madness

I have decided , come august i will chase the rains, the first step to my so wanted Vagabond life style. I am off to cherapunji and mawsynram for 5 days.. it will be just me and my pen diary and my hip flask.
People think i am crazy chasing rains at this time of the year.. but you should have a mad man in all of us.. and at times unleash it.

Education The Best occupation

I was going through a very well written blog : the Professional-Assassination
This some what inspired me to write what i am about to pen down.
I was always scientifically challenged, never had the taste for it. I was more inclined towards Social Sciences , rather than its pure form. It was then I decided to to pursue Humanities in by senior secondary school, a decision well supported by my parents, but not quite by their peers and our relatives. Thats quite history now , but then at times it felt quite insulting. But things changed when i joined Fergi (Fergusson College), one of the so called elitist in India and the Best in Maharastra ( Xavierites from mumbai may differ, but when i joined Fergi was ranked Higher than Xaviers Mumbai in both Arts and Science)

At least i thought things will change.. it did as well but the change was drastic. It was a paradigm shift out there, getting through BA was about 10 times tougher than Bsc. A lot of science students if did not make it through to Engineering would prefer to join Arts than Science, but could not clear the cut -offs.
Well there i was i thought at last getting the due pay off we deserved. But it was an illusion that soon vanished.
The day i entered my class. Compulsory English ( more cumpulsory than english).
And as a result i studied in Fergi for 3 years and went to class for 3 mnths over all , and most of it in first year. the third year i attended lectures for 3 days.
Well this was so called one of the best places in India to study, and that to economics.. and i all most got a distinction, in all the 3 years.. of what i call a paid vacation.
I never learnt a differentiation in Economics, but did learn about world politics.. Did not learn Game theory but learnt the difference between strumming and plucking.. and why jimmy page was god.
I realised, weed was smoother than cigerattes.. but leaves you on a bad guilt trip for not knowing Econometrics.
I learnt every thing i wanted to know apart from my specialisation , thats economics.. and still at times manged to top the paper in college.
I later realised why its very important to go to a good college, as it might not make u a genius.. but definitely make you a man.. today i can faff without a drop of an eye lid,.. and be street smart with out knowing jack sit, thanks to a good college.
yet there is some thing about them ( good colleges) that tickle your intellect. Its you fellow students. remember even they are one of the bests as well. its this melting pot of ideas over a drink, thats opening your eyes and not you ekbote-notes .
When I reached my post graduation i understood, its not the education , that matters, but your apptitude for education. If u have it you can always start from scratch, but if u dont have your wits around you , or your intellect.. then even a good aptitude will never take you any where.
You need the self confidence/smartness.. which surely a good college instills in you.
Today i am not what i am because of my knowledge, but because what i can do with that knowledge.
and u need no college to impart that.. I did not take classes in bar tending or cooking.. but yet i was always the first choice chef and bar tender in all our parties.
Knowledge is some thing that you gather from your surroundings...and it does not matter if you are from IIT, if u cant use your knowledge..
Keep the windows of your mind to educate your self .. everyday.. as it will always be the best occupation

Of Honesty , truth and tact

I have always defined Honesty the way i want it to be.
To me honesty has always been, being honest to myself, the feeling that i did my best possible to get the possible outcome for me , my loved ones and may be my employers. I have never been in all due respects Gandhian, who has taught us to believe means justify ends.. but on the contrary i have followed the Gita ( See me writing THE GITA.. so dont ask me who is Gita now) stating ends justify means.
The Day i look at the mirror and dont like what i see, i will know i have been dishonest, and to be true.. that has happened a few times already.

The Means for an Honest end is either the truth or tact. Yes to me being truthful and bing honest are not the same.. being truthful might not be being honest and Vice versa.

A lot might ask me how do you define an Honest End, I would like to say no end is complete good nor complete bad, but i seek an End which is what thats called the greater good.

Coming Back to Truth and Tact , the two ways.. to an Honest end.
Again being tactful does not always mean you are not truthful, but it might mean you are being truthful in a diplomatic way.
Diplomacy, hypocrisy even a lie can be tact... but a tact is a best possible strategy, in a situation where the complete truth wont work, in lighter example, if some body asked me what did you think of the girl u just saw, and i dont know if he or she is expecting a positive reply, and even though i might be indifferent, i might give a subtle reply such as " she would look beautiful if she lost 5 kgs"....i am not being truthful here totally, but at the same time i am not being untruthful.. at the end its not leading to an awkward situation where i have my foot in the mouth, the person who questioned me is happy.. and i was honest to myself even though not being totally truthful.
But this is a lighter idea.. but what happens, in a situation far more sensitive, where stakes are high.. and may be diplomacy like previous statement might not work.. and the truth might make things averse..
This is a situation I have always dreaded, the best possible outcome out of a hypocritical white lie.. ( this is a situation lawyers find themselves a lot of time, thank god i am not one of them) but then again if my duty.. goal .. responsibility is the outcome.. which is of a greater good, which will do more better than worse of my lie, i wont think twice to lie. A person very close to my heart said, Its not always economics, but it is.. is the social costs of lie is lesser to the social and in-tangible benefits all derive out of my lie, rationally its better to lie.
The truth: The truth is in detailed facts. truth does not have emotions sentiments.. it does not see situations.. its blatant cold facts. It gives you the picture and sequence of events.. but might not give you the rationale of events.
And a true lie or the best possible method of tact, is not the event per say, but the to play around with the rationale of the events.
But at times i feel truth might be the best possible way of tact.. when u are completely clean, when no body can spot a mark on your shirt , smell a whisp of alcohol on your breath , or even put a finger on you..
This is when u use the Nuclear weapon ( read brhmaastro) of tact "tactlessness" .. calling a spade a spade.. after loosing yyour inhibitions will boost your ego a lot, u might get that respect that you deserved.. but also might put others back to place where they belong.. but the timing of this weapon has to be perfect.. or else it will misfire in your own territory, this aggresive weapon is always good to be up your sleeve as the last and final line of defence when everything else has failed

But then again i feel all humans are gray in nature.. and hence diplomacy will always remain the best tact to reach and honest end.. and truth will always be diluted