Why I think Kshatriyas are lame.

The amplification of evil-

Bhima spends his entire childhood tormenting the Kauravas*action-anger graph shows a straight-slanted line, passing through the origin*

Draupadi laughs at Duryodhan, forgetting all codes of kshatriya hospitality.*Graph shows exponential curve, not passing through the origin*

She gets humiliated at the Sabha. She is supremely enraged and so are we, as readers.*We now require a logarithmic scale on the graph to plot the change*

everyone we care about dies, everyone we don't care about too.She is bereft of all those whom she thought gave her social position and power- sons, brothers and father(who had nothing to do with her humiliation, may I add) .Well, as a consolation, she got to wash her hair after 14 years in fresh blood (Thai therapy? no?)

She only has those 5 "useless" husbands.


If I sound insensitive- Get over it, it's just a STORY! "Draupadi is not your neighbor's daughter."

A CONVERSATION

I got into an ordinary auto rickshaw, on an ordinary day. I was just glad to find an autowallah willing to accept the pre-pain ticket, without any arguments.

I lit my cigarette and enjoyed a few moments when I was interrupted by the autowallah. An autowallah who wanted to talk? My groan was drowned by the engine’s din.

Him- Madam, I see that you are very modern. Smoking is bad for ‘ladiej’.

Me- It’s bad for everyone.

Him- Yes madam, you are right. It is not good. My girlfriend, she also smokes. I tell her not to but she doesn’t listen.

Me-Ah. Well, having a ‘hi-fi’ girlfriend is expensive no? I have heard life is hard for auto wallahs.

Him-That is true. I am from Bihar and had to see all my ancestral property to buy this auto. Many of my friends are not so fortunate; they get stuck working for auto owners, who charge large sums as rent.

Me-I have heard autos are very expensive. Was the money sufficient?

Him-Kahan (Hardly)!! I did have to borrow from a lala (moneylender) and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to repay the loan plus 30%interest. If only the banks trusted us poor folk. The policemen, middlemen and licencewalahs conspire together.

Me- Don’t you have a Union to protect your interests?

Him-What will the Union do? They try to plan strikes, they talk to the politicians but nothing is of any use. The Union leaders are also hand-and-glove with all the middlemen. I am forced to give my auto to other drivers during the second shift to save money for my installments. An auto’s cost goes up by four times! That is why we cannot afford to go by meter, the extra change is necessary.

Me- Do you think Anna Hazare’s movement will help you? After all, he is fighting to bring in new laws to curb corruption. Corrupt autowallas cannot change the system.

Him-Maybe. I went for the rallies and listened to the speeches. May he achieve his goal. I feel that this will take a lot of time and effort.

Me- You also feel that you cannot help him in anyway?

Him- We are too poor to be honest. I was telling you about my girlfriend. We are very close Madam. An auto wallah has no ‘izzat’. When we sit in my auto, policemen come and trouble us. They say dirty things, leer at us, and comment on her character. They wouldn’t dare say such things to a lady otherwise.

I got off soon after. An autowallah had skillfully argued in favour of breaking he rules and consumer rights didn’t stand a chance.

N.C.C- SCOPE AND FUTURE

The National Cadet Corps has given India some of its top sportspersons (Anjali Bharajwaj, Major Rathore), politicians, civil servants and officers. A youth organization dedicated to train India’s young minds to serve the Nation with patriotic zeal, determination and pride; N.C.C cadets are encouraged to be able leaders and disciplined citizens.

Every year, N.C.C conducts various national and international level camps and programs for which directorates (India is divided into 17 such zones) train cadets, hiring top military instructors and choreographers (Culturals are an important part of N.C.C). After several eliminations, top cadets compete at a national-level at camps such as the Thal, Vayu and Nau Sainik camps, Chilika Sailing camp, Mavalankar Shooting camp and the prestigious Republic Day Camp. Every year, N.C.C sends more than 60 cadets as delegates to represent India in countries such as Russia, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Vietnam and Bhutan. Air cadets are trained to fly planes and N.C.C’s top flyers (1 girl and 1 boy cadet) are chosen to perform air stunts during the Prime Minister’s Rally in January.

N.C.C’s aim to promote National Integration is made a reality through the National Integration Camps held at various parts of the country, where cadets from each directorate showcase their culture. N.C.C’s role in bringing together young people from all over the country is crucial because this intermingling creates a generation of people who experience unity in diversity.

Why does N.C.C exist? This corps gives a taste of life in the defense forces to school and college students. There are many sets reserved for N.C.C cadets in defense academies, civil services and colleges in some states. N.C.C acts as the best way to encourage young people to serve in the military and Para military forces.

I recently read an article about how Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar directorate being unable to provide uniforms and military gear to its cadets. This has been happening in many directorates in the recent past. T.N,P,A&N directorate won the best directorate prize this year at the Republic Day Camp 2011. The money spent on winning is huge and the prize money, huger. Why is India’s best directorate unable to provide the basics? What is going on in other states?

N.C.C offices often function like government offices, with military professionalism lacking utterly. The excellent past record is being eroded by complaints of bad food, poor lodging and neglect. Corruption is a major problem, with military personnel appointed for 2 years and transferred. A system of checks and balances is crucial.

Only recently, a CO from Delhi Directorate was charged formally with corruption and fraudulent practices. This could be the first time such a step has been initiated.

The government allocates a massive share for cadet welfare, training facilities and scholarship. Neglect at the hands of the media and the public is reducing N.C.C to a mere show in smaller directorates. At this point, public interest is crucial to ensure that N.C.C’s reach is maximum and most effective.

Lab rats

To all those who support the implementation of the 'Semester System' in DU, Including my Mom. This is what I have to say. You don't care about the students who will be the VC's lab rats next year do you?

The first ever exam that they will be taking would be a University Exam, unlike us whose first exam is worth 10%, giving us the chance to save our asses and get a first division with extra hard work. To take away their chance to succeed in spite of failure is wrong. They deserve better, if not, they deserve equal opportunity. The only practice that they'll get is through assignments. A chunk of my class got 11s and 13s in their first assignments.

Humanities subjects are NOT as scoring as science subjects. If we must talk about ethics then the future of these students HAS to be considered too.

The Magic Of L.S.R

Edit, 25 April 2015: This is not the work of the Eternal Cynic, but of her bubbly FB doppelgänger.

10 years ago, my mother went to LSR in search of a lecturer, her namesake. There, she met a professor who, within moments made my mother wish for her daughter to be a part of that magical space. Later, my mother found out that LSR was predominantly a humanities college but the memory kept her wish alive.

To this day, my mother remembers her face and the conversation. This conversation which was the reason why LSR was the only college that my mother (engineer and erstwhile 'Pro-Science' mom) considered for humanities. This meeting changed the course of my life quite dramatically.

9 years down the line, God granted my mother's wish (as always) and a decade later, I find myself in the very same teacher's class, so many times a week. . . someone whose words influenced my mother enough to allow me to leave science and take up English Honours, someone whose acquaintance gave my mother the courage to take such a radical step.

Teachers sometimes do so much to influence one's lives... Just like to take a moment to say that LSR is indeed the enchanted abode of angels.

Who is this teacher?Take a guess (if you are an LSR-ian or an ELSA. . .).

Hint- she tells us 'beautiful children' that we must keep our traditions alive. Oh, and she can whistle quite well.

Beliefs

Me- Mom, you sure Osama is dead? i mean, maybe the whole thing is just a conspiracy.

Mom- U.S. oda president pinna yen apidi sulluva?(why would the U.S president say so then?)

Me- Um, so people can praise him and celebrate?

Mom- HE IS DEAD(Rather tersely) Obama wouldn't lie. . .

Me- You sure we should believe him? I mean, there are no pictures and well, Osama doesn't just get caught like that, you know.

Mom- Avanukku jalasamadhi kudutta,(he was 'buried' at sea) so that people don't turn his grave into a monument. He is dead Kanamma, believe it.

Me- He could be alive, people are just saying that he is dead. . . atleast we saw Hussain's and LTTE Prabhakaran's corpses on TV. You just want to believe the US intel?

Mom- He is dead. (End of discussion implied) Now go study.

So is he dead? Really? Sure? Pakka?