Long gone are the times when I would have the urge to blog my mind off. Life was good then since I had an identity in the blogosphere. I sought attention. I sought identity. People recognized each other by their blog names. Good were those days when blogging was considered a royal hobby.
Enter “Facebook” and “Twitter”. People loved anything that was micro. Microblogging became a rage. Blogging was a time consuming job. Microblogging was possible on the go and over cell phones. Everyone, including me was busy on Facebook! We were able to share everything with one touch! I thought life was cooler until yesterday when I realized how much I had missed connecting with my blogger friends. Yes, the long hiatus! Isn’t it an oxymoron? How I missed blogging..
My timeline dates back to 2008! 3 years of silence on my blog for a person who talks nineteen to a dozen. My life changed in 3 years. I took up a job. Quit it. Got married. Pursuing my Masters. And the amount of experience I have underwent in these three years is enormous!
A lot of times I had to introspect myself,”Why am I not blogging?” and a voice in my tiny brain used to reply, “Everyone is on Facebook! Why bother blogging?”. But I realize how much I have missed. How eventful these 3 years have been. How much I could have shared on my blog!
Recently, I decided to deactivate my Facebook profile for numerous reasons. Suddenly, I found myself flooded with emails and phone calls about how outrageous it was not to find me on Facebook and how even one person’s count of friends went from 100 to 99 because I was gone! I loved all the attention. In fact, it made me realize how much of an identity Facebook creates for one’s self.
It made me realize how much I missed writing. And how much lighter I felt without being tagged on someone’s having a glass of booze in my hand or tagged with someone in a place where my parents wouldn’t want me to be. LOL. I feel independent, guilt free. Infact, I realized that the root cause of all evils is not money but Facebook and how much importance people give to liking on Facebook!
Maybe soon, I regain my Lost Identity on Facebook here and hope to connect with my fellow bloggers soon! Maybe Facebook is not the end of online identity 
I was travelling in the MRTS train that plies between Chennai Beach and Velachery with a train of thoguhts running in my mind.. The attack on Mumbai last week was still fresh and it made every commuter in the train look like a terrorist to me. I know! How mean of me.. But the impact was so high that I hardly could think of anything other than terrorism and giving possible reasons to myself so as substantiating my thoughts about the other person as a terrorist. 
..
I was to get down at Mylapore and I had boarded the train at Chennai Fort.. I got myself a corner seat by the window as usual. Chennai had never looked more beautiful to me. It was the very same place I had been spending my last 22 years in. At every instant I wanted to get out of Chennai.. Cos I was totally exhausted of going to the same places over and over. I wanted a change.. I wanted to go to Bangalore.. I wanted to have fun and freak out.. I wanted to break all bonds at home and go as a vagabond.. I know it sounds exctiting but not for long.. Not at all exciting when you realise that you have to work towards repaying your educational loan and live in an apartment which takes away most of your salary.. That is indeed creepy when you plan to have an investment for the future..
How many times have I traveled in that MRTS and how I long to catch the glimpse of the coastline/beach when the train goes between chepauk and Triplicane.. Man.. Even the beach which I keep cribbing about suddenly looked very very beautiful.. Damn man.. I will miss Chennai.. My home town.. I have always wanted to get out of Chennai.. But now, I am in tears to leave my hometown and be adopted by the neighboring state for a few months..
Will Miss all the fun and all my friends at Chennai!!!
I had copied this article from some website which I forgot..I would be really grateful if someone could give me the source.
Posted February 22nd, 2007 by Cindrella
Boredom – A great Spiritual Phenomenon. Abha, boredom is one of the most important things in human life. Boredom simply shows that you are becoming aware of the futility of life, its constant repetitive wheel. Boredom is the first indication that a great understanding is arising in you about the futility, meaninglessness of life and its ways.
Only man is capable of boredom; no other animal is capable of being bored. That’s why buffaloes are not bored; they look perfectly happy and enjoying. And in man, also, only the people who are very talented, intelligent, they are bored. The stupid people are not bored. They are perfectly happy doing their jobs, earning money, making a bigger bank balance, raising their children, reproducing, eating, sitting in the movie, going in the hotel, participating in this and that. They are enjoying! They are not bored.
A man becomes human when he starts feeling bored. You can see it: the most intelligent child will be the most bored child—because nothing can keep his interest for long. Sooner or later he stumbles upon the fact and asks, “Now what? What next? This is finished. I have seen this toy, I have looked into it, I have opened it, and I have analyzed it— what is next?” Soon he starts finishing things. By the time he becomes young, he is already bored.
Buddha was utterly bored. He left his kingdom when he was only twenty-nine, at the peak of his youth. He was utterly bored—with wine, with wealth, with kingdom, with everything. He had seen all, he had seen through and through. He was bored. Traditionally it is said he renounced the world because the world is bad – that is absolutely nonsense. He renounced the world because he became so bored with it.
It is not bad, neither it is good. If you are intelligent, it is boredom. If you are stupid, you can go on. Then it is merry-go-round; then you move from one sensation to another. You are interested in trivia and you go on repeating and you are not conscious enough to see the repetition—that yesterday also you had been doing this, and today also you are doing, and again you are imagining tomorrow to do the same thing again. You must be really unintelligent. How can intelligence avoid boredom? It is impossible. Intelligence means seeing things as they are.
Buddha left the world out of boredom; utterly bored, he ran away from the world. And what was he doing then for six years sitting in those forests? He was getting more and more bored. What can you do, sitting in a forest?—watching your breath,day in, day out, year in, year out. He created that boredom to its ultimate peak, and one night it disappeared. It disappears of its own accord.
If you reach to the peak-The turn comes. It comes! And with that turn of the tide, light enters into your being- you disappear, only light remains. And with light comes delight. You are full of joy- you are not, but full of joy- for no reason at all. Joy simply bubbles up in your being.
The ordinary person is joyous for a reason—he has fallen in love with a new woman or a new man and he is joyous. His joy is momentary. Tomorrow he will be fed up with this woman and he will start looking for another. The ordinary man is happy because he has got a new car; tomorrow he will have to look for another car. It goes on and on—and he never sees the point of it, that always, finally, you are bored. Do whatsoever—finally you are bored. Every act brings boredom.
The intelligent person sees it. The sooner you see, the more intelligence you show. Then what is left? Then only boredom is left, and one has to meditate over it. There is no way to escape from it. Then go into it. See where it leads, and if you can keep going into it, it leads into enlightenment.
Only man is capable of boredom, and only man is capable of enlightenment.
This tag is from –xh–the lone wolf… I am so glad that I wrote it for him … People who wanna answer these questions can do so in my comments column and then post it on their blog and in turn creating an avalanche .. Anyways here it goes!!!
1. Who are you?
Sands (Sans sounds really better 
)
2. Are we friends?
Friends for life
3. Something I have and YOU want?
Your Foxy/Tara 
4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
Weird Wolf suits you better than Lone Wolf
5. Describe me in one word.
Best Buddy!
6. What was your first impression of me?
Total Fiasco!!!
7. Do you still think that way about me now?
Well.. Sometimes.. But NO mostly
8. What reminds you of me?
Every blogpost I write reminds me of you and of course the 99.99%
9. If you could give me anything what would it be?
HayaBusaaa
10.How well do you know me?
So much that I bug u everyday to talk to me
11.How do you see me in the future?
Somebody who ignores my late night calls after u get married
12.Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn’t
U r the only person who knows the 99.99% matter
13. Are you going to post this in your blog and see what I say about you?
Of course.. U need to write it in my comment box also!!!
Awwright! You ve read it correct.. There is not typo or intended camouflage of words… The rules are all fucked up.. Exactly by those who make the rules! I am boiling by the very seeing of the repeated TV telecast of the violence that erupted at Dr.Ambedkar Law College by 2 groups which led to the merciless bashing up of youths.. The reason??? SOme predict it was because they had forgotten to mention the leader’s name and some say its the regular clash between the hostellers and the day scholars.. I ve never seen any clash like this at any point of my time..These are the very students who are our future judges and advocates.. The law of India is in the wrong hands?? Will Dr.Ambedkar stand to see thishad he been alive? Is it because to witness all these in the future that he fought his way to publishing journals advocating political rights and social freedom for India’s untouchables.
Sigh.. Its pathetic.. For all you guys who want to witness the gory incident check
If you have weak heart or any health ailments please do not watch the video. Disturbing images..
I am totally outta words in shock, frustration and anger. God Save India!
Mahatma Gandhi is the most revered person in India. Its been more than 60 years since we got independence from the British. Everybody knows who killed Gandhi, but how many of us know what the motive was behind it. Read on to know why Gandhi was assassinated and the real motive behind it.
Gopal Godse, co-conspirator in Gandhi’s assassination and brother of the assassin, looks back in anger–and without regret
Fifty-two years ago, on Jan. 30, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. Godse believed that the Mahatma, or great soul, was responsible for the 1947 partition of India and the creation of Pakistan. Godse and his friend Narayan Apte were hanged. His brother Gopal and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the conspiracy. Gopal Godse remained in jail for 18 years and now, at 80, lives with his wife in a small apartment in Pune. He is still proud of his role in the murder. Although Godse is largely ignored in India and rarely talks to journalists, he agreed to speak with TIME Delhi correspondent Meenakshi Ganguly.
TIME: What happened in January 1948?
Godse: On Jan. 20, Madanlal Pahwa exploded a bomb at Gandhi’s prayer meeting in Delhi. It was 50 m away from Gandhi. [The other conspirators] all ran away from the place. Madanlal was caught there. Then there was a tension in our minds that we had to finish the task before the police caught us. Then Nathuram [Gopal's brother] took it on himself to do the thing. We only wanted destiny to help us — meaning we should not be caught on the spot before he acted.
TIME: Why did you want to kill Gandhi?
Godse: Gandhi was a hypocrite. Even after the massacre of the Hindus by the Muslims, he was happy. The more the massacres of the Hindus, the taller his flag of secularism.
TIME: Did you ever see Gandhi?
Godse: Yes.
TIME: Did you attend his meetings?
Godse: Yes.
TIME: Can you explain how he created his mass following?
Godse: The credit goes to him for maneuvering the media. He captured the press. That was essential. How Gandhi walked, when he smiled, how he waved — all these minor details that the people did not require were imposed upon them to create an atmosphere around Gandhi. And the more ignorant the masses, the more popular was Gandhi. So they always tried to keep the masses ignorant.
TIME: But surely it takes more than good publicity to create a Gandhi?
Godse: There is another thing. Generally in the Indian masses, people are attracted toward saintism. Gandhi was shrewd to use his saintdom for politics. After his death the government used him. The government knew that he was an enemy of Hindus, but they wanted to show that he was a staunch Hindu. So the first act they did was to put “Hey Ram” into Gandhi’s dead mouth.
TIME: You mean that he did not say “Hey Ram” as he died?
Godse: No, he did not say it. You see, it was an automatic pistol. It had a magazine for nine bullets but there were actually seven at that time. And once you pull the trigger, within a second, all the seven bullets had passed. When these bullets pass through crucial points like the heart, consciousness is finished. You have no strength.
When Nathuram saw Gandhi was coming, he took out the pistol and folded his hands with the pistol inside it. There was one girl very close to Gandhi. He feared that he would hurt the girl. So he went forward and with his left hand pushed her aside and shot. It happened within one second. You see, there was a film and some Kingsley fellow had acted as Gandhi. Someone asked me whether Gandhi said, “Hey Ram.” I said Kingsley did say it. But Gandhi did not. Because that was not a drama.
TIME: Many people think Gandhi deserved to be nominated TIME’s Person of the Century. [He was one of two runners-up, after Albert Einstein.]
Godse: I name him the most cruel person for Hindus in India. The most cruel person! That is how I term him.
TIME: Is that why Gandhi had to die?
Godse: Yes. For months he was advising Hindus that they must never be angry with the Muslims. What sort of ahimsa (non-violence) is this? His principle of peace was bogus. In any free country, a person like him would be shot dead officially because he was encouraging the Muslims to kill Hindus.
TIME: But his philosophy was of turning the other cheek. He felt one person had to stop the cycle of violence…
Godse: The world does not work that way.
TIME: Is there anything that you admire about Gandhi?
Godse: Firstly, the mass awakening that Gandhi did. In our school days Gandhi was our idol. Secondly, he removed the fear of prison. He said it is different to go into prison for a theft and different to go in for satyagraha (civil disobedience). As youngsters, we had our enthusiasm, but we needed some channel. We took Gandhi to be our channel. We don’t repent for that.
TIME: Did you not admire his principles of non-violence?
Godse: Non-violence is not a principle at all. He did not follow it. In politics you cannot follow non-violence. You cannot follow honesty. Every moment, you have to give a lie. Every moment you have to take a bullet in hand and kill someone. Why was he proved to be a hypocrite? Because he was in politics with his so-called principles. Is his non-violence followed anywhere? Not in the least. Nowhere.
TIME: What was the most difficult thing about killing Gandhi?
Godse: The greatest hurdle before us was not that of giving up our lives or going to the gallows. It was that we would be condemned both by the government and by the public. Because the public had been kept in the dark about what harm Gandhi had done to the nation. How he had fooled them!
TIME: Did the people condemn you?
Godse: Yes. People in general did. Because they had been kept ignorant.
The snapshot of this interview has been taken from the TIME Magazine’s Website
Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune 23rd June, 2008
By Chetan Bhagat
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born.. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.
I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.
Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.
Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.
I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today.. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I come from the land of a billion sparks.
Thank You!
