Then & Now

I don’t think most people aged enough to give paternal advice and peopled aged in general appreciates how us, who were born in the mid-80s and younger struggle with growing up in these times of change in India especially when contrasted with the times they grew up in the decades beyond.

I don’t think we ourselves appreciate truly nor comprehend how growing up in the 90s, facing puberty in 1995 and later is a much  more challenging deal than growing up, say, in the 60s.

Before anyone jumps into conclusion that this is a post-teen angst ridden Kurt Cobain  post, let me assure you otherwise. It’s not. Rather it’s more of a socio-economic observation. (Yes, socio-economic, run away if you please.)

The fundamentals of coming-of-age and growing up haven’t changed. But the externalities have. A lot. The economic and technological change, connectivity and the sheer amount of information we have, us, compared to the times of our parents, uncles and older cousins, them, is simply overwhelming. For those expecting something about influx of foreign cultural compounds, churning of multiple Indian cultures and such need to read the previous sentence carefully. Everything’s included. Yes, they didn’t have VH1 in those days. duh.

Growing up in 2008 is a  much more diverse experience  than 1969. The choices of who we can be and what we can do are significantly broader. The opportunities for us in today’s globalising India are something they only dreamed of.

Some would say it’s harder to find one’s own identity for the X, Y and younger generations. Somehow, I really don’t feel so. It’s easier, really, to find one’s own identity today in India, definitely much more challenging but not harder.

The deal is like this. You have a lot of roads in front of you. If only you know which one to pick. Pick the wrong road, you’ll only get lost.

At the end of the day even if you get lost it’s only a diversion. Isn’t getting lost and the journey of getting un-lost to your destination a growing up experience itself?

We are not worthy

yeah, we are not. *does a fully body salute*

This song epitomises why Travis are one of the very few bands ever who can perfectly mix melody and headbanging rock. I can’t wait for the new album, to be out on September 29.

If half the songs in the album sound like this single people would have to be hospitalised for OD-ing on good music.

Back to Good Feeling indeed. Goodness.

You know

most people in this world don’t get what they deserve. There’s probably a mathematical design behind which someday a Ramanujan or Neumann incarnate will uncover.

You are one of the lucky few to be in the greener side of the grass. Lucky you.

Funny, ain’t it? How people change over such few years in between. How did you tug yourself down to such mediocrity?! Wait, I don’t want to know ’cause I already know. You ma’am deserve your destiny.

I have a lot more to say about this but my disappointment is so great I don’t even know where to begin.

This post will bore you to death.

It’s big. It’s final. The most important decision of my academic life yet. I will switch from Econ. to Poli. Science in Masters and Ph.D.

I just might stick with econ. for terminal masters if I don’t get in at a goodly ranked Poli. Science Ph.D/terminal MA in the US next year and hence forced to enrol in a terminal masters program In India, but in that case I’ll switch to Poli. Science anyway for the Ph.D. But the way things are going I don’t think the above will come to pass.

I thought long and hard about it. I love both. Yes I know. I could’ve taken Poli. Science in undergrad instead of econ. But I didn’t want to. And I’m glad I studied Econ. for Honors. It sharpened my analytical skills and absolutely changed the way I look at the world. Seriously, when you see a econ. grad student you should know his take on society and life in general is something not murky and clueless. On the top of it, it’s somewhat easier to do graduate studies in Poli. Science with a base in econ. but not the other way round.

The decision had to more to do with my research concentration. I am in love with everything about  Political Economy. Especially stuff like Elections, Democracies, Governance among others. It’s a heavily interdisciplinary field on the crossroads between econ. and poli. science. Man I’m an uber-geek.

The problem is Political Economy is not offered as a field at many econ. Ph.D programs. Naturally, the academic job market for a guy with Political Economy as research field is tough. And God help you if you are from a lower ranked Ph.D program.

On the other hand, Political Economy is offered as a research field at almost all Political Science Ph.D programs and the job market is a lot healthier. C’mon, I don’t want to be unemployed after 6 years in grad school. I want tenure track at a half decent research-extensive university. Even an elite LAC would do just fine.

Besides. the methodology is not something very divergent in both Econ. and Poli. Science departments for Political Economy. Just that core Econ. grad work uses much more mathematics than an average Poli. Science counterpart. That suits me just fine. I am not a big fan of mathematics. Maths is okay but just that. Actually, a lot of econ. masters level work now feels like doing applied maths rather than econ. It’s an astounding methodology shift that has taken place in the last 20 years. It’s one change I’m not particularly fond of.

Incidentally, the difference between econ. undergrad and grad level courses are as wide as the Nebraska Prairies. Each and every one of my seniors confessed that they had to unlearn undergrad econ. first at econ. MSc. courses. The level of gap is mindboggling. Undergrad Econ. majors with career paths in graduate level econ. have no idea what they are getting into.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The application and admission season starts in a few months. Without a Top 50 ranked admit with fellowship/TA/RA I’m screwed. So where’s the nearest DHL office in SoCal? Anyone?

Family wedding

One of my cousin brother’s getting married in a few days. He is gay, closeted. The fact that he is closeted is a big open secret in the inner and extended family. You know, one of those secrets which nobody talks about except in nods and knowing smiles while bitching on family stuff. Hardly needs to mentioned the marriage is “arranged” by concerned parents whose concerns include, among other things, and I’m being very politically incorrect here, curing the dick craving of the “borderline above marriage-able age” son by bringing in a young pussy.

I feel sorry for my cousin. He doesn’t have the courage an everyday homosexual needs to come out in the Indian society. I feel sorry for the girl he’s getting married to for all the usual reasons. Talk about a lifeless life and a marriage of convenience.

Oh well, another wedding, much anticipated for my cousin is as my mother puts it, “last of his generation” in the family.

I really don’t want to go but what the heck. The wedding’s at the bride’s place, at a white collar patch in a famously blue collar locality on the river’s east bank in far northern exurbs of the city. Communication routes are terrible. The trains are unboardable for casual passengers even in lean hours. The commuting crowd sucks and is infamous for being hostile to anyone not a known face (and all these comes from someone who has seen it all so to speak for 14 years when it comes to crowded trains, commuting and grouchy commuters). Most importantly, it’s not like I’m sitting ducks after the exams.

The things I do for the sake of family bonding. Geez.