Is the zeal going down?

This is a conversation between a student and a school teacher, who met after long period. Let’s call this student as “S” and teacher as “T”. (I know this has become a long one :) But one of my friend had suggested me to keep it on one page instead of breaking it in part. So here we have a long story....Any suggestions for breaking this are welcome.)
Just to give you background:
The student “S” is one the favorite of teacher “T” and they meet often , though “S” has left school and working as a software engineer in very good MNC firm. But this time “S” and “T” are meeting after an year. By this time”S” has completed almost two years of experience in IT industry. No doubt “S” has become professionally sound, economically healthy; but after meeting his teacher he is realizing something somewhere is going wrong with him…
S: Hi Sir, how are you? After long time we are meeting rt?
T: Ya really. After an year this time. Well I am good. You say. Wearing Nice shoes… any girl in life?
S: Oops. Fortunately no and enjoying freedom of being independent. BTW, thanks for the shoes comment. I bought this pair from States.
T: Oh, I just forgot to ask you about your foreign trip. So how was it? How was your work-experience there? Did you like the country?
S: Ya. Pretty much. Onsite experience was really good. I got to learn many things there. Sir, you should travel once to States. There are lot of places to explore. The great thing I found, there was people over there were pleasurable. The work culture is just awesome. People respect your personal life and unless and until there is a crucial time, they will not ask you to work late hours. In India the management is not so good. Sometimes we find here the late night working culture is the only thing you can count upon for getting benefits or perks.
T: Hey, Common, don’t curse your country so much. We are working this way, just because here we have people to do certain kind of jobs. Look at a person standing in your front. I never worked an extra hour. Still I’m doing my duty in fixed hours. And if you want to emphasize on IT industry then may be somewhere my knowledge is lacking. But I’m sure this trend will not continue for so long. At least a person will get bored in certain point of his/her life and will give up working like a dog. Don’t you?
S: [:) ] Ya. For sure. At least I’m thinking in the same way. But most of the time my collogues are ready to
work late hours and they are ready to provide extra support from their side, so it becomes a race. If you want to survive you have to show that kind of keenness towards work- life.
T: Oh, so you’re again in race. How many races you will participate in? First your academic race then performance race…life is not a race S. Does that mean you don’t like your work?
S: Well… I am yet to figure that out. But for sure sometimes work becomes a routine and IT life becomes monotonous. I don’t know why but I sound like boring guy now a days.
T: Hm. so this is the reason for creeping about work life and putting extra hours. The reason why you and your generation are suffering from this trend is because you people have developed a habit of seeing grass better always on other side. And sometimes you forget to compare your ground and other grass’s. You guys are well paid in such young age. At our time we had to struggle lot for just earning enough. And how is your life monotonous? What you would have done if you have to teach same chapter every year to the same standard of students in same season?
S: That’s the reason I did not even think of doing TA ship at any point. I don’t know how people get in to such field and survive. How could you do that?
T: I didn’t have to do anything. Though I have to teach the same books, students in front of me are new and for students the same books are new. I realized my job is so special that, even though for me it is job, students need to experience new endure through the same task and there is no other option but put life into routine. May be not for me but for the kids sitting in front of me and desiring some good lessons and new thrill from teacher.
S: Hm… I still remember your typical styles of reciting poems and every other batch used to talk on just that style. That time we never found you are getting bored of your typical style.
T: Yeah… My responsibility is not to get bored. Well, tell me what do you do after coming back from work?
S: Nothing great. Living away from home so sometimes we cook sometimes we watch movie or so, then go to bed and get ready for next day routine. There is no time to read books. I know you will get surprised by hearing this as I was the one who used to beg books on several topics from you daily. But this is the truth. Now days, I read hardly any book.
T: Oh I see. Hey you used to write nice articles too. Did you forget that? What about your guitar learning? I remember your flop show at guitar competition when you were in eighth standards and then your tenth class performance for the same competition in school. It was rocking. We all were shocked to see you performing so well. Do you still play guitar?
S: Ya sometimes I do play guitar, especially on weekends, when we have party or occasionally on any of my friend’s birthday party at home. But that happens very rarely. Most of the time, we have parties at nice restaurants. Since we all are bachelors’ and no one is ready to cook, moreover ready to clean up so we do parties outside. Sometime I do get bored of these parties and same dishes trying outside home too. Well, you were talking about writing nice articles…? You must be kidding. I don’t know whether I still have that drive to write.
T: Hey…don’t sound like a retired old person. Now days, I don’t do this and that. You are not even 25 and talking like this? How can you forget about your monthly articles for school magazine? You used write articles, stories, nice poems too. I still remember the drama that you and R (R is S’s best friend from school days. Still they are in touch. “R” is in arts field.) had written and directed for annual gathering. I can still show you those magazines in school and cassette of your play. You used write even in college am I right? Tell me, when did you write last time?
S: Ya. Last article was in engineering college. I do remember those glittery days. That drama was one of the challenges we had taken from A sir. We had got bored of doing his weeping dramas. So R and I had fought with him to give us the responsibility for doing something different. The outcome was superb. We had to go through lot of elimination rounds in front of all teachers and got disappointed several times. But still we all had fun at that time. That time this A sir helped us in editing the script. He taught us many things. With his help we had performed one of the professional dramas in gathering written and directed by students for students. Not only me and R but everyone in school had enjoyed it. Sometimes I feel R is lucky that he moved to arts side and enjoying his life with his own business that he always wanted to do.
T: So, again you have started looking at grass on other side? Ooh. But I guess R is also struggling with his business to come up and maintain his name. He is not even getting nice programs on radio. He is doing some sort of dubbings and max handling one or two shows on radio. So everyone has his or her own struggle to come up. But what you should not loose is the enigma, drive you have into you. Why don’t you start writing again? May be you can start your own blog. I am not asking you write drama or book, but try giving hand. May be you can do something you like to peruse. Remember, over the period of time any job irrespective how various things you handle in a day sound like a routine. Being an engineer, you will not always do something different that is challenging and as per your skills. After all it’s a job, which is an assignment. You will enjoy it, depending on how much life you’re putting in it. We have travelled so far and still you can get the same warm and energy from us. Even we have pass through the same situations at certain stage in life but have you ever realized that? Our generation’s intensity of getting bored is much lower than your generation. Isn’t it?
S: Ya. I do understand what you mean to say, Sir. But I am stuck. I don’t know what to do.
T: Start praying GOD. Do you do that?
S: Sir, here I am asking something else and you’re kidding…?
T: Oh am I?
S: Sir…
T: See that means you don’t pray GOD. You have lost humor from your life too? I am Just using your words…”from life!”
S: [:( ]
T: Look things are pretty simple but you’re not ready to take them the way they are and hence you’re messed up. You have given up your relaxing habits or the things you have most enjoyed or maybe you would like to enjoy so ultimately you’re stuck with the things which you don’t like and forced to do those with no other option in your hand. This is the reason everything is sounding boring or routine or no life for you. You are earning so well, why don’t you join some guitar class again and enjoy it? Why you’re not taking out your time and enjoying places nearby? I guess that will help you.
S: Ya. That’s true. Initially we used to do outings on weekend. But we all couldn’t continue as one or the other from my group travels to home or onsite on weekend. Initially I had even planned for guitar classes but on weekdays it becomes difficult. Sometimes on weekend I have to work so cannot pursue that on regular basis. I hope you’re aware of the traffic in city, most of the time I’m pieced of travelling to office and again the same travelling on weekend…?
T: Come on. You have to find the ways out for yourself. Don’t give reasons to yourself. What about writing? It seems your eluding that topic.
S: Sir, What to write?
T: You want me to give you topic as in school essay topic?
S: Well …again you started making fun. [:( ]
T: oh is it?
S: [:( ]
T: Just open your eyes and look at the coin’s other side. You yourself will come up with topics. I know you write well. You are just blocked for some time that does not mean that you cannot come out of that stage. It’s just a beginning for you…
S: Well, that’s true. I am thinking of reading old school and college magazines in which I wrote some crap things may be that will give me energy to do something.
T: That’s like a good boy. Never give up. There are always times when you are stuck or you can consider you are on down side, but these times are most crucial. These times will teach you what you don’t like and made you to think upon. Again such times are needed. Nobody is great teacher like a self experience. So this will bring you in better stage. What’s say?
S: I hope I’m on downside of the sine wave. By the way I had heard of your retirement from R. So when are you getting retired? What are your plans after retirement? Are you excited about it?
T: Well, I am excited as well as sad. After long period I will be leaving school and students. But I have to prepare for that time too. I still have one and half year in my hand. After that I’ll be free bird to do most of the energetic things. I was longing for starting my own column in newspaper since long. While working in school I was occupied with various responsibilities and off course I had my family to run. Now it is bit relaxing so can take up such jobs where I’ll enjoy and least bother about money. I have sent some selected articles to newspaper. I am just hoping to get a call from them. I am alos trying out some recording sessions on radio again, off course with R’s help.
S: Wow that’s great. But you think you can start with these kinds of things at any stage of your age?
T: Why not? Not everybody is on right place at right time. But one has to try to get that place and one should not let go his passion for it. You must be aware of Ravindranath Tagore.
S: Ya. The great poet and writer who refused “SIR” degree from British.
T: Yes. He was good painter too. He started learning or experimenting paintings at his 70’s.
S: Oh. So you mean everything can be learned at any age…well I used to think of it just as a concept.
T: Yes my dear. You will say the same thing when you will free yourself to explore and do what you like. You might have to take some risks or compromise on so called sophisticated and secure life for that. Take up risks and go ahead for what you’re enjoying the most. After all we get one life and in that you will not do things you like then when else, aren’t it?
S: Ya. Sometimes I feel I am just running behind the name, money and position and forgetting there is something that I need to enjoy.
T: Never do that. Remember we need money just to run life. Money can’t buy a name for you. You will get name by the things you’re enjoying the most. Have you ever seen a person who is having fame and he is not enjoying what he has achieved fame for? Take the example of any saint that you know. Did they work for getting name? Recently I read one article of St. Janabai, written by Mrs.Potdar in one of the local magazine, St. Janabai was a simple woman and never went to school. She must not be aware of name and fame too. At her time she must have not even thought of doing something, but look at the her abhngas’. They all are so sweet and revealing simple truths of life.
S: I guess you as well come under the same category… [:) ]
T: Oh thanks. I didn’t know that. Anyways there is alumni get-together next month and I am eagerly waiting for your presence there. This time I would liketo listen to your new creations and guitar performance on stage. Hey do plan some small play with R and rest of your friends. That will be great. What’s say?
S: I will try my best. This will be a really good opportunity to start something else. I will knock R tomorrow itself then.
T: Sure. [:)] I know you guys will again rock school stage. Keep enjoying your time. This time will not come again for you. Learn to enjoy your life and never let your enigma going down.
After this conversation it is needless to say, “S” was back to his mood and now doing his job in fixed hours and planning his time for various activities that he always wanted to start with.
I guess, even I need to take this dose and plan for myself. What’s say?

Mumbai –Pune General Compartment travels!!!

Now a day’s many people travel to Pune from Mumbai and vice a versa due to many reasons…major reason people travel on weekends is Job!
People travel for various reasons they may be studying in one of the city and once they find long weekend they travel. People also travel to appear for various exams such as MA, B.ED, some government job’s entrance etc, etc. So moral of the story is regular travel through general compartment is becoming more and more obvious and there is rare opportunity that you get reservation for weekends travel. (Unless your don’t plan before Wednesdays :) )
I am one of them who travel on weekends (and also one of them who prefer this, instead of travelling daily in Mumbai for Job :)). It is but obvious that I see some faces weekly and some are new.
I get to see variety of people here. Especially in general compartment you see all kind of background people travelling. So this is one of the places, where I meet distinctive people working/studying in assorted fields. This is one point where I get friends to share various kinds of things. Indeed to mention, I get all type of sweet and sour experiences when I travel.
Out of these varieties of experiences one of them insists me to write this blog is “fighting”!!!
Yes you will get surprised by reading how come fighting ignites any one to write? Well, there is a reason why I chose to.
Every Monday morning I catch train at Dadar, superfluous to say compartment starts flooded after Thane. After thane rather in Thane itself many of them cannot find place to sit so they start jumping on upper birth. Now here on words the mystery starts…
Girls/women whoever climb on upper berth take even their shoes, sandals along with them. Seems they have fear of losing them. (God knows who is interested in stealing their foot wares which may not even fit into one’s foot!) The moment rest other crowd starts suffering from their foot wares starts shouting…ladies who have taken their foot wears along with them get enough of energy to argue! If someone says, “Why don’t you think about folks sitting down? They have to face dust coming out from your foot wears…Please keep it down!” Argument comes from ladies who have taken their dearest sandals along with them replying “show me where exactly dust falls down? Show me where exactly this has cause problem?” and on and on…we cannot even imagine to what extent they can drag this simple thing and till which station this argument can continue. If there is someone who knows obscene words or have habit of using as common language can lead such fights to any bullshit way. There is no sense in putting this but no sense in bearing as well. I don’t know why civic sense is missing in between us? It should be common sense rather than a civic sense when someone is sitting at upstairs and rest are at downstairs berth. We should be careful enough for the act we are doing, be it any though. I don’t know why but I found people here are least bothered about having curtsey for others!
Once train halts at Kalyan there is more fun. Ladies who think they can catch train while running and start experimenting nonsensical things. They try to catch train while running for getting place. They obtusely start getting in and start falling down….at acme time they all in crowd fall down on track. As ladies compartment comes immediately after motorman’s this is one of the obvious thing happen when someone sleeps through on platforms. Yes I have seen bad accidents happening but never had courage to see what has happened with those ladies. But I’m not deaf that I cannot listen to their screams and cries.
Once I had seen students going for exams and had met with an accident while getting into trains.
Whenever I see such accidents I ask myself why we don’t form queue and why can’t we have little more patients for getting in to trains? Why we cannot do that? Of course we can do that when we have enough of space in compartment we are getting in to. Of course we can follow discipline if after following we all get same kind of benefits. But is it possible in India where we the ratio shows always inverse figures? Though this is not possible, why can’t we avoid such accidents? Now for that student what was most important than to find place in compartment? Just to catch certain sighs in life now she is suffering from most of the things in life.
Why people don’t think that when compartments are already full there is hardly any possibility to get place. Then why to put our precious life at risk?
I have seen enough of fightings due to obtuse reasons…one of them may be someone just reserves place for her friend and those who do not or cannot sit there starts fighting…someone is just too stubborn to shift and adjust for someone and forget about rest others….
Why can’t they adjust for time-being? I remember once I had given my seat to one lady who had 4months old baby and small daughter with her and I had asked other lady to shift for another daughter …Gosh! She had started with all type of crap things. Sounding like you might be here for social work but not we!
Sometimes I find arguments are ridiculous. But true I cannot change everybody the way I want!
Still I have few questions…do we really have civic sense to behave in public places? Do we really care about rest others when it comes to no relation or masses? Do we really have humanity?
I rotate my head again and again and I find many incidents like 26th July, 2005, bomb blasts in Mumbai and at various parts of India, Tsunami…etc etc. But still I cannot get rid of question from my mind is that, why can’t we have that kind of sense in normal situations or in day to day life? Will that cause any harm? Why we are just educated and not cultured?
Questions go on and on …somewhere deep down I again sit and rethink over them and find there is hope when I see someone offering help to someone in public places without any self interest. Someone gets up from their sit’s and offer the same to old people….
There you go with hope and joy….!!!

Cooking is not my stuff??

Sometimes people like to experiment obtusely @@@@
I think I am also one of them…..
Now that I had some endure of cooking I thought I can cook for my friends.
Also it was one of the occasions that we wanted to be together (or I had forced my friends?)before one of our effusive member Gopal go to India for home vacation….
So here I was … I invited my gulti group with whom I enjoyed the most when I come to visit this production US site and work in encumbrance environment.
So we all set to go for this new happening…I was supposed to prepare decent dinner for all of us at Satish’s apartment.
Before taking this decision I had couple of times experience with me of cooking for friends which had boosted my confidence …. (Although this experience means preparing khichadi and some other simple vegetables.) Also I had tips from Shubhashri(good Chef I know in this visit) .
And now mess started ….few of my cousins and friends were warning me on my experimentation. And also hoping people should be salvaged who will have to taste food….
In good mood me and Satish did required shopping, in back of my mind I was reciting recipe of some vegetables….which Shubhashri had given…
Finally I entered Satish’s Kitchen…
Now this can be one more blog if we start describing this nut’s customs…and disciplines.
I was impressed by his tidiness. His kitchen- it was not lesser than beloved Mother’s kitchen. Everything was up to date. You will find his kitchen drawers properly arranged- one for spices, one for cookery accessories. All shelves were arranged properly for food items. Moreover he had done bedding of news paper on which everything was placed neatly.
I was pleased to see a guy being so particular about kitchen. (I have seen bachelor’s houses to mention this artlessly.)
So now I saw his fridge and found okra was lying down….I don’t know how but I changed my plans and though of preparing it. From this point on words I started getting jerks…
It was first time I was about to prepare this vegetable and I knew the recipe so started to fry it … sometimes some things unnecessarily take time and this frying was one of them.
This okra was not getting fried as per expectation and was too obstinate to get rid of its stickiness…
I was trying my best but of no use… finally once I had smelled that Satish is a good chef I called him. Being a expert he could sympathized that I was frying okra w/o adding oil…..
So he caught my all such blunt methods when I was proceeding with cooking.
Then you can imagine how this cook helped me to come out of the convoluted situation and able to survived rest of my friends.
Anyways ultimate menu was palatable and upon that we had pickles. Alls well that ends well.I had received thanks from Gopal for food and the moment I revealed how I managed it he said, “you have passed the test although you did Cheating!!! Forget about the way to appear for exam concentrate on results!” Wah… here I admire Mr.Gopal for enjoying his life in all sense.
So there I am now …gearing up for cooking… and building new resolutions….

The last atomic bomb-7 Island International Film festival

We all knew about first and last atomic bomb thrown on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to destroy them and forced Japan to take back from second world war by America.
We all say, it was a cruel action taken by. But are we aware of consequences faced by Japan? Or we are just aware of long term diseases they and their races faced who came in contact with this unfortunate explosion.
Just being aware is what exactly we learn from our History's?
Or there can be learning and taking actions to not repeat history which is not good for humanity? Rather here I would like to question if being humans we are acting like this then are we evolved as a human yet?
All these questions rose because of documentary I saw in 2008, International Film Festival, took place at Mumbai. This is an event which takes place every year in a period of 26th Jan to 30th Jan for all peace lovers, run by Director Bankim Kapadia. This is one of the rare film festival which has free entry for all peace lovers who would like to watch rear documentaries and have discussions after you watch them.This festival try to ignite you as being layman we can do many things to change our system. This ignition they are lighting not by just having discussions and raising questions in your mind but there you can see actual team working for this.And documentaries you are exposed to are nothing but all real pictures happened or happening in world to have peace.
"The last atomic bomb" as a film we all would like to go for and get to know reality but this is not the thing we should be only doing it... We need to look for options we can take as an action and actually start working for it. Currently I could think of this writing as an immediate action I can take for...! [:)]
The film was directed by Robert Ritchter and it's a story narrated by Mrs. Shimohira- survivor of Nagasaki. This film not only shows what happened after bomb last but also throws light on what kind of ill effects these survivors faced during their struggle for just live as a common human being. After this incident Japan had collected lot of data to expose to world as in what was actual figure of people who died due to this bomblast, which kept on increasing afterwards, what kind of diseases they suffered from mentally and physically. People were running short of food rather there was no food for several days for them. They did not receive any kind of medical help. Many a news papers who were throwing light on this incident were banned as they were avoiding U.S. Military laws. Due to banning of news paper many of Japanese were not aware of diseases occurring as ill effect of nuclear exposure. They started their own brothers keeping aside from them. There were several rumors as in these are all communicable diseases and these people should be kept as untouchable.
Fact was people develop this thinking due to lack of proper knowledge and media was banned to show anything regarding this so it was an obvious happening. Not only media banning cause this problem but also people who were suffering were actually started staining and had lost their beauty in many respects which caused rumors spreading across. Many of them suffered from various cancers which got detected at last stages of their lives. During this bad period kids who were surviving after this explosion had to struggle for all basic amenities for a long period. When US medical help arrived people were afraid to go to them as they were not sure of help they will get. Those who survived had lost obvious things in common man’s life. They were genetically injured. There were lots of things we are not shown to world, but had actually happened. One of them was question which came to Japanese government and people mind was “Why they had to face for nuclear explosion when they were actually surrendering from war after Germany’s surrender and especially when US government was aware of the situation?” There was absolutely no reason to do so. And many more…
All 90 minutes I was thinking why this happened with these kids who did not even know what is WAR? Why people exposed to such kind of savage death? What they had done to deserve this? Were they victims of human’s creativity? Or they were the victims of their testing?
Most important part of movie which we should be taking in account was Mrs. Shimohira was actually traveling to country’s with the help of peace group working in Japan and giving message of “No Hiroshima! No Nagasaki! No more Nuclear Weapons! ” She herself at the age of 80 went to do this. She found courage in her living to oppose this cruel happening. It was her who actually shown interest in doing this and threw light on reality faced by people who did not deserve this.
But now the question is, are we stopping to invent and create nuclear weapons even after this big lesson from history? No, rather now situation is growing worst.
Now many of countries have nuclear power and we are proud of this whereas for this we should be actually shamed. Do we want to have power to destroy ourselves? Should we really be doing that? If no then why we are not taking any kind of action to destroy or to eliminate such powers? I know this will not happen so soon. And even if we tried to do so will other competitors really take that way and stop being powerful? Will they actually accept this concept? If others don’t then just to be in race we will not and this is the helpless situation we are passing through and will be always in threatening situations happening in world.
I think we really need to be human first in order to live as a human being. There are many things which as a human we should not do.
Think are we really doing them? We have brains , are we utilizing them for well being of ours? Or we are using it to destruct other humans who are part of us, doesn’t matter which caste, which religion, which country what matters is "human being"!

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