Just a few words

Rock ON

2011-01-22T00:37:00.000-08:00

aasmaan hai nila kyun (wavelength of visible light,
paani gila gila kyun (property of liquids)
gol kyon hai jameen (rotating bodies tend to attain shape with minimum vol)
silk mein hai narmi kyun (molecular structure),
aag mein hai garmi kyun (energy)
do aur do paanch kyun nahi (mathematical convention)

ped ho gaye kam kyun, (deforestation)
tin hai yeh mausam kyun (environmental reasons)
chaand do kyun nahi (big bang provided only one satellite to earth)
duniya mein hai jung kyun, (human nature)
behata laal rang kyun (blood is a liquid, liquids flow)
sarhadein hai kyun har kahin (geo-political reasons)

socha hai, yeh tumne kya kabhi
socha hai, ki hai yeh kya sabhi
socha hai, socha nahi toh socho abhi

behati kyun hay har nadi, (liquids flow, gravitational effect)
hoti kya hai roshani (form of energy)
barf girati hai kyun (gravitation)
log kyun hai ruthate (human nature)
taare kyun hai tutate (gravitational pull of larger heavenly bodies)
baadalon mein bijali hai kyun (electrostatic)

socha hai, yeh tumne kya kabhi
socha hai, ki hai yeh kya sabhi
socha hai, socha nahi toh socho abhi

sannata sunayi nahi deta, (absence of vibrations)
aur hawaaye dikhaayi nahi deti (nature of constituent molecules)

socha hai kya kabhi, hota hai yeh kyun

aasmaan hai nila kyun, paani gila gila kyun (ref. to explanation(s) given above)
gol kyon hai jameen
sukh mein hai narmi kyun, aag mein hai garmi kyun
do aur do paanch kyun nahi
ped ho gaye kam kyun, tin hai yeh mausam kyun
chaand do kyun nahi
duniya mein hai jung kyun, behata laal rang kyun
sarhadein hai kyun har kahin
(socha hai, yeh tumne kya kabhi
socha hai, ki hai yeh kya sabhi
socha hai, socha nahi toh socho abhi) - (2)

Pat Down Searches

2010-12-10T22:03:00.001-08:00

Indian Diplomat Meera Shankar was subjected to a pat-down search at Jackson airport in the USA. While some government officials are paying lip service in terms of apologies, the Transportation Security Administration does not seem to be apologetic.

Wonder what the reaction of the Americans would be should any of their officials (senators, ambassadors...) are subjected to a similar search in India?

On God and other earthly matters

2010-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

I am not an atheist. I am not a believer either. Call me a confused agnostic.

I have always had mixed feelings towards matters pertaining to the existence of God and other religious matters. On one hand, I don't participate in many rites and rituals, while on the other, I have no qualms in performing certain symbolic rituals if it doesn't strike me as particularly offensive.

A few years back, my family and I went on a trip down south. In one of the temples there, I saw a sign proclaiming that non-Brahmins were not allowed into the temple premises. This in a country that is supposedly secular!

A new concept of premium entry was introduced to me in these abodes of God. If you were among the hoi-polloi and did not want to stand in queues and rub shoulders with the plebians in order to get a glimpse of God, you just paid the temple authorities for VIP entry.

A really offensive notice was one preventing menstruating women from entering the temple. Such women are supposedly impure! What's so impure about that? As far as hygiene is concerned, aren't we all aware about sanitary pads and tampons? The city of Mumbai was supposedly blessed by a Goddess who was given refuge there during her period - after she was asked to leave from everywhere else.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kerala-police-to-charge-sheet-actor-jayamala/134807-3.html?from=tn

The above article is an interesting read. The last line in particular is extremely realistic. I quote 'It seems in an election year, even the Communists can't afford to offend believers and their ancient beliefs.'.

Religion or politics?

Such incidents have left a lasting impression on me and firmed my resolve of not entering any sanctum sanctorum. The commune between my God and me is my own matter and I refuse to let any human put conditions to it.

A sporting nation?

2010-10-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

A lot of books, magazines and other sources had created a belief in me that the Aussies were a bunch of sporting people; that the country itself was a sporting one - a belief that has been busted by recent events.

1. I was watching a wrestling match between India and Australia in the Commonwealth Games. When the Indian won the match and extended his hand to his opponent, the Aussie coldly ignored it and walked away. Sportsmanlike conduct? I think not. On the other hand, when an Indian defeated a Pakistani wrestler, the two opponents not only shook hands but also had a brief embrace! And people say that the two countries are at logger heads. Whatever it may be, my salute to the sporting athletes of Pakistan!

2. News reports came in that Aussie athletes created a huge ruckus and even dumped a heavy piece of machinery (a washing machine) from the eighth floor of a building. Destroying property of the host nation and recklessly endangering lives of innocent passer-byes did not exactly endear them to me.

3. Today's newpapers reported that an Aussie athlete who did not participate in the commonwealth games is now challenging the gold medal winner (Indian) to a match with a $20,000 prize stake. Why? Couldn't the athlete have participated in the CWG itself and legitimately vie for the medal? Did she have any problems coming to India?

All these cases have tarnished the reputation of Australia as a sporting nation in my eyes.

So Sad!

An old video

2010-10-17T23:26:00.003-07:00

At IIT, we had made this video as part of the new student induction process.

Enjoy...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc94h7_about-doms-iit-madras-old_schoolundefined

On packages and experience

2010-10-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

Just happened to view an interview on NDTV Hindu where Dr. L.S.Ganesh (my HoD at IIT M) was the guest speaker.

The typical queries ranged from the best course to the expected pay packages. LSG has always maintained that it is never your first salary that matters, for it is a long career that could potentially span 35 - 40 years.

True to his beliefs, in the interview, he hesitates naming any figure although he did reluctantly quote conservative numbers.

In the interview, he also stated his long held view that management aspirants should typically get some significant work experience before joining an MBA program as this would give the person a better appreciation of the management fundae being taught.

To view the interview, go to http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc8iu2_prof-ls-ganesh-s-interview-with-ndt_schoolundefined

Paucity of good MBAs

2010-08-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

What's the definition of a manager? A person who is able to manage? If yes, then manage what? Resources? Time? People? (the last two are ultimately part of the first, innit?)

Anyway, a degree in management (from reputed institutes, that is) is supposed to equip you to do more than what a non-MBA could or would. These institutes are supposed to teach the young graduate skills that go beyond SWOT Analysis and Number crunching. A computer can crunch numbers, it takes a human to interpret them. Qualities such as Time Management, Innovative thinking, Stress Management etc. are part and parcel of a 'Manager's' life. A B-School is supposed to equip young professionals to handle them as well.

Long hours of assignments, projects, group work and other activities are designed to inculcate such qualities in the b-schooler.

But are B-Schools truly training students to imbibe these qualities?

Top B-Schools (IIMs, XLRI, IITs...) definitely do. The worth of the student who has passed out from their hallowed portals is unquestionable.

However, there are numerous run-of-the-mill institutes churning out 'Managers' by the dozen. With absolutely no regards as to quality control at the point of intake, they are victim to the basic principle of 'Garbage In Garbage Out'. MBAs from such institutions leave much to be desired. At times, one wonders, what did they learn during their time in the MBA programme. Was it just about clearing exams and getting grades? Have they even understood what a manager is expected to be like?

No wonder, companies are loathe to visit such campuses to get new recruits.

When will things take a turn for the better?

Epics

2010-07-19T01:28:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Keerthy (mi espacio), here are a few tidbits from the epics that make good reading...

1. Bheema was once gorging on some sweets at night. Arjuna chanced upon him and asked him how he could eat without any light to guide his actions. Bheema replied that years of practice had enabled him to guide his hand to his mouth even in pitch dark. Arjuna was inspired to be a great bowman after this incident.

2. Once Yudhishthira was approached by a mendicant for some alms. Yudhishthira asked him to return the next day so that he may donate him some. Hearing this, Bheema leapt up in joy and started distributing sweets. Surprised at his reaction, the other princes asked him the reason for his celebrations. Bheema replied that Yudhishthira had mastered the art of foreseeing the future and possible conquered death. When asked for an explanation, he said, Yudhishthira had asked the mendicant to come the next day. No human can tell whether he would survive the next day or not. As Yudhishthira could never make an empty promise, he must be sure of living the next day. Yudhishthira understood Bheema's point. Never postpone anything, especially a promise for one never knows what is set in store for the future.

MORE TO COME...

Love Shmove and all that Jazz

2010-07-19T01:18:00.000-07:00

I have recently come across a spate of reports and articles in popular media and online websites where young students agonise over their 'love affairs' and desperately seek advice. These young 'lovers' are often school students in their early teens. Do teenagers even understand what is meant by love or is it just mere infatuation?

From where do these young kids get such cues... is having a beau all that important? does a xiith standard chap really need a girlfriend?

Bandh

2010-07-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

An All-India bandh has been called to protest against the price-hike in fuels. Media agencies report that the 'bandh' has turned violent at many places and destruction of public property is rampant. How can any sane person justify the 'burning' of any thing to protest against fuel price hikes?

Consider this: the price has been hiked by 2 Rs. per liter. (AFAIK)
If you use even 1 liter to burn something, you are wasting 55 Rs. worth fuel (Ahmd rates) + the cost of the property being burnt. Even if it is a simple Maruti 800, the cost of the car is around 1 lakh. (depreciation and all)

So you have burnt stuff worth 100055, for which you can have compensated for the hike in about roughly 50,000 liters of fuel.

And that's just 1 car!!! Imagine the loss to the exchequer due to a halt in the economy alone. And add to it the cost of all the destruction to property...

The protest is costlier than the hike itself... How does one justify this?

Celebrating Mediocrity

2010-04-29T02:44:00.000-07:00

IPL (and all its associated fun - Tharoor-Modi et al) is over for now... and the media, it seems, is now short of stories... So what do we do? Take up a non-issue, spice it up from the human angle and serve it to the unsuspecting public...

Some chappie manages to get a call from IIMA at 80 %ile... hmmm... Must be on basis of reservation... and then fails to clear the interaction rounds... poor luck... Now that's a run of the mill kind of incident that happens every year, right? so what's so special about it? fails me... but apparently not the eyes of some reporter working for a tabloid (run by a leading newspaper)... The story is picked up and the kid is splashed all across the front page... not once... but on two consecutive days... WOW!

What I fail to understand is this... 80% is not a big deal in CAT... okay, so the chap is from a socio-economically backward class (my assumption based on the story put out by the newspaper) ... so what... there are literally hundreds of such students... and this chap did not manage to clear his interview... so did hundreds of others... so what it is that makes him front page news?

why do we celebrate mediocrity? Why do we tend to sympathize with the under dog? No odes are sung to the hundreds of middle/upper-middle/upper class kids who cracked these tough entrance exams and other related selection procedures and made it to the highest echelons of education in our country... Rather, nothing less is expected of them...

Then why devote so much valuable (?) print space to someone who failed to achieve something?

Beats me...

Exam 'Tips'

2010-02-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

I recently happened to be the guest speaker at a seminar conducted by an organization for the students appearing for their school board examinations. The topic for the meet was 'Exam fear and stress: how to handle them'.

A teacher from one of the reputed schools of the city was also invited to be a co-speaker at the session. This gentleman is an examiner for the board papers and apparently knows the way papers are assessed. Some of the 'tips' given by him were not only shocking but also rudely eye-opening in nature.

1. There is a set 'length' for the answers depending on their marks. For example, 5-markers are supposed to be answered in between 2.5 - 3 pages.

Is this really the set standard by the board! What about taking things like quality of the answer, size of the student's handwriting etc into account? If a person has a neat and precise, but small (albeit legible) handwriting, does he still tend to lose marks if he does not drag into the set range of size?

Whatever happened to the saying that 'brevity is the soul of wit'? I have often found it easy to answer questions in a logical fashion with minimal amount of words. It does not matter how many marks a question has been allotted. If the student covers every relevant point in minimal words, my tendency would be towards awarding him the maximum marks possible a. for his knowledge and b. for his ability to condense and present the same.

2. If the student does not know the exact answer of a question and writes in anything from the same chapter, he still gets some marks!

Is this not an open invitation for students to spew garbage in the exam papers?

3. It was shocking to hear the gentleman 'advise' the students to make use of any opportunity that presents itself to use unfair means. Although he did not openly advocate using unfair means, he definitely hinted that should the opportunity present itself, why let it go?

Is this the 'education' that we are imparting to our school children? Is education just limited to the content between the covers of 'prescribed' books. Whatever happened to character building and moral values?

It was disheartening to hear the woes of students who have been forced into a certain stream just because their parents want them to do so.

When will we ever emerge from this mad race of 'educating' kids for marks and social status?

Atlas shrugged!

2009-11-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

There used to be a time when students would get up in the morning, rush to school, study hard for their exams, and yet find enough time to indulge in various extra curricular activities. They did not have over a 100 television channels to surf, they did not have playstations and xBoxes, they did not have the Internet... and all was well.

But now, the modern child has been so exposed to a variety of things and new age jargon that he is now feeling the 'stress'. A word that was not even known by the children of yore is common parlance in the current generation. Is it truly a sign of stress or is it just some psycho babble picked up from television channels, news papers and yo-parents?

And the govt. is not helping things by contemplating the 'dumbing-down' of school exams. Grade children for that attitude as well! Hmm... so it does not matter if I don't know my multiplication tables and chemical formulae... I can still manage to score better than that nerdy intellectual in my class if I have a better attitude!

Hello people... it's high time we read and re-read Ayn Rand's 'Atlas Shrugged'.

Money for nothing... chicks for free!

2009-10-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am not a political analyst. I am not a philosopher. I am not a keen follower of international affairs. Heck! Given a choice between two links, one stating the changing trends of global economy and the other about Rakhi Sawant's latest tantrums, I would invariable go in for the latter piece of news.

So I am the archetypal common man. And these are my views.

The Nobel prizes are given to people who have DONE a lot for the world in various fields. It is awarded as a sign of respect to people who have already contributed and not as an incentive to perform well.

So Obama's nomination and awarding of the Nobel Peace prize came as a huge shock. The first time I came across this gentleman's name was when he was projected as the first possible Afro-American candidate to be the President of the United States.

Great!

He is articulate. He is extremely presentable. His words portray him as a man of vision and action.

But isn't it too early to be felicitating him with such a prestigious award?

Having read several newspaper articles, blogs and tweets, here are some consolidated views on this issue.

Is he being awarded the prize just because he is not another George Bush? Or is it an incentive to keep him from attacking other nations a la Afghanistan?

Gandhi was never awarded with the prize with the argument being that he was too Indian and not on a global scale. Well, Obama apparently won the elections with promises that job outsourcing will not be encouraged and his citizens will have more benefits. If this is true, then isn't it a similar case with the gentleman being TOO patriotic?

I am not aware of the achievements of any of the previous award winners... in any field...

Hence I may be mistaken and Obama may have contributed more than I realise, towards world peace.

But I need evidence of actions taken rather than words spoken...

Maths n Moi

2009-10-07T23:05:00.001-07:00

I used to hate Maths.

It is not surprising to hear this sentiment being expressed by lakhs of school students across the world. The only difference is that, they express the sentiment in the present tense!

When I was in primary school, one of my math teachers taught the concept of Highest Common Factor (HCF a.k.a. GCD – Greatest Common Divisor) and Least Common Multiple (LCM) in class. Try as I might, I just could not grasp the difference between the two.

That evening, when I came back from school and sat down to do my homework, I struggled valiantly with the two concepts but just could not get the suns right. The efforts to get through the text book exercise was so great that I was close to tears. Mom saw me sitting with a dejected look on my face and asked me what the matter was.

“I hate Maths! I don’t want to go to School. Why do I have to go there everyday when I can just sit back at home and learn the same on my own?”

Luckily, mom was among those select few parents who rarely took her child’s words at face value and always tried to probe for the underlying actual cause. After having sat with me for a long time, she realized that it was the frustration of not understanding a concept in math that was killing me. On one hand, I was the class stud in all subjects, consistently scoring well and on the other hand, here I was… unable to solve even one problem correctly in the new chapter that I was ‘taught’ that day in class.

Having understood the issue, mom patiently sat with me and first showed me what HCF was all about. She asked me to forget the LCM part of it. Having understood one concept, she made me do all the sums of HCF first to get my basics firmly in place. Unburdened by multiple concepts, I could steadily breeze through half the exercise. Then she took on the concept of LCM. At the end of a couple of hours, there I was with a completed homework assignment in hand and a grin on my face. I no longer hated school and all was well with the world again!

Years later, when mom was remembering this incident, I realized that many students start hating mathematics because of such similar experiences in school. They are burdened with too many concepts by teachers who simply ‘teach’ the ‘hows’ and not the ‘whys’. Had I not had my mom to explain me the basic fundamentals that day, I guess I would never had learnt to chuck my fear of mathematics.

Grapes are Sour!

2009-10-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Mum went to visit an acquaintance of ours a few months back. The acquaintances' daughter was preparing for the CAT. The girl was confident that with her level of intelligence and practice, she would definitely crack the CAT and get a call from the IIMs with her dream destination being IIM A.

She scored in the low 60s percentile.

Not the one to give up, the youngster started preparing for the GCET (Gujarat Common Entrance Test - a state level MBA/MCA test) and appeared for the first everr online edition of the same.

She failed to secure enough marks to get in any known college.

A few days back when mom went to their place, the girl had already taken admission in some run-of-the-mill 'MBA' institution. She was of the unequivocal opinion that the paper was too tough to allow students to score well. When mum informed her that her son (yours truly) had also appeared for the same and had topped the paper, the girl had the convenient excuse that as different question sets were given on different days, obviously I had got the easiest set and she had received the most difficult one. The paper was biased and hence the skewed results.

Ahem ahem...

How about the fact that I had also topped in 2006 when every single person was given the exact same paper?

Or how about the fact that I had scored pretty well in national level entrance exams, enough to have secured a seat at IIT Madras in their MBA program...?

None of that counts... According to her, she deserves a seat at the IIMs and the world is biased against her...

Talk about grapes being sour!

Trick or Tweet

2009-09-26T22:06:00.001-07:00

These are the times of cut throat marketing and marketeers are not above selling their goods using any means possible, ethical or otherwise.

How many people in India actually have Internet access and what percentage of those users use a service such as twitter? I doubt the mango people 'aam aadmi' of this country even knew what 'tweeting' was before the entire 'Tharoor-tweet' issue was publicised. Had the media not blown the issue to such huge proportions, junta would not even realise about the existence of such a service, let alone track Tharoor's tweets.

Most of the people who robustly follow such online networks are well educated and relatively young. I would also presume that these people have either a good sense of humor or no time to make mountains out of molehills.

For all we know, methinks that the issue could have been trumped up just to bring twitter to the limelight. Call me a hardnosed cynic, however any such matter tends to send my antennae all a quiver. And news hungry politicians would not leave any chance to issue sound bytes and gain their 15 minutes of fame. yet again.

The best way to let such issues die is to ignore them. But no. With the advent of one million and one 24x7 news channels, the media thinks it is is their duty to let the citizenry know about every burp and fart issued by one and all.

Wah!

G.C.E.T.

2009-07-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

The Gujarat Common Entrance Test (for MBA/MCA) is now online. And most test preparation institutes are cashing in on this. Flashy ads claiming their latest up-to-date computer labs which will help students gain that extra edge, tons and tons of mock/simulated 'online' test papers and what not!

Having cracked GCET '06 (in its pencil-and-paper avatar), I decided to attempt the first version of GCET-Online to get a feel of how different it is from the time that I attempted it. (Being a GCET Coach myself, it becomes all the more necessary for me to know from the test taker's perspective.)

Myths vs. Reality Check

1. The online test requires computer proficiency. A person who has had no 'computer experience' whatsoever is at a disadvantage.

Reality: What poppycock! The computerized version of the paper is no different from the pen-and-paper test. The only difference is you read the question with your neck straight instead of bent down and you mark on the screen instead of with a pencil on an OMR sheet. Infact, as you have to just click the right option, the problem of wrongly marking the sheet is eliminated!

2. You have to be good at oral calculations.

Reality: Yes, you have to be good at calculating things in your mind. But isn't that true for even the pencil-and-paper version? And GTU provides an endless supply of rough sheets for calculations at the test centre even for the online version. So if you cannot give up your habit of scribbling things, there is not much of a difficulty there, is it?

3. The online version is tougher than the other...

Reality: Yeah, right! The online version (my set) had no questions on data interpretation. There were no table based puzzles. The english questions (apart from the reading comprehension passage) were itsy bitsy one liners that a reasonable competent 10th grader could've attempted. Contrary to what I read in the newspapers, the GK questions were pretty straight forward and the mode of exam had no impact on them.

4. Only one question appears on the screen at a time...

Reality: Yes... but all the question numbers were present and you could switch back and forth at any point of time. You could distinctly mark the questions which were to be rechecked by you. And the color coding to mark the questions was awesome... something that was not possible in a pencil-and-paper test. And honestly, even if you could view only one question on the screen, did the pencil-and-paper question let you process more than question simultaneouly? Wasn't the student attempting only ONE question at a time there too?

All said and done, there was not much of a difference between the two versions of the paper. In fact, the online version had a lot of advantages. What really matters is that the student is pretty well prepared with his fundamentals. Do not stick to one question if it consumes too much of time. Just mark the same and move ahead!

A good strategy would help anyone score reasonably well in the test.

UPDATE: Day 1 topper
UPDATE: Overall Rank 2 (2009)
UPDATE: Rank 1 in 2006

Glorified baby sitting

2009-05-22T21:01:00.001-07:00

After 10-12 years of education in an institution, if the kid does not perform well in a state level entrance exam, the parent does not blame the 'school'. However, a crash batch coaching center is blamed for the poor performance of the kid at a national level entrance exam.

Where is the justice in that?

A coaching center can teach the kid, the basics of the subjects. However, things like discipline and ambition are the chief driving forces behind success, qualities which are supposed to imbibed in a person by the parents... and yet no parent is willing to take the blame for the kid's dismal performance...

The rich cognoscenti have no time for the fruit of their loins and feel that if the kids are out of their hair for a few hours, it is blissful... and so they expect the coaching classes to keep the children occupied... what the f$#@

are we some sort of baby sitters?

Buffoons galore!

2009-05-07T23:37:00.000-07:00

If you wish to try out for a state/national level entrance examination for a post graduate degree, you must atleast have the basics in place right?

Wrong...! Ask me about the umpteen number of idiots who think they deserve to bag a seat in one of the top ranking state institutes...

I train students for a state level entrance exam for MBA... now the paper consists of basic math, english and logic and as the paper is given by graduates, you would reasonable expect them to have atleast the basics like addition, subtraction, percentage etc in place.

But NO! I have more than my share of nitwits who have no clue what a percentage is.... who are simply flummoxed at the site of a calculation like 1/4 + 1/2 and who have no clue as to the basics of english grammar...

and yet they expect to get into nothing but the best institute... with less than 5 weeks of training...

help me dear lord!

The power of 3 - 3 toppers on 1 stage

2009-04-12T04:09:00.000-07:00

Seminar given by 3 GCET (Gujarat Common Entrance Test) Toppers (Me 2006, James 2007, Tejas 2008)

I am akha ahmedbad mein ek dum phamous!

2009-03-25T04:03:00.001-07:00

Sojji Bajji and more...

2009-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

Recently read a blog where the writer writes her apprehensions about getting married... which set me on this thought process... If girls are scared about the entire ponnu-paakara (seeing-the-girl) process, then aren't boys equally fearful of the entire process?

Why the natural assumption that the prospective suitor is there on an acquisition hunt and has no fears in his manly chest? Believe me, there is nothing more fearful!

I would blatantly put all blame on tele-serials and movies where the boy is shown to be a confident dude who sits as if he is the lord and master of all he surveys and the girl is this shy and demure creature who is not expected to be more than an ornament to her lord...

Asking the girl questions like "Can you cook?", "Can you sing?", "Can you dance?" seems to be degrading another human being... Seriously, do guys think that the moment they reach home, they would expect their spouse to put on a song-and-dance routine for them? For all you know, with both the husband and wife working (and more power to the women who do have a job) it might be the husband who has to start the dinner... so it would be more prudent if the girl asks the guys if HE can boil rice and veggies :)

Which set me thinking... what sort of questions would make more sense?

1. Do you know how to drive? two-wheelers? four-wheelers? With girls being more independent and working, wouldn't it be sensible if they had independence of transport?

2. Are comfortable with computers and technology ... a no-brainer... most people in this time and era do use email and staff... but i guess asking this would make more sense than making the poor girl sing...

and there ends my capacity to ask more questions! I mean, this ain't no interview where you list down your strengths and weaknesses and assess a person on the spot... haven't our elders married without so much as seeing each other and then proceeded to know each other well after marriage and had a blissful life? I guess it is easier to accept people if you have an open mind...

Anyway, all said and done... the bottom line is... you never know what to expect till you actually go through the situation... till then... Dream on!

P.S. Sojji = Sooji Halwa, Bajji = Bhajiya... the typical combo that is served whenever a prospective suitor turns up to 'inspect' the bride at her place...

A Sordid tale of Roadies and more...

2009-03-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

I had no clue what MTV Roadies was all about... But whenever I happened to visit the Orkut page of some friend, more often than not, I would find this black 'Roadies' theme adorning their page... which naturally piqued my curiosity... and just by chance, my sister happened to be watching Roadies on the idiot box one fine evening... so I just planted myself in front of the tube and watched... and watched... and watched... !!!

That one evening was enough to inspire me to present my version of this oh-so-popular show...

1. To be eligible for this show, you need to be 'dressed' (under, not over)... You may not be the best looking babe or hunk... but you definitely must have a few tattoos and be ready to show a lot of skin and some more... the guys should have a few piercings, ridiculous hair and figure hugging vests while the babes must show miles and miles of cracks (fore and aft)...

2. Forget the fact that your parents taught you to be polite, especially in public... you have the best chance of making it to the show if you are loud, arrogant and foul-mouthed... don't hold anything back, let it rip... Cuss words should freely flow and you should have a strong (preferably negative opinion) about every homo sapien in your vicinity...

3. It does not matter whether you have enough grey cells to add 2 and 2 together... you must be willing to publicly go through 'stunts' which are non-cerebral to say the least... and it does not matter if you can't do well... what matters is that you thoroughly abuse and ridicule the opposition... (something that many politicians seem to be good at... atleast when shown on television)

4. Trust and loyalty are passe... you should backstab every 'friend' that you made on screen ... nothing should stand in between you and the prize...

I wonder... aren't these participants aware of the fact that all their shenanigans are actually being shown on air... and that their family, friends and acquaintances are watching them... they may be young and reckless... for now... but some day in the future, they might be out there hunting for a job ... and what if the recruiter happens to be one of the 'Roadies' viewers?

My own class of buffoons!

2009-03-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Try teaching the fundamentals of marketing to a bunch of uninterested, dim-witted, party loving, acads hating fools... and you will redefine the word 'torture'.

I consider myself to be an academic and believe that education should never be easy... if i can easily understand what it being taught, then the subject isn't worth learning... I should literally be burning the midnight oil to feel that the course is worth its money...

But apparently, this is not a widely shared sentiment. In the brief given to me, it has been mentioned that the kids are not here to get any serious education... it is just for passing some time, spending some of daddy's hard earned money and showing some qualification on their resumes... alors!

The material that is supposed to be taught? 11 chapters each ranging from 1 page to 4... the entire course (for 11 sessions) is lesser that what SB, PVR or JI would expect us to do for a class... heck, I remember JI's reading material which would run into a couple of hundred pages... per class!

what do I do?

I'll soon be on BlogAdda... I hope!

2009-03-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

Long live the King

2009-03-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

The third front has finally come to power... and damn you people who think it is merit that should always rule the roost... Whoever thought up the word 'secular' definitely did not have the Indian sub-continent and its political colors in mind...

If the forefathers of our Constitution thought that India would be a secular country with merit being the only criteria for anything, then they were living a pipe dream. Come the current era, it is nothing but caste-divisive politics that works... Claim that you from a 'suppressed' community and see how the 'upper castes' fall head over heels to molly coddle you! Claim that all your wealth was collected in the form of donations from your brethren... and have huge effigies erected in your 'honor' while claiming to be a humble public servant all the time...

A shudder runs through my spine as I see the prime-ministerial hopefuls campaigning on television... Am I going to be governed by them? alas! woe begone!

Gastronomic delight

2009-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

I am a foodie. Period. And I love the kind of stuff that is available in Ahmedabad. Being a vegetarian (by choice), I find it very comforting that Ahmedabad has a largely vegetarian set of patrons and most restaurants would serve only 'Pyoor Veg' food!

So here goes my list of favorite items and where to get them...

Dabeli: This is the quintessential Gujju snack... the equivalent of your vadapav or burger... and way more tasty than the others... and where to get them? where else but Karnavati Dabeli center in Maninagar...

Khaman: Wrongly called Dhokla by non-Gujjus, the khaman is probably the king of all 'Farsan' (Gujtalk for snacks)... Best spots to get this soft n tasty delite - Lijjat, Das and the Jalaram stalls

Undhiyu: Basically a mixed veg preparation, this dish is not for the calorie conscious for it literally floats in a pool of oil... But nothing can beat the taste of hot Undhiyu with Pooris... Best place to get it - Mehta Snacks / Rasna / Ras shree

Bhaji Pao - Mumbai's export to the rest of the world, this combination of veg gravy and bread has been taken to new heights by the Gujju chefs ... best spot - Honest Bhaji Pao centre

Punjabi Food - No comments required ... Best spots: Rasna (try their stuffed naan, veg jalfrezie and biryani), Honest (aloo gobi, pulao)

South Indian grub - Sankalp, Murugan Xpress, Southland (is this place still open)

Gujju Thali - Pakwan, Tulsi, Saurashtra Dining Hall

Ganthiya - fafda - jalebi (savory snacks made of chick pea flour)

the list is endless.... will update as and when i remember...

Memories!

2009-02-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

It is a very odd feeling that you get when you wake up in the morning and there is silence all around. No sound of some ‗Pink Floyd‘ crazy enthusiast who is tuning his guitar and practicing his latest sets of guitar chords at 5 in the morning… No sound of ‗Vishnusahasranaamam‘ from the room of the that nerdy Tam-Brahm who still believes in the adage ‗Early to bed… early to rise…‘.

You feel strange that you don‘t have to knock on the loo‘s door to get that irritating chap out of the pot so that you can do the doo yourself. It is strange when you have coffee at an arm‘s length and there is no queue at Tifany‘s for your daily dose of caffeine!
You feel strange that you have a choice of news channels to watch on television with no one to compete for the remote! You can read your copy of the Times of India while munching Toast and Jam in your pyjamas without having to worry about whether you would be late for the Finance class! (Being an Entrepreneur myself) It is strange when you don‘t have to set an alarm and rush to class while still munching on that last piece of apple and going through the case study which you were supposed to read ages ago!

It is a strange feeling when you have to dress up in a spiffy shirt and a pair of freshly pressed trousers instead of just throwing on your well-worn pair of Levi‘s and that unwashed, smelly ‗Samanvay‘ t-shirt! You agonize on whether the black pair of socks would go with your black formal shoes instead of just confirming whether the two floaters that you have slipped in to - match!

It is funny when you get into your car to get to office instead of hopping on to your trusty bicycle to get to the department! It is funny when you settle into a pre-designated chair in the board room in a place that is almost the centre of attention instead of fighting for a seat that is the farthest from the front of the classroom and where the lighting is at the minimum!

It is funny when you hurry through your lunch to get back to your terminal instead of having a leisurely chat with friends over lunch and not caring whether you got back to the next class on time!

It is funny when you get to check your personal mail only once a day (sometime not even that) instead of every half an hour! It is funny when you are restricted from over half the websites on the net in the name of office policy instead of being carefree and being able to download all sorts of crap (including some illicit material) at your whim and fancy.

It is funny how your world revolves around balance sheets and quarterly projections and semi-annual forecasts instead of DC++ and GTalk!
Your thoughts are centered on being good to your boss, tough on your subordinates and just civil with your colleagues instead of being part of a care-free team planning for Samanvay and the next class picnic!

It is at times like these when you wish you had concentrated harder on what GAK had to say about balancing sheets and LPS about market forces. When your boss is tough on you for failing to meet deadlines, you wish you were once again in LSG‘s classes when he said ―This is the most forgiving environment you will ever get a chance to be in.‖ When your colleagues expect you to give them some information on the latest product launched in market, you understand what VRagz meant when he said you need to UNDERSTAND the markets and the customers.

When you are sitting at your terminal at 11 in the night, you cannot help put reminiscence about those times when you used to chill out with friends over a cup of coffee at CCD or had a jaunt with all your ‗machas‘ at Besant Nagar Beach.

It is when you have to stay up late in the office to meet the deadline, that you appreciate all the night outs that you had to ‗suffer‘ with your team-mates for finishing that ‗Ops‘ assignment on time.

It is only when you leave the campus that you truly understand and appreciate what those two years at DoMS_IIT M taught you and prepared you for.
DoMS – We miss you!

Sukh mein sab saathi...

2009-02-25T00:21:00.000-08:00

Slumdog Millionaire has bagged 8 Oscars... and I'm bloody happy that it has...

A debate has broken out on whether Indians can claim 'Slumdog Millionaire' to be a truly 'Indian' phenomenon... I am reminded of an anecdote that I heard sometime back. A patron barges into the kitchen of a well known restaurant and angrily demands to know who was responsible for cooking his dinner... The frightened cooks look here and there and finally a sheepish chef emerges from one corner and hesitantly owes up that it was he... The patron's expression changes into a huge grin. He extracts a 100 dollar bill from his pocket and presents it along with his compliments to the amazement of the cook... and then turns around and tells the audience that had he praised the meal and asked for the creator, everyone would have claimed that it was their creation.

If SLUMDOG were not such a runaway success, would we even have a debate on its lineage? Why do we need to claim success as our own? Apparently political parties are claiming that it was due to the conducive environment in the country during their reign that the movie could be made... in that case, would they claim responsibility for the riots that is such an integral part of the movie? (Were it not for Ram and Allah, I would still have a mother! - Jamaal Malik, SM)

No one is seemingly able to resist the temptation to bask in the shared limelight of the movie... Is it that difficult to congratulate the winner, take inspiration to do such great things ourselves and move on with life?

I am Hurt!

2009-02-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

Earlier titled Billu Barber, the film is now called Billu as it fell prey to controversies by the Hairdresser's Association of Mumbai for hurting their sentiments with its title - a week before its release. Source

I just don't get it. When I was in school, my teacher taught me that a Barber was one who cut your hair. And it was just another profession, the way a Grocer sold me my daily essentials, A doctor took care of my health and a teacher taught me. I can't understand how the term 'Barber' suddenly becomes derogatory. If this is true, then what about all those movies who have some or the other name in the title? 'Baawarchi', 'Munnabhai MBBS', 'Guide'... do we expect more such complaints in the future?

Even in this case, the word 'barber' has just been used for an individual 'Billu' (i presume) How did the sentiments of a larger group get affected anyway?

And how come this case is being filed just now, a few days before the release? The promos and stuff about the movie have been doing the rounds for Donkey's years now... are sentiments truly hurt or is it just a clever marketing gimmick dreamt up by yet one of those smart promoters?

On moral policing and stuff like that...

2009-02-04T23:16:00.000-08:00

He sits there at the bar, nursing his Long Island Ice Tea. He has been steadily guzzling those lethal concotions for the past hour and has reached a state where his blood alcohol cannot be considered acceptable in any corner of the earth. Even a blind man is hit by the alcoholic fumes enveloping him from a good distance. Sit with him for a couple of minutes and the fumes emanating from his body are enough to raise you own blood alcohol level.

Bleary-eyed and with an addled brain, he lurches unsteadily across the pub's floor and barely makes it to the gate. The saffron clad, middle aged man who is nursing his beer at the other end of the room sees him and smiles. The sozzled young man, clad in his singlet and low-waist jeans with butt crack showing is no new sight. Scores of such young men have staggered through the doors of the bar and melted away into the night.

A loud cacophony of high-spirited laughter erupts at another corner. To his great consternation, the saffrom-clad gentleman spots a group of young 20-somethings dressed in their pink noodle-straps and jeans and enjoying their first glass of wine. A scream trembles at his lips, waiting to pounce on the group of unsuspecting girls...

'How dare they wear those obscene clothes... Is it right for our mothers and daughters to get inebriated in public? ... what has this nation come to? ... these girls are nothing but the spawn of the devil out to corrupt our culture!'

In his alcoholic rage, the man stumbles across to their table, pulls them up by their hair and before they can realise what is happening, deposits a series of tight slaps across their cheeks!

He is quickly joined by his drinking buddies who don't want to lose this opportunity to cop a feel... What better excuse than that of being a moral police to touch and feel the girls in public! A pretty young thing in a pink top and jeans is the center of their attraction and gets more than her share of 'attention' from the goons... A grab here, a pinch there... leopards are more gentle while mauling a deer...

The poor girls are flabbergasted... A larger portion of their form was covered than some of the men in the room... She could spot more than one vest-clad man heaving his lungi well above his knees to show a hairy leg! The obscene man-breasts peeking out through the net-vests worn by the drunk men had lesser cloth in it than their own attires...

The reporter looked up from his glass of whiskey on hearing the commotion and the only thought that ran through his mind was "Wow! there comes my next big scoop!"

No other person had the guts to stand up and object for the saffron clad 'gentleman' was well connected with political parties...

After the entire tamasha was over, our hero strutted about for some time in self-righteousness and sauntered in his own sweet time back to his home.

His wife met him at the doorstep with a distraught look on her face. 'What happened?' he managed to mumble in his drunk stupor... 'Our daughter was out with her friends to celebrate their first income and some drunks ravished her there!'

The bewildered man rushed past his wife to find his daughter huddled in a corner of her bedroom ....

... with a torn pink noodle strap top and the pair of jeans that she had just purchased from her first salary

and following the previous post...

2009-01-29T03:15:00.000-08:00

first they give the Padmashri to Ash... and now this...

Injustice!

2009-01-27T03:32:00.000-08:00

On the tail of my previous post of Ash getting the Padma Shri, I get to read that Sushil and Virender (Olympic medal winners) have received no award... wow... you literally give your sweat and blood and get accolades for the nation... but receive no medals... and on the other hand, you prance about in song and dance routines and get honoured... Where's the justice?

volte face

2009-01-26T22:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.santabanta.com/cinema.asp?pid=25578

why the change of heart sir? afraid of losing the fan base?

Awards galore!

2009-01-26T19:38:00.000-08:00

Aishwarya Rai has been conferred for Padma Shri... for what?

being good looking?
being a good actress?
being popular?

I wonder what the PadmaShris are given out for... any award needs to be given out to commend the achievement of an individual... in some field or the other... and when the award is at a national level, the achievement better be stupendous... so when popular film celebrities are doled out the award (at times when they are not even at the top of their game) it does raise questions about the selection criteria...

Do we expect 'celebs' like Rakhi Sawant and Sambhavna Seth to be getting a couple of them in the future?

Self realisation?

2009-01-25T01:25:00.000-08:00

"Just a few days ago, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that the Government is not doing much to honour the 26/11 heroes. Perhaps, this is the real example of Government apathy towards the contribution made by the braveheart martyrs." Source

and who is the 'leader' of this Government?

Uttarayan 6 (1930 hrs)

2009-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

The real India?

2009-01-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

On one hand you have the like of Bachchan and Subhash K. Jha slamming Slumdog Millionaire for portraying Mumbai the way it did and on the other hand you have the likes of Rahul Gandhi showing foreign diplomats the houses of Dalits and other poor people and labeling it as the 'Real' India... will someone take the crown prince to task for intentionally and deliberately portraying India as the land of poor cowherds living in huts with minimal facilities?

Grapes are sour?

2009-01-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

The Big B blasts 'Slumdog Millionaire' and says that it wrongly portrays India as the poor underbelly of third world nations (Read Here)

Hey B, one movie does not portray an entire nation. If that were true, then US would be nothing but a nation full of gun-toting cowboys (if you were to watch westerns) or super intelligent scientists-cum-heroes who save worlds from asteroids and stuff (Deep Impact, Armageddon...) or a nation full of mealy-mouthed Afro-Americans.... whatever...

Why not take a look at some movies of your family and see what we may derive of them:

Jodha Akbar (*ing the Bahu): Were all mughal kinds so noble and secular and benevolent?
Bunty Babli (*ing the son): All con men in India?
Sarkar (*ing most of the family): All 'parallel' politicians exist to uphold what they think is right and are messiahs for the poor man...
K3G (*ing the B and wife): Indians live in huge lavish mansions and are authoritative to the extent of seeming a*** retentive...

Come on, this is just one movie... No one forms opinions on an entire nation based on one movie...

Is the diatribe directed at the movie just because there has been no movie from your brood that could get similar name and fame? A stark case of grapes are sour?

Come on, I expected better!

Uttarayan 5 - 1245 hrs

2009-01-13T23:23:00.000-08:00

Uttarayan 4 - 1100 hrs

2009-01-13T21:41:00.000-08:00

Uttarayan - 3

2009-01-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

Pongal @ Home

Uttarayan - 2

2009-01-13T20:54:00.001-08:00

0900 hours

Uttarayan - part I

2009-01-13T18:51:00.001-08:00

Here goes my series on Uttarayan... will try to post pics on an hourly basis...

Here are snaps from Ahmedabad at 0800 hours (14th Jan 2009)

Tum karo to Chamatkaar... Hum karein to ...?

2009-01-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

I am a bit confused here. What would you call a person who has double standards?

On one hand, this institute releases full page ads in leading dailies reviling the students of IITs. The 'ad' goes on to state that the government wastes thousands and lakhs of rupees in grooming the engineers and then these engineers go on to do a management degree which has nothing to do with their acquired engineering skills. Well, considering the fact that the institute does not seem to be offering courses on Systems, IT, Operations or Consulting, I can understand that this statement is born out of ignorance.

On the other hand, the very same institute does not hesitate in publishing numbers talking about the number of 'International' placements that they have received. Here's my point... aren't YOUR students wasting their 'Indian' education and using it to benefit the 'white' man? (All 'international' placements seem to be either in the US / UK or middle-east)... Anyway, the point here is that if the 'Institute' is so concerned about wastage of all things Indian, why don't they place a curb on 'foreign' companies coming in for campus recruitment on their campus and set an example (assuming that the foreign companies have actually come to their campus in the first place)

As they say, it is easy to preach than to practice...

Indian Politicos Wah Bhai Wah!

2009-01-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

It is no secret fact that Indian Politics is one big jamboree with more villains and jesters that heroes. The ancient kings of yore would be put to shame by the amount of nepotism that abounds here... and the so called civil 'servants' are more draconian than any despot...

Politics is now considered family business and no more qualification than the right strands of DNA are required to install the next wannabe as the master and commander of the Indian junta

It turns my stomach to see how veteran politicians fall over each other to prostrate in front of some new-pup just because it happens to be from the right litter

Just because a popular actor portrayed Gandhi on the silver screen is enough justification for politicians to see him as the next savior of the people... and it is conveniently forgotten that the very same person is embroiled in cases of terrorism against the very state that he is now expected to serve...

And when things don't seem to be propitious enough for him to don the mantle, what do our great netas do? bring in the spouse of our hero! who cares if she is wife no. x (where x > 1) of the hero... and herself on husband no. y (y > x)(if multiple mouse are mice, then multiple spouse is spice?) according to some reports... was she an item girl in a popular movie, is she really splurging all his money in creating assets that would be hers in case she decides to move on with life (read: get hubby no. y+1)... we don't know... for the time being, she is the savior of the masses!!! and fie on those who dare admit they don't know who she is... (after all, GK & CA is very important dude!)

Taking a cue from our leaders, here are a few solutions for the problems created by the lack of enough qualified politicians in the country...

1. If a brain surgeon is not available to operate, just rope in his wife to do the job... (who cares if she is even literate, just being his spouse is qualification enough, right?)

2. Building a bridge? No civil engineers available? award the contract to the spouses!

3. Not enough accountants to balance sheets? Just get the spouse to add up... (Is Satyam suffering because of such a similar scenario?)

4. Team India not doing well? rope in Anjali, Dona and the other WAGs

howzzat?

Paradise lost?

2009-01-07T00:52:00.000-08:00

This has been a rather vexatious issue in my house and is being debated in a heated fashion...

Kankaria is an artificial lake in Ahmedabad created somewhere in the 16th century by the erstwhile Mughal ruler... The lake has been a popular visiting spot for many citizens of the city and is a favorite spot for morning and evening walkers. The lake happens to be surrounded by an Aquarium, a Zoo, a Children's recreational Park, A natural history museum among other things. Till recently, there was no entry fee for the lake.

The government decided to 'beautify' the entire lake and its surroundings and did a superb job in doing so. The recently inaugurated Kankaria Lake Front has made this part of the city, one of the most happening places. The recently concluded carnival was a treat to watch.

Now, the authorities have announced that there would be an entry fee levied for accessing the lake. There are, indeed, concessions (No fees between 5 - 8 am, no fees for senior citizens...) However, here lies the issue.

The lake was one of the few spots left in the citizen where a lot of nature could be seen at its best. It was a place where the rich and especially the poor could easily spend an evening of fun and relaxation.

By suddenly levying an entrance fee, haven't the authorities robbed the people of their right to enjoy a quiet evening by the lake? One reason afforded by the authorities is that the funds so collected is for preventing littering of the lakeside... the contention here is, why should all and sundry pay for the delinquency of a few... shouldn't the 'literrati' be made to pay for their transgression?

The debate is open...

Comparisons...

2009-01-06T04:59:00.000-08:00

A well-advertised Business school in India claims to have excellent 'International' placements... Now that's a very loosely defined term... What do you term as 'International' and what exactly do they call a 'Placement'?

They have shown certain figures... However, having studied statistics (something which I doubt this institute relies a lot for manipulating the figures) I am forced to point out that to get the true sense, one has to calculate the ratio of the number of International placements to Number of campuses.

Assuming (and that a pretty long shot) that all data given is true, the figures look something like this.
(IP = international placements, C = number of campuses, pc = per campus)

IIMs 249 IP across 6 C = 249/6 = 41.5 pc
ISB = 111 IP across 1 C = 111/1 = 111 pc
MDI = 7 IP across 1 C = 7/1 = 7 pc
FMS = 31 IP across 1 C = 31/1 = 31 pc
'the insti' = 165 IP across 7 C = 165/7 = 23.57 pc

There is no detail, however, about the 165 placements!!!

Also came across this...

1. ISB [1 out of 3.79 (Sorry for using decimals!) students was internationally placed]
2. IIMs [1 out of 4.42 students was internationally placed]
3. SJSOM [1 out of 5.88 students was internationally placed]
4. FMS [1 out of 6.65 students was internationally placed]
5. XLRI [1 out of 15 students was internationally placed at an avg of 90000 USD ]
6. 'the insti' [1 out of 15.15 students was internationally placed]

Source: http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2008/07/iipms-international-placements.html

The institute is all ready 'infamous' for suing bloggers who have dared to question the veracity of such claims... wonder if anybody would even read this blog... :D

Happy 2009!

2008-12-31T03:49:00.001-08:00

To US or bust!

2008-12-31T03:36:00.000-08:00

Overheard this conversation at one of the rare community functions that I attend...

An old gentleman, probably in his late fifties, was raving and ranting about the 'preferences' of suitable brides these days. He was lamenting over the fact of how girls from cities like Chennai wanted a groom preferably from the west. It was both amusing and pitiful to hear the long and painful bride-hunt process that this gentleman had to face before he got a suitable bride for his son.

Apparently all girls portray themselves as homely, good in cooking, singing, dancing yada yada yada... and yet want a groom preferably settled in the west... if they have gone all the way to imbibe themselves with all things traditional, why this craze to go west? What is there in the west that India does not have? Prospective brides' mothers sneer at the 'inability' of parents to send their sons the the 'US'. Well, that leads to the question, are the IIT-IIM-IISc grads in India all dumber than any local godforsaken community college as long as it is in the white man's land? They want grooms with 'good' clean habits (read: vegetarian, teetotaller...) but don't mind sending their daughter to a land where non-vegetarianism is common and it's difficult to get a proper 'tam-brahm' store!

Even for those who condescend to remain in India, the groom has to be from a 'metro' city (read: mumbai, delhi, chennai, bangalore... and no, kolkata and hyderabad don't count, let alone ahmedabad!)

Hello! what do those cities have that Ahmedabad doesn't? The only big difference is that this state has prohibition... and didn't you specify that the groom should have 'clean' habits?

I can understand the girl having certain monetary expectations (read: minimum monthly income > Rs. xx,xxx) from the groom... but that is subject to condition that she should worth the goddamn amount in the first place!

Fortunately, the gentleman managed to find a bride for his well-educated and smart son... but the questions that he posed were genuine and gave enough food for thought to junta like me who would soon be in a similar predicament... (well, has to happen sometime, right?)

Tag, you're it!

2008-12-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

A certain minister is replaced by another and when the second minister is to be booted, the first one is brought back... Is this a tag team wrestling match or something? In this vastly populous nation of ours, can't we find anyone apart from the two who have already had to face public ire? and there is this third petulant 'child' who quits the team just because he isn't given the plum :)

Complicity

2008-12-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

They say they will take 'some' action against the terrorists only if their involvement in this particular incident is proven... does that mean they have no problems in harboring known terrorists otherwise?

if a person is freed by means of terrorism, he obviously has some links with 'terror' outfits... then why are they dilly dallying in nabbing him and deporting him across...

what more are they waiting for? terrorists are friends to none... remember! they can very well bite the hand that feeds them... do they want to wait for the day when their own trained minions turn upon them?

I Quit!

2008-12-02T00:21:00.001-08:00

Winners don't quit, quitters don't win...

This old adage has been taught right from my childhood days. Then why is it that ministers take 'moral' responsibility and quit from their post?

Mom says it is so that they no longer enjoy the 'perks' of their position...

Can't they abdicate their perks but continue to work harder at their post? Imagine a security guard standing in the politician's defense and suddenly when a terrorist attacks, the guard puts down his arms and claims 'moral' responsibility for intelligence failure and quits...

Wow!

Kissa Kursee Ka

2008-11-30T07:30:00.001-08:00

The leader of the opposition party feels it is more important to go 'campaigning' than attend an all-party meetingon on security...

Sir, ignore such important things and do you think the people are going to vote for you?

Terror-tourism - The state CM takes friends of his cine-star (i use the term loosely) son on a 'tour' of India's ground zero... RGV ki 'Aag'?

I am tired of all these platitudes... Television channels have played their part in 'reporting' and are now conducting 'shows' to show 'our' anger... with celebs on the panel! In what capacity does a talk-show hostess air her views on terrorism and state-security?

Shame!

2008-11-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

R R Patil states that in such big cities, such small incidents keep happening... God forbid, but should a relative of Patil die, how would he feel should we say to him, "Shut up and stop mourning... People die everyday... get on with life..." Callous? Not more than what the politician had to say... S.H.A.M.E.

O Savior ... Where are thou?

2008-11-27T00:36:00.000-08:00

Yada yada hi dharmasya Glanir bhavati bharata Abhyutthanam adharmasya Tadatmanam srjamy aham
Paritraanay sadhunaam Vinaashayacha Dushkritaam Dharma sansthaapnaarthaaya Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge

Whenever and wherever there is decay of righteousness, O Bharata, And a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself!
For the protection of the meek and the destruction of the evil, for the sake of establishing righteousness, I will manifest Myself in every age!!

Should we wait for that 'avatar' or take things in our own hands? it is said, even Hanuman needed to be reminded of his latent strength by Jaambavan... is it the collective might of the common man that is required today to combat the evil forces?

my Brochure

2008-11-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

2008-11-13T00:26:00.001-08:00

The 'Laser' Cut

2008-11-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

Snip!

2008-11-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

Beta! get your hair cut na! you see so much more 'handsome' with short hair...

Let's face it... When God was busy gifting looks to the mortals, I was most probably off dozing in some corner or stuffing my gut with snacks... And hence was bestowed with looks that not even my doting mother would deem 'handsome'. When the geography itself is so rough, why worry much about the foliage! In a bid to rebel against the norms (and to save some bucks in the process), I decided to do away with the services of barbers... for over a year...

The result of all that ... I sported a 'fashionable' ponytail... with all my hair swept back to be tied at the nape with a black elastic band! ain't that sweet?

but as luck would have, the moment i decided to wear my hair long, nature decided to balance things out and mercilessly started robbing me of hair from the front... Bald spots started appearing at the temples! woe begone!

Now ordinarily, I would not care much for that... but the females in the family are all bent to get me hitched soon... (I think!) and the first thing that they say is 'Get your hair in shape else no girl will look at you...' (Who am I to tell them that with my looks, girls in Std. VII called me 'Uncle'... when I was in Std. VIII!)

Unable to put up with all that pestering, I finally decided to succumb to pressure and deigned to visit my local 'Hair Stylist'. (He was a mere barber before he decided to spruce up his shop, air-conditioned the entire place, replaced the pics of Hema Malini and Madhuri with those of Deepika and Kangana and hiked up his fees by over 300%)

The gleeful look in my 'stylist's' eye was dangerous... 'Sahib, you have taken so much of effort to grow it long... why not go in for a new style rahter than just chop it all off?'

'Whatever...'

Down went the scissors, out came the razor and he hacked away at portions of my head to give me what he called 'the Laser look'!

Well, Mom seems to love it... Don't know about the 'eligible' females...

Kutti!

2008-10-22T03:14:00.000-07:00

Is it a gameboy? Is it a digital diary? Is it a oversized phone?

NO! It's my new Acer Aspire One 'Laptop'. With its 8.9" WXGA screen and sub 1 kg weight, it is one of the lightest computing machines currently available in the market with all its features. Admittedly, the ASUS is smaller than my baby (7") but then it has just about a GB of storage memory and no Windows! On the other hand, my baby packs a whopping 120 GB hard drive, 1 gb memory and windows XP to boot. The only feature that this 'kutti' does not possess is an optical drive. But then it has a camera which my previous lappy did not! So all is well!

The keypad is admittedly a bit small and the screen takes a little time getting used to... but considering the fact that I have typed out this post on my baby (no touch typing either!), I guess that is not a huge big problem...

Let's see how well this machine lives upto my expectations

Digging Graves

2008-09-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

A committee's report says something... A commission's report says quite the opposite... Political leaders follow one report or the other based on convenience... There are talks of dharnas and protests on the outcome of the report... Page-3 activists claim about contempt and other hi-falutin' words.

Where does the common man stand? What about those who lost their lives, their livelihoods, their near and dear ones?

Where is justice?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

2008-09-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

A popular media channel has started a 5 day programme in which they promise to 'expose' the weaknesses of the Government and instigate people to wake up and 'fight' against terrorism. More power to them!

9/11 occurred and the so-called super power nation was ready to blast any suspect nation to smithereens. Any other nation would put such draconian measures into place that any wannabe terrorist would think twice before even dreaming of repeating such a dastardly act. But not us... no sirreee... we hail from the nation of the loin-cloth clad fakir - the apostle of non-violence... isn't this a bit extreme... i am sure when the 'father' of the nation preached non-violence, he certainly did not have such terrorists in mind...

what are we doing when the nation is being terrorised? well some of our politicians are busy exhibiting their sartorial elegance while a few others are busy mouthing empty platitudes...

more policemen are engaged in 'protecting' these 'great' politicians and their brood and monitoring their cavalcades than protecting the common citizens of the nation... the aam aadmi is more afraid of the men-in-khakhi than he is of terrorists... atleast the terrorists can be openly riled against... who can fight the menace of the 'protectors'?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who will guard us against the guardians?)

Cheat!

2008-09-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Call it Karmic Konnection or just call it plain coincidence... In my previous blog, I raved and ranted about the declining education system and today I get to read this.

I don't know whether this is a good move or not. On one hand, it does break the monotony of learning by rote all the material. On the other hand, if the paper setters do not do justice to the open book policy and set papers accordingly, then all is lost. There would be no difference between toppers and the rest.

I can only wait and watch.

On the state of education

2008-09-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Mom asked me to type out a few question papers for the kids who come to study under her. Here are a few samples.

With six small diamonds for his eyes
He walks upon the summer skies
Drawing from his silken gloves
The lace work of his dwelling house

a. How is the spider able to walk upon the summer skies?
b. What does the spider draw from his silken gloves?

This for std. X kids. They have no idea who Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Keats are ... and what's more? they have no inclination to learn who they are!

The spoonfeed kind of education that is happening in this state is rather troublesome... News is that 'English' teachers first 'dictate' the answers to questions in the class and then 'read out' the chapter once. Thats it! No explanations, no debates, no discussions...

No wonder, these kids can't string two words in English together to have a passable conversation... Alas!

Bhenge Dao ... Bhenge Dao

2008-08-30T07:02:00.001-07:00

Bo dee has seemingly decided that there shall be no development at all... we were in the agrarian age... we are in the agrarian age and we shall remain in the agrarian age... and progress be damned... why else should there be a hue and cry over that piece of land?

2008-08-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

While daddy dear is out there bullying the city at large into adopting the vernacular language, there is rebellion in his own backyard! The son of the above mentioned 'enforcer' has reportedly taken a 'foreign' language as an optional subject instead of the very language that daddy-dearest is all set to impose upon poor unsuspecting city people.

Poetic justice? Or a simple case of the person needing to set his own family affairs straight before poking his nose in public affairs?

Heil the Leader!

2008-08-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

This article reminds me strongly of a certain gentlemen who had the habit of sporting a Chaplinesque moustache and gas the Jews. His rallying cry used to be 'Germany for the Germans'. Is this Indian gentleman on a similar track? Whatever happened to civil liberties? And I used to think that India was a free state!

Caesar's Wife

2008-08-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Saw this piece of news which lead me to research the protagonist of the article on the net which lead me to this article.

There used to be a saying that Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. Whatever happened to that old maxim?

Netaddiction

2008-08-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Was bereft of hi-speed net access for the past few days on account of my office being renovated and all... applied for BSNL's new EVDO facility (WLL net access @ 2 MBPS)... got through all the red tape and finally have it up and running... so far so good... unlimited net access @ 2 MBPS for a little over 1/2 a K a month is not so bad... let's see how good this service is ...

Citius Fortius Altius

2008-08-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

The Beijing Olympics 2008 has finally brought India the glory of an individual Gold medal - courtesy Abhinav Bindra... However, is it really a matter of such joy when we consider the achivement of a sportsperson such as Michael Phelps whose individual tally of Gold Medals - in each Olympic that he participated - seems to be higher than the total cumulative year-on-year tally of the second most populous nation of the world... Sania drops out of a match due to some wrist injury, Monika does not get to participate on account of some 'trumped-up'(?) charges...

Makes one sit up and think eh?

Sathbhai M.B.A.

2008-08-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Me receiving my degree (MBA) from Dr. M. S. Ananth, Director IIT Madras. Also received the K.V. Arunkumar Memorial Prize for best all-rounder from Air chief Marshal Fali Homi Major. :D

Back to Basics

2008-07-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

I'm off to the campus to collect my degree at the convo... to meet all my homies, one last time together... yippeeee

1...2...3...Sold!

2008-07-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

The Indo-US nuclear deal has seen some major political upheaval in India and it is with bated breath that we await the results of today's vote in the parliament. Will the UPA government stay, will the prime minister be able to keep his post, will some opposing faction manage to topple the current government and install its own?

It is with great pity that I view the current state of affairs where it is not one's convictions but the impending rewards that motivate politicians to lay down with the strangest of bed fellows.

Just a passing thought, how many of the politicians who are 'voting' on this issue actually have even an inkling of what the entire issue is all about?

BooBoo

2008-07-12T23:42:00.000-07:00

The IIMs have released the CAT bulletin (online) for CAT '08. Check it out at http://catiim.in/downloads/

Read the information on page 98 where the amount to be sent to IIM A for FPM is mentioned both in figures and words. Note the discrepancy?

Didn't expect this... Guess, it must be a genuine oversight... Hope they correct it soon...

of Nincompoops galore!

2008-07-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

I am in the business of 'educating' kids so that they can get in to the best 'educational' institutions! huh?!? Well, I coach kids for entrance examinations...ahh! that makes more sense...

Well this is my tale of horror and it all began one fine day when a kid walked into the store with her parents. For sake of propriety, I will merely refer to the kid as K and the parents as P1 and P2.

To give some background information about my line of work, I tutor kids for entrance examinations of undergrad courses in law, HM and BBA and for courses at PG level like MBA @ state level. This particular kid walks into the door with an aspiration of gaining a post-graduate degree in management. So far so good.

Me: So, tell me ... How can I help you?

P1: You see our darling #$@#$, (the apple of our eye, the light of our life, the sole reason of our existence) is somewhat of a genius. Einstein and Newton would be put to shame with her mathematical genius while Maugham and Chaucer would run around her, pleading her to impart her literary wisdom upon them.

Me: (to myself) 'Wow, if this kid is that good, what the hell are they doing in my -a poor mortal's- office? (aloud) That's nice...

P2: Well, you see, our kid now wants to go in for a post graduate course. And what better than an MBA?

Me: (thinking) Come to the point you doofus! (aloud).... (keep nodding my head with a polite expression all this while)

P1: So we wish to enroll our kid with you. Coach her to qualify for the best institute in management.

Me: Oh, that's fine. I presume you know all about these entrance exams. We, however are not currently into test preparations for any national level entrance exam for MBA (CAT, XAT, JMET...) We, however do coach for the GCET (Gujarat Common Entrance Test) which is for the state-level MBA colleges in Gujarat.

P1: Yes, Yes... we want you to coach her for this GCET thing only...

Me: ... in a confused voice... But if your kid is such a genius, why not go in for a national level institute...

P2: We don't want her to go out of Gujarat... We would prefer her to be in a college somewhere within Ahmedabad... Outside states are such a bad influence on kids..

Me: (to myself) 'Bad' influence? what the hell is that... since when did national level institutes become a 'bad' influence. And this is not a kid... she is on the verge of completing her bachelor's degree...

P1: Yes... so tell us... when can she start attending classes...

Me: Hold on... do you know what the GCET is all about?

P2: Something to do with Maths and English, yes?

Me: (with a weary sigh)... Well, that's not the accurate picture. Any entrance test to a b-school is designed to test you on various areas like... (I launch into my regular spiel)

P2: Well, no problem. Our kid is so bright, she will easily catch on to things... She is a bit weak with her numbers (huh! wasn't this the kid who was supposed to give Einstein a run for his money?) Her English will improve a lot once she gets some coaching (Hello! what was that bit about Maugham and Chaucer?)

Me: Well, no problems. As you say your kid is basically bright, I think I can do some work with her... By the way, I presume there is no problem with her marks in graduation...

P2: Oh! Absolutely not!

Me: Good... because anything less that 50% is automatically disqualified...

P1: Err... She has 44.9% in her final year...

Me: (aghast!) But then... she is not qualified to even appear for the paper... even a reserved candidate needs to have atleast 45% ...with..

P2: Oh no problem... we can easily get the necessary papers to show that she is a reserved candidate... So the 44.9 rounds of to 45 and then we...

Me: ... without any rounding off of figures...

P1 & P2: Oh!

K: Told you so... I don't want to do this MBA...

P2: But then if you don't have an MBA, how will you get a good groom?

Me: (to myself) So that is the crux of the story... an MBA is required just to increase her 'market' value!!!

(NOTE: the story is adapted from a number of scenes that I face on a daily basis...)

Long live the Bloggers!

2008-07-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Keerthy I got introduced to BlogPane. Do check out the site! A new type of social networking for all bloggers!!!

I dared!

2008-07-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

A certain 'management guru' (self-proclaimed?) has been well known to challenge young people to dare and think beyond India's most prestigious management institutes! Well, not knowing for first-hand the quality of education that is being imparted by this institute (does having one letter more than the other make it bigger and better? :) ) I cannot comment on this claim.

However, I saw an ad in today's newspaper challenging students to think beyond the IITs! Good! Great... were the first thoughts that ran through my mind... Finally, we Indians are being challenged to go beyond the nation's best and get a place at the world's best... MIT, Sloans, Cornell...

Alas! as I read beyond the title, my thoughts came down to the ground with a resounding crash! The advertisement went on to bash engineers who have gained their degree from the IITs and then take on management from the nation's best management schools. (The 3 letter acronym ones) It is termed as an absolute waste of the nation's resources!!!

The advertisement states in parts that for doing management, your under-graduate degree does not matter... so why not do a course that directly makes you an MBA!

Well, being an engineer myself and an MBA to boot (from IIT Madras), I took umbrage at that. Was my 4 years of undergraduate training really a waste of the state's resources? When I was undergoing my management course, I found that an engineering background was a very strong support for a student who wished to go in for a specialisation like Operations. Management schools do not fail to emphasize on the fact that it is people with at least 2.5 - 3 years of work experience who can benefit the most from a management programme. If an undergraduate course is not in place, where will a student get 'significant' work experience?

Considering that over tens and thousands of students aspire to get in to the 3-letter acronym management institutes year after year, I seriously have to mull over the content of the advertisement.

Caveat: similar posts by other bloggers in the past have invited 'action' from the institute in question... am I to be targeted for this post?

Please don't insult our intelligence!

2008-07-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

The uncrowned queen of the small screen is at it again! Wasn't it enough that she had to establish the 'saas-bahu' relation as a strictly 'love-or-war-nothing-in-between' one forever in the collective Indian psyche? The K-Konnection was so strongly etched in the minds of Indians that any new serial/film with that first letter is now immediately suspected from the stables of 'You-know-which' telefims. (Kismat Konnection - the 'K' konnection?)

Anyway, having run out (?) of ideas for any new 1 zillion episode story, she has seemed to revert back to that age of classic 'Mahabharat'. But 'K' is my lucky letter... how can I make anything without that ubiquitous letter! so 'Kahani hamaare Mahabharat ki' it is... [Other suggested titles - 'Kissa Mahabharat ka', 'Kyunki Mahabharat mein bhi Saas-bahu ki kahaani hai', 'K-Mahabharat - ek amar kahaani'...]

Well, I come not to praise Kaesar but to bury him. As on date, 3 episodes of the new serial have been aired and I already find some deviation from the well-known 'original' script.

a. Ganesha is shown with a broken tusk even before he meets Ved Vyas. He then proceeds to write the story with a peacock feather quill. If I am not mistaken, Ganesha broke his pristine white tusk in order to have a pen that could sustain the authoring of that great epic.

b. In the third episode, young Devavrata is shown clad in a loin-cloth and armed with a staff on the top of a mountain. In the dark, desolate and freezing night, the young lad is shown battling a big, black wolf. Well, a little bit of addition here and there is no problems. However, if one is to watch the scene unfold, one cannot but recollect the scene from the movie '300' where young Leonides is seen battling in a similar fashion as a rite of passage. Heck, the 'Devavrata' scene is a frame-by-frame retake of that beautifully edited scene from 300! Does such a blatant lift from a movie do any justice to the epic? Even the background narrative has an uncanny feel to the original!

Ms. K - Please don't insult our intelligence by rehashing entire scenes from Hollywood flicks and expect us to digest the same as an 'original' thought from your stable! The masses are now more and more into world class films. Do you really expect people to swallow all that plagiarism?

Matters of the 4th estate and other news

2008-06-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

The recent case of a leading national newspaper being slapped with charges of the 'S' word by a highly placed member of the police force has forced a lot of debate in the newspapers. The paper has left no stone unturned in documenting every single happening of the case in full public view. Having the power of reaching the masses in its hand, the paper is indeed fighting from a strong base. Are the charges valid? Will they stick and will the paper bear any consequences? Will the charges be proved unfounded? If yes, what about the complainant? Let's just watch the drama unfold.

In yet another case, a minister 'overheard' a couple of government workers discussing something about someone and did not like the words spoken against his 'lord' and 'master'. The minister reported this 'misconduct' to the authorities and is hankering for some disciplinary action. Whoa! all this for just uttering one's views? When I visit the loo, I generally carry the newspaper or a novel. Better than sitting and overhearing people talk eh? And the two workers? Weren't they supposed to be having a private conversation? In that case, was the person 'eavesdropping' on them? Hello?

With the proliferation of huzaar news channels, the reporters are facing a dilemma of what new to report. They feel no qualms in prying into the most intimate corners of personal lives and in ripping apart characters of people who for all that matters, might as well be innocent. Who cares! as long as we have out sound bites!

Murders, homicides, suicides... the media is quick to pronounce its verdict and prop up a list of suspects before the authorities do... given half a chance, it would become the judge jury and executioner!

the two sides of the power of media... Vive le freedom!

Counter view to previous post 'Hurt Sentiments'

2008-06-16T00:17:00.002-07:00

A counterview from yet another good friend...

i havent seen the movie..nor read any other review about it. but, with indian cinema and the marketing tactics they use, i guess if you have seen one, u might have seen all.

the disturbing scenes and defamation you talk about.. somehow, i feel that they have been filmed to do that exactly..that you talk about it.how disturbing it was..and how it could've been avoided..and how it crossed the line.. the point is.. you talk.. regardless of whether it is a good thing u say or bad..it is still about the movie..and as the adage goes 'no publicity is bad publicity'..

those who havent seen the movie get their curiosity piqued? they think 'was it that bad?'.. they wanna satisfy their curiosity..result : more tickets get sold. people file defamation cases. they get printed in papers. shocking headlines & juicy stories. result: publicity for the movie which the producer did not even have to pay for...and hence more tickets sold. all in all - its always a win for them.

maybe the shock threshold for us have gone up to an extent that only the extremes shock. and maybe, things would get only more 'shocking' from now on...

just my take..

Hurt Sentiments

2008-06-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

This post is being put up at the request of a very good friend. Bhai has not viewed the movie and hence his opinion are reserved for till the time that the movie is seen. The views expressed here are the friend's.

I am not a religious fanatic but still I got moved and disturbed by the film Dasavatharam. I wanted to express them somewhere, vent my feelings to somebody, to some understanding audience and finally chose you people. I was simply neglecting the petitions filed in the high court and Supreme Court thinking that they would be mere speculations. But after seeing the movie I am forced to conclude that the petitioners have more than a point. Just because a clan is not as bold and expressive as the Gujjars, it does not mean people can get away with whatever they say and portray.

What's it all about? What exactly does the movie contain? The move revolves around the trail of a vial which consists of a virus potent enough to kill crores of people. And Kamal dons ten different roles on the way in saving this world from destruction. Sure, a great concept, brilliant display of acting and some astounding takes. But where I am bothered is when the Utsavar (the idol of God which is used for processions in contrast to Moolavar which remains in the Garba graham or sanctum sanctorum) is being toyed with. (The vial somehow lands up inside the idol)

The idol simply gets thrown from person to person, 'accidentally' gets taken into the toilet, thrown across a bridge, a noose around its neck and what not? Whether it is blasphemy or not depends on how you take it? But aren't these avoidable? Why unnecessarily evoke hard feelings? This is not all. Another cleverly worded sentence meanwhile. There comes a scenario when the police have to enter a Madam (ashram). The justification that the policeman gives is 'Won't wrong things happen in a Madam?' with a pause before and after the sentence to enable the audience to grasp the full impact of the sentence and possibly cheer?

But one might question that it was merely an idol/doll and it all depends on the way in which you see. That is exactly my point 'the way in which you see'. It is easy to advise people to take things sportively. But where does one cross the line? Can't avoidable things be avoided? Sure, one cannot satisfy all the people all the time. But the point is not satisfaction but hurting.

If the freedom of speech and freedom of expression can be taken for granted, then why are there so many defamation cases filed now and then? Can't the film makers take a film without disturbing the sentiments of anybody? But all said and done, this is not going to be an end. Movies like this will keep coming and all we can do is keep protesting silently and bite and chew these indigestible things and swallow them.

Religion is more to do with faith than anything else. And I never argue on who/which is higher or greater. Keeping this in mind I will just brush these things off and get on with life but not before penning down my thoughts.

Bhai writes a Book!

2008-06-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

After Chetan Bhagat's success with his tales of IIT (5 point someone), there has been a spate of writers from the IIXs (IITs and IIMs) who cannot wait to pen down their experiences within the hallowed portals of these venerable institutions. With a nation full of hopeful aspirants who wish to have an intimate glimpse into these places if not an invitation to stay there and learn from the best.

Having had the good fortune of being part of one of these institutions, I, too, was motivated (atleast for a while) to pen down a 'best-seller'. Imagine a 250 page long book starting something like this..."Hey Macha!, wake up... It's time to run for Pondy's class!" The strident tones of the
scrawny, dark complexioned Muthu rang in the ears of Vikram. A true Delhite in every sense of the word, Vikram Singhania hated the early-waking habits of his room mate Muthuraman Sivaramakrishnan. There could not have been a more stark contrast between two people than between these two. A fair, well-muscled Vicky and a dark, scrawny, bespectacled Muthu represented the two ends of India, the burlesque North and the conservative South.

IIT Madras was truly a melting pot for many cultures. Where else would you find students from practically every state of India and a few from abroad living in close quarters for the better part of almost 4 years?As Vicky buried his head in his pillow, he could still remember the day when the he received his confirmation of admission at IIT M. The whoop of glee that he let rip still rings in the streets of his home town. After the initial euphoria wore off, practical considerations set in and started rearing their ugly head. Would a 'punju' brought up on a diet of ghee-smeared parathas with pickles, chholey and lassee be able to sustain himself for about 4 years on a diet of rice, idli and sambar? Would a 'Northie' be able to digest all those gallons of coconut oil that were supposedly an inevitable ingredient in every 'Madrasi' meal?

Muthu saw Vicky smiling in his sleep and could not but help reflect on his own first thoughts about joining the insti. A true-blue 'Tam-Brahm', he did not worry about the cuisine. What worried him was the fact that his Amma could not handle the fact that her 'chellam' would be away from home amongst the other 'bad boys' from up north. Wasn't it true that all the North boys were into drinking and smoking? Movies and girls were all they could think about. Wouldn't they corrupt her sweet, innocent baby? Little did Amma know that if any charges of corruption were to be laid, they would be levied on her own Muthu, the eternal chimney and bottomless tank of his school days....

[my limited brain can only write so much so far... if interested, leave me comments on this post and i may think of continuing :) ]

Kya aap Baarvi pass hain aur tez hain?

2008-06-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

A daily tabloid recently ran an article lamenting the sorry state of General awareness among high school students. The tabloid gave a 'GK Quiz' to a bunch of school 'toppers' (read: students who scored the highest marks in their respective fields). The highest score was 50% (a total of 14 questions were asked).

At first sight, a hard core cynic like me would agree with the report while lambasting the students for the poor quality of general awareness that they showed. But I took a moment to reflect upon this report. A few questions popped up in my mind.

a) Was the report true? I am not doubting the content of the same. The 'toppers' could very well have revealed a sorry state of affairs. However, statistically speaking, was the sample size enough to extrapolate the results to the entire population? Were the 14 students an adequate sample size enough to consider the entire student population 'dumb'?

b) Assuming for the time being that the students
were indeed poor in General awareness, was it indeed their fault? Or should we look elsewhere for this 'degeneration'?

I have been an avid quizzer during my student life and still watch quiz shows with fascination. But let me take a pause here and define what I call a 'quiz show'. The questions have to be intelligent enough, questions that are not condescending with the assumption that you are not more intelligent than a 'fifth-grader'.

'What colour saree did 'Ba' wear in the 15,207th episode of the popular telly serial ...', 'Which famous actress played a cameo in the movie...', 'Complete this song ... Dil mein mere hai dard-e-_____; options a) disco b) bhangra c) tango d) salsa'

These are the questions that students seem to be most comfortable with. With popular 'quiz shows' on telly asking such questions, what else would you expect?'

Ask the question 'which character was killed only to be brough back on public demand?' and most probably you would receive the name of some character from a saas-bahu seria. How many students know that the forefather of this trend was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his character Sherlock Holmes?

Can you answer these questions?
- What is 'Batting Blind'?
- What is pneumismatics?
- Identify the common link - 'Sky, Ginger, Nelito, Elxsi, Nelco'

The questions have to fly with rapid precision like bullets from a machine gun and have to be answered quickly. There is no concept of having 3 'lifelines' or 'cheats' or whatever. 1 wrong answer and you are in trouble. And it is not a one-on-one format. You have to pit your brains against the best.

For a generation weaned on 'quiz' shows that promise to make you a millionaire for answering a few 'questions', the names such as Siddharth Basu, Derek O' Brian and 'Pickbrain' are an enigma. The Bournvita Quiz contest, Mastermind and Tata Crucibles are names that are not high on their list of must-watch programs. The monetary stakes are a mere pittance when compared the pot of gold being doled out by middle-aged superstars who have descended from 70mm to the small screen of television.

But the satisfaction is immense. If you are the champ of a Crucible or an Acumen, you are deemed to be on the best by your peers... people who really matter!

What say?

Answers to the questions asked:
- the first team in a cricket match bats blind as they have no idea what score they have to make
- the science of coin collection
- Tata

SRK and Moi!

2008-06-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

I have never been a hard core fan of any popular Indian movie star. I admit, I admire the works of stalwarts such as Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Kamal Hasan; but somehow, the 'Khan - Kapoor' brigade never managed to impress me.

But all that has changed. I write this blog in praise of one particular Khan, the biggest one of them all... the one popularly called - SRK.

I was never impressed by the stuttering histrionics of this actor... all the more when he portrayed a college-going kid in at an age when he was actually double the requisite age.

Then what brought about this change of heart? Well, there is this popularly show on television based on an American serial that challenges people to prove that they are smarter than a 5th grader. This Indian serial promises the whopping sum of Rs. 5 crores as the ultimate prize. Wow!

OK, that is not the point here. My change of heart began when I saw the actor interacting with the contestants and the audience. His jovial repartee with the kids and the contestants was indeed heart-warming. The cynics would argue that most of it is written by script-writers. OK. so what? the emotions are his own.

However that was not the deal clincher. The way he interacted with one of the participants who had separated from her husband warmed the cockles of the heart. However, the icing on the cake was when one of the participants was asked a question based on the Indian national anthem. When the participant asked if he could sing the same to get to the answer, SRK responded that he was free to do so, however that would mean that the audience would have to stand at attention while he did so. The way in which he made sure that everyone stood up and paid respect to the national anthem (which was sung in a disastrous fashion by the participant - something that SRK had no control over) gave solid bonus points in his favor in my book.

Once my irritation over the way people fawn over him was overcome, I realised that come what may, his movies were indeed watchable.

SRK - you have just obtained one more fan in your list of a few million viewers.

My Lappy works

2008-05-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

Some bloody virus / worm / trojan and my lappy crashed? hardware fault? software error? some corrupt system file? bad clusters on hard disk? no idea...

with great dread and trepidation I assumed that my hard disk was a goner for sure and I would have to spend oodles of caboodle to get it examined and repaired / replaced! I did not even the necessary recovery disks...

and then came my knight in shining armor... a friend who had purchased the same model at the same time... and he had 'em!

will it work? will it not?

disks in... fingers crossed... and the dulcet tones of windows booting up rang in my years in about an hour...

MY LAPPY WORKS...!

A sorry state of affairs!

2008-05-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Finally, my sting at IIT Madras is over. Two long years ... two wonderful years at a wonderful institute. Life has changed, maybe for ever. I took a decision during my second year... a life-altering decision... a decision, I do not know, if it is right or wrong... but a decision that was taken with my heart and soul...

The decision to sit out of placements (notwithstanding the fact that I was one of the placement coordinators for the batch!)

Education has long held a fascination for me. Not only the fact that it is one of the most noble professions on earth but also that in the current day scenario, the business of education is probably the most lucrative one.

But this not the tale of my choice. It is about the reality that I discovered as a result...

Having taken the plunge into this field, I have opened my eyes and ears to the happenings as related to this area...

My mum has been in the field of academics for quite some time now. She has seen more generations of students pass before her than the number of years that I have lived. Off late, she has been complaining about the quality of students currently studying in schools. It is not a question of whether the student is capable or not, it is the attitude that is under question.

Students have (apparently) started considering education to be a nuisance that is to be dealt with. Entertainment is their main vocation. Mobile phones, computers, video games, multiplexes and malls, fast bikes and even cars... and more commonly... a piece of eye-candy on their arm...

Students, as young as those belonging to the 5th and 6th standard, have started 'feeling' an 'urgent need' to have a girlfriend or boyfriend! (... and po'r ole me... still single [and desperate to mingle] at the age of a score and half a dozen)

I recently happened to overhear a group discussion happening among a bunch of last-year students (college-goers) heatedly discussing whether India was free in the year 1946 or the year 1949! (15th August, 1947 at the stroke of midnight)

Is this what students are like these years? Absolutely no idea of when their own motherland become independent!

I see nubile young 13-14 year somethings flaunting their skin and some more in clothes designed to send the pulse of the most arthritic old codger soaring! And if their parents are confronted with the same, the mother(!) retorts back with a sharp 'if I have no problems, whatsoever... why do you care?' (decorum?... modesty?... hello!)

What is the reason of this deterioration? Or is it deterioration at all... are these signs of modern times? am I wrong in being shocked at this sorry state of affairs?

Adieu

2008-04-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Chupke se kahin
Dheeme paao se
Jane kis tarah
Kis Ghadi

61 of us entered these hallowed portals, with great trepidation and anxiety. On one hand, we couldn't contain ourselves with the pride over the fact that we were among the select few to be hand picked for this institute. On the other hand, invariably, everyone of us were of the thought, 'Heck! What the hell am I doing here? How could I ever compete with such bright people!'

Aaghe badh gaye
Humse raahon mein
Per tum to khade
the yahin

Quarter after quarter, we competed against each other for grades. However, all that rivalry ended in the classroom. Never did a batch come so close together the way we did at DoMS, IIT M.

Kuch bhi na suna
Kab ka tha gila
Kaise keh diya Alvida

Now, when the 8th quarter is about to end, we suddenly realise that time has simply slipped through our hands! Where did all that time go? Is it really 2 years since we came together as a gang?

Jinke darmiyan Guzri thi abhi
Kal tak yeh meri Zindagi
Lo unn baahon ko Thandhi chao ko
Humbhi kar chale Alvida

It's time to bid Adieu to all that we took for granted for two years. DoMS 101, Systems lab with those Counter-Strike nights, Tea / Coffee and Uncle's pantry, B'Day celebs on the terrace, Tifanys, Basera, Gurunath, Sharav, Tambi, Taramani, Velachery ...

Alvida Alvida

Meri raahein alvida
Meri saansein kehti hai Alvida
Alvida alvida Abb kehna aur kya
Jab tune keh diya Alvida

It's tough to believe that we have to say goodbye to all those long nights when we played Antakshari and 29; when we gossiped while perched on the department steps, those long nights of fun in the hostel rooms, those onam, deepavali and holi celebrations...

Sunle bekhabar
yun aakein pher kar
Aaj tu chali ja
Doohngi Nazar
Humko hi magar
Har jagah

As we prepare to walk out of those Gates of IIT M (some of us, maybe for ever) all we have left with us is a handful of memories (and a few GBs of photographs)

Aise raaton mein
Lekar karwate yaad huumein karna
Aur phir haarkar
Kehna kyun magar
Keh diyaaaa

Will we ever get to stay up late nights with no worries in the world except where to have that first cuppa coffee (Mess of Tifanys), will we ever be so young, enthusiastic and full of life as we were in IIT Madras!

Alvida Alvida Koi poche to zara
Kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida alvida abb kehna aur kya
Jab tune keh diya Alvida

Adieu... Farewell

Hum the diljale Phir bhi dil kahe
Kash mere saang aaj hote tum agar
Hoti har dagar gulsitaa

This place has given so much to us, the mark that has been imprinted on us for ever... The elite sign of being an IITian

Tumse hai khafa hum naraaz hai
Dil hai pareshaaan
Socha na zara tune kyon bhala
Keh diya
Alvida Alvida Koi poche to zara
Kya socha aur kaha alvida
alvida alvida abb kehna aur kya
Jab tune keh diya Alvida

Farewell to thee...

On some mush called Love

2008-02-23T17:49:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season of love!

Everywhere I turnaround, I see couple falling in love. This has been that time of the year when many friends (more than i would like) have declared their change in status (From single to committed) in my years.

And I envy them!

Which leads to the obvious question, when am I going to find the One for me?

Any comments?

On status messages

2008-02-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

MIS Rocks!... No one can understand Malini, not even God!... Sanjeev gone on mission marriage... (Names disguised to protect privacy)

The world has truly gone online! There was one's a time and age when people had to communicate with each other face-to-face. With the advent of snail-mail (remember those paper thingies on which we write with the pen thingy, affix those funny bits of paper on the cover and put it in that red metal boxes placed by the roadside?) people did not have the need to physically face the person they wished to communicate with.

Then came telephones which made sure that you got the message across in real time! Mobile phones reduced the need to actually talk with the person and SMS became the rule of the day. The Internet briefly ushered in the era of emails... however Instant messengers quickly ensured that the message transmissions were short and sweet.

The latest means of communication adopted by junta and the insti are GTalk status messages! GTalk is an instant messenger from Google (Hail to thee!) This IM provides a facility where in you can set your own status message beside your name and ugly mugshot. And boy-o-boy! has this facility been used to the max by the junta or what?

Admittedly, it is very convenient when the Class rep wants to pass on some important info to the class like "Junta, please assemble at Sangam for cricket match with juniors" or "Assemble at DoMS for bhai's b'day bash" and some not so important messages like "Fin Assignment due by 12 tonight" or "SPSS class rescheduled for 1:00 pm" (Now, that's called prioritizing, you got to understand, what is important and what aint)

Soon, the SM (status messaging) fever caught on and SM Wars broke out! If memory serves me right, it all began with junta putting up the message "Ek-goli-shikari" for Hitesh (name changed for...; don't ask the reason for the message - if I were to reveal that, I would be banned from online blogs for reasons of unparalleled obscenity!)

A popular time pass involved reading all SM and responding to one by putting up your own!

Here's a list of some of the more memorable ones.

MIS Rocks! (No, it's not about Management Info System - It's about the Murugan Idly Shop)
Ek goli shikari!
No one can understand XXX, not even God!
No one in DoMS that can live upto his standards!

(Feel free to add your best one's as response to this blog)

Hola!

2007-11-26T19:55:00.001-08:00

I know it has been a long time since I've blogged... It seems to be my common trend... For a long period - silence, and then I hit the writing bug and the blogs pour out almost on an hourly basis! Well, let's see how long this phase lasts!

Why have I been so busy? Well let's take an account of this past quarter

Self realisation - am hardworking, stubborn, honest, rugged (other say!) I have realisd that I am conventional, adamant, a bit lazy, super-egoistic and need to hear good about myself from others :)

CCM - The cross cultural project was awesome! Made some friends in the US / Korea and Spain. The chats were fun ... so was all that time management and reconciliations with cultural difference! What did I learn? Well, students everywhere are basically the same :)

CompIntel - The one man army project when others got 3 per team... and yet one of the first to complete the assignments... says something about me eh?

TnD - Audited this course, but did more work on the project than for anything else

Brand Mgmt: The prof was awesome! Didn't quite agree with all that he had to say... but had fun doing his projects and the class room debates and discussions

Consumer Behavior: Well, Bharadwaj's course was fun as usual with the loads of assignments and project work...

VC - hmmm... learnt that Finance is not all about numbers... I hope the 'fin' fanatics realised that even fin is incomplete without the 'human' aspect of emotions and feelings

SME - trepidations on what I am going to do... how I am going to get details... but as always, things worked out

Extra-curriculars - well, didn't get to read a lot this quarter... Busy with placements too... finally froze future plans... family is now firmly on my side :)

What else? Well, the usual sitcoms and serials... Samanvay design work... must admit, the juniors have shown a good flair for design... on the committment front? well, let's just say they haven't shown their caliber... yet

Public Persona

2007-10-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

The constitution of India gives every citizen of this country, the right to express his or her views. However, the question that one needs to ask oneself is, "Can I freely air my views on any subject under the sun under ANY set of circumstances?"

Say, I happen to be the Head of an institution organising a fest and happen to be judging one of the events? Should I remain objective during the course of the event, or do I have the right to publicly air my political sentiments using this as a personal platform to do so? Can I afford to judge the contestants on the basis of how they did or did not align their performance to my likes and dislikes or should I judge them purely on merit?

Objectivity is alright to some extent. But what defines the limits to which it extends and where it oversteps into the realm of subjectivity and personal biases? Can the rule for one set of individuals be different from the set of rules for others or should they be uniform. If the national language is not acceptable as a mode of communication, can the regional language be permitted?

How does one protest the perceived unfairness in other's course of actions? Is it a case of sour grapes or is it truly a matter of injustice being perpetrated in a public fora?

Time Management

2007-09-30T05:17:00.001-07:00

It is quite sad to note that students, nowadays, take pride in negotiating deadlines rather than managing time and getting things done on schedule.

How many times do you get to hear that corporates have willingly rescheduled deadlines without a penalty clause to suit your convenience?

Is it professional behavior?

Isn't it high time we started practising some time management?

Strat Mark

2007-09-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

You got to hand it to Prof. VRagz. The man knows hows to set a test paper in style! Here we were all quaking in our boots, dreading the kind of questions that he would pop in the paper, and forgetting the basic fact: Hey! this is VRagz, the man who epitomizes practicality.

He simply asks us to get our course material, points at the last case study in the book and asks us to solve it!

In his inimitable style, he suggests that we spend an hour and a half in just reading and absorbing the case, the next 30 minutes in analysing the questions and the last hour in answering them. And en-j o o o i i i the paper!

Way to go prof!

Mumble...

2007-09-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

The cool zephyr in the night
washes in waves over my visage
As I sit wide awake
Pondering over the mysteries of fate

Human condition, that fickle soul
shackled by no fetter
Born free to break all rules

Can the precept's admonition
to come in time or come not at all
be construed as a fair say
or does it clash with nature's chaos?

Am I justified in delaying for a meet with you?
Is it my right to plan things at my convenience?
Or my duty to respect yours?

What is wine to one man, is poison to another
Differences in thoughts, emotions, feelings
Differences in opinions
Distinguish us from automatons

To what extent can we take these differences?
and justify what we do in the name of freedom
Is it truly worth it?

S for Strategy

2007-09-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Finally the paper was faced and the exam was written. Must confess, this was one paper that I was looking forward to. Guess what, most of the stuff was from the books that I had read before. So, those portions were a delight to write. Almost lost my cool when I realised that I had forgotten to bring along the one print that I had not prepared well for... but then, had enough backup material to the related subject and managed to put together some gyaan on that too... lets see how I fare in the paper... keeping my fingers crossed...

Sam from NM passed the info that PPOs are out. Didn't get any intimation from office on that though... keepings fingers crossed on that front too...

Strategy

2007-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of exams in Year II of my MBA. And it starts with the now ubiquitous "Strategic Management". Boy o Boy, has the 'S' word been so blatantly flung around in the department these past few months or what? Thanks to LPS, I've managed to catch up on quite a bit of my reading. Porter, Prahalad, Hamel, Mintzberg, Collins, Ram Charan, Tichy, Kim, Mauborgne et al.

However, there are a few classics that people still tend to forget. Sun Tzu and Clausewitz remain the ultimate names in strategy. Closer to home, there are many lessons to be learnt from our good old Mahabharata and Kautilya's Arthashastra... Wonder if I will be able to put those 'strategists' to good use here... let's wait and watch...

A.S.S.

2007-09-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks VRagz, LPS, Doc, Juniors et. al.

Finally, true 'gyaan' has dawned upon me. While I took pride on being a 'goodie-two-shoes' kind of student in my academic life, I fell into the trap of being a rigorous follower of text-books in my initial phase here in the MBA program as well. Alas! But never mind, event over the past couple of months have finally opened my eyes to the true meaning of an MBA. and guess what? It is something which is right up my alley of fav activities!!! NIRVANA!

LPS and VRagz (profs at the insti) have always believed in taking a practical approach towards management. They have repeatedly exhorted students to come out of the text books and look at the practical world. VRagz, with his view that a management student should go and visit the markets and keep updates with world news and LPS with his never ending perusal of books based on real life matters.

Thanks Doc. This chap has always been a keen peruser of books and news, a bug that finally caught up again with me. Admittedly, i was a voracious book reader, but somehow, the flame was beginning to splutter here. The flame is now rekindled.

A look at the juniors and the manner in which they kept hitting the prescribed text acted like a mirror to me. While i scoffed at this, I realised that 'hey!' isnt that what I did in my initial few days? Didnt I stick to the text with the excuse that I didnt have time for extra reading? And guess what, Time has always been there. It was upto me to find it.

I know its fashionable to say that grades dont matter and its the overall development and learning that I am here for. But guess what? The overall development and learning that you get from all that extra reading is what gives you the edge in the exams too!!!

A good book gives you enough examples and alternative strategies with which you can pepper the paper and feed it to a hungry prof! and they love it!

So here's a toast to all those good books and articles... Long live bibliophilia!

(The title of this blog is the transition of grades once I understood the meaning of 'looking beyond the given text')

18 things about me

2007-09-18T11:41:00.001-07:00

Thanks Keerthy for this concept

Qn.1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.

have one on the ring finger of my right hand. back in my school days, when Arnie (the one with all those abnormally bulging muscles and the unpronouncable last name - that schwarzenegger chappie) used to be a hot favorite among young studs, i fancied myself to be like him. swimming pool... wet floor... scrawny, bespectacled fellow... 15 kg barbells.... whoosh thud... the scar reminds me "never work out in a gym, macha!"

Qn.2. What does your phone look like?

they say a phone reflects its master (ok, thats for dogs, but hey! what the @#$%) mine is simple, dark and highly user-friendly, just like me (?)

Qn.3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?

if i were at home, it could have been the poster of kournikova / hendstridge / anderson-lee et. al. Here in hostel? boring class schedules, to do lists... the remains of the last mosquito that i squashed with a well aimed spit ball (that sure was a bullseye dude!)

Qn.4. What is your current desktop picture?

check out Jammy's offering on www.ouchmytoe.com ...

Qn.5. Do you believe in gay marriage?

gay is O.K.

Qn.6. What do you want more than anything right now?

cigarettes and whisky and wild wild women...

Qn.7 . What time were you born?

12:22 (night)... incidentally, my birthdate is 2-2-82 (go figure!)

Qn.8. Are your parents still together?

don't see 'em splitting ever!

Qn.9.Last person who made you cry?

the gals is "Chak de!" (awww... come on, so i cry watching movies... big deal)

Qn.10. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?

cologne: cool blue
perfume: jovan musk

to be honest, whatever scent that wards off B.O. and is guaranteed to get the gals swooning into my arms... (guess that means, any flavor as long as it contains a whiff of nitrous...)

Qn.11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?

jet black ... limpid clear black

Qn.12. What are you listening to?

the chirp of crickets, the drone of mosquitoes and Kurt Cobain (man who sold the world...)

Qn.13. Do you get scared of the dark?

used to as a kid...not any more... (although people say, i shouldnt meet them in the dark, apparently my ugly mug puts them off sleep for days together!)

Qn.14. Do you like pain killers?

pills of any kind... moi? ... blech!

Qn.15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

all gals reading this blog... take a hint!

Qn.16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

apple pie! cheese pizza with pineapple (yeah yeah allright, weird but true).. lasagna...(sigh!!!)

Qn.17. Who was the last person you made you mad?

made me mad! hmm... let me think... wouldnt it be easier to list out the people whom I made mad? (all i got to do is copy paste my address books)

Qn.18. Who was the last person who made you smile?

Mom... she's just started learning how to use a cellphone (sis bought her one with her first salary...cool na?) anyway, she SMSed me in SMS lingo ... and i msgd her bak tht being an english tchr, i dint xpct hr to send msgs with such bad pnctuatn and spllngs... she thought, i was criticising her lack of tech knowledge... and got upset... anyway.. solved the issue the next time she called me up .... and had a hearty laugh at that...