A mother's lament

Where truthfulness earns deceit and treachery
Where love is rewarded with ridicule and mockery
Where those who matter don't bother to care
Where appreciation is scarce and rare
Where clean and decent end up tattered and torn
I wish, my son, you weren't born

Where through demolished monuments and burning trains
Gods fight it out for whatever glory that remains
Where votes aren't cast, but caste is voted
Where caste matters, feelings hardly noted
Where coloured skin often attracts a scorn
I wish, my son, you weren't born

Where every other person can be a savage
Where beasts roam freely, eager to ravage
Where dignity and decency are meaningless things
Where daughters aren't safe and rapists are kings
Where fear reigns streets from dusk till morn 
I wish, my son, you weren't born

Where trickery effortlessly succeeds
Where value of merit ever recedes
Where the honest are shot and the brave slaughtered
Where liars rule and the corrupt are flattered
Where the deserving are left forever forlorn
I wish, my son, you weren't born

Tinkering with python : A decorator to implement private methods (part 2)

Covering the tracks...

    Starting from where we left in the last post of this series, let's improve our private decorator, one aspect at a time. Here's our all-time favourite Dog class...

class Dog (object) :

    def __init__ (self) :
        pass

    @private
    def getPrivateThoughts (self) :
        return 'Oppan canine style!'

    def getPublicSpeech (self) :
        return self.getPrivateThoughts().replace('canine', 'Gangnam')

    def __foo (self):
        print "bar"

Let's have a look at the error thrown when we call __foo:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "private.py", line --, in <module>
    print tommy.__foo()
AttributeError: 'Dog' object has no attribute '__foo'

And now, see the error that is thrown when we call getPrivateThoughts:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "private.py", line --, in <module> 
    print tommy.getPrivateThoughts ()
  File "private.py", line --, in privatized_method
    raise PrivateMethodAccessException (class_name, method.__name__)
PrivateMethodAccessException: Can't call private method getPrivateThoughts
of class Dog.    

Have a look at the yellow lines. Are they necessary? Why should the user be bothered with what privatized_method is and how the exception was raised? For all use-cases, the origin of the error is the line "print tommy...", that's our quest : Get rid of that yellow line!

An "express" with no brakes is bound to crash

Entry for The Colloquium Blogjam

Freedom of expression is an interesting form of freedom. Let's take "freedom to do anything one wants" for example. When everyone is free to do whatever they want, within a fraction of a second, we would have conflicts arising. By its very nature, freedom of action engenders conflict. Same goes for many other kinds of freedom; but freedom of expression is a strange animal in that sense. So inviting and attractive simply because everyone can simultaneously exercise it and still no conflicts need to arise!

Just imagine a world where everyone is free to express... don't like the way a system works? Say it. Don't agree with policies? Say it. Like something in particular? All the more reason to say so! A world where there are no masks... a world where what is said is what is felt and what is felt is what is said!

Oath of Bharatputras

Satire, ridicule and exaggeration alert! Those who don't understand these terms are advised to not read any further...

India is my country and what a "country" country it is. I wish USA were my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters; but only those from my caste who speak my mother-tongue are prospective life partners. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I will not let go of any opportunity of excessive glorification of Sanskrit and the Vedas. I shall always strive to be worthy of it, whenever I get free time from cribbing about how no one is striving to be worthy of it. I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect and treat everyone with courtesy as long as they provide me with enough pocket-money and don't meddle with my affairs, give me full attendance without attending lectures and don't wear "provocative" clothing. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. (conditions apply) In their well-being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness. Yeah, right!

The last unicorn

Master Jing Shu was in an especially elated mood today. "Anything special, O Master?" asked the disciples.

"Today we are going to deviate from our usual routine. Today I am going to tell you a tale of valour, a tale of splendour, a tale of majesty, a tale of dreams."

पाण्यासाठी दाही दिशा

Yesterday, found a poem I had written in 7th standard. Put it in a rhythm and sing it away...

Continue reading for copyable text

आँसूओंकी बारिशें

Continue reading for copyable text

Placement hype : a dire need to express myself.

This December, so far has been a heck of a month! Having started with a bang by creating what I hear was a record, I have observed and learnt much since then.

• My placement story
• My preparation (or lack thereof) for placements

What I saw and experienced: Somethings pleasant, somethings funny, somethings irritating and somethings downright sickening. Right from comments some very close friends made to unbelievable display of pride perfect strangers showed. I witnessed the sudden change in behaviour of people whom I thought I knew well. I observed, first hand, how factors like language, region and caste play a significant role in "hyping things up". I saw how news is manipulated, manufactured and made sensational. This series of blog posts is an attempt to analyze all this hype, to introspect and to voice my unedited, uncensored opinion!

Being an extrovert, it is really really hard to keep things to yourself. My head will just explode if I don't blurt things out. I need an outlet and by blog does it for me.... :)

1. Placement hype : allegations, self-doubt and resolution.
2. Placement hype : the "what" part.
3. Placement hype : the "why" part. (coming soon)
4. Placement hype : the "so what", "then what" and "what now" parts. (coming soon)

Placement hype : the "what" part.

After all this placements frenzy, there was this media frenzy about the placement frenzy. This year though, it was different for me, because I was a part of the frenzy! A look at my account of my internship at Facebook, would tell you how I hate "edited or censored" news and articles. And that was just an article with minor stylistic and technical modifications. This time though, media took the meaning of creative freedom to a whole different level! This post is going to be an account of how a seemingly simple thing like getting a job is made a huge issue of, how lax the media in general is and how "masala" is added to news. As a bonus, a funny story of how those typical news channel "success stories" are made is included...

School days : the good, the bad and the ugly

1st of January, beginning of another year. Nothing new, nothing special. But what comes ahead, scares me a lot. Four more months and the awesome life I had as a students will (most probably) come to an end and at the back of my mind there is this nagging feeling that I haven't had enough, I want more, I don't want this awesomeness to stop.

Since first standard till now, out of fifteen and half years, I feel, time and again, that only the last five and half years were truly satisfying and enjoyable in an educational context. Here's an attempt to take some time, look back and see what went wrong in my school years, whether there was a good reason I still went through it, whether the situation was really as one sided as my pessimistic mind would want me to believe.

What's the way out?

The recent Delhi gang rape case stirred up the whole of India, so many debates and loads of protests. Everyone thinking and brainstorming. What to do? What can be done? What's the way out? Needless to say, as always, stupid politicians jumped to even stupider conclusions. A huge demand for harshest and cruelest punishment emerged, on news channels, on twitter and on Facebook.

Following discussion concerns sexual assaults in general, not any incident in particular. (In the Delhi case, for that matter, the victim is no more.)

The conflict

Short version : Punish the criminals for the heinous crime they did. Not because it "ruined" someone's life.

Long version:
One thing is clear: it is in no way the victim's fault. If I am making statements like "now her life is for nought", "what is she like now if not a walking-talking corpse", I am an absolute moron. The fact which needs to be permanently ingrained into us is "she's no different". We should realize that every word of sympathy, every act of special kindness or any other special treatment underlines the supposed "scarring for life (WTH I say)" nature of the incident.

Now on the other hand, no denying that it is the epitome of brutality to commit such crimes, and in no way the criminals should go unpunished. Here, in my opinion, there's a conflict. The intensity of the punishment should be in tune with the gravity of the crime. On one hand, as society it is our responsibility to make the victim feel at ease, feel right at home, just one among all of us. To put it simply, behave as if nothing bad has happened. Now, if nothing bad has happened, what's the punishment for? On what grounds should the extremely harsh punishment be dealt?

I am not able to think of any argument which addresses both... :( I guess I am just missing some crucial thought here.

Or, maybe, I am getting confused because the way capital punishment is being demanded. The demands tend to stress the "devastating" nature of the crime and hence ask for capital punishment. Maybe, the arguments should stress the heinous and disgusting nature of the crime itself, and not its aftereffects. The aftereffects, in an ideal world should be none. But our representatives don't seem to get this :( Want to get enraged? Read the statements made by the likes of Jaya Bachchan and Sushma Swaraj.

Long term solution?
Objectification of women seems to lie at the root of all this evil. The logical way out looks like to bring up the newer generations with the set of values, morals and ethics which promote gender equality, and respect towards women as another human being just like men. Seems nice and fine, but who are the ones to bring up the new generation in that way? Surprise surprise!, well, no surprise at all! These are the people who have these set of values already within them, who realize what's wrong... precisely because they were brought up the correct way.

If it can't come from home, it has to come from the educational sphere and entertainment sphere. After all, what's the poor kid's fault if on TV and in movies, "hawt chick" and "क्या माल है" like remarks are portrayed as "cool things to say and do"? What's the point of co-ed schools if girls and boys are made to sit in different class rooms? Interaction will naturally lead to boys looking at girls as another human being, with various aspects to their personality and not merely "a chick".

Placement hype : allegations, self-doubt and resolution.

Initially, I wasn't really concerned, I always had a "I don't care what you think" attitude. Or, maybe, I thought I always had that attitude. On repeated mention of the same, on noticing what people gossip about, on seeing what self-declared do-gooders had to say, I did start doubting myself. Questions like "Did I do the right thing?", "Am I really such a selfish person?" started echoing in my head. A feeling of guilt started building up.

Yes, I am talking about being accused of spoiling others' chances. I am talking about being made fun of and being fed doses of moral responsibilities because I expressed joy over one of the happiest and proudest moments of my life. I am talking about being called a moron. Maybe, none of that was directed at me, maybe, it was my subconscious all along which accused me, projecting all things being said on myself. Whatever.

First question my mind asked me, "since when did you start worrying and caring so much about what people talk about you?". "I don't know, nor do I care. What I need right now is some support, some arguments." said I. These accusations and allegations had really started growing on me, instilling a false sense of guilt. I had to think then, at least for my own satisfaction. I had to argue with my subconscious which was making me feel guilty. What better equipment can one have other than raw, pure logic! Many times truth is harsh, truth is bitter, truth makes people angry. But truth, (or what one believes is truth) must be told boldly. Especially when it helps you! :P

The language might sound harsh, angry. That's because it is.

Cracking the coding interview[s] (?)

News come and go, but the hype they create, remains for some time, some times, they ask questions about that on Quora, so again, here's a direct cross-post from Quora

How was Sujeet Gholap able to crack the biggest companies?

Read Sujeet Gholap's experience: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras: What is it like to sit for placements on December 1st?
What was his preparation track? Which areas did he focus upon? How did he learn programming?

My answer:

I guess my answer won't be of much help, I hope it will be interesting though...

Placements Placements!

This is a direct cross-post from Quora for those rare non Quora users who might chance upon my blog.

What is it like to sit for placements on December 1st?

What is the overall experience of a student on placement day? How was it like at the end of the day, depending on whether you got shortlisted or no, and how were the consequent days. In general, how was the entire placement "season" experience for you?

My answer :

Nicely framed question I would say. Especially, the "how were the subsequent days?" part.
I am afraid my answer won't be a representative one, but hope it would be interesting.

Background information:
I am from Computer Science and Engineering department and at the end of the first day, I had offers from the following 6 companies

1.     Google US
2.     Goldman Sachs India
3.     Microsoft India
4.     Samsung India
5.     Samsung US / Korea
6.     Tower Research India

I ended up choosing Google.

Here's how it all was...

True story bro, no exaggeration!

Garfield all over again...

In the mess today, with the usual Devesh, Vikram and gang, useless discussion about useless topics was going on. And I said "exaggeration and hyperbole are the same, once removed!" I did not get what was so surprising about that just then. So I said it again and, then, again! Devesh could not bear it any more... "It is एक्ज़ाजरेशन, not एक्ज़ागरेशन" said he controlling his laughter (but he claims it was more of disgust(?) than laughter). I thought he was playing a prank on me. How could it be? Such a commonly used word, having used countless times before, how could I be wrong? How come no one noticed it before? It was one of those things you take for granted to be true that you can't believe otherwise even if evidence is presented...

After asking everyone at the mess table, pleading not to play a prank on me, finally I was convinced that it is, in fact, एक्ज़ाजरेशन. Still I was full of surprise, and disbelief! Also the gang made it very clear that it not even something in the murky areas of pronunciation. They stressed that nobody else in the world would pronounce it that way! It is just not natural!

Challenge accepted! I will trace down the problem to its roots!