My Times

I was born in 1983 and I have always been weirdly proud of the times I am born into. As a little girl, during the 90s, I was proud that I belong to the special generation which is going to see the turn of a millennium. I distinctly remember feeling bad for my folks and other elder people because they would retire when the great times would start and they will miss out some great moment in human history. I hardly knew what 2000 would bring but I knew it was huge. It was not just a century! May be I expected some great technological breakthrough at the turn of the millennium (Fiction novels gave me ideas!). I don't know know why but I was immensely crazy about the year 2000, for at least half a decade before it came.

For India specially, 80s and 90s were great times. Visible changes in economy and vibrant political scenario again led me to believe that these were special times. As a kid, I noticed DD channel giving way to DD1 and DD2, and then to Zee and Star, and then to Star movies, HBO, MTV and discovery, which, for the first time opened my eyes to other cultures, music and dialects and how unique each one was. It was like traveling across the world from my living room. Needless to say, crazy times.

Post 95 politics was so interesting that even as a 13 yr old teen like me was intrigued. In 1996, with BJP coming into power for 13 days, followed by an extremely turbulent politics with nuclear tests thrown in, I really knew the times are definitely changing. The nuclear tests was something I held dear as a proud Indian. I still have all the HT paper cuttings related to nuclear tests. I followed Indian politics closely while NDA was in power. Those were good times. It was different from the clichéd rural employment, empowerment, electrification programmes(anything which starts with rural and read as "corruption programmes") which previous governments declared and inevitably after a couple of years we would hear that not even 5% reached the poor. Instead, papers were filled with privatization stories. Numerous industries got freed from the shackles of government. Sensex crossed 5000 mark in 1999 and then 6000 in 2000. I knew shit about stock market but I knew it was huge. Indo-US and Indo-China collaboration started in a way never seen in history. Basically, there was an increased pride and self esteem in India as a whole. Suddenly at the turn of the millennium, India was topic of discussion across the world . Needless to say again, crazy times.

(I think I was more shocked when NDA lost in 2004 than Vajpayee himself!! And of course we are back to our rural _____ programmes)

Then came 2000. I was surprised it was just like another year. But somewhere inside I knew something will happen and I still keep on believing in that.

Biggest thing after 2000 for me personally was discovery of Google by me. I did not use it earlier. I love Google. Let me repeat, I absolutely LOVE Google. I love google so much I want to kiss google. I don't claim to be internet guru. But for me internet is google and google is internet. I am in so much love with google I don't even want to try competitors. Google is the first page I open daily and last page I close. Its search, mail, news, reader, social group, videos, books............ and million other things in one place. I am not denying that there may be better providers out there but why go there when you have everything at one place with computing power which is superior to any other player and is cleaner than any competition. If I was an engineer probably I would have been working for Google. Its one of the best when it comes to employee satisfaction.

Anyway, I'll end my rather long first post here. But there are million other things I am crazy about and two million others which make me crazy!! Will continue writing about my fanaticism for fabulous things happening around us and my loathe towards some other things, also happening around us.

Hope you provide me with valuable suggestions and inputs. Best of luck to me!!! :)