Why do I miss South India?

I asked this man, a marwari (Rajasthani) at Hyderabad airport, to accommodate my luggage since it was exceeding limit for me. He looked as if I asked him his wife..stupid ignorant–sorry bhaiya, aajkal toh malum hee hain kaise kaise hadse ho rhe hain…..yea, yea, sick my duck. When I got down at Jaipur airport, miserably dressed more people and mouth packed with pan waving, shouting and damning every act of decency. And I thought once more after thinking million times while in the flight, god, wish I could be in South or Hyderabad. I miss the food, I miss the culture, I miss the atmosphere and above, I miss those people. For people, 5 months is a duration to while away time and get back to their place asap. For me, 5 months knotted some really cool bonds and moments. Moments which have stuck to my mind and heart like chewing gum to hair. And it is that motivation, no..not  motivation but objective for which I wish to achieve my goal. You see, I have an objective to attain my goal. Weird! I just wish that good luck chuck grudge ends now. It has been toughest this time and I am trying to get over. I just wish to hate god the most for this bane in the form of bliss, but I can’t. Just trying, let time  heal it. I was warned but I did not worry and now it is me who suffers. And now I think it’s been truly said, the world’s most desirable things are banned, illegal or married to someone else. hahaha….one hell of a statement.

I miss Tamil too. Professional, one word is enough. It was a place which actually taught me how to behave. You want an attitude, come to Chennai. You want to see commitment, come to Chennai, you want to sweat even in cool breeze, come to Chennai. I cannot be specific what it is so superb about this place, but I feel so safe and respectful when I was there. I enjoyed their civilized way of living..now do not bring in their way of eating. It is how they eat so no comments. But everything was organized and everything was simple. No pomp and show!

Ask me where do I wish to spend the rest of my life, it is South. I can enjoy as much as I want in Hyderabad and I can grow, professionally as much as I want in Chennai. Bangalore is not India! Once you lived there, it is impossible to like any other city of India. Bang. is different, very different. Land of multiple partners, that is how I call it. You won’t be you in Bangalore. The city will change you effortlessly. I have had different  versions while in and out of Bangalore. Right now, in Jaipur, most degraded one.

I will have to upgrade myself after this break, break to attain the goal and suffice the objective.

The Hardest Part

Nothing can be as delightful as chasing your dream which has been in the sight ever since you understood the significance of it. But the melancholy of such a trail is you have to distance yourself from rest of the alluring pursuits.  Sometimes, you just become stone and stay unaffected with all the emotional furore caused due to your decision. People say, he doesn’t care. But trust me, he cares more than anyone else of you. He cries in solitude, laughs in isolation and rages out looking at the sky. Even when among crowd, he is smiling not letting the world realize how much pain and complains lay behind.

You cannot sail in two boats at the same time without few dips in the middle. Yep, it is true  and he has experienced over and over again but just to keep his confrères happy, he tried and almost drowned every time.  Trust me, he wants to see every fucking thing happy, go right and successful. For few, he tried to prioritize other’s… skipping his life goal! But then, kudos to him, he is such a empathy figure; cannot see anyone in pain and eyebrows down.  And mark my word when I say this, he would be back with more passion and smiles, just give him some time. He really cannot let this thing go off and keep making you happy. He already tried and failed many times; pardon him, he is not good with multi tasking. But I am sure of one thing about him, he really delivers what he says and promises; he just cannot leave you in the middle; he will be there a whisper away.

He made a decision, the most daring of ‘em all and now allow him to bring it to light. Pray for him that he makes to live a life, life he always dreamt of. He said no to few of the most sought after breaks but cannot say no to few requests, blame it to his–I will help you–habit. And he will, but now is not the time. He will, let him grow a bit, let him gather more strength and he will lift the whole burden you been carrying.  He just needs time; he has not turned his back, he has just sat down to relax a bit and understand how to face the world with you in the best, to help you grow best. For you it is hard! For him, it is the hardest part to let go and not taking part.

It’s up to you

Few days back, I was having a discussion with a friend if we are doing enough for the well being of women. I was shocked and saddened when an educated and prosperous guy could say women should stay at home rather going out for jobs/fun. And substantiation was done by a statement that the streets are not safe for them to roam around! So lets make streets safe for them by working towards the rowdies more strongly; okay, let the society do that. Are you not the part of that society? Is it not your responsibility to deal with such ill elements plus educate people that women hold the same right to achieve their aspirations and goals as done by their male counter part? Tell me , are males safe outside if not the females? Are males not murdered/harassed almost daily; i think more than what women experience. So, should we ask males too to stay at home until the streets are made safer? Now, both fraternity are at home and society is safe because no one is there on the streets!

Then, who will earn for the family? Okay, let your girl go out and work to sustain the family needs. Women are more sensible when it comes to deal with heated situations. They can calm down the heat more gracefully and peacefully than the males; we know that how cool we feel when we see a nurse and not a compounder holding an injection,  a lady receptionist welcoming  at the hotel or an air hostess greeting us in the flight. See, that is the power of softness! Although they may have jealousy within the same gender but atleast they will never resort to violence to settle the issue as we, males do. So, won’t the society function well when women are the working and men staying at home taking care of household activities? I know, this is an impossible situation! But this is just to share that women are equally rightful candidates of God as are males for all the luxuries of this world and we are no one to decide for them.

Asking women to stay at home is simply suppressing the source of the voice than addressing the question and finding a solution. Only for once,  I felt the political parties were together when the Women Empowerment Bill was passed. And that is what needed in the routine society as well. If those politicians (who we consider as lunatic) can understand the requirement of it, can’t we? It’s up to you to think over and feel (not decide; remember, you are no one to decide) what is good for your woman. Are you sure your girl will be safe at home, even when you are drunk and out of senses and lose your temper? Will not your heart pound with joy watching your lady earning accolades for the best employee of the year or even if not that but atleast talking about her wonderful experiences at work and how she bit the shit out of other colleagues in terms of work quality but still coming back and shaping your home, your kids. Come on, you can compromise to a neutral point where the sacrifices made by your woman and you equal, can’t you? And trust me, that day you will have a new proverb, ‘ Behind every successful woman, there is a  man’. For now, enjoy the older version, waiting for a woman to make you successful.

Mohnish Bagree

See you again

I may not be expressive but you know, I miss you. And how cannot I? I remember the orientation and the cake and the first sip to go high. I remember the numerous phone numbers on the first day and gradual deletion of many at endless nights while keeping a side affair dream of hitting miss NR, AM and others.  I remember the shaping of many groups and the filtering to retain few true. I remember the late night gossips and boiler fights. I remember the internship hunts and discussion all amidst smoke. I remember the pleasant surprises *meri usee baat chal rhi hai, lets see kya hota hain*.  Of course, I remember *yaar mujhe wo acchi lagti hai, kya karu, baat krlu kal?* And hope you remember, *usse bandi ko toh mein bhi hit krra hai, but koi reply nahi aya*.

Yes, I remember the sudden restructure of committee with brand new entries and again true.

I remember the instant replies to *chai, mess and NV*. I remember terrific messages *bahar chalna hain kya?* The roof-top dinner and enclosed cheers. I remember the gutsy eves of approaching white ladies and valuable donation at Nescafe plus the completion of B.Tech with burning the white stick in the campus. The cancer prone rooms J-808, H-934 and J-437, I remember. The bathroom hides from *see, see…give me an apology letter…sorry sir, I cannot give you a letter but please accept my apologies.*, I remember.

I clearly remember, *how does a capacitor work? , slowly slwoly* and *sorry to interrupt*. I remember the doctor‘s medication with constant shots from nuclear man and the rolling tires. I remember the periodic dialogues, *hum sab yehi miss krnge* and *capture the moments yaar*.

Now…….now, you are leaving and I adapt my mind this was bound to happen.

One last time, I wish if I could meet again and share a table for dosa and chai and wrap the complete happiness of this world in one moment. One last time, if I could have a chance to watch the coke studios or sarfarosh or 24 with rapid eye balling on the fragile beauties of the band and others. One last time, if I could sit at Food Court and order rocky road while teasing the ladies sitting beside and sipping Mirinda and chatting *mujhe hain na, coke toh pasand hee nahi hai*.

I know, I will miss you and and god knows how true I am when I say I want to see you again…….

:’-(

I am tired…

I want you to talk and talk and talk and I?…I will listen to you forever and ever…Leave me alone, no…do not…I may not be able to rise again…I am getting tired…Of being patient and nice and calm and humble…I am no god…Stop thinking of me as one…Give me peace…how? I do not know…If I ever knew what makes me happy…I would be dead by now…I am searching…

For one moment, I wish to live…I wish if I had that lap sheltering my head, caressing my hair…Those lovely lips…It is OK Mohnish, everything is fine…I miss it…A rabbit, drooping on my cheek every morning, I miss it…I called it Munmun (something like that)…Those hugs when world did not know what sex it…So honest fondness…I miss it…That dog (bitch)…She remembered me even after 5 years of away…Her jumps on my belly…I miss it…She died…I miss it…

I wish someone was here…Right now…A hand in a hand…Pulling me through time…Comforting, world is a good place…But, just got to find the right hand…I am tired…No vigor to search for it…I am tired…My right and left stay open…Find me, pull me…Raise me…I am tired…Talk to me, I can’t talk…I am tired…I will listen to you forever and ever…But just don’t stop talking…

Life Wants You To Rejuvenate Everyday

Since, exams are over and so is my online journalism, I can now switch my course to my routine or say boring life experiences.

Away from home and doing internship in a field where you will not make your career sometimes tickles your mind and jolts and asks why are you doing this? I am staying in a place where someone like me will definitely see reasons pouncing sufficient enough to underestimate and remain so for the rest of life thinking what the hell was the need to come to such a place and see the real godfathers of tomorrow’s bright scenario and success stories. These people at IIIT-H are really good and now I realize the difference between an average education and a premier one. The student does not choose his path, instead it’s the place that calls out your name which is already knowing what students fits to it the best. Obviously, I was called to VIT, funny.

I am not  kind of a guy who can sit for hours and research and think of technical errs, no, not at all. I belong to a category where people don’t work that way. There they sit, lay back and command-this work should be done by said date. Life is for unreasonable people, no offence to those who work and like the way life is for them. Ok, leave it, we will talk something different.

There are no girls infact here, I am so fucking tired of searching them. May be it’s summer vacation! Damn, I miss my city life. Also suddenly I have started missing my school and also the people with whom I shared some lovable moments (numerous except for one which was honest but never accomplished; sob, sob.

So what I wanted is, you don’t get the same people everywhere who have stayed since beginning. It’s a journey, you move ahead or you are pushed and you tend to lose what you had. So learn to accept new things and cherish.

I don’t wish to write much and only want to say, I am missing many things, just don’t want to tell what. There is no point, you see. May be I could have been a better hunter and trapped my favorite prey. Anyways, I am never left hungry, though never satisfied.

Is it legitimate to give J&K the status of a special state?

(Article written here is purposely for social media and not for personal affair. Find it at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/04/is-it-legitimate-to-give-jk-the-status-of-a-special-state/)

We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. And the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

There are 27 states in India and also there is Jammu and Kashmir. A state with so many tags attached to it ranging from ‘land of militancy’, controversial state and ofcourse, a special state. The image projected so far by every mode of communication spills the beans Kashmir is the most pampered state of India and by India and invariably the most privileged. Kashmir is the only state in India which enjoys special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India according to which, no law enacted by the Parliament of India, except for those in the field of defence, communication and foreign policy, will be extendable in Jammu and Kashmir unless it is ratified by the state legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India over Jammu and Kashmir has been extended. Jammu and Kashmir is also the only Indian state that has its own flag and constitution, and Indians from other states cannot purchase land or property in the state.

Sometimes, it seems too obvious to call Kashmir a much pampered state, always in demand by father-son democracies, India and Pakistan respectively, and still hit in the news for almost all mishaps. Or is it just India’s poor governance that never let the agitation settle down in the region? Also the question why Jammu compared to Kashmir is quieter and safer? One reason generic in sense for calling Jammu a better place than Kashmir is that there are lot of Punjabi’s settled there who don’t allow local hooligans to muddle routine with rare rowdiness. Also most of the people in Jammu are employed (self-employed to be precise) and keep themselves busy for any transgression. But then what made Kashmir so disposed to petty larceny? Many of us were taken aback when Kashmiris burnt the Indian flag on 15th Aug in 2008 while hoisting the Pakistani flag a day before in Srinagar. Should that be taken as a clear indication of their edginess to set themselves free from India and merge with Pakistan or is it a camouflaged act bamboozling both the countries thereby establishing as an autonomous state? The BSF, the military and the para-military forces are constantly vigilant in the region, preventing militancy. Each day there is news of martyrdom of some defence person fighting intruders or slewed with stones by some protestors. Do incidents like these in other states make such headlines? Everyday, there is a case of rape or physical harassment in some part of the country but why is Kashmir’s episode always a hit? Are people in other states not as valuable as Kashmiri’s? One of my college mates is from Kashmir and his anti-Indian dialogues can instigate any fanatic chauvinist to eradicate such minds. He shares that the impertinence of military men in the region towards women is very much overdosed and they find it amusing to handpick females and commit horrendous crimes. To some extent it is true, but it is also true that things like these are always presented with exaggeration. And why must always the defence men be blamed when the government itself is equally lazy in arriving at a quick and true decisions for cases like these; the Shopian case is still a smoking example.

Too much relaxation in the prices of routine items and no intervention in the local businesses from any other state leave the state to enjoy the luxury of utilizing the resources thoughtlessly; Kashmir is undoubtedly the ‘entry-restricted’ paradise of India. And as a result, the frequent protests against the Indian government, proneness to militancy, the constant attention from security forces and, yet, the unsatisfied people have always tickled minds to envy the state for all the reasons. What if J&K too is made a normal state just like Pakistan has kept the PoK? The step will only help the existing situation to improve. Hyderabad too has Muslim population but it is hardly upset because of communalism and it is India’s one of the most developed states. Permitting people from other states to start businesses there will generate employment for the locals which as of now is a threatning problem in the region especially in Kashmir. Also the interaction with the rest of India may adjust the thinking of the local people.

The issue of Kashmir for Pakistan will never die out and she will never accept it as a part of India. India has already been doing much to win the hearts of Kashmir people and in the process has lost many of its soldiers. A lot of luxury has been enjoyed and now it’s time to realize that too much pampering always spoils a child. Make Kashmir a normal state and let people learn from people and not by the administration. Sometimes it is required to give a second thought if Punishment is the last and the least effective instrument in the hands of the legislator for the prevention of crimes.

E Waste: A Masked Threat to the Environment

(Article written here is purposely for social media and not for personal affair. Find it at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/04/e-waste-a-masked-threat-to-the-environment/)

Scientists and researchers are rigorously discovering new pollutants and inventing means to curb environmental pollution today. With a worrisome situation of climate change, a lot of resources are being re-directed to solving the problems of today for a better future. But there is one pollutant that remains under communicated and thus, may be imperceptible – It’s electronic waste.

Electronic waste is described as useless, obsolete and discarded electrical or electronic devices. It is considered a major threat because of ineffective and insufficient methods of its disposal and the chemical contaminants present in it. India is a young nation as far as the industrial revolution is concerned and yet e-waste has accumulated at an unexpected pace in our country.

The electronic industry is world’s largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry. During the last decade, it has assumed the role of providing a forceful leverage to the socio – economic and technological growth of a developing society. The consequence of its consumer oriented growth combined with rapid product obsolescence and technological advances, make for a new environmental challenge. Solid waste management, which is already a mammoth task in India, is becoming more complicated by the invasion of e-waste, particularly computer waste. E-waste from developed countries finds an easy way into developing countries in the name of free trade.

The major source of such hardware is China. Its market provides all sorts of duplicate devices ranging from mobile phones to computer keyboards and has penetrated deep into the Indian market because of their low-cost and look-alike features. Be it any technology, its replica is available and youngsters buy it to serve their needs of flaunt with modern sophisticated gadgets. But it is a fact that they are generally of far inferior quality and do not last long. Thus, although such supply meets for the kind of demand electronic devices have today, it leads to a larger amount of waste for devices that are not quite serving their true purpose.

Another factor contributing to increase in e-waste is piracy. Pirated material is sold cheaper and is more easily available, hidden from the eyes of authorities. In India, pirated CDs, cassettes and other things are available along with original and hence add to already existing problems of e-waste. Even recycling this waste is a big problem in India. The UNEP report “Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources” was released on the Indonesian island of Bali on February 22, 2010 at the start of a week-long meeting of officials and environmentalists. According to the report’s authors by 2020 e-waste in South Africa and China will have jumped by 200-400 per cent from 2007 levels and by 500 per cent in India. India produces about 3, 80, 000 tonnes of e-Waste per annum, which includes only the waste generated out of television sets, mobile phones and PCs, a major chunk of which comes from organizations. E-waste produced in India includes over 100,000 tonnes from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones. The un-organized recycling sector which fails to practice eco-friendly e-Waste recycling methods release large amount of toxic chemicals.

Till date there are no definite e-waste regulations in India to control the management of e-waste. While not relying on technology to recycle it, we can still reduce e-waste to a certain amount with some simple measures. When buying a mobile phone, try to make it a one-time investment serving most of your needs so that you can use it for a long period, cutting down on e-waste. Most of us are in the habit of switching to new devices as soon as it hits the market and dump the previous one. But there will never be dearth of new things and we should make the choice of effectively using present devices until they are out of order or the technology is no longer serving the professional and personal needs. Also try relying on originals rather than getting lured by duplicate products. They have proven to be unreliable time and again. Although this a small step, it will go a long way in increasing awareness about the harmful effects of e-waste.

Sometimes, all They Need is Sympathy

(article written for social media and not for personal affair: find it at http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/04/sometimes-all-they-need-is-sympathy/)

Downstairs, one of the servants from my hostel was sitting in a boorish black T-shirt and trousers which appeared more like shorts from one side. I was taking my towel to dry outside my room on the rope. When I just cleaned my face with it, his muckiness caught my thought. I saw him for a second or two while he was hurriedly enjoying his nap and then came back to my room. Yet, I could not but think about his deprived state. ‘Should I go back and offer him some help or let it go?; God is there for people like him’, these thoughts flooded my mind. Eventually, letting my angelic side win, I took out an old T-shirt of mine from the cupboard which I hadn’t worn for many months and offered it to him. His sudden revival from a siesta, the strange look on seeing an unacquainted figure like me and then a gentle yet deep smile to see the seemingly new T-shirt were all unmatchable gestures to make me feel like I was doing God’s own work.

How often do we actually try and take a step forward to show sympathy and do something when we see someone, genuinely in need? (Forget about beggars who don’t work to earn from everyone appealing only to their pity). It’s a common thing to sympathize with the underprivileged or those who are bearing the worst of conditions but is sympathy sufficient to bring normality to someone’s life? While interacting with few of my friends, I realized different views on how, in India, the affordable class works towards the dejected community. Two days back, the co-founder of Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates was in India discussing with Mayawati, the ‘statue’ woman, on how she was interested in providing sustainable support to life-saving innovations that affect social and cultural change to bring down the unacceptably high death rates for children under five-years of age in UP and Bihar. Few said it’s a shame that we as insiders are unaware of such situations and if ARE aware, we overlook it, while an outsider seems more concerned.

A friend who is a budding entrepreneur at VIT University says, “We may take one look at someone dressed lowly and feel bad about it, but don’t care to donate a small part of our income to charity thereby anticipating the money building up the lives of few.” This is true to the current context where we have 53 billionaires but we hardly fall upon stories of some charitable work by these tycoons. One effort that a common man can do is buy consumer products which share some percentage of its cost with poor people through many programmes, considering that many of us don’t have the time to actually go to donation camps. Making donations or extending monetary help to the poor is not a compulsion but a self-righteous act of doing a good deed. Another one of my friends who is a CAT aspirant asks, why shell out cash to those who even if helped will do least or nothing to add to our economy? Well, the validation of this point stands if we consider a situation where the money donated to trusts is not utilised to raise the needy (it is taken as indirect help) or when the direct receiver of cash wastes it on alcohol or any other useless thing. The status quo of no outcome according to the supporting doubt can be dealt with if we donate things like books, clothes, food, free education etc. to them. This will solve the problem of misuse of money to some extent. Most of the poor people in our country are uneducated too. And expecting them to chip in to economy would be asking a mute to shout while pinching to signal if it hurts. When we help them, we expect them to become, at some stage of life, a fisherman on their own rather than always counting on the feeder.

I was involved in social service at a local orphanage where along with my college mates, I gave lessons to children of Class 6 and 7. These colleagues obviously have a different dimension to explain the help they provide beyond sympathy. They don’t call it a service or a contribution, instead an amalgamation of true love, honest help, knowledge and situations where people know how to attain gratification despite lacking all the luxuries of life. One cannot imagine the cheer those children experience when they see us coming and giving them a different experience of knowledge and learning, how the world looks like outside an orphanage and making them feel like they have guardians equally caring and pampering as their parents if they were alive.

You may not know the last five Heisman Trophy winners or the last decade’s worth of World Series winners or the Pulitzer’s prize, but you can definitely name three friends who have helped you in difficult times or have made you feel special and appreciated. Analogously, the people who make a difference to poor peoples life are not the ones with most credentials, most money or most awards; they are simply the ones who care the most with substance and not just feelings.

Manufacturing Growth and Rising India

http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/03/manufacturing-growth-and-rising-india/