Caste-ing doubts.

My recent trip to Rajasthan made me realize one thing - Caste is a fact that is so well entrenched in the minds of people that a person's introduction is incomplete without it having been mentioned. It is not just limited to a section of people but almost anyone who you get acquainted with pops this question to you with nonchalance that can unsettle anyone who is not comfortable with the idea of carrying that aspect of one's identity on one's sleeve. In my life, I have never had to answer the caste-question as many times as I did in my three day stay in Rajasthan.

The reason I am mentioning this is not malign the people of Rajasthan or their culture. By far, they have been the most hospitable people among all the places I have been to in my little life. I am mentioning this because despite belonging to a caste traditionally considered to be privileged I never had my caste identity in my consciousness until I reached IIT Bombay for my M.Tech. Throughout my childhood, either at home or in school, this equation was never brought into active thought or conversation except in some vague chapters of history books. Yet, to find children as young as five year olds who would have barely started uttering their first words coming and asking me my caste bewildered me.

Caste, I thought till not so long ago, plays a more secondary role in the Southern India gaining significance only in finding matches in arranged marriages. But after a house-hunting experience in Bangalore, I became wiser. "Sir, are you a veggie?" was a question that was hurled at me at regular intervals which I innocently answered everytime in affirmative. It was only after the twenty-fifth time in two days that I realized that "being a veggie" was a mild allusion to "being a brahmana". And I said to myself, "There you go again!"

Let alone we Hindus, I was amused and surprised to notice that Catholics in Goa follow the same Caste equations as Hindus and do not marry outside their castes! In fact, one of our ex-landlords had lent us our house only because we were "Brahmanas" and he was what he claimed to be a "Roman-Catholic-Brahmana". One only needs to look at the matrimonial columns of any local Goan newspaper to understand what I said.

All this has made me realize one thing - Caste is not something that can be done away with in our society. In fact, having castes is not a bad thing per se. It is the discrimination that must be checked. No society will ever be rid of castes/classes. In some it is "Brahmana-Kshatriya" equation, in some it follows "Believers/non-believers", in some it follows "comrade/non-comrade", whereas in some it might follow "white/non-white" pattern. There will be different types of people in a group and it is natural for them to form a clique. It is natural human tendency.

In short, Caste is here to stay. I just have to learn to live with the fact that people other than me will be interested in knowing this aspect of my identity.

Blog profiles

Its been a while since I was introduced to the blog world and in the same while I have also witnessed many of my friends getting initiated into blogging. It is in this 'while' that I have noticed certain patterns emerging in various blogs and it would be interesting to note if my observations are indeed accurate.

Aldrin - A blog for poets, lovers, romantics, artists, losers, Devdas', etc. Definitely not for sane people. One of my favourites.

Ashutosh - If all the comedians of this world were cursed to transform into a blog, they would have probably found themselves embellished in this blog. From crass to sophisiticated, to outright tear-my-hair-out kind, this blog is a sure remedy for someone feeling under the weather.

Rupesh - A site for geeks who seek truth of life not just in formulae but also in children, family, weather, I, you, me and practically everything conceivable. It is a reflection of a balanced mind that is neither influenced by inebriance of emotions nor ebullience of laughter.

Zoheb - There is something about this blog that makes people want to visit it often inspite of it lying unused for long durations of time. It could probably be attributed to the candidness of the content devoid of hypocrisy that makes it so pleasing to read.

Shyam - This is a secret blog never to be updated and never to be found out by anyone unless some idiot like me deliberately publicises it. Blurty Management is still hoping (in vain, I am sure) that the 10 Mega bytes of space that they have isolated for this user would one day be put to use. We too are waiting.

Billu - Well, there are some like Shyam who create blogs to create them, and there are some who create blogs to announce to the world that they have created one. Billu dear falls in the latter category. A blog was created for him (by someone else) on which he cared to post a couple of entries to inform the world that he knew how to blog. I am guessing that the next post on that blog will be the one announcing his marriage to his beloved.

Well, that's it. Maybe, someone will carry out more profiles of their friends' blogs for us to visit them and know more about them.

99.00

It is finally belled... don't ask me how. 'Tis a mystery to me too.

While ABC don't find me good enough, ILK do.

ps: the period of confustion ensues.

pps: please help

who has the answers?

1. Why does one who desperately wants something does not get it, but one who does not want it as much gets it anyway.

2. Why does the girl a guy falls in love with never loves him. If there is a girl who loves a guy, then why doesn't he find her attractive?

3. Why does a human being want to be remembered after his life?

4. Why are we afraid of darkness and death when they are as obvious as light and life?

5. How does a child learn to learn?

6. Is love an attribute cultivated or genetically encoded?

Any ideas?

Even geniuses need inspirations

From rediff - RD Burman's inspirations...



Tumse hai dil ko pyaar (Teesri Manzil): The Beatles' I wanna hold your hand


Mehbooba O mehbooba (Sholay): Demis Roussoss' Say you love me


O jabtak hai jaan (Sholay): Iranian singer Googoosh's The prelude of Jomeh


Tumse milke (Parinda): Leo Sayer's When I Need You


Milgaya hum ko sathi (Hum Kisise Kam Nahin): ABBA's Mamma Mia


Aao twist karein (Bhoot Bangla): Chubby Checker's Come lets twist


Sapna mera toot gaya (Khel Khel Mein) from Ennio Morricone's The story of a soldier (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)


O Maria (Saagar): Opening line inspired by Paul McCartney and Wings' Mamunia


Aa dekhe zara (Rocky): Partly from Jeff Wayne's Eve of the war