Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Why do we write blogs

I am not an active blogger( not active in real life too). My very few blogs are a testament for that. I suddenly got a doubt regarding the purpose of blogging. Why do people write blogs??

1. To share information? Then whats the use of writing personal experiences ( Even i did it once)
2. To flaunt the communication skills ?People even refer dictionaries to write blog like I did for my first blog
3. For time pass? This can be true to a certain extent but why do lazy people push themselves to write blog ( There are various examples for this which again includes me)

Blogs can be categorized into three types
1. Technical blogs or in general, knowledge blogs.
2. Personal blogs
3. Abstract blogs

Technical blogs serve the actual purpose of blogging which is sharing of valuable information. But hardly 10% of the blogs will fall under this category.

I am still thinking of a purpose for a personal blog. Why do people have to pen down their personal experiences? Why should I read about X's trip to Ooty? Why should i know how X fared in his interview? If i am a person who is supposed to know all these things then is blog the right medium to know it? Won't a personal mail or a call suffice.

Then comes the most important of the three and the one which is ubiquitous, the abstract blogs whose sole purpose is to flaunt the vocabulary you have. The number of times the reader refers to online wordweb is directly proportional to the percentage of victory the writer gets. Again these kind of blogs at least serve the purpose of improving the reader's vocabulary.
But are the above mentioned reasons adequate or is there anything else which makes a person write a blog??

Above all the sense of accomplishment the person gets once he publishes the blog online instigate a person to write a blog. The pride he gets in displaying the link in his gmail status messages incites him to do so. The invaluable joy he feels when he sees that single comment after 3 days of refresh makes all his pain to write a blog die down to ashes.
Now why did I write this blog?
Which category will this fall under?
I am confused.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Insecure India

Last week i had been to different parts of India, central as well as north ( Mumbai and Delhi). I had been there before but this time I went alone and when I landed in Mumbai time was 3 am. I decided to stay in the airport till 6 am and then move into the city. But the exit path from the aircraft directly led to the corridor outside airport which left me in a daze.

I stayed there till 4 am and then decided to move into the city. I had to catch my cab to pune at 6. So how to kill 2 hours???? I decided to go by public transport to chembur form where I had to take a cab ( a grave mistake???) I went to a coffee vendor and asked about the connectivity. As expected I dint get a reply which is quite common in India. We boast of a supreme culture and a dandy hospitality but the reality can be felt in situations like this. I will deal this later as this requires a separate post. I bought a cup of coffee and then enquired about the same and this time I got a reply.

But the reply was nothing but "the place is too far and you dont have any connectivity from here. Better take a Taxi". The Taxiwala owes him a lot and I believe he will settle his debts regularly to people outside the airport for their testimonial on him. I asked th taxi driver and the amount was a eminent 3 digit number. My face turned red with rage. I hustled in the corridor enquiring different people but it was a futile effort. Then a sense of insecurity started creeping inside me. I am an Indian who could speak hindi and if my situation in this country is appalling what will foreign nationals do in this country?

Later I realised the fact that south Indians are akin to foreign nationals for the north and vice- versa. India as a whole is not a country but a continent with different cultures and languages. Wherever I go there is an argument on chennai vs Mumbai, South Indian reticent culture vs North Indian's bindaas attitude. If we go to a place where the language is different you feel so insecure that you think you are in Pakistan. We never get a warm welcome and people around us try to cash in on our ignorance. Is it because India is poor? Is it because of the inherent greedy nature of Indians? I am yet to find a plausible answer for this question. I hope i will find an answer for this and I will feel completely secure in Patna airport at least 20 years from now.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Bangalore-Roads

It was a saturday morning. I got up at 7.30 which i dont do even during week days. I had to go to GD/PI classes. The calls were not convincing but my mark of 95 percentile could fetch me only these. This time i decided to give a try in any college that calls me.

I took bath in a relatively chill bangalore climate ( I would not have even thought of it, had i been in hostel) and took my bike to head towards my class. Infantry road was all i knew about the address. Born and brought up in chennai I always thought that a brief knowledge about the area could take me to my destination ( The roads are really well planned in chennai).

I had a general idea of where infantry road comes and started my ride towards residency road. I started to enquire people when i went near residency road on my destination. As usual for some small questions posted in kannada( i knew 2 words in kannada) the answers came in Tamil which made me happy. Sivaji nagar, next street, after MG raod,take right, go straight were some of the answers i got. I went according to my mind. I was trying my luck and my luck dint betray me. I was in infantry road in the next 10 mins.

When i thought i have done it, there came a real surprise. I was standing on one end of the road whereas the class was on the other end. The concept of Bangalore one-ways started haunting me. I took a right turn to take a parallel road and reach the other end. But the right in the parallel road was again a one-way. I headed straight and after 5 mins of hustling i found myself standing in MG road. I enquired an autovala on my destination and he answered me with few lefts and rights and I realised i am no way near my destination which was once a furlong away from me. I looked at my watch and it was half an hour past 9. I had to be there at 9. After a few mins of contemplation I took a left turn and went straight. I was nearing my home..................

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Inflation in India

In this blog i am not trying to show my prowess in english. I would rather talk about the rising giant inflation in simple terms.

The UPA is having an arduous journey with the Inflation in India nearing the 8% mark. There can be various reasons for this burgeoning inflation but the Government is acting in a stealthy manner in this issue thanks to the nearing central elections.


How did the inflation start?
It is the upshot of the dramatic recession in US. The retreating supply could not meet the spiralling demand and the demand started to shoot up and the prices rose.

Why did the supply decline?
The supply declined in two major areas,food and oil.
US started using most of its agricultural land for bio-fuels which ultimately led to the decline in the growth of food crops. As Bush and Rice stated the quality of life in India has increased by leaps and bounds. The supply could not meet the demands of the increasing bourgeoisie in India and China. The diminution in the food supply led to the increase in prices which ultimately led to the inflation.This is the basic reason for increase in food prices.

Several other reasons complement this inflation. The most hazardous of all is the inflationary fears among the people. People started storing food for the future fearing further increase in price and the demand started increasing steeply. The lenders thought the other way and reduced the supply thinking they could sell the same when the inflation is more at a better price. This chain started and form then on there was no looking back for inflation


How did the oil price increase?
Oil price soared form $50 a barrel to $135 in no time and is expected to surge up to $200. 2 years back there was a decline in global crude oil prices and the Arab countries fearing further decline in the prices reduced their supply. Now albeit there is increase in demand the supply has not been increased. Iraq is yet to recuperate and other Arab countries have started to save oil for themselves. The decline in US dollar attracted other countries to buy more oil ( since oil barrel is sold in dollars) and the demand surged.Thus price of oil sky rocketed.

How can Indian government tackle the inflation better?
Awareness campaigns should be held to relieve people from inflationary fears. This would save the country from the indirect inflation. Also the technology in agriculture should be used better so that the growth increases. Inflation in food prices can see quick remedies and is of lesser importance. What about the inflation in oil prices?

Its a global problem and the remedy is not in the near future. So giving subsidies to petrol and diesel cant be done for a long time. By doing this the government is saving the middle class and the rich from the rising oil prices thus contributing indirectly to inflation. The oil price has to be directly passed to the public so that they plan accordingly and the demand reduces thus reducing inflation and the environment is also saved. This is my considered opinion.

Monday, May 19, 2008

Life @ Bangalore

This is my first blog and I will talk about the bangalore life and why it is a lusus naturae........

The first question that comes to my mind when i think about this is "Is a life of continence possible in this city?". The answer may be "yes" for an extremely prudent person. But what about the remaining majority of people who are indiscreet? The answer of such people is a big "NO"

After coming to Bangalore I have become an antithesis of myself. I am a person who believes in one's own self. But after coming here my charm for a freaky life has augmented. I am yet to find out whom to reproach. Is that me or the city or my mind which exaggerates the normal life i lead.

I was born and brought up in chennai which may be a metro but very conservative in its own way. i studied in a school where speaking to girls was a crime worth decapitation which made guys in my school to look at girls in an indifferent way.

A lot of recuperation was required during college days for me to change my attitude and adopting to bangalore life requires lot more of the same. Bangalore is the land of IT and the nature of job requires lot of interaction with the foreign people which gradually made indian people to adore their culture which is "live life to the fullest".

Even I adore the same. This culture is not a cataclysm as many people think. when people have a natural penchant for something why should we arrest the same in the name of culture. Dont think i am babbling. Its the indian culture which incites people to behave in a lecherous manner. why does our country encounter so many rape cases in a year when it is known for its cultural conservatism?

if you people think i am deviating from the topic, this is what life @ bangalore is all about. The pubs and discos are not a cultural disaster. It is a place for people to relax in the midst of all the pressures he handles. World today is never the same as it was 100 years ago. When a change in everything else is accepted with open arms why not a change in culture too?

I am not actuating people to adopt vigorously to this change in culture. "Too much of anything is good for nothing". There is nothing to confuse between career path and the small amusements in between which is very much essential in the enchanting life.

To recapitulate whatever i said Bangalore is not a place of cultural disaster. Its a place of cultural assortment. Its in the hands of the people to pick the right things of right amounts form the assortment so that life is always colourful. India is a country famous for its cultural diversity. Lets make people say "India is a land of cultural conservativeness combined with social elegance" rather than making them say "Its a land of kamasutra which dissembles to be conservative".