Day 264

Today was a nice day for me. Nice day in the sense that I got some work to do. In the morning, after getting ready, I went to the company where I’m doing my summer training. I went there at the right time. My boss, the owner of the company, was there. She gave me my work station which is half of a room with a desktop. My work was to do the data entry. She gave me few papers and a format to work out. She explained me the work and she went for her meeting. She was busy in the meeting room and I was busy in the work. Although the work was very simple but it was new for me. So I took time to get adjusted and started my work. Around 1 pm, my boss came to my workstation and asked me what I would like to have in lunch. She simply that whether I would like to have pizza? I said yes. She sent one of her employees to bring the pizza for all of us. Then I had my pizza with my boss. After lunch, I told her that I have to catch my evening class so I need go. She looked at my work and she permitted me to go. I came back to my apartment and took rest. Then I went to the cafeteria of my B school to have something to eat. After having food, I went to my class. The class went till 9 pm. I enjoyed the class. Got some new things to learn and had a class exercise to do. It was fun to learn the new thing. 

Day 263

Today was the first day when I got work to do. After getting ready in the morning, I went to the Dean’s office of the university where I have come as an exchange student. After spending few minutes there, I went to the office of the company where I have to do summer training. I was surprised to know that the owner of the company is an Indian. Well, it would not be wrong to say that I was more happy than surprised. Well, I talked to the lady who owned the company. I think from tomorrow I have to start my work there. Came back to my apartment with my dean after 12 pm. Then went to the university cafeteria at 1 pm. But unfortunately, I was late. The closing time was 1 pm and I was late by 5 minutes. Then I went to have a pizza at the nearest pizza outlet of Domino’s. While returning, I got all wet in the sudden rain which started. I wasn’t having any place to hide. But fortunately, the rain for just couple of minutes. After having pizza, my stomach was fully loaded and I wasn’t in position to eat anything for next 5-6 hours. Then in evening, I went to have my class in the university. It was my first class there. I met an Indian girl. Her name was Savita and she is from Hyderabad. In the beginning I was thinking that she is a single. But after classes, we interacted with each other. Then I came to know that she is married. Now this was shocking news. She offered me to give lift to me in her car. She told me that I should have a light meal at night. So I got tempted to have a sandwich. So I went to Domino’s again to have the sandwich. She waited for me in her car. After that she dropped me home and went to her home. That was my day today. I shall continue to write like this. But I need few feedbacks so that it keeps me motivated to write daily. 

Day 262

Again a day has come to its end. I know its early morning in India. But it’s evening in America. Sometimes the time zone difference makes a lot of difference. For me it’s the end of Monday but for my readers its beginning of Tuesday. Well today, in America, it’s Memorial Day. A day on which every America pays a tribute to all those American soldiers who sacrificed their live for the country. It’s a national holiday here. So all the offices and educational institutions were closed. I was thinking about the soldiers. Soldiers of any country are only soldiers. All of them are committed to defend their country and dedicated to their country. It’s an honour for them to sacrifice their lives for their country. But a soldier’s life is very tough. He has to leave his family and home to stay at the border of the country or has to go to some another country on deputation. He has to live in the tough situations to save the country. A tough life for the brave men of the country known as soldiers. The tough training which they get makes them physically and mentally strong to fight. Even though they are trained to fight but I think that every soldier wants peace in the world. A soldier knows the barbaric side of the war. A battlefield is a place where there are dead bodies all around. War means destruction. Destruction leads to no where. Peace is the only way to achieve anything. So I hope that there is peace every where in the world. 

Day 261

It has been a long time since I wrote my last blog. It’s over a month now. But in the past one month, I was extremely busy. So I didn’t have much time to write anything. My mind was pre occupied with some works. In the beginning of this month, I was busy in getting the paper work done for the interview at American consulate in Kolkata for visa to come to America. In the second week, I got the interview date and time so I went to Kolkata for that. In two days all my works were done and in another one week I got my visa to me. After that, I booked my air ticket for America via London. I started my journey on 23^rd May. But due to the different time zones, I reached my destination on 23^rd May. I came to America as an exchange student for the summer training programme and study. The Director of the MBA programme was there at the airport to receive me. With him, I came to the place where my accommodation has been arranged. It’s a two bedroom apartment with all the basic amenities which a person needs to live. Now it has been four days here. But still I feel like a lonely person. The dean of the institute is an Indian. He helped me in getting few things done. Now when I’m in the university campus, I don't feel like a stranger. Actually weekends are holidays in the America. So my classes and the training haven’t started yet. May be after the things get rolling, I’ll feel better. I hope it will. I met an Indian boy who helped me in getting a mobile sim card through which I can talk to my family back in India. But due to the difference in the time zone its different feelings. When its morning here in America then its evening in India at the same time. So I have to maintain the time difference in mind while calling there. Now I’ll try being regular in writing blogs. May be this will be the one of the ways to keep myself occupied. In the last three days I was busy in watching different things on internet and downloading movies. 

Day 260

Today morning, I was on a ride at quarter to seven. I saw school children in their uniforms waiting for their school bus to come. They were having their bags and water bottles with them. Suddenly I went back to my school days. When I was like them. Even I used to wake up early in the morning to get ready. Waiting for school bus to come to take us to the school. Going to classroom with friends. Having fin with them. Going to the prayer line and those prayer sessions. Then those classes where teachers used to teach us but I used to sit on the last bench and I used to pretend that I was listening to them but I used to be busy in chit chatting with friends. We don’t used to have mobile phones during our school days but still we used to communicate in presence of our teachers. I used to take out the lunch boxes of my friend sitting in front of me. Then we used to have lunch in the class room while having the lectures of our teachers. The lunch boxes of all students used to circulate in the classroom especially in the last three rows. Then I and my friends used to take shares in the lunch boxes of the friends sitting on the first row of the class in the lunch time. Then roaming out in the campus was the routing affair. Those were the fun filled days. We used to have the classes without air conditioners in summer season. Then we used to wait eagerly for the holidays like Durga Puja and Diwali. Then the exam pressure. The result day. How fast those days have passed. In school days, we used to make plans of our life. We will do this, we will do that. Some innocence was there. In school days, we used to have land lines at our home and we were in contact with each other. But now everyone has got a personal cell phone but no one is in contact with each other. Months and years have passed since the last time we have talked to our best friend. In school days, we weren’t having internet connections. But today we spent a lot of time on net but still we don’t have time to send mails to our friends. Sometimes I really miss my school days and think that my school days were really golden days. 

Day 259

I know that I wasn’t regular these days. But in my last post in the blog I have stated that I’ll be irregular this month as I have a series of pre committed assignments like submission of the final report of my survey report and 2 week exam schedule. Today, 2^nd day of the examination has passed with pressure. Pressure and examination are synonymous to each other. You can’t imagine examination without pressure. Same thing is with me. Anyway that’s the part of the life. Isn’t it? Don’t think that I’m going to give any lecture on philosophy. No, I can’t do that. That’s not my cup of tea. Today I’m writing just for relaxation. Still 5 more papers are there and all of them are not so much easy as they pretend to be. Well, today I thought to tell you one interesting things. It’s related to the politicians and beaurocrats who are running the country and are at very high level.

It’s about the lack of information at the Union Home Ministry. Mr P Chidambaram, the present Home Minister of India, isn’t aware about who is Home Minister in Bihar Government. Actually the Home Ministry in the Bihar Government is being held by the Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar himself. And he is holding this portfolio for the last six years. But Mr Chidambaram has signed a letter which has been addressed to the JD (U) MP, Dr Monazir Hasan as the Home Minister of Bihar Government. In that letter, Mr Chidambaram has requested Dr Hasan to attend a seminar of state home ministers on April 17 at New Delhi. The letter was faxed to the CMO in Patna. The Union Home Ministry is supposed to have the accurate data about the states.

If this is the state of the ignorance and the letter was signed without any correction then we can imagine what other blunders are being done at the various ministries. I agree that Mr Chidambaram hasn’t written this letter personally but he could have rectified the letter if he would have read it at least once. And none of the senior officers bothered to check the letter that to whom it’s being addressed. I don’t understand that why they are in so much hurry? This is one of the examples of ignorance of responsible ministers and senior officers then we can imagine what mistakes they make while taking other important decisions. I hope that this type of mistakes won’t happen while taking decisions related to sensitive issues of the country. 

Day 258

Last three days have been very hectic for me. Even today, I was extremely busy. I think I’ll be busy till 21^st of this month. Survey presentation, a series of other events and examination is going to keep me busy till 21^st. ironically; I don’t have any angel to save me. I think it will be a stupid thought to think about any angel coming in my rescue. It’s a silly thought. I know you people might be thinking that I have gone out of my mind. To an extend, you are right. Due to hectic pressure and killing deadlines, I have become out of mind. Sometimes, the hectic schedule and the work pressure take the commanding position in one’s life. In that case, one’s mind is totally occupied by the work pressure. Same thing is with me. That’s why I’m unable to concentrate on writing the post for the blog. Although, I have few topics on which I want to write but I’m unable to write them at full length.

Like there is hike in every thing related to the service sector from today. This means, telephone calls, dinner or lunch at restaurants, travelling by AC Railway coaches, coaching classes and many other things have become expensive due to the hike of service tax from 10% to 12%. This increase will generate revenue of Rs 18,660 crore for the central government. Air travel, life insurance, beauty parlour, advertisement, dry cleaning, health clubs, cable operator, credit cards etc are included in this service tax. There are over 120 services on which the service tax has been levied. Travelling by the auto rickshaws, radio taxies and access to amusement park has been exempted from the service tax. Schools, university education and approved vocational institutions have been exempted from this list.

This is going to affect every one in the country whoever is going to use the services of any one of the 120 services. The mostly affected class will be the middle class in the country. The politicians like Mamata Banerjee play the politics of being saviour and well wisher of the common man at one hand. That’s why she placed her trusted man as the Railway Minster. But at the other hand, politicians like them forces the Finance Ministry to impose hike in the taxes to meet the deficit.