Always Aditya

What is the chance that I will clear my exam this time around? Hmmm… No Idea. It actually depends upon how good my choice of the way of presenting the paper was. Writing the paper was a chance. The way it was written was a choice. The outcome of a work done is directly proportional to the way it is performed. When I think of Superheroes one thing I always find common among them is none of them asked for the powers or such a destiny. Spider man did not ask for it. Superman did not ask for it. Harry Potter did not ask for it. But when they got to know about their powers, they made a choice, which they thought would benefit others. “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.”

Chance and Choice. These two words boast of having a place at the core of philosophical books. All the sacred books talk about the chances and choices in man’s life. Spiritually, these two concepts are considered the very basis for human existence in this life and thereafter. So, in simple terms, the chance of being a human again in next life depends upon the choices we make in this life.

We see governments complaining about over-population or under-population all the time. While the Indian Government is urging its citizens to go by choice and not by chance in planning their family, the Singapore Government is encouraging its citizens to exploit the chance they have got and increase the population full throttle.

As per my friend’s observation, today is a chance and tomorrow is always a choice. But most of the time the world is so busy with their work that they never realise they are making a choice each and every minute of their life, whether good or bad. They have just got accustomed to the concept of living till they have a meeting with death. If at all they get to know about the meeting, the chance of living a year or even a month more is explored. The life that is between birth and death is merely a flow of events involving all sorts of chances and choices. In other words, a man’s life as such is totally based on the chances he gets and the choices he makes.

When Chetan Bhagat talked about the decisions of the three friends in his book Five Point Someone, I always felt bad for these guys and the situations they got themselves into. The choices we make in our life need not be bad from the start. It’s only that our inefficiency to deal with those things makes the choices look bad. It’s like a bat in the hand of a cricketer. It’s not about the bat but the batsman. Incidentally, when I look back, at the last four years of my life, I made more mistakes than correct decisions. May be having my own site and making some of the best friends of my life are the only good ones.

Being happy or not is related to our choice of whether we want to suffer the pain or have the power to endure the suffering. The reason that we could not get what we want or the impossibility of not being able to lay our hands on something we have grown to have a great liking for, results in suffering. The choice is whether we let our weakness take control and suffer, or be stoic. In other words, we always have a choice.

If words such as big and small are the yardstick to measure the importance of a chance, then good or bad are the words for choice. History, in school, for me was only a subject full of stories, which were interesting and provided for a nice post lunch lullaby. But never did I think that history is the snowballing of many choices made by people right from Galileo’s time to Mahatma Gandhi’s. Choice is, in short, making history. Chance, on the other hand, facilitates the choice to make history. A choice represents our view of the world, religion, human kind, our traditions, personality, outlook, our standing as regards finance and politics etc.

Is the Universe by chance or by choice? A chance to human kind or a choice of God to give humankind a chance? In all these chances and choices, the Principle of Uncertainty arises at each and every step of decision-making. The uncertainty can be about what is right and what is not. The uncertainty principle here does not exactly refer to Physics or particles and atoms as in Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, but has a touch of philosophy, psychology and human logic attached to it, apart from the trends of the human race at that particular moment of decision-making. Till the precise moment of drifting towards a decision, the uncertainty principle always plays its part to the hilt. It literally plays with the mind of the person and if the person is fickle then it can play havoc with his decision-making abilities. Even though it is not necessary that these choices are made at the mercy of uncertainty but the less uncertain a mind is, the better the chance of making a correct choice.

“Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. It’s the choices that make us who we are and we can always choose to do what’s right”.

Current Mood: Happy

By Bineeta Fialok

“Raavan tuney Sita deni ke nahi deni? Nahi deni? To ek chutti de de yaar…”, goes the latest Mirinda advertisement. It’s a matter of great surprise and wonderment for me that how these advertising industry people have their fingers right on the pulse of the market and people’s latest concerns. They know them and they use them to perfection.

In the corporate world, asking for a leave is nothing less than climbing Mt. Everest. Especially if you are one of the junior employees. You really need to have an imagination which can produce a riot of fool proof ideas at the drop of a hat. After all you can’t just barge in and say to your boss, “Hey dude I am off for tomorrow”, unless of course you have just heard from the Naukri.com guys.

I had the lucky chance of coming across a particularly hilarious specimen of such excuses. An acquaintance had to take her exams and needed roughly twenty days off. Unthinkable, isn’t it? Unless of course you have Jesus as your boss. So, the lady hit upon an ingenious plan of faking a leg fracture and disappearing for a month. Well, the plan was working quite nicely until one of her colleagues decided to suddenly drop in to ask after her health and she was found walking about the house!!! I was told that the colleague was somehow fooled into believing that there was just some problem with the tissues and she didn’t really need to wear a cast. I do wonder though if they could actually convince her colleague completely.

Now, some of the most clichéd ‘faking it’ excuses come from our maid servants. Yes, the people without whom we can’t imagine our lives. Our legs start shaking the moment they talk about going to their village for a month because we know that after a torturous month when we would be eagerly awaiting their arrival with about ten inches of dust on almirah tops, the postman would silently drop us a postcard as if sympathizing with us in our period of tribulation. The contents of the postcard would run something like this that there’s a cousin’s wedding or a parent is on his/her death bed. That’s another matter altogether that they come back after knocking at death’s door almost every year and only God knows how many more cousins need to be married in the near future.

The most brilliant example ever of this ‘faking it’ phenomenon is to be found in the Amol Palekar starrer ‘Golmal’ whose storyline I don’t need to tell you people as the movie itself is a legend. Instead, what I’ll tell you is something from my own life. Well, I’m also a human being and definitely not immune to the ‘faking it’ syndrome. I have this tendency of taking an off on Mondays and I try and device a new excuse every time. The thing has become so conspicuous now that my colleagues have started believing that I’ve a boy friend who owns a showroom in one of the markets that remain closed on Mondays and I take an off and go to see him. I think I desperately need to do some shuffling as far as these Monday leaves are concerned.

I.P.L. too contributed in its own way in organizing this ‘faking it’ business a little. The other day there was an article in the newspaper about employees pre-deciding the excuses and dates on which they were going to take a leave for watching a certain match so that there won’t be a mass bunk and hence the bosses won’t be able to really take any action. Truly, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’.

All this pondering over the ‘faking it’ phenomenon has given me a crazy sort of idea. What if I start a firm which provides people with brilliant excuses, no boss can see through or refuse, at a nominal cost of course? The only thing stopping me is that who would save me from my brilliant employees’ excuses?

Current Mood: Flirtatious & Happy

After reading about the recent furor over the remarks of Hollywood actor Sharon Stone, most remembered for her act in the movie Basic Instinct, I had a feeling, not of surprise or shock, but of success and that not because she is anti-China or for China but because she just reacted to the situation. Before you guys get confused, let me clarify that I was not surprised, as I knew this sort of reaction was due from someone very famous from some corner of the world. The only question was from whom it was going to come. Ms Stone finally came out with her view on this issue, understanding my declining patience in this matter and reacted in a way I always think celebrities do. For some people, what she said might have made sense, but when seen from the rational point of view, the statement was definitely going to raise more than a few voices, which it eventually did.

No interview is complete without the quote, “He/she is a good human being. He/She is doing well for himself/herself”. Apparently nothing remotely related to the quote can be found in the question asked. It’s only that the glitterati are used to these phrases. It’s as though they run in their blood. When you are talking about any person’s performance in a movie or a match, this quote just appears somehow, as though it is an indispensable part of the conversation. Sometimes a mere suggestion can be portrayed in an entirely different way due to communication errors. How many times have we come across actors giving suggestions to another actor about handling his/her career and not getting carried away by the adulation? While some of them are true and genuine and have an intention to help, others might just take it as a chance to be one up. Whatever be the intention, these quotes are always the favourites of both the celebs and the media.

Whenever any celebrity gives out a sound bite, it is given in a tactful way. Diplomacy is employed, as all these guys know that they may not be in a position to rule the cameras all the time and when they need help they should have someone to bank upon. These comments and statements are interrelated with their career and fame.

When you are in an industry brimming with people with similar ambitions and curvy and hunky figures with some oozing sensuality, some simplicity or some treading the thin line dividing, being vulgar and being sultry, there is every chance of falling for each other. Here’s where the oh so famous quote makes its entry; “We are just Friends.” If some are friends in the true sense, some others might want to be ‘just friends’ in the eyes of the world. Apart from the clichéd and routine ones a few others like,” We have met only a couple of times”, “He is a good actor and nothing else at all”, “Why don’t you ask him, instead of me?” or may be “I don’t mind talking about my professional life, but when it comes to my personal one I would rather not”, are used. Even though all these sentences mean the same thing, they are used depending upon how close these guys are in their so-called “friendship”. Certainly these guys give the word ‘friend’ a whole new meaning. But thanks to the grapevine before they decide to come out with whether they are just friends or more than that, the whole of the world (including a few die hard fans who would have performed some puja for the marriage to happen by that time) has already guessed the outcome.

There are many actors who support a particular cause or a movement against the government or a corporate entity. Whenever these guys stand up for the common people, a political party interferes and the first thing that is done is to stop any new film of that particular actor from being screened. “This is a democratic country and no one can stop me from doing my duty”, is the only thing these poor guys are at liberty to say, as they do know the reach of these politicians and their black deeds. In the end, not many are able to stand up against a narrow-minded and senseless group of politicians who don’t leave any stone unturned to get an apology from all and sundry even about the most innocuous things. In the end, it looks more like begging than demanding. But one thing, which always surprises me, is the timing of these rallies or clashes with the politicians. All these happen only when a new film of that particular actor is going to be released. A very old, but quite an effective marketing strategy.

A relation made in heaven is passé. For these guys, one of their many relationships is made, not in heaven, but in the underworld and by the mafia. It’s like an offer very difficult to decline. Not because it is very tempting but because they do not have much choice. “No. No one called me. No one from the underworld contacted me”, is all the celebrities are entitled to say to the media and the public. Imagine their predicament when the mafia threatens these guys not to say anything and the police are constantly after them to answer their questions.

It’s been a long time since I heard of any development on the Sharon Stone issue. So with you guys busy reading the article, let me go and take a look at what more has happened on this matter. After that, I should jump to my next article, which needs my attention desperately as it has been awaiting completion for almost 4 months now. So long.

Current Mood: Bored & Esctatic

“The Road Not Taken“, by Robert Frost indeed has many dimensions and interpretations to it as far as I can see. One interpretation which I could make is the fact all those things which have been invented or discovered would not have been if people had not dared to tread the way generally referred as useless by many. As more and more people now are driven with the idea of doing something different from the rest, they are compelled to follow the nomadic culture of roaming around the world for their respective goals and aspirations. One of the many concepts, which have been on vogue from the time immemorial, is studying abroad.

Many of the things which these guys miss once they go away from home are the things, which never get their due attention when they were easily or readily available. Many small things, which never looked that important, seem to be the most important things in life. It can be a washing machine, any equipment to cook food, or sometimes a small talk with their families which could mean so much to their coming weeks. It’s like having a pep talk to improve your behaviour towards everything you. Most of the time all these things do tend to take a back seat as they are taken for granted. Their importance is felt only when the right time comes. It is as though all these ’small’ things wait for their turn to hit back in a big way.

Things which were categorised as extra curricular activities during the school days become a part of life here and most of the time become the only source to gain extra points on the academic front. It can be painting or projects of different kinds etc. These things become so much so a part of life that I wonder if we wasted all the money during the summer holidays when we were anyway going to learn them like this. It’s another issue that the money spent this time would be hundred times more than what we paid at that time. Things like cell phone conversations for long hours, outings to all the best places without a concern for the amount of money spent, movies and so on are all missed very dearly. By the word movie, I am reminded of the fact that once these guys are away from their home for a long time, they tend to get very sentimental and have every chance of crying at each and every emotional scene in a movie. Like my friend Vineeth puts it,” You get too much into it. It’s a different intimation all together”. More so, when the scene involves a father or a mother. it may appear funny to the onlooker but believe me, it is never easy to be away from your parents and more so for those guys who have been brought up in a country like India where relationships are given utmost importance. Now after reading this do I see anyone laughing at those who get emotional and cry???

When it comes to money it is both exciting to earn the first salary and also difficult to save it. The fact that they have to work hard both to earn and save it makes the experience even more fruitful. Teaching, lab assistant, pizza delivery, petrol bunk etc are few of those jobs, which are generally taken up to. Quite an interesting list though these would be looked down upon as undignified jobs when we are staying with our parents. A scene of a family going out does certainly freshens up their memories what with these guys finding themselves or relating themselves with all those families. They can go to such an extent that they see their father in some, mother in some or a sister in some. Given the situation, I don’t think we can actually blame them for that. So from my side, this case does not need a laughter punishment but from humanitarian grounds will be seen as one of those phases of human life when philosophy and sentiments take over their rather violent suggestive moods.

In a country like India, which is known for its diversity of cultures and traditions, it is very normal that each and every month of the year becomes a host for more than a couple of festivals. It is no wonder that once you get accustomed to the general way of preparing for a festival two days in advance or even more than that, the feeling of not able to celebrate these festivals, even for a year, does makes the day real boring and sick. There probably isn’t much fanfare when it comes to celebrating the festivals, for these guys, as either the goras are accustomed to celebrating more silently or their rules regarding the celebrations might be strict. The hungama, the excitement, the hum-drum sounds of people getting anxious, music, drums, hymns, chanting, the decoration of house, people visiting each others’ houses and finally going to a temple to celebrate, are all missed and there is no feeling worse than formally celebrating a festival just for the sake of doing it

If we take a country like America for example, then we find Indian diaspora forming their own communities to help each other. ” Apparently, you get to know what India is, once you get to America. You find people of all the states at one place and you get to see what the whole of India celebrates all through the year”, is what Vineeth has to say. I can’t disagree more as all you have over there is a bunch of guys of same nationality and either out of compulsion or mere friendly nature, all of them come close.

Current Mood: Surprised & Happy

I think I do not have to explain to you guys what Orkut is and what all it has. Those who know it, may just as well know about testimonials. It is a facility provided by the site to its users, which allows them to write about the people they like and make it known to others. These testimonials remind me of those speeches made in honor of a person. The guy writing a testimonial would be hell bent on stating all the good things and would end up exaggerating them to a considerably large extent. I find the way these testimonials are written, really amusing. When I read such a testimonial, I feel that the person for whom the testimonial has been written is a saint in the guise of a mortal.

What shapes up all these testimonials is a long list of adjectives used to describe a particular guy. Words, such as “sincere”, “caring”, “loving”, “beautiful” and “crazy” rank high in the vocabulary of testimonial writers. Along with these words a few “kiddings”, “lols” and “hehes” end up being in the brackets. If the testimonial becomes too sugar coated then a few witticisms are added to make it look somewhat funny. The way these testimonials are ended is really predictable and clichéd. Addition of sentimental dialogues like “lucky to have you as a friend”, “loveeeee youuuuu”, “he/she will reach great heights” etc. makes it all the more amusing. I did write quite a few testimonials with all the ingredients stated above

Not that I haven’t written any testimonials or received any (which eventually made me write this and also gave me a good half an hour of laugh) but, I do feel that most of the time people just go overboard in praising their friends, which apparently is not required. The sheer feeling that more the number of testimonials present in a profile the more important it looks must be the reason for people to go crazy. Writing a testimonial is not a measurement of how good a friend a person is. Even though sometimes someone who may not be close writes these testimonials, they are still accepted out of courtesy. Apparently that testimonial does not really have any great importance when compared to other testimonials written by close friends.

These testimonials are filled with words like “good” or “best” which appear before each and every attribute of that person, e.g. “he is the best guy ever” or “she is a very good friend of mine” etc. If we take Orkut alone, there are 120 million accounts (Till March 2008) and if every guy and girl is best or good then probably, (after taking into consideration the other social networking sites like My Space and Facebook) all the computer users in the world must be the best people to be with. Haven’t you guys heard that the anti-social elements, who people generally call terrorists, also use computers and social networking sites???

Testimonials can be classified into a few categories:

1. Sentimental and over the board.
2. Funny and made up, with good usage of English.
3. Written in their mother tongue to show their closeness.
4. Written for the heck of it.
5. Written all because the other person is a girl.
6. Filled with all sorts of poetry and sometimes pictures.
7. Written by relatives to show their unity.
8. Written with genuine interest.

So with all this giving and receiving of testimonials, I am tempted to write a testimonial for someone at this particular moment and since I could find no one I would rather write it for my site itself. So here it goes:

“It has been great to know you and it has been a great journey with you. Life always seems great when you are around. The world looks like a cozy and secure place. For all those who do not know this site, it doesn’t just focus on one topic even though it majorly talks about simple things in life. It is beautiful in its maintenance, simple in language but equally complex in thought and special in its own way. One thing I like about this site is, it is very cool even though it isn’t really looked upon by many as one of the best ones in the field. It doesn’t care about the whole fame thing and presents to the world what it likes to.

It has helped me in presenting my thoughts to people round the world. It has been one of those sources, which helped me to show to my friends how much I love them and it gave all of us a chance to showcase our talent. It is a legally existing entity with perpetual existence. We hope it makes it to the Hall of Fame.”

Current Mood: Bored & Flirtatious