It ain't easy honey!!

Recently (about 1 week ago) I was having this conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be a chartered accountant, that software guys have it all easy. And there I was righteously defending the honour of an entire tribe out there. In the process, I chalked out a number of hazards, dunno if I ended up with a few outrageous ones in the process or not. But honestly, I was too miffed to think straight. I simply leaned on my ability to bluff and well.... he bought my story. What happened after that later, till then here's a snippet from that conversation:

CA: "I mean all that you guys do is in front of that computer and punch away something on the keyboard. An absolutely relaxing job I'd say."

Me (absolutely caught unaware on this one): "Huh!!! What makes you think so?"

CA: "Aw c'mon!! I mean what do you apart from sitting in front of that computer and chatting. Play TT?? That's it!! Quite a fun life!!"

Me (really wanted him to work on my project that minute): "Not really, you have a wrong impression. Our work stations might be stationary, but it's not esy work on soemthig absolutely conceptual. You never get to see what's happening after you've written that piece of code. And let's not talk of all the benefits and professional hazards."

CA: "Benefits??"

Me: "Yeah! Not for us though. It's for all you people out there. You talk on the phone, you book your tickets, the salary that you see on the screen at the ATM counter, the Orkut that you swear by, the e-mail that helps you connect... they all are due to some software techie slogging it out in front of a computer on a diet of a few packets of chips, burgers and coffee."

CA: "And hazards??"

Me: "Ah well..... all those hours typing causes the wrists to damage. The angle they bend after is all too unnatural. The starin on the eyes. The serious inactivity and bad diet causes all sorts of diseases in the long run for them. Obesity, Heart problems, chronic back problems, bowel problems, spondilitis, depression, stress induced damages.... these are just to name a few. I'm sure there are more. They do pay a handsome salary, but then that would hardly compensate for the loss of health causing a 25 yr old to resemble a 35 year old. Which is why, you'd see many youngsters givinh up the life of a coder before long."

CA: "Then why are you still in?"

Me: "For am qualified to do nothing else!! Sad but true....."

CA: "Hmmm.... all that glitters is not gold!! I guess it's so true."

There I had won another sympathiser. Believe me, it was not as easy it seems in this converstion, for it was longer than this and quite a argumentative one. But then I don't remember much of it now!!

The moot point is this got me thinking. The picture for the world outside is that we software guys have it real easy. Whereas this job isn't really that hunky-dory. It's as good as any other job out there. And frankly, a telecom engineer does much better with time than a software engineer. At times I really feel terming this entire lot, especially the ones in the service sector of Software as "White-Collared Labours". Tell me what do you think?

Asche bochhor abar hobe (It'll happen again next year!!)

In case you did not get it, this a line spoken out loud by jsut about every other Bengali breathing now (infants and toddlers excluded!!). Wondering why?? You see starting th 17th of October this year Bengalis the world over celebrated Durga Puja. Five days of worshipping the goddess and loads of celebration. The flavor of puja remains the same everywhere it is celebrated. And the hub of it all is Kolkata. For the third year in a row I spent the puja away from Kolkata. This year it was in Pune. Now, there are many die hard bongs who would claim that puja in Pune cannot match up to Kolkata. I agree but partially. The decoration and glamour is missing. But what is in plenty is the attitude that one sees.

The idol at Khadki Kalibari, Pune (2006)

Sample this: it 2:00 am, different team of youngsters gather at prominent puja location. Guitars, Pepsi, smokes and water in tow..... the plan is to rock the place. How? Well... simple... sing!! Oh yes!! Singing on till it was 5:00 am. And trudging back, for one has to turn up again early the next day. Sleep is meant for daytime, if you cannot find anything to do..... but then, for youngsters this is the perfgect time to do anything with full permission. At no other time of the year can you flirt with such ease with any girl you fancy. It seems that all the beautiful ladies start coming out of the wood work..... and that's when we guys realise why they say Bengali girls are the most beautiful.

It is during the same time period that Navratri is celebrated, culminating on the 4th day of the Puja. The navratri brings in 9 days of dance, music and Devi worship. The tenth day is Dussera, the day it is believe that Lord Ram defeated the evil Ravan to claim his lady Sita. It is also the last to Durga Puja, the day being noted as Vijaya Dashami. It is marked with the immersion of the Goddess idol in the river and later the burning of an huge effigy of Ravan.

And now it's all over....... People should be tired after all the dance, the pandal-hopping (going around to catch a glipmse of all the idols in town), gourmet pleasures. But then, who has ever been tired after having a good time??

Not me!! How about you??

The moments that one lives through during these few days remain forever etched in the mind. And it is to relive these moments again... the call of "Aschhe bochhor abar hobe exists!!"

On this note, "Shubho Bijoya" and "Happy Dussera" to everyone!! :)

It's all in a name... the middle one if you please!!

Got tagged for this one quite sometime back by Rashi....

Here are the rules:
* Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
* When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
* At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.

Now, I was never baptized with a middle name. After much thinking I couldn't come with one and there isn't a single name which I fancy!! So, I'll go ahead with my own name: SAM (I know that's a nick... but then...)

S : Sophistication - Call me a snob if you feel like it, but somehow I'm of the opinion that no matter how good you are at what you do, if there isn't any understated sophistication about you, an air about you which would define you well, then you haven't really learnt much!! I mean, imagine having the know how about that matters in the world, but then dressing up, speaking or for that matter dining in the most inappropriate manner.... YUCK!!!! It is a necessary skill set if you want to climb up the ladder.

A: Amorous - Alright now this is a major confession, but an essential part of me!! And frankly, I'd like my girl to be the same. No comments on this one please ;)

M: Masti (Fun) - That's what life is for me. I consider it to be too short to be serious all teh time. One must, I believe, stop by to smell the flowers on the busiest of days. Helps clear up a lot of clutter on the mind.

Done!! :)

And time to bug others. Let's see:
S: Ummm..... someone who is game enough to take this up!!
A: Aashi and a girl I like to call Ananya!!
M: Madhavi!!

Happy writing girls!! C ya!!

Getting things in perspective!!

It's been quite some time that I have been away from blogsville. Loads of work, some personal rasks, personal issues stuff which kept me to occupied and high strung to write a simple coherent sentence. Result, I have been staying away from most of the things I loved. Hanging out with friends, playing my guitar, blogging and god knows what not!! Hell... I wasn't even around to read blogs patiently!! And that is something which should be avoided. While being totally lost in my own personal world, staying away from these have brought my mind to a standstill... and as I see it, the same has happened to many. I realise my follies, at this juncture. Hell.... I didn't turn up here to be a ghost blogger!! There are so many things that are pending. Numerous tags, my time at BUF, a request from David.... so many!! And I'm yet to tend to any one of them!! Instead, I'm writing this post!! Why?? May be I'm guilty. Guilty of not following what I preach - "Never let go of what you enjoy!!" I did, and I find things falling apart at seams!! That's not what I like!! Sorry for being away!!

I'm back to blog... So stay tuned... I'll visit you soon.......

Confused Sam Unravelled!!!

A couple of weeks a good blogger friend of mine asked me whether I'd like to be interviewed or not. Apprehensive at first, i finally decided to bit the bait and took it up. It did turn out o be a good experience. And weell.... over to Cuckoo!!

Cuckoo: Good Morning Mr. Confused, err.. Sam. Do you really think you are that confused or are you trying to confuse others by keeping this name for your blog ? What's the confusion ?One more thing I would like to bring to your notice is this adorable creature with me. Oh well, let me introduce my pet Tiger to you.. he always accompanies me and is ever hungry. You know what I mean. Also, you have to remain seated calmly without questioning my questions or no. of questions. There are going to be five main questions with some sub-questions. Treat them as parts a, b, c etc. Please be as detailed as possible, it'll give you some practice for your MBA whenever you plan to do it.

Sam: Hi Cuckoo, Hello Tiger!! It sure is a great pleasure to be interviewed by a lady as charming as you. Hmmm…. Now about the confused part: it’s more about what I used to think I am. Always had two opinions about the same thing and that left me in a tizzy about what to do? However, I am not really sure how I can get others to be confused by this name.

C: So, shall we start?

S: Sure…. We are here to get some answers to some interesting questions (hopefully!! :D)

C: Well, Mr. Sam, You have 4 blogs which are either owned by you or have contributions from you. Why do you think so many blogs are needed ? I understand they all have different purpose but then if that is the reason, you could have some more since you are a multi-facet personality. What do you say ? I can see your main blog is 70 posts old. Tell me what positive changes blogging has brought in you?

S: Please, call me Sam. That’ll be fine with me. To have you call me multi-faceted indeed makes me feel honoured. The need for the different blogs arose perhaps due a streak i9n me which loves to systematically arrange things in their rightful places, and perhaps a thought. If you observe closely, the blog “Thinking Youth” deals with social issues with major contribution from Aashi Joshi, who is quite enthusiastic about it. In fact, I would really love to see some action there, though am lost to how to bring that about. The issues discussed there are quite burning to stay the least and they can be anything.

Coming around to “Live from the Cubicle”, the idea here was to try and chronicle as much as possible about my life as a professional. And not just the daily mundane things, but things at work which do compel me to write. Unfortunately, it hasn’t received the due attention it deserves from me.

“Between Us Friends”, a blogging show which has about 40 bloggers coming together to write on the same topic! What one gets to see is a bonhomie which might be hard to imagine, and myriad way in which the thoughts all merge there. The same topic different opinions, takes, experiences and yet a mature respect for what the other has to say. This is indeed one of the best things I have seen till date.

“Thoughts of a Confused Mind”, my main blog, is the one where I am most at action. I lot about me has been chronicled through the articles, through fact and fiction, through every word that has been written there. It’s my thoughts, feelings, emotions… it’s the world through my eyes. And thus my most treasured blog but then I guess similar fact would be true for every blogger.

How blogging has changed me? Well, the answer to that question is not so clear. Frankly, I changed thus I started blogging like I do now, and then the blogs might’ve changed me. For better or for worse I don’t know. Anywyz, I would be doing a post on that soon. So stay tuned. I would definitely say at least this that now I am more comfortable opening up than before, and frankly least bothered about what the world thinks of me, for through blogging I came to know a lot things about me were perhaps on the right track. Never believed I was a good writer, but now it’s a different story. The credit for bringing about this change, making me take on blogs as a passion, the nudge in the right direction was given to me by Gini. Thanks a lot baby, you gave me a great gift!!

C: Oh that was very good answer. You are behaving well unlike your other friends. But still I feel you should keep your face a little more cheerful. It looks like you have come here for a mourning ? Yeah, that's a little better now. Keep smiling like that. You look good in that pose. Well gentleman, do you believe in virtual friendship ? Aah I know you do. Can it always remain virtual or do you think you need to meet the person at least once in life to give more meaning to it ? Do you think if meeting does not happen then the friendship will erode with time ? Do you have any friend of school years whom you have lost touch with and would want to be with him/her now?

S: Virtual Friendship!! I hate that term!! What is virtual about friendship?? The origin doesn’t define friendship, the quality and purpose does. However, going with the flow I do understand the true import of the phrase, though it’s a misnomer, IMO. I have formed many a bonds through the virtual world. Some have impacted me for a lifetime. The virtual world gave me my most treasured friend, Gini. An angel, you’d be lucky to come across, and to give it a meaning we needn’t meet!! We just needed to understand each other. Meeting up is just a natural consequence of the bond that one shared. When the level of attachment is great, mere voice contact or typed words don’t help. The physical presence is a must. You can never replace it. And if friendship is supposed to erode without meeting I one of my closest pals wouldn’t have been touch with till date. We parted in ’97 with his Dad getting transferred and then met during the winters of ’05. Between us nothing had changed. There are a few more examples, but then it would become a long answer, wouldn’t it?? As for a friend from school years whom I’d like to meet now, after having lost touch… well…. there are none. All those whom I cherish are with me a phone call away. But I guess there’ll always be some whom you have to let go. It’s hard but you have to. Sometimes, Life is not fair!!

C: NO NO.. don't move. I understand it's quite hot in there sitting on that boiling pot. It is a matter of a few minutes if you co-operate nicely. See, how you started smiling. Yeah, that's the way. Sam, you've written quite soulful poetries and you do have a feminist heart. Are they result of your experiences in life ? Can you please explain that to us ? Why always (well, most of the times) you write about pain, why not happiness?

S: It is true that my poems are a reflection of my experiences. But not entirely!! It is also bred by what I observe, for I do like observing people. There have been times when I have described someone else’s state of mind. Now, don’t ask me to identify them for that would be unfair to all. Enjoy the work of creation while the fingers can jot down what the heart wants to say, whisper or shout. And the reason why one finds a consistent note of pain and sadness in my work it’s probably because of what I have observed and experienced. If you observe closely, everybody says I’m fine. But then are they really fine?? I’ll bet you every penny I have that they are not. There is sadness inside them that they want to forget, hide, banish! Why?? IMO, that action kills us slowly but surely. It is the primary cause of stress induced illness today. Heart ailments, skin diseases, baldness etc., all these ailments are getting younger victims. And why?? Face it. Don’t just banish it, because it has to be banished, you can never do that. But you can live with it, deal with it and still live happily. So when you read my poems, the submerged sadness/pain in you rises to the surface, stuff you thought had gone from your life, they come back. And that’s when you learn to fight back, to control and realize it’ll stay but you can still learn to be happy!!

You say I’m feminist, yet trust me I loathe that term. No, I am not. I call a spade a spade. If something is unfair it is unfair. You have observed me writing in a manner which might want to describe a lady’s frame of mind or the atrocities committed against them. But, the opposite is also true. You do have men out there, who have been tormented by the fairer sex. They have faced ordeals plotted by some lady just to forward her own interests. They’ve been victim of mistakes committed by some lady. They say men are dogs yet when it comes to the matter of the heart, I see more heartbroken men. The ladies have moved on, but the men are still in a time warp where their lady love left them. On investigation, I found that guys to be innocent or under pardonable circumstances. Ma’am, I am not a feminist. I only uphold the unjustness of a situation and scream for justice, men or women, all to be treated on equal moral grounds, for the Devil’s workshop can be anybody’s mind. It doesn’t choose it’s victim by their chromosome combination.

C: No, you can not remove that T-shirt even if you are feeling hot and again telling you.. remain seated quietly. Don't try to show off your biceps/triceps to me. It won't work. My pet tiger is curiously looking at you and he has just had a bucketful of Vodka. He now wants to taste some non-veg. So, before he gets into some action tell us about your first crush. How old were you and what happened initially & subsequently? Are you still in touch ? And what kind of qualities are you looking for in your life partner?

S: My first crush was a girl called Rajshree Sisodia. I was about 8 years old. St. Peters School, Jaipur, class 3!! And well, nothing much happened. Just remember liking her a lot. About the same time another girl Richa Mathur around. Now at times I’m confused as to who came first, can’t really remember that. But then both were great pals of mine. Lost touch with them the year after as we moved to Kolkata. And my life partner, hmmm…. Check out this link: “I’ve finally found someone”!!

C: There, that wasn't so bad now, was it? And, it was quite fast also, we have already reached the fifth question and looks like I haven't asked any !!First tell us about your some of the hobbies like reading, writing, guitar, salsa etc. how much time & effort are you able to give them ? And I am not going to leave you like this unless you tell me why you opted to be interviewed? You were a bit shy but you wanted to go for it. Hai na ? We all need a good detailed answer with why not & why yes. Attempt all the four parts of this.
a) Was it sheer habit of getting interviewed ?

b) You had nothing to post about ?

c) You wanted to find more about yourself ?

d) You wanted to have my mail-id ?

Hey, come on, spill the beans now. See, all your friends are chuckling there.
Note:- If they harass you, send them to me to be interviewed.

S: Well, it surely was fast and I’m regretting that the interview is coming to a close now. But then, the show must go on.

So, my hobbies!! Now, what to I tell you about them? I sneak out time for everything and everyone. And at different times they offer me solace. But frankly, it is music and dance which can entrap me in any mood. But, if I write it has too under severe stress, the ones which actually receive adulation from many. The rest are normal stuff, the ones which may not have much of my heart in it.

And well, I agreed to the interview because I really wanted to find out how much grilling can you really be. To top it, I've never been interviewed, not yet a high profile character. In the end, I must say that you've just scratched the surface. And I never really thought of getting hold of your mail-id. Now that I have that, may be I’ll go for more. I hope you can take that in your stride!! What say lady? Wanna dance?? I promise to be good!! ;)

============

Do YOU want to be interviewed?

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and may offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.