Quote of the day - Time...

वक़्त की कदर करना इंसान अक्सर भूल जाता है...
याद जब आता है, तब तक वक़्त गुज़र जाता है !!!

The darkness is upon us....

When I was a kid, I still remember that we used to have a hand-pump in our home and it used to be there in most homes especially in small towns and villages. It used to draw water from the underground and we used to use it for our household activities including drinking water without any filters etc.

Then came the time when the need for filtering the water was felt and most homes used to keep simple filters to remove bigger particles like mud etc which used to be present in almost negligible quantity. But still to be on safer side, filters became a trend among most households.

The time has changed very rapidly over last couple of decades and our environment is no exception to the change. In last one decade or so, electric water purifiers also known as ROs have become a common sight in almost every middle class home and even penetrating homes of lower class people who don't want to take a risk with their children's health and manage to purchase a RO somehow. Water pollution has reached such a level that we won't like to consume the water directly from any source till it is filtered (Purified as these advertisements of ROs say).

And then came the "Air". Air pollution is being called to be a problem for a long time now, may be more than a decade. People were often seen wearing masks during last couple of years, when they step outside their homes and offices. And now...

Now the time has come that you are not safe even inside your homes. Air purifiers are starting to penetrate our homes now and may be they are going to become a need sooner than we realize. If we had told someone in 20th century that the air you breathe is not clean and you must filter it, we would had been seen as an alien. But not anymore.

And this change has not happened over a century or over a millennia. It has happened over a couple of decades only. And may be this generation born towards the end of 20th century, will live long enough to see their children cry for clean air. Who knows that we may live and see our next generation checking their oxygen mask even before checking their wallet and documents, before they leave their house for their office. Is this the future we want to give to our children and their children. Can't we give up a little of our luxuries and comfort for a better and cleaner future for our next generation. If not, then I can only say that "The darkness is upon us and will strike us sooner than we can ever imagine"

to be continued...

रिश्तों की कीमत ...

ज़िन्दगी की भाग दौड़ में में अक्सर हम ये भूल जाते हैं,
 पैसे कमाने नही बल्कि रिश्ते बनाने इस दुनिया में हम आते हैं;
पैसे की चकाचौंध में हम रिश्तों को पीछे छोड़ हैं,
पर सुख हो या दुःख, काम आखिर में अपने ही आते हैं!!!

क्यों!!! क्यों हम इस मशीनीकरण में अपने होने का अर्थ भूल जाते हैं,
मशीनों के बीच रह कर हम भी मशीन बन जाते हैं;
और फिर क्यों हम अपने को इंसान कहलाते हैं,
जब रिश्तों को ताक पर रख कर बस पैसा ही हम कमाते हैं!!!

क्यों दूसरों को कष्ट दे खुद पर इतना इत्रा रहा,
अपने बच्चों के लिए कैसा उदाहरण बना रहा;
आगे बढ़ने की होड़ में इंसान क्यों है भाग रहा,
खाली हाथ आया और खाली हाथ ही है जा रहा!!!

What EdUcAtIoN SyStEm has given me !!!

There have been lot of jokes and sarcastic remarks on our education system and its importance in our professional lives. Even today while browsing a page on facebook, i came across a post: "Sometimes I just want to go back to school, attend a class and abruptly shout - KYO PADHA RHE HO. YE KYA ***** KAAM AAYEGA?" 

While it may be true for some, but it may not be a general statement which holds a universal truth. There's a saying that - "A teacher can only teach students as much as they are ready to learn". A teacher imparts same education to all the students but still some of them become toppers in the class while others fail. Why?

I am not saying that my views expressed below are universal truth but these may be felt true by a lot of us who will spare time to think about it. So, today after reading the above said post on facebook, I thought of sharing my experience about - What our education system has taught me & how it has helped me in my personal & professional life.

ABILITY TO INTERACT PROFESSIONALLY is something that I had learnt during my school days. Interacting with the teachers, with classmates and friends and with the other staff members of the school was the first experience I gained in my school, that is still helpful in my professional & personal life.

HISTORY is one of my least liked subjects. And sometimes I wonder if it was really necessary. But if we think deeply, it was one subject that had potential to influence our moral values. The feeling of patriotism and unity & the importance of freedom was something that history has taught us and has ingrained in our values itself

LANGUAGE - be it Hindi or English or any other regional language is taught in our schools that we use for our whole life. But being a part of our daily routine, we forget its importance in our life and the fact that our schools only had taught us how to read & write. 

Coming to the professional studies (like engineering/MBBS/MBA etc.) it may seem wasteful and useless in our jobs, but are they totally meaningless? If that be the case then why a company specifies to have degree in mechanical engineering or MBA in finance and not have general demand that any graduate can apply (like in banks)

What I had learnt depends on how I view it. The engineering course had provided me with the first opportunity to visit a manufacturing facility and see how things happen in the industries. I learnt that how the small components we see in the machines & the vehicles are manufactured with precision and my course helped me to understand those operations. The course may not have taught me how to operate a lathe machine, but thats not what I as an engineer is supposed to do. I need to be able to read the drawings and understand the design and implications of any deviation or change.

In short if I say, a whole building can not be built in a day. Our education system does the work of laying the foundation for us to build upon it. How and what we build over it is upto us, but to blame that the education system is useless and good for nothing is not justified in my personal opinion. There is always a scope for improvement in all fields and our education system is no exception. But it doesn't means that the present system is scrap. Please respect the System that has enabled us to become what we are today.  

Scored low in exams? Its not the end of the world...

CBSE class X and XII results came out earlier this week. As a 90% aggregate becomes as common as kissing in our movies (no big deal) and cut-offs for good colleges become insane, we wonder if there is anyone who hasn’t scored amazing marks. In the loudness of the voice of few high scorers, we often forget about the majority of so-called mediocres who haven't made it into high flying 90% list. According to the report published in THE HINDU newspaper, only 6.6 per cent of students across the country scored above 90 per cent. That means if you are not in the list, don't get disheartened. The majority is still with you. 

Consider an average guy X, who scored something like 65% n board exams and was not so confident about getting a better college & a better job. Everyone, including his parents, relatives and neighbors consoled him that it’s not the end of the world and he has a bright future ahead. But did they really mean it? Did they actually believe their own words of condolence? This article is not meant to act as a balm to your low marks. The aim is to address the majority of the students who don’t get in the limelight because they are below 90%. But consider this:

1.      Marks are only one aspect of one’s capability – Yes marks are important. Higher marks help you get into better branded colleges, which in turn attract better branded companies, which in turn tend to give better compensation (salary). After all its all about money, isn’t it? And I won’t be giving examples of Ambani or so, and say that marks don’t matter. But if you are an average middle class Indian, looking to make his/her living by working for someone else, higher the marks, better the start of your professional career. But it doesn’t means that getting a little less marks is the end of the world. There are lot many organizations which can’t attract the top scorers from colleges and offer jobs to the mediocre talent. But trust me, in my short professional life of 7 years, no one has ever asked my marks after my first job. It’s what I have learnt at my job, and what I have achieved in job is all what matters.

2.       The game is not yet over – The only thing high marks indicate is that the student has the tenacity and perseverance to excel at something. Hence, I am not going to say toppers don’t deserve praise. But life is more than just tenacity and mathematics. Exams don’t test creativity, imagination, people skills and communication. In life these are what matter. And who says that Google or Infosys or HUL are the only companies offering settled life. It’s about what you are good at, what makes you succeed. Learn and improve yourself and do your job with honesty and sincerity. Opportunities will come over time, if you improve yourself. Not everyone can become Sachin Tendulkar of cricket or Lionel Messi of football. But it’s the team of 11 and the substitutes that make a team – CHAMPIONS.

3.      Changing the aptitude – Work is not a burden; it’s a game you need to play. Play it to enjoy and the life will be a lot easier. Complaining regularly about the system will not help, it will only increase your stress and hence deteriorate your own health. Its difficult to believe but I have found it helpful saying – “Either change the system and make it better, or be a part of the system”

This is not written by a guy who secured 90-95% marks and got admission in IIT or IIM and everything was smoothly achieved. It’s written by a average guy belonging to same mediocre category, who has always believed in learning and to enjoy the life – personal & professional. Today, here I am; sitting with the guys from NITs and IITs doing the same work as I am doing and getting more or less the same remuneration. Yes, I had to sacrifice a few years of my life to achieve the same level, but in the end – the experience I had got from those extra few years have made me more tough yet flexible who can get settled more easily than these toppers of our education system.  

Lagta nahi dar humen ...

Lagta nahi hai dar humen talwaron se bandookon se,
Unke pyaar ki choori hi humara katal kiya karti hai ;-)

Rising prices of petrol...

PETROL ds c<rs nke us, rksM nh vke vkneh dh dej;

Xkjhcksa dh fxurh c<kus esa, ljdkj uk NksMsxh dksbZ dlj !!

dgrs gSa va/ksjh jkr ds ckn, vkrk gS lqcg dk mtkyk;

dc gksxk oks, tc vk/kk Hkkjr ns”k gks tk,xk fnokyk !!!

Aaj Boiler lite up ho gaya...

Aaj Boiler lite up ho gaya tha jab...
Jaan mein jaan aayi kaiyon ko tab
Pressure to steam ka badne wala hai  ab
Release hoga ye tabhi, full load milega jab...

Just a thought ;-)

Getting bored of old car...

Don't have budget to buy a new one..

No problem...

Get insta-cover for your car & change the cover of your car instantly for just Rs. XXXX/-

HURRY OFFER LIMITED....

Wish the cars can be designed to change outer cover like mobile casings; & be new again ;-)

Ranji final - Rajasthan vs TN - Rajasthan top order batted in 1st innings @ 2.2 runs an over & scored 621 runs (404 runs in 2 days)

Rajasthan vs Tamil Nadu - RANJI FINAL MATCH - JAN 2012

Rajasthan: 404/2 on End of day 2 - 1st innings of match;
                 621 in 245 overs for more than two & a half days batting innings
                 A. Chopra: 94 of 327 balls - S/R: 30.62
                 V Saxena: 257 of 665 balls - S/R: 38.65
                 Kanitkar: 67 of 146 balls - S/R: 45.89
                 Bist: 57 of 159 balls - S/R: 35.85
                 Parida: 40 of 100 balls - S/R: 40.00

So, top 5 batsmen of Rajasthan have scored an amazing 515 runs 1397 balls (233 overs - approx)
Approx run rate: 2.2 rus per over

The people & cricket fans might appreciate the score put on board by Rajasthan team in Ranji Final, and the double century of Saxena but is it really worth it?. The team scored about 200 runs in a day (404 in two days) & Saxena seemed to have all the time in this world to keep on playing his own batting. But is it really the cricket the fans would like to see? It might work in Ranji Final coz Rajasthan was more interested i winning on run-rate basis, but it just doesn't works in international cricket. The best teams out there are not to play for draw but to win. How many of us remember the Drawn series or test matches, it is the wins that counts & makes a team show their supremacy.

It is always a moment of pride for a team to win Ranji Trophy but they also need to prepare the cricketers for international level. If not even a single batsman can score at Strike Rate of 50.00 in top five batsmen, then can they really expect a COMPETITIVE PLACE in national team? Are these the best batsmen we are going to offer to our national team and expect to gain number 1 position in test rankings? Is it?

Sardi mein garmi ka ehsaas ...

Thandi ka mausam, sard hai hawa...
Aise mein dil kare tu kuch gunguna...
Subh ka sooraj dekh ye dil khil utha,
Dhoop sek rahe hain hum aur beh rahi hai mand mand hawa...

Twist to song: Jis jagah pe khatam tumhari baat hoti hai...

Jis jagah se tumhari shuruaat hoti hai,
Us jagah pe khatam humari baat hoti hai...
???
???
Jis jagah se tumhari shuruaat hoti hai,
Us jagah pe khatam humari baat hoti hai...
Neev jo reh jaaye agar kamzor to,
Immarat ki bhala kya aukaat hoti hai ;-)

What has the technology given us with???

1. We (humans) used to fight for land, and are still doing the same.

2. We used to be afraid of the unknown domain, and we still are.

3. We used to show our faith in God especially in worst times, & still follow it.

4. We used to worry about our living, and still keep that.

5. We all wanted to become better than the person next door, and still want that.

And the list continues…

So, what have we got???

1. The wooden sticks & swords have given way to guns & bombs thus giving us better means to fight ;-)

2. Science has provided us logical reason to be afraid of unknown ;-)

3. Technology is working hard in this respect so that something can be changed here too ;-)

4. We used to worry about food & shelter (basically) and now technology has given us with automobiles, electronic gadgets and so many things to worry about ;-)

5. The definition for becoming better was wealth mainly, now it includes: a more luxurious car, a more expensive mobile, a more expensive wrist watch, a more expensive dress, a bigger house, and so many things to become better ;-)

Quote - When friends move ahead...

Waqt ke saath zamana aage ko badta gaya,
Par humara to waqt jaise wahin tham sa gaya,
Logon ka status waqt ke saath badata chala gaya,
Aur main yahan khada apne bachpan mein reh gaya...