I still remember the day I first entered my company campus in Mysore. It just felt like I am in a wonderland with so many Alices around. The grass as green as never before, every thing as clean and tidy as possible. The cleaning guys didn’t even leave the road alone, scrubbing and washing it. The whole atmosphere was exuberant with people from all parts of India. Everyone was trying to make new friends.
The expression on the faces of people felt as if they were finally freed from the education system. The Pink Flyod song apt for this “We don’t need no education we don’t need no thought control”. The stint in this wonderland was a short one for me and was unlucky not to find a single Alice. Then it was time to go to Pune. In the city you will get to see some of the best Alices in India. Some nomads with tag hanging around their neck have even told me that this is among the top two, the other is Delhi.
The first year in this artificial world was amusing. We had a small group that used to go together for lunch, breakfast, snacks. Our lunch tables were mostly filled with laughter, with plans being formulated for coming weekends. It was also the year that I had to shed certain traits that were prevalent during college days. I had to be more formal in my conversations and my emails. In college days we could easily bunk lectures but somehow I couldn’t elope these long official meetings, and still figuring out how to. The days in the first year would probably remain the best days of my corporate life.
“Those were the best days of my life”
- Summer of 69: Bryan Adams.
The members of the group I had, started parting out in the next year. Some of them left the company, some started hanging out with their Alice’s, and some like me were desperate to find some new friends. The lunch tables were more with people who didn’t gel that well but simply accompanied for the sake of having some accomplice. This year I started to understand intricacies in the corporate world. I tried to make sense of diplomatic talks of my managers. I tried to be like one of them.
“You labeled me; I'll label you, Never Free, Never Me, So I dub thee Unforgiven”
- The Unforgiven: Metallica.
The lunch table in the third year was not the same. In lunch time I would have liked talks other than project/work as you would have done most of it through out the whole day. The people I went for lunch were mostly my project mates. The group was gone, the fun was gone and most importantly the people. This was the year filled with more frustration, dissatisfaction. It was more about struggling to survive.
“Hey man I’m alive I’m taking each day and night at a time.
Yeah I’m down, but I know Ill get by
I’m feeling like a Monday, but someday Ill be Saturday night “
- Someday I’ll be Saturday Night: Bon Jovi
I remember in college we used to dream about getting that dream job, getting salary at month end. To be independent and break that umbilical cord with family, at least financially. But life is not that rosy as it seems in dreams. Things change with time and so do the workplace. It was joyful for me in the beginning and it started getting lonelier as time passes by. It will be the matter of survival till time halts, but before it halts I want to elevate myself.
“A star
Lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you can educate my mind
Explain all these controls
Can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation “
- Elevation: U2
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Thing is 'Mobile'
When Graham Bell invented mobile phones, little he must have thought that it is going to impact the society in such a big way. It’s become another part of our body. Just like our hands, ear, nose, etc; but this has the flexibility to be present anywhere be it in our hands, in pockets of trousers, in purses, etc.
We use them so much in our daily life. Now days, when you feel like contacting any person. All we need to do is press few buttons and we are connected. We use it to stay connected with our family, our friends, and our colleagues. Distance has no longer remained a barrier. With this we can get to know what is happening in anyone’s life. We get juicy gossips of who has found a new girlfriend or who has broken up.
The mobile also help us during emergency. Like during an accident you can immediately contact any injured person’s relatives. It also helps us while attending some boring trainings/sessions. During which you can play games on your phone. If at all you are bugged with instructor then you can just walk away from the session pretending that you attending a call. But make sure your phone doesn’t ring at that time otherwise your whole secret will be out.
But have we realized that this is taking us away from the physical world and we are living more in the virtual world. Like if someone get’s a call, it a normal tendency to attend the call without giving any thought to the current face-to-face conversation. The ring of a mobile creates a sense of feeling that something urgent is waiting for us, even when majority of times it is not. Hence, we tend to divert our attention from the face-to-face communication to the insensitive instrument.
There are some people for whom mobile is the most important thing. Where ever they go whatever they do they need to talk to someone or the other on the mobile phone. Like some of my colleagues continuously talk on the phone while trying to work. They try to do multitasking between work and maintaining relationships as if to defy the logic “Do one thing at a time, do it perfectly with full concentration”. There are some who while eating too feel the need to talk on the phone. That is the height of necessity! One caution: never to go with such people alone for lunch or dinner. Because they are sure going to talk on the phone saying “Just for 2 min” and they’ll go on till you finish your meal. Thus, leaving you with no other option but to watch the birds or the bees around if you are lucky to find one.
Also, have you observed one thing that when we are walking in a group; if suddenly your mobile rings then while talking your pace slowly starts to decrease. You tend to walk behind the whole group just to state “Hey idiots I don’t require your company any more, I have hooked an intelligent fellow”. This is the same case if you are typing a SMS. You are furiously thinking to come up with a humorous and a funny reply without bothering much about people around you.
You people are in the same predicament as I am. Whenever I go to my room all my room mates are busy talking to their girlfriends, with each one enjoying in a separate balcony. With me the unlucky fellow who doesn’t have a girlfriend had to spent my time with the idiot box trying to find something good. This reminds me of one incident: I was with one of my room mate discussing about our dinner plans, just then one of his friends calls him up and asks him about dinner. Just observe at the way he replies “What man tell fast, Dinner? No I am busy now”. Wow I thought what a pleasure at least some one respects my feelings. Just then his girlfriend calls him up just observe the change uh. “Hey hi, I was just about to call you. What dinner yeah I am free. Fine it’s my treat today where you want to go Dominoes, Pizza hut…” I though what the hell.
At the dawn of 21st century if you see things have changed, relationships have changed, mode of communication have changed but do people have to change? Yes! They do to keep pace with fast moving world. At the same time we need to remember about ethics and values. We need to give importance to relationships to face-to-face communication. We are so much dependent on mobile but just imagine if given a chance to sacrifice your mobile for a scenic island just cut-off from this world. To live life your way without any accountability; I would love to, at least for a short duration.
We use them so much in our daily life. Now days, when you feel like contacting any person. All we need to do is press few buttons and we are connected. We use it to stay connected with our family, our friends, and our colleagues. Distance has no longer remained a barrier. With this we can get to know what is happening in anyone’s life. We get juicy gossips of who has found a new girlfriend or who has broken up.
The mobile also help us during emergency. Like during an accident you can immediately contact any injured person’s relatives. It also helps us while attending some boring trainings/sessions. During which you can play games on your phone. If at all you are bugged with instructor then you can just walk away from the session pretending that you attending a call. But make sure your phone doesn’t ring at that time otherwise your whole secret will be out.
But have we realized that this is taking us away from the physical world and we are living more in the virtual world. Like if someone get’s a call, it a normal tendency to attend the call without giving any thought to the current face-to-face conversation. The ring of a mobile creates a sense of feeling that something urgent is waiting for us, even when majority of times it is not. Hence, we tend to divert our attention from the face-to-face communication to the insensitive instrument.
There are some people for whom mobile is the most important thing. Where ever they go whatever they do they need to talk to someone or the other on the mobile phone. Like some of my colleagues continuously talk on the phone while trying to work. They try to do multitasking between work and maintaining relationships as if to defy the logic “Do one thing at a time, do it perfectly with full concentration”. There are some who while eating too feel the need to talk on the phone. That is the height of necessity! One caution: never to go with such people alone for lunch or dinner. Because they are sure going to talk on the phone saying “Just for 2 min” and they’ll go on till you finish your meal. Thus, leaving you with no other option but to watch the birds or the bees around if you are lucky to find one.
Also, have you observed one thing that when we are walking in a group; if suddenly your mobile rings then while talking your pace slowly starts to decrease. You tend to walk behind the whole group just to state “Hey idiots I don’t require your company any more, I have hooked an intelligent fellow”. This is the same case if you are typing a SMS. You are furiously thinking to come up with a humorous and a funny reply without bothering much about people around you.
You people are in the same predicament as I am. Whenever I go to my room all my room mates are busy talking to their girlfriends, with each one enjoying in a separate balcony. With me the unlucky fellow who doesn’t have a girlfriend had to spent my time with the idiot box trying to find something good. This reminds me of one incident: I was with one of my room mate discussing about our dinner plans, just then one of his friends calls him up and asks him about dinner. Just observe at the way he replies “What man tell fast, Dinner? No I am busy now”. Wow I thought what a pleasure at least some one respects my feelings. Just then his girlfriend calls him up just observe the change uh. “Hey hi, I was just about to call you. What dinner yeah I am free. Fine it’s my treat today where you want to go Dominoes, Pizza hut…” I though what the hell.
At the dawn of 21st century if you see things have changed, relationships have changed, mode of communication have changed but do people have to change? Yes! They do to keep pace with fast moving world. At the same time we need to remember about ethics and values. We need to give importance to relationships to face-to-face communication. We are so much dependent on mobile but just imagine if given a chance to sacrifice your mobile for a scenic island just cut-off from this world. To live life your way without any accountability; I would love to, at least for a short duration.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Life is a Fairytale
Its story about a guy called Norha and his friend Kafe. They used to live in a village near a mysterious dense wood. Many people tried venturing into it but none returned back. Probably it was the paradise on the other end of the woods holding them back.
They started their journey in the evening after the sunset. It was all pitch dark and they couldn’t see anything around but the determination to succeed pushed them forward. The lonely walk of 2 days into the dense wood finally ended. They both heard sound of two people, talking to each other. They sounded as if they were old and tired. Both of them got scared especially Norha, he wanted to go and hide into a secure area. But Kafe thought otherwise. He didn’t listen to Norha and went ahead. Norha had no other option but to follow him.
They were amused to see two old trees talking to each other. They were not at all dangerous but on the contrary tried to help them. They gave them fruits to eat and also warned them about the dangerous creatures. Knowing all that they could from the trees they both continued their journey.
The forest along with its dangerous and unpredictable side had a beautiful side too. With myriad kinds of trees, flowers along with scenic mountains ranges. While enjoying the ride in the forest an animal caught their eye. It had some problems with its limbs. It was trying very hard to get hold of some fruit which was at the top of the tree. It was high above. So, they two could not help him. They waited almost for 2 hours to see what it would do. It took lots of efforts on its part to grab the fruit. With its dedication and commitment, it finally got hold of the fruit. That was probably one lesson they learnt, to achieve something in life you need to get your full focus and energy whatever be the circumstances.
They went ahead after some days met a weird looking person with long hair and was shabby. He was totally immersed in his own thoughts. They tried to ask him as to what he is doing over here. He replied back “I’ll take you to paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty”. By hearing girls Kafe was very excited, he agreed without even thinking back. Norha had some premonition but Kafe just forced him to accompany. Moving along with that person they actually realized that the grass was getting greener and denser and the height of it rising. When they reached they saw all the people over there were similar to the one they had met. They were enjoying by screaming loudly and also enjoyed eating some special kind of grass. After a few days of enjoyment over there they agreed to move forward in search of their destiny.
After many days of walking they were amazed to see huge walls surrounding something. They entered inside to find all the people wearing similar kinds of clothes. Over there no one had time to talk to each other all were busy with something or the other. There they found some weird creatures. They had a small body and long ears, large eyes and a very large head. They all had one common objective to catch a funny looking creature very similar to a cat. Kafe as usual was excited about it and forced Norha into the adventure. Catching that creature required lots of preparation where in everything needs to be perfect. They both had to work hard for it. Finally the D-day arrived and all went on hunting for it. While hunting, Norha made a big mistake and instead caught some other creature. That creature was not that magical and none were satisfied with it. They both somehow got so fasinated about this hunting process and the creatures that they continued doing it.
They both continue in search of that magical creature without much success. Probably all the village people who venture out into the woods, find some similar activity which hooks them. They somehow forget about the beautiful people with whom they grew and enjoyed. They somehow forget that it is these people who gave meaning to their life and here is their destiny their heaven. God bless their souls.
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