Yashas Mahajan's Blog, page 40
April 17, 2017
Word of the Week #55:
It is not often that I forget to reschedule a draft, leading to it being published erroneously. And, of all the posts, it had to be this one…
It is almost poetic, the way this happened, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, without further ado, let us talk about the elephant in the room; and might I add that any symbolism here is accidental but, once again, poetic.
Yeah, you probably do not need to check the dictionary to know what the word means, right?
But do you really know what it means?
As we head into the great season of Examinations and Admissions, we will find our Facebook feed filled with a very specific type of posts, most which go along these lines:
He got 92 marks
I got 192 marks
Now, he is in his IIT Hostel, enjoying ultra-high-speed-broadband
I am sitting at home, posting this using the Jio SIM whose days are now numbered
Okay, I admit, I am just paraphrasing, but it does touch a nerve, am I right?
But does reading such random spews of misguided anger help you understand the situation? I doubt it.
I must mention that, for several years, I have tried to ignore such posts, attributing them to sore losers polluting the internet with their petulance. There was a time, last year, when I did write a post on the topic, but I never published it, because… Well, I do have a book to sell, and I simply do not need the negativity.
However, over the past year or so, I have seen a rise in the voice of the aforementioned losers, and they have never had any strong, vocal opposition.
What worries me most is the fact that this rhetoric has been employed by seemingly intelligent, educated youth from affluent families.
Of course, the word “affluent” is highly relative. For the moment, let us employ it for every person reading this on a personal electronic device not bought through his/her personal income… Or a sold kidney or something…
Anyone, I think it is time for me to speak up on the matter because, as a man much greater than us all once said:
“If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.”
― Albert Einstein
Of course, now that I am speaking up, I would like to remain fair, although the same can no longer be said about my skin. To that end, I intend to equally hurt the sentiments of all the three sides of this debate.
1. To The Sore Loser:
“Those who plead their cause in the absence of an opponent can invent to their heart’s content, can pontificate without taking into account the opposite point of view and keep the best arguments for themselves, for aggressors are always quick to attack those who have no means of defence.”
― Christine de Pizan, The Letter of the God of Love
Let me begin by saying something that, unfortunately, needs to be said out loud:
CASTEISM STILL EXISTS.
Yes, one really cannot discuss a caste-based system without first discussing casteism, right…
Of course, it may no longer be as overt as it once was, particularly in the urbanised areas of our country, but it still does exist. Also, do note that two-thirds of our population still resides in villages and such, where the situation can be far direr.
Even a sideway glance at a newspaper would bring to your eye at least one incident of such discrimination any given week, but who has time for a newspaper these days, right?
I cannot, at this moment, dive into the nuanced topic of casteism. Still, I think the Khairlanji massacre from 2006 ought to be brought to your attention. I would not speak much about it, for the matter is still sub judice.
Coming back to the topic, let us discuss your most popular arguments…
1. The ‘Reserved vs Deserved’ Argument
This one, let me tell you, drips with the rankest sort of social prejudice, and quite frankly, does not even deserve our time.
However, let me just say that while meritocracy may seem like a tempting idea, always remember a very simple fact. If you cannot make it now, you will not make it then.
2. It goes against Equality
Well, guess what? Affirmative action, which is the correct term, is not meant to create Equality directly or by itself. Instead, it is meant to ensure participation of every oppressed minority group in the society, through easier access to education and employment opportunities.
Inequalities created through millennia of discrimination cannot be undone in some 70 years.
Nonetheless, data indicates that India has grown closer towards socio-economic equality than it has ever been in the recorded history.
Of course, a lot still needs to be done.
3. Nobody else does it
Well, just because you do not know something does not make it true.
You should probably read about the implementation of Affirmative action in the US, and elsewhere, in one form or the other.
It is also noteworthy that their actions are often in response to oppression lasting a couple of centuries, not a couple of millennia. Hence, their measures need not be as drastic as ours.
Yes, it is not exactly a quota system, and I don’t see how that is better. Without the quotas defined and declared, the admission officer could probably just say, “Hmm! I feel like having Mexican, today…”
4. It is inefficient
So are diesel-powered vehicles… But they are still prevalent in India, are they not?
Just because a scheme is inefficient, or ineffective, or insufficient, does not mean we totally scrap it.
Try to learn about the ObamaCare hullabaloo, when you get a moment.
And, until you do, let me offer the following analogy:
If you are expecting to have a child and decide your current residence is inadequate, would you first sell the current house before finding another more suitable?
Now, this scenario is tough enough for a nuclear family… Imagine the predicament faced by the head of a family of 1.2 billion people.
What other arguments are there? I cannot remember them all. There is only a limited amount of nonsense a human mind can contain, and I like to keep mine reserved for the fictional kind. Looks like, even here, you fail to make the cut.
Of course, whenever further arguments keep cropping up, I will keep updating the post.
Now, one can only hope that you try to accept facts as they are, understand the underlying reasons, and stop whining. But you probably won’t do that, would you?
2. To The Smug Beneficiary:
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
― John F. Kennedy
Yes, you are well within your rights to claim this opportunity to safeguard your future, and only a fool would let that go… Right?
Well, that might be true for now, and granted, the literacy rates and representation in public sector jobs has increased in the past few decades, but is that enough?
Have the benefits of these schemes truly permeated throughout the community, or are they now being hoarded by certain families, generation after generation?
Soon, this would create a bigger gap between the lower and middle class, which would lead to class struggles and greater segregation.
This was, after all, meant to be a temporary crutch for a community crippled by generations of injustice. What happens when it is time to remove the crutch? Can the community stand on its own feet? If not, can it lean on your shoulders?
After all, one must admit that the system has its flaws, and a consensus cannot be reached when only one side is making all the noise.
But hey! You got yours, so why bother…
3. To The Silent Bystander:
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
I can understand the preference for silence. After all, that has been my own stance for as long as I can remember. However, I do believe that there do come certain points in history when every individual has to take a stand.
We have all read about our Independence Movement, the French Revolution, the American Civil Rights Movement, and other few events that changed the course of history, largely for the better of humanity.
Another change is on the horizon.
Where do you stand?
April 11, 2017
Word of the Week #54:
Judiciary is fun. Especially when you are the one judging others.
And, in an astounding judgement earlier this week, the Bombay High Court found that a man was not guilty of murdering his wife for the rather peculiar reason that the man wanted to burn his wife, but did not intend to kill her.
To be fair, I should add that the accused was found guilty of “manslaughter without intent” and would have to serve a sentence of 10 years of imprisonment.
So, basically the same length of time as it would take for his appeal to be heard by the Supreme Court.
The Judge overseeing the case, obviously, took her cue from a Supreme Court order which takes a similar stand.
As you would know, the Indian judiciary is quite similar to Indian families: The behaviour of the eldest child automatically becomes the framework for the behaviour of all subsequent children.
Now, I am quoting a sparsely sourced news article so one cannot really assume complete authenticity but apparently the Honorable Judge had the following words to say about the accused:
“[He] only wanted to inflict burns and not kill her but unfortunately the situation slipped out of control to a fatal extent.”
I am sure you can all relate to the poor man, right?
After all, what husband does not set his wife on fire, in what one would assume is just a creative, and rather literal, reenactment of a popular song by Eninem and Rihanna.
One time things spiral out of control, and you will call the guy a murderer? Come on!
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.
He even extinguished the fire and took her to the hospital, right? What more do you want?
In a day and age when you cannot always trust even an ambulance driver to take you to a hospital, this man should probably be given a medal…
But not by the Fire Department, of course. That would be like rubbing salt into a second degree burn. Or so I presume…
One would think it is about time playing with fire should be restricted to fiction, right Almost 7,00,000 years of practice, but we still cannot keep it in our control.
Sigh… Humans are dumb…
April 4, 2017
Word of the Week #53:
No, I’m not going to make any “chasing tail” references and steer the conversation towards the infamous Anti-Romeo Squads. Whatever did Romeo do to these guys, anyway…
No, this word is basically just the answer to the question:
“What is the one tattoo you would like to get?”
Unlike the other tattoos depicted in Fullmetal Alchemist, and other such popular media, this one is actually viable, gives you the freedom to choose where you want to get it, and looks pretty neat.
People who aren’t familiar with FMA would probably remember this as one of the ways to kill oneself, in the old Snakes games, right?
Also, would it not make for an incredibly handy little ornament, with a secret poisoned tip to be used as a secret weapon? Just one of the things on my mind, you know. Anyway, I don’t want to reveal more about Book Two, right now…
What is the point of talking about all this, you ask?
Well, as you can see, this is our 53rd week online.
One cycle has ended, and the next has begun.
The infinite circle of life shall continue.
And, do remember.
Arrkaya: Immortals, coming soon…
March 27, 2017
Word of the Week #52:
Look. When people start using the same adjectives that commentators for decades have held in reserve for Shahid Afridi to describe you, it does make you question the entire universe, and your place in it.
Is it weird that I keep bringing him up?
To be very honest, he has been a major part of all our childhoods, has he not? Maybe not so much the impact as the sheer span of his presence.
Anyway, let us shift away from this topic before the Nationalist Brigade breaks into my house to confiscate my passport right on the eve of this fairly moderate, but nonetheless noteworthy, landmark.
Yes! Right now, at this moment, we have completed 52 weeks online. I would’ve made a New 52 reference, but I have not read any of those. I’ll just read them the next time Barry Allen refreshes the timeline.
And if, by any chance, you are failing to comprehend the importance of 52 weeks, I would say that serves as a scathing indictment of our schools.
Might as well just stop funding them altogether, eh, Big-Guy-With-Unexpectedly-Tiny-Hands?
Anyway, we really ought to come back to the aforementioned adjective…
You see, it has been brought to my attention that I may exhibit an unusually blasé attitude in face of gruesome events, such as the recent instance of violence in London.
Yeah, you know which one… The single incident that was globally televised, in a city which sees roughly twenty thousand violent crimes every month.
Of course, one cannot undermine the heinousness of the act itself, especially upon considering the place, time and modus operandi.
However, I do believe one must also look at it as an isolated act by an unstable man with a tendency towards violence, and not morph it into a buzzword that may conveniently allow local authorities to shrug off any culpability.
“I wonder what it says about the country that finds itself terrorised by one guy with a knife,” I remarked casually, during the discussion that ensued, earning the irk of our very own Shruti. I am pretty sure she must have, at that very moment, seen me as an incorrigible prick.
She is not wrong, either, but I do stand by the legitimacy of my logic, however inappropriate the words may have seemed at the moment.
“I believe,” I continued to justify my reasoning, “people, and regimes, make far too big a deal out of terrorism, which leads to a vicious cycle of fear, hatred and paranoia, which is exactly the point of terror.”
As one would expect, the discussion then drifted towards a definition of terror, which is probably an exercise in futility.
Nonetheless, I do feel I would discuss it, albeit at a different time.
The point, here, being that it may often be difficult to predict what exactly would trigger me, and what would wash by without leaving a trace.
In my own opinion, it is not completely random, for though this be madness, yet there is method to it.
In hindsight, I must say that I still do tend to digress far and wide from the topic, do I not? One would expect that, after entire year and exactly a hundred posts, I would have rid myself of this habit.
But, well, apparently not.
March 21, 2017
Word of the Week #51:
You are tempted to conclude it sounds like a detestable medical thing, are you not?
Well, if you do, you would be terribly mistaken.
The best way to elaborate its meaning would be by using the theme song of On Air With AIB, and I seriously hope you are familiar with it. If you aren’t, you might seriously be missing out on something truly interesting.
Yes, one can argue that their current season does not quite meet the impact of the previous one, but one must also keep in mind that Season One had weekly episodes and the consequent dilution in the intensity can be attributed to the increase in their frequency.
Now, I could have focused more on the artist who wrote the song than the artists who are using the song, but I have a deeper agenda, here. You see, I do want to talk about the many vital aspects of life in India discussed by the show in the language they know best: Humour.
Laughter, as they say, is the best medicine. Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show, is a prime example of a person who epitomises this adage.
Feel free to ignore the highly misleading title of the video…
It is quite interesting when you realise that, for a great segment of today’s opinionated youth, such comedy shows have become the most reliable sources of social and political commentary, while the trust in conventional journalism continues to plummet.
With the rise of entities like AIB and EIC back home, and the prevalence of Colbert, Kimmel, and most importantly, John Oliver, one can safely say that this is the Golden Age of social comedy.
Now, even if we do go down, we will go rolling on the floor.
March 13, 2017
Word of the Week #50:
Basically, the thing people always describe as holey…
What, they mean holy, you say? I never really knew. But, yeah, the general masses sounding that honest should have made me wary.
There are few words in this language that evoke as extreme reactions as this one, right?
Some would say, it is right up there with Demonetisation and Obamacare and Shahid Afridi…
Today, as we complete our 50 weeks online, I thought I might drop my own tuppence worth on the matter.
Firstly, let me just start off by saying that I always believed Afridi was an underrated bowler, until one fine day when he wasn’t.
Yeah, I believe this is what they call the ol’ switcheroo…
Okay, let us return to the topic, shall we?
Let us talk, for a moment or two, about what was clearly meant to be an ancient version of dibs, until it was blown way out of proportion.
Why do people marry?
Why must one specific individual marry?
Why does our society consider it axiomatic that every person of a certain age must marry?
If you meet that one particularly persistent Aunty, yeah, we all have one, and ask her these questions, you will earn yourself one deadly glare.
If only looks could kill, what an arsenal we’d have…
Now, certain individuals, or, as is more likely in this scenario, certain very specific groups of individuals, will probably accuse me of attacking this sacred institution, but really, why would I want to attack something so feeble and defenceless, especially when I can just sit back and watch it fall apart.
Ironically, and I hate this part, it is people who do have the ability to question the existing status quo regarding this and other such topics whose genes need to be propagated, for the benefit of mankind.
Well, it is not like one needs to get married to have kids… In fact, most unmarried people will tell you that not having kids is often the bigger concern.
Of course, there are others like me who can be better described as genetic landmines, more than goldmines. According to this article, WHO does intend to look after all the single ladies, yeah, I really wanted to use that phrase, all the single men, and all members of the LGBT community.
It puts a stake in the ground and says an individual’s got a right to reproduce whether or not they have a partner.
—Dr David Adamson
Now, that is a big, tangible step forward…
Oddly enough, while we seem to force this idea onto every man, woman and child, we still strive so hard to make sure the ones that already sold on the idea cannot marry the partners of their choice. And it is probably no surprise that, in a society where exogamy is still frowned upon, concepts like gay marriage seem like a distant dream.
But I still haven’t expressed my own feelings towards the rickety old bear-trap of an idea, did I?
To be honest, personally, I do hope to get married someday. Yeah, such an anti-climax, right? It is like the end of a musical, where the movie ends with the villain realising the error of his ways and joining in for one particularly soulful verse in the ending song.
Yeah, this turned out to be the Pain Arc of posts. Still, it was my favourite arc in Anime, ever, so that has to count for something.
Of course, that may well end up as a hollow dream. After all, who would ever willingly choose to marry me? And why?
Still, a man can dream…
March 6, 2017
Word of the Week #49:
Fun word, right? Right?
WRONG!
Basically, as the owner of a bank, how do you make sure people do not run away with their cash, leaving you high and dry?
Why, simply increase the transaction fees… That ought to shut them down, right?
Well, it has begun.
Just when we were done with all the demonetisation hullabaloo, the brightest minds (sic) in our banking sector, also known as the guys who put the Demon in Demonetisation, have decided to reintroduce penalties on failing to maintain a minimum balance and a plethora of charges for cash transactions.
Okay, these charges are not too high. It is what some would call chip damage, but nonetheless, the damages can still accumulate to make a significant difference, especially if you, like me, have hardly any money.
This is especially annoying while Paytm is being as reliable as our batting line-up on a turning track.
And, interestingly enough, in certain cases you will not need to pay anything if you have plenty of money.
Why, isn’t that nice?
Of course, that is just the norm. Your odds of having to pay for what you do are often inversely proportional to your bank balance, especially if it involves your driver smashing your car into other cars or dividers or pavements or humans, or whatever else tickles his fancy.
It must be fun, being rich…
But then again, having no money also has its perks. After all, how will charge you a transaction when I have no money to spend?
Oh, right, the minimum balance thing…
Why, thank you, guys at SBI… Thank you so much…
And may you forever stay low and moist, at our expense.
February 27, 2017
Word of the Week #48:
Well, as we know, the exact definition of certain words can vary with location and time.
Late last week, the Baltimore County Police Department decided to update, or perhaps simply reinforce, the definition of the aforementioned word within their jurisdiction.
Interestingly enough, a bystander happened to have a camera at hand, which is probably not a surprise in this day and age, to record the historic event.
Okay, so, the video might have had you wondering who are the victims and who are the victims, I suppose. Allow me to clarify, using the words of Former Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ed Norris.
Baltimore City, not Baltimore county, okay? Yeah, there is some difference, apparently…
“If you resist an arrest against a uniformed police officer they don’t lose and they’re going to do whatever they have to do to get you in handcuffs because they want to go home at night.
People forget as well, even though this teenager is unarmed and he may not be a hardened criminal by any means, but when you start fighting an arrest with the police there’s a gun in the fight, because the officer is wearing it and that’s always on their mind. People need to be cognizant of that.”
— Ed Norris, Former Police Commissioner, Baltimore City
Okay, so, as journalist Kirsten West Savali puts it succinctly in her article, the burden is on unarmed children to ensure that police officers don’t feel threatened by them.
The kid apparently been charged with assault on police. Yeah, well, second degree assault…
So, we thought we ought to compile a Baltimore English lexicon, in case any of our readers ends up there, and the following would be the first entry.
assault
/əˈsɑːlt/
noun [mass noun]
lying on the floor and yelling “STOP!”
being too shrill around a cop
being precariously close to a holstered gun
surviving an attack by a cop
being born on the wrong side of #FFCC88
PS: Just note what the cop tells the kid at 00:53. If that doesn’t calm an erratic young kid down, I wonder what will…
February 20, 2017
Word of the Week #47:
More often than not, we see this word being used in conjugation with “Spirits”.
Not the United Spirits one, of course… That is different…
I wonder if it is a byproduct of the advent of technology or simply a part of growing up, but the general and steady decline in the quality of conversation cannot be ignored.
I, for one, have always found myself quite inept at, and often infuriated by, what is generally defined by the term small talk, and the rise in its prevalence has been mirrored by my growing disinclination towards most social interactions.
However, every few days, or weeks, or even months if I’m being particularly unfortunate, I happen to find myself engaged in a sparkling conversation with either a relative stranger, or an estranged acquaintance, that somewhat reaffirms my faith in human contact.
In the wake of such an encounter, one must find oneself wondering exactly what sparked the exchange? Was it the person, the situation, the topic, or simply good luck? While I can never really know for sure, I do believe the birds of a feather argument does hold true…
It is interesting that I find myself repeating this quote. After all, some encounters leave an impact deeper than most.
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
February 14, 2017
Word of the Week #46:
So, it is finally 14th of Feb…
Oddly enough, I have never celebrated this day as most of the world does, or more often than not, strives to celebrate but fails.
In our household, this date has always had a special significance. Well, I say always, because 17 years does feel like an eternity for a 23-year-old, right?
Tonight, we remember the one who has often been considered the most memorable member of our family.
In Memoriam
[image error]Bobo (14/2/2000 – 14/2/2014)
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”
― Thomas Campbell
PS: Do not be fooled by the flowers… One suspicious move, and she would rip you into little shreds…
