Wah Taj!!

"You can fool some of the people all the time,
you can fool all the people some of the time,
but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

The following is a piece of an conversation that took place between two friends a few days ago. I really thought that I should put this up here.

Person1: Heyyyy...long time yaar, kya haal hai?? How have you been doing??
Person2: Heyya, Ive been doing well. By the way.. have you voted for the Taj??

Person1: Na! What about you? Have you?( the answer was clear and blunt!)
Person2: Err?? No? You havent voted? Are you even planning to?
Person1: No, not really. Why? I mean, why should I vote for the Taj?
Person2(scandalized): For the country's sake you idiot?? Dont you think its nice to have a wonder from your country?

Person1: OK, relax. Yes, I would love to have a wonder from my country. What I really want to know is that.. err.. that organisation?? Who gave them the authority to elect the wonders?
Person2(looking awfully confused): Err.. dint get you there. Who are they? As in?

Person1: Arre yaar, what Im really saying is that this organisation, the NewOpenWorld Foundation isnt really a world body na? I mean, do they really represent the entire world? Who made this organisation? Is it a part of the UN or any other world body?
Person2(now getting his side of the argument): Well, somebody will have to,right??

Person1: Why? Why not leave things the way it is now? I remember my history textbook telling me that there were the Ancient, the Medieval and the Modern Wonders of the World. So why have this "new seven wonders" at all??
Person2: So you mean to say that we shouldnt be having the seven wonders at all?

Person1: Yes, there is nothing wrong in picking them but not by some unknown organisation na?
Person2: But the entire world is voting for them. The fact that so many people have voted just shows the trust that has been placed in this organisation.
Person1: Arre dont you get it? This is some frigging company that wants millions to SMS and email their votes and eventually fuel them.
Person2: But the entire world is voting for them. Its not that they are choosing the wonders, we are. Do you think that this voting maybe rigged?

(A few other people who were just minding their business decided to watch them fight instead!)

Person1: No, maybe, or maybe not. Arre have you visited their site? Theyve got all kinda sponsors on their webpage. Christianno Ronaldo t-shirts, some shady travel-and-tour operators..blah blah. All they want is sponsors!
Person2: Arre but to do their job, that is, to publicise and advertise they would need money na?
Person1: That just shows that it aint really a non-profit organisation. I mean, I wouldnt care about their decision even if the Taj was voted because this organisation isnt representative of a world body as is the UN. Who knows, they might be filled with people from Papua New Guniea?
Person2: What I know is that all the major TV news agencies are encouraging people to vote and everyone really should.

Just when there was surely going to be a fist-fight, Person3(our hero!) comes in and..
Person3: All right, the two of you! Shut up and get back to class. Now!
...........................................................................................................................................................
My views?? I dont really know. I was Person1 till a few days ago, but Im sure that if the entire world ends up accepting the 7 wonders after the 7th of July(07.07.07) then I would probably have no choice and accept them too!

Yeh Paisa Bolta Hai...

When was the last time you really felt that our judiciary system was working the way it is supposed to be?? When was the last time you felt that no matter what, justice would be served to the common man and the guilty would be punished?? And when was your trust in the entire judicial system,crushed when the guilty walked scot-free in the end??

(This reminds me of a few lines of a popular Hindi song..Mumbhai by Javed Jaferi
Chotta-chotta matter baney police case..
Bada-Bada lafda, gul without trace..)

There are times like these when the efforts of TV organizations like NDTV and individuals like Sunil Kulkarni(the main witness who approached NDTV fr the sting operation) should be commended and encouraged. This also shows the shoddy state of our judiciary system, where Public Prosecutors like IU Khan who was meant to prove the killing in the famous BMW Case charged a fee of Re.1 and would have almost ended up walking away with much more than that.

It is not really surprising that the defence lawyer Mr RK Anand had indulged in this 'activity'. After all, he is the defence lawyer and he needs to protect his client Mr Sanjeev Nanda(son of an arms dealer and grandson of an Ex-Navy Chief of Naval Staff). Money was not the problem, it was the testimony of the lone witness who hadnt turned hostile in the recent past, which was the matter for concern. But like every other human, he could be bought. At least thats what the defence thought.

What was really surprising(but not so if you watch a lot of Hindi Movies!) was that even the public prosecutor was involved in the deal. After having been initially dropped from giving the testimony on charges of being bought by the Nandas(in debatable circumstances) Kulkarni was brought back again to give his side of the story. We do know that Kulkarni was going to ask for 2 crores. So how much was the PP's cut?

What made Kulkarni bring about this expose?? Was it the satisfaction of being able to bring justice to the families of the six dead? Or was it just to gain fame and popularity of being the person responsible for bringing a turnaround in one of India's most high-profile criminal cases and become a household name? All we do know now is that what's done is done and that the PP was involved hand-in-hand with the defence which means both of them are in trouble.

Or are they??

Not really, if u ask the other big-shot lawyers of Delhi. Legal experts say that they can be booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. But that is only if a formal complaint has been filed against them. Here's the icing- many of RK Anand's supporters occupy key positions in the Delhi Bar Council, the body which can reprimand them and therefore refrain them from furthur practising their profession.

All we can expect now is a total national outrage. Let this nation speak out, speak out for what is right, speak out for the people who really deserve justice and speak out against those who mess up with our judiciary.

Kya 'Saccha' ...Kya Jhoota???

religion n. the belief in a superhuman controlling power, esp. in a personal God or gods entitled to obedience and worship.

Would you believe me if I said I was God?? Would you believe me if I said that I had the power to cure,to heal,to repair and to forgive??Would you believe me if I began preaching a new set of doctrines and rules defining a whole new religion??

I believe that religion is a personal matter and that if u wish to believe what I claim then its really upto you. 'Cause thats what defines religion and faith.. ur OWN personal belief in a set of practices and methods. It is for us to see what is right and whats not. So if a particular individual today claims he can do things which are extra-human and if that has been verified(or not fot that matter!) then its upto the people themselves to decide what they really want. Nobody can force a religion upon us. Its our personal choice, a choice which would define who we are and make us feel a part of something and maybe a feeling of one-ness among a certain group of people.

What was really wrong in the incident that happened in Punjab was that the leader of the "Dera Saccha Sauda" imitated himself as the 10th Guru of the Sikhs-Guru Gobind Singh and called himself as the next Guru. This is probably what infuriated the Sikhs all over the world. What he could have done was not to imitate anybody and preach his own ideas in his 'own' way. This way his followers could do what they want and the Sikhs wouldnt really have a problem.(this is actually what scores of other 'religious leaders' are doing today!)

What went wrong later?? The clashes between the 'sects' which was splashed all over the TV. There was another side to this whole issue. I really wanted to write this blog after watching a TV debate on a popular news channel.Questions were raised whether Sikhism (being one of the newer religions) was too rigid in its beliefs and practises. What was really being targetted was the fact that Sikhism does not encourage its followers to cut their hair and the other practises they follow..(or rather 'we' follow).. Whether a small man like Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (the leader of the Dera) can shake the foundations of an established religion and whether Sikhism would really survive the next few generations after knowing fully well that many of the youth in Punjab arent keeping their hair anymore. Another issue which was raised was that many people still continue to call themselves as Sikhs inspite of already having cut their hair.

Its all a matter of self-belief.

Do I look like a FREAKK..????????

TRW class ... Saturday mornin...

This had to be one of the most crappiest days of my life... i was supposed to introduce a friend of mine, Gurdeep, to the class based on a few questions already asked in class...and he had to do the same for me. We were supposed to be judged by a panel of six... which included of of the most "in"famous personalities of BITS Goa... a person who could really irritate you... he could even make you puke... even when he isnt present there physically..thats Gak-Attack fr you..(cant write name here..but the resta you guys musta understood..)

His turn first.... spoke pretty well .. coherently.. and was right about me upto the mark.. reaction from the crowd....????... pretty dry n dull...wooaahh.. and I thought he actually spoke well...

Neway.. my turn now... "So ladies n gentlemen.. we have this absolute dope of a person here... the name's Gurdeep Singh.. so dull,boring and lethargic... reminds me of the movie Dead Man Walking................................................................"

Now I have decided this for myself.. I am gonna keep crackin those PJ's all the time.. coz if I crack a good one (for a change..lol..) .. nobody gets them.. and thats probably the worst reaction a joke can get........

Grading time..

I understand it if I get an A or even a B.. but cmon.. a C..?????? that too frm 2 weirdos..?? yeah.. well the Gak was takin it out on me.. the other weirdo was standing fr the Gen-Sec post.. idiot..

Reason..??? I speak too fasst..????????????? wooooooahhhh.. thats new..??? To top it all up.. My teacher tells me.. i TRY to imitate an AMERICAN ACCENT..?????????????... ok... thats the fist time sumone has actually told me this..woudda felt less sorry fr her if she said I HAD an American Accent.. lol............. cmon man... I actually thought I had a Punjabi type of an accent... shheeeshh....

One really reallly BAD BAD day..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gettin Busy..??

Ohh yeah.. u read it rite.. I actually started to get real busy in another week's time... started off with my Drivin classes... sheesh.. and had to wake up before 8 fr that....(that too in the hols..???? am I crazzyy..??)

I also started takin golf lessons... in the US Club.. and Im already begginin to luv it... this game ROKKS..!!.. So the hols arent goin all that bad after all huh..??We BITSians met up twice after that too.. had major-fun at Churchgate... hung around and watched a shitty movie..the second time we had an all BITS meet... chaps frm Pilani were there too..(looked pretty dorky and nerdy to me..lol.)

Mafia Time

Hehe... thats the name of a pretty silly game I played with a lotta new friends in the IMSC.... became our hangout in the evenings.. with Popat's friends..(thats Prashant in BITS terminology fr u..)... had a helluva time there... played till 9 in the evenings.. cudnt have really asked fr more...

Chutttiii...!!!!

So its Bombay this time huh..??? I mean... im bugged of goin to different places all the time..(yeah... ppl get bugged of the same place..and im sayin this..????)..

Im stayin in NOFRA... ahhhhh.. the same place where I stayed agesss ago... like abt 10 yrs ago... last did my 3rd here... long long time...I just know a fellow BITSian here.. my sole friend here in NOFRA.. even he lives a bit on the outside...I have other friends here in Bombay.. but they live a bit too far away.... not really far .. its just that Im relatively new to Bombay...
I joined the gym close by ... its about a 2 min walk frm my place...pretty close huh..??? and its the most amazing gym ive ever seen..(hehe... even by "sarkari" standards...lol..).. hehe.. dole-shole banane ka plan hai... obv..!!!!!!

2 weeks of lazing around and Im soooooo bugged of this place already....(dont u hate it when I keep changing the tense..?????).. Not many friends here.. just Prashant..(the BITSian guy...) and Vaibhav...(thats my classmate frm skool..last 5 yrs..).. went out fr a movie..but cmon man.. im gettin really bored here.. what to do...???

1/4 th of an Engineer..

Huh..?? 1 yr over already..?? I mean.. didnt I jus join coll..?? Wooaaahhhh... now that was fast...

Yeah.. finishing off ( i was literally finished off in the 2 sems..!!!) .. with the year was a roller coaster ride.. sukked BIG TIME in the exams.. made friends for life at BITS.. wasnt easy.. compelled to ask myself... "Life's tough.. aint it??" ... and I always seem to answer this stupid question myself..." Compared to what..??"

Lookin back at all that I have done in this year.. (umm.. what exactly DID I do..??) .. jus reaffirmes the fact that once u get outta your homes.. there are a lotta things that life teaches you.. and you just cant learn those by reading someone else's blog.. but by experiencing it first-hand..!!

To all those people going into their First year...
Stop reading this shit.. study and study hard... score in the first 2 sems.. very very important..!!(Yeah.. you actually realise it only after you have wasted the whole year..!!!)

Ohh yeah.. 1 more thing.. your on your own out there soldier... no ones gonna help you in your time of need.. do it yourslef.. Friends are always there for your support... but at the end of the day..(hey... this reminds me of someone..!! lol..) ..its YOU who has to solve the problem yourslef...

Man.. I should stop giving people advice..!!

Ab Kya..??

The next Biggest Question......

Now What..???

So goodbye Dad... see you in a few months.. wow... wasnt that easy... 1st time .. not bad... ur growin up Purnoor...
Adjusting to a completely new environment .. away from that protected "fauji" living.. into that "civilian" life all alone for the first time is definitly not easy... but wow.. independence...!!! .. gettin away frm family was exciting.. holds a loadda opportunities...(no... !! no wayy...!! ur sick..!!) .. and responsibilities..!!

5:45 AM

Woaaahh... come to think of it now.. I really cudnt believe myself when I was actually waking up every morning before 6.. that too all by myself.. cooll..!! ..( Now I really cant wake up before .... .... ... umm...10..?? )

1st Day of classes...

Is this the right class..?? There's nobody here... obviously you idiot.. u've reached a half-an-hour before it begins..
I normally used to love Physics classes.. but my Phy teacher in the 1st sem wasnt really the kinda guy I wanted to have..(didnt really look like a college teacher to me altogether..!!) ..We actually thought we could hav taught him better Physics than he actually teaching us..!!

The rest of the teachers were sorta fine.. I mean.. they were just fine.. nothin really great.. could have managed for abt 1/2 sem.. cant I..??

Dad.. Im not gonna fit in this..!!

Yup... these were my first words when I entered my room and saw my Bed...in BITS Pilani-Goa Campus...Room BH4-363...!! damn... it was a crappy 6 feet bed.. the woodwork was fine.. but the size... tooooo small.. shit.. why did I have to be soo tall..!!!

The college campus was outta this world.. havent really seen a better one... the B-Wing dome.. standing majestically collosal.... empowering all those who stand and relish in its grandeour.. !!! (whhheeww.. where did I get that from??) .. The classrooms were awesome.. and the lecture theatres were amazing.. massive..capable of seating at least 300 ..( we normally dont get to see more than 30.. !!)

The icing on the cake... the BITS Audi.. (no .. not the car.. the auditorium..!!) Ive been to other auditoriums.. having capacities of like 1000 or even 1800.. but wooaaaaahhh... 2200??? man.. u ve really gotta see it to believe it.. (considered to be Asia's 2nd biggest!!) .. the seats were plush .. really beautiful.. the whole thing.. MASSIVE..!!!

Kahan Jaoon..???

So Purnoor .. decide.. three good options.. ECE @ NIT Surathkal..(wow..!!) or Chemical( will definitly get something bttr over the next few iterations..) @ BITS Goa..(cud even be Pilani..) and Comp Sci @ NUS ..(with that 6-yr Bond..!!)

Lets start eliminiating.... NUS was out straittaway... no way.. im not spending 6 yrs earning without my MBA...? Besides..I was personally told to go for an Indian grad degree rather than a degree frm Singapore.. Indian degrees hold a muchhh higher value than an NUS degree...

After hours and hours of consulting people.. and wastin my internet hours over this.. and a hell lotta sleepless nights... agreed to join BITS... (agreed bcoz i really wanted to go to NIT Surathkal .. but my parents and lotsa other ppl whose opinion really mattered told me that the BITS tag would take me places in life..!!)

So BITS it is...

Joining a new college.. that too when it just had one year done.. no placements to look at...?? Was I crazzy or something..??? Nope.. the TAG...!! its the BITSian TAG.. which really counts..!!! Fell for it..!!! Ohh yeah... got Electronics and Electrical after the 3rd iteration.. cool.. so no problem abt the course..!! yippee...!!

Am I supposed to write something here..??

Ok.. so where do I begin..?? ....... Hmmmmmmmmm....
Rite then.. after finishing all my exams..... Im like " so where am I headed to ??" (as if there arent 10283702 kids askin the same question ...!!) .. ohh yeah.. My Boards went awesome..cudnt hav wished it to go any better.. but.........I also made one of the biggest mistakes in my life during this period..(hahaha.. yeah.. very few ppl know abt this...!!)


After gettin all the results..

So i get a pretty decent rank in AIEEE.. didnt get thru after IIT Mains..( yeah rite..!!!!! lol..) .. and got a sorta moderate kinda score in BITSAT.. (My first reaction after the BITSAT was $%$%@@!!!!!!).. yeah.. i didnt rite any more exams.. thot it would be a shitty waste of time..!

So then... I got my first option in the AIEEE counsellings.. thats NIT Surathkal ECE..( i got EEE actually but the guy frm Kerala above me who had ECE was leaving anyway.. so I would have got that seat in the next iteration..) ... Hmmm.. pretty good college... one of the best NIT's around...the best course.. pretty cool career option...

I was pretty dejected when I didnt get through in the IIT JEE Mains.. but i sorta had prepared for this coz i knew my Math exam had been a DISASTER..!! lol..!! So there.. no IIT for me.. wahhhhh..!!!

Comp Sci???? shit .. i wanted Electronics at NUS.. damn... chalo fine.. shud be pretty good.. its Singapore na?? I mean getting a degree from singapore shud really score BIG TIME..!! But there is this 1 teensy -weensy thingy... ehhh... a 6 YEAR BOND..?????? Are you outta ur mind...??? I wanna do an MBA.. for God's sake.......!!!!!

BITSAT according to me was a backup plan.. I hadnt really prepared for my BITSAT well.. since I gave it after my IIT Mains..and forgot the word study after the Mains..... so 322 ehh...?? Am i really gonna get a seat??... Damn..only those guys with scores above 400 will get a seat.. that too courses like MSc Engg Studies.. lol..!! But wooahhh... hold on... Im gettin Chemical Goa... in the 1st iteration..??? coooll...