ITIL Certified Professional

I had my ITIL V3.0 Foundation certification exam today and I came out with flying colours (82%..passing was 65%) :-). These maybe just 262K colours for some but for me these are definitely 16.7 million colours.

Besides the fact that it reminded me of the time I took my GMAT and came out in black and white (640 :-( ) there was something else that was peculiarly noteworthy. I reached well in time and was waiting for V, the colleague of mine who was taking the same exam and was the actually the one who forced me into registering for the exam, I thought what better than to utilize this time to finish my unfinished morning business. So I proceeded to partake in the not-so-fine facilities of the testing centre and to my amazement found that there was no water provision in the Loo. There was just the good old toilet roll.

I mean I know that most of those visiting that centre were all West bound (GRE/TOEFL aspirants) and this could be a way to prepare them for the life ahead but STILL..they are very much in India and what happened to staying in touch with your ‘roots’ ;-)

Mob (in)justice in India

Juts stumbled upon a collection of MMSes that sent chills down spines of (the regular law abiding) Indians in the year gone by. One video is of a little boy not more than 12-13 yrs old stripped and tied to a palm tree and being tortured. The good for nothing eunuchs inflicting this trauma on the little boy show how dick-less they are by further stamping him on the chest. Now, I don’t know what the little boy’s crime was but he definitely didn’t deserve this. Even if he killed someone, the law should have taken its course not the lawlessness more often referred as ‘Mob Justice’. If God exists, I hope the little boy bears the grudge in his mind until he grows up, develops enough muscles to kill those bastards who did this to him. And the poetry about this justice would be if our authorities are unable to pin the crime on him. I would love it…

Then there’s this MMS where a teenage girl accused of witchcraft is stripped naked and paraded around the village. This when village men of every age group walk all around her teasing her, pulling her hair and doing all sorts of things that go against the very culture we Indians harp about all day long. I hope that girl turns into another Phoolan Devi and kills each one of those bastards who made her go through this harrowing incident.

These are mere few of the 100s (1000s I think) of incidents that happen across the country on the diktat of either the local panchayats or hoodlums. I cannot imagine the plight of the victims of such atrocities who more often than not can really not pick up their lives together after something as horrid. Where’s their justice? Whatever their crime, did they deserve the punishment they got? Who decides their punishment? These and many more questions will remain unanswered till the law doesn’t start protecting the helpless. In this country the authorities are only on the sides of the more powerful ones. Simple.

You know I often wonder what these kind of people live for because they are bloody no good to no one and can only cause menace to society. When their menace becomes so traumatic for certain individuals I hope the same individuals are the ones who put an end to their useless good for nothing lives. Yes, yes only God has the right to take away lives but then if God was exercising his rights so well we wouldn’t have had such MMSes rather such incidents in the first place.

P.S: video link is on ndtv.com

Criminals ki Dilli

It may have wider and better roads, cleaner surroundings, better infrastructure and even Mr. Sreedharan’s Delhi Metro but it still is a shameful blot on the country. The crime rate in Delhi is mind-boggling especially considering the number of police personnel in the city. It is our National capital with VIPs, VVIPS, VVVIPs thronging the city yet the anti social elements muster enough guts to do the wrong day in and day out.

The city tops in ‘Crime against women’ as per the 2008 report by National Crime Records Bureau and this should be no surprise if you know women who live in the NCR. They will tell you how it is not safe to travel in public transports at almost any time of the day let alone late night. Delhi Metro maybe a whiff of welcome change to that notion. The recent rape incidents have shocked the nation if not those in the corridors of power in the capital. I had only seen in movies that a woman would get raped in a moving car by a gang of hoodlums until I realized that this happens in Delhi too. Not sure who inspired whom. I think it’s not the people it’s the absence of fear of law in their minds. The same will not dare think of doing anything like that in a middle eastern country.

Mumbai on the other hand is a very safe place for anyone anytime of the day. Of course random incidents take place here and there but by far Mumbai can be classified as a safe place (for women) where as the National Capital cannot be. In fact, I read an interview of an internationally proclaimed DJ who was performing in Mumbai and what I remember till date was his remark on how safe Mumbai was even at ungodly hours.

I hope for the sake of people (especially the women) in Delhi the authorities start instilling enough fear in the anti socials so that they think twice even before whistling at a women. Unless that happens we might have to change the name from NCR to NCR (National Crime Region).

Tough times to be a gunner

I am left high and dry by Arsenal’s recent performances in the Champions League and the Premier League. It is not the defeat (after all no bloody team has the right to win each and every game they play) it’s the manner of it. Let me put it for the record that I disagree with the Boss and believe that we got exactly what we deserved. At Shakhtar, we played as if the one goal we scored was enough and we paid dearly for it. At the Emirates, we played without any leader on the pitch the result of which was that nobody forced the issue onto Newcastle. We gave away the ball so so many times, Fab-4 was in particular guilty of giving away the ball on numerous occasions. If he wasn’t fit or out of sorts he should have been subbed and so should have been Walcott for his lack of ideas when with the ball at his feet. I am not singling out any player but just mentioning what comes to mind. Reputations should not govern who stays on the pitch rather their form should.

It is so frustrating to see a team of highly talented players go down so easily AT home AND against recently promoted teams. One blogger put it very aptly by saying that Arsenal were like an Orchestra where if one part was dysfunctional or not upto its mark then they struggle to make any impact while when each part was functioning well it would be the most enjoyable experience. If you ask me what I would like- I say let’s stay the Orchestra that we are but also have a switchover button (plan B) that could turn us into a one or two man band where the lead guitarist and the percussionist together or even alone could make for a winning combination. A start in that direction would be to start shooting at the very sight of goal and not trying to pass it in.

I will always be a gunner- there’s no doubting that but, I want to see my team put in the effort the passion that gets us supporters going, that brought us to the club in the first place. I don’t know if it is Wenger’s off pitch shenanigans the effect of which could be seen in the last two games or just plain complacency. Whatever it is, Wenger needs to sort this out soon and get back on track. I say bring on the Wolves and we’ll hunt that pack down with our cannon.

For the sake of childhood

Do children still..
-wear gum boots during the rainy season?

-exchange trump cards/free stickers with friends?

-wear PT shoes to school on Fridays?

-request their teachers to give them a ‘games’ period?

-wait like crazy for the annual school fete?

-take Milton water bottles to school?

-finish their lunches during the periods so that they have maximum time to play in the break?

-like other children’s lunches more than their own?

-exchange Tintin and Asterix comic books with friends?

-read Femina Home Truths and laugh about it?

-hide their report cards from their Dads and get them signed by their moms while the school bus is honking the next morning?

-discuss with friends the movie due to be played on the coming Friday night on DD/Zee TV?

-prefer outdoor games to dull computer games?

-wear civil clothes to school on birthdays?

-force their parents to rent the latest video cassettes for the coming weekend?

-are crazy about hot wheels cars?

-love going to their grandparents’ during their vacations?

-enjoy going to school for the Republic Day parade?

-have house wars with the other house students (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue or Shivaji, Tagore, Ashoka, Raman)?

-save pocket money to buy their favourite comic books?

-feel overjoyed when the mom lets them keep the change from a shopping trip?

-save up the loudest fire crackers for late night on Diwali?

-squabble with their friends over being the cricket/football team captain?

-feel proud to be one of those towards the end of the class line in the morning assembly?

-never sleep in the afternoons rather play around in the kitchen garden?

-crave for the Sunday brunch that mom would cook at home?

-maintain a homework copy and a classwork copy of each subject notebook?

Ah! those were the days.

What's their fault?

Catching up with my fiancee, her brother and her cousin at Woodside Inn in Colaba. We had some drinks, some snacks. We discussed about the shopping we had done (yours truly is tying the knot in Nov, thus) and joked about the dance preparation (or lack of it) for the Sangeet night. All this and some more and we decided to head to Falafal for dinner which is next door to Woodside Inn. On the way (5 steps between Woodside Inn and Falafal) I saw an old lady with a little boy (probably her grandson) having their food out of a crumpled silver foil. They were having rice with some watery gravy and the little boy had the most wonderful smile on his face. Maybe, he was happy to be having dinner with his grandmother, maybe he was happy to be having a full meal after a long time or, maybe just happy. I questioned (like many times before) the existence of a God (or whatever it is that decides which family and in what conditions will a child be born to) and if there really is one then why does he/she do it. What’s the child’s fault? The same child could have been born to some rich industrialist or even to a normal middle class family where his needs would be provided for, where he would be given the opportunity to become what he wanted to or where he would get at least an education.

Every time I see poor kids sitting on roadsides, or traffic signals or anywhere I feel ashamed for not being able to do anything for them. Giving a beggar some money is not going to solve any problem but that’s all I can do at that moment. Maybe even that's useless because that money might make its way to the ring leader or equals of those beggars. Irrespective, I have always wanted to donate to CRY, SavetheChildren or any such NGO working towards providing the basics of life to the underprivileged children.

The other day outside the regional Passport office while waiting for my agent (he was running late..damn these agents) and having a Veg Grill sandwich I saw a little boy and a girl (probably siblings) begging at the signal. After the lights turned green they came near the stall and sat down. The little girl looked up towards me and a sense of guilt struck me. There I was eating (just to kill time actually) away ignorant of the problems so many of those children face every minute of every day. I just asked the two kids if they would like to eat something..the little boy jumped up, turned around and looked at the shop and shyly said "Lassi". I got them a Lassi each and it was a such a satisfactory feeling I just can’t explain. I walked back towards the office looking back in between to see the kids sitting on the footpath drinking the Lassi and smiling at me. I can proudly say that I remember the happiness I felt that day much more than the loathing I felt towards the officer who rejected my Tatkal application. Damn these sarkari babus- they don’t even know their own rules or maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him cos he just wanted some bribe.

How we live our daily lives- eat out of international food chains, buy branded clothes ignoring the problems millions of children face day in and day out is so appalling. For all our indifference, we could have been in their place. After all, we didn’t do anything to be born to the families we were to. There is no qualification for that..it’s just destiny. There’s nothing we do for them while at the same time cribbing about the petty things in life. I think all (well, most) of us should hang our heads in shame. I know i will.

India has gone to the Dogs!!!

A soldier dies and there’s absolutely no coverage in visual media (maybe a times new roman 8 with 20 words in print) but an anti-national (stone pelter, maoist, militant etc.) dies and the media goes into a frenzy. They go to the extent of showing their families wailing and air it prime time. It’s not that the soldiers (Army, BSF, ITBP, CRPF etc.) don’t have families or that their families don’t shed tears.

Barkha Dutt (who I respect and thus warrants space here) wants to give prime time to the anti nationals while happily painting the Indian soldier with one common brush..rapist, killer of innocent people, misuser of AFSPA. Barkha Dutt’s claim to fame is her brave and unprecedented (in India) coverage of the Kargil war but do give it a second thought while we are at it. She wasn’t there serving the nation or doing her normal duty. That was her chance to claim lime light and reach newer heights in her profession and she took it well. The ones she was covering fighting for the country were doing their duty. It wasn’t a shot at fame for those soldiers like it was for Barkha Dutt. The soldiers (women included) were not there because they got 'an opportunity of a lifetime' rather just because the bugle called. Barkha Dutt, through her exploits, earned the highest order of respect (deservedly so) and ears everytime she spoke or interviewed. The stature that she has earned should not be wasted on prejudiced TV shows or news reports and it would be in the best interest of India and journalism itself if she didn’t take sides and showed both sides of the story. Instead of empathizing with loss of life of an anti-national she should do journalism favour and take a more balanced and objective view. A life is a life..whether that of an anti-national or that of a soldier but think about it - the anti-national died working against the sovereignty of the country while the soldier died defending it. So you decide.

I don’t deny some (very very few actually) soldiers have wronged the society (for which they have been duly punished or are being tried) but to paint all of them with the same negative brush is treason of the highest order. And when the ‘responsible journalists’ do that they also show the plight of the ‘affected’ people thereby creating victims out of the culprits (if u go shooting or stone throwing at a soldier you cannot expect flowers in return). As a result the soldiers become the culprits.

On another day, I would recognize the important work that some journalists are doing but today I want to highlight what the majority of the TRP hungry journos are doing. I wish they would get out of their air-conditioned lives and see what a soldier goes through on just a normal day at his/her work. Instead of realizing AND recognizing what heroes our soldiers are they leave no stone unturned in making them the villains and creating heroes out of the anti-nationals.

This country has gone to the Dogs and the politicians and journalists are mainly to blame. Can’t expect better from politicians as most just care about votes, but again, most journos just care about TRPs. Cheap bloody journos!!!

Tarun Vijay has wonderfully put in words the feelings I have regarding this matter..read the poem at the end, brings tears to my eyes.
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/whose-man-is-that-soldier-fighting-in-kashmir