An Enigma!! - unravel the mystery...

Just... Love...

2012-02-13T21:19:00.000+05:30

While watching a 2004 movie, 50 first dates, I marveled at the power of true love. The movie centers around Drew Barrymore who suffers from short term memory loss, and Adam Sandler who is her much in love suitor. While Barrymore forgets all she learns on a given day (she begins her next day with an empty slate!), Sandler is in love with her and tries everything to make her re-remember him once she gets up in the morning. This endeavor results in him taking her on daily dates, which are always first dates for her, but just another in a series of events for him. It would have been very easy for him to just give up and move on… but of course he persevered, to give the delightful movie a happy ending.
It is said that to find company for Friday night is easy, what is tough is to find the right someone to spend the whole Saturday with, and that too, week after week, year after year…!!!

True love, affection and care come in many forms. They can be seen in parents who always go that extra mile to give their children the best. They can be seen in that teacher who goes beyond what is expected from him/her and nurture a student. I still remember how my English teacher sent me a guide book for grammar a few days before my 10th Standard English Board Exam. I studied harder after I understood the belief she had in me and I did top my batch in English that year… Thank You Ma’am…!

I consider myself fortunate to have made the best of friends in my life… The time I wanted to purchase a laptop, I was completely unaware about the recent configurations, etc… In fact, I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to make the investment…! But this friend of my came with me to all the major computer showrooms day after day till I made up my mind about what I wanted and from where. Till date I believe, had it not been for him, I might still have been dilly-dallying on whether to buy a laptop or not… ;-).

An incident I once witnessed comes to my mind… I was travelling in the general compartment of a local train one Sunday evening. Opposite to where I was sitting I noticed a young couple. The girl was looking ill and was in tears. She was resting her head on the guy’s shoulder and he was trying his best to make her feel comfortable, considering the crowd in the compartment. Soon it was time for them to get down. The guy got up and so did the girl, with much support from her partner. There was a huge crowd of people waiting to get down at the next station and hence, the couple ended up standing in the passage itself.

A few minutes to the station I saw that the girl was on the verge of puking. She was trying to control herself, given that she was nowhere near the door and would end up creating a mess in the train if she puked. People who noticed her state soon started moving away from her path, lest she loses control. Suddenly, the poor girl, already in tears, started retching, right in the passage, and what do I see…? Her partner cupped his hands under her face, so that she ended up using his cupped palms as a makeshift wash basin…!!!

Gross… right? But what came to my mind immediately after the ewww… feeling subsided was that the guy had no qualms in doing what he did so as to give a little comfort to his partner… he saved the girl from the despair of not being able to vent herself in the packed compartment. Later, he very graciously accepted the newspapers and tissues I handed him to wipe his palms with, all the time with a reassuring smile on his face towards his partner… To this date, even months after the incident, it still remains vivid in my mind, as an example of true love.

This valentine’s I want to thank each and every person who has loved, cared and nurtured me throughout… Parents, teachers, friends… and if you are reading this, it means you too are a part of that list. Thanks a lot, for being there…!!!

Changing colors

2011-10-15T12:55:00.001+05:30

Whenever I see people with authority, bosses, principals, and the like, I am always consumed with curiosity – how were all these people when they were young, in school and in college? When they were just faces in the crowd like you and me? Somehow, the picture never forms in my mind, so used am I to seeing them on a high pedestal. So I just end up assuming that maybe they were like this always… well, I am imagining a miniature version of my grey haired, pot bellied and moustached boss running around in khaki knickers with a water bottle round his neck and a hanky with his name on it pinned on his front… believe me, funny as it may be, it is wholly unbelievable!

So yes, the conclusion is that these were ordinary people at one time, before they were touched by the winds of authority. And once they got the power… poof! The TRANSFORMATION!

Many who haven’t seen such a transformation before their eyes might find it hard to believe what I say here. But trust me… this is real!

I am really happy for my friends who have got promoted in the recent days. But what gets to me is how their personal relationships change. All at once, I become a subordinate from a peer and a friend. And their interactions with me get limited to getting work done.

I am now sent mails with subject lines like – “report expected”,” whats the status” etc, from the same people who used to earlier send me frivolous forwards and indulge with me in random chats.

People who used to take queries from me with utmost patience earlier are now saying “main check karwata hoon!” which means, they no more handle these queries, instead, they have subordinates to do that. The fact that we used to use these query calls as a means to catch up in the earlier days is quite conveniently forgotten.

People who used to sit with me earlier and crib about the system, the office politics and the like are now a part of the same system – and I end up cribbing about them now…!!!

Two things which this scenario brings to my mind are (a) do I need to be more sympathetic to those friends of mine now coz they are under much more pressure than me? (b) as and when I shall go up the hierarchy, will I also change so?

It is likely that my newly promoted friends are really under too much stress. The amount and nature of their work has changed and they must genuinely not have time for inanities which they had earlier when they were not at managerial level. With time, it is possible that people adjust and settle down and forge new equations, though not as informal as before, but definitely more workable.

And as and when I go up the ladder, these events will have taught me a lot – on what not to do! Subordinates need not cease being friends. The very fact that someone goes up earlier than the others means that he/she is now ready to handle a more leadership role. Being a leader does not involve alienating juniors but taking them along in your new journey. And that is what I hope to follow.

A Treat to Remember

2011-10-08T15:53:00.002+05:30

I turned a year older on September 11. Inching closer to the dreaded 30, the only silver lining I was looking forward to was giving a treat to my friends.

Unfortunately, the treat got delayed. By the 14th, with no treat forthcoming, my friends started berating me… and I was called a miser amongst many things. But casual ribbing apart, even I was waiting for the opportune day to get everyone together and have fun, albeit for a short time. Around that time, I committed the blunder of telling my friends that I would be treating them at the Trident. It was meant as a joke of course, but my gang did use it to get back at me for delaying the treat…!

Finally, a good 10 days after my bday, I managed to get a delivery confirmed from Monginis for snacks and pastries. At 5.30, we met up, after a days work at office. And what followed was even better than what I was hoping for.

Mandar, the life of my party, initiated the ‘Happy Birthday’ song singing. Needless to say, it was really embarrassing, but cute. They tired not with 1, but 2 renditions of the world’s most popular song, with me smiling stupidly all the while. The singing completed, it was an indication for ‘Toot Pado’… that is, make grabs for the food. The pastries were awesome and even I was hogging, all thoughts of calories and pimples out of the window.

And suddenly, Mandar had this idea… he asked everyone at the table to give suggestions to me for my coming year… sort of resolutions for the New Year, but decided by the others. Well, since people always love giving advice, this suggestion was met with hoots of approval. And this post of mine is my record of the things I need to do this year…;-)

Shiv was the first to go. Shiv is a relatively new friend of mine and since the day we have met, his only grouse it hat I am not on FB. So presumably, his suggestion to me was to join FB pronto. Now, I have an inherent laziness to join social networking sites. I had joined Orkut after much persuasion from my engineering mates and never really used it well. With Orkut now on R.I.P. mode and Google Plus raising its head on the horizon, I wonder if FB would get outdated by the time I join it… : -)

Hemang and Manjit came up with suggestions of me trying out something new. Hemang advised to me go out and visit new places, try out new adventures, something which I haven’t done much all these years. Manjit advised me to go ahead and do all the things which I keep wishing I could do. I want to learn singing, dancing, crafts, things I have loved all my life but have been pursuing amaturely. Surely, good ideas that I need to implement.

Abhi n Mandar gave an advice which I was expecting from them – that I should learn to love myself. Well, I have this tendency to rate myself on the feedback I get from others. Whether this stems from insecurity or lack of confidence, I don’t know. I am much better now than I was a few years back. But the effect of the dose of confidence which I got during my MBA days is now on the wane. So again, a suggestion needed to be implemented fast.

And finally, it was Sanket’s turn. And he made good use of his coming last, by hitting below the belt. He said – U should never say things u have no intention of doing. As I grappled to understand what he means, he explained – we were promised a treat at Trident, all we get is Monginis? I was shocked at this meek guy’s so called suggestion which was actually a barb at me… ; -) and couldn’t help but think ‘Et tu Brute!’

Well, Sanket’s words opened up a flow of comments, on whether food at 5 star is good or not, and how Monginis was actually quite tasty… soon, it was time to call it a day, a few had to go back to office to complete work and the rest of us were headed home.

The evening was fun in more ways than one and this post has locked it in my memories for ever…

Co-Passengers - What a Mixed Lot!

2010-11-23T23:12:00.002+05:30

I enjoy travelling alone on long distance train journeys … after a hectic college schedule (now office schedule) chilling on the upper berth with a novel and dozing off reading it is something which signifies the ultimate rest for me…

It is fun to reminisce about the various co-passengers I have had… some gud, some plain boring… an 18+ hr train journey Is livened up by these specimens!

My journey from Ernakulam to Hyderabad for my MBA project is probably my longest journey alone till date. Saddled on berth 72 in a non AC coach, I knew the journey was going to be tiresome… but what I had not bargained for was a bunch of rowdy bankers off on a department holiday to Hyd. In the evening; the rowdies began singing round after round of crazy malayalam songs drinking what looked like Limca from a bottle, which later turned out to be ‘desi daru’… I tried my level best to ignore the melee and quietly had my dinner. Then I saw the pantry guys coming with cups of milk. I bought a cup…

“Hey, don’t drink that milk, that is Camel Milk!” shouted one of the rowdies to me…!

Needless to say, I paid them a deaf ear, drank the milk n dozed off. I was to reach Secunderabad only at noon n hence looked forward to sleeping till 10… little did I know that I would not be allowed my full beauty sleep!

Come morning, I was rudely awakened by someone pushing me… yes, the rowdies! Guess, what?

“Are u ok? It is 8 now, since u dint get up we wondered if something happened to u, thanks to drinking that Camel Milk!”, the one waking me up explained.

Of course, I was royally put off… My sleep disturbed, I had no option but to count hours till Secunderabad… God! Wasn’t I glad when the awful journey ended!

This April travelling from Mumbai to my home town alone, I had a different experience with co-passengers. Just in after a particularly stressful week in office, I was looking forward to the trip. I went up to sleep. The pantry guy came around just then n I ordered a bread omlette for breakfast the next day. I also warned him that I would be asleep and he will have to wake me up and give me my breakfast. He agreed n left.

The next morning I woke at well past 9. I realized that the pantry guy has not woken me up and I have to go without breakfast. It is then that a co-passenger uncle came up to me with my bread omlette…

“We thought u looked tired n in need of sleep, so we dint let the pantry guy wake u up and instead, bought ur breakfast for u!”, he said.

I was touched by the thoughtfulness of my co-passengers… it was amazing to see people I was meeting for the first time show so much concern…

Kids can sometimes be a real pain to travel with. I remember once a bunch of kids where being exhorted to play ‘Hanuman’ by their parents… making loud noises and jumping here n there, the kids were trying to impersonate Hanuman. Of course, the plight of their co-passengers who had to bear the noise and nonsense all night was not their concern, was it?

And then there was the girl who came up to me in my last year’s train journey and enquired plaintively:

“When will you leave? Leave soon, I need ur seat so my whole family can sit together!”, she stated.

I have always felt it unnerving to open my eyes in the morning in a train and see unfamiliar faces around me. Whenever I wake up in the train imagining myself to be looking like a wreck I am faced with co-travelers waving cheery good mornings!

I sometimes wonder how boring and long my train trips would be if not for this continuous study in human nature… here’s looking forward to more trips and more vignettes with co-passengers!

How Old are You?

2010-11-06T11:13:00.001+05:30

Bryan Adams once famously sang ’18 till I die!’… My observation about age is that, one is never fully content with what age he/she currently is… some want to be younger, some wish they could be older… but I feel that life in the 20s really rocks… doesn’t it?

Teenagers always find themselves fraught with problems and confusions which seem to be all important. They then wish to get out of the teens and into the 20s soon.

People who cross 30 feel they are closer to being over the hill now… 30 is the scary number (even for me!) which signifies the entry into a new decade of life closer to the ‘middle ages’. I am sure people in their 30s feel like going back into the 20s… (I definitely would!)

What is it about the 20s which is so attractive? For one, I feel that the 20s decade is very eventful in any person’s life. It sees him move from student life to work life and (usually) then married life. It is the decade where there is a delightful balance of freedom and responsibility. If teenage keeps one under the thumb of parents, the 20s signifies the age of breaking free especially when one starts working thereby becoming financially independent. Also, one attains a maturity in being responsible for himself and learns to make his own decisions and stick by them.

The 20s is also usually the age when one finds companionship in the form of spouse/partner. Life changes a lot then but is still enjoyable in its new phase. There is possibility of self discovery along with getting to know your partner.

I am currently in the latter part of 20s and still enjoying this phase of my life. But of course, opinions on this differ. I have a friend who loves posh cars. He always makes an observation when we pass a posh car on our way – he says that most posh cars (merc, BMW, etc) are usually driven by drivers and ply paunchy old men. In the 20s, we have age on our side, with the energy and desire to drive on roads in any car we like… but we lack the money for it… :- ) and finally when we make money, age is not on our side and we acquire whatever we wish to (be it car or whatever) but have to depend on others, like drivers. How true na?

We always hear statements like ‘Age is just a number, u are only as old as u feel!’… as for me, I love being in this phase and if feeling 20 always will keep me there forever… I m willing to give it a try!

Ladies Only

2010-10-10T20:37:00.002+05:30

30th September 2010 was a much hyped day in Mumbai on account of the Ayodhya Verdict which was given on that day. I have been in Mumbai for just over 3 years now and 1 thing which I have noticed here is the nonchalance which people have towards bandhs/hartals and the like. Probably, being from good old Kerala where even the murder of a mouse affiliated to a certain political party somewhere in Timbuktu will lead to a day long bandh, the non conformance to bandhs by Mumbaikars makes me feel really happy.

Well, coming back to the 30th, I found the ghost of 1992 haunting people who had been here at that time. As a result, there was nervousness among the public, a lot of organizations declared an impromptu holiday and the usual indifference of the public was replaced by panic. For me, it was business as usual as I went to office that Thursday, wishing it was Friday instead… Office talk centered around possible outcomes and wagers on them, level of violence expected and so on. It was around 2:30 PM that I saw a notice which left me wondering – the women within the organization can leave on account of violence expected after the verdict (then expected at 3:30 PM)!

Understandably, there was a ruckus… why only women? Violence would apply to all, right? The following options were put forward –

Some felt that it is because women are more important than men in the scheme of things. Hence arrangements have been made for them to get home before anything untoward can happen. The men would be left to fend for themselves in the face of violence and hence must be unimportant!

A few other were of the contrary opinion – Men are more important, the women are likely to get into trouble being on the road when start of violence is expected (i.e. around 3:30 when the verdict would come out). The men can coolly leave after everything settles down!

But the final opinion took the cake (and the bakery!)… a particular smart alec commented that, in fact, there would be no violence at all… the women are being sent off early so that at least once, the hardworking men can have a chance to work well without the interference of the women who only gossip and shirk responsibility all the time…!

Needless to say, there was a riot at this statement, which was controlled only coz most of the women left in the special bus at 3 PM!!! :-P

Anyway, I didn’t leave. And anyway, there was no violence. And of course, I travelled home in an empty train coz most people had left their offices early as a precautionary measure!

But at the end of the day I wondered… are women really so much more fragile than men? Can’t they handle a difficult situation well and is that why they alone were sent off early? It seems we still have a lot more to think and do in terms of man-woman equality!

In the Nick of Time

2010-10-03T19:38:00.003+05:30

If you stay in Mumbai, u cannot avoid public transport. By ‘you’ I am referring to you, a member of the burgeoning middle class, looking for economical and fast transport. Let us see how the vagaries of public transport can make or break a deal through an incident in the lives of our Vicky n Shruti one evening when they went shopping:
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“Hmm… limited edition French Connection watch eh? For whom? And where did u get the money from?” asked Vicky.

“It is for Bhaiyya… And yeah, I have saved my allowance for a long time. Bhaiyya would love to get the watch on his bday… I have told u na how much he loves watches. But we need to hurry; the store person said that there are only 2 more watches left and no more collections are expected in the near future…!” Shruti said with a shine in her eyes.

“Why don’t u ask them to just hold 1 for u…?” Vicky suggested.

“I did, but it seems it is against their policy … let us take Kaka’s bus which starts from ur office… we shall reach station fast!”

“Kaka’s bus? All my colleagues go in that… I can’t risk taking u with me in it… let us go for BEST instead!”

“U sure? I don’t wanna miss the watch!”

“You can kill me if that happens… trust me!” says Vicky in an attempt to create some humor.

They then set off to the Bus Stop.

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BEST Bus

“Hey… all buses for Bandra Station are so full… chalo na, lets go to Kaka’s bus!”

“Offo Shruti, have patience! I will ensure u get ur watch… accha, here is a bus for Dharavi; we shall go in it and get a rick from Kalanagar, as it is, rickshaw to the station is almost impossible from here!”

Shruti makes a wry face, but complies with Vicky’s suggestion. They get into the bus.

“So where is the French Connection stoooor… PHAAATTTT…!!! (Suddenly there is huge noise outside the bus) Hey kya hua?”

They realize that the bus tyre just burst… and they are just 2 stops away from where they started!

“Oh no… my watch…” Shruti is now lamenting.

Seeing her, Vicky reconsiders his decision and they move towards the Kaka’s bus, colleagues and their comments notwithstanding…! Thus they finally reach Bandra Station.

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Local Train

Vicky n Shruti reach Bandra Station from where they have to take a train to Vile Parle. They notice a huge rush on the platforms, exceptionally more than usual.

“Hey, watsup? Why so much crowd?”

They suddenly hear an announcement which states (roughly translated) ‘Due to the snapping of overhead cable at Bombay Central, all trains are running late. Inconvenience caused to passengers is highly regretted!”

Shruti is now on the verge of tears. Like a cricket match score update, she has just got to know from the French Connections store that now only 1 watch is left. With the train problem, it seems unlikely she will be able to reach the store on time.

“Why is everything going wrong today? When there is no urgency, everything will be on time!”

Finally, a train for Andheri comes to the platform. People are hanging from the doors and there is not an inch of space left. But Vicky n Shruti take a chance and travel in the Handicapped compartment (which itself is relatively full with normal people!).

At Vile Parle, they almost get thrown out of the train due to the rush… suddenly they notice a Ticket Examiner… before he has a chance to come near them; they manage to give him a slip!

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Rickshaw

“Arre bhaiyya Irla chaloge?”
“Bhaiyya Irla?”
“Irla?”
“Oooofff!!!” All rickshaws are moving past them with the drivers giving them looks as though it is a criminal offence to travel in a rickshaw to Irla!

Vicky n Shruti are exasperated. Not a single rickshaw driver is willing to take them to Irla where the French Connection store is.

“Where do these people want to go? Why can’t they take us to Irla?” Shruti is frustrated with the rickshaw guys. “They need a few more days of Meter Jam. Only then will they stop taking customers for a ride!”

Meter Jam was a day when the general public boycotted rickshaws in order to protest their unreasonable ways. But it seems there has been no change in the rickshaw drivers even after the protest!

“Shruti I think we should just start walking. Who knows, we might reach Irla faster than just waiting here asking all these rickshaw people who are anyway not willing to come!”

Shruti is now in no mood to contradict anything that Vicky says. She dumbly starts walking behind him, hoping that she will still get the last watch!

So, slowly trudging all the way, Vicky n Shruti reach the store.

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At the Store

“Hey Vicky look! There’s the watch I wanna buy… but a couple seems to have already shortlisted it! See… that lady seems to be keen on getting it for her partner!”

Shruti is now really upset. Will she miss the watch for which she n Vicky took so much pain? She turns around to look for Vicky… hey! Where is he?

VICKY

The signature tune of Bond 007 is playing in his mind. He is slowly walking towards the couple who has shortlisted the watch. He is as unobtrusive as Bond and he is sure no one is looking at him. He is now directly behind the couple and is waiting for his chance. Shruti is watching him, confused, wondering what he is upto, but knowing better than call out to him loudly.

Suddenly Vicky notices that the lady gets a call on her cell. Her attention is diverted from the watch and her partner is scrutinizing the other watch she has shortlisted. Vicky senses his chance… NOW!

Vicky springs forwards clasping the watch in his left hand in a diving effort which will make any super fielder’s effort on the cricket field pale in comparison! Shruti cannot believe her eyes! And neither can the lady, who suddenly notices that the watch she shortlisted is missing from the table!! She swerves around in surprise to realize that the watch has been taken by someone else!

Vicky rushes to the billing counter followed keenly by the lady… thhaaaaak… he hits his elbow hard on one of the display shelves… not in the position to stop and examine his elbow, he rushes on…

“Please bill this on my credit card… quick!”

The billing guy must never have seen someone so desperate to bill a watch… Vicky’s desperation could be compared to the hurry of an asthmatic billing for an asthma pump to take a breathe from before his breathlessness gets the better of him… in other words, a matter of life n death!! Finally, before the lady could even stake her claim on the watch, it gets billed and Vicky pays for it with his credit card…SOLD!

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Shruti, who has been numb all the while witnessing Vicky’s efforts to get the watch she wanted is now overwhelmed. They are in a train back home now and she is holding the watch in her hands. An angry greenish blue bruise is forming on Vicky’s elbow where he hit it on the shelf at the store.

“Vicky thanks… if it had not been for u, I would not have got the watch!”

“Hey Shruti! U don’t need to thank me… but next time…”

“Next time…?”

“Next time u want to buy something, please please…”

“Please what Vicky?”

“Pleeeease don’t call me to accompany u…!!!”

“Vicky U….!” Shruti thwacks him on his head before hugging him tight!
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Lost in Vicky and Shruti’s love story is the point that had it not been for the uncertainty caused by the public transport on that day, they would have managed to get the watch without all the drama. As Murphy’s Law states, ‘If anything has to go wrong it will!’ and so it did that day with Shruti. But thanks to Vicky and no thanks to the Mumbai public transport, she managed to get the watch In the Nick of Time!

In the Name of God

2010-09-25T20:32:00.003+05:30

There are a number of things we do In the Name of God – we perform long and arduous poojas, we undertake punishing fasts, we chant lots of verses, we visit far off places of worship – but what is the basis of all these doings? Did God really want His devotees to incur so much pain to please Him?

Temple visits today have become painful tasks for common devotees. The commercialization of temples is a much publicized fact today. For every single step, there is money to be paid – tickets, Prasad, everything today comes at a price.

I recently visited a temple in Karnataka. Due to some renovation work in the temple, the darshan timings had been changed from 4:30 PM to 7 PM. We reached at 4 PM only to realize that we still had 2.5 hrs to kill before darshan. Unfortunately, there was not a single waiting area to be seen. Worse still, it began raining thereby compounding the woes of all the stranded devotees. The security guards were having a field day driving away people who were trying to take shelter under the main roof of the temple.

A long and painful wait later, the queue gates were opened for devotees at 5 PM. We finally had a roof above our heads. But no seats were available and we had to sit on the floor till 7 PM when the temple gates were finally opened. Phew! A typical South Indian Temple visit scenario!

Usually, no food is taken before any major pooja. But that means, if due to any reason the pooja gets delayed, the person performing has to undertake an impromptu fast…! This happened to me last year. I was up at 6 AM as the pooja was supposed to take place at 6:30. But the pooja got delayed and didn’t take place till around 10:30 AM. All the while I was trying to survive on an empty stomach with just water and some fruit which I was not feeling like to have. Luckily, the ritual was performed before I could faint. How I enjoyed breakfast on that day!

I was recounting this episode to a friend of mine who made a pertinent point – my devotion need not be measured by how long I have starved… he asked me to keep some biscuits or something handy the next time there is a pooja at home so I need not suffer like that again. I saw the point – after all, spoiling one’s health is definitely not the motive behind any pooja, right? So this time, I had a few biscuits with me which I munched whenever I felt faint…: -)

It is common for people to ask for fulfillment of wishes at any temple, probably famed to be wish fulfilling. When I was in Hyderabad, I visited the Chilkoor Balaji temple there which has supposedly been modeled on the Tirupati Balaji temple. Chilkoor Balaji is famed as ‘Visa God’. The reason behind this nomenclature is that the area around the temple (Mehdipatnam) has a lot of engineering colleges where the desire of most students is to go abroad. They would visit the temple and pray for Visa. Sooner or later the wish would be granted and thus, the name ‘Visa God’ stuck!

But I sometimes doubt the rationale behind asking for wishes like job satisfaction, marriage or kid at a temple. Isn’t the fulfillment of these wishes more in our hands than in God’s? And the Pandits then have a good time making the devotees perform various poojas to supposedly fulfil these wishes and thereby the devotees end up spending a lot of money. The dakshina that Pandits earn these days support a lifestyle similar to that of a high ranking official in an MNC (I am not joking!). In fact, in places like Mumbai where devotees are hard pressed for time, Pandits customize the long shlokas making them shorter and less time consuming!

As we move in a more modernized era, people should become more rational in their approach to God. But I don’t see any change… and people continue doing impractical things… all In the Name of God!

Wedding Vignettes

2010-09-19T19:48:00.004+05:30

Weddings in the family can be real fun time for relatives having a get together. Though there is usually a lot of work to be done and things get hectic, all that is forgotten in the fun had. And in this melee, there usually take place a lot of incidents which send a laugh around and also make the event memorable for all! Here I share a few vignettes from the various weddings I have attended.

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2 days before my maamu’s wedding we all had gathered in a circle to arrange the gifts for the guests. The gifts comprised of saris for the women and shirt piece/pant piece for the men. We were putting the stuff into packets and stapling the names of the intended recipients on them. Healthy banter was on and people were generally commenting on the gifts.

Suddenly Deepti Aunty (a neighbor come in to help) exclaimed loudly…

“Arre, yeh Mohammad kaun hai? Sach sach batao, kisne aapki family main love marriage ki hai?!”
We were all flabbergasted as we knew there is no Mohammad in our family and no inter religious match till then. Suddenly we heard my maasi guffawing…

“Arre, Mohammad hamare driver ka naam hai… this shirt is for him…. Not for some family member!!!”

We all burst out laughing and a sheepish Deepti Aunty joined in soon!

Kahin Ye Wo To Nahi…!

At a recent wedding I attended, I saw a car with a prominent BJP logo on it. I wondered which BJP dignitary had come in, but later forgot about it. Later, Deepu bhaiyya told us how he pulled a fast one on our very simple Chandan Mama with the help of that BJP logo car.

The guy who owned the car coincidentally bore an uncanny resemblance to BJP president Nitin Gadkari. Deepu bhaiyya told Chandan Mama that the visitor is none other than the BJP president himself!!!

Chandan: What…? But how has he managed to come without a convoy and guards?
Deepu: Arre mama, I know him personally, so he has come for a personal visit without informing his convoy!
Chandan: I want go do Namaste to him.
Deepu: By all means! Just don’t call him by name, else his cover gets blown and word spreads. Ok? Chandan: Ok!

Poor Chandan mama went and did a respectful Namaste to that Mr. X of the BJP logo car. Mr. X was surprised, but returned the greeting expecting Chandan Mama to be some acquaintance he is not able to remember (in weddings u do tend to meet long forgotten people after all!). He kept by his side throughout the wedding and later dropped him off at his car (the effect was of course compounded by that huge BJP logo!).

Of course, Deepu Bhaiyya let Chandan mama believe that he had met Nitin Gadkari. :- ) And after he left, we were all regaled with the story of this charade. Boy, did we laugh… poor Chandan Mama!!!

Bhajji Khao Khud Jaan Jao

At this wedding I attended, there were a huge number of guests. I was a school kid then and had the company of 7-8 of my cousins of the same age group. At that wedding there was a large variety of bhajjis on platter. Cabbage, capsicum, mixed veg, cauliflower… spicy fried balls of all these and more were to be served to the guests.

Now, the caterers were short staffed and so we kids were requested to lend a hand with the serving. And since bhajjis are easy to serve around, we were given the responsibility of the bhajjis. Wrong decision!!!

We kids carried the bhajji trays and started slowly moving along the guests’ line. But for every few bhajjis we served, we popped a few in our mouths! This continued till the serving was done. We were thanked for our services and asked to start our lunches. It was then that we realized that we were simply not hungry! The bhajjis had filled our stomachs so much that we had no space left for the main course.

Our elders couldn’t understand our reluctance to have lunch. And when they understood the reason, they had a good laugh! I guess they realized we had been punished enough for our mischief by being unable to do justice to the great wedding lunch!!!

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Weddings are funny… momentous event for the couple being united in holy matrimony and fun times for the family having got together for the function. And vignettes like these really add to the charm of weddings!

Yeh Rista Kya Kehlata Hai…?

2010-09-13T22:39:00.003+05:30

Leave everything a little better than you found it ........be it a situation, a thing or a relation!

In life, we live with a lot of relations – Parents, siblings, friends, spouse, in-laws, kids… it is a long list. But there are also people we come across in life with whom we share relationships which do not come in any conventional category. These relationships are hardly permanent, if they last long they definitely end up in any of the mentioned categories! But these people enrich our lives in a way exclusive to them and then move away… leaving us reaping the benefits of our association with them.

‘Koi sacche khwaab dikhakar, aankho mein sama jaata hai… Yeh rishta kya kehlata hai…?’

I had a classmate during my MBA days who is an apt example of the lines above. I have always described him as a candle which burns willingly giving light to others. Though to others the things he did for his friends would appear normal, not deserving such poetic descriptions, people close to him know what they meant to him.

Whenever hostel life became too heavy for me, I cried on his shoulder. Whenever accounts made no sense to me (being an engg graduate) he helped me out with his notes. Whenever I felt low, he would push me by telling me that I am the best… so much so that, towards the end of my MBA, I had a huge treasure trove of confidence which held me in good stead through my initial struggle in my 1st job. It was he who goaded me into Finance, which I felt I had no aptitude for. So in that sense, what I am today in my career is majorly thanks to him. I could never decide what he really meant to me… hence decided to put it in the nameless relation category… we are not in touch today… and I could never thank him properly for being there for me… but his is one relation I made which will always hold a special place in my life!

A few of my friends have confided in me that they have been close to people, mostly of the opposite sex, with whom they shared platonic relationships which were closer than friendships but shied from getting deeper and after some time, went separate ways. Has this got something to do with the typical Indian mentality which finds it hard to accept long lasting friendships between people of opposite sexes?

A few months back I was on my lowest ebb ever personally. I loved being depressed; I loved snapping at people, I basically was enjoying being a shrew, believing that things will never improve for me. But another nameless relationship raised its head in my life.

‘Tum jo aaye, zindagi mein, baat ban gayi’

What all things had I forgotten in my life which I really loved doing? For starters, he kicked me into restarting blogging. Though a lot many people had earlier advised me to do it, the way he persuaded I felt I just had to do it. Once I restarted writing, I felt like myself again. What things are necessary to keep me happy? Well, according to him, 5 things:

1. Wear good clothes
2. Listen to soothing music
3. Read nice books
4. Think good thoughts
5. Don’t forget good days

Too simple? Maybe, but once I started trying to follow them, I found myself feeling that much better about myself! Today, I am no more the wreck I was a few months back… I am living my second chance (as I said in my earlier post) and am trying to find my own happiness…

‘Tujh mein rab dikhta hai, yaara main kay karoon?’

I have been lucky to have had these beautiful people in my life… but their real success will be if I can continue the tempo they provided me even after they go their way… Thanks Guys for being there for me…!!!

Karnala Trek

2010-09-07T20:29:00.008+05:30

August 07, 2010 saw me going to the 1st trek of my life. And boy! Was it an experience!! I frankly had no idea what a trek would entail. A friend told me about the following essentials for a basic trek:

1) Sports Shoes with good grip
2) Windcheater to protect from rain

I was not willing to spend money on a one-off trek by buying the above stuff. Luckily I have cousins who go on treks often. So I borrowed from them!

The day dawned pleasantly rainy, just as required. I was just hoping that the weather would be equally good at Karnala Fort where we were going trekking. The usual hiccups of not finding the bus on time overcome; we were finally on our Way!

The lovely K Star Woods resort was where we were headed. Once there, we could not wait to get to the trek!

Bird Sanctuary

The trek was to begin from a Bird Sanctuary which would lead up to the Karnala Fort. The Bird Sanctuary itself wasn’t really great… I could hear a Peacock but couldn’t see it as the grills of the cage were too meshed up. A cursory glance at 3 cages containing birds, we were on our way to the Karnala Fort!

THE TREK

The Karnala Fort Trek was supposedly a trek for beginners. Hence I was quite cool and looking forward to it. The trek began quite tamely as we were not aware that we were actually on the trek! But once we started slowly moving up, realization dawned. And a few dropped out to enjoy at the resort instead.

A few minutes into the trek, I was already panting and wondering how long I would be able to go on. But not one to chicken, I valiantly continued my struggle along with a few others who were also on their first trek. It didn’t help to realize that one half of our 16 strong group was already not visible… they were regular hikers and hence, found this trek child’s play!

The route was difficult in patches and plain in others. It always turned out that a particularly difficult patch was followed by plain one, thereby suitably rewarding the trekkers. Here is the plain ground after one very difficult patch of climb… awesome view!!!

Mowgli

Of our group, Bharat was noticed to be the most agile trekker. His nimble steps and confident movement earned him the nick name of ‘Mowgli’. Mowgli hopped skipped and jumped his way through the trek, but not before giving a handy hand to the ones who are not as lucky as him.
At one point, when all of us were too exhausted to move further, I noticed the ever lithe Mowgli munching away… hmmm… so what is it that is the secret of the great Mowgli’s prowess? Mumbai’s famous ‘Vada Pav’…!

Yeah! Bharat openly revealed the secret of his stamina to be the good ol’ Vada Pav… check out how the glutton is munching away when we are trudging our way through the uneven terrain of the trek!

Special Kids

A huge group of kids were also noticed trekking along with us. The little kids were extremely fast and enthusiastic about their outing… made me feel they probably don’t get many of them often… at a closer glance I noticed that the poor kids were trekking the terrain in ill fitting gear. Most were wearing shoes much bigger than their little feet and were clothed in school uniform with nothing to protect from the incessant rain. But still… what attitude… they ran, jumped, crawled… basically did everything to ensure their short frames completed the trek which adults like us were finding difficult to continue. We later came to know that those kids were in fact orphans, brought for a rare outing by an NGO. Kudos to all the people behind the radiant smiles of those under privileged kids. But please… next time, could they have better gear?

200 Meters Left…Happy?

A long last, we came across a board mentioning the Karnala Fort to be 200 Mts away. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief… I mean, 200 Mts is nothing compared to the distance we had already covered, right…? Hmmm… A small details which the board did not cover was that the fort was at a distance of 200 Mts, but not horizontal – VERTICAL!

All of us got a huge shock when we saw the last stretch of the trek. A mostly impossible looking vertical climb with some rusty railings not looking in anyway capable of being held. People who had hitherto been pushed and goaded into completing the trek started losing it now… This is how the entrance to the fort looked to us from where we were standing:

A lot of discussion later, we decided to go for it… of course, with the rider that anyone would be allowed to quit and wait down if the confidence wanes. And thus began our journey to conquer the ‘last legion’.

So someone pulled, some others pushed, some dragged and finally, WE MADE IT!!! Yeah! All of us… even the most terrified ones, made it to the fort. And boy! What a reward! The view there was superb. It was pelting rain and my windcheater had stopped shielding me from the rain a long time back. Soaked to the skin I took in the sight of the ruins of the fort. The moats around were filled with water and the whole thing had an old world charm. Due to the heavy rain, no more pics were possible. Hence the moments lie captured in my mind. Here we were reunited with the rest of our group (who had reached the summit earlier) and cheers and victory signs were flashed all around.

The return journey was made difficult by the incessant rain which was sending rivulets of water down the entire path making the route slippery. Someone aptly summarized our journey with the song ‘Zindagi har kadam ek nayi jung hai!’… we really did feel every step was akin to stepping into war zone… whether we would slip of sail would only be known later!

The Detour

“Hey, are we supposed to go down this waterfall or what?”, Dhaval’s started shout unnerved us… a few of us had moved away from the main group and were cruising along, when we realized that we had reached a dead end. There was a waterfall in which we could go down (but we were supposed to be trekking, not rafting!) which was definitely not the right way to go. We realized something really scary… we have taken the wrong route and we are lost!!!

The thing that pained me the most was that we would have to go up again to some distance in search of the right path… but there was no other option and we started going up trek again. A few minutes later we luckily spotted a few trekkers who showed us the right way to go down. Thanking our lucky stars, we continued downwards.

The distant screech of a peacock made us realize that we are finally at where we started… the Bird Sanctuary. We couldn’t control our shouts of joy as we realized that we have managed to complete our trek successfully. I was also relieved that the trek turned out fine; I didn’t faint, didn’t chicken out and completed the trek well. Cheers!

The Aftermath

“Aaaargh…!!!”, that’s me, trying to get myself off the bed on Sunday morning. My arms and legs were feeling non existent and I was trying to get up like a laachaar quadruple amputee. I got through Sunday with difficulty but Monday was another story… I found it difficult to run for the bus, I decided not to climb the railway bridge at the station and did not use the stairs in office. Though there was a slight improvement from Sunday, I felt that I had moved from quadruple amputee like state to a weak in the legs like state. Phew!!!

But all said and done, the trek was an event to remember… here’s to the health of all of us… Cheers!!!

A Naughty Kid!

2010-08-28T23:42:00.003+05:30

Before u start wondering, let me tell u that the kid mentioned here is me. The stupid things that one’s baby does in its initial days in the world are a part of the treasured memories of any mother. The 2 anecdotes here are ones shared by my mom with me and show me in a real bad kiddy light… check out!
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Such a Sweet Kid

My mom was entertaining guests at home. I was not yet walking, but could crawl, and crawl pretty fast I guess! Assuming the safety of my lack of mobility on legs, my mom left me in the bedroom to do my own thing while she spent some time with the guests. In those days there was no kissan squash. It seems a brand called ‘Fruitamun’ or something was served to drink. We had pineapple squash of fruitamun at home which my mom had just mixed and served to the guests.

Now hyperactive me could not keep to myself in the bedroom for long. I crawled out and moved quickly into the kitchen (of all places!). And there I was faced with a bottle of sweet smelling goop – yeah! The fruitamun squash concentrate. I laid my hands on it and…

Hearing some sound from the kitchen, my mom n the guests came in to check. And what did they see… the little me is soaked from top to toe in fruitamun!!! The whole bottle of squash had been emptied and I was happily lolling in the sweet smelling stickiness. My mom says that, on getting an audience, I was even more overjoyed and started playing in the liquid even more!

What happened next? Well, the guests beat a hasty retreat, n mom carried me (at an arms length probably) and deposited me under a tap. Phew! To this date my mom marvels how I managed to uncork the bottle and decide to bathe in that stuff!!!

The Little Electrician

Since my mom was busy with my little brother, my dad one day carried me to hospital with him (he is a surgeon). I was seated on a comfortable window sill while dad got busy with his work and a nurse flitted around getting the medicines n stuff as required.

Suddenly my attention was attracted by some yellow and red thingies. Turns out, they were actually electric wires sticking out of a loose switch board, some distance from me. I dragged myself to the switchboard with the nurse n dad busy with a patient. I noticed the tiny holes on the switchboard, just the size of my middle finger. I pushed my finger in and clicked on the switch…

The next moment I was wailing in pain… luckily for me, the power there was very weak and I managed to extricate my finger in a reflex action as soon as the pain hit. The nurse was the first to reach me and gave me first aid for my shriveled middle finger.

Though I know I escaped real cheap, to this day I wonder at my curiosity which made my finger a plug in a live socket. And I still carry a small shrivel mark on my right middle finger…

[Uncharitable people have asked me after hearing the incident whether the switchboard and the power in the building survived after being plugged in with me… ha ha… yeah all 3 survived… the power, the socket n ME!]

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Again there was the time I almost swallowed an earthworm… ok, I wont to go into that… but these kiddie acts should be remembered and shared with others… and that’s what I just did…!

Call u Later... Bye!

2010-08-22T23:21:00.003+05:30

How many times have you heard this exasperating statement which results in getting ur call cut abruptly? And how many times have u said this to hang up on someone? As far as I am concerned, this is one of the most irritating statements I can ever hear on a call, especially when I am talking to someone I care for. A lot of my friends and relatives have the habit of hanging up promising to call back later, never to actually do so. Hence I have come to the conclusion that the above statement is just a means of hanging up in a courteous way – u don’t intend to call back at all, right?

I guess people who use this statement feel that they can dignify an unceremonious hang-up with it. But I am one of those dumbos who wait till eternity for the person to call again. I feel restless and then end up calling him/her back myself, only to realize that the conversation was anyway deemed closed…!!!

I want to ask the people who make this jhootha promise – what do u gain by saying that statement? Won’t it be ok if you just say a bye casually and hang up? Do you think the person on the other end does not understand? Or do you think he/she is so keen to talk to you that he will not hang-up gracefully and hence u have to dangle him the carrot of calling him back later?

So the next time you hear this statement from someone, make sure to ask a time frame within which he will call back (that will stump him!). If you are in the habit of using this statement unthinkingly, please reconsider ur words. And if those words mean nothing to you, whether you hear them or say them, please, can you let me know the secret of being indifferent? ;-)

A Lovers’ Tiff

2010-08-17T22:05:00.001+05:30

“So what shall we do this Saturday… I have half day class and so will be able to escape from home making full day class ka bahana… bolo na… shall we go to Marine Drive?”
“Shruti, have u thought anything about what u will do after B.Com?”
“Vicky, whats this, forget na… lets plan for Saturday!”
“No Shruti, I hope u r not taking the CET lightly… there are just a few weeks left and u should become serious about MBA now…”
“But Vicky, all these years I was only studying, let me chill for a few months, then I will decide on PG!”
“Definitely not! A few months of rest means loss of a year… look at me… in spite of doing my MBA, I m still giving CFA… in today’s world forget graduation, even 1 PG is not enough. Anyway, my CFA Level 2 exams are also due in a few weeks. Nowadays I do not get much time to study in the evenings. So I want to spend Saturday with books.”
“Hmph… so ever since we started dating u have lost ur precious study time…?”
“Arre, did I say that… I m just saying, along with spending quality time together, we should also make time to spend with ourselves… I see a great future for u Shruti, u just have to make up ur mind for it. Spend some time planning for that!”
“Vicky, I never realized that our dates are troubling u so much… (in tears already)… u should have told me na…”
“U stop crying, n chalo, lets move now, else we shall be late for home.”
“Yes, let’s move, after all u have to study for CFA!”
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SHRUTI
I never realized that I am a liability to him… do I really trouble him so much? I loved all those evenings we spent together at Bandstand… never thought that all the time he was probably lamenting the loss of precious time! If he feels that I m not spending enough time thinking about my future, it also means that he himself feels he lacks time for that… courtesy me… Anyway, he always confesses that he does not love me yet… does that mean I have been plain pushy all this while? Dragging him with me to dates when he would rather spend time with family, friends or his study? O god, why do I love him so much and why does he not…? No, this is not done, I shall exit from his life and save him all the trouble… he has to do his CFA, he has to go higher…. And I don’t want to come in the way of that…
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A day has passed after the tiff… Shruti has switched off her cell knowing that Vicky will msg. She spends the day moping in her room. She has had a good cry reading ‘I too had a love story’, not coz of the story, but coz she too is in that ‘I too had a love story’ mode! She is feeling calmer now and feeling that she can do this, after all it is for the benefit of her Vicky, and she will do anything to make him happy!
But Vicky Is worried. Shruti has not replied to his messages. She is not taking his calls. Watsup? But he does not give up. He persists and finally, after 2 days, Shruti attends Vicky’s call.
“So u succeeded in making me attend ur call!”
“Shruti, watsup?”
“Nothing, how are ur CFA preps going?”
“Hmm… leave at 5 today. We shall meet.”
“And what after that?”
“You leave that to me. Leave at 5.”
At 5, Vicky meets a sullen Shruti. She is ill at ease.
“So u dint want to speak to me?”
“Hmmm…”
“Why?”
“Coz I don’t want to be a liability for u, I want u to do what u want always, don’t want to come in ur way…”
“Hmm… and did I say u r a liability to me? Don’t u think I treasure the time which I spend with u?”
“I don’t know Vicky, I just want u to be happy…”
“And my happiness lies with u Shruti, u know why? Coz… I love You…!”
“Wh… What…? What did u say?”
“What I should’ve said a long time back dear Shruti… I love you and want to be with u all the time…”
“Oh Vicky…!” (Shruti is beside herself with joy)…
But Vicky has something more to add:
“Par shart yeh hai ki MBA ya CFA exam time na ho…!”
“Vicky… u rogue…!’
And they hug… and the embrace is so tight… it appears they will never let go…

Second Chance

2010-08-10T23:44:00.002+05:30

A few days back, I got talking to a fairly middle aged lady at the pool in my club. The lady revealed that she had been a working woman till 3 months back and quit her job coinciding with her marriage. I did feel that it is a pretty late marriage but was taken aback to learn that she has 2 teenaged kids. “It’s my second marriage!” she said. Though I don’t know what happened to her first marriage, fact is that life has given this lady a second chance. She has grabbed it with both hands – she would me moving to Texas soon with her hubby n kids – and would try to live a full life, something she probably missed out earlier.

I believe all are dealt a certain hand in life… but there are always second chances. And as a friend rightly pointed out recently, second chances are available to all; not many really take them…!

The time in life where one can really enjoy is the student life. But a lot of us miss out on this enjoyment running after grades. And finally, when you are in a job and are running after deadlines and targets all the time, you realize what student life actually means. There is a great freedom in being in the care of parents in a life where the greatest worry is flunking any subject. But sadly, we realize this only when those days have passed…!

I had my real chance at life during my MBA. Being in hostel at some point in time is essential as it gives you the right balance of being answerable to parents as well as being responsible for yourself. And I am glad I made the best of those 2 years! Living life to the fullest may not always have a happy ending, but at least you never regret not experiencing everything… right?

Second chances also hold a true in terms of the career one opts for. How many of us are actually doing what WE want to do? There are a number of examples around us who left the rat race to do something they wanted to do. Nagesh Kukunoor left a cushy job to make films he believed in, Chetan Bhagat quit the investment banking arena to write novels on simple concepts… a lot of stories like these are seen around us. Maybe instead of doing something as drastic as these guys, one can start by doing the thing he/she likes as a hobby… who knows, it might one day just become a passion and give you the confidence to take that giant leap…!

In my life, I feel today I am living my second chance. I have the freedom which I lacked as a kid in a small town, I am doing a job I enjoy, I have the company of friends like I always wished I would… and I have today the will to see the silver lining in every cloud. So here’s to second chances… Hurray…!!!

Dumb Me…!

2010-08-01T18:24:00.004+05:30

I did something stupid this Saturday and just realized how dumb I am…! Anyone who knows me and has travelled some distance with me knows that I am direction challenged. Never do I get the right-left right… east n west are the same to me, be it anytime, day or night! This situation is heightened when I am in the train and keep wondering till the last minute which side the platform will come. But this Saturday, the blunder I committed really takes the cake…!!
Now before I narrate my bungle, let me give u a simple overview of the western Mumbai suburbs around Borivali where I live:

(Virar end) Dahisar-->Borivali-->Kandivali-->Malad-->Malwani (Andheri end)

On Saturday I had to run an errand at my bank in Kandivali. I also had a visit to the dentist due. I decided to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, go to the bank and later take the bus route 207 (Malwani<-->Dahisar, via kandivali and borivali) to reach the dentist. I also took a single day bus pass of Rs.20 by virtue of which I could travel any Mumbai suburb on that day without further paying for tickets.

Work at the bank done, I crossed to the other side and immediately got a 207. Because of my pass, I didn’t have to tell the conductor where I needed to go. The bus was nearly empty. I sat at a window seat enjoying the rains outside. Surprisingly, I noticed quite a few burqa clad girls in the bus, a rarity in the borivali-kandivali area.

10 mins later I noticed that till then I had not passed any place I felt familiar. The area looked new to me. But I attributed this to my general lack of direction and the fact that I had not used this route in a long time. 20 mins down, I passed a popular Mumbai college, Atharva, which is in Malad.

I got confused… do we have to pass Malad again to get to Dahisar in 207? Common sense told me that that was not possible. Means I am in the right bus, but the wrong direction. Oops!!! I wanted to ask someone and confirm my fears, but to do so would mean a total loss of face… wont they laugh at me! Then I had a brainwave. I asked the schoolgirl sitting next to me:

Yeh bus malwani jaa rahi hai na?
Haan, 207 hai na, malwani jaayegi!

I was totally taken aback! Malwani is a known muslim ghetto (check out Chandan Arora’s recent movie ‘Striker’ set in Malwani). I started thinking what to do. I had never visited the area before and was hoping that I could get back in the right direction soon.

I got down at the very next stop, not at all sure where I was. But I crossed the road hoping a 207 for Dahisar would come soon. A few minutes of waiting later, a 207 came. I thanked my lucky stars and got in, this time sure that I had the direction right (obviously, there was no other option :-P).

I reached the dentist just in time for my appointment, thanks to the detour I took. Anyway, the incident is too embarrassing for me, hence disclosing it only on my blog… ;-) I am actually very smart, just on a few occasions do I end up making an ass of myself, so please, kissi se na kehna ki Saturday ko Sri gadhi ban gayi…!!!

Bolly-mad!

2010-07-26T22:45:00.002+05:30

I am sitting in front of the TV… ‘Chak de India’ movie is on and the final match is going to take place… Shah Rukh enters the dressing room of his team… at the same time, unnoticed by me, my husband has entered my room and is also watching the scene… the dressing room is energized waiting for the final… here I m also excited, in my mind I have also become part of the team… Shah Rukh is going to address his team one last time before they take the field… the environment is tense…

“Sattar Minute…!!!” I say with passion…and my husband jumps from where he is sitting… “Arre are u doing PhD or what, keep quiet!” , he says, startled by my sudden exclamation…

A second later, Shah Rukh echoes the same, “Sattar Minute”, as if on cue from me… and I say to poor hubby: “dekha, maine use sikhaaya!”…!!!

Bollywood movies have always held a special place in the heart of us bolly-mads. Some actors have had a dedicated fan following due to certain mannerisms, peculiar dialogue delivery or particular dress sense.

My friend Vinay has been a great fan of Dharmendra since he was a kid. Not a day passes when he does not say one of the following memorable dialogues:

“Kutte, kaminey, main tera khoon pee jaoonga!” (most famous)
“Basanti, in kutton ke saamne mat naachna!” (from the classic, Sholay)
“Maa kasam, chunn chunn ke maroonga!” (eeks, violent!)

He also declaims the dialogues in the inimitable Dharam style which sounds more like he is constipated and just wants to escape after delivering the dialogue…!!! And when he is not sprouting dialogues, he entertains us with ‘Dharmendra Dance’ imitations… who can forget the funny dance moves of Dharam, esp in the song ‘Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana’ ?

While in hostel, I had the chance of being with one of the most bolly-mad people I have come across, my friend Reshma. We used to watch movies on the hostel TV, usually when the warden was too busy to stop us or too fed up to do so…! The first time I sat with Resh for a movie was when ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ was being telecast. I love these family movies where things always turn right in the end. I was watching with rapt attention but my attention was repeatedly diverted by something which was sounding suspiciously like the dialogues of the movie being echoed. I finally turned around to check and what did I see... Resh was actually mouthing all dialogues first before the characters…I mean, all of them!!! She gave me an apologetic smile; I guess she just can’t control herself when in front of a bollywood film. And guess what, I almost fell off my chair with laughter when I heard Resh making shehnai sounds which were part of the background score (before Mohnish Behl’s wedding, in case u want to know) exactly in sync with the tune…!!! Now will u call Resh mad or genius? To me, she is just another Bolly-mad!

As for me, I have PhDs in a lot of Bollywood movies. And of course, most of them star my favorite Shah Rukh. If I am teary eyed at “Agar Ganga ki hifaazat karna pyar hai, to hai, pyar hai!” (from Pardes), I m lost in the magic of romance during “Paas, aur paas…” (from Dil to Pagal Hai)… I cry when Kajol bids adieu to Shah Rukh standing on the train footboard in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and I cry again seeing salt n pepper haired Shah Rukh n Preity unite after years of judaai in Veer Zaara. Sniff sniff… I need some more tissues now…!!!

When I was in school, we used to declaim speeches like ‘Friends Romans n Countrymen, lend me your ears…’! I sometimes wonder if a day will come when a generation of school kids will stand in declamation competitions with the followings entries:

“Sattar minute!”
“Aadarniya Sabhapti Mahodaya!” (need an introduction? Chatur’s speech in 3 Idiots)
“Main kaidi no. 786” (Veer Zaara)

And so on n so forth… and on that day, we will well n truly have a generation of Bolly-mads!!!

Atithi Devo Bhava

2010-07-20T22:20:00.002+05:30

Watching the delightful movie ‘Atithi tum kab jaoge?’ on Star this Sunday, my mind wandered back to the various guests I have had at home. Some used to be really welcome, whereas… well… like Paresh Rawal in the movie, some guests are much better known as pests…!!!

One of the most regular guests we had was Doctor Joshi and family. Doctor Joshi was a student of my dad’s during their Med School days and would land up at my home with his wife and 2 kids at least once a month. Though I used to be happy for my dad when they came over (dad hardly interacts with all, Dr. Joshi was an exception!) but for my mom, the situation was different. Once the Joshis came in with Joshi aunty’s mom in tow. Here is my mom’s attempt to be a good hostess:

Mom: What shall I get, tea, coffee or thanda?
Joshi Aunty: We shall all have tea today.
Mom: (happy that she just has to make 1 thing) ok…
JA: We shall have 5 tumblers of tea…
Mom: yes… :-???
JA: One full tumbler of strong sweet tea… for mummy…
Mom: (noting in her mind) yes…:-???
JA: One half tumbler of strong sugar free tea for Joshi Saab…
Mom: (still noting, feeling confused already) yes…:-???
JA: One full tumbler of light, sweet tea for me…
Mom: (wiping her brow at these hotel type instructions) ok and… :-???
JA: 2 half tumblers of light, normal sugar tea for the kids… simple…!!!
Mom: (phew!)…

Sometimes guests just don’t realize how much they inconvenience the hostess by trying to get everything just as how they have at home… if you want everything ghar sa, they why impose yourself on others at all? Just be at home na… :-P

Another guest we used to have regularly was Dr. Raj and his family. This is one guest all of us used to love having. Dr. Raj’s wife Disha aunty was an extremely talented lady… a superb artist, she used to indulge my brother n me by giving us cartoons painted on thermocol to be used as wall hangings. Till date the Hardy which she gifted me painted on thermocol finds pride of place in my room. Their little kid, Rohan, was a joy for us. Disha aunty’s enthusiasm for the arts rubbed off on me also and things like glass painting and crafts are my hobbies till date. When Dr. Raj finally decided to leave our small town for the greener shores of London to pursue higher studies, we were very sad. The day before they left, they came as guests at home for the very last time. I remember being in tears bidding them goodbye… we are not in touch with them today… but I just hope they are having a great life wherever they are…!!!

Nowadays, an obnoxious guest I get at home is an old family friend of my in-laws’. Nitin bhai has a word for everything happening in my home. At times he comments on my lack of involvement in the kitchen and at others it is about the absence of a kid. Still other times he has comments on my husband’s weight or about my vegetarian status. He is one guest who takes ‘ise apna hi ghar samjho’ extremely literally, much to my discomfort!!! Needless to say, the days he comes, the clock seems like it is purposely moving slow so as to heighten my uneasiness…!!!

Guests are always welcome, but they should realize their limits… as Paresh Rawal says in the movie, guests should come for a short span of time, so that, when they leave, we will wait for them to come back… a guest who overstays his welcome once is never welcome back… so let us all be great guests so that our hosts treat us no less than gods…!!!

Pink or Blue?

2010-07-14T22:47:00.002+05:30

‘The Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri begins with a pregnant Ashima being taken to hospital for her first delivery. The nurse on duty, Patty, asks “Hoping for a boy or a girl?”

“As long as there are ten finger and ten toe,” Ashima replies.

I have been married for some time now and I always get blessings from my elders that I would cradle a baby boy in my arms soon. And each time someone blesses me so I wonder, why don’t they just pray that I be blessed by a healthy baby soon? Why only boy?

Maybe, in 2010 AD, where men and women are considered at par, the concept for this post might appear very outdated. But trust me, even today, girls and boys are discriminated in a lot of ways. The reason this is not so noticeable is probably coz we are so used to it by now!

I remember around 3 years back a colleague of mine was distributing sweets in office as he had just become the father of a baby girl. It was his first child and he was quite overjoyed. But then I overheard something which another colleague told him: “Yaar abhi to tujhe darna padega”.

“Kyu?”

“Arre paise jodne padenge na dahej ke liye”!!!

“Kyu, Apan baitha hai na kamane ke liye… ho jaayega”.

It was shocking to me that, for a 3 day old girl child, her dowry, which would be needed in not less than 18 years hence (which in itself is a social evil), was the topic of concern. And that too for educated office goers!!!

I remember being told when I was a kid that my paternal grandmother would cry every time her daughters-in-law would deliver girls. After my 2 chachis had 4 girls between them, I was born as my parents’ first born. Needless to say, granny opened the floodgates then also. The next year when my brother was born, there was joy all around. Someone to carry the family name forward… finally!!! Today, I am an individual in my own right, earning a salary which keeps me self reliant, living a life independent of the issues which my mom faced in her generation. I think my granny might have been proud of me had she lived to see me now… watsay?

A friend of mine used to always scoff at the idea of parents hoping for boys so that the ‘family name’ may be carried forward… hello… r we Ambanis or Tatas leaving behind huge fortunes… or having made some change in the world that our family name needs to be remembered for posterity…? And anyway, today, with the number of women opting for double surnames after marriage or just continuing with their maiden names, family name is definitely an outdated concept!

I recently saw a news report on honor killings where the general public was being questioned on this social evil. A number of men said that they would be enraged to hear that their daughter/sister had stepped out of the community line. But for the guys, its ok, the slur on the reputation is much smaller it seems…! In today’s day and age, the fact that honor killings take place itself is sad. But to say that the mistake on the part of the girl is bigger than the mistake of the boy reeks of discrimination. Will all this never see an end?

The last time an aunt-in-law blessed me ‘Putr Santan Yog’, I thanked her, but also told her that as long as I have ‘Santan Yog’, I don’t mind if it is a boy or girl. The old lady was stumped… maybe I shldn’t be so blunt (he he…!). But yes, it is high time we changed our beliefs and also made others around us change and believe in the worth of the girl child..!!!

Choices

2010-07-08T23:11:00.001+05:30

The ‘Westside’ 50% off sale is on. I happened to be at Kala Ghoda last weekend and of course, could not let go the chance of shopping. Unfortunately, only 1 rack of kurtas was on sale merchandise (cheaters!). But there I had a chance of experiencing human psychology in the event of making a choice, even as simple as that of a kurta…

With just 1 rack of sale kurtas, most women were crowded around that rack itself. I had already gone through the stuff and found them to be strictly ok, and hence was perusing through the new stuff (which was not on discount). One round of the store done, I started walking around aimlessly towards the sale rack. There I saw a dark brown n blue kurta being checked out by a lady. Somehow, in her hands and the way she was looking at it, I suddenly felt the kurta is lovely. I felt that it would suit me, even tough I had seen it earlier but not really taken to it then. Soon, I found myself wishing that she would drop the kurta. And, surprise! She actually dropped the kurta to move on. Bang, I was there and the kurta was in my hands. Then, just like me, that lady too seemed to have second thoughts. She turned around and, yes!, saw that the kurta has already been claimed! Seeing her expression I realized that, just like me a few minutes back, she is finding that the kurta is good, now that it is in my hands. But I was not in the mood of dropping it as she had done. I bought it!!!

Why is it that the human mind always covets something that is somebody else’s? I had no liking for the kurta till I saw it catch the fancy of another lady. And she realized she wanted the kurta only when she saw that some one else (me!) had already taken it… funny na. We both had a fair chance at the item, but couldn’t make a choice till someone else made it!!!

We never truly think of ourselves only while making choices, how it will be taken by the people around us is also important to us. Come to think of it, all the major choices we make in our lives, be it what we study, what we do, where we work, whom we marry, these are hardly made without consultation with people around us. Consensus is what is important, not what we alone think, right?

So neighbour’s Chhutku goes to X college, you go to Y, and suddenly you feel Y would have been a better option!! Else you see ur Kaka’s son doing well in a CA firm and feel u should have done CA instead of Engineering… Things like this are regular happenings in our lives.

The only possible solution is, think that u and u alone have it great. Maybe the canteen in Y college sucks (whereas ur X college canteen is great!). Maybe Kaka’s son is never at home to spend time with his family (whereas u reach home by 10 pm and have weekends off!). What is good for them might not work for u n vice versa…Bottom line is, these choices are yours. Make them and then, don’t worry about them! Who knows, you urself might be the object of envy for others as much as they are for u…!!!

Oops..

2010-07-04T18:00:00.003+05:30

Have you ever experienced the thrill of a clandestine relationship… where you have to hide from all and still make the most of your time with your beloved? Sample what happened to Vicky n Shruti, a young couple in Mumbai, out to spend some quality time with each other…
=====================================================================================
“Stop it Vicky”…
“Aw Cmon Shruti, its Bandstand!!!”
“That’s just it, didn’t you read the Mumbai Mirror? These residents all have cameras installed to keep a watch on couples… I don’t want to give them live LSD here!!!”
“Is it about the residents or are you just worried some footage might reach ur Papa n bhaiyya… Ouch!!!” Vicky ducks the blow Shruti aims at him. “It is you who is always paranoid about coming across my Papa n bhaiyya during a date. Have u ever seen me worried? Trust me, if such a situation happens someday, I will take care of it very well!”
“Ok my Rani Laxmi Bai (has to duck again to avoid blows)… shall we move now… else no amount of extra classes will be able to explain your delay in reaching home.”
“Yup, lets move, we might be in time for the Dadar local if we leave now.”
“Dadar local? Isnt it the one ur Papa n bhaiyya always take?”
“VICKY!!! Any more mention of my family n I m not coming out with u again. Have some guts dear…!!!”
“Ok Ok… now lets leave…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Phew… lucky, we are in time for the train… so which compartment?”
“Hmm… Papa n bhaiyya are likely to be at the Churchgate end… so we need to take a compartment in the opposite direction. And anyway, in dadar locals, the compartments in the virar end are always emptier than the churchgate end ones!!! Watsay?”
“You are the boss madam. The train’s here… move in!”
“Vicky, lets move right, I think I know that uncle on the left…” “Ok, right it is…” ”OH SHIT… OOPS…!!!”

Shruti sees her Papa n bhaiyya just as they see her… Oops Oops…!!!!!!!!!!

“Chutki! What are you doing in the general compartment? The ladies coach was empty!”, says Papa. A totally frantic Shruti looks around for Vicky to see that he has thankfully moved to the other side, away from view. Phew! “Er… Papa, there was a typical ladies fight at the entrance of the compartment. Couldn’t enter… decided on this coach instead. Dadar local na… so thought it might be empty”. Shruti is crossing her fingers, unsure whether her story would suffice and also upset at not being able to spend the last few minutes of the evening with her Vicky.

“Haan Papa, these ladies, they keep fighting for no reason, even in empty trains”, echoes Bhaiiya (much to Shruti’s relief).
“Accha, so u stand here now.” Papa n bhaiyya go into their usual business and maal related discussions and Shruti picks up her cell to message Vicky…

“Sorry dear, u ok na?”
“I m perfectly ok, u relax Shruti!”
“Shit, wat a waste!”
“Dnt wry, we will get mre opportunities ;-), btw, I m impresd by ur presence of mind… maan gaye!”
“Hmmm… told u na, trust me.”
“Yup, now I believe you!”

The train journey appears very long with both Shruti n Vicky trying to steal glances at each other but not having the guts to do so due to the presence of Shruti’s Papa n Bhaiyya. The vey long (but in reality 30 min) journey comes to an end.

“Chalo Chutki, abhi bus milegi… No. 722”. “Ok Papa”. Shruti is scanning the crowd for Vicky. But she is unable to spot him. She is now very disappointed as she had hoped to silently bid him bye before going home. The stress of the evening is now getting to her as she wants to be with Vicky but cant…

“Here’s the bus”… bhaiyya points out and Papa, bhaiyya n Shruti pile in. Shruti feels her cell vibrate, but is unable to check it. The bus is too crowded and Shruti is hanging to the pole. She finally manages to open her inbox with one hand to check the message. It’s from Vicky n says:

“Shruti, I m in the same 722… standing at the back…!”

Shruti looks back n sees her tall dark n handsome hero looking at her… and she starts giggling… “Kya hua Chutki”, asks Papa. “Nothing Papa, kuch yaad aa gaya.”, n she laughs n laughs…
======================================================================
In todays fast world, we have no time to think of the days we were young and carefree, like Vicky n Shruti, for whom being caught by parents is the biggest worry in life. Today when we are worried about deadlines, targets, bonus and spouse, life is actually going waste. So stop, think of those days. And I hope my story brought alive some memories to you too… and made you stop n smile in your fast paced life!!!

Mom & Dad

2010-06-25T20:37:00.001+05:30

June 20, 2010 Sunday, my day began with a friend reminding me to call my Dad and wish him ‘Happy Father’s Day’. Though these umpteen ‘days’ look like a ploy by greeting card companies to make a fast buck, people really feel happy to be called and wished… especially parents. So I took my friend’s advice seriously and called Dad.

Dad was happy I called. He told me something he read in the morning’s paper:

‘85% of kids who call their dads regularly remain happy in their lives, but only 25% of the kids who speak to their moms regularly manage to be happy!’.

This analysis got me thinking. A typical ‘Father’s Day’ type of analysis I must say, but is it true?

I speak to my dad very little as compared to my mom. The situation was similar when I was in hostel. My mom would call n speak to me daily (thanx to the Airtel Free calls in those days!) but dad’s turn would be only once a week or so. And while speaking to dad I would maintain an air of formality, the talk would mainly concentrate on the studies, presentations and the like. Whereas with mom it was possible to discuss everything- roommate problems, food issues, etc…

All our lives, we kids live in awe of our dads, but moms are the ones who are bullied around. When I was a kid I remember how dad would never take action against me for any wrong doing and advise mom to do the disciplining… thereby making her look like a dragon…!!! He he… but still, to get something done by dad, the only passage route available was through mom… get her in n she will manage to get dad to agree…!!!

Today also, I speak to my mom about everything, be it problems at office, work, anything. But when it comes to dad, it is always about how much I am enjoying my work and how life is peaceful. A lot of my guy friends appear to be very pally with their dads. But even they tell me the closeness began only after they stepped into their 20s… earlier, even they were pretty formal with their dads!

So why is it that kids who speak to their dads regularly are happier than the ones who speak to their moms? One theory may be that with moms, we tend to pour out all our sorrows. Though it is believed that sharing sorrows reduces them, in reality I feel the lesser we speak about something painful, the easier it is to surmount them. When it comes to dads, there is always the idea of painting a hunky-dory picture. We end up highlighting the positives, thereby feeling better…!!!

In earlier days when moms were typically stay-at-home and dads went to offices, this distance between the kids and dads was understandable. But in today’s generation, neither the mom nor the dad are at home full time in most cases. So will the closeness to mom and the awe of dad still continue or will, with the changing lifestyles, relationships also change?

I remember the dialogue from Karah Johar’s K3G (its all about loving your parents). It said, baap apne bête se kabhi yeh nahi keh paata ki wo use kitna chaahta hai, aur maa kehti rehti hai, beta sune, ya na sune…!!! Moms have always been more expressive since time immemorial… but dads…

So on the occasion of ‘Father’s Day’ let us all reach out to our Dads… n let us try to make every day a ‘Happy Father’s Day’!!!

The First Time…

2010-06-21T22:51:00.001+05:30

There are a lot of firsts in anybody’s life… events that bring about some change… which help in moving ahead. It is fun to take some time off and remember the firsts of ur life… relive the thrill of anticipation, the uncertainty, and maybe the joy of doing something new.

The first time of anything, however trivial it may be, gives rise to a plethora of such emotions. Consider the chill u feel when u first step into a cold swimming pool or a shower… the first instance when the water touches ur skin is torture, but normalizes after a few mins. The first sip of a glass of hot beverage is always the hardest… once ur tongue gets scalded, u can drink easily (;-))

My first day in school is pretty vague in my memory… I think I was not crying, instead, I was wondering at the other tiny tots why THEY were crying…!!! I guess I was too well prepared for school. On my first day in hostel during my MBA, the strongest memory is of my dad’s emotional face… dad like all other dads has always found it hard to express himself in front of us kids. Even my hostel warden made note of that fact and pointed out to me one day that my dad was looking very sad to drop me in hostel.

The first time is also always the toughest (obviously!)… Sometimes when you remember the kind of fear you had when you were doing something for the first time might make you laugh later… I remember the day I travelled alone for the first time in the Mumbai local… being rush hour I had to travel in the ladies compartment alone… at every stop I asked the women around me if Dahisar (my station) would be next… he he… I have come a long way from that day and the apprehension I felt then is a joke in my mind!!!

Remember the time when, in school or college, u mustered up courage to catch the attention of ur first crush… it seems really funny thinking of those days now when u r a professional and the world around you is much more serious than it was in those days…!!!

Our Hindi movies also make a great show of the ‘pehla’… pehla pyar, pehli nazar, pehli baar dil ka tootna… reams of script are spent on these things… it is probably true that one does not ever forget one’s first crush, first love… more than remembering the subject of crush in those days, it is the emotion which remains in one’s mind forever…the tingling u felt when the person in question looked at u or the gentle ribbing by ur friends… those memories are indeed priceless…!!!

The first time one does anything wrong is also momentous… coz after the first time, the act seems less scary… I do not want to elaborate (for obvious reasons!) but I am sure most would remember some such event in their lives and agree with me…!!!

Every day brings about new firsts in ones life… had there been nothing new to look forward to, who would have wanted to get up… so let us remember all the first times and thank those events for being there to spice up our lives…!!!

Train Conversations

2010-06-18T21:23:00.002+05:30

Train Conversations

Train journeys, as I have said in my earlier post, are an irreplaceable part of life in Mumbai. Since the office crowd generally travels in the same train over a long period, there is a possibility of forging friendships with regular co travelers. Train friendships are quite common in the Mumbai locals. But in my 3 years of Mumbai train travel, I have also come across some different kind of interactions… one off interactions between people travelling together for that journey… bidding goodbye after the journey as friends, probably never to meet again. These conversations help in passing the time faster and before u you know, it is time to get off…!!!

Yesterday I travelled alongside one such pair who was chatting. I realized that they have just met. The fat lady was the one indulging in most of the talking while the thin one mostly listened offering sympathetic comments at the right junctures. Sample this:

Fat Lady (FL): I have the habit of forgetting packages on train racks…
Thin Lady (TL): (Sympathetically) that’s bad…
FL: Yeah… once I left this lovely lunch box-water bottle combo… I had just purchased it from Marine Lines… so beautiful they were… costed me 300 bucks… imagine…I lost 300 bucks on the rack…
TL: (sympathetic clicks of the tongue)
FL: You know, I had also bought a lovely saree on the same day, luckily I gave it to my friend for safe keeping… else I would have lost the saree too…
TL: (coudnt u give the other stuff also to your friend?) yeah that was really lucky for u…!!! ;-)

Needless to say, for FL the journey might have felt very short… I hope the same was the case with TL!!!

Another time, in a crowded Virar, I witnessed a conversation between a very Posh looking lady carrying a stylish small clutch bag and a simple service class girl looking tired after a long day in office. Here’s what transpired:

Posh Lady (PL): That’s a nice bag you have.
Simple Lady (SL): (probably surprised at the praise of her very unstylish utility bag) ohh… thanks.
PL: You might be able to keep a lot of stuff in it na…?
SL: Oh yes, the usual things apart I am also able to keep my tiffin box and water bottle.
PL: And look at me… mera yeh chhotu sa bag… I can’t keep a thing!!!
SL: (smug, no comments)
PL: Where did you get the bag from?
SL: This bag is easily available… you can get it at Borivali market for 150 bucks…
PL: That’s great… I m going to Borivali Market this Friday…!!!
End result being both PL & FL enjoyed their journeys…

Trains are actually a study in human nature for a person who is new to them. I have seen women in groups berating their mothers-in-law, singing ‘happy birthday’ for someone turning a year older, sharing goodies with regulars, etc. No one even knows the others’ names… but probably, this world away from office and home is a time when most chill… and though inane at times, train conversations might go a long way in easing the minds of the speakers and helping them look forwards to the responsibilities waiting for them as they step out of the compartment…!!!

Lingua franca

2010-06-15T22:05:00.002+05:30

India, though one country is a study in diversity. And for me, most fascinating is the number of languages spoken here… language in itself is an amazing concept… how some sounds might be gibberish for a few but might make perfect sense to some others…! I have always had great fun in trying to learn nuances of a new language from any friend of a different region… as a result I have working knowledge of most languages in the south plus a few languages commonly heard in Mumbai, my current base.

But languages in India are also now becoming a means to segregate people… at one time India had unity in diversity, now it seems vested interests see language as a means for creating divisions…

The situation in Maharashtra is quite well known, thanks to the excessive media coverage of the propaganda by a very charismatic regional leader. Mumbai has progressed (???) from the 70’s where the agenda was to send back the South Indians (Idlis or Madrasis to most!!!) to today where the agenda is to send back anyone who is not Marathi Speaking.

Linguist that I am, I have a good working knowledge of Marathi. Anyone with common sense would agree that language can only be learnt by speaking to the ones who are fluent. But I have noticed that people here hardly give me a chance. I am greeted with laughter ever if I speak in the local language due to the difference in the pure accent. So guys, if you laugh at me, how will I learn…???

I recently visited a city which I love, Chennai. Tamil is a language I love hearing, and am quite fluent speaking it, along with being able to read and write the script. As a result, I love it when I am surrounded by people speaking Tamil. This time too, I had 3 days in Chennai speaking the language of the land with the people. And my!!! What a response I got…!!! People were overjoyed whenever I spoke to them in Tamil. My request for traditional ‘Sambhar-Rice’ at a restaurant for lunch amazed the waiter so much… he had actually come with a bowl of Dal to serve me…!!! I have forever believed ‘In Rome, do as the Romans do’. And it has held me in good stead always.

But I was witness to a disconcerting incident in Chennai too… I was at the tourism office with my parents waiting for the bus to Tirupati. The bus was delayed. I had conducted all the enquiries at the desk in Tamil eliciting a favorable response from all. They were very helpful with the replies and I was asked to wait for the bus. In came a very tall guy who moved to the desk and began requesting for information in English. Here is the conversation between the Tall Guy (TG) and the desk…

TG- I need info regarding the rates and trips for Tirupati.
Desk – Where are you from?
TG- From here itself (confused at the question).
Desk – Are you Tamilian?
TG-Yes, from (XYZ) village.
Desk (shifting to Tamil from English) – Why are you speaking in English if you are a Tamilian? Don’t you know we have a rule here… no signboards except in Tamil… no speaking except in Tamil. Don’t you know that Kalaingar (Karunanidhi, I think) has asked us to be true to our mother tongue? Then how dare you come here and speak foreign language?

Needless to say, TG was nonplussed and beat a hasty retreat. As a witness to the whole conversation, I understood what language fanatics were all about. They would have accepted if I had spoken in English, coz I am not a Tamilian. But I checkmated them by conducting the conversation the local tongue. But poor TG will never speak English in Tamil Nadu again!!!

I believe that any language is beautiful… be it the hoarse North Indian dialect or the lilting South Indian words. And above all, isn’t it that I find the South Indian words lilting coz I make sense of them more than I make of the North Indian dialect? So enjoy the diversity and find unity in it…!!!

Kaho Na…

2010-06-12T12:13:00.001+05:30

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But
if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

How true na… Expression of feelings is an art which is lacking in most. Everyone loves to be told that he is loved, she is looking good, etc. But how many actually say that to others? Not many. As long as you don’t express ur feelings to others, how to u expect them to feel free to say the same to you?

People are really miserly when it comes to paying compliments to others. It is sad the way many people just feel things in their minds and do not say them out loud. This reticence probably stems from a thought that by appreciating the other, we would look like we r lacking. Or maybe, we are conditioned in such a way that appreciating another is just not priority…!!!

By paying a compliment to someone you know you might be just making his/her day… I believe no one forgets the good someone tells them about themselves… sometimes a compliment given from heart can light up a gloomy day of the recipient… whenever I feel low I remember the good things which my friends and family have noticed about me and appreciated… and once I do that, I feel a renewed confidence to take on whatever is disturbing me then!

The bashfulness in expressing is much more when it comes to feelings of affection. It is funny how we find it so easy to compliment our friends but find it difficult to thank our family for being there. It is amazing how a married couple get lost in the world of responsibility so much that love flies out of the window, even though they might have been lovers in the past. The same couple who used to say ‘I love You’ n number of times to each other earlier feel it frivolous now and do away with saying it. But what they lose is the intimacy created on saying that simple phrase from the heart…

Can anyone look at their parents and tell them how much they love them? Or thank them for all they have done for them? Just get a card from Archies or Hallmark for your parents and make their day. But the effect of the spoken word can never parallel the effect of a card na…!!!

I once saw a very cute young couple at the station, probably lovers, having a very animated discussion with each other using all sorts of gestures. But when I crossed them I realized that their gestures were all they had… they were mute! But even in their silent world they were partaking in the joy of the spoken word through gestures… We have it so much easier as we have a voice, so kaho naa… express what you feel!!!

Grey Matters

2010-06-01T21:09:00.001+05:30

Grey may not be a favorite color with most… a mix of the 2 most staid colors – Black n White- may not be the perfect idea of a style statement. But in life, Grey is probably the most dominant color. I m talking about the situations to which our responses are grey… nahi samjhe…?

A bad habit which most of us (including me of course!) have is to live life according to others’ diktats… society is the most important thing here… how many times in a day do u think ‘wat will he/she think?’… or ‘wat is his/her opinion about me?’… I think like this a number of times in a day… coz that’s how I have been trained in life… The mental conditioning of a kid in India is probably done in such a way that he is born with a ‘right-wrong’ rule book which ought to be followed life long. And when the kid grows up and realizes that things are never black or white (if at all he does realize!) he is too well conditioned to rebel against the rule book.

So who decided what is right and what is not… who made the rule book? Frankly, it seems that we r in a catch 22 situation: society made the rules for the society, thereby ensuring full compliance. But then, if WE ourselves have made the rules over the generations, then we ourselves should have the right to change them with the times na. Fodder for thought definitely…!!!

We have so many rules to live by:
1) Thou ought not to use study time for sports/artwork/dance/singing. Study time is for study only, extra curry is just that… EXTRA.
2) Thou ought not to make a career out of anything other than Science/Commerce/Math. Most artists and sportsmen don’t earn enough to feed even their own stomachs… so thou will not find a spouse for thyself.
3) Thou ought to have a professional degree… only that will ensure thou a good job.
4) Thou are a girl, thou studies will ensure thou a good spouse and thou needs to be a PRO at housework as that will distinguish thou from boys. Thou ought not to make the 1st move with a guy… thou will be labeled badly.
5) Thou ought to marry a girl/boy of thou parents’ choice. The girl/boy in question shall be of the same Religion & caste & community & village & social standing & education & (o my god, it doesn’t end!!!)….

(The list is neither exhaustive, nor totally experienced by me… but I guess these are the most commonly faced ones… )

In a society like ours, it is very difficult to be a rebel. U find urself alone with even people u care for on the opposite side. But then, when will all this change…? The key is to make decisions u feel like making and then have the courage to STAND BY THEM. Being responsible for ur own actions, whether they turn out well in the end or not, is the sign of strength of character. It is never wrong to admit that what you did didn’t turn out well… but at least… be strong enough to admit that whatever happened was because of YOU urself… A lot of people probably think that strength of character means defending everything they do whether it turns out well or not… but isn’t that actually cowardice? Grey matter stands for intelligence… so why always think in black or white… be grey and love it…!

I have lived too much according to the rule book… time to shut it n start writing another book… not of rules, but the things life has to offer if u just open ur eyes to see… !!!

Mother’s Recipe

2010-05-31T22:44:00.002+05:30

I am sure we remember the cute dialogue by Ma in old Hindi movies… ‘maine apne haathon se thumhare liye halwa banaya hai’…!!! Farah Khan did her bit to immortalize this dialogue in ‘Om Shanti Om’ with the super talented Kirron Kher mouth it to a hilarious effect…

A friend recently had the good luck of spending some time in her maayka. She told me about how her mother kept calling her in office to ask what she wanted to eat… n she kept saying… ‘ma, anything u make will do…!’.

This post is a tribute to the best cooks in the world… Ma. I remember how, as a kid, I used to be finicky about food… and my poor mom would walk a tightrope daily trying to please dad, me n my kid bro… mostly failing somewhere…

A day into hostel I realized what I was missing. Mom’s night porridge felt like the tastiest broth compared to the sordid dinners in the mess… (do they call the canteen ‘mess’ literally…?).While at home, I used to always wish for dinners out… at least once a week we ensured that we had dinner out, ostensibly to give mom a break but actually coz we believed that the REAL food was in hotels. But, at home during the odd weekend from hostel, I just wanted my mom’s food… any vegetable, any main course… nothing mattered anymore.

I do not get to cook much at home… but the days I do, I try to cook the way my mom does… she is miles away from me… giving out the recipe on the phone… I try to remember how her tadka smelt when I dunk mustard into hot oil… I try to remember the color of her tomato gravy and wonder whether mine matches that…

I do succeed at times… I guess I have lucky genes… n the days I do match up to her, I am happy… I have somehow thanked her for all she did in those days I was difficult… those days when I used to make faces at her vegetable and leave the rice untouched for want of a better curry…

I do not live with my mom anymore… if U still do, lucky u… and if u don’t, I am sure u also feel like I do… coz Mother’s Recipe is so unique… even the best cordon bleu chef pales in comparison…!!!

The Exam called Life…

2010-05-27T20:17:00.001+05:30

It is amazing how, at times, some routine thing like a forwarded message or an email gets you thinking about something profound… an SMS I received some time back caught my attention… it said:

‘Just when we get all the answers of Life, God changes the question paper… That’s Life!’

Ring a bell somewhere…? The biggest nightmare for any student is to realize he has prepared chapter 5 for the test and it turns out he needed to cram chapter 4… right?

Uncertainty in anything is probably something people hate. How wonderful if we are always certain… that there are no doubts and peace reigns…!!! Not really? Exactly!! The uncertainty is what wakes us up every morning… I wake up every weekday wondering what cases I will be handling in office today and I rise on every weekend imagining how the holiday would go.
As a kid in school, my only desire was to graduate and be a school teacher… ya… fab teacher I would’ve made… ;-) but then, as I grew older, I got enamored by the ‘intelligent kids do only science-maths’ thing… at one point of time I sucked so bad at math that I prayed to god to make me 15 soon, so that I could go to college and kick the math out…!! But I turned 15 and god changed the QP… with a 99% in math as well as science I was in the 11th std with both… n a major uncertainty in life whether to be a doc or an engineer…!!!

A few years later, as an engineering student, I loved looking at the green n red triangles during the market updates in the 9 o’clock NDTV news… so NIFTY n SENSEX are up… yeah… but what it meant to anyone, I was clueless…!!!

4 years and an engineering degree later, yes, the QP changed again… as an MBA student, the SENSEX n NIFTY were much more than green n red triangles to me… so much so, against my parents’ fond hope that I would go into HR, I jumped headlong into finance. I believed then that I had all the answers… after MBA, cool life in an apartment in a big city… 12 hr wrk days, Friday night parties and a cool pay packet… majjani life…. Right…? WRONG…!!!

So I got married… n there my life somersaulted to an extent I could have ever imagined… since the last 3 years, the QP changes daily… n I m the circus juggler with too many rings to handle n just 2 hands…

As Geet said in ‘Jab We Met’ … ‘Babajee boring bana do jee ab is raat ko’ I also cry… God…Give me the answers fast n don’t u dare change the QP again…!!! But anyway… God shall be God… n I, measly mortal, will be left grappling all my life…

“Do ur best and leave the rest”, said Swami Chinmayananda… a dear friend reminded me the same thing recently… QP will keep changing… just make sure u r prepared… and as I continue to make sense of it, the Exam called Life is ticking away…!!!

Uncleji(s)

2010-05-25T21:57:00.001+05:30

I love it when I get compliments… “u r lukin gud”… “hey… pink is ur color… lukin lovely”… I remember the days I spent in the shadow of hideously large glasses, a bob hair cut totally unsuitable and skin invisible under a layer of angry red pimples (ouch… ugh!!). Now that I m presentable and receive compliments instead of pity for my looks, I really look forward to compliments.

As the lithe n sophisticated Kurti-chudidar wearing working woman in Mumbai (ok, the specs are still der, just smaller and sleeker but the hair is longer… like dimple kapadia’s in Ram Lakhan!!!) I can surely send my snaps for those ‘before and after’ type pics which show what changes confidence can bring in you.

But sadly, I have no flow of compliments from hot tall dark n handsome men… (;-))… instead… who do I have enamored… Unclejis…!!! Yeah… unclejis… those portly middle aged men, who, probably decent family men at home, are sadly footloose when they step out… Cases in point are chronicled below:

Uncle 1:
Bald, pot bellied and carrying a red school bag on 1 shoulder (???!!!), uncle 1 is typical of the Mumbai service class. A chance encounter while travelling together in a share rick to the rly stn one day got us talking about very important topics like the weather and lack of bus frequency. A few days and a few innocuous hi’s later here is what transpired on one bus trip to station:

He: (smile)
Me (in my BIBA kurti): (smile)
Bus reaches station.
Me: (smile)
He: ‘Tumi kiti chhaan diste madam… khoob cute diste!!!’ {means “u r lukin very cute” in Marathi}
Me: :-0!!!! escape…!!! :- )))

Uncle 2:
Cooling glass wearing uncle, Uncle has never complimented me. BUT… he decided to take my ticket in the bus (gave him a gud dressing down, stopped it!!!). Ever since I have noticed his ‘U Mangalore I also Mangalore’ buddy buddy looks coming my way … doesn’t help that how much ever I try to avoid him he HAS to catch my attention… even if it means jumping a few feet on the platform so that he can land himself in my path so I am forced to mumble a Hi… needless to say scaring me out of my wits when the only thought in my mind is to be in place to jump into the upcoming local (sigh!!)

Now mornings at the bus stop have me looking around surreptitiously from the corner of my eye to spot the presence of either of the uncles.

But some wise man has said ‘Something is better than nothing”. So maybe I should just count my blessings and be happy with the compliments I receive… even if they r from Uncleji(s)…!!!!

The Train

2010-05-25T21:56:00.001+05:30

Before u press the panic buttons, let me explain, this is not a review of the Emraan Hashmi starrer released a few years back… (o u didn’t remember it, sorry!!!). This post is about the lifeline of all Mumbaikars… n now, since I m a certified ‘Mubaikar’, it is my duty to introduce u to the most happening thing here… The Mumbai Local Train…!!!

Trains for me used to be blue with narrow entrances which would take me to my Naani in Mumbai. But now, the train is my daily workout session… The Mumbai local can teach u to dodge 3 women shouting abuses at each other even while u have ur ears plugged in with the FM playing ‘Mumbai Local’ with RJ Mantra AND the latest ‘People’ Mag in ur hand AND standing on one foot (PHEW…!!!). My arms r now much better toned than 3 years back due to holding the railing with dear life and my feet r much more nimble due to regularly jumping into running trains for want of the elusive seat.

The Mumbai local is a 9/12 coach train with general compartments (1st and 2nd class, for all), ladies compartments (1st and 2nd class for ladies), luggage compartments (for the famous dabbawallahs and also bhaji wallahs and phool wallahs) and the Handicapped compartment (within which u mostly find perfectly normal people who want some peaceful travel and also know to dodge the TC). It is on an average filled to five or six times its capacity with the rest of the hapless public on the footboards or doing a ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ on the roof. I have the privilege of travelling in the 2nd class ladies compartment. Travelling is similar to watching an Abbas Mustan movie… the twists n turns r unpredictable, the dialogues trashy, n there is not a single low moment…!!!

But the ladies coach also gives u ‘train friends’ i.e. people who travel with u daily… u may not know their names or what they do… but u know that if u faint in the heat or get hit while entering, they will swoop down on u n take care of u till u reach ur destination.
For a small towner, the Mumbai local might be overwhelming… but just for some time… once u get the hang of it, u r sold… and u don’t want to travel any other way for the rest of ur Mumbai life… the Mumbai local is a racy pacy thriller which does not shy from adding that little sub plot in between… a song, a tender scene… something which gives u a peek into the soul of the blockbuster…

And that why, the Mumbai Local Train is what it is…a SUPERHIT…!!!

The Phoenix

2010-05-25T21:55:00.000+05:30

It s over 3 years since I actually got down to blogging, regularly that is… my last post might at best be treated as an aberration… the rambling of a mind which just wanted to check its nick after making a 180 degree turn in life. So the point was rusty n the words tired… but not anymore…

Like a Phoenix, which lives its life over and over again after getting extinguished in flames each time, I m back. Profound thanks to JK Rowling for introducing us to this wonderful creature…

3 years can change a person a lot. And, maybe not… there are things that never change, n hopefully, my thirst to write remains the same… and one thing I hope never changes is, the Enigma of being me… there is a thrill in the unknown which the known can never compete with.

And, I thank my dear friends (Nisha, Ray, Sherwin, Vinod) for pulling me out of my stupor… so if my ramblings get too heavy… u know whom to blame…!!!

So cheers to a new beginning… I hope I don’t get extinguished before I live an entire life again…!!!

Back Again

2007-10-24T16:22:00.000+05:30

It is months since I sat at a PC in order to COMPOSE something original. There were times when daily events would come unbidden to my mind and make me feel… hey!! this can make a good post…!! But lack of time, change in lifestyle and irregular net access on my part ensured that my hibernation lasted so long. But not any longer.

My nearly 7 months in Mumbai, my Janmabhoomi, now Karmabhoomi also have been very eventful. I remember how, when in kerala, my college mates used to never realize I am a keralite and mistake me for a ‘northie’.

But here, however I look or speak, as soon as mention my name ‘SRILAXMI’, I get LOOKS and “Oh you are a South Indian” thrown at me. So much for hoity toity Mumbaikars (who incidentally don’t know whether Hyderabad is in AP or Karnataka!!). When a colleague asked me if I am a ‘Madrasi’, I was quite surprised as I didn’t know that that was a common term for all South Indians, albeit from any of the 4 state. I innocently replied that I was not. Know what… the ideal reply would’ve been “like how all North Indians are not Bhaiyyas, all South Indians are not Madrasis!!!” India is a country of diversities. And it is definitely possible to live in harmony… provided a little broad mind and restraint while speaking are exercised. But still, I love Mumbai, no complaints.

But this post is not about any TOPIC. It is about life. Funny na however much you hate your college, certain staff and the general treatment meted out to you, your heart is heavy on your last day… However much you dislike being in Kerala, you feel a sense of homecoming when you touch down in your state again… My new life is becoming a revelation to me about myself… what I really am… how much I can change… how a person, after seeing so many crests in life suddenly meets with a trough which is really deep and lasts really long…

But I am raring to go now… exams done… trying for a change of job… music and books are back in my life again… and hope is reigning supreme. So much so, I have created time for blogging also…

So here’s to a great new innings… aloha…!!!

Scream 4...

2007-03-07T12:56:00.001+05:30

An incident, which created a scare on the day it happened, is now a laughable memory. I have a batchmate whose laptop has a collection of SOUNDS. Well, so do all of us, we do have songs n music u might say. But these sounds are different… these are human sounds, when humans are murdered, raped or tortured!! An assortment of yells, shrieks and screeches, it can make the strongest man’s blood curdle. And it was this collection that created a huge hullabaloo in our hostel.

As is the usual practice in hostels, we hostellers too sleep late (and doze off in classes if you please!!). On one such night where all girls were busy doing their own thing (reading, studying (gosh!! Who?), talking to the boyfriend over the phone) lazily into the night, we were disturbed by… yes you guessed right… a blood curdling SCREAM.

All of us stopped dead in our tracks. And most imaginative minds were working fast to identify the source. We second floor girls ran downstairs to alert the warden. On the way, we spotted a few faint-hearted juniors on the first floor weeping inconsolably!! We reached the ground floor and banged the warden’s door. But the heavy sleeper that she is, I m sure even an earthquake wouldn’t have woken her up.

And then came the second scream. We realized that it was coming from the 3rd floor that is unoccupied. The hair-raising scream literally petrified all of us. Was the terrace unknowingly left open? Had someone managed to come in? Or did some worker get left behind in the hostel (we had some masonry work still going on).

As all of us nimbly walked to the 3rd floor, we saw a strange sight. This girl and 2 of her friends coming down laughing from the 3rd floor. Now we were clueless. Where did those sounds come from?

On being confronted by an angry bunch of batchmates and terrified juniors, those girls let us in on what had happened. Apparently, they were trying out those sounds to prepare for a Panorama Skit!!

All of us were really wild with anger that day. We were really feeling like to give those girls a hiding for the scare they created. But then… nothing was done and the matter was closed after a few warnings to them.

Today I remember the incident with a smile on my lips… a funny memory at hostel!!

Flying Past...

2007-03-02T13:01:00.001+05:30

My 3rd semester exams are going on… the last time I will be writing a final exam as a free jolly hosteller…My final sem exams will be sometime in August, when I will be well into a new and very different life.

As the days pass faster than imagined, I am realizing that my college days are coming to an end. I remember Karthik commenting on one of my early posts about how I will miss college after it is over. Maybe I will.

Sometimes while studying for exams when my mind wanders (mind you, my mind wanders ONLY when I am studying ;-) !!) I remember little incidents in my life as a student. Some bitter, some sweet… how treasured those memories will be one day!!

They might look rather common and insignificant to others, but, those incidents that gave me a laugh of tears at the moment which they occurred, I feel, are really precious to me.

Maybe, posting those on my blog will be a good way to relive those moments one day in the future…

‘Looking back on the tears would always make us laugh, but the moments we laughed together will make us cry one day!!’

Chhee...!!

2007-02-07T11:39:00.001+05:30

A perusal of recent Indian news must be definitely evoking some expression of disgust from any sane citizen. The goings on in our country is becoming more bizarre day by day. One can just hope that the deterioration in the moral of fibre of certain citizens doesn’t become a norm and is more an exception (though I wish it could be eliminated altogether!!).

The macabre incidents in Nithari must have definitely induced shock & fury among the citizens. Magazines have given the perpetrator of ghoulish crimes, Pandher, the cover, thereby creating a greater awareness. As the events become clearer as the days pass, one really starts to wonder whom can one trust? Strangers are strangers; now even acquaintances will arouse suspicion in the minds of people.

The topic of trust brings to mind the next utterly condemnable incident: the Ganderbal Killings. If Pandher was probably a perverted mind then what about the law enforcers; the army and the police who have resorted to crime for purely selfish personal gains? Cruel seems too weak a word for them. I wish I could come up with a stronger one.

As a member of the general public, I am letting my mind wander. What was Pandher, a father himself, thinking when he inflicted acts of brutality on little children? Did he stop for a moment and think how would he have felt if the same had happened to his son, who is now trying his level best to portray his father as a ‘loving’ man? (any takers?) It is indeed saddening that a crime of this scale has happened in our country which is on the cusp of great development.

And then, what about our very trustworthy law enforcers? Terrorism has become something which our country is having to live with since years now. But today, I cannot but ask myself: who is the more cruel of the two? The terrorists who kill innocent civilians for (ostensibly) a mission? Or the very people who are supposed to stop the terrorists, the police and army, who kill civilians for (ugh!) PROMOTIONS?

India has always been known as a tolerant country. But India should definitely not tolerate these kinds of acts. Every such act brings India (which is soon becoming part of the elite group of nations) decades back. What use is economic growth if citizens still use their power (be it physical of positional) for cheap personal gains?

India is facing a lot of problems still, terrorism, poverty, and illiteracy being some of them. It will need selfless citizens to unite and solve all these problems.

But with this kind of degradation being seen in the moral fibre of the people, I wonder when our country will qualify to be called DEVELOPED, in the true sense of the word!

Yeh Galat Jawab!!!

2007-01-25T11:36:00.001+05:30

Once a lecturer made us cross our fingers in class. Which thumb was above, he asked. I had the right one over the left. Then he asked us to uncross out fingers and re cross them so that (for me) the left thumb comes over the right. And he asked to notice the distinct discomfort we experience. Yeah, I felt uncomfortable. Well, why am I saying this?

The above exercise actually illustrates how we humans are uncomfortable accepting change. Be it in our environment, lifestyle or anything, it takes us time to move. And same is the case when a very famous TV show makes a very drastic change (Ha… I get to the point now!!), that of changing its highly successful compere, the very face of the programme.

I am a huge SRK fan and was waiting desperately for the new KBC with him at the helm. But, for the very reason I quoted above, I was badly disappointed. Here are my observations:

SRK was not looking natural. He is one actor who completely redefined the persona of actors. From an exclusive category, he brought actors to the level of commodities. From endorsements to dancing at weddings, SRK was a master. And the result of all this was that SRK became a normal human for fans like me. There isn’t much unknown about the Star, the ‘Star’ had lost its enigma and come down from a high pedestal to reside with us.

So it was disorienting for me to see SRK looking like he is trying to be the Big B. Well, the Big B cant be duplicated, and, for that matter, neither can the King Khan!! So why this change in voice pitch to become baritone – ish like Amitabh? Why the forced looking phrases? Why the artificial looking jokes? Why not just be the lovable SRK, be it Raj, Rahul or even Vijay (Don)?

On second thoughts, maybe SRK himself is a fan of the Big B… and all these observed mannerisms are a result of some unconscious response from the mind of SRK. Probably, being too harsh on him at this stage is unwarranted, as even he will take time to adjust into the boots of the Big B.

But above all this is the fact that people do not take well to changes. Why no ‘lock kiya jaye'? Where is that endearing ‘Computer ji'? Why KBC has suddenly become a product placement vehicle for Compaq? Why so many changes in the lifelines?

As my blog says. ‘The only thing constant in this world is CHANGE.’ But another thing that is constant is ‘Resistance to Change’.

And whether the SRK edition of KBC will be able to overcome this is anybody’s guess.

Hai koi jawab???

Celebrity Big BOTHER!!

2007-01-22T16:47:00.001+05:30

It has always been said that ‘An actor is as good as his last film’. And it is true that, in India especially, this saying holds good. So what does an actor, 31 yrs of age, with no memorable releases (not speaking of hits here) at all in the near past do to keep herself alive in the minds of the Indian junta? Well, join a very popular celebrity reality show, and if it is a ‘phoren’ one, sone pe suhaga, right?

That could probably be what a certain Ms. Shetty had in mind, the bounty of 3+ cr rupees being another benefit.

Reality shows, most often inspired by foreign shows, are not new in India. And every time, the policy of audience deciding on the future of participants has been a topic of debate. Audience are very easily guided by emotions. This was seen at the time of ‘painter babu’ Ravinder’s unexpected and meteoric rise in Indian Idol I and also recently with the physically challenged Diwakar in sa re ga ma pa.

So what was behind the whole issue of the ‘Racist Abuse’ on Ms. Shetty? It was indeed highly deplorable of a person to speak like how Ms. Woody did. And it is understandable that Ms. Shetty was left in tears. It is also not surprising that Ms. Woody got voted out emphatically.

But what was completely unexpected was probably the reactions that came to the whole episode. The politicians of both Britain and India were up in arms condemning the incident. The public of Britain was exhorted to vote logically to get the wrong doer out of the show so as to reinforce the image of the nation as a tolerant one.

And the reactions in India… everyone from netas to the MEA was giving statements. Isn’t it odd that the same netas never looked so concerned about dalit murders of mercilessly killed children? Or about any other issue of real national importance for that matter?

Why is it that reactions are so quick when the event involved a celebrity? Particularly when the celebrity was not representing the nation at the show?

The best comment on the whole issue, according to me, came from Mr. Salman Rushdie yesterday. Talking about the issue he said: If you feel the heat in the kitchen, it is better you move out. Definitely Ms. Shetty was not expecting a smooth ride in the show. Then why make a personal comment such an issue of macro level consequences, only to finally say nothing great had happened? And why are the repeated yo-yos happening in both her and Ms. Woody’s statements?

As a PR strategy, Celebrity Big Brother has really worked in Ms. Shetty’s favor as she has not just come into limelight, but also has been shown as a so vulnerable person. But the whole issue leaves one really to wonder: is it time for the netas and the junta to do a rethink?

The 'Stink City'

2007-01-18T14:44:00.001+05:30

It is not something new which I face. But what is new is that it is happening in a city: supposedly one of the biggest and poshest in God’s Own Country. ‘Stink City’ syndrome is probably new; but believe me, it is really unbearable!!

As a regular commuter in the city of Ernakulam, I have to cross the Edapally signal. It is a crossroad and the traffic signal there has a long waiting time. Well whats new in a busy traffic light one may say. What is new is the syndrome which I introduced: the horrible horrible stench which pervades your nostrils and thereby your senses whenever you have the misfortune to be stuck at that signal for long.

The stench is indecipherable to say the least. Is it a mix of human and animal waste? Or decaying carcass? Or garbage mixed with gutter? Or an unholy mix of all these horrors?? Such is the smell that one really feels faint. As I see the bus driver and conductor close their noses in agony (as do all of us hapless passengers!) I pity them, as they must be traveling through the very route, experiencing the same stench a number of times in a day. It becomes asphyxiating after some time and one cannot but pray to the heavens that the signal turns green ASAP.

Well, why such strong words for just a bit of stench, one might think. Beyond all the passenger troubles is the problem of pollution. I am not aware why that area smells. The left to the signal leads to a posh highway route leading to Kakkanad which is a very upmarket area of the city. Then why this real callousness on the part of the authorities with regard to this area?

Or… is it something which has a solution in the hands of the general public?

Will the ‘Stink City’ always be the same?

Only time will tell!!

P.S. If the stench goes in the coming days, I will definitely post on it!!

Poignant...

2007-01-12T10:57:00.001+05:30

I have never appreciated receiving forwards, be it on mail or on sms. But sometimes certain forwards are so poignant and thought provoking that I keep them in my inbox forever. I want to post one very true and relevant forward I received as an sms over a year back: on 03/01/06.

'We Never Get

What We Want

We Never Want

What We Get

We Never Have

What We Like

We Never Like

What We Have

Still...

We Live & Love

That is LIFE...!'

June '06 to Jan '07 has brought a lot of changes in my life. As I try to get out of my blogger's block, I make a start with the above lines.

The most common human tendency, common to all ages and both sexes is discontent. Why is it that we always envy our neighbor? Why is it that the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence?

Swami Chinmayananda has propounded 'Do the Best and Leave the Rest'. Yes, above all the forces material is a bigger force, the Almighty who takes care of everyhting. And this is just what I have started realising in the past months.

I got engaged in November and thought that a semi colon had come in my Life. Would I be able to achieve my dreams of making something out of my life? With so many constraints, will I get a job of my liking? Would I be relegated to the hearth more due to situation than to lack of ability?

But I had undermined the power of God. I got placed from my college in Kotak Securities, Mumbai; a job and location which I wanted. Now I look forward to a great life... a complete life with job & family. I am content and I wish to tell all who are not content:

Believe; and the rest will just follow!!

Reservations About Reservation.

2006-06-01T12:06:00.001+05:30

It is ages since I wrote a general post. Now that I am sufficiently charged up to write something, it is about the done-to-death-in-the-media topic of reservation. Why this? Because, I have seen this issue first hand, being a professional graduate from Kerala.

My understanding of reservations in educational institutions and jobs is that they were given to aid in the upliftment of weaker sections of society. A very noble thought indeed. In the olden days, when the upper castes completely held fort, certain sections of society were very much oppressed, so that, it was impossible to see them on par with their upper caste counterparts. With the help of such reservations, a lot many got access to education, jobs and other facilities which helped them improve their quality of life to a great extent.

Now we come to the issue of 2nd and 3rd generation beneficiaries of reservation. These are the people whose parents and grandparents have already benefited from reservation and have quite a cushioned existence today. They cannot be distinguished from their upper caste counterparts and, as per the logic in the previous paragraph, don’t actually need reservation. But, the rule gives reservations on basis of caste, as in the recent government order. Has everyone totally forgotten the real reason behind reservations?

I recently saw on NDTV students who put forth the thought that reservations will only get you a seat, unless you are capable of taking the stress of the studies, you will not get anywhere. How true…

Let me share what I have seen. In my engineering class, there were 2-3 seats reserved for the SC/ST. but, the 2 students who got in through this reservation were found totally incapable of professional education. I have no contact with one, but the other is in touch with me. She is still trying to clear some arrears in various semesters. Till date, she never cleared a single paper in the first attempt. She is not a bad student, but maybe, just not capable of this…

She is not an isolated case. I have seen many others in my college get through piggy backing on reservation and messing up their lives. But I have seen others also, eg. my neighbor, who got an astounding 300 odd rank in the medical entrance and making it in the general category itself, even though eligible for reservation. Nothing can be a substitute for hard work. Reservation can only get a horse to water, drinking or not is the horse’s prerogative…

Personally, I feel that reservation should be given on the basis of economic standing alone. There are a lot of upper castes who are economically backward and unable to make it in general category seats. Don’t you feel they should be given some kind of reservation?

In Kerala, when we fill our application forms for entrance, we have to specify our annual income. If the income is beyond a certain level, you are not eligible for reservation, whatever be your caste. This, I felt was quite the right approach.

But again, here is what I saw. A classmate, whose father was in the gulf, and had annual family income well above the specified limit, managed to get reservation. How? Well, they just got the village officer to sign on the specified documents stating that the income was below the limit. It is that easy. I am not badmouthing anyone. It is just the situation which I am portraying to the best of my knowledge.

Today, people are getting into intercaste marriages just to avail reservation. Recently, there was a case of a doctor who had shown himself to be the adopted son of his house help in order to avail of reservation. The law caught up with him though.

It is understood that granting reservations gives great political mileage to parties. But increasing seats just to accommodate reservation is foolhardy. A look at the infrastructure in most professional colleges will prove this. The existing situation itself is not that great. Then further expansion…

I am not a cynic, but I have no option but think that all the protests will be of no use. Yes, reservation should be there. But the way it is granted should be a transparent process. And with India having celebrated 50 yrs of independence, it is irrelevant to grant reservations purely on the basis of caste.

So I say, I have reservations about reservation!

P.S. The ideas above are my personal opinion. I do not mean to hurt anyone’s sentiments or talk against law. I did 1st yr engineering around 5 years back. The rules might have changed today.

Telemarketing Vignettes.

2006-05-29T16:28:00.001+05:30

I have been doing telemarketing for my company for exactly a week now. And it has been a fun experience so far. My previous post gave an idea of what I am supposed to do. Getting down to how I am actually doing it…
So I call up the companies, get to an operator or receptionist usually, and say my name and company name as sweetly as possible trying to get to the contact person mentioned in the database. I have been quite lucky till now (except for the first day…) and have mostly managed to get to the bosses.
But leads… hmmm… not really got many. I have called over 100 companies and managed, say, around 15-20 solid leads. That is almost 11-12%. Strictly OK for a beginner.
But there have been INCIDENTS. Some of them really left me laughing. Let me share some here.
The funniest to me was my call to ‘Steel Works Metal Works’ as was given in the database. I called and got through to the Director, only to find that it was not a manufacturing company, but a MAGAZINE. And know the funny part? The director started pestering me to put an advertisement for our company in the mag, saying that it has good circulation. He took down my number, name and company details and told to request my manager to consider putting an ad. A classic case of how the hunter became the hunted. The very thing I was doing since last Monday got applied to me…
I was mainly calling in the Pune territory, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nasik and Sholapur. This is Marathi heartland. I understand Marathi (I was born in Mumbai… :)) but definitely cant converse in it. It was quite an experience to hear these people replying to me as ‘ho’ (instead of haan) and reciting contact phone numbers in Hindi.
Consider this call. The person at the other end was giving me a mob number to contact the boss. The number –30508500. the way he told me: -- ‘tees pachaas aath PANDAV(!!) jeero jeero’. Got it?!! Well… so Pandav is 5 and Ravan is 10 and Kaurav is 100… good use of mythology!
Then there were the taxing ones. I am not given any deep details of the product of my company. So when this person asked me the pricing, I was quite clueless. I told him that I will ask my marketing manager to get back to him. His response? ‘Why? Are YOU not in the marketing department?’ ha!! I told him that yes I am, but my ‘area of work ;-)’ is only leads generation. His next few questions were purely technical about softwares and customization. Whew!! Felt like engineering final viva that one!!
But then again, there were the others who were extremely polite and gave all the required details without many questions. It is very refreshing to see people in high posts so considerate.
I will be leaving Bangalore for Ernakulam on 3rd June. Till 2nd, this telemarketing will continue. I hope the next 4 days are as fun and satisfying like the last week…

One More...

2006-05-24T13:06:00.001+05:30

This is another in the series of my posts on my current project work. Ok, so my guide was out of town the first 2 weeks I was here. Then? Couldn't they have told me to come later? At least I would've gone home and met my family... lots of time and money wasted. Now, when most of my classmates are almost through with their project, I am starting out... the work... is ok. I have to call up all these companies and talk to them, trying to get leads for my company. As my guide puts it, I am like a real telemarketing executive. I also have a target of 20 leads per day, but that has not been enforced yet as I am just a trainee and also just starting out.
I am worried that my college my specify impossible things like questionnaire ( I dont need one but my college is insisting), 20% strike rate ( again, rather difficult as most are either not willing to talk, wrong numbers or not needing CAD). My college project guide has switched off her mobile, putting in me in greater trouble as I am moving forward without her confirmation...
The first day was average. Initially I was quite clueless and bungled the first 2 calls. But then I improved, and am better today.
But now, I have to call companies like Tata Motors, Audi, Crompton Greaves, Kirloskar, etc. I am tensed. I mean, these are big firms!! Currently, there is a meeting going on, hence I have got a chance to blog. Probably after lunch, I will get down to work again.
My aloo paratha has come... and 2 gulab jamuns also... c ya soon!!

Airtel Woes...

2006-05-16T14:05:00.000+05:30

Utkarsh's post on his airtel connection gave me an idea for this post. Airtel was too good in Kerala until recently. The airtel friendz scheme which I opted for was having very good features including national sms at 15p and 11pm to 7 am half rates on local calls. There was also an endless amount of free sms available for people like me who msg 24*7.
But nowadays the things are changing. The e recharge schemes which used to give cool offers like free A2A calls and free sms have become a rarity. The worst part is, you have to recharge in such a way that your new scheme should add up to your existing balance of free calls and msgs. But my luck turned very bad this time. Not a single scheme came around my recharge time. And now I am left free absolutely no free calls and msgs since I couldnt recharge on time. I have only incoming msgs enabled now and, as utkarsh said, lots of worthless msgs are coming in.
Win a Mahindra Scorpio, download ringtone for free (of course, call charges are Rs. 6 per min!!) and such others.
Also, due to new service tax, the talk time per recharge is very low now. It is disappointing to say the least. My friends who took an airtel connection in the lure of A2As and free msgs are a dissatisfied lot.
I am on roaming now so it is ok I have no freebies. But when I return to college each of my msgs will get charged (I send lots in a single evening!). Means I will recharge soon. Is that the idea?
Morst of the providers are doing really well in Kerala. Logically, it should mean that the leader, Airtel, comes out with better schemes to keep its customer base intact. But the opposite is being seen.
I wonder whether airtel will understand the customer requirements and come up with better ideas soon...

Gimme Some Work....

2006-05-12T13:04:00.000+05:30

5 days into my project and i am utterly and totally bored. someone please give me some work!! i dont know why my projects always go like this. (remember my first post.........). problem is that this company doesnt usually entertain student projects. i got the project here only due to an acquaintance working here. and so, they have no clue what to give me to do.....
of course, i have the topics but no one to report to. it is irritating to say the least... today since morning i have been playing harry potter quizzes online. i would've taken leave and gone shopping on commercial street (walking distance from here i think.......) instead!!
I am becoming extremely irritable nowadays and find myself snapping at all my classmates with me in hostel now. yesterday 2 of them came to say hi to me as i dont see them at all nowadays. i leave at 7:30 and come back at 7:30. and then i just go to sleep after watching news. waste of stay in bangalore.
what to do... the experience, as i said in my previous post is fine. but what about the work i have really come here to do....?

Thats the way...............

2006-05-10T15:37:00.000+05:30

January has given way to May.... and i am blogging after a long long time. life has been hectic. 1st semester exams got over, 2nd semester started, reached half way through and now i am in Bangalore, doing project work. this project is from may 8th to june 2nd, and i hope everyting goes fine as this is my first solo project (engg. projects were always group works).
but more than the project, it is the life that is more interesting. the freedom, the responsibility, the sense of being in an office, everything is really new. today is my 4th day in bangalore and my 3rd working day. i am doing a data mining exercise for my company and will do a a spot of telemarketing for them in the next week.
as i can speak the usual sentences in kannada well, it is easy to manage in hotels or with rickshaw drivers. but in bus stops, everything is an utter mess. you need to know bus numbers, and since i do not know to read kannada, it is a must. the people standing aroung in the bus stops rarely take pity on me ( a poor thing from a village in kerala, new to the city!!) and so i basically am on my own.
i am somewhat familiar with the bus numbers now and the stops and directions. my company people are extremely friendly. everyone from my guides to the programmers in the company treat me too well. though a trainee, i am getting the feeling of being an employee and a colleague to the others. and the ambience is an entirely new experience. being with young people just in the world of office and computers, interacting witht them, seeing how business gets done, it is really giving me a lot.
yesterday i got a bad scare. it suddenly began raining pretty heavily. i hadnt carried my umbrella, and so had to walk in the pouring rain. i had missed the bus i had taken on monday, so i got worried thinking when would be the next bus. after being home by 6:30 ususally, waiting in the pouring rain at 6 in the bus stop was really frightening. thankfully i made it ok as i got a bus and reached hostel by 7:30. but i was drenched and shivering and could only manage to change and go to bed......... heck! i havent called my project guide yet...
the data mining is rather monotonous, but ok, something... telemarketing should be more interesting. keeping account daily, managing by yourself all alone, yes, nothing compares to the learning that these 3 weeks will give me!!

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-02T10:01:00.000+05:30

So 2005 has bid adieu to us. Looking back, I feel this has been a very momentous year for me. A lot of dreams came true, a few disappointments came my way....
I became a qualified as an engineer this year and managed to make my dream of doing an MBA come true. For the first time in my life I became a hosteller and learnt how to enjoy life and make the best of any given situation.
I made new friends who enriched and are still enriching my life with theirs. I consider getting them as one my major successes in 2005.
But then, I realised life isnt easy all the time. I had a tough time intitially trying to adjust to hostel environment though I had no homesickness. But the best part of facing troubles is that you get to know your real friends. Just as I did....
Life is still not going well. The course is much tougher than I ever imagined it would be. I was never a bad student or a shirker. But no amount of work is giving me the confidence of facing the university exams (dates not announced) boldly. All the subjects are giving me sleepless nights and I just wish this ordeal gets over soon....
The only silver lining to this cloud is my life.... beyond studies. I am enjoying each and every moment as much as I can. At home, I used to never celebrate new year. I would countdown by myself and go to bed at 12. This time I ushered in the new year at hostel.
Though the hostel timings were as usual (read 6:30 pm) the cutting of a yummy black forest cake at midnight and the feelings of being with friends at the time was really special for me.
Now I am in the college lab. We are having model exams from 5th onwards. I am trying to keep cool, but tension seems to have become a part of me now....
Lest I forget, it was in 2005 Jan that I began blogging. And now my blog is slowly becoming a kind of a diary for me, a note of my life which will definitely make me nostalgic someday.
2005 was a mixed bag for me. I hope my 2006 will be happy and great.
A bit late maybe but better late than never :-
I wish everyone visiting my blog A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006!!

Tag Ahoy!!

2005-12-08T13:53:00.000+05:30

I do not blog very regularly now, so tags are a very good reason for me to sit down n write. So thanx MadV for this tag....n I know it will take a bit of effort on my part to think up all those 7s...

7 Things I Plan To Do Before I Die...

Make my parents really proud.
Become a really good manager, be successful at it.
Write, lots........
Read, lots n lots..........
Become famous.
Become knowledgeable about finance concepts.
Do deeds that would make people remember me as a nice person.

7 This I Can Do...

Write (obviously!!)
Speak well (I hope so!!)
Create an impression (This 7 is turning out to be a good forum for me to blow my trumpet...)
Care a lot for a select few...
Do anything for them...
Read for any amount of time
And yeah!! Blow my trumpet (;-))

7 Things I cant Do

Draw n paint free hand (wish I could!!)
Sing on stage (I m ok in the bathroom or with friends, why not on stage?)
Imagine (really lacking in that...)
Spend lavishly (I m a bit of a miser...)
Keep calm (I tense up easily)
Advise (I dont like giving advices, even when I m asked to...)
Share (I m somewhat selfish...)

7 Things That attract Me To The Opposite Sex...

Height (not awkwardly tall, around 6')
Smile (the sincerity in it)
Language (esp if the conversation is in english)
Intelligence (after all the above, if he is a dud, goodbye!!)
Nature
Care n concern shown to me
Respect for the opposite sex (very important)

7 Things I Say Most...

Ohh God!!
What?!!
Hi!!
Dear...
Ayyo...
Wow!!
Really?!!

7 Celebrity Crushes...

[Good one, n I m going to got back to my school days for this as I m currently not crushing on anyone... and do check out my horrific taste through this... it is embarassing to me even!!]

Aamir Sohail (when I was in Class 8)
Ajit Agarkar (class 9 or so...)
Nikhil Chinappa (class 10)
SRK (till date...)

I was hoping to get at least 5... no luck!!

7 People I Want To Take This Quiz...

Utkarsh
Suryakant
Ram
Rakesh
Het
Cijal
??

I guess there wont be anyone in the above list who has taken this before... n yes, it really makes you think!!

A Unique Childrens' Day

2005-11-28T12:05:00.001+05:30

Our director decided to make this Childrens' day a memorable one for us by giving us the chance to bring cheer into the lives of little orphans, albeit for a short time. So it was decided that we would be visiting orphanages in groups. My group decided on the orphanage 'Matruchhaya'.

I had been to 'Shanthigiri' old age home earlier. It was a sad experience as the structure was dilapidated and the inmates desolate. But 'Matruchhaya' was much better. It has actually been set up in the erstwhile palace of Shri Sakthan Thampuran. The kids were extremeley well behaved and would say namaste on seeing us. We then had a formal introduction session. The way the kids were reciting their name, native place and period of being in the home made me feel that they have been through this drill many times before....

Later, the kids gave a display of their talents by singing, mimicking, etc. Must say they are very talented and so unselfconscious presenting before strangers....

There were kids from ages 7 to 17. 3 of the kids were blind. They showed us their textboks, guides, etc which had all been converted into braille. One of them is preparing for his tenth std board exam.....

I found the kids to be very intelligent also. They all wanted to play with our mobiles and were asking pertinent questions regarding the brand and the model.

Later, they were overjoyed to get balloons and sweets from us. We had lunch with them and we served them food. The management says that this way, they ensure that the kids do not experience the lack of a family.

A 4th std boy called Nidhin was very interested in asking me cute riddles in malayalam. Considering my knowledge of malayalam, I was finding the questions extremely tough and the kids were enjoying having fun at my expense.

But the sad part came a few minutes later. Nidhin told me that it was his birthday 2 days back. He told me that he spent the entire day in hospital. The reason, he has a hole in the heart valve. And doctors are dissuading him from getting an operation........

Soon it was time to leave. Nidhin was almost on the verge of tears. Like most others, he is not an orphan, but sent to orphanage by parents because they have no means to bring him up.

We left the orphanage with a heavy heart. I was feeling sad for those kids who get visitors like us every saturday, but must be sad and lonely on other days. This visit told me just how lucky I am to have a happy home, loving parents and all luxuries........

Thank You gAMe...

2005-11-02T08:54:00.001+05:30

The whole month of October passed away with me not blogging. But gAMe made me sit up and take note. There is so much happening in my life....why not let everyone know? Yes, I love blogging, it is just that the absence of 24 hr net facility is ecoming a constraint. But not anymore..

So my first mid terms got over. And my marks are pretty average, not too good. But most may say it is good for someone who is just out of the technical field into something very different. Did well in accounts, got 22/30 (plz, it is good!!). Topped in one, second in a few others. Economics needs a lot more work though........

Just after the mid term began the hurry of Panorama. 'Panorama' is a national convention of SCMS conducted by the HR, Finance and Systems specialization students. The convention is followed by a cultural evening. And thats where I had the time of my life...

Just as my classmates decided to stage a hindi skit at the culturals, I was called upon to write the script. The story idea was given to me (very filmi...) and I had to draft the script with scenes, dialogues, et.al. The work was taxing but great fun. But reading the script out each time for the practice sessions was tiring.

And then, some of my classmates gave my name for compering of the culturals. And man!! there was a screening which was so tough! I almost felt as if I were at some music channel's VJ hunt. I got selected on 23rd 1 p.m. I was introduced to my co-compere, Rahul and we were asked to come out with the script by 5 p.m. Major task, specially since oth of us had not done on-stage compering before. ? But we finished by 5:30 and gave a rehearsal.

Tuesday was the d-day for me. The staging of my skit, and my compering. And with all the rehearsals, my throat started feeling grazed. On the 26th I had like 4 skit rehearsals and 3 compering rehearsals before the actual performance. But when you get appreciation, all the tough work is forgotten......

The skit as well as the compering were huge successes. I received congratulatory messages from both staff and students. And the shouts of Shri, Shri,.. each time I came upon stage really bucked up my confidence levels. I will never forget my friends' support ever. The icing on the cake came when SCMS faculty Sabu sir told me I did an excellent job. He is in charge of the placement activities of the college and I was elated at his praise.

I now get a lot of hi's while in college. People may say I have become a celeb (Ha! I am so modest!) But this is just what I wanted to do when I came to hostel, enjoy life to the fullest. I hope these 2 years keep me on the same crest of happiness......

Its a beautiful Life...

2005-09-23T15:41:00.001+05:30

It is ages and ages since I blogged. Lots happened. Let me start of with the 'Salaam Namaste' trip.
10th September: 2nd day after release of 'Salaam Namaste'. We decided to go. Will we get the tickets? No idea. We decided to take the chance anyway.....
We girls got ready well in advance, only to find that the guys were late. What a reversal of situations! Finally we set off for 'Sridhar' hoping that the traffic wont be too heavy. We reached there and found a long queue. But thank God for separate ladies' line. We did manage to get the tickets. But........
The movie was too boring. The situations, though new for bollywood movies(?), were somehow very predictable. And the ending, OH!! Was too bad. Was it a Yash Chopra movie, actually?!!
But the nice part was after the movie at Bimbis where we drove the hotel people crazy by sitting put for more than 2 hours. The round table and Rupal's umbrella were used to play a game where every person to whom the umbrella pointed had to sing. It was such fun!! The Bimbis people finally came and told us in broken hindi to leave as there were more people waiting.........
The next day was my birthday. 11th September. And this time, it became too special. Really........
11th September: My phone began ringing at 11:55 p.m. on the 10th with Rithin being the first to wish. Then the others........So much so my parents couldn't make it at 12 and called up the next day. In the morning I visited the Edappally temples: Ganesha, Devi, Shiva and Krishna. Then I received calls from my naani and calls or messages from my closest friends. Then Archana called. After a long long time. This was the 1st time we talked without being in some family function. The number of calls I received realy surprised me. Maybe as I am in hostel now, everyone decided to gimme a ring...
The evening was spent with my closest friends at Best Bakery. Had a very nice time.
BUT the best part of the day was at 8 p.m. in the hostel when Prema asked me to come for a meeting. I had no idea that the meeting was actually a birthday party for me with proper candle blowing and cake cutting. That was too good. And I felt really happy as my classmates were behaving as if they didn't remember.....
That night I slept light hearted with the happiness of knowing that so many people care about me.........

Letter from Home

2005-09-09T15:39:00.001+05:30

I've been at the hostel for the past 2 months and I havent managed to go home yet. It is surprising as my home isnt that far off. But the schedules here being what they are and the train timings making sure that I reach home at the most unearthly hours, I never went home. But now, my parents are desperate to see me... and I am longing to see them and so I am finally going home!! Yes, the Onam hols are only for 2 days. But what the heck!! Being too sincere is not gonna help me anymore. I am asking for 2 days leave after the 2 day declared leave. If it is granted, well and good; if not, BUNK!!
So dad got me the ticket for the 5:30 train from Alwaye. And couriered it to me. With it came a letter, yes, a letter written by my dad. In todays world where e-mailing is the norm, this letter is as rare as a rare coin from the middle ages. Filled with do's and dont's for the journey and what to bring back and what not to (obviously my mom's hand there!), the letter really made me wish to go home. And a letter in my dad's handwriting may not come to me that often. So it is a thing I will keep with me, treasure it forever.......

Success.....

2005-09-02T16:45:00.000+05:30

Success always tastes sweet, and if it comes a s a fluke, moreso!! That is just what happened this week. MBA is not all about book knowledge and marks. Intercollegiates play a major part in it. I had my first experience of an intercollegiate event at the Inscape at INC, Aluva held on 29th and 30th of August.
Representing my college for english essay competition, I thankfully managed a first place. I mean, I have 8 months of SERIOUS blogging behind me [;-)]. Our college bagged first place in mime and monoact also. A second place in debate and a third in quiz ensured that we bagged the overall champions' trophy. The icing of the cake came when our director remarked that this was the first time our college was bagging the Overall in any intercollegiate, though the students had been winning prizes.
One thing that everyone advised us was to keep the tempo going like this always. We are just 2 months into our course and the going is really good. Hope the good run continues....Touch wood.

Fort Kochi - An Experience

2005-08-16T10:09:00.001+05:30

Independence Day is a matter of great pride for all Indians as it symbolises their collective victory over the British. It is also great news for students as it is s compulsory holiday for educational institutions. So we finally got a holiday - and utilised it well by visiting the old city - Fort Kochi.
This time we were just 4 of us. The rest had gone home for the weekend. But it was great fun nevertheless. We were at the beach till 2 pm and then had a scrumptious Chinese lunch. I had always wanted to visit the synagogue and so, we set off for Jew Street. And that, i believe was the best event of the day.
Synagogues are not very commonly seen in India. Today, there are around 5000 Jews in India. The Cochin synagogue is managed by a certain Jew family of 14 members. Stepping into Jew Street you get a feeling of having reached some other world. And the synagogue, wow!! The number of lights there made Roopal and me gasp. The guys were not pretty impressed initially, but later, they too found the place interesting. The flooring of the synagogue is of handpainted chinese tiles, 1100 of them, each unique, i.e. with a different design. The synagogue itself is around 500 years old. The whole experience was fascinating.
We decided to have our evening snack at Bimbis, but ended up going around whole of M.G. road before finding the Jose Junction one. I had a Black Forest pastry which I had been wishing to eat since long.
The day was great except for the sudden heavy rain which drenched the 4 of us around 5 minutes before we could reach our hostels. But no harm done. The fact that I had to sit up till 1 am with my assignments (yeah!! they are still there!) was not a dampener.
In all, a great experience!!

Friendship Day @ SCMS

2005-08-09T09:00:00.001+05:30

My last post must've made it very clear that we are being really driven hard here. But that does not mean we cant have our share of fun!! That is just what we did on August 7th, Friendship Day.
The whole class decided to go on a sort of picnic on that day. The best thing about being in a city like Cochin is that you dont need to go very far if you feel like doing some masti. So we decided on the most common place, the marine drive, boating and Bolgatti palace.
But the fact is, we had the maximum fun on the boat. We chose a musical boat and we danced to our hearts' content on the deck to songs from 'Anniyan' and the like...After freshers, this is the second time we had such a blast. And dancing on a boat in the middle of the water is so wow!!
Later in the day, we'd decided to watch a movie, but our 6:30 pm curfew in hostel which is not relaxed even on Sundays played spoil sport. So we hostellers returned by evening, back into the world of assignments and projects. We had 2 assignments to submit on Monday and i thankfully completed mine by 12 am. I was very very tired and just fell to bed like a log. But I know many of classmates had to work till 2-3 am to complete the work....
Life is just going on....somewhat rocky, a lil bit smooth. Just wonderful!!

Hit by a Tornado....!!

2005-08-04T10:10:00.000+05:30

Yesterday was one hell of a day. All these days we MBA students were having a very relaxed time with no heavy work, presentations or assignments. But yesterday we realized what the next 2 years are gonna be like.
My friends in PGDM were really jealous of us because of our relaxed schedules (yeah! you can relax inspite of the 8-5 timing!!). Parag asked me yesterday whether we had started getting REAL jobs yet. I said no. Half an hour later....
Rajagopal Sir decided to give the 1st unit assignments to roll nos. 50 to 60. And I am no.58. The assignment - 'behavioral science in management'. Minimum 4 pages handwritten. Minimum 3 texts to be referred. Net should not be used. Seminar - maximum of 6 slides. To the point. whoops!! My topic runs into pages and pages. How in the world am I gonna make it into 4-6 pages and 6 slides. Anyway, submission date is 16th August, which means I should complete the work by the 13th. I should be going home for 3 days after that.
This was not all. Radha ma'am came into our class and voiced the common complaint that we do not read journals. So the solution - go read a journal and write a report on any article and submit it by 5. It was 3 then. BY 5?!! NO!! That was it. We ran to get journals. I decided on HR and read and article on outsourcing which was, thankfully, quite interesting. Managed to submit a handwritten report by 5. Wonder what ma'am is gonna do with all the reports.....
Subscribed to Economic Times. Hmm... trying to get into the groove of business. But my first love is IT. Still cant get over it....

Too Busy.....

2005-08-01T11:25:00.000+05:30

Life is one long joyride now. I had never imagined that one could enjoy so much. I mean, I am a person who had not seen the college canteen during engineering. But now i am living life to the full.
It began with the freshers party on the 23rd. Ohh man!! What fun we had! I know this is the last time i would be studying in a college, but still, for a freshers party I am ready to join college any number of times.
The day began with the seniors being very rude to us and all of us were made to sit like we were in jail. But when the fun began, all their attitudes changed and we mingled like friends. I too made a lot of good friends among my seniors. There was a group presentation we had to do for our seniors which not just impressed our seniors but also made us classmates come closer to each other. And then came the grand finale :- The DJ dance. Whoa!! 2 hours of heavy duty dancing and man!! Werent all of us friends for life! Too bad that the seniors are having study leave now for their 2nd sem exams. It would be more fun in college if we had our seniors with us.
Studying in a city has the added advantage that there is ample scope for roaming. But the unreasonable 6:30 pm curfew in the girls' hostel makes it very difficult to go out much. But we make up for all the deficiency of roaming on weekends. So yesterday all of us friends went out to a movie 'Maine Pyar Kyu Kiya' and later for a walk on the Marine Drive. Actually the movie made me go 'Maine Picture Kyu Dekhi' but the snacks at 'Oven' and the trip to Marine Drive were great.
With all this fun happening, whats up on the academics front? Ohh Lots! We now have classes 6 days a week from 8 am to 5 pm. Group assignments are piling up and most of the free time is spent in the library or in the lab googling for the details of Fortune 500 companies, etc.. So much so, I could not blog.
But I am really happy. There is a unique balance of work, play and enjoyment.
Life Rocks!!

A Week Up.........

2005-07-19T09:05:00.000+05:30

A week of being away from home is over. And it has been a great experience so far.
Yesterday was the climax of all the uneasiness we were feeling about our 'seniors' all these days. We had a great interactive session yesterday which resulted in bringing us really close to our seniors. Yeah, now the chasm has been bridged......
So what did I do? Well, I wish I had got some of the singing dancing stuff....but since I was one of the first to be grilled, i got off cheap. What is the RECENT controversy regarding the Da Vinci Code? I dunno...should find out!! What was the name of the curator, his granddaughter...whoo....and when Sunita insisted that the granddaughter was not Sophie Neveu but 'Merlin', I had to nodd my head in full agreement!!
Coming to Sunita, she is s senior I really really like. She is the coolest girl I've ever come across, a tomboy with just the right amount of feminism to make her an amazing person. She caught me wearing different watches daily (believe me, I have only 2 over here!) and soon as she came to know that they were 'branded' watches from linkin' road! Whats more, she feels that THAT is a major similarity between us, wearing 'branded' watches!![;-)]
But being in PR and Ad., she and her classmates will be leaving after 3 weeks. The interaction session ended on an emotional note with the PR girls coming together to sing "Yaaron" of KK. I really feel there is no better song to describe the role of friendship in someone's life.
So i told Sunita I really looked up to her for the person she is. And she in turn called me 'Miss. Funky'!! So much for my silly discomfort regarding the seniors!!
Coming to other matters, Me and Suranya have a new room mate now, a classmate we are not quite comfy with. But I guess hostel teaches you to be comfy with the most difficult people (I mean, Suranya is bearing up with me so well![;-)]).
We have our First presentation coming up on Friday, but we have as yet not made any progress. I think, for the 1st presentation itself, me and my group would have to burn midnight oil on the eve of presenting.....
Life is going great, with work, fun, all available. Amen!!

Accounts, etc.....

2005-07-14T09:26:00.000+05:30

I went into an MBA with an open mind, that I would be prepared for any kind of challenge, anything ahead. But after reaching the hostel, my resolve seems to be weakening a bit. Will I be able to study accounts? Will I be able to, at least, do as well as my classmates, majority of who are commerce grads? These thoughts are just eating into me nowadays. But the silver lining is that a lot of the commerce graduates in class are day schis and I have already managed to get a basic accounts book from a friend which should help me learn the ropes.
And the worry of ragging had been gnawing at me for days now. I am somehow, very noticeable as a fresher and I always get caught by the seniors. But what with being away from home for the first time and adjusting to new situations, I have been very uneasy for the past few days.
Fortunately the discomfort eased away yesterday when the seniors called me to their room and I found myself alone with around 10-11 of them. BUT.... they were actually very sweet. They kept on asking me why, inspite of hailing from such a small town, I looked 'hip-hop' (whatever....). But anyway, that went off well and now the fresher's day is around the corner (the date will be a surprise).
Suranya and me sat talking till around 12 am yesterday. I am extremely lucky to have her as my roomie!!
Life is going on, like the highway which is smooth at most parts except for a few humps at intervals.
Ciao!!!!

Life At SCMS

2005-07-13T09:49:00.000+05:30

I reached SCMS hostel on sunday. The hostel is pretty ok, food is also eatable [; -)]. And my roommate is a cool gal who had lived in hostels since her 3rd standard (unlike me, for whom this experience is a first). There hasn't been any ragging as yet (!!), but the aloof seniors are making life in hostel seem like life in jail.
But LIFE is becoming a revelation as days pass. Yesterday, we had a welcome programme at our college. And man!! wasn't it scary!! Everyone but everyone was advising, warning, requesting and cautioning us. So much so, at the end of the day (esp. after the 'counselling' by our group counsellor), I felt like leaving. But those feelings didnt last long. I'm quite comfy now and the seniors who shouted at me and Suranya (roommate) for not putting the chairs back (??) really dont matter. And who is afraid of hard work?
Anyway, now I am in the lab in college because I am free till 10:30 before my Basic Accounts induction programme starts. The best thing about the lab here is that the net access is toooo.... fast. And the worst thing is, there is no Yahoo Messenger. So my chat friends who read this, please do not offline me anymore!!
Life now sems to be an uphill task. When will I get properly settled in Cochin? I am not homesick exactly, but an uneasiness is still present.....
Before ending this post I'd like to say that I'll be pretty regular at blogging in future, at least till regular classes start. After that, well, i dunno.
See ya soon!!

I’m Leaving……

2005-07-08T22:52:00.000+05:30

The time has finally come for me to leave home for hostel. I have no idea about the Internet facility in the college (though I’ve paid for it with my fees) and so; I do not know when I will be able to post something again.
The packing is almost done – my usually spick n’ span room was looking like 10 elephants had trampled through it. But now, with the suitcases shut, everything is clean again.
I’m leaving for Cochin on Sunday (10th July) morning. Classes should begin by the 11th.
So, till the next time I’m able to post something…………Goodbye!!

Save the Environment

2005-07-06T23:52:00.001+05:30

Well, most of the bloggers whose blogs I visit have put forward ideas for saving the environment. And I have been tagged by Utkarsh to do the same. I do not have any new ideas for saving the environment. But it helps if a few points are compiled in one space. And as the saying goes, charity begins at home. So I would like to confirm that I am (at least trying) to practice all these methods that I preach.
1. Do not waste paper. It is well known now that paper is made by cutting trees and wasting paper means a tree cut in vain. It is all well to decide that we’ll write on both sides of the paper, use leftover pages from an old notebook, etc. But there is one practice I’ve notice which is wasteful and pointless - wasting paper during exams. I do not know why there is this notion that heavier the answer book, greater the marks. I see my classmates sometimes leave out almost 3-4 pages from the main answer sheet so as to appear to have used a lot of additional sheets. I mean, the valuators aren’t so foolish!! Blank pages do not mean marks!! So with such practices, one is not only wasting paper, but also usually not achieving anything in return.
2. If you own a vehicle, make sure to check periodically that your vehicle is not polluting the environment (ok, a certain percentage of pollution is unavoidable, I guess!). But this is already being taken care of by the government with stringent rules regarding periodic pollution checks and a fine if the rules haven’t been complied with.
3. Do NOT burn waste. Over here, it is common practice to have a garbage dump and periodically burn the garbage collected (when the dump becomes full). My room is beside such a garbage dump. Though it is not visible, the days the garbage is burnt, I cannot sit in my room as the smoke coming in makes it impossible to sit there for long. Now I’m trying my level best to let at least garbage from our home go out to certain common garbage dumps (of the municipality.).
4. ‘Use Me’ wastebaskets are found at most public places and along roads. Make sure that you use them to throw waste. No point in saying – the place is so littered anyway – and throw the stuff anywhere. Someone HAS to make a beginning………
5. Lastly, I tag Cijal and MadV and hope they come up with some innovative (?) ways to save the environment……

Astrology or Asstrology?

2005-06-28T23:08:00.001+05:30

I’d seen this title for many articles debating on the merits of astrology. And I felt it to be appropriate. Is it right let astrology influence your life or is it plain foolish to believe in it?
Most Indian communities use astrology to define their day-to-day life. In the south, people wait for the auspicious hour for doing important jobs and refrain from starting any work during the inauspicious ‘rahu kalam’.
Usually, any function is scheduled a certain day after ascertaining its suitability by consulting an almanac. Again, on that auspicious day, a further favorable time called the ‘muhurtam’ has to be found out. And during this doubly fortunate time, the function is carried out.
Horoscopes play a major role in deciding the future course of action of a particular individual. I remember how my dad consulted his astrologer a few months back to find out whether I was destined for future studies or marriage. Thankfully, the stars were in my favor and I was ‘allowed’ to study further!
Again, marriage between 2 individuals is more of a meeting of horoscopes than minds. There are various levels of matching, uttam, madhyam, or lower. And the uttam is most preferred.
There is also the issue of the birth star. The lunar sun sign is found out on the basis of your birth star and after ascertaining it, you are all set to read or see your bhavishyavani in magazines or on TV.
A rational person may argue against all these superstitions. I mean, there may be thousands of other people born on the same day and time as me! Does that mean all of us will lead the same lives? It must be common knowledge that these predictions only sometimes come true. And even after conducting marriages after matching horoscopes and ascertaining an auspicious time, why is it that there are divorces, widows and widowers still?
My dad, a doctor, believes in astrology, horoscopes and the like. I once asked him why, as a science man, he believes in all this mumbo-jumbo. But dad has an answer - dad says that horoscopes are like pointers to the future, if they point out some problems, isn’t it easier to face life cautiously? He feels that astrology points out potholes on a road – once they are identified, it is easier to drive.
Nowadays, sun signs are fashionable to use. I have seen shows on MTV dedicated to deciphering sun signs. The concept of star partners is always discussed. I personally feel that I make great friends with Scorpios or Geminis usually. Common sense tells me that this may just be a great coincidence.
Bottom line is, one cannot take sides here. A pure non-believer of astrology may be hard to find. I guess astrology helps people keep their peace by giving them an ostrich attitude.
Astrology is apparently a science. It is believed to have scientific basis. But I really wonder whether we are being sensible by believing that the positions of certain airless desolate spheres in the universe, commonly called stars/planets influence our life.

Amchi Mumbai!!!

2005-06-28T22:56:00.001+05:30

Mumbai for me is a wonderland. The sea of humanity everywhere, the people who are perpetually in a hurry, the rash driving, oh man!! Every minute is really spent well in Mumbai. And shopping!! God! I wonder how the Mumbaiites actually work – if I’d been a resident, I would’ve just shopped 24/7!

SHOPPING
Mumbai is shoppers’ paradise. And bargainers’ heaven. The ‘shop-till-you-drop’ syndrome really gets activated once you get there. I shopped like crazy. Clothes, bags, footwear, I have samples of everything here now. I was lucky that both my maami and maasi are great at bargaining. ‘Coz I‘ve absolutely no clue!!
Chembur Laxmi market, Santacruz, Linking Road, Globus,… I shopped with different range of prices.

FOOD
I’m not much of a food person and all my relatives (mostly overweight) have understood that well. So I really did gorge on much stuff, except the real Mumbai things that, believe me, are just not the same in other cities. So authentic Pav Bhaji from Bageecha, chaat from Khasiyat, Pani Puri and Kala Khatta from Juhu beach. And Sugarcane juice, I wonder why that simple juice is not available in many places!! And ‘Frankies’ (chapatti rolls, I’d call them!) which is THE snack of the Mumbaiites now (I wonder what it is called in other cities!!).
Also had some REAL burger (from Mac Donald’s) & pizza (from Pizza Hut). No wonder most of my relatives weigh the way they do!!

CELEBS
This is a very debatable topic – it is great to meet celebs or is it similar to meeting ‘lesser mortals’ like friends and relatives? I like meeting people who are well known, even if they are not that famous, it doesn’t matter. People over here always ask people from Mumbai if they’ve met any one famous. It is a great thing!!
But my relatives there hold a different opinion. My uncle asked me – what is so great if you shake hands with a celebrity? Does your hand become of gold?!! Mumbaiites meet so many celebs regularly and have ceased to care.
It is funny, maasi and me bumped into (not literally, thank God!) Saroj Khan and VJ Anusha on consecutive days. My maasi began thinking that I have this special chance of meeting these people, so we took my cousin along for shopping the next few days. But never met anyone after that [; -)]!!

JUHU BEACH
This is one place my mom had wanted me to visit – she felt that any trip to Mumbai was incomplete without a visit to Juhu Beach. I have been there lots of times and never has it appeared to change. The crowds, if anything, have increased. The camel ride is missing and the number of horse carts giving rides is decidedly lower.

In short the trip was everything I’d hoped it would be. A great experience!

Pure Enjoyment

2005-06-27T23:32:00.000+05:30

I’m back after a week in Mumbai. And what fun!! I sincerely feel that life in the Metros is seriously LIFE. There is always somewhere to go, something to do, everyone seems to always be in a hurry to go somewhere, do something. I love visiting Madras and Bangalore, but Mumbai is definitely my favorite city (I was born there after all!).
But other than the fun part, the trip was a great experience also. This was the first time I stayed away from my parents for so long. I mean, the only other time was the 2 day picnic I’d gone on in my 3rd sem. Actually, it turned out to be quite a trial run for my upcoming hostel stay.
AND, I got a few kicks looking at the incredulous faces of people who were shocked that I was undertaking this ‘long’ and ‘dangerous’ journey alone. Over here, my neighbors and relatives regularly came up with news items where girls traveling alone on trains had been robbed/killed/…en route. My mom did develop cold feet, regretting her decision to let me go. But all said and done, I’m back after the ‘dangerous and long’ trip with only nice memories!
My relatives who I was meeting after around 5 years were extremely nice. I usually do not form a very good impression on my relatives and my mom has to always listen to comments like – your daughter is arrogant/ rude/… and please ask her to behave well. But over the years, I would like to believe that I have changed, for the better. And the only comment my mom heard about me was from my maasi who said that I was very stingy!!
It is surprising how such a small thing like a trip like this can teach you things. When I found my practically stranded at Kurla station with no one having come to pick me up, I did face a few moments of panic. Here I was, in a city of which I have no knowledge, with my mobile charge drained out and 2 heavy bags of luggage!! Should I call a rickshaw (but if he takes me around whole Mumbai before dropping me off at Pestom, I wouldn’t realize!) or should I wait? Finally, I made a call from a PCO home and my mom called up her relatives to come to pick me up!!
AND, I realized that along with your luggage, your sandals/chappals are also like targets for robbery. On the return journey, I had the good sense to keep all the 5 bags of luggage on the upper berth, which left very little space for me to actually lie on. But the next morning, I realized that my black sandals (bought from Bangalore in February), which I’d left on the floor, were gone!!
But now I’m back home and faced with a different kind of hurry – I have to leave for Kochi by the 10th of July and so, now I have to get all the required things and packing done!

Engineering – not so IN anymore?

2005-06-09T22:50:00.001+05:30

I was at a function recently when I got talking to a distant relative, a girl into the tenth standard. Since she quite a bright student, I asked her casually what she wanted to take up as a career. Her answer quite threw me off balance. She said – I wanted to be a computer engineer, but now I hear that it has no scope, so I am as yet undecided!
I finally managed to ask her how she could say so in front of a computer-engineering student!! She looked nonplussed; evidently she had forgotten what I was studying. But the incident made me think. There was a time not so long ago when every kid’s dream was to become a computer engineer. Where along the way did engineering become so passé’?
A few days back, I heard someone comment that today there are engineers available ‘dime a dozen’. He was saying stuff like ‘the supply is exceeding the demand’. And that, of course, is the reason why (if at all) engineering not such a hot profession nowadays.
Ok, there are a few colleges where students desperately want to go to (IIT, NIT, IIIT and some others in various states). But students in those colleges mushrooming all over are definitely mediocre. There are no facilities, almost nil placements that make any above average student in such colleges feel that he/she has wasted his/her 4 years.
In Kerala where there are suddenly a lot of engineering colleges, seats lie vacant every year. And the vacant seats are mostly in the CS/IT discipline. To get more students, it is possible to allow students from outside the state to get admission here.
But personally, I feel to have students from different states come in will not be appropriate as in a lot of the colleges, the medium of instruction is Malayalam!!
Today, I know a lot of my friends who are qualified engineers but are stranded because they have no job. Most students here are unaware about topics outside the syllabus (ok, it’s the students’ fault!) and have poor communication skills. The quality of engineering education needs to be improved if such a scenario is to be avoided.
I know this person who joined engineering, apparently because he did not get seat for BSc.!! Such stories (I swear they are true!) are appalling. I only hope the situation changes for the better soon!

‘The Class’ – Eric Segal

2005-06-07T23:29:00.001+05:30

While reading ‘The Class’, I did not feel that I was reading a novel. Instead, I felt that I had been propelled into a new world – the world of Harvard. I suddenly became one of the students there and later, passed out like them to join them in their journey, the journey of life.
‘The Class’ is just that, a journey. It tells the stories of 5 Harvard college boys who join Harvard with great dreams and ambitions. But life outside the walls of the college, they would eventually find, is totally different from what they dreamt of.
The heroes of the story are Andrew Eliot, Jason Gilbert, George Keller, Theodore Lambros and Daniel Rossi. Eliot is a complexed guy, weighed down by the excess baggage of his illustrious forefathers, the Eliots. Gilbert, the handsome guy, is always made to believe that he is different from the others, as he is a Jew. Keller, a refugee is a selfish guy, who just cannot accept love. Lambros, son of a restaurateur, wants to come out of his middle class status and dreams of teaching at Harvard in future. And Rossi, the genius pianist, is too confident about his prowess and just wants to go solo soon.
While reading, I moved with all of them in their quest for success, happiness and later, peace of mind. I was a part of their victories and failures. By the time the novel ended, I was numb with the sensation of having lived so many lives over the span of a week. The novel was not just entertainment; to me it was a revelation about life.
The author displays a very cynical view of matrimony, with none of the marriages being successes. Through the 25 years from 1958 to 1983, the class is made to compromise, swallow pride and break the very rules they themselves made. At the 25th reunion in 1983, the class meets again as mature people, together in happiness and sorrow as a real class for the first time in their lives.
‘The Class’, according to me, is fiction at it’s best – true to life. It will remain one of the best books I’ve ever read.

On an Evening in ‘Paris’

2005-06-06T00:25:00.001+05:30

Ok, I haven’t gone on a Europe tour or something. ‘Paris’ is this restaurant here. And my parents and I had our dinner in Paris yesterday.
To while away the time while our order arrived (it is just some ghas-phoos, why can’t they hurry up!), we decided to tell one quote each. So here are the pearls of wisdom gleaned:

ME: ‘Do a job you love, and you wont have to work for the rest of your life!’

DAD: ‘Give me a fish, I’ll eat it today, teach me fishing and I’ll eat fish everyday!’

MOM: ‘I asked god for happiness, instead, he gave me miseries and the strength to overcome those miseries!’

Think about it!!

Bore TV!!

2005-06-02T11:50:00.001+05:30

What does a student who has got a long leave do with his/her free time? ‘Watch TV’ must be your prompt answer. And why not? TV is a medium of entertainment for which there are no prerequisites – you just need to have some free time at your disposal and some patience.
But……TV has become such a bore today, I mean, I do not find any shows worth watching. It keep away from the ‘serial trap’, one can watch music channels. But the kind of ‘music’ on these channels now is kinda unbearable (not to mention ‘un watch able’!). Every other video on air is a bad remix of some golden oldie. And today remixes of fairly recent familiar songs are also being heard (RD must be distraught hearing Harry Anand’s ‘Ek Ladki Ko’!).
And daily soaps, God!! The K serials today show ridiculously young MOMs getting their DAUGHTERS married. Jassi is also beginning to drag with Jassi being accused of murdering herself!! ‘Ye Meri Life Hai’ which had begun promising to tell the story of a middle class girl out to make her dreams come true has now become a saas-bahu cum revenge drama. Same is the case with many other soaps which are totally off track from where they started off (hey! The handsome Rajeev Khandelwal has reportedly left the K camp citing ‘illogical changes in script’ of ‘Kaahiin to hoga’).
The only soap I watch nowadays is ‘Sarrkkar’ which is good (maybe ‘coz it is only a few weeks old!). Great acting, a different story, good casting (Priyamvada LOOKS mom, not like Prerna who looks like Kasak’s sis!). But the question is, till when…
AND ‘That 70’s Show’. Man!! There couldn’t be a cooler show! (Thanks due to Meetu!). It keeps me in splits for practically no reason (meaning, it makes me a bit MAD for the half an hour it is on air!).
I find myself reading or listening to music most of my free time. And to all those who said ‘Watch TV’ as response to my first line query, I ask, WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING?!!

‘Code to Zero’ – Ken Follett

2005-05-29T23:17:00.001+05:30

“GRIPPING” – The New York Times.
Gripping is possibly one word which describes ‘Code to Zero’ the best. The espionage story makes you turn the pages continuously, and never lets you put the book down for long.
The story moves back and forth between the 1940s and the latter part of 1950. It revolves around Dr. Claude Lucas, or Luke, a NASA rocket scientist who has discovered a secret so terrible; his enemies wipe off his memory to keep themselves safe.
The future of the American space research lies in the just-to-be-launched Explorer I and the Russians are trying their best to keep America from gaining supremacy in the area of space research. And the Explorer I is the de facto hero of the story, who everyone is either trying to protect or destroy.
The story also describes friendships at Harvard, friendships whose definitions are forever changing. Luke’s relationships with Anthony (his roommate), Elspeth (a Radcliff redhead, his girlfriend) and Billie (Bilhah Josephson, who he has fallen for) and their relationships with each other, all play major roles in the story.
The book traces the lives of these people and how they change over the years under the influence of the cold war and emerging communism. All these converge in a very fast ending, which is too convenient, but not entirely unrealistic.
The best thing about the book is how the story keeps moving into flashback, but still never confuses you. And a major minus point is that, it doesn’t spring any surprises. It is not a ‘whodunnit’ but a ‘howdunnit’. And Follett succeeds in making you read the book in spite of that.
Trust, betrayal, love, loyalty, patriotism, all find a place in the book. ‘Code to Zero’ is ingenious and entertaining. It makes good reading.

Aaj ke bacche, I tell you!!

2005-05-27T23:31:00.001+05:30

This one is about my 7-year-old cousin. And he is special, ‘coz he is a genius!
I was meeting him after a long time. He showed me the movements he uses in karate. He is a blue belt I believe. He is a silver medallist in some karate competition for kids at all Mumbai level.
But that he is a genius, I was soon to get to know. He is a whiz at math. His brainpower is incredible! He knows the whole calendar for the next 100 years. Just give him any date and he can tell you on which day of the week it falls. And he is always right (we checked!)
And what's more, he can calculate faster than the calculator. Only additions and subtractions for now, but with amazing speed and accuracy. He always comes first at any math test/quiz (including the Olympiads) even beating 10-11 year olds.
He is also an expert at computers (for his age) and I believe he can even design PowerPoint presentations (for what, I don’t know!).
Whew!! I was dumbstruck at all his amazing talents when I was introduced to one more of them. The kid knows so many bhajans, kirtans and shlokas, he can teach a pujari a thing or two!
All this made me wonder. The world today is very competitive. My cousin leaves home for school at 9 am and return only by 9 – 9:30 pm. Karate class, computer class, math class (to polish his talent),………he seems to have no time for games, or kiddie talk. Is 7-8 the age by when you know the pressures of competition, of standing first always and getting 100 in math? I don’t know.
Maybe it is. And maybe, this is how he will get the edge over others when he writes board exams (8 years later) or entrance exams (even later!).
But today, we are in a world where a three year old has to pass an exam to get admission to LKG. In the race to future success, isn’t the child really losing his present, to live the life of a kid, careless and free?

First Time at the Wheel

2005-05-26T22:48:00.001+05:30

‘The Scaredy Cat’ gives a great example of how I am capable of getting scared at the most normal occurrences. Another of my major fears has been the accelerator, as in, accelerator of the 2 wheeler, car…. I have always had a small case of motorophobia (if there is such a thing!).
I have always been a late starter as far as vehicles are concerned. I could never drive a bicycle properly, and so never mustered up courage to get a 2-wheeler license. I remember the time I’d banged into a neighboring house’s compound wall while ‘driving’ the scooter. Though I escaped unhurt, I managed to break the front brakes of the scooter. Most of my friends who drive tell me that they have had worse accidents. But after that one incident, I vowed to always be just a pillion rider.
But my dad just wouldn’t hear the excuses anymore. He has always been insistent that I at least learn car driving. And this time, I had to obey him.
So, I met the driving school people. When dad was out of earshot, I told them of my fears. They said, that’s ok; we’ll take care of it.
With great apprehensions I sat in the car the next day. I was shown the clutch, break and accelerator. I was shown how to accelerate. I was told how to turn the steering wheel and how to hold it (at an angle like the 10:10 on the clock, if you please!). And then I was asked to take the wheel. Just like that. Sir assured me that he had the controls on his side as well. Just not enough to assure me!!
But then, I started off. And …. I just wanted to go on and on. What is so scary about driving, I now ask myself. In future, I’ll drive my own car. No waiting for auto rickshaw, taxi or bus as I do today. And so, I want to learn driving well.
I look forward to the driving everyday. ‘Coz, I’m not scared of the accelerator anymore!

Folks, I’ve been Lazy!!

2005-05-23T22:51:00.000+05:30

Into the second week of my chutti, I find that I’ve written just one post and just started my first novel of the vacations. Now, I’ve always been kinda active, with ideas for posts springing into my mind at regular intervals and then rushing to type it out before I forget.
But the past 10 days, I’ve been slower than the slowest tortoise (?), sluggish and basically LAZY. Yes! That’s it! Laziness is probably the disease that affects a majority of people who, after weeks of hard work (modest, ain’t I?), suddenly taste freedom. For me, it is freedom from studies for at least a whole month. (Never experienced it since we didn’t have more than a week of holidays during engineering). I found myself just sitting in front of the TV most of my waking hours. A nap during noon has found its way into my daily schedule, even though it never was a habit with me before.
But not anymore. I have decided to pull up my socks and DO SOMETHING. Lethargy has never done anyone any good (wise words!!). I finally went to the library (which incidentally is just on the opposite lane!). And I’m currently reading Ken Follett’s ‘Code To Zero’. It feels great to be reading a proper novel after weeks.
And yes, I’ve resolved to blog more frequently.
I hadn’t read ‘The Week’ and ‘India Today’ since the last week of April. Got down to reading them yesterday. Nowadays I read the newspaper only to check the calendar for the movies on air. Deplorable. Why is it that during exams when you are scrapped for time, you want to read the newspaper & weeklies; you get ideas for posts which you cannot post on time, but when you have all the time in world, you just wanna laze?
Anyway, life is slowly coming back to normal and I’m finding means to get out of this inertia. Wish me all the best!!

On a day like Today………

2005-05-15T22:40:00.001+05:30

Went on a picnic today with mom, dad and brother. Actually, my brother’s college is in Coorg, a picnic spot. I believe Coorg is called ‘Scotland of India’.
But seriously, I didn’t find anything ‘Scotland-ish’ about the place. The roads leading to Virajpet (where my brother’s college actually is) were so bad; one could say there was no road at all. I wonder why the road maintenance of a popular picnic spot is so bad! The sights all along the route were great, though.
But anyway, after depositing my brother’s entire luggage in his hostel room (the room was a MESS to say the least) we set off for Madikeri, which is the headquarters of Coorg.
The sweltering heat over here is making life miserable. In such a situation, Madikeri with its ‘neither hot nor unbearably cold’ weather was a wonderful change. The view of the misty landscape from ‘Raja Seat’, a park in Madikeri was just beautiful.
AND, mmmmmm, the sukha bhel being sold at the entrance was too good. I actually had 3 full plates!!
I generally don’t eat much (except junk like Lays and Cadbury’s once in a while!!) but I really ATE today at lunch. Tandoori rotis, paneer makhani, gobi and paneer manchurians; I think I will have to starve or at least go on a diet for a few days to balance out this huuuuge intake of calories!
But then it was time to say goodbye to my brother, a ritual that I hate. And this time, I felt worse as I know he didn’t have great hols ‘coz his hols and my exams coincided.
Had a great day today (except for the goodbye in the evening) that makes me say:
‘On a day like today; you never wanna see the sun go down!’

To break the silence…

2005-05-14T00:02:00.000+05:30

The last three weeks have been hectic………….On face value I was just sitting at home and studying. But man!! Wasn’t it HECTIC! The kind of long and boring 5 subjects that CUSAT has given its final year engg students! And somehow, sitting and reading through all that, I just lost touch with blogging!!
I’ll be not be going to engineering college daily anymore. All my classmates know what a nerd I’ve been all these 4 years in college. Yeah, I did try to loosen up a bit in the last sem. But I am given to believe that it was too little too late……..
But that I have a bagful of memories to carry with me all my life cannot be denied. From the most chaotic S1S2 to the relaxed S7 and S8, from Biju Sir to Bijoy Sir, from the sole excursion we went on to the college day celebrations, the list could just go on…….
Anyway, holidays stretch before me now. Not for long though, since by July, I’ll start going to SSTM. That would be a new experience, a new chapter. But till then, I mean to enjoy every moment of being free from studies and blog much more than before!!
Amen.

The Sexes

2005-04-17T07:48:00.001+05:30

“The men in our office are treated like the men in our serials – they are mere props!”

This quote by the pioneer of the Indian soap opera revolution, Ekta Kapoor, got me thinking. How would she have felt if she had been working in a male dominated office instead and some male colleague had passed this comment about the females in the office? And how must the men in her serial feeling about this comment? Popular male characters in the ‘K’ serials like Mihir, Anurag Basu, Rishabh Bajaj, Om and Kamal Agarwal,. ………these characters (and the many others) are not props, they are as important to the story as their female counterparts!
I wonder how many women share this opinion that men in their office or life are props. I hope there aren’t a lot many more. Because it is difficult to imagine a world with only one sex, either male or female. Men and women are meant to support each other, not destroy each other in the race for one-upmanship!
There was a time when men considered females the weaker sex. But today, attitudes are changing; the ‘feminine man’ (read the ‘metrosexual’ man!) is in vogue.
Now, women are achieving success in hitherto male dominated fields like the Armed Forces and IPS. But with it is coming the unhealthy attitude of male bashing. Why?
Does independence or feminism literally translate to life without a man? Why this thought? I mean, look at Brinda Karat. Or Suhasini Mani Ratnam. These successful women have their own identities, they are never referred to as so and so’s wife! Women like them really epitomize feminism.
The success of a woman lies in the balancing act. An educated woman who successfully balances home, family, work is the real feminist. Not one who feels that she has managed to get the men bow to her and do her bidding!
It is the law of nature that the sexes are meant to co-exist. Any attempt to disrupt the status quo can spell disaster. So pseudo - feminists and even MCPs, BEWARE!!

Future Secure!!

2005-04-15T23:09:00.001+05:30

On the 4th of April I received the GD/PI call from SSTM, an institute considered the best in Kerala after the IIM at Kozhikode. GD/PI on the 11th. But preparations were put on hold till the 9th, as I had my internals from the 6th to 9th.
Internals done, I immediately switched over to GD/PI preparations. VAT, Union Budget, check. Wen Jiabao visit, Sino-Indian ties, all check. Who knows what they might ask?
11th April, 8:30 am, SCMS campus, Muttom, Alwaye. Around 50 students registered for GD. Just 50 students for 60 seats? Before my mind could travel for long in that direction, I was in for a surprise, 30 seats have already been filled in the first session; today’s GD is only for 10 seats!! WHAT?!! I wanted healthy competition, but this, no!
10:30 am, GD. We were a group of 9. 2 topics were given of which one was to be selected by the group. ‘MNCs are devils in disguise’ (frankly, what is that?) and ‘Foreign channels are destroying Indian culture’. We chose the latter. Though all of us opposed this presumption, we managed to have a wholehearted discussion.
GD over, we were led to a room to wait in before the PI. ‘Srilaxmi’, said the announcement and I went into the room for my first ever PI.

[The Panel: Mr.1, Mr2, Mr.3, Madam 4]

Mr.2: Which part of Kerala is your native place in?
Me: Malabar, Sir.
Mr.1: What is your ambition?
Me: Someday, I would like to be a decision maker in a company.

[Then discussion about decision makers and about the life of a computer engineer.]

Mr. 3: Do you know about the Coca-Cola Company in Palakkad?

[Here, I was surprised. After all the preparation that I’d done, they ask me this?]

Me: Yes, Sir. The Coca-Cola Factory is said to be destroying the eco-balance of the environment in Placchimeda, Palakkad.
Mr.2: I think you are unaware about the High Court order?
Me: [thank you for reminding me!] Sir, I’m aware that the High Court has granted permission for the Factory to continue there. But I personally feel that the voice of the people should’ve been given importance.

[Then discussion for 5 minutes regarding the Moral Responsibilities of Business, pollution watch, employee welfare, etc.]

Madam 4: Your birthday is on the 11th of September? Ha ha! [Everyone laughs.]

[Then some discussion regarding my interests, house activities in school and the like.]

Mr.3: You may go now.
Me: Thank You.

Phew! In the office around an hour later, waiting for the results. Surprisingly, I’m pretty cool.
And the result is announced. The students selected: Manoj, Hari and SRILAXMI!!
I am so happy and relieved that I can’t speak. Dad congratulates me. I immediately call mum and give her the news. I thank God.
This is a real dream come true for me!!

The Scaredy Cat

2005-04-05T10:20:00.001+05:30

We’ve had such hot and humid weather recently that we’d been wishing for rain for quite long. But when it came, it came lashing down, like a thunderstorm.
I stay alone on the top floor of my house, and the last time I’d spent a sleepless night was when Meetu used his ‘Voodoo’ on me!
[; - (].
But yesterday was different. Just as I decided to go to bed, the whole locality was plunged into darkness because of a sudden power failure. And to make matters worse, the lightning and thunder started, making the setting similar to the kind we see in Ramsay movies! [: - (]
Keeping my wits together with great effort, I managed to crawl into bed. But the lightning and the otherwise pitch-blackness of the night meant that sleep would be long in coming. Tossing and turning in bed, all I could do was to screw my eyes and stuff my fingers into my ears every time lighting flashed, hoping that the thunder to follow would not be too loud.
Suddenly, mom called me aloud from downstairs. The unexpected call startled me and I ended up letting out a scream instead of answering mom’s call!!
Anyway, it rained the whole night and I didn’t remain awake for very long after all. As the day dawned, the light wiped away all the fears that I had in the night.
I woke up feeling foolish, thinking, how ever could I have been such a Scaredy Cat!!

Kerala – Zimbly!

2005-04-03T17:38:00.001+05:30

Kerala is supposedly God’s own country. Tourists line up to visit the state to enjoy the sea, backwaters, nature, and the greenery. And it has close to 100 % literacy, a balanced sex ratio, things that many states are still just trying to achieve.
But when it comes to the people of the state, they are possibly the most joked about people in the whole of India. Forget Santa Singh, the Bihari Babu or the Tamil anna. The Malayali accent, the Malayali dressing, everything is the new joke nowadays. Just watch Lola Kutty on Channel [V]! This evening, I saw another VJ doing what he thought was an imitation of the Malayali way of speech. Is poking fun of people of some state entertainment?
My ma’am in school used to say that accents are a kind of gravitational pull of the place where you live. So, if in Kerala Prakash becomes Pregash, in the North, Prakash becomes Parkash!! Then why single out the poor Keralites?
While chatting, I always notice people ask me incredulously – You know hindi?! You watch hindi films?! Some ask, how much oil do you put in your hair [;-O]? Just shows the ignorance that people from other parts of the state have about Keralites! Kerala is just another state in India, with its own customs and ways, like all other states. Isolating its people for the very same reason is just not done!
So try to remove preconceived notions from your minds. Lola Kuttys should not make you think that Keralites are just a bunch people who look and talk funny!

Get Set !

2005-04-01T23:18:00.000+05:30

Exactly one month to go for the D-Day – the final exams. One month - seems like a long time. But so did four years!! Time to really BUCKLE DOWN and STUDY! Especially since I need a min. of 73 pc to still make the cut off of 70 pc overall. (chhe! Sorry state of affairs!)
But with Gudi Padwa around the corner, every holiday is being utilized in cleaning up the house. Diwali is always odd sem exam time, so no time to do much. But this time, mom’s pretty clear she wants the top floor to be completely spick and span before the 9th. Ok ok! I’m working on it……..
By the way, the CS awards or titles were announced in class yesterday. Cool!! Since the farewell party doesn’t seem anywhere in sight, it is ok if we cook up some fun by ourselves [>:-)].
Huge surprise that Byju got voted PJ King of the class. I mean, humorous guy would’ve been ok, but PJ King [:-O]? And Vini was the runner up in the PJ category (no surprises there!). Jaisha was runner up of the ‘I-Think-I’m-Pretty’ title [;-)]. Rithin rightfully became BBC of the class and Mr. Foodie. And me? Ah! [;-)] Well, I was voted MISS CHATTERBOX! [: -)) ]
Hee hee, believe me, it is not unexpected [;-)].

EUTHANASIA – Right or Wrong?

2005-03-29T22:43:00.001+05:30

Euthanasia or mercy killing has been the topic of heated debate since quite long. Is it right or not? Should be legalized? These and many other questions have been asked for long now, and their answers are still nowhere in sight. Yes, a few countries have legalized mercy killing, but the issue is too tricky to end there.
For starters, let us assume that it is legalized. Then, what is the guarantee that doctors would really be able to use their discretion in taking the decision of taking the extreme step in the case of a real bad case? Can it be assured that they would not come under the pressure of patients who want to ‘dignified’ in death and not be a liability to their relatives?
A few months back, a lady caught the nation’s attention when she went to the courts to get the right to death for her son Venkatesh, who had few days of life left, so that he could donate his organs in order to make his life useful to some others. The patient in question too was seen requesting the judge to grant him his plea. But his wish remained unfulfilled, since India is still nowhere near formulating any rules for mercy killing.
Today, the world is divided regarding the case of Terri Schiavo, who has been brain dead for 15 years now. For the last 7 years, her husband Michael Schiavo has been trying to achieve the right to death for her. His plea – she would not have wanted to live in such a state, so grant her her wish. On the other hand, her parents have strongly opposed it, saying Terri has as much right to live as any other human.
Why exactly would Terri have not wanted to live? Because she was a liability to all? That she wasn’t of any ‘use’ to anybody? Is that all the value of life today? Is a life a life only if it is of use to a few people around it? What about the rights of a living person? Then again, a person in a bad state asking to be ‘relieved’ of life might be considered a coward. But what of cases like Terri’s, where the patient has been in a vegetative state for years?
Michael Schiavo’s plea has been granted and Terri has been off nutrition systems for a few days now. In the words of her devastated parents, Terri has reached a ‘point of no return’. Her father has appealed again today for her life, but chances of victory are slim.
Terri and Venkatesh may be forgotten soon but not the issue of Euthanasia. The debate will go on….

The Days are Going By.........

2005-03-22T18:48:00.000+05:30

The days just seem to be flying by now. There is less than a fortnight left for college to end and by the 11th of May, the exams will be done with. It seems just yesterday that I joined college, and now, it is that time again, when you think – what next?
I had received a lot of brickbats for “’Bunk’ers in the 8th sem”, especially from Karthik who felt that not a single day of college in the last sem ought to be missed. He told me that I would regret it someday. I really don’t know…….nowadays, we don’t even need to bunk, ‘coz there are no classes. The last-few-days bug seems to have bitten our lecturers also. [: -)]
Project presentation went of fine yesterday, so that is also over. Oh God!! That means, the work in this sem is almost over. [: - (]
Coming back to –what next? – that is a question plaguing most of us here. Since placements don’t seem to be happening, the uncertainty is so much more. Yesterday, I filled up my forms for an MBA, something I’ve dreamt of for long. I really wish I get to do an MBA. But I will have to be extremely lucky for that to happen!!
For now, I am trying to live life to its fullest. Enjoying, working hard, everything together. And I’m loving it!

Jassi Jaissi........Koi Hai?

2005-03-16T01:06:00.001+05:30

Miss Jasmeet Walia - the girl who burst onto the Telly screen around 2 years back and caught the imagination of the Indian population, is soon going to change. Jassi, of the large specs, lohe ki smile (meaning braces) and funny fringe became a trendsetter with gorgeous models going in for the 'fringe' hairstyle. She epitomized the strong Indian woman by making a journey from the post of secretary in Gulmohur fashion house to the post of it's CEO, solely by virtue of hard work and brains.
But with its TRPs steadily going down and Indian Idol usurping the No.1 slot, the show decided to do something that probably was in the offing for long - give Jassi a MAKEOVER!
Jassi and me have had a connection since the time the show came on air. People around me have always maintained that I look like her [complimentary? : (( ]. Yeah, we do look alike, same lankiness, face cut, specs..GOD! How I hated all of those people who compared me with her [;-)].
As the curtain rose on her new hairstyle last Thursday, I waited with bated breath to see the stage 1 of her transformation. With her hair cut in elegant long steps, she looked gorgeous, in spite of the braces and the specs still being there. I was just telling mum how even my hair is cut in steps when dad’s mobile beeped. It was Rithin, one of the earliest to say I looked like Jassi. His message -
‘Sri, Jassi is looking like you today!!’
Thanks Rithin, I hope you mean it! And so, there is sill no end to the comparisons in sight [;-)].

'Bunk'ers in the 8th sem!

2005-03-09T22:37:00.001+05:30

So we found out a way to get round the problem of boredom in class – JUST DON’T SIT IN CLASS!! Yeah! The number of hours that I’ve bunked in this sem so far should be much greater than the number of hours I cut in all the other 7 semesters put together!! As of now, I’m none the worse for it, ‘coz there is not much happening in class anyway!
That’s one of the benefits of having a group in college. There are people with you who are ready to go along with you and also, you aren’t alone when [or if ;-)] you have to face the music!
Thus my final sem is becoming synonymous with frequent trips to MRA (KVs doesn’t have much veg/egg stuff!) or plain coming home early and snoozing during noon!! Anyway, the fact that we’re having class tests regularly hasn’t dampened our ‘cutting’ spirit a bit!
Friday afternoon saw us at Liberty for the matinee show of ‘Udayananu Tharam’*. Cool movie man!! I would really have regretted it if I had stuck to my earlier decision of not seeing it. But ‘Black’ has not yet made it to the theatres either here or at Kannur. I wonder why we are being deprived of this great movie!

* means ‘Udayan is the star’ in Malayalam.

It's A Dreary Life.....Uh Oh!!

2005-03-03T22:45:00.000+05:30

College is so boring now!! It is bad that the last few days (21 working days left, to be exact!) in college are so dull. Hour after hour, lecturer after lecturer comes in and chants some stuff (?) and leaves. As Jaisha rightly said today, one only remembers coming to college, lunch break and leaving the college!
I believe last sems are supposed to be good fun, all masti, fests and final years’ days. But nothing of the sort here. Classes (especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays) are sooo.. yaawn!, you cannot but come home and just crash on the bed, as if it were 12 am and you’ve been working hard till a minute before!! My feeling can be compared to that of a mountaineer, climbing a steep ascent with a knapsack weighing 5 kg slung on his shoulder! [:(( ]
It is sad that whenever I’ll think of my 8th sem, I’ll think of sleepy classes and monotonous lectures. But then, there are 21 days left. Just hope that college livens up a bit!

WheW!!!

2005-02-24T23:20:00.000+05:30

Yahoo!! The Control Systems exam FINALLY got over yesterday! And man! whatta paper! I was expecting a ‘lollipop’ paper, since it wasn’t a regular exam. But some of the questions did catch me unawares. I mean, why was the ‘Root Locus’ question so tough? Lucky for me, it was a solved example in one of the many texts I had referred to (arre! Yeh sab picchli baar kiya hota to yeh nobat hi na aati! ;-)) So I managed fine. But many of my friends failed to obtain the breakaway points. Means 12 marks gone jlt for them. And as usual, there is absolutely no consensus on the value of G.M. and P.M. of the ‘Bode Plot’. But anyway, for all the tension and sleepless nights, I think I can safely put ‘Control Systems’ behind me!

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!!

Memories.......................

2005-02-20T22:40:00.001+05:30

I remember the times when my mum used to say – this reminds me of my days in Ruia! I used to immediately go – oh mum! Don’t start off now!! She’d then tell me – wait till nostalgia hits you, then you’ll know!
Mum was (as always!) right. The last week has been a week of memories coming back to me. Checking for Jilli’s birth date in my diary, I revisited all the days spent at Sacred Hearts. Entries by Nami, Laxmi and all the others brought back all those memories. Nothing can beat your school days, not even college!
A most uncanny coincidence, Byju requested me to write in his diary. That meant that I went all senti and nostalgic about those 2 years in CVG. The good and the bad, all came back to me in a rush.
Entries made in my diary by my seniors (who were my BEST friends in the XI th) and classmates in the XII th took me back to those days in my life which I hadn’t thought of for a long time. Some of the writers are much closer to me today than they were before (e.g. Byju). On the other hand, there are also many with who I was close earlier, but have absolutely no contact with now. Do they remember me now (around 4 years later)? Would I be able to contact them at all?
In the X th and XII th std., buying the a slam book with the best questions was a priority. My INTAS diary filled with entries of people who I wanted to remember was more like a complaint book with some people writing things that made me real sad. But today, those very diaries have helped me return to those wonderful days gone by!

V-DAY SPESH!

2005-02-13T22:51:00.000+05:30

My Favorite Romantic Song – ‘Tera Mera Pyar’

Pehla ye pehla pyar tera mera soni, pehli ye mulaqat hai
Jo keh rahi hai aankhen, woh keh rahi hain baatein
Jaagi tu bhi saari raat hai
Pehla – hai pehla,
Tera Mera Pyar

Dil pe chala na jab zor koi, tu mere paas aa gayi,
Main tere paas aa gaya
Pyaasi hain teri ssansein, pyaasi hain meri saansein
Uss pe yeh barsaat hai
Pehla – hai pehla,
Tera Mera Pyar

Kab se the hum tum tanha akele, aaj tujhe chain mil gaya
Aaj mujhe chain mil gaya
Baahon mein meri tum, baahon mein teri hum
Aur yeh jawaan raat hai
Pehla – hai pehla,
Tera Mera Pyar

Ruk si gayi hain teri meri raahein hum jo saath aa gaye
Manzil ke paas aa gaye
Aaye the kahan se dono, jaayenge kahan pe dono
Yeh to ab kisse yaad hai
Pehla – hai pehla,
Tera Mera Pyar

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

A Great Weekend!

2005-02-12T10:38:00.001+05:30

The Bangalore trip turned out to be loads of fun! From the bus journey (sleeper coaches – why weren’t they thought of earlier?) to the climate (sunny, windy – just sooo.. comfortable!), everything paved the way for a great weekend.
DAY 1
Saturday began with a walk in Lalbagh. That was just a trailer for the amount of walking we would have to do during the rest of the trip though!! And how did those hibiscus’ turn out sooo large?!!! Ok, so I’m not one of those gardening mad girls, but you cannot but notice certain things!!!
Is Bangalore dirty? Well, visit Chickpet (the saree shopper’s heaven) or Kalasipalayam main to find out!! And believe me, this is the first time I’ve seen COWS crossing the road and also so much in accordance with the traffic rules!
The afternoon was completely (and fruitfully!) spent at the khadi exhibition opposite the Bangalore medical college. More than Gandhiji’s legacy, it was the cool prices that led to the throng of people there even at 2 pm in the afternoon!
‘Forum’ and ‘Big Bazaar’ constituted the whole evening. If the shops at ‘Forum’ were too elite to go beyond window shopping, ‘Big Bazaar’ was the complete opposite with people buying stuff as is they were leaving on a spaceship to Mars by the next day!!! (And it seems this is the case EVERYDAY!)
Though I cannot be grouped as a foodie, the amount of chaat and aloo parathas I gorged on at ‘Anand Vihar’ was really shocking (even for me!). I think the only state in the south that is so unaware about chaat must be Kerala!
DAY 2
Shopping, shopping and more shopping on Sunday. A lot of the shops were open (good for us!). Met up with Girija Aunty and family after more than a decade. Sanju looks like ‘Laddu’ from K3G now and Sneha looks pretty much like ‘Poo’. And the scrumptious lunch at Pai’s was so heavy; I had no dinner that night and no breakfast the next morning!!
The last leg of the great weekend – MG road, Commercial Street and Brigades. Got the black sandals I wanted. And the earrings that all girls seemed to be wearing there – the tiny pearl ones.
And with that, it was good-bye Bangalore, hello Kerala and HI COLLEGE!

Indian Idol- Sab Kuch Bhula De!!

2005-01-31T12:50:00.001+05:30

When an announcement was made a few months back that a ‘new’ talent scouting show would be on air soon, I dismissed it with an “Oh no! Not again!” tag.
But at that time, I was not to know that I would one day, within a few weeks, become one of the show’s die-hard fans. Yes, now I wait for Indian Idol every week and catch every bit of trivia I can get about the contestants (especially my favorite Amit, but I believe Rahul has the greatest chance of winning!). The power of the show can be understood from the fact that leading actors and filmmakers come on the show every week to publicize their new releases.
Thus, as the show becomes more and more popular (and there are only 4 weeks remaining!!), it has already become a great favorite of mine. So it is a shock for me to see Rahul Saxena leave so soon, and Ravinder stay so long. Phone calls and SMSs to and from friends fly as soon as the results are announced.
And I wait impatiently for the next gala……………………

JLT!

2005-01-26T01:21:00.000+05:30

The Grisham finally got over today and I have got it out of my mind completely. Lucky I didn’t stop midway when the book had become too dull to read on – the good ending made up for the dull 50 pages in the middle. Maybe, I should just read more of such books and finally put a lid on those Agatha Christies (which anyway become so repetitive after you read more than 10 of them!).
Another day of zipping and unzipping files at ITDC over. Are we making any headway? Well, I have no clue!! I hope our guide knows what he is doing! Anyway, we decided to use tomorrow (Republic Day) fruitfully by not going to ITDC.
I feel like watching some movie but with the ‘Sword of Damocles’ (i.e. the Control Systems paper) hanging dangerously on my head, such thoughts have to be immediately banished. Why oh why do they have to have an Electrical main paper for Computer Science students in the 6th sem?!!
So back to books after more than a month of relaxation.
Cheers to that!!

My 'Project'?!!

2005-01-25T01:13:00.000+05:30

Another dreary day at ITDC came to an end. God!! What am I doing with my valuable time? A month gone with absolutely no work done. How did the days go by? Well, so fast that I could not keep track. And here I am, a week before my project submission date, wondering what the topic for my project is!
Byju tells me that Bangalore rocks. I’m sure it does. And I'm wondering what in the world I am doing here in the sweltering heat, and with no work to do!! Isn’t this enough to drive anyone crazy?!!
Well, so I have found real good friends in Jaisha and Vini. And that more than makes up for the disappointment of the last few weeks. After all, as KK says in ‘Rockford’
“Yaaron, dosti badi hi haseen hai
Yeh na ho to kya phir, bolo yeh zindagi hai”

I wont have to cry anymore listening to this song. Just feel lucky that I possess the gift of true friendship