Mumbai Under Siege!!

Last evening I was very much in a frame of a mind to put a post and did get one ready till a news flash caught my eye. It was about a blast and attack at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, India... that was 1700 hrs GMT. The happened at roughly 1600 hrs GMT. Nearly 24 hrs has elapsed the siege is still on.

Having laid siege to the Taj Hotel a famous landmark of Mumbai, the attacks have also engulfed popular hotels like Oberoi and Trident, the famous Leopold cafe, a residential building at Nariman Point, a hospital and a several other locations in the suburbs. In the midst of all this, several innocent lives were lost. Brave officers too have died as they fought the terrorists and tried to save the innocent trapped in this mayhem. Notable among them are Hemant Karkare, ATS Chief; Vijay Salsakar, encounter specialist, Mumbai Police; Ashok Kamte, DCP, Zone 1, Mumbai Police. Salutes to these braves and many others who are fighting it out against the rogues.

Refer to the map for an overview of the places attacked since last night. (Courtesy NDTV)

According to reports it seems the terrorists came in by sea on a ship which after offloading is off towards Karachi, Pakistan and is being currently chased by Indian Navy. With over 100 people dead and several still trapped inside various establishments, the Army and NSG are mounting a door to door combing operation to evacuate trapped people and encounter the terrorists.

This is a dark day indeed, with the attacks lasting for more than 24 hrs the immense planning undertaken by the terrorists can only be guessed. Such a prolonged attack has not been seen before in the history of terrorism and goes to show the level of preparation that the terrorist organisations undertake theses days!!

In the end a silent prayer to the soul of the departed innocents and braves!!

Read more on different blogs here: Blogadda

And the pressure mounts...

Well... much water has flown under the bridge since the last post which was again not quite current in its recording of events. However, much as I might try capturing the past 5 weeks mayn't be possible but then the thinking hat is on to get matter up to speed as of today.

The Initial Rush - The Adrenaline

It was deja vu for me. I was again a student. Though the expectations were set for us and the cold air did hit me on the face when I stepped out, somehow I was yet to accept deep down that I am in London, at a Business School with one the best Universities in the world. I was again a student. The future was again uncertain.

Getting back to business the first week started off with classes in Accounts, Economics and Informatics. Off all these, Informatics was arguably my favourite. It probably had more to do with the fact that I knew a lot about what was being talked about and come across practical examples of them in my short career in the IT industry. Apart the lecturer surely made the class very very engaging, much to my delight. You listen, you question you learn. Just the right mix. With other subjects, it was more of apprehension about taking up a new subject and how would hte self fare in them starting from a grasp to the implementation. Much ado about nothing?? Or was this just the start of the show??

It was around then I get an invitation to attend a birthday bash for someone over the weekend. Splendid. And that's how I came to meet many a faces from the Indians In London. Well, this group deserves a special mention in my chronicles but now, is not the time. Som with IIL, I ewrapped up the week with a delicious meal at Khan's, an excellent restaurant on Westbourne Grove, Bayswater (Central Line)


The heat is one babay!! And so is Greenwich.

A new week brought in with it the splendid news of performing case studies in Informatics and Economics. This was a group activity, meaning you could afford to relax a little or may fret?? Well, I certainly am licky, as it meant I could relax, because thankfully my group has got people who are committed and believe in getting the work done. Oh, and we had Economics test on the 31st. A mundane time carried the mind along as the week drew to a close.

And that's what I was looking foward too. Saturday meant a day trip to Greenwich. Greenwich has always meant Prime Meridian to us probably since primary school. It kicked off with a great boat ride on the Thames from Westminister pier to Greenwich Pier. That was a cool ride, as one travelled past some of London's landmarks like the London Bridge, The Globe, St. Paul's, Tate Modern, Canary Wharf to finally arrive at the pier off the Royal Maritime Musuem at Greenwich. After a trip to the Royal Observatory and some lunch we realised that we were awfully short of time and thus decided to let Greenwich be for some other day and headed off towards Ealing Broadway. (So, presumably a detailed post on Greenwich can be expected.)

But then, when its a group of youngsters nothing can be definite. While on the tube to Ealing Broadway, a sudden plan and decision saw us getting of at Oxford Street to get a feel of London shopping by evening/night. What followed was a few hours at Oxford Street (though we covered probably only a mile in that) during which some people did real shopping the rest happy to soak in the vibe. Exhausted and wanting for a good meal, the troop headed out to Khan's (I was happy to coax them into this. I had to have the keema naan again!!) And then, a ride back to bed and let the Sunday breeze by.

Here comes the BIG Daddy and a White Diwali

What a week!! There I was rushing about to gather stuff to study for the test and the test kept drawing itself closer to me, till I found myself in the examination hall. 20 minutes and I was done. That's all!! Meanwhile, I realised how out of groove I was as a student, for when it came down to the crunch I couldn't study with the same intensity as I could a few years ago. Was I growing old or was it lack of practise. I dunno... but I better pull up my socks.

Meanwhile Diwali (The festival of lights) went by, which was surprisingly white this year as it snowed in London in the month of October after 74 years the last time being in 1934.

Informatics rule the senses

Yes!! That's how the next two weeks breezed by as the Informatics case study report submission approached it's deadline. Along with it the subjects too drew to a close. Time for some new subjects and new schedule. And hopefully, I would be able to pull my socks this time on time!!

B-school is tough, but you would love the challenge!!

What have you done lately??

Hey there...
It's been an awfully long time since I wrote something substantial out here. Was wondering of late, about how I have spent a quarter of a century and realised something. It was a life, I didn't wanna talk about. Surprised?? Thinking?? Allow me to explain (seems to be my favorite phrase at times!! :D)

As I was saying, my life is something I would rather not talk about - to probably the future generations. Wondering why? Simple, because it has been predictable. It's a life everyone has. You study, you clear your exams, you move on to college, get that degree, move ahead... get a job, or may be study a lil more... meanwhile sneak in some regular fun... that's the well-trodden path!! Meanwhile, there would traces of love in your life... you fall for someone, sometimes its good, sometimes you can't wait to get out of it... and then you finally, fall hook, line and sinker.... may be it's eventful for some... but again, nothing out of the ordinary in the grand scheme of things. Nothing crazy, nothing exceptional... nothing worth more than a passing mention (another of the have lived!!) So, what is it about my life that I would really talk about as of today??

I don't know... am wondering!! May be I'll follow that up later....

Can you tell me what you would talk about??