The 'Lite' Post

Every campus has its own lingo. NIT Warangal, where I study, too has its own set of phrases that are rarely used elsewhere. Sega, kasi and frustoo are some of them (feel free to add the ones I missed). But the one that undoubtedly takes the cake is "Light" or its shorter versions "Lite" and "Lyt", the reason being its versatility.

It probably evolved from its longer and more popular cousin 'Light teesko' (meaning, take it easy), which is used quite extensively in Andhra Pradesh.  'Lite max' is the extreme version of the word. Desi post-fixes to lite include 'bhai' (as in, 'lite bhai'), 'ra' (as in, 'lite ra')  and 'mama' (as in, 'lite mama'). If there's one word that can take a hundred different meanings based on the context, it is this. From 'No' to 'May be' to 'Not interested' to 'I don't want to talk about it', this word captures it all, and a lot more.
Here are a few examples to prove my point.

• "What happened dude, are you depressed/angry?"
  "Lite".
  Possible meanings :
  - "No, I am not"
  - "It's none of your business"
  - "It's too painful to talk about"
  - "YOU are the reason, you moron"
• "Hey, want to go to chowrasta (Hanamkonda cross-roads, the 'shopping hub' of this place :P) with me?"
  "Lite".
  Possible meanings :
  - "I don't want to go shopping with you, who would want to roam around the whole place for hours and end up returning empty handed" (applicable when the person who asked is a girl :P)
  - "I can't. I have something else to do and I don't want to tell you what it is"
  - "Are we even friends? Why are you asking me??"
  - "I hate being seen with you"
  -  Or the simplest reason, "I'm sorry I wont be able to come"
• "I am really sorry"
  "Lite"
  Possible meanings : 
  - "Ok. That was genuine. Apology accepted"
  - "Oh, come on. I did not get offended by that silly issue. You don't even have to apologize"
  - "I am still mad at you. You think saying sorry would reverse things??"

There could be a plethora of other examples, but I think these convey the gist of what I want to say. 

When I first used the word lite at home, my parents were amused. And now, after almost four years of college, they have started using it too. The word has sunk so deep into the veins of NITW junta that it would be difficult to have a casual conversation without using lite. Everyone here, from the sweepers to the guards to the professors use the word. Most non-NITWians would be amazed at the many forms of lite that we use, so much that it is on its way to becoming a trademark of NITW (well, there was a little bit of exaggeration in that statement). A non-NITW friend had once wished some of us : "Is Diwali, NITW mein light hai" :D

Lite has become an inherent part of our vocabulary; it's usage, an inseparable part of our lives. May 'lite' continue to be used forever in NIT Warangal and may others continue to be amazed by the multitude of meanings of the word.

I could go on about this, but lite. Enough for now. 

When realization dawned

I wonder why it took so long for this to cross my mind. Anyway, better late than never.


When I wrote the reason for starting this blog in my First Post yesterday, somehow, it didn't strike me that the whole purpose of a blog is different from what I thought then. Isn't a blog supposed to be a platform where one can put down one's own thoughts? If I have to share stuff, there is always Facebook, Twitter, the to-be-discontinued Google Buzz, or for that matter, even Google+. Why waste a blog for that? 


This feeling was probably nagging at the back of my mind, because as I write this post, I feel a sense of exhilaration. And now that I'm clear about this, I would hopefully write something soon. 


P.S : I don't have anything against Google+, as my phrase about Google+ might have indicated. It is just that it is not as popular as Facebook, yet. Since I started about Google+ let me add this. Personally, I don't see Google+ occupying Facebook's position in the near future. A few years from now, maybe, given the history of social networking, but not any sooner. Every person I know on Facebook has built his/her empire (if I may use that word) there, complete with friends, posts, photos and videos acquired over the years. It's not easy to migrate to a new world. After all, these sites are our virtual worlds. 

First ever recorded words?

(Disclaimer : This is not my own writing)

HMV had once published a pamphlet giving the history of gramophone record. Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th century. Edison, who had invented many other gadgets like electric light and the motion picture camera, had become a legend even in his own time. When he invented the gramophone record, which could record human voice for posterity, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar on his first piece. For that he chose Prof. Max Muller of England another great personality of the 19th century. He wrote to Max Muller saying, "I want to meet you and record your voice. When should I come?" Max Muller who had great respect for Edison asked him to come on a suitable time when most of the scholars of the Europe would be gathering in England . Accordingly Edison took a ship and went to England. He was introduced to the audience. All cheered Edison 's presence. Later at the request of Edison Max Muller came on the stage and spoke in front of the instrument. Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by afternoon came back with a disc. He played the gramophone disc from his instrument. The audience was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller from the instrument.They were glad that voices of great persons like Max Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity. After several rounds of applause and congratulations to Thomas Alwa Edison, Max Muller came to the stage and addressed the scholars and asked them, "You heard my original voice in the morning. Then you heard the same voice coming out from this instrument in the afternoon. Do you understand what I said in the morning or what you heard in the afternoon?" The audience fell silent because they could not understand the language in which Max Muller had spoken. It was `Greek and Latin' to them as they say. But had it been Greek or Latin, they would have definitely understood because they were from various parts of Europe . It was in a language which the European scholars had never heard. Max Muller then explained what he had spoken.He said that the language he spoke was Sanskrit and it was the first sloka of Rig Veda, which says "Agni Meele Purohitam" . This was the first recorded public version on the gramophone plate. Why did Max Muller choose this? Addressing the audience he said, "Vedas are the oldest text of the human race. And Agni Meele Purohitam is the first verse of Rig Veda. In the most primordial time, when the people did not know how even to cover their bodies and lived by hunting and housed in caves, Indians had attained high civilization and they gave the world universal philosophies in the form of the Vedas”. Such is the illustrious legacy of our country!! When “Agni Meele Purohitam” was replayed the entire audience stood up in silence as a mark of respect for the ancient Indian sages.- this verse means "Oh Agni (Fire) ,You who gleam in the darkness, to You we come day by day,with devotion and bearing homage. So be of easy access to us ,Agni (Fire) , as a father to his son, abide with us for our well being "

First Post

Let me start with a little introductory post.


Firstly, about the name of this blog. Well, I could not come up with a name for my blog. I was "clueless", you see. So I tried for the address, cluelessblogger. Unfortunately, it was already taken. That made me realize that I was not the lone Clueless Blogger in the world. There was a need to add some other word, some other adjective and "Perfectly" seemed to fit the bill, for reasons I do not want to put down here :P 


And about why I started this blog and what this blog would contain. The "About me" column would have given you some idea about this, but if it hasn't, then here's why. A lot of my friends keep complimenting me on the articles I post on social networking sites. Copied ones of course, but "You post such good stuff. Where do you get all that from" is the constant appreciation I get :P. One fine afternoon, this afternoon in fact, I came across a wonderful piece which was too long to be posted elsewhere. And I thought, why not start a blog and post things like this one. That's how this blog happened. Though the intention is to share interesting stuff, I eventually hope to write some posts of my own. Let's see...


P.S : I tend to use a lot of smileys. Will try to cut down :P
Oh, there goes another one.. :(


(My views have changed since this post. Check When Realization Dawned )