Chetan Bhagat’s speech at Symbiosis

Following is the speech by Chetan Bhagat given at the orientation programme for the new batch of MBA students at Symbiosis, Pune.

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated.  The first day in college is one of them.  When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost.   So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Disappointment’ s cousin is  Frustration, the second storm.  Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to  a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is Isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful  years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

Chetan Bhagat

SImple and to the point and just hitting where it should. I like his approach and way of working. He is no doubt an intelligent and a practical man.

Some books and movies

Well, I read the adventures of Tom Sawyer again and relived his childhood with same fascination as I had done many years ago.

I also read Kane and Abel, which is based on some biblical characters Cain and Abel which I don’t know about much but in itself the book was thrilling and kept me interested for a long while before becoming a little burdening towards the end. Other than that, good story telling. Power hungry industrialists, their successes , their tragedies , their struggles and eventual victory make for a good story. I liked it okay!

After that I have started “A Room with a view” by E.M. Forster and somehow, I am finding it very tedious right now to wallow in the victorian age and their typical English antics. So, I have kept the book on hold for a while. I hope i will soon be able to return to it.

So, after dropping the above said book, I leapt on to some management and motivational books because they were the only ones that I had. One is “Born to Win” by Promod Batra and another called “How to get what you want to get” by Havermeyer. Well, about them all I can say is that these books suddenly lift your mood up and light that flame of enthusiasm again whenever you are able to spot a needed statement in them. But what I find most irritating about such books is the inconsistency in the preachings. There are many contradictions which reduce the book from a serious full hearted attempt to just a compiled fact book.

About movies:
Saw Kismat Konnection. Well, wasn’t able to make any connection with the movie. Shahid was good. I went with an open mind and a possible positive bias towards Vidya Balan but she disappointed me again. She does not come across as a light hearted character ever. That irks me. Sometimes the script demands heaviness but not always man! That becomes boring.

Saw Aamir. Loved it! Good attempt. More such movies should be made and fine acting by Rajeev khandelwal.

Now, I want to see “The Dark Knight” and “Jaane Tu…” BADLY!!

The Kite Runner - Kahlid Hosseini

The Kite Runner

Beautiful power of description. Had read it about 2 years ago but it still evokes in me the emotions that Khali Hosseini was able to generate through this novel. Its deeply touching and moves you on a level when you are forced to look at your life and question that whether you have ever had a Hassan in your life who is so devoted and all you have done for him is to cheat.
Also the novel gave me a first look into the Afghanistan lifestyle and a terror view of the Taliban regime.
It was interesting, fun and informative.

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

Refreshingly Different!

Stinging sarcasm and mild guffaws are overflowing all the way in the novel.

Liked it !

One of the better reads!

Nirmala - Premchand

I really wish to read the Hindi books again which I had left and its been quite a time now. And what better way to start than with one of the greatest figures of Hindi literature - Munshi Premchand. His works have always besotted me and reminded me that this is my land and that how much of a different and endearing feeling it is to read a work in one’s own mother tongue. I just loved reading it.

Nirmala is a story of a little girl who is married at an age of 15 to a person who is 20 years elder to her  after her first marriage being cancelled due to dowry reasons. Nirmala’s husband tries all tactics to woo her but she has only respect and a sense of duty for him and not the love which he expects to develop in her. By his first wife, Totaram has three sons and the eldest is just one year elder to Nirmala. Nirmala who is so tender and inexperienced does not understand that why she likes being with the eldest son and hates her husband. Why she can be comfortable with the son but becomes uncomfortable at even the sight of his man. Then by the inferiority complex and Nirmala’s cold attitude towards Totaram, a seed of mistrust is sown and from there starts the downfall of everything which Nirmala lays her hands on. One by one all the sons die. They lose all wealth and property. Some other deaths also occur.

The most noticeable thing is that how he can write so poignantly by creating a situation rather than depending heavily on words. He makes the reader feel rather than tell him/her what to feel. It is a readerly text than writerly. His comparisons, similes and idioms usage is well timed and well thought and piercing. The themes of his novel are the social ills and how despite being common that they are, have the potential to wreck whole families. Nirmala is a tragedy and it moves you. The real success of an author lies in the fact that the reader should continue to think about the characters and the situations long even after he has read them. And I continue to do so. For me Nirmala is a work of a man who is a brilliant author.

Goo dreading. Easily recommended.!

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Let me start by saying that I have always felt that the books written in interesting times are interesting and this is one of those books. It was published in 1932 and this was the era between the world war I and II.

This is one of the good books that I have read and I wish I would have  read it earlier. I am surprised to find that the book was universally criticized when it was first released and there was an instance of banning the book in a school in California. But perhaps it was bound to since the book is such a beautiful satire on both the American Capitalism and European ( Russian ) Communism/Socialism.

The society which he creates in his imaginary dystopia ( which is a satire of the utopian visions of the authors like H.G.Wells and Shaw etc, as I read ) is spine chilling. It produces a deeply caste biased and highly imbecile people who are genetically modified to suit the needs that they are to later fulfill. Mass production happens in factories which is then consumed by the creators themselves - referring to the Industrialization. People have senseless ways to entertain themselves or pass time - feelies and sex - reference to the evolving American (absence of?) culture. There is no thinking. Vrtues of our times are shown to be the vices of tomorrow and vice versa. Reproduction is shameful whereas copulation is good when the primary function of sex is to reproduce. Consumerism flourishes. Individuality and peculiarity are scoffed at. Conformity is the norm. Art and Literature and beauty are incomprehensible and despicable. The world is stable and harmonious yet it lacks the very essence of being human. Human is a machine in his world.

The world which Huxley has created is spine chilling. It scared the hell out of me. His vision is piercing and the satire is highly enjoyable. He shows to us the horror of too much science ( and that is what Mustapha Mond says too ). He literally mocks the utopian society that we look at. Mind control, dictatorship and totalitarian regimes are depicted to be terrible even if the intentions are good. The people dont get what they want but they get the end of want. There is adherence and acceptance.

A solid book. Marvellous social and political satire. Somehow sometimes direct words pinch less than the satirical way. It is absolute fun to read such a well written book.

Anand Math - Bankim Chandra Chatterjee

I read the Hindi version of this very famous novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee - one of the earliest literary genius of India. This book is the one which has the origins of our National Song - Vande Mataram.

The novel is based in an era when Mir Jafar was ruling in Bengal and the British had started their business and were dominating trade but not the politics as of yet. How the famine affected the lives of the people then and that finally brought them together led by the Sanyasis to wage a revolution against the Mughal ruler.

The book is not entirely conversational nor entirely descriptive. It uses both the techniques. One feels that one was living in that times when you start reading the book. A thing that I was shocked to find in that was the very apparent and indicative hatred towards the Muslims. In fact, the novel concludes with the suggestion that the replacement of Mughal rulers by the British ones was in fact good for the country and that the people should rather be happy that they have come. It reflects clearly the thoughts of the author and perhaps of the rest of the intellectual Bengali community too who thought that the Britishers were a welcome change. It is another thing that Bengal turned out to be one of the most exploited  states later. The existing caste system and the boiling vengeance is shown very piercingly.

In his female characters, the author has painted a sort of contrast in the characters of Shanti and Kalyani. Whereas one is self sufficient and more than that , Kalyani is the typical domesticated wife who was even ready to give her life ( and almost gave away ) so that his man could concentrate on his work. Whereas Shanti is assertive and bold, Kalyani is meek and submissive. Whereas Shanti can fight and kill men, Kalyani cannot even protect herself. It is an interesting contrast and I am pleasantly surprised to find it in a work of an author of earlier times when at other places he has placed the social prejudices as they were.

The Sanyasi movement which Chatterjee has portrayed is not in itself is a movement for independence, but it is a movement for the displacement of Mughal ruler and rule. The fact that the novel ends with the Swami Satyanand being told to go away without establishing the rule of the native people surprises me and not in a good way. The hatred towards the Muslims is immense as depicted. Now I understand why Muslims were so against the song Vande Mataram. They perhaps see it in this context.

Nevertheless, it invigorates something in you. The picture which Chatterjee paints is not complete. Rather, it is a microscopic view but still it instills a revolutionary idea. I am pretty sure it must have deeeply moved the people then who were impatient and restless for a change of situations. Sitting in a free India with all the basic necessities of life fulfilled, I am getting a different impact but I can not ignore the effect which must be mammoth in its times.

As for the song Vande Mataram, it is most poignant and moving. Never has it occured that whenever I hear it or sing it I do not feel a pang of patriotism. What Bankim has tried to convey is the “religion of Patriotism” is what should be followed.

It was a refreshing read but I am ashamed to say that I had a rather difficult time in comprehending the complex Hindi words which were used and seemed to me like things of distant past. It is diasppointing and I think that I will like to make amends regarding it and improve my Hindi. Also I would like to read more and more Hindi novels.

A trip to the erstwhile summer capital Shimla

These are some pics from the tripe to shima while we were aboard the very famous toy train.

the toy train

tracks !

train in a tunnel

turn of the train

on the bridge

tea time

dawgeeeeeee

old yet sturdy

the scenery

scenery again

Mist !

some more mist

even more mist

standing defiantly

the gothic president's place

ooooooooooh

close up shots of the gothic monument

gardens

The road less travelled?

langoor! :)

top of a temple

outside the temple

nice chairs

morning sun through the window

Just a view

Christ Church, Shimla

the bell as a present from the King of Nepal to the British Viceroy

Rubbles

a small dam on river beas

Wimbledon 2008 - Rafa Wins!!

Dearest Rafael wins the Wimbledon!! ha! haha!
It is off course a dream come true for him but it is the same for me too. I have been rooting for him since the last year. Last year also he stretched Federer till the last set and then itslef it was visible that this young tiger is not going to go down so easily. In fact, he was going to rise up and up that I knew and that is what has happened. He may not have become the number 1 yet but what he has shown is that the day is not far. Federer is no less a player. In fact he is the greater of them but on that conclusive Sunday, it was a battle of nerves and determination and grit which Nadal won undoubtedly and very deservedly. Federer had reached to such heights that a year and half ago it seemed no one would be able to catch up with him but then came the Spaniard with gentle manners off court and contrastingly fierce aggression on court. He pushed the giant of Men’s tennis to push harder than ever and Fedex was finally stretched to limits which Nadal surpassed in the Wimbledon 2008. Now, the No 1 Federer has to reinvigorate his needs and desires. Only reason that I can see which led him to a defeat is the complacency which he somewhere felt in his heart. He took this championship title a little less seriously than Rafa boy.

But what the heck! What is more important is that the battle which ensued for 4 hours and 48 minutes was a pure delight for the lovers of tennis. A match which is seldom seen in the histories of sport. One of the best matches that I will ever see in my life.

In women’s championship, most of the top players performed poorly and got defeated at the hands of unexpected opponents. This cleared the way for the Williams sisters to dominate the turf and that they did. Venus won the final. I have to appreciate the aplomb with which she plays. Serena on the other hand has an understated agreesiveness. I like the sisters. But women’s tennis yet has to see better standards and tough opposition to these two. There is hardly any consistency. Toppers are on the top for a season or two and then they vanish. I am dying to see a Steffi like player emerge and hoping that it would get more challenging and things would heat up. Zheng Jie has stirred up hopes of providing a challenge and I hope that she would.

On the other hand, I discovered some hotties like Safin and Djokovic and Andy Roddick and Mario Ancic. What good looks :D. Nice to watch. All in all it was great watching this wimbledon for all it was. Amazing two weeks.

Shaurya - The story of a few good men

The title says the thing that shaurya movie is an adaptation of “A Few Good Men”. One might even say that it is a refined copy as some scenes are almost an exact copy. BUT, and thats a big but (butt..hehehe sorry for the pj, but could not stop) Shaurya, is an independently awesome movie. If one ignores the fact that its inspiration lies somewhere else then one cannot remain unimpressed. The story and the plot is good as it is ( of the original ). It is one of the best I have ever come across in movies. Then there comes the acting part. With K.K. Menon, you know what to expect and you get that and much more. Rahul Bose is a pleasant actor as always. Minnisha Lamba surprised with her skills as an actress. However, the looks were very cliched, They could have given her some other better look. I am just bored with women journalists looking like that. Amrita Rao, plays the role of a sophisticated and bittered Indian widow well enough. Javed Jaffrey got a chance for acting and that is a good thing because he has done well. Quite. So, the Indian version is as good as the original. The only thing that pinches is that it happens to be “The Indian Version”. I have lamented again and again the fact that Bollywood is such a great cheater. They need not be. There are so many wonderful writers waiting here to be heard and noticed. Why not give them a chance. Another thing about the actors is that the directors here have absolutely no intention or the capability to make use of some of the finest actors that we have today. I am talking about the makers of Krazzy 4 and many others. They assembled such fine actors and concocted some shit which was not even worth pitying and off course the only good thing that happened in the movie was the song Break Free which now everyone knows is a copy.
Inspiration is one thing and plagiarism is another. What we have going on here is not the one of the better kind. It just has me going on the angrier side.

But one thing, K K Menon is a fantastic actor. I just know why he does not get more roles. I think there is not much quality available and that is why he refrains from accepting roles every now and then. I like Rahul Bose

I have started watching the Prsion Break series and have fallen in love with Scofield. Wentworth Miller is sooo beautiful and manly at the same time.