Rebel Without A Cause

(Genre: I suck at poetry)

Its August 13, 2 a.m. and no electricity. Imagine the frustration build up. Slowly it reaches a threshold where it has to explode and take some form on paper. I started out writing a bad poem and ended with a bad rock song. Here goes:

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

Your Education System is much too loose,
Whatever you learnt, you hardly use
I wonder why they teach you calculus,
Use it or not, but learn you must
Follow the system, don't question the flaws,
You are a rebel without a cause

The corporate world is no better,
Bad practices called policy are trendsetter
Over educated mediocres make tall claim,
Failiure always has someone else to blame
Out of this rat race, you want to take a pause,
You are a rebel without a cause

Cars behind you honk, if you stop at Red Light
Your friends call you a fool, if this happens late at night
For you to litter, entire city is a dustbin,
You don't need a spittoon on road to spit in
I wonder should you follow the laws,
You are a rebel without a cause

In government you dont believe,
Bunch of crooks trying to deceive
Luckily for you, just one scandal this year,
Although caught, your MP has no fear
Corruption is not new, here it always was,
You are a rebel without a cause

God begins where knowledge ends,
Its just a name given to ignorance
Blind belief,all logic defied,
In His name so many have died
In God your faith is lost,
You are a rebel without a cause

Everywhere I see, so much to despise,
I can find sorrow in different guise
Whatever they tell me, I have reservations,
I am a part of enlightened generation
And I go on as I always was,
Am I a rebel without a cause?

Rakhi - A marketer's perspective

(Genre: Just Like That)

Someone great once said marketing is the anti-thesis of religion. Religion asks you to leave all material pleasures to achieve the ultimate truth and moksha, whereas marketeers say that fulfil all your material needs, otherwise you will die with unfulfilled wishes and you will never be at peace.

Lets have a marketer's perspective of rakhi through the following transcript of a chat.(Festival and not that Sawant babe)...
(Disclaimer: I love the concept of rakhi in general. Its a great institution in itself, but that doesnot mean we should not question it.)

M: hi
I: howdy
I: happy rakhi
M: same to yu i guess
M: is happy rakhi a good wish btw 2 guys ??
I: i thght rakhi was symbol of love and friendship ...
M: btw brothers and sisters
I: well i say it because it keeps me in touch my culture
M: well it doesnt hurt anyway
M: so y not
M: happy rakhi
I: thank you
M: so wht else?
I: celebrating rakhi today
M: almosr yesterday now
I: ditributed some sweets in office.. spread some indian culture in amrika
M: good
I: its morning here ... dude
M: doesnt matter...wht time it is there
M: rakhi is 12 to 12 IST
M: u have 2 hours to wrap up
I: haha... festivals are not bound by such times... specially the ones that are cultural and not religious like rakhi
M: then y wait for rakhi day to happen
M: u can have it anytime of the yr
I: i think we should look at this from a global perspective ... and so rakhi shld be celebrated for 36 hrs... that will cover everyone
M: i am sure it was a marketing gimmick by a thread making compnay few hundred yrs ago
M: on the same lines as friendship day
I: doesnt matter.. it makes ppl happy and brings them closer...
M: yeha
M: i actully sometimes have these arguments with dad
M: Like yesterday he said ki we people eat a lot of junk food
M: and he was eating chhole bhature
M: i told him that junk has always been eatan
M: type has changd
I: very true
M: and this rakhi argument also happend bcos friendship day couple of days back
M: i told him in a hundred yrs friendship day will be a festival as rakhi is today
I: maybe... it has to adopted/developed/spread
M: wil happen automatically
M: all you need is greed to sell more friendship bands, cards etc.
I: yup.. but some become more famous than others
M: Lets us see in a hundred years
I: well if rakhi is too close to friendship day then it will be tough for friendship day to pick up... it might happen that rakhi and friendship converge and celebrated together...
M: but then the market will reduce
I: maybe... sometimes ppl can get overwhelmed if festivals are too close to each other...
M: we will be selling less bands
M: festivals drive economics
I: for example.. bhaiya dooj is not getting the same treatment as rakhi.. which i think is because it is overshadowed by diwali the day before
I: true but they have to be ideally spaced apart to flurish
M: then we will either move rakhi or we will move friendship day
I: it is like to get the best results you have to have the items on a a grocessary store in the correct order and space
M: ok then we shall move friendship day to june..there are no festivals then
I: good idea...

Monsoon Road Rage

(Genre: Just Like That)

A couple of weeks back, I was praying for rains but now when it rains, the first thing that comes to mind is the 2nd most popular 2 word phrase in English, after F$%* You - OH SHIT.

I am sure my sentiments are shared by thousands of people who are a part rush hour traffic on Delhi - Gurgaon road. Because all of us know that it will take us atleast half an hour more than the usual 1 hour that we spend on the road because of water logging @ n number of places. Couple this with blaring horns - and you can't have a better start to the beautiful day.

Part of the problem is lack of driving sense. Concepts like lane driving are not the norm, but an exception. We try to encroach every inch of space available in front of us, because if we dont, SOMEONE ELSE WILL. And the most efficient in doing this I feel are rickshaw-wallahs. First they put in the front wheel in the smallest of openings between 2 vehicles, and then by some miracle the wide-behind of the rickshaw also squeezes through.

One does not get what one is entitled to, unless one claims it by hook or by crook. Phir bhi dil hai hindustani....phir bhi dil hai hindustani....

P.S. People from flood affected areas please ignore. Watching the live feed on news, I know my woes are nothing as compared to yours.