Subhekshya's blog

I recently visited Kathmandu, my hometown. It was during the time when the 18 th SAARC summit was being held. Kathmandu looked like a newlywed. The streets looked lovely as it was fully lit up, the roads were repaved and buildings were freshly painted. It is estimated that $20million was expensed towards the facelift of the city.  Due to the restrictions of vehicle on the basis of odd/ even number plates, the traffic was controlled and pollution seemed to have drastically reduced. Last time I came to Nepal, the Airport (which is the only International Airport in the country) looked like a bus station. I understand that it’s a treat to have ‘Badam’ and Orange while sun bathing, but not at the airport!! It was overtly crowded with travelers, their relatives, visitors (??!! Don’t knw why someone would visit the airport) and vehicles. The taxi drivers were a nuisance. Only if they could, they would grab all the foreigners and charge them a fortune for a taxi drive. But this ...

Another horrifying rape story- A girl in Delhi was raped by an Uber cab driver named Shiv Kumar Yadav. Unlike the December 16 case, Delhi police investigated the case without any time lapse and took the driver to custody. The Delhi police also filed an FIR against Uber for not carrying out its driver’s background verification and not obtaining PSV badges. Uber, the US based cab service company is at fault for not adhering to the statutory requirements of India. ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ is one lesson which the global cab company has to learn.   Today, two weeks after the incident, the focus of the case has shifted from the rapist to the cab company. Will justice be served in the right manner? There are multiple pressing issues that has been completely neglected. What about conviction? The accused has not been punished, yet we are here fighting to get the cab company’s license revoked. For a heinous crime such as rape, the accused has to be pronounced with a severe ...

We are taught about environment and various environmental concerns since playschool. The first lesson on environment that we learn is ‘Don’t litter’. We all are well versed with the recent global issue, may it be climate change or biodiversity loss. There are various national/ international organization, government bodies, association of people working to address these environmental issues. However, as an individual, do we have a role to play to protect environment? Any effort, small or big towards the environment is not wasted. Surprisingly, we can address most of the environmental concerns on a personal level. As the saying goes, ‘Little drops make the mighty ocean’, in the similar lines, if small concerns are addressed, the bigger challenges will itself be taken care of. Here are a few simple action that we can take to protect environment: Stop the engine at the signal, car pool whenever possible, use public vehicles, cycle to work  Cars emit greenhouse gasses, such...

When i was small, I used to sit on my grandmother's lap in a crowded tempo and travel Now, I travel in an a/c car everyday I used to stare at the aeroplane flying high in the sky and wave at it Now, i have become a frequent flyer I used to get Rs.1000 as my annual pocket money Now, I don't keep counts of the 1000 rupee note that I spend I used to save to buy a cassette tape with just 7 songs and play it on repeat Now, i have more than 7,000 songs in my i phone I used to have a friend with whom I would start and end my day Now, I have more than 1,000 friends all over the world Time has changed. I have more money in my bank account, more experience, more material possessions. However,  when i look back;  my grandmother's lap in the crowded tempo feels more comfortable than the a/c car. The idea of an aeroplane up in the sky seems more interesting than actual flying.  Unlike now, I used to feel like a billionaire with the little ...

  After completing one of the toughest assignments at work recently, I was convinced that I needed a break. I informed my managers (not one, not two but three!) and booked my tickets to Kathmandu. The harsh reality about travelling from Bangalore to Ktm is that there’s no direct flight for the same (Air Asia, are you listening??)  I was on the Blr- Del flight and placed in seat 21F, busy detangling my earphones when I see an amazingly good looking guy walk in. He looked like someone who just stepped down from heaven.  I was instantly captivated by his fluoridated teeth and flowing hair (I seriously don’t know where the breeze came from). Yes, he certainly did have the looks to kill. He stopped at 20D and looked at me (I think he did). In the pursuit of not acting all super excited and desperate, I pretended not seeing him at all. Gosh! He looked amazing. After taking a few glimpses of him during the flight (I was not staring), the plane landed at IGI ...

If love would have been a piano piece, it would closely resemble Arcade Fire and Owen Pallet’s Photograph from the 2013 release movie ‘Her’. After watching the movie, I must have played the piece zillion number of times. The movie is about a guy who falls in love with an operating system (when are they actually releasing those? Need one!) and how unconditional love can be. It truly justifies the quote ‘Everything is fair in love and war’. Kudos to the entire team as the movie deserves a complete 5 *****. The feeling ‘love’ is strangely beautiful. It’s incomparable to anything else on earth. Love is calm, love is sweet. It’s as relaxing as staring at the bright stars in a beautiful dark night. It’s as refreshing as the cold wind blowing through your face. It’s as promising as watching a fleet of birds fly together. It’s as mesmerizing as your favourite song. When in love, your heart starts sinking. The more it sinks; the more clarity you gain. You feel that there is so much mor...

During the last few months of CA finals, all we do is study. On an average, a candidate spends 12-16 hrs daily studying for exam. What motivates us to study and live a life of a ‘Saint’ on those days? (Saint in number of ways which may include all or any of the following- not sleeping, having long beard/eyebrows, smoking up, giving up on personal life and etc etc) The motivation for some could be getting an offer from a company like Olam International (Which offered 70lakhs, the highest salary offered through campus placement) or for some it might be all about marrying one’s sweetheart who has already handed over a notice of eviction if CA not cleared on time!!  However, for many, the motivation is something dark and deep- fear of failure. Don’t you think that fear is extremely hyped!! Google ‘fear’ and you will get every kinda scary images possible (mostly from some 3 rd grade horror movie). Fear is implanted in our minds from early childhood. A mom to her 4 year old ki...

Your heart starts pounding (@ 200-240 and its audible to everyone around you); time stops (Stephen Hawking would agree!!); everything around you starts to blur (complete disorientation of your focal point); you can’t utter a single word (all you can say is ummm….ahhhh..soooo..)  and you sweat profusely (this is the time when you actually need a deo!). These are the typical symptoms of a sudden encounter with your Ex; whom you have been trying to avoid confrontation ever since you broke up.     The first thing you notice is the looks. If he/she looks like garbage; you feel like ‘Beowulf!!’- chest out, a calm smile on your face and a huge sense of achievement. You actually feel good that you are no longer together..the garbage look is an assurance to all the doubts and conflicts you had on your mind while breaking up; a feeling of buying a ‘Certified’ second hand car. The second case scenario is when the person has transfigured from Eddy Murphy to Will Smith or from u...

The other day, I was having lunch with my office friends.  One of my friends got 3 different tiffin boxes. The flat box had parathas and pickles, the round one was filled with lemon rice and the smallest with salad. I was so envious coz all I was having was a plate of Maggi (High on carbohydrate and ‘0’ nutritional value). To add to my dismay, he took out a small packet of homemade cookies sealed in a visible transparent plastic, well covered and stapled. I could not help but ask who prepared his lunch. He promptly replied that his mom did. I realized how much she loved him and all she wanted him was to survive another day in the battle field (uh… that would be our office!!). I asked ‘I hope, you thank your mother for all her efforts and love.’ He looked surprised and said ‘Ahh…No…Infact, I don’t like it… too much love.. don’t you know, too much of anything is not good <wink> ’. Trust me, when he said this, I was so furious that I wanted to lift the butter knife, c...