Unplugged Thoughts

An observation

2009-05-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

I am finally putting actions to my passion... my love for music is typical of the sort of passion a person acquires over time. I have grown up listening to a good mix of classical music, ghazals, light film songs and the typical dance numbers... enough to give me a self-induced understanding of what I consider good music to my ears.... But of late, I have been enthralled by the little nuances that make listening all the more pleasurable. I have started noticing the instrumentation to a great deal.. one the prime reasons ARR is my favourite music composer. The sheer ensemble of instruments he uses mesmerizes me... words of poetry give us meaning for the song, but the accompanying instruments is what touches the ear and reaches the heart and soul... Being in the Bay Area is the closest I could have been to being home.. be it family, childhood friends, chaat or bollywood movies at the multiplexes every other weekend... and come spring and summer, the opportunity to experience the soulful renditions of some of the famous sons and daughters of the Indian music fraternity.

I have attended two live concerts in the last 4 weeks. First was a classic combo of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain. Percussion always pricked my senses. Its what prompted me to take up Mridangam for a couple of years... I wish I could give an answer for not pursuing it.... The sharpness of a percussion instrument, the fact that its not what gives melody to the tune, but nonetheless completes it... I had never before seen either of these artistes perform live... Santoor, a part of the next set of instruments I enjoy, string... and tabla by the Ustad himself. To say it was blissful is to understate my experience... yesterday, I got to listen to Jagjit Singh. I have listened to my dad croon his songs totally unaware of the fact that he's listening to it on his headphones but subjecting me and mom to his unedited voice!!A small observation though.. I felt that at both concerts, a certain segment was a little light, a little easy going.... I am not sure if it was done specifically for the audience set since we are away from India or do these artistes perform the same way even if they are performing in front of a home crowd. Maybe I was so immersed into the music that I didn't want to lose the intensity of my listening experience... but all in all, I am glad I am finding this way of spending quality time experiencing something which goes a long way in enriching the way I feel about myself. Music touches my soul, makes it smile... :)

Stocks

2008-10-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Got this through email... Courtesy Manyu...

If you had purchased $1,000.00 of Delta Airline stock one year ago you would have $49.00 left.

With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1,000.00.

With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.

But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all of the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND, you would have $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.
It's called the 401-Keg.

and this is Sumeet's signature...

Friends are like butt cheeks.
Crap might separate them, but they always come back together.

Relationships...

2008-06-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

Family, friends, teachers, bosses, colleagues... some relevant, others not so much, some fleeting, others not so much, some good, others.. well... lets say the lesser said the better.. but relationships... how does one enclose that word in actual life?.. psychology probably has some scientific explanations for it, but like with so many other things that are so inexplicable in life, a scientific description and explanation of relationship wouldn't hit me or anyone where it matters.. at the heart.. thats ironically so true, because it is the heart where a relationship makes its presence felt.. and I believe it probably is a very personal thing as how an individual may perceive it... as outward and plastic someone may be in appearance, somewhere, with someone else, he shares some thing different, and what distinguishes the other from you is the relationship... As my friend would aptly put it, this is as convoluted as only my talk or words can get..

I know a lot of people, but befriend only a few, and those who manage to cross that barrier between acquaintance and friends, become so dear to me that if I actually projected it in its entirety, it may suffocate them.. but there's so much that I've learnt, observed, experienced, cherished, admired and even envied with these people in my life, that sharing things becomes more than just opening your mouth and talking. I am sure there have been instances for all of you when just hearing someone's voice or what we call 'telepathy' transpired and you could connect with the person whom you wanted to or vice-versa.. it never ceases to amaze me as to how develops something like this.. you hear the tone of their voice or even the first word they type in a chat window and you are able to gauge what the mood of the conversation is going to be about...I think its wonderful that we get to experience something as fickle and yet so deep-rooted that it can't really be expressed with all but some special people in life.

Why I type this? Well, I guess you would know it depending on how well you know me... :) .... maybe I just feel needy and greedy for a...... life long.. relationship?? ;)

Random thought: I want to write something about music but I think there's just too many thoughts to type it out... maybe...soon

Home.....

2008-01-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

The deal's come through... the builders and the society have agreed on mutual ground. Another high-rise society will stand and dot the skyline in the booming area around Diamond Garden... Shankar Niketan will be ground to dust.... I will never see my home again!!!!.....
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We moved in there when I was two, thus probably the beginning of my memory that I can trace back in my brain... I remember the sight of the garden from the balcony.. my mom walking me to school during LKG. A big move for us was when we broke the balcony , extended the hall, converted the kitchen into a bedroom and the second balcony into a kitchen. The typical modifications within the realms of a middle class family...I remember the uneven ground outside in the compound, often disturbed by the negligence the society showed to it because cars wouldn't some around in such a small area... I remember my happiness when during reflooring, they levelled out the stretch. It became the launchpad for my cycling trps as I kept the cycle near the back door. Depending on the number of boys around, cricket was possible on three parts around the building, The glasses we broke, the trips we made to the dilapidated dump next door to retrieve the ball ( you wonder how as a kid whenever and wherever you played cricket, there was always this one innocuous gutter or naala or bushy area where balls used to get lost? ) .. I remember the view from the terrace, the openness above diamond garden on one side and the distant sound of cars on the highway.....those new year and birthday party celebrations which were held up there, the vadaams (homemade papads) mom used to go up in the summer vacations and put for drying.... I remember those instances of power cuts when everyone used to come and sit out on the tank... the ladies addaa during the evenings and the quarrels we used to have with them about them sitting there during our cricket games..."Aunty aap 5 o clock ko mat aao, come after dark" .. ya right!! as if she had no better work than to come and sit down there at her own time and will....

I remember the weird way in which cars had to be driven in and out of the compound because of the location of the tank. I remember the amazement I felt when I saw mom carefully reverse it through that seemingly impossible gap... I remember the amazement on my dad's face when I started doing the same years later.... I remember the Sai baba photo on top of the address board, and the ayyappa bhajans that were held at the neighbour's place...

I can feel the couch, the bed, the cupboard, the shower,the computer desk, dining table and the kitchen in my own house... it was home, it was there, people came and went from our lives, dad changed jobs and locations, but for us 4, home was 2, Shankar Niketan.. it still brings a smile to my face everytime I write that address somewhere... something so materialistic, yet something that is so close to your heart.. I guess its why we call it... home...

Come later this year, as each of those walls crumble, I imagine a few of the residents there to shed a tear, I might, visually devoid of whats happening... the next time I go home, there wont be one actually....

A new one would be coming up in its place, time to turn a page in life I guess.... just that this page has thought me so much... I just feel robbed of a final glimpse... one final glimpse... at my home...

A journey...

2008-01-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Its almost like the journey of this great nation.

I will post something soon... cheers

:(

2008-01-06T00:51:00.000-08:00

3 wickets in the last over of play???? :(( .. crap man!! I feel so damn disappointed... I dont want to write more... shit!!

Every child is special.....

2007-12-26T00:28:00.000-08:00

Here it is, late at night, before a working day... but I feel it is fitting that I put up this post before Santa's sleigh reaches the North pole after delivering joy to kids all over the world...

I saw Taare Zameen Par on friday, a yet another first day movie opportunity which surprisingly I have gotten only here in the US and never back home... I knew the movie would be good... Aamir Khan isn't my favourite actor, but his movies are something I enjoy... I liked a couple of tracks in the music album, and the general consensus with the music review was that it will hit you and grow into you once you see the picturisation and the essence of the track during the film. Come Friday and the nature of reviews I read from back home were a little different from a Hindi film's perspective.. one reviewer put it as a must watch for kids, parents and teachers, a lesson for life, said the other. Ofcourse performances were praised, but I somewhere felt the movie on the whole got caught on to these folks.

At 10 PM on Friday, as I sat sunk in my seat and covered my well-watered eyes with my palm before joining the audience in an ovation, I realised that this wasn't a movie experience I had ever had before. I love going to movies for masala entertainment and popcorn, but if there is a message in a movie and if it can be brought out this well, its worth what we call cinema. Again, I won't dwell too much into the actual dynamics of the movie itself, go watch it yourself, go watch it for the kids who've acted in it, go watch it for the happiness in the eyes of those parents of differently abled children when they watch their kids perform on stage. I find it extremely difficult to see suffering, so much so, that it deters me from going forward to help someone who is... I'd rather deflect it away from the person before he/she has to endure it in the first place.

Why this movie left such an indelible impact on me was because the way it showcased so many small things which we undergo on a regular basis, but are oblivious to its nitty gritty's because we are performing a chore and a responsibility. I came up through the education system in India where the emphasis was solely on studying, doing well and becoming something.. that something was invariably a doctor, engineer or CA.... I went through the process, excelled at most times, stumbled sometimes, but came out as one in a million on a conveyer belt from a production facility. I am not deriding the fact that I am an engineer, but somewhere I know a partly true but bitter truth, I did this because it was considered safe. Yes, intelligence helped me all along and I am happy to find myself where I am now, but as a person who dreams of going through the parenting process in India a few years from now, I wonder if I will be able to give my kids the freedom to do what they like. Or will they too, looking at peers and society around them, choose a path thats tried and tested?? I hope I can atleast give them the choice...

The way the message flows out of TZP, especially for parents, is quite compelling. The part when Aamir talks to the child's dad about his perception of taking care of kids and the example of the Solomon Islands, it hits you as hard as being there in first person, and not in third... thats why TZP is so special, I again reiterate, I felt like I was shown a glimpse into how life will question us as adults and parents outside of work.... brilliant movie.. almost Mani Ratnamesque in its impact... watch it!!

My most exhillarating movie experience ever!!!!!!!...

2007-12-23T09:52:00.001-08:00

Watch this space... I have the matter... tons and tons of it.... brb in a day or two at most

Dream.... and live it!!

2007-12-13T23:16:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: Too many thoughts resulting in this blog, as a result you may find it criss-crossing from one to the other without any direct forthcoming conclusion.

Two nights and I find myself motivated to dream again.. First was the lecture by Dr. Robert Pausch at CMU. Here's the link, watch. I wont say much but its like watching a real-life case of ANAND, the Rajesh Khanna film. A 46 yr old professor diagnosed with pancreatic cancer delivers his last lecture. He talks about his childhood dreams and how he accomplished them, one at a time. A man filled with life, at times you wonder why should it be cut short so brutally. But somewhere in my heart, I felt that we must enjoy the person when he's amongst us and learn as much as possible. Not everyone's going to be around us for ever. People come and go from our lives through different phases and varying durations of time. A poignant moment during his lecture is when he surprises his wife by asking her to cut her birthday cake in front of 500 people. Just the thought of the woman walking up to her husband, a man with whom she exchanged vows to be together throughout her life, now aware that this is her last birthday for which he is going to be around... if that doesen't choke your throat, I doubt anything else I have to write will.... but its a wonderful lecture, and although it is his personal story through and through, there are lessons each one of us can take for life. Do watch it...

Tonite, for some inexplicable reason, I wanted to complete this assignment which I hadn't for a good part of 3 years.. Watch the movie Iqbal. I know, for people who know me and my liking for cinema, it is a shocker that I hadn't watched it as yet.. but I have now.. for those who havent, here you go. You should find the other parts of the movie with the same user on youtube...

Now on to the movie, yep.. I liked it, a good theme, nice performances but trust me to extract something out of nothing. Not the boy Iqbal, not his coach, not even his mom (echoing a character which is the stunning Indian woman, having a brick wall for inner strength.. salaam!!) but it is the role enacted by a young girl Shweta Prasad.. and again, it is the sketch of the character and the way this girl enacted it that left an indelible imprint in my psyche (wow.. talk about bhaari vocab ;) ).. she just exudes an aura of arrogance about her brother's abilities and her belief in them... subtle moments like when she returns her gift because her brother did not accept his, her interactions with his coaches, and the look on her face when she sees him live his dream... fantastic cinema.. Mr. Nagesh Kukunoor... class apart!! Maybe an indication of the amount of time I spend around myself, but I am glad for as much as I shouldn't proabably, I ain't totally wasting it.... need to get a bit more active to keep me going.. hope to figure out something soon enough.. till then, the mind works overtime.. and keeps these pages uptodate..

Random thought: (As if the blog wasn't one itself....) Abi, thanks a ton da.. for reading the book BOMBAY - Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. I know you have written an excellent review but I was just so overjoyed to have found someone to whom I need not mention the book as a must read.. I skipped your review... will read it soon... I know I share Mumbai with you, and now its only rightly confirmed that you are worthy of sharing 'IT'...cheers bro

It happens only in India

2007-12-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

I AM A BHARAT RATNA AWARDEE!!! I should not be frisked at an airport... FREAKING JOKERS!!!

Tough times...

2007-12-05T23:18:00.001-08:00

Its hitting hard and me being myself, I am trying to put up a face to the pain than letting it pass by... december.. homecoming season. A lot of friends headed home for a break.. and I can't... it hurts.... my parents hope to be here next year, but for me, a trip home is so much about Mumbai and the people I know there.. my company had asked me if I wanted a 2 week break before joining and wished to go back.. I did not, I wasn't in a position, tired emotionally and drained financially... but now I feel maybe I should have.... sigh!! As always, look around and you'll find a crowd of people in similar situations. I know friends aplenty, some like me, others, who haven't gone back even once...together, this flock dreams.. for a time and day when we will fly.. HOME!..

Update

2007-12-02T23:06:00.001-08:00

Heylos peoples,

Just a quick update.. things are going ok.. had a busy and lightning fast week and an even faster weekend.. nothing really struck and stuck in mind to write it down.. will post something soon... take care..

Yeh kahaan aa gaye hum....

2007-11-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

Thank God for making me land up in the bay area.... for a person like me, making new friends in a new place would have been a challenge alright... but like all rivulets meeting up in the sea, I've been reunited with long-lost friends, from school and junior college and engineering... but at a time when I have good friends all around me in person and a couple of real good ones on the phone and in the same country, today I missed a few friends of mine a lot... I must admit I am not great at staying in touch with people. Barring a couple whom I would carry with me through life, most of my really good friends have also come and gone in phases... some present ones will go their way too soon... the thought of those moments and memories I have shared with them are like treasures beyond value.... It does make my eyes moist... kaash woh din waapas aa jaate.. yeh kahaan aa gaye hum... I'd like to open my heart's window a wee bit and let you a glimpse into each one of them... I am not going to take names... most of you would know who each one is... for the others.. these are the jewels that adorned my life.. and still do so through memories...

In no specific order...

SP:

I guess he was the my first instance in life of a "First impression" friend. I mean, the moment I walked into class in std. 7 and saw him, I knew we would hit it off... basketball brought us further closer and those remaining four years till the end of school were a bliss... at a time when adolescence reared its head for the first time, we spent many an hour discussing the girls we secretly were developing crushes on. We went on different paths of education but you know how it is with some people, you meet after a year and you can still make them relate to all of your stories. A successful MBA now.. I guess he dreams and accomplishes it only as he can...

RV:

This one's tough because he is in US... but with him, its a pure visual friendship.. we just cant speak things to each other on the phone... the moment we set sights on one another, we can let out our deepest thoughts and secrets. Undoubtedly, the brightest mind amongst the 4 from KJSCE tronix who came to these shores, the latest whiff I have is of him still pondering over the decision to pursue PhD or get into the industry.. I dont know what decision he will take, I dont know how he will convey his decision to me... maybe my prayers will be answered, he will find a job in the Bay area and we will catch up on two years.. in person!! And once he lands up here, let us see who can beat India in a cricket match!!

SB:

The one person, the one girl, the one soul I love... as pure as that emotion can get despite all the cart-load of crap it brings along... I have felt it only for her.. and what made that feeling special was she understood and reciprocated in the same way.. it wasnt one bit romantic, it was never meant to be... we were just too perfect together to be that way throughout life... I last spoke to her breaking and choking voice the day I left India...11 months... I moved on, she's moved on... but as I weep on some nights thinking about how much I love her, I am but only sure that she does too...

AK:

I had heard a lot about him when i walked into that SE class... brilliant student, awesome orator, so down to earth that he almost gets buried in it... not the quintessential topper who is the apple of peoples's eyes and an eyesore to the rest. He comes, he jokes, he laughs, he discusses ARR, music, football and cricket like a madman, loves and drags you to his favourite movies.. and comes on top with honours after all of this. As aggressive as I get about things, I wanted someone with a better vision for the team when I was seeking a project partner in BE....I just went and told him that the two of us will do the projects.. he's handled me and my moods with aplomb.. we always enjoyed the fun side of life together, because he ensured I did not let myself stay aloof when he had fun.. doing a swinging MBA on either side of India, I am confident that as wide as life's paths would take us, we will always be the guys who made a Pentium 3 processor, a few professors and a whole lot of others, recognize the word "SUCCESSSSSS!!!!"

Raising a toast to each one of you and to what we share... as flippant as it was, it is something I will take with me to my grave...

Song Currently listening to: Jabse Tere Naina from Saawatiya

Random thought: Have I ever longed to see Neil this much in life?? just cant wait.... damnit!!

We.. the nation!!

2007-11-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

"Indians, they love most of all. They are not perfect, of course. They know how to fight and lie and cheat each other, and all the things that all of us do. But more than any other people in the world, the Indians know how to love one another. That is how they manage to live together, a billion of them, in reasonable peace."

This is a short dialogue from a book I am reading currently. And its not the first time I have read something like this about my country. There is an ABC documentary on either outsourcing or India in the new age where Thomas Friedman says, " Had a place like Iraq had so may sects and sub-sects, let alone different religions, people would have beheaded one another on the street in broad daylight." I am not trying to harp home the fact that we are tolerant, that we are no doubt. But there is this innate quality that binds a billion of us that requires terrorists from outside to come and blow us apart. Yes, riots happened in 93 and 2003 when they should not have. Whats happening in Nandigram is disturbing, but as a nation, for the past 60 years, we've shown amazing maturity in caring and living with one another. I must admit I do not socialize too much in the local circles but my vision of a nation in some ways is driven by the events that get media coverage. It is altogether a different debate on the current media situation in India and how the hindi media is looking to give sicy news to a large audience that they enjoy... but the story of Lakshmi, the 2 year old from Bihar with a parasitic conjoined twin, who was operated upon by a team of doctors in bangalore, made me stand up and take notice of the power of media in a nation like India. Maybe it is the universal appeal of kids or the sense of pride that such a delicate procedure was being performed in the country, the media coverage was quite excellent. There was good management ensuring that no one gave breaking news of a shot of the poor kid recuperating in the ICU post-surgery. The doctoral team gave the media an update every single day and the prayers and wishes of lacs and lacs of people were conveyed through the right medium.. Our ex-president Dr. Abdul Kalam had some very interesting roles for the media in the country. He said they should be the torch-bearers of the moral and social society in the country. dont make news from an economic stand point of how many newspaper will you sell that day, make it from the point of view of news reaching the right people in the right manner to ensure appropriate public response... because in a country like India, if 1 billion people wish for cheaper travel, neither the railways nor the airlines can increase the fare by too much ...

All said and done, I was personally impressed by the way this event was handled by the media and I hope we can filter this through to many more such relevant news events that will undoubtedly keep occuring in that great nation of ours.. Jai Hind.

Random thought: I think I posted this more because tonight its biting me a bit that I am not going home in December.. I don't know when next... i hope soon...

Not listening to a song currently.. going to go back to my book.. Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.

Children...

2007-11-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

Its probably a fact that not many of my closest friends know about me either... I love children... yes, maybe more so in the age group of 2 -4, that cute bubbly time when they are innocent, want to be naughty but are so helplessly overcome by the emotion they express when they like someone and smile... They say there is no sight as peaceful as watching a child sleep.. devoid of thoughts and worries which as adults, we tend to mount on ourselves more than anything.. Their reaction to good and not-so-good things around them is just so natural. Not just the lips but it feels like the entire face breaks out into a smile and sometimes by trick, sometimes as genuinely as they get, those tears that well up their eyes choke your throat as well..

And then they grow, being absolutely hammered and pounded by information and instruction...from which side the letter C should curve to the different colours of the rainbow..from how to use the right hand to eat and receive things from people to how to use the toilet without the fear that its a black hole thats going to flush you out of this world...

And yet, as life would play its symphony with different notes, not every child gets brought up the same way... I do not know how we could touch the lives of those who arent as fortunate. I have visited an orphanage and I seriously doubt my heart to withstand the sight of so many young faces yearning for love... we have a young girl in our family now, though not through blood, we are all going to pour our love and affection on her to the extent she is the family's daughter... human emotions are such and children have the right to demand the most affectionate and caring side of us... As the trailer on top says, 'Every child is special' and so is a person's feeling for every child... they light up out worlds and we owe it to them...

Random thought: This is a very incomplete blog isnt it? does it convey what i felt I wanted to? I just started typing and stopped suddenly....

Song I'm listening to: (Just in case you doubted..) Title Track - Taare Zameen Par

Let the dreamz begin....

2007-11-06T23:35:00.001-08:00

Its that time of the year again... Diwali!! the festival of lights, when things look brighter and better than at anytime during the year. Undoubtedly my favourite festival of the year... and also a time when the Indian dream factory tolls out its creme de la creme. Yes.. being a hard and true-to-heart Mumbaikar, I have grown, been fed and led to believe that Indian dreams are sold not by MNCs having their design and R&D centres in my country.. but by the one and only.. BOLLYWOOD.. As I find myself in what can best be described as India outside of herself here in the bay area, I can only feel the excitement of going and watching a couple of the high profile releases this weekend. I may sound like your local Mid-day reporter but the way I have followed and been sucked into this filmy festivity is because of the sheer magnitude of marketing effort that has gone on into the movies releasing this Diwali.. Mid-day, Ibnlive and Indiafm, my three most favoured sites have been agog with article after article of Ranbir, Sonam, Deepika.. and KING KHAN!!! Yes... I love Shah Rukh.. I do not go to a movie theatre for acting skills, I go for entertainment..especially in an Indian movie, I go for the cheers, the laughters, the comments sitting besides friends, the depth of emotion which chokes me at times, the dhols, the tak-dhina-dhin beats of a song.... complete entertainment... for me, no one does it better than SRK himself.

Bollywood has been such an integral part of my life that I can't imagine my liking or understanding of movies without it. Yes, I love my Pirates of Carribean, the Bourne Ultimatum and Apollo 13, but if I want to relax, smile, understand and most importantly , enjoy... I will turn to Andaz Apna Apna, Jo Jeeta wohi Sikander and DDLJ.... we at times mock at the films made in our country, saying that we need to keep the brain aside and watch them... but isn't that what commercial cinema is meant for?

All in all, I am just looking forward to this weekend... Om Shanti Om for sure.. maybe Saawariya too.. this diwali season, let the cameras roll and the action begin...

HAPPY DIWALI!!

Been a long time.. saw Basu's site and remembered... so here it is.. and hope I remember again.

Random thought: Why do I linger on to things, memories, places and people long after I have passed through them?

Currently listening to: Masha-Allah from Saawariya

found a way out...

2007-10-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

For all those nights I spent wondering how to escape my loneliness and frustrations, I finally have my answer.. start ignition.. eyes on the road, hands on the steering, feet on the pedals... and off!!!! and away!! from all the unnecessary mess I create for myself within my head... I took my first such drive, just 20 mins and 3 songs. Feels good. Feels there something near you which will stand by you come what may... for all the longing I have had of pouring my love and affection on someone, I have found something atleast... I love my car.. she's mine.. just mine...

Work hours...

2007-10-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday - 9:30AM to 9:30 PM
Wednesday - 9:30AM to 11:30 PM
Thursday - 9:30AM to 1:30AM
Friday - 9:30AM to 8PM (We were just too tired to go on...)
Saturday - 2:30PM to 4:30PM (Thanks Abhimanyu!!)
Sunday - 9AM to 3AM (Yeah..even the CEO is stunned and speechless)
Monday - 10:30AM to now (its 12:36 AM and I am very optimistically looking at less than an hour of work :D)

A honest confession...

2007-10-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

Went for Bhool Bhulaiya today.. trust Rahul and his gang of whackos to make me go for such a movie.. laugh riot of a different sort.. u will have to keep aside any trace of logic or belief to enjoy the movie.. my suggestion.. go in a group of 8-10.. it'll surely be fun... now.. the reason why I want to put this post at 1:45 AM..

Saw Vidya Balan for the first time on screen in a full fledged living role (the previous movie was Guru where you know she doesent count now)... and sigh!!! the heart doesent feel weak for her.. it feels weak for what she symbolizes and what I would want for myself in life..

Picture this.. south indian girl.. educated... mumbaikar..homely..very subtly and simple beautiful... sounds perfect for me? don't say so.. coz that might jinx it..so lets just hope.. and pray.. and pray and hope.. that there's a Vidya for me too.. kahiin toh bhi..koi toh bhi....sigh!!!

Wow!!!

2007-07-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Source: www.ibnlive.com
Topic of debate: "Does Good Journalism mean bad business?"
URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/does-good-journalism-mean-bad-business/45442-3.html

Just an awesome conglomerate of the finest and the elitist of Indian media. If an audience can comprise of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Mrs. Sudha and Mr. Narayan Murthy, Mr. L.K. Advani, Mr. I.K. Gujral, Lord Meghnad Desai, Mr. Sitaram Yerchury and a panel of the heads of HT, TOI, Indian Express and Hindu led by Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai.. its not a debate anymore, it transforms into an intellectual milleu which whips up such a delight that gladdens the heart.. among 220 billion people, we have our share of such minds, and if we can draw on the thought processes of such people, no reason why we can't succeed even more as a nation.

P.S: Neil, I must admit just looking at this debate what DEBSOC must have been like.... maybe I should have been a VESITian... ;)

Truly Presidential!!

2007-07-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be working on my resume and doing my job application, but a freak visit to IBNlive's website to have a look at the early morning news just made me sit up straight and start typing this.. coz the headline read... "I'll leave Rashtrapati Bhavan with 2 suitcases": Kalam

My cousin Prasanna is a semi-professional singer in Carnatic music, not to mention an MTech from IIT Madras and 3 days younger to me!! We've grown up as siamese twins and lived parallel lives through Mumbai University. Being an upcoming musician with a silken voice thats winning over the purists in Chennai, it was a matter of great pride for each one of us in the family when he recieved an invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan to perform in front of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, President of India. My mom, aunt and uncle(Prasanna's dad) flew from Mumbai and Prasanna and his mom from Chennai, to be recieved at Delhi Airport by Government of India's cars and be put up in two guest suites at Rashtrapati Bhavan itself. I could feel the glint in their voices when I spoke to them on the morning of the concert, and as usual, I could sense a strong current of confidence flowing when Prasanna spoke to me. He was honored to be singing for the President himself..

Next morning when I spoke to mom who was almost choking describing the experience, I couldn't help but notice a lump forming in my throat. The concert was fantastic, albeit for just 1/2 hr and four songs, and he was sublime as ever, but my mother's eyed glowed in the webcam when she spoke of the President. A gentleman, truly a person worthy of being called the First Citizen of the country.. he spoke to almost each one of the 150 guests present there and despite having an immediate appointment to attend after the function, spending an extra 1/2 hour taking care of each one present there, like a perfect host. Being a keen follower of carnatic music, it has been a regular feature for the past five years for Rashtrapati Bhavan to resonate with the ragas and sounds of Mridangam, Ghatam and violins. And prior to Prasanna's performance, a man from Coimbatore, disabled without arms or legs, sang for half an hour as well. Between both the performances, Dr. Kalam briefly addressed the audience, fondly remembering the day when during a visit to Coimbatore, his assistant informed him of this man who wished to seek an audience with him. Dr. Kalam remembers only the glint in the person's eyes and not his disabilities. While exchanging pleasantries, the President asked the man if he was fine, and blurry eyed, the man replied that he was living a blessed life under the eyes of people who cared for him, and he had just one wish in life, to sing a song for the President of India. He agreed then and there and sat across from the man and heard him sing a wonderful song for 5 minutes. He told the audience that day that he decided then, probably for the first time, to use his powers, and arrange for the man to perform in front of an audience at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This was the last set of concerts before his term ends, and in some ways is befitting that through my mom, through me, everyone of you manages to get a glimpse into a man, who truly has been Presidential.

In some ways for me, what my mother told me that day epitomized what I and probably, the whole of middle-class India has felt good about, in the last five years. I stess on the middle class, because we in more ways than one, represent our country, and in the same breath, bring out that nonchalant chalta-hai-this-is-india-cant-hope-for-much-improvement attitude. We feel neglected by our politicians, but pay our taxes and vote, however irrelevant we know it is going to be. I don't want to divulge into further details, but this India, I know for sure, wore a smile on her face the day Dr. Kalam was elected President. Its always been a titular post, but nonetheless, it is the post of the First Citizen. After, and now it seems, before and after, term after term of faceless, mundane, relatively untarnished political scions, from 2002 to 2007, India had a President who in many ways, represented the country. An educated scientist who had grown up from the grass-roots, but also someone who had a vision for the future. Time and again, we all have read of his numerous encounters with children of all ages. Probably being from the educational fraternity, he single handedly had seen and come to realize how much potential we as a country had in our youth. I am going to cut this blatantly short, but I personally felt proud as Indian to have Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam as the President of my country. As he returns to his one room guest house at Anna University campus in Chennai, I can only hope that his vision 2020 for India atleast lives up to continue being a vision in each one of our eyes, for we can grow bigger and better only when we grow as a country.

I stand up and salute to you Sir... Jai Hind!!!

Required : IDEAL CONDITIONS

2007-07-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it was this way before, but nowadays, I can't sleep a winky wink bit unless there is no light whatsoever in the room and complete silence all around me... weirdly its something that happens only at night.. the bright lights of the class and the professors droing voices have a totally opposite effect during daytime...

But I need my 7 hours of peaceful interlaced with nightmares sleep, so if it has some pre-conditions for it, so be it... dark and quiet....zzzzzzzzzzzzz

My Nerd score!!

2007-07-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Not too bad.. need to improve!!

Catching up....

2007-07-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

My cell phone stat:

Duration of last call:

02:00:06 .....

and don't even guess... it was a GIRL!!

The world is round...

2007-06-30T23:23:00.000-07:00

I sent a most important document by a $25 express mail post to my home in India a couple of weeks back. Here's the tracking info provided by USPS...: (Read it from bottom upwards)

Track & Confirm e-mail update information provided by the U.S. Postal Service.

Label Number: EQ90 9104 285U S

Service Type: Express Mail - Post Office to Addressee

Shipment Activity Location Date & Time
------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------
Delivered ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/30/07 11:22am

Notice Left ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/29/07 1:25pm

Arrival at Unit ARLINGTON TX 76012 06/29/07 1:24pm

Inbound Out of Customs 06/28/07 6:20am

Inbound Into Customs 06/23/07 3:26am

Inbound International KENNEDY AMC 06/23/07 3:25am
Arrival

Arrived Abroad INDIA 06/21/07 10:13am

International Dispatch Chicago (O'Hare) AMC 06/15/07 3:54pm

Enroute CHICAGO IL 60666 06/15/07 3:47pm

Enroute DALLAS TX 75261 06/14/07 7:30pm

Enroute ARLINGTON TX 76013 06/14/07 6:09pm

Acceptance ARLINGTON TX 76019 06/14/07 11:45am

The end result: The blue colored envelope I had seen 2 weeks back is staring right back at my face... why?? The to address got smudged because of a wet mishap... most likely at Mumbai because this thing reached Indian shores. The from address got smudged as well... but they managed to locate it from some sort of database... if they could get that, couldn't they have gotten their database designers to include the to address field as well? Guess its time USPS handed over its database operations to Bangalore!!!!

So, for $25, my letter had a roundtrip from Arlington Texas to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.... I don't need to be Einstein to fathom that next time I want to take a vacation and go home, I won't call my travel agent, I'll call USPS and get them to pick up MY PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!