The day that wasn’t!

1.     It is a Sunday morning. You wake up with a big smile and do first things first; check your mobile. You receive Good Morning messages from three unknown numbers and they have profile pictures of Lord Shiva, Marigold and Deepika Padukone. You wonder for a moment is that the real Padukone and then you smile at your joke. The messages have heavy images of garden and a rose and one good morning video that eats up mobile data yet doesn’t download. Your day has begun by getting annoyed.

2.     There is another WhatsApp and it is a forward sent by your uncle regarding heart transplant help for a poor child. It talks about forwarding it and the help that WhatsApp is going to provide. You have received this message for the thirteenth time and the same uncle had forwarded it six months back. You type a long message about hoaxes on social media and internet and just before pushing the send tab, you take a deep breath and delete it instead.

3.     You love Urdu poetry and read it to cheer yourself. You spend an hour with Ghalib, Jaul Elia and Faiz Ahmed Faiz and you have found that one couplet that has already made your day. You cannot resist sharing it on Facebook and within one minute, there are three comments and no likes; ‘All ok?’ ‘What happened?’ and ‘समझ नहीं आया पर अच्छा ही होगा’. You feel like banging your head on the wall but hold yourself.

4.     You want to be a rebel and think about torn Jeans for the first time. You contemplate about your old-fashioned self and the urge to be with times. After couple of hours you decide to take the plunge and now debate in your mind regarding from a store or online. It is an hour of serious thought and the deciding factor is indolence. You spend entire afternoon browsing online shopping websites. After risking credit card details at myriad places, sharing your mobile number and email id for receiving future spam, you are successful in payment. You pat yourself on your back and smile on being a man keeping pace with times; just then there is a curt auto generated sms that the product is out of stock and you can claim your refund.

5.     You spend another hour trying to locate the refund section on their website. You know all about their offers and products but you fail to find what you were looking for. You give them a call at the toll-free number and the auto-response system offers three options after every one. The diagram of the nuclear reaction chain comes to your mind and just then you hear a beautiful voice. The lady is extremely professional and polite, and asks you a dozen times as to how she could help. Just when you ask for refund, she cajoles/forces to go for another online purchase and you buy a Water jug. Your first online purchase was a success.

6.     You are desperate to rebel this day and you head towards a swanky apparel outlet.  Salesmen there outnumber shoppers by a ratio of ten and their hungry eyes struggling at their sale target evaluate the new sacrificial goat. Two salesmen are always behind you trying to sell perfumes, wrist watch and a best friend of the bridegroom outfit and you look at your receding hairline before discovering courage to ask for jeans that is torn (You mom already has many old ones that she has never thrown and some could be further torn but rebellion not prudence is the primary objective). You are embarrassed to look at price tags with prying eyes evaluating your purse and you end up selecting a seven T-Shirts and two trousers instead.

7.     You head towards the payment counters and scan length of the queues, efficiency and age of the billing clerks. You run various algorithms in your mind to decide which one would be the fastest. The time spent in the queue is full of anxiety and you hate to see three other queues moving fast. Just before your turn is about to come, you find a beautiful smiling girl heading towards your counter with just one item in hand. You pray that the person standing behind objects but even he does not and the obvious happens. Word stupid comes to your mind but you try to beguile yourself with chivalry instead.

8.     You come home tired and open the Idiot Box. Gaudy looking housewives are busy taking revenge and there is a beautiful lead who took two years to get married and will take another three to consummate. There is also a Nagin nearby along with black magic and predictable storylines. You convince yourself that you are here for the background music score and you love to see the camera focussing on face when it plays. The solace is that they always have some beautiful faces prepared to directly attend a wedding function after shoot. You become snobbish after sometime and tune on English news. Arnob Goswami is taking to task a timid guest and though the guest tries to murmur a protest, his mike has already been muted. It brings on that eerie memory of a unreasonable teacher/bully who could never be wrong and you turn the television off. 

9.     You open your diary to clear your heart and try to pen down things you do not like. The list goes on and on. You scribble that you don’t like stupid people and the majority in this world is already left out. You hate pretensions so you have nothing much for those who pretend to be smart. No one should be banal hence you can’t even tolerate one neither dumb nor smart. You also hate those who don’t get sarcasm. You think about a perfect man and after a long time you can only find one; the person scribbling these notes in diary.

10.  Your day wasn’t the one of your dreams but you always believe looking at the positive side. You thank god for everything that you have and whisper a small prayer in your mind. You turn off the light and are fully prepared to doze off. Just then your mobile beeps and a SMS declares that a lady on South Africa has bequeathed you ten million pounds. You just need to send them five hundred pounds as fund transfer charge. You smile and thank God for all the humour that goes around in this world. 

To Dear Darjeeling!

It is always the same with mountains. Once you have lived with them for any length of time, you belong to them. There is no escape. – Ruskin Bond

One day there was a big hailstorm which went on and on for an hour. Hails like stones hit entire town and everything turned white. Shaking trees, squealing tin roofs and thickening layer of snow all around, looked petrifying. When it ended, a big crowd gathered at Chowrasta and they started playing with ice. There were kids throwing snowballs at each other, a big snowman standing in between and mesmerized tourists who could still not believe their fortune. I was standing wide eyed at a corner, awestruck and completely in love with Darjeeling.

I have left a part of me in that moment; a part of that day still lives within me!

Finally the day has come to bid adieu to the place we called home for almost two years. There is something about this place that made farewell so melancholic.

The journey till Sandakphu is as difficult as it can be. There is a collection of rolling stones which is sometimes called road. The scenery is breathtaking yet altitude of almost 12000 feet makes breathing heavy. When we finally reached, we forgot our aching body parts because we first needed to survive biting cold. That night was difficult and we swore thousand times that we will never again make such a mistake. In the early morning when we witnessed the Kanchejungha in all its
glory, we could not believe something could be so majestic. The rays of the sun first kissed its peak and then embraced entire mountains. All of us were sitting quietly imbibing we just witnessed something so mesmerizing.

I remember a night at Dello Guest house. It was somewhat cold with pleasant breeze blowing all across Kalimpong. I was the only one taking a walk in that big garden and caretakers probably knew I am a Ghazal aficionado. They played it in the background and I stayed in that moment for a long time relishing solitude. I can still feel that cool breeze caressing me.

Once we got up at three in the morning to see the sunrise at Tiger hills. We cursed the shivering cold and the crowd, and big serpentine traffic jam that snarled uphill. There was a group of youngsters who sang and danced, and I wondered what made them so jolly in this cold. When the sun peeped in and myriad colours danced on the morning sky, I could not help but feel how small we are in front of this beauty. The sharpest memory of that day is the first ray of sun hitting the horizon and how fast colours change in the sky. I also remember those happy youngsters dancing in the crowd.

Once some of our friends came down from

Kolkata and we stayed at a Tea Garden. The bungalow was one of the finest I had ever seen and was surrounded by lush green tea bushes spread across the valley. It had hills on all sides and the breeze made a continuous buzzing sound while knocking at gigantic trees. We sat in the open balcony and debated religion and politics. We fought and argued and almost reached the verge of tearing each other’s clothes. We stayed awake almost entire night and then our dear A played guitar, as he often did. I will always miss those heated debates and those songs that I heard in numerous such gatherings. How will parties look without his guitar strings?

Many other images have stayed on with me. The forest drive of Sukhna looked so pristine that one could find zillion shades of green in it. The vast bank of river was like a scene out of apocalypse. There were times when did breakfast in our garden and had Kanchenjungha’s view in front for company. One night a leopard crossed the road in front of my vehicle and looked at us with his shining eyes before disappearing. When I traveled to Kalimpong, Teesta flowed along and its emerald green water gushing with fast pace looked serene yet intimidating. There were clouds that came and embraced
entire town and the fog that made everything appear mystic. The rain once started poured together for days. There were stories of Ghosts which came back haunting whenever I was alone in my bungalow. Everything was so silent at that time of night that only those who have ever lived that silence can understand it.

And then there were people who were strangers before and became part of our life. We shared good times and sorrows, and cemented our relationship with those memories. They changed me in many ways and all those times of happiness or of melancholy, made life worth living. They took away a part of me and I often find them in my personality. They may always be in our life, or this might have been our last meeting but whenever I would look back in life, I would remember them fondly.

I remember sitting idle one night in a balcony watching myriads of twinkling lights on a hill in front of me, and a strong overpowering feeling came along with it; this is how life is meant to be. A sign of ageing perhaps, the feeling that I may not be able to relive all this is unnerving.

I loved you my dear house. You allowed us to call it home and gave us pleasant memories. I loved you
dear mountains, and your fog and your mist. I loved your serpentine roads that revealed your beauty from different perspectives. I miss you dear friends and maybe I will never get to say this, I would always love you. I always felt that I will never belong to any place but I was wrong; I belong to you, my Beloved Darjeeling!

Ten Habits of Highly Effective Meeting Contributors- Simple Ways to Prove Yourself Smart!

Meetings are the most important activity in life of any professional. It is also the best time to tell this world who is most intelligent of them all. Follow these simple principles and emerge from any meeting unscathed, shining and smart:

1.      Well begun is half done; the first step to keep others intimidated from the start. Arrive early for the meetings, if it is at 10am, reach ten minutes before and then look at your watch and give dirty looks to all those entering the hall.

2.      Nod your head gently when someone speaks and make eye contact with as many as you can. This will emphasize that you perfectly understand all that and such an opinion was never expressed. You have also proved only you could decipher that.

3.      Scribble notes at times. Write ‘Twinkle twinkle little star, I have no idea why I came this far’ but appear serious and scribble it down. Underline it twice. Repeat the head nodding and again make some eye contacts. Others will be terrified by all that they have missed.

4.      To appear updated with technology, use gadgets like iPad/Tablet. Fiddle with them all the time and show your neighbors any junk data that Google search throws about the topic. Smile sarcastically at the speaker and then share the smile with anyone willing to do that. Reputation of the speaker is already destroyed.

5.      Interrupt the speaker occasionally and make generalist remarks like ‘that was a very interesting point, but are you really confident there can be no counter argument to that’. It will take some time to understand you actually meant nothing at all and you have already proven who is smart. Never take sides and never call something good or bad. Just words like interesting would be fine.

6.      You will have to do a lot of effort to answer difficult questions, instead keep asking them all the time. In a meeting relating to Vector borne diseases, ask questions like ‘Are you really sure mankind has discovered all the existing diseases or there may still be some where we are totally off the point?’ Once other participants are bowled over by your point, go back to your sleep/rest mode.

7.      Point out any obscure data from the handouts circulated and quote it whenever you find opportunity and time. Ask things like ‘In the year 1976 when Vector borne incidents were 127893 in the country, our city was still at 389. What can be the factor of error in this calculation?’ Most of the participants would have already fallen from their chairs by the time you are finished. 

8.      When your turn comes, speak in vague terms like ‘Let us go beyond our brief and try to contribute together something that will ultimately result in finding solution to the multifarious problems that we have been looking along. Only by joining our brains in collaboration, we can do that. ’

9.      Finish on a positive note. No words are sweeter that those used for flattery. Say things like ‘I am wiser and enriched after hearing so many learned speakers around and it was my humble attempt to match and build up the trajectory that has already gone far.’

10.  Follow the points mentioned above and you have achieved what you want. Now you should not waste your time. Always carry a novel, sketch book or a game of Sudoku and effectively utilize your time.  

 Let no meeting disturb your peace and may your reputation climb greater heights! 

PS: Just in case one is satirically challenged, a satire is a satire, is a satire. Nothing less, nothing more :)

A letter to Someone You Used to Be!

Dear Anurag,

I do not know if you will ever read this. Writing to you after twenty years is as stupid as it gets but will world be any interesting if it always goes by logic. You are going to be fifteen in some days; accept my heartiest congratulations for the same. This euphoria of birthdays will diminish soon and slowly all that will remain is the difficulty to accommodate candles equalling your age on the birthday cake. Preserve those paper Greeting cards; all that will remain in some days is some sort of an impersonal electronic wish. Also they may be the only memory of many friends and this time.  

Before I begin this letter, let me warn you. All your plans to marry Urmila Martodkar would go futile. If you find solace in his, she is not that gorgeous anymore. Rangeela is not the movie you should judge her with. Also get over Chunkey Pandey and Govinda, I can’t even tell you how their fate turned out to be. Your target of watching all the films of Mithunda is a bad idea to begin with, that man will soon start churning out twenty four movies yearly.

I know you are curious how I turned out to be. I am not that rich as you wish but I do can buy a lot many comics of Chacha Chowdhury, Nagraj and Super Commando Dhruva. Irony is I don’t feel like owning them anymore. Now there are other things which I want to possess but then I don’t have money for it, so our situation is almost the same. I have also not seen Niagra Falls, Sahara desert or the real Egyptian mummies so both of us have seen them only in books or movies. I am still as lazy you are, I lack a sense of style and have few friends who can be counted on fingertips. Change if any would have come unnoticed. Growing up may not be that fun as you imagine. I have turned out to be another boring human being, the lot which is available everywhere in plenty.

 The good news is I got rid of studies years ago. Now there is no homework, no school and I do not have to cram for impending tests. You will find it strange but sometimes I miss all of it. I miss that cold breeze which blew in the morning while going to school standing on the front of Dad’s Bajaj scooter (they don’t make any more of it). I also miss the tension of reaching just before the school bell, that chorus of Gud moorrrnniiig teaacherrrr and the naughty smile and giggles that were shared by the class afterwards.  I remember the excitement of opening the Tiffin box during recess, trepidation before the test papers were distributed and the happiness all around when the summer vacations were going to begin. Anyways, let me come out of that sentimental bit, I know you are uncomfortable with it.

I have changed in a manner that I almost stopped enjoying Western music. Accept it, you do not enjoy listening songs on MTV, you just watch it. And do you want to learn more; even your mom knows that bit. You are not that smart you think yourself to be and unfortunately I share that quality. I am somewhat into Ghazals and Jagjit Singh, Mehdi Hasan and Ghulam Ali are my partners in solitude. I also enjoy poetry of Ghalib, Sahir and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Now spare me that bored teenager look.

Learn music now, if you want it. As you grow older, it is not going to easy. Also, for future embarrassment’s sake, learn a bit of dancing. For all you believe in ‘I can’t dance doesn’t mean I won’t dance’ philosophy, Baraat dance in New Year parties and marriages isn’t that impressive.

Your New Year’s resolution this time is to write your autobiography. You never fail to amaze me. Which fifteen year old starts penning an autobiography? It is going to be as fruitless an exercise as all your New Year resolutions will turn out to be. Agreed dreaming is a good thing but Autobiography! Anyways the only reason I envy you is the horizon of your dreams. You can dream yourself to be so many things while my dreams are somewhat limited now. By the way, I do write occasionally.

I can tell you so much now but I do not want to spoil the fun of failing. Still there is no point in hanging from those poles; you are never going to be six feet. Those advertisements of Horlicks and anecdotal talling tricks are all hoax, ultimately your genes will get the best of you. If you can do something, learn a sport. You will not be able to gain in height but your girth may need some watching. Also stop wasting time in making those elaborate studying time tables; you are never going to follow it.

            The world has changed in some ways. Gold Spot and Campa Cola no longer exist, no one watches DD National now and India has won another Cricket world cup. And did I tell you Sachin has retired from international cricket; can you imagine cricket still exists? They have made cricket into a strange game now, called 20-20 which has only twenty overs each side. By the time I get old they will reduce it to six balls and who knows one day just toss will decide everything.   

Internet, Social media, mobiles etc have revolutionised everything but there is no point telling you. World is mostly the same; True friends are hard to find, fairer sex is still not easy to interpret and Mom and Dad can be equally annoying. The strange part is you will also turn out to be annoying to your kids. I know you always wanted to have a dog and guess what, I have one now. His name is Hummer, a Labrador and he is as cute as you wanted it to be.

Anyways stop worrying about life; it will take its own course. Make friends, laugh, cry a bit too and cherish all those who love you. Give them back now. You will not always get an opportunity to do so. In the end you will be a product of people and books that come in your life, so be careful in choosing both. Slog a little bit more, try to be a little less shy and do not take yourself too seriously. Whenever you get time running around, take a deep breath and just think about this life. Someday your twenty years may vanish and you will not even realise a bit.

I am waiting for a similar letter from the one who is twenty years ahead in life. In the meantime whenever it’s possible, do write back to me.

One you are turning out to be,

Anurag 

IAS Chronicles: You know you have become a Pakka Sahib when....

1. You are obsessed with ‘Sir’. The world is divided in two kinds of people, those whom you address as Sir and others by whom you are Sir’ed. You start responding less when called by your name and more when addressed as ‘Sir’. The word ‘yes’ for seniors is replaced by Sir and you are often heard talking to them on mobile Sir.....Sir.....Sir, Sir........Sir.

2. You spend half your time worrying about seniority. There are people who are senior to you and people who aren’t, and till you figure that out you never rest easy. You find different ways to decide seniority amongst different services, jobs and you find it difficult to remember names but you can smell seniority.

3. Your name gets IAS a permanent suffix and people address you as Mr XY, IAS. You start having an identity crisis without this suffix. Officers begin to write so in their wedding cards and this suffix remains loyal even in your obituary.

4. Your attention span reduces to two minutes and anything that takes more is not worth your time. By the end of the day, you have solved thousands of problems with devoting an average of one minute to each.

5. You do a lot of work but find it difficult to explain what your job is. As an IAS officer you are supposed to do anything under the sun and your kids always wonder what keeps you busy all the time.
6. You have seen best and worst of places, you have seen best and worst of people and basically you have seen so much in a short time, you become inert/immune to all around.

7. Your formal persona takes over your normal self and you find it hard to laugh freely or cry aloud. Your officer like qualities becomes your routine behaviour and it is difficult for anyone to spot you laugh or cry.

8. You stop opening the door of your car and wait for the chauffeur to open it all the time. It is unbecoming of an officer when you open the door of the car yourself. You also become incapable of sitting anywhere other than diagonally opposite to the driver and this arrangement can never be compromised.

9. You may do weights in the gym but in office, you can never be seen even carrying a diary. A peon will always accompany carrying your stuff and it is beyond the dignity of an officer to have anything in her/his hands. You also become obsessed about sitting on Chair covered by a towel and no officer worth their place in hierarchy can dare not to have one.

10. When you are alone, you find it difficult to cross even roads. You risk being run over by motor cars because you are in the habit of traffic being stopped by security whenever you cross the road.

11. You find it difficult to make new friends and your haughty demeanour keeps strangers at bay. You are always worried with whom you socialise and your reputation is more fragile than would be bride.

12. You start claiming free passes like your birthright and whenever you go for a play or concert, you spend most of your time in searching who could manage a better pass.

13. Everybody knows all the latest gossips about all around about their personal and professional lives and you have enough real/imaginary material to write a sleazy novel on any officer’s life.

14. In any official parties, right to speak is bestowed as per seniority and pearls of wisdom flow unidirectional towards the juniors. Most of the monologues start like ‘When I was posted at such and such place.....’ and you are doomed to hear this story for the nth time. As you progress in hierarchy, you also find yourself uttering ‘When I was posted at...’

PS: Slowly but steadily, the breed of Pakka Sahibs is becoming endangered but if you spot most these qualities in any person including myself, you know you have seen one ;)

Adieu!

He had promised that he will come back to Darjeeling and stay with us for some days. He wanted to finish some work and then take a break, away from the busy life that he had been leading. I still remember his commanding voice, the aura of his personality and despite all that he had achieved in his life, his simplicity.

When I read in the newspapers that Om Puri was no more, I felt I had lost someone who was dear to me. We had met only for a day and as it happen, some of us sat together for almost entire night and discussed life, philosophy and dreams. After arguing, fighting and a debate that went on like eternity we forgot that he was the revered Om Puri. He was just like any other friend with a heart of gold but one who had seen life yet remained unscathed. 

His simplicity was beyond description. Like a true celebrity, he conceded to the demands of children, old aunties and others who wanted to intellectually impress him. Most of them behaved as if they had known him for ages and he was humble and polite.  They just wanted to get clicked next to a Bollywood icon and I could see that this man tolerated, rather than cherished flattery.

I saw in his eyes a loneliness that comes in a man who is true and beyond malice and with whom world rarely does justice. He had a keenness to learn new things and like any other father, was passionate about his son’s grooming. He had great love for this country and was and votary of peace. Talks of hatred and disharmony disturbed him. 

When a TV anchor prodded him and got an undiplomatic response about a martyred Jawan, he was so much ridden with guilt that he went to meet the family in their village. This was a man who started to live on his own at the age of fourteen and despite all that he had achieved on his own, sought forgiveness with folded hands from the family.

For a moment I felt sad that he died a lonely death. It is said that you understand death when it takes away someone near to you, and how much I wish now to sit with him and talk about everything. It is so unnerving to think that I will never meet this man again.

While parting, he gave me a pack of cigarettes. ‘Oh I have nothing to give you and since I love these, keep these as a souvenir even if you don’t smoke’. Today I did take one out and remembered him.

Adieu dear friend, may you rest in peace!

May you get in that other world, all that you truly deserved and this world was not capable to give!

Country, before Self!

The Country always comes first.

I have been to places you may never see, I have dealt with kinds you wish never existed and I have done deeds you won’t even prefer to know. You cannot imagine all this sitting in your comfortable homes and busy in your comfortable dreams. I have seen my country rise against all odds and against its troubled past. I have seen sacrifice of family and friends and after a million similar deeds, our country emerged as we see it.

After all these years I have only realised one thing, that country comes first. If only you can instill this sense in each and every citizen, no one can stop your country.

I am sure you have heard my name but just as a custom, let me tell you. I am Mao Zedong, the Chairman of Communist Party and the father of Great People’s Republic of China. I am the same Mao whose pictures you have seen in text books, I am the same person whom people revere and fear in equal terms. Love me or hate me but I am what I am.

China was not always great. It had seen corrupt kings who were weaklings and governments that never existed. That was before I reined in.  Do you know once upon a time, we did not have even enough to eat? You heard it right; the great People’s Republic of China had not even enough to feed its citizens and people died on streets. It was fifth decade of last century and enemies of the state ruled the roost. Farmers toiled in the fields selflessly, soldiers struggled hard to safeguard the country and millions slept hungry.

Today you may laugh at it but do you know who kept the country hungry? That little nasty beast bird, sparrow.

2

You just have to believe that country comes first. Keep that faith and never rest till you have attained your aim.

 If you ask what can be done from those experts having long beards and wrinkled face, they will take hours and hours to tell you it is complicated (their eyes look silly behind those thick eyeglasses). They are the reason why problems persist. They will never tell you what you should do and it is your own judgement, your own ability to decide which you can do to take the country through.

One day in the afternoon after my siesta, I sat up with an old farmer’s manual. It was full of those truisms and one of that was warning farmers from smart sparrow. The answer was in front of me. Productivity of farms was never the problem, it was that nasty sparrow. It ate a huge chunk of food grains and all our renowned experts, our worthy leaders of past age could never see it.  

I have always been meticulous. A leader just cannot do the things; a leader should also be in control. I called my entire cabinet and made them wait for an hour. I called party men and press and then did I tell them, and along with them told the entire nation too, give me your fifty days and world is yours.

I gave them a decisive plan, area by area, field by field and I asked them to give up sleep for some days; the only thing they had to ensure was there was no sparrow left. They were trained to beat drums, they were trained to shoot and the only thing they had to do was to do this relentlessly for fifty days.

You can never imagine the power of ordinary citizens. You ask them once to sacrifice their hours for the country and they will sacrifice everything.

3

The country always comes first and I made them believe it.

There were millions of people on this job and soon we just had carcasses of those beasts. It was almost magical to hear the drumming of those drums, the energised rural populace and the celebration when the last beast is killed.

And then there were those who come like bees following honey. Slowly they start whispering this is bound to fail. They also write on the neighborhood walls and then publish it in obscure newspapers and books. It is not that I cannot swallow dissent but the only thing I cannot bear is dampening the spirits of those set out to change the nation. If you cannot aid in nation building, at least do not laugh at others who do it. 

These people will talk of ecology, they will blabber natural balance and myriad other intellectual things but ask them about the toil and hard work of the farmers and they will turn clueless. How can they be so far from reality?  

What if yields in one area were less and some people died. People die all the time. Which great thing ever came without any suffering? Our soldiers have been dying all along the borders. Did these intelligent people ever shed a tear in their memory?

They say sparrows eat insects and these pests have increased a million times. Yes, this may be partially true but in the long run, imagine what would be our productivity. Can this huge campaign which has taken shape of a revolution not give desired results? 

Our experts went directly to the people and exposed their lies. Farmers were happy and full of enthusiasm. We were responsive to the changing situation and daily instructions were issued how this plan should progress. 92% of our citizens were all for this campaign. They were willing to suffer not for 50 but for 5000 days. Today was the time they could do something for the country.

4

The country always comes first.

It has been four years since we started the glorious campaign and today our entire country believes in this concept. The enemies of the state do not know where to hide their face. They will whisper to anyone who would lend them ears that forty five million died due to this but no one believes.

Killing of bedbugs was an important step for building the overall hygiene and the better health indicators that we see today are only because of the great campaign. Once the ordinary citizens realise their power, no power in the world can stop them. When we went against bedbugs, many said were foolish to have this exercise. A huge smear campaign was started that we actually intended to kill sparrows.

And how does it matter anyways? Nation building is a task that these people will never understand. Did anyone ever include these humble peasants and common citizens in nation building? Did they ever complain they were suffering? What is anyways in their life than pain and suffering? Most of the questions in this world are moral not economic. The main objective was to involve these men in nation building. You have to make the populace believe in their leader. Only when we all march together towards a common goal, we can achieve for what we had set in.

We have to fight our common enemy and identify those who say we cannot do it. They should believe that peasants, soldiers and any other countrymen are together and united.

You again ask me what we gained out of all this. Everybody learnt that country comes first, always before anything and no sacrifice is big enough for our beloved country.

PS: The only inspiration for this story was the Four Pests Campaign undertaken in China in the years 1958-1962. All other insinuations are purely imaginary J

Twitter Blues

1. Can one actually write anything in 140 characters?
2.  Eureca, I now know the cause of abbreviations downpour
3. Umm, m I aluwd 2 invent this abriviatn?
4. Can I actually tweet something that Prime Minister, Amitabh Bacchan and errrr (with lots of blushes) Deepika Padukone will see? 
5. Yesssssss........Mom,  Uncle Mishra and that obscure neighbour who only writes 'Nice' with a wink on any facebook post has not invaded Twitter till date
6.  Suddenly so much happening in this world, I cant even keep pace with it?
7. Everything with #,# and #. #Really?
8. Yesssss, I got some followers. I feel like a #leader today. #Preparingathanksgivingspeech 
9.  And why the hell did I resist joining it for so many days

@Anurag_Sriv1983 

Musings on this Republic Day!

The best definition of India that I have read is ‘Whatever you say about India, equal and opposite is also true.’  No other nation can dare claim such diversity.

I didn’t post pictures of Republic day before. Somehow love for the country, celebration of nationalism is dear to me; it is a feeling too personal to be shared publicly. Does one have to profess the love for one’s mother?

The reason I am proud of our country is not because one must love one’s own country. It is because India is far greater nation than many others. It has sustained this diversity and has given all, the space and opportunity to thrive and co-exist. And despite this all this, we enjoy a unique Unity in diversity.

I belong to Kanpur, UP and Hindi is my mother tongue. I studied in an English medium school, I work in West Bengal and learnt Bengali. At present I am District Magistrate Darjeeling and delivered Republic Day address in Nepali. I also wore a Black Head Gear with a symbolic Khukri, the pride of Nepalese. When the national anthem was played, I felt Goosebumps and I am sure this was felt all across the country. My friends across the states in IAS put pictures of Republic day and believe me, every place looks the same. May be the dress is different, language may be but the essence is same. 

At one point of time, I was a practicing Hindu, for some days I was an atheist and now I am an agnostic. I am proud that my country provided place for all these state of minds. I have found extremely conservative Muslims, Sikhs, and so have found similar Hindus. I have found extremely progressive people in all religions too. I have tried to look for love in all places and I have always found it; somehow hatred never attracted me. The only book in which I truly believe is the Indian Constitution.

The day we narrow meaning of nationalism, we may find many out of it. Love for one’s country is a personal thing and no one has the right to question/define it. Our nation has gone from strength to strength and I am sure no hatred/slogans can belittle it; the only threat comes when one questions our diversity. Iqbal has said:

कुछ बात है की हस्ती मिटती नहीं हमारी

सदियों रहा है दुश्मन दौरे जहाँ हमारा 

I believe the strength of our nation is in assimilation of all, even opposing ideals. Let us try to unite and not divide on this Republic day and always. By the way, belated Happy Republic Day, may we always cherish ideals of our Constitution!   

Dear Students...

The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on, said Oscar Wilde. I will not disagree but when Rector of St Joseph's School popularly known as North Point asked me to address the school students on their graduation day, I could not say no.

Partially I agreed because I needed a reason to visit this beautiful school founded in 1888 in the backdrop of beautiful Kanchejungha range and partially because I feel young again when I am with schoolchildren.

Just in case you are interested in the address:

Father Shajumon, Rector St Joseph’s School, Faculty, Esteemed guests, Parents and Dear Students, A Very Good afternoon and Congratulations to the Graduating students. Life outside the school is a different world, and I am sure, all of you who graduate today look forward to it in anticipation.

I have this onerous responsibility, of addressing the school on this solemn occasion, and I would thank the School for believing that I am capable enough to do so.

Truth being told, I am really nervous standing here, my heart is pounding at a fast pace and I am trying all I can to hide the trepidation from my voice.

I did wish once or twice that some urgent work will come up and I will escape this but Father Shajumon was persuasive and vigilant at the same time to thwart my any such attempt.

When I give my address, I am expected to share the secrets of success, the panacea for all dilemmas, and pearls of wisdom that one could hold along while progressing in life.

As all of you look at me with hopeful eyes, I am feeling slightly burdened with expectations. It would have been easy, if there was some mathematical formula, that I could have explained, but thinking about what I should tell you on this day is way more difficult.

To engage you for next 5 minutes, I could think of five mantras that I would share. In case you want to doze off, trust me you are not going to lose much.

1. My first mantra is that there are no Secrets of Success: Yes, you heard me right. There are no secrets and all that you need to succeed has already been taught to you. The age old wisdoms that you would have been taught to you in school, which was painted on class walls and recited in morning assemblies will hold true for all your lives. There will be no substitute to hard work, honesty will always be the best policy and friends and family will be the only one on whom you could fall upon on tough times. Life is Boring, isn’t it? There is no magical wand in this world.

All of you would have heard the story of Aladdin and his magical lamp. When I was a child I was fascinated with that story and tried my best to find that lamp. I looked in remote corners, prayed fervently and through about going on jungle quests. I dreamt this lamp would make me fly continents, serve delicious dishes and who knows may bring a beautiful princess too. Trust my experience; the chances that you will find that lamp are really bleak!

2. My Second mantra is that you should Dream: I have been a dreamer all my life. When I was a kid one day I dreamt of being a pilot, a policeman and even the President of United States. Yes, that was weird but let there be no limits on what all you can dream. If you cannot dream it, you cannot do it. Imagine what possibilities lay ahead, what all you can be and how you are going to be the best. It always seems impossible until it is done and let there be no limits on your dreams.

3. Follow your dreams passionately: The bad news starts here, you must be worthy of your dreams. Nothing worth having comes easy hence you must follow your dreams passionately. I come from North India and the best career people believe in that area is becoming an IAS Officer. With so many people telling this to you, I started wanting it but was too scared to pursue it out. I got into IIT Kanpur, found a good job in a Paints factory but after working for four months, I realised this was not what I wanted to be.

I started getting nightmares that all my life I will end up selling paint. So one fine day, I left my job and decided to go for it. There is no escape from your dreams.

All of you must have heard about Michelangelo, the famous Italian artist. He has said ‘If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all’. Hard work is all that counts. All of you have immense potential, never let anyone belittle you or make you feel that you cannot do something. Just match it with required hard work. When you want something, the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it but you must want it from your heart.

4. Be Yourself and Be Happy: You would have heard the story of Donkey and the Dog. You have heard it right? A Donkey tried to act like the Dog and wake up the washerman by braying at night. What did he get, a beating instead. You can only be yourself, all others are taken. All your life, you will feel immense peer pressure, the pressure from social media and the pressure to conform to socially accepted norms. There are no perfect personalities, there are no perfect careers. Try to find out what you are passionate about. Your profession will fill the major part of your life and you cannot be trapped in something you do not enjoy.

With my limited experience, if you ask me what is the most important thing in this life, I would say being happy. Cultivate friendships, cultivate hobbies. Only a happy person can keep other happy. Life is the most beautiful gift that we have and you must enjoy it.

5. My final mantra is always be Hungry, always be Foolish: Let no day come when you get the feeling that you have arrived. Always remain hungry for more, believe that there are many things you still do not know. The saying goes ‘The more I know, the more I know that I do not know.’ Keep on asking questions, keep on learning new things, and let the student in you never die. The day you think you know all, your growth will also end. You may not always find answers but you must always be looking for them. Keep on pushing boundaries; let the fire for exploring new horizons always rage in you. Try new things, visit places, make new friends. Let the child in you always remain alive.

I am done with my five mantras but there is an important thing that I want you to take away from my address. Oscar Wilde has said that ‘The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.’ I would be happy even if you find it worth passing on.

Forget whatever I have said, the only thing that matters is not giving up in life. Remember: End is always fine, if it is not fine, it is not the end.

Best of Luck! World is yours, go ahead and conquer it! 
Thank You!