How did we become meritorious?

I assume I am meritorious :D So I use the 'we' in the title.

When I think of the reasons why I turned out to be meritorious (relatively speaking) 3 key reasons come to my mind:

1. I was born into the right family. My parents were pretty serious about education and wanted me (and my siblings) to do well in academics. More in academics than say - in sports, art or music. They were financially capable of sending me to a good school.

2. I went to an English medium school. I studied the language which rose from being a colonial language imposed by the British to the lingua franca of the corporate world. I was trained to master the language and leverage this to earn a more than average job.

3. I went to a private school and not a state school. I remember that the Kendriya Vidyalaya of Ranchi was one of the worst schools in town and all the rogues went there. The Bihar board school was a fictional concept. Teachers were absent most of the time. They utilized their free time coaching students!

Maybe the 3 reasons are similar for many who consider themselves (and maybe are!) meritorious.

A little elaboration of the points would be good I guess...

Born into the right family

If I had to rank the reasons into an order, I would rate reason number 1 as the biggest factor. Emotional and financial backing was very important. Some of my cousins did not do as well in academics although they were richer. Their parents were not as exacting and serious about studies as mine. So they did not study hard and were not toppers in their class. However, they applied themselves into business, and today earn more than me! Did they lack in merit - NO!

Consider an intelligent person born into a poor family. This poor person might me the scrap-collector in the street or a assistant in the kirana shop. In the current educational system, would he/she ever be able to qualify as 'meritorious'? I don't think so! The reason obviously is that he/she was not born in the right family. His parents were not financially capable. The question of interest and ambition did not come up!

English Medium and Government School

I am reminded of my neighbours when I was a kid. There were two boys my age in the family. They went to a Bihar board school, where the medium of instruction was Hindi. One of them was particularly astute in science and mathematics. I would ask him the most difficult of problems, and he would solve it in a jiffy! He went on to study mathematics and commerce and then took the CAT. He could not succeed. His percentile in Mathematics was an iota less than 100! However, his grades in reading comprehension were abysmal. And why not, he never studied English properly. Today he might not be able to find a job that may qualify as decent, whereas the graduates from IIMs set salary-records every year! Who was to blame here - the medium of instruction. So much so that despite the intelligence, he would not qualify as very 'meritorious'.

Reason no 4?

Today, we are questioning whether a 4th reason had a role to play, viz, 'Caste'. I am sure that this was not a contributing factor in my case. My cousins did not do well in their class despite being the same caste. The friend that I mentioned was a Rajput (a high class), but failed because he did not go to the right school!

From the reasons, we could arrive at the plausible solutions to improve the overall 'meritocracy' in the population. Financial support for primary/secondary education could atleast empower otherwise intelligent students to access education. Privatization of the school system would improve efficiency and help do away the absenteeism of public school teachers. Conversion of all Hindi medium schools into English ones would enhance the chances of many to make into IIMs, other 'elite' institutions and also earn better jobs after education.

Will caste based reservation do any good?? I wonder!

On Reservations in the Private Sector

This is a raging controversy in India today. I have read through a lot of articles/blogs on this issue ranging from ones that outrightly denounce the idea as well as those that appreciate the efforts of the UPA government to undo social differences in India.

I agree with the intent and the 'what' part of this issue - To bridge the gap between the haves and have-nots. What sane person (with a heart in place) would not want to have this as a national objective?

However, I disagree on the 'How' part of the strategy. In my opinion, all kinds of special interventions should be made at the upstream stage of human resource development. The hierarchy of interventions in human resource development starts from availability of money to spend on education/training. This is followed by available opportunities for admission. After passing out human development happens on the job with diverse experiences. If we look at the corresponding interventions that the government could make the obvious choices are: 1. Scholarships to solve the first issue, 2. Reservations in educational institutes and 3. Reservations in the public and private-sector.

A measurable benefit for scholarships is reflected in the number of poor students accessing education. Similarly, students from backward classes getting recruited by companies along with others reflects that the education helped them come at par with others in terms of social standing. If special benefits are provided at each of the 3 stages, how can we measure the contribution that these interventions make? Moreover, if special benefits are provided at stage 3, the benefits provided in the previous two stages become redundant.

However, by artificially forcing corporate to have a special recruitment policy for - by now - trained and 'not-so-backward' students is analogous to providing a personal-assistant to a handicapped person who has been trained to move independently on the wheel-chair. It is certainly noble, but does not lead to development in the real sense. The first two interventions become redundant as well.

After a person has the resources to study and a school which is willing to take him/her in, he should be fully equipped to take on the real world and further development from here on should be a responsibility of the individual. If faced with discrimination (despite his ability to perform) (s)he must have the courage and confidence to stand up. After all she has been trained to do this! What would be better for the development of a person at this stage of life - begging for more? .. Or standing up confidently with self-esteem?

The Indian Government provides for reservations in the public sector. Although I do not agree with this, however, extreme measures are required in a country with a history of caste based discrimination. Having said that there should be measurable goals and success criteria and time-frames for such special arrangements. Today, if a student from SC/ST/OBC category secures 90% + marks, he can walk into the better schools in town similar to others. No mainline tuition centers/coaching classes deny entree based on caste/religion. Things would perhaps be better later on... And hence, the need for special treatments would not exist. Policy makers need to define this timeline - and not extend it for political milieu.

Reservations in the private job-scene will definitely have a huge impact on performance. First, many hard-working people who did not have any special support for their education would end up frustrated. Second, the economic boom which has been engineered by the private sector (and not the Government) would slow down in general. Third, the service sector which now symbolizes the rise of Indian confidence and pride will be severely impacted because it is so dependent on human resources unlike the manufacturing industry which runs on economies of scale. Fourth, no matter what industry, organizations will change and become caste conscious. A person who is just identified by his name/designation today will be identified by his caste as well. Any organization operating amidst ever increasing competition would certainly avoid this situation.

I read a short article and found it touching: http://notanobserver.rediffiland.com//scripts/xanadu_diary_view.php?postId=1145297033

People thinking logically might converge on the same conclusion. However, does it fit-in with the self-centered plans of politicians and political parties? Frankly speaking - I don't think so! And I dont expect a main-stream political party to have the guts to raise the right questions on this.

Swing Bowling

How does Pakistan manage to find amazing swing bolwers so often? Right from Imran Khan - the inspirational leader, Wasim Akram - capable of bowling six different bowls in an over, Waqar Younis - the toe crusher, his reverse-swinging yorkers are an absolute delight!

The latest sensational bolwer who can swing a bowl yards is from the U-19 team from Pakistan, (which won this years WC tournament by beating India). Anwar reduced India to 9/6 in the finals using his deadly 'banana' swing.

Watch this and you'll know what I mean!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3885224323771684833&q=cricket+world+cup

Beware India! And way to go Irfan, Sreesanth, Patel!

The month that was..

The last few weeks have been really eventful! Starting from the trip to Beijing, to the snow-boarding trips (or should I say, attempts to snow-board?), the trip to Tokyo and then making important decisions to move ahead... the mood could best be described as romantic and rebellious - non-conforming.. Time has just whizzed by!

(Dancing on the tables after dinner - Its gotto be China!)

The hectic week in Beijing ended with a grand celebration at a Mongolian ethnic restaurant where artists performed while we savoured the delicacies. We had our P&G group, comprising people from Belgium , Mexico, Japan, India, China and US (as diverse as it could get!). The artists displayed unique dance styles - some seemed influenced by European dance styles... there was a judo-based dance and a snake dance where a beautiful lady draped in a snake came scaringly close to the audience!

The restaurant is known for the unconventional ways it uses to entertain. They involved all the people in several games and at the end they asked everyone to get on the tables and dance! So there we were, inebriated with whatever that we drank.... It was crazy!

I came back at around 9:00 pm and made myself some snack.. surfed the net a bit, went to sleep, got up at 3:30 am got ready for the snow-boarding trip that my friends had already organized. We had rented a 8 seater Nissan van for this to trip to Dianaland in Gifu. When we were just about 45 minutes from the destination we met with an accident - GP had smased the car at 80 km/hr into another car in front of us! That car in turn smashed into a bus.... we went blank for a while. And there was blood splattered all over!

(Puneet's watch stopped and later we found that the glass cover had shattered)

Neither of us could speak fluent Japanese. Soon the police was there asking us questions the meaning of which could only be surmised. The damage seemed in total seemed to be in millions of Yen. We wondered what the insurance would cover and how much would we have to shell out! We started planning deportation :)) The good part of the whole incident was that neither of us was depressed... we were in our own way relishing the experience!

We planned to somehow reach the destination, however, the car had to be returned and the insurance company needed to be informed in person. So we all set back to Kobe.. disspointed, but already planning the next adventure - for the very next day! The plan was for Biwako and this time we wisely opted to use the trustworthy JR train.

The next day was not a really pleasant one.. it was drizzling and the chances of making it to the top were bleak. But we pressed on. On reaching the venue we found that the resort was closed! We gaped at each other confused and surprised that this was actually happening to us! Anyways, we didn't wish to go back - so we planned to go for an Onsen - relax in the hot spring amidst the mountains, have a traditional Japanese lunch and then return by evening. Tell you what - it turned out fabulous!

(Zuber Puneet, Varun, Aatif, GP and me)

(Prateek, Roopak, Vinit and me)

Next on the list was the trip to Tokyo - those 3 days had enough in them - including a surprise B'day celebration in Roppongi with my insti-people: Prateek, Roopak, Vinit. The last month flew by so fast - and many changes that I had not even thought of before were planned and I am hopeful would be executed.

3 days in Tokyo

Visited Tokyo this weekend. Its a fabulous place - crowded market streets, designer cars, fashionably dressed people (especially girls), high rises and some shrines amidst all this action.

(Atop Roppongi Hills - Tokyo Tower in the background)

Noteworthy places to visit -

1. Roppongi - Excellent atmo, the view from the top floor of Roppongi hills is absolutely amazing! Had lunch in a Turkish restaurant named Ayatollah. Teh "Lentil Soup" was daal (with a new flovor) and the "Pita Bread" was like our very own Tandoori Roti. Overall good for a laid-back dinner. Thereafter we went to Vanilla and the place was really great! We stayed there for around 3-4 hours, got really drunk (apart from the drinks, I smoked 15 (10mg nicotine) ciggis) and when we came out we were taken aback by the long queve outside.

2. Shibuya - High rises, markets, and the famous Shibuya crossing where hundreds of people cross the road together when the signal changes. Also the meeting point marked by the statue of a dog is worth mentioning. Legend has it that the dog came everyday to the place looking for his master who went to the warfront and never returned. We had dinner here at a noisy Yaki-tori restaurant. I'd say the food was just about OK.

3. Shinjuku - For the beautifully lit buildings and the general atmosphere. Sunday night might not be the best day to go here :-/

4. Asakusa - for the Asakusa-shrine and the traditional market-place to get souveniers. We had yaki-soba for lunch and some traditional bean-puddings for dessert. I saw my fortune in the Japanese tradtional way and found that it was the best possible prediction! Hope it turns out to be true :)

5. Imperial Gardens - Really majestic and befitting for the royal palace in Tokyo. All the big I-Banks, Consultancy companies are located here. The people seems to be nothing less than millionaires! The atmosphere is serene.

There are other places worth mentioning such as Omote-Sando and the Harajuku street where people shop for strange stuff such as devel-masks and really wierd costumes.

Baawra Mann

baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna
baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna

baawre se mann ki dekho baawri hai baatein
baawre se mann ki dekho baawri hai baatein

baawri si dhadkane hai baawri hai sansein
baawri si karwaton se nidiya door bhage
baawre se nayan chahe baawre jharokon se
baawre nazaron ko .....takna!
baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna

baawre se is jaha mein baawra ek saath ho
is sayani bheed mei bas hatho mein tera haath ho
baawri si dhun ho koi baawra ek raag ho
baawri si dhun ho koi baawra ek raag ho

baawre se pair chahe baawre tarano ke
baawre se bol pe .......thirakna!
baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna

baawra sa ho andhera baawri khamoshiyan
baawra sa ho andhera baawri khamoshiyan
thartharati lou ho madhham baawri madhoshiyan
baawra ek ghungta chahe houle houle bin bataye
baawra ek ghungta chahe houle houle bin bataye
baawre re mukhde se .......sarakna!

Baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna
Baawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna

- Lyrics of "Baawra Mann" from the Hazaar Khwahishein Aisi

China - The melting pot of tradition and development

This is my second time in Beijing. The first time around I did not have much time to travel around. However, I was amazed at the quality of infrastructure, expressways (without pot-holes), the sky-scrapers with no bounds! Frankly, I had not expected this and was dissapointed when I compared Beijing to Mumbai, where 4 days of rain wrecked havoc and stretches of roads got washed away. When will the dream of transforming Mumbai into Shanghai come true?

Anyways, I leave a detailed comparison for some other time....

On Flight number JL785: I watched a Salman Khan - Sushmita Sen flick... have forgotten the name, it was stupid and hilarious at the same time - I enjoyed it, I must admit!

I checked out of the airport and a friendly driver was awaiting with my name-tag and another person holding the 'Shangri-La' board... perhaps he was awaiting a Chinese-Indonesian-Thai person, my surname resembling some Chinese surnames. He was surprised to find an Indian. (This has happened to me earlier as well).

The hotel was cool... I had expected much more though, given the kind of advertising the hotel chain is airing now-a-days. The hotel people were really courteous and cooperative - this was different from the earlier visit to Crowne Plaza, where I could not even understand their English (I thought it was Chinese)! The view from the room was cool.. The well lit roads and the spanky cars - symbolizing the rise of China as a major economic power - despite all the rhetoric about its communist policies, anti-people agenda, blah, blah and blah!

I had a light snack to fill me up with a friend. I wanted to make use of the day and do some sight-seeing. I had heard a lot about the cultural must-visits in Beijing. On enquiring with the concierge I discovered that the Badaling Wall was quite far away - so I had no choice but to drop that idea. Forbidden City shuts down at 3:30 pm. There was one option that the staff suggested:

The Summer Palace. I was intrigued by the thought of visting the Summer Palace at the peak winter time.

After a small (power) nap I went there - it was a huge, beautiful palace... complete with traditional gardens, and a large frozen lake. I was amazed at the things people had done with wood. There was a bronze statue made several years ago - it was life-like, and to imagine that there was nothing like engineering established at the time made me appreciate the otherwise ordinary looking statue even more. There were several art objects that deserved a closer look.. and subsequent admiration.

(Dusk at the Summer Palace, Beijing)

I could not help think of how, China, had grown its economy and military strength disproportionately, (headed to be the 2nd largest economy) and yet preserved its socialist beliefs and culture. I cannot help but appreciate one other thing about China - it has been the great leveller - it has given Rs. 60 radios to the poor in India (and elsewhere), and has brought music into their lives! Cheap TVs have full-filled many a dream... and that too with appreciable quality control. It would have been a pity if only the Sonys, Philips, Thomsons would have been catering to the rich while depriving the poor and less-affluent.

China, I admit, has its negatives, especially the manner in which policies are implemented. Nevertheless, lets appreciate the stuff that this communist, non-democratic, 'no-religion' country has achieved with so less to begin with - and has distributed the returns more uniformly than others have managed to. India can learn a lot from its rival neighbour!

Money-Life analogies

Came across this article - rediff oftentimes has really good articles! Although I do not believe in the investment strategy talked about here in the article such as: being committed to your stocks - one of the golden rule of investing being never to act on sentiments. Infact, some of the really good investment behaviours were outlined in: The Golden Rules of Investment, another article on rediff sometime back. I follow some of the rules... but since I am the new kid on the block and have a higher risk-taking potential I condone some of the rules as per my convenience! And so far my stock experience has been great!

However, the article sure has some good points to put across! I cut-paste below verbatim.

What money has taught me about love
Shalini M, February 09, 2006

The other day, my friend came up with a funny line: "Men are like government bonds, they take forever to mature."

It brought a grin to all our faces. However, when I thought about it later, I realised my investments could actually teach me a lot about relationships.

If I could only apply the principles I learnt here to my interactions with my boyfriends, life would be so different.

Hear me out before you decide to laugh...

Commitment! Commitment! Commitment!

Investing in a company's stock means you are investing in its business. This requires commitment.

I can proudly say I am committed to my investments. In fact, I end up having genuine, long-term relationships with my stocks. I cling to them for dear life. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but at least I don't let go in a hurry. I hold on to them. Track their price on a weekly basis. Eagerly await the dividends and bonus shares.

Why do I do that? Because I pick up stocks I believe in. Ones that will work for me in the long run. Ones that I can grow old with (just kidding, but you got the point right?).
When it comes to the men in my life, though, it's a different ball game altogether. I tend to let them slip through my fingers.

So, boyfriends come and boyfriends go. The reasons are varied. Boredom sets in. They relocate to another city. They change their hairstyle to something that just does not look cool anymore. The 'feelings' are no longer there.

That's about to change.

From now on, I am going to work at building serious relationships with men I am serious about. And, once I figure this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with (or at least some part of my life with), I will get committed.

It doesn't matter how cool they look. Or whether my 'feelings' hold. Commitment is more than feelings. It is a decision to be made. I'm going to make it.

Conviction matters

Stocks are for the brave and for those willing to endure. Invest in any company and it will always take you through highs and lows.

There may be a slowdown in the economy and the growth of the companies you invested in may take a beating. Earnings may drop. But, if you hang on, things will change over time. The company may go through a bad phase, but if its fundamentals are strong, stay put. It will emerge a winner.

This is why I never invest in the latest trend or the latest favourite company in the market. I only invest in companies I believe in.

Now, I am going to do the same thing in my life. I may be going through a rough patch with the person I am seeing, but that does not mean I should call it quits. I'll hang on. Think of all the things I like about this relationship. About why I believe it will work.

I'll ignore those little petty things that get on my nerves. No more knee-jerk reactions. I'll act only if there is a fundamental change.

Dangerous liaisons

I often find myself in mindless debt.

I end up overspending on my credit card to finance my lifestyle. Then, for months, I dip into my savings trying to pay it back.

A personal loan sounded great and I took it to finance a scuba-diving holiday. Later, the interest payment of 21% really ate into my earnings.

Debt means taking money you don't earn to pay for something you don't really need. And then spending precious, hard-earned money to repay both the loan and the interest that is charged.
Debt is enticing and alluring and promises you a good time before putting you in a soup.

Ditto with smooth talkers who treat me nice and are willing to splurge on me to make me feel like a princess. I convince myself he is Mr Right and, sooner than later, end up feeling like an absolute idiot. To lick my wounds after Mr So-called Nice Guy has said bye-bye in a hurry and gone after another girl, I indulge in a shopping spree.

No more dangerous liaisons for me. I'm going to tread cautiously and with patience. Short-term happiness often comes at a price.

Be reasonable, not illogical

People expect phenomenal returns from stocks. I remember two of my friends chatting some time back. One had a great tip and asked the other if she wanted to invest Rs 25,000 in the stock. "Sure," the other one unwittingly replied. "Will it give me Rs 15,000 more in a few months?"

Get real! Those sort of returns are unreal.

Moreover, to make money in stocks, you got to stay in for the long haul. Not a few months.
And, all said and done, stocks are a risky investment. You could make money, but you could also lose.

So, despite all the new promises I have made to myself about relationships, I will remember not to be truly crushed if it does not work out.

After all, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Work - the kinds I love and loath.

Over the years I have realised that I enjoy working. Many people do. I love to be in the thick of things. I love to get tired after the days work and then fall asleep instantly.

I simply love to do something which is monotonous, simple and exhausting. For example, I would love to break rocks all day long on a very hot day by the highway, get very very tired, eat to fill my self (with nothing exotic ofcourse) and then have a sound sleep! That must be bliss!

I hate the idea to work for someone - with constraints. I simply lose the drive to work over my capacity and out of my skin. There is no passion! Its feels so un-exciting when we are not in complete control! Whats the worth of doing something without passion? The idea of working to impress, the continuous striving for getting upto the next level? In contrast the simplicity of the work of the tiller, laundry-man or the farmer is so lively and uncorrupted. Probably they are the only ones who are happy every-day and moment of their work.

Probably social work, for example, teaching poor students who cannot afford to go to school, finding a new home for the homeless... maybe it gives work some meaning and makes it animate.

For me there are only two ways I can enjoy work - either it be simple (preferrably physical rather than mental) or I better be accountable to myself!

Hazaar Khwahishain Aisi

There are hazaar small things that we want to accomplish in life - each one so precious!

If I think about it -

- I want to buy a car,

- I want to see the Pyramids,

- I want to start my own business and then get it listed on BSE (at least),

- I want to be a national leader - a politician (a good one),

- I want to have a stint in the Army

- I want to.......

And then sometimes, we get obsessed with one such khwahish and relentlessly follow it - desperately trying to realise our dream. Sometimes, so passionately that we forget about everything else - the hundreds of small desires that we used to have. That khwahish becomes the reason for our existence! Unless this happens the khwahish cannot become reality. And whats the joy!!... the joy when the khwahish materializes after all the honest work we had put in, the conviction we showed.

But sometimes, despite our honest efforts, we cannot get that one thing we aspire for. Not because, we didn't make the effort or we didn't have the conviction..... but probably because we were chasing something that didn't exist - wasn't real! Probably because we were shooting at the wrong goal-post all the time. And when the realization dawns that we were chasing a mirage, it occurs to us that in that time, we had forgotten the so many simple pleasures of life - the hazaron khwahishein, simple, yet precious!

What happens after that? The optimist makes an effort to forget and move on! - we begin to appreciate things which we took for granted. We create new dreams and chase them, one-by-one, and achieve and then forget and start again.... and life moves on!

"Hazaaron Khwahishain aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle

bohut nikle mere arma' lekin fir bhi kam nikle"

-- Mirza Ghalib

Indian Cinema - The coming of age!

Since a long time I hadn't been able to catch up with the latest movies in Bollywood And when I did, I could not help but take note of the growth in the quality! The number of 'period' movies are increasing and the performances in them have been simply outstanding.

Only last week, I watched:

1. Hazaar Khwahishen Aisi

2. Page 3

3. Khamosh Pani

All of them were great performances - the acting outstanding and the direction superb. The music score of Khamosh Pani (with the Sufi/Persian/Punjabi influence) was a treat. Finally, it felt that in the highly commercialized Bollywood, Indian cinema as an art form is coming along! Actually, there have been many others in the last 5 years which I'd like to mention - 1947 Earth, Monsoon Wedding, Chandni Bar, Shwaas.. although some are not purely period-like in character but the maturity is noteworthy. There is space for genuine artists to perform and inspire even in ordinary themes.

Around the regular love triangles, sex scandals, and dancing-around-trees-sequences there have been movies which have raised the bar despite losing the common touch. Mai Meri Biwi aur Wo, Parineeta, Hyderabad Blues, Mitr - My Friend, Black are some examples that I can think off-hand.

I do not want to question the appropriateness of the commercial bent of Indian movie industry - afterall, its the biggest, producing 800 movies a year and generates wealth for people across income lines - from the rich distributors, to the poorer snacks wala at the theatre and later on for the peddler who sells pirated CDs! Infact, the industry does the most basic thing in business - produce to delight the majority consumer by giving what (s)he wants.

What has changed is that the industry is developing a new segment - that amongst educated people, who appreciate art-cinema. And with increasing number of creative directors, recent successes of their endeavors, and a slow but steady increase in appreciation - Indian cinema is looking beyond existing horizons.

Its a long way to go to take the average quality up - but we can see it coming, can't we?

Chhilka daal

Don't know why, but was reminded yesterday of how tasty the chhilka daal that Mummyji cooked back home used to be! And so, I decided that I'm gonna make some chhilka daal for me. Well to be honest, taste was not the only inspiration - I had read that chhilka daal has infi proteins and supplements the carbs that we get from rice. Besides, cooking relaxes the mind. So with so many things going for chhilka daal, I thought of giving it a try.

So as soon as I returned from office and had got comfortable, I decided to cook some of chhilka daal. (For novices, the recipe is easy - take a cup of chhilka daal and add water upto 1.5 cm above the daal surface... ). I did what it took... added the namak, haldi, mirch... set the cooker on the gas-stove and waited patiently for the cooker to blow the whistle. It all looked fine and I was already feeling hungry. (t = 0 )

(t=10 min)
Eons had passed and I could feel that my beard had grown by over an inch in that time - but there was no whistle! The cooker was just making a zzzz...zzzz..zzzz sound.. seemed that the whistle would be coming anytime now.. but it didn't. I stood in front of the cooker waiting patiently.. heeding to the advice of Mummyji: 'cooking requires patience'. I solemnly repeated these words to myself.

(t=15 min)
All of a sudden, there was a whistle... albiet a softer one.. and puzzled the physicist in me. I saw that the cooker had turned a bit black and that all activity had suddenly subsided. Lemme admit that I was scared of it blowing on my face :D so very cautiouslly (like a seasoned accident site insurance surveyer) I switched off the stove and put it under cold running water. Then, followed the algorithm that Mummyji had tought me to open the lid. And lo, the daal was ready! But had turned a tad black in color - now is chhilka daal same as kaali daal?? I stood wondering.

Suddenly, I noticed that the innocent looking lid had a hole in it! The safety-valve had given way to the steam, I concluded. Mummyji never mentioned that chhilka daal cooking involved blowing of the valve...nor did she mention that there was no whistle in the process. I felt dumb and untrained.

But not be let down by this slight hiccup in the overall scheme of things, I took out the portion from the top (essentially, the topmost later), and fried it utilizing the experience I had in this business. In the meantime rice was already ready (I have already mastered this art).

That rice, chhilka daal (or kali daal or whatever it was!) together with aam ka achaar was probably the tastiest food I have had - sounds almost blasphemous but it tasted better than the one cooked by Mummyji :D

After the deal was done... and as I lay stretched in front of the TV in contentment, still relishing the taste, and switching the channels mindlessly, my curiosity went back to the safety-valve. So, I fished out the pressure cooker manual and read out the relevant to myself (aloud):
'The saftey valve blows up when either the water is in-sufficient or the whistle is clogged. Kindly replace the damaged valve with a new valve.'

I picked up the lid and turned it around and found the culprit red-handed - the 'chhilka' from the chhilka daal had clogged the whistle. Suddenly, it all made sense to me!

And that my dear friends, was the learning for the day: Whenever you cook chhilka daal wash it suffcient enough to remove all the losely held chhilka from the daal. This will avoid the whsitle from getting clogged and eventually, the valve from blowing.

Lies, Damned Lies and Truth

It is easy to lie. Probably the easiest thing to do. Sometimes I wonder, why is all the 'bad' stuff so easy to pick up? Smoke n' drugs n' drinking, bluffing, cheating, pretension... and most of all - to speak out a lie! It just flows out and saves the day! Fear - happens to be the driver. Fear of losing face, fear of being ashamed, fear of pulic apathy - there can be any number of fears influencing us to take the easy path - that of lying.

And its difficult to speak out the truth. Often-times, its so difficult to speak the truth rather than lie, that we lie 'n' times to cover-up.

The difference is in what follows. With a lie, guilt follows... which leads to remorse because of the realisation that we did not do a good thing; realisation that we were dishonest and betrayed trust. - and sometimes, this guilt stays for a long long time!

With truth - happiness invariably follows, irrespective of what happens in the short-term. What follows is courage with which you can face anyone and look him/her in the eye, despite being the one to pick up the blame. Have you ever experienced that strength? Its so empowering that we can go and achieve seemingly impossible things on the rebound! Truth also empowers relationships... each and everytime we speak the truth the strength of a relation moves a notch up.

I really love the poem: "Where the mind is without fear" by Tagore - so simple, yet most profound!

"
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake"

Love... or something like it?

"It lies not in our power to love or hate,
For will in us is overruled by fate.
When two are stripped, long ere the course begin,
We wish that one should love, the other win"
--- Christopher Marlowe

Not sure whether the above is the flair of a poet or reality! Recently, I have personally known people who love the idea of falling in 'love'. Let me admit that I have been there once - and I am sure I have company. After all, Maslov's hierarchy of needs puts the need for "love and association" just above the basic human needs.

I guess, when people are stressed - mentally or physically... or when are away from family and close friends due to whatever reason - there exists an emotional void in their lives. In such situations it might be easy to imagine that we are falling in love with the only person who is there (who in normal circumstances, would be just another person). Small gestures magnify and start to mean a lot - they provide emotional comfort when no one is close by. However, the need for this otherwise not-so-special person is gone when we move into the better days of our lives. The same person becomes redundant and suddenly the love is lost! What happens on the other end however, is huge! Unfortunately, I have been there as well!

The true love that I have expereinced (from the people who are close to me) makes me realise that love is invariant... its not dependant on good times or bad. Nor is it conditional. It transcends our entire lives - rejoicing with us when the times are good and comforting when the going gets tough.

As an afterthought - why am I so emotional? It makes me so very vulnerable! I wish I improve on this aspect in the future!