- System?
Its been long time I had been thinking of writing about this incident that happened during the train journey. I was coming back from my hometown to Chennai. I was traveling in G.T. Exp. Mostly you find well educated and well mannered rich class people in AC compartment of train. The fellow sitting next to me looked a little odd man out from the rest of the people in the compartment; a high class lady fancying herself as an actress, her small daughter, a businessman who was owner of some company, a software engineer who was busy playing FreeCell on his laptop, and off course me trying to read some novel.

I had nothing to do for the next 24 hours in the train journey. I was trying to read a book but gave up soon and started observing others and trying to predict their next moves. Coming back to the fellow sitting next to me again, he looked kind of weird. His dressing was okay, but somewhere I thought he doesnt fit properly with the others present in the compartment. Though we try to judge people by merely looking at them, but my common sense told me to wait little while until that fellow opens his mouth. Since past few years I have been trying to judge people, I have known one thing; If you carefully observe the way othersspeak, I mean the things about which, the manner in which etc, you get a fair idea about that persons identity, nature, sportiveness, sense of humor and little about his intelligence and education.

Anyway, One hour passed and another fellow, with sweets in hand, came looking around for somebody. As soon as he saw fellow sitting next to me, he made a big pranam, ignoring others off-course, and said Namaskar Sirji have some sweets please, desi ghee mein banaye hain aaj subah hi ghar mein. came near, pushed others on the side sat next to him and gave him sweets. The poor fellow sitting on the edge almost fell down. This new guy was praising fellow next to me so much; I thought is he a politician, famous person or what?Finally the new guy left us after an hour and I heaved a sigh of relief. But as soon as he left, another guy comes in and the same thing happens again. As soon as he leaves, the first person comes back and when he leaves back the second comes in.

After a while the poor chap, who was sitting at the edge of berth, got up and searched another place. I had window seat so I could ignore all this and look solace outside. The businessman was irritated;he tried to stop it once or twice but failed miserably. The engineer made the mistake of asking who this great guy sitting next to me was and this fellow laughed. Laughed like a mad. The engineer was embarrassed and must be thinking about themistake he made. And this guy He he he he. I am a sr. officer in some govt. office (as if he was a big-shot). These fellows are my junior. I decide their performance. I decide their promotion. They are trying to please me, and they should. I would have liked to be served with dry-fruits, and gajar ka halwa. I just wished I should go to Tirupati once, and these guys booked a ticket for me, planned my journey, hotel stay, everything about lunch and dinner and traveling around nearby places.

NO wonder the government sector has gone bad. When you have job security, you can always run away from work without bothering about you being fired. And there are ample examples to illustrating these behaviors. Try RTO, obtaining PAN card, or voters ID card, they will make sure that you run around places many times. They are not bothered about others but only about themselves. I just hate such people who shy away from their responsibility. Such people crib about almost every thing, born critics; but will never look back, and say I should have done this or that or this might help others. They will live their complete life pretending to be someone else, always comparing others with whatever they get, always think whatever happens to them is foul.

Tum Dil mango, Dil de denge.
Tum Dil mango, Dil de denge.
(With increasing volume and energy)
Tum Dil mango, Dil de denge.
Tum Jaan mango, Jaan de denge.
Tum Dhadkan mango, Dhadkan de denke.
(Brief pause)
Ghar pe VCDs jo rakhi hain.

The book "Five Point Someone" is a good read. Though I am not sure whether it is a true story or not! The book is about three guys Hari, Ryan and Alok. They meet for the first time in the Hostel of IITD while ragging and how they went on to become best friends, their Hostel life, their adventures at IIT and their philosophy of life and about their visions. Alok is shy and fat but ready to make his point clear; Ryan is fearless and smart while Hari wants to keep everybody happy, not wanting to take anybody's side.

I found it little funny; Through the book author keeps telling us that he was just an average student a mere Five-Pointer, but in his autobiography he promptly writes that he passed out from the IIMA in next two years after IITD.

Off course I know it may not be the real story, for it is too dramatic at some points. Though one thing is true, as the book ends, author writes, "My soul lies somewhere in those walls of Kumayuon, the campus of IITD and at Sasi's". Sometimes, even I remember of those days when I used to be at hostels, bunking classes, gulping down cups of that brown liquid which they used to call tea with onion pakodas at the boat-club, and playing computer games on the network, screening movie on hostel walls with college projector, and almost everybody in the hostel sitting together through out the night to complete the endless journal assignments.

The recent train accident is another tragedy. And instead of noticing about the seriousness of the incident, it has become a political issue. The railway ministry attributed OFF-Signal as the reason for the accident. When you give a reason like the railway signal was not working and that too on a busy major track, who will not get angry? Some people attacked railway minister and RJD now needs Modi's resignation for not providing enough security. In not even a day everybody forgot about the rail-accident.

Though we use educated and literate interchangeably, they are very different terms. I feel literate people are not necessarily educated always. While literate is only a person who can read and write, educated on the other-hand is a person who can be able to judge by his experience, is more civilized, enlightened, and well mannered and has common sense.
Just as an example, out of software engineers I have seen, few dont even know how to speak to others. Few when they take food dont even care to see if their plate is touching others or their food is spilling over their plate. Few dont even bother to drop tissue papers they use in dustbins, and few dont even have courtesy to say sorry when they accidentally spill their coffee on others and just stand there dumbstruck.
Off course they are well-literate, but I would call they are still un-educated.

This interesting puzzle Petals around A Rose is very simple yet sometimes difficult to someone. All you need to do is count the number of petals around the rose. It has only two basic rules to play:
#1 The name of the game tells you what the rule is.
#2 No one is EVER told what the rule is. Everyone must discover the rule for themselves.

PS: You are reminded of direction (2) so others may also win. In this game each person plays against himself/herself, not against other players.

Worth giving a try, common I know you all can solve it.
Here's the link: http://crux.baker.edu/cdavis09/roses.html

Yesterday, few small kids playing outside my house had following conversation.
1^st: I had been to McDonalds, and I had happy meals.
2^nd: What do they serve in happy meal.
1^st: A pepsi, fries, some toy, and burglar.
2^nd: Burglar???
1^st: Yes Burglar.

If "Lara Dutta" marries "Brian Lara", Her new name will be "Lara Lara" or "Lara²".

It is now more than six months, when Gaurav used to stay with us. Three months later when he left for Mumbai, he forgot few t-shirts at our house itself. The funny thing is our maid makes sure that she washes those t-shirts, even though no body uses them, regularly once every week.

The day started on a happier note. It had little more importance than other day because it was Sunday when you can take little more sleep in the morning without any botheration. It was a perfect summer morning with sun promising another hot day ahead. We went to "The Forum" shopping mall, which is just another couple of kilometers ahead. A rickshaw would cost less than 20 bucks, to be precise 17.50Rs.

After shopping, when we came back to take rickshaw back home, the climate had suddenly changed, the clear blue sky was replaced by thick black clouds, the warmer breeze was replaced by much colder wind, and it had started raining heavily.

As they say it is difficult to predict about whether, so is true about the fares of rickshaws in Bangalore. Their fares depend heavily on the climatic conditions; Once they know that you simply do not have any other alternative to reach home, they hike there prices to a usurious rate. One quoted 100Rs to take us back with a sinister smile. There was huge rush out-side "The Forum", waiting for rickshaw, and these guys were stuck at exorbitant rates. In 100Rs at 8.00 p.m. you can reach the other end of city.

One and half hour later in the rain, when we found one rickshaw who agreed to take us at one-and-half times the meter fare, we happily agreed. I, probably, for the first time didn't mind paying extra, given the condition of helplessness we were in.