Horizons - Filled with Hope

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Status.

Dusk.

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Like most of my 55ers, this one too, does not conform to the definition of 55 fiction. It is just an out-of-the-blue idea I had – to try to fit the entire story of life into 55 words.

I've always loved animals, for more reasons than I can recall at the moment. One of the things I like about animals is that since they don't possess the “intelligence” that we great humans have, they are also genuine and unpretentious. No double-standards, and generally fair (or so I believe).

There are, however, a couple of laws of the animal kingdom which we humans shun. Or do we, really?

Anybody who watches Animal Planet genre of programs on television would tell you that if there's one thing common to all animals, it is that the males, when they reach mating age, fight it out with other males and “earn” the right to mate with the eligible female(s). And no, this has nothing to do with The War For Women. This is what evolution is about.

One zebra or two fall prey to the crocodiles while crossing the river; but that is precisely why the herd can complete its migration.

One deer is snapped up by the lionesses in the African bush, but that allows the rest to move on in search of pastures.

That's what “survival of the fittest” means.

How does the civilised human society take to these rules? Do we shun them? Or do we, consistent with the human trait of double-standards, shun them openly but widely adopt them anyway, albeit secretly?

I'm driving to work. At a right angle turn ahead of me, a motorcyclist bends a little too much, loses his balance and falls, face first; his bike lying a few feet away.

My first instinct is to stop my car and open the door. I plant one foot on the road, thinking about the biker. Is he hurt? How bad? Which is the nearest hospital I can take him to, just in case?

Suddenly, I become aware of relentless honking from behind me. Few drivers have poked their heads out the windows. Some are gesturing to me, some are yelling at me. By now a few passers-by (mainly pedestrians) have already reached the fallen biker and have started helping him up.

I take a look at the angry drivers, then at the hurt person, then back at the now fuming drivers; get back in the car and continue driving. A pang of guilt keeps popping up in my mind for the rest of the day but I keep brushing it aside.

Few months later. A couple on a motoscooter. The guy is riding – in his hurry to jump the signal, he fails to spot the car about to cross paths with him. He applies the brakes at the last moment, loses his balance and they both have a hard fall. He's clutching his knee, she's placing a hand on her cheek, wincing.

This time, there are not only cars behind me, but also buses and lorries. I glance at the hurt couple for only a fraction of a second and continue driving, without even bothering to slow down this time. I look in the rear-view mirror and am relieved to see that there are people helping them and that they are up on their feet. Looks like they aren't too badly hurt.

The pang of guilt revisits. Again, I dismiss it saying there's nothing I could do. I wasn't my fault. But deep inside I know that's not true.

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We live in a busy world. No one has time for anything. We don't even want to make way for ambulances because if we do, we might miss the green signal.

But you know something's gravely wrong when you see a fellow human being in pain and you are not even in a position to stop and help, lest you want to face an army of irritated drivers behind you who are in a perpetual state of hurry.

Then, she carefully produced a piece of bread from somewhere in her rags, and without second thought, gave it all to the dog.

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This post doesn't conform to all the rules of 55-word fiction

This incident reminds me of another one. I saw a child beggar offered some fruit by a passer-by. The first thing she did was to call out to her siblings who were scattered around begging for alms among the motorists waiting at the signal. Only after they ate did she!

“This signal's so crowded even at 9pm”

“Hmm”

“Must be pathetic during peak hour”

“True”

“Thank God I use public transport. Don't know how I'd cope with driving through this mess”

“BTW, I'm a shopkeeper on my way to a friend's wedding”

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We always consider ourselves to be neck-deep in trouble.  And think we're the most unfortunate souls. Until we across someone who's in it all the way up to the forehead. What say?

This post draws inspiration from an old ad-film that used to be aired on TV some 5-6 years back. It was issued by the National Association for the Blind. It was about a man walking down the stairs in a building when there is a power cut. The man bumps into another man and starts cribbing about the darkness. Only when they reach outside does the first fellow realise that the man he bumped into is blind.

I couldn't find the video anywhere online. If you do, please let me know.

“Ninety percent of all communication that traverses the internet is utter waste. Of the rest, 90% is still utter waste.”

That's what “Kiran's Recursive Law of Network Communications” states. I have actually derived a complex equation involving variables which range from electromagnetic to social to cultural to psychological (even hormonal) to postulate this theory. However, in order to protect my ambitions of winning a Nobel Prize for this work, I shall not publish that equation here.

But, this conclusion did not come to me in my dreams. No, sir. Just like Sir Isaac Newton arrived at the theory of gravity after an apple fell on his head; my theory too formed itself slowly, after a couple of events acted as trigger to its formation.

I hereby provide a sneak-peek at the deeply scientific and methodical approach that led to what will soon be regarded as one of the greatest postulates of the 21^st century. I shall disclose 2 of the events that led to the formation of the theory.

This is what a typical chat session on my company's internal IM looks like. Observe how there are only 4 lines in this conversation that are actually of any use whatsoever.

If not cured, this disease might manifest itself in the following form in a short span of time:

E1 will then send an email to E2; to which E2 will respond within 100 seconds and 100 characters.

5 minutes later:

Once I re-tweeted a tweet from one of the persons I follow. It turns out that almost a dozen other people had re-tweeted the same tweet too. And this lady replies to all in a single tweet thanking them for the RTs.

And what happens next? One of the guys who was thanked actually responds to EVERYONE welcoming the lady!!!

Do you believe that? It's not long before we see a tweet like this:

Oneguy: @Otherguy, thanks for thanking me when I thanked you for thanking me back after I thanked you for RT'ing me.

You think that this law is pure theory and has no practical application? Think again. This theory leads to the ultimate solution to all the network bandwidth problems the world is facing. The solution is this:

“Ban the use of formality in internet communications – especially formal communications.”

Oh it's OK. No standing ovation please. I accept all the praise for this stunning scientific achievement in all humility. There really is no need to name a unit of measurement after me.

Shibu Soren takes the support of BJP to form a Govt in Jharkhand, of which he is the CM.

BJP moves a cut motion against the UPA Govt in the Parliament. Shibu Soren votes against the cut motion, leaving BJP red-faced and showing how clearly [edited undivided] divided the opposition is.

“I was drunk when I was shooting away at CST, but more importantly, I have Alzheimer's so I don't even remember the shooting. Or the drinking”.

You won't believe what happened. The other day, I was drunk and my wife was too. We got into a heated argument. In a fit of rage, I fetched the knife from the kitchen and dug it deep into her abdomen. She bled to death.

Now, how is that my fault? I wasn't even aware what the consequences would be. But the courts wouldn't listen. First, the District Court, then the High Court. They both termed it as MURDER!!

Glad that finally the Supreme Court had the sense and saw it all from my point of view. It realised that I was drunk and had no control over proceedings. You know, they aren't treating my case as murder. How cool is that?

Okay, I'm off. First, I'll go on a drinking binge. And then, I'll commit more crimes under the influence. I'll loot, plunder, shoot, kill, rape, betray. I cannot be blamed for those, can I? It's the damn alcohol.

Dear Amnesty, UN and other organisations opposing the extradition of Purulia arms drop mastermind Kim Davy to India, I ask the following questions of you:

1. Do you have any idea of the implications of such a massive arms-drop on a nation's security?
2. Had someone (say, a “third-worlder”) been caught doing the same in US airspace or the airspace of one of your own so-called “developed” countries, would you have been taking up his case so strongly?
3. Is protecting one's own country and punishing proven foreign criminals the prerogative of only the rich countries?

Looking forward to some gyaan from your intelligent and righteous selves.

Yours Sincerely,

Concerned Indian Citizen

P.S: I have a nagging feeling that you are headed the “criminal rights way”. Have you done anything that might dispel my concern?

What have been the sporting achievements of Indians during the past month and a half?

• Saina Nehwal broke into the top 5 of world badminton rankings. She became the first Indian woman to do so. She was also a semi-finalist at the Badminton Asia championship held in India. 
• Pankaj Advani created history by becoming the first cueist ever to score a hat-trick of Asian billiard titles when he won the title for the third time at Singapore.
• Then, there was a group of archers from a backward region in Gujarat, who attended the National archery championships in Guwahati. Yes, this is an achievement considering they had to sell off their ancestral properties in order to pay the airfare.

Well, I think I need to stop here. Because, as far as I can tell, these achievements and news items are irrelevant. People couldn't care less. We, as a great sporting nation, have more pressing matters at hand. Sania getting married to Shoaib. And, then, the question about who funded what team in IPL and where the money came from.

Long Live Indian Sports. And Long Live our dream of getting double digit medals in Olympics (for I'm sure this will remain a dream).