Christmas eve..

First of all Merry Christmas to all. This day when the world is painted red and white is usually very special to all the children across the globe and same was the case with me. The day we waited for, or the night may be..;) So much fun it was to be fooled by your parents, and how cleverly they used to do so!I vaguely remember, once as a 7-8 year old I started having suspicions about the existence of Santa, and I tried to spy on my parents. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep as I had this plan of catching them red handed, but alas, they were smarter..and again I couldn't figure out if it is was actually Santa! Nevertheless I started believing what I could never perceive: Santa  used to plant the gifts in my father's socks and place it under my bed..:D. Waking up early and searching for the single sock, running to my sister to find out what Santa had gifted her all formed a part of my Christmas morning for quite a many years..:P

The Christmas tree with all the decorations and the Santa in our hall, the Christmas party with all the kids in those colorful costumes, all forms a wonderful part of my memory.

For all those who could relate with this post I am sure you miss those X-Mas eves..!

Signing Off

Nirvaan

Trivia: The red and white costume of Santa was popularized by Coca Cola in 1930.

P.S. I know it's just another post, but then just felt like jotting it down..:P

Where are the best brains of our country???

Dear Readers:This post is published on the site ''News that Matters Not".

"Apart from the top 20% of students who crack the tough IIT entrance examination and can "stand among the best anywhere in the world," quality of the remaining 80 per cent of students leave much to be desired,"

This statement came from Infosys' chairman emeritus, Mr. N.R.Narayan Murthy, and was received with a thundering applause by a Pan IIT audience. The first thing which struck me was if not in IIT's, where are these bright minds, as referred to by Mr. Murthy going..?It further intrigued me that what suddenly made him come up with such a 'sweepingly high handed' remark. After much pondering I contemplated that the number of IITians joining Infosys must have been considerably rising..:P

On a serious note, according to Mr. Murthy, the mushrooming of coaching institutes is a deterrent to the quality of students qualifying for arguably the toughest exam in the world. But, I would like to ask him a question, ‘Do you think the current curriculum followed in any of the higher secondary boards sufficient to crack JEE?’ The students go to the coaching institutes because they produce results and they are pretty much visible. As they say seeing is believing. As a matter of fact 95% of the students clearing the JEE have reportedly been taking coaching in some form or the other. I believe there is nothing wrong in it, obviously if one strives to be among the best he would not care for the means, and he shouldn’t either. With the framework of the education system entirely dependent on rote learning, there is no way one can have the cutting edge without some extra guidance. Ultimately it all comes down to the vicious circle of the education system, coaching industry and the Joint Entrance Examination, with the IITians becoming a soft target now and then, more so, in the recent past.

My point here is that why take a dig on the students, rather than doing something to restructure the current education system to prevent the so-called influence of the coaching "mandis" like Kota, who just help the so-called not-so-good students with the so-called pattern recognition techniques and make them clear the exam. On the retrospect I believe even if such not-so-good students are able to clear this exam they are probably much smarter than the bright kids and are able to find the loopholes in the system, optimize their efforts accordingly and cash on it..! Why make a fuss over it…??Don’t we believe in getting the smart people on the table!! I know it sounds a bit rhetorical but then, do spare a thought.

Good research in India is as scarce as hen’s teeth and in this context I would like to put this question to Mr. Murthy, an IIT alumnus himself, why don’t you come forward and invest in quality research. Why do you need to ask the government to fund it? When you are setting your sight on making the quality of research in India at par with the MIT’s and the Harvard’s, why don’t you yourself take a stand as the Googles and the Microsofts?? Moreover in India a PhD.  student is looked down upon by the undergraduates and most corporate do not even recruit them. How are you possibly going to change this prejudiced mindset, another impediment to quality research work in our country?

Some understandings I generated for the falling standards are: the increased quota system (I didn’t want to bring it here, but then had to), the no. of attempts for JEE going down to 2, since 2006, the increasing number of IIT’s, the decreasing number of world class faculties, all lend a hand to the declining standards of IIT, but the bottom line is: Come what may, they are still the best!

All said and done, I want to know why Chetan Bhagat (another IIT alumnus…sigh,,!) cannot mind his own business (if at all he has any) and has to poke his nose in every other news relating to IIT, a publicity stunt?? I hope not, but sounds very probable considering his new book release was on the cards. I just hope he doesn’t sit down on a fast (which seems to be the coolest thing today) next time someone takes the IITians to task! After all, after Sex and SRK, the new phrase is Sex and IIT’s sell. On the hindsight I also expected Mr. Jairam Ramesh to come up with furore against Mr. Murthy, but sadly he did not.

Finally, a man of the stature of Mr. Murthy, having all the resources at his behest, should probably come up with measures to ensure that only the best passes through this filter of JEE, and rather than demeaning the efforts of the 17-18 year old kids, should be focusing his energies on nurturing these minds to put India higher on the global map.

Signing off,

A non-IITian, who would have liked to be in an IIT, even if it meant to be a part of the remaining 80%.

P.S: I just hope CB doesn't come up with a loooooooong post in this Sunday's TOI editorial.

Impromtu..

I came across this post on someone's blog and dunno why, felt an instant urge to answer these questions..

1. Without sharing your name, who are you?
A simple guy, loves to be loved, an agnostic, loyal to his relations, to some extent an introvert and is himself only in company of friends..!!

2. Describe yourself in less than five words.
Ambitious, Observant, Knowledge-Thirsty, Trust-worthy, Vampire..;)

3. Do you have any special talents? What?
Wish I had...but sigh...:(..Wait..I can drink as much coffee as you want me too...Do you count that..??And yes I can abuse well, but then that's such an abundant talent...On a serious note, I can do anything for my loved ones...!

4. Are there any talents you wish you had? What?
I wish I could dance like Hrithik...Sing like Sonu Nigam, play like Sachin, kick like Messi...Could write Well..forget it..this list's never gonna end...

5. What are your most important interests? What do you like about them?
Reading and writing has to be top most...They both give me solace..They take me to a different world altogether..

6. What is your opinion of Lady Gaga?
Well..it takes something to achieve so much at such a young age..She actually beat Sachin in thw world's most famous personalities..!!

7. If you could go anywhere right this second, where would you go?
Gwalior..Back to hostel..I m so missin' those special people there..

8. What are your favourite foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
COFFEE!!Although I don't get it all the time..infact not even once..ofcourse nothing can beat home-cooked food anyday..

9. Do you have siblings? Talk about them; if not, talk about being an only child.
A brother and a sister..My brother more like a guardian, sister more of a friend..One of my best'est possessions(Ok make that two..:P)

10. Do you like sports? What teams do you support?
Of course!!Cricket is a religion as they say..Indian Cricket team..Spain's Fifa 09 team:P, Barca,The Lee-Hesh pair..that's it..

11. Do you have any tattoos? If not, would you ever get one?
Not yet..no plans either..

12. Have you ever donated blood? Why or why not?
Yes, the day I gave my AIEEE examination...Probably b'coz my cousin just took me there and I had no choice :|

13. How do you like your coffee and/or tea?
Coffee..Has to be strong..Put in as much coffee as you can..with little or no sugar..

14. Are you left- or right-handed?
Right

15. If you’re in college, what are you studying? If not, what did/what are you planning to study?
Completed engg..(not ask me to write a code), pursuing MBA

16. What are some of your short-term goals?
Get a good job..Get into an IIM

17. What kind of music do you like?
Something soothing..

18. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

i love my India..*patriot*

19. Have you ever been overseas? Where and when?
Bhutan..yes it's out of India...(ok..enough of laughing), a month back

20. Have you ever been to the circus? What did you think at the time?
Yup..I loved it..but hated the smell there

21. Are you wearing shoes right now? If so, describe them. If not, describe your socks/feet.
Actually I m wearing floaters..


22. List some things you’d like to do before you die.

Proffessionally: Own a big company
Socially: Gift my dad a  Rolex GMT master. Settle down with my spouse and family (including both our parents) in Bangalore..
Personally:Want to pen down a bestseller

23. What do you prefer to write with; pencil, pen, crayon, Sharpie, lipstick, chalk, etc?
Pen..Since I was a kid..

24. Do you like movies? What are your favorites?
Who doesn't..??Favourites being Shawshank Redemption, P.S.I love you, The notebook,..just to name a few..

25. Do you like chocolate? What’s your favorite kind? If not, WHY.
Bring it on..There is only one kind of chocolate which says 'Eat-Me'..!

I would like the folowing people to answer it as well..Lodha , Swikruti , Lavish , Manyu ,Bulb , Khandel , Da**a , Goku , Yudi, THE , Puss , Kala ,LL
However I am sure most of them would not trouble their asses and fingers and leave it unanswered..!!

Signing Off,
Nirvaan

Refreshingly Cool..!!

A movie on celluloid, which is refreshingly cool, breathtakingly beautiful, artistically aesthetic and naturally loveable..!I won't disagree with the fact that the picturesque landscapes of Spain took away some of the emotional quotient from the film, but i ain't complaining...and that is because I simply loved it..!!There were scenes which literally took my breath away...and some beautiful moments which touched..like the one in which Hrithik is sitting on the boat, with moist eyes and a realization of how beautiful this life is...The moment when Farhan calls his mom from the prison (I know most of u won't even remember that, but to me it somehow clicked!). there were dialogues which were original, and might just go on to become historic.."mera naam imran hai, par dost mujhe pyaar se majnu bulate hai". No wonder, Farhan Akhtar has kept the best dialogues for himself...The Doordarshan sequence in the bar, and another one where Hrithik is on a video call...are truly genius..Throwing out the cell phone, Farhan giving Hrithik a pink 'mushy mushy-Japanese-School-Girl' cell phone...The three grownups playing planks..all bring smiles to your faces...A sensous kiss between arguably the sexiest male and the sexiest female..skydiving, water diving, Tomatino, running with bulls behind you are certainly the pluses..;)Ya there was an emotional angle in the lives of all the three protagonists, but then who cares..!When Kalki points out that 'obviously you won't like to go on a boy's trip after marriage' along with Hrithik and Farhan I also had the same question in my mind...Is it??Similarly, when Hrithik says that 'Who needs a wife for entertainment, when you have 1000 crores in your bank account, again this thought crossed my mind 'Is it?' but a fraction of seconds later another thought came in 'BULL SHIT!!'..To be honest, it was actually a good film to check out,  a relief from the usual nonsense Sajid Nadiadwala types..!Some wonderful poetic moments by Javed Akhtar, heart touching and foot tapping numbers by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but undoubtedly the hero of the movie was Carlos Catalan, who captured the magnificent Spain in his lens so exquisitely and yes of course Zoya Akhtar, for bringing back the DCH era once again..(yes there were glimpses of DCH here and there). In short Bollywood has come a long way from 'yes and no' to 'Ya' to 'Yup and Nope'..(I guess for the first time yup and nope has been used on the big screen..although m not sure..:P)and succeeds in its attempt to be uber-cool..!
Don't miss the trip..There's much more to Spain besides La Liga, Barcelona (yes, they showed kids wearing Xavi and Pique Barcelona t-shirts) and Real Madrid...!

Shocking Insensitivity..!

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan!!

In the context of Mumbai blasts, this yesteryear's lyrics is so apt! There have been talks going round that Mumbai has become a soft target for the terrorist, and quite visibly a favourite one too.No terrorist group is yet taking responsibility of the attacks but everybody right from Indian Muhajideen to LTE to ISI have been talked about. But the question which still remains unanswered is 'Who is to be blamed for it??'...Certainly not the common man! All over the newspapers and newschannels and social media the masses are making direct attacks at the "tainted politicians", the "indolent policemen", the politicians from the ruling party blaming the intelligence, the politicians from the opposition party blaming the policies blaming the ruling party's policies, but ultimately the question still remains unanswered! There are leaders making statements that we can't stop these activities completely, and what amuses me is the fact that the leaders from the opposition party are actually more interested in making dig at this comment by Rahul Gandhi, rather than concentrating on the real problem. Are the netas actually to be blamed for these attacks. Today on a news channel I saw a local
Mumbaikar saying "Ye neta log hamesha haadsa hone k baad hi aate hai aur hume dilasa dete hai," Are the netas informed about the attack beforehand, so that they could do something before it actually happens??Someone quoted that Kasab is still alive, but I want to ask is he the only terrorist, and how does him being still alive justify this sorry act of terrorism. Had he been killed would there have been no blasts?It's not about playing a blame game, and trying to escape from this situation...
Well, to be honest, I don't really know what we actually need to do now! The news tabloids are busy showing how they were the first to report this mishap, how the Mubaikars are helping each other and showing courage in the face of  distress, by fighting all odds. I feel this is all bullshit! Do these people really have a choice, with Mumbai getting a brand new identity- a testing ground for all the
new bombs?Are they really so tolerant to the blasts or are they simply helpless? Nobody seems to have a clue as to what needs to be done, the police, the politicians, neither the so-called Indian intelligence. Everything seems to be scripted by the terrorists, who are actually able to put it into life successfully. Everyone has defined role which he needs to perform next:

The home minister will sooner or later find out Pakistani connection in these blasts in order to cajole the affected ones (To my surprise they haven't found it yet!)

The President of USA will condemn the blast and so will the PM of Pakistan
The Indian PM as always will remain silent
An inquest will be launched by the Indian Intelligence.
The common people will do a candle march to India Gate and The Gate Way Of India.
We’ll forget everything in a couple of days; just as we have already forgotten the train accident in which more than 67 people had died, triple the number in these blasts, because none of our akins died in those blasts or in that accident.
The Mumbai locals will show their ‘heart’ and get going with their routine from tomorrow, afterall its a question of 'rozi roti'
We’ll continue playing more cricket with Pakistan team and beating them and then ofcourse patting our backs.
Through this medium, I don't intend to say that the politicians or the police are not at fault, but it's just a take on how everybody is busy blaming someone else, rather than actually getting to the bottom of this menace, and trying to extirpate this disease, once and for all. Is anyone listening..??

Signing off,
Nirvaan