Reflections

Memoirs of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

2015-07-28T07:45:00.003+05:30

June 2000

I was in the 7th grade and we had two months summer break. Our English teacher Ms.Mary Kutty had given us an assignment. We had to read two books and write a review on both of them and turn in the assignment. I wasn't an avid reader and from what I remember now I had read The Secret Seven, a few books on Hardy Boys, The adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn apart from some of the other books prescribed in our syllabus. That was the when I had a chance to read "Wings of Fire" by APJ Abdul Kalam and I got associated with him. This was his autobiography and it narrated his journey from humble beginnings in Rameshwaram to becoming the missile-man of India. Reading the book was motivating and inspiring. It taught me to dream and to dare. I also loved the early description of his town and how life would be in the India of 40's and 50's.

This was also the same time some of my classmates and me were participating in a challenge - NASA's Red Rover Goes to Mars. Ms. Shivani Parikh, our Science teacher had brought this to our knowledge and we had to solve specific questions around the spacecraft to Mars. The selected participants would get a chance to visit the NASA Facility in Maryland. ( The same facility in which Dr.Kalam went as an aspiring scientist and he recollects that in the Wings of Fire book). We had to send in our answers to the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. This was the pre-google, internet era. It was the era of books publishing scientific experiments, installing CD's such as Encarta and Britannica.Reading Wings of Fire and learning about satellites and space helped me connect my ideas.

Thus my fascination with Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam began.

December 2000

I was a quizzer in school. I would participate in every GK Quiz.
Our school was participating in the Jayaben Thakkar Inter School Quiz Competition in Vadodara.
Two of us from 7th grade would get selected in the quiz. The quiz was on famous Indian personalities. In the pre qualifier round in school I vividly remember of the 10 questions asked One question was "Who acted as the scientific advisor to the Government of India and is the missile man of India". No prizes for guessing I did get that answer right. Eventually, I went on to represent my school at Tejas Vidyalaya along with Sahil Chabbda. Ms.Ekbote, our Social Science teacher inspired us to prepare well and eventually we went on to win that quiz. ( Surprisingly we were last till the 3rd round and put on the gas in the rapid fire round to come out as winners).

February 2001

Dr. Kalam visited Kutcch to see the relief efforts that were being carried out.
He visited the BAPS relief site and was impressed how BAPS Charities had taken care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the affected. I read this news and saw the pictures when they were published in the "Swaminarayan Prakash" , in the following month's edition and loved the fact that my hero - Dr.Kalam got associated with my favorite charity organization.

September 2002

I was participating in the Hindi Nibandh Lekhan Pratyogita. It went in this way: All the participants would gather in the AV room beside the Computer Lab. We would be given topics on the spot and 2 hours to finish the Essay. One of the topics was 'Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam'. He had recently been entrusted as the 'President of India'. I do recollect on seeing the topic I had absolutely no doubt on what was I going to write. My pen started flowing and I wrote everything that I remembered. From his humble beginnings to the story on satellites on bullock carts and cycles.Such was his inspiration that I had memorised his date of birth and his full name( APJ). To how Dr.Vikram Sarabhai and Dr.Satish Dhawan inspired him. Leading the missile development programme that has gited us the Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag, and Agniand established India's self-reliance in defense. To Operation Smiling Buddha( 1998 nuclear tests). To him becoming the President. A little unkown work of Dr.Kalam is light-weight calipers that help those affected by Polio. One of the lines I wrote in the essay " If kids remember 14th November as Children's Day because of the birthday of Chacha Nehru, Dr.Kalam will be fondly recalled as the best president India ever had". I guess, the love I had for him did translate well into words and made me win the 1st prize in the competition( Never ever had I won a prize in an Essay writing competition be it English or Hindi).

February 2004

His Excellency Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam was the chief guest at the 50th anniversary of BAPS Bal Mandal which was celebrated at Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar. It is here that he inspired 20,000 kids to dream, work and live for the country. He shared his vision for India in 2020 and the areas one has to focus on in order to achieve it. This was highly motivating because it was coming from Dr.Kalam and not any other political leader.

November 2005

His Excellency Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition LK Advani were the chief guests for the opening ceremony of Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi. In his speech Dr.Kalam said(video in the link) " How can you mix spirituality and social service ? How can you separate the two ? Those who wish to sincerely serve the society must be spiritually pure and only those who are spiritually pure can serve the society and serve the nation".

These words had a great impact on me. They made me realize that one must think about Nation First. About Society and be spiritually pure. Because charity begins at home !

July 2011.

This was the instant when I had the opportunity to observe Dr.Kalam from close quarters. He was visiting Swaminarayan Akshardham for the opening of the book "Hinduism: An Introduction". One of the tasks involved removing his shoes and putting them in a bag. There was a volunteer who would take care of that. But Kalam, insisted that he himself put his shoes inside the bag. If there is one thing that reflected his humility than it was this task. If you are the ex-president and a man of this stature you would have servants and people who do things for you.But even in this small task his respect for others was visible. It is here he said " Where there is righteousness in the heart there is beauty in character. Where there is beauty in character there is harmony in the home. Where there is harmony in the home there is order in the nation. Where there is order in the nation there is peace in the world"

June 2015 - Transcendence

Most recently he has collected his experiences in a book "Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji" which I had the fortune of reading last week. It brilliantly portrays his thoughts and personal experiences on the fusion of spirituality and science, on how can we be spiritual in everyday life and how compassion and cooperation are so crucial.
During the dedication ceremony Dr. Kalam presented an autographed copy to Pramukh Swami Maharaj and said, “You are a great teacher. From you I’ve learnt to eradicate I-ness and My-ness in life.” Dr. Kalam then read some passages from his book before Swamishri and asked him to bless all those who have helped him in making the book possible.

And today we are certainly heartbroken that Dr.Kalam isn't amongst us. But we should keep him alive in ourselves by achieving what he dreamt for. Let us pledge to make India:2020 a Reality.
Let us make our country "Kalam's India" , the country he envisioned.

Discovering Spirituality while Rafting

2015-07-25T11:52:00.000+05:30

I recently went on a trip to Colorado. The first day began at 8am with a rafting trip in the Arkansas river. The river was flowing at 2500 cusecs, a speed which was at 85 percentile of the top speed ever achieved by the river. The instructor informed us " The river hasn't been so swift in the past 15 years. Be Ready for some adventure"

Total disclosure: This was going to be my 3rd rafting attempt. I had previously rafted in the Ganga at Rishikesh in Dec 2010 and April 2012. The Dec 2010 experience had me falling of the boat into the "Golf Course rapid" for close to 10-15 minutes and being drifted 2 km ahead of the boat. The freezing December water and no sun on didn't make the fall easier. Left to the mercy of the gushing river waters and being shaken up and down in the rapids with absolutely no control was a near death experience. At this very moment, in my head I recalled images of the "Nilkanth Yatra" in which 11 year old Nilkanth plunges into the Saryu river in peak flood. Here is the exact scene. Looks like he came to my rescue and next I recall is I am floating in the massive Ganga trying to swim to the shore but the weight of the life jacket and the freezing water is making it a task. "Har Har Gange" and I decide let me just go with the flow. A little ahead I see a rock, and when I am near it I try to grab it. Algae had covered it completely. And I slip to fall back in the river, my life jacket still intact. Meanwhile, the words of our guide come to my head " Average depth of the river in this stretch is 40 feet". I also now see my raft. Parked at one of the edge of the river a man climbs the side and is trying to spot me. The Ganga is still carrying me in its lap( In my head " Hopefully I get to a shore or a rock before the next rapid ").
Finally I see another rock in the middle of the river, grab it and sit on it. My legs are bleeding and some parts of my body have turned purple due to the cold water. Anyways, I realize I have lost my track pants and specs and now that I am out of the water I am shivering !!! The raft comes in about 5 minutes. I have absolutely no energy so the instructor lifts me in the raft.

April 2012 - No accident. Sailed through the golf course.

With this background, I wanted to ensure I don't fall into the Arkansas river. At first sight I was fairly overconfident - I have rafted in the mighty Ganga , yeh Arkansas kis cheez ka naam hai. Also the breadth of the river was may be 1/10th that of Ganga. Hence, the shore of the river is much closer. Little did I know the breadth didn't matter. Because here we were going to encounter Level 4 and Level 5 rapids. Yes we took the difficult "Numbers" stretch. Habituated researcher I had already learnt about the incidents in the past month on the Arkansas river and how rafts had overturned and how many people died and how the river was flowing at its peak. With this I already had a lot of anxiety built up when we began to raft. The GoPro pictures can validate this claim.

Anyway, we did complete the 5 hour rafting including a 40 minute break which helped restore our depleting glucose levels. Mind you when you are on a raft and the instructor tells you " You can have a quick break" --- IT IS A QUICK Break. Count 10 and the instructor has already said "Forward 2".

The feeling of triumph was certainly in the air as we had our raft on the verge of tumbling twice, but it didn't. A single person falling in the river is much better than the raft tumbling over and the instructor having no clue of who is where.

During the second phase of the rafting ( after lunch) we had some moments where we could admire the beauty of the canyons we were crossing. It also allowed me to mull over some thoughts.
In my thoughts I was drawing a comparison between satsang and rafting. Let me list them by point:

Who is the doer (karta) ?

In a raft , you are using a lot of energy. You have this Oar in your hand using which you must push the water to steer the raft ahead and keep it balanced. After a point it gets tiring and at times you could be short of breath with the instructor shouting "Come on team !! Keep pushing ". You feel you are pushing the raft ahead. To an extent you are correct. But who is the single most important person on the raft ? Hands-down, It is the instructor. He is the one who navigates the raft in the right direction and gives you the command. It is good for you and your team if you follow him. And without the direction, you may push the oars through the water 1000 times but never be sure if you are heading in the right direction or the right waterway.

Similarly in satsang and mandir when we do seva we take pride and ego in our act. A lot of times we feel " I am the doer" "Without me what would happen". "Hoon karu" "Main karyu" "Mara lidhe thayu" . But in reality it is Swamibapa who is navigating us. Without that and without his guidance and his energy, we are just pushing the oars in the air. That may give us the feeling of doing, but actually not propel us ahead.

Follow the instructor or the Guru

In a unknown territory it is wise to take advice. Be it a instructor in the river or GPS in a new location. We seek advice. And we follow. Blindly. No Logic. No Questions asked. Why do we do so ? Because we trust the instructor. We know that he has the best of intentions for us. We also know that he has gone this way a thousand times and he knows where exactly in the river will the current be strong, where exactly will there be a trap, where exactly there is a cave and when exactly is the next rapid coming. And where is the sinkhole where rookie rafters can fall. Hence, he warns us and guides us. Take a left. Keep pushing. Don't let go. Follow what I say and you won't fall.
Similarly, in satsang and spiritual life it is sapient to seek advice from a spiritual master. He knows what all vices( kaam, krodh, lobh, maan, irshya etc) can do to us. He knows what might affect us in the future. Hence, he warns us to stay away to follow his command. Just like the ups and downs of the water in a river, our lives are never linear. there are peaks and there are valleys.How do you stay afloat in this ? By following the will of Guru. He knows the way, shows the way and also goes the way with us. If you follow his will you can avoid the obstacles that the jeeva faces in becoming brahmrup in this life. Or even after following his will you face an obstacle you won't give it up. Because you know the Guru is backing you up.

Teamwork

It takes 5-6 rafters to propel the raft ahead just like it takes 4 tyres in a car. If one wheel isn't in sync with the others or has a loose screw, than disaster can occur. All the rafters must push as guided by the instructor and the force must be applied together in the same direction to go ahead. Navigating 10 miles in the fastest of waters, crossing the most difficult rapids can be achieved if the team has the same objective and there is no ill-feelings amongst the team members. The feeling is " Om, Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ Sarve santu nirāmayāḥ Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu Mā kashchit duḥkha bhāgbhavet Oṁ Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ " basically meaning "May all be prosperous and happy May all be free from illness May all see what is spiritually uplifting May no one suffer Om peace, peace, peace". Hence when you face difficulties while rafting, you know you have to face those as a team. You know kicking or throwing someone out of the raft will not help as each member is crucial.
Similarly in satsang and dailylife, every bhakt or team member is important. Everyone serves their own purpose and without them there would be something missing in the team. Hence, our duty is to treat each and every bhakt with utmost respect. With utmost seva-bhavna. With utmost care. At the same time, as stated in Vach Gad 3 - 12 : A magical technique - Then, for the benefit of His devotees, Shriji Mahārāj said, "One who desires one's own liberation should not harbour any form of vanity - such as, 'I have been born in an upper-class family,' or 'I am wealthy,' or 'I am handsome,' or 'I am a scholar.' One should not keep any of these types of beliefs. In fact, even with a meek satsangi, one should behave as a servant of servants "

With these thoughts, I think rafting experience 3.0 was fantastic. Not only, did it give me a triumphant and exhilarating feeling but subtly it helped me connect with my spiritual side and understand some deeper aspects of the human life.

Be the Best of Whatever you are

2013-09-23T23:10:00.001+05:30

If you can’t be a pine on the top of a hill

Be a scrub in the valley—but be

The best little scrub on the side of the hill,

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a highway just be a trail

If you can’t be the sun be a star;

It isn’t by size that you win or fail—

Be the best of whatever you are.

And when you do this, when you do this, you’ve mastered the length of life.

- Luther King Jr

Be Real , Be Smart - Without the Smartphone

2013-06-18T18:45:00.001+05:30

Why do I forget things these days ?
Why cant I recall 10 cellphone nos these days ?

Just in case you are reading this on that 4'x 2' device , the answers to these questions lie in the palm of your hand. This is the smartphone, silly human effect.

May 2000: It was the fist time I was going out to a movie with my school friends. The movie was "Hera Pheri". Back then, waiting for someone meant " Standing and waiting".

Moving on to 2013, we have moved on from waiting to staring..at the smartphone.

- Gimme a miss call once you reach ABC place
- Whats app me once you leave from your place
- Or god forbid if you reach some place and your friends haven't reached you call them " Kahaan hai yaar ! Kitni der "

So what does one do to kill time while waiting ?
" Stare at your phone "

The other day, I hopped into an auto and started staring on my phone. The typical whats app, fb, twitter, economic times etc.
The auto guy initiated the conversation. He started:

" Beta, 20 saal se auto chala raha hoon. But 2-3 saal se kaafi kuch badal gaya hai. Log aaj kal auto main baithte hi, apne mobile mein lag jaate hai. Jaise mobile hi

unki duniya ho. Jaisa aas pass to kuch hai hi nahi. Pehle in sab se baat karta tha.
Main kuch apne kisse batata tha. Par aaj kal agar main kuch baat karne lagun to logon ko disturbing lagta hai. Sab apne phone mein mast hai "

This got me thinking and I begun relating to the auto guy. Just see across a busy street. What are people doing. "Staring at their phones". Board the bus. Board the metro. Walk into a restaurant. Walk into a library.
Stand in a queue. The same thing everywhere.

People having " Real -time communication with artificial device"
What are we getting into ? Is that day near when we'll have our mom whatsapping us :
" Food ready. Come onto the dinning table" .

I shudder at this thought. Just imagine earlier days.
Travelling in the auto people would talk to the auto guy. Get to know his views. Learn about his life. How difficult it is to be at the bottom of the pyramid in a big city like Mumbai ? Or just look outside

" How the municipal guys are working hard to clear the water that has filled up the street"

" How the old lady has been trying to cross the street "

" How the sapling that was planted last monsoon has now turned into a tree "

We are missing out on tons and tons of things. By being connected virtually, we are getting disconnected to where we actually are. To our surroundings. To our families. To our friends.

Have you lately met your old friends in a cafe ? After taking all the time and effort to meet them why would one stare into the phone and laugh at a stupid joke sent over IM's.

What about talking and sharing things with those who are actually hanging out with you. And by hanging out I didn't mean Google Hangouts please !!

Aren't we bombarded with all the "tings tangs...zing zing " as soon as the plane lands. To tell you those 3 hrs without the phone are actually when I have got some of the best thoughts. Times when I decided what to do with my career, life ...basically time to introspect.

- The age of forgetfulness: Our memories are diminishing. Just compare your memory with your grand ma or parents. They can easily count 100-200 people who are to be invited for a function on their tips !

We need to check Facebook for that.
Sorry I don't recall the clients name. But I have him right here on my Linkedin !
Ahh that place that serves delicious Sarso da saag ? What was it. Let me just check it on Zomato.

Do we really need to be that connected with the world ?

Isn't the instant communication, messaging doing more harm than good ? So many CEO's for example don't own a cell phone. Yet, they manage their tasks, manage businesses worth billions of dollars, keep in touch with their client etc.

What an advantage it is to not have one of the smart devices these days ! I am shortly gonna go back to a Nokia 1800.

- Great Battery Life
- Ruggedness
- Talk more with your family then on whatsapp( Connecting People indeed)
- No last seen at
- No emails in the middle of the night
- No pings and alerts

Research has proven that smartphone addiction has had disastrous results. Lack of concentration among children ( Attention Deficit Disorder), the constant urge to check whats happening in others life ( FOMP - Fear of Missing out), Trauma, decrease in academic performance, anxiety and death too.

Clearly apart from the physical problems such as headaches, tendinits, bursitis, fatigue the psychological effects are far worse.

Promise yourself :

- Not to check your mails, IMs while driving

- To respect others when you are out with them and not alienate yourself with your phone

- To have real conversations

- And please stop discussing about virtual life ( You posted that on Facebook, that tweet was awesome) in real life !! You are together with them. You don't need to discuss how amazing their profile picture was !!

- Stop using it in the bathroom. You are not deciding the fate of millions of citizens !

- Stop checking your mails, IMs in the middle of the night ! Have a good sleep !

- When you are walking on the beach or strolling in the garden, don't let your smartphone out ! No even if how much so ever beautiful the sunset might be !

- Make it clear that if something is urgent, people can always call you. Whatsapp, IM's aren't sacrosanct devices for URGENT Communications !!!

- We need to understand that all the apps affect us. They tax our attention. As humans, we can focus only on few tasks per day. Research has reveled that we aren't great at multitasking( although we think and feel we are). But the infinite loop of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, whats app and other notifications fragments our attention and we don't concentrate on the important tasks.
To be honest, I haven't checked my smartphone for 3 hrs now while I thought I will write this. Contemplation and Reflection takes time and they demand undivided attention.

Take time off your phones regularly. Dedicate regular intervals during the day in which you will respond to your mails, IMs, comments etc.

Its you who own a smartphone, ensure that it doesn't end up owning you

The Urge to Fit In

2012-08-17T08:45:00.001+05:30

The Fit In Culture.

Some call it peer pressure, while others call it compromise. A few others call it adjustment, broad-mindedness, being open to change. All in all we all want to be accepted by the society, our peers, our friends, friends of friends and so on. In one word we want to "Fit In" and not be sidelined.

Fit In culture Instances

1) How many times have we laughed at a particular scene in a movie, (even if we don't find it funny) just because others do and we don't want them to think "He is too dumb/ naive to comprehend the double-meaning words" or " He doesn't have a taste for funny films"

My thought: If only we could ban the word LOL. Everything is LOL these days. Damn

2) How many of us have had the courage to refuse spending 2000 bucks on the entry fee to club, knowing that there is hardly anything inside that will interest you ? Be it the blaring music or the hard drinks( for those of you who are a teetotalers)

My thought: For me the idea of having fun, goes beyond hanging out at the bar, being drunk, and clubbing.
So don't tell me that " Tu abhi yeh sab nahi karega to kab karega " Kabhi nahi. Karna hi nahi hai !

3) Ahh ! Uanchester Mnited Rocks !We are the champions !
Ask that dude to count 8 players of the team and he will succumb at 5. Ask him about the Busby babes and he'd think I am talking about some Pop band !

My thought: Not that I am against EPL, SPL. But dude can you name 5 Indians who have won medals at the Olympics ?

4) I got this new Gamsung Salaxy S |||. What operating system does it have ? So how is it different from S-2 The answer will be : " I don't care much about that stuff. It looks good. And it is a good show off on how technologically inclined I am and how updated I am "

My thought: I am a geek. I love technology. So if the plain reason your product is better than mine is because of the price tag associated with it , than sorry my friend borrow some brains and judging capacity.

5) " Dont tell me dude. You haven't seen How I met your Brother ?? Man, what are you ? A ascetic in the Himalayas or a nomad living in the Jungles of South East Asia "

My thought: I don't want to know How did you meet my mother, father or brother or sister. Given a choice, I would never want you to meet any of them. Why is HIMYM prescribed in the syllabus ? or is it the next most important thing after Air and Water !

6) " What you rejected a job at Soldman Gachs to start up. Are you crazy ? Dont you intend to Pay off your loans ? Ah or you have a richie rich dad ?

My thought: Man he has other interests. He wants to be a guitarist or a IAS officer. Let him chose his own way ? Who are you ? Nostradamus 36th Avatar to suggest ?

Again, don't get me wrong here. There is nothing wrong in trying to gel with the crowd, accept their views and try and find commonalities. But to change yourself completely so that others can accept you, is something that irks my nerve.

What happens with such fake behaviour is

- You lose yourself and become a materialistic, a mere showoff
- You tend to look down upon people who don't share similarities with you, rather than accept the fact that they have a different belief, have been brought up in a different way, and that they have their own principles by which they live by

One of my professors in college had shared a brilliant thought with us . He would say " Be a rebel. But don't be a revolutionary". Gandhi, Mandela all were rebels. They didn't take anything lying down or on its face value.

So you don't need to comply with everything the World says. Remember the The World is pretending.
Someone has rightly said" Those who matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter"
And lastly, as said in by santos in Satsang " Aag jeva thavu. Paani jeva nai " ( Be like the fire, not like water. Ref: Add colour in water and it changes it colour, but add colour in fire and the colour disappears"

Another Turning Point

2012-04-13T22:53:00.003+05:30

So that time has come again. Never expected it to come so soon.
But the twist in the road is here and I am finally ready for my Giant Leap.

These are the lines that I have personally loved. They are from a song Sabka Katega by Bodhi Tree ( The XLRI band )

What brought us together might remain unspoken,
What held us together might be worn off and broken.
Even if your way was different as I felt was mine,
Now I want our paths to cross waiting for my time.

I have always used these lines for the special people who have made a huge difference to my life.
The count currently stands at three.

Be Proud of Your Accomplishments, Not Your Affiliations - Harvard Business Review article

2012-04-13T00:16:00.000+05:30

HBR is known for coming up with masterpieces. Read an interesting article which somehow relates to what I had earlier posted and felt about "Giant Leap of Faith ". Sharing it here !

Stuart stood up confidently and addressed the group: "I studied Art History at Yale, worked at Bain for two years, then Morgan Stanley. After finishing my Stanford MBA, I took a banking job at Goldman Sachs."

I'd asked him and a small group of smart individuals to describe their professional achievements. When Stuart sat down, the others followed in much the same pattern, proudly rattling off their personal laundry lists of the prestigious companies they'd worked for and the top-tier universities they'd attended.

Had I left it there, this would have seemed like a collection of well-oiled, talented superstars living comfortably at the top of their professions. But as I delved deeper, I found out that they weren't comfortable at all, and their flashy affiliations were no guarantee that they'd actually accomplish more than anyone else. One said, "I promised myself I'd move overseas, but the Blackstone brand in New York is just so strong. I had to sign." Said another, "The work is meaningless compared to the policy think tank I wanted to join. But everyone knows Morgan Stanley, and it'll open up so many doors later on in life." The same patterns surfaced: exciting visions sabotaged by the desire to be associated with well-known institutions.

If their goal was to stand out by joining these organizations, they'd pursued entirely the wrong strategy. Traditionally, associating yourself with a prestigious brand did wonders for your career because of the signalling effect. Employees could credibly convey information about themselves by gaining experience at certain companies and acquiring academic credentials. If you got into Unilever, you must be a good marketer. If MIT admitted you, you're a high-potential scientist. But a core assumption of job-market signalling theory is asymmetric information between employers and prospective employees. In other words, employers have to rely on imperfect signals as ways to glean information about potential hires. In today's world, this assumption no longer holds.

Ironically, proudly flaunting your affiliations — company, university, or club — will only make you more of a commodity: another banker, another Ivy League graduate, another know-it-all scientist. Instead of just resume-gardening, distinguishing yourself through real, tangible accomplishments shows the world what you've actually done while de-emphasizing who accepted you into their organization. The latter is a superficial vanity device designed to boost confidence; the former is a validated, objective measure of your skills and experience. The relentless focus on "what" is how people without bulge-bracket work experience or Ivy League degrees are beating out those obsessed with the glitz, glamour, and false safety of their memberships, associations, connections, and relationships.

Here's why prestige matters less than ever:

1. Prestigious companies have suffered. The Financial Crisis tainted the reputations of some of the world's largest corporations — from big banks to blue chips like General Motors. Newscorp and other recent corporate scandals have only fueled existing doubts. Signalling loses relevance to the extent that these organizations no longer confer credibility onto the individuals that join them.

2. Social media pierces the corporate veil. As the adoption of Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook continues to grow, we're able to effectively separate the individual from the organization. Consumer internet platforms like these allow people to publish their output independent of their organizations, giving everyone a direct lens into an individual's abilities and passions. This improves the underlying quality of information available, further reducing the need to signal the "old" way.

3. New tools exist to accurately assess skills. If you're a data scientist, you can compete onKaggle against a global cadre of experts in your field. Rather than relying on your college diploma, we have a better way to test your programing skills: Codecadamy. And if you're coveting a social media role, a high Klout score might seal the deal. These new tools are able to measure people's skills with precision, making college degrees and brand-name companies look like blunt approximations in comparison.

America's largest companies and most prestigious universities deserve much respect. But being hired or admitted to these institutions is an opportunity to accomplish things, not the accomplishment itself. Therefore, a prudent strategy favors accumulating real accomplishments — revenues earned, clients transformed, or lives changed — in spite of any affiliations you may have.

As traditional notions of prestige are fast losing relevancy, we should all focus more on creating real value. If you're lucky enough to have attended a great college or worked for a top company, you have an obligation to turn these affiliations into accomplishments. If you're not one of the privileged few, you're no longer at a disadvantage. Stand tall, because it's mastering the process of consistently delivering results that will truly distinguish you in the end.

Some Learning or Causes of Insomnia I should say

2012-04-09T04:44:00.001+05:30

- If you have given it all and it ain't happening, look away. May be there are better things in store
- If it doesn't feel like, then it is not worth giving it a shot.
- If that person doesn't give a damn, start giving a damn too. Tit for tat works
- Shrewdness was a despicable word in school. In life, it is worth gold
- Hanging by the moment sounds good in the song. In reality, it SUCKS.

Giant Leap of Faith

2012-04-06T15:39:00.004+05:30

Giant Leap of Faith

I know this isn't going to be the easier route to take. In fact, I don't know whether it is a route or not. I understand that I am a traveller, but like every other travller, I don't want to go the wrong way. Guess, I have already travelled once that way. and come out.

So here I have the 8-lane Express highway for me( KPMG). Although, crowded I am sure someday it will take me to my destination or at least have a direct link( C'mon its the express way !!)

And this other road, is some road I always wanted to travel. Nah. It doesn't go parallel to the expressway
( So I can be sure that we'll end at the same destination)

This road is a test. You'd hardly see anyone travel by that road. Now I know that English poet Robert Frost who said that he took the road less travelled and that is what made all the difference. But hey Seinfeld said that "At times the road less travelled is less traveled because of a reason"

So. Lets Analyse. If I choose B, then I know I am taking a risk. But then Hey. Who doesn't take risks in life. Although, I can fall flat by going that way, but I'll have the feeling that OK. I tried something new. I mean imagine, if I would have taken up Engineering at Gujarat( safe bet). Would I be where I am today ?
If I had simply been Happy with Accenture ( Not fought for Grail) ?
Am I trying to console myself ?

You don't know. You might have done excellent in the other case as well. May be better. May be you'd be more satisfied.

For Now. I think I have the risk taking appetite in me. I have a family to support me. And Hey. I have age on my side. I have no responsibilities except to be responsible for myself. No debts. Except the monthly credit card bills ;-) 3 years down the line, who know I might not have the same freedom ? Who knows I might need to have a stable job ?
I mean even if things don't turn out the way they I expect them to be. It will be my decision. And I'd be happy that I gave it a shot.

I think I should not let this opportunity go. We have BAPA. Hes the one who guides us. Would you have ever been able to get pass all this without his aashirwaad ? No Way. At each step he has shown you the way. And aagad paaan karse.

Handover you chariot to him. He will steer it. In fact he does.

P.S. If Only we had Google Maps for our lives !!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-12T01:31:00.002+05:30

Arz kiya hai

Jahaan itne valentine nikal gaye,

wahaan ek aur jod do,

Mathematical induction lagaao,

aur aagey ki ummeed bhi chhod do ;-)

Courtesy: Akshay Johri

An awesome video, to sum it up

P.S. This is my shortest post

Kya Kare Yaa Naa Kare

2011-01-31T20:49:00.002+05:30

Not much to do in Mumbai?? Is it??

So here comes a list of must-do when you are in Mumbai.

You'd come across the 'Real' Mumbai as they say it.

Although, this list may not be exhaustive, I guess it covers a significant bit

1.Sit on the steps of Asiatic Society Library

2.Sit on the tetra pods at Nariman Point, lay down on the promenade and see the boats leaving for high seas at 5 in the morning

3.Count the diamonds of the Queen’s necklace from the Hanging Garden

4.Karaoke at Not Just Jazz by the Bay

5.Ride on the open deck bus Neelambri run by MTDC

6.Check the butterflies at BNHS

7.Dene ka bhow bolo at Fashion Street

8.Catch the sunrise at the Gateway of India and don’t forget to ride the ferry

9.Feed the cows at Panjrapole

10.Search the Fort Wall

11.Ride in the oldest elevator in Navsarri Building,Fort

12.Cheer for your favourite football team at Cooperage Stadium

13.The city's relation with Cricket at Wankhede, Brabourne, Oval, Azad Maidan and the innumerable gullies

14.Visit the INS Vikrant when it is set open for the public in Nov–Dec Navy Week

15.The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and the Chatrapati Shivaji Museum offer a perfect time to those who want to dig into the history of Mumbai

16.For art lovers: Jehangir Art Gallery, National Gallery of Modern Art and the JJ School of Arts are the places to visit

17.The docks (Sasson, Bhaucha Dhaka) offer an insight into the times of British India. Keep a two minute silence for the dying mills around

18.Wall Street? That’s the Americanised Dalal Street. Hit the 'Bulls' eye!

19.Catch a glimpse of Mumbai University Convocation Hall

20.Music Festival at Banganga Tank and the KalaGhoda Festival

21.Buy books from the roadside vendors at the Fountain (they know their Pulitzers and Bookers) and pay tribute to the martyrs

22.Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir

23.Visit Mani Bhawan to get insights into the life of the Mahatma

24.Wake up early in the morning and head to the chor bazaar to get the best discount

25.Byculla Zoo. Don’t even dare to lock your horns with someone over there

26.Laughter Quotient? The Comedy Store at Parel

27.AER Lounge, with an amazing view of the Worli skyline, is the place if you want to groove on some music

28.Bet on the Horses at Mahalaxmi

29.Enjoy virtual star gazing at Nehru Planetarium or sleep under the stars at one of the night trips organized by Khagol Mandal

30.Visit the Haffkine Institute at Parel, and you'd get to know slimy creatures that are more venomous than the vamps of the K-serials

31.Party at HRC,Zenzi, Blue Frog,Shiro and Man-U Cafe that have sprung up in the mill-land and still give that old world feeling

32.Zip across the Bandra Worli Sealink also termed as the heavy duty beauty

33.Visit the forts of Mumbai such as the Bandra Amphitheatre, Mahim Fort, Worli Fort

34.Watch Pink Flamingos throng the Sewri mud flats in the winters.

35.Visit BARC to experience the Nuclear Reactor and get impressed by India's technical prowess. Yup, you actually go inside one.

36.Music Buff?? Head for Bandra Kurla Complex. Someone must be playing there

37.Visit Jalsa or Mananat and ask the watchmen "Abhi andar hai kya"

38.Catch the Sunset at Juhu and simply relax on the sand

39.Enjoy a Play at Prithvi Theatre, NCPA and Gujarati plays at Bhaidas Hall

40.Visit Gilbert Hill the monolith, still fighting for its place among high rises and still standing tall

41.Jump over the Garden Wall to get into the Vihar Lake, before the policeman comes and shoos you away

42.On the rocks at Versova

43.Catch a celebrity at Lokhandwala, BandStand or Juhu Beach

44.Experience the Calm at Marve Beach, ride the shortest ferry in the world from Madh to Versova and walk through the Koliwadas

45.Visit the Film City posing as a student of Whistling Woods International and visit the famous Temple where all the marriages in Bollywood films take place, or the court where the “Kannon is Andha”

46.Head to the Aarey Milk Colony and enjoy boating at Chotta Kashmir, if its fresh air that you seek

46.Visit the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. If lucky you may spot a leopard. Get to the highest point and see a different Mumbai. Very different

47.The Glory of Indian rock-cut architecture at the Elephanta and Kanheri caves, and the Mahakali caves (very much in the city)

48.Essel World Mein rahoonga mein ghar nahi nahi jaaonga mein. Enjoy a day at Essel World and Water Kingdom. You must visit the Pagoda, next to it

49.Head to the Vasai fort, and experience East Indian culture

50.Sneak into the PandavKhada Waterfall at Kharghar

51.Visit the Buddhist Temple, the Chinese Temple, the Jewish Synagogue, Siddhivinayak Temple, Haji Ali, Mumbai Devi Temple, Mahalakshmi Temple, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Mother Mary Church, and the Gorai Pagoda. Truly the world in one city

52.Govinda aala re during Dahi Handi and Pudcha varshi lokarya during Ganpati utsav

53.Pray for the incessant rains to stop or head to any of the promenades to see the waves crashing (Marine drive, Priyadarshini Park (BWSL looks amazing in the morning from here), Worli Sea face, Bandstand or Carter Road

54.Pav Bhaji at Sardars, Green Chilli Ice cream at Bachelors, Naturals Ice cream, Thali at Friends Union Joshi Club, Haji Ali Juice Center, Falooda at Chowpatty, Gola at Juhu, Lassi at Malad, Kheer and Fruit Cream at Crystal, Paan at Muchhad Paanwala at Breach Candy, Cafe Mondegar and Leopold, Fererro Rochers Milk shake& Sandwiches at Ice and Rolls, Early morning Bun Maska at Ideal Bakery

55.Dabbawalas – Dude, they are into Harvard and have met Prince Charles

56.Spunky?? Try and get into the Virar Fast in the evenings

57.Find out what bar-coding system do they use at Dhobi Ghat

58.Lose your weight, run the Mumbai Marathon

Hope you have a good time in Mumbai

Well, on later thoughts the title of this blog means

What to do and what not to do ? I leave it to your own Shakespearean interpretation :-) :-)

P.S. I have tried to arrange them in a geographical order (South to North)

P.P.S. However, some of the things like forts and food-joints have been clubbed together

This P.P.S was highly irrelevant

Till then,Blogtey Raho !!

Randomness

2010-09-24T17:03:00.001+05:30

Parashar Likes "I stay up late and i dont do anything productive"

The breeeze blowing past the window
The early morning door bell
The Late Night Walks
Gilbert Hill,Airport, and Juhu Beach from terrace
Frequent trips to Andheri Station, IRLA ...you get everything in this 100m lane
Chinese Food Stall
Movies at Chandan
Aaj Iska Case lete hain sessions
Gtalk Group Chat
Anderi Station,Vile-Parle Station...
Wearing Belt in the Lift,Socks in the Rickshaw, Hair who cares ?
Brushing Teeth after Bathing(RSB special)

Randomness ..It Once Prevailed

Uthh Jaa salle...DM ke pracs hai

aaj assignment submit karne ka last day tha kya ?

test postpone kara yaar...

yeh trisem mein to lag gayi...

Mass Bunk karte hai yaar....

Next test de denge...

Abey IP pe aana/ start karna ...

Chal Jani chalte hain...

Sounds so familiar, like it was just yesterday

There Used to be days when we used to say " Lets Meet and Plan sumthing"
Now we say " Lets Plan and Meet Sometime"...
Friends are the same, Feelings are Same, Life takes Control and Priorities Change...

So heres a word of advice to those still in college..

Appreciate those guys who do walk out at 2am with you for a snack, soon you will have doze off by then

Appreciate the Canteen, Its no fun watching Tendulkar hit a century on A LED TV when you are all alone

Appreciate the Roomie, who watches each Hindi Movie on a loud speaker, soon you will be left with no movies.

Appreciate the College Watchmen with whom you can strike a conversation on any random topic, Soon you will be left with Sirs and Madams

Appreciate the Library, you would soon forage for books you always thought could be issued any time you want

Appreciate the Football,FootBottle,FootDuster, Foot(anything), Soon all u'll be looking for is a footmassager.

Appreciate the Administration, Soon youll have difficult ones to deal

Appreciate the Proxies and Sleeps on Last Bench,
Soon you'll have a desk.( Otherwise do sumthing like DiCaprio in Inception -- After all he gets paid for sleeping and dreaming ...What a Job)

Appreciate the uncountable sharing of movies,songs,documentaries,ebooks,external harddrives etc.
Soon you wont be hearing IP chalu kar for months and months...

Appreciate the Indolence, Soon you may have to lose you days salary for it.

Appreciate the Timepass Sessions with the Group, soon you'll have KT's(Knowledge Transfer Sessions)

Appreciate the Vivas, Soon you'll be left without answers

Appreciate the Momos Junction.

Appreciate the teachers , who do take a no,soon you'll have a boss, who wont take one.

Appreciate the Tapri, Soon you wont feel good hanging out alone

Appreciate the Fests, Events etc Soon these terms may be unfamiliar.

To sum it all Appreciate the Randomness...Soon everything will be mechanised, robotised, mundanised

Mummy

2010-05-09T10:11:00.001+05:30

Mother's Day.
An Irish wiseman once said:
"A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest"
Yes. There are a Few Magical Relations in this world.

And,if there would have been a Noble Prize For Motherhood, each one of us would like to give it to our Moms.

They are the best. They can lift up your mood and Go out of their way to help you.
They worry about you so much. They Want to be your guiding light always.
They want to improve so many things in you.
All they want is for you to be happy.

So its been Four years without seeing you the first when i wake up.
And all these years i have realised that being away from you, has actually brought me closer to you.
And trust me, there hasnt been a day when i havent thought of you.
But Momma, Iam coming Home Soon :-) :-)

So on Your Day, I'd decided that i'd write you a poem.
Hope you like it.

Its all in the things you do;
Holding my hand and making me walk
Putting work aside and teaching me talk;
Studying with me all night long;
and Asking me to have Tea so that i dont doze off;
'Tel Malish' that is the best i bet;
Teasing me,on simple things i cant do;
Your Questions When i come late;
Your Answers when i got something to share;
Giving cooking lessons on the phone;
( Someday i'll make that perfect dish, pretty soon)
Preparing Breakfast for the match,early next day;
Being all the while,when i take the swimming lesson;
Picking me Up from the school on one phone call
Covering me Under the Umbrella,during rainfall
Shouting at me "Utthi Jaa"
And your constant instructions when i am driving;
"Keep your cool, You'll do nice;"
That words, during exams.Ahh what a respite!!
Cajoling me to go shopping with you
Getting Tickets Confirmed on short notice(Friends, Friends of
Friends Badhani-- Supermom)
Imbibing Values In Me, That i can guarantee will last lifelong
Debates, Poetry, Music Competition and that peculiar song
Your tears when i left home;
Your Laughs when i crack a Joke
and making me swear that i wont tease Devanshi;
How could you do so much for me ?
All the sacrifices, and all the pains
No its not easy, doing what you did.
Wish I can Be "Momma's Boy" Forever and serve you.
All i want now is to sleep into your lap and by your feet.

It reminds me of that lines from Kuch Kuch Hota Hain:

Maa...Maa Woh hai jo humko Itna pyar karti hai ki kabhi kabhi hum
khud us pyar ko samaj nahi patein....
Maa woh hai jo hum Humko ehsaas dilati hai k hum kitna ache hai....
Kyun Ki hum se acha koi hai hi nahi...
Maa woh hai jiski khushi hamari hasi se hai..
Jiska Dukh Hamare Dukh Se...
Maa Woh Hai jiske bina hum jee nahi sakte...
Maa Sab Kuch Hai...
Bas Hamare Pass hi nahi....

2010-04-11T20:26:00.001+05:30

Composed this poem a week ago. That very nite i shared it with Bhandari and Ipsit.

I was all senti and yeah i cried.( after a long time i guess ).

I drew inspiration from some farewell songs like College Days by Gaurav and a few other things
And all the things here have occurred at some point... a few have of them have happened too often.
So its all the experiences with you guys that have been put into words.
Couldn't have been possible without you all.

Pata nahin ha aisa bhi din aayega
Jab charo taraf sanata chha jayega
Aane se pehle they kai sapne sajaye
Kuch khoye, kuch paaye

Lagta tha kab hoga yeh waqt pura,
Par aaj kyun lagta hai, reh gaya kuch adhura

Ab kaun hume chane k jhad p chadayega
Aur kaun raat ko fone karke pakayega
Kaun hamare naye naam banayega
Test mein kaun chapvayega

Timepass k liye mein kisise ladoonga
Cricket ki woh saari baatein kisse karoonga
Kiski lagoonga ab mein proxy
Aur kisse program banvaonga ??

Raat ko 3 baje maggi banegi ?
Juhu beach pe kya meri nishani rahegi ?
Yaar paise nahin hai, tu bhar de
Yeh raha assignment , chaap le

Kaun fail hone p dilassa dega
Zyada number aane pe wohi galliyaan dega
Kaun mere gane record karega
2Rs. Contri karke thumps-up kaun piyega

Xams Ki raat mein NM-Quad mein kaise Padhenge
Hey bhagwan KT bacha le, Ye kaise Ratenege ?
Yeh question pakka hai aisa kaun batayega
Sir "Open book test" kaun chilayega

Ek ghante k lecture mein dekhna ghadi baar baar
Aur karna lecture khatam hone ka intezaar
Uski ek jhalak dekhne roz college jaana
Aur dekhte dekhte attendance bhool jaana
(233 sir 233 :P)

Ek Last P.J. bol k 1 ghanta Kaun Hasayega
Salla Last din pe senti hoke kaun rulayega
Kaun Himesh Ki Movie Dekhne Aayega
Aaj K Baad Kabhi Gaana Mat Gaana Aisa Kaun Batayega

Mithibai Ka SoyaBean Bada Yaad Aayega
Baarish Mein football Kya ab ho payega ??
"Tu Fattu Hain, Kar ke Kaun Chidayega"
Doston K Liye Ab Professor Se Kaun Lad Payega

Meri Khushi Mein Mujh Se Zyada Khush Kaun Hoga
Mere Gham Mein Mujh Se Zyada Dard Kise Hoga

The Lines which i received over SMS.
I must thank Ghanshyam for this.

Zindagi bhi aise mukam par pahunch jayegi
Dosti to sirf yaadon mein reh jayegi
Har cup coffe yaad doston ki dilayegi
Aur haste haste phir aankhen nam ho jayegi
Office k chamber me classroom nazar aayegi
Par chanhe par bhi proxy nahi lag paayi
Paisa to bahut hoga...magar unhe lutane ki wajah hi kho jayegi
Jee le is pal ko mere dost
Kyunki zindagi ye pal ko phir se nahi
dohrayegi

On This Day....

2010-03-04T20:05:00.001+05:30

On this day,
i wish you certain simple delights,
may the time ahead be free of fights,
"In the City of Blinding Lights"

u dont have to walk that extra mile
and all your Code Compiles,
Even if this poem doesnt rhyme
Remember "Its all about The Climb"

u get to see your favourite 'Friends' Episode
and flowers bloom in your garden,
You turn on the TV and watch the movie you've longed for
and Come across someone who you really adore
After all " Yeh Dil Maange More"

u Get to see the beautiful sunrise
and a full moon in the dark night.
u get a discount at your favourite mall,
and the song playing in the background is "You're my wonderwall"

u hear a PJ and laugh out loud
and a visit to the beach without the crowd,
When caught by a traffic cop, you dont have to pay
Well, Well "You've took my heart away"

u dance in the rain and stomp in the puddles
And No one dare muddles,
In a garden you get the last Swing
Hell Yeah "I dont want to miss a thing"

u wake up early and realise you have more time
No,waking up at 12 isnt a Crime.
Do that one thing you always wished to do When you were small
But I've realised "You Say it best when you say nothing at all"

See the Paper full of Topics You Studied,
And smile secretly knowing yeah I've Done it
Rock on the stage in the College Fest
hmmmm I have it "All In My Head"

Look at the sky and feel someones looking at it too,
Alas "Everything i do i do it for You"
I'd "Write you a song" For No Particular reason
Hope it brings some smiles for you this Season.

P.S.

I know there are certain "Things I'll Never Say",
All i am doing is "Hanging By the Moment"
This was Just My Imagination
But Now I am on "Cloud Number Nine"

Me Mumbaikar? If not then where else am i from?

2010-02-05T22:45:00.001+05:30

Heartfelt Words From a Fellow Pal and a Proud Mumbaikar

Latest from MNS chief RT:

“Just because one can write, read and speak Marathi does not entitle him to local jobs...For getting jobs in Mumbai, one has to be a Maharashtrian by birth. Just the knowledge of reading and writing the language will not do,” he said at a party meeting here... "

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/give-jobs-only-to-those-born-in-maha-raj-thackeray/384368/

So earlier it was that somebody who has lived for a few years only can avail jobs in m'tra.

Then it was doesn't matter if you live here since 1850, you need to know the language. Fair enough. (Though I doubt that MNC's offices in Chennai, Honolulu or Pakistan use any language other than English or their National Language, but lets leave that).

Then it came that even people who know the language don't adhere to the culture and have a 'hindi' culture. whats that supposed to mean?

If a person has been born (in bombay) and bred (in mumbai now and bombay earlier) we all know that person has a urban-city culture, which differs city to city, not state to state. Ask a person who lives in nagpur and ask a person who lives in mumbai whether they share the same culture. yeah i know the answers. forget about that - ask a person from pune and outskirts of pune whether they have the same culture, the answer is no. A resounding NO. even my own family has several cultures, for example if iv lived in mumbai all my life i might have a distant cousin who is in ladakh, but that doesnt make me any less mumbaiya, or him any less "wherever-hes-been-brought-up".

Latest statement from mr. RT is given above. it's weird. i hate to admit it, i just find it spectacularly super duper strange.

Thats a bit unfair for some tax-paying, law abiding people who hold maharashtra domicile's and call this city as their home, and then the home state will ostracize them...seriously, arguments and debate will always continue, thanks to politicians trying to use the policy of divide and rule and people getting swayed by emotion rather than thinking of the bigger picture which is called the republic of india. in fact i would want an attack by pakistan or india's million other enemies, just so that we unite.

being a mumbaikar (yes i love tendulkar, eat misal pav, love the city and its people, support Mumbai indians) im appalled by how many people support curbing jobs for people of other cultural origins, whom they happily thought of as 'next-door-neighbours', 'doodhwala's', 'paanwala's', 'watchmen', 'governtment/railway officer saab', etc etc

maharashtrans, to other indians, were basically known for the Maratha Regiment and Chattrapati Shivaji. Other than that Maharashtra was obviously known for Bollywood, Tendulkar and MUMBAI - the city of dreams.

We know what people think now. the words 'intolerant' and 'division' seem to be harped by politicians and the common man alike. hopefully this will reach an end.

Else our city of dreams will only turn into a nightmare.

Ek Saal Baad - There's absolutely no bubble in technology.

2010-01-31T23:22:00.002+05:30

Hey .Its been a year since i have been quite active on the blogging scene now. Feels Great.
Well, to all my blog readers, i have landed a job. Finally, i was placed at Accenture yesterday.
And today again i am blogging on the last day of this month.
2010 - Hope it will be a good year ahead.
By the way i had seen a video late last year. Its called Here Comes Another Bubble.
Check it out. Its funny and a must watch.
The lyrics and music also stand apart.
Blog Blog Blog it all ......yes i would blog about this song.

Here's the Link. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IQ_FOCE6I

I am sure you'd love it. And i agree with the concept so much.

There’s absolutely no bubble in technology”
Peter thiel october 31, 2007
investor, Facebook

got me a CS degree
honor roll, MIT

moved to Palo Alto
opportunity Knocked

thought I had the perfect plan
took a job at webvan

traded in my twenties
for a worthless pile of tech stock

Suffered thought the market crash
lost a giant wad of cash

Pink slips, burger flips
would you like some fries

happy days are here again
lary page, sergey brin

time to write a business plan
so i can be like those guys!

here comes another bubble

it’s a monster rally
all around the valley

first you need a buzzword
then a second and a third

pick at least two industries
you’ll revolutionize

find yourself an engineer
feed him pizza, buy him beer

Give him just a fraction
of a fraction of the pie

need a good domain name
must be cheap, can’t be lame

something cool like
flickr, meebo, wikiyou, mahalo, bebo

“telephone” without the “t”
“digg” but with a triple “g”

make your elevator pith
code it up and flip the switch

here comes another bubble
the VCs are backing
baby let’s get cracking

blog, blog, blog it all
blog it if it’s big or small

blog at the cineplex
blog while you’re having sex

blog in the locker room
babies blogging in the womb

blog even if you’re wrong
won’t you blog about this song?

launch party, nicely dressed
what the point? sausage fest

blue shirt, khaki pants,
looking like a line of ants

need to get a facebook page
all these guys are half my age

twenty nice, past my prime
i feel so behind the times

here comes another bubble
in a year we swear
we’ll all be billionaires

make yourself a million bucks
partly skill, mostly luck

now you can afford a down payment
on a small house

if you want a bigger one
hillsborough, atherton

better hoipe the same thing
happened to your spouse

IPO… luky you
have your cake and eat it too

Party yacht, party jet
why not buy a matching set?

build yourself a rocket ship
blast off on an ego trip

can this really be the end?
back to work you go again

here comes another bubble
and when we are gone
this will still go on

and on and on and on and on

2010

2009-12-31T17:16:00.003+05:30

I want to , but i don't know when

Slap the people who always irritated me.

Pull out all the students attending classes and make them enjoy life and nature.

Do the crazy spiderman wala thing in class. if u have seen the video on facebook.

Read all the novels which I have missed reading.

Sleep and sleep and sleep

Get rid of all obligations.

Go to Mt.Kailash, Mansarovar, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshwadeep and Leh & Ladakh.

Visit the most haunted place in India.

Ride to the most remote and highest place in the country

Educate one soul at least.

Express my love to somebody I did not have the guts to in my past.

Resolving as many conflicts as I can.

Start my own farm do kheti.

Go and meet all my teachers from school

Go back to all the secret places, nooks and corners that I cherished.

The Climb by Miley Cyrus

2009-11-27T02:40:00.010+05:30

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

SOCIAL NOTWORKING

2009-11-21T22:33:00.007+05:30

In just a few short years, social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut and

Twitter have soared to the top of the online traffic charts, replacing traditional favorites and causing us to entirely rethink the Internet's potential and future.

We're experiencing a degree of interconnectedness never before seen. And it's only going to get increase. Forget cocktail parties, because this is socialising en masse!

However, we must keep in mind that this new social networking culture demands a few rules of etiquette and common courtesy.

But what happens when all etiquette flies out the window?

You get the 20 most annoying social networking personalities, presented here for your perusal!

Ms Minutiae

You fire up the social networking website of choice, and what's the first thing you confront? Roughly 46 consecutive messages from Ms Minutiae, who has thankfully decided to document EVERY EXCRUCIATING MINUTE of her boring existence: 'is hungry', 'wants a sandwich', 'made a sandwich, pretty good', 'watching Scrubs', 'time for bed?', 'yep, time for bed'...AHHH!

Mr Stalker

You've only met this guy a few times in 'real' life. You know him, but not really. Of course, that hasn't stopped him from entrenching himself in your 'virtual' life. Post a few photos online, and in a few hours he's commented on every picture in every album! And every time you log on, he's there to send you an instant 'instant message' -- 'what's up?' or 'how are u?' Frighteningly, he knows your schedule better than you do. Be afraid!

Mr. Make Frandship

Girls, you know what we're talking about. This guy is downright infamous in India. He doesn't know you at all, but still 'entices' you with his scary, blurry profile pic and pleas 'to make fraandship'. Next, please.

Ms Tag-Awful-Photos-of-Everyone

Out at the party, and maybe had a few too many? Never fear, this girl is there to capture you in the most compromising positions! Of course, the next morning she'll be sure to post the pics online and 'tag' you, even before you get over your with it

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Ms Application Invite

Purple-starred teddy bears, chocolate cupcakes, hugs, new name generators, stupid quizzes etc. No matter how many times you turn down her invitation to join the 'People who forget they are People' group, she'll dutifully re-send it the following week, along with seven other invites. Just give up already. Your inbox has been taken over!

Mr Gym Rat

'Just ran 7 kms and did some abs. Feel the burn.' 'Is excited to pump iron for two hours tonight.' 'Is eating raw whey protein and drinking grass juice.' Okay, dude. We get it. We're all very impressed and we'll be cheering you on in the upcoming triathlon. In the meantime, eat a pizza or something.

Mr and Mrs In Love

He loves his girlfriend. She loves him right back, muah! They write messages like, 'Misses his super beautiful princess more than anything in the world!', 'Is the luckiest girl in the whole world, with the most handsome husband' and 'Will love his pumpkin pie till his dying days!' Um, thanks guys. Next time, do you mind not re-sharing your nuptials on the Internet? Thanks.

Mr and Mrs In-And-Out-Of-Love

On the flipside is this loony couple, who fight like cats and dogs, each and every day. You know you're dealing with some certifiable nutcases, because thrice a week, their 'relationship status' changes: 'single', 'engaged', 'confused', 'it's complicated', 'single', 'engaged' etc. And it always seems to end with professions of love and fidelity for all to see. I'm sensing a pattern here...

Mr. Political

Always seemed like a timid enough guy. But now you're privy to the inner recesses of his mind. And it ain't pretty! Rants, ravings, notes, quotes from obscure philosophers etc. Hey, buddy, passion's a good thing. But a 17,000 word tome on the crumbling civic society of India, brought on by market reforms and a bad education system? Write to Tehelka or something.

Ms New Mom

'Shafin walked today!', 'Ate two baby carrots!', 'Had carrot-coloured crap' and so on. Look, new mom, we all know you're incredibly, incredibly excited. But we, on the other hand, are completely uninterested in learning about the consistency of little Junior's poo. Do you see the conflict of interests here?

Ms Hates My Job/ Teacher/ Life

'Had the worst day EVER!!!!!', 'Despises her new professor', 'Wondering, 'Why me, God?'. Yep, it's the whiney, self-important complainer! Yes, dear, we know you are looking for a bit of sympathy. But every day? Every hour? Go for a walk. You don't need validation electronically.

Mr Geriatric

Nothing like the super uncool uncle crashing the party to destroy the atmosphere. Now, never fear, his game of sabotage can be done online! You and your friends have a funny thread going, full of biting wit and inside jokes? Here comes Ole Uncle, to post: 'Hi guys! 2 Funny!' GROAN. Also, his own wall is peppered with the same message, from 15 different school-age friends. 'Wow, Rahul, is it really you? I haven't seen you in 29 years! This FaceBookings things is AMAZING!'

Mr. Random Surfer

Doesn't really use the service. Has 29 friends. And replies, four months after your birthday wishes, 'Thanks. Sorry. Didn't see your message. Don't get the Facebook craze. Gimme a call sometime if you want to meet'. Okay, great. Take your stand against digitised friendship. But, in the meantime, delete your account already! Would you leave your voice message box full for months on end, without calling anyone back? Nope. Why not? It's rude. Plain and simple.

Mr Spelling Fail

'WOTTT??? UR KIDDING? CRAIZYNISS!' 'GNG TO SKOOL 2 MEAT MA FRIENDZ!' 'YOUR JOKIN. ARE GAME IZ 2MORRO.' Take a breath (not a breathe), and crack open those Standard I text books. It's time to put the friends on hold. Learning the basics is priority number one, friend.

Mr. Know It All

Conversely, there's this brainiac. 'Actually, the population of Australia is less than 25 million.' 'Actually, the spelling is corroborator, not corroborater.' 'Actually, the climate of Argentina is less tropical than you'd imagine. Ever hear of Padigonia?' Okay, bud. Next time I'm scheduled to appear for a GK quiz, I know who to call. But met ME call YOU.

Ms Know-them-all

One thousand, three hundred and two friends? Really? Would you even be able to pick these people out of a police line-up? Bumping into someone once at a random conference doesn't constitute 'friendship'. No one's impressed, because we all know that a super-high number of friends online usually correlates with a super-low cool quotient.

Mr Gamer

FarmVille King, Scrabble Champion, Mafia Don Extraordinaire, Texas Hold'em Poker pin. Ever check the timings, when this guy's insanely high scores are posted? A 24-hour period -- on a work day -- usually looks something like this: 3:12 am, 5:09 am, 3:11 pm, 11:48 pm, 2:55 am etc. Somebody's setting himself up to get fired. Sleep -- try it. It's pretty important.

Mr Reporter

Why thank you, young citizen journalist. Without your timely posts, I'd never had found out that: 'Michael Jackson has died! OMG! RIP!', 'A cyclone is approaching Mumbai', 'Obama speaking in Cairo right now', 'Industrial Growth lower than expected', and so on. Hey, when I want the news, I'll go to a news site. Until then, go to journalism school.

Mr Profound Lyrics

So that's why I sailed down to Memphis, with a black cat by my side " Um, guy, posting vague lyrics from 1970s-era hits doesn't make you a rock star. Also, thanks for sharing that screechy, blurry video of The Police playing live in rural Scotland in 1979. Rock on!

Mr Tireless Self Promoter

'So and so suggested you become a fan of www.funnypicturesofcatsincostumes.com', 'so and so suggested you become a friend of the band Twisted Wretched Agony'... Again. Look, we're all really impressed you've tested out your entrepreneurial hand with a great humour web site. And I'm sure you're new band is the cat's whiskers. But I really don't want to be bombarded by borderline-spam from one of my semi-friends. It's just...awkward.

P.S. Gender is mentioned on a random basis...I'm nt a chauvinist.

P.P.S --- Thanks to rediff for the awesome article.

Realizations

2009-10-31T19:10:00.018+05:30

1. I Have Learnt that you should Never Give UR Name to UR Pendrive...Can Get u into trouble(ISM -- GAWDE)

2. I Have Learnt that "People Forget and Forgive". So Never have a Permanent
"36 ka aakada" with Anyone.

3. I Have Learnt that People you Care About the Most in Life go Away and all the Others Remain.

4. I Have Learnt that no Matter how Much u Care, Some People just dont deserve it.

5. I Have Learnt that you can Keep on Puking Long after you think "Its Almost Done"

6. I Have Learnt to "Be Specific" and ask " How Much Exactly is WALKING DISTANCE" the Person is Referring to. I mean I can Walk Up till Kanyakumari if I Want to.
What exactly is 'WALKING DISTANCE' a km , 3km , 5 km ???

7. I Have Learnt that Never Look Back after Breaking the Traffic Signal.

8. I Have Learnt that Never Ever tell urself "M Gonna Sleep Just for Half an Hour" When u Have to Catch a Train in 2hrs and u Havent Packed UR Bags.

9. I Have Learnt that " U Cant reach BORIVALI in 15 minutes from ANDHERI" even if it is 6am and u tell the Rickshawallah "I'll pay Double."

10. I Learnt it Long Back that in a Mumbai Local if Somene asks "BOSS, GOREGAON??" Dont be Oversmart and say that " Nai Abhi to MALAD Aaya Hai".
He's Asking If YOUUUUUUUU Want to Get Down at "GOREGAON" or Not.

11. I Have Learnt That if Someone Tells U
" I'll see What can i Do about It", Its a Negative Response( So Dont Expect)

12. I Have Learnt That " Some Songs Just Pop Up in UR Head at Wrong Times"
('Hey There Delilah' during Multimedia Systems exam
'Ami Je Tomar' frm "Bhool Bhulaiya" in DCOM )

13. I Have Learnt That "Never Make Promises if You Have the Slightest Doubt " coz they are just like Babies Fun to Make, Difficult to Deliver.

14. I Have Learnt That " Time Travels Faster than Light"(No Complex Scientific Reasoning Behind It Please.....).

15. I Have Learnt That "Baroda Cant have Beaches" and "Mumbai Cant have Sindhrot".

16. I Have Learnt That i can Listen "Seasons In The Sun -- Westlife" Forever.

17. I Have Learnt That "Some People do Have the Habit of Sleeping in their Balconies, Even if They have a 2BHK Apartment"
(Internal Joke --- 804,KRISHNA CHS)

18. I Have Just Learnt that "This Post is Getting too Far...and Many Would have Left it Half-way and Those who Would Reach Here, Will Take a Deep Yawn and Curse me For Wasting their Precious Time.

( No, They Couldnt have Already Slept)

P.S. : This Post was Written at 4 am ( and i am feeling more sleepy than You) just because I dont miss out on OCTOBER.

Till then BLOGTE RAHO !!

My Tryst With Poetry( Part 2) --- That Look Is Killing Me

2009-09-16T15:30:00.008+05:30

Ahh ! That Look Of yours Is Killing me

the one, when you play with your hair

and you don't seem to be aware

that someone is getting killed

Ahh! that look of yours, I am so thrilled

Ahh! That Look of yours Is Killing Me

The one, when you walk around

without a sigh or a sound, I tell you my joy knew no bounds

And then you sit relaxed

Ahh! that look of yours,my heart beats get axed.

Ahh! That Look of Yours Is Killing me

The One, When You Smile Secretly

And that's the moment for me, Its so precious

Do You ever realize ?

Ahh! That look of yours, Thats what every guy would idealize.

Ahh! That Look of Yours is Killing Me

The One, with the tied hair'

Ohh I swear !

What if tomorrow never comes, I wonder

Will holding back, be my biggest blunder ?

Ahh! That Look Of Your is Killing Me

Killing Me, Killing Me,Killing Me....

The Hitchiker's Guide To End Trimesters/ Semesters

2009-09-15T22:06:00.006+05:30

Lately i have noticed a certain grimness entering my classmates. So its the time of the year ( it comes thrice -- due to trimester) when you realise that "there ARE only (X) days left before we i start emptying my Ball Point Pen's Ink. ( At times i wonder the pen might be feeling so lonely, so unused with a guy like me )

The feeling :

Just keep going, don't break down now, you are mortgaging your body with lack of sleep and too much effort, but keep going, you only have a little bit left, and then you can sleep kind of thing. Does that sound familiar?

Yes it does.

so finally its the time of the year when you will be caught with

1) making the last ditch effort( chits, asking your friend to write the test on behalf of you--that again depends if he himself hasn't screwed his)( YES, It works in MPSTME) to get a good score in the 2nd test, coz u screwed/missed/bunked the 1st one

2) you will be finishing the assignment which ought to be submitted a month ago, but outta your laziness u didn't care about it

3) or either you would be spending sleepless nights making presentation for some subject, as your professor( a narcissist) suddenly had some divine intervention and decided to have the last few chapters as a self study.

4)there is also a chance THAT YOU WOULD BE PESTERING YOUR CR/SR TO further postpone the submissions/tests and giving that poor chap a hard time in dealing with the teachers.

5) Ahh how can i forget the submissions.Well they are called Practicals.But what we finally do is we take pieces of paper, A Pen( Ideally you should use two coloured pens--- Black for the headings, and blue for the internal content)and a pencil ( if u dont care about diagrams--lets be oblivious to that part ).PRACTICALS HAVE MORE THEORY THAN THEORY ITSELF.

I can offer a Ticket to the latest Movie to anyone who proves that more ink was consumed while taking notes in class than in writing practicals.

See it proves my point.

6) And in the meanwhile some Great Students Like Me, Who work on the principles of Rockets ( Yes we work only when our ass is on fire ) recall its the end of a trimester. Another Three Months Spent in Doing Nothing.

( Wake Me Up When Trimester Ends)

7) So what else happens during these times to the Avearge JOE in the class

a) He's always worried that someone submitting everything before time and the prof would further lessen his already neagtive grades due to the delay on his part.

b) He's worried that some another student would have gone on a rapport building excercise with the prof(jus before the exams) and would have some imp ques or topics marked which again would not be relayed to the class.( competing for GPA)

8) Suddenly the library is full of students, completing assignments, journals, making presentations.

You Play musical chairs in the library( for lack of chairs).

Bags are Piled up outside and u better be good at treasure hunt to find yours.

9)Xerox --- Nobel Prize for Peace Should be given to the guy who made this wonder. Peace because he has done so much to bring repose and serenity to the life of the students. Life would have been so Difficult Without Xerox. Imagine notes, Books, Practicals.

10)Sleep Deprivation will be high at this time. Also Your Mind Wanders The Most In the Times Of the Exam.

The Laws Of Exam:

a) The probability of a the prettiest girl sitting besides you in library is the highest when you have the toughest exam next day.

b) The probability of you waking up at 5.00 am to complete your half unfinished portion is almost like expecting a Jet to Land on the ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

c) The probability of the compulsory question being the one you studied is 50 percent.

d) The probability of the an easy invigilator coming to your Exam Room Is Less than the probability Of Someone Monstrorous.

e) The Probability of SomeOne asking a supplementary Before You and You Left Wondering ( HOW ???) is very very high.

f) The Probability Of the You Not Getting a Rickshaw, Lift Not Working, Trains Getting Late also increases drastically during the days of examinations.

g) The Probability Of THe Person Coming For an Exam Without Bathing is On the Higher Sides If They Come From a Certain Place.( Read Between The Lines)

h) The Probability Of The Average Loser (The Median Student) troubling, whispering you for the question you dont know is at its all time high.

i) The Most Sought After Book In The Library Will Be Gone Long Back( WAKE UP SID).

j) The probability of your High School Crush or College Crush Coming Online On the day of exam is 50% ( Again depends if you have a geeky crush or a non- geeky crush, a localite or non-localite) . So start Studying And Dont Wait In Anticipation.

K) THE MOST IMPORTANT LAW: NEXT TIME SE SAB KUCH PEHLE SE KAROONGA.

My Tryst With Poetry --- Widout U

2009-09-10T03:15:00.011+05:30

Widout u ... Mumbai falls asleep;

Widout u ... The roads are empty;

Widout u ... The Sun cant be bright;

Widout u ... The moonlight not white;

Widout u ... Cloud disappears slowly;

Widout u ... Trees forget the winds;

Widout u ... There ain't no stars;

Widout u ... Night is chagrined;

Widout u ... The rains I detest;

Widout u ... My joys disappear in thin air;

Widout u ... Hours are days;

Widout u ... Casablanca seems boring;

Widout u ... Its the lonely walk;

Widout u ... Thoughts prevent me from going to bed;

Widout u ... I don’t distinguish the horizon ahead;

Widout u ... There are no heavens;

Widout u ... Time forgets it reasons;

Widout u ... Am afraid of the last day;

Widout u ... Haze conceals the splendid ocean;

Widout u ... I don’t figure or picture anything pleasant;

Widout u ... I am wondering this ques @ dis moment;

When should i let the cat outta the bag...

I better don't post it here …Samaj Mein Aa Raha Hain ??

Rattva 06-07-08-09 Anti-ROTE

2009-08-27T18:33:00.006+05:30

Let Me Give it a Thought.

And People Try and Think About it.

Imagination is the only thing a Man Truly Possess.

It is our only Hope, only Salvation.

It is the gift that man has. Imagine a time when there were no Aeroplanes, no Internet, no Missiles , no Electricity, no Bulbs, no Computers, no Cars ... Ad-Infitum

But Then man had courage to I-magine.( doesnt it begin with a I. Its what I want to Do)

If you don't have Imagination, you don't have Anything.

Lets Get Back Into History. We have seen so many people who have acheived greatness by doing the unconventional, doing the not so popular.

The First Man who was Willing to Undertake a voyage "Around" the world( Ferdinand Magellan to be more specific), Relied on Nothing more than mere Suspicion that the world may not be FLAT as Everyone else Believed, and his own Undying Belief that the Earth was round.

Didn't The People Believe Him to be stupid . Some Sought of Psycho.

And, I Respect Him, Because He had the Courage to Say " Bring It On, I'm Ready to Rumble"

So people give your Whims and Fancies a chance. They Might Just Turnout To Be True.

And Even If They Dont, You Havent Lost Anything.

You Have Pampered Yourself( By Trusting Your Instincts)

I mean, what evidence did he have in the 15th century that corroborated that the earth was round? None.

So his Adventure was based on a Wild, Risky plan. He had the nerve to do something Wild and achieve something Extraordinary. He knew he Might Fall off the Edge of the Earth if he was wrong and the rest of the world was right.

But if there was a Risk, he was Willing to take it. If he had to be Laughed at, or Die for attempting something that Stupid, then so be it. That was the Price he was prepared to pay for his conviction.

Thats It.

"Free Me From The Shackles Of Marks and Grades

And Let Me Soar High Into the Skies Of Knowledge And Imagination"

( Just Got Carried Away)

What we need today is that scientific curiosity. What we need are people who would be willing to trade all they have for one moment of revelation.

See thats the point. We need people who would rather be Laughed at for Defending their "FANTASTIC" ideas than Spend their Lives Wondering about What Might have been. The Educational system should reward Inquisitiveness as opposed to mere Rote.

The education system we have now rewards the ones who can Imitate best.( The one who fills pages, writes non required crap, at times i think they weigh the answersheets before giving marks. Also, Handwriting is more important than knowledge...they have changed the 'Imagination is more important than knowledge' thing)

So does Handwriting= Knowledge ??

Or well that way doctors shud be the most Stupidest people in the world.( No hard feelings, fellow docs. I know the Chemists do recognise Your Handwriting)

But what good is imitation if we aspire to move forward? Curiosity should be incentivised. Knowledge should not be a means to a better or richer life. It should be a reward in itself.

Memory Is Important. And No doubt that xams cant be done away with. But Mere Grading On the Basis of reproducing the text book, is not what it should be.

Is the education system producing inquisitive minds or copy writers ??( Xerox Machines to be more specific)

History textbooks should carry historians' opinions, not politicians'.

Science textbooks should come with a very visible disclaimer that all of science is merely based on our interpretation of observable facts, and it may or may not give the complete picture.

Scientific rules exist only until proven otherwise. Give in the reins. It's time to be bold and declare our ignorance.

There is nothing shameful in a search to find the truth, inspite of our very human limitations. And nothing is more dignified.