Donation

There are creatures more imaginative than the entire creative teams of Ogilvy put together - in our families.

It is a perfect game of Chinese whispers. Only that there are adult people involved. And, they do not whisper. And, for them this is NOT a game. Several MBs of data transferred across telephone lines for several hours a day is not a game - it is a full time occupation! And there are people in my family who have nothing better to do than play this 'game' of chinese whispers. 

But now, let me get to the point which tipped me off.

I would not describe myself as a genius ir Einstein, but I joined NMIMS' MBA Tech program on national merit. In fact, I was the first one to sign on the rolls of Shirpur campus for my batch. Not an achievement by any measure - considering I had average scores in JEE and AIEEE, or even otherwise (Not everyone wants to be an IITian - but at that time, were there enough choices for students to pick?)

But, my academic profile had never been so miserable that I would have trouble getting into a good college. My enrollment into NMIMS brought a deluge of dramatic gasps, happy cheers and yes, a good amount of speculation.

It was speculated that I had gotten into the college by paying a donation amount. Donation practices in India are not common in India and are usually taboo. But there are humble ways to enquire, accuse and establish (in that order) any person who is thought to be unworthy of anything. So these relatives (I wish I could take their names here, it would be so much fun to see them having a run for this!) not just accused me of succumbing to a donation seat, they went all over public gatherings and social events - acting as my unpaid PAs bellowing the triumphs of what my unseemly (and apparently secret and classified) academic record couldn't 'buy'.

They were miserable at their jobs. I came to know what they said to whom and when. And worst of all, they get to face me now. When I graduated, top of my class in both my undergrad and grad, landed an internship and job on my own and by the grace of blessings, am doing pretty well in life.

And guess what, I am at a place from where I can see them in a situation my parents were when they had to experience such things.

Someday, I'll tell you about people who literally put chillies in someone's ice-cream for revenge. :D

Yello!

So, after a long hiatus, I have decided to bring back the lost lackluster to this petite blog. I am going to re-purpose this space, rename it and expand its focus. It is now going to be about everyday memes - food, fun, thought, politics, polka dots, cats vs. dogs etc.

This way, I'll have something to write almost everyday and this will also bring in the much needed diversity to the blog. :)

Laters

J

Who's Who in Memetics

Hello!

So, if you are new to Memetics, you must know about the following people:

1. Richard Dawkins:
THE man who coined the term "Memes" in his 1976 international bestseller,

The Selfish Gene. So knowledgeable and yet so humble, this atheist scientist will shake your mind enough to think about things you always thought you were pretty sure of. He is the author of several best selling books such as The God Delusion, The Extended Phenotype among others.And then, there is the wonderful mix of British accent and his amazing sense of humour which makes him so amazingly classy! Watch his videos and it won't be long before you are a Dawkinsian like me.

He has got a series of awards, a foundation and I what not to his name. Yet, he is so simple and a true scientist.
You can read more about him here.

2. Susan Blackmore: Her video on Memes and Temes inspired me to research on Memetics. Her book titled "The Meme Machine" will give you a very good view on how memetics is related to cognition and cultural studies. Her unique hairstyle is something that always amazes me.  Her writings are very absorbing and I will just let you read more about her (because that's the best, I think).

3. The Late Christopher Hitchens: Although Christopher is not directly linked to Memetics, I would still mention him anyway. Call me a swindler, but I secretly wish you to stumble upon the ideas of Darwinian reasoning and then about the ideas of Christopher who was a vehement opposer of religion. Undoubtedly, the best orator and debater I have ever come across. His quick wit, his poetic sense and his penetrating yet mysterious eyes are some of the things that you will notice first whenever you watch his videos like this one. He died in 2011 at the age of 62 due to Cancer. I here.
am not kidding but the thought of getting to know abut him after his painful death and not being able to contact him before made me shed a tear (literally!). You can read more about him

First Post

Hello Everyone!

Memetics holds a special place in my life. It all started when I first came across the word 'meme' on Facebook and wanted to know more about it - especially because the memes available on Facebook spoke more than they probably were intended too. It rang bells in my mind about some important questions: Why do they go so viral? They contain certain "feeling" in them which everyone connects with, what is the whole truth behind it?

Needless, to say I ended searching for it on Google. I came across the definition and meaning of memes and memetics. Then I came across this superb video by Susan Blackmore:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ_9-Qx5Hz4

This triggered my interest to such a level that I decided to start a full-fledged research mission on this. I chose this as topic of Research in my MBA course. And the journey till now has been nothing short of AMAZING and EYE OPENING!

This research has made me so confident about my thoughts and has given me so much that is probably hard to express in one post. Will hopefully write about it often later.

Ooops.. I forgot to introduce myself to all of you. I am Janak, currently a student of MBA Tech (Marketing) at SVKM's NMIMS, Mumbai. I was born and brought up in a quiet peaceful city in Central India called Ujjain. I love music and everything that involves enjoying and marvelling about life and making good use of the brain.

Memetics, like I said, has been a major thing in my life and continues to do so. It is because of this that I came to know about some wonderful people like Richard Dawkins, the Late Christopher Hitchens, Susan Blackmore, Lawrence Krauss, Tim Tyler and so on.

I would strongly suggest you to have a look at Memetics. It WILL change your life in some way or the other. This blog will be my attempt to inform people more and more about Memetics and what I think about it. Do like my blog if you believe in its purpose.

Looking forward to some nice discussions, exchange of thoughts and opportunities to change!

Janak