Remembering Kalam

Perhaps the man wanted his 2020 vision to remain untainted by the harsh reality that is to follow, for we haven't done all that he has asked us to do to achieve it..

It is a nail that will remain etched on the walls of our hearts, hurting us each time we think of him, for Dr. Abdul Kalam has orphaned us, and has left us forever..

Well, there has been a significant pause on me posting articles on any of my blog pages - I know, of course that you guys are kinda happy with me not pestering you to read them, but it's ironic to see that I had plenty of time - and I didn't run out of topics either, for there are 6-7 unfinished posts..

A little retrospection resulted in me being greeted by a rather surprising conclusion - yeah we all know that my writing is highly emotional in addition to being narrow minded, biased and judgemental, but who would've thought that intense emotion is the drive for me to write?

Oh, yes, it baffled me... I see that stress, anger, frustration, delight - these emotions churn rich - or at least, good language out of my fingers that ceaselessly type, struggling to catch up with my racing brain... one sleepless night and there you have it - another article for you to hate me for..

Anyway, after a month of doing nothing, I'm back to activity, with a little enthusiasm and reasonable energy.. A huge leap, from staying in a PG to doing one - from staying in a single room with my own bathroom, to sharing my room with three people and the bathroom with thirty, I'm back to studies - what I call "real" activity when compared to pointless copy-paste in Excel at work...

While I hope I get enough time to write, I post these lines just to shake myself out of apathy and remind this page - and its only follower, that it's still alive....

At Jama Masjid, Chandini Chowk, New Delhi

What is this - do I find myself relishing, why, embracing Islam as I sit here on this cool marble floor of the Jama Masjid this hoy afternoon?

Yes, as I entered the place I felt a higher affinity for this place - more than even that I felt for Akshardham - this place is open, honest, free..

I find muslims clad in their traditional wear but behaving perfectly "normal" om every other way. Yes, a vast majority of people jere are muslims and a meagre andfula re tourists.

Some praying, several taking pictures, quite a few lying down - relaxing, sleeping. Such a free, nice place to come to - I'm happy I came here.

India is a country that had a great population, which diversified with invasions..

Yes, Muslims invaded, killed, conquered, slaughtered, but the Mughals made the place their own, pouring their hearts out in the form of the undeniably beautiful architecture. Mughal culture blends into the prevalent Hinduism in a manner that is not only harmonious, but strangely beautiful as well.

I was foolish to think that India is only Hindu, there is unity in diversity here.

Air Travel - my best choice?

A relatively more general article this time, people - perhaps my most general one so far. I've tried very hard to be purely objective, and believe me, I'd have been more successful if only I hadn't been sitting on a plane while writing this down. It is funny or perhaps, apt, that I write an article against flight And, yes, I haven't diluted anything while typing it out, so there it is.. I admit I started off quite personally, but I get general, trust me.. And let me admit, while it did turn out to reflect my opinion more than anything else, this one's not half as good as my deliberately biased ones, so brace yourselves..

Now, before you buckle your seatbelt, straighten your seats and open your window shades to embark upon a journey that I am not going to take you on, I'll ask you to pump up your adrenaline, for you are to be reminded of an experience that every middle class Indian would've gone through. I expect this to be effortless for me- well, at least the next paragraph alone..

Close friends stand on different IP address fronts, armed with the best internet connections they can lay their devices on, alert, highly sensitive to every ticking second, their concentration increasing multiple fold over each minute as time approaches 10:00am.. Bizarre thoughts come forth and dissolve, unattended to - "Is there a way to apply Einstein's relativity equations to gain some time with IRCTC? Doesn't time move slower away from the earth where its gravity is lower? Should I sit upstairs? A few higher floors, perhaps?" Available #160...9:58:34... Refresh.. 9:59:39, status quo... Refresh- 10:00:04 Oh shucks! Available 154, Book Now... Yeah now!! Oh, darn thing signed out! Signing in again.. Invalid captcha? No, that's a lie you double crossers! Signing in again- hope drained out.. CKWL or REGRET or whatever.. ultimately, window of opportunity has closed mercilessly.. Ah, the burden of inevitability.. Can words express it?

Hesitantly, a flight ticket is booked - once that is done, the pain dissolves, for it is the anticipation of an expense that causes more pain than the effect itself. Acceptance comes at once, bringing forth relief.

Sometimes, the excitement that adrenaline can offer, beats that of testosterone by an unimaginable margin, giving a man pleasure that remains as a memory - something that the latter can never do. Such is the state of a not-so-frequent flier as he enters the airport after years. All memory of the frustration that had gripped him the previous day numbed, why, gone completely, he walks, proud, drinking in all he can, from the ambience, clad in his best outfit and behaviour, reporting well before the stipulated time.

To truly impress a man, an ambience must have something that he has, if not seen ever, at least not seen in a long time. That way, the airport is slightly disappointing, for people seem - well, not exactly amazed, to say the very least. The ambience is, well, fine, the airline staff make no effort to conceal their disinterestedness, mechanically weighing bags, handing out boarding passes and coolly turning down any request made by passengers. The passenger can't help but feel slightly let down. However, our middle class once in a blue moon traveller's best behaviour doesn't let it show. A couple of unfair entries into check-in queues by a couple of heavily made-up homo sapiens of the feminine gender are barely noticed, and baggage drop is over before he realizes it.

Moving on, security check is an uneventful, followed by the long wait. A peep in the restroom reveals that those in malls are maintained far better.

Entering into the aircraft, a cabin that withstands tremendous pressure - both physically and psychologically, the passenger is greeted with a long-practised smile and a customary greeting - one that veterans choose to ignore while newbies enthusiastically reciprocate, and some soft, dull music that barely anyone notices.

Once settled, the passenger notes that airhostesses (and hosts) display unmistakable signs of disinterestedness - they can't be blamed entirely, there are some passengers who don't realize that air hostesses are merely flight attendants (yeah, they are trained to be salespeople these days). Of course, the passengers aren't the sole culprits - Indigo's female flight attendants wear a badge on their sleeve that says "girl power". It triggered a flashing thought, the first time I saw it, that I chose to ignore. I am still not clear on what the term intends to imply. Objectification of the fairer sex is something that has penetrated every layer of society - why do women agree to even do this? Cheerleaders, lewd dancers, receptionists, and even something supposedly "professional" - flight attendants? Yes, there are male counterparts, but there is a vivid utilization of the fact that they belong to that particular gender. I must say, however, that flight attendants handle it pretty well.

The flight usually starts taxying a good 15 minutes after the announced time of departure, with a rapidly uttered (or prerecorded) announcement, mentioning the flight crew's names and a couple of other information intended to be ignored - and of course, the old, boring safety instructions.

A casual read through the magazine kept on the seat pocket might trap one's ego on a pedestal - a pretty high one - 30,000 feet in fact, with their nicely worded advertisements, claiming ridiculously expensive products to have been priced at reduced rates "for those who soar" - such an advertisement once had me flattered for a while, before I came back to my senses.

A little turbulence or bad weather will bring to the surface the Captain of the plane - a man whose mention had been ignored at the inception of the flight. He assumes ultimate power, deciding when passengers will have a free belly, switching the seat belt sign on and off, deciding on whether beverages should be served on the plane or not, and much more.

Buckling your seat belt on and off based on indications of a seatbelt sign allegedly controlled by the Captain, buying overpriced drinks and snacks out of helplessness, and asking for water just because it's free, sitting in a not-so-pampering-anymore capsule to arrive at your required destination a few hours, or perhaps a day or two in advance, doesn't sound like a very inviting option - well, at least not one to pick very often.

The time and money spent on travel to and from the airport, at the baggage belt and so forth, could be spent enjoying better things - if you've got time.

JMHO

An era of, um.. openness? Or should I say exposure?

No, please don't hit the close button immediately.. This isn't going to be a sermon on tradition and conservatism - I might touch upon its periphery, yes, but do read on, and I promise you, you will have plenty of opportunity to judge me - and curse me, if you so wish.

The 21st century is one that would, perhaps baffle even the best thinkers of the previous generation, why, I'd say those of all time.. Anyone would've said that exposing one's (well it at least applies to women) body in a provocative manner would become fashionable, but who in the world would've thought that the same would apply to engineering - and by engineering, I'm implying both the crude mechanical and the 'soft' computer wings.

The OOP (Object Oriented Programming) revolution proved that programmers ape real life, modelling programs based on real life object attributes such as character (properties), behaviour (functions) and the like, but time has turned the world around, with openness penetrating every possible field.

As technology engulfs life, flattening the three dimensional world into two dimensional screens which tend towards 3D, real life objects take an unexpected turn, tending towards - for want if a better term, unreality. Programmers who talked of concealment, hiding and encapsulation during the OOP phase, have now shifted their focus to open source. Now that is understandable, but it comes down as a paralyzing shock that their closer-to-the-old-real-life counterparts shape their design to ape the obsolete procedural programming paradigm - do what you want to do, and as long as it serves the purpose, don't bother.

Believe it or not, these days even buildings like to flaunt the structures that keep their roof up. Until some genius coins a nice term, I'll call this "engineering glamour". So far, I've seen it at a couple of airports, and I believe that it will spill over to conventional buildings too.

Trust me, people, this is no joke, and just to prove that it wasn't just one exception, I'm putting below some pictures of this phenomenon, vividly seen at four different airports in India, namely Chennai, Mumbai Bangalore and New Delhi (Courtesy: Google Images, because I'm lazy to put the page URLs):

Chennai Airport

Mumbai Airport

Bangalore Airport

New Delhi Airport (Terminal 1D)

What will it be next? Transparent wings and fuselage of airplanes to reveal the rib, longeron and bulkhead structures? Or will the exposure mania inflict another unbelievable arena? Maybe someone should shoot a film depicting out-in-the-open surgeries..

No wonder the oldies keep saying that they don't know what today's generation is rushing towards...

Dumbsmash?

As with several ones before it, "Dubsmash", another highly overrated pseudonym promises to threaten the very sanity of even extremely clear-headed social networkers.

To those of you who haven't been wetted by the wave yet, a Dubsmash video has a (usually) self recorded video where a user lip-syncs a movie dialogue or song while the actual audio plays.

As with selfies, #hashtags and memes (I find the last one intellectual though), this new forced nomenclature is gaining popularity at an alarming rate, flooding facebook feeds and accumulating likes and comments, intimidating even casual Facebook and Instagram users into making one, lest they be left out.

This new crazy idea isn't the first and will certainly not be the last of a long chain of such pointless activities today's youth, why, even middle aged folk end up indulging in.

There isn't much to say at this point, for the craze has only begun, except for the fact that its popularity is going to grow exponentially.

I hope to sit back and watch, as but a passive observer, protecting my lucidity.

Meme courtesy: Somewhere on Facebook (Forgive the grammatical error)

PG Blues - The state of paying guest accommodation in Bangalore

Bangalore is a haven for ambitious, lucky and energetic youngsters of India, and also for those who have no choice but to live here - workers, professionals, apprentices, interns, job-seekers and of course the omnipresent software engineers - these include the "lucky" ones who get into "dream" companies - be it core, IT or call centres (Over time, the differences between the last three diminish into nothing, leaving behind stress). Many of these youngsters, of course, develop into fate-fearing, energy-deficient, physically and psychologically affected, humble addicts.

In an era where ergonomic comforts, namesake health concerns and pseudo recreation at work only add to an employee's stress, the only place where he/she can hope to de-stress is his/her place of stay. Unfortunately, these de-stress sanctums leave their tenants in distress.

"PG", which used to expand to "Paying Guest" implying a person staying with a family and paying for their stay, has now become a term independent of its expanded form, implying a shared accommodation which may loosely termed as a hostel, swarming over every possible every area in Bangalore, and spreading into every possible real estate website on the WWW. Today, PGs in Bangalore serve as a refuge to thousands of bachelors, a reasonable number of married folk (if they've come alone, yeah) - and to those who visit them, either as a (relatively) permanent residence or an interstice while they find a house to move in to. As with career decisions, bachelors' decision to move out of their (dis?)comfort zones - PGs that is, is dictated largely by inertia , and some bachelors take a couple of years or even more, to move out of their PG.

So what's with all this gibberish, why can't they go for a house or a flatshare, you ask? Bangalore's house, or even room rent policy is a heartbreaking one for house-hunters, and negotiating over these is an inevitable ordeal for tenants. Invariably, house owners demand a mammoth ten-month-rent-amount as advance security deposit before making tenants sign an eleven month rental agreement, listing down conditions that turn out to be a nightmare. What's more, misguided clients are made bigger fools of, with self-sympathetic words of landlords (especially female ones -  ok, sorry). And it doesn't end there - before returning the security deposit, owners deduct an amount equalling one month's rent as painting charges - an amount that might escalate to two months' rent in case tenants wish to vacate within the agreement period. In some cases, vacating the place within the agreement period can resulting in forfeiting the entire security deposit. The owner, in short, is a dictator who can add rules to the rental agreement at his (more often her) own free will. With youngsters from the entire country flooding Bangalore, little choice remains but to concede defeat at the hands of landlord who, to do some justice to them, sometimes turn out to be nice people. Most often, though, they aren't, and lodgers go through a pitiable phase till they settle down in their new place. Oh, and more often that not, house-agents introduce potential tenants to landlords and, for their part, demand a one-month-rent amount as brokerage.

Such being the case, the concept of PGs comes as a welcome option for bachelors - and bachelorettes. People who choose PGs are often those who've joined their first company, or those who've come to find a job, and not-so rare cases include those who wish to capitalize on the proximity of the PG to their places of interest - usually their workplace, occasionally a person of interest's residence. Students and interns find PGs affordable and easy to vacate. Instability at work, short stays, attempts to save up and inability to, or inability to find time to cook, constitute other reasons.

A PG is usually located in an innocent looking building which may be a house or a part of it, one or more rooms on the terrace of a building (in this case, an asbestos sheet usually serves as a ceiling), one or more floors of an office building, or thoughtfully constructed underground rooms (no kidding). Occasionally, though, PGs have dedicated buildings. It is virtually impossible to generalize a PG's building, for there is far too much variety.

Inside, however, they converge to an indubitable pattern -  a typical PG consists of rooms (occasionally a single room) crammed with beds, with barely any space to walk between them, shelves or cupboards overflowing with clothes, shared toilets, and, if the landlord is thoughtful enough, a verandah or terrace for tenants to hang clothes to dry. In other cases, the room or corridor is equipped with a clothes line, either invested by the occupants or generously provided by the landlord. Rooms are usually shared, and are termed as two-sharing, three-sharing (no explanation needed, I'm sure) or single-sharing (sounds silly, I know). Restrooms are poorly maintained, owing to the fact that too many people (mis)use them - well, I'd rather not describe. Proprietors often hire maids for cleaning up the place, irrespective of which, the place remains filthy.

Cheap advertisements (computer printouts or pamphlets, basically) promising the banal list of facilities including unlimited WiFi, 24 Hours water supply (sometimes claiming hot water supply), televisions in each room, washing machine, "security", parking facility, mineral water among others, can be seen in almost every street in Bangalore. However, the degree to which these promises are kept, is one that can only be answered by the pitiable tenants. From my own experience, and from first accounts that I have heard, I may say boldly that over 50% of Bangalore's PGs don't provide at least half of the facilities promised.

A precipitous - why, even a planned visit to a men's PG would reveal the extent to which bachelors go in maintaining the filthiness of the place - with clothes, books, laptops and related components, mobile phones, shaving equipment, cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles strewn all around. Girls' PGs are relatively neater (so I'm told). This is more a consequence of frustration at staying in a not-so-nice place and abhorrence towards their landlord. Some PG landlords are not owners - they take a house or a part of a building on lease and then rent it out as a PG. Whether or not they are, their behaviour with tenants is deceitful and domineering to say the least. When the tenant signs up, they display their best hospitality - a feature which degrades down to annoyingly cheap behaviour in a matter of weeks. (These days nearly everyone speaks impeccable English, especially over phone and language is hardly a criterion to judge people on) Hidden charges, addition of extra cots (implying occupants), dismissal of kind maids, adding new rules to the rental "agreement", and more. In short, they make loopholes their way of life, giving dappy excuses and thrive on their clients' dearth of choices, not unlike HR and emolument staff in companies.  As a rule, they never provide proper rent receipts, and in addition to them not paying taxes, they forcibly make tax paying tenants draft false receipts to receive their deserved deductions. Lodgers' untidiness and marginal misbehaviour may, thus, be dismissed as a poor retaliation for the ordeals they are subjected to, on a daily basis. The relationship between the landlord and tenant easily compares with that between an employee and his manager - with grudge, despise and the like masked by forced smiles, pleasantries and politically acceptable talk.

At night, large queues would form in PGs offering food, where youngsters line up, anticipating the answer to the routine question - one that veteran PG dwellers would be only too aware of, while newer ones would need practice to find out: "Will it be leftovers or fresh food?" Munificent PGs that provide cooking space would have these queues near the stove, each volunteer waiting to have a go at it - while others would wait, expecting something - even a morsel, coming their way.

I have been brutally judgemental and as often in my articles, I have put forth my very biased opinion here, generalizing PGs possibly in an unjust manner, but I admit that when such an opinion is expressed, there is plenty of room for exceptions - but irrespective of the number of the latter, I choose to treat them only as exceptions here.  In the same breath, I mention explicitly that there are good PGs in Bangalore - staying in one of those myself (yes, for a change this isn't a personal vent-out), I would be a cruel person not to say so.

With many companies and opportunities in general opening up in other cities, there may seem to be heavy decentralization from Bangalore - this may reduce the rate at which Bangalore's population grows but not the magnitude (nor its increase) itself, and I feel that other cities will only adopt Bangalore's model (forgive my ignorance if it's been around for a while). I hope that these landlords are are less of greedy moneymaking shack-owners and such hostels turn out to be comfortable nests for India's ever-adjusting youth.. I can only hope..

Photo courtesy: distantdrumlin.wordpress.com