Life is Musical

It's not as if Music is something new I've encountered, I have been listening to it since maybe 10 years- both English and Hindi. But one genre I refrained from actively pursuing was Rock- thanks to performances like Rock Nite, where the eardrums weren't comfortable but I headbanged nevertheless in the initial years, and stopped attending later. The bands chose the euphemism of 'Rock' for Heavy Metal. So it was not easily I got over the inertia, but now that I have, it feels as if a change has dawned in life- for the better. I had always listened to music, but was never addicted to it. Earlier journeys would have been facilitated with a novel, but now its headphones all the way. And the genre- Rock (not much Hard rock, still!)

The story of how I broke my inertia is memorable to me, and would like to keep it penned with me. When a dear neighbor with whom I wasn't on good talking terms played a song I took fancy to, I inferred it was by Beatles and began brute-force on Youtube, until I had taken a fancy to their music. And finally, when I came across 'Imagine' by John Lennon I was convinced for it being the song I was looking for, played it repeatedly and got mesmerized. It was only after I had listened to much more of Beatles' discography and many more songs from the Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 500, that I came across the suggestion "Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel given by Multani Mam in one of the tutorials of Intro to Lit. And then came the realization, this was the song and not Imagine. The realization wasn't harsh, for the wrong inference had brought a divine collection to me. And came again the phase of being mesmerized and figuring why I had loved the song so much, and wanted to find it so desperately. Since then, the list of my favorite songs has been expanding encompassing more genres of rock, and Metal to the slightest (the likes of Metallica). Folk rock such as by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel stands atop, but harder versions of rock have also dumbfounded me. Essentially my mood now revolves around the music I am listening to, and my misconception of Rock as something unpleasant to the ears has entirely vanished. I can slowly understand from where the perception amongst the lovers of 70's music of disliking contemporary music surfaces.

I always used to say (what I have also heard later many others say)- "I don't follow music by bands, just random discrete songs". Now that sounds naive to me, as there is just so much these bands have got to offer. The best of them is Psychedelic Rock, where I doesn't need to resort to alcohol to get that high feeling of transitioning into another world. Moreover I know the sort of music I gotta listen to whenever I do consume alcohol next time. I have also tried to infuse the culture into those, who cringe at the name of Rock like I did, and this is a list of 10 songs (in no specific order) I like very much, and I feel some of them are likable in the very first try:

1. Baba O' Riley (The Who)- (do try the part from 3:33 to 5:07)

2. The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)

3. Imagine (John Lennon), Stand by Me (John Lennon version)

4. The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles), I Want You, Across the Universe

5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Eric Clapton version / The Beatles)

6. Black (Pearl Jam), Alive

7. Paint It, Black (The Rolling Stones)

8. Coming Back to Life (Pink Floyd), Comfortably Numb

9. Losing My Religion (R.E.M.)

10. Firth of Fifth (Genesis)


I have intentionally chosen not to mention immortal songs such as Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin), Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) and Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) in the list. Try these out, if you aren't a rock music fan already. Tell me if this could get you initiated into rock music, it isn't as hard as it's been made out by the metal performers. I would be glad to suggest more songs For others who like rock music, I am sure listening to them once again won't harm you.

I wish God Existed

I would be speaking as a witness to one side of a (an almost) legal issue. Being close to them, I
could be party to their views and disenchantment regarding the case. I couldn't listen to the other side first hand, but the mere fact that they were the prosecutors, I could imagine their feeling of being aghast and cribbing at the unfairness of it all while here speculations ran on the possibility of money extraction motives and no attachment to the cause as probable reasons. Despite attempting to provide my support (emotionally) to one side, a certain thought crossed my mind. Let me affirm before stating this I am not an Atheist as some perceive, neither am I a firm believer. Diplomatically speaking, you may classify me as an Agnostic but as a skeptic I pretty much don't believe God exists. Christopher Hitchens defines an Anti-theist as “direct opposition to any deity” or “opposed to belief in existence of God”. What I am definitely not is an Anti-theist. And thus the thought which crossed my mind was: I wished God did exist.

Now you maybe wondering on the nature of the digression from speaking about a legal case to
delving into the debates on theism. Does it have to do with seeking his help in this time of need
since God is Omnipotent. Well, no! Rather I looked forward to the existence of God due to the
classic example of “duality” I was witnessing as I wished it weren't there. Duality on light works,
on daily life I discovered it may not. My usage of the word here refers to the dual perspectives
offered about the same thing when seen from different person's eyes. This maybe primarily caused by lack of information on either side. Whatever the reason be, a customized perspective provides each side with the self-righteousness and the determination to fight till death despite being wrong at times. What's worse, this self-righteousness often becomes the foundation for vengeance and a non-ending vicious cycle until things go beyond reparations as each of them feels wronged reigniting the feeling of revenge. Of course to provide justice and determine which side is right, judiciary exists on the earth. But that is where I wished God had been the substitute. For this God must be omniscient (all-knowing) and won't suffer from the classic lack-of-information which in the real world is the cause for the wronged self-righteousness and to make up for which produced evidences are required in front of the judges. Being heavily dependent on the same, it suffers from a huge setback leading to the fair side being wronged at many times- an undesirable situation definitely.

Thus God, without needing any produced evidence would be able to pass judgment letting justice
prevail ending the concept of duality and multiple perspectives to the same issue. After all isn't it
desirable for a single incident to be seen in the same way by all (including both sides)? Thus, in the world of subjective opinions I wish for an objective- but an objective not defined by another man but an actual God, as envisaged by the Churches of faith around the world. Just like light- which reveals its either facet depending on the situation- the analogy with mankind is similar where only the side which one wishes to see is perceived. But as said earlier although the duality of light as a wave and particle has opened various branches of research with many implications, it would be useful for this duality to vanish from daily life such that each observer perceives a given event in the same way, analyzing the righteousness in a uniform way. I know there are some huge fallacies in this demand and a Godless world may flourish more (with its arts as a result of the subjective opinions brought forth), I get this feeling often that many situations would be better off were there no subjectivity and objectivity prevailed.

A Note on Feminists and Feminism

In a recent Literature class, our teacher analyzed a poem written by a female poet reversing the societal notions stating her desire to copulate with men without emotional attachments- labeled as a disgrace in society and smacking of double standards according to feminists who proclaim a man having done a similar act would be known as a stud. Yet the fatal comment was made, as a student commented on the poet being a 'nympho' (it was a joke between two friends at the back, who were forced to share their joke with the rest of the class by the teacher) still laughing. The teacher almost slipped into a feminist tirade before thankfully the class was dismissed. The incident provoked the article.

To begin with (despite knowing it shall offend feminists) I shall state my belief that intellectuals are more often found in men than women, and not due to any reasons of oppression but simply due to preferences and outlook. There is nothing wrong in being that way- there are neither merits of being termed an intellectual, nor any clear way to identify them. However the ones amongst the feminine community who step out strongly with opinions somehow end up as feminists (in my circles at least, if not Angela Merkel/ Hillary Clinton). This is one of my major worries (and complaints) because I believe girls can do better. When a female sets out to form opinions and debate on issues, she finds herself victimized by sex-ratio rather forming opinion on male dominance and how her mere presence is seen as an aberration thus changing her focus to fighting for women's liberation- ending up as feminists.

My point of emphasis here is the vast difference between the former comment and the latter resistance described. Females taking a firm stance on issues of politics, economics are seen as an aberration not due to oppressive tendency of man (a feminist's thought fantasies) but simply due to the stereotype that accompanies them- a subject of good humor- to consider females as being actively involved with thoughts of relationships and families. We know not all females are like that (feminists cite leading female role-models) but it's like any other funny stereotype- for instance, IITians as geeks, all know not everyone here is that way, still the jokes continue as well as the social reputation leading to being dismissed in situations as "What will a geek know about this?". Any such stereotype won't likely change with tirades being a subject of good humor, and not leading to any serious harm. A female is not being restricted from contributing, but rather simply there is a lack of trust in her to succeed.

Consider the initial comment on the other hand- that is serious, a sort of prejudice which can degenerate into asserting supremacy and curbing rights for its actually restricting women to do stuff (for instance, a promiscuous female maybe stoned by a society of people with such thoughts). Such thoughts trouble me as well, where denial of opportunity rather than a mere conviction follows. Such thinking does need to be checked in order to exist in an open and free-thinking society. Sadly the feminist mixes these two, ending up delivering harangues to those who do believe in female liberty, diluting the argument's credibility. The people who have bear the wrath of them are often these suffragist men, since the real oppressing men are prejudiced enough not to participate in intellectual discussions.

Thus my stance is to provide with equal rights everywhere, opportunities as men in jobs and even allow them whatever men are in a free society- be it casual sex or debating on issues. I admit they can outwit men in many fields, and many instances are a reminder of the same. Nevertheless this doesn't change the basic perception of them being inclined towards relationships (and chiclit) since a sizable proportion of girls do behave like that, thus forming a first image for any girl as the same. It's just like when someone knows I am a Bengali, they assume I love rice though I don't eat it at all. (Similarly there are lots of Russell Peters jokes out there for more examples of stereotypes- some of them offending the recipient but nevertheless likely to persist). Thus I support the cause of women's emancipation, liberty, but can't empathize with changing the stereotype.

I do want intellectual females to come out because they would be a pleasure to speak with, without converting into feminists. I would be glad to have promiscuous females in this world, for it will create a more open environment.

PS. Don't associate every joke/ stereotype as oppression- jokes exist on mighty Americans as well.

Sports Quiz, not Quiz

13th January 2012: Metro travel with Umang Srivastav

A ride to remember!

(Click on the image to magnify, and get a clear resolution)

God Delusion, Mount Abu and Atheism

For a welcome change, I celebrated New Year's Eve at Mount Abu and Udaipur and I would write on it elsewhere. Here in brief, I would pen down an interesting phenomenon which happened to me during the journey relating to atheism.

Despite being the capital of 2 states,

Chandigarh's connectivity with the rest of India mainly depends on Ambala Cantt and Delhi, and the case here was no different as on 30^th December, I was supposed to catch the train from Delhi at 7:55 pm for which train from Chandigarh was scheduled to arrive at 4:30. A big gap it seems, but I had to dump the bulk of my luggage in my campus (to-fro journey needs at least 1 hour 30 mins), leaving me with lesser time. To pass my time in the train, I begun the novel- God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, a work of non-fiction rationally and probabilistically analyzing God's existence. I was liking the read. However at Ambala, the train kept waiting for a long time- 30 mins, 1 hour but I started fretting when ever after an hour-and-a-half it didn't show signs of movement. After all, I couldn't afford much delay. Instinctively I kept down the book after an hour due to anxiety. However the train resumed services after 1 hour, 45 minutes of stoppage at Ambala. When I thought of resuming the book, I somehow decided against it. Was it the anxiety leading to half-concentration which influenced the decision? Alas, no!

I didn't read it since whether the train reached in time wasn't in my hands, and I had no power over it letting God be the decisive player (despite knowing the power lay with train driver, signal-controllers: humans, not God). Believing that while reading a piece on Atheism, my prayers would be futile I chose to keep it down. And thus despite Dawkins' beliefs on his book making even religious people into atheists his claim in that moment was far from true, as despite my affinity towards rationality I succumbed to being God-fearing and superstitions. In the past, I have been a very firm believer. Strangely despite lack in firm belief now, somewhere the tendency to believe does lurk.

PS. On my return journey which seemed to be sailing smoothly, I finished 90-odd pages without disruption.

Grades 7.0

Academics undoubtedly forms an important part of my life at college, and at least deserves a post at the end of every semester. Posts in the first half of my curriculum (Semester 1-5) had an intonation of frustration, signaling indignation with the system arising from a combination of inability to score as well as not getting to terms with lack of respect for ‘genuine learning’. Two semesters later, inability to score is a thing of the past but sadly so is the quest for such learning. It took me 7 semesters to become a 7-pointer! Underperformance in the initial stages looms over the rest of the stay persistently, and it has taken high-level scoring to undo the stigma of being a 6-pointer. Here is how my report card looks like:

Semester	CGPA	SGPA
5th	6.64	7.00
6th	6.875	8.20
7th	7.177	8.91

So I felt the need to pen-down the reason which I feel is behind the unexpected soaring of grades within a short period. Generally such a boost is noted for me in the case of hurt pride- on occasions when I am unable to perform in accordance with the arrogant attitude I am somehow used to carrying. Such a thing did happen for me here as well, when I had decided following the 4^th semester to focus myself more on studies rather than the stuff I was used to doing in the previous 2 years. Result- I failed and another post full of indignation. Disillusionment followed and I vowed not to be inclined towards academics the next semester, and tour Delhi more often- be more active in Quizzing, visit more colleges after the realization that half my college life was still remaining- and either I could end it cursing like the first half (waiting for it to end), or make it memorable for myself- to be able to enjoy it thoroughly.

To be able to enjoy the semester, I dropped some courses which were sure to make life more difficult- despite them being core(compulsory courses) postponing them for another day. I didn’t opt exclusively for more Atmospheric Science courses or some Rural Development ones- in order to fetch higher grades, but the general ones I do- Graph Theory under Tripathi Sir (but I’d developed the sense to audit it), core courses like Software Engineering, DBMS, DIP—tough enough, but somehow we had a lot less minors to write and I was lot less concerned. With my lenient attitude, distaste for learning (it would be unfair to refute the role of sycophantic attitude with certain teachers) I somehow managed to score a decent 8.2- without tension in my head, I was able to write the exams, study in the last few days much more casually. Thus I would cite lack of tension as the main reason, alongside newly developed sense of understanding what sort of questions to expect rather than why the phenomenon were happening the way they were.

The 7^th semester was just riding the wave of my previous semester’s good performance- with a new confidence, knowing that 8 SG was a possibility and carrying the same lenient ways- touring Delhi. Again the choice of courses turned out to be excellent, with regard to the number of minor exams to write but the courses weren’t tactfully chosen- but a rare incident of my lack being favorable. I had just happened to fill the courses most suitable for me (other than Cryptography-compulsion of DE and being rejected for a Humanities course in the same slot), the ones which I actually found interesting- Algorithmic Game Theory, Economics & Literature courses. True- they were easy courses, and were instrumental in lifting my grades.

Attendance was as bad as always in Maths courses- but still I managed 8s, lots of credit to question-oriented studies, while it was almost full in Algorithmic Game Theory(1 absent), European Renaissance (3 absents), Planning and Economic Development (3-4 absents)- each of these courses without any attendance requirements. No classes after 1 anyday helped in keeping the mood positive. As a result of the increased confidence (from the previous semester), I had developed the knack to score a minimum 8 in each course. The grades finally turned better than my most optimistic calculations- completely contrary to worse than worst calculations earlier. Three perfect 10s amounted to a SG of 8.91, and exiting the club of 6-pointers. Overall it has been the lack of hectic minors (6 in a semester), provision to lead a more relaxed life with less tension which I believe was instrumental in yielding some good grades.

PS. My heart still lies with the 6-pointers, and would react to shit like "even the 6-pointers got this".

News is Objective?

For long, I believed that since newspapers deliver news and not opinions, they are bound to be objective. Indeed this pervasive view- due to which many consider it a worthier source than biased opinion Editorials- gives them immense power in shaping masses thought processes. Media is more powerful than Government for it can report an allegation on the ruling party one day turning the tide against them, while next day scandalize the Opposition swaying it back in favor for the former. Alas, support for oneself is garnered more easily by ridiculing the opponent due to which choices are mostly an aversion towards one than an aversion for the other. But how is it possible for media to report for-or-against an issue using facts? After all, the subject must have committed the act to be reported. And how can facts be biased? Till a debate with Andri (fellow intern at ABB, on one of my long detours from work) where he pointed out on the possibility of media-bias (on an Indo- Pak debate where I ridiculed Pakistan based on local-media sources). Andri's allegation compelled me to observe the possibility, and finally after observing for long, I think I can explain few ways in which the bias successfully works.

So much happens in the world each day, such a huge spectrum of possible news, so many news-makers. If Aishwarya Bachhan's newborn can make headlines in the major publications (not just supplements), no wonder there is no dearth of news-makers. Even me writing this article can be news tomorrow (if I had the stature, or an influential person was writing rather than me). Thus there is a lot to choose from for the publishers.

An important point to be noted is everything has its pros-and-cons. Assume the publishing house be biased towards one of the views. All it needs to do is publish 'facts' on that side, ignoring those on the other side. For instance, reporting only on the pros of Indian growth story while not reporting (remember, not opining-even reporting) of a tragic story caused by it (similarly, reporting the cons of an issue while leaving the pros, before you allege to be pro-sad news). A common example (the subject of my debate with Andri) is news on Pakistan. Almost every news emanating from the nation is negative in our newspapers- bomb blasts, corporal punishments, SMS bans, Hindu-persecution. Not that these are false (though they can be at times) but consider India. If one wants to portray it as a God-obsessed Hindu-fanatic country in deep disarray, worse than Pakistan one can. Just go to a village where cows are worshipped, necromancy practised, girl-child killed, alcohol consumers punished and other ridiculous petty stuff, which we city-dwellers are aloof from. Reporting incidents from this village can make India seem disastrous if the article simply quotes 'in a village in India'. Moreover, there are these protest movements, corruption scandals- painting a sad scene for India. Experts can portray India as a stone-age country (maybe Pakistani media does that). Thus without deviation from facts, but simply applying the filter of 'facts' wisely the media can be successful towards reflecting its side of the view. Another example is China. A news was published where a businessman said "My only wish is to escape China". Out of the billion people, the view of an ordinary businessman (shaped as news) made the columns- wonder why? Similarly, there are stories about Putin being jeered at, portrayal as a dictator while lots of positive things keep happening in his life, celebrated by people in Russia.

Another powerful tool is Headlines. The recent viral pic on Facebook denoting different headings for the same news in The Hindu and TOI. The content can be seen both in the adjoining pic, as well as the link. Clearly the first thing a reader sees is the heading in bold. Some may ignore to read the details and thus only the view from the headline remains while for some it creates a confirmation bias while reading the article in alignment with the headline.

Another tool, not very visible is the use of adjectives. The brave, valiant Ratan Tata. The corrupt minister. Confused Kambli. These minor insertions set the tone and help in aligning the view with the writer without being explicitly opinionated. At times, advertisements are printed as news, with adjectives as per the advertise. Huge-scale event, successful results. Such was the case at one point when a 'news' article reported a particular coaching class delivering excellent results for JEE selection. If media can print such blatant advertisements as passive facts, can't they do the same with other news, with appropriate adjectives, expertise in journalism.

A question maybe raised on the assumption "assume the publishing house be biased towards one of the views" made earlier in the article. However with the power media has on the masses' opinions, the parties involved in the news very well know the effects a certain news would have. Moreover these people have a lot of clout as well as monetary backing to be supporting a publication thus ensuring their filter runs by filtering away their cons, while championing their pros.

The trigger behind this article is the news circulated by TOI today on "Anna Hazare tying alcoholics to a pole and beating them up". The timing of the article can be questioned, as this has been known to many since long and been said long ago by Anna, but it has been posted just before the start of the Winter Session of the Parliament, where the Lokpal issue is to be raised. Thus news we get is not objective, but biased. Possibly every publication has a view, and filters news according to it. To get the true side of stories (as true as common-men can get to the truth) maybe a resort can be increasing the sources of reading, before being opinionated on any issue.

PS. None of the examples used should be mistaken for my opinion on the topic.
On Pakistan issue, I am still embittered about the nation (reasons for which I may write some other day), and before rubbishing me as a Communist due to China, Putin etc. I would like to clarify I am left-leaning, don't support CPI(M), but have used these examples as they exemplify contemporary media's tone. Neither do these reflect any of views on Anna Hazare (although I do ridicule Aishwarya Rai's child making headlines).

Messing the Unmessed (HD)

Yet another incident in my life- true to the blog title- surprisingly this time, I was demoted to the position of a silent spectator (call accomplice at worst, if you may) as apparently experts- to whom I had referred- efficiently messed situations from apparently unmessed ones.

• ~15 August: As I switch on my laptop, the unusual tragedy which follows compels me to refer to the local expert- Kshitij Tulsyan(remember that name, he has a bigger role to play later). The laptop didn't switch on, despite many tries convincing even Tulsyan the problem was beyond his skills, pushing me towards unreliable stores of Nehru Place for a cure. After 4 days of touring and Rs. 1500 in expenditure, I got back a running laptop, with all but one thing working- Windows. It had been corrupted, and in the classic Nehru Place style they offered a 1-month warranty excluding software errors in the claim (including Windows crashes in the exclusions).
  
• #Problem: Though I am not much of a coder and Windows suits me more, I found life with Ubuntu workable. This was until at home, I realized the data card which worked only in Windows, demanded a life of internet-continence for my duration at home. Installing Virtual Machine didn't resolve the problem either. Moreover, MATLAB wasn't working, oDC was back- it was time to get Windows alongside Ubuntu once again.
  
• 3rd November, 2011: I pleaded Kshitij Tulsyan to install Windows for me, and without a CD (desperate to have it installed finally) I suggest to use Onboard NIC service (provided by Computer Service Center (CSC) at IIT-Delhi for installing Windows 7), requiring laptop to be connected to LAN cord. As the process is on, and the active installation screen shows an affirmative tick ahead of "Copying Files" and a ticking meter for "Installing", Tulsyan feels the urgency of LAN cord elsewhere and pulls it out ("But I thought the image had already been copied"). Doom follows. Following this act, the laptop can run neither Ubuntu, nor Windows but the enormity is realized only after a bootable Ubuntu disk is inserted to at least have the Ubuntu working again. Alas, all the data has been lost- the Hard Disk rather than having the 3 partitions of Windows, Ubuntu and Other Data now has 1 partition, of all 500 GB, with no data. Of course, I didn't have backup for most of it. Still, believing in Tulsyan's ability of miracles (after all, he is considered the God) I prayed until he gave up and convinced of the sarcastic undertone in the use of 'God' against his name, having done the impossible, messed the unmessed Ubuntu, Hard Disk.
  
• 4th November 2011: Back to the nemesis, Nehru Place. Enter a shop with poster of Data Recovery, haggle over the price settling for Rs. 1200. After 5 hours of waiting (and vendor's optimism about his capability during these hours), and me praying to God (the one of Churches, temples) after a long time finally my new God- Murphy- triumphs yet again, as the vendor replies in negative.
  
• 5th November 2011: A confident vendor keeps the Hard Disk for 2 days, giving me a few hopes and a few more lessons.
  
• 6th November 2011: Running the laptop with a bootable Ubuntu disk and without a hard disk, I am writing this blog article.

Lessons:

• As non-IIT students maybe thinking, being an IIT student why do I have to run to others to get system faults fixed. I'm sure the IITians understand. Just to clarify, the knowledge from these years hasn't really developed any practical skills. Now I am eager to learn doing this myself, so that the degree is good for something, other than brand name and pomp.
• Keep backup for all important data outside the laptop (preferably in Gmail). Moreover, maintain a file stating the data you have.
  
• Messing the Unmessed is an axiom in my life.
• Agnosticism, leaning to atheism, doesn't have good payoffs. But then, I may just be attributing the losses to this faultily.
  
• One of the Gods I believe in has successfully defeated the other- Tulsyan lost to the wrath of Murphy, and now I believe in the only omnipotent Murphy.
  

GRE

A simple title, a simple post- based on an event, which created lots of hassles in my life- an examination known as the GRE. I had previously once enumerated how it caused me much undesired pain, and since it became an important chapter in my life it was inevitable another post be written for it.

#Lastcompetitivexam- This is effectively the last competitive exam I write, for which I prepare. I have never quoted "Kucch nahin padha tha" and giggled -as if that was so cool- till date (showing I confess to studying when I do- and I do mostly), but from now on, any competitive exam I give (if I do) I vow to myself not to study really. Preparations are hell tiring, they demand so much compromise on the part of jolly living and may not yield correspondingly satisfactory results.

#Monotheism- Once a devout follower, this seems troublesome as my beliefs have now changed and the only God is not Hanuman or Christ or the concept of a divine force- rather 'he' goes by the name of Murphy, and I've realized my life's task is to defeat this God in whom I have started believing.

#Kinship- Unfortunately however much I try to dissociate myself from this God, he looms over my life. As Tulsyan (Murphy's competitor for being The God, and making me a Ditheist) once stated "Murphy kept you in mind while framing his laws" and also "Murphy tera rishtedaar hai pakka", I can't help but believe in the kinship theory maybe in past births. This is not mere indignation, but a continual habit of satisfying the worst-case analyses.

#Actualexam- I scored 750-800 in Quantitative Analysis -which I would like to believe to be 800- while in Verbal I scored 500-600 where I won't be optimistic by a simple application of Murphy's Law. Thus a score of 1300- 1400, which is not considered bad but considering the preparation and the belief (of others) about my familiarity with English, it is a major letdown.

#AnalyticalWriting- Still waiting for the results for it, takes around 2 weeks. This was somewhat my area, discussing a topic of general interest and debating on it. Having been blogging for so long, writing here and there this isn't surely a skill I need to 'develop' now and I look forward to a good score. The topic was "Colleges should convince students to choose their areas of interest rather than ones which fetch good jobs" (there was a better word for convince, which I am forgetting). Time was restricted- 30 minutes thus limiting my flow of ideas, but nevertheless I spoke freely of the surge of individuality in the Modernist period, its need etc etc as well as citing good jobs mean market demand, logically implying social need thus motivating students to pursue lines with good jobs ensure lucre for the student as well as fulfilling the needs of the society. (The evaluators don't want the writer to seem bigoted, and want them to analyze both sides of the coin).

#Grumbling- What a hopeless examination! Why do examiners care about my knowledge- even worse, vocabulary- of English when words where I get stuck can be Googled and my area of future studies would almost surely be technical. Moreover, the new format sucks- with the multiple blanks for the same question, and no partial marking and a looming ambiguity in so many questions where more than one answer could've been feasible on certain instances but were not. A paper in English should not be Objective!

The Great Indian Novel

This year although I have read many Classics and critically acclaimed novels, most of which I liked, I felt it apt to write a review for the one which doesn't sit atop any lists, is by an Indian author (turned politician) but nevertheless amazed me the most. I am talking of the Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor- the controversial tweeter while he was State Minister for MoEA and assured his exit by trying to please his third wife.

As the name itself translates to Mahabharata in Hindi,it is a story of Indian Independence Struggle and post-Independence India till times of Indira Gandhi as a satire with the characters and plot from Mahabharata- the Great Indian epic. Like most other Indians, I haven't read the Mahabharata and knew the story in bits and pieces like the names of the major characters, the game of dice, undressing of Draupadi and the eventual defeat of Kauravas by the Pandavas apart from some bits and pieces of the plot from here and there, like the way Bhisma or Drona was killed. About the Independence Struggle, I have read a lot- while in school- but since cramming the answers fetched more marks than appreciating the content, I had did the same and didn't know much about it in as well.

However, since the novel carefully combines the two and takes liberties to twist one of them by small amounts at times, for me it served as an awesome knowledgable experience as well. The book urged me to read more about the Mahabharata from the source of all knowledge nowadays- Wikipedia, thus providing me the opportunity to know the tale of the great epic and marvel about its brilliance.

The style of writing- it needs a special mention. Its a first person narrative (by Ved Vyas), the story moves with rapid speed and often comes up with pieces of poetry by one of the speakers, which is amusing. It is much more humorous than any of the spicy Chetan Bhagat novels, and features a great plot which is a hybrid of the Mahabharata and the Independence movement, although more often it deviates from the former to do justice to the latter. Another marvellous fact is the updating of the epic, and removing all elements of divinity from Mahabharata to make it more believable. Like Pandu being cursed by a conjugal pair who he killed to die when he commits sexual act himself next time. Here Pandu (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose) is diagnosed by the doctor with heart problems, making him unfit for sexual intercourse anymore. Moreover, the way in which Pandu of the book dies is similar to real character and the analogy- he dies while having sex with Madri in the plane from Japan. Or the way Karna dies (I won't mention here his analogue) ! He gets a heart-attack while lifting a car's wheel which was stuck in mud, which refuses to come out (His chariot wheel gets stuck to the ground on the 17th day, following which Arjuna kills him in the Mahabharata). Such is the brilliance of Tharoor's imagination.

Tharoor makes no business of preaching anything, but still ensures it is much more than a historical account as Ved Vyas often takes liberty from the narration to speak to Ganpathi (the South-Indian who is noting down the whole account, similar to Ganesha in the real Mahabharata) and provides strong views about the story - making it very engrossing. Ved Vyas has all the elements of a great narrator- omniscient ('I have my sources, I have told you Ganpathi'), important character himself (but not too important) and moreover with signs of being flawed at times.

His choice of characters for analogies can be a little debatable, owing to some people's sentiments or some inconsistencies to one of the two subplots, but I feel no other matching could have done it a better justice. Some of the matchings are indeed unclear, especially the ones post-independence as I am sure many like me wouldn't have heard the names of the real-life analogues at all. In such cases, refer to the Wikipedia page but do take care not to see anymore than you want. Even the names of chapters are parodies versions of famous books mainly by British authors.

And the ending- he does justice to Ved Vyas's line 'there is no ending' but the way he does justice to it in the extreme last page is astonishing. A blatant violation of Mahabharata's plot and the constant rhetoric of Dharma in this page is amazing, and alters the foundations of the novel. This is a must read novel for every Indian, to get more perspectives on the greatest epic, recent Indian history in a humorous, satirical way.