Wise Guy In A Warped World

The Big 3

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:38:00 +0000

This the 2nd Edition of the Big 3 Series

If the Blogosphere were a country, then maybe I would be hanged for negligence of duty!!! So yes, I have been away from my blog and my readers for little more than two months. In the blogosphere, this means your blog is comatose (to say the least, if not dead).

But then unlike humans a blog can always be revived, first, by the author's initiative to keep writing and second by the readers' love and appreciation (that's you).

So here is another Big 3, this time the post lists three most important events that have and are occurring around us which I missed while my blog was deep in slumber;

The Monsoon
The Std. 10th Results and the Best Of Five Fiasco
The FIFA phenomenon (Jabulaani, Vuvuzelas, all included!)

So folks, that's it from your friendly neighbourhood blogger. But remember keep checking in as there will be loads of posts in the coming days.

Ciao!

Fool

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:05:00 +0000

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 9; the ninth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Act I

"You are a fool!"

I glared at Rajan. He’s my best buddy, he is supposed to support me and instead here he is calling me a fool, looking at me as if I'd gone mad. Well, actually I was mad...madly in love.

"You cannot be in love with a person you haven't met." he went on.

"But I've met her..." I tried to explain.

"When I use the past tense of 'meet' I am referring to the occurrence of an audible conversation between two individuals over a considerable period of time. Sitting ten feet apart in the college canteen and smiling at each other for a second does not count as a meeting, Anish." He interrupted

"But..."

"No, telling what time it is does not count as a meeting."

"And..."

"...The time she asked you to pass her the salt? That's not a sign that she likes you."

"Rajan, you are such a pessimist." was what I was about to say but I was speechless before I could say it, because at that very moment she walked into the canteen.

The adjective 'beautiful' would seem a lowly word to describe how she looked. 'Radiant' or...or maybe 'Exotic' would be more appropriate. The grace with which she moved from the entrance to the table just a few feet away and sat on the bench was mesmerising.

"Anish!" Rajan yelled as he slapped me across my face.

"Whaddahell..."

"Ogling at a girl is rude, disrespectful, even if you have a stupid crush on her." he said solemnly.

"How many times do I have to tell you, man? It's not just a stupid crush; I'm seriously in love with her." I tried reasoning with him once more, frustrated by his lack of understanding.

He only rolled his eyes, stole a glance at her and leaned towards me and whispered, “Look, I have a lecture that starts in ten minutes so I gotta go. Just remember, you are a kind, considerate introvert. She is a rich, spoilt, sexy looking brat. She does not deserve you. So don't try anything stupidly romantic and make a fool out of yourself in front everyone, OK?"

"OK. Maybe you're right...it's too early to make a move." I replied resignedly staring at her all the while, while he slung his backpack on his shoulder and hurried off to the lecture hall.

Act II

As I stared at the canteen entrance long after Rajan was gone. Soon my mind began to wander and thoughts started creeping in. Thoughts like - Love is strange...It makes you want to do things that you know make no sense and yet...It makes you want to forget that anybody other than the two of you exist...Sigh!

My string of thoughts were broken by a loud noise of breaking glass. I looked in the direction from where the noise had erupted. The noise of breaking glass had now been replaced by squeals of anguish from my lady love. It seemed that one of the minions that the canteen guy kept to do his bidding (which consisted mostly, or rather only, of serving the students) had spilt juice on my lady's beautiful salwar.

My damsel was in distress, I should be at her side defending her, protecting her from that scoundrel. But even before I could walk over to the scene from my seat to execute my chivalrous plan, the squeals of anguish had turned to angry yelling. About two minutes into the yelling spree I realised I'd frozen in mid stride and my mouth had fallen open, I closed it and slowly turned to sit back on my bench.

The yelling continued in the background but now the 'damsel' was no longer in distress while the 'scoundrel' cowered in agony. I was engulfed once again by my thoughts, though this time they weren't the lovey-dovey type. These new thoughts were more tumultuous, more commanding, these were the thoughts of the 'rational' me.

"Now are you convinced? Or do you still need any more proof that the 'love of your life' is a bitch?" the rational me asked.

"But...but, this can't be..." was my dumbfounded reply (because of what I had witnessed)

"Oh please, don't tell me that you are a wimp and a blind one at that!"

"But he ruined her dress..." I began to argue rather weakly.

"Oh Yeah! Sure." the rational me said sarcastically,"The poor fellow didn't even get a chance to explain. Even a guy accused of murder gets a trial and a chance to speak for himself."

I pondered on what my rational mind had just expressed. Then Rajan's words came back to me - She is a rich, spoilt, sexy looking brat. She does not deserve you. Yes, he was right, I was right,well at least the rational part of me was. The reality had been staring at me right in the face and here I was ignoring it, she wasn't right for me, she'd never been right for me. I looked at her again from the corner of my eyes, she was still screaming at the waiter in a voice so shrill, I was surprised that the window panes and glasses in the canteen hadn't shattered yet. She was not Miss My-Only-Love that I had thought her to be. Oh my god! She was Miss Cruella Deville. I remembered all the times in the past she had ignored me, cursed the poor fellow in the administrative office and even laughed cruelly when a guy had fallen and hurt himself while trying to scale the wall. Rajan was right she did not deserve me, I thought in disgust.

I sighed once again, this time in relief. I made a mental note to thank Rajan when I met him in the next lecture for his invaluable advice and to remind him that I was not a fool, I was smart enough to realise the mistake that I was about to make. I shuddered, I could not even imagine what could have happened hadn't I witnessed what occurred here today.

Act III

All these thoughts were still flashing through my mind like a badly edited film when a petite, musical voice interrupted them,

"Hi...Anish? Am I right?"

I looked in the direction of the voice and found myself staring right in her face. I was too dumbfounded to reply all my hatred and rationality disappearing into thin air.

"Y-Y-Yes" I stuttered.

"I was wondering if I could borrow those notes that the prof distributed in yesterday's lecture" she asked in that magical voice of hers.

"Oh, s-s-sure you c-c-can." I replied, retrieving the notes from the bag and handing them over to her in less than half a second without taking my eyes away from her face. Her beautiful face was glowing like an ethereal beacon, her perfectly almond shaped eyes were hypnotizing. Those soft, rosy lips of hers said something that never reached my ears, I was too busy looking at her perfect features.

This was it. I had always been right from the start, she was the only one for me. How could I have even thought otherwise, I shuddered at the thought. Our unprofessed love was not a figment of my imagination, we were meant for each other.

I made a mental note of telling Rajan about our meeting but I knew he would not understand. He had never been in love. And love was never a rational thing, hence that meant my rational mind was not qualified to comment on matters of the heart either. Screw both of 'em.

"You are a fool!" my rational mind had regained it senses.

"Yes," I said,"Foolishly in love."

***

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The Moscow Blasts...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:02:00 +0000

A shocking incident...more so after similar such incidents have taken place closer home!

The loss of life and the trauma that this incident has caused is unalterable, permanent.

Words are of no use in such cases and thus I will not try to give out useless gyaan.

Here is an article about the whole thing from the point of view of a Moscow-ite. It clearly expresses how such acts of terrorism affect even those who have not been at the site or victimised directly.

Wise Guy In A Warped World

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:10:00 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the new improved title of your very own blog previously popular* as 'The Teenager's Perspective Of The World'.

(*Some may argue that the fact that this blog is popular is questionable, so let me tell them this - That issue is not open for debate!)

Yeah, thank you to all those who are congratulating me on the really great name I came up with .Those who aren't, complaints are not welcome! 'Cause I am in a very good mood right now, ecstatic is more like it. Why? You're asking me why! Go ask the parents of a new born why they are so excited about their child's name and the ceremony involved.

What the name exactly means is something I will leave up to you to deduce. You could always share with me what your peanut sized brains came up with.

On a more serious note, I would like to end this post by thanking Nalini Hebbar, Saras, Parth Dave for all their suggestions on what I could name my blog. Though I realize what all you must be thinking;

What a brat! Does not even consider my suggestion and is shameless enough to acknowledge the fact in public. What a waste of time and grey matter.

But believe me if it wasn't for those beautiful suggestions of yours I could not have come up with this one.

Name Of Blog: Pending

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:15:00 +0000

Oh, please don't click that mouse and move away from the blog, it's me, ARJuna, this is the very same blog which you always come by - Teenager's Perspective Of The World though it's not a teenager's anymore. It's now an adult's perspective. But come on; who in his right mind would name his blog Adult's Perspective... (for that matter who in his right mind would have thought of naming a blog - Teenager's Perspective Of The World, I mean it's so bloody long, but a teen is never in his right mind, is he?).

So, my life as an adult has begun and is already gaining momentum. But there were a few things I had to still take care of and as you must have guessed by now the purpose of the strange title that I have given my blog, finding a good name for my blog (to suit my personality as a mature adult) is one of them.

So as my dear late mamaji (though I don't remember exactly which, I always seem to have so many of them!!!) had once said - Forget your ego and always ask someone for the right directions, when you've lost your way. Though from what I've heard he died after falling into a ditch after taking the wrong shortcut through the woods!

Hence I am requesting you, my readers, to help me find a name for my blog.

While helping me christen my blog please remember;

I don't mind if the name is long, please go ahead and suggest it. You could also suggest any number of names that come to your mind.
The key words are Youth, Perspective, World and Personal (but you can go ahead and suggest something hatke if you just can't resist yourselves)
It would be great if you could share how and why you came across the name that you suggested.

So this is ARJuna signing off with the hope that I will recieve your suggestions soon.

Oh, and yes, wishing all of you a very Happy Holi!!!

Things that you SHOULDN'T do when you are a teenager.

noreply@blogger.com (Siddhesh Kabe) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:22:00 +0000

When Arjuna asked me to write on the topic of teen, I got scared, because I realized I am no longer qualified as a teen, ouchie, that hurts.

So when does a person enter in his teen? I decided to ask a few 'teens' this question,

My sister, who recently turned 18 says, when the number of pimples grows more than the number of cards you get on your valentines day(seriously? I should spy on her, no?)

My very good friend Abhinav(now, I seriously doubt if he considers me friend or just a source of illegal money) who is now 16, says you are a Teen when you watch MTV more than cartoon-network (yeah right, I still watch cartoon network ok, they have better shows)

My teenage began in the Pune-local train as I used to travel it to reach Modern College all the way into Pune city (20 min train ride from my house). Now Arjuna, has asked me to share 'wisdom' on being a teenager (okay seriously bro, one advice, don't EVER take my advice), I have only one advice, always wear good sports shoes, easy to run. I will only share my days as a teenager.

My half teen-age was spend running, running to catch a train, running from guys whose journal I used to steal and then give to some juniors to copy, running from OMS (outer Maharashtra state student) when I used to trash someone of their group the previous night, running from professor as I tried convincing them I am not from their college and was sitting in lectures just to gawk at girls, running to catch the morning (adult) show in Mangala theatre and then again running to catch the 2 o'clock lecture because the professor Apte knew my face, most of the time running from TTE in railways for traveling in first class on second class ticket (Seriously those 6 years of my life where excellent, if I had ran so much in life I would have excelled in everything)

Those who remember me from those days, still can't remember when I entered Modern College campus. I used to leave home at 7:10 am local train, then catch a morning adult show at 10:00 in Mangala Theatre (back then it was simple theatre, now its a multiplex and no morning show now boo hoo) then I used to go and attend Fergussion college lectures to gawk at the foreign students who came to study. Sit for hours in Kimaya (of fergussion college) or hanuman tekdi to trouble couples sitting there or go and eat kacchi dabeli at Deccan, all these places at the distance of 20 min from Modern and my only means of travelling was walking (pocket money was sparse, it was year 2004 and 100 rs was something glorious for all)

I did enjoy those days, four years of my life I will never regret. I experienced freedom then, enjoyed life.

If you are a teenager, I will tell you one thing, tension nu goli maro, go enjoy your life, ~~I smoked, I drank alcohol, yes I did all those things for which I will be thrown in hell for like a million times~~ I studied hard and tried to get distinction (yeah right, but I am told by someone to say this), but I enjoyed it and if you want to enjoy your life, detach your brain and go freak out, but do it on your own terms, don't try to be someone else you are not.

Life is more confusing when you are in your teens, enjoy it, don't cry over it and don't squeeze those pimples, everyone have them. They go.

Finally, chill out guys. To hell with life, just chill maro and have fun.

To Arjuna,

Cheers,

Out Of My Teens

noreply@blogger.com (Guria) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:29:00 +0000

I was never a teenager in my teens!

By teenager I meant, no tantrums, no late-nights, no ego clashes, no thick-headedness. Instead I was an obedient bookworm with not much of a social life, not a thing for partying, no booze, no smoking, ultra-philosophical, fashion-disinterested... No wonder my mother was so happy!

Little did she guess that I'll start behaving like a teenager when I'd turn twenty. And that it'll be such an intense phenomenon, that will show absolutely no signs of abating!

Being a teenager had always seemed too over-hyped to me. I used to enjoy less and introspect more. But that was me, and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. My teenage days was the time when I really grew up.

A beautiful world slowing started showing cracks and the bright colors started to fade. it was much like as if my vision was improving, new glasses for my myopic eyes. and I wished (then) that I could have held on to my naivety. And I turned a cynic.

A cynic with no experiences how to deal with the big and ugly world. Even with all my anti-teenager attributes, I created enough trouble for myself, that if I had had the chance to correct it I would. But never would I give up all that I learnt from them. I guess, what I would have wanted to be is smarter rather than gullible, understanding than believing blindly, kind rather than self-sacrificing.

I discovered human minds and emotions, understood psychology because I spared them a thought. And every bit was hard-earned, some from my mistakes and some from others'.

But slowly at the end of my teens, when I could see through most facades, the hazy and scratched glass to look at the world, i found the real beauty. A beauty beyond the obvious black and dirty and hurtful.

Childhood is the period of a life that gives shape to the dreams of a lifetime. We either spend our lives living up to them, or living down the miseries of them. Teenage years I believe, gives us strength and moulds us the way we will be for the rest of our lives. As the most impressionable years with developing ideology and understanding, we shape who we will be in our teens.

My teens brought me knowledge, illumination and faith. I looked at losses and sadness so closely that I understood happiness. I experienced betrayals (like everyone else) to understand the value of relationships. I saw destruction and mayhem to believe in miracles. I found power in me to believe that you are God. I discovered hope, optimism and life.

I learned to forgive. I learned to commend for one's goodness. I learned not to hate. I learned to believe, hope and be. I became the idealist I'm today.

And now, I have a lot of fun throwing tantrums. Being out till late nights with Mum calling me repeatedly on phone. Bunked classes in Masters to chill in the canteen (I'd never gone to canteens in my Bachelors!), be pig-headed on purpose, be overly sentimental, fight with my Mum-Dad over the most petty things, with my sister as to who will have that blue dress. And I enjoy it all. Totally.

ARJuna is my most favorite teenage blogger. Whose birthday it is today. In whose honor I wrote this sappy post. All i know about him is through the words he writes in the pages of his blog and I feel, he is one of the most intense, mature and thinking teenage I've met. I smile when I think, with my limited experience in this world, ARJuna is going to be one person who will be completely different from everyone else as he steps in to claim his place in this world.

I wish I could write a funny post or an absolutely engaging one. But all I could come up with was the not-so-interesting truth of my life. And I believe this post can have no better place than ARJuna's blog, not even in mine.

Happy Birthday, ARJuna!!

Even though you are turning twenty today, be a teenager forever!

Dream With Your Eyes Open

noreply@blogger.com (MADHU RAO | (INDImag.COM)) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:39:00 +0000

Dear Arjuna,

Thank you for the invitation to write on your blog. I am humbled that you would be interested to know thoughts and experiences from my teenage years and how it compares-contrasts with the present time. I do not want to write a generic post as that's not what you asked for ; you asked for specific personal experiences. I do not want to dole out advice, so this isn't one. I will however look back cathartic-ally with as much honesty as I can muster and recount. Given a sliver of a second chance, I would do many things differently ; while on some precious,treasured ones, I wouldn't change a thing. Here's one of each.

If this helps you, brings a smile or a laugh, that's my treat from you.

Hormones Playing Harmonium

Hormones influence your teenage years. I was no exception. I'm not talking of the cracked voice and facial hair -- that was a given. I'm not even talking of a Salman Khan-Sanjay Dutt inspired mullet or the baggy pants(what were we thinking !). I am however talking of the emotional-psychological aspect of it. I am talking of my transformation from a studious first bencher to a brat who had taken to bunking classes, hitting the movies, hiking the mountains and wandering the streets. Before long, the 12 year old who implicitly understood that his parents could not afford a school sponsored day trip(Rs.50-100/-) and would not even broach it up was creating a daily ugly scene -- demanding a motor bike(Rs.30,000/-) that we could not afford. Fortunately I did not take to drinking or smoking but I did have a major attitude issue. The worse part was that it was just at home. Outside, I was the same shy introvert(yeah, I was shy and introvert) people knew me from before...

But fortunately that changed..

A day before my 11 th std results(1 st year Pre University), I literally cried. I was scared that for the first time I might fail a class. Fortunately, I did not -- it was not a board exam and colleges were liberal in pushing us through. I left the bleak report-card on the table and hung around the house ready to be summoned by my father. He didn't. 2 days passed and it lay there. On the third it was placed in my folder with the others of it's ilk. Still no talk about it.

The silence did me in. Private tuition for 12 th std had started and I began studying like I had exams in a week. I quit watching TV, told my friends I would be out of town. It felt good. It was my silent ' I'm sorry'. A week later as I was reading, a hand landed on my head. He said little, but it was enough to make me want to continue what I was doing. It was a far greater high than bunking a class or acting hip.

Given half a chance I would not want be what I was during my 15-17.

They Are Not Perfect ; They Are Humans Too

I believe that most parents do the best they can and put their child's interest ahead of theirs. So are they perfect and devoid of faults ? No. Growing up I often disagreed ; we all in my family disagreed and had lengthy debates. But the unstated rule in our family was "Agreeing to disagree is fine ; not discussing, isn't " . That has helped us. Helped us not to accept the dogmas but to question it, probe it, understand it and analyze it.

After my turbulent 10th - 11th and I had straightened up, I was in a dilemma. Like most fathers Indian, my dad thought I would grace one of the IITs. My high school principal added to this. He also believed that I was ace-ing 'Target IIT' by Brilliant Tutorials and a similar program by Agarwal's he had ordered for me. The truth was, I sucked at it. Add to that now it was affecting my state board exams preparations. So, I had to sit my father down and tell him the truth. I concluded my case with 'I know I can get a good engineering seat in Karnataka - CET, on merit ; but if I straddle two boats, I might end up getting neither and in the water..' . 2 days and more discussions later he relented.

Was my father wrong ? You bet. But were his intentions/aspirations wrong ? No. Do I rag him about it even today ? Oh yeaaah ! ;-)

Most parents understand. Like mine did despite me downing Rs.3000-4000/- in the toilet for the IIT materials. That was no chump change considering my 4 years of engineering costed us Rs.5000/- and we just about managed that.

That's one thing I would not want to change -- discussions at dinner.

"Life is good, don't let anyone convince you otherwise. As long as you wake up and be the best you can be, as long as smile, honesty and dignity stare you back when you look in the mirror, you have done good.."

-- Anon

Few other lines that have stayed on and provide an inspiration :

Success is not a spontaneous reaction, you need to set yourself on fire first.
Courage is not the absence of fear ; it is the ability to surmount it.
Play hard ; play fair ; play to win.
God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth ; listen more, talk less.
There's just one of you in the whole world. Why wish to be another's image when are already unique.

Good Luck and Happy Birthday !

Warm Regards ,
Madhu

An Open Letter To My Son

noreply@blogger.com (Shilpa Garg) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:53:00 +0000

This is a Guest Post by Shilpa Garg

Dearest Son

This is a jot from a mother whose son would be a teen soon!

They say that the mother of a teenager is synonymous with apprehensions and fear.

Why, you may ask!!

Well, the reasons are many and thoughts are plenty…

I know that the teenage is a very delicate stage of life. It is the intermediary stage of growth between childhood and adulthood, where one is struggling for autonomy and identity. There are biological transformations and the child runs into a number of emotional tribulations. The nature of an teen’s behavior is greatly influenced by his friends and companions. There are a lot of pressures too.…

the studies
the career decisions
the dilemma of choosing the ‘Right’ or the ‘Wrong’
the conflict between the family values and peer group beliefs
personal appearance…

With so much of exposure at a young age today, your life as a teenage in coming times (and even now) is surely going to very very different from the one I had. But, I believe whatever the advancements or modernization, the basic principles or the rules to live by will remain the same.

Today, I’d like to share my learnings, beliefs and thoughts for you, the would-be-teens or teenagers…

Share. Express yourself…your thoughts, your ideas, or just anything with your parents. It will help you tremendously and help them understand your dreams and aspirations better.
Accept yourself as you are and identify your unique strengths and build on them.
Have realistic expectations.
Eat healthy and stay healthy.
Exert yourself physically in some outdoor game.
Read. Read. Read. It will open up a whole new world for you.
Appreciate what you have and count your blessings. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
Choose your company wisely.

I am not going to promise that it would be easy. But then nothing is impossible.

May you enjoy, love and grow in your teen years!!

Love you

Moving On...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:32:00 +0000

Today, I complete 20 years of age.

Today, I am officially (or rather theoretically) an adult.

Today, I cease to be a teenager.

I entered my teens like any other kid, unknowingly, unaware of what life had in store for me and the rest is, as they say, is history (at least for me).

The past 7 years have been full of struggle, of understanding and of new degrees of freedom. From the day that I travelled to coaching class alone (in a BEST bus) for the very first time to the day that I decided to pursue further studies in a field of my choice, it hasn't been a bed of roses but it is a journey worth remembering.

Mistakes have been committed, Choices have been made, some of which I have learnt to deal with, others I chose to forget and still others that I will regret for years to come. Yet if someone were to ask me - If you had that one chance to go back and live those years all over again, would you live them differently? - my answer would be No. I would love to exist in that period of my life once more but I wouldn't change any of it. For what has happened, has happened but what has happened has helped me become the person I am today and I don't regret it.

I have learnt in these years that the world is unfair and all the people in it aren't what you expect them to be. But that doesn't mean that I need to forget my conscience and my principles. Money and status isn't everything, at the end it is your satisfaction and your family that matter the most.

There are many people that deserve credit for all the 'good' part of me. My Mom and Dad, my teachers from Indian School, Muscat, my friend Yogesh (it is because of him that I know the exact meaning of friendship) and lots of others who have been a part of my life inconspicuously helping me and guiding me.

It's not like the journey ends here. There are many questions yet to be answered and many experiences yet to be had. And yet these years, I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Not a Confused Teenager anymore but still Confused!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashish Gourav) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:54:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Ashish Gourav

Everything in this world is new as well as old. Sounds ambiguous? New and old are relative concepts and are quite fuzzy in nature. Though you may slam my first line saying that even the laptop on which I’m typing is either a brand new purchase or an old valued possession. Exactly! That is my point. When you buy any physical good it remains new to your perception for weeks or maybe months, especially if you are a gadget-freak and the thing talked about happens to be laptop, any hand-held device, and etc…confused? Read On!

[Image Courtesy]

However, explaining that all transcendental thoughts are new and old at the same time is quite easy. Better don’t get me started this time and figure out yourself.
Our life can be chronologically arranged in the order:

1.Infant stage…an oblivious sojourn.
2.Childhood…legal hooligan!
3.Childhood again…pregnant with confusion.
4.Onset of Teenage err puberty… priceless :P
5.Self-proclaimed matured Teenager…confused confused confused :(
6.Teenage over…early 20s…Confusion at peak.
7.Adulthood…No Idea!

With teenage comes great responsibility, not in the usual form but a responsibility to nurture the confusion and inquisitiveness about the world, people, every physical phenomena, emotions, relationships and etc… escalated by hormonal rage. The quantitative and qualitative level of confusion decides our achievements and failures in life. Confusion is a good emotion. The more you are confused, more doubts would be cleared.

Confusion drives us crazy in our teens. We choose our career, hobbies and other interests governed by our confusion. The reason most of the teenage romantic relationships break and (/or) are termed as “first-immature-crush and not love” is confusion and to an extent a combined effect of “testosterone, estrogen and progesterone”.

[Image Courtesy]

As we grow old and come out of our teenage phase, and enter into early 20s we experience new changes and confusions still remain unresolved. We lose our zeal to be inquisitive and the passion fades in a subtle manner to maturity. If we refuse to mature and if the confusion persists it fuels the burning fire to "follow our dreams". Most of the successful people are results of this confusion. The world betrays them while they appear confused. It never bothers them; to them their dream is more important. The passion with which they follow their dreams and try to seek an answer for their confusion is the only driving force in their case. When they become successful and powerful, people are awed by the sheer brilliance of their ideas, dedication, perseverance, talent and endless list of adjectives. We think now they have come out of their confused state but we are wrong, they are still confused!

For mango-persons (aam-aadmi) like you and me, confusion is not a virtue but we should think again. The baby we give birth to as confusion in our teenage should be nurtured and made a responsible, disciplined and honest means to expression of our thoughts.

Perx describes a typical teenager as bored, frustrated, confused and angry. Agreed!

The anger, frustration and confusion should be channelised for pursuing our dreams.

“Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious...”
- Michael Stipe

PS: ARJuna turns 20 today!
PS: Happy Birthday ARJuna
PS: Thanks for inviting me to write a post in your blog.
PS: Readers can visit my blog from here.

A Footprint Of Service

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:19:00 +0000

A quote from February 1st issue of TOI;

"Gates has slammed Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi for wasting money on hair transplants instead of helping the starved... Gates told the newspaper 'Suddeutsche Zeitung' rich people spend a lot more money on their own problems - like baldness - than they do to fight malaria."

This set me thinking, irrespective of how rich we are, how many of us think about the underprivileged?

A sad fact - I don't. I am sure most of my batchmates from college or youth belonging to my age group don't think about such stuff either (a select few do and I do not deny that) almost all of them are busy nurturing their own ambitions.

The reason is simple enough. We are trying so hard, to establish our own identity in the society, to make sure that we can eke out a living after we pass out of college, trying to swim towards the elusive 'Indian Dream', that in this struggle we tend to block out every aspect of the society that is beyond our sphere and utility. But this reason isn't good enough!

Why don't we consider social entrepreneurship as a career or volunteer for NGO's in the social service sector.

Maybe it's time we kept aside our dreams of hefty paychecks, big houses and flashy cars aside for some while and looked beyond our own ambitions. It's time we stopped complaining how unfair life can be. It's time we do something to really help those in need of a better life.

Dheel De...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:37:00 +0000

The strong wind, blowing through the hair

All the terraces peppered with men, women and (especially) children.

The fluid motion of kite up in the sky.

The manja tugging at the fingers.

The shouts, screams, catcalls and jeers of the victorious party and the elegant fall of the vanquished kite in the jungle of cement and concrete.

And the joy of finding a fallen kite.

That sums up the festival of Sankranti in Ahmedabad. A beautiful experience for a metro guy like me, who flew a kite for the very first time in his life!!!

Yes, I'm Very Much Alive...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:37:00 +0000

And after defying the murderous exams and recovering from the post exam hangover I am back to blogging.

I'll start by wishing all of you a very Happy New Year. There couldn't be a better start-of-the-year than this for me. Why? Because the new year itself is reason enough to blog, and this time the cause of blogging was strengthened by the 'idiotic' controversy!!!

The only comment I would make would be

The overall story of the film is completely different from the book (claims that 70% of the story from the book has been lifted directly is, according to me, baseless)
The timing of the controversy only makes it clear that Chetan Bhagat knows how to get his book sold, if you know what I mean!
Vidhu Vinod Chopra needs to join an anger management program and Bhagat needs a better lawyer (and a magnifying glass to read the fine print).

And yes, I have read the book and seen the movie.

Though I have nothing against the author, I do feel a person like him, who speaks about a principles and reforms (in his columns), shouldn't have resorted to such publicity tactics.

Moving on, time for some shameless self promotion.

Please remember you are always welcome to send me a mail about anything you wish to express - suggestions, complaints, requests - regarding the blog, to arjblogger@yahoo.com

You can subscribe to the blog feeds by clicking on posts/comments in the Subscribe To side bar or if you are a Blogger member then you can follow this blog by clicking on the Follow button in the Followers side bar.

My 140 or less words of wisdom are now available on my twitter page which you can follow by clicking on the Follow Me button in the Twitter side bar.

Remember, your opinion counts!

With that, this is ARJuna, your friendly neighbourhood blogger signing off.

P.S. Did I mention that this is my 50th post. Sigh! It's great to be back.

Just Think And Answer: An Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:02:00 +0000

What would you do if, for one complete day, you were confined to your home and did not have the two most important luxuries to entertain/engross you: the TV and the PC???

Now just think, improvise and provide your answer in as much detail as you can (no dull responses like - I would play indoor games, go for a stroll, work on the broken tap, etc.).

The idea is, your answers should be interesting, creative and yet close enough to the reality, so that we can have a peek into your twisted little minds... Muaahaahaa!

Why I came up with this crazy post??? The reason is, me and my family are just recuperating from a eleven hour power cut! I will not deny the possibility that the lack of electronic entertainment may have affected my brain, but as the title suggests this is only an experiment.

I would sincerely appreciate if all of my readers would participate and respond with gusto (even suggestions and complaints are welcome). Your response will determine if I should continue with the 'Just Think And Answer' initiative.

If I Were A Baby Again

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:52:00 +0000

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 4; the fourth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

It happened to be the other day,

that I was passing by memory lane,

just then, across my mind, flashed a thought; a stray,

What if I were a baby again.

A voice from somewhere within nudged me to walk through the lane. It wouldn't be that easy I said to myself; sweet memories will rekindle the lamps of joy and old wounds will be reopened. I could lose myself in the labyrinthine passages and by-lanes.

"Are you afraid to face your past?", the voice asked.

"No!", I said

"Then make up your mind!"

“I’ll do it.”, I answered after a moments reflection.

“After you, sir” said the gentleman inside me.

As I made my way through the little galli, I heard more voices, this time from the outside, as I trudged further houses began to appear on either side. The voices weren’t just voices any longer, they belonged to the human forms that I spotted from afar, whose hazy outlines became increasingly solid as I approached.

As I approached the crowd of milling ‘human forms’ I was taken aback, these weren’t just any humans, these were people whom I had known or still knew since my childhood. Many of them were the ones with whom I had lost contact along the way. I suddenly felt guilty. I couldn’t make eye contact, not that it mattered - to them, I was invisible. They just walked past me or saw right through me, I dunno why but this made me feel even more guilty.

Trying hard to ignore the ignorance of the ones I had forgotten until now, I trudged ahead. I turned my attention to the houses. I had passed dozens of them but it was only now that I really noticed the strong waves of emotions emanating from every door, window and even every crack. I went near one, there were sounds of squealing laughter and commotion, I looked through the window to receive another shock, it was my childhood home and there I was celebrating my 5th birthday with loads of friends.As I stood there I smiled, laughed and jumped with joy as my 5 year old self cut the cake.

From there I ran to every window, each window showed me, in reverse order, the most important moments of my childhood life. Some happy, some sad, some that made me learn the most important lessons in life.

Finally I came to the very last window of the very last house on Memory Lane. I peeked in to see a tiny form wrapped in cloth sleeping beside it’s mother in what seemed to be a recuperating room of a maternity hospital. I could see the joy twinkle in the mother’s eyes…in my mother’s eyes. As I looked away from that window I realized I was crying as well.

Wiping away my tears, I stared at the dead end, there was a small fountain near the high wall marking the end of the lane.

The voice inside me asked “So now you have a choice, you can choose to be a baby again and relive or even change your moments of childhood or just walk back along the path you came and go on living the rest of your life, what will it be?”.

I thought for just a moment and firmly replied “No.”

Why, you would ask? Well if my childhood had not been the way it had turned out to be I would not be the person I am. Today, I may not be perfect but I am happy with the life that I am living and the people with whom I am associated. I would not want to change it for anything in the world.

That does not mean I did not learn anything from my trip down memory lane. I now, would certainly try to get in touch with the people whom I had lost contact with. I would apologize to those whom I had disheartened or let down in the past and thank those who helped or shared joy and happiness with me along the way.

At last, my steps I decided to retrace,

After witnessing the years gone by.

The past I had refused to embrace,

for childhood's rightful place was in my mind's eye.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Diary Of A Woman

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:22:00 +0000

It started out as a doodle but the end result is much more than just that.

I am not an artist nor an art connoisseur, I try to reflect on paper, be it in writing or through sketches, what I feel about the world around me.

I will not bore you with details like what I felt while creating this masterpiece (!!!), What it symbolises, the various 'metaphors' involved, the medium I used (it's just a pencil sketch on a page from an exercise book, duhh!!!) like the other artists do.

Rather, I am interested in knowing what you understand or perceive from this sketch and what does it tell you???

The Indian Dream

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:23:00 +0000

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 3; the third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-A-Ton

I have lived outside the country for most of my childhood years. While I spent my precious little adolescent years in the big bang city of Mumbai. In what little life I have lived I have been able to do what few people of my age have done, look at India from perspective of an outsider.

My Indian dream has shifted shape and changed colours over the years as I have grown from an innocent kid to a silently rebellious adolescent and now a more mature young adult.

Here I try to trace and chronicle that overcharging dream.

An Innocent Dream:

Being away from the real India and with little knowledge that I had about it from my yearly vacations to Mumbai, History and Geography textbooks and Rudyard Kipling’s stories, everything was just a passing dream a month long respite from daily routine, no school and freedom to do whatever I wished.

It was where I loved getting pampered by my grandparents, listening to the older children narrate ghost stories sitting in the society garden, being awed by the magnitude of devotees at the temple and watching the world go by from the window of a local train.

Innocence of childhood allowed me to experience the people, places, aromas and colours around me without any inhibitions.

A Shattered Dream:

I moved to Mumbai in my early teens. That’s when I got to experience the real thing. It was no more just a vacation, it was real life.

As I grew up in the big bad city, I realised a few things I hadn’t noticed before. Time and chhutta (change) were precious commodities and nobody was generous enough to lend you either. “All Indians are my brothers and sisters” was just another line from a long forgotten pledge, in reality the state boundaries not only separated the states but also they also alienated you from the Haryanvi vendor who sold you veggies, South Indian coconut seller whose coconut water quenched your parched throat and Maharashtrian dabbawallah who brought your daily tiffin. The adolescents like me, considered to be either rote-learning machines or temperamental hooligans, were never to be taken seriously.

I was enraged and frustrated at what I saw, heard and felt. I was an outcast not belonging to any community or region or even age group. I couldn’t do anything about the wrongs nor could I find the rights.

A Reawakening:

As life moved on many events occurred, which forced me to change my perspective. The Jessica Lall murder case made me understand that the masses still understood the difference between right and wrong, justice and prejudice and did not want to remain mere bystanders. The 26/11 taught me that humanity could be found among the very people, who I thought to be indifferent, in the darkest of times. Youngsters who work for charity, spreading environmental awareness and many other issues in NGOs made me realize that we, the youth, could bring about a change and gain the respect we deserved from the society. Such and many more lessons I have learnt and am still to learn in coming years.

In a way I have awakened to the one thing that drives us all – Hope. I have hope that India will turn out better than what it was and is with the efforts of all those who have a vision for India, of their own, their own Indian dream.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following

Blog-a-Ton.

Fully Faaltoo Flu...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Yesterday morning, as usual, I was heading to catch the train to go to college and the railway station was a sight to behold. All the people awaiting the train could easily be divided into three distinct types,

The Surgeons: These are the ones who just have buy anything that's just been introduced in the market, hence the green surgical masks. Moreover, they think, using a hanky is soooo...down market. These types do things the way they have to be done - correctly (or the way they think is correct).
The Dacoits: This category of people detest 'fizool kharch' (unnecessary expenses) and hence prefer a more subtle way of avoiding unhygienic elements. These types hate show-shining and prefer to be an inconspicuous part of the crowd.
The Unmentionables: These people vehemently refuse to believe all kinds of media hype. They have complete trust in their immune system, preferring to breathe in air (and everything that comes with it) rather than suffocating their vital organs by covering their face. Strangely they feel, it's the ears that need protection and choose to plug 'em with their handy mobile earpieces!

By now you must have realised what I'm talking about. For those who haven't (get yourself checked, your brain is missing the receptors that detect sarcasm and dry humour), I'm talking about the measures that people are taking to avoid swine flu, while some use physical barriers, others prefer mental ignorance!

by ARJuna

But wait there's more...

College...now that was a completely different scenario.

Guys who didn't want to lose their macho status refused to wear any kind of protection. The overcautious ones tied handkerchiefs around their necks cleverly, so that it served dual purpose - One, they could quickly cover their mouths and noses if any one were to sneeze or cough in their midst. Two, otherwise it just looked cool hanging around their necks!

The girls, who did not want to look un-ladylike, just covered their petite little faces with their petite little hankies. While the petite little thing (the hanky that is...) failed to cover their mouths and noses at the same time, I was left wondering if these girls were really avoiding the flu or just trying to hide a newly sprouted pimple?!?!

This was just to bring comic relief to those otherwise worried minds. In no way am I taking the present situation lightly nor would I advise you to do so, do take the necessary precautions (masks, hankies et al). But please avoid heeding to or spreading rumours, do not panic unnecessarily (you may end up suffering from hypertension or blood pressure rather than the flu) as Swine Flu is completely curable, just keep a lookout for the symptoms (for yourself and dear ones) and get a check up if in doubt.

The Cream And Scum Of Blogging…

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:08:00 +0000

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 1, the first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Now in my complete one year blog stint I have never blogged about ‘blogging’ as such so this is a first.

The reason I began blogging is to create a space, a channel to express my feelings.

The cream, the absolute icing on the cake is that first you get to express your opinions and have them read by the netizens, second you get to read such great posts by people all over the world and interact with them as well.

The scum would be the uncontrolled and rampant misuse of blogs by people who do not understand the actual purpose behind the creation of a blog. These people use their blogs without adhering to a basic set of ethics and hence post plagiarised or objectionable content (written and otherwise).

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton are,
Saimanohar, Dhiman, Vipul Grover, Avdi, Daisy Blue, Sid 'Ravan' Kabe, Shankar, Shilpa Garg, Bharathi, Ranee, Ranee again and Pawan.Click on their respective names to read their posts on The Cream and Scum of Blogging.To be part of the next edition of this online marathon, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The Big 3

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 07:24:00 +0000

Top three things on the 'Hottest News' list right now,

Qasab has confessed and people are still guessing if he is a great actor or just a criminal under pressure!
The 11th std. admission system online is a seriously messed up affair
My college started on Monday. (Believe me, that is big news!)

So it's back to the same ol' routine. The long vacation has messed up with my body clock so I still have to get used to the 'waking up early' part

Sigh! What can I say, wish me luck people.

Why We Don’t Have Nobel Laureates...

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:54:00 +0000

I read this small article in the Times Of India a few days ago titled ‘Life After IIT’ which stated that the IIT faculty have finally found out why they aren’t producing the Nobel laureates and innovators of the future. When asked by the faculty at the admission desk what their big dream was, most of the students gave the same answer “To get into IIT” only one guy answered that he dreamt of someday building a starship!

The first and most obvious reason for this lack in any kind of diversity in the answers is very simple, these students are pretty anxious about their admissions, hence any kind of ‘trick questions’ like the one asked by the IIT faculty tends to make the students cautious about their answers hence they end up sticking to ’safe options’ like the one given by the students in this case.

Another obvious reason that, I am sure, any under graduate who has given his viva (or oral question-answer tests as they are called in layman’s language) would tell you is the ‘Ape Syndrome’. It is a subtle process that can be described as such - when the first student comes out of the room (in which the viva is being conducted) all the students waiting eagerly outside grill him or her about what he/she was asked and how he answered it, in the end the other students end up answering similar questions in the same exact manner as that of the first guy or gal. I am sure that is exactly what has happened in the case of IIT students.

There may be several other reasons but I think the major one of ‘em is that parents and our primary education system fail to instill the creativity that is a essential quality to be an innovator. Children are born with an inherent sense of creativity; however the education system tends to suppress it and instead push the child into a dull world of rote-based learning, they even encourage the parents to do the same by labeling the child mediocre and forcing them to enroll their wards in tuitions or extra classes.

Our higher education system does nothing to help. Although, I must agree, that they support much better concept based learning, however this does nothing to enhance the practical problem solving ability and creativity of the student. Concepts are seldom accompanied by real life examples. Practical, real-life situations are not utilized in the curriculum which again limits the student to book based learning.

Now that this case has set the IIT faculty thinking I hope they do something about it!

I mean it’s time educationists understood that excelling at entrance exam makes the student a good learner and not exactly a great engineer, doctor or researcher. A student who performance is mediocre in the exams but possesses a vision and ability to work hard can also be equally eligible for the course.

So what these people should do now is look for an appropriate way to gauge a student’s creativity and vision along with his academic performance and then judge his eligibility for admission to the institute.

90:10 Quota War Ends

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:36:00 +0000

To read about my views on the 90:10 Quota System click here.

Finally the court has given it’s judgement. It has declared the 90:10 quota system to be illegal.

It is such moments that make me believe that all is not yet lost, my country still cares for it’s youth and our judicial system still has people, like Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar and Justice S C Dharmadhikari, with a proper sense of justice.

P.S. I know I am a little late with this post however my internet connection at home has stopped cooperating and refuses to let me access the world wide web, hence the delay!!!

Proud To Be Gay

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Till now they were criminals, today they are lawfully, free citizens of India, or rather a new India.

Yes, with the reforms in the 149 year old law laid down by the British (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code), India has entered a new era of freedom. Now people from all over the world will look at India in new light.

Now social acceptance, that is a completely different story, ‘cause it will take more time for the Indian society to accept LGBTs (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender) but if a law can be reformed then so can the society right?

Also there’s a long way to go till our judicial system legalizes gay marriages and adoption by gay couples. But, with all the hard work that gay rights activists are putting in I am sure that will also be a reality pretty soon.

Ignorant people like Baba Ramdev and others, belonging to the numerous religious groups, who oppose and mock the Delhi HC ruling are, I think, stuck between the ages (both modern and ancient). They are unaware of both;

The rich history of our ancient culture wherein homosexuality was not new and was not scorned at.
Social changes in the modern age wherein homosexuality has again garnered much acceptance around the world.

I conclude this post with a confession;

I have never met or interacted with a gay person. I do not how I would have reacted if I had met one before this. But I make a solemn promise that in case I become or am made aware of a gay person around me in a social gathering/public place, I will not;

Stare at him/her.
Act repulsive or try to shirk away from him/her.
Act in any such way which may emotionally hurt or insult him/her.

P.S. The title is not intended to be pun. With all due respect, the title is not meant to indicate that I am gay.

Remembering The King Of Pop…

noreply@blogger.com (ARJuna) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:38:00 +0000

…Michael Jackson. Frankly, I do not deserve to write an obituary because I have never met him nor have I ever experienced his music like the rest of his diehard fans. But yes, I have listened to a few of his songs and watched a few videos which remain my favourites to date.

But moving on with my other posts before remembering him would be an insult to the pop star and his countless fans.

So this post is a tribute to the artiste and his unforgettable voice, music and dance moves.