As if it matters

A brave new Bike- Altius Scmitar

2011-05-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Its not often that I come across a brand new biking concept in the Indian context. The biking market in India is the world’s largest and it’s a pity that this segment is largely driven by the mass market. Which is why the Altius Scmitar is a brilliant product for a largely insipid market. Unlike the Royal Enfields/ Ninjas/CBRs - this beast is a diesel driven off road vehicle. Not for the light hearted or for those with a weak spine. There are a number of biking enthusiasts who will definitely love to explore the unchartered territory.

This 2 wheeler has a bhp of 33 (disp 670 cc)which is far higher than a standard bullet (about 20 bhp for a 350 cc engine) . I am amazed that a vehicle with such a heavy engine can weigh as little as 175 kgs. The vehicle is lacking in design, but for the real biker it would not be an issue. With a price tag of less than 2 lakhs, it’s easily the best thing to happen to Indian 2 wheeler scene since the advent of the legendary Bullet. I have a feeling that considerable R&D investment has been done to reach the ambitious cost and weight targets.

Hope that this goes on to cater to the true niche segment bikes and delivers on the promises with the prototypes.

Image and information Sources:
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article2006622.ece
http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/motorcycles/happiness-diesel-touring-motorcycles-37094/
http://altiusautomotive.com/index.php

The Godhra incident

2011-02-22T08:02:00.000-08:00

Update: Today many of them were sentenced to death. Indian judiciary still packs a punch!!!

Its almost 8 years since the train burned at Godhra and at last there seems to have been a verdict. A verdict which holds the muslims directly responsible for murder and conspiracy. Inspite of having a liberal outlook, I have never condoned the aftermath of Godhra. The riots that followed were not just right, but also necessary to set right the balance of power.

At a time when a Hindu extremist is in power in Gujarat, when BJP is at power in the center, had there been no retaliation - then there would have been no stopping the muslim atrocities. We presently put up with a government which is pro muslim & there is little chance that they would risk taking action against any muslim aggression. Lines were crossed at Godhra and they paid the price.
Too bad that most victims( of both the riots & train burnings) are innocent. I would even say that the ones guity of the train burning crime are also responsible for the lives of the muslims who dies in the riots.

The media(local & international) likes to support the underdogs and due to the riots which followed the hindus were given a raw deal. The bias was so strong that even the most independent media outlets were not willing to report the muslim conspiracy angle.
Thankfully the judiciary was not biased and doubt did not enter their minds while setting the death penalty. Only hope that the supreme court follows the same argument from now on.

Sam Wisegamjee monologue from LOTR- Two towers

2010-06-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Frodo:- I cant do this Sam.

Sam:- I know. Its all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. Who we are?
Its like in the great stories Mr Frodo,
For once that really mattered,full of darkness and danger they were,
And some you didn't want to know the end ,because how could the end be happy?
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?
But in the end its only a passing thing, the shadow.
Even darkness must pass,a new day will come;
and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you ,that meant something.
even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think Mr Frodo I do understand;
I know now,folk in those stories,had lots of chances of turning back only they didn't.
They kept going ,because they were holding on to something.

Frodo:- What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam:- That there is some good in this world Mr Frodo.
and its worth fighting for.

Going to America

2010-05-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I moved back from the US. Rarely do I think about my life in the US and I am no longer recognized with the US return tag . I live life as though the 3+ years in US never happened. This is exactly the way I wanted it to be and I am glad for that.

Ever since my return its been a dilemma to advise my friends, who are set to go to US. They are all confident of their impending return back to India- once they make 'enough money'. They assert that those who choose to stay back in the US are hypocrites and they are nothing like that.

I want to tell them that they are wrong. I want to tell that the ones who choose to stay back are there because they cannot come back. Its not really a choice that they made, but its a consequence of a flawed logic . I want to tell these soon to be FOBs that they too are well on course to make the same mistake that the NRIs have made. But, as I tell this they are even more fired up . They will retort that I have questioned their sense of duty towards their motherland and parents. Clearly I cannot take this path.

In my case,instead of proclaiming that I too shall return to india after earning 'enough money' ,I started off by studying the exact reasons as to why people choose to settle there.Information is hard to come by as I cannot ask this question directly to desi citizens of USA. I did find bits and pieces of information in books and talking to people and i patched it up to get some perspective.I also extrapolated the information to predict what hurdles I might face in returning to India. I was able to foresee a rough period of isolation once I return to India. When that moment actually came up , I was depressed, but I was under control for the most part.

These are many such complex ideas which evolved over a period of months centered on this theme. So far no one has asked me how I made it back and how tough was it. Its frustrating. The path I have traveled was lonely and depressing. I have the task of getting across the message to those who are headed on to this journey with no return ticket. All I want to tell is that its not as simple as they think.

Going to US is a big ordeal and the last thing on anyone's mind is coming back. The visa, the travel, setting up a living,student life, research, job, work visa , family will keep one occupied for atleast 3 years.Once employed ,life is so comforting there that the thought of returning dosent occur for next few years. Once married its a different game altogether and things get really complex.

And thus the dilemma continues. On one hand I can tell people what it takes to come back to India, but I cannot do that until people seek my advise. Till then all I can do is to silently watch the parade as a spectator hopeful. You know... Such is life...

I got a mail

2010-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Its been a wierd week at office. A collegue, whose mail ID is remarkably similar to mine, has been getting a lot of mails meant for me. This must have been happening ever since I joined the company and my namesake, for some reason has chosen not to inform anyone!

Which beings me to my new post. This is a mail has been lying in my inbox for a couple of years. Its a kind of love letter from Hemanth to Aishwarya. Aishwarya forwards it to Karthik and for no apparent reason to me too.
Warning: Super-Bad grammer ahead. The content is so poorly formatted that it can easily confused for Spam.

To: Karthik <@#$%^Y&@yahoo.co.in>
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:14:09 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Mr. H 's mail yar
hi karthi,
hemanth sent the following msg. super comedy.
enjoy !!

Hello ,,,,
How r u??
Hope you will be fine....... I am sorry to disturb you,,, You will be busy at this time ..
I called you and messaged u many times, for days.........
You didnt replied.................. You might have many friends and more close friends that would have made u to forget me...
Butttttttttttttt i dont have ,u know about meeeeeeeeeeeee very welllllllllll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
i dont want to miss a nice and golden friend like uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!
Once mine friends Sister told one thing....
" During the final year of engg ,,,, Old Buddies will dispart ,,, all love stories which were prosperous
will come to an endddddddd......... New relations will mould up and that long last forever...........
New friendships willlll Be Begun...."""
That was true to meeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Old Ones got Bursted and new ones are emergerd....................
More over you are too stuborn ....
You have an interesting character.....
how long should i be on u ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111 I have been on uuu for a long long timeeee,,,,
If i have done this on NNNNNNNN ,, means she would accepted mee..
I thought that we would meet sometime alone,, and would talk.....
we can solve this thing only by talking straight one on onee......

remember one day u talked to me in train,,,,, u talked and u only talked on your , not letting me too talk... the whole compartment was watching u only and of course meee tooo..
You were tooo concisee on ur part..... u see only on your side....
Give me a break to explain mine da..................
some time i felt that y should i need uuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!1111
I cant be there without ur friendship.........
But it seems u dont need meeeeeeeeeeeee after alllllll

Shall i tell u one thingggggggggg
from the beginning that is from the first sem,,,,,,,
i thats me and me only was caring about u a lot,,,, i didnt say that u didnt cared me ............... too a small amount only..................
I was calling you i.e by phonee ..... for one or two days .... but u called me once in a month ... Is this true only na.,,

Fine Past is PAst............
Before three weeks also i called uuuuu,,, u didnt even turn,,,,, from behind me one junior boy called you turned and started to talk with with him..... this happens second time...
for the first time u said a reason that was so stupid,,,,
that you cant hear,,,,, poor guy i accepted that toooo
But this time i am so serious.........

I let u on ur way,,i thought ,,,when u get time and when u remember mee , u will talk or messaghe.... but that didnt workkkk.....
I cant be like u ice ,, its somewhat iching me not in the nook and corner of my heart but on the whole..
I tried to speak u after many times but u were tooo too busyy,,,,,,,,,,,
I know about ur character pa,,,, if a person doesnt treat u well , then u will treat him as a third person... L:ike just a Hai .... Bye friend ............

I dont want to be like that di.......................
Even now i am calling u .. But u father and mother are attending not uu,,, dont know whether they are telling you or not.......................
And one thing aishwarya..... i wanna tell this to you from the begining but canttt............
you know that i dont like karthi.....
its fight .... He started.....
I dont like him..... He toooo....
We both are not talkinggg......
One thing .... For boys ....
if there is a fight surely they wont like their friends talking to him...
I am also a human being,, a normal boy...
i too doesnt like... Surely he also doesnt like.....
To be frank He doesnt like kalpana talking with meee....
Surely i have....
i dont like u talking to himm..
But i didnt say this to uuuu.... Because i dont want to interfere your thought...... Sorry for mentioning this thingg.....
But its a great comedy............
U are talking to him onlyy....... Really it hurted me a lot..... '
of course as u say,, i am possesive... my character is a possesive one.. you dont know me fully..... you may think that i have changed,, No no a have not changed... I am as i am...
I was just hiding my character thats it.....

really i am a shy type , closed minded,,, will not talk freely,,
fine thats
i wanna tell u so said,, Sorry it hurts u......
If u find time think of me in the future. i will be so glad...
Bye bye
from a friend whom u have forgot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A mid march resolution list

2010-03-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

It’s been a good year so far. 2010 started slowly for me with absolutely no festivities marking the New Year. I would much rather sleep than party on New Year’s Eve. But finally things have started to move. In feb I was finally out of the bench and started moving things to the desk. Things are flowing now and this is where I suppose I need to take charge of how my life is going to unfold.

Lumuhuku(a blog I just came across) seems to have a very interesting style to his resolutions. He has done anaudit of his past years life and come up with related resolutions. I wish I could do that, but since this year is gonna be totally different I will stick to the resolutions part.

I don’t think I will have any unlimited internet access this time around. That means no TV, no internet or even old friends to procrastinate with. YEEAAHHH!!!!
I have decided to continue my boycott of theaters and IPL matches. I am not against either of them, but I guess there is a lot of time left in life for somesuch. Right now, when I have the josh I need to be on the move. Should I extend this resolution to TV serials and TV in general?? Still debating.

I suppose the big change this year is that I am not trying to read any books. Sans any direction, I have read some 100 novels of varying genres over the past few years. I have spent the last few years working it our and now that I am on track I don’t feel the need to read any more arbit books.. So only technical books and acad worthy readings from now on.

Work will obviously take its toll on me and using the weekends effectively is gonna be a challenge. I have shortlisted a few activities for myself in Bangalore like trekking, but i still am not sure. Over the next month I will find some concentration to keep me busy in the weekends and simply do it.

Budgeting expenses has been my biggest weakness over the past 7 years now. I have this new cell phone which has the nokia expense manager software. It seems to be useful and if I even have a fair idea of my expenses I will be a happy happy man.

2009 was a great year with respect to health. I started 2010 with big plans of an exercise routine upgrade, but things have gone badly. I need to re start my exercise-prayer routine ASAP and get things back on track. Early this year I was hoping to continue my previous years form and get into running and cycling.

The past couple of years have seen a lot of travel, official and personal. I am not sure about travelling, but I came across a brilliant temple right next to my place. Will put as many visits to that at least till the time I am based here.

Procrastination continues to be my greatest enemy and I intend to continue the duel with my nemesis.Its seems to be a simple list, but getting back to the simple life is what I am hoping to do.

Pen Pal(repost)

2010-02-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

I think it must have been in 8th when I saw the ad. It was in this children’s monthly called Champak and the ad was for some kind of pen pal connecting service. My dream of having a friend in Madagascar or Lesotho was so much closer to reality. But since having a pen pal didn’t fetch you better marks at school, the very thought was considered to be a sin by my family.

It was in undergrad when I finally put my plan in action. With unlimited access to internet and no supervision, I googled some friendship sites and mailed a bunch of people saying I wanted to be friends with them. Needless to say all were girls of the right age group. Yahoo chat rooms were a rage then and social networking was unheard of. I wanted something more sophisticated than ASL. A couple of the replies seemed legit but somehow I thought that it was not a good idea. (The rest were selling Viagra)

Later on in undergrad, a television series about teenage life in US made me really desperate to have at least one girl in my friends circle. (Engineering colleges are not really green in some aspects) I remember going out of my room towards the computer center, with the sole intention of sending a mail to this girl from school whom I knew vaguely. I had just then friended her on orkut. But alas, fate intervened and the computer center was closed.

All along undergrad , I had a friend who sent me mails often. He was in Kohima and we used to meet once a year. A couple of years later we realized that it was the mails that kept us going while most of our common friends fell out of the loop. I tried to follow the same example and asked a few friends to mail me while I was off to do my MS in US.

I met a bunch of them yesterday and I am not quite sure if the mails really did have a role to play as I had good interactions with people irrespective of them being in my mailing list.

And just when I was about to leave US I met her. To this day I am certain that provided a longer time frame- there was nothing to stop me from falling in love with her. I was glad that I met her only 4 times because inspite of everything we had religious incompatibility. I have successfully been in touch with her for the past couple of years via long mails. She knows that we shared something special and I am glad to have retained that one friend from my US days. In some sense my 10 year search came to an end and I found a pen pal at last. God bless

Why fight

2009-09-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Agent Smith:Mr.Anderson ,Welcome back ! We missed you.You like what I have done with the place.

Neo:It ends tonight.
Agent Smith:I know it does. I have seen it. That's why the rest of me is just going to enjoy they show.We already know I am the one who beats you.

Can you feel it?Closing in on you.Oh.. I can..I really should thanks you for it was that your life that thought me the purpose of all life.. The purpose of life is to end.

Why Mr.Anderson why why?Why do you do it?Why get up?Why keep fighting?You believe you are fighting for more than your survival!Can you tell me what it is?Do u even know?Is it freedom?Is it truth?Perhaps peace.Could it be for love?Illusions Mr.Anderson,vagaries of perception,temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose and all of them is superficial as the matrix itself;Although only a human mind would invent something as insipid as love.
You must be able to see it Mr.Anderson.You must know it by now.You cant win ,its pointless to keep fighting.Why Mr.Anderson why?WHY DO YOU PERSIST?

Neo:Because I choose to.

Godmother

2009-08-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

Now that I think about it, it seems strange to me, that I have not come across any articles linking Sonia Gandhi and the legendary Italian mafia.

The power,the family ties, corruption,innumerable supporters willing to do anything & not to mention the threat of assassination are a few common details shared by both the mafia and the Gandhi family. If I were Sonia Gandhi , I would be pinching myself every minute, hoping that the dream would come to an end soon.

I haven't thought of it before, but the act of giving up the post of Prime minister , might have its roots in the Italian mafioso mindset. After all, the mafia is never comfortable in dealing with things in a transparent manner and prefer to wield their influence by arm twisting in the dark. So, is Sonia, sitting comfortably away from the media glare, controlling the affairs of the country in a way resembling the mafia hierarchy?Is she teaching her children and her congress supporters the golden rule of Omerta,in dealing with power?

But perhaps ,the most intriguing question of all-will someone,one day,make a movie on sonia ,which would be as awesome as the Godfather? If so, there are no prizes for guessing the name of the movie.

Image from http://www.soniagandhi.org

Published!

2009-08-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Someone actually took note of my views and thought it was good enough to be published.

Probably no big deal for most,but very satisfying for me.

Thanks ammani!

The collectors

2009-07-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

The collectors is a short story by Rohington Mistry. I had heard of the author but never really read any of his works. And I am thankful that I did not invest in any of his novels.
How can anyone ,in a story about stamp collection, come up with a story arc involving sodomy? Its as inconceivable as an item number , in the midst of a white house press conference. For no reason whatsoever, the innocent boy in the story , is subjected to sodomy by a classmate. In fact the naive kid agrees to it, on being promised a few stamps. I mean..common Mr.Mistry.. get a life .. I am pretty sure that there might have been traumatic incidents in your life which makes you think different, but you are one big asshole , taking undue liberty of freedom of expression(misuse i say),to come up with random events to make a name for yourself.[faiL]

Going ISKCON 4:The Grudge

2009-07-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is the concluding part of a 4 part series on my experiences with ISKCON.

Please read introduction,section 2 & section 3 by following the links.
So all of this is fine. However the association with ISKCON comes with a price.The devotees have sold their soul for the 'perfect' life they are living. Most of these bhaktas marry and lead a outwardly normal life. But in a way, they live a life of deceit. They never tell their parents , until its too late , that they are having a completely different set of believes and practices.The children of these bhaktas are brought up in a closed environment where they are taught that everything in the outside world is evil and they are only messengers of God.

The opinion of the bhaktas on most things are narrow. They discredit most scientific theories because they are not a source of happiness. Although discussion within the group are encouraged ,before joining they are made to accept a few assumptions.

One - That Krishna is supreme lord. He passed his knowledge to his disciples and everything they believe had been handed down by lord himself through a disciplic succession. This series of disciples involve historical and mythological figures and the link between the two is something which cannot be questioned .

Two- the only way to become god conscious is to be a part of this line of disciples. (Nothing else will do.)So, only by coming into contact with this succession can one achieve moksha.

So , basically any scientific theory -such as Big bang, theory of evolution etc which contradicts anything in the knowledge bank is simply NOT accepted. Any discussion which happens is done within the space where the above are true.

Proof for the above is simple- faith.So, anything is accepted- lying , stealing,begging,even murder-provided the purpose of is to impress the lord.

Another rule ,which is an offshoot of the above is that the Guru cannot be questioned. The analogy given is usually that of a parent and child. Just like a child cannot find its path in life without the guidance of parents, a raw devotee cannot find his path in the spiritual world without the guru. And this rule holds good for ever. Anyone senior to you HAS to be obeyed and likewise-anyone junior to you will not question you. If the guru makes a statement like-'democracy is for fools'- the mind has to search for examples which justify this . To even think of contradicting the opinion is considered a major sin.

But perhaps the greatest grudge which I have is of the false sense of humility which they have. No doubt they have a humble lifestyle- simple food, clothes, etc. But early in their initiation, the fact that -being a part of ISKCON philosophy makes them special, is deeply drilled in to their minds. The need to be superior to the normal populace is one of the strong driving forces which makes them join the movement in the first place. They cannot realize that actually want superior societal status-when they initially join the movement.
The lectures of the Guru in ISKCON during the initiating is full of anecdotal stories . Its not hard to convince anyone that we are all headed towards certain doom.Anyway, during the initiation a key question which comes up is this-"what makes your path different than other religions?". A very standard question asked by almost all targets. The answer is this-"Christianity and Islam are also path to God. No doubt. But they are inferior.

The following would be said to you as a part of the answer to the above questin-"In Bible, there is a line which says -Do not kill . Its not for you and me, because we are not people who do such things. Its for lower levels of human birth. Islam too is very similar. There is a quotation which says do not sleep with your friends wife. If you are someone who thinks along those lines-then Islam is for you. We are all born,based on our activities in previous birth, at a level.Islam is for people in lower levels, Christianity for next level, and vedas are only for people who are of highest calibre and if you can accept this YOU belong to the best." The last sentence is key. The target is made to believe that accepting the principles makes him superior . For someone who trusts the speaker, not accepting the above does not mean the theory is false-It means that he is dumb and that path is never taken.
Its only by telling the targets that they are better off than any religion that they are convinced that this is the right path. How is is possible that a path to spiritual awareness begins with belittling the principles of other religions?

I dont think anything here would offend any ISKCON devotee. They would agree that everything here,but for my opinions are true. They would also add that they used to think in similar lines when they were new to the organization,but after understanding the pure intentions of the Krishna Bhaktas they have supressed such thoughts successfully.

As a finishing thought I can share another analogy commonly shared by the devotees. The bhaktas are not allowed to read anti-ISKCON material online, talk to people who are experts in other religions or even have independent ideas. Yet, they refer to people living in the material world as frog in a well who thinks that the well is the world(Koopa-mandooka). Its a pity that their arrogance and narrow thought makes them think that they are the last hope of mankind in aspects of humility and intelligence.& as manju once put it- Weird people:weird world.

Going ISKCON 3:The Devotee

2009-07-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is a 4 part series on my experience with ISKCON as a 'junior' devotee.

Please read the introduction and section 2 ,by following the respective links.

Its crucial to understand the thinking and lifestyle of any devotee to understand my point of view.

The devotee i describe are 'recruited' from colleges . Their age group can be between 18-25 . After its decided that the student in question wants to be a devotee of Krishna for life they usually move into a separate accommodation with like minded people. Once this happens the life of the student ceases to be anything but normal and this is what I intend to explain.

The core of the existence of a devotee is in the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra. They chant it a astounding 1728 times in the morning and evening ,once they become serious devotees. One might expect the students to lose interest in academics with such rigorous practices-but since most of the students recruited are of above average intelligence - their academic performance goes up.

Two things can be attributed to this phenomena-
A superior goal in life and a clear mind.

Prayer to God is a form of meditation and this clears the mind of all distractions. Once clear ,the mind functions like a arrow programmed to hit bulls eye. Every failure is taken up positively as a result of past sins and the focus is only on being a better devotee.
The superior Goal is the single minded objective of any ISKCON devotee- making the supreme lord happy. Whether its academics ,sleeping, interacting with others or even cooking- the purpose is crystal clear. The chanting reinforces the basic purpose of all these activities and helps to constantly be focused( Emphasis is on the word constantly-its 24*7).

Its a standard practise to train the bhaktas to do things they might normally find ridiculous. The bhaktas apparently dance to the tune of Krishna bhajans as a group. A guru,usually a person of around 40 -50 years old dances with them and encouraging them to let go of their shyness and enjoy the moment . The dancing is also considered to be a form of worship of the great lord.[Aside: Dancing to experience religious awakening is one of the central theme of this book]

They usually wake up at 4 in the morning and after taking bath they start chanting. It usually end at around 6 when they do the assigned duties like cooking . Sometimes they listen to some pre-recorded lectures of the Guru. After which they go to work/college .

At work they are seldom seen doing anything other than the job assigned to them . They don't drink coffee, gossip or check mails needlessly. They go about their work with great efficiency and never work extra time. They behave normally with colleagues, but don't involve with non -work based discussions. They come home at 5 ,pray,eat and go to bed at around 10.

If you are a normal person reading this -the key difference between you and the devotee is this- the devotee is completely aware of every minute which is passing and he is focused on utilizing each minute in productive work. Having been with a similar mindset-its amazing how much of the time we normal guys end up not doing anything productive.

To be Concluded....

Going ISKCON 2: The Target

2009-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is the section 2 of 4 on the workings of ISKCON .

Please read the introduction to the series here.

The first few months of a desi student in USA is something which is fairly stressful. Even for those who come from hostels, this time is quite frustrating . Tough courses,distracting presence of unlimited TV, little money to spend ,no relaxation, lack of travel options , a completely new set of people to hang out with,and worst of all-the responsibilities of the kitchen. And here is where the Krishna bhaktas of ISKCON come in. The first contact is made and the bhaktas go out of their way to help the newly arrived desis settle down. Normally, graduate students help the new students with a place to live for a week, and some food to share- but ISKCON people go much beyond that.

Over a course of the next few months the devotees-in the guise of graduate students- go about helping the freshers in a variety of ways. They provide delicious food once a week, are approachable any time of the day, help the students with academics and such. They are seen on-campus from exactly 8-5. A bunch of these seemingly very dedicated students live together and have a very focused and helpful way of life.

This phase is very important . Even if most students do not become permanent devotees, their resistance could prove disastrous for the overall strategy of ISKCON. (which is described in the paras below.). Once a favorable impression is setup they move in slowly for the kill. They start talking from their own experiences of how directionless and desperate they were in life- and look at them now- they are contended with simple things, focused in life, have only good habits and thoughts etc etc..

They avoid making any reference to anything abnormal in their lives .
The recruitment strategy differs for different sets of people. Books have been written on how to brainwash people in different countries. For example:In turkey , where the local government is hostile to religious propaganda- the activities have to carried out with great risks. Devotees are first told to gain the trust of their associates there-by forming a strong bond of friendship. Once this is established only then should they try to infuse religious propaganda in the discussion. It usually starts with how Islam/Christianity is similar to Hinduism (in terms of practices and culture), how chanting is an inherent form of all religions etc.. Next the target is asked to chant the Hare Krishna maha mantra , along with their usual religious practices. Obviously they are asked to be secretive because devotees claim that people in a lower level of understanding will mistake it for brainwashing and will do something harmful.

Now, there are books, which detail how to go about doing the above. It details every step,every possible argument posed by the target. Its the naive who fall for such sweet talk and it is their dependents who suffer the most because of such activities.

Having established a good raport with the new students the bhaktas encourage them to intensify the practice of religion,along with their academics. This appeals to most students , as all of the problems noted earlier on is easily solved living in such a lifestyle.Usually at this stage the devotee maintains normal contact with his parents and but makes no mention of the regular interaction he is having with ISKCON devotees. At some point of time ,once the complete trust of the target is gained, he is asked to move in with the devotees and the brainwashing in complete.

The next section deals with the lifestyle of the devotees.

Going ISKCON

2009-07-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Its been a few months since I started blogging . I suppose this would be the first post which I don't think I would have ever written , had my blog not been anonymous. Its got to do with the events which unfolded in the first few months in the USA. My association with ISKCON is something that I have not spoken much about to anyone. The intensity with which I was involved with the movement is something which is known to very few people,most of them part of ISKCON itself. It's been a few years now since I stopped associating myself with those people. Its hard for me to tell what exactly I feel when I think about those days-amusing,frustrating,a gut-wrenching disgust- I don't know . Along with what happened to me, I write about the modus operandi operated by ISKCON in their 'recruitment strategy'.

There are always 2 parties involved. The devotee/bhakta whose goal is to brainwash and the Target whose naivety is exploited to convert him to a devotee. The next section will focus on the target, in my case a typical desi grad student in the US,although this can be anyone. The thrid shall detail on the lifestyle of the devotee. Most of this will be pure facts -this will not offend any devotee. In the last section I shall justify why I am against all this- in spite of the many positive aspects espoused by the movement.

Section 2: The Target

Section 3:The devotee

Section 4:The Grudge

My longest and most sincere effort at blogging.

The writing on the wall

2009-07-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

There seems to be an emerging trend on who will hog the limelight over the next few years in Indian politics. This assumes significance as I am expected to follow the day to day developments over the next few years. The old guard is getting ready to bow out and by a decade MMS, LKA and almost all the current big wigs would be well on their way out. That leaves us with rahul Gandhi (& mom), mayawati, varun Gandhi, narendra modi to ride the crest of the wave for the next 2-3 decades.

Rahul Gandhi is almost certain to get a shot at the top. For sometime at least it would be good, primarily cos he would be under the influence/apprenticeship of his mom. With priyanka providing a helping hand, the trio can bring in some stability at the center. At some point of time it will get into his head and hopefully he comes out of it stronger and wiser.

A trend to take in foreign educated politicians seriously has started and this should yield a strong leader or two at some point of time.

The opposition is unorganized for the timing being, not unlike the position Congress was in a decade ago. Sonia’s arrival gradually changed all that & it would be interesting to see who takes the lead in taking head on with the Gandhi family. Writing off the BJP would be foolish as they have a more dedicated support base than the Congress. Arun Jaitely seems to be gearing up for a prominent position within the BJP and there doesn’t seem to be anyone to pose a challenge/threat to his rise.Sushma Swaraj has been strangely quiet for the past few years, although I don’t see any reason why she would not dominate now. Varun Gandhi, in his late 20s, seems to have the aggression to make it, and now he has the opportunity to play some meaningful role in reinventing BJP’s fortune.

Somehow, there seems to be none from the south who has a presence in the national level. I suppose in politicians from South India play a role behind the screens and are not meant to be charismatic leaders. Case in point:PVN. There should be one or two leader’s compromise candidates coming up.

MNS and Thackeray’s in general seem to have run out of ideas. 50 years, I think is the expiry date for an idea like mannos and its decline should continue barring occasional spikes.

I am unable to even vaguely guess what the future of the communist revolution would be. They seem to have a fair presence in the remote areas of 50 districts. For the moment they are mostly dealing with people who have not benefitted from the government policies. For now they have made a point: This situation will change soon and it will be interesting to see when this happens who comes out stronger.

There is a gradual de-escalation of tension between India and Pakistan. The nuclear deterrent seems to have worked effectively. The fact that there was no war declared for the Kargil episode was a boost to diplomacy. Occasional deal breakers like the Mumbai/parliament attacks will happen, but they should die down soon. So, I suppose we have heard the last in terms of wars. The Kashmir dispute has no clear solution and in some 30 years people will have to accept the LOC as the international border, preferably a soft border.

At some point of time in the international arena things will get ugly on energy. A couple of wars with limited engagement should put things into place. As long as there are no equally powerful countries, the conflicts should not last for more than a year.

Unless ofcourse the long awaited apocalypse happens and we are all doomed!

2009-04-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

I have a mission ,not ambition.
-Narendra Modi.

For my own personal archives

2009-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

There was a time when as a kid, predicting election results were the most obvious thing for me.It was hard to understand why so many people were working so hard campaigning and all,when the winner was so obvious.After all , all that matters is -what perception people have of the candidates and their ability to be a effective MLA/MP/Minister. Time and again I was able to judge who would win in my constituency,although no one took me seriuosly.

So my predictions for the 2009 polls are-
Congress would gain some 20-50 seats more than last time.
BJP would go down a little bit ,but will remain strong opposition.
Left will get wiped out to a single digit party.
RJD might get a bit more than 10 seats. Same for BSP.

Post poll, it would be a situation somewhat similar to what BJP faced in 1998. UPA will have a decent number and will need to work on getting a few more parties on board to reach 272.

Whats wrong with you people!!!

2009-04-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

This a picture a random fellow has put up on his Orkut profile. The picture caption is 'At subway'.There are a few more pics of him at McDonalds and other urban hangouts.Clearly this fellow has some issues. He is wearing a PEPE Jeans shirt , eating at subway and worst of all , thinks that its 'cool' enough to be posted on to his Orkut album.

He has paid an amount almost equal to the minimum stipulated daily wage in India is(Rs.72), for a piece of Bun and uncooked vegetables!The words PEPE on his shirt makes him feel better(I don't understand branded stuff).Someday I hope that we Indians ,as a society,stop wearing branded stuff and eating chain food and drive these companies to bankruptcy.God.. this is my second request to you!!!

The Lamest thing EVER

2009-04-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Southpark: one of televisions most disgusting,yet widely watched series of all time.They don't really care about people being sensitive . Their main motive is to make fun of everyone's beliefs .If one episode is dedicated to destroying the conservatives, the liberals are burnt at the stake soon enough.

Cartoon wars, Episode 3 season 10 deals with the fool hardy nature of the broadcasting companies in dealing with the issue of the telecast of Muhammed's image on TV.

A part of the episode deals with the paranoia of the American public, when they hear that Muhammed's image is going to be telecasted on TV shortly.Pretty much everyone in America,in response to the Muslim threat to retaliate , decide on one thing.To bring in truck loads of sand and bury their head in it. Because by doing that ,they can send out a message saying that they were not a part of the television broadcast.

I guess the response of the elite to any crisis is the same all over the world.I feel, this is exactly what the Consortium of Loose and Forward Pub going Women did in response to Ram Sene.
Buried their head in the sand.While the Ram Sene went about enforcing what they thought was right, a group of elite people decided to send the organization pink chaddis.Which is the equivalent of mass burial of head in sand.

Inna final analysis, on one side there is a group of highly motivated, deeply fundamentalist ,decently educated(?) and spirited set of thugs who go about enforcing
their will.. and on the other side there are the rich,English speaking, faceless, immoral(yes, pubbing can never be justified) set of elitists who think that
sending pink chaddis is a class act.

God , I haven't asked for anything from you on this blog. But I beg you , that no matter what, please don't make me a part of the elitist crowd anywhere.Make me feel like a coward who did nothing, but please dont make me do something like send pink chaddis and feel good about it. Pleassseee!

Random stuff

2009-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

hmmm..let see.. i forget..

i want to remember what happenend..random stuff keeps pouring in..

Talking to American about Indian films is always is an intresting experience.. especially the Indian song and dance sequences.. I have no clue why they seem to be obssessed about these two songs in particular..song 1,,song 2...
I mean there are a lot more crappier Indian songs.. Why these 2?

Dr.Sangliana,legendary karnataka police maama.. has this to say in his website:
He apparently acted in a movie for a guest role.. and the fact that black tickets were sold for 1000 rupees makes its a big hit.. Its intresting that a former IPS officer cites cost of black money for a movie being superhit..
http://drhtsangliana.org/AboutMe.html

Returning to India from US

2009-03-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

As of 2006 ,66,000 students from India were enrolled in grad studies in the US of A.
In the fall of 2003, I was probably one of the 15,000 Desi grad students who entered the USA.
No data exists on the number of people who come back.

But being one of them, I can be sure there aren't many who can do that.2 years ago I came back . Got out with a MS and 10 months of work ex. Long ago when I left the shores of India, I was soo confident that I would come back. Over the next 2 years I saw that a number of my hard held beliefs ,when I left the shore , were not quite true. Today I see hundreds of amazingly smart Indians making the same assumption. I have tried to address these myths and argue why they are indeed myths.

Here we go!

Myth:1 I am going to US for a multi cultural experience.

Most of the advanced degree programs in US are full of Indians and Chinese. If you find a 5:1 ratio of Indians amongst your friends circle you should consider yourself lucky. It usually is much higher.

Myth:2 I shall come back with a advanced degree for a faster career growth.

The most important myth. This is the key reason why most ppl go to US in first place. However, the market in India is not demanding any higher degree than a Bachelors. Greater experience is more valued than a better degree. Infact the market for MS is low because with a degree from abroad you expect higher pay,when the company can get the same job done from a fresh engineer with lower cost. This is the core argument. The demand for MS is ONLY there is US ,NOT india.

Myth:3 I have lived in India for 20 years compared to 3-4 in US. Once I go back I will be fine.

From my experience the answer is NO. By 3 years people get used to life so much , that the Indian life is suddenly full of corruption,bureaucracy,chaos,religious fundamentalism,repressive society,poor education system and what not.In US,The pace of life is just right and nobody really cares about frivolous things.Most of you friends are Indians. Why go back all the way when you can get the best of both worlds(Indian friends and American life)?

Myth:4 People who end up with green cards are not patriotic.

People here are not much different than the one's in India. I am of the opinion that they were slowly brainwashed in to thinking that being in US is a a better life and they can still be patriots as long as they stay in touch with their country and do something good for it.

Myth:5 Get MS , get work ,finish loan, come back!

Everyone whom I have met says this. Unfortunately, most of them( 95% would be my guesstimate) stay back. The "Get MS , get work ,finish loan, come back" argument in fact has some legal loopholes. Once you start working you have to work for 2 years minimum. So, that's 4 years of life outside US. (Remember : Coming back to India after is a move which will decrease pay, decrease career prospects and take away all of Americas easy lifestyle)

Hanging Out?

2009-02-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

I don't know really what are the sort of people I want to hang out with.I currently hang out with people of whom, some 5 years older to me.I am treated as an equal ,but somehow some part of me refuses to accept these people as my friends .Weird part is that I tired so hard to hang out with such people earlier and did not get an opportunity to. Now that I do ,I think that I am out of place. To be in a crowd of people who have achieved far more than you in life should make you feel special,of having arrived at the big league or something.It dosent really help that these people are fairly well off with life with a profession and all.

I imagine myself ,standing on the streets, staring at the college going girls ,who give back a venomous stare back at my group. I am now a part of the rocky khannas and amit_123s (see end of post)who hang out with these sophisticated chicks. I need my normalcy back. I need to become a frustu again.

For now I guess the story shall go on. Soon they shall be relegated to being facebook friends I suppose.

PS:I decided not to watch porn even again in my life time. The decision has come in after a lot of deliberations. I am quite sure of the rationale behind this and its time for some action. I felt a shiver going through my body in trying to resist visiting the goddamn websites .

Update: Its been a month away from internet porn now.

In a few days I would have ended up like Randy here.

Another update: It's easy to quit smoking, I've done it hundreds of times. :( My story is not very differnt.

Born again

2009-01-03T00:36:00.000-08:00

A new start. A new anonymous start after some 50 odd posts in an earlier blog. I suppose blogging was the hip thing back then and twittering is in rage now. The earlier blog(RIP) was pretty useful in achieving its purpose of being a part of the geek crowd.Now I just need a blog to post my thoughts at a public place. Not to become popular,but to simple exist.

To start off with I had no clue on the content of this post. But as I continue writing , am starting to get a few ideas.
How I shall get an identity in the blogging world -I have no clue.But I guess if one can consistently come up with posts, which mean something to me, within an year or 2 I should have some form of recognition, even if it is amongst a set of random strangers.
So, with no objective of changing the world, creating happiness or gaining popularity, I have embarked on my new blogging life.
Welcome To My blog!