identity

finally finished 'the dark holds no terrors' -sashi despande yesterday.. hence couldnt get up for college today. anyway the book was better than i imagined. it wasnt just about a woman wringing her hands wondering what to do... it had a bit more.. but one line stayed with me.. towards the end of the novel sarita wonders that just because women give birth to babies does it mean they own them? how can it be 'my' child?? is the child an object meant to be possessed?

i posed the same question to my mother.. and of course that which does not have a set(read SAFE) answer is rejected. so she told me i should stop asking such 'innane' questions..

i really donot understand what parents assume/pressume by taking charge of their childrens lives.. are they trying to live their dreams through their kids lives? or is it some twisted pride in 'owning' state rank holders as childrens?? why arent children considered entities of their own? indiviuals? why are choices not provided? or alternatives accepted??!!!

personally u should love your children enough to let them go.. what is the point in deciding the safe route?? what if you child does nto want it?? and i seriously wonder how parents can make decisions for their children... personally i would be terrified. your deciding someone else's likes/dislikes.., life!!?? based on your likes and dislikes... what if your child turns around 15 years from now and asks why u made that choice?? or is that also an 'innane' question? to my mum it is so was wondering...

four to the floor.

well sometime in septemeber in college we had this 'life skills' class (like you can learn anything about life in a freaking classroom) and this teacher came from delhi and he conversed (not taught) with us on a myriad things. one thing he said remained with me.. he said human beings are broadly classified into 4 different kinds of animals :

1. Fox: a smooth operator..someone who knows how to get his/her work done. you scratch my back and ill scratch urs.. o fox is a person who knows when to strike when the iron is hot and how to negotiate a deal all for his/ her benefit.

2. Shark: a completely agrresive go getter. someone who knows what they want and are willing to go to any lengths to achieve what they want. even at the cost of harming others. amibition that is unparalled.

3. Teddy Bear: soft. cuddly. without opinions. someone who agrees with what you have to say.. and the second person, third person.. well you get the drift.

4. Turtle: this is a person who has suicidal tendancies. very depressed with life. and if there any complications in life then they run back into their shell. they are like fuck life, fuck the relationship. its not worth it.

apparently there is a fifth animal that people can be categorised into but its so ideal that not many (any!) can fit into that mould. the Owl .. i forgot essentially what the owl is.. but bascially the ideal.

the teacher said honestly which animal would you be if you were faced in a crisis situation. what is your default setting. basiclaly he meant that if u had a crisis and no one was watching how would react..? Honestly!

well i am turtle. not that i am suicidal. but that does not mean i have not thought about it. but the relationship part.. yeah that is essentially me. i would be like fuck it nothing in life is worth it. (though i know its not necessarily true).

its only words....

prose is beautifull.. but poetry to me is the language of the heart.. what i feel comes out easier (according to me) in poetry.. what suprises me is that very few people i know (me included) donot appreciate the beauty of poetry in our regional languages. personally i can read hindi only( that too with grreeaaatt difficulty) so this is one of the few quotes that i received via sms that i saved..not sure who wrote them .. but.. really love them. so here goes...

"Yaad main teri aahein bharta hain koi
Har saans ke saat tujhe yaad karta hain koi,
Maut sachchai hain, ek roz aani hain,
lekin teri judaai main har roz marta hain koi.."


" Nigahein aapki, pehchaan hain hamari.
Muskurahat aapki, shaan hain hamari.
Rakhna hifazat tum apni...
Kyonki saanse hain aapki,
Magar jaan hain hamari."


beautiful!

a days work.

ok today has been a very tiring day.. we had our first factory visit.. and well we learnt more today than in the whole 6 months we have spent in that damn college of ours! anyway the ride to the factory(in tambaram) was fun.. the headphones were glued to my head and it was awesome.

we got there and dude to the din of the machines and incessant chatter of the workers we could not hear our teacher thank god! it was a very interesting experience. the workers donot understand the countries or the brands they are working on! while i was dying reading the damn labels. all the clothes made are for export only. hence the quality is on a level that the average indian buyer wouldnt recognise if it hit him on the damn head. and the workers are all sourced from near by villages so their exposure is at a minimum. and they donot understand the value of what they are making. a garment (shirt/ top) is made at 1 dollar... but the price tag says 24.50 $... can you even imagine the profit? and the one dollar mind you is inclusive of overheads/ tax blah blah...

and then later we got to meet the chairman of the export house.. the annual turnover of the house is about 35 crores.. yet you couldnt have met a more humble or down to earth person than him. anyway the day was a very nice/ educative.. but very tiring...

the chairman said (when asked why they dont meet deadlines) that no one plans to fail.. but we fail, because we fail to plan.

chew on that one for a while.

stuck on you.

i m reading this book by sashi deshpande called 'the dark holds no terrors'... during my 'time' in stella maris as a literature student the goodness and the quality of deshpandes writing were droned on and on about. i have nothing against her per say.. but not only her titles, her book covers (jackets), protagonists are stuck in some freaking time warp... its very cyclic and irritating. they are depressed thoughout the whole book there by effectively dragging you down with them.

i have not completed this book but i can almost viualise the ending.. the lead character( a female) middle class, very unhappy with her life, more often than not would be married and stuck in situation from where there seems to be no end at sight. so hence all the protagonists do is crib. there are painful flashbacks.. images.. so on and so forth.

my point is that why are these women not allowed to do something about their lives? i personally dont believe in the concept of 'victim'... everything you do in life is a choice you make. not doing anything is also a choice. so victims is just a term, which i think these characters should grow out of.

i have not read too many of her books.. but the way its going i dont think i want to.. but yeah recommendations are always welcome.

out of sight. out of mind.

ok.. well im not for v-day nor against it... its one of the many things in life im indifferent to. the only thing that i wonder is why on one particular day love 'must' be professed to the one you love. there are 365 days in the damn year.. and if only one day tweaks at your conscience then.. what sort of a relationship is that?

this sort of reminds me of my parents dragging me to the temple, or students praying religiously before every exam.. what about the rest of the days? we tend to take the people in our lives for granted. and by this i mean everyone.. including the lord god above..

on particular days/ temple visits/ bdays blah blah.. we remember and glorify them otherwise they are relegated to some lone corner.. (ok may be not that bad.. but get the drift.)

my point isnt against these days, occasions or celebrations.. but against the thought that one day of attention can make up for a year of neglect.

torn.

when do i leave you? a good question
with no answers at hand.
more importantly, why, do i leave you?
your love has made me open up.
feel. want.
i wear my heart on my sleeve.
its not good for me, my state of mind.
maybe i should just leave.
instead of waiting it out.
yeah maybe.
so many ifs, and buts.
im sick of weighing the pros and cons.
yet your face shows nothing.
i cannot read your, heart.
i donot even know what i want any more.
my priorities are all screwed.
friends say love does that.
does it? yes or no is all im asking.
this is my internal debate.
im arguing both sides.
so for once maybe i should just pick one.
be selfish says the mind.
but my heart is marching to a different tune.
how can you make me feel so much.. and not feel it yourself?
the facilitator of change.
elusive. aloof. detached.

*sigh*

the misery called college.

hello... one more lovely weekend has come to an end and once again the cycle of drudgery begins! (drum roll please!)...

starting monday my college WLC... has decided that the students need to be in a more 'attentive' frame of mind(im quoting here).. hence our beloved principal decided to start yoga classes for the betterment of all involved. there was a notice which said:

yoga clases commencng at 7.00 am sharp. monday - friday.

late comers will be 'awarded' pink slips(please note the 'humor')

u may wear comfortable clothing and bring a bed sheet along with you.

my point is if i sleep during the class would that be considered 'transcendental' meditation?? and second if comfy clothing for me is night dress?? and third are the 'teachers' coming for this betterment session?? and what slips would we be awarded if we dont attend the classes at all!! bitches!

my teacher actually had the gall to threaten us that if we donot attend the class then she would give us lower grades.. well we told her to go ahead and do just that. what shes going to fail the WHOLE class?! skank.

we also have culturals coming up... with a budget of 2 1/2 lakhs... i mean really! we dont have sewing machines yet we'll publicise the college... what can be more capitalistic than this.. and we are expected to involve our selves in all possible events.......after college gets over.. which is after 3.. so what do we get done after 3?? lunch?!!
and we need sponsorship to meet this deadline.. like obviously... and they need our help but of course.. and guess who was pushed into the executive comittee?? yours truly.. ;( but yeah i have managed to get out of it... donot ask how.. its art form perfected in stella maris. my fellow batch mates would know. ;)

but yeah have to go now and start working on my submisions. so.. will keep you all posted.

for me, its You...

No. the drugs don't work. have never worked.
Dont think they'll ever work..
So yeah, you can walk through that door.
Not a worry in the world.
Not one backward glance.
Ill just stay behind and wait.
Has it been any different from before?
Not really.
So ill just sit on the worn out wicker chair,
Drinking coffee...Pinning..
The first time you left i didnt think ill see you again.
Yet here you are..again.
Deja vu? yes. definitely.
You havent changed one bit.
But then again neither have i.
You still leave.
I... i.. will continue to wait.

illusion 2005

finally!

i am a graduate...

well yeaterday was my college (Stella Maris) convocation... and amidst great pomp and celebration we were awarded our degree certificates.. ( Bachelors of English Literature)personally its very liberating. its an accomplishment.. i am very serious.

i joined the college on 15th june 2002.. and well in exactly a week i was depressed over the bueraucracy, politics, hypocrisy...blah blah... i left school with stars in my eyes regarding the college.. but well it look less than a week for the whole illusion to fall apart. and there were countless moments where i would tell my friends that i wanted to leave.. this slowly progressed... then indifference settled in. from then on it was ok.. cause well i didnt care.

but that does not mean i did not have fun... i have made the most awesome friends, learnt sooo much (outside class ofcourse) about people, myself.. my limits.. and more importantly my abilities.. i had a few fabulous teachers... and some excellent peers.. the course as such was very interesting.. and there a lot of reading to be done.. and i actually read the authors (unlike my lovely classmates).. jane eyre, oliver twist, midnights children... a lot of indian fiction.. philosophy..
but my favourite was advanced english (a level), creative writing, journalistic writing, post colonial literature, and history of ideas (philosophy).. the teacher miss bernadine was awesome.. and i really looked forward to those classes!

but yeah on the whole a very enriching experience.. at the end of any event... the good is what you usualy remember... so heres to my degree!! *cheers*

and for the batch of 2002-2005 we rocked... and we are free! ;)

Life For Rent.

"its just a thought
only a thought.
if my life is for rent
and i dont learn to buy...
well i deserve nothing more than i get,
coz nothing i have is truly mine."

DIDO- Life For Rent.

well i have nothing to say.. the lyrics are self explanatory.. and scary.. it comes to the point of eternal recurrence (Nietszche).. is your life worth living again and again and again..
if you had a choice would you choose 'your' life? sort of like a measure for ones life..

how much is your life worth?

bluffmaster.

there is something haunting about old hindi songs... how ever much i profess to love rnb and hip hop or rock... old hindi songs have a special place on my i pod.. ;) there is a quality popularly known as 'soul' which the numerous remixes nowadays donot( will never!) have. music now a days has been reduced to semi- pornographic videos.. and well its very sad.

originality and talent are all things of the past.. though many have argued that it takes talent to mix the old songs to the new beat. plagiarism is also very rampant in the many hindi music videos. popular but lesser known hip hop songs are taken and blatantly copied to 'create' these videos... at times the videos and clothes themselves are not spared.

the concept of intellectual copyrights in this country is something that needs serious thought and action... especially in lieu of the fact that the original composer/ creator of the music does not get any credit.. or royalties.