I have been out of town for a week. There was no news of the Telengana agitation, particularly in Osmania University. That is understandable, because I was in Vijayawada – the hotbed of Samaikyandhra politics. The papers there don’t care about what is happening on the T-front. Well then, when I came back, late last night – I checked out the papers. There was a small 5 inch column in the main paper (on page 5) and a slightly bigger item in the city supplement (on page 13).
It appears that the O.U. students want the examinations to be postponed.
Testing times…
The Vice Chancellor of O.U. and other officials met with the students and ‘counseled’ them to appear for the exams but the students are adamant. They said they won’t sit for the exams until the T-issue is settled. Mr K Chandra Sekhara Rao, on his part, earlier said that the Jharkhand movement went on for 19 years – hinting that people should be prepared for a long battle. By then, whether or not Telangana is formed, most of the students will be ineligible, because of age, for government jobs!
It is up to the students now to decide whether they want to go on with the agitation or take care of their studies and careers. At the time of writing, I don’t know whether the exams went on or nor; I don’t care.
Counseling is the key…
One hears a lot about counseling these days; the Chief Minister wants counseling centers for farmers who want to commit suicide. That’s a laugh. In the magazines, there are ‘advice’ columns by doctors and sexologists: at the end of the piece of advice – they all say: “Consult a marriage counselor near you.” Heck, why then is there a column in the first place?
You haven’t seen the last of me…
Pop star Cher (I don’t know her full – real – name), at 64, released an album which hit the top of pop charts. It is aptly titled: “You haven’t seen the last of me.” That’s the spirit! Life doesn’t end at 60. Well done Cher.
My nephews, one working in Bangalore and another in Brisbane (AU) ask my sister (aged only 53) to quit her job and live with one or other of them. They say: “We are making enough money; why should you work now?” My sister refuses to yield. She says she has reached a certain position in her job (from a teacher to Head Mistress of a school) and she wants to continue working until retirement. It is actually the culmination of 30 years of dedicated work, and she would like to enjoy the fruits of it.
One of my uncles works three days a week – after retirement. His family (wife and daughter) resent it: they tell him to relax. He cannot sit at home idle the whole week. Another uncle who retired a few months ago wants to have a go at another job in Hyderabad, if something comes his way.
Life doesn’t end at 58. Or 64…
Ab Mera Number Hain
Starting today, all of India is going to enjoy mobile number portability. You are no longer bound to the idiotic mobile network that sends you unwanted and unwarranted messages by the dozen. You hope it is from the guy who owes you money; or from the HR person of the company where you interviewed for a job. And you are told to dial this or that number to download hello tunes.
The technophoebe that I am, I haven’t figured out the difference between hello tunes and caller tunes. If you could, wish you the best.
Retakes of old films
This topic requires a full length blog but let me introduce the basic idea I have. It is all nostalgia. Anything you have seen ten years ago looks great in retrospect. Even if you were in prison back then, the life there seems so wonderful, the people so friendly.
That is the key to the success (or at least the many attempts) of many retakes of old films. More about it another day…
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