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Wednesday Evening Prep

Those gory days of TNA makes my mouth water. Every Wednesday evening, as we started doing homeworks during the prep hours, I used to see a pig being dragged towards the hotel kitchen. The squealing pig would soon end up being our dinner. We used to eagerly wait for Wednesdays when we could have something for dinner other than AALOO. Suave Mr. Sebastian Pradhan, our mess manager, knew very very well how to process and convert fodder into food for us, the ever hungry children of lesser God. Cud-chewing had become the order of the days for all of us. So much for the starving days of TNA; and we survived those harsh TNA days with the tricks rendered free of cost by Papillon, Henri Charriere!

The question is how and why(if at all) do we need protect helpless animals from being eaten by gluttonous people like me. Just because Menaka Gandhi(and Simba the lion) gets turned off by our wanton ill treatment of animals, should we remove ‘The Right to Eat and Drink’ from our fundamental rights? She recently said “We join the hardcore members of the ‘The National Rifle Association’ in denouncing the momo-lovers. Animals are not ours to eat, wear, to experiment on or use for entertainment.” How hilarious!! We denounce her too and declare jihad, the Holy War on her. I strongly feel that God created animals for entertainment, to be featured in bear commercials, for joy-rides in the park, send to the Mars, train as mascots; well, possibilities are endless.

I love to gulp thukpa, phagshapa, chaang and Super-Whopper Big Mc burgers and I do not care where the cow came from and who slaughtered it as long as the meat is not infected by the mad cow disease and ecoli. My Ethiopian friends have already set the trend by killing and eating all the animals when they were plaughed by draught. So my dear fellow Tenacians, what are you waiting for? Lets start; lets start with Mr. Pradhan.

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The 'Who' And 'What' Of Me

'Who are you?' That is a common enough question and I reply back by giving my name and where I come from. The answer just comes naturally because somehow, I have equated that to the question, 'what is your name?' and the answer to that, which was taught to me in primary school. I had never really given it much thought, so, 'who I was' was just a name and nothing more.

To think of myself as just a name would, however, be an insult to my Creator. It is true that the secrets of the human genome have been cracked but we humans are a creation par excellence. I would in fact rate it as a miracle, not just humans but life itself. So, it would be unjust to be just a name because I am much, much more than that and I am meant to realise that as a human.

Whenever, I get to talk of 'who I am', I often end up confusing the 'what I am' part of me with the 'who I am'. The 'what' part of me is generally taken to mean a designation in the professional ladder or a rung in the social ladder. It does form part of my definition of 'what I am', however, apart from that I also have to take into account the numerous masks that I wear or at times I am forced to wear due to peer pressure, my own complexes or due to social or professional compulsions.

I have been born with some traits, qualities and limitations. Based on that I have my own set of reactions, thoughts and ideas. So, the 'who I am' basically constitutes the sum total of them but in an unadulterated state, the original and the uninfluenced me. I was watching 'Forrest Gump' when it struck me that Forrest Gump was basically an example of someone who was just himself, the 'what' had failed to pollute the 'who' in him. It may not always be possible for me to be really who I am but I definitely wonder which deserves the higher priority, the 'who' or the 'what'?

'Who I am does not matter before what I am, it would be a pity, though, if I am not who I am no matter what I am'. That sums up one of my biggest dilemmas. I would consider them lucky, the ones who have been able to find a way out of it or have been able to find a balance between them.

Everyone is not born a genius and I definitely am not one. I have my limitations but I have my own set of dreams and ambitions too. Millions and billions have their share of temptations on me but then I get scared when the 'who I am' atrophies before my dream to be something, the 'what I am' part of me.

I have never had a very high self esteem but of late I've realised that the world needs me, I am a piece in a huge puzzle and I need to discover which piece I am and where I fit in. I may be a sculptor but I can never be another Michaelangelo, I may be a computer freak but I will never be another Linus Trovalds, I may be a writer but I'll never be another Shakespeare because I am limited as a human. However, who I am is unique, there has never been another me nor is there another me and neither will there ever be another me. My services if required by this world will be for the 'who I am' for there are enough geniuses around to fulfill the need for the 'what I am'.

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