Have fountains pens become a thing of the past?

I have always loved the idea of staining my fingers with ink leaking from a fountain pen. Also, I have liked the smell of ink. Ever since I moved to Delhi, I didn't have a fountain pen. Today, I went to Ber Sarai market with the intent of buying myself an inexpensive fountain pen along with a bottle of green ink, the only colour that I used during my entire college days. For those who aren't aware, Ber Sarai is a small market opposite old Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, famous for its book and stationery shops. I don't think it would be an exaggeration if I say that every person preparing for the civils exam in Delhi has visited this place at least once, or at least knows about it.

Lots of Indians would be happy with the 2010 Budget (key features of India's budget 2010) that was presented by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee before the Lok Sabha—the new income tax rates will reduce tax burden of lots of people, me included. But I can't drink and rejoice in the reduced tax burden—not because booze has become expensive from now on.

Like many of you, if left to me, I wouldn't pay any taxes. Not because I am too greedy to give some of my earnings for the country and my folks. At subconscious level, I want to live in a society where everyone's requirements are fulfilled and each person has a dignified life. But let's face it—we live in country with stark disparities. There can be a rich person drinking expensive Scotish wine and romancing the moonlit winter night with its stars, oblivious of a poor migrant labourer in the same city, trying to fall asleep on the pavement of the same lane, with a  poor quality blanket between him and the chilly winter night. It's the same country, same city and the same night, but, for one, it's a romance and, for the other, it's an ordeal.

What's the new mantra of 2010? All is well. I don't know how to write it the way Aamir Khan says it in the film 3 Idiots: "Aal iz wail", maybe.

I just read Amit Varma's post saying that though he enjoyed the film, its story sucks. Yup, for most of the Bollywood movies, you need to tell your brain "Sleep  Well" during the three hours of the movie. If you don't, you keep wondering what's happening.

The movie is an overall entertainer, but then there is this sloppy ending. Friends beating up a long lost friend, huh. Couldn't they think something more interesting? But this isn't the only reason why I think 3 Idiots is just a mediocre movie. One of the basic premise of the story isn't convincing enough.

As I write this, I am thankful to my parents that they never pressured me with their expectations. Not that they didn't want me to excel in my life and have a good career—they wanted me to be a doctor. They were supportive, and never rebuked me for not qualifying in the several competitive exams that I took in my short attempt to get into a medical college--and I failed in all of them during the two years. But they had faith in me; they thought I had enough brains to make a decent career in other possible areas, if not medicine.

Why am I telling this to you? Right now, I can see a news report in The Times of India about a 17-year-old class XII girl ending her life by hanging herself to the ceiling fan in her home. The girl had been allegedly rebuked by her teacher for poor grades.

This year's great battle for admission to Nursery class has begun in the Indian capital. Chauffeurs have stood in queues hours before the application form sale started. They were there for their masters, waiting along with less opulent parents. Both uber rich and less rich want to secure the future of their kids. It's very critical for the child's future that he/she gets accepted in some renowned school's Nursery class. And, yeah, it's important for parent's status. Parents are anxiously waiting for the final run. But only a handful will make it to the top. The rest will have to face disappointment.

Wish children were born with all knowledge pre-installed in their brains so that there was no need for getting them admitted in Nursery class. Sadly, that's not the case right now.

Here are a few tips for those young people who intend to get married and raise kids (or just raise kids). It's far easier and cheaper to get into the elite IITs or IIMs than getting into the Nursery class of the elite schools of New Delhi. Even if the child gets admission in these elite schools, it's not going to be easy to stay in the race with children of top executives of multinationals and politicians. To save yourself from disappointment and secure your kid's future, you need to begin preparing as early as possible.

Carl's Jr
If someone says you are a vegetable or a chicken, it's not necessarily a bad thing—surely not if you end up in Carl's Jr salad that's sensuously devoured by Kim Kardashian.

In her latest raunchy video, Kim isn't with some guy but with salad. Her video ad for Carl's Jr salad is the latest sensation in food porn. (Watch Kim's photos from the ad on Carl's Jr Facebook page.)

According to a news report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chief Rajendra K. Pachauri, told reporters in New Delhi that global carbon emissions must peak by 2015, failing which the cost of cutting them may increase.

Why does it sound to me like a undertaker saying, "More people must die or my earnings will dwindle."