Life teaches the hard way

If only I could grab you and say that YOU HAVE ME.

If only I could hug you and wipe your tears.

If only I could say that I LOVE YOU TOO when you said that you love me.

If only we could do this as we did for quite some time now.

If only I could break down just like you did.

If only I could change the things that led to this.

If only I could forget all about you and start afresh.

If only we could have a first date every day.

If only I had you much before than I did.

If only I can hold my tears.

If only we can start as kids again and get things right.

If only I can say that I still love you.

If only I dare say that I love you the most, even to this date.

If only I can say how much I love you.

If only I can stop scribbling.

If only I can sleep over this.

If only...if only...if only...

"IIT ye Dhyeyam IIM ye Lakshyam (Eng Translation: Goal - IIT, Target - IIM)"

Well its been a long time that I started/stopped blogging. All these years I thought of writing posts on many issues but in vain. I now feel that I gotta take off in someway or the other to get into this loop of blogging. So here comes my new post in three years!!!

Last week I was in Hyderabad on vacation. I got down the train and took a city bus to Madhapur. Half way from Sec'bad the bus moved past a school bus. I was happy to see small kids back on their way home. I turned my head to see the name of the school and to my dismay this was the caption on the school bus

IIT ye Dhyeyam IIM ye Lakshyam (Eng Translation:Goal - IIT, Target - IIM)

It is a known fact that education is all but a kind of business in Andhra Pradesh. Almost all of the High School Education now lies in the hands of very big Educational Corporates. They have not only changed the cost of the education but also the course of the parents' thought process. With the cost of education soaring high, so are the hopes of parents to see their kids in the premier institutes of the country. Absolutely right and I appreciate the role of the Corporates of the Educational field for the spread of awareness.

A closer look beyond this awareness takes us to the ground reality. Almost 9 out of 10 households(figures are only based on my experiences) back in the state have their kids pursuing an Engineering or a Medicine degree (The high cost and longer tenure to completion of a Medicine degree in addition to very few seats makes it less famous among the two). In-fact parents have started to choose Primary schools which teach children math and other stuff(required for the making of an Engineer). Parents are no more interested in their kids' overall development. It's been a long time since people seized to consider languages as subjects. Heights of this race is to neglect board exams for Engineering entrances. Children are being trained to break into premier institutes but not to understand the basic principles of the subjects. In-fact children are being put in IIT orientation/Techno schools way before they realize their areas of interest.

All this to see their kids in white collar jobs, earning a good money. Did I mention that most of these engineers are either S/W or IT engineers? Well people think that other courses are opted only in the dire situations of not being able to fight it out for the above two courses. So how many of these engineers are really employable?

I never saw a figure greater than 30% in any of the surveys conducted for employability. If the education standards are projected to be so high that more than 300 Engineering colleges are required, what happened to the rest 70%.

Very few people think of other professional courses, but the standards of those institutes have come down so much that they are not even considered as potential courses for a good career. It might be due to the fact that these institutes lack funds that the Engineering Colleges enjoy.

Now that MBA's get paid a lot more than Engineering Graduates, the focus has shifted to churn them out. Hence come the caption

IIT ye Dhyeyam IIM ye Lakshyam (Eng Translation: Goal - IIT, Target - IIM)!!!

The most memorable phase of my life…

The most memorable phase of my life…the one year I dropped for IIT preparation…

It all started with me joining a corporate college for IIT preparation after passing 12th. The next day I see a guy running away unable to withstand the binding rules of the campus. Indeed a great start…aint it?

I now try hard to cope up with the new habitat around me. A couple of guys came down all the way from places 2000km far to fulfill their dream of getting into one of the IITs (Of course that was one of my dreams…now don ask me about the others!). Tried to get along with new buddies but was in vain. So thought of shifting to Hyderabad branch of the same institute…that’s coz I had a classmate (XI and XII call him BSR) of mine in this branch.

Now another new world tarrying my entry…The entry itself was so frightening tat I had to throw a gift (which I bought for a spl one!). I threw it in the cellar of the apartments that stood near by. I search for the place I gotta report…irony of my fate...it’s the same apartments where I threw my gift! After all the formalities, my friend (BSR) accompanies me to dining hall. I go for hand wash and find out the one I threw lying there…and there it lied before being drained away by rain water.

I started making new friends with the help of BSR. For a few days everything seemed to be fine. As the days passed on, I started delving into the ones living around me.

I’ve seen a guy who claimed to be a disciple of Vivekananda. But all he did was starting/igniting unnecessary conflicts with the guys around him. Indeed a great disciple of Vivekananda…isn’t he?

I’ve seen a guy who always knew that he was making a wrong decision by preparing for IIT, but still wanted to go with it for the sake of satisfying his ego.

I’ve seen a guy who wanted to take up the challenge of clearing the JEE, but was always demoralized by his parents’ inability to educate him.

I’ve come across two best buddies (as they claim) around, who ended up in a fight, for their egos were targeted in their friendly exchanges.

I’ve seen a guy who always wanted to keep a sect (caste) of guys out of his arena and did everything he can for the same.

I’ve seen a guy from the sect targeted by the above one, who wanted to retort back with a proper answer (what else…blows!) but somehow managed to keep his cool.

I’ve seen a guy who had to undergo psychological treatment for becoming a psychopath...reason being his jealousy and fear about the future.

I’ve seen a warden of my dorm who almost everyday. Also I saw a caretaker who involved in a relation with the poor sweeper.

I’ve seen a guy from Orissa, building a very good rapport with us. I remember him watching a Mega Star’s movie six times just to watch the songs (obviously, he liked the heroine!). How can I forget that he also made his Dad watch the same movie, during his visit to Hyderabad!!!

I’ve seen my close friend (BSR) in a mentally disturbed state with all those incidents happening around him during his first ever stay in a hostel.

I’ve seen another close friend of mine (Baava is what I call him...) who stood with me, keeping his cool…uttering those cacophonic verses from AR Rehman’s songs.

I’ve seen an ex-military guy teaching us not only math but also life, thanks for his short and smart “Doha’s”.

I’ve followed a bus-stop story (our dorm was next to the bus stop) wherein a guy used a girl who was after him to catch up another girl....

I’ve seen guys staring at the nearby girls block, waiting for the sign of consent from them…(although they knew it would never happen!!! :-) )

I remember the day I engaged in a verbal exchange with my best buddies…BSR and Baava over an issue…Of late I am proven wrong:-) I still remember the way we parted that day...

Time passed on and it all came to an end. How can I forget the day when tears rolled down my eyes for leaving the dorm...?

How can I forget the one year stay which made me even close to my best buddies BSR & Baava!!?

How can I forget the one year which was instrumental in the making of me???

Why ARAGORN???

The other day someone asked me "Why do you like Aragorn?"

Well, I never gave a serious thought at the issue (not atleast until the question sprang out)…

Aragorn, the Strider, is a Descendant of the royal bloodline which led the humans in all the wars with the dark lord, Sauron. But is that the reason that I like the character??? Nope…..its something else…

Aragorn is not just another kin of a royal bloodline…he’s an epitome of a perfect king…a leader… who led the human race in the war to the success…

A leader who knew the importance of team work (for those who need elucidation….the very fact that he worked in cohesion with humans, hobbits, elves, dwarves, wanderers etc proves the point….)

A leader who knew the importance of human values…values which he stood by in his way to lead his men

A leader who knew the cultures & values of the all the races (elves, hobbits, dwarves…) that he lead

A leader who chose to lead when his decision to lead meant his love would abort him…not that all those who renounce their belongings (Arwen in his case) will become great…but its this decision at the crossroads that accounted for his greatness

A leader who rose to the fore during the time of need…

A leader who maintained to be in the good books of his contemporaries…which is why they came to help him in the hour of his need

A leader who never felt inferior at times when he’s to follow his folk (when he’s to follow as led by hobbits, elves, dwarves…)

A leader who was adored by his followers…

A leader who worked for the well being of his folk even at during the difficult times (remember the way he watched after hobbits during the night when he first met them)

A leader who knew how and when to use his special powers like, say, his royal bloodline... to lead his team towards success…

A leader who was always focused towards his ultimate task of winning the war and never succumbed to the size or the power of the enemy…

A human being who never becomes a prey to the evil spells being cast by the Ring

That’s Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, Heir of Isildur, the Wingfoot, the Thorongil, the Ranger, Dunedain of the North and The Possessor Of Anduril

To Begin with...my recent scribble...

One day in the twilights...
Many have been chilling out with friends

One guy was having shuftis at gals
Who walked alongside...
While chatting with his friends...

All of a sudden, he was unable to stop staring at a belle...
Sorry she isn't a belle(its tooo old to use) rather...
She is a pretty lassie!!!

Its not that she was in a glistening or exotic attire but
She on a whole was exceedingly exotic...

He has been looking the lass for two years...
But at that instant...
It seemed he was staring at VENUS...
The GODDESS of beauty!!!???

In fact it wasn't only he
Who was staring at her...
But many guys were!

He felt like he has been
Mesmerized by her radiance...
He was simply awe-struck by her elegance...

He seemed to be under
The magical spell of her pulchritude...
He was so enchanted by her beauty that...
He couldn't hold himself...

This might be a common cinematic scenario but...Inspired by John Keats
It's just an encomium...but not an eulogy...sounds ridiculous???