iRant : The Birth of the Legendary Troll

from XYZ             XYZ@gmail.com to iRant cc ABC date Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 3:57 PM subject Re: You Asked for it

Have you lost your mind? 

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from                                 iRant@gmail.com to XYZ cc ABC date Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 4:28 PM subject Re: You Asked for it

Thats such a low accusation that i don't even wish to entertain it with a decent reply.
I mean when people ask others "have you lost your mind?" what do they wish to "really" ask?? Inversely, Is there any way to "find" your mind?? Has anyone asked that question outside of any Matrix Rip-Off?
Or Is it possible that a person just walks around with his mind under his arm and upon discovering suddenly that its not there, he starts acting irrationally and foolishly?
Or is it that any person who is acting irrationally must have looked down to discover that he had dropped his mind while crossing the road or might have left it in the Bus and that the sheer grief of losing something as personal as One's Mind (as opposed to a new Phone or a Car) is enough to drive him to insanity while the loss of other possessions merely serve to make him sadder?
Also, since it has been conclusively proved that No one really finds his Mind, then how can you just assume that i have lost my mind?

In fact your question is equivalent to this conversation pasted Below :

Tom  : Hey, Did you get my Asthma Inhaler from the Pharmacy?
Jerry : What?
Tom  : I need my Inhaler,Man.Iam dying.
Jerry : Here....i got you the DVD of Rocky 4 instead. We can watch it tonight.
Tom  : Have you lost your mind?


In the great Old language of Latinos, we would call your reaction to my email a non-sequitur.
Please refrain from further such knee-jerk reactions in the future.

Learnings from the Lokpal Movement

I think everyone should be happy with the resolution that came across from the whole political and social problem. I think the nature and scale of the agitations were unprecedented since the '75 Emergency and it points out various important things that we should not ignore. 

The people who have been selected democratically are so far away from the actual pulse of the People that the common man (rich and poor alike) relate with Anna Hazare more than their own Parliamentarians.

This is a slap on the face of our democratic structure and needs to be rectified as soon as possible. How can the people of Saran be satisfied when their Elected Representative Mr Laloo Yadav says that even after 5 months of issue being discussed in Parliament that he hasnt gone through the entire draft of the Proposed Lokpal Bill, let alone the Jan Lokpal Bill? If that is the case, is the voting in of the various drafts really to be considered historic? Or something that we should be proud of? 

As Arvind Kejriwal pointed out, "This Country isnt being run by People, or their Democratically elected Representatives rather by the Party High command".  

Are we being led to believe that all of the wise men that we deemed necessary to run our country and act as our voices, No One actually has an individual opinion? That among the 205 Members from the INC, only the voice of Sonia Gandhi is sagacious and the rest have no Individual Opinion about any Issue (the same applies to all Political Parties)?

In which case, we should not waste time having discussions in that Yes-Men Filled Dome which is the center of our Democracy. We might as well declare our Democracy null and void and implement a China-Like regime where all decisions are made by a Central Group of Politicians without any consultation from Anyone Else.

The reason why this movement caught the public's imagination and fanned their ire is because we have lost faith in our Elected Representatives. We, as a people, have a tendency to idolise people. Larger than life figures attract us and we give more weightage to their words. Which is probably why we chose to Idolise a 74-year Old Gandhian rather than a Young Former IRS Officer who knows much more about the functioning of the Government than the aforementioned gentleman. Which is exactly why we keep on Electing the same Larger-than-life Personalities with corrupted pasts back into the Lok Sabha.

We all know that a change is needed. We know we have the power to bring about the change. Do we have the Fortitude and the Courage to do so (and for a lot of people, the necessary knowledge to make the distinction)? Do the Representatives have largesse to become what they were always supposed to be?

As far as the Lokpal is concerned, no one (except some people from Team Anna) is claiming that this Bill will solve corruption once and for all. Corruption is not a disease that a pill (read bill) can cure. It is a Hypocritical and Immoralistic way of taking a shortcut to Success. 

We, as Indians, love to find Shortcuts. We are constantly fighting,competing and pushing our way through life against 1.2 Billion others like us.This is en-grained into us so that we don't get washed away in the torrent that is our world. We have learnt to embrace and be happy about any shortcut that helps us along the way and we have learnt to reject our Morals occasionally for our Greater Good. 

This Culture of Immorality is within us all, coursing through our veins. A Bill cant change the way all of us think.Unless, it is implemented and executed well. A person will not go the wrong way on a one-way street if he saw a Cop standing there. 

It is this fear that needs to be instilled into the corrupt. The fear of reprisal is strong enough to warrant a change of behaviour. That is the only way and we need a strong Lokpal Bill to be implemented for that. I do not wish to discuss the formalities of the Contents of the Bill as there are many views and counter-views already present in the popular media. I think everyone can make up their own mind about the contents based on which viewpoint they endorse.I Only wish to have a strong Bill and not one for the sake of just having One.

However, what i would like to point out here is the Rise and Fall of the Fourth Estate. The Media is supposed to be the most important pillar of our nation apart from Judiciary, Executive and Legislature. They were critical to the cause and their continued coverage ensured that the support for the Movement only grew. They also reveled in Blatant Yellow Journalism when certain sections started questioning the credentials of Anna Hazare. They invited prominent politicians and Noted Celebrities to talk about trivial topics such as Om Puri and Kiran Bedi's inflammatory statements which threatened to sidetrack the main issue and its resolution. They also made the elementary mistake of taking sides during the entire Issue. Noted Anchors like Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami regularly called Guest Speakers to discuss various topics and showed their bias during those discussions.They also tended to show a very immature and irresponsible attitude after the 10th day whereby they focused only on when the fast would break rather than the proper Tabling of the Issue in Parliament. I believe that like the three mainstays of our Democracy, the Media also shares a responsibility towards our People and they should uphold greater standards of this Duty in the Future as they help shape the Opinion of the Public. 

Lastly, this Issue taught us many things. But most of all it shows that the Real Power lies with the people. We need to use this power and not let it rot away. We need to be more than Citizens of our Great country. We need to be Guardians. We need to rise above our Individual Needs and tend to the wounds of our Nation. She may be ill but she isn't incurable.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." - MK Gandhi (Courtesy Ajay Patel)

Who Says

Who says that i cant be free

from all of the things that i used to be

Rewrite my History

Who says i cant be free

I hum these lines as I trudge along in the Cool Bangalore Night, a gentle, refreshing breeze blows up against my face while I close my eyes and keep walking. I haven’t felt this close to happiness in a long time. Maybe, Ignorance is bliss.

I don’t believe for a second that the meaning of the words escapes me. I don’t know what it is about the gentle breeze that makes me forget. And lets me Hope. Just for a moment, it lets me breathe and lets me dream. Of Independence. Of being unshackled. If only for a fleeting moment.

The Night that Didnt Happen

I woke up the next morning not knowing how i had managed to reach

where i had.

There was a headache that derived its origins from within the skulled

confines of my head.

But there was an even bigger throbbing pain in my head and it

continued to poke my brain till the combination seemed to drive me up

the wall.

The latter pain was about me trying to find out.

About what went actually happened to me....why did i have fragments of memory in my head

dangling like incoherent threads from the roof of my consciousness.

Random flashes of things that i saw, that made no sense....until....my

friends started to tell me what had happened.

I was out partying with friends and as usual, was having a great time

doing what i do best...acting stupid !!

And God knows that i dont need any derivative of any hydroxylic drink

to get me there.

I love the unbridled joy of chaos and mayhem amidst all the order that

the world surrounds itself with.

So the last thing i remember is walking back from the restroom at

Kiva's (the Red Indian on the Menu seemed like a Jolly Ole Fella) and

then i blanked out. Looking back at the Photos, i did some very

questionable things afterwards (which i have no recollection of)

But the most of the things that i did were not captured on any medium of

imagery but are mostly based on the stuff said by people around who

did me a HUGE favour by lugging me back(failing which i would have

ended up in some Pune Jail,half-naked)

According to eyewitness reports, these are some of the things that i

did

1) Did Push-Ups after getting down from the auto.

2) Asked a Steward for his opinion on my actions.

3) Hung my head outside the auto like a mad dog.

4) Discussed algebra with some very happy looking SIBM students and

one Nerd.

5) Refused to get into any Autorickshaw or for that matter, any lift.

6) Lay down near the Guardhouse While a friend decided to hug a cute

black dog.

All of the Above things were indisputably confirmed by various

witnesses (some reliable, others more reliable).

However, due to my forgetful nature, i do not remember any of these things.

At All !!!

PS - I had apparently lost it after a particularly fiery shot of

Fireshot sumthing (i feel like such a Barney Stinson coz i dont

remember the name of the thing that screwed me the night before).

PS 2 - Iam kinda guilty about the stuff i made my friends go through,

but i sure as hell am proud to have such a faithful bunch of Hellraisers !!

PS 3 - Due to the amazing acts of Drunken Bravado, i missed out on a

night of Pool.

PS P - I think iam done

Some of the Things that made their way through my head today

Usain Bolt, Rahul Dravid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, El Clasico, CAT,
How iam gonna flunk "major" in CAT, How iam gonna kill myself when i flunk major in CAT,
Lin Dan, Eric Cartman's Jew Theory, 26th March, Mom's Lauki Malai, Buddhism.
Lionel Messi, APJ Abdul Kalam, The Tricolour, Prawn Pickle, Aloo ke Paranthe,
Methi ke Paranthe,Swine Flu, Bird Flu, Lunch Line.
Dead Poet's Society, TJ , The 3-Deep DFS binge,Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo,
Steven Gerrard,Alex Curran, RD-GAS transition.
Hatred, Insignificance, Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, George Clooney, Listlessness,
Not Belonging, My Face in the Mirror,Being Undeserving, Being Loved,
Working out problems, Working out, Lying around, My Parents, The Light,
The Darkness, Relative Intelligence.
Genelia D'souza, Brooklyn Decker, Ginger Kids, Mutt-Key,
How much ass-age Reliance sucks, Time, Boredom, Loneliness, Death, Clowns.

PS - You are what you think, so what does that make me?

Impressionz

Glass Half Empty

Patriotic Fries

A Plateful of Smiles

The Burning Man
Shades at Dusk

The World Upside Down

Do i turn Jehadi ?


As the fire burns down and Bangalore and Ahmedabad recover from the serial blasts that crippled life and turned the city into a chaotic mess, a very surreal thought enters my already turbulent mind.
What does an IT professional, preoccupied with the monotonous work and the veritable peanuts, give back to the country that he lives in.
The country that harbours , nurtures and provides him with every opportunity to feel happiness and prosperity.
Does a "Jehadi" do better for his ?


We live our self-centered lives in the hope of improving our own plight, worrying about not being appreciated and celebrated. Or does our Patriotism confine itselfto supporting our equally self-centered Cricketers in their pursuit of money and fame.
We take pride in the achievements of a few people. We do our best to reduce thatdreaded column in our payslips that reads "Income Tax" to a bare minimum (or nothing).Infact, this is fairly well-planned. For us.

India.
A nation of almost 2 Billion.
The Largest Democracy in the world.
A Nation with the second fastest growing economy.
A Nation Often crippled by acts of terrorism.
A Nation filled to the brim with the educated middle class who lead their consumer-driven lives with nothing resembling remorse.
Are we another USA in the making?


A few individuals with deep pockets plan from afar and end up terrorising us.Our Freedom, our Happiness is snatched away from us.
DO we fight it?
If yes, how ???
Why cant our Ambanis and Mallyas donate just 1% of their incomes into fighting fire with fire ??? (a la,the Bin Laden Family)
Why cant we March into their homes and give them the same Fear that we feel now?
How about a crack team of mercenaries unleashing hell on a terror warlord and then disappearing into the night ?

Iam a staunch believer in Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent ways.
But there are sometimesthat turning the other cheek is not advisable.
It is often said that peace is just the pre-cursor to a war.That conflict is inevitable and is the only constant.
We know that and we have felt it time and again. Terrorism is just a war being raged uponthe civilian population by a phantom enemy.
And we cant let them win when we know that weare better than them.

Why cant we use our computer skills; the same skills that drive and control the most powerful of all worlds, the internet.
It is no wrong thing to say that our war is partly fought in the bytes that make up the web.
It is a world which is constantly discovering its own strengths and frailties.
And it is this grey are that these terrorists take advantage of.

We must let these people know that anyone who thinks that they can use the annonymity of theWorld Wide Web to instill fear and terror in the hearts of our brethren that they have an oppponent that they haven't expected and comprehended. An Opponent who will outlast and outwit them in a way that will leave them gasping.
Lets raise our voices and let them tremble from the timbre of our roar.