End of an era..

1. God retires..

Hardly there would be anyone in India who was born in 1980's and haven't heard about Sachin Tendulkar. The name itself speaks for the class and temperament of a man (also known as GOD in India), who single-handedly could change the mood of millions with the swing of his bat. His ton used to be post-talk of the town for the entire week. Schools, grocery stores, colleges, Govt offices, private corporations; none could ignore the charisma of that man.

I remember vividly my childhood days, when Sachin was yet to become what he was destined for. He was just another member in cricket squad, some commentators yet giving me some undue attention for his younger age. It took him 96 one-day matches to prove his worth, after scoring his first ton. As he played more and more matches, his stature started building in the minds of cricket fans. Every parent wanted to name their child after the great Sachin, every child wanted to become Sachin Tendulkar, or atleast wanted to fulfill their dreams by atleast acting so. May it be school matches or in colony, every opener never considered him less than Sachin. At that age, we never thought that a day would come when we won't be able to see our star in action anymore. We just wanted him to play and play and play forever till eternity. As soon as he used to come out to bat, there were prayers on everyone's mind and a heart wishing him the very best all over again. Although not even a single person would want him to get out, but this game broke the heart of many fans time and again. The time Sachin used to get out, tv sets were instantly switched off and everyone cursing the fortunate bowler who would have never forgotten the moment when he claimed that priceless wicket of Sachin. A feelings of disgust took over the whole country.

Irrespective of your age, gender and profession, he was on everyone's mind. I still remember vividly turning off my television as soon as he got out, and this trend continued for over a decade. Now since he has retired, I wonder for whom will I love this game again as I have loved it for all these years..

Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their TV sets and switch off their lives.

2. India awakening..

The girl sacrificed her life to awaken this nation from her long slumber. The decision to shift her to Singapore came after she suffered a cardiac arrhythmia at Safdarjung hospital. Armed forces asked Govt to shift her to Pune, as AFMS has the best team of doctors currently available in whole Asia. AFMC also agreed to do the full Intestinal transplant at their centre. But Govt knew it very well that they won't be able to handle the situation in India, in case she dies. Fortis team suggested that private hospitals are much better equipped than Singapore one. But neither was she shifted to AFMC Pune, nor to any other super-specialty centre. Hence she was shifted to Singapore solely based on political interests. Safdarjung team (all govt employees) announced that she'll be treated under the supervision of Naresh Trehan (Padam Shri and Padam Bhushan) at Singapore. None of these experts would openly go against the regime. Private hospitals who could've handled it didn't want to risk image hit in case she dies. The girl finally succumbed to her injuries, landing a tight slap on the face of this shameless nation, who calls herself rich in culture and human values.

The protests which took place in the aftermath of this horrible crime give me a hope that India is no-more unaffected to what happens to our neighbors. We are not going to tolerate it anymore, But we still need to take a rational approach for bringing the change in society. In my opinion, neither laws nor strict punishments can deter such criminals from committing these acts. The charity must begin from home. It must start from the moment a baby is born. We need to teach them to respect everyone as humans. Nothing else could have summed up the feelings of entire nation better than these poetic lines:

With the passage of time, the candles shall burn out and lose their flame...
The flowers offered with devotion, shall in the absence of water, get dry and weathered out...
The voices of protest both vocal and silent, shall lose their strength...
But the 'fearless' ( nirbhayata) fire that has been ignited, shall rekindle the flames in our hearts...
The waterless dry and weathered flowers, shall be brought to life drenched by the tears in our eyes...
With a burning throat the soul of 'Damini' and 'Amaanat', shall be voiced in the entire universe...
That I am the mother, sister and daughter of my Bharat...
Respect and dignity are my birthright possessions...
Bharat the country is my Mother...
Forget about me, become at least the recognised worthy face of your Mother..!!”

Classic Cafe Latté

Since last week, I was thinking to write about my various encounters with Coffee. Since childhood, Coffee has amazed me like none other beverage. As a child, i was allowed to have coffee very rarely due to many reasons. The main reason which was always told to me upon asking for it, was that it could affect our blood pressure. As a child, this naivé explanation always proved to be sufficient enough to convince me. Sometimes in hot summers, i was allowed to have coffee shakes. In a nutshell, the sole reason that i had always enjoyed coffee was because it was rarely served to me.

During my college years, i was again not a very big fan of coffee. A busy five day college-hostel schedule followed by frequent visits to home left me with no time to enjoy the simple yet beautiful luxuries of life. During winters, coffee came to my rescue many times while waiting at cafeteria in free time. The time passed very fast that i couldn't do anything but ignore such pleasures. Then as i moved to New Delhi, the visits to coffee bars became more frequent with friends and colleagues. During this 3 year tenure in Delhi, i developed an addictive taste for coffee. Perhaps i should not say addictive, as i never made coffee at home, i was just happy sipping it at coffee bars. Among all the flavors  i always liked simple classic cafe latté. I always preferred it with light flavor of coffee with lots of milk (creamer) and sugar. So far so good. Life was enjoying its good terms with cafe latté and then what happened was least expected.

I came to US of America for my higher studies and was confronted with another flavor of coffee. Never heard of and never seen anywhere before: Black coffee. As i boarded my last flight Philadelphia to Bangor (while coming from India directly), the lady flight attendant asked me gently if i would like to take something. Since it was only an hour flight, i asked if she could serve me coffee. I was already feeling drowsy after travelling for last 30 hours. I took the sip through straw (that's how people in US sip coffee) and it hit me as if i had consumed some bitter poison. There was neither any sugar nor any milk in it. To make matter worse, she said they didn't offer sugar or milk packets during flights. After this harrowing first experience with black coffee, i didn't even try to touch it for next few months. Occasionally i took juice or soda (soda means coke or pepsi) instead of coffee whenever i went out with friends.

Once again i mustered courage to try it, but this time with some milk. But all in vain. After this unforgettable experience, i swore i won't drink it ever again. During all these months, i craved for that classic cafe latté even more. I remained loyal to my own home made recipe of coffee by adding one teaspoon of coffee and sugar in hot milk. Then again time changed and changed everything with it. I moved to Florida for my new job. Within my first week, i found it difficult to sit at one place for the whole day starring at computer screen. My colleagues seemed to enjoy the office hours. They frequently took breaks and were seen many times hovering around coffee machine. One day out of sheer boredom, i went to that coffee maker machine. There was a big refrigerator to its one side where many colleagues had put their lunch boxes and other beverages, while the other side was stacked with two microwaves and an oven for office use. My manager (an American) pointed out two milk bottles to me and said, "These are for common use". My eyes glittered and i came back to my cabin to see whether i can use my coffee mug for microwave use.

And since that day, Classic cafe latté still holds its charm..

Corporate world - Part 2

Finally after investing a good long 20 months of my life, fruit has ripened once again. One is never sure of its destiny, and same was the case with me when i left my job at Reliance Energy. Just like everyone else, i too had read enormous quotes defining the importance of taking risks in one's life. But when you face such a dilemma in real life, those quotes just fade away in no time leaving you in the middle of the road. The only factor which kept me determined and moving ahead was the frustration of learning nothing new in the corporate life. The luck favored and i landed up in US with just one hope; to learn as much as i can till this phase lasts. Money matters, but two years ago, i had enough of it to fulfill all my needs and greed.

After i landed, next 20 months passed away in a wink of eye. In these 20 months, i have lived up-to my own expectations and it still gives me a reason to smile. Others were expecting at that time too and are still expecting, but who am i to fulfill the expectations of this world. All is well that ends well, and pretty similar to such enchanting stories i too have a happy ending with a job in my hand before leaving the university. Leaving the university again made me think twice about the life in corporate sphere. But i had no other alternative, moreover i never wanted one. I accepted the job offer without any second thought. The transition to the corporate world has been very comfortable so far. Very much true to my expectations, my colleagues are very friendly and this phase will continue till our work conflicts with each other. One can work 24 hours a day in office, but next morning you again will have the same amount of work waiting for you. So in my opinion, it's better to do as much work as you think justifies your compensation. Needless to say, i too have big plans for both my personal and social sphere with the pouring money into my account.

Sitting in my office, i often think what next? I'm clueless about it...

The Gulabjamun burger

There is a time in everybody's life when he/she yearns for a little more money than what he/she possesses at that moment. For the majority, the yearning continues from the childhood till their last breath. Last weekend while eating burger at a restaurant near my place, i was as-usual complaining about the stale burger which was very neatly wrapped, placed in a clean plate in front of me. After staring at the burger for a minute and realizing that no one was going to come for my rescue, i took the first bite of that tasteless burger (wrapper said it was meant to be a spicy burger). Hurriedly i pour down half a glass of soda (soda means cold drinks in US) down my throat to get some relief from munching those bread crumbs. I took a short break before i could continue eating it again. My mind took me back to the childhood days. Whenever i think of my childhood, i always portrait myself playing in a grass field under the scorching heat of wild sun. No matter how gloomy or dark it is outside, the first impression of my own childhood remains the same.

While thinking of my childhood, my mind took me back to those wonderful school days in winters. In every break before the next class, we rushed to the playground to enjoy the warmth of sun holding few pennies in our hands. Hands tucked tightly inside the pockets and eyes staring at the canteen stall in the open playground. That canteen stall was also a reason to rush from the class as quickly as possible, so that we could buy delicious burgers for cheap. One would ask how cheap was it? I still remember very vividly those days when i could get a burger with a "Gulabjamun" sandwiched inside it just for two rupees. With the amount of pocket money i used to get during those days, i could afford to eat that burger once in a week. That special day, when i could eat the delicious burger and treat myself as a king, was always so much awaited.

The day would start nothing less than a dramatic climax. While packing my bag in the morning, i always used to tell my mom not to put too much food in my lunch-box because i would be too lazy to finish my lunch after eating the Gulabjamun burger. Giving minimum attention to what was taught in the class, my eyes were glued to the wall clock hanging just above the door. Those thirty minutes were the hardest when i used to wait for the lunch break to happen, holding the two coins in my tightly closed fists. I could wait there forever with so many thoughts running in my mind. Many times i was caught by my teacher for not paying enough attention to what was taught in class, but it could never shake my determination to stop imagining that wonderful feeling when i would own the delicious burger. As soon as the bell rang, the legs automatically cruised towards the canteen stall hiding the hands in the pockets from the chilled winter. Watching the poor guy wrapped in a pair of torn clothes at the stall used to bring such a delight to the eyes. The thought of opening up a same stall crossed my mind so many times, but luckily i never managed to gather the courage to speak out the plans to my parents.

Money and the Gulabjamun burger exchanged hands very quickly and soon enough i was at top of the world. Standing and enjoying every bite of the burger, i never bothered about the sweet drops of Gulabjamun dripping down from the burger on my white uniform shirt. Those ten minutes standing in the sun made my day. Those ten minutes summed up the value of money in my life at that time. The ten minutes were spent once in a week coming out of the mundane studies. My sympathies were always with the poor guy standing in the chilling winter, yet he never ate a burger himself. I considered him a guy possessing reasonable marketing skills. He used to sell the same burger with two Gulabjamun clubbed inside for three rupees. He was an expert in convincing the rich and fat kids to eat the super size burger. I always wondered when that day would come in my life when i could also afford this super size burger with two Gulabjamun. There were times when i split the cost of one burger with my friend, so that we both could enjoy our half burger. Many times spotting a friend in ground standing alone left me with no other option but to share my burger. The burger never seemed to be sumptuous meal, but i always relished every bite of it. I used to eat nothing after the burger before lunch, so that i could enjoy the sweetness of gulabjamun in my mouth for a long time. One week was indeed a perfect time to grow my profound taste for burger once again. The affair continued

While sitting in this not-so-elegant restaurant, I missed that appetite for the burger. The burger resting in the plate was waiting to be eaten by someone. I had no other option but to eat the stale burger. My heart felt the sadness seizing it. I felt bad for not being able to enjoy the burger at this moment, when i can actually afford it. I thought of transferring some dollars from my present to my past. I wish i had few more pennies every month in school, i would have loved to eat the super size burger with two Gulabjamun inside it. I imagined how it would feel to eat standing in middle of a school playground and being the center of attraction for everyone.  Alas, everything has changed with time. The combination was perfect with scarce resources to meet up with abundant demands, yet everybody was content. Before i could have the luxury to eat the super size burger with the addition of few more pennies in my pocket money, the poor guy left the school and also left so many hearts longing wishfully for the Gulabjamun burgers.

..

I never wanted to write this post before next week, but can't see a void in posts in April month either. So taking up this task to write a post right now on the very last day. Just three days away from what i would like to call "absolute freedom". Three more days before finishing off my course work for MS. Doing every bit possible to score as much as i can, possibly targeting for three straight A's. I shall be back very soon with loads to share and discuss upon.

Humanity vs Religion

Born and brought up in Punjab, I've read so many stories about the not-so-great past of Punjab. The partition of India in 1947 resulted in death of so many innocents on the sacred land of Punjab, The land known for its fertility was soaked with human blood of so many religions, castes and races. It took years to revive from the horror of partition (wish i could forget the war with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971). After so many struggling years, it felt Punjab was progressing on its path to peace and harmony. But the destiny was predefined, one more crises took place in 1984, Operation blue star. So many innocent Hindus and Sikhs were burnt alive in the name of religion. By the time i was born, things had calmed down a bit, but this internal war in Punjab gave everyone a scar which would never heal. When the rest of the world was embracing the new technologies with open arms, India was still struggling to maintain law and order in so many states. While others were thinking upon the ways to improve the standard of living for human life, people were divided like never before in this part of world. I read a lot about the heinous acts committed by the same humanity, whom we say is the smartest species on this Earth. Some stories narrated one side of coin, while other was bent in the favor of other side. But i had to choose a path for myself deciding what was right and wrong.

The conclusion i drew was Religion. Religion divided the humanity, it made us look foolish in the eyes of God, it made a human an enemy of humanity, peace and prosperity. Beant Singh, the former Chief Minister of Punjab, was accused of killing thousands of innocent Sikhs in the aftermath of 1984. The vengeance was taken by killing Beant Singh in bomb explosion outside his office. Did it result in the victory of those families, who had lost their loved ones? Their lives were still the same, nothing changed. None was victorious, it was a defeat for humanity. Humanity lost to Religion (Humanity-0, Religion-1).

Far away in middle east, some Islamic countries were still struggling to find a way which could suit their religious needs, and at the same time should not become a bottle-neck to the path to prosperity. Here the story was not similar to what was narrated in the above paragraph. The human was still trying to justify its living by fighting for their religion. The commandants preached by the Mohammad (The God of Islam) gave humanity a reason to spit in separate groups.  Osama Bin Laden, a hard-core Islamic fundamentalist took revenge from Americans by killing their innocent citizens. He convinced many of his followers that the only way to survive is by hatred and murder of other religions. Yesterday i was reading a discussion on Balwant Singh Rajoana where some people were calling him a martyr. If Balwant Singh is martyr, then why not Osama Bin Laden? Calling one extremist a terrorist, while other a martyr is real absurdity. But yes, [some] people in middle east still consider Osama bin laden a martyr. And humanity lost once again to religion  (Humanity-0, Religion-2).

By no means, i want to offend any follower of Islam or any other religion, but it forces me to think of the times in which we could have lived without posing any restriction on any human being by any religion. One instance came to my mind when i imagined a world free of restriction and religions.  The world of these animals and birds. I envy these birds and animals so much. Their world seemed much better place than the world we live in.  They all have same set of rules, either 0 or 1. While the humans (the so-called lucky ones) have million set of rules to separate each other on the basis of religion, caste, color, wealth etc. One kills the other to claim victory of one's religion. One hates the other to show superiority of one's race. Everyday so many people are killed- some celebrate the victory while others prepare to take vengeance. Among the thumping victorious slogans and rant of losers, the Humanity loses this battle everyday.

Rarely one would see an elephant killing another elephant or a lion hunting another lion. Why God has made this human species look so dumb in front of other living beings. Every other species have a set of rules which they never violate. All migratory birds can go where-ever they want with the change in season. But human beings can't go from one country to another. We have put so many obstructions and barriers to our path of progress. The religion which evolved due to some great souls who wanted to enlighten the humanity to show them the path of progress, must be watching [in dismay] all these acts getting unfold with passing of each day. All such obstructions and barriers standing rigid have belittle the importance of religion in my life. To me, my religion is purely and solely my business. It has nothing to do with anyone else's life. If a religion is harming my freedom in any way, that for me, is just a taboo. Atheists are better human beings, the reason being at-least they don't interfere with anyone else's business. I wish the Almighty has made us a little more dumb, so that we could have understood the importance of humanity. I gave a vent to all the disappointment and frustration building inside me through this post.

I hope better sense will prevail over humanity and more people will choose religion as a supporter of humanity, rather than its enemy.

PS- This post is not for religious fanatics.

A new world

With fingers crossed, I made a foray into a new world in January. A unique world where all that matters is either 0 or 1. Yes, probably you guessed it right: the digital world. It feels funny after working on huge power system components for last one year, i switched to take some computer engineering courses. Calculations of mega and giga watts reduced to mere 0 and 1. Output is either 0 or 1, how simple does it look? Some new languages, new operating systems and a brand new way of conceptualizing the stuff, this is all what I'll be learning (Or at-least will try to learn) in my last semester.

But these times are not the desired ones ever in my life. I'm standing on a wooden plank in midst of a vast sea, with no clue where these waves will take me. All i can do is keep flowing in the direction of tides. California, New York, Maine, New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad all seem to be pretty far. I make plans and they all fade into the thin air in a wink of eye. Nothing seems certain, yet making all attempts to find the shore. Just flowing with the strong gushes of tides hoping they'll take me to a place where i will be standing among the successful and breathing the same thin air which once had eluded me from my goal. Apart from these uncertainties, there are some certainties too which always brighten up my life. Today is one such day. I wish i could express it but sometimes feelings are better understood than being said.

Yesterday I spent an unusually longer time editing my resume, or rather pondering over it. I've been involved in so many sports since childhood and fortunately still going strong. I used to play cricket (like any other Indian kid) in school and at the weekends. Though i still remember the class race in which a girl beat me in school days. During under-graduation, i played almost every game; Table tennis, chess, volleyball, basketball, lawn tennis and of course cricket. It was a time to learn something i was never very fond of. As the clock strikes 5 PM, the heart starts missing the chlorinated smell of water in the swimming pool. Since December, i've tried to be consistent in swimming and have done it well too. This one hour in a day is the most refreshing one for me. In February 2011, this feeling of entering the water used to give me jitters. A mere thought of entering into waters had never been less horrible than a dreaded nightmare. This one year i have overcome this phobia of water. I vividly remember all those unsuccessful attempts of splattering water all across the place yet couldn't stay afloat for half a minute. I used to crib why god has made this water blue (don't tell me it's transparent), a color of sadness and dullness. This phobia has been overcome; the same water which once was the color of depression has become the epitome of vastness and learning. This is the color blue which men like. Four consecutive rounds of free-stroke swimming under 2 minutes. Does it say more appropriately what i've learnt during all these times? I hope, yes.

 Last winters were undoubtedly the hardest I've ever faced in my life.  This time I'm more prepared to face the harshness once again and hopefully will see it never again. Surprisingly it has been quite warm this winters with very rare occasions of snow fall. But i do admit nothing makes a place look better than a light whitish layer of snow over the grass and edgy slopes of roof. I used to have a painting in my bedroom when i was a kid. A beautiful house was painted on a canvas depicting a sunny winter morning and a child looking out of window over the snow-covered mountains. It always fascinated me to travel to such a place, where i could actually see such landscapes. Never mind, but reality never has a stark resemblance with imagination in any measure.  While i have that surrounding beauty around me for which i always had a longing, but there are no free lunches in this world. Everything comes with a price tag. This month, i missed India like never before. Such profound memories of a place where i've spent more than twenty years of my life, will never fade away so easily.

This one thing i got as a gift, and thought nothing else would keep it closer to me than putting it on my laptop. I love it.

New post updated

New post updated on my blog at http://aseemrambani.org/

Thanks.

Spring 2012

Waiting for the start of a new dawn. A new beginning, a new semester, some new courses, but i promise not to let down the expectations of few, not to deter by the obstacles, the zeal and vigor will never lessen. Probably experiencing these harsh winters for the last time, no more lonely walks in these woods and cravings to talk to a person in real. I had chatted with my room for hours, snow had danced in front of my eyes till they were tired watching it.

Time will change and will change for good. It always reminds me of a poem which Robert Frost wrote and i read it during my bachelors. The two lines touched my heart nothing less than any magical chord-

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I-- -- I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference..

But i never had an option to choose the one less traveled by. Some mightier and stronger can do so, but meant nothing for the ones with a mellow heart. Time never remains the same, it has changed. From those silent nights under the vast open sky to the hustle and bustle of a big city, the destiny has taken me to a point from where two roads diverge. And i'll take the one less traveled by and Shall it make all the difference.