It rained quite unexpectedly, but I enjoyed it

You know, it rained today, here at Pune. The October heat had been punishing in its intensity so far, and the respite given by the rain gods was quite welcome. Just as it began pouring, I went downstairs to unlock my bike and leave it out in the rain, so it could get washed. I got drenched in the process of course, but then, being with you for two years has not been a period devoid of learning.

I have learnt to appreciate the beauty of rains in this city - the intensity, the aftermath, everything. I have only heard you describe your love of the rain - how, contrary to a lot of others' feelings for it, you actually enjoy watching the downpour; how, instead of making you feel depressed by its gloominess, it actually enlivened you - so much so that once you went out with your niece and danced in the rain, but I can visualise your happy laughter. I am not similarly talented in the department of dancing, having, as I do, two left feet, but if I could, I would have because I actually celebrated the rain today - the first time in a long, long time.

For you, I hope that, wherever you are, you are blessed with a man who understands and cherishes you, and a warm home. Of course, having your home located in a beautiful area, with someone indulging you everyday with your morning cup of "chai", newspapers, furniture with upholstery matching the house's decor - these would be nice too. I hope you're really, really happy, and get everything you wish for, because you deserve nothing less than that.

Occasional, torrential rains shouldn't hurt either.

The silent penance continues

I suppose it's okay to make this post as long as I don't disclose names and identify individuals. With that, let me go on.

He is simply unable to get on with his life. Sure, he goes to work and doesn't skip his daily and week-end routine, but I can see that his heart is simply not in it, except when he plays badminton with me. Otherwise, his face has that look which is all too readable to anyone who cares to notice. To wit, he has become a zombie.

I've stopped trying to tell him that she has now gone beyond his reach - you can't inform a man who already knows; you don't need to tell a fish which is out of water that it's going to die - it knows instinctively, but it can't stop thrashing all the same.

I can see him suffering silently. Sometimes, he sets off on his new bike and vanishes for an hour, but when he comes back, it's evident that he has gone on his "pilgrimage" - a visit to the places they used to frequent, and also her last places of residence. I've never seen him cry, and but for the tear stains, I wouldn't have known he was even capable of crying.

Sometimes, I point out to him that his "pilgrimage" does not seem to be helping him at all; that it only seems to deepen his pain. But he doesn't seem to listen, or maybe he feels that his pain is atonement for the grave mistake he'd committed. To him, she was the one, and the memory of how he'd let her go after her heart-breaking entreaties was painful to him beyond words.

I try not to judge him. After all, who can say what's the right thing - right and wrong are extremely subjective even otherwise, and more so in these cases. Especially when a man who has never cried since he passed out of school sobs in front of you, you don't want to be caught judging because his remorse is genuine, even if in vain.

My First Web Community Service ;-)

Today, I made my first ever technical post on the web - something that's not a reply to someone's question. I know it's no big deal, that there are people who have contributed so very much, but hey, I've got to make a beginning, ain't I? As a matter of fact, it's yet to be "approved" by a moderator and published, but I'm confident it will be. If you see a How-to article for connecting to Google Talk from Ubuntu (Dapper Drake) in the Ubuntu Forums, then you know it's me ;-)

The post should be available at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1871266&highlight=gtalk+http+proxy#post1871266

North Indians and other people with attitudes

A friend of mine, a staunch hater or anything N.Indian, recently pointed me to this post. As I read it, and I couldn't but help agree with most of the observations. Now, let me clarify: I'm not a hater of "Northies", as they are commonly known, but I do have certain reservations about the way they portray themselves. I also readily acknowledge that these observations are highly eneralised, and not all N.Indians are guilty of them. In fact, I have a few N.Indians with whom I get along without any problems, or with as many problems as I have with other Indians.

That said, their attitude towards S.Indians is ire-raising, to say the least. What tops the list is their expectation, no, that's too weak a word, demand that every S.Indian be able to speak Hindi. You know, as if it's a mandate. Hindi may be a national language, but a lot of the S.Indian languages are official languages too. And if English was good enough to be the language in which the constitution was drafted, then I suppose it should be good enough for anybody else in this country.

Equally irritating is their ignorant assumption that all S.Indians are Madrasis, and S.Indian food = idli sambar. It's possible to simply ignore it as the joke of ignoramuses, but what gets my goat is their mocking tone. Even if we assume all S.Indians live on idli and sambar (which they do not), what's it about chappathi and dhaal that makes it inherently superior? Dietary habits have probably evolved as a result of geographical conditions, physical energy needs, tastes, etc., so I find nothing funny about Rajasthanis eating bajra or Andhra people favouring pickles.

What's pitiful about all this is even some of my colleagues indulge in this stupidity. Of course, I should have known better than to assume that education bestows uncommon sense when reality screams otherwise. For, it's the educated people who think it's a sign of cleverness if they travel without tickets - the uneducated simply are unaware; it's the educated who know that bribery is wrong and still justify it by claiming "everybody does it" - the uneducated simply don't think enough to make such justifications; it's the educated who show a scanty disregard for corporate parking spaces - the uneducated are generally not rich enough to own vehicles; it's the educated who travel far and wide and litter all those places with their plastics - the uneducated are mostly content in their home towns.

People, let's try and understand this much - we've been given an education not because it's a means to earn more money, but because it gives us an opportunity to widen our horizons. We're all one species, albeit with inevitable individual differences. Instead of allowing these differences to divide us, it behooves us to learn to tolerate them at least, and respect them if we can. And as thinking beings, let's learn to talk civilly about our differences, not berate one another.