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"It is an inherent property of intelligence that it can jump out of the task which it is performing, and survey what it has done; it is always looking for, and often finding, patterns... there are cases where only a rare individual will have the vision to perceive a system which governs many peoples' lives, a system which had never before even been recognized as a system; then such people often devote their lives to convincing other people that the system is really there, and that it ought to be exited from!"

---- GEB An Eternal Golden Braid

Friend: Congratulations!
(One second pause from me owing to confusion about the context.)
Me: Thanks! (hopefully without betraying the confusion) :)

Have said this before and will say it again, "You meet the best people when you least expect them."

Malayali by birth, my first time on earth,
Maharashtrian by residence, my school time and friends,
Marathi by marriage, my in-laws and carriage,
Indian all the way, my life, limb and sway.

love this one!

teri kali ankhiyo se
jind meri jaage
dhadkan se tej daudun
sapno se aage

ab jaan lut jaaye
ye jahaan chhut jaaye
sang pyaar rahe
main rahun na rahun

sajda.. tera sajda
din raen karun
nahi chaen karun

Badminton GC saga 2012-13

Returned from my wedding leave on Jan 20 and learnt that we had the badminton GC coming up. So, began practice in earnest but most of our practice was with plastic shuttle-cocks. Little did we realize at the time that this could potentially cost us greatly during the tournament.

During the GC match, I was the one playing the first singles. Rashmi wanted me to play the first singles instead of her. I was afraid that history (from last year) would be repeating itself, but still it was up to me to face the first match of the GC. We began with practice tossing and I felt that my shots were not strong enough; they weren't reaching the baseline.

However, once the GC match began, it was an entirely different ballgame. We were given a brand new Skylark shuttle-cock that was simply rushing off my racket and straight outside the court! I was losing multiple points on completely unforced errors with the shuttle-cock falling long outside the baseline on the other side!

On hindsight, I feel I could have done much better. The score was around 21-19, 21-19 and the picture would have been much different had I made just a couple of errors lesser in each game. My opponent had to practically do nothing to defeat me. I did it all on my own :-|

What could I have done better? Well, I should have controlled my baseline shots. I should have tried more drops once I realized that the shuttle-cock was racing too fast. Perhaps, I can learn from this and do better the next time I am in a similar situation. All the best!

Been observing since some time now that those who are intolerably judgmental about others, are the least judgmental about themselves! If you think a bit more about this, you would realize that this is actually quite easily accomplished. And perhaps almost every single person on this planet is guilty of this.

It is a tough thing, you know, to keep yourself from doing something that you already so vehemently criticized someone else for. The problem is that we are in different moods at different times of the day. In a good mood, we would indulge in the kinds of deeds that we would admonish someone else about, when we are in a bad mood. We would readily make merry at the dinner table, and frown upon others who do the same. We would readily (and courageously) wear short skirts and yet shame others who do the same. It is a case of, "mera khoon khoon aur uska khoon paani.

Okay, so it is established that holding double standards such as these, is nothing but human. So, why be so harried about it, you ask? Ever since my first online presence, my view about myself has been that I am "full of contradictions". And I was under the impression that, it was just me who was full of contradictions. Only now do I see that everyone else is also the same, the only difference is that they haven't begun to realize it yet.

Petition to Kapil Sibal in Q&A session at IIT Bombay

Petition for commensurate accommodation for women students on IIT Bombay campus

In a progressive country like India, where it is said that, “Teach a woman, and you teach a whole family”, it is quite expected that more and more women should get educated and even take to higher education. And since actions speak louder than words, it is the duty of every academic institute to not just talk about but also provide facilities that encourage women to join. One such facility is accommodation.

Since past few years, we (Post Graduate women) have been petitioning for better accommodation on campus (petitions enclosed). Each time, we have been assured some long-term (2-3 years) permanent solution and some short-term temporary (few months) solution to tide over the imminent accommodation crisis. The temporary solutions, though take care of the worst situations, are still not good enough to qualify as “good living conditions”. A direct comparison between PhD men and women students' accommodations on campus reveals that male PhD students get a single room from Day 1 of their stay, whereas female PhD students are in shared rooms even in the 2nd or 3rd year. This will have an obvious impact on the womens' research output, so why should the women PhD students have to adjust in this unfair manner for such long durations? Though we acknowledge the effort by institute authorities, we are still falling short of basic accommodation requirements.

Some representative temporary solutions offered over the years:-
1. Double rooms tripled up, single rooms doubled up (2007)
2. Staff-hostel & C-type quarters temporarily (2007)
3. Single rooms doubled. TV room, library, drying areas converted to dormitory (almost every year during admissions, situation dissipated later with other temporary measures)
4. In 2009, H10 annexe was finally ready, but the staff hostel & C-type quarters were withdrawn. Also, H10 annexe has only double rooms, no single rooms. PhD women (who deserve single rooms just like the PhD men) are still left asking for more.
5. In 2010, one wing of H8 was annexed to H11, thus enabling around 80 senior PhD women students to get single room.
6. In 2011, long-term plan of new hostel construction after demolition of old H10 wing. But it wont be ready before 2-3 years. Meanwhile, senior PhD women students have to adjust doubled up in single room.


Potential causes of accommodation problems:-
● Inadequate projection of women intake over the years
● Even if projections correct, corrective actions (long-term promises & temporary measures) insufficient
● Even if long-term construction plans made, deadlines are often missed. Most construction activities are transitively depend on another construction deadline, and if the first one is delayed then all are delayed.


Latest loss to women students due to accommodation problem:-
1. This year, no new women project staff are being accepted, just because there is not enough women's accommodation on campus. This is such a great loss to so many deserving female candidates!
2. Our apprehension & fear – intake of M.Tech and Ph.D will also be reduced in future in order to “handle the accommodation crisis on campus”. This is a step backward in the progress of our country --- women should be encouraged for, not kept away from, higher education.


What can be done regarding accommodation problem?
● At the very least, hostel construction deadlines should be met faithfully. There are many categories of people (UG boys, UG girls, PG boys, PG girls, married research scholars & even faculty) all hoping for decent accommodation facilities on campus.
● If possible, plan construction of hostel for women, such that it is not dependent on another construction deadline, so that it can not get delayed indefinitely.





(On behalf of PG women on campus)

What is wrong with discussing at the dinner table?

Firstly, who made rules about what should or should not be discussed at the dinner table? Why?

Secondly, who decides that this is a casual conversation? It could have been something that has been bothering me a lot and I am bringing it up in a conversation with my friends. Why should it be dismissed as being "casual"? For all you know, I may have been contemplating suicide, so if I mention suicide in a dinner conversation, would it still be considered casual?

Thirdly, just because you have read 7 books on a subject does not mean that everyone else should stop talking about those issues that you have read. And just because 7 people have written and published books on that subject doesnt mean that everyone else who has any opinion on those subjects is just useless. There could be an 8th opinion that didnt get published, isnt it?

Fourth, everyone has their own way of dealing with issues of this world. Nobody has a perfect solution to many problems. That doesnt imply that those who dont have good solutions, should stop talking about the problem.

Finally, women's issues are more challenging because most of the population doesnt even think of many of these things as problems. We need more and more discussion and awareness for people to first-of-all even acknowledge that these are problems.

In many cases, it is assumed that just because it is the prevalent way of doing things, it is the correct way. So everything that we ourselves do, are we doing them because they are correct, or because they belong to the prevalent way? We can never be sure. And the biggest realization of this hits when we look at other societies in our own country where the prevalent things are beliefs like "killing girls will get them god's blessings"! If you and I belonged to such a society, wouldn't we also have thought the same thing? And yet, just because we are on the outside, reading books about these "other" societies, we sit here feeling, "Oh, we shouldn't talk about it unless we can fix things!??" What are we? Demi-gods? How are we to fix entire societies on our own? And just because we cant "fix" them, we cant learn about them? Or share our thoughts about them? Or express solidarity for the victims?

Acknowledging that it is a problem is the first huge step toward solving the problem. Talking about problems and spreading awareness is the way to acknowledge that the problem exists. There is no pressure on you to solve the problem yourself. But there is a plea that you acknowledge it if you agree that it is a problem.

Naivete, rebellion and maturity

Naivete is when you are ignorant about pretty much everything and people molly-coddle you. Slowly you start learning and realizing very many things. And you find it difficult to believe that people wont acknowledge that you are old enough to know these things and take sensible decisions on your own. There comes rebellion, to show that you are an adult. Maturity is when you realize that for you to be recognized as an adult, you need to be yourself instead of being a rebel.

Naivete is when you do not realize that these concepts are not necessarily independent of one another.

To be, or not to be, spiritual

For decades, we have been hearing of religion and spirituality. For many of those years, many of us probably believed it and some others among us did not. Those who take refuge in spirituality get what they wish for. A calm, a link to the "Almighty". Everyone likes to feel one is special - the chosen one, the one who had a special connection with the higher being. It is quite likely that you will be taken in by such emotions if you are fed them on a 24x7 basis.

As a school-going kid, I remember that my parents never forced me to go to temples to offer prayers. Yet there was a strong belief in the Almighty creator. More recently though, I have seen more of the world and begin to question the creator's existence. If He creates only to destroy, why would He create at all? Why would He manipulate the way a common human being does? In fact, if He is so all-powerful and all-knowing, why would He bother with such petty games? One of the following has to be true (i) He is not all that magnanimous, so he is just another human-like entity (ii) He is the Almighty, but our understanding of Him is flawed (iii) He is an artefact of our peace-starved imagination.

Our mind is such a complex machine, and certainly due credit to the Creator, whoever that it is. However, when it comes to handing out credit, I would like to be sure I am crediting the right entity and not the wrong one. And if it is not in my power to know who my Creator is, then perhaps that's the way it is meant to be and I should not be trying to get to know Him at all? So, in conclusion, it should not even matter whether I believe in Him or not, because the purpose of our life is clearly only to live.

Sexist jokes not funny

Sexism defined as "Stereotyping of individuals or groups because of their gender". Perpetuation of myths like, "women gossip (more)", "women are high maintenance", "women difficult to manage" and "women difficult to understand", happens purely on the strength of sexist jokes and remarks.

Sexism is as bad as racism. However, if you were to make a racist remark, you could get skinned alive but if you were to make a sexist comment, all you would get are a few nervous laughs?! Half of the men may laugh whole heartedly because they agree and the other half because they know not how to voice their discontent? And most of the women will laugh nervously to hide what they truly feel, or perhaps to blend-in with this male-dominated crowd that is allowing such hideous jokes to flourish in the first place! If any of them bothers to say something against it, they will be calmed down with, "Relax, it is just a joke. No need to get all your feathers in a flutter". Well, enough with women being the butt of all jokes, then. Let's have some other jokes now.

Sexist jokes are not funny, at least to women (and many men) they are not!

Celebrating women's day

Surely, do celebrate women's day. Make a mark for women in this world, demand for equality, talk about what is not equal, take steps to bring in equality. But please refrain from trivializing it by telling us how great we are, and how much work we do in essaying various roles (daughter, sister, mother, wife) with such great strength. Enough with the accolades and putting us on pedestals. Let us just be human, not goddesses. No more of "idealizing into powerlessness".

A friend: Someone asked me once "Who is Sujesha"...The tone was bit rural types and it sounded like "Who is Su jaisa"...and obviously the answer was no one...And yet another obvious thing was that the listener got baffled..

Lolz.

My tryst with Religion & Atheism

Ever since I can remember, our family has had an inclination towards spirituality, and a belief in God. My dad, though never a regular to temples unlike devout Hindus, always advocated that "God was One". So, irrespective of religion, he did believe in God. Maybe it is more apt to say that he believed in "all gods", and believed that all religions essentially teach the same, and that all religions are a way to reach God, etc, etc, etc, but there I digress.

The point I am trying to bring forth is that my parents, and hence our family, were believers. We had faith in some higher power that had caused our existence. Of course, we didnt find it necessary to visit temples to re-assert our faith in Him, because we also believed that "He was everywhere".

Cut to April 2010, when my dad passed away due to a (multiple?) massive heart attack(s). It was like a bolt of lightening out of the blue (pun unintended). So many hopes, wishes and dreams lay unfulfilled. Try as I may, I could think of no explanation why his end had to be that way. Many "why" questions arose (or threatened to arise but were throttled?) in my mind. But I never spoke them aloud, knowing fully well that "Anything that is born, will die someday." I tried to accept the incident, as just a fact of life. However, a question that soon accompanied was, "So now, what is my belief in God?". I had asked myself that question for the first time, in so many years. I had never before fully weighed that question in my head - it had just been an accepted fact of life for so long. And now, it felt as if my beliefs in God were shaking.

Still struggling to find a mid-way somewhere, an explanation that would make sense, an explanation that could tell once and for all, one way or the other. Perhaps it would make the loss a bit more bearable? But considering that these questions have been eluding philosophers for centuries, I do not know how probable it is, that I would strike gold in this pursuit.

PETITION FOR EQUALITY IN ACCOMMODATION

FOR
POST-GRADUATE MEN AND WOMEN

The Director
IIT Bombay
Mumbai – 400076

Date: July 23, 2010

Subject: Petition against disparity in accommodation for PG boys and
PG girls in our institute.

Dear Sir,

We, the undersigned, seek to bring to your notice that there is an acute disparity between the accommodation facilities extended to PG boys and PG girls in this institute. While male Ph.D. students are being granted a single room on Day 1 of their stay in the institute, female Ph.D. students are still awaiting their chance to get a single room, even in their second year. While male M.Tech/M.Sc students are getting a single room at the end of their first year, female M.Tech/M.Sc students are expected to stay in double rooms till the end of their tenure. Even in the case when M.Tech/M.Sc. students are expected to share a room (for emotional and moral support reasons), they should be expectedly sharing a double room, and not sharing a small single room.

The above facts bring out a pattern of (as yet unacknowledged) discrimination against PG girls. This discrimination, even if unintentional, is causing undue stress on research environment of PG girls and the facilities available to us, like messing facilities, bathrooms and other basic amenities.

The earlier petition that we wrote was addressed to Chairman, HCU, our request being that one of the smaller hostels (say, Tansa or new wing in H-12 or H-14) be released to us. However, nothing concrete has come out of it. We have only been assured that new building construction is set to start soon, and that our accommodation problems may be allieviated in a couple of years.

Our stress is more immediate and we can not wait another 2 years in the hope of new buildings (whose construction has not even commenced in the past whole year). It is our concern that, when male PG students are comfortably nested in single rooms, why should female PG students face such hardships? Any problems that prohibit Tansa/new wing allocation to girls, should be dealt with and resolved, instead of being wished away by abandoning PG girls to adjust with whatever is “available”.

Considering the urgency of the situation, we earnestly request you for an immediate redressal of the grievances of PG girls, and to take a stand on the issue of equal treatment for men and women in Post Graduate programmes in the institute.

Date: 23.07.2010

Yours sincerely,
Undersigned

Need some more time in life. Gimme more!

No more Bhopals. http://www.greenpeace.org/india/stop-another-bhopal

Every obstacle is an opportunity for research.