Kyunki Har Ek Friend Teacher Hota Hai!!!

675th BLOG POST -->>

            It's 5th September and as every Indian knows, it's a Happy Teacher's Day for all of us. Teaching has been the most selfless profession, as per my knowledge. If a teacher teaches a generation for spreading knowledge and developing skills in each and every student as much as they can, the progress ratio of the generation could raise by zenith. But sadly, there are 99.99% of teachers into the profession just to earn as much bucks as they can. Hence, the education status of our country has been getting poor to worst day by day. For me, the involvement of teachers in my life has been incredible. There has been many teachers who have been my favorites while I have been lucky in being favorite to many teachers. The number of times I have heard "Abhilash, keep quiet" from my teachers have crossed the total number of Indians living in the country. :-) But those teachers knew that I do some mischief and unwanted activities in class just to keep myself interested in class as I have always been as much interactive as possible with teachers. (My new classmates will definitely give a big grin if they'll read this as I have been 200% quiet till now. Actually, I'm still adjusting :-()

             Out of all the teachers I had, there are many who taught me several things that have made me into a much better person than I was. Mr. Fernandes in school made me realize that my creativity while writing Essays in class was superior to others. Mrs. Hirana made me know that I am one of the coolest student one can have. Mrs Tehseen made me realize that even by staying quiet, a student can develop a kind of good image in a teacher's view. Mrs. Dalaya made me know that I am not just academically good, but also terrific in many other fields (Ok Sorry. :-)). Mr. Zaheer made me know that it's not just Coding that one requires to be a good programmer but a positive attitude that my program shall execute one day does. :-) Mrs. Nishat made me know that my jokes and sense of humour does not interest only the people of my age group but all, the only thing that I should care about is to make it sure when I should crack them. Haha. Mrs. Ritu told it to everyone indirectly that I am the one who can answer all the questions that a teacher asks but only if I decide that I shall. Similarly, there are many teachers who developed confidence, right attitude, positive approach, perfect gesture and many other traits in me. They had no selfish gain from it but they did, because they wanted a COAL like me to discover a DIAMOND within me. :-) And with the grace and will of GOD, I did. There is still lots of sharpness that my personality needs, hopefully the teachers from Post Graduation will play their part perfectly. :-)

              But, I have been taught many a things just not by my parents, teachers and elders but by my friends too. Friends are the best teacher, I believe. They are the ones who will clearly tell you what you are capable of and what you are not meant for. :-) A friend is the only person who'll tell you the right dresses that suits you, right attitude that makes you look cool, the parlance that people love of yours, the secrets that people know about you, the next step that you should take to impress the ones who hate you etc. Friends tell you most of the things which no one can. A teacher just sees you for an hour or 2 in a day. Parents only get Dinner time to spend with you hence knowing nothing what you do once you step out of the door. :-) It's Friends whom you meet at 9 AM in the morning, share classroom for next 7-8 hours, then hang out in canteen for an hour and finally see-off at 7 PM in the evening, meet again at 9 PM on Facebook, chat for 5 houts and wish good night at 2 AM in the morning. :-) So, the amount of time that they spend with you is almost equal to that of what you spent with your mother in your infancy days (Ok Sorry, I know this is too much :-))

             Many Friends have made me realize many things that have again developed me in some or the another way, in big amounts or small. Rohit, in childhood, has been the best companion I had who always told me how easily can I with him bring revolution in the peaceful world. Haha. Gaurav taught me how with mugging up the answers one can score 80%+. Suresh still makes me feel that FOCUS is something that I need in life to be consistent since birth. :-) Arun makes me realize how bad decisions can ruin one's life. Mahesh taught me how right things done at wrong times respectively can ruin the whole essence of the moment. Ganesh bhai taught me how selflessly can one help someone whom we don't even know. Hmm. Yusuf taught me how buttering is needed in this world where no one remembers you in the crowd of 100s. :-) Saquib taught me how one can get himself intrigued in the activity that he is most scared of, which results in overcoming the fear and excelling in the same. Sohail taught me how to stay calm even when the world is enforcing you to retaliate in anger and violence. Vandana taught me how having just fair complexion doesn't make someone look beautiful, but it's smartness that impresses.

            Similarly, there are many such friends who have kept on teaching me with their activities. For me, these Friends are real Teachers as they never give me lectures but still make me learn all the good lessons of life that is needed for a long-term survival. Ok Sorry. Recently, a Twitter friend, Mamandeep made me learn that Life is about Living and not Surviving, by beating Cancer successfully. This is the first time when I am making you, my friends know that you have been a Kind-of Teachers to me indirectly because saying it to all of you is like kicking my own....!!! Chadh jo jaate ho tum log. :p On this Teacher's Day, I would like all my dear friends and readers to realize that Teachers are not in just the form of Parents, Teachers and Elders but you may find them in any form near you. But for that, you should have the attitude of Learning. I have, except academics. :-) For me, living LIFE is the biggest challenge and appreciation. These academic successes are just meant to bring smile on my middle-class parents. Hahaha!!! Come on, now wish me Teacher's Day, I have taught you such good things through this post. :-) Ok Sorry, BYE!!!

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

Identity- You Can Never Get It Until People Give It To You!!!

674th BLOG POST -->>

            Many would ask you to showcase your talent in the very first move in a new environment. For the basic sole purpose of letting the new people know that you have "something" in you. And for much more talented people, that you have almost "everything" in you. In new environment or among new people, everyone wants him/herself to be identified. Identified so that they are being respected for what they are. Identified so that they are being included whenever something very special is  planned. Identified so that the opposite gender takes much interest in you than all the other people of your gender. Identified so that you are always pushed ahead whenever something crazy and exoteric is about to happen. But do you really think that you can create an identity of yours? Almost 99% of you would say YES. Even I think that it is 100% possible if done in right way. But if in wrong way, definitely you shall get identified but for a shorter time. Ok. Once identified, you are done with it, what I am saying is that the respect which you needed after getting identified will remain for a short time as you made yourself an identifiable person in the crowd where everyone had almost same face with 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose and 1 mouth. 

             I remember when I joined Graduation, I was in talking terms with almost everyone in class except one. Later, in the second semester, a senior came and announced the name of the  boy and said that he has won a Photography competition that he took part in. I was surprised. I was taken aback. I never expected this short height, balloon sized pot bellied person to be a talented soul. Later when the lecture ended, I went to him and inquired about what competition he participated in and how did he win it. He told me all the details and then I came to know that he is a great photographer, obviously in a struggling stage but he is. And since then I respected him the most in class- for the fact that he never made anyone know what he is. And later everyone in class came to know about his skills in photography. That is how one gets a long term identification among new people. And YES, with RESPECT. If the same boy would have come on the first day and asked everyone for his attention and then would have claimed that "I'm a Photographer", do you think anyone of us would have given a damn to him? :-) (I hope you are understanding what I'm trying to hit at).

               My family astrologer is a very unique person in himself. He has served our nation by being in Indian Army for a very long time. While being in Army, he developed interest in Astrology, palmistry and soothsaying. He started reading related books in the library. Later he did Diploma in it to carve his skills more efficiently. And once he retired, he started his business in this. And with the grace of God, his readings started turning out to be 99.99% perfect and he is one of the successful person in the field. But when you'll go at his shop(or I must say clinic?), he will not take your palm in his hand to read but he will start telling you how great he is in his field. He'll tell you almost every achievement and every perfect reading that he has made in his life. This will end up making your 5 hours being wasted at his place where you'll get to know about your future for just 3 minutes at the most. This person has surely created an identity of his but he has never gained respect. He has given a new life to me but still I don't respect him for what he is. I am grateful to him and I thank him umpteenth number of times. But! And today, if someone asks me to make him meet the astrologer who gave an U-turn to my life, I almost deny even after the astrologer has made his identity in many cities. Getting, my idle readers? :-)

               One should not jump in between of conversations to get himself identified. If one does, he will surely get attention but he will never achieve what he wanted for him in a long term run. Let people identify your greatness, perfectness, beauty and excellence. Sachin never said initially that he is here to stay for 23 years(and still counting, FACEPALM) and create almost every record a batsman can. He did it quietly and we identified. Nor is Kohli saying anything of this kind but he is doing and we are identifying his Sachin-kind-of-a-talent. It's all about letting people observe you. And when you'll see that people are themselves approaching you to know about yourself for what you wanted to approach them, you will get the satisfaction that you could not get even after winning all the dollars, luck by chance, in a casino. :-) 

              While I updated this- "Identity is what people make of your's. If you by any way think that you can create an identity of yours in people's mind, come out of this misapprehension. Stay Quiet. Be away from the Light. One day, you would be under the Spotlight. And you would not be the one to bring yourself under the Highlights but people will themselves vindicate you at the top. YES!!! :-) But this takes time." on Facebook, I got a reply from my friend- Abhishek Akrant in Chat box where he told his version by partially contradicting to my views to which I partially agreed too :-)

            He said,"Bhai post acha hain apke.... But Deep inside you know that there's a a unique theory too... If we are good at something, and we once in a while keep bringing that up out in public. We can do the promotion of that skill at subconscious level of the person, then we can see the result sooner than the other way round. And it's 21st century bhai... Here we're all selling everything and it also includes our talent, if you're silent and not selling our potential, then someone else with average talent and great marketing skill will keep leg upon us and climb the ladders... Every aspect of life include sales...Do you know buddy the legendary programmer Denis Richie .. He was not good at marketing his skills.. He gave us the programming language through which we are making programs and software.. In short he gave us the grammar to make write programs correctly ... but he was never a great person .. He died in the same month when Steve Jobs died but people cried for Steve and didn't bother about Richie.. Why? Because Steve, despite not having something extraordinary was a great leader and marketing personnel who knew how to sell, and this is what rules in 21st century.. Sorry for such a long post but it demanded the answer...I didn't post out side kyonki thoda odd lagega ki I am contradicting..   Cheers.."

          Now, it's your chance to finally step out in the audience and create an identity- According to what I believe or the unique belief that you have about the subject, if it's stronger than mine. :-) 

  Thanks.

  ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU

DORK: The Incredible Adventures Of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese by Sidin Vadukut!!!

673rd BLOG POST -->>

            I am done reading the First Part of the Trilogy Series of DORK by Sidin Vadukut. The First book is named- "DORK: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese". 

Author:

Sidin Vadukut is an Indian author, blogger, and columnist. He is also the managing editor at Livemint.com.

His debut novel, Dork: The Incredible Adventures Of Robin ‘Einstein’ Varghese, is the first part of a trilogy. It was published in 2010. The second instalment, God Save The Dork, hit the stands in 2011. 

Vadukut has a humorous style of writing, one that brings absurdity and deadpan expressions alive on paper. 

Sidin Vadukut was born near Irinjalakuda, Kerala. He was raised in Abu Dhabi and he subsequently returned to India in pursuit of his higher studies. He has a bachelor’s degree from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. Vadukut worked at A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm. After being fired from his job, he wrote his debut novel. He is married to Ruchika Kapoor.

SYNOPSIS of the BOOK:

Robin Varghese is an academically brilliant twenty something, sorely lacking in social skills. He  studies at a top business school in India. He is sarcastically called ‘Einstein’ by his peers. Robin  has deluded his extremely naive self into thinking that during the time of placement in companies, he will be the first in line to be recruited to a top firm, an assignment abroad, and a fat paycheck.

Instead, he ends up in a mediocre management consulting firm called Dufresne Partners, not abroad, but in the bustling city of Mumbai. He easily adapts to the office culture, or so he thinks.

Robin unwittingly commits one stupendous mistake after another, and seems to be at the center of every mishap that occurs in his workplace. His chronic misadventures make him the bane of his superiors’ lives. They regret having hired him in desperation.

With all the uproar he has caused, it seems highly unlikely that Robin will be able to achieve his short-term goal of becoming an Associate before the year is up. Unsurprisingly, the foreign assignments and hefty bonuses are also nowhere in the picture.

While his professional life is failing so spectacularly, his personal life does not fare any better. Just when he has managed to get himself a steady girlfriend, he falls in love with someone else.

It seems too much for the readers to expect that the stumbling, bumbling ‘Einstein’ will manage to get his act together. But the outcome is uncertain, and the book goes on to show whether his life takes a turn for the better, with time.

The book was published in 2010 by Penguin Books India.

REVIEW:

            I heard a lot about this book from the fellow readers on Twitter but I am disappointed after completing the first part of the trilogy where first two books are released while writer is working on the third one. The book had humour for which I went for it but it does not have the paisa vasool humour. You can find better humour in Chetan Bhagat's books which aren't marketed as books that shall make you laugh. As this one is marketed as a book that can make you fall by laughing uncontrollably, there wasn't a single moment that made me laugh loudly. Though some moments are really funny but not something for which one should pay 199 rs at a bookstore or 119 on Flipkart to purchase it.

             The writer surely has a unique writing skill, it's commendable. It is a great idea to write such kind of a narration in a Diary format. I just can't imagine this book without THIS diary format. Whenever the protagonist asked Diary about its opinion in a childish and cliche manner, it made me smile at the imagination of the author. Every time the protagonist complains about a particular thing, you might find that the similar problem arises in your day to day problem. The arrogance that the character shows sometimes while talking with his diary is another part that you will find in your trait. The best part of this book is the name of the characters. I don't know how but author has kept such characters' names that you don't get jumbled because of having so many in the story, you remember each and every characters' profile with his name. 

           Now I would be reading the second book of the Trilogy- GOD SAVE THE DORK while I rate this one an average- 2.5/5. Not very much impressed. 

 Thanks.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU