Bravery

Leave all stories of tiger-fighting and fighting 5 goons single handedly. See what true bravery is.

Ankola is a small Taluk in Karnataka famous for its native breed of mangoes called ishaad. Raghunath Aigal resides in a village over here. He quit his BSc to join the Indian army and served for some years in the Madras Infantry. After retirement, he took up a private job in Goa. Raghunath left this well paying job ( which must have been damn hard, Goa after all) to become the watchman of a crematorium in his village. He takes responsibility of respectfully cremating the bodies that are never claimed/identified.

The stud can stay underwater for more than six minutes and has saved the lives of many from drowning. He lives on meagre wages given to him by the crematorium and occasional gifts of money/liquor given to him by the villagers.

Raghunath is a brave man. It takes balls to leave a comfy job in Goa of all places and come back to a small village to do the duty he does. Specially when the society views this to be as the duty of the lowest castes and the downtrodden.

In fact, his life has more purpose than thousands of others with nauseating amounts of money. In fact, at this point of time, considering the fact that I do nothing to benefit the society, his life has more purpose than mine.

He may not be Barack Obama bringing Nuclear Disarmament around the world, but he is one of those few brave souls who realise that they must utilize their gift of life to serve the society in any way possible.

Imagine

It is rare that some words have a deep impact on the way you think or the way you want to spend a lifetime or simply the way you look at things.

Previously some works like Invictus or the "I have a dream" speech had invoked the same feelings in me. The more I think about the song, Imagine, the more I fall in love with its lyrical beauty.

While people everywhere are spending time and money on figuring out ways to win wars, the song provokes you to imagine a world, where there shall be no countries at all, hence their shall be no wars.

While people everywhere are busy proving that their religion is the best, and hold riots in doing so, the song provokes you to imagine a world where there are no religions at all, hence there shall be no rivalries between Gods.

While people everywhere are trying to hoard more and more money and land, the song provokes you to imagine a world where no one owns anything, hence their is no greed for more.

Of course, cynics may say that without competition, man may be wiped out. They may say that this is just a figment/world of imagination and cannot be achieved in real life. They may say that there are simply too many of us to live without borders or laws.

But then isn't the human race smart enough to figure out a solution?

I mean, 500 years ago, I would have been ridiculed had I told the world that its possible to fly.

200 years ago, I would have been thrown out of society for wanting a way to go the moon, or even outer space.

Instead of figuring out ways to make Fighter aircrafts that will never be detected, can't the Human race spend its resources and its brains in figuring out a way to live such that fighter planes are never required.

It was for this precise reason that john Lennon says in the end that 'you may say i'm a dreamer'.

The song expresses hope that someday there will be enough like minded people, who will then finally figure out a way to make and live in such a world.

I for one hope the song succeeds in its mission.

Following are the lyrics....

I hope you do listen to the song if you haven't already

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

The Walk of Life

Although the heading of the post might indicate the name of a lovely Dire Straits song, what I really want to suggest with this post is that everyone should go for a daily walk.

It had been one of those on and off things. Although I always felt light after taking a walk, never actually stuck to the habit/routine of taking a daily one.

But that was till things started getting really muddy. At this stage of life, when everything is so confusing, I mean your aim in life, your identity in the society, and so many other things, taking a walk almost clears up your entire mind. Imagine yourself walking on a path , when you encounter a huge obstacle, a dense forest. Now its impossible to see through the forest. Take a walk. You'll feel as if you are flying in a hot air balloon, and would have attained enough altitude to see over the forest, and see the right path through it.

Possible explanations I can give:

1) Healthy body-healthy mind waali philosophy : No matter how much papa-type it may sound but this is actually very true...It accelerates positive thinking, basically healthy thinking

2) You see new things, you smell new scents, you experience new sights, you hear new things. all of these bring freshness to the mind. It then goes on to tackle the problem with a new approach.

3) You might see a person of the opposite gender, who is so hot and now you are inspired to solve the problem yourself.

4) You might run into an enemy and then see him/her happy, and so you resolve to become happier by solving the problem

5) You might run into Mimoh Chakravarthy who will give you 2 options: Solve your problem or watch my movie " Jimmy"...i'm sure you'll choose the former

Its 2358....i would really love to post more idiotic reasons but my net closes in 2 min....damn!!

Radio!!!

As days are passing by, i am myself amazed.

I never knew, that days could be wasted like these. Its an innovation in its own right!

Anyhu, all thanks to my roomie Ramit, I'm hooked to this new song by Pink Floyd. Its called Us and Them. It's from their album 'Dark Side of The Moon'. The Saxophone solos in the song give it a very Soft Jazz-blues Nightclub type feeling. Its one of those songs, listening to which i like to feel happy about life.

Either I reminisce good memories, or take a stock of what's going in life or don't think anything at all.

And you may find it amusing that it is actually a song on war. Highly Recommended.

I came across a newspaper article yesterday, which said "Shimoga to have FM channel". Shimoga btw is a place in Karnataka.

That got me imagining, how cool would it be if Manipal University owned an FM station.

Another reason for this thought is the episode from How i Met your mother, in which Ted Mosby recalls how he ran a radio station in college by the name of Mr. X( which no one followed).

Having a college radio station will make lives awesome!! All announcements can be made public. It has happened so many times that you miss out on official deadlines because you couldn't go to the office to read the notice. The radio will be a lovely way of bridging the gap b/w the college and the students.

No. 2-- Event publicity. With so many events that take place in the campus of our college as well as other colleges of the university, its not possible to know their details, cause you may have missed out on the poster somewhere.

Announcements on Radio will make it available to everyone.

No. 3 -- awesome entertainment....!! I heard this from someone, that Manipal is such a small and boring place and by the end of your 4 years here, you would have tried weed, alcohol, smoking etc. and i think one of the reason that university gives laptops is to keep students away from drugs and alcohol.

So if radio is available, it will be such an awesome platform for people. Different channels can have different shows on music, movies art, and so on. Students can participate by becoming RJ's, performing on Air, comedy items and loads of other things which i cannot even imagine right now. It will be a huge amalgamating factor. (isn't the word amalgamating cool!?!)

No.4 Moolah!! yeah....so much money can be earned from having the radio channels. New restaurants, Bars, Hookah joints or anything that opens up in manipal can advertise to the students. In fact, clubs can have their shows, and in them they can squeeze ads. This will help them raise funds, and save them the trouble of going begging to shops around the college.

These are basically all points i can think of right now.....

Please comment if you have any more.....

Last Day of April

There is something very lovely about sleeping in the afternoon!! I may complete reading the whole Bhagwad Gita from 3 in the afternoon till 7 evening, but I don't think it will be able to give me the same sweet pleasure as sleeping in those very same 4 hours. Its pure ecstasy.

The days are passing by uselessly before the Endsems. Like most other people in college, I haven't studied a word for the exams. I hope I start today.

Today in particular I was amazed at a quality of mine, and how it is eating into my daily time. a huge chunk of it.

Laziness.

Laziness (also called indolence) is a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so. It is often used as a pejorative. Chronic laziness may be an underlying psychological condition.

I find it to be like a stone on my chest, which forbids me to do whatever it is that i want to do, even if its something I like,such as playing basketball,or the guitar and so on.

Its almost like a powerful spell, that magically forbids your actions and paralyzes your will power to do anything.

I've tried various things to change it, like making to-do's, subconscious affirmations, motivational thoughts, and god knows what. But it's something which has still clung to me, like the sins of past life.

Had I been a follower of the Christian faith i would be doing a sin, since it is one of the seven deadly sins! of the faith. I find it amusing that it is being seen in the same light as lust or envy.

But let us give it another perspective.

Why is it a sin to be lazy? Eventually you'll feel the deadline pressure on you and you'll complete the task before the deadline somehow. Then why was it wrong to be lazy and procrastinate the work?At least you were being your true self.

This is another one of the things I think i need to find the answers to. Please comment and help me find the answer.

Before signing off, i have this lovely story to share, don't remember though where i read it..

"During winter, while the ant was savoring the food it had stored in the summer,the grass hopper died in the cold outside, for all he had done in the summer was play his violin and download free internet porn"

10 ways to fail a Computer Practical Exam

Yes, if you are one of those who never had CP(computer practicals) in their 12th but had to study it in college, and if for some reason you plan to fail, this is the right place for you.

The following is a list of things you can do to ensure that you fail in your lab exam:

1.)Don't study a word of Computer during the whole semester. Note that failure to follow this step might land you a decent grade, which is what we precisely don't want. So highlight this point.

2.) During the whole semester, make sure that you don't do a bit of programming yourself. Alternatives include copying all programmes into the system from a pen drive, copying from your neighbour, and renaming work done previously by other students. Resist the urge to do the programming yourself, the consequences may be severe.

3)Don't buy any book which has anything even remotely to do with computer science. Buy some packets of Hide&Seek biscuits instead, they're totally worth the money, not the book.

4)Miss as many classes of Computers as possible. As a word of caution for Manipal students, make sure that you don't fall below 75% attendance or you'll be murdered by the very people that gave birth to you.

5)Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

Make sure you have your favourite novels available to you during the classes that you have to attend compulsorily, and sit on the last bench to make sure you're not caught and thrown out of the class.

The next points focus on things to do once you enter an exam hall.

6)When you reach the class, act as if you have never seen a computer, and ask the weirdest questions possible. like - what should i press to switch it on? or ooooh!!! green light!!!

7) As soon as the invigilator gives you the question paper, eat it. Highly effective.

8) Throw the extra sheet on the invigilator's back, and when he looks back, point towards the person next to you. How will this fail you? Well, i'm not asking you to do it once, at least 8 times, for the formula to succeed.

9)Write the story of Mimoh Chakravarthy's movie 'Jimmy' on the answer sheet.

10)When all else fails, stand up on the chair, and scream 'Oh captain, my captain'-Dead Poet Society Style.

Well so there you go.

I can confirm the potency of these methods. Why?

Well yours truly speaks only of things he has experience of.( at least some of the 10)

Attendance??but why??

As many of my friends these days are suffering from attendance shortage/ordi(not audi)....I was pondering if an attendance compulsion is required......

In the next few lines, I shall blow to pieces all the arguments supporting compulsory attendance..

1.)If 75% attendance is not present then students will stop totally attending classes(duh!).

But then the main reason that students will not attend classes will be that the teacher isn't competent enough to capture the student's attention. There are many teachers whose classes i would attend even if attendance locha wouldnt have been there.

secondly, is it right for the student just to sit in the class for the sake of attendance, even if he/she isn't grasping anything. Frankly speaking, i dont like any of the subjects this sem hence i haven't heard a single thing in any of the classes. Had the attendance issue not been there, i wouldn't have attended any, but at least i would have done something else which would have been more productive than just sitting useless in the class. i could have played a sport, read a novel, improve my guitaring, increased GK or develop any other skill. Marks i would get same in both cases, so which is better? Around 300 hours of my life just wasted, which i can never reclaim.....is it not better to smoke the equivalent amount of cigarettes? At least you'll have fun!

2.) If students fail to attend classes they'l fail.

True, but then they will themselves realise that it was foolish to miss classes and then they will themselves attend the classes without compulsion. Change must always come from within, it can never be enforced.

3.) Attendance is the only thing the teacher can threaten a student with.

Well if a college authority uses this argument, then he is actually screwing himself.

What kind of a pathetic college would have such pathetic teachers who cannot control a class on the basis of their teaching, and have to resort to non-violent methods of violence...????

I have CP Lab End sem tom, and i'l fail if i continue writing......please comment more suggestions if u do get any....