She, Me and Her!

She	Hey Vipsy, this is not right.. haan!
Me	Why? What happened babes? What's not right?
She	You are not spending any time with me these days.. huh!
Me	C'mon yaar.. you know na, I am busy with my examinations preparation.
She	Busy, my foot! You have all the time in the world for that Bi*ch but no time for me.
Me	Hey sweetheart, mind your language. Now who are you talking about?
She	C'mon as if you don't know, right?
Me	Oh.. Oh.. Okeh. Now I get it. What has gone to your head babes.
She	Nothing. But she definitely has conquered your head and your heart as well.
Me	Stop this rubbish yaar. You know I have made some commitments and have to fulfil them. So I have to spend more time with her.
She	What about commitment with me. Even when you came to meet me the other day, it was because of her.
Me	Now you are just exaggerating. Hasn't she helped you in so many ways.
She	How come?
Me	Because of her, you get to meet and know so many people.
She	I don't want anyone. I just want you.
Me	Now don't act stupid dear. I am nothing without all of them.
She	And I am nothing without you.
Me	I know that jaanu. Its just a matter of couple of months. Try to understand na.
She	What understand?
Me	At least listen first. See, as soon as my exams get over, I promise I'll spend much more time with you.
She	Oh really! And what about that new one that you are planning to bring in your life.
Me	Shhh.. hush hush. Thats a secret. Don't tell anyone about her as of now. When she comes into my life, she won't take much of my time anyway. I'll be fully committed and devoted to you.
She	And that bi*ch too.. huh!
Me	Please do not call her like that. I've told you, even that's a part of my commitment, a larger commitment, not just to her but to so many people I've come to know because of her.
She	So that is your priority?
Me	Yes, it is. But I can only handle it if I know you are there to support me. I love you.
She	Oooooooooo.. I love you too Vipsy. Okeh, do what you feel is right but never forget me.
Me	How can I, you idiot. You are my first and hopefully last love.
She	Hopefully? How dare you!
Me	Hey, just kidding dear. As Shahid sings in Kaminey.. Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, akhiri baar mohabbat ki hai.
She	What?
Me	Oh, you English freak.. It means.. I've loved for the first time, I've loved for the last time.
She	Hehehehehe..... Muahhhhhh...
Me	Now don't get that girlie. Chal got to go now. Catch you later.
She	Ohkiee. Bye.
Me	Bye! See you soon.

As you must have guessed by now, this was an intimate conversation between me and my personal blog.

To some extent her anger is justified that I am spending too much time on Blog-a-Ton while totally neglecting her. But then I just can't help it. Juggling between my studies and blogging, I have to choose between either one of the blogs. And of course Blog-a-Ton can not be compromised with, at this time.

In the nutshell, I won't be blogging here for a couple of months unless or until I feel really inspired. Studies suck all the inspiration out of you, I have realised. However, you never know from where the inspiration might creep in.

Meanwhile, I'll really love it, if you read some of my favourite previous posts. Here are the Top-10 as I have also mentioned on a widget in the rightmost sidebar.

• The Journey of His Lifetime
• Arjun
• Let the Gay be Gay
• My 'de-reservations' about the Reservation
• The Eternal Labyrinth of a Materialistic Life
• A Curious Case of Corruption
• Chandigarh Unabridged
• Who'll Give the Life and Who'll Take it Away?
• Obama Coming
• Indian 'Pataka' League

These cover varied content and presentation styles and I hope you will like reading them as much as I liked writing them.

Ofcourse, most of my regular readers aka blogger buddies must have read most of them. I'll love it, if you read what Empathic Libertarianism is all about or rather what I conceived it to be when I started this journey in case you have not read it yet.

And of course, leave your reflections (aka comments) on these posts even if they are pretty old. I'll definitely respond.

As for leaving my reflections on your blogposts, its frequency will also go down these couple of months. So, please pardon me for the same.

Image Source:
Self sketched

Presenting the all new IndiVine 2.0

I believe one of the coolest feature of IndiBlogger is IndiVine. Here we can easily find some real nice blogposts on highly relevant topics.
However, there is no way to know the quality of the post without reading it. Here, I believe posts are stacked as they come and get accepted... So, its very important that such a feature is added to it, which allows the better posts to reach the top of the stack.

This is how I started a dicussion on Indiblogger forums a couple of months backs, suggesting the Indiblogger team to come up with an improved version of IndiVine.

Renie Ravin, the man behind Indiblogger replied promptly

Vipul, I'm really glad you brought this up at this time - we have had IndiRank on our must-revamp list for some time now. I love the direction of your thoughts, and I'd love to see the suggestions from other bloggers as well.

and with that started the suggestions from other Indibloggers and further inputs from my side as Renie and his team started implementing the changes.

Finally, on August 19, 2009; the Indiblogger team has revealed the all new Indivine 2.0 and it looks really interesting.

I must thank Renie for acknowledging my contribution towards this effort on the forum

A special thanks to Vipul Grover and the gang who pushed us to do this. Personally, I think it's something IndiBlogger badly needed - a fact I never would have realized if not for the forum!

and the F.A.Q.'s and Indiblogger's official blog as well.

IndiVine in it's present avatar is a direct result of the collaboration among bloggers on the forum, where Vipul Grover and all the usual suspects decided how it should be in order to help the Indian blogging community.

Its always nice and easy to make some random sugestions and take the credit, while the real hardwork of implementing them is done by someone else. So, I must congratulate Indiblogger team and thank them for doing a great service to the Indian blogging community.

Well, I have already added 43 of my 67 posts on the IndiVine and I don't have to wait for the moderators acceptance as earlier. All my posts went live as soon as I hit the 'Enter'.

Now what are the other cool features of IndiVine 2.0, you must be wondering.
Well, for one, now there are a lot more categories and sub-categories under which you may add your blog-post.
But the coolest feature is the fact that you can vote for the posts you like reading and push them up the queue. Voting score, a post gets is partially dependent on the the submitter's IndiRank; so higher your Rank, higher score, you'll get each time someone votes for your post.
Other than that on the sidebar of IndiVine page, there is a widget showing the top contributors to IndiVine. Presently, I rule the roost thanks to the recent submissions. Lets see for how long I can stay there.
On the sidebar, there are also the trending topics, the legacy of the old IndiVine.
Moreover, you can choose to see the latest post submissions as well as the most popular ones on the IndiVine.
And if you find any post in the wrong category, obscene or plagiarized, you may also report it to the moderators in just a couple of clicks.

For any further queries visit the F.A.Q.'s and for any further questions, reporting of any bugs or suggestions for improvements like adding new categories or sub-categories, visit the forum. And as Renie says

Freak out and fill up the categories with your blog posts - and vote away!

Talking of the vote, do not forget to vote for my posts if you like them.

Further talking of the votes, I must inform you that I also nominated my blog for Indiblogger of the Month award for the month of August, 2009. This month, the category is Original Literature - Short Stories. So, whenever, the voting begins, do consider my blog while exercising your Indiblogger enfranchisement.

Before leaving, I must thank Indian Pundit for giving me the Humane Award yesterday. He describes Humane as being characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion; marked by an emphasis on humanistic values and concerns.
Also Shankar gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award recently and endowed me the title of Reflector for (my) great reflections and reviews about various topics. Thanks buddy.
You can see both the awards on my sidebar widget Fellow Bloggers' Affection Reflected.

And last but not the least, I must congratulate a dear F.B., Shilpa Garg on reaching her Diamond Jubilee post.

Image Courtesy:
http://www.indiblogger.in/ (original)

Block

Block
Blogger's Block
Further ticks Clock
I ponder in Shock
Rock

I heard that the shortest poem in the world, titled 'I' has a single word, 'Why?'.

At least mine has 11 words.

Actually, I just tried my hands on cinquain, a form of poetry with just 5 lines and 11 words. As evident from my composition,

Line 1 has just one word, i.e. the title; line 2 has two words that describe the title; line 3 has three words that tell the action; line 4 has four words that express the feeling; and line 5 has one word which recalls the title.

It need not rhyme. Nonetheless, I composed a rhyming cinquain. An achievement indeed, for a blogger who claims to be experiencing a block as massive as a rock!


P.S.
1. Before someone objects to my tampering with the semantics, I must admit that the action in line 3 and the feelings expressed in line 4 should be of the same subject. However, in my poem, while action is performed by the clock, the feeling is mine. Now that's what they call poetic licence, isn't it!
2. Cinquain has many variants which can be checked here, here, here and here.

Image Courtesy:
http://www.coloringbookfun.com and http://playingspoons.files.wordpress.com (edited)

The Cream and Scum of Blogging

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 1, the first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers, where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following my other blog, Blog-a-Ton.

This also happens to be my Golden Jubilee post for the year 2009. So, I surely have double reasons to celebrate.

We’ve not been there, but we debate;
Our half-baked knowledge we create;
And then dish it out with best verbiage;
Expecting others to hail us as a sage!

It might seem that I am in a self-indicting mood, roping in all the bloggers in the process. However, that is not the case. I thought of starting this post with a candid admission and a blunt accusation at the same time.

Blogging has given a new found freedom to many across the globe as we find it easier to put across our views to others. However, in the process, I find many who just dish out their half-baked viewpoints to their readers. I might have indulged in the same earlier, though now I try to resist any such temptations. However, there is no guarantee that I won't repeat it in the future.

Recently, a very popular Indian blogger reviewed a novel by a non-resident Iranian female author. However, while doing so, she could not refrain from giving her personal opinions about the Iranian society which were largely formed from the readings of this very novel. She even perched out on giving her one-sided opinions about the present Iranian socio-political turmoil.

I can not blame her. This post was just an exception. Moreover, when for each post, she is getting more than 100 responses and that too mostly positive, she is bound to take strong stands, though at times without authentic information. Moreover, I have no problem with bloggers airing their views because that's what blogging is all about.

The point I am making here is that, how honest you are while penning your blog and what is your real motive behind it. If the blog is just an online personal diary, then you are free to dish out any whims and fancies of yours. However, if a blogger is aiming to cater to a readership on some relevant issues, then being honest is very important. Here the blog takes the form of a third dimension to news media, the other established ones being print and broadcast.

Just like a newspaper reader and a news program viewer will like to get unbiased opinions from these mediums, a blog reader like me will want substantiated opinions, even if they are biased. However, its not all that scummy as I might have inadvertently, made it seem to be. Even within this scum, I can extract the cream. Lets see how.

Blogs are a great medium for generating debates. Even, if some blogger comes out with half baked opinions, there are the readers who are sitting there to correct him/her. For this to happen, one must have readers at the first place. For this to happen, his/her blog should be interesting enough. For this to happen, the blogger should be honest enough. However, honesty doesn't guarantee freedom from biases. On the contrary, it brings out your biases in a candid manner. So, the readers are always there to correct you and to fill the gaps.

Here lies the beauty of blogosphere. Blogging is not just a one way process of airing your views but also about accepting and inculcating others' views through their comments and their blog-posts. In this sense, on a personal level, blogging has been quite rewarding to me by helping me to meet other passionate Indian bloggers from whom I have learnt a lot. However, there are a lot more, I'll like to meet in the future. Blog-a-Ton was initiated with this very mission in mind.


Now that I have moved from the general to personal level, I'll like to elaborate on other creamy facts about blogging pertaining to me. After having graduated, I have been mostly at home preparing for my civil services examinations. There's a lot, I have learnt in these couple of years through texts, television and internet as well. This time which I've spent with myself has also helped me in substantiating my viewpoints and perceptions. This blog was started as a medium to voice my ideas and ideology as the name itself reflects.

The journey till now seems satisfying as my viewpoints have been appreciated by many of the readers. Wherever, there has been a difference of opinion, they have aired them candidly. Either, I have corrected myself or corrected them or we have agreed to disagree. But in this whole process, I find myself as a net-gainer.

Recently, I have also diversified, writing short stories, poems and memoirs in addition to social and political issues. Sometimes, these posts are not totally related to the subject of this blog but then who loves monotony. Even while writing about relevant issues, I have tried to diversify my writing style, like the hypothetical dialogue between two friends in case of the post on gay rights, a fictitious story to share a curious case of corruption or a poem to reflect upon the materialistic values of the society.

All this has helped me a lot as I find, both my quality and quantity of writing has improved manifolds. Bulk of my posts have been published in last couple of months and this blog has helped me to do what I have always loved to.

However, the picture is not all that creamy. Blogging has been eating into my study time as I find this new hobby quite addictive. I am trying my best to strike a balance and can just hope, I'll succeed in this endeavour too.

Now, that I started this post with some indicting lines, it will only be fair if I end with some vindicating ones. That's what Empathic Libertarianism is all about.

We know the half truth, we search for more;
In an honest endeavour, try to fill every pore;
Only then do we go on and publish our tale;
Expecting others to correct us when we fail!

P.S. Of the numerous posts, I've read of the popular blogger I mentioned in this post, there have been only two instances that I have not agreed to her viewpoint. I commented about this on her blog and she was gracious enough to respond and appreciate my viewpoints. The reason, I gave her example was to put across the point that when revered bloggers like her can make a mistake (as per my perception) once in a while, one should not be surprised to read many others who use blogging as a medium to air their obscure views in the worst possible language.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton are Arjuna, Saimanohar, Dhiman, Avdi, Daisy Blue, Sid 'Ravan' Kabe, Shankar, Shilpa Garg, Bharathi, Ranee, Ranee again, Pawan and Ajinkya.
Click on their respective names to read their posts on The Cream and Scum of Blogging.
To be part of the next edition of this online marathon, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Image Courtesy
http://edutech.csun.edu (edited)

BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks

After Saturday Spicy Picks, a couple of weeks back; this time one of my blog-post got selected as BlogAdda's Tangy Tuesday Picks.

Arjun, a page from the book of my life is special to me for it allowed me to make a confession while conveying an important message to my readers. As the BlogAdda team puts it rightly in their recommendation:

Vipul tipped us to a lovely post and deserves to be in the list. All we want to say about this post and the message which it conveys is that 'Never delay in showing your love or doing something, You never know whats in store for you tommorow.' A post which you shouldn’t miss!

I'll like to thank BlogAdda for once again showing faith in me and to all my Blogging Buddies who keep returning to my blog, encouraging me all the time.

So, if you haven't read it yet, then click here to do so; as in the words of BlogAdda, 'you shouln't miss' it!

In case you have read it, I'll borrow these beautiful words from Nicky's comment on that post:

I am sure Arjun went to a better place. Maybe he is between us right now - laughing and playing - a normal child. Maybe it was a way God tested him before endowing him with a better life.

Amen.

Note:
You might also like my BlogAdda's Spicy Saturday Pick, A Curious Case of Corruption.

Image Courtesy:
http://blog.blogadda.com/

Come join the Blog-a-Ton!

After playing hide and seek for about 3 weeks, it seems the monsoons have finally relented. It has been raining abundantly since the night and it definitely looks promising for the North-Western Region of India. I hope it continues like that.

Anyway coming back to my topic, I'll like to introduce you to my new initiative, Blog-a-Ton. As some of you might have noticed, I have created this new blog. So what is Blog-a-Ton?

Blog-a-Ton is a misnomer for the word Blogathon. The idea of holding a Blogathon, simply put a marathon of bloggers, came to my mind when I didn't even know that such a word exists. So, I invited bloggers through IndiBlogger Forum to participate in the first edition of a Blogathon, few weeks back.

The idea was simple as I posted on the forum:

We'll choose a day and a topic to blog on. On that day we all will write a post on our blog on the given topic.
After the write-up, we will include the links to the write-ups of fellow blogathon participants.
This will not only help us in making new friends in blogging world but also give us a lot of backlinks.

It was Arjuna, an interested participant who came up with the idea of renaming the event for the want of uniqueness and starting a blog for the same. I believe these were great suggestions and so was born Blog-a-Ton. This new Blog is going to be an efficient way of reaching out to the prospective bloggers and develop an online community at the same time.

And as the new name suggests, our Mission is to conduct a Blog-a-Ton where 100 bloggers will take part together. This ambitious mission can become a reality only with the help of my Blogging Buddies. So if you think, this effort is worth it, come join the Blog-a-Ton (http://blog-a-ton.blogspot.com/).

Date for Blog-a-Ton 1 : August 1, 2009

Date for finalising the topic : July 25, 2009

As already mentioned, discussion for holding Blog-a-Ton 1 was initiated on Indiblogger forums and later on shifted to the new Blog. Of the various topics suggested by the interested participants, the following three got the maximum votes (ironically, just two each).

• WE BLOG, THEREFORE WE ARE
• The Best and Worst(if any) about blogging
• Blogging Experiences

Of these the first one, was suggested by me and seconded by my fellow team member Arjun, based on the tagline of Indiblogger. You may help in pruning down the list to just one final topic by voting for any one out of these three in the comments section of the related Blog-a-Ton post.

I have also created this Blog widget to popularise and spread the Blog-a-Ton community.

You may add it to your blog by following the instructions given in the following Scribd Window. For choosing the desired text, choose the Text Selection mode (denoted by an I) from the drop down menu (downward pointing arrowhead), second from the right on the toolbar of the Window.


In case, the Scribd Window takes time to load, here is the HTML code for the Blog-a-Ton widget. Just replace the square brackets [ ] with the tag brackets < > within the code.
[div align="center"][a target="_blank" href="http://blog-a-ton.blogspot.com/" title="Visit Blog-a-Ton"][img border="0" width="100%" alt="I Blog-a-Tonic" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jKvsNJTH4Sk/SmHNn6cb4GI/AAAAAAAAA2s/814o8hlkjSA/cooltext428949633.jpg"/][/a][/div]
If the button is too large for your blog, then just reduce the number highlighted in red.

In order to keep yourself updated of all the activities happening in the Blog-a-Ton community, visit and start following the Blog.

Before I leave, here are a couple of snaps from my Birthday celebrations, this friday night with my mom and my friend, Shashaank. (My dad was out of station with some work and all my other friends are spread all over India with their respective works.)

In the Birthday Images:
1. In the absence of a cake, making things work with a tiny but yummy Dimsum at the Noodle Bar.
2. Finally cutting something related to cake family, my favourite Brownie Sizzler.

Images Courtesy:

1. http://www.poznan-life.com (edited)
2. Self-Created on http://cooltext.com/ (original)
3. My Personal Collection (edited)
4. My Personal Collection (edited)

Far Away from This Thickening Smoke

This is the 50^th post on this Blog. I decided to dedicate this Golden Jubilee post to a special cause about which I have been writing and also acting upon, though in small measures as yet.

Far away from this thickening smoke,

There was a place that used to be.

Canopy of trees, a gleaming river,

As far as you could see.

The soil was rich, the weather pleasant,

So in came teeming crowds.

With time everything was gone,

Leaving behind smoking shrouds.

Now here is a jungle of concrete,

Where the so called humans reside.

For the love they got, they give back smoke,

While they work, sleep or drive.

I've heard, it's same everywhere,

The temperatures are rising high.

For more smoke that they will add,

Their children will have to cry.

Far away from this thickening smoke,

There was a place that used to be.

Going back there is not possible,

So please stop here, at least.

Click here to learn how you can reduce your carbon footprint and help in thwarting Global Warming in your day to day life. Though the tips overall pertain to lifestyle and habits of average Americans but contain some important tips for middle and upper class Indian families too.

Image Courtesy:

http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com (edited)

BlogAdda's Spicy Saturday Picks

And some awards from fellow Bloggers

Awards are raining big time. Within a month, it is the third recognition for my blog by a blogging community. My post A Curious Case of Corruption got selected for Saturday Spicy Picks on BlogAdda.

According to BlogAdda, this is

a post which talks about Corruption using a fictional story as a backdrop. A very thought provoking post that makes us wonder if we have accepted corruption as a part and parcel of our daily lives. A question we all need to answer.

BlogAdda "has started 'Tangy Tuesdays' and 'Spicy Saturdays' where BlogAdda picks up good posts from Indian blogosphere and serves it to the readers on tuesdays and saturdays. This way, good posts are acknowledged and readers get to read quality content.This is also an opportunity for everyone to interact even more in fruitful discussions."

So those who haven't read this post, do read it and those who have already done so, visit it again to read an update at the end where the real Sugandha comments about it.

***

Now coming to the awards showered by fellow Bloggers in past two days.

Bharathi Subbarayan, on his blog A Naked Opinion, recommends my blog to his readers in the latest post Recommended. This is what he has to say about me and my blog

He steals topic from my mind and often presents it in a more creative and better manner than I could think. He is again unbiased, witty (sometimes) and touches high quality topics. The high point about his blog is his narration style which would keep you away from boredom. He bestowed a wonderful title ‘empathic libertarian’ on me stating that I think like him. Considering the high quality of his blog, I treat this as a very good complement.

Nicky, another fellow Blogger, bestows upon me the

India needs politicians like him award

through her latest post on her blog, Bitch On.

It doesn't end here, as Subhayan "Wrahool" Mukerjee presents me with

"The Clear Headed Blogger" Award "for his fantastic posts and his radically different way of looking at things ... great going man ... !!!"

as part of the Wramblerz Awards on the occasion of his blog, Wrahoolz Wramblingz reaching 50 posts.

Thanks a lot, my friends for these awards. Keep this faith in me and my writings. Blogging becomes worthwhile because of friends like you. Keep returning to my blog for more spices.

Note:
Also read my posts about my previous achievements in last one month IndiBogger of the Month and Blog of the Day Award.

Image Courtesy:
http://www.blogadda.com/ (original)

Blog of the Day Award

Its Different!

After Indiblogger of the Month, its now the time for Best Blog of the Day. And finally, I am not just a runner up. Yeah, its right. I won the Blog of the Day Award(BOTDA) for June 29, 2009. I nominated my blog on June 23 and was adjudged the winner the following day, though it got publicly notified today.
But to be frank, being a runner up in IndiBlogger of the Month felt much more rewarding than this award because

• This award is given on daily basis, so there are so many fellow Bloggers of the Day.
• Even today, I had to share the honours with another blogger. (Though sharing it with a friend, made it special.)
  
• There is no voting conducted for this award.
• It is not clear if a single person or a team selects the winner.
• There is no way to know the number of total nominations for the day.

So, the worst case scenario is that I was one of the two bloggers who nominated a blog on 23rd and was adjudged a joint winner by a single judge, Bill Austin, the owner of the blog where the nominations and awarding is conducted. I hope this was not the case.
At least Bill has a team member Bonnie and they between themselves own a number of blogs. So, I hope I was judged by two people instead of just one. In other words, I was judged by a team:)
Moreover, on searching Bill further, I found that he is the CEO of an Arizona based integrated marketing solutions company and has *above 92000* followers on Twitter. So that gives him and his award some authenticity at least.
Anyways, this is what the 'Judges and the Staff' of 'Blog of the Day' have to say about the award.

Blog of the Day Awards offers the best selection of weblogs and famous blogs on a variety of topics. Selection of Best Blogs of the Day ... criteria include content, quality, creativity, and the personal opinion of the judges. Judges grant up to four awards each day in recognition of outstanding nominees who are recommended by visitors to the site and by a panel of judges who bestow the honor of a Daily Blog Award upon the recipients. Being named a Blog of the Day Awards Winner can be the crowning achievement of a lifetime of work or it can be the beginning of a new chapter in the life of a blogger. Presentation of these awards can bring acclaim and notoriety beyond their wildest imaginings. The accolades and praise heaped upon winners of these prestigious awards can be best described as fabulous and the stuff of legends...

Some tall claims indeed. I hope all my apprehensions are wiped off by a surge in traffic to my blog as claimed by this write up. And if such a thing actually happens, then I should be ready for some nasty comments for questioning the authenticity of the awards. I'll love it as long as I get some traffic;)
Nonetheless, an award is an award. Hence, I accept it graciously with a promise that I'll keep coming up with better and better stuff in the future.
Adios:)

Update (June 30, 2009)
Yesterday, I indeed had the highest number of visitors in a single day since I started blogging. The number is humble, around 50. Of these around 10 came directly from 'Blog of the Day' as revealed by Feedjit.

Image Courtesy:
http://blogofthedayawards.blogspot.com (original)

IndiBlogger of the Month

Naahhhhhhh.. just the runner up!!!

I have had a number of achievements in extra-curricular in my college days, but this one is a bit different. Well, it’s my first success in the blogging world. I nearly got elected as the ‘IndiBlogger of the Month’. Yeah, yeah, I know I am a looser; I came second and there are no doughnuts for me. But never mind, the race was close and I lost to the deserving one. Now for those who are scratching their heads, I’ll elaborate on what all I just said.
Indiblogger is an online community of the Indian bloggers all over the world. Here we meet fellow bloggers, surf through their blogs and discuss various blogging issues in the community’s forum. Last month, Indiblogger started a contest by the name IndiBlogger of the Month. Here, every month a new topic/category will be selected on the basis of the discussions held in the forum and it will be put up for the competition.
All members can nominate their own blogs for the polling if they have posted at least five articles on the selected topic. For example, topic for the last month was ‘Politics and Current Affairs’. In the process of self nomination, we had to submit links to our five posts, priority-wise for the consideration of the administrators. If they are convinced that all the posts are relevant, our blog gets nominated for the competition. Once, the voting starts all the members can vote for the best blog of all, after going through the posts of the nominated bloggers. Those nominated cannot vote for their own blog.
So this month, the category for the contest was ‘Social Issues’. As last month, I again nominated my blog and it was allowed to participate. I was in for a big surprise. Having won not a single vote last time, I ended up with 22 votes which sealed the second position for me this time.
The winner is Indiahelps, blog of a civil society initiative formed after 26/11 terror attacks. While I am just writing on the social issues, these people are actually making the difference on the field. Hence, they are the deserving winners indeed.
While I exhilarate further, here is some cud for you to chew:

• Total Nominations- 119
  
• Total Votes polled- 257
  
• Votes, the Winner got- 25
  
• Votes in my favour- 22
  
• Votes, the second runner up got- 17
  
• Number of bloggers ending with a ‘0’ tally- 66
  
• Blog, I voted for- Bitch on (ended up with 7 votes)
  

You can also see the results page on Indiblogger for more details. Here is a screenshot.
You might have noticed that most of the blogs on the top are dedicated entirely to social issues(or belong to NGO’s having multiple contributors) while mine is just a personal blog with my musings and reflections on just anything under the sky; social issues happen to be just one of them. So being recognized from amongst all these gives another reason to brag about.
Another thing that has added to my elation is the post which I submitted as my first priority, My 'de-reservations' about the Reservation. It is an unconventional one-my take on the Reservation policy. Unconventional, not because of the issue but because of my stand; it is pro-reservation. Here I presented my so called Empathic Libertarian view point and now that I have received all these votes, it means people accepted my way of looking at different social issues.
Here is the list of other posts, I nominated for the contest:

• Gandhigiri
  
• Upon each shoulder lies the weight!
  
• Obama Coming
  
• Defining EL
  

You must be wondering why I am blowing my own trumpet. I can hear you grumbling distinctively; “We all remember Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong but who remembers the second man/woman to repeat their feat?”
It’s true, I agree (though I know the answers- Tenzing Norgay and Edwin Aldrin). So while others choose to forget me and my petty achievement, let me bask or rather bath in my own glory! As it is, I haven’t taken a shower today.
Before winding up this post, I have to thank those who voted for me. It being a secret ballot, I have no idea who all voted for my blog. Moreover, they were humble enough not to intimate me after such a nice favour. Thank you so much and I hope you people return to read more.
Finally, bringing this stupid vaunting to an end (much to your pleasure I know), I’ll sign off with these epic words- “I’ll be back!”

Disclaimer:
Please don’t get terrified because of my parting words. I am not a Terminator sent from the future to exterminate the Blogging race.
Moreover, this sweet success has not gone to my head as it may seem. I am still the same old ‘yours truly’ humility-personified Vipul Grover;)

Images Courtesy:
1. http://www.indiblogger.in/ (original)
2. My own browser (original)

I am Back

My revamped Blog and a new found ideology

I am blogging after a huge gap of 17 months. I deleted a couple of old posts but retained the one on Gandhigiri because it made me realise that my new found ideology is not something I developed instantly but has gradually evolved through the years gone by. Finally I have been able to consolidate it under the sobriquet of "Empathic Libertarianism".
It required a lot of introspection and testing for consistency. These days, spending time all by myself, there are ample opportunities for me to meet my inner self. So after deep contemplation, I realised that I share a libertarian philosophy. However something was missing. I found a lot of subjectivity crept in when I tried to think of different developments taking place around the world in socio-political sphere. So after pouring in more time and mental energy, I decided to add some empathy to my ideology.
Thence was born an Empathic Libertarian.
Libertarianism, as you might be knowing, is exercising one's free will. However the appendage 'empathic' imposes a restriction on the same. This imposition is by no means extrinsic, but intrinsic in nature.
As per libertarianism, there is already a restriction, which i found most of the people miss to mention while defining it. It is that one can enjoy liberty only till that extent that it does not interfere with someone else's liberty. 'Empathic' sensitizes this very aspect of libertarianism.

Image Courtesy
http://www.blackdog.net (edited)