Better things...

There may be times when you feel down,
when all you have on your face is a frown.
People seem hostile, friends seem foes,
no one gives a damn about your woes.

You are so confused, don't know whom to trust,
Love is even worse, is it serious or mere lust?
Temptations are extreme- Sex, Drugs, Booze.
It's like a war-Heads they win, tails you lose.

Hormones, they tell you. Just a passing phase.
But you can't find the end of this twisted maze.
Even thoughts of suicide cross your mind,
ending it all to escape the grind.

But when all is lost, two things remain.
Faith and Hope survive every strain.
The chances of success may not be bright,
But you ain't goin down without a fight.

You decide to straighten up the mess,
It will be tough, but you won't yield to the stress.
No matter how stormy the night is, when you go to bed,
You know dawn will bring a great day ahead.

Rain Rain Go away!!!!

I love the first smell of rain when it hits the mud. It feels so fresh, so refreshing, so energetic. But after five days of incessant rainfall, any such enthusiasm gets damped. I am sick and tired of seeing water everywhere and the irritating need to remember to take an umbrella everytime I step out of the house.

Reminds me of some lines from the poem "Rime of the ancient mariner"

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink ;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

Here are some pics of the rain in chennai:

End of an era

Very few sportspersons have dominated their respective fields with such panache and grace as Micheal Schumacher has. A few examples would be Sachin Tendulkar in cricket, Wayne Gretzky in ice hockey, Lance Armstrong in cycling. These stars did more than just winning, they became bigger than the game itself, symbolic of victory.

In a few hours from now, this indomitable sportsperson will race formula 1 for the last time in his life. It will be the end of the most illustrious career in Formula 1 history spanning 15 years, 7 championship titles, 91 race wins, 154 podium finishes, 75 fastest laps, 1364 championship points and many many more records. But Schumacher was more than a just a statistician's delight. With faster cars, better training facilities, better machines, many of these records will undoubtedly, be bettered in the years to come. But the contribution that Schumacher made to the game can neither be forgotten nor emulated by anyone.

Sao Paulo 2006 is beginning in an hour. Schumi trails by 10 points to Alonso. All Alonso needs to do to win his second title is to finish the race with at least a single point. It would take nothing short of a miracle to keep alive Schumi's chances of finishing his career on a winning note. And the problem with miracles is, they never happen when you want them to happen.

Goodbye Schumi...

WE WILL ALL MISS YOU VERY MUCH

P.S: I added this afterwards. Schumi didn't win the championship. He had terrible luck, an early blown out tyre led him to lose valuable time and the chance to win the title. The next generation of formula 1 has come. Kimi is driving for ferrari this time, lets see how they perform in 2007.

"In the Ghetto" Lyrics

These are the lyrics of one of my favorite Elvis songs "In the Ghetto"

As the snow flies
On a cold and gray chicago mornin
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto

And his mama cries
cause if theres one thing that she dont need
Its another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto

People, dont you understand
The child needs a helping hand
Or hell grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me,
Are we too blind to see,
Do we simply turn our heads
And look the other way

Well the world turns
And a hungry little boy with a runny nose
Plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto

And his hunger burns
So he starts to roam the streets at night
And he learns how to steal
And he learns how to fight
In the ghetto

Then one night in desperation
A young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car,
Tries to run, but he dont get far
And his mama cries

As a crowd gathers round an angry young man
Face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto

As her young man dies,
On a cold and gray chicago mornin,
Another little baby child is born
In the ghetto

Book Review - "THE AFGHAN" by Frederick Forsyth

I am not much of a Forsyth fan. The only other book by him that I have read is "The Day of the Jackal", which was brilliant. I even managed to miss his other best sellers "The fist of God" and "Icon".

PLOT:
So few days ago, when I bought his latest book published this year "The Afghan", it was because a friend recommended it to me. The book is not that long- only 322 pages. It is set in the aftermath of the 7/11 London blasts. Al-Qaeda is supposedly planning some horrible terrorist attack of which the CIA and the British intelligence have no idea of.

To find out, they decide to do, what is considered impossible. Infiltrate Al-Qaeda. They send Mike Martin, a retired Army man instead of Izmat Khan, an Afghan captured by the CIA and held in Guantanamo Bay. Mike undergoes extensive training to do this.

REVIEW:
It is evident that a lot of research and background work has gone into writing this novel. In the first half, the background story is weaved into actual historical events which happened. The British and the US siding with the Afghans to defeat the USSR, then the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Then 9/11 happens and the US attack on Afghanistan and how they responded. Till this point, the novel almost seemed like a non-fiction history book. It was the best part and I enjoyed reading the first 180-200 pages thoroughly. Then the fiction part starts, the details about the infiltration, and the training and related happenings. From then on, it is completely fiction, incredulous at times.

This is where the book begins to sag. I felt from that point on, the book wasn't detailed enough. It could have done with 200 pages more and being more descriptive. I don't know why Forsyth chose to rush ahead with the story. Though the final pages are quite well written and at no point does one feel bored of reading the story, after finishing the book, there is a lingering feeling that it does not quite justify the talent of a writer in the league of Forsyth.

There are also some events that are so co-incidental that seem impossible to happen.Other than that, the book is certainly worth a read, and certainly better than what writers like Sidney Sheldon offer.

Kim Jong Drops a bomb!!!

North Korea has claimed to have tested a nuclear device on the 9'th of October. And so, the nuclear club has to grudgingly accommodate country number 9. The countries which have already tested are USA, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel ( It was never confirmed or denied it, but it is widely suspected), and now North Korea. The actual extent of North Korea's nuclear program was a mystery to many, but it was no secret that the country was trying to make a nuclear bomb.

The country withdrew out of the Non Proliferation treaty in 2003 and had been releasing statements saying that they were going to develop a nuclear deterrent. They had extracted spent plutonium our of spent rods in 2004. And in 2005, the six party talks were started to deter North Korea from developing a bomb, but the talks failed to reach any conclusion. Even on October 3, North Korea announced that it will be testing a bomb in the future. Every country has condemned the bomb and efforts are being made to ascertain whether it was a genuine nuclear explosion or not. But most of the preliminary reports suggest that it was.

Bush had termed Iraq, Iran and North Korea as the 'axis of evil' in 2002 and then attacked and effected a regime change in Iraq. No doubt that this would have led both Iran and North Korea to start their nuclear program to prevent an attack. If Bush continues his cowboy activities in every country that is unfriendly to the US, this will no doubt trigger a global arms race that could have disastrous effects for all of us.

Another main reason for the extent of North Korea's nuclear program was Pakistan and their nuclear weapons expert Dr. A.Q.Khan. Musharaff has written in his book "Dr Khan transferred nearly two dozen P-1 and P-11 centrifuges to North Korea. He also provided North Korea with a flow meter, some special oils for centrifuges, and coaching on centrifuge technology, including visits to top-secret centrifuge plants."

Now, what more evidence does the world want to persecute Dr. Khan? And how can Musharaff claim that this was done without the knowledge of the Pakistani government? I could have believed that, if Khan had only transferred the blueprints for these items, but NO, he has given North Korea 2 dozen centrifuges. Is Pakistan asserting that they had no knowledge of a top scientist transporting nearly 25 centrifuges and countless other sensitive items out of their territory? Plain Bullshit....

Now god only knows to which all countries North Korea will sell this technology too. The temptations will be all the more, since the UN security council will impose strict economic sanctions on it. An impoverished country has all the more reason to sell it's technology for food and fuel supplies. In a short time, maybe we will have Syria, Libya, Iran and countless other dangerous countries boasting of nuclear capabilities. What if some of these warheads reach Al-Qaeda??

When will everyone (including the US) realize that war is not an option anymore. We cannot afford to spend billions of dollars procuring and updating weaponry. India has allocated 89000 crore for defense spending for 2006-07. If there was no threat from Pakistan, China, terrorist groups, naxalities, this huge amount would be much much lesser. We would have all the more money to spend on education, removing poverty, and other socially relevant welfare schemes. Remember, President Kalam had reiterated in his book "Ignited minds", that poverty and unemployment are India's biggest enemies, not Pakistan.

I have been Tagged....

I have been tagged again, by Neha, so here goes....

I am thinking:
How to study for my model exams next week? , when shall I go home next?

I said:
nothing at all, I have been silent for the last 1 hour....

I want:
A 60 GB video Ipod, Any cellphone from the Nokia N-series, A seat at IIM Ahemadabad.

I wish:
I would be left alone on an island for atleast 6 months doing absolutely nothing at all.

I miss:
My mom, my dad, all my school friends, The powercuts back home and the antakshris we used to play in the darkness, my old bicycle.

I hear:
The dot matrix printer in the library printing fine reciepts, people typing on the keyboards, someone clicking the mouse.

I wonder:
where I will have to shift after completing my college?

I regret:
not being able to attend my school reunion held last year..

I am:
impulsive, stubborn, wierd (refer to the previous tag)....

I dance:
Last time I danced was in my 9'th standard, when I had chosen dance as an extra-curricular activity, I got a C grade in it :-((

I sing:
in the shower, at Antaksharis.

I cry:
Very rarely, last time I remember crying was in my 7th or 8'th grade....I didn't even cry when I broke my leg in a scooter accident (proud of that, :-))

I write:
Short stories, poems, even tried to write a novel once, but was not able to cross the second chapter.

I confuse:
People's faces, I am very bad at remembering faces of people I have met only once or twice.

I need:
Is this supposed to be different from the "I want" heading?

I should:
Study for my CAT exam, study for my model exams, start working on my degree project, but I am still idling away in front of the comp.

I finish:
this tag by naming the next victims:

Brute
Sweety (I told you, I will get you next time)
Starry
Soul

On Death Row....

The newspapers and editorials are full of news about the hanging of Mohd Afzal , one of the main accused in the 2001 parliament attack case.

When we read about such an article, the first emotion that our mind grapples with is sympathy. We reason that since we cannot give life, we have no right to take it away either. To some extent, this is correct. We should not indiscriminately hang people who are suspected of less than lethal crimes. The supreme court has stated that the death penalty should be given in the 'rarest of rare' cases. The last time a person was hanged in India, was in 2004. Dhananjay Chatterjee was hanged for raping a 14 year old girl and his mercy petition was rejected by our president.

Agreed, the death penalty has been abolished by many nations, and even those who allow it, very rarely practice it. But isn't Afzal's case one of the 'rarest of rare' cases? Do we need a more stronger reason to sentence a person to death? The parliament is symbolic of our sovereignty. It is the place where one of the most important decisions are taken which impact the lives of a billion Indians. Agreed, 90% of our politicians are corrupt bastards, but that doesn't undermine the importance of the Parliament in our democracy. The attack on it was clearly designed to damage the very fabric of democracy, by people who have never experienced it in their respective countries.

Afzal's involvement with the gunmen who entered the Parliament has clearly been proved. The Supreme court has already upheld his death sentence, characterizing him as a "menace to the society", whose "life should become extinct" to satisfy "the collective conscience of the society".

But inspite of all this, the newspapers and T.V. channels are full of pleas for mercy for him. The chief minister of J&K, Ghulam Nabi Azad has personally requested Dr. Kalam to consider Afzal's mercy petition. Isn't it shameful that the topmost official in a state is recommending mercy for a terrorist? The media as usual, is at its whorish best. Talk shows are being conducted, interviews are taken, the journalists are burning the midnight oil. In the quest for high T.R.P's, they are sensationalizing and exploiting this issue to the max. After October 20'th no matter if he will be hanged or not, Afzal will disappear from the screens and newspaper columns. No one would care anymore, and the media sharks will run in search of another victim, and another.......

Coming back to the core issue, I think the president should grant mercy to those sentenced to death only in the case of crimes done in the heat of the moment. For eg:- self defense. This provision should not be misused for each and everytime a person is sentenced to death. Can Ghulam Nabi Azad give a guarantee that Afzal, if acquitted, will not indulge in terrorist activities again?

And don't we as a nation, owe a debt to CRPF Jawan Kamlesh Kumari and seven others who laid down their lives in the encounter with the terrorists? Kamlesh Kumari was the first to intercept the terrorists' car. She was felled by 11 bullets in her stomach. She was awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award. The least we all can do is ensure justice for her family. They have said that they will return the Ashok Chakra if Afzal is freed.

I would like to end with a quote from Thomas fuller which is quite apt to this situation: "Law cannot persuade, where it cannot punish"

Wierdo....

I have been tagged by Arch. I have to list 6 wierd things about myself. What one person considers wierd may be perfectly normal for someone else. Anyways, these are 6 things about me that I consider wierd....

1.) I have a concentration span in milliseconds:
Quite often when I am talking to people for more than 5-10 minutes, I find my mind wandering away and start to think something else. After some time, when I 'wake' up I akwardly nod and try to figure out what they had been saying.

2.) I love old english ballads:
Many people I know, get irritated by my habbit of listening to old and sad songs sung 40-50 years before I was born. One such example was the suicide song 'Gloomy Sunday" that I used to play really loud and which drove my family crazy.

3.) I can talk more about dead people than living people:
Often during my conversations with others I give examples about people who are no longer alive. My friends find this difficult to relate to. I find it equally difficult to carry on a conversation about the latest Britney hit or the newest trend in fashion.

4.) I can cheat at practical exams but not in theory papers:
I am very bad at cheating in theory papers. I cannot copy from bits without my face giving me away. My palms start to sweat and am not at all at ease. But come practical examinations and I turn into a 'lean, mean cheating machine' copying from the bits like a seasoned professional.

5.) I will go at any lengths to avoid crowds:
I am a self-certified ochlophobic. I hate going to parties and travelling in crowded buses and trains. I like to interact with not more than 3-4 people at a time.

6.) I have a serious problem in finishing things I have started:
This was on Arch's blog too. When I start a new activity, I am the most obsessed with it, but as time wears on, so does my interest, and I am usually the least interested one in the group by the time it is finished.

So, this is it. My list could go on and on, but thankfully I was asked to list only 6 things....

I would like to Tag

• Velu
• Prithz
• Random thoughts
• Avinash

Please do the tag..

A Joke in the line of fire

After reading excerpts and reviews of Musharaff's latest book "In the line of fire", I can say that either Musharaff is himself an idiot or considers everyone else in the world to be one. Given the circumstances, I would bet on the former.

Is Musharaff so tired of playing Bush's puppy dog, that he tried to come up with something sensational to justify his own sorry existence divided between the White house and his own opposition who have joined hands to oust him. The booksellers are extremely confused whether to keep the book in the fiction or non-fiction category.

Some of the elements in the book that may well give Dan Brown a run for his money are:-

1.) Richard Armitage said that the US would bomb Pakistan back to the stone ages:

Highly improbable. I would have believed this if it came out of some de-classified intelligence file 20-30 years later. But I don't think Armitage would have said such a thing to Pakistani intelligence officers who relayed the matter to Pakistan. Mush could have done better than bring this embarrassment on himself. It implies that Pakistan caved under US pressure to allow his territory for the Afghan invasion.

2.) India got its nuclear technology from black marketing done by A.Q. Khan:

I bent head over heels laughing over this one. We went nuclear way before Pakistan did and it was a product of our scientists' hard work and research. And look who's talking? Pakistan. They 'sourced' (that is a euphemism for blatantly copied) their nuclear technology from the Chinese. The only thing Pakistani on those missiles was the green paint. They didn't even stop there. A.Q. black-marketed the technology to every unreliable country who could give it to terrorists. And though Mush says that he was unware of all this, it is impossible. The technology was sold in collusion with the Paki govt which was highly short of funds at that time.

3.) Kargil was a Pakistani military success.

Wrong. Kargil was a success of the Pakistani intelligence and failure of the Indian RAW which could not detect large scale of intrusion of militants and Pakistani soldiers. But that was just about it. Nothing more. The Indian army broke the back of their Pakistani counterparts. Even though the Pakis had high-artillery guns at high altitude strategic locations. Their logistics were impeccable, food, and ration supplies for months, while our jawans fought with almost nothing, melting snow to drink water to quench their thirst. Yet , WE WON

I am not prepared to waste 70 rupees on the pirated version of Musharaff's crap, let alone 950 rupees on the original one. The world may be reading your fiction, but We won't believe you