The Bored Engineer

Nearly sixty years ago Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose supposedly died in an air crash. Nation mourned on the death of a titan and the government followed up with an investigation. Three commissions of enquiries have been set up but to this day the contents of the investigation report have not been conclusive. Also various documents related to Netaji’s death have been classified and kept away from public purview under the guise of variable nomenclature (like ‘Top Secret’, ‘Secret’, ‘Classified’ and ‘Unclassified’). But we as a nation deserves to know what happened to one of our most dynamic leader and vastly loved freedom crusader who is a source of inspiration and patriotism even so long after his death. BJP during its election campaign had promised to release classified files about Netaji's death but now it seems like the matter has been conveniently forgotten. Sixty years on and the truth is still hidden behind closed doors in the name of secrecy and protectin...

The stage is set. Everyone is buzzing around. You can see the tense faces of the organisers. It has taken weeks of meticulous planning and today is the day. An event of this magnitude has not been held before in this part of the city and everything has to be perfect. Banners and posters have been put up weeks ago and the response has been unprecedented. Recognizing the magnanimity of the event even district administration offered to help with the security and general arrangements. Loudspeakers are bursting with music. People are lining up to witness what promises to be the last step of the tour that has travelled across the whole of the nation. Language might have been a problem at some places but with a personality as big as this people tend to show up breaking the barriers of language. The sponsors have also been gracious enough to support the event. A certain entity has offered to serve free beverages while several others have offered to contribute collective to the eatabl...

Probably one of the longest unresolved debates of all times is Religion vs. Science. Every time some fresh development takes place in some part of the world that may influence this debate, the debate is restarted. Although new ideas and facts continue to make this contest richer with every new edition but the basic essence remain the same. The scientists seem to trust physical proof more that something unverified and written a few millennia ago. The religious guys emphasize on the importance of faith and how it helps. Like every unresolved issue this debate too is a result of unflinching egos. A common characteristic among all the unresolved issues in the world is that longer the debate is dragged on the more rigid both sides become. Science (or let’s just say scientists) has grown tremendously in last few centuries and its growth has surely helped mankind in more ways than religion has ever been, thus swelling its support base. On the other hand religion has grown a little wea...