Be Votebank. Be Heard

From past 3-4 days, I have sensed anger. Everywhere. Anger which is coupled and matched with helplessness. A feeling of being betrayed and failed by the state.

But everyone is also afraid that all these anger may be diminished in next few months and we will start living in the wait of another attack.

But now is the time, when we must resolve to make our voice heard. Make ourselves counted. In AP, everyone loves Loksatta party but it doesn't win a single seat. Because we, the members of 'civil society' don't go out to vote. In this world's largest democracy, only votebanks are counted, heard and considered. And if we have to be counted and our lives and our views respected we will have to become vote banks.

We will have to go out and vote in coming assembly and then general elections.

And that's why we have started a new online campaign: Be Votebank. Be Heard

Download any of the logos/banners on this blog: http://shabdaarth.blogspot.com/2008/11/blog-post_30.html and put in your blog/site and spread the word. Not only this slogan spread the word about voting but also is a sarcasm on the votebank politics in this country.

You can download the images logos from these links as well:

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh1.jpg

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh2.jpg

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh3.jpg

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh_banner.jpg

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh_small1.gif

http://iabhishek.googlepages.com/bvbh_small2.png

Let's have more say in this country is governed and let's show these politicians that they can't have us taken for granted and that our lives matter!

Remember: Army and NSG killed those who came by boat. We will have to take care of those who come by Vote!

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Shaken and Stirred

(@Kanupriya I really wanted to write about your wonderful gesture but these dementors are sucking out all my happy memories and feelings.)

It seems like a bad 80s Bollywood movie. Villain's goons smuggle arms and ammunition in Mumbai from one of the shores or docks, in the darkness of night, using torches for signals. And then while he is shown on screen laughing out (villanously!) loud, his henchmen go on a carnage in the city. Killing honest cops, shooting people in crowded places and bombing the landmarks of the city.

Only, it is not.

Just when we thought that we have tired out terrorists with our indifference ('resilience' as media calls it!) to bomb blasts and killings everywhere around us, they shock us with their audacity to wage a war against us. More open and more direct and inflicting a damage that is much more than number of dead bodies. I really can't explain the fear that I felt when I saw the visuals on TV and read TOI headline ('It's war on Mumbai') yesterday morning. All those bomb blasts merely created a sense of disbelief and hopelessness with the Government. This was different.

I don't want to talk anything about politics and politicians (yes, not even Shivraj Patil!) and how the warnings were ignored and how media will forget this after a month. I am really very much tired and shaken to talk about all that now.

How I wish this was a bad movie. At least one could be sure that there is an end to it.

(My deepest tributes to the cops and soldiers who sacrificed their lives, empathy with the families of the victims of this terror strike and heartfelt thanks to all those brave policemen, soldiers and commandos who put their life in line of fire.)

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SCOOP: ICICI and ABN-Amro shake hands?

Yesterday I had a most unusual call. (No, it wasn't from God, since my life is not a page of 'One Night @ Call Center') It started pretty casually.

"Sir, I am calling from ICICI. Do you want a credit card?"

"I already have three ICICI cards. I don't want another!"

"ABN-Amro card?"

"Whaaat?"

"Do you want an ABN-Amro card?"

"Wait a sec. You said you are calling from ICICI."

"Yes. ICICI+ABN-Amro."

I am confused and wary. "No. I don't want any card."

She was equally disinterested. "OK." Click. Call disconnected.

Now what was this? Are ICICI and ABN-Amro doing a Jet Airways-Kingfisher type alliance in their business?

Maybe good for us. Instead of having two bugging calls, we will get just one!

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My Quarter-Life Crisis just got worse!

I remember, it was a mail from Neha, when I first heard this term. I mentioned every single feeling that I was having and I thought 'Wow. It happens to others also. I am not the only jerk out there!'

But then knowing that many others are thinking the same doesn't make any difference to what I am feeling. Right!

In a previous post I told about the quagmire of marriages in which I am caught. It doesn't seem to end. My roomy is going to get engaged on 12th Dec. (No he is not the same flatmate who is going to get married on 6th Dec. He is Ravindra.) Crook, he didn't tell me till eleventh hour. Ankur says that I am idiot that I couldn't read the signs.

And just now I come to know that another close friend (am under 'Oath of Confidentiality' so won't mention her name!) is going to get married on same day!

It seems my worst nightmare is coming true. A perfectly lonely life with all friends either busy with their spouse or out of India and nobody to call to. Already I can hardly call anyone in this city and with she also getting married I am thinking I should switch to an STD only plan (to call home). Worse, sharing a flat with someone I don't know. This may sound childish to you but for me this uncertainty is unnerving.

Wikipedia article on 'Quarter Life Crisis' says "Nobody wants to admit to feeling like a 'loser'; this secrecy may intensify the problem." WTF, I admit. I AM feeling like a loser. There have been days when I kept on asking myself what I am doing with my life, what is my goal, what have I achieved till today (this was easiest to answer: Nothing!).

I had pinned so many hopes on my planned start-up LiveHead.in. I saw that as a goal but don't know what happened I lost faith in it midway and this start-up dream has been stop-down. Don't know if I will ever be able to revive this dream, who knows. (Perhaps that's the reason I want so badly for DYPC to succeed.)

Almost everyone I know is in US, either studying or onsite (some are in Europe also) and I would be lying if I say that I don't want to be there. But I am in this product company and these people had already told me that there would be no onsites, so I can't even hope of going abroad. My relatives ask me when I am going US to which I give them a lame answer 'hamari company nahin bhejti' to which they reply by giving ten examples of son/daughter of some neighbour/relative who was sent onsite twice/thrice/zillion times.

And whenever I go home, my father would say something about my job which would really piss me off. I know he is concerned about me but why the hell can't he appreciate once, what ever I have done. (I know I have done nothing but world doesn't know that yet!) This time it was a tip that I should do MBA. I know everyone does it these days and people say I should do MBA but I don't want to work on excel and powerpoint every single day of my life. I don't want to do MBA and I can't do MS now so what can I do? Nothing! My job doesn't suck and as a matter of fact these days I am doing what I had always wanted to do. But something is lacking somewhere.

It seems I am an emergency case!

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Who will steal my heart?

You come to office and open your mailbox. The first unread mail has a subject: Who will win 's heart? John or Priyanka? Tell me what will your reaction be?

Now, it's not my fault that I share my first name with one of the biggest Bollywood stars these days.

Trust me, for a split nano-second I was like 'WTF! what IS this?'

And then I saw the sender's name.

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Donate Your Old PC For A Good Cause

Would love to see you on the site. Post in your comments/feedback/questions/brickbats here or mail us at contact@donateyourpc.in

(We would we grateful if you spread the word about DYPC. Feel free to copy the image and put on your blog or link to this post!)

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The Circle Of Life.

On 6th Nov, my ex-TCS colleague Prasanna married Ravindra. 

On 6th Dec, my friend and flatmate Ravindra is going to marry Padma.

Padma is name of my recently-married colleague Raghavendra's wife!

(I don't know what happened to me, that I left writing almost completely. Hopefully this short post will break the block!)

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