This Place is Taken: life
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

Monday, October 2, 2023

Running for life

There once was a runner so fleet Who loved to run down the street Each morning at dawn They'd put on shoes and jog on To stay healthy and fit what a treat!

Friday, January 27, 2023

Thank goodness, I didn't go there

The USofA. I am talking of the USA. It was one of my life's best decisions that I didn't go there.

 Already more than 60 people have been killed in gun violence in 2023. And it is still only January.

There were 647 mass shootings last year.


And this is supposed to be the most developed, and advanced country in the world.

And now, top US companies have begun laying off employees. Andt these are some of the richest, most financially successful companies in the world.

Not going there.

Friday, April 15, 2022

It takes courage to move on

 This is just an advice. Or it could be a rant. Maybe both.

It takes courage to move on from bitter things.

Remembering does not help. In fact, it keeps you back.


The only true way to move forward, is to let go.


I know it sounds easy to say. It takes time to apply.


Here is hoping you find that courage.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Soul purpose

 Pixar's SOUL.


What a year ! What a wonderful year ! And it has only been 3 weeks now. A democratically elected wannabe-dictator walks out of office today, and vaccine shots are being administered around the world. National economies are all trying to get back to shape, to make up for the lost income in the last year. I have been busy too, but found the time to invest in probably the most soul-touching movie of last year. Pixar's Soul. See what I did there ?


Funny enough, I didn't even know Pixar was working on such a movie in the first place. I haven't yet watched Onward, their other movie from last year. I hear it is a bummer.


But anyway, with Soul, the writers there have chosen to tackle a rather difficult subject to explain to kids  : death. What happens after we die ? That has to be the oldest questions man has every asked, just after "Where am I?". Various cultures and later religions have come up with the warm hearted idea of an after life, and the idea of the soul; the essence of ones personality. After death, the soul moves on . But where ? And can it get back ? What if it is not ready to go ?


Pixar's Soul tells this story in a comical, and soft fun centered way, of there being a place were souls are born, then send to earth to live  and after death, the souls go to the great beyond. Already I have so many questions; like why only earth ? Is there no life anywhere else ? What about the animals and plants ? And how come every thing there speaks English ?


If you really want to enjoy this movie, you have to leave those questions behind, and join in on the ride. The purpose of life, it seems, is to live. It is to take something we have and turn it better. Or so I get the drift. Joe Gardner, our protagonist, is not ready to die. He just got this big break, his chance of a lifetime. So he conspires to steal the earth pass of another soul, and use that to get back to his body on earth.



Only problem is, the soul he tries to steal from, is somebody who does not care about life on earth. So he has to first convince the soul, named 22, to go there, and then use its pass for himself.


When he does get back, he realizes that that chance of a lifetime he was waiting for , it was not fulfilling enough. He thought he would have a special experience, but it was just another day. And realizes that what he truly misses is his everyday life. The small things he took for granted, and all the different people in his life.


I can relate to this. Its something I have believed in, that the small things in life matter more than the huge, hard to get ones. We are all so focused on winning and invisible rat race, that we all take our life and times for granted. 


The big truth is this: until science can one day logically explain it, we are all very fortunate to experience a conscious life like ours own. To live.  Everything around us were created by us humans. By the time people realize the foolishness of their pursuits, its mostly too late. But not for all, for those who value their present time, and the people around, every minute is worth living.



There is this particular montage sequence in the movie, where Joe's life flashes before his eyes, but he is not dying. He remembers his childhood, his parents, his students, and a few times of his life in the city. There is this beautiful musical master piece playing in the back. It is simply beautiful; and eye opener which makes you close your eyes and cry out of sheer joy. I guess every Pixar movie has such a scene, when it stops being a computer animated movie and becomes something much more personal. I have been playing back that song for days now.

And yes there is also jazz. Lot of jazz.



Like I said, we are fortunate to be alive. So lets not waste what we have, and cherish the little things in life. Enjoy the ride, we will get to the destination eventually. 


No hurry.

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Post Vacation Blues

I am going through a weird withdrawal phase right now. Having serious holiday blues. I think the clinical term is post-vacation blues. After spending more than a month in vacation, I am now strangely detached from work life. I have no idea what I was working on the last day of work. No idea where I start again, and whom I owe. 

2020 was a particularly tiring year, which I why I decided to take such a long holiday. But maybe I overdid it. Enjoyed Melbourne's , what third winter , this year. A very cold and rainy December, just like back home. Saw dark blue seas and shallow beaches.  Walked through woodlands and around tall trees. Breathed in the eucalyptus laden fresh air. Saw more animals and birds than humans. Completely went off the diet. Pretty sure gained a few kilos. 

But now when I suit up, I realize how fortunate I have been, to be able to take time off work. To be able to say I still have a job, in this troubled economy. To spend more money in a month than what I usually spend in six months. And to easily forget what a horrible year the last one was.

The good news is already starting to come in. Australians will be given the Astrazeneca vaccine, it is being reported. By March. Splendid. And twitter has banned its biggest cyberbully !

This is going to be a good year. I can tell. Only thing is, my mind is still somewhere lost in holiday.

Time to get back to work. Theres lots of to be done.

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Milestones

 

The pandemic and lockdown have slowed things down. But time does flow. Its that time of the year again, time to lookback at those milestones.

Is it bad out there? Definitely.

But days like today give you things to reflect upon. And I dodged a bullet today.

I am grateful for my circumstances. Most grateful to the people in my family.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Big year.


This will one of those big years for me. Correction - biggest year. Life changing. Things are never going to be the same again. I will be looking back to these times forever from this point. Am I ready for it ?

Oh yes. Ready as I will every be.

But the truth is, no one is really ready for these things. You just go with it.

And learn.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Things will be allright

 

Time flies.  Even if Einstein had not discovered relativity, time has a funny way of passing by at different speeds. Faster , when you least notice it. Slower, when you really take notice. I caught myself sneaking up on the years today, when  I looked at the calendar. 2020. That is a funny year. When the year matches its century. How many years have passed since the various milestones in my life ?

It is now 15 years since I left college. And 19 years since I left high school. Twenty years into the new millenium, the new century. I try to go back and remember what I my hopes and aspirations were, all those years ago.

Twenty years ago, I didn’t have the slightest idea what I wanted to become in life. Sure, I wanted to become an engineer, but that was only because everyone else was doing it, and because I liked computers. But I honestly could not foresee  where that career choice would take me. And it was the same state of mind for everyone else in my class.  We were all confused and lost. Will this IT bubble last ? How long should a doctor study ? What are my changes in finance ? My parents want me to get a government job, but I want to travel the world. Is it too late to change my stream of study ? None of could see our futures, excep maybe a few years. Hmm..I wonder what happened to them ?

I still stay away from social media. But I try to hunt everyone else down. What happened to the brightest, smartest minds of my class ? Well, most of them have become far more successful than me , and have ended up in different parts of this world. Some have joined dream technology companies in the great mecca of such companies, the USA. Others have become experienced and respected doctors, and have saved countless lives since. The dumbest guy in my college year, who could not even write the simplest computer program is now a project manager for a top indian IT firm. Turns out anyone can become a PM, if you can just get others to do all the work.

The smartest girls in my class ? Well, most of them have quit jobs, and are now stay at home moms. But I guess they only did it because thats how far the industry let them proceed. Many of them have become teachers , and are now teaching the next generation of aspiring students.

And some others, the back benchers of our classes, have defied their teacher’s expectations and have now become successfull leaders and business owners. It took them a while to find their footing, but better late than never. A few of us where so bad at studies in college, but they then went on to do their masters, the desire to study was rekindled when they passsed out of that god forsaken undergratuate college we went to.

I now see a younger generation of students , giong through the same phases that I went through, decades ago. Many of them enquire about my supposedly successful career. And hope for some advice. Should I take up engineering  , they ask, or medicince ? Should I go abroad for higher studies ? Doe IT really have a future in this age of automation ? I am a budding youtuber, should I drop out of college ? Should I go into manamagement and finance ?

All I can tell them is,  that they will find their own way. Life is a series of struggles, its not always smooth. Had it been so, it would have been very boring. The thrill of life is not knowing the future.  And life has a funny way of being allright. Its all right to pick the wrong subject, today a student has more opportunity to change streams. Its all right to fail a subject, as long as you learn from that mistake. There are plenty of colleges in India to go for higher studies, but if you can afford to go abroad, then do that, by all means. That is going to add so much more your experience and learning. College is important.

Never think of dropping out. None of the education tests can predict your future for you, most of them failed me when I tried them. Many who cleared the tests, failed later. But then got up again. Many who flunked upfront, later went on to find their calling some place else. The world has so much to offer, if you are willing to learn. Don’t worry,

Things will be allright.

 

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Thank You for not promoting me


The last few years have been some of my best. I can't remember the last time I truly enjoyed looking up to living,looking forwards to the adventures I have waiting in store for me. Maybe that last time was way back when I was a child, running around in fields and woods in my hometown.


I have missed this feeling. This liberating, empowering feeling. And I have one of my biggest enemies to thank for this. The person whom I least expected to be thankful to.


My old manager. The one whos name starts with a B.


He was an asshole. Correction, I just looked him up on linkedin: he is STILL an asshole.


I was part of a team which together did a lot of work for his company. A US based consultancy. I had put in a lot of long, all nighters; hundreds of hours of unpaid work. Working overtime on weekdays, and frequently on weekends, there is no measure of how much we have contributed to the growth of the company, and its US customers. I was promised a chance to go abroad, first short term, and then later, a long term onsite opportunity to make up for those lost days. You see, that rare chance to earn in dollars is the only perk of working in the IT field in India. The golden ticket. But first, I was told, I had to prove myself, and wait for at least a year.


So wait I did. First one year, then another, and then, a third. During this time, the long stressful hours took a toll on my health. I was always under stress, and constantly weak and tired. Asthma was only the beginning. I also got married, and found that the unprofessional and unethical work environment was interfering in my personal life a well.


Being an optimist, and extremely patient one , I was willing to wait. But gradually, I realized that I did NOT have all the time in the world. I had always delivered what I had promised as part of my work. So why isn't the manager delivering what he had promised me ? I also found out that he had promised similar onsite opportunities to everybody else in the team. Everybody except the office janitor.


So, in that third year, reality finally started dawning on me. And I had the argument with the asshole manager. I put in my papers, without a job offer in hand. And left a few months later.


About one year from that confrontation, I arrived in Australia.


I still work under managers, but things are so much better. Nobody here forces work overtime , at least without compensation. Ample leaves, and flexible work options. I do go to office everyday, though technically, I don't have to.


But this is the big truth: none of this would have happened, if I had not been wronged against. It is only when I got pushed into a corner, that I started looking for another exit. If everything in my life back then had gone according to plan, I would still be in India. That exit, that was the best decision I took in my professional life. And it has changed me and my future forever.


So thank you,asshole, for not promoting me. For not giving me those opportunities. Thank you to all of the other bad people I worked for, for constantly pushing me into that corner. Thank you for being such miserable human beings.


Friday, October 18, 2019

The last of the inspections.

Nope, I have not mistyped the name of that stupid 90s movie: The Last of the Mohicans. This week, we are indeed giving the last of our inspections. In Australia, renting tenants have to open up the premises for an inspection by the landlord or agent, once a quarter. Sometimes only twice a year. This is for the landlords to verify that there is no serious damage done on the premises, and everything still works. The lot has to be in a respectable condition, which means it has to be cleaned and furniture properly arranged; if the tenants want to continue staying. of course.


And this is a real headache. You don't want to be ousted out of the premises for leaving some grime on the kitchen counter, or if the flooring is damaged. The only way out of this perennial cycle of cleaning and torture is to stop renting completely.


And get your own place !


And so , back to the story. Hopefully, we will never have to give another inspection during our time here. Maybe for life. It was worth it, the struggle, cause this will be the last of the inspections.


We can now damage the floor.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Arrived


I sometimes catch myself stalking some of my old coleagues agin. Now and then,  I check upon them. To keep track of where they are, but mostly just to feel better. At the the beginning of my career, I wanted to do a lot of things, travel to a lot of places, visit , and meet people. I thought my career in IT would allow me these rare opportunities to see a little more of this world. And I worked hard towards that goal. But I was working under bad managers, and was plagued by terrible management. One of the many reasons I decided to migrate out. And it was not an easy decision. So, I try to imagine, where would I be, if I had decided to stay. And continue to suffer. Would my life have changed for the better ? Could I have stayed on and still achieved a  little more ?


The answer, thankfully, is NO.


If I had stayed, I would have been pummelled by meaningless, tedious, repeating tasks, increasing frustration, and a feeling of uselessness. And I know this because everybody else I worked with back in the day, are still where I had last left them.


My old team at e*, that company in Bangalore where I worked for 3 years. They are all still stuck in that same job, working in an over-crowded, pollutted city. None of them got that chance to travel abroad.


Poor little P is still doing data entry jobs. And that SB is still making them work. S and S are holding on for dear life. V has put on more weight, must be all that late night snack they have been having.


My old, sick, demeaning managers. Well they have done pretty good, actually. Feeding on the blood of innocent subordinates, they have become more successful. At least , thats what I infer from their shortening designations.


And my competition, yes , I had a lot of that. To be fair, we were all struggling in the same , dwindling, putrid pool of meaningless work, so we all wanted to escape somewhere. I gave up easily, and moved away. While for most of them, the struggle continues.


Competition is fierce in India's private job market. And with only a few guidelines set by the government, companies play a one sided game of micro-management. While emloyees in the sector do have the option of unions, they also understand that live is much better for them in the tech sector compared to the others. So they let it go. People work for years chasing that elusive 'onsite' opportunity, that one chance to make some money, tax free, which will enable them to buy a home in one of those crowded cities. And also , the chance to see a different country, with the company footing all the travel bills.


Choosing to move to Australia was the best decision we had taken in a long , long time. With a lot more professionalism, flexibility and wage, ones problems seem to dwindle away. For the first time, I have a good balance of professional and personal life. Last year, my manager here came to me and told me to take a few days off. Leave. For real. And he really meant it. That was an amazing feeling, which I had never experienced during my time in India. That instruction came from years of having mentored subordinates, and the employee-friendly laws of this country.


I hope more people get to see such professionalism, and kindness. But they wil have to travel away to experience that. As for me, I am living the dream.


Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Don't fight. We have so little time.


Our universe is 13.772 billion years old. Earth is 4.5 billion years old. We humans occupty such a short sliver of time in the grand scale, its actually insignificant. We take our life and time for granted. But once in a while, something happens which leads us to sit up and take notice. And that event is…

a death in the family.

Or it could be someone you have interacted with closely, a friend from the past. The passing awa of someone dear or near leads humans to contemplate their own time in this universe.

This is me contemplating.

I lost an uncle in the family. He and his family was long estranged from the rest of us. His son lead him to take a series of bad decisions, which inluded lies and deceit. When the others found out, everyone decided to cut ties with him. It did not matter to them he was their eldest brother, and that his hand was forced by his own son. In India, pride of the family, and respect within society is more important than personal ties. I was too young to understand, and I still do not understand how people can simply write of relationships.

Anyway, we came to know of his death from the papers, sort off. And now , decades later, people are overcome with guilt, I think ? As they say in the ancient fables, blood relations are special. Its easy to say a decision was right to save 'honour', but conscience does ultimately weigh in. We now have to live with that feeling that we were probably wrong.

Relationships could have been saved, wounds would have mended. A few day's anger could be overcome after some second thoughts.

We are all not going to live forever. There is no point in making enemies for life. We have so little time.


A quote says: "we live a long as we are remembered". That would mean the recently departed is still among us, as we reminsce the good old fun days we had back in the day.










Monday, December 31, 2018

Last day of the year

 

Last day of the year!! This year I've had more travel than I ever imagined, made some lifelong friends, learnt a hundred lessons, got into better shape & health, read a lot more and realised that everytime I think life can't get better, it does!

How can I not be grateful ?
 
Happy New Year !

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Mixed Bag

 

Eighteenth year into the new millenium. How time flies. 2018 was a very large, mixed bag. Looking back, the first things that come to mind are…all those floods which hit us, in Kerala, then rest of India, hurricanes,  political hogwash, and all those over-the-top, never-ending celebrity weddings. While Trump’s goof-ups all over the world, and Brexit held most of the news, the world still found time for rescues (Thailand), videogames (fornite) and various, stupid video challenges (Kiki, anyone ?).

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Is this really happening ? Has the world really come down to this ? Games and songs ? With 24 hour channels struggling to keep their pipelines full, we definitely had an overload of news this year. Too much , to the point of noise. People expressing their own personal opinions in the guise of news.

Our planet is revolting, all those hurricanes and floods are just curtain raisers to what our future holds for us. And here we are, fighting over temples and religion.

So, about time we throw this out and welcome the new year.

 

 

 

 

Wish you a very happy new year !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, November 10, 2018

100 years to the War

 

Today, November 11th 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice, of the great war. Of course, it was not called the ‘First’ World war, because the world never expected more of such a violent war.  Although fought by European powers, the war ended up changing the geo-political map of the whole world.

Even India had to send forces. Read about how Indian soldiers had to fight for a country that was not their own.

Vast numbers of Indians lost their lives in World War I, a war fought at an industrial scale of brutish intensity.

Letters written by Indian soldiers—some of which have fortunately survived in censor reports and have been admirably edited by the historian David Omissi—suggest that several motivations were at work. The material benefits of military service understandably played an important role. Joining the Indian army meant partaking of a well-established system of pay, perquisites and patronage. As former soldier Lehna Ram reminded his son Heta Ram, who was serving in France, “I served the state for 21 years and now receive a pension of `40 from the sirkar. I live in peace and comfort.” And the war effort led to an expansion of this system. “The sirkar has increased the rates both of pay and pension,” wrote Kala Khan to a kinsman in Punjab, “and at the same time has granted free rations.”

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Above all, their encounters with Europe drove home to Indian sepoys the abject conditions prevailing in India. As one soldier wrote, “When one considers this country [Britain] and these people in comparison with our country and our own people, one cannot but be depressed. Our country is very poor and feeble and its lot is very depressed.” Another observed, in similar vein, “The Creator has shown the perfection of his beneficence in Europe, and we people [Indians] have been created only for the purpose of completing the totality of the world.”

After coming here I learnt of how Australia too was called to fight for the British side.  The first time I read about the world wars were in school, during the much hated ‘history’ classes. I failed to grasp the many reasons mentioned in our textbooks which led to the war, and I still don’t quite understand them. There is no justification for the deaths of millions who perished in the war. But yes, we can remember them. And learn from out mistakes.

 

 

 

Two is enough for this planet. Lets hope we don’t see a third.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Living in a city for humans.


Its been a about a year since I came here, down under. And have been living in the great city of Melbourne during that time. By now I am familiar with most of the city's layouts, know how to get around efficiently, and know which places to avoid. There are some nasty places, yes. But the city continues to amaze me every now and then, when I see the efficient movement of people (and their pets), and how everything goes about as clockwork. Melbourne has been called the most livable city, the best city to retire in, and many other fancy terms as well. And IMHO, the city deserves the title. After having lived in the top cities of India, and a few places abroad, mostly Europe, life here is much more easier, and comfortable. Provided you can foot the bills, of course.
I have known how the city got its name, and why it is situated in Victoria state, since my school days. This story was retold in the British TV series Victoria. Story goes, when the young queen came to power in 1876, she had few friends she could trust in the palace. Everyone was scheming to get her out of power. Everyone , except Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, who mentored her in politics and thus helped her start her long rein. Thats how the city got its name. The state was named Victoria around 20 years later. It is thus fitting that the capital of Victoria be called Melbourne, future generations are sure to read upon this story.
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This is truly a properly planned city. A lot of people have put their heads together to come up with its layout, from the streets, the efficient tram system, right down to water and utilities. The central area is always crowded, but there is no gridlock. It has the most efficient public transport system I have seen (Sydney trains and buses are frequently late). They have really taken into account people who could have problems moving around, even with disabilities. So in any Indian city, disabled have a hard time getting around, here they are able to travel without anyone's help. The cities traffic lights have a sound based alerting system, and there are markers on the street to assist the blind. The PB/5 pedestrian button embodies an audio-tactile device combining a two-rhythm buzzer, a vibrating touch panel, and braille direction arrow. How cool is that ? Here is something city planners in India can learn from,if they ever learn anything.
Melbourne is also a place of cultures, sometimes I felt like I am walking in China or Korea. There are shops and restaurants  from all over the world, greek, indian, chinese.. I guess this could be due the vibrant student community here, Victoria is called the educational state. But there are also expats and tourists coming in from across the globe. For people like me, the reverse climate here was surprising. Its summer here when its winter in the northern hemisphere, so its a good place if you want an instant change of weather.
The main area of the city is just 10 streets crossed horizontally, forming a grid. You can get from anywhere to anywhere within 5 minute. And did I mention that all tram travels in the CBD are free ?  This initiative means people will always take the public transport, leaving their vehicles at home. Something else India an learn from. Morons in Delhi government increased metro fares, arguing that they are taking losses. If you truly want to give people to use public transport, you have to decrease the fares. Or , if possible, make it free ! Never mind the loss, the cities environment stands to gain. And thus, the people. Germany is now looking into making public transport free to fight air pollution.
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These guys don't mind shutting down parts of the city for public occasions, something even the smallest Indian cities struggle with. For New Year last year, they shut down traffic in many areas, opening them up for the public. Theyy brought in extra security, and there were ambulances on standby. Hell, they even brought in and setup rows of functioning portable toilets ! I have never seen such an initiative in India. A and and then the next day, the place was back to normal, with no garbage on the streets, and no sign of the public event. They did this again for Australia day, and every major public holiday.
I specially love the unpredictable weather here. It can get really hot and rain and cold ,all within the same week. Something exciting to look for. But the roads don't get clogged with water and rubbish, and vehicles still move around.
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Its no wonder that people don't want to go back, once they see how carefully the city is planned and administered. Its truly a city designed for people. For humans. And I call myself fortunate, to be able to stay here for some more time.
Maybe forever.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Uninstalled redundant Apps

 

I just figured out I had a lot of redundant apps on my phone, and I could take them all off, and still carry on. There are a lot of apps there competing and providing the SAME features, and they just stay on the phone and take up space.

Like IMO. I uninstalled it today. IMO provides video calling services, and they actually offered this way before Facebook and Whatsapp. I still feel IMO’s video quality is better that Whatsapps, specially on restricted bandwidth networks, but very few people know about it and use it. Now that Whatsapp provides full video chat, there is no point in keeping IMO around. Uninstalled.

Second one to go, facebook messenger. Seriously, its a lame app. The video quality is worse on slow networks, and takes up so much time to start and run. Mutlitasking sucks. Uninstalled.

And the last to go today….Dropbox sync. Dropbox’s sync works great on desktop systems. But on mobile, they take up a lot of time to run and sync. If you are not on Wifi, it just drinks up all the network and battery juice. Now that whatsapp provides desktop interface, I use that to share all documents I need. Awesome sync. Dropbox…Uninstalled.

 

So that leave me with a leaner, faster phone. More space for my movies !

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

In the long term, automation will kill more jobs

 

All the Indian IT companies are now focussing on automation, too much actually. More and more companies are quietly reducing their workforce - especially the lower rung - as many of the processes are getting automated.

For companies, the move is welcome as it saves them cost, while boosting efficiency at the same time. The automation of course has hit entry-level workforce the hardest, but it is not as if senior and middle rung employees are spared either. This is where senior employees take the hit. Many employees post 40 find themselves unemployable and have to be extremely good or equipped with a specific skill set to get a job. Otherwise, companies find it easier to hire three freshers for one tenth of the senior’s salary and willing to work 16 hours a day.

And the worst way countries have found to this problem is basic income. The cybernation revolution has been brought about by the combination of the computer and the automated self-regulating machine. This results in a system of almost unlimited productive capacity which requires progressively less human labor.

Alreay, 80% of engineers passing out of Indian colleges are unemployable. And IT has always been  the largest absobers of all those graduates.  Future engineers , and eveyone by extension, are going to hav to fight robots to keep their jobs. For once I feel mankind took a wrong turn on the ‘disruptive’ road, and future generations are going to pay the price.