Anil Kulkarni | Blog

Random Lines

2011-12-28T08:41:00.001-08:00

The thoughts of my mind are so subtle

To comprehend them and make them unsubtle

I need some space for myself and my mind

To put them together and get them entwined

And make them grow into a tree

I visit them again and again like a marquee

Something reminds me that i am part of a hierarchy

And that's my last name Kulkarni!!

Why this Kolaveri Di? – Does it really have to make sense?

2011-12-05T09:09:00.001-08:00

It was one of the night outs that I will always remember for the number of people involved and moreover all of us were from Office. We were a group of 15 hanging out at ‘Raastha Café’ one of the very few places we have around Bangalore to visit at odd hours in the night. Prior to this was a movie for which I have posted review below. We had a great time there talking about so many things and publicly displaying the aspiring singers in each one of them. The night was going just fine when the music stopped for a sec and started again but a different song. It’s an easy guess.

All of us hummed the song in the café until the last few lines of the song. We were as well making it look like an ‘Action song’ by making signs of moon and pointing at one of our black colored sweatshirt. When the last few lines arrived, a lady dressed in black came out of her seat and put some Dhinkachika steps for the song. But it did not last long and left us wanting for more. So as soon as the song ended there was sudden roar from the crowd there. ‘Once more’, ‘Once more’ and after umpteen number of shouts and requests the staff agreed to play it again. We were not sitting anymore and trying to shake a leg to the song. Soon many people who were blowing away the flavored hukka smoke joined and people kept on joining.

People of different kinds, different tastes, different color, different caste, and different languages had joined in to dance. I felt there is something else apart from cricket that makes people in India sing the same tune. Irrespective of all the differences, some that I have mentioned and some that I have not all of us there shared the same emotion. Each one of us looking at a stranger and copying his step and a cheer by people who were still sitting. It really did look like a flash mob. What made me wonder was the ease at which we mingled with each other without any apprehension. Soon the song ended and we got back to our tables displaying thumbs up to everyone who participated.

I rode back home alone in the chilly morning of Saturday with thoughts of the song. The song has become a huge hit and when I was brainstorming the reasons for it, I felt the simplicity was the major reason. It incepts dreams in a common man that you can make it big someday. The complexity of the song is less and even a non-Tamilian can connect to it. Even a person who knows few English words can connect to it. I must agree that it has got a catchy music which is the soul of the South India cinemas. Making such diverse people dance for it at the same time without a second thought in the mind isn’t it an achievement for the song? For me it is, what more do the makers of it need. As I reached home and glanced through the newspaper I read the legendary Javed Akhthar’s comments on the song, It said, “Kolaveri_D'. Every one is praising the robes but the emperor is naked. Tune ordinary, singing substandard. Words an insult to sensibility." Despite criticism from all quarters (some tweets alleging that his own songs were worse), he stood by his words and went on to add, "Even If bad taste is in the cover of “personal taste" at least I don't find acceptable." With all due respect to him and his works i would say Connecting to so many people, rather masses without any Chammak Chalo kind of publicity is really appreciable. It does make you feel it has got substance in it. When movies have certain stories/scenes which do not make sense which rake in the moolah, why not songs?

The review of A Dirty Picture

2011-12-03T08:51:00.001-08:00

Disclaimer: All statements made here are just a personal 'Opinion' and the content might reveal certain parts of the movie.

With all due respect to the acting prowess of Vidya Balan (Silk), i would want to say that i somehow did not like the movie. But as the character of Emran Hashmi (Abraham) falls in love with whom he hated i started thinking of the positive side of it.. Abraham always wants to win over Silk and prove a point of his own. Every-time he tries something for that, he gets one step closer to her and ends up with tears in his eyes.

Just like that in the same way, i was thinking why i really did not like the movie and ended up getting some '+1s' about the movie. When the Promos of the movie were released, it became a rage about the exposure and it was obvious that all posters had an 'A' inserted on them. A movie based on southern seductress' life - So you cant really complain about the costumes.

My first impression was that of a shock seeing the evolution of Vidya Balan from Parineeta to DP. In terms of acting each actor is competing to be the best. I really appreciate the ease at which Vidya Balan was when she was wearing the skimpy clothes and even when she was exposing her prosthetic paunch. And yes she really will be at the top competing for the 'Best Actress' award. Naseeruddin Shah - its better i dont say much about him. Just Brilliant performance. Bappi Lahiri's golden voice still has the same magic. 'Ooh La la, Ooh la la' will be hummed by everyone who listen to it and its gonna stay for sometime. Maybe cos everyone has fantasies!

Now coming ot the purpose of the movie or something that i got from the movie, it showed the background of certain B grade movies and what makes women choose to do them. The sole reason being the urgency in gaining 'FAME' and being the talk of the town without thinking of the consequences it brings to their life. 'Jab sharafath ke kapde utharthe hain tho sabse maza shareefoko hi aatha hain', it does really make sense isn't it?

It also shows the exploitation of women and will surely make you think when you decide to watch a movie of that type and probably decide not to watch it.
In real life, 'Silk' chose this path of gaining fame and when she had it, it was too much to handle probably because of the kind of Fame she had earned. I could see some shades of the movie 'Fashion' in it showing how success makes man, rather woman go crazy. The movie also captures how media play a role in a star's life.

I do not know the crowd toward which this movie was directed. Is it for the women who want choose that career? Is it for people who watch and whistle for such movies? Is it for making money? But it does manage to tell us the hard reality of people who are involved in the making of those sort of movies.

Some things to watch out:

The beginning of the movie - you would love it. The magic of South Indian Music.
The Costumes designed for Vidya Balan before she became a word of mouth.
Naseer's introduction scene and his shirtless dance.
The dialogues of the movie which make a lot of sense when you think the other way.
Emraan Hashmi's lucky again with a good song for himself.
Probably Vidya Balan's best act.
Tushaar Kapoor's dance in his room.

All in all the movie has a bold first half and a sensible second half. Go for it if you want to see Vidya Balan and stories behind the life of certain kind of actress.

I would give it 3/5.

Screams in the Land of Dreams!! - Nov 26th!!!

2011-11-26T09:24:00.001-08:00

We started the day

With the whistling train

Happy and gay

Unknown of the wicked brain

Kids played on the plain

In the November rain

Few went in search of work

Was it their bad luck??

The ‘Others’ entered the sea

We could hardly see

The ride till the gate was free

Others were more than three

Their minds were pilled

So that humanity could be killed

The land of dreams

Made sounds of screams

People were shot

As the commandos fought

Many lives lost

And Only one was caught!!!

And He’s yet to be taught…

Suicide : An Easy Solution?

2011-11-24T09:11:00.001-08:00

I was very happy when one of my friend said that he was never worried about anything in life. He made me look worried the next moment by saying, "The reason is i have the option of ending my life if things go wrong". Is Suicide growing as an easy solution to face things in life? It was a matter of concern for me even though i was sure he wasn't that sort of a guy.The experience of happiness and a kind of sadness in just two moments made me feel, things always exist in opposites.

Off late there have been lot of incidents of people ending life, especially students. Looks like the attrition rate of life is increasing alarmingly. Frustration and anger builds in me when i hear someone hanging up their chapter in life. The most recent incident being the guy from PES College, Bangalore. Well i do not know the detailed reasons behind his act, but i am pretty sure that if that guy had put the same effort in something else, he would have made a mark. For me ending life is not so easy because Life's just so awesome. It takes a lot of guts and effort to commit the act of quitting this beautiful world.

I happened to see three reactions (all three students from same college) on this incident and on the protests against college. One friend says, "At-least now the college guys learn and not be so strict on rules" . Another friend says both Suicide and the protest are rubbish. Another friend has a blog post of his own on it and even he doesn't support this act.

I also do feel that it is rubbish. the angst of few people against a college cos an individual committed an unjustified crime is a total NO from my side. I has read somewhere that "there is always a better way" and getting better than yourself is what one should aim for. As a mechanical engineer, i remember that for each kind of a link, there's a definite kind of motion. In the same way there's a design for life and also a design for the people. Not everyone can do everything.

Its time that some morals are embedded in today's kids since their childhood and also the spirit of fighting with their own weaknesses. Challenging one's own abilities and moving ahead is a great way to keep yourself focused. There's a big debate going on that students should not be punished. We should come up with more creative ways of enforcing certain things than physical punishment which leaves scars in the mind of a kid. The bottom line is it all starts in a very young age and it keeps growing with time. The value of Life can be realized not by Maths. Physics, Chemistry, English but by seeing another Life struggling with its own conflicts to make a decent living. Lets try to achieve 'Dignity of Labor' so that there is wide variety of choices for your own kid, in case he cant be a 5 pointer!

In memory of a friend on Children's Day

2011-11-14T08:30:00.001-08:00

A lot of memoirs are part of this date
Events that were designed by fate
Some made up for a celebration
And other brought in images of a cremation

A friend who is no more
The emptiness making our lives sour
This was the day he came on to earth
A great friend had taken his birth

These thoughts recur every year
Leaving my eyes wet in a tear
A humble guy he was
I so badly hope that it was ‘HE IS’

- In memory of a friend who shares his birthday with children’s day

Hope

2011-10-16T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hopping on a ray of hope

Never say 'Nope'

Dont lose it with a dope

Nor with a hanging rope

You know the history

And future is a mystery

Make your life more glittery

By stopping the negatives like a sentry

Think about being detahced

When you are attached

About something that you want

So that its not gonna come back at you to haunt

With a smile you greet

and learn from the people you meet

Once in a while jump up and scream

Live life like its one big, big dream

Incident 1: On my way to the office i saw a young man rather i can call him a kid smoking away his life and he did not look like the son of a construction worker. He was wearing a funky shirt, brand new jeans, sitting on his Deo.

Incident 2: I heard of a guy committing suicide for some damn reason. How on earth could one possibly think of suicide as a solution?

The above two incidents make think of 'Hope' which makes you a positive person. The above few lines are a consequence of my thought.

According to me, this entire world runs on 'Hope'. A hope that this world will never end, a hope that we will have a better tomorrow, a hope that god really exists, a hope that all the bad things come to an end. Every man, every individual has his own sets of hope. But a wise man has said its better to 'Hope' than to expect . The Indian IT industry hopes that the US economic situation improves, a software engineer hopes he gets an onsite soon.We all hope that our vehicles give a better mileage, a mother hopes that her child gets back home soon, a old lady on the street hopes for a helping hand, a blind man hopes that one day he can see his future, a multi-millionaire hopes to be a billionaire. The list of hope is never ending. But all this is good only if you hope, but disaster strikes when it turns to expectation.

Be a Better Friend

2011-10-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

These days I'm against having firm ideas about anything, be it animal welfare or just a concept. I always want to leave room for someone else to say something new about it and be flexible, so that I would still be able to accept their point of view. To be a better friend to any of our friends, one must learn the art of compromising and not have fixed opinions and try proving that we are right.

To be a better friend and master the art of compromising, one should

Try to understand any situation from your friend's point of view and then respond
RESPOND and do not react to anything. While reacting is just getting angry or upset over something that may have gone wrong, responding is trying to understand the situation and figuring out how to solve it rather than getting furious over it
Offer advice and opinion when only asked and when absolutely needed to be passed on to your friends
Provide help selflessly to friends when they are in need , even when you are not really keen on doing the task or have a distaste for it. You simply wish to help your friend
Listen sincerely without judging
Never enforce your ideas on them, if you find them to disagree then simply agree to disagree
Apologize when you feel you have made a mistake rather than giving importance to ego, you give more importance to the relationship that to all your ego
You listen better to your friend's criticism and try to become better rather than becoming defensive and taking things in the wrong way
You trust your friend from heart and never doubt anything
Provide moral support and any kind of help when they are down
Compromise! Compromise! Compromise! They are worth more than you proving that you are right to them. To lose in this game would actually make you a winner instead
Appreciate and say nice things but dont be artificial when praising, say if from your heart
FORGIVE your friends even if the mistake is totally on them and they are never going to admit it. You are nice person after all
Accept that what is important for you need not necessarily be important for them
When you meet them after a long time, smile widely and receive them with happiness

All of us would have lost so many friends over the years for various reasons, be it you have moved out to another city, another college, got placed in some other company, misunderstanding, or simply losing touch. But , if they were once upon a time close to you and have genuinely helped you that time, then you must try your best to set right the relationship and get back your old friends. In short, forgive those who didn't stand by you, it makes you a better friend :)

“ To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In

return, you will receive untold peace and happiness ”

You know that they are a part of your memories that you can never erase, so what are you waiting for? Go pick the mobile and make a call to them and say "hey! How You doin" :-)

Content Courtesy: Rhythm of an indian girl

Two years

2011-10-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

Two years ago, exactly on this date, I took my first step towards professionalism. It all started with a journey in an overcrowded train from Bangalore to Mysore, standing all the way, a taxi from the Mysore railway station to the Infosys Campus, known for its architectural marvel and facilities available. Fortunately I had some friends from my college who accompanied me. I stood in the queue and even today I stand in one daily, but in Bangalore.

After a long wait, we entered the main gates; guess it should be Gate-1 and the first glimpse of the campus is still framed in my mind. It was impressive, mind-blowing, awesome, fantastic, super and what not. The training centre looked like a big palace and with green grass around it, seemed like we were out of India. No one knew what was in store for us in the next six months.

We somehow managed to get rooms in the same floor and building. It was an experience by itself where we had to manage everything on our own, Starting from the morning alarms, washing clothes, clearing perceptions and few other things. The first two days, the excitement was at its peak, exploring the facilities that the campus boasts of and a quick game of bowling. Within a week’s time, I had made lot of friends from various parts of the country and there I was clutching my hand as I read for the first time ‘Your score is being calculated’ on the computer screen. That was the memory of the first perception I attended.

I experienced my first failure and put down my feelings in words. It was a ride with its own ups and downs tweaked to the needs of the software industry. A few of my friends departed mid-way and a few are still here in Bangalore with me. I always thought when this training would end and now as I write these words, I think “Will those days ever come back?” I am happy that I lived all those moments though the situation was stressful at times. We managed to steal some time from the rigid schedule and live it as per our desire.

Today, I celebrate two years of professionalism and all that it has got to me for instance a lot of things in terms of learning, a good bunch of people as friends and a bit of financial potential to fulfill a part of my dreams. Hoping to move forward grabbing all that comes in my way to learn and obviously with a smile on the face. These two years have made me realize, nothing comes easy in life and you can’t be on a crest always as there would be no ‘crest’ without a ‘trough’.

Coversational humor

2011-10-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

TSS [5:30 PM]:

AAK....I had a question?

AAK [5:31 PM]:

regarding?

TSS [5:31 PM]:

Who Let the dogs out?

AAK [5:31 PM]:

well

AAK [5:31 PM]:

i know the answer

TSS [5:32 PM]:

who? who?

AAK [5:32 PM]:

no i mean

AAK [5:32 PM]:

do u kno the answer?

TSS [5:32 PM]:

k...do ur work...u've to go 4 dance class alos.

AAK [5:32 PM]:

It depends on which dog u r talking abt

TSS [5:32 PM]:

r u free....coz i'm not..

TSS [5:32 PM]:

so, bye

AAK [5:33 PM]:

even am not

AAK [5:33 PM]:

but lets clear the doubt

AAK [5:33 PM]:

pls

AAK [5:33 PM]:

which dog r u talking abrt

AAK [6:01 PM]:

you still dint tell me which dog

AAK [6:01 PM]:

common yaar fast

TSS [6:01 PM]:

wat?

AAK [6:02 PM]:

who let the dogs out?

TSS [6:02 PM]:

go 4 practice no...lemme finish d work..

AAK [6:02 PM]:

i will go

AAK [6:02 PM]:

dont worry abt that

AAK [6:02 PM]:

but lets fix up this dog issue

AAK [6:02 PM]:

its eating my head

TSS [6:02 PM]:

lol

TSS [6:03 PM]:

try figuring it out urself....

TSS [6:03 PM]:

and lemme know...if u find out....dat who let d dogs out..

AAK [6:03 PM]:

the question here 'who' and asked by you

TSS [6:03 PM]:

i've been trying to figure it out 4 weeks now...

AAK [6:03 PM]:

but who depends on 'which' now

AAK [6:03 PM]:

which dog

AAK [6:04 PM]:

so we need to figure out which dog first and then decide on who

AAK [6:04 PM]:

wat say?

TSS [6:04 PM]:

we'll discuss it some other time...

TSS [6:04 PM]:

right now...need to complete wrk.

AAK [6:05 PM]:

This is not right on your part to postpone such an intriguing matter which is of the highest priority. There are so many dogs out there which are causing harm to the public by forming a union called 'Stray Dogs'. If we find which dog, then we can find who. Then we can make sure that person takes care of that dog.

AAK [6:06 PM]:

This would make life easier for the public

AAK [6:07 PM]:

I demand an explanation for you postponing this matter

TSS [6:07 PM]:

GET LOST>>>>

TSS [6:07 PM]:

SORRY, FOR ASKING THE QUESTION!!!

AAK [6:07 PM]:

hehe

Love Letters

2011-10-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

The play started off with a conversation between a boy and a gal which continues all their life. Eventually we realized that it was exchange of words among them in the form of letters portrayed in the play. The play is centered on just two characters, Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III who capture the attention of the audience in no time. One of the most important things of the play is the simple stage setup used by them. One of the amazing things about the play is the prop they have used; I would like to call it a multi-dimensional prop. It was modified as per the needs of the scene by the characters themselves. For instance, when the characters faced a low phase in life we could see black colored props. This A.R.Gurney’s international hit is a heartwarming story of the two friends.

All I knew about the play was that it was something to do with letters and love. And when you think of love, we always tend to think of those feel good bollywood stories which end with a happy note. This entire play revolves around two friends who eventually fall in love with each other just by sharing their thoughts in the form of letters. Well they do get to meet quite often, but their writing never stops. When the play reaches is interim stage, you realize that this is not gonna be like the movie stories. The two characters share everything they can like Day to day life, Dreams, achievements, failures, fantasies and what not. You feel for Andrew, nicknamed as Andy by Melissa when the play ends.

Love Letters - The Team

Rajit Kapur plays Andrew and doesn’t fail to deliver a brilliant performance. Complementing him was Shernaz Patel playing the role of Melissa Gardner. It looked like they were competing against each other in terms of performance. Indeed the entire team got a standing ovation from the crowd. All in all it was a wonderful presentation.

Writer: A.R. Gurney

Director: Rahul da Cunha

Originally produced by : Hosi Vasunia & Remu Jhaveri

Light Designer: Kaiwan Mistry

Set Designer: Fali Unwalla

Music Compilation: Sarosh Bhabha

On Lights: Arghya Lahiri, Prahlad Upadhyay, Kaiwan Mistry

On Sound: Nadir Khan, Kapil Samat

Make Up Artist: Nandu Wadke

Production Controller: Ayaz Ansari

Production Team: Niloufer Sagar, Deep Dudani

Photography:Madhu Gadkari

Udaan (Day 1)

2011-09-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

How strange is this combination of proximity and separation. That ground - seconds away - thousands of miles away. ~Charles A. Lindbergh

The above lines describe how I was feeling when I boarded my second flight (BLR- DEL) with my college friend Vivek. Boarding the flight was our first step towards a ten day long vacation. Friday, the 12^th of August 2011, I boarded my second flight and as we entered we thought to ourselves, lets not expect anything out of this most awaited trip which was planned just in two days. There was another friend of mine who was flying at the same time but on an international airline for his higher studies and that is Pramod Natraj.

Spicejet

The flight being Vivek’s first, he took the seat next to the window hoping to capture Bird’s eye view of Bangalore. As the metal bird took off, the most admired Nikon SLR was out only to make us realize that the battery power had drained out. Hope its not an ‘Omen’ we thought and managed to capture few snaps from Samsung phones. Experiencing the minor turbulences, within no time we had dozed off. I woke up with a ear block and the flight circling around the Delhi airport. After a few circles, the bird protruded its claws and held firmly the asphalt led track made for it. And so we were in DELHI. (12 noon)

Utkal Express

A cab from the airport to H.Nizamuddin Railway station gave us a feel of the Delhi traffic and its wide roads. At 1.30 PM, we made it to the station and had a quick lunch to board the Utkal Express at 2.30 PM. Then began the long, really long wait for the train to arrive. The rain gods showered their blessings in excess, I was forced to sit with all our luggage on my lap and Vivek was busy charging the camera’s drained out battery. Finally the train arrived at around 5.45 PM and I really don’t remember when it departed. At 2 AM in the morning we reached Haridwar, the land of the holy River Ganga and the scary ‘Aghoris’. Luckily for us Shankar, a SAP professional once upon a time had booked a room for us.

Hotel in Haridwar

We entered the room, dropped our luggage and got some Biscuits + Tea as our dinner, breakfast. A four hour short nap and then a quick bath, we were back at the Haridwar Railway station to meet the other 14 strangers and begin our journey towards wonderland.

Haridwar Railway Station

Additional Details:

BLR-DEL Airfare : Rs.3300/- (Spice Jet)

Del Airport to Nizamuddin Station : Rs. 280/-

Utkal Express (To Haridwar) : Rs. 141/-

A weeklong trip to A & N Islands

2011-06-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Two men

Andy and Jo

Decide to go

and thus begins ‘The Adventure of A&N Islands’

It was a 5night and 6day trip to Andaman with Kingfisher flights from Chennai.

Date: 11^th June, 2011 – 16^th June, 2011

Day 1 - Reach Port Blair Airport, Go to Hotel Room, Watch the heavy monsoon showers and get upset, Have breakfast, lunch, Explore the Aberdeen Bazaar, Visit to the Corbyn Cove beach, get drenched in rain, do some shopping if required, missed cellular jail light and sound show, have dinner, go back to room.

Conclusion : Don’t assume things about Port Blair. Its just like any other city, Little less traffic, reminded me of the 10-15yr old Bangalore, Since diesel costs less most of the people own big vehicles. We were very upset with our first day experience and We looked at each other’s face and wondered whether this trip would end up a disaster considering the monsoon showers.

Day 2 – Go to the Phoenix harbor and board a ferry to Havelock Island which has the famous Radhanagar Beach. We dint get tickets for the ferry and go to know that tickets for next three days were booked. The look on our faces was horrible. Get back to room, Have breakfast, decided to go to a Three island tour.

Ross- Viper-North bay + guided snorkeling trip at North Bay.

Conclusion : Day 2 had got the smile on our face back. We felt that we had come for a trip. Snorkeling is fun and exciting when the water is clear.

All the islands mentioned above are worth a visit.

Day 3 – Radhanagar beach and Snorkeling at Elephant beach in Havelock Island. Our travel agent arranged two tickets somehow. Radhanagar beach is considered to be one of the best in Asia. Snorkeling at Elephant beach was once in a lifetime experience. Ferry Ride from Havelock to Port Blair, was like a real life water ride. Experienced what a rough sea could mean, Frightening and exciting.

Conclusion : Day 3 was simply awesome. All the Day 1 thoughts had got eliminated and we were talking about how the day went and what experiences we had.

Day 4 – Baratang, limestone caves, Mud Volcano, A sneak peek into the life of the ferocious ‘Jarawa’ tribe. It’s a 3 hour ride in a bus, we can catch a glimpse of the tribal people. Few of them looked normal with pant and short, few others were in their traditional costume. The entry to the Lime stone cave was awesome and the caves have amazing structures created by limestone. Mud volcano is a tourist spot, just go, see and come back

Conclusion : This day was fun too. We were talking about the Jarawas, how would it be to spend a day with them.

Day 5 : This was day meant for city tour. We were very apprehensive about two museums, but I must say its worth a visit. Highly informative, We got to know about the so called barren Island, North Cinque island and about the significance of the famous hindi dialogue ‘Do Kauri ka aadmi nahin’.

The two museums were ‘Samudrika’ and ‘Anthropological Museum’. One of Asia’s biggest and oldest saw mill at Chatham, The prowess of the machines there will make you standstill. Finally a visit to the ‘Cellular Jail’, knowing about the history of the Indian freedom fighters and mourning for a minute near the ‘Vir Savarkar’s’ Cell. In the end, the most awaited and well known ‘Light and Sound’ show at the cellular. Its made really well and yes it is a National Memorial.

Conclusion : We felt every visit to every place was worth it, since the day ended with the light and sound show, we were silent .

Day 6 : Little shopping, Board the flight back to Chennai at 12 noon. Had lunch on board.

Conclusion : With great memories, great experiences, we returned wanting more of such holidays.

What an Idea Sirjee!!

2011-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Looking at all the ads of IDEA, I was thinking about the Ideas in my mind and also the ideas that have turned out into something else.

Being a mechanical engineer by qualification, I wanted to title this post as ‘Lifecycle of a Product Design’. But why?That will be answered as you continue to read this post.

During my final year of engineering, a group of ten somehow made an ever-memorable trip (Sharavathi Backwaters) for three whole days. On the second day of the trip we were on an island watching the beautiful Sun go back to its den. The time had slowed down for all of us and exactly at that moment when the light was sufficient enough for us to capture few mind-blowing snaps, I got an IDEA.

IDEA 1: As many of us standing with the drowning sun as the backdrop will take leap into the air and before we touch the ground again, a super fast click on the camera should capture the moment to be cherished all our lives.Six of us stood, and Vivek, who was just a photography enthusiast at that time was brave enough to take the camera in his hand. We placed ourselves so that we don’t clash with each other. Vivek started the count. One.. We could hear the birds chirp, the whistling wind and sound of the stream and thousand thoughts in mind of all the time we had spent in college which was nearing an end. Two.. I took a deep breath in and decided to put all my energy so that my legs are in the air when its captured… As he said three.. we all took a leap into the air in a random manner. All this happened in a jiffy and the first click Vivek got is probably the best till date from him who now owns a SLR!!

IDEA 1 implemented successfully and the product was the picture.

Fly in the air

IDEA 2 : To be continued….

Walk in the Moon – Song!!!

2010-11-29T06:36:00.000-08:00

Well, after i wrote the lines in the below post, i tried to hum it for someone, and did it to the best of my abilities!! The idea making it into a song with some music struck to my mind. Just to make it sound better than my singing. At that time i could remember one good old friend of mine who had done something like this before for me. His name is ChandraMouli .

This guy’s got great passion for music and so i did record the song in ma own tune and sent it across to him so that he could weave his magic into it. After a few days i get a mail from him with an attachment, Trust me he truly did turn it into something more than what i had expected. Moreover he’s rendered different versions of the same song and Given his own personal touch to it.

Thanks for this Lee!!!

Below are the two versions of the song:

Listen and Pls give a feedback!!!

Walk in the Moon - Acoustic

Walk in the Moon - Triphop

Walk in the moon

2010-11-26T06:06:00.000-08:00

A wonderful afternoon, sitting in the office fortunately with all my work done and the thoughts of talking to someone was in the head. So i started writing the below few lines and it turned out to be a poem in the end. After reading this a friend of mine asked me "Dude, to whom is this dedicated?". I was speechless for a moment.

I will tell you to whom it is meant for, but first read these few lines which are going to transform into a song soon. Do Leave a comment if you like them!!!

During the noon

Lets Talk

Wait for the moon

For the Walk

Hand in hand

On the Sand

Beside the beach

And u in my reach

It’s the time

For some wine

And a rose

Which I chose

I’ll be your cook

You have the look

Keep the smile

For as long as the nile

I want you more

That’s what the waves roar

Hear the Sound

And go round and round

A beautiful chance

For a moon-light dance

Is this a dream?

No, I wanna scream

Humming this song

We’ll make the night long

This is for you

You know I’m true

Chorus :

This is the way

I dream of a day

Talking the noon

Walking the moon….

Now coming to the point to whom its dedicated to. Its dedicated to the that afternoon sun which made me write this, and then the moon, the sand, the beach, the red wine and the rose, my passion for cooking, just the smile, the waves and their sound on a pleasant night, also dance and my dreams...

But all this wouldn't make any sense without the the other 'Hand'. I just want to end this saying its for the Hand in Hand and the Walk with that hand in the moon!!!

Festival of Lights

2010-11-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

Open your eyes

In this weather, so nice

Look at the sky

Don’t ask me why

The mesmerizing colors

Look like the Flowers

As the colorful light curves

You want your rockets to Swerve

A fantastic Sight

Even if you Cant Light

The festival of Lights is back

As you look at the spark

Brighten Your heart

And make yourself look smart

With a BOOM of Smile

Which should last For a long long While…..

The memoirs of an Aam Aadmi (Common man) -- II

2010-09-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

I am writing this as a part of my job which is testing a functionality of a web application developed by someone else. This is a test mail that is being written to get out of the so called feeling that makes your eyes close and in usual terms which is known as Drowsiness and the cause being one more condition of humans called as Boredom of doing the same thing again and again.

I rushed out of my cubicle to have lunch with my friends hoping that I will feel better. After the lunch, I decided to take a stroll as my day’s work was done. Sitting in front of the same monitor which always shows ‘This page is not responding’ in the Internet Explorer and that too after lunch will make lay my head on the desk and doze off. Start dreaming of the most exciting things in the world like skiing, dancing, travel, photography and what not!!!

It was organized in Building 38. I filled in my details in the form and continued my walk to the final destination. I was made to lie down. Although I had undergone this many times, for the first time ever I was a little apprehensive about it. Maybe because my eyes had seen the needle in the hands of the white collared guy. He lifted it in his right hand; the only thing I noticed was the shining, sharp, ruthless, harmful tip of the needle. This horrifying visual was enough for the pumping machine of my body to increase its rate. Once again I looked at the needle which seemed like a drilling machine ready to rip itself into my body rupturing the skin of my arm. OMG! For the first time I was really scared about it. The doc had the needle connected to a bag in one hand and on the other he had a piece of cotton soaked in a transparent liquid kept in a transparent bottle which he made sure was closed. His very first step was audible to me even though he was at a distance. As soon as I heard the first step, my eyes turned towards him. The magnitude of the sound of the footsteps kept increasing gradually. But his next few steps of his were like a fast forward movie. In no time, the doc was on his knees with the two things in his hand. He placed the needle down and strapped the shoulder part of my hand. I realized it was a sphygmomanometer.

He gave a wide smile as if all his 32 teeth were kept for an exhibition. He slowly held my hand and cleaned a part of it with the soaked cotton he held. That cleaned part felt really cool, a tickling sensation. I decide, No matter what I will not take my eyes off the needle. I was curious to see what he was going to do. The tip of the needle approached near the skin. I put in all the effort that I could to keep my eyes open and look at the needle. It slowly pierced into my Johnson & Johnson skin (that’s because I use Johnson & Johnson lotion). I could see 2-3 drops of blood gush out of my skin. The pain caused in the entire process was very much bearable. The doc cleaned the blood with cotton and still remained on his knees looking keenly at me. After few minutes, the doc pulled out the needle and asked me to fold my hand. I was being given all the care in the world, the tiny wound created by the needle was covered by a band-aid. As I tried to move myself, the doc rushed towards me and said, “Ten minutes more sir”. I closed my eyes. A pat on my shoulder woke me up. It was the doc again. I got up from my armchair, paved my way slowly out of the little room. The lady at the entrance of the room asked me ,”What is your name?” I replied, “Anil”. She scribbled something and gave me an envelope. She also gave a pack of mango juice and said, “Thank you for your time, sir. Thanks for donating your blood!!!”

BOBB- for the people who want to cook things easily*

2010-08-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

• Cooking oil- 3-4tsp

• Mustard seeds-1 tsp

• Jeera- 1 tsp

• Groundnut seeds

• Turmeric-1 tsp

• Green Chilly- chopped

• Curry leaves

• Coriander leaves

• Rice preferably Basmathi- 1.5 cup

• Onion -3

• Green Brinjal – 2

• Garam Masala-2 tsp

• Chilly Powder- 1 tsp

• Salt

• Water

Procedure:

• Take the 3 onions and cut them in long pieces as shown in the pic.

• Take the brinjal and cut it into small pieces and wash them.

• Chop the green chillies, also the coriander leaves

• Now place the cooker on the stove. (Don’t forget to light it, I did!)

• Add 3-4 tsp of cooking oil in the cooker and wait for it to get heated

• Now add Mustard seeds when the ‘Chatpat’ sound starts, add Jeera, Groundnut seeds, Turmeric, Green Chilly. Take care as the chillies might pop out of the cooker along with the hot oil.

• Now add the chopped onion and fry until its golden brown.

• Now add the small pieces of brinjal, continue frying for few minutes.

• Add 2 glasses of water . Let it start boiling.

• Now add the RIGHT quantity of Salt, Garam Masala and Chilly Powder.

• Stir the mixture.

• When the mixture is boiling, add the 1.5 cup of cleaned and washed rice into the cooker, Add the RIGHT quantity of water and stir well.

• Close the lid of the cooker when the contents begin to boil.

• Wait for three whistles. Open the cooker and mix the contents well.

• Brown onion Brinjal Biriyani (BOBB) is ready which serves 4-5 people.

Improvisations Sugeested:

• Instead of Onion and Brinjal, You can use any combination of vegetables; make sure Onion is a must for the taste.

• For the Masala, you can make your own masala, or put a combination of any masala powder that’s there at home!

• Options for experimenting is wide open.

*The entire recipe is my own idea. But for sure tried and tested. Any feed back/suggestions/royalty is always welcome.

Small things… Matters!!!*

2010-08-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

* Read as if the events have happened today.

It is Wednesday afternoon just after lunch, I was working listening to music with the smile curve decreased on my face, suddenly noticed an outlook email pop-up and managed catch the words Coffee-mug. Very curiously I opened the mail and read the following words from the facilities:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please Collect your Coffee Mugs From Stationery room in B#39 GF.

I was very excited about this and soon I checked with Vivek and got to know that even he had received the same email. We both locked our computers and ran out of our floor to be the first among the 10 people to collect the valuable ‘Coffee Mug’. My heart started beating faster as the lift was moving down closer to the ground floor. Finally the lift reached its destination. The door of the lift opened, I kept my first foot outside, walking towards the Stationary room. I am very happy to be the third person to collect the mug. Vivek being the second.

I had always imagined myself sitting in front of a comp, plugged earphones to my ears, great music in them and the Infy COFFEE-Mug placed beside my keyboard filled with ‘TEA’. I will be working on something really interesting, sipping tea and humming the songs that are playing in my ears. This thought or wishes or desire or whatever you want to call it as is going to be fulfilled today. As I am typing this, the song from ‘Yes Boss’, ‘Chaand Thaare…’ is playing in my ears.

I just wanted to say that I am very happy and excited to tell you all that the ‘Infosys’ coffee mug that I had applied for has finally arrived in my hands.

It’s a great feeling to hold it in my hands, a proud feeling in fact. We (Vivek and I) are going to inaugurate the mug today at 3.30pm in the pantry of Building: 38, third floor. It would have been even greater if I could have done this with you all. All of you might feel what this guy’s gone crazy or what?? I would just say it’s important to find pleasure in small things in life and enjoy them. To find real happiness in small things is a great quality which can keep you going always and today is one of those days when am enjoying it and yeah it feels real great. Big things are not going to happen daily, if u can find happiness in small things like this, take my word you’ll be happy always and once you are happy..Nothing else matters!!!!

The memoirs of an Aam Aadmi (Common man) -- I

2010-07-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

The First Moments

This is a very cozy place and the place where I have felt very safe. I don’t know how the outside world is but under this blanket I feel like the King. I was a facing a red colored wall sleeping on my shoulder blinking my tiny eyes wondering about just everything that was happening around me. I could hear a lot of harsh sounds which made me close my fist. I was scared, folded my legs and squeezed myself. At times I would get angry (I don’t know what that emotion is) and kick the blanket. It was real warm as I was stretching my body and yawning. It was very dark under the blanket and the freedom to think absolutely anything. It felt like I was asleep for a very long time.

I do not know what was happening but I started feeling cold. It was feeling like the blanket was slipping away from me. I was scared. The darkness around me frightened me more. It was real cold, spine chilling and the sounds around me, oh my God they were really atrocious. I dint dare to open my eyes. Whack!!! A slap on my buttocks made me curious to open my eyes. I couldn’t face the bright light; it was the total opposite to the darkness I was experiencing just a few moments before. It was white everywhere around me for the first few moments. Maybe I was surrounded by ghosts!!! The thoughts and the slap both made me cry and tears rolled down my eyes. I could feel that I was floating or hanging in the air. With a strong heart, I made up my mind to open my eyes and face the demon outside. It was like a bolt from the blue to see everything upside down. I was excited to see a pair of eyes examining me as I continued to cry because of the after effects of the slap. The guy was wearing a green dress and some cloth on his mouth. (May be he dint want me to pee in his mouth). I was so surprised to see this world that I couldn’t speak for almost a year. Yes, I had finally come out of my mother’s Womb. Everything around me was new to me except for one thing – My MOM. A female wearing white dress took me in her arms and gave me a bath. But my eyes were still searching for my MOM. I was worried as I couldn’t notice her anywhere near me. As a result I cried louder.

Finally I was handed over to her. She held me carefully in both her hands. My eyes met with her eyes. She smiled sweetly looking at me, I smiled too. I started playing with her hair, forgot that there were so many people waiting to have a look at me. I was very comfortable in her soft hands and her smile made me feel very secure. I could feel the warmth, the love, the care consequently bringing a sense of joy in me and I was smiling. I noticed there were a lot of people around me who wanted to see me and talk to me. But I just wanted be with my MOM. She was happy too. She placed me beside her so that I don’t get scared seeing strangers and I dozed off to sleep again.

I felt a hand moving over my head slowly, patting me on my stomach, I woke up and realized it was MOM again. Both of us were so happy with each other. I could see a man approaching me. I don’t know why I never got scared of him. As he came nearby I realized he was my DAD. He came close to me and gave a smile. I smiled too and held his index finger. It felt great, I can’t put it in words here but a smile would say it all. I also noticed one more female who was walking towards me. I noticed that a part of her face resembled Ma and with some white hair, my mind said she’s someone whom you can trust and my heart said she’s your Grandma. I could sense that they were talking about one more or maybe few persons who were not there. But the absence of my Grandpa and Brother was felt by me. MAA and Grandma were talking about my brother (I guess) totally ignoring me for a few moments which made me wonder who’s he? For a moment I felt Jealous!!! But then I was very eager to meet him and know what’s so special that they were talking about him.

That day was May 6th, 1987 11:56 pm when I dived onto this world not knowing about the future. The above few lines capture the first few moments of my life. Today I sit and think about the experiences of my life though I am just a 23 year old guy. Looking back at the past teaches you so many things that are going to make the future fruitful. The innocence I had that day is lost. I would respond to everything with one sweet smile of mine. Even if Maa was angry at me I would return her a smile which would bring a smile on her face. But today I know (not that I have them) emotions like anger, hatred. So don’t you think looking back at ourselves would really teach something good for a better life now? Can I call it back to the future??

A Beautiful Morning

2010-03-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

Today, the 31st of March is one of those Beautiful mornings that Bengaluru manages to sneak in amidst the hot summer days. Yes, this is what Bengaluru is known for-its amazing weather.

I woke up this morning and raised the curtains of the room window. There was a fragrance in the air which makes you feel fresh, ready to go and conquer the world.The fragrance was of Mother Earth blessed by the Rain Gods!!!

I got ready, stepped out of my house and was mesmerized by the cool breeze.The roads were wet and there was a puddle of water.Splash!!!-The next moment a kid jumped on it reminding me of the good old days of school.I noticed a leaf in my garden which was dropping pearls of water from its tip. A few drops fell on me which made me look at the sky and it was a very pleasant sight.

I boarded the bus for my early morning ride to the Electronic city. The air had persisted the fragrance. I sat down and closed my moist eyes to enjoy the weather. The sound of rain woke me up and I thought the bus had almost reached Infy. No, it was a Traffic Jam- the other thing that Bengaluru is known for. The mechanical bodies were standing in a queue obeying the signals given by a human dresses in Khaki pant and a white shirt with a hat on his head.The view through my window made me feel how lucky I was to be seating in a bus at that moment. I thanked GOD for that. From then on it was like a slow race till we reached the famous Electronic city Flyover.

I got down the bus in the Infy bus stand, entered the campus and guess what?? I could still feel the fragrance. We know that today is a Beautiful Morning and move on with the hope of having one more tomorrow!!!

Failure is the stepping stone to succes

2009-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

It has been exactly 1month and 20days since I joined Infy. The journey has been very fantastic till today. Infy not only makes you technically sound, it also inculcates ethics into you. It has brought a positive change in me and at times it has changed the way I look at things. The above sentences might sound like ‘All is Well’. Yes, all can be well with a bit of hard work, perseverance and dedication. The failures that you encounter on the way will surely change you for the better.

I encountered with my first failure in Infy. I somehow managed to ‘Fail’ myself in the 3rd module test of the Basic Course. The result was a shocker for me and the only thing that made me feel good was ‘My friend’s reactions when they heard that I had flunked’. They were more shocked. This had ruined the first and probably the only one valid weekend we had got. I started focusing on ‘What needs to be done?’, slogged for the next 2days(weekend ). Thankfully I had a good friend with me who gave me company during the weekends to study. I was back to the GEC on Monday (23/11/09) with a more determined mind.

The retest went well. It was perhaps the easiest paper ever in Infy (That shows the degree of my preparation). This incident rather failure woke me up from my world and gave an idea of the reality. Charles Darwin’s ‘Survival of the fittest’ is very apt.

I have kept my first foot towards success and all the credit goes to my failure. Looks like success and failure have a remarkable connection and hence the saying ‘Failure is the stepping stone to success’.

2009-09-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

For the last twenty minutes I was thinking how do I start this post and finally ended up with this. Here are a few music tracks made by me virtually. Let the tracks speak for themselves.

1. Ejaying

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eSnips Social DNA

This one is a very small track and a fast one too. The first of my creations.

2. Abstract

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eSnips Social DNA

Get in the car, play this track. It ramps up slowly and puts you into the groove.

3. Experiments

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eSnips Social DNA

A very small track that makes you lazy. Simply hip-hop, guess it ends abruplty making you active again.

4. Jus like tat...

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eSnips Social DNA

A stage on the seashore, an amateur band, and a crowd waiting to shake their body.This is what i had in mind when i made this track.

5. Clubland

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eSnips Social DNA

Starts with a bollywood kind of music, springs up gradually and ends up making you move your body.

6. Senseless

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eSnips Social DNA

Random loops put together makes something senseless.

Home made photoframe

2009-09-12T18:11:00.001-07:00

"Joblessness makes you creative" and I absolutely agree with that statement. It all started with the idea of gifting one of my friend a framed photo on his birthday. I went to the photo studio got the photo printed but forogt to get it framed there. So I start thinking after am home "What can be done?". I made a photo frame on my own at home. Here's how I did it.

Things required:

A cardboard sheet, an old hard bound notebook as shown, blade, scale, stick tape, photo worth framing, superglue and a transparent to cover the photo.

1. Make sure that the photo fits the hard bound notebook you have chosen.

2. Wrap the note book with cardboard after taking out all the pages from the book.

3. Stick the photo on one side of the book as shown in the pic.

4. Now your frame is almost ready. Stick a transparent sheet on the photo, so that dust doesn't get settled on it. Its time to make it stand. So cut out a piece of cardboard in the shape shown in the pic. and stick it the bound notebook as shown.

5. Finally your photo frame is ready. You can make it more colorful by painting some stuff on the cardboard. If you want to gift it to someone, you can write a message on the other side of the notebook. It can be improvised in many ways, this is just the basic idea. Hope u guys liked this. Comments plzzz.