Cognitive Amalgamation

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:59:00 +0000

google images

She would get up before the break of dawn every day and will finish most of the routine work she could, before anyone else open their eyes. Then, she would wake us up to get ready for school. After we’ve left, she’ll prepare tea for Dad whose busy reading paper to catch news about ‘what’s-happening-in-your-neighbourhood’, least bothered of what’s going on in house with respect to daily chores of life.

She’ll pack lunch for Dad and before he leaves for work, will ask him to come home early to spend time with family and dad off-course, will make a tacit promise in approval but never fulfilled.

Then, she would wash the clothes, clean the house and prepare a list of things she needs to buy from the grocery store. She’ll prepare a separate list of stuff each member of the house need. Cleaning our room and putting things back in order had become a customary tradition for her to follow everyday unknowingly for rest of her life.

Sometimes, she’d like to relax for a while in the midst of her daily household tasks that she won’t mind sipping a cup of tea while watching television or listening music. She’ll make sure that this time-off lasts as long as there’s tea in her cup. She’ll soon get back to perform her daily routine of putting things back in order.

google images

She’ll get ready and before we come back from school, she’ll not only buy all that is needed from the market but will prepare lunch as well. She’ll make sure that she has prepared food as per our liking so as to not to offend anyone of us. She soon realized if she ran out of options, (maggi) noodles and a chocolate bar will always come to her rescue and Sundays, will always be an occasion in terms of food on the menu and a special day for whole family to be together.

Post lunch, she’ll talk to us and will inquire about school proceedings. She’ll listen attentively and will be very polite in giving her views which always turn out to be a new learning for us. Then she’ll make us sleep for a while before we study. Evening when we are out playing, she’ll water the plants and prepare dinner before it gets dark. Dad will be home any minute and she’ll spend some time with us watching television.

We all will have dinner together once Dad’s home, while she prepares chappathis and later, she’ll put us in bed, her gnarled fingers rubbing against our forehead while dad’s busy watching news on television. Before she could declare ‘day over’, she’ll ask dad to sleep now as he must have been very tired after today’s hard work at office, ignoring the degree of physical work she went through today.

And the next day, she’ll again get up before sunrise, to start all over again doing the same activity she’s been doing for years selflessly.

With this note,

I wish all mothers of the world a very Happy Mother’s Day and thank them for being such great moms, for taking good care of us and for making us what we are today and for the undying love, generosity and service for each one of us in the family.

Thank You Mamma !!!

“God couldn't be everywhere, so he created mothers”

Help Needed : Final Reminder To Update Your Legacy Blogger Account

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:13:00 +0000

Dear Bloggers,

I recently received a mail from Google-Support-Blogger Team stating that :

"You are receiving this message because your email address is associated with an unmigrated legacy Blogger account. As we announced in April of last year, legacy accounts will no longer be accessible after May 30th, 2012 unless they are updated to the Google Account system. Any blog content associated with this account will also be unmodifiable after that date"

I checked into the forum link provided by google where bloggers can post questions / queries regarding this legacy account issue.

The Link to the forum is:
http://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!category-topic/blogger/how-do-i/qrI1pJUZS1Q

The Introduction to the forum says:

"We recently sent out an email to all users who still need to migrate their old pre-2007 Blogger accounts (legacy accounts). We've received a few questions about whether this affects any current, active blogs and we wanted to re-iterate that: if you've logged into Blogger at all since 2007, then that account which you've logged in to (and all the blogs on the account) are *not* legacy accounts and no action is needed.

However, if you received the recent email, that means some *other* account is *also* associated with that email address, and it is a legacy account which needs to be updated. All of these unmigrated legacy accounts were created before 2007, so perhaps you've just forgotten about it since it was years ago"

I am a bit apprehensive since the day i've received this email from Google, as, i do not want my 5+ year blog to vanish from web without any logical reasoning.

I started blogging since Dec 2007. So i just want to make sure that nothing will happen to my blog post 30th May 2012 and i hope (against the hope) that i have nothing to do with this legacy account thing.

It'll be great If anyone can throw some light regarding this or has come across such an issue, kindly let me know what best i could do at my level to avoid any emotional trauma post 30th May 2012 and prevent this blog apocalypse to happen! Should i do something or should i avoid doing anything and wait for Google to come up with some amendment in liaison to the legacy account.

I've already backed up my blog data (just incase anything goes wrong post 30th May 2012)

All thoughts and reflections are welcomed !

Thanks

Rahul Aggarwal

Mahabharata Contest : Answers & Winners

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:16:00 +0000

So, the contest is finally over and I apologize for publishing the answers so very late in this blog.

The winners are :

1. Bikram from Me & My Random Thoughts

2. Rajesh from Destination Infinity

3. Raghav from Chaos

Well done guys !

Bikram Veer ji made a very good attempt in answering the questions and Arti's 1 answer was a new learning about Mahabharata. Thanks once again for the participation and making this contest a success.

DI, Raghav : You guys were best in answering the questions correctly!

Here’s what you get (you may post the image (award/memento) on your blog wall):

Alright, now comes the main part of answering the questions:

1. What led to Abhimanyu’s death inside Chakravyuh?

Ans: Subhadra slept while learning the entire lesson from Arjun about entering & breaking the Chakarvyuh. She did hear how to enter, but slept when it was about breaking it. Abhimanya was in his mother's womb at that moment.

2. Why did Lord Krishna laugh when Bheema’s son Ghatotkch died while fighting against the Kauravas?

Ans: Bheema’s son was proving too fatal for Kauravas and inorder to avoid defeat, Dhuryodhana asked karna to use the mighty Brahmastra weapon against Gatothkach. Karna actually preserved the weapon to be used against Arjuna and Krishna knew if karna used it against Arjuna, it’s end of Mahabharata with Arjun’s death. So he laughed on seeing Ghatotkach die because the last chance which Duryodhana had to win the battle through Brahmastra was actually used for killing Bheema’s son.

3. What was the main reason for Mahabharata to take place? Was it greed or was it something else?

Ans: Draupadi.

Pandavas built a fort for Draupadi which had a magical mirage effect. Pandavas invited Kauravas once to their fort and Dhuroyodhana fell on the floor due to the optical illusion of the fort. So Draupadi laughed at him and said, “andhey ka beta andha!!!” (blind son of a blind man) which was a tip-off for Mahabharata to take place.

4. Why doors of heaven opened for a dog but Yudhishtir was shown the way to hell?

Ans: Yudhishthir never lied in his life so his chariot always flew above the ground. But on telling about Ashwathama’s death to Dronacharya, his chariot came down and touched the ground as he lied which turned out to be a main reason that instead of yudhishthir, doors of heaven were opened for a dog but not for him.

5. Which important character from Mahabharata met one of the main character’s from Ramayana? And, what was its significance in Mahabharata?

Ans: Hanuman met Bhima. The only reason to meet Bhima was to make him realize that with Power comes great responsibility. Hanuman Blessed Bheema with strength to fight against Dhuryodhana and gave blessings in the form of saffron colored flag tied to Arjuna’s chariot which gave power to the pandavas.

6. What was the curse given to karna which led to his death?

Ans: His Guru, who was surprised to see his strength when bitten by crab, cursed him that he'll not be able to use any of his powers given/teaching's learnt when desired the most during war.

7. Duryodhana was blessed to be immortal. Who gave him this power and what led to his death?

Ans: Gandhari gave him the power to be immortal by blessing him with her vision throughout his body, which she had stored within for entire life. The reason for his death was Krishan, who advised him not to go fully naked in front of a mother who is going to see you after a long period of time. He asked Duryodhana to cover his personal parts/thigh areas which led to his death.

8. How many brothers did Duryodhana had?

Ans: 99

9. Who was Karna’s foster mother?

Ans: His (foster) father was a charioteer married to a dhobin named Radha.

10. Who was the only warrior who had power to beat Arjun but was never made to fight Mahabharata?

Ans: Eklavya.

He couldn't fight because he wasn't a Kshatriya with unknown family origins and was asked to give away his thumb for learning Dhanush vidya from Arjun's Guru without his permission.

11. Who was Barbarik?

Ans: Barbarik was son of Ghatothkaj who was son of Bheema. Barbarik had power to kill all in 1 minute. He wanted to join Pandavas so Krishna asked him to demonstrate his skills. On seeing his power, Krishna beheaded Barbarik to avoid mass annihilation which may end the battle in 1 minute.

Krishna asked Barbarik’s amputated head his last wish. Barabarik wished to see the entire battle of Kurukshetra through his eyes, so Krishna took his head and kept it on top of the hill to view entire Mahabharata.

Ta Ta Tagged

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:36:00 +0000

Ta Ta Tagged – Once Again!!!

I’ve been tagged once again and this time by Bikram Veerji from ‘Me and My Random Thoughts’ Blog. Thank you Veerji for the tag and also for the Eureka Award I received last month. Sincere apologies for replying so late about the award you shared with me. There’s a small picture of the memento I’ve pasted on my blog. Thank you once again for the appreciation.

Alright, as per rule 1, I must publish the rules first J

1. You must post the rules.

2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.

3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.

4. Let them know you’ve tagged them!

Rule 2: Answer the questions:

Here are Bikram’s questions from the tag:

1. What is it that you love to do, most, and would rather spend your time doing it?

I love solving mathematical problems whenever free and would like to see myself do the same thing as I grow old.

2. What do you think others think of you?

I am not sure what others think of me. Fact is I am least interested to know what others think of me. We humans don’t think about ourselves, who has time to think about others.

3. Where do you see yourself end the next 10 years?

I see myself here at the same place where I am today. Life is not a race take it easy.

4. What is one quality of yours you admire the most?

Patience.

5. Have you played a trick on someone that went bad, what is it?

I am like a ‘door knob’ when it comes to act clever or play tricks. What worst it can get, I am a victim of my own tricks.

6. Who would you say made you who you are today (other than your parents, if that is what you would answer)?

Leo Babauta from Zen habits.

7. What gives you joy?

Satisfaction in whatever work I do.

8. Who is your favourite hero and Why?

Hrithik Roshan and Tom Hanks.

The Greek God for his physique and for his dance and acting talent. He’s a human prodigy.

Tom Hanks, the protagonist, for the excellence he has achieved in the world of commercial cinema.

9. Why do you blog?

To share my ideas and my thoughts with the world I know least of.

10. Do you believe in love stories, if yes why?

Yes, off course. My marriage is a result of a sweet and unique love story.

11. Tell us an incident that you remember always.

Late night 3 AM, year 2007, 1.5 Blender’s Pride (Whisky) Bottles down my spine, I walked on the veil of my first floor flat (thinking I was on road), sudden thunder, veil shattered into pieces thanks to my weight and I landed on the car parked below shattering the front mirror into pieces. I bled for the rest of the night, somehow saved myself from police charge but came under 50k fine for the car repair and was forced to leave the flat soon after.

Now my turn to ask 11 questions to the taggers I’ll tag in rule 3.

1. If you are given a chance to time travel, which part of your age would you like to rewind your life upto?

2. One blogger’s blog you look forward for newer updates?

3. How many times you check your facebook account for new updates / notifications?

4. What if you are without a facebook account today? (this question is an extension to the previous question)

5. If you are asked to teach in school, name one subject you are most comfortable in explaining to kids?

6. One thing you want to do good for the humanity?

7. Your epitaph should read … “…”?

8. The person (not in relation) you admire most in your life and why?

9. One group/organization/club you would like to be a member of for the rest of your life?

10. If you could have dinner with anyone from anytime in history, whom would you like to dine with?

11. What as per your understanding is ‘an ideal life’?

Rule 3: Tag 11 people:

Here’s my list of 11 people I tag. All the best guys!

1. Jenny

2. Raghav

3. Sujatha

4. Ruchi

5. Kajal

6. Vishal

7. Medhini

8. Komathi

9. Akila

10. Anupama

11. Saru

Ways To Live A Healthy Lifestyle

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:02:00 +0000

It's Time To Change!

With the dawn of 21^st century, advancement in technology with new gadgets making foray in human lives along with perky salaries has turned down yesteryear’s ideas of simple living to give way for sedentary and lethargic lifestyle. But all this has come with a price. This fast paced life blended with technology advancement has made every individual not only fat on the salary but health wise as well. Competition to perform, pressure to excel has negated the inner stability of an individual and degraded their lifestyle.

It seems like Individuals today have removed the pause/relax button from their life’s remote control. This has turned into a rat race where every individual want to outdo others at cost of their health without knowing the fact that there’s no end to this race. Life is not a race, one must slow down. One must enjoy the journey and should not worry about the destination.

Love Yourself: “A kid always loves himself. He has no idea who Jesus or president of the country is. His love is undivided and only for himself. Society and parents forces him to love them, love all and so his love gets divided. He stops loving himself. If you cannot love yourself, you cannot love others. So love yourself first” [OSHO – The Book of Man].

If you cannot take care of your health, you will not be able to take care of the job/work you love most. Similarly, Stop cigarettes if you love yourself and your lungs.

Give time: Extract time for yourself. Free yourself for at least 1/24^th of the day and relax. Free yourself from the clutches of iPod, ipad, laptop, internet or jukebox for at least an hour. Try to be in the moment. Calm down. Go on a walk without your phone and enjoy nature.

Improve your Lifestyle: if you are in a deskbound job that makes your life sedentary, break the jinx and get out of it if you love yourself. Incorporate as much physical activity/movement you can in your daily routine to minimize future consequences.

Here’s some of the ways you can improve your lifestyle:

Drink Water: Drink enough water, at least 2 liters a day: Drink as much water possible, it acts as a cleansing agent to clean your body and keeps you hydrated.

Walk whenever possible: if it’s really not possible for you to extract time for walking, make conscious efforts. Avoid use of lift whenever possible in home or office and if market is near to your place of stay, avoid igniting the fuel and prefer walking.

Sleep for at least 6 hrs: Do not stretch beyond 7. Try to get up before 6 in morning. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Make sure you enjoy at least 6 hours of sleep to keep you active for the whole day.

Avoid sitting in front of system (pc's, desktops, laptops) for too long. Give your eyes rest after day’s hard work: if you are in front of system for too long, stretch your back for 15 minutes whenever possible in the day. Wash your eyes with clean/fresh water whenever you feel sourness in eyes.

Quit Facebook: Ever wondered how much of the day you actually fritter on facebook? A recent study shows that 70% of the teenagers in India spend 8 hours on an average on social networking sites like Facebook. You cannot quit facebook at once but can make efforts to reduce the number of hours invested in a day. Make friends in real not virtually.

Pick a hobby: if you think the day’s sundial is moving too slow for you, pick a hobby, something that is of interest to you and keeps you busy. You may not know but you may do wonders in your area of interest someday.So follow your passion.

Have a healthy diet: A recent analysis says 8/10 professionals suffer from various health issues thanks to overconsumption of junk food and unhealthy diet system. More than 70% of the kids in Pune are obese and cannot run or perform physical activities.

Nothing can replace homemade food. Have a healthy and a nutritious diet. Integrate your food with milk and fruits.

Avoid Tea to Avoid Acidity: if you have acidity issues, avoid tea. Make sure your count stays below 2. Try to make it 1 and slowly reduce it to 0.

Exercise: if you are not the step-up kind and find it hard to shake a leg, try Surya-Namaskar in your daily exercise for complete mind and body and relaxation. 5 minutes of Surya-Namaskar exercise will not only strengthen your heart muscle but will give agility to your body.

Run: Run as much as possible to completely eradicate all health problems.

Love yourself to enjoy the journey called LIFE!!!

This post is written for an ongoing IndiBlogger and Stayfree contest “TIME TO CHANGE” on indiblogger.in!

You can follow/join the “Stayfree India” Campaign on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/sftimetochange

Hope Through Change

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 02:17:00 +0000

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow

- Albert Einstein

Change is the only thing in nature that remains constant. Change is mandatory and it always happens for good. Change helps an individual break the monotonous circle of life one is involved in since ages. So change is always better and necessary.

A serious change comes only when there’s room for hope. An individual without hope is without life. Let me explain the above statements through a story I’m sure you all must have read during school.

Here’s the condensed version of the story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry:

The patient kept staring out of the window at the tree to count the number of days remaining in his life with the number of leaves left on the dead tree. The cold weather and storms everyday forced the dormant tree to shed leaves daily, thus reducing his days of survival.

Meanwhile an old and frail protagonist painter was trying his best to make a masterpiece in drawing, one that writes his name in the history of art. But he was waiting for inception of an excellent idea to draw his imagination on to the canvas from quite a long time.

The painter came in acquaintance with the patient and they became good friends in few days. Every day the patient will show him the tree which has few leaves left and relate that to his life. The painter felt sorry for patient’s deplorable situation.

Days passed by, it got colder and leaves kept falling from the tree. The patient’s health was worsening with each falling tree. The painter could not do anything but wait and watch patient’s dying condition.

Now a day came when there were only 2 leaves left on the tree and the patient has figured out the D-day has come for him to depart and move on.

Midnight while working in his study, the painter saw the tree without a leaf and rushed to the site where the tree stood tall. He knew the patient must have fallen asleep by now and will look for the last leaf on tree not before tomorrow. It was blistering cold and freezing when he decided to paint his masterpiece “The Last leaf” on the tree to keep the hope alive in patient as he opens his eye to a new tomorrow.

The patient got better with every passing day as the leaf never fell from tree and thus protecting the patient’s hope from dying.

The painter peacefully died after few days as his health worsened but he was more at peace with himself because he knew that he managed to save his friend’s life through the masterpiece.

One must keep the hope alive by trying something new, by not giving up and by trying to be the change one wants to see in life and make way for others to follow. After all, hope is not such a bad thing.

This was an abridged version of the story I read 10 years back and now I faintly remember.

I hope this story inspire readers to keep hope and optimism alive every moment in their life and keep evolving with time. There’s always a good day after a bad day.

A Visit To Sihanghad Fort, Pune

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:21:00 +0000

My Blue Ninja

I and my wife along with my brother in law and sister in law recently went on a road trip to Sihanghad Fort, 30 kms from Pune.

The journey was pretty amazing for 2 reasons. Firstly, it was my first road trip on my (Splendor) bike and secondly, it’s been almost 2 years that I went out to explore a new place considering my love for travelling and adventure.

We got up at quarter past 4 and were on road by dot 5. With all the preparations in place as assumed, we happen to miss out the most important point in our ‘to do’ checklist, there was zero fuel in our bikes and finding an open garage in Pune at 5 in morning was quite an impossible task. But, we somehow managed to get our bike tanks fueled from a petrol pump in ‘Null Stop’. I am sure the person on job must have had a hard time fuelling the tanks as witnessed from his zombie walk.

Anyways we were back on track in 15 minutes. But before we could vrooooooom our bikes on the fast lane, we came across another roadblock in our ‘to do’ list. Pune was freezing in the month of February, especially at 5 in mornings and we were without covers, esp. hand gloves to beat the extreme cold wave while on the move. A dire consequence, our speed was capped and we crawled.

The track gets curvy and rough as you slowly move out of the city. For a normal journey of 30-35 minutes, it took us 45 minutes to touch the starting point of our uphill journey to the fort.

It was pitch black as if we entered some black hole. The only thing visible to naked eye were small light bulbs, may be torch or mobiles dangling as dozen of trekkers made their way uphill. And we decided to be a part of the crowd and let them lead the way till sunrise.

It was a 45 degree steep and 12 km (approx.) track uphill, not easy to cover. We could see people missing the oomph factor and making u-turns half way of their journey. It took us one hour 35 minutes to reach Sihanghad fort irrespective of the fact that we walked continuously and never stopped in the middle. If you want to experience sunrise from the fort, one must hit the road at 4 in morning else experience the sun in the middle of your trek like we did.

let me share my experience through the snaps we clicked during the trek.

Cognitive Amalgamation

This was clicked at around 6:45 AM!

Cognitive Amalgamation

The main Entrance door to the Fort

Cognitive Amalgamation

This was the food we had up there in Sihanghad Fort!!!

Cognitive Amalgamation

A visit to the Khadakvasla Dam while moving back from Sihanghad Fort to Pune!!!

Cognitive Amalgamation

You can read more about Sihanghad Fort here.

Thanks for taking out time to read this post!

Mahabharata (A Contest)

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:41:00 +0000

This will be the very first time I’ll run a contest. I do not anticipate much participation but I’ve kept my fingers crossed.

The Contest:

It’s called ‘Being Yudhishtir’ Contest (based on Mahabharata mythology).

Yudhishtir was known for his intelligence, wisdom and for speaking truth. This contest is named after the Pandava to find a blogger with good knowledge about Mahabharata and felicitate his/her familiarity on the subject.

About the Award:

If you’ve seen Mahabharata A-Z and can time travel back to 90’s era when Mahabharata was shown on Doordarshan, you stand a chance to win this contest by answering 10 questions I ask in this blog from the epic. You may take Google’s help if you think you are not sure about the answers. Winner gets this Badge:

AWARD

There are no rules defined to participate in this contest. At least 5 answers should be correct to be a winner.

You can even ask your mom/dad or search online for answers.

Plus, one may find something interesting and worth sharing with children, friends from this questionnaire.

These are my 10 questions from Mahabharata:

1. What led to Abhimanyu’s death inside Chakravyuh?

2. Why did Lord Krishna laugh when Bheema’s son Ghatotkch died while fighting against the Kauravas?

3. What was the main reason for Mahabharata to take place? Was it greed or was it something else?

4. Why doors of heaven opened for a dog but Yudhishtir was shown the way to hell?

5. Which important character from Mahabharata met one of the main character’s from Ramayana? And, what was its significance in Mahabharata?

6. What was the curse given to karna which led to his death?

7. Duryodhana was blessed to be immortal. Who gave him this power and what led to his death?

8. How many brothers did Duryodhana had?

9. Who was Karna’s foster mother?

10. Who was the only warrior who had power to beat Arjun but was never made to fight Mahabharata?

Last date for submission: 10^th April 2012.

Winners will be informed either by comments or by mails.

P.S: Thank you Bikram Veer Ji for the format/template and the design to run this contest. i stole it from your blog :-)

P.P.S: As this is the first time i am doing something like this, i need your inputs as to how can i improve in creating better contests in future !

Bhagat Singh : Google Doodle

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:00:00 +0000

I know it’s late to post this now but not late to pay homage to ‘The Legend’ who sacrificed his life for nation’s freedom struggle and left us today.

As I woke up to Google today (23^rd March 2012), I expected Bhagat Singh’s Doodle to fly high at least on Google Doodle’s Indian (.in) version but was thwarted and surprised to see some Legendary Cubist painter ‘Juan Cris’s’ Birthday Badge sitting right in centre of Google’s Homepage.

www.google.in

So, I decided to commemorate the Indian Revolutionary through Google Doodle my way. I created a doodle badge to remember the Visionary.

Please excuse my imagination as I am not very artistic when it comes to creative designing.

Bhagat Singh Google Doodle

I am sure there are many creative designers out there who can make a lot better doodle to celebrate Bhagat Singh’s day.

Before I end this post, I would like to mention that Pakistan Government has decided to honor Bhagat Singh by renaming the place where he was hanged in Lahore jail to ‘Bhagat Singh Chownk’ this year. It was today at this place he along with Sukhdev & Rajguru went to gallows in year 1931. Government has also pledged to finish the monument construction started 20 years ago to immortalize the Legend.

P.S: A big thanks to Bikram Veer Ji for sharing a post today about the legend which made most of us realize the importance of 23rd March.

Is Raat Ki Subah...

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:16:00 +0000

खुल्ली आँख से,

जब देखा यह जहाँ,

रौशनी है चाई हर कहीँ,

पर ना जाने क्यूँ, दिल में बहुत,

अँधेरा है वहाँ.

बीतें लम्हों की परछाई,

आज भी सताती है,

आने वाला कल क्या लाएगा,

इसी सोच में यह अँधेरी रात,

खुल्ली आखों में बीत जाती है.

यह कैसा डर,

मन में एक्सार रहता है.

कहीं खो ना दूं खुद को खुद से,

यही सोच कर ना जाने क्यूँ,

दर्द आखों से हर दम बहता है.

समय ना जाने क्यूँ,

अब रुक रुक कर चलता है.

इस रात की सुबह कब होगी,

यह सवाल हर पल, धीमी धड़कन के साथ,

समय की नोक पर ढलता है.

Movie Review: Kahaani

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Google Images

Kahaani is an enthralling thriller about a pregnant woman who sets out from London on a mission to find her husband who went missing while working on an assignment in Kolkata, India, whereas people in india doubt her husband’s existence. So the ‘kahaani’ begins!

Without revealing the story any further, let me list down few things that stands out for this movie and makes it a ‘must watch’ movie for 2012.

Vidya Balan has proven her mettle once again after the grand success of ‘the Dirty Picture’ and now ‘kahaani’ that she’s ‘one-man-army’ who needs no support of leading actors to elevate her movies and has enough muscle to turn any movie into a blockbuster. Last I remember someone of this caliber who could do the same was Urmila Matondkar.

Vidya’s done it last year with ‘The Dirty Picture’ and she’s on a roll this year with ‘Kahaani’. It seems like there’s no looking back for her. Good going style diva, Indian audience wants to see more of you onstage this year in various award ceremonies and functions.

Review: if you are someone who loved reading Sidney Sheldon or Jeffery Archer’s novels, it’s a must watch for you. The gripping story keeps you awestruck, captivated on the edge of your seat every second for nearly 2.5 hours as every scene opens up to a new question and leaves viewer guessing as to what happens next.

I loved the way the movie took off. There’s a giant mice looking at you in the very first scene of the movie, something very different from the usual start we get to see in bollywood movies. The first half of the movie is contributed by the story and the direction whereas the second half is completely dominated by Vidya Balan.

The movie is shot completely in Kolkata depicting the daily lives of kolkaites from dawn to dusk highlighting how their life evolves everyday in the capital during the festive season of Durga Puja. Some of the best shots of the Hoogly River and Howrah Bridge were shown in the movie.

Google Images

It took the makers of ‘Jhankar Beats’ nearly a decade to taste success and punch it in air. Awesome story, screenplay and direction (Sujoy Ghosh) with Vidya balan’s protagonist acting tadka, gives this movie an edge in the race of best movies for 2012.

The supporting cast played by Parambrata Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saswata Chatterjee did a marvelous role in making this movie a masterpiece.

Amitabh Bachchan’s rendition of Tagore’s poem is one of his best narrations of recent times.

The movie is worth watching onscreen. It will blow away your imagination and keeps surprising the viewers every scene every second.

One movie that left me completely spellbound.

My rating for the movie 4/5.

Veeru's Dhanno !

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Yesterday, I saw this vintage classic of the 70’s (or the 80's) standing isolated on road and way-out of the parking lane. I immediately got into action and stealthily took the snap on mobile before anyone raises their eyebrows.

Although the Original pic is colored but I changed the mood to give it a look from the 70s (or 80s).

The main reason behind this click is, it reminded me of Dharmender’s bike from the movie Sholay.

But now I am out of ideas as to what title should be given to this post in sync with the snap.

All thoughts and reflections are welcome!

Tagged - Tag-A-Thon !

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Google Images

I’ve been Tagged !

Thank you Divya for tagging me and sincere apologies for delay in publishing this post (…it took me more than expected time to collect questions and prepare answers to the questions asked…better be late than never!!!)

The Rules:

Rule#1: Put the rules on your blog.

Rule#2: Every person tagged should tell 11 things about themselves, answer the 11 (7 here) questions asked by the one that tagged you, tag 11 other people and ask them 11 different questions.

Rule#3: Let the people whom you tagged know you've done so.

Rule#4: Don't tag anyone who's been tagged before.

Rule#5: Really do tag 11 others; don't go all ''if you want to take this tag''.

Let me list down 11 things about me. I am not very sure whether these I’ll categorize as facts or inferences about my understanding of life or about me but is more subjected to refutations than conviction.

1. I like being in silence when alone. I like it when things are quiet and tranquillized.

2. I am crazy about driving different cars. If given a chance I can drive for hours to set a new world record.

3. I keep trying. If I fail, I’ll try again but with a different approach and never give up. I won’t quit or regret on the decisions made.

4. I get influenced so very easily. I know it’s not good and I need to improve.

5. I love listening to all genres of music. My personal favorite includes Michael Jackson, Lucky Ali, Staind, Metallica, GNR, Pink Floyd & Gurdas Mann.

6. I like to get into discussion when the TALK is concerning myths or mysteries of life.

7. I am a big-time movie buff. I have seen Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (17 times) onscreen, Original Agneepath (more than 25 times), Terminator 2 Judgement Day (around 30 times) and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (20 times) on tube.

8. I love it when my morning starts with 1 hour of jogging. Besides, I love walking a lot.

9. I am a day dreamer. I think a lot but very less gets materialized.

10. I am scared to death on the idea of learning ‘how to swim’. But I’ll still go ahead and learn swimming this year.

11. I love when I am surrounded with mathematical problems.

My turn now to answer 7 questions asked by Divya:

1. Life's most beautiful moment?

When I got married to love of my life I first met online.

2. Your definition of God?

Someone in imagination easy to refute but hard to accept and believe.

3. What's the best thing you admire about Nature?

Simple yet so complex.

4. Your biggest weakness and what would you like to do about it?

I am prone to rejections.

Every day is a struggle, a fight to get you going. One must not give up on failures as each failure is a new learning. That’s what I do to overcome my rejections.

5. What keeps you moving in life?

My search for happiness today and tomorrow.

6. One thing you would just like to do only once in your life and forget about it?

To think of giving a precise answer to this question and forget about it for rest of my life.

7. If you were guaranteed to live another 50 years, your top 5 targets for this lifetime?

Top 5 targets:

- Stay fit throughout my life

- Adopt a child

- Learn French

- Write a novel

- Teach mathematics!

Alright, now it’s my turn to shoot questions to all you bloggers I tagged in this post. Guys, checkyou’re your names first before skimming through the questionnaire.

1. What are you passionate about?

2. Cinema and Politics. What do they mean to you?

3. One good thing you want to happen in India, for people – Long term?

4. One good thing you want to happen for yourself – Long term?

5. One good thing you want to happen for yourself – Short term?

6. A frank thing you want to say about one of the bloggers here?

7. Belief in God?

8. One thing you would surely do to uplift this poor country?

9. One secret about you?

10. Do you hold any regrets in your life?

11. Adventure if any in life…lets count:

And here’s the list of 11 bloggers I’ll like to spread the tag virus to:

1. Suchi

2. Anupama

3. Raj

4. Viyoma

5. Raphael

6. Upasana

Google Images

7. Haritha

8. Abhyudaya

9. Sujatha

10. Jhanvi

11. Elvirah

Hope you liked this post. Thanks for reading it.

Before I close this post, let me wish all the dudes & duddettes a very Happy Holi and a salute to Womanhood on the occasion of “Women’s Day”.

Dil Se...

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:54:00 +0000

एक अजब सी कशिश,

एक अलग सा एहसास,

बार बार मन में आज आता है.

कहना चाहूं तुमसे कुछ,

ना जाने क्यूँ, यह कंभख्त दिल,

बोलने से घबराता है.

ना जाने कब से,

ज़हन में उठा यह ख्याल है,

बयां करना चाहूं इसे जब,

जुबां पर शब्द,

आते साथ ही लडखडाता है.

दर्द दबा है,

कहीं गहन में मेरे,

कितनी भी कोशिश करू ,

कदम नहीं बढते आगे मेरे.

फिर भी,

उम्मीद यही लगाए रखी है,

एक दिन जब मिलोगे तुम,

पूछेंगे तुम्हारे दिल से,

क्या यही दर्द,

तुम्हे भी दस्तक दे कर जाता है?

This is my third attempt in writing Hindi Poetry. I know i am not good at it and I must stop writing!

P.S: This poem is reviewed by a fellow blogger friend Indu from Hridyanubhuti

Thank you Indu for your valuable time and input!

I V/s I

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:35:00 +0000

I v/s I

Google Images

Atheist v/s priest

Are you an atheist, a non believer who holds truth above his head and talk about the non existence of Supreme Being, one who defines every movement of his life in terms of scientific findings and through laws of physics where the activities gets recorded under the heuristics of mass-body-space-time-speed and distance? Are you a kind of reductionist who infers the happenings with a scientific eye?

Google Images

Are you that lonely priest in this holy world who believes in the control of supreme power and a mere mortal, an organism who opens up in the arms of some vital force omnipotent but same time hard to unearth in scientific theories?

Is it really possible for a mortal mind to exist without faith?

It’s hard for me to judge as to who am I, a believer of implicit things having lesser reality (evidence) but more belief associated with it or someone who gets fascinated to the pragmatic findings of scientific evolution.

Google Images

Is it really true or possible in imagination for an agnostic to live faithless in knowing anything and everything about the universe which does include the myths about ‘THE ONE’? A non believer in such a case shouldn’t believe in his very own personal findings as well for eg: while walking or having supper. Why not a more calculative technical approach followed while taking every new step with an assumption the ground below his next step may slip or may not be in position to hold his weight? It’s this belief in his sub conscious mind that sends signals of faith and gives confidence to go ahead as the ground shall not slip and will hold the mass while moving without making any space-time-mass-body-energy-length calculations. Similarly, while consuming food, why the value (worth) of food is judged by the freshness, flavor or aroma and why not by the calculations of heat and the temperature at which it was cooked? Every atheist I believe holds some belief in the vague happenings around him yet not cemented on walls of science.

On the other hand, every believer’s view is based on statements less factual and more assumed by paralyzing their mindset with societal knowledge without challenging the authority of the edification passed. From school till date, every social organism is made to belief in the good v/s the bad, god v/s evil and not allowed to question on anything. Is it really the faith or belief to not to question and comply with the learning’s institutionalized or is it the absence of intelligence and intellect to think and raise doubts about laws written in the past?

Google Images

Is assumption the only way to overlook the findings by deduction? Or is it the complexities of the nature around that makes humans contrive tribulations through myths and erroneous beliefs but not through facts, mathematical figures and equations? Does science itself gives explicit picture to the researches made about the universe without assumptions or only through inference?

And my struggle to find answers to such question continues…

Best Ways To Keep You Running

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Google Images

8 months, 244 days, I’ve been running regularly now for a healthier, better life. Started last year in June when I could barely run, where jogging got replaced with brisk walking, getting up early morning got replaced with half hour walk on the road post sunrise and running was always off my radar. But past is history now and today I am actively running, get up at 5 every day, do not skip jogging, exercise regularly and makes it a habit to do the same next day.

I managed to bring this change by motivating myself to not to stop and keep running for a better tomorrow and that’s how I never gave room for laziness to get heavy on me.

Is it hard to believe but we squander half of our time thinking about the future none has seen and the remaining half whimpering for all the wrongs happened in past and literally, forget to live in the moment i.e. today. One should make every day count as if his last.

Following the same, this post talks about the various do’s and don’ts one must follow for healthier and better tomorrow. The list is about small steps one must take to keep oneself motivated for every day running.

Google Images

Do’s:

Start slow: Do not run for hours on your first day. Start slow, half an hour brisk walking initially followed by a good ten minutes of running continued for a week and/or for a month will act as a great energy booster and will make you relax. Start slow, it will definitely help you atone your mind and body.

Breathe through your nose not mouth while running: While running, breathe through nose and not through your mouth. Let morning’s fresh air gush into your lungs through nose. Breathing through mouth will make you tired after sometime.

Drink water 30 minutes prior to running: keep yourself hydrated. Drink enough water 30 minutes before you start running.

If Morning’s makes you lazy, run eastwards to catch the falling sun: if you are nocturnal and is impossible for you to wake up before sunrise, practice running during sunset. But remember, sun never skips to rise and is never lazy. Learn from nature.

Every step is a milestone: make a target to run 5, 10, 15 …35, 45, 60 minutes on regular basis and try to improve gradually. Regularly update your progress report. Reward yourself with a day off on weekends.

Even god rested on the seventh day after creating the world.

Eat nutritious and healthy food after running and consume enough water whole day: one must have a wholesome breakfast after jogging and exercise. Drink enough water throughout the day. Chow oats, fruits, cereals or egg in morning and avoid tea, bread, biscuits etc.

Follow the rule of 21: do not give up after running for few days. Be strict to yourself. Remember school when you regularly used to get up every day early morning to avoid teacher’s thrashing. Be what you were during school, now. At least schools taught us how to be disciplined. Bring discipline in your life.

The rule of 21 says if you are into something for 21 days continuous, you will continue to do so for rest of your life. Try implementing the same in your daily running. If you are able to achieve this, you will never stop running and be next Forrest Gump.

Good night sleep is very essential for healthier mind and body: sleep early to get up early. I wake up every day at 5 in morning. I am not sure but doing this keeps me calm and vigorous the whole day.

Eat light the previous night: do not assume this is your last meal. Underfeed yourself and be contented for what you had. Eat heavy during the day.

Follow a new route, a new track: Very important, follow a new track after few days. Human mind gets easily bored walking on the same route day after day. Find a new route to conquer your mind.

Google Images

Don’ts:

Do not consume food 30 minutes before running: Avoid eating or drinking (except warm water or energy drink) before hitting the road.

Do not shy away from running: forget about what people will say while you are running. Be focused.

Do not hit the bed post jog: Avoid falling asleep post jogging. Freshen up, have a healthy breakfast to start your day.

Keep yourself motivated to run daily else, wait for the day when you’ll start running for regular checkups to your family doctor.

Only by following these lessons, you can cut down on your doc’s salary.

Stay fit, stay healthy!!!

12 Months, 12 Lessons And A Year Old Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:26:00 +0000

Google Images

P.S: if you are bachelor or below 22, you must stop reading this post immediately as it is solely meant for married couples and their take on lives.

Let me be very honest while writing this post in the month of February as I complete one year of successful marriage!

I was very speculative about my decision whether to get married or not at such an early stage of my life last year. I always felt this isn’t the right time and the day is too far for me to change my facebook status from being single to married and till then, live life clutch free and without any ties to a new being. But it all changed on the 50^th day last year and the timing couldn’t be any better. I got married to the love of my life. Although my name remained as it is but my account at bachelors club expired on 19^th February.

Today, when I look back on how the year went by, I thank the almighty stars I least believe in for not postponing my marriage and making me realize that it was a good decision after all.

Marriage redefined the meaning of life for me. My way of looking at things and making decisions changed completely as I transitioned mentally in making choices to an approach where every decision made had a direct impact on other as well. The results no longer belonged to any one individual but affected both.

Today, I have someone who cares, share thoughts and have feelings for me and look after me in thick and thin. With the way life’s been in last 1 year, I wish, she should have entered much before I completed 28 chapters of my age. I liked the change marriage brought within me for good.

I thank my beloved wife Savita for the love, the happiness and prosperity she brought along as she entered my life this month last year.

The reason for writing this post is to celebrate my sweet November every year from now on in February (Also Valentine celebrations).

Here’s a list of 12 lessons I learnt every month starting from February 2011 till date:

February: Appreciate her for such a wonderful life and always treat her as your best friend.

March: Take life easy, go slow. Think before making a move (no pun intended!). Be proactive but do not rush into things as every decision made will always have a serious impact on both of you.

April: Never confront with her in outsider’s defense. There’s no point to scuffle for someone not even remotely related. It’s the family that matters. Leave outsiders outside the house else you’ll end up disturbing the tranquility.

May: Everyday is a celebration.

“Every day above ground is a good day”.

Every day is important, make it beautiful. Celebrate togetherness.

June: Leave your anger outside the house. Do not create a room for anxiety, frustration within you or in the house. It may prove expensive!

If it’s difficult to control your fury, try being on the Neutral Land for some time, like Lillie and Marshal (from How I Met Your Mother) and wait for frustration to recede.

July: Help her in doing daily chores even if she doesn’t demand. Split the work and help her in whatsoever way possible.1% of your assistance will surely add 100% love to your relation.

August: Learn to give space to an individual. Develop trust and live life freely and without clutches.

September: Let go, do not create dependency. Be independent. Learn as much possible and never rely on things to fall in place automatically when she’s sick or not around.

October: Never condemn. Doesn’t matter if it’s the undercooked food or an incomplete task, respect her for the efforts!

November: Share ideas, share thoughts and tell her how much importance she holds in your life.

December: Never get into the blame game. Never count or make her realize the mistakes she ever made. Nobody’s perfect, neither you nor I.

January: Always listen to your partner and learn to value what she says. Have patience, never jump to conclusion. She’s your better half, give respect to her words.

These are the 12 lessons I learnt from one year of successful marriage.

Thank you for reading the post!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

P.S: This post is written with no intention to celebrate Women’s Day in advance! J

This Part Of My Life Is Called Struggle!!!

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Scientifically the longest day of the year is in June but for us, 22^nd feb 2012 was the longest day of our life. By us, I meant me and my wife.

Since the day we moved from Chennai to Pune, we both wanted to live life stress free, kind of liberated with every passing moment as a thing to cherish forever and follow our passion with vigor. We knew playing the game of life as we wanted will not be easy. So our struggle to listen and follow our heart started from Pune.

Struggle:

Alright, the fact is, we both are jobless and with very limited financial resources that may last for a few months from now. Although we our apprehensive about how things will fall in order but this apprehension is mostly overcome with the excitement to start afresh. This everyday excitement is the sole reason that keeps us happy and ticking every second of our life.

Today, one must not stop trying to make a beautiful tomorrow.

Dream:

She always dreamt to be a Software Testing Trainer and open her own Training Center in Pune where she prepare Software Testing Professionals for a better tomorrow and make every individual learn the craft of software testing the right way. Involved in the same profession from 8 years, her dictum is to create awareness and uplift the software testing domain which is still considered a job for the misfit.

As far as I am concerned, I act as a catalyst in making her realize the dream.

It wasn’t possible to do the same while we were in Chennai as we mutually agreed to start this venture from Pune which later turned out to be the main reason for our movement from Chennai. Thus MIND HUNTERS is born!

Personally, I never wanted either of us to lament later in life for procrastinating any decision and professionally, I too needed a change. I always felt exhausted doing the same old mundane work I was involved in from 6 years and I truly needed a pill of excitement to boost my professional graph which was at all time low. So I decided why not search for a better job from Pune in fact. Our parents are very supportive for the decision we made. So my main focus was now to setup a training institute for her and handle all the administration work till I find a suitable job for myself.

It’s now 20 days and the institute is ready with a classroom and a lab. The pamphlets are printed. Now it’s time to advertise. We’ve already spread the name Mind Hunters on internet like a spider’s web. It’s listed now on every second advertising website.

22^nd feb 2012, we started advertising using pamphlets. We stood for straight 2 hours on the main gate of MIT (Maharashtra Institute of Technology) College, Pune, distributing pamphlets to every student leaving the premises for the day. We’ve never done this before and were also heartbroken to see students fling leaflets in air. I know it’s not easy but there’s no looking back for either of us. We may be beaten money-wise but the spirits are high to not just survive but do well in years to come. Patience is virtue after all.

I know it’s difficult but life is a STRUGGLE every minute!!!

Mind Hunters:

You can check out information about the institute MIND HUNTERS here: www.mindhunters.in

It’s located in Kothrud, Pune and themed on Software Testing Training.

All thoughts & reflections are welcome to help us in improving our webpage and providing tips for better marketing.

Big thanks on behalf of Savita for reading this post.

Have a great week ahead!

Salvation On The Platter - Part I

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:13:00 +0000

If you are in Pune, you must try what I categorize as “Legendary” food items available in every nook and corner of the city.

If you are in Pune, you must try:

Dhabeli at any roadside hawker’s stall or at any desi fast food joint.

Google Images

If you happen to be near to Karwe Putla Chownk, Kothrud, try Dhabeli at small shops next to Sumitra Veg. restaurant. Mouth watering, it’s an ultimate salvation for mind and body. And just in case, you still don’t find it mouth slobbering, try Cheese Dhabeli at the same place. This will surely make you drool over completely, something you’ll cherish for a long long time.

You can also try Dhabeli on FC road as well.

Price: Dhabeli: 10 bucks, Cheese Dhabeli: 20 bucks!!!

Isn’t it inexpensive!!!

Cad-B officially started by ‘IceCream Magic’ Ice Cream parlor in Kothrud and now available all across the city turned out to be an overnight success for Ice Cream Magic. I wonder if they got the recipe of this chocolate ice cream patented.

Anytime of the day, any day of the week, you’ll always find youngsters gathered all around Ice Cream Magic parlor. It has turned out to be a breeding ground for all Puneris.

All in all, Cad-B is magic and a treat for Chocolate lovers!!!

Price: Cad-B: 40 bucks

Rabri Jalebi available at ‘The kadhai’ fast food restaurant on FC Road, Pune will surely make one nostalgic and take us to the happy days of our lives.

Google Images

I and my wife stopped over at ‘The Kadhai’ restaurant (on a friend’s suggestion) which was started a year back, today, sandwiched between ‘Apache’ bar and ‘Venky’s Chicken’ bistro, opposite Fergusson College, Pune.

If you are not a diabetic and a big fan of desi ghee jalebis mixed with malai rabri, you must visit this place known for its ethnic Rajasthan food products.

I am sure you must have had rabri and jalebi individually a thousand times but the mysterious combination of the two will keep surprising you with every bite. I must admit, an experience worth remembering.

Price: Rabri Jalebi: 40 bucks

Google Images

Missal Paav available on Paud Road, Pune. A Maharashtrian food item made from Sev and other farsaan food items. Add a little spice to it, I bet, after finishing this, you’ll go crazy and can even light up a cigarette from your lips.

Price: Missal Paav : 25 bucks

Isn’t Pune economical with reasonable price of food items!!!

Coffee at Durga Café in Kothrud, Pune. I haven’t tried this but the day is not far when I and my wife will enjoy an evening here, sipping shots of the legendary coffee available here.

Price: Coffee: 15 bucks

Chocolate Paan on FC Road, Pune. Sounds crazy right but the yummiest paan I ever had in my life. Paan soaked in Chocolate with a cheery on top of it.

Google Images

The variety of sweets and food items available in Pune will surely make every Puneite overlook their increasing waist lines.

Price: Chocolate Paan: 20 bucks

Chocolate Sandwich on FC Road, Pune. You must have had Veg. sandwich, cheese sandwich and many other universal sandwiches that are easily available now and then. But have you ever tried or heard of ‘Chocolate Sandwich’?

Telling what it is made of or what its contents are is like screwing someone’s excitement by telling the end of a half read novel.

Google Images

You really want to know what it is, you must try it.

Price: Chocolate Sandwich: 40 bucks

If eating all these food items is a sin in the holy book of "being healthy", i am ready to commit such sins again and again!!!
~~This is my list of 7 sins (food items) one must commit to live Pune’s life.~~

I’ll keep updating my list as I explore more about Pune in days to come.

Do let me know if you’ve tried or will try any of these mouth water-watering food arrays.

Also enlighten me if there is more food items available in market which you believe can be part of my list.

THIS IS IT!!!

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:51:00 +0000

Alright, before I scribble my ideas and talk about this post, I would like to apologize for the unexpected break I had in updating my blog and for not being in touch with other bloggers posts as I was busy moving my belongings from Chennai to Pune. But thanks to the “subscribe” option available on various blogs, I had all recent posts from various bloggers in my mail account!!!

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

This is it. A new start, a new journey, a new today, I leave behind all the good/bad happened in the past, I start afresh on a new track as I take my first steps on Pune’s surface and kiss a final goodbye to Chennai once and forever!!!

Thank You Chennai !!!

I finally ended the Chennai Chapter which got started way back in year 2006 and took me almost 6 years to complete. It was journey of a lifetime I’ll remember every second every minute of my life.

Chennai holds lot of importance in my life as my career took off from here, a place which transformed me from ‘being nothing’ to ‘being something’ professionally. And 31^st jan 2012 was the day I bid my final adieu (with a contented heart) to start a new chapter from Pune.

Thank you Chennai for all the happiness and dips of sorrow (no offense) I had while living in Tamil Nadu’s heart.

Post:

This post today marks the beginning of a new life, a new journey, as I stride onto the roads I always dreamt to be but never had a chance to realize my dream. I kept waiting for the right time till I understood a simple fact of life, it’s you who make it right and do not wait for fate to pull cards on your behalf.

I am in Pune now, second best city after Ahmedabad in India for year 2011 as per TOI survey. It’s time to realize my conked-out dreams and make life clutter free. Not that I have any emotional attachment with this Maharashtrian city, truth is, I like being here for 2 reasons, one, it’s the so called ‘happening hub’ today and secondly, my apartment resides on a small piece of earth located in this city. Besides, I love the culture, the vibe and the ‘sense of being’ present in every nook and corner of this city. In one line if I have to define Pune, “city that never sleeps”.

The Journey Begins:

It’s been more than 2 weeks now that I am in Pune. It definitely took me more than expected time to settle down. Honestly, intercity transfer is not that easy as I expected it to be.

The day I reached, city was shivering with unwelcoming cold but wasn’t cold enough on my thermometer considering the number of years spent in the foothills of Himalayas. I am sure people from Chandigarh will find this place a second home, a second inning to start afresh the same good old life they had in UT till date.

Pune is just the right place to be if you are young, energetic and vibrant. I may not be wrong in saying that more than 70% of the inhabitants in Pune must be in the age group between 20 and 40 and rest filled with enthusiastic oldies. People love to be part of everyday fun and enjoy life here. Yes, they know the meaning of the word “LIFE” and enjoy IT every second.

Facts about PUNE:

- Puneites love to eat. If you are in Pune, you’ll observe each and every corner on every other road turned into a small hangout place for students, professionals and food lovers. Rarely you’ll come across any food vendor sitting idle. Food joints and shops are omnipotent and a big hit in the city.

- Alright, if Pueites are foodie they are health conscious as well. I believe this must be the only place of its kind in India today to have most number of health and wellness centers running all across the city. People may not have control on their taste buds but they do know how and when to control their waist lines and straighten their weight graphs by burning yesterday’s fat in gym today.

- People in Pune need no reason to walk anytime of the day. Either its 4 in morning or 1 after midnight, you’ll always find crowd down the lane.

- Pune is a self proclaimed hub for small business startups. If you have an idea good enough to pursue it as career option, welcome to Pune. There’s no age bar here, people from all sorts of life find contentment in whatever business they are involved in.

- Puneris do not crib about lingo. If you are not Marathi, it doesn’t matters!!! What matters is whether you have the zeal to live life ‘the Pune way’ or not and frankly, Puneites are very helpful and amicable towards strangers.

- Pune’s climate is very similar to Chandigarh’s climate. Pune is beautiful and surrounded by Sahadri hills forming a circle.

- If you are in Pune for a short visit, FC Road, JM Road, Tekkdi, Amanora, Lavasa, and NDA Khadakvasla are the places worth visiting.

- Last but not the least, a cautionary fact, every red government bus in Pune is not driven by Mane but I completely disagree to this statement because of the recent bus rampage by some maniac Mane which killed quite a number of innocents in the city.

These were my findings about the city in last 20 days. As my journey progress, I’ll keep writing and updating about the serendipity of events that unfolds like a new surprise in my everyday life.

P.S:

Notifications:

February month holds lot of importance in my life as:

- I moved to Pune forever. This is my 100th post on Cognitive Amalgamation Blog and 1st from Pune!!!

- My first Valentine in Pune post marriage.

- I celebrated my first wedding anniversary today.

- I and my wife laid the foundation of our very own Training Center this month and will soon be launching the website.

Thanks for taking out time to read this post.

Have a great week ahead !

Agneepath 1.0 V/s Agneepath 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Is 2012’s Agneepath any better than the original?

…

Was THE CLASSIC Agneepath of 1990 really a flop show at the box office?

If the first two questions excite you, continue reading the blog.

I recently watched Hrithik Roshan’s Agneepath. Being a big admirer of the protagonist, I was eager to know whether the young man was really able to beat the odds and re-live the enigma of THE LEGENDARY Vijay Dinanath Chauhan created by Amitabh Bachchan in the vintage Agneepath.

This post is dedicated to the Original Classic Agneepath and a detailed analysis of how the new flick faired over the periodic flick!!!

Agneepath (1990) V/S Agneepath (2012)

Plot: Played by the ‘Angry Young Man’ of the 90’s, the LEGENDARY Amitabh bachchan, portrays an intense role of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, who decides to avenge for the injustice done to his Dad (a noble man) by being BAD amongst the bad and teach all a lesson with a promise to give MANDWA back to his mom and eventually restore his Dad’s (Master ji) honor and dignity.

Facts

(AGNEEPATH - 1990)

1. Initially, the movie bombarded at the box office but was later re-launched With huskiness in Amitabh’s voice which supplemented the intensity in Vijay’s character and anguish and pain in his eyes, thus making it a cult classic in the history of Indian cinema.

2. This movie gave Amitabh bachchan one of the finest performances of his career.

Google Images

3. Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakrobaty and Rohini Hatangidi went on to receive National award for their character.

4. The movie was proven cult among the good, the bad and the ugly.

5. Agneepath’s fan list includes all time famous personalities like Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli.

6. 1990 Agneepath had everything: the characters, their roles with intense acting, the plot and every other masala to make this movie a history.

7. Sholay and Agneepath are the only 2 movies I remember which are famous till date for their trend setting dialogues and one-liners.

A must watch for all the dudes (& dudettes) who hasn’t seen the original flick till date.

My Rating: “must watch before you die!!!”

(AGNEEPATH 2012)

1. The plot remains the same. The story remains the same. If 1990 Agneepath storyline was A->B->C->D, the new Agneepath’s storyline was reshuffled to A->C->B->D.

Google Images

2. The movie is loud in comparison to the old flick. The sound effects multiplied the nausea and darkened the movie further.

3. The other characters in the new movie (except that of Hrithik, Sanjay Dutt & Rishi Kapoor) was not as powerful and hard hitting as the old flick. As a matter of fact, the new version would have done better without Priyanka Chopra & Om Puri.

Google Images

4. It’s a onetime watch whereas the original can be seen countless times even today.

5. There is no powerful dialogue and no influential dialogue delivery in new Agneepath as compared to the classic. Except few good performances, the movie turned out more hype and less of a tribute to the classic.

6. Karan Malhotra and Karan Johar remixed the old version with an interest to create a commercial hit. Whereas the original was never categorized a commercial flick.

7. Songs in the new flick are far better than the songs in the original. Trust me, if the original was made without Amitabh and the kind of songs the movie had, it would have proven to be a big disaster ay box office and plummeted with nose facing the ground.

Character Analysis:

Amitabh Bachchan V/s Hrithik Roshan for Vijay Dinanath Chauhan:

Google Images

- Class apart, generation apart and talent apart, Amitabh Bachchan is still the real Vijay Dinanath Chauhan when it comes to intense acting. No doubt, the protagonist Hrithik did a marvelous job but the anger in his character, the pain was just not felt in the new flick.

Google Images

- Amitabh bachchan silenced all through his one liners in the movie whereas Hrithik did the same through his eyes. It was HR’s eyes that did most of the talking.

- Vijay in new movie was dancing and singing songs whereas the Vijay of 1.0 was very silent and had no definition of songs or dance in his dictionary.

- Master Manjunath who played the character of young Vijay did a role with par excellence and authority in his dialogue delivery which was surely missed in the young Vijay of version 2.0. Master Manjunath definitely scored over the new character.

- There was elegance, style, the way Amitabh was dressed in the classic whereas Hrithik was too simple in white shirt and blue jeans which gave him “boy next door” look.

Danny D V/s Sanjay Dutt for Kaancha Cheena:

- Sanjay Dutt rocks. He definitely scored over Danny D and overshadowed the Kancha Cheena from past.

- Although the influential dialogues and the enigma and the style was missing in the new Kaancha’s character but the fresh Voldemort (beast) look definitely outshined the stupendous character played by Danny in the old flick.

Master ji:

- Without any doubt, Alok Nath from the old flick is any day better than today’s master ji.

Rohini H. V/s Zarina Wahab for Vijay’s Maa:

- Can a comparison be made to a national award winner, Rohini ji, for playing an eternal and unforgettable role of Vijay’s Maa? Zarina Wahab was more of left out (unimportant) in the new flick.

- The grave “mother-son relation” was very well depicted in the old flick as compared to the new one.

Madhvi, Mithun V/s Priyanka Chopra:

- Seems like Priyanka Chopra proved to be one man army for Karan Johar’s Agneepath. She not only played the role of Viju’s beloved but also showed a tinge of Mithun (Krishnan Iyer M.A.) in her character during the dialogue delivery. But honestly, Madhvi from old movie was far better, decisive and had role fundamental to the story whereas Priyanka’s character was not even needed in the new flick. The movie would have done better at box office without PC.

Shiksha:

- Is there any one in competition here to Neelam for Shiksha’s character? Not even in rarest of my dreams.

Commissioner Gaitonde:

- Vikram Gokhle is still the best when it comes to play the role of Commissioner onscreen.

- Om Puri did well but there was no connection between the him and Vijay in the new flick which was brilliantly showed in the classic.

Other Characters:

- I hardly remember any influential character from new Agneepath except Rishi Kapoor who played Rauf Lalla’s character. Marvellous acting from Chintu ji, his first as villain, will definitely re-add his name to the elite club of finest actors in our country. It was definitely a lifetime performance from Rishi Kapoor.

- What happened to the characters of Terelin, Nathu, Shanti, Usman Bhai, Gora, Anna, Shetty from the old movie? They were all chopped off in the new flick. Each of them had an essential part which was found missing in the new flick.

MANDWA:

The entire struggle started from this place and ended in the same place. The plot remained the same but the place had an image makeover in the new flick.

Mandwa of 90s was covered with villagers having a contented outlook whereas the Mandwa of today gave an impression of a slum much filthier and darker on reel than in real.

POEM:

Vruksh ho bade bhale,
ho ghane ho bhale,
Ek Patra chhah bhi mang mat, mang mat, mang mat,
Agnipath, Agnipath Agnipath;

Tu na thamega kabhi tu na mudega kabhi tu na rukega kabhi,
Kar shapath, Kar shapath, Kar shapath,
Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath.

Ye Mahan Drushya hain,
Chal raha Manushya hain,
Ashru, Sweth, Rakta se Latpat Latpat Latpat..
Agnipath, Agnipath, Agnipath.

The only stuff that remained same in both the movies. Influential in itself, Madhushala by Harishvansh Rai Bachchan is a proven “must read” poem of all time.

Summary:

Nice Effort but The Original AGNEEPATH still rules \m/

Review Of Sangeetha Restaurant On OMR Chennai

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:48:00 +0000

Google Images

24^th Jan 2012, I and my wife decided to have dinner at Sangeetha Restaurant.

We enquired beforehand, the dinner starts at 7 in evening. We had a glimpse on the menu to know more about the variety of food served and also check out the ambience so that we stick to the plan and do not look for alternatives available in the city.

We reached by half past 7 and directly moved into the dining hall.

The room was well lit and a bunch of waiters stood next to the pillars eying at the door for the customers to arrive. The room was air conditioned and Tamil cinema was played on TV. The waiters were polite to talk and attended each visitor with zero delay on arrival. The management was very helpful in explaining about the various food items listed on the menu. The ambience was good, the atmosphere was very lively and the place got busy in no time and there was always enough space to absorb new arrivals. Overall, the place was good to have a decent dinner.

One look at the menu and you will find the prices affordable enough to enjoy fine dinner with family. You will be surprised by the quantity of food served on table. Superior quality and the unimaginable quantity served, is worth every penny spent. The food was served on time.

If you visit here, must try Chilly Paneer in starters. The quantity and the taste will make you cut down the main course items you planned to order if you are going as a couple. It’s not too expensive and have affordable prices (affordable is a relative term for me, I would rate the food here as ‘value for money’). Soon after the starters we ordered the main course with the day’s special veg jaipuri and other side dishes.

While my mind was figuring out where to start, my stomach was urging my mouth to gulp down all that is available on table as quickly I can. The richness of the food made every bite worth enjoying. It wasn’t too hot or too mild (kind of medium spicy, something that always works for me).

We were extremely satisfied and “T I R E D” of over eating such fine quality of food. It was worth its name. We enjoyed every second, every minute of our supper.

To summarize:

- Affordable prices, rich quality and good quantity is served.

- Pleasant atmosphere and cool ambience will make your evening more delightful.

- Not over crowded.

- No delays in serving the food or in reordering.

If I have to give a punch line for this restaurant, it would be “Saada Haq, Ethe Rakh” because the food we get here is square of the money we spend (in mathematical term). Customers’ satisfaction is assured in Sangeetha.

P.S: The dinner starts at 7 till 10:30 evening and the buffet cost around 299 pp.

About Sangeetha: It’s a famous Veg. restaurant in Chennai popular for its south Indian food and milk products.

Location: it’s a recently opened branch on OMR Road, Thoraipakkam Chennai (opposite to RRE), an addition to their long established chain in south. It’s around 5 kms from Lifeline Hospital towards Mahabalipuram.

P.P.S: Big thanks to Sangeetha for the magnificent evening and the amazing food we had on my wife’s birth day.

The Versatile Blogger Award

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:29:00 +0000

I am excited, thrilled and ecstatic to receive “my first ever” (underlined) “Versatile Blogger Award” from a fellow blogger Divya. This came off as a surprise to me.

Versatile Blogger Award

I would like to thank Divya from ENTWINED THOUGHTS, a million times for this honor. Also, I would like to thank IndiBlogger for the platform they gave, indi-bloggers for their continuous participation, my laptop for the eternal (unending) support and my creative thinking for allowing me to write such posts!

To cut short, thank you all, thank you Divya for this wonderful gift.

I’ve already added the pic of the award on my blog.

Thank you Bikram for explaining me how the award is given from one blogger to other.

The Versatile Blogger Award Rules:

1. Add a picture of the award in your post.

2. Thank the award giver.

3. Share 7 random facts about you.

4. Choose 15 other bloggers to pass the award to and let them know that they’ve been nominated.

The 7 Random facts about me:

Google Images

1. I am like Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother. I put my friends above me, it’s hard for me to say NO to people, I get influenced easily and I am very prone to rejections.

2. I keep trying, I never accept defeat.

3. I love listening to Michael Jackson, STAIND, Metallica, GNR, Pink Floyd and Lucky Ali, Labh Janjua and Mohit Chauhan songs.

4. There’s something that keeps happening back of my mind even when am sitting idle. The screensaver in my head always have this numbers moving vertically like a matrix.

5. I love driving for hours. In my next birth, I would like to be a car racer or a driver (off course not in India) so that I can drive all kinds of cars.

6. I was so very much influenced by Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) from Prison Break that twice I got my hair-cut done like his and even got a tattoo on my arm (not as big as he had onscreen).

7. My Seagate hard-disk is my only will. You may take away everything I have except my hard-disk.

Google Images

And here are the Winners for the award:

http://subhorup.blogspot.com/

http://purplechronicle.blogspot.com/

http://jennyjain.wordpress.com/

http://www.readitt.in/

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/

http://www.purba-ray.com/

http://hridyanubhuti.wordpress.com/

http://aamthoughts.blogspot.com/

http://rinksnbitts.blogspot.com/

http://anucreations.blogspot.com/

http://cricketwise.blogspot.com/

http://myyatradiary.blogspot.com/

http://worldinanushell.blogspot.com/

http://nehhajosshi.blogspot.com/

http://olddigger.blogspot.com/

Congratulations!!!

This award is to appreciate your work and your creativity. A souvenir to keep you ticking and one should not stop writing such wonderful posts and inspire others.

P.S: Only the first pic is for the award not the rest!!! :-)

Follow Your Passion

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Google Images

I never knew life will be so worth living past couple of days since quitting job. It turned out to be a mini-retirement for me. It’s like picturing yourself 30 years into the future and doing all those things that you planned to do post retirement. You finally get to choose how you want to spend your day and what you really want to do with it.

I understand this phase of ‘being unemployed’ cannot certify me the same satisfaction as it comes post retirement. But there’s nothing wrong in living in the moment. One must slow down in this fast paced world to enjoy every breath, every second and every moment of life. After all, Tim Ferries has this theory ‘one must have short breaks in career to enjoy mini retirements’.

I must admit, this freedom of being idle is a mere transition of myself from an ugly old life where I was, first of all, bonded to work that never excited me and secondly, turned me into a slave at the helm of others, to, this beautiful journey I experience now where am the master of my acts, it’s me who decides how every second of my life should tick.

If you believe life you are living now is not what you ever wanted or you are living someone else’s life, stop immediately. Do not worry about the consequences or after effects. Try to pursue your passion, dream big and stop worrying about the future. you won't fail. At least, defeat in a hard fought battle (to win over your passion) is worth a celebration than being a complete failure for doing something which you never chose for yourself or for your life.

Google Images

The change is for good. I am freer to do what I always wanted to do without any gratuitous or unwanted apprehensions or worries. I do not feel wasted at all. Money is not everything, at least not the only criteria for me to judge my happiness. I’ve learnt the simple fact of life, do what you always want to do and live your passion honestly, do not run after money, create enough worth for yourself, wealth will follow you wherever you go.

Learn from Sachin Tendulkar or Amitabh Bachchan, they rose to the occasion, they are the real heroes who worked hard to hunt their passion and achieve glory and now accolades come from all across the globe to acknowledge their hard work.

Google Images

Get inspired and be an inspiration for others. At the end I would say, learn to live life happily, be good and follow your heart and enjoy life with short breaks in this fast paced world. You’ve already been what your parents wanted you to be since childhood, now it’s time for you to be the change, be what you always desired to be, do things you always wanted to do and free yourself from the clutches of money or societal pressure, after all, it’s you whose answerable to yourself and not to the society.

P.S : This is a self motivational post I wrote to keep myself moving and do not lose focus.

P.P.S : I would like to thank Leo Babauta from zenhabits for being such an inspiration.

Things To Do Before I Die

noreply@blogger.com (rahul aggarwal) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:18:00 +0000

Google Images

Read a post recently on THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE which inspired me to prepare my own wish list. Although I do not have any plans or timeframe in mind as to when these activities must be completed but there’s no harm in listing them now, at least to remind myself to finish few before I close my eyes forever!!!

Thanks Jojo for sharing your blog!

So here’s a list of things I think I must do before I die:

1. Stay fit for life

2. Sooner than later move to my flat in Pune

3. Adopt a child

4. Spend evenings with friends on weekends

5. ~~Marry love of my life~~

6. ~~Resign from my current job without a job in hand~~

7. Work for IBM (my dream company) one day

8. Teach mathematics on weekends to kids

9. Learn French

10. Open up my own Radio Station

11. Spend a day with Sachin Tendulkar : the ultimate Salvation

12. Spend a day with Hrithik Roshan

13. ~~Gift a laptop to my wife~~

14. Buy Renault Megane convertible in India

15. Buy an Apple I-Pod with docking Station

16. Gift a sedan to my parents

17. Fly to New Zealand with my wife

18. ~~See the world from Eifel Tower~~

19. ~~Drink and drive~~

20. ~~Get inked~~

21. Get inked again

22. Go on a long drive with my wife to roads unknown

23. Sing an English song in front of a very specific crowd just to prove I do not sing with a Punjabi accent

24. Learn swimming

25. Buy a bicycle

26. Watch ‘I dream of Jeanie’, ‘Prison Break’ & ‘Friends’ sitcoms as many times I want after retirement.

27. ~~Run continuous for 25 minutes~~

28. Run continuous for an hour

29. Write a novel

30. ~~Learn Yoga~~

31. ~~Exercise regularly~~

32. ~~Write a post on my blog which grab at least 50+ comments~~

33. Be a Minimalist after 45

34. Prepare Butter Chicken Masala for my wife

35. ~~Drink all kinds of alcohol (world brands)~~

36. ~~Learn cooking~~

37. ~~Stay in a penthouse for a month~~

38. ~~Drive Alfa Romeo, Benz & BMW at least once in my life~~

39. ~~Stuff my fridge only with beer, coke and chocolates~~

40. Never die. Live forever!!!

This was my bucket list, hope to see yours floating soon on the web!!!