Random notes

When I shifted to Mumbai in 2007 and was looking for a house to rent, the broker gave me an unsolicited advice, “Never say you are from Delhi or it would be difficult to get a house on rent!” Hurt, I asked him why and he responded, a bit diplomatically, “Don’t feel bad but the ordinary Mumbaikar carries a not so benign perception about the ordinary Delhite.” I asked him to explain himself further. “Average Mumbaikar feels that Delhi people don’t follow rules or understand their civic responsibilities. They are prone to get violent at slightest challenge or provocation; it is better to avoid them.” He said, diplomatically avoiding usage of offending adjectives. Not exactly good words to hear about people of the city you belong to, but then, a perception is a perception. It cannot be fought or contested; it can only be modified or changed by personal interactions, over a long period of time.  Though I did not need to pay head to his advice as I found a house belongi...

Last few decades we have lived with the myth that outrage is a bad word, a trait to be curbed, an oddity which needs to be kept out of civil discourse. Time has come to change it, now. Today, it is time to break those myths by educating readers on this beautiful trait nature has given to man, its proper usage, its contribution to art and science, great service it is doing to humanity and its contribution to the skill development. Outrage is the new, evolved weapon medium of mis communication, a way of filtering the information, concealing the undesirable and delivering the selected, desired message to the mind of recipient without any clutter of the unwanted information. It is also a means of entertainment. Tell me, don’t debaters on a on our prime time shows give the viewer same adrenaline rush as cock fights used to do in medieval times? Or are the debate between Sanjay Jha, Sambit Patra and Vinod Mehta any less entertaining than any of Farah Khan movies where ...

I used to love Ramlila as a kid. Most kids do and I was no exception. But I had a misconception about the characters of Ramlila. I believed that the characters in Ramlila were the real Gods. Let me explain. I believed that, every year, during Ramlila season, the organizers just erected the stage and announced the program. Then the real Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Dasharatha etc. would come and play their part. They did not need any script, story or dialogues as it was their own life they were enacting. It may not sound rational or logical but then I was a kid, probably aged around 8 or 10. Anyway, I believed in this concept from the core of my heart. But one fine day, or rather afternoon, this deep rooted belief was shattered. I and a friend of mine, were loitering around (kids of age 8 to 10 used to do that, before satellite TV, video games and PCs took over) and went to the Ramlila ground. A couple of electricians were working on a display board having a dozen incandesce...