The Reservation Theory Part 2

This post is the second part of a series that I have started so that I can write down about what I feel towards reservations and the quota system. You can check out the first post of this series at 'The Reservation Theory Part 1'

Reservations tend to limit the thinking of some sections of the society as they are given ‘benefits’ which they think will work towards their betterment. What they fail to realize is the fact that they won’t arrive at a better position in life, depending only on these reservations. My colleague Kushal Sharma read my previous post and he told me “Dude, do you think the government really wants these people to come up in life? If they really do want this to happen, then why are they not making policies that will help the poor?” I thought about it and I said “Yes, dude. You really have a valid point”. I like to think and I thought deeply about this. I racked my brains and then I realized the fact that if the government or rather the political parties really wanted to help them and bring them out of the puddle, then it would have had achieved it by now. During every election phase, every new candidate promises “upliftment of the poor”. I ask, why hasn't it been done in the last 60 years? This has not been done because this is the strongest point which gets the political parties their valuable votes.

In the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’, Morgan Freeman says, “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free”. Hope. This is what these people have. They hope that at least one of these electoral candidates will help them in living a better life. However, only hope can never set anyone free. You have to work towards it. Sadly, people in India rely heavily on help from outside rather than helping themselves. This is where the government comes into the picture and uses them as pawns for its benefit.

The government according to the constituency of democratic India is ‘by the people, of the people and for the people’. I understand ‘by the people’ as we make the government i.e. we vote for the candidates and then they are elected in their power. What I fail to understand is the concept of ‘of the people and for the people’. Of the people essentially means that the people of a country own the government as they are the ones who have elected it. In India it’s the other way round. The government acts like it is the creator of the people in the country. It imposes rules, regulations, policies, reservations, systems etc on the people without even bothering to think about the well being of the people. The prime reason for this is corruption. People from the highest power to the people in the lowest power are corrupted to an unimaginable level. In India, you can bribe anyone from a small time traffic cop to the, ahem.., Chief Minister, Governor or even the Prime Minister. Or else, how can you expect a person who earns (estimate) around 43k INR per month and still has enough money to support his future generations even after retirement?

In India people from the ‘ruling’ political party are amongst the richest people. Ruling. This is the exact term that is used by the bureaucrats when they have to mention political parties. The political party which is running the government is termed as the ‘Ruling’ party and the one opposing it is termed as the ‘Opposition’ party. I understand the term Opposition as it signifies that the ‘a certain political party is opposing the other one, which is essentially the political party that is running the government’. However, I fail to agree to one term. Ruling Party. How can a political party rule in a democracy? Democracy itself means ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’. Then how can a political party rule the people? I would really like someone to explain this concept to me. Why do we say ‘the ruling party’ when we are the ones who actually run the country? Is this what we mean when we say ‘of the people’? If yes, then I don’t see the ‘people’ anywhere in the picture....

The Reservation Theory Part 1

What is it with the government and education? I completely understand the fact that the government wants to bring quota system in every possible field. However, isn’t it very naïve to bring in the quota system in the field of education as well? I mean come on, whoever heard of anything like this before? People get admission in college, schools, grad colleges etc on the basis of their caste and not merit!! This has to be the most stupidest, dumbest, unworthiest (these are some of the new words created by me) thing ever done by any government on Earth!



For those of you who don’t know; a quota system is a thingy in which people get reservations in colleges, government offices, private workplaces and every other damn place. India is a country which is a mixed bag of religions. Now if this wasn’t enough, every religion is classified into different castes and sub-castes. Every sub caste is divided into even more sub castes. These sub castes are further broken down into sub –castes. Phew! For the sake of understanding things properly, the government has broadly classified this into:

Scheduled Tribes – ST’s
Scheduled Castes – SC’s
Other Backward Classes – OBC’s
Open Class or Open Category – OC

When the constitution of India was drafted, Late Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, took the pain to see to it that everything is In order in the new to-be-emerging country of India. He made the life easier of the people belonging to the poorer section of the society by making reservations for them in institutions, government offices etc. This helped them in bringing their life back on track by working, earning money, giving good education to their children and almost eradicated their poverty. People who really worked hard for their own upliftment came up in life and people who lazed their way to glory, depending on luck and destiny are still living in their good old hutments by the road sides. I am assuming, by now, most of you must have understood the idea behind reservations. If not, then please visit Wikipedia and get enlightened

India has come a long way since independence (this is what every Indian says :)). However, I fear we have not amended the constitution and its law, rules, regulations or whatever it is accordingly. We still follow the 60 year old constitution which was drafted for a new India 60 years ago. The government has failed to understand that India is a land of opportunities and we need to make changes from time to time. Change is a part of everyone’s life and change should happen for the better good. The government of India sadly still follows the rickety old constitution which is on the verge of collapsing on its own face.

Today every Tom, Dick and Harry in India knows that reservations are a thing of the past. Every person believes that very person should be considered in any post only if that person is worth it. Sadly, these reservations don’t help the cause…..

Firefox 3 Download Day Certificate

I downloaded Firefox 3 today and i am proud to say that i am one of the people to have helped Firefox in creating a world record. I downloaded Firefox twice :) On my office computer and my personal computer at home. I feel Firefox is one of the safest ways to surf the big bad world of the Internet. With lots of useful Add-ons and themes, Firefox for me is the best Internet browser.

Look what i got!!!



I understand that millions of people across the globe have downloaded Firefox today and have got this certificate. So what makes me so proud to show it off?? Well, i feel proud because my download has been instrumental in making it a huge success :D

So go ahead and show off your certificates as well!!! Cheers!!

Firefox 3 Ready For Download

Finally folks, it’s here! The final version of Firefox 3 is available for download starting today! I downloaded it this morning, and I must agree that its totally awesome!!! It comes with some really cool themes and add-ons. In fact, some add-ons did not work with the Firefox RC’s; this final version has taken care of all those worries. Till now I haven’t had any difficulty in installing it or using it. There are some cool add-ons like the WOT add-on which identifies if a website is spam free or not, the super PicLens add-on which defines a totally new way to watch videos, photos etc, the McAfee site advisor which was missing in the Firefox RC’s and a whole load of other stuff as well. There are some awesome new themes which look uber cool. Check out the Black X theme. I am using it and it is very good.

There are some issues with few add-ons and themes not working with this version of Firefox, but hey, who’s cribbing? I love Firefox and this version in one word is “Awesome”. Mozilla, is attempting to set a Guinness world record by getting the most downloads of Firefox in a day. To download it right now, visit www.mozilla.com!

The Worst Video Game Ever

Okay, I have played many video games, but i just haven't played E.T. Now all of you must be wondering why E.T? Well that's because it is the Worst Video Game that has been ever made and i am intrigued to find out what was so bad in it that made the creator's a big bunch of losers. They went bankrupt in a single day and all the people who have played this game are still mad at it because it cost them a lot to buy the game.



Yahoo! has compiled a list of the worst video games to ever hit the gaming industry and E.T is among them. I am a big fan of the movie that Steven Spielberg made, but hey i want to play this game and see how it feels to play the worst game ever made. Reportedly the game maker had to suffer almost $50m in losses.

Yahoo! says "No list of video game flops would be complete without the game that's widely credited with causing the great videogame crash of 1983. Atari paid somewhere around $25 million for the movie license, then had their programmers hammer out a game in a mere five weeks. The video games industry celebrated its release by disappearing into a recession that took years to cure, and Atari was broken up and sold just a year later. E.T. is still remembered as the worst game ever made. Still, if that hasn't put you off (perhaps you are a masochist or otherwise insane) head for the desert and start digging: untold millions of unsold E.T. cartridges were dumped in an Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill where they remain to this day. Best place for 'em."

For all the other "Worst Video Games Ever", please visit Yahoo!

Of Amulets and Beliefs

India is known as a very orthodoxical (this word is my copyright) and traditional country. Since a very long time (probably thousands of years) there have been beliefs and superstitions in India regarding various things. From not cutting nails in the evening to not wearing black colored clothes for a ceremony, every Indian has some or the other beliefs or superstitions.

One particular belief that almost 60% of people in India have is for Amulets. Yes, the shiny or pale, sharp or blunt objects that are worn around the necks more commonly known as amulets. These objects are believed to possess the power to cure diseases, bring strength, protect a person from evil and yes also to increase the male or female libido. A tiny little (or not so tiny) object hung around the neck with a piece of string or steel or gold or silver or plastic strings is also believed to possess magical powers. There are lots of stories and myths about amulets that have inspired many films, short stories and generations of people. They are not restricted to any particular set of people. Even people from developed nations like the US of A, UK and others believe in this power of amulets. In India most particularly people wear them with the object being a pendant depicting various gods, coins from the bygone era, tiger nails, horse hair, tiger teeth etc etc.



Today when I was traveling by my usual local train in the morning, I overheard a conversation between two co-travelers. One of them was boasting about an amulet which a friend of his had got for his 2 year old son. This particular piece of amulet was a tiger nail tied to a string of gold. This person was telling his friend that the amulet had magical powers and it was supposed to make the child strong and keep him away from fear and all other evils. Woah!! Tiger nails! Isn’t it illegal to kill a tiger and procure a tiger nail or in that matter procuring a tiger nail by any means is considered illegal in India, and this person was boasting his was to glory! His friend had got it from some part of Madhya Pradesh which is a state in India. Everyone knows that a tiger possesses immense strength, valor, vigor, keen sense etc but isn’t it totally rubbish and foolish to believe that a small tiger nail brings such unbelievable abilities in a human being. Scientifically speaking tiger nails as any other nail is dead skin which is immune to pain, shock etc but some superstitious people still believe that it has such immense powers. I mean, come on, it’s just another piece of nail isn’t it? People need to understand the logic behind this. Why can’t such people just use their brains instead of believing in what other say! But, then again, wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone used even 10% of their logic and common sense?

Idol worship is very common in many parts of the world. In fact in India you will find a different deity for every different region or state. It is estimated that there are at least 330 million different varieties of ‘gods’ in India. People worship in temples, churches, mosques etc etc. However, what is the whole idea of wearing a deity around the neck? People tend to think that this will keep them away from the ‘evil eye’ and bring happiness. As some one had said ‘true happiness lies within’! This needs to be understood by most of the people. People except to be protected by a piece of metal hung around their neck. Isn’t this very absurd? We actually depend on this piece of metal to protect us?? In India many religions actually encourage the use of amulets and pass them off as a ‘part of the tradition’. The question that arises here is ‘who made the traditions’? Was it us or was it god? Certainly us because humans really don’t have the guts and patience to listen to anyone who commands them. Also, where is the ultimate proof that god told humans to follow these traditions? Traditions are the brain child of humans and hence these amulets are also the brain child of a very wise person who found out a way to treat insecure and over anxious people. People just need a medium through which they can express their thoughts, fear etc and wearing such amulets is an absolutely indigenous way of showing that they have faith in god.

Such amulets are available all across the globe but for a price. They are sold in temples, across the street, by the hakim, the crooked person whom people fondly call ‘baba’ and so called saints who are believed to have powers unknown to mankind (yeah right!, like the world needs more powers!) People have to wake up to the fact that these amulets contain powers that we believe they will have. It is our mind which makes us think that they have powers behind comparison. Only, the human mind and a pure heart without any guilt, dishonesty or wrong doings in life can have true happiness. These amulets just use our will power, confidence and motivation to ‘possess’ the power that we want them to have. We have to stop believing in all these gibberish and realize the fact that they are nothing but a human creation to blame some one else but us. Humans have a very uncanny ability to blame god for everything and these amulets serve as the right medium. They are held responsible for bringing happiness, strength etc. What we fail to realize is that we are responsible for our actions and nothing else. The day people start realizing this, the world will truly be free of these ‘objects’ that we fondly call ‘amulets’.

Jeffrey Archer - A Prisoner of Birth Book Review

As an avid reader, I was waiting for the book A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer to hit the book shops in India. I was eager to know what he had written in this book that had already become a world wide bestseller even before it was published. Jeffrey Archer is known as a master of fiction stories. His books Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, The Eleventh Commandment are some of the books that I read over and over again. These books fail to lose their essence even after you re-read them. However, how latest book, A Prisoner of Birth fails to live up to the hype.

The story starts with an incident that happens outside a watering hole in England. This incident changes the life of the protagonist Danny Cartwright and his fiancee Beth Wilson as Danny is charged with a crime he has not committed. The crime that of his to be brother-in-laws' murder. There are four friends who have actually got into a brawl with Danny and his best friend (aka his brother-in-law). However, the fight soon ends in a brutal murder which catches Danny unawares and he is accused of the murder as the four friends who have actually murdered the person are very powerful in the society.

Then Danny is sentenced to twenty two years in prison. This is the part of the book where the real story begins. The story takes many twists and turns like typical Jeffrey Archer novels and keeps the reader involved. However, some times the story line turns to be somewhat predictive and the reader can lose interest.

I have read ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and it is arguably the inspiration behind this novel. The plot ends in a wicked twist which the readers should not miss. It could have been much better though. The book lacks clear writing, has some very usually used storyline and fails to impress even after beginning on a good note.

This book is for die-hard Archer fans and as I am one, I would recommend this book to them. I would still like to believe and say that ‘The Eleventh Commandment’ is the best work by Archer. This book could have been much better, but as they say ‘to err is human and to forgive is divine’ Jeffrey Archer fans will surely look forward to his next novel and expect it to meet the expectations of readers worldwide and also live up to all the hype that they generate before the book is published.

The book is a best seller no doubt, but I don’t think any reader would go in for a second reading. For 295 Rupees, I had expected a lot more from Archer, however, this book is a must read for every Archer fan, despite its flaws. Watch out for the protagonist Danny Cartwright in this book. Archer has really put in some strong points in him!!