If Google went for a business..?

What if Google started charging for the services it offered?
Imagine! For every mail we sent, we had to pay some amount! For every page we read, pay. For every search result, pay. Scary!

It will run Google out of business soon. Or at least bring the business down considerably! Most people rely on Google cos of its accuracy and security. And feasibility.
People would switch over to other services li'l less accurate but free. Oh I have seen enough of ads to know about people falling head over heels for "Freebies".

Cyberspace has no borders now. Now imagine if it did! Of prices, or laws, ettiquetes, politics..
-Accepted some spaces are confined. Like, if you search something in China, you get results different from the rest of the world. And France banning the sale of Nazi memorabilia.. And some sites providing certain services only to particular nationals. But other than that, I can generalize this I guess. -

The seamless worlds most of us have built for ourselves, would disappear instantly.
We could no longer be in touch as frequently with people outside our country. Let alone country, our own states. India being that diverse. I could no longer find it feasible to be in touch with lots of people whom I don't meet daily. Imagine Blogger being confined to just that one state you are from? And no other search results appear in your window than from the state you are in?
Disaster. Right?

What if the Online news went dear? I would certainly not check news online then. Would stick to Papers at home, which I sometimes find clumsy and cumbersome. Online, it is all just clicks. Easy.

We have social networking.. We have tax payment options online.. We have business deals and opportunities.. Knowledge.. Platforms.. We have everything. Almost.

I should say, the virtual life we have, is almost a replica of real life now. -For people far apart by distance I meant.- You can talk, see, spend time together.. Anything in fact.
Except touch. But you know, when you are far, you anyways can't do that. Virtual life betters the plight of people like that. And the others with time constraints. One click and you are there!
And instead of burning fuel to reach a place, you save money, time and energy.
The resulting fusion of virtual and real life, suits most just fine. Unlike what the critics of technology foresaw and still hum about.

When it comes to Mobiles, smsing -or in popular lingo, texting-, I remember a time when I had to pay Rs. 2 /SMS. And now, I have 1000s of sms free per month without the "keep recharging in bulk and we will serve you" stuff. Web on my fingertips..
Call rates are down. Voice sms, video conference everything... So much of change in just 4-5 years..
May be in future, [Mostly cos of VoIP phones] we would not have to pay anything for services on mobiles. You can be here and be there at the same time. More for less. Improvement. Call it that.
Aint that making life simpler? And better?


I dont say it does not have disadvantages. I am more than aware of many. But incidently, they are all from overuse. And carelessness. If you are careful, there is only so much Internet and technology can harm you with.

For someone like me, whose life is based on communication, things like net and mob are boons. Than banes.
It has always been hard to predict the impact of a technology. View it with doubt. But an open mind. May be it will make the world better and not worse. You never know until you let it have a try.
And if Google chose to charge me for every mail I sent, I would go either bankrupt soon or sulk to no end for want of ways to reach my near ones.
Hence, Jai Google!. :P :P :P

PS- Why did I write this? I donno. Just cos I was wondering about Gmail being a paid service.. Hehe! :D

Daily News : Will reveal secrets, threatens Khan.

Daily Dose : That is what happens when you feed a snake to help you. No one knows when it would spit the venom back on you.
pss pss! India, are you listening? Someone is dissatisfied there. Use this, will you?!

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News : "US Nuclear Gurus" see signs of more Indian nuclear tests.

Daily Dose : Another Iran? They are poking noses, in the wrong "places", at the wrong time, for the wrong reason.
And who called them gurus? If you wanna see gurus, come to us, we will show you.
PS- I hope someone tests it on their heads. Idiots. At least we will know what makes them so thick.

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Daily News : Court: IITs can’t throw out SC/ST students for poor performance.

Daily Dose : They get in through reservation, live there through reservation.. And now, they don't have to study to pass out.
Wow! Throw out the general students! And not them. 'Please' call this equality..

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I have been stuck up with exams... Will be back soon...
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Win, Lose.

When a habitual winner loses, unless he is exceptional, he takes it to heart and it beats him.
More than how much a habitual loser feels totaling the whole series of his loses.

It just hits him hard.
Imaginably, the picture of a winning loser is better than a losing winner.

My Movie Thoughts. Right Now That Is!

Well, right now, I am too bad at probability. But you know, I just felt, gambling would be a science if you were good at probability.
And quick in calculations.
For a change I am watching movies.

"21" A movie on Ben, a guy who finds a passion in math and probability, ending up gambling for his prowess in this.
I am half way through the movie.
Donno what is gonna happen through the movie. But I am enjoying this movie for sure. Anyone who loves math should watch this one. It beautifully explains the 3 door problem in probability. I was new to this some time back. But now, I know probability is far more deep than the lil things we learn in schools and even colleges. Deeeper than the theories we ever learn.

And yeah, forgot to mention. Was into a series 'The Big Bang Theory' 2 days back. A marathon of all the episodes they ever broadcast, in 2 days. must be about 9GB of stuff. Amazing if you love science and relativity. And yeah, nerdy jokes. But really amazing it was, for me. Those guys speak science, live science, are science. A series about 4 nerds and their life.
Get a chance, watch it. :)

Cheerz!
DN

PS- May be gambling is addictive. But so is passion for anything. I just finished the movie. Well, may be I expected too much from the movie. Cos as it progressed, all that happened was him moving on with life and no math or probability.
Was it worth my time? I donno. May be yes, a li'l digression from what I am into right now.

A gal and a guy can be real close friends only for a certain amount of time. They get any closer or any longer, it is either love or parting.


Please share your thoughts about this one.. I have seen numerous examples of this happening..
But not one refuting it.. Though I have heard about the friendship happening through media like radio, TV and journals I have not seen any incident on the friendship remaining..

News : India to give 2000 cr assistance to Nepal
Pranab: Commodities will be imported if need be.


Daily Dose : We have too much money with us. Dont we? :?

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Just when you think things have settled down,
they blow right up.
That is Nature's way of keeping a balance between things. :)
Though I completely hate it sometimes.. :)

The Modern Knight.

I went out and drove long.
I tried to make it look right all along.
But then, I was gonna meet a 7 foot man.
And ask him to return money he owed Joan.

Now, Joan, is my crush.
And him, her Ex- crush.
If that makes a wee sense,
with or without pretense.
This ain't the old Knight.
But I got an armor for the fight.
With Justice and right.

I go there,
I knock once.
He opens
and stares.

I tell him,
"There, you should pay!"
He tells me,
"As if you can frighten me away!"

"No I cant. But right is with me.
Justice too.
I am her Knight,
here to fight!"

"Oh! You will!..
Sure you will!..
But since I owe,
you should have proof?"

"No I dont. But you sure do."
Things took a change
and he had a smile.
"Why dont we talk like men?
Please get in while I get a pen."

I get in and wait.
He does reenter with his pen.

-----

I drive back home happy as a bee.
Whistling and humming,
a tune she sang to me.
There you see,
he had given me proof.
Writ the debt,
on my forehead in Ink.
The Indelible Ink.

Yeah, I reach back home,
I see my gal next door.
And needless to say,
I have hidden the debt with a hat.
I smile,
She smiles.
We part.

Next day, she comes home.
"Here is the money I owe you!"
And pay me back.
"Where did you get so much?"
"He payed me back, if you should know."
Oh! I was proud.
My chest swelled a bit.
I was her Knight in Armor.
Modern though.

"So he told you why?"
"Why what why?"
"You know, he payed you back.."
"Yeah he felt guilty.
And has changed.
We are going out.
Together again!"

"Oh!"
"Oh!"
"Oh! That is good news."
My chest deflated.
I was happy nevertheless.
She was back happy
with a heck of money.
And needless to say, her 'MAN'.

Like a true Knight,
I knew I should be good.
cos it is my nature.
And not cos I wanted to show off.
And not cos it was for her.

But you know,
I had stay at home,
And wait for the ink to wear off.
And that, seemed to take forever.
And the pain certainly took a li'l longer.

But I,
certainly,
am The Modern Knight!

Daily News : Gujarath bans Jaswant book for remarks on Patel.

Daily Dose : Give them power, centrally. We will be banned from talking.
Call it their Democracy!

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Daily News : India to help Nepal draft Constitution.

Daily Dose : Yeah. Make sure to leave enough loopholes like ours has.

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Two Dreams...

I had these dreams yesterday night.
I have weird dreams.. Most of them make no sense when retold. But you know, these happened to be striking and understandable for the others..

1) A 'man', looking like a devil, showing me a map..
Of a maze. Routes marked in green. and some green '6's in between.

And he is telling me
"This is the maze you crossed. And you have reached here." *Pointing the end of the path.*
I see the map shows a graveyard surrounding the end point.
"Hey, how do I go back?"
"You cant. This is the end of your journey."

Didnt know if I should have been happy I completed the quest or sad of its implications. I kinda had a numb feeling in the dream. The 'feelingless' feel...
And dont know what made me see such a dream..

2) This one is much more understandable. A slightly humorous situation.

I am an onlooker of a military camp scene. A soldier walks out of the camp. And a commoner, who was waiting for his turn to get inside to provide the camp with some service, gets up into attention position and salutes the soldier.

"Why did you salute me?"
"I respect soldiers. I salute any time them I see one."
"Then you better not get inside the camp. They will think you are having a repetitive seizure." And he walks away.

I laugh. The commoner is clueless. :D

News : Students torch bogies of Shramjeevi in Bihar

Daily Dose : Why could they not? They paid taxes. If not them [obviously, they have not started earning.], their parents. And their grand parents... They have been paying for bogeys to burn!

MAH DAD!! :)

After toiling for long, I cook something and bring it on plates for my dad and sis. Sis takes her plate. Mutters a thanks..
Dad, does not even stop playing something stupid on his mob. Does not look up from the mob!! Man! He got guts!!!

"OK! Take hold of this or I am gonna take it right back!" An angry me.

"..... ... "

"You get hold of this, or it is going back!! Do you hear me??!!!"

".... ... ..."* Hands on my hip. Typical fuming Indian lady. *

"..... clickety clickety click!...."

"Fine! I am taking it back! " :-| That indignant look [Friends call it a scowl, 'smiley face'.. :P ]. The look I am 'famous' for.

"Click! click!"

No reaction! Not even a look at me!!
I walk back mumbling about how men deserve Nothing!! Putting the plate on the dining table, I shout "OK. Have it when you want. Dont let it get cold!"
And return to our foyer.
Thinking of settling down with something, I look around.
Someone looks up.

"Yeah. Bring it on! Please.. " OK. I am about to shout. And then...
:D
That childlike grin!
I am disarmed.

All that "You have to make it. She will spoil it" and missing me altogether when I bring it to him.. And all he has to do is, gimme that grin and speak, I melt. :)

Love you dad! :) Mmmuah! :)

Edit : Needless to say, I went back to get the plate again and gave it to dad. :)

There was sunset in her hair and dawn smiled upon her lips.
She had dyed her hair burgundy and she was chewing pan :P

News : 2 President’s guards convicted of rape. [2003 rape. Convicted now.]

Daily Dose : I pity their sisters and mothers.
And our Presidents!

The ABC of Me!

The rules:
Link the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog. Share the ABCs of you.
Tag 3 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
Let the 3 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

A - Aaditya, A name I love.

B - Blogs, a very recent hobby of mine. Spend a lot of time reading blogs. Love to see the views.

C - Carelessness. Most of the mistakes in my life have been cos of carelessness.

D - Durga Nandan. My pen name. First made public in my poetry blog.

E - 'Everything has a reason'. Something I believe in.

F - Facebook. Something I never really liked though have visited it for quizzes. And just them. The site is all a mess if you ask me.

G - GE, The first campus placement I seriously considered but left cos the profile didnt suit me. They were giving me HR. I wanted PR.

H - Humor. Something I really need in my hubby. And my friends.

I - Intelligence and Expertise. I swoon for them. I have crushes on Abhinav Bhindra, Kalamji, Paul Krugman, Shashi Tharoor and the like. :D I hope you get the pic. ;)

J - J 300i My mobile model number. The sweetest cutest beautifullest smallest mobile in the whole goddam world!! You will never see me without it.

K - Kreacher. A character from Harry Potter. I used to hate it. But towards the end, I started to love this thing. Loyalty should be learnt from Kreacher.

L - Love. And care. That which runs the world. And lets us live.

M - Math. Something I had been 'too' weak in, in my school days. And something, I love right now. :) MBA. The next halt. :)

N - Narcissism, I am [in]famous for this [in]equality of mine. I love myself. :D :D

O - Outgoing. How I seem to others.

P - Parakeet. I would love to have a parakeet as a pet. But I am sure within a week I will free it feeling bad about keeping it in a cage. :)

Q - Questions. An integral part of my life.

R - Romance. [Could not help repeating Amit! :D] The spice of love.

S - Sweet. Me. :P

T - The Hindu. My [fav] newspaper. I read Express and some local dailies as well. But am partial to this. :D

U - Understanding. Again a requisite for someone to be my hubby darling. ;) You could call it, Frequency match.

V - Vagamon. The region where I did my adventure training and later, trained others. I have plans to go toil in nature again. Lemme just get settled down.

W - Wushu and KungFu. Martial arts and defense I love! Wanted to learn Kungfu. But amma refused blankly! :( :(

X - xXx. A movie I enjoyed. Not many get that privilege from me...

Y - Yoga and meditation. Something I will soon revisit.

Z - Zorro, The Legend. Would love to have the movie and the books one day.

I tag G3, Ramya, and Jatin.

I was tagged by Amit and hope to have done justice to this one.

Cheerz!
Durga.

Daily Dose has been opened for public. I hope to update it daily.

Cheerz!
DN

News : American Graduates Finding Jobs in China.

Daily Dose : Slowly the The tables have turned. Bubbles have burst.

When everyone acts his age, the madness in the world increases.

News : SRK's detention at US airport!

Daily Dose : Happy Independence day! :P

The American Provokings!

Recent News Flashes that provoked me...

• King Khan detained for 2 hours in a bloody american airport. Just cos he is a Muslim. I reckon it is also cos he is an Indian!
• Abdul Kalam was frisked by another of those effers. He remained a gentleman and didnt make a fuss about it.
• The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its “Watch List” for 2009 because it 'found' the Central government had failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several States.
• And they were gonna send delegates to look into the 'problem' to India. Thankfully, Indian bureaucrats made it clear the delegates wont be let to put their foot in India.

These are just the recent ones. Lots in the past. Some downright undiplomatic. And provoking!

The US is trying to provoke India. Rising India is a threat to them. Like they provoked lots before. 'Pick a fight and destroy.' has been their strategy for a long time now. They try the same with China as well. China has always remained diplomatic. Hence without much results. Obama has been visiting the Chinese officials a lot in recent past. The talk about changing the global monetary reference from dollar to an Asian currency , taking into consideration the recent recession and how the $ and the world economy was affected cos of it, was hushed up by our dear Obama! The frequent visits have done their job. The economists have been hushed up.

I have never been pro-american. I hope they dont provoke me enough to start a I hate America community comprising of Indians. And even the citizens of other countries it keeps poking! Provoke the "weak" too much and they rebel and destroy the 'oppressor'. Mind IT!

Wish you all a Happy Independence Day! :) Let us remain so!

The Ever Doubtful

Yesterday, I was going through a random blog classifying students.

The classification went thus,

Front benchers, back benchers, outloookers [who look out always], the wise, the 'ever doubtful',
and numerous other names for all kinds of people.
Now I was surprised by the classification of 'the ever doubtful'.. It seems to be a 'universal phenomenon'. I was one of that kind. I am. I keep asking doubts - from silly, simple, hard, thought provoking, and simply provoking.- Now, I have always encountered jeers from the others in the class when I ask doubts. Especially the guys. They start commenting, sneering, this that.. blah blah.. Even gals were not bad.. A little giggle here, little giggle there.. And a sarcastic comment here and there. Most people just threw exasperated glances at me when I started asking something.

I have noticed another thing. Experienced teachers welcome doubts, whereas the inexperienced young teaching enthusiasts join the kids in this sneering thing.

Asking doubts is my way of learning. Having[Or asking] no doubt means one of the three things.
1) You understood everything.
2) You have not understood anything.
3) You dont want to learn.

Obviously, I was not in any of the three classifications. And once in a while, I end up understanding just a little of what is taught and I dont leave the teacher without explaining it again. It is 'cos I want to know it better.

Could any one of those sitting without doubts explain to me those random doubts that arise in my mind? I bet they can't. Unless it is just an elementary doubt. And yes, these doubt clearing sessions remain in memory far longer than those uneventful classes with unresponsive and lethargic teachers.

Today, a similar incident happened. It was a puzzles' session and I met with the same situation again. I admit I have stupid doubts once in a while. Dont everyone? They hide it for the fear of being considered a fool. Or idiot. I dont. I know I dont know. Why hide and increase the ignorance? Why not clear it?
At least, if you have no mind to, why not let the others who have the guts to say 'I dont know' clear theirs?? I have wondered a lot why they do not have doubts... Any idea?

I feel like asking, "What is your problem?" and numerous times have I asked it. But I got more sneers. :) Than an answer.
I thought this attitude would change after a certain age when people become mature. Now, the age group of 20-25 react the same way.
And today I confronted one of my friends and asked her. She smiled. And smiled for a bit more.
But when she knew I was determined to worm an answer out of her, she said thus " It makes you look "oversmart". It makes you look like you want to "shine" in front of other people. And things like that..."

Now all those goodie goodie people out there, let me ask you a simple question.
If I wanted to 'shine', I would have used another technique altogether. I would have not made it clear that I dont know certain things. Rather would have stuck to ' I KNOW!'
Would I have let you know that I am ignorant if I wanted to show off?

And there is no such thing as 'oversmart'. It is either smart or not smart. People smarter than you are not 'oversmart'. No such word even exists in the English language. It is a make of the ones that aint assertive.
People more assertive and daring than you are not 'overdaring' and 'overassertive'. They are just people with a want to learn.

Arent people who jeer a bit insecure? Does not this reaction arise form such a fear? If they really wanted to learn something other than the bookish stuff, should not they be involved in the 'asking questions'? Rather than biting the backs of those who have the guts to?
Is curiosity a punishable offense? Why is a thirst for understanding things deeper met with such reactions? When will these people change? Will they ever?

I do not know.
One thing, but I do know. I wont change. I will keep being inquisitive. Ask. Interrupt. Remain the ever doubtful. "People say. let them say, what they say!"

News : The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) placed India on its “Watch List” for 2009 because it found the Central government had failed to take effective measures to ensure the rights of religious minorities in several States.

Daily Dose : "Shh Shh!!! The world police is patrolling!"
First deal with your racism. Then put your head into other people's problems!

News : 26/11 terrorists came from Karachi, says FBI.

Daily Dose : More proof please. :P

http://www.realdreams.com/rednose/exerciseLeftBrain.html

A Puzzle!

OK guys, one question!

There was this guy Ram, working in a gulf country. In a textile shop.
Once, while he was home on leave, his uncle Sudarshan, came to see him.
Now, this man had come to ask Ram if he could take his son, Sharath, who is deaf, with him overseas. And ultimately, get him a job in the shop.

Ram was reluctant. On one hand, Sharath was deaf. And he had a slight limp. He could not walk for long and cant hear. What job!!

Now, since his uncle kept bugging, he agreed. Next year, Sharath left with Ram for The Gulf.

One month into the job, the owner [of a chain of textile shops] sent Ram back home, in search of more deaf and lame people, for the other branches.

Now the question.
What was the job Sharath was given? And why was the owner eager to get more of the kind?

I will tell you this. The textile shop surely made a noteable increase in profits cos of Sharath being employed. It is logic and pure practiality. Nothing else!

News : Split India, says China think-tank.

Daily Dose : And The Panchsheel was signed for your grandfather?

Dream on. You guys are jobless anyways!

കൃഷ്ണലീല

സോമപാനം ചെയ്തു കൃഷ്ണന്‍,
ഗോപസ്ത്രീകള്‍ തന്‍ തോയകര്‍മ്മം
കാണുവാനായി ആലിലേറീ
കാത്തിരുന്നു.

നേരം സന്ധ്യ നേരമായി.
വന്നു,
ഗോപ സ്ത്രീകള്‍ കൂട്ടമായി.
അംബരാദി പഞ്ചമങ്ങള്‍,
തീര-ദൂരതിട്ടു തമ്മില്‍,
ആടി പാടി സാരം ബ്രുഹി,
ആറാട്ടിനായവര്‍ വാരി പൂകി.

അരശുവൃക്ഷ മുകളിലായ്‌, ഈ
കേളികള്‍ കണ്ടുകൊണ്ടു
ആസനസ്ഥന്‍, കണ്ണനെന്തോ
ലീല തോന്നി.
മെല്ലെ താഴെ
വന്നു കീഴെ
വര്‍ജ്ജിതമാം വസ്തൃമെല്ലാം
വാരിക്കൂട്ടി കൊണ്ടുപോയി
ആലിലെറി ചെന്നിരിപ്പായി!

ഗോപസ്ത്രീകള്‍ കര്‍്മ്മമെല്ലാം
തീര്‍ത്തു തീരത്തെത്തി നോക്കി.
കണ്ടതില്ല സ്വന്തമായിട്ടോന്നുമെങ്ങും
പരി-ഭ്രാന്തരായി വീണ്ടും നോക്കി!

പെട്ടെന്നെട്ടുനില പോട്ടുമാറുരു
അട്ടഹാസം കെട്ട് തമ്മില്‍
ചകിതരായവര്‍ കൈകള്‍ കോര്‍ത്തു.

മരക്കൊമ്പില്‍ വിരാജിക്കും
കണ്ണനെ, കാണെകാണെ,
നഗ്നരാമാവര്‍ നമ്രമുഖരായി,
ചെല ചോദിച്ചവര്‍
താണ് കേണു.

"മുകലിലേറീ വന്നു നിങ്ങള്‍
വസ്ത്രമില്ലാതത്ര നില്‍ക്ക!"
കണ്ണനിത്ര മാത്രം ചൊല്ലി,
തുണിയെടുത്ത്‌ കൊമ്പില്‍ തൂക്കി.

വേറെ മാര്‍ഗ്ഗം
ഒന്നും കാണാതവര്‍
പതിയെ മുകളില്‍ കയറി വന്നു.
കണ്കുളിര്‍ക്കെ കണ്ടു കണ്ണന്‍*,
അവരുടെ വസ്ത്രമെല്ലാം എടുത്തു നല്കി,
അപ്രത്യക്ഷന്‍ ആയി. പോയി.

ദധിധരിചിട്ടൊടിപൊകെ,
അവരോര്‍ത്ത് പോയി കൃഷ്ണലീല.


PS- Dedicated to that someone who revealed yesterday, that he reads every one of my poems.
Thanks dear! :)
I just overcame my writer's block. :)

Loads of love,
Durga Nandan.

News : Mumbai: After Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, now bollywood actor Imran Hasmi says he has been denied a house in Mumbai because of his faith.

Daily Dose : They might be afraid for their daughters. Heard you were taking private kissing classes...

I just imported one of my blogs to this address. Please bear with the sudden 33 post update that happened. :)

Cheerz!
Durga

A Question.

For whose sins are the deaf, dumb, blind and the challenged born so?
Why should they have to lose and suffer?
I know lots do overcome their challenges and live better than 'normal' people.
But my question is, why them?
A child, born blind, is innocent and has not yet sinned. Why is it blind then? For whose sins?

Like The Holy Bible says, for the sins of forefathers? Or for God's miracles to have a way to man?
Or like Geetha says? Karma? Then why dont we remember our past life and its deeds, so we repent and regret it?
Does the Q'uran say anything about this?
Or for that matter any other 'holy' books?

If God was all fair and good, why does he allow things like this?

Crisis

Today morning, amma, appa, me and sis were having a chat over coffee.
And it turned to our futures.

Amma : Soon, you will be married off.
Me : A bad topic.
Sis : You really should get married soon.
Me : Yeah, you are next in line, so the hurry. Right?
Sis : Nah, It will take another five years after yours.
Me : Then?
Sis : The sooner you are out, the longer they [pointing dad and mom] will get, to get over the financial crisis cos of the amount they have to finally pay so that someone would agree to marry you. *tongue out*
Me : Cross. *tongue out*
Appa and Amma : Laughing their heads off. :-|

After two secs of a cross face, when I could control myself no more, I joined the laugh. :P

The Different Pits..

May be, I should have gotten along with a single blog rather than the six, I own now.

------
I have read about Naranathu Branthan [a 'mad' man, an enlightened soul.], one of the twelve children of a 'parayi' [a dalit]. Those twelve, ended up being good in their own fields.
Now, one day, this Naranathu Branthan goes to his eldest bro's [Agnihotri] place. As they say, Agnihotri was taken in by a Brahmin family and considered himself of higher status than the rest of his kin. And had a lot of misconceptions 'cos of his this ignorance.

So, back to the story, Naranath Branthan, reached Agnihotri's place in the morning. And asked the antarjanam [a brahmin's wife] to inform Agnihotri that he has arrived to see Agnihotri.

And got an answer that Agnihotri was in pujas for Ganapathy. Naranath Branthan dug a pit with a stick in the front yard of Agnihotri's home, while he whiled his time.

After half an hour, he inquired again and got the reply "Agnihotri is doing pujas for Shiva". Another pit.

Another half an hour, "Indra", another pit.

Again, after half an hour, another deity... and so on and so forth.
Every time he got a different reply, Naranath Branthan dug a new pit.

Finally, near noon, Agnihotri came out. Adorned with Bhasma and flowers from pujas.
And sees his front yard full of pits.

"What is this bro?"
"Nothing, every time you prayed, I dug a pit."
"What do you intend to tell me?"
"If I had dug a single pit, it would have become a well now. And I would have gotten water from it. My thirst could have been quenched."

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I wish I could combine the whole stuff. Really. :(

Time Travel

If men could travel in time, we would have already met someone from the future in the present.
Which we have not.
Time travel, hence is impossible.

Any counters?

First Kiss

A first kiss should be something like a bumble bee on a flower.

Flower, the silent invite and hidden wants.
The bee, humming and making clear, the love and want of more.

The Every Something...

Now, I had this friend in school, who was beautiful by all normal and extraordinary parameters.
Fair, plump with right amount of everything in the right places, tall, sweet talking, brainy in the slabs of more than average and what not!
Now, I -OK that is a confession, so what!- used to go jealous on her. A lot. Guys just flocked behind her and every time she appeared around one of the corners, guys just turned heads in unison. Instances like me talking [or rather arguing with] a guy, when suddenly she turned around one of the corners and he stopped everything to ogle, always *made* my day.

OK, in the jealousy stuff and Pink love, I am a perfect gal. But then, you cant blame me. :P Blame my XX.
I was that average Jane with nothing more than passable looks and a lanky figure and tomboyish attitude. I used to get into fights with guys and was considered a feminist even by my teachers. Still am. But now they call me someone for equality than for feminism. My views on that would require yet another post.
Anyways, so I wondered why the hue and cry, which later on made me decide that looks mattered a lot more than anything else. And sweet talking. Now, there was this me who would argue if I found something wrong, be it with even a teacher. Talk about sweet talk!
I had left as in *discarded* my thoughts about being even liked by a guy. I was just not the type. Not that I really minded. Facts, minded or not, remain facts. :)
Life went on. And I grew up. If not mentally -still a baby there- physically and psychologically. Got in touch with guys, mostly through some debates on equality or social stigmas and the like. And interestingly, let me tell you, those guys stuck around. And even now ask for my opinion whenever some serious issues come up.

Now, the more close we got, I found out a lot of things about guys. The looks part comes secondary to them. Not that they dont give a second look to a "gorgeous gorge", but would end it with that or a night of thought about her.
When it comes to real life and a long relationship, they all need a gal with presentable looks -yeah looks do matter, but not to the extent of saying saying no cos of just that.- , intelligence, manners, character and the like, and yeah, respect for elders, which never figures when they are on flings. I was surprised.

When I look back, my worries were baseless. I am in for long term relationships and just them. And those, look green for me. So, even if I were ogled at in school, I would have had to work again, to be the one for life. Hehe.. So in a way, I was almost more prepared for what I wanted, than lots, just that my day was yet to come.
You know, they say "Every *something* has a day! ;)

खुदा से बड़कर,
अपनों से ज्यादा,
करती हु मोहब्बत,
क्यों, ये मुझसे,
कभी भी पूछना मत.

Mujhko bhi tho lift kara de!

Things are getting better. Geet jaise thankyou bolu tho "Thankyou babuji!" :)

A friend of mine, after a long wait, got his marriage fixed with his love.

Another, has finally ended up in a job after much wait.

Yet another, having had his share of trouble, is finally happily settled in his job.

Another, though not in a college of his choice, has gotten admission in a college for the course he wanted and hence stopped missing a year.

Another, heartbroken soul, found solace in a gal again.

So on and so forth. People find life better.
I see happiness all around.

Ab meri baari! God, mujhko bhi tho lift kara de!! :)

Nickies..

Yesterday, I was mailing someone and suddenly I realized I had hell lotta nick names..
Just jotting them down. :)

Jo [-meaning sweetheart. Almost all call me this. ] from a poem

JOHN ANDERSON, MY JO
by: Robert Burns (1759-1796)

JOHN ANDERSON my jo, John,
When we were first acquent,
Your locks were like the raven,
Your bonie brow was brent;
But now your brow is beld, John,
Your locks are like the snaw,
but blessings on your frosty pow,
John Anderson, my jo!

John Anderson my jo, John,
We clamb the hill thegither,
And mony a canty day, John,
We've had wi' ane anither;
Now we maun totter down, John,
But hand in hand we'll go,
And sleep thegither at the foot,
John Anderson, my jo!

Yeah it addresses a man. But somehow, the meaning does not change. :P I still am a sweetheart. :P

Joe [ -Meaning an average person. I have barred people from calling me that. :) I am not just a Joe. I have others like Jomol, Jokutty and similar variations of 'jo' in the list. But not mentioning them separately.]

Angel [ :) ]

Jyoth [ A poet friend of mine uses this. Some of my friends from KV as well.]

Moonlight [It is a name I took over for myself. Jyotsna means moonlight. But now, some address me as moonlight.]

Pinkie [For my love for pink. A long lost friend of mine used to call me that. Now and then, others also do call me Pinkie. :)]

Gudgudee [:D]

Mannunni [-Means stupid. Oh! Sometimes I am real stupid. :D Neeraj's creation.]

Muthassy [ -aka Granma! :( A recent acquisition. Cos I sometimes boss around people I love.]

Pink lady [ Again cos I love pink. ]

Vaava [ :D -means baby.]

Joy [A teacher called me that first. Later, some friends did the same.]

Adventure gal [ HP's creation. For my love for adventure sports.]

Powerpuff gal [Again HP :)]

Thangu [My family and real close people use this one. Dad called me thangu first. :) Love you dad!! -means pure gold. :) ]

Thankini [ An aunt of mine calls me this. Sometimes some of my cousins.]

Ammini [A recent aquisition again. :) ]

Ammu [ 2-3 friends.]

Lambu [A maternal grand uncle calls me that one. :D And some cousins.. Cos of my height. The other grand uncles call me things I wont divulge. :P]

Joes [ Random people who suddenly find that they kinda like me. :)]

Princess [:)]

Sweetie [ :) ]

Molu and Molutty [ DG and one of my ettans use these.]

Potti pennu and Mandi pennu [Cos I make stupid mistakes every once in a while. :-| Though I don't actually feel bad when they call me that. Somehow, the love always overrides the teasing. :) -They both mean stupid gal.. ]

Unnimol [Another recent aquisition. :D ]

Kannan [Yeah a male name. But with love, it has no gender difference :) For those who donno, it is a name of Krishna.]

Everyone has something different to call me with love.. :) It feels good to know people take me close enough to call me names proxime to heart.
Some names, I would rather keep to myself to preserve their sanctity. But majority has been mentioned. :)

May keep adding to it.

Treat this a Tag and do blog mentioning your nicks. I tag Ramya in particular. :)

Happy Friendship Day Guys!! :)

Today something sweet happened. :)
I was getting forwards on phone for friendship day. Some heartfelt, some otherwise. Early morning calls from close ones. That was all for this friendship day, I thought, remembering that it was not my college days anymore.
Never thought someone would remember me enough to make my day special. So, as usual, class chali gayi, bina kuch preparations ke.

Class me, log planning kar rahe the. [Aakhir 'GREAT managers in making!' :)]
Kaise celebrate kare?
Aur cake mangvaye. Kaate. Sirs bhi aaye. Joseph sir hamse ye friendship zaari rakhne ko kaha.
Mein soch rahi thi, chal sabse, tho practical nahi. Mein kuch logon se zaroor hamesha 'in touch' rahungi. :)
'Kuch log saath rahthe he. Par phir bhi saath nahi. Kuch, saath nahi, par hamesha apne dil me.' Unhi se.

Waapas bus stand tahal rahe the. Mein aur ek classmate. Suvarna. Ladki bahuth sweet he. Baath bhi sweet karthi he. Cute he. Ham baath kar rahe the. Us hafte me kya hua.. kya nahi.. Aur kuch hamare shares ke gossips. :P :D Classes shuru hone ke dino baad hi woh mere dil me ek jagah bana li thi. Yaar uthni sweet he! :)

Door kuch chalne par ek junction pahunche.

Achanak woh ruk gayi. Aur mere aur mudhkar, mujhse "Happy Friendship day. Be with me, always." kehkar, ek band nikali. :)
Junction me teharkar woh mujhe band baandhi. Kuch log sab kuch chodkar ye dekhne lage. Kuch mudh mudh dekh rahe the. [Are busy junction he! :P]
Ek aakar pucha.
'Friendship day?'
'Ya'
'Band bandthe he?'
'Yup'
Smile. :)
Smile. :)

'One minute' Aur me jaakar paas wale dukan se sweets le li.
Waapis aayi aur aise hi, sabke samne, usse khilayi. :)

Loved it. :) Flaunting he. Par Sweet he. :) Made this friendship day sweet and special. :)

PS- Yaad aa rahe he, college me, sab band bandhe the. [bajaye nahi. :P] Bands bhare haath lekar ghar thak.. :) Waah! Missing some things about college. :)

Happening Parts. Part Four

Zindgi beeth rahi thi aisi, ki achanak ek din,....


Varsha eloped. With a guy who was her classmate since KG classes. It made a hell lot of commotion. Her parents came over. And asked us about her affair. I was questioned the most. I hung out with her and was her roommate.
"What does she do in her freetime?"
"Did she inform you where she was going?"
"Has she talked about this guy to you?"
Crap! I should have known behind this silence, a mind was working things out.
Teachers, the hell of gossips, questioning stares, it was pretty difficult to live with all that. Was ground with questions for almost a whole week. Finally they got some info from a person who lived in the locality Varsha and the guy rented a home. She had gotten married. Her 'would have been'? Donno. Now stop questioning me!

Tiring week. I took leave for a week after things diverted from her 'friends'. Me. And took time to relax. [If you could call it that. All I could think was Varsha, Varsha and still more Varsha.] I was really disturbed. I didnt understand why she kept it hidden from us. But when I thought again, she had really no need to share it with us. We would not make any difference. Right? Or could we?

A week later, Karthik, Shyama, Abhimanyu and me got together. Under the Greenwood Tree. Abhimanyu was silent. Shyama too was silent for the first time. The silence almost killed me from inside. After sitting there for almost half and hour, Karthik looked at me accusingly. "Did you know?"
"I didnt."
He looked down. and sighed. "You know, you should have."
Shyama and Abhimanyu didnt even glance up.
"But she never talked much. How was I supposed to know? I thought she was just silent."
Silence...
Karthik opened his mouth to speak again..
"Leave it. Ok? She is happy now." Shyama said suddenly.
We looked at him.
"How do you know?" I asked not able to contain myself.
"I knew" Shyama broke his long meaningful silence
"I knew it all the way. We both knew. She was my class mate till 12th. And I knew about her and Shashank. He will keep her happy. Lets now forget about the whole thing. Can we?"
Karthik got up. Went over to Shyama in an agitated motion. I thought he would slap Shyama. But then,
" Are you sure she will be happy?? " voicing our anxiety.
"I am 100% sure. I know Shashi. He is good. Will keep her happy."

Without a word Karthik walked away. I thought of following him, but could not muster enough energy to do it. I was numb. Shyama knew. Why?? Why did he keep it from us? But if she would be happy, I am happy about it too.. She could have mentioned it.

I didnt go for my practice that day too. Didnt see Karthik or Shyama that day again. Saw Abhimanyu. He was there searching some books in the library. I walked around the shelves to dodge him. Sat there browsing for sometime. Could not concentrate. Left at 8 o' clock.

From next day on even though I sat waiting, under the greenwood tree, neither Narthik, nor Shyama came. Abhimanyu came. But when he saw it was just me, he said something about having to browse and left. He never came again from the next day. In classes, we sat near each other. Me and Karthik.
But when I tried talking, he became very interested in his pen's top and seemed not to hear me. I dont force myself on anyone. And I didnt intend to do it on him either. I stopped trying to talk. And he seemed satisfied. It pained me. But I never tried talking again.

"Was this all friendship is about? Shyama knew and never mentioned. Why blame him? She didnt say. To Durga Nandan too. Must have barred Shyama Krishna. Wonder why people never care to share. Was this what I wanted when I remained here? The episode repeats. How will I know what else is in the others' minds now? How will I trust Durga Nandan now? What if she has something going on too? Shyama Krishna, does he know? Why God! Why cant I trust anyone??!"

Shyama was someone who talked to me, yet remained impersonal. About some random stuff like books, events, GK. What the hell did I do? When I asked him why he never came there, he smiled very unpleasantly.
And said " Some people wont like it. And I dont think I feel too good about our group now. It may never trust me again."
His words had that finality that I knew further argument was of no use.
And he stopped flirting. With everyone. And just talked casually to me about the course now and then. That is it. Abhimanyu was kinda lost in his own world. I didnt dare talk to him.
I had lost my best friends there. And whom I thought were close. And days passed..