Andyspeak

Announcement of a new course

2011-08-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Memories....

2010-12-24T02:41:00.000-08:00

It was when I was in my 7th class/standard that I participated in an ICSE recitation competition. God knows how I chose the poem, or what I was thinking - but I chose a comic poem.

All I remember of the day is this: I went on stage in supreme confidence and was reeling off the poem (enacting it actually) till about 80% into it, I completely froze - the mind went blank, I couldnt remember the next word......and was reduced to staring at the audience, searching for breath. The silence in the audience was broken by a rising murmur - of shock, of amusement, of excitement.....some of the judges were given me looks of earnest encouragement.....but nothing was working.....and then, just like that, even as I was contemplating bursting into tears, out of nowhere, the words suddenly came back - I completed the poem and left the stage, head down embarrassed and face down..knowing that while honor may have just about been saved, clearly the prize was lost. But I was given the second prize, with the judge mentioning that I might have even won the first, if not for the mishap....a proud, proud moment for me.

Now imagine my surprise if, almost 29 years after that, someone gets in touch and in the intro email writes the first two lines of THAT poem.....I was too stunned for words - and then it all came back in a rush - being in a zone, then the embarrassment, the resurrection and finally jubilation....wow - thanks Sudheendhra, for bringing back those lovely memories.

Heres the poem I chose:

The Muddle head from Petushkee

I knew a man from Petushkee
As muddleheaded as could be.
He always got mixed up with clothes;
He wore his mittens on his toes,
Forgot his collar in his haste,
And tied his tie around his waist.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
They told him as he went about:
“You’ve got u’r coat on inside out!”
And when they saw his hat, they said:
“You’ve put a saucepan on your head!”
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
At lunch he scratched a piece of bread,
And spread some butter on his head.
He put his walking stick to bed,
And he stood in the rack instead.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He walked upto a tram one day
And climbed in very sprightly;
Conductor thought that he would pay,
Instead he said politely:
“Parding your beggon,
Kister Monductor,
I’m off for a week’s vacation;
I stop you to beg your cramway tar
As soon as we reach the station.”
Conductor got a fright
And didn’t sleep that nite.
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He rushed into the first café:
“A railway ticket please, One way.”
And at the ticket office said:
“A slice of tea and a cup of bread.”
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!
He passed the man collecting the fares,
And entered a carriage awaiting repairs,
That stood on a siding, all by itself.
Half of his luggage, he put on a shelf,
The rest on the floor, his coat on his lap
And settled himself for a bit of a nap.
All at once he raised his head,
“I must have been asleep”- he said.
“Hey, what stop is this?” he cried
“Petushkee,” a voice replied.
Once again he closed his eyes
And dreamt he was in Paradise.
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and leaned out.
“I’ve seen this place before, I believe,
Is it Kharkov or is it Kiev?
Tell me where I am,” he cried.
“In Petushkee”, a voice replied.
And so again he settled down
And dreamt the world was upside down
When he woke, he looked about,
Raised the window and looked out.
“I seem to know this station too,
Is it Nalchik or Baku?
Tell me what its called,” he cried.
“Petushkee’ a voice replied.
Up he jumped: “It’s a crime!
I’ve been riding all this time,
And here I am where I began!
That’s no way to treat a man!’
What a muddle head was he,
That man who lived in Petushkee!

Go Awaaaaaaaaaaaay

2010-06-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

A Changed Life

2009-09-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

Our baby was born 3 months, 3 days, 21 hours and 3 minutes ago.....and life hasnt been the same since then.

As I was mentioning to a friend - definitions of most things in life have changed - fun now means watching and making the little fellow smile....work means putting him to sleep, or changing his nappy, exercise is walking him around or giving him a bath. To go out these days, one has to think not about the ambience (if restaurant) or genre (if movie) but the presence of a "mother's room" and the length of the movie.....shopping used to be weekend fun, now its like an annual holiday - needs a couple of days of planning :-). Waking up at night was to curse the electricity board or a quick dart to the pee room, now its a part of life (not for me thanks to wifey...). Watching TV was a fun past time - now it has to be done furtively while he sleeps. The mornings used to be lazy - with a newspaper and a cuppa tea on the balcony, now its mostly spent conjuring up the right goo-goos and gagaas. To think that weekends werent about nappies and provisions but actually involved golf and beer....a movie and some fun.....games and late nights.... and all this not too long ago.

If an astrologer had told me just six months ago that a cherubic little 3 month old would hold my wife's and my life to ransom, that our life now would mean ensuring HE is comfortable AND most importantly that we would do all this most willingly, in fact looking forward to each new day.....that astrologer would have gotten what he/she deserved - a considerable thunk on his/her head.

So whats changed - how does one decidely helpless, hapless little being hold two perfectly normal, intelligent humans to ransom - well - I call it the helplessness theory.....his sheer helplessness provokes all forms of sympathy, all kinds of love and overwhelming emotion that tends to overrule the need for you to spend time on yourself........oh yes - then there is the reward......what reward you ask, when you have fresh poo deposited on your brand new t-shirt, when you have smelly vomit on your dress shirt just as you are getting ready to leave home......its that smile - the smile that goes beyond the lips, that transcends the eyes, that rises from deep within and connects at several levels......its like a puppy's welcome - unquestioned, unreserved, absolute love.......just that smile is worth it.

Aha! moment of the day....

2009-05-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

It suddenly hit me - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW has to change its name......With Barack Obama as the occupant, it cannot be The "White" House anymore, can it? :-))

I think it should be changed to Residence One, like Air Force One....what say?

The Hilarity of Vanity Search....

2009-05-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

Vanity search is googling your own name.......and then admiring the speed and number of results it throws up....! Its apparently HUGE - there's a narcissus in each of us after all and what better way to give vent to your innate narccissim than ask Google Devta about yourself?....

Anyways, I was reading about Wolfram Alpha the other day - a new computational search engine that has techies salivating the world over......check it out at wolframalpha.com. But read about it in the nytimes.com article before doing a quick search and turning up dissapointed.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/better-search-doesnt-mean-beating-google/?scp=2&sq=wolfram%20alpha&st=Search

Ok. So here goes - now that you know about Wolfram and why its special - I wanted to see what it could conjure up about me....so i proudly type in Anand Narayanan. Here's the screen shots of what I came up: I rest my case....!

Going back to the Taj Mahal Hotel...

2009-05-18T22:37:00.001-07:00

I was engaged in a typically boisterous post lunch discussion the other day - one anecdote during the discussion stuck with me ......about going back to Ahd. today - eight years after the state sponsored pogrom killed thousands in the walled city there and still seing tell tale signs of the destruction and mayhem, about how the emotional response within the walled city is still rather muted and understated and how a certain undercurrent of tension still rules...

This got me thinking - perhaps the trial for the Bombay terror attack should be held in the Taj Mahal hotel - just to show the world - how we have returned it to its glory, to show Kasab - he is but an erasble blot in our quest to retain and maintain our freedom and liberty.....

The article below is by CNN's correspondent in India - she was here to cover Kasab's trial. Reading it gave me goose pimples.......

Mixed emotions returning to terror hotel

Posted: 1719 GMT

MUMBAI, India — I was there watching the horror and feeling helpless. As I rattled on with the few details authorities would give us I stood, ducked and sometimes crouched next to my colleagues from all over the world as they did the same.

Children play at the hotel pool which left an mark on CNN’s Sara Sidner.

The scene was sheer madness unfolding before our eyes and through the camera’s lens.

I was posted outside the Taj Hotel and Tower in Mumbai when terror rained down on India’s financial capital for days last November.

For the 72 hours I was there, I slept exactly three, the same goes for many of my CNN colleagues working beside me or at other scenes.

There were four active scenes for at least two days. I happened to be posted at the one that ended last in a blaze of fire, bullets and grenade blasts.

Friends and co-workers watching on their television screens told me later it looked like a movie. But a movie ends in two hours. This went on for three days.

It looked like and felt like hell from the outside. On the inside it was hell for the dozens of workers and guests still alive but trapped as the dead lay where they were gunned down.

Today I am back at the scene for the first time since the attacks. I made myself stand in the same spot where I reported from and again turned to look at the majestic building.

I didn’t want to go in at first. I was afraid of what I might feel. But I didn’t want to remember it the way I first laid eyes on it. So I started walking towards the lobby of the 106-year-old building.

On the outside, the heritage part of the hotel still has boards covering some of the windows. The ones I watched burst with flames five months ago.

I had to pass white barricades that now lace the once open breezeway. There are three layers of security including an X-ray machine for every bag each guest brings with them.

Once inside you wouldn’t know at first glance what happened here. The lobby is spotless.

But walk a dozen steps towards a glass enclosed area with a waterfall and you see a tree, a large marble plaque, and a sobering message. It has the names of the 31 people who died during those terrible four nights and three days.

Many of the public spaces have been restored. We walked farther in to the immense staircase that looks like something out of a fairytale. Not a thing out of place. Immaculate and almost too much for the eye to take in.

But as you climbed to the top there was another reminder. White planks of wood blocked two large windows that once looked out on to the ocean.

Then it was off to the poolside. I got one of those chills down my spine as I walked out between the chairs. It’s because of that image in my head.

The image from the front page of a newspaper the morning after the attacks started. A man who was likely enjoying his drink poolside had been gunned down. He died there. Click. That picture won’t leave my head.

But then you hear the noise of happiness. Children are splashing in the pool and adults are chatting and enjoying their lives.

It’s trite but true; life goes on. Honestly, sometimes I forget to enjoy mine. What a fool I am.

The crew and I are staying at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower for a couple of nights. We’re here to cover the first day of the trial of the lone surviving suspect in the Mumbai attacks.

I picked the Taj as our hotel on purpose, I guess I needed to see a bit of normalcy here after what I witnessed from the outside.

I’m staying in the tower that is fully up and running. It had minimal damage during the attack. But next door in the old world rooms of the tower’s older sister there is still a lot of work to do.

Of the 565 total rooms in the two buildings only 268 can be occupied. All I can say right now is, I am glad to be one of the occupants.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent, Sara Sidner

Men will be men.....

2009-04-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on cricinfo - a trivia piece attributed to Avanti:

"The first testicular guard was used in cricket in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. It took 100 years for men to realize that the brain is also important!"

Need I say more.....?

India Pledge - Do they still make you recite this in School?

2009-04-04T23:53:00.001-07:00

I remember during our school days - we were asked to parrot the below lines as our "national pledge"......I also gather that these lines were first penned by Swami Vivekananda......is this our national pledge? - I couldnt find any reference to it on the India government websites. Anyways, enjoy these delightfully innocent lines - brings back some great memories.....

India is my country,
All Indians are my brothers & sisters.
I love my country
And I'am proud of its rich and varied heritage
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and elders
Due respect and treat every one with courtesy.

To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion
In their well being and prosperity alone
Lies my happiness

Ramayana from Ravana's perspective?

2009-03-27T03:05:00.000-07:00

Just this morning, over coffee - a thought strayed into my mind and stayed put for a long while - History is always the victor's perspective........I said, hmmm, if that be true - could there be a version of it from the vanquished as well? - and what would it be?

My first thought was a fascinating one - how about a movie interpreting the Ramayana - from Ravana's perspective? - what did he think of the series of unfortunate events.....did he really lust for Sita?, did he really kidnap her? for example........so thinking, I ventured to check on google devta (indeed - what was life B.G - before google?) - heres what I found - an article by Shashi tharoor in 2001........yes I'm 8 years too late - but well, I still think its a fascinating idea - Anurag Kashyap - interested?

Epic Interpretation
By Shashi Tharoor
"The Hindu", Online edition of India's National Newspaper
June 10, 2001

IN my very first column I had expressed the hope that this series of personal meditations might become "an extended and amicable conversation, informed and sometimes impassioned but never insipid, about things that matter both to me and to the reflective readers of this distinguished newspaper". Some of my early forays have already brought in a stimulating range of reactions from readers, and I hope from time to time to address them in this space.

A couple of columns ago, apropos of the way in which some authors have retold the works of others, I remarked that a Ramayana from Ravana's perspective "would bring the Bajrang Dal on to the streets". To this suggestion, the erudite Indian High Commissioner in Cyprus, Shyamala Cowsik, has written to me to say that what I imagined has already been done, apparently before the Dal was even a gleam in its founders' eyes. More than 35 years ago, as my Tamil readers undoubtedly know, the Ramayana was indeed retold from Ravana's point of view in a play called "Lankeswaran", by noted Tamil playwright and actor Manohar. I am informed that Manohar played the hero, Ravana, himself, and "Lankeswaran" was staged literally hundreds of times in Tamil Nadu, to great applause, so much so that he was from then on known only as "Lankeswaran Manohar".

Ambassador Cowsik goes on to add: "Ravana, as you know, was the son of the Rishi Visravas and a great scholar, a much greater one than Rama, besides being a tremendous Shiva bhakta. In 'Lankeswaran', Sita was Ravana's daughter. Due to some curse that I do not now remember, having seen the play when I was just a little girl, she had to be put into a box and buried in a field in Janaka's kingdom, where of course she was found when the king was indulging in a spot of ceremonial ploughing. Ravana actually carries his infant daughter Sita, in that little box, underwater, all the way from Lanka to Mithila, and leaves her underground in the field where she is eventually found. The whole subsequent Rama-Ravana battle was interpreted by Manohar as an attempt by Ravana to get his beloved daughter back." Interestingly, Ravana was portrayed in "Lankeswaran" as a tragic hero, rather like the protagonists in Greek drama, which is of course more interesting than simply re-writing the Ramayana from the point of view of the traditional villainous Ravana.

Ambassador Cowsik's second point concerns the idea of the Ramayana as seen from Sita's perspective, which, I had warily suggested in my column, "might tremble on the brink of sacrilege to some". When she was Ambassador to the Philippines from 1992- 95, she tells me, she was "astounded to find that in this ultra- Catholic corner of South-East Asia, there was a local Tagalog (the main Filipino dialect) version of the Ramayana, the Radiya Mangandari. This version had travelled northwards up from Indonesia, where of course it is very familiar, through the Muslim south of the Philippines to the main island of Luzon. In the process, it acquired various undertones and overtones, besides the very interesting concept of Rama's alter ego. Now this alter ego was stoppered up in a bottle, something like the djinn in the Arabic fairy tales. Deprived of his alter ego, Rama degenerates from a noble philosopher king to a rapacious, common or garden variety of conqueror. He stays so till the end of the play which I sat through for 3-1/2 hours while the playwright translated it for me line by line into English when he finally regains his alter ego and becomes once more the noble Rama. However, Sita remained unchanged throughout the play, and was a strong, self-reliant, highly principled and fairly aggressive woman, who does not indulge in any of the traditional husband- worship. The group that had staged the play wanted to take it to India and perform it at various small places besides the metros. I had to warn them that public reaction in the smaller towns (these days possibly also in the metros) might not be entirely favourable to such an interpretation of Rama's character, and so the idea was dropped".

As a footnote to this episode, Ambassador Cowsik tells me that she got hold of a detailed account of the Radiya Mangandari in English and sent it to Vinod C. Khanna, who was then our Ambassador to Indonesia. He used it for a book on various versions of the Ramayana that he was writing, which has since been published. (What an outstanding example, if I might be permitted the digression, this pair is of the remarkable intellectual quality of our senior officialdom. Whatever unkind thoughts many of us may nurture about the Indian bureaucracy, ours is, clearly, a mandarinate of merit.)

I recount these stories at length because they remind us of how far we have travelled from the questing spirit of Indian epic tradition to the uncritical worship of today. When the Indo- British writer Aubrey Menen wrote a rationalist version of the Ramayana in 1956, Rama Retold, the book was promptly banned in India, and - deprived of its natural audience in our country - it has faded away without enriching our collective consciousness of the possibilities of the great epic. The Sahmat exhibition a few years ago of various depictions of Rama and Sita in art from around our country was attacked by intolerant Hindu fanatics outraged that some of the versions shown did not conform to their orthodoxy.

The Hindu tradition has always been a heterodox one: we have always believed there are versions of divinity for every taste, and uncountable ways of reaching out our hands to the Unknowable. What a shame that the Hindu banner is now so visibly and volubly being waved by those who have shrunk the grandeur of the Hindu spiritual and philosophical heritage to the intolerant bigotry of their slogans. Our epics were constantly retold and reinvented for centuries; the Hindu imagination was not fettered by fear of experiment. Today, sadly, that is no longer the case. Writing about "Lankeswaran", Ambassador Cowsik remarks that Manohar "faced absolutely no protest those days. Of course I cannot say what would happen if this were to be tried out in North India these days". I am sure she would not recommend it.

Thought for the day

2009-01-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Just heard on the radio, the charm encapsulated in the immortal first two lines, Iqbal's timeless poem. On par with Rudyard Kipling's "IF" in its sheer inspirational genius.

“Khudi ko kar buland itna”

By Allama Iqbbal

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqder se pehle
Khuda bande se ye poche bata teri raza kia hai

Sitaron se age jahan aur bhi hai aur bhi hai
Abhi ishq ke Imtehan aur bhi hai aur bhi hai
Sitaron se age jahan aur bhi hai aur bhi hai
Abhi ishq ke Imtehan aur bhi hai aur bhi hai

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqder se pehle
Khuda bande se ye poche bata teri raza kia hai

Tu shaheen hai, Tu shaheen hai, Tu shaheen hai
Tu shaheen hai, Tu shaheen hai Parvaz hai kam tera kam tera
Tere samne Aasman aur bhi hai
Tu shaheen he Basera kar Paharon ki chatano per
Tu shaheen hai tu Shaheen hai tu shaheen hai

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqder se pehle
Khuda bande se ye poche bata teri raza kia hai

Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqder se pehle
Khuda bande se ye poche bata teri raza kia hai
bata teri raza kia hai
bata teri raza kia hai

Manaa Hyderabadu

2008-12-25T00:42:00.001-08:00

All what joy....to be at home, to relaaax! not be responsible for a thing, to have people dote on you and not care or worry about what others will think.

Amazing filter coffee, hot dosas, sambhar and rice for lunch, meet friends for chai in the evening.....I have attained Nirvana..! Delhi seems like a distant dream - please dont wake me up.

Tata Delhi - Happy New Year....

2008-12-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

So we're off today to Manaa Hyderabadu...yipee kay yay.....see you in ten days....in the meanwhile, merry christmas, happy holidays and have a wonderful new year.

Promising week ahead...

2008-12-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

As the last but one week dawns, it is pregnant with so much potential and possibilities, it feels eerily electric....I would joking if I said anything other than that I'm geniunely excited, my nails are well manicured (!) and I'm generally a little keyed up....

Tomorrow night is a BIG meeting at the work place that is a continuation of an audacious idea from the boss, if we manage to get across a tenth of what the idea can potentially deliver - it would be a big deal for the Indian IT industry and if we manage to snag the full potential, I have no doubts this would be a game changer for the India IT industry......the audacity of hope continues.

On the personal front, Hyd beckons - a few days of R&R and general chillpilling......

Also on the personal front - my muscles ache good naturedly - played half an hour of intense T.T on sat and half an hour of intense badminton yesterday....this morning my body is trying to tell me how many muscles I have - each one will speak up if there was an attendance call..! That said, it was utterly enjoyable - after about 6.5 years to get back to some serious games......it showed me several things - that my reflexes are all but gone/...I will need to nurture them back - there were many occasions when I envisioned a particular shot in my head but could not execute it simply because I was a couple of microseconds late.....and in 25 minutes, I was out of breath.....but man was it fun - keep it coming I say.......

Getting hassled.....

2008-12-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

That describes me - I get hassled about everything - waking up, getting ready, traffic on the roads, plans for the weekend, plan for the week, my clothes, our clothes, food, sleeping.......i even get hassled about getting hassled......and this is now beginning to affect people around me - who are also getting hassled for trivial things......

Its a hassled world.....so come on - this friday 19th of december, 2008 - lets take a pledge of Om Shanti to unhassle our world.....going forward - we will not care if we wake up late, if eat or not, if we reach office or not, whether our work gets done or not.......lets not care for anything.

Child Labour in India

2008-12-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

At the outset, this is not about the statistics of child labour in India, this is not about the work conditions and the need for reform - this is about how the peculiar conditions in India force a re-think on most commonly accepted global societal standards (read western standards).

Over the last couple of days, I have noticed, right here in the NCR region - tens of kids - early teens, mid teens, some not even ten - commercially engaged - hawking goods, services and everything in between. I only started noticing this because a tiny factory abutting our office has a board on its gate - no child labour employed here......hmmm - I wonder why that board is on there? you can almost guarantee its because someone raided their premises and found kids working there or they are making something to be exported and some western idiot would have turned up with the rule book .....Anyways that got me thinking and observing.......

There's this one guy I have noticed over the last several months in out apartment complex - I have no way of exactly determining his age but its a reasonable guess to say he is below 16......the guy is typical youth -insouciant, callous, rebellious - with that arrogant attitude every Indian these days seems to be born with......his job is to collect clothes from a bunch of apartments, press them, return the bunch and collect money......its about 4/7 hours of work every week.....gets pretty tiring and boring in the summer heat, but I guess its much better than some other jobs we know........Now - my issue is simple - knowing the guy, I know he is persuaded to do what he does under extreme duress - I can imagine his family pleading, gauding, threatening, incentivizing...the works just to get him off his backside and get him to work everyday....I know what will happen if he isnt at the apartment complex doing this work - he will wasting himself amidst friends and fellow wastrels - indulging in anti-social behavior.....perhaps drugs and alcohol......adding to our collective woes most definetly not adding value to us - society, friends and family.......and I'm almost dead sure - he will have nothing to do with studies and education, not now not ever......so whats my point? - many of these laws are fine on paper and in theory.....but when you try to apply them in practice, they end up causing more's trouble than merit......I would rather this boy's mind be gainfully employed, else he spells trouble........its amazing how people can sit in ivory towers, with no knowledge of the situation and context on the ground and make up rules......what do you think...?

The holidays are coming

2008-12-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

A week to go and then we land in manaa hyderabadu - am i looking forward to it or what?

It wont really be a looong holiday - we'll be there for ten days - divided between at least two houses and I'll surely have some office work to do...but then we'll be HOME....and thats all matters.

Tata.

India wins...

2008-12-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yes we won....and put to rest several ghosts - that Indians are poor chasers, that India does not have the stomach to fight after Viru gets out, that Sachin is a fair weather warrior (I'm also guilty of this one..!), that unlike the Australians, Indians give up long before the final ball is bowled......hmmm - many birds with one stone - qlets see now if they can keep up the momentum.

The thing I like about this Indian team is that they seem to have absorbed and learnt the best there is to learn from the Australians - that mental toughness, that dont give an inch on the field tenacity, that never give up attitude - and are combining it with the best of Indianess - natural ability, flair and as exemplified in their captain Dhoni - a keen sense of instinct. They have match winners that can individually turn games - Viru, Sachin, Harbhajan, Dhoni, Yuvi etc....but whats delightful is that the team is pulling in way more punches than any individual can......and thats not often seen with Indian teams. Take this test - the key to setting India up for the final day, in my view was not Sehwag (he was outstanding and my hat's doffed to him) but Zaheer - the incisive spell post lunch, kept the english frustrated and stuck -they scored only about 30-40 runs in an entire session and just couldnt get on with the game.....every time someone tried, they would get out - and given they knew the pitch was playing decently well, they had to eschew risk and play themselves in....in the first innings, crucial knocks from Harbhajan and Dhoni saved the day. So I believe except for Rahul, everyone weighed in. With Rahul.......I'll wait, hes too good to keep failing and he's done soooo much for Indian cricket, we owe him as much time as he needs to sort his game out - be it mental duress or something in his technique.

So on we march to Mohali - Dhoni's 5th test in charge - he's won four out of four so far.

Is there a good side to Delhi too....

2008-12-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

At last, after all these months of despair, I get to say something nice about the city we have come to loathe - Delhi. I can assuredly say this past weekend was one of the best in a while - we finally found a couple who - graciously went out of their way to make us feel at home.

The guy - ebullient, energetic, excited, enthusiastic, effervescent and the lady - demure, diplomatic, devoid of drama - a perfect foil. People who know my wife and I might say something similar - but theres a key difference I noticed here - the guy is way more bubbly than I ever could be and she is perhaps more held back than my wife would be.....add to that, while we seem to be migrating to a homogenous middle path of compromised values, where I hold off a bit and she expresses her views a touch more.....these guys have afforded each other remarkable amount of space and time to be their individual selves.

For us to be able to find a couple pretty similar in their world views that we can strike up a decent conversation , yet have different enough views that the conversation itself becomes very interesting - not the accompaniments - the surroundings, the drink etc is the remarkable part.

This also proves to me how one's opinion of a place is fashioned by the people one interacts with, how even Guantanamo might become hospitable (god forbid), if you have a bunch of rip-roaring mates around. So heres to whatever time is left in Delhi for us - lets make it count..!

Thanks Partner...

2008-12-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Every journey begins with a step.......and as you look back, the significance of the journey itself becomes apparent - it is but the aggregate approximation of the steps you've taken along the way....

This journey officially began exactly five years ago......at least half the touring party will claim the journey actually began four years before that.....but then, lets not confuse a trek in the woods with a Mt.Everest expedition. Five years ago, we decided we would attempt to ascent our personal mountain - it soon became apparent that this would be very different from any trek we have ever been on: the terrain and the difficulty was upto us to decide - much like one of those walking machines in the gym that are endlessly customizable - we could go as far as we wanted, choose the path, the incline, the view we wanted, we could, in fact HAD TO choose the amount of time spent walking, spent resting.

As we started walking, we quickly realized that while there were many other groups walking along - we couldnt just follow any group, we had to carve our own path. Another peculiarity of this journey - we only made progress when both of us moved - one of us couldnt pull ahead and wait - we had to work the path together.

We were told by wellwishers that we were not prepared for an arduous journey like this, that a few more years of walking alone would help prepare us for the journey, but we dived in nevertheless - now as we look back, having scaled a mere 10th of the peak - heres my perspective:

We have scaled way higher than I imagined we would when we set out - and without being facetious or overly humble I can easily declare that I have received way more than I have needed to give and my partner has had to un-ceasingly give, she has received some too but I wonder how much of that came from me having to give up.....indeed I have had the best of times - climbing at my pace, resting and enjoying the view.....not having to clamber up, not needing to fight the elements.

They told us that the first base camp would be tough to reach but the journey after that would get nasty - nothing we had seen before that would prepare us for the journey ahead - it would be tough - snow, hail, wild animals and we all on our own.....Now as our first base camp appears imminent - we should arrive by mid next year, all I can say is - Bring it on.....with a mix of energetic enthusiasim, trepidation and excitement.

The five years have been an immensely gifted time for me - I hope I can make the next five as eventful for my partner. Clearly I could not and would not have wanted to embark on this journey without the always on help, support and the big, big shoulder....Thanks Partner.

Its cricket time again...!

2008-12-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

Let the games begin......

After the terror strikes in mumbai and the related political shenanigans in the aftermath, its time for cricket again.....India plays England in Chennai in the first of two test matches. Originally scheduled for Mumbai, the first test was moved to Chennai after the terror attacks......wish the match was played in Mumbai itself - more as tribute to the city and its people than anything else - I'm sure Mumbaikars would have responded by flooding the stadium.....that said, I hope folks in Chennai land up at Chepauk - there have been rumors that test matches in India are no longer attractive to the crowds - while that is true on evidence of the small crowds in sight, I'm not so sure the answers are so straightforward though....for someone as crazy as me about cricket - theres no incentive to go and watch at the stadium.......

In the good old days a day watching cricket in the stadium meant a day of fun with friends - screaming, shouting, genly having a loud time, eating the junk food available out there, having furious debates on what will happen the next ball, the next over, the next session.....and then comparing notes and restarting the debates.......none of this possible now - Indian stadiums are concrete fortresses with a singular focus on making things uncomfortable for the spectators - in a one day match its ok - you're going to be there for about seven hours, the action on the field is usually frenetic enough to keep your mind away from the squalid conditions around...but in a test match, things are slow, you tend to look around, you tend to absorb the surroundings and its not a good sight......

BCCI - listen very very carefully - the Indian test match viewer is your long term hope - hes the one that will sustain interest in the game once the young ones go past the twenty20 fad in a couple of years.....know your golden goose and take care of it before its too late...I know you are busy right now wallowing in dollar notes, but note if you want this to last long - take good care of me and my brethen.......its us that will carry you on our shoulder when all else abandon you......Mr. Modi - you listening?.....I'd be more than glad to share my ideas on what can be done....let me know if you are interested....

Why we need a ban on Formula 1 in India...

2008-12-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Its got nothing to do with being fuel conscious, its got nothing to do with extravagance, opulence and seeming lack of modesty around a Formula one race.

Its about the unnatural effect Formula One viewership has had on the public bus drivers of Delhi. If one were to describe their skills in one sentence - suffice it to say " Dog in the Manger" - their objective in life is very simple - Naa jeeo, no jeene do exemplified in simpler terms as Naa Jaao, na jaanedo....

When a Formula One driver is executing his strategy on track it is very exciting to watch but when you are subjected to it (without being informed that you are in a race..!) on a daily basis by opponents who have the obvious competitive advantage - their vehicles are on an avg. 10 times the size of yours, they dont care about maintenance or appearance of their vehicles and most of all, they dont care if you dont come out of the race alive - its a funny game they play...me thinks sometimes, they are racing themselves....you see this is the reason why I think they are unduly influenced by Formula One......Aryton Senna apparently once remarked (I didnt think these racers also had the gravitas to think of these things...) that the difference between F-1 and the myriad otehr race forms is simple - in F-1, the racer is competing more with himself than his opponents - pushing the limits of his endurance, get the last bit of performance out of his machine and trying to outdo the conditions......if it so happens that he has done this better than his opponents, he will win.......ergo, my friends in delhi buses..!

Doesnt this sound familiar to Delhi-ites? I dont have an immediate solution to the problem....except wait and watch as the metro build out crawls along......and of course an immediate ban on the broadcast of Formula One in India.!

Id Mubarak Ho

2008-12-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today is Bakrid - from wikipedia: The Festival of Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayramı) is a religious festival celebrated byMuslims (including Druze) worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey God and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or a sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community.

ITS A HOLIDAY!!!! yipee kay yay.....but a boring one as I have to sit at home all alone, so I've been grumpy since I woke up.....what to do - the message didnt get across......so here we go - main aur meri tanhai........

Obama's $200 Bn bet...

2008-12-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

I read with a lot of interest over the weekend that the US president-elect Barack Obama plans to spend nearly $200 Bn on the largest infrastructure project undertaken in the US since the 1950s - when the freeway system was largely constructed. The money will be spent on modernising roads, bridges, parks and building new ones......with no claim to understanding the economics of the whole deal - it has been suggested that each billion spent will create nearly 40,000 new jobs in the US - given the state of the economy there (most job losses in a given month, since 1973) and given the abject failure, thus far of the half hearted attempts of the Bush administration to use the $700 Bn they are already authorized to spend - I think it is a laudable effort. Indeed, conservative economists in the US have already started their hue and cry - employment if created will also be by moving jobs away from other sectors they say, what about the budget deficit they say (expected to cross a $trillion..!).......

Paul Kruger, Nobel prize winner for economics this year, on the other hand is pretty clear - this is not a time to worry about deficits.....this is time to ensure survival - of the american economy (and in some ways the world economy), of society and modern civilization.....lets get those in order, deficits will take care of themselves. What I like about Obama's plan is that a large amount is earmarked to creating a platform to enable American entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best - innovation. By wiring up the entire nation with internet, by providing grants for cutting edge research and ensuring silicon valley (and other such uniquely american hubs of innovation) thrive, he is, in my books doing the right things.

This combined with the impending failure of the American auto giants - means a new order, a new way of doing things, a new economy is in the making - its going to be an exciting four years.....as the oft-qouted chinese proverb goes - May you live in interesting times.....could be a blessing or a disguise - lets make it a blessing...Go Obama.

My Nanny passed away.....

2008-12-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

Ratnamma - a frail, bent over, ethereally simple lady, was one of the biggest influences in my early childhood - passed away last year and I just got to know

She was brought it into the family as my Mom used to work at the time. For the first nine years of my life, she patiently took care of my every need - patient is the word - I have never ever known her to have been angry, even exasperated - and I know I can be very very exasperating.

She was a kind, mother Teresa type person. For a long time, I never knew she was employed at our place - I assumed she was a family member...in fact, now that I think of it - SHE WAS. Never one of harsh disposition, she had a body to match - very small, thin and extremely frail, she looked many many years older than she actually was.......one of my fondest memories was once, like a typically spoilt brat, I picked up some Kannada expletive from the street and was merrily mumbling it at home.....she gently took me aside (there was no one at home, yet she took me aside.....thats how gentle she was..!) and informed that the language I was using was not becoming of a gentleman......clearly I was far from being a gentleman at the time and I distinctly remember I went on and on with the same crap for over two hours......and everytime I mentioned the offending word/s - with not a hint of exasperation, she would look at me and say that is not correct...! - and this is just a small, insignificant vignette....there are so many, unsaid, un noticed, little things that she would have done over those nine years that I cant even express my thanks and gratitude for.

She was poor, she needed help and she considered me her own kid......she would write letters very often - letters that went un-answered. She was out of work for a while and I wasnt around to support, help and provide help - when I was earning - earning in one month more than she had over those nine years.....still she cared not, she sent her letters relentlessly.....then the letters slowed down - she was getting on in age, she had found a new HOME - where they treated her with love, respect and warmth.

Last December (I just got to know) she passed away from cervical cancer......only when I heard the news - did it hit me......we take our own for granted, so much that we dont even express our gratitude, our love, regard and respect for them.....I feel a sense of immense loss that I cannot share with anyone else....I feel a sense of utter shame that I cannot share and must carry the burden of....I feel so dissapointed in myself - I always assumed she knew I cared, I always assumed I would make up for all those years of no show.....I always assumed she would be around forever and that I would find time.......I was wrong.

In her memory, I will try to reach out to my own more often, tell them and make them aware I;m around more often. In her memory, I'll try to become a softer, more patient person....In her memory, I'll do some quiet hard work, with none noticing just like she did for nine tough, uncompromising years......

I hope, I pray, I wish she found her peace.....I will forever be indebted....goodbye maami.

phew....I'm taking a break today

2008-12-03T19:55:00.001-08:00

Between work to be done and nothing much to write - I'll duck for cover today....see you tomorrow.

Its Dec 3rd - Mumbai - lets show them whos the BOSS..

2008-12-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

Mumbai - its the 3rd of Dec.....lets get out at 6 pm today - show the bloody hate mongers, we care for our selves, our country and our peace more than they can destroy...

Why today, why 6 pm?, where? - see below this is a blog post that has now gained a lot of publicity in the blogosphere....

Bollywood film-maker Suparn Verma's blog post asking Mumbaikars to gather outside the Taj Mahal hotel:

I'm sick and tired of being resilient, of living my life like the blood of my brethren spilt on the streets targeted by a bomb or a bullet will not make me stop my life!

It's time to press the brakes NOW!

The whole world watches in horror as my city is held hostage for 60 hours as I write this. We have our brave men dying on the first day because they are fighting highly trained terrorists equipped with sophisticated weapons with lathis, 303 rifles, and flimsy body armour.

We have innocent men, women and children held hostage and killed because our ministers don't even know that the marine commando's are based in Maharashtra, or why would they be deployed the next day?

A home ministry who does not even have the blueprints of the Taj and Oberoi hotel organised when the NSG lands from Delhi[Images], delaying their attack by several hours!

We don't have NSG in Mumbai because they are all in Delhi protecting the sweet asses of 'supposed' leaders and VIP's whose job it is to protect us!

Leaders who don't even have the sense NOT to come to this city when we need every security personnel deployed at the three fronts they are waging an attack on, instead of worrying about their safety!

Leaders whose security is paid for by our tax money!

In 1993 the arms came via the sea route! In 2008 they come via the sea route!

Lessons learned? ZERO

Bombay has had enough bomb blasts to have a crisis management infrastructure in place.

Lessons learned? ZERO

Politicians travel shamelessly across the country to give sound bytes when an incident occurs, not caring whether they impede the work of security and forensics.

Lessons learned? ZERO

The blood and sorrow of Indians is only to be capitalized by politicians to fight elections. My blood boils when the opposition takes out an advertisement in the newspaper using an ONGOING attack as their election propaganda!

My blood boils when Narendra Modi [Images] who bad mouthed ATS chief Karkare for his Malegaon investigation goes to his house and visits the fallen hero's dead body and makes a speech and offers him a cheque of a crore which is rejected by his wife.

Karkare, Salaskar, Kamte died in the line of duty so did NSG commandos and jawans and police constables, they were from every state of India, they weren't fighting a regional battle they were fighting for the country! And we have parties trying to create divisional lines trying to give terror a communal color!

I'm mad as hell and I won't take it anymore!

It is time we stopped being the silent majority and minding our own business.

Let us as citizens of the city, of this country get together.

Let us do SOMETHING!

Let us start a non co-operation movement.

Something to show that we won't take this lying down. Something that can tell these leaders protected by our brave commandos that we want safety of our family, our city, our country.

Let them see how many we are.

Let them see how angry and frustrated and tired we are.

Let us come together to ask for our right to live our life fearlessly.

Let us come together to remember the loss of our fellow beings.

Let us the people come together so that their loss is not in vain and lessons are learned.

I will be standing outside the Taj Hotel [Images] on Wednesday, December 3 at 6 pm.

Join me.

The Media Hype in India - Crying Wolf...

2008-12-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

I wake up every morning to be greeted by The Hindu - its a habit and I believe a good one. As one of the last remaining newspapers in the world that understands its role in society - dissemination factual information and in depth analysis - not rumor mongering or silly papparazzi stuff....I have always loved their editorial integrity and over the years come to believe - if The Hindu says it, it is true.

This morning I was greeted by a piquant catchline: Exclusive and under it a dramatic headline:

Mumbai massacre story unfolds in terrorist’s interrogation

It caught my eye, I was all excited and began devouring the news. As I read line after line, my excitement increased, I was sub-consciously waiting for the punchline, the conclusion, the damning evidence.......till I started despairing...the corner of my eye could see the end of the article and the punchline hadnt arrived yet, three lines to go, two, one, 12 words, 7, 3.....blob, plup, plimmmmm (those were the sounds of hope crashing in my head).

That was deflating for a few minutes - then I started wondering what just happened.......since the story broke out, we Indians have been fed a steady dose of sensational audio, video - propoganda, rumors, news, views all mixed in an unsteady broth ripe for TRPs - switch on a channel and you have anchors screaming dramatic mouthfuls - India SUMMONS Pak minister, terrorists plan to BLOW UP the Taj, are the English players COWARDS?.....websites like timesofindia and rediff thrive on dramatic headlines - rediff proclaimed all knowingly within 24 hours of the attacks - IT IS LASHKAR.....note the stress on the word IS - which denotes fact.......indeed radio shows, TV shows, newspapers everyone had the whole story mapped out - everyone knew exactly when the fellos purportedly left Karachi, when they hijacked an Indian fishing boat, when they landed in colaba, accosted by nosy beach dwellers who were promptly shooed away and then the firings happened......the story doesnt stop there - we have painstaking sagas of people that we there - eyewitness accounts - " I took the phone off a dead body and answered it" screamed a headline in rediff yesterday......news channels are even worse - story is large sums of money and minutes of fame have lured tens of survivors into the studios - for veritable interrogation sessions:

" So how did you feel when the terrorists came in" says the doe eyed anchor all souped in emotion....."Well, I dont know, I wasnt on the same floor....I heard some vague noise and didnt make much of it...then the hotel staff called and said there's a terrorist attack, stay in your room, so I did"

"Well, that was so brave......but then you would have been frightened? I;m sure you were apprehensive? what were your thoughts?"

" See honestly I didnt know what to think and as I said before, the terrorists and noise wasnt on my floor, so I just locked the door and waited"

"Oh Wow...that is inspiring....but tell us - were you not scared at all? I'm sure your thoughts were of your loved ones...."

Grrrrr - stop it. Gosh enough.......lets stop the crap please......

We have been on such emotional overdrive it seemed like The Hindu was dead on arrival....indeed it had no chance - did it?

Why dont our media stop this emotional carnage and start focussing on substance for a while. How many have asked the right questions? what about focussing on the things that need to done to make our cities safe?, how about getting educated people out to vote?, how about a unilateral moratorium on speculative stroies and focussing only on facts......

We as a country have a lot to achieve - especially given the failing and flailing nations around us...we as a nation and our media especially has to bear that responsibility.....fine its about TRPs, but its also about responsibility, its also about the invisible hippocratic oath a journalist is expected to live by.....lets get our respect for media back.

I like The Hindu even more now. I respect their factual reporting ever more now and wish all media houses had the guts to follow them.

A life increasingly of sharp contrasts

2008-11-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

I suddenly realized, the other day, that my life, in the last few years especially, has seen some interesting twists - each change being in starker contrast to the earlier state than the previous such combination...... ok, ok...let me try and elaborate.

For the first 17 odd years of my life, everything was fit and fine - I led a very sheltered life - dependant on my parents like a young bird on its parents for sustenance....I hardly remember having to take any decision for myself.......and then after my 12th, I tried the engineering entrance exams half heartedly (perhaps in the assumption that my parents will facilitate that too..!), having failed to obtain a respectable rank, I was forced to choose -prepare another year or do something now - and I did something impulsive....I went to Bhavan's, spoke to the Principal myself - she was stunned with my guts (for aproaching her for a seat a good three months after college had commenced..!) and then convinced my parents to support.......whats the contrast? - having never made a decision for myself thus far, I was suddenly called upon to make a significant personal decision (did I make the right decision? - God knows what the alternative was.. and thats not the topic of this post, perhaps another one..!)

Then after three more years of cocooned bliss at Bhavans, suddenly I decided to attempt CAT and some attendant adentures later - I was in IIMK.....I had never lived away from home, from my parents for more than 3 days before then....not being very well off, we never ventured on holidays too often, not being the closest-knit family around, summer trips to far-away exotic uncles and aunties were non-existent......and now suddenly I was expected to live, fight, survive and attempt to thrive amongst 57 hungry wolves in a far-away land....the contrast especially being that - unlike say engineering college hostels, the IIMs dont have a protective layer around you - you are believed to be an adult and well capable of taking care of yourself - so much so, the academic rigor starts on day zero - when three mountain loads of books are dumped on your lap.....

I surivived that too.....and went to TCS, in what was arguably the worst economic year for the IIMs in placement history. There the first year was brilliant and mediocre in equal measure - no challenging work, no desparate late hours, the work involved lazing around, understanding the "power structure" of corporate India, doing some "strategic" projects which contributed nothing to me (apparently it really helped the organization..!).....there was no autonomy, no space to express onceself.....it was like ants in a line - do what you're told, when you are told........and then it changed.....dramatically - one day I was sitting in Hyd - watching the world cup (2003) and the next, I'm packing my bags for Los Angeles.......the contrast here - amongst other things - was the work - from hierarchical, beaurocratic, order based organization to a start-up.....as the second citizen of the M&E vertical of TCS - I was asked to learn, implement, make mistakes and contribute - right away.....learning was on the job, got to do a thousand different things, most from personal intitiative - because everyone else was busy earning their keep too......man it was fun.......five years in Los Angeles.

Then from Los Angeles - the order, the grace, the charm of a life well lived, we landed in NOIDA.....do I need to talk about the contrast here?.....ok I'll skip that obvious one :-). But theres other subtle ones - the difference in lifestyle between the US and India (especially North India) - from a life where one was self reliant - completely self reliant to being surrounded by servants - one to cook, one to clean the house, one to clean the car, one to iron the clothes.....wow, its difficult man......in office - having had a boss who was more friend than ruler, its difficult to adjust to the notion that your boss tacitly expects deference, and your subordinates are not looking for a friend, they are looking for orders.....its difficult to understand a sub-conscious caste system in office - where you are expected to be friendly only with your peers, and suck-up to the seniors.......dont waste time talking to everyone on the floor ....!

Theres lots more ....but for now - thats a lot for me to chew on.....as the chinese blessing/curse goes - may you live in interesting times.....I certainly am......

V.P Singh - The Hailey's comet of Indian politics

2008-11-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Amidst all the confusion, tension, noise, blood and grime of the Mumbai terror stand-off, hardly anyone noticed that V.P Singh - India's former Prime Minister passed away in New Delhi yesterday. He was 77.

Known primarily for introducing reservations to the backward classes in public sector jobs and later educational institutions - accepting and implementing the Mandal commision recommendations, V.P Singh was actually like a comet - roaming around quietly on the outskirts of the galaxy till suddenly coming into bright, brilliant and resplendent focus for a brief while and then quietly fading away again.

His blaze of glory started with his surprise ascension as the Chief Minister of U.P in 1980 - Indira Gandhi perhaps needed someone dependable, quiet to manage her backyard......clearly she didnt know who she was dealing with. It seems it is here that he developed a penchant for "spectacular" politics - when he gained a lot of popularity for offering to resign when the objective of stamping out the dacoits, didnt go entirely to plan.

But this gimmick gained him so much clout that he was appointed the Union Finance Minister in Rajiv Gandhi's famous progressive cabinet of 1983. Again, taking his job perhaps too seriously, he went after titans he had no chance of defeating.....famously ordering Income Tax raids on Dhirubhai Ambani and Amitabh Bachchan.....he had some stellar work too - in helping relax the license raj and dramatically reduce gold smuggling in India.

Then he was shunted to the defence ministry....and Rajiv must have assumed he'll have some peace.......you think?

Our man unearthed Bofors there.....yes THE BOFORS case - which as far as I know is still muddling along - where huge kickbacks were rumoured to have been paid to Rajiv and co. Clearly with such explosive allegations, he couldnt remain in the government - so he resigned on "moral" grounds and promptly joined the opposition.....where through some very clever manoeuvering, postering and postioning, he came to power.....and then it happened - his Biggest claim to fame...

Accepting and implementing the Mandal Commission report - that a fixed percentage of jobs be "reserved" for the historically repressed backward classes - a way of punishing the current innocents for past crimes of their forefathers.

I feel strongly about reservations as a concept in society - I thinkthey have led to progressive de-generation of merit in our public sector companies, in our educational institutions. I believe they have put India back about 30 years on the development path in an escalator sliding backwards.....the more you try to push along, the more you remain stuck in the same place.

Reservations are also an excellent way for the caste system to remain around for a long long while - we should be attempting to get rid of the archaic practice that outlived its utility some 2000 years ago.....yet now the backward castes want to assert their caste credentials - for it provides them "benefits". There were massive protests, the capital city came to halt this year when the gujjars (another group claimant for such status) demanded recognition as a backward caste and thus reservations.....this is fun - everyone now wants to be recognized as a historical loser and thus wants tio be rewarded with freebie.

Our founding fathers saw reservations ass a brief, temporary measure that would implemented with clearly defined metrics for a brief period of time....no one realized this is a measure that once introduced can never be rescinded.......try as you might, India will now be stuck in this morass for a looooong loooong time.

Anyway, coming back to our protagonist V.P SIngh - the next big incident was when he was famously voted out our of power after he had his alliance partner L.K Advani arrested as his famous Rath Yatra was proceeding towards Ayodhya.....it was to later, a little later lead to the destruction of the Babri masjid - which along with the Gujarat pogrom I believe are the biggest reasons for the alienation of muslims in India today....more on that another day.

Post his defeat, V.P Singh decided to retire from active politics - yes, just like that he announced I'm done. And his all too brief but eventful political career had already come to an end. In 1993 he was diagnosed with Blood cancer - he fought bravely against this scourge for 15 years till much like the life he led - he passed away - on the fringe of the galaxy - almost un-noticed.

May you rest in peace.....

Mumbai Meri Jaan

2008-11-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

They strike again - nonchallantly walking around and gunning people down - whats happening to India?, why are we being taken for granted, when did we become so porous? And who is this striking with such impunity.

Right now, I'm angry and ashamed - ashamed that someone could so easily walk up and kill a 100 countrymen, wound a 1000 more and destroy such icons of nationhood as the Taj Mahal Hotel. Angry that our government, our law and order mechanism and my fellow countrymen are impotent, gawky bystanders while they - the hate mongers wreak their havoc.

I WANT ACTION - no pussyfooting this time around, no arresting innocents and foisting false cases on them. I want Marshall law declared - I'm willing to give up my civil liberties, if thats what it takes to restore order. I want a coordinated, organized, intelligent response - with force, conviction andbelief. Whoever is celebrating the dastardly act of last night - should quake in their boots, shiver in their pants and never, ever ever DARE to contemplate something like this again.

Tell me - what should I as an Indian footsoldier do?........

Update: The Vizio folks responded...!

2008-11-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

For context, refer to my earlier post:

http://andyspeak.blogspot.com/2008/11/vizio-help-me-im-your-customer.html

I sent this post as an email to Vizio's tech support. It was a long shot to expect a response - they have nothing to gain - I had violated the terms of my agreement by taking the TV to India, the holiday season is on, with its attendant issues of spike in support needed, the economy is looking down the barrel, so most companies would want their employees to focus on delivering the biggest bang for the buck - clearly trying to help an errant customer 12,000 miles away doesnt fit into that...!

Yet they responded - not one but two emails - both are below. No - my problem still remains and I wish it could get solved, but as a marketer with strong convictions on being responsible for your customer's experience with their purchase from you, I'm very impressed with Vizio.

To all you folks reading this in North America - Vizio is a company with its heart in the right place - the realize the primacy of the customer and are willing to take the extra step for it. As a consumer, that gives me immense confidence - so if you are considering an HDTV purchase, head out to the nearest Costco or vizio.com or any other place Vizio is sold and buy a Vizio with confidence.

"They are America's fastest growing HDTV company" - for a reason and deserve it.

Reply 1: I think from their customer service/PR department - see the polished language and the lack of any commitment - man these PR folks earn their keep, dont they?

"Unfortunately we literally have no way to perform any repairs or services in your area. We have no business associates or service centers outside of the US and Canada. We as a business do not even have license to sell our products there and our product insurance policies do not extend there.

It is not out of a desire to throw the rule book at you that we can not perform any warranty service. There is literally no way for us to do it with the TV where it is now. We dont tell our customers it will be out of warranty if you take it outside of the united states because we do not want to perform the work. We tell customers it will be out of warranty because there will be no way for us to perform any services outside of the US.

the most help we can provide is to try to determine the issue with your set through e-mail and then suggest parts that can be obtained. We can not mail them to your location because there are business/trade laws and rules that prevent us from doing so. So even after we can suggest parts that may solve the issue there is no promise it will definitely solve the issue and you would need to arrange obtaining the parts on your own. We can only ship with in the United States and Puerto Rico.

We would love to be able to back our product here but you removed it from our reach to do so. Something we try to warn customers of with in our warranty policy."

Reply 2: This is one I really liked and appreciated - someone (god bless John Kirby)

Dear Sir,

In regards to your blog. You are correct that the warranty is void. In an effort to help resolve your issue I have spoken with our engineer and he gave some diagnostic tips in determining which circuit boards need to be replaced in you unit. “What happens is…Is the power light green or orange? If green, I would look into the grille on the back of the TV and see if there is a glow. If not, Master or Slave Inverter.

If not, and Power light is orange, I would replace the Main board.” Please let me know if I can be any further assistance.

Please include all previous corresponding emails with reply.

Thank You,

John Kirby

Telecommute - why it makes sense....

2008-11-24T20:54:00.000-08:00

Why is it that we Indians have a need to go to office, even if there is no work.....even if more work gets done without the distraction and noise of colleagues, without the irritation of the phones going off and the ability to think and focus in silence, at home?

I know that most of us have jobs that need us to be in the office - no laptops, having to process papers, need to have meetings etc...but for those of us who have the option of working from anywhere, since we practically work all the time - why is there a need to be "seen" in the office?

Personally I find it way more productive to sit at home - we dont have kids, no TV so theres no disturbance, no interruption. The internet at home actually works (at office it is an apology for a crawl..!), so research and mails get done quickly too. Most days, much of my communication can be done on my cellphone and email, so theres no need to be anywhere in person. Add to that the tension and stress of Delhi driving and its a no-brainer to me - me thinks, we should have a policy of encouraging people to work from home, when possible and feasible (at least once a week seems reasonable to me).

I think it makes economic, social and personal sense. What do you think?

VIZIO - HELP me, I'm your customer

2008-11-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

This is an impassioned plea for help. I'm a customer of Vizio and I hope someone from their customer service department can see this.....I dont know how else to reach you from 12,000 miles away.

Fine - right up front I'll admit - I made a mistake. I bought my 42" LCD 1080p (GV 42LF Gallevia series) from dell in late April, 2008. It was my going away from the US gift to my wife and I - a full HD, LCD TV that would keep us entertained and remind us of our days in the US. We had to go through quite an adventure convincing the customs guy it was a legitimate purchase and that too for only for about $1000 (we actually bought it for only $1100) and then had to go through the hoops to get a Tata Sky subscription.....before we hooked up the home theater and the wii (we had to buy a transformer for all this..!) and voila - it was GRAND...! I loved watching cricket on the large screen - obviously with the picture quality being 480i in INdia, it wasnt the prettiest sight, but it had always been my dream to watch cricket on a large screen and there, right in front of my eyes was the largest screen I had seen cricket on - and it was in my own house....!!

The dream was to be shortlived though - one day the TV went blank (just 60 days into using the machine) - the standby light gets on - but nothing else - the screen is black. I tried changing the electricity source from the transformer to straight from the wall (110v to 240v A/C) and it wouldnt listen.....it had died - after an all too brief time of providing joy. I called customer service for Vizio - and they tried helping me - turn it off, pull out the plug and push it back on......still doesnt turn on - oh we'll have to send out a technician sir - can i have your address?, sir....sir, u still on? - there was silence - how could I tell them, I was in India - their warranty was null and void here?

Yes, I made a mistake....I know the warranty is null and void. I dont know how to get it repaired - I'm loathe to hand it over to freelancers in India, who might merrily replace parts and give it back to me in an inferior condition......I cant take it back to the US to get it repaired....Oh Vizio - what do I do with you?

someone in VIZIO - if you can read this - HELP......you'll get a mascot for life, you'll get a customer for life....I'll be indebted and I'll show it. HELP......I love my tv and want it back......and I dont know what to do but ask for help - dont throw the rule book at me and say sorry, the warranty doesnt work......HELP get my VIZIO back to life.

If there is someone in vizio who is reading this - you can reach me at simplyanand@yahoo.com. I live in the Indian capital - New Delhi.

A Simple Life

2008-11-20T19:24:00.000-08:00

I yearn to return to a simpler life,

of hard work, sweat and toil,

of simple pleasures - a lonely stroll in the eve,

weighed more in sombre yawns than strife.

I yearn to go past pithy greed,

past material things no place to hide,

past petty thoughts no need to heed,

for more time dipped in wholesome deed.

I yearn to return to the sombre past,

of friends and family, not money and time,

of joy and tears, not pride and hurt,

No wants nor needs only love thats vast.

Cricket Writing

2008-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

Yes. There is such a thing as cricket writing - a unique subset of writing that when well done is the only form that straddles fact and fiction (Peter Roebuck is a good example - uses facts to conjure fiction..!), prose and poetry (the immortal Neville Cardus), humor and pathos (this is easy - whats humor for one side is obviously heart break for the other - after cricket is a battle between two teams....), complexity and simplcity (G. rajaraman who now writes on cricket in Outlook is known for his Nehruvian sentences that somehow can be construed as being machavelien at times...for simplicity look no further than R.Mohan - formerly of the Hindu) and finally history and predictive/present (the singular pieces of Ramachandra Guha come to mind in contrast to say, a Vijay Lokapally in the Hindu).

Its actually quite a body of work, varied, impressive and enlightening and the rise and wane of the pen over the years seems to mirror the fate of the game too - slow boring works were produced when Boycott was plodding away while now its about getting straight to the point - quickies in the time of the Twenty20.

As someone that spends over two man hours on cricinfo.com on days there are no matches (it doesnt have to be India playing - I love cricket first....)and obviously a few more on the days there is a game (again, most games, most countries - certainly anything cricinfo.com covers), I'm amazed how much of cricket coverage and therefore good cricket writing is restricted to the web. IN spite of a spate of Australians releasing books these days - its the in thing now - the entire team suddenly has a unified hobby - lets write and tell all.....or maybe Australia's leading publisher made them a deal - 11 books for AuD 100 each....anything less than that and you have to pay me to publish them. I'm sure Richie Benaud will peddle the limited edition Australian cricket omnibus this christmas on Channel 9 - written and personally signed by each Australian cricketer. Its limited edition for more reasons than one - its limited in its world view, limited in its ability to sell and limited in its relevance to cricket......last year, a host of english cricketers got to penning their thoughts. I wonder how this goes though and where they find the time to sit with their ghost writers to relate their thoughts. I wonder how it would be for the Indian cricketers to pen their experiences - Ganguly in Bengali, Dhoni in Jharkhandi (is there a lang like that?), Sachin in Marathi, Dravid in impeccable Kannada (everything he does is practiced of course..!), Laxman in wristy Telugu, Bhajji in broken, gaali ridden Punjabi and of course, Sehwag....in Hindi (wait Sehwag will only write a chapter - he'll be done with his whole thing in one chapter)......that would be fun - the Indian national cricket omnibus written by the heroes themselves.

Well till such things happen, I'm of course limited to cricinfo.com - there arent too many better alternatives. I'm very angry with them though (actually with ESPN and Disney, who bought them) - they have robbed cricket lovers of a wonderful magazine - the Cricinfo magazine - with its excellent articles, in depth coverage, is now reduced to a sidebar on the website - oh come on ESPN - all that happens in the stupid US of A doesnt happen in India - we still read books and magazines here, newspaper sales in India are still going up (yes, thats right..) and the magazine was genuinely classy. Some senior financial analyst, professing to do a strategic analysis with absolutely no knowledge of the game or an udnerstanding of the customers must have recommended its scrapping.....please, please banish all these analysts to India (to seedy places like the Times of India) and let us have our magazine back.....

Well rants and raves apart - heres a genuinely funny look at cricket - I almost fell off the chair rolling in tears of mirth when I read this:

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/andy-zaltzman/archives/2008/11/broad_appeal.php

Half Yearly Scorecard: Hows the India Return going

2008-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, even I cannot believe its over 7 months since we got back from USApur. Time flies and sometimes leaves you behind....its been an action-packed and adventorous half a year and I'd be lying if I said its been a joyous one - its been tough, scrappy, hard-edged with a few pleasant footnotes like P.P's quick visit that got extended, our lightning trip to Chennai, our initial time in Hyd, my time in Mumbai.....lets examine how its been overall.

To start with - the reasons why we chose to come back:

We always wanted to come back. We had gone to the US assuming a temporary time frame of two years that got extended to four and then by another year. Why then did we leave at that particular time? - read on...
My job was getting a little monotonous (been there, done that) and I needed a change, a challenge.......
We were sure (at least 3/4th of us..!) that we didnt want our kids to grow up in the US. The education system was good and solid in pockets (the Bay area for instance) but the society in general, we felt, was not conducive to nurture our kids the way we wanted them to be - which is even now a rather nebolous idea in our mind. In short, I think we wanted them to be brought up like we were - in the proper Indian way......no more details.
There were other smaller reasons too - but those are either too personal to recount here or are not worth submitting an entire point to - so they will be clubbed under Misc.

Now lets examine how we've done against these parameters:

Always wanted to come back - We never realized this was an assumption in our head till we landed in Noida (till then surrounded by support casts of two sets of parents, friends all eager to catch up after such a long time, we were blissful....). And then it HIT us - man, we left all that convenience, that life of order for this unruly mess? - unto what end?.....my dislike for Delhi, Noida is well documented, so I will not waste any more energy here. To sum it up, we felt this was an assumption we did not challenge enough or properly in the US. Perhaps we needed to come back to even understand it was an assumption.
My job - Yes I got a new job. Its a lot of work, its periodically fun and the boss is superb - intelligent, forceful and a go-getter. But we had to wrench the wife off the world's happiest job to get her here and in that light this hasnt been a success at all - not even close. Her new job is a disaster, if only because she constantly compares it to the earlier one. Even otherwise, to work in the strategy department of an organization that doesnt have a strategy and depends on the boss to utter periodic holy words is a shame. In my job, I often (already) have a been there-done that feeling , sometimes I feel that I'm contributing more than I;m learning, more often than not, feel a lot of unnecessary labor is involved, just because where my team earlier consisted of me, now it consists of a group of folks that need to be carried along - my boss, my peers, my subordinates......
Kids growing up in the US - NO WAY DO I WANT MY KIDS TO GROW UP IN THIS INDIA. I cannot be any more categorical about that. Imagine this, you have three rounds of interview for your kid to get into kindergaten and to get them into a school of reasonable quality, it costs three arms and a leg (each month...!). After all this, it only ensures that are one among about 150 in the class and are forced to grow up mugging up and spitting it out in exams - not learning. As P.P often says in India - Education and Schooling dotn necessarily happen together. So on this point, I (perhaps we, but not completely sure) want to rush back - but only to selective places (like the Bay area for example).
Misc reasons -= many of them still very valid and are perhaps the reason why I'm yet holding back judgement and want to give it atleast another 15 months.....moreover, a life changing joy/pain in equal measure will arrive in about 6 months and that will clearly change our perspectives.

So for now, inspite of all indicators suggesting otherwise, I'm going to stand by our decision, albeit with a note of caution - it better turn around fast or we're outta here.

Dostana - Good humour or piece of crap?

2008-11-17T19:29:00.001-08:00

This is the first time I'm reviewing a movie, so its going to be fun (for me at least...!

To the uninitiated, Dostana released last weekend with Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra. The premise of the movie is that Abhishek and John, seeking a quick fix to their housing woes in Miami, lie that they are gay (and a couple) to get into the gorgeous sea facing apartment owned by Priyanka (or is it her irritating hammy aunt?). Once there, the predictable happens - they both fall head and heels in love with Priyanka yet have to put on the charade of being gay.....and 4358 purportedly funny incidents and a further 2348 saaad jokes later, the movie ends with John and Abhishek smooching each other.

Whats to like - the lead actors. Abhishek is the only one acting in the movie. Priyanka looks HOT (with a bubbling lava image here...!) and John is even hotter. Both cannot act to save their lives, so distract our attention by dropping their clothes - I guess most people in the audience would be fine with that bargain, at least I was. The music and the length of the movie were decent.

Whats not to like - the rest. Kirron Kher hams so much, her character in Om Shanti Om died of a complex. Bomman Irani was disgusting - as an actor I respect, I think this was one contract he didnt have to sign - he dons the "typical" gay fashion magazine editor and carries it off with his usual panache (his ability to get into the skin of the character is commendable) but the role itself is very badly etched out and leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. The less said about Bobby Deol, the better - he manages to do a bad job even in this movie.....my god, by god, oh god - some people never learn..!

That leaves us with the movie as a whole......apart from a few situational moments that were genuinely funny (like Abhishek insisting that Gabbar is gay - " look at the number of times, he looks at his gun and exclaims, Kitne Aadmi hain..!:-)), the rest of the movie is a very sad commentary on Indian society's inherent racism, sexism. We are very comfortable ridiculing anyone and everyone thats different from us - so to make fun of women, dark skinned people, folks from other religions, lower caste members and of course, gays and lesbians......it hurts to see the non-chalance with which the average Indian male is racist and sexist - sometimes both at the same time.

This idea of superiority and inferiority by the color of the skin, religious beliefs, sex, age, sexual preferences - it sickens me no end. And this movie panders to those egos, those very ignoramusses like a Tom and Jerry cartoon lights up my wife's face.....it was ridiculous looking around the theater observing the youth clapping and roaring in laughter even as I squirmed in my seat - not once, not twice but perhaps half the length of the movie.

I feel an insensitive, piece of crap movie like this is unnecessary at this stage in Indian society's development. I have always believed movie represent the pulse of society at any given point in time and if this movie represents larger Indian societal beliefs - give me the U.S anyday.

I'm very dissapointed in the lead actors - Abhishek, John and Priyanka. Even more dissapointed in the supporting cast - Kirron and especially Bomman Irani that they "chose" to do this movie. I hope there are better days ahead - but if this is a portend, we will lie waiting for a while yet.

Monday morning blues

2008-11-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

Its that time of the week again - when you have to coax yourself into getting out of bed, getting back into your "professional" skin and getting to office.....its strange for me, because this is perhaps the first time in life, I've felt this strongly on Monday mornings.....people I know have complained/have been complaining since school - but for me Monday mornings always used to be a pleasure - I've always looked forward to going to school, for instance - no I wasnt too much of a geek, it was perhaps the fact that I would be surrounded by friends and have unlimited opportunities to do what i do best - yak pointlessly - and then of course, the cricket matches in the morning before the assembly bell, the giggles in the class, the continuing matches in the short and lunch breaks....in fact even the class room sessions were never boring or staid.

And since those days, it either became a habit or my weekends were so poor, I never felt like I had to tear myself out of bed to get to office. Come to think of it, my weekends were never poor - in the US, weekends were in fact great fun - games of golf, the occasional movie, the occasional friendly get-togethers for nights of poker, the grocery shopping, the weekly laundry and cooking.....busy times they were yet I never dreaded monday mornings...the office was fun, there was nothing to be scared about and yes, the work was good too (for a long time....).

Yet now, right from Friday evening, I start dreading monday mornings - I dont know if it is the fact that I detest Delhi from the bottom of my heart, I dont know if I havent gotten over the US yet, I dont know if it is because the weekends now are extremely un-remarkable, except for the occasional movie - full of repair this, buy that, fix something else ......and then before you know it - Monday morning in all its ugly regularity stands up staring at your face.

IN the US, I would try and get online every sunday evening on my work email - just to get into the mood. I would be always online in the US, but not always on my email and official stuff. Here, the division between work and life is much more nebulous, I get to carry a lot more work home, I need to work a bit more over the weekends than before, so I guess I dont get to switch off at all (not that I can afford to swtich off - Delhi is an always on or perish kinda place) - maybe thats why the whole thing plays out like a dull dreary continuum in my head.

I want this feeling to go - I'll battling with it over the coming weekends and if that doesnt work - Delhi - goodbye to you. I need my life back, I need my weekends back and I need my lovely Monday mornings back.

Update: Found one more from the vegetable family..!

2008-11-14T00:42:00.000-08:00

After extensive research and collaboration with genetic mappers and bio-technologists, I have determined that an English cricketer is a cousin of our friend, the Kerala politician Oomen Chandy - both of course belong to the vegetable family - ladies finger.......who's the great man?

Heard of Ryan Side"bottom"? - its him wonly....! :-))

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Sidebottom

He seems to be celebrating his new identity....nah?

For the un-intiated, heres the context:

http://andyspeak.blogspot.com/2008/11/foor-zzoke-pee-zay-for-day.html

Muaaahahaha again.

UN vindicates my statement on pollution in South Asia

2008-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Clouds over Eastern China - see the contrast between the brown and white clouds

See I spoke about the smog in Delhi yesterday and the nytimes publishes this article today - clearly they follow my blog..!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/world/14cloud.html?hp

U.N. Report Sees New Pollution Threat

Delhi Winters

2008-11-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

Its getting a tad chilly in the mornings, see an occasional sweater or two, the sweat on the brow is replaced by the shudder in the morn.....Its winter in Delhi - an amazing time I hear. We were here in early 2005 at the peak of winter - oh what a wonderful few days - especially the time I had to wait for four hours outside the american consulate - the setting was perfect. Light, low fog, a gentle chill in the air - enough to keep you awake but not enough to force the clatter of teeth, the sun slowly (much like lazy delhities) slumbering out amidst the mist, the birds still chirping away their bedtime stories in the trees, the smell of chai from the street-side vendors, sweepers lazily casting their brooms on the road - oh what magic those hours were.......

I hope to experience a bit more of that first hand this year. The portents are not very nice though - the fog and mist is now gone and replaced by a pretty much permanent smog - though I must say, it was very suprising that today, it already seems a bright, clear beautiful day - the unseemly fog has lifted (if only for temporary respite). Yesterday afternoon was a little poignant - sad and beautiful - amidst the thick smog I noticed the sun in mid afternoon was reduced to a red ball, the corners easily discernable - it seemed like the might and bright had been reduced to something the human eye can stare at, laugh at.....on the other hand it also seemed like it was the Sun having a laugh at us humans - seemingly observing - so you think you have tamed me? look around see the devices you have used (pollution, pillage) and realize who the joke is on......

I'm afraid for Delhi, for India for all of South Asia - we are so involved in our day to day life - no one has the time, the money or the patience to think about the environment. Its a sad footnote for the government - which is powerless to do anything that would be deemed anti-development...! its a sad cycle - one that has left our lives poorer, our surroundings bleaker and our country - our beautiful land less pristine.

Breaking the law with impunity

2008-11-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered and this has been accentuated by my close-at-hand obvservations in callous New Delhi, why Indians have such a lax attitude to following the letter and spirit of the law - why do we find it so easy to flout rules, bend laws and make our convenience. Whats so special in the US, that they follow all the silly, simple everyday rules - like traffic laws for example?......I theorized that it simply a matter of better infrastructure - clearly the US has far superior infrastructure, wider roads, clearly demarcated lanes, working signals, highways, no cows or pedestrians on the road......replicate those conditions in India and it will be the same - after all, arent Indians in the US very law abiding? It made sense also watching the unruly mess on the streets of Louisiana after Katrina - I was convinced - its clearly a first-world, third-world infrastructure issue.......

Then I landed in Delhi - INdia's most advanced metropolis from an infrastructure perspective. Wide roads, amazingly well maintained, superb metro, unbelievable local infrastructure (theres place to park in public areas, the electricity almost never fails, theres ample drinking water) - in short Delhi is a first world city. Did I observe first world behavior? - MAN was i wrong....people here break rules, with an impunity that borders on joyful abandon. They love deliberately disobeying traffic signals, going on the wrong side of the road, stopping arbirtrarily in the middle of the road to have a casual conversation, honking their backsides off for no reason, spitting when and where they feel like (especially in clean places)........so there you go - my theory was not only wrong, the Delhiites seem to be putting on a special show just to throw some extra soot into my eyes. Well, my little anthropological adventure was just what it was meant to be - misplaced.

Not one to give up so easily, I have since been thinking -what could the reasons be for such unruly behavior. Lets look at it logically - whats the incentive for someone to break the law - there are two parts to this:

Stick - whats the punishment if the law is broken? whats dissuading me from transgressions? Like the scalding touch of a hot vessel convinces the kid not to go near the stove, what's there to forewarn me from breaking the law. Unfortunately, INdian laws are either archaic (we havent revised some of the crap the british put in place in the 1800s) or un realistic - the fines are not benchmarked against the enforcing authority's (police) remuneration - hence creating the ideal climate for bribes. What rules there are, take ages to enforce, the legal system is paralysed and unable to show any spine (its very very corrupt too). There is no point in making the rules tighter or the fines higher, if you are not able to enforce them.......
Carrot - whats my incentive to follow the law? This is a slightly more difficult one to answer and has to be more general and higher level......the benefit of following rules and laws is not clear unless a majority of people follow it. When the majority subscribe to following the rules, no corruption and the contingent issues with it - society as a whole benefits. There is more order, predictability and a sense of peace and justice.....but when it is each to his own, there is a negative self re-inforcing cycle - why should I follow the law when no one else is - so one then looks for even better waysb to maximise one's benefit - even if it be at all other's expense. More often than not, this leads to ones own harm - look at the perfect gridlock every morning and evening on Delhi's roads - a little more patience will help everyone, but heres the deal, even if I were to wait patiently, someone from behind will sneak up - so whats the point???

Fine - so whats the way out...? I dont know. My latest theory is that this is an instructional phase in our development as a society - this is the adolescent phase when we are brash, confident, apathetic to rules and authority and revel in rebelling. India is a young country (avg. age is 23), its people are in a hurry, they want to achieve, earn, rule - they have no time for niceties. Wait for the country to grow up and hope this is a passing phase, with maturity round the corner. I say hope because I dont see any practical way to solve the mess.....anyone has any other ideas? let me know.....

Fare thee well....

2008-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

So India won and quite convincingly too...when was the last time someone beat the Aussies 2-0 in a test series?. The cricket itself was scrappy, with each team waiting on the other to blink - it wasnt the free spirited all out attack game that one saw in 2001 (in India) and 2003 (Aus) - those, along with the 2005 Ashes rank as some of the best test matches ever played.....

Much has been written about the Indian Fab five - Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly and Kumble - alas, it is now the lonesome threesome - with Ganguly and Kumble hanging up their boots....what defining careers... - Saurav as a captain that made India the second best cricket team in the world - before that India's only claim to cricketing fame was a fluke in 1983 and that BCCI was the richest board in the world -after all the Indians were called Tigers at home and sheep abroad. He also brought in a keen sense of adjustment and warmth. Kumble on the other hand, was the gentle giant - one that would almost creep up on you.....untill you realzed it was too late. One that was relentlessly persuasive - in a logical, gentlemanly adamant manner that is seemingly innocous, yet deadly in hindsight. Bagfuls of wickets, a test match century and calm captaincy (especially when monkey gate was being played out..).

Australia too is faced with a similar challenge - of replacing giants. So whos doing a better job - on the face of it - it seems like India. In Dhoni - they have the most level headed captain in world cricket today. In Ishant, Zaheer, Munaf, R.P and Sreesanth they have a pace attack as good as any in the world. In Harbhajan they have a spinner slowly re-discovering his wicket taking ways - Amit Mishra is still too raw and I would like him to prove himself abroad......in batting - finally they have a settled opening pair in Sehwag and Gambhir (when Gambhir can keep his temper under fold), an elegant, solid batsman VIjay in the wings, in Rohit, Yuraj and Badri - three mercurial talents waiting in the wings for when Sachin, Rahul and Laxman will say sayonara.....

Yet it already seems like something is missing - a bit of class, a touch of magic, a hint of arrogance - maybe its nostalgia, maybe I'm growing old - but I cannot imagine an Indian team without these luminaries. I cant place my hand on the button but theres something in the background - like your first love lost or the day you leave your first job......see the article below by Sidhartha Vaidyanathan in the cricinfo - he expresses it so well:

http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/376791.html

Fare thee well, my heroes. We had fun while it lasted.......

The North - South Divide

2008-11-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

Theres a mighty chasm between North India and South India. I'm currently based out of Noida, so get to observe the worst of North India from very close quarters..!

I was recently in Kerala - I landed in the Cochin airport mid afternoon and got out onto a balmy mid afternoon day - and immediately I could notice a difference - a certain calm, quiet, relaxed atmosphere pervaded the area.....people were coming in to the airport in two wheelers, twirling their munds (the traditional white cotton tunic wrapped out the waist that covers the lower body of the mallu male)....it seemed a world away from the delhi airport madness - rude rude rude people jostling for space, honking like crazy.....

Kerala has an air of relaxed informality and friendliness about it - perhaps a touch too much. Delhi is very rude, very unfriendly and in a BIG hurry - I dont know to where and what end? Delhi-ites has a "delhicious" way of justifying their transgressions and blaming it on others - no one follows traffic signals - its a joke hearing some of the justification - " I know exactly when to go", "I'm not breaking the signal when I have a kid with me", "I'm not causing any accident, so whats the problem", "I'm in a two wheeler - why I should stay in the signal for as long as the cars?" .....I'm not kidding - people here break the law with an impunity bordering on the ridiculous.

Kerala, on the other hand - had crappy infrastructure, but the people seemed more tolerant, more able to adjust with their reality and more at peace with their lives.

One interesting thing I did notice about Cochin though - there were literally hundreds of billboards lining the highway - and except for three, every single one of them was advertising swanky new apartments - either these guys are still living in caves or the Kerala economy has done a remarkable job of insulating itself from the rest of the world or perhaps the advertisers, in anticipation of demand, had bought up the billboards for the next five years and now see no reason to pull it down......it was quite a site - every single billboard selling apartments - I dread to imagine what will happen to Cochin if those apartments get sold - it already is the most barren of all places in Kerala, the place more resembling the rest of the country and if this wave were to succeed - well it would Satan's own corner in God's Own Country...!

I have finally realized - I DONT LIKE DELHI - this place, the people, the boorishness, the smog.....I yearn for Hyd - those long days spent watching test matches in the living room, those evening cricket matches in the friends roof, those long walks, those friendly neighbors.......I yearn for Los Angeles - those wide roads, those magnificient days, those fantastic beaches, those carefree days of financial freedom - somebody,....... ANYBODY - take me away from here......

Simple. Succint. Full of Meaning

2008-11-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Why does it sometimes seem like history has skipped its glacial angst to burst into life and change in front of our eyes?

Why is this election in the US such a moment or a collection of such moments?
Heres ONE line that succinctly captures the whole revolution:

"Rosa Parks sat in 1955. Martin Luther King walked in 1963. Barack Obama ran in 2008"

I rest my case....

Foor Zzoke (Pee Zay) for the Day:

2008-11-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

A famous politician and minister in Kerala is the sibling of, I'm not kidding, a vegetable - the Ladies Finger.

Who and how???

Ever heard of Oomen Chandy ? - he's the ONE.

How? - oomen is mallu accent for women. Chandy is actually mallu for... Errr, well - bum. So, ladies bum is obviously the sibling of ladies finger no??

muaaahhhahahahahahah

A proud moment for countless Me's around the world...

2008-11-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have transgressed way beyond my personal accepted standards to blog from my office - but these are extra-ordinary times and they require extra-ordinary measures.

What is so special? - Obama won. I feel excited, energized, amazed, touched even - why, I cant say.....its a distinct "I'm knowing" feeling of historic proportions.

I love the way nytimes.com has OBAMA written across their website and their simple, solemn, straight forward article conveying the historic news:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05elect.html?hp

Back to work now....

Yes we can...Yes we did..!

Update: Why do I get goosebumps, when I see news about Obama?
See the transcript of his victory speech below - inclusive,electrifying, energizing and tell me how can you not have a goose bump, a lump in your throat....:

Obama claims victory (A transcript) – his address at Grant Park Illinois

Hello, Chicago.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.
And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.
There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years -- block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.
And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

no posts on Mon (3/11) and Tues (4/11), so this is a placeholder till we meet again

2008-11-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

Time and Tide wait for none...even for a special one.

2008-11-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

He was an honorable man.....
A gentle, caring, possessive father,
a humble, understated, loving husband,
a fiercely enthusiastic, proud grandfather.

Many more roles he played with aplomb,
seen by the lines waiting to pay homage.
Many more lives he touched in his inimitably humble way,
seen by the tears that deluged the ward.

Yet destiny cared not and plucked him unkindly away,
leaving us wondering - why him, why so abrupt, why now?
Yet life must go on, thats what He would have wanted,
So in his memory - lets promise to live life like he did
With humility, poise, dedication and never a complaint.

May His Soul rest in peace -
May he attain his God and heaven
May his Soul rest in peace -
May he attain his God and heaven

Democracy Vs Democraus....

2008-11-01T02:50:00.000-07:00

So finally the presidential elections in the US are coming to an end....Gosh, hope Obama wins....not because I hate McCain (though he scares me with his choice of a nut job for a VP - Sarah Avg Hockey Mom Idiot Palin), but because I firmly believe the world needs Obama. I have a theory about the US - one borne out of observing the country and its people closely in the five years I spent there......American capitalism by virtue of its definition of each to his own....ensures the survival of the fittest - the way that society is built, is purely on individual effort. Unlike India, where we have a culture of dependence - on our families, on our government, on our friends, even our supposed great history....Americans are self made and do not need or depend on the government for day to day sustenance. The role of the government in the US is to stand by, create the right environment, utter the right words and watch as the ambitious. strong willed individuals go about creating gold - this is the reason why the kind of person in the White House becomes critical - he/she doesn't need to be an experienced, been there - done that old man, he/she cannot afford to be a dull, blundering, buffoon like Bush (as he/she has to be an inspiration)......yes that's the key word - INSPIRATION......that is the main role of the president in the lives of Americans and that's why Obama is key - irrespective of his lack of experience, suspect capabilities, opaque and flimsy policies - he inspires......he brings positive hope, he brings a certain zing, zeal, energy and enthusiasm to the table that is simply not ignorable.....

I;m confident if Obama is elected, he will re-vitalize the competitive, entrepreneurial spirit of the nation. Silicon valley will again come alive, the universities will buzz again and the factories of middle America will once again start churning out world beaters.....well, o.k the point is not that he will convert the faltering America today into an Atlantis - but that he represents the best hope for America....he is also the right person, at the right time, for the right job.

McCain lost me the minute he chose Pain...errr Palin - why?, oh why? would you destroy you reputation of decades on someone who cannot spell her name?, why are the republicans (who I really respect btw...not the right wing idiots but the more centrist, industry leaning, free market heroes) lining up behind self confessed duds - first Bush, then Palin?....hope a resounding defeat here will wake up some of those ostriches to get their head of out of the mud and look around

Long time no post

2008-10-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to convince myself to post more often - or as P.P says - post early and post often but it just doesnt happen - wonder why?

laziness? - I've done things recently and regularly that I hate (raise expense claims for instance), so I dont know if thats true

inspiration? - I have tons of ideas and through the day sometimes, I actually sit and fantasize about how such and such idea would be represented on my blog.....yet never get around to actually fulfilling those little visions...!

Lack of content - answered above - i literally think of tens of things everyday that I think should be the feature of a few words, or a para on the blog - yet it never happens.....

I think its because there is a ritualistic process associated with blogging in my head - need to organize my thoughts, need to think about topics, need to present it in a certain way (no idea what that "certain" entails...yet there is a "Certain" way).....its not like recording a conversation, its not as easy as thinking and visualizing.

I wish there was a way to transcribe each of those liteel dream sessions I have with myself and ahve them automatically appear on the blog - it will prove invaluable when I look back and see how my thoughts have progressed, or regressed or drifted over time.

Anyways - just got back from a short trip to Mcleodganj (Upper Dharamshala).....sweet quaint old place that houses the Tibetan government in exile of the Dalai Lama (who incidentally was being operated upon in New Delhi, while we were gallavanting about his palace). The place is very old world - sweet people, with bright eyes walking around looking content with their lives....some freak out AMAZING Italian food - SURAJ - thanks, we owe you one.....one amazing lunch went all of three and a half hours - with proper appetizer, main course and desert while listening to some quaint music and looking out the window onto a bustling every present tibetan market....

Got to see a lot of propaganda - Free Tibet stuff - somehow I'm not convinced by their rhetoric. Its seems like one spineless group of people (Dalai lama and co.) aligning with another (the great Indian nation) even more spineless group to talk sense into a bulldozer out to do its job (China, of course). The 'uprising' this year on the eve of the Olympics was a little too predictive as was the orchestrated response by China and Pak in J&K - why dont we understand that its the common people that suffer in all this empty showboating...lets chuck all this and get on with life....for a change?

2006-05-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

This is a test post - im trying out a new widget on my mac laptop that lets me post on my blog remotely...!! kewl isnt it?

In response......

2006-03-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

Found this very interesting post over at Kichan's blog (Krishnan Nair for the ones that don't know him..)
http://kaynair.blogspot.com/2006/03/light-fire.html

The above post got me thinking and i have something here that is not necessarily related yet in a queer way, well, related...! I actually wanted to comment there - but very quickly realized what I have to say might be very loooooong, all over the place and not directly related to post as a comment - its also something I want people that come to my blog to see and debate about....so anyways....here goes:

Its funny you mention that hero-worship is because of ignorance - a quick look around the "developed, educated (!)" world would suggest otherwise - just look at the blind trust americans have posed in their poster boy president George W even as he keeps changing the reasons for invading and oppressing Iraq....around the world its amazing what blind faith and belief can throw.

Given this, I would like to commend out founding fathers for putting in a democratic system of checks and balances in our society - so even if these "leaders/politicians" forget their real duty, sense of selflessness and service and start indulging in money-mongering, you can throw them out and elect some one else (well, at least theoretically, that's how it works - now if more people vote on Indian Idol than the general elections and yet blame the 'dirty, corrupt' politicians for everything that is wrong with India, there's nothing much the founding fathers could have done about that...).

I believe this is also tied to the reason why Socialism is today a failed idea, they (the socialists) got defeated by their own ideals and the fact that absolute power ALWAYS corrupts - be it in the USSR, Poland, Romania, East Germany, Cuba or even China (which is really capitalist in a socialist mask).....It always began with a few idealists throwing out the oppressors and promising peace, justice and most importantly EQUALITY for all.....egalitarian society - aah what a lovely concept - but such an oxymoron.....any society by definition is a loose, heterogeneous conglomeration of human thoughts, ideas, beliefs and customs - it is by definition a group of Individuals living together for some cause - and no two humans at the end of the day are really identical - so how can egalitarianism work beyond a point??...how can you deliberately suppress one's ambitions to cater to another's sloth in the name greater good for society - it is against the very fundamental laws of nature (everything is moving towards more chaos from initial order)........lets take an example.....

Imagine this country or group of people that has been freed from oppressors (rulers, kings, dictators, zamindars whatever) by a group of young idealists....Who then form a government of and for equality, but they now have ABSOLUTE power and the devotion of a doting public. The ideas of equality soon take effect - all property is owned by the government, no religion, no political affiliations, compulsory military service...etc etc. Now everyone in the country is not alike, different people have different aspirations, different motivations, levels of ambition and so...the slow (slow -might spare the original leaders, but the next generation is always caught square in the middle) process of societal arbitration starts....the more adventorous amongst the population start looking for soft spots in the rules or loopholes, look to trade their responsibilities, look to lure, bribe and corrupt the leaders....well the leaders who are the darling(s) of the people, have already forgotten their ideals and have become power drunk.....as I said - the human mind has found only one cure for temptation - some other temptation......the same idealists or their next generation at most now, in name of maintaning equality and order start practising the very same policies, they fought against......look at Cuba - does it today represent even one-tenth of what Che Guevara fought and gave his life for????......take our own example - Kerala - the crown jewel in Indian socialism (lets not even discuss WB) is quite honestly a mess - surviving today on foreign remitance....no industry worth its name survives here today - the government cant achieve a thing and the unionized mafia control everything - the same keralite that is so industrious when outside the state, turns into the epitome of sloth the minute he/she starts working in kerala.......why ? - protectionism breeds complacency, complacency dilutes morals and devotion & absolute power add spice to the broth (or coconut oil to the fire in kerala's case :-)).....when the people in power dont have anyone to answer to - they become answerable to the devil - God's ideals are too painful....Shakespeare's Julius Caesar said it beautifully - after Brutus and his mates murder Caesar - Brutus addresses the crowd - the gathering immediately applauds him and asks for him to installed on Caesar's throne - hail the new Caesar they say.....what a sad and ironic thing to say - they very thing he tried to eliminate got hold of him........

So I say my friends - the answer to the problem is not educating the public, pitying the poor or banning hero-worship......the answer is doing our civic duty - get out there and vote, at the minimum.......speak up when given the chance and elect those that you think and know can make a difference and vote them out when they get stale.......THAT is the way out - when politicians know that they are being watched and their performance matters - they will do work, good work - education, infrastructure and everything else we blame the system for today will get taken care of - lets do our duty and STOP blaming the system and pitying the poor......again - tying it back to Kichan's blog - you will see its not really a response to what he said......yet it is related in the sense that overall he seems to be saying the same thing - politicians and leaders are a reflection of society, so cleanse them while you have the chance and power to do so......this is my opinion and thoughts on whats really wrong .....

Im still thinking.....

Inertia of Motion, of Rest....but of Life?

2006-03-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

The great Newton came up with the laws of motion...the first law called the Law of Intertia: a body in a state of rest or in uniform motion along a straight line will continue to be so, untill acted upon by an external unbalanced force.....(whew....I still remember it verbatim - some achievement eh?!, considering I've forgotten much of Julius Caesar, which was my all time great "by-hearting"
achievement...)

I wonder how Newton actually came up with this..? I mean I know the famous story of the apple knocking a hole in his head and he coming up with gravity and all that....so did he discover inertia by studying life and society around him?......look at life - his law is sooooo appropriate and applicable its not even funny - Change is Always deemed painful, there is always resistance and everyone wants to keep playing safe and doing the same things they always did.....isnt it ridiculous - I mean life itself is a journey from birth to death with even clear milestones, showing the progession from one stage to another - CHANGE written all over it - yet people choose constancy over change.....whole industries are wiped out because of their recalcitrant ways - the railroad industry, more recently the musci industry and their reaction to Napster, nations are erased from the map, people get left behind- the examples are just too many to recount or list here.......the one common thread in all this - the search, the yearning for stability....this innate, inbuilt search for rest.......why? there has to be a reason for something so obviiously illogical..i mean come on - the fundamental law of the universe is that everything is moving towards more chaos....the solar system, teh earth, sun, moon, stars everything is in constant motion - forget size - atoms - electrons, positrons, quarks, how small do you want to get - the common thread - continous change......restlesness IS the universe - YET we search for constancy?.......

Im not too much into hindu philosophy - though it is something that facinates me....have promised myself that I will go into it one day....ONE DAY...anyways, the thing that facinates me is this concept of nirvana....of freedom from the cycle of birth and death, of the soul being merged with God and true oneness being achieved....it is said that one who has attained Nirvana is not affected by the daily life - it is not that they know all the answers to our common questions, but that the questions dont matter..?? - what could this stage be?....one where you are at peace with everything???......I think Nirvana or this sense of complete oneness is also the stage of complete constancy and stability.......I believe as humans we are innately tuned towards attaining this stage - its just that we dont know how, so we look for constancy in everything, try holding onto to everything - money, relationships, materialism.....the trick might be to actually let go, not look for constancy at all - being one with change - move with change and change with change.......relative motion says when two bodies are moving in the same direction at the same pace - they appear to each other as motionless......that I think is THE STATE we call nirvana......one achieved through constant karma and renouncement...........

I keep thinking...........

grrrrrrr

2006-03-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

Im very angry right now - with everything and everyone in sight and out of sight....so keep offf

No post for today

2005-09-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Im overreaching myself by posting everyday...so none today...!!

So I go on....

2005-09-07T23:07:00.000-07:00

o.k - so I'm going to try to keep this going.....I'm not supposed to be in front of the comp so late....but then well. Ok so now what do I say?......lets talk about cricket and India's obsession with it. It's funny how we even started to like the game - its a typically stupid british sport - created by rich fat asses who had nothing better to do for 6 to 8 whole days and needed to invent some recreation to keep their bellies from bursting at the seams - then we fight two hundred years for freedom from everything british but we end up better (well, not the present Indian team and the present English team) than them at the only two things that are truly english - the language and cricket....>! Then we are not even very good at the game.....yeah, we do have a few individual talents, but please - this IS a team game and we suck at playing for one another....wait the reasons are not over - India is really not one country - it is a federation of many different cultures - South India and North India are so far apart - there is more in common between North India and Pakistan than below the Vindhyas...so how, please tell me, how can such different people be equally obessed with one Stupid Foreign game??!!!.....

O.k - now to set the record straight - I am crazy, absolutely mad about cricket - I can sit and watch endless hours of it - it doesnt matter who is playing whom, why, when, where.....I can watch and appreciate cricket - I am one of millions of arm chair experts who sits and coaches the Indian team every ball and have an opinion about every move of the poor captain out on the field. Yah lets talk about that now - the most difficult job in the world today - no Im not talking about the US Presidency - thats not the most difficult, thats reserved for the dumbest.....Im talking about the INdian cricket captain - he has to be a great sportsman, leader, politician, team member, ageless wonder, actor.....etc etc come on - even Superman would have quietly worn his undies inside when given this job description.........yet the craze only grows - its like a vicious cycle - the public show some interest, the media picks it up - the advertisers go crazy....in between the Indian team wins ONE match, so the public response goes up ever so slightly - the media goes maaad - the advertisers just hit the moon....and so on - where exactly will all this end???? - is there any end to the "expectations" - everytime the indian team steps out onto the fiels - they are expected make 450 runs of course for no loss, then roll out the opposition for 27 in about 3 overs....and do this day in and day out....come on guys you cant even expect this off the Australian team - that set of ageing losers did I hear..?:-)). Lets see, if the Indian team continues losing as they are now - I have no doubt in my mind that Sourav will be gone - a few more heads may roll, lots of new faces, rebuilding (which means more losses, means more criticism - means more pressure on the poor players - more losses and so on)....if on the other hand, they miraculously recover and start winning a few matches - woosh, talk will start flying about how India is destined to win the next world cup......means more pressure, means they will lose and the whole story starts again.......PLEASE - leave the guys alone - give them thirty matches - dont expect a thing, then if they still dont improve - sack them all - ban cricket and find something better to do - like writing a comment on this blog......

Now I got to go and catch some sleep....so good night and catch you tomorrow.....

I'm back.....with a vengeance

2005-09-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

i'm back all right - at the constant prodding of my wife, but hope to stay longer and write a few more columns before i dissapear this time around - not that it matters to anyone...!

As i'm wondering what to write a few things are swimming around in my head.....should it be cricket and what i did or didnt do at work today, about another shoddy display by the Indian team, or dig into arm chair philosophy.......so if you're reading this - please understand, if you have enough free time on your hands to search out this blog and actually read through what I've written - please do post a comment or at least help me sort out this confusion in my mind.....
Ok - here goes some serious writing - I;ve always wondered about one thing - why do we work?....and Ive tried to dig deeper and deeper into the depths of what little I know and its suprised me - everytime I think this is it - surely i cant think more than this, woosh in comes a thought like a blinding ray of light providing a new insight or another perspective.......Right now my thinking is that work is Man's invention to perpuate society and human life on this planet....the human brain is such that it has to be kept constantly occupied and physical and mental inactivity, especially something forced, helps keeps the human brain on its toes and this is crucial to mankind's survival and our only differentiator as a species.

I was watching a documentary about pygmies in Africa recently and the simple life they lead really touched a few strings in my heart and head....especially one remark by the narrator - "the pygmies only work when they need to find food and the whole community celebrates and mourns together. Everyone has time for one another and spend much of their life sitting around and talking to one another. There is no concept of time in terms of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, even years......there is sunrise and there is sunset and life is merrily lived in between"......Contrast this to the incredible complexity we have built around our lives - we have no time for each other today, no one really talks to the their neighbours anymore, unless they need soemthing from them - each one to his own.....time, money, food, sex, l;ove, religion - everything is made complex and is getting worse. Education used to mean knowing how to speak and write in a tongue everyone could understand - what is it now - it is a tool for personal differentiation - I'm an MBA, so I'm better than a normal graduate.....well Im also an MBA but I'm from an Ivy league school - so Im even better....look at the concepts man has invented - insurance - as a mitigant against an event happening, well what do we know about what is going to happen tomorrow - is it of our volition or is there a bigger force, no one knows for sure, but why take a risk....and the best part is there is soemthing called "re-insurance", for the insurer to save his own backside if what you betted against actually came true...!!!and so on.......where does it all end?....how many layers will we add onto this madness?.......what is the need for this - is it because of our ever increasing population that so desparately seek to differentiate ourselves.....? what then is an optimum number for the population and what methods are there to maintain that there and keep the specimen happy and contented ......I really think this is a vicious game created by this being called GOD to keep us busy with ourselves and as we worsen the knot into more balls of confusion, I soemtimes think there is someone up there watching and laughing as he/she sips his/her cuppa tea and enjoys the evening sun relaxing in their patio overlooking the stream.......

"The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones..."

2004-06-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

So let it be with Reagan.

Watching all those enconmiums being heaped on Reagan set me thinking - has society morphed so much since Shakespeare that we now will speak only of the good things a man did?? or is it our way of being decent to a man who had lost all his faculties and was a vertiable vegetable in his last few years of existence.

Reagan for all his achievements (Winner of the COLD WAR...!) is also squarely responsible for the largescale alienation of the islamic world that is a trademark of American policy today - he set in motion the events that led to the talibanization of Afghanistan - at that time with the "noble" motive of driving the communists away - but who that has raised a lion has not been consumed by it, who that has fanned a fire has not been burned.....the millions that America pumped into Afghanistan then is now coming back to strike it.........Bin Laden was a decorated hero, who was praised in all of America as the one that liberated Afghanistan from the commies - see what he is now?!!

Drives me to another point - what should a leader do when faced with choice -should he take the decision that is best for himself, for his country or for the entire world - what is his sphere of influence, and what should he be concerned about - George Bush might genuinely believe that he has rid the world of a fanatic (read Saddam) and that it is in Humankinds interest to bring democracy to the Mid-east......but is that something beyind his control - is he biting more than he can chew? and who is HE to decide what is in everyone's interest - if he can, why do only the Americans vote for him - what gives the discretion to go after say a Saddam on what he claims are WMDs....while choosing to blatantly ignore North Korea or to a lesser extent Pakistan......

hey enuf of heavy stuff....think i'll over and out now - catch you guys later....

oks..

My First Posting

2004-06-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

.....Feels odd to write on a public forum - not that my blog site is going to have a million hits in the next hour - but it still feels a little eerie - kinda like the first time you got up on stage in an elocution competition and the audience gets into a hush as soon as you reach in front of the mike......your knees tremble, your palms sweat and you have no idea or control over what is coming out of your mouth for the first few minutes - its pure adrenalin.....and then you settle down, realize you're just saying what you had rehearsed a hundred times......its only a competition and your not out to change the world in a few minutes.
Anyways, that will be all for my first few lines.....I will sign off now and get back to work - might add something before the day is out though....so keep a watch out - for now though adieus amigos...