It's Time!!

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!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more on different blogs here: Blogadda

And the pressure mounts...

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

The Initial Rush - The Adrenaline

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Here comes the BIG Daddy and a White Diwali

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

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

Informatics rule the senses

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

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

What have you done lately??

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

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

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

Can you tell me what you would talk about??

The Welcome, B-School and the First week.

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!!