An over-heated Problem ??

The Copenhagen meet to strike a deal on climate change is making headlines everyday now. Nothing seems as urgent as saving the world. It is imperative for every country to bind itself to emission cuts for consequences of the denial can be catastrophic. We have the obligation and opportunity to be the generation which retrieves earth back from the mess our great grandfathers ( read previous generation Americans, as they are fondly called) have left it in. That is how it is all projected to us and that is how we understand it. Global warming demands immediate action and there is no doubt over the fate of earth if we choose to be delinquent. Yet, one wonders the righteousness of our approach towards the problem. Our measures, to whatever meager sum they amount to, still need to be examined if they are the steps in right direction, and more importantly, with right intentions.

While no one questions the enormity of the problem and the sentiments are strongly in favor of taking stringent actions, there are some very interesting viewpoints and assessments that deserve wider analysis. An Editorial in TOI dated a few days back tried to elucidate why and how the 'Global warming' debate has been blown out of proportion; why this entire movement seems like a huge setup to shift the economic balance of power which now seems to tilt in favor of new emerging economies. Of course, such arguments may sound unnecessary and maybe ignored on account of routine journalism to present counter views. Articles like these which denounce our over cautious standpoint is susceptible to plentiful criticism not just from environmentalists, but even from other factions. Debates like these should leave adequate scope for different opinions, but such adamant advocacy and strong resentment towards a counter opinion raises suspicions of a foul play. Human sentiments have steered the history and have shaped the world we see today. This is what seems to be happening again. By aligning the public opinion around the globe, industrialized nations seek their own revival through climate change. Global warming, besides being a "huge problem", is a necessity, a tacit strategy for their return in a world that is inclining towards the emerging powers. They need to stage a comeback, and global warming promises just that.

The dissidents do not claim it is entirely facade. There have been too many experiments around the world at different times with adequate conformity to reject it as a ploy. What is questionable is the intention and understanding in the global community. The problem is serious, but it hardly gives the impression that the solution seekers are not interested in benefiting from it, even at the cost of others. Europe, US, Japan and others who constitute the developed world have been pushed to a backseat as the emerging economies like ours are spreading their influence. The growth rate for these economies have plunged down to near zero, and for some, even below that. This recession has showed that such economies are now much more vulnerable to downturns while emerging markets like India and China have grown better tolerance. In these circumstances, green industry which holds the potential to turn around the fortunes of the wrecked, rest completely on our sense of urgency. With available technology and capital, developed nations have an edge in starting out in the industry that promise to overtake all others in scope and size. Countries like China and India will be forced to slow down while the developed nations accelerate right back on path of growth .And this is the reason why these countries are so unwilling to share technology and capital and why they want to burden us with unreal responsibilities after polluting earth for over two centuries. The wheels of capitalism are in motion again, as some prepare to save themselves, even if it comes at the price of drowning others.

The Copenhagen meet is at a verge of a breakdown. Developed nations haven't moved an inch on their propositions. Developing nation, quoting an English daily, "have pulled the emergency chain before the train collides with an unbreakable wall". In a sense this is good. A bad solution is worse than no solution. Unless developed world realize the true magnitude of the problem and desist itself from the greed which has left us in this turmoil, we shall remain incapable and foolish as ever to save our own selves. I neither side the hardliners, nor the critics and cogently realize the weight of the problem that looms over us. But illogical decisions based on wavering human emotions can do humanity no good. History will approve as it has seen the fall of some of the greatest civilizations when greed corrupted their values. We have over exploited the little planet, to the extent that it can undo all our evolution in matter of years, something which it is completely capable of. There is a bigger challenge than the climate change today, and that is to face ourselves and ask - Are we ready to change ? Do we accept our mistake ? Can we give up our selfishness and greed? At this point, the answer doesn't seem affirmative, and unless it is, we can't expect a solution. Copenhagen will subside in history as one of the biggest failures of the mankind. Not where humanity failed to delineate a sensible political draft, but one where it failed to confront itself with dignity and prudence.

Khai-Khai

It took me a good measurable time to realize that 'Anonymous' was no Greek philosopher, even though his quotes found their way right next to those by Socrates and Aristotle in popular English dailies (Secretly, I still imagine him as a Bald man with loads of beard straying all over his face). Nevertheless, I still value and preserve much of his wisdom I mustered during my school days. He had resolutely emphasized on human relationships and its complexities and why is it so important for us to address them with the attention they demand. Had the Greeks taken some time off writing volumes on astronomy and trigonometry and paid a little heed to what the bald man with loads of beard had to say, they would have actually been worthy of the hype they've left behind for themselves. After all, it is the intricate web of human relations that bonds everyone of us into a society and thus into civilizations which propels our advancement. It's a fabric holding entire humanity together and you don't have to be a great philosopher or a rocket scientist to get the idea. Yet, we continue to be oblivious to the grand scheme of things. We overlook the patterns as if they never existed, as if they are inconsequential. Instead of solving the puzzle, we just keep on complicating it. It's like total chaos all around and as Mr. Anonymous would have sadly pointed out, we are loosing ourselves into it everyday, every moment.

And while the entire mankind seem to be traveling the erroneous path, the brilliant B-Clan (Bakar Community) of R-Land seems to have provided a break. And what a break it is. It has taken the entire place by storm and promises to be the next revolution that can change the world. Take note Mr. Obama, this is what you might want to talk about in your next speech. For all the uninformed, this phenomenon is called Khai-Khai. Veterans call it the holy game (That would be Vidit Agarwal and gang.) The name of this divine game is composed of one word, repeated twice - Khai. Khai is a steep fall leading to a sure end for every thing that goes for it. It may sound dreadful, and the way it is pronounced in iteration sounds more like a childhood game like ghar-ghar and office-office than instilling any significant fear. But the fact is, that it actually embarks on something as fundamental as the harmless emotions that characterize children playing those games with iterative names. It is a simple game which paves way for humans to open up and find where they stand in the labyrinth of life.

It is a game with a hypothetical situation (having dreadful real consequences) and 4 simple rules. The situation is that you are standing with two of your dear ones on the edge of a Khai and circumstances such arise that you are to save one and end your tryst with the other by pushing him down to a painful end (hypothetically of course).The rules are as simple as a boolean expression. 1st, you can't save both of them. 2nd, you can't push both of them. 3rd, You can't jump yourself to avoid an answer and 4th, you can't deny a decision. You have to choose one and you have to do it veraciously. And that's about it. It may sound simple, but you can appreciate the challenge only when you give it a shot yourself. It is an open forum, a battle against yourself. You play with no one else, but just against your own negligence in quest for your own enlightment. The game doesn't end with one question. Questions are thrown on you one after another, with all the permutations and combinations you can think of, ultimately to craft a list of people who matter to you most. The game continues for hours with an unspoken promise to say and hear only truth and nothing else. Even if you try, the game is self-structured to offset any kind of diplomacy and pretense. Layer by layer, every person is unleashed. Hearts are broken, relationships are strengthened, barriers give way to new alliances, just to make some fresh wounds. It is a roller coaster ride that takes you through shock and celebrations, joy and sorrow, love and realization in some of the most defining moments of your life. It reveals who you are and where you stand in the human ecosystem that every individual builds for itself. Khai-Khai lets you evaluate the entire humanity against yourself. It is beyond awesomeness !

Let me construct a small example of how difficult and interesting it can be. Since to ensure everyone understand what we are talking about, I'll replace the characters by important organs. I don't know if I'll be doing justice to the game since it is experimentally found to work best on humans, but you can at least get an idea of what its all about. So here is A playing Khai-Khai with B.

A : Let's play Khai-Khai

B : Sure

A : Okay, choose between right hand and left hand

B : It's a no brainer. Right Hand of course

( Everyone anticipated it. It was his right hand after all !!)

A : Heart or Brain ?

B : ummmm....this one's a little tricky

A : ( Brags a little for framing it)

B : ( After some thinking) Though, I know Brain is more important, but I listen to my heart more. Let it be Heart.

(Many sitting around are shocked. A knew it, as he claims. But Brain can't believe it. He remains silent and try to appear indifferent, but he is shocked to the core. Heart, on the other hand, always knew it. B turns healthier with red cheeks in days that follow !)

A : Aur ab Mudhe ka sawaal. Eyes !!

B : Nooooooooo......

A: Yes....

B : Not this one...I'm not answering this

A: Right eye or left eye ?

B : Shit. I can't answer it. I'm sorry.

A : You don't have that option. You have to answer.

B : But they are both same. Exactly Equal.

A : You have to choose one.

B : This is insane.

A : Just choose one.

B : ( Thinks a lot. He wants to give up, but can't...it's Khai-Khai after all)

B : Okay ( Eyes on him now. Complete silence)

B: It's......( More eyes follow. Hearts pounding)

B: It's .........I can't do it !! They are both EXACTLY same.

A : That won't do B. Just say it.

B : Okay OKay. Though they are both equal, it's the...left eye.

(There are murmurs in the crowd, faces staring at each other to make sense of the declaration. Right eye is shattered. Left eye tries to maintain decorum, but still find itself boasting with left eyebrow penetrating almost into the forehead).

A : Bhaiya...Macha di !!

A : Now left eye or the heart ?

And it goes on.

So if you want to get a true feel of the powers of Khai-Khai, you have to allow yourself to play it. It'll be full of surprises, sometimes much to your dislike. But you'll resign with content at the end of the day. Inspite of every feeling that goes along with this game, it promises more satisfaction than you could have bargained for, for nothing is more enlightening than the truth itself. It is the game where you want to speak the truth when nothing compels you to, but your own inner self. And since all this is so dynamic, you have to follow it every day with every single person who concerns you and there are people who do that religiously. In fact, sources claim that after an immensely popular and life changing season 1, Khai-Khai has now entered its second season with wider fan following. That is the power of truth. That's the magic and addiction. That's the solution and revolution. And that is the essence of khai-khai, which so beautifully resonates with the purpose of our existence. If you want to understand the meaning and origin of life, stop taking refuge under clueless babas or spending billions on stupid underground accelerators.

Play Khai-Khai and enlighten yourself !!

Absolutely random and uninspiring post

As in regard of tastes and eating habits, I presume I’m quite as normal as anyone around is, except for minor deviations from the standard normal curve of food habits. I may sound a bit mathematical, but as a matter of fact that’s the way I am evolving. Thinking in discrete ways and trying to model different situations of life into mathematical equations has happened to me more than once now. It’s quite fun and imaginative and definitely not at all geekish as it sounds, for I never play by the rules of the subject. I, infact invent my own rules that suits my mind better (and in some cases allow Chuck Norris algorithm to strangle the problem with a cordless phone !!).

Breaking out of digression, I'll resume by expressing contentment over my food habits except on some occasions, notably those involving sandwiches. Sandwiches are tantalizing, succulent and symbolic of lighter moods and good times. Millions of people around the world will fondly recall how sandwich has played it's part in their times of celebrations, joy, sorrow, winter, spring, love, peace and what not. It finds mention in thousands of stories of everyday lives of humble mankind, in recitals and in epics. Sandwiches are beyond word...they are awesome !! But unfortunately, I don't share any sentiments I've poetically tried to expound. They come from my peculiar observations of people who are madly in love with this little things. Years have gone, but I'm yet to figure out how anyone can even sparingly relish these neat triangles full of filth. The idea of vegetables (especially cucumber) mollified in butter and all that covered in bread sounds absolutely hideous to me. It's appalling and very dismaying. You just can't ignore it. But then people will disapprove. They love it, and they do that very generously. When we talk about sandwiches, Yes, I do feel abandoned. I declare here that even after a strenuous search spanning years, I'm yet to find a single person who despise sandwiches as strongly I do. Among many desperate measure I have taken in my quest, I confess owning and moderating a single member community on orkut for an year - 'I hate Sandwiches'. No one subscribed to my ideology. No one still do and I feel helpless at times. In my defence, I want to say that I genuinely tried, but even after umpteenth attempt, I'm not able to alter my feeling towards them. It'll be with me till my time, and after that the world shall forget this loner forever.

I hate sandwiches. Though it fascinates me and grilled sandwiches subdue my hatred to some extent, but I still hate them like anything. And so do the coffee in CCDs and Baristas that people like to have with them. It is a sad story. One that results unconditionally and entirely out of circumstances. I loved CCD for all the good times of my sweet teenage and I loved that trip I had in first year with my best friends. Everything was great. We had a delicious breakfast on last day in a CCD romantically located on top of a hill in Mussorie. Everything was so unnaturally perfect that something had to go wrong ( I Interpreted I'll screw my mid-terms in exchange of so much happiness, which I eventually did). Things turned bad in a different way as well. During our descent back to R-land, some pseudo forces started acting upward on my coffee and other goodies I savored with it. Regurgitation drowned away the sweet memories of the trip and taste of coffee became synonymous with vomiting ever since. 'Don't think about chocolates and coffee' - my friend advised me during that harrowing time. I tried following his command but in a pathetic effort, I couldn't think of anything else but chocolates and coffee. Now every time I feel like throwing up, CCD and it's coffee and hot fudge crosses my mind. The same goes other way round. Being in CCD gets me back to all those mountains and that journey down the hills with all the puke and it's thoughts around. It has mercilessly left me devoid of all the good memories of past and coffee in CCD is a closed chapter for me.

And finally we come to pizzas. Before moving ahead, let me clarify that I love them and they are my idea of a really good time. But strictly, I'm a fan of Pizza hut pan pizzas only, and one amongst them that walks out with all the honors is Veggie Crunch. After a tiring JEE, my hungry self feasted upon this lovely pizza for the first time. It was love at first bite and the affair hasn't ended yet. Infact, the girl with sweet voice taking my orders in some call centre knows that over 90% of time, I order this specific pizza only along with cheese garlic breads. While I'm so fond of veggie-crunch, I have never liked anything Dominos or Papa John's has ever invented. Once again I'll shy away from normal food trends here by announcing I've not enjoyed, infact I hated, the much celebrated variant of Dominos pizza - The cheese burst. I know people are mad about it but for me, it's lot of cheese for the taste buds that adore true taste of pizza. Come on guys...cheese is tasty, but it has no right whatsoever to overwhelm the taste of pizza, something that is so classic in itself. I prefer pizzas unadulterated, least so by cheese. Unlike coffee in CCDs, I have no regrets to inform my utter disregard for this kind of food that is so low on creativity. It's just a bribe of cheese overdose to hungry uninformed people at a cost of loosing something so much blessed, so much eternal.

With that I'll like to conclude this post. Though I'm not very fond of South Indian food too, But I've found a decent amount of humanity not liking it as well.

Rest assured, I'm perfectly normal in all other aspects concerning human lifestyle. At least, thats what I perceive and any comment on the same shall be entertained only if conveyed in most diplomatic and encoded way.