tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-200912192024-02-20T17:32:17.584+00:00Impressions 'n ExpressionsReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-43230321594144620402012-04-30T21:27:00.003+00:002012-04-30T21:27:48.822+00:00Chance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Chance, destiny, fate...whatever you call it, is just an inkblot on a page in history, observed fleetingly, used as a prop to debate the imponderabilities of life. But the enormity of chance and happenstance in shaping who you are is usually given a short shrift, because we would like to think that we have our lives under control. <br />
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We like to think we know where we are going.<br />
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Sometimes a chance occurrence jolts you and you awaken to the possibility that life may not be as simple as you thought it to be. The mind-numbing fear you feel when it crashes into you from the periphery of your vision, spreading an ever growing vine of doubt and fear, opens your eyes to a life that just might not be playing to the rules…the rules that you built in trying to factor in each and every possibility, the rules that lead you on the path to who you are now, the rules that are designed to take you to the person and fulfillment you knew you were seeking…all these hangs on such chance occurrences. These are our moments in the sun when we lay totally exposed and naked to self-doubts and on such chances are knit the tapestries of our lives.<br />
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These are the moments when we have no control over our destiny, we are but passengers. Journeymen. <br />
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They say, life is so much more beautiful when we can embrace the concept of how fleeting it can be and realize not all that we dream, desire, and want will come true, but the moments shared in dreaming these dreams…together, will be worth it. They say, sometimes, all that will remain are memories of these shared dreams. Maybe they are right, because not always do all of us make it back, sometimes you come back with memories. Sometimes all we are left with are memories. Memories and scars that will take a lifetime before we finally come to terms with it. It is then we realize, maybe, that these scars however traumatic, were also responsible for who you became. It is up to you to look at these scars and remember.<br />
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When you are enveloped by this gloom of sadness remember that you owe to each of them to remember…to be thankful for the chance you have been given. Sometimes all you can be is thankful, sometimes all you can be is grateful.<br />
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Other posts on loss,
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<a href="http://readnright.blogspot.com/2010/08/is-there-greater-tragedy-than-promise.html">Is there a greater tragedy than a promise that wasn’t given a chance?</a>
<br />
<a href="http://readnright.blogspot.com/2007/08/and-therefore-never-send-to-know-for.html">...and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
</a>
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<a href="http://readnright.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-will-remember-you-friend.html">I will remember you, friend
</a>ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-87945379956852186452010-08-26T14:37:00.003+00:002010-08-26T14:52:53.418+00:00Is there a greater tragedy than a promise that wasn’t given a chance?We all trek into the vicissitude of life awash in a kaleidoscope of promises and optimism. Even as the horizon we are hurtling or ambling toward seem to move ever so slowly away from our reach, we harbour in us a promise, a need, a desire that keeps us from giving up. There is always a reason that supports us when we are beat, a reason to make that moment last a little longer. <br /><br />There is no telling how long the journey will last. A vast majority of us see the end of the road coming and prepare accordingly in own way for the inevitable. Some of us are pushed to that moment of certainty and walk into the vast void of unknown and master their own exit ...the foundation of their plunge built on broken promises, heartbreak, or an unwillingness to stretch that moment of certitude. <br /><br />But a few of us are blindsided by the suddenness of the eternal black and leave in a blinding flash of ordinariness that is as abrupt as it is overwhelming. What we leave behind is inexorable sadness and a penetrating sense of loss. All that was bright and beautiful a moment ago vanishes into the magnificent void of nothingness and what remains are wisps and strands of memories of a life that was cut short.<br /><br />Destiny or chance, whatever we believe in, doesn’t hold a candle to this searing unfairness of it all.<br /><br />Is there a greater tragedy than a promise that wasn’t given a chance?<br /><br />Will miss you. You were a beautiful person Sooraj.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-44790014314302279522010-07-19T02:51:00.004+00:002010-07-19T14:31:32.383+00:00InceptionIts been a while since a movie created this sort of anticipation and it has everything to do with Christopher Nolan, who hasn't had a real misstep in his career since he announced his arrival into mainstream movies with the mindfuck of a movie, Memento. Since then there has been Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and of course The Dark Knight. All of them have been highly accomplished features which fell into the right side of very good movies.<br /><br />Inception, is another one of Nolan's winners that literally toys with us with its intricate plot structure that is structured like a heist movie while remaining at heart one man's journey to find his way back to the one thing that holds any meaning to his life.<br /><br />But intricate structuring does not mean that Nolan makes it difficult for us to understand the almost straight forward narrative that is at once intellectually stimulating and yet does not condescend to the lowest common denominator among us - like most mainstream movies tend to do. Until the end everything is kept straight, though am sure the last scene will have its share of debates around it. Does this movie deserve the ambiguity at the end...I would assume so, cause it allows each one of us to carry with us our own interpretation to what actually happened.<br /><br />The story line follows a group of dream stealers who invade the mind of a target to implant an idea deep into his subconscious. This involves travelling deep into a dream within a dream within a dream and effectively creates a situation wherein it becomes difficult to tell what is real and what is a dream. The plotting is an amazing exercise in playing with layer upon layer upon layer of complexities that are bound together by complex rules. After the exposition is done, the movie is one long sequence that hurtles towards the end as it intercuts between the different levels of dreams the protagonists are trapped in.<br /><br />Inception features some amazing sequences, but the highlight for me was a gravity defying action setpiece set in a hotel lobby.<br /><br />Hans Zimmer's music score complements the action on the screen providing the right amount of zest and suspense as the movie speeds towards the climax.<br /><br />The acting for what its worth is quite good, especially Di Caprio and the always delectable Marion Cotillard. If there is a quibble, it is that the other characters are not suitably developed to provide us with any sense of emotional connect. This may be deliberate, because the central story of Inception is about Cobb's<br />(Di Caprio) journey at finding a way to atone for past sins and his relationship with Mal (Marion Cotillard). It was also nice to see Joseph-Gordon Levitt in an action role after his essaying of the timid Tom in the anti-romance, 500 Days of Summer.<br /><br />Inception is another one of those accomplished sci-fi movies that can be grouped alongwith the likes of The Dark City and The Matrix. It also makes me wait to see what Christopher Nolan can come up with next.<br /><br />Recommended.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-81757544336106916472010-07-12T19:55:00.002+00:002010-07-12T21:33:58.356+00:00...of Vuvuzelas and Africa...and that concludes another edition of the football World Cup. South Africa hosted a wonderful and memorable month of football, not pretty football most times, had its share of controversies, moments of ecstacy coupled with the cruel agony of defeats, beautiful goals and moments of magic...but that is just football, the World Cup is so much more than just football. The sheer drama, the extravagance, the flamboyance that surrounds the people's game brings so much life in these troubled and cynical times. It was nice to see the Africans unite together at least for a month and support the tournament, support each other and for a fleeting moment give rise to hope.<br /><br />FIFA, despite all its issues, has done so much more to bring humanity together and build a sense of optimism. A sense of optimism to a world that is going thru tumultous times while getting increasingly fractured along racial, religious, and economic lines. I do not think any other sports organization can claim to have done as much or even aspired to. FIFA over the years has started shedding its pro-european bias and have become more inclusive. The emergence of Africa as a footballing power is the result of this inclusiveness. <br /><br />Now you have thousands of Africans plying their skills in Europe. It is heartening to see the likes of Drogba and Essien not just content to make money and be a part of success stories that were built on individual skills and talent, but also get involved in trying to change the fabric of a land that was pillaged and raped for centuries, the scars of which are still left behind to erupt as communal and ethnic strife that plagues this great continent. The African footballer has become a symbol of hope for the thousands of children who have nothing better to look forward to in life. For a generation that lacks access to basic amenities like water, health services, education...football is a way out. I remember one of Essien's interviews for the Time magazine where he states that when he started playing football Ghana did not have one proper football stadium, but now Ghana is one of the powerhouses of African football...indeed world football. Sadly unlike footballers in any other part of the world, the African footballer besides trying to compete with the best in the world also carries an enormous burden...he is carrying ...hope.<br /><br />I know, this is just wishful thinking on my part. How can something as trivial as a game of football even aspire to such greatness. But what do we need now more now...the naysayers like Pele or the English media - who prophesied that Africa will not be able to host an event of this magnitude - or a willingness to believe.<br /><br />South Africa showed the world that, we can do it..all we need is to find out what we want as a part of the global community. Brothers and sisters from the African continent, with their vuvuzelas and enthusiasm managed to keep alive the spirit of carnival, the spirit of togetherness and showed us that if only we shed the cynicism, if only we looked beyond the shallowness of superficial differences, we can forge a world that can with all its difference be a wonderful place indeed. <br /><br />Thank you South Africa.<br /><br />Bring on Brazil.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-15522934260814149952010-04-15T17:26:00.001+00:002010-04-15T17:32:11.422+00:00Time and IdentityRecently I had a chance to visit the Institute of Contemporary Arts at Boston. Two hours later, I felt overwhelmed by the knowledge that I am either way ahead of time or maybe way back, as I was absolutely wonderstruck by my ignorance of the contemporary art culture - at least in the Western world. That's supposed to be a joke, because I am quite clueless about art in general. At different points in my life I have come across beauty in a painting, a sculpture, or a mural and more, but I have never tried to learn more about what struck me about it and why? I guess, one can't actually define beauty...because, I believe, the state of mind plays a really important part in appreciating it, well at least, that's my argument. The concept of beauty is an idea that evolves and mutates.<br /> <br />The exhibits looked beautiful in a very abstract way and yet remained incomprehensible to my base sense of aesthetic sensibilities. I am sure everything on display had a reason for its existence, I am positive the two young women who were discussing From amongst the golden foil spread in a very deliberate fashion, the cuboid made of pins, cross-section of an ant farm, Emily Dickinson's lines as white solids...one section made some kind of impression on me, the lithographs titled 'Still Waters' and the solid glass sculptures by by Roni Horn.<br /><br />Roni Horn uses photographs of the Thames in flow as a metaphor for the mutability of time. Using Heraclitus's postulation, <em>'you could not step twice into the same river, for other waters are ever flowing on to you,'</em> Horn uses the dark swirling waters of the river to emphasize that time is transient. Each picture is annotated with references to incidents, movies, books, and more that frankly made no sense to me, but it did make me try to reach out and grasp the essence of these almost quotidian displays. Using the simply magnificent solid glass sculptures, Roni Horn evokes the changing nature of identities as a shift in light or how and where you are observing from causes the solid glass to appear liquid. The amorphous nature of identity is beautifully brought out using seemingly immutable inanimate objects, exemplifying that we are more complex than we can ever hope to understand and identity is a prisoner to perspective.<br /> <br />I don't know if it is what the artist intended, but for the next few hours all I could really think about was the influence of time in our lives. An abstract concept at best, time has become an integral part of how we run our daily lives. But do we really understand it, do we really even think of it as anything more or less, than as a point of reference to connect our existence with to the world around us.<br /> <br /><em>The time is gone<br />The song is over<br />Thought I'd something more to say.</em><br /><br />Sitting by the Charles River, watching the yachts trying to catch a good wind, watching life as she jogged and cycled and gathered along the path, capturing a moment here and letting go another there, I tried to see myself for who I really am. Who I am has been lost I guess, who I am is a judgement that you make, who I am is just another wisp of wind that you wish I could be, a reflection of your desire.<br /><br />Another crazy take on <a href="http://readnright.blogspot.com/2006/01/timespeeddistance.html">time</a>ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-5538039304103381362010-04-09T16:39:00.002+00:002010-04-09T16:45:39.487+00:00I've always been fascinated by death. The feel of it, the smell of it, the quietness of it.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116783/">Kissed</a> <br /><br />A tender and poignant love story of a necrophilic. <br /><br />Sandra, a loner, works in a funeral parlor embalming corpses. What no one knows is that she connects with the cadavers she embalms in a deeply personal and spiritual way. Her obsession, 'glorious and overwhelming', involves treating the bodies that come to her with reverence and understanding, because she believes that though dead...they can feel. Sometimes the connect she feels with them also leads to engaging in sexual activities. Matt, who knows about her necrophilic tendency, loves her and tries to reach out to her without really understanding the reasons that drive her. Sandra's failure to communicate what her obsession really means to her results in a misunderstanding that leaves him frustrated and unable to convince her about his feelings until he realizes that there is only one way she will really understand what she means to him.<br /><br />Movies dealing with extreme forms of fetish are not for everyone and this one more so, as necrophilia is as controversial as it is uncomfortable. <br /><br />Without being exploitative or gratituous, the movie works as a conventional love story set against the backdrop of an unconventional fetish. For those who are not turned off by the nature of the subject, Lynne Stopkewich fashions a good watch.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-24939543118750514272010-01-30T17:59:00.001+00:002010-01-30T18:02:15.169+00:00"If a body catch a body comin' through the rye..."<span style="font-style:italic;"><br />"Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be."</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye</span>ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-12519948476253501972009-08-17T09:11:00.001+00:002009-08-17T09:14:32.349+00:00Bolt, running with the GodsOn the 16th of August history was made...in 9.58 seconds.<br /><br />Since the arrival of computerised timing, world records in 100 meters have never been beaten by more than a few hundredths of a seconds, but here we are talking about tenths...TENTHS.<br /><br />Tyson Gay came in second at 9.71 and that time would have won him any of the previous World championships. Five men running under 9.93 in the same race should qualify this to be the greatest 100 meters dash of all time.<br /><br />Beijing 2008 saw Usain Bolt cruise thru in 9.69 seconds and that after easing up in the last 15 meters. That should have told us that this boy will one day maybe do a sub 9.6 seconds someday...someday. But barely two years after Asafa Powell set the world record of 9.74 at the IAAF Grand Prix in Rieti, Italy, Usain Bolt has gone on and taken off almost two tenths of that time. <br /><br />I guess, barring a major screw up, no one ever thought beyond Usain Bolt to win the 100 meters World Championship. Gay wanted to prove to the world that he belongs and Asafa Powell, who has lately being in the shadows of his more illustrious teammate, wanted to show the world that he has what it takes to become a world champion once again. But with absolutely no disrespect to either of these two men or anyone else who was running along with him, Usain Bolt was running his own race on this warm night in August. <br /><br />9.58 seconds. This is an incredible enough record that will stand for a long long time...unless he decides to take it down even further, and one would be foolish to bet against that happening.<br /><br />Now when he says that he will run the 200 meters in under 19 seconds...does it sound like a vain and cocky statement or as a statement of intent coming from a core belief in his ability.<br /><br />Usain Bolt the greatest short sprinter in the modern era.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-34298560034242769342009-08-14T17:58:00.003+00:002009-08-14T18:04:17.118+00:00...it ends hereThe rivers runs wild. The river runs true.<br /><br />The river dried up.<br /><br />Too soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Another post on</span> <a href="http://readnright.blogspot.com/search?q=river">River</a>.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-73722296495192053022009-08-14T17:55:00.000+00:002009-08-14T17:56:55.599+00:00NumbnessHow would you charecterize the drugged numbness of apolitical existence...Isn't living more than just existing?<br /><br />The question is not when you stopped living...the question is why?<br /><br />Wouldn't you would rather fight and be burned on a stake?<br /><br />At least you had a reason.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-69735722538134212292009-07-16T08:31:00.001+00:002009-07-16T08:31:42.686+00:00One small step...How sad are we...to celebrate the the right to consensual sex. <br /><br />But celebrate it...we must.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-50181008145029735722009-06-26T04:49:00.003+00:002009-06-26T11:50:47.290+00:001958 - 2009Its an incredibly sad day. <br /><br />Thank you for the music, Micheal Jackson.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight...here one day, gone one night. <br />Like a comet, blazing 'cross the evening sky...Gone too soon. </span>ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-24704162786651448842009-05-18T11:04:00.004+00:002009-05-18T12:12:55.752+00:00Baraka<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103767/">Baraka</a>. Am amazing glimpse into life. <br /><br />Without dialogues, without a story and without a conventional plot, Ron Fricke's movie manages to evoke something so innate and basic in us thru a powerful synthesis of music from across the world and stark yet vivid imagery, capturing the grandeur and simplicity of everyday life...where even the most prosaic appears surreal. <br /><br />Magnificent landscapes merge seamlessly with scenes of everyday living, drawing you in as you succumb to the call of a powerful emotion that transcends time...transcends language.<br /><br />Blew me away.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-33809214606046753482009-04-05T17:36:00.002+00:002009-04-05T18:04:43.857+00:00Fast food...<span style="font-style:italic;">"That bastard then asked me to get out."<br /><br />"He is always like that. Chutiya fellow needs to get his head examined. I hate chem 'coz of him. Fuck."<br /><br />"Abbey yaar, this taste yummm..."</span><br /><br />Overheard at a food joint. The speakers were two school-going kids, who didn't even seem to be in their teens.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-43372483911752971482009-02-26T12:26:00.003+00:002009-02-26T12:37:20.444+00:00Darwin's Legacy lectures.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_darwin">Charles Robert Darwin</a> (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882).<br /><br />On the occasion of the bicentennial year of his birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species">On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life</a>, here are a series of introductory lectures conducted for the Stanford University Continuing Studies course on Darwin's Legacy.<br /><br />Darwin's Legacy, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fysSblKjjvA&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=F2E17B4CDCCE15F5&index=0">Lectures 1 thru 10</a>ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-73663960356442520822009-02-10T11:19:00.003+00:002009-02-10T11:29:47.256+00:00Literary orgasmYou ever wondered where you will be able to read the definitive version on Landolt-Bornstein and its co-relation to Silicon-29...worry not, my dear friends, here is where you can pick up your copy. Finally the hardcover version of '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Coupling-Constants-Silicon-29-Landolt-Bornstein/dp/354045277X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233528973&sr=8-2">Chemical Shifts and Coupling Constants for Silicon-29 (Landolt-Bornstein: Numerical Data and Functional Relationships in Science and Technology - New Series)</a> is now available at Amazon. <br /><br />Do read the customer review sections...provides you with more incentive to hurry.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-8918406085159136032009-01-23T18:59:00.002+00:002009-01-23T19:18:41.133+00:00Being happy, being peacefulSomeone asked me the other day, <span style="font-style:italic;">'What is more important in life...being happy or being peaceful?'</span><br /><br />I wonder.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-50303493246111144882009-01-23T18:38:00.000+00:002009-01-23T18:49:01.082+00:00No excuses...<span style="font-style:italic;"><br />"There are no excuses. I could blame it on a lack of match practice time, or on playing the world number 10. I had a sore stomach as well."</span><br />Sania Mirza on her second-round exit at the hands of Russian 10th seed Nadia Petrova.<br /><br />She is funny...give her that.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-44478526520334387452008-12-10T06:41:00.001+00:002008-12-10T06:59:49.767+00:00Teri Samundar Ankhon MeinIf this isn't soul stirringly beautiful...<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Yah dhup kinara shaam dhalen,<br />Milte hain dono waqt jahan,<br />Jo raat na din, jo aaj na kal,<br />pal bhar ko amar, pal bhar mein dhuaan<br />Is dhup kinaare pal do pal.<br />Hothon ki lapak<br />Baahon ki khanak<br />Yah mel hamaara jhooth na sach<br />Kyon raar karen, kyon dosh dharen<br />kis kaaran jhoothi baat karen<br />Jab teri samandar aankhon mein<br />Is shaam ka suraj dubega<br />Sukh soyenge ghar dar waale<br />Aur rahi apni rah lega.</span><br /><br />FaizReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-21458185526645344072008-11-29T15:51:00.002+00:002008-11-29T15:54:08.329+00:00Do you think England will go ahead with the Test match in Mumbai?<span style="font-style:italic;">"What did they tell you?" screamed the woman.<br />"they told us to stay inside and lock the door and not make too much noise".<br />"What did you hear?" she of the screaming voice, still screaming.<br />"My neighbour told me he heard gunshots".<br />"What did they tell you exactly?"...scream was turning into a shriek.<br />"You see, in the interview I gave to your Hindi channel, NDTV Hindi, I had mentioned..."</span><br /><br />This is 'live' reporting during the standoff between the perpetrators of yet another attack in the country. The screaming voice was some bitch on NDTV talking to someone holed up in the interiors of the Taj...while the other voice is someone who is giving interviews even while he is hiding in one of the rooms. This is the Indian news media during what is one of the worst attacks of terrorism on the State. <br /><br />Enough has been said and written about what is happening now and yes it is sad. But what do we take out of this?<br /><br />It is not as if terrorism is new to India. The ATS chief, who was among the tragically killed, had in fact met various security agencies in the past couple of months to ensure that security was beefed up in all offices and establishments across Mumbai, but beyond the cursory checking of baggages at the entrance...was there any seriousness involved. Even major hotels like The Taj, The Trident or the ITC group of hotels, which are the the places foreign delegates and dignitaries usually stay was sadly lacking in even basic security measures. The major railway stations in most cities are soft targets even now. <br /><br />It took more than nine hours for the NSG to be deployed when for all intents and purposes it is said they can be ready in a few minutes. The army was on the scene within a few hours, but there definitely seems to have been a lack of authority. Not withstanding the number of attacks in the country this year, there has been a marked lack of policies, and protocols defined or factored to handle emergencies like these. Rather than proactively assuage security consideration across major cities we are, as usual, reacting to the emergency situation. <br /><br />As usual, with the media in the forefront, we are going to start the blame game over who started it and who trained these misguided group. As usual, we are going to start talking about Pakistan's involvement. As usual, we are going to go to town about how politicians are goin to use this incident to further their own interests. As usual, the spirit of Mumbaikars, or any other city unlucky to be targeted, is going to be bandied about. As usual, the media is going to shove the mikes on the faces of armchair critics and non-entities like bollywood celebs, the Shoba Des and the Alyque Padamsees and allow them to voice their incredulous anger about how the country is being fucked up by politicians. As usual, we will have to listen to the santimonious screamings from the Barkha Dutts and the Arnab Goswamis who spltter words from their mouths that barely hides their glee in the rise of the TRP ratings...you should hear Arnab Goswami utter a million times, "...another hostage has been killed. You heard it first on your news channel...Times Now." FUCK.<br /><br />I agree, the politicians cannot be absolved of the crime in not being prepared. There has been knee-jerk reactions to incidents like these and yet nothing concrete is being done to have a plan to deal with it. We can't stop terrorism. It will be there as long as there is socio-economical or socio-political divide existing in this world...what we can do is to try and be prepared, so that the next time something like this happens...there will be a semblence of sanity in how it is being managed. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Do you think England will go ahead with the Test match in Mumbai?"</span><br />This one was a gem from CNN-IBN a few hours into the attack.<br /><br />Where was a stray bullet when we really need one?ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-64258655642871034152008-11-26T15:31:00.002+00:002008-11-26T16:44:40.459+00:00Bailouts in a free-market economyIt’s ironical...suddenly the proponents of free market and capitalism want State intervention and support. Till yesterday they were shouting hoarse about governmental regulations hampering growth and development and today we have them lined up asking for bailouts.<br /><br />When you see Banks and Investment firms across the world falling like proverbial nine pins…the solidity of the nationalized Banks in India bears a testimony to the banking regulations in our country. Of course cash flow has been affected by the global recession, but the Reserve bank of India who prescribes guidelines for banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions has ensured that the fundamentals of our banking norms as established in its objectives are strong enough to weather the global economic gloom. The Reserve Bank of India who formulates, implements and monitors the country’s Monetary Policy ensures that liquidity is maintained in the economy and banks in the country do not have to go the Citigroup way.<br /><br />One of the primary reasons why banking systems across the globe failed was…greed. ‘Greed is good’, a buzz phrase in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, was seized upon as the mantra upon which the Investment Banks were operating and their haste to make a quick buck from an economy that was already showing signs of having reached boiling point short circuited global economy. The effect of their rash decisions did not rest within the financial sector but percolated down to other sectors…primarily the auto and textile industry and sent the world spiraling into recession.<br /><br />One of the sector that was crying out the loudest in India for deregulation was the airline industry and they are the one’s who are screaming for handouts to sustain themselves. But wasn’t one of the primary principle of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism">free-market capitalism</a> competition and profit maximization, where creating a sustainable entrepreneurial enterprise is determined solely by the operation of a market economy that is beyond the ambit of a central economic planning. The King of Good Times is certainly not flying high right now…ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-33556269701337559652008-11-12T11:02:00.003+00:002008-11-12T11:28:51.585+00:00Farewell dada...Indian cricket will not be the same again. It may go on to become the best cricket playing nation in the world and shatter all the records there is...but history will remember that it was Saurav Ganguly's young Indian team that paved the way and started the journey. It was the confidence of one man and the belief he instilled in his team members that resulted in transforming Indian cricket forever.<br /><br />Farewell dada...and thank you for the music.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-36952186756352339572008-11-11T10:51:00.000+00:002008-11-11T10:54:32.743+00:00Trust and faithRecently I was forced into a situation - of my own making, I should say - to seek an understanding into the concept of truth, trust and the real world. <br /><br />What is <span style="font-style:italic;">truth</span>?<br /><br />What is <span style="font-style:italic;">trust</span>?<br /><br />A dictionary might define truth as a conformity with some fact or reality. But what if reality itself is a perception that cannot be defined in anything but an abstract sense? Does truth still hold a valid and objective definition? Truth is supposed to be enlightening, but how then does it stand to reason when truth blurs the distinction between fact and reality. There are people who believe everything real to be a fact and vice versa...but how true is this assumption? <br /><br />I have always believed that truth can only be subjective. Kurosawa's Rashomon, one of the pinnacles of cinema making tried to explore the objectivity of truth. Without trying to really find an answer, Kurosawa managed to show us that truth cannot be objective. The very loose nature of truth depends on the context to which it is attached. <br /><br />I guess its just me and the way I look at life that precludes me from finding any real meaning to truth. This is also maybe because somewhere deep inside, the cynic in me has ruled out anything substantive to the meaning of truth. Today, truth is another word, to be used to further our needs...our pursuits. Truth is one more weapon in our arsenal to be used any which way we want. It can be bent, twisted, shortened, lengthened and altered to be the key that unlocks the door that stands in our way.<br /><br />Perhaps, long ago when it was coined...it meant something, but now, the necessity of surviving in a world that is increasingly becoming a metaphor for the Darwinian principle that espouses 'survival of the fittest', truth has come to represent our crutch. <br /><br />Truth has lost its meaning - if ever there was one. Today its easier to say I have faith in God than I trust you.<br /><br />Yesterday truth was one of our guiding beacons. Today it's trust. Tomorrow it will be faith.<br /><br />How long will it be before faith itself gets corrupted.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-26741530342590503722008-10-06T11:56:00.002+00:002008-10-06T13:21:45.635+00:00Rise and fall...The Sensex fell by over 700 points today. <br /><br />Black Monday, they are calling it.<br /><br />Why do I find a vicarious sense of pleasure in seeing the Sensex crash?<br /><br />Of course, quite a few people stand to lose big time, but they were hardly complaining when it went thru the roof, were they? Also, all those who invested in the equity market did so out of their own volition to make a quick buck. They should have known with every rise...there is a fall. In usual circumstances, the flicking of a coin has two outcomes. Going after fast and easy money is generally accompanied by a higher risk...ask Lehman Brothers who were left holding mortgage securities that was worth even less than the toilet papers in their swanky offices.<br /><br />At least, the rise and fall of the stock indices gives you some entertainment in the form of analysis from all the leading news channels. Some of the reasons these 'experts' give out are hilarious. Till now, they had the Left to blame each time there was a slight flutter...wonder what they will come up with today? <br /><br />Probably Prakash Karat farted...ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20091219.post-28187747812748420762008-07-30T14:27:00.002+00:002008-07-30T14:29:21.267+00:00Youth, Stock Market and the Star Spangled BannerWhat is with our fucking obsession with youth?<br /><br />Everywhere you hear that the 'youth' is the future, the ones who will alleviate all the ills of our country, the ones who have all the answers, the ones who will lead the way and take it upon themselves to transform potential to realization and we shall awake one day to the new India. <br /><br />Unfortunately, little do the purveyors of the 'India Shining' campaign realize that thrusting the mantle of responsibility is one thing, but acknowledging it and understanding it is another. <br /><br /><em>'With great powers come great responsibility', </em> went a sappy piece of line from a movie, but it emphasizes the difference between having the power and knowing what to do with it.<br /><br />The future, an ephemeral concept at best, will come sooner than you think and in the blink of an eye the youth of today, spent and exhausted and past their youthfulness, will be struggling to comprehend the mistakes and missteps of the yesterdays spent in worshipping at the altar of self aggrandizements, without having once wondered about the mantle they had been entrusted by the all knowing pundits of today’s world...our national news channels, who act as the moral conscious of the nation. It is another thing that they themselves have denigrated the very ideals of journalism and pillage and scavenge on anything that remotely smacks of luridness catering to the baser instincts of the lowest common denominator. <br /><br />Today's youth - and I am not painting everyone with the same brush, cause there are some who do see - are self centered, selfish and too deeply enmeshed in their own little world and don't really care about what is happening around them. Of course, they sprout homilies and sit around feeding their faces while shaking their heads and making grave statements about why they think the country is going to the dogs and why we are corrupt and why we will never change and then call for the next fucking round of drinks. <br /><br />Fucking youth.<br /><br />Then there are these self deluded morons who measure the quality index of life in general on the whims of the stock markets...they are also known as market analysts. The day after the Left parties had pulled out their support to the Government, the stock market rose and there was this bitch on one of the channels screaming out that the nation had responded to the roadblock that was the Left parties who were holding back Mr. Manmohan Singh from carrying out reforms and why now India can charge forward and take its place among the global economic superpowers. The next day the stock market fell and then selfsame bitch was on about how the markets are responding to global cues and oil price. I mean from under which rock these idiots crawl out. What do they use that lump of mass in their skulls for? Anyone with an iota of brains in them knows that the stock market is just another casino, a legalized gambling den. How much difference did it make in absolute sense when the BSE index was at around 21000? How many more of the over 60% of us who earn below Rs. 20 a day get to eat a full meal, drink water that was potable? How many more children got an opportunity to attend school? Fuck it...what exactly changed in our country. Oh yes, the number of millionaires doubled in one year, we have more dollar millionaires in the world now. The rise and fall of the stock markets do not change anything here...they do not. They make the rich...richer. The poor stay isolated from all this. <br /><br />Oh well, Mr. MMS and Sonia ji were mentioning that the nuclear deal with the US is the panacea that we were waiting for...so let us all stand up and sing, the Star Spangled Banner.<br /><br />Where’s the fucking perspective.ReadnRytehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00209735777668026556noreply@blogger.com2