3 Idiots

Out of Hibernation after a long time...I just wanted to make this Christmas Break more fruitful than just all-day napping and late night movies !! More Blogging hopefully !!

I watched 3 Idiots few nights ago and I must admit I totally loved the film! Perhaps that's because I could so relate to it, having been in the same 'idiotic' shoes about half a decade ago. Most of those wonderful idiots I did my engineering course with continue to be very close friends. And while those four years will always be remembered as 'the best days of my life', the good part about not literally being 18 till you die is you can step back and see the flaws in the system.

The one question that I always think of is, “Why did we end up in engineering?” I for one simply went by the overriding family profession and respect coupled by the fact that my Class 12th marks allowed me a free seat at a good college in Bangalore. Some Farhans gave in to parental pressure, others like Raju figured an engineering graduate fresh out of college would get a job easier than an arts, science or commerce graduate, still others decided the four-year long engineering course would complete the 16 yrs of education required to be eligible for the GRE, just a precious few Ranchos came because Mechanical Engineering is what they could visualize doing for the rest of their lives.

If we discovered through first year that this isn't what we were cut out for, opting out would mean sacrificing a year. Not too many of us had the courage, so we just carried on. Conversely, friends of mine who did their undergrad abroad were asked to take all the courses that were not related to their majors in the first semester, so they'd have tasted everything before they decided on what they wanted to do.

As we settled in, we discovered the dreaded ’s’ word in all engineering colleges - submissions. So we got about writing file after file, assignment after assignment, drawing graph after graph. Sure we understood that the observations, inferences and graphs would differ every time the experiment was done, but why we need to hand write the procedure that had remained the same for the past 20 years is still unanswerable? But 'photocopy' was taboo. And the worst part, thanks to some apparatus not functioning properly, or not functioning at all, we actually copied the one thing we shouldn't have - the actual findings, from reports handed down by our seniors!

Then comes the even more fearful oral examinations or vivas as they're popularly called. Having an external examiner come and question you about topics that the internal never covered and put you in a pool of uncertainty. During the written examinations, if you got the right answer but didn't get it in the requisite number of 'steps', chances are your marks would be cut. So we all prayed to the God of memory rather than the God of logic.

Some things came as a whiff of fresh air in this monotonous monochrome, prime amongst those, our third and final year projects. The smell of solder metal in the air, the familiar pricks of foundry and forging, turbines and IC Engines, the excitement of designing and building a concept model and seeing it work - moments I felt truly alive. They were few and far between.

When we finally stepped out of the four-year whirlwind, not one of us was equipped to even read a salary slip, and most of us lacked any communication skills whatsoever - the fallouts of a unilateral, not to mention outdated, syllabus.

I have great expectations from the current HRD minister, who's at least shown some gumption in revamping the school system. From reducing the marks system to Grading system in CBSE, whether he'll ever make higher education more flexible is questionable, but the real point is, that the onus isn't purely on the government. It's on society at large, parents who don't bother to ask their child what their hearts calling is, teachers who don't bother counseling students, professors who insist on memory rather than knowledge, recruiters who go purely by grades and peers who make competition an evil word.

Until we realize that, you could pat your heart a thousand times and convince it that all izz well, which we get along fine with the current system, that restructuring is a distant goal but not an urgent need, but try telling that to the families and friends of the 8000 students who commit suicide in India every year.

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The Man behind the "Punch Dialogues"

Indian movies do not necessarily mean Bollywood. India is a vast country and just like Bollywood, the south Indian film industry too has its share of fan following and idols. Apart from the glamorous movies and music, there remains a respect for the actors and actress on screen. One of the biggest names of South India film industry and a well known Indian celebrity is Mr. Rajnikanth

As happens with all celebrity, he also has his own set jokes…!!! I had this in my email for a very long time. I am sure most of you’ll would have heard or read most of it, but I just wanted to share them for the pun of it

· Rajnikanth makes onions cry.
· Rajnikanth can delete the Recycling Bin.
· Bill Gates lives in constant fear that Rajnikanth PC will crash.
· Ghosts are actually caused by Rajnikanth killing people faster than Death can process them.
· Rajnikanth can build a snowman….. Out of rain
· Rajnikanth can strangle you with a cordless phone.
· Rajnikanth can drown a fish.
· Rajnikanth can play the violin…… …with a piano.
· When Rajnikanth enters a room, he doesn’t turn the lights on, he turns the dark off.
· Rajnikanth once had a heart attack…… ……… his heart lost.
· When Rajnikanth looks in a mirror the mirror shatters, because not even glass is stupid enough to get in between Rajnikanth and Rajnikanth.
· Brett Favre can throw a football over 50 yards. Rajnikanth can throw Brett Favre even further.
· The last digit of pi is Rajnikanth. He is the end of all things.
· Rajnikanth does not know where you live, but he knows where you will die.
· Bullets dodge Rajnikanth.
· A Handicap parking sign does not signify that this spot is for handicapped people. It is actually in fact a warning, that the spot belongs to Rajnikanth and that you will be handicapped if you park there.
· Rajnikanth calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd, no one fools Rajnikanth.
· If you spell Rajnikanth wrong on Google it doesn’t say, “Did you mean Rajnikanth ?” It simply replies, “Run while you still have the chance.”
· Rajnikanth can do a wheelie on a unicycle.
· Once a cobra bit Rajnikanth leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
· When Rajnikanth gives you the finger, he’s telling you how many seconds you have left to live.
· Rajnikanth can kill two stones with one bird.
· Rajnikanth was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.
· Leading hand sanitizers claim they can kill 99.9 percent of germs. Rajnikanth can kill 100 percent of whatever he wants.
· There is no such thing as global warming. Rajnikanth was cold, so he turned the sun up.
· Rajnikanth can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.
· Rajnikanth has a deep and abiding respect for human life, unless it gets in his way.
· It takes Rajnikanth 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.
· Rajnikanth once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, “Bang!”
· In an average living room there are 1,242 objects Rajnikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.
· Behind every successful man, there is a woman. Behind every dead man, there is Rajnikanth.
· Rajnikanth destroyed the periodic table, because Rajnikanth only recognizes the element of surprise.
· Rajnikanth got his drivers license at the age of 16 Seconds.
· With the rising cost of gasoline, Rajnikanth is beginning to worry about his drinking habit.
· The square root of Rajnikanth is pain. Do not try to square Rajnikanth, the result is death.
· When you say “no one’s perfect”, Rajnikanth takes this as a personal insult.

From this moment on...

(Dedicated to a certain hajmola chocolate bunny smiley ;) )

Time is the master of our lives... It controls us, weighs our every move and action. Meanwhile we human beings are continually pursuing happiness mostly unaware of the time ticking away..What am I trying to say..? Just this.. All of us want to be happy... But is living in the past or waiting for a better tomorrow really the answer..? Nope.The truth is happiness is something you have to work for.. Really hard sometimes... And it’s just the present that counts... Right here right now. Just do whatever it takes to put a smile on the faces of people around you.

Probably you had a really great time sometime in the past and nothing you do now compares to those good old times. Or maybe you have something big coming up in the future and you just wish you could get today over with. But who cares, all you really have is right now.It’s true you should always have a goal in life. See the big picture. But remember if you want to change that picture you can paint over right away. Just be grateful you were given the time to do so.

There is really no point in living dissatisfied wasting those precious moments you could have been happy.The clock is ticking away. If there is something new you wanted to try or if you wanted to tell someone how much you care, go right ahead and do it now. Thinking twice about doing a good thing is just a waste of time.

Why do I keep stressing on time..? Yesterday is but a memory. Tomorrow is a speculation. Today is a promise. Live for the moment :)sing for the laughter, sing for the tears,Sing it with me, just for today, maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take youaway... Cause we consider these minutes golden, And maybe they'll admit it when we're gone.

Just let our spirits live on, through our actions and good deads that you hear in us. Sometimes it seems things go by too quickly.

We are so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take the time to enjoy where we are. -Calvin (Calvin n Hobbes)

If good things lasted forever, would we appreciate how precious they are? -Calvin (Calvin n Hobbes)

Expect nothing, you'll be rewarded more than you think you deserve. -Hsieh Tse Zhong

Dreams n Goodbyes

This is probably the shortest I've written but the one that makes most sense to me

Dreams do come true. Maybe not exactly how or when you wanted it to happen but it happens..Saying goodbye is probably the hardest thing to do... But 3 points to remember here are:-

1. You have got to be so lucky for the very fact that you have friends and dear ones in your life whom your going to miss so terribly.

2. Goodbye is a two way handshake. Chances are the other party involved will miss you just as much.

3. The internet is an amazing invention... so.. its never goodbye forever.

"True friendship isn't being inseparable, its being separated and nothing changes"- anonymous

Newton's Cradle

Simple Rules to Happiness

Obliviate and poof! Your memory is lost forever. Or was it because of a spell really?? No, there is no spells that work in this real world. It is we as humans who "forget" the simple fun things in life or may fail to notice them in our daily life and forget to smile and laugh. Why? Does our life get that busy?? Do we just grow out of these phases in life?? Do we have to change ourselves on the inside and out? Where is the joyous reckless laughter that was in us as kids?This really interesting question popped up in my mind when I was out for lunch few days back and watched few kids playing on the sand with kids playing tools, enjoying the sun and sand with some supervisors. It was nice to see them enjoy their time while their supervisors busy speaking on their cell phones. It made me wonder all the fun we miss out on nowadays.

I recall all those “childish” things which but still give u the ultimate pleasure and joy. Think about it. How much fun would it be to race with your friends and jump over a compound?? Yeah!! How many of us remember to do all these??

How much fun would it be to

1. Scream out loud until you feel your throat goes soar? Remember all those cheering we had as kids on the cricket ground!
2. Sit upside down on the sofa?
3. Stand on the table and feel tall?
4. Go dance in the rain?
5. Hide behind a door and do "BOOOO" for the next person who comes in?
6. Run behind someone and hug them from the back? (Too Girly ah!!)
7. Pour a mug of water on someone and get the same right back at you?? The festival of Holi, Ed and Diwali celebrated together. (Shahid Bhai- can you forget the Holi and Diwali celebrations we used to have back in those days)
8. To go on a race, n get ready on the line, but run backwards and let the other person run to the finish line?
9. To lock your siblings when they are in a shower??
10. To go down a lane in your bicycle without holding the handle?
11. To wear your dad's shirt and also try out his big huge round glasses if he has one?
12. Go down the stairs by jumping two at a time?
13. Or much better, sit on the railings of the stairs n go "wwwhhhooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
14. Meet school and college friends on weekends and Play Galli Cricket every Sunday afternoon

I can go on and on about these small but really refreshing things. One thing I must confess in spite of writing this blog, that I miss doing all these small things. Next time you feel stressed out or feel that u have grown up, just try one of these "how much fun??" rules and get that hilarious laughter out of u. Do not "obliviate" all these simple things from ur mind!

Archer - The True Master

This is one of those blogs that I wrote because it reminded me of the days at college and home. From being a voracious reader to not much today, it took me down the memory lanes. Countless visits to Brigade Road and MG Road to buy books either from road side vendors or from Book stores. Long journey !!! Good Old days.

The day was 19th May 2009 and the man came down to Bangalore for a book release. Lord Jeffrey Howard Archer – an English author, actor, playwright, convicted criminal, and former politician (and my favorite author). How I longed to meet him but it never happened. An Indian Vacation is always filled with appointments that are subjected to change any moment. I grew up reading his novels after the “Hardy Boys”, “Tintin” and “The Three Investigators” stage of childhood. My first real novel was “Honor among Thieves”, the novel I cherish the most till date. Once I started working, I had absolutely no time to keep up with reading. I was an avid reader with a huge collection of books stacked up at home. My parents were always kind enough to help me in accommodating my books. Right from Sidney Sheldon, Dan Brown to Jeffery Archer, Daniel Steele, Mario Puzo, Ayn Rand, Thomas Harris, Robin Cook n many more. As a teen, I was so fascinated by Sheldon that at times i would sit up all night trying to finish a book. 'Tell me your dreams' was the first Sidney Sheldon book I ever read after which comes "The Doomsday Conspirancy" .

It was then that I started looking up to Sheldon n read all his books. My most favorite book of all times until 'Kane & Abel' came along was 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo. Man, that’s the most fascinating book I've ever read and my most favorite character till date. So does the movie too.

I had 'The Prodigal Daughter' and 'Not a penny more, Not a penny less' by Archer neatly stacked up in my shelf for quite a while. I don’t recall buying them, probably got it from a friend. Initially I had tried reading 'As the Crow flies' by Archer. That was the second book which successfully put me to sleep.’ The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie was the first one. “As the crow flies” was not so bad, but it wasn’t that good either. A few chapters done and it’s collecting dust in the corner, safely stacked away from the world.

When a friend suggested that I try Kane & Abel, I was least interested. But when I knew that it was a prequel to The Prodigal Daughter, I thought trying it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I was one of the weirdoes who read the 3 part book in reverse order - first “Shall we tell the President”, second “The Prodigal Daughter” and then “Kane and Abel”. Well it turns out that it’s the best book I've ever read till date. The book tells the stories of two men born worlds apart. They have nothing in common except the same date of birth (April 18, 1906) and zeal to succeed in life. William Lowell Kane is a wealthy and powerful Boston Banker while Abel Rosnovski is a Pole born into desperate poverty who eventually immigrates to the United States. How their life entangles, n their hatred for each other forms the rest of the plot.

I'm soon going on a shopping spree for all Jeffery Archer books and also I must also start my reading habits once more. Blogging habits are back to business, now its time to get the reading back on track.

Until Nezt Time, Adios AmigosThis is one of those blogs that I wrote because it reminded me of the days at college and home. From being a voracious reader to not much today, it took me down the memory lanes. Countless visits to Brigade Road and MG Road to buy books either from road side vendors or from Book stores. Long journey !!! Good Old days.

The day was 19th May 2009 and the man came down to Bangalore for a book release. Lord Jeffrey Howard Archer – an English author, actor, playwright, convicted criminal, and former politician (and my favorite author). How I longed to meet him but it never happened. An Indian Vacation is always filled with appointments that are subjected to change any moment. I grew up reading his novels after the “Hardy Boys”, “Tintin” and “The Three Investigators” stage of childhood. My first real novel was “Honor among Thieves”, the novel I cherish the most till date. Once I started working, I had absolutely no time to keep up with reading. I was an avid reader with a huge collection of books stacked up at home. My parents were always kind enough to help me in accommodating my books. Right from Sidney Sheldon, Dan Brown to Jeffery Archer, Danielle Steele, Mario Puzo, Ayn Rand, Thomas Harris, Robin Cook n many more. As a teen, I was so fascinated by Sheldon that at times i would sit up all night trying to finish a book. 'Tell me your dreams' was the first Sidney Sheldon book I ever read after which comes "The Doomsday Conspirancy" .

It was then that I started looking up to Sheldon n read all his books. My most favorite book of all times until 'Kane & Abel' came along was 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo. Man, that’s the most fascinating book I've ever read and my most favorite character till date. So does the movie too.

I had 'The Prodigal Daughter' and 'Not a penny more, Not a penny less' by Archer neatly stacked up in my shelf for quite a while. I don’t recall buying them, probably got it from a friend. Initially I had tried reading 'As the Crow flies' by Archer. That was the second book which successfully put me to sleep.’ The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie was the first one. “As the crow flies” was not so bad, but it wasn’t that good either. A few chapters done and it’s collecting dust in the corner, safely stacked away from the world.

When a friend suggested that I try Kane & Abel, I was least interested. But when I knew that it was a prequel to The Prodigal Daughter, I thought trying it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I was one of the weirdoes who read the 3 part book in reverse order - first “Shall we tell the President”, second “The Prodigal Daughter” and then “Kane and Abel”. Well it turns out that it’s the best book I've ever read till date. The book tells the stories of two men born worlds apart. They have nothing in common except the same date of birth (April 18, 1906) and zeal to succeed in life. William Lowell Kane is a wealthy and powerful Boston Banker while Abel Rosnovski is a Pole born into desperate poverty who eventually immigrates to the United States. How their life entangles, n their hatred for each other forms the rest of the plot.

I'm soon going on a shopping spree for all Jeffery Archer books and also I must also start my reading habits once more. Blogging habits are back to business, now its time to get the reading back on track.

Until Nezt Time, Adios Amigos

The Ashes vs Punter

The one reason I hadn’t published this was the Lord’s test. Something told me few days ago about the end of Australian dominance at the Lord’s for 75 years and finally today it happened. The story of one of the greatest players Australia – and maybe, the world has seen. Ricky Thomas Ponting – Australia’s captain courageous, Punterwinner of two World Cups, owner of 38 Test centuries and yes, one of the most successful skippers in the game but this story of a boy who never grew up. This is also a story of a player who probably ranks third in the history of modern cricket.

The great Roman Philosopher Seneca had said: “There is no great genius without some touch of madness.” When a player has scored 11,153 runs in Test cricket, with 11,523 in the shorter version to match, you can’t help but marvel at the abundance of talent at his disposal. We still can’t help but feel embarrassed when you look at his behavior, on and off the field. After all, we are talking about the man who’s leading the 'No. 1' team in the world.

Last Sunday, England pulled off one of the greatest escapes in the longer version of the game. With just one wicket between the Kangaroos and a 1-0 lead in the Ashes, England’s 10th wicket pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar disillusioned the mighty Aussie attack for more than 11.3 overs to do the unimaginable at Cardiff. Earlier, the Australians were frustrated by Paul Collingwood’s marathon 245-ball 74.

After the game ended, we were reminded that modesty is surely not our man’s best acquaintance. But couldn’t we see that coming didn’t we? Ricky had to say after the game: “They can play whatever way they want to play. We came to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. It's up to them to do what they want to do.” Obviously, the great man was troubled by the ‘gamesmanship’ shown by the English. But then, look who’s talking! He speaks of playing by the RULES- is this his rules or the rules of the game!! The masters of sledging want to teach their opponents a thing or two about sporting spirit.

His take on England’s retaliation : “I'm not sure if they look at it like a win, they're not 1-0 up, and they've been outplayed for four days... They'll have more soul-searching and selection issues than we will." Today we can see who is soul searching and 1-0 up in the series. Glenn McGrath , Gilly and Shane Warne are missed dearly.

But really, haven’t we found the Tasmanian with his foot in the mouth once too often to let this one pass? A few days back, Sunil Gavaskar celebrated his 60th birthday. As accolades and wishes poured in, one reflected what cricket’s bad boy had to say about this Indian genius a few months ago. After one of the many escapades on the field by the Aussies, Gavaskar made the mistake of saying things as they are. Gavaskar wrote that Australia had been an “awesome" team over the last decade but are "awful in the way they have sometimes behaved on the field". Thanks to Ponting, Andrew Symonds and company.

Ponting’s snap: "I don't mind if 'Mr Perfect' comes out and goes on about our team. I know we are all not perfect. We are not going to keep everyone happy 100 per cent of the time. Gavaskar would do well to look at his own team whose development programme he has been part of at various levels. I know who I would rather be going to watch. Have a look at how many Test matches they have won.” Great praise from someone who’s the Little Master’s junior by 24 years. We all know about things that Gavaskar achieved for India when Mr Ponting was in his mother’s womb and then diapers.

Ponting’s love affair with India is a long one. It probably started when Harbhajan Singh bamboozled him in Sharjah in 1998. Never been comfortable against the Indian spinner since then, spitefulness has been the Aussie’s greatest amusement. Two years ago, when India lifted the T20 World Cup, Ponting, clearly not pleased, attributed it to luck. “Teams that are outclassed in five-day matches and even 50-over games are much more competitive in Twenty20. India offers a good example of this. The shorter the format of the game, the more dangerous they become… Some of their batsmen, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni, are classic examples, can hurt you more in shorter games." Check your facts, Mr Punter. Not for nothing is the world afraid of the Indian duo. The willow speaks of their achievements and not the players.

For the record, if we go back to the T20 world cup match that Ponting was talking about. Luck? Australia managed to pick up only five Indian wickets; is it that the luck he’s talking about? Or is he talking about the 70 off 38 balls that Yuvraj scored? Or the five sixes and five boundaries that Yuvi hit in the semi-final clash is the luck he’s talking about? India was lucky first time, then it was Pakistan. Pity, lady luck never smiles at Australia.

Obviously, the reasoning is simple. When Australia wins, it’s all fair and square. Just because they are the No 1 team. When India do, it’s called luck. Lucky for England that they managed a well-fought draw on Sunday and a hard fought victory today. Sporting spirit? With two wickets away from victory, Ponting, standing close-in, claimed a bat-pad catch, when the ball was nowhere near the bat. Maybe, it was Collingwood’s lucky day, no? Skipper Andrew Strauss shouldn’t mind much though, he knows all about Mr Ponting.

Anyway, no one's going to forget in a hurry the compliment the great Anil Kumble gave to Ponting & Co after the last series Down Under: "Only one team played with the spirit of the game." Relax Ricky; the world knows who he was referring to. And to support the cause, we have Steve Bucknor.

Meanwhile, though the Ashes score line still reads ONE-NIL, England was a distinctively superlative team for much of the Lord’s test match. And that’s what matters, mate !! August 24^th is a long way to go!!




Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended to draw rude comments or to show what's supposedly a characteristic of this blog - put down "popular figures" just for the heck of it. But you're welcome to reject this disclaimer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This weblog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various memes running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today.





PS : Just in case. If I say something stupid in the future, it’s better to be able to point out that the stupidity is mine, and mine alone. My stupidity! You can’t have it! :)

Arent we more racist than Aussies!!We cant say NO

I was reading a blog by my close friend on Raj(Quota/Caste Systems) and how India has evolved from a third world country to a more mature Corporate Super Power today. But, have we really got there? There are so many positives leaving behind the negatives like poverty, corruption and population of our country. From getting Independence from the British to today, we have seen the brighter side of life to grow into a strong position that we are. Slavery and Racism seem to plague us all along this path of glory.

Often we draw inspiration from people around us. I must not forget to thank Abhi for motivating me in getting me to blog today.

Not long ago, the attacks on Indian students in Australia have once again raised the ugly head of racism. The Aussie-India Border Gavaskar Trophy saw it surface but the blame game got better of it and the topic was shut. Once again, India is caught up in the middle of a racist storm involving many innocent lives. Few years ago, the Big Brother controversy launched Shilpa Shetty as an international anti-racism icon from India. This is entirely appropriate as Indians are arguably the biggest targets of racism in the world anywhere in the world . And they are targeted not just by unlettered Brits (simply for the reason that they ruled us for 200 years) or Australian thugs. Is it because we are so racist ourselves most times, that we are so quick to react to a racist attack: it always takes a racist to catch a racist. And our racism is colour-coded in black-and-white terms:it either white (inherently superior and desirable) or black (inferior and undesirable)

In the Indian colour scheme of things, black is far from beautiful or attractive. The idiomatic word for a black person of African origin in the US is 'nigger' which is harsh on them, which was derived from the days of the slave trade in Africa and early traders and travellers from Africa. Why not respect them as African- Americans ?? Do we ?? Arent we all racists here ???
For all India's support of fighting apartheid in South Africa's white regime, North India especially at least is steeped in colour prejudice. For the North Indian, fair is always lovely, as those abominably tasteless TV commercials keep proclaiming: Don't get sun burnt, use skin whitening creams, or you'll end up dark and no one will marry you. (Do you ever remember when you last saw a matrimonial ad seeking an 'attractive, dark-complexioned life partner'?)

Is dark literally beyond the pale for us? Why ? Do we blame the slavery of 250 years under the white rule? Is a pale skin, as against a deep tan, a testimonial to social rank, segregating those who don't have to toil under the sun from those who do? A farmer works all his life on the fields in a country where Agriculture is considered the backbone of the Economy!! His skin is pale too! Do we see that as beauty or hard work ?Whatever the reason, fair skin is a passport to drawing social acceptance -- which might partly explain why an increasing number of Caucasians look for assignments in India, be it as MNC executives, flight hostesses, call centre executives or bartenders in 5-star hotels.

Our racism is largely, but not exclusively, based on colour. Caste is India's unique contribution to the dictionary of racial intolerance. Whether 'caste' - a result of cultural and social segmentation - can rightfully be conflated with 'race' - with its genetic and physiological links- is a matter of academic debate. However, we read of many horrifying stories of rural Dalit who face the wrath of the superior "castes". How different are we as a nation who once supported South Africa in their worst days of apartheid.

Caste apart, real or imagined ethnic traits compound our racism. People from the north-east are said to have 'Chinky' eyes and are routinely asked if they eat dogs. The 'Seven Sister' states are often considered a separate and secluded country due to their geographical distance from the central regions. Even in so-called 'mainstream' India, we have sub-divided ourselves with pejoratives: 'Panjus' or 'Surds', whose culture is associated to lassi, bhangra, agriculture, rotis and turbans; stingy 'Marrus' ; mercenary 'Gujjus' who eat 'heavy snakes' for their evening tea; lazy, shiftless 'Bongs'; 'Madrasis'( this is the part I hate the most) who all live south of the Vindhyas and speak a funny tounge twisting 'Illay-po' language. In our deep-rooted provincialism is our boastful utterance and deceptive unity.

No wonder we can't stand racism. It reminds us uneasinessof the face we see in our own mirror. Now, how can we dare say others are racist when we are racial among ourselves ???