I JUST THOUGHT OF

Storytime: The Dotted Canvas

2021-05-07T09:43:00.003+05:30

Date: 17-05-2050

Time:2127 Hrs IST

Location: Some Forest Resort in Almora

I'm out on my annual summer vacation trip with my favourite bunch of people. Like last year, Favourite V and Favourite IV have decided to give it a skip this year too. Unko lagta hai mein bahut pakaun ho gaya hun. And it not cool anymore to go out with an old man on a vacation for them. Favourite III has probably found a new friend here and is busy with her. He seems to be enjoying this trip more than anyone of us. Favorite II, since very young, as instructed by her mother was put to bed by 9 (you see, I'm a good care taker).

So all I'm left with is Favourite I, my favourite most. We both are lying on a huge boulder just besides a canal hardly few steps down from the resort, staring at the sky. A sudden breeze from the hills brings in cold air but we both are well packed in our warm wears. My hands are beneath my head and legs are crossed over each other. Favorite I is also trying to mock me, here too (a reason more for her to be my favourite).

I wonder what is she looking at, up in the sky? Is she too looking at the same star as I'm? Was she too able to make a dog face with those 9 stars exactly above our nose? Or is she is just gazing at the emptiness of the sky. But I choose no to ask and enjoy the silence.

'Dadu, vo dekho tootta tara...'

This was the first noise any one of us had made in last 15 min. I didn't looked at her, as she was still gazing up, and answered her in my lowest of voice, 'Kuch manga?'.

'Ohh bhul gayi, next time.'

And the silence took over again. I went back to drawing the tail of the dog with the rest of the stars, also wondering what she must be sketching up there only if she is.

'Daduuuu...'

And this elongated word is exactly the reason why I love her more than all others. She is inquisitive, and I wait to have her questions to answer.

'Hummm...'

There was a hidden excitement in my equally elongated reply. The excitement of being chosen to ask a question. The sense of making a human more aware of the worldly things by my knowledge and experience. I can't wait to know what more she wants to know.

'Ye saare kitne taare honge?'

I turned to see her. She was still looking up. In the little of moonlight we had there, I was able to see her pupil going from one end to other furiously and asymmetrically. What shall I answer her? Shall I pass on the same the one I received when I had a similar question as child. If I ask here to start counting, probably she will start too and loose the mere beauty of this dotted canvas. This world would anyhow one day will make her quantify everything around. All will be some number to her, one day. There would be a scale attached to everything around her, asking for a rating, be it even an experience. Shall I make the sky too a number for her or help her preserve this little innocence for her, at least a day more. I choose the later.

'Ginna kyun hai? Aasmaan mein bahut saare taarein hain. Kuch toh aise hain jo aapko dikh bhi nahi rahein hai par hain. Kuch aaj dikh rahe hain par kal nahi dikhenge. Kuch taare jo aapko abhi dikh rahe hai vo chashme ke sath bhi mujhe nahi dikh rahe hain. Toh abhi jitne bhi taare aapko dikh rahe hain, jitne bhi hain, sab aapke hain. Aap inse jo chaho bana sakte ho. Inmein jo chaho dekh sake ho. Ginna kyun hai?'

She turns her head to me. I can see the reflection of zillion stars in her twinkling eyes. She has this broad smile on her face. Her smile was my reward, a satisfaction that my answer was well received and accepted. The whole of sky was all just for two of us. We both passed the smile and went back to gazing in the stars.

I was not able to find my dog anymore but was happy that this little girl next to me was making something of her own up there.

Time to make a new something for me too with my set of stars. :)

Deamdocsinization

2018-12-21T09:15:00.000+05:30

Good time flies…

..And standing on the verge of my 432 weeks long association with Amdocs I shall be the apt most person to say so.

I can still remember my first day at Amdocs when a young boy just out of his college, walked in, only to find everything larger than life, yet real, yet poised. I would be untrue to myself if I don’t confess it that initially I found all you alienated, but sooner than later, I turned one.

I had my share of sweet and sour here, but what kept me going was the fact that the second derivation of my knowledge graph almost always remained negative (attaining local maxima). Say it professional, say it technical, say it business or say it just be mere art of surviving, I was ending each day being better than yesterday. In the course, I was fortunate enough to have met some really inspiring and motivating personas, some of them will keep me inspired for a lifetime, undoubtedly.

I also take it as my sheer luck to have intermingled and be mentored by some of the sharpest minds working for the industry. I have witness such beautifully done code (and contributed my bit to it), almost poetic, of SOM, MEC, BSC, SmallCell, GAMMA, DOP and SFO. If coding is making music, (to me) DOP deserves a Grammy. And the best of all, amongst all this, is that I managed to make many good friends around and many more professional acquaintance here. Hope to keep hearing about your well-being, goodness and progress in future too.

Amdocs also took me to different lands, each weaving stories and experiences I would surely treasure for long. Be it that 2 AM frisking in Tel Aviv or that being lost in a shanty Mexican town, each trip had, in some or the other way, turned adventurous. I have returned home being more awesome a person, from each of those.

It’s already good past mid-day here and someone is already standing behind me take away my armor (my workstation). Soon I will be history, but before that is done and I’m found listed in “there was one” list, I want to end my swan song with something that will probably be a summing up of all running in me, right now.

सोचां था तेरे नारंगी रंग में अपना क्षितिज ढूँढ लूँगा,

पर शायद मेरे आस्मां को अभी रंगों की जरूरत और भी है |

PS: A big thanks also goes out to the chefs in Amdocs kitchens for keeping me healthily fed, the housekeeping staff for keeping my place clean and sparkling always and the drivers of my morning 0812 Hrs. bus to Amdocs for making “the bus” as the thing of my mornings that runs with a time precision of minutes.

Weekend Escape: Belum Caves And Gandikota

2017-11-13T15:35:00.002+05:30

Rarely does it happen that you plan a trip on Friday afternoon and all ends up this perfect. This was one such.

I came to learn about this place some 3 years ago while reading a travelogue on Team-BHP. And since then, I must have planned (and later dropped) this trip with if not half a dozen sets of friends, but couldn’t make it, any time.

Last few weeks have being dull in office. I badly needed a break. This Friday, while walking to my desk, lethargy hit me so hard that I have to escape out, be it anywhere, but I have to. Came to my desk, few clicks and my plan was set. Yet another solo trip J

And so by Sunday morning at 6:30, I found myself standing in a remote railway station, Tadipatri. The train was running late by an hour, but good for me. The town was awake and buzzing by then. I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed by such clean and well-kept railway station. I might be the only person to alight and was happily checked by the Station Master for the ticket. It was a cloudy day and there was mild breeze running across the fields and I knew, I’m going to have a good day today. Next stop was Tadipatri Bus Depot, some 4 KM from the station. You can opt for shared autos but I preferred my morning walk (another advantage of solo trips, one head to order and four limbs to obey). The town was going around doing its daily chores as I crossed it’s by lanes. The fragrance of morning freshness aptly mixed with the aroma coming out of temples made it a perfect walk, those occasional “who’s this stranger” look by the local made it even more appreciable.

I took morning 8 AM Bus from Tadiparti to Banganapalle. The bus was too good as per my experiences with state transport buses and started bang on time. And roads, I must have to make a special mentions about the road. A big applause goes out for State of Andhra Pradesh for maintaining such an up standards. Given this place was hit with heavy rains recently, the roads have no mark of it. And it stands good, not only just for state highways, but even for bypasses or even a remote village in roads too. I’m sure other states can surely have a lesson or two from Andhra Pradesh at least on roads.

45 minutes of smooth ride amongst paddy fields and a cement factory, I was standing on the entry gate of Belum Caves. You would know that your destination is approaching from a distance itself. A giant Lord Buddha’s statue is visible good from a good distance before. Belum Caves is the largest and longest cave system open to the public on the Indian subcontinent, the second largest natural caves on the Indian Subcontinent. They have long passages, galleries, spacious caverns with fresh water and siphons. This natural underground cave system was formed over the course of tens of thousands of years by the constant flow of underground water. The cave system reaches its deepest point of 46 m from entrance level.

The site is maintained by APTDC and gates open by 1000 Hrs. I was about an hour before time which I chose to spend roaming around in nearby onions farms, interacting with locals. By 10, there were good number of families out on a road trips, bikers, students on school trips jamming the place. Down in caves, you are ought to have a deep breathe appreciating nature and its hidden gems of beauty. There are few passages so narrow that you literally have to squeeze you out of them. Once on other side, the mere thought of realizing that hundreds of year from now, some monk, used to do this, almost every day, in pitch darkness, to find peace enough to meditate and connect to his god, fills you with some kind of contentedness and completeness.

Human brain have always been hard-wired with god. It had and continues to make him do unthinkable. Two hours well spent and this thought, saw me exiting the caves. A special mention to APTDC officials on the site, who tried to guide me, in all possible way, given our linguistic difference, for the way forward.

Next stop was Kolimigundla, a nearby village. The moment I reached the bus stand, a bus moved in for my next destination, Jammalamadugu (tongue-twister isn’t it, I too found it too). Now imagine me asking locals for if the bus goes to Jam-mala-mad-ugu :D, they thankfully corrected me. It is spelled as Ja-mmal-madu-gu. Bus was crowded but breathable and well-kept. Looking out, country side was all but lush green paddy fields with occasional cement plants and inside the bus, a few dozen of pupils staring at me. I preferred keep looking outside. Two hours later I was standing in Jammalamadugu and my next stop was Gandikota Fort. It stands on the edge Grand Canyon-like gorge over Pennar River and about 12 KM from Jammalamadugu. Public transport are there but their frequency are very rare. You can opt for a private auto or simply walk, like me. J

Windmill by the skyline added by the blue of the reservoir down under, the cloudy afternoon and cool mildly strong breeze coming from the river made everything perfect for a walk, humming your favorite songs, least worrying about the world you come from, problems awaiting you there. You hardly see anyone passing by, heavenly, if you love solitude. Thanks to all this trek was much faster and less tiring.

And what it resulted in, was this

It was a bit difficult to climb through rocks to reach till the edge of the rock wall to get a good look at our own grand canyon. The wind was strong on the top, it was helluva scary to hold on to that edge and look down, but it was worth it. The view was something to behold. It was nothing man made, all natural and it existed in the neighbourhood. After the initial excitement sank in, all I did was to just sit on a rock by the edge and just be mesmerised by the scene. There were no thoughts, no deadlines and no to-dos. It was complete blank. It was just me and this moment. After all this was exactly I came looking for, all the way J

I cannot recall how long I just kept sitting hanging my legs into that some 500ft deep gorge. All I know was that by the time I turned back, I was only last few left there and Sun was to set down soon. A gang of college students happily offered me a lift back till Jammalamadugu. And there on, again a two hour long bus ride to Tadiparti. The town had already calling it a day by the time I reached. By 8 PM, I was sitting on the steps of the foot over bridge of the railway station, enjoying the cool evening breeze. Not any later, the train pulled into the platform to take me to the world I came from. It was day well spent, one, which I will cherish for long. May many more such come J

And I Met Him, Again

2016-09-10T21:52:00.000+05:30

I first saw him in the rains of 2006…

It was an eventful summer that year and rains too hadn’t brought any good. I was almost tossed up with little knowledge to where was it all going. It might have been some rainy humid afternoon. It was a huge crowd cramped into a confined space and all were sweating to their best, when he added himself to it. Thankfully those were not days when everyone used their thumbs to talk, so the place was abuzz with vocals of all pitches making a humming effect, and I saw him.

He was blind but for sure not dependent. He was as comfortable to the space as anyone with a set of eyes could have been. An old man, averagely elevated, that must have seen many years come and go, some 50 odd if not more. His hairs were all snow-white and skin sun baked to dark. He was in dhoti-kurta, moth-eaten but neat and tidy. One of his hand equipped him with Ektara and the other was pulled out with few coins in it. He was aged but not old by any means, he had a Hercules shoulders and owned a personality that can’t be ignored. Almost everyone noticed him joining the crowd and his presence was only but welcomed.

As soon as he made peace with the space, the index finger of his left hand which wore a metal made a hit on Ektara. He was singing. What an earthy, properly modulated voice he possessed. Almost instantly, all the buzz that was filling the space up till now was gone as all ears up and ready for his voice. Those were the times when I was getting introduced to Marathi as a language, and was (still I’m) amazed by Abhangs. He was singing one such.

He was singing “Kuthe Shodhisi Rameshwar”, a song I still hum when alone or in need of a spiritual connect. The songs basically sums up all my beliefs in words and it was he who was introducing me to it. I was so taken by the lyrics that I quickly scrabbled the same, or whatever I could, in a notebook I had (Google was not a thing for me in those days). He kept singing artfully alongside making his way in the crowd skillfully. As he reached to me and looked into my eyes (I knew he was not seeing me), I gathered all of me and painstakingly acted to ignore him taking my eyes off him. And he went on, singing soulfully. My ears followed him to as far it could, before his voice and he himself dissolved in the crowd. Few weeks later I could managed to get hold on to this song and it still features on my playlist oftentimes.

Today, almost after a decade after I again saw him…

It was the same place, less crowded this time and even lesser social. Every second head was buried into their glowing gadgets. Only a few were interested in appreciating the cool breeze and a cloudy rainy afternoon. The moment I saw him, it all flashed back to me, sketching a big smile on me as if meeting someone lost after ages. Flow of time had chiseled away at his wizened face. His shoulders have dropped and he had grown shorter to was I had seen. His voice was now shaky and breathy. He was missing words, eating up few too, but there wasn’t an inch off from his devotion or belief to the song, yes still the same song. Most disappointingly to me was that his Ektara was missing.

As he approached me singing and smiling as ever, I asked him on the top of my voice, so that I can overdo his and that of the breeze, “Kaka, Ektara kutte gela?” (Where’s the Ektara?). His head followed my voice and soon his body too. He was in front of me with a hand of his with few coins, stretched out to me. He acknowledged me as someone who knows him for long and his smile only grew bigger. He broke his song and said smiling to me “Haravla” (I lost it). I , spellbound with his simplicity, felt so insignificant in front of his contentedness, thinking what can I give to such a rich man, while he made his course ahead, dissolving once more amongst heads and shoulders.

Weekend Escape: Mandangadh

2016-02-15T17:58:00.003+05:30

Back to my writing desk almost after a year, but this one is worth of it.

Last few weeks or probably couple of months had been pushing my extremes at work. I badly needed a break and almost at the same time this “Team Event” word popped up. Being a relative newer (older) member to the team, I thought it would be a good chance to mingle into the herd (aur paise bhi bach jayenge). So, I was IN.

Date Set (a day but Valentine, for sanskari’s Vasnt Panchmi), Place Set (Mandangadh, Konkan) and we were rolling. Yah Yah, late by just an hour to our schedule (but isn’t that our desi snaskar too). I was probably driving for the first time into Konkan outside Monsoon or post Monsoon season. And that brought up another face of Konkan on me, a dry au naturel barren landscape, unlike the green heaven it becomes in rains.

The name of resort we were supposed to disembark did actually gave me all those wired thoughts. What does this name “Blue Green Exotica” sounds like to you. J

The resort actually proved me wrong, happily though. It was a peacefully situated den, just at the mouth of a steep but not deep valley where river Savitri originates from. We were welcomed by few guest trying their hand on gun (Only a few minutes before was checked out, it broke to me that the gun was from resort only and I too could had tried it. damm..). Few “Bhajiya” and fewer minutes down the line, we all were escorted downhill for a small trek and it ended by a small pond over the stream. It was 5 in the evening already, and the jungle was closing itself for its night. A peaceful and tranquil moment accompanied by returning birds. I’m sure we all enjoyed.

The flowing water (and few cheers by others) became too tempting for me to resist to not to jump into it. Only later did I realized that I did it with my wallet. J

The barbeque and the dinner was simple yet tasteful, special mention to “Lasun Daal”. Soon after the dinner, the idea for watching the sunrise from Mandangadh was tossed and almost everyone nodded is affirmation. It was only at 6 in the AM when almost all but for girls dropped (“Hashtag wala respect you ladies”). And yes, before it slips out, a mention of the night in my tent alone (“mein aur meri tanhai’) with all kind of jungle sounds around. A wee hours drive to Mandangadh Fort, and we were standing on the highest hillock within the eyesight. It was clam, breezy and chilling up there and the forest looked gently smoked with fog. We spend a good hour or so up there.

Next in the itinerary was to trek down to river Savitri and honing your swimming skill. Jumping into river from the bank made me revisit all those childhood memory. After almost a good 2 hours into water, all you can think for a nice lunch, which was already waiting for us up in the resort. Few more minutes there, and we all were back to jungle where we all belong from.

The best of the trip came just few min before when our Antakshri which started with “Om Jai Jagdish Hare” ended with “Oh Boy! You My Soft Toy” (“#RIPSanskar”) :D

Learning Hebrew, My Way

2015-03-08T17:37:00.000+05:30

Well, I'm rather a good linguist (and my friends will tell you how slow I am at learning languages), but it seems like a tough game than other few.

The moment I moved out of the airport lobby and looked up to find a sign saying “Dude, your card will work here and yell out notes for you (ATM actually)”, I knew I have to boost my Hebrew skills to survive. But I didn't know which words were the most important to learn, and in what order. I started memorizing words randomly and quite arbitrarily, picked up from traffic billboards, conversations, and the like, and often would never hear the words in usage again. This felt frustrating and futile. It is often said (and makes perfect sense) that the most beneficial words to study are those that are used the most often in speech. This led me to a quandary, because I couldn't find any ready resource with a list of the most common spoken words in modern Hebrew.

Spanish, somehow came easier than this. Maybe it could be because of Ricky Martin, who taught the world, un dos tres… or to Zoya Akhtar for her “Senorita Song”. I was comfortable with it well within a week and surprisingly was also to direct few lost walker, yes of course supported by the hand action, in a month or so. But Hebrew was somehow was not unwinding. One possible reason I could infer was extensive use of epiglottis, which comes so unnatural for an Indian. I remember a desi once saying “Hebrew sounds like you're coughing up your chest infection”. :)

I was discussing this with a friend over lunch one day and we came upon an idea: text subtitles in movies are nearly 100% dialogue, so movie subtitle files are perfect candidates for looking at frequency of spoken word usage. So that's what I went ahead and did. I download a subtitle support file for a Bollywood flicks and brought out a pen and paper. Play Pause game lasted for round two and half hours, and I had the results of this small experiment in my hand.

Aside from being extremely useful for my own, I found the results to be rather fascinating. To see why, take a look at the final sheet of the experiment.

The amazing thing is that with only these 30 odd words, I had covered 25% of total word usages in the movies!

That's 30 words. How much comprehension will I have if I dutifully study and learn, say, 1,000 words? Might be around 60%.

It looks pretty good up until around 100 words, at which point you're already drowning in an abyss of seemingly futile vocabulary. I know, this is somewhat misleading, since multiple forms of the same verb will come up separately on this list, and there's also much more to learn in a language than just vocabulary. Despite usage frequencies, not all words are equal. But if you're visiting Israel, you'll probably be most interested in knowing how to say 'bathroom' (sheh-roo-teem) and 'food' (okhel), among many others. But even so, if you want to put in minimal effort to get maximal lingual return.

I’m not sure if I will remember then all to use them next time, but for sure I would surely use some of them more than often now.

Enjoy!

Weekend Escape: Valle De Bravo

2014-09-01T03:18:00.000+05:30

One of Mexico’s many charms is its endless capacity to surprise me. As soon as I started thinking that I’m not left with any more places left in Mexico to visit to (of course there is still many things to visit but I have my budget), I found Valle De Bravo.

Thanks to American Congress and even more thanks to my bosses, who still recognize Labour Day, all my friends were bestowed with a full weekend. This Labour day was indeed for labours J.

Since the party was bigger, the things were quite well planned before hand and all I need to do was to get up by 5:30 AM. After a 2 hours’ drive amidst the foggy countryside of Mexico, filled with corn fields and early morning smoke coming from villages, we entered hills. I was not sure exactly what I was expecting when I decided to visit Valle de Bravo but it has not been quite as I had imagined. Certainly many Mexican friends had told me it was a lovely destination, and I could see from the map and from reading guides that it was located by a large lake, but I had not expected the landscape to have such a European feeling.

With its high, green, wooded hills surrounding a beautifully sculpted lake and large fancy houses on the waterfront, I kept having thoughts of the French Riviera or Swiss/Italian/French lakes. Perhaps because it is an artificial landscape, it does not feel entirely naturally Mexican in some way. But however much the landscape may have resonances with old Europe, the culture is distinctly Mexican. I was expecting the town to be more touristy, but the town still has a sense of having its own distinctive life and identity.

We took a boat ride. I don’t know why, but yes we did took a “slow” boat and we six amigos sailed for an hour. If not those lavish mansions along the lakeside and a view of town put up in European style, there was hardly anything to offer to someone who comes from Shaydri Ranges. It would be an insults to all those waterfall I have ever visited if I say I visited one here too.

It ended and we headed for next “the” thing, Paragliding. Some bargaining, a sign and we were up the hill. It was the best weather up there, one can ask for to glide. Cloudy sky, cool breeze all were making up the things. Except for that girl, beautiful though, but too scared. Her screams were making us shaky. Thankfully she flew before us.

As my instructor, Auzo, coached me into takeoff procedures, I was more than willing to throw myself in to the valley form some 600m height and then assuming the air will lift me up. He harnessed me and said we will wait for a strong breeze. When it came, he said run and we ran. Just at the point of the edge, I felt this huge force catching me and pulling us back. The wind had fully caught the sails. “Run!” shouted Auzo again. For a moment, it was like one of those dreams where you try to run but you feel like you are stuck in thick treacle. Then miraculously we moved forward, gathered pace and took off.

As we started gliding over the city, it was a view I shall not be able to pen down here. It was all those we had had to be here, worth of. I asked Auzo, if I can take controls of glider rope, and to my best he gave that to me. We then took glider even to further heights. The landing was even more precipitous than takeoff. When the glider suddenly starts loosing altitudes, and winds gushes from your ears, you are bound to scream. And finally a butter smooth landing reconfirmed all those stats Auzo told me of his experience uphill. Of course, being in the air is a wonderful sensation, and this time I was able to enjoy it more.

Back here in hotel, I’m still reeling under it. Those air are still gushing in me. It’s like a drug. I have tasted it once, I want it more.

What A Peace

2014-08-24T00:09:00.002+05:30

So I'm sitting here at my workstation. It's 11:30 AM CST (which you could probably guess from looking at the date and time that this post was created) on this bright Saturday morning. Not only am I sitting here, but I'm the ONLY one sitting here. Not only am I the ONLY one sitting here, I don’t have anything to do too. And If I'm not a very bad peeper there’s no one in that next office too, which makes me all alone on the this floor. What a peace it is. No evidence of any living soul here, not till as far as I can see.

I don't really mind, to tell the truth. I've been kind of attached to these kind of silent places all my life. Not sure how many of you know of farms and poultry in back side of Yerwada Jail, but that’s the best place I could find for me within Pune. If found nowhere, I shall be surely sitting under some tree there. I do that when I find myself single ... no matter how well I take it. I tend to close myself off to everybody.

Not that it is any new to me. But all alone in office certainly is a first of a kind for me. You can’t be alone at any given point of time in 7000 +mustered employee company back in India.

I've been running around the office for the past twenty minutes screaming bloody murder. I mean that, too. "BLOODY MURDER!!!" Of course, I've been thinking about the things that I'm supposed to accomplish the entire time. Doesn't change the fact that there isn't nearly enough bloody murder screaming going on nowadays. I today realized that the scroll button of my mouse makes such a creepy noise and also that a ping on my messenger could be heard well from up till 3 bays far.

So, it's about 12:00 now, and I'm still sitting here. Not only am I sitting here, I still don’t have anything to do too. What a peace it is.

Weekend Escape: Teotihuacan

2014-06-15T09:48:00.000+05:30

“Teotihuacan– Where man becomes God”

It’s been almost 4 week here Mexico City and I’m more than familiar to the streets, parks, walkways and malls here now. My Spanish vocabulary have remarkably doubled from 10 words to 20 words. J

Thus it’s time to move out the my limits and explore “real Mexico”, the one which all say is notorious, is dangerous and is colourful. So I chose a trip to Pyramids of Teotihuacan, which are some 60 odd Km from here.

My initial plan to be on this trip with Vipin was very tactfully ruined by my Bosses (I liked there managerial skill and learnt a lesson from it). Maybe I’m destined to walk alone. But then I was not all alone. There was a proper research and planning for it over a period of 2-3 days, numerous travel tips and a special detailed insight from Elliot, thank you very much, Amigos.

An early morning start and I was at “Terminal Autobuses del Norte” by 8 AM. It is a major Bus depot here in Mexico City to all north bound, especially for US. As I walked in, it was just like any other Indian Bus Depot. There were people from all straits of human breed here and that too in large head count. I stopped missing “my India” for a moment here. “Knowledge is Power”, whoever say so are so very true. If I was able to manage in a public bus depot with almost all written in Spanish and all looks curiously at you, as if I come here regularly, was only because of some very detailed blogs I read. It was a cakewalk there.

The bus made me feel from homely, they were no better our “Shivneri Buses”. J

To make you more comfortable there are hawkers, broken seats, conductors shouting for the places. I was more than comfortable now. As we left the city area and moved into outskirts, started the real Mexico. There are houses all on the ridges of hills, all painted in different colours. It looked like as if someone has put cubes of different sizes and colours on the hill. What was interesting to me was that there were many localities that had erected 8 odd feet high compound around them. It’s like a mini caged city. You can sense the security concerns here. As we moved further out, there were farmlands of cactus and maze. Countryside as always beautiful to pass by, irrespective of which part of globe you are in.

Almost exactly in an hour I was at the gates of Teotihuacan. As you move in, you can see two huge pyramids on your far left and huge central area, in front of you. As soon as you move into the central place you can’t avoid appreciating the architecture of the place. The symmetry and hugeness of the structure are worth commendable considering it was build some 1800 ago from today. The tour guide was continuously talking about the history of the place, it’s people and how they self destruct these technologically strong civilization. Men was and is his own biggest enemy. J

Next we forward towards to the Pyramid of Sun, crossing by Avenue of Death(Miccoatli). You would be surprised to know that they knew to deviate the water channel at that time too. In case you find it normal, mind you that this is hurricane zone and rains heavily when it rains. As we walked along “Avenue of Death”, I was told that I'm moving over the burial of some 15,000 odd people. J

Next is Pyramid of Sun, the third largest in the world. There are some 250+ step to summit and most of them are steep. When you reach the summit you can view as far up till Mexico City and it’s industrial belt. You can have a full panoramic view of the Teotihuacan valley. Interesting the tourist guide didn’t went up with us but have a 10 min speech for it below itself. There is cool breeze up there and you can relax applauding the hard-work and dedication to natural powers, people from those times have. Next was Pyramid of Moon, it was smaller to the former but steeper than it. Only 50 steps made me lungs work in NFT mode. J

The view from here is worth all the effort. You can see the whole of Teotihuacan city in lined for you and the exact symmetry of all the structures there. I almost spend 30 Min up there just sitting and getting mesmerised by the imaginations of beauty of this place when it was on it’s fullest. Down back to gates you can buy some memorabilia and honk you bargaining skills too. J

I was back in the city by 3, so I thought to explore the city on foot. Now that I have broken all the travel advisory my company gave me, why not to do it fully. I started walking the opposite side of from where I moved into Bus depot. It a colourful city, there is no wall left without a graffiti. People stare at you as foreigner, but that logical. Some 1 hour of walking across lanes and by lanes of the city, I realised why it is a caged city. All house have huge metal gates and high-tech security systems. Even the road side grocery shop was caged. You had a hole to give the slip and money and the bag will be given out from a small gate on right down corner. That was something new to me. Parents lines up in front of the school and the teacher recognize them and call out the kids name on mike. The kid then runs out and the gate. You can easily spot people drugged and laying dead on the pathways.

By now I was tired, it must be some 12-14 Km on foot in a day. By till now I have seen all of Mexico City. It’s history, it present and it’s future, it’s best and it’s worst, from what they are proud of to what they want to hide. This trip is over now, I'm all set to be back home now, “travelogoically”.

Weekend Escape: Museo Nacional de Antropología

2014-05-25T06:06:00.000+05:30

After a hard gone week here, I had a breather Saturday…..

… only to be ready for more harder days to come. Unfortunately, my other two partners in the pain, Vipin and Saurabh, didn’t have that too. They will get there share of breathe tomorrow and the day after. J

So now that I had my breakfast done and a whole day to spend, I decided to move out. It has been just four nights here in Mexico City, and let me be upfront about something, I was scared.

The internet hype around “the dangers of Mexico” are intense. There were a handful of online comments about armed robberies on buses. A few people knew a friend-of-a-friend who had been mugged in broad daylight. Office guys too had there part of stories.

But then Columbus in me, didn’t allowed me staying back. Hardly after being out for one hour in the sun, it was clear that Mexico City was full of totally normal people living totally normal lives. Before moving out from the hotel I had took a map of the area (so that I can show someone the map and ask for location). If you don’t know Spanish, it’s a must. J

After some ~2 km of walk eastwards, I found the place with buzz. It was “Museo Nacional de Antropología”. As I went closer I found some Mexican tribal people dancing over the beats of drum. I was sure this is the place I want to be.

As I moved in, I was informed that it is one of the most reputed museums in the world for Anthropology. Also I came to know that Mexico City boost to have maximum numbers of museums than any city in the world.

As soon as you enter you are welcomed by a giant pillar which holds a vast square concrete umbrella. Here starts your wow moment (if you find architecture interesting). There museum holds some 23 room of exhibits and each of them depicts a time in the history of Mexico. It starts from the time pre-humans came to Mexico to Tenochtitlán civilization to the Mayan civilization till Spanish invasion. The major attraction is the

If I can roughly count them, there would be atleast 300-500 specimens in each room. Not all are originals but still all of them a very well preserved. All the specimens are placed in most natural way it could be so that you can feel the amount of hard work it must have gone to make it and now preserving it. I was almost shocked to see a hand written script, from the Mayan Dynasty, still readable.

What took the most of my attention and a half completed marble pot. It actually gave an idea for craftsmanship needed to make a small pot leave about those huge pyramids over the top of a hill. I won’t hesitate twice saying that I was mesmerized. If it is all you think, wait, move upstair and you have the all the tribes of Mexico on display. Their music, attire, food, games, believes, ritual, who can find everything here.

I took me 4 hours to complete the museum, and I’m sure it would had taken me a whole day, if I had read about few more things there. To my good luck, there was a photo exhibition too going on which had all the shades of Mexico, from hard yet fulfilled life of uphill tribe to beach life down south, from modern urban world to refreshing villages.

It was a fulfilling day. By far, There is no other museum that depicts the vast history in such a majestic way that I have visited. The journey is still on, will keep you posted….

General Election 2014-Candidate Review : Pune City Constituency

2014-04-03T19:50:00.000+05:30

It’s election time here in India….

In a fort-night time from now, we punekars will be choosing someone to be our representative at the national level. In my prepration to choose a suitable choice I could gather some information and wanted to share the same with you. Hope it could come to some help for you too.

There are in total 51 candidates trying their luck in this general elections. I could not get information for all the candidates. But I gathered some about the candidates or three major national parties, and here are these:

VISHWAJEET PATANGRAO KADAM (Indian National Congress)

Aged: 33 years
His last years IT returns reads his income as INR 7,13,530 (7 Lakhs) while his wife filed for INR 21,36,090(21 Crore) for the same year.
He owns no cars but his wife owns four.
He has jewelry of worth 87 lakh while his wife owns near about of 5 Crore.
A total of some 36 Crore amounts as his assets in cash and shares. His wife, Swapnali Kadam, own of some worth of 50 Crores. He also owns land worth 28 Crore and his wife has some of 13 Crore of worth.
He had a Bachelor Degree in Computer Engineering in year 2004 and then a MBA in year 2006 and lately an Ph.D in Management in 2011 , all from Bharti Vidyapeeth University
There are no criminal cases against him
He is son-in-law to real estate baron, Avinash Bhosale (owner ABIL)
He is in the boards of Bharti Vidyapeeth University and President, Pune Football Association.
There are no dependents on the couple and have a 1 year daughter.

ANIL SHIROLE (Bhartiya Janata Party)

Aged: 63 years
His last years IT returns reads his income as INR 80,14,979 (80 Lakhs) while his wife filed for INR 22,04,82,762 (22 Crore) for the same year.
The couple have some four and a quarter lakhs in cash while both owns jewelry worth 4.5 Lakh and 10 Lakh respectively.
Anil owns a Mercedes Benz, a Honda City and a Skoda Superb while his wife owns two Mercedes Benz
His total worth in shares is of some 2.64 Crore while his wife owns some 1.55 Crore as shares.
He have near around of 8 Crore in lands and his wife owns the same of some ten and a half Crore.
There are two criminal cases against him under various courts in India.
He has a degree in Arts (B.A.)from Pune University in year
He and his wife are in hotel business and own hotel across Pune and Maharashtra
Anil have being closely associated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since 1972 and has been President to its student cell.

SUBHASH SHANKARRAO WARE (Aam Adami Party )

Aged: 50 years
If the above two can be taken as some standards then he is a real aam adami. His IT Returns says that he earned just 1.4 Lakhs last year while his wife, a school teacher, earned 1.8 Lakh.
There are 8 Lakh and 10 lakh respectively as total of bank deposits and other savings.
The couple owns a flat jointly and have an agricultural land worth 1.2 Lakh, again in joint name.
Subhash possess a Bachelor degree in Pharmacy from Government College of Pharmacy, Karad.
He has 3 cases registered against him under Pune Police.
He own a scooter, that it.
He is a full time Social Activist and is Honoury Secratory for S. M. Joshi Socialist Foundation, Pune.

Source: Election Commission, Maharashtra.

Counting and Counting

2014-01-31T14:21:00.001+05:30

It’s not a OCD in the truest sense, but then I have a mild of it’s one…

I don’t wash my hands a thousand times a day. I don’t constantly check for locked doors or light switches. I do not obsessively clean my room. Unfortunately, I have a kind of compulsion which really isn't good for much of anything. I am a counter. Yes, that’s right, a counter. I count my steps from point A to point B wherever that may be. I count objects in my house if I feel there is a need. I count endless times the leaves in my cheque-book. At times I have no idea what in fact, I'm counting but nevertheless, I do. I know there are exactly 506 ceramic flooring tiles in my house. I know there are exactly 56 books placed not so neatly, on my bookshelves. I know there are exactly 52 staircase steps from road to my desk at work. There are 57 electricity pole in the distance I go to jog on. It is these random acts of counting that are simply part of my world, everyday.

I did not know until today, when I looked it up in Wikipedia, that this actually bears an official name. Arithmomania. It sounds like a fancy term that would make me excel in the study of mathematics. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It is this very act of counting that hinders sometime my sleep. It is not the only culprit of my insomnia because as I have previously expressed, my brain just never shuts down. It is simply another puzzle piece to my sleep deprivation. This is truly where my pleasant experience ends. When a “normal” and I use the term loosely, person cannot sleep, they clear their minds or go to their happy place and inevitably, sleep will come. Well, not for me. I have even resorted to counting sheep. One would think that my lunacy would actually benefit me in this instance. Wrong again. This is where my over-active, never shutting down, never shutting up brain comes in. I cannot not count the sheep because to me, that would be crazy. However my brain takes it one step further and wanders to other sheep associated thoughts. Such as….why does one even count sheep? It’s not the counting part that stumps me but the sheep part. I mean why not dogs, or cats or my favourite, the penguins.

I am unsure of when this compulsion began. I cannot recall it from my childhood so I am left to assume I developed it as an adult. It wasn't as if I woke up one day and decided it was time to count everything around me. It’s just been there. It has never really bothered me before and I am not totally convinced that it bothers me now. However, there are many questions that subdue their answers from me every now and then. Does it mean I have finally gone crazy? Do I just have an affinity for numbers? Will it stunt my personal growth? Will it hold me back in any way? I truly do not know. I suppose my real question of the day is this: am I doomed to live a life of seemingly random, useless counting practices or is there a cure for me? Maybe, as I say all the time: it is what it is. Maybe there is no rhyme or reason to it all. Maybe there doesn’t have to be. Maybe there is no harm in it at all. Or maybe, just maybe I am perfectly sane, simply counting my way through this insane world.

Now that I have accepted this as part to me, here is who I idealized now J

One, Two, Three, Four, Five…..

Thou Shan't Fail

2013-12-26T17:16:00.000+05:30

Arvind Kejriwalji,

Namaste.

Let me start with introducing myself. I’m a politically active citizen of India. Of my 6 years of right to vote I have witnessed 3 elections and have voted in all. I’m not a Delhites, hence all I know of you, your party and your philosophy is only through media peep hole. Now that you know me, allow me to congratulate me for the magic you have spelled. No, not that of coming from nowhere and becoming a chief minister, but for making the this country politically alive. We now have more of discussion in our lunch table and coffee breaks on political future of India rather than saying “Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta”.

Thank you for being such a badass. J

Before we talk more, I shall confess that initially when you moved apart from the man who has led all his life fighting for what you say is your mission, I found you opportunist. I smelled that this is what you wanted from Day 1. But somehow sequence of events later and post declarations of results have changed my perception completely towards you.

I really don’t know how are going to fulfill all that you have promised. I also don’t know if all of that can be logically possible or not (all those who have many more grey hairs than me say that your promises are like “Mungerilal ke hasin sapne”). I also don’t know if you will get the required support from one’s who are all looking for one such opportunity to tear in pieces. I also don’t know if you have your own men with you or not.

You are one that Yudhisthira in this Mahabharata where all can be as sinful as they want but you cannot afford to be wrong even a single time.

But having said this all, I still want you to win. I wish your experiment with countries politics succeeds. And all this not for any other political party but for commoners (Aam Admi) like me who's just waiting for you to lose and then they can happily say - "You know I knew it. He's just another man like me. He can't do anything........just like me".

I want you to win to break the kind of scepticism we show today, no wonder we will never change and if someone from us try to bring a good change, we will pull that person down, beat him up and make a real good example for the rest of the world that he who tries to come forward will be meted with this consequence.

Sorry Aam Admi, pardon for being a rant. But we all are judgemental and critical. Instead of looking at the positives and be hopeful, we try to win our arguments by nit-picking the negatives. Yes they may be too bullish about their theories and they may fail and probably learn from them too. But they have shown good intent towards a positive change. They may fail and might fail by miles, but what they have already won is a hope. A hope that if I if I stand against the tide, I might “win” too.

You might term me as a blind supporter of AAP. I might be or might not be one. But one thing I definitely am not, I am not a cynical or a cribber who is waiting for AAP to fall and say "dekha, maine na bolta tha, ye kuch nahi kar sakte".

Wishing you Luck,

Asheesh.

OOO

2013-11-08T16:34:00.000+05:30

It's 11:30 in the night here, and I'm writing a big mail. Really big. 1927 words and 4 screenshots long mail. J

I admit that I like to write but if it is something geeky, it somehow grows harder and harder by every line written. (And then there was a time when I used to think that I should move to my company’s technical writing team. Thankfully they didn't take me J). It has taken me good 4-5 hours to write the mail and I also don’t know number of redo, undo, deletes and pastes it has undergone. Anyhow , it is ready now. I have finally been able to sum up my emotion (read assumptions and doubts) into a mail. The email is now beautified with 4 screenshots evenly distributed all over the mail( just to make sure that 1927 words do not fall short to conveying my struggle, dilemma, grief & pain J).

All Set. One long breathe. Send Button Clicked. Husss……

By the time I took my hands long and tried to stretch them by few more inches of their actual size, came the response and it was….

“I'm out of office until 10^th-Nov-2013. In case of emergency. Call 911 J”.

I was broken. This world is for not for me. Whited Sepulcher, Nazi, Hypercritic blah blah…… and I logged off. But sooner I realized how cool it was J. And the thought was soon taken over by what I did when I out-of-office last.

It is the last day before I jail break. Who works on a day before the leaves, so wasn't I. I quickly handed over all the tasks to others and jumped back into to my workstation to write my out of office notification. Like a true programmer, I copied it from somewhere. Name, contact number, start date, end date, alternate contact customized and it is done.

Wait Wait…

Why contact number? Do I really want someone to bug me in my priceless afternoon nap with stupid how-to-do-that things or for matter that make me attend a meeting when I should be enjoying the surrounding I'm in?

NO NO… Not at all. Contact details is struck out immediately. Gosh… I saved a deadly mistake. How smart ‘m I.J

Secondly, why would someone be interested in knowing from when to when ‘m I not visible in the office. Anyhow I’m not running away. I will be back someday and this someday will come sooner. I really don’t think if any one comes to office just to see me J (if there are any, meet me now, I'm at my desk).

Yes.. I think you are right this time too. Start and end dates are struck out too.

But dude, by now the mail states that you are out-of-office. Remember, this is not your last mail, it is just for a week’s engagement. I know you are excited but you have to come back here only. While I can think more , my right-side brain gently, as it does always, said “Sir, I have an idea and I promise it will not have all that you don’t want it to have”.

I smiled and said “Shoot”. “Let’s have a cup of chai first”, he said. We broke into a 10 minute tea break and when we returned, I wrote a small note and left for the day.

Here is what I wrote…

Weekend Escape: Adlabs Imagica

2013-09-07T17:55:00.001+05:30

Finally my travel shoes are out, probably for the first time in this year, and the reason is an all-paid-trip-from-company to Adlabs Imagaica. J

After a long time, my team could finally find sitting in a restaurant or movie hall not worth enough for a team event, so this outing. Surprisingly, it was an “On Time” start for us (a delay of 30 minutes in no delay by Indian standards). In the 3 hour long journey to the destination, I got a chance to unearth a hidden talent in me. I’m a not that bad “damshiras” actor, that I always thought of me being.

As I first saw the park from a distance, I said “Bass itna sa”. But sooner it got bigger and bigger. By the time we entered had grown big enough to think if we can cover it all in a day. I grabbed a map and followed my toughest-first algorithm (gabru jawan, you see J) and headed towards the pendulum. My turn came, and it started rolling. Initially, things were under control. I could wave to my buddies down and even pose for some clickers. But as soon as it shot above π radian and almost touched 95-100 degrees, I shall confess, I was not enjoying. I was not seeing, but only had my eyes open. Whatever was there in front was only to watch.

Watching the sky almost parallel to it form some 100 feet closer to what it actually is, and suddenly finding that your seat is not there where it should be. And within next 2 seconds watching those moving creeper (human they call on earth), from a 100 feet height and suddenly falling freely on them is an experience hard to pen down. After two full swings it cooled down and I came out, alive.

The next was roller coaster (Gold Rush) and I was exactly the same as a roller coaster should be. It was then followed by a Dare Drop (free fall shoot), which makes you taste zero gravity. Having done the toughest first, next all were looking far too easy now.

Mr. India, was yet another interesting concept well weaved with 4-D technology. You will be actually flying , going down in the valley, hitting the boulder as they happen in the movie. Salimgarh Fort (haunted House), Warth of God were also entertaining and involving. Dark Space (roller coaster) was the best one among the indoors. You can feel the speed and those full circle whirls made it a compulsory redo (I did that thrice).

If that entire thrill and heart stoppers were what you think was there to offer, wait. I for India gave me the best visual experience ever. Having seen most of my India form a bird eye view is a second-to-none experience to me. I shall now regret a less for not being a pilot, cause what I witnessed there was something best aviators also don’t get to. All that waiting in the queue is worth for the show.

Summing up, I can say, it is worth a visit. It is something one-of -its-kind in India and by all means at par to international standards. It has something to offer to every kind of visitors, even for those who travel for a click for Facebook, and endless likes and comments thereafter. The concepts and idea are super awesome indigenously adapted to iconic Indian form of storytelling. The audio-video effects will surely transform you to their world and make to part of it. Thrill rides will surely give you a free ECG test. J

All you I-can’t-do-it there, you might not like pushing yourselves beyond your thresholds, but when I see 6^th standard students enjoying it, coming out only to say “I’ll do that again.”, I’m sure should also try it once.

I enjoyed it to the most. Fullto Paisa Vasool

PS:- Special thanks to Sneha Khandwalkar, for composing the music of Womeniya from Gangs of Wasseypur, which we rapped with almost all weird combinations of songs possible.

How Would That Be..

2013-08-16T15:15:00.000+05:30

Movie: Some typical Bollywood style..

Scene: Our hero who until yesterday was a nearly “numb n dumb” guy suddenly transform himself into a uber cool professional (maybe he had a read of “You can WIN” last night J), run into the boss’s cabin and delivers some filmi lines so perfectly. Finally throws his paper on him moves out. Before he even turns around the “devil till yesterday ” boss is almost on his feet and offers him all he wants.

Comes in the demands…. salary raised 4 times, a secretory and “the Corner Cabin”. Done. Deal signed.

Next scene, he is in his cabin, a black textured wooden floored room. The back scores is celebrating his victory. Camera is doing a merry-go-round around him. He pulls up the curtains and the whole of the city trimmed by the endless sea is for his view. On the back wall, the larger than life logo to the company fills up the view. The side wall is covered by the largest TV is have ever seen, flashing Bloomberg with sensex and stocks running in the scrolls. He can see all of his office, including of course, his love interest form the other side. Perfect start to his heroism, I’m impressed.

Rest was waste, but that gave me an idea. How does my office’s “Corner Cabins” looks like?

I couldn't afford to attain any such high (or even low) that I can manage to drop in my CEO’s cabin. All I could manage is to move uphill is to my VP’s Cabin. It was a rather a simple one, a whiteboard on front wall. Interestingly, it a had map of Pune denoting all the major IT companies. It was the best thing I could find for me there. There was a daily diary on the desk and few markers.

The view out was of a connecting road followed by the garden, impressive all together. It had a calendar hung on the wall with Lord Venketeshwara blessing him 24x7. A hanger too, but seems like never had it’s worth taken for. The backdrop was donned by numerous momentous and certificate marking his 3^rd and 5^th years in the company.

Having said that I just wonder how would be my CEO’s room be..

Whenever I have walked around his room, I have seen that red blub ON, declaring “Silence Please. Meeting in Progress”.

Just wonder how would it be, how large it would be. Have you redesigned it by your taste or it’s the same standard as all over. I’m sure it will have a huge TV, but not sure what goes on it, does it also flashes the same Bloomberg.

I also want to know if it also have the virtual golf turf J. All the Hollywood style movies ,I have seen, whenever shots a CEO’s room, they almost always have this gadget placed in their rooms. Does it also stations a mini bar and if yes, what all you have for the toast. J

What must be on your book selves(don’t tell me you don’t have that), Martin Luther King, Karl Marx or Corporate Laws or something else. Do he also uses the same desk phone as I or something more fancy (which I doubt) or something more basic. Does a brass made Ghandhiji too finds the place in the cabin. I’m sure you have a closet but just interested to know what all in your wardrobe here. How does that “red signal” goes ON or it is an ever red thing. How is the view out of your cabin and do you too can see your secretory cabin from your desk.

Well the question will only keep on growing. So Mr. CEO, or someone worth capable, in case you come across this, do call me for a visit to cabin. I really want to write a sequence to this with answer to all my questions. And in the meantime my efforts to make it up to your room is going in full swing at my desk.

Meet you soon at your place. J

Ten Thousand and You

2013-07-04T17:47:00.000+05:30

Confused on the title….

Well scroll down and look at bottom-left corner….

Still not clear…..

Dude, my blog just completed 10,000 hits and you just added one more to it.

Thank you all who made this possible. It has been a wonderful journey writing. I really don’t know if what I write is of any worth or it just contribute to millions and millions of tons of garbage already dumped over net. But one thing for sure, this is something that I love to do and it keeps me going.

It all started somewhere in October 2010, soon after me joining the office, where I saw people work hard and follow their passion harder. When people around you are so pumped up about their pasison, someone cycles, other runs and next to him clicks, how can you afford to sit back. And thus it started…..

…and after almost quarter to three years, 57 blogs, 28 followers(most being my friends only) and some 17 comments, I’m here.

There has been ups and downs, lefts and rights, forwards and backwards. At times, I didn’t have anything to say for days and months together, and sometimes I have posted in some 15-20 minutes of writing. Sometimes I have felt overflowed with ideas to pen down and other days have to write “Null Blog” just for the sake of posting. All these time I maintained my “own sets of rule” to write and always obliged to them. Thankfully there were only a countful of breaches of them. J

There have been many good memories of writing for this blog. Some of the best moment was when I saw my blog being copied and pasted in some other’s blog post. It was such a wonderful feeling. People find this interesting enough to copy it. One other good moments was when my sister pinged me that day saying, “Dada, you write good”. She has been my toughest critic and getting these words from her was indeed a achievement for me. It really feels good that my experiences are bringing some good to others. I still remember the mail from some Pradhan couple, who decided to go to Pawankhind after reading my blog, and they thanks me for that.

One other high was when I received an envelope from Google J

Though it was a normal address verification, but the word “Google” written in multicolour on the letterhead was reason enough to make it a prized possession.

As time passes the rate of post might have gone down but I’m sure I’ll keep on writing and many and many years from now when I’ll have no office to goto, no more action item pending on me, sitting in my backyard, I’ll relive all these wonderful lifetime experiences and tell my grandchildren that you daadu have lived his life to fullest J

Thank you all, once again.

Registration of Equitable Mortgage Deed (Home Loan)

2013-06-26T18:56:00.001+05:30

Form 1^st April 2013, if you are putting any your home as mortgage to bank or any other institution, it is mandatory for you to intimate the same to the registrar. This is something new and for the same reason I’m writing my experience here.

I have taken a home loan from a private bank and it has done a part disbursement. Some days back, a bank executive called me and told me that you have to get some papers submitted to sub-registrar and this is mandatory to be done within 30 days of disbursement of amount. As would any commoner in India, I too hate to go to any public office and when it’s something like a Registrar Office, I hesitated a bit. On some googling I found that bank can do it online also, and I yelled back on the executive. But he told me that his bank (or rather no major banks) has started that. So I finally pulled up my shocks.

Wait Wait…

before you call your advocate uncle or run to your local sub-registrar office, let me tell you that there are only 3 sub-registrar meant to do it in Pune. And that too they do it only on designated days from 10 Am to 1 PM. Do check with your banks for the addresses and timings. The easily accessible is Sub-Registrar Office No. 23, which is near GPO. It is just opposite to BJ Medical College Girls Hostel. You can drive down to Pune Police Commissioner Office or Photozinco Office and ask anyone or drive forward on Church Road.

The banks official gave me the complete set of documents attested by them and asked me visit the sub-registrar office. As mine was a private bank, they took all the efforts for me. Persons those have taken loans form public banks like SBI have to arrange it by all themselves. Here are the list of documents that need to submitted

The notice of intimation form franked for Rs.100 needs to be submitted along with all details filled in with photos affixed of mortgagor duly signed by bank official. My bank got me franks. Public banks even don’t bother to do that, so you need to get a stamp paper of 100 Rupees and all the mortgagor need to sign on it or else get the notice franked for 100 Rupees.
The said notice to be enclosed with duly executed(franked) Loan Agreement copy, accepted sanction letter and Index-II copy of property mortgaged duly signed by bank official.
Self-attested KYC (PAN Card) Copy of the designated officer from back along with his/her stamp.
Self-attested KYC (PAN Card) Copy of all the loan applicants.
A 1000 Rupees DD in favour of “JOINT SUB-REGISTRAR HAVELI NO.1” payable at Pune. In case you are not going to Sub-Registrar Office No. 23, do check the name in the DD.
300 Rupees in cash for document handling.

Once you have all these in hand, take a day holiday (yes you’ll need it) and go to sub-registrar office. There is a window which will have a line in front of it. Join it J

As I love to be early bird I was the sixth person but don’t worry the line is fast moving. There will be token numbers given to you and you have to fill a green coloured form there (rather 2 copies of same form). The form will be in Marathi but don’t worry you will get sufficient help in the line. This is what being Indian is all about. Once the form is submitted you have to come back at 4 PM to the same window and collect your receipt by just telling your name.

Done. All Over. Just give the receipt to your bank and live happily ever after.

Note:

All the persons who have taken the loan must be present at sub-registrar office.
In case your property is in Pune Rural Area, please do check with local sub-registrar office before coming here. A couple standing in front of me was returned back as their property was in Pune Rural Area.
Do collect the receipt the same day. They don’t entertain any backlog and you too know how public offices work in India.
Government is pushing banks hard to start the online system. Do check with your bank.
NO need for any brokers.
In case you are not able to do it in 30 days, they say it will be a 30,000 Rupees fine (no confirmation)
This is all from my experience. Please don’t come hunting for me if you find some alteration. J

Good Luck. And yes of course, congratulations for your new home.

Raat Kali Hai (Black Night)

2013-05-24T17:04:00.000+05:30

It’s RELEASE TIME here at office.

…and all that happens with every release is happening this time too. Late night stays, long calls and blah blah things. Every code that was working until yesterday is not working today. Big daddies have almost deserted their spacious cabins and planted themselves into our bays itself. You have to give same status to three different set of people thrice a day and yet some one or the other will surely drop to your desk roaring those magical three words to you, “What’s the status”. J

“It not because of me, it’s because of someone else’s code…… ”

“How come it caught this late……”

“See, it’s even not working in the previous…….”

“OK, do we have a workaround to it……”

and finally

“Let’s document it. J”

These were some of the lines I have been hearing more than normal these days. Thankfully being just an ordinary developer, I’m a silent part of all of it. You only need to be a mute participant into those “entertainment meeting”. Occasionally your name will be tossed up and the word set you are allowed to use are {yes, no, OK, thank you, bye}. The most you need to do is to stay late at the nights and that’s not a big task. In fact the day really goes easy if you know that you have to stay late. You will take an extra 15 minutes at lunch time and honk your skills at foosball table. Your tea time will also be a little longer as you know that the day is not ending soon.

And as soon as sun starts setting down, your kingship over the cubicles will start growing. “Hey, I shall leave now and in case you find any issue just call me anytime”, married members of your team will soon start creeping out. “Koi Nahi Sir. Aaj Raat Kali Hai”, I will smile and grant him bid adieu. Raat Kali, is a popular slang here at Indian office which declares that it’s a long day and you have to be ready to it. Soon you few will be the only humans left in the whole bay or may be in the whole of floor. You are the king now. No Questions, No Answers, No Status. All you need to do is to work and thankfully you have scripts for that too.

Time to unplug myself and first things that will be unplugged will be my headphone. I’m a loyal fan of Abida Parveen. My iPod have a permanent set of gazals of hers and it’s only growing. Her husky voice singing some of the legendry lyrics can make anyone can fall for them. “Ye na thi hamari kismet ki missal-e-yaar hota”, and that beautiful gracious face gets sketched by its own (Sorry, now more details for now). I can listen to her all the day long.

It’s 11:30 PM in the night. My scripts are working for me, legs placed on my desk, sipping hot coffee and Abidaji singing “Ye Kon Aata Hai” for me. You can’t ask any more from life. In fact, a security guy came to me and said “Sir, ye kiska gaana hai , bada accha lag raha hai”. I smiled and continued.

Anyhow this is not all why I’m writing this blog for. “Ye sab toh sab pretext tha”. I know that I’m not the first person to do it also this will not last time. We all stretch some day or the other to make the ends meet. I’m writing this to list down some of the nice gazals I found this release seasons. If you too share some interest in soulful music, I’m sure it will be a good listing for your playlist.

1. O Des Se Aanewaale Bata

2. Sarv-o-Saman Bhi

3. Awwale Shab Woh Bazm Ki Raunk

4. Ye Kon Aata Hai

5. Ek Lafze Mohhabat

You can get all of them on gaana.com.

So next time, when it’s your turn to make “Raat Kali”, do try them. Enjoy and hails Abidaji.

Weekend Escape: A History Class

2013-04-20T16:54:00.000+05:30

You see only what you want to see.

Someone must have said that for me only. Until last Saturday, all I knew was that there was some college in my vicinity. Had not there been that ad in the newspaper, I would have never got that it’s a college of national repute for the study of History and Languages. I’m taking of Deccan College, Pune. I was literally shocked to know that it was the third oldest college in India and dates back to as old to 1821. By the afternoon, I was almost flat after knowing its Alma Matar of the college. Sir R.G. Bhandarkar, the celebrated Indologist, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the great nationalist leader, Gurudev R.D. Ranade, the eminent philosopher, G.G. Agarkar, the great social reformer, V.K. Rajawade, the famous historian and Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, the famous Indian medical practitioner.

I was laughing on me and there was only one line apt for me “Bandar (Me) kya jane adrakh ka swad” J

It all started by yet another weekend I had nothing to do. Turtling over the newspaper, I found that there is some lecture on “Forts across Sahyadri” in Deccan College. Things sound promising and more so I didn’t have to go anywhere. Things itself is coming to me. What better a lazy person like me expect. Plan Set.

The college campus as much the same as you can expect an old institution to be. Old building, lots a lots of trees with love birds here and there, never ending landscape and big hoarding guiding you to different determents at every nook and corner. I followed the arrows to auditorium.

The crowd in there couldn’t be counted more than 30 and most of them were students of history. I was probably the only “mulla” in this “begani shadi”. It started at time. The presenter started to talk about various forts in Sahyadri Ranges. He them jumped into who build it, who won it who lost it. I was getting bored. But as soon as I was about to concluded it as a bad choice and move out, came a voice from the dais which said “Now we will be looking into some of the technologies that went into making these forts and some of them are unique to this region only”.

Now that interesting. I have been to some of them but never have looked it with this eye. All attention gathered and thrown to dais.

Some of the information was already known to me. Rest all was a new addition to my knowledge. Here are some which I can remember now.

· The main gate of the fort generally used to be a false gate which opened into a dead end which is open from above. If the enemies break this gate they will only end up finding themselves trapped and soldiers attacking them from above. The real gate used to be one small beside the actual gate.

· The steps used to be of uneven shape and uneven count. Some of them used to be long and some really short. The height of the steps also varied a lot. Anyone who is not accustomed to them will have move on them carefully. (Yes, this I too have experienced. Half the time of my trek I have to see if I’m gripping the right step )

· The turns within fort used to be short and sharp. In case the enemy enters the compound with huge animals like elephant, it would be hard to manage them in such short twist and turns.

· The way to main palace in the fort generally included five to six underway and all this had some three inlet with only one being correct (This sounded me exactly the same way we have in some of the video games)

Next time whenever I will trek any of these fort, I will surely remember to appreciate these facts of our ancient technical advancements.

And one more thing, never leave any lecture in between. You never know what must be in store as soon as you leave J

Kadamb ka Ped

2013-03-24T18:09:00.000+05:30

यह कदंम का पेड़ अगर माँ होता यमुना तीरे

मैं भी उस पर बैठ कन्हैया बनता धीरे-धीरे

ले देतीं यदि मुझे बांसुरी तुम दो पैसे वाली

किसी तरह नीची हो जाती यह कदंब की डाली

तुम्हें नहीं कुछ कहता पर मैं चुपके-चुपके आता

उस नीची डाली से अम्मा ऊँचे पर चढ़ जाता

वहीं बैठ फिर बड़े मजे से मैं बांसुरी बजाता

अम्मा-अम्मा कह वंशी के स्वर में तुम्हे बुलाता

बहुत बुलाने पर भी माँ जब नहीं उतर कर आता

माँ, तब माँ का हृदय तुम्हारा बहुत विकल हो जाता

तुम आँचल फैला कर अम्मां वहीं पेड़ के नीचे

ईश्वर से कुछ विनती करतीं बैठी आँखें मीचे

तुम्हें ध्यान में लगी देख मैं धीरे-धीरे आता

और तुम्हारे फैले आँचल के नीचे छिप जाता

तुम घबरा कर आँख खोलतीं, पर माँ खुश हो जाती

जब अपने मुन्ना राजा को गोदी में ही पातीं

इसी तरह कुछ खेला करते हम-तुम धीरे-धीरे

यह कदंम का पेड़ अगर माँ होता यमुना तीरे,

The NULL Blog

2013-03-14T11:48:00.001+05:30

When a player goes over a bad patch, he moved back to nets. When a coder can’t make the things work as he wants, he truns to google. And when a blogger have nothing to write about, he writes “NULL” blog.

NULL blog is a common phenomenon among amateur blogger like me, those who essentially feed their blogs by personal experiences. And when they have almost nothing happening to their life worth writing about, and people start saying “Aaj Kal kuch likhta nahi hai tu”, they are made to write these NULL Blog, as mine is the case today.

It has been more than 4 months that I haven’t made any trip. And the worst part of this is that there is no specific reason to it. I can manage time for the trip easily and these days bucks have started staying in my pocket. But it’s just not making. May be I have grown lazier than ever before. I can now understand how someone snails into office on Monday and say they did nothing over weekends. I initially used to amaze over them and now I’m one of them. L

Office life too has grown busier (not actually busier but more “donkier”). I’m not complaining but things soon starts looking like a burden if you don’t see them fruiting at right time. You spend many more working hours sitting in front of your box and at the end of day you can’t draw any worth enough to leave office satisfied. Those are really bad times. I’m going over same patch. You keep on debugging others code all over the day and same keeps on going in your dreams too. I actually had dreamt for some 2-3 times in last one month where I was debugging some beans and going deep into a hollow dark cave.

The things are made even more tiresome for lack of interesting events/peoples these days around. At times they too leave you with something interesting to speak about. Unfortunately, I have not hit any such in last few days. All whom I meet these days share same level of excitement in their life as I have. You get to hear same old office talks or frustrated one-sided lover talks from them.

As I’m writing it, I realize that I have not met any new person for so many months. I’m finding it really hard to remember who the last new person was I met and when.

I just hope that this ends soon and I could get something worth to share with you. I want it more so as I don’t want myself to be prey to this IT laid back lifestyle culture. But by the time any such happens, here’s my NULL BLOG. L

Purpose to Life: A 2BHK?

2013-01-21T15:07:00.000+05:30

I’m not a regular victim of Monday Morning Blues.

And one of the prime reasons for this is my inabilities to find something interesting enough to do in two days weekend. Many times I have almost nothing left to do by Sunday afternoon and hence eagerly start waiting of being at office. Wait, Wait. Just in case, you started thinking that ‘m luckier, you a bit wrong. I too do get hit by Monday Morning Blues (MMB) and mine is sever than other.

This Monday, when I picked my bus to office (sitting at the last but one seat as I have been doing for last 2 years now), I was hit by MMB. It all started by a simple question, “Why ‘m I here”. I firstly tried a half-hearted attempt to avoid the question and started peeping outside. Somebody patted me from back. It is me only, but just a better one. I call him Better Me. He the person I hate to talk the most, but then he is the person who talk the most. He is the one who is never happy of me, no matter whatever I do. He is the worst critic of me I know. And the worst part of the contract is that I can’t lie to him. He claims to know me more than me.

I started getting cold feet as soon as I saw him. He is last man I would like to meet just in the start of day. I tried my most to ignore me.

“Are you trying to avoid me? Don’t you know that this all will not work.” said Better Me with his trademark sarcastic smile.

“OH! It’s you. I just didn’t saw you. How are you doing this morning”, I said.

“Avoid that. Answer me. Why are you here?” His looks were now making me even more nervous and pale. I don’t want to start the week this way. I looked all over and found that there were hardly that could save me from him. I finally gathered myself and decided to hit him hard. Pulling up my sleeves, I replied.

“What a question is this. I’m going to office. I have been doing the same for 2 year now in this time of day and you claim to know me better than me.”, I tried the best I can.

“OK. So you want me to be blunt.” I had lost his cool by now. “Why are you going to office”, he jumped back with another.

“To learn new things”, I replied in the same tone like a student standing in his principal’s room replies.

He was out in laugh. I can see that the whole on bus was able to hear that, but none gave it an ear. “Don’t give me that. I bet you don’t go there for that. You go there for money and money only. Your kinda people won’t sit there for a moment if not paid for.”, he roared. I could not deny that as that the truth.

“Now that you also know why you go to office, tell me why you need money.” Better Me asked. I stood clueless on it. I didn’t know what to say. I was an endless silence.

“So that I can give my family a better life”, I whispered. I’m watching KBC a lot these days, so tried to borrow few lines from there. But before I could even end that, he was out in laugh like a mad. “Your family was better off even you were not around. Even today they are better and none is because of you. So don’t force me to bang your head.” he almost had his fist on my head. “Final time, why you need money.” This time he was very serious. I have never seen him this annoyed. But I still didn’t have any answer.

“May be a 2 BHK”. This is all I could gather in 10 sec I was given to answer that.

I stared at me giving me an “iska-kuch-nahi-ho-sakta” look.

”So the whole purpose of you being alive is a 2BHK flat….. Great”, he said and dispersed into air.

It is late afternoon now and I'm still reeling into that trauma. This could be the worst MMB attack on me. May it never come.

Weekend Escape: Sawai Gandharv

2012-12-21T10:36:00.002+05:30

No, before you start drawing any conclusions, I should state that I’m just an amateur classical music lover. I do carry some level of understanding of Sufi and Gazals. But when it’s comes to more classical forms of this art, I knowledge limits until knowing to some of the famous vocalist and instrumentalist or knowing some of the famous ragas (I can surely not recognize any of them).

Having said that, I shall now contradict myself saying that this year it was my forth sitting at Savai Gandharv Sangeet Mahotsav J.

For those who are born or turned Punekars, like me, this should not be a not known event. And in case you too, like me, take pride of deeming yourself an amateur classical music lover, I’m sure you must have heard of the same. For rest, Savai Gandharv Sangeet Mahotsav is an annual event held in Pune to celebrate classical form of Indian music. It has a legacy of sixty years and has the honor to witness some of the maestro of musical fraternity. Late Pt. Bheemsen Joshi was among the founder members of the event. He used to be a regular here till as late as 2006. That all for history.

I still remember my first sitting back in 2009, I was sited in between two older couples on both side. The average age of the room was almost double of me. Though I was able to find some of students like me there, but only to find later that they all were music student.

“Hei sastriya sanggetcha karyakram ahe, kutla rock show nahi” (This is a classical music show, not a rock show). The old man sitting next to me welcomed me this way.

“Mahit ahe” (I know), I replied. Before I could start giving it a thought if ‘m I placed at a right place considering my age, he again replied back “I’m happy that youngsters of your age also find interest in such things”. The initial jinx melted off soon and we started talking. I found that the couple is into their 30+ sitting here. They have listened to so many great voices here and have very vivid and depth knowledge of ragas, vadya, gahrana and stuff related.

Our brief introduction was hindered by Shankar Mahadevan who sang the famous Tukaram’s abhang “Majhe Maher Pandhari”. I was not able to understand the meaning of the song but as they say music needs no language. J The performance went on for some 2 hours and after that till date this song is a regular in my morning playlist.

It was my first introduction to Maharashtrian Devotional Music. In the years that followed I got chance to hear more of them from some of the best who do it. Today, I won’t be over doing if I say that I have experinced some of the best and gained an tasteful appetite for abhang. My personal favorite are “Tirth Vitthal Kshretra Vitthal” and of course “Majhe Maher Pandhari”, both sung by legendry Late Pt. Bheemsen Joshi.

This year I tried to attend a non-vocal (instrumental) performance. I was eager to attend Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s performance, but then my loyalty to my office didn’t allow me that (it was a Friday afternoon show). Anyhow next day I attended Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s Sarod Vadan, yet another musically pacifying evening.

If that was not enough, I managed a gate crash into Srinivas Joshi’s performance too. To my luck, he was singing the same old abhang which I heard here only some 3 years back. Throughout the performance I was trying to draw similarities between his version to his father’s iconic version of same.

I still cannot recognize any of Ragas nor have gained any expertise in appreciating any of these Gharana. But what Savai has given me is an out-of-the-box experience and I plan to take it for many more years to come.

Paani Aur Dhoop

2012-11-02T11:45:00.000+05:30

Remembering my childhood and also one of the greatest poetess of Hindi poetic history "Subhadra Kumari Chauhan". I still remember reciting "Yeh Kadam ka Ped" and "Khoob Ladi Mardani" along with my sister and jumping all around the house. Presenting the favorite of mine here.

अभी अभी थी धुप बरसती , लगा कहाँ से ये पानी

किसने फोड़े घड़े बादल के, की इतनी शैतानी |

सूरज ने क्यूँ बंद कर लिया, अपने घर का दरवाजा,

उसकी माँ ने भी क्या उसको, बुला लिया कह कर आजा |

जोर जोर से गरज रहें हैं, बादल हैं किस पे काका,

किसको डांट रहे है किसने, कहना नहीं माना माँ का |

बिजली के आगन में माँ, चलती हैं किसकी तलवार,

कैसी चमक रही है फिर भी, क्यूँ खली जाते वार |

क्या अब तक तलवार चलाना, वो सीख नहीं पाए,

इस लिए क्या आज वो, असमान पे सीखने आए |

एक बार भी माँ यदि मुझको, बिजली के घर जाने दे,

उसके बच्चों को तलवार चलाना, सिखला आने दे |

खुश होकर तब बिजली देगी, मुझे चमकती सी तलवार,

तब माँ कोई न कर सकेगा, अपने ऊपर अत्याचार |

पुलिसमैन अपने काका को, फिर ना पकड़ने आएंगे,

देखेंगे तलवार दूर से ही, वे सब ही दर जाएंगे |

अगर चाहती हो माँ काका, जाएँ अब ना जेलखाना,

तो फिर बिजली के घर मुझको, तुम जल्दी से पहुँचाना |

काका जेल ना जाएंगे अब, तुझे दिलवा दूँगी तलवार,

पर बिजली के घर जाने का, अब मत करना कभी विचार |