Why do I blog?!

Why do I blog?!

This is the question I've been asked by many and by myself ever since I started my blog. And I've been asked this question not just by many, but many times too. I never really had any solid answer to this question. To make my presence felt in this global village of the Internet, I used to say, sometimes. Yet a few other times, I used to say just to have some fun. Fun!!!!! I really never had any idea how? The answers may sound funny. Well, they did for me too. Those answers never really satisfied myself though they did convince my friends that I've gone out of my mind.

Perhaps the only answer that I ever came close to satisfying myself with is that through my blog, I was able to give voice to my opinions and share them (or perhaps publish them), which until then, I used share only with a couple of friends of mine.

But then (and even now), I wasn't really sure that some one out there is listening to my voice i.e., reading my blog. So I wasn't really sure why I was blogging.

Actually, (here is where I can become really boring.....so if U don't care why on earth I started blogging, U may, very well, skip on to the next paragraph) I first came to know about blogging through a news paper. Immediately I took to it and started a couple of blogs whose ids and passwords I forgot just as soon as I created them. And then there was a period of lull. But once again I read continuous reports in newspapers about the hectic activity in blogosphere and the way it transforming lives all around the world. i read about how people formerly unknown became famous, how budding writers got book deals, how a few guys got cult following. And then i also read about the Novel writing month. Being a person naturally disposed to wasting realms and realms of paper just to jot down anything that come to my mind....I thought of this as one big chance. And the result is this blog. Well, as U may have observed the first entry is concerned with my opinions regarding int. politics. But immediately after writing that, I introspected and found that its no good writing such stuff. So then I stared writing about myself. This sounded like a bit of self proclamations of an egoist, but later I found that to be okay. So I settled for it.

But even then I wondered what to write about my self or my life or my world. So I decided to write in it everything I am interested. But this still hasn't given me any solid answer for my earlier question.

Then came December last. This December has changed a lot of my opinions about many things. And one of those opinions is that I'm not as useless or as stupid as I think myself to be. Indeed, I realised that no one is. No one is what they seem to be. Well, at least not what they seem to be to my eyes. And the came the TIME : PERSON OF THE YEAR - 2006 issue. It really along with a few incidents that happened in December, gave me the answer I was looking for. Or at least I'm thinking that is the answer.

The answer is: I blog because I want to be the change I want to see around myself. I want to let my voice raise and let it be heard by many, on issues that really matter. I blog because I want to be the change that's sweeping all over the world and is wrestling the right to speech and power of being heard of from the hands of few.I want to blog because I want to build relations with the whole world. "This is an opportunity to build a new kind of international understanding, not politician to politician, great man to great man, but citizen to citizen, person to person. It's a chance for people to look at a computer screen and really, genuinely wonder who's out there looking back at them." , according to TIME. Also I always knew I was gifted with a lot of knowledge (sounds a bit like self praise, ain't it? But believe me it isn't). I blog because I want to share this knowledge and empower myself and my fellow humans with it and with their knowledge. I decided to put to use, this knowledge for collective good of my world which has given me so much. Also I decided to use my knowledge and my blog to help spread word about anything that's good. As the first step in that direction, I've put up a logo of a not-for-profit society caring for urchins. Also I decided to post anything I think is interesting and maybe useful. All those who want to care the uncared, please check out that site by clicking on the link.

Ummmmmm.... a lengthy post isn't it. But reading all that I've written I feel that I haven't given an exact and comprehensive answer to the question "Why do I blog?" Yes, I haven't. But then, its OK. At least now, I know what I wanted or rather what I want to do with my blog. I hope to answer, at least sometime in future, "Why do I blog?!" for once and all. And finally the following picture sums up very effectively how caught this habit of blogging.





I request U to help me in my endeavour by posting any comments U may have on my blog. Bye......

What's in a name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare.
May be Shakespeare was true then. But is he still true in today's world?
I doubt it. And I have some good reasons to do so.

To begin with, let's talk about politics. Perhaps people of no other country can ever understand the key role a name plays in politics like we Indians do.
The name in the case is Gandhi. Ever since the time of our freedom struggle, the name Gandhi inspired may a common Indians. But back then, it was actually Gandhi, the person- Mr Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi, fondly called Bapuji and Mahatma, who inspired our ancestors. And he still does the same. And so does his name (I'm not talking about Mahatma but about the name Gandhi). Ever since the days of Indira Gandhi, the name Gandhi has become the most popular name in the Indian politics. And also it has become the easiest way up the power ladder. How elscould SoniaiGandhijiii have come to position she is in today, if not for her last name?
But then, ofcourse, she has proved herself in that power and complicated position. And the people all over India have grown to love her and reckon her as one among themselves (I'm one of those). Even this can be attributed to her last name. Obviously, had she chosen to drop her last name we wouldn't be talking about her today.And thenenof courseee there are various names, specific to certain castes that play akeroleer in state and regional politics. For example, here in Andhra Pradesh, such names are Reddy, Naidu, Chowdary, Goud, Yadav etc. That parties often exhort their candidates and prospective candidates to add such names,if they don't, already, have one, according to their castes is an open secret. And these arthe partiesethatta boast that they are trying to abolish all forms of social inequalities. But parties aren't just to be blamed. Even voters follow these names. And some of our political leaders wouldn't have ever come into light had they not used their names effectively.

And then, same is the case in film industry. The name is even more important down here in South than in the North. What else is an easy way to enter the industry than adding, telling and displaying your maiden name or father'name prominentlyyy? Well, I don't know of any!

And recently I came across an even more strange phenomenon in the IT industry. I heard that those guys who didn't even get any interview appointments got some nice jobs immediately after adding their maiden names or names regarding their respective castes. Looks like the scourge of casteism has spread its tentacles over the relatively new IT industry too...

Well, and so I think that a rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but it may remain in oblivion without that name. So what's your take on this ? Please post your comments.

'By the way.......

this is a journal, of thoughts, ideas, feelings and musings on life and everything else, of a little known, maverick Indian i.e., myself. All that I write here is what I feel is right. While I'm not writing for anyone in particular (that's because I doubt if anyone cares to read my blog), I would appreciate and love your sharing your ideas. So feel free to comment on any of the entries.'

The journey begins.......

Hi!
Ok guys (this thing, that someone out there is reading my own blog, I call it HOPE), this is my 1st posting. So don't expect much.I didn't even think of what to write .

I'm a normal guy from a little known town in India. I'm a true maverick because I don't do things people say me to do or expect me to do, but only those I want to do. Ofcourse I once faced a set back because of this attitude. But it's hasn't let me down ever since.

And I always wanted to speak out on a lot of things around me like politics, movies, social customs and ofcourse, my own personal experiences.

I'll try to post as often as possible.
Thank u for patiently reading this long.

My care of address is my college, "Sri Sagi Rama Krishnam Raju Engineering College", Bhimavaram. I hang out there most of the times.By the way, I'm an ELITE (in our college, we guys from Electrical & Electronics Engineering branch, call ourselves the ELITES).

bye
bye...............