friends is something which harasses them to a great deal. If you need a proof go ask your sister, mother, wife or girl friend, they go through this harassment every single day.

Some other moving n encouraging experiences that I came across are -

Cheekay	Lonely Crusader	Jyothi Iyer
Suvi Dogra	Swar	Keshav
AG	Melanie	Reema Banerjee
Red	Cee Kay	Ashish Gorde

More experience stories can be read at Blank Noise - Action Hero

Warning : Some of the above experience description might seem offending to some people. Reader maturity is expected.

One quick tip (from some writer in 'Action Hero', can't recall her name) for protecting yourself on streets -
On several occasions when walking down lonely roads in the day or at dusk, there have been two and four wheelers with men at the wheel who have stopped their vehicles and waited for me to catch up. At times like this, I make an exaggerated gesture of opening my purse, taking out pen and paper and then very deliberately writing down the registration number of the parked vehicle. The moment the owner realizes what I am up to, he revs up his engine and is off like a shot! I owe this method of "tackling" to my spouse who gave me this brilliant idea. I have shared it with many.

To wrap it all up, all I'd like to say is - Don't keep mum and bear it lying down. It's high time that we fight back. Take a stance.

Coding is also the grime job. It is repetitive and monotonous. Coders know that. They feel stuck in their jobs. They have fallen into the trap of the software hype and now realize that though their status is glorified in the society, intellectually they are stranded. Companies do not offer them stock options anymore and their salaries are not growing at the spectacular rates at which they did a few years ago.
A Microsoft analyst says, Like our manufacturing industry, the Indian software industry is largely a process driven one. That should speak for the fact that we still don't have a domestic software product like Yahoo or Google to use in our daily lives."
IIT graduates have consciously shunned India's best known companies like Infosys and TCS, though they offered very attractive salaries. Last year, from IIT Powai, the top three Indian IT companies got just 10 students out of the 574 who passed out. The best computer science students prefer to join companies like Google and Trilogy. In the mid-'90s, as onsite projects increased dramatically, software companies started picking all the engineers they could as the US authorities granted visas only to graduates who had four years of education after high school. After Y2K, as American companies discovered India's cheap software professionals, the demand for engineers shot up. Most of these engineers were coders. They were almost identical workers who sat long hours to write line after line of codes, or test a fraction of a program. They did not complain because their pay and perks were good. Now, the demand for coding has diminished, and there is a churning.

Over the years, due to the improved communication networks and increased reliability of Indian firms, projects that required a worker to be at a client's site, say in America, are dwindling in number. And with it the need for engineers who have four years of education after high school. Graduates from non-professional courses, companies know, can do the engineer's job equally well. Also, over the years, as Indian companies have already coded for many common applications like banking, insurance and accounting, they have created libraries of code which they reuse. Top software companies have now started recruiting science graduates who will be trained alongside engineers and deployed in the same projects. The CEO of India's largest software company TCS, S Ramadorai, had earlier explained, "The core programming still requires technical skills. But, there are other jobs we found that can be done by graduates."

Software engineers, are increasingly getting dejected. They can sum up their plight by vaguely recollecting a story in which thousands of caterpillars keep climbing a wall, the height of which they don't know. They clamber over each other, fall, start again, but keep climbing. They don't know that they can eventually fly.

I cannot remember how the story ends but feels the coders of India today are like the caterpillars who plod their way through while there are more spectacular ways of reaching the various destinations of life.

Most war mongers are taking me to be a cow. Every time any of them is biting the dust, they pick up a fight with me, with no solid reason; just to appease own Manhood Ego. They believe I wont argue & shout much, so they can shout at me and manhandle me and WIN war on me. The worst part of it is that some among these breed are my own dear friends. I try my best not to get involved but sometimes they do cross the limit; and that's when I erupt.

There's been 2 such incidents in past few months. In both cases, those two people apologized to me later - realizing I was at no fault. We are still friends. But the memory of that incident is still erect like a wall between us.

This makes me ponder, is remaining calm worth it in the first place.....!!!! Just 2 days back, my flat mate was showering his anger on me, acting as if he is the BOSS and he'll decide what I should do and what I shouldn't. I had answers to each and every attack of him. But I couldn't expect that spoilt brat to understand logically. So I remained calm while he was throwing tantrum all over the place. He doused after some time and within evening, was talking to me as if nothing had happened. Things could've gone very bad that day - snowballing into someone moving out of the flat. But that didn't happen as I didn't participate in the fight. This realization
do give me a nice feeling. But the flip side is that maybe I am harming my own reputation. No one's gonna say that "Vicky handled the situation well and averted something much worse". All they will say is "He is a coward."

No matter what Munnabhai says about Gandhigiri, I am feeling that these things hold no value in today's world. If U stoop, everyone is gonna trample you.

A brick for a brick is the mantra of today's world.