by Sharique on April 12, 2007
Rahul Banerjee did not make his millions in the Silicon Valley. In fact, he has never been to the Silicon Valley. He hasn’t made his millions either.
Instead he has written a book- and the book has not found a publisher. So he did not make his millions this way either.
But Rahul Banerjee found a wealth of experience and inner satisfaction of having spent a life among the poorest of the poor in the country. He represents that diminishing tribe of middle- class young men and women fired with an empathy for the downtrodden, forsake what could have been more comfortable lives, to work for, and with what Dostoevsky’s called the ‘insulted and the humiliated’.
Bhupinder points this out.
There are many such IITians who have forsaken the big bucks so as to follow their hearts. I know quiet few of them who have returned to India after PhD, in the US, to work as social worker. Its not about making big money but its all about doing what you like the best. I must admit that this won’t have been an easy step to take because money does matter and especially if all your classmates are making million dollars an year. But then living life the way it pleases is more important than living lavishly but still suffering from infinite diseases of mind, body and soul. What say?
by Sharique on July 31, 2006
Haddi and I decided to finally take matters in our hands and visit the Regional Passport Office. We had a letter of recommendation from our registrar, an IAS officers. We had to haggle with a member of a community which could have been subjected to Hitler’s holocaust, only if Hitler would have been a Tamilian. In short an auto wala.
We had foot in our mouth when we saw the line oozing out of the main building. I exclaimed, “If this is the line i need to stand to get my passport, then forget it. I would be happy never to leave this country. And further i am too scary to fly these days”. Thankfully that line was for enquiry and passport form submission so we moved ahead passing all the security checks, proudly flashing our letter of recommendation from an IAS officer. We were early so had to wait. Damn there were people inside in myriad. I am kind of an introvert who cannot be classified as a misanthrope but not social either. I hate parties, marriages and public gatherings. I feel lost. I need by breathing space and i am kind of European in this regard (having an imaginary ring round me and if someone tries to intrude i feel as if my chastity is being jeopardized). Anyways things moved ahead…took an appointment from her PA and had to wait in the queue again. She came on time. (Thats why i love this place… people know the value of time). We gave our letters to the guard, who was standing outside her room. He was fobbing people away who were scrambling because of their perplexity. Ha ha we had a letter from an IAS officer. I was observing people around. Kind of eavesdropping but i was loving it. I love to analyse people around me. Sometimes i wish i have the power to know what’s going on in someones mind. The clock ticked past 12 and we were still in the line, considering the fact we had a letter from an IAS officer..we were expecting more and plus the furtive pride still lingering in us..IITians! Haddi had this idea, which wasn’t funny for me but it was for everyone i narrated this incident to.
“Abe is guard ko bol jaake ki hamare paas IAS officer ka letter hai. Iski madam sirf eek IPS officer hai..IPS IAS ke neeche aata hai to iska matlab hamare paas bade madam ka letter hai aur agar is guard to tarakki chahiye to bade madam se acha option nahi hai…to hame jaldi andar ghusne de”
Well i couldn’t have said that! But i approached him
“Saar..madam ina? letter saar IAS officer registrar IIT” Thats the best i could manage..argh! i am so bad at communication…i make a mockery of all grammar and linguistic rules when i have to talk to someone who doesn’t understands my language and i make fool of myself.
“Ukkaranga” i think thats what he told. I quietly came back to my seat. There was a lady who was having tough time convincing the PA. She had to write the letter thrice before he accepted it. I thought of asking her “Do you blog?”
That guard kept his mobile beneath his shirt, close to his belly. I thought for a moment of getting friendly by cautioning him regarding the ill-effects of doing so. You run the risk of have stomach ulcer due to the waves so better keep it somewhere else!! i couldn’t think of a better desease. But i then realised that keeping a mobile in your shirt pocket is dangerous for heart and now, according to me, its the same case when kept close to belly. So you see the organ- proximity theory..where do i keep my mobile? ‘In my pant pocket damn it!!’ I am in a more perilous situation.
Finally we got were promised passports within a week. After all we had the recommendation letter of an IAS officer. Then we returned back home, thanks to the member of that esteemed community. Hitler where are you?
