My life.. My Thoughts.. My way

Winnie the Pooh has lessons for me ;)

2011-08-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

FRIENDS FOREVER

(image from google images)

Christopher Robin: "Pooh Bear, what if someday there came a tomorrow when we were apart?"
Pooh: "As long as we're apart together, we shall certainly be fine."
CR: "Yes, yes, of course. But if, if we weren't together... if i were somewhere else?"
P: "Oh, but you really couldn't be, as I would be quite lost without you. Who would I call on those days when I'm just not strong enough or brave enough?"
CR: "Well, actually..."
P: "And who would I ask for advice when I didn't know which way to turn?"
CR: "Pooh, we..."
P: "We... we simply wouldn't be."
CR: "Oh, Pooh. If ever there's a tomorrow when we're not together, there's something you must remember."
P: "And what might that be, Christopher Robin?"
CR: "You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
P: "Oh, that's easy. We're braver than a bee, and, uh, longer than a tree, and taller than a goose... or, uh, was that a moose?"
CR: "No, silly, old bear! You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we're apart, I'll always be with you."

-From "Pooh's Most Grand Adventure: The Search For Christopher Robin"

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO DISNEY.

Happy New year!

2011-01-06T03:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just sit and wonder .. why did I not do this before.. I couldn've been here done so much more..but then again.. I'm really happy that I eventually found my way here..

Its like I am walking in my dream (the dream I had as a teenager).. I never thought I'd be here (and to be fair.. i dont think anyone else did either).. but here's the best part.. this is just the Beginning.. and it gets better and better each day.. Falling in love with Bangalore and this campus more and more with every passing minute.Its been a few weeks but it already feels like home and the people here make me feel like I always belonged here... Hope this run does not come to an end .. EVER! (I want to BELONG here.. not be just another visitor)

Its been a great beginning to this new year.. as always.. I'm eternally hopeful.. foolishly optimistic as some call me.. but you know what.. its works.. TRY IT!! Here's to the new year in 2011.. CHEERS! :)

Playing God???

2010-10-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Read another interesting article by one of my all-time favourites- Jay Mazoomdar.. I have been Jay's fan since I was 18, when he first wrote about the stories of the disappearances of Sariska and Ranthambhore tigers..

Today's article (http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/killing-them-with-kindness) was about how we as humans often make the mistake of trying to play God in everything, especially to do with wild animals like the Tigers.. Its something even I have very strong feelings about, and have thought about very often..

Why do we find the need to bait tigers who have grown weak or old in the wild.. or why do we have to intevene and take care of young cubs that have lost their mother in perfectly natural conditions?? By baiting them, aren't we making them more dependent on humans for survival and in the process acting as a catalyst to man-animal conflicts? What happened to the good 'ol "survival of the fittest" belief? .. why cant we just accept nature's way? and leave it to decide the fate of these tigers.. it shouldn't be about managing the animals themselves but about removing the pressures that we as humans induce on the animals and their habitats... stopping mining, poaching, corridor destruction, etc. etc.

Our passion often clouds the better judgement of letting nature be the deciding factor in such cases.. We like to save these animals only because "we" like looking at them.. becasue we can pet them and feel proud of ourselves for allegedly "saving" them.. Aren't we just postponing an eventuality.. Infact, to think of it, aren't we encouraging weaker genes to perpetuate into a new generation, and therefore weaken the species on an evolutionary scale?

An interesting article

2010-10-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

I read an article on someone's blog posted on The Guardian's website.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/24/1)

Its a hilarious account of the way science appears to a lay person (who's not exactly complete stupid by the way..).. Its a great piece.. So go ahead and read it..

I bet you'll be smiling too :)

Of hope and happiness

2010-09-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

You know I was just wondering what an impact reading a positive article early in the morning can really do to your day.. Sometime back there was a mail circulating which had been forwarded to people's inboxes halfway across the world.. apparently it was a story about Dr. Kalam who had once stated an incident from a small country ripped apart by violence.. However, the daily newspaper in the morning reported a small positive incident as its main story.. And Dr. Kalam exclaimed why couldn't journalists in our country learn from it

I thought it must be one of those cooked up mails again, which push you to forward it to everyone on your friend list. But true or not, that story stayed with me.

A few weeks back when I was in Mumbai, I actually saw the truth in the statement if not the story. DNA, a leading daily, had reported two stories that made me feel really good early in the morning and my entire day went just great! (No, nothing about coincidences, but just that feeling of elation, like something good is about to happen and it actually does!!) One story was about this small voluntary group of people from a forum called Meter Jam. Apparently this forum was moving from being just an online presence to actually taking the action on streets in Mumbai.

Its a group of citizens who have come together to protest against the autorickshaw drivers (I think of them as nothing less than tyrants, who refuse to consider the fact that most of work for a pittance!) in the city who refuse fare because it means plying for a short distance. (Well in my city, they actually ask for double the meter rate, because we apparently live in a hep area, and they think its their birthright to either refuse or double the fare!) So for me, it was nothing but really amazing that citizens were finally voicing their dismay at the way in which these rickshaw-walas treat us!!

The second bit of news was about Ganesh pandals, who had taken it upon themselves to restrict smoking during festival period and banned people from smoking in their respective areas. Finally, some respite to unwilling citizens like us who do not wish to have their lungs choked with cigarette smoke ( I mean its fine if someone decides that they want to smoke, but not at the cost of my health!!) and not to mention ordinary people who chose to take home eco-friendly Ganpatis this season and school children who used veggies to make Ganesh idols..

Yep.. Its been all good news all around(Ok.. I have decided to not comment on the fiasco of the CWG... Its not ok to feel murderous all the time :P)

So ya, coming back to where I began.. a single piece of good news early in the morning does actually fill your heart with hope of a good day (not to mention, a better future!) ahead.. Are my journalist friends listening??

1411.. Really??

2010-03-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

The past few months haven’t exactly been all party time for the tigers in India. The number 1411 is fast taking a dip.. Pick up any newspaper and you will find news of tiger moralities in the Northeast, Corbett, etc. and the latest to join this string of bad news are the 2 male tigers on the outskirts of Ranthambhore. They were apparently poisoned by the angry villagers, since the tigers were making the village goats their means of survival.These young males had probably been making rounds outside the national park in search of a new home, only to be paying with their lives.

Well, whatever the reason maybe, the reality on ground suggests that the increasing human-wildlife conflict all around the country is threatening to overthrow the tiger population. Given the rate at which the human population increases in these areas, it will soon be impossible to cater to the needs of so many demanding human lives and that means the pressure on the wildlife for its own survival will be constantly in conflict with people living in its surrounding areas. Unless something is done to reduce the people-demand on the forest in these areas, the tigers will continue to face the ire of the locals. Time’s running out, atleast for the tigers of this country..

Man V/s Wild 2

2009-02-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

Ok.. I think people reading my last post got the idea that maybe I'm in favour of the man-wildlife coexistence.. let me make it clear at this point.. NO! I'm NOT convinced that people go burgeoning into our forests.. the places I love the most!! I feel at my best when I'm in the forests.. amongst sounds of nature.. with no sound from this concrete jungle to disturb me! It is then that I am at my happiest.. it is place I love to call my temple.. I firmly believe if there is god he definitely resides in the wilderness 'coz it is in these cozy corners of the world that all of nature's miracles occur..
Maybe our forefathers were right in worshipping the 5 elements in nature.. they considered nature to be the supreme being and gave her, her rightful place of respect in their world.. but, over centuries and civilizations, although we study and read the scriptures.. we've forgotten the basic message that they had in mind before writing them.. We've forgotten nature and respect for her creations and emphasise on worshipping and on memorising scriptures.. caring two hoots in understanding the message that they try to convey.. We shamelessly destroy our natural wealth.. the places that are important not only for the wildlife but also for OUR OWN SURVIVAL!!! and yet we talk of constructing temples and places of worship.. Is our God (if I may name him so) ever going to forgive us for destroying his beautiful world.. and then asking for penance??

I have always known for a fact that there are two sort of people created when we receive education.. one is the EDUCATED class (and this does not necessarily include those who receive formal education)who actually learn from the knowledge in the world.. and strive to make this world a better place to live in.. and the other is a class of LITERATES who go to institutes, receive education and then go back to their stubborn ways with no scope of improvement (and believe me a majority of the people I meet belong to this category!!) .. and beware of this category.. they call themselves "educated".. and yet will do nothing to improve the state of our environment or forests..they won't make the slightest change in their lifestyles even though a thousand attempts have been made and they're aware of the situation the world faces today.. I've learnt to tell the difference between these two groups of people.. the question is.. which side are you on???

Man V/s Wild

2009-02-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

The eternal debate.. who gets the icing on the cake.. who wins the right to the forest.. man or the wildlife.. Recently I happened to have a wonderful opportunity to stay in a forest in Chattisgarh for doing a survey on the wildlife found there.. Instead of the regular big animals.. all we could find was the huge impact humans have on the wildlife there.. The forest is at its best.. very high density of trees and bamboo thickets complete with waterfalls and limestone caves.. However, one additional aspect was the presence of tribals within the boundaries of the park.
These tribals have lived there for centuries.. and they still retain their lifestyle of hunting and eating animals found in their vicinity. They eat everything from snakes to bears!!! Then, why should they give up their way of life just because you decided their piece of land is now under governement protection.. Has anyone ever tried to make them understand the implications their life has on the wildlife there? More importantly, should they really be listening to people like us from the cities who have already destroyed the remaining pockets of greenery in our vicinity and are now going to lecture them about sustainable living?

One very interesting anecdote that was narrated to us in out freshwater ecology lecture at UoL by one of my professors wil always stand out in my memory.. A man (Can't remember who it really was) once went to Africa and seeing the lifestyle of the tribals there, talked to them about how and why conservation is important and how they should join hands and protect the wildlife and other natural resources.. The tribal chief said -"You Englishmen who have cut your forest, made money in the name of providing basic necessities to your people.. come from a developed nation and then say to us to continue living with the wildlife here and protect them , when my own people don't have the food to eat or proper clothes to wear.. "
Well this conversation may not be an exact repetition of the words that might've been used but the tribal chief's reply should make you think... Are we really the ones who should be instructing the tribals to give up their way of life.. the one they have been living over the past centuries, when we ourselves are not ready to make the slightest change in our standard of living? Its an open ended question.. for all of us to sit and think.. not for everyone but to ourselves..

The contrast called India

2008-11-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gone out travelling to different parts of our country and wondered what contrast it offers.. no wonder people from around the world are amazed at its diversity..
I recently saw a documentary on Discovery where in a small town of Bihar a girl was born with a deformity where she has 8 limbs instead of 4.. I knew in an instant it was probably meant to be a twin birth but somehow the zygotes never separated properly.. and that was the exact reason.. the girl had a parasitic twin.. the people in the village considered her to be an incarnation of the Laxmi- the goddess of wealth.. People from far away places came to visit her.. a doctor in Bangalore read about it and decided to travel to Bihar to help save the child.. he spoke to parents but the villagers objected and he subsequently left.. however, after sometime the parents' decided to help their child and travelled to Bangalore.. The child got operated in probably the first-of-its-kind surgery in the world.. I was proud for the medical advances in our country which gave hope to so many people each year..
But the documentary also bought to mind the contrasting Indias it represented.. a far away village in Bihar .. where even access to basic necessities in life was an everyday struggle.. as compared to the highly educated.. developed city of Bangalore which represents the face of the growing and confident new India
In the past few months.. this contrast has come to my mind a lot of times.. my growing up in the city of Pune where everything was available at your fingertips.. my travel for education to UK where the basic necessities of life are taken for granted..my 6 month work in Sawai Madhopur where life is about working continuously each day to the remote tribal forest area in Chattisgarh where the outside world ceases to exist.. I have seen many faces of India in a very short time.. and I'm captivated and left wondering.....

A fledgling learns to fly...

2008-08-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Don’t you sometimes feel like there are just too many challenges everyday that you need to face.. there is so much to be learnt and yet there are just 24 hours in a day to learn it all !! The eternal optimist in you sees the opportunity in every challenge and yet there will be someone or the other to burst those incredible bubbles called hope and optimism in you and yet somewhere in the back of your mind there is a thought harping at you all the time.. don’t give up.. your time is just about the corner.. wait and all your patience and hard work will be rewarded.
These days, I constantly feel like a fledgling who is learning to fly and be independent of its nest. I went to UK, came back in a little more than a year. I went to work in Rajasthan, came back home just when I was taking pride in my independence. Its like a little bird who’s learning to fly.. makes short flights time and again .. waiting for the time when it will finally take off forever and learn to survive in the big bad world out there..
The child in me is scared and the grown up in me can’t wait to face the challenges that come everyday with the sunrise. I love the fact that each moment I have to think for myself.. everyone around me is watching me as I learn to make mistakes and become wiser with every little fall, when I learn from my small failures. And yet I want to protect that scared little child..who waits for the monsoon each year just so that she can go wishing for the treasure at the end of the rainbow again… to dance in the rains.. make paper boats, splash around in the puddles and play football with friends.. who believes that her make-believe friends are actually in existence somewhere around the world, who thinks that ice-creams and chocolates were probably the greatest of inventions of mankind.. Who thought that super heroes were actually for real.. and that sunsets actually meant that Mr. Sun went to bed each night.. These are just mundane thoughts that really made being a child the most joyous thing on the planet.
While all these thought hammer my brain, the little calendar on my desk pops up a thought like it does each morning- “There comes a point in your life when you realize that if you stop, you will remain at this point forever. If you fall down and stay there, life will pass you by.” And Cheers to that thought!! There is always something to look forward to… I’m soon going to discover my flight of freedom and the day is coming nearer every minute….I can sense it.