Odisha - the 8th Continent

The title is no weirdo for those who moved to Odisha on some purpose like tour, education, et al.

There are some reasons!. Its one of the few places where there is no difference between potato and meat. Differently put in, It is the only place on the earth, where you find Chicken, mutton, fish in potato curry!!. I sometimes feel that people don't like to serve others. I always think why Odisha is still considered a poor state, given the mineral prosperity and large cultivable land with vast water resources. Though I didn't get a clear explanation for myself, I weigh the cause on the attitude and system of Odia life, their reluctance to new cultural, technical and methodical invasions. To the fact, only 2 % of entire population are Muslim and 2.4 % Christians(94.3 % are Hindu).

Odisha's roadside vendors never try to learn much. They are always content with what they get. Once it happened that, Himanshu wanted a dozen bananas, he asked the vendor "what is the price of a single banana?", the reply was Rs5. Himanshu asked the vendor, "I will take 12 bananas, sell me at Rs50".Here comes the immediate a big 'NO' from the vendor and goes on proclaiming "I will not sell bananas a rupee less". What we found is, they are letting the fruits rot, but not selling a rupee less. Till now we are unable to crack the "marketing or selling" strategy of these vendors.

I am not showing my sarcasm here. I am just relating to the behavioral aspect of some people, I come across the street. They never smile at a stranger, never do they say hello. I personally feel that Odisha should open up and be able to provide good hospitality and service. Though tourism is a large industry here, you don't find much development on the line. People here don't like competitiveness which I don't understand why.

I have been staying here since 2009. If I commemorate my past, Only a few moments I was happy about being in Odisha. though few moments relate to awesome Odia 'sweets', time spent with friends at IIT and wildness of Odisha. You will surely enjoy going to beaches and staying there at sunset. I explored places around Bhubaneswar only. I would like to visit  Sambalpur and Dhenkanal which have huge forest reserves. I know some the people whom I really like to be with and associate.

The above are some of the some of the problems we face in Odia, I guess some of Odia acquaintances also feel the same. A change in conduct, opening up to the wind of progression.

I guess to understand Odisha, I should be part of Odisha which I never gave a thought. From today, I find myself a way to be part and lead a happy go life in Odisha.

Preetam if you reading this, this isn't about your kind of people. You are really good.

The 8th continent 

Choice & Decision...

“Alice came to a fork in the road. 'Which road do I take?' she asked.
'Where do you want to go?' responded the Cheshire Cat.
'I don't know,' Alice answered.
'Then,' said the Cat, 'it doesn't matter.”  - Alice in the wonderland

What choice do I have? What decision should I make? are two daunting questions which haunt us through our entire life. Why do we always think making a choice is a scaring thing?. It's simply because we don't know the consequences of making that choice!. What actually is the difference between Choice and decision? I wish to put it this way, Choice has endless possibilities like a scalar quantity, you can use permutations and combinations and probability but u finally end up at a point where you have make a decision. And decision should have direction like a vector quantity, you have make a decision in a right manner so that you do not end up being debacle or a ridicule!

Being a engineer, I will have my own way of treating choice and decision as simple as scalar and vector quantities.. but don't you think they are behind my scientific explanation?... It takes 'GUTs' to make a decision among endless hypotheses and you should not regret the choice you made at the end of the day...

Keep your guts intact to make a choice & decision!!!

God ---- The Myth

Right from  childhood, I have had this doubt... Do god listen to my prayers?. As I grew, the incertitude kept on escalating. The more rational I am turning into, the more are my questions.

In one of the classes in 7th class, My social studies teacher Mr. Chenna K Reddy, made a short note on the number of languages spoken in India. The very same moment, raised the first question, How can god understand these many languages? Suppose God understands and speaks all languages, why will he communicate to me? There are billions out there who are seeking god's attention.

One of the first things we hear from our elders is "God is everywhere, he will be watching you".. I came to a conclusion that even if he is present, the only thing he does is only watching!. If he had involved with our lives, we would not be doing any wrong and nothing unethical would be happening around. There would have been no murderers, rapists, sociopaths et al..

Why do we prayer when we are nervous? when we are frightened? Why do we pray when we get something which we didn't expect? when he protects us? If god was actually there, you wouldn't be frightened, you wouldn't be nervous... There wouldn't been no wars, communal riots... But why are they!!

Let say Some random guy proclaims that he is the "god". Do you believe him?.. No, you don't because you think even if god existed, he wouldn't just appear in front o3f you because you think he is above all. We believe in something which is non-existent and has powers to cure our problems, But we don't have the same confidence ourselves. Good or bad, we always have some one to blame for because we don't blame ourselves and we are devoid in our hearts

God is the myth... God is virtual, he is invented/reinvented to take the blame, when something does not go our way.


"Stand away from dwarfs, for it's God who hit them on the head."

THe KinG MAkEr - mOnEy

"For I don't care too much for money, for money can't buy me love." - The Beatles

Money is always a recurring debate among the intellectual groups as well as laymen people.
"A day never goes by, without you shelling out a rupee.
A day never goes by, without you giving you a thought towards your finances.
A day never goes by, without you analyzing what money cant buy......."

The entire universe runs on currency.... Nowadays everything is valued in terms of currency....

Some say "Money cant buy everything"... Its fun to hear them say some kind of weird lines...

Money can buy a clock, but not time,
Money can buy a bed but, not sleep,
Money can buy a book, but not knowledge,
Money can fetch a doctor, but not good health,
Money can buy a position, but not respect,
Money can buy blood, but not life,
Money can buy gadgets, but not happiness.

STFU!!!...... DO you have time,sleep,knowledge,health,respect without money????... wrongly construed...

Everyone knows that politicos, sport stars, bureaucrats,film stars, et al  have much money and enjoy their life and even prayed as demigods.... Do you think this is because they don't have money??... They have plenty..... A politician's son becomes a politician but not a poor farmer's son........ Poor are always poor because.... they don't have "Money"..

If they had money, they will be called poor......they get respect in society, they get happiness by being respected, they can fetch doctor and get health checkup instead of dying of some unknown disease, They can send their children to school and educate them... what not...

I always believe in "Money makes everything"... so start believing!!

Road not taken... my favourite

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference "

I still remember the day my English teacher Mr.Nair took up this poetry. I had a doubt then.."Why only 2 roads?".. The generations have changed... This generation has multiple choices.

Different kind of engineering&medical courses, Variety of career opportunities, infinite going places...... These all put youth under immense confusion... No one is able to choose the actual road coz the interests are temporary. one day I may feel photography should be career path.. the other day musicor sports...

Nothing particular interests youth..... then how to choose the road???.....

It's a big question even now!!! Road not taken

Better road ahead...

I felt bad when I came to know that my joining in DeloitteUS is postponed by 6 and half months. It was on May 22nd. I was so mixed up after that incident. I was so afraid to tell my grandma and relatives that my date of joining is postponed by 6 months. I was no mistake of mine, it's the responsibility of our TnP cell to take care of it, but they are irresponsible!... I finally told my grandma that this is the case, till January I assured her that I will find a job and work for 6 months...

Here comes the pain, where to get the job? why do they gimme job if I gonna stay for only 6 months?Shall I do teaching? .. these kinda questions were lingering over.

Finally, I emailed Mr.Biswajit with whom I worked in my summer intern 2011. He replied me to come over and work with them for 6 months. I came to Bhubaneswar.. much to my surprise, I found Sameep Arora. Sameep left the job which he got in Campus Placement and was doing internship for Embark and working for DTS bus service on scheduling and testing of bus routes. This is one example which clearly propounds "Follow your heart"......

Took up job and it's going good though a bit boring.... mean while, we took a flat in a gated community which has pool , gym et al. I learnt swimming from being a hydrophobic... weight reduction of 5 kg!!..Sang "Roobaroo" with Sameep and Himanshu(on guitar) on Aug 15th function....Tutoring students in apartments... Having fun.... everything is going my way now........

There are somethings which do not come our way or we may not expect to come our way.... Postponement of joining date is not in my hands.... but what in my hands is...."Perfect utilization of 6 months"...."A 6 months of learning".....

There is always a Better road ahead...

When I dared!!!

"Because that's just the way it is, and don't sleep on what you did before, you know, because it can... not hurt you, but you can find yourself sleeping on something that happened in the past, but you dare to progress and there is always room for progression" - Thierry Henry, French footballer.

When I was a child, I was afraid of many things... I never dared to confront them.... I was afraid to climb the walls, but I dared! finally climbed the walls and learnt the faster ways to climb the wall.....

I was so keen to learn swimming when I was 13, went to lake with my friends.. instead of helping me learn swimming they started to frighten me by trying to drown me.. I was frightened and decided - never to try a hand at swimming.. But I dared after 8 years, past 20 days made me a good swimmer, Now I can do the freestyle, dolphin jump, ultapalti and backstroke.. I feel like the water has become a part of me--- its just because I dared!!


There is no such thing that one can't do..... it's just like this..... One has to 'just' DARE!!