It's my mind...

A hair-raising, soul-realising experience

2011-09-06T13:47:00.001-07:00

I had decided that once I am done with the marathon, I'll put up a post about something non-related. Something more mainstream. Movies,Cricket, Indo-American values and the usual stuff we bloggers love to express our useless opinions on .

But-here's something that happened, that I think I should write:

It was one of the track events for the marathon program. After finishing it, I went to another location and parked my car. I had to buy something and I came back to my car. I just sat inside, all doors unlocked and was looking up a restaurant menu just to check what I could eat for dinner .

Just about then, someone opened the right front door of my car (which was unintentionally unlocked) and came and sat right next to me. I was just too shocked to realise what was happening. It was an old lady with dense white hair . She was probably European and must be really old. She looked scared, and told me something in a language I did not understand. I was shit scared for a moment, but she seemed harmless and was trying to tell me something.

Just as a precaution, I opened my left side door (I seriously thought of an emergency plan to escape the vehicle). But I was still somewhere confident that she was very harmless. She looked a little like Gloria Stewart from Titanic . She was trying to communicate me to go ahead , go ahead.

The first impression was that - she got into the wrong car. I got out on the road to not find a single car. I tried to reason out with her - but to no avail. Finally, I waited for about 2-3 minutes, before I stopped a car (just waving my hand) and a Chinese lady stepped out. She was a little angry on me as to what I was up to- but I convinced her that I was in a situation that needed help.

To my big relief, the Chinese lady understood my problem- she saw and said that there was an old age home board she could spot. She volunteered to go in and find someone as I stood outside my car, still kind of shocked by the event. The Chinese lady came back and said someone would come by soon, and left. I got into the car and tried to comfort the lady, but realised I was only scaring her more.

I waited for what seemed an eternity - after which I stopped another car, and asked a gentleman to help me . Before he could do so, a nurse came out . She went and talked to the old lady . She apologized to me, but all I could say was "No don't worry about me- just take care of her".

It was a feeling that left me sad. Sad enough that I could not eat dinner that night.
What must have gone through the old woman's mind to leave the old age home? Is old age really something that you just need to live waiting for your life to end? Will the western philosophy of "It's my life" lead everyone to such a life?

The question remained unanswered. As for me,it's time to volunteer for another cause that's suddenly become close to my heart.

(Image courtesy trueclassics )

The Marathon - in pictures and words

2011-08-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

The first thoughts after the half marathon

As I mentioned in my earlier post , I was training to run the beautiful SF half marathon. Here's how it went:

The build up to the race

I was feeling quite well after I ran 11 miles comfortably at Crissy fields (which was preceded by two 9 and 10 mile runs), and it did not seem to be a big issue to run the 13 as such. Of course, there were 2 major issues. The first being that the race started at an insane 6:02 am, which meant, reaching SF by 5:00, which meant leaving South bay at 3:45, which meant leaving home at 3:15, in short waking up at 2 )

For a nocturnal animal like me, sleeping early was going to be a pain, but luckily I slept at 10 pm. Before that, Mahesh and Arpan came home and we went over my checklist, getting everything ready, so on and so forth :)Everyone's mantra: Make sure you enjoy the race

Me and Arpan the night before the race

The morning

I had a sound sleep for close to 4 hours, and woke up at 2 am. With all preparations in place, got ready, had a little pain in the left leg (which had been a nagging issue), foam rolled a little and got ready for Arpan. Arpan came a little late as I stood outside in the cold updating my f/b status (Boy , am I addicted to that) and we soon got into the sunnyvale caltrain station .

Got into the bus, chatted with Coach Raman, tried to sleep, eat something- too many thoughts.The bus had a restroom too-prob good for runners to avoid the port-a-potty lines [Every SF marathon starts with the first instruction as -get to the race and stand in a port-a-potty line] . My interesting observation was that the toilet in the bus had no flush, no lock, no light, but yes - it had a mirror . People were even more amused by how I observed that of all things

Got down at the drop point- Figured out it was an awesome decision to take the shuttle, it drops you right at the start point. Met a few Asha runners- with similar sentiments, a little bit of fear, a nervousness, last minute things. I figured out that most people were not in the mood for too much stretching. I found Rohit, who was as enthusiastic as me to do a warmup and stretches (I had severe issues once when I ran without stretching). We decided to go for a warmup run - and I did not realise that Rohit's idea of the run was a pretty long one. Came back , did our warm ups (which in hindsight were very useful). The excitement continued till our wave was finally announced.

The start of the marathon. Just about dawn. Awesome time . (photo courtesy Rupanshu)

I lined up with Arpan , Sumedha and Parag (I am not sure how me and Rohit somehow did not end up together) . As soon as the wave went off, I started running with Arpan and Sumedha. The start is something to be careful about, you have to take care to not trip or fall else thousands of people are going to run you over in the race. Kept running, but realised they were too fast for me. I remembered the coaches advice - to run slow during the first 2 miles . I let these guys go ahead, but realised I was without company.

Slowly, I started running, enjoying the beautiful SF coastline. First target- finish 5 miles and get to the Golden Gate Bridge. I went along at about 12 minutes a mile. I was seeing some people running with me , but no Asha folks. Was feeling very bored. As I approached the Golden Gate Bridge, I found a runner from AID. We talked for a bit, she was running a little slower than I was - but we were both in for some well needed company, the race was getting pretty dull otherwise.

The Golden Gate Bridge is visible from very early on in the race- and as you slowly move towards it, the excitement increased. We kept running and soon reached the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge Stretch

This was the most amazing part of the race. As we started running, suddenly, the feeling of tiredness and pain seemed low. This was what I had dreamt off 3 months back, this is why I had signed up for the first half at an unearthly hour . The Golden Gate Bridge means a lot to every resident of the valley- and it was a true pleasure running over it.I met Coach Bharath on the way, but he asked me to run faster since he was running the full.Eventually though, I stopped for taking a photo and saw him way ahead of me .

Some more photos along the Golden Gate Bridge

To add to my happiness , I got an sms from Himani- that they were on their way. The bridge was beautiful, I got my iphone out and decided to take as many pictures as I could. It was nice and cool, till my iphone realized that handling 3 applications of Camera, Ipod and the running app was getting too much for it, and it crashed. Crashed pretty bad. It was a tedious thing to stop in the middle of the Golden Gate bridge and try like an idiot to restart your phone .

But then, something struck me. Might sound filmi, but I realised that the app, the camera, the music, was nothing compared to the beauty of this place and the experience of the race. It somehow reminded me of "Zindagi na milegi Dobara" and I decided to shut it down, squeeze it in and just enjoy the beauty. It was heavenly, awesome! I was again down to running alone since my friend had ITB issues and stopped abruptly.

The last few miles

All through the marathon,I have had this psychological thing. Once you cross the halfway mark, it all seems fine. I have had this in the 2 mile run , 3 mile run, right down till the 10 mile run. After crossing the GGB, you knew that you were done with more than 50% of the race and it was just a matter of time now.

The other interesting part is that through the Golden Gate Bridge, with runners running in 2 directions, I was finally able to see some known faces from Asha [ it felt awesome, Team Asha rocks!] . We kept on egging each other, with "almost there" and (Coach Raman special) "Looking Good" . I was running exactly as per my expected time, and maybe a little faster, so I decided to take it a little easy. Did a run-walk for about half a mile.

I saw Balu and Chakri along the way, as they shouted "Hey, it's Harshit " click click! and I posed for some nice snaps. Thanks guys! - it was awesome to see a known face after a while and someone actually shouting for you . Both of you guys rock!

I lost my running companion somewhere, she was running like a hare, stop at times, and then run fast, and I was like a tortoise, running slowly now with a lot of rolling hills. Met some more runners on the way including Vikram (my Baylands AM mentor), who was running with Nupur .

Vikram slowed down a little with Nupur for some stretches, and asked me to go ahead. Soon I hit my 11 mile marker and now I exactly knew what I had to do. It was a less crowded SF street with runners a little more tired and a little less enthusiastic, so I restarted my phone , and called Himani and the other folks that I was expected to come down the finish line soon. I decided not to ask her who all had come, the suspense and excitement were keeping me going .I decided to continue walking till I hit the 12 miler, so that I could finish the race in full strength. It is interesting that amongst all the excitement, you still want to look strong when your friends and on lookers are seeing you. Decided to walk till mile 12.

Hit the 12 miler, it was a little uphill so I continued walking for a bit. Started running , I don't know why, but I felt emotional, had moist eyes. It was maybe the culmination of the dream to run the half-marathon, the happiness of actually raising money for kids, the belief in myself that I could do this, or just the pleasure of being with yourself, or the anticipation that soon friends would see you and cheer for you.

Very soon, could soon spot Sneha and Ritika - who had both run this race last year. Before I knew, I could see Chetan, Himani, Jigi, Nimish,Kanu all coming and running with me, with Kanu instructing me to "go slow" for non-marathoners :). It was such a sweet experience. I carried on to the finish line and maybe missed the idiotic electronic bib tracker which meant my timing was screwed up.But who cares ? I know I finished the race in good time and thats all that mattered.

I went over to collect my medal- and seeing it was so awesome!

Akki came out of nowhere with his DSLR and took very cool photos. It is great when people are like "Mera bhi ek photo Harshit ke saath" -I was enjoying the momentary celebrity status . Some friends called , spoke to them, updated facebook, took more pictures.

The cheering squad (most of them). Thanks for coming by guys!

We had a lovely time together after which they left for home.I met Wako , it was awesome to see her, given that she had been one of the people who had constantly motivated me throughout the season. Soon, I found Vikas, Akash, Divya and we headed to catch a shuttle to the Asha Tent.

We reached the Asha tent to meet our fellow runners/ coaches / mentors and some great food. Imagine getting paneer , parathas, gulab jamun, Raita and Samosas . It was freaking awesome! Thanks to all the people who made it possible (Asha volunteers are awesome. I can name a few, but I am sure there were a lot more who were involved)

Chatted with Coaches,runners before we headed out to Shivam's place for a relaxing session ahead :).Thanks to all the wonderful coaches, volunteers, all friends who cheered and supported me , Mahesh Palekar for being a driving force through the marathon. It's been an awesome one.

Baylands PM group met on the Monday after the race - most of us just enjoyed the feeling while season 2 runners did their stretching and strengthening and then used their help to click so many nice photos . Can you also believe that just the people in this picture must have raised about 40,000$ to 50,000$ this year alone ? (numbers might be approximate)

Both Baylands groups on a potluck party after the race

More coming soon ! Oh btw, if you wish to donate here's the link!

I run ....for them and for me :)

2011-07-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

The first thoughts after the half marathon

As I mentioned in my earlier post , I was training to run the beautiful SF half marathon. Here's how it went:

The build up to the race

I was feeling quite well after I ran 11 miles comfortably at Crissy fields (which was preceded by two 9 and 10 mile runs), and it did not seem to be a big issue to run the 13 as such. Of course, there were 2 major issues. The first being that the race started at an insane 6:02 am, which meant, reaching SF by 5:00, which meant leaving South bay at 3:45, which meant leaving home at 3:15, in short waking up at 2 )

For a nocturnal animal like me, sleeping early was going to be a pain, but luckily I slept at 10 pm. Before that, Mahesh and Arpan came home and we went over my checklist, getting everything ready, so on and so forth :)Everyone's mantra: Make sure you enjoy the race

Me and Arpan the night before the race

The morning

I had a sound sleep for close to 4 hours, and woke up at 2 am. With all preparations in place, got ready, had a little pain in the left leg (which had been a nagging issue), foam rolled a little and got ready for Arpan. Arpan came a little late as I stood outside in the cold updating my f/b status (Boy , am I addicted to that) and we soon got into the sunnyvale caltrain station .

Got into the bus, chatted with Coach Raman, tried to sleep, eat something- too many thoughts.The bus had a restroom too-prob good for runners to avoid the port-a-potty lines [Every SF marathon starts with the first instruction as -get to the race and stand in a port-a-potty line] . My interesting observation was that the toilet in the bus had no flush, no lock, no light, but yes - it had a mirror . People were even more amused by how I observed that of all things

Got down at the drop point- Figured out it was an awesome decision to take the shuttle, it drops you right at the start point. Met a few Asha runners- with similar sentiments, a little bit of fear, a nervousness, last minute things. I figured out that most people were not in the mood for too much stretching. I found Rohit, who was as enthusiastic as me to do a warmup and stretches (I had severe issues once when I ran without stretching). We decided to go for a warmup run - and I did not realise that Rohit's idea of the run was a pretty long one. Came back , did our warm ups (which in hindsight were very useful). The excitement continued till our wave was finally announced.

I lined up with Arpan , Sumedha and Parag (I am not sure how me and Rohit somehow did not end up together) . As soon as the wave went off, I started running with Arpan and Sumedha. The start is something to be careful about, you have to take care to not trip or fall else thousands of people are going to run you over in the race. Kept running, but realised they were too fast for me. I remembered the coaches advice - to run slow during the first 2 miles . I let these guys go ahead, but realised I was without company.

Slowly, I started running, enjoying the beautiful SF coastline. First target- finish 5 miles and get to the Golden Gate Bridge. I went along at about 12 minutes a mile. I was seeing some people running with me , but no Asha folks. Was feeling very bored. As I approached the Golden Gate Bridge, I found a runner from AID. We talked for a bit, she was running a little slower than I was - but we were both in for some well needed company, the race was getting pretty dull otherwise.

The Golden Gate Bridge is visible from very early on in the race- and as you slowly move towards it, the excitement increased. We kept running and soon reached the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge Stretch

This was the most amazing part of the race. As we started running, suddenly, the feeling of tiredness and pain seemed low. This was what I had dreamt off 3 months back, this is why I had signed up for the first half at an unearthly hour . The Golden Gate Bridge means a lot to every resident of the valley- and it was a true pleasure running over it.I met Coach Bharath on the way, but he asked me to run faster since he was running the full.Eventually though, I stopped for taking a photo and saw him way ahead of me .

To add to my happiness , I got an sms from Himani- that they were on their way. The bridge was beautiful, I got my iphone out and decided to take as many pictures as I could. It was nice and cool, till my iphone realized that handling 3 applications of Camera, Ipod and the running app was getting too much for it, and it crashed. Crashed pretty bad. It was a tedious thing to stop in the middle of the Golden Gate bridge and try like an idiot to restart your phone .

But then, something struck me. Might sound filmi, but I realised that the app, the camera, the music, was nothing compared to the beauty of this place and the experience of the race. It somehow reminded me of "Zindagi na milegi Dobara" and I decided to shut it down, squeeze it in and just enjoy the beauty. It was heavenly, awesome! I was again down to running alone since my friend had ITB issues and stopped abruptly.

The last few miles

All through the marathon,I have had this psychological thing. Once you cross the halfway mark, it all seems fine. I have had this in the 2 mile run , 3 mile run, right down till the 10 mile run. After crossing the GGB, you knew that you were done with more than 50% of the race and it was just a matter of time now.

The other interesting part is that through the Golden Gate Bridge, with runners running in 2 directions, I was finally able to see some known faces from Asha [ it felt awesome, Team Asha rocks!] . We kept on egging each other, with "almost there" and (Coach Raman special) "Looking Good" . I was running exactly as per my expected time, and maybe a little faster, so I decided to take it a little easy. Did a run-walk for about half a mile.

I saw Balu and Chakri along the way, as they shouted "Hey, it's Harshit " click click! and I posed for some nice snaps. Thanks guys! - it was awesome to see a known face after a while and someone actually shouting for you . Both of you guys rock!

I lost my running companion somewhere, she was running like a hare, stop at times, and then run fast, and I was like a tortoise, running slowly now with a lot of rolling hills. Met some more runners on the way including Vikram (my Baylands AM mentor), who was running with Nupur .

Vikram slowed down a little with Nupur for some stretches, and asked me to go ahead. Soon I hit my 11 mile marker and now I exactly knew what I had to do. It was a less crowded SF street with runners a little more tired and a little less enthusiastic, so I restarted my phone , and called Himani and the other folks that I was expected to come down the finish line soon. I decided not to ask her who all had come, the suspense and excitement were keeping me going .I decided to continue walking till I hit the 12 miler, so that I could finish the race in full strength. It is interesting that amongst all the excitement, you still want to look strong when your friends and on lookers are seeing you. Decided to walk till mile 12.

Hit the 12 miler, it was a little uphill so I continued walking for a bit. Started running , I don't know why, but I felt emotional, had moist eyes. It was maybe the culmination of the dream to run the half-marathon, the happiness of actually raising money for kids, the belief in myself that I could do this, or just the pleasure of being with yourself, or the anticipation that soon friends would see you and cheer for you.

Very soon, could soon spot Sneha and Ritika - who had both run this race last year. Before I knew, I could see Chetan, Himani, Jigi, Nimish,Kanu all coming and running with me, with Kanu instructing me to "go slow" for non-marathoners :). It was such a sweet experience. I carried on to the finish line and maybe missed the idiotic electronic bib tracker which meant my timing was screwed up.But who cares ? I know I finished the race in good time and thats all that mattered.

I went over to collect my medal- and seeing it was so awesome!

Akki came out of nowhere with his DSLR and took very cool photos. It is great when people are like "Mera bhi ek photo Harshit ke saath" -I was enjoying the momentary celebrity status . Some friends called , spoke to them, updated facebook, took more pictures. We had a lovely time together after which they left and I found Vikas, Akash, Divya and we headed to catch a shuttle to the Asha Tent.

We reached the Asha tent to meet our fellow runners/ coaches / mentors and some great food. Imagine getting paneer , parathas, gulab jamun, Raita and Samosas . It was freaking awesome! Thanks to all the people who made it possible (Asha volunteers are awesome. I can name a few, but I am sure there were a lot more who were involved)

Chatted with Coaches,runners before we headed out to Shivam's place for a relaxing session ahead :).Thanks to all the wonderful coaches, volunteers, all friends who cheered and supported me , Mahesh Palekar for being a driving force through the marathon. It's been an awesome one.

More coming soon ! Oh btw, if you wish to donate here's the link!

Educate! Encourage! Empower !

2011-07-25T09:48:00.000-07:00

Weird blogpost this time - because I am going to ask you to simply visit this page :)

From (huff)(huff) half a mile to (I love it) 10 miles!

2011-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

As most of you would have observed / known, I have been training to run the Half Marathon this year.

I would not say that I got into it almost by accident, in fact, it was something that I was looking forward to it ever since Animesh's marathon . It was an interesting thing to think about. Can I, who would go huff huff in half a mile of running, actually think of running 13.1 miles (or more than 21 km,or more literally, from Kurla to the Gateway of India )

With so many of friends here in the bay area running the marathon with Asha, it was almost imminent that I would follow suit. And I did , this year.

To be honest, the decision was not that easy. I first played with the idea of just working with Asha. As you would put in a job resume, "Use my interpersonal skills to benefit the organization". I joined Team Asha as a volunteer earlier this year - working towards getting sponsorships , contacting tons of businesses and asking them if they would contribute to the noble cause. I was getting into marketing (albeit for a good cause) after quite a few years- and soon enough, I managed to get sponsorships of almost 2000$ for the cause.

And then came the idea of taking up the challenge. I show up for the first couple of runs, and find people from all ages, castes, nationalities, professions show up and run. Trust me, that worked- or was the "Aha" moment for me. The truth is that you can't stop when a 50 year old gentleman keeps running right next to you and keeps encouraging you.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 and today I ran a full 10 miles ( and also a little more due to a missed mile marker :P) ,and am all set to run the SF half marathon which runs right over the lovely Golden Gate Bridge

But then, why run this marathon? Coming up in next post. Soon. Very soon.

The big business men of Mumbai

2011-03-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Post-started in Oct- laziness and work meant procrastination

So Barack Obama is visiting India. While people are speaking about the impact of this visit on Indo-US relations , about what previous presidents did, about how Obama answered students of Bombay, there was one news story that caught my eye.

The closing of sections in and around the areas where Obama was visiting (in Mumbai) and how normal people faced harassment. Security for a visiting foreign head of state is one thing, and enforcing curfew (Some residences in South Bombay were advised- come home at 7 pm - or else next morning ). Well, still, I might accept that.

But the worst I felt was for the small business men of Mumbai. Coming from the city, and also being a Gujarati - who are famous (or infamous) to be very great at business , I felt bad for a lot of people who earn their daily bread and butter by putting up stalls/ tapri's / or even doing roadside vending . While some people might term them as a perennial nuisance , I have somehow always been impressed by this class of people.

I have developed this habit of striking conversations with people in India. More often than not, it works wonders, and also gives me an insight that is very rare to achieve. Like that doli-wallah who lifts people across 3800 steps in Palitana for a meager amount. Like that rickshawallah who earns 200 Rs a day, spends rs 20 on himself and sends the rest to his family. And for all the criticism that these people might fact for making Bombay unclean, unhygienic , disorganized, corrupt - my heart still always has a lot of respect for them. All of them have some common points: A simple business idea, innovative techniques for sales and marketing, a lot of hard work and an aim to make it big.

Last year, I was having a 'Dabeli' at a small roadside joint, when I happened to ask the guy, how old was he, and how did he run this business. The conversation was simply mind blowing. He told me about his business- this guy used to sell about 350 Dabelis in a 8-10 hour shift at 8 Rs / piece. On further analysis, I figured out that the cost of materials/ transport / cleaning /miscellaneous came to about a 1000 rupees a day. And wait, this meant that this guy was making a clean profit of Rs.1800 per day!!!! If this wasn't enough, he said that he takes a lot of party orders where the revenue is much higher.

The truth about Bombay (which I know a lot of people might not be very convinced about) is that if you are intelligent, willing to work hard and know to do the simple things correct- it'll never betray you. I had a similar conversation with a Taxi driver. Sometimes, it just helps if you show some respect by sitting on the front seat and referring to people as 'Aap'. They are after all, simple people, who are trying to make their living, working hard. He said he earned about 20,000 rupees a month and though he himself came from a poor family in UP, he had made sure that his son and daughter have the best access to education and they don't have to struggle. He spoke about his early days, when he had to save money, make efforts to go forward in life, and how that period makes him a very satisfied man today. I could see bits of my first day in the US- and was somehow so happy that he was satisfied by his life today.

The third was an interaction with one of my father's friends, who had come to India in the 1950-1960s , and started doing odd jobs. From there, he started selling pens which he would buy from a wholesale market and sell them on the streets of Bombay. From there, to a small shop, from there, to a wholesale business, and finally to become one of the Bombay-made Crorepati.

True, Bombay has the stock market, one of the best natural harbours, some great industries set up by the Parsi businessmen in the early 20th century- but seriously, if there's one point that is a big factor to the development of the city as the commercial capital of India, it's this bit of entrepreneurship that people seem to have learnt from their mother's womb and the willingness to work hard - maybe not just hard, but hard enough to make the impossible possible. Something that involves self-made management skills.

The only sorry thing is that their businesses (as mentioned earlier) are subject to losses when India or in particular Bombay succumbs to one of the many 'business-stopper' events. Be it the Shiv Sena Bandhs, the rains - and really irritating- Obama's visit meant that a good part of Bombay was closed to the general public - and that too on the eve of Diwali/ New Year which are prime holidays and mean a lot of business to these people.

The other interesting angle I see in this- is the commonality I find between my first days in the US - to what they must have had in Bombay. Any city which breeds immigrants (be it domestic or International) has a flavor which is worth an experience. The Bombay that I have seen- is surely different from what they have . A lot of things we took for granted- from having your own home , to having parents with you always , is something, they have fought their way through. That - coupled with the spirit of the entrepreneurs of Bombay- is what makes the city special !

Do Dooni Chaar ! and some memories!

2011-02-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

The Indian cinema in the last decade has seen a lot of change. The most evident according to me - is the acceptance of movies which need not have even one of the basic masala ingredients (a) a love story (b) a fight sequence (c) a conventional story (yes, all hat-ke movies did need to have some kind of convention in the 1990s)- and where a simple but well made story line would still gain acceptance and popularity among the masses

And one of the movies that I really loved off late was Do Dooni Chaar . It's a simple story really- a story of a middle class family in Delhi with a school teacher as head of the family- and how the school teacher struggles between balancing his ideals and wallet to make his children happy.

And the film was really well made, and had a nice message too. And the movie definitely was a reminder of the tremendous effort all those teachers at Friends School put in to make me what I am today. To all you great people, a real big thanks from the heart . I wouldn't have come so far without holding on to your finger. Again - Thanks!

But then, the film disturbed me to an extent. And the reason was it's truthfulness and the fact that there is something wrong in India. Why are the schools not as great as they should be - when the teachers working there are extremely hardworking and intelligent too ( At least I can vouch that for all of my teachers) ? Why is it that people will do timepass while listening to lectures in school but pay the same amount of attention to the same thing being taught by an equal or lesser-experienced teacher in the badly crammed A/C room of a coaching class ? Why is it that people will pay tens of thousands on tution and coaching classes, but crib for a school fee raise of a hundred rupees? Why is it that we sat through 7.5 hours everyday during our summer vacations ( 2.5 months non stop including sundays ), but cribbed about being called for a saturday extra class?

Something , somewhere is not right. Having said that, I won't be radical to say that the system is totally messed up- and neither would I say that coaching classes are necessarily bad. No one in the entire system is bad in their own right, and at the end of the day, they are all good teachers, trying to make their life a bit better by giving knowledge to students. It's any day an extremely noble profession.

A brief analysis of what I think the problem / what the solution could be:

a. Low pay scales at school

This I think is really is the bottom of all things. I could not find enough data on the internet (some stats here ) - but the truth as we all know is (and what the film signifies is) - it's not deserving enough. Some school teachers I know say that the only reason to stick to a school is to have an 'extra income' and to be in constant touch with students. So then, if we are ready to pay the teacher the same salary for tution classes , why not give more fees- which would in turn increase their salaries and in-turn their performance?

b. School hours and attendance worries

This is really the most interesting part here. As I mentioned before, why do people crib so much about long school hours (which are mostly less than the hours you spend in classes anyways)? On the other hand, why do schools crib about attendance?

As a student myself, I know that there are some lectures which would benefit me to such an extent that I would think a hundred times before missing them. This in turn would also enable teachers to develop reputation and the feedback on them (simply measured in terms of how many students actually turn up for their class)- would ensure that good teachers are rewarded and under-performing ones are put through developmental programs.

So, really, why force students to sit through lectures? Also, that is a consequence of (a) . I am sure if a student missed school, the parents would be fine, but if they missed a coaching class , the parents would be "We paid 5000 rupees for this one" - you have to go and you have to be serious about it. Simple solution: let the performance of teachers get the attendance running- and for good teachers, I am sure students would not mind odd hours (longer than the school hours)

3. A constant crib about the system

The classic problem which magnifies itself as "Is desh ka kucch nahin ho sakta" .

If there is one thing I could change during my attitude when I was in India- it is the constant belief in the minds of all that the system is faulty - there's more emphasis on memorizing, there's not enough attention to every student - and so on. During my engineering days, an HR person from a famous IT company in India who came for college recruiting said these words " The first thing we need to do is to train you for 3-6 months. You haven't learned anything during your engineering. We need you to forget all this and begin re-learning" .

Why? Having worked in the USA-there's an enormous respect for Indian learning standards here too. And frankly, the system might be flawed, but it's definitely not something that is not useful. Maybe it needs some tweaks. A greater emphasis on class projects and practical work. A more systematic examination system. But to term it as non-useful is a crime- and also a bad thing to instill in the minds of young students.

The same holds true for schools. Why constantly blame teachers for being too fast when you could have asked a few more questions? Although-somewhere, the schools are also to blame for having given up on a few of these things.

Solution to the problem: An active, secure feedback system - where parents can raise their concerns , not about individual teachers, but maybe point out great ways to improve them.

4. More realistic and popular scholarship plans

I got an NTS scholarship which is awarded to only 750 students in India every year. During my school days, the scholarship used to be less than Rs. 3000 per year. While for me, it was more of a reward, but for students who really needed it- I am sure it was way lower than the mark. To give you a comparison, the Tata Foundations used to give out scholarships upto Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 to a lot of deserving Engineering students strictly on the basis of performance.

The sad truth is that the NTS is really known for the honour it gives you- but not really for the scholarship amount - which I am sure is one of the important issues it is designed to address.

Solution:

How about corporates giving an income-based scholarship to NTS students (and maybe based on other criteria like merit/sports etc) who actually need them? It could be based in income alright, but then every student would be happy to pay their fees and not burden their parents with it.

Also, how about schools charging a little higher fees, but having 10 selected students - based on merit, performance - to have their school year free?

--Incomplete blog, hope to add more stuff here soon --

Again, a big thanks to all teachers!

How to become a successful astrologer

2010-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Note: This post is not intended to be insulting towards astrologers or numerologists . It's just a take on an idea to mimic an astrologer without any knowledge. Please take in lighter vein :)

In my school and college days, my Dad got an interesting hobby- numerology. He found a book and then used to tell people things about them from that book - and it looked as if the book was 60-70% accurate.

One other time, I had an encounter with a self-proclaimed 'Gyaani' who told me things about myself. Slowly and steadily, I found a pattern . There was something about this that would work without any astrology skills.

I have tried this trick on a few people and it has worked. It's simple really.

1. Claim that you have studied astrology via a book/parents/guru for a short time

2. Generate some interest by claiming that you have generally been accurate

3. Take the person's birth details , ask some questions [ like if they say they were born on so-and-so date, ask for time , confirm somethings ]. This simply builds your reputation and makes people think that you know a lot.

4. Start out with the predictions

i. You are a very hardworking person

This is really a line which no one in the world will every deny. Even people like Arjuna Ranatunga will say that they would always claim that they are extremely hardworking

Interest piqued.

ii. You have not really achieved what you are capable of . Something that would match your intelligence and diligence.

99 % of the world thinks like this. I do. My boss does. His boss does. It's human nature. This might result in a sign of "So true!!"

iii. You are very helpful and considerate to people's needs.

This one works in a crowd setting. No one is going to admit in a bunch of people that he or she is the most selfish person born on planet Earth. Even without people, it's extremely difficult to tell your inside ego that you are really quite selfish from inside.

iv. You have had a really major incident in your life in the last x years [ Make x between 5 and 10 depending upon the person's age

Trust me, everyone of us has had one major incident in the last 5-10 years [ Getting a job, an accident, moving countries, getting a baby, starting a new business]. Most people will be like , 'Yeah, absolutely correct! This happened 5 years back!'

If you know the person and his life history well, try to be more accurate here. It'll work wonders.

5. At this point, check the mood. If you think your reputation is built, move to next step. Else loop around

6. Time to start with predictions. This is the easy part. There's no reference to check, so you can get away with what bu** you say.

i. The next 5 years are going to be very important in your life

This is a charge-up line. Like having a coffee before an exam. It'll suddenly get the feeling of "It's time to do something"

ii. You should take more risks at this age

This thing is sure to get some questions. If you are comfortable, make up a Ekta Kapoor-esque story involving Jupiter, Saturn and the Sun ( or in Indian languages as Rahu, Ketu and some term that they have never heard of ] Most people will not understand a word of it and also not admit that they did not understand it.

iii. Predict Marriage

This is a very sensitive one.Of course, it's for unmarried people. Give them a date 2 years from now. "The best 'Yog' to get married is in 2014 . February." After all, who's going to sue you if they don't find someone by that time. If they do, your reputation will work wonders. After all, your luck is also good sometimes .

iv. Predict Age and Wellness

This one is amongst the easiest. Predict an age of about 75-80. If you see a long lifeline and can make up something, put it to 90. Do some jargon about the behavior of the line.

Predict one illness from the present date to the time of death. It's fairly logical and averages out well.

7. Come up with lucky entities.

This is a good time to use your knowledge and end on a high. Check what facts you know about the person, like wife's birthday, anniversary, color of car. If you know some secrets about them, you got a big bonus.

i. Life partner names
If you know that the person is already committed secretly, pick up the letter of the spouse's name and say that that letter is extremely lucky for him

ii. Colour and number combo's
Pick up a color from Red, Blue, green, yellow , a number between 0 and 9, a stone from sapphire, pearl, ruby, emerald, a month of the year and claim that that's lucky for them.

I myself am not too keen on this step since it induces unnecessary superstitions, but nevertheless, something that works .

8. Say "God Bless You" and move on before people get too sentimental .

A tale of 3 captains

2010-10-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

The rarest of rare post- I seldom blog about cricket [ These days , I am sure people would point out that I seldom blog at all ] , but something that I saw for a while and I have been wanting to write about it.

It's really simple. It's about 3 captains that I have experienced in Indian cricket, and in some ways , how their attitudes have spoken about 3 different teams, 3 different attitudes and 3 different feelings that I have experienced as a fan.

It all started when I read this article which referred to the time for which cricket started for a lot of us. For me, it started around the time Tendulkar first came in. I remember a news bulletin in which Azharuddin was made the new captain. I was too young to realize that there was a little bit of politics in the move, but nevertheless, Azhar was a great cricket player (of course, sidelined by his part in scandals) , and under him India won several great accolades, the most memorable ones for me being a great test series win in India against England (3-0 including 2 innnings victories) and a win in the Hero Cup. Then came Ganguly, pocketing a great win in England in the Natwest series, and years later he was replaced by another captain - MS Dhoni.

I have excluded temporary captains like Jadeja, Raina, and (maybe surprisingly ) Sachin Tendulkar. The reason is , that for the tremendous respect I have always had for Sachin as a batsman, player, human being - I think he was never comfortable in his short reign as captain- and more importantly, his 'captaincy' in itself did not match his greatness at all.Anil Kumble too was made a leader very late, and anyways, his captaincy was only for Tests while MS Dhoni led the one-day side.

So brings us to the 3 again- Azhar, Ganguly and Dhoni. It's a change that has been over time, but now it seems true.

It was the 1992 world cup game against Australia. India were chasing - a field they considered themselves terribly bad in. We were close, very close agonizingly close. Kiran More came in and punched 2 boundaries. But then at the brink of victory, we lost. Lost by one run. Painstaking. But, I remember this match distinctly- watching it with Mom, Dad who had seen many matches earlier- and the verdict was clear before the match- India can't win a close one like this. They had lost by one run in 1987, and most likely will face the same fortune. And they did.

Fast forward to 2002. A final at Lord's . India chasing a mammoth 326 and 146 for 5, as Mohd Kaif and Yuvraj Singh guide them to an amazing run-chase. The famous Ganguly shirt incident. But more than the attitude, it was a match that instilled in the generation of fans- that India could win a nervous chase. That they could put their act together in a time of crisis.

2007. The T20 final. The new captain-cool, MS Dhoni keeps terribly cool as Sharma bowls a wide in the first ball of an all-important over. And as Pakistan Mis-ba 5 runs , India become the champions, and more importantly, it establishes the confidence of this Indian team in a tight situation.

2010. The commentators are talking about Ricky Ponting finally getting to a win in India. (yeah right). But an injured VVS Laxman and an amazing Ishant Sharma have other ideas, as they take India to their first ever one-wicket win and that too against Australia. It was sweet revenge for most of us especially because it was against Ricky Ponting ( at least for me). The important thing here was that right till the end, there was this confidence, this instinct that in such a close situation, India could still win. and they did...

As greatbong put it rightly in his farwell to Ganguly

"If there is one enduring legacy of Dada, it is that he taught an almost perennially defeatist Indian cricket team “to believe” (For those who have sat through wimpy, gutless Indian performances through the 80s will appreciate even more the truth of this statement). "

We have learnt to win . Or should I say, we have started believing that we can win. And that according to me is the most important transition from the days of Azhar to the days of Dhoni.

Let's hope it stays on.

The magic called KBC

2010-09-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

I actually wanted to associate this blog with this post , but as most of you would know , laziness sometimes wins me over and never finished it .

In 2000, we started seeing early promos of Amitabh Bachchan , with a phone number to call to win one crore rupees. Till this time, the concept of quiz-related TV programs had never taken off past the highly educated masses. The problem was really the trade-off between keeping the sanctity of a quiz versus the level of popularity it could generate. On one hand, we had programs like Cross-Fire and Bournvita Quiz Contest, which, though being extremely knowledgeable in their own right, were never past the highly educated minority of people. On the other hand, there were serials similar to the Deal-No deal types which were popular amongst the masses, but depended mostly on luck and hardly had any kind of intellectual touch to it.

As the suspense began to clear up- the rules of the game were made clear. I remember reading somewhere that you needed to answer 15 multiple-choice questions to win 1 crore rupees. Seemed too good to be true. With the experience of the NTS exams behind me - I had the impression that multiple-choice questions were one of the easiest to crack :P .

And then it evolved. From the first person who won Rs.25 lakhs - the show had changed the way India approached general knowledge. Phrases like 'Lock Kiyaa Jayee' and 'Galat jawaab' became household terms - as people from every walk of life imagined themselves in the hot seats. The best example, I remember, was when I had asked a Chemist (Drugstore) owner upto what time did they keep their shop open. The answer was

"Vaise to beta 9 baje tak khulla rakhta hai, lekin ab Crorepati shuru hua hai, to 8:45 ko bandh kar dete hai"

And that was it. Forgotten politicians, sportsmen from otherwise unknown sports, literary gems had come back to the Indian middle class.

But the question was: what made this show so popular? Was it just the money? Was it the the Big B? Was it the unique concept?

Enthusiasm levels of a blog

2010-08-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Enthusiasm levels of a blog:

Day 1: The fact that you decide to start a blog stems from the fact that you've decided your first blog post. Probably first 2-3, some interesting event, some story or just your funda of life. You write it with full energy, and share it with all your (close and not-close) friends

Day 2: Whoa! you are excited about those 2 comments, and those chat messages congratulating to start your blog. Super excited, you write one more blog entry, whose first lines are how you really are interested in blogs. Again, you share it with everyone.

Day 3: The feeling of "I never knew I had so much talent in me". Blog entry # 3. In most cases, the quality of this one will be a shade lesser than #1 and #2. People will be "Yeh kucch zyada hi ucchal raha hai". Number of comments drop.

Day 4,5,6,7: You bask in the glory by not writing any more blogs. Secret reason is that you don't have much to write, since all your enthusiasm was spent on the first 3 entries

Day 17: You read one great news on rediff/cnn/ndtv ( or any stupid news site - included onion ) and you blog about it . Whether people respond or not, you carry a sense of great 'comeback' pride

Month 2-12: This phase defines how good a blogger you would become. Most bloggers don't reach this stage. A little more enthusiastic bloggers blog once or twice ( or more if you are a phd student, even more if you are an engineer without much work)

Year 2: A majority of bloggers, good or bad, are filtered out by this point. Most feel that blogging was not what they thought it to be. Either they did not like blogging or blogging did not like them. Many of them still bask in the glory of their first (and only) blogs . A few lazy bloggers (like me ) blog once a month. Good bloggers still blog regularly.

Year 3: If you have come upto here, you are a , no not great blogger. You are quite a perseverant and persistent fellow. If you get comments on your blog - you are a good blogger. If you get comments on your blog without forcing your friends to do it- you are a great blogger.

Year 4-5 : If you still blog once a month, you are a hard-working blogger. If you blog more than this- there are only 2 outcomes. You have attained Great heights in blogging or people are like "Khudko Arundhati Roy ka bhai samajhta hai " :P

Year 6: Start writing a book

A great idea!

2010-08-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few days back, I got a call from a friend. Her father was undergoing a heart surgery and needed AB+ blood in Bombay. She asked me if I knew someone. My answer ,"Sure, I'll get you someone in about an hour". As promised, within an hour,my father had called a gentleman with AB+ blood and he agreed to be present wherever required the next morning.

Many years back, my father did something on a small scale, which I feel is of great significance. We had a small health camp in our society (it was primarily for cancer , but served some other purposes ). Here's what he did:

1. Get 2-3 local doctors/nurses to check and make blood group cards for all the people who came. A simple test, and you get a card which carries your emergency contact info and your blood group, so that God Forbid, if you are in an accident, and some good Samaritan tries to help you, he has all the info he needs from that card.

What you had to give in return was to register your name/phone number and blood group in a small diary that my father has maintained till date. it contains the names of all people and their phone numbers with blood groups. If someone ever calls us in the middle of the night asking for blood, we can ask the concerned person if they would be interested in volunteering and then connect the two parties together.

While I loved this idea and thought this was important enough, when someone actually thanked me more than profusely for getting info about a donor, I was overwhelmed. And that's why this comes as a blog-post because I think it's an idea that can and should be implemented in co-operative housing societies across India.

2. The Indian Cancer Society used to assist in organizing Cancer Detection Camps. Their funda was simple. They would charge Rs. 65 ( am sure it's more than that today) for basic testing of a person for cancer . All they needed was that there should be 100 people attending and that logistics (like tables, electricity , lunch/snacks for staff) would be provided, and they would come and conduct the check. It would either clear you of everything or , if they suspected something, they would recommend a further check.

What I found particularly interesting was, that for a person in India , if I ask them to do a checking on a weekday for cancer, they would think about costs/excuses. But then, on a Sunday morning, a low-cost test would be kind of welcome. Especially when you know that it's done by not-for-profit [I am not sure if the ICS is not-for-profit or not ] .

One more significant advantage was that since it was mostly done on a non-charitable basis, you did not have to go through the processes of fundraising. Anyone could think about it and do it done in one days of effort. As far as volunteers were concerned , kids can always be roped in to do simple things like crowd control and money collection .

The camp was particularly successful as it helped a few people go for further checking and treatment in early stage of cancer.

A small idea- but quite visionary. Kudos to you, Pappa :) .

The true hero

2010-07-26T23:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write this on July 7, but as most of us 'complaining type' people would say, I did not quite find the time, given the various challenges of life , this , that, bla bla bla!

But then, you think of some men, who have overcome so much, achieved magnanimity and won the hearts of millions and had constraints compared to which our life would seem like a complete cake walk.

It was 1999. I just turned 18 and was stepping to the next stage of life. I personally felt that that was also the year when I understood politics, life and developed interest in trying to understand how deep these things were and their importance and influence in our lives. It was the year of the nuclear tests, a year when Atal Bihari Vajpayee , as a politician, suddenly had a fan following among the youth , a year when NDTV and Barkha Dutt, then a relatively new, getting-popular and if I may use the word, extremely humble journalist were getting popular , and the youth of the country was getting involved in political discussions more than ever before. I like to think of it as the golden period in Indian television news reporting, since it was the phase when we had lesser, high-quality channels and people actually were completely fond of this new source of information .

It was also the year of coalition politics, the blackmailing of the ruling Govt by Jayalalitha, and with AIADMK finally pulling support, the Govt had to be relegated to a caretaker Govt, but by that time, AB Vajpayee and his men had won enough popular support.

In the middle of all this, intrusions by terrorists and Pakistani soldiers began in Kargil, Drass and Batalik and the Kargil war began. This war was the first Indian war I had seen and one of the first which had so much of media coverage. In a time, when such media coverage was very new, it was very welcome to see journalists risk their life and report from the warfront giving us sights of shelling, bunkers and indirectly infusing a deep sense of respect for the army personnel in the minds of the younger generation.

And one day, there was an interview of a captain. My mother asked me, what's his name? I said , Capt. Vikram Batra Little did I know that the name I took would be etched in my memory for life.

(Part of the footage is here )

The captain was speaking about how his boys were so charged up , and Pepsi's 'Yeh Dil Maange More' , a famous ad jingle then, being the war cry. He was cheerful and was joking as to how his soldiers wished that there were more bunkers that they could attack. As a smile came to our faces hearing this man, the screen blanked out, and Barkha Dutt's words came

"Captain Vikram Batra died on 7 July 1999 while fighting in Drass"

A moment when things suddenly stopped. A moment when without a word, tears came to our eyes, and you felt as if you had lost someone terribly close to you. A moment whose memory still makes my eyes moist. A brave young man, had sacrificed his life for the nation. I could not sleep that night. I am sure hundreds of us must have had this feeling.

That one day forever changed my outlook towards men in uniform. A sight of them, and I would feel enormous respect, and sometimes even a bit of shame that I could do practically nothing compared to them for the nation and the people.

What this incident also signified ( and I absolutely credit Barkha Dutt for this, though I am sure a number of us disagree with her today) was how the media could create an awareness in a population which did not even know the names of it's great heroes who had won Param Vir Chakra's and died to protect this country.

Simply put, a true hero. Words are not enough to describe the bravery of these men. RIP, Capt. Batra. We owe it to you.

Of Bollywood and Amrika

2010-05-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

Having been in the US for a few years, I have kind of developed this love for Indian-American movies, or just the way 2 cultures tend to portray each other . The amazing assumptions , the great ideas and of course the overpowering imagination.

I'll start with Hyderabad Blues - the first movie I probably saw which dealt with an Indian guy's opinion of India after returning back. To an extent, the film was quite honest - and one particular point that amazed me was when a girl in India describes the USA as ' Fast cars, everyone carries a gun' and perhaps that is the best starting point for this topic.

Most of us - on both sides of the globe, have derived our image of India or the US based on films and somehow some films really mess it up.

Like, in Chachi 420, an America-returned guy is shown as a complete idiot - to American Chai, where an Indian who comes to America (FOB as is popularly called :P), is shown as a sycophant - and in general very irritating.

In fact, one of the very first movies- our very own Ram Lakhan had a nice scene which said 'Arre Chacha, America mein maine 12 saal dance hi to kiya hai' - which gave an impression of the US (link - it's at 5:48 ) . Then, there are some movies which show as if an Indian kid raised in the US is so much similar to someone in India, that it again does not seem to be too believable.

On the other hand, American films have been pretty mixed about Indians or FOB - as called in popular culture. The film American Chai really takes a dig at people like me- who've come from India. While i don't agree completely with the portrayal, I must say- that it's not really untrue as well. There are some characteristics in all of us- which I am sure American raised kids or Americans in general find funny :) and I think we should understand and accept that.

The movie Flavors is one movie that really seems to capture a lot of 'flavors' literally of India life. From the I-know-it-all consultant to the bored housewife, from the parents of a super busy engineer, to the American girl who chooses to marry an Indian guy, a film that does not really bluff too much.

One more film that particularly piqued my interest was Green Card Fever , which , though not being directly connected to student life, gave a glimpse of the struggle here ( I was told by a gentleman that in the eighties, the food vs phone was indeed a dilemma which a lot of really poor Indians faced) , as also the various funny incidents described in the movie.

I would not deny that there are a lot of films made in the USA which look at India as a land where people still use elephants as a daily mode of transportation :) - however, the focus is really not on such films.

I believe, that while all films will most definitely have some kind of bias towards one section of the population, a well researched film with intelligent humor is definitely a refreshing change and especially to people like us, who've both experienced and best and worst of the east and west.

As far as the poster is concerned, I haven't really seen that film :) => but I did like the message , Nothing is what it appears to be !

The Classic Problem

2010-05-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

This has been one of the most challenging situations- however big or small it might be- I always find myself struggling with this thing.

The situation: You can do action A or action B. A has a set of rewards A1 and a set of problems A2. So does B. The chances of maximizing A1 or B1 is subject to a lot of uncertain factors. So, what do you do?

My typical solution to this problem involves asking about a 100 people the same Q, taking their opinion and finally doing what I initially thought was the correct thing to do anyways. In most cases, people tend to complicate the situation more than they resolve it. Still, it's emotionally better to get people's opinion.

I am sure if you tell this to my mother, she'll agree 100 % to this scenario. She's been the tie breaker more often than not and she absolutely dislikes it.

So , what's the solution to this problem? I found this answer in an email forward. Solution is to flip a coin . But hey, that's not it.

1.Decide that if it's heads, you'll do A and if it's tails, you'll do B.
2.Flip the coin.
3. When the coin is in the air, freeze the moment and think what you hoped the coin would fall as .
4.You got what you need to do! Go for it! And DON'T look at the coin!!!

The quest for a Jamba Juice

2010-04-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! This is an amazing story. Remember the famous 'essay' in school of ' The Day When Everything Went Wrong' and the kind of things you bluffed in that-

Well , some time, you do feel that going true. Today wasn't a bad day, just that I started the day thinking of something and the as the day progressed, the quest seemed to turn into an impossible quest. Here's a brief description

Morning 10 am: A very hot day, and I think, well today's the best day to have a nice fresh jamba juice . I had to get my car repaired , so thought well, might as well do it then

11 30 am: Get out on a hot hot day in mountain view, the resolve to get the Jamba juice is really over me now.

12 noon: I reach the car repair - I remembered that there used to be a Jamba Juice close by, so I thought, well let me leave the car and walk back to find the Juice center, since the car anyways would take about an hour to get repaired

12:10 : Start walking on one of the hottest summer afternoons thinking that the jamba juice would be about half a mile away.

12:30 Walk for about a mile, and then check on my iphone to find that I might have passed that. Walk back and find that the juice center just got closed a month back. All hopes dashed!

12:40 : Walk back to the car repair, by now I have walked about 2.5 miles in the hot sun and without anything.

12:50 : No worries, now I have my new and improved Corolla. Again, I trust my memory and go for a Jamba which I know is close by. I reach the place, see the board from a distance and feel proud of my memory [ Or as some people might say, 'Maine to Makkhan kaam kiyaa hai ;) ' ] . Reach the complex, which is bustling with activity

1:05 pm: As I reach the door for the Jamba juice, find that it's locked. As if it was the perfect trap for me,every single shop in that complex is open , except for mine.

The next shop is about 4 miles away. Decide to make a quick stop at home and then go for the juice. After all, I have spent too much time on this juice.

1:10 pm: Reach home, have lunch , and think that now I can do some work before going out for the Jamba.

5:30 pm: Think that the Jamba wasn't meant for today. Decide to play tennis instead

6:30 pm: Reach tennis court and start playing- the heat rekindles the craving for the juice

7:30 pm: Finish tennis, call mom and tell her about the incident

7:40 pm: Still talking to mom, and somehow wish that I should try and reach the Jamba Juice before it closes at 8

7:50 pm: Reach the complex, but don't quite find the Jamba. A moment which is like the last few minutes of the exam.

7:55 pm: Find the shop! Reach out my hand to open the door, only wishing it's not locked....Luckily enough, I am on time....

7:57 pm: Get the last juice for the day, as the door is locked behind me. It's the most satisfying ever :)

Review of "My Name is Khan"

2010-02-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Being in the US for 6 years has had one impact on me- whenever I see a Bollywood film depicting the US, or people of the US , I get into this 'reality check' mode- where I try to gauge the film by how true it really is in the portrayal of this country.

I have always not liked films which give a bad image to expatriates like us, or of the Indians grown up here (American Born Cultured Desis as a friend suggested me to call them), or in general of Americans. The truth is that while we are all different, we still have a heart, laugh, cry, have emotions and will not fail to act when the situation demands.

My Name is Khan scores a lot of points for what I would term as a honest and well-researched picture of the US, it's people, it's land, the life of Indians here , the problems that have surfaced in this country post 9/11. What is impressive about the film is it's storyline which is fast paced, and (thankfully) lacks the bollywood numbers popping up at the most inappropriate events . For example, I had seen the film Bombay , which though being fast-paced had the song 'Kucchi kucchi rakma ' in the middle of the riots.

SRK's role in the movie is done well, and though I do have a grudge against him (for the stupid publicity stunt), I must say that he does a good role ,especially with the Asperger Syndrome . But much more than that, it was Kajol's role , the kind of emotions shown, and her acting which really made the movie much much better. There's one scene in the movie ( not putting in here, since it reveals the plot), where she cries and there was a pindrop silence in the theater. One of those performances that can actually touch you, make you cry . One of the role that reminds you that it is also her performance that has been the reason for a lot of hits by the Khan (DDLJ, K3G and the likes)

And, the one thing, the message of the film "My name is Khan, and I am not a terrorist", which is obviously much better understood if you have been in the US for an extended period of time. It's pretty clear that post 9/11, the kind of security checks which have increased sometimes tend to display a tint of religious bias , which can be felt and which honestly, is not beneficial to this country. The message at the beginning of the film, about there being only 2 kinds of people, the good and the bad, and one man's attempt to change the mindset of people who have been affected by 9/11 and have changed their beliefs.

I would again repeat, that one scoring point of the film , is it's honest portrayal of Americans - I must say that Aunt Jemma was someone whom I could identify with , the kind of innocence and friendliness I could associate with most African Americans I have met, to the motel-running Gujju, to the Punjabi beauty parlor owner , to the security officals at SF airport, they all looked like real characters I have meet on the streets here in America.

All and all a film worth watching. A final note to Mr. Khan. The publicity stunt about 'My Name is Khan' was not welcome enough. If you read through the lines, you could clearly understand that it was some check, and you did not need to say, that they checked you when you said 'My name is Khan'. In a world which is already waging a battle against religious intolerance, it would be better to not increase it. People have loved you as Raj or Rizvan, and they have never considered you different because you were 'Khan'.

[Correction: It was pointed out to me that the film is not too honest about America after all. The film does show an event attended by the President where only Catholics are allowed entry. Apparently that's not possible. Thanks Arnab for pointing it out.

Reflections of India

2009-12-18T03:22:00.000-08:00

A late post- half compiled in India and completed after coming back...

Wow, can't believe it's been more than a month I have been in India - This time it's been an all round experience with work and visits to Hyderabad and lots of new experiences. But I guess, a good sum up of the whole experience would be some interesting positives and negatives about India - which catch the eye of someone who gets the chance to visit this land just once every year.

As part of my trip, I visited the Oracle office in Hyderabad. It was a different experience for me, because for the first time in my life, I was actually working in India. It started off with a 6 30 am flight to Hyd via Kingfisher airways. Having heard so much about the new and improved experience, I was looking forward to it. 6 20 am in the morning, I got to my seat and saw a nice TV in front of me, and just wished for a nice cup of coffee along with something good to see.

Hopes dashed first up,with an announcement that the TV sets weren't working throughout the flight . All right, I thought, a coffee and a nap would be good. An announcement followed that due to a 'technical glitch', coffee or tea would not be served on the flight. And almost literally an icing on the cake, I was server some very oily food to just complete my experience on a wonderful flight. Later , I checked their site and found this nice picture in there .

I decided to send a feedback message to the airline complaining about the service. The reply I got was as if they were trying to console a crying baby, with a manager replying, sir , we have checked our electrical connections for the next flight.

So much for customer service - I felt. I think that this has more to do with the mindset that we carry. Quality of Service is quite a different phenomenon in India and the US,and this difference is probably caused more by the acceptance of poor service by the people. I am sure a lot of us would agree, that we are more satisfied by the politeness of the Indian consulate in US than that of the US consulate in India. It's frankly not about the people who work there, it's more about the people who take their service, and how they put their need before their tolerance.

Coming back, I think with every trip of mine, I find that India gets richer. It's still quite a mystery how there's so much money given the worldwide recession, but then that's where it is. Newer, bigger, better malls, foreign brands, huge stores, newer mobile phones, lot of money spent on endorsements, just get curios as to where the money is coming in into all this. The only good thing, is that it is generating vast employment opportunities, especially for middle class people with moderate educational backgrounds. The one interesting thing I found was also, how gadgets and popular culture go together. In a train journey from VT to Mulund, I found a teenager explaining 'email' to his friend. He was like, just 'mobile jaise address hoga'. Then 'as you fwd smses, you can now fwd emails' . What I found interesting was, that a 'mobile phone' has become such an integral part of the Indian lifestyle, which has been one of the revolutionary evolution for this decade in India. I mean, who would have imagined this day in the late nineties, that everyone from the 'kaamwaali bai' to the 'fruit vendor' would carry mobiles, and that too with full utilities ? And even more so, I can't imagine how people, who would otherwise be illiterate at most things, never falter in execution of this divine gadget.

And finally, the sad part- I always used to be proud of the fact that though Bombay was a city with heavy traffic, and less-than-great roads, the discipline of people driving made up for it. Quite disappointing this time, that Bombay is following the norm in a few other cities, of not following traffic rules, or jumping signals unless and until you see a policeman somewhere. Unfortunately enough for the city, the cheaper cars, supported by growing salaries of people, and fueled by attractive loan schemes from banks, is all leading to people leaving the good old local trains and taking their 'own' cars to work- which I fear is going to lead the city to a big mess unless steps are taken.

And this post should of course mention the one thing that has not changed, or in fact improved, and that's the reliability of the local trains in Bombay. Love them, hate them, but you can still trust them to get you on time. In fact, I think I beat my Dad in most challenges to reach home before his expectations, and the one facility that always helped me, the good old local trains :). Quite a few improvements too, newer trains, better compartments, more automatic vending machines, and a general 'Go Clean' campaign by Mumbaikars have made the overall experience a bit better. At least if you see the change over years. Kudos to these guys!

So did you celebrate Independence day?

2009-09-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, Celebrate. Did you? I don't quite think so. Maybe you went to a function . A flag hoisting ceremony. Or maybe you just watched it on TV .

But this year, we celebrated Independence Day. Celebrated our independence. Remembered the people who worked for it. Celebrated India. And I must say I felt ecstatic. Thanks to a wonderful party hosted at the Deshwal residence, I must say that it was the most wonderful Independence Day I celebrated.

A small glimpse of the decor is here . Maybe after seeing it, this read will be a bit more interesting.

So here's what the party was all about. The tricolor being the theme of the evening. Everything , from balloons to food, from drinks to dresses , symbolizing the tiranga. People coming in in traditional dresses, all decorations with an 'India' theme, participating in an 'India' quiz (which in itself was quite interesting and informative), having Indian food, drinks (again all in the tricolor theme) was something that made the independence day memorable.

And that's where I personally think, that something is not right. This independence day was much better than singing an anthem whose meaning I don't know, listening to a speech by someone which I find boring, honor the flag for exactly 5 minutes before distracting your attention to 'Samose kahaan hai?' . This gave me a proud feeling of being Indian, wearing my country's colors, listening to old and new patriotic songs (there are some very nice patriotic songs in the recent era) remembering the good people who have brought us independence and got us to this point, and above all, felt like, I was one amongst the one billion of us who were part of this celebration.

This is something I personally believe in, doing something with your full heart, and not because you are 'supposed' to do it. As they call it, 'Direct Dil Se'. This year's independence day party was indeed a memorable one.

< A small disclaimer: Before you think that this post was mistimed :), must say that I have been too busy and hence the delay in posting this one- I did start writing this one on Aug 16 >

An evening with Kailash Kher..

2009-08-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

This one is one of my personal, or as I like to use the terms, senti-mental blogs . A blog which just pens down the thoughts that went through my mind at this moment. A blog that is written without ever pressing the backspace key

I went to a Kailash Kher Concert in Redwood City today . I will not say that I am a very big fan of Kailash Kher, although Allah ke Bande and the overall Sufi flavor of his music typically entice me . But today, it wasn't just the music that I was enticed with.

In this life full of joys, sorrows, problems, solutions, decisions and so many things to do, sometimes you feel

"What is this life if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare "

And sometimes, that's what happens. Suddenly, a moment comes when you feel ecstatic. Although all the issues in your life remain where they are, you just feel happiness about being there.

And some of the things that happened

-Kailash Kher singing really well, I must say I was enjoying and he and his troupe were quite nice

-The songs and the Sufi flavor to it, which give you this amazing soothing experience

-A gathering of Indians from different parts of the bay to see the concert. It might seem funny, but when I see these guys, I feel a strange sense of brotherhood. Somewhere, I feel that we all came here on the same ship, and when I see them , I remember that we had started this voyage together. Interesting today, was that I saw a face in the crowd of someone who had come to USC on the same day as I did

-Some really sweet and cute kids. And interestingly, they also seemed to enjoy the atmosphere as people were dancing , singing and having fun. It felt so heavenly to see the joy on their faces. So innocent and pure.

-And finally, a feeling of Dance like no one's watching. Reminded me of the AIS parties while at USC. When you danced without any kind of steps or rhythm, the only purpose of the dance would be to make you feel happy

I have always thought that your goal of life should be to maximise the moments over your entire life when you absolutely feel happy and ecstatic. Guess today was one of them . Thanks Kailash Kher. Thanks , my fellow-expatriate Indians in San Francisco. and thanks to C and R for being really nice companions for the evening :)

By the way guys...if you like my blog, you can follow this blog , would be nice encouragement for me as well.

Save Energy, Go Green

2009-07-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

So we hear this everyday. We all think that we want to make our planet a little bit better, but then, do we really contribute to it? Or do we actually take care that we don't contribute to it's continuous exploitation. Some months back, an email on the Oracle Indians list sparked off a series of suggestions, which I would want to compile and put in here. These are extremely simple things that you can do, and just do your bit towards the planet .

1.Carpool/Vanpool to work. (Saves gas, time (due to carpool lane), driving effort and car maintenance costs ). Vanpools also get subsidies from most major companies

2.Use compact Fluoroscent lamps (CFLs) instead of normal ones

3.Use the Biocompostables Biodegradable Biocompostables Biodegradable Food Service and Packaging Disposables. http://worldcentric.org/bio/index.htm>

4.Stop use of bottled water completely.

5.Use a bottle and a mug in office to avoid wastage of paper cups and plastic bottles

6.Switch off your monitor when leaving office. It’ll definitely save more energy than having it go to sleep mode

7.Make sure to turn off the lights in the conference rooms once the meeting is over.

8.Sign up for e-statements and paperless bills for banks/financial institutions/payroll.

9.Sign up at donotcall.gov and donotmail.org to opt out of pre-approved offers (spam)

10.Do not throw cans or bottles into dustbins if there’s no recycle bin around your cube. Accumulate them, take a walk to your pantry and dispose them in the correct bin. Same holds for unused paper as well

11.Always Prefer to print both sided

12.Keep a rack to save cover sheets on your office line printer. The paper can then be picked up by people to be used for rough work

A similar (and really nice) list can also be found here . It's our planet. Let's do our bit.

If you have some interesting suggestions, comment/email/IM me and I'll add it to the list.

The evolution of the Television

2009-07-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Note: this post is a long one, I decided to write it in 2 parts. If you have interesting comments or suggestions, let me know and I'll incorporate them too

Thanks for your responses to the previous post! Comments are really encouraging and nice to read!

And of course this gives me an increased enthusiasm to write about the second entity in this series, the television , which over a period of time has had it's time as the intelligent box and the idiot box.

Perhaps this blog post is also fitting because of 2 more things, first , 25 years of Hum Log , which according to me was the symbol of the TV becoming popular in the early eighties. Though, I don't have any memories of that time, I have heard from my mom how this show used to be so famous. In fact, as a school-going kid, I remember reading in Limca Book of Records (circa 1993), that Hum Log was the longest running serial till date, spanning 156 episodes, a number which seems so trivial as compared to the modern era. The second thing, well, let me come to it at the end of the post.

I remember the first TV in our house. A Black and White TV, with no channels. Yes you got it right. It had 2 things on it. A power button and a volume control knob. Just turn it on, it would show DD-1. I always felt envious, because my uncle's place had this extra 2nd channel ( which over the years became popular as DD Metro) . But then, there was a value for this one channel. Every thing that came on this TV was watched with some deal of interest. It was a unique, nice experience. I still remember this popular tune and I am sure most of my readers would too. There were some soap operas that we watched with great interest and of course, you had neighbors coming in and watching TV. Serials like Wagle ki Duniya , Fauji , Circus,Magic Lamp became objects of public conversation and debate and ignorance about them was a taboo at school . Chitrahaar and Chaayageet were perhaps the only source of watching hindi songs on video, and I remember that they typically came up with songs that no one wanted to listen :) . And how could you forget the Hindi movie on Sunday (which moved to Saturday some time), a movie with no commercial breaks and a proper 20 minute interval for Mom to quickly cook some nice snacks for us and give the impression of watching a movie in the theater. Of all movies seen till date, the greatest value must be for those movies that we watched.

The first stint at cable television was when a few operators started telecasting movies in the afternoon, evening and night. It was a new experience. For some years, my parents were against the idea because it would distract us from our studies, but guess they gave in eventually . The concept was really really unique. Cable operators used to print out monthly brochures with movie listings. Cable operators were branded from good to bad depending upon the new movies they telecast. I did have a dream sometime that if I ever did this job, I would do it so much better :) .

The advent of the satellite world came about somewhere in 91-92, starting with 4 channels, MTV, BBC, Prime Sports ( the predecessor to Star Sports) and Star Plus. It was nice and interesting. First, the concept of a 24 hr channel. The feeling that when you turn on the TV at 11 pm, you see something else but those 7 stripes of DD National . Personally, I became a fan of Prime Sports in 1992 during the world cup. For the first time you could see high quality graphics, never-ending stats trivia, and a quality of commentators which was big relief from the Ravi Chaturvedi's and others on Doordarshan. I remember getting up at 3,4,5 am to see matches. It's still a wonderful memory, and I am glad that I could see it then.

The first big revolution in Indian satellite television came with the advent of Zee TV . It was a really pleasant change over the low-quality Doordarshan, in a lot of senses, be it transmission quality, quality of programs, to the way serials were promoted. This phase saw the evolution of commercial breaks and repeat telecasts, things which were new innovations over state-owned television. It also marked the beginning of game shows which were otherwise unheard of on Doordarshan except in the form of academic quizzes which did not quite appeal to the common masses. Game shows like Saanp Seedi and Antakshari became popular, and with this came the introduction of post cards and competition post cards, a kind of pre-cursor to SMS voting today. Those days, all programs would have lucky draws in which someone would select a post card out of a huge bunch.

The next big revolution came with Star Plus going Desi, with the introduction of two revolutionary players in Indian Television Industry (coincidentally they were launched on the same day ), Kaun Banega Crorepati and Kyunki. KBC, armed with the big B, an amount of cash which seemed unbelievable and a concept yet-so-simple that anyone could understand and play with it, was the one that of course enjoyed the opening glitz . In fact for months, all 4 slots of KBC remained the top 4 in the TRP ratings. It became an element of social change, with people suddenly trying to apply general knowledge. I mean for years, quizzes like Cross Fire, Bournvita Quiz Contest had remained limited to the educated and the scholarly masses. This was one program where the common man could imagine himself sitting on the hot seat with Amitabh Bachchan and winning a Crore rupees. Unbelievable.

Spin-offs and competitors soon followed, the most infamous of them being Anupam Kher and Manisha Koirala anchoring an otherwise useless show named 'Sawaal Dus Crore Ka', which was really a comedy show and nothing else .

The evolution of the Computer

2009-06-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

This particular blog type is going to span 3 entities, which I think have evolved during my growing years. - The computer, the television and the phone. and I assure it's going to be an interesting read. The time when each of the posts will come will of course depend on my enthusiasm, as of my readers :)

I still remember my first computer- I was lucky to be in the 2nd standard, when we got a computer at home. It was very very expensive, my mother took it on a loan that would take 8 years to pay (:p), but on a cost-benefit analysis, it was more beneficial to her business [ before that, she used to contract a small computer services for the same]

The specification: 80286 box with maybe 8 or 32 mb of disk space [ yes not RAM, this was about the total disk space] . It ran DOS and the first thing I remember was that DOS prompt which said c:\> . For about 2 years, we used the computer as instructed on a sheet of paper by the engineer who came. I remember that he was no unprofessional that he would sit with a Marathi newspaper crossword when he came, and he would run something, get back to his crossword and then look at the computer after he solved the clue. Perhaps the pre-cursor to people using twitter at their workplace :) .

After a while, Ami took her first computer course [ I was in 6th standard then], and I learnt commands like cd,md,rd, and most important copy con . I was so thrilled by the idea of typing and creating my file, and in the hey days of Kapil Dev, came across a news article which listed all of his 431 wickets [ I was in 7th or 8th standard then], I went through the tedious process of creating a file which listed all of them using copy con. The limitations, if you made a mistake in one line, just redo the whole file . But somehow, it didn't seem tedious since you had never heard of better tools. I mean, even though, you could not correct your mistakes, this was a hundred times better than a typewriter...wouldn't you agree?

And so I did that. Then we made an upgrade. The newer computer was so fast, an 80386 box after all!!!!! It seemed faster, simply because when you typed a command in DOS, it would respond immediately as opposed to the 286. Yes, this was it- a 'fast' computer.

Those days were funny. Funny in the sense how a 3rd grader would respond to someone telling , there's a virus on the computer. My sister Ami was in 7th then, and she was learning about viruses in bio, as microscopic organisms. I remember that once my cousin brought a game on a floppy and it infected the computer with a virus. I had this strange feeling that micro-organisms would crawl out of the floppy disk as I put that in my hand :)

The world of the multimedia/windows was introduced to us by a guy called Manjeet at Tangerine store (Compaq). One visit there, and the world seemed changed. Color monitors, using a mouse, pictures, photos, encyclopedias, I just felt that if I could get that computer , I could just live doing things on it for the rest of my life. And so, after some thinking, Pappa decided to get one for us. It was 486 [which meant super-fast], ran windows 3.1, and it was just so much fun. The Encarta Encyclopedia had a Cheetah video and we must have showed it to everyone who came to our place . Well- yes, people came to our place to see the multimedia computer :)

And then came the internet. A shell account. 500 rupees for 500 hours plus a huge phone bill. It's interesting how in those days [ I was in 9th standard], having no knowledge of 'shell' or 'tcpip' we would tell people, 'Oh, tcpip accounts are too expensive, shell accounts are cheap and pretty good to use'. A shared mailbox between me and my sister, a chat client, and most importantly, the fact that we could send an e-mail to anyone in the world FREE!!! Perhaps seemed too good to be true. Mom made me call VSNL and confirm that we would not be charged for emails sent to the US :).

I sometimes feel lucky at having seen this wonderful process. Having lived in a world without computers makes you aware of the importance. I still feel great when I open up a chat window and chat to someone on the other side of the globe.

New and Improved 'Life n Times'

2009-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Reminiscences of a desi guy's first days in Uncle Sam's land

I was just about settling in Uncle Sam's land. It had been barely 2 weeks that I was away from my homeland, and each day getting to be a learning experience in this "new world". I was to travel to an airport first time since I came here.To begin with, I had an option of spending 15 dollars to go to the airport by shuttle, or to "just" change 3 buses and reach the airport. The importance of money at that moment, and the ease of bus travel as described by some seniors made me go for the latter, and what followed was an adventure I'll remember all my life.

So, here's how you would do it, they said. Go to this nice website, and it'll give you which buses to take from where and it'll get you to the airport without any hassle. Perfect plan, and money-saving too, so with a printout and a small bag, I left home, hoping to complete my 3 bus voyage and reach the airport. The first instruction said, go to the NW corner of Hoover and 28th Street.

I reached the intersection, so far so good, but then, how would you find the NW direction? It's something you would have never given a thought to.But then , you had to figure it out. At 9 30 am in the morning, and without a single soul on the street, I realized that the only way to resolve this might be to look at the sun. Interestingly enough,the trick worked, and I could figure it out. Caught the first leg of my itinerary , and got down at the next stop.

This time, I again had to find a particular corner, but wasn't so fortunate this time round. It was almost noon, and the Sun was right above me! With no other way out, I was thinking at what could be possibly done here. At a distance, I saw a board:

SOUTH 101 -------------->

This, probably, was a "godsend", and with a smile on my face, I immediately began to calculate north, east and west. The curve on my face soon reversed, as I suddenly saw another board, which said:

^
|
|
NORTH 101
|
|

And, all my calculations became irrelevant. It was an amazing bit of luck and skill which eventually took me to the airport.Though, i realized on the way, that the bus drivers were quite reminiscent of the conductors in BEST buses of Mumbai, always insisting( read forcing) for 'Sutte Paise' (Exact Change). Here too, the driver told me, you either put the exact change, because otherwise you will not get no money back . For starters, I took a bit to understand the American grammar interpretation of this sentence.As you might know, 2 negatives do make a positive, but the Americans don't care, I thought.

And then I had my first dash with the airlines here, and it was quite surprising to see the kind of ways people could use to save money. In true 'Water No Ice' tradition, I asked the air hostess to serve me a juice without the ice that was supposed to be the main ingredient instead of the juice. However, keeping up their reputation, I was served exactly 1/3rd glass of juice, the air hostess implying that she knew precisely how to handle people like me ;) . Thus, after an amazing voyage, I finally reached Phoenix. I guess the journey was much much more memorable than the destination itself

It's interesting how the first few days, though difficult and uncertain, eventually turn out to be the most precious memoirs of your life. Little things, like learning to save money, like making new friends at 3 am in the night, like teaching your mother to use the computer while chatting on MSN, with things like 'There'll be an icon that looks like this to the left of the screen', like meeting new people like you who are roaming around in campus with a small plastic bag, a map, and the wish in everyone's eyes to 'make it'.

And then, all the firsts, the first time you got a job by yourself, the first paycheck, even if it was for 7 dollars an hour, the first "raise" (so what if it was just 25 cents),the first time you took a girl out for coffee ,the first time you celebrated a night out with friends, the first time you felt that your family hadn't called you for some days, and they are now probably used to your absence , the first time you went to Artesia and got a taste of what good life in US might be like, the first time you borrowed a camera to take pictures of your University and send them back home.

It's been five years that I have been in the US of A. At times, it seems I just came a day ago, and at times it seems ages have passed! It's the most amazing time I have had though.

Ever felt a shock?

2009-04-18T02:13:00.000-07:00

With the advent and subsequent popularity of reality shows and contests in India, I have started to believe that most people consider these as a part of their lives. I am not a very big fan of these shows, but I saw two videos which just gave me this enormous sense of happiness.

Kamlesh Patel

Susan Boyle

Sometimes, when you think, that oh, I have been unsuccessful in life, or oh, well I really don't know what I am doing in life, maybe watching this video will make you realize.

Too many things to say, but maybe the emotions are not getting translated to words.....I leave it to you guys to add words for these :)

Life n Times...

2009-03-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

No, actually, if you were a regular reader of the Life n Times , it's not one of those. It's just a small sum up of how life is going on at this point.

Yesterday, while speaking to K , I suddenly felt a deep desire within myself to do some things I like, I love to do. One amongst them, being penning down my thoughts without pressing the backspace key. Be it fun, amusement, happiness, fear, grief, anger, or just that 'whatever' kind of emotion, I felt it could come across.

For now, I think the emotion would be happiness. I was thinking as to how this word has had different meanings for me all my life. When I was 4, it used to be a cadbary chocolate that my Grand Mom used to bring for me. When I was 9, it used to be that Best Student shield, that I felt I won with so much effort. When I was 17, it meant the admission to my desired Engg College. When I was 25, it meant that job that I so much so much wanted. But then, it struck me.

Probably, it looked so much big, when it was not with me. Same with things I could not get in life. Always thought that life would be just wonderful, if I had them. And then, I thought of the wonderful things I had got, sometimes unexpected, and that moment of happiness which was just so heavenly. Like that email from the Qualcomm HR informing me of my first ever internship. Like the look on Mom's face when she saw me after one and a half years ( in 2004, and in an hour, she was crying and telling me, you have matured now, I am so happy for you). Like that wonderful feeling you get when you remember your old days ( and nights) spent at Leavey library.

A wise person told me once, that Happiness is just a state of mind. I somehow agree to it, but cannot quite follow it with a lot of heart. Maybe, it's time for a change [Obama ishtyle]. But yes, due to a lot of events in my life, I started thinking that I need to live for today. For the moment. Each day. Every night, if I start counting all the things I did today for which I feel happy, ecstatic about, I find that sometimes I don't even find one. And maybe that's where the change needs to come. Hopefully it will :)

Pakistan media reaction

2009-03-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

I believe for a while there has been a discussion about the increasing role of the media in today's society, which came to light a lot more during the 26/11 attacks in Bombay. This article from Greatbong gives a good summary of things, and this is an old post about how the media doesn't seem to find even decent articles.

There could be criticisms for the media to be over-intrusive, using people's emotions to increase their TRP, and compromising security details during the blasts, but still it was just to a level where we could just 'criticize' them. Say that, 'Please don't do such a thing'.

Till, Priyendra sent me these videos yesterday. And you suddenly went, "Hello???" or, more succinctly " What the ....? "

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Watch the videos and you'll know what I am talking about.

I have always had a habit of reading non-fictional stuff, and read up history and try to figure out why and how is it different from the history we were taught. For example , a lot of good things that Mohammad Ali Jinnah did, were conveniently skipped in our textbooks, and so were the actions of Congress in a number of sensitive issues. I think it does make sense up to a certain extent that sometimes the news channels /history books will be a bit biased towards their country or in particular about their beliefs.

However, these videos, which according to me reflect some extremely irresponsible and without any kind of evidence supporting their claim, on National TV came as a big surprise to me. For whatever reason, I don't believe that journalists can't be this biased.

A trip to Gujarat - and some thoughts

2008-12-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

As a part of my India trip, I went to Gujarat, first to Bhavnagar and then to a place called Palitana which is one of the holiest spots for Jains. For non-Jains, a brief background . Palitana is considered to be a place where a large number of Tirthankers attained Moksh (or Nirvana). It's a hill with about 3800 steps, and it is considered to be a good deed to climb up and down ( by yourself or in a 'doli' lifted by 2-4 people) once. The tougher things to do are to do this 7 times in 2 days without food , and also to do this 99 times in your lifetime ( Called 99 jatra).There are about 863 temples in Palitana. Every time I go there, there are always plans to build some more, or to build some 'upashrays' for Jain monks and nuns.

As I started the journey this time, I had something in my mind. I have always seen small children ( mostly under the age of 14) working as small time labourers here. Typically, their job is to carry a bottle of water, or a carry bag for all these 3800 steps. All this is for an extremely paltry sum. I started off with some money in my pocket, and kept handing over 50 Rupee notes to any such child I found on the hill. When I gave it to a girl for the very first time, I saw a twinkle in her eyes. She was very surprised, even thought I would ask her to carry some luggage, but she then smiled and looked so happy. The first thing, that came to my mind, was the Master Card commercial. It might sound funny, but this is precisely what i thought

Trip to Palitana: xx Rs.
Cost of staying there: yy Rs
The price the girl gets for carrying that bottle up 3800 steps: zz Rs.

The look in her eyes when she actually felt someone was doing good for her: Priceless :):)

And that's when it struck me. There's probably more 'punya' in helping people in need than to build a temple in an area which already has so many temples that no one ever manages to visit each one of them. Even more so, I am sure that if there is God, He would be more happy to see the betterment of living beings, rather than a blind following of religion. I would personally prefer that the next time I give a donation it goes towards building a school instead of a temple. Education, awareness, health facilities , is the key to a better society and a better world for all.

I am not an atheist. I do believe in God, because I feel that is something that propels me to do good, whose fear stops me from doing bad, and something on which my hope rests in a time of crisis. But then, I do not believe in following things blindly. Thanks to some very noble and educated people at Jain Centers in the US, I have known things about religion in the correct way. And the belief, that it does not make sense if you know every verse of every sutra by heart, unless you know the underlying meaning, and you understand and accept it. Like, how many of us know, that Jainism believes that the earth is not spherical ( as scientifically proved) but more close to a flat earth . A fact which is obviously not correct. Or the belief that the Tirthankers have existed for millions of years, which is again a contradiction to the scientifically known fact that human civilization has not existed for more than 5,500 years?

There are various teachings of Lord Mahavir which are quite correct, like non-killing of animals, non-violence etc. But, some teachings might not have been correct. The problem though is, that as a part of his teachings, it was almost a sin to change even the pronunciation of any line of any sutra [ For Jains, this is one of the things for which you beg forgiveness in Pratikaman], and the teachings were carried over for generations ( about 500 years) before people got together and documented them correctly. And hence, no one has ever tried to change or challenge it. And that's where we are not going correct. Maybe I'll get my elders to think on this :)

[A small disclaimer:I personally believe that good/social work should not be publicized. The only reason why I wrote about that girl is because I think that this might inspire more people to do good. If you believe that that deed was good, do it yourself the next time on]

One more thing is, when you give money to a disabled person/child , don't give a rupee or 2. Give the person 10 rupees. Why, you'll ask? Don't you complain to your boss about inflation/rising prices/bad economy ? That's why.

Reflections of India

2008-12-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

And again, it's been some days since I have been home, this time though in a more sombre mood than I expected.And yet again, there comes a time when I reflect my thoughts on what has changed. A view of a home from a son who's come here after a long hiatus.

The last week has been one of the most important weeks in the history of this city, second only to the 1992 riots ( this is about all the incidents I have seen in my lifetime). The mood has been one of anger, frustration, but most importantly, awareness.Hopefully, this awareness gives way to a more concerned Mumbaikar.

It was quite emotional a journey when I flew in to Bombay. I was going to leave Thursday morning, and it was Wednesday morning in the US when the whole series of events unfolded. As we passed through a day , which was difficult, news pouring in, images of VT station sending down chills, it was time to go home. Someone even asked me if I would want to go to Bombay in such a situation (Corporates sent out a travel warning to all their employees to avoid travel to India in these circumstances). To which the answer was, I am going home and that's it.

Finally, I reached Bombay, where I found that it was business as usual for most people. Except that there was a rush of public anger towards the politicians, and with media support, the politicians were brought down with a zeal that I have not seen in years.The only fear I have is that people should not forget these scars as soon as the next season if IPL begins.I strongly recommend people to read Greatbong's blog for quite a nice insight into the blasts, events surrounding it, and the way forward.

But again, coming into Bombay, things have changed so much ( as they always do, if you miss it for a year). The one change that is constant over the last few years, is the awareness and involvement of youth in activities conducive to the overall development of this city. Like the countless signs that have suddenly sprung up to keep the city clean. Or the movement to almost completely stop use of plastic bags. Somewhere, something is happening. Slow but steady progress. Go Mumbai!

Of course, some things are getting worse. The traffic situation is the perfect example. Fueled by an ever-growing richer class, and car prices dropping, coupled with the growing acceptance of people to Easy-Monthly-Installments and Credit-Card schemes only means more and more cars. And with space at a big premium, the traffic situation doesn't look to improve. Maybe you feel it more, if you come from the US, but again, a place where something needs to be done.

A video you have to watch

2008-11-01T02:14:00.000-07:00

Just watch this video

And if you are as touched as I am, just obey the message at the end.

How a superstition is born

2008-10-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried to look this up on google, but did not find this. This whole story was told by a teacher who taught me history long time back in school. Shubha teacher, I hope you would be reading this :) Of course, I have added some American spice to it, but the main theme of the story is what I find most fascinating.

In a remote village somewhere in India, there lived a priest. He was very learned, and people respected him a lot. One day, he found a cat stray into his yard. He decides to pet it, and keeps it in his house.

Every morning, the priest performs a Pooja,lights a small diya, and chants his mantras with utmost concentration. The cat, unknowingly moves around in his setting, thus disturbing the priest. The priest tries to pacify the cat and move it away, but this thing keeps happening again and again, and the priest gets annoyed.

The priest decides that while doing the Pooja, he should tie the cat to a pole nearby, so that the cat does not interfere. It works, and the priest is happy. This thing goes on for years. The priest's son, who has seen this happening everyday, now grows up and becomes a priest himself.

One day, the priest dies, and his son takes over all his duties and responsibilities. Now, he too performs the Pooja, and exactly as his father did, he ties the cat to the pole while performing the Pooja. His son, now small, sees this and wonders why, but does not ask. He grows up too and becomes a priest, and takes over from his father after he dies.

What's interesting, is that the first priest's grandson, has really no idea why the cat needs to be tied, and the cat, now old, is still tied during the Pooja. One day, the cat dies.

Guess what?

The priest's grandson, now brings home another cat,and ties it to the same pole, and performs the Pooja. After all, you can't perform the Pooja without tying the cat, can you ?

Centuries later, at an Indian center somewhere in the United States, 2 students in their twenties discuss

"Man, everything done for the Pooja ? "

"Yeah, got everything, but couldn't manage the cat"

"Oh No! This is the tradition, man, this Pooja has never been performed without tying a cat to the pole.That's how it has been done ever since the beginning of time. We'll be committing a big sin if we don't follow this tradition, and of course, the community will not like it too. We absolutely have to get a cat from somewhere. The Pooja will not be complete without it. And I don't want someone to say, that just because we are in the US, we have forgotten our Indian traditions"

Indeed. Amen.

A Wednesday to remember

2008-09-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Saw A Wednesday last week. I know that people have had different reviews about the movie, but as far as I am concerned, I found the movie very well made and interesting.

To start off with, I think the last 10 years, we have seen a lot of off beat movies, breaking the standard formula of a hindi movie, and violating the basic rules associated with every commercial hindi film , if you wanted it to be a hit. Basic rules , like that every Hindi film should have a hero and heroine, at least 5 songs ( including one around the trees), an emotional mother, an evil villian, and all that masala without which a film would be considered not-so-good for the commercial front.

Be it Black, Traffic Signal, Shwaas, Mr and Mrs Iyer, all these movies and plus their success speaks a lot about the change in attitude of movie makers and movie watchers, and I think is a very positive step.

Be warned, that reading further reveals the plot details of Wednesday, and it might not be very good to watch the movie if you already know the plot

The film looks like a typical ransom drama, with Naseruddin Shah chalking out a systematic plot of planting bombs in the city, monitoring police movements, and asking them to release prisoners, in exchange for the information about the bombs, looks similar like the plot to release Maulana Masood Azhar in exchange for IC-814 hijacking.

And, like you would expect, the police releases the terrorists, but in the most unexpected of twists, Naseeruddin shah blows up the terrorists, and it's revealed that he's just a common man, who wants to do his bit to reduce terrorism.

A simple yet powerful story. Bold and precise. No bakwaas, no masala. A film that makes you think. A film which reflects the thoughts of the common middle class educated Indian. About, what impacts his life, and the emotions that he goes through. And the difference that one man wants to make to society. Without a name, without a trace, he does his bit. A man who decided to do something other than the usual . A person who decided to risk his life and go one step forward. Would you be able to do the same?

Mumbai Meri Jaan - the review

2008-09-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

Saw Mumbai Meri Jaan last weekend with some friends. The movie is well made and has a good and fast paced story, but I guess why I liked the movie really was due to the fact it was about this city I have always loved, whose spirit I have always appreciated, and the events that are shown are some which are very close to my heart.

For those who don't know, the film covers the life of a few individuals from radically different walks of life, and how their life is suddenly affected by this fearsome and sudden event.Some good points about this movie, which I was noting on my phone as I was watching the movie

1. Powerful actors ( as opposed to mainstream film actors ) like Irfan Khan, Madhavan, Paresh rawal,Soha Ali Khan and Kay Kay. The film is so much about their individual performance as opposed to people dancing around trees and singing. In fact , this film looks like one in which the art of acting takes a front seat, and all the masala is left out. Quite a refreshing change, I must say

2. A take on the Indian media. Be it this post , or so many others, we know that the media will want to make a big story, sometimes not thinking that the people whom they are interviewing and showing are individuals who have lost their near and dear ones, and of course dramatizing everything beyond limits. The 'Rupali Bani Rudaali' episode in the film is more than a perfect example for what's going on.

3. A take on NRIs . One film that is honest but still manages to send this message out, that people living in America will complain about small things in India. And like many other films and articles, this does not over do it. Just about right.

4. A strong sense of Satire ( or Vyangya ) which is there in a lot of dialogues/acts. This gives the movie a feel of a drama as opposed to a mainstream movie. If you have been a fan of dramatics, you'll possibly appreciate this point in the movie

5. Paresh Rawal in yet another amazing performance. His act is of the normal Bombay policeman, good at heart, willing to walk with the system, and try to do the best for himself, and somewhere in the corner of his heart, he wants to see this city in peace. Also, with simple yet powerful comments ( about Hindu Muslim unity), he sends across the message in a much more effective fashion to the common man. He acts similar to the Sutradhar of this otherwise disconnected kind of storyline. And his performance, as always, was the icing on the cake.

6. Madhavan in yet another strong performance, both in terms of his role, and his acting. His love-hate relationship with the country, his dilemma whether to go to San Francisco or not ( :) ), and his beliefs and disbelief's are expressed very strongly.

7. The exceedingly popular mall culture in Bombay, and the change the city has undergone in the last decade or so.

But the best moments of the movie were towards the end, especially when the spirit of the city shows up, and the moist eyes of Madhavan, when he participates in the one minute silence in memory of the victims of the blasts, or when the song 'Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan' plays in the background, when Paresh Rawal explains his simple philosophy to Kay Kay, and his change of thinking, just makes you feel so close to the city I have always loved.

It's an amazing movie, you should watch it.

As an end note, I must say that about 2 years back, someone put a comment on my blog, incidentally to a post which was titled Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan

"Mumbaikars are somewhat pathetic. They can't even get the civic administration to fix their storm water drains. Every monsoon season it's the same story and the monsoons are far more predictable than terrorist attacks.

If Mumbaikars are hoping there would be no more terrorism they are soundly mistaken. Like a battered wife who'd rather commit suicide than stand up for her rights, they are the perfect victim."

A thought to think about. Maybe more about that coming in my next blog.

5 years

2008-08-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, like most of you who'll read this post, I am also just about to finish 5 years in this country. It's been an amazing journey of fun, courage, happy and sad moments, emotions, and above all, there are two things I would savor most out of the five years, one being the lessons in life I have learnt, and second being all the great friends and angels I have met in these 5 years.

I remember the last moment when I was about to leave my parents and cross the final line into immigration at Bombay Airport. There were a whole lot of thoughts in my mind. Will I be successful? Will I come back soon to this land? Should I just leave this flight and go back home? When will I see my parents again? Will I be able to live alone without them in a foreign land?

The only thing was, there was no one beside me to answer these questions and talk to me. No one whatsoever. And that's when it struck me. The time had come, to leave your parent's hand and go out into the world. It was time to come of age. It was time to be responsible. After a 22 hour flight ( which was full of hiccups), I landed at USC, and the feeling finally sunk in , of being in a new world.

The first few days, will be most memorable. Little things, like trying to install trillian/easymessage on the computers on Leavey to chat with your parents and friends. Like teaching Mom to use the computer while chatting on MSN, with things like 'There'll be an icon that looks like this to the left of the screen', like meeting new people like you who are roaming around in campus with a small plastic bag, a map, and the wish in everyone's eyes to 'make it'.

And then, all the firsts, the first time you got a job by yourself, the first paycheck, even if it was for 7 dollars an hour, the first raise( it was 25 cents per hour raise ;)),the first time you took a girl out for coffee (;)),the first time you celebrated a night out with friends, the first time you felt that your family hadn't called you for some days, and they are now probably used to your absence :), the first time I went to Artesia and got a taste of what good life in US might be like, the first time you borrowed a camera to take pictures of your University and send them back home.

Five years, seems unbelievable, it's the most amazing time I have had though. Thank God it happened. Thanks everyone who made my journey more memorable. All my angels, all my friends.

Whom do we support?

2008-08-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

It was 1996. The BJP had come to power, albeit for a short time, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the PM. On the 12th day, he resigned before facing a vote of confidence, which would have forced him to resign anyway. But before that, he gave a speech, and a speech that made me a fan of this guy .

1998. In the middle of a coalition crisis, AB Vajpayee announces Pokharan 2. I am not sure if I am a supporter of nuclear weapons or not, but surely this was the most powerful political move I had seen till that point in my life. Finally, we had a leader who had a powerful answer to everything. The Kargil conflict, the IC-814 hijacking, and the negotiations of the nuclear weapons deal with the western world and the UN, all and all, we still supported this guy and his party. For some reason, there was something about them,maybe it was their powerful oratorship of these leaders, Vajpayee, Pramod Mahajan, Jasvant Singh or Brijesh Mishra, or maybe it was just the fact that we found these leaders to be wise and intelligent, and most importantly,they laid emphasis on things that needed it, not like . this (thanks Animesh for pointing the broken link),or maybe it was just the personna which would always make me a fan of the team which I thought would lead India into the 21st century.

But today, everyone looks useless. Be it the Congress wholesome support of reservations for SC/ST/OBC, or the BJP's vehement opposition to the nuclear deal( which I am sure they would have signed if they were in power, and the Congress would have opposed it),and of course the left, who seriously look to have no business than to threaten to bring down the government. And with events like these , the credibility of the the BJP keeps going down by the day.

Maybe it's time for some retrospection. Or to support someone like an political party started by educated people . Or maybe we need someone like this . I wish I was strong enough to do something like that. But that's what the problem is. Everyone knows that politics is a dirty gutter, but no one wants to clean it.

Somewhere in between?

2008-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

I realized today, while writing an email to someone, that I am now somewhere in between someone born and brought up in the US and somewhere who's come from India fresh? Oh, I know what comes to your mind after reading this. He's going NRIsh, he's going into the
x +1 syndrome, and he's going to stay in the US forever.

No. Not quite. In fact, I have found that most people who go back are the people who have understood the difference in depth . So what's the big change?

I think it's about getting the best of both. I remember a dialogue from Hyderabad Blues as also one from Swades, both of which give a common message, which is, if you have got a chance to compare two cultures and take the best of both, there's nothing wrong with it. There are some really good things that the US has taught me, some of which I found out during my last India visit , and I saw that people around me were so surprised that it worked in India. For example, I have developed a habit of addressing everyone in India, be it a govt official or the smallest peon as 'Aap'. I found that people feel good , and work gets done easily. Or maybe just greeting the next guy on the road with a 'Good Morning' or 'Have a Nice Day'. Similarly, sometimes you find that the Indian culture of offering someone sweets or good food from your plate sometimes leaves Americans surprised but happy.

I sometimes feel glad that I got this opportunity, and in my case, I got some really lovely people who taught me nice things , to be remembered for a lifetime. Thank you all!

The Devil's Calendar

2008-04-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

What's happened to the Indian media?

2008-04-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be less text and more pictures ( as they say, worth a thousand words)-

It's just that the last few weeks, I have been receiving quite a few emails on the kind of news coverage by television channels, and I have been no less than shocked. I remember an old post about the Times of India just trying to sensationalize news stories that was not really needed.

The new series however, is much more useless, and makes us think , what happened to the big media revolution in India, where are the Barkha Datts and the Rajdeep Sardesais

To start with, the picture above and to the left, how interestingly titled 'Commissioner ka Kutta'. Apparently, these people were tracking when and how he was lost, where he was found...Wow, too much of time.

Then of course, Ami sent me the following gems

When Teji Bacchan passed away, they showed some pictures where Aishwarya has her hand placed on Abhishek's shoulder. and the breaking news flash went "Aishwarya ne apna farz nibhaaya" !!!

When there were reports that Aamir Khan had an alleged love child Jaan with British writer Jessica Hines, the channel through the day, compared Aamir Khan's childhood pics from the movie 'Yaadon ki Baarat" with Jaan's pics in an attempt to prove it!

And no, it does not end here. In fact the best one of the lot was the 'Maa Tujhe Salaam' by Aaj Tak, which is by far the most stupid piece of television journalism I have ever seen

Looking Back or Moving Forward

2008-01-21T23:52:00.000-08:00

It's always interesting which way you look at life. Half full or Half empty. In the past or into the future. Thank God for this wonderful existence He has given you or complain to him about all those things you did not get. Repent on your mistakes or learn to not make them again.

It's interesting how you always promise yourself to be optimistic, but ironically, you just wish you weren't pessimistic sometime back, thereby breaking your promise.In a discussion I had with my roommate, I realized that at every step of life, I looked for a newer horizon, but when I reached it, there was a new horizon in place, and I was again working hard towards it.

I remember a good advice that an old friend gave me, he was like, when you think that right now you don't have all the things you want in life, go back 10 years and remember those things , which you felt you abs wanted at that stage in your life. Suddenly, you'll feel those things were so trivial. Maybe, 10 years down the line , you'll think the same about today. The truth is that life goes on. As is said in castaway, whatever happens, the sun will rise the next day- and thats how I believe it has always been. Challenges, Victories, ups, downs all come and go, and they do affect your life, but maybe not as much as you think they would. The problem is , that this is what your brain says. The heart will always say something else :)

But then, one thing I have learnt, and will stand by , is to live every day and every moment. Ask yourself, if you made a difference today, if you didn't , it's time to make an effort tomorrow. Soon, you'll come to know that it counts.

I know what you are thinking. Yeh to senti/philo ho gaya hai. Not quite. But sometime it's good to give your emotions a vent .

This Modern Life....

2007-12-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

This one is taken from wellingtongrey.net . Found it quite amusing. The picture is enough to convey what I mean to say

Definitely my life is like this. I wish it wasn't ;)

Note: Picture used with permission from origina author Wellington Grey
www.WellingtonGrey.net

A good entertainer

2007-11-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

We've seen quite a good and bad movies in the last couple of years. Many classics of the likes of rang de basanti and lage raho munnabhai to absolute horrors like Bhool Bhulaiya . While RDB and Lage Raho Munnabhai were classics in their own respect, for some reason for a long time , we had not seen a film with an absolutely single minded focus. Entertain...

That's where I liked Om Shanti Om . A film with an average to good story line, but then, it kept the audiences entertained for 2.5 hours. Witty scenes, good music, decent storyline, good performances, and above all good wholesome entertainment. Even if it meant getting so many guest appearances . It was a movie that we all felt good after seeing it. In general, there was not a phase in the film where the movie went like ,'Oh, when will this end'. Performances of most actors were mostly good, but the best I would like is the variety of guest appearances and the way they were put in there(esp Abhishek Bachchan). For those you are yet to see the movie, try to lip read Abhishek Bachchan in the awards function ;).

A good movie to start the year with. Oh yes, Happy Diwali and Happy new year to all you folks.

Bhool = Mistake - Bhulaiyya = forgettable

2007-10-20T01:53:00.001-07:00

Yes,I know that forgettable is not the literal meaning of the word. It is however the appropriate word to be used for the movie. Sometimes you feel that a film was not all that good, or maybe you did not like it because your expectations were too high. Bhool Bhulaiya does fall under that category, however , there's nothing really nice about the movie.

A terrible plot (involving the ghost and havans and all), led by a pretty pathetic acting by Shiny Ahuja, and mediocre performances by everyone else.Akshay Kumar's acting is good, but does not get a chance to really do any kind of good stuff. To top it all, songs are thrown anywhere, making the movie all the more boring. It's interesting that there was a half an hour interval, in which the trailers provided some good relief

But the most disappointing part of this Priyadarshan movie, was that Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, both of whom I expected to have some good funny scenes, did not have almost any funny scenes or dialogues. Since Hera Pheri, it has become almost an unwritten rule that a Priyadarshan comedy with Paresh Rawal in it, will have some really intelligent and witty stuff from Paresh Rawal. Rajpal Yadav hardly has any role and absolutely no comedy scenes as we have seen in his earlier movies like hungama.

And with random things about ghosts, random characters (Vikram Gokhale at the end) thrown in , you really doubt how coult Priyadarshan make such a movie . Wikipedia did give me one answer

The film began shooting on February 18, 2007 for a 41-day schedule at Jaipur, India and released on October 12, 2007.

A film made in 41 days. Looks like they did not have a story writer and made up the story over the 41 days.

All and all - disappointing. It's not a waste of just 100 rupees or 10 dollars. It's a waste of 3 hours of your life.

Slow Down Culture

2007-09-13T19:42:00.001-07:00

I got a forward the other day- but I liked it quite a lot. I could not trace the author of this one , but it's a must read
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slow Down Culture . . .

by a Concerned citizen of this Universe

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's
a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a
need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate,
hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive
early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything,
either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied,
"Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think
so? Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their
food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for
as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week. Basically, the movement questions
the sense of "hurry" and craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the quality
of being".

French people, even though they work only 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 29 hour workweeks and
have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do
it now!". This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality,
perfection, with more attention to detail and less stress. It means reducing rejects and wastage. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free
and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous future. It means taking
humans' essential values, the simplicity of living. It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where
humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.

It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products
and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here
any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing
to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have
equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment.

As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is particularly interesting, especially to people like us, who have been always taught to move fast in life, and those things about hard work is all it takes.Your comments are welcome.

What's in a name?

2007-08-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today, this news article on rediff.com says that the name of Bangalore has been changed to Bengaluru. Brings back memories when Bombay was renamed to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkata, Madras to Chennai, and so on and so forth.

Now is the time to ask, What's in a name? Do you suddenly feel more closer if the city is renamed to what it was called in Pre-British times? I strongly disagree. Firstly, even if the British renamed cities, it was in those times that these cities developed. The names of these cities are testimony to the good development work in those times, and not to the British Raj. Secondly, I wonder if anyone from the majority working class, cared for the official name of the city.

Then, why am I against this?Simple,more costs, more confusion, and generally more work for nothing. More work, well, I remember in Bombay, that Shiv Sena had given a deadline to all businesses to get their hoardings changed to Mumbai, or else :). So , in a city where people come to do business and make some profits out of their investment, here comes an additional cost . And of course, with everything in Bombay named after Chhatrapati Shivaji, there's this perrenial confusion of which airport to go to. In fact, I sometimes wonder how a foreigner will ever realise that Chhatrapati Shivaji Int'l Airport,Mumbai is the same old Sahar Airport in Bombay that he landed on many years back. But then, people are happy :). If nothing, some good amusement.Aaah!

Internet Crash ?

2007-07-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Check out this video on Youtube. It's hilarious :)

IBM branded macine guns?

2007-07-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia at it again. It's strange how you come across such interesting trivia ,

This article on Wikipedia

In particular, this piece looks the most interesting to me.

After America entered World War II, IBM played an active role in the U.S. war effort. According to the IBM archive website:

When World War II began, all IBM facilities were placed at the disposal of the U.S. government. IBM's product line expanded to include bombsights, rifles and engine parts – in all, more than three dozen major ordnance items. Thomas Watson, Sr., set a nominal one percent profit on those products and used the money to establish a fund for widows and orphans of IBM war casualties.[5]

In particular, IBM manufactured the Browning Automatic Rifle and the M1 Carbine. Allied military forces widely utilized IBM's tabulating equipment for military accounting, logistics, and other war-related purposes.

In fact,some time back there was an interesting discussion as to how most of the things related to the development of the internet were funded and supported by defence bodies, as the sole aim of them was to use them to improve their strength on the military side. I wonder sometimes what would have happened if they had used the same money for similar purposes minus the war. I guess it could have been both ways, maybe we would have had more peaceful results out of these things, maybe we would have never had these things :)

Among other news, saw the Indian Ocean concert at Hayward yesterday...It was too good.

Call center for the blind

2007-05-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

There is this interesting article on BBC news about a call center in Mumbai(Bombay) which is meant for visually challenged people only.

I find this as a good sign, because people are thinking out of the traditional app roach that blind/handicapped people are only limited to a set of jobs.( If you've seen Black , there's a very nice dialogue that Amitabh has to reflect the same). Also, I am sure that this will give them a sense of achievement, and also , an all important, making them financially self sufficient.

Most importantly though, I feel that the fact that the person at the other end does not know that they are blind, will instill a great feeling of confidence since it gets rid of the (sometimes undesired) sympathy. Kudos to the people who got this great idea to work.

Reflections of India - 2

2007-05-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

So here's the big deal. India is rich. Teenagers have more money than ever before. If not , they have a credit card. Is it just because of the economy booming?

I don't agree. It's because of a new way of life, which is more influenced by the western philosophy. More and more credit cards, more and more malls, and more are the people influenced to shop. And oh, the big 'chain' restaurants. I don't think I can generalise, but when I was in college, I would not dare to ask my dad for 100 Rs . to spend on one coffee in a 'coffee' house . And again, not that we did not spend money. But, somewhere show business has come into picture quite a lot. It's just so 'cool' to sit in cafe coffee day, and it's so 'uncool' to go to a local restaurant and have coffee. Surprising.

The positive side is, though, that it is fun. There's a lot of life which somehow was non existent. I mean, now there are umpteen places to hang out, as opposed to a very few.

And of course, cultural values have changed. It's no longer a taboo to divorce someone and move on, and as pre martial relations and teenager independence are going over the roof, the new Indian generation is breaking the shackles of that 'Humaare yahaan aisa sab nahin hota' thing. While some of it is wrong, I do believe that it's good in a way, since I would rather follow something in which I believe in rationally, than just be forced into it since I was brought up here. Maybe it needs a little bit more care.

One interesting thing I observed, which follows from one of my earlier blog posts, is that somewhere we have developed the tendency of going the 'under the table ' way, instead of going straight. Somehow every employed person who tries to do his duty, is considered 'khadoos' and the corrupt guy is considered - 'flexible aadmi hai'. I found , particularly in this visit, that most working class people will do their duties properly, if you speak politely to them( One guy was just too shocked, when I said 'Aap please zaraa yeh kar denge' ) Something, which we might have never tried, might just work . It's about giving it a shot.

This post has been badly structured, sorry for that. I just had too many thoughts, and could not organize them properly. Your comments are welcome.

Statistics of the India trip so far

2007-05-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Days spent: 16
Places visited: 3
Shopping done: Rs.25,000
Number of people who have told me that I have grown Fat : 31 ( and increasing)

Reflections of India

2007-05-07T01:53:00.000-07:00

I have come to India a good 2 years since I last came here. Also, having learnt the experiences of life in Uncle Sam's land, I have been kind of away from the way of living in India and Bombay in particular. This time, as I come back, I feel there are so many things I wanna tell everyone

Firstly, India has grown rich....For some reason, I still think of India as the one I left in 2003, which is a far cry from anything you see right now. Somehow people have all the money to spend on expensive restuarants, funky mobile phones (I want to write more about this in a separate blog), and in general, India has changed

Let me start with some things that I did not like though. The first habit being branding us guys as 'US returned' and worse terms. A simple example

We went to a resort, and food wasn't allowed inside. For some reason 3 people close to me tried to smuggle food inside the resort. On top of that, they gave the same reason(in the same words).The reason was 'Yeh ladka America se aaya hai, aur bahut Bimaar hai'. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I did not like this on several counts. First, I believe my approach has generally changes towards breaking rules. Especially if it serves little or no purpose to do so. If they don't allow food inside, it's prob to keep the park clean, and I feel that is 100% justified. And please, just because I am US returned, does not mean tht I am the most sick person and hence should get all the favours. I don't like because people do this, and then people will say, yeah America se aaya hai, khaane peene ke bahut naatak honge. All this when you really don't want it.Disheartening :).

I always stick to the philosophy that a person who goes to America is no where different from a person who does not go. It's just a matter of making a career choice, that drives a person there.

Have I changed? Maybe not. I am just 4 years behind all these people. It's they who have changed.

Yaar Main India Chala!

2007-04-27T15:10:00.001-07:00

How To Get from New York to Paris

2007-04-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Priyendra sent me this link. This is how to get from New Yor to Paris courtesy Google Maps. Check out the steps :).

The End of our Era of Cricket?

2007-03-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

As the 2007 world cup went underway, I came across this story on Cricinfo , which said that there were only 5 players surviving from the 1992 world cup to the 2007 world cup. It included Inzamam, Sachin, Lara, Jayasuria and A C Cummins who played earlier for the WI and now for Canada. Inzy has already announced his retirement and I am pretty certain that we'll not get to see the rest for the next world cup.

There's enough of nostalgia , especially , since when I started watching and following cricket seriously, all these players esp Lara, Sachin and Inzy were just starting to fire at the international scene. As a kid, I remember maintaining stats of every match of Sachin, and of course who could not be a fan of Inzy after that 60 off 37 balls that he made against New Zealand in the World Cup Semi's in 1992.

All these years, all these players have gone through ups on downs, but then, they have defined cricket for our generation. They have given their countrymen reason to cheer, reason to dance, reason to cry, and just have been an inseparable part of our lives. The time has come to bid farewell to some of the finest cricketers we have seen.

Indian Superman- a must see

2007-02-24T14:40:00.001-08:00

Alok sent me these 2 links, one of a north Indian ( or Bollywood) superman, and one of a south Indian one. It's hilarious

North Indian Superman

South Indian Superman

Munnabhai 3 is here!

2007-02-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

We saw this trailer or munnabhai 3 at naz8 yesterday.... Probably will me one more masterpiece.....The topic this time: Munnabhai Chale America....

Check out the trailer for more. Check out this article as well.

Lage Raho Munnabhai!

Revenge on Telemarketers

2007-01-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

I am sure you would have all heard these calls, saying that you have been chosen to win a grand prize, to how your name came up in their electronic lottery, or just how they can make your life so much better.....A set of steps to take your revenge on them.. ..typical tit for tat style, since they annoy us, annoy them as much as you can....

This guy probably did the best thing. Check this out. It's really hilarious..!

Other great ways to handle them :)

1. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as SINISTER of a voice as you can, "But I don't have any friends...Would you be my friend?"

2. After the telemarketer finishes speaking, ask him/her to marry you.

3. Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment, and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home hone number so you can call him/her back.

4. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

5. Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

6. Tell them that all business goes through your agent, and hand the phone to your five year old child.

7. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up...louder...louder...louder!

8. Tell them to speak very slowly because you want to write every word down.

9. If they start out with, "How are you today?", say "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems..."

10. Catch them off guard by saying in a husky voice, "What are you wearing?"

11. Cry out in surprise, "Helen, is that you? I've been hoping you'd call! How is the family?" When they insist they are not Helen, tell them to stop joking. This works especially well if the telemarketer is really male.

The Easternization of America...

2006-12-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Sounds funny? Could be the next thing on the block.

For years, we have heard about how American culture , American brands, American movies, blah blah blah have come into the Indian culture and 'westernized' India, as it is popularly called. No no, I am not saying its false...It's pretty true and we all are aware of it

More recently though, we have been exposed to a new phenomenon, which I would like calling 'Easternization'. In 3 years in the US, when you find things changing, you sometimes predict what;s going to be next. For example, in addition to all the great Hindi theaters like Naz8 ( great!!!! ?????? ), yesterday, me and nirav discovered that the Coming Soon list at AMC theaters had Babul as one of the movies listed :)

To add to that, I believe there are more Indian restaurants in Mountain View than American restaurants , and if you go to any public place, the probability of finding at least some Indians there is almost 100 %. And, in general, I find more Indians and Chinese than Americans for sure , anywhere here in San Francisco...Interesting..

With yoga, art of living, vegetarianism, etc , already popular with Americans, should we be looking at more easternization soon? I believe so. 20 years ddown the line, American kids will ask their parents tht they want to wear the fashionable Indian outfits....they' r so cooooooooooool !

How many earths do you need?

2006-11-22T00:14:00.000-08:00

Vinay Kini sent me this nice link

Basically, it asks you a series of questions, and in the end tells you that if the whole world lived like you, it would need 'x' number of earths ( which means 'x' times the exhaustible materials on the surface of the earth). Staying in a developed country, I expected myself to clock 4.3 earths, which is above normal, but then I found that many people whom I knew accounted for 10 or more ....which is sad :)

In general , if you read the questions, they tell you about potential mistakes you might be making, and how you never realised that they could be detrimental to the system .

Test yourself, and let me know how many earths did you need?

And yes, if you liked the article, try to go vegan....if not fully, upto some extent...it's good for everyone!

The Trojan...

2006-11-06T23:57:00.001-08:00

When I first came to USC in 2003, I thought, what's all this hype about Trojans and stuff. I mean, think about it, you are in a University, and in the orientation, the President says...Welcome Trojans...And ..'Fight On!' Coming from the city of Mumbai, and more importantly Vivekanand Education Socy's Inst of Technology, where discipline was the name of the game, and every such speech seemed to be simply advising you about things you really felt bored to hear...this was a pleasant , but surprising change. I mean, I always felt that the craze for cricket in India was the most overwhelming things I had ever seen, till I saw this. 80,000 people at the Coliseum, the icing on the cake....

It's intereting, that within some time of being at USC, I felt so close to this whole concept of being a Trojan, and the spirit of USC. The music of the USC marching band, is something so special to me. And USC will always live on....in the hearts of all Trojans, it was the best place ever....

I feel proud of studying in the University like USC. A university whose students have won a medal in every single Olympic games, and an Oscar in every single Award Ceremony. No other university has come close to that. In fact , in the 2004 Olympics, if USC had participated as a country, it would have come 16th :) Howzzatt!

Fight On!

This is not what a newspaper is all about

2006-10-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Times of India is carrying this article, in which it says that the rope used to hang Mohd Afzal is worth Rs. 675. ....

According to me, this news sucks, and it is not good that a reputed newspaper is printing such news.. Why? Simply, because, this is just riding on a popular news story, which is fine, but the story involves the hanging of a person. I am not really clear about whether the death penalty is good or bad to society, but at least, such news stories surrounding the hanging is not a good sign.....

Even when Dhananjay Chatterjee was executed, television serials showed interviews of the officers, the person who hung the culprit, their children...I mean...what the hell? .......Instead concentrate on bigger issues, farmers dying of starvation, people in Kashmir still struggling with their lives, corruption in big cities, and government policies. True, Mohd Afzal was big news, but then print news thats relevant and respectful....May God forgive him...

History repeats : Rang De Basanti vs Lage Raho Munnabhai

2006-09-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

The Times of India reported yesterday that Vidhu Vinod Chopra has decided to try and send Lage Raho Munnabhai as an independent entry to the Oscars, after Rang De Basanti was sent as India's official entry to the Oscars.

Interesting, isn't it? The 2 movies have lot of similarities. Both are based on historical events ( and/or characters ) , and their direct implementation in today's world, subjects which have been always untouched, and thats what made both the films unique and superhits. Having gone for both movies first day, I can positively say that people who came out of the movie halls, were overwhelmingly impressed by both....

On another note, about 75 years ago, somewhere in 1929-30, Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi were both fighting for freedom, but using different principles and paths, and that time too, it must have been difficult to decide which was the right principle, Gandhi's way of Satyagraha or the approach of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and others.......

While reading history about both these freedom fighters, I always felt that would this be possible in today's world. Both the films are the best answer and example for this. Genuinely great movies. Indian cinema has really been producing some great movies over the past few years.....I hope one of them makes it to the Oscars....

The famous USC finger fountain...

2006-09-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not sure whether the content in this entry is correct or appropriate for anyone to read, so do read it at your own risk and will :)

If you are at USC , or have been there, you may have heard of the USC finger fountain. To be more precise, let me post the picture

The interesting thing is, that while this might look like an ordinary fountain, it's peculiar shape does rise considerable doubt, and add to the fact that it is pointed in the direction of UCLA, USC's biggest rival . A rivalry which has been around for decades and generations. In fact if you just go to the USC, you'll find so many different things that point to this traditional rivalry,

This article depicts the rivalry from the UCLA side of it, and the following lines really tell you, who the better team is ;)

In front of 50,000 people at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Bruins suffered an embarrassing 76-0 loss at the hands of the Trojans. The lopsided outcome clearly showed why USC and coach Howard Jones were among the nation's elite and that UCLA was young and struggling with a program that still needed to reach puberty.

The ensuing year, the Bruins improved but still lost 52-0 to the Trojans and it seemed as though the series would end.

"In 1929 and 1930 the USC-UCLA game was like a practice game for USC," said Robert Beaver, a member of the Bruin squad from 1929-32.

For the next five years, UCLA did not play its future rivals and tried to mature as a team. The Bruins wound up 30-17-2 during that span and won a Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) title in 1935 as the men of Troy turned in a subpar 5-7 record that same year.

Anyways, no offence meant to anyone , but just something that I found really interesting...

Have fun, BTW, Thanks to everyone for their wishes

President Bush 'assassinated' in new TV docudrama

2006-09-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Check this out guys.

There's a documentary in which in the end, President Bush is assassinated..Fundoo hai :)

Forwarding the 10 cents mail - a classic dilemma

2006-09-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, most of us might have received a mail from Divya Singh working for Siemens who is in need of some advice from someone who had a particular disease her husband is suffering. Or some mail which says tht AOL will donate 1 cent for every email forwarded. Or simply enough, a mail which says that O positive blood is required, and forward to all....

What do you do on this one ? As a techie and maybe someone who explores things more than they appear, I can maybe search over the internet, and find out if that's a fraud. But what about the common man? Someone who just uses email as a medium of transmitting messages . I think it's fair to say that ...it would be okay for someone to forward such an email. Why? Simply coz even if there is 1 % chance that it is true, then it is definitely in good faith....For example, I would strongly encourage people to read the otucome of this forwarded email ..It could have been a hoax too, but it was not...Same as maybe several asking for help wrt contacts, or anything at all....

And then there are emails which says that AOL will donate 10 cents for every forward (AOL would have gone bankrupt by now :)) . But still, for someone not connected with the tech world..it might seem to be just a very good idea....and wud forward it maybe just out of doubt..

Maybe it's a good idea to search it on the internet, but if u r unsure...what should you do?

Moust on Sale..Only $9,999

2006-09-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

This one was posted on edealinfo.com today....

Check out this link

In case they change it, here's a snapshot as evidence ;)

Hrishikesh Mukherjee....Anand sab ko chhod gaye...

2006-08-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

It's one of those sad days for Indian Cinema...Veteran Filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee died today.....

It's a coincidence that some days back we saw the movie Bawarchi, one of those movies, which had that typical Hrishikesh Mukherjee touch, simplicity with a deep message....

His movies Anand, Chupke Chupke, Bawarchi..and so many more have always been a pleasure to watch, and one of my all time favorite movies....

May his soul rest in peace..

The Lull

2006-08-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I know there has been a lull in my blogging, the reason..work...and basically the fact that I have not been able to get some free time to think.
News for today:

Pluto ko ghar se nikaal diyaa gaya hai.. The poor little planet was thrown out of the solar system You can read about it here

Paryushan is on, so my diet has been reduced to eating moong and chana for the past few days..though we had dosas just before the onset of paryushan ..

I was just explaining a friend as to why the probability of an Indian guy (studying in the US) being committed is less than that of an Indian girl . One picture was quite enough reason...The picture can be found here

Life n times..when it all began..

2006-07-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is a post from one of the mails that I sent out to friends and family back home in India about my new experiences in Uncle Sam's land. Given below is just one of them, and I simply find it amusing to read this ...

"hi

well its me back again...i actually wasnt having time
to write mails..but the writer in me.....

well been to Arizona over the weekend..and met some
NRIs and some ABCDs....and was pretty eventful at tht

well..tht day i had my first exp of findin my way to
the airport by bus..

here , the system though is good u just write in the
start and end points..and u;ve a map with
directions..pretty interestin though

so i typed in the points and got this map with
directions..now the best part

this is the link for the map in case neone is
interested

http://mtaweb6.mta.net/scripts/esrimap.dll?name=trip&day=TOD&m=A&fare=RG+&min=30&hour=11&timecrit=AR&format=TABLETEXT&pOrigin=@03960%2C+08393%2C6475631%2C1833062*+S+Hoover+St+%2F+W+28th+St+90007%2C+Los+Angeles&pDestination=@03502%2C+08015%2C6437906%2C1801816*Lax%2C+Los+Angeles&Submit=Continue

so with a printout in hand and a small handbag ( woh
bhi borrowed frm dipesh coz mine had torn
apart..remember)

now as u can see..it says go to the NW corner of
hoover and 28th..now i reached the spot..it was 4
roads..but

HOW DO I FIND NW???????????

there was not one single person on the road...and i
didnt knw wht to do..

and it was 10 am..and i suddenly realized tht there
was one thing which cud guide me..the SUN..and yes it
worked...

i saw the sun..took tht as east and went to the
corner..caught tthe 1st bus and got down at the
required place..the bus drivers are pretty co-op u c

the 2nd time rnd..i wasnt lucky...it was abt 11 ..and
the sun was right above me...so cudnt do nethin..

i thot for a while and went to one corner...

at a distance i cud see a board..which said

SOUTH 101 -------------->

i was pretty happy...tht i finally found somethin and
started to calc accordingly..just then i observed tht
just above this board there was another which said

^
NORTH 101 |
|

now i realised tht these werent directions..and so...

well somehow got to the airport and off to AZ by
southwest airlines..

but b4 tht, a bit abt buses here

there are metro buses..there arent any conductors..but
yes u are reminded by our mumbai cha conductors who
kick u out if u dond have 'Sutte Paise'

Here its simpler...beside the driver, there's a
machine ..u just put the xact fare into tht..if its
less u arent allowed..if its more..well no change
provided :)

neways thts abt buses..somethin better

SouthWest Airlines..seems like a gr8 american airline
doesnt it..well its a cost saving one..it costme 73$
in all to go to arizona by a 1:20 hr flight and be
back...and this fare is very less if u book in advance

and the airline..wow..proper country stuff...

they dont serve food on the airline.. :)
babes for airhostesses...well they seem more like
strict matrons(they r followin indian airlines on this
so..all 40+)...who behave like...'hey fasten ur seat
bet..wht r u doin?'

u r allowed to bring ur own food on the plane..so if
we all go..we wud prob hv thepalas and puris...and
stuff:)

then after a bit of a hassle at te airport..went for
mahavir jayanti...and the first taste of wht american
indian life is all abt...

The ppl who arent jains or not acquainted with it prob
wont understand much..but its interestin..

..hmm i hd better write tht in a separate mail so tht
ppl can easily skip tht..but ffor jains a must read!

Harshit

"

I don't know if that link works, but I did not want to change the content of the mail..

But then, I am nostalgic about these mails, and those days, when I feel that the boy in me made way for a man..and I learnt some of the most important lessons of life...from the best teacher in the world ...Experience :)

btw..the mail uses a word ABCDs. A friend of mine Prashant told me once...tht 'we ABCDs don't mind being called ABCDs, except that the C in the ABCD means 'cultured' '. To this day I remember those words, and have utmost respect for the guy..!

Interesting notice on VESIT notice board

2006-07-25T22:12:00.001-07:00

Supposedly, the following notice has been put up on the ground floor notice board of VESIT .. Hope Bhavik Vora has given accurate information on the orkut VESIT folks community

" A 10 Rupee note has been found out outside the Office. If its urs and if u can tell the serial code of the same... u will get it!!!"

Maybe everyone should try...make a big line outside the office and enter a random number each...Too Good though :)

yeh hai bombay meri jaan...

2006-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Call it Bombay..Call it Mumbai..

It's all the same...It's where the heart is..

I won't say that it's the best or it's the number one...but it's different. there's something special in this city that you'll never find anywhere...it's the spirit of the city...it's the spirit of Bombay...

It was the usual morning for me....but even before I had opened my eyes, i got a call from my father that there was a bomb blast, and that everyone was safe..and they informed me because mobile networks were down, and it could have been difficult for me to contact them..

I read news articles that evening about the blasts and the aftermath...and i cried..cried for those people who had lost their lives, or their near and dear ones...and then suddenly it seems that the thousands of miles don't make a difference to your attachment to that city you love so much...

As always, the spirit of the city was up, and Mumbaikars from all sections of society and from all areas of Bombay rushed up to help stranded commuters, victim families, and in general to ensure that the city is back to normal the next day...

I found these lines in an article on rediff.com...

"Mohammad Karim and Mahesh Kumar, both from Malad in northwest Mumbai, are regulars; both were surprised at the relative lack of commuters. "This train is always crowded," Mahesh said. "Both of us came today to prove that our city will stand up to any kind of terrorism."

The two, cloth merchants by trade, routinely catch the 5.54; they are part of the 'local' sub-culture, where regular commuters know each other, keep space for one another, and spend the commute catching up on each other's lives -- strangers-turned-friends for the duration of each day's journey. "

yes, bombay has this category of friends..train friends as they call it...and as my father tells me...that in his career, he has had so many close friends like that...'

if you want to read more about it...read these articles.

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/14slide1.htm
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/12mahim1.htm

But then, enough is enough...a city that contributes 60% of the taxes should get more..and if it does not..it's time that the politicians are given a run for their money...

My prayers and sympathies for the victims of the blast.....sorry...we could not be there in the time of need..

Solid bole to.....Wikipedia...!

2006-06-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

I got this as a forwarded mail from Virag. This is basically from an article in Wikipedia, which talks of Bambaiyya (Bombay-Mumbai) Hindi. It makes for quite an interesting read, and you'll feel nostalgic if you are from Bombay. Check it out...!

The best part is that you can add new words or change the meanings of words if you have more information.. The next time someone asks you about Bombay, :)

The language of Mumbai is an altogether different lingo ... wonder why?

Bus kya :
The meaning of it is that com'on don't take me for granted.

Apun :
It's actual meaning is WE but in Mumbaiyya hindi it means I or me...

Chava / Chavi :
Actual meaning of a chava is a lion's cub. However, in Bambaiya hindi
(Bhindi) it would mean a Boyfriend/GirlFriend (normally the one that's
going steady). Chava, is also used to describe to a good looking chap or
the normal stud in the locality. No, Chavi would still mean the steady one.

Chikna / Chikni :
Stands for any good looking fellow. Chikna actually means smooth.

Dhapnya / Battery / double battery :
Refers to a person wearing prescription glasses. Dhapnya is a marathi word.
The Ghati way of saying this would be "bya-tree".

Chaayla :
The original meaning is quiet demeaning. The contemporary meaning is so
flexible that "Chaayla" can be used anywhere in a casual conversation.
Agmatically speaking this word doesnt have any meaning.

Haila :
This originated from "Hai Allah " But I don't think 99% of the users know
about this.
Haila would translate to "Oh God"

Keeda /SulemaniKeeda / RehmaniKeeda :
An absolute pest.

Paka Mat:
Its means don't eat my head or leave me alone.
Actually pakana in hindi is to cook.

Jhakaas :
Superb. Excellent.

Mandvali / Mandavli :
Compromise /Negotiation or truce

Gangaram :
For a barber. Gangaram is a guy's name. I guess some Gangaram must have
played an immortal role in some play or movie for his name to stick on.

Dhakkan :
Dhakkan in its true sense would mean a cover. Here it refers to anyone with
a moronic intellect or an Idiot.

Dhating:
The word Dhating also refers to drama.

Atrang :
One meaning of this word is similar to Hajaam.
Atrangi also mean something strange or extraordinary.

Funter / Tapori :
Roadside loafer. Tapori is among the most commonly used words in Bhindi.

Shana :
Literal meaning in marathi means wise..but mostly used in sarcastic way.

Diid shana :
The word diid means 1 and half times the original one In Marathi.
That means 1 and half times shana.

ChappanTikkli :
Actual meaning 56 spots : this is not used now-a-days.
but in Bhindi it means one with lots of pimples / marks on his/her face.

Dum :
Actual meaning is cigarette with marijuana for kick.
but nowdays commonly used to refer ordinary cigarette.. or even
scold someone.

Hul [Hool] :
hul means to scold but not quite literally ..

Bevda / Gutter / Taankee / Batli / JohnnyWalker :
A Drunk. Johnny Walker comes from either the actor by the name or the
whiskey brand. Daru and gutter are very closely linked for reasons beacause
cheap beer is made from gutter water or so goes some old saying. Bevda is
often used to describe the drink as well as the totally drunk

Charsi / Fookya / Soootya :
A smoker. Charas is exactly marijuana. Charasi would mean any guy who
smokes though.

Rappak [ Rappppppppak ] :
Means Slap.

Tapri :
A road side shop.

Chotu :
For any kid working in a Tapri.

Mava / (120 - 300) [ EkSauBees-TeenSau ] :
This is a prototype of paan you get here. 120 and 300 are the flavors of
tabacco. Mava is everything that paan has without the betel-leaf.
Term also refer to the person who consumes it.

Dhakta :
Actual meaning is younger in Marathi. in this case it is small paan packet.

Dhoop Chaav :
Means Sun and Shade. Refers to the shops owned by the road side
barbers who just have a rag for the Chaav and is obviously hole-ridden to let
the Dhoop come in.

Chinese Gaadi :
No this is not a Chinese make of anautomobile, Its the "Tapri" selling
chinese food on the side of the road. You find one after every 10 meters.
The best part is that all these Chinese Gaadis are red in color, with the
picture of a dragon or a chinese man and have names like "Red Sun", "Red
Dragon", "Fong's", "Ching" "Sung-Ming"or "Chow" or anything that sounds
even vaguely Chinese. The cook is normally a Nepali working as a night
watchman in some nearby apartment complex. The only criteria to get a
chef's job at a Chinese Gaadi is to have slanted eyes.

Mahim - Matunga / Vasai - Virar :
This is a term used for squints.

Ghungroo Salmaan :
This term is very new but catching on fast. Ghungroo refers to a curly
haired guy. Salmaan (Khan) comes in the picture
since the "Ghunroo Salmaan" fellow is obviously mistaking Himself
to be a Hindi film hero. It's used as a put-down.

Cutting :
A little_more_than_half cup of Tea is a cutting. The Cutting concept would
have been started by people who used to split a cup of tea between 2
people... and finally the tea vendor started selling half cup of tea and
called it "cutting". A little_more_than_half is given to increase the patrons.

AndhaDhuni / Aadva-Patta :
These are a cricketing terms. AadvaPatta comes from Pune, means "Cross
batted shot". AndhaDhuni means "Blind shot".But nowadays these refer to
any guy who doesn't bat well.

Mama / Maushi :
Mama and Maushi translate to the maternal uncle and aunt. These words are
thoroughly misused to get some work done.
Normally used while speaking Marathi. Every other Marathi speaking street
vendor would be a Mama or a Maushi. (to increase the stakes while bargaining)

Dada / Tai :
Translate to elder brother or sister.

Uncle / Auntie :
This is used for the more sophisticated public. Normally with the Marathi ignorant.

Ghaati :
Ghaatis are the residents of the rural regions of Maharashtra. It's usage
is quiet demeaning..... and thus heard more frequently.

Ganda bhai/Gujju / Marwadi :
The money men of Mumbai. These guys are easily spotted on the road - either in colorful shirts, embroidered trousers, against the mirror of a parked
vehicle combing their hair, or doing something equally funny. These guys
are the second largest community in Bombay after the Marathi-speaking people.

Madrasi/Anna :
Madras is a place in the southern part of India. Madrasi refers to any guy
from a place to the south of Maharashtra. Doesn't matter where he is from. Bangalore, Goa, Anywhere....And the best part of being a Madrasi is that you are supposed to eat idli sambar forbreakfast, lunch, and dinner. And rasam-chaval is supposed to be the favourite dish.

Gulti :
This is a fairly new term. Used for people from Andhra Pradesh.I don't have
a clue about its origin or actual meaning.

Bhaiya / Pandit :
Any guy from UP / Bihar / MP / Delhi / Northern states is called a Bhaiya.
Pandit is also used interchangeably but is mostly used for the guys at the
Lassi/Doodh shops or for Panwallas.

Paapay / Papajee/Sardar :
A Sikh. Dont know what a paapay means. Actually its not insulting or anything like that.

Pavwalla/Maka Pav :
The Christians. I guess this started because of the fact that they eat
bread instead of chapatis.

Another very common used bhindi word is abey or abe ! This is often used in
combination with other words like abe saale, abe halkat (females tend to
use this more often), abe dhapnike, abe battrey, etc.

And last but not the least is Saala : Literal meaning wife's brother....but
in Mumbai it is used in every context whether good or bad...when friends
meet and greet then it is "kya saala kaisa hai....." when angry "abey
saale....phoot na"...

In fact this is the most common used word in mumbai.... and can be used
when you are happy / sad /depressed / angry / shy / vulgar / teasing / and when there is nothing else to say then use a saala....

Sophisticated Meaning In Bombay
There's a minor problem
Arre yaar, "Waanda" ho gaya

There's a big problem
Arre yaar, "Zol" ho gaya

There's a huge problem
Arre yaar, "Raada" ho gaya

You'll be surprised .
Ekdam "Hill" jayega tu

I am going out of this place
Chal apun "Kaltii" marta hai.

Don't make a fool of others
Dekh , Tu "Shendi" mat laga sabko

He duped him of the Money
Saala "Chuna" Laga ke Gaya

Just get out of here, you oversmart fool!!
Chal e Shaaane, "Hawa" aan de

I am not a stupid out here
Apun kya "ALIBAUG" se nahi aaya

There's some misunderstanding
Arre kuch "Galat Faimili" ho gayi

Do u drink daily?
Tu kya roz "FULL TO" hota hai?

See, You are afraid..
Dekh , teri to "FAT" gayi

Shall I just bash u?
E Du kya "Kharcha Pani" ?

Get Lost from Here
Aee Chal "havaa" aane de

Just take him into a secret place
Use jara "Khopche" me leke ja

What a beautiful lady !!
Kya "Zakaas Item" hai yaar!!

What a sensuous/unexplainably sexy lady!!
Kya "Raapchik Maal / Piece" hai yaar!!

Don't just bluff..OK?
E Jyaada "RAAG" mat de..

Ya..she is staring at u.. buddy!!!
Kya sahi "LINE" deti hai "Bhiduu"!!

Don't take much tension..
Jyaada "LOAD" nahi leneka kya??

Your clothes are very awkward!!
Kya "ZAGMAG / DHINKCHAAK" pehna tune?

I don't care about it much..!!
Abe yaar , "Hata Saawan Ki Ghata"
Please don't overbore me..
Jyaada "PAKAA" mat be tu

All this must be done without anyone's notice
Sab kaam "SUUMDI" me hona chahiye.kya?

"SAHI HAI NA BAAP??!!!...KYA BOLTAY??"

India, Aha....!

2006-06-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

The current issue of Time Magazine is carrying an interesting cover story. In fact, when I logged onto CNN.com, it too had this one as the main story.

It's kinda sudden, that over the last few years, India has become the center of focus, and most western countries have suddenly started treating India and China as the world leaders of the future. Lets hope we make it . The post before this, seems to be the biggest deterrent though :)

Here is the link to the story on CNN.

A lot of rage, a bit of Rang De

2006-06-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

I had always heard of the freedom struggle from my grand uncles, from my grandmother and from my history books. Perhaps I was never imagine to visualise what the atmosphere would be like in those times when students stopped going to school and people started burning all international goods, or workers went on strike, and all of India had just one goal in mind. The true taste of 'Rang De Basanti'

Yesterday I attended a small gathering here in the Bay Area against Arjun Singh and the whole idea of reservations. It felt good, in some small way, if I could contribute against this stupidity, it would give me a lot of satisfaction. All these years of frustration in the minds of all students, including myself, has finally given way . And I hope they succeed. I hope WE succeed.

It doesn't make sense anyways. Having studies in an engineering college full of these reservations, it's an open truth that many of the guys who take advantage never make it through their engineering or medicine, and the seats are sold off once they drop out. And if you are so concerned about equal rights, why do you bring the caste system into picture at the first place? Me and Asim had quite an argument with one of the guys who had actually come to this anti-reservation rally fighting on his ideology that there should be more and more reservations. I have to say that we could no where identify with any of his arguments, leave alone agree with them.

It's sad to see the plight of students who are undergoing hunger strikes and clashes with the government. May God give them strength.

And probably some pictures that I thought were really worth a thousand words in this hour of rebellion. Picked up from cartoons and news articles

Question Paper Ho to Aisa

2006-05-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Imagine going to an exam, with one of your toughest subjects, and guess what , the answers are printed right there, just below the questions !

Mid-day is carrying a story that in the microwave-2 paper in Mumbai University, the answers to 2 questions were printed right below the questions .Check out the story here

I guess this kind of laziness on the part of paper setters is something that no one will object to ;)!

Pramod Mahajan - RIP

2006-05-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

It was sad to hear about the death of Pramod Mahajan, especially given the circumstances surrounding his death.

I am a person who takes interest in politics, and someone who believes, that every citizen can take an active role in determining the future of this country. I know that like every other leader Pramod Mahajan too had his share of controversies, however, i would say he was one leader who could defend himself, speak fluently, take strong decisions, and stand by them. His oratory skills, both in English and Hindi were excellent, something which I consider as a very strong point for any politician.

May his soul rest in peace.

Reservations ki to...

2006-04-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

This mail came to me as a forward. It's been posted at several blogs. Read the whole article and then comments at the end

that may happen in future..

Ahmedabad, 30 April 2056: I attended the bash at the IIM-OBC Alumni Association to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the reservation of seats for OBCs (Other Backward Castes) in IIMs. Since I’m not an OBC, I was not supposed to attend, but at present, we MBFCs (Moderately Backward Forward Castes) together with the Non-Scheduled Tribes have a political alliance with the OBCs. We sipped champagne and talked about how so many of us had progressed from reserved seats in the IIMs to reserved jobs to reserved promotions. Unfortunately, the party broke up when a Non-scheduled Tribes faculty member objected to the OBCs dancing with all the pretty girls — he wanted equal opportunities for every caste at each dance. I pointed out that the Non-scheduled Tribes had exceeded the quota of champagne reserved for them. The party ended in a pitched caste battle.

1 May 2056: Today, I became president of the IIM Board of Directors. Under the present rotating presidency system, a member of each caste is made the president by turn. When it was the turn of the MBFCs for president, they had to choose me because I’m the only MBFC on the campus. True, I’m only the campus dhobi, but then every caste must be given an equal opportunity. All those centuries of oppression by the OSBFCs (Only Slightly Backward Forward Castes) and the OFCs (Other Forward Castes) must be rectified. I hope to restore the high standards at IIM — I overheard some foreigners calling it the Indian Institute of Morons, the other day.

2 May 2056: They’ve announced the cricket team for the series against Australia. I was overjoyed when they chose an MBFC man as captain. But my hopes were dashed when I realised he was a Most Backward Forward Caste and not a Moderately Backward Forward Caste. The selection committee lamented that it was gross discrimination that no member from the Jarowa tribe (the Stone Age tribe in the
Andamans) had ever found a place in the Indian cricket team. A squad has since been dispatched to the Andamans to capture a Jarowa tribal to play in the national team. I hope he will improve their performance — they had an innings defeat against the Maldives recently. I would have played myself except for the fact that I lost a leg some years ago when I was in hospital with a toothache and a doctor recruited through the Unscheduled Caste quota extracted my leg instead of my tooth.

3 May 2056: There are too many NFCs (Neo-Forward castes) in the IT business. Under the terms of the Business Reservation Act, their firms will now be taken over by the other castes. I hope they will be able to restore the Indian IT industry back to its former glory. For some unfathomable reason, it has gone down the drain after job reservations were implemented. I went for a movie featuring star actor Mungeri Ram. He may lack teeth, be four-feet-three and have hair growing out of his nose, but this year it’s the turn of the EBC-RYs (Extremely Backward Caste-Rural Yokels) to be stars and Mungeri Ram is the best of the lot. I wonder why foreign movies have become so popular.

4 May 2056: A truly great day. We now have an OFBMBC (Other Forward But Moderately Backward Caste) general as the Head of the Armed Forces. I hope he’ll be able to win back the territory we lost ever since reservations were implemented in the Army. Since then, the north has been taken by Pakistan, the North-east by China, the east by Bangladesh and the south by Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Only last winter, we lost the war against Bhutan and free India is now limited to the western coastal states. But I’m sure the OFBMBC general will turn the tide.

5 May 2056: My wife and I have been blessed with a bonny daughter. Since my wife’s an SBBNSBC (Slightly Backward But Not So Backward Caste), my daughter will be an MBFC-SBBNSBC. I must lobby for reservation for her caste. She’s the only member and I’m sure she has a great future.

COMMENTS:

To start with, this might seem funny, but when SC/ST reservations started many years back, a thought of having 8 different categories namely SC ST OBC SBC VJ NT1 NT2 NT3 seemed funny. Yes I remember all those names, coz I missed out on quite some good opportunities due to this. Isn't this cumulative ? 58 years after independence, and almost the same time for reservations, people who fall under this category have already taken advantage of these reservations in multiple ways, and have gone far richer and forward than the middle class ( and including the high castes ), and they no longer need reservations.

And then, India with its growing population, and scarcity of resources, such reservations are only going to deny opportunities to people who need it most. Is anyone hearing?

Uttering talaq in sleep lands couple in soup

2006-03-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

Priyendra sent me this ourtageous article

Check this one out. Makes for a great read.

2 great TV shows...and 2 dreams...

2006-03-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my roomies, i am getting addicted to 2 good TV shows, lost and 24 . Both of them are based on very unique concepts and make for an interesting watch.

'Lost' is about a flight which crashed on an mysterious tropical desert island, and now the people who survived the crash, have to fight it out for themselves on the island, and it describes their struggle, and the way things work out. There are also a lot of surprise elements in the series, which make it even more interesting.

'24' stars Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, a federal agent, and every season consists of 24 episodes, each episode covering 1 hr of the day, and in each season there is some plot of assasination/bombing etc, which is finally fended off. The episodes are well made, and also have tht thrilling feel to it. Worth a watch.It's actually good to see it in this format of hours, as you can actually feel the day going on.

Yes, and i have 2 dreams, or 2 goals which I have been developing over the past some months. The first one is to run the marathon or at least half of it next year. A big part of the inspiration for this, goes to Animesh Pathak's blog and his description of the marathon. I guess I'll be able to do something about this by next year...

The second dream...well its something tht i hv been thinking for a while to do...Any guesses?

USC Application- a Must Watch

2006-03-14T20:24:00.000-08:00

Check this one out guys.

The next time someone asks you ' What are my chances of getting into USC ?' Show them this application..! I guess this one potrays why USC is also popularly called 'University of Spoilt Children' ! The application speaks for itself, though check out the meaning of signature, and also, that in lieu of ur transcripts an 8 by 10 glossy picture should also suffice.

It's a bit sad though to see some racist comments. Guess except them, it makes for a nice application :)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in that application are solely that of the original authors. I do not subscribe nor am responsible for any racist or otherwise comment on the link.

An American's view of India

2006-03-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

People, this is an absolute must watch. An American's view of India, and how things that seem so simple and routine to us, seem surprising to him. Also interesting is, how these simple things could possible see India becoming the next superpower. Not much to write on this video, just see the video and leave your comments

Click here to watch the video

The Million dollar Web page

2006-03-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Many of you might have heard about this, but for those who haven't,

First the story:

Alex Tew, a 21 year old student wanted to study business management at the University of England, but like many graduate students , he wasn't sure of how he would get the money for it. Pondering over different ideas, he thought of making a homepage and selling ads on it for 1 $ / pixel, thinking that if there would be a million pixels up for sale, at least 15k to 20k pixels would be sold off, thus giving him enough money to get through his college.( http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/faq.php#4)

This said and done, he started selling pixels and the site become hugely popular, and ultimately he made much more than a million dollars on it.

This one story is truly great. Simply because unlike startups (eg Google), where the underlying principle involved a great deal of technology and/or business models and business sense, in addition to the idea, this did not require anything at all. Plus, no venture capitalist, no proposals , and to top it all, no risk of failure. What would he have lost in case this idea did not work. Some dollars, and hardly any man hours. But then, it worked, and credit to Alex for proving to the world that 'where there is a will, there is a way '

Its good to be tired :)

2006-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

On my first blog (http://harshits.blogspot.com/2004/11/tiring-day.html), I had claimed that most of my blogs wil contain the word tired or tiring. :)

After all the different turns that I went through, I truly have one thing to conclude. It's good to be tired. It's good to be working. It's good to be under pressure to do things.Idle days are good when they are few, but a monotonous life is really the last thing u want.

It is this pressure, and a desire to move ahead in life, that finally brings the best out of us, and the fruits of hard work are always sweet .

Call Center Video

2006-03-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Amit Rajadhyaksha sent me this nice video, of a call center scenario

http://callcentermovie.com/movie/movie.html

I have been having quite some trouble with these call center guys. I just get so pissed off when the guys act as if they are the greatest computer geniuses ever born on the face of this earth. To top it all, the most frequent habit of , 'Sure, we are here to help you' OR ' Let me connect you to an expert' . Maybe this video will tell you more.

See the video and leave your comments.

Scam busters...

2006-03-01T19:56:00.000-08:00

It's so interesting. A friend of mine told me recently, that he had got an offer for a very high paying short term job. I was not sure what he meant. On further investigation, found tht it was in Africa ....And yes, the scam begins

Most of you might have got a mail from "BIBI LUCKY" asking you to contact them, if you wished to become an overseas agent and get 30% of the millions ....When i got the email, I found it funny, but interestingly enough a lot of people fall for such a trap. Also, the email tells u to keep the matter confidential, thus dissuading you from discussing these things with your friends.

However, there are more interesting things. Heard about the Q33NY, wingdings 9/11 email. The claim is that if you type Q33 NY in wingdings font you get a plane, 2 towers, and a skeleton, thus signifying the WTC attacks. The mail claims that Q33 NY was one of the hijacked flights which slammed into the World Trade Centers. For over 4 years now, people blindly forward tht mail.

Now, none of the flights flying on tht day was caled Q33NY

They were

American airlines N334AA
United Airlines Flight N612UA
American Airlines Flight N644AA
United Airlines Flight N591UA

So tht whole thing was a hoax. The trick is simple, send this email out, and at least 70-80% of people will send it out without confirming the truth. Maybe 4 yrs ago, i might have done the same.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/wingdings-911.html

This site pretty much exposes the number of hoaxes that we might come across.. Definitely worth a look. Also, I stronglyrecommend, looking up any such mail on google and/or wikipedia before forwarding it.

I made besan ke laddoo

2006-02-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes and yes

I made besan ke laddoo today. I can also claim that I made them on my own, from start to end, although the recipe was from a book ( what else do u expect ), and that my cousin sheetal was there with me from start to end and guided me thru the entire process

but then..satisfaction was paramount

Here's a picture

And, I am enjoying my NY trip. Visited Niagara last weekend, planning to visit NYC this weekend. Anyone around ? Let me know, we can meet up!

Inzy dada, and the spirit of cricket

2006-02-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

Cricinfo is carrying an article about the bad taste in which inzy was given out

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakvind/content/current/story/236394.html

There are also some videos on google video about the dismissal and inzamam's reaction to that at the presentation.

The funny thing is, its India vs Pakistan, and Inzamam accuses India of not acting in the spirit of the game. Where did this spirit go, when those guys appealed against sachin tendulkar, in that game in Calcutta, when Sachin accidentally had lifted his bat due to collision with Shoaib Akhtar, and was given run out, a decision which sparked a lot of commotion at Eden Gardens.

I guess, inzamam was unlucky, but had by no means any right to question the integrity or the spirit of the Indian players.

The X+1 syndrome - Where do you stand?

2006-02-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

The following is a famous article by R. K. Narayan

Read it and then see the comments at the ends

When an Indian professional becomes a 'Non-Resident Indian' in the
United States, he soon starts suffering from a strange disease. The
symptoms are a fixture of restlessness, anxiety, hope and nostalgia.
The virus is a deep inner need to get back home. Like Shakespeare
said, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." The medical
world has not coined a word for this malady. Strange as it is, it
could go by a stranger name, the "X + 1" syndrome.

To understand this disease better, consider the background. Typically
middle-class, the would be migrant's sole ambition through school is
to secure admission into one of those heavily government subsidised
institutions - the IITs. With the full backing of a doting family and
a good deal of effort, he acheives his goal. Looking for fresh worlds
to conquer, his sights rest on the new world. Like lemmings to the
sea, hordes of IIT graduates descend on the four US consulates to seek the
holiest of holy grails - the F-1 (student) stamp on the passport.

After crossing the visa hurdle and tearful farewell, our hero departs
for the Mecca of higher learning, promising himself and his family that he
will return some day - soon The family proudly informs their relatives
of each milestone - his G.P.A., his first car (twenty years old), his
trip to Niagara Falls (photographs), his first winter (parkas,gloves).
The two years roll by and he graduates at the top of his class. Now
begins the 'great hunt' for a company that will not only give him a
job but also sponsor him for that 3" X 3" grey plastic, otherwise
known as the Green Card. A US company sensing a good bargain offers
him a job. Naturally, with all the excitement of seeing his first pay
check in four digit dollars, thoughts of returning to India are far
away. His immediate objective of getting the Green Card is reached
within a year.

Meanwhile, his family back home worry about the strange American
influences (and more particularly, AIDS). Through contacts they line
up a list of eligble girls from eligible families and wait for the
great one's first trip home. Return he does, at the first available
oppurtunity, with gifts for the family and mouth-watering tales of
prosperity beyond imagination. After interviewing the girls, he picks
the most likely (lucky) one to be Americanised. Since the major reason for
the alliance is his long-term stay abroad, the question of his immediate
return does not arise. Any doubts are set aside by the 'backwardnes'
of working life, long train travel, lack of phones, inadequate
oppurtunities for someone with hi-tech qualifications, and so on.

The newly-weds return to America with the groom having to explain the
system of arranged marriages to the Americans. Most of them regard it
as barbaric and on the same lines as communism. The tongue-tied bride
is cajoled into explaining the bindi and saree. Looking for something
homely, the couple plunges into the frenetic expatriate week-end
social scene compromising dinners, videos of Hindi/regional films,
shopping at Indian stores, and bhajans.

Initially, the wife misses the warmth of her family, but the presence
of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, daytime soap operas and the absence
of a domineering mother-in-law helps. Bits of news filtering through
from India, mostly from returning Indians, is eagerly lapped up.

In discussions with friends, the topic of returning to India arises
frequently but is brushed aside by the lord and master who is now
rising in the corporate world and has fast moved into a two garage
home - thus fulfilling the great American Dream. The impending arrival
of the first born fulfills the great Indian Dream. The mother-in-law
arrives in time: after all, no right thinking parent would want their
off-spring to be born in India if offered the American alternative.

With all material comforts that money can bring, begins the first
signs of un-easiness - a feeling that somehow things are not what they
should be. The craze for exotic electronic goods, cars and vacations have
been satiated. The week-end gatherings are becoming routine.

Faced with a mid-life crisis, the upwardly mobile Indian's career
graph plateau's out. Younger and more aggressive Americans are promoted.
With one of the periodic mini recessions in the economy and the threat
of a hostile take-over, the job itself seems far from secure.

Unable or unwilling to socialize with the Americans, the Indian
retreats into a cocoon. At the home front,the children have grown up and
along with American accents have imbibed American habits
(cartoons,hamburgers) and values(dating). They respond to their
parents' exhortation of leading a clean Indian way of life by asking
endless questions.

The generation gap combines with the cultural chasm. Not surprisingly,
the first serious thoughts of returning to India occur at this stage.
Taking advantage of his vacation time, the Indian returns home to
'explore' possibilities. Ignoring the underpaid and beaurocratic
government sector, he is bewildered by the 'primitive' state of the
private sector. Clearly overqualified even to be a managing
director/chairman he stumbles upon the idea of being an entrepreneur.

In the seventies, his search for an arena to display his buisness
skills normally ended in poultry farming. In the eighties, electronics is
the name of the game. Undaunted by horror stories about government red
tape and corruption he is determined to overcome the odds - with one
catch.

He has a few things to settle in the United States. After all, you
can't just throw away a lifetime's work. And there are things like
taxation and customs regulations to be taken note of. Pressed for a
firm date, he says confidently 'next year' and therein lies our story.
The next years come and go but there is no sign of our McCarthian
friend.

About 40 years later our, by now, a old friend dies of a scheduled
heart-attack and it so happens that his last wish was that he be laid
to rest in the city he was born in India. So our friend at last
returns to India for good. But by now the people who were so looking
forward to see him return to his homeland are no more.

In other words if 'X' is the current year, then the objective is to
return in the 'X + 1' year. Since 'X' is a changing variable, the
objective is never reached. Unable to truly melt in the 'Great Melting
Pot', chained to his cultural moorings and haunted by an abject fear of
giving up an accustomed standard of living, the Non-Resident Indian
vacillates and oscillates between two worlds in a twilight zone.

END OF ARTICLE

Well, for one, this article is one which truly brings every Indian in America to think. I have had this chat with a lot of people and almost everyone has had incidents similar to the one described. The sad thing is , that none of those people returned back.

I don't want to put in my own comments on the main theme, but then this article is true , to the point, and sharp. The comments reflect day to day life in the US, and also the various shortcomings that an Indian finds in India, after being exposed to the US of A. I was speaking to a friend some days back, and someone whom i always thought wanted to settle in India, has now started thinking. Maybe, the X+1 syndrome has evolved for him.

The one thing I like about this article is, that there are probably inputs in this from people who have experience and gone thru all this, than just a idealogical lookout of one person. For example, I have always felt and maintained that a person stayingn in India can never comment on how (good or bad) life is in the US. It really takes one to live here to understand it. And for all the great education given to us by the various movies made, I believe it is upto one's own thinking as to how life should be shaped.

I wish to extend this X+1 syndrome experiment to all my readers. If you wish to, contribute by telling me, at what stage of the ladder are u, and what is your understanding.

Google fixes math

2006-02-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well, this is some news .

Now, being an engineer that I am, I wasn't satisfied with just this as a test, and hence I tried some more numbers, and this is what I got.

I am not sure of what has been really done, except that maybe they have introduced some round off stuff which rounds off a number so close to zero to zero. What say?

DesiTune Hungama

2006-01-31T00:29:00.001-08:00

Read this news on indiafm.com that there is a deal between hungama.com and iTunes, by which 30,000 tracks of T- series will be available for download.

http://indiafm.com/news/2006/01/31/6619/index.html

I sincerey wonder how successful this will be, as a lot of the songs/tracks which are available for download might already be available and making rounds as free mp3 :)

On another note, the music of Rang De Basanti is too good, if u get a chance , listen to the songs.Good good music. Rehman rocks as always. According to me, Rehman is a truly gifted individual, and surely the best music director i have seen. Bombay, Rangeela, his album 'Vande Mataram' , and many many more, he's a gem.

signing off : 12: 33 am on tuesday, jan 31 2006

Rang De Basanti - a Must Watch

2006-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Saw Rang De Basanti yesterday night at Naaz . Probably one of the better films I have watched for some time. A film that has got me thinking.

Rediff.com's review of the film is here :

http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2006/jan/26rdb.htm?q=mp&file=.htm

(Warning: Reading further might divulge some plot details)

The film is different, because it starts off with an english filmmaker wanting to make a film on Bhagat singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and the revolutionaries, for which she comes to India and meets up with her friend(Soha Ali Khan), who introduces them to a group of college goers , which include Aamir Khan.The role of Aamir Khan is a shade similar to the one in Dil Chahta Hai, carefree , aggressive, but inside him there seems to be an aggression which will come off at the right moment.

Madhavan plays an IAF pilot, and the film concentrates on the crashes of MIG planes in India which is a big big issue, and has been attributed to higher levels of corruption, and one thing which has been responsible for the deaths of our best officers.

The first half of the film concentrates on the stories of the revolutionaries, in the film being shot, while the second half is more on how such a scenario could be possible in present day India. A great idea, and a film well made.

Atul Kulkarni is very good in his intense role, and gives a wonderful show of emotions that run through him. And the film of course is supported by some good cast which includes the like of Kiron Kher, Anupam Kher and Waheeda Rehman.

Honestly, a film that got me close to the country I belong to, but then, to be honest, it also questioned my own conscience, of leaving my home and coming to a foreign country . :)

A must watch.

And we thought Google was wrong :(...

2006-01-27T16:58:00.001-08:00

well from my earlier post, and following up a few threads on forums on the internet, i decided to try out something

Here's a small C code

#include

void main()
{
double d;
d=1-0.9-0.1;
printf(" \n d = %g",d);
if(d) printf("\nzero not achieved") ;
}

I ran it on visual studio :) and it did not get the zero. Might want to run the program for yourself and find out...

Thanks to Animesh for pointing it out.

So google gets a clean chit again !

Google's (in) famous math

2006-01-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is interesting

Go to google and do 1-0.9-0.1

Wonder whats causing it, any comments :)?

Mercy killing, Yes or No

2006-01-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

Read a post on CNN that Terri Schiavo's widower had remarried. For those of you who don't know who she is, try to google up.

Terri Schiavo died in March after her feeding tube was removed. She had suffered irreversible brain damage after collapsing at age 26 in 1990. An autopsy supported Michael Schiavo's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state with no consciousness and no hope of recovery.
(Source : CNN.com)

Now, here's the big big question. What should be done in such a case? There's obviously going to be an argument, like there was in this case between family members, and most of which does not depend on the nature or closeness of any individual, but an individual's assessment of the present situation, both in medical and practical terms. For example, if a doctor told Terri's husband that she would never recover again, wouldn't he be entitled to ask him to not let her remain alive?

On the other hand, speak of medical miracles. What if some miracle or some groundbreaking technology enables the patient to live on further? At a time when the patient is not making a decision, is it fair for other people to just let her die?

I have always been confused on this issue myself, right since my school days, its a tough one.. what do you say?

Bahu bhashiy Prakalp( एक बहुभाषीय प्रकल्प )

2006-01-12T20:54:00.001-08:00

Well, if you though that English is the only language on the web, here's some news:

I came across 2 things today,

1. Wikipedia in hindi, marathi and gujarati

Check out

http://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/मुख्य_पृष्ठ
http://gu.wikipedia.org/
http://mr.wikipedia.org/

And find really good articles in gujarati. And yes, if you know more, just add to it, there's just going to be more knowledge for people in the world.

Among other news, there is a Tamil internet browser launched named 'valaiyodi' , the news of which is at

http://www.techtree.com/techtree/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=70553&cat_id=580

The comments do reflect that its not really available for download and the news might not be accurate...

But then...things to watch out for

Bloggin at 1: 30 am...

2006-01-06T01:36:00.000-08:00

Blogging at the end of another day...

Today's day...same old stuff..life goes on...

Was watching dil chahta hai, a movie i consider to be a true masterpiece, both in terms of dialogue, writing etc.

So I am back...

2006-01-05T01:26:00.000-08:00

From now, i promise there'll be some more regular and more interesting blogs

So, here's the first. Roomie and friend nirav mehta recently broke all records, when we went to a friend's place, and in a gathering of but 6 people, there was one guy with whom he shared his first, last and middle names ( yes thts true and there's a great story behind this one too), and one person with whom he shared the exact birth date, month and year.. he also observed that one person had the same shoes (identical to be more correct) as him. Riot.

Among more interesting things, i decided to break the habit of eating maggi and paratha and making some sabji today, decided that i should stay away from such resolutions, else i might end up hungry....

USC lost the football game today, and that too in the closing stages of the game...:(

Braille and Google

2006-01-04T00:17:00.000-08:00

Went to Google at 12: 10 am, and found this...

Today ( january 4th ) is the birthday of Louis Braille, the inventor of the Braille script, which has helped thousands of blind people to lead a better life...

Hats off to a wonderful person, and great idea by Google :)

Black...

2005-12-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie 'Black' has been selected among Time magazine's top 10 movies, according to an article by rediff.com

http://ia.rediff.com/movies/2005/dec/29black.htm?q=tp&file=.htm

Truly, this film is a masterpiece. The idea of the film is a bit on Helen Keller's life, as the main character in the film (Rani mukherji aka michelle ) is blind and deaf, and also that the methods of learning that she uses, are the same as helen keller ( spelling things out on her hand, typing out her answers etc)

Rani Mukherjee is absolutely wonderful in depicting the role, so is the little girl who plays the child role of rani's character. And of course, the big B is absolutely great in his role of the Teacher, be it strict, emotional, funny or just passionate about his work. There probably could not have been a better actor in this role than amitabh bachchan.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has made some absolutely stunning movies, be it Khamoshi, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Black, and his touch is clearly seen in the movie, both in the idiosyncracies of Rani's character, and the overall picture that film depicts.

If you haven't watched it, do watch it.

I won't drink till I am 100...

2005-12-23T17:32:00.001-08:00

CNN is carrying the news of the death of an antarctica explorer Norman Vaughan

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/23/vaughan.obit.ap.ap/index.html

An interesting overview of a life of a person, his shot to fame as an explorer, high and low moments in his life ( his jobs include working as a dishwasher and as shoveling snow from sidewalks, as mentioned in the article), to his great work in the exploration of antarctica.

The interesting thing here is, that he had promised his mother that he won't drink till he was 100, and in the true spirit, he kept his promise,

'Vaughan had a taste of champagne Saturday during his birthday celebration'

Guess this must have been a great memory, and a good way to end an illustrious life..

Suicide..No!

2005-12-20T00:05:00.001-08:00

Nithya sent me a mail about an interesting article, in which the author chetan Bhagat speaks of his opinions about suicide :

Nice article by Chetan Bhagat

Last week, an IITian committed suicide. People who commit suicide do it when they feel there's no future. But wait, isn't IIT the one place where a bright and shining future is a foregone conclusion? It just doesn't add up, does it? Why would a young, hardworking, bright student who has the world ahead of him do something like this? But the answer is this—in our constant reverence for the great institution (and I do believe IITs are great), we forget the dark side. And the dark side is that the IITs are afflicted by the quintessential Indian phenomenon of academic pressure, probably the highest in the world.

I can rant about the educational system and how it requires serious fixing, or I can address the immediate—try my best to prevent such suicides. For this column I have chosen the latter, and I do so with a personal story.

News of a suicide always brings back one particular childhood memory. I was 14 years old when I first seriously contemplated suicide. I had done badly in chemistry in the Class X halfyearly exam. I was an IIT aspirant, and 68% was nowhere near what an IIT candidate should be getting. I don't know what had made me screw up the exam, but I did know this, I was going to kill myself. The only debate was about method.

Ironically, chemistry offered a way. I had read about copper sulphate, and that it was both cheap and poisonous. Copper sulphate was available at the kirana store. I had it all worked out.

My rationale for killing myself was simple—nobody loved me, my chemistry score was awful, I had no future and what difference would it make to the world if I was not there.

I bought the copper sulphate for two rupees—probably the cheapest exit strategy in the world.

I didn't do it for two reasons. One, I had a casual chat with the aunty next door about copper sulphate, and my knowledgeable aunty knew about a woman who had died that way. She said it was the most painful death possible, all your veins burst and you suffer for hours. This tale made my insides shudder. Second, on the day I was to do it, I noticed a street dog outside my house being teased by the neighbourhood kids as he hunted for scraps of food. Nobody loved him. It would make no difference to the world if the dog wasn't there. And I was pretty sure that its chemistry score would be awful. Yet, the dog wasn't trotting off to the kirana store. He was only interested in figuring out a strategy for his next meal. And when he was full, he merely curled up in a corner with one eye open, clearly content and not giving a damn about the world. If he wasn't planning to die anytime soon what the hell was I ranting about? I threw the copper sulphate in the bin. It was the best two bucks I ever wasted.

So why did I tell you this story? Because sometimes the pressure gets too much. Like it did for the IITian who couldn't take it no more. On the day he took that dreadful decision, his family and friends were shattered, and India lost a wonderful, bright child. And as the silly but true copper sulphate story tells you—it could happen to any of us or those around us. So please be on the lookout, if you see a distressed young soul, lend a supportive, non-judgemental ear. When I look back, I thank that aunt and that dog for unwittingly saving my life. If God wanted us to take our own life, he would have provided a poweroff button. He didn't, so have faith and let his plan for you unfold. Because no matter how tough life gets and how much it hurts, if street dogs don't give up, there is no reason why we, the smart species, should. Makes sense right?

-------------------------------End of Article

I used to have a different opinion about suicide, thinking that well if you think you had had enough of life, you should be independent to take this decision.

I changed my mind, and very much so, after u realise the value that this life had given you. If you ever feel that you don't have a lot in life....

If you are a human being, you are probably among the luckiest living beings on earth....its a gift that God has given you,

Living in a civilised society, where your personal freedom is not taken from you, its a gift that not many people have...

If you have good health, you are gifted with it, a gift that many people spend their life dreaming about...

If you can simply read this blog entry, you have received a gift of education, which a good majority of people on this planet have not had....

And Suicide is leading you to? If you think tht you'll have a better life in your next birth ...i wonder who ever went back to his or her previous birth to speak about the wonderful life you had....

Doing good deeds in your life, hoping for a better life in your next birth, is a valid and acceptable action, according to me, because that in some way collectively makes this world a better place to live in. Giving up things or sacrificing good things in life, might also be an acceptable way of going towards it, though people have different opinions about it...

But then, life is a gift....a gift that God has given you, and you have to live on........

and if you feel tired, just think that you are performing a duty that God has given you, and the road will be easier...

Maybe this sounds philosophical...but then thats how it is...my opposition to the concept of suicide stays on....