We need Change

"It is a mayhem in here!"screams the brain

I yell - "Easy it isn't, learn to live.

Cruelty hurts, the agony is immense

survive you will; abandon those thoughts, ignore the dip.

Cower and surrender, and you shall reap,

few moments of joy, safety and peace.

Learn the 'rut-walk' not  the 'slut walk'

obey the system, bow , don't tease."

Aghast the brain turns mute, the heart is inflamed

But what of love and compassion, of joy

forgiveness and humility that we seek.

"Nay!" my voice grows cold."You are easy to steal

Harshness is all that awaits, egos clash in battles many;

Gullible organ! Trust is precious. Speak no more.

You clutter me with feelings worth no penny."

"No right of birth or death." whimpers the brain softly.

"No right to choose the wise way.

No rationality in actions, is it the end?

Millions meet a gruesome end, each day

A woman no equal, imprisoned and denied

Thrown to rape and plunder extreme,

Morsel missing from hungry stomachs,

Death and despair clog mankind's dream."

"Is no man brave, no soul true?

To smite such apathy to dust"

It is my turn to stay quiet, as all echo

"To dust, to dust we say teach them a lesson first!"

"Quiet all!" I snap. " The world is you.

Neither punishment nor hanging, no curse or chanting

But, a will to change, the battered self to true

shall carve and create as you dream to see it standing."

Shantaram : My view

Shantaram is a cleverly narrated masterpiece by Gregory David Roberts. Set in the Mumbai of  80's, this book is a vivid description of the protagonist's life as he discovers the city of Bombay, its slums and shanties,  the black market and the Bombay Mafia. The protagonist, a convict in Australia, escapes jail and travels on fake documents to the city of Bombay leaving all that he knows behind, forever. His first brush with the love and tolerance that exists in this alien country comes as a guide - Prabhakar. With Prabhakar, Lin, for that is the name on his current passport, explores the city - from the monuments to the beaches and then as time progresses to the dark alleys of the slums alongside the World Trade Center construction site. At the Leopold, he finds new friends - Didier, Karla, Ulla, Modena- all foreigners like him who have chosen to make this city their home. He falls in love. Complete with surprises and the necessary twists, this 933- page long saga doesn't confine itself to the streets of Colaba or the tables of the Leopold, but takes you on a journey of revelation to a nondescript village located in a remote corner of Maharashtra where he earns the name Shantaram and learns the native language of Marathi . He starts a free health clinic in the slum and becomes a true part of the 25000 strong slum family. New friendships are forged as he befriends the Great Khan - Khaderbhai. Life begins to amend and he finds himself helping Karla with a problem she has with the notorious pimp Madame Zhou. After a success on Karla's job and when it seems that nothing can go wrong, he is caught and thrown into jail. Here, he learns the misery and cruelty that exists in the prisons where is brutally beaten and has to live in a room crowded with two hundred humans and a million insects. He is bailed out by Khader Bhai and soon joins the Khan's force learning the black market trade as time progresses.Respect of the Khan grows and he begins to love the older man as a father. The Khan himself engages the protagonist in philisophical discussions awing the aide with his great insight. The mafia becomes his family and Abdullah his brother.His love drives him to the beaches of Goa to the south to seek Karla. He discovers love.On hearing of Abdullah's death, Lin crumbles and takes to heroin and is completely wasted when Karla rescues him.Fate makes him rejoin the Khan's brigade, he senses that something is afoot and he isnt wrong when Khaderkhan asks him to join them on the trip to assist the Afghan warriors. Through Pakistan, where they learn of a traitor, they journey across the perilous terrain of Afghanistan keeping care to travel through the darkness of the night. As friends and foes weave in and out and his life begins to spin wild, the protagonist is forced to make a choice when he learns the truth. It is this choice that he may come to regret later on, a choice that may crush him more than the truth.

This is a tale rife with all the elements of an epic. The poignant introspection keeps the reader glued to the pages and so do the exciting adventures. Seemingly unimportant incidents such as the bear Kano's hug, Johnny Cigar's story or the Khan's own story, too have profound impacts on the narrator's life. As life takes new turns and leads to new ventures, the protagonist discovers a new self with each turn of the page. He is the convict and the escapee.  He is the mafia, the doctor and the passionate lover. He is the warrior and the wounded He is Lin, Linbaba and he is Shantaram . 

This novel is a five star (☆☆☆☆☆) on my list. A must-read.

I have taken special care that no spoilers ruin your experience of the book in this review.

Did you say holidays?

The holidays have begun! 

After quite a normal seeming semester, it is that time of the year where one is expected to relax, to throw all cares to the wind, to cling to one's bed as if to a soul mate - basically, it is the "no work no worries, screw grades and studies" period! 

While the adventurous youth ventures out into the unknown, on trips to far off places (the occasional international jaunt) and the lazy bears get to hibernation, I have decided to lay low and hone my skills. "Really!" you exclaim!  "These are the holidays mate. Quit studies now at the very least and just chill." 

To be honest, the part where you 'chill' is good for a day or two or even a week, then boredom sets in and yes that is where the irritation begins and don't I loathe it. So, after a few days of residing on the lazy extremum, my mind has forced the body to take an account of all the promises it held before the holidays began.

That itself is another thing. The human mind is the most amazingly lazy and yet active being. Lying on a couch with droopy eyes, I had planned the tasks  for my winter vacation - "I would do this, do that blah blah blah..." I could picture myself working diligently, producing results and climbing upward on the learning curve. It seemed practical and realizable - two hours for this, an hour for that, a short break in between, an hour in the evening and then off to bed by midnight! 

Now, each and every project and task as such is divided into phases. This one is too. Also , it would be rude to begin something without a proper christening , so let us give it an appropriate name - "An educational winter" or"Holidays 2012: Tasks galore". Maybe call it  "W.I.N.T.E.R. = Work Intentions of Noob on Technically Enhancing his Resources." (Note : If you don't know what a Noob is, I do not think you have had any happy times with your machine.). I think I'll go with the third. So, we have a name and now to the phases of the project :

Phase 1: Planning

Successfully achieved. Will be carried out in two parts, first part will be devoted to Visual C# and the second to MATLAB. No hindrances whatsoever faced so far. High gains expected at the end of project.

Aims:

1. Study Visual C#

2. Study MATLAB

3. Learn to work on MSP430

4. Preparation for a Competitive Exam

5. Brush up knowledge on Machines (all electrical engineers will get this point easily)

Expected Results:

1. Ability to make decent GUIs

2. Considerable command over the language

3. Thorough

4. Just a teeny-weeny topic from the sea of proposed syllabus.

5. Brushed up knowledge on Machines

Phase 2: Resource Collection

In progress. No particular difficulties faced so far. 

1. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate - Installed

2. MATLAB - in possession of setup, install pending

3. MSP EXP430F5529 experimenter's board and ez430-RF2500 Development tool in possession and   CCS installed.

4. Books stored in computer memory.

5. 80 NPTEL lectures downloaded and stored

Phase 3: Execution

Preliminary results:

Subject working way out of schedule. Haphazard sleeping pattern and nonchalance compounding situation. Some progress has been made though.

In the last few days I have had varied sleeping patterns. One day I sleep all night, get up early and work, the next day I stay awake through the dark hours and sleep in the morning. Forget W.I.N.T.E.R. my B.I.O.L.O.G.Y. is messed up. 

I will not usher in my modest self by saying that the progress is bad. It isn't. Here are examples on stuff I managed to make using the Microsoft tutorials on the Visual Studio :

A maze using the visual studio (quite ugly, I know!)

The first program 

Of course, these are mere renditions of the tutorials, but then again it was fun making it on my own. This along with the video course they offer has put me in a position to make something of my own now. (It is exciting for me, as so far I have never developed anything outside the DOS window (Windows Console) )

On the other hand, the NPTEL lectures have been the most uninviting pieces of video ever shot! My first two lectures were enough to make me avoid the rest till now and so the notebook has been lying still for a couple of days. 

Machines - the most interesting, yet the most despised subject in Electrical Engineering! (Grrrrr....)

The rest stay untouched for the time being and seeing my schedule I doubt i'll touching them soon. Future propositions too make my goals seem bleak in the present. Well, if I have to make them happen, I have to get working.

So long!

Happy Holidays! 

(Do not work, be lazy!)

Some Midnight Fun!

So what are N. and I up to now? The usual chitchat and of course a new activity!

Well , with not much to do tonight, N. suggested that we play the Keats- Kabir Jugalbandi -a game of poetry. The rules are simple :
1. The game is played in teams of 1 or more players, a minimum of two teams is required.
2. The team that begins first is decided by a toss (or a throw of dice in the case of more than two).
3. A topic is chosen (or given by the person who loses the toss)
4. The toss winner begins a poem on the topic and gives the first line/couplet/verse (as you require)
5. The next team adds on to the same poem.
6. There is a time limit to the time given to think up one's lines (normally 2 minutes)

Since, the mood of the evening had been set by a rather nostalgic recollection of the School Farewell (courtesy :Facebook photo albums),it was no surprise that N. came up with the topic "School". We decided on a time of 2 minutes per person (This regulation was exclusively violated on almost all instances!). Another ground rule that we introduced was that a mixture of Hindi and English was to be allowed i.e. it was to be a piece of Hinglish poetry.

So, with skype and the topic School I contributed the first line (a toss in my favour!). N. was slow to come up with the first one but she soon found rhythm. The rhyming was tough to follow up and many a times we had to seek each other's help in digging out rhyming words!

What rhymes with bus? - N.
ढाढस - Me
More - N. with an exasperated look.
Cumulonimbus! - The' Oh-so-helpful' me replied. (Bite me!)

My choice of words to end the sentences (we followed the aaaa bbbb scheme) was regularly cursed after each sentence. (For instance, take brrr!!...)

Apart from this seriously fun activity, I had a hilarious time renaming N. with the most varied assortment of words on Skype.Each time N. typed something, a new and highly interesting name appeared. Keeping in mind the need for peace and happiness, I shall refrain from divulging any further information on this topic.

One and a half hours of fun (It would have ended twenty minutes earlier but then circumstances were such!) culminated in what you shall read below.

Warning : Any critical consideration of this poetry is prohibited. It was intended for the sole purpose of fun. So,read it and enjoy.Discretion is advised on all other action.

Early morning 6 बजे shower के नीचे ...brrr!
School uniform, breakfast and then never reaching the bus stop समय पर ।
Bus गयी !Now rush, drag the bag take a lift from a stranger.
Long drab morning assemblies and teachersके वह  lecture!

Shoes are dirty,Shirt not tucked - "Have you come to school or what?"
Mimicking the teachers behind their back and cheerfully gossiping away a lot
A meander- like queue now. O! Please spare us the daily thought.
Walking in 'straight' lines we reached the class, for the last benches we always fought

The first period - not an excuse to be alert (see him sleeping last bench पर !)
Oh and look at those corner benches, already opened lunch boxes and eating चपड़  चपड़,
Shakespearean drama next on the cards! Et tu Brute? Ma'am we WONT study Julius Caesar!
Algebra, Calculus and trigonometry ने तो बिलकुल खा लिया था सर!

RECESS now!! We enter a battlefield - (THIS IS SPARTA)- chaos begins,
Of the school corridor we were the queens and the kings
Dusty, sweaty back to class -next, the tale of sanskrit, shlokas, water bottles and other things,
Almost sleepy on the last bench, desperately waiting for the bell to ring!

RING RING! the bell goes, saying goodbyes we rush to the school bus
And all the days went the same, the school always seemed such a fuss
Yet I miss , the golden moments - I wish to relive, एक  chance बस !
School की मस्ती , friends के साथ पागलपंती , काश मिल जाए वह सब वापस ।




And so ended this interesting Jugalbandi!

Goodnight from us sleepyheads now!

Two to Tango (At the bookstore)

One day both N. and I slipped to Crossword with a new idea in our heads - book spine poetry. Our new found craze in this activity led to a brainwave of using the vast collection offered by the store to feed our need. So, donning the 'hat of creativity' both took to the aisles and BINGO! we had seven poems by the end of our deputed time. Here is a short recollection of the amazing time we had creating poems out of book spines.

The first one!

Hickory Dickory dock

Kill Alex Cross

Four past Midnight

True at first light

The modus operandi was quite simple :-

1.Pick a book randomly off the shelf (which would obviously be an interesting title). 

2.Use it as the beginning for your next poem. 

3.Scour the bookshelves till you complete the poem.

Just after sunset,

windmills of the Gods

After the darkness,

games people play.

Be it fiction, romance,drama, thriller or a writing on the more serious issues, we left none untouched in our efforts to create something out of these.

 

It wasn't love at first.

The morning after

(in)the lake of dreams;

Oops! I fell in love

more than you can say.

It was fun as we ran hither and thither trying to find the next piece of the poem, searching the bookshelf from the top to the bottom, making discoveries, keeping books aside for use in the next one! For instance, N. had kept the books Vanity and Envy on reserve since she first set eyes on them and we were finally able to make something out of them !

The sword of thunder,

vanity,

envy,

betrayal,

games people play.

Quite interesting, isn't it? The fact that we had an entire bookstore to our disposal made it all the more better. We were quick ! A set of seven under two hours was an impressive feat.

Our next shot was at something that showcased women power.Here is our tribute to that.

 

Leading ladies

storming the world stage,

playing with fire,

power shift.

What next?

And then there was a poem from the Hindi section too! (We  solemnly swear that as far as Hindi is concerned we have never been up to any good and so, we request you not to judge us!)

जीतने का साहस 

आत्मा के लिए अमृत 

सकारात्मक सोच की अदभुत शक्ति 

लक्ष्य !

As we came to the end, the last section was the food guide section. Feeling a bit adventurous on the literary scale we decided to try our hand at this and cooked up the dish we present next.

 

The red market

southern flavours-

fish and shellfish 

the family meal.

An hour and half full of fun and creativity. What an awesome way to spend the day! A maze of books, a camera and the enthusiasm with the perfect person. A day to remember - two to tango at the bookstore.

On an ending note, we thank the staff of Crossword , who without any knowledge of our actions saw it fit to let our efforts go unnoticed as we scampered all across the book sections sometimes with a camera and at other with books. Cheers for aiding our creativity!

Meaning out of the spine!

¡Hola!

Here is my first attempt at book spine poetry.  After fifteen minutes of rummaging through the bookshelves, I was able to come up with something that just qualifies as a poem (I think!).

Book spine poem

Angels and demons

Of human bondage

taken at the flood,

and thereby hangs a tale

(of) the white tiger.

Ye hai Bombay meri jaan!

The third day of this summer’s retreat to the Western Ghats saw us driving to the city of dreams  Mumbai! The expressway lived up to its name and reputation allowing us to reach the city within forty minutes.

There it was – the city building tier on tier daily with the high-rises looming overhead, crowded roads, the plethora of people from everywhere milling on the streets. This was Mumbai!

We wound our way through the forests of concrete for a short while before we took an exit through a road more frequented by port authorities and goods carriers. We joined the masses next at Colaba, near the iconic Taj hotel. The old style architecture that this landmark flaunts is mesmerizing. Sitting across the road from the Arabian Sea, the building and the surrounding area represents a well preserved piece of urban history. The feeling to just suck in the beautiful sight was delightful.

To the left at the very edge of land stands the Gateway of India. This historical monument was our next stop and we continued there on foot after locating parking spot on the narrow by lanes. The mammoth structure has been on our text books since kindergarten but to see it all in person was again another delight! Let the photos narrate further.

The Taj Hotel

Gateway of India

Quite realistic,eh?

A black and white photograph of the Gateway from the front

Engraving at the top of the monument

After this it was time to board the ferry and head to the Elephanta Caves, remnants of a great temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The hour long ferry ride was more boring than anything. The smell of diesel wafted from below the deck and this coupled with the rhythmic swaying of the boat resulted in a bad headache. An hour later we disembarked on Elephanta Island. After devouring fruits and other offerings from the vendors whose stalls lined the narrow street we boarded the small toy train that took us further. The climb to the top was not intense but the weather was! The transition from the dry Delhi summer to the extremely humid climate in Mumbai was difficult. By the time we reached the top the handkerchiefs were dripping wet!

The caves having being cut more than a millennia and a half ago still boasted of intricately carved statues. This extreme example of ancient engineering and art is one of the few remaining pieces from the Golden Era in India’s history. Lord Shiva and his various forms have been depicted in a number of caves that have been cut from a side of a hill. This was a nice experience and I took liberty in exhausting the batteries of my camera.

Boarding the ferry

On the toy train

Mom and dad

Entrance to the caves

The caves in the background

One of the various forms of Lord Shiva

Inside the cave temple

A courtyard in the middle

A shivalinga

The three faces of Lord Shiva in one of the most famous sculpted pieces of  rock

Another branch of the caves 

Accurate engineering of the past!

 An hour or so later we trudged back downhill, had a huge thali for lunch and boarded the next ferry back. The return journey on the ferry was more pleasant as this time we decided to sit on the deck above in the open. The view of the Mumbai skyline was quite picturesque and I took quite a few pictures. 

A stall on the way up to the caves.

On the way back!

Mumbai- a view from the ferry

Forty five minutes later we stood at a dock where we were off loaded on account of high tide conditions near the Gateway of India. So, a short walk and a taxi ride later we were back where we had started.

Next, was the ride to the very famous Marine Drive and  Nariman Point. As the sun prepared for its dive into the sea, we strolled on the boulevard that countless movies had turned into an attraction. The scenic views from this place are a memory to remember.

And as the sun set, I looked yonder

Nature turned a new color

I looked further, it spoke

And lulled me into a world another

Nariman Point

Marine Drive

Posing

With the setting of the sun, we set off too. Through the streets of Mumbai as it now glittered in silver and gold lighting sitting atop those mighty structures, we wound our way to the outskirts and so zipped back home on the expressway.

Thus ended, another wonderful day on my travels this summer.

Summer Getaway - Day 1!

Cool as the dewdrops, fresh in the morn

Painted on a canvas of green

Nature’s divine beauty at work

In the ghats, to lonavala – nature’s jade artwork, I’ve been

The month took me places in and around Delhi but the surprise that was in store for me for a week’s getaway to the Western Ghats happened to be something out of a dream. While the railway tickets played spoilsport in the beginning (and later at the end) we did manage to get RAC seats to Mumbai. The train ride of more than twenty one hours turned out to be fun (rather unexpected!). After a rather heavy breakfast as we crossed Faridabad, we settled down to sleep on the berths that the TTE had allotted (his pockets a bit warmer, of course!). The body made good of the rest that it had sought for the past three days, and I felt strangely refreshed when I woke up around noon. The slumber itself hasn’t been a sound one courtesy, a very loud kid nearby who could only think of one thing and that was calling out to his sister who lay on the berth below. Each time I woke, it was to his shouts of “Pari! Pari!”. When I finally raised myself from the berth and peeped through the curtain to enquire who Pari was and why hadn’t she been replying for the past four hours, I found an infant curled up in deep sleep in her mother’s arms! (Well ,what can I say after that?)

Lunch and two movies later mom and I got down to a game of antakshari. It is common knowledge that I am the worst player in this game. My ability to recall songs reaches an absolute zero and it was this prowess which I put up for display again. An hour later with mom being the obvious champion and with nothing better to do we decided to make faces and sing funnily resulting in a quite intense yet hilarious endeavor! The stomach did not complain at dinnertime as we had continuously fed with the junk one normally devours on a train. So, after some discussions as to who would sleep where (I got a lower one, the air conditioning was too cold for my liking) we finally got down to the final task of the day, sleeping.

An early morning call from my uncle was what woke me this time around. We had to get down at Dadar. Packed and ready we waited for an hour before the halt at Dadar. After what seemed like a long time bargaining with the taxi drivers we finally set off for Lonavala. Mumbai is silent and beautiful in the morning (no traffic!) and it was this half awake city that we left behind as we took the famous Mumbai-Pune expressway through the Ghats for our destination. On the winding roads we travelled among the Ghats, through tunnels. It was the perfect beginning I must say (I said it too soon!).It so happened that ‘travelling luck’ wasn’t on our side and the car was heating up pretty quickly forcing us to make frequent stops. My uncle and aunt picked us up from the exit to Lonavala and in no time we were at their home. The ride all along had been a blur.

Taken from the Mumbai Pune Expressway as we pass through the Ghats

One of the many tunnels that we passed through

Out of the intense heat of the north this paradise was a welcome break. I settled down to enjoy the cool breeze that blew in through the living room window. This was heaven. A peek through the windows confirmed that we were in the lap of Mother Nature surrounded by the most beautiful hills, green and lush, dotted with cottages and bungalows.

In this wonderful retreat, what do you expect after a hearty breakfast? Why, a nice sleep of course! Taking no heed of what everyone was up to and leaving all cares to the world, I jumped into bed for a long, peaceful and uninterrupted slumber (call me lazy, I don’t care!)

With not much happening in the afternoon, we decided to go to Tiger Top, a viewing point near Khandala. It definitely had some great views. The pictures say it all. Under the blue sky, surrounded by beautiful hills, now isn’t that the perfect setting? It is, and this is a big reason that many Bollywood scenes have been shot here.

A view from Tiger Top

Steep drop below

Hills and lakes in the surrounding region

Another great view

Just something different

Not picture perfect, I know!

Having that Bhutta  (YUM!)

Just so beautiful!

The night had something special in store for us too. My uncle and aunt took us out for dinner to a roadside dhaba Kinara. The old school village setting and a live ghazal performance set the mood for a very enjoyable night. The ghazals did not let us down and it was quite often that we found ourselves swaying to the gentle rhythm. Some excellent non-vegetarian dishes in that raised wooden hut turned out to be just what was needed. I spent all my time clicking photos and licking my fingers!(I just realized that I was too busy savoring the delicacies and did not pick up my camera during the meal!) The comfortable jhoolas were too much to ignore and we settled on them after the delicious meal.  The enchanting ghazals continued.

Finally giving in to the clock’s gentle reminder that it was eleven we returned but not before having the biggest paan of our lives filled such that I had to take multiple bites to get it all in! 

Mom and me !

Mausaji and Mausiji

The light is solely due to the camera flash we had lanterns (old school style)!

Mom and dad!

The post meal relaxation!

On the Jhoola

Photo time!!

Through the mirror

The paan after two big bites!! (it was HUGE!)

Tired but truly content I went to bed by the living room window as Mother Nature caressed me with her gentle breeze and put me to sleep.

So, ended the first day in paradise!