Letter to my 14 year old self

Hey there! Howdy?

Due to an erratically placed birthday and honest parents who refused to change your actual birth dates compared to birth dates in record, you have been seeing that you are about 6-7 months older than your average class mates. This will continue for the rest of your life (at least till you complete graduation for sure)

Now that you are in eighth standard, you are so damn scared of the DAV boards that are about to happen later that year aren’t you? Don’t be. The exams will go swell and anyhow they are nothing like the life that you have laid ahead of you.

Believe it or not, you will graduate as an engineer (now would be the right time to stop reading and focus on something else if you don’t want to screw your future by becoming one) from a premier engineering institute of the country (go ahead… laugh with relief).

Not only that; having faced the doom of being an engineer you will set out for something far bigger and expected to provide you with a “holistic view of approaching discussions” and “multifaceted approach and managerial viewpoints". Yes you guessed it right. You are doomed to become an MBA (though from yet another premier institute). Just like all had been Bollywood actors line up for stupid box; inadvertently almost all engineers line up for an MBA. Though, by passing out in the year 2009, how should I put it delicately and yet not reveal a lot that is about to happen in future; you would still realize less than the ideal placements that you would expect from an IIM (oops!).

So now that we have gotten THAT out of the system, there are some pointers that I would like to give out to you for smooth sailing in the future.

Learn to play an instrument: Throughout your life, you will have the regret of not having learnt a musical instrument. Not having been blessed with a musical voice, or for that matter any musical telent whatsoever, you fill find it disconcerting that you cannot play a musical instrument to save your life. But, now you still have so much time at your hand. So you can do that!

Learn foreign language: You have always wanted to learn a foreign language. Be it French, Japanese, Chinese etc. take some time to learn one now that you are still in school. Will go a long way to help you out.

PS: Learn Japanese. Will help you watch Manga without the need of subtitles :D

Propose to that cute blonde girl: You see that cute blonde girl that you have been wanting to, but hesitating in, ask out. Yes, the one with curly pigtails. Don’t be hesitant and go ask her out. Because she too has been hesitating in asking you out! Not much of a CV point, you may say. But will help you much more than many other such points combined ;)

More than just studies: Later this year your maths teacher, Ms. Subramaniam, will insist that you do more than just studies. Your parents will also insist on getting you some exposure to swimming. Let them. The all just want to help you out! Go for some sports etc. play some basketball, Badminton etc. You know you like them. You will get to like them more.

Develop your talents: You have always known that you have a bit of a flair for drama. The stint with NSD this summer will just go to prove that you are right. Not to mention the gazillions of anecdotes of your relatives’ account of you saying “aap ko jaana hai toh meri laash ke upar se jao” (If you have to go, you would have to do so over my dead body!). So go ahead yaar and develop into something more.

Now that you have read the complexly worded sentences so far without developing a serious headache, this should also give you a hint of another latent talent you have and part of which you have realized for quite some time now; a voracious reading appetite (in addition to voracious appetite if I may add!.. so look out for that one). Anyhow, what I was referring to was what your English teachers often complained and will complain about is your exceedingly complicated writing style. That is your latent talent and you would do well to develop it.

Though, fun parts apart, some serious tips too!

Don't be afraid: Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. In retrospect, you'll always wish you had. You’ll always wish you had said no to someone when you should have.

Disappointments are a part of life: Sometimes people will disappoint you in your expectations. On other times, you may be a disappointment to others. While efforts may always be done to ensure that it is not so, but all said and done just accept that fact and move on.

 Enjoy life: I understand that you always feel the need to be in control of things around you. But don’t forget to relax and have fun once in a while.

Life is not fair: Life may be tough for a short while. But always remember that everything in the life is a phase. And like all phases, as good phases come and go, so do bad phases. Sometimes the things may be such that you might look for some exit strategies. But you know you're better than that. There would be times when you will look back on those incidents and laugh out loud.

Kid! See you around in another fourteen years.

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2010 - The year that went by!!!

With 3 days to go to before we start on despoiling the next year (and indeed mark the beginning of a new decade), I would like to have a quick look at all that we have been able to accomplish in the year that went by.

To say that 2010 was an eventful year would be an understatement. In 2010, we witnesses events as widespread as various foreign dignitaries visiting India, to India hosting CWG and being successful to an extent, to the various scams, fevers ranging from RAJNI FEVER to Dengue to Sachin fever; having to chose between Sheila and Munni and whether Badnaam is better than Jawan or vice versa.

The year gave Indians a lot to think about but like everything else, Munni and Sheila would remain in our memories while the culprits behind the scams soon be forgotten and a decade later be acquitted because of the lack of evidence and allowed to go scot free on their private island in Hawaii (probably or it could even be a crater in Mars for all I care)

So a quick recap of 2010 is in order.

2010: An icon passes away

One person who was single handedly responsible for the demise of a promising state, the one who can be, arguably, be held responsible for the beginning for all that is wrong in the, once promising, eastern state of WB. One person who was very successfully able to tap into the emotions of an average Bengali, empathize with their empathy of the poor and impoverished. Even as he passed away, more people were interested in talking about him and his legacies than working (as if they ever were). And interestingly, the rumors of his death had started floating around a week before he actually passed away. An interesting read here.

2010: An year of scams (CWG, 2G, Adarsh housing scam, Desi wikileaks – Radia Tapes)

It like a badly written storyline in which as each villain passes us by, as the story proceeds, newer breed of villains turn up to take the limelight just to keep the story going on. The tragedy is that each villain, and correspondingly each scam, keeps on getting bigger and bigger with each passing scam. Its like “One Two ka Four”… I am still waiting for “Four Two ka One”. This has been a year when it has actually become quite evident that the real power, fame and money lie with those who DO NOT abide by the rules. An interesting read here.

2010: Shakira’s Waka Waka vs. Munni’s Badnami vs Sheila’s Jawani

One of the few things which actually provided a respite to the junta of Delhi from the above mentioned scams, IT employees getting raped and foreigners getting molested. Of course in addition to the Yana Gupta episode :D. A downside was that people were expected to choose between the two desi items. This is not fair. We like both and love both equally. So why choose?

2010: Obama hamare ghar padhare

With India providing fifty thousand jobs to the US, I think it is high that dollar be started to be valued in INR (however low it may be at present). Isn’t India going to become a superpower in the next 10-15 years? I think this marks a beginning of that. An interesting read here.

2010: The year of fevers

The year witnessed a mass outbreak of dengue cases, especially in national capital. the nation, however, was more occupied with the Robot-Rajni fever with all aspects of chuck Norris modified Rajni suited jokes. Of course after the plethora of Sheila-Kalmadi-CWG jokes. All forms of social networking were abundant with the various forms of these jokes making rounds. Not only online, several telecoms companies made a lot of money with these SMS'es doing rounds. Towards the end, Rajni met his match or as Joker said "Unstoppable force met with an immovable object" (Who is who is left to reader's discerning. Tendulkar's yet another record, this time dedicated to his father, left the entire nation awestruck and proved that he did own the title of "GOD".

These are but a few of many.. will keep on adding to the list… feel free to add more :D

So 2011 here we come.

Some interesting, and comprehensive, flashbacks at here and here.

PS: 2011 will be eventful year for me as well as I have a grand event planned in the year. Looking forward to it!!!

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