I am Mohan Bhargava

Every little kid is often asked - who is your hero. Answer vary from their dads to Supermans to Shaktimaans to Sachin Tendulkars to Mahatama Gandhis to Bhagat Singhs and what nots. If someone asked me when I was a kid, I wouldnt have known the right answer. I dont know what a hero is. And definately not what "my hero" is.

Ask me now. I know who my hero is. I know what "my hero" means. My hero is Mohan Bhargava. And yet not many would have heard about him. He is the protagonist in the movie Swades (website, wiki, imdb, movie on youtube).


Right now I am sad. For more than one reasons. One of them being my inability to do anything for my country. One might argue why such and alieginece to the land where I was born. And why just a country? Not a continent? Or not a state. I wish I had answers. All I have right now are pangs. Guilty pangs.

I want to be "foolishly romantic".

Mood: Depresed.
Listening to: A R Rahman's Vande Mataram and Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera (youtube)

Update: After I posted this, I have had three people telling me that they want to do the same and they have no clue how to go about it. Now the question is, what can we do about this.

I'm a Mensan!

About a month ago I took an administered Mensa test. It took 20 mins of test and a month's wait to get the results. And I am through. I am now a Mensan. I still have to complete the formalities of joining it and paying for the membership.

Most people I told this, dint even know what Mensa is. And then the few who know about it, asked, what I am going to do with it.

To be honest, I dont know what lies ahead. I asked the only other Mensan I know - Raunak (23, blog, Mensa member since 1999, part of Mumbai Value Investors club). He tells me that Mensa is a very close knit community of gifted people. They meet very often (almost once a month) and most meetings are lot of fun. Lot of mental masterbation happens. Lot of gyaan is exchanged. Lot of new things get uncovered, invented and discovered.

Of all things mentioned, I am most excited about meeting these gifted people. And discover amazing talents they bring to the table. Lets see how it goes. As they say, its just the beginning.

Unrelated Rant
Everytime I am listening to music and oblivious to sound around me, I enter a different world. I zoom out (zoom out as in zoom in and zoom out and look at a situation). I see people around me engaged in things that are important to them. Things I can never relate to.

And come to think of it I needed affirmation from a test to make me happy and feel good about myself. Now this has to change. And soon.

Update - 6th June, Goa, Futility

Been some time since I uploaded this blog. Few things worth mentioning have happened.

6th June happened to me. Do did 9th. And now waiting for the 4th. Its happening too fast and too slow. Its a blur and a dream. Its all there and it isnt.

Then I missed the deadline for TED India Fellows application. No it was not too complex. I was too lazy and I dint have a lot of substance to talk about.

Visited Goa. Went to a casino. Played Mini Flush for four hours. Won few rupees. Beginners luck probably. Saw mental models in action. Going to read more about Casinos, gambling etc. They says its one of those seven deadly vices. What are other six (hint hint)?

Spoke to Neo and Gandhi about life and all. Gandhi as always had no opinions. Neo had some. I could not comprehend most of them.

Thought about Cyntax. Wrote about it. Planning to get a designer to help me with it. Any volunteers?

Felt sorry for being rude and demanding. Said sorry. She was surprised. She said she was used to my tantrums and randomness. I had never said sorry since I have known her (since 2004). Five years is a lot of time.

Sandy getting married. And the future of PseudoSocial is now in a quandary. As if it wasn't in a jeopardy already. We have run it as an adopted child at best. And then the ever shrinking bachelor club, shrinks even further. More exclusions from the club are being planned as I write this (or you read this). I hope is not Neo or Gandhi.

Miss MDI more than ever. Reminds me of Rabbi Shergill's Gill Te Guitar.

Want to debate with someone on futility of our actions. And our thoughts. And our emotions. Dont have anyone to debate with. I even have doubts on the futility of these debates.

FB came up with vanity URLs. And the website is that important that I actually planned to check it when they were released. And I was disappointed that I could not get Saurabh. And now am blogging about it. Wonder how these "tools" take so much importance in our lives.

Then half wrote this rant. Even though India is a huge country, there are some things that are so Indian that you will find them in every nook and corner of the country. Buffalos for example. Stray dogs. Then electric wires hanging loosely on the poles. Chai shop. Cigarette shop. Then there are home grown brands like Agarwal Sweets, CCD etc in almost every locality worth living., Amongst them is this Maruti Suzuki service centre called Sai Service. Yes, that place with a blue and red flower logo. Every state that I have traveled to India has a Sai Service. And I am told one Mr. Suresh Kalmadi owns the chain. Now I need to know if he is the same Mr. Kalmadi who is more famous (actually rather infamous) for his role in the Indian Olympic Association. Any answers?

And then there is some more. I cant think of it now. May be later? Another uninteresting, boring, mundane week comes to an end. How many more?

Of Dreams, Happiness and Chase

We are bloody spending the money we don't have to chase the dreams that weren't ours hoping to find happiness that doesn't exist.

Saurabh Garg talking to Neo.

Dance and Music

Just came across this Nietzsche quote

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

Stars and Religion

Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked

... what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television.

From Pauk Hawken's commencement address to the University of Portland. Via designthinking

President Obama at Cairo, Egypt

President Obama's landmark speech at Cairo. Here is the youtube vid and complete transcript.

After watching President Obama speak, I realized that I have a long way to go before I even become an iota of what he is. In the speech, Obama ...

• Praised Islam, Muslims. Not flattery but genuine appreciation.
• Showed understanding of their culture. Used quotes from Koran.
  
• Defended America.

And the speech

• Was delivered flawlessly (apart from two or three mistakes)
• Was not "read". He maintained eye contact throughout. Compare it with our leaders. They read from a paper. And forget that they are addressing an audience.
  
• Was well practiced. Evident from near perfect pronunciation of words like Koran and hijab.
  
• Took a lot of homework. Am sure this was written by a battery of diplomats and staff.
• Stated things clearly. There was no ambiguity. There were no minced words.
  
• Was firm and called for affirmative action.

Long way to go Mr. Garg !!

I need to ...

... reduce the noise in my life.

May 2009: Goals and Output. And bits of miscellany.

I have been away form all kinds of blogging (except twitter and occasion spam on JFK) for last week. I dont know why. Last week was actually one of those few times when I did some heavy soul-searching. Without any benefit ...

Not that I dint have opportunities. I went on this bike ride till Pune but again dint want to publish it. I put my bike on my website and twitter. I dint publish that. I made few cartoons (on the lines of Slog_More()), dint publish them either. Then I discovered this band caled Faridkot from Delhi. They do Hindi rock and are very good. I meant to blog about them but I did not.

I dont know why. I think I was living in some kind of an orb. More I try getting out of it, more dragged into it I get.

I am having this hard time understanding myself. This is one of those rare moments when I am ranting my true emotions and all. Please ignore the rhetoric.

Anyways, here is the monthly post on Goals and what I did about them. I had two simple goals for May. Start wearing shoes (that implied buy them and get used to them) and start writing the book (this implied stat re-writing the book that I started about six months back). Ladies and Gentlemen, I did neither. No, I am not proud.

And coming up in some time ... is goals for June 2009.

Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan

Yet another song that I recently discovered on my iTunes and fell in love with.

This is from the movie Chak De India and if you put this in context of the movie, song is as apt as Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera from Swades.

Title: Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan
Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni
Music: Salim-Sulaiman

(Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh - 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan - 2) - 2

Tere Sang Kheli Holi, Tere Sang Ki Diwaali
Tere Angano Ki Chhaaya, Tere Sang Saawan Aaya
Pher Le Tu Chaahe Nazarein, Chaahe Chura Lein
Laut Ke Tu Aayega Re Shart Laga Le
Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh - 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan - 2

Mitti Meri Thi Bhuri, Wahi Mere Ghi Aur Churi
Wahi Raanjhe Mere Woh Heer, Wahi Sevaiya, Wahi Khir
Tujhse Hi Ruthana Re, Tujhe Hi Manaana
Tera Mera Naata Koi Duja Na Jaana
Bhiga/Tija Tera Rang Tha Main Toh - 2
Jiyaan Tere Dhang Se Main Toh, Tu Hi Tha Maula Tu Hi Aan
Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan – 4

Took lyrics from HindiLyrix.com.