The Soccer Dream !

 It was years back and the time when Ruud Van Nistelrooy was the number one striker for Manchester United. It as the time when Micheal Schumacher was ruling the world of F1 in the prancing horse. It was the time when Shawn Micheal, Undertaker, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were in WWE and there was more fighting and less drama!

 That was the time I was in school. Remember watching all the Manchester United matches, even my dad used to join in if he had time and how I had to convince mom to let go off her Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi during special matches of Champions League and PayPerView events of WWE. I guess most of you who are working/doin grad studies can related to all this....

 I have played lots of cricket back home, only watched soccer on TV, playing it was kinda dream for me. My friends in neighborhood knew a bit and we actually used to play some with the small red cricket rubber ball when I was in school...sounds funny but we can't really play with a soccer ball in the apartment compound! Come undergrad school and we went to the beach to play some soccer...most of them were amateurs and got exhausted running around after 10 mins...I was damn exhausted too!

Just played a bit of soccer yesterday in a small park along the Canal here. brought back all the soccer memories...all the Manchester United moments...the fights with friends who support Chelsea and Arsenal. All the uncountable hours of FIFA 2007 and 2010 on PS2. Playing soccer yesterday was very enjoyable and it meant a lot. I am gonna learn soccer now, practice regulary and one day play for some team(may be the college team)...even playing for recreation is fine...but I am gonna play...I AM GAME!!!

Grad Studies at Purdue School of Science!

 There was a time when I was very excited about my undergrad studies and how happy I felt when I called myself a 'Computer Engineer'. I had a job offer in hand from Infosys Technologies Limited and in one of my previous posts I have described how major of a role it played in my development in understanding the industry.

 I learnt a lot at Infy and now as I am in the first week of my graduate school, it all seems to pay off. I have not quite read the book called "Connect the Dots" (except the back cover of it ;)), however if I see my progression and increase in knowledge and development as a person, it has been one hell of a journey so far!

 Graduate school life is a lot different than Infy. At Infy I had very good salary, 5 star accommodation in guest houses, world class IT infrastructure and  facilities and uncountable number of wonderful friends. However giving it all up was a tough decision and my friends and colleagues got a farwell email from me with a subject saying "With tears in my eyes.." on my final day..dunno somehow it was too emotional for me to part away from Infy!

 However coming to US, doing grad studies at one of the top schools in the world with the best of the faculty and students of the same field sharing same interests and passion has been wonderful indeed. The course is very thought simulating and very advanced and I am aware whats coming my way...I will have to work very  hard for a couple years...damn work like hell, but it's all worth it because I am enjoying it a lot!

 I was told that universities in US don't have as good a infrastructure as Infy campuses. Well my university has an urban campus, is a very very happening and buzzing place. IT infrastructure is wonderful, a library wid 4 floors is astonishing and an indoor temperature controlled Olympic size swimming pool where Michael Phelps used to train???...the list just goes one! \m/

A Religion called Humanity!

 Religion and Politics are two topics which I normally choose not to discuss. Frankly, I never imagined I would actually blog about one of them here.  As far as I am concerned I believe all religions are equal and I respect and appreciate all the religions. For me it’s more important to be human first than to implicate to any other religion. Well, this is the way I see it, I am fortunate to have got all the education, and the knowledge I have attained, still there might be more than 50% people in the world who do not even have college education and an online presence.

I don’t wanna state the number of religions present in this world or neither will I criticize or compare any religions. This post is about what it states; it’s about a religion called Humanity. We have reached a level of evolution where we can actually do away with religion. There are over 700 million people on FB right now, I don’t think many of them would actually check the religious view of a person before adding them!

 I am a big fan of Dan Brown and the work he has down, the research which he would have done to bring out the master pieces that he has is just unimaginable. He has also managed to keep a low profile despite writing five awesome books. Many times I wonder, what is this guy, who is this guy? Does he have a day job too, what’s his background like. I myself love writing and if you see from the point of view of an author, writing those book ain't a walk in any park!

Coming back to religion, many battles and sometimes even world wars have been fought on the name of religion. The chances are that the wars may actually have more of a financial motive to it. However, the fact is there are still many places and countries around the world, where people are discriminated on the basis of their color or religion.

Why can’t we all be just humans? We are all same after all! Why to be so precarious about each other. Why to create differences among ourselves when there are not any present? We are all children of mother earth. We all get life from the same sun. We all are exactly identical biologically as well as chemically. Evolution is one thing, but if you see other mammals and animals, they might actually have few things better than us.

Religion gets associated with politics somehow. There is lot of power in politics. Lot of power transcends to lot of money. Greed and violence is something which the human race needs to overcome for  faster development and survival. We are our biggest enemy if you see it that way, at least currently. The notion that:  ‘Only when our existence is threatened, we choose to change’ is a universal actuality. However, sometimes it is too late and that itself may cause into extinction of species along with extinction of the planets.

I did not quite expect to jump from religion to Dan Brown and then to Astronomy, however the point is they all are related and I never actually wanted to write about religion in specific. I am a human first and the day the rest of the world will be mature enough, wise enough and tolerant enough to understand and digest this fact, it would be a completely different world, a world where Humanity would be the only religion!

…and that’s why INDIA is the best!

To comment and complain on the innumerable problems around you is one thing. To actually go to other countries and see the reason for their development and then compare the facts with our home country is an eye opener indeed.

Yes I have been to a few places around the world. Recent most a one month trip to US. No doubt US is a wonderful country indeed, but if you see the history and geography and other factors, it is but obvious. In the complete history of United States, not a single war has been fought on their land. They have neighbours like Canada who don’t even drink water without asking US…well not literally but they are very friendly neighbors indeed. US is a humongous country and the population density is not much, only of fraction of what it is in India. Also the fact that it is surrounded by water on 3 sides makes it abundant in water and other natural resources. Yes if you take all this into account it is but obvious that US will develop like it has!

Here’s something you might not know. US is actually like Australia when it comes to native citizens. The original inhabitants of US were called the ‘Red Indians’.Sailors from Europe traveled to America while exploring new lands. All the native Red Indians were killed and the people of US have their great great ancestors, actually from Europe. Read more here if you want. Even we were ruled by the Portuguese and the British, but we fought for our freedom and have achieved Independence. We are the natives of this soil….all our great great grandfathers have been born in this great country.

I am not criticizing US for anything, people who took over the continent have built and developed it like anything. Even India developed under British if you recollect, they have done lots of good for India in terms of technological advancements. But the fact the we have fought for our country is a remarkable achievement….something which may be we don’t  realize and may be don’t value much today!

All the other thing about our great country we all know. We are the best of minds in the world. To give a reference to this, there are mentions of the subatomic particles such as protons, electrons and neutrons in our Vedas which are like thousands of years old. People from India travel west for a better life and people from west come to India to do research on Indian culture.  I met an American guy in my flight, he said he is doing research on Indian culture since over 30 years. He has written several books on it and even his daughter is studying the same in Pune University here. A classic example to exemplify that the world is round indeed….we are going westwards and the west is following the east more and more….many other such things like the yoga which is of Indian origin are very popular there.

If you know me, I am not much of a political nor a religious person.  I always think global…I think myself on more of a broader spectrum of mankind, along with being a very proud Indian. The fact that India has developed so much considering all the constraints like the unbelievable population density….hostile neighbors on all sides…so many wars and terrorist attacks on our country…we still survive…we still stand up and rise…we show the world that the Indian spirit is like no other…that INDIA holds the glory, the culture and the strong fundamentals laid by our great ancestors... and that’s why INDIA is the best!