My Ideas/Thoughts/Experiences

Marriage in India, is considered to be one of the most auspicious occasion and is an one tome event in one’s life. As human race progresses, marriages have also undergone some considerable amount of change in them as well to cope up with the changes. This is not a comparative study but just some views about the changes that has been brought up.

Past:

People used to get married young and would marry for economic reasons. They used to get married wo married who they were told to marry. They had children right away, and lots of children. They stayed in their marriages even if they were unhappy, abused or felt unfulfilled. People used to get married to solve the disputes between two tribes/clans etc. also. There are incidents also wherein a guys goes out and captures a women.

Matchmaker also had an important role to play in this period. People used to rely to them for arranging marriages.

Present:

Today, more and more couples are waiting until they are in their 30’s to marry. They often don’t marry due to economic reasons. They marry someone they love. They postpone having children, and they limit the number of children they do have. If the marriage doesn’t work out, they have no guilt in getting a divorce.

Future:

There will be fewer people getting married. There will be less social stigma with couples who want to live in non-traditional arrangements. Same-sex marriage will be accepted in more countries.

Courtesy:
http://about.com

A small incident which I thought I should write about, to let others also know about it.

I needed to get some vegetables so was my friend. And as such we went to the market to get those. We checked the price of some items with the local shops and later went to the supermarket to check the same for better pricing. We got Chili and Potato. The displayed price of Chili and Potato was Rs. 16.50 each. We happily got the items, as the price was on the lower side as compared to the outside market. Bill was generated and after paying we started to move out, but suddenly my friend had a look into the bill and just for his curiosity went to check the displayed price. To our utter dismay, there was the price difference. The supermarket charged Rs. 19.00 and Rs. 18.90 respectively for those items. It seemed that we were cheated. When inquired, we were given a blunt reply saying that the prices are valid only the next day. We had to argue with the staff to get the correct price for those items.

On the other day, we went to another supermarket to get some stuff. We got the stuff, but the free items that were listed in the packs were not given to us. Had to have an argue again to get it. Doesn’t it make sense that the person’s billing it, should have accounted for the free items listed.

What I felt is that, as the number of supermarket grows along with it’s consumer base, the profit that they make with small difference in the price increase per quantity is very much. And in this fast life where there is very less time for all this, very few people check whether they are paying the price of the item as displayed. Maybe since the number of items that we brought were less and hence we were able to find the price difference of the items. But as the quantity grows you tend to loose the displayed price of each item and we take into granted that the supermarket has charged for what we have brought and as per the price. I think it is time to open one’s eyes and as the popular add goes “Jago Ghrahak Jago”.

This would seem silly to many people but the real fact is supermarket’s are minting money from our ignorance.

This is from one of the forwarded mails which I had received from Mr. Venkat.

In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?

Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?

Why is it that when we transport something by car, it’s called a shipment, but when we transport something by ship, it’s called cargo?

Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?

In what other language do thay call the third hand on the clock the second hand?

Why is it called a TV set when you get only one?

Why – in our crazy language – can your nose run and your feet smell?

Sometimes you have to believe that all English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane:

If olive oil is made of olives, what do they make baby oil from?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian consume?

A writer is someone who writes, and a stinger is something that stings.

But fingers don’t fing and grocers don’t groce.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth?

If the teacher taught, why isn’t it also true that the preacher praught?

If harmless actions are the opposite of harmful actions, why are shameless and shameful behavior the same?

English is a language in which you can turn a light on and you can turn a light off and you can turn a light out, but you can’t turn a light in;

In which the sun comes up and goes down, but prices go up and come down.

In which your nose can simultaneously burn up and burn down and your car can slow up and slow down, in which you can fill in a form by filling out a form and in which your alarm clock goes off by going on.

English is a crazy language. What is it that when the sun or the moon or the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible?; and why when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I shall end it?

Oops, not a good topic to write about. Anyway one of my colleague Aswin called me and asked whether he can stay with me for a day, and have some fun at home, since we have not met each other for some months. Invited our common friend Shrikant also, but he was busy with some other work and hence was not able to make it. Anyway we two were at my place cooking dinner. Thought of drinking but my friend was not up for drinking as he was trying to quit. To my utter surprise he had a small amount of weed in a plastic bag. Hurray! party mood on. He mixed tobacco along with weed and prepared a cigar (looked liked the same). After cooking was over, we both went to the balcony to smoke. Though one cigarette does not make one high, but still it has been some years since I last smoked weed.

We had dinner and slept like anything, only to get up at 8.30am in the next day.

Well what to say. The topic itself is self-explanatory.

There was this death of one of the colleague’s sister’s who was a `Christian` by birth. She was born and brought up in Mumbai as as such holds the registration in one of the church therein. She was married to a `Muslim`. After suffering from cancer, she passed away one day at her residence in Bangalore.

The worst part begins. Life can’t be so bad after death also. Being a `Christian` she would have to be cremated. But as the request was passed on to the church authorities, they refused to do so saying that since she was registered in Mumbai, they are not in a position to cremate her at Bangalore. WT.? My friends persuade to the church authorities but all in vain. It seemed like screaming in front a deaf person. The `father` of the church ask them to raise the matter to his higher authorities `bishop` for it to get cremated. But by that time, everyone had lost their patience.

My friend later ask her family members whether it can be done by `Hindu` rituals, to which all of them agreed. The body was later burnt as per `Hindu` rituals. Well lucky fellow, to be a part of all the religions.

My question. Is `Hindu` religion being too generous? I am not a person to comment on it. But what I felt after the incident is that, we created `Religion` first and then `God`. There is no place for humanity in today’s world. That’s what we have.

Almost two years as of today. The doom day, 10th March 2007, 2:30 am. It was early morning or as you can say late night when I lost someone, who is/was very close to my heart, admist social values. Whom I have loved more than myself. It was not the matter of just one person but my whole family. My wife `Jahnovi`, unborn children `Pooja` and `Rahul`. At that moment I felt like killing myself, but why?

Am I still alive to find the answer to the question or what, or still trying to figure out what was wrong or what went wrong. This lives a big question on my life.

I am still searching for my lost wife and childrens with a hope that they will one day or the other I will find them from the past. I think that I am not so perfect as one should be, taking things as granted or taking life too easy with whatever comes my way …. One needs to learn from the past but am I dumb enough not to learn from it?

Hmm … Not a nice topic to write about, but since it happened, so why not write it! The auspicious day was 15th Feb, when I met with an accident.

We were coming from Gopalaswamy Betta near Bandipur National Park in three bikes. Partha an Mani in Passion, Guru and Ishier in Pulsar while I was on my Platina. Guru zoomed passed at 90 kmph, while Partha at 70 kmph. I was leisurely driving at 55 with speed lock on.

It was 10 kms from Bendur when a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction took a right turn without any indication. I applied brakes but it was unstoppable. Just bumped straight into it. Both the man and women fell to the ground. I also fell after them. Seemed like an AXN stunt. For one moment, I thought I was in heaven. Grabbed my mobile, gave SOS call to Partha and Ishier. Wrist swollen by that time.

Came back to Mysore late in the evening after waiting for hours for the policemen in Bendur Police Outpost. Thought of logging a complain, but no time to visit Bendur agian and again. Mani, Partha and myself went to Aditya Nursing Home. I was feeling dizzy by that time as I had not have enough food. I just felt down on the hospital floor after informing Partha that I am going to fall . He had no time to react to what I said. Waited for the doc to put a POP and came back to Bangalore that night itself.

It was on 19th Feb 2009, that I was admitted to the Baptist Hospital by Ashok Rao and Purushottam. Room number 3202, deluxe room. And after staying leisurely for one and half day, the `D` day came. It was 21st
Feb 2009 that I was being operated. I went into the OT at around 7:30 am and the time I got my senses back was at around 11:30 am. A Titanium Plate had been implanted in the right hand with 16 staples to
support the incision. The staples were removed on 7th March 2009. The doctor asked to do lot of exercise. While writing the article there is still no wrist movement.

I would like to thank Mr. Prem Chand Gautam, Mr. Ashok Rao, Mr. H. Venkatraman, Mr. Purushottom Suryarao, Mr. Avinash Chinchure and Mr. H. Krishnamurthy for all the help. I know there is no word such as `Sorry` and `Thanks` between friends but still. I would also like to thank Mrs. Maithily, Mr. Abdul, Mr. Chakrapani and Mr. Pranab Kumar Deka.

Last but not the least, Mr. Shrikant Gaikwad, who is always there, whenever I am admitted to a hospital.

Hmmm… A nice article to begin with. What do you think it is all about? Attitudes hah! What is that and how does one get (not the perfect word as the article goes on, it should have been ‘acquired’) it? This is not an article to teach you about it but just a small instance of what it can do when one feel oneself in the pinnacle of it.

The *narrative* story begins as such …

I had a chance to visit one of the reputed institute of India, National Centre of Biological Sciences, a sister institute of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. I was quiet amazed at the area the institute spans and how it has been maintained. Kudos to all the garden staff for that. The academic block, the administrative wing along with the substation, animal house, computer services were all well maintained. It is a great pleasure to see all the places inside NCBS as it is normally called. Being a research institute funded by
the DAE it is quiet remarkable to maintain it in such a high state.

I had the priviledge to attend one of the conferences that was going on in the institute. The number of participants were all great. It was a 5 day conference spanning from 14th December 2007 to 18th December 2007. During those days I got a chance to meet some of the great faculties in the field of biological research. I was quiet amazed at the rate at which they are working. Kudos to them as well as to the technical staff that were helping them in making such a great institution.

But the feature that diverted my mind during that period, was the disturbance the place was going on, as the phone lines along with the main internet line being down for almost 4 days in a row. Though the internet was working at a snail’s pace but the phone lines were all dead. The whole of technical staff was working in full strength as a team to make the phone lines working so that the institute accessible from the outside world.

The down side of it was the attitude that some of these *great* faculties had. One is excepted to co-operate in such a situation but some (as I have already mentioned) *great* faculties were too unbearable. A situation that aroused was when the phone lines started working but the individual number misplaced by the technicians. This was just a minor mishap that occurred, but the way some of these *great* people reacted was too much. The language that they spoked, the way they use to pull the leg of the technical team as well as the working staff is not bearable. Is that the attitude the some of the faculty members of this great organization have towards them? And why is that the employees have to bear all those? Just because they are paid for it? Don’t they have any respect to them? One can understand the level at which they are working but these does not mean you show disrespect to the other people.

I was shocked. What to believe and what not? Should I go again to this great institution or should I not? Should I join in as a student there or not. The most probable answer that I see is ‘No’. If the faculty has no respect for the employees working out there then what would be the situation of the students. I know that many of the students will be against me but I can’t help it. It is just my personnel opinion what I have seen and what I felt. I very well know about the condition of the people working out there. Great pressure to deliver the output on time.

Last but not the least it is a great institute in the area of bilogical research and one should feel great to visit this place but not so great on the attitude side of some of the *great* faculties.

Note: I repeatedly say *some* as most of the faculty doesnot carry these *great* attitudes. I humbly apologize if I have unknowingly hurt the feelings of the members of this institute along with the faculty members.