Hmm...

oh..interesting...and..they said 'diamonds are girl's best friend' ?
Correction : These diamonds are a guy's best friends...
:D

Taking a Stand..

This place,my blog, has been in existence for just over 4 years now..And..i have managed to keep it as meaningless as possible..and therefore fun....until now..
I had to take a stand..and i hate it...I soooo dont like..taking a stand...cos,i need to explain myself...and cos,it's easier not doing it ! thats why !
:)
But..i have had the displeasure of getting a few mails with petitiononline links,subjects like "are brahmins the dalits of today ?",etc..and i made an arbit comment on surd's blog,prompting a few "why ?" mails..all of which have necessitated this post..therefore..

"Why will the 49.5% reservation thingie not happen ?"
Good question..but...wrong question..
""Why do I think the 49.5% reservation thingie will not happen ?(includes the 27% OBC thing)"..is the better question..
I cant answer the former,cos i am not in charge..and i cant guraentee that the people in charge...will be stupid enuf to not look at the issue as i do..
but...the latter..an attempt to answer...
The issue..reservations..49.5% for SC/STs/OBCs...the "minorities"
Before i start...MJ akbar on this..sometime back...

"...According to the 2001 census, Hindus constitute 80.5% of India’s population, Muslims 13.4%, Christians 2.3%, Sikhs 1.9%. Others make up the remaining two per cent. The minorities are not included in reservations, nor are the upper castes: between them, the minorities and the upper castes would add up to 40%. So in real terms, 60% per cent of India is being guaranteed 50% of the seats in the best educational institutions. Do the math..."

interesting,huh ? minorities arent really the minorities,eh ?
ok..back to that later...
the entities..

1. The youth...medical college interns and doctors...at the centre-stage in delhi..aiims students..
First..Do we agree that irrespective of the reason,it's inhuman for a doctor to shirk work and therefore..maybe even contribute to the death of a poor sick individual ?
good ! thank god for small mercies...its a start...
AIIMS...is the first and last resort for a cure..in the poor sick delhite's itinerary..
when it's doctors...no,make that interns and assistant docs...the supporting structure basically..goes on strike,there's a problem...
remember they are the creme de la creme of the medical student fraternity..smartest bunch..
and if smart ones are acting like this,wonder what Laaloo's daughter who topped the med-ed entrance exams in bihar,will do..
So ..first..get back to work ! there are sick people waiting ! and..nothing can justify your actions of the last few weeks...

2. India's electorate...India...is a young country..and getting younger..youth population = 52%...
Most of which is college-going,just out of college...or about to enter college...
Please do not tell me,that the political parties of india have not factored the following into their votebank plans....when they take a stand on the issue...
the vote banks are so many...The yadavs,the pandits,the guptas,the gounders,the vokkaligas,the Pawars,etc...the ranvir sena,the maoists,the psuedo-commies..the psuedo-secularists..the left,the right and the bloody centre...religionists,casteists,regionalists...
and the..OBCs...the domain of the BSP,SP in the recent past..the domain of the mayawatis and the mulayam singhs of this world..
And which is the party at the centre ? the congress...are they left ? right ? or sitting-on-the-fence centre ?
Seriously...Do you really think that the SC/ST/OBCs..who may or may not vote.. what with so many dropouts by the time they reach the higher education level..
and most of them,rural folk..whose only pre-occupation,right now..is the "inhuman treatment meted out and consequent land-grab by the rich,higher-caste landlord.." will really bother to vote for the Congress based on this one particular issue ?
More importantly,do you really think the congress and it's think-tank hasnt thot of it already ?? esp., if i can arbit come up with it ?!!
What would be more important to them ? this vote-bank which,in all probability will not decide the outcome of an election based on this issue ?
or 52% of the chunk of electorate...who are getting more vocal,more demanding,more..pro-active...
Granted..most of them wont vote..and that fault lies with us youth...but even 26%,half of that population,can decide who wins and who loses..easily !
There are two indias,today...one is rural..the other isnt..
the former..doesnt know what the IT revolution is..or was ! doesnt understand about malls,cinemas,pubbing,public transport,oil price hikes...which are normal with the latter..
the latter...is from the cities,the metros...class a,b towns...who curses the water board when there's no water in the tap..and doesnt have to trudge 10 kms to get water..and trudge back..
In all clarity...the burning issues of the city..are non-issues in the village..and vice versa..
and..the village wins...hands-down..there are just many more of them...therefore,their issues are more important...to the political parties...
And cos...Education isnt..water,electricity, is...this is a non-issue...for the people and the government...

2. Arjun singh...this dude's claim to fame earlier...was being a part of the Sonia Gandhi coterie..he's a veteran delhite...get it ? that kinda attitude! and surprise,surprise ! he's not an elected member of parliament..our HRD minister...is not an elected MP...hmm...
Our PM is...a gentleman...the first and last thing he would not want to be known is "first sikh PM",even..he's that anti-separatist,etc...
he would in all probability..want to be known as "architect of india's economic turnaround"..
when i write this post,and you read it..in the plush confines of an a/c room..we need to thank him...we would have been bank employees otherwise..just like 2 generations before us...
but his image is sullied now..with this arjun dude..trying to be smart..
On the eve of the assembly by-elections,Arjun made an announcement...on this issue..the timing..important..the congress consolidated it's position in the elections..nothing superb,nothing disgusting..just ordinary..
So many consequent protests...And still...so far...No comments..from PM,Sonia,or anybody in a position of authority in the party..
The "we are all for the upliftment of the backward and downtrodden of society" doesnt count..It's a standard line..
So is "The youth of today are the future of tomorrow.."
Doesnt it tell you something ?
Ok,lemme elaborate...Mandal-1 was an idea supported by a rag-tag bunch called the Janata dal...and VP singh...a loose confederation of "third front" parties..
What happened ? a self-immolation...lotsa strikes...and the JD is history...not even recallable history..
This is the congress,the left and the NCP,etc..together...
Sonia,Manmohan,Chidambaram,Kapil Sibal,Pranab Mukherjee,etc...yechury,karat,somnath chatterjee,etc...the new bunch rahul gandhi,mukul deora,sachin pilot..these are smart people...very smart people..
'been there-done that' master strategists...they run the country,dammit ! and have survived this long in the murky world..of politics..
With a huge babudom machinery to support/dispute decisions based on analysis,economics,politics,everything !
aaye-ee...They know what they are doing and know what happened to the JD..so..let them do their job ! they know best !

When was the last time the HRD ministry was in the news ? when MM joshi tried to blackmail the IIMs on funding..during the previous regime...after that,nothing..
So...What does the Cabinet do when a 'hardly-in-the-news-otherwise' publicity-hungry old man heading an inconsequential ministry,makes random statements on quotas?
They can come out all in support of his views..they havent done that..not openly anyways..
Why ? cos they cant lose face..if they reject singh,they lose face..in the eyes of billions...it's like deserting one of your own...thats not done..
if they give in to the demands of students,they lose face..with the opposition going for their throat..
if they accept the reservation thing,the nation's students thinks they are heartless and prejudiced...
So..what do you do ?
You bite your lip..and hope the situations cools down..wait it out...take him on and boot him out,later...
Right now..you are stuck between a rock and a hard place..
But the students arent giving them too many options..
every other day,a new tamaasha..delhi,hyderabad,bangalore,anti-quota,pro-quota,faculty joining in,mails flying,blog posts ! and what not !
What do you protestors want MMS and the government to do ? a public apology ?! bah !

Instead...they shld be sitting opposite them at the table...trying to help diffuse this situation..lotsa ideas coming thru...
increasing seats..reducing the quota percentage..whatever...can be discussed...can be thrashed out..

But no...the students...need their glory and believe they can change the country at one-go !
An RDB ! a revolution...a 'dhamaaka' !
nonsense !

And wow ! Mr.Siddhu..batting for the students..we couldnt have picked a worse candidate !
publicity-hungry again,failure-in-cricket...revelling in his new role as messiah..comedy-king,MTV-role-model nominee !
oh..he's a BJP MP also..yeah,exactly !
Why is the 'youth for equality',a hitherto unknown organization so vocal now ?
How is the entire student community getting organized ?
all this costs money...who's funding it ?
Motivation needs to be high..who's motivating them ? Just thinking...
The BJP didnt say a word...when siddhu joined the protests...
Maybe..they are testing the waters..they cant be anti-quota openly and risk losing votes..
Maybe they are waiting to see how the tide goes...and either..dump siddhu..or recognise him as a hero ! based on the tide !
anything anti-government has always been what they are good at..the best opposition party in india..but zero,when in power...
I am not anti-BJP..and pro-congress..i am just pro-myself !

Ok..consider this..it is tabled...this monsoon session..
Do you know the kinda trials and tribulations it needs to go thru before it's a legislation/law/ordinance ?
A 2/3rds majority vote when it comes up...for starters...
The opposition parties wont twiddle their thumbs and let the congress take the complete glory...
They will delay it..they will question it..allege irregularities..ask for a judicial finding..a PIL will be filed by an arbit person..and the list will go on...
In the end..the government will change..cos,their 5 years are up..and "reservation bill" ?? whats that ? yeah...
the women's 33% reservation bill hasnt been passed yet...
the decision on the flight trainers for the IAF is still pending..while pilots die..
there are so many issues which were headlines sometime back..and almost non-issues today...public recall is limited..so..
And the TV channels,newspapers arent covering them anymore..
My advice..read a lot less newspaper..watch a lot less tv..and things shld be fine..

I come back to what M J akbar said...
60% of the population gets 50% of the seats..whats wrong with that ?

Even if it becomes a law..if you are able to make it through 100% of the complete seats..you shld be able to make it thru 50 % of your quota,rite...given that the SC/STs/OBCs will opt for the reserved category seats anyways..

Brighter side..."Whatever makes life tougher than it already is,is good for you.."
The new law mite do what it did to tamilnadu..and lead to a much more smart and competitive generation to follow..
tamilnadu has a ..69% reservation ! has had it for years now..
And..why do you think so many tam-brams are successful in this world....
bcos,they realised soon enuf,that education is a game..and not something you can lose at !
Consequently they worked so hard..that the rest of the world was a piece-of-cake when they ventured outside...
So..Anything that fuels competition is good..Please go ahead Mr AS,make it a law ! we will be grateful !

arjun singh is a sad lonely old man..who wants to be famous as he walks into the sunset..
he wants to be on TV..making headlines every day..letting people know,whos in charge before he departs..dont give it to him !

And for god's sake..put a lid on the student-politics cocktail...you should be studying instead of wasting your time on this garbage !
Student activism didnt get us anywhere...even in the 70s at it's peak...militant activism,revolution,etc is stupid..it's for the romantics..the idealists...
Politics..and excess hormones..are not good...no big picture clarity..just lotsa angst and 'lets-do-it-now !' attitude..
Strategy,tactics,long term,goal...do the students have it ? No ?? Well,bollocks to them,then...
Please dont be just a-flash-in-the-pan..cos thats exactly what everybody expects from you..lotsa talk and no action...
if you had a problem with reservations,why now ?
If you have a problem with the system,why not try to make a difference from the inside !?
If you had a problem with the politicians,why didnt you vote last time ?
you want your 5-figure salaries..and vacations in mauritius..alongwith peace and quiet at home !??
Hoping that some unfortunate civil servant who's paid a quarter of your salary goes about reforming the country ?! your country ?!!
High hopes...

Mandal was the last big thing..and much more violent...And...after all that...
Did Mandal affect our lives ? we are where we would have anyways ended...
We always,always get what we deserve..
If you didnt work hard for the JEE and a Btech. at iit...you didnt deserve it...simple..

And So...IMHO...due to all these reasons...I dont think it will happen..or that it will change much..
Cos..we are a democracy..and thats the beauty of it..the good and the bad...takes a long time to happen..and sometimes...mite not happen at all..
And the kids...can take good care of themselves...they dont need our help...they are smart..they will study..and make it...
If they are intelligent and hard-working,nothing can stop them..nothing !
The companies which look at picking up young grads still go for merit,dont they ? the filtering will happen there,anyways...
*That private sector reservation thing,i believe,will also not happen..trust me..similar set of reasons..*

PS :And..Thanks for helping me waste a weekend afternoon..on this..eternally grateful to all of you !

Why is it that...

1. Your atm pin..is usually your birthyear..or the year you got your atm card...probably cos it's a minimum 4 digit mandation..and the first four digit number,anyone can remember is...their birth year/current year....
*of course,'1234' is also a four digit number..but we arent that stupid ? or..are we ?!! :D *

2. Your email id password..is usually your birthdate..probably cos it's a min. 8 digit mandation..and the first eight digit number anyone can remember,is their birthdate in ddmmyyyy format..
*You are excited about getting a new email id..and the damn registration page keeps prompting you with a 'min. characters required' warning..so you do the easiest thing..and put in your birthdate..hmm..*

*No..i didnt hack into either..just things i have noticed..observed..understood :D
90% of the time with 1...40-50% of the time with 2...*

3. You hope that with your client such a pain,even your enemy doesnt deserve him...and at the end of another meeting,you wish..."damn ! i wish my enemy got him ! They seem made for each other !"
Sometimes seems....that your client is a maha-pain in the...neck...and at other times,like the winner of the great indian laughter challenge...without meaning to !!

4. The people who say "rules are good...break them !"..are usually the first ones to stick to them..and contribute to the tape...the red one...

5. Sometimes we tend to look at things as more complicated than they actually are..and that actually makes them more complicated than they were !

6. After reading a hundred million autobiographies of successful people, you recognise that their one common trait...amongst all...binding across all of them...was a focus..a single-minded approach..

*right or wrong..decided who they were....but...hitler..and gandhi..both...had focus...*
And an ability to switch on and off,when needed...
And..you still cant do it..you try..try and...succeed..or lose hope ?

7. There is lotta stuff in this world which fall into the category..."You want it..but dont want it,either..long for it..but,hate the thought of it too..." and to avoid completely losing your sanity,you obey the dictum "Wish not,want not..."..only to wonder later..."What if ?? hmm.."

8. Even after you know,for sure...'girls...and guys..are different'..you still wonder..."What makes them tick,man ? A guy would never do that !"...ofcourse,a guy would never do it ! he's not a girl...or....vice-versa...the difference doesnt just lie in the spellings,you know...and no they dont come from another planet..it was just a figure of speech,that book !

9. The first track you listen to in the morning tends to go round and round in your head all day...and when you are not able to place it,sometime later...you go nuts !! ok..nuttier than you already are...

10. Two plus two...has to be equal..to four..why not 5 ? why not 0 ? why not 100 ? who decided it all ? Who decided the world and it's rules ??!!

Maymadham...

It's a crazy month..May...
Some pleasant stuff...some not-so-pleasant stuff...

May..top-of-the-mind-recall,off-the-top-of-my-head reaction is...
mayflowers...summer vacations..mangoes..
cousins...granny's place..mayflower-stamen sword-fighting..
birthdays.....auspicious-for-wedding month..
Dad's place visit...weeee !! lotsa toys ! Lotsa tv !
Madras...cricket in the hot sun...sound thrashing from aunt..cricket in the hot sun,again..thrashing from aunt,again..
Mangalore...Meeting never-before-never-after cousins...instant friendships,instant 'katti',instant noodles....
College passing-out and the 'feeling-down' thereafter..
That girl...and the crazily-in-love phenomenon...

And..blogging...
19th May 2006..4 years into blogging..going strong..366 posts..make that 367 !
:)

So..an ode to Blogger...
Make that Pyra..the real thing...
No diet,no fizz,no Corporate ethics/economics,blah-blah...
Just plain template...plain domain..plain..text...

*Google took over Pyra to come up with blogger..
When i started,it was still pyra...and blogspot was their domain..
which is probably why you have a http://ritzkini.blogspot.com and not a http://ritzkini.blogger.com*

Nevertheless...
Cheers...*clink*...to blogger...*hic*
For all the times i have needed you..thanks..*hic...burrp...hic..hic..*

Mein pal do pal ka blogger hoon
Pal do pal meri kahaani hai
Pal do pal meri hansti hai
Pal do pal meri jawaani hai...

Mein pal do pal ka blogger hoon
Pal do pal meri kahaani hai
Pal do pal meri hansti hai
Pal do pal meri jawaani hai...

Mujhse pehle kitne blogger
Aaye aur aakar chale gaye...
Kuch aahen bhar kar laut gaye
kuch nagme gaakar chale gaye
Woh bhi ek pal ka kissa the
Mein bhi ek pal ka kissa hoon
Kal tumse judaa ho jaaoonga..
Woh aaj tumhaara hissa hoon...

Mein pal do pal ka blogger hoon
Pal do pal meri kahaani hai
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Pal do pal meri jawaani hai...

Kal aur aayenge naghmon ki
khilti kaliyan chun ne waale
Mujhse behtar kehne waale
tumse behta sunne waale
Kal koi mujhko yaad kare
kyon koi mujhko yaad kare
masharoof zamaana mere liye
kyon waqt apna barbaad kare ?

Mein pal do pal ka blogger hoon
Pal do pal meri kahaani hai
Pal do pal meri hansti hai
Pal do pal meri jawaani hai...

Mein pal do pal ka blogger hoon
Pal do pal meri kahaani hai
Pal do pal meri hansti hai
Pal do pal meri jawaani hai..

PS: Sorry to the people at blogger..plagiarism is not on,i know..but i dont think i could have put it any better than sahir ludhianvi and mukesh...
:)