How we're inhibiting our own growth.

If you're expecting something spiritual, look away. This isn't about how you can become a better person. I don't think that way. I think as a nation. As a nation of developing people. Note the word, developing. Underline it thrice. Our grandchildren aren't going to see a developed India, and I'll explain to you why.

We, as a nation, have always been proud of our diversity. The fact that we have a mountain, plain, plateau, deserts, Tropical Rain forests, Temperate Deciduous Forests, Moist Deciduous, Dry Deciduous, this forests, that forests, and what not all in one country. We've got the 4th highest GDP in the world. Gold mines and diamond mines. Democracy and Sovereignty. Dwindling Poverty levels, and ever-rising literacy rates. No problem, right?! Wrong.

The problem with our country is that we're willing to tear ourselves into shreds, and feel happy about it. This nation doesn't thrive on development. This nation thrives on competition. Economic competition, Social competitions, and most horrendous, political competitions. The development we're seeing, is a by-product of the big political saga in our country. Everyone wants to be voted in. Development is necessary to stay on top for another 5 years. So we throw in a few rules here and there. There are lot of idiots in our country who'll take what they get without asking questions, without thinking how these rules and provisions could, though give great personal gain, seriously inhibit the growth of the nation. Either that, or they do realize, and choose to keep silent. I don't blame them. Who wouldn't take opportunities that are handed over to you on a silver platter?! All that these people need to do to ensure that their opportunities are sustained, is vote the current government back in to power. The other set of people, those who get no personal benefits from the government, either give up all hope, or are too lazy to actually do something about it.

When these people ask questions, they ask a lot of them. Uncomfortable, if you were just fresh of a successful vote-bank operation. This is what made Mamata walk out of the CNN-IBN studios. These questions are uncomfortable, need to be asked, but they won't be. Simply because, those who benefit will stage a protest. Those who have a capacity to understand the situation, will not think for themselves, but end up sympathetic. When they do think for themselves, when someone actually looks beyond the rosy, colorful curtain and look on to the proverbial center-stage, and then fights for what he truly believes in, what the leaders say they believe in, what the constitution claims to uphold, that is when the nation gains a Mahatma. But that doesn't happen today. You get lesser mortals, like an Anna Hazare or an Arvind Kejriwal, who, though great people in their own right, fall short on what the country needs. Or you get someone like me, a jobless, cocksure writer, who is always going to start acting "next week" or "after the holidays" or "as soon as the vacation ends". The point is, we simply don't get leaders anymore. A leader, who can inspire the masses, and effectively bring about the change that the country desperately needs.

Then, we have this third set of people, whose characteristics make it pertinent that I dedicate a whole separate paragraph for them. These are the people I call "Anti-Patriots". People who actually, deep down, are patriotic (or not) , but go around portraying themselves as hardcore nation haters. They make it a point to hate on the motherland, on the heroes of the motherland, in every single issue. From a simple cricket match, to a cross-border war, border disputes, anything, you'll find these people raging all over the internet. Fortunately, this population is quite small, but unfortunately, it exists. Either these people truly believe that our nation really sucks, or they think its cool to go around pointing the numerous flaws and the faults of the government, but they are all unified by one common characteristic. The unwavering mindset of "I-will-not-help-this-nation", and the deep rooted belief that "India-sucks.Nothing-can-be-done-and-this-nation-is-doomed". They put themselves on this high pedestal, and hence look down upon us. They like to think that they're supremely gifted people, who "deserve to be at far greater heights than this country can provide for". Some of them claim to have that "X Factor" which makes the difference between Indians and Americans. No-one really knows where these type of people came from, or how they managed to reach these uncharted heights of stupidity, but if there's one thing I've been sure about, these are the people who make the difference between an United States of America and an India. Because, you won't find such devoted anti-patriots in any country.  True, there exist a certain number of America hating Americans, but they are very few in number, and they probably don't carry the intensity the Indian anti-patriots do.

This combination of our lack of leaders, excess of anti-patriots, the mere existence of a few writers such as myself, their readers, and the various types of people who are too self-absorbed (or too cool) to really give a damn about the how our country is being run, is exactly what is wrong with our country. This country is a basically a mash-up of various castes and communities that are in need of people who can lead. This country suffers because of a lack of leaders. That, and the people who actually lead, aren't actually interested in leading the nation. People who'd love to help lift our country, but they don't. And it is unless we find that spark, that can lift the people, that one little spark that can set us all ablaze, we will never be able to achieve the full potential of growth, and it is up to each one of us to try and ignite the spark from within, and once ignited, keep the flame alive.

Trying to light my own little spark,
Your very own cocksure writer,
Vishal Muralidharan.

The Problem with...

WARNING: Don't read if you get frustrated at religious mockery. 

Its been more than a few times recently that people have approached me with the same question.Its becoming so monotonous that I quickly give the same reply whenever I see someone walk up to me, even if they just wanted to say "Hi".

"What is your problem with God?"

You fail to understand me. I don't have a problem with god. I am not a non-believer. My problem lies solely with religion, and the stuff I am expected to in the name of god. Rather, the stuff I have to do so that I can "please" god. If you knew me well enough, and knew that I didn't care so much about you, you'd realise that I don't care if I'm not pleasing you. I definitely don't care so much about god.

Also, its not just Hinduism as many of you seem to think. Im against ALL religions. Also don't tell me that I don't understand. I understand well enough to say that its all rubbish. I REFUSE to wake up early on sundays, overdress and apologize for being human. I refuse to watch people empty packets of milk and what-not on a block of stone knowing that there are literally millions dying in Africa because they don't have milk. I refuse to fast for one whole day because "god wants me to".  I refuse to go to the 'abode of the lord' and hear people tell me that god is everywhere and in anything, and it wouldn't make a difference to god if prayed to my toilet seat.

This almost always gets me a response of "You don't understand. I can't explain. You'll understand when you get older." Believe me, I've understood and I still find it ridiculous.

Some other people ask me "Have you even read the bible?! Have you read the New Testament?"

Heres my answer: I have read some of the bible, but frankly I've read better. The plot was pretty lame, and the writing was all over the place.

Still, I guess the writing techniques weren't very sophisticated 2k years ago, and it's been translated and whatnot so many times the original story has likely been twisted so much it doesn't even resemble the first print run.

However, to answer your question, I don't have to read a storybook(Bible, whatever) to mock religion. The whole concept is what I consider ridiculous. 

That being said, people would call me agnostic, because I say there has to be some ruling power above us(though that sounds ridiculous too), but I detatch myself from all the Mumbo-Jumbo.

People also seem to assume that I am against religious people. NO. I'm against religion, and the fact that someone believes in something I don't doesn't make me hate them. Hell, MY PARENTS are religious. Most of the religious people I know are the nicest people I've ever met. So, let me make my last statement here.

I would pray to god, but ONLY if there's nothing else I can do. I've always believed that 10 hands at work are better than a 100 at prayer.

All this, quite frustratingly, could have been summed up in 4 words --> Im Spiritual, not Religious.

Also, this will (hopefully) be my last post on this subject. I tried myself to stop posting this, but I just couldn't.

 

GO for KO!! :D

A while ago, one of my friends remarked – “All interesting stories have already been written and made into movies. There are no new stories anymore. At best we can expect a new treatment to the same old story. But don’t get your hopes too high.”

He has a point. This is called Creative Bankruptcy in story writing. Looking at the storylines of the movies released in India in the last few years, (save a movie or two here and there) this is pretty much a conclusion any third grade student could come up with.

We either have Korean movie rip-offs or Hollywood movie mash ups. They are all delivered in a slick package – with “style” oozing out of even the toilet paper used in the movie making you, the unsuspecting audience, swoon over people who, if run into you on a busy afternoon in Anna Salai, do not even warrant a cursory glance.

But the camera angles and the makeup philosophy ensure that they are a pleasure to look at on the silver screen. Amidst all this brouhaha of making the movie slick and stylish, the all important part of a movie – “The Writing” takes a back seat… and in some cases, completely disappears off the radar of the crew.
Creative Bankruptcy is a nice phrase. It is easy to brand Xollywood (Replace X with your own movie industry letter) as a has-been. However, it must be understood that making a bad movie also is an art form nonetheless. The effort that goes into making a Parama Veera Chakra and the effort that goes into producing a Rang De Basanti is probably of the same intensity. While in one case, the writing is spectacular, the other one had no writing at all. The writing on the wall is hence clear to everyone – including the audience.

All hope is not lost though. The latest Tamil movie “Ko” is an apt example of what good writing can achieve. While the first ten minutes of the movie gives you a familiar “Been there seen that” feeling, the next two and a half hours keep you firmly rooted in your seat to enjoy the twists and turns unfolding on the screen at a rapid pace.

The concept is wonderful and the execution is amazing. It is a movie where the hero is the story and everyone else is a distant second. There are sequences in the movie – quite lengthy sequences – where there is no trace of the leading man. But you don’t even notice that he is absent. Let the leading man take a hike – the real hero, the story, has an authoritative presence in every frame of the movie – That’s the power of writing a gem of a movie.

Acting in this movie is top notch. Jeeva earns more than a pat on his back for his subdued but determined role as a Press Photographer – who knows what photography is all about.

Jeeva blends into the role effortlessly and in more than a couple of scenes, he is just a photographer capturing pictures even when something bad is going on in front of him. He does not jump into every situation to save the world for a change.

Kartika acts well and has a good screen presence. However you do yearn for some glamor from the leading lady. Unfortunately she falls quite short of expectations in this department. The other girl Piaa is a treat to watch and steals quite some hearts with her bubbly presence.

Ajmal, as a young educated Indian, trying to reform the dirty politics of Tamil Nadu, walks away with all the laurels. He carries this all important role with an effortless ease. He has a great future in the show business.

Post interval, you can easily guess where all this is leading to. The suspense element is pretty easy to guess especially if you are a seasoned moviegoer. But the end is really unexpected and is a pleasant surprise.

This could have been a great movie – one that would have been the talk of the town for years to come. In a classic case of squandered opportunities, the movie just stops short of being a classic – for a variety of reasons.

K V Anand, the director of the movie, impresses us in one scene and immediately manages to extract groans by resorting to age old screenplay practices. Take this for instance, the leading man running on the streets with a car behind him firing incessantly at him. The man dodges all the bullets and comes out squeaking clean. It may work in a regular masala flick but it sticks out like a sore thumb in this movie.  The problem is, such scenes could really have been avoided with no impact to the movie.

The first ten minutes which feature a bank robbery is again full of unbelievable stunts and is as cinematic as it gets. The climax too starts off on a really dumb note. I can’t explain why it is dumb because that would give away the end. It almost ends up as an anticlimax to an otherwise wonderful attempt but the last leg of the climactic sequence ups the ante again resulting in a totally satisfying movie experience.

While I do believe in the cliche – All’s well that ends well, here’s three tight slaps for the director for his insane song placements and a pathetic flashback episode that has no real weight in the movie. Second song in the second half – part of the half-baked flashback episodewas really unnecessary. Had me wondering if he did it just to increase the length of the film. Really.

Soundtrack is well done. The background score blends seamlessly with the narration. Editing by Antony is crisp and the songs by themselves are quite melodious and shot extremely well. Sadly they don’t fit into the overall scheme of things.

My rating of the movie: After the movie ended, everyone stood up from their seats and clapped. That’s pretty much my rating of this movie. Don’t miss it.

Oh LOOK! A MIRACLE! :D

Miracle-an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

I've always believed that a miracle is a matter of perspective. You can go around blabbering all you want and chanting stuff to please your god, but that would never result in any "miracle" as such.

The only "god's miracle" I see is that the fact that if there was slight change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would leave earth as lifeless any celestial body with a different gravity. That's all. Everything else would depend only on what a man thinks is possible and not. If he sees something he considers impossible, he would call it a miracle.

Think of this. If you travel back in time (which is entirely possible today. We should all go once. Oh and it costs a little bit more than twice the world's GDP), and tell the early man that you can talk to people who are miles apart, tell him that you can set foot on the moon, tell him that you can slice open his stomach without him feeling any pain, or that you can destroy a nation with a small round object no bigger than his palm, or you could use few drops of fuel to go to mars and return in less than a week(Antimatter... look it up), or that you could fly, that you could take pictures, show him films blah blah blah. Guess what he'd think.

If he believed you(Yes,To believe is beyond everything), he would say you were god. He'd tell you that you had performed miracles. Because to him, these would be beyond all imagination. These would fit perfectly under the definition of miracle in his world.

Now, if someone visited you from 4011 and told you that he could bring the dead back to life(This already happened and was recorded as a miracle. A woman named Val Thomas was dead for 17 and a half hours with no heart beat and no pulse. Her hart restarted and stopped about 3 times before she started speaking.) You would call that a miracle right? I don't know what else he might say, because they would be beyond my imagination.

But, I believe I made my point here. There is no way a man can "make miracles" just like that. In fact, a miracle wouldn't be spontaneous. It would take time for a miracle to happen. Meaning, a man can't say that he'll make you fly, chant a few words and throw you in the air. You won't fly. A man can tell you that he'll make you fly and then build you a plane, while you wait.

Discoveries and Inventions are not made through evidences. But once they are made, they would have a lot of "evidence" backing it up. The wheel was invented this way. If man had given up after trying wheels of shapes that were "easy to carve" and never tried carving a perfect circle without instruments we have today, we would have gotten no where. Man "experimented" the circular wheel and it worked. Now we know why square "wheels" won't work and on circular ones would fit. We have evidence. In fact, science would be NOTHING without evidence. Without evidence, understanding anything would be very difficult.

Anything that has happened would have a scientific answer to it. We just haven't found all of them yet. Placing a coin over wounds or sprains and identifying the problem would be quite impressive. But, every coin used by every one of those doctors would be of the same material. THAT would make the difference.

In fact, there are modern doctors that can tell you what's wrong with your body by just looking at you. You wouldn't have to tell them anything. This, of course, is all about experience, but it still beats using coins.

We live in a world where nothing is constant. Not even truth. What you think is the truth today will become false tomorrow. Ancient people believed that the earth was flat. Their argument was that if the earth were to be curved, then the oceans would spill off. To them this was the truth. That's how the world works. Everything you think is true might be proven false one day. Nothing, not even truth, is constant.

I guess that's all I have to say. (I've always been terrible at conclusions). But then again, all this is from my point of view. Just wanted to tell you guys this. :)

Okay... SERIOUSLY?

You ever meet someone who you thought was really cool? Spend a lot of time texting... and then suddenly realize that they say something that you are totally almost totally against.

First off.. CCE was not introduced to make our lives miserable. It is terrific plan.... ON PAPER. It could be implemented better... but it still is a terrific plan.

Im gonna be quoting a few blocks of text here, and then tell you what I think of it. (I seriously want to do this).


the new programme (CCE) I sjust to make our tiny sweet lives miserable =(

For those who arent familiar with CCE

it is

Continuous (They continuously torture us)

Comprehensive

Evaluation

Blatant stupidity. This system was designed to reduce stress. Yes, it has a brought a lot of stress into the picture, but has also reduced a lot at the year end. Would you rather want to take memory pills and stay up all night trying to mug up a piece of text, or finish your year end exam with just revision to do?

I would take these assignments and seminars any day. It gives me a chance to present what I think about anything. You probably haven't tried it. You can say whatever you want to say... provided they are factually correct. You can make your inferences from anything and be sarcastic, as long as you don't swear. Coming to think of it, I didn't really feel stressed at the end of my assignments... I actually had fun with them, making jokes about how scientists are unable to name bacteria with proper names. Try something... It will work.

This has many components like formatives and summative exams

the year is biphurcated into semester one and two

Thats enough for you folks to know

And the problem is..?? This is actually a great thing... At the end of the year, you atleast do not have to cram 16 lessons into your head... Its just eight. This system actually does you good, because it forces you to study early and your left with just revision at the end. You also don't have to start of your holidays horribly stressed.. and can meet awesome people (HINT HINT!) :D. You'll end up being happy... trust me.

I see no reason Why CCE has been introduced

Because all people teach is TEXT BOOK stuff

You know what...? Even before CCE was introduced, people where teaching only textbook stuff. People were teaching only textbook stuff ever since textbooks were introduced. What CCE does is, its given you a chance to explore out of book stuff in your assignments and stuff. Of course I am assuming CCE is being implemented properly to an extent in schools.

 

I really think much more new Fields must be introduced in schools

The old Science and commerce thing HAS to GO!

Its high time indian education system changed

And the belief that science is better than commerce has to be proven wrong

80% students prefer commrce when given a choice

Well... Indian education is a lot more than just commerce and science. In a quick recollection, I'll tell you, that CBSE has... Humanities, Psychology, and even Agriculture in its education system. It is one of the most wholistic educational systems in the world. Most schools don't offer these courses. I am not saying its not wrong.. but here's the reason. MOST of the students prefer science and commerce to the other subjects. Building classrooms, getting electrical connections done, and employing more teachers who probably are going to have nothing to do.. all are gonna lead to a huge hole in your pocket. 

I mean, would you invest all your money on something hardly anyone cares about? Think about it.

 

would you (when given a choice) choos to be a stupid doc who works in the same old crooked hospital for 50 yrs and regrets every minute of his life or would u prefer taking a field where ur creativity wouldnt be stabbed? 

see ?

 

Frankly.. I don't see. You've deliberately undermined the first option. People consider being a doctor challenging.... No case is like the previous one, and each of them provides the thrill of a challenge. Besides, if you save lives, people would be treating you like GOD. 

There is no field where your creativity isn't going to be stabbed. Every field will put a bar to your imagination. You'll understand when you choose your so-called field-where-creativity-isn't-stabbed.

i KNOW that im from this new GENERATION. and we really ahve to have the right

I also feel that teachers should be more open minded like 

1) Should allow opinion of students to be presented

2) should implement decisions taken by students

3)should tolerate some swear words (just in case)

and its really high time that they forget themselves, their generation and tradition and put themselves in our shows and think about our mindstate

I LOL-ed at the third one. Im quite sure it was a pun, so I'll ignore that. This is one of the most sensible things on that post(despite being blatantly self centred). But... have you tried? Have you tried telling your teachers POLITELY what you think? I mean.. you're a human right. Guess how it would feel if a bunch of people come over and keep rattling off without letting you speak?

Implementing decisons... i don't understand. Whenever we ask our teachers something sensible and practical, they always oblige (of course we ask them politely). But mostly.. implementing decisions is not in your teacher's hands. There are other people who take over the management of the school. Talk to them. You might get something  ;)

Its quite impossible to ask humans to fourget their generation, culture and their belief. Remember you're not doing them a favor. They are doing you one. 

I as a student have tried all my life to make my teacher happy

but as they say greed cannot be satisfied

Now. I am ready to argue to any teacher about my views

so teachers who stil suck

ROT IN HELL. UR TEACHING AINT REALLY GONNA MAKE ANY SHITTY DIFFERENCE

and for teachers who are trying hard to reach us

Please try harder

Well, after reading this full post, and your language. I don't think so. Their teaching will make a "shitty" difference once you grow up. Just wait. And instead of asking teachers to reach out even further, you might want to try reaching out with your hand.

PPS : School makes n difference to me nowadays. but if teachers try and understand us. it may.

Ive already planned my life :) So dont get all worried teachers :P 

Thank you , Folks!

Good luck with that! Your music (and your voice) absolutely ROCKS! :D :D

Going Detective! Part 1

One of the things that has interested me since I was a little kid was finding out things. Sparked by curiosity, and hope, I started following the WWE once again, hoping to get a glimpse of The Rock, maybe as the general manager. It was then that I started listing out who I think would be the Raw GM , and so, here's the list I compiled....

1. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Stone Cold would be on top of anyone's list. He has got an attitude, and likes watching people struggle. He also doesn't care about what Vince thinks. Also, once the GM was quoted saying "And That's The Bottomline, because the raw gm said so!". But my soul tells me that its just a red herring, to spark of hope in the Rattlesnake's fans.

2. Triple H

We all know what sort of a guy HHH is. The raw gm seems to be playing games with the WWE universe and HHH is The Game. Plus, he hates Edge and Jericho, something which is also characteristic of the GM. There is also this fact that the GM appeared the day HHH mysteriously disappeared, and that seems quite suspicious to me.

3. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

Once again, this goes only by what I think. Bret has been seeking control of a part of the WWE for years now, and could he have somehow convinced Vince? This guy is my second best guess of all, because of his aspiration, and the fact that he just vanished from wrestling. He's got the skills, and the words of the GM sounds to me like what Bret would usually say, and this means he could very well be the guy we're looking for!

4. Mick Foley

Many people would not agree with me on this, but somehow, I feel like he could be our guy. Vince trusts this guy, and Mick has done this before. He did take a break from the WWE and went on to TNA, but he seems to be missing there. This means he could be back to take charge of Raw once again, and try to get back all the fans the WWE lost.

5. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

The Rock is my best guess so far, and no, its not out of hope. The Rock announced a return at summer 2010, which co-incidentally is when the raw GM arrived. He also said "I'll Probably never wrestle again" and what could he do in the WWE without wrestling? It is very possible that he will come back to wrestling(This is out of hope), but we have a safe bet with The Rock. Only doubt? He never hides in the back of things. If he does something, he wouldn't do it like this, but then again, it could just be to add up to the suspense!

Those are my 5 best guesses for the GM, and I'm praying that its The Rock, but only time will tell. There are, of course, so many other great ideas, like Shane but these 5 were the one's i felt worth mentioning. In case, its Shane or Michael Cole, you can thank me!!!

(I've never been good at any conclusion part, I am simply not good at it, so please don't kill me later).   

Let the scanning begin!!

Good Afternoon!

This is the first post on this blog, and I thought I should let you know that I have written other blogs under different names, and this is the first time I 'm writing a blog based on myself, and my life. For the past few days, I have constantly switching over from the city of IF to Facebook, occasionally playing. My life seems to have been centralized around this 7-year old computer(I'll get a new one, promise), and this blog is the result of one of those long hours spent on the computer without actually doing anything.

It leads me to this question.... will this blog end up being one of the useless addictions without which i could carry on with my life perfectly well? It could, but after thinking a lot, I realized that the blog would help me understand myself better. I would type out things without even knowing what I'm doing, like I'm doing right now.

It certainly seems to be one of those things which I would have to think a lot about, after managing to get my eyes of this computer and force my hands to the power button, and disconnect the most sucked up connection ever. In between sentences, I'm changing the background theme of my blog and I've finally decided to go with flame you see behind this text.

So I think I'm gonna have to wrap up now, and i'll be back with more posts later, if I find this as engaging as I think it would be.