An ode to upma

 Upma is a salty porridge of sorts that has slowly but steadily, grown in popularity all over the nation . 

Made of semolina, broken wheat , vermicelli, bread , etc , it is a heartwarming dish on a cold Monday morning , when life appears forbidding , and the spirits are as down  as dew drop covered grass . It warms hearts , fills bellies and tiffin boxes , and brings good cheer to grumpy people. 

It is easy to make, therefore manifesting promptly on dining table before people can utter " no breakfast".

Some , arguing against, would say it is a humble, peasant dish , with nothing great about it .

It has been however, seen , like a chameleon, to take on the hues of its surroundings. One may find it , ghee - slick , studded with dry fruits glistening with loaded calories at a wedding feast ( for instance) . Or , in the Spartan company of rustic vegetables . 

What one craves on a rainy cold evening , however ,is the plainest , almost grey ( echoing the sky outside) version with minimal accompaniments , but with warmth ample enough to keep the sun glowing in your heart. 

ChatGPT

 "Artificial Intelligence will have a more profound effect on humanity , than fire , electricity or internet . " - Sundar Pichai .

The single most , relatively quiet , revolutionary moment in the field of robotics , in 2023 , was the launch of Chat GPT . Launched on 14th March by Open AI , a robotics research institute in the US , GPT4 ( Generational Pre trained Transformer 4 ) is a multi modal large language model made available to the internet users , via a the chatbot called Chat GPT . 

It has taken the world of computers , internet users , students , all , by storm . It can process 25, 000 words , and can respond to images . 

It has revolutionised home work , classrooms , presentations , and our literary  expressive abilities . 

Though the users have fallen for it , hook , line and sinker , for you can write your essays , speeches , presentations , and articles , in the blink of an eye , there is a word of caution , for the over enthusiasts . Slowly , and certainly , we seemed to have entered a dangerous realm where we have given our ability to think , to a machine . We will be spoon fed words and phrases , and somewhere on the way , our creativity will take a beating . Our minds may yet emerge winners , but it is a shaky possibility . 

Like a wise man once said 

"By far , the greatest  danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude , far too early , that they understand it . " - Eliezer Yudkowsky 

Good Morning" friends"

 On every Android phone , except that of my nonagenarian parents , is an app called WhatsApp . 

It allows you to send and receive messages , to and fro, from " friends " , families and acquaintances . 

There are roughly 15 of these so called " contacts " , in my list. I wish them every morning , and  , am wished back , in return . That is how this works . 

This early morning exchange of digital greetings has led to very interesting observations . 

There is a friend , who , in return to my innocuous ( or so I think) , roses and posies , sends me a short homily . On how I should conduct myself  , the ways of the world , and such like , similar philosophies . The gems read " " You are punished if you have common sense . For then, you have to tolerate all those people who don't have it. " 

" All the wealth in the world cannot buy you sight , if you choose to shut your eyes. " 

Another class ,( there are a few of them) do not reply regularly . After few days, when your overtures go unanswered , you clam up . That is when they reply .  A game of digital hide and seek. Like a drop of monsoon , in a desert . Tad too late , and frankly dangerous . They are known to scrape off top soil . But I can't say that to them . 

So I answer . And the cycle repeats itself . 

Another class , over indulgent , want to share every waking moment of their lives with you . From the photo of the early morning tea , to the paintings made by their normally tantrum filled daughter , to the food cooked that day , places visited , family get togethers , birthday cakes , wall decorations , new pots and pans , everything is posted . 

Another group is the religiously - replying class . Either through words or from pictures borrowed from other inboxes , they will never fail you. 

A last group posts religious good mornings . Either Lord Krishna , Rama or Shiva grace your screen in the morning. There is no option but to fold your hands in reverence . 

Some others are fond of Gulzar , the poet . A bit too much . In fact , most non rhyming  words and ugly poems are attributed to Gulzaar. That is  leaning on the sacrilegeous , if you ask me . 

However , the conclusion is , I am the perpetrator of all these misadventures put together , hence I too am not above board . 

Hence I am my own good morning ' friend '. 

On writing a story

 Some days back , I began writing a story. 

A few characters born and christened 

Grew out of thin air , on vanity fattened 

Run amok amongst the pages 

looking for their place in the ages 

Hunting down their own history .

She , he and they , puffs of smoke , all 

God , did they make me hurry 

Behind their backsides blurry 

trailing the thread of narrative 

muddying the perspective 

sloshing through the swamp , spinning the ball 

I finally collected my own yarn 

lassoed all the  parties aberrant

bringing them to the forefront 

Tying all the loose ends 

frayed ones I did mend 

So much hard work , darn 

Weaving a tale , 

fat as a whale 

was a lesson for me 

henceforth , just tiny 

stories .teeny weeny