The Vivekean Times

HOW NOT TO ROAST IN HELL MY HUMOROUS AND INSIGHTFUL CAREER GUIDE  The modern workplace is changing faster than ever before. Artificial Intelligence is rewriting job descriptions, automation is transforming industries, and the rules of career success are being rewritten almost every day. In the midst of all this uncertainty, I felt compelled to write a book that speaks honestly, practically, and humorously about what it takes to survive and thrive in this new world. Today, I am delighted to announce the soft launch of my new self-help workplace guide: How Not To Roast in Hell Before you start wondering whether this is a book about the afterlife, let me clarify. The "hell" in the title refers to something many of us know all too well: unrealistic deadlines, endless meetings, office politics, shrinking attention spans, rapidly changing technologies, and the constant pressure to remain relevant in a world driven by AI and data. This book is written for everyone trying to make a l...

         -   by Vivek Pereira So many humans But so little humanity Amidst the great rally For one man’s vanity. So much passion, But so little empathy; No expression of remorse Not even thru’ telepathy. Such a lot of promises, But most remain unfulfilled; All they want is power No matter who gets killed. So large a nation, But so few citizens, Daring to take on evil, And preventing all these sins. Such a small mindset, But an even narrower vision That’s taking us all backwards Thru’ the politics of religion So little time, But still a lot to do; Let’s work even harder And make our dreams come true.

                   - By Vivek Pereira India is my nation As much as it’s yours; Should a difference in ideologies Lead to rioting and wars? Having opposing views Is certainly not sedition; Too much of brainwashing Has led to this condition. All should come together: The left and the right; For the glory of India We must all fight. For our enemies desire To see our country divided; And this is being accomplished By citizens who are misguided. Never fear or envy Folks different from you; All colours are wonderful, especially saffron, green and blue. Don’t fall for political rhetoric That’s intolerant and cheap; Just for the sake of power, A divisive agenda they’ll keep. So let’s take a pledge to counter such seeds of hate; And strive for peace and unity; That’ll make India ever so great.

Watching the heavy rains and soccer world cup matches this year often reminded me of great soccer moments of my wonder years – some excellent goals and some near misses – especially a powerful header that hit a coconut tree less than a meter from the goal. But my favourite memories are from the Eight Standard Inter-Class Football Tournament in which I was lucky to have participated in, all thanks to my dear friend and a truly wonderful sportsperson, Rayboy Fernandes who left our world at a very young age. Rest in peace, dear friend. In fact, our batch must have been jinxed as we were unfortunate to have lost many of our classmates soon after we left school. RIP. St. Stanislaus High School, our Alma Mater, boasted of some of India’s greatest sportsmen including some Olympic greats in hockey. We were brilliant in soccer too and that’s why even interclass matches were highly competitive and fascinating. I was hoping to be a forward in the team, but Rayboy, our captain, insisted tha...

An Open letter to Kashmiris by Vivek Pereira, Author of the Novel 'Indians in Pakistan' (a book on ISI-sponsored terrorism with a strong focus on Kashmir) My Dear Kashmiri Brothers and Sisters, The recent events in and around the valley have stirred our nation like never before. For as Kashmir weeps, most of us weep with her; and when Kashmir bleeds, most of us bleed with her. The bullets, stones and pellets may continue to fly thick and fast but not thick or fast enough to destroy the great bond of brotherhood that exists between us. Being the author of a novel with a strong focus on Kashmir as well as a fellow Indian with deep-rooted secular credentials, I dare address you as my brothers and sisters, for that is what you are. Today hope manifests itself as a distant star blurring away in the horizon. Terrorists continue to sneak in from across the border with impunity despite the tough security measures in place. Homegrown extremists like Wani have started using...

I wasn’t surprised by the #Brexit vote at all. The Leave verdict is not as xenophobic as it has been made out to be. Perhaps a demarcation needs to be made between a vitriolic campaign of opportunistic political hawks and millions of British citizens who just wanted independence from the clutches of the European Union. Racism did play a role, but it would have been a very miniscule role, in my opinion. Although I detest the Great Mexican Wall of Donald Trump, I did think #Brexit was not a bad idea at all for the Brits. It put their economy back in their own hands. How would Indians feel if our economic decisions were made in Kabul? Exactly. #Brexit was also a fallout of the poor handling of the economy and the result of immigration policies that put the kingdom at great risk from terrorists sneaking in from other European countries. Great Britain and the world now need to stem the tide and ensure that opportunities are not wasted. The British government and its people ca...

Juliet: (to herself) Which one of my boyfriends could it be knocking at my bedroom window at this unearthly hour? Oh, it’s Romeo!!! Juliet: (To Romeo) Romeo, you bledy bugger – What are you up to, men? Get down from the tree before you fall and break your b…...” Romeo: I climbest this tree to express my love for thou – a love that can survive tempests and tsunamis. Juliet: Romeo, dearest, dost thou havest – a car, a flat, or an ipad? Romeo: I haveth none of the above. Juliet: Then how dost thou dare to love? Thou livest in a fool’s paradise. I cannot love thee. Romeo: I just inherited a cool million from an uncle who passed away. He was quite a rich dude. The cash is in the bank. Juliet: I truly love thee now, my Romeo. Romeo: Why dost thou not respond to my SMSes, my darling? Thou knowest how much I love thee especially after thou went under the plastic surgeon’s scalpel. Juliet: A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel! Romeo: I think that’s from the...

O, pretty little lizard Sitting on my wall, Sometimes in my bedroom, Sometimes in  my hall. We don't require any pesticides With you loitering about, 'Cause you kill all the cockroaches, And make the ants move out. People always admire cats and dogs And neglect you the entire day, But this doesn't bother you at all As you crawl in search of prey.

Devastated that my friend did not "like" my Facebook post (while reading it right in front of me) and now realising that he was in the right; I, as someone who analyses the impact of social networking on modern civilisation (i.e. a social networking reformer - if it's a term) hereby recommend the replacement of the (vague) Like button on Facebook with the following three specific, relevant and user-friendly buttons: 1) Like - Because I Know You 2) Like - Because I actually like your post 3) Like - Because I expect you to like my future posts in return Kindly share this so that the Facebook community is aware of this recommendation. BTW, I haven't thought about the Share button as yet! (As posted by me on Facebook)

My Suggestions to the Indian Govt, recommending a new anti-terrorism policy: 1) Hang all terrorists currently on death row within the next three months and send a strong message to all terrorists. The Government would need considerable assistance from the President and the courts to achieve this deadline. 2) Frame a new tough anti-terror law after reaching a consensus between political parties, the judiciary and the civil society. Representatives of each of these sections must process the bill in a drafting committee before it goes to the standing committee of parliament at the preliminary stage. 3) The new law must be stringent and based on past or existing legislations that have worked before. It must also consider existing terror laws in US and other countries which have managed to curb terrorism to some extent in the past decade or so. The legislation must be drafted such that it is not maliciously misused by biased authorities against members of particular communities. 4...

(A Political Satire as it first appeared on indolink.com and in 'Rose Gardens and Minefields', a literary bhel puri published in 2010) It was a hot flinter aftermoon on the Planet Zrrxy. The God shield had been switched on while the Tellicans discussed a top-secret mission. This shield was used by the inhabitants to ward off the presence of the almighty from the vicinity of their planet. Nothing, no sound, light or matter could penetrate this shield. It was the ultimate invention. The Tellicans were a creative race whose influence had spread throughout the universe. There are many wild rumors about this ambitious race. Some say that they are the aliens who hover over earth in flying saucers with the intention of monitoring the progress of humanity on the planet. Some even say that the Supreme Being was created by this technologically advanced race. These Tellicans were alleged to possess the most dangerous of all inventions viz. The Universe Reverser. This device could re...

"Love blossoms in the strangest of places - a terror training camp in the heart of Pakistan." My Novel "Indians in Pakistan" has it all - Romance, Information and Action. Buy the Kindle version for less than 1 US$ (or Rs 60) Only at  http://www.amazon.in/Indians-Pakistan-Vivek-Pereira-ebook/dp/B00N0WYM5O Based on the confessions of Ajmal Kasab, the surviving terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai Terror attacks, and the courageous deeds of Kukka Parrey and the Ikhwan-ul –Muslimeen; Indians in Pakistan, is an action thriller, which explores the existence of cross border terrorism, the failure of the Pakistani state, the emotional bonding between people and the resilience of the human spirit. This exciting novel will entertain and enlighten you, revealing bitter truths, warped perceptions and diabolical designs, which together make the Indian subcontinent one of the most volatile and dangerous regions in the world.  Both the Print and e-book versions of 'Indian...

“If you tossed a stone up in the air, it  would fall down upon either a pig or a  Pereira” was an old Bandra saying. In  places like Chuim or Chimbai, the  prevalent version ended with “a pig or  a Fernandes.” Apparently, since there  are hardly any pigs left in Bandra, the   Pereiras and Fernandes have eaten  them all up. But there has been a steady  decline in the number of Pereiras and  Fernandes in this area as well, due to   such factors as migration, the high cost  of real estate and the pressure tactics  employed by unscrupulous builders.  No longer do we see those beautiful  cottages with their breath-taking gar dens. Bandra has indeed changed a lot  and mostly for the worse.   We now live in a concrete jungle  filled with malls, shopping centres,  eateries and mobile stores. This con crete  jungle  bustles  with  humans  but  is  devoid...

At the start of the ICC World Cup, Indian cricket fans were extremely skeptical of India’s world cup chances as they had been badly thrashed by Australia in the Test and One Day series. We knew that it would be virtually impossible back then and most of us were happy when we thrashed Pakistan in the first match. But then Team India did a complete U-Turn à la Modi Sarkar and started winning one match after another – including against strong cricketing teams like South Africa and the West Indies. And then they raised the hopes of even the non-cricket lovers and it was as if were at war against the other nations. Yes, many people who told me that they would not be following the cricket world cup as they hated the game watched the entire semi-final in which Australia trashed us badly. These folks declared that Virat Kohli was the villain of the piece for dropping a sitter and then making just 1 run in 13 deliveries. There were dirty abuses hurled at Anuskha Sharma, the Bollywood ...

My Suggestions to the Indian Govt, recommending a new anti-terrorism policy: 1) Hang all terrorists currently on death row within the next three months and send a strong message to all terrorists. The Government would need considerable assistance from the President and the courts to achieve this deadline. 2) Frame a new tough anti-terror law after reaching a consensus between political parties, the judiciary and the civil society. Representatives of each of these sections must process the bill in a drafting committee before it goes to the standing committee of parliament at the preliminary stage. 3) The new law must be stringent and based on past or existing legislations that have worked before. It must also consider existing terror laws in US and other countries which have managed to curb terrorism to some extent in the past decade or so. The legislation must be drafted such that it is not maliciously misused by biased authorities against members of particular communities. 4...