And the camera flashed...

I dunno what makes me write on this today. It happens to me quite often. Some faint symbols bring back old thoughts, thoughts about events which might not even bother anyone. But somehow, small incident just sticks to my mind and i keep thinking it over and over again.

Today as my dad drove through the busy streets of Manama, I heard the siren of an ambulance just behind our car. And that itself was enough to remind me of an incident i heard a long time back which had stolen my thoughts for quite a while.

Here, goes the incident as told by my friend about her father...

Like any other person, driving a car, he was held up by the traffic signal. The siren of an ambulance buzzing right behind his car. Being left with no other choice, he crossed the fatal yellow line to give way to the ambulance. And the camera flashed...
He didnt realise what happened until he was fined BD50 (INR 6,000)

Why???
The radar had caught his number plate for breaking rules. For crossing when the traffic signal was red.
And when it was his turn to explain the situation which led him to act like that, nobody listened. No proof. Therefore pointless.

This incident might seem too small, too insignificant but still somehow it provoked me to think.
How discouraging!
How unfair!
How ridiculous!
How hopeless!

Yes, hopeless... isnt it. When will technology learn to understand the cause and the effect? But again... should we blame technology for this? It had dutifully done what it was programmed to do. Then was it his fault to give way to a dying patient? No way. My conscience refuses. Then why such an immoral, unfair judgement for a genuine noble act is all I ask...

I havent found an answer still. Wrote this in search of an answer.

Beautiful mind

Why politics???

"Benazir Bhutto assassinated", my mom read out from the laptop. Stunned, i shut The Kite Runner. My dad immediately switched on the news channel to know the details. For a moment, my mind drifted to an episode of The Rendezvous by Simi Grewal. I used to love watching it with my mom years back. Benazir Bhutto was the guest in that particular episode. I still remember the way she related her father's execution... And today, her death was carved along the very same lines. Interestingly, The Indian Express calls her The daughter of destiny.

I asked my dad, why did she ever get into politics? Didnt she see her own father get killed? She was Harvard educated, she could have definitely chosen a better life for herself. It was then my dad told, how many people could become leaders today? How many people took the responsibility to bring about a positive change by overlooking the risk factor? Very few take the challenge. And very few are rewarded.

And those words left me pondering.

Flashback # 2

I guess its time to wield my pen to pen again... its been quite some time since i've posted anything. And i surely cant do myself justice if i dont record the memories of last sem which was the most significant sem so far, before the memories start fading...

Last sem started off with enough bossing around over my roomies for the very unforgivable fact that they being my roomies forgot to wish me on my b'day. A crime never to be forgotten or forgiven i enjoyed exemptions from making coffee or maggie or doing the dishes or even cleaning the room :p

Well, my new class, 2nd yr, eee, room no-3 in the CLC. First day i was awed to see the number... a class of 74!!! But thankfully due to Horizons, i came to know my class very well. I never realised my class had soooo much talent. And finally, in the midst of untimely practical exams and many other untimely events, my very dear class came out glorious in mano and grabbed the second overall position!!! How, dont ask... none of us expected... but there was "talent"!!! Im sorry if this is putting you off to sleep or if you think im boasting too much... but where else can i boast other than my very own blog!!!

Then came Festember, our cultural fest and along with it came Pirate Radio... True was the tagline of Festember- An epitome of joy, a swirl of creativity... swept us off our feet... hogging away to glory at dominoes, sipping cool blue to our heart's content, running around attending events and sitting all exhausted in the cad cam lab writing endless reports, taking pictures of the arts exhibition, attending workshops with friends, or even dancing to the tunes of O humdum suniyore with KK singing live on stage!!! Wowww those were the days... and before i could relish them with all my heart, they were over. Sigh!!!

The seoson of giving treats and getting treats never closes (thankfully) may it be in the dhaba outside the college gate or in meridian or even the very newly opened mc lawrance. And in the midst of everything, exams just come and go like an eternal reality. But thanks to the "Who cares???" attitude developed in college which helps one see through all these difficult times and never complain.

And there were those small instances which fail to grab our attention but somehow affects us... those long walks with friends, sharing the most insignificant detail with roommates and then making a big deal out of it, our mess boycotts, getting scolded my profs in labs, attending classes when all my friends were busy snoring in the hostle and poor me!!! I came a week late to college and thus my bunkscore counter started from 3 in each subject :( :(

I guess this has been my most unorganised post, but how can i help when all memories come rushing at the same time :)

signing off
Beautiful Mind

Sigh!!!

Scene: 3rd day of Festember, at the PR desk

I was sitting at the pr desk, doing my usual slot. A big pile of Pirate Radio , issue 3, was lying neatly folded on the table. I was kind of disappointed seeing the huge pile lying there...

Meanwhile, a middle aged gentleman comes towards the stall asking me for all 3 PR issues... I was kinda surprised, someone actually showing interest in what we wrote and that too asking for not just one issue but all 3, that was a WOOWWW!!!! I cheerfully handed him the day 3 issue and told him we that we didn't have the day 1 and 2 issues at the moment. He looked a bit dejected and walked away.

I looked around a bit. Finally, I saw a few day 2 issues lying on a chair at some corner. I promptly picked up one and ran out, my eyes searching for the gentleman. Thankfully, i spotted him near a stall, went upto him and handed him saying, "Sorry sir, i couldn't get day 1's issue but here we have day 2." He smiled back, took it happily, and said, "Actually, im an alumni. I just wanted to keep them all with me." I just stood there. I didnt know what to say... I could clearly see in his eyes how much he wanted them and valued them. I quitely went back to the stall, lost in deep thought... how much we tried publicizing what we wrote, running behind people asking them to read when they were least bothered, leaving piles of issues outside the art exhibition, with the faint hope that someone or the other would pick it up and to the extent that i made sure everyone at the pr stall had a copy of PR... and there someone comes and asks me out of his interest and i failed to help!!!

I sat down at my place, my eyes discerning him...how well he blended with the rhapsodic crowd, though he didnt look even remotely close to the age group of the crowd!!! And why shouldn't he, isnt the spirit the same...!!!

Beautiful Mind

"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

Does this text look familiar to you???
Just open your orkut accounts for a moment, and check your scrapbook...atleast one of the ten scraps displayed will have the deadly blue bar saying, "To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

Im not a regular visitor of orkut. Only during holidays when i have nothing better to do... i resort to the pleasures of orkut. And these days, i dont know dating back to precisely when, these "deadly" blue bar messages seemed to have picked up amazing popularity. Not talking about my scrap book alone, I can't stand the sight of those, thus i keep deleting every such scrap... but even in others scrapbook, they are full of those.

Agreed, few are forwards, which can be still pardoned but scraps like-
XYZ: hi
"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"

or even worse... I couldn't believe there were those hopeless souls existing who sent scraps like-
ABC: happy birthday
"To send scrap to all your friends at once CLICK HERE"
Can you comprehend the heights of lunacy involved in such an act!!!

And now the latest buzz... you might be well aware of the "Diana, director of orkut..." message. Well im not commenting on those... its hopeless!!!

Imagine, just with the push of a button, you send a "hi" message to your entire friendlist... however huge it is. There might be one or two of those characters in your friends list whom you dont really know but simply added cause he or she is a friend of your friend's friend. And when the person receieves the scrap, he/ she will be actually wondering who the hell is this person???
Im writing on this today cause such a thing has actually happened with me and it is really very annoying!!!

But isnt it saving time??? Sending a "hi" message to all 250 of your contacts with just a click... is a pleasure that only modern technology can bestow on us. But by succumbing to the thriving technology... we are losing out on friends, feelings, in short life.

Lets keep technology at its place...
Let technology strive and lets help technology strive...
But lets not give up ourselves completely to it...
lets not trade on conscience!!!

PS: hope i didnt make it sound err so over serious :)