Overnight changes is the new trend.

Sotheby’s and Christie’s made enormous profits.

Liquiefied Natural Gas (LNG) is going to be the new fuel for the world with Shell and ExxonMobil having already started making big investments in it.

Atheist: God does not exist.
Theist: God does exist.

There are innumerable debates which have been ensuing between the above two people over the existence of God.

I, personally, don’t care what the outcome of this debate, if ever, will be.
I don’t care whether God exists or whether God doesn’t exist.

What I have realised is that believing in the existence of God and laying your faith in the divine can give you immense peace and strength.
After many days I did pray to God this morning.
It left me wondering as to why I hadn’t ventured into this territory for such a long time.

The Saturday before last Albert Pinto and I had been to ISKCON and then a Hanuman temple at Mahalakshmi Layout.
The manner in which a Food World outlet looks from a small corner-shop, is the manner in which ISKCON temple looks from all other temples.

Its an industry; and when I walked-in it gave me the same feeling as the one I got when I walked into Walmart.
So much to sell; marketing written on all the attendants’ and priests’ faces.

We were sidelined by one of the priests who began with asking us whether we were from Bangalore or from abroad. He continued to ask our places of work and so on and gently guided us to his superior (a project manager in IT terms).
We managed to thwart their attempt at getting us clean shaven and wearing pink robes.

After walking across the book shops, bakeries, gift shops, shirts and t-shirt counters, watches and perfumes counter and a couple of swank restaurants selling pizzas and burgers, we got out of ISKCON.
(The menu in one of the restaurants also boasted of an Organic Dosa).
We then headed to the Hanuman temple.

There a homegrown yuppie came along with a camera in his hand.
While I was standing in front of the idol and praying, another guy comes up to me and asks me to move aside cos his yuppie friend wanted to click a snap.
So much for my few minutes with God.

Yesterday’s lunch was good and was at Bombay Post. Thanks to Inder!
Last night we were at the Devil’s house; loads of apple juice and loads of talk about where things are heading.
I skipped my playback workshop.

Today’s Times of India got me really sick. Read the editorial page, the articles by Bachi K and Jug S.
They are pathetic.
High-school essays written by the well-admired class monitor (who excels in sports and studies and at Shakespeare) would probably fare better than those written by these two.
The content and the focus of these essays itself were unexplainable.

So much for my few minutes with the newspaper.
So much for my few minutes.

Ahem.
With fears of some more comments calling this a marketing gimmick, I resume the blog.

Over the past few days or weeks in particular, things were in a turmoil in the head.
But now its a lot more relaxed, especially having painted out all my thoughts in black and white.
Black and white is clearer than crystal clear.

However, of course, the conclusion of all this black & white fresco is yet to be born.
The turmoil is now slowly starting all over again, in a different form and in a different mood.

It’s like I am sitting atop a horse in one of those merry-go-round rides or on a Ferris wheel.
The rotation starts slowly and you cling on with anticipation. Full speed and then it slows down and you get off.

That’s so much like life.
It begins on a slow note, hits the phase when everything goes in a frenzy, makes you laugh, makes you jump with fright, makes you sing, makes you weep and then comes to a slow halt.
Then it’s time to get off.

Game, set and match – You. In a game with yourself.

Green Day has just joined me on the Ferris Wheel. And so has The Economist and work.

I Thank you all for your comments. Sincerely.

This blog is Closed.

Maybe permanent, maybe temporary.

I have pretty much got bored of it.

Listen to Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day.

Good luck ladies and gentlemen.

A Hindi song aired on Radio City this morning

Female voice: “Main ek disco”
Male voice: “Tu ek disco”
Both together: “Duniya ek disco”
Chorus: “Disco 82, Disco 82, Disco 82″

Dhi only one (head nodding and feet tapping) : “Disco 82, Disco 82, Disco 82″

I have been reading and thinking about the purpose of man, the things that drive us, existence of God and so on. I have a lot of thoughts that I would like to write about, but we shall take them one at a time.

What exactly is the purpose of man on this planet?
I mean, why are we here? (This was of course one of the lines in Evam Indrajit).
I have tried to think about this question at many prior occassions. Evidently, the answer is not yet known; else I would I would be floating around the clouds with a halo over my head, wearing a white robe, an all-knowing serene smile and Hugo Boss for Men.

I was reading a book by Irving Stone in the bus today. In that, he quotes Renan:
“Man is here on this earth not only to be happy always, he is here not only to be simply honest; he is here to realize great things for humanity, to attain nobility and to surpass the vulgarity in which almost all of the individuals exist.”

As per Socrates and Plato and their followers, man’s only goal in life should be to attain knowledge.

On a tangential note, I would like to pose another question:
Supposing that you knew what you are supposed to do in life, would you still do it? Or would you rather do something that you please?

And if one did do something that one rather pleases to do, would it have a catalytic effect on everyone else?
I mean, God designed this whole shebang with some sort of a pattern which is evidently intricate.

I need answers, ladies and gentlemen.
It’s been a few thousand years since we got here. It’s time we moved on.

Once upon a time, we lived.
We most truly did.
We lived until knowledge came along.
And then we died.

The previous post created a lot of stir.

Insecurity – Pity that this was not picked up by all that who read it.

Anyway, I was almost on the verge of heading for a breakdown. I carry too many things in my head, and am unable to speak out cos of that very insecurity.
Attempts to camouflage this insecurity results in the so-called dhi only one behaviour as in the previous post.

Too personal to write for public reading I guess?
About being on the verge of a breakdown, I am feeling much better now thanks to this morning’s conversation.
Breaking down, feeling insecure – the traits of Holden Caulfield.
Anyway, carrying on.I saw Footsbarn’s Perchance to Dream. Its based on the works of Shakespeare. It links 5 of the bard’s plays. So, first you have the young Romeo, then turning into Hamlet, then Macbeth and finally the old King Lear. I discovered that Shakespeare’s works are quite tragic and macabre, even the comedies. I plan to read them in detail now.

I finished 25 chapters of the Mahabharath (written by Ramesh Menon). Tehelka used to publish one chapter every week,but they have now suddenly stopped! Thats bad. I found the epic quite intriguing and I plan to buy the complete set.
I made my third attempt at reading the Rig Veda translation, but the translation is too complex for me.

More later.

Dhi only one presents – The Caulfield Dilemma Theory.

This is a theory developed based on my multiple readings of one of the greatest books ever – The Catcher in the Rye.
Now, the Caulfield Dilemma Theory is named after Holden Caulfield, the hero-cum-villian of the book.

The Caulfield Dilemma Theory has been created and hereby stated by Dhi only one.

You see a bunch of people all excited and jumping about and expressing their interest about certain things. Your dilemma is whether to appreciate them, or to dismiss them off as a bunch of phonies.
This dilemma is termed as the Caulfield Dilemma Theory.

I have been facing this dilemma everytime I come across someone who is so eager to go attend some rock show, some play, some movie etc. etc. And etc.

Off late, it has been the Sting concert.
“Oooh! I am trying hard to get tickets for the Sting Concert.”
“Hey man, you better make it for the Sting Concert, he is GOD.”
“Me and my friends are definitely going to be there, my friend has got VIP passes”.

When “Sting” changes to “Daler Mehndi”, its the same statements with the name changed.

I try not to lose it. I do try and listen to these bunch of eager scramblers. I also do try and make myself understand that there are weird people on this planet with weird tastes.
After all that reasoning out with myself, I dismiss them off as phonies.

Probably Dhi only one is not “sensitive” enough to other’s tastes? Probably.
Probably they are all phonies? Definitely

The Caulfield Dilemma Theory should fetch me the Nobel.