WHY??
I close my ears to shut out the cries but whatever i do,however hard i press my ears i m not able to shut out the sounds and cries which are embedded into my brain and into my soul..i m not the same...i will never be the same again...two deaths in less than a month and both in our college is a little hard for anyone to digest and after visiting the houses of the deceased i have come to the conclusion that i m no longer gonna pity the person who died..it is the people close to him/her that he/she leaves behind who are to be pitied..the sounds of the mothers wails keep echoing in my ears..i find myself unable to sleep,unable to concentrate on anything..everything i do seems trivial to me..life is so fickle..here today gone tomorrow..no guarantee no nothing..and both these cases of death in my college have been gruesome...in the first case the waves washed away a 20 yr old boy at mahabalipuram and in the second case a 19 yr old girl was runover by a motorcycle...who would have thought that both of them would die..what dreams and hopes the parents would have had for their children...but no..god had totally other plans..it is at times like this that even I(a strong theist) start doubting the existence of god..if he exists and is looking down upon these atrocities and doing nothing then why do we have an entity called god who is supposed to be looking after all of us..why does he allow the osama's and the saddam's of the world to live happily while takling the lives of innocent and ordinary people...when i was young my grandmother used to tell me that this is the "kalyugam" where the evil will triumph over the good and finally there will be only evil ppl left over in this world and all the good ones will have to go..well that explantion used to pretty much satisfy me when i was young but now that i m 21 and can think on my own i begin to have my own doubts...is god trying to push us to such a level where we totally lose belief in him and then make his grand appearance?? i seriously doubt it...death of such young people is inhuman..infact inhuman is an understatement...i feel extremely sad when i think of what these young people would have become if god had not cruelly terminated their lives..
it is at times like this that a dialogue in my favourite movie ANAND makes a lot of sense to me..there is a particular scene in which Rajesh khanna says,
"ham sab to rang manch ki katputliyan hai jinki dhor bhagwan ke haath mein hai..kab kaun kiski dhor kat jaye koi nahi bata sakta"
roughly translated as,
"we are all puppets in the hands of god..when and where whose thread will be cut off is not known by anybody"
How true!!
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
As i have been tagged by Rahul 'obnoxious' Maddipatla to write a poem i decide to try my hand at poetry even though i m rubbish at it..so here goes my feeble attempt at poetry!!
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but nothing like idlis to break my teeth.
dosas like frisbees and horse hide chapatis,
and 'worm'icelli for the brave.
mud coloured liquid and yellow coloured water,
apt aliases for sambhar and rasam.
upma is what they call it,
''yuck'ma is what i'd like to name it.
mutter paneer they say with panache,
green coloured bullets is what they really are.
for those still in the dark,
our mess food is an 'objet d'art'!!!
phew!! i cant write any more than this!!
Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but nothing like idlis to break my teeth.
dosas like frisbees and horse hide chapatis,
and 'worm'icelli for the brave.
mud coloured liquid and yellow coloured water,
apt aliases for sambhar and rasam.
upma is what they call it,
''yuck'ma is what i'd like to name it.
mutter paneer they say with panache,
green coloured bullets is what they really are.
for those still in the dark,
our mess food is an 'objet d'art'!!!
phew!! i cant write any more than this!!
I LOVE CHENNAI
I love chennai...I love everything about this great city..It is a city which caters to the needs of a wide variety of people right from 75 year old thathas to 22 yr old hippies and i hope after reading this blog even the few haters of madras will start loving it!!
Supraphatam by MS in the morning on the radio followed by a hot cup of wonderful filter coffee with the hindu in one hand is what i call heaven..the weather is the one thing that most of the people hate abt chennai...strangely the weather makes me love chennai all the more..from 7 in the morning till 6.59 the next day morning u ll have sweat running down ur backs and the sun will beat down mercilessly the whole day but i swear that is much better than being bundled up in 4 layers of clothing with a thermnmeter under ur tongue and four tissues in ur hands(which is how i usually am when the temperature is below 15 degrees at 12 noon)..
from the december season kutcheris to the colourful rangolis in the month of margazhi
from the 'sakkara pongal' in the temples to the intoxicating smell of jasmines
from sathyam,mayajaal to spencer plaza
from radio mirchi to 'metti oli'
from MS subbalaksmhmi to ganesh kumaresh
everything about chennai is enticing..an ode to this city would be incomplete without a mention of Bessy beach, the ultimate hangout for people of all ages,be it young couples in love ,new friends gossiping or old friends catching, up the gentle breeze and the sundal are a perfect backdrop for any kind of conversation..and as a bonus are the excellent educational instituitions...from engineering at the IIT or anna university or medicine at stnley or CMC or arts at loyola or MOP vaishnav or music at the kunakudy school of music or dance at the kalakshetra chennai provides a plethora of excellent schools and colleges...
and as a footnote i would like to add that i m not getting a commision from any travel agency for writing this but these are what i(and hopefully many others too) feel about this city..
chennai rules!!!!
I love chennai...I love everything about this great city..It is a city which caters to the needs of a wide variety of people right from 75 year old thathas to 22 yr old hippies and i hope after reading this blog even the few haters of madras will start loving it!!
Supraphatam by MS in the morning on the radio followed by a hot cup of wonderful filter coffee with the hindu in one hand is what i call heaven..the weather is the one thing that most of the people hate abt chennai...strangely the weather makes me love chennai all the more..from 7 in the morning till 6.59 the next day morning u ll have sweat running down ur backs and the sun will beat down mercilessly the whole day but i swear that is much better than being bundled up in 4 layers of clothing with a thermnmeter under ur tongue and four tissues in ur hands(which is how i usually am when the temperature is below 15 degrees at 12 noon)..
from the december season kutcheris to the colourful rangolis in the month of margazhi
from the 'sakkara pongal' in the temples to the intoxicating smell of jasmines
from sathyam,mayajaal to spencer plaza
from radio mirchi to 'metti oli'
from MS subbalaksmhmi to ganesh kumaresh
everything about chennai is enticing..an ode to this city would be incomplete without a mention of Bessy beach, the ultimate hangout for people of all ages,be it young couples in love ,new friends gossiping or old friends catching, up the gentle breeze and the sundal are a perfect backdrop for any kind of conversation..and as a bonus are the excellent educational instituitions...from engineering at the IIT or anna university or medicine at stnley or CMC or arts at loyola or MOP vaishnav or music at the kunakudy school of music or dance at the kalakshetra chennai provides a plethora of excellent schools and colleges...
and as a footnote i would like to add that i m not getting a commision from any travel agency for writing this but these are what i(and hopefully many others too) feel about this city..
chennai rules!!!!
Saturday, February 11, 2006
APPALLING!!
I read the following blog on the net:
The U.S just executed their 1000'th death-row victim after capital punishment was resumed in that country from 1977. Kenneth Lee Boyd was put to death after a lethal dose of drugs was injected into his body. My question on this event is this. How is the person who injected the lethal drug into Boyd's body any different from any other homicidal killer? Boyd is being put to death for two people he had murdered. By injecting the lethal drug into Boyd's body isn't Boyd's executioner also doing the same, i.e murdering someone. Just because the law permits the execution how can the executioner's act of taking Boyd's life (or killing Boyd) not be a crime? Is there no sin in the act of putting Boyd to death? How does the executioner feel when he/she goes to bed that night? Elated at having done a job (killing someone) so well? Boyd's last words were "God bless everybody in here", probably refering to the executioner and the others who were overseeing his execution. Reminded me of what Jesus said of his executioner's as they nailed him on the cross, "Oh God forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
and i was so appalled by it that I thought instead of commenting on the blog written by somebody else why not create my own blog. And here I m blogging…
My first blog is actually a comment on that person's blog...
Well sir I want to tell u that I completely agree with you…you said that the person who injected the lethal dose of medicines into Boyd’s body should die of guilt because he had just taken a life and that too a life of a person whose only crime was to rape a couple of girls molest a couple more and who had just done a few handful of murders…and what’s more his final words like Jesus Christ were “please forgive those who have sinned against me”…how noble! I m sure I would also die of guilt had I been in the executioners place…I would keep feeling bad that the only thing I did to him was injecting a lethal dose of medicine when what I really wanted to do was strip him naked, peel off his skin rub salt and throw some acid into his raw skin and make him stand in the middle of Mount road in the peak of the Chennai summer
Please!! How u could even think that the treatment meted out to Boyd was too much I cannot fathom. And even more absurd is that fact that u expect the doctor who injected the medicine to feel guilty and suggest that he should also die for taking the life of Boyd. What u r trying to say is that all our jawans and army personnel who fight for the country putting their lives at risk on the border should feel guilty and should be put to death because no doubt, sometime in their life they would have taken the lives of Pakistani soldiers. Can u even begin to think about the chaos which would ensue if all our soldiers and jawans started thinking like you and quit their jobs and left the border unguarded? Can u think about what would happen if all those terrorists who were caught in relation with the sept 11 bombardments and other such incidents were let free out of humanity? There is a limit to humanity sir and this is it. These are incorrigible criminals we are talking about…if left free they wouldn’t change their ways for u me or anyone for that matter…
For heaven sake he is accused of rape. Though it sounds cliched I would like you to put yourself in the shoes of the victim or the victim’s relatives. How would u feel if it were your daughter or sisters who were the victims of a maniac like Boyd? I m sure u would think differently then. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if u took the law in your hands and gave a punishment u felt was befitting (which I m sure would be nothing short of a gruesome death) to Boyd. It is very easy to talk about not giving capital punishment to die hard criminals when you are sitting in plush offices on cushioned seats and when you go home in an AC car to a three bedroom house but practically speaking when you put yourself in the victim’s shoes and feel the anguish pain and agony they suffer then I m sure you would feel differently...
And finally even more appalling is your comparison between Christ and Boyd. I would just like to say one thing. I just hope that your blog is not read by any staunch Christian…they definitely will not take this comparison between their savior and a blood thirsty criminal lightly... In fact I feel that just for saying those words that bastard of a Boyd should be given the punishment suggested by me…who the bloody hell is he to say "God bless everybody in here"…my blood boils even as I think of how he could have had the audacity to say such a thing…I m sure he didn’t mean a single word of what he said and was just trying to catch the last straw of hope that might save his life by appealing to the hearts of the jury who thankfully weren’t impressed by his show of humanity!!
I read the following blog on the net:
The U.S just executed their 1000'th death-row victim after capital punishment was resumed in that country from 1977. Kenneth Lee Boyd was put to death after a lethal dose of drugs was injected into his body. My question on this event is this. How is the person who injected the lethal drug into Boyd's body any different from any other homicidal killer? Boyd is being put to death for two people he had murdered. By injecting the lethal drug into Boyd's body isn't Boyd's executioner also doing the same, i.e murdering someone. Just because the law permits the execution how can the executioner's act of taking Boyd's life (or killing Boyd) not be a crime? Is there no sin in the act of putting Boyd to death? How does the executioner feel when he/she goes to bed that night? Elated at having done a job (killing someone) so well? Boyd's last words were "God bless everybody in here", probably refering to the executioner and the others who were overseeing his execution. Reminded me of what Jesus said of his executioner's as they nailed him on the cross, "Oh God forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
and i was so appalled by it that I thought instead of commenting on the blog written by somebody else why not create my own blog. And here I m blogging…
My first blog is actually a comment on that person's blog...
Well sir I want to tell u that I completely agree with you…you said that the person who injected the lethal dose of medicines into Boyd’s body should die of guilt because he had just taken a life and that too a life of a person whose only crime was to rape a couple of girls molest a couple more and who had just done a few handful of murders…and what’s more his final words like Jesus Christ were “please forgive those who have sinned against me”…how noble! I m sure I would also die of guilt had I been in the executioners place…I would keep feeling bad that the only thing I did to him was injecting a lethal dose of medicine when what I really wanted to do was strip him naked, peel off his skin rub salt and throw some acid into his raw skin and make him stand in the middle of Mount road in the peak of the Chennai summer
Please!! How u could even think that the treatment meted out to Boyd was too much I cannot fathom. And even more absurd is that fact that u expect the doctor who injected the medicine to feel guilty and suggest that he should also die for taking the life of Boyd. What u r trying to say is that all our jawans and army personnel who fight for the country putting their lives at risk on the border should feel guilty and should be put to death because no doubt, sometime in their life they would have taken the lives of Pakistani soldiers. Can u even begin to think about the chaos which would ensue if all our soldiers and jawans started thinking like you and quit their jobs and left the border unguarded? Can u think about what would happen if all those terrorists who were caught in relation with the sept 11 bombardments and other such incidents were let free out of humanity? There is a limit to humanity sir and this is it. These are incorrigible criminals we are talking about…if left free they wouldn’t change their ways for u me or anyone for that matter…
For heaven sake he is accused of rape. Though it sounds cliched I would like you to put yourself in the shoes of the victim or the victim’s relatives. How would u feel if it were your daughter or sisters who were the victims of a maniac like Boyd? I m sure u would think differently then. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if u took the law in your hands and gave a punishment u felt was befitting (which I m sure would be nothing short of a gruesome death) to Boyd. It is very easy to talk about not giving capital punishment to die hard criminals when you are sitting in plush offices on cushioned seats and when you go home in an AC car to a three bedroom house but practically speaking when you put yourself in the victim’s shoes and feel the anguish pain and agony they suffer then I m sure you would feel differently...
And finally even more appalling is your comparison between Christ and Boyd. I would just like to say one thing. I just hope that your blog is not read by any staunch Christian…they definitely will not take this comparison between their savior and a blood thirsty criminal lightly... In fact I feel that just for saying those words that bastard of a Boyd should be given the punishment suggested by me…who the bloody hell is he to say "God bless everybody in here"…my blood boils even as I think of how he could have had the audacity to say such a thing…I m sure he didn’t mean a single word of what he said and was just trying to catch the last straw of hope that might save his life by appealing to the hearts of the jury who thankfully weren’t impressed by his show of humanity!!
HOSTEL V/S HOME
It was 7.00 in the morning. The smell of sambhar wafted from the kitchen and assailed my nostrils as I was asleep in my room. In the background I could hear suprabhatam being played on the radio and the sound of bells as my grandmother finished her morning puja. The smell of sambhar was too intoxicating to be ignored and I forced my self to get up. “This is life” I thought! As I brushed my teeth took my bath and went down, snow white idlis hot coconut chutney, sambhar and filter coffee were awaiting me. As I sat down to enjoy the kings breakfast I couldn’t help but compare my Sunday in the home with my Sunday in the hostel..
It was 10.30 in the morning. The smell of Anne French wafted from the opposite room and assailed my nostrils as I was asleep in my room. In the background I could hear my room mate’s computer speakers blaring “we will..We will……rock you” and the sound of the plates being dropped with a bang in the mess. The sound of the speakers and the smell of Anne French were too much for me to continue sleeping and I got up thinking “another perfect day in the hostel”. With effort I brushed my teeth, decided against having a bath (I had had my previous bath just day before yesterday night and it seemed a crime to take a bath so soon!!) and went to the mess to have my breakfast. As soon as I reached the mess I heard my roommate scream with agony. As I rushed to her side and asked her what happened she said “an idli fell on my leg”. I couldn’t help smiling because that is precisely how hard the idlis in the mess are!! As I loaded my plate with feeble looking coconut chutney and a bland brown colored liquid with alien particles floating in it(read sambhar) and was about to eat my friend pulled out a long strand of hair from the chutney and waved it in front of my face.. “Blech…” I exclaimed and I wanted to puke. I rushed back to my room without having anything to eat and with the hope that at least the lunch would be palatable!! As tears stung my eyes I couldn’t help but compare my Sunday in the home with my Sunday at hostel!!!
It was 7.00 in the morning. The smell of sambhar wafted from the kitchen and assailed my nostrils as I was asleep in my room. In the background I could hear suprabhatam being played on the radio and the sound of bells as my grandmother finished her morning puja. The smell of sambhar was too intoxicating to be ignored and I forced my self to get up. “This is life” I thought! As I brushed my teeth took my bath and went down, snow white idlis hot coconut chutney, sambhar and filter coffee were awaiting me. As I sat down to enjoy the kings breakfast I couldn’t help but compare my Sunday in the home with my Sunday in the hostel..
It was 10.30 in the morning. The smell of Anne French wafted from the opposite room and assailed my nostrils as I was asleep in my room. In the background I could hear my room mate’s computer speakers blaring “we will..We will……rock you” and the sound of the plates being dropped with a bang in the mess. The sound of the speakers and the smell of Anne French were too much for me to continue sleeping and I got up thinking “another perfect day in the hostel”. With effort I brushed my teeth, decided against having a bath (I had had my previous bath just day before yesterday night and it seemed a crime to take a bath so soon!!) and went to the mess to have my breakfast. As soon as I reached the mess I heard my roommate scream with agony. As I rushed to her side and asked her what happened she said “an idli fell on my leg”. I couldn’t help smiling because that is precisely how hard the idlis in the mess are!! As I loaded my plate with feeble looking coconut chutney and a bland brown colored liquid with alien particles floating in it(read sambhar) and was about to eat my friend pulled out a long strand of hair from the chutney and waved it in front of my face.. “Blech…” I exclaimed and I wanted to puke. I rushed back to my room without having anything to eat and with the hope that at least the lunch would be palatable!! As tears stung my eyes I couldn’t help but compare my Sunday in the home with my Sunday at hostel!!!
EMOTIONS
Sometimes I wonder why some people are so sensitive. And in the hostel there have been so many incidents which leave me wondering why people feel bad and cry over silly things. Just yesterday two friends of mine(lets call them A and B) had a fight over an extremely silly matter(so silly that I feel ashamed to put it down here!). there was an exchange of hot words and B rushed to her room and started crying. I was stupefied. I just couldn’t fathom her behavior. When I asked her why she was crying so badly she replied “why did A have to say all that. If she didn’t like what I said she could have said it then and there. Why look out for an opportunity to snub me ” and she burst into tears again.
I didn’t have a clue what to do. Personally if I had been in her place I wouldn’t care two hoots about what A said. Hell it’s my life. Why should I let somebody else’s words affect me to such an extent . Why cant people just accept other people the way they are. Why do you expect them to behave the way you would like them to. Why let somebody else decide your happiness. Being happy or being sad is just a state of mind and it is totally up to you to make yourself happy or sad. When u feel bad about something that somebody says just brush it aside and continue with your life. When u accept people you like the way they are then why not accept the people you don’t like the way they are. No human being is without faults and the world would be an extremely sick place to be in if u only looked at everyone’s faults and refused to befriend them because of that.
When there are people who accept us though we have so many shortcomings then why can’t we do the same to other people. You wouldn’t change your lifestyle or your behavior for somebody else then why expect somebody else to change to your whims and fancies. Why do you let it be somebody else’s prerogative to make you feel happiness. “she said I sing very well. I feel so happy”. Or “she said I am very selfish. That hurt me”. I m not saying that you should completely ignore what another person says but let it finally fall on you to feel happiness or pain. If somebody says you r selfish sit for a moment and think what place in your life that person has and if he/she occupies a significant position then think about the act of yours which made that person make a retort like that and if it is really something that should be rectified then go ahead ,otherwise just carry on with our life.
Similarly with happiness, it is good to feel happiness when someone compliments you but at the same time you should know your capabilities. Never lead the life of a parasite where you are totally dependent on somebody else to make you feel pleasure and pain. Be independent be sure and more importantly enjoy life coz’ u have only one life and make the best out of it!!
Sometimes I wonder why some people are so sensitive. And in the hostel there have been so many incidents which leave me wondering why people feel bad and cry over silly things. Just yesterday two friends of mine(lets call them A and B) had a fight over an extremely silly matter(so silly that I feel ashamed to put it down here!). there was an exchange of hot words and B rushed to her room and started crying. I was stupefied. I just couldn’t fathom her behavior. When I asked her why she was crying so badly she replied “why did A have to say all that. If she didn’t like what I said she could have said it then and there. Why look out for an opportunity to snub me ” and she burst into tears again.
I didn’t have a clue what to do. Personally if I had been in her place I wouldn’t care two hoots about what A said. Hell it’s my life. Why should I let somebody else’s words affect me to such an extent . Why cant people just accept other people the way they are. Why do you expect them to behave the way you would like them to. Why let somebody else decide your happiness. Being happy or being sad is just a state of mind and it is totally up to you to make yourself happy or sad. When u feel bad about something that somebody says just brush it aside and continue with your life. When u accept people you like the way they are then why not accept the people you don’t like the way they are. No human being is without faults and the world would be an extremely sick place to be in if u only looked at everyone’s faults and refused to befriend them because of that.
When there are people who accept us though we have so many shortcomings then why can’t we do the same to other people. You wouldn’t change your lifestyle or your behavior for somebody else then why expect somebody else to change to your whims and fancies. Why do you let it be somebody else’s prerogative to make you feel happiness. “she said I sing very well. I feel so happy”. Or “she said I am very selfish. That hurt me”. I m not saying that you should completely ignore what another person says but let it finally fall on you to feel happiness or pain. If somebody says you r selfish sit for a moment and think what place in your life that person has and if he/she occupies a significant position then think about the act of yours which made that person make a retort like that and if it is really something that should be rectified then go ahead ,otherwise just carry on with our life.
Similarly with happiness, it is good to feel happiness when someone compliments you but at the same time you should know your capabilities. Never lead the life of a parasite where you are totally dependent on somebody else to make you feel pleasure and pain. Be independent be sure and more importantly enjoy life coz’ u have only one life and make the best out of it!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
ONE NITE @ THE CALL CENTER..
On my way home from college after those gruelling exams i had two days(52 hrs to be precise) to burn in the train from chennai to ahemdabad and then from ahemdabad to jamnagar(yeah thats where my parents live!!)...and i took this book with me for company(along with a couple of wodehouse's thankfully!!).. i picked it up with great expectations...i mean after having read chetan bhagat's five point someone, i was eagerly waiting for his second book to be realeased...
Frankly speaking ,I m utterly disappointed...after reading it i cant believe that both these books have been dished out by the same author...there is a world of difference between these books....let me begin by asking a fundamental question "why do we read books?"...amongst other reasons the fact that i absolutely loathe TV soaps and sitcoms is a major factor for me to turn to books..i feel sad i read,i feel lonely i read,i feel bored i read and most of all i read to escape from TV...i m sick of watching TV where there is this villanious mother in law badgering her daughters in law,unfaithful husbands cheating on their wives,a lover leaving her mate coz she finds someone richer who can take better care of her(but eventually returns to true love!!pah!!humbug),young women aspiring to be models and being turned down,old people being thrown out by their sons and daughters in law(and eventually ebing accepted saying "papa hame maaf kar dijiye..waaaaahh!!")........i could just keep going on...well i read to escape from all that...
Well all i can say about one night @ the call center is that my fundamental purpose of not watching TV and reading a book are not served...people who have read the book will probably understand what i m talking about and those of u who havent read the book all i can say is that "ignorance is bliss"...
Talking about another aspect of the book...the blurb says "six people working in a call center set in one night..the night they got the call...the call was from GOD"....now before commenting on this statement let me tell u that i am NOT an atheist...i totally believe in GOD...in the book there is a situation in which the six people are in a life threatening situation and GOD actually saves them...but before he does that he asks each one about his her life...this is the point in the book where the book becomes a self help book and Mr bhagat talks about failure success love friendship etc..nothing wrong with that but hey..didnt i just pick up the book for some leisurely reading?if i wanted a self help book i could have gone for dale carnegie's "How to..." series....And having spoken to GOD(and GOD calls on their cell phone which had no signal mind you!!Damn!!the next time i go to a temple i m gonna drop my cell number in pooja ki thali and offer it to GOD..i would get more calls frm him then..) all of them become extremely confident and face the world with renewed energies...
After Five point someone which was like kulcha and mutter panner this seems like plain dal roti...so many engineers all over india(including me) were able to relate so much to it...the point is that i dont think many people working in call centres are going to be able to relate to one night @ the call center either...now i know that people working in the call centres have tough lives,work ungodly hours,have to listen to those godforsaken americans but getting calls from GOD????a little abstract dont u think...and the best part is that Mr Bhagat apparently heard this story on the train from none other than GOD!!!!
Here is where i sign off and let u decide whether or not u want to read the book...
Adios!!
On my way home from college after those gruelling exams i had two days(52 hrs to be precise) to burn in the train from chennai to ahemdabad and then from ahemdabad to jamnagar(yeah thats where my parents live!!)...and i took this book with me for company(along with a couple of wodehouse's thankfully!!).. i picked it up with great expectations...i mean after having read chetan bhagat's five point someone, i was eagerly waiting for his second book to be realeased...
Frankly speaking ,I m utterly disappointed...after reading it i cant believe that both these books have been dished out by the same author...there is a world of difference between these books....let me begin by asking a fundamental question "why do we read books?"...amongst other reasons the fact that i absolutely loathe TV soaps and sitcoms is a major factor for me to turn to books..i feel sad i read,i feel lonely i read,i feel bored i read and most of all i read to escape from TV...i m sick of watching TV where there is this villanious mother in law badgering her daughters in law,unfaithful husbands cheating on their wives,a lover leaving her mate coz she finds someone richer who can take better care of her(but eventually returns to true love!!pah!!humbug),young women aspiring to be models and being turned down,old people being thrown out by their sons and daughters in law(and eventually ebing accepted saying "papa hame maaf kar dijiye..waaaaahh!!")........i could just keep going on...well i read to escape from all that...
Well all i can say about one night @ the call center is that my fundamental purpose of not watching TV and reading a book are not served...people who have read the book will probably understand what i m talking about and those of u who havent read the book all i can say is that "ignorance is bliss"...
Talking about another aspect of the book...the blurb says "six people working in a call center set in one night..the night they got the call...the call was from GOD"....now before commenting on this statement let me tell u that i am NOT an atheist...i totally believe in GOD...in the book there is a situation in which the six people are in a life threatening situation and GOD actually saves them...but before he does that he asks each one about his her life...this is the point in the book where the book becomes a self help book and Mr bhagat talks about failure success love friendship etc..nothing wrong with that but hey..didnt i just pick up the book for some leisurely reading?if i wanted a self help book i could have gone for dale carnegie's "How to..." series....And having spoken to GOD(and GOD calls on their cell phone which had no signal mind you!!Damn!!the next time i go to a temple i m gonna drop my cell number in pooja ki thali and offer it to GOD..i would get more calls frm him then..) all of them become extremely confident and face the world with renewed energies...
After Five point someone which was like kulcha and mutter panner this seems like plain dal roti...so many engineers all over india(including me) were able to relate so much to it...the point is that i dont think many people working in call centres are going to be able to relate to one night @ the call center either...now i know that people working in the call centres have tough lives,work ungodly hours,have to listen to those godforsaken americans but getting calls from GOD????a little abstract dont u think...and the best part is that Mr Bhagat apparently heard this story on the train from none other than GOD!!!!
Here is where i sign off and let u decide whether or not u want to read the book...
Adios!!
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