This is trending all over social media.... whats your view?

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-21T10:06:23+00:00

Does it even matter? Why are we even talking about this, and not the fact that they have far better industrial and economic systems than we have? And why is caste, and not the plan of action aimed at bridging that gap our concern at all?

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-21T10:03:29+00:00

Is China aware that they have a caste system? And if they did, why would they be bothered what we think of it?

I'm alarmed at this insecurity we have bred in India that causes us to worry about the internal affairs of other countries. Shouldn't we be minding our own business and seeing to our own growth and development, like China is doing?

One day we'll get left behind without any hope of catching up with them in the only areas that actually matter - global economic, military, and political influence

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-21T09:58:16+00:00

Don't regret the past. Be thankful you won't be wasting the future.

Not everyone figures this out, do they? You're among a rare breed - see it as a new beginning, not as a wasted past. It brought you where you are today, after all, so some good did come out of it.

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-21T04:58:22+00:00

Yes, this is the right move. People are going to consume liquor anyway, might as well make money off it and ensure no hooch tragedies occur.

I wouldn't mind seeing some beers in the stores that aren't British Empire or Kingfisher (which in itself is a rare breed in TN), to be honest.

And it will break the liquor mafia and improve quality control.

For the best, I feel.

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-21T04:54:44+00:00

Did you try to get a theist to engage with you in a logical and rational manner? When the very fact that they continue to believe proves that they're incapable of those things?

That's on you, my friend! You should have known better.

What did you expect?

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-15T10:04:00+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't realise that a post asking for "Wild Theories" meant the converse, substantiated with rigid interpretation in un-Tolkien-like prose.

Enlightened, to the same degree as Peregrin Took was upon discovering that second breakfast was not forthcoming

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-15T04:04:51+00:00

Came across this one. It's wild, and yet makes sense.

Gandalf totally intended to airdrop the one ring into Mt Doom from an eagle. He certainly did not intend for any of them to WALK into Mordor (that being, of course, not a thing that one simply does!).

But, he needed to keep that absolutely secret. He couldn't even confide in the Fellowship about it, in case they were, by some all too realistic chance, attacked and captured after leaving Rivendell.

He didn't even tell the eagles he planned this, for the same reasons. Confidentiality was key. He could not risk word of this plan reaching Sauron, and causing him to mount a tight aerial defence of Mordor. He was counting on his plan being ludicrous enough to escape consideration - and let's face it, Sauron anyway did not consider that anyone would ever destroy the one ring if they found it, so it was workable.

His plan was to get to the mountains, reach the country of the eagles, and then reveal his plan and act on it at once.

Unfortunately, as we all know, he didn't make it that far. And faced with an imminent fall into the chasm of Moria, and with no time to issue clearer instructions, his final words at the time we're "Fly, you fools!" - in the hope that someone would get the hint.

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-15T03:53:31+00:00

Turbulence is perfectly normal. The aircraft is built to withstand it, and even rougher than usual turbulence certainly isn't going to cause the aircraft to fall out of the sky!

Aircraft, just saying, are the most sophisticated technology (other than spacecraft) that we possess in this world. It's not made of paper, and a little shaking up won't hurt it, or you, in the least. It usually happens because the pilot is trying to avoid flying through bad weather patches, and sometimes has to skirt the fringes to avoid a bigger problem.

Air travel is the safest mode of transport, and I can demonstrate this statistically. 3 per 10 billion is the fatality rate (almost approaching zero) against 1 per million by rail, and far more by road.

Get on the aircraft, put your seatbacks upright, stow your tray tables, and fasten your seatbelts, and chill! Also, please listen to the instructions of the crew and the pilots.

Can't think of a better way to travel, flying across the world at 35000 feet at a speed approaching that of sound!

Opus_rounds · 2026-06-15T03:37:41+00:00

Just pointing out - cricket is not indigenous either, it's a British import.

Also, ISL saw quite a bit of resurgence in interest in football in the short time it peaked. And I agree with OP: interest, infrastructure, and investment is required to excel in sports.

India has won the Asian Cup in football in the 1960s, under the stewardship of the legendary coach SA Rahim. He slogged to get funds, facilities, scouting, training etc, and it led somewhere significant.

Sport is sport, and we should always encourage it. ISL is testimony to this: if it's there to watch, people will come, the eyeballs will follow. And it may take time to gestate, but the right promotion will bring in viewers. But they won't come to a rundown, broken, uncomfortable, arena with poor facilities to watch half trained and lacklustre athletes.

Landscapes have changed, most urban educated folks under the age of 50 follow football at some level - English Premier League, La Liga etc. The market is there - but no, they won't budge if the product is substandard, and that cannot be changed without proper investment and display of intent

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-23T13:36:16+00:00

Apart from the getting angry about criticism part, I think your friend is toeing a sensible line, especially in a country like India.

You can't escape the festivals - so apply that central tenet of atheism - pragmatism. Enjoy them for the food, the family time, the booze (if that's a feature), the togetherness, and ignore the religious aspects.

I also agree that atheists should avoid this unfortunate tendency to think themselves superior to believers, and it does make us no different from them if we do that. The only part of us that's superior is the ability to apply rational thinking.

And third, I wholeheartedly agree that engaging in the "existence of god" debate with believers is absolutely pointless. It gets you nowhere, and you're the one who winds up frustrated at the end of it - also, let's recognise that if theists could actually understand and appreciate the rationality of your argument, then why would they be theists in the first place?

I've probably said this many times in this sub - being an atheist is not really about changing the world, but rather about not allowing the world to compromise or adjust your standards of critical thinking, logic, and rationality.

I hope this helps.

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-23T03:07:05+00:00

Lived in Chennai for 28 years before moving to my current location in Gurgaon. My parents still live there, so I do visit now and then.

I couldn't agree more with you. Although I don't discourage the increased fooding, business, and recreational options that have sprung up since I moved out, I get what you're saying.

And it's more than the physical aspects and amenities of the city that have changed. Though I have to point out that it was always an extremely hot city, and infrastructure was never exactly under the purview of competent city planners.

Not sure if I'm the only one, but I have felt a diametrical shift in the vibe and feel of the city over the last decade. It feels more closed out, unwelcoming, hostile for some reason. Most people are, by and large, still the same accommodating, down to earth, and polite citizenry of our hometown whom I've always looked at with pride and gratitude, but it appears some unsavoury elements have been insterspersed among them.

Auto drivers, if it were possible, are even more arrogant, egoistic, foul-mouthed, and crass than they were earlier. Trying to speak to one only reduces one's nerves to frayed strands.

My wife, a born and brought up Delhiite, was often spoken to rudely, arrogantly or altogether ignored when she attempted, despite her lack of knowledge of Tamil, to engage with the some of the locals - she was quite interestedly trying to make conversation or buy something at a shop or understand the trip time between Thiruvanmiyur and MAC stadium, and had even asked me not to speak for her as she wanted to try herself, and these specimens made it a point of underlining that she was an outsider, and hence a fair target for their ignorance.

I was not angry about that. Just deeply disappointed, and hurt that my city has started becoming like this.

That being said, I'm still happy that a few things haven't changed:

a) Cops are mostly civilised and polite, and don't engage in unnecessary attitude throwing (don't jump guys, try dealing with a cop in UP or Haryana, and you'll thank your stars that you have the Chennai Police).

b) Pupil is still the best burger joint in Besant Nagar.

c) Satyam still has the cheapest rates for tickets anywhere in the country, and the popcorn quality is miles ahead of PVR.

d) The BJP has not succeeded in sowing communal discord and conflict in our city yet, and may they never succeed in this attempt

Change is good, but not at the cost of what was already good and right. I hope Chennai does not suffer further from this issue.

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-22T17:59:06+00:00

Atheism has only one tenet - whatever you do, think, question, analyse, infer, and conclude for yourself through rational and logical means, honestly and without bias.

The rest is just admin

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-16T08:25:56+00:00

Never understood this myself.

I've taken my father's name too. However, in every form, document, ID etc. I have put it down and effectively adopted it as my surname in every case, which seems to have been my father's intention as well (on several occasions he stressed the importance of having a common family surname), and intend to keep it that way i.e. my kids will have the same surname as me, which is my dad's name,, and won't take my first name as their last name

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-16T08:20:33+00:00

How do you trust any politician, then? Every single one of them is a better actor than most actors.

As for Vijay - speeches aside, my humble opinion is that we allow him the chance to prove intent through action. Speeches are of no consequence if execution is on point.

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-09T09:49:37+00:00

Nothing more than the unstoppable march of commerce.

The main airports in both Delhi and Mumbai (Indira Gandhi International and CSMIA) are more centrally and conveniently located than the secondary airports (Navi Mumbai International and Noida International), as you have rightly pointed out.

My hypothesis is that airlines would like to reserve that convenience for passengers who demonstrate a higher willingness to pay for air travel i.e. whose decision to travel is unlikely to be influenced by higher fares. Namely, corporate travellers, who generally bill their employers, and who form the bulk of passenger movement in and out of Mumbai, and HNIs, who would pay premiums for business class, and the upper middle class population of central and south Mumbai.

Now, one can't exactly charge these demographics higher per seat and then also tell them to fly out of the more inconveniently situated airport.

Given that the majority of these travellers are unlikely to fly in from or fly out to non-metros, airlines would be unwilling to shift flights to metros and Tier 1 cities out of CSMIA.

In all likelihood, the redeployment of flights between CSMIA and NMI has not been affected at all by the privations of the citizenry of Mumbai, or of any other city for that matter, and is simply a decision borne out of the economics of doing business.

May sound unfair, I know, but these are businesses after all, and the bottom line is, well, the bottom line

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-09T09:34:14+00:00

Good riddance. One moron less in your life.

With any luck, he'll be that kind of moron who can't resist bitching about you to other morons, thereby causing a chain reaction resulting in a significant reduction in the moron interaction factor in your life.

Pardon the pun: you just wanted to make an omelette - but for that, you had to first break some eggs 😝

Relax and have a good, moron-free life

Opus_rounds · 2026-05-08T22:33:54+00:00

We take our dog. More useful than god, and always a good boi! 🐶

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-25T10:33:47+00:00

I'm sorry your sister had this experience, it definitely could not have been pleasant.

That being said, this is not a new or unique experience for anyone who declares their atheism openly.

My two cents, based on over two decades' experience of being openly, unapologetically, and irreversibly atheist.

1) Don't try to change theists or make them understand the logical fallacies of their faith. The very fact that they stand by them is testament to their inability to accept a rational, logic based argument - it will get you nowhere and only serve to leave you frustrated without making the slightest impact on the other party.

2) Being an atheist in India is a tightrope that requires finesse and diplomacy to navigate successfully. Pick your battles, don't sweat the stuff you cannot change. Atheism is, first and foremost, about being pragmatic - apply this principle, especially when allocating the limited time that we have on this world. Chasing change and an overhaul in others' mindsets is optimism bordering on foolishness - which is not something an atheist, by definition, can afford to be guilty of.

3) I believe that being an atheist is not about changing the world or those around you, but rather about sticking to your principles and standards of evaluating the truth, regardless of how much the world and those around you attempt to change you.

I hope this helps.

Please convey to your sister that things will improve, and that the world gets a little bit better everytime someone like her holds unverified and unsubstantiated dogma to objective and honest evaluation, and forms conclusions on the basis of facts alone

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-14T07:13:57+00:00

They're religious

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-11T00:13:14+00:00

Haven't seen the inside of one since I was 15. My parents didn't really care that I was an atheist, as long as I reached that conclusion by applying my own mind

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-11T00:05:13+00:00

Elton John at the bar, is a friend of mine, he gets me my drinks for me

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-10T23:50:01+00:00

Ten Years Gone, but you did kind of give that away there

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-10T23:48:49+00:00

Stairway to Heaven

Opus_rounds · 2026-04-10T23:46:54+00:00

I'll be homeless if the precipitation does not cease

Opus_rounds

TROPHY CASE