most things in life are free

Reply to "why an atheist?"

2011-12-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

We don't carry or represent any information. We are ourselves nothing but patterns. We are not special and we have no soul. We are nothing but flesh and blood. It is our ego and arrogance that makes us think we are more than just that. Agreed that we are complex but not complicated. Evolution does explain how we have developed to become such complex organisms.

Even as science answers many questions today and provides us a platform to find the answer to others, some of you are not satisfied. Instead you require irrational beliefs such as belief that one book is more important than all other knowledge collected by humans. It is regrettable that in today's world, there are still people who believe in santa claus, superstitions, astrology and religion.

If your point is that some time in the beginning there has to be something that created all this, then my question to you is how do you know that still exists. What if your God is dead? I personally think it is ridiculous to even discuss God. Calling myself an atheist would mean giving too much credibility to the idea of God. Before getting too ahead of ourselves and discussing the existence of hidden forces, we need to evaluate if we are even thinking straight.

2 types : Contd

2010-10-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Contd from an old post

There are two stages in everyone's life
1. Childhood
2. Having a driving license

There are two types of biryani
1. what everyone loves
2. what I cook

There are two states of my life
1. Having a real life
2. Writing this blog

There are two types of doctors
1. Those who serve others
2. Those with a PhD

Ageism

2009-11-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

ageism, agism [ˈeɪdʒɪzəm]
n
discrimination against people on the grounds of age

This is by far the most overlooked form of discrimination. Even this is understood only as a discrimination towards the elderly.

Ageism is ingrained in Indian culture. It goes far beyond calling elders with respectful surnames. Social norms and hierarchy are strictly associated with age. Let me cite a simple example. My father has 2 elder brothers and 3 younger brothers. When my father visits India, it is expected of his 3 younger brothers to pay a visit to him, while he has to visit his two elder brothers. Even if he happened to meet one of his younger brothers by chance, it is still their duty to visit him at our house later. We often neglect these as harmless social traditions, but these are the foundations of some of our worst problems.

Kids in India face physical and mental abuse at home and school. Right to discipline a child using physical violence is not restricted to the parents, either. Punishment in schools varies from beating their knuckles with a wooden ruler to kicking and throwing heavy objects at them. Most parents seem to have no objection at their children being beaten at schools or by relatives especially uncles. While I agree that kids need to be trained, these forms of aggressive behaviour on part of the elders is often a reflection of their moods than actual punishment. Most kids live in fear and when they grow up take it as their right to bully those younger to them. We see this both in high school and college in the form of ragging. This can not be associated merely to the violent nature of a developing country. In comparison, there is much less violence in the life of a middle class Indian. Most of us, do not receive blows in public life as adults.

Kids are constantly told to respect and obey elders irrespective of whether they are right or wrong. When brought up in such harsh conditions, their morality is restricted to the fear of their elders and their survival instincts. Also most often elders force their kids to follow their religious and cultural traditions. A religious parent scolding or beating his atheist kid is not very uncommon. Also kids are too weak to stand up against sexual offenders who are either relatives or strangers. No wonder India has one of the highest rates of child offenses.

I am not trying to rule out discrimination of the elderly, but this is a hardly spoken subject. The effects of ageism stay beyond childhood and directly affect the broad-minded, secular and non-violent principles we expect from every citizen. We, the educated middle class, have to fight ageism in all its forms. Let us learn to respect those younger to us. Losing a few traditions which go against the spirit of equality of all adults won't do any harm.

Analogies

2009-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Some people I work with, try to explain scientific concepts or their research with the help of analogies. It is very entertaining to hear them and you feel you have grasped it. But not all analogies represent the scientific phenomenon in the same mathematical expressions. This superficial understanding collapses at the hint of any intricacies.

Words or figures can't always replace mathematics to explain any concept. I expected at least the scientific community to be more comfortable in using mathematics instead of analogies. The world continues to surprise me!

Turn it Off

2008-09-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

All mosques just like other places of worship carry signs that read “Switch off your cell phones” at the entrance. In spite of it, some of us forget to switch off or silence our cellphones. Once in a while the peace and quietness of a congregational prayer, is completely lost to a latest Bollywood or Kollywood tune. But then sometimes the owner, does not cut the call, as “unnecessary actions” are not encouraged during the ritualistic prayer. In spite of stares from all sides, the owner continues his prayer. He behaves as if he is so deeply involved in his prayer that he cant hear his cell ring. Moreover he believes it is completely forbidden to fetch the cell from his pocket and turn it off. How do you explain to the hypocritically pious that a small aberration from a religious norm, can do a great deal of good to everyone around you!

And another blast rocks an Indian city killing scores of hindus and muslims. Once again the prime suspects are muslims with support across the border. Then as usual muslim leaders make their ceremonial condemnation of these atrocities. Scores of fatwas are made stating that such things are unislamic, but blasts continue and I see no hope in the future. The condemnation by most leaders is against the violence but its root cause, hatred of non-muslims, is not addressed. Even so called educated muslims continue to believe it is all due to a bigger plot by Zionists and westerners. Their disbelief in all forms of reputed media and their belief in conspiracy theories is mind boggling. How do you explain to the hypocritically fanatic that some amount of rational thinking, can do a great deal of good to their own lives!

My Mirror

2008-09-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

One day while walking on a beach, I found a beautiful mirror washed ashore. As I brushed the sand, its golden frame shined. The mirror was as good as new. I did not care if it belonged to someone else. I immediately put it inside my bag. From then on, it became mine.

I spent hours looking into the mirror. I began to comb my hair and shave more often, to look better to myself. But then I felt it showed me more than just my face. It reflected my feelings and projected me my inner self. I wondered if I would be able to tame them, to appear better to myself. With time I changed, correcting myself, to a newer identity. From then on, “I” transformed into “I and the mirror”. My phone, my books, my laptop and my bed realized that I have become obsessed with my mirror. But they never complained.

A month ago, when I was running carrying my mirror, I tripped and fell. It broke into many pieces. With it broke my heart. I tried to put its pieces together, but it in vain. It is worse than losing something precious. I feel I have lost myself and now I am left to my flesh and bones. For days, I have been wondering if this mirror cannot be glued together. Even if I do it, will it ever be like the one it was before!

After a long time, I have begun to look at other items which have waited all these days for my attention. I will continue my attempts to fix this mirror. May be if I walk along the beach once again, I may be able to find another mirror. Or I could even get one in a shop. But I doubt if they will ever be like this one which broke, now that it has become a part of me.

P.S: Sorry for all the senti stuff. :-)

Art: A Different Perspective!

2008-03-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

I thank all those who urged me to continue blogging with those repeated mails and messages. I began to wonder the purpose of writing. Is it to make the reader smile or is it to make myself feel satisfied that my life is more than just the monotonous schedule. My reflections follow!

“The moon changes its shape and beauty everyday in a monthly cycle and also changes its orientation during its annual cycle. On one day it is hiding most of itself, while on another day it is showing itself completely. But on both occasions it continues to impress every romantic soul. No jewel (or any LED, ahh geekiness) on earth could ever match its beauty. No individual could claim its authority. There are 3 billion women in this world honey, no one can be the moon of my life. Everyday you are special, everyday you continue to fascinate me. As I continue to learn to appreciate the beauty of this world through your perspective, I wonder if there are only 354 days in a lunar calendar.”

Every artist has his own way of expressing his emotions. I have read wonderful blogs from my friends who narrate their experiences or validate their points of view. For a few prolific writers, accolades are spontaneous. But not everyone is gifted. Those who can manipulate their language better are more successful in influencing the readers' mind. A poem could be written to touch a thousand hearts. But does that poem truly reflect the true feelings of the poet. Does he strongly feel, the way he expresses in his words? Is he really ready to cross the seven seas to meet the person whom he calls the love of his life? Or has it just become a pasttime and for a few, a profession? If one produces art to make a living, will he do justice to his art by expressing himself rather than expressing the common public opinion? And if he expresses himself, will such a piece of art sell?

Being not one of those artists, I feel it is unfair to allow the “elite” to mold public opinion. Then I should always see a piece of art as a third person and not be judgemental or draw conclusions from their point of view. If I were to do that, I would never relish the beauty of art.

No wonder I am confused about this, as I am about many other things in life. Whether this is resolved or not, there is always the moon to see and appreciate. Romantics don't “need” artists!

To Rule The World!

2007-08-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I was once found guilty of treason for planning to take complete control over India and eventually the entire world. I planned to use an "elite" military and "sophisticated" weapons system to defeat the conventional troops. An army of clones would proclaim me as their supreme leader and my two close associates would stand by me in our goal to eventually conquer the entire world.

I was initially ignored. But soon they realised they could no longer ignore the threat posed by me, when they saw large masses singing their new national anthem "Baba Black Sheep..", in fervent anticipation that cloned sheep will take over the world lead by their 7th grade leader, Noemaun.

No, it was not just another childish fantasy. I had carefully planned and calculated the entire onslaught. Millions of sheep will the cloned in the mountainous terrains of Nepal. They would then overthrow the then weak Nepalise King. They would soon attack our North Eastern borders. Even a country as big as India would fall to the sheep army simply unable to match the sheer size.

Elaborate routes for the sheep army were discussed using our geography textbook. Who knows better geography than a 7th grader! Intervals were used to build sheep fervor by singing our respected national anthem.

But there was one patriotic Indian in our class who did not like our ambitions. He betrayed our class by informing our tamil teacher. Me and my two associates were found guilty in class and were sent to the school principal requesting that we be expelled for treason. Our principal smiled and asked us to write our Indian national anthem thrice.

The dumb girls!

2007-06-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Note: this is an old post which was deleted. It remains the most controversial of my posts so far.

Most guys know this simple fact. Here are a few instances.

The most common type of dumb girls are those who can not accept the fact that they are dumb. Once I was feeling bored and I wanted to pull a girl's leg. see this chat log,

myself: most girls are dumb
dumbo #1: really we think the same
dumbo #1: we say all guys never grow up
dumbo#1: guys are ...
dumbo#1: guys are ...
and goes on and on and finally
myself : QED

During our first year saarang, two beautiful girls came to our “grub coupons” counter. Of course beauty and brains don't go together. They wanted grub coupons for 40 rupees, so they gave a 50 rupee note. With the intention of making them stay longer in the counter, my friend tenders 40, 25 paise coins as change. On counting those coins, she finds that it is one less. Of course that was a part of the plan.

She asserts that 25 paise is missing. A girl who spends hundreds of rupees on make up so that we look at her and enjoy her looks is worried about losing 25 paise to us. My friend counts again and gives it back to her. With all nobility, she recounts those coins but she is disturbed that she has still not got back her precious money. So she returns the coins to us.

Now my friend secretly adds one more coin and gives it to her friend and asks her to verify. Realising that all the coins are present, she is furious with her friend. “If you can't even count a few coins properly, why do you have to do it. And you make a mockery of yourself for 25 paise ...”. We smile at them and behave as good guys always ready to serve our guests at IIT. My advice, dear brothers make sure your girl friend is not like her.

While chatting with a girl, all of a sudden she used the kiss smiley. As I did not know the key combination so I asked her to type.

myself: tell me the keys
dumbo#3: keys for?
myself: kiss
dumbo#3: press shift and the second key from enter, then the second key from backspace
myself: :=
myself: hey u
dumbo#3: press shift and the second key from enter, then the second key from backspace,then press shift and 8
myself: :=*
myself: hey u
dumbo#3: I said second key from backspace
myself: put like this
myself: : )
myself: u dumbo
dumbo#3: no
dumbo#3: what dumbo
myself: give a space and type it
dumbo#3: it is for smiling
myself: i know
dumbo#3: see if I put like that
dumbo#3: the smile will come
myself: huh
myself: give space between the letters
myself: huh
dumbo#3: : - *
myself: :-*
dumbo#3: for once you proved you are not a dumbo
myself: but u proved urself to be a real dumbo
myself: by pointing out the keys :P
dumbo#3: pooda
These are the dumbos whose have an IQ equal to that of an ostrich.

After interacting with girls, I can classify most girls under three categories. The first one will understand what I speak but wont understand when I make any allegories. The next category wont even understand the conversation, I will have to put it in simpler words. The last category wont even appreciate simple language and I have to put it in the form of examples and fairy tales.

But I have met one or two girls, who are beyond these categories and I myself bulb a lot when I interact with them. Most often it is those girls who have a good literary background. I am in search of such girls.

Being the 23rd

2007-05-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

“My parents asked me to talk to a prospective groom, an MBA from U of California,Berkeley. He had done his undergrad in CS, IITM and was earning more than 120k $ per year here in the US. But he was stammering and struggling to talk to me. 'gegege', he giggled and blushed asking me what I do during weekends. Isn't the minimum criterion that the person I marry be a male?” - Vibha

First of all not all those pursuing phds are geeks. Designing a complicated optical system, does not mean I can not be a good company for a long drive. Nor does not it mean that I can not appreciate the glow in a girl's face during a full moon night. But for most of us, it is not simple as it seems. Yes, it is not that easy to impress that 'special' girl.

Having studied in an institution were the fairer sex are barred to enter due to the certain obvious reasons, interaction with them is a almost nil. And when you step out of such an institution and meet and talk to a girl for the first time in your life, 4 on 5 chances you will believe she is an angel, the girl of your dreams and the very purpose of life. It is advisable not to get close to any girl for the next 6 months(for some people even 2 years wont hurt)

“Since I met you two days ago, I have always been thinking about you. I strongly feel there is something between us”, would receive a totally damaging reply “Well, even your friend told me the same yesterday. So sweet of you guys!”. With each of these girls having had at least 22 guys trying to flirt and hit on them before you, you need to be better than all those if you really want to make a difference.

Being the 23rd guy trying to impress a girl, is not easy. There is no guarantee that your pick up line was not used before. There is no guarantee that your gift was not bought by someone else before. There is no guarantee that a person similar to you has not pissed her off before. You have no idea how many times she has been to this same restaurant before. And when she seeks help from you, you have no clue as to what others advised her to do.(It is safer never to advise. Just say everything will be fine :P) “You are very special compared to all the guys I have known so far” needs a lot of hard work and more importantly shrewdness and patience.

There is no skill on this planet earth which can not be learnt and mastered. And fortunately this world is full of dumb guys who lack common sense in tackling girls. There are equally dumb girls too. Being the 23rd guy in a girls life is challenging but at the same time very much within the scope of any sane and good individual.

2 types

2007-04-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

In my attempt to make life simple(to sound less geeky), I have begun classifying all things into two categories. Here are a few

There are two types of edible stuffs
1. Food
2. Vegetarian

I suppose now you have an idea of what is to come more

There are two types of achievers
1. Winners
2. Philosophers

There are two types of colours
1. Pink
2. Non-pink

There are two types of females
1. Girls
2. Desis

There are two types of people
1. Hypocrites
2. Fools

There are two states of consciousness
1. Awake
2. Sitting in class

There are two types of victims
1. Those who get killed or injured
2. My friends

There are two types of blog readers
1. Those who dont read my blog
2. Jobless ones

x816

2007-04-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

Calling and talking to friends back in India is the best part of my day. Reaching their voice mail is the worst. Anybody who calls up back home will wish the earth was flat and we all had the same time. Our evening time, the right time for us to socialize is their wake up call. "Hey nouman, I am right now in taking a test, I will call you back later" is something does not surprise us anymore.

I try to rotate with as many numbers as I have, to hide my "vettiness". But then x816 series seems to stand out from the rest. It is more difficult to reach those people on x816 series. While one of the machines sleeps for 12 hours a day, it does not even take a voice mails. Another one belonging to same series takes voice messages but hides them from its master. Fortunately, one of them is courteous to inform me with a owner like voice "there is a family get-together at home".

Apart from the x816 series, there are unique numbers like x617 which please you by playing Shakira's "hips dont lie". But all the excitement is lost soon when the owner picks up the call. ( not that the owner cant sing :P ) This is one of the rare occasions when you wish the phone is not picked up immediately.

If you are a friend of mine who feels left out, do feel free to ask me to call you. But if you have "816" in your number, then you better call instead.

Happening Day

2007-03-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Even this "cookgrammam" can have its own fun and excitement. Even better when it comes searching for you at your office. If you are going to the same lab five days a week for years, then you may wish to have a "day in iraq".

Today i was sitting in my office at noon when a police officer opened the door and asked me to stay inside and not come out for my own safety. I kept waiting for three long hours. At this time, my lighttools software was giving some error. So I was not able to do my work too, making me feel really bored and lonely. After all how long can you keep surfing the net and orkutting.

From the window, I could see that police had cordoned off our building and the adjacent buildings were already evacuated. What could be wrong with my building, that they have evacuated the adjacent buildings. After some time, I could see more a dozen well armed officers getting down and heading towards my building. Yeah guys, I have got the best view from my window at the 8th floor. Now don't feel jealous.

My friends kept calling me and asking if I am safe etc. I had not even opened the door all this while. I was feeling jailed. My friends had assembled at my place and my friend, Arun had made besibella bath for them, while I was hungry and lonely sitting in this room having no idea what is waiting for me outside. After 3 hours, I slowly opened the door and peeped outside. There were no police officers in the corridor. I wanted to use the restroom badly, so i slowly walked and went to the restroom without making any noise.

At that time, a SWAT team forced into the restroom with all semi automatic rifles pointing at me. They were so quick. Within a flash they were all around me. I was frightened. The last thing I want is to be shot in a restroom. They asked me to raise my hand and then keep it on my head and then they asked me to turn and then asked me kneel down. They were literally screaming all these instructions to me.

And then they checked my pockets for any weapon. "He is clean". Then they guided me out of the restroom. My heart was beating at twice its normal rate. I was surrounded by suspiciously looking officers. I kept my hand on my chest and cooled down. Then I smiled and told the officer, "I got scared" and he said "Don't you know this building has been cordoned off".

Then they escorted me out of the building. It was so professional. One guy will guide me to the next guy and then that guy will guide me to the next. And if i happen to cross any door, first that guy will stand with his gun pointing at the door and then with his hand ask me to cross. It was just like in the movies.

Then I came down the stairs and then an officer asked me some questions and then they let me out. Immediately press fellows took my snap. One press guy came towards me and asked me if i heard anything. Of course i had not heard anything. "I was at office with my headphones on, so I did not hear anything"

Then I came home and we went to the soccer field and played for hours and hours. It was a great day. I was so excited about the whole thing.

It seems some guy jumped from the stairwell 9th floor and fell at the 4th floor. They now say it was a suicide.

Related news article here

today the 30th, the president and some other high officials came to our lab. meet each one of us and apologized if the episode caused any shock. "Once the SWAT teams enter the building, it is no more under our control. If you have any complaints against us, please free to raise them. We tried to do our best. Also counseling is available if you are frightened or still in the shock.".

Spring Time!

2007-03-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

This was my first winter and what a hell of a winter it was! Everything but the weather was traumatic. Now it is spring time! Sitting in the eight floor, I can see youngsters happily jogging on the road and welcoming the change with lighter clothes. From this bird's eye view, I cant see their emotions but I can sense the spirit in the air!

I want to jog along with them. I want to run faster than all of them. I want to breathe the fresh air and sense the beauty of life. I want to get to the front. I dont want to look behind. But I have the least idea where I want to go. All I want to, is forget the past.

With spring comes hope. The hope to find new distractions to replace my older ones. Newer balls to kick and newer goals to score.

Here is the song for the occasion, Tubthumping

I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never going to
Keep me down

He drinks a whisky drink
He drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that
Remind him
Of the good times
He sings the songs that
Remind him
Of the better times:

Oh danny boy
Danny boy
Danny boy...

I wonder how many of you readers are actually getting what I am writing. But who cares!

A Tuna Sub!

2007-03-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

The biggest challenge while adjusting to American culture is the excessive choice in day to day life. Which fragrance do I choose for my detergent is very complicated for people who come from a country where all detergents are called “Surf” and all photocopies, “Xerox”.

I always thought there are only two types of edible substances: food and vegetarian. But in spite of restricting myself to vegetarian and sea foods due to unfortunate reasons*, I have been baffled by the choice available when I choose a tuna sub.

The first time, I went to “grab” one, I requested “I want to have a tuna sub”. And then the lady there asks me which type of bread. Then I insisted that I want to have a tuna sub and not any bread. She is confused and calls another lady to help me out. And she explains to me that I could choose the type of bread for my tuna sub.

I see five different options for bread placed over there. I have little idea how each one is different and which would help me get a “better” tuna sub. I chose white bread as I am used to eating it. I felt happy that I don’t look like a fool anymore.

“Which cheese?” is the next question thrown at me. I have no idea, how half of them even look. Worse still, I can’t even pronounce one of them. (I am referring to jalapeno) And now I am given the task to choose which is best for my tuna sub. I randomly chose one of them. That seemed the simplest trick to get a tuna sub.

Next comes a huge list of toppings and then vegetables. When I was done choosing all of them, the lady goes “What a hell of a combination!” That was embarrassing.

The next time I went to grab a tuna sub, the person catering was kind enough to show me the various stuffs. I suppose that person assumed that I don’t know their English names. But how is that sufficient? Frankly, I have little idea about their individual tastes.

My friend(Arun) once told me, at US even an adivasi (tribal) will be able to live comfortably if he can read English. You don’t need know anything. There are manuals for anything and everything.

But so far my search in the web for the best combination of bread, cheese, toppings and vegetables of a tuna sub has been in vain. That’s due to obvious reasons.

Readers are requested to share their recipes.

* I know many of you might be wondering why I chose a tuna sub. Well I don’t eat non-halal products, which restricts my menu to vegetarian and sea foods.

My Life

2007-02-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

Yeh honsla from Dor

Yeh Hosla Kaise Juke,
Yeh Aarzoo Kaise Ruke - 2

Manzil Muskil to kya,
Bundla Sahil to kya,
Tanha Ye Dil to Kya
Ho Hooo

Raah Pe Kante Bikhre agar,
Uspe to phir bhi chalna hi hai,
Saam Chhupale Suraj magar,
Raat ko ek din Dhalana hi hai,

Rut ye tal jayegi,
Himmat rang layegi,
Subha phir aayegi
Hoooo

Yeh Hosla Kaise Juke,
Yeh Aarzoo Kaise Ruke - 2

English translation

I cannot lose courage
I cannot lose desire
I cannot lose courage
I cannot lose desire

So what if the journey is tough?
So what if the horizon is hazy?
So what if I feel lonely?

Even if my paths are laden with thorns,
I must walk.
Even if the evening hides the sun,
The night must concede to the dawn.

Autumn with end,
Spring will paint the garden,
A new day will dawn.

I cannot lose courage
I cannot lose desire
I cannot lose courage
I cannot lose desire

I had lost the mood to blog for sometime. Life seemed so artificial. A week ago, I was feeling so low due to unfortunate events. Unable to achieve inner peace, I was wondering of what was the use of my life. Where am I heading? And what do I need for myself? Will I spend all my life on futile attempts to "move ahead" in life?

I have also learnt to differentiate between friends and family. True love via family bonds(and marriage) has no comparison to friendship. Love which your friends offer can be very deceptive.

With these deep thoughts, I was walking down the slippery road. At that moment one guy slipped and fell in front of me and I offered my hand to lift him up. The smile on his face helped me learn the purpose of my life. True happiness comes when you serve others without any expectations be it your friends or strangers.

The individualistic life of the west is killing the human within me.

A Vision

2007-02-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

One of the main problems facing India today is the lack of inclusiveness of all sections of the society in the country’s rapid growth. Education, more importantly technical education taught in English medium, is the key to India’s recent progress.

One approach used by politicians over the years, to raise the standards of the backward classes, has been reservations. In certain regions reservations have helped this social cause but at the cost of equality and quality of skilled professionals. The country is sharply divided between those who have access to reservations and those who don’t support reservations.

A person with a fair idea of our country’s demographics and distribution of power will agree that there is a need to continue to uplift certain sections of the society. Many feel that reservations could instead be on the basis of economic status instead of social standing. But as an educated individual, I don’t see the strong relation between education and money.

If a person is really good, even if he does not have money there are always people ready to sponsor him and there are many merit cum means scholarships offered by the government. For example, in the muslim community which currently spends larger amounts (per capita) on education compared to other communities, there is no shortage of money for a deserving kid. Well my standard for a deserving candidate may be higher than yours.

But even if you are a millionaire, if all the people at home you interact with are totally illiterates, you will find it very difficult to cope with education (also due to the poor standards of schools). Education starts at home. If your parents don’t know to count, then it is difficult for you to do engineering unless you stay away from them in a good boarding school.

The government need not give reservations to weaker sections either on the basis of caste or religion. Definitely, not for jobs. But what they need to do is the setup educational institutions specifically catering to the demographics of the area, using an all together different teaching style to help convert illiterates to highly educated people. Also importance has to be given to english and improving the standards of our educational system.

For example, the government should build large number of primary schools in muslim areas which adopt techniques of teaching which try to relate the modern education to the local skills and culture of that muslim community, so that when the child comes home and sees his dad doing carpentry, he is able to relate to what is taught in school.

As another example, a subject on forest herbs could be taught in a school located at kodai hills which caters to the STs whose main occupation is selling them. This will also encourage parents from sending their kids to school.

Diversity of cultures should mean diversity in knowledge even among the educated. That would be India’s key to becoming a developed nation.

Soon, I will be starting a parallel blog where I will be writing about fascinating stuff in my technical field.

Do you know me?

2007-02-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey, my dear friends and relatives do you think you know me well? Here is a simple test you can take to check that. When you talk to me, I tell you a lot of stuff about me. Some of which may appear personal while others trivial. But that does not mean you necessarily know and understand most things about me. One of the reasons why I started blogging is to remove misconceptions and doubts about me in your mind.

Sometimes I try to indirectly say things about me. Here is an example,

Me: hey, don’t you think the girl in the blue dress seated in the table across is good-looking?
My friend: yeah :-?
Me: hey her friend too looks cute.
My friend: ok!
Me: And what about the waiter, serving them. Isn’t she too …
My friend: hey, you have to decide on one!
Me: How can I? All girls are beautiful.
My friend: What a statement!

Can you guys tell me what I am trying to convey through this conversation?

I am not a homo.

For some reason, I prefer buttermilk as compared to yogurt. The buttermilk at home always gets over before yogurt. Can any of you say why?

To serve yogurt I need a spoon. To use a spoon, I need to wash it. Now why would I do that?

If I find a shrewd guy and a dumb guy, how would I deal with them?

I would make the dumb guy my friend and the shrewd guy my competitor. Now, what are you to me?

If you see me wearing a formal shirt and pant, what does that mean?

It means it is time for me to do my laundry.

How do you think, I console myself for not getting a girl?

All girls think I am too good for them!

And here are some open ended questions…

What is my sole purpose of blogging?

What character in a person who I hate most?

You guys want to try answering these! Drop in your comments.

Now why did I suddenly decide to write this blog?

Of late, I fear that some people will try to enquire about me from you guys for you-know-what purpose. So I want you guys to be fully prepared to make them believe that I am the best surviving human.

My family

2007-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I am a 15 year old girl. I would like to share the story of my family. My elder brother says it is not good to tell outsiders about what goes on inside our family as it affects our family prestige. But I want to appeal to the better side of the reader and possibly we would be helped.

First let me introduce my family. We are three of us in our family, my mother, my elder brother and me. My dad passed away 10 years ago. We also have a servant boy to help us with our daily chores. He is treated as a part of the family, but I wonder if he considers us as his family.

Two months before our father died, we had bought the house and renovated it. We had been living as tenants for years. Me and my brother quarreled with each other for our rooms. Since then, we never stopped. During the last days of his life, our dad was very disappointed with our behavior. But we were very young then. We continued to fight over our dad's body. We were too small to understand that he wont be coming back. We still don't!

A few days after renovating this house, I wanted the take a cute alarm clock for myself. But my brother embezzled it from me. I wanted to take “direct action” and went to his room to pick it up. That was the worst fight we ever had. My brother pulled my hair and beat me with his ruler. I took revenge and poisoned his food. Both of us still bear those wounds. Our sick dad was caught in the middle. His belief in non-violence was shattered when he saw us biting each other. He vowed not to talk to us till we settle the issue. Though we made truce then, his wish for a peaceful family has never been fulfilled.

Since then, my brother has always shown his might to me. He has a typical medieval approach to resolving disputes. Worse still he is chauvinistic and boastful of his might. He repeatedly argues that if I were a boy and he were a girl, I would have subdued him. But he knows little about the power of a woman. The power of a woman is in manipulating the mighty. I easily convince my mother to my side. Victory can be achieved by force or by deceit.

My brother complains that our mother is partial. He claims that I get special rights just because I am a girl. But do girls get treated better than guys in any household? Though he may complain about petty stuffs like getting more clothes and jewelery, he is the one who is allowed to go wherever he wants to. Even my going to school is restricted. I have to return home by 7 pm and I am treated with suspicion if I talk to a guy.

Coming to guys, there is a guy next door who my brother hates. But he talks such sweet words to me. Our family has a dispute with his family over a mango tree in our compound. Till today many mangoes in the tree go missing. My brother suspects that he talks to me just to get the mango tree. He is also worried that I may sometime elope with him. But why would I do that. I know my limitations. Worse still I have heard that he ill treats his little sister. But my possessive brother puts so many restrictions on me.

But I know my brother loves me and I love him too. Whether we fight or not, he is still my own blood. He was always there for me when I was sick. And I used to make coffee for him, when he used to burn the midnight oil to develop our household. He is one person I can always rely on forever. I hope our misunderstandings are sort out and together we succeed.

This is the story of my family, of my India. The principles of democracy, secularism and justice which gave us birth watches us as we its children, both hindus and muslims, resolve our disputes.

Crazy Indian Muslims

2007-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

There are some characteristics unique to Indian muslims. Many muslims in India have neither religious nor scientific education, though most people can read arabic without understanding a word and many others can program for IT firms having the lest idea what they are doing. Simply put, they are uneducated literates.

Adults Only !

Some mosques in India, segregate kids in the jamaat. Kids below certain age are not allowed to stand in line with others. And the age limit enforced can be as high as 12 or 13 years of age. Adults supposedly can not concentrate in prayer when there are kids around. As if 12 year olds can not stand quietly and pray. If a kid next to you can disturb your concentration, I guess you need to retrieve to a cave to meditate. These “elders” often know less quran than these kids(as people grow they keep forgetting what they learnt) and most of the times they have much lesser concentration as they worry about their wives, their jobs and their money during prayer. The principle that “children are a gift from God” is strong enough for mullahs to discourage family planning but not enough to treat them as equals.

In such mosques sometimes they allow kids to pray along with elders if they are accompanied by some guardian. I guess soon, mosques would have areas alloted as UG, PG , A etc...

Ring ring !

At the entrance of every mosque, there is a notice which reads “Please switch off your cellphones.” But to forget doing so is human, especially when you are entering the mosque mechanically. So it is not uncommon to hear cells ring once in a while. But in India, things are always unique. Some crazy muslims in my country think it is forbidden to do “unnecessary” movements during salah like taking your noisy cell out of your pocket and switching it off. I suppose for them, a ringing cell is a disturbance but switching it off is a sign that you have been disturbed. They care least about others who are continuing to get disturbed. Once I cut my salah, walked across the mosque picked up the cell and switched it off. With mp3 ring tones I wont be surprised to hear the latest item number song when I am reading suratul fatihah. Craziness!

Dont touch it !

No... dont touch it. You are not clean. Muslims in India would not touch the quran unless they are clean. They would not read the quran in a lying down position. They would not keep the quran at a lower rack. It has to be kept at the highest point irrespective of whether it is reachable or not. They would not even stretch their legs towards it. They would follow so many rules when they wish to discard them. Worst still, many riots are instigated when pages of the quran are burnt. They would do everything possible, save reading and contemplating.

I am not saying this is specific only to India. But you would find more of these people in this continent. Would be coming with other stuffs soon.

Why I choose to be irrational?

2007-01-01T19:42:00.000-08:00

Irrationality is often treated with contempt in this modern scientific world. Being a theist, I hold a large set of irrational beliefs. In other words, there is no standard set of logical arguments to prove some of my basic beliefs. My fellow irrationalists, there is no reason to be ashamed.

Firemen enter burning buildings to save human lives. If a fire personnel were to bravely enter a building and bring out a small kid alive, what would you call him? What would you call that deed? Bravery? Heroic? What if the child he brings out is dead? Is he still a hero?

If you were on his shoes, what would you feel? Carrying a dead kid in your arms, will you feel successful or not? What if before entering you knew that there was hardly any chance of saving the little kid, would you still enter the building? Would you risk your life when there is hardly any chance to succeed? If you did not make an attempt, would you later feel guilty for not doing so?

Say you have entered the building and you see two people who need your help: an able man and a helpless kid. But the chances of saving the man is much more than saving the kid. Who would you choose to help? Would you attempt to save the man's life or try saving the kid and lose both?

I have just used some extreme situations to illustrate my point. During our lives, we are forced to choose between rational and irrational choices on different occasions. Certain irrational choices are guided by love and some by faith in the unseen. While some others are just momentary actions forced by anger, fear or anxiety.

Don't believe someone if he says all his choices are rational. Hypocrisy is the hallmark of most rationalists. There are numerous occasions were we all display irrational behaviour. Just as all forms of rational thinking do not lead to development, irrational thinking can also lead to stagnation. Superstitions are the worst of them. But as long as irrational thinking is supported by righteous principles like equality, justice, love for others and a quest for knowledge, it does little harm.

The main weakness of rational thinking is the limitation of the human mind to consider all influencing factors to make a decision.

Its principles or Its followers?

2006-12-27T16:51:00.000-08:00

What makes a religion powerful and influential? Is it the principles and morals its teaches or the actions of its followers?

My parents being pious muslims they brought me up teaching that Islam is the best religion (or should I say the only valid religion) but at the same time, muslims are the worst of people. Growing in a non-muslim neighborhood, my parents did not encourage me to make friends with a few muslim kids in the neighborhood. And they used to encourage me to befriend brahmins. My mother never packed non-vegetarian food for lunch at school fearing that brahmin students may stay away from me. Later on, when my brahmin friends insisted on eating chicken, she invited them home for feasts.

Eventually I never learnt urdu which was supposed to be my mother tongue. I did not have even one muslim friend till college. In fact, I did my high school in a brahmin school where I was the only muslim student in my batch. I had seldom worn muslim dresses like jhubbah and of course, I did not know any muslim girls too. ;-)

But once I went to IIT, I had to make muslim friends to safeguard my prayer and make arrangements for fasting during ramzan. My interaction with them was very objective. Every time they invited me to join jamaats, I turned them down. I was always skeptical about them. When muslim friends at IIT who used to wear “pakistani” attire and knock my door, I used to let them in and immediately close the door. Frankly, I was worried(ashamed may be the right word) what others in the hostel would think when they see such bearded men coming to my room.

It was not just me. I know my other good muslims of my hostel whose “walaikum assalam” to me would mellow down when they know that non-muslims are around. I don't know if it was a kind of fear or shame amongst us to reveal our identity. But people know we are muslims whether we wear a cap or not. But we did not feel like asserting our identity because we thought more people hate “muslimhood”(the stuffs attributed to muslims not islam) than muslims. Even i saw “muslimhood” with contempt.

But things had to change. I stayed for 3 months in bangalore for my internship. I stayed in a muslim neighborhood. Initially people told us “Are you sure you want to stay in that “pakistani” area?”. For some reasons my friends did not mind and I was enthusiastic about staying next door to a mosque. That is when I started interacting with the muslim community for the first time. The pious muslims in the mosque impressed me. After praying, I used to wait outside and greet them one by one. I felt like I am back to where I really belong. They are not as bad as I thought. In fact I had never seen selflessness in this competent world before. I could clearly differentiate the jobless muslims who stand on the streets and make cat calls when girls pass-by and those pious muslims who pray 5 times a day and lower their gaze.

So much of muslim slandering had made me believe that muslims are bad. Are only the principles unique in Islam? Islam has some of the best followers too. Most muslims are poor, weak, illiterates while some are violent, unjust and intolerant. But the small percentage of pious muslims stand out as the best human beings you can ever find. But unfortunately they are squeezed between hypocrite muslims and aggressive non-muslims. Their complete submission to the will of God which makes them face all odds, their courage to stand for their principles will always fascinate me. And I will always dream to be amongst them.

Words (Still talking - II)

2006-12-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

So as I mentioned in the earlier blog, I do talk a lot with my friends. Sometimes hours pass by and I don't even notice. Fortunately, I have some passionate company to chitchat. In fact I have a list of cell numbers I call every weekend and talk to for hours when I feel bored. I think I am not boring. Am I buddies?

The more you talk, the more you repeat.

“How many times will you tell me the same incident?”

I hear this often. But then this is not something bad to hear. It means that the other person is actually listening to you. :P

But then that is not the only problem if you talk too much.

“It's only words
and words are all I have
to take your heart away”

Words are so important in any relationship. Sweet words can win a thousand hearts while sharp words can create wounds that will never heal.

But then you don't travel to the seventh heaven every time someone says “I love you”. Anything oft repeated loses its meaning. They begin to sound phony, irrespective of the intention. It is better to conserve these words for the right moment.

But a person like me who talks a lot, has little control over what he says. I am worried that I will lose the most powerful component of romance, words.

Still talking!

2006-12-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

To all my new blog readers here, I would like to introduce myself. So a small flash back for those who are eager to know more about me.

If you were to ask my friends whether I am talkative, I am sure they will not agree with each other. In some occasions I am very talkative irrespective of whether the other person is listening to me or not. I would even wake you up and then force you to hear what I have to say. And sometimes I am just the opposite. I would be quietly seated amidst a loud and noisy group without saying a word.

When I was a small kid, I seldom used to utter a word in front of strangers. Initially my parents were worried that I might develop speech problems. They had a tough time in securing an admission for me in school. The presence of eager listeners at different schools, suppressed even the few words that used to come out of my mouth.

My mom was desperate to make me speak a few words, lest she has to follow the harsh advices of others. At that time, she showed me a plane flying above and said , “Noemaun, if you talk in front of the teacher then we can go in that plane”. I was so excited and I spoke a few words at that school and got admitted there.

At that time for a middle class family in India to travel by flight was unimaginably expense. Moreover my parents were having acute financial constraints at that time. But for my parents, their word even to this small kid was not breakable. They would rather not break my heart. So we went on a short trip from Chennai to Madurai. And that was the turning point of my talking.

Today some of my friends do offer to take me again in a flight if I would stop talking forever. Now that I am grown up, they are some other stuffs which are worth the bargain.

Preparing for marriage

2006-12-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

Due to a dramatic turn over of events, I am now frightened of the possibilities of an early marriage. My dear friends since then have been advising me about marriage. On how marriage is a responsibility, what I can delay, what I can not. Nice to know that my friends are so concerned about me (or should I say the life of the person who weds me. :D)

I have been wondering if I am fit for marriage. Some of my friends directly reject my capacity to be a groom because I don’t have a penny in my pocket. But hey, there are other things which compensate my weaknesses!

1. After so many days, I have finally been able to differentiate between pepper and garam masala. Well it is simple folks. The one in the bigger container is pepper!

2. I have successfully separated the dal (I have no idea what is its specific name) used for making sambar from the other dals and kept in a separate corner in the shelf.

3. After three unsuccessful attempts, I finally used jeera instead of mustard. Well inspite of their comparable sizes, I was able to differentiate them.

Yup, marriage is not all about cooking and feeding your wife and of course I am an expert in washing vessels. Those fathers considering my bio-data can cross check with Arun on this. :D

1. I have been trying hard to discipline myself. Though I have not yet succeeded in sleeping on time, I have at least succeeded in sleeping regularly for more than 8 hours a day.

2. I may not be a very understanding person, but I can perfectly act like as if I have understood you. And rarely would I yell at my wife, lest I get beaten up by her.

3. My wife need not be worried about me interacting with other girls, girls can easily differentiate between dumb and dumber. (like you and me!)

I have strong feeling that a prospective bride might be reading this. So let me use this to convey to her that
“ I am still learning. Don’t lose hope on me. If you are reading this, then directly contact me. Don’t trust what my friends tell about me. I will treat you like a flower.  ”

Hey father-in-laws it will take another 3 to 4 years for me to get ready.

What can we do?

2006-11-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

This is my first post here I wonder what would be the response to it.

Excerpts from the Sachar committee report have hit shocks waves in the media. The fact that muslims are very backward in India has now been recorded in terms of facts and figures. Whether any projects are taken towards the development of this backward community is in the hands of the government and the votes that support it. As for now we know where we lag. Do we now what we must do?

The muslim leaders, both religious and political, not getting their priorities right is the most undeniable reason for the lack of progress in the muslim community in the last few decades. We have bargained security for development but got none. We bargained religious education for scientific education but got none.

This is a forum of like minded educated muslims who are responsible for our community’s future. We have the motivation and dedication towards our goals but do we know the direction? Do we have a road map? The report is best opportunity for muslims. They have identified our wounds, do we have to wait for somebody else to find a cure?

I would recommend a group of dedicated volunteers to work with this report. We could divide the report into various portions and designate each of them to teams. We could request eminent muslim personalities to head each of these teams. We could work under a broad list of principles common to all of us which we believe go in accordance with islam and national integrity.

We could make an elementary report in a month or two. Then we could send it forward to every muslim university in India for recommendations and comments. We could make a database of those who support it. We need to address what exactly do we need from the government, what exactly we need each mosque and madrassa in India to do and what each individual has to do to help his community. Then we could try to raise a platform where we could demand them. At the same time, we could work with existing organizations to educate every mosque about it.

This may look too far-fetched. But we could give it a start and see how far it goes. After all Islam asks us to choose the right path, it is Allah who takes us there.

Bangala “terrorists”

2006-11-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was seeing a documentary made by chaddiwalas on the imminent threat to national security due to the infiltration by Bangladeshis. The documentary starts of showing the terrorist attacks made by islamists in various parts of the world. Categorically all islamist attacks are linked and they are all related to the “able” guidance of Osama.

A look across the border with Bangladesh exposes the incapability of the border jawans to seal them. Then they show the alarming figures of muslim population in various parts of the North East going district by district. It is estimated that more than half of Assam’s population is muslim with huge muslim majority in certain districts. Then they show the presence of madrassas and mosques in these areas. They go about asking people their names to show the presence of muslim majority. They also ask muslims regarding Islamic terms like kafur and jihad. “As you go through these districts, you will feel like you are in Pakistan and not India”.

Then they misquote certain verses of the quran. “The Saudi translation says that this word means fight, but from common knowledge we know it means slay or kill”, states a self proclaimed hindu scholar of the Quran. Then they quote some islam bashers and try to convince to us that the fact that they are muslims is in itself a danger to nation security. “If 19 muslims could blow up WTO, imagine what 1 crore foreign muslims could do”. To end with they call for a complete boycott of all Bangladeshis and advocate a stronger policy from the central government.

But the documentary has its defects just as their propaganda. I fully agree with them that a large number of Bangladeshis have crossed the border and work in Indian states. Also some of them do bribe the officials and get ration cards. Their immigration is illegal and the government should try and stop them. But the people who cross the border are extremely poor Bangladeshis who work as menial labour either in homes or in small businesses in India. “What all will you call them? What all terms will you label them with? Terrorist? Infiltrators? Criminals? Evil men belonging to an evil religion? Hungry poor who pay bribes and cross the border for a better life!”, CPI secretary states but he is cut soon in the documentary.

Also via the documentary, the chaddiwalas are not happy with the fact that the among the few people who are caught crossing the border by the jawans includes hindus and they are unnecessarily sent back to Bangladesh. Hindus who cross the border according to them can not be equated to muslims because they are coming to their parent country (India) out of persecution.

To end, I would like to add a few remarks. From the documentary, it is clear that these chaddiwalas can not tolerate to see muslims. The very fact that there are muslim majority villages pisses them off. For them India is a place where they see hindu culture and those places that muslim population are Pakistan like. Also they do not discriminate between poor or rich, men or women, children or elders when they slander. For them every muslim is filth irrespective of his age, sex and nationality and worse among them is the one who is more pious in faith.

Are we a burden?

2006-11-16T05:42:00.000-08:00

Most of the highly educated Indians work in the US/UK and pay their taxes to them. A significant proportion of them help fund extremist/terrorist organizations back in India. We, the Indian muslims no matter how poor and uneducated we are, we stay back in India and work for India. And we are unfortunately labeled as a burden to the country.

Recently there was a debate in CNN-IBN, after reviewing the latest report of the despicable state of muslims in India (which is worse than SC/STs in certain areas) there was an vote as to whether the Indian government should help muslims out of this mess. A huge 91% of Indians voted against any form of assistance to our needy community. Are we even considered co-citizens?

During partition a large number of educated muslims moved out of the country. With the lack of any leadership in the community, we were open to exploitation. Also the large number of trusts formed with the wealth of those muslims who left the country were swallowed by corrupt politicians. Since then our role in civil services has been decreasing constantly. The lack of trust between muslims and hindus made muslims to form ghettos and revert to the madrassa system and we were denied government jobs in certain sectors.

The minority report states that muslim areas in general receive ten times lesser government funds that other areas. Due to the lack of jobs, muslims limited themselves to business. As businessmen, we muslims pay huge taxes in various forms often used for development of the remaining part of the country. We do receive haj subsidy and some mosques receive government aid often governed by vote bank politics to fool ignorant muslims.

The most common point raised during the recent debates is that why should muslims ask for special attention. “Send your children to government schools”. But first build government schools in muslim areas. Thanks to christians, we have some schools in our areas. Gulf countries have been a lifeline for many muslim families. For many years, the only way muslims could rise up the social ladder is amassing petro dollars.

But the time for change has come. With multinational companies recruiting in our country, there is no more bias on the basis of religion or caste. The IT industry has created a large number of jobs for the educated muslims. This further encourages other muslims to educate their children. Currently the muslim community spends the highest per capita on education compared to other communities. After all “the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of a martyr.”

I am not saying that muslims are oppressed in India. There are a large number of muslims who did make it big including our own president. But then we should realize that education amongst muslims came down since independence not because of ignorant mullahs but because of government policies and the lack of muslim leaders to guide the muslim community and bargain with the politicians.

A Pakistani

2006-10-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

We had a community iftiyaar in a student union of a nearby college. I was sitting with my group of friends who are all arabs. Then one pakistani guy joined our table. So when we asked him where he is studying he explained that he is going to three different schools to study law. We were quite surprised and asked him to explain.

He went on to explain that he is learning law so that when he later on has his own "chain of businesses" he will need to know law too. He went on and on boasting how america is the only country where he make lots of money in a short time and how he would go about doing that. How he can make 1 million by even having a garage. Then his ideas on generating hyrdrogen based automoblies. How he would go to Pakistan, employ nuclear scientist over there and also get access to nuclear plants over there to do his research.

We were a set of engineering graduate students. But we kept quite and kept shaking our heads and he really did think that we believed in him. He went on to say how he could bring political change in the MSAs. That there should be bowling arenas in the masjid etc. It was so comical, to hear all this.
How foolish can some people be!!! And they think we are dumb!!!

see this video for a sample,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gM6QrKkMtk

Religious freedom : Hijab

2006-10-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

When I see so many muslim women wearing hijab here in Troy, I am filled with respect for them. Here in the US, devout muslims have maintained their identity and culture. The recent opposition to nikhab in britain and banning on hijab in schools in france has initiated an international debate on the hijab. Muslims are fighting court cases for religious freedom in the secular lands.

So are these muslims allowed to wear hijab back in their home countries? Not in all countries!

Tunisia: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5382946.stm

Turkey: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3225651.stm

Remember the turkish politican who was stripped of her nationality because she wore hijab to the parliament? She was abused and forced to leave the parliament.

Egypt: today most islamic scholars are from cairo. but still,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3087220.stm

Today tyrant rulers rule most of the islamic world. Islamists are jailed in egypt, libya, turkey and many arab countries simply because they are religious fundamentalists. Political opponents are jailed in almost every arab country. This reflects the state of the muslims world-wide. Parties like islamic brotherhood are banned in many countries. Free elections in lebanon and palestine, were abused by the western powers who dont want the islamists to come to power.

Muslims thus are feeling the lack of religious and political freedom. They are helpless when they see more than 2 million muslims killed in the last decade. In the last few decades, for good or for bad, muslims all over the world have been radicalized.

Oppressive regimes, social and economic equality promised by islam as opposed to brutal effects of capitalisation, islamic awareness increasing with education and spread and funding of a “simple islam” by saudis in form of madrassas and schools worldwide.

Every muslim is burning from inside. But this has only lead to chaos. It has led to the rise in terrorist movements with no purpose served. Change can come only by toppling the oppressive regimes in each every country and bringing democratic change. Should we let al-qaeda (as in somalia) or the US (as in iraq and afghanistan) do it? None of these countries have come still come of war. Where is the Saladin of our time?

Powerful friday sermon

2006-09-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today the imaam at my univ (Rensselaer troy, NY) was very good, mashallah. I thought I could share his thoughts here. I dont remember his exact words, but let me try to re-create a part of what he said in an abridged form.

"Ramzan is only a few days away. Waiting eagerly for the holy month of ramzan is one of the most beautiful parts of faith. Blessed are those who patiently wait to do good. Every year ramzan comes and we make many resolutions. But do we keep all of them. Do we keep even a few of them? Allah(the most merciful) has been merciful to give us one more chance. We have lived this year to get one more chance to ask for forgiveness. Would you waste this chance too? You may not get another chance. It is our chance to strengthen our faith. It is the month of freedom. It is freedom from desires. And most of us are chained by our desires of various things in this world. This is one month when are freed from this freedom. It is our chance to get closer to Allah.

There are people who shift their work towards the night during ramzan and as they are tired during the day they sleep most of the time. For them ramzan is nothing more than mere fasting. For these people ramzan is just a cultural event that comes every year. It makes no difference to them. There are other people too. May be I am not talking to the right audience. But there are muslims who dont even fast.

There are muslims for whom ramzan comes and goes but they dont even notice. Their non muslims collegues might be knowing that ramzan is going on, but then don't even know. If a muslim does not notice the arrival of ramzan, that means he does not fast. If he does not fast, I assume he does not pray. If he does not pray, what muslim is he? What is his faith in God, if he does not utilise the most precious gift to mankind, salah? It is because of this reason that muslims are being humiliated everywhere. When a person has pulled himself so low that he humiliates himself and has no self esteem, he is bound to be humiliated by others and will get no help from Allah. (quoting the quran here). Muslims today have got no pride in their faith. So unfortunate is the state of affairs today.

When you fast, let people know you are fasting. Let your collegues, your boss, your professor, your students know that you are fasting. Let them know that muslims fast during the month of ramzan. Let them, by your behaviour, know what fasting is. Let them know the beauty of Islam. This deed apart from counted as dawah(spreading the knowledge of Islam) lets us take pride in our religion. This way we will ascert our identity. We will strengthen our roots and our morals. This way we will strengthen the muslim ummah. Let those muslims who dont even know that ramzan is coming be informed. And inshallah this ramzan may help return to the fold of Islam."

May Allah awaken each one of us this ramzan. May Allah increase our faiths.

Lesser mortals

2006-09-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Warning: Dont read this if you hate egoists especially iitians.

It has been a month since i came to this place. After a long time i am interacting with “lesser mortals”. Those who know me well, will agree that I don't classify or discriminate people on these grounds. But who would not want to have an intellectual company at workplace.

A fourth year undergraduate student of electrical engineering who doesn't know what is delta function(impulse function) may not baffle some of you(though it is beyond tolerable limits). But when I learnt that some of those who plan to do their masters in DSP are also clueless about it, I was perplexed.

Towards the end of a 3 hour class on quantum mechanics, the professor defined kroneckar delta. This function of n and m(n,m are integers) takes two values. 0 for n <> m and 1 for n = m. One girl asked this question.

"Does it take only two values 0 and 1? What about other cases other than n<>m and n = m ?"

One trippy conversation during my group meeting.

new student : I am a masters student, so will I have to work under a Phd student?

prof: You are a graduate student.

new student: Will I be associated with a Phd student so that I can learn from him/her?

prof: You are a graduate student, period. You will report to me.

new student: so will I have to work under to Roya ? ( hey this is that Roya :P)

prof(totally pained and :): have I answered your question?!

Can it get worse? Yes, why not. I repeated four times to a friend how to calculate density of a Si crystal given atomic density and atomic mass. And wonder what, he is going to his Phd. Worse still he passed out with his Btech in meta from IITM. :((

When I see a few intellectual chinese or german students I feel very excited to interact with them. One Chinese guy did impress me by his fluent english and his clarity and power in explaining things. Considering the fact that he learnt english while preparing for TOEFL, he was extraordinary.

All this reminds me of my four years at IIT. Each one of us(btechs :D ) were a class apart. Discussions whether purposeful or not, were so much fun. I crave for such a company.

PS:

Why then do these univs excel in research?
Ofcourse there is money. But apart from that people here are very focused at whatever they do. They do things slowly but very systematically. Anyways there are Germans, Chinese and IITians to fill the gaps.

VCC (Our computing(community) center)

2006-09-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Most freshie desi grad students hangout at the VCC everyday after dinner. I wouldn’t call it “every night” because once you are inside this church like hall, you lose all relevance of space and time. After 9 pm, this place slowly turns from a computer center to an ethnic community hall.

We are bound to this place due to simple reasons. None of us have a family life to cater to. Although most of us don’t have laptops to work at home, we all have to contact those few people (had to use few, to represent people like me) we all desperately miss back at home.

With headphones playing loud music, each person is in his own world, his own 2D world: the world of gchat and meebo. As I roam around the hall, I see people hooked to their monitors hopping from one chat window to another. And occasionally, they have a broad smile in their face. (a smile that you would love to see when you flirt with a girl) That eager look waiting for a response from their chatting counterparts, makes me nostalgic.

When I used to chat for hours together back in india, I used to always wonder what would the expression on their faces every time they send me a :) or :D or :)) or even :( . Now when I see these different expressions on their faces (not only girls pa, I m not that despo now :-), I am able to relate them to my chat experiences.

But then people have their own unique expressions. No matter how many girls I carefully notice, I still may not be able to visualize those certain special people I know. (No da, I am not referring to any particular person)

Bored of seeing familiar faces at the VCC, I decided to write this down. Will write more later. Keep commenting!

In the Land of Naked women

2006-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

I do admit that many countries are better examples of public display of nudity than USA. But this is the first western country that I am visiting.

Gross: An old lady wearing a short pant which nothing covers nothing but her butt stand in front of you in a queue.

Vomitus: An obese lady(people here are extremely fat) wears shorts and a sleeveless tshirt and sits in front of you in the public bus.

Disgusting: When middle aged women wear dresses showing most of their cleavage and walk with their kids.

Unfortunate: When youth kiss and cuddle in public.

I was listening to a local radio station. "You dont stay with a person who is mean to you, even if you love him", the jockey went on. This was very disturbing. I suppose americans think like that.

There is a huge difference in the way different ethnic groups in the US dress themselves. Men seem to have a much better dressing sense than the women. (this place is abnormal in many ways.)

Well what about the beautiful young girls in the US? I have not seen many here. They are either too fat or they are too fair.

No girlfriend! Why?

2006-07-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged. Initially i was busy finishing my project and then packing the hostel and then the visa stuff and then shifting our house from Adyar to Saidapet. Here I am, hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog.

Recently I was told that 21 is the best age to have a girl friend. Being westernized, that person was blinded(as it often happens with their creed) towards the ground realities and cultural sensitivities.

Literate, so-called "educated" people need to "reasoned logically" with clear and distinct points as they can not themselves think, imagine and wonder.

There are a few strong reasons why I can't have a girl friend. Let me elucidate them.

1. Girl friends are for jobless people. You have to always be for her. "You are ignoring me" etc are common terms used to undermine your busy schedule.

2. Possessive guys like me cannot tolerate their possessions being shared by others. The more beautiful your girl is the more painful it is.

3. You got to look good or hear her say "that waiter looks handsome". Me and most of my friends will have a tough time.

4. You are bound to hear her cry sometime during the relationship. It is difficult to hide how heartless I am.

5. A dedicated girl would tell would tell all about other guys and her interaction with them. If she knows some of your friends, you will be disgusted to find out how desperate your own friends can be!

6. Other girls will look at you as if you are a 'sold out property'.

7. Oh, yes! I almost forgot. You got to listen some crappy pop songs instead of rock and admire them in front of her.

If you thought by penning this I am trying to say that don't have a girlfriend, you might be mistaken.

How not to get your ass kicked by the traffic police (for Chennalites)

2006-07-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

You could be stopped by the police for various offenses from tiny ones like stopping ahead of the stop line to serious ones like running over a sleeping person on the road(very much possible in Chennai). If you have only broken a traffic rule and not some other vehicle, then these set of tricks will most probably work.

1. You need not stop your vehicle unless forced to.

If it is a small offense like cutting a traffic signal and you only hear a shout or a whistle and if the traffic police is not close to you, you need not go out of your way to stop your vehicle. Keep going, that guy will be too lazy to book you. Even if he does, the procedure is not so complicated. Two-wheelers should immediately remove their keys. If only he takes your keys, you are doomed.

2. After you are forced to stop the vehicle, greet the policeman.

The goal of the policeman is to psyche you. He will often try to exaggerate the offense and try to hype the fine so that you end up succumbing to his pressure and pay him some 'mammul' instead of paying the fine.

So instead you greet him with a smile and you could even say 'vanakkam' or "Good Evening". Keep smiling and show that you are not worried at all.

3. Try to judge the situation and his power.

That guy could be a senior officer or he could be a weak constable. Judge his power and try to judge how much harm he can cause to you. If you feel you are in a better position then it would also be in some situations wise to argue it out. For example if he is not in uniform, then you could jump at him by saying "who are you? why are you stopping my car? How am I to know that you are a policeman?" and then you could just drive away. That will completely psyche him off.

4. If you have made a mistake accept it and ask him for the fine.

"Yes sir, I crossed the signal. I made a mistake. So I am supposed to pay the spot fine right. How much is it?". Traffic policemen don't want you to pay the fine. They want to make money. Initially make it sound to him that you would rather pay the fine than pay even Rs. 5 for his tea.

5. He will ask you for vehicle documents, simply to harass you.

Stress that you are willing to pay the fine and you don't see the reason why he is harassing you. You could say "Sir, I am in a hurry. Either give me a spot fine ticket or I am leaving. You can book me and I will pay later". With this he will accept his fate and realise the mistake he has made stopping you.

With these simple steps you could avoid harassment either by paying fine. If you are lucky you could also get go free.

P.S: Hey, I am not encouraging you guys to cut the signals. And I am not telling this because I care for the Chennai traffic, but because I, a clean driver, don't want to collide with you.

My dream!

2006-07-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

After 4 years of undergraduate studies, I am a B.Tech from IIT Madras. But today I feel my real goal is something else. As I cross Pachaiapas college, I feel a cool breeze whispering to my ear, "why did you not come here? you still have a chance to join us".

After all I have a simple goal: be powerful, rich and respected. Who other than politicians have all three. And mind you becoming a leading politician is not a simple job. You got to embezzle funds in so many different ways, commit a few perjuries and if need be kill be few people. In any case, all things happen for good.

You might wonder why I can't join politics now. Did you not see the poll results of Lok Paritran? I lack the very basic skills which Pachaiapa students learn and the way the environment grooms them to be the future rulers of the land while we IITians run away from here due to strict competition.

College riots, protests, student strikes, road blocks are many opportunities for individual students to make their mark. 5 fishermen chasing 500 IIT students out of the beach, exemplifies the fact we lack mettle to even work as Government servants leave alone ruling the country.

Every time a van packed with political party members crosses my bike, I wish if I was one of them. My lack of eloquence in tamil seems to be my main drop back. Now that I have shifted to a village, I see a new ray of hope. Where there is a will, there is a way.

P.S: I am expecting some cuppers to take this seriously and comment on my blog.

Breastfeeding

2006-05-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Mother's lap is the first madrassa (schooling) of the child. She is the one who tells her teaches her infant to recognise its father. She is biologically and emotionally closer to the child than the father.

The infant is often inclined to the person who breastfeeds her. And in most cases it is the mother. Thus a true natural bond is formed between the mother and the child at a very young age. Similarly the mother too, is more attached to the child than the father as she bore him in her womb for 9 months. The infant is a part of her and not just her offspring. She would never forget her child even if she were to lose him. That is precisely maternal love.

But unfortunately when a mother does not breastfeed her child(read irresponsible selfish feminist), she is breaking this strong bond of nature. Words like unnatural or inhuman won't commensurate this devilish act of theirs.

A person who has nothing he is willing to sacrifice for, nothing which is more important to him than his own personal success, is a miserable creature, and is of no use to the society, unless made to fulfill his responsibilities exerted on him by others.

Committed Couples

2006-05-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

As our society gets westernised, we find a lot of young committed couples. Some are as young as 15 years. My logic and rationality can not understand how and why two persons of opposite sex choose their life partner at such a young age and amicably decide to marry 6 to 10 years later.

How many of these are actually in love? Most of them have a casual relationship while some cross the red light. And inevitably, most of them breakup within a few years.

They cause public nuisance as they spoil others by luring them to do similar acts. When I see such a couple, I feel jealous and disgusted at the same time. So do many others.

Once as I was riding down a dark lane, I could see an intimate couple walking down the road. My headlights upset their intimacy. But I was in for some mischief. I switched off my headlights and started zooming my bike. They had no idea where i was coming and ran for their lives.

Note: 7 on 9 girls in stella marris are committed at the age of 18.

Not for Muslims

2006-05-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Seller: This is a wonderful flat with a good water facility. It is also close to some of the best schools in the city. Bus stop is so close with buses connecting it to every part of the city. It also has a beautiful view.

Buyer: Yes, I am very much impressed. After staying in a congested locality, this looks like heaven.

Seller: ( curiously asks) which place is that sir?

Buyer: Royepettah.

Seller: So what is your name?

Buyer: Abdullah Yusuf.

Seller: Oh! I just forgot to say that another person has booked this house.

Houses and property in certain areas are seldom sold or lent out to muslims. Newspaper ads often read "Not for muslims". We muslims are given "rational" reasons for their choice.

Muslims usually go via real estate dealers because direct transaction is nearly impossible. Often sale to a muslim is kept a big secret by these dealers. We see the flats or land in secret. We are asked not to contact the neighbours or co-buyers lest they change their decision because of us.

Operation Death

2006-05-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

That was the name of a poem which I was asked to xerox. This poem can be found here.

At the xerox shop was a hostel-mate of mine. This piece of paper had some Arabic calligraphy. Curiously he peeped to see what it was and alas ..."Operation Death!".

Shit!, he wondered. I knew this guy was a muslim. But never thought he would be a terrorist. Now he is planning an attack. What do you I do? Do I have to inform someone or do I spy them and track each and every one of them and then finally pipe them all out.

Shocked, worried but with national responsibility, he kept starring at me with anger. I just collected the large number of copies and left. Since then he tried to find out what I do, who I meet etc.

But as days passed by, the much awaited action never took place. "Sherlock Homes" had to return disappointed.

Death of a relative

2006-05-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

My grandmother died err... i mean expired yesterday. (Initially I used "died" to inform others but soon i realised i had to use the right word :P). I was there with my mom 20 minutes after we were informed that something had gone wrong. But by the time we reached she had expired and she was laid on the floor.

So what am I supposed to do. Will my mom shed tears now? Or will she faint. I was taken aback seeing the servant maids cry loudly. I felt like laughing seeing them. But then the situation calls for seriousness.

So I found a corner and sat there. I saw people coming one by one and crying. Everyone except the close relatives were in tears. :P Close relatives were busy informing others and planning the time to conduct the funeral.

For me it was simple. She was old and she died a peaceful death. She was a nice lady who helped everyone. At that instant, I felt like congratulating those seated but did not have the courage, lest people have a party after i die. :D

Now there was a dead body lying in front of me. Could I touch it and see how it feels? Maybe I could play with it or will i be labelled a necro-maniac. Slowly i started touching her fingers. But they were no different, as her body was still "fresh". So lost interest and got back to my corner.

Then I saw my cousin sister shed tears. I did not know what to do. Should i compete with her in shedding tears? I was feeling left out. The air of silence around me bored me. I soon took my cell and started smsing. :P

But then what will others think of me. I just don't care about my grandmother and I am seriously smsing? I covered my face with one hand to hide my smile and with the other hand hidden near my pocket i was smsing.

Smsing is the best way to kill time. But then what do I do to hunger. I felt like ordering some cakes and soft drinks for everyone. I quietly went and asked my mom whether she is hungry. But she did not seem interested in having anything. So were the rest of the mourners.

But I can not see my mother cry. The sight of my mother crying and pleading to her brothers to come as early as possible from whichever corner of the world they were in, so that the funeral can take place early, moved me. My mom was worried of, what she terms, "disrespect to the dead".

I left that place in the pretext of doing my btp work. I wouldn't like to elaborate what I actually did that night. The next day morning, I took some lays packets along. But again no one seemed interested. Some people were starring at me as I was eating lays. I did not know what to do. But then now I was experienced in hiding things and still using them (like my cell phone).

With a lot of care, we handled the body. She was dead. It was just her body and not her. But then showing respect to her body is our duty just as giving her respect is. My mom was apprehensive about any non-mehram(stranger) man even giving us a hand in shifting her body. For all that she has done for us, that is the least thing we can do.

Before the burial, I walked across the graveyard. The graves were of different sizes. Richer sections of the society had spent more money while the poorer ones kept it simple. "In the end, the king and the pawn go into the same box" was true but not in the same style. If given the authority I would raise all graves to the ground.

Standing inside the grave and helping in keeping her body was a nice experience. Some careless people standing above would slide some stones and they would come tumbling down on me. The technique used to bury the body without hurting it was impressive.

Even after everything was over, I did not feel sad. I forcibly tried to recollect the great time I had with her. But even that did not make any difference. Anyways, I maintained an expression less face. And people used to come to me and express their condolences. So many people care about me. :O

I was wondering how would my death be. Will it be peaceful? Will there be people around me to bury me? What if my body is crushed into pieces or is never found? What after death? Will I feel bad that I died? So many unanswered questions.

Why can't I care for others ?

2006-04-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Thought of as a jovial and friendly guy ever since my school days, only those close to me can see the “dirt” in me. Behind this veil lies the dry, unemotional and self-centered me. In spite of hurting people continuously with sharp remarks, I am affected by the occasional remarks that are fired back.

As a kid, when I was with my parents and relatives, some old marriage tape was played. While others were cherishing their yester years by seeing their relatives (whom they had not seen them for years) on TV, I got bored and screamed “What do you people get by seeing other people's faces ?”. Everyone around me was shocked!

Many a times I used to hurt people and I wouldn't even realise it. I apologize to all readers who have been hurt by me knowingly or unknowingly. My ego for a few months after clearing the JEE, was at its peak and that was the nadir of my character. Though I have quietened down in the following years and I have matured with age, habits die hard.

Today I may not hurt everyone around me, but I still don't care for most of them. The months I take to change a bulb in my house or the days I take to respond to a simple 5 mins request of my younger brother are standing examples of the self-centered careless me. It is far beyond laziness. It is lack of love for them. I pity my future wife!

When I see a father cycle his son to school or when a mother uses a handkerchief to wipe her daughter's face after feeding her, I see true love. Am I not a human like them? Why is it so hard for me to realise that I am not the only person on earth? Is this defect of mine congenital that I simply can't change?

Remarks from my close friends like "It is because me, that we are such good friends. nobody else would have tolerated you." reiterates my mother's statement “I tolerate you because you came out of my womb”. Am I that evil that no one can tolerate me?

I am a hypocrite as those who know me well say, “You claim to have socialist views but in reality you don't even care for your friends.”

But irrespective of what people may say, I believe there is still some good in me. The toughest of situations bring out the best in an individual. I seek that day when I will be ready to live or die for a selfless cause with purest of intentions.

PS: I request you to comment on this.

Why winning an argument is so difficult!

2006-04-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Even after spending long hours discussing and arguing with various people, I sometimes feel I am unable to explain and assert a few basic logical and rational arguments. Various reasons include the lack of willingness to listen, lack of broadmindedness or lateral thinking, prejudice or hatred towards a group or system, hypocrisy of the opponent and low IQ level of the person you are talking to.

To start with, let me give a brief example. Water coolers are placed at different locations in my hostel. A notice stuck on it forbids us from collecting water in water bottles and taking it to our rooms. We are expected to use the available tumbler and drink it there itself. This is done so that students don't stock water. A friend of mine is found collecting water in a 2 liter water bottle. Famous for debating, he is not a man who can be easily convinced that he doing something wrong.

So why is he using his water bottle?

He argues that the tumbler is too dirty and he uses his clean water bottle instead!

Then why is he filling the entire 2 liters?

He argues that as he is filling his bottle, he might as well fill it to his capacity!

Then why is he taking excess water to his room?

He can't drink 2 liters at a stretch. So he takes the remaining water to his room. And who would like to frequent the water cooler!

With three logical steps he has argued that TRUE = FALSE. Nevertheless this person once argued that father and mother have the same(stress on being exactly the same) rights and duties over the child.

This is the typical case of egoism and lack of willingness to listen or be pointed wrong. You do something, so you feel it is our duty to argue that it is right, lest you are forced to accept that you are a wrong-doer. I respect those who stand by the right thing even when they are in the wrong.

Humility and the courage to stand by truth are very important when you need to have a meaningful and productive discussion. Hypocrisy can be easily noted when there is logical incoherence over a long period of interaction. While those who stand by their principles (good or bad) and maintain coherence are often termed as fanatics, and those are jump sides according to their convenience termed as liberals.

I would love to argue various intricate topics but it is hard to find an honest debater.

“hi... can we talk!!!”

2006-03-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

I had put this on another blog. I forgot that password and it is getting painful to maintain two blogs.

Disclaimer: This piece may be very egoistic and may reveal a lot of private details. Some people may feel offended by reading this. I feel sad for them but can't do anything about it. This is purely for the sake of fun and trying to imitate these tricks may not work out for you. Hey man, try to be natural, things may click. This is surely not for those few guys with numerous girl friends whom I have always envied. (both the guy and the girl)

Most guys at IIT are desperate to make friendship with the opposite sex but often suck at doing so. Apart from numerous reasons like shyness, poor dressing sense, lack of confidence and immense scrupulousness, they also fear the wrath of the girls. Though the bolder may approach girls, they still don't know how to conduct themselves. I would like to share my learning experience in this field. I don't claim to be an expert, but nevertheless I am better than many others.

I had a penchant towards talking to strangers. Talking to people in a bus stop, sharing a few words while standing in queues or talking to co-passengers in a flight, are a few. Urge for this unique adventure increased once I entered IIT. I suppose there is a feeling of security that lets me continue with this thrilling but sometimes dangerous hobby of mine. Initially, I used to stay a few feet away from them the opposite sex. Some guys made interesting connotations of my unique attitude towards meeting total strangers (as they happened to be guys) whom I met over the net.

But then things changed slowly. Around six months back, during a fete in IIT, my friend point out to a girl and says “i have seen this girl in my CAT classes. I wonder who she is”. I felt it would be appropriate to ask her directly. Seeing a class mate of mine along with her, I gathered courage to talk to her. I was a little nervous approaching her but I knew there was no turning back.

I went to her and uttered “hi... ... ...” (still thinking what to say) and then ended up blabbering “My friend says you are in his CAT class, which means that you should be in your penultimate year of an undergraduate course. But I am surprised to find a girl whom I don't know who is in my own batch. So may I know you?” She was surprised, shocked and hardly understood what I meant. Luckily she was helped by my classmate who answered “No, she does not belong to IIT, she is from Jalandar.”

Soon I learnt her name, her college and the reason she was here (of course to meet me). But then I knew it was not over. Unless I get her to meet my friend, no one would believe this act of bravado.( then imagine how innocuous, I was earlier. ) So I request her to come and meet this friend of mine. I sped up to my friend and proudly told him that she is willing to meet him. Discounting my pride, he turns away and does not pay any heed to my call. But soon he realizes that she is standing right in front of him. ( Those who don't believe all this, beware )

This success of mine was commonly misunderstood by many in the hostel as an incipient infatuation in me for her. But the truth is that I had hardly analyzed her and I only vaguely remember her face. Many of my futile attempts to bring her to my 'hostel night', partly because I wanted to prove my persuasive skills to my friends, made me realize that I still have lots to learn.

My stay at Bangalore changed me completely, in precise terms, made me ready to take on this semester and the girls who come along. While having a “warm” ice tea with a friend at gurunath, I was eying two friends in the next table. The girl looked beautiful and perfect( I m not good at describing girls and wouldn't like to do, considering my respect for them. Hey, I m not writing this to allure any female readers...) and both of them looked very intimate.

For quite some, we were discussing whether it would be appropriate to accost them. Two simple questions lingered our minds. First being, whether they would mind if someone disturbs them and how would they react to an irritant. And the other being, is it decent for us as educated individuals to do the same. Then I decided that I should talk to them at least to find that out. ( of course there were many other sinister intentions of doing so )

I surprised them with a “hi”. Then I continued with one the most bold starters, “I was attracted by you even as you entered this place. So I thought it would be apt for me to talk to you.” Their eyes rolled as if they won a lottery that they had not contested. ( you should ask them about it ) They didn't seem to respond spontaneously, so I had to be a little pushy. “I am Noman, what is your name?”. But soon the conversation became smooth and I got to talk for a few minutes. But to this day I am disappointed, that I was not offered a seat even as I switched to various postures they didn't seem to care. When it was time to bid goodnight, I didn't seem to remember her name. When I asked her for it, she said “If you can't remember even this then what can you remember!!”. For which my romantic reply was “that i met a beautiful girl tonight, at gurunath”. She reciprocated with a 'pj' with which I wouldn't like quote, as it might piss my already sleepy readers.

I made many fervent attempts to contact her, but in vain. May be someday I will go to Sharavathi and call out her name. After all that is not a bad choice either. But my goal was not to just to talk to her and make a new friend but to succeed in learning the art of flirting.

My next rendezvous was with a very courteous and sweet girl at gurunath. This cute girl was accompanied by two others. I started with simple lines, knowing for sure that my rejection chances are less. She offered me a seat and continued to engage me for about half an hour. Her other two friends didn't seem to mind and they reciprocated with courtesy as we discussed a wide range of ideas. By far it was my most successful venture. Her limited english proficiency reduced the pace of our interaction and thus encouraged me to stay longer. I had no problems in getting her cell number and in continuing to keep contact.

Soon my frequency increased and I was always ready to jump at any girl. That is when I got into trouble at quarks. By this time, my friends were all impressed with my charm and success stories. Some tried to follow me wherever I go with a supposed chance that they could learn from me. One such guy was “p”. While seated at quarks, my friends wanted some more action and so pointed to a girl seated with another guy. Without even seeing her face I started walking towards her. As I saw another girl on my way, I thought I would change my target. But then I made a quick decision to keep up to my friends wish and go for a girl whose face I had not seen. Soon I was in full flow talking to her.

But then I realized that “p” was standing next to me. Trying to ignore him, I continued to impress her. When I was offered a seat, “p” butt in. Demanding a part of my seat this guy was embarrassing. I just push him to the adjacent one. Much to my chagrin, he was responding to her questions posed at me. As I broached different topics, he negated all my sentences. To my disappointment, the guy along with her was shrewd.(i hate all those who are shrewder than me) He let out a killer line, “are you guys tripped?”. I bulbed, as I had never heard that word earlier but I sensed trouble. While my friend “p” kept up his sarcastic smile, even the girl was confused. When I insisted what that meant, he smiled and said “tripped meaning doped?”. Dejected and feeling indignant I just wanted to get myself out of that place. Realizing that he had won over me, he requested us to be seated. It was pay back time for him. But after a few minutes I forced myself out of that trap.

My fans, there is still hope. Failure may not be the stepping stone to success but the unpredictablity that comes along makes the whole thing challenging. By now I realised that though there is a limit to the number and beauty of girls within the campus, there is a limit to the tactics that you can adopt outside the campus. Doing the same outside the campus can get you into trouble. You should not be surprised if the girl’s parents appear from nowhere and interrogate you. I had faced this situation during Kilpauk Medical College culturals.

Today I am back to square one. Getting a few intros makes no difference but penning articles like this. All contacts slowly died away either because of my lack of enthu or the lack of positive response from the other side. To summarise I have tried this with B.techs, M.techs, M.S, project associates and outsiders in places including gurunath, quark and OAT.

I am a Muslim

2005-07-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was recently reproved for taking back my hand when a girl offered me a handshake. My friends felt that it was an obnoxious display of my religious sentiments. Religion, they say, is like an undergarment, which is close to the body, protects your private parts and at the same time is not put on display. Religion according to them is a private affair to quench your spiritual thirst and it should not influence your societal duties. I pen this piece not to dispute this claim of theirs but to make plain that the above philosophy discords with my faith, Islam.

The main botheration for an Indian muslim like me, is neither the scrutinizing looks he is pestered with, during an Indo-Pak cricket match nor the coercion to accept that Shariah as personal law is obsolete in our democratic and secular country, but the incessant choices he has make between Islamic principles and maintaining social relations. At least five times a day, he has to take time off from his non-muslim friends for prayer. Be your best friend’s party or an engrossing game of soccer or a thought provoking lecture, the time for maghrib, the evening prayer, won’t wait. His critical decision will depend upon the inward struggle between two contrarians - faith and fellowship.

Jingoists place the blame on Islam for pulling away muslims from their nationalistic fervor. They feel that this foreign religion enforces multitudinous restrictions on this community, which hampers their progressive and patriotic thinking. They anticipate the day when muslims cease to follow their exotic identity and revert to their true Indian identity. They seek this day not merely for the progress and development of the country’s largest minority, but for vital national interests including security and integrity.

For some secularist, the most baneful part of Islam is it’s outright rejection of all other religions as either fallacious or corrupted. This concept is misrepresented to symbolize that Islam makes muslims a very intolerant community. Muslims neither accept other deities nor authorize other forms of worship except for what has been prescribed in the holy Quran, but still respect other religions and the enmeshed fragile sentiments associated with them for the sole reason they expect similar respect in return.

Many cast aspersions on the standard and relevance of Madrassas, while some others vehemently oppose it as it engenders religious zeal in preference to nationalistic fervor. They rely on a phony hope that once a section of muslims receive secular education they will guide the rest of the negligent masses to refinement. Modern education may strengthen thinking and this may in turn encourage flouting of established dogmas but a little bit of retrospection will lead route back to the strong philosophy of Islam. Only those blinded by materialism, overlook the shortcomings of science in explaining man’s indispensable yet mysterious dubieties, namely soul and death.

Some secularly educated muslims express inconsistent beliefs as opposed to the doctrines advocated by the most Islamic scholars. Pursuing worldly knowledge, this well-heeled class spends hardly any time seeking religious knowledge. Furthermore, owing to substantial interaction with atheists and modernists, Islamic virtues are often lost. Hijab, for example is often misrepresented to simply dress decently, though the Quran elucidates what symbolizes modesty. It is exasperating when such a ignorant person has the effrontery to repudiate scholars.

Islam has both inward and outward implications. Prayer being a perfect example involves both spiritual and physical realization. Faith is gauged not only by the punctilious of performing religious rituals but also by conduct, morality and character. Consequently, haj and jihad are paramount tenets of Islam as they test both spiritual resolve and physical mettle. Thus, it is hypocritical to confine faith to one’s own heart and not manifest it by deeds.

Religious tolerance is not just about brooking with a person with a different faith and permitting him to follow perform his religious rituals, but to respect him for his views and disposition towards revered values. If a muslim is accorded such genuine respect then his headgear, beard, clothing and language will be inconsequential. We are still far from bolstering enough trust and harmony that fosters such respect.

should i start blogging?

2005-04-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

most things in life are free

It has been a month since I posted something out here. I am beginning to wonder, the very purpose of doing so. How will posting a few articles out here, help me. Will scribbling some junk solve my problems in life? Can it show me the way to do so? Or atleast will it help me to identify my problems? Will it answer the most important question which has been lingering in my head for quite some time, "am I satisfied? "

The very fact that not many are going to read these blogs of mine, reduces my interest in penning down my ideas. And even if they do, what difference does it make. Keep waiting, may be I will come out with something nice in a few days.

A Prophet Who Fought Wars

2005-03-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

This is an article which my friend Nisheeth and I wrote. Initially I had written some ordinary stuff, which he in a few minutes made it worth reading. Most of the contribution is his, though I can still claim to have given him the idea.

In today’s new-found neo-Conservative morality, it is so very fashionable to berate Islam and its practices as being primitive, brutal and anachronistic. While it is impossible to irrevocably refute all such allegations in such a short essay, it is endeavored here to take issue with supporters of the Huntingtonian school of thought on one alleged aspect of Islamic culture – militarism and Islam’s concept of Jihad.

Right up to the late 90’s, the Russian stereotype of the “godless Communist aggressor” was so firmly entrenched in American mindsets that successive Conservative administrations and pulp fiction authors like Ludlum and Forsyth managed to keep making money out of flogging the Commie horse.

Interestingly, as a quick perusal of any best-seller list and current affairs paper will show, the interests of both have shifted to a new target, the older one having been rendered obsolete by the internal collapse and democratization of the Soviet Republic in 1991. The Conservative laser-sights sought a new target and found one. Thanks to the hypotheses of academician Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” theory, circa 1995, their gun-turrets are now trained on Islam.

To this effect, the story of the spread of Islam is embellished with improbable stories of cruelty and debauchery, the current separatist movements in Chechnya, Palestine, Serbia-Montenegro etc. are highlighted as being manifestations of Islamic militarism. Also, socio-political observers of the woolly-headed Right make incredibly presumptuous proclamations of stirrings of malcontent in the Middle East. A state of paranoia, with reference to the past, present and future of the role of Islam in geo-politics, is being consciously and unambiguously generated.

Our case in defense rests on the unanimously held Orthodox Sunni premise that the path of Islam lies in the emulation of the intentions and deeds of the Seal of the Prophets, Mohammed (pbuh), the founder of Islam as we know it. To know Islam one must know of the life of the Prophet – a figure incomparable in the history of the world save to that other Semitic miracle, Jesus.

Irrespective of your political, religious or societal persuasion, any attempt to understand the Islamic ideology with a modernistic perspective will fail. Your quest for knowledge of the modalities of Islamic geo-politics and social stratifications can not even begin without a comprehensive biographical review of the personality of this man. To place the purported militarism of the Islamic creed, let us view the Prophet’s (pbuh) views regarding warfare.

“The most senile thing ever thought about man is contained in the celebrated saying 'the ego is always hateful'; the most childish is the even more celebrated 'love thy neighbor as thyself'. -- In the former, knowledge of human nature has ceased, in the latter it has not yet even begun.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Assorted Opinions and Maxims

To any reasonably pragmatic reasoning individual, it is evident that war is a necessary evil, which must be carried through, in order to solve social and political problems which cannot be resolved peacefully. Human communities have plunged into fights not only for the mere accomplishment of material aims but also for achieving social justice. Case in point, one wonders if Luther King could have accomplished so much had he not stood on the broad shoulders of Lincoln and Ulysses Grant.

Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh), the founder of Islam, led his community to battle on innumerable occasions. And yet, one can unearth no records of his having benefited materially from any of these military conquests. His bearing ever remained the same, for all the prosperity and dominance of the Muslims by the time of his passing. It was thus neither lust for gold nor glory that led the Prophet to take to the sword but a burning sense of responsibility towards his fellow Arabs wallowing in ignorance and misery. It is a fact that does not really require mentioning that it was the unifying power of Islam that allowed the Arabs to establish the strongest, most magnificent empire that the world has ever seen this side of the Dark Ages.

Also, 1300 years before the West thought of the Geneva Convention, and 1360 years before the Imperialist West breaks its regulations with impunity, the Prophet of Islam imbued martial codes in Arabia with a sense of humanity and compassion. The total number of casualties in all the wars that took place during his lifetime, when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under his banner, did not exceed a few hundreds.

Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors .

[Quran 2.190]

To the aggressive Arabs, who were used to fighting forty years on the slightest provocation, say of a camel belonging to the guest of one tribe having strayed into the grazing land belonging to other tribe, which ended up with both the sides fighting resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, the Prophet of Islam taught submissiveness and discipline; Discipline so rigorous that congregational prayer during wars was common. Even during the heat and fever of battle, whenever the time for prayer came, and it comes five times every day, the congregation prayer was never postponed.

In an age of barbarism, the battlefield itself was humanized and strict instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to mutilate, not to kill a child or woman or an old man, not to hew down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree, not to molest any person engaged in worship and those who sought quarter were escorted to a place of safety. One can but wonder at the emotions of the confinees at Guantanamo Bay who are informed through the American popular media that it is THEY who are barbaric!

On the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (pbuh) stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted him even when he had taken refuge in Medina, more than 200 miles away, now lay at his feet. By the universal law of retribution (“we’re gonna smoke them out!”), he could have ‘justly’ avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord them? His heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no reproof against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man."

¨Jihad¨ is a generic term for concerted effort or struggle against major obstacles, such as injustice, disease, or poverty. It’s meaning is much broader than ¨holy war¨, and can only be understood within the context of Islamic teachings. Jihad is a very powerful pillar of Islamic faith. Unfortunately, it is misused by terrorists to rationalize their actions, much as the Nazis hijacked the teachings of Nietzsche, Fichte and Hegel to propagandize their Aryan supremacist theories. Blaming the Prophet (pbuh), Islam and Muslim culture for terrorist activity around the globe is much the same as blaming the Lutheran Church for the Holocaust, or J D Salinger for John Lennon’s assassination.

In view of the aforegoing, it is to be hoped that the next time you hear the Prophet (pbuh) being referred to in acrimonious terms, you will accord it the same amount of gullible acceptance that we cunning Indians have cultivated for official government pronouncements – nil.

my first blog

2005-02-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Everything has to begin before it ends. I have registered here because I don't want to spend time somewhere else. Orkut has started ruining my life. One form of recreation replaces another.