Videshi Munnabhai and Jaadu ki Jhappi

Lucknow protest brings Gandhi back!!

The way movies affect us Indians is phenomenal and that can be gauged by incidents like these:

Lucknow citizens go Gandhian on liquor merchant

Not only did the group of about three dozen young men donned Gandhi caps and marched silently through the city streets, but also offered flowers to the liquor shop-owner whom they have been urging to shift his business to some other place.

This is much better than the last movies' (Munnabhai MBBS) impact on the students:

After docs, engineers do a Munnabhai

There were other films too like 'Rang De Basanti' which impacted the masses in a big way. While RDB suggested a violent way, none of us could really implement that in our daily lives. In this sense, 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' has emerged a perfect winner, where its 'flower protest' has found real meaning and is being actually implemented here.

The way officials reacted to these people's flower protest:

Liquor shop owner Gurnam Singh tried to cover up his embarrassment by saying, "Let them send flowers, we will send them a bouquet." His son Daljit Singh claimed, "We keep funding the temple; and if the temple priest has no objection, why should anyone else? We will not get browbeaten like this." He told reporters, "We are already contesting the case in court and will abide by whatever the court orders."

When contacted, even additional district magistrate J P Singh looked sheepish on the count. "This is the first time I have come across this kind of protest and a unique memorandum like this; it has really surprised me." He however denied having seen the film.

Interestingly, even some of the policemen who arrested the protestors felt awkward. "The protest was unusual and has made us wonder what to do", confessed one of them.

The results are exactly what Gandhi would have aimed for. He advised this form of protest just to expose the evil conscience of the wrong-doer and to embarrass him. Gandhi knew when people get embarrassed they realise their mistake and their defence naturally gets weaker.

But what next?

Hope! I have a belief in the power of this concept. Its power lies not in the effect it has on the aggressor, but in the impact it has on the observers standing on the sidelines and just watching the show. This concept gives them a chance to express their support to the just cause. This support is what helped Gandhi. He knew not every man in the country is powerful enough to take to violence. But each and every man, woman and child has a 'natural' courage to express their support to what they believe in. He knew they are even willing to die fighting, but not willing to kill anyone. Very much like he himself used to say:

"I am willing to die, but there is no cause for which I am willing to kill."

I have heard this many times, that we need another Gandhi. What we fail to understand is that there is a Gandhi in each and every one of us. And the Lucknow protest can be said to be a gentle reminder to us to look within and not without.

Indian Farmers: Cornered to Death!

In a recent article on IndiaTogether, P. Sainath tells us how farmers in India are facing the perils of a globalized economy. This probably is no longer a news, as its been going on for years now, starting as long back as in 1995. And as is usually the case with most of the crisis in India, the public has got pretty used to this.

At first, the suicides were a trickle, and most of the analysts refused to recognize the underlying issues, rejecting these deaths as ‘normal’. Atleast that’s what Sharad Pawar implied in his interview with Karan Thapar:

Karan Thapar: And you are saying that agricultural suicides are 15 per cent of general suicides. Therefore your ministries believe that this is not excessive.
Sharad Pawar: No, No. It is not that. In a country of a billion people about 1 lakh commit suicide every year. It is a normal thing that we have been seeing for a number of years.

How did it start?

A brief background:

India's economy has grown at an average annual rate of 6.8 percent since 1994, reducing poverty by 10 percent. However, 40 percent of the world's poor live in India, and 28 percent of the country's population lives below the poverty line. More than one third live on less than a dollar a day, and 80 percent live on less than two dollars a day.
India's recent economic growth has been attributed to the service industry, but 60 percent of the workforce remains in agriculture.
The Indian government was forced to reform its agricultural policy in the late 1960s when an imbalance in food imports was exacerbated by two years of drought in 1965 and 1966. World Bank, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Agency for International Development chipped in assistance to develop high-yield rice and wheat "miracle seeds." These seeds, combined with the Indian government's assistance with modern farm machinery, price incentives and a more efficient food distribution system, resulted in what came to be known as the Green Revolution.
The new seeds and fertilizers worked for many: India's food production rose from 72 million tons in 1965-66 to 152 million tons in 1983-84, eliminating the country's dependence on food grain imports. In addition to their planting the new seeds, farmers' use of chemical fertilizers jumped from 1.1 million tons to more than 12.5 million tons in the first decade of the Green Revolution, and irrigated land grew from 74 million acres in 1965-66 to 111 million acres in 1988-89.
In the late 1980s, however, the Green Revolution began to fall apart as the chemical fertilizers rendered soil infertile. Farmers who had once diversified risk by growing as many as 30 different crops in their fields were dependent upon just one. As the quality of the soil deteriorated, they faced zero yields and an inability to pay their debts. Three years of drought beginning in 2001 further fueled the crisis.
Twenty-five thousand farmers have committed suicide under these circumstances since 1997. In the state of Andhra Pradesh alone, 4,500 farmers have committed suicide in the past seven years. This does not include the number of family members of farmers who have also killed themselves.
Sources: "Harvesting Death," by Sarita Tukaram; CIA Factbook; Lonely Planet Guide: India; PBS; BBC.

The Corporate Greed Vs The Government’s Ignorance?

When Monsanto first introduced Bt Cotton in India in 2002, the farmers lost Rs. 1 billion due to crop failure. Instead of 1,500 Kg / acre as promised by the company, the harvest was as low as 200 kg. Instead of increased incomes of Rs. 10,000 / acre, farmers ran into losses of Rs. 6400 / acre. And the seeds didn’t come cheap either. At a cost of Rs 1600/kg, Monsanto extracted a margin of Rs 1250/kg from the farmers who had to pay all this through loans.

These loans set off a vicious cycle of exploitation for the farmers. The interest rates were as high as 13-15%, and that too were available mostly to farmers with significant land holdings. For the small farmer, it's always been the local money lenders to turn to, who then take their turn to exploit these farmers to the maximum extent possible, even if they have recovered their amount from them. The interest, somehow, is ‘always’ there.

The Government plays its role too. The empty promises and misdirected ‘packages’ just keep coming, but no one is ready to put the blame where it lies. Vandana Shiva has a ‘Letter to the Finance Minister’ with her complete analysis on what needs to be done. But the government is busy celebrating the 8% growth and 311 billionaires it has produced last year.

The Battle of The Sexes once more

A recent report on rediff.com has found:

A study published in the September 2006 issue of the journal Intelligence analyzed 145 items from the Scholastic Assessment Test in 100,000 17- to 18-year-olds and found a male IQ advantage of 3.63 points.

I am not feminist, but, I just cannot digest this. I mean, they definitely have better things to spend their research time on. What do they aim to achieve with this? What possible advantage can we as humans, derive from their 'precious' conclusion that a dude is 3.63 points better than a girl.

An age old controversy

Such claims are not new at all. Wiki tells us that

"In Victorian England, for example, the philosopher John Stuart Mill argued that there were no differences between men and women, whereas the scientist Charles Darwin (in his Descent of Man) argued that women were by their nature inferior in respect to mental ability. Many of these early attempts were based on anecdotal data. However, some scientists, such as Paul Broca (1861), attempted to derive empirical results from various forms of anthropometry, namely the comparison of brain mass. With the development of psychology at the end of the nineteenth century, and the evolving focus on intelligence testing in the early twentieth century, further attempts were made by a variety of scientists to examine the mental differences between men and women. Leta Hollingworth argues that: Women were not permitted to realize their full potential, as they were confined to the roles of child rearing and housekeeping."

First of all, there is a serious flaw in the definition of 'Intelligence' that these researchers are using:

"...IQ tests do not measure all meanings of "intelligence", such as creativity."

Further, the IQs have been way over-rated. Very often, we find, that the person with a high IQ, is still not successful either socially or professionally. There is a lot more that goes into the making of a person than just some grey cells. The Emotional factor which essentially determines how well a person can deal with another person, thereby building useful relationships, has been conveniently ignored by these researchers.

It's high time, these 'researchers', get over their tendency to create sensationalism, and get down to some real research. What we need today, is a much better measure than IQ which can judge a person on both mental as well as emotional faculties.

What do they do with this research?

These studies have been used in the past to provide lesser salaries to women. Nothing positive has come out of this till now. If anything, these studies produce unnecessary biases at workplaces. Already, there have been many instances where women researchers are given less credit for the same kind of work.

As I said,I am not a feminist, I may even agree to Professor Lynn who says here:

“Men have larger brains than women by about 10 per cent and larger brains confer greater brain power, so men must necessarily be on average more intelligent than women.”

But, with all due respect, sir, an elephant's brain is much bigger than ours. What does that mean?

The Basic Instinct of a Man Vs a Woman

How many times, have you faced a situation where your partner blames you for not understanding her/him. You may blame her for not giving you enough 'space', or she may be upset with your 'insensitivity' to her emotions.

Here is a guy, who faced such a situation, and you may learn a thing or two from how he responded to the challenge.

"I never have quite figured out why the sexual urges of men and women differ so much. And I never have figured out the whole Venus and Mars thing. And I never figured out why men think with their head and women think with their heart. And I never yet have figured out how the sexual desire gene gets thrown into a state of turmoil when it hears the words "I do."
One evening last week, my wife and I were getting into bed. Well, the passion starts to heat up, and she eventually says, "I don't feel like it. I just want you to hold me." I said, "WHAT???"
So she says the words that I and every husband on the planet dread. She explains that I must not be in tune with her emotional needs as a woman. I'm thinking, "What was her first clue?" I finally realize that nothing was going to happen that night, so I went to sleep.
The very next day, we went shopping at a big, unnamed department store. I walked around with her while she tried on three different, very expensive outfits. She could not decide which one to take, so I told her to take all three of them. She then tells me that she wants matching shoes worth $200.00 a pair to which I say OK. And then we go to the jewellery department where she gets a pair of diamond earrings.
Let me tell you. She was so excited. She must have thought that I was one wave short of a shipwreck, but I don't think she cared. I think she was testing me when she asked for a tennis bracelet because she does not even play tennis. I think I threw her for a loop when I told her that it was OK. She was almost sexually excited from all of this, and you should have seen her face when she said, "I'm ready to go to the cash register."
I could hardly contain myself when I blurted out, "No, honey, I don't feel like buying all this stuff now." You should have seen her face. It went completely blank. I then said, "Really, honey, I just want you to HOLD this stuff for a while."
And just when she had this look like she was going to kill me, I added, "You must not be in tune with my financial needs as a man."
I figure that I won't be having sex again until some time after the Spring of 2008 but godammit it was worth it."

Gandhi, Munnabhai and Harilal

Mahatma Gandhi, for most of us in our generation, has been a theoretical figure, mainly because his ideals (Truth, Non-violence, Vegetarianism and Brahmacharya or celibacy) were a bit too harsh to live by. We read about him as a great guy, who took on the British Empire with his 'satyagraha'. When we watched the movie 'Gandhi', we admired him even more, for his brilliant thoughts and simple approach to seemingly insurmountable problems. We have heralded him as the 'Father of the Nation'. But, have we been the 'good kids'? I don't think so! Very much like his own son Harilal (aka Abdullah and Hiralal), we have distanced ourselves from his thoughts and ideas, even as we duly pay our homages to 'the Father'.

The movie 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' is undoubtedly funny and hilarious in many ways, but the message it carries, is a jolt to our conscience. It has brought up the 'Gandhigiri' back to our minds, in quite an amusing way. It tries to find the relevance of 'Gandhism' in our modern society, applying it to very common problems that we face almost routinely. Mahatma Gandhi is dead, but he is still out there 'serving' us. No, I am not talking about his soul wandering around. I am talking about the people who keep discovering Gandhi in their struggles against injustice. The recent Narmada Andolan is one such instance.
Not restricted to India, his influence was felt by people like Albert Einstein, Martin Luther KIng and spanned movements like American Civil Rights Movement and Burmese fight for democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Why we lost touch with Gandhigiri?

Today, its quite normal to hear from any college going 'dood': 'Why Gandhi?'.

Our education shares a part of the blame here. We learnt about his theories, but never had the belief or inspiration to implement them in practice. There were a few attempts though, like this one called 'Gandhi Darshan' programme in Kerala.

The second factor, I believe, is that we never really understood what he meant by 'non-violence' and found it really dumb to 'turn the other cheek' when faced with aggression. His thoughts on 'industrialization' and 'defence expenditure' too are examples of extreme idealism, which India could never afford to implement. But we failed to find better alternatives too. His simple belief was to encourage local industries and achieve self-reliance for the poor. We have failed miserably on both counts. The suicides in Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh are glaring cases of utter negligence on our part. Do we still have the right to say that Gandhian concepts are impractical? They may be difficult to achieve, but so was the freedom.

Another case in point, where Gandhi's suggestions were ignored, but relevant, was the Palestine problem. Quoting from Hindu article:

This was in the summer of 1947, when armed Zionists roamed the countryside, intimidating Palestinian villagers. When a reporter from Reuters asked him, "What
is the solution to the Palestinian problem?" Gandhi answered: "It is a problem which is almost insoluble. If I were a Jew, I would tell them: `Don't be so silly as to resort to terrorism, because you simply damage your own case which otherwise would be a proper case'." Gandhi advised the Jews to "meet the Arabs, make friends with them, and not depend on British aid or American aid or any aid, save what descends from Jehovah".

Non-violence NOT for the weak

This is what Gandhi conveyed in one of his 'Young India' essays:

"Non-violence in its dynamic condition means conscious suffering. It does not mean meek submission to the will of the evildoer. It means the putting of one's soul against the will of the tyrant. Working under this law of our being, it is possible for a single individual to defy the whole might of an unjust empire to save his honour, his soul and lay the foundation for that empire's fall or its regeneration. "And so I am not pleading for India to practise non-violence because it is weak. I want her to practise non-violence being conscious of her strength and power."

So, is he relevant today?

Quoting from this article:

"Is Gandhi relevant?" ask those celebrating his centenary. The answer is that he is so long as there are those willing to understand and manipulate his tools of non-violent political change. He will be so long as he is simply not dismissed as a "saint," but seen as the political revolutionary he was. As lndia's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has written, "The ultimate justification of Gandhi is that he showed how armed strength could be matched without arms. If this could happen once, can it not happen again?"

But, the larger debate of 'Gandhi's relevance today, will go on, for the simple reason that it's going to take another Gandhi to really understand 'Gandhi'. What he went through was not just a 'freedom struggle', it was a total transformation of his entire being. His vows of celibacy at 36, fasts and austere life, contributed immensely towards the purity and simplicity of his thought. Unfortunately, he elevated himself to near sainthood and alienated himself from the masses who seemed to appreciate his thoughts but were clueless on how to implement them. Atleast for the present generation, the words of Einstein hold true:

"Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth"

Harilal, his eldest son, couldn't deal with his father's idealism and became wayward. It may seem far-fetched, but its true, that even today, we have many Harilals all over India, wayward and clueless about Gandhi. That's why, lets hail our new heroes, Munnabhai and Circuit, who have given a demo of what we 'can' do with 'Gandhigiri'.


Some other references you may dig into:

Some anecdotes

Gandhi and Savarkar

Gandhi and Dalits

Why Nobel Prize wasn't given to Gandhi

Gandhi: On the other side

Youth and Politics

The recent death of Prof. Harbhajan Sabharwal in Ujjain, in a scuffle with ABVP students, has once again brought focus on the student politics and quite expectedly has the entire media up in arms against the ‘goondaraj’ prevalent in colleges and universities in the name of ‘student politics’.

Rashmi has a hard-hitting article on this where she mentions the lack of any ‘career-path’ in Indian politics for the youth of the country, due to which it has become a refuge of the scoundrels while the genuine ones stay away. There should, of course, be an entry point for the young blood to enter the politics, as she suggests. The problem is, ‘student politics’ is the only practical entry point for the common youth, as of today.

The youth by their very nature, have a lot of energy and they all have a desire to gain some recognition and influence in society. The vested interests know quite well how to tap such tendencies for their own benefit. The Congress shelters ASUI while BJP has its own student wing in ABVP. These student wings, in turn, act like a ready army of ‘volunteers’ during the election time, apart from preparing a pool from where they pick the next leaders.

But, where is the ‘student’ in this ‘student politics’? Aren’t these political parties, exploiting colleges and universities for their own political agenda? What happens to those parents’ who send their wards to these colleges with their hard-earned money? What about the teachers who have to live every day in fear of their own students? These are pertinent questions, which have been thoroughly ignored by our governments, to suit their own convenience.

Where are the good 'fellas’?

Most of us keep wondering why we always hear about the bad boys in politics. Are there no genuine politicians? Has youth left the country politics to its fate? The answer is that the youth today is going through a phase of ‘disengagement’. We have become a country of ‘spectators’ and politics, as such, has become a ‘spectator sport’ serving as a good source of our daily entertainment. But, at the same time, there is a genuine interest in most of us to help the country in our own way possible. This opens up a host of channels for community service and volunteering. That’s where we can find our real leaders and genuine community workers.

Some of the research done in USA, paints a similar attitude of disenchantment with the politics among youth. But, they have moved on to community service in a big way. They even have a national program for Community service called Americorps Here is a comment in one such research study:

"The Institute of Politics found that college students are engaged in their community, even if they are not involved in political activities. Nearly 66 percent volunteered recently in their community and more than 40 percent volunteered at least a few times per month, while fewer than 10 percent volunteered on a political campaign. Moreover, 85 percent of students believed volunteerism is an effective form of public service to solve problems on both local and national level (Institute of Politics 2002)."

Freechild.org lists out a few examples of Youth-led social activism.

Society on the Move?

Lets look at some of the recent developments, which are examples of our national consciousness which, thankfully, seems to be alive and kicking.

Arvind Kejriwal: the man, who launched ‘Parivartan’ to help the poor in Delhi using ‘Right to Information’ and held the government accountable towards its duties, has deservedly got the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership

Last year, a School of Government was set up in Pune to award Masters Diploma in Government Programme, on the lines of John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

There are many other movements going on in our country, which unfortunately go unnoticed. The least that we can do now, is to be aware of our civic duties and encourage other people who are trying to bring in changes in our society. The rest should follow on its own.

Working Girls and Marriage

In a recent article on Forbes.com, Michael Noer, has a word of caution for the guys:

"...don't marry a woman with a career. "

He cites numerous scientific journals and research statistics to prove that:

"professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat and less likely to have children"

Scares you? Doesn't it? If you are someone, who is considering marriage in near future, you may have crossed this line of thinking yourself. There are too many pros and cons in this debate. For example, as a counterpoint to the above arguments, here is what Elizabeth Corcoran advices guys:

"The essence of a good marriage, it seems to me, is that both people have to learn to change and keep on adapting"

I personally agree to this bottomline. You have to have trust and understanding. The studies only tell you about probability. And quite obviously, most of the respondents just don't follow this basic precept, and most probably those marriages would have failed even without a working wife.

So, know exactly where you stand, before you take the plunge.

KANK rings a warning bell

The Karan Johar movie KANK, has had some good after-effects, with couples today introspecting their own relationships. Quite evidently, the 'boldness' of the film in dealing with extra-marital relationships and 'justifying' it to an extent, has shaken up people.

For the troubled ones, I present here an excerpt from this article, which describes quite well, why people can't resist the allure of 'illicit':

"Love cannot exercise its powers on married people", because "lovers grant everything, mutually and gratuitously, without being constrained by any motive of necessity. Married people, on the contrary, are compelled as a duty to submit to one another's wishes." (as cited in Kakar and Ross, 2005, p.196)

So, ultimately it all boils down to the extent you are willing to be constrained within a marriage, and how happy you can be in it. The movie 'No Entry' may have a funny plot, but that's the reality of relationships today. But, exceptions abound and may be you are the lucky one there! So, like Anil Kapoor says, "Be positive yaar!"

Reservations: Noble Act, Evil Intent

The current OBC Quota Bill has been deferred to Winter session for the Parliament. And the youth 4 equality promises to scale up its protests in the coming days. While it is indeed a breach of trust on the part of the government, to take up the Bill while the matter is 'sub-judice' in Supreme Court, the reasons are entirely ethical in nature, and not legally restrictive. As such, the chaos that we saw in April and May, will continue not just on the streets, but on reams of paper and columns, with people on either side of the debate putting up their own versions of policy imperatives for the country.

People in favour of the additional Quota requirements for OBC, dig up statistics and theories called 'Affirmative Action' to support the view that Indian society needs such quotas for equitable development. In the Hindu column, it brings out a few key-points, which may help us in judging our own stand.

Let me list the sub-issues within this larger debate of Reservation:

1) The guiding principle behind reservation:

The Reservations were meant to provide fair representation for weaker sections within our society. The 'positive discrimination' is considered necessary to allow the disadvantaged and oppressed people to come up on the social ladder. In a huge country like ours with years of caste wars, a segregated society has emerged. To bridge the gaps, opportunities for growth need to be distributed. As such, the principle of reservation holds its ground quite well. But, the politics with its predictable opportunism, has learnt to play the emotions involved here on all sides, to distract people from its own failures. They have a tool to convince the majority of their sincerity in uplifting them, when they failed to provide them with the basic amenities of health and education. Its not the tool, but the thoughtless abuse of it, that disappoints the youth today.

2) Has Reservation worked?

In states like UP and Tamil Nadu, where they already have 50% or more as reserved quota in educational colleges aided/unaided, the reports and statistics paint a rosy detail which every pro-reservationist uses as a case for extending the quotas everywhere. But, look at the facts (for T.N): 80% of the state population is covered by the 69% quota. Also, three-fourths of the admissions are from two-fifths of reserved castes (the creamy layer). Nevertheless, there is no debating the fact, that reservation has helped in significant ways to empower the backward communities and provide them with better chances at making it to the top. But certainly, things can be much better, if only the policy-makers would think beyond petty politics.

3) Creamy layer?

The Youth For Equality's charter of demands
is quite reasonable, though bold. The government should come out with its intentions with this Bill, and how long it plans to continue with the quotas. The disadvantaged, can't claim to be disadvantaged forever.

4) Education standards? The real culprit

Amidst all this debate, the underlying thread of inadequate education infrastructure, keeps coming up. One may discount it, saying we can't wait for that to happen, but suspicions are bound to be there, when the government has the Right to Education Bill, 2005 lying un-implemented, with a projected expenditure requirement of 1.1% to 1.5% of GDP, and still going ahead with the Quota proposal, in such haste.

Ultimately, its not just the act, but the intention too which counts, and clearly, this time, there has been too much of drama with Arjun Singh and allegations of his rivalry with Manmohan Singh (read interview with Karan Thapar) , that an important issue of national importance has been given a hush-hush treatment.

Some more references:

1) Creamy Layer story of Kerala

2) Some Facts on Primary Education in India

3) Interim Report of the OverSight Committee on OBC quota implementation

Entrepreneurship: Do you have it in you?

In economic discussions, it is a foregone conclusion that entrepreneurship is one of the biggest drivers of national growth. Entrepreneurship Index 2004 says here why:

The level of new firm activity reflects a country’s ability to expand the boundaries of economic activity. A constant flow of emerging companies fuels competition and fosters innovation throughout society. Emerging high-growth companies are particularly important in creating value and economic prosperity by bringing new ideas to the market, such as new technologies or business models, or new and improved ways of meeting customer needs.

Over the past 30 to 40 years the United States have developed the best framework conditions for entrepreneurial activity, and today new enterprises account for 30% to 50% of economic growth – and for the majority of jobs created.

For India to grow in such a scenario, the economic activity has to accelerate accordingly. Already, with growing BPOs and KPOs, India is becoming a labour house for the world. But these can not be the ultimate solution, as there are many other low-cost destinations competing with India in Eastern Europe and Latin America. The ideal solution lies in Entrepreneurship.

Ofcourse, it calls for a high degree of survival instinct and a never-say-die attitude simply because there are hardly any guarantees here. But, sticklers for this line, cite this very reason as the biggest motivator. The very fact that you never know what to expect, keeps you on your toes, makes you a better manager and a hard-working professional. Here is a glimpse of an entrepreneur's life (Udayan Bose). Get the depth of passion one needs to be an entrepreneur from his post here. Amazing! isn't it. India certainly needs an army of Udayans to make sure that the 800 million of working population bracing up by 2020 doesn't end up as minions for the MNCs doing petty jobs.

Rajesh Jain (of indiaworld.com fame) has a complete picture on his own blog on 'India needs more Entrepreneurs'

Here is hoping that the knowledge revolution sweeping the world by storm, and flattening the world in the process (ref. 'The World is Flat' by Thomas Friedman), will ultimately lead to an awakening of 'the Indian entrepreneur' ready to take on the biggies of the world. The success of Infosys, Wipro et al are certainly a few milestones we can be proud of, but the Googles and the Microsofts are a long way off.

A few Resources:
1. IITB Ecell/Resources (Check out the Resources section)
2. The Entrepreneur Resources
3. Zeromillion resources
4. CompanyCrafter.com resources
5. A list of Indian Venture Capitalists (The Indian Venture Capital Association)

Recommended Readings:

1. By MIT Entrepreneurship Centre
2. By ZeroMillion

Tips by Larry Page (co-founder of Google)

Success of BPOs and KPOs: A reward for mediocrity?

For so long, Indian educationists have been lamenting the sorry state of affairs in the education sector of India. The level of research work has no doubt been lowly and meagre compared to other developing countries.

Says Kaushik Basu, in a BBC column

There is not a single Indian university in top 300 worldwide, China has atleast six. (On the other hand, )India's production of professionals is phenomenal. With over 300 universities and 15,600 colleges spewing out 2.5 million graduates each year, in terms of the volume of production India trails behind only the US and recently China.

We do have the quantity, but the quality has tied us down to menial tasks, serving as a labourforce for MNCs abroad. The kind of work that goes into a regular call centre, may be financially rewarding, but stifles the creativity of individuals at the same time. Whats sadder is to see engineers taking up such jobs with no regard to their scientific knowledge going to waste. This is a symptom of our flawed education system, where we claim to produce technical workforce numbering in millions, but fail to provide quality skillsets to them, in accordance with the industry, thereby leaving no option for these graduates in multitudes, but to move towards callcentres. Its a different matter, though, that most of these graduates, work hard to move up in the hierarchy, or get an MBA, for a better deal. The point, however remains, that the mediocre education system in India, has actually helped us in creating a success out of outsourcing. For how long, only time can tell. Coz, there are hardly any barriers here for other developing countries to come up and take away chunks of the international market from India. All this, at a time, when Indian youth is poised to be 850 million strong by 2020.

Time for action, I guess! Innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship are the ways out. But education, has to pitch up, lest we become a country of mediocres.

Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna: Reviews flop, film superhit

Yet another Karan Johar's film gets released with all its trademark fanfare. As per the talk going around, only the subject is different here, the style is substantially KJo one.

One wonders whether KJo has decided for sure that all that Indians can like are melodrama, emotions overplayed and stylish unwearable wardrobe. Atleast, NRIs haven't disappointed him yet. The collections for KANK, as expected, are mindboggling to say the least. Its already entered the charts on UK list.

Seems like, KJo's been the smartest if not the best film producer/director of all of them. He is ofcourse, good at tugging the heartstrings of Indians living abroad, knowing how much they love to hold on to anything that's ostentatiously Indian even though it may be far from the reality. Who cares about the reality anyway? So, forget the non-sense and enjoy the exotic locales, conjure up lavish dreams, coz thats what you get with KJo....

Have a look:

kabhi alvida naa kehna - A Trailer

Hope in New Generation

Fali Nariman, widely recognised as India's finest Constitutional lawyer, once said: 'When V R Krishna Iyer speaks, the nation listens.'
Justice V R Krishna Iyer is now 91 years old

Here's what he has to say in an interview to rediff

Do you have hope in the new generation of India?

That is my only hope. Let us hope the generation will do something about bringing radical changes in Independent India. Ambedkar once said: 'Every generation is a new nation.' So this new generation of India may be a new nation with new ideas.

India cannot be changed by old men like me. But certainly India can be changed by the new generation. I have hope in them. We need a transformation, which has to be through the young. The young are going to be in a majority shortly in India. Let us take the young into our fold and make them feel India is ours.

Do you think, the youth is letting the country down in a big way? If there is nothing wrong, then why is there no active youth forum in our country. Why are there only a few people working in social sector. Why do we keep denouncing the government, and still don't care enough to vote. Can we really change? How

Any answers?

Do we need Caste System?

Our society has come a long way from the yesteryears when religion dominated everything we did. Even today, religion is important, but the caste distinctions have lost their relevance altogether. Except for boosting a few egos and suppressing others, they don't serve any other purpose. Today, there is only one distinction, which can and needs to be considered, and that is of the poor and the rich. As youngsters, we can ensure, that these caste distinctions become meaningless in the future, by supporting inter-caste marriages and building consensus on similar issues around us, amongst our friends, family and relatives. How many are willing to step ahead and actually speak out. Here's what some HTites say.

Himanshu

"I would like to be practical here and say it quite clearly that caste distinction has not taken a back seat yet. We assume that we current generations are educated way beyond what our parents and uncles were, have travlled abroad a lot...seen different ways of life etc etc.
But I am sorry to say that caste distinctions still exist within ourselves.

The prime reason for this is grooming by the parents. If the parents of a child, right from his childhood starts talking about Brahminism, castes etc the child will definitely be impacted by that. And that chain will continue to pass on.

Its is unfortunate but true that caste distinctions do exist, within a huge metro like Mumbai, Delhi and within highly educated people as well. "

Sonal

"We all know that this caste system was devised to segment the population on the basis of their profession, when the same profession was passes down to the generations.but in today's scenario where hardly anyone follows his dad's(or mom's) profession it is actually useless to cling to this caste system.
There are brahmins who are gr8 business tycoons.I'm a vaish(baniya) and i've done a course in footwear technology where i've worked with leather for 3 yrs so i guess I should now be of a lower caste.
Inter caste marriages are taking place now.People's perceptions are changing.My sis is married in a brahmin family.
Things have changed but still miles to go............ "

Nilesh

"let me provide the direct answer to the two basic questions. Will participate in the debate later.

1. Do we really need the caste distinctions in our society TODAY?

No way, the caste system has to go.

2. Will you support inter-caste/inter-religious marriages for your own children??"

I do not know if I will have a say in my child's decision.. but inter-caste no problem. inter-religion difinitely won't encourage them.

looking at the way world is changing. Christians and Islam have already aquired a large section of available and on this earth. Jewish are coming bak to life after almost few centruries. All three religion are expanding their width like anything.

There is a strong need to stick to your religion if you want the same to survive. I want my religion to survive and hence, won't encourage anyone to go for inter-religion marriage."

Deepu

"when u don't ask caste or religion while u r a child then why do u insist for the same when u grow up..
I agree that most of us ask religion or caste when they grow up especially while selecting their spouses..

its only bcoz our parents had influence on us & its our responsibilty to try to influence our children in stopping this caste system.. of course religion ki alag baat hai & I too agree with Nilesh..

every religion has its own history & we need to protect it to save our own identity & civilisation.. "

Share your thoughts

DISCUSS: http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=88122&tid=2477652904476242506
or

LEAVE A COMMENT
or

SIMPLY VOTE

	Do you support the caste system?
Yes, I still believe they are strongly relevant, even today No, I believe they are no longer relevant Don't know. Still confused
Web Polls by Vizu

Are we insensitive to country politics?

It seems we have been conditioned to think that politics is nothing but a refuge of the scoundrels, and the farther we stay off it, the better for us. Now, politics won't change itself. Ultimately, its the people. And people need mobilisation. The youth has become passive today, accepting any raw deal thats thrust on us by the vote-hungry politicians. If a youth society emerges, which can take active interest in social issues, only then can we expect a positive change in our future. Otherwise, the next 50 yrs, wont be much different from the 50 yrs gone by. So, here is what others have to say abt this: (first few responses from our entire discussion

Sonal

"We the youth of India just crib about "wats going on". We blame the politicians , the police, the PM,the CM, The President, the system, everyone but when it comes to voting we shun off our right (which is also a duty)to vote saying,"i can't go out in that heat" or "its raining".I wonder how many of us have votes ( did u ever bother to find out?)
V go on talking about our rights but helllllllo, who's gonna talk about the duties?
It is our country and we need to WORK to make it better."

Nilesh

"The quota issue and Ramadoss incident in AIIMS have shown that there is new breed of activist imegeging among elite students."

"It is being argues for most of the time that educated people will help reducing corruption and blah blah blah..But just look around what's happening in society..
Telgi etc. are educated upto IPS level and still at the forefront of biggest scandal."

Himanshu

"Politics is damned in India not because of old people running it. It is because of unlimited flow of money in their pockets from criminals and corrupt people. Why are we so confident that an Indian youth won't succumb to that? "

Share your thoughts

Do YOU have an opinion on this, you dont mind sharing??
DISCUSS: Continue here

or Leave a comment

or simply VOTE

	Is the youth growing insensitive to national politics?
Yes, we have lost hope and want to escape somehow No, we are ready for action anytime
Web Polls by Vizu

Lovely Video #01

Saanso ko saanso mein...

The 5 questions most feared by Hums are:

1. What are you thinking about?
2. Do you love me?
3. Do I look fat?
4. Do you think she is prettier than me?
5. What would you do if I died?

What makes these questions so difficult is that every one is guaranteed to explode into a major argument if the man answers incorrectly (i.e., tells the truth).

Therefore, as a public service, each question is analyzed below, along with possible responses.

Question # 1: What are you thinking about?

The proper answer to this, of course, is: "I'm sorry if I've been pensive, dear. I was just reflecting on what a warm, wonderful, thoughtful, caring, intelligent woman you are, and how lucky I am to have met you." This response obviously bears no resemblance to the true answer, which most likely is one of the following: a. Baseball. b. Football. c. How fat you are. d. How much prettier she is than you. e. How I would spend the insurance money if you died.

Perhaps the best response to this question was offered by Al Bundy, who once told Peg, "If I wanted you to know what I was thinking, I would be talking to you!"

Question # 2: Do you love me? The proper response is: "YES!" or, if you feel a more detailed answer is in order, "Yes, dear."

Inappropriate responses include: a. Oh Yeah, shit-loads. b. Would it make you feel better if I said yes? c. That depends on what you mean by love. d. Does it matter? e. Who, me?

Question # 3: Do I look fat?

The correct answer is an emphatic: "Of course not!"

Among the incorrect answers are: a. Compared to what? b. I wouldn't call you fat, but you're not exactly thin. c. A little extra weight looks good on you. d. I've seen fatter. e. Could you repeat the question? I was just thinking about how I would spend the insurance money if you died.

Question # 4: Do you think she's prettier than me?

Once again, the proper response is an emphatic: "Of course not!"

Incorrect responses include: a. Yes, but you have a better personality b. Not prettier, but definitely thinner c. Not as pretty as you when you were her age d. Define pretty e. Could you repeat the question? I was just thinking about how I would spend the insurance money if you died.

Question # 5: What would you do if I died?

A definite no-win question. (The real answer, of course, is "Buy a Corvette and a Big Boat").

No matter how you answer this, be prepared for at least an hour of follow-up questions, usually along these lines: WOMAN: "Would you get married again?"
MAN: "Definitely not!"
WOMAN: "Why not, don't you like being married?"
MAN: "Of course I do."
WOMAN: "Then why wouldn't you remarry?"
MAN: "Okay, I'd get married again."
WOMAN: "You would?" (with a hurt look on her face)
MAN: (makes audible groan )
WOMAN: "Would you sleep with her in our bed?"
MAN: "Where else would we sleep?"
WOMAN: "Would you put away my pictures, and replace them with pictures of her?"
MAN: "That would seem like the proper thing to do."
WOMAN: "And would you let her use my golf clubs?"
MAN: "She can't use them; she's left-handed."
WOMAN: ....silence....
MAN: "Shit."

Mind these Rules!! - From Hums

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules
from the male side. These are our rules! Please note... these are all
numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!
1. Sunday = Sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the
tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it
that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put
it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining
about you leaving it down.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do
not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just
say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's
what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends give you.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In
fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us
to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the ways
makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it
done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it
yourself.
1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during
commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit.
We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like
nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the
hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer
you don't want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...
Really.
1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to
discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster
trucks.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
1. Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch
tonight, but did you know men really don't mind that, it's like camping.

The Perfect Couple!! Click here

The Difference Between Men and Women

Let's say a guy named Fred is attracted to a woman named Martha. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.

And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Martha, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"

And then, there is silence in the car.

To Martha, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.

And Fred is thinking: Gosh. Six months.

And Martha is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily towards, I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?

And Fred is thinking: ...so that means it was...let's see...February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means...lemme check the odometer...Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Martha is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed - even before I sensed it - that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.

And Fred is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.

And Martha is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.

And Fred is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty...scumballs.

And Martha is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.

And Fred is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their...

"Fred," Martha says aloud.

"What?" says Fred, startled.

"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

"Maybe I should never have...oh dear, I feel so..."(She breaks down, sobbing.)

"What?" says Fred.

"I'm such a fool," Martha sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."

"There's no horse?" says Fred.

"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Martha says.

"No!" says Fred, glad to finally know the correct answer.

"It's just that...it's that I...I need some time," Martha says.

(There is a 15-second pause while Fred, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)

"Yes," he says. (Martha, deeply moved, touches his hand.)

"Oh, Fred, do you really feel that way?" she says.

"What way?" says Fred.

"That way about time," says Martha.

"Oh," says Fred. "Yes." (Martha turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)

"Thank you, Fred," she says.

"Thank you," says Fred.

Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Fred gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a college basketball game between two South Dakota junior colleges that he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it.

The next day Martha will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.

Meanwhile, Fred, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Martha's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: "Norm, did Martha ever own a horse?"

And that's the difference between men and women.

Thats MEN 4U

A WOMAN comes home from the hypnotist and tells her husband: Remember
thoseheadaches I've been having all these years? Well, they're gone.
"No more headaches?" the husband asks, "What happened?"
His wife replies: "Margie referred me to a hypnotist
He told me to stand in front of a mirror, stare at myself and repeat 'I
do not have a headache, I do not have a headache."Ido not have a
headache.' It worked!
The headaches are all gone."
The husband replies: "Well, that is wonderful."
His wife then says: "You know, you haven't been exactly a ball of fire
in the bedroom these last few years. Why don't you go see the hypnotist
and see if he can do anything for that?"
The husband agrees to try it following his appointment; the husband
comes home, rips off his clothes, picks up his wife and carries her into
the bedroom. He puts her on the bed and says: "Don't move. I'll be right
back." He goes into the bathroom and comes back a few minutes later and
jumps into bed and makes passionate love to his wife like never before.
His wife says: "Boy that was wonderful!"
The husband says: "Don't move! I will be right back." He goes back into
the bathroom, comes back and round two was even better than the first
time. The wife sits up and her head is spinning.
Her husband again says: "Don't move, I'll be right back." With that, he
goes back in the bathroom. This time, his wife quietly follows him and
there, in the bathroom, she sees him standing at the mirror saying:
"She's not my wife. She's not my wife. She's not my wife!"

What Women Want

To a sequel to my earlier post on what girls want here is another scenario:

What I Want in a Man, Original List (age 22):

1 Handsome
2 Charming
3 Financially successful
4 A caring listener
5 Witty
6 In good shape
7 Dresses with style
8 Appreciates finer things
9 Full of thoughtful surprises
10 An imaginative, romantic lover.

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 32):

1 Nice looking (prefer hair on his head)
2 Opens car doors, holds chairs
3 Has enough money for a nice dinner
4 Listens more than talks
5 Laughs at my jokes
6 Carries bags of groceries with ease
7 Owns at least one tie
8 Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9 Remembers birthdays and anniversaries
10 Seeks romance at least once a week.

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 42):

1 Not too ugly (bald head OK)
2 Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3 Works steady -- splurges on dinner out occasionally
4 Nods head when I'm talking
5 Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6 Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7 Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8 Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9 Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10 Shaves most weekends.

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 52):

1 Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2 Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3 Doesn't borrow money too often
4 Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5 Doesn't re-tell the same joke too many times
6 Is in good enough shape to get off couch on weekends
7 Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8 Appreciates a good TV dinner
9 Remembers my name on occasion
10 Shaves some weekends.

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 62):

1 Doesn't scare small children
2 Remembers where bathroom is
3 Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4 Only snores lightly when asleep
5 Remembers why he's laughing
6 Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7 Usually wears clothes
8 Likes soft foods
9 Remembers where he left his teeth
10 Remembers that it's the weekend.

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 72):

1 Breathing
2 Doesn't miss the toilet

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN

A Woman's Vocabulary, Keywords and Meanings (as taken from an interview with a woman)

FINE
This is the word we use at the end of any argument in which we feel we are right, but need to shut you up. NEVER use 'Fine' to describe how a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those
arguments.

FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five
minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I feel that it's an even trade.

NOTHING
This means something and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing"
usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with the word "Fine".

GO AHEAD (with raised eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman
getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine".

GO AHEAD (normal eyebrows)
This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care". You will get a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in
about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is still often a
verbal statement very misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing".

SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. "Soft
Sighs" are one of the few things that some men actually understand. She is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay
content.

OH
This word followed by any statement is trouble.
Example; "Oh, let me get that". Or, "Oh, I talked to him about what you were doing last night". If she says "Oh" before a statement, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit.
She will tell you that she is "Fine"
when she is done tossing your clothes out the window, but do not expect her to talk to you for at least 2 days. "Oh" as the lead-in to a sentence usually signifies that you are caught in a lie. Do not try to lie more to get out of it, or you will get raised eyebrows and a "Go ahead," followed by acts so unspeakable that I can't bring myself to write about them.

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a
woman can say to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before visiting on you major retribution and tribulations for what ever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and used in conjunction with a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead". At some point in the near future when she has plotted and planned, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is
giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance to tell the
truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's
Okay".

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint, just say you're welcome.

THANKS A LOT
This is much different than "Thanks". A woman will
say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have hurt her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh". Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud
Sigh", as she will only tell you "Nothing".

UNDERSTANDING MEN

"IT'S A GUY THING"
Translated: "There is no rational thought pattern
connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical."

"CAN I HELP WITH DINNER?"
Translated: "Why isn't it already on the table?"

"UH HUH," "SURE, HONEY," OR "YES, DEAR"
Translated: Absolutely nothing. It's a conditioned
response.

"IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"
Translated: "I have no idea how it works."

"I WAS LISTENING TO YOU. IT'S JUST THAT I HAVE THINGS ON MY MIND."
Translated: "That girl standing on the corner is a
real babe."

"TAKE A BREAK HONEY, YOU'RE WORKING TOO HARD."
Translated: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum
cleaner."

"THAT'S INTERESTING, DEAR."
Translated: "Are you still talking?"

"YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."
Translated: "I remember the theme song to 'F Troop', the address of the first girl I ever kissed, and the vehicle identification numbers of every car I've ever owned, but I forgot our anniversary."

"I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU, AND GOT YOU THESE ROSES."
Translated: "The girl selling them on the corner
was a real babe."

"OH, DON'T FUSS - I JUST CUT MYSELF, IT'S NO BIG DEAL."
Translated: "I have actually severed a limb, but
will bleed to death before I admit that I'm hurt."

"I CAN'T FIND IT."
Translated: "It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I'm completely clueless."

"WHAT DID I DO THIS TIME?"
Translated: "What did you catch me at?"

"I HEARD YOU."
Translated: "I haven't the foggiest clue what you
just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next three days yelling at me."

"YOU KNOW I COULD NEVER LOVE ANYONE ELSE."
Translated: "I am used to the way you yell at me,
and realize it could be worse."

"YOU LOOK TERRIFIC."
Translated: "Oh, please don't try on one more
outfit, I'm starving."

"I'M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE."
Translated: "No one will ever see us alive again."

Ideal partner

To a question on rediff.com about 'Ideal Partners', this is how one guy responded:

"Great question. I am a guy, and will explain how may ideal partnet must be. Most of the people say that, she should be loving, caring, sweet. But these are all universal languages. Whole human kind expects this. So this is kind of qualities which not necessorily mentioned. I am looking something else. Ideal partner must be like this. When i am talking to her, hour by hour, i should not get bored. When i look at her, i should feel like going near to her. I expect 100% sharing. It might be good topic or bad topic. Companion for everything. Must advise when she feels i am doing something wrong. No judgement, instead she must listen what is the matter about. Not necessorily she should be good cook. Not necessorily she must get up early. Not necessorily follow everything i say. She must quesion me. She must stubborn when it is necessory. No arguement but discussion No doubt in mind but clarification. Good in Romance, good in bed too. "

Too much to ask?? I guess not!! This probably sums up what most of the guys want.

What about Girls? Are their preferences similar? Another article here compares them both. But if you really wanna know, do a Google search. You won't get any concrete answers on that. All I found was analysis of marketer's and advertisers poring over data after data trying to find the secret. So, in the end, this question remains one of the unsolved mysteries of human existence.

So, if you ever find a girl saying what she wants, just note it down. Some advertisers may pay you loads, just for that!!

DISCUSS THIS FURTHER

Welcome to Youth Circle

This Blog is dedicated to the entire HumTum community.

This community has grown in more ways than one. Not only has it been one of the most active communities on orkut, it has led others to create its many clones, copying even the community description. But this is THE Best and the Original one.

What's this Blog for?

As this is just a start, so keeping things simple, this blog will be an extension of our community. A few things that can't be done on orkut, like posting articles, polls and a shoutbox, can all be done here. But, One by One.

For now, the first step is to invite all ppl who want to be a Contributor here. Please write your name and email address in the Comments, and you will have access to create posts on this Blog.

Lets see how this goes.!!

UPDATE: Expanded the Blog theme to cover all aspects of youth in India.