(My contribution towards Blogathon India 2008. To know more, head here.)

What are the challenges that society faces in accepting the concept of alternate sexuality? How can we address them?

First off, it’s the homosexual who’s facing the real challenge.

Society lays down norms and expects the community to follow them. The term norm-al is thus a heavily loaded one.

Heterosexuality isn’t normal, it’s normative. Homosexuality isn’t abnormal, it’s a challenge to the normative.

Second, the term alternate presumes:

a) an existent (more valid) way of being

b) the presence of choice

And frankly, I am not comfortable with either of the two.

Click here to continue reading ‘Homosexuality : Ab Normal?’

Attending the Mumbai BlogCamp didn’t, frankly speaking, rate too high on my priority list. I guess the previous experience of the Pune BlogCamp had much to do with that (terrible weather, excessive product pitching, severely damaged online connectivity, lack of well-known faces: the list goes on and on). Add to that the absence of my partner in ‘blogging-related crimes’, our very own desi version of Paris Hilton, maidum Melody.

Then again a good surprise is always a nice thing – and the Mumbai BlogCamp much against my expectations turned out to be quite an organized event.

For starters,

1. The BlogCamp was kept separate from the BarCamp that was being held simultaneously. So no product pitching crap. Only Blog Talks by (get this) Bloggers.

2. The air conditioner was working and that too in full swing. Not acting pricey but it’s seriously difficult to concentrate when your nose is getting tickled with someone else’s body odour. And not to forget, your own tickling someone else’s nose.

3. Don’t know much about the Wi-Fi because I wasn’t carrying my Laptop this time but then I didn’t hear anyone complain about it. So I am guessing all was good on this front.

Click here to continue reading ‘Mumbai BlogCamp 3.0′

Yes people, me off to Pune early tomorrow morning with friends to attend the IndiBlogger Pune Blog Meet. The plan is to start off in the wee hours of the morning, eat breakfast at Khandala, make a couple of pit stops on the way and finally reach by 2 in the afternoon.

Pune Blog Meet is expected to start at four in the evening. And those interested in going, it’s not too late – Just head here and get registered.

Personally speaking, I was expecting the Pune Blog Meet to be just like a regular blog meet - something more along the lines of what Mel and I have been doing with our pet project, Mumbai Blog Meets.

However after taking a look at PBM’s overview e-mail, more than an evening of socialising, this meet sounds like a small-scale Blog Camp: Compulsory registration, only-bloggers-allowed rule, topics to be discussed already laid down and sponsor’s product pitching.

In plain words – the organisers here have an agenda.

Quite frankly, initially I was amused. I mean after being part of four successful (not blowing my own trumpet here) Blog Meets, I had come to believe that Blog Meets are simply about mingling with each other. And it didn’t necessarily have to involve only bloggers but also blog readers, bloggers in progress, blogger’s friends, in short any and everyone who is interested.

Anyway as it is often said, “Change is good”, keeping this mind hopefully Pune Blog Meet will turn out to be exciting despite its corporatised outlook. And then again I am with friends, so the weekend looks promising and super thrilling.

This is what boredom does to a person; it forces you to indulge silly-billy online quizzes/tests, something one wouldn’t even spare a second on otherwise. And so, strangled by the Saturday morning dullness, I ended by taking the Mi-iD Valentines Test.

As per the website, Mi-iD Test works on…

Psychometrics is the science of understanding, measuring and predicting differences and similarities between people. Literally “the measurement of the psyche (soul or mind)”, psychometrics developed more than 100 years ago with the creation of multivariate inferential statistics. One of its most important legacies is the concept and measurement of personality traits - those consistent patterns of preferences, thoughts, emotionality and behaviour that explain why different people behave differently in the same situation.

And quite surprisingly though I found some portions to be quite accurate, taking into account – my natural instincts/behaviour and my relationship with the Ex.

For your amusement (at my cost), here’s a sneak peak.

Click here to continue reading ‘Me, The Romantic Kind.’

Past few days have been very exciting, socially. However I can’t say the same when it comes to one’s “emotional” side – As a matter of fact things on this side have been quite topsy-turvy. And yet again, matters of the heart proved to be a little too heavy for an “I-Can’t-Handle-Relationships-Too Well” individual.

The thing is – Downside of any relationship is a painful experience and I totally get that, it’s something that comes along with the territory. However what makes this painful period even more excruciating, is not knowing what caused it all in the first place. I mean all the ingredients needed in a reasonably successful relationship are all there (and some even in abundance) – love, caring, sharing, honesty, faith and trust. So what? Where did I (We) go wrong?

Click here to continue reading ‘Outgrowing Another’

Pardon my Hindi here guys but seriously I am so bloody ticked off with this whole spamming facade. Since last night I have deleted exactly 187 spam comments. And guess what? They keeping popping back up.

Really, what the fuck! I mean here I believed myself to be “invincible”; armed with all the latest spam blocking bazookas. Then this bloody sucker appears from nowhere and in matter of hours manages to infect my sterile blogging space like some freaking jet-fuelled virus.

Click here to continue reading ‘Sale Kameene Spam Wale Tera Muh Kala‘