WHY YOU SHOULD BE LOVING THE MESS??

Philips Idawu, England
"Sorry people but I have children to think about. My safety is more important than a medal"
Dani Samuels, Australia
"At the end of the day, this is sport. It is not worth risking your life"
Her Coach
"I'm sure that there wouldn't be a single parent of an athlete in Australia that is not concerned about their son or daughter going to these games"

THE INCIDENT THAT WAS

The commonwealth games 2010 for which we are the oganizers, has earned enough wrath from almost all quarters and from everybody who knows about the CWG.
Frantic work is underway in Delhi to get the games village ready and restore the damage it has done to the pride and confidence of being an Indian.
What the country wants the hundreds of civil servants and the officials placed by direct intervention fron the highest offices is exactly this. Restoring the pride and confidence of being Indian.
Because this is no hidden fact that most Indians are in love with their country.
We are proud of it, right?

I am quite confident that the games will go from one hurdle to another and stumble to the finishing line and end up with enough applause and praise.
But there is something worth noting here.
On the surface it seems that the events have followed much the same order as every scam or scandal follows in the country. It started off with a 'LEAK' followed by the media sensationally reporting every minor and major glitch, there was wide coverage of the unspeakable irregularities in accounts and costing(What I prefer to call 'Their corruption').
Then were the usual denials and ridiculous statements that seem to be blurted out under pressure and in a hurry and the statesman realizing his mistake after being scathed upon in almost all public circles. Case in point Mr. Jaipal Reddy and CWG OC General Secretary Lalit Bahnot.
Then came the chance of 'THE PUBLIC'. With war cries for justice and loud demands for rounding up of those responsible for swindling the public money, refered to as 'MY MONEY' by many.
The amusing and the annoying round of satiric self mockery we Indians love to inflict upon ourselves (Hum toh aise hi hain).
Everything has happened and the games will happen too.

THE REAL OPINIONS

But there's one thing very different this time.
This is the first time we all stand exposed as a country in all our naked glory  in front of the world. We have these definite 'eccentricities' and 'diferences' that we rave about and in which the world gladly follows suit in easier times.
But this is one time when that filthy street, that clogged basin, that unflushed lavatory and that stray dog isn't going to pass as a small under note in a foreign tourist's travelogue which is otherwise filled with the usual stories of being bamboozled by the country's uniquenes.
Doesn't the talk of Mind boggling diversity, the mad rush and colors of daily life, the struggle of human life in its most glorious and bizarre forms...all of this...doesn't it sound cliched to you in the light of these new shots of criticism when the world is actually telling you that "how they feel about you?"
We have been too smug and happy about how we are labelled by the developed nations to really care about what we have really become.
The way most of us have it in our minds is this..
If they find us good enough to visit so much and write books upon then there must be something in us right..Now we can't say exactly what that is but it must be something about the old mysticism, our mythology, our vedanta, our ancient roots of knowledge and virtue, our sadhus, our colorful dresses, our villages and all that usual crap.

But this smugness has been hurt this time and well hurt.
This is the number one reason that I'm loving this mess.
"India shouldn't have been awarded the CWG, it was a mistake in the first place"
"I think the indians have learnt a lesson, and we have too"
"The risk of hygiene and falling ill is way too great. i'd prefer to stay back"

How does it feel to listen to these statements.
Yes, we really are that bad. This is what they actually think of us.
Because when you are the small developing underdog nation with a billion plus population and they find you entertaining, they are all praises.
But when you try to raise your heads up and try to show them you TOO can do it. Its time to put you back in your place. You are being judged now, as equally and harshly as they'd judge a competitor. And if you fall short, then you'll be reminded your place.
When the peasant starts sending his son to the school and talks about his son studying as well as the zamindar's son, you know that we have a problem at hand.
The world loves this faltering, suffering and somehow running country of ours.
But we were staging this time. On a scale as grand as theirs. And there was no room for compalcency in that.

WORLD CLASS...CHALTA HAI KYA?

This is the lesson we ought to learn from this. The lesson is not for the corrupot official who okayed a 600 rupees per day chair or a 1500 rupees per day xerox machine. But for us, for everybody who cares.
It is time to buckle up yourself and work towards those standards that are considered world-class.
World-class is one word we use in a really fickle manner.
Now is the time to realize what it means and work for it.
We always carry on with our "chalta hai" attitude AND take pride in it. But ask yourself..Reaaly...Chalta hai kya??
Jab sikka duniya ke saamne rakkha ho mere dost, toh NAHI chalta hai..!!
When you stumble thorugh those college courses without ever knowing the love for the subject, ask yourself Chalta hai kya?
When you talk like don't care how that college fest turns out to be in the end, Ask yourself Chalta hai kya??
When you talk in disparaging tones about that Prof. who probably worked his whole life teaching dumb heads like us..ask yourself "Chalta hai kya?"
When you get through that Project and the Project report without ever breaking a sweat over it and ever doing a bit of honest work in it...Ask yourself Chalta hai kya??

There are numerous other such conditions when you can ask yourself this question at a personal level. I have no intentions of askking this to myself when i see a blatant corrupt act in front of me that i can do nothing about, but yes, i'll ask it when i know that its in my control.
Every single time you realize the answer that "Nahi chalta hai" and work to do things the best way you can. you'll bring this country closer to a time when the world won't raise fingers on that filthy nakedness because ther won't be any of it.

WE ARE THE WORLD, WE ARE THE CHILDREN

I believe that we are what makes this nation. You, Me and the hundreds of other engineers, students, teenagers who may not all end up being an IIT'ian but WILL have a role in running this country.
Well the IIT'ians will as usual be busy with their accounts and banks but I don't give a damn for them.
I am working in a PSE and have met people from many other government organizations. These are the people who have done good work for years at their individual level even when surrounded by compalcence and non-working peers.They are the handfuls who have made technology and resources available to their country when they were needed.
There achievenebts may not be sung over like an IITian rubbing his ass on a polished silicon valley floor or on the 113th floor of a Bank headquarter, but the work they have done holds its own importance in mine and your life.
And no, they were not the best by some stamp on their certificate. But by the one pursuit that sets them apart. The pursuit of excellence.

Let nobody raise a finger on the way you finish your small college project and a time will come when our mega construction projects wouldn't be questioned.
Lets stop treating roads as dustbins and spittons and we may well QUALIFY for their 'Standards of Hygiene'.
(And yes, I agree with Lalit Bahnot when he says that Westerners have a different standard of hygiene.)
Lets start caring about and trying to make every small initiative and event around us a success and the world will leave behind its skepticism when it comes to organising mega events in India.


I don't know why I sound more and more like its a 'CALL TO ARMS' but the way I feel about it, I think that figuratively, I am ready for the battles..:)
And no, I am not chauvinistic. This is my country and this is my WORLD, we are all in this together (this second part is cliched but fitting..:).
Don't call it Chauvinism..

RUMBLE TIME

The activities for synchronization of Unit 2 of Dariba Smelter Complex are just reaching a peak. The site is bustling up to its usual rush as it always happens before this important milestone.

During the day everywhere you go in the Power plant, you can see welders busy intently upon some big steam lines perched atop them with a safety belt. Grinders and fitters with their strange merchandise trying to give the final touches to recent mechanical joints. The insulation guys wearing there masks and spraying or wrapping the corrosive glass wool and asbestos around the equipments for saving the heat.

It always reminds me of those hollywood scenes of factories with dim yellow lights, people wearing helmets and face masks, sparks flying off everywhere with gas cutting or welding and the constant sound of metal on metal.
The sounds are a mixture of sonorous "tang tang" of metal striking metal, the critter and buzz of grinders and the intermittent shouting with most of the communication being done with hand gestures or lip reading.

There is plan to run the Condensate Extraction Pumps(CEP) and the Turbine Bypass valves. So we will be quite busy ensuring the needed protections and monitoring systems for them.
Maybe we'll be staying late at night.
There is plan for synchronization before the 30th of this month because the client is going to save a lot of tax money by declaring this project milestone in the current financial quarter.
Whatever the reason be, its always us who get caught in between these deadlines. Luckily, this time we have sufficient staff and manpower so things will go smoothly without any delays. But there are unforesenn things, You never know when a small cog in the wheel decides to go its own way and the whole bandwagon comes to a standstill. Hope nothing of this sort happens.

I am afraid this post won't make much sense but I just want you to feel this situation I am in. The machinery at work and all the human effort going into it at different levels is a quite fascinating process. Everybody keeps asking questions.
The welders, fitters and other workers are generally from distant places and have no idea about the power plant but they know that something big is round the corner and that they may well get a break when its over.
"Sir kab tak ho jayega sincrozation?"(When will the synchronization get over?)
"Sir bijli paida kab karne lagega plant?"(When will the plant start producing electricity?)
"woh line humne jod diya hai, nahi fatega aap chinta mat kariye?"(That weld is complete, don't worry, it won't leak?)

These are not nice places to be at. Accidents happen, Machines fail, People die but the work doesn't stop.
The last site I was at was near Jhansi. The work there got delayed after our control room caught fire and then the Chimney being built by NBCC(National Building Construction Corporation) collapsed.
Thats the reason I am here now.. :o
Thats a funny story too. Later..:)

Let the rain touch that Heart again

THE LITTLE THINGS

Its amazing how a few small things can brighten up a day and make you feel so contented.
A call from an old friend you always love to talk to but never quite find a way to speak out everything, a reassurance from your mummy, seeing a small squirrel nibbling on a nut under the shade of a tree or just simply finding that urge to run like you used to run in school as a little kid wearing those ridiculous blue half-pants..

It doesn't take much to be happy sometimes. These are the times when your mind shuts itself off from all the bigger problems of your life, your family, country and the world. Though rare, these presumably, are the moments of bliss that poets talk about.
With all that keeps happening around the world, and if you are in the habit of staying in touch with news or newspapers, it is very likely to lose your peace of mind. I believe that there is something better for us to do than worrying over everything. And something far better than writing sarcastic or satirical remarks about it on Facebook..(It happens with all of us:)
hen this happens what I do is to start doing something that I love to do.
There are so many things to be done. I always wanted to learn guitar, play basketball, do some cycling, make a 3D model in 3DS Max, learn a new programming language, go in-depth into DSP and learn about embedded programming....
This list goes on and on.

THE RAINS

When I was in college I always tried to do such things and now that I get so little time, I really feel I should have used my time better. I did accomplish a few of these things but only partially. I so much want to have that same kind of time.
My college is in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Its name is NERIST. It was a beautiful place and I always loved walking through the green pathways.

There was the tree lined road at the entrance from where you could see the mountains beyond the horizon if there weren't the white clouds, the single tree by the playground with its characteristically round foliage, the bamboo shoots going high up in the air, the rain pouring suddenly on a shiny day and the couples moving about in their colored umbrellas.

These all were the sights that touched my heart as I would sometime walk alone back to my home or the hostel. Besides its beauty the place had a lot more and its own share of strange problems.
I don't think students anywhere else  find themselves in a place so bewildering. But there is a lot i can talk about this, maybe some other day.

OF PASSIONS AND LOVE

I always used to tell all my friends and juniors, even seniors and almost anyone who would listen, that we all need to have some passions, be awed by somethings and pursue a mastery in something that we love to do. Getting excited by almost everything new comes naturally to me and I always wonder that why doesn't everybody want to do these things.

Why do they find it more interesting to just sit playing a computer game, watching a movie or just finishing up a bottle of Vodka.(Not that I have anything against Vodka).?I don't want to sound too self righteous and holier than thou because I have wasted more time in the first two of above three things than most people.
But I just think that all of our lives can be far better if we learn to find our passions and start pursuing them. I don't recommend leaving studies aside to do that. Studying must be on the passion-list of a would-be-engineer.
When you actually do something of your own, its a great feeling.
The first time I made my guitar sound cool enough, it was awesome. The first time my 3D model resembled a human head, it was awesome. These are the things I love to look back and think that maybe someday, I'll do them again.
Find such a thing for yourself and work for it.
Find a common goal among your friends and work for it.
Its great learning and sharing.
Let the rain touch your heart again

I'll try to tell you more about the things I loved doing or love to do and if they match with yours then let me know, Maybe  I could help you to start something off..:)

I am in my good enlightened mood today and don't feel like cursing the world, It feels good.
Hope you find that peace and joy often too. I say often, because it can't be everlasting.

PS

We talked after such a long time like old friends.....it was great.

Mummy was pretty convinced that things will be alright.

That squirrel looked really great nibbling those nuts.

I actually ran all the way from the site to the office in the wind.

I played the riff of 'One last breath' by Creed and it sounded good enough.

Touch-wood, it all happened today..:)

Commonwealth and Corruption: Sweat and the Mud slinging

It is time that This generation, Your and Mine, lifts itself above these distractors.

Our generation does not define itself by age but by the fact that it is hopeful and it is ready to fight in the face of skepticism and hopelessness. You maybe 14 or 40 but if you believe in the cause of our nation and society and are ready to leave irresponsible commentary on our fate as a nation aside, then THIS is your generation.

The last few days have seen a lot of screaming and shouting about the commonwealth games. Most of the voices are joining in to sing the usual chorus of "corruption corruption".Let us go into a little analysis and retrospection.

THE SWEAT FOR THE STARTERS

The Commonwealth games is the biggest sporting event that our country is going to host. A lot of hard work has gone in ensuring that we are ready when the moment comes. Hosting an event of this magnitude could not be a simple job.
It starts with the government deciding on a core body to look after the event. This body in this case is the OC CWG 2010 (Organising Committee) which came into being on 10 February 2005.
This committee now has to draft the plan and get a budget approval. The budget that got approved in this case is Rs. 1620 crores..That is meagre by most standards. The budget for a 500 MW Power plant that BHEL sets up is around Rs. 2000 crores.
The members now set out to decide on the site, design and construction of the Commonwealth village.
The village needs to have sports compounds, living facilities and every other facility needed to host the biggest delegation of a CWG ever.
There's also the construction of new sport facilities and renovation of the existing facilities to host the maximum number of countries (73) and the maximum number of events (285) of any CWG ever.
There are tenders to be floated, contracts to be awarded and most importantly start of the work. The construction itself.
There are hundreds of contractors and sub contractors involved in the work which requires officials to coordinate and monitor them. This is when the committee requests more officers and expands its staff.

Besides the game, Delhi has to put up a shining face to the world for which work has been going on for last 5-6 years and which is quite evident in the city now.
One such job was the building of the Power projects for the Commonwealth which involved  NTPC's 2X490MW Dadri project. This was completed in really good time by BHEL and NTPC. I got to be a part of that project during the synchronisation activities of the first of the two units in November 2009.
While we were busy in initial synchronization, media was busy declaring that the units were in production since March 2009.That showed me that these idiots know zilch and you don't have to wait for them to put thoughts in your head.
There's Metro work going on, revamping of the international airport, induction of eco friendly CNG buses and a lot more.
All this requires an immense amount of work and I can vouch for it that a lot of government departments have been working day and night out to fulfill all this. Work has been going on in most PSU's like never before. At BHEL we haven't had even a week full of relaxation just because of the work.
This country and its people are working like never before to really show the world that the success story they have been hearing about in this last decade is not hollow, That we as a collective people are capable of presenting something grand and worth watching to the rest of the world and that this is just the beginning we are making for ourselves.
This was the story of the SWEAT that went into it.

NOW THE MUD SLINGING

The media started its smear campaign without any regard for what this self mockery will get us. We all know there's corruption in our country...so is Honor Killing,Incest, Infidelity, child molestation, rape and corruptions of various other kinds.
I have a view that corruption is not to be synonymous just with bureaucracy or Govt departments or your ticket challans or the little paid traffic policeman.
What about the corruption in our values...?

We are lucky enough to study in an engineering college but we find it fun to download and spread obscene MMS, SMS and talk obscenely about almost anything female..Thats corruption.

This country loses the so called 'cream-of-cream' of its technology people to banks and big foreign corporations...Thats corruption.

Our musicians and artists find it hard to write or compose about anything other than love and encase it smoothly in vulgar displays of lust(video remixes)..Thats corruption.

We as teenagers and youngsters find it hard to shake off the "i don't mind you don't matter" attitude in spite of the fact that a whole lot of us have little to worry about except maybe our latest hairstyle or whether that new jeans would match those converse shoes..Thats corruption

The commonwealth games is like any other Govt funded activity. Nobody knows how much money has been misappropriated or gone to someone's bank except maybe the media's "trusted sources".
So why such a hue and cry over it?

STOP THE CRY..LETS FLY..!!

It is time that This generation, Your and Mine, lifts itself above these distractors.
Our generation does not define itself by age but by the fact that it is hopeful and it is ready to fight in the face of skepticism and hopelessness. You maybe 14 or 40 but if you believe in the cause of our nation and society and are ready to leave irresponsible commentary on our fate as a nation aside, then THIS is your generation.

We have a long way to go. This is just the beginning.There'll be time when we find ourselves lost in hopelessness against all the dirt and the filthiness around. But we have to remember that its only the handful of dedicated and true people who are running this whole world in spite of everything.
All you can do is to strive to be like those handful and strengthen their hands. We need a quite revolution where each one of us resolves to be a little more understanding towards not just our own needs but others' too.We need to resolve that we will give our hearts and souls to our jobs and work and do it in the best interest of the society.
Remember, a good job well done to your own satisfaction is always a contribution to the society.
And most important of all, lets stop blabbering about the corruption that you and I can do nothing about. Lets start talking about the corruption we can do something about. I listed a few. You may know more.

Lets rise as one people and take pride in hosting the biggest ever Commonwealth Games. Lets make this our rallying point, the starting point for a long and hard marathon.

How many roads must a boy walk down

The title is a little take on one of my favourite songs 'Blowing in the Wind' by Bob Dylan.

It has good meaningful lyrics which talk about so many different things in the form of just single lines.

How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man

How many seas must a white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand

How many times must the cannon-balls fly, before they forever abandon

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind

The answer is blowing in the wind

He almost makes you believe that the answer is REALLY blowing in the wind.

The song talks about more issues that must have caught the thoughts of a singer with a poet's soul in his days. Some of them sound still relevant.

Times change so fast these days that it seems you have lived through two different ages. I am 23 years old now and i remember the time when i used to write letters to my father as a 10 year old. Once in every week Mummy would sit to dictate a letter and it would take me a good long time to write it all. Writing letters suddenly became extinct with the coming of mobile phones, emails and social networking.

I do miss writing those letters. There was a friend i had to whom i wrote quite a few letters during my initial years of college and received a few too. Those were simpler and easier times when my thoughts were simpler too.

Now so much has changed. Everything is so packaged and has layer on layer over them. Not just things, but people too.Everybody's preferences, moods, friends, dreams and thoughts keep changing.The contradictory times we have lived through in the Indian society as the teenagers of late nineties and the millenium has left us in a state where it is pretty hard to make up your mind about almost everything.

Our economy grew at never before rates, Indian businesses found strong foothold in the world markets, Suddenly everybody has money to spend and splurge like never before.

Rich got an altogether new meaning. Everything from our homes to our roads looks snazzy these days.

Then there was the sudden breaking free of our inhibitions, remixes and music videos designed to make you feel nothing but plain lust. The arrival of MMS scandals, Downright appaling reality shows and clones of them. The growth of a parallel culture in our big Metros where relationships are as fragile today as they are racy, or atleast that is what they are made to look like.

The growth of Indian diaspora and a sudden realization that we may well be behind almost everything big that has ever been done in this world.

All this and more has happened.

But i firmly think that its just a shaky beginning. We are not a strong breed of people when it comes to achieving consistently high targets by working to our strengths. We have no desires except the most basic and carnal ones and we strive for nothing more than trumping the neighbor.

That is the case with most of us.

And 'Most of us' is what makes our society.

I am delving deeper.
It looks murkier from here
For secrets there's a keeper
Maybe i'll see someone down there