Alok's mantra

Do I agree with Anna???????

2011-08-27T13:28:00.001+05:30

If anyone will be hated by the middle class intelligentia today more than any thing thinkable is someone who does not agree with Anna. You are either with him or against the nation….Slightest hint of disagreement to any Annaism will make you a deshdrohi and some who is corrupt to the core..Even my wife gives me those looks “you are not the same anymore” & You have changed J

It gives me a very bad feeling and I have started doubting myself; am I jjust simply jealous or as generally friends tell I like to go against the mass feeling (They say It gives me a highJ ). I tried to analyze and put people/teams in broad buckets who are against the nation..
M followers
1. Rahul Baba & Madam followers- They don’t have a choice, if You are opposing me I have to oppose you. Led by the super intelligent Mr spokesperson and a certain Mr X who sees RSS behind everything were the ones who helped polarize the situation. I am super impressed by their logic “ I am bad but you are too and to add you are worst so you cannot blame me”, Reminds me of the song –pahla patthar who mare jissne paap na kiya ho , jo paapi na ho”. These I think were the main culprits who created the atmosphere where everyone disagreeing with Anna was painted with the same brush.

2. Alternate Civil society- The civil society cocooned and patronized by the baba and madam. I sometimes wonder with so many civil society representatives who represents me L. This class realized and woke up to reality that Anna has taken the sail out of their winds and started representing the English speaking/secular liberal class which till now was the sole birth right of them. So mid way that they suddenly came out with their version of magic pill to cure the country of corruptions. This calls basically comprises of two sects- the govt supported civil society which helps them formulate “people “ friendly policy and the pro naxal activists on hire who supported violent and blood revolutions and all non national activities but find Anna and their demands undemocratic and unconstitutional.

3. Oppose because that’s what I want to know- This is the most informed opponents who oppose because it’s something which is in their blood. Reasons for opposing could be anything:

a. Singing Vande matram whics is not as per a particular religion
b. Wearing of gnadhi cap
c. You propose I oppose- led by a flip flop female chief minister and a erstwhile scam tainted cm from Bihar
I was also by some put under this category but believe you me I am not

4. And the left over people like us who oppose it because am not convinced how another bill or structure will be able to end corruption. This is another layer in any way a super fat bureaucracy. What is there in this which ensures that this is non corruptible. Don’t we have enough supervisory bodies the cvc/cbi of this world existing . I do agree with the basis and fundamental principle of freeing our investigative agencies from politicians and bureaucrats . But what is being proposed is that you replace the current policemen with a new one . Isn’t in a form adding another parallel policemen and praying and believing that thou will be the pillar of honesty…I am in principle agreement with what is being asked but am not ok with:
a. How it is being asked?
b. All that is being asked?I still believe in democratic ways of achieving what we have set out to achieve, what it needs is showing the same passion and commitment when it the time to vote. One vote has a lot of power and impact. Its high time we realize that power and work for it. Corruption will not end by a law or a body it will end only when “we” want it to end and we stopped being part of it ………………………

Who saal doosra tha, Ye saal doosra hai!!!- Part I

2011-01-06T15:32:00.000+05:30

The title of this post has been blatantly copied( inspired) from a song of Ataulla Khan. For those of you who are not aware about him he is a Pakistan based singer who got famous with accha sila diya tune mere pyaar ka (was a reshamiya of his times).

I have started writing this post with the intention of it being a reflective and stock taking post – kya kya hua, kya bura hua aur kya bahut bura huaJ . These events which have made the year that has gone by are in relation to me for eg you will find my companion for last 3 yrs my nokia 6300 breathing its last not 2 G scam.

The event that wil bbe put to post mortem is my marriage not commonwealth games! The housing problem that will be discussed is my hous getting flooded thrice in 10 days from the overflowing overhead tank not the aadarsh scamJ

Enough of perspective or agenda setting, now I should come back to the main point or the post …

The year will always be the most significant year in my life till date, it saw me getting married. I know it’s not a record breaking achievement but believe you me it’s definitely a life changing experienceJ, I will excuse you all from the marriage related clichéd jokes as it’s my blog not comedy circus or Pakistani comedy serial.

But whatever said, marriage itself is such a event that changes every known equation in life which a bachelor believes. It’s an experience which you cannot describe aptly in words no matter how hard you try, mere jaise ati saadharan writer ke liye to asambhav ye karna utna heen asan hai jitna sreesnath ko most well behaved player ka khitaab milnaJ. Luckily we knew each other well before marriage. The process called marriage is one that it’s very apltly called an institution after going through it I had no wonder why Barjatya’s can’t get enough of these marriage movies.

The D day, D-5 & D+5 days are filled with so many events and that too at two different places, it’s a mad house. Generally people write or share experiences the pain or anguish they go through while undergoing this rituals but I had a different experience. I enjoyed most of it, it’s like a project with unending number of project managers each with a different view and strategy but still in sync. There is a systematic chaosJ . I was amazed to see my 80+ year old naani behaving with the energy of 18 yr oldJ. I was also pleasantly shocked by other people ability to get happy for me even though some of them were extended family whom you have not even met for ages. Shayad unhe meri shaadi ka bharosa heen nahi tha ya unko laga is gadhe ka ho sakta hai to kisi ka bhi ho sakta haiJ.

To be continued in part II……………

A sad state of affairs

2010-12-23T14:49:00.000+05:30

The festivity is high due to Christmas & New year which is round the corner but am not happy :-)
This year can be dedicated to the Scams and can be labeled scamotsav varsh – adarsh, lavasa, CWG,Karnataka, food scam & the raja of all the telecom. The list seems to be unending and what pains me most is the indifference of the common man towards all of these. He seems to to have isolated himself on a island where these things don’t matter.

Generally the mood of the country can be gauged by the political dialogue which is going on in the country but the political dialogue is centered around what is more detrimental Hindu terror or Let, common guys give us a break it’s like comparing who is a better batsmen Sachin or sreesanth. We all know the answer, a mainstream politician in this country has the audacity to go to a book release function which says that 26/11 was a RSS conspiracy, would this have happened in country of the world leave alone the politician but the party he represents would have been decimated forever. But we don’t care and it pains that we don’t care.

Hindu terror bad or Islamic terror bad- why bother , terror is bad but we don’t care. A politician questions the basic government institutions of the country ruled by his own party, but we don’t care.

The CEO of prasar bharti is suspended by gov, The CVC is in question, the CWG mess, the top defense brass get flats in Adarsh, almost every other tom dick harry whose signature is on the approval for adarsh apartment owns a flat and they are still serving the nation in different capacities but we don’t care.

I read a online article about the onion prices in TOI where some has commented from Qatar that Indian onions are available in Qatar @ 50-60 whereas in India its available for 100- here we do care because we are paying but still reaction can be termed as knee jerk.

I think corruption has gone down so deep in our blood that we accept it as a way of life, chalta hai, aisa heen hota hain- L

This is what makes me sad; I even ask myself what can a common man do , even if he cares, how does he show his sign of dissent, his unhappiness with the scheme of things. Kya kar sakte hain hum…..

And this bebasi makes me more sadL

Update!!!!

2010-12-06T18:13:00.000+05:30

Last week after completing 4 + years in my previous organization I changed my JOB. So the idea of writing a post about came to me.

It’s so funny that I wrote my first post exactly in similar conditions, I was fresh out of college in a job with free internet and no work, very similar to my current condition. As the saying goes Life takes a full circle…hmmmm aaj samaj me aaya ye gyaan..

In the last 4 years that I have been on blogosphere I have spent 99% time reading ggod post and the remaining 1% on . In terms of readership I have more then 3 to 5 people who have read and commented on my blogs. (If the person with the same name has commented on two different posts he has been counted twice aare do ram kumar , shayam kumr bhi to ho sakten hain…

I was even faced with a lot of hmmm humms when I tried to make my wife read my posts, she said you have a different style of writingJ… this was like Mr A Raja telling everything is as per the process or Mr chavan saying that he is not directly related to his mother in law & sister in law. Dude that take some courage to say this;-)

Dekho main phir bhatak gaya, socha tha will write about my job change and started writing about my failed attempt to blogging…. Philosphically dekha jaaye to done ke results similar heen lagten hain…

When I said the final words to my boss that I am putting in my papers, as expected he was shocked (isko bhi naukri mail gayi) and he blurted in excitement- “kab jaa raha hain.. sorry matlab kyon jaa raha hain..kyon jaa raha hain. You could have done so many things…and then we both looked at each other and smiled. Itna saadgi thi us muskaan me ranjeet aur prem chopra dono Sharma jaate…

Remaining story I will hopefully share in my next post as finally have got a mail and have some work to doL

Change!!!!

2010-02-24T12:12:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I was speaking to a old friend after a long gap , he was just reminding me of my unkept promises and my earlier resolutions- main kabhi aisa nahin karoonga, main kabhi waisa nahi banoonga, koi aisa kaisa ho sakta hai, ye to koi paagal hee kar sakta hain and etc etc....

And the irony was, he as explaining how I am doing all which I always stood against in short he was making me eat crows woh bhi bade wale:-) ,and I was loving it ....He then said in a sermon that he always knew it , ye hamesha se hota hai , uske saath bhi hua or mere saath ab ho raha hai...

Before you develop any wrong notions that I am a hypocrite self centered piece of shit aisa hain nahi, main abhi bhi terrorism ke khilaf huin, rakhi sawant abhi bhi mere hate list me hain aur global warming mujhe abhi bhi samajh nahi aati

The said change is change which generally happen in every ones life :-) , jab aap sensitivity seekhte hain , jab mobile ki ghanti bajne par aur display dekhte heen aapke chehre par ek hansin aa jaati hain..he he I know I am too old for all this but aajkal to gaana bhi khub baj raha hai ki Dil to bachhha hai jeee..

All this which happened with me in the last 6 months seems so distant , aise lagta hai ki ye sab kitni poorani baat hai almost like ages ago and thats the beauty how much you travel and how quickly you travel if you have the correct co passenger... When I try to look back and trace my recent journey its a wonderful experience almost like a typical movie , muje kabhi nahi lagta tha ki aisa ho sakta hai spcly mere saath to hargiz nahin . believe you me I would have put money on pigs flying and Rakhi sawant observig maun vrat rather then me getting into a realtionship :-)

Abhi tak ki kahani to sahi hai aage bhi achha heen hoga aisa bharosa hain mera....

Justice?????????

2009-07-22T15:16:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I read Sanjeev Nanda's prison sentence was reduced to 2 yrs, one complete page was dedicated to Mr Nanda and his tryst with justice . Every one form his family had hailed the decision saying finally justice has been delivered.His sister was thrilled saying this is the best rakhi gift she could have though of. I also share the feelings of his family and fully understand the pain .

But what was amiss was no coverage of the victims, six people who were mowed down by a innocent youth in his speeding BMW. Is this the cost of six lives, six sisters who will never have there brothers to tie rakhi to? Six wives who will never be able to live the dreams they would have thought of... six moms who will never see there sons again. some children who will only see there fathers as a hanging photograph with garland around...But no coverage , no opinion from them .

I have nothing against Mr Nanda, but my heart and my mind aches for the six families whose life changed and will never be the sane again .

Sanjeev Nanda is a Wharton and INSEAD grad, whose family owns several hotels like clarion and Sun &Sand other then a "arms trading" company . He and his father were also arrested in Barak missile scandal in March 2008. The victims where three policemen and three common men. Mr Nanda even said in the court that he felt so guilty that he has even paid compensation to the families of all six

Am just not able to digest, is this the way justice is done. 6 people died in January 1999 , the judgment comes in 2009, giving two yrs imprisonment to Mr Nanda....kuch sahi nahi lagta ye padh kar...

Doosri news aaj padhi, "SC saves "baby" of rape victim. A mentally handicapped girl was raped by security guards in Chandigarh Nari niketan . A NGO filed for the abortion as the girl will not be able to take care of the child , so the HC ruled in favour of abortion but some lawyers filed a petition in SC challenging the HC verdict. Yesterday the SC has ruled in favour of the lawyers, the SC has asked the stae government to provide all security and medical aid to the girl. I again disagree , was the girl not in state security and medical aid when all this happened to her... the doctors appointed by the SC declared that the girl has a mind of 7-9 yr old, is this ok enough. what will happen to the Childs future, why are we playing with a life. will the girls innocent mind and body cope with this trauma and stress.....

Mumbai-Kya Bhoolon Kya Yaad Rakhoon

2009-06-27T11:51:00.000+05:30

(I started writing this on April 14th , aaj drafts me dikha socha post kar doon, wanted it to be complete but with my writing abilities this will happen only when pigs will fly, corruption will end and I will have a waist size of 28 again:-)

I landed in Mumbai on June 5th , 2006 i.e. on 6th April I have completed 34 months of stay here in the city of unending dreams. There is a saying well begun is half done but my case was different , I was fleeced by the cab driver who took me to the hotel. He took 5 times the fare and dropped me midway. So it was not the perfect beginning .....

I came to this city all filled with enthu and hopes, I was here to join my first job that too in one of the largest corporate so the air was all filled with excitement . Now as I prepare to move out of this city I try to look back at the time spent here, everything which I will be carrying with me forever and forever......

Being a numbers guy if am to put a number for my stay here i.e give a score to it out of 10 I will give it a 6.5. The score is not for the place but it reflects my stay/experiences with the city which are more correct reflection of my behaviour and mannerism . what will you say to a guy who has gone to Juhu chowpatty once in three years , 5 times to curch gate , seen gateway of India once , had not gone to borivali till date .Three years and one visit to siddhi vinayak and one visit to shirdi (even these two were courtesy friends who pushed me) . So I lived more in a self developed cocoon...

Mumbai as a city is amazing , you don't need to be a suketu mehta to experience this , my guess is that its the only cosmopolitan in India . So many cultures & different ideologies ,sky scrapers to the slums, dabbawala to the share brokers, autowallah to the Ferrari walas, the non existing mithi river to the vast ocean, The uttar bhartiya doodh wala to the dakshin bhartiya hotelier . So many extreme ends existing and working in perfect harmony .

The city has been a great teacher for me , has taught me duniyadaari or at least tried teaching me:-) .

As a normal person with three year stint in Mumbai Should have been nostalgic but as of now am not feeling it, I might as the days near by . I am myself surprised with this numbness . When I took the decision of moving out it took me very little time in making up my mind , people who know me well will find it very hard to believe .. The only pain area are the people I have been associated here , the professional and the personal friendships which were formed and matured during the three years . I am saying this when I have been always labeled as a non peoples person or a un social types ....

I am yet to tell everybody have just shared this with very few people not that it matters to them if I stay here or go to Timbuktu. But as the wise souls say change is the most constant thing - have never understood this statement in spirit, now is the time I guess.

I started writing this on 14th and today is 16th , have already got my marching orders, will be moving sometime next week . When I first thought of writing this piece i thought of writng about my experiences with this tinsel town but the way it has progressed till now is like RGV's sholay i.e. completely without a plot. This is more or less how I feel also confused , am nor sure about the sanity of my decision , professionally its not a wise move I guess. I am already thinking of writing part II of this post after shifting ..

Thinks which I will definitely not like to remember is the maddening crowd on roads irrespective of the day and time . I have also witnessed the two of the most gruesome terror acts- serial train blasts and the recent 26/11 attack , again not very fond memories of these two acts. Paucity of space , you always feel squeezed in home , in office on road and sabse zyada on a local train .

The city as I mentioned earlier is a great teacher, I think the best I have got till date . The people here are amazing , chalte heen rahte hain yaar kabhi rukte heen nahin . Though here for 3 yrs but the lazy ass I am , was not able to explore , mere liye mumbai thee, Bandra, andheri, sion, sad very sad .Another first for me in Mumbai was the 2008 New year party in sports bar , full courtsey to my college juniors , I danced first time in my life that too from 11 to 4 am in the morning:-). Somras aapse kya kya kuch karati hai.....

Mumbai will always be a pert of this uttar bhartiya bhaiya called alok for ever and ever......

Things I hate about myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-01T18:40:00.002+05:30

1.Not admitting to being emotional in sentimental scenes in movies
2.staring at others food plate in off canteens/restaurants
3.saying yes when actually wanting to say no
4.being too much "spirited"
5.being too much self critical
6.snail will be happy if he sees my speed in decision making
7.fussy is a very very small word for me when choosing food
8.being too rigid in opinion and views
9.having zilch financial sense
10.being very bossy with my siblings
11.While traveling in a train check out names for all "F " in the passenger list
12.doling out gyaan
13.being non responsive and non attentive to others gyaan and when others are speaking
14.my paunch and my second chin
15.buying things without any rhyme or reason
16.being too much of dreamer and thinker
17Bird watching ( no if no jatt only butt)
18.formality bug which has recently affected me courtesy some frnds

19.being an lazy ass

20. my emotions show on my face , am not able to hide them
21.end not being a good human being

I could have kept on listing things, the list would have been endless . Kuch baatein mujhe apne baare me achhi bhi lagti hain lekin unme se maine kuch pahle se hi hate list me likh di hain, I am not sure if i hate them or love them :-)

Vivah- Ek Anokha" Bandhan"

2009-02-24T22:59:00.001+05:30

In the last 15 days two people I was close to have got hooked for marriage matlab D day has been finalised . when I look at both cases both had a different approach and methodology in reaching this spot but what is strikingly similar is the reaction . Ek bhai hamara bilkul sant , ghar walo ne theek kar diya bande de kudi dekhi, kudi janch gayi sab final, aajkal phone pe lage rahte hain, bandhu ne too aajkal dhirubhai phone bhi kharid liya dedicated for "special purpose". Doosre bandhu stud the cool dude, the achiever with a long list of girls crooning over him. In bhai ne ladki dekhi groom ki ghar walo ko case forward kiya with a strong recommendation and bang the case is closed. Mujhe dono ne daaru pilayi that too single malt isliye my good wishes with both of them..

I am also under tremendous pressure to get married as I am fastly approaching the end of my best buy data and am about to complete the shelf life of bachelorhood. I asked both of them "doston how did you to know that its the time and you were ready to take the plunge" i swear I have never seen a more devilish and wicked smile in my life which came on both their faces when they replied bete sab pata chal jayega...I thought why this fuss about getting married I just tried to think ki kya change aayega..
Marriage will mean:
- planned expenditure, no longer just buying a bino costing 4 k
-no daaru daily, not even bi weekly, shayad week me ek din izazat mil jayegi
- going on shopping to buy matching curtains , doormat bed sheet -eeks
- no night out drinking with the boys
-being more sensitive ( I am yet to figure out what it means)
- savings , insurance and ....

So its not that hard I can do it but still the basic requirement is a girl and since all my 50 + attempts on different girls have been futile i have do it the losers way ghar wale dhoond denge. My sister suggested that we should run a classified add which says Male, short/dark/ unhandsome , insensitive can kill if disturbed and woken up against wish , mere doston ne bhi kahan hai they will suggest any girl "jisko mere jaisa banda chalta hai" . I am yet to decide mentally ki kya main ghar grihasthi ki gaddi chalane ko ready hoon..

So as my parents start the bahu finding mission am yet to come to terms with the reality

Recession- My interpretations!!!!

2009-02-08T09:01:00.000+05:30

All papers , financial dailies news channel every self proclaimed analysts have painted the world red with the theories on recession. All are ga ga about How each one of them have so correctly predicted it sometimes back . I think I along with many other "layman" types were not so wise enough to read into thy wise souls..

I bought the story of we being very fundamentally secure and nothing can go wrong and the market is headed to 25-30 k levels (I don't know who these people were can't be same as the ones who predicted the downfall) so I jumped in with all might and the result was similar to "chandni chowk to china".. I invested whatever I have saved in to stocks , MF and the rest is history:-(

Recession and bad times have become the most lovable excuses , the height was when my bai din't turn up yesterday so I asked her the next day . She replied ki "Bahut kharab samay chal raha hai economy me , mujhe bahut tension hai"

My dad checked with me did you save the money for your income tax I said no "Its bad time".

My sis asked why are you almost drinking every other day, I said " Recession hai"

My two subordinates asked - promotion bonus ka kya scene hai I said "Bhaiya recession hai"

My boss said , why are you not working the lazy ass I said boss Recession hai...

Mamohan singh asked the Pak PM ki aap kuch karte kyon nahin to unhone bhi jawab diya recession hai...

Some things where it has helped me a lot is this time dad din't ask me ki tumhari tax savings kyon nahi hui , neither did he ask why am i not repaying my edu loan... My mom has stopped bothering me to get married she is not sure but damn confident ki main ghar grishthi ki gaadi nahi chala sakta.

“Harsh nav, varsh nav, jeevan utkarsh nav”.

2008-10-12T17:33:00.002+05:30

With my Birthday approaching, I have mixed emotions.Ideally I should have been happy, logic says birthdays is the time to be happy but am not sure about my feelings. I am trying to give a face & name to my my feelings happy or sad but till now I have been unable to.....

I remember my earlier birthdays very clearly, used to wait for them long in advance. One day when you are treated almost like a king, you feel important . The planning used to start at least a week before, How to celebrate, whom to call, whom not to call, gifts, menu, decoration- every detailing done . I used to drop hints to my parents and my siblings about the gift I expected. I still remember the Kapil dev autographed bat my dad gifted when I was in class 3rd (its another matter that before this I have bugged him for the gift).

So birthday morning were great , mom used to come and wake me up with the sweetest birthday wishes followed by ghar ki junta, then came the pooja path and naye kapde. One day when I didn't hated bathing in the morning , so I generally used to get two sets one for the morning and other for the evening gala. Evening party also was great fun, some games , music and lot of gifts and great food. So overall the experience was good.

Now for the last few birthdays i.e. post my formative years have never been able to understand though with mobiles; calls and sms start to trickle from 12 in the night , then there are a good no of calls , scraps, office me cake phir doston ke saath party. All the ingredients which should idely make one very happy (other than footing the bill) but...

As some of my colleagues pointed out that now I have become old so its the fear of aging which has gripped me which is not allowing me loosen up, a very valid point but I am again not sure. Then with your birthdays one gets contemplative and evaluative about the year gone by . so I do the same and find that its been not a good year professionally and personally, some setbacks , unfinished business and empty bank accounts and with my new friend Lumbar Lordosis its been a low year. What I fear most is slowly I am loosing my Individuality, me as a person five years back and me as a person now are not the same, I have changed , what I feel is I have become comfortably Numb. Is this change normal or not again am not sure..

Again as Dinkar jee says we humans create our own problems ..
रात यों कहने लगा मुझसे गगन का चाँद,
आदमी भी क्या अनोखा जीव होता है!
उलझनें अपनी बनाकर आप ही फँसता,
और फिर बेचैन हो जगता, न सोता है।

So in some days I will be a year older and a degree higher in My numbness..................................

Vigilante Junta Justice

2008-09-25T12:48:00.000+05:30

I recently saw Wednesday incidentally the same day of the Delhi blasts and I was impressed by the Instant justice delivered by the protagonist. At that moment I found out to be very fair and just approach..

Two days back a CEO in Noida was beaten to death another example of Vigilante Junta, I have no idea who If the Junta was really aggrieved that day for the right reason- may or may not.But this act can't be approved by anyone. But the shock came from the honourable labour minister who said "This should serve as a warning for the managements. It is my appeal to the managements that the workers should be dealt with compassion," http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/CEO_death_warning_for_managements_Oscar/articleshow/3518772.cms

So If we do believe the CEO was not fair, he was not compassionate so the Junta has the right to beat him to death, fast track justice .Am just guessing what the other company CEO's will be feeling this moment. The news I read about the incident was that the police took 45 minutes after the distress call to reach the site and that two with 4 constables, when the SSP was quizzed about the lightning response from police he said yes we were late and the concerned SHO has been suspended. Now isn't this contrary to what the honourable minister was talking shouldn't this be also have been looked with compassion . The poorly paid police force which dances as per the politico tunes, a toothless clawless, blind tiger is expected to hunt..............

We don't need Vigilante justice even if it seems fair as in wednesday or not fair as in Noida. What we need is a justice delivery team which has powers to act without fearing interference but this from a police force which is seen dragging a tied person from his bike in Bihar or from the police man who rapes a girl in his police chowki in Mumbai or from the police in Delhi who is yet to identify Aarushi's killer or from the Judiciary which is being probed for corruption by CBI at the highest level or the judiciary which took 10 years to decide that nanda was guilty of running down 6 innocent people under his BMW and has not convicted a single person for the different blasts which have happened post 2001 (source CNN IBN). I t doesnt appear that any justice can come from these when the soul criteria for selecting a person becomes his caste or his ability to suck up; a DGP is sacked and send in the cold storage in Punjab the day the regime changes, the most corrupt person as described by his association becomes the head in UP.

Another such incident which caught my eye recently was the honourable state minister of home's statement when he criticises the Intelligence and the police force for not looking beyond SIMI/IM.

What we need is need a reformed police and Judiciary policy something which is stuck for the last 5 yrs, the neta's hate to loose control so they are not letting it go through. Until we have a reformed police and Judiciary we will continue to have Noida's and Aarushis in our life................

Cool School Days !!!

2008-09-07T13:49:00.000+05:30

Today I saw something which made me nostalgic and I tried remembering things from school which am sure whose memories will go with me to the grave...

First the thing which made me write this:the camel pencil -the white one with the pink flowers spread all across, see very few of them now days, another was the Natraj pencil- with the red and black stripes . Recently In landmark I think I saw pencils in some 50 different designs and colours, but to me these are the only two which I would like to remember.

Brown paper covers- with each new year and new academic session brown paper cover use to become the flavour for the period, they w ill be supplemented by nameplate stickers. I still remember My mom keeping brown paper envelops, saying we will use it for the notebooks. I saw the transition in these when schools came out with customised notebooks and brown paper covers with there name and logo printed on it and used to sell it for 5 times the normal price....

CW & HW copies- every subject will have a CW and a HW notebook, these will always remain class work and home work for me..

Certain commands like head down and put your finger on the lip will also remain with me for ever. Even the requests like "May I go to toilet or May I go to drink water" were also the eternal. I definitely feel that these will still be in use

Bata School shoes/Duck back school bags- Again these were something which were with me till the time I was a school going kid. First the duck back bags because I hated them like anything, they were so ugly and strong , every third kid had the same bag. I ensured each year that by the end It shall not go into a second year hoping to get a new one...same was for the shoes , every one was wearing the same thing.

Another thing which was a constant companion was the Tiffin box, my mother ensured that my bag had a Tiffin box, books ho nah ho. As far as my memory goes , the initial ones were the steel Tiffin boxes round or oval shaped ones then came the Zin tac ones with spoon in the top cover and Milton, cello ones which kept your food warm, man the kids which carried the costly ones were looked on as the leaders...

Morning greeting of Gooooood morningggggggg teacher, we all used to sing this , never realised why we used to do it making a simple 2 second Good morning into a 20-30 second gooooood morninggg song.

Birthday celebrations- the Bday boy was allowed to come in coloured clothes so the super rich made sure that they will make everyone realize of there place in the chain, the school dress did not allow these. The bay boy will come with a packet of chocolates (again poor souls like us carried orange balls where as the rich carried Ec lairs, melody etc), first the class will sing the bday song then the chocolate distribution will follow...

PT periods- we had these Physcal training periods once in a week, when the wild animals were let loose in the ground to play,make merry. Everyone looked forward to this period ...had some of the best times of school during these periods..

Another thing which I remember is the food items sold around the school building, the ice cream wala, the cake wala, seasonal fruit thelas specially the guava and the pineapple thelas were a hit, tha "pachaks".

I still have so many things in mind, above all am fortunate that am still in touch with 5 /6 of my class mates , but sad for the others have not seen for the last 10-12 years.

The Monk Visits the Monk!!!!

2008-08-28T19:14:00.002+05:30

I wanted to write something on my shirdi trip from the moment the trip was finalised, me going to a teertha sthal is a news, people who know me will agree to this statement.

First of all, tons of thanks to SV & RT for dragging me for the holy trip, believe me if not for there consistency I would have chickened out any moment.... We were supposed to start at 9 pm on a volvo, reach by 2am; complete the pooja by 5am types, take some rest and come back. But plans are plan and reality is reality:-), around 8 it starts raining heavily, SV ,RT & SB get stuck with packing and other things (this was not unexpected), I loose a pearl from the ring I was wearing from the last 3 yrs...all this chaotic things happen between 7pm to 9pm.. I know am not a good person but Sai baba doing all this to stop me from coming close to him , not fair; even the news of some Sai baba pic shedding tears for last three days makes complete sense now...

Anyways 3 good devotees weigh more than a bad one (not kidding , they actually do in reality also-sorry SV), so the bus left finally at 12, my co companions have come all prepared, I pods, mineral water, ready for the battle but oops they forgot to carry sweat shirts, so with rains outside , AC spitting chilling cold air (I just hoped for once for them to be Indian made-itne thande to nahin hote) it became a cold storage.-The bus stopped midway at a food joint around 2am and I and RT the two hungry souls decided to grab a bite but guess what the food joint was modeled on a Greek theme , Good God a real shocker.You have models (both sexes-at least the owners are fair) hanging from every corner in all possible forms of embraces dressed in just the essentials and seeing my jaw drop reaction RT informs me that the last time Even that was not there, poor me unlucky again. The best part was that between all these Greek display we have Sai babas pic hanging at one corner , I wanted to click pictures but don't have the shradha to go back and bring the camera:-(

So when we finally reached Shirdi at 6 am in the morning our immense devotion has been a bit dented by the Japanese cold chilling air (hmmm these Japanese will go to any extent ) so we decide to give ourselves a 3 -4 hr rest to rekindle the devotion...
We find ourselves in front of the temple around 11am and we were finally in the snake line..moving like a auto stuck in Andheri on a rainy day. The nature of the line again defied all logical concepts, because if I remember correctly the Sai baba statue is in the base ment but the line started on the ground floor went up two floors and then it came down again...only God Knows why?? So to kill time we started the normal chit chat like office stuff and discussing all movies made on Godly creations (namely Tarzan, veergati, Rang, LaL Duppata malmal ka types) , I was just trying to show off my good knowledge of the bollywood which is all courtesy the long long hours I spent preparing for the day when they introduce Bollywood in civil services but here come" Mr Bhakht- the perfect disciple" (I am sure someone will make a movie by this name) and first he gives a look which has the same love wrapped around like my father after seeing my progress report and then asks SV -"aap log yahan kyon aayen hain" - I wanted to say for buying monthly grocery but he continues - we all come here for worshipping and bla bla and you people, the moorkh people are discussing every thing other than Sai baba , he has the glow of person who has just found out the road route to moon, and then he apologises "mind mat kijiyega", the people around him give us the pyar bhara looks.... The line has stopped moving as the darshan has been closed for an hour, in this era of commercialisation even the Gods take break (or the custodians). Finally after two three hours we are near the sanctum sanctorum, pressure has started from all sides rather the usual push from behind, every one is pushing and pushing more and alas I reach in front of thy holi Sai baba and take out my list of wishes; a good (ok hot) wife, a fat salary, a sports car....eeks I feel a hand pulling me out his face similar to the dacoits of the 70's movie, he shouts again get out,I pray pls let me ask for the sea view flat also but even before I can think I am out , I blame every one for not letting me pray for my small things , population explosion, absence of birth control measures the lustful husbands and the yielding wives, short office hours, small double beds, winter season , internet, western influence, Bush, ISI( sorry for the last two but you generally blame them for every thing) and come out.

All said and done, I had the sai baba darshan , which was worth every pain, thanks again to SV and RT......., return trip via trayambekeshwar was also interesting, will write about in Part II

Passing away of a dear Friend

2008-06-01T13:05:00.001+05:30

I am in deep pain, when someone close to you is no more. I don't now how to react,am battered beyond recognition . Yesterday my laptop blinked for the last time, when I tried to press the power button with brutal force , it hissed and flicked for fraction of a second and then it became silent for ever.

Now I realize the flick was like a wink which my lappy was trying to give before fading into the junkyard and the accompanying sound was a cry in pain . All the times we spent together are a distant memory now. I am yet to get out of the shock that my lappy my pal is no more and all that It had in it , all secrets good and bad will go the grave with it .

I have only the memories and the financial burden to live with it. The moment when I got the news was like a lightning, after trying all the home made remedies, I took half day off and dragged myself to the HP service center. I was filled with hope like a father waiting with his child in the reception of the city's best doctor, finally when the display showed my token number, I leapt to the service center counter manned by a self important looking guy who with his French beard looked like some angel, he waved me to sit without even looking at me. I put my laapy on the dissection table explaining to him the finer details. He was not even looking at me , after two three attempts the lappy finally came to life and the first diagnosis was - Boss-"your display is gone, its bad". My heart sank with tears almost ready to erupt lurking in the background, then he gives me a look which has hatred written all over it and says, Its gone. I say what and he again with all the self importance declares with more emphasis- "Is gone". I think he doubted my hearing so he repeated what he said earlier. I feel like the hindi film Mom/dad when the doc comes out of the OT and says sorry Hum aapke ----- ko bacha nahi sake. I also wanted to shout at the top of my capacity "Nahinn ye nahin ho sakta " but I sit there speechless and with a blank expression.

The guy finally has pity on either my face or my intellectual capacity and explains, the display is gone and the battery is gone so both put together plus will cost you 25-35 k and he pushes my lappy aside without even a hint of sympathy and presses the next buzzer. How can God be so cruel, he can't be.

I return with my laptop humming all the sad songs I knew, then after coming back I try to revive it for one more time-if savitri can bring satyavan back , I will do the same. I press the power button , no reaction I press it again no reaction,then with all the brutality I press it and then it flicks and even before I can be happy It dies and dies forever. My friend who not only accompanied me from My MBA to job days but also played a instumental role in my transition from acads to the job world is no more. All the things which we did together , all the songs that played and played, all the need for speed games which I played on it, the strategies I made for my battalion in age of empire. The numerous iterations I made of my CV during the pre placement period, the movies which I saw ranging from Ramayan to the special ones (Ramayan is a exaggeration but i did watch animated hanuman), the memories are too many to pen down, I can't no matter how much I try. My B school stint could not have been achieved without my dear friend.

And how did I treat it when It was still here, kept it on for number of days, cleaned it only when it was impossible to see through the dust, surfed all the sights which were not allowed, downloaded moves on after the other.

Iam thinking of what to do with it, should I go immerse it in the ganges or go back to my campus and bury it somewhere.
Lets all rise and pray for the departed soul , if any one wants to donate for the trust which Iam going to make after it, Please feel feel free to contact, your name and donation will be kept a secret and you will receive a limited edition of some of the keys which came out of the key pad during the last few days.........................

The Jaipur Dhamaka

2008-05-19T21:16:00.001+05:30

I just read somewhere "Yatha Raja tatha Praja" it an old saying but when I try to conceptualize it in present scenario I find it to be reverse i.e "Yatha Praja tatha Raja".

We are shitty people and deserve shitty leaders. This fact is true irrespective of the colour caste, creed & political affiliation of the leaders. I was hearing some of them "condemning" the Jaipur Blasts and how sad they are for the people . Till this all were common but after this common part the difference started the cm blaming the central agencies for not sharing the information in time and the center mentioning the lack of proper security arrangements by the state. Crap utter crap - will this any way make the dead alive, will the mother who lost her son really cares about all these. For families who have lost someone everything changes , nothing no money no meeting with the sonia's and the vasundhras help. They will live with this trauma for the rest of the lives.

I even analysed my reaction to the incident, after trying to think for a while if I have some one in the pink city and with results in the negative, I just switched channels and started watching IPL. The media will cover all this for a while,three four people will be arrested and everything will be swept inside the carpet. Does any one have a clue what happened to the Varanasi blast accused or the victims.

And the government for the umpteenth time harp on that foreign hand were behind the blast, and a person by the name of Dawood Ibrahim who the Indian government has evidence suggesting his existence in Pakistan is masterminding the terror plots and the Pakistani counterpart will vehemently deny the existence and will ask for the evidences to be handed over so that they can act and will hand him over(yes and the pigs will fly & Rakhi will marry Mika)

And foreign countries our friends will condemn and preach restraint siting the long tolerant & spineless past .when US itself has gone ahead and rummaged Iraq just suspecting it to have WMD which are still to be found & Russia invaded Chechnya.

But when its time to vote we will not vote on these issues, we will vote X if he is from our caste, no wonder Mayawati's advance income tax were higher than Mukesh Ambanis. We will vote for the Gowdas who think the state as their fiefdom and have incurred 100 crores on an election when it was not needed. We will vote for the left in West Bengal because of their excellent humanitarian work in west bengal . Even better In many states we make the most loved person who have a long history of social service who have not only sacrificed their life but also of many others , we choose them and sent to Parliament & the legislative assembly. I relate it to school when the most naughty boy of the class was made the Monitor , It didn't work then it won't work now. People who should rot in prision become MP's & MLA's and serve the nation .

I don't know why I am writing all this and what have I done better than the others..............

Kuch Anmol Vacahan

2008-01-16T21:17:00.000+05:30

Today while talking to a very very old friend, he called me a by name which made up my mind to write this post, I want to remember all those words which we have been using very frequently, these though fall in the unparliamentary and the road side category.some of them are

BAKCH_ _I- This term is one of the most used terms in student life, this is a way of life , a statement made. if this is not there students will die many deaths, this accompanies endless chai and sutta sessions, nightouts . This is one thing without which a stdents life is not complete.
Bakar- A mild word for the above, generally spoken in front of fairer sex
Sutta/ciggy- "bas dhuan hain dhuan, dhan hi dhua"
Quarter- One term which peenewali janta has by heart, this denotes 1/4 of a daaru bottle
Addha/Addhi- 1/2 of a daaru bottle
Khambha- hmm poori bottle:-)
Chakhna- eatables to be eaten along with daaru,isko nahi peenewale hijyada jahate hain
GC- extreme form of pshycophancy
CP- MBA colllege ki pahchaan
M....L-a term used to describe a beautiful girl
Gaa...u/Bho......di/be..ch...d/chu......a- pyar se bulane wale pookaru naam
Phattu- one who does not help u cheat in the exams
Chaalu bandi- jo aapko line nahi deti
Dinthelna- din kaatne ka ek tarika
Pondy- :-)

IThere are many more which are not coming to my mind right now, but will try to update as i remeber.....

Aur Ek Saal

2008-01-01T11:47:00.000+05:30

Another year passed by, initially I didn't wanted to write anything on it, but read Akhands blog (last two posts) and got inspired to write one .What all you write in such a post, if I follow on Akhanands line I should write on the take homes and negative take homes from this year . But won't it be a post mortem analysing and dissecting the 365 days went by, I have always hated this , like coming out of the exam hall and "Q 3 me kya likha aur Q 5 me, arre bhai jo likha woh to likh diya na, so whats the point discussing . Another exam related postmortem which i have always hated was the no comparisons , what did u get in Q 7 , ok u got 3 I got 5 ans follow after that, Some people even made tables for the top scores, it sucked big time then and It sucks big time now.

But I think I will do a quick recap rather than a Review, Akhand has correctly pointed out that the cribber or the pessimist me comes out every time I write something, so this one has to be different (Akhand to review) . One definate gain from this year has been the 10 kg (+ 20% margin) weight I have put on this year , again a good looking female colleague
who has given me the maximum adjectives this year was first to point out and called me a "Mota", me a fatso no way I have just started looking healthy , a khaate peete ghar ka baccha rather than a Somalian. And the credit for all this goes to the "Peena " part of my Khaata Peeta ghar. Let God be praised and belly be raised.

I also saw a lot of movies this year , if try to fit tem in a mathematical equation :movies watched in 2007 > 10 time (2005+2006) , last year I used to wonder how shitty movies did a X crore business or a Y crore business, the puzzle is solved now, so my contribution to b ollywood has been significant this year . The movies which I will remember forever are
Darling, Naqaab, Saawariya, Transformers, Aag, Nishabd, Laaga Chunri me daag (in no particular order), some of them made me think of bringing the License Raaj back .

I read a lot also this year , this year saw the transformation from a Sidney Sheldon to Orhan Pamuk , Rohinton Mistry etc, I thought If you sit with a book like Snow in hand the girls sitting next would be impressed wrong assumption i guess but anyway this is one which I hope to continue, Snow I will rate as the best book I read this year followed by A fine balance and Sacred Games. (Kudos to Master, santy and Bagla for this)

On professional front I have written so much earlier that I don't wish to write anymore, I will just sum it up by describing it as a Enriching and satisfying experience, I have some thing major coming up in January; which if happens then hmmmmm.

On my credit worthiness , I started this year with Rs X in debt now have Rs 5x in debt, but the fundutilisation this year could not have been better, I gifted something to Dad and the feeling I tell you is worth a life time , the power to fulfill someone else's dream is amazing , you actually end up realizing the power of money, not that its all about money but a decent salary always helped. I am yet to meet him but feel like humming the song "mere paanv jameen par nahin padte".

On Social front, with my elder brother getting married in January, so they say "raasta saaf" hai, only hurdle is JUST to find a girl , even made some unsuccessful attempts this year, but why do I always end up liking already engaged types , even the ones I liked dint have good things to say:-)

Though at all times I had my friend standing by me. My backbencher group, Akhand, Nitin, Patro, santy, Rohit,Nikku , Abhishek, Rakesh,Sahil, the list is endless (if I missed your name, then you might not have called me recently, remember I suffer from Amnesia)(Avijit :spcl mention for agreeing to lend me money in march . Baaki picture abhi baaki hai, I'm 26, single have always been ready to mingle:-), I actually liked that line from OSO "agar aap sach me kuch dil se chahte ho to puri Kaayanaat aapko woh dilane me madat karegi"

My expectation from next year is zilch because "kharidoge Babool to close up kahan se lagaoge", so will will definately plant some roses this year:-) and will continue with my current funda of living each day to its fullest.

Update:Had a blast last night, will write about it in the next blog

Life Goes On !

2007-12-17T20:46:00.000+05:30

Last fifteen days have been the transition days, My "chhotu" group in the bank got merged with (submerged) the bigger group, just imagine a group of 130 odd being merged with a 10000 strong team, that too in the ninth month of a FY.Too top it all I was supposed to look after the transition, God can't be more cruel .

The best line came from the new group head -"Life wont be different, It will only be better".My old team of 4 got evenly distributed among the hungry tigers , every one got its share of flesh and bones . I dint know how to react , if their is one proverb which I can give my life to make it true is "Everything happens for the GOOD", i just hope the definition of good is what we all know not something written in some unreadable font loaded with conditions apply.

Another shock I got this week over a team dinner one of my colleagues has given is lack of trust people have on people who drink daaru(my assumptions i cant let myself be blamed so it has to be daaru which is bad not me.

I offered some cold drinks to a colleague (A) of mine, i actually poured some from the tumbler and passed it on.Then the ordeal starts :
A:Ye col drinks hi hain na?
Me: Yes
A:Saaach
Me: bilkul
A: why its colour is different?
Me: arre baba I swear its coldrinks
B (Host): Tries to help me out, Its colddrinks only
C:(another colleague) Just smell na baba
A: after holding the glass for eternity in hand, moves it at slower than a snails pace towards the nose, and we all wait in silence for the verdict,,,,,,
A: hmmm, smells like coldrink only but
Me/B/C:But, what but
B:waiter bring a fresh glass of colddrink
Me: I feel like Premchopra and Ranjeet who tries to mix drink of pretty ladies and hmm we all know -----
Though I still hope that A was only doubting my sense of judgement after a peg down , not my sharafat.....

Another Transition which i find in myself is that I have become a avid/regular movie watcher if not a true movie buff, i watched 3 movies this weekend (two in one day). During two years of my MBA, I watched three (yes THREE), now I even watch all the shitty movies like Naqab, saawariya...Initially when sat to blog i thought I will write a smart ass review of those movies but later changed my plan and I think its only for the better, with my Bihari english I could not have done justice to them.

Me!

2007-11-21T20:08:00.000+05:30

I've always been crazy and the trouble that it's put me
through
I've been busted for things that I did, and I didn't do
I can't say Im proud of all of the things that Ive done
But I can say Ive never intentionally hurt anyone

I've always been different with one foot over the line
Winding up somewhere one step ahead or behind
It ain't been so easy but I guess I shouldn't complain
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane

I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane
Nobody knows if it's something to bless or to blame
So far I ain't found a rhyme or a reason to change
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane

- Waylon Jennings

Deepawali ....

2007-11-11T16:26:00.000+05:30

Yet another deepawali gone by, Goddess Lakshmi evading thy poor soul yet again.This was my first experience of Mumbai Deepawali (last year I went home);i was planning this year but some work related issues popped up.

Luckily one of my Juneez Bday was on Thursday so had a good time with some "Teachers" and this made me get up late(quite late) on D--- morning or say early noon;even then I was woken up my Mom calling up inquiring about my "well being". Being deepawali my maid had a taken the day off so after three four cups of average to good tea (depending on who made it me or my flatmate) and a equal or greater number of fags we decided that we should go out and eat .

so deepawali half gone with uncertainties and some more uncertainties.

In the evening went to see "saawariya" and joined the group of people who were fooled by the massive mktng campaigns for S & OSO. I like khamoshi & Devdas a lot so was expecting something out but it turned out to be tragedy of unbound proportions. The film is a simple love story spread over four nights ,set up in an unnamed and unidentified place and even more unidentifiable period . Sometimes you find it in he 18th sometimes in the recent span so this unidentifiable gap makes it even more painful. For me what appeals most in a love story is their

simplicity, your comfort in identifying with the protagonists and their emotions. But what you get here is opulent sets , more than half a dozen songs and too much melodrama, emotions taking a backstage. The sets appear in total contrast too much showy, too loud and garish to have a background for a love story. Though i am a complete novice in the arts section so not the correct person to judge but my 250 ticket + 50 popcorn+50 coke all appears to have gone down the drain. Some scenes like the one where both of them cross a pothole ridden "gully" makes you feel like run out of the theatre screaming at top of your voice.Rani Mukherjee and Johra Sehgal are the only saving grace.

OSO in comparison was much much better, though a remake of two three old bollywood movies but after Saawariya anything would have felt better even Jhalak Dikhla jaa. OSO is set up in two eras first the 70's where a Junior artiste is in love with the Superstar and then in the current period when he avenges his death. The plot is senseless but tickling, spoof of yesteryear stars like Rajani are good. king khan as usual as overacted but being SRK i think its allowed.The second half spcly the end scene is too long for comfort. Kiron kher and SRKs interactions are good and completely filmy.Shreyas is good in the first half but in the second part when is made to wear the kurta and the muffler at all times he looks silly, can't old people also wear normal clothing. Best part is again the end similar to main hoon naa where all people associated with the film are introduced in a true Farah khan style. Gauri Khan looks more like the female lead then the producer, so OSO a good timepass.

Saturday had another small party with my most dependable friend theOld Monk, its amazing how it never lets you down always beside you joy or sorrow.

On my reading front completed Snow and The Prometheus Deception this weekend. Snow is classic very slow initially but as you read it becomes excellent, if a philistine like me was able to comprehend this master piece then it itself speaks volume of the writer

Update.....

2007-11-04T17:54:00.000+05:30

I have not written for a while now, din't have much to write. Though Life has been eventful in the past two weeks .Last month I celebrated my Birthday also and that too thrice (office, friends and flatmates), the celebrations spread over two days left me poor by 5000.

After the party, I actually thought that Bdays celebrations are a waste of everything.

On personal front , I found how true my friends are in judging me on a particular social parameter, as usual I again wanted something which was not mine so ended up being sad (or happy sad).I again for the nth time felt that this time this is the one before realising that this is not the one.I feel like humming the famous song "Har kisi ko"with a shawl and glass in one hand.

But realised that so many good things exist and so near so some day lady luck will actually smile.

Professional front so much is happening and so fast that I can't even think of penning it down .The master stroke was when a colleague of mine in a very pensive mood said" the company has subdued her thirst for knowledge". This coming from a three months old in the system speaks a lot in itself.

Weekend Update

2007-09-09T20:20:00.000+05:30

For the last two weekends,I have not done much, just saw some movies. Last weekend I saw Ramgopal Verma ke Aaag and it was a complete disaster. I have never considered myself as a film critic, but if I don't feel that Aaag was even somewhat near to be called a film.I just wished that The Licence Raaj gets back and people should need licence to make movies & People like RGV are thrown to jail for making Aaag.

That too when you are trying to remake a cult film like sholay, what sucks most about this film is the misuse of Amitabh. First time i saw people booing Amitabh in the hall. Nisha Kothari as Basanti- I just wished that she was deaf and dumb so you are not made to hear your gibberish.
My list can go on as i Have to shell out 220 for a ticket.

Then this weekend I went to Dhmaal, the film is ok and good timepass, go with no expectations and you will come out happy. On my reading front I am reading "The summon" by Grisham, till now its good. I think I have read most of the Grishams works and have not disliked any.

On personal front- got a very good "Talk" from my dad on my financial condition (My not paying my edu loan EMI for the last three months triggered this). On job front I still think my job sucks but now a good looking girl has joined our team so I think I will hang on....:-)

Weekend Update...

2007-08-19T20:52:00.000+05:30

Had a good weekend after a Long time, saw chak De,Transformers. Chak de is good, liked it more because King Khan has not overacted after a long time, and underdogs performing is always appealing. Another good point it seems is that a lot a reserch has gone in making this movie. All the girls are also new & "good looking" also.

Transformers on the other hand was a complete waste of money, it suckd & looked more like a comic book . Only the special effects are great. Honestly speaking I have never liked Sci-fi movies.

Read "Alchemist", found it ok, din't realize why so much fuss is about this book. I liked "eleven minutes" better.

It finally seems that I have started to enjoy again with special thanks to the two Booze parties on weekend :-)

Life.........................

2007-08-04T19:50:00.000+05:30

Yesterday someone called me a cribber, it hit me very hard.

Am I a cribber? i tried finding the answer but it evaded me somehow.., just a year back I was this happy go lucky guy who cared about almost nothing ( sometimes grades i guess:-)).

So what is turning me into this crying baby, something external or I was always like that? May be people around me can give a honest answer.But I also realise something is missing. I have definitely become more complaining. I don't get happy at things which sometime back used to make me happy, Most of the time I am lost in some thoughts of mine, making castles in air which get scattered by even the sound of the dropping pin. More and more I try to run away from the truth staring at me, and feel comfortable hiding myself in some dreamworld. But how long can this go like this..i have to sort things out but don't feel the courage to do so.

Their are too many questions and too few answers, too many destinations and few roads , too much pessimism ..............for now.

ULTIMATE TRUTHS

2007-08-01T21:22:00.000+05:30

Found on some blog, spcly liked some of it

Whenever I find the key to success, someone changes the lock.

To Err is human, to forgive is not a COMPANY policy.

The road to success…….. is always under construction.

Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but if you think again, neither does milk..

In order to get a Loan, you first need to prove that you don't need it.

All the desirable things in life are either illegal, expensive or fattening.

Since Light travels faster than Sound, people appear brighter before you hear them speak.

Everyone has a scheme of getting rich….. which never works.

If at first you don't succeed…. Destroy all evidence that you ever tried.

You can never determine which side of the bread to butter. If it falls down, it will always land on the buttered side.Anything dropped on the floor will roll over to the most inaccessible corner.

***** 42.7% of all statistics is made on the spot. *****

He who has the gold, makes the rules ---- Murphy's golden rule.

If you come early, the bus is late. If you come late…… the bus is still late.

Once you have bought something, you will find the same item being sold somewhere else at a cheaper rate.

If you have paper, you don't have a pen……. If you have a pen, you don't have paper…… if you have both, no one calls.

Especially for engg. Students----If you have bunked the class, the professor has taken attendance.

All Govt buses are crowded.Corollary----- The Govt buses in opposite direction always go empty.

The door bell or your mobile will always ring when you are in the bathroom.

After a long wait for bus no.20, two 20 number buses will always pull in together and the bus which you get in will be crowded than the other. If your exam is tomorrow, there will be a power cut tonight.

The last person to be fired or quit is responsible for all the errors until another person is fired or quits.

Irrespective of the direction of the wind, the smoke from the cigarette will always tend to go to the non-smoker

Life'sMantra

2007-07-24T19:59:00.000+05:30

Beauty, Danger and Dismay by James Fenton

Beauty, danger and dismay
Met me on the public way.
Whichever I chose, I chose dismay.

Indian Cricket &My Career

2007-03-27T12:26:00.000+05:30

Though I know that their is not very much commomn between both, but at present both are in doldrums, uncertainty looms large over both of them.Just like Dravid; I thought that i was incharge comletely in control but like him met the similar fate,dont know why this happened and more important,how it happened.I will be completing a year in job in june,my profile and team went through restructing,my boss quit just before ratings, so I was rated by a person whom i knew for 2 months,my rating was finalized by a person who does not know me so the outcome is but obvious.

I have got a new boss, most of my team mates are moving to better & greener pastures, I am undecided just like Dravid & chappel, what went wrong or Is this question inflammatory.I feel like the million dollar earning cricketers who think that they have failed(my guess),after the last 11 months I find myself out of the "super eight",at the end i realized(made to) that I din't have any worthwhile contributions to my group this year and their are very few chancess that I will contribute any thing significant this year

So both the Indian cricket as well as my career needs some restructring, some charisma which can bring them out of the darkness.

Performance Appraisal

2007-03-06T12:51:00.000+05:30

The D day has come, and i have a hunch that it will be a catastrophic event a disaster but not natural but man made(me) with good contributions from my Boss. Yesterday I was asked to pen down my achievements for rating purpose , immediately I thought of the 100 things i have done but wait half of them are in the conceptualisation state, another 10-20% never took off, and the rest fared badly so i was left with 5-6 odd jobs that too not worth calling achievements, but being an MBA you are best at giving global gyaan and filling answer sheets without even having a slightest idea of what you are writing about so finally I was able to write 10 points as to how i made a difference to the group and the organisation. Looking back I myself don't find any worthwhile contributions Ii made so If my boss wont find any even with a magnifying glass then it wont be a surprise, i have already started getting the sympathetic look from my colleagues the same look which you find in the eyes of the customer in a butchers shop.But I have the privilege of having the company of "The old Monk" to drown all my sorrows, below is a good picture I found on the net.

"Being" the Best is not at all important, "Doing" the Best is all that matters.... "

"A perfecft Saturday"

2007-02-17T10:43:00.000+05:30

Its 10 am saturday morning a "official Holiday" and i am sitting in office and doing just nothing, the obvious conclusion from what i stated above is I am a hopeless bugger which I dont deny but my todays miseries are not my fault.

Yesterday I took a half day(left at 7.30pm:-) as i was not feeling well, around 9 pm i get a call from some compliance team in my office that i need to document something(60 pages minimum) before 12 am today, my world comes crashing down,saturday office,60 page document and to top it all a planned friday night party which went till 2 in the morning.The same team has said two days ago that in my case everything is done and i need not do anything.

So i was finally able to drag my sagging ass to office by 10am to discover that i had one mail from their team saying its all documented,so i do the natural fwd that mail to the concerned person and wait for his response, at the time i am writing this blog the person is going thru the earlier mail deciding whether its ok or i need to do it all again.

So all sympathetic souls pls rise and pray for me that i pass this litmus test and get my hard earned saturday Knap..........

“I'll tell you where to find sympathy. It's in the dictionary between shit and syphillis.”(unknown)

Memory Lane

2007-01-25T11:03:00.000+05:30

As we grow older we become insensensitive in the garb of maturity, we start overlooking facts which makes us happy or sad just because we are too old(my foot)

I dont know who we are trying to fool others or just ourselves, we dont even acknowledge things.Though we find perfect execuses family, commitments ,job responsibilities but some where down our own hearts we know we are cheating .

Tomorrow i am going to attend one of my batchmates wedding and hoping to take a trip down the memory lane.Those fond memories have a charm of their own They are dim and yet they shine like bright stars giving immense joy, and they continue to warm the heart like a slow burning stove in a chilly winter night.

But sadly, like those lines in Floyd’s Comfortably Numb,

“When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.”

LIFE : -)

2007-01-16T17:27:00.000+05:30

My life is in a mess
& I know it,,,,,and dont want to write about it.

My Parents say I am a lazy ass
My friends say I am a living disaster
I say Iam both..

Saving Vs Spending

2006-12-16T14:01:00.000+05:30

I have not written anything for long,reason being didn't found anything interesting and secondly was a little busy.
A discussion yesterday made me change my mind, the discussion was on" Saving or Spending", though this ia widely discussed topic still i felt like writing about it.The debate started with the notion that we should always save for the rainy days , no one can disagree but my point is for saving for the rainy day we will miss all the sunny days, if are not enjoying the sunny days then whats the use saving for the rainy day.Whats the use of earning if you cant spend it, though i admit that being six months in a job i m hardly a authority on this subject and as many say that i will change once i know and face the real world.
But I have enjoyed my six months of earning as well as spending, though the saving angle is yet to catch up but Income tax can do what all the "gyaani people" cannot, I have been told that if i dont save a certain sum than I will go salaryless in march and with the hands to mouth situation I am , I cannot afford it.I know my situation now shouts loudly that we should save and plan and to a point i also agree but how much and when is the biggest question.
I am totally confused now more than what i was at the beginning of the blog.

A much needed Break!

2006-10-20T15:11:00.000+05:30

Today late evening i am flying to home sweet home and this comes with a topping; today is my birthday too, I couldn't have asked for more.Though I will be reaching home tommorow morning only but still its worth everything.

When I look back and realize with a pinch that i am aleready five months old in the job, it scares me a lot how fast time is passing and what have I to show as something what i achieved, almost nothing ;compared to my friends who seem to have done a lot.My only achievement is that i have put on ("X") kgs of wt and all at the wrong place but i am helpless,my job involves 12hrs of sitting on chair without moving my sagging ass much.Even my bank balance does not have much to show;i have not even statrted to pay my loan back:i already see the collection agents dragging me out from office,even worse than that is i may need to explain my father(who by my bad luck is a banker) where have the 1.5 lakhs i earned gone and honestly i dont have an answer though I bought some assets like a sony home theatre for my younger sister and a nokia 3250 for my father but still this Balace sheet statement is nowhere complete, i guess like my account answersheets in IIFm this will also show a "suspence Acct".

The questions which i fear the most are" why have you not taken a Life insurance? Why have you not started repaying your educational loan? why are you still not doing ramdev Baba's yog?(this i will never do,even if i become Adnan sami).

Though to silence the critics i am carrying a lot of stuff, yesterday i shopped worth 12,000 in shoppers stop yesterday (Kudos to the credit card); I am hoping this will work ;pls pray for me.

Another great thing about this trip is i will get to meet some of my fellow back benchers>so we can Have a insti like party in Patna.So friend Wish me bon voyage.

Matheran In Pics!

2006-10-12T10:17:00.000+05:30

I got some applaud for the pics in my last blog, so thpought of sharing some more:

Matheran Trip

2006-10-05T15:03:00.000+05:30

I had not written a blog last month mainly didn't find anything worthwhile to write, just leading a robotic life five days of the week and sleeping and drinking on weekends.

But last weekend was different, two of my friend and a colleague of mine decided to do some thing different this extended weekend(courtesy:Gandhi jee). We went to a hil station near mumbai called matheran, its a three hour journey from mumbai.We statrted early around 8 am and took a local from Dadar to Neral.We reached Neral by 10.30 am and took a shared taxi from their to Matheran(its a half hour journey).

Their we have booked a resort in advance and i tell you though the tariff drained our pockets but it was stiil worth all the money.it was in the middle of lush green forest.Though the start was not a good one, we have just settled in our cottage and where just chatting when two monkeys enterd our room and started frisking our bags, we were too frightened to do anything, two of us even got themselves locked in the monkey a timely rescue from the waiter saved not only our lives but more important our resources(D-:) which we have carried

from mumbai.Another good thing about the resort was that its tariff included meals and breakfast, so we had our first free lunch and after chatting for a while went for a half hour knap(which lasted three hours).

In the evening we started exploring matheran ,the town has numerous points(13 in mumber) which provide a scenic view of the valley, but since we had two more days so we decided to utilise our resources.This point(our cottage) which we found out to be the best we named it as the"OLD MONK POINT" and spent most of our weekend their. The second day morning we explored some of the points like Echo point, lake, alexander point etc, all very scenic but the fog was a big problem as it hindered the viewing. It rained in the second half so we stayed indoors and did what we know best that is again our favourite point.

Matheran is really a gem when you compare it with mimbai peaceful scenic and above all no noise, the onlydrawback i felt was the large number of monkeys that too ready to pounce on anythin eatable or what looked eatable but its not their blame as its their home not ours.

Ganesh Pooja

2006-08-29T19:13:00.000+05:30

Hi! at present I am having a good time as to my boss is on a three days leave so life has become easy with no new issues and things to close by the EOD.Though with Ganesh pooja statrting in bombay nights the part which i love most in a day have become a nightmare, with loudspeakers beaming in from all corners good sleep has become extinct.To top up the woes I leave near a temple which is venue to a ganesh pandal so the torture never ends, the moment loudspeakers close down kirtan and bhajan start . These things end by 2.30am at night and then you wont believe it but the ganapati babba morya comes back again with not only equal but much increased decibles by 4am. so I am you can say sleep starved, I thinks its even harder for Ganapati because he has bigger ear drums then mine.

Though good sleep is not the only thing which is becoming extinct but also the potholes which made your rides rocking no matter you liked it or not,and again all kudos goes to the Judiciary.But the way these potholes are filled leaves no doubt that tey will be back within a week.I have heard of the american depression where people were paid to dig holes and then again fill it up, I find this situation not very different,But who cares they are free to play with the money of taxpayers like us who have earned after sitting 10-12 hrs in our offices.But still my back is not complaining anfd fully enjoying all the rides minus the rock.

Life Goes On!

2006-08-23T14:43:00.000+05:30

Hi! I am back not with public demand but with boredom, so am writing again.In my last blog i said that Iwas not able to write a blog before because i was busy, guess i was wrong as it was pointed by some of my friends who managed to write several blogs in the same situation so its not the environment but the person is to be blamed.Though as i have said in my last blog that unlike these people i had a good dose of "spirit"uality giving me company so its not only me but people like vijay Mallaya are also to be blamed.life

I am also trying to get used to the "mumbaiya" style of living which i tell you is even harder than getting A+ in class participation, though I was not able to achieve the later in my two years but with the lifestyle I dont have any choice, its a compulsiopn.Initially when i joined the reporting time was 9.15 am but it was not hard and fast and we used to come by 10 am but then the villain(HR) enters with new complications, first they said if you come late consecutively for three days you are marked absent for one day, so I start coming by 9.15 am, but still after signing in I used to go for breakfast but they(HR) come again this time with new rule no breakfast will be served after 9.15 am so you have no choice but to get your ass on chair by this time.then you have to stay back till 9 pm because not only all others are staying but also because you have pending issues to closed by EOD otherwise be ready for a very good morning by your boss next day which I receive anyway irrespective of how long I stay and how hard I work.Then you reach home by 10 pm eat something while catching on to rakhi sawants explots on tv, discuss withyour flatmates who got the least boot today and sleep happy dreaming about aishwarya,katrina and promotion.

My first Blog

2006-08-14T15:13:00.000+05:30

This is my first blog so I am writing it with lot of apprehensions as to what reception I will get, if I get any. Though I have been a avid blog reader for many days but till today I was not able to muster the courage to write my own blog.What made me write it today is not that i got courage injected into me but a no of factors which facilitated my transition from a blog reader to a writer, some of them which need a mention are free internet in office(with mailing and chatting sites blocked), two months in the job,and above all no work for today.

Another reason which i mentioned earlier that I am two months old in the job, before that i was well protected inside the boundaries of a MBA school wher you are supposed to be too busy with assignments,presentations and surprize quizes.In my case I was busy too, but work of different nature, till late afternoon in class where you are physically present,and after that sleeping till late evening due to the mental torture in class, then you get up and drag yourself to the canteen to have your daily quota of cigarette, tea and daily gossip and share concerns with friends for summer projects or for final placements.And after the discussion ends their is a group ready who finds other people so well prepared with all plans and strategies for all future events.I was always a member of this group, so the disappointment of discovering yourself as the aimless arrow with no target and no strategy or plan A(leave back Plan B or plan C) which other people had in case Plan A din't work. This disappointment was more than anu young soul can digest so it needed some instant "medicine".The search of this medicine led you to the nearest "Dhaba" where with each peg or beer made you feel better and prepared to take anything which came in your way of success. This healing continued till early morning after which you sneaked back into the hostel after greasing the palms of the security guard.

Then you have to get up early morning first to find a person who intended to attend the first class and then to motivate and convince him to put you proxy.With this hectic routine for atleast for five days a week how could one expect one to write a blog.So now I have finally been able to find a job and does not have the same comforting group,and then you have e muster so every day you have to drag yourself to office,and not so much work.Then one day one wise soul from my earlier "Dhaba group" suggested why dont you write a blog.

And here i am writing(sorry finishing) my first blog,I hope I am able to write the second one.