Random passing thoughts!

Hi Dear,

That is what life is.. Nice blog.. :-)

Roorkee is just like that.. makes you learn what life is.. in a complete form, not confining to something specific. Had it not been Roorkee and any other IIT, I do not know how much you learn.. (as I never was a part of any, except Roorkee)

You rock,man.. Liberate your thoughts and keep them on paper (here, blog :P)

Best Wishes,
Vani.

Well, Vani, I have to say thank you for that! I do agree with you about IIT Roorkee!
This was the one place where i got to reinvent myself completely, be different from who I was before. I knew no one from before and no one knew me. I made the greatest friends, met the greatest people, whom I will never forget. I wanted this opportunity to say thank you to all of them. They are so many that I can never name them all. The guys in civil department, the guys who live along my lane.. All the womenfolk in SB who still talk to me despite the sexist jokes I make about women being given preferential treatment and all.. Seniors whom I owe a lot to and still have a lot to learn from.. All the juniors whom I have worked with and hope to stay in touch with later..Throughout my four years here, if I want to be remembered, I want to be remembered as someone who was fair and treated everyone fairly. I am not expecting universal support in this area but I tried to be fair to everyone I met, friend or supposed foe. I learnt a lot at IIT Roorkee about people and their motivations. How the smallest of things that I think do not matter, but other people care a lot about it.

Anyway, onto other things, out of sheer boredom, I have decided to make this blog writing thing a habit considering that there is no other outlet for this stuff and the only one intelligent enough to comprehend this is me. I was just looking at a painting by van gogh, starry night.. The wavy curls of colours that blend into the sky over a town and looking over a cliff. I could stare at that image and come out with a different meaning everytime. I saw that painting in real life once in the Boston museum, and it is really breathtaking.. There was this Van Gogh exhibit once there, and those paintings in real life speak to you. Its as if the painter is behind you whispering their meaning and the reason for its existence, every colour, every line, the perspective, everything..

So moving on from arts, I wanted to talk mainly about the raging issue around the world today, the Olympic torch run across the world by China and hostile reception it has received. This being done in protest over the treatment of Tibet by China. China has to resolve its identity issue between the Mainland and the Hinterland which is dividing it. Using the PLA to govern is not a solution considering the fact that there is a reason why you seperate the army and the police. The army protects you from enemies outside the state. The police protects you from enemies of the state. Once the army controls the police, the people tend to become the enemies of the state. (this being taken from battlestar galactica). This is the issue facing China today. It had used the PLA in the case of Tianenmen Square in 1989, and faced international condemnation and again not learning from history using it against Tibet. It is a more fundamental issue they need to recognize their identity as a communist state. The economic policies that they follow are more liberal than the democratic countries and causes a huge gulf between the rich and the poor of China. With over a billion people, the largest army and one of the largest countries in terms of size, the disparity is apparent. Its inhumane one child policy and killing of babies before they crown, causes further discontent among the people. The leaders of China no longer are in touch with the reality of the crisis they face, hoping that a few gimmicks on the world stage can resolve an internal issue. The vox populi across the world condemn this treatment and China should well take notice of it. With globalization being more than a buzz word and a phenomenon, it could have serious repercussions on their economy. This Olympics has more in common with the Berlin games of 1936 than ever with these issues being identified with it. It is a very symbolic gesture that the people have taken against China. I just hope that this does not become a page in the newspaper but a step towards China being part of world's community. A little side story here..The guy in the photos who stopped in front of a tank in Tianenmen square, he was arrested and shot as a traitor to the country. They billed the family for the bullet they used to kill him. I think something akin to the embargo placed by the world on South Africa in the case of apartheid is the only way we can get China to recognize human rights.

Political Activism is banned on campus and I have to ask is it correct that it can be so? Freedom of expression is a right granted by the Constitution. Banning it on campus is not only wrong but also stifling. As long as the activism does not disrupt the functioning on the campus, it should be allowed. This is the only way we can get things to be noticed. Considering that many people who are here are going to go on forward to occupy important positions both in private and public life, it is important that they be cognizant of the social issues that dominate the world. To put this in perspective, many people have died to get these rights for the people and we are giving it up willingly. There should be a proper outlet for the collective anger. People here have a right to an opinion and they should be given a way to express themselves.

As I am writing this blog I am listening to the song by Bob Dylan, Times they are a changin'.. His voice and his lyrics are probably one for the ages..Never again will there be one like him.. "Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen, and keep your eyes wide, the chance wont come again and dont speak too soon for the wheel's still in spin.." This captures the mood of the moment and this is more relevant than before.."..Get out of the way if you dont understand!"