The Road Ahead

The first year of college beckons, but unfortunately, my ability to fulfill my online commitments is under grave doubt! The question arises regarding the fate of this humble blog. Rest assured, though my updation may perhaps become more irregular, I shall undoubtedly strive to keep one and all posted on every new development! I might not have the largest reader base in the world, but I still have a debt to the few friends who care enough to visit here! Stick with me through the thick and the thin, for I promise that I'll always be a call away! My next post will probably be on the 31st, or possibly on the 1st.....a farewell message to one and all who've influenced my life oer the past seven years! Future updates, as is the case with everything else, depend upon the grace of God!

ROCK ON!

To begin with, sincere apologies for the brief period of inactivity that this blog has suffered for the past 2 or 3 weeks! I've found myself addicted to an intoxicating dose of boredom and self-pity! The final few days in Trivandrum have become unbearable, and the countdown draws not only the fear of separation, but also the anticipation of freedom! The feeling is both stifling and liberating all at once! Needless to say, I've been passing through this "gunk" (guy funk) for several days now, and it's pretty much reached saturation point! The call of life to move on cannot be ignored for long.

It's been a wonderful seven years in Trivandrum, and given the choice, I probably would choose not to change any of the decisions I've made over this period, the friends I've made, and the experiences I've had! I can't stay morose for long, else I'll end up sacrificing my sanity. In my bid to reach out of the bottomless pit of depression that I've dug for myself, I've returned to my one true love.....Music! These holidays have been a torture for multiple reasons, some of which I choose not to discuss, and have ebbed away at my self-confidence! I've felt trapped, suffocated like never before, with the urge to get away deepening every day! Thankfully, respite is only a few days away, my departure from Trivandrum due in barely 3 days! I'm determined not to lead a single one of those days wallowing in self-pity! The time left behind is precious, currency which should never be under-valued. 

The track "Lambi Judaii" from the movie Jannat has grown on me steadily! It's simple vocals, and thoughtful lyrics are a big draw! Songs from the movie "Rock On" are also on my playlist at the moment, not because Farhan Akhtar's vocal skills are anything special, but because of their simplicity and upbeat nature!........I'm hooked, relying on the same fortress of solitude that has kept me safe in trying times!...May the music flow on, just as the juggernaught of life rolls on.......ROCK ON!

Golden Eye

After 2 Olympic disappointments, Abhinav Bindra finally came through with a historic Olympic gold medal for India, its first ever in individual competition at the Olympic stage. There isn't much I can add that most of you by now would've already heard as each television channel salivates over the TRPs to be gained from this achievement! However, to let this event go unnoticed and unadressed would be criminal. Years of toil and struggle have paid off. The country has a new sporting idol, a child prodigy who attended his first Olympic Games at the age of 17 in Sydney. He remained calm under great pressure, and exceeded the expectations of an undeserving nation. He's made us proud and gifted us with a great honour inspite of the several hurdles we've thrown in his and other Olympians' paths.

It filled my heart with great joy to witness the last shot of the final live on Doordarshan. Tied with the Finn shooter Hakkinen before the final shot, the distractions and fears he faced must have been great. But the very fact that he shot 10.8, the highest by any shooter in the final, in his last attempt, proves his mettle and temperament. The national anthem and the hoisting of the flag truly caused my chest to expand with pride and joy. There is little more I can say, other than THANK YOU.......Thank you Abhinav, for giving every Indian a reason to celebrate, for reminding us the strength of will-power, for reminding us of how much further our Olympians can go with greater support, and for making the 15th of August that much more special. You deserve a parade in your honour around New Delhi on your return! Kudos, and may God bless you!

Hilarious Harmony

CARTOONS hold a universal appeal to children of all ages, from 8 months to 80 years.....and certain cartoons that I've grown up watcing are TRUE gems. The original episodes of Tom and Jerry are classics. These are incredible works of animation no doubt, but the background score and every other fringe element which adds to the total package is so praiseworthy that their magic never fades. This post is a tribute to the genius of the production team of these carttons. Featured videos include 2 brilliantly funny songs from the original english version of 2 tom and jerry episodes, a song from the hindi version, and the arabic intro for the Popeye cartoon series.

"First World Policing With Third World Money"

Watching a televised debate on NDTV on the "New Face Of Terrorism", I came across this delicious quote, attacking the inexplicable expectations of a population which fails to make public safety in this country a major election issue. The orator pondered over how we, as Indians,  expect thorough-bred policemen at our service, inspite of the obvious shortfalls in funding and equipment. Post-independence, every terrorist attack that has rocked the nation has been blamed on 2 major "culprits" : a) the ISI and the Pakistan Government which, in the past, promoted cross-border infiltration, and today, perhaps, have lost all control over the extremist elements which they bred in the hopes of promoting the "freedom struggle" of the state of J&K b) Inefficient policing and a grave lapse on the part of the intelligence agencies. 

Let us analyse both these causes. a)The fact that Pakistan for years has been a breeding ground for extremists is a known fact, and even though the world has been presented evidence on numerous occasions, they have chosen to ignore India's warnings until now. The dictatorship of Gen. Musharraf has come to an end, and the newly-elected democratic government in Pakistan faces a tough task in garnering complete control over the Pakistan Army. Pakistan has never truly had a single seat of power : rather, it has had an assortment of power players each wielding their own clout among separate departments of the government, or even among the armed forces. The new government will require our patience and understanding if it is to turn good intentions into positive results on the ground. Though the casualties are mounting, a disruption in the peace process will have far greater consequences for the stability of the region! While we must stress that the Pakistan government understand its responsibilities, we must not pressure them to breaking point, as the eyes of the world are already on Pakistan!

b)The most concrete step that we can take to ensure that the carnage we have witnessed over the past 2 weeks in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, and a few months ago in Jaipur is not repeated is to bolster the protectors of this country's laws. The police force have long been condemned as being corrupt,inefficent and ill-equipped, and with terrorism looming large, it is high time we enhance our funding to the nation's police force. The script of modern-day tragedies reads along familiar lines : every attack is followed by a lecture on how each state is responsible for its own police force, and how the Centre provides help only if asked. Lame-duck excuses are conjured out of thin air to explain our obvious vulnerability. India is a nation, and not merely a union of states : perhaps its time we demand greater efforts from the Central government in ensuring the safety and security of our citizens. The need for greater legislation is dwarfed by the need for stricter enforcement of existing laws! Our ratio of citizens to policemen is among the lowest in the world. The failure of the services to draw able bodied young men is the lack of technical assistance, along with financial support which is far too meagre compared to the dangers they now face. Service to the nation cannot come at the cost of tending to your family. Training facilities are inadequate and forensic labs are in short supply. Facing foes and threats which are technologically superior, it's no wonder that our policemen are found wanting. None of the blasts in the past 3 and a half years have yielded results even after prolonged investigations. The demand for better funding for our security must be voiced loud and clear, and made a priority before the coming General Elections. Only then will the elected government heed our call. How long can we ignore the problem inspite of having identified it decades ago? Along with the emphasis on policing, the public itself must be educated on the need to stay alert. Neighbourhood watch programmes, which encourage citizens to report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station, can prove HIGHLY effective in preventing attacks. It is political will as well as the will of the public which will determine our success in eliminating the threat of terrorism! We've met with success in the past, wiping out the Khalistani separatists who'd terrorized Punjab for decades. It was political will that enabled our victory back then, and it is political will which will help counter the fresh threat of terrorism we face today!

First Among Many

The past two days marked a significant development in my life. I undertook my first ever solo journey by train. I know it may seem frivolous to most, as I'm eighteen, and well past the age where I need a steady hand by my side to explore new cities, but there's a first time for everything. I've arrived only this morning after a brief journey to Kozhikode to claim my refund from the AIEEE counselling session. As I'd perhaps mentioned in an earlier post, I chose to sacrifice a dream to join NIT-Calicut, as by virtue of dropouts, I would've probably claimed a seat in the Civil Engineering branch, which is far removed from where my true interests lie. As I see it, irrespective of the college, to spend 4 years of my life studying a subject for which I share no enthusiasm from the very beginning, is ridiculous! NIT-Calicut may be a world apart from Model Engineering College, but Computer Science Engineering there would probably suit me a whole lot better! I suppose I could now state that Comp Sc. in NIT-C would be EVEN better...hehe...but I'm way past the point of brooding over my results now! What's done is done......I've already written the script for the first eighteen years of my life, the rest, is still blank and waiting for me to chart whatever course I choose to a destination worthy of His faith in me!

The journey was an interesting one. By a shocking turn of events, I actually managed to get reservations a day ahead of the scheduled departure....I suppose luck was truly on my side. Boarding the Mangalore Express at 8-45 pm, I got a premature glimpse of the sad,doleful look that would dawn upon my mother's face the day I depart to Ernakulam for college! Being her second son to leave, I suppose, would make it harder for her. It's not a sight I'm looking forward to, but I suppose this preview would help soften the blow on that day! Regardless of where I am, she probably knows I'll love her, and visit once a month to give her a reason to shout in the mornings. She'll probably miss repeating her daily screams of " Vivek, it's 9 o clock.....get up already!", or "Vivek, it's 1 am, go to sleep!", along with her pointless query "What time should I wake you up 2mrw morning??" (I always get up only 2 hrs past that time!).....[:D]. It's  gonna be a tremendous change waking up according to a routine in a month's time, but I guess it's better to learn sooner rather than later. My dad's always been slightly less outright when it comes to displaying his emotions, but I know that his best wishes are always with me, and his at times firm and unmoving nature are only meant to direct me to what he feels would be best for my future.

I arrived at Kozhikode at 6-15 am ( my body isn't programmed for that anymore!!!), and caught a bus directly from the Palayam bus stand, arriving at NIT-C at about 8-15 am. A delay in opening the withdrawal counter meant I had to wait until 10-15 to finally claim my refund. Attempts to meet my friends at NIT-C were quashed, as they had class from 8 to 12. I hope I meet them soon somewhere down the line, but since I had forgotten to bring along my camera, I suppose I was destined to miss out on a glimpse of our NITians. I spent the day at the house of a colleague of my mother's. I'd stayed with them before during the first round of AIEEE counselling, and had got along well with her son, Ashwin, a fellow B.Tech aspirant. We chatted, laughed and pondered over our foggy futures together before I went up to my room and slept like a log for 4 hrs! At 10-15 pm on the night of the 31st, I boarded the Maveli Express, bidding him goodbye as I headed home. The train miraculously arrived 15 minutes early, at 7 am this morning. Having reached home at around 8 am, I've been attacked by a bad case of insomnia, which is why I'm writing this post![:D]....Didn't have anything planned for this time of day for I expected to be out cold on my bed by now! The experience was an exciting one, and I've now gained the confidence to venture forth to any new destination without the need for support! It will go a long way in helping me spread my wings and journey forth as I look to mark out a special space for myself in this world!