Confessions of a Restless Mind

Lethal agreement

2011-07-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Srijith hereafter referred to as 'I' or 'me' as the case may be, is as of now and or ticked off by the overusage of words in or and legal documentation and hereby expresses dismay at the verbose and loquacious agreements (with additional clauses in brackets to accentuate the complexity) and is pissed off at the usage of in and or instead of punctuation marks to lengthen sentences with no reason whatsoever and herewith agrees not to agree to anything hereto.

Further, I admits that he, time to time, is in complete awe and admiration of the art of documenting clauses that lis pendens if and of complicate and make redundant, sentences and trap one in a verbal labyrinth hereof therefore causing the Reader to hereby forget the beginning of the sentence as and of s/he reaches the end of the clause herewith.

Me solemnly agrees that any unencumbered lis pendens herewith is unencumbered. It is further agreed upon that despite the innumerable inexplicable clauses mentioned herewith and the extent of valuable time conspicuously consumed in vain whilst reading and or writing the above, anything and or everything aforementioned remains subject to change.

An unconscious effort

2011-02-03T04:07:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered how stories help kids sleep? Even ones that make no sense, whatsoever. Sometimes you can make up stories and watch them sleep away happily. The funny part however, is that we continue doing it even once we grow; at least I do. Perhaps we don't get someone else to read out stories or don't even read them ourselves. We just form pictures in our head that follow to form a story, again one that makes no sense whatsoever. And then in due course of time, we'd be snoring our way to glory.

Recently I was trying to draw such pictures in my mind and in turn doze off. I was dead tired that day as I had been travelling the whole day. Surprisingly, I found that it was easier for me to imagine a picture when I was physically and mentally drained as compared to several earlier occasions where I had failed. What caught my attention was the fact that it was actually easier to imagine pictures when the mind and body were tired.

It got me thinking about how conscience actually hampers our imagination. We all experience that its easier to come up with more creative thoughts and better jokes when we're with our best of friends and not in front of say, bosses. Isn't that because we're less 'conscious'? Isn't it precisely why kids come up with the most creative thoughts. In fact the most creative of people are those who remain child-like despite showing the world they've grown up. We all have sensed our brains thinks wilder when intoxicated. It's rather fascinating how a tired brain seems to work more than an alert one.

I found one probable answer in Aldous Huxley's essay, the doors of perception. It states-
In one of his studies eminent Cambridge philosopher, Dr. C.D. Broad states "The function of the brain and nervous system and sense organs is in the main eliminative and not productive. The function of the brain and nervous system is to protect us from being overwhelmed and confused by this mass of largely useless and irrelevant knowledge, by shutting out most of what we should otherwise perceive or remember at any moment, and leaving only that very small and special selection which is likely to be practically useful."Quite a revelation. Isn't it.

That might answer why the less conscious brain opens up more to imagination. But having said that, how do we channelise our thoughts and remember or note them, if not through a conscious mind? Well, there goes yet another confusion of a restless mind.

The pursuit of pain

2011-01-18T04:59:00.001-08:00

The heart pursues pain wholeheartedly

makes me wonder why such vehemence

Every low in life is just an excuse

to unleash a chain of pain

You scratch open old wounds

Just to feel the heart bleed again

and then wonder why it wouldn't heal

and yet don't realise, it didn't come uninvited

Happiness causes such discomfort

The absence of turbulence is scary

The heart once heavy, clears all dilemma

and makes everything rest in pain

The truth is pain is a friend for life we can't live without

If it doesn't find you, you find it

Nothing to say

2010-12-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

It’s surprising but as the year comes to end, I just realised that I've had nothing to post in months. My life has been through so much; good and bad phases. A lot has happened in this period. Still I find it hard to believe I couldn't come across a thought or an observation to bring up here.

One of my writer friends and a senior at one of my earlier companies once was discussing about the joy of writing and how he would go about it. During the conversation, he told me that an effective way to get around a ‘writer’s block’ is to write about it. So here I am, writing about ... well, nothing.

Isn’t nothingness strange? I guess it is a key emotion that we never acknowledge. It could take forms of bliss and later on, boredom. But it certainly forms an essential part of our lives, doesn’t it? It could make you see the beauty of life and miss it at the same time.

Incidentally, nothingness could also be a big void in a train of thoughts. The mind probably works like a train and you need to take out one thought in order to let another come and play. So probably getting out the nothingness might make way for somethingness. I really hope that made sense.

Now that I really have nothing to write about and have probably stopped to make sense, I'd just conclude by saying that there might be many more similar writings on ‘nothing to write about’ coming up. Anyways, here’s hoping I wouldn't need any.

The Great Indian Pendrive

2010-06-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

They say education aims at making us better humans. But how effective is it, if it makes us underconfident, prejudiced and practical failures. Welcome to India, where education aims at making you nothing but another brick in the wall, to put it in the words of Pink Floyd. Even though that was a generalised take on education, I'd just like to add that it personifies India like no other.

Since the days of the gurukul education system, we've only been made to memorise and recite like parrots. Reasoning and questioning is never encouraged by parents or teachers. But in this era of google.com and virtual reality, isn't memorising a job that's just left to pendrives?

Talking about education as a whole, it is not a process that just starts at school. It starts from home. And our teachers and elders have the perfect ways of killing any interest that a kid may cultivate. We're so insecure as a nation and society. This insecurity combined with false pride and ego takes a toll on a kid's future. Job security rates higher than passion and the kid is made an instrument for parents' ego.

We would like to believe in chasing excellence in stead of success. But the truth remains that we succumb to "what has scope" and to "what our neighbour's son does". Just for the record, India would be one of the very few nations in the world where people want to become engineers for the fear of not getting another job that suits their "position in the society" otherwise.

We teach our kids to believe in idols, century old scriptures, holy books and superstitions. But make it a point to NEVER teach them to believe in themselves. A post graduate in India goes around asking help to fill a resume while even a kid in the west would know how to sell himself. The same theory of "give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime" applies here. But unfortunately, we're least interested in learning how to fish. We're glad being highly educated, complacent and less readier to face the world.

Albert Einstein once said that Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school. And here in India, once an exam is over, we're formatted pendrives.

Hello Auto

2009-12-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Three wheels, a pig like face and as synonymous with India as Elephants and snake charmers, welcome on board our very own autorickshaws! Apart from being one of the most common modes of transport, it is a face of every city in India. Funny but true, every city is recognised by it's Auto drivers. So I'd just like to take you through a ride of autorickshaws in different cities.

Well, let's start with the capital, Delhi. The auto drivers are absolute thugs who hardly use the meter and charge you as they please. But their USP is the long routes they take to justify the amount they charge. And if you're new to the city, nobody can save a hole in your pocket. They step out with a drilling machine and aim at pockets. One good thing however is that they hardly refuse to go to any area. Even if you want to go across the street, they'll ask you to sit while they take you for a ride.

Well, this exactly is the biggest difference between Delhi and Bangalore. If you ask an autodriver to leave you at a place 5 km away, he'll tell you directions and ask you to walk instead! They really are that dumb! But don't get mistaken when they seat you and turn the meter on. They fiddle with meters and you end up charging more than you would in a Delhi or Chennai. Even though not so common, it is something to watch out for in the city of pubs.

Next is the turn of the most notorious autorickshaw drivers! The cymbals clash, the trumpets blow and the applause roars! Make way for the undisputed winners, Chennai! First and foremost, meters do not exist. No, not even for decoration in some autorickshaws, hence exorbitant rates. Next is their attitude. I'm sure, Himesh wouldn't write "fulltu attitude dede tu zara" if he had travelled by Chennai autos ever.

And the biggest reason for their notoriety is their driving style which can make any atheist chant hymns and mantras out of nowhere. If you want your auto to stop, you better watch the incoming traffic because they would just switch lanes and hit the footpath without seeing anything that would be coming their way. It's at the end of the ride that you get to know the exorbitant rates were actually for a roller coaster ride in the guise of an autorickshaw.

Well, after going through all these cities, you finally go to Mumbai. Step out of the Railway Station or airport and hire an auto. He'll say yes, seat you and turn the meter on. All of a sudden life is simple.

Please Use Me

2009-07-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

life nowadays is becoming more and more materialistic. More in terms of disposing material, rather than possessing it. There was a time when a pen used to be a treasured possesion. one would keep his pen for ages put together. Now even cameras dont last that long. The only option we have is to dispose. technology changes so fast that repairing costs more than buying new.

On one hand we talk about recycling and reducing wastes. on the other hand, we dump huge possesions becaus there's nothing we can do about it. Income is also treated in terms of disposable income. Quiet literal, it simply means the more income, the more you dispose.

"Disposability" as i may call it has creaped into our lives to such an extent that it goes beyond materials. Be it relationships, jobs or even contacts, nearly everything is disposable. Simply put, the disposition of disposing is quiet fast catching up.

The Reverse Big Bang Theory

2009-02-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

Edwin Hubble in 1929 discovered that celestial bodies and galaxies are drifting away. Thus was discovered "The big bang theory" which states that the universe is in a constant state of expansion. The theory goes on to prove that spaces are ever-expanding

Having said that, I would like to say that today we live in times which holds relevance to what i would like to term as a 'reverse big bang'. The stars may still be drifting away but today spaces and distances are shrinking. Continents might not be merging to form the Pangea again but geography for sure has become history.

We talk regularly to people halfway across the world. I need not explain how technology helps bring people from various parts of the globe on a common communication space, though not physical or geographical. One of the most common examples would be that of chatting over the internet with people from all parts of the world. Ironically though, we may not even know who lives in our neighbourhood.

When I mention that spaces have shrunk, I not only mean distances between places, but also personal spaces. Earlier where families would use the same products and commodities and watched television together, today, each member has his/her own "brand" for every commodity. And also separate televisions playing separate channels/programs.

The time of joint families is long gone. Nowadays, even nuclear families are on the decline with the rise of single parenting. Thanks to shrinking personal spaces. The shrinking now goes beyond separate televisions that i've mentioned above. Media is getting as personal as possible with "media-on-demand", namely ipods and laptops. We are in the process of being reduced to secluded species, both socially as well as intellectually.

All that said, could Hubble's theory still hold true in today's social scenario, considering the fact that bodies are continually drifting away?

Am I the only one?

2008-12-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

There is a saying which goes "you are unique just like everybody". I don't know how far it is true with everybody. But i believe that it atleast holds true for me. I sometimes feel that I am the only one who believes that "I" am the center of the universe. Not that others don't mean anything. I feel that my universe comprises of just me. When I won't be here, the world would still continue to exist but if I won't be there to witness it, it's as good as the world does not exist for me. Others are not a part of this "universe", they are just influencers. It might sound selfish, but I couldn't put it in pleasant words.

Am I the only one who believes that "rat race" is the most derogatory term? I get infuriated whenever I hear the word. I'd rather be called a mediocre than being c alled a member of a rat race. It's prepostrous that on one hand we say that human life is divine, god's gift etc. and on the other hand, we make such detrimental comparisons. I wouldn't mind being reborn as a rat but I would hate it if anybody called my life a human race then.

Am I the only one who believes memories are a pointless indulgence? I would like to make it clear that i do not despise memories. I like meeting old friends and reliving the days, incidents and anecdotes from the past. But i feel it's useless to indulge in memories. To be stuck to the rewind button in life. That, according to me is a sign of stagnation and is the root for what one refers to as loneliness; I firmly believe in solitary bliss as an advantageous alternative when I don't have the luxury of a social surrounding.

Am I the only one who daydreams of being interviewed on TV for watever reason? Am I the only one who sets on solitary tours? I could go on and on... But I would just like to end with one main question.
Am i the only one who comes up with such a meaningless blog?

Sleep tripping

2008-12-09T01:13:00.000-08:00

I was sleep deprived for over 36 hours when i got onto a train from Jolarpettai junction. I was returning to Chennai from Yelagiri. I had gone there for a solitary trip amidst the mountains. So after a full day of trekking and roaming around, I was tired and craving to hit the bed

The train came one hour late and people started rushing in as it reached the platform. I had a ticket for a general compartment. It was full and crowded. Which meant I had to stand for three hours. The very thought of standing up for so long and that too in such a rush for such a long duration was a big turn off. The fatigue and deprivation of sleep added to the discomort. Eventually, one of the co-passengers sat on the floor. I was too tired to stand so i followed.

Now i'm sitting on a newspaper sheet inside the train, besides the door. I start feeling drowsy. Sleep was starting to take its toll over me. I made it a point not to give in because a mere 3 hours would not suffice. I knew I would end up with a headache, had i given in to insufficient sleep. I wanted to remain awake so that i could have all the sleep at a stretch after reaching home.

Gradually, I started to feel my eyes getting heavy. It was similar to sitting in a boring lecture. I would widen my eyes occasionally, a tried and tested method of driving away sleep, atleast temporarily. Eventually, I found myself on the border of sleep and conscience. I'm not sure if i crossed the border but i was sure i didn't for more than a few seconds; an experience i had come close to many times but this was a first time and unique.

The experience was intoxicating. I had started to dream with my eyes open. People who were talking around seemed to be talking famous dialogues. A person on my left was talking to a person on my right. There were a lot of questions and answers passing between the two. I suddenly turned to the person on my left. He was quiet and by his body language i knew he had been for a long time. This was only getting worse. I was hallucinating. It was as though i was on an intoxicant, a drug.

Now the borderline of my conscience was moving further. I knew a strong nerve impulse could only do the trick. My tired mind could not gather the strenth for now. Rather I did not want to move out of my comfort zone. I could feel myself getting irate and restless. I wish I could explain some more of my experiences more clearly. Unfortunatley I don't remember much.

The fact that baffled me the most was that when the body requires more rest, how could the mind get all the more restless. Shouldn't it be pacified? What happens when we sleep? Does bloodflow to the head reduce? A million questions come to my mind. If any of you know, please let me know. Now you may ask why i posted this on my blog? Just a strange experience. Thought I'd let you know.

Tranquebar and the symphony of mystery

2008-11-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

The waves roar louder and louder
Bringing alive many an emotion!
They join hands to create a symphony
Of melancholy, yet of rejuvenation.

When the night is at its darkest
and stars are hidden by clouds,
the waves collide with rocks
and create that enigmatic sound.

The sound can not be deciphered by mind;
It converses with the soul.
It elevates you to a higher level,
A euphoria one can not control!

Thoughts just wander aimlessly
in a pensive state of mind.
Searching for answers and reasons,
we trivial humans can never find.

I’m still waiting for the sun to come out of the sea
and give it’s first rays, still rubbing it’s eyes
To give a new dawn and shed some light
over nature’s musical instruments in disguise

Slowly the sea turns from black to dark blue
The sun is on it’s way
A shooting star falls from the sky
What more can I wish for today?

For more on tranquebar check http://travellok.blogspot.com/2008/11/tranquebar-place-of-singing-waves-and.html

Is india deprived of creativity?

2008-09-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

I would straight away start with the answer - No. If you travel through the various parts of india and have a glance of our various artforms, there's a lot for us Indians to be proud of. For centuries, many sculptors and architects have brought life and immense beauty into rocks. We have thousands of dance forms. Many of them like the Kathakali, take over 10 years just to learn. If a danceform requires so much of time and dedication to be learnt, one can just imagine the amount of effort and creativity that has gone to make the dance forms. Our music and literature are also living examples of our creativity

If i'm so confident about our creativity, why do I even come up with such a topic. The answer lies in the shortcomings of our comercial forms of art. Remakes of Hollywood movies and "formula movies" make our heads go down in shame. "Filmi" music or "Bollywood" music are known the world over for "lifting" tunes or their "ins-pirations" as they are commonly known. I shall not leave this opportunity to name Pritam, the great music director who's been winning many awards off lately. He's smart enough to come up with tried and tested music from all around the world.

But there still is hope. We have a handful of Film makers and Music directors who come up with something new all the time. Unfortunately, they're only a handful. Apart from the handful, there are loads of creative geniuses in our country who venture into parallel cinema, classical music, literature and various other forms of art and prefer not to come into the limelight. It would be totally unfair not to mention their efforts. But at the end of the day, what goes out to the public is the commercial forms of art, even if they have nothing artistic about them.

The last decade has seen a decline in "Formula Movies" and the upcoming of slightly more mature commercial films, even though less in numbers. I would also specially like to mention "A R Rahman", 'the mozart from Madras' for doing us proud. There are a lot of international artists who have ripped off his tunes. Now that is a sigh of relief for us. Not jus the fact that our music is copied, but also the fact that ripping music is not specific only to India.

Despite all our creative efforts, we have to understand that commercial art is a reflection of us as a country. Copying Music and movies should be stopped. I'm sure that there are many struggling artists out there who can make a difference. Our entertainment industry should be ready to take more risks. It's high time we realise that the Indian public is yet to receive the deserved amount of credit for its intelligence.

Fiesta D'urine

2008-02-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

On a rare winter morning, I waited and waited
Till my bladders were just about to blast
I ran off the train and rushed
Till I found a loo atlast!!

the sight was mesmerising
as people relished the fiesta D'urine

It was an ocean of men so merry
Relieving their stress, ready to take on the world
No faith, no belief was bigger than
The greatest pleasure known to man

the sight was mesmerising
as people relished the fiesta D'urine

Anonymous faces, unanimous pleasure
no one was deprived of that celestial leisure
Hours of misery, wait and unease
All gone in a few seconds of relief

It was a celebration, A carnival
At the restroom in VT station

Unlearn

2008-02-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Isn't it ironic that half our lives, we're taught many things and we spend the other half unlearning most of them. When we're small, we're taught to be nice. Then we learn how useless it is to be nice. The competitive and "rat race" world we live in, preaches nastiness. We later realise, it's all about convenience.

We're taught to be content with what we have. Later life makes us realise that complacency is a crime. Being content brings frustration and disgust towards a stagnant life. Children are always taught "Early to bed, early to rise". I seriously don't know why, when it can never be implemented later in life.

"Bad Company" is another cliche which doesn't make sense to me. Because the line separating Good company and Bad Company keeps going away further as we move ahead in life, quite like a mirage. We later get to know that those who used to fit into the earlier set "Bad Company" criterion are those whom we need the most, as they are the ones who can help your work get done. No offenses to "Good Company", but why have a benevolent friend who's of no use to you. This, in other words, is the same nastiness vs. nice i mentioned earlier. Moreover, if you avoid "Bad Comapny", you would have to settle for solitary confinement.

Well, what exactly is the reason to unlearning and why is it so important? Unlearning, is actually the first step to the everpresent "change". So unlearning is a sign of adaptability and receptiveness. It, in other words, is a sign of willingness to progress. So, if you're ready to make mistakes and proactively unlearn, you would probably be the fastest learner.

I would also like to mention that by unlearning, I do not mean forgetting one's values and tradition.

Technological Colonisation

2007-12-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was talking over my mobile phone while I happened to catch a glance of the Television. My roommate was watching some series on The History Channel. All I saw was a glimpse of the episode where a character was using a 19th cetury Telephone which consisted of a different earpiece connected by a wire and the mouthpiece was connected to a huge stationary box. Looking at the difference between the phone I had in my hand and the phone I saw on the screen, I said "Boy have we come a long way!" It's amazineg the way things have changed

Let's take a situation where our mobile phone gets stolen. How do we manage until we get ourselves a new mobile. The restlessness gets onto us. Doesn't it? This is because what started as a simple way of communicating has now become an integral part of our live. The phone has now become a reminder, an alarm clock, a camera, a walkman etc., to name very few applications, a technologically challenged person like me can remember. The loss of a mobile phone nowadays is less of a material loss and more of an emotional and social void. Even if our mobile battery goes down or if it stops working, it gives us a feeling of being in an ivory tower untill the problem is solved.

Coming back to technology, the changes that have taken place in the last 10 years are much higher than ever. Who thought even ten years back that we could carry a device in our pocket which could carry so much data that it could even include an entire library of movies. Definitely this change in technology is a very welcome change. But what make me rather sceptical is the pace of changes

Now moving from changes in electronics and Information Technology, we are now entering the world of biotechnological advancements. We have successfully cloned animals and possess the potential to even clone humans. This, though one of the most controversial Science topics, is for sure too welcome a change to be accepted. Cloning of cells to cure genetic diseases, Using genetics to cure diseases, Cloning humans. How far will this go on?

Earlier in Hindu mythology, a sage who was in search of the ultimate knowledge would go to a forest and meditate until he came face to face with god. But now the gods relax and so do the sages. All a person now has to do now is type http://www.google.com/.

Man made and used technology to have certain luxuries and facilities at his disposal. But technology has now taken it's toll.
The most crucial question at this point of time is- Is technology all set to replace God?

The fog of illusion

2007-12-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

The breeze and the winter chills
Came with a fog so blissful
which brought hopes and dreams
in times so beautiful
Till the vengeant sun dissipated it all

As we walkd through our fog of illusion
The look in your eyes gave my life new reasons
Your looks so gorgeous, after a fight
Shall remain with me through the seasons
And the world looked more than gorgeous
when we smiled and had fun
The world was never as beautiful later
as ambitions and obligations came in our way

Now the fog comes again
bringing hopes and dreams
We know we might not
make it through these times

The fog would soon be gone
And the sun would rise
in our separate worlds
But the memories shall still remain
As beautiful as dew drops on a rose

Indian English

2007-11-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

In India, we are teached English since childhood but still our English is very different and very Indian. Why our english is so? Why we are making small small and different different mistake while speaking? Because when we will talk in English, first we will think in our mother tongue and then we will translate it to English. That is why we will drink cigaret and we will do "Frandship". This frandship request, we are very commonly finding in Indian Orkut users. Indian English is also dramatic because our superlative degrees is becoming superduperlatives. When we are becoming thinner or richer, we are not only becoming thinner or richer but we are also becoming more thinner or more richer.

We are having the art of making a sentence longer, more redundant and overexpressive. Since we are having the capability to write too many words in a sentence, therefore we are having the capability to make it very long. In India, we also used to do things that we are used to doing. Confusing na?? I will explain. In india when we are saying "used to" we are meaning to say things that we are doing and we are actually meaning to say we "are used to" doing that certain thing. Actually , our sentences are also filled with basicallys, actuallys, so on and so forth. We are also matlab..using Hindi/Other language words in between our English language.

you can like it or not. But here I am liking to quote a punchline which is very correct in this situation. This punchline they "Used to" show in channel V. The punchline is
V are like this only!

audio driven indians

2007-11-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, I was sitting on a friends motorbike when we had to stop and wait at a railway crossing as a train was about to pass through that junction. While we were waiting there for the train to go and the jam to ease, we were looking around and at people all around us. A pretty lady sitting on a neighbouring bike caught our attention. My friend told me she was imported(foreign, Irani to be specific). I did not agree with him because she didn't look non-Indian. But later as the train left and the traffic started moving, I was proved wrong. The traffic started moving and with the sounds of honking and vehicles allover, the lady plugged her ears with her fingers and got highly irrate. If she were Indian, she would've been used to it as we were. And believe me, as per Indian standards, the noise was nothing close to noisy.

We Indians come across as noisy or to be a bit harsh, even audacious. It may sound harsh but it is an inevitable part of our culture. The very foundation of our culture of civilization is the "Aum" which is a collection of all the cosmic sounds. Our celebrations are also very noisy. The thrill of Diwali, the festival of lights is the noisy crackers.We like lighting the noisiest of crackers to satisfy our audacious egos. And if there is a marriage in the neighbourhood, God save the neighbours with the noisy and sleepless weeks before the marriage because the brides or grooms family is celebrating.

Our metros are amongst the noisiest cities in the world. Our days start by the noise of the garbage collectors and the blaring music of neighbours loudspeakers. Then, the streets have "vrooms" of bikes and noisy vegetable vendors and pushcarts in store for us, apart from the noises at places of worships, the temples and mosques. After a noisy day, we plan to retire to our beds just to hear the tunes of latest bollywood numbers playing from cars reversing. And then when it's finally time to sleep, the watchmen makes their presence felt by tapping their sticks and blowing their whistles. There is no way you can get away from noise in india. If you feel running away on an open road can get you any far, you won't be too glad to find out truck bumpers which read HORNS PLEASE OK!!!

media- perception creators

2007-10-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Talking about the basic difference between reality and perceptions, one can relate to those optical illusions we get in our mails where a single image can be percieved to be two different images or a static image can be seen to be moving etc.. These images are similar to how the apparent truth goes unnoticed. Media creates these illusions or perceptions as you would like to call them.

How does the media do this? The media reflects or moulds facts according to it's convenience or should I say profitability. It sensationalises, ignores and delivers facts as per it's convenience. They say that history is written from the winner's point of view. It remains an eternal truth. These historywriters are the media. Propaganda remains one of the guiding rules of media.

There are Journalists who present news facts which would give them TRPs, PR professionals who gain goodwill by covering all the foulplay, advertisers who mislead the audience to gain profits for companies. Advertisers, I know would like to defend themselves(Being a prospective advertiser, even i would). But if that weren't the case, what explains the highest ad sales expenditure for "Fairness Creams"?

They say that the media is the mirror of the society. I don't know how true it is, but one thing is for sure. the media doesn't act as a plane mirror. And beware!!! " objects in the mirror appear to be larger (or smaller) than their actial size."

T-Shirt quoting

2007-10-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

1. I dddon't think I'm confused
2. Caution: Arthritis prone; gets weak in knees easily
3. Extroverted loner here
4.People for Eating Tastey Animals
5. Don't judge me based on ur ignorance
6. Don't drink and drive; U may spill ur drink or kill urself
7. Ignorance is bliss
Ignoring you is the height of bliss.
8. God broke the mould after making me
And now he regrets it
9. Stupidity is not a disorder, it's a way of life
10. When my academics ended, my education began
11. Don't rest on your laurels, keep looking for the hardies
12. Don't scare me with big words, I've got hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia

Use your body language to your advantage

2007-09-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

A person's body speaks more than we often think. We generally tend to take our body language for granted. But it speaks a lot for us. It can also help us convey more than we want. When you entered a friends Apartments for the first time, you might remember the guard stopping you and asking you to record your entry in the register, which you otherwise also never intend to fill properly. Atleast i never remember writing my name on any such register. My favourite names(or shall i say pseudonames) in such situations is SalmanKhan or Vivek Oberoi. Jokes apart, moving forward and after going over to your friends place again and again, the guard starts recognizing you and you don't need to make an entry. Suddenly the guard changes and you can see that you're not stopped from entering. Does the new guard know you? Then how did he let you enter without stopping you? The answer is that after you've become a regular visitor to your friends place, going there is nothing new and the ease shows in your body language and the guard feels that you belong to the same apartments. You don't realise what your body language conveys

Another such instance would be entering a crowded bus. Do you really think the conductor recognizes and identifies each and everyone who's bought a ticket. If no, then how does he find out who's yet to buy a ticket? The answer is that he judges bodylanguage. The body language in a bus changes with time. If you don't believe me, just observe others in a bus. Observing yourself however would be an even better option. Enter a crowded bus and stand with a tired look clinging on the bar over your head, as if you've been in the bus for more than an hour and if you're stop doesn't come soon, you'll collapse. (Not advisable to try this in a bus with few passengers or at the first few stops of the busroute). You'll be surprised to see that the conductor doesn't ask you for your ticket. He really thinks that you've been in the bus for a long duration and even if he suspects you of not having bought a ticket, he would have second thoughts of confronting a frustrated man. Try this if you don't believe me. Afterall, I'm talking from experience.