Part Confessions of a Part-Conformist

Law is a system of rule and regulations that a society sets in order to maintain peace and stability. Personally how I understand law is that it is used to control and shape the way an institution works. It defines the work done by the institution and whether its workers are conformists or otherwise. Different institutions have different sets of laws and it is compulsory for each one to follow. If not followed or abided by, the consequences are in the form of punishment, suspension or the non-conformist is usually detained from the institution. In India, the Constitution is the legal document that contains all the laws explained in detail. Institutions such as schools, colleges, companies, non-profit organizations and media are regulated according to these laws. Media in India has been used to the fullest in terms of politics, economics and society. Unfortunately there are certain sub-divisions of media or different types of media like broadcast media that have misused the amoun

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http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=6232 http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=6201 http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=6191 Three more by-lines in NXg =)

When I was first conceived In my mother’s womb She took care of me Like no one ever would In seven lifetimes. When I first arrived My grandmother held me so close Secretly promising me She would do whatever it takes To see my toothless smile. When I took my first baby steps My father let me trip and fall Indirectly telling me “Face your fears. That’s the way you’ll learn” To see me stand on my own two feet. When I first went to school My grandfather urged me to enter my class Proudly he told me “Make new friends. It will be fun” To see me as the “Most Wanted” When my little brother first arrived He caught hold of my little finger This is when I knew It was my responsibility To never let go of his. Only now do I realize How much these people mean to me Without them by my side I wouldn’t be the same.

When my girl-friend asked me for my Barbie I gave it to her Little did I know I would get it back in two pieces. When my neighbor asked me for my bicycle I gave it to him Little did I know I would have a punctured tyre. When my mate asked me for my brand new eraser I gave it to him Little did I know I would never get it back. When my brother asked my for my chalk pieces I gave it to him Little did I know I would never see them again. When my maid offered to clean my room I let her do it Little did I know I would find my piggy bank in pieces. When my close friend needed help I stuck by his side Little did I know I would be betrayed. When my parents taught me to say “No” I refused to listen Little did I know I would regret it now.

As I sit by the shore I can feel the breeze Hitting my face Sweeping away with it My inner most fears. As it starts to pour I feel I could freeze My limbs go stiff Though I feel at peace. As I walk through the lonely roads The leaves stick to my skin Giving me a feeling That I am the only one. As I sit in my verandah Staring at the sky through the trees While listening to the almost extinct sparrows Chirping a sad symphony. As I take a stroll in my terrace Watching the moon-lit sky The stars shining like the diamond That makes me wonder more What goes beyond this life.

India, for the past 5 years has been creating milestones in every field; may it be IT or art. This vast country has spots that encourage tourism, and therefore eco-tourism came into being. Recently, this concept of tourism is now used the medical field – Medical tourism as we call it. India is said to be the best spot for this enthralling industry. Quick revenue is earned along with credibility. More and more hospitals and doctors are entering the field in order to keep up with the high competition in the medical field. But there is one section in our country that is completely ignored when we talk about the medical tourism context – the rural population. More than 60% of India’s population lives in the rural areas – this is a large chunk of the population that needs to be taken care of as they work quite a bit towards the development of our country. This land is primarily agrarian. It is this 60% and above that takes care of the agriculture sector. There is no way our land will tu

My first two articles on NXg - a supplement that belongs to The Hindu, Chennai http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=6174 http://www.go-nxg.com/?p=6161 Do check them out and leave your comments!

The beach is where one goes to catch up with old friends, enjoy the sea breeze, experience the peace and tranquility, listen to the waves whistling or at times when you want to be alone. While doing all this fun stuff, you don’t want to see anything unpleasant; something that might disturb you. Unfortunately, it happened to me. It was around 4.00 p.m on a Sunday and a few of us decided to go the Besant Nagar beach. Right next to the shore, there was a tent-like structure constructed with the help of solid, thick rods with a rope connecting both sides. I was very amused to find something like this so close to the water. However, to my horror I found a little girl, probably 6 years of age, comes out from nowhere and starts doing her famous cartwheels. For a second I thought I was hallucinating. Her next stunt was to come in and out of a small hula hoop. She wriggled in and out of it like she was made of elastic. She twisted and turned her limbs in all directions possible like the rub

When I first saw my little brother in my mother’s hands on the 3rd August, 1991; I was a proud little elder sister. Only later did I realize the privileges I had as the elder one. Apart from the obvious facts that I had to take care of him and protect him from evil forces, I got to bully him, be nasty to him and irritate him when I was bored. Certain acts of his tested my patience. It was during times like this when I felt like I should have thrown him out of the big French window at my place the day he arrived. There have been horrific episodes where we fought like there was no tomorrow. At one point of time, my mother had given up thinking there was no solution to this rivalry. But what she did not notice was, as we grew up we made sure we were there for each other. I mean, that’s what siblings are for. Whenever we had either of our parents giving us a piece of their minds, we would gang up against them. This is where the sibling saga began. As time passed by, this bond was getting s

It was about 17 and half years back, I get into a classroom filled with brats like me. I look for a friendly face but all of them are huddled in their own group. Being the new kid in the block I was sent to school all by myself. I was thrilled, of course. But small moments like not being able to see even one kid who would come up to me and introduce me to his/her friends pulled me right back to reality. Uthpala ma’am introduced to the class and finally there were a few smiles directed towards me. I still remember distinctly, how this particular girl looked at me with her rolly round eyes and flashed me a big grin. Her two pony tails were bouncing behind her ears. This is when I decided to add another special person in my life other than my little brother (parents go without saying!) – Sriya Gopalakrishnan. Although not in the same class we became the best of buddies and so did our mothers. We moved into the next building of Chinmaya further down Harrington Road we landed in the same se

Alright.. this is my first attempt to write a poem.. of course picturizing a fictional character in my head.. do not assume things and have your brain cells jumping around! You can say that this is an effect of the sudden rains in Chennai. I am in Love, I always will be And the only person I can think of Is you, MY LOVE When I am sad, My heart is filled with sorrow The only person Who can uncry my tears Is you, MY LOVE When I am happy, My stomach feels like a whirlwind Filled with Glee and Joy The only person I would Share it with Is you, MY LOVE When i see your picture My heart skips a beat This is when I know That it is you, I have waited for ALL MY LIFE When I hear your voice My heart beats rapidly That is when i feel You are mine and only mine, MY LOVE You have always been there for me I wish you always will be Promise never to let go of me, For, I shall be gone Without you beside me, MY LOVE Romantic ain't it :).. thanks to Chennai am a poet now :D

People can get a little clingy with things/people that show them a lot of affection and give them the most attention. I am one such person. There is one certain thing that I cling on to all the time. One may consider it to be just another thing that is used for its purpose and leave it there. But me, I am so obsessed with it that it has to be there with me no matter what; when am on my way to university, on my way to work, when with my friends, at home when am bored and finally it has to be right beside me when I am sleeping. I cannot eat or sleep without it next to me. It is quite difficult you know. This thing that I am talking about has a mind of its own. She listens to me and gives me the right results most of the times. One fine day, she finally decides to crash. Along with her my whole life comes crashing down. I feel betrayed. I feel hurt. I feel like my right hand has been chopped off. She was my better half. She helped my capture the best of moments. And now she was gone. She

Sitting here in a cubicle that belongs to me for the next one month at The Hindu H.O in Chennai gives me the heebie jeebies (goose bumps i.e.). Not for once did I think of applyin g for a print organization, especially to The Hindu. Not for once did I ever, in my wildest dreams think that they would approve of my application for my internship programme in the first semester. What a nail biting period it was; from the minute I pressed the “send” button in gmail, where the mail had my CV and acknowledgement letter from my university to the time I got a reply from the associate editor of Hindu. An internship is meant for training; one might not be able to get a hands-on experience on-field. This was my assumption. I entered the office thinking that I will not be given too many opportunities as a full-time reporter would get. But guess what.. I got my first two assignments the day I joined. After deciding to take a drastic step by moving away from the field of sociology and landing with a

Common man lives in an environment that is altered and changed by him. Over the years, he has evolved, therefore having an after-effect in his surroundings. He started to change his channel of thinking and developed his milieu that suited his way of living. A society is subject to change; the main reason being, the residents are humans. Human beings are never constant. Their basic needs and necessities keep altering as they evolve. Thus, man decided to take nature’s assistance to provide his ever growing population with food, clothing and shelter. This is where it all began: Climatic Regression. Change is good when the society has sustainable development. This means the society moves up the ladder without damaging its surroundings or disturbing any part of nature. This was not how man was going to achieve his goals in life: “keeping nature in mind!” Instead, he decided to sabotage the vivacity of nature and her components and keep himself happy. Climate, like humans is subject to chang

The Bannerghatta National Park is about 45 minutes away from Bangalore city. Jump into an A/C bus and there you are, dropped right in front of the ticket counter outside the animal park. So many options to choose from, I had no idea which Safari I wanted to go to. There was Tiger and Lion Safari, Elephant Safari and finally something wonderful flashed right in front of me: GRAND SAFARI + ZOO at Rs. 65 per person! I felt like a two year old when my eyes grew wide. Friends of mine who came along have never seen me so excited, EVER! It was the first time I was stepping into a zoo. Anyway, coming back to the Grand Safari.. it was one BIG safari that included all of the above listed teeny weenie safaris; and it was inclusive of the ZOO too. So, we decided to go for Grand Safari option. There it was, the ticket in my hand. I could not wait to jump into the bus and get the window seat. Wow! What a feeling! To think of it now, it just flashes back in your memory like it just happened a minute

The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat organized a craft bazaar – Sampoorn, at Bangalore from the 19th to the 28th of June, 2009. 23 artists from all over the world, in fact a few from other countries got together and filled the campus with their own creative articles that emitted vibrant hues. From paper bags to waste cloth bags, earrings to toe rings, kurtis to saris and from Tanjore paintings to Madhubani paintings; the bazaar was buzzing with excitement on an early Saturday morning! A painting, whether modern or surreal, always tells you a small story. However, this story is subject to changes based on one’s thinking and personality. I came across two stalls that had paintings that depicted small yarns from the great Indian mythologies, Ramayana and the Mahabharata – the Madhubani paintings from Bihar and the Patachitra paintings from Orissa. Mr. Ashok Kumar Das is a folk artist from a small village next to Golgahar in Patna. He learnt the art of Madhubani painting from his grandmother

22 nd April was one of the most exciting days of my life. My interview result was on its way and I had my end semester exam in less than 2 hours. I was least concerned about the fact that I hadn't studied a word as the suspense was killing me. I still remember the way my heart skipped a beat while i was waiting for the results page to load. Finally, I got in. I faired pretty well in my law paper, got the course that I wanted and that too in Bangalore. It was the best day of my life. I finally got a platform to do what I wanted to do the most - Be independent. The idea of staying all by yourself in a new city was something that made me more anxious and impatient. An hour felt like a day and i had to wait 2 months for me to get to my new life. However, when one is so thrilled and excited he/she tends to forget that he/she will be leaving his/her hometown, family and friends. I was no different. But then, a week before I was leaving, that's when it hit me. I practically grew up