This post is for my collection
The listeners burned a good lot of calories for their very frequent applause.
Did not know that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a website with complete address that could be read.
Heard the complete address in HD
More info on Wall Street journal’s ‘live’ blog
Rise of PM Narendra Modi and India-US relation from Washington Post
and MP Shashi Tharoor tweets it
The election is over. It is summer vacation. People I meet still ask about what happened to the election. This shows how much busy they were during the semester that made them spring. So, this post comes as a natural extension of those discussions. A note of that memory, goes here.
The Graduate Student Association (GSA), University at Buffalo sent mail to everyone, every eligible graduate student about the opportunity to stand for election. This, I found was a good experience to have. For the fun of it. That day, the first thing I did after reaching the university, was to get the election candidate packet. The GSA office has two full time employees and all other positions are for elected and nominated members. So there is no part time position that available. All right, the GSA elected President and Vice President earn good money for the work. So that was another motivation for my candidacy. As part of the election I have to get the election petition signed by 25 supporters. That was easily done. I know lot of faces who were happy to sign the petition. There were a few who asked ” What do I gain by signing the petition?” , and some other who said ” I had done lot of this crap in undergrad, I don’t want to get into politics now”. They naturally did not understand what I wanted. May be my bad communication. I was determined to work on it. Because, later if the petition is signed by enough people I get to ask for votes top all random people on campus. So, I was ready for the challenge. I was the first person to submit the petition with more than enough number of supporters. I have many friends in the department who stood in actual queue and signed my petition. And there is my business team, most of them, eligible graduate students, who could sign the petition without asking. My job of collecting signature was easy. I did not stop at getting just 25 signatures. I got more than 8 from same department students, just in case they also signed for another candidate. I went further, because I had to tell people, now, that I am a candidate for election and they should consider voting for me. Also, as part of election I was to attend two senate meetings. This comes with the normal student perks of free pizza and soda. This was again fun to sit through, mostly due to the free food and the motivation to go on stage when elected. In the first senate meeting I found my competitor, who still needed a lot of signatures to complete the petition, while I was almost done with the required 25. I made a quick acquaintance. I did not have much time to indulge in a ton of conversation with anyone, remember this is in a busy spring semester, lot of assignments, project and part time work to do. So, I also had to keep conversations to the bare minimum, to save time and cover as many people as possible.
I go by stampede, the UB run bus. This helped me get some contacts. Also, being a regular at wellness center, Intercultural Diversity Center and Office of Student Engagement, gave me more contacts. My lab mates and at-work colleagues fellow-students started calling me “Vice President” already. They were very confident of the majority of the international students, especially from India (Bharath), would vote for me, because I am the only Indian standing! and only engineer! and only man! in the entire candidate list considering President, Vice President and Treasurer. This made my campaigning easier in the sense, when my friends call me “Vice President” the person who doesn’t know would ask in curiosity and then I could pitch in and say ” Vote for me”. Another good thing about the campaign is that the GSA would reimburse upto $20 for election campaign. I got some business cards with “Vote for me” written. I also know some excited friends who started writing on the UB Spectrum, the university newspaper, “Vote for Ajeya”. That was crazy. And I did not know it until someone posted that in one of the common whatsapp groups. I was wondering if that would be an election code violation. But other than I , me and myself I had no regular campaigners. I had folks who said they ask their friends to vote for me and so on. I had turned in the election packet containing petition papers and proof of campaign expenses to GSA. Whoever I met I could go ahead and ask their votes. If they were undergrads I would ask if they had any grad friends. Many did, and said they would ask on my behalf. Some undergrad friends were disappointed that they could not vote for me. That was great. The momentum was on.
Some of the friends wanted to vote for me on the condition that I know that they voted for me. They would call me up and vote (online) in front of me. That was good proof. Some graduated friends who had the UBIT still working tried to cast the vote. They were so excited. But the system is fool proof, they were not eligible to vote. I was almost planning on what pizza to order on the day of results. I could attend some conferences, workshops, networking events, GSA meetings, Turkish GSA meeting, post in GISA (graduate Indian students association) about my campaign. Some student presidents of other department GSA had told me that they like my honesty during the candidate debate, but I should consider coming up with Election Manifesto. I had no serious intention to come up with manifesto. Because, I hardly knew what was happening in GSA. How it work is still a mystery. Other than being a volunteer webmaster for the electrical engineering graduate student association , I had no contact with the GSA body. But there is no time to learn, and I do not know whom to learn from. Because the incumbent Vice President was also running for the post this semester! Anyways I had all the studies and part time work to do. There is hardly some time to squeeze in. Buffalo winter makes you wear jacket. I had the cards for campaign in both my jackets, whichever I chose to wear, in my bag and pockets. I was in the game.
Election lasted 3 days. The election result day arrived. I didn’t check it till the end of the day. The result came afternoon, is what I learned. For results and campaign blog page, campaign links, results click here.
I came second. Just a few votes short of victory. The Incumbent won. Surprisingly, getting the same number of votes she got in previous year election. And then many people contacted me saying “Hard luck” and “so close” and “Better luck next time”. Hopefully, there is no next time , and I would be graduating from my Masters’ program.i would consider it as a victory considering that I had hardly put any effort into real campaign. I had no candidate meet and greet program, I had no election manifesto, I was kind of lousy in replying to some voters in my Facebook campaign event page. I would consider that number of votes as victory for sure. I made a lot of acquaintances in this process. Some who later said that they forgot to vote! Then I realized that I was so busy those days that I too had.. !
The glorification of a city by the king, the exaltation of the idol by devotee and the beautification of ourselves with cosmetics are common trends of life. A gypsy would want long beard. A beggar would want good wear and tear on the dress. The make-up turns iconic with followers of ostensible megalomaniacs craving for stardom.The media pushes all these with ravenous cacophony.
Humans are hailed as geniuses viz nerd and geek, as god-people, as evangelist, as superpowers- the indomitable, the invincible, the indefatigable. We are forced to forget the mediocre hardworking individual, who is forgotten in the jungle of rare and oftentimes constantly repeated stories of human edification.
Can we all not live a life that is banal ? That is lazy and worth living the way it is? No. Because we are not the same. There is something different in everyone. One autobiography may not cater well to you may be you need another person’s biopic as a catapult to finding your own dreams and getting out of the shackles of personal misgivings.
In a situation that demands a hero, many may witness it as an opportunity, many take the untrodden path, knowingly or unknowingly , intentionally or not they are all tied to the ravings and the aspirations the common man, who is not so common. Praise, felicitation and admiration run the roost. Suddenly we see some men added to the photos of hitherto well known big whiskers and beards and fancy hairs. Yes, an addition to the existing photos of fame.
Not once have I seen the thirst for esteem in a well matured common man in India. Always positive and altruistic, this common man is my influencer, this person whose gender or name, origin or political colour I do not perceive. It is this man who is my guiding light. That One person seem to help me whenever I want, moving my hand away keeping me from resting the head on palm for a sullen feeling in a crowded Mumbai suburban train, helping me to go in right direction, giving me some money to pay the fine for not travelling on ticket. I become the common person by virtue of goodness of such positive reverberations and exuberance that surround me. Moreover, I start helping people, telling them directions, notifying them about job posts, informing them in a non-invasive polite manner. I have changed to the common man.
What more to expect in a situation where the whole place gives a transcending experience. I am thankful, to be one among the other, invisible and helpful, unidentified and grateful.
There is no more a single woman/man getting glorified. The whole world is in that motion to ultimate deserving ubiquitous glory.
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Anna I enquired whether it is a he /she? Whether it is related to TN elections? And what is that bizarre second name?
The phenomenon, Anna Hazare captured media, a slight semblence to Nehru with his Nehruvian hat and appearance with a seemingly innocent smile. An interviewer asked Anna Hazare why he would not contest in elections and change the system. Anna H answers that the way he did was the way he could do. He cannot be a politician and get corrupt.
This is another way of blaming the other side. What the social worker sees is the tip of iceberg ,he says yeah there is lot under it that is causing trouble,making Titanics sink.That is bad the people need a bill. Not a hotel bill or other bills of payment, but the Lokpal bill. That word “Lokpal” excludes the power to gather all people around. How many people understand what “Lokpal” means?
I personally had to search for it . Newbies scour and findout something like this http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/what-is-the-jan-lokpal-bill-why-it-s-important-96600
And something is here http://www.annahazare.org/
The old chap with a new pose for his photo in that website, i perceive, can’t bring a change. Media and related people, yes they have to follow ( I have seen the hindi flick ” Peepli live” and the malayalam movie ” Swa. Le”) . BJP praises him while there is no news that the Congress INC had a say on it ,NCP did.
Wikipedia boasts about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hazare but fails to impress me.
The fast began on April 4-5, around those days,and the news got some wide reputation when it ended by April 9. That a hunger strike of 4-5 days can make a hero doesn’t sink in the mind as fast as the news media was flashing it.
I have heard that the poverty and living standards in the MP and some northern places is comparable or even worse than the third world countries. So our sub-continent is 3 worlds in one, the super metros including bengaluru, the developing places like Kochi and the sub-standard low-class country-sides. People live with hunger and there is no strike good enough to capture attentions that will alleviate the problems that come as parcel with poverty and hunger,ignorance and intolerance. It is very interesting that one man Anna can make volntarily mass movement, and still more fact of wonder is that the government notices that.
This is the advertisement of BEL they had put up in their website
go here http://www.bel-india.com/images/itm-pdfs/19_Oct_2010_GAPP_WALK_IN_INTERVIEW_2010-11.pdf for actual advertisement
_______________________________________________
“WALK-IN INTERVIEW” FOR GRADUATES IN ENGINEERING
FOR THE APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING
On 25th & 26th NOVEMBER 2010
Bharat Electronic Limited, Bangalore Complex, is conducting “Walk-in-Interview”
for GRADUATE ENGINEERS FOR APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING for the period of
One year under Apprentices Act.
General Conditions / Instructions: –
PHP Pass Class.
be considered.
Provisional Degree certificate, SSLC marks card for verification.
CARD issued by the company at the time of interview.
Candidates who fulfill the above conditions only need to appear for the interview.
The results of shortlisted candidates and their induction / joining schedules will be
announced through BEL website (www.bel-india.com) only.
Canvassing in any form will result in disqualification.
Only Indian nationals need to appear.
ADDL. GEN. MANAGER (HRD)
________________________________________________
They had this colourful way of advertising. Yes they have good advertisement writers, it seems. So we have nice government run companies in this country. While many look away after seeing the mention of Apprentices Act in there ,the name BEL sounds good, every guy wants to test his worth by attending the interview. In a city like Bengaluru (Bangalore) we expect Electronics engineers working in various IT/BPO companies to come and attend this interview. So when I go for attending; jobless that I am, I can expect either a crowd looking to get some experience in core field, with things that they have mugged up and vomited on hundreds of papers in the span of 4 years of engineering, few exceptions exist but they are exceptions OR I can expect very few jobless creatures who would go for anything respectable for their engineering degree under the sun.
So I was going to Bengaluru, the electronic city of India, of IT a hypercity, only later I understood that it was all a hype.
I landed there in Airavat an Air conditioned bus of note. Airavat is a hindu mythological creature , a divine white elephant of lord of devas Indra, Airavata: had thousand tusks. Incidentally after misunderstanding between God Siva and Ganesa, Beheaded Ganesa got an head transplant, the head was donated by Airavata the elephant. Airavat grew another head.
I asked people about Jalahalli only to know that the place is pronounced as Jaalahallli(ജാലഹള്ളി,ஜாலஹள்ளி,) . Platform number 22 from the city bus stand, majestic, will get me to BEL. My usual tragedy worked, there were people in the bus going for the same business as mine. So no problem in finding out the Centre for learning and development. The guy I acquainted said that BEL took some 10 people each year for apprenticeship training. He didn’t know any other details. I told my CVRDE, DRDO walk in interview experience at Avadi Chennai. With a huge mob i half guessed that they may follow the DRDO’s way. But no there was announcement.
The Announcement said. “ Don’t rush, every eligible candidate will be given a chance for the interview. We are taking only Electronics, Electronics and telecommunications, Electronics and Communications. All others may go. The walk in interview is for Graduate Engineers for Apprenticeship Training. Only Rs2600 will be paid if selected, there will be no accommodation. The queue didn’t mind those. Now he announced some more. Only people passing above 1.1.2008 are eligible. Yeah! Cool English. Way to go man. We need exactly such guys so that more private companies of better people run business here and make the country better. Then he announced in a non-English language, probably kannada. So I told a native candidate in front of me, atleast you know what they are saying. He smiled.
And then there was some confusion, an official from inside came out and said “ we don’t want instrumentation guys, Electrical and Electronics guys just go back we don’t want any EEE guys. So there was a Tamil “Makan” (guy) an E&I engineer asking him that he should have mentioned such things in the advertisement. The official countered the argument saying that he could have contacted before coming, and he was not invited to come there. (what an attitude). The official continued “This is a Government institution, I cannot do anything”. The Tamilian went to another brown dressed guy. He spoke in Tamil and that official told him “ I don’t know Tamil and you don’t know Kannada, I’m sorry. He said “Sir, OK, then English”. The official was not ready to hear. Both were helpless in face. I waited. I wanted to get inside the gate atleast. There was repeated advertisement “PDC is compulsory”. What is PDC? It is Pre-degree certificate in Kerala, could be anything in other states of India. OK it was decoded as provisional degree certificate. Many didn’t have that. So they left. Others ignorant of this stood in the line. There were flying comments about BEL, the girl’s queue, why the officials talked to girls only though there were female security-persons. And there was comedy on a fat security he was shooing, blowing his whistle and calling at the crowd like he was addressing a herd of buffaloes. “Pretty experienced, he must have never missed a buffalo in his life” was a popular joke. He didn’t hear it nor would he understand even if he hears because it was not in kannada. Apparently, BEL was Bengaluru Electronics Limited not Bharat Electronics Limited. At the gate I got confirmed that I, an E&I guy was not allowed to attend. In their words “We don’t want instrumentation guys”.They kept announcing “The result will be published at our website http://www.bel.india.com” .A few minutes before he was announcing the site as bel dash india dot com , finally he convinced himself that it was bel dot india dot com while actually it was bel hyphen india dot com. You will find something in bel.india.com its not an “address not found” place. You can get bel.india.com address from net.
Yes these guys were narrow minded. Knowing only kannada nothing “above” it (hehehe..:-)). But in reality I lost time, money and lost a chance to get interviewed. So the only other choice was to go round the city and be a tourist. I’d time till night to catch a reserved bus. So i went to majestic. Found some places.
The buses were apparently fully run by Government. I couldn’t understand the letters and variants of “…uuwu…” No English, not even a picture of bus at bus stop; What the….Do they think they are Japanese to be proud of the language and use it to produce MNCs? Japanese make user’s manual in Japanese but that is Japan. Dear kannadigas don’t you understand that you are part of India, in records at least? At Majestic there are bus route numbers in English and place names in kannada and English. OK you have English, thanks to British for colonising you guys. I went roaming through the streets of the place. They have good footovers and foot-unders. There are cleaning personnel actively doing their work. Very unlike any government servants, the sweepers cleaned and moved tonnes of soil spread throughout the bus station. Yes there was a lot of dirt, it will be a hardship for these people to keep the station clean. But ultimately the Hon’ble CM and others will take the credit of making Karnataka what it is. The world has seen their worser than kindergarten assembly http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article824863.ece . You can find lot of youtube videos start here and watch the play http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNhJpUK456Q. (Kar “Nataka” ).
I found my white elephant turning and getting itself parked in un-numbered platform, that was platform 15 at kempegowda bus station (KBS), inter state buses com here, reclining on the pushback I could only smile at my question Yed-ur-appa (a rough translation from Tamil -> what place man?
With the election results it is pointing that there is an apparent drift of the society to vote against the ruling party,as usual.
The parties or the people in it unfortunately don’t understand that the devotion of people is much above the party rules.Still very unfortunate is the way some state heads behave ,as if they are babies under the big mother party.They just ignore the public opinion.
Very commendable is the state in TN,though big sometimes low-level campaigns are done,the state has always developed.The elections or party rivalry hadn’t caused much to deteriorate the developmental efforts.
Hats off to them…..
Ajeya: The Invincible's Crucible 