came across a old collection of George Orwell quotes from his books and writing..
written half a century ago..still makes a lot of sense..the basic construct of the society has not changed for ages..its only the change in form which makes as feel change!.. so next time u say things have changed, think again :)
1.Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
2.If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
3. To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.
4. Many people genuinely do not wish to be saints, and it is possible that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never had much temptation to be human beings.
5. Pacifism is objectively pro-fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side, you automatically help out that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, 'he that is not with me is against me.
6.Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words: it is war minus the shooting.
7. Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act.
8. The great enemy of clear language is insincerity
9.To see what is in front of one's nose requires a constant struggle.
10. For a creative writer possession of the truth is less important than emotional sincerity.
11.Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
12. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. - My favrt..
13 The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it.
14. Political language. . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
15 Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
16. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. - Another fvrt
17 Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Red Sun
Have been reading this book Red Sun by Suddep Chakravarthi... this is opening line of the book..
‘The Maoists are patriots, by their own admission . . . India’s Maoists do not want a separate country. They already have one. It’s just not the way they would like it—yet.’
The book talks about the reasons behind the origin of Maoists or Naxalism in india and it also accounts real experiences of the author.. Its a good read for some one interested in politics or someone who wants to understand beyond the four walls of the metro life.. its very saddening to know the reality at grass root level..
Must read!..do pick up!..n let me know how u liked it..
and if u wana read more on naxals in india...click here
Friday, April 11, 2008
What is merit?
Most of us associate merit with the marks a particular candidate scores in an entrance exam or the boards. is this measure true? Can a student who has studied in rural India with no coaching centers and high profile schools be compared to a student in a metro with best of facility and schools? To certain extent it’s not just the caliber of the student that accounts for the performance in the exams, it’s also the support he gets on the way that determines the scores. Hence we should not use the scores as the only way of judging students caliber.
I support providing equal opportunity to all students, but restricting the argument only to colleges such as IIT’s and IIM’s is not fair. What about the schools and primary education? Do the students with best caliber get admissions into the best schools, economic status determines which school a student studies. Even in colleges I don’t see any of these activists protesting against college selling seats in the name of “Paid seats” across the country. Why should only rich kids get the opportunity to study?
Also to the so called meritorious students who in the institutes claim that the standard of students will come down and hence the reputation of the institute, how are you contributing back to the nation that has provided you this education? Students who study on government subsidized loans finally end up flying out of this country or many of them join organization that have no direct link to improving the current state of affairs. Paying tax is not a favor we are doing to the government, if we demand a certain level of life that’s the cost we pay for!
To conclude, this debate on premier institutes hardly affects a few thousands every year and to make a fundamental and lasting change the quality of education needs to be improved from bottom –up. Let’s make the schools good, provide each child equal opportunities to grow and learn. Reservation on caste can be avoided as it proliferates a divide in the society that was determined by past. But it’s foolish to believe that it can be taken out of the society at one stroke, as it was fundamentally determined by the kind of work people engaged in history. Unless equal opportunity is provided to all people and the divide based on years of deprivation removed, it is difficult.
So lets not get caught in a initiative that will touch a few thousands of people. We have a billion people in our country and I would assume around 200 to 300 billion students, lets develop a strategy for equal opportunity to this pool. Let not vote bank determine the initiatives. Visibility should not drive such issues. To this extent media and eminent people in this regard need to cognize for the magnitude of the larger issue and focus on the overall education system.
I support providing equal opportunity to all students, but restricting the argument only to colleges such as IIT’s and IIM’s is not fair. What about the schools and primary education? Do the students with best caliber get admissions into the best schools, economic status determines which school a student studies. Even in colleges I don’t see any of these activists protesting against college selling seats in the name of “Paid seats” across the country. Why should only rich kids get the opportunity to study?
Also to the so called meritorious students who in the institutes claim that the standard of students will come down and hence the reputation of the institute, how are you contributing back to the nation that has provided you this education? Students who study on government subsidized loans finally end up flying out of this country or many of them join organization that have no direct link to improving the current state of affairs. Paying tax is not a favor we are doing to the government, if we demand a certain level of life that’s the cost we pay for!
To conclude, this debate on premier institutes hardly affects a few thousands every year and to make a fundamental and lasting change the quality of education needs to be improved from bottom –up. Let’s make the schools good, provide each child equal opportunities to grow and learn. Reservation on caste can be avoided as it proliferates a divide in the society that was determined by past. But it’s foolish to believe that it can be taken out of the society at one stroke, as it was fundamentally determined by the kind of work people engaged in history. Unless equal opportunity is provided to all people and the divide based on years of deprivation removed, it is difficult.
So lets not get caught in a initiative that will touch a few thousands of people. We have a billion people in our country and I would assume around 200 to 300 billion students, lets develop a strategy for equal opportunity to this pool. Let not vote bank determine the initiatives. Visibility should not drive such issues. To this extent media and eminent people in this regard need to cognize for the magnitude of the larger issue and focus on the overall education system.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
little miss sunshine..
this movie revolves around one character and thts Olive Hoover...the story is about how a broken family is brought together by one kid in the family...Olive runs for a beauty pageant though she would not be called the ideal candidate as per the usual beauty pageant entrants..the family is forced to take a 800 mile trip along with her to reach the "little miss sunshine" contest..n thts the story..the theme is all about how Olive hoover allows her to be who she is and not be ashamed about it....its sometimes hilarious, but makes u think...
its a must watch from my side!
now coming to why i liked the movie so much and why im recommending..( not tht millions r waiting to read this n gona see the movie now!..:)..)..manier times i have not had the confidence or have felt uncomfortable about who i am or wht i have done and during those times i have taken the easier way out..fake ignorance or change stands or change views in order to be accepted..when u see the courage of this little girl in the movie it surprises u...how life becomes so clear and easy once u start living ur life like the way u want...the movie also shows how to laugh about once own failure or faults..its much easier to laugh about it and forget it, than ponder over it for eternity..
so do look out for the movie in Star movies this month...
Monday, March 31, 2008
hey baghwan!
i have been always crazy when it comes to music ( may nt be only towards music;))..so in the last two weeks i have been listening to the same collection...this one is from raghu dixit..its a indian folk music album..one of the popular numbers from this album is hey bhagwan..
one read of his website and you kind get surprised by this chap..the shear will he displays kind of takes u by surprise..a well read individual and now chasing his dreams..the poem of his sums up well here..
fire-within
every morning I rise with the sun
one read of his website and you kind get surprised by this chap..the shear will he displays kind of takes u by surprise..a well read individual and now chasing his dreams..the poem of his sums up well here..
fire-withinevery morning I rise with the sun
carrying the fire within
every evening I set with it
only to rise up again
the core of my being
is my soul that burns
singing the very air that it breathes
the fire within me will never die
sometimes i tend to get overtly worried about the future and the way ahead..i think many of you would fall into the same category..i think it makes sense sitting back and relishing the growth we have had and not get worried about what is to come..
its improtant to feel good n happy about who we r and wht we have done..so go ahead and light the fire!
the album is awesome..strongly recommended!...for a quick trial click here
Monday, March 10, 2008
Why the smoker?
A blog from Mr.LaxmiNarsimhaa prompted me to write this blog. This blog is not to justify smoking or to prove that it’s better than other forms of pollution. This is a smokers perspective!
I wish to ask Mr.Laxmi a simple question, does he drive a car or bike?, if so how does he respond to the pollution caused by his motor vehicle. If he is concerned about the fellow human beings health ( this is like Clintons response to global warming and the nasty dog! ) why does he still drive around. I don’t think driving large cars or taking a pleasure drive in the town can be classified as any productive engagement.
I don’t seem to understand this “high morale” view point, either we should be able to put facts forward or put a viable solution. I can for argument sake conclude that petrol prices should me made Rs.100 a liter and heavy taxes should be laid on cars based on their fuel efficiency. People should be made to use only public transport. This would ensure the war in Middle East comes down! (the lesser oil we need, sooner the war for oil will stopJ)
Let’s try not to mix economics with emotions, though our political system thrives on it! I would be concerned on far more serious issues pertaining to the current state of affairs. How do we make the political system and bureaucracy accountable for the money they collect from you and me? As a tax paying citizen I wish to understand the efficiency of usage of my money, I am a customer to the government and not vice versa.
If we try to focus our issues and not let the government spin it around with multitude of issues, we should be able to move forward in a productive manner. More taxes and subsidies are not going to help anyone. Lets educate people, the recent study of rural incomes from the government suggests that 40% of the population in rural India lives below Rs.12 a day!. All these issues of smoking and pollution will then automatically come to focus. Lets get the basic bijili, sadak and panni moving. For at-least some time I would request Mr. Health minister to stop troubling AIMS and SRK and start focusing on the primary health care system and the policy frame work. We are in a country where kidneys are stolen!
I wish to ask Mr.Laxmi a simple question, does he drive a car or bike?, if so how does he respond to the pollution caused by his motor vehicle. If he is concerned about the fellow human beings health ( this is like Clintons response to global warming and the nasty dog! ) why does he still drive around. I don’t think driving large cars or taking a pleasure drive in the town can be classified as any productive engagement.
I don’t seem to understand this “high morale” view point, either we should be able to put facts forward or put a viable solution. I can for argument sake conclude that petrol prices should me made Rs.100 a liter and heavy taxes should be laid on cars based on their fuel efficiency. People should be made to use only public transport. This would ensure the war in Middle East comes down! (the lesser oil we need, sooner the war for oil will stopJ)
Let’s try not to mix economics with emotions, though our political system thrives on it! I would be concerned on far more serious issues pertaining to the current state of affairs. How do we make the political system and bureaucracy accountable for the money they collect from you and me? As a tax paying citizen I wish to understand the efficiency of usage of my money, I am a customer to the government and not vice versa.
If we try to focus our issues and not let the government spin it around with multitude of issues, we should be able to move forward in a productive manner. More taxes and subsidies are not going to help anyone. Lets educate people, the recent study of rural incomes from the government suggests that 40% of the population in rural India lives below Rs.12 a day!. All these issues of smoking and pollution will then automatically come to focus. Lets get the basic bijili, sadak and panni moving. For at-least some time I would request Mr. Health minister to stop troubling AIMS and SRK and start focusing on the primary health care system and the policy frame work. We are in a country where kidneys are stolen!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
