Contraption

I was talking to a colleague for some work related activity and somehow just got reminded of Tech Fest that engineering colleges used to organise annually. Every college would have a 3-4 days tech fest. There used to be an event named CONTRAPTION. Its dictionary meaning is "a machine or device that appears strange or unnecessarily complicated". In the contraption event the challenge would be to perform an activity with the maximum number of mechanical steps possible. For example if you are asked to lift a block, you should not do it in 1 step by having some mechanical lever that would straight away lift up the block. Instead it should be done in a series of steps, one activity triggering another and further, so that the participant performing the desired task in maximum number of steps or with maximum time consumption or both wins the contest. Although I had never myself participated in any such event, I was fascinated with how 1 activity would trigger another then another and so on impacting so many objects and its actions one after another and for so long in time.

This reminded me of a news I heard/saw the other day on a news channel that Salman Khan turns 50. He came to his residence balcony to wave at his fans. It was a mere 3-4 sec audio and visual after which I changed the channel. But it had already reminded me of the fact that Salman ji, although has been sentenced to a 5 years imprisonment for the hit and run crime he performed in 2002, is actually on bail. Released Prem Ratan Dhan Payo recently. This got me annoyed. I mean, seriously. What is this obsession of people with treating some entertainer so high in stature. They don’t care of the fact that this person for whose glimpse they are standing outside his residence, is actually a drunken driver who didn’t even had driving license at the time his car ran over and killed 1 while 3 others were injured. This person has now been found GUILTY of those charges finally after so many years.  But he is out enjoying his birthday. This made me do some research in his hit and run case thats been going on for 13+ years now and guess what. I couldn’t stop laughing how the case has been dragged on till now and at the other facts about it.  You would feel the same once you go through several articles in connection to this. 

You can also watch Jolly LLB which is an awesome movie on this line. A very sensibly crafted movie on a hit and run case and how Arshad Warshi fights and wins the case for the victim. But still, a movie is a movie. The plea against the bail and for the extension of Salman's imprisonment has been rejected by the High court.  Salman happily continues to do good to his fans by releasing more and more multi crore movies and doing so much good to humanity by being human. And here I am, writing about it giving a happy ending to the short contraption. After all, thats all we want…… to be happy :)