Thoughts of a confused mind

In the alleys of London

2011-01-31T11:55:00.101Z

"You can't photograph if you're not in love."

W. Eugene Smith

Apparently Eugene Smith told that to a student of his once. General notions aside, I kinda agree with the statement. One has to be in "Love with the Subject" when taking photos. The simple reason is, if you do not appreciate what you see, how will you translate your vision into a photo. A photo is not just an assimilation of aperture and shutter control, muddled with an understanding of balance, composition and other sundry stuff. Its about being soaked into the moment, into what you see, that which you wish to capture with that device in your hand. Just like you always like the object of your affection to be looking good, similarly with photos you want everything to be perfect. If that means waiting hours for the perfect moment, so be it. If that means going to odd lengths, hanging off a ledge and braving the cold, then that is the price one has to pay. It has to be an emotional investment.

I have had a similar love affair with the alleys of the City of London otherwise known as the Square Mile or simply the City. Soaked in history at every nook and cranny, a walk through these alleys will always lead you to a corner hitherto unknown to you. And sometimes even if you've been there before, you want to be there time and again. Its a photographer's paradise, a history buff's holy land (exaggerating, but please humour me over here). It was on such a walk on Saturday, along with a friend of mine I set about walking some of the alleys of London. During the course of the walk we came across the London Stone on 111 Cannon Street. Not much remains of this stone today. In fact, if you don't know where to look for it you may even miss it. Embedded in a cavity in the southside of St. Swithin's Church about 300 years ago (the church no longer stands), the folklore surrounding the stone makes some refer to it as Brutus' Stone (of Brutus of Troy, after whom Britain is named. Not to be confused with Marcus Brutus).

Old Wine and Shades

About 5 minutes away when walking towards Monument, a quick right leads one to Martin Lane, where at 6 Union House one would come across Old Wine and Shade, arguably one of the oldest (there are establishments older than that) pubs in the City. Turn left and across the road which leads to London bridge and one would be standing in front of Monument, a memorial for the 1666 Great Fire of London. Interesting bit about most pubs in the City are they date from around 1667/1668, owing to the fact that most of them were burned down during the Great Fire. Walking north along Gracechurch street, we went through Leadenhall Market, took a peek at Lloyds of London, through St. Peter's Alley onto Cornhill before going turning left into St. Michael's Alley.

Jamaica Wine House

It is in St. Michael's Alley, that one will come across Jamaica Wine House, which started out as London's oldest coffee houseback in 1652. Being a Saturday it wore a desolate look as does most of the financial district of London. Carrying on along Lombard street we reached Bank, carried on past Bank of England and Royal Exchange towards Guildhall and finally London Wall, before taking a break from the chill in a coffee shop near St Paul's.

A couple of hours break, accompanied by some coffee and conversations and we were off towards Chancery Lane to check two of the other old boys of pub lore, Ye Old Mitre Tavern (1542) and Cittie of York (1430) before heading on towards more busy parts of the city to wrap up the evening.

It is because of this love affair that I have been able to learn the little that I have learnt when looking through the viewfinder. It's a charming journey which only get hindered by the regular vagaries of life. But only for a while.

Cheerio

P.S. The shots included in this post may not seem high quality. Kindly follow the links on the right strip to the Flickr page.

On a cold day I'm reminded of...

2011-01-27T10:45:00.000Z

... a warm duvet
... a mug of hot chocolate
... Home Alone (the movie)
... Serendipity (the movie)
... snuggling in with a book
... Hot toast with melting butter and an omellete
... Poha/Upma at Buddha's Paradise (a cafe in Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra)
... Buttered toast and Anda Bhurji at Vohuman's Cafe (a cafe near Pune Station, Maharashtra)
... a hot bowl of Maggi
... Luchi-aloo'r dom (A standard Bengali breakfast delicacy)
... a big English breakfast
... Aloo paratha (Indian fried flat bread stuffed with mashed potato - spicy or otherwise) at Shashi's (a small eatery in Majitar, Sikkim)
... roaming about dressed like Feluda (a detective created by Satyajit Ray) in a Kurta-pyjama with a shawl draped over and the sleeves rolled up
... watching a Ray classic

It's uncharacteristically cold today in London, not the sort which would chill you the bones but the sort which would make you vote for a lie-in than a walk to work. Sadly, that is an option not many can exercise. So here I am reminiscing the days the when I could enjoy a leisurely cold day.

The Ethics of Street Photography

2011-01-21T12:24:00.001Z

I understand this would be a bolt from the blue for those who have been here before. There it was, the blog I mean, lying dead (or almost) for almost a year or perhaps more, and then it comes back to say something. I would agree that the subject is quite different from what I would generally talk about : "About me". At the onset I must mention the following are entirely my understanding and views on the matter and needn't necessarily be construed as a norm followed or believed by photographers. The reasons hopefully would be obvious enough if you would care to soldier through.

For the sake of defining it, one might say Street Photogaphy is a still documentary of our times - life as we know it or see it. For many its a mirror to the society, for some its a reflection of the photographers thoughts portrayed through the events of real life. What will stand to reason however is there is no fixed definition. It is open to interpretation, open to experimentation. You would of course come across the purists who would claim that the only way to indulge in this genre is to use a Rangefinder and black & white film. There are many in this age of digital media who chose to differ, but what cannot be denied is black & white does lend a stark contrast to the picture and allows the story to be retold as the photographer saw it. Colours are nothing but a distraction, unless of course they add to the whole charm. It's your shot, your point of view, your call. The rangefinder has its obvious advanges - its small, quick and can be used easily enough compared to a SLR which sometimes can be too big to be allowed even if you have strapped on a 50mm or 35mm prime.

As I went about playing with my new DSLR about 5 months ago, I realised despite the nature shots, urbanscape and all that, what I loved was taking shots of people who would be going about doing their regular life. All I had to do was hang around waiting for that elusive moment which would make all those hours worthwhile. Or sometimes, it could be something you notice out of the corner of your eyes while you are walking the dog. In the course of time, I have been asked a number of times about the ethics of it all. Street photography is invasive, doesn't matter if you took the shot from across the river or sitting next to your subject. You did capture a private moment. Its voyeuristic some may argue. The question arises where do you draw the line? When do you say, that could be a great shot but am not going to capture it. The basic principle that I follow is to avoid face shots as much as I can. That does take away a lot of the personal/intimate touch from the shots, but it allows me to focus on other things. But the thing you'll hear everywhere is:

"If people don't want to be photographed, you do not photograph them."

Other important things to note is:

Smile - It is creepy to have someone take your photo and then look all grumpy. A bit demoralising as a friend once said. And yet a smile can make a lot of things work fine. You may end up with an interesting conversation, perhaps a better story than the one you had in mind. A similing face is more reassuring than a grumpy, scrunched up one.

Thank - It is also important to thank the person for that shot. This does not imply, that you walk across the courtyard to say those words. A nod your head, smile, say it - if not mouth the words , a wave of hand. The whole point is while the whole act maybe invasive you could still be polite.

Apologise - If someone didn't like being photographed and bother to tell you so, apologise and delete the shot (its digital for most, so easy come easy go). The alternative is to allay their fears, share your details, strike up a conversation, promise to send them the shot (and do send it).

Remember when photographing the street you are part of the street, the "fly on the wall", "unobserved observer". Its all about people - be nice to them, respect them, love them. You are one of them.

And finally, to the ones who do not indulge in this hobby, get irked by it at times and thus call into play the ethics & morals of it all, do remember there can be no commercial use without your consent unless its a news agency. If someone uses your photo without your consent (commercial usage) you can sue their pants off :).

Beyond that, if you do not appreciate being photographed let the chap know - hand signal, words, anything will do. Ignoring will not convey a "No". When you approach someone who just took your shot, don't charge at them. They have committed no crime and thus not at all bound any laws to pay attention to you for your rudeness. And finally, your conditions of acceptability needn't be concurred upon by others. Remember that.

I'm no expert on the subject. I'm still learning how to navigate myself in this new subject. But it is something I feel strongly about. The thrill of standing on a street corner in freezing cold to end up with that one shot which makes up for all the discomfort is unbeatable.

Note: The views mentioned here aren't conclusive or definitive regarding the topic. These are my thoughts, my personal guidelines. Street photography throws up many challenges in terms social acceptabiilty, legalities, morals and ethics. The boundaries are never set.

Its been 2 years...

2010-10-20T11:56:00.000+01:00

After 2 years in a cold, wet country (for the better part of the year), I was sceptical of myself in dealing with the Calcutta heat and humidity as the plane cruised above the Deccan plateau. A few more hours and it would be an end to an excruciatingly long journey not so much in terms of the flight hours but it was the wait for a connecting flight that made me age and tire at a rate I thought could never exist. But that’s different. I was humming “Country Roads” almost all the way from London to Calcutta. Yes, I was excited. But I was also worried about the heat. I was never a fan of heat and humidity, which I why I loved my years in Pune and Sikkim. The weather accompanied with great company compensated for anything that I might have missed out on for not living in a Calcutta or Mumbai. The weather in London was simply perfect for my taste.

At Calcutta airport, after having gone through customs I stepped out and for a moment felt I had stepped into a sauna. Out came the hand towel, and for a moment I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the crowd. I remembered noisy, but my ears had forgotten how noisy. The drive back from the airport was nice and quick. At which point I realized not much had noticeably changed in birthtown. Calcutta greeted me with mild weather and rains for the next couple of days. And then it showed its true colours and the temperature went straight to the 30s and I was left gasping for breath. But there were things to be done, friends & relatives to meet. I soldiered on through it all with a trusted hand towel. Reminded me of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy”. Hehe…

A couple of days and then the ‘lazy’ city transformed into a throbbing and pulsating living thing which would dance, sing and pray for Goddess Durga. Unbelievable but true. The average man in the city turns into a bundle of energy as they traverse the length and breadth of the city to have a look at as many as possible of the 3000+ idols in place across the city. There of course are a few major ones, which will always find a place on the ardent pandal-hopper’s list. And then there were folks like me, who knew the city when it was Calcutta and not ‘Kolkata’, of the times when pandals were crowded but not so much that it would sap the energy out of you, of times when even weather seemed to cool down to allow the revelers respite from the heat and even treat them with a cool breeze. Such folks, laze about at home, visit a few handful of the nearby pandals and generally go about their pandal hopping on the telly. And of course a personal deterrent was the weather.

Despite that, I went about a fair bit and did dig into what I saw. A little bit of the street food (which is honestly to die for), a little bit of the lighting, the glamour, the glitz, the unshakeable enthusiasm of people from all backgrounds. Before I knew it I was in the groove, I could go on and on. Till I returned home! It was on one such trip that I took a walk through a section on North Calcutta, while giving a visiting friend a short tour of the ancient bylanes of Baghbazar, Shyambazar, Shovabazar (including the palace) and Kumartuli. I had always wanted to do that, yet it took me all these years to finally manage it. Kumartuli in particular where the artisans give shape to the deities and are then transported across the world. Situated almost on the banks of river Ganges, the sculpture area is a narrow street. A walk through allows one to peek into the various stages of idol construction.

Idols at Kumartuli

Meanwhile, certain things did hit me straight in the eye, primary being the cost of living. It seems it has sky rocketed. Maybe it was always increasing at the same pace, but being part of the system I adapted as things progressed. A gap of 2 years certainly does have a jarring effect on the senses and sort of made me withdraw into a shell. I end up questioning the validity of the pricing strategies used. My mind questions, why certain products which used to be cheaper in India are no longer so, and the ones which are apparently cheaper are not worth the money. I’ve been told its all about the inflation. I do not understand that well enough. All that I know is I’m left wondering why should I be paying more for something which has not improved in the 2 years I have been away. Funny bit is I see more people spending in Calcutta. Is it the plastic money or is it for real? I don’t know, but I wonder. I was also left wondering as to why the authorities are keen on laying new tube line without taking care of the other infrastructures which need urgent repair. They said Bengal was improving. I agree. I see developments which are wonderful, but I also see things which required attention but didn’t get what it deserved. Some have been tended to but it resembles hogwash, some have been well taken care of. In a single stroke, Calcutta has progressed yet managed to stay where it was. It is so contradictory.

Big cities...

2010-03-02T11:18:00.003Z

There is something about the big cities, the metropolis. They never sleep. there is always a part of it which is always awake, keeping the city alive giving it a breath of air whenever things seem to dull down and make it all seem vaguely mundane. The bright lights, the shady corners, the softly lit cafes the pubs playing with darkness, the blaring music of a nondescript nightclub, the guys with their gelled up hair, the girls in their skimpy clothes and at times garish make-ups - nothing changes. Travel as far and wide as you might nothing ever changes. I started walking in a big city, not a global metropolis but a national one for sure. I ran in another, I studied in another and then I spent a few years nestled somewhere in nature's garden soaking in its beauty learning to appreciate and yet.... and yet the city in me never went to sleep, it remained awake, throbbing, pulsing for a release, waiting to live up again... perhaps also make up for the lost time. Lost time?? Perhaps!! To the rational minded there certainly was not waste of time, but to the heart of a city it perhaps was. And so, the self came back to a pulsating metropolis and since then has hopped from one to another, across continents and intends to travel far and wide, to soak in, and sink the teeth into what can only be termed the only homogeneous culture of the world. The global culture, the common religion - the big city!

Apart from the well known attractions which cities like NY, London, Mumbai etc offer, one gets to see a myriad cross-section of the population, the haves and the have-nots, and some stuck somewhere in between leading a heavily compromised life in hopes of a brighter and glittering future. It is this section of the population which really captures the imagination, drives the plots for so many novelists and movie-makers out there. It’s the common man who drives the cities, who lends the cities the much needed character which sustains them over time. London wouldn’t have been what it is today if not for the common man who walked the streets for the past 2000 years. The great fire of London which wiped out the plague wouldn’t have happened if not for a fire in a bakery as a result a lot of the cities physical grandeur would have been different than we see it now. Great men make history, common men sustain it.

10 ways to get late for work

2010-02-24T15:10:00.002Z

Having observed my travel patterns to work over the past month or so, I have managed to come up with this list. Feel free to add if you wish.

Wake up way past the usual hour.
Wander about listlessly in a groggy state in your pjs
Stroll instead of walk to the bus stop
Miss the bus, then miss the tube and finally miss the train - all by a whisker
Train services deciding to halt in the middle of nowhere, halfway through your journey for 30 minutes.
Engineering works (this could lead you to skip an entire day's work)
Tubes playing up with - signal failure, someone being sick, someone raising the alarm
Realising you forgot your phone/railcard/wallet while at the bus stop and then going back to get them.
Get caught in a downpour with no transport and a brolly to see you through - find a shelter to keep yourself dry.
And finally set off for work, realise you have locked yourself out without the keys to the front gate and wait till one the neighbours does happen to step out and thus let you out. - oh the joy!! :P

Meanwhile a click from Salisbury. Thought would share it.

The cathedral spire, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

Just peeking in here...

2009-12-22T15:08:00.000Z

More than two weeks into the job now. It seems I’m slipping into one of my older routines where I would live by the clock from Monday to Friday evening and then freak out over the weekend or sleep through it. That’s the pattern over the past couple of weeks. With Christmas a few days away, work is sluggish. Everyone is keener on getting out than anything else. To top it, it’s been really cold the past few days, with the occasional bursts of snow – last evening being the most recent one. Not that anyone does mind that. Some in fact, are hoping for a white Christmas. Nothing quite as heavy as the one earlier this year which brought London to a standstill but enough to allow for a snow fight J However, today has been bright and sunny with mild cold spells. Feels good from the glass confines of work at Kings Cross, but out there it’s cold enough to numb the old self. Anyways, it seems to be turning into more of a weather update, so I shall sign off now, while I look forward to an evening out with colleagues.
Cheerio

A Start

2009-12-09T15:24:00.000Z

Half the week has gone by. I started at my new job. The induction was at Birmingham for a group of 10. The first two days were pretty much easy flowing with the induction. Listening to talks and learning about a few things to get around in the firm is all that was done. Having put us up at the Hilton Metropole (Don’t raise that eyebrow, it’s only a business hotel), perhaps the best bit was the evening out at Jimmy Spice, Solihull for dinner, followed by drinks at a nearby Wetherspoon pub. Now in case one intends to get around to Solihull in the future I do recommend Jimmy Spice as a dinner, but do ensure you have a large enough apetite else you might be sorry not to have tried half the stuff on the menu. It’s a buffet spot, with the menu ranging between Chinese, Thai, Indian and Italian. Quite a mix I daresay, but well worth the money. I digress!!

The revelry carried on well past midnight, and yet by 10 all were at their respective desks on Tuesday. Sharp? Not really. But then that’s just part of the game I suppose, Work hard, party harder. Wednesday, I reported at the base office in Leatherhead and managed to start my stint by getting lost in the town and harking up the wrong road searching for an elusive road which as per Google maps should have been easy to find. Luckily, a fellow I knew hadn’t made it yet and managed to pick me up on the way to work. I’m sure this would be something to laugh about in years to come, but as of this morning did make me feel like a prize ass. Wading through the documentations and other procedures to land a project, while meeting up with a few other folks from office, the day comes to a lazy end in the early winter dusk.

The journey back was quite interesting as I observed the number of people of who commute from London to work in nearby locations, while catching up on a bit of sleep. I dare say, sleep would be a luxury now except for weekends. Anyhow as I sign out for the day I look forward to making a good start to the second innings of my career. Cheers!!

A world of advertisements!!!

2009-11-02T16:52:00.005Z

The past couple of weeks have been really busy, and I mean over the top busy. Festivals, birthday, luncheons, job applications - the works. Not a moment went by which one could term to be extremely dull, though at times the lack of a notebook did bug me. Well moving on from lamenting about the loss of my favourite gadget, I discovered there was more to life than the internet, and there's a lot of thing that the internet makes it easier to deal with.

To start with, thanks to the internet I can submit applications from the comfort of my favourite couch or even while I'm lazing about in bed, stay in touch with a huge crowd which frankly in the era bygone was not that simple or cheap an option, twitter about (not much a fan yet), watch movies, and access vital information from simple things like "How to make lasagne?" to mundane stuff like the "How to travel from Harrow to Luton?". And yet, thanks to the internet and the gadgets which are associated with it, one used to spend a lot of time on it. In fact, last time I checked I used to log in first thing in the morning and would be at it on and off all day. Addiction?? May be!!

Anyway, with the loss of the beloved notebook, what I discovered that I did have a few things to do when am done borrowing it off my flatmate. I could read a lot more, practice guitar, take up tennis again, cook, actually call people up rather than just promising (must thank O2 for the free minutes though, not that am not paying but the scheme is simply great!!), go over to friends and have a face to face chat... the works. Reminds me of life before internet.

Speaking of calls and stuff, I'm strangely reminded of an advert which I happened to dig out while studying a particular firm for my applications. It made a strong impression because it was simple and did say something very meaningful. Check it out here: BT Frustrating. There have been more such like the Man in the Pint Glass. Now if you happen to look it up, it was done by Department of Transport and in my opinion it does reflect the creativity and corporate social responsibility of the advertising firm which came up with that brilliant idea. The idea was to let people know about the consequences of drinking and driving, and in effect deter people from actually doing it. The campaign carried out just before Christmas sure did deter a few I'm sure. Take look at it here:

Independent

2009-10-14T13:00:00.001+01:00

Friends over coffee, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

A warm kiss to start the day, a hot cup of coffee to chase the sleep away, the gas company to keep the house warm, the electricity firm to get the toasts done, the saucepan to get the eggs done, or maybe say the microwave, the laptop to check the emails, the tube to take you to work, the janitor to clean the office for you start working, the client to keep the money rolling, the banks to fund the firm's growth, the secretary to handle your appointments, the starbucks lady for your coffee, the subway guy for your fav sub, the coffe shop to meet your friends over, the pint to bring on some cheer, the superstore helper to hunt down your fav sauce, the pot to make your pasta, the tv to chase boredom away, the clock to tell you time's ticking away, the phone to let you talk from confines your room, the bed to crash onto everynight, the duvet to snuggle in on a cold night, and finally the blogger to let you all know about this... and they said we are independent?? funny, eh?

Road to heaven??

2009-10-13T03:54:00.004+01:00

Road to heaven??, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

With a future unknown, the traveller moves on hoping to have a better picture at hand at the next stop. The path seems to be clear till the top of the hill, but the road beyond is still unknown. And... and the clouds loom large upon the horizon. What secrets they hold the traveller shall never know. Despite the fear in his heart, his destiny is to keep moving towards what he perceives to be his goal. The truth is yet to unfold with miles to go before it unveils. Such a juncture may not have been foretold save only by the wisest of mankind, for the common man lives a life in predictability. Its the unknown adventure which scares him. The beaten track is what throws him off guard. Perhaps he should have taken the road less travelled. Should he change now? Should he finally search the road to his heaven? Should he?

Do you know him?

2009-07-29T04:00:00.003+01:00

staring into the world outside, I wonder, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

The safe confines no longer exist, nor do the safe passage that infused a sense of security in him. Looking back perhaps they never did, just a faint glimmer of them as if a mirage. Yet these castles in air, if one may call them so, allowed him to dream, to hope, to live perhaps. A journey through various landscapes, with different people, through punishment n redemption, through love n hate has brought him far. The boundaries of his world n the real world are fading into oblivion. Standing amongst people rushing to their business, a strange calm envelopes through closed eyes carrying him to a different world... a familiar one. Noise, dust, honks, street hawkers, street urchins, oppressive heat - its all so familiar. As he drifts through this world, he sees a mother seeing off her child at school, a father buying his kid's favourite toy, gets a whiff of the spices and trails of music floating down the corridor. He hears the soft lashes of the river against the boat as the boatman pulls at the oars with the sun setting over the horizon and the cantilever giant being coloured in the hues of the sunset sky. A vibration breaks the reverie. Its quiet again around him. The cars move silently, people talk softly, the air is 'cleaner', the life is 'good'. He sighs at the state of affairs, Looks upwards, higher still till he sees the sky and then walks through those glass doors. He sold everything... everything to be trapped in the cage of steel, concrete and glass.

Meet the man who sold his world.

Do you know him?

London Eye

2009-07-15T02:55:00.002+01:00

London Eye, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

In the chequered landscape of London, with the happening of the past weighing down heavily on everyone, with the UK economy having started to recover, the future seems unpredictable. All well laid plans have gone astray, chances once seemingly correct seemed to have been wronged, the wisest have erred, the mavericks have calmed, the teacher has become a student, the student no longer carefree, a dull calm envelopes the mind, the devil runs free in the thoughts... it seems everyone is still staring... into the eye.. the eye of a storm.

Transport in London

2009-07-15T02:40:00.001+01:00

The Tube, originally uploaded by ConfusedSam.

There are times I really wonder how life would have been for London without the ever present London Underground or the Tube. The strike a month paralysed the city for 2 days, with people commuting by bus and national rail. A journey of 45 minutes took 2 hours. Now, if one was smart one could cut down on the time by taking a seemingly longer route. It called for very smart and efficient planning. It was on the second day that I had to see my father off at Victoria on board the Gatwick bound train for his flight to India. The journey promised to be arduous and yet it was smooth in the end, with least/no hassles and us making it to Victoria in 75 min, nearly 30 minutes before our estimated time of arrival. And that made me appreciate the traffic system in London. something was always working. Always!!!

Melodies of the past

2009-05-18T16:22:00.000+01:00

Not much of a post here. Just happened to hum a tune while loitering about in the kitchen. It took me some time to figure out the song. It was a song I had first during school days and subsequently a lot during college days. The song Dildariya re by Bhoomi, triggered of a mad hunt for songs by Bhoomi, Parash Pathar, Chandrabindoo, Nachiketa, Anjan Dutta et al. on youtube. All bengali bands or singers, so in case one is not aware of them fret not!! :)

At this point I realised that, often without knowing we tend to associate certain music/songs/albums with different things, like schooldays, college, graduation, teenage, growing up, the first love, the first break up. E.g.

1. Where We Belong (Boyzone) - This album came out in 1998 and somehow quite a few of these songs remain with my till date. I went crazy over them. That was also the year I had my first serious teenage crush. And not to mention the stress level of impending O-levels in that academic year. Boyzone, helped me relax with songs like No Matter What, All That I Need, You Flew Away, Picture of You. And it was while singing along to them I realised, I could sing!! :D

2. Songs from the Guru Dutt classics - At a time when I was delving into idealism, forging my creative senses from colours to words, the songs (lyrics and music) helped develop the choice acutely, be it "Waqt ne kiya" or "Ya dil ki suno duniyan walo", "jaane woh kaise log the" or "yeh duniya". Classics all the way and still love listening to them when am thoughtful.

3. Euphoria and Nachiketa - while they had been around for years, with "Dhoom pichuk" being literally an anthem for youngsters from that time. They played a key part towards the end of school years when I was really digging into music. Did I follow the calling? Unfortunately not!!

4. Nothing Else Matters (Metallica) - I have never really been able to be a fan of an artist/band. For me its always been the song. Nothing else matters, a song which is perhaps the most soothing number that one would hear. And if you can strum the guitar, the opening sequence relaxes your mind like nothing else. and has till date remained a key destresser for me. I play the song, whenever I feel am getting bogged down. It also serves as a key to the memories I have of Sikkim. 4 years in that beautiful land, we studied, fought, played, basically grew up from boys to men, the wisps of cloud that rest on the river the early in the morning, the rain kissed trees glistening on a cloudy day. This song evokes strong, peaceful n cherished memories.

5. Bhoomi, Parashpathar, Fossils, Chandrabindoo - All bengali bands. I discovered them when I got around to college in Sikkim. As I got educated in that phenomena, I picked up their songs. And when like minded guys get together what you have night long soirees on rooftops a few guys, a couple of guitars and raw vocal power. It helped that everyone was talented enough to make it a wonderful show. Night after night, year after year.... Those were the best days of my life :)

6. Fear of the Dark (Iron Maiden), November Rain (GnR) - Somehow, it was with these songs that I got hooked to guitar. Another thing I picked up during engineering!! I love affair with guitar still continues, though I haven't managed to go past the basic. Self learning may not be the best way :P

Since then I have heard many genres, appreciated all types of music. Be it Ustad Amjad Ali Khan or Yanni, Rabindrasangeet or Abba, Beatles or Linkin Park, Karunesh or A.R.Rehman, R.D.Burman or current Bollywood music.... music has been a key a element while I grew up. It would always be. As long as I can sing and play a guitar, I know am not living without music. :)

What's your dig or influence??

A choice!! What would you do??

2009-05-14T22:14:00.003+01:00

Now blame Phoenix for this, but her post on women in the Indian society made me dig out a favourite question of mine, to which I'm to arrive at a good solution. It's based on a practical situation which can/ might/will arise in quite a few lives around us in the future. Some might have already witnessed it. Anyhow without much ado, I present the situation.

The Situation:
Suppose me n my lady, both working, are having quite a decent run at work. Having what folks would call a good life. may be she is doing better than I am. now, I get this career opportunity which is going take me places, a real jump... but it requires me to relocate.

The Question:
Should my lady to tag along with me?? It would mean to have to quit her job (not desirable!!)... or stay apart?? (not desirable n for how long would that work?)...
The only way out it seems is not to make the move (can i really pass on dat jump??).

My Thoughts:
The more I about the more I get convinced that I have to choose between personal life or career at that point... may be, I can only cross the bridge when I come to it.. at this point everything said or suggested would be mere speculation, or....

What is your take on this situation??
Think of the situation from both perspectives (man n woman), and by turning the tables.

Happy Thinking!! Cheerio...

Post exams and Portsmouth

2009-05-13T13:11:00.000+01:00

So, exams have been over. The week following that was spent working on a business simulation exercise. With that out of the way, we now concentrate on the research proposal for the dissertation coming up in July.

The exams were taxing, with 5 in 5 days. Yep, you got that right. It was 5 in 5. Not a shred of mercy for the business school students. We lived, we sailed through... and finally crashed after the exams were over. But the exhilaration triumphed over fatigue and we spent the afternoon lazing about at Hyde Park, soaking in the sun over a few beers and then trooping in for an after-exams party at a classmate's place at Fulham Broadway (nice house he had there!!) And so the much awaited weekend started. And honestly, most were interested in lazing about than anything else. However, me and a couple of my classmates decided to spend the day out on Sunday, walking about in Soho. (read about it here: Soho Walk on a Sunday)

Hyde park on Sunny Afternoon (May '09)

The business simulation exercise though was mind boggling. Having had to run a business on a software simulation, each team (formed at the beginning of the year) had to manage it to ensure profits, good share price, nice dividends, valuable market share, sustainability and other aspects as one is supposed to encounter in the real life scenario. A steep learning curve it was, with the advantage being, the mistakes would cause losses but they would only be numbers on the screen. Definitely a better way to try out the fundamentals we have been picking up over the year, without any serious repurcussion which was, as a professor pointed out, an advantage managers of yesteryears never had. :)

*****

Going ahead the scheme of things as laid out before, I would be sharing a few pictures from Portsmouth, which I visited in February. A port city and a major naval base of the Royal Navy and Marine Commandos, Portsmouth has been in the thick of actions since the medieval ages. It's most famous creation being the Mary Rose (built during the reign of Henry VIII), which had infamously sunk a few km off the shore in 1545. Speculations are rife over why she sunk till today. The last of its remains were recovered from Davy Jones' Locker in 1982, and is the oldest surviving remain of any ship. It can be viewed at the Portsmouth Historical Dockyards. The Dockyards also houses the famous HMS Victory (oldest ship in commission), which Lord Nelson commanded during the Battle of Trafalgar, and it was on this very ship that he breathed his last on 21st October, 1805.

The remains of Mary Rose, washed in molten wax

The HMS Victory, portside

The Spinnaker tower

Joys of Childhood

2009-05-11T23:45:00.001+01:00

Before I begin my ramblings (I know I use that word often!!), I must thank SK for forwarding me the link of the videos I posted in the previous post about Wanda Sykes. By the way, SK (also my classmate) has been a source of constant support during the exam stressful exam day, right until the last exam. I must thank her for those messages on Facebook, which though were more about course material, but a communication I used to look forward to amongst other things I used to do then (apart from studies/revision). Thanks a lot mate... You've been great!! :)

Now with that note of thanks, I proceed to the current thought of the day: "Childhood is best phase of our lives". Honestly, nothing to worry about except maybe class routines, but that to after we grow up a little. The BIG thing is, no bills to take care of, no worries about about what to cook, no worries about the taxes, building up a bank balance, mortgages... nothing!! All you do, is go about your business of a student and a complete freako otherwise. I actually started thinking on these lines after going through the following pictures:

In one the child is enjoying being hoisted up into the air, comfortable in the knowledge that his dad is going to catch him on the way down and not let let him crash to the ground. The other is just about two brothers innocently playing about with their balloons as their folks went about their own business at the event. the bottomline is, they are enjoying without a care in the world. It's as if the more you know the less is enjoy life. So, did knowledge finally serve it's purpose?? Catch 22 anyone??

Let's have a tax ball...

2009-05-10T16:02:00.005+01:00

Now I wasn't the one suggesting that. However, given Wanda Sykes suggestion and reasoning, am more inclined to agree to that. People evade taxes, they crib about it. Now, am not saying that some don't have a right to do that, they really do. The poor chap is earning peanuts and the government goes off and taxes them high. Not fair. However, the government needs the money to work things out, yeah? So, they tax the ones who can pay high. E.g., in UK , you get taxed 50% for an income above £150000 per annum. People crib a lot. Damn right, they should. I would!! I work hard all year, struggled and made it to the top over so many years, and then they tax me 50% of what I earn. I would have been better off with a salary of £140000, would be paying 40% then!! Now, let me give you a sweet catch. The bonuses are tax free, or so I heard.

So, the rich folks crib about tax, yet don't mind shelling out the big money at charity balls and dinners, where they dress up and have a seven course meal. So, what Wanda Sykes suggests is, get them around to a tax ball too, because it seems they don't mind shelling out when well dressed. Talk about killing 'em softly!!

Anyhow, Wanda went on to land quite a few more such thumps, so watch them on the videos. (scroll down a bit, n you'll find them waiting to be clicked :)) Oh, and don't run away after watching it. Stay around and tell me about what you thought of it...

Part 1 : Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner

Part 2 : Wanda Sykes at the White House Correspondent's Association Dinner

PS: I simply had to share this. :D

Soho Walk on a Sunday

2009-05-09T14:00:00.012+01:00

Things haven't changed much over the past week except perhaps the fact that exams are finally over and I sort of managed to catch up on my sleep. The lack of it thankfully did not harm me during the exams. The weekend expectedly was spent lazing about doing nothing at all, till on Saturday night while on a lazing spree in my room, me n a couple of folks decided to leg about in central London the next day. Having nothing better to do, and still feeling out of sorts with the alleys and lanes of London, we felt this was the best way to spend an afternoon.

Sunday afternoon we started our walk from Piccadilly Circus, went past the Devonshire Arms pub to enter the interiors of Soho (I would suggest clicking on this link for a map of the area, else you are sure to get lost). The place comes alive at night, but during daytime it was as quiet as a quaint little village. Walking though its narrow lanes and alleys, we emerged onto Oxford Street. Busy as ever with shoppers and people just walking by, the street as always was a marvel to look at. Proceeding along Oxford Street, away from Oxford Circus, we again took a turn into Great Chapel street to get ourselves back into Soho. Walking down, we were amazed by the stark difference in the one felt in less than 100m. From the end of the street, we could see Oxford Street going about its business and Wardour street on the other side pretty much doing the same. But at that very corner, everything quiet. Silence managed to reign supreme despite being surrounded by chaos. Walking along Wardour street, we turned into Mearde Street before heading out towards Quo Vadis on Dean Street. At this point I must mention that the building that houses Quo Vadis today, was at one point in time the residence of Karl Marx, or rather on of its upper floors (the floor be marked with a circular blue metal plaque). Onwards straight , a turn later we were at Soho Square, which is essectially the green lung of this area. A nice quaint spot, I felt like pausing there for more than a few minutes. In fact, wished had a picnic basket!! But, we carried on, straight along Greek Street, (Casanova at one point of time was a resident of this very street). Walking straight ahead, we turned right onto Old Compton street corner where you would find Maison Bertaux. Supposed to be makers to delicious patisserie, its place people have been known to hang around for hours having nothing but tea. A little ahead was Chinatown and soon enough we were at Leicester square.

Not having had enough, we headed off to Fitzroy park, which was a 7 min bus ride away. The intention was to have lunch at the Indian YMCA, which much to our disbelief was closed for lunch. Disappointed we spent a few minutes at Fitzroy park, which was honestly beautiful, with the sun beating down on our heads and yet it felt good. Over here I found my friends being caught up with a pigeon and frankly, I had no clue what they were trying to converse but from the looks of it I gathered the lil birdie was not too interested.

Grabbing a bite on the way, we headed towards Trafalgar Square, going past Leicester square, only to laze about in the sun there as the crowd thronged about for the Baisakhi mela organised there by the City Council. After much lazing about we went off towards Covent Garden, a 7 minute walk away. Covent Garden as usual did not disappoint on a Sunday evening. This is the place I would suggest everyone to head for if you want a drink and some live music going on around you. We saw some street performers, live musicians and listened to a strings group (violins n cello) to our hearts content before heading back. It was well past 7. 7 well spent hours I would say!!

Monday was a bank holiday, so it went by in preparation for the forthcoming week, which promised to be rigourous, though frankly no preparation could have been enough. Tuesday to Friday, was a mad rush, with a business simulation exrecise at school, which required each student group to crunch numbers, predict market behaviour, generate capital, position products, launch new products, retire sick products - the whole 9 yards that one has to travel to make a business venture successful n sustainable over time. It was draining enough, but the week ended on a high note, with a few drunk mates, thai food, seemingly lost directions (that happens if you be led by an inebriated Thai, support a burly drunk Russian and a couple of other ladies in high spirits). A good laugh, good food and a good sleep - after a tiring n challenging week, that's all you need!! :)

Stand by me...

2009-04-28T18:58:00.005+01:00

Exams are on! Which means sleepless nights, sleepy afternoons, race against time to finish revision, aching hands (no longer used to writing :P). Anyway, not around to update anyone on the exams scenario. What has taken the cake amidst the bleak circumstances, is the London tube condition. The monumental plans for the London Underground which has every weekend caused a shortage of trains, and suspension of services on certain lines. Planned engineering works they say. Anyhow, with summer approaching the prospect of travelling by tube seems quite a daunting task. It can get really, really hot n humid down there. Transport for London is working to alleviate the situation but it seems to be quite a few years before they can show any results for their efforts.

With regards to the tube, what happened today morning left me with the short end of the stick. I generally takes about 40-45 minutes from my apartments to the uni, including a 20 min ride on the tube. Now, the sodding station I have access to is catered only by the Heathrow bound Piccadilly service. The other nearest ones are a good 20 minutes away by bus, which again is at a frequency of roughly 10 minutes. Anyhow, my destination, South Kensington is well served by three different lines, so, if one goes down there are ways to reach there.

As I was saying, things went terribly wrong this morning. First, I overslept and nearly caused a major catastrophe there, which thankfully was averted. Second, on arriving at the tube station at South Ealing, I came to know that Piccadilly (the blue line) was partly suspended between Hammersmith and Hyde Park Corner due to delay in engineering works, while the rest of the line experienced severe delays. (I strongly recommend consulting the tube map snippet below to understand the situation, source: Transport for London) South Kensington being right in the middle of the no-go zone now, it left me in a terrible soup. Having not foreseen such a terrible turn of events, I had left about 90 minutes prior to the start of exams. with an hour to go, situation was pretty bleak. Having weighed all options, me and a few of my classmates came to the conclusion that we were going to be late. The only way we could make it in time was to hail a cab, which mysteriously had dried up. Legging the 11 mile distance was certainly not an option. Forced to submit to the abysmal conditions, we got on the tube at South Ealing changed at Acton Town onto the District Line (the green one) which has a notorious reputation for being slow. Finally we made it!! 10 minutes late to the examination hall. The first 10 being reading time, we didn't really miss out on the writing time, but a harrowing experience nevertheless. Thankfully, the question paper left us smiling. :)

Lessons learnt: Shit happens!! Prepare for it if you can.

Meanwhile, a classmate of mine shared this song with me and honestly speaking I do love it.

It's almost showtime!!

2009-04-25T22:46:00.000+01:00

Yep, that's right. less than 36 hours to go before I write my last set of theory papers. I'm hoping that this would be the last set of my life. Lets hope so. Wish me luck!!

Going ahead with the scheme of things as laid out in the last post, I present to you a few clicks of the London snowfall, the worst of its kind in nearly 2 decades. It brought things in London to a standstill for more than 24 hours. Clearly, London was not prepared for this. Read the following article on BBC: Heavy snow disrupts London travel.

Observations

2009-04-25T02:24:00.010+01:00

Firstly, a disclaimer! I was not drunk when I wrote that last post. I was merely under a trance having listened to the soundtrack of Sin City for more than 3 days. Oh, and you could say I was also distraught with certain state of affairs with regards to a particular module, so much so I was in a murderous mood. So there, having settled affairs and washing my hands off any drunken behaviour, I shall now proceed to bore you out of your brains. Keep the knife handy in case you want to stab yourself, or the glass of water else quit reading (the eyes do need a rest!!).

Now, since you are reading this line, I'm assuming you have followed either of the first two options I mentioned or have devised an ingenious way of yours to stave off the onslaught on your senses. Frankly, I do not intend to write about exam stress. Let's face it, we all know the works. It varies a trifle bit here n there, but not much. In the end it still is a mental trauma, a PIA and a system of evaluation which despite its glaring fallacies is still around.

My first observation this week is, pay attention when you are cooking. Especially if you are dealing with spices. On one such occasion later last week, I happened to cook some chicken. Unmindful of the proceedings, I believe I went a bit lenient on the spices. The fumes told me the story pretty quick. However, not to be deterred I proceeded with the entire show and served a very delicious looking preparation.

Observation no. 2: Appearance can be deceptive applies to food and not just women!! (more on the second half of the lesson later!!). The seemingly delicious and innocent looking chicken had the power of a few nukes hidden am sure. It was HOT!! Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm one of those , who generally like their food hot. Especially Indian food. I relished having it. With some veggies n steamed rice to go with it, it was a nice enough dinner (considering am a bachelor with limited culinary skills, you can make your guesses from the picture on the right!). What I had never prepared was for the aftermath!! Believe me when I say I ran through half a roll of the paper, before I was fine, though posterior was very much on fire. And this was within 2 hours of dinner. Haven't cooked chicken since. Am surviving on my boiled/fried vegetables, instant noodles, omelletes, breads. Chickens can wait for the time being!!

Observation no. 3: Time does fly!!! Oh yes, it does. Not with wings if that's what you are looking for, so stop imagining a clock flying across the sky with its wings spread wide open, neither is this Hogwarts. So, when we say time flies, the general essence is of what we have been told always. It seems only a few days ago that I returned from Glasgow, whereas it was been more than two weeks in reality. *** sighs ***

Observation no. 4: I find the graveyard outside my window to be quite beautiful. Have been clicking a few either later in the evening or early morning.

Observation no. 5: I need to get back to business, 48 hours more to showtime.

Cheerio :)

Swish...

2009-04-23T00:30:00.002+01:00

sharp n cold, swish n thrust;
small n fast, swish n fire;
long n hard, swish n hit;
wet n warm, swish n blood;
sad n cold, swish n die!!

At dinner...

2009-04-20T23:50:00.009+01:00

I never had been an admirer of such glamorous dinner parties, where the rich and the famous dine together. In the name of style and fashion, money is squandered which may have been beneficial to some. Philanthropic thoughts!! As I walked up the stairs to the fancy mansion, am greeted by the butler. Does he even know me? I doubt. The lighting has been well done, the chandelier was exquisite, the waiters doing the rounds with the drinks where impeccably dressed. Everything was picture perfect. The monstrosity of extravagant show-off!! But, I can't find him. The guests cannot be avoided.

"Hello, how are you doing dear?"
"Very well, thank you!! I hope you are keeping well these days."
"Oh yes! but, old age has been catching up you know...."

I interrupt...

"Ah there he is! If you would excuse me please, I'll be right back."

I made my way across the hall. This was rude, but anything to get away from the old hag.

Dinner is served!! Let's see where is it that I get to sit. Charming company I have here, an oil magnate, a TV presenter, an aging socialite, a rich playboy with an important father and an actress. Ah, now I see him. He is sitting at the table on the my right. I just need a few moments with him. I engage in small talk with the presenter on my right and allow him to brag about his successful show on air regarding current affairs. The shrimp is magnificent. Though as always the caviar is what I love the most. Almost time for the dessert. The playboy has his eyes all over the actress, and she is fawning over the magnate. The socialite just looks at all of them. She has such a bored expression. I never noticed when the presenter stopped and the magnate started. He is rich, important but a bore!!

I look at him. Enjoying his dinner. Wiping the corner of his mouth with the dinner napkin. He seems to be enjoying his conversation. And his meal. A hearty meal calls for a smoke. His favourite... Dunhill. Good choice!! Guess I'll join him. He is alone on the roof. Ideal moment for the conversation.

"Quite a nice evening, isn't it?"
"Oh yes, it certainly is. Ideal for a night out in the wild. Care for a smoke?"
"No, thank you. I have mine."
"I insist!! It's Dunhill, one of the finest."
"Well, if you insist. Incidentally, Dunhill is what I smoke."

I waited till he lit his cigarette.

"So, you here alone?"
"Ah yes! My wife couldn't join me tonight. She was held up."
"You love her?"
He was surprised at the question but smiled and answered, "Of course, I do. Not all rich couple are on the brink. You aren't into journalism, are you?"
"Not really. I'm into music. Am a musician."
"Interesting"

A few more drags. The conversation has to draw to a close now, its almost time.

"You did tell your wife, you loved her, today, didn't you?"
He was surprised, "Why do you ask?"
I smiled, "Goodbye."

His breath had started shortening. Time for me to leave.

"Why?" He was gasping for breath now.
"Never make a promise you can't keep." I could see he understood now.
"Who are you?"
"Told you", he breathed his last, "the musician."

Some people never realise when the inevitable stares them in the eye. As I leave by the front door, I hear a shout. Have they found him? I took of my wig and made the call.

"Done."

The nadir and other things.

2009-04-19T17:22:00.005+01:00

The past week has been terrible. Probably the low point of my student life. Its the nadir!! The reason you find me being so negative about the whole show is that, with exams looming around the corner (just a week away), I seem to have developed all sorts of tastes. Rather the dormant ones have surfaced again. Anything, to stay away from books.

Anyhow, have been lately obsessed with the Sin City soundtrack, but not sure about spending 5 quid on getting the audio CD collection. Maybe I would, after 1st May. I get it now, I'd listen to it all day, non-stop, which might force my flatmates to declare me insane (which I believe at least one must have already thought of). Even though, I saw the movie quite sometime back, I discovered the soundtrack recently. Or may be paid attention to it. Whatever it is, the constant exposure to the music n thus the related graphics and videos on YouTube has left me in quite a dark frame of mind. But, I guess sanity prevails, as I'm not yet dreaming of it.

Moving on election days in India. Youngsters are either headstrong on who they want to vote for (more likely hog-washed by family or someone else they look upto) or totally clueless about the proceedings. The latter are probably in a dilemma: "To Vote or Not to Vote". I suggest, go for the voting and then vote none if that's what you think is right. Let not your name be used to cast fraudulent votes!! That is something which the youth can do - apart from mugging/studying for university exams.

IPL fever grips Indians and other followers of T20. Personally, am not much a follower, but the quick T20, is like instant noodles. Its short, quick, thrilling and most important of all, it sells in this fast paced life. Frankly, though I still prefer test match to T20, I probably won't have the patience to watch a test match, nor the time. But T20, is for the weekends, or evenings after work. Grab a crate of beer, get some mates and switch on the TV. 3-4 hours of chillout. Add to that some barbecue or eat outs and you've planned a splendid weekend.
As of now Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have won a match each by defeating Punjab, Chennai and Rajasthan respectively. Kolkata versus Deccan is on and from the looks of it, Kolkata is eating the humble pie tonight, unless Deccan manage to squander it all!!! Anyways, bottomline is this match hath no sparks, at least till now!!

Have I been writing long enough?? I don't know. The clock says 17:47 hrs, which means I really need to go hit the books now. Duty calls!! I hate exams... whoever thought of it, in the first place!!!

Enjoy this track: Cells -The Servants, Sin City theme. Oh, and if you haven't seen the movie, go watch it!!!

What was she thinking??

2009-04-12T15:36:00.004+01:00

There are times when you wonder what exactly drives people to be absolutely crazy and dumb. On Friday afternoon, one such lady decides to enter the enclosure of polar bears at the Berlin Zoo at feeding time. What happened next watch in the following video (courtesy CNN):

Read the news article here: Polar bear attacks woman at Berlin Zoo

Time flew...

2009-04-11T01:45:00.000+01:00

The last few months have been crazy. Time flew by and there was little I could do about it. Exams happened, barely scraped through. Another term got over, another bout of reports, videos and presentations. It's all over now. Before I knew it, half the course was over. And here I am studying again for another set of term exams. Meanwhile, I did go about visiting a few places, bought myself a guitar (a cheap one, just to while the time away) and London had its worst snowfall in 18 years.
So, instead of inciting you to murder me of boredom induced by my scribbles, I'll let you take a glimpse of things as I captured in the past few months.

This post shall have pictures of Jersey Islands:

Sunset at St. Oeun's Bay

St. Helier's fort

My humble abode

Street at St. Helier

Recharging batteries

2009-04-11T01:14:00.007+01:00

Well... after my last bout of thoughtfulness I realised, to actually concentrate on the task at hand I need to get away from London and recharge my batteries. With exams looming large on the horizon it really was important for me to get down to the dirty task of sifting through notes and lecture presentations of the term gone by to ensure that I knew enough of the stuff to get a good score. However, the mind refused to concentrate. It was at this juncture that an old school friend of mine turned up as a saviour. He has been studying medicine at the University of Glasgow for about three years and that's where he was inviting me for the weekend. Having last met him nearly 4 years ago, when he was had come around to India (he was finishing up with BSc from King's College, London), this indeed was a trip I would have been more than glad to go for.

A little check on the modes of transport available - road, rail n air, I settled for an overnight journey by road on a National Express coach scheduled for departure on Friday night (that's exactly a week before). Needless to say, the journey was pretty sleepless. Barely having slept on the journey, I was disappointed to find Glasgow being drenched by the weather gods on Saturday morning. And we were early. So, I just about waited around at the Buchanan Bus Station till my friend turned up (we shall refer him as R henceforth). Right after, R turned up we went for a coffee. Being about as early as 7:30 in the morning, hardly a few shops were open. Luckily, the nearby McDonald's had just started business. Saved our caffeine parched souls. A little bit of chit chat, while we waited at the bus stop. It was at this point that it struck us, that we could take a walk back to his accommodation. It was a 45 min walk, but given our past track records from schooldays, this was probably a warm up walk (which indeed it turned out to be later). A long walk and a nice chat!!

A little bit of rest, a breakfast and we were off for a bit of walking tour of the University of Glasgow's Gilmore Hill campus. What ensued was a long walk of about 3 hours. Back to quarters and it was lunchtime. Evening saw us headed out to nearest pub, where his chums had gathered. As the evening rolled by, more trooped in as did the number of our drinks go up. Now R, has decided to get me drunk (I still wonder why) and had sworn not to leave the pub till so (despite my warning him against it). As fate, would have we left when the pub close around midnight, R a bit high, while the old self being absolutely normal. I faintly remember him calling a gutter later that night before we retired to bed. A dinner of haggis with gravy was on the cards though. Now haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, so a must have if you are in Scotland. Its made of pork, so in case, you are sensitive to it ask for variations if they have it.

And so, lazing by and basically being the useless gits that we truly are, the next couple of days rolled by, till it was time to trudge back to London on Tuesday night. Thankfully, I had a co-passenger who didn't snore and the bus was fairly comfortable to allow for a good night's sleep. Now my co-passenger while returning was an 80 year old lady, who was travelling all the way to Kent to attend her elder sister's 90th birthday. Quite a commendable effort on her part, as she was travelling all along. Had a nice chat with her and was quite amused at her expression of "Oh dear", which perhaps punctuated most of her sentences. An old english habit?? I am not so sure.

Meanderings

2009-03-31T01:20:00.003+01:00

Honestly, am feeling a bit rusty out here now. I dare say I haven't blogged in ages. I wouldn't count the odd posts here n there, which turned up towards the end of last year. I really was not in my elements, as those who have been around for sometime might concur. In fact, what amazes me is that when I sit right here to type out something, words seem to dry up. Not that, I really had much of a substance to write about to begin with. It was an overwhelming desire to actually write something in my once favourite corner. I seem to prefer the confines of my academic notes to proceed on all adventures of the pen. But then, I suppose the symptoms had set in much earlier, as one got embroiled in a mad frenzy to take the career to the next step. To take a jump into the relative unknown to find that career which might make me stop and say: "This is what I always wanted to do."

When at a business school, everyone expects you to know where you expect yourself to head out to once you are done. Incidentally, it is one of the essays you have to type out while filling out the application form. I suppose, I did a good job at that, else I wouldn't be here now, would I? But, deep down I know, I bluffed!! I bluffed in that essay, in the interview, everyone I know. After having some conversations with me, Dad thinks I want to move into finance, my uncle thinks I would be moving into advertising or marketing, and maybe I understand brand management more than I do. I wouldn't know. I have learnt to bluff, so much so that, if they think I know that, I don't really know if their assumption is correct or not. All that I've gathered is that folks think, I have it all figured out. Problem is, I still don't know where to start. More than a quarter of a century old, and am still searching for the right job???

Season's Greetings!!

2008-12-31T20:21:00.000Z

It's been a frightfully long time that I have scribbled anything in this spot. Much has happened since my last update. Term has got over with the last few weeks having knocked the wind out of the soul. Things keep getting tough I tell you. Moving on, we were down at Bath a few weeks back in case I didn't tell you earlier and it was a splendid experience. A beautiful little town! You probably could walk it from one end to the other in probably an hour or so. The day was pretty cold and foggy which did add a certain charm to the entire trip. Nevertheless a wonderful trip. I shall share the pictures on this soon enough. And as the term flew to its end, Christmas came knocking on the door. With most residents leaving for their respective homes, we had an early Christmas party here at Clayponds, which very much set the tone for the days leading up to Christmas. It was a wonderful party with more than enough to eat and drink, and music to set the feet moving. A crazy night. What it spawned off were a series of parties across town being thrown by someone or the other. Going over to friends' for a sudden dinner invitation, trying out Chinese at Chinatown and checking out the stores on Regent Street and Oxford Street as they dished out marvellous sales. Though not much of an avid shopper the sales did left me wondering about what I could possibly buy. The Christmas lighting across town was beautiful.

At Leicester Square the Christmas festivities end up with some marvellous ride which thrill you to no end. And you could still be left wanting for more and more. Finally term for over, and after few days of lazing around with friends at Clayponds, one did realise the impending doom in the form of term exams in the middle of January next year. However, I also had a vacation coming up. A week on Jersey Islands, visiting my dad's uncle. In fact, that's where I am as I type this out. A very beautiful island I must say. With the beautiful houses and long winding roads, concealed entrances all over, breathtaking bays and amazing beaches, it surely is a beautiful island. Part of the Channel Islands, Jersey is one hour by flight from Gatwick and an hour by boat from the French coast. The influence of both the cultures could be seen right across the island, perhaps mixing together to form a delectable mix of its own, which you cannot help but relish. More so about Jersey after I return to London.

On a serious note, the end of year was marred by the Mumbai siege which laid bare many a facts for India and perhaps for the world to look into. It really does make one wonder about the entire purpose of such blasted acts which probably didn't benefit anyone unless someone is too mentally imbalanced and a sadist to derive pleasure off someone else's misery/helplessness and situations similar to that!! Sad turn of events in the Indian sub-continent. One can only wait and watch as the situation unfolds there with the political stage perhaps more charged than ever.

It's Time!!

2008-12-22T20:16:00.002Z

Well... Well... Well...

It's been a mighty long time since the Mumbai seige. Though it seems life has returned to normal, but deep withing I guess the hurt and anger is just waiting to surge to the surface and consume the individual, setting alight an environment of mistrust, discord and disharmony. Not exactly what one had in mind I presume!!

Despite all this one has seen candle light vigils across the globe, some went for the "free hug camapaign" with the motto of propagating a message of peace and brotherhood. Wonderful gestures all of them!! That's right gestures!! The benefits of such gestures are intangible. You can never see them the instant they happen, they take time to manifest themselves. However, tangible benefits are required too and one really cannot shy away from the fact. There are ways to go about it. The first would be to use part of your salary to support someone who needs it but has no means to it,e.g. support a child's education. All you need to do is not buy that extra pair of shoe/dress/pants/shirt that month. A thousand a month (INR) is affordable and one could sponsor a child's education with that in India. Can spare more? Don't worry the NGOs can guide you to other avenues as well. But does the buck stop there? Surely not!!

Paying for a child's education is not the end of the cycle. It's the beginning! The next step would be get involved. Trust me, it can change your world, make you look at things from a different perspective altogether. Got some old clothes which can still be worn by someone? Donate them. There are many out there who could use them. A few years ago, my uncle and aunt celebrated the first birthday of their daughter with people from an old age home (they have been actively involved with it for years now). It was a proper party with songs, cakes and a feast. The smile on the faces of those people etched a memory that would be hard to erase till I breathe, and may spawn me into spurts of activities every now and then to give back. Sometimes, it is worth giving without receiving!! :)

Step up!! Unless you start giving back to the society you live in, you cannot spawn a better place to live in. Cities would be laid siege with people who are disgruntled and probably never got the kindness and love that you have taken for granted!! Even corporate houses realise that today, resulting in a concept known as Corporate Social Responsibility.

It's time you did something instead of waiting for something to happen!!!

Mumbai Under Siege!!

2008-11-27T14:55:00.005Z

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...

2008-11-15T02:00:00.000Z

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??

2008-11-15T01:44:00.003Z

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??

My fair lady...

2008-11-08T17:09:00.003Z

How often do you get along with someone from day one? Well, the count may be high, but the other more important question is how many end up staying on in your life and perhaps end up being an integral part of your life? Not many, in fact very few, probably one or may two in a lifetime.

About two years ago, I came across one such beautiful lady. A bright ray of sunshine she was in an otherwise monotonous life. Though I've said much about her, perhaps I run the risk of repeating myself, but then I must say she made a lot of difference. Her fire, her passion rubs on to you. You end up leading your life with more zest. I'm now in a land thousands of kilometres away from her, in a different continent and yet I feel her magic. Oh yes!! she does cast a spell on you, though you may try to escape you cannot!! And, frankly she instilled a feeling of self confidence.

Despite many a trials and tribulations, travelling thousands of kilometres across the length and breadth of the country, overcoming a few disturbances we have managed to stay together. And in the process have become an integral part of each other lives. And it all leads to something beautiful and a long awaited future. I can go on, perhaps at the risk of laying bare all my thoughts on her. So, I must stop here today and get about to the real business....

Happy Birthday Gini!! :)

A lot of water has flown under the bridge,
Since that fateful winter evening when we met,
Like friends long lost we got along well,
Like friends of old we chatted into the night,
Time stood by on witness as we waded into the other's life,
Moments being frozen forever as we swept the world aside,
Many evening later we did rest the eyes on the other,
Sealing the bond over a coffee and some feast,
And now a few seasons past as we step closer,
I must say, I cherish you more...
Like a wine of vintage..
And promise to be with you as we age!!

I know your dreams are coming true.... and am sure more will!! God bless you....

The Welcome, B-School and the First week.

2008-10-20T15:36:00.000+01:00

5th October, 2008 triggered off a significant week, one that any fresher at the Imperial would remember all life. It started with a welcome speech by Sir Roy Anderson, the Rector which was followed by high tea in the Senior Common Room of the Sherfield Building. The sheer number of freshers left one feeling overwhelmed. The enthusiasm amongst them at having started their term at Imperial was contagious to say the least. Having interacted with some batchmates, the old soul took the tube back to South Ealing.

Evening saw the warden at Clayponds address the entire group of post graduates. (Did I tell you Clayponds is for post-graduates and PhDs?). What followed was an evening of fun as barn dance event ruled the roost with most trying it out for the first time. The band from the Medics was truly amazing with the lead singer also doubling up as a master of ceremony for this event. Sadly, the evening had drawn to a close, with the expectations of term time tucked away in some corner for the time being.

Induction week:

At the Imperial College Business School, the first week was also the Induction week during which one went through the paces of all the facilities that were at the disposal of the students with some wonderful simulations being handed out which were to be undertaken as groups. The purpose was to serve as an Ice breaker and also a good team building exercise. One was also introduced to the faculty and the Career and Professional Development Services team who would be very instrumental in shaping the future of the students starting out to chalk their careers in a turbulent market in the next one year. Needless to say, their confidence was quite reassuring. Again, students at the ICBC were given a glimpse of the high standards expected of them as they were introduced to the rigorous schedule.

One also had the Union Clubs and Societies putting up their stalls at the campus to let the students know of the world of opportunities they had to participate in the activities they desired to. With more than 300 such clubs and societies, an Imperial student is bound to have a full social calendar.

While at it, a walk to the Imperial Sport Club, Ethos was to be made. Situated right across the street off Exhibition Road near the Tanaka Building, the Ethos boasts of the state-of-the-art facilities which were there for the taking for the students, something very few would let go.

As the week drew to a close, event at the Union after college hours started to keep one busy. Clayponds was not to be far behind with each evening having a special event for the students there. Sport night, Pub crawl, movie night were all part of the week that went by. The week finally culminated into an all night dancing at the Club Oceana, Kingston, while also showing the newbies of the town how to get about in London at night.

At 4:00 am on Sunday, as I jot this down, life at Imperial can leave you ready to sleep at the end of the day but love every moment of it and it definitely gives you a high. If morning shows the day, one seems to be in for a fun-filled year.

I call it a day/week as a game of football awaits me in the morning. Rock on!!

The Shift

2008-10-04T22:57:00.000+01:00

I got to shift into the halls today - Clayponds it is at South Ealing. A quite place to be honest! Saw loads of students moving in with each carrying quite a few bags. A walk to the flat revealed the inner parts of the student village and somehow I started liking the place, not that I had much of an option. But it was good. On the way, I had this strange inkling that I would end up a view of the cemetery and sure enough I had a room overlooking the cemetery. The view though is priceless. For want of a good camera I cannot capture the same.

All set in my room, I set about unpacking and the first thing I did was get the laptop out and set it up with the internet. And then I was stuck!!! Presumably so, I might add. Finally hurried along and got the unpacking done and then took a shuttle to the Tesco at Oysterley Park. A couple of trips and I had almost all that I needed. Later in the evening was a welcoming party which I must I was glad I attended. I met quite a few people who till date were mere Ids on the net. Time at Clayponds is going to rock I’m sure!!

It’s time for a nap now!! Ciao....

Touchdown

2008-10-03T22:21:00.000+01:00

As I stare out of the window of the jet into the apparently cold and foggy city from above, I realised I’ve finally arrived. After lots of preparation and grinding I’ve arrived in the city I wanted to visit ever since I was a kid. Going through the immigration I realised I might be doing this a lot for the next few decades may be, for given the career I wanted globe-trotting could be a major part of the deal. A cab ride through the beautiful landscape of Heathrow brought me to Ealing where I would be putting up for the night before I get to move into the halls tomorrow morning. Eager to scope out the land I stepped out into the streets as soon as I could to check out the distance to the tube and the halls timing my walk all the way. I know being a first timer it might sound ridiculous as most would expect me to be in tourist mode for a couple of days, but I prefer getting down to business as soon as possible. Nice neighbourhood, pretty quiet!! The walk past the South Ealing cemetery is spooky towards the evening. And I would be taking that every day for the next one year. Getting creepy, eh??

Anyhow, time for some fish ‘n chips, a movie and then a good night’s rest. Hopefully my body would adjust to the UK time zone soon enough.

Cheerio!!

Adieu Pune

2008-09-27T22:10:00.002+01:00

I bid thee adieu... yes!! I bid thee adieu...
That's all I could think of as the train pulled out of the station at Pune. It was a funny feeling. I had spent some of the best years of my life in this city, in fact it is a city of firsts for me. And yet as I leave the city behind I feel a sense relief creeping within me. I guess I had been expecting to leave the city for far too long or may be there were circumstances which made it necessary for me to leave the city behind. But then, they are besides the point. What I really want to do is take a look at the city of Pune/Poona as I felt it, saw it.

My first day in this city took me to the office of my future employers. I still remember the first impression: A busy town with loads of dirt around and yet... It was the "and yet..." which made me accept this city as my future home, a city I grew to love as I discovered it's hidden qualities and traits. The city has got a funny mix of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern. Delve into the history of the Marathas as you walk by the Shaniwarwada, the life that was as you are taken through the peths, the Oxford of the East as your feet trudge along the grounds of Pune University, the halls of Fergusson College, which has street named after it - FC Road. Yes, that is the popular way of identifying this youth hangout spot. Rarely is the road clear of the young bloood who dream of taking over the world, with just a aloo paratha (potato stuffed Indian bread) at Chaitanya. Drive into the area of Pimpri-Chinchwad and you are in the area of the richest municipallity in Asia (or so I've heard) where the Industrial belt is one of the most prosperous in India. A tour around the city reveals the IT and ITES belts at Hinjewadi, Senapati Bapat road, Kalyani Nagar, Magarpatta and Hadapsar.

From a small hilly, getaway town for the well to do Mumbaikars to the big destination of students for decades to the employment haven for the well-heeled people - Pune has come a long way in the past century or half. The quite laid back lifestyle of Pune has been replaced by a much more busier and hectic life where running along in the rat race is more important that anything else. But then, one still does stop by to enjoy life here. The Iraani cafes though dwindling down in number can still provide what I found to be the best breakfast in town. My favourite was Vohuman near Pune station. I personally feel that Iraani cafes should be marked as sites of heritage for once they die an important part of the city would die along with it. Pune has always been the cultural capital of Maharashtra and there are stories galore how the Iraani cafes served as the melting pot for the some of the best that the land has known. But then, like some, the rest may also succumb to commercial ploys and probably start functioning as restaurants apart from being what they really are.

For transient population of students and workers like me, Pune has a lot to offer in terms of lifestyle. You get some of the best food that you would ever sample in the country at pretty average cost, try Koregaon park for that. Going ahead with the lifestyle, may be not too many hangouts, but the quality at most of them is quite good, my personal favourite being Toons on Mahatma Gandhi road. And that brings me to the fashion quotient of the city. With the delicate mix of the young and the old, Pune fashion can take you on for a ride. Looking for the best deals on western outfits, apart from the malls, M.G.Road is where most head out to because of the exquisite collection one might find there. Step a little north onto Laxmi road and ladies are in for a treat as rows of shops on both sides of the road scream for their attention. The flavor of this fashion station is traditional though one might find shops saying otherwise, the variety of clothing you would find here can leave you, well... breathless!

Three beautiful years floated by as I flirted with the spirit of the city and enjoyed every moment of it. I earned some of the sweetest and most loved memories through this city. A city whose streets would always remain special for me for more than one reason, I would like to come back... may be for good... may be for a visit... but as I sit in the cold weather of a city 8000 km away I dare say, I'm missing Pune. May be just a little but yes....

Tequila Sunrise

2008-09-20T21:35:00.001+01:00

This isn't being written at sunrise, but the seeds were sown at one. Running around with a zillion things to do and stuff to get in place before one embarks on a journey across continents, I felt drained. And yet, I had managed to stay up all night keeping myself busy with some work regarding the uni. As dawn broke, I went up to the roof and stared out into the eastern sky to see the sunrise, slowly spreading its orange light over the grey . As orange took over the sky from grey, only to be taken over by others, I was reminded of the song Tequila Sunrise by Eagles. Simple lyrics and talks of just another chappie falling for some lady. Made me wonder about the laddies I have seen fall over ladies much beyond them. Aware of the limitations these fellas were content to stare at the ladies rather than ever approach them. And, slowly things move on till the ladies become just another ship that went by.

Here's the lyrics:

it's another tequila sunrise
starin' slowly 'cross the sky, said goobye
he was just a hired hand
workin' on the dreams he planned to try
the days go by

ev'ry night when the sun goes down
just another lonely boy in town
and she's out runnin' 'round

she wasn't just another woman
and i couldn't keep from comin' on
it's been so long
oh, and it's a hollow feelin' when
it comes down to dealin' friends
it never ends

take another shot of courage
wonder why the right words never come
you just get numb
it's another tequila sunrise,this old world
still looks the same,
another frame, mm...

A Slice of History

2008-09-13T04:27:00.005+01:00

There are times when you visit a place you really get the feeling that if presented with a time travel machine, you would like to travel to back to an era at the same location and see how things were back then. On a recent trip to Mahabalipuram or Mammallapuram I had a similar thought. Standing on top of it's hillocks, and exploring its "known" secrets I couldn't help but think "what if".

Mahabalipuram hosts excellent specimens of early Pallava art around 680-720 AD. The Pallavas were the then rulers of the land and used Mahabalipuram as a port city. The sculptures consists of Monolithic carvings, Reliefs, Excavated carvings. The most notable of them all are the five rathas (chariots), said to be carved out of a single stone. The rathas are dedicated to the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi. The different styles of chariots allows one to understand the designs that the sculptures back then used. The excavated caves/mandapas (ones built into the stone) are present about a kilometre away. The temple of Govardhandhari and Ramanuja Mandapa shows the showcases craftsmanship and perhaps engineering expertise that people of that age exhibited. The Ganesh chariot, made square and carved of a single rock (monolithic carving) does leave you in awe as you would look closely at the details carved on it. The Bhima ratha is of a similar style. The other notable temple is the Shore temple. Being next to the sea, has caused a lot of it's details to be eroded with time, but the architectural splendour of the temple would still catch you breath. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it has Shiva in a reclining pose within one of its temple chambers.

Pallava Dynasty: A powerful dynasty in south India which ruled for more than 500 years with its capital at Kanchipuram. Read more at Pallava, Pallava Dynasty

Pandavas and Draupadi: Mythology has it that the Pandavas were borne to Kunti and Madri, wives of king Pandu, by gods due to a boon received by Kunti from sage Durvasa. Read more at Pandavas.

Mahabalipuram is connected by road to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and is 52 kms away. One can hire a car or take a bus from the city. The entire trip to Mahabalipuram would last a maximum of 2-3 hrs. Do ensure you have a guide with you when you visit the town, as without it the importance of the sculptures would never be evident to you. Sadly enough the ASI has done little on that account, with hardly any plaques around describing the importance of the structure.

Bong Connection Blues...

2008-07-31T15:52:00.004+01:00

Well, this was originaly written in Bengali during my recent vacation in Kolkata and was intended to be posted from the Bong Land but then procstination took over along with other tasks which gained priority and blogging per se took a back seat.. I mean complete back seat.

It was while sipping a cup of caffiene on a cloudy afternoon at Flurys on Park Street, I noticed the stark difference in the world I was sucked in and the one that was raced by to its tasks for the day. As the aroma of the coffee seeped in to cloud the mind I bit into the sandwich in front of me and glanced over at the obviously well-to-do group of people around me. The antecedents of everyone seemed to be very different. There was a group which was definitely on a business breakfast, a group of friends (I believe from St. Xaviers), a south-east Asian group happily tucking into a breakfast of toast and eggs. And then, stared out from the glass - the traffic was breezing by, people were walking in a hurry, a hawker stood there at the MusicWorld corner and was trying to make a living of selling his wares. I say, an excellent setting for the start of a good plot. Anywyz, before I digress I shall move ahead. What really struck me was nothing I saw surprised me, it was as if this is exactly how I expect Kolkata to be. Having spent a better part of my life outside Bengal and terming myself a nomad, despite the heat and humidity, the icky politics of the land and god knows what not, I keep returning to this city. I used to say, that's because my entire family is in Kolkata, now I beg to differ. As I prepare myself to embark on a journey to a far-off land, I slowly realised why I've been coming back to this city for better part of the last decade. I guess it was Dominique Lappierre (pardon me, if I'm mistaken) who said one may hate Kolkata or love Kolkata, but no matter what Kolkata grows on you... and soon has you a slave to her irresistible charms.

When I look back at the times I've spent here - bunking school, the metro rides, the long adda sessions at the Presidency college canteen, the Kobiraji at Dilkhusha (A non-veg preparation where a piece of fish, chicken or mutton if deep fried with a thick coating of egg adn bread crumbs, while Dilkhusha is popular amongst the college kids - just off College Street on MG Road, it is very close to the famous Coffee House.), roaming about at Esplanade and doing some impulsive shopping, gorging Kulfi at Ralli's, the fuchkas at just about every sundry spot that we could manage and then rating them, the road side stalls which would sell some of the most mouth watering snacks at ridiculously low prizes - I realise I shall never get these anywhere else. One might find bits and pieces of Kolkata in other cities as Bengalis in other parts of the world try and set up their own corner, but never Kolkata.

The stream of thoughts that started at Flurys probably won't end here and I doubt if I would ever be able to capture them perfectly with words, but somehow now I understand the underlying theme of Jhumpa Lahiri's stories, I understand what movies like Anuranan and Bong Connection talk in a subtle or overt manner.

I guess it's the Bong Connection Blues!!

Nomadic Experience!!

2008-07-11T15:24:00.001+01:00

Again one of my meanderings so, you may hit that small red cross at the top right hand corner of the window or navigate to another page from here (The links are on the right hand side!!).

A recent chat with a friend left me wondering about long lasting roots. Most of the times in due course of travel, I have come across people who know each other for more than a decade, grown up together and shared a whole lot of memories. When I looked back at my life over the past 2 decades and more, I realised, somehow I never had privilege(?). For me it was always about shifting from one city to another, never really forming a long-lasting friendship and yet having some really wonderful friends. In fact, have had some very loyal ones. Lucky me?? I dunno. Have had the opposite sorts to - the back stabbers, but then that's a part of life. The point I'm trying to drive home is that after having a Nomadic experience all through your life would it really be possible to settle down at one place for a person? As life unfolds itself, we come to realise that we have far greater responsibilities on us than we had imagined or wanted (maybe!!). And that's when you realise you need to have a base, a place to return to everyday but then for how long would the person stick to that same routine. When I subject myself to observation, it turns out the moment a situation becomes a routine for me I no longer enjoy it and sooner or later I start getting restless for a change. Extremely restless!!!

The nomads of Sahara, roam about in the desert in search of food and water. Now, even if they have the option of settling down in the cities, most choose to roam the desert. The heart of a Nomad they say cannot settle down in a place. It needs to roam.. always. Does that apply to the modern day nomads like us?? If it does then in what sphere does it do so?? Is it limited to our physical surroundings?? Or does it extend to the people we know too?? Alright, may be the last one is not true. But then, maybe that's my take!! Who knows!!!

At times, I wonder on what I had missed out in this form of existence. May be a lot!! And what have I gained?? I guess, A lot!!! At least, I've learned to trust people despite all odds and yet manage to look out for myself, to gel in to the crows as if I was one of them, to easily distance myself despite the attachment and most importantly, to appreciate people and culture for their differences and believing even the darkest of clouds have a silver lining!!!

Almost Single

2008-07-02T09:26:00.003+01:00

After another mundane day at work, I really wanted to chill out and while my time away. So, I hopped across to the nearest Crossword and after ambling across its aisles for like hours, I decided on a few books (Yes, I'm a compulsive book-shopper and books are my therapy). One of these was "Almost Single" by Advaita Kala. I went through the back cover and it seemed promising. I flipped open to sneak into the plot and it was more to form an opinion about the author's ability and making sure it just wasn't any other book. I must say I wasn't dissappointed.

This is what the back cover read:

“Wickedly irreverent and laugh aloud funny, Almost Single is a delightful romp through the five star world of champagne brunches, gay soirees, and the dilemmas of hip, young girls on the look out for love and matrimony”

That and a realistic, in your face kind of introduction of the female protagonist, Aisha Bhatia, hooks me to the book.

The book takes you through the trials and tribulations a single, unmarried woman in her late twenties might go through. In between there is a sneak peek into the lives that others lead around Aisha: from her gay friend to her divorced friend, a love crazy but vengeful friend to the irritating boss. And then there were a more characters. Read to find out more as Aisha embarks on her journey to find a groom with her friends and comes across all sorts of people.

The best part about the novel is the ease with which the characters unfold and present themselves, neither would it make you feel alienated from them. On the contrary you might just know exactly what they are talking about. The laughter riot in the book can leave you chuckling for days on. Full marks to Advaita for portraying such real life characters with a distinct style and elan which would leave many readers pining for more. The way the novel ends is unpredictable, a touch unconventional, rebellious to the more tradition oriented and yet funny. Tingles you mind for comedy as well as romanticism.

Go read it!!

Published in July, 2007, I wonder what made me buy this book so late in the day!!

You can also read Advaita at her blog: http://www.advaitakala.com/

Waiting for a change!!

2008-06-26T12:53:00.003+01:00

Well.. a few days back I was having a conversation with an old friend of mine, who has been a silent reader of my blog from just about the day it was born. An observation from was that posts on my blog come in few and far in between, whereas earlier I could churn out a post at least once in two days (I can't right about the daily grind... find it too mundane and its not my style!!). Well, I stepped back and started observing a the changes, went through my posts, when they were posted, could I recollect anything from that phase. The thread that ran right through was "Change". Yup!! You heard that right.. change!!

For the past one year, I have been slogging off for certain changes to the otherwise monotonous life. At times the show gets too hectic for me (physically/mentally) to actually sit down and pen my thoughts. Believe me when I say, that there were zillions of thoughts that ran through my head during those days. They still do. The absence of a laptop has been acutely felt. To rely solely on work resources leave with the disadvantage of squeezing out time from work. And finally when you through, you just want to get out of that chair and walk out that door. So, when does Sam blog?? Well, there are some days when I do have the option to sit back and relax. Of late, such days have been coming around very rarely. A professional hazard?? I wouldn't know. Oh and in case anyone of you has the bright idea to suggest me about buying a laptop, lemme tell you, what with property purchase, monthly EMIs, application costs (for masters - am still paying of the credit cards for that!!) am almost broke!! So, a laptop cannot be bought unless my employer grants me at least a 25% pay hike or I change into a company which would offer me a salary closer to 7 figures a year. So that rests the case of a laptop.

Anywyz, we are digressing aren't we?? As this confused soul tries hard to climb the Maslow hierarchy, he realises that each passing day his mind is getting clouded with more and more of thoughts regarding the..... future!! Can you believe that??? Anyhow, that's how the score stands. Now that, I'm almost set. And the change seems to be on the anvil now, I do feel a bit elated. Finally, I would be able to put in papers and get off the show. When I look back I realise I lost interest in my current job a year back. Should have called quits then, but I dragged on. That was a mistake, one I'm not going to repeat again. It is likely, I'd be on and off blogging for a few more months till things settle down around me... till then ciao!!!

Make it large.... no! make it a Patiala!!

2008-06-18T12:49:00.005+01:00

Make it large.... no! make it a Patiala!!

It's my life and I'm living it up!!

Alright, if you know me well enough you might've guessed that this is not about drinking but something beyond that. Honestly, the title has little or nothing to do with the contents of the post. I just needed a title and well while commenting on Scout's blog I coined up this phrase... and thus from now on this very minute, I claim copyright on that. Do remember to pay your royalties. Only GBP accepted!! Why, if you may ask, let me tell you I need those!! Loads of them. I really can't say I'm digressing but then, I think I've had enough of blabbering about the title. Honestly, does anyone care two hoots about it?? I'll bet you your entire account the answer is nobody!! (This way I gain ;) )

I have been reading up a bit today.. blogs I mean and mostly I saw people writing about relationships (don't go by the blogroll... I read four times the blogs you see there!!) and frankly, they were either breaking up, on the verge of it or just started. Well, that's nice. And then there was this story about a long-distance relationship. Going through all that stuff left me in a tizzy, I seriously had to chip in with my two cents on this. Frankly, you really gotta be in sync with the other person. And break-ups don't happen all of a sudden. There are signs, ways to pick up signals.. read them.. don;t be such a dunderhead!! being in love is ok.. in fact its great, but being stupid while at it is not. IMHO, if you are going to be that.... you are better off without love.. at least you won't suffer the heart-breaks and the associated after-maths. Fell in Love?? go ahead.. celebrate it!! It's a great thing!! Broke up?? Fair enough.... somethings are never meant to be. Don't get yourself low over it. It'll hurt for sometime. But then, you should be having friend around you to cushion your fall. And trust me with the right mix, you'll be living life with hope before the day is up!!

Anywyz, enough of relationships. Moving on to other stuff, I guess I'm finally going for my higher studies. But then, for that to happen this Gorkhaland nuisance has got to clear up, otherwise my transcripts would never reach the university and the offer would be withdrawn. As they say.. there are many a slip between the cup and the lip. Honestly, firstly the idiots at the my previous University take their own sweet time in releasing the extra transcripts I had asked. Had they stuck to the normal said routine of 2 weeks max, things would have been cool, I would have had the transcripts with me, with a copy on its way to my next University and I would have been applying for my visa by now. Instead, here I am waiting anxiously for the transcripts nad simply praying that the College gives me some extra rope. Bloody hell!!

Apart from that nothing much really.... except that I've realised never consider anything more important than your own self. You would end up giving undue powers to people to hurt in a manner you would never appreciate. And yeah, no matter what always keep around you friends who can support you the best when you need it. And be a support for them too!! :)

Alright now that I'm finished am off to make another Patiala peg.... would anyone care to join?? :D

PS: For the uninitiated, Patiala peg is larger than the regulation large peg and should measure about 90ml :)

A dream!!

2008-06-12T11:52:00.000+01:00

I spun them off hope,
I weaved them with passion,
I designed what you call…
A dream!!
I spent sleepless nights at it,
I worked days on end for it,
I built what you call…
A dream!!
I had faith in God for it,
I had believed I’d live it,
I prayed for what you call…
A dream!!

Gust of wind blew it apart,
Storm brewed and tossed it away,
Scattered lay what you call…
A dream!!
Torn to shreds it lay,
With lost identity it lay,
It was what you call…
A dream!!
The chances of growth thwarted,
The avenue if hope closed,
Fate played with what you call…
A dream!!

And yet faith glimmers,
And so does hope,
To rebuild what you call…
A dream!!
Different Avenue it might walk,
Stronger fabric it might weave,
But rise it will, what you call…
A dream!!
Passion will rebuild it,
Hope will support it,
Perseverance will sustain it,
Belief will bring it to existence,
What you call…
A dream!!

Back from the woods

2008-06-04T07:06:00.003+01:00

My sincere apologies for disappearing without a warning of any kind whatsoever! As Solo rightly said, I desperately needed to show some signs of life. Anywyz, its been a pretty busy fortnight. Firstly I get this mail bang on Monday midnight that I’m to submit an academic reference for my higher studies within 14 days. (You got it right… I’m trying for higher studies… details, if and if only am going for sure!!). That would be the week before last. After nearly threatening my boss at point blank range by showing my career at stake, I got an entire week’s leave (last week). But then, if you are working you’ve got responsibilities, duties and you have to discharge them. So, poor Sam was slogging away like crazy to get things upto speed and leave things in a position where in his absence emergency should not be declared. Meanwhile, arrange for tickets. Now that was a shock!!

Normally, I make travel plans at least a month in advance, this helps one in getting flight tickets at a cheap rate (8000 INR is enough for a round trip). And in case the tickets do seem to be out of reach a bit you could always go for trains, which can be arranged conveniently. But then this time around I had about4 days to make arrangements. I had to fly to Kolkata, then travel all the way to Sikkim and back. And from there on another trip to distant city and finally be back in Pune by Monday noon. Got the flight tickets to Kolkata, but had to fly from Mumbai. That was Saturday. Sunday evening, I left for Siliguri from Kolkata in a sleeper bus (and I request to all, never travel in them!!) which were mighty uncomfortable and reached about 4 hours late throwing my plans out of gear!! 2 pm Monday, yours truly reached Sikkim and an hour later was at college. But to no avail. Have to come back the next day. Got the reco the next day and was off to Siliguri to catch a bus to Kolkata. Met a college friend and her would be fiancé, in Siliguri and was on my way to Kolkata. The bugger was again late…. This time it was 3 hours. Hmpf!!!! Tired and totally drained I slept and spent most of my time at home for the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, time was spent trying to arrange for travel and accommodation to the third destination. Was trying for train both ways but had to settle for a very expensive flight back to Pune, coz there were no train seats available. (Anybody going for Tatkal, please refrain from using the website as they simply refuse to connect when you need it the most!!). The trip to the third location a goof up about a few things and finally, on Monday morning I was back in Pune, tired with all that travel, sad for the goof ups and overall glad that I at least got around to doing what I had set out to do!!

And in short was the account of my absence from blogsville for such a prolonged period!! Now, I’m back from the woods and ready to take on some work!!

Ciao!!

A life to be called one's own??

2008-05-16T15:34:00.002+01:00

Dear Diary,

I've been going through all the entries over here and really makes me wonder that despite our different nature we all are so very similar to our core. At each and every step in the past two and a half decade a little bit of our innocence has been taken away, a price to be paid for growing up... oh should you wonder, let me enlighten you do not have an option unless fate has decided to slam you cruelly.

But then at times the mind wanders into the domain and really feels that the ones who never really grew up, mentally retarded, the special ones..... as someone said long ago, God's own, are perhaps the happiest. They do not go through the feelings of helplessness, betrayal, dashed hopes, pain, sorrow..... or may be they do but then just how much of a shadow can a sliver of cloud cast on a sunny morning.

I digress.... or did I?? Rambling along as I was I guess i can never digress. In fact, may be this is the path I was supposed to take. Struggling, pushing, shoving my way through to reach my goal. I haven't the faintest bit of idea what my ultimate goal is. It's just that, I'm never satisfied with what I'm doing. In that case, what is it that I'm meant to do?? I don't think I have the faintest clue.

Honestly, what is it that I seek??

What is it that everyone who has scribbled in your heart seek??

A corner to call ones own??

A moment to cherish for the self??

The satisfaction of a job well done??

Someone to hold on to at the end of a tiring day??

A moment to scream out and vent all the frustration that is pent up inside the heart, mind, body and soul??

A life to be called one's own??

What is it??

I think I'll put the pen to rest now.... I need to sleep... my eyes are hurting!!!

Adios

Confused Sam!!

The idiot box and ads!!

2008-05-06T12:38:00.004+01:00

Click!!

“And there is Sreesanth running in…..”

Click!!

“What a delivery!! Simply rocked his…”

Click!!

“$#%$#%$#^” (some soapy crap… didn’t bother to listen!!)

Click!!

“Ek uncha lamba kad…”

Click!!

“Alright XXX, are you ready for the task??”

Click!!

“And Khali….”

Click!!
Click!!
Click!!

Is this what happens when you switch on you TV everyday??
At times, which is about every 15-20 minutes, the idiot box bugs me like no one else. I mean, every time I switch on it’s either the IPL these days, or some crappy soap opera, or some reality show, or some talent show…. I mean... GAWD!! Is that there is?? And then is a particular insufferable news channel which continues showcasing the life and happenings of a wrestler named Khali… to an extent, I really am afraid to switch to that channel. The movie channels… well not always good but then comparatively palatable?? May be!! Let’s now include them in this rant now!!

Hmmm… now where was I?? Oh yeah!! For souls like me who are living far from their family, there’s only so much that you can chat on the phone and to top it all if you have no internet connection… no wait… no computer, the TV is the only respite that you might have to shrug away the few hours after you return from work till the time you turn in. So, handicapped with these situations, I plopped down on the bean bag, to surf through (really that all you can do... the fingers thus are quite strong!! :P). And then I get barraged with the usual stuff. In between all this I try to observe the ads and finally decided more often that not its perhaps the ads which are worth watching. Imagine a Ranbir Kapoor thinking on his feet and concocting a “Youngistan”, and then in a subsequent ad actually speaking out about “Youngistan” and what it really does imply, (instead of a license to fool a space crazy bro to get into the house of your girl.. dats outright stupid!!) and finally ending it with a smart alecky answer!! Well, the idea that I’m trying to drive home is may be these ads are for just 30 sec, but the entire work that goes in conceptualizing and creating is way too cool!!

Sample the Max New York Life Insurance ad: Wife walks in, couldn’t find husband (who by the way is happily snoring away on the terrace), and when finally sees him sprawled on the chair her mind flips for the worst. He does wake up much to her relief… but then the idea conveyed is so simple – Life is unpredictable, so take care of your near dear ones before time runs out on you!! Can you think of something better?? Of course, you can!! See, that’s the advantage of good ad-films – they connect to you.

Another beautiful ad that is being nowadays is the Frankfinn one. It really showcases what the young ladies today think, whether they really abhor customs or do they respect it and yet want to carve a niche for themselves.

And then there is the Airtel ad featuring actors Madhavan and Vidya Balan. The conversations of a loving couple during roaming and on STD can be stretched and made without a worry of the costs to be incurred. The concept of the ad really makes one sit up and look. And then there’s the one about a kid talking to her father as he helps her draw a picture. Lovely isn’t it?

The world of ad-films is really amazing!! I mean, if you got a product you better make a good ad-film to make people talk about it. That I believe is part of marketing and may be product management, but then that qualifies for a different post altogether. I wish I could tell you how they go about making one, but then that is not my field. Hopefully, I can tell you one day what goes into making an ad-film.

Till then, cheerio!!

Nostalgia

2008-05-05T06:01:00.006+01:00

How does it feel when you meet a friend from the days which you miss the most, after a long time?
How does it feel to take a trip down memory lane with someone who was there when you enjoyed life the most?
How does it feel to contemplate the future with someone who was there when you had dreamt of conquering the world?
How does it feel to meet a friend with whom you shared loads of stuff?
How does it feel to come across some with you spent 4 years of your life after a gap of 3 years?
How does it feel to know that in the rat race a friend of yours is lost forever…. Lost never to be found again?

I met Shiba after a gap of nearly 3 years. The last time was during our graduation days. With all my friends working in Delhi NCR, Bangalore or Kolkata and me being in Pune, I was kind of cut off, but then never totally. It was on Saturday evening that he calls up out of the blue and announces his arrival to Pune the next day. That sure made my day. The 4 years of college flashed by… the antics of different people… crazy jacks all of them!!! I met him yesterday evening and for the first time in 3 years I desperately wanted my college days back. Earlier it was a longing but now it’s a need. Strange isn’t it?? Thanks to him I got updated on so many things. Fortunately for all of us, the entire gang has managed a foothold in their chosen profession. Felt real good.

There was a long trip down memory lane. Guys, with weird traits… everyone had a signature there… everything!! Sharing four years of your life with some people simply forms an unbreakable bond. Life can throw at the farthest of distances and yet it is with those people that you may connect the best.

A couple of beers, soft music on the car stereo… and moments of reflection!!
And from there on the conversation drifted to the future and how one should really go about certain stuff (guys talk… chuck it!! :P)

We kept going back and forth in time…..
The times when used smuggle in alcohol to the hostel, the rotten food served on Tuesdays for dinner, the endless queue of biryani on Sundays, my roommate, Rajiv’s immense appetite (used to have close to 30 chapattis for dinner), nightlong music sessions, the way CD played his guitar… “Hey CD, c’mon man, play it properly!!” “Shut up… am playing… what else do you want??”, the we used to bug a junior Nilu to play the guitar.. he was our juke box.. we would think up the songs and he would’ve to play it then and there, Sas.. football crazy and well crazy about a few other things, Banta with his constant banter.. lol…, Tony, with his weird sleeping position and an apt foil Banta’s chatter… gave him a real run for his money…the list is endless!!

Let me recount an incident for you: There was this fella Souvik, a really simple bloke, someone you could easily take advantage of. So, now our dear friend was in crazy about dance. Being the devils that we were me and Sas convinced him that Tony was a damn good dancer and had won quite a few inter-school competitions. He did extract a treat out him for this. Tony was flabbergasted when he learnt about. Poor fellow he could never dance to save his life. Spurred by the new info on Tony, Souvik kept cornering him, until one day Tony, being the brat he was took Souvik to the café gave him bogus tips, had a sumptuous meal and made Souvik pay the bill!! And he has been avoiding Souvik ever since!! :D

Those were the days!! There are many such. Should I try to recollect them all… might end up writing another book about the engineering guys… and I hate being a repeat!! :)

A favourite song of mine to commemorate this occasion: Purano Shei Diner Kotha

Written by Rabindranath Tagore and set to the tunes of Auld Lang Syne, this song is somewhat a signature song for most Bengalis worldwide irrespective of their age.

A game of 8...

2008-04-30T10:20:00.004+01:00

Tagged aeons ago by Pri and recently by Solitaire, I decided to go for it finally. The tag makes me list out 8 stuff based on different criterias... So here I go now... you can munch on you popcorns now!!!

8 things I am passionate about...

Love
Life
Music
My guitar
My Blogs
Figuring out people for what they are
Friends
Family

8 things I want to do before I die...

Own a Maybach
Tour the world, esp. Italy, France, Greece and Egypt
Be an
author of note
Be a rockstar
Be a chef par excellence
Achieve all the which I desire today
Help as many people as possible
Find a job which suits my abilities perfectly

8 things I say often...

What the hell!!
Crap!!
Get lost!!
Outta ur freakin' mind, are you??
What a ...... !!!
I hate it!!
That's the way I like it!!
Bloody hell!!

8 books I have read recently...

Unaccustomed Earth
The Last song of Dusk
Maximum City
Anything for you ma'am
That thing called love
Above Average
Kite Runner
The Witch of Portobello

8 songs I could listen to over and over again...

Neele neele ambar par
Wonderful Tonight
Kuch na kaho
Sili sili tapti raaton mein (dil kya kare)
Can't help falling in love
Musafir hoon yaaron
Hotel California
Winds of Change
November Rain
Don't cry
Civil War
Cats in the Cradle
Fade to Black
Nothing else matters
Sapnay (Ek pal) - Silk Route
Guncha koi - Mohit Chauhan
Aaj jaane ki zidd na karo

..... oops this is more than eight!! Well there are loads on my list!!!

8 things that attract me to my best friends...

Love for music
Understanding nature
Streaks of childishness
Mischievous
nature
Their beauty
Their talents
Ability to help to me when I need it the most
Chatterboxes :)

8 people I think should do this tag...

Mann,
Vands,
Mads,
Solo,
Phoenix,
Clouds,
Ashu,
The eigth person to comment!!!

A Confused Existence

2008-04-24T11:48:00.004+01:00

A few summers ago, when I was still a teenager... an age when people expect you to be terribly confused. Strangely, I never was!! I knew what I wanted, why I wanted, what were my backups and how to go about it too. I wasn't a confused chap at all. A little more than half a decade after school, I retract my statement - I am confused. I'm in my twenties and while I do have a decent career and other stuff in my life in proper place, I'm strangely restless. As per Maslow's hierarchy principle, I am approaching the top of the pyramid. Suddenly, I'm unsure of the future. The unpredictability in the entire situation is getting to my nerves. This forced my look around at other individuals who are in the same age bracket as that of me. And strangely enough, I realise I ain't alone. To a greater or lesser extent we all are going through the same psychological pressures. The unpredictability of the future on a professional and personal note is driving most up the wall.

The lessons learnt aren't too different either. You realise that people around you are selfish and mean, would do anything to forward their own gains. The close friends aren't really the great individuals you pictured them to be, rather they had an interest in being with you and that sure did/does more harm to you than good. Your job isn't what you had in mind when you started. You want something better, but don't know when or how you'd land there. May be you want a change but that means starting at the bottom of the ladder. Used to the comforts your current pay packet gifts you, this change certainly doesn't appeal to you. Suddenly, you feel lonely.... very lonely.

And when it comes to the matters of the heart... confusion reigns supreme!! If you observe, either of the scenes are being enacted around you: a broken heart, waiting to come across that special one, in love with two at a time and lost on that, uncertainty over the future of a relationship. Am I wrong?? And then comes along the new twist, you want to settle down. Commitment rules topmost on your mind then, each and every action of yours is directed the very same direction. Loans, money, a future together, getting a good life... all this rules your mind.

They said twenties are the best times of our lives and you'd tend to say otherwise. I'd say, its the twenties which make an adult out of a child.This post may seem confused to you, but the fact is I too am going through most the situations mentioned above... and that is gnawing me up. A trifle too much!!

PS: In case, if one wants to read up on Maslow and his principle check out the following sites: "Motivation Theories: Individual Needs" and "A Theory of Human Motivation". You can read up on Abraham Maslow over here: "ABRAHAM MASLOW
1908-1970
Dr. C. George Boeree"

Apart from that, you can google. You'll find loads on him and his theories. For students of psychology and management, his principle should be the easiest to state off hand.

Law of the Garbage Truck

2008-04-21T10:01:00.002+01:00

This came in the morning mail and I just decided that I would share it....

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood?

Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important. David J. Pollay explains his story in this way....

Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City
taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean...he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally..You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did."

I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason. Never let the garbage truck run over you....

Goin' Crazy

2008-04-15T07:04:00.004+01:00

In all honesty... I think this is the umpteenth post I'm typing out!! The difference from the previous ones being this has no theme, like as of now I'm writing this one just cause I want to.... no other reason!! Nopes!!

I mean, I've tried writing something about life in general, not mine but one which looks at things a bit philosophically, a poem (fell flat.. honestly horrible!!), a short story... (couldn't understand the crap myself after a few minutes.... scrap it!!).

I tried to get some work done... again that bombed.. can't concentrate on anything.. tried gossipping with a few.. even that failed. I mean, is this what people meant by Torrid Tuesday or something like that??

So, there I am very much in a mood to bunk work (just like college.. :D), and saunter down to the nearest bookstore.. grab the latest Jhumpa Lahiri novel... sneak in at CCD, order a Cool Blue or a Kaapi Nirvana and simple while the noon away with the book. Too nice to be true on a working day... sheesh!!!

And the thing that is driving me crazy is the burns that I have in my mouth.... I mean, the doc said it would be an extraction. I was pretty cool about it. But then things had to go wrong.. and I ended up with burns (due to the dentist's drill). The result is such that, I want to eat, I need to eat (am hungry!! :( ) but then, I fear having something as basic as water as it hurts. But then, am managing.... just a tad bit hungry, that's all!! And then there was this party on Sunday amongst friends where we got together to celebrate the Bengali New Year. There was food, drinks, music... and all I could do was talk a little (even that's a pain!!), sing a lil... (damn!!), hardly eat anything.... and drink only Sprite.. coz that has least soda and thus would hurt the least!!

That makes me wonder, here I am who has no option but to restrict his intake despite having the position to get anything he desires, and I'm going crazy with hunger. How do those who do not have the privilege to decide whether they can eat or not tolerate this inhuman state of the body? As a kid, I was often told about the famine struck conditions of East Africa. I wonder how they deal with this? I wonder how people who don't have an option on what they do, deal with that helplessness? From where to they draw their strength to accept the fate that they have and still try and live a happy life out of it? I mean, that kid on the street who isn't sure about his two square meals is perhaps happier than I am. Or is it that the grass seems to be greener on the other side.

Happiness is relative. In that case, what is happiness?? How do you attain it?? It's all so confusing isn't it??

Allow me to take your leave, have a few medicines to take. Ciao!!!

PS: This just came in.. The Mumbai Bloggers Meet scheduled for the 20th has just been postponed to the 27th for lack of proper venue. Anyone who knows of a centrally located, easily accessible, indoor venue in Mumbai which can seat about a 100 bloggers at one go, please contact the Indiblogger team ASAP!!

Some humour:
Theory is when you know something, but it doesn't work.
Practice is when something works, but you don't know why it works.
Programmers combine Theory and Practice: Nothing works and they don't know why.

Lost!!!

2008-04-09T10:22:00.003+01:00

Nothing much to post about to be honest but then the bug at times bites real hard and despite the want of ideas even before you realise your fingers are flying away on the ketboard and well.. you are writing a post. So lemme see what have I been upto really.... I've been trying to ease upa little.. it seems i'm strung real high and get irritated at the drop of a hat; Been tryingt o write a story... and before I was through with that I end up with another idea..a dnw ell now I' have two stories developing in a parallel track... i just they don't merge to create a catastrophic work of fiction!! Phew!! apart from that.. well mum is in town.. which means I'm being real good boy nowadays. And well... am having a tooth extraction, wisdom tooth... coz the brat is bugging the otgher functional ones and can cause serious damage to them. So, that means after tonight I'll be off solid food for about 48 hours. Darn painful thought I tell you.... and there I have a friend who calls up shrieks, "You are having a dental abortion?? Cool!! When is it going to be?? Do ensure you eat to hearts content before you go for that!!". And there I was trying to keep a straight face and not grimace back. Though it wouldn't have mattered much, 'coz she was over the phone but then...

Apart from all this I have been wondering at the amount of time we all spend at work. I mean, most of us end up doing so at the cost of our personal lives. In the professional world we are replaceable, but not in our personal lives. We go to work come back home and still think about something or the other pertaining to work. At times, I get the feeling that we've sold our soul to a devil called profession, which is engulfing all our senses leaving us as nothing but money earning machines. I mean, what on earth are we getting from working our asses off??? A sick body, a fatigues mind??? Philosophically speaking it's not really worth it. And yet, in world that we live in "You need money honey!!". perfect catch 22 situation if ever there was one!! I feel like breaking away from this routine ridden, mundane life of mine and doing the things that I like the most and yet they all cost something... there are no free lunches after all. So, to pursue the things I like, I have to work so that I can really chuck everything and simply sit back adn relax one fine day. But, will I be energetic enough for that then???

At times I feel we are lost. We are ignoring our heart's calling in doing what the "world" supposedly deems fit, defines as success. In a quest to build a beautiful and secure future are we not missing out on a splendid today?? Are we not lost???

20 things about ME!!!

2008-04-08T08:20:00.006+01:00

Got tagged by Solo for this one and since I didn't have a thing to do.. well why not.... so here goes... 20 things about me!!!! :)

1. LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER:

RACE.... a good, fast-paced thriller

2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?

Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. Like the way he talks about Mumbai.

3. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?

hmmm......... this is a tough one. I've played loads but can't say anyone of them is my favourite. My favourite sports are lawn tennis, badminton, table tennis and snooker. That's it!!

4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE?

I don't read mags.

5. FAVORITE SMELLS?

New books, Davidoff Cool Water, BVLGARI Blue n the scent of a woman :P

Did I forget the smell of freshly baked cakes, tandoori chicken or for that matter kebabs and all??

6. FAVORITE SOUND?

The sound of music... whatever be the source.... a voice, an instrument, a soundbox.

The rev of a powerful bike or car.

Someone's voice when she decides to baby talk!! :D

7. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

Not being able to do what you think should be done.

Feeling helpless. Not in control of situation.. losing or fear of losing someone you love.

8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE?

darn!!! its morning...... what time is it???

9. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Nothing in particular..... Crispy Chicken at KFC, McAloo Tikki at McD, Jumbo Chicken Burger at Burger King, Chicken Farcha at Lucky's KoregaonPark Pune, Egg Bhurji at Pune Station. Too many... can't single out any single one!!

10. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?

I'm not letting you into this. It's a secret!!

11. FINISH THIS STATEMENT. "IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I'D...?

start my own restaurant and then may be a hotel, and develop it into a chain. And yeah, travel frequently to places where my heart belongs like Delhi, Kolkata and Sikkim.

12. DO YOU DRIVE FAST?

Safety is more important than speed. So, 100kmph is the max I'd clock past midnight on an empty street in the city.

13. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

No!!! But, there is one who does watch me from where she sits every night!! A gift in case you were wondering!!

14. STORMS-COOL OR SCARY?

Pleanty of oppurtunities ;)

15. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

Errr.... don't remember!! :P

16. FAVORITE DRINK?

Coffee, Thums Up, Budweiser, Old Monk, Blue Curacao based drinks, Vodka with Lime cordial, Wine (Chilled white and room temp or cool red)

17. FINISH THIS STATEMENT, "IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD .....

I'd alow myself to travel back and know in & out every city I've stepped into.

18. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?

What's that????

19. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

No thanks!! I'm quite happy with Black.

20. NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN.

Kolkata, Patna, Mumbai, Jaipur, Sikkim, Pune.

21. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Soccer, Snooker, Pool, Any racquet game.

22. ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU.

A lively writer. For more comments I'd have to know her a little more and thus require more time.

23. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?

The floor!!

24. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN?

Yup!!! Am too good..... may be a with a few cosmetic changes but otherwise the same.

25. MORNING PERSON, OR NIGHT OWL?

Night owl.... what's morning???

26. OVER EASY, OR SUNNY SIDE UP?

errrr........ what's this about???

27. FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?

My bed, bean bag, a cool floor, a bath tub!!

28. FAVORITE PIE?

Errr... none really!!

29. FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Butterscotch, Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla and the Gelatos (don't remember the names except for Mecroche(Ti Amo)!!)

30. OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU TAGGED THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?

Honestly, I haven't the faintest clue!!!

That's it done.... and the ones I tag are:

Gini
Pri
Aashi
Sneha
Deya
Raka
Ashu
Mann
Vands
Mads

I suppose that should suffice!! :)

Fried eggs..... Sunny side up!!

2008-04-03T13:50:00.005+01:00

Nopes this has nothing to do with eggs. Neither would you taken through a discourse on how exalted and much respected my culinary skills have become (which by the way is still far from good, ahem!!). Time or should I say fate has been playing truant with me and has me gasping for breath every now and then. In light of my aspirations and other such stuff, I set upon all the actions with as much gusto but then it seems they've come to a stand still. I would say the entire show has started to well.... stagnate. Chuck it. And well other stuff are not going along too well. So I might say this is an attempt to cheer the self up... you may click on that small red cross the top right corner of your window now or carry on at you own peril.

Microsoft works!!

It was at the recently concluded Pune Bloggers Meet that Sandhya, a Microsoft evangelist, was talking about the Microsoft Live writer. Frankly, we were all surprised to know that it as FREE. (yup!! you got that right.. go grab a copy and tell me how it is!! :D). And then time for a Demo. It worked nice and fine or were there a few glitches. Whatever it was, suddenly I exclaimed "Microsoft works!!". It was more of a sarcasm really but well......

Delhi Blues........

There is this friend of mine who never fails to crack me up with her childish antics. Here's one of her latest (imagine baby talk, alright):

F: "I've got malaria!!"

Me: "Hmmm.... how do you know you never went to the doc??"

F: "No!! I've got typhoid!!"

Me: "huh???"

F: "No wait.... I think.. damn!! I dunno......."

Me: "Make up your mind and then I'll worry"

F: "You are absolutely hopeless"

And there I was dumbfounded as to what was that I did!!! Usual story.... chuck it!!

It really matters what you say... apart from the how!!

This one happened here at work. An entire team having a bite in the evening. Here is a snippet of conversation:

R: Dude, mujhe tere nicheka chahiye!! (referring to the burger he was having!!)

Dude: WHAT??? (Obviously thinking something else!!)

Silence.... and then the team bursts out laughing!!

It's so cold.

Another one from my pal. A cold Delhi morning. The auto speeding towards destination. She gives me a call.

F: "Sam, it's so cold here!!"

Me: "Didn't you take a shawl??"

F: "No, but I am wearing a coat."

Me: "Isn't it the same one, which never fails to keep the cold out."

F: "yeah...."

Me: "And then you complain about it being cold...."

Beer is to be taken chilled.

Well, there was this once I got myself a beer and had just about half of it. Lack of fridge allowed the beer to come around to room temperature. I forgot all about it. My dear flatmate N turns up with the bottle more than 24 hrs later and was like, "What would happened if I had this beer?? Can't let it go waste like this"... "Be my guest", I replied. He drank.... bottoms up... seconds later he was spewing it all out. Lesson: beer is to had chilled and in no other condition.

Once a non-veg.. always..

A few summers back, a friend of mine went the Maneka Gandhi way and denounced non-vegetarian food. Good.. nothing wrong with it, except if you love non-veg and your friends decide to go on a non-veg eating spree right after your decision.So one fine evening, with a plan to booze, we got all the stuff in our rooms along with loads of tandoori chicken and panner tikka for the veggie convert. With just the last piece of chicken lying around and most the guys too full to stuff anymore, our friend promptly jumps upon it. Though the action was deliberate to tempt him, we had not expected this result. He simply stared at us with mouthful of succulent chicken flesh, and finally mumbled: "Well you guys weren't having it, and the poor fellow seemed to be beckoning me to it.. I just decided to.. you know... relieve it... you know.... YOU DOGS!!!! STOP STARING!!!!"

Ah.. i dunno.. am smiling a little at those memories. Lesson learnt: Never try recounting tales.... I remember them fine but I narrate them in a pathetic manner. Period!!

Oh and those who have read this far. Thank you.... I know am out of your reach so my back is safe, but apologies for writing such a horrible post!!! :D

So long.. enjoy your eggs.. sunny side up!! :)

Cheerio!!

Mumbai Blogger Meet

2008-04-02T09:36:00.004+01:00

Hey folks!!
last time around a few had complained that I had put up the Pune Blogger Meet news too late for any one of them to make it. So this time around, you have it almost 3 weeks in advance. Make the most it. See you all in Mumbai. This one is again organised by Indiblogger.

Scheduled for 20/04/2008 at 16:
City: Mumbai
Venue: To be announced, once discovered.

Mumbai blogger meet

20/04/2008 at 16:00

Check out the link here: Mumbai Bloggers Meet

Just a sandwich!!

2008-03-27T10:55:00.001Z

Well have been fiddling with an idea for sometime now, a fiction you see about something happening in a 30 minutes time span while waiting for the train or say flight. I haven't the faintest bit of idea as to why I'm fixated on it, but then I am. It's like a prompt that I ended up with on my own. Anywyz, apart from that well nothing much happening. Work is the usual, friends and family are doing great. And well... nothing else.

Frankly, right now I'm in a foul mood and partly sad. Let me tell you why. It's 3:00 pm, am yet to have breakfast. So thought of going around to the cafe and asking the vendor there for a sandwich and a glass of fresh juice. And that means 15 minutes of wait.. doing nothing!! After about 20 minutes I go around to him and enquire about the order. It seems someone else had come around paid for the same and walked away with what was supposed to be mine. And it was after I pointed it out that he set about to prepare a fresh batch. This pissed me off and I cancelled the order and walked off. (Didn't pay him a dime!!)
He got the stuff ready informed me about it. I flatly refused to have anything to do with it. He requested me a number of times and apologized for the goof up too. I remained adamant. Finally, he dumped in the entire stuff in the bin and walked off.

Now, here's when my pondering started. Was I right in standing my ground? Should I've forgiven him and accepted the goods? I mean, he really isn't in-charge of a posh resto or something. Just an average guy selling his wares (in this case food). So my actions did it hurt him in a way which might have a bearing on his earnings? (apart from losing my order!!) I mean, I'm still hungry and I really am not going to go back and ask him for another sandwich. So, in the end the purpose still lies incomplete. Was my anger in its rightful place? Did I overdo it?

I don't know. Can you help me??

Pune Bloggers Meet

2008-03-19T09:33:00.001Z

Now this has been long due. It should have been up at least 8 days ago. But then, I really haven't been in a position to blog of late. So with all due apologies I would direct you all the followin links:

Preethi (PS): Of the Just a mother of two fame. She was covering the met for Times of India.

Anwin: Co-founder for Indiblogger. One the three cool dudes who came up with this entire idea.

Vinni: The man who made it all happen in Pune and put in loads of painstaking hours along with the Indiblogger team

Tarun Chandel: One the pillars in getting BarCamp and BlogCamp being organised in this part of the world. By the way, the next camp is on 29th March, 2008 at IIT Mumbai, Powai - BlogCamp Mumbai!!

Krishna Aradhi: Well this fellow can be found in his own corner or at Mutiny.in. So check out what he has to say.

Roshan: A doctor who also blogs.

Well, this was my first meet and I predictably went in with a blank slate. With a brief intro in Indiblogger and what blogger meet was all about, what started off was a "1 Minute" fame where people turned up and spoke about their blogs. Of note, IMO were a few bloggers like Karamveer who mints money through his blogs, and a few others who are doing the same in vernacular languages - in this case Marathi (and i remember someone telling me vernacular language blogsa in't of any use!! hmpf!!) With Microsoft sponsoring we had an evangelist Sandhya from Microsoft amongst us. Again an avid blogger. She introduced us to Microsoft Live Writer, which is a wonderful tool and surprisingly its free!! :)

Oh btw, check out the video below this is what kicked off the Meet. The music is from "The Kiss" from OST, Last of the Mohicans.

I am the Blog
Uploaded by ca204valry

Bloggers Meet : Pune

2008-03-14T05:53:00.004Z

This is coming a bit late in the day!! But then, better late than never!!

There's a blogger meet on 15th March, 2008 organised by Indiblogger along with Microsoft. So in case you are interested do register for the meet!! :)

Venue:

Symbiosis Bhavan

Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning

1065B, Model Colony

Gokhale Cross Road,

Pune - 411016

Phone: 020-66211111

Landmark: Lane Opposite E-square, Near Atur Center, Near Om Super Market, Near University Road.

Be there if you can!!

Pune Blogger Meet

15/03/2008 at 16:00

More details about agenda here: Pune Bloggers Meet

Ijazaat (Permission)

2008-03-07T09:04:00.004Z

The story is incomplete. But then it is still at a spot where I can tell you about it. Happy reading. Now, I would like an honest opinion on this one. Part of it has been produced here before, but then I thought of having it all at one spot.

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

Agar tum ijazaat do to,
Phir tumhare sapno se tarashu,
Koi naya Taj Mahal;
Sile hotho se tumhare ,
Chura lu koi nayi gazal;
Nashile un nigaho se,
Chalka du phir madhoshi ka vo jaam;
Agar tum keh do to,
Phir se likhu pyaar ka,
Koi naya paigam;
Chand ko mei phir se bulao,
Aur savaru tumhe.
Agar tum hidayat do to,
Mei tumhe phirse vahi,
Geet sunau;
Mei phirse tumhe apna,
Pyaar jatau.
Agar tum ijazaat do to.

Hi there,
I wonder what made you read this far. Probably u found the text at the start of this page quite intriguing. Well I really can’t say much about that coz I wrote that myself. But then this page and whatever is going to be written in the next few pages is going to be written by me. The setting of my story is a beautiful evening in the “City of Joy”. For the uninitiated I’m talking about Kolkata, erstwhile Calcutta. Our story revolves around two people who despite having once shared a deep love for each other have in the course of years forgotten how it really was to feel for, and pine for each others love. It reflects what a fast paced life, engrossed in a career can do to your relationships. It’s a story about us, the new age individuals who have forgotten the meaning of being human. Well enough said about the story. I can see u r getting impatient over there. Let’s read and find out how much do we identify ourselves with them? Where does that one evening take them? Is that evening going to come in our lives too? Read on…..

My story takes place on hot summer evening. It was a holiday or a Sunday. I really can’t remember that. U know it was so long ago. Oh! By the way let me introduce myself. I’m Aditya Roy, 35, presently working in an MNC. Or should I say was. Because you see I gave in my resignation a week back and they haven’t got back to me to yet. So really, I don’t know my status – employed or unemployed. The only thing that I can say is that right now I am nestled in a cottage in the Himalayas, far away from the rush of a city and just close enough to civilization to satisfy my basic needs. In fact, if right now you are wondering as to what my present has to do with that fateful summer evening, the truth is - everything. You see it was on that evening that a major chapter of life finished. A part of me died. Though I never realized it until it was too late.

My wife’s name was Sulakshana. A pretty name and very Bengali. But then, I knew her since my college days. I was a student of English (Hons.) in a Calcutta college. She was a year junior to me, in the department of History. We met during the rehearsals of a college play for some inter-college fest. It was in the year 1997. We hit off immediately. Life was then full of vision, full of eagerness. And it all seemed possible because one of the most perfect ladies ever created by the God Almighty was with me. Our relation blossomed and finally we married, when I was 26. Life seemed to be very pleased with me then. I started getting plum projects for my firm. I performed beyond expectations; my success egged me on towards new challenges. I excelled. It was all too good last. I had everything in life that a man could want. I had a successful career, a wonderful social status, a beautiful and loving wife. Things were perfect or so it seemed to me then.

By this time 4 blissful years of marriage had already passed by. On that fateful evening I was reading a newspaper as was my habit. Then came a phone call for my wife. It was from someone I didn’t know. Maybe someone from the college days. I dismissed the matter from my mind. A few minutes later she announced that she had to go out. I agreed and was about to get ready to drop her off, when she told me that she would like to go on her own. I was surprised. This was a definite deviation from her predictable behavior. Usually when I was home I used to chauffeur her around, which I must say wasn’t very often. It was quite obvious that whatever the reason it must be due that call. “The Call”. She left in her car. Unable to bear the tension I decided to tail her. That was the first mistake I should have trusted her. I didn’t!! I still don’t know why? But I didn’t.

And so as she sped down the wide roads of Kolkata in her car, I tailed her. I wanted to see, wanted to know. The curiosity was killing me. What was it that was keeping her so secretive?? I wished I could peek into her mind and know what she was upto. The tailing took me to one of the most posh area of the city – Park Street. Just when I was about to start wondering where she was actually headed for, she stopped. I stayed low in my car. Couldn’t afford to have her see me. She went into one of the many restaurants that lined up in that stretch. Whom was she meeting?? I really wanted to know. All that I read about extra-marital affairs came flooding back to my mind. This was too tormenting. But my instincts warned me of such a move. The restaurant I knew well. I can’t possibly remain under cover for long there. What do I do??

About 20 min later, she walks out looking busy as hell, gets into her car, revs it up and speeds away. I had trouble keeping up with her. Where now?? I relaxed a little when I realized that she was heading home, before panic struck home. I was supposed to be at home. It was my turn to speed. I decided to take a different route. I sped……….

Finally, she came home. I was already back at my place. She comes in gives me a peck on the cheek and proceeds to her bedroom. I decided to ask her about her whereabouts.

“Hey honey, where did rush off to?? Is everything alright?”

She comes out of the bedroom, draped in a robe and looking prettier than ever.

“Yes dear. I just had something important to tend to.”

“What??” I was way too intrigued!!

“Nothing sweetie. Nothing that you should worry about!!” And she goes off for a bath.

I guess it was that secretive attitude that I saw which triggered a wave of mistrust in me towards her. I spent the entire night contemplating reasons for such behavior of hers. Married for 4 years, known each other since college days and yet this day had to arrive when I would chuck all my feelings aside for and wondering whether she is having an affair or not. I decided to put this doubt of mine to rest once and for all. This calls for some sleuthing. I called for professional help.

III

The sleuth was one of the more efficient ones in town. He took the job up as if it was a regular routine. I wanted this matter sorted out within a space of 2 weeks, before our 5th anniversary. I didn’t want to dance her arms then with heart full of doubts about her. The young man appointed tailed her, tracked her had each and every detail of her movements. He made a detailed report of her activities and gave me a report. The highlighted facts were very disturbing to say the least.

Sulakshana would meet this guy just about every other day at the same restaurant. The fellow happened to be the manager at there. What they used to talk about was a subject of guesswork, but the maximum their meeting had lasted was 30 min. And that was the day before I was given the report. Next day would be my marriage anniversary. Everything that I had planned for seemed to be going to the dogs. All that I could see was my wife with some other guy. That night I went to sleep with a heavy heart.

The next day, as can be expected, I turned up early from office. I knew she would want that. As I walked through the door, I heard her speaking over the phone.

“Have you made sure everything is alright?? You know how I would hate a goof up.”

Some reply from the other side…………
“I know dear, but there should be no slip up.”………
“I get that. He doesn’t need to know now. And anyways, my husband is a sweetheart he’ll never suspect”……………..

She laughs and hangs up the phone. And there I stood rooted to the very spot. I couldn’t believe my ears. It seems that my wife was having an affair!! I couldn’t believe it. This can’t be happening to me.

Finding me at the doorstep she was taken aback. Caught at a wrong moment she didn’t know how to react. She smiled then laughed and then put on her trademark smile (it always drove me wild), came forward and asked in a musical voice,

“So now you know everything??”

I couldn’t believe my ears or my eyes. Caught cheating on me, this woman as looking me into the eye and asking about it as if it were a joke???? Is this the faithful woman I had loved and married??? I had to play by the rules already set then.

“Yes dear, you never could really keep things hidden from me. I did have a hunch. It seems I was right.”

“You did?? But, how could you? I took so much care so as not let you know about this.”, she was very surprised. That gave me a sadistic pleasure.

“Well honey, it’s my life and you really can’t keep me in the dark about this for long. Sooner or later I had to know.”

“I know dear, but I wanted to break the news to you myself.”

“Really??? It would have been great right? What a sight!! Wife breaks news of adultery to her husband. Husband too shocked to react. Wonderful headlines!!”

“Adultery?? What are you talking about??”

“Exactly what you’ve heard. You have been going around with someone for the past few weeks, haven’t you??”

“What are you talking about??”, she had one of the most astonished and shocked expressions on her face. The innocent look of hers drove me wild. I wanted to hurt her like anything then.

And so I started giving her an account of all that she has been doing for the past two weeks. Each and every breathing moment had a record. The pictures were there too. All this while, she simply had a shocked and pained look on her face. I couldn’t believe that. I wanted explanations. I had too many questions.

“Who is he?” “Manav.”
“Is that all??” “Manav was one my class mates. He is now a manager at that restaurant.”
“So how long have you been seeing him?”
“I’m not seeing him. He’s my friend and he was helping me organize a party for today evening at his restaurant. It’s our fifth anniversary and there was an important announcement that I wanted to make.”
“What announcement??”
“I don’t think it matters anymore.”
“It does, tell me……”
“I’m pregnant. You are going to be Dad.”

That knocked a little wind out of me.

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

Call of the wild!!

2008-02-27T10:10:00.005Z

No!! This is not about a trip to the wild jungles and stuff like that. This is about what's there and what we are going to loose, what our future generations may never see. A couple of weeks ago I saw this report on NDTV (I guess) where they were talking of the diminishing number of Tigers and Gharials. While the number of Tigers have gone down, its the Gharials who are really the matter of concern. With an alarming death of more than 100 at the Chambal Sanctuary in the past couple of months for reasons unknown, the Gharial is now one of teh critically endangered species. I've been trying to dig up more on them, but its a painstaking work, what with our daily obligations in place. Anywyz, amidst all this I came across one such enthusiast, Apoorva Joshi, who has actually gone out there and is trying to do something about this. Please go through her blog: the wilderness n its wild kid.

Now after all this talk, I'd like some inputs from you as to how we can contribute to such issues. We can write, yes!! But apart from that, what?? Speak out, I don't care how absurd your ideas are, how naive, impossible illogical they are. Provide information if you have any. And if you are already involved do tell us about it. Every thought that you'd share counts. It's because of us that they are in the condition that they are!!!

This is not about us, it's about the environment that we live in. It's about the ecological balance. It's about what we pass on to future generations. Please, let's do something about it.

Something to ponder about!!!

2008-02-22T11:53:00.003Z

Spetember 2005, I had started my professional journey. I was wary of the jungle that awaited me. Though I'd be cocooned for about 6 months due to training, it won't last forever would it?? In those impressionable times, I came across someone, who became my idol in little or no time. Some casual conversations and other interactions made me revere this person like I had never done before. Was able to observe him for a few months more before he moved on.

Today while going through my mail archives, I chanced upon his parting mail and it made me think. I'll qoute his words for you:

"A person goes through many associations in his/her professional life. Most of these associations are meant to be and treated as temporary; some are proven to be significant and cared for, for a much longer duration than the preceding category. A few, however, stay on for ever in the cosiest corner of one's heart. With passage of time, one's fondness for these only increases.

My association with ****** falls in this last category and now that I am disengaging myself from the organisation for the second time, I know that I am going to yearn for this assocation's continuation in my life. To tell you the truth, I value this as much as I value some of my very personal associations.

At such time of parting, people write mails to their erstwhile colleagues and friends. More often than not, such mails tend to be either a lachrymose huddle of words, or collection of cut and dried, inanimate sentences thanking ex-colleagues or, in some cases, even disaffected musings about how one's life outside the organisation would not be the same again! My mails in the past, in similar situations were not very different, I have to admit. In fact, most of the times, such mails are too predictable in their tone and in their contents to elicit a caring read from the intended recipients.

Hence, I have decided not to write a mail to tell you all about my fondness for ******, and my fascination for its environment and people. Instead, let me just say that through my 14+ years of struggle to survive in this unpredictable, demanding but thoroughly enjoyable industry, I have come to understand that life is much bigger than all these. To excel in work, one needs to have passion, demonstrate perseverance, exercise resilience and learn and unlearn things in a frenetic speed. But to be successful in life, one probably needs these and much more, the most important being the ability to look beyond our immediate work environment. A career gives a lot, but demands a lot in return. But, a close relation or a close friend gives a lot too, but not necessarily demand a lot in return, if anything. We all need to wriggle out of this all-consuming clutch of a race in professional life - a race which has a beginning but no seeming end - and being to look at life in its entirety. That is where the best of the human attributes like love, affection,kindness and friendship, flourish. They define the completeness of us as human beings.

Therefore, I would end this the mail with a honest request to you all (as well as myself) to begin to segregate between work and life, to look beyond the fantasy land that an IT job creates, to begin to appreciate precious softer sides of life that spring forth around us everyday, to reach out to family and friends for whom we usually keep the bottom-most of the ToDo list, aside."

Doesn't that make you stop and think about what you've been doing all this while??

When, I read this mail, I simply stopped working. I couldn't write a single line of code. As I sat back and wondered, I realised how much I have been running after my career or rather what I believe I'm qualified enough to do. I'm losing out on the personal front so much. I'm losing touch with most of my friends. Where is this going to take me? A deep lying thought probably planted by my idol years ago, again shook itself out of its slumber and made me look around and question my motives for working and what is it I am paying in kind with to get that cash?? And I go back to a favourite line of mine:

"Never be so busy, that cannot stop by and smell the flowers!!"

Work, but as a free man/woman not as a slave!!! Enjoy life..... you gotta play at times too... be impulsive.... be yourself!!!! :)

Gotta be 18!!

2008-02-08T05:22:00.000Z

Well, now all of you in tune with the latest news would have come across this debate that's going on regarding bringing down the marriageable age for boys from 21 to 18. Now, this actualy brings me to one of my questions. No answers found till date to be honest, but then I still have that question. Ready for it??

An Indian is deemed to be an adult at the age of 18 means, you can vote, you can drive, you can enter the pubs. Does it mean anything else to youngsters?? People who are about to step out of their teens and are not really worldly wise being given the license to marry?? Marriage is not a joke. It takes a lot for an individual to make a relationship click. And marriage is the most important one you'd have had since you started walking (parents happened when you were born, right?? :)) So now, does one really think that at 18, one is mature enough to marry another person and then settle down to a life with him/her?? Someone who hasn't had an iota of idea of being an adult is being allowed to marry, why?? Law Commission has put forth this recommendation... wonder why not the other way around?? I mean given the way girls do get packed off in India, I personally am of the opinion that the marriagable age for girls should be 21 or above. Likewise for guys. That way, one might ensure that the girl does get to complete graduation and opens her up to the world outside and helps her mature as an adult. And the guys too would get the time to grow up.

Now, another recommendation by the Law Commission is to raise the age for consentual sex for girls to 16 from 15 (I wonder what it is for boys??). My question is the does the general psychology of a 16 year old allows him/her to handle the emotional aspect of a sexual intercourse?? I doubt!! And given the nature of sex-education in India, I personally don't approve of this. but then, what to do for the curious teenage mind?? There are enough material out there to tell them about the basics of the show and chances are they'd be interested in trying it out. So, if we raise the age bar too much, loads would be breaking the law, if we make it too low we might encounter teens making out quite often. May be 16 balances it out, but then sexual awareness should also be spread and in a BIG way at that, then and only then one can ensure that the teens are at least responsible when engaging in the act.

I hope my rambling was sensible enough. Check out IBN Live :
Sex at 16, marry at 18: Big Indian adulthood debate

Do let me know, what you think!!! Be honest and frank....

Smiling Drivers

2008-02-07T15:41:00.000Z

How many times while driving have you felt like socking the driver ahead of you for say jumping lanes/signals, honking as if there's no tomorrow, zigzagging like crazy, braking all too frequently and stuff like that? Let me guess, every so often is it not?

Well.... I too am one such harassed driver. Now, this is what --XH-- wrote in one of his posts. It's about a group of smiling drivers. I really liked the concept. Go ahead and check it out!!

Crib a lil more....

2008-02-07T10:25:00.003Z

Alright now, I'm here to crib a lil more.

Ok, so there I was working from 3-11 last week, and the main task at hand was to go through about 2200 documents. I had to verify them. One of my colleagues was also helping me out at that. So that's the two of us, working our ass off. The week goes by, haven't progressed much, just about 500 done. Honestly, its such a bugging task, we weren't really enjoying it. Anywyz, so there we were quite happy that we will get some more through on regular work hours this week and then came the blow on Monday. We both had to turn up again this week and work from 3-11. Isn't that amazing??

Here's the icing on the cake. I'm leaving early tomorrow on a weekend trip. So there I am stuck with loads of those irksome docs and have to get through with my list by EOD today. Dunno, how I wil manage it, but was just wondering why can't those buggers do it for themselves, maybe then they would realise why we are hating that task!!!

Who said software engineers had it easy in life, but must have been super ignorant!!! hmpf!!!

2008-01-31T10:20:00.000Z

Oft you ask me what I think of you,

To please you,

I compare your beauty to that of the moon,

Or at times to the diamond.

But then as the calm of the night sets in,

I wonder aloud to myself,

Am I being fair to thee?

Am I enamoured by you,

For thy looks,

As beautiful as the full moon??

For thy eyes,

As sparkling as the stars on a clear night??

For thy glance,

As tender as the morning dew??

Or is it something else?

As undefined as Love itself!!

I searched the answers,

But find them I did not...

It was then that I,

Stared into they questioning eyes

And peeked into thy soul.

I realised then,

Why, I trusted thee to death?

Why I knew you to be there?

Why I could always rest by you?

For I love you.. Not for you looks, eyes or smile...

But for who you are,

For the lady that you be...

The woman that you be..

And thus I request thee to be,

Forever Mine....

And a little more!!

A half baked attempt really.. but then a late night sleepy thought can only be so good!! I hope so.... :)

And now a song to sign off........ ;)

Lazy bones!!

2008-01-28T12:00:00.000Z

Oh, I had a really busy weekend. I mean it was so busy, it left me absolutely tired. Well in fact, I spent the weekend completely in bed, I mean for the most part. Lower that raised eyebrow of yours, was busy sleeping!! Yup!! Now isn't that the perfect way to spend the weekend. Apart from that tried out my hand in the kitchen and well, it wasn't a disaster, in fact I would give myself a 6/10. And I did all that siply because I was feeling too lazy to step out and get lunch, so cooked up something with the stuff I had at home. So, sleep, TV, food and phone calls, that's how the weekend went by.

Was supposed to go to Mumbai on Sunday to meet up a few friends, and then things felt flat on the face on Saturday night, with most of the Mumbaiites except for Avi, pulled out citing one reason or the other. And then Xav, came up with the brilliant idea ($#$#%#$%) of dropping it altogether. Me, Xav and Adi were the ones turning up from Pune. Obviously Avi was furious but then that's life I guess. Anywyz, she cooled down. Result, I spend Sunday in my apartment and picking up on my culinary skills. The only advantage out of the entire fiasco!!

Anywyz, I'm sure you guys have guessed by now I haven't got anything substantial to write about, so I'll bow out while the going is still good. And till then you listen to this beautiful song.. and it is dedicated to someone special!!

Something stupid - Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman

Calcutta Chromosome

2008-01-25T11:02:00.000Z

"Yet repeatedly this uniqueness has been endangered by neglect, and will be swept aside entirely because someone in power will write ‘fire hazard’ on the file and sweep it away for a gigantic retail park to take its place, complete with food court and glittering multiplex. Other cities try to preserve their character and history because these things are simply theirs, but we have always been acutely embarrassed about doing so. Perhaps it’s because Burrabazar is the place of ‘non-Bengalis’, that dreaded uber-species. Perhaps it’s because nearly everything that makes Calcutta Calcutta came originally from somewhere else, to be shaken up in a bizarre mix and given that strange coat of flamboyance and pettiness that has always marked this city. Instead of embracing this bizarreness, our masters have always wanted to pare it down to some essence of ‘Bangalitto’, discarding all the ‘anti-culture’ that keeps blowing in on the four winds. That’s kind of like peeling off all the layers of the onion. The thing that’s left is the least useful part."

- Rimi B. Chatterjee in her post Burrabazar, Burning Once Again.

Does the piece make you think about something? Hmmmm... I wonder!! Let me guide you, this is about a city called Kolkata, though I really to refer it as Calcutta, it's original name. A few weeks back a massive fire ravaged the Burrabazar area of Kolkata. A major business centre, the loss runs more than just a few crores. The fire had destroyed more than 2000 shops. But more importantly it again drove home a truth about this hallowed commercial hub.

Burrabazar or Bazar Kolkata has been in existence since establishment of the colonial rule or sometime thereafter. The place apart from being the business hub that it always has been, was also the residential locality for some of the more affluent business personalities of Kolkata, a category popularly known as "Babus" who were famous for their pomp, glamour and affluence. A reminder of such an era is the palatial buildings that still line the streets and the by-lanes.

Towards the end of the 19th century, one saw the influx of Marwari businessmen, who proceeded to make this area a stronghold of theirs, setting up businesses which are still being run by the later generations. They too added their architectural touch in the this area.

Should you be searching for something and yet to find it, try Burrabazar, you might get lucky. From being sold in small quantities to huge volumes, the transactions carried out at Burrabazar flummoxes many a financial experts. Synonymous with lanes, by-lanes, open garbage area, pungent air, road blocked by trucks, this place has over time turned out to be part of Kolkata/Calcutta's identity.

Yet, it these very structures which are proving to be bane for this area. Constructed in a manner which perhaps was suitable to the era gone by, it certainly is no more viable. Faulty electrical wiring all over the place, with inflammable products being stocked at about every nook and cranny, this place is always sitting on a virtual fireplace ready to get ignited. And this is what happened!!

And what has been happening since then is best highlighted by Rimi.

When will the authorities wake to protect the heritage of the land, when as an added bonus this place is also a major business hub??

*******************

Oh.. tomorrow is Republic Day for India. So here's to you all!!!

A desire to fly...........

2008-01-24T10:31:00.000Z

Not too many years ago, a little boy was running through the streets of his housing complex, screaming with delight. The cool evening breeze of Rajasthan brushing his face, he's out to have fun. He stumbles onto the lawn and lies down panting as his friends collapse one by one around him. They have been sprinting for a while now. He really loved to play. But, what he really wanted to be was an IAF officer. That was his dream. Everyday as he'd stare into the light blue sky, read about the freedom fights and the brave Rajputs, he cannot help but curse his age, why was he so young??

Times change, a year since then he got an eye infection. That changed his life, his ambition or rather loss of it. He now had glasses. His dream of flying the skies lay dashed to bits. At an age where other kids had started to spread their wings, he became listless. He no longer had any desire to grow up. What's the point?? He will never don a uniform for his nation. He drifted from one activity to another trying to figure out what is that could quieten his inner turmoil. Fine arts, cricket, lawn tennis.. they all had their fair chance. He was promising enough on all counts, yet became "Jack of all trades, master of none". The importance of education or rather good scores where impressed onto his mind by many around him. Things were not so simple. He started to hate the entire concept of studying. His grades dropped!!

The kid has gradually changed gears and started on the turbulent teens. Unable to understand what's happening to him, he started to read. And that became his obsession. Life sort of missed him by, his talents took a backseat as the boy, turned into a bookworm. His world was spun with nothing but words. Was he discovering his vocation then? Who knows?? And then he decided he wanted to be a doctor. Try as he might, he didn't get through to a good college. A childhood apathy towards the art of mugging and the Indian education in general had developed a mental block withing him. Ask him to study, he'll fall asleep faster than you can write your name. But then, he made to engineering colleges. He never studied for their exams. How did he clear them? He was bewildered. Perplexed, he followed advice and became an engineer. He still read but no longer wrote.

He graduated, got himself a job and moved into a different city. On his own, he eked out his living. Life was flowing smoothly, and then the bane of youth, a fluttering heart, took him to the doorsteps of a lady he had never set his eyes upon. As initial banters turned into something serious, he stopped drifting. He started to focus. But then, is he not again dreaming to be a pilot.... of his own life now?? Will again, they be thwarted by circumstances?? Or will he succeed??

He seeks control of his life, where he can make decisions on his own, without a care on who thinks high or low about it? But then, he no longer enjoys what he was qualified to do. A white-collared labour of the Indian IT regime, he had little faith in his himself now. He is driven by in his emotions, he has realised it but then can his emotions guide him now? It's treacherous out there, one false move his career plummet to the greatest of lows. And then he has a target to meet, a year to establish himself. But he also has to change track. Where should he move to? How does he get the break??

As thoughts like that chase each other around his head, he walk out into the open and savours the cold winter breeze after a long time!!

That my dear friends is how-story of an average Indian IT programmer goes like when they are a couple of years into the industry. The picture really is not rosy!! But then, dashed hopes, crushed dreams and yet the desire to fly is what makes one succeed I think!!

Another day drifting by..........

2008-01-22T11:27:00.000Z

Alright now, the day here started on a very dismal note. I mean, waking up at 7:30 am is not cool at all, but then had no options. You see, the maid turns up at 8:00, and I have to leave by 8:30, 'coz work start from 9:00. Not done at all!! Anyhow, there I was drowsy and cursing my mobile for shrieking out loud (the damn thing has 3 alarms, and smarty pants yours truly had set them at an interval of 15 royal minutes, huh!!), since 7:00 am. Good thing Neal, couldn't hear it from his room (or may be he was too lazy!!). So, Up and about I make it to the wash basin and go about the morning rituals. So far so good. "What's so special?", you might ask. Nothing, nothing as of now!! With maid supposed to turn up in a few more minutes, I'm for the bath. No time to get some hot water, have to rely on the almost ice-cold water. Happily crooning away (that's not a habit, had to forget about the chill!!), the water runs out me, with the soap buds playing hid seek on my face. I managed to get things done with whatever little was around. And then I realise the reason, some smart ass last night had left the kitchen tap open, so drippy boy had gone on and tried to fill up the sink, it failed so tried even harder forgetting the fact, it doesn't have a never ending supply of water and there are other taps too, who rely on the same source. So, finally there's no water drippy boy failed in its mission. No wonder, the bratty steel was looking a bit dull in the morning.

So, having dealt with the morning accidents, I drove off for work, when on the way I came across this fella or rather a cab driver who seemed to have stepped out for a morning stroll with his car. Wonder whether he was showing his car around the place, "Look there sonny boy, that's where you find good eggs. 26 rupees to a dozen.", "That shopkeeper son is a might crook I tell you, he'll always try to rip you off. Avoid him!!", and god knows what not!! Well, it's really ok, but not at 9:00 am when the world does step out for go to work. And if you've got a car honking right behind you, you move aside. I frankly, have no idea, whether sensibility dawned on him or was mere chance I saw him drifting to the left, that was my chance and I sped. I happened to glance at the rear-view mirror and realised there were about 4 more fellas right behind me, all heaving a sigh of relief. I've got his number (the cab's license plate duh!!), next time I see that cab on the street, I'm not driving!!! hmpf!!!

At work, things have been pretty quiet. Deadlines met, things on schedule, nothing to jangle the nerves to be honest. Boring!! So, I resort to my favorite pastime now, blog reading. I started playing hop-skotch around here, and visited a good deal of them. One of then written by Scout, got me thinking (Read it here). It's about just how unsatisfied one with his/her professional life. And frankly, me being one of them I could feel exactly what she was talking about. I mean, am good at what I do, but I no longer enjoy it. At times I wonder why I drifted into the technical world. Societal pressure?? Parental expectations?? Peer pressure?? Or fear of taking the road less travelled?? I revel in challenges. Challenge my skill and you'll find a genius at work, else you got your everyday Jack next to you!! But then, somethings are going right for me (my personal life), just hafta align my professional life with it and well... I can breathe easy... a lot easy!! It's hard work, and that's why am still here coding and talking to clients. Seriously, money matters!!!

And finally, at the fag end of the day Tapan manages to crack me up. Just dropped in there, to check for the odd post that he puts up there, and came across this one, where he talks about a train ride of his mother , in which a hilarious encounter between mama and some youngsters is discussed. Left me smiling. Read it here.

Alright now, I've bored you fellas enough, get back to your stuff. Honestly!! You guys up for reading any and every rant or what??? :) lol...

Confused Gyaan:

There'll always be strings attached to you. You can break away and try to be yourself or you can loosen them and still try to be yourself. Which one is better?? :)

Ciao!!! Take care people....

Oh!! whatever........

2008-01-21T09:47:00.000Z

I got this in the mail today morning at work sent by a colleague of mine. Take a look....

"The woods were lovely dark and deep. Walking slowly beside her, in the damp mud road, was her husband whom she barely knew. He was very relaxed, happily watching a group of kids playing at a distance.Her "mehandi" was still dark and smelling fresh, reminding of the excitements and tension 2 days back. "It cant work this way mom...please stop this", she kept telling her mother till the last moment, who wouldn't listen but carry on with beautifying her. She had been crying all night and her make-up had to be patched up twice or thrice to hide her awkwardly swollen face.

It was too late now. She had to get married "NOW" to the guy...The guy whom she had seen once and talked thrice. The guy about whom she knew nothing at all but for his name and work. Everything happened in a hurry and everything was over before she could breathe again... here was she with this guy, all alone in this hill station... how can anybody send their daughter such a long distance with a stranger???

"Hey look at that....!!!" he shouted in excitement... she shrugged and looked where his finger pointed... Bright colored balloons dotted the sky. Children were jumping in joy and he seemed to be completely absorbed into it...colors are always exciting...but not now. She was not with her friends, not with her team mates, not even with her parents. This was not a 3 day tour or team building trip. This was her life and she has been forced to start off with this person.Loneliness and discomfort with this stranger was sickening...She looked at him in wonder... does he even realize that he has married me? Does he understand that he has to love me, protect me, care for me, a new girl, a stranger, all his life?

The marriage morning started like a daylight nightmare for her. The first time in life she felt she should have fallen in love and then married somebody. some man who she would have felt more comfortable with, someone whom she could call by name and introduce to friends,someone whom she could trust. But marriage morning was obviously not the time to think all these. Her parents would never have said "no" if she had declared that she was in love. But she was not emotionally attached to anybody she met, especially guys. She was very friendly, playing, teasing, but never had second thought for any man around her. That brought the entire responsibility of looking for a groom on her parents' shoulders. Her parents had had a very bad time with this entire process. They started their groom search with unending "&" operation. The concatenation of "Horoscope matching" & "Decent family" & "Good looking" & "Good pay" & "same cast" & so on... that always gave 0 output. Now after all that 8 months hunt, they were not ready to hear her "ifs" and "buts" for this 'good guy'. She had explained to her father. She does not feel anything for this person. He is nothing more to me than any other software professional. Like list of names she sees in the chat rooms. Distant and usual...Her father asked her to talk to him and even meet him and discuss their likes and dislikes. That meeting started like the induction programme self introduction and ended like a 3 hour seminar.She was waiting to get away from that place. "So did you talk with him?". "yes". "was he polite and decent". "yes". "Oh he got that special flavoured tri-color ice cream...!!!".OK. All her family and relatives discussed...She was given the chance to "understand her life partner" and that they have understood each other "well" and she is ready for the marriage now. All arrangements geared up and it was 24 days after her first meeting that she was getting married to her man... perfect match as everybody else described. Marriage hall was full with excited people, kids got the chance to play, ladies got the chance to wear the silk saree. The smell of rose and jasmine filled the hall. Different poses for the photographer and artificial smiles for the videos. The moment he had tied the sacred thread was unexplainable vacuum in the head. It was over.She was his wife. Accepted by the society and law. Her proud parents were relaxed. This was their duty they had been planning to fulfill since she was born. All this crowd will fade away, leaving her to explore her new world...

He pulled her hand gently to sit on the stone bench. The bench was wet and the chillness was indeed enjoyable. "So what are you thinking about?"... that was an unexpected ball. should she reply? should she be silent? She remembered the two hour presentation she had taken last month. Bold and confident, she kept answering all the queries with a broad smile. Now she remained silent. "Do you know honey... I was not for this marriage too..." Oh my God... what did i hear??? did HE tell that or did i think aloud? what does he mean? didn't he like me? was he forced into this? He must have noticed the quizzical look on my face...with a gentle smile he continued..."I wanted to look for a girl myself, buy her everything, care for her, argue with her, laugh and cry with her, then get married to her... Anything otherwise would be a drama. Traditional drama and i was not for it anytime. But my love for my work and also my stress would not give me time and mind to search that girl...When your parents talked to me 2 weeks before our marriage, about your fear of getting married, to a stranger, i could completely understand your mind. I could see myself in you and that was the moment i decided i will marry you. There was no time to prove myself to you, make you trust me, everything happened in a hurry. But there was the entire life before me, to please you, to love you, to make you trust me. This is no less than what i had dreamt, the girl i was waiting for, is you. Now tell me... will you love me???" Tears came down her cheek. Her parents had done more than their duty. They had found her the perfect guy. Thank you Mom!!! Thank you Dad!!! His question remained unanswered yet both knew the answer...."

Now, after going through this, though things seemed to be filled with promises, I still had a question on my mind. What if this is nothing but a flight of fantasy? And thus started a conversation, which meandered into the various aspects of love-marriage vis-a-vis arranged marriage. I won't list them out for anyone, because enough has already been said. What I can say is that, I'm sticking to my guns and going ahead with my choice.. should things fall apart (god forbid!!) then may be mom-dad can help me out.....

Anywyz, besides all that, this weekend was a hectic one. I mean more hectic than my 40+ hrs of work in the week!! Now, before you start making any wild guesses, let me be clear I was shifting into a new and better (quite obvious I must say) flat. So, there we were, that would be me and Neal, on Saturday morning packing our stuff, rushing off to make sure that the deal is still on, and finally moving out at 7:00 pm. Now that was the first trip, and then there was a second one. So there it was two bachelors loaded with stuff as if both were married men, travelling in the back of a cargo jeep, soiled throughout the day's work. If was quite an effort. let me five you a list of the stuff we had:

1. TV,

2. Cooler,

3. TV trolley,

4. A 5.1 sound system of 2000 watts (or was there another zero I don't really remember!!)

5. 2 beds, 2 double mattress, 2 single mattress

6. About 12 bagful of clothes.

7. A 30kg capacity bag (the kind our aunties fill up completely when coming to India, god bless them.. i love the chocolate box in there :P), full of books,

8. A lots of smaller stuff, which proved to more than we thought we had.

9. I almost forgot, the entire kitchen stuff, that comprised about 2 huge cardboard cartons (say the one in which you got your 21" television)

So that my friends is the belongings of two bachelors. Our landlady threw a fit on seeing our stuff and seemed to be very suspicious that we two were not the only ones staying there (what a shame!!! she questioned my integrity... Do i get to do a Ponting here?? :P) Anywyz, we were tired and dirty... and so dropped off the weary souls. In between I made sure that my lady was kept abreast of all the action out here....

And so turns up Sunday, I still wonder how, I managed to look at the wristwatch striking 8:45 and mistook it for 12:00 pm. That shook off my sleep, it was Isha who corrected me there... and well.. I felt downright sheepish!!! Jeez.... Anywyz, up and about we both got down to some hard work, and set about decorating the flat... Its over now, phew!!!! But then I have taken my call... should I've to take up a flat on rent again, it's gotta be furnished!!!

Anywyz, enough updates on my part. let's hear it from you...

Oh in case, the ones who know are wondering about her, well she spent the weekend at work!!! I hate such work routines!!!

The Flier......

2008-01-16T10:01:00.000Z

Travelling around India in the past couple of years has exposed me to some behavioral patterns which I find amongst my co-passengers.

1. Never listen to the flight attendant when he/she is busy demonstrating the basic in-flight security measures like the seat belt and gas mask.

2. The uncles tend to ogle at the lady attendants a lot, while the youngsters plant the earphones of their i-pod firmly in their ears and proceed to a nap. Wonder what's up??

3. The no one seems to be hungry when on board the low-cost carriers... yet you'd find the very same hogging like there's no tomorrow if they aren't being sold during the flight!!!

God!! Haven't u realised?? The food that you get is always paid for by you.. either during ticketing or during flight!!

4. Oh!! the way people try to get off the flight!!! I mean, the moment the seat belt sign is off... people simply try and scramble off the flight.. as if there's a time bomb on board and its gonna blow up any minute now!!! What's the hurry??? You won't really get anywhere faster just because got off the plane earlier than the rest nor is there an early bird prize!! Woteva!!!

5. Call me bourgieous if you may, but then I find some really irritiating fellows as my co-passengers well about whose demeanor the less said the better!! Now, since the airport tax is shooting up, I hope to see an automatic filter coming on. The flip side is I'd be flying a little less now!! **sighs** Delhi is so bloody far!!! **grumbles**

6. The in-flight magazines and the cutlery that you get with your snack, is meant to be "in-flight" and not for a place in you bag/purse!!! When will they learn??

7. Playing loud music on your system is not cool. Dude, turn the music low or better still if its grunge rock, you might as well turn it off!!

8. Your phone is to be switched off or be in flight mode when the plane is in motion. What sort of a dunderhead whould try and start talking over the phone the moment the flight touches ground??? A typical businessman with no manners what-so-ever!! Oh.. and if you ask them to turn it off, trust me you might as well not look at his face for "if looks could kill" :D

9. Can you speak softly to the fellow next to you?? Someone here is trying to catch up on some sleep!!

Ok.... frankly, I was in a mood to rant and decided to go for this!! Dunno, whether I made much of a sense or not but then....

By the way, were you aware of a site called bugroff?? I'll bet no... take a look at the pic below.

Duur digonter paare (Far beyond the horizon!!)

2008-01-12T20:20:00.000Z

Duur Digont'er Paare......

Chole jete chay je mon,
Duur digonto paar kono ek jaygay
Je jaygay roy mor aponjon,
Jekhane nei bedona, trishna,
Nei jekhane bishader rekha, dukhher megh,
Nei jekhane kono nishohayer chitkar,
Nei jekhane irsha, dwesh,
Jekhane nei karur nishthurota,
Achhe kebol pobitra, komol, sheetol shanti
Aar ek chhaya!!
Shei chhaya, je chhaya'r swapno dekhechhe oneke,
Kintu peyechhe koyeke,
Shei chhaya, jar ashroye notun bichar ney jonmo,
Shei chhaya, jar kol theke udoy hoy ek notun projonmo,
Ei chhaya aar shanti somayeto je jayga,
Shei jaygai mor lokhhyo jar proti agrohi aami!!
Duur digont'er pare he bondhu,
Shottyo bolo, achhe ki ei jaygay?
Naki ei keboli ek prohelika,
Jar jonyo jibon oneke korechhe britha,
Shotti achhe ki ei jayga,
Duur digonter paare!!!

This poem happens to be first attempt at trying out poems in Bengali. Written way back in January 2000, I consider this to be a very childish creation. I'll translate it in english for I'd like to know your views on this.

Far Beyond the Horizon.......

The mind wants to wander,
To place far beyond the horizon,
Where my dear ones who live,
Where there is no pain no thirst,
Where there is no sign of vengeance, or clouds of sorrow,
Where there's no cries of pain,
Nor the shrieks of the helpless,
Where there's no jealousy,
Nor is there hatred,
Where there's nothing but peace...
and a strange shadow!!
A shadow dreamt of by many,
But then few have found it.
A shadow which gives birth to new ideas,
Birth to a new generation, renaissance.
It's such a land of peace and such shadow,
That is my goal seek... that which I seek!!
Far beyond the horizon, dear friend,
tell me truly, is there such a land?
Or is it just a mirage,
For which lives a-many have been wasted!!
Is there really such a land,
Far beyond the horizon???

Cheerio!!!!!

A ride alone!!

2008-01-09T14:00:00.000Z

A long ride it has been,

Travelling on lonely roads,

Sleeping on dusty floors,

Walking through scary forests,

Facing the dark nights,

Braving the gales,

The sun beating down over the head,

The storms throwing plans astray,

Shadows being cast by dark clouds,

The rains drenching the mind and body,

For good at times... but then...

Notoriety cannot be far behind.

Walked though ghostly towns,

The haunted soul seeping in me,

Filling the heart with unknown dread...

Rode through lonely corners,

Watching a single mother,

Laying out clothes to dry,

I smiled at the simple existence.

Braving the darkest of night,

In the deserts I saw the departed,

Lying without honour,

I prayed for their soul.

And then I saw a garden,

People celebrating life,

Children playing with glee,

I laughed along too...

I'm alive...

And then I moved on...

To find more such..

The ones who celebrate

Despite all odds..

And make us the wanderers

Stop and smile..

A welcome break..

A drop of salvation..

In this ride..

A ride alone!!

Rambling Romeo!!!

2008-01-04T09:59:00.000Z

A new year.. a new beginning. Honestly I'm not sure what to write, a might still be reeling from the after effects of the New Year's Eve bash. So, I'd like to look back at 2007 now, quite comfortable with the fact that it is over, on a personal as well as not so personal note. Here goes:

Jan-Mar 2007: An angel I had met at the wee end of 2006, turned out to mean much more. And so did cracks show up with a good friend. A few more stuff about human nature were yet to be revealed. I came to understand a few things about myself. Time rolled on.... things started taking a serious turn.. that which started out casually didn't sound so casual anymore. Arguments came... a different face of a friend was revealed... guarded interactions... duplicitous behaviour... it all came to the forefront... and amongst all this the one whom I sought to protect helped me channel myself into what I believe I do best now.... write!!! Oh, in the meanwhile learned that the good friend was not so good... the devil's advocate (yours truly) resigned!!

Lesson learnt:

All that glitters is not gold.
There are times when life can gift you with best it can when you least expect it.

Apr-Jun 2007: The Bengali new year ushered in a few things. A new apartment, a new character... one whose presence brought in a calamity... whose manipulations destroyed someone... though the one to capitulate was a mere pawn and the final goal denied... some people still managed to stay together... an acid test was past... what was a casual failed to remain so and turned serious... things changed... plans were set afoot for a meeting... to bridge the distance (geographical in case you are wondering!!).

Lesson learnt:

The heart of a woman is difficult to fathom, man is a mere doll in her scheming
hands.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Should you love someone, love as if there is no tomorrow.. fierce, passionate, wild, tender and beautiful!! (you never for this love can take you through difficult
storms!!)

Jul-Sep 2007: The plans were on full steam, leaves arranged. A trip to her town... and then a trip abroad... things cannot be better... if only the days would pass by sooner... and finally on a beautiful, cool evening in the month of August, the two did meet... what followed was two days of complete efforts in knowing each other... for this was their first. And then a flight to family, and a vacation. And thus started full steam a beautiful story. A lil bit tipsy, but held steady the boat sailed and moved into deeper sea in to map it's course towards it's destination. Btw, lost the good friend and the new character (who pretended to be a friend).... some things are best done away from your life for they chose to destroy for their own needs!!

Lesson learnt:

If you believe in something, hold on to it. The clouds will gather, but then they don't stay forever.
Love has an essence which can seldom be hidden.

Oct-Dec 2007: Months have rolled by... work is killing... the passion of blogging taking a backseat... vacations seem to be a luxury not to be afforded... and thus rolled in the Durga Puja/Dusshera... celebrating yet missing a certain presence... losing granny on the way.... celebrating another year on earth... a longing in the heart for Diwali, for that's when I travel to her again... October was a mixed blessing. November, again took me to her... work piled on.. the back hurts now... need a doc... the ruddy old sack simply couldn't be energetic enough... it's been around for too long.. needs to relax... and finally it did...

The advent December, brought around with it the promise of a glorious year end... not with family, but with her touring my part of the country... an entire month spent in waiting... ah.. I am used to it now... but then each time it's worse... The DJ screams "HAPPY NEW YEAR", while I whisper the same in her ears... and then.... let the music play..... Sweet memories to end the year with... innocent promises to begin the year with... the song below will tell you about it!!

I want to spend my lifetime loving you - Marc Anthony and Tina Arena

Lesson learnt:

Patience is an important virtue. It can take you to your destination. Strive for it... but don't lose your heart if it takes some time!!

Oh another song to end the post.. this for all you people out there who care to go through my ramblings!!

Happy New Year - ABBA

Happy New Year

2007-12-28T10:30:00.000Z

A new year...

a new start...

begin afresh...

chart a new route...

explore new boundaries...

be happy...

learn from mistakes...

and finally...

be yourself!!

Happy new year!!

Solitude.......

2007-12-28T10:07:00.000Z

Now, the pic below can make you think of a lot of things, and frankly I really don't know what. But, allow me to guide you through what I saw and thought.

Loose slippers, open balcony, half-filled wine glass, a wine bottle, a telephone kept of the hook.... the entire scene makes me yearn for a long weekend where I am totally in touch with myself. And this new year, I might actually that. Loads of running around to do. Quite a few races to be run.... guess it's time to take a rest.. for there's lots to be done.

Let me know what the pics makes you think about...

Oh!! it's what you do to me.......

2007-12-22T22:27:00.000Z

4:00 am: Plain white Ts are crying out Delilah from my handset, and here I am rest on my sweet bottom waiting for the clock to strike 4:30, so that I can call it a day and finally hit the sack. Honestly, I really don't know how I've managed to stay awake till this hour when I'm not chatting, playing my guitar or for that matter out partying. It really seesm to be a million dollar question to em right now.

Gini tried her best to stay awake but then the poor girl has been up quite early today, and was dozing big time. Had to threaten her to get off the phone and sleep... I mean, like this girl can really get stubborn at times... refused to let go of the phone flat out.. the fact that she's dozing on the other end being the least of all concerns for her. She was more concerned about me having to stay awake till the wee hours of the morning with no one around me!! Makes one really feel like reaching out to her giving her a BIG hug!! My sweet angel... lol....

Anywyz, now that MLTR has turned up with Sleeping Child, the need for sleep is seeping into my veins and making me blink my eyes as I type out these words. Now please do forgive me if I let out any uncensored thought of mine over here in this state of mind!! But then, this is my space and I'm entitled to write any trash I feel like. You've gotta problem??? hehe.... Come let's talk about it.... We can solve it!! Trust me....

But then, Trust me mean "F*** You" in polish, is it not?? Or did I read it wrong?? Anywyz, if it does mean that way then well.. I'm not polish when i say Trust me.. The english one please!!! Btw, an interesting trivia, a very good friend of mine is named Isha or rather her nick is Isha... so I did a google on it.. (just to kill time) and this is what I found:

Isha is a name of one the Upanishads, known as the Ishopanishad.
Isha is the fifth prayer, the night time one, recited by Muslims.
It is the abbreviation for International Students of History Association, based in Switzerland, and founded in Hungary in 1989.

Cool na?? Now girlie don't you ever tell me you are an ordinary one.... :D

Almost 4:30... I think I'll go get some sleep.. and for those of you who are waking up now... God bless your soul!!!! Do let me know how you manage that!!!

Cheerio!!

P.S. : wrote this in the early hours of the morning.... you may ignore each and every word of it and skip on the previous post!!! :)

And then there were stars...........

2007-12-22T14:10:00.000Z

Do you ever recall the days when as a kid you'd hate to get up for school, hate the exams, hate evrything in this world which came in your way of having fun?? When you were noted all around for being a brat?? Sample this now, what if you were the parent? How would you react? Will you look into the matter or simply subject your kid to the pressures of the rat race.

Much has been said about how in today's competitive world children are suffering, but very little has been done. Take a look around. The next door kid rushes off to tennis practice at 6:00 am, school from 8:30, tutorial classes from 4:30 and finally home at 9:00 pm. The trial doesn't stop here.... there are assignments to be done, projects to be made, exams to be prepared for (you need top marks!!) weeks in advance if not months. In the process, I personally a kid loses out the very essence of childhood fun. Having been part of this rat race for years now, goen through more or less a similar regime, I can safely vouch for its side effects.... I dunno in the process the basic skills, or may be the one which are really special in the kid might be getting lost. Not many are bold enough to withstand expectations and other pressures and still make a life out of what they love and can do best!! And what's more... sometimes the parents are so ignorant of the problems that can plague their children that they fail to look into some genuine problems that the kid might be suffering from attributing the dismal performance on soemthing else.

Aamir Khan in his directorial debut upholds this very problem.... He artfully weaves it around a typical aspiring middle-class family of today. Ishaan, was never good at school. He couldn't understand a word... he was pathetic at his lessons... couldn't clear papers... yet he was imaginative... an artist!! But then, ebing an artist doesn't count does it?? So, given his dismal performance at school he was sent away to boarding school in the hope that he'd be discipline d into performing. It was there, while shrinking into the world of a recluse, that he was meets Nikumbh and then the world slowly turns around.... and Ishaan turns out slowly to be a brilliant boy....

The entire journey leaves you smiling, fuming and at times tearful... for when rational and ata distance from the situation we all do understand the right and wrong of the situation. Along the way we come across papa NandKishore, mum Maya, big bro Yohann and friend Rajan, all lending that essential flavour to the plot making it a story that you'll remember, understand and indentify with at one go.

Darsheel Safary as Ishaan makes a mark that cannot be ignored. Splendid is the word for him. Tisca Chopra (Maya), Vipin Sharma (Nandkishore), Sachet Engineer (Yohann) and Tanay Chheda (Rajan) provide a strong support becoming key elements in the movie and assuming their own importance. And finally, Aamir Khan plays the part of Nikumbh sir, who with his intense charater portrayal sets out to set things right for Ishaan. Another wonderful performance from this perfectionist!!

Taare zameen par... questions everything about the education system. And quite rightfully so... After all, if I imagine starts to be on the ground why is it wrong??? That's my imagination and that is how I like to sketch it.... what's wrong with it???

Or is the title pointing it out to you, that if not handled carefully, we'd lose our kids to soemthing unknown.. and the result would be similar to one fine day waking up to a ground full off stars for they've fallen!!!

Kids are like stars in the sky... please guide them but let them be kids!!!

Pink Flloyd said it right years ago in the song Another brick in the Wall!!

In the end I ask you youngsters who are gonna be parents in the future, have you understood exactly where parenting, depsite the best intentions, is going wrong???

Christmas at work.....

2007-12-20T11:25:00.000Z

Ah well.. now for the past few days there has been quite some planning going on, what with Christmas approaching and people going on a long extended weekend. So, there we were a bunch of enthusiasts who simply needed an excuse to sing along... got together to put up a few carols.

After much efforts, V. came up with three: "Angels", "Jingle Bells rock" and "Feliz Navidad". And thus started the efforts of the troupe to get the carols together, most of them hearing it for the first time. Work, deadlines and other personal stuff kept cropping up. Yet amidst all that we managed to pull together our act!! Finally, we performed with Santa Claus distributing gifts. All in all a fine time... nah!! a good time!! A few pics to share with you all!! :)

Cheerio!!!

That Thing called Love

2007-12-18T08:00:00.000Z

Have you ever thought about falling in Love during the rains? At least the rainy season. When the mind races over different matters as you are stuck in a rain induced traffic jam.... and your mind actually wanders freely into zone you had hitherto not visited.. at least for some time.

It was in one such monsoon that Mayank Sahai, met a lady who seemed to fit the bill of his idea of the perfect woman, though he had got engaged to another lady a few weeks back. He went after her even though she was married and finally realised his folly when his contact with the lady was destroying her once strong now fragile relationship with her husband.. to be finally irreparably damaged. Then there are Mayank's colleagues, who have their own set of problems and equations to deal with. Anil and his equations with his wife, which take a turn for the better only after a drastic incident. Vishal's infidelities catch up with him just when he had turned new leaf and decided to be loyal to his wife. Tina the receptionist has a dark secret to hide...... And they all have the Mumbai monsoon to deluge them in their emotions. How the monsoon takes along these characters along with it to reach their true self is what makes the reader to stick around till the last page. Every one has a past that mould one into what they are today.... sometimes...... more than they would ever acknowledge.

I could have told you so much about this book... might have revealed the story. But then, I want you to undertake this journey on your own. Go ahead get the book NOW!!

About the Author:

Tuhin A Sinha has studied at Loyola School, Jamshedpur, Hindu College, Delhi and National Institute of Advertising, New Delhi.
Tuhin is a scriptwriter based in Mumbai. A tele-film called Phir se, premiered on Saharaone last year and based on a Story, conceived and written by Tuhin, won the RAPA award for the Best tele-film, 2005. Tuhin co-scripted Pyar Ki Kashti Mein on Star One. The show, a first of its kind, was shot exclusively on a cruise. That apart, Tuhin has scripted episodic screenplays of several other dailies across channels.
Apart from TV, Tuhin is presently working on two movie scripts for directors, Onir and Subhash Sehgal respectively. He can be contacted at thatthingcalledlove@gmail.com

The Author section is courtesy Tuhin Sinha's site www.tuhin.in

Happy Reading!!

Can't live without..............

2007-12-17T06:20:00.000Z

Alrighty now, this one is long due. I was tagged by Ashu on this one, and I'm sure she's gonna be like.. "phew!! finally the brat does it!!" :P

So here goes:

Three things I can't live without: Air (the correct mix), water and food!! :P

ok... i know that was bad.... hmmm..... let's see....

Talking: Surprised?? Don't be!! I love to talk... I can like go yap yap and yap.. all the time else I'd be so quiet, you wouldn't notice me!! And yes, I believe I can talk about anything under the Sun. I know I think a little too much of myself, but then a fellow is allowed that much of a liberty now isn't it??
Listening: Yes..... talking alone does you no good, you need to listen. And it applies not only to what has been said, but more to what was left unsaid. In the few summers that I've been on my own, this is themost important thing I learnt. You've to listen!! No, shortcuts! It helps one in understanding many a things and also makes you one of those on whom friends rely on for some advice, some solace, someone they can turn to when they need to talk, be listened to, and nothing else!! No matter, how long your relationship has been, listening forms a key part to it!! And to understand a woman... well... simply listen to her!! She says more with her eyes than her lips!! :)
Being myself: I can't help that... I can't pretend.. unless I need to. I'm a bundle of contractions - wild, passionate, leisurely, lazy, pleasure loving, crazy, sober, calm, stupid, brainy, weird, unpredictable, a hidden funny bone, romantic..... there are so many things.. and I'm everything in a single day!! May be there is more to me than I care to know or reflect upon!!

Honestly, there are many things which would have made it to this category, the most important all not mentioned for that's my Achilles Heel and the rest... well.. they all are important because of the "Heel" :)

Quote:

"True love endures, if it does not, then it was never true."

This is a principle which I believe every idividual should keep in mind. In a time when we all have a propensity to fall for someone, this one line should be there at the back of the mind.
For the future is never clear until it's the present!!