अमन की आशा - A completely wasteful effort by the Times Group

Just yesterday I started seeing a lot of ads on Times Now (a Times Group affiliate new channel) about a new effort to promote peace among India and Pakistan. Aman Ki Asha. This, according to me, is a wasteful effort of time and money by the Times Group.

Its been a while now that we are trying to reconcile with Pakistan.
Every time we are the ones who take the first step with a Benevolent heart.
And every time we are the ones who take the blow.

Why don't people see the underlying differences between India and Pak and see that both have different purposes in life, different outlook and different fundamentals. Hence, they cannot be friends. Hence, peace cannot be established. Even if it does come into force, its going to be short lived.

India and Pak are fundamentally two different countries. It's been this way right from the start.

The basis of foundation of Pakistan was just territorial identity for Muslim people in India. It was not established on the grounds of any other fundamental.

It would be wrong to comment about the basis of establishment of India, since it always just existed.

India wants to progress. Its tired of hundreds of years of poverty and apathy. And its trying hard for it. Admist all the chaos it exists in, its efforts are still paying off. There are many problems, but its tackling it one by one.

Pak's fundamental agenda is unknown. Its foundation was based on religious grounds. After that, its fundamental reason to exist became opposition to India and a planned effort to weaken India by a number of covert operations.

Its unknown whether Pak wants to develop or Progress. Its unknown that industries are setting up and actually flourishing in Pak. We never hear of any development going on in Pak even in International Media.

Although, maybe, ethnically we shared a lot in common at one point and also still do. Our minds have changed. The language maybe the same. But thinking is not.

We have changed so much now that we cannot come back and shake hands.

Peace can be expected if the basic fundamental on which Pak is operating on changes. It seems to inherently believe in violence, than peace.

Why then, are we making such an effort to create peace.

I think for the time to come, its going to be a cat and mouse chase for us. Pak plots terror and Indian intelligence/Army/BSF tries to foil the plan. Most plots will fail some of them will be a success.

That's how I see the relationship. This is how its going to remain.

I nominate myself to the stupidity award of the year!

This is going to be a long post. So, please bear with me till then.

It all started when I realized that my Demat account was lying inactivated from quite some time. Also, from a long long time, I hadn't seen what was the state of my stock investments since my online Demat account was inactivated.

Upon checking with the ICICI call center, I found out that I need to submit some documents at the local branch and within a day or two the account would be good to go.

In the daily chores and busy life, I again put this issue on the back burner for a week. At the start of the next week, I finally convinced my mind to take this issue on priority and started finding the address of the nearest ICICI Prudential Branch office.

I weakly remembered that at some point in the past that I had seen a ICICI Prudential Branch Office somewhere near Deep Banglow Chowk on JM Road. Going with the hunch that I will find the branch easily, I took off for JM Road on that bright Monday morning before going to office.

On reaching the Deep Bunglow Chowk, at the exact place that was imprinted in my mind, I found that there is no trace of anything called ICICI Prudential. The whole place seemed invaded with mobile repairing and selling centers. I was pretty frustrated and tired at that point, but realized that it was my mistake in the first place not to inquire for the right branch address beforehand. Feeling pretty defeated, I left for my office from there.

As soon as I came to office, I logged on to ICICI Prudential's website and found out their branch addresses. To my delight there was a branch right across Inox theater, which is just a stones throw away from my office. I decided that I would visit their office tomorrow and put this issue to rest, once for all.

Tuesday dawned, and after having breakfast I again started off for the ICICI Prudential Branch which, as per the document on the website mentioned, was located at Amar Avinash Plaza, near Inox theater. I reached Inox theater and found a building called Amar Avinash Corporate City. Not finding the mention of 'Plaza' anywhere, I thought this might be it (the document might have gotten it a little wrong). I had to climb up 5 floors as the lift was not working.

When I couldn't see any hoarding of ICICI Prudential, I asked a security guard where it was. He quickly pointed out that it was in Amar Avinash Plaza!, a building which was 20 meters beside Amar Avinash Corporate City. Feeling 'Ah Crap!', I climbed down 5 floors and entered Amar Avinash Plaza, finally. The frustration built up a little when again the lift at this building was also under repair. Not having a choice, I climbed up again 5 floors and reached a place which had a board of ICICI Prudential!

Feeling a little elated, I asked the security guard (Just to be doubly sure that I was on the right floor). The security guard pissed me off. He pointed out that the offices had moved to JM road!!

This now was actually was becoming a chase. Earlier I went to JM Road, couldn't find anything and came here. Climbed 10 floors. And this guys now tells me to back to JM Road! I was thoroughly disappointed with what was happening with me that day.

Gulping down the frustration, and keeping the final goal (of activating my account) in my mind, I decided to put this matter to rest today at any cost, and started back for JM Road.

I finally found the right building at JM Road, realized that I was searching at the wrong spot in my earlier trip and felt a little stupid myself of doing all the wrong things to start with.

This time the office was on the 3rd floor and the lifts were working. This soothed my nerves a little. I reached the reception, and with a sigh of relief, asked the receptionist to help me out with re-activating my Demat account.

She gave me a confused look and asked a couple of folks working around her to respond to me. Pop came the reply from one of them, "Sir, this is ICICI Prudential. We handle Insurance plans. For Demat you'll need to go to ICICI Bank".

I stood there dumbstruck with my stupidity. The ladies there realized that this guy seems stupid to come to this Branch without thinking. They stifled their laughter coz' it would be really bad to laugh on somebody's face. For them, they had a joke of the day to tell and laugh on.

I for one couldn't figure out for the life of me why I was looking for a Prudential branch to start with. What the hell was wrong with me? What was I thinking all this time that made me look so stupid.

Hence, today, I nominate myself for the Stupidity awards, if there is anything like this.