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Articles by varunsaboo
Posted Aug 16, 2009 | General | 331 Views   (Updated Aug 16, 2009 04:42 PM)

~Life Of The Future: 2358~

Ravi was suddenly wide awake. His alarm enabled bed had toppled over as soon as the clock struck 6:00AM. He was thrown violently on the floor and found himself being targeted by the water hose, yet another device that ensured he got up in time fo... Ravi was suddenly wide awake. His alarm enabled bed had toppled over as soon as the clock struck 6:00AM. He was thrown violently on the floor and found himself being targeted by the water hose, yet another device that ensured he got up in time for school.His mother’s patience had finally run out and she had ordered this contraption to make her son get up on time. Like all mothers, she was concerned about14-year old Ravi’s grades, education and future. “This is the 24th century”, she would begin, “There is a lot of competition and you need to be the best to succeed. Do you not wish to afford one of those huge houses on that new planet they have discovered? Do you not wish that you could one day book a NASA flight to Pluto, like the Mehtas next door? Let your wife and children decide whether Pluto is a moon or planet,while you play golf on its silky smooth surface.” Ravi would have to listen to this speech almost everyday. His robotic teacher, Robot Robert 3.0, had categorized him to be a “B” grade student. This meant that he got extra tutoring hours, more homework & more assignments as compared to hisneighbour, Arvind Mehta, who was an” A+” grade student. Robot Robert 3.0 had apparently spotted more of a spark in Arvind’s brain with his brain scanning UV- enabled eyes. Ravi sighed deeply and went into the bathroom. The constant nagging of his mother simply infuriated him. Heknew he wasn’t as stupid as the robot teacher made him out to be:- he had somehow managed to modify the dishwasher to be a tooth brusher as well. This saved him a crucial five minutes every morning, just enough to propel his flying car-cubicle into the schoolship before it locked its gates. Just before leaving for school, he swallowed his vitamin pill which ensured that he got his balanced diet of carbs, proteins, calcium, vitamins etc. for the day. Cooked food was passe and eaten only to please the taste buds. Schools had been replaced by schoolships in 2255, when the government decided that the robot teacher to student ratio should be 1:1. This was done to “personalize, synchronize & customize” the education process.However, in truth, it was being described as a system which turned the children into gloomy, drab social misfits of adults. After all, Robot Robert 1.0 & 2.0had only been able to cultivate the minds of students like how a machine implants intelligence into a computer chip. All the educated lot looked like standard factory products. But Robot Robert 3.0, the latest evolution of the robot teacher series, was vastly improved & guess what- it even had a sense of humour! Although, Ravi didn’t mind school, hemissed having other students in his class. While cruising in his Mercedes Z-Class flying car-cubicle,he had to ensure that he was flying 300 feet over sea level, below which theair was largely polluted. This was largely due to the reckless behaviour of his ancestors in the 20th & 21st century. Home windows below the 25th floor could not be opened due to the toxicity of theair outside. The air at ground level was acrid, pungent, and a deep, misty,pathetic grey. Playing sports like cricket on a normal outfield and football on lush green grass was no longer possible anywhere on the planet. But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. All major sporting events now took place on Mars. Everything remained the same- except one thing ofcourse: no team enjoyed “home advantage.” Ravi could not fathom how the Earth had accommodated 8 billion people at one point in time. Earth population reduction had been an important aim for all:- scientists,governments as well as the common man. Due to tremendous scientific progress,more than 5 billion people now resided in space or in little colonies on Mars.Life was more comfortable, peaceful & luxurious. But in this mechanical world of lightning fast scientific progress, there was an understated tinge of sadness, a tinge of melancholy which was unexplained. This world of the future was unnatural, the results of man’s attempts at playing God and creating a world. Defying the laws of nature,man had taken everything into his hands. Now, there was little to differentiate man from his creations of technology: the robots which controlled everything from the climate on Mars to the car-cubicles people traveled in. Man was edging closer and closer to disaster. But what would ultimately finish him off?Pollutants? Revolts from (suddenly independent thinking) robots? A stray meteorite? Or just plain old war? Man had always been a lover of destruction. But now he might just get a dose of his own medicine. Note:. Life in 2358 is shown in a basic way. I could not cover all areas like politics, agriculture, industry etc. It’s a basic overview of what I think it will be like. Read More
Posted Jul 10, 2009 | General | 331 Views   

*~You're Beautiful~*

The battle of Troy was fought over one woman:- the gorgeous Helen,lover of the youngest prince of Troy. The love for the beauty of thefairer sex has existed since time immemorial. Ancient Indian historyspeaks of the “Syayamvara”, a ceremony where... The battle of Troy was fought over one woman:- the gorgeous Helen,lover of the youngest prince of Troy. The love for the beauty of thefairer sex has existed since time immemorial. Ancient Indian historyspeaks of the “Syayamvara”, a ceremony wherein able suitors from landsfar & wide contested to win the hand of the maiden in holymatrimony. The young lady could command the suitors to perform any taskto prove to her that they were worthy of her. The man whom she thoughtto be the most courageous and witty, she chose as her groom. So, whatmakes all men go weak in the knees in the presence of a jaw droppinglybeautiful female? What turns even the most hardened disillusioned soulsinto blubbery jelly? Indeed, even though the great kings of the pastconquered all and sundry, they were themselves conquered by the beautyof some maiden or the other. Alas, men have not yet been able to defeat(or even resist) the subtle charms of a woman. So, what exactly makes a regular specimen of the female variety anethereal beauty? What makes her a “Dream Girl” so to speak? Why domen’s hearts flutter like energetic butterflies whenever she smiles ashy smile? Let us find the answers to those questions. Whether boys admit it or not, they are hugely fascinated (notnecessarily attracted) to girls since a very young age. No, I am notsuggesting romance between two stuttering infants in their nappies.What I mean is school time puppy love. It can be the girl who sits nextto him in class, or the one who’s like one of the boys on the footballfield. It goes without saying that boys in their formative years areguilty of having crushes on the most charming teacher on campus. Thatscenario can even make medieval history and the European Renaissanceinteresting and romantic. These childhood infatuations are the firstpangs of love that a budding and growing boy experiences. At thisstage, a boy is enamored and love struck by his “childhood sweetheart.”The girl’s innocence and carefree nature make her lovable to heradmirer(s). Next comes the college stage. No, it hardly is like how they show it incult movies like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or American Pie. KKHH is way toocorny and American Pie…. Well, great if you have a life like that. Thecollege going girl is beautiful because she shares the growing up pangsthat everyone faces. This is probably the first serious relationshipmost people enter into. The joys of committing to the unknown andventuring into different, mysterious and often forbidden paths with agirl who promises him happiness for a lifetime makes her beautiful. Sheis childish, mature, sensible & fun loving all at the same time.She has the capacity to make even the most mundane things seemromantic: getting wet in the first rains of the year, sitting on theterrace as the day gives way to dusk and twilight. Love and beauty surely extends to something more than physicalattraction. After all, beauty is only skin deep. The nature of thegirl, her ability to let her hair down and have a good time, hervulnerable smiles, her cocky yet shy nature enthrall everybody. She isa thief; a lovable thief of hearts that is. Moving on in life, the gay abandon of youth gives way to a more maturebeauty. She is beautiful because she has a sensible head on hershoulders, she commands respect by close ones and casual acquaintancesalike. She can hold her own in any conversation and can debate evenwith the most seasoned arm chair intellectuals. She is lovely becauseshe can make a young man not want to look at any other girl in his lifeever again. The heady passion of younger days is replaced with a morecompassionate loveliness, one that is no less endearing. Ultimately, at all ages and levels, it is the mysterious nature andadoringly whimsical attitude of the maiden that make her a timelessbeauty. Her twin dark pools of eyes should communicate more than athesis ever could. Her bashful vulnerability in the good times and herstrength to bear and support her beloved in the rough times make herbeautiful. Like fine wine, she only gets better with age. She is a farcry from the rest of the world, who seem to be rushing forever in noparticular direction. Time with her stands still and is agonizinglyenjoyable. She is a heady cocktail of physical beauty, intellectualwisdom, spiritual peace and angelic understanding. The world is at herfeet. She makes the world go round. That’s what makes her beautiful . PS- I had Katrina Kaif's image in my mind as I wrote this. ;-) Read More
Tags: love woman beauty beautiful
Posted Jul 07, 2009 | General | 304 Views   

*~ What I Dont Want To Do When I grow Up*~

Deciding one’s profession is perhaps the most important decision youthhave to make. As soon as you are out of school as an adolescent,everyone begins to ask to that one question: “So, what career do youwant to pursue?” You are expected to know th... Deciding one’s profession is perhaps the most important decision youthhave to make. As soon as you are out of school as an adolescent,everyone begins to ask to that one question: “So, what career do youwant to pursue?” You are expected to know the answer well before youare eighteen years old. Well meaning uncles advise you to assist yourfather in the family business, your own father wants you to become thebest software engineer there is and join Bill Gates at Microsoft. Yourmother, who has seen you grow up in front of her eyes, wants you topursue painting, which is very close to your heart. But there is onefield which is absolutely no one recommends: politics. And withvery good reason. Yes, I do not want to be a politician once I grow up.Politics nowadays is a field littered with scavengers, vultures whowant their share of the pie before the Motherland can have hers. Thepeople themselves have lost faith in the system of governance, with ourdemocracy being labeled as a joke. Yes, we are considered to be theworld’s biggest democracy with the maximum number of voters. But thenMuslim leaders target the Islamic population and Hindu fanatic leadersare no less, embarking on a campaign of Hindutva. Local parties want tooust all the North Indian population from Mumbai, claiming they takeaway the local’s right to employment and space of dwelling. When thecountry’s own leaders want to divide the masses on grands of religion,faith, caste, greed, race or belief, you can understand that the stateof governance in the country is poor. The country’s political system isat war with itself, almost choking on the level of bureaucracy and redtapism that exists. Politics in our country has been reduced to nothing more than a blamegame. The Parliament has begun to resemble a crowded fish market, withno one listening to the other person. Thus, in such a condition it isnot advisable to take up politics. You will lose all that is close toyou, your morals, your conscience and your values. The system will notallow you to survive otherwise. To be the proverbial lotus in the dirtylake will be increasingly difficult in times to come. I do not want tobe a corrupt politician leading my country to certain doom. I want tohelp from the outside, without involving myself in the faltered systemwhich could not prevent the terror attacks in November despite beingwarned. There is now certain anger in the masses towards thegovernments it needs to be channelised in a positive way. More politics, back biting, bureaucracy and blaming is not the answer.It is time we ourselves from organizations to solve the country’sproblems and help the poor and needy. Taking active interest in thewell being of society is a fundamental duty of every citizen. If weeducate ourselves and others effectively about this, I am sure Indiacan rise and shine. India will once again be the golden songbird of theworld. I will forever be devoted to the service of my country. As I sayin my pledge to the country daily: - “To my country and my people, Ipledge my devotion. In their well-being and prosperity, alone lies myhappiness Read More
Tags: politics youth
Posted Jun 21, 2009 | General | 260 Views   

~The Saga Of The Seven Hundred~

They stared across the vast, seemingly unending plains. A band of menassembled from the barracks many, many miles away stood silently astheir General presided over the assembly in a sober mood. They hadtraveled across great mountain ranges, navig... They stared across the vast, seemingly unending plains. A band of menassembled from the barracks many, many miles away stood silently astheir General presided over the assembly in a sober mood. They hadtraveled across great mountain ranges, navigated through rough riversand marched through treacherous forests. This difficult journey to theborders of the empire had been undertaken to defend the land againstthe invaders who were threatening to capture their motherland. Whenthey had set out on horseback with abundant supplies and the blessingsof their king, they were upbeat and filled to the brim with a sense ofjoy in their hearts that only comes when one is defending his country.But a treacherous march had reduced the strength of their cavalry toonly 700 men of the original 1000. Three hundred young soldiersperished due to foul diseases carried by the mosquitoes of the forestsin The Great Unknown. The regiment now stood in battle gear a night before the war. Thecustomary parle between the opposing Generals had failed and the twoarmies would go to war with the first light of dawn, which was only anhour or so away. General Patrick Williams looked at the assortment thatmade up his small battalion of 700 men. The opposing army, camped 10miles away on the plains were easily around 5000. General Williams was preparing for the customary speech that a Generalgives before a battle. The mood of his soldiers was dismal &gloomy- they knew they were heading straight into the jaws of death. Heneeded to muster up courage in their hearts, fill their blood withadrenaline so that they could at least ensure that their end came asheroes and not as cowards running from the scene of battle. “I have led you through swamps, forests & mountains to the veryedges of the empire. The odds are against us but I hope that the Godswill smile upon us as we aim to defend our motherland against invaderswho outnumber us greatly. They hope to conquer our land with theirbloodlust. But let us show it to them now that the love for ourmotherland is a heady tonic- one that will be an able match to theirbloodlust. We are defending the king’s honour and the sovereignty of themotherland. If these invaders win the battle before adequatereinforcements arrive then havoc will be wrecked and the demons willdescend upon our lands with all their fury. These invaders will lustafter our women, make our brothers their slaves and drag our king tothe Town Gallows in their city like a common thief. Each one of you hasthe power within you to help avert this fate. Fight hard, fight withhonour and fight bravely. Fight till the last drop of blood remains inyour body, till the last bone supports you and till your swords arecloaked with the blood of the enemy. Let the skies witness a display ofextraordinary bravery by my men. May this land forever remember theintense fight that is about to ensue today. If they strike at you, hit them doubly hard; an eye for an eye willblind us faster. We need to strike at both their eyes before they cansnatch one of ours. Let their messengers carry news to their countrythat we are not just men, we are lions.” With that, the sun rose in the east and war was declared. “Charge”,General Williams yelled as he raised his silver sword to the skies- onethat would be cloaked with blood very soon. His army tore across theplains to face their enemy. Yes, the sky did bear witness to alionhearted display and the land yet shudders at the memory of those700 lions. They achieved the impossible. They claimed victory, and withit, immortality as the finest of the King’s men. Read More
Tags: war courage
Posted Dec 21, 2008 | General | 344 Views   

~ Just Another Face~

You saw him in the corridors of middle school, one of the many faces who highlight your days of growing up, when the only thing that mattered was who scored the most goals in a football match. You'll were friends, often helping each other with ev... You saw him in the corridors of middle school, one of the many faces who highlight your days of growing up, when the only thing that mattered was who scored the most goals in a football match. You'll were friends, often helping each other with everything that a teenage boy needs help with: homework, girls, money and so on and so forth. But as high school came along, you realised how some of your friends were just drifting apart: different career and persoanl choices were leading to differences between friends. In a couple of years, you ddint' even speak to the person who was supposedly your friend. He was little more than a memory in the background of your mind, little more than a photograph where all the students of grade seven were posing in school uniform. Life carried on, you never bothered to halt and think asto what happened to your friend: the one who leneded you money when you forgot to bring lunch, the one who helped you copy in the shitty maths test, the one who you got high with after the end-pf-middle-school party. Life carried on, you ddin't bother....and yet another of your friends went into the background of your life.....someone who cared about you died the most miserable death of all: the death of indifference. So, reach out to all your friends when they are around you - bonds take years to form but only a little indifference or misunderstanding to render them completely destroyed. So, what do you want? Friends who are nothing more than a memory of sunny corrdors and football grounds or real friends, the ones who are in the foreground of your life. Read More
Tags: school
Posted Dec 21, 2008 | General | 277 Views   

~The Sad irony Of It All~

I am now 27 years old. The last decade of my life has been more of a puzzle than anything else: my inability to find a high paying secure job leading to a subsequent investment in the risky stock exchanges meant that I am now in hot water financi... I am now 27 years old. The last decade of my life has been more of a puzzle than anything else: my inability to find a high paying secure job leading to a subsequent investment in the risky stock exchanges meant that I am now in hot water financially. I got caught out in the recession, quite badly, in fact. Now, all I have is a wife who has made a habit of nagging and a three year old daughter who cannot have the same disney toys her friends have. My heart bleeds. Helplessness and self-pity are the emotions I often indulge in. Suddenly, when Im having a smoke in the sorry excuse of a loving room, I get the urge to check my old email account. I hadn't checked that id in ages, I used it in junior college for instant messaging. As I waited for my outdated pc to load my inbox, I thought of my friends. And what life must have dished out to them over the course of the last ten years. Lazy times spent in their comapny came back to me. Over the course of time, we had spiralled away into different orbits. As I browsed through my inbox, mostly filled with spam, walking down memory lane became an attractive option. Suddenly, I came across this one mail from an old friend. It had been sent four days back and it spoke of a reunion of our junior college group. It was going to be in two weeks' tme at this friends' house. I had lost touch with him too over the last few years. the last I heard he had married his girlfriend whom he met in the UK while doing his MBA. I checked his address: a fancy and posh locality with the best of infrastructure. No run-down suburb for him I guess. Lucky him. I felt a twang of envy, but the desire to meet my friends quickly overrode it. I wanted to call him and tell him that I'd be there, but decided on a simply email reply. But a few days before the reunion, I wasn't so sure. Would my receeding hair line, protruding beer belly and my general failue in professional life make me a misfit as comapred to these cororate success stories?WouldI be the laughing stock at this gathering of perfect people? My flaws seemed to jump out at me. Would my friends, who once held me close to their heart, now find me an unattractive burden and a failure? Nagging doubts plagued my mind. My ego made me look at myself as a perenially unsuccessful and luckless man. As I sat deciding what to wear for the party a day before, I realised I had only two choices: an old shirt that would have been in vogue when The Jurassic Park released. No, not the sequel. The original. The other was a T-shirt which had "non-branded" written all over it. Some choice , that! Also, the question of what to gift the host was a big worry. I could not afford a classy expensive champagne, nor could I go empty handed. I decided on a low-cost photoframe with a photo of all us friends taken in the good 'ol days. I was nervous and anxious about the prospects of the evening. i was so uncoordinated and perturbed that I actually made it to my friend's house an hour earlier. Deciding to surprise him, I made my way to his room. What I saw there stunned me: my friend, looking 15 years older than he should, was lying down on the bed. With a doctor beside him! What the doctor said shocked me further. He said, "Son, you have about a month. Make the most of it. But dont strain yourself too much. This cancer is not very kind. As your baldness may have proved you, it does not even spare the hair.Take Care." My eyes welled with tears. So this is why he wanted all of us to be there! His last dance, his swansong,was all that he had left. He had no fight left in him and he did not want to go down as a loser. Right then, I saluted his spirit and realised the triviality of my problems as compared to the mortal perils and pains he was going through. I slipped out quickly, not wanting him to know that I knew. A burden was lifted off my head as I saw the happiness in my friend's face as he partied with us through the night. But I also noticed the tiredness and gloom. Right then, I decided to fight back stronger and make my life better as well. By watching my friend die, I had learnt how to live. The sad irony of it all........... Read More
Tags: life Philosophy College
Posted May 26, 2008 | General | 425 Views   

~Varun's Blog~ (the winner)

On a cold, cloudy morning in November he found himself on the tennis court playing. It felt good to be back, he thought. He had been away from the courts for almost a year and this was his big return - the tryouts for the college team. He was rus... On a cold, cloudy morning in November he found himself on the tennis court playing. It felt good to be back, he thought. He had been away from the courts for almost a year and this was his big return - the tryouts for the college team. He was rusty and it showed. The serves were not accurate enough, the legs were almost impossibly slow. After almost half an hour of playing like a shadow of what he previusly was, the coach called him aside and said, "Look, I know its tough for you....but I can give you one week. Son, sometimes in life you should know when to give up. Maybe this is one of those times. Come back in a week if you think you yet have it within you to succeed." "Maybe I should back off ",he thought. "Maybe this isn't my cup of tea, its like I'm out of my league." The long ride back home was dreary, it seemed life had snatched way the one thing he loved: playing tennis. When he reached home, his mother understood form his long drawn face hwta must have transpired at the selection. She felt heartbroken for her son, but told him to train hard for next week. He decided to accept her advice ; he should consider this as the proverbial olive branch I the storm and grab it with both hands. And train he did. His father and he would spend hours together trying to get the lost power back in his hands and he mentally strenghthened himself using meditation. In a couple of days, his confidence grew and he began attacking the ball instead of merely running around trying to play it. He fekt he was getting there, but time was short. The big day arrived: the coach would watch him play against the under-16 district level runner up and decide whether he was good enough. There were butterflies in his stomach as he tossed the ball high for the serve. SWISHH his racquet hit the yellow ball square in the midde and yes, it was, a true blue ACE! After almost 40 minutes of intense polaying, he got the better of his opponent and defeated him fair and square. He had made the college team....for two years ina row. This time it was all the more special because he had not been able to run for almost 10 months after his accident. He had lost both his legs and now had managed the feat on artificial limbs for the legs. He cried the tears of oy, of celebration and this was the happiest he had ever felt since the amputation. He felt ready for the upcoming tournament and looked at his artificial legs ; the faith, the hope in his eyes that he would emerge triumphant was clearly visible. Read More
Tags: tennis sports games
Varun Saboo
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