Perspectives and perceptions

Well, elections are barely a month away and the political fever is catching up everywhere. I'm 21, going to be 22 this year. I've been eligible to vote for almost 4 years now and I will vote this year. Pavratti, the campaign manager of the Jaago Re (Tata Tea) campaign, had come to SIMC (Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Lavale Campus, Pune). He is an alumnus of the institute. He spoke at length about how the campaign has aimed to make a difference to the scenario of the youth voting. He actually proved to us (students) mathematically, how we CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE! The probability, the numbers, everything is in our favour. If only we decide we want to make that difference. The website created is really amazing. jaagore.com just click on it and you'll know why. It enables you as a first-time voter to understand the process and download and fill forms. If you are an existing voter but have some changes, links are available in the downloads sections too.

Reading a book filled with some amazing images, I fight back tears, Hunched up in a corner, subtly caressing those pages, I mildly shiver, Imagining the life that she must've led, Reading about the crusades that she fought against the press, I wonder how the fairy tale must've unfolded, For all we say is the train that trailed... Born a Spencer, died the Princess Diana, Having lived her life on her own terms, Touching patients, kids, and lives, She gladdened many-a-heart, So many memories captured and treasured, That we stay in awe of her, So many people whose lives she touched, Remember and cherish the beauty in her, The world saw what they had wanted to see, A family saga, with moments of glee, Few saw her for who she really was, A warm-hearted, loving, caring woman, With a passion to swim and dance, She not only brought attention to the plight of many, She called for changes in the lives of many, Fighting for causes of landmines and HIV/AIDS, She was a symbol of hope till he

We step out of our homes (assuming you live in the suburbs) and you hail for an auto to take you to the station, to your work, to the doctor or to any place you want to go to. This comfort is almost always taken for granted until they go on a strike! Oft late, I seemed to have become the passenger who is a listener. For some reason, I still can't figure out what, the auto-drivers seem to find me approachable to talk to.. Conversations are on diverse topics, some initiated by me when it comes to literacy, reading, bank accounts, garbage disposal, etc. but most are by them regarding their work, their lifestyles, etc. Conversation 1 Route: Bandra Stn. to home We started talking about his family and the fact that his children are now studying. Suddenly, he spoke in English. Mind you, it was excellently spoken. I'm usually very critical when it comes to languages, and this guy passed the test with flying colours. His accent was neutral, language was almost fluent! I was thoroughly i

A musical is like a breath of fresh air. For me, it's an outlet for a voice that's been away in hiding... I've always loved musicals, My Fair Lady and Sound of Music are movies that make me want to sit up, and sing! Sister Act (I and II) was fun too! We had heard a lot about Mamma Mia, but somehow we kept missing it at the theatre... Until finally my mom and I decided that today was it. We were just going to see it! And we did! To begin with we saw the movie at Gem which is just a tiny theatre with a capacity of 40 people. It was a late night Saturday show. Most people knew the songs of abba even before they walked in. The movie begins and there’s this cheerful girl who starts singing honey, honey and suddenly we realized that we are not the only ones humming the song. In fact people are singing the songs! The lyrics were being displayed on the screen and so we all started singing along with the movie and it turned out to be a sing-along mamma mia! Just like that! Without a

For a long time now, I've been in love with romantic comedies... I just can't seem to get enough of them. Today, I saw Notting Hill for the 'nth' time, although for some reason the movie completely eluded me... it was when I saw it that I remembered having seen it previously... Anyways, so I've finished watching this movie, and I know that the next time I read 'Notting Hill' in the schedule, I will sit to watch the movie like I would for 'You've got mail' and 'Sleepless in seattle' and the other million lovely romantic comedies... Until I asked myself why? What is it that makes me want to go back and watch these movies... the fact that love exists? the fact that you could have a day like that? the fact that these dreams are not unachievable? the fact that for once you want to feel like that? or what? Pondering, I am still thinking... Framing my thoughts while I pen this down... I dismiss my own theories because I know that I have felt thi

For a long time I've been thinking, there are so many little things that we notice each day. I'm going to start writing them down as each day goes by... Day 1 (Thursday) I'm on my way back from a meeting at Malad, and in the train, on one of the stations, a transgender walked in. Most of the times they're loud, garish and overtly obvious. She was different. I would call her 'she' because she was one. Graceful, beautiful and very feminine. Clad in a short kurta with pants and a duppatta, she was dressed like any tall big woman would be. Of course she didn't hold herself in the way women would, she was comfortable the way she was. I think that's what matters. Her eyes were the most striking feature of all, sharp, deep black, kind, tender and smiling. When a fellow passenger was attempting to get in, she was looking at her just like we would and she mildly reproached her. I think, with that small an interaction, not that I spoke to her, I was merely obser

Since childhood, I've heard my mother say this to me very often, Don't ask me questions, Do it because I say so! It was my father who always told me, Keep asking questions till you're satisfied with the answer. Obviously referring to being satisfied as in being satisfied that your curiousity is justified. This being the base, I set off on my journey... Somewhere I lost track and then now have taken up that path again. Intelligence is not only about giving the right answers, it's about asking the right questions too. We tend to overlook this aspect almost completely, until realisation dawns upon us. Why don't people ask questions then? Does it mean that they're not curious about anything? Does it reflect their attitudes towards things? Does it indicate their insecurity? Does it show their inability to handle the responses? All this and more... I think to begin asking questions, the primary base is that, you don't accept what's in front of you without thin

have you ever had a pet? I do... I lost my dog today in an accident in the elevator, by the time we rescued her, she had already died... it made me stop and think, about the multitude of things that we do, and the pace at which we work. made me realise the importance of slowing down the pace, because these moments that we live are precious. a beautiful dog she was.. when she was a pup, we'd brought her home from the streets, she was a tiny little thing, only 6 inches long and could barely walk straight.. her eyes hadn't opened yet, obviously the gardener had snatched her away from her mother while she was still weening. when she grew, she loved to sit at our window sill and bark away to glory.. thinking about it, makes me smile now... she was so tiny, she would slip under my divan which was barely 6 inches high, and she'd curl up there and sleep.. the first time she did that, we had no idea where she was, and it was crazy trying to search for her, the small thing that she w

Stepping into a new place, be it an institution, a workplace, or just another group of people, we all are very receptive about the perceptions that we create in the minds of people. Most often, the perceptions that people have about us are based on what they feel when they’re around us. Through my school life, I never noticed anything awkward or different about people’s perception towards me. In college, things were different. I still remember the moments when I walked into a class, and introduced myself to everyone, and then slowly got around to knowing people and then becoming close friends with a group of them. After the initial months had passed, when we embarked on a casual conversation about what we all had thought of each other at first, I was surprised to hear, that everyone had perceived that I had lots of “attitude.” Back then, having “attitude” was misconstrued by me as being “bad”. I’m sure many still make that mistake. Let’s define what we mean by attitude

Jusqu’à maintenant, j’ai pensé que c’est un mot qu’on utilise pour “why” mais c’est pas ça! C’est plutot pour “what for” :) Pour c’est for et quoi c’est what, et si on utilise les deux dans un mot, c’est logique que cet mot être a le sense de “what for” Je ne sais pas beaucoup d’abord l’attitude de les française, mais qu’on ma professeur a me enseigne, elle a toujours dit que ils pose la question pourquoi pour tous les choses! Et je pense que “what for” justifie cet attitude plus mieux que “why” :) C’est un nuance d’aprés moi, je ne sais pas si ça sera correcte ou non! ___________________________________________________________________ Until now I always thought that “pourquoi” is a word that we use in place of or synonymous to “why” but it isn’t so I think. “what for” seems more appropriate. “Pour” is for, and “quoi” is what, so if we use these two words in one, it’s logical to think that the word means “what for” I don’t know much about the attitude of the Frenc