India in 2008

Top 10 events in 2008 from an Indian point of view (In chronological order)

1. A general election is held in Pakistan. Precursor to Musharraf’s downfall from the presidency.

2. India sets a world record by sending 10 satellites into orbit in a single launch.

3. United Progressive Alliance led government survives a crucial no-confidence vote based on disagreements between Indian National Congress and Left Front over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

4. A series of seven bomb blasts rock Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.

5. Olympics take place in Beijing, China. India wins it first individual gold.

6. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection. Precursor of global economic recession.

7. ISRO successfully launches Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft on a lunar exploration mission

8. Barack Obama is elected the 44th President of the United States, and becomes the first African-American President-elect

9. A series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Taj-Oberoi attacked.

10. Israel initiates a series of air strikes against the Gaza Strip

12 hours of Gajini

The plan was fool proof.
Buy the movie ticket 2-3 hours before the show
Get good seats
Hang around for an hour or so
Have dinner at one of the Indian restaurant
Walk back to the theater
Enjoy Ghajini
By the time movie ends, be ready to celebrate Christmas Eve with fireworks and foam holi.
Awesome! Isn’t it?
This was our idea of an awesome night. We, a bunch of Indian researchers (some working, some hardly working and some studying god-knows-what…but none a pub loyalist and drinker as is the trend among Indians in Singapore)

The only problem with my plans is, they never work. My friends know it, they always disapprove it, they agree to it finally, they curse me in the end, and then they forget about it to get into the trouble all over again.

So, we starter at 4:30 pm…office was half day due to Christmas Eve… The show we targeted was 8:45 pm. We reached the theatre at 5: 45 pm. Bought tickets. Planned to go Little India for food... It takes 30 minutes or so walking… walking will make us hungry suggested somebody…Met another friend there. Forced him to give us a treat for no apparent reasons…We enjoy taking treats like that. Our treats come as surprise, at least to the host. Having stuffed our self with Indian delicacies, we leveled things up with an Indian masala tea.

Walked back to the theater. Walking is good suggested somebody again. It helps to digest any Indian food.

The theater was crowed as expected. The show was houseful. There were lots of desis flaunting their Indian ness. It’s a good place to check out new desi gals in the town. Finally, we manage to squeeze in to the theater, and found out our respective seats. We do not like to miss our initial dose of trailers which they show during the start of the movie. It was Billo Barbar this time. And then came a heavily built guy with his family, to shatter our dream.

Apparently he wanted to sit on out seat. I, being the perpetuator of the plan, was left to handle the situation. I got up like Gajini’s Aamir (I realized this later) only to be beaten by the Gajini himself (not literally). How could two groups have the same seat numbers for the same movie for the same show? They cannot. We had been given the last show ticket by some mistake. By the time I decided to leave the theater, my friends already had.


I walked out of the theater to meet the lady who sold us the ticket. She denied. We persisted. She denied some more. We made a scene. Manger intervened. She accepted her fault. Manager agreed to give us the next show ticket, which was at 12:15 am. What will we do till then, and we will miss our Christmas Eve fun too if we go for this show. The manager solved our first problem. He offered us Rab ne bana di jodi for free. What more an Indian love other than a Bollywood movie? A free bollywood movie show.

We agreed.
Watched both the movies.
Came back to our respective abode by 4:30 am.

After 12 hours of Gajini
Still feeling sleepy. Waiting for the next day
To be abused by my friends in suffering.
But I am sure they will forget about this mishap and will again agree to be part of my New Year plan.

Life's lessons by Lincoln and Kipling

I find a striking similarity between one of my favorite poem (If by Rudyard Kipling) and the letter written by Abraham Lincoln to the Headmaster of the school in which his son was studying. Both are deeply motivating and draws the contrast in life. Have a look and appreciate if you may.

If by Rudyard Kiping
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

A letter written by Abraham Lincoln
"He will have to learn, I know, that all men are not just and are not true. But teach him if you can, the wonder of books.. but also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun and flowers on a green hillside.

In school, teach him it is far more honorable to fall than to cheat.....

Teach to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is wrong.

Teach him to be gentle with gentle people and tough with the tough.

Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone getting on the bandwagon...

Teach him to listen to all men; but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth, and take only the good that comes through.

Teach him, if you can, how to laugh when he is sad... Teach him there is no shame in tears.

Teach him to scoff at cynics and to be beware of too much sweetness.. Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to highest bidders, but never to put a price on his heart and soul. Teach him to close his ears to a howling mob.. and stand and fight if thinks he is right.

Treat him gently, but do not cuddle him, because only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be impatient.. Let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will have faith in humankind.

This is a big order, but see what you can do. . He is such a fine little fellow my son!"

Would you die for me?

Would you die for me?
Asked a friend
May be...would you?

Would you die for me?
Asked a muse to her creator
A pause…I guess so

Would you die for me?
Asked a beloved to her lover
Yes of course. Darling, what about you?

Would you die for me?
Asked a prophet to his follower
If that is your wish

Would you die for me?
Asked a child to his mother
Silence…and she cried