An Atheist's Perspective...

I was discussing my atheist inclinations with a friend and i wrote this as a reply to her. I thot it'd make good material for my blog too. My friend had once seen me entering a temple and bowing before the idol. So wen i told her that im an Atheist, she asked me abt it. She also tuched upon why God is important to her. I will only write my reply to her.
so here it goes....

[...my friend's reply here...]

dats the reply i received. lemme first say that wat im gonna say further is a personal view. india is a democratic nation and every1 is entitled to free thinking. this statement is not just a prelude. its important because it differentiates me from a fundamentalist or an extremist. so take my views as just views and not as smthing im trying to ram down ur throat. thats the last thing i'd do. Also, once i engage in a debate or a conversation like this, it can get really long, extending over long time periods and sometimes covering a diverse range of subjects. I can only ask you to bear with this. I hope you get interested...

My views:

Religion cannot be discussed in isolation from God. Not only here in India but anywhere else. In order to justify this statement, I'd like to first delve into the historical origins of religion.

Man has always been fascinated by his surroundings. He always sought to find answers to a number of things. For example, the origin of earth, origin of mankind, why men are different from women. Why man is different from animals. 5000 years ago, man was confronted with an assortment of mysteries. He always was on a quest to find answers.

Man is an intelligent creature. Since time immemorial, the basic approach to problem solving has been this:

1) Identifying the problem
2) Collating a list of possible ALTERNATIVE solutions (called theories)
3) Identify the BEST solution (theory or proposition) to the problem
4) Test the theory to see if it conforms to the constraints of logical reasoning and observed facts.
5) If the theory passes the tests of rational logic and answers the observed facts, it then becomes a Law.

We once had the Newton's Theories. They were experimentally tested and then they became Newton's Law. Because they have been PROVEN EXPERIMENTALLY, LOGICALLY AND RATIONALLY. All the circumstantial evidence points to the fact that Newton's Law cannot be disobeyed.

The above process of problem solving is not something written in books. Its the natural process that human brain adopts subconsciously.

So when man was confronted with the problem of say for example, 'Origin of Mankind', he used the same process of problem solving as follows:

1) Identifying the Problem: How did man, animals, life come in to existence. The life on earth was so complex, with so many species of plants, animals, races of men, that the problem seemed INFINITELY COMPLEX.

2) Finding the possible solutions to the problem:
a) A divine omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, entity could only have created such an INFINITELY COMPLEX universe
b) An alien life from another planet gave birth to mankind
c) Life on earth and mankind EVOLVED over a period of millions of years (Charles Darwin published his 'theory' of natural selection. its still a theory. but it has been proving itself constantly without significant rational criticism. And whatever criticism it is receiving is in my opinion, irrational and illogical
d) Life as we see does not exist at all. Its just a dream, an illusion
e) Life as we see does not exist at all. Life on earth is actually an entertainment play, watched by Gods
f) Life as we see does not exist at all. Its just a computer game/program running on somebody's (God's?) computer. (Unbelievable? search the internet or spend some time on chat networks and you'll find people who actually believe this crap)
g) Think of 'n' number of more alternative solutions yourself

3) The best and the most plausible theory 5000 years back, when we didn't have theory of evolution or alien birth. The possibility of existence of a Divine God who created mankind was itself so romantic that most people fell for it. As for the others who found it hard to digest even then, they were asked if they'd a better answer? Obviously, The God theory came to be accepted worldwide. Mind you, It was accepted. but NOT TESTED.

4) Testing the theory:

The God theory was supposedly tested. Lot of events, who's cause could not be found, were attributed to God. Many so called miracles were testified and wrongfully taken as an evidence for existence of God.

5) Proclaiming the theory as a Law:

With the so called evidence and with no other better theory at hand, mankind unanimously accepted the God theory and proclaimed it a Law. This law was called Religion.

Every country has had some form of a codified religion. Indians had the Vedas, Christians had Bible, Jews had Bible and the Torah, Muslims had Koran. Others who didn't have a written culture had some form of oral laws forming the basis of religion.

Problem with Religion and hence God theory:

All theories have to be tested and verified. evidence gathered and subjected to rational examination. Religion passed this test 5000 years ago. But todays it fails.

All theories evolve. Newton proposed say theory 'X'. It was tested, passed, proclaimed a law. But it was re-tested. Einstein did it too and he found that Newton's Laws could be disobeyed in some cases. Based on these discrepancies in earlier theories, Einstein formulated a new theory, 'Theory of relativity'

In the same vein, religion and God theory had to be tested, re-tested and re-re-tested in light of newer knowledge been discovered. We now have a much more likely theory of evolution of mankind. It is much more logical and acceptable to rational mind. Then why not re-test the God theory and subject it to criticism? Why not dare and discard it if it fails miserably in comparison to alternative explanations for origin of mankind?

The reason is, religion has been here for far too long a time. Religion and the God theory is not a theory anymore. Its a way of life. It defines the way people live their lives. It differentiates cultures and guides the society in its day to day affairs.

What does it mean to an Atheist like me?

As an atheist, i am a rational man. And I feel that mankind is a weak race. Man as an individual needs support. He needs guidance and comfort. Some people find it in their mothers, some in their wives, some in spiritual gurus and some like me, in own self.

I as an individual find the grounds for existence of God, very shaky and hard to believe. But there are people who differ. As a rational SOCIAL animal, I would follow the ways of the society to a reasonable extent. I as an Atheist do not find it hard to enter a temple and even bow before an idol because its an object of worship for my parents, my friends and my loved ones.

I respect my loved ones. This is what differentiates me from fundamentalists and makes me a civilized man. I know a lot many Atheist bigots who hunt down their religious counterparts and engage in fruitless ranting and stupid blabbering.

As a teenager, I did have extremist views once. I severely resented any religious activity and rituals. I used to make fun of 'Artis' and 'Shlokas'.

I am however now satisfied that I as an individual have evolved over time. I realize that God as a support system is very important for many people. It gives comfort and strength to many people (like yourself perhaps). As a support system, it keeps many humans going.

Would I enter a temple and pray to an entity that I think does not exist?

Yes. I would enter a temple. I would also not mind bowing and joining my hands before an idol. But I would not pray. Joining hands to me is a ritual. As much I find religious rituals blasphemous I dont think they are irrational. They are a means to bring the society together. Although they purport the existence of a God (which i disagree), they also perform a much more important function: they gel the society together (which is more important for me)

There is an important difference between logic and rationalism. Idea that God exists is Illogical. But I wouldn't call it Irrational simply because it makes sense to have a God like entity (even if its imaginary) in a society to keep it from plunging into chaos.

Taking a broader view of life, I would definitely make known my Atheist views and argue as to its logicality. But I know life is seldom logical. I hence wouldn't even mind bowing before an imaginary God. I know God doesn't exist. So what harm does it cause if my head bows before something that my parents call God, but i consider a stone idol?

What will the society loose out?

In case we continue with the God theory, the only aspect that society would loose out on would be failure to explore possibilities other than God. Ok, so if God didn't create the universe then who did? If everyone on earth believed in existence of God, who would pursue the cause of scientific exploration? who would find an alternative theory?

An important criticism to the above statement is that most scientists in history were religious. Yes, sure, they were religious. They did accept the God theory. But they knew that it was a theory. They tested and re-tested it. This is what is more important. Mankind must test religion for its utility. Religion Should EVOLVE. My complaint lies in the fact that today's religions have all remained stagnant for too long.

Also, in case of a religion, some Social benefits are derived, while some social benefits (like say scientific accomplishments) are lost causing cost to the society (eg. superstition). A cost to benefit analysis would demonstrate if religion is of utility or not. If the Costs in the form of Social evils and loss of scientific accomplishments is high while, the social benefits of religion are low, a religion becomes a liability.

As an Indian and a born and brought up Hindu, I would say that for Hinduism the cost incurred is slightly lower than the benefits derived. As a result my thinking would allow benefit of doubt to Hinduism as far as its utility is concerned.

So whats the conclusion?

The conclusion is, one must remains rational. Not logical. If an imaginary God benefits somebody, go for it. If one can do away with external divine support and learn to support oneself, nothing better than that. As an indivdual, I have learnt to stand up on my feet and not look for support from an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent but imaginary entity.

From my observation, I find that religious persons find it much easier to commit 'sins' because they know (or they believe) that there's a God sitting in the heavens who'd forgive them if they pray or follow a few rituals like bathing in waters of a holy river.

In my case, the very belief that there is no God to support me, to forgive my sins, to grant me wishes, to help me in times of trouble, to console me when I am sad, makes me work that much extra hard to support myself, to live an ethical life. My only solace is my conscience. My conscience prevents me from committing a Sin. My conscience gives me strength when I feel weak. My conscience makes me a better human being. My conscience is my support system. And it works better for me than an imaginary God...

I hope you think about it...

And thanx my friend. coz you just inspired me to write another article for my blog. find the above discussion on my blog at Naklistan.com

tata, tc
--
Raka Naklistani :-)

About Me - An Introspection...

m Boring. i like 2 make friends. but im choosy. im finicky. im a recluse. but i cant stop talking if i find some1 my type. my emotions are extreme. im moody. i get highs and lows very easily. i like 2 see lotsa money. but im not a spendthrift. i can be rude. i can destroy friendships easily. and i regret it later. i dont listen to anyone. so i usually learn things the hard way. im a workaholic. im a writer. im a dreamer. i take pride in saying im systematic. but i invariably dont know my next move. irony is a major part of my life.

im a thinker. i think a lot. i hold strong views on many issues. i respect women. i've strong views on women's rights. i hate inequality. im democratic. i love art. but i've failed in creating much myself. i dont like a lot of things about me. i do a lot of introspection. i frequently find myself confused. i find myself lonely sometimes. i think of my childhood and past. i used 2 keep a diary once. but failed to sustain.

im a bundle of walking contradictions. my life is deeply marked by instability. i loose interest very easily. once i find things done, i loose interest and look for newer pastures. i lack a long-term perspective. if im not happy with things, i let em fall like a pack of cards. makes things difficult for others. im a team player. i like 2 interact. im not a leader. i consider myself a weak decision maker. but i analyze well. im not a strong willed person. in a team, i hold the members together. im the one who unites. im ambitious. im honest. i dont talk much. wen i do, ppl listen to me. people respect me. ppl take my opinion seriously.

i tend not 2get along with most ppl.but i compromise. i hate ppl who shirk work. dishonesty is a turnoff. i find myself more comfy in female company. im not romantic. but im soft hearted. i find myself pretending to be hard on the outside. i find it silly. but i cant help it. i guess dats my nature. i always claim in not emotional. but i know im ultra sensitive. dats one of the reasons for my reclusiveness perhaps. im verbose. i tuch a lot of things in a short span of time. im vulnerable. women, ideologies, religion; i get attracted to them easily. im a kid on my inside. im playful. i say i dont care. but i do care. i react differently to different people. even in same situations.

i haven't been a very good student. but i was and am always curious. i dont have enemies. i always make friends. very few ppl resent me. i find myself struggling with my ego. i know i hv a huge ego. but since i know it, i dont let it cause harm. i like to share. i always share. im compassionate. but im not weak minded. i believe in hard work. i'd rather die than beg. im a proud man. but im humble too. im not ashamed of work. i get bouts of ideas. i suddenly work frantically on an idea and then drop it without clue.

i dont like a lot of things about myself. but im happy about myself. im a good guy. i have evil thoughts in my mind sometimes. im very argumentative. i sometimes wish i had superhuman powers. i dont like ppl who have an indifferent attitude. i like intelligent company. i find myself uncomfortable amidst crude and nasty men who talk dirty. i like polished speakers. i admire many people. i like charmers. i want to be like them. i dont believe in God. i think the logic for his existence is weak. im a rational person. im non-violent in actions. but i do have violent thoughts frequently. i get angry easily. but im good at masking my emotions. i've never been very good at expressing love. although i've been attracted to quite a few women in life, i've never been able 2 say it. im stupid at it i guess. im content easily. money is not an incentive. work is. keeps me going. i enjoy my life to the fullest. im happy. and im luking for more. im insatiable...
:-)

whos at fault

first lemme respond to your comment and then try and explain what i am really tryin to say, maybe this this it will be clear.


at no point of time has there been conclusive proof that any of these nations had WMDs. on the contrary, facts hv come to light that american claims of WMD possession against Iraq were war propaganda.

Dude, I would strongly suggest that you ensure that you read whatever I have written before rushing off your replies. It could also help if you read the post directly over the computer. It’s the least you could do for your blogger buddy. I had never said that the threat of Iraq possessing WMDs was a genuine one. I know and the whole world knows that it was just an excuse to start a fight. In my comments earlier, I have made this point very clear. I had called it a joke. Then why do you reply as above, as if I am oblivious of this fact and that it is gonna appear in tomorrow morning’s headlines?


if its not americas responsibility to fix others state of sorry affairs, then why is it meddling in afghan, irani, iraqi and korean affairs?

I am perplexed after reading this. It is true that America has meddled in the affairs of and used military might against most of them. So? But this time US is not using its military against pak, it is not invading it. You surely don’t mean that, since US has meddled in the affairs of so and so states, as a thumb rule, it is not fair that it is not meddling with the affairs of Pakistan directly? No one should think that there is a general rule of stupidity that governs US’s actions.


In contrast, Indian foreign policy has been most beautiful with the necessary restraint and maturity, which many people mistake for cowardism.

Do you really think that Indian foreign policy is good? Now don’t even get me started on this. I am not writing anything on this now, as it would override the point that we are trying to make. Talking about too may things would make the entire discussion vague. If you wanna discuss this, then do write enumerating the merits of the so called Indian foreign policy, I would surely respond.


Dude, the people who visit this blog or have read anything I have written in the past would know what I feel about US foreign policy. This is what I had written at the start of the article.

i can understand why you are upset with the us, their foreign policy sucks. from my earlier posts it would be apparent what i think about us and its policies.

Does it sound like I am a big fan of the US? You of all people should know what I think about it and its policies.


Well, let me come to the point that I am trying to make. Maybe it would become clearer now.

I would like to ask one thing. Do you at all feel that the old man named by his mama as parvez is anywhere responsible for this whole messy mess? If you do, then why aren’t you talking about it? Now we both know that he is just a pawn in the whole game between the pak army, the isi and the west. So lets not waste our time with that. But sumwhere, don’t you think the man’s hunger to hold on to power needs to be condemned in the strongest sense. He certainly has some vested interests and will not rest till he has achieved them. Since this is the same man who directed the kargil action sequences, it should certainly give Indians sumthing to think about. This man cannot be trusted. Why give him the clean chit? All I am saying is that US is indeed responsible for all the mess it is in now. But the point that I am trying to make is, (PLEASE DO PAY ATTENTION HERE) for USA, PAKISTAN IS A FOREIGN NATION, IT REALLY CARES LITTLE IF IT GOES TO HELL OR BOUNCES OFF ITS CRUST. BUT AS FAR AS THIS LITTLE MAN IS CONCERNED, ISNT THIS HIS ADOPTED NATION? DOESN’T ITS AND ITS PEOPLE’S WELFARE FIGURE ANYWHERE IN HIS TO-DO LIST? WHY IS HE DETERMINED TO LICK FOREIGN ASSES JUST TO STAY IN POWER? ISNT IT HIS GREED? HE IS READY TO PUT ITS FUTURE AT STAKE JUST TO CLING ON TO POWER? HOW DOES THIS MAKE HIM ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE TWO PAK PMs?

This is the point that I am trying to make. I think more than US, inspite of all its dirty tricks, the internal elements of Pakistan like the army, the isi and ofcourse the general are more guilty for the situation that the country is in now.

One last thing, you made your point very clear only in my reply, while in the first post that you made, you had just briefed that US is at fault, without explaining the reasons for your thought. Don’t wait for my reply to elaborate on your views. Do it at the first instance, it would make more interesting reading.

US is protecting its interests

this is my response to an earlier article.

i can understand why you are upset with the us, their foreign policy sucks. from my earlier posts it would be apparent what i think about us and its policies.

but i personally do not think that it is us's resposibility to affix the head of state of each and every country in the world. We should refrain from indiscriminate and blind us bashing. to be fair to the us, it has the right to maneuver the international scenario to suit itself. Every country does that, including our’s. then why point one’s finger at the us this time? At least it is not bombing another nation, however this time I really wish they had done that.

It is indeed implied that mushy would have taken dubyas permission before imposing emergency. But is it the responsibility of the us to see to it that every radical fundamentalist country sticks to democratic ways? Certainly not. Is mushy committed to democracy? Not really, though its his own country. Is he manipulating the system to suit himself, you are damn right he is. Then the question is, then why blame the us? Dubya must not have proactively asked mushy to impose emergency, it has simply not objected to his decision to do so. Hence, I feel mushy is the bigger culprit not the us.

If we talk about a country’s commitment to democracy then lemme ask you this. Is India commited to the spread and preservation of democracy all over the world? Certainly not. If it were, then would it remain a silent spectator in the Myanmar prodemocracy moments? Even afer the people of that country sought india’s help? What is happening in Myanmar is totally wrong. An elected leader has been in house arrest for numerous years now. But India being a strong democratic neighbouring country is not interferening in the country. And rightly so. The military govt in that country has good relations with India, it doesn’t allow its soil to be used for anti Indian activities, which is very important for India considering the troubled north-eastern regions. India doesn’t want an additional ememy in the neighbourhood. It already has its hands full with Pakistan, Bangladesh , the very country we liberated and sri lanka, considering sri lanka is not oblivious of the fact that the ltte do get a lot of help from the southern Indian states, both monetarily and otherwise. Hence why meddle in Myanmar and create more trouble for yourself as if you don’t have enough already.

The situation that us is in at the moment is not very different from our own. It already has its hands full in Afghanistan, considering the Taliban is regrouping and spreading to the northern parts too, and of course iraq, which could well be another Vietnam for them. Besides these two frontiers, it is also worried about iran’s neculear muscle flexing, north Korean military might and terrorism against both mainland us and us interests in various nations. Now it deparately needs mushy’s help as Taliban and al qaida is becoming very active in Pakistan and using that land to mount anti-us activities. Hence, if mushy needs the emergency to make his position strong, then so be it, as far as the us is concerned. Afterall the country has been under the military rule for most part of its post colonial era, so it is not as if they have no taste of the bitter pill. And anyways, why should the us care so much about the people of Pakistan if they themselves are so damn ignorant?

Hence I think the people of phukistan are more at fault as mushy has active support from some sections of the Pakistan politics including the mqm, muhajir qoumi movement, the political party to represent the decedents of those people who left India to make the newly formed Pakistan their new home during the independence of India. Mushy is a muhajir, hence they feel that he represents their community, and support him, oblivious of his thinking and policies. After lal musjid fiasco mushy needs to fight the radicals and hence he has no option but to impose emergency. The us is just making use of him. Once he becomes redundant to them, they will pull their support to him. This is just an adjustment for the us to suit itself. I do not think us is stupid enough to meddle in Pakistan affairs pro actively, though I wish they would and blast the country into outer space.

The us is just protecting its interests.

Nice pics Y!Rocks...

yeah. we cant stop talking abt politics. as hard as we try. but we gotta try harder. LOL. so here's my bit...

though our contributer Y!Rocks is not very active about writing, this guy is a good photographer. i saw his pics in his album on orkut here. do take a look guys...

FUCK YOU AMERICA...

The inevitable has happened. Pakistan is once again under a Martial Law regime under dictatorial rule of General Musharraf with puppets installed on top of the judicial machinery. It was only a matter of time that a dictator at the helm of Pakistan's politics would walk in the footsteps of his predecessors. Taliban which once was a Pakistani and more importantly American pet has been let loose. Pakistan and America are once more haunted by their own demonic offsprings.

America is jeopardizing the world peace by meddling in world affairs for its greed. It should stop invading sovereign nations and look after its own affairs. By confronting Iran, meddling in Iraqi and Afghan affairs, USA is destabilizing the region and creating more problems than its solving.

Musharraf's imposing Martial Law is definitely not possible without America knowledge and permission. American hypocrisy is once more demonstrated when it says that it is 'deeply disturbed' by the current turn of events in Pakistan.

Arm twisting by Left handers

This is my response to the earlier article.

thats right dude.

i myself wanted to write sumthin on this, but realised my previous posts were also related to politics, so didnt write immediately.

i certainly agree with you. the UPA is not america's slave, it is the left that is china's slave. the indian left parties have always been chinese manchurian ass lickers. i shudder to think what would happen if china makes aggressive military moves on the border, these rotten eggs would welcome it and say that india would be better off under communist china. they are the ones who have sold off the nation.

lemme ask you guys one thing, what kind of ideology do you think china follows? communism? sorry, wrong answer. china is communist only in name. all aspects of china, which really matter to the business are more in tune with capitalist policies. in other words, china is a very liberal communist nation. it chose to be so in the early 90s, because it understood then that unless it changed its manners, it will collapse just like the iron curtain collapsed in the early 90s.

well, what can i say, the masters of the indian left parties (read china) has understood that unless its adopts a more liberal policy, it is sure to enter into a depression and break into ten thousand pieces just like its big brothers the former USSR and former (again) Yugoslavia.

the name of the game in international politics is adapting to changes. isnt it a well known fact that india was a staunch ally of the communist nations and a dear friend of USSR? india itself is influenced by socialist ideals. from the time of independence to the mid 90s, india was largely led by the congress, a party which strongly believed that india's best interests were in being a close ally of the USSR. Since the 90s, communism has all but fallen, with the exception of china and a few other countries. observing this change, india has sensed that it is better off with building strong relations with uncle sam (US). The same congress party has now taken this relationship further in many ways. One of the steps it has attempted to take is this nuclear deal. Have you noticed the congress making any moves towards the Russian union, which has all but replaced the former USSR in the international scenario. The congress has learned that what is in the past is best left there (in the past), the present policies should always be made with one eye on the future. I am not a fan of the congress party (though I may sound so in this space, but believe me, I am anything but that)

Alas, the deal is in rough waters simply because the left has no common sense to see that the global scenario has changed and that it has been over 60 years that the second world war has ended and that now nobody really cares about the communist ideals. Capitalism, with all its inherent flaws has won the cold war hands down. There is only one international boss and a runaway success story and that the US, make no mistake about it.

Its time the left read its news papers and took off the old and crumbled stalin and lennin portraits off its office walls. They were leaders of a different time. The time now is of business expansion, we are talking about a single global village these days.

The Indian left parties had little national presence until the beginning of this century. The fifty years of modern India, the little red man were largely ignored by the Indian masses. It is only in the last two general elections that unfortunately, the masses have given substantial power to these guys who have done nothing but slow down India’s progress. Maybe the masses saw that India is speeding ahead at a rapid pace since 1998 and that the gap between the rich and the poor in this country is widening with the passage of every single day. We are talking about huge foreign investments these days. My reading is that the improvised of the country panicked that if this pace keeps up then they will be in a lot of trouble economically speaking. It is a well known fact that the left has branded itself as the champion of the poor, and when the poor are driven to a corner, who do they have to turn to, the left of course. I hope the people who voted them into power will realize that left is no poor man’s friend, how can a party be against the establishment retail outlets in India and be friends of the poor at the same time. The very mantra of the retail outlets is cutting down prices, and when the prices of commodities are cut, wont the poor benefit, simple logic aint it. NO, if you are left, the way they look at it is, the investment is coming from the west, and our grand fathers had asked us to blindly oppose anything that comes from the west (except pretty girls). Hence, investment in the form of retail, even if it benefits the poor is evil. if you don’t believe us, read the books written by our grandpas, they are a little worn out, but sure still readable. The armed rise of the naxalites and Maoists in India has also influenced the ordinary man to believe that the left will protect the poor.

What I have to say to the left parties is that, guys, adapt or perish. The Indian voter is a lot smarter than he is given credit for. If you keep up with your monkey tricks, you will be very soon thrown out and replaced by substitute Saviour of the poor (read BSP). The people do realize that you cannot compromise with the security of the nation. Guys grow up, do you want me to translate that in Bengali and malayalam.

Hypocrites.....

as much as it disgusts me, im not at all surprised at the manner in which the Left wing in India has sabotaged Indo-US Nuclear deal.

im not an expert in international affairs or affairs pertaining to defense or energy. im just another guy who lives in a democratic country and expects that rules that apply to one also apply to another. and i dont think its much to expect.

Most leading Indian scientists have supported the nuke deal and dont see it as a threat to India's sovereign independence.

the Left block in India accuses the UPA leadership of been slave to the US policies. does it make us slave to USA when we try to reach to an agreement which would mutually benefit the two nations, (more so India)? the scientific community has been what if China had gone in for the deal with USA? im sure the hypocritical Left wing would have not only supported such a move but also would've blamed India for not following China's footsteps.

its not the Manmohan Singh and party who are slaves to USA. Its the Leftists who'r slaves to a philosophy long discarded by most - Communism. and they are doing a tremendous job of keeping India in rags and darkness.

Chikoo? ChiKKKu!!!

LOL!!! my sis has named dat stupid dog, Chikoo. but i call him Chikkku (with infinitely recurring 'k's and to my sister's dismay and anger) and she keeps telling me, his name is not Chikkkkku, but its Chikoo. LOL!!!!

so here's a picture of that dirty lil dog which my sister took in her cellfone....

I know it looks damn stupid (and it is too) but its fun to play with. hehehe

and my sis is one spy who's always poking her nose in my things. so wen i was writing this blog, that stupid gal ran up 2 me just 2 see who i was chatting with. and as she sees wat im writing, the disappointed look on her face is worth a million bucks!! LOL!!!! anyways, she more happy 2 see her Chikkkkku's pic than she's angry. she calls him Chikoo, munna, chona, tona, bona, and wat not. LOL. yeah. mere baare mein kyu likh raha hain? LOL!!! dats wat she's saying to me!!! as if im listening!! LOL!! ROTFLOL!!!! here I hit the publish button!!!

Last day at work...

As I write this post, I feel a mixture of feelings. I joined Gridstone Research as a fresh MBA passout. This is only my second job. I worked for a couple of months as an engineer. Then did my MBA. Later got into Gridstone. I have 2 accept that I came 2 like this place quite more than I’d expect of myself.

My experience here is something I’d cherish for a long time (all my life I guess). I had a chance 2 meet some of the finest people I’ve ever met. We’d formed a great group amongst us who’d joined together. Had lunch together and sometimes traveled together. And I must say as I leave this organization, I feel sad about the prospect of separating from such a fine group of people.

Seldom does one meet nice people at work and even more rarely does one form such a close bond with work colleagues in such a short time. I worked here for not more than five months and I’m astonished at the wonderful chemistry that worked between some of us.

As one moved ahead in life, one meets more people and looses many. I find this interesting. I wish I’d be able to keep in touch with my friends here.

I move on in expectation of a better tomorrow and a cherished yesterday…:-|

Earn some free bucks!! ;)

heya! i cam across this cool site which offers to pay u in return for some adverts they'd send 2 ur mobile fone!! i thot it was not such a bad idea. i registered myself there too!


click here to get registered urself!!!

Where's Mandela

Hey guys, I was surfing the channels the other day and I came across a story carried by all the news channels. It was centered on the champion of peace and justice and the biggest contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, our very own Dubyaman, George W Bush, The President of The United States of America.

He was addressing a press conference, and to add weight to his much ambitious War on Terror, he spoke something about Iraq which seemed to be straight out of some stand up comedy TV show. What Mr. Muttery, muttered was (he said and I quote) "I heard somebody say, 'Where's (Nelson) Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead. Because Saddam killed all the Mandelas."

These words can at best be described as utter garbage and complete drivel, that too if you want to be diplomatic. Imagine the person leading the richest and the most powerful country in the world having the general knowledge of a four year old. Well the truth of the matter is, the former Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Nelson Mandela is very much alive and going about his daily routine at his home in South Africa. Dubyaman, god only know which coke or narcotic he was hooked onto at that moment, said something that is completely politically insensitive and plain stupid with a capital S and in bold.

This shows the political knowledge that Bush Jr has, rather the lack of it. The question that Americans need to ask themselves is, “is this dumbo good enough to lead the world”. Well this is not the first time he has put his foot into his mouth, well this time I would say he has shoved it right down his throat. He has a habit of saying and doing things that can be best described as plain Stupid.

Here is another example of the dazzler himself speaking to the media. He was then reacting to the media calling Blair (the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Tony Blair) his poodle. Just to touch upon the point, the media had at that time, nick-named Blair, “Bush’s poodle”, as he would agree to anything and everything that Bush said without a hint of hesitation.

Dubyaman responded with “I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."
Ya right he is a much bigger poodle, he is an outright Dog. I bet Blair must have felt like digging a deep hole and burying himself.

I’ve got more gems, here is the man himself describing his relationship with Blair during another press conference. I sincerely advice everyone to read the following words with utmost attention.

"My relationship with this good man is where I've been focused, and that's where my concentration is. And I don't regret any other aspect of it. And so I -- we filled a lot of space together."

Chee, if you understood any of that, please do leave a comment explaining it to me. If you manage to do that, then probably you have a great chance of winning the Nobel for literature, no one else has been able to understand that kind of deep stuff. Dubya would just go on and on, even if he has nothing to say, he probably thinks that he is a great diplomat and can speak at length and use wide array of words, about anything without actually divulging any information, alas, except him everyone else has understood fabulously well that he is not made of such stuff.

America has produced a lot of stupid Presidents, but I must admit, if there was ever a Nobel Prize for the most stupid President, then Dubya would win it hands down, rather pip none other than his dad, George Bush Sr to the post.

The hits can keep on coming all night and I can go on and on about this mutt who is as nutty as a fruit cake, but I guess that would be sheer waste of my typing prowess. I had written a lot about Mr President and America in general six years back and I still cant believe they keep on making mistakes one after the other.

Let me pull the curtains down on this article with another gem, here’s Dubya speaking - "I've got God's shoulder to cry on. And I cry a lot. I do a lot of crying in this job. I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count, as president."

That doesn’t come as a surprise now, does it. All I would like to add is, dude if you feel that way, imagine the plight of others who have to put up with you at the White House.

Howler

Hey jackal (I find it weird calling you Raka, the former is a much more identifying name for you) so you are talking about your own biradri haan........

Its no surprise you love DOGS, afterall you are one of them. LOL.

Hey personally, I dont like dogs, pets, well I only like fish, because they just roam around in the water and wont bother you.

I feel that the number of street dogs should be controlled. I really feel that their number is growing in an uncontrolled manner. They are indeed a nuisance to the society and are pretty dangerous, if you are walking on the roads late at night. They are really dangerous for people riding bikes, as they chase two wheelers and bite the rider. And for those who don’t believe me, take a ride at night and then give your opinion.

Thanks to these so called animal lovers (Maneka Gandhi and others), who I bet have never taken a walk but prefer to ride in their air-conditioned cars instead, this problem will always be there.

I don’t think we should send them to the pound, as some people do, I think that would be too cruel. The municipality had come up with a much better solution, to control their multiplication by contraceptive techniques. But even this is not acceptable to our dear dog-lovers (pun intended).

I have no problem if people have dogs as pets, provided they take care of them and are completely responsible. Their pet should not turn out to be a nuisance for their neighbours. Its similar to playing loud music, we should all restrain from it if our neighbours are getting inconvenienced. Similarly, if your dog cant stop barking, then take the dog and go to hell. I am not afraid of dogs as Bhaks is, but I would rather have roads that are not filled with strays (dogs, cats, hoggs, you name them).

Now some animal lovers will have a real problem with what I have said and may consider me to be too insensitive to animals. I got this to say to them. Hey, YOU are the animal lover, not ME. Its your passion not mine. You have no right to impose your likes and desires on me and other citizens. If we don’t like something, then we have a right to follow our wish. This is a free country (also for the human population). You are free to do what you like, provided you don’t step into others toes and bother them.

Its like being GAY. Hey, if you are gay, be so by all means, its your choice. I have no problem with that. But just because YOU are gay, don’t ask ME and everyone else to become gay. Don’t bother others, stick your community and be the way you are. YOU are the one who is that way, not the rest of the country (come to think of it, not that that would be a bad idea now, would it), whats more, its good for straight people like me, it eliminates competition. With the number of female population decreasing, (not bringing the quality factor into picture, otherwise, the population would appear to be miniscule) it in fact would be a good thing if more and more guys turn gay. Coming back to the point, don’t expect others to be the way you are. Right, we may occasionally crack the odd joke on your community. But as long as you stick to your guns, (LOL) and don’t trouble the rest, its really not an issue. I will continue to like girls (yes GIRLS) and you can continue to like you know whom.

Did I hear someone say, it’s a doggy doggy world.

My Goberman

the other day i reached home to find my mom running behind something with a stick in her hand. Then she stopped and asked me where did it go. i was like, "go? wat? wat are u talking abt?" "The dog! did u see that dirty animal?" dats wen i got things rite. yeah. i had seen a pup running into the bushes with a terrified look.

my mom is unnaturally repulsive towards dogs. we had a dog once, which my mom hated all the while.

our building compound used to be a playing ground for the steet dogs in our vicinity. they used to stroll around, dirty the place with shit, and even bark at people! that's wen even i started disliking street dogs.

so wen my mom stood there with dat stick in her hand, i had little sympathy for the pup. but inherently i like puppies. this particular puppy perhaps didnt have a mother or it was deserted. so wen i saw the little creature peering from behind the trees, i couldnt help the funny playful feelings. as a youngster, i had a gr8 time with the dog we had once.

And another personality in our home who's the exact opposite of my mom in her feelings towards animals is my sister. she loves pets. especially dogs. wenever we're in the market and her sight chances upon a petshop, she starts buggin me 2 go ther. she pleads me to just come and see. and i stubbornly refuse on the grounds that we'd a bad experience with our previous pet. (we couldnt take care of it. i feel guilty about it all the while)

so this small canine visitor was a welcome sight. welcome coz street dogs usually dont need much care (as compared to pet dogs). they can fend for themselves. and the wonderful thing is that this relative lack of care and attention doesnt make them any the less friendly. this pup was given a few morsels of chapatis and that was enuf for it to wag its tail ad run behind me.

its been a few days now since its been staying in our compound. it has perhaps got acclimatized and starting relate to the new environment. dogs have a strong sense of ownership. and within only a few days, this tiny harmless creature started barking at other dogs that used frequent our place. the sight of its barking from a distance and running away only to return for another bark was outright funny. the puppy seemed to be hyperpossesive of the new home it had found. and for us, it has aroused a hope of getting rid of the dog nuisance we'd been facing for quite some time now.

and not to mention the joy of seeing a playful dog wagging its tail around u!

streets dogs are a better option for people like me who like pets but dont have the time 2 care for them. i call em Goberman. better than Doberman. hehehe ;)

its nice to have a few friends from other species, no?!!

Twitter updates...

hey guys! for the cyber ignorants, here's a cool piece of information...

I came across this cool site called Twitter.com

its a really cool (and fast) way to tell the world wat ur duing rite now. and not to mention its so addictive!

i've even installed a firefox extension (twitterbar)which allows me to update my twitter from my browser!

and even more convenient and faster way is another tiny application which lets me update from the RUN command!! (find it here) now dats good news for addicts like me!

also, you can see my recent twitter updates on the sidebar of this very blog! i've pledged to keep updating it as frequently as i can! and once i get my GPRS enabled mobile fone (my earlier fone was stolen) i intend 2 use it for this purpose too! LOL!!

Bingo!! Naklistan now has its Own Domain!!!

hey guys!! i always wanted my own lil space in the vast expanse of the internet. And now i've bought it! Raka now resides at Naklistan.com

we even have free email at http://mail.naklistan.com

so all you Naklistanis, rejoice!!! for the promised land has been finally delivered!!! LOL!!!!

enjoy life people! have fun!!!

--
Raka Naklistani ;)

Atheist - vs- Theist

for quite a few days now, i've been debating and fighting out the theists and creationists in this community on Orkut called "Atheist - vs- Theist"

those who know me since childhood must certainly know my views on theology and religion. being an atheist to the core, i started finding faults with the theistic philosophy and organized religion in general.

the discussion going on in the community is heated. although i knew the creationists and theists have always been illogical and hypocritical, i've received some really intense exposure to stupidity and irrationality.

i call upon my readers to witness the discussion (and maybe participate if you wish). I'd like to know abt your views on the subject.

You can visit the community here...

Inorganic life forms...

for the past few days, i've been reading a lot about the origins of life, evolution and creationism. i came across this piece of info. take a look...

http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1367-2630/9/8/263/njp7_8_263.html


excerpt from the research paper:"...Our analysis shows that if helical dust structures are formed in space, they can have bifurcations as memory marks and duplicate each other, and they would reveal a faster evolution rate by competing for `food' (surrounding plasma fluxes). These structures can have all necessary features to form `inorganic life'. This should be taken into account for formulation of a new SETI-like program based not only on astrophysical observations but also on planned new laboratory experiments, including those on the ISS. In the case of the success of such a program one should be faced with the possibility of resolving the low rate of evolution of organic life by investigating the possibility that the inorganic life `invents' the organic life..."

what this implies is a significant turn of events for mankind's understanding and quest for life's origin and alternative forms of life.

the new discovery is fantastical.

human understanding or atleast the lines on which we're looking out for life is only life like ourselves. one that has organic matters, amino acids as components, which require water for its existence

mankind has however failed to probe the possibility that life may exist in an altogether different form.

atom>molecules>chemicals>cell>organs>organisms

mankind has always considered only the last three as falling under the realms of life.

we mite as well extend the hierarchy as:
atom>molecules>chemicals>cell> organs> organisms> ecosystem> earth> solarsystem> galaxies> futher ahead...

for mankind, earth, solarsystem and galaxies are so huge that we have no/little understanding abt them.

but is it so far-fetched that earth mite be just a building block (just like cell is for us) for another 'living' organism which is so huge that we just are not able to imagine/comprehend it?

there is a possibility that solar system is AWARE too. that earth is AWARE too. afterall working of earth's systems is not very unlike human body.

man has investigated life at a MICRO levels and has found algae, microbes, bacteria, and viruses.

but we've failed to investigate the possibility of life at a MACRO level.

isn't it just a possibility that we, humans too form a building block of some other 'living' 'organism', which has sense and is 'aware'?

i find this a very interesting question. and its hardly irrelevant. i wudnt be surprised if we discover that humans/earth/solar system is just a building block for yet another 'living' 'organism'!!!

hey! i came across this interesting poll in one of the orkut communities that im a member of:

is it fair to claim "it is a creation that has a creator" only beacuse u do not have any idea how it came into existence??
Created by: Hrishi ~~*ChAKdE

poll link:
http://www.orkut.com/CommPollResults.aspx?cmm=686202&pct=1185946779&pid=58418310

communitylink:
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=686202

to read wat others have posted, follow the first link above. here's my comment...

This was a poll and i found it VERY interesting. i think it deserves a thread of its own.

here's my comment (posted it on the poll too)...

The statement, is it fair to claim "it is a creation that has a creator" only beacuse u do not have any idea how it came into existence?? made by poll 'creator' is based on the following assumptions:
1)Creation = An Entity
2)Creator = Creator of that Entity

The problem would be solved if we reject the above assumptions as true.

A human mind perhaps cannot digest the idea that an entity can come into existence without a creator.
Consider this:

Hydrogen+Oxygen=Water

so who created water?

water JUST came in to 'being' by combination of Hydrogen and Oxygen. 'Creation' can be Circumstantial.

Human mind is very complex. It takes a lot of things for granted. It functions dat way. some kinda fuzzy logic going inside our brains...

Mera Bharat Mahan...

this was actually meant 2b a comment 2 an earlier post ("Spare a thought" by vivek) but it out grew a lil and i decided it'd be a good post by itself. so here it goes...

hmmmm. read ur post vivek (here). i always thot this way all along. u gotta admit (sadly) that as much as indians tout themselves as democratic and assimilating and resilient (and wat not), they (we?) are the least of any of those i think.

1)democracy:
yeah. Indians take pride in portraying themselves as democratic. giving chance to every1, huh? I DONT THINK SO. sitting here in the Urban landscape, which is far more disconnected from rural (and mass india) than u think it is, its good 2 think india is democratic. i'll attack the Urban hypocrisy abt democratic values a lil later. but take it for now that india never was and definitely IS NOT democratic.

We have some of the most seriously flawed social structures in the world. The burning of the so called lower caste dalit family in khairlanji is still fresh in my mind. I recently saw a picture in TOI (bang on d front page) of a man wid his hands tied back and then been draged on d road behind a motorcycle, till he fainted. he was then jailed instead of been taken 2 hospital. and the biggest shock comes wen the perpetrators of the crime are revealed 2 u. they were the policemen in Bihar. the crime committed by d victim was chain snatching. NO CRIME MERITS SUCH INHUMAN TREATMENT.

u'd ask, hows this related 2 democracy... yeah, hows it related!!! its related to the most fundamental principles of democracy. respect and consideration for the rights of fellow beings (humans and i'd include non-humans too) the moment u infringe the rights of a fellow being, u defy democracy. and we do it all d time in our (beloved?) country! WE ARE NOT A CIVIL SOCIETY. now d critics wud take this opportunity 2 compare other societies and pass a judgement that ours is far better than theirs. they'd go on and rant abt the value systems of USA, stiffling of non-muslims in Pakistan, sub-standard living standard in africa and then satisfy urself that we live in a far more civil society. is it? i dont think so. we largely dont respect our fellow humans. dats it

2)assimilation:
this is the one thing that irritates me 2 no end. indians take pride in claiming that hinduism and india in general has always assimilated other cultures and religions and diverging viewpoints. this is one of the MOST hypocritical statement i've ever heard!!!! blacks in USA have been able 2 assimilate in USA to a far better extent than dalits in india. and its been only 300 years of black existence in USA (yeah. african american if u'd prefer. but i'd rather call em black. ok, lemme digress a lil. ppl dont like 2 call em black coz black is considered to hv negative connotations. i'd rather not see been black as something negative. so y not just take pride and say, "yes im black and im proud of it!" rather than avoiding the term black as if its a foul word! if u think calling a black man black is insulting him and hence u call him "african" i'd say u'd still be insulting him. y dont u then avoid calling a white man white? u'd take pride in been called white. rite? we gotta get rid of this negativity associated with black color. its just a color! i'll get bak on track now...)

i was saying that its been 300 yrs of black existence in USA while so called dalits hv been here for 3000 yrs. and the level of assimilation is worse than blacks in USA!!! and we talk abt assimilation. i find it very annoying wen some housing societies dont allow muslims or non-vegetarians to rent houses in their societies. this inspite of any level of education. EDUCATION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HYPOCRISY. (Urban Hypocrisy?) But they'd happily serve foreigners binging on meat and alcohol. and we talk abt assimilation. INDIANS ARE LEAST ASSIMILATING. and dats a blanket statement im making with no Ifs and Buts or conditionalities. so vivek how do u expect people with such a fuckall attitude to assimilate south india and rajnikanth? he's more foreign to such people than brad pitt.

3)resilience:
hinduism is resilient. indians r resilient. HA HA HA. yeah. i'd call it stubborn. resilient to change. indians DO NOT CHANGE. i was talking to a girl once in marathi. the gal pointed out 2 me that a particular "mistake" in my pronounciation/grammar and commented that nowadays our language is getting "bhrasht". then she explained 2 me the correct pronounciation in Marathi and how it was actually derived from another sanskrit root word. this is wat was my argument to her...
languange(s) are like living beings. they EVOLVE. we speak a particular language. and as we interact with a block of people speaking a different language, we absorb some words and lend some words from/to the foreign language. hence marathi spoken in vidarbha region (from where i hail from) is very different from that spoken in Marathwada or Konkan or khandesh. vidarbhan marathi has picked up nuances from Hindi (been close to madhya pradesh) and even from from telugu (been closer to andhra pradesh). so a vidarbhan marathi is seen to be sprinkled with words like potti (gal), haow (for ho, meaning yes) while marathi from solapur will hv a lot of kannada influence (and vice-versa). if this is wat you'd call languages getting "bhrasht" and you'd look down upon a rural guy speaking a "Bhrasht" language, then i'd personally hold u in low regard. languages like sanskrit which refused to evolve eventually died a sad death. A classic example of a highly evolved language is English (another good reason to learn english). English spoken even 100 years bak in england (if not unintelligible) was so much different! while it'd be difficult to understand Shakespearean era english without difficulty. so is the case with Marathi and all languages. They all evolve. but the point is can you call such evolution "getting bhrasht"? i dont think so!! its this REAL pride in our evolving heritage which is lacking. and wat we actually see in its place is only an egoistic arrogance. and we call it resilience!!!

you must be getting an idea that im one of those persons who doesnt see the brite sides and cringes about the dark sides of life. lemme say this that its only the darker side that needs 2 get enlightened. im a proud indian and i've faith in my country inspite of its deficiencies. but the issues need to be highlited.

Im a fan of south indian (yeah vivek. i know u dont like ppl using that term. but i know d difference bet telugu and tamil. so dont worry. i actually am referring to d entire south indian film industry) movies and music. a telugu friend of mine introduced me 2 a song called "Mansanta Nuvve" and i just loved it. I learned the ENTIRE SONG by rote (though i didnt understand a single word) with all d correct pronounciations. i then listened to many more telugu songs and learnt many more by heart. i later started listening 2 some tamil songs too and i luved em all. i've seen Arya (a telugu movie) 19 times till date (though i dont understand telugu, i can make out a few words and i cud get the broad story of d movie)

4)Racism:
yeah. i can go on and on aby the flaws. but i need 2 mention this one. INDIANS ARE MORE RACIST THAN WAT THE EUROPEANS AND AMERICANS HAVE BEEN ALLEGED/KNOWN TO BE. DATS ANOTHER BLANKET STATEMENT IM MAKING. u got counter views, lemme know. i'll fight it out. I PROMISE.

as 4 the question in you mind vivek, about why non-south indians dont even count Rajnikanth as a superstar, u mite find ur answer in the above points. a north indian frend of mine wen told dat i watched Arya 14-15 times gave me d most annoying response: she hated "andu-gundu" movies. u get the point, rite vivek? Indians hv never fuckin FELT Indian.

(ps: guys, temme how did u like this new layout? is it good? or it needs 2b changed?)

Spare a thought

Guys before I even start writing this article, let me admit one thing, I am not a Rajnikanth fan. I never followed his movies or was greatly impressed with his achievements. But as all things change, my resistance to the Rajini magic waded with the passage of time. My friend Rahul happens to be a big Rajini fan, maybe this had an unknowing influence on me (Haan sale, you can take credit for this; your life is not a waste after all. LOL.) Only after his recent release Sivaji, did I pause and give a thought to this iconic personality from down south. I must admit what I saw and felt, really amazed me.

Imagine the power of an actor who can sway his followers at his will. He has completely cast his spell over millions. People have built temples in his name; they worship him as if he is a god sent. Mahabhisheiks are performed in his name in all the major temples, before the release of his films, for their box office success. His fan following easily outnumbers the best in Bollywood. His followers will blindly oblige to his will, afterall he is their talaivar (leader). The truth is, if he decided to contest the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister elections, he will win hands down. Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi with all their power, money and experience will be helpless. But god has been kind to them; this superstar is least interested in politics and is determined to stay away from it.

What he has achieved can only be dreamt of by the rest of us. The status, good will and the respect that he has earned is amazing. People wait for hours together in front of his mansion just to get a glimpse of him. They touch his feet out of sheer respect and regard. What he says is considered final in Tamil Nadu, a state of 65 million people.

Not many people know that Mr Rajinikanth, is incidentally not a Tamilian at all, atleast not by birth. He is a Maharashtrian, originally named Shivajirao and born in Karnataka. He has done all kinds of odd jobs in his early days, as a coolie, a bus conductor, you name them. He came to Madras (that was what the city used to be called then) as a nobody. Tried his luck in films and failed initially, was about to quit when offered the movie Billa (remake of Don). It was an instant hit and he hasn’t looked back from there on.

Let me share an interesting news report that I read in The Times, not very long ago. It is a well known fact in the state that this actor is a neighbour of the present Chief Minister Ms Jayalalitha, and she, as we all know has an army of guards guarding her 24 x 7. The arrangement is very tight, (apparently she has received a lot of threats), so much so that all her neighbours faced a lot of discomfort. Rajini, the nice guy that he is, appealed to her to reduce the bandobast so that they can continue to lead a peaceful life. The appeal was rejected outright by amma, and she continued with business as usual. This embarrassed Rajini and he vowed to teach her a lesson. So, what he did was, the next morning when the lady was leaving her mansion for her office, he drove out and simply got out of his car. He didn’t give a speech or even utter a word for that matter, he just got out of his car and stood there. Within the next few minutes the road was filled with masses of people, there may have been thousands and thousands of them. The all mighty queen B’s convoy was stopped on its track. Her guards tried to disperse the crowd, but there were too many of them. There were people getting on top of the Ambassadors which were part of her elaborate arrangements, just to catch a glimpse of their hero. Her z + security had been thrown to the dogs. There were people all over the place and she was completely left stranded. This was a fitting reply for her ego and arrogance. There are many such instances; this space is too small to talk about all of them.

The fan following that he has in countries Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia needs to be seen to be believed. The biggest Rajni fan club outside India is in Japan. The Japanese absolutely adore him and his movies are screened before packed audiences.

Now, let me come to the reason why I am writing this article. Rajini in more than one way is an unsung hero in most parts of our country. He is one of those people who have not been given their due credit and recognition. Especially we, living in Mumbai think that all other Indian film industries are third rate, while this is far from the truth. The talent and contribution of regional language artists, especially South Indian and Bengali film industry is immense and it is just our bigoted view that does not do justice to them. Satyajit Ray has won an Oscar for lifetime achievement in films. Can anybody in Bollywood beat that, or even come close for that matter?

Whenever we are asked who is the greatest actor in India? We (including me) respond by saying Mr. Big B, the second most likely answer would be Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan or Amir Khan. But do we ever spare a thought to the film industries of the regional languages? Do you know that the Rajini fan clubs across the world out number the fan clubs of the above mentioned actors put together 10 – 1? (sourced from the Times)

Let me ask you a simple question, if Ranji fan clubs can be found in hundreds in a country like Japan, why can’t they be found in our own country, in states like UP and Bihar? Even before you begin to answer that question, let me remind you, Japanese do not speak Tamil or any other Indian language and what’s more they are racially and culturally very different from Indians. If they can accept a foreign culture, why can’t we accept and recognize our own people? We just celebrated 60 years of freedom of The Union of India. How unified are we really? What I am really asking is, are we prone to prejudice while dealing with the people from other states and cultures within India? How comfortable we Indians really are with each other?

yeah. im a nut. but i think sometimes....

2day i was listening 2some pop music in d evening. madonna, ace of base, michael jackson and all those. and dunno wat triggered up; i suddenly started feeling nostalgic. mom and sis were out shopping and i was in my room alone, lights put off. had just finished listening to nirvana's unplugged. its got some of the most soulstirring music. Where did you sleep last night sung by kurt is a classic. and so is d entire album. and then with a sprinkling of these i was listening to MJ and Roxette. And visions of me as a kid dancing to MJ numbers in my baggy pants and those jersies came up. sounds funny. i know. but i forgot all abt metallica and nirvana. dat was enuf 4 me 2 get into nostalgia retro mode. and thinking abt my bachpan became such an enlightening experience 4 me. we grow up and do a lot of things. but those things we did in those days were so innocent and thoughtless. never had direction in childhood. and now as i think back, i feel tiedup. but time doesnt go bak. so u gotta move on and make d best outta all ur left wid. gives u all d more inspiration 2 salvage d innocence, honesty and do something good in life.

ps: i had ended this post in d last paragraph. and now dat im reading it again b4 i post it, i feel its a disjointed and disconnected piece of writing. but i'd rather post it crude than further embellish it. im not in dat kinda mood... and b4 d length of this postscript exceeds dat of the actual body of the writing, i'll stop here. u all hv a good life. and i gotta give credit 2 Yo!Rocks, who's made me feel guilty of disbanding this blog (however much i deny it). thanx dude.

ps to ps: yeah. i know this is silly. but i wrote this some time bak. but cudnt post this.duing this now.hehehe ;)

Life in Metro

I watch these pedestrians walking with eternal hurry
& their poor little faces drenched in sweat n worry

I see this sea of passengers crammed up in the rail
Wondering why they are making life resemble hell

Another bus passes by flooding with lives in metro city
Occupying every available inch, I stare with sympathy & pity

That’s the vision I see whenever I think of life in metro
Everyone struggling for their own space & pushing rest to get through

I too, do just the same, day after day, week after week
‘Cause only fittest will survive, ‘Cause there’s no place for weak

Y!Rocks

Welcome CyberYogi

hey! we've a new member of Naklistan! Cyberyogi here is now a contributer and a frend. i met him on d net (i dunno how he looks tho. LOL!) he happens 2b a frend's frend. and he's a good fotografer too! i saw his pics once and i added him in my frend's list on orkut. and later (dat is today, just now) i came 2 know dat he's a diehard rock fan and a Nirvana and Metallica fan. so dats some real cool likings we share.

so pooja, u can be happy dat one of ur old frnds here! dats cool na? and he happened 2 remind me dat i'd created a blog long bak! so here im posting after a long time :)
and i intend 2 keep posting more frequently from now on...... ;) LOL!!!

Moment...

Monsoon arrived; I was walking down the memory lane
Remembering the romance that blossomed like rainbow, Again

Hours we spent walking through mist clouds & rain
Palms interlocked first and lips followed them

Eyes filled with emotions, for lips said sweet nothings
Not a word we whispered, but hearts heard everything

Seconds stopped ticking, time was standstill
Only hearts were beating, full of love that was real

That moment I have cherished
That moment is sweetest of all
That moment will live forever

Till the raindrops forget to fall

Pls write

The so called contributors of this blog....I believe this blog is being long lost and forgotten.......
I request you all to please contribute something on this blog....otherwise as Rahul said it will a cemetery where I m the mourner, Vivek will be the watchman and Rahul the dead......

Wish u all the best of health, wealth, prosperity and knowledge.....
Bbye...TC

All Things Will Die

All Things will Die
Clearly the blue river chimes in its flowing
Under my eye;Warmly and broadly the south winds are blowing

Over the sky.One after another the white clouds are fleeting;
Every heart this May morning in joyance is beating

Full merrily;Yet all things must die.
The stream will cease to flow;The wind will cease to blow;
The clouds will cease to fleet;The heart will cease to beat;
For all things must die.All things must die.

Spring will come never more.
O, vanity!
Death waits at the door.
See! our friends are all forsakingThe wine and the merrymaking.
We are call’d-we must go.
Laid low, very low,In the dark we must lie.
The merry glees are still;
The voice of the birdShall no more be heard,Nor the wind on the hill.
O, misery!Hark! death is callingWhile I speak to ye,
The jaw is falling,The red cheek paling,
The strong limbs failing;Ice with the warm blood mixing;
The eyeballs fixing.
Nine times goes the passing bell:Ye merry souls, farewell.
The old earthHad a birth,As all men know,Long ago.
And the old earth must die.
So let the warm winds range,And the blue wave beat the shore;
For even and mornYe will never seeThro’ eternity.
All things were born.
Ye will come never more,
For all things must die.

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE

"Always ask God to give you what you deserve, no what you desire
Your desires are few, but you deserve a lot "
Is this saying apt??????????????

Right from the birth there is some or the other lurking desire that one has. As a kid one might desire of scoring the highest in the class, being the captain of the school cricket team, being the teacher's pet or being Richie Rich. When you grow up priorities start changing, so does the the desire. At adolescence the desires are very rosy....the world appears very colourful to us. As you grow older the flowery ideas about the world start receiving jolts of reality. There is a constant pressure of achievement. You constantly strive to be the best. All throughout, the circles of your life interfere with the cirles of other's life . Their desires and aspirations influence you either positively or negatively.

However, very few people are albe to achieve what they desire or for that matter their dreams and aspirations. 99% of the people step back or succumb to failures while others feel that it is beyond their capacity and hence never try. There are very few people who can actually stand strong in windstorm or face failures. It is important to try and achieve what you desire and not leave it up to God to decide things for you........"God is too busy yaar..........Pls dont disturb him"

Life is insipid without a dash of desires within you. So wish everybody lot of success and strength for the future.

"When life throws lemons at you dont make lemonade.....You can ask for tequila and salt.....Think Different ...............CHEERS"

"Masti Time" is over now

I still remeber the day when I first entered this college....I had travelled by an ST to the college and had manage to reach the college just in time. I had a mixed feeling. I was a bit unhappy coz of the kind of college I had got thru..was expecting something better but was eager to meet new ppl and make new friends. On the very first day I met Rinku. She is a treasured friend now. As the days passed I kept experiencing new things. New friends, new teachers, subjects changing every semester, deadlines for the presentations, exam fever and moments of joys and sorrow with friends. Four semesters have passed now and we had our farewell on sunday, 1st April. Couldnt come 2 terms with the reality for some time. Are these days of fun over now????Yes ....Everybody will join some or the other organisation for some job. They will be busy with their work.....hard time ahead....Wish everybody BEST OF LUCK. But I must confess, this college has given me something I will treasure for my life....


I did not write for the blog for quiet some time.....thought of writing something but couldnt really put across my thoughts clearly....But one thing is for sure "Masti Time" is over now

Photography ka Bhoot Sawaar hain!

So I got hold of this nice digital camera. Now equipped with a camera, my hands caught this itching disease that i recurringly suffer from since my childhood. Only the causative factor this time was, my new Nikon Coolpix digital camera. Its got an ok ok decent resolution of 6 MPixel and an optical zoom of 3x. So with a professional spirit and an amateur hand, i started my search for a suitable subject for my photography.

My search started with humans, first of which was my mom and then my sister. With the results not very satisfactory and to my heart's fulfillment, I continued my search, this time excluding humans and trying out a few objects like an orange, an empty glass, a red chilli, a cauliflower, a diya, a pooja bell, a soft toy and a cup of tea!

And to my surprise, my experience with non-living objects was more exciting than with humans! So here I was clicking away my time capturing a lot of things, including our dining table! Then one day a beautiful Marigold flower emerged from a bud in the plant in our gallery. This time I really got fascinated by its beauty. I immediately took out my camera and snapped a few pictures. When I transfered them to my computer and saw the enlarged view, I was exhilarated and continued my obsession with flowers. Forgetting all about the non-living objects, I immersed myself in the beauty of nature and found my self in great pleasure!

And the obsession still continues! here's a glimpse of what I have snapped.....

Yeah. Even my mom liked this one. And mind you, there's no trickery here. The lighting effects are genuine and not manipulated!

A Marigold Flower in full bloom in my window!




I dunno why I snapped this one, but i like it!!! hehehe!


This is a close shot of tiny spider on a bud! The spider just wouldn't remain still! I'd to wait a long time 2 capture this one!

The same spider, this time on a dried twig!

Again, thats a real closeup. The flower's only 2.5cm in diameter!

A Diya borrowed from Gods themselves! hehehe!

So you guys can also take a look at my Web album on picassa. Just click here for all these and more pics from my camera!

If you guys got any feedback to give, PLEASE lemme know! Raka is hungry for Tareef and even more for Galiyaan!!! hehehe!!!

So all you people, take care & hv fun!!

So, Finally Some Good News, Huh

Hey guys

So Tata has bagged Corus by piping the Brazilian giant CSN at the post. With a bid of 608 pence a share, Indian corporate giant Tata Steel outsmarted CSN's 603 pence a share offer during the night-long auction process. This effectively means that, as far as steel producing companies are concerned, Tata has screamed ahead from a distant No. 56 before to No. 5 position currently. This is a huge jump one would say. This also marks the biggest acquisition by an Indian company ever. With this win, clearly Tata steel has entered the big league or the “premier league” of steel producing companies. This comes just after the Mittal Steels takeover of Arcelor, though Mittal Steels is not an Indian company and LN Mittal doesn’t have any sizable amount of investments in India.

So things are happening for the global Indian it seems. It seems it is India’s turn to bask in glory. So guys what do you think, finally is India shining, or the farmer suicides taking the shine away.

Also there is mention about how the bid seems to be overpriced at $ 12 billion. I saw a newspaper article that listed out all the things that you could do or buy in $12 billion, and might I add, the list was mind-boggling to say the least. Boy, it does sound like a lot of money.

Please respond with your views.

Blogosphere!!

I was searching for some good blogs the other day. So heres wat i came across. these are some of the good blogs which are really professional and make an interesting read, besides giving insights into areas that they pertain to. so here you go...

1) Youth Curry - Rashmi Bansal
2) Vantage Point - Gaurav Sabnis
3) मी काय म्हणतो
4) India Uncut - Amit Varrma

So if some of you do get inspired, do consider starting your own blog!!!

See my Web Album guys!!!!

hey guys!
take a look at my web album. i had a few of my stupid pics lying on my computer, which I've now shamelessly put on the internet for everyone to laugh at!! LOL!!
you can find my album here
have fun,
enjoy life! College Sucks!! LOL!!!

Easier Said Than Done

This is my reply to poojaa’s comment on my previous article.

Poojaa..........

Your point is well taken. We sometimes need to do a lot more than just dish out a few notes of paper.

But dear, dont mind my asking you this, I need to ask this question because you have zeroed in on this aspect. Hence, let me ask you this, in your lifetime, how many poor and needy have you lent your hand to and "filled the void in them". I know you have not been in a position to contribute monetarily maybe because you haven’t been employed for a considerable length of time, but you do realize that nothing so far has really stopped you from lending a helping hand to the downtrodden and the needy. So tell me roughly how many lives have you touched and made a sincere effort to bring about a change.

Not all of us can be social workers. We come up with excuses like “I really don’t have the time” or “I am the one who needs help more then anyone” or even such ridiculous ones as “No one has ever helped me at my times of need, why should I do anything differently”. Mind you these are not “bad” people, but ones who are as normal as they come.

Tell me sincerely, besides merely talking, how many of us have put their hands up said, “right I am ready to make a change to this world, and I start right here, right now”. Its very easy to talk dear, but it is very difficult to act on them.

Right, now let me make a personal confession, so you would understand what I am getting at, maybe this will make you feel a little easy. In my entire lifetime, I have not make an honest effort myself to visit the slums and see what I can do to help them. The bits of “social work” I may have done in my life was as a scout during my school days, in that too we used to make a lot of excuses to get away from the “dirty work”, ofcourse we were kids then and didnt understand exactly why we are being asked to do this work. But hey, we are not kids any longer. So what stops us from putting our so “noble” thoughts into action.

Let me give you the answer so you save your energy. The answer is – NOTHING.

So when my conscious comes crashing down on me, I try to justify my inactions my giving myself a bit of breathing space and contributing monetarily, because that way I don’t fall from my own esteem, because then I am someone who “cares” about this world, though he doesn’t have the “time” to get down and start acting. And not some stone hearted beast who doesn’t care whether people around him live or die.

The tsunamis of 2004 killed 230,000 people around the world. In India itself 18,000 innocent people were sweeped away from life as we know it, and were converted into pieces of rotten human remains. People were clinging on to branches of trees lamp posts or whatever they could lay their hands on, when the huge monterous waves were trying to take the air out of their lungs. What was their fault, that they were poor fishermen living on the edge of the land, looking towards “mother” ocean for their very survival or are they guilty because they used to take a morning walk along the beach every morning. Both I don’t think are offences that warranted the death penalty, but they still died a rotten death.

Natural disasters happen, but let me tell you I had never witnessed such brutality by mother nature from the time I opened my eyes. This was not just something that happens every now and then. This incident literally shaked people’s faith in the all mighty. People started wondering as to how someone can be so cruel to his own creation, as to destroy it with such ferocity and disdain. Even a little child would not break his toy with such disregard. Yet the tsunamis are a stark remainder to us how quickly our lives can be turned upside down.

Let me tell you why I brought this thing up, tell me after witnessing these horrific scenes on television, all I could “contribute” was a few notes of dough. I did nothing to “touch” people and change people’s lives. But I don’t think I did very bad, because I sleep every night knowing for a fact that there are millions going to sleep at the same time who didn’t even turn their heads when thousands were annihilated in one mighty strike. Think I am much better than those few millions.

Mind you there were millions of others who did contribute without hesitation.

Pardon me folks if I have been too graphic, but the organ trade story just made me feel that maybe hell is just a place on earth and I walk everyday with the devils themselves, because only most satanic can act in such selfish and heartless manner. The exploited people narrating their story just make me sick to my stomach. The look of sorrow on their faces pierced my heart. Aren’t they the creation of the very god that created the rest of us, then tell me how can some people be made to suffer so much. It is equivalent to “burning them alive”.

Just re-emphasizing my point, it is very easy to talk but very difficult to act. But we can atleast try and help those who have the courage and the will to stand away from the crowd and try and make a change to this “so so so imperfect” world that we all live in.

Tunnu Munnu Bunnu!

heheheh! the other day my aunt (mami) had dropped in with her kids (and my cousins), Rinky (6) and Riya (2). Now people who know me will agree that im one pakau insaan who always sits in a corner and just dozes away into oblivion whenever i have time (read whole day). But people, there's one aspect to my life which most of you don’t know and that is my love for kids. I love to play with kids.

Ok. thats Riya alright. Cute na? heheheh. So with Riya around, the kid in me suddenly jumped out and started prancing around! Here i was teaching Riya things like being a Bakri. I taught her to nod her head and do meh meh like a Bakri. Then i taught her how to make faces like a monkey. Then i made her curl her lips to look like a popat's beak. thus i was turning the innocent kid into some really funny creatures. Bechari bacchi didn’t even know that we were all laughing AT HER!! She was running all around the place and showing everyone the tricks that i taught her! and innocence is so contagious!! her frolicking around was having such an effect on me that i actually did some really kiddish tricks with my mom and sister too! i became a kid for one day in my own right! suddenly mujhe sab par bahot pyaar aane laga. especially my mom, sis and riya. i was calling cute names like chonu monu, tunnu bunnu, golu molu, and stuff like that! then i brought a huge plastic ball for Riya and played with her. My tricks included: hitting her with that ball. throwing my sister's dupatta over tiny Riya and watching her struggling to get out of that sudden attack! & then the cute look of confusion over her face after she'd got out was hilarious! i chased the kid whole day, crawling under the dining table, bed, chairs, in bathroom and found myself to be too large to fit under the chairs. but i managed to fit under the dining table! LOL!! then i couldn’t resist myself from teaching Riya the deadly trick of winking!! And my mom was enraged that i taught her how to wink! As much I taught her, Riya couldn’t wink with one eye. So she was winking both eyes and showing it to everybody! My mom asked Riya (more or less sure who the culprit was) who taught her to wink and to my horror, all her fingers pointed in my direction. My mom gave me such a scolding which i remember i used to get when i was a kid myself!! But you know what? Ii enjoyed that scolding too! It was a long time since i was getting scolded for being naughty! LOL!!

It was only when aunty had gone back with Rinky and Riya that i felt what we adults were missing! i couldn’t but stop and think that night, how my life had progressed from been a very naughty kid to been a dumb student to finally been a dumber adult!! I wonder if man really becomes wiser with age! Coz with age, i find man getting more and more cunning and vile! And undoubtedly unhappier! Being with kids, I’ve found is a very good mental stimulation towards happiness and peace of mind!

Bacche Bhagwan Ka Roop Hote Hain........ Solah Aane Sach Baat Hain!

We Didnt Start The Fire, It Was Always Burning Since The World's Been Turning

Guys this is my reaction to Poojaa’s article and Rahul’s comment on that…… ya typically my reaction comes after a couple of weeks…..LOL…….

I agree with Poojaa to some extent. Everyone of us probably goes through these emotions once in a while. I also agree with Rahul's statement that this is wishful thinking and that there will always be rich and poor in this world and the rich will always wish that the poor just disappeared.


But what I personally feel is that we may not necessarily have the time to individually visit the slums and teach the improvised how to read and write, despite this we can still make a difference. What we can instead do is, donate generously to the charitable organizations that work towards addressing these social issues. We cannot lean back and say that 'yeh tamasha toh hota aaya hai aur hota rahega, in chakkaron mein kaun padega". A person who thinks on those lines is trying to run away from the reality and is in a mode of denial. There are people who are willing to do social work, who have willingly taken it upon them to make a change in this world. Ofcourse as is the norm, these people will never get the recognition and support that they deserve, simply because they do not indulge in excesses and politics.

What we can do as citizens of this "not so perfect" world is that, we can identify these people and support them in their noble cause. Now when I say support, it can also be purely financial, because these social workers can definitely do with some financial assistance, which will strengthen their cause.

But what we need to be aware of is that there may be a few organizations that there may be a few organizations that take their supporters for a ride and in the name of bringing about a positive change to this world may simply be interested in bringing a change to their bank accounts. We should not be discouraged by this, afterall we are indeed living in an “imperfect world”. We should carefully pick and choose our charity trusts, after a lot of research and thought. CHILD RELIDF AND YOU (CRY) is one such organization, (if I may be given the liberty to take names). There are many such organizations like CRY. Child care is very close to my heart and have contributed a very small amount to this organization when I was employed.

Recently news reports describing the organ trade being done at the expense of the tsunami victims in Tamil Nadu appeared on TV. It bothered me deeply on knowing how such downtrodden are taken advantage of, at their time of distress. The 2004 tsunamis had a deep impact on me. The waves lashing at hapless people had bothered me a lot. It made me realize how fragile we humans actually are. Yet we fool ourselves into thinking that we are the masters of the world. Millions of Indians had contributed whatever little they could. Now I wonder what happened to that money, who has pocked it. Hope the affected people get some relief soon.

I would like to conclude by a saying, we all have the power to make a change, the question is, do we have the will. Only we can answer this question.


PS: Friends, I still am not able to write on a topic that can be called “fun” isn’t it. Maybe I post something that is more ‘light’ than this fellows, I am sure that day will come soon.