Amit Goes Blogging

That, which doesn't kill you, strengthens you. I endorse these words having spent 7 long years in academic confinement. Now, when I have done my time in that condemned institution, I regret the wrong choice I made in opting for engineering.  My memory takes me to the hostel-life. The first year was a fight for a place in the boisterous crowd of hard-baked sadist. I found myself a misfit in that cradle of wild beliefs. Staying peaceful was cowardice, exploiting others was finesse. Utilising time for anything apart from gossip was not tolerated. I still made it into the second year. I chose to stay alone and went headlong in pursuing my interests. For the first time I was all to myself with none to question me. I bought a tape-recorder; bought a good many cassettes; freely read non-academic books, which I couldn't under my father's regime. Gossip was a major time-killer. I developed a taste for it. I literally forgot the purpose of staying away from my people. The result: I ...

Indian weddings are very cordial and flamboyant affair. Careful planning and money go into making them successful, which means avoiding a fiasco. The close relatives of both the parties undergo countless difficulties to ensure that the wedding is highly spoken of for years to come. Also, the larger the turn out, the greater is one’s social standing. In the olden days, when parties entering an alliance lived in the same town or village, the marriage procession proceeded from the boy’s house to the girl’s place amid a lot of fanfare. The wedding expenses are on the girl’s side and the boy’s relatives make it a point to manage a large turn out at the wedding and make things cumbersome for the girl’s side. These traditional pranks put the patience and sociability of the bride’s family to test.  I shall share an incident of one wedding party that had some great plans of putting the bride’s side to test. The girl's family lived in a city and the boy's family was from a small t...

It came as a blow to my healthy efforts at wooing my female colleagues. Can you believe that for girls in my company a common nativity is a reason enough to make friends with guys and feel safe in their company? Why is beauty prejudiced? Let beauty know that it has no value in absence of a beholder. I think it is the fate of all girls to falter before they move in the right direction; to choose waywardness and mistake the call of my heart for somebody else's. Nobody in the office has waited so earnestly for their arrival as I did. I broke the jinx hanging on our workplace as only a few months had elapsed after my arrival when some darling faces joined the company which was suffering the brunt of male population in the form of workplace dissatisfaction. With my coming, came the girls and the enthusiasm. And the first encounter with all of them was love at first sight. If only they gazed a little longer into my eyes they would see the overflowing love for them. But, they seem to tak...

Very few, if given a choice, would opt for a bodiless existence. I would happily run with this choice. Let me cite one immediate benefit of this during these winters. Bathing wouldn't be a physical act anymore, but a state of mind. Vibes do not stink. A body, though a masterpiece of creation, is a body after all, bringing my creatureliness to the fore . No matter how much I care for it, its vagaries subject me to untold sufferings. Ask me what it is to have an upset tummy marching south and no asylum around. Somebody has said: "How long a minute is depends on which side of the bathroom door you happen to be." Even on the other side the things are not always pleasant. Sensing the urgency, at the summons of nature, when I take up the call I realise that I don't command my bowel movement. My body lets me down. After the little that I manage to extricate from the clutches of my bowels, imagine, the tap runs dry and the tissue roll hasn't been replaced:-( After all the...

In this age of self-help books and personality development courses, certain one-liners have played havoc in the contented lives of the masses. These one-liners are sustenance unto millions who suffer from lack of self-worth. They are charged, as it were, with divine potency, making the repetitioner of them surmount incompetency. "Believe in yourself", "You have it in you", "You can do it" and many more such tug at the human gullibility for self-belief. You will agree with me when you see girls of all sizes and shapes flocking to air hostess training institutes. Girls, regardless of their vital statistics, seek admission into these institutes on the strength of that woeful one-liner, "Believe in yourself." And, none of these girls wants to work for a domestic airline. They want to be on the aircrew of either Kingfisher or Lufthansa or some renowned international airlines. Hats off to the counsellors who convince these girls into dreaming such s...

'Live-in relationship' is a dream I have cherished since my college days. Not me alone, but innumerable others who are victims of a disturbing sex ratio, and are left out in the competition, also cherish this dream. It takes tons of good deeds of past life to enjoy this premarital privilege. Each day opening my eyes to a sultry face sleeping next to me; nudging each other, only to come back in snuggles till the rug tatters in the heat of passion; and, watch the girl grow shy on realising that we had slipped into each other's clothes - celestial feast, I say! But, will it ever come true. I shall celebrate the feminine presence in every nook and corner of my adobe. Wish to catch a glimpse of my fantasy? Standing under the shower, I would consider it Grace, if her brassiere hanging from the shower slips and hangs from my ear. Wow! And, I shall encourage this impropriety without ever complaining about her uncouth habits. Let her scatter things, turn the room into a maze but onl...

New year resolutions are not an individual thing anymore. Even organizations take a fancy to them. And, when the company management resolves to do something, it doesn't fail in its resolve. My company boasts of a free work culture and of promoting a sense of well-being among its employees. But, well-being cannot be stretched to employee welfare. There is a thin line that divides them and has to be appreciated. This new year marks a change in the attitude of the organization. Now, the cafeteria will not serve as a lounge and the time spent playing TT and carrom cannot pass for research in the timesheet. The movement to the cafeteria will now be controlled by a swipe card. And, employees will also have to manage their social contacts over the phone from their seats and not from the privacy of the cafeteria. Please inform your fiancé about this and ask them not to prolong their phone calls. People who got engaged and married while at Clarion report that they have hardly anything left ...

In today's world, smart work has eaten away at the importance of hardwork. To emerge victorious is all that matters. So, carrying chits to exams is seen as a smart option, especially by engineering students. Is it wise to invade the enemy camp without a fall back plan? (That's the introduction straight from a filler article in a tabloid!) There are different kinds of 'malpractioners' depending on their preparation and fortitude. This also decides the size of the chits that range from a list of formulae on a post-it to a mini photocopy of text-book. Most of the times, the battle is fought with only fortitude on one's side. The courageous (who rely only on fortitude) are thorough going cheaters and are looked upon by others for their valour. The amateur cheaters seek their guidance. They train them in the psychological warfare to be adopted in the exam hall. The courageous hold divergent opinions on things like where the chit should be hidden, the appropriate tim...

As children, we end up performing such rare feats of bravery that have no parallel in our adult life. The games that we play, the conditions that we play in, the rules that we frame at these games match the valour of knights, only in place of a dagger, we had a heavy plastic ball or a rubber ball and instead of killing we had to injure that came very near to killing if you could see someone writhing in pain. It was a game of seven stones. The stones were arranged vertically one on top of the other. Boys divided themselves into two teams and would throw the ball, by turns, at the pile of stones and scatter them. If the other party caught the ball before it fell on the ground, the team lost a point. Otherwise, the team that had scattered the stone would rearrange them. It was not as simple as that. We had to arrange them while dodging the ball hurled at us. Sometimes, when the 7th stone was about to be enthroned, the ball would come aiming at your eye and blind you for the evening. ...

Happiness is not always a result of our efforts. Most of it passes by like people scurrying past us. Happiness is not an achievement, it is an endowment unto all who have been chosen by existence to live and breathe. It does not proceed from either competition or personal ambition. It is like sunshine; move out of your home and you are basking in its warmth. And, our lives are filled with numerous occurrences that fill us with joy and take us away from our preoccupation with worries. The anxieties of the work-a-day world not only disrupt our leisure but also disturb our sleep. Mornings that wake me up fresh from an undisturbed sleep are deeply satisfying. The world seems awash in tranquility and nature at peace with herself. The twilight on the horizon, the chirping of birds and the tinkling of pots at the water tap are so very soothing. And, when I have a pleasant bowel movement clearing it all in one sitting, it betokens an auspicious day ahead! I am getting late for my office, where...

We are living in times of unprecedented change. The change is quite perceptible in the field of technology. Internet, mobile phones, digital cameras and gizmos that assimilate the features of each of those have flooded Indian markets. They have improved the quality of our life marking a departure from the encumbrances of the previous decades. Also noticeable is the pace at which these inventions invade our lives and become a part of us. We seem to share the same necessity that drove the scientists who invented them. But, we do not take into account the accidental misuse these technological masterpieces and their applications are put to. Look at the adolescents wielding these gizmos and you will witness the havoc they have created in their lives. Even I am guilty of this abuse. I remember being part of the chatting fixation that had taken youngsters by storm. Cyber cafes were crowded with boys and girls who found chatting an economical way of making new friends. Terminals were booked ...

Romanced kicked off under my patronage, later overstepped its bounds and carried me away. This self-proclaimed philosopher wasn't a respectable match for its sanguine charms and the readiness with which I fell in love is a warning unto those who take pride in their stoicism. It is said one may revive from the effects of the cup after a night's sleep, but one who is smitten by the cupbearer will not rise till the day of judgement! I always had just three days on my calendar for renewing our love. The gap between my visits increased from a few months to years at an average of one visit per year. I had to make the most of these three days. A lot that wasn't possible on phone (please hold your imagination) had to be made up. It took me not less than 36 hours to reach the hotel. I felt I was on a mission that expected me to overlook the discomfort and the expenses it entailed. All that mattered was to present myself before my honey as soon as possible. I always lodged at the sam...

We had a robust black and white television set from ECTV. It came with a wooden cabinet and shutters  drawn horizontally from either end. The TV had four knobs for volume, brightness, contrast, and tuning. To switch channels, we had a knob that moved through 12 slots. The remote was not an in thing; for, only one channel was aired then. And, when DD Metro broadened the choice, the knob got twisted so much that it crossed its tolerance and fell apart. After that we started using nose-plier to switch channels. The TV remained with us for 16 years. My father is a disciplinarian. The reason he bought us TV was every Sunday we brothers flocked to a house in the neighbourhood to watch TV. One day, we kids were denied entry. This cut my father to the quick. By the following Sunday, father had his honour and we had our new TV set. But, it's not a very pleasant story after this. As if the shutter wasn't a secure child lock, my father draped the TV with a heavy cover. The TV r...

While reading stories about great men, the awe that fills us makes even the ordinary incidents of their lives significant. I have no such advantage. Some stories are read as they make interesting travelogues or historical reports. I was never so vexed with my surroundings that I had to go visiting nor have I taken the onus of providing future generations with the excitement of historical research.  I am afraid of losing the measure of frankness to be displayed in writing my story. If I mention all that passes through my mind, my story would find an honoured place among books written by hardcore moral wrecks. I would spell doom for others who would be exposed besides me. There would also be a few good thoughts but mostly borrowed. Why shun originality and be accused of plagiarism?  Biographies inspire us to emulate the lives of great men. This tendency to seek inspiration destroys the spontaneity in our lives. Let's not upset our beautiful life living someone else's. There are ...

During my college days, the idea of a relationship with the fair sex had always tugged at my heartstrings (it still does); whereas, boys, who infested my life, had always been a nuisance (they still are). Boys around felt the same. Hit with boyhood syndrome, we always flocked together at tea-stalls, college canteen, or languished in our rooms. Each lauded his achievements to which none was a witness. Some boys accomplished their life-work on the train; some had their first lessons in love-making from the servant-maid; some, while in school, were regular visitors to the house of ill-fame and women of easy virtue swore by their libido; some even claimed to be happy victims of child molestation at the hands of girls in their neighbourhood. Even I concocted stories in self-glorification in that I was a hot favourite among girls at school. My appearance betrayed my claim. Everyone had a glorious past but a sad present. We spent time gossiping about others' affairs; heaping criticism on ...