Roll no.17 ? Absent sir!

This was me in college! Never had more than 75% attendance! 

No name in first box!

Name in the list for the rest of the semesters!

My 5 favourite coming of age movies.

After the horror genre my next favourite genre is the coming of age movie.They are about that exciting phase of life which when we are going through,we cant wait it to end and once it ends we cant stop thinking about it.That glorious phase when we can get away with most things.And at the same time there are uncertainties,awkwardness and a sense of being lost.These movies show that phase.The following are my favourite from that genre.The first two are clear favourites. The other three are in no particular order.

1. Napoleon Dynamite
What is it about
Its about a dorky 16 year old who tries to help his friend win a class president elections.
Why I liked it-
It is set in a small town and It brilliantly showed how life in small towns is.It has this innocent rural quality to it.People in this movie are all good.Some are serious some are funny.And the quality of humour is very high.This was the movie that piqued my interest in indie and offbeat movies.

2. Ghost world
What is it about- Its is about two girls of a small town spending their summer vacation while planning their college life.
Why I liked it
Scarlett Johnson would be a big reason.Her acting her is superb.She perfectly portrays the character of an aimless girl here. Her co star Emily Birch is good too. Add Steve Buscemi to the mix and you already have a classic indie movie.The story revolves around these girls getting acquainted with Buscemi for fun and slowly things take a different turn.The thing about this movie is it is slow and things happen leisurely.It has some wonderful moments.And it brilliantly shows their naivety and direction less attitude to life.

3.Stand By me
What is it about
It is about a gang of four 12 year old friends who set out to track down a body of a boy who gets struck by a train in a small town in the US.
Why I liked it
First of this is about friendship.And the thing that any movie about friendship should have is chemistry.This movie excels there.Like in every gang of friends, the four friends here have all different characteristics and yet they have so much in common.For one they are out for an adventure together. There are things that they do together,they insult each other and when the time comes they stand by each other.This movie perfectly portrays the worth of childhood friends.

4.The Spectacular Now

What is it about
Its about a popular guy who falls in love with the good girl/Sounds clichéd but the movie deals with the story rather well.
Why I liked it
My favourite Hollywood romance movie.The movie follows a very simple plot.The characters are simple.The plot is simple.The movie is honest in its portrayal of the kid who believes that the present is spectacular and he has no need to think of the future.He meets a rather quiet girl who brings a change in this outlook towards life. There is no unnecessary drama and no nonsense.This is a very good mix of romance and a bit of a philosophy.

5.Safety Not Guaranteed
What is it about
Its about a man who puts in an ad in the local paper 'Wanted someone to go back in time with me.This is not a joke.You'll get paid after we get back.Must bring your own weapons.I have only done this once before.Safety not guaranteed' Three magazine employees(two interns) set out to interview the man behind the ad.
Why I liked it
The absolutely interesting premise is what hooked me. An interesting set of characters and very wonderful execution will keep you wondering till the very end if the main lead is telling the truth or is just plain delusional.Also this is set in a town.By now you may have deduced I am partial to movies set in small towns.The characters in this movie have this sweet sadness about them about missed chances and lost dreams.Add to that, elements of science fiction,romance and comedy,it is a nice little indie movie worth your time.One of my all time favourites.

5 things Rest of India should know about Chhattisgarh

I came to Chhattisgarh 3 years back when I got a job in a  Power plant here.Before that I did not know much about Chhatisgarh. Back then to me, like a lot of people the name Chhattisgarh was synonymous with Naxals. But having lived here for the last 3 years I can say how stupid that notion was.Recently when I mentioned to a co-passenger that I work in chhattisgarh he replied with 'Oh the land of naxals!' I could only smile in mild annoyance.
So for people like him here are 5 things they should know.

1. Chhattisgarh is not all about Naxals
     Chhattisgarh has active Naxal presence only in the Bastar region which lies to the south.The rest of the state is free from naxals.I have travelled to many places in Chhattisgarh and it is completely safe.Speaking of even bastar,it is safe for tourists.I even know of a traveller from France who has made Bastar her second home.She spends so much time among the locals that when she leaves for France a crowd gathers to wish her goodbye.Check out her blog here.Or you may heard of a girl who solo travelled 20 states in India.She made a visit to Bastar too.Heres her story.

2. Chhattisgarh has some amazing tourist sights.
     It has some of the best sights to visit like Chitrakote falls which is arguably the most beautiful waterfalls in India.Add to that the caves at Kutumsar,Teerathgarh waterfalls and a multitude of other underrated places will leave you surprised and speechless.

3. It is an industrial state.
     Chhattisgarh has many industries.In Power sector it has surplus power, that means it is one of the few states in India that produces more power than it consumes.It has a NTPC unit in Sipat,Jindal Power in Tamnar near Raigarh and many other big and medium power players. Coming to steel sector, it accounts for 15% of the total steel produced in the country.It has Bhillai Steel Plant in Bhillai operated by SAIL.And in raigarh it has Jindal Steel and Power Limited.All in all it has 100 steel rolling mills,The capital,Raipur is the largest market for steel in India.

4.It has huge natural and mineral resources.
     Forests occupy around 40% of the total area.And amongst many products including lac,wood and honey it produces the best quality tendu leaves in India and contributes almost 20% of the total tendu leaves production of India.Coming to mineral resources it ranks first in India in coal production and second in reserves.And it is the only state in India where Tin is produced.

5.Closely related to the above two points, the state has the highest freight loading in the country and one-sixth of Indian Railway's revenue comes from Chhattisgarh. Quite impressive!

Bonus- It is not all backward and dull as it is generally made out to be.Also the people here are good natured and very helpful.I have travelled quite a bit here like I mentioned above and here are my travels in Chhattisgarh.
Razzwashere in Chhattisgarh.

Close Encounters of the Annoying Kind.Part 2.The motormouth.

Storytellers.Man,they are a pain.Especially when you meet one in a train.I did not actually met one but my fellow passengers did.I was travelling from Nagpur to Raigarh in a train.As always I had booked a upper berth.I do that to avoid talking to people and on this particular journey even that precaution was not going to save me.There was this fellow sitting there with the other passengers who started telling stories.At first he was quiet.I fell asleep quite soon after the train started but then constant chatter broke my sleep.I could hear a guy telling a story.At first I tried to listen what it was about.It was something about mythology.I never heard of the characters he kept talking about.And no  it was not even remotely interesting.I mean he was talking about some guys slippers which he wore on a particular day and why he wore a green chaddi with a yellow shirt on a full moon.I was truly irritated but atleast I thought I did not have to fake enthusiasm like those poor listeners below.I was thinking about those guys while his jibber jabber was going on continuously when suddenly out of nowhere,one of the listeners asked him a question.I was incredulous.So the listeners were also of the same mould.They were indeed interested and had questions too.I cursed my luck for falling in this bunch of nincompoops.Anyway I pressed my blanket over my ears and tried to fall back to sleep but thanks to that motormouth and his loyal group of listeners I couldn't sleep properly and had to endure a torturous journey. 

Q and A series. Q1.What is the one life experience that made you mature significantly?

These questions were asked in Quora and the answers here were the answers I wrote there.This is the first part of a series I will continue.

Q.What is the one life experience that made you mature significantly?

A.Once me and my friends were eating steaks in a restaurant in Hyderabad.When the bill came it was Rs3000 for just the three of us.When the time to pay came none of us had cash.We had only cards and the card machine of the restaurant had a problem.So I decided to go out and take out money from an ATM.I went to a nearby ATM and took out the cash and was making my way back to the restaurant when suddenly my eyes fell on a beggar sitting on the side of the road.The road was poorly lit and I couldn't see properly.But what I saw moved me.The beggar was carefully unwrapping some thing.I looked carefully and saw that it was some leftover vadas.The careful and delicate manner of his,which looked like it was the most precious thing he had, almost made my eyes moist.Here was a man who was eating leftovers and I was just coming off from a Rs3000 meal.I was disgusted with myself. I hastened inside,paid the bill and came out to search for that guy but he was gone. Though I do some work for the less fortunates (I started a club of like minded friends for doing charity work few years back) I decided it was time to up the ante and increase the amount of work.I am,these days working on it.

I stand with....

I stand with Paris,France
I stand with Baghdad,Iraq
I stand with Beirut,Lebanon
I stand with Fotokol,Cameroon
I stand with Arish,Egypt
I stand with Mogadishu,Somalia
I stand with Syria
I stand with Palestine
I stand with Sudan
I stand with Libya
I stand with Yemen
I stand with Mexico
I stand with all the people in the world who have become a victim of violence.

As a Muslim I condemn this latest act of violence in France.
A number of terrorist outfits in the world claim to be Islamic but they are anything but Islamic.
The one responsible for the most recent attack, in Paris,ISIS is, as a muslim from Singapore rightly labelled 'Cancer at the heart of Islam'.

They do not represent muslims as they claim.They are a weed that needs to be rooted out.

Islam does not teach violence.
Islam does not tells you to harm others.

The Quran says the following

'Whoever kills an innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity'- Quran 5:32

As a Muslim I am deeply saddened by what these terrorists are doing in the name of Islam.And over 1.6 Billion muslims all over the world feel the same. These terrorists have no religion.

I dream of that day when all of these terrorists are wiped off from the face of the earth.

'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering'.A Review.

'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering' by Samuel C.Florman
is a book about engineering and what engineers feel about their profession.In a very highly enthusiastic tone the author talks about engineering as a most basic impulse of man.He celebrates the fact that engineers have shaped the modern world and staunchly defends it against people who say it has bought more problems than solutions.

        The book starts off with detailing the rise and subsequent fall in popularity of the engineers.He calls the period between 1850 and 1950 to be the golden age of engineers.At this point of time engineers were a respected lot and people termed them as 'benefactors of mankind'. He bought in the industrial revolution with his locomotives,electric power,steam power,mass production and bridges.After that industrial revolution life was never the same again for mankind.Things have improved dramatically for humans.It then goes on to describe the negativity that engulfed the engineering profession during the cold war when the perception of the engineering profession changed from 'benefactors of mankind' to 'Prophets of doom'.One of the chief reasons for this was the Atomic Bomb.

       This negativity then led to the advent of a new type of critic of engineers called the 'Anti technologists' .This is described in the second part of the book.This part describes the viewpoints of the anti technologists who in their criticism have declared that man in his continuing quest of new technology has become the slave of this very technology he created for his benefit.The third and final part is the most exciting part of the book wherein the author answers the anti technologist point of views.He counter questions them and provides some thought provoking standpoints.In addition to defending the engineers from the anti technologists the author urges the engineering community to bring in a measure of sophistication to their profession and life.He urges them to move beyond their profession and bring in a bit of imagination,social concern and culture.He also calls for engineers all over the world to express their love for engineering uninhibitedly.He calls engineering fun and something that gives a 'kick' to a man.

       All in all this book is a must read for anybody who is even a least bit interested in engineers or engineering.The author has an infectious enthusiasm that is visible all through out the book.He celebrates engineering as something that is vital to the very existence of man.If not the whole book the first chapter of part 1 and chapter 11 of part 3 are a must read.

      On a closing note I would like the reader to look up the story of sisyphus who the author calls the symbol of the modern engineer.He says the following regarding the story of sisyphus.'We are beginning to realize that for mankind there will never be a time to rest at the top of the mountain.There will be no Arcadian age.There will always be new burdens,new problems,new failures,new beginnings.And the glory of man is to respond to his harsh fate with zest and ever renewed effort.An engineer's work springing as it does from the most basic impulse of humanity can fill him with existential joy'