Birthday of a Bulleted Bombay!!!

It’s the first birthday, but rest assured that there will be no cake cutting and candle blowing. However, you might just see some candles burning brightly in the memory of what can be called a grand spectacle of the audacity of terror – the 26 / 11 Mumbai Terror Attack. Official figures claimed that 173 people were killed and over 300 injured, but the effects of this ‘in our face’ brutality can never be fully quantified. It has indeed dented our psyche, and left Mumbai more vulnerable than ever before.

Mumbai has not been alien to such dastardly acts. Since the 1993 serial bomb blasts, many such incidents have rocked the city, but each time, the city has fought back and emerged stronger. The true cosmopolitan Mumbaikars have proved time and again that they share a common sense of belonging to the city, rising way above any linguistic barriers which some of the political class has been trying to perpetrate for decades. The thing about greatness is, that beyond a point you start taking it for granted. The famed "Spirit Of Mumbai" has been lauded and almost always taken for granted by the administration as a garb to overshadow its own inefficiencies.

The attacks had multiple, far-ranging effects. The impact was felt on Mumbai and on Maharashtra state, and throughout urban India. The Maharashtra state government has planned to buy 36 speed boats to patrol the coastal areas and several helicopters for the same purpose. It has also initiated an anti-terror force called "Force One" and plans to upgrade all the weapons that Mumbai police currently possesses.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on an all party conference had declared that legal framework will be strengthened in the battle against terrorism and a federal anti-terrorist intelligence and investigation agency, like the FBI, will be set up soon to co-ordinate actions against terrorism. Government strengthened Anti terror laws by UAPA 2008, and federal National Investigating Agency was formed.

But the real question is, do we feel any safer than what we did a year ago? And the obvious answer is No. Mumbaikars have shown the same apathy while it came to voicing their opinion through their ballots, both at the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections clocking a measly voter turnout. The same Home Minister of our state is back in office, according to whom 26/11 was just another incident in a city like Mumbai. Local trains remain as crowded and as vulnerable as ever. Uniform ID Cards for citizens is yet a dream which is resting on the credibility of a certain Mr. Nilekani till it becomes a reality.

The voices of dissatisfaction with the probe are growing louder with each passing day. The administration has again been put to shame by the widows of the slain martyrs asking fundamental questions regarding the probe, to which the state mechanism seems to have no answers. Ajmal Kasab the lone captured face of terror still awaits a sentence thanks to our painfully lethargic legal system.

Nothing much has changed, except that now, even in Diwali if we hear a cracker explode, we yet want to make sure that it’s just that!

Ode to nice guys....

This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal

I just thought this definitely deserves to be shared with everyone.... :-)

Honestly must say, one of the best pieces of written material ever that I've read through... Thanks Aditee for sharing this with me....Here it goes...


This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores.

This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny

/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.


This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.


This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor.


This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.


The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks.


Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.


So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgment, and my gratitude go out to you.

You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.


Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003

2 States & 1 Entertainer - My Take...

Well, I have to admit that even after all these years of reading, if there was one author, If I may call him so, who could compel me to actually pen down a book review / my opinion on its author, it would have to be only Chetan Bhagat.

Chetan, according to me, is hardly an author. I feel, and I’m sure he agrees with me, when I say, that he is, primarily is an entertainer. It is only coincidence that he chooses to entertain us through the medium of the written word.

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed his previous three ‘mistakes’, I was anxiously waiting for him to err the fourth time around! And he did. I was lucky enough to get my copy of his latest book “2 States – The story of my marriage” yesterday in hand.

There are some things in life, which once you get your hands on, are never easy to let go off without exploring completely. Women and Chetan Bhagat books are just two of those things.

Chetan, who is touted as the “Rockstar of Indian publishing” is credited with the distinction of bringing back my generation to books. I think there are certain key reasons why Chetan and his kind of literature click with the Indian Youth:-

1. Chetan’s simple, lucid and personal style of story telling. When his characters talk, you feel you are there and are actually a part of the conversation. You can relate to his characters instantaneously. You’ll find yourself laughing and crying with them as the book progresses.

2. His uncanny knack of bringing in humour in the weirdest of situations. His sheer sense of timing is brilliant. He’s probably the only man who can think of the concept of two people belonging to separate states and castes procreating in the name of national integration!!

3. Chetan is also one of the few authors who understand true Indian emotions. He knows what a man thinks when he first sees a woman. He is unapologetic about the concept of sex. He knows the importance of a parantha to a Punjabi household and the value of “The Hindu” newspaper to a Tam Brahm.

4. He tells us stories the way we hear them happening all around us. Not the way they need to be told or the way we should be hearing them. That’s the best part.

5. The most amazing and probably the least acknowledged aspect of Chetan’s writing is his observational skills and how vividly he can articulate what he observes. Trust me, the guy is a brilliant observer.

6. Lastly, you will invariably find one character, who you will crazily relate to and cry for, in the entire book. It could be anyone depending on your life. And then you will remember the book for the rest of your life, for that one character and what he did, and didn’t do in the book. In my case: I’ll remember 2 States for the character of Mr. Malhotra – Krish’s dad.

7. Lastly, I always look for those few pearls of wisdom in the form of impactful one liners that Chetan throws in every now and then as if to garnish his very well cooked Indian Emotional Curry with the soulful spices and flavors.

He is one man we should look out for. He is supremely intelligent. He is also mastering his craft and growing in reputation with each work of his. He is one of those Indians of my generation, who I’d definitely watch out for in times to come because of the sheer power and influence he wields over the young minds of this country.

His achievements are more noteworthy as he has been able to capture the imagination of young India without being a cricketer or a movie star. Probably that should explain why the puritans of publishing & the literati love to hate him so much!!!

Rock On Chetan…

Uncommon Sense - Council Application Forms 2007 - 08

One of the very few advantages of not having frequent changes to one's hard disk is that you stumble upon some gems in your old junk. Something similar happened to me lately. I just laid my hands on to the Letter I wrote to all the leaders of the Rotaract Clubs inviting them to be a part of the ROTARACT DISTRICT COUNCIL during my tenure as the DRR in 2007 - 08.....

This letter adapted the widely acclaimed "Uncommon Sense" concept initiated in print ad campaigns by Marico to what I then felt, was the need of the hour in Rotaract District 3140 - Visionary Leadership....

This brought a smile to my face and took me back in time. Thought it to be virtuous to share it with you'll... Here it goes...

__________________________

________________________________________________________

A man is lying dead in a field….
Next to him is an unopened package….
There is no creature around…
Nor was he poisoned..
How did he die???

Yes, this is a letter to all you leaders. This letter is for you’ll to know that the District is looking at Dynamic Rotaractors to form a DYNAMIC TEAM to lead the District in the Rotaract Year 2007 – 08. Then why the exercise in Lateral thinking? Because we in the team of 07 – 08 consider each task to be one. We, look beyond the obvious. Just like you are trying right now.

We at District 3140 have always looked at Rotaract as something beyond just a hobby. It is a way of life for us. It shows through the passion we have for the movement. And for us to be able to sustain this passion and take it a step further, for us to grow and develop, we need exceptional leaders. We need you!!!

If you share our dream of making this District, the BEST in the world, you would understand the importance of effective leaders. You’d understand the importance of YOU!!!

Imagine the prospect of heading a team of highly enthusiastic Rotaractors from all across the city, executing a project worth lakhs!! Or being so famous that you can boast of having a friend on every station of the rail line!!! Or just the prospect of being honoured & recognised at the District Installation amongst hundreds of co – Rotaractors. It’s this unique high that drives us to perform.

Come, be a part of the esteemed team of the DISTRICT COUNCIL 2007 – 2008!!!

Choose wisely, lest your dreams come crashing to the ground, like the skydiver in the puzzle, whose parachute failed to open!!!

Looking forward to your uncommon sense,



Rtr. Himanshu Kapadia
District Rotaract Representative
2007 – 2008
R.I. District 3140