India has two sources of entertainment that have had a far greater influence on people that actually meant to be - cricket and bollywood. The film industry here has always enchanted the Indian masses. Name some famous Bollywood star and there is a hardly a person in crowd who wouldn't be familiar with him. Supplements in the daily newspaper, carrying "Bollywood News" often bug me. The other day, I was reading a news article about a certain actress. The article heading read "Ms. X completes shooting of film inspite of illness" .
This really got me thinking. Now, what information does one call news??
Something unusual, out of the ordinary, tragic, horrid, unscrupulous, makes it to the black and white ink on these circulars. But this, what is so special, so unusual about it??! Wont a normal middle-class person do the same? A person is bound to become ill at some point or the other. And not always can he afford missing his job. Then what extraordinary feat did the actress perform? There are fathers catering working around the clock to make sure their family is happy, without caring for their own health. There are mothers who take care of the household, manage children and go to their jobs inspite of illnesses. Isn't that something that should be news? If at all?
Deifying the celebs is a common phenomenon in India. Their influnce in our country is so powerful that government asks them to endorse drives for dealing with social issues, employment schemes, health care and alike. People go the extent of offering religious prayers for their good. Most of youth try aping their ways in every aspect right from their way of walking to their habits. Though appreciating them and respecting them for how they have made it big in life is good, putting them on the pedestal isn't the right thing to do. In fact, it is time, such people develop respect for themselves, have faith in themselves. Idolizing someone else and following whatever he says is not going to help one reach his goal. Instead, it is one's faith in oneself and the right actions that will eventually bear the sweet fruit of success.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Friday, August 28, 2009
Reality shows... are they real???
Trends on television change a lot.. some years back, family and culture oriented soaps where a hot favourite among the idiot box viewers. The gaudy makeups of actresses, the cunning plots of the vamps, the sweet romances and the "agniparikshas" of the lead character... these were the things that haunted our living rooms that time.
The trend has gone, and usher the era of "REALITY SHOWS"!!! In the beginning, the concept (not original, of course) was a grand grand success. The TRPs of the channels hosting such reality shows shot up. The reason...very simple... the parcipants here were no special people that u and I dont get to meet or those who are above the ordinary. The people there are just the common lot trying to make it big in life by achieving fame and success. An effort that every single common individual does. So, viewers can relate to them. This makes such programs intriguing.
But, recently, dramatization of such shows has gone too far. Some of it is fine, just for entertainment... but showing people crying, the tiffs and bitching between the competitors, narrating stories that will have the participants sympathized, the judges arguing over their differences in opinion, and the perfect background music to complement all of the above situations.... this is very irksome.
And above all, most of them are fake, just for the sake some mirch masala in the show, such atmosphere is created. Shows involving TV actors competiting for comedy, dance etc especially include a lot of these... (sometimes, i wonder if these people should change their designations as TV actors to reality shows' participants!!)
Is it really right to do all such things just merely for TRPs?!
Imagine the dilemma of the participants who are unable to concentrate on their ultimate goal coz of all this dramatization!! And those participants who purposely indulge in such melodramas, dont they realise its hard work that is rewarding and not such publicity stunts?!!
I feel that the TV soaps were much better than such "reality" stuff. At least, in the beginning, they have a Disclaimer stating that "All characters in this serial are fictitious". Its high even the reality shows should put up such Disclaimers so that viewers dont get confused watching them. :D
Monday, July 27, 2009
Class trip to Bhimashankar- an awesome experience
Sunday, 26th july,'09 was a very eventful day for me. T.Y.B.Tech Comp class had planned a picnic to a place called Bhimashankar based on a high altitude, some 120 kms from Pune. From the moment we started our journey, we were having a gala time playing dumb charades and antakshari in the private bus that we had booked. This was the first time that we all classmates had come together. It was a great feeling to have all of them play, laugh , enjoy together.For the first time, I started realizing what a class actually means....
The landscape seen through the window as the bus advanced in the valley was overwhelming. There was greenery everywhere.... the thin mist that covered the treetops, the small rivers flowing haywire ... waterfalls gushing their way down from the tops. The water in them seemed to come from nowhere and go nowhere ...all that was visible were the sparkling waterlets cutting the rock surfaces and splashing the soil beds below. As I saw this marvelous sight outside the window, my eyes drinking in the exotic beauty of every single element in it, the cool breeze whispering into my ears and the small rain droplets greeting my face, I wondered ....is this what one calls heaven??
As the bus started approaching its destination, all we could see was fog spread all over......the mountain top was totally covered with fog.....the sight outside was very hazy,....as I put my head outside the window, i felt myself making way out of fog which just appeared again and again as the bus moved forward......the chilling breeze was now a companion who had never left company since we had started the journey. Finally when we got out of the bus, we were at the top, in the midst of the fog..... and the pleasing cold weather,....in such an atmosphere, what would be better than a nice hot corn.......truly refreshing!!!
As we advanced on foot to the famous Bhimashankar temple, it started raining heavily. It was difficult to make out whether the rain gods were angry or happy with us coz the heavy showers made it difficult to walk and manage....but at the same time....they made u enjoy the situation even more. We worshipped some temples there, visited the "kunds" . All of us were drenched in the rain, but still enjoying the weather and the atmosphere around... it was enchanting... it was heaven!!
But much more was in store. After that, we went a little further to find a jungle there. We made our way through dense trees and thorny bushes. All the while, I kept asking my friends...where exactly are we heading??...but the answer was well seen than said and I could sense it when i started hearing the water splashes.......it was a waterfall!!!!!!..not a steep one but with small falls at distances. As we made our way upwards, walking through the water, we sat on every step, clicked pics, splashed water on each other, took dips inside . It was real fun. The thrill of standing on the rock with water running with great force underneath was superb. There was water everywhere....the water that we splashed at each other..the water gushing down the rock on which we sat and lied too, the water that was all over me when we took a dip inside!!!!!!
The funniest part of it was when we all came out of the water, I wanted to go back and play more. So just to take a last splash, I started back with my friend Ashwin. But how could I give this petty reason to others who enquired why I was going back in the water??.....so I lied that I had lost my specs there. I really apologize to my buddies who got concerned and started looking for the specs :)
We had great fun coming back too, it was if everybody had a zing that could have never come except for the trip. The cold that was prevelant throughout couldnt mar the enthusiasm of anyone of us..
All in all, it was a lifetime experience.
Really friends, one should never miss chances like these ..
They not only get you closer to the nature but more importantly, you get closer to your friends, your team with whom you share a common class, common interests and with whom, you spend the most fruitful years of your career and life. They help you to be yourself.....to be your true self....
As I write this blog, one day after the trip, each part of my body aches, coz of all the exertion. But, there's still a smile on my face due to all the pleasing memories. This is the exquisite irony of the delightful, splendid,wonderful trip....
hey friends, i know that this blog is bit long but it would be unfair if i would have missed mentioning any of the above things..thanks for reading till the end :)
The landscape seen through the window as the bus advanced in the valley was overwhelming. There was greenery everywhere.... the thin mist that covered the treetops, the small rivers flowing haywire ... waterfalls gushing their way down from the tops. The water in them seemed to come from nowhere and go nowhere ...all that was visible were the sparkling waterlets cutting the rock surfaces and splashing the soil beds below. As I saw this marvelous sight outside the window, my eyes drinking in the exotic beauty of every single element in it, the cool breeze whispering into my ears and the small rain droplets greeting my face, I wondered ....is this what one calls heaven??
As the bus started approaching its destination, all we could see was fog spread all over......the mountain top was totally covered with fog.....the sight outside was very hazy,....as I put my head outside the window, i felt myself making way out of fog which just appeared again and again as the bus moved forward......the chilling breeze was now a companion who had never left company since we had started the journey. Finally when we got out of the bus, we were at the top, in the midst of the fog..... and the pleasing cold weather,....in such an atmosphere, what would be better than a nice hot corn.......truly refreshing!!!
As we advanced on foot to the famous Bhimashankar temple, it started raining heavily. It was difficult to make out whether the rain gods were angry or happy with us coz the heavy showers made it difficult to walk and manage....but at the same time....they made u enjoy the situation even more. We worshipped some temples there, visited the "kunds" . All of us were drenched in the rain, but still enjoying the weather and the atmosphere around... it was enchanting... it was heaven!!
But much more was in store. After that, we went a little further to find a jungle there. We made our way through dense trees and thorny bushes. All the while, I kept asking my friends...where exactly are we heading??...but the answer was well seen than said and I could sense it when i started hearing the water splashes.......it was a waterfall!!!!!!..not a steep one but with small falls at distances. As we made our way upwards, walking through the water, we sat on every step, clicked pics, splashed water on each other, took dips inside . It was real fun. The thrill of standing on the rock with water running with great force underneath was superb. There was water everywhere....the water that we splashed at each other..the water gushing down the rock on which we sat and lied too, the water that was all over me when we took a dip inside!!!!!!
The funniest part of it was when we all came out of the water, I wanted to go back and play more. So just to take a last splash, I started back with my friend Ashwin. But how could I give this petty reason to others who enquired why I was going back in the water??.....so I lied that I had lost my specs there. I really apologize to my buddies who got concerned and started looking for the specs :)
We had great fun coming back too, it was if everybody had a zing that could have never come except for the trip. The cold that was prevelant throughout couldnt mar the enthusiasm of anyone of us..
All in all, it was a lifetime experience.
Really friends, one should never miss chances like these ..
They not only get you closer to the nature but more importantly, you get closer to your friends, your team with whom you share a common class, common interests and with whom, you spend the most fruitful years of your career and life. They help you to be yourself.....to be your true self....
As I write this blog, one day after the trip, each part of my body aches, coz of all the exertion. But, there's still a smile on my face due to all the pleasing memories. This is the exquisite irony of the delightful, splendid,wonderful trip....
hey friends, i know that this blog is bit long but it would be unfair if i would have missed mentioning any of the above things..thanks for reading till the end :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
government or private...which job is better?
Just a day ago, my roomie and I had an argument about if a government job was preferrable to a private one.
She had numerous points to support her argument. Needless to mention, a government job has ample benefits to its credit. Job security, insurance, PF, other amenities and a lot of allowances.
To add to this, the work load in a government job is quite less compared to its private counterpart.There are pension schemes, bill discounts, commissions, subsidies and better chances of swinding too....
So, all in all, a government job is a good 9-5 daily appoinment of yours, which can support a good prosperous life.
But then, I have always felt that a private profession is preferrable. One thing that nobody can deny is that a private job gives you more opportunities. I mean, seldom do we here a government official doing paper presentations on his work. Ever seen a government employee sent out for innovative projects and training, for interactions with other companies in the same domain to share ideas, technology and materialise the same???
All one can do in a government office is have work foisted by the boss, slog years in the same place with your hands working and minds shut. There may be just a handful of government offices where the would different scenario. The kind of sophistication and work culture that u find in a private office can seldom be expected in a government office.
All said, the fact still remains that job security is much greater in government occupation. Talking about working hours, the figure is much higher on the private side. Private sector demands dedication, competitiveness, toil and most importantly, patience. It is merciless..u dont perform and you are out. If the company's suffers loss, your pockets bleed too. And the callour part is that the private employees are supposed to bear the brunt of cost-cutting here.
Considering this, it makes complete sense to say that government job is better than private.
But still, I feel, if one really wants his aptitude to be applied, to make real progress and real contribution, to have a profession wherein you learn as you work,a private job is his destination.
So, the debate still goes on.........
but i genuinely feel that the one who is ambitious, for whom stability doesnt matter as much as sophistication and stimulating challenges, should definitely opt for a private job, because the same will be able to do justice with his capabilities and intellect.
She had numerous points to support her argument. Needless to mention, a government job has ample benefits to its credit. Job security, insurance, PF, other amenities and a lot of allowances.
To add to this, the work load in a government job is quite less compared to its private counterpart.There are pension schemes, bill discounts, commissions, subsidies and better chances of swinding too....
So, all in all, a government job is a good 9-5 daily appoinment of yours, which can support a good prosperous life.
But then, I have always felt that a private profession is preferrable. One thing that nobody can deny is that a private job gives you more opportunities. I mean, seldom do we here a government official doing paper presentations on his work. Ever seen a government employee sent out for innovative projects and training, for interactions with other companies in the same domain to share ideas, technology and materialise the same???
All one can do in a government office is have work foisted by the boss, slog years in the same place with your hands working and minds shut. There may be just a handful of government offices where the would different scenario. The kind of sophistication and work culture that u find in a private office can seldom be expected in a government office.
All said, the fact still remains that job security is much greater in government occupation. Talking about working hours, the figure is much higher on the private side. Private sector demands dedication, competitiveness, toil and most importantly, patience. It is merciless..u dont perform and you are out. If the company's suffers loss, your pockets bleed too. And the callour part is that the private employees are supposed to bear the brunt of cost-cutting here.
Considering this, it makes complete sense to say that government job is better than private.
But still, I feel, if one really wants his aptitude to be applied, to make real progress and real contribution, to have a profession wherein you learn as you work,a private job is his destination.
So, the debate still goes on.........
but i genuinely feel that the one who is ambitious, for whom stability doesnt matter as much as sophistication and stimulating challenges, should definitely opt for a private job, because the same will be able to do justice with his capabilities and intellect.
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