The Game of Patliputra

In the last 3 days, Nitish Kumar has played a political master-stroke. He has made sure that JD(U) is not relegated in Bihar politics anytime soon and has consolidated his position in JD(U). Read on if you want to take a glimpse of the electrifying politics happening in the Hindi heartland.

After his party's dismal performance in Lok Sabha elections (2 seats out of 40), Nitish was on shaky grounds. His MLAs were almost in a revolting mood as Nitish had taken the decision to sever ties with BJP without consulting many of his MLAs. His MLAs were of the opinion that if JD(U) had fought with BJP, they could have won 40/40 seats which was frankly very, very possible as it would have been a consolidation of Pro-development Middle class + Youth + Upper castes + Dalits + Muslim vote-banks. But, since JD(U) decided to go on their own, the pro-development + upper castes vote-bank went to BJP and Dalits + Muslims  got fragmented between LJP (Paswan) and RJD-Congress. Nitish had miscalculated his political arithmetic and had committed a political blunder!

Now, it was time to strengthen his diminishing power in his own party as well as in the ever-changing landscape of Bihar politics.

As you might now, he offered his resignation from CM's post a few days back. With this move, he basically played the following 5 moves.

1) Firstly, he took the moral high ground and appeared as a man of his words. He made sure that BJP cannot question him on moral grounds. He made the people of Bihar sympathetic to his cause and showed a strong stance that he is not going to compromise his moral values for votes

2) His MLAs were hugely discontent after the election results as most were not in favor of breaking the alliance with BJP. After offering his resignation, he became a martyr figure in front of his MPs and made sure that they do not defect to BJP. He rallied his supporters behind him and shot himself into the political limelight

3) Sharad Yadav (JD(U) president) and Nitish are not the best of buddies. After Nitish put down his papers, it seemed as if Sharad Yadav was just waiting for this opportunity to take up the CM’s chair. (Remember, he lost LS elections from Madhepura and being the CM will do much good for his political career). Party MLAs almost booed off Sharad Yadav in the party meet and Nitish seemed like the one who is above all petty politics and the only one who is not power-hungry.  Nitish with this stroke made sure that Sharad Yadav understood that it is only Nitish who runs the show in JD(U) and although, Sharad Yadav  is the party president, MLAs see Nitish as their supreme leader

4) JD(U) meanwhile sent out a feeler to RJD through Sharad Yadav and kept their options open in case they need to align with Lalu to keep BJP+LJP+RLSP at bay. Though Nitish will surely re-think this option, as JD(U) and RJD joining hands is similar to Congress and BJP joining hands. But, you never know in this ever changing political landscape. The tectonic plates of Bihar politics are shifting and many new alliances and equations can come to the fore

5) And, finally, in a fitting end to this political symphony, Nitish today appointed Jitan Ram Manjhi as the next CM of Bihar. A brief background of Manjhi – A close aide of Nitish, he currently holds the SC/ST, OBS, EBC Welfare Ministry. Manjhi is a Mahadalit from the Musahar community who occupy the lowest strata of the society in the state.  So, for all practical purposes, Nitish will be pulling the strings and Manjhi will just be the Mahadalit face. Nitish gave a strong signal that he is the only one trying to uplift the EBCs and Mahadalits. Since JD(U)’s core vote-bank has  shifted to RJD and LJP, Nitish needs a new core vote-bank that he can rely upon. Hence, Nitish is laying the foundation of a new core vote-bank so that he has the numbers to take the Bihar Assembly battle single-handedly.

In a nutshell, the battle lines for the 2015 Bihar assembly election are being drawn and it is going to a hard-fought battle. Nitish has understood that he cannot underestimate either BJP-LJP or RJD-Congress in Assembly elections. If he loses power at State, it will take him another 5 years to regain the lost ground. But, there’s a silver lining for Nitish even in these gloomy days. There is something which Nitish has captured in the hearts of Biharis and that is his governance, honesty and simplicity  - During the Lok Sabha elections, the general mood on Bihar streets was: “We are going to vote for Modi at Centre, but our vote lies with Nitish for 2015.”

And, you thought that only Lannisters could play intense power battles! ;) 

5 Most Interesting Novels by Indian Authors

With the advent of Quora, I have started satisfying my hunger for writing by answering on Quora questions. But, this blog is too close to heart to give up! So, I am copying an answer which I wrote to the question: "What are some interesting novels to read?"

I have felt that the vast knowledge provided by books is largely untapped in India and people need to start reading more to appreciate their real life more. All the books that I have read have provided me with something which I never knew of. For me, books are interesting when after completing it, one feels liberated and one's horizons of imagination and clarity on reality are quadrupled. Now, coming to the main answer, there are too many interesting novels one can read. I am just focusing here on Indian and Indian-American authors so that 'desi' people can relate it more.

There are some Indian authors who have changed the art of story-telling in the Indian and the world literary landscape.

Some of my favorites Indian books are the following:

1) The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh

 

The book has been awarded the Arthur C Clarke award for best science-fiction novel in 1997.

The story is a heady cocktail of fact, fiction, science and mystical practices. It mixes some Hindu beliefs and modern-day scientific concepts and the story once you are into it is "UNPUTDOWNABLE". It is one of those books which does not give you all the clues and you need to think and I mean think hard to know what exactly happened in the end!

2) Train to Pakistan by Khuswant Singh

 

This is one of those books which is read widely and heavily quoted from even 57 years after it was first published.  The book depicts the partition riots between India and Pakistan in 1947 from a local foci of a village. It shows the realistic face of hardships faced by both communities, the local administrative authorities, an alien Samaritan with a backdrop of a torn love story. It paints raw human emotions at its finest. The book is still popular among literary circles because the story is applicable to even present-day situations

3) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

 

Firstly, one should read this book only when he/she is confident of reading a 1000+ pages book. A Suitable Boy is one of the longest books written in a single volume as it is 1349 pages in length. But, once you get into the groove of this book, it is a book which has myriad shades amalgamated into one. The book is a story of four families over a period of 18 months as a mother searches for a suitable boy to marry her daughter. The book is set in post-independence India and deals with issues like strife between Hindu and Muslims, abolition of the Zamindari system, land reforms and empowerment of Muslim women. It is a mammoth masterpiece and has won the Best Book, Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1994.

4) God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

 

The debut book by Arundhati Roy won the Booker prize in 1997. The book deals experiences of fraternal twins who are always preached the "Love of Laws" which proclaims "who should be loved, and how. And how much". The book's title aptly describes the story and tells the readers that sometimes though the big things are not in our hands; we can always take care of the small things. 

After reading this novel, I hoped Arundhati Roy to write more because this is the only novel she has written till date. 

5) Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri 

 

Now, this is not a novel but Jhumpa Lahiri's debut work is one of those books which you cherish reading. It is a book collection of exactly nine short stories detailing lives of Indians and Indian Americans who are caught between their inherited culture and   the modern-day world. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000. The book mainly deals with relationships of different nature and different perspectives of people in the same situations.

I have tried to paint the picture of Indian literary works in a diverse way here and hence have included these diverse out-of-the box books. There are many more books by Indian authors which are worth the attention, but these 5 from my reading experience are must-read novels and would make you think more about life and it intricacies.

Medical Chronicles Part 1

I have completed my engineering. But, this post is not about how awesome my 4 years at IITM was. This is just a post I had written long before, but I hadn't published it. I would be releasing the story in parts. This is the first part.

“Swagat hai aap sab ka break ke baad iss adhbhut khel mein jise hum kehte hai KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI!”, boomed the voice of the star himself, Amitabh Bachchan.

The guy sitting opposite found himself staring blankly into the red and blue neon lights. And then the familiar male baritone sounded again, “Mere saath aaj hot seat par baithe hai Durgapur ke Mr. Sayan Roy aur wo 25 lakh rupaye jeet chuke hai.”

His heart skipped a bit; one wrong answer and he would be out with only Rs. 3,20,000. He turned to the audience stand, he could see his Mom and Dad beaming, but dangling on the edge of their seats. 

Big B propelled the game forward by asking the penultimate question; “50 lakh rupaiyon ke liye ye raha aapka agla sawaal.”

Q. Which one of the following tranformations accurately describes “Apospory”?

a. Embryo from nucleus
b. Embryo from integuement

c. Embryo from egg of an embryo sac developed directly from megaspore mother cell

d. Embryo from egg of an embryo sac developed directly from a cell nucleus

It was a tough question, but deep down he swore that he had seen the question somewhere. This was the moment of truth, if only he could crack this, nothing could stop him. He was quite confident of his eidetic memory.  In his mind, he ruffled the pages of the botany book. The term ‘Apospory’ ringed a bell, but not so loud that he would point out the right answer. He had used all the 3 lifelines; one on a question of history, one on politics and the last one on Olympics! None of these were his strong subjects.

But, this one was his childhood buddy. Biology was his life. He could have thrived on chromosomes and cancer for his whole life. But, he couldn’t believe that biology was ditching me, when he needed it the most. He murmured to himself, "Et tu Bio?"

He eliminated the first 2 options by logic, but couldn’t pick between C and D.

“Megaspore or Cell Nucleus?, he whispered, seeing the saint-like face opposite to me from the corner of my eyes, begging for some kind of help.

He only got a reassuring smile, but no answer came forward. He had to take his risks, after all that is what he had learnt till now.

“Option C”, he said, removing the cough in his throat.

“Confident? Lock kar diya jaye?”  Big B asked in his male baritone, about whether he should lock the answer.

 “Yes”, He replied.

“Computer ji, please lock option C”

He felt a sudden thrust from above, like he was caught in a whirl wind of some sort. The answer clicked in his mind now. He had made the wrong choice. It was D. But, he could not come back. It was like all his dreams were being washed, one by one.

Just then a sudden jolt woke him up. It was his room-mate, Anand. He spoke in a hurried fashion, “Wake up dude, it’s already 8.30. The exam starts at 9!” 

Rising from the Ashes

This is a post which was long overdue. My last post was in last summer and I almost forgot that I even had a paltry blog of any kind. I had predicted long back that this would happen. I always knew that I would never keep up blogging! But, somehow again, miraculously, I have the zeal back in place. 

To be honest, two things triggered this "Rise from the Ashes". One, an Indian victory in cricket! Yes, that too can happen! You, read it right! India, after 16 matches finally won an International match! I know, its not a big deal. It was a T20 after all. But, sometimes, it is important to come back to winning ways. As Anita Bhogle and Harsha Bhogle point out in their book "The Winning Way", winning is a habit which is inculcated by winning teams. I remember a cricket match described in the same book, pertaining to this same phenomenon. It was a test match in 2006 between Aussies and Bangladesh. Bangladesh was staring into victory because Australia were tottering at 145/6 at end of Day 2 after Bangladesh scored 427. But, then Gilchrist, led from the front and scored a marvelous century. Still, the odds were in favor of Bangladesh. And, after that century of Gilchrist, Bangladesh just collapsed like a house of cards in their second innings. It was disastrous and Australia won the match by 3 wickets. This happened because when you lose strings of matches, you don't know how to react when you are in a winning position. Hence, the importance is rise from the ashes. Rather, to be precise, it is to know how to rise from the ashes. To be mathematically sound (which I am not!), India had a good probability to win one game out of 17 matches! But, the important thing is they grabbed it with both hands, when it arrived.    

The second thing today which taught me the importance of rising from the ashes is an interactive lecture by Sunil Handa. He is an IIM-A professor. You can read about him in the chapter called "The Alchemist" is Rashmi Bansal's Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. In short, he is a successful entrepreneur who gives entrepreneurial motivation and lectures to students. His mantra in life is simple: "Fight, Fall down, Get up, Fight, Fall down. Get up, Fight......." For him, his 7th idea struck gold. So, he rose from the ashes 7 times before taking a plunge into the limitless sky. You can savour the sweetness of success only if you have worked your ass off! You can't just sit around waiting for the right opportunity. You need to keep fighting till you win!
Something which I feel is most important in keeping the fighting spirit going is Perseverance. In sports, they call it "stamina". If you would have seen the recently concluded Australian Open final, you would have understood what stamina actually means! If there was one parameter in which Djokovic was way ahead of Nadal, it was STAMINA! In a high-octane tennis grand slam final, which lasted almost a record 6 hours, it is safe to say that the only thing which drove it Djoker's way was his perseverance. It is similar in entrepreneurship, as Mr. Handa points out. You need to "Be Stubborn". Yes, you need to be nagging wife to be a good entrepreneur! 

For me, this lecture was more about knowing things which one always knows. Its all common sense, but again in the complexities of life, the simplicity gets lost somewhere. Hence, I would just like to jot down a few points which I felt that it would help me in life, not only in entrepreneurship.

1. Fight for yourself:  In life, you would only fight for things which belong to you. No one else would come to fight your war because its your money, your company, your baby. Your life is at stake and hence it is logical that you would do anything to win the war. No one is going to play Jesus, so stand for yourself.
2. Inspire Yourself: You are your own teacher. Why is it that in a class of 100, only 1 or 2 people turn their start ups into successful companies. The teaching is same for everybody. It is on the concerned person how he actually inspires himself by the sermons!  Even if you are down, keep inspiring yourself. Keep looking at the positive side.
3. Have Faith: If you keep running in the race, there is good enough probability that you would strike gold. Just have faith in yourself, your idea, your belief, your strengths. No one knows you better than you yourself. Have faith on your winning spirit.
4. Carve your own path: You would not learn on how to run your own company from other's experiences. Every one carves their own path. That is law of nature. So, keep experimenting, keep an open mind, keep questioning others and steadily move about carving your own path. You have to solve your problems on your own. People can advice, suggest, give consultations. But, it is you who needs to solve it!
5. Be Inquisitive: You need to ask questions, if you want to make it big. You won't get the answers immediately, you would need to strive for it. Keep questioning status-quo, else you would never attain innovation.    
6. Be Stubborn: You need to act like a persistent kind to become a successful entrepreneur. You need to be have that tenacity to stay steadfast when there is a strong wind on your way. You need to stick to your words, your vision, your dream how much ever people scorn at you. Because, one day, that contempt would turn into solid respect.
7. Passion doesn't come on its own: People spend their lives searching for their passion. But, in reality, they don't actually search. They just sit there in their normal vicious lives and keep waiting for their passion to arrive at their doorsteps one fine day. That's not gonna happen, mate! So, its time you pick your lazy ass up and start working. You don' find passion; you develop passion! And, that would happen only if you start something! 
8. If you don't know something, Learn it: This is one of the best advices I have ever got in recent time. In every strata of life, people keep complaining, "I don't know about this. How will I do it?" The answer is simple. Learn it! Yes, there is no other way. If you have no freaking clue about something, you need to learn about it!
9. Invest in people: After a start up takes off, the most important thing is people. Learn a bitter truth. You would never ever get the best people for your company. Because, the best people are already working in bigger companies with fatter salaries. So, you need to take something raw and then make an asset out of it. You need to shower love, affection and trust on these people. Because, then they would remain loyal to you. There would be a few people, who would not change even after 3-4 years. But, there would a few people, who would stay close to you and multiply your turnover multiple times! 
10. Lose the safety net: Mr. Handa's logic was simple. If you feel that your value is worth a lakh per month, then stick to your 'safe' job. But, if you feel that no one can put a price on you, then lose the safety net immediately. Having the IIT / IIM tag does not guarantee safety. People can be sacked anytime. According to Mr. Handa, the safest job is in your own company. 

I know that most of you won't reach till the end of this post. Frankly, even I would not have. I have written this for myself more than anybody else. Sometimes, when I am down, when I feel clean bowled, be it any situation, I would just read this post and know that you need to be a phoenix to rise from the ashes! As of now, I can just hope that my blog has finally risen after such a long hiatus! 

Vent It Out

A lot has been talked and discussed about the recent incidents at IIT Madras. I won’t be delving deep into these unfortunate suicides, because I believe that these are now in the past, and no one can change it. What we can do instead, is take steps to make sure these incidents don’t happen in future.

But, the reality remains that these things will happen in the future. After all, we all are humans. Sometimes, we may just snap and take a poor decision! And, it could happen to anyone. Suicide is primarily an impulsive moment, when one just feels that the only action one can take, is to end all the sufferings. So, why does one do it? Don’t they think about their families, friends, relatives, cousins? Yes, they do! They think, but everything is overshadowed by that single suffering which triggers that suicidal emotion. In that spur of moment, people just go blank, and they take the plunge into the abyss.

There might be times in your life, when nothing is going right and everything seems dark. In that scenario, it has been seen that people keep fighting. They want to get out of that darkness. So, when does the mind shift from an emotion of struggle to an act of self-annihilation? I feel that the trigger happens when the vestigial hopes are shattered. When they see a streak of light at the end of the tunnel, their hopes increase exponentially and reach a maximum point. But, when this glimmer of light also vanishes, their minds just snap. That scene of the light vanishing into darkness just keeps repeating itself before one’s eyes, and the person just thinks that it is better to give up and get out of this darkness once and for all.

So, how the hell do we change this? More primarily, how the hell do we ensure that our near and dear ones don’t tread this path? And more importantly, how do we save ourselves from this momentary lapse of reason? No, I am not being suicidal! I am just making a point!

Incidents like these happen when the person feels that he/she can’t take anymore pressure. Many have criticized saying, “If you can’t take in the pressure, you are not worthy of being an IITian”. Many have sympathized saying, “The pressure to perform is too much to handle, and sometimes, people just cannot take it”. But, no one has told that how to handle this pressure? Who the hell says only IITians commit suicides? Only these incidents come up to the surface of national media recognition. And, what does media do? It conducts few special shows, few talk shows, and writes some editorial articles. Counselors pour in their viewpoints after the damage has been done. And, every blame is just put blankly on the system. Everyone gets united about “changing the system”. Few IIT alumni have started suggesting that increasing the number of females on IIT campuses would help. Every wants to change the system! What I feel is that the approach is altogether wrong. System will always have some flaws, some discrepancies. Even six-sigma approach has tolerance for defects in the system.

I personally feel that these incidents have to dealt personally. We need to train ourselves to start letting out the anger, pain, self-pity which we develop over the years. Suicide happens due to an impulsive decision. But, the suffering is not impulsive. The pain and remorse keeps building over a time period, like pressure keeps building in a pressure cooker.  What happens in a pressure cooker when the pressure reaches the maximum level? No, it does not go “BOOM”! It has a pressure regulator / vent pipe which releases the excess steam. We too need an internal pressure regulator in our minds. Everything can be sorted out, if people show their suffering, if people just let out that excess steam. They can let it out by pouring out everything to someone close, by crying out with their heart out or may be by doing something which keeps them happy. The venting out mechanisms depend on the person and can be anything, which makes the person feel that the weight has been lifted upon him. The main motive here is to realize that better things can happen in life. Many people even let out their frustration by breaking furniture, throwing things, etc. Even that is fine until no one is hurt in this process.

It is more of a man to cry your heart out in front of few friends than taking away your own precious life. It is better to be mocked for your emotional outburst at a later stage in life, than having no later stage in life! Many people might have different opinions, but this is what I feel. Hence, developing an intrinsic vent out mechanism is the key to overcome one’s depressions.

I am still clueless about what goes in the mind of person before self-destructing himself. And frankly, I want to remain a clueless spirit in that matter for the rest of my life!

P.S: This post does not intend to denigrate the persons involved in the recent incidents. May their souls rest in peace. I offer my deep condolences to their families and friends.

If I Knew the FUTURE

It seldom happens that when you watch a sci-fi flick, you kind of get sucked into the whole idea of aliens, parallel universes and time travel. And, so it happened with me. I was just thinking about the "Time Machine" and for a fleeting second, one question crossed my mind; "What if I knew the Future?". What kind of effect will it have on me and whether knowing the future will be actually good or will it be just a bad omen? Juxtaposed with these questions, I wrote this poem. What I personally feel is that life should be lived in the present, neither in past nor in future.

IF I KNEW THE FUTURE

Life is a like running clock.
But with surprises and shocks,
You can’t predict the next minute,
Nor to the future, can you commute.

But, if the future was known to me,
And I could alter anything, let it be.
Would that be the ultimate boon?
Or a horrid curse like a menacing goon?

If I saw a future engulfed with darkness,
Would in a delirium, I go, with madness?
Or call for actions to set the present right?
Thence making everything crystals in plain sight.

If I saw a halcyon future sloshed with success,
Would I become complacent, seeing all the excess?
Or would I strive hardest to achieve the symphony?
Like a consummate Beethoven after the harmony.

At times, I wonder if Notradamus foresaw the future
Or were his prognoses like weatherman in a caricature?
Did he try to change the present course of history?
Or did he just lay back and start penning a great story?

If knowing the future gave bitter insomnia?
Or perhaps slowly inducted in paramnesia?
Innumerable questions cross my nous,
Countless doubts mired in an obscure cross.

But, above all, life would become insipid,
For all surprises and shocks would be pushed off the lid,
Gone would be life’s every quest, every adventure,
If somehow, just somehow, I got to know the future!

In HIGH Spirits

I wrote this poem around 3 weeks ago, but I did not post this on the blog, only because I thought that the mood wasn't right. Tonight, after completing a tedious 13 page assignment on "Spray Forming", a metallurgical process, it felt right to post this poem on the blog. I am hell tired and right now, I am looking forward to the next day to loosen up my entangled nerves. So, the setting is almost perfect. The poem is titled "In HIGH Spirits" and it captures the emotions when you enjoy a drink after a day of hard work.

IN HIGH SPIRITS

A long day and parched lips,

Mind shattered in shredded strips,

Longing for the colourless drink;

A world unravels in a blink.

The feeling is beyond any curse;

Brain becomes numb in a pulse. 

A new perspective, profound;

Not a single buzz or sound.

The deepest secrets come out,

Emotions cleared from fog of doubt,

Thence, the soul becomes feather light;

Like a hummingbird in its maiden flight.

A pitcher of Long Island, cold;

New virgin dimensions unfold,

On an altitude of twenty storey,

Sixth sense augmented by Bloody Mary.

Bygone memories rewind in a flash,

Success and failure stacked in a stash.

Myriad shades explored in vodka shots, 

The mind begins to connect the dots.

Let your psyche run wild;

As if a canvass painted by a child.

Leave all your worries behind,

Since it is your turn to unwind.

*CHEERS!!!*