Charlie Munger spoke at the Wesco Shareholders Meeting and here are a couple of gems from him ...I can not live
if I have to do things just because
I am expected to do them,
I can not breathe
if I have to do things
just the way they are
supposed to be done
I can not make
life – a mere happy
existence, a fixed
pattern of rituals –
a set of rules
Constantly
I will fly
I will dream
I willachieverealize
& I will LIVE ...
Life in a Metro (wiki, IMDB) is about lives of people trapped in Mumbai. I will say trapped because thats how you feel when you are in Mumbai.Chupke se kahin, dheeme paaun seLyrics copy-pasted from Big Bang Bong
jaane kis tarah, kis ghadi
aage badh gaye, humse raahon mein
par tum toh abhi thi yahin
kuch bhi na suna, kab ka tha gila
kaise keh diya alvida
Jinke darmiya gujri thi abhi
kal tak yeh meri zindagi
dono baahon ko, thandi chaanv ko
hum bhi kar chale alvida
Alvida, alvida, meri raahein alvida
meri saansein kehati hai, alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida
Sunle bekhabar, yuun aankhein pher kar aaj tu chali jaa
dhundegi nazar humko hi magar har jagah
aisi raaton mein leke karvate, yaad hamein karna
aur phir haar kar kehna kyun magar, keh diya alvida alvida
koi puchhe toh zara, kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida
Hum the dil jale, phir bhi dil kahe
kaash mere sang aaj hote tum agar, hoti har dagar gulsitaa
tumse hai khafa, hum naaraaz hai, dil hai pareshaan
socha na suna tune kyun bhala keh diya alvida alvida
koi puchhe toh zara, kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida, alvida, ab kehna aur kya
jab tune keh diya, alvida
kyun socha aur kahan alvida
dono baahon ko, thandi chaanv ko
hum bhi kar chale alvida
- We like to read from borrowed someone else’s newspaper.Please note that I am not trying to hurl abuses or mock Indians but its an honest attempt to figure out who we are and what makes us Indians.
- In a crowded bus we want other passengers to make room.
- We will hang clothes on top of each other on one single nail,.
- We will bargain for 1 rupee for grocery but happily pay extra in shopping malls.
If you want to come back to India, I would say you are not being stupid at all. Don’t know if this is true with you also, but I am always asking myself what difference am I making to people here? Would things remain same if I wasn’t here? Would someone miss me? And most of the times, answer is no. Nothing changes. No one misses you and you don’t make any difference. And this makes me rethink the entire concept of coming back to India or for that matter calling something home. Loads of thinking. Missing Action .. ?
Independence, you have echoed what I believe and hopefully everyone else feels like that. Day in and day out I see people compromising and deciding against using their right of freedom. Why? I don’t know. I wish I knew...
I shall keep my comments reserved on religion. On one hand it gives us the roots. It gives up much needed grounding to think and to act and to dream and to aspire for big and on the other hand it doesn’t allow us to fly like we should. It stops us. It holds us back. We encounter zillions of roadblocks before we can do something. I still don’t know where to put religion. Don’t know what to think about it. May be religion is good and organized religion isn’t. May be it’s the other way round. May be it is not.
Hey people....
Before i begin, lemme confess something...till less than an year ago, i was confused regarding my patriotosm....
i thought why exactly is it should i feel attached to my country, isnt it just like your state, your town...the same way i consider all states in india equally, shouldnt i also feel the same way about the earth, considering the countries as just states....
I put the question to a lot of people (Why should i love my country) and nobody came out with any satisfactory answers...
then one of my frens finally showed me the light...as to why a country is to be loved, respected...how is it different from your
state/town/region...
A country is actually the place which has fed the people you really love/respect..your father, their fathers and so on...it has sustained your entire heritage....its the reason for your existence...that is something u can respect a place for..as a country, not your state/town/region.....
now to the questions put forward....
1. India to me is like the ever present hand that moulded my character, my nature. An invisible hand which made me into what i am today, n i dont mean the external factors like jobs, studies, i m talking about the very basic of my traits, like the nuamces of my nature, the way i behave, act and react....and since i love the person i am (very narcissitic, yes), i can definitely say that i m proud to be an indian, for the way it has moulded me...
2. I am currently living in the UAE, a monarchy...and now i understand the value of freedom (which i as a lot of us, including me, take for granted)...freedom is about being able to say what you think is right....is being able to raise your voice against the institution...is being able to practice your religious, political,cultural beliefs openly, without the fear of prosecution...is being able to make your own personal decisions regarding the art(movies, books, plays) that is right and the art that is not right...not having someone elses ideology having thrust upon you....is being able to play a role in the direction in which the nation is moving forward....
i am not saying its all present in Inida, but that is what i would want india to strive for...land of the free...and trust me the biggest freedom is the freedom of thought, freedom of speech...not just universal sufferage...and sorry to say, but because of a few religio-political factions, India does not enjoy it to the extent to which a democracy should.....
3. If i could change one thing then that definitely would be the corruption in the system...coz i agree think that is the root of all the rpoblems in the country...coz its not that our leaders are not doing anything about say illiteracy, some of them are, but the funds for the same are disappearing on theirway to the grassroot levels...do away with corruption and we will solve most of our problems....
a little verbose yes, but kya karega??????
1. Sure I feel proud to be an Indian, not because Shilpa Shetty got a doctorate or Lara Dutta won a beauty peagent or Aishwarya Rai got yet another international film..but because India has produced people like LN Mittal and Amrtya Sen. and above all, it has had n important role to play in evry Indian's destiny as it has played in mine..
2. yest i went to watch a movie and everyone stood up for the national anthem, people who had not yet reached their seats stopped in their tracks. the torch boy, who must be listenin to it day in and day out, also stood still. What struck me was, that there was no one to superwise, no policing..no moral policing, yet each one in the hall stood up. Thats freedom to me. Y should we always look at wat freedom allows us to do..y not how we use it?
3. Agree with u totally here..infact, in one of my placement interviews I said the exact same thing, all cast battles, religious issues, dirty politics...everything can be cleaned out if all of us are educated..just think about it, today the politicians have half the country believe that their helicopters are more important that our roads!! wud it happen if we all were literate??
Hi,
As we turn 60 tomorrow, I thought that instead of sending regular wishes and cards, I will ask a few questions.
I am sending this to a select few in my list. I am hoping that some of us will actually take time off our busy lives and ponder on things that have largely been ignored.
Ok here are the three questions, the ones I want us to think on.
Three questions
1. What is India to you? Are you proud to call yourself Indian?
2. What does independence mean to you?
3. If you could change one thing about India, what would it be?
Taking a lead, I thought about each of them and here are my honest answers.
1.
India to me is more than a country. India is my identity. India defines me. I am as Indian as anyone can get. I am crazy about cricket. I am insecure. I am boastful and like to show off. I am hungry for appreciation. I think about society twice before I do things. I crib. I can find everything wrong with the system. I can talk but when it comes down to action, I take the back seat.
I am proud of our achievements. Humble they may seem compared to rest of the world but none the less they are achievements. They are what we have done in past. They are what we have not done in past. They are precedents and they are the benchmarks. Time has come to now actually raise those benchmarks.
2.
To me, independence is about borders, boundaries and constraints. Freedom is about looking beyond these imaginary lines and aspiring to explore things beyond them. It is about thinking, trying, fighting and in few cases, actually achieving. Personally I would say I am still not free. I am still bound by constraints. I think twice before I take any step – big or small. There are many a stones that are still unturned. There are many a frontiers yet to be conquered. There are many a lives yet to be lived.
3.
If I could change one thing, I would change the literacy rate from 50 odd percent to 100 percent. In my view, illiteracy is mother of all evil. Conquer it and rest of the demons shall be conquered. Easier said than done.
Please see if you can share your thoughts with me.
Warm Regards,
Saurabh Garg
Operator: Hi, are you calling in for the first time? (No greetings, Thank Yous etc) (-1)
Me: Yes I am calling in for the first time.
Operator: May I have your mobile number please? (Yes he used "please" this time)
Me: It is 99*** ***37. (I had to repeat this 3 times) (-1)
Operator: Oh, I see that you are calling in for the firs time (Wow !) (-1)
Me: Yes, I told you that I am calling in for the first time.
Operator: Are you registered with us under any other number?
Me: Huh? I never registered anywhere.
Operator: I mean did you call us earlier from any other number. (-5)
Me: I AM CALLING IN FOR THE FIRST TIME (I got rude)
Operator: I will put you on hold. (He did not ask for my permission) (-1)
Operator 2: Hi, Thanks for calling McD. Can I know your mobile number? (Yes, he said Thanks)
Me: I have given it already but it is 99*** ***37.
Operator 2: Are you calling for the first time? (-2)
Me: Yes I am.
Operator 2: Please hold on. (Again I wasn't asked if they can put me on hold) (-2)
Operator 3: Hi, Is this your first call to McD?
Me: Yes, I am calling in for the first time. My number is 99*** ***37. Can I place my order please?
Operator 3: Sir, which is the nearest McD to your house?
Me: The one in Bandra.
Operator 3: Do you mean the one in Khar?
Me: Yes the one in Khar.
Operator 3: Sir, please hold (again, no request) (-5)
Operator 3: Oye tereko Santacruz malooom hai? (Do you know Santacruz well?)
Another Guy: Haan, haan maloom hai. (Yes yes, I know)
Operator 3: Delivery karega? (Would you deliver?)
Another Guy: Dekh ley (I dunno...)
Operator 3: Thank you for holding sir. The delivery would take an hour to reach. (No sorry, no regrets, just plain facts)
Me: One hour? But the outlet is 10 mins walk from my place.
Operator 3: Sir, there are lots of orders pending for delivery.
Me: Ok, should I walk down to the McD and have my food?
Operator 3: But sir the outlet would be closed in another 5 minutes. (He was being helpful and he asked me not to go to a McD !)
Me: So should I order from somewhere else?
Operator 3: Yes sir.
Me: Ok, Thanks.
Ye Jo Des Hai Tera, Swades Hai Tera, Tujhe Hai Pukaara ...
Ye Woh Bandhan Hai Jo Kabhi Toot Nahin Sakta
Ye Jo Des Hai Tera, Swades Hai Tera, Tujhe Hai Pukaara ...
Ye Woh Bandhan Hai Jo Kabhi Toot Nahin Sakta
Mitti Ki Jo Khushboo, Tu Kaise Bhoolaayega
Tu Chaahe Kahin Jaaye, Tu Laut Ke Aayega
Nayi Nayi Raahon Mein, Dabi Dabi Aahon Mein
Khoye Khoye Dilse Tere, Koyi Ye Kahega
Ye Jo Des Hai Tera, Swades Hai Tera, Tujhe Hai Pukaara
Ye Woh Bandhan Hai Jo Kabhi Toot Nahin Sakta
Tujhse Zindagi, Hai Ye Keh Rahi
Sab Toh Paa Liya, Ab Hai Kya Kami
Yun Toh Saare Sukh Hai Barse
Par Door Tu Hai Apne Gharse
Aa Laut Chal Tu Ab Diwaane
Jahaan Koyi Toh Tujhe Apna Maane
Awaaz De Tujhe Bulaane, Wahi Des
Ye Jo Des Hai Tera, Swades Hai Tera, Tujhe Hai Pukaara
Ye Woh Bandhan Hai Jo Kabhi Toot Nahin Sakta
Ye Pal Hai Wahi, Jis Mein Hai Chhupi
Koyi Ek Sadi, Saari Zindagi
Tu Na Poochh Raaste Mein Kaahe
Aaye Hain Is Tarha Do Raahein
Tu Hi Toh Hai Raah Jo Sujhaaye
Tu Hi Toh Hai Ab Jo Ye Bataaye
Chaahe Toh Kis Disha Mein Jaaye Wahi Des
Ye Jo Des Hai Tera, Swades Hai Tera, Tujhe Hai Pukaara
Ye Woh Bandhan Hai Jo Kabhi Toot Nahin Sakta
