My Voice!!

Diwali Time!

2011-10-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

It happens every Diwali! Going home on Diwali has always been a bit of troublesome for me. Last time it was Kingfisher but this time, if anyone has to be blamed, it’s me.

I was so engrossed in my Laddakh trip preparations that I completely forgot that I needed to book the tickets for Diwali. And when my sister reminded me, it was too late. Train tickets were impossible, of course, and airlines were grabbing a good chunk of my salary. Some of my friends suggested: Iss baar yahi ruk ja. Humare saath mana le Diwali” But it was Diwali for God’s sake. So I took one-way flight and other way train. And both ways were via Chennai.

It’s a kind of unwritten rule that you have to be at home on Diwali. And this time it was more important for me to be at home because this was the first Diwali when my sister’s not going to be with us: She’ll now be at her in-laws place every Diwali. And I didn’t want my parents to be alone.

Diwali has been an occasion for so many things in our memories and that it’s hard to be away from home during Diwali. New clothes. Sweets. Crackers. Relatives. And what not?

But Diwali is definitely more than above tangible things. It’s an excuse to be away from that corporate world where life becomes so mechanized, that you need a human touch to realize that there’s more to life than those damn deadlines. Though I never miss a chance to sneak out of my work life but Diwali is special.

The euphoria and excitement of our childhood may be missing now, but still Diwali will always be that time of the year, when you want to be where you should be.

Main Bhi Anna. Really?

2011-09-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends have asked me: “You write so much, why have you not written a piece on Anna Hazare?” I could not reply that question. But to be honest, I never felt like writing anything on Anna’s fast. It’s not that I’m not against corruption but I feel merely supporting Anna by writing a blog on his movement is not enough.

Before I’m misunderstood, let me clarify that I strongly believe that India needs a strong anti-corruption law, which could deter all the corrupt officials and ministers. I even had plans to go to Ramlila Maidan and support that great Gandhian in his crusade against the greatest malaise of our society. But I was just wondering: Will that attendance do anything other than giving me a sense of a token satisfaction of having contributed a little towards that cause?

I was in Delhi during Anna’s fast and it was a great sight to see youngsters, who are accustomed to spend their weekends in pubs and bars, don the Anna cap and support the anti-corruption movement. I saw them shouting slogans like “Vande Matram” and “I’m Anna” at Metro stations which made me feel guilty about my lack of enthusiasm for this bill.

I have my own reasons. Who are these people against whom we want a strong Loakpal? Have they come from some alien planet? They are the ones amongst us and have been chosen by us. Are we sure that none of us will indulge in the corrupt practices if we are given the same power? How many of us will be able to restrain ourselves?

Do we need Raja, Kalmadi and company to tell us that there is something called “Corruption” in our society? Don’t we witness that in our daily lives? Don’t you think we all are also involved in corruption? Is our own conscience clear?

We don’t want to vote and choose our representatives; We dont want to wait in queue for our turn; We dont want to wait for red light to turn green at traffic signals; we dont want to drive in correct lane; we dont want to go and give test for our driving license; we dont want to throw the waste in dustbin; we don’t want to stop littering on the road. But we want a strong JAN LOKPAL!!

I see corruption in many forms almost everywhere. Fake medical bills and rent receipt for tax rebate. Using office transport without being a member. Using office stationery/telephone for personal use. Is Jan Lokpal going to curb these activities?

I was delighted that those youngsters, at the Metro station in Delhi, are supporting Anna but at the same time I was disappointed that most of them were not following the queue to enter the station. Don’t you think that is also a form of corruption? Don’t you think its time that we stop hiding behind that silly excuse of “Sab karte hai toh main bhi karoonga” Then what right do we have to call for Jan Lokpal?

We need Jan Lokpal but at the same time we need to change our attitude as well. Charity begins at home and this is the time to start practicing it. Let us all take an oath that we’ll never indulge in any form of corruption and then only we’ll be able to build the clean and corruption free India.

So Near, Yet So Far!

2011-08-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

How long do you take to plan for a trip? A month? Two Months? A year at max? Well, i was planning for this trip from last 3+ years. The reasons were very normal for this abnormal trip. At least 15 days required. Your life is at danger. Finding people as enthusiastic as you are. Yeah, I'm talking about a bike trip to Laddakh.

When your parents start pressurizing you to settle down, you start thinking of all the wild things which you should do asap. And first thing that I had to do was a bike trip to Laddakh. So, I started that thread of Laddakh trip after talking to Himanshu (one of the most enthusiastic bikers I have ever met in my life!) and took in loop Pandeyji, Ankit, Sarwan and asked Tanu (my buddy from my native place) to join in. Time decided was 12-Aug to 25-Aug as that would take care of few public holidays as well.

But has it ever been so smooth? Finally it was left to Tanu and myself to go ahead on this trip and we decided to give it a shot. So, I called Ankit to book a bike for us and take care of all the logistics. And then we started on 12-Aug.

Day 1: Plan was to reach Manali (550 Kms from Delhi) by end of the day. But whole night driving took its toll on us by 6 in the morning and we took 5 hours rest at Ambala. When we restarted from Ambala, we were greeted by persistent rains. So, we took it slowly and kept moving towards our destination. In between, I kept wondering if we are making a mistake by not going in a group? But that question was answered when, at a dhaba, we met a guy going alone on his 100cc bike (and we were skeptical about our Pulsar 150cc!). Well, you start ascending after just 40-50 Kms of Chandigarh and then you really feel like going on a trip. But because of rains, it was clear we would not reach Manali by end of the day, so we decided to drive till 10 and see where we are. We reached Sundernagar (140 KMs before Manali) by 9 and then came the first adventure for us: a bridge between SunderNagar and Manali had collapsed! But then someone told us to take a village route which can take us to Mandi (110 KMs before Manali) and we could spend night there. So we decided to go via unimaginable route and reached Mandi by 11:30PM. But guess what? Another surprise! River Beas was flowing over the bridge between Mandi and Manali, so many people did not reach Manali at all and were staying in Mandi itself, which explained why so many people were roaming at that hour on the roads of Mandi. They were not roaming, they were searching for an accommodation. After an hour of search by myself, it was decided that we will sleep in front of a shop in the night. Then i thought if this is the worst, nothing more can happen. I went to a Dhaba wallah and asked him for some place to go (these guys have good contacts btw). He refused initially but then told me to go to a place a little far from the main town. We went to that suggested place and found one Sardarji at the reception. I asked him in punjabi " Sardarji, assi toh fass gaye si. Sannu raat guzarne waaste twadda sahara chahiye". He said politely that he don't have a single place and he has made some temporary arrangement in the Varandah where people were sleeping on the beds. I exclaimed: "woh hi dedo ji" as if someone has offered me a suite in Taj. But anyway it was better than sleeping in front of a shop. Thanks to Sardarji!

Day 2: The trailer of our trip was very clear from the day 1 (nothing is going to happen as per the plan). I woke up in the morning with the murmurs of bridge still under the river, landslide, and worst was when i heard that 4 bikers died because of a landslide! Well, on enquiring further, only first murmur proved wrong (big incentive!) and the news was that road to Manali was opened now. We started from Mandi asap and then reached Manali by 3:00PM. The way to Manali is very beautiful. You have mountain on one side and river Baes on other! We went straight to a mechanic and got our Bike a little serviced and by the time our bike was ready, it was already 5:00PM. So, we decided to go till Marhi (40 KMs ahead of Manali) and stay there at night. And we did reach Marhi by 6:30PM and took a room straight away. Here only i experienced what they mean when they say the winds could blow you off your feet! It was freezing like anything.

Day 3: Woke up to a chilly morning but refreshed mind and body! It was raining persistently but we decided to go ahead and cross the Rohtang pass (15 Kms up from Marhi) which was the favorite tourist spot for all the Manali visitors (It was en route to Rohtang only when I witnessed the only snowfall of my life last year). So we started with new resolve but guess what? It was one horrendous jam!! Every vehicle of the world was stuck on the way which had muddy road (if you call it a road in the first place) with mud as high as 2 feet. I asked Tanu to go ahead with the bike alone (as that was the only option) and I started walking. I must have walked for 6-7 Kms and we finally managed to reach Rohtang (a distance of mere 15 KMs) in next 4 hours! We had now almost lost a day and a half! Rohtang is not a place from where you can just pass. You got to stop and admire that beauty! And we obliged too. We fed our bellies with Maggi (50 Rs per plate!) and did some photography. Now, the plan was to reach Sarchu (220 KMs from Manali) by the evening. The funny thing was that we did not meet our plan on a single day but that never stopped us from making plans! And rains did not stop on this day too which limited our speed. Roads (if any) are worst in this part. And then because of a landslide, we again had to take a diversion over the mountains to cross "Paagal Naala" near Koksar. Somehow, by 5 in the evening, we reached that spot which i have seen so many times on internet: Last Petrol Pump before Leh! It was impossible for us to reach Sarchu that day, so we decided to stay put where we are: at Keylong (110 KMs from Manali). We took one room in a hotel and took shower with hot water. This was the most demanding day of the trip as there were bumpy roads, rains throughout and a bag on your back! We met two guys from Bangalore and i casually asked them: "whats the plan tomorrow?". One of them said : "Don't know, we are stuck here from last 4 days". OMG!! And then we heard that roads are closed from last 4 days and then I thought we are not so lucky that it'll open tomorrow. And here only i met one Irish guy, Roy, who has been on his 7th trip to India and was cycling all the way to Leh from Shimla but now had decided to go back to Shimla. Had a long chat with him on many topics. Also met one more enthusiast Sardarji.

Day 4: We had decided last night only, come what may, we are going to start at 6 in the morning. And we got ready by 6:00AM. But had to unpack again when we saw many vehicles coming back as there was a big landslide. Well, this was getting too much! We roamed around till 10 and then met 2 other guys who were on a scorpio and then they pumped us up. They said go till the landslide point and decide for your self. And that is what we did. We two, two guys from Bangalore, one sardarji and those two guys on Scorpio started at around 11 30. And guess what? We crossed that "Landslide" point without any difficulty. When we reached "Darchha" (30 KMs from Keylong), we saw vehicle parked here and there. I thought, one more jam is there. But it was not a jam. Police were allowing you to go ahead only after you sign a bond. I went straight to the police station thinking that it's not a big deal. But believe me, you will start shivering when you'll write on any paper this line : " I'm responsible for any incident that happens going forward and I'm going ahead at my own risk". Well, the scenery on the way is so beautiful that we had to stop every now and then to capture those moments. Though roads are bumpy and you start feeling a bit uncomfortable (we were now at around 15000 feet above sea level) because of lack of oxygen but who cared about all these things when you are in heaven? I was wondering what lays ahead. Can it get more beautiful? I was thinking this when came the final blow. Our bike got punctured. But we were prepared. We got the puncture kit out and repaired it, somehow, in next one hour. It was 4:00PM. But while putting the tube inside the tyre, tube got two more punctures! We redid the whole exercise and fixed that too but it still didn't work. It was 5:00 PM now. The other guys were getting late because of us and we could hear thunderstorms also. It was then we decided to go back and get the tube changed and return back. We saw one Army truck going backwards and they offered us the lift till wherever we want. But knew that now we have lost it. We were tired like anything and Tanu was having a little fever. I thought we can deal with bike not being 100% fit but not with any one of us getting ill. We did not find any puncture shop on the way and had to come back from where we started: Keylong. A bumpy ride on the back of an Army truck is something which you should never do. This day killed our spirits. We had already lost 3 days now and we did not have a clue of hows the weather up there. And we didn't know how much time it'll take to come back: returning back from the same way would be suicidal and the only other option was Kargli-Srinagar highway which normally takes a day longer. Keeping all these things in mind, we decided to get our bike fixed and return back. We have had enough adventure of our own by now.

We needed at least 12 days more, if weather behaves, to finish off our trip, if we still wished to go ahead. But it was not possible for us anymore. Fatigue and delay has broken us completely. And nothing ever goes as planned on a trip where you are dependent on only one thing: weather. So we turned our bike back and then it took us 3 more days to return back. I was a little disappointed and was consoling myself all the time. But our decision to return back proved lucky as our bike again got punctured on the way to Rohtang. And Just after Rohtang, there was a landslide jam which gave us three options: stay there and die freezing, stay there and die hungry or go ahead and die by rocks. We chose the last one and triumphed unscathed!

Well, our trip was shortened (we covered only 1600 Kms against the planned 2500+ KMs) due to the reasons beyond our control but I'll cherish this trip my whole life. When we started, i was feeling "Are we fools to go on such a trip?" but when we finished it i was feeling "We were fools not to do this earlier". I know I cant do justice to this trip in my blog. You can see the pics just to get an idea of what we have witnessed.

PS: What a coincidence that my 50th post is a description of this trip!

Living Life!

2011-08-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

Not very often a movie comes which portrays exactly what you believe “is the way of life”. Well, the movie which I’m talking about is ZNMD and my belief, which it portrays, is living the life.

We all got life (You know this). But how many of us live our lives (Are you sure you know this one?)?

I have always believed in two things: Don’t regret anything and live your life completely. I have already written a piece on my first belief, so I won’t spend much time there. This post’s topic is the second one.

We hear/read from many self-proclaimed gurus who tell you “How to live your life” and as I hate all of them, I’m not going to tell you how you should live your life. Actually, no one has a right to teach you what you should do and what you should not. It’s completely your take. I just want to write about what I feel and what I do to make this second belief a reality.

If I’m very particular about one thing in life then it’s living it on my own terms. I don’t set too many rules that may spoil this party called life. Yeah, we need to follow certain pre-defined paths, but no one’s stopping you to make few amendments which may make those paths a little more enjoyable. Classrooms and libraries are necessary to complete your BE/MBA, but so are corridors and canteens. And believe me, few years down the line, you’ll cherish corridors and canteens only. And if you are working, official calls/mails are necessary to grow professionally, but so are personal mails and calls from family/friends.

I always feel lucky because of the people I have in my life and it’s important to put people who matter to you on the highest priority. I never miss a chance to spend time with them. Because I know I'll not remember how fantastic my project was but I'll definitely recall those little moments spent with the ones I love.

Over planning is also something which I avoid. I don’t want to regret missing out things today because I was working on my future. Of course future is important, but not at the cost of present. I meet many people who say “No, we didn’t do that as we were busy doing that other thing. But now, we regret it”. My worst nightmare is to say this exact thing to anyone else! And the best compliment I have ever got is when one of my friends told me once “I’m jealous of the way you live life”. I could only say “Thanks” and thought that “it’s not about these compliments, it’s about my life”.

These are the things which we already know and we don’t need anyone else to remind us. But do we really follow what we already know?

I have made a promise to my life that I’ll live you. And I’ll do anything to keep that promise.

PS: Not the ZNMD effect, but embarking upon one of the best trips of my life tomorrow.

Those 15 days!

2011-06-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

I experienced yesterday how a single line can rewind all the memories within a flash. One of my ex-Infy colleagues put his status message on FB as “For all those June 26, 2006 batch employees of Infy, congratulations on the successful completion of 5 years”.

Well, I left Infy 3 years back but there are so many things associated with me getting into Infy, that it brings back so many special memories. The summer of 2006 was one of the worst and then the best time of my life.

Worst. If there’s one thing I can say that I worked hard for in my life, that would surely be an MBA seat. So as I said, I worked very hard for all the written exams of 2005 and got interview calls from some of the elite institutes of India. But I could not convert those calls into final admission. I received bad news one after another (of me not getting into any of those colleges) in all those terrifying months of April, May and June 2006. And I did not have any choice other than to prepare once again and wait for that elusive seat. Now, the problem was that I was working in an industry where I did not want to make a career. And MBA was then the only way to get out of that industry. So, I had to start all over again for my MBA aspirations. I once said to one of my friends “Its difficult to light that flame of desire every June”.

Best. In between those working years, in that industry, I tried my hand in getting back to my industry: Software, which was actually my plan B (I’m a “qualified” software engineer, btw;)) And then I got, finally, into Infy. But to be honest, getting into Infy was only half of the reason why I still believe June 2006 to be one of the best months of my life. When I broke the news to my friends, they were happy and sad at the same time. Happy because of Infy and sad because I had to leave Pune. But then it was the best option I had at that time. I had around 15 days before joining Infy. And I must say that those 15 days are right there on top. How I wanted to spend every second with my friends and enjoy the little time I had! So from 7 in the morning to 12 in the night, I created memories that would last my lifetime.

I believe it happens with everyone that you always get, at some point in time in your life, few precious days that are permanently inscribed in your heart. But those days are special because I had those special people. They made me feel like I was on top of the world and told me things that I did not expect them to explicitly say though I knew every word they said.

It’s been 5 years since I left Pune but it still feels like all that happened yesterday only. Now, I don’t meet those special people very often (have not met few of them even once since then) but still if given a choice, I would like to relive those 15 days.

If there's any reason we should appreciate our life, then definitely its days like those and I feel that I'm the luckiest person as I got the chance to meet, befriend and spend time with those idiots. Precisely the reason why Pune is my favorite city!

What's the worth?

2011-06-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

After midnight and pre-dawn calls from home are the ones that can make your heartbeat racing. I got one such dreaded call a fortnight back. I saw 2 missed calls from my dad at 6:15 in the morning after I came out of showers. First thing I did was to pray to the God and then call back to my dad. By the time my dad picked up the call, I made numerous guesses. And then finally, dad broke the sad news of my Mom’s uncle’s sad demise due to two back-to-back heart attacks. I was stunned.

My dad told me in clear words that I don’t need to rush to home, as I would not be able to attend the funeral and advised me to try to come during “Terahvi” (the thirteenth day), if possible. Though there was no doubt that I would come but it shows my dad’s understanding of the problems I may face while coming, when he used “if possible”. Well, I somehow managed to go after overcoming many “problems”. Being with your loved ones during these testing times is something we all want to do.

Amidst all the other benefits of life that people like me who live 1000 miles away from their hometowns enjoy, this is one of those reasons because of which we sometimes feel sad, cursed and even ashamed. I have always felt that pinch of missing out so many events because of only one reason: I was sitting far away from my hometown. But never I felt that pinch so strongly as I’m feeling from last 15 days. What’s the use of all those luxuries of life if you can’t be with people who matter, in times of need? I know I cant do much other than rendering a shoulder but isn’t that the most important thing at these times?

This is not the first time nor is this going to be the last time. This whole thing reminds me of that “one-Bedroom-home” story of a man who roams around the world so that he could afford a home but misses out being with his loved ones his whole life and finally at the end sits alone thinking about the worth of his life.

But this is the price that I have to pay and I have known about it from the beginning itself, as that was the trade-off. I’m living my dream, professionally at least, and have done and achieved much more than what I thought I would be able to, but I think there’s a line which needs to be drawn before its too late. I know I can’t go back to my hometown permanently but the distance can be reduced.

That impending US visa interview is no more exciting and maybe its time to consider those opportunities in Noida/Gurgaon/Pune.

I want to Break Free

2011-05-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

Every person comes at this cross road once in their life. And my respect for the other “already-done” folks only increases with the amount of time I spend at this cross road before actually crossing it.

It all started once my sister got married. No wait. During her marriage only, my distant aunties will call me to meet their distant acquaintances. Initially I would think it’s just a customary introduction but their questions made me think otherwise. I mean, I’m ok if someone’s asking me about my company, my profile and even my package but then come the irritating questions like “Whats your DOB”, I will answer that as well but then aunty will say “No, no..I mean full DOB with year” and then the time of birth, the place and all. I wished I could say to aunty “Just give me a second and I’ll tell you the name of the hospital and the doctor as well”. Grrrr..

Just imagine that you are trying to make everything go as per the plan at your sister’s wedding and out of nowhere you are subjected to an impromptu interview! And every other person telling you “Ab teri line clear hai” with a wink! I’m used to this kind of winking from my friends and would love it if any girl does that to me but it’s really scary when middle-aged aunties do that. Really, really scary!

And then there are friends who are getting married. Every now and then I get one wedding invitation. That makes many of friends ask me “Sharmaji, aap kab kar rahe ho shaadi?”. “Ab umar ho gayee hai”, “Aapse kam umar ke logo ne bhi karma shuru kar diya hai”. And most of them are my close friends and they have their own reasons. Sample these: Pandeyji, Kakke and Ankit say “ Bhagwaan kare teri biwi tujhe utna hi sataaye jitna tune humein sataaya hai” or Chunnu who says that he’ll get married only after me because then I’ll attend his wedding with my wife and will sit quiet! And I know these are just the few names out of many;)

I have few answers for some of the questions I could not answer. They are:

Q: Beta, kaisi ladki chahiye tumhe?
A: I really wanted to marry Preity Zinta few years back but now I’m not sure.
Q: Education kis level ki chahiye?
A: Should have been nominated for Nobel prize twice.
Q: A Housewife or a working wife?
A: Doesn’t matter. If she’s a housewife, she should be able to cook 100+ cuisines and if she’s working then she should earn 1.5 times of my salary and then I’ll become a househusband.
Q: Ladki ka family status kaisa hona chahiye?
A: Her father should be able to take care of me if decide to retire next year.

And the list is endless. Well, jokes apart, I believe this is something which has to happen but it should happen when it should ideally happen. Who doesn’t want a companion for whole life but just wish that the process of finding her could be a little less tedious. And to be honest, even I dont know the answers for above questions. And I firmly believe that when the right time comes, everything happens in a right manner and you meet the right person. Till then, its Laddakh in August;)

And this one I read somewhere long back:

“Tum mile ho abhi-abhi par aisa lagta hai ki tum the yahi-kahi”

No Regrets!

2011-04-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

One of my friends called me last week and said: “Munna, there’s a bad news that I must share with you”. I asked eagerly: “What?” He then told me that the prices of Sony Bravia, he also bought one along with me, have come down and now he’s feeling bad. I snapped back “ What’s bad in that? Wasn’t that the best bargain which we could have got at that particular time?” Well, my friend then jokingly told me how he admires my way of thinking and how it’s not that easy for everyone to think that way.

I wondered what’s so difficult about it? The example that I gave above is just one more reminder of the way life goes on. You can’t deal with past. Or in other words, you can’t change past. And that’s the very reason that I never regret what I have done in past. Of course, there are few decisions that have not turned out the way I expected them to, but those were the best decisions that I could have taken at that point of time. Or at least, I would like to believe so.

I believe in living life without any regrets and respecting all my decisions is one of the ways to do so. Because respecting your decisions also mean respecting yourself. And if any our decisions have really gone bad, we make it worse for ourselves by thinking too much about it. If possible, take corrective actions, otherwise just take it as a lesson and move on.

I know it’s better said than done. But do we have an option? Don’t want to make this post too philosophical but it’s very important that we don’t take notice of things which make us unhappy. There are so many things in life we can be thankful and be happy for!

And Then I Cried Again

2011-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

March, 1996: I got the first experience of something that you feel when your dream gets shattered. I couldn’t stop my tears when India lost to Sri Lanka in WC Semi-finals and then had my little sister consoling me.

March, 2003: So near and yet so far. Had matured with age, so I didn’t cry this time but was devastated when India lost to Australia in the WC Finals.

Everyone in India is either a cricket expert or a movie critic or a political advisor. As an Indian, you get one or more of the three things in legacy from your parents: Cricket. Movies. Politics. I got a bit of all three but then got more passionate about one of them: Cricket.

I, like any other Indian, have lived cricket. Played in 45 degrees of temperature. Involved in those fights during inter-colony matches. Watched the whole night of cricket of Indian tours to West Indies. Bunked school for even a match against Zimbabwe. Stood for almost 8 hours in front of pawnshops. I, like all Indians of my generation, have heard those stories of our team’s triumph at the Lords in 1983. And then have watched umpteen times the highlights of that final and listened to the ’83 champions before every successive world cup. And had only one wish: India be the World Champion again.

There were two instances when we had a good go at the title. But the tale in 1996 was the same as of any other matches of nineties: India surrendered meekly after that One man got out. And in 2003, we really played like champions but lost to a better team. To a better team or a weaker team: we lost. I always felt that pinch of not winning that elusive trophy.

So when everyone tipped India as the favorites for this years WC, I was a little skeptical. Yes, we had the strongest batting lineup but still..Who knows…And the group league matches vindicated my suspicion. But then came the QF against Aussies : We avenged the 2003 loss. And SF against Pakis: can’t say anything about that match. But it was the final which gave me butterflies. Is history going to repeat itself? Are we again going to succumb the ’96 way?

But this is 2011. New India. New team. And the team that fulfilled the dream of 1.2 billion Indians. That massive six from Dhoni was like a punch to the whole world and the announcement that we are not only the economical power of cricket but also the on field super power. And then we all erupted in joy! I was so overwhelmed that I could not shout. I was holding my tears back, somehow, but couldn’t stop myself from crying when I saw HIS eyes in tears.

The whole context behind this win was required to show how fans like me are feeling right now. People who have seen India crumbling in every world cup and waited all this while. Just imagine what HE must be feeling then!

I have already written a complete post on HIM but is anything ever going to be sufficient when you want to write/say something about HIM? HE participated in 6 world cups and I have seen all those world cups (though I wasn’t a complete fan during ’92 WC but I still remember HIS destruction of Pak and NZ). Have seen HIM disappointed after every world cup. Can’t forget his face when he received Man of The Tournament for 2003 WC. Have seen a burning desire in his eyes to get hold of that only coveted jewel missing from the crown of the greatest cricketer ever! (Who’s Don Bradman btw?) This cup is for YOU. And Virat Kohli actually summed it up when he replied to a question asked by a journalist why they were carrying HIM on their shoulders “ Well, HE has carried the country for 21 years on HIS shoulders”. YOU did not owe this to YOUR country. We owe it to YOU. Thanks for being born an Indian and giving us one more reason to be proud of the fact that we are Indians! So now, that great man got what HE wanted. And also, a South African became an Indian forever. I think I can go on and on.

And then after the presentation ceremony, we went to the MG Road. I remember watching on TV how about one million fans thronged the Eiffel tower when France won the ’98 Soccer WC. Well, this was our day. It was tricolor, dhol, chants of “Indiaaaa-Indiaaaa”, “Sachinnnn-Sachinnn”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Matram” everywhere you can see. Headcount should be almost 100,000!! And we danced, hugged and cheered with total strangers with only one thing in common: We were Indians and were on top of the world! The world should hear the noise when 1/6th of the humanity celebrates.

02.04.2011 will go into the history as one of the happiest days of any Indian’s life. And it should be like that only. We will remember our whole life the exact place we were at when Dhoni hit that six. This feeling is unmatchable and will take some time to sink in. Till then, Indiaaaaaaaaa-Indiaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

PS: When I bought Sony Bravia LED TV just before WC, I told everyone that my TV will be lucky for India. And it proved to be!!

Purani Jeans Aur Guitar!

2011-03-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

“All groups will prepare the case and I’ll pick any one to give the presentation”, said our prof. I thought this is what B-School life is all about: even if you are not presenting, you have to prepare the case. Who knows who gets picked up! But hang on! Where is my group? Then I went to Punnu (our CR) and asked him to put me in a group. He asked me “Any preference?” I said “Yaar, kal hi toh aaya hoo. Don’t know anyone. Whichever group is one short, I’ll go to that group”. Every group was of 6 people, so I automatically went to the one having only 5 members.

Infy’s refusal to relieve me on time meant that I joined IMT two weeks late, exhausting the quota of misses allowed in all the subject of my first term and by that time, all the group formations were already done. It was not the first time that I was in a new place, meeting new people. So I consoled myself that if the group is not good, I’ll change it in the next trimester. What I didn’t know was that not only we all 6 will stick together till the last subject of the last term, but also will become the closest friends!

My Group. Our first meeting actually gave a teaser of what’s there in store. We met at Pandeyji’s room (can’t forget that J-Lobby, 4th floor!!) to discuss a forthcoming presentation. Though it’s a different thing that we hardly discussed that presentation but that meeting gave me the assurance that it’s not as bad as I was thinking. From usual “What’s your story”, we quickly came to the point-Bakar. And I took that opportunity to crack all those non-veg jokes which are my way of telling people (with whom I’m supposed to spend some time together) the way they are going to see me for our time together. And guess what? All of us belonged to the same breed, though the degree differed but more or less, we were the birds of same feather☺

Then for the next 21 months, my group gave me the assurance of belongingness. Best example of that belongingness came from the fact that we always looked for the left-back corner of the classroom for an empty seat-so that we can sit together. The fact that our hands will quickly dial those 5 numbers if any important information was intercepted by anyone from our group-so that none of us is unaware of anything worth knowing. The fact that we’ll arrange amongst ourselves who’s going to attend which class –so that “proxies’ can be distributed judiciously. The fact that we’d always have our dinner together-so that we can forget the quality of food in our mess. The fact that, no matter if it’s rain or fog, there would be a coffee round in the late night-so that we can cry laughing out. The fact that we’ll not allow any prof to break our group-so that none of us goes anywhere else. The fact that we always made our trips together-so that we can click the pictures and someday, each one us can tell his kids that this was my family at IMT.

I have always believed that whatever experience you carry from any city is because of the kind of people you meet there. So whether it was Indore, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore or Ghaziabad, I have those lovely memories because of the people I met there who made all the difference. And to be honest, in every city I believed that this is it-I wont meet people like these anymore. But I have been consistently proven wrong.

I was lucky enough that I got a second chance to relive my college life and do all those things which I might have missed earlier. So it was because of my group that IMT became “The IMT” for me. It was a dream that I lived and I never wanted to wake up. And my post will be incomplete if I don’t mention about those two lateral entries in our group who came a little late but then became an integral part of our group and if I must say, they became integral part of each other’s life (in IMT only?) as well;) Please don’t kill me for this!

This March is making me more senti as its going to be exactly one year since we left each other. Many things have changed since then. Many of us changed our jobs. Two got married. We have started thinking of investments, savings, career growth and all those “necessary” things. There are now so many things to worry about in our life which consume our whole day. Aamir’s dialogue from RDB, written by an IMTian, suits the bill here: “Ik din ye sab kuchh nahi rehna. Sab apne-apne raste nikal jayenge. Wohi duniya de jhamele. Naukri dhoondho, paise kamao, ghar basao, tey life de isharo pe nachte jaao. College de gate ke iss taraf hum life ko nachate hai, tey dooji taraf life humko nachati hai”. Couldn’t agree more. Yeah, we have to move on. But out of nowhere, sometimes I feel a pinch when my boss tells me “Chal Sharma, coffee peeke aate hai”.

P.S.- Dedicated to my whole group and in specific to Raabutt, who got married 3 days back:)

A Desi wedding

2011-02-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

One of my American team members recently asked me “Amit, why did you need 15 days for your sister’s marriage? I mean it’s just a marriage”. I asked him back: “How many people get invited in a typical American wedding”. He replied: “Around 100”. I said: “ Well, we invite around 900 people”. Then I asked him one more question: “How much time it takes for a marriage to finish in America?”. He said: “3-4 hours”. I said: It takes more than 2 days in India”. Then he said: “OMG! Indians are unique”. I told him with pride and a smile: “Yes, we are”. What I didn’t tell him was: “It also happens once in a life time for us, so it’s more important”. Hehe.

I’m not appreciating my culture at the expense of some other culture. It’s just the way we Indians are. India is unique. Diverse but unique. Some western observers have written lengthy articles about Indian traditions and customs and how they change every 100 km. They have wondered over many Indian customs and the example which I gave is only one of those others. And there are so many things in our culture, which either we don’t know about or if we know, then we don’t understand their meaning. But I got an insight into many of them recently.

Marriages in India are one more way to celebrate life. A get together with your loved ones and what follows is to remember and cherish all life. It’s generally a two days affair in our culture and all the close relatives come before day 1.

Day 1. It starts with “Ganesh pooja” as it happens before any “Shubh-kaarya”. This is followed by “Devi pooja” where parents worship “Durga” to provide her blessings to the bride. Next function is called “Mandap” where a “Havana-Kund” is put in the centre and four pillars surround it to make it a sacred place. Basically, “Mandap” is the place where all the remaining ceremonies take place. Some “pooja” is done to make it fit for all the ceremonies. Then, there is a “Rasm” called “Cheegat” where maternal uncles gift clothes to the bride and her family amidst all the banter. And then the evening is that part for which all the cousins wait for. Its time for “Mahila Sangeet”. Though its name can be misleading, “Mahila Sangeet” actually means that whole extended family gets into the groove and perform on the stage. Day ends typically by 2 am.

Day 2. The day starts leisurely as there is no function or ceremony scheduled till afternoon. First half of the day sees more and more guests coming. In the afternoon, the “Haldi rasm” is done which is followed by “Satyanarayana Katha”. And then everyone gets into the mode of welcoming the groom’s family as they arrive by 5-6 PM. From this time to the time groom comes to the “Swagat Dwar” on a “Ghodi”, you find people looking for a shampoo/moisturizer/deo/tie/perfume et al. Finally when groom arrives at the “Swagat Dwar”, bride’s family welcomes him with bride’s sisters holding the “Kalash”. Then its time for “Jaimaala” exchange and photo sessions which last for 2-3 hours. I pity the couple who have to bow down to touch feet and then keep standing for that whole duration! In parallel goes on the sumptuous dinner! By the time clock ticks midnight, many of the guests either leave or go to sleep. But then start the real “Vivah” stuff which includes “Saat ferey” and “Kanyadaan”. Ah, also the time for cousin sisters of bride to rob the groom by stealing his own shoes! And in the morning, its “vidaai” time where brother of the bride takes her to the car in the most sentimental part of the whole wedding.

Maybe, I have skipped some of the ceremonies but in a nut-shell, this is what my whole family was waiting for from last 8 months. All the ceremonies have their own meaning and relevance. But personally for me, “kanyadaan” was the most sentimental where parents of the bride gives away the hand of the girl to the groom with bride’s brother as the witness or “Sakshi”. There only the groom promises to keep bride happy his whole life. That was really very emotional!

The Indian weddings, despite all their pros and cons, are the best one I would say. They really give an emotional experience of a lifetime. In all these years, I always believed that marriages should be a low key affair and should be over in at most a day. And my mom has kept warning me that “a-single-day” wedding custom will definitely not start from our family. She says that you need to understand the difference between a “show-off” and a proper wedding with all the ceremonies. But after my sister’s marriage, I have become more understanding of our culture and its importance in our lives. And there’s no prize for guessing who’s the happiest person with this new-found understanding of mine;)

Craziness!

2011-02-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

2011 is going at a crazy pace. So many things are happening in such a short span of time. Yeah, we see many things happening in our lives but here I’m talking about things which belong to that coveted “To remember all life” category.

Once we had an IT top gun at IMT who lectured us on project management. He said: “Forget about all those management mantras of team work and other jargons. You may need the team support but there is only one person who is responsible for every thing: Project Manager.” And then he gave the perfect analogy which I have ever heard: “Project manager can only be compared to bride’s brother during an Indian wedding. And you are intelligent enough to guess the rest”. I couldn’t agree more with him as I’m project manager at my work and was bride’s brother this January. I don’t want to get into the details, but everything went as per (even better than) the plan and was simply perfect!

I’m a big music lover (and here goes the biggest secret of my life. hehe). Anyway, I love songs with good lyrics and that’s why Gulzar sa’ab tops the list of the people I would love to meet someday. But this love of mine for songs has been mostly for Indian songs only. Having grown up on a staple diet of hindi songs, I got the exposure to english songs a little late. But when I got it, I instantly became fan of one of the greatest performers and on last Sunday, I got the golden opportunity to watch him perform: Live!

Bryan Adams. If you enter any classroom of any college, one thing that you’ll find for sure is the writings on the benches. In my polytechnic classroom, someone had written over the black board: “Everything I do, I do it for you”. I was bowled over by that pretty simple line. I liked that line but never knew that it’s a song by some Canadian singer until one of my friends told me. That was the day when I decided to listen some more of this singer. Since then, I can claim that I follow at least one foreign artist and can actually contribute to those discussions of my friends where they enthusiastically discuss the Hollywood and lot.

Last weekend, I got a chance to attend his concert in Bangalore and I must say that the experience has been really enthralling. There were 20,000+ enthusiasts and it took us nearly an hour and a half to enter the place. We were still in the queue when he sang “Here I am” and the frenzy that ensued cannot be described. What followed then were my all time favorites like “Lets make a night”, “Please forgive me”, “Cant sop this thing we started”, “Summer of ‘69”, “Everything I do” and he ended it with “Cloud number 9”. We were indeed on Cloud number 9 that night!

People often ask me my favorite Bryan Adams number and I really get confused. But if I have to choose, then I’ll definitely pick “Everything I do” and “Please forgive me”. Though every song of Bryan Adams has that potential, but these two really play naughty with your heart☺

So, I was just wondering that it has not been even 2 months of 2011 and I have got 2 experiences in my kitty that are right there on the top! Heaven knows what more this year has in store. Just keeping my fingers crossed!

To My First Friend

2011-01-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

If you have a sibling who is couple of years younger or elder to you, it’s more likely to be a friendly relationship. Not saying that it won’t be possible otherwise, but its “more” likely if the age difference is lesser. My sister is around two years younger to me.

My sister. My one of the sweetest (and probably the earliest) memories of her is her first day in school when she refused to sit in her class and kept crying until her class teacher brought her to me and then she happily sat next to me. My mom says that this routine continued for over a week!

She never had any qualms in declaring that she likes what her brother likes. If I chose compass box with Mickey Mouse, she wanted the same. If my favorite hero was Bigb, then hers was the same. If I loved cricket, then she loved that too. In fact, I remember coaxing my friends to let her play cricket with us and bowl only underarm balls to her. And she used to play from both the teams!

She has always believed that her brother is the best! If none of her friends were getting solution for any complex math problem then she’ll declare, “My bhai can solve this, lets go to him”. If she is stuck with the theme of the role-play or with the choice of the group song, to be performed at school events, she’ll bring all her friends to me and say, “Bhai, we need you for this”.

I’m not highlighting my qualities here. I’m highlighting her belief in me. Her trust in her bro, who can never do anything wrong! This definitely sometimes scared me. Made me afraid of what if I don’t live up to her beliefs?

But as mischievous as I was (and am), I did many things that cannot be called as correct. And many times she was my partner in all those crimes that we committed together. She has always been my trusted lieutenant. My mom can tell you all our pranks together which we cracked on our friends of neighborhood.

She tops the list of the people who understand me completely. She knows what I want even when I don’t say it. She knows my exact reactions to most of the situations. She has lied, sacrificed, and got punished for me. She even remained silent for me. I remember those days when she got the air of my puppy love but she silently assured me that she wouldn’t tell Mom and Dad!

I know that despite her belief in me, she is the strongest amongst us. Calm, composed and intelligent. Not a loud and emotional fool like me.

Come 26th of this month, she will start a new phase of her life. And I know that she will be the best wife, sister-in law and daughter-in-law just like she has been the best daughter and sister one can hope for.

This one’s for you. My mom. My sister. My first friend. Wish you all the happiness of this world☺

Happy Endings

2010-12-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

“Why am I not feeling happy? Have I made a big compromise contrary to my belief that compromises should be avoided? You got to be happy. Take this as a challenge. Use your “creativity” to design marketing campaigns for your company. Look at so many other people who are still not sure about their future. Did you not witness your senior’s fate? You got a better deal. You will definitely overcome this as well.”

These were the thoughts going on in my mind when 2010 was knocking at the door. I had just got placed and taken up a job which was not there in my list when I joined IMT. I was trying to console myself very hard. Sometimes even trying to find that consolation out of other’s misery. But isn’t that the way humans generally behave? Whenever you are down, you try to cheer yourself up by looking at others and say " Yeah, things could have been worse". But what pinches the most is that "Things could have been better". Well, recession was anyway not in the hands of my college. All said and done, I still feel the unease of trying to make a “smaller” line "bigger" by comparing it with even much “smaller” line!

So I entered 2010 with a big baggage with me. My group (which was my family at IMT) was aware of my situation which was visible when none of them actually congratulated me. They knew I have made a compromise (just like some of them had already made and remaining would do in coming days). They just gave me a hug and a pat on the back. We all knew that we would definitely get what we wanted sooner or later. I had predicted December 2010 as the month by which we will get that. And bingo! We got it latest by November when last amongst us, our beloved “Shri Shri 1008 Pandeyji”, got into Infy! So for once in my life, I actually justified that “Pundit” tag of mine.

Singling out IMT placement as an aberration would be unfair on my part. I have always got things with a little hiccup and a bit late. What suits me is “Ruk-ruk ke chalti hai apni gaadi”. I believe someone up their trusts me a lot and always gives me tough assignments. I believe that He gives you tough things because He knows you can handle them. But I must say that at the end, I get the best!

2010. Though it started on not a very happy note, but as it progressed, it proved to be one of the most eventful years of my life. Trips with friends to Shimla, Delhi, Vaishno Devi. Trips with family to Haridwar, Rishikesh, Amritsar. 3 months at my hometown doing nothing (and everything!). My sister got engaged. Trip to Orissa and AP (btw, my count now is 15 states…yuppieee…but still 13 to go not including UTs). Met my “moti” sister after almost 2 years when she flew down to Bangalore from US. Got a dream job. And more than everything else, spent later half of the year planning and shopping for my sister’s wedding!

So at the end of 2010, I can say that I’m the happiest person on the planet. As I always look at things, it was the year of "Kabhi khushi, kabhi thodi kam khushi". I tried. I failed. I kept trying. And I succeeded. That’s the way it works.

2011 promises to be a fantabulous one as well! It starts with a bang and then there are many events which may unfold in coming months☺ Just wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous new year with the following message:

“Sab ka bhala ho, sab ka sahi ho,
apna bhi lekin, sabse sahi ho”.

December Mega Sale!

2010-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know that this title suits more to a shopping mall advertisement but how do you say it when you are purchasing a lot? “December Mega Buy”? Anyway, I’m (and my family) on a shopping spree this month. Well, the occasion justifies every single penny spent. My only sister is getting married next month and it’s the first marriage in our family of our generation. So that means my cousins’ preparations are also going on in 4th gear.

We were supposed to get only 15 days for this shopping but as the events turned out, we then got almost 7 months! I’m a firm believer of the saying that “Everything happens for the Best” and it proved to be true here as well. We got good time to plan everything in detail.

One of the things I love the most has always been to fulfill all the demands (warranted or unwarranted) of my sister and she knows the power she enjoys and that’s why she has been very careful and judicious in her demands so far. But yeah, as a ritual of sort, I keep telling her: “Hey Ram, abhi ye bhi bacha hai khareedne ko!!” Hehe..

Well, my sister’s shopping has not given me that much trouble as everyone else’s advice to spend some extra bucks on myself! I have, unsuccessfully, argued that: “Boss it’s not my day” and got the same response from everyone: “It’s round 1 for your day”. Argghh…And my mom says “Lagna chahiye ki dulhan ka iklauta bhai hai” . And I can’t argue with my mom. And if I’m not wrong, I have spent on myself more than my would-be-brother-in-law has done on him.

So, December would be known as the month when my debit card lost its weight considerably and for the first time, I crossed my Credit card limit! Shopping is at full throttle in Bhopal, Mumbai and Bangalore. And yes, because of that I got a chance to go to Mumbai last weekend and then a mandatory visit to Pune.

Mumbai trip was full of shopping malls but Pune, as usual, was more subtle. A heart-to-heart talk with “Dagdu Sheth” of Laxmi road . I discussed with “Sheth” my future plans and thanked him for many things. And then a customary evening on FC road which always takes me on time travel: whether I want or not. And FC road is exactly that place where I end up doing things that not necessarily I want to do!

In short, exciting times ahead☺

Dilli Ki Sardi!

2010-12-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ye Shehar nahi Mehfil hai. I think this line aptly describes Delhi. Delhi is a perfect blend of modernity and historical importance in this part of the world. Delhi is one of those rare cities which help you in time travelling. There are few areas in Delhi which take you hundreds of years back in time. And then there are few areas which may resemble the Manhattan! But my favorites will always be Chandni Chowk and India Gate.

Chandni Chowk. My first ever outing with my IMT friends was a day long Delhi trip. Everyone agreed when I suggested that we go to Chandni Chowk first and then to anywhere else, if time permits. Thanks to E. Sreedharan, a metro takes you to the by lanes of Chandni Chowk and then, in turn, 400-500 years back. Those narrow lanes welcome you with an aura which is unmatchable. On a 15 feet wide road, you will find parking, hawkers, Cycle-rickshaws, Cars, and Buses. Everything moving simultaneously on that 2 Km road from Lal Quila to Chandni Chowk. But not even once you feel discomfort. You look around and you feel that you always belonged here. Every building eager to tell you a story and welcomes you with open arms. Some of them even have their construction date inscribed (I remember reading in one of them: 1784!). And then you have the most famous address of Delhi..sorry..Dilli. “Parathe Waali Gali, Dilli-6”. That "Gali" is not even 5 feet wide and they really make the most delicious Parathas in the world. Its there only that you understand the meaning of that old saying: “Paet bhar gaya par dil nahi”. And there only Harsh and I kept ordering Parathas when everybody else succumbed! But its not only about Parathas. Moong/Gaajar ka Halwa, Dahi Bhalle, Gulaab Jamun…oye I already have water in my mouth! That trip ensured my return trips there many more times in coming days. I can now really understand the couplet by Zauq: "Kaun Jaaye 'Zauq' par, Dilli ki galiyaan chhodkar..."

India Gate. Well, this seems to be a bland choice for a favorite place in Delhi. But there are reasons. We never planned for our India gate trip and never went for it in daylight. It has always been a spontaneous decision and there can be any reason for that- even a long queue in mess! We normally used to start at around 9 PM and then would have our Dinner in one of the Dhabas on the highway where Pandeyji always had that extra butter Naan;) And the earliest we would reach India Gate was 12:00, midnight. First thing that we would do was to have “Chuski” in “Kaala-Khatta” flavor. And mind you, you will have to wait for at least 10 minutes before your order gets served. And yes, I’m talking about midnight only. That’s the kind of rush there at that hour! And it used to be more fun if the temperature was anything less than five degrees☺ That generally was followed by photo sessions (and especially the RDB pose on Kakke’s demand). We would roam around for next few hours having our coffee and doing all the bakar possible until someone shouts: “Oye, subah 8:30 baje presentation hai!” But by that time it was already 2 AM and we had not done anything at all on our presentation;) But that was the time when we were allowed to be careless and even if we were not: We didn’t care.

Ah! Those were the days. Anyway, I don’t want to start again on how much I’m missing those days but I’m definitely missing “Dilli ki sardi” here in Bangalore.

To Ganesh Yadav

2010-11-24T03:49:00.000-08:00

It’s now more than 13 years since I left my hometown in search of my destiny. OK I know it’s a very heavy statement. So let me re-frame it: Its now more than 13 years since my parents kicked me out to go and do something in life. Well, since then, whenever I get an opportunity to visit my hometown, I get excited and impatient (which happens to every person who’s away from his/her home). And I got an opportunity to go to my hometown for this Diwali.

So, as excited as a kid, on the date of my departure, I went to the airport, picturing 567th time all the fun I’m going to have on this trip. So when I reached the counter to collect my boarding pass, the lady at the Kingfisher reception told me : “Sir, we have an offer for you”. I thought, I’ve got an upgrade and maybe it’s my turn, finally, to travel in Business class. I asked: “Yes?” She replied: “Can you travel to Mumbai tomorrow?” I was speechless and asked her again: “What!!?” She repeated the same thing. I said “Hello!!, I got a connecting train to my hometown”. Then she gave me all the good reasons (engine failure, festival rush, no backup etc) which reminded me of a perfect CRM case study!! Well, as we have been taught, I tried to be reasonable (did I mention that she was hot?). I said you get me to the nearest airport because Mumbai is not my destination. Then after sometime, she came with two boarding passes and told me: “Sir, you can go to Indore tomorrow via Delhi ”. And then, I reached my hometown after traveling over 3500 kms in around 12 hours!

During my lengthy journey, I kept reading some newspapers and magazines available at the airport. They did not have anything new to offer. It was the same crap: 2G, CWG and Adarsh Society. I was thinking that "Is Congress back to its basics?” but by the evening I read somewhere about Land scams in Karnataka under BJP government. So now, that gives Congress leverage over BJP. But where is the common man here? What about us? In the politics, its not that two wrongs make a right but it’s that every wrong is a right!!

When you read so much of depressing nonsense continuously, you yourself become a bit disappointed. What is happening in my country? What is the solution of all this mess? Should we shoot all the politicians and bureaucrats?

All these thoughts were occupying my mind space when I took a Cab outside Indore Airport. As usual, being a talker, I started a conversation with the driver. My nostalgia made me ask him more about the state of Indore. He kept on telling me how Indore has changed and how his own life has changed. He told me that 5 years back he was just a ticket conductor in one of the private buses in Indore but now he himself owns a Cab worth Rs. 8 Lakh. I was amazed and asked him: “How?” Then he told me a little more about his financial condition 5 years back. He was a poor fellow and the only one to feed 8 stomachs! But he made sure that he gives his children proper education. One of his sons is working in one of the MNC’s in Noida and because of this, he has taken a loan to have his own vehicle. Then he told me about how beautiful is the future of Indore and India. I was literally overwhelmed. Finally, I asked him his name. He said: “Ganesh Yadav”.

After talking to him for 30 minutes, all those depressing thoughts just evaporated within a flash. I know I just happened to meet him after reading all that BS but still he helped boosting my confidence. On one hand we have those buggers and on the other hand we have this Gentleman who is trying his best to make his family and, in turn, his country prouder and stronger. I understood that its people like him who make India a force to reckon with! We don’t need to worry about those crooks who will be there but we always have these Ganesh Yadav’s to save the day! This is the real spirit of India which stands unscathed despite a few cuts on its body. Hats off to you Mr. Ganesh Yadav and all those people like you who make India. Real India.

P.S.: As I write this blog, one other Yadav, who made one of the most beautiful states of India poorest and a laughing stock, has been made to eat dust by the people. A stern warning to others of his league! I just wish that the state returns to its past glory and then it puts an end to all the brain drain!

Chhoti-Chhoti Baatein

2010-11-08T05:02:00.000-08:00

Only if you dream big, you can achieve big. Do only one thing but do it greatly.

And then there are many sayings which urge you to put all your energies around so called “big” or “great” things. How many of us do that in reality? We all have to agree that bigger moments are so few and smaller moments are so many!

I have learned over time that life defines itself in many smaller things. I’m sure we all have had our own bigger moments but is our life only about those few moments? What about all those other million smaller moments which helped us to become what we are today? I would say our bigger moments are those curves which we took on our journey called life but our smaller moments are those which let us reach those life-defining curves.

Before reaching a seat in one of the engineering colleges, we had to pass so many smaller tests. I remember the euphoria (momentary though) after beating all my friends in Math test caused me so many times to forget about that engineering seat! That one test, on the way to engineering seat, was a very small moment in comparison to what I was aspiring for but still that euphoria is something I’ll never forget! And I’m sure my friends got the similar feeling when they beat me in all the other subjects;)

Same with my MBA seat as well. When I was in Pune and preparing for my MBA, I used to give full-length tests with “youth-icon” Chunnu. We always had that healthy competition of outsmarting each other. My arguments and all the teasing with him are more memorable than the offer letter which I received to join an MBA college!

You can easily decide which is more important:

Paying for the family dinner at a restaurant for the first time or your current take home? Buying Nokia 1100 from your first salary or buying iPhone now? Someone’s name appearing on the mobile screen or actually talking to her?

Smaller moments make our life meaningful. Life is more beautiful in those smaller moments. Cheers to all those chhoti-chhoti baatein:)

From here and there..

2010-10-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

I don’t have any title for this post. There are so many things going on in my mind nowadays, that dedicating my post to any one of them would be an injustice to the others and I also cant write about them one by one as I’ll be less on motivation to write on them as the time passes. So here are few thoughts occupying my mind space from last few days:

First one of course is Ayodhya verdict. Do I even care about it? No. Am I going to ever visit that place (unless accompanying my parents)? No. But still it made me nervous for good(?) 2-3 days. The reason behind that is same as that of any common Indian. Whole time I was praying to the poster of Lord Rama (and I’m content with that fragile poster of Him on my wall) that please give good senses to all the “concerned” parties. Those horror stories of that bloody ’92-‘93 winter are enough for us. And see, He listened to me and many more who wanted peace. Who wanted to move on. Who have more concerning issues in their life than a religious structure. Who are trying day in and day out for the betterment of their families and themselves. Who want to do their little bit to lift those 55% (according to the latest UN report) out of poverty. Who want to contribute in their own way to this great country. Who don’t want to hurt the 8% growth story. And finally, those who don’t want street violence by fanatics ignorant of the teachings of the religion they claim to champion the cause of. Thankfully, this is new India. A matured India.

One other God is also blessing everyone. Sachin helped India decimating the Aussies!! Giving Ponting a punch on his face. An achievement to celebrate. More so for people like me who watched 3-0 whitewash in ’99-00. But as I said, its new India. Everywhere.

CWG. Ah.. Well it was one thing I was waiting for from last so many years. More so after watching the Beijing 2008. But it seems that there are still some crooks that we need to deal with to make our Country a true superpower. Though the opening ceremony helped in soothing the unease but still we’ll not forget your contribution Mr K. And finally, stupendous show by the Indian sportspersons came as an elixir of relief. Looking at the dismal infrastructure of our country, they must really be a motivated lot to play for their country. They are the actual celebrities. Coming against all the odds and winning all over! Bravo!! Kudos!!

Then Bigb got national award for his performance in Paa. Whenever I think that maybe this is his best performance, he proves me wrong by coming up with another one! Waiting for many more riveting ones in the future. And there are murmurs that Aamir bhai is going to start reading scripts from November:)

And finally, its festival time!! Going home for a week for Diwali. Its after 4.5 months that I’m going home. Diwali has always been one of the favorite festivals but this Diwali is really special. Very special☺

When We Went Biking!!

2010-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

When Pandeyji flew down (with little help from Jet Airways) from Kolkata last weekend to grace Bangalore with “their” (I’ll be doomed if I dare use “his” with Pandeyji) majestic presence, we, along with Ankur, had a little reunion of our own. Though we were not even half of our esteemed and infamous (of course!) group, but still we managed to have our own good time. We tried to re-live as much of those golden 21 months as possible. Then only I decided that I’ll write more about my IMT exploits in my blog. And here is one of the bestest trip we had!!

“McLeodganj or Kasauli?” asked Himanshu. “I’m OK with anywhere” I replied. “Then Kasauli it is and we start at 2:30 am and we have 3 hours to pack our bags” declared Himanshu. But after sometime I asked a question: “ How far is Nainital from here?” “Almost the same- around 300km”. “Then why don’t we go to Nainital?” “Hmm..Lets go to Nainital” said everyone.

Whole summer of 2009 (when we all were doing our summer internship), we planned for a bike trip to Laddakh. We had decided that we’d go just after our summer internship’s internal viva. But we needed around a week off (or bunk) from the college which was not possible and so our Laddakh plan remained only a plan. To cover up for the Laddakh trip, we decided to go on a shorter trip and finally (after much deliberation), Nainital was the place finalized.

We started at around 2:45 in the morning for Nainital. 4 bikes. 7 enthusiasts. It was decided that we’d take a break after every 50-60km of drive. The national highway there is so good that you wont believe that you are driving on the roads of a state that is always amongst the states lacking infrastructure standards in the country. But the best stretch is 70-80 km drive from Rampur to Haldwani. It’s so beautiful that it can give tough competition to all those picturesque songs of Bollywood shot in Europe! And then from Haldwani, its 50km curvy drive on the mountains. It’s more fun to drive on the mountainous-curvy roads than on the silky highways!

We reached Nainital at around 12:30 PM. Took a hotel and got ready for a walk on the Mall road (why every hill station has a Mall road?). Did some boating in the "Tal” from which city got its name. Visited Naina devi’s temple and Gurudwara. Went to sleep early as we had not slept in last 40 hours.

So you are thinking what a boring description I’m giving of this trip? Well, the fun starts now. Few of the super-hits of that trip are as follows:

➢ I woke up next morning when Kakke kept banging the door: “Sharma, oye sharma, darwaza toh khol pra” Main bola:“ki hoya?”. Kakke bola” chal mall road ghoom ke aate hai subah-subah”. Maine kaha ”chal nikal yaha se, maine nahi jaana, neend aa rahi hai”.I slept again. But just after 30 minutes, again a bang on my door. I started abusing before even opening the door. It was kakke only, as expected. Before I could say anything, he said “chal oye, poori road wich soni-soni kudiyaan hai”. That was enough to wake me up. We took Himanshu with us and roamed for around 1 hour but could not see a single (single) girl. Whole time kakke spent defending himself. Till this day, he maintains that he saw those beautiful girls and that we are “manhoos”.

➢ I was discussing with Ankit (Kakke’s roomie) that since how long he has been driving a bike. He said from only last 2 months. I left the topic there only. After few hours, when we stopped at a Dhaba, during our return journey, I started teasing Kakke that he and Ankit are partners (you know those article 377 types). Kakke kept denying and , obviously, abusing me. But I said Ankit has told me the same. Kakke said “Bula ussko aur abhi pooch mere saamne”. I called Ankit and asked “oye, tune kab shuru kiya?” Ankit said very enthusiastically” arre abhi 2 maheene hi huye hai”. And then you can guess what happened with Ankit;)

➢ Harsh was the pillion and I was driving. The speed was almost 90Kmph. I asked Harsh something but he did not reply. I asked him again but no answer this time as well. I slowed down the speed and asked again. Then I panicked and shouted fourth time and brought the speed to 20kmph. Then Harsh said “ Haan bol”. I asked him if he slept or what. He said no. Well, this “no” was coming from a guy who got the title of “Sleeping beauty of the class” during awards night. I stopped the bike and asked him again “sahi bol”. He said” I was thinking that we are going round and round and round while driving a bike”. I said “saale, tu so gaya tha aur ye tera sapna tha”. Well, he still argues that he didn’t sleep but there’s no taker of his argument. During the remaining journey, I kept asking him something every now and then just to avoid any further occurrence of the same. Imagine your pillion sleeping when bike is at 90kmph!

➢ This one is the hit of the trip. Pandeyji “were” driving Enticer with no pillion. As I mentioned earlier, It was decided that we’ll stop after every 50-60km. But God knows what happened, Pandeyji decided to have some other plans. “They” did not stop anywhere for almost 100kms and that left everyone surprised and tensed. As Pandeyji had not crossed anyone and “they” “were” no where to be seen. We all were worried. Especially Teju, who did not know to drive a bike and was a pillion for the whole trip of about 650kms. He was sitting behind Himanshu and Himanshu had to stop when Teju said “ Bhai ab main aur nahi baith sakta, dukaan ki haalat kharaab hai, rok le ab rest karte hai. Lets wait for Pandeyji here only”. So, we all were waiting for Pandeyji to arrive. And finally, “they” did arrive. Kakke was standing next to me when Pandeyji “were” taking off the helmet. I think, Pandeyji sensed the mood of the public (everyone was ready to shout at Pandeyji), and the expressions which came on the face of Pandeyji can give all the actors a run for their money. And then came the best dialogue of the trip from Kakke “ Ye issne banayee bechaaro type shakal taaki koi chillaye na iss pe”. It was so fitting!

There are many more that I can write. For example, when Ankit said he has dropped one of his Cameras at the same spot in the lake few years back, Harsh trying to get the bike (with full speed) off the stand when there was a big brick below the rear tyre and above all: Kakke did not smile in single pic!

This trip is one of those things I can’t thank IMT enough for. Well, if there’s any of my hit (was it?), you can write that in the comment.

I Have Dreams

2010-09-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I’m not inspired by MLK’s historic speech to write this blog.

You can name any number of people or things if someone asks you “What’s closest to you?” Few names quickly come to our mind. Of people. Of our possessions. Of our achievements. But I believe the closest thing to you is your Dreams. Aren’t they?

Dreams are personal. Very personal. I mean, how many people are there with whom we can share all our dreams? There is always one or two which we won’t share with anyone. Dreams are reflections of our fantasies, our wishes, things that we cannot achieve and things which we can achieve and will achieve in future. There’s no confined spectrum for dreams. And that’s the best thing about dreams. We can let our imagination to fly high in those moments when its only us and our dreams. Some of my favorite dreams over the years are:

• First on the list is the one where I’m the best batsman of the history and have scored a triple century in ODI’s and broken Lara’s record of 501 in first-class cricket at least 10 times (most of them against Pakistan). I can bowl as well. Have taken all 10 wickets many times (who’s Kumble btw?). I’m the best fielder and have ran-out batmen from the boundary after directly hitting the stumps. I don’t endorse carbonated drinks (as in reality also I don’t like them..burp…). I use my position to make people donate for different social causes. I have an opinion about everything and I don’t play diplomatic about them. I’m the one who lashes out at media for its silliness. And yeah, people listen to me.

• Second on the list is of a politician. I’m the most admired personality in the country. I take decisions. Tough ones. I’ve jailed all the crooks practicing the politics of fear (religion, region, caste). I’ve solved most of the problems my country is facing (Kashmir, poverty, terrorism, Maoism, Pakistan and to an extent China). Have taken India on the path of prosperity. Now, the Americans dream of going on an Indian onsite assignment. India is the best country in the world.

• Third on the list is the greatest movie director ever. I have directed many blockbusters. Top actors can give their right hand to act in my movie. And I occasionally act to bag all the awards.

And the list goes on. Our dreams are caricatures of what we wanted to achieve, what we want to achieve and what changes we want around us. Some of those represent spark that was never converted into a wildfire. Barring the politician one, the remaining two are those that had some spark. I played cricket at district level and have written, directed and acted in several plays. Hey you IMTians, you are witness to my portrayal of frustrated customer and top militant (I still have those 50+ chits of compliments with me as souvenir..hehe).

The most fascinating characteristic of our dreams is that they allow us to change the unwanted endings of some realities. Obviously, not everything has happened the way we wanted it to. For those few moments only, we live our 'un-lived' dreams. Of course, we are living many of our other dreams and some of those are the ones that others (parents, friends etc) wanted us to live.

Today, I’ve those things of which I dreamed some day. In that sense, I’m living my dreams. And then there are some dreams that I’ll live in coming days. But there are some unfulfilled (impractical?) ones that became nightmares but are softer now with time. And we all make our compromises. Or say accept the reality?

DCH. Again!

2010-08-28T10:06:00.001-07:00

“One more birthday gift for you is that we are allowing you to take us to an Aamir movie as a treat to us”, said one of my friends. I couldn’t have agreed more. It was my last birthday as a teenager when I suggested that I’d take all my friends to the next Aamir movie as my birthday treat. It was really a rare occasion as it was the second Aamir movie in just 2 months. The first movie was India’s official entry to academy awards that year and the second one was officially the best movie on friendship ever.

I went to the movie because of Aamir. And I dragged all my friends as well. They started teasing me when first 10 minutes showed that gloomy atmosphere of hospital and all. But now when I see their profile on Orkut and FB, DCH is their favorite movie;)

Today I watched it again. I was prompted (or provoked) to watch it on this weekend when one of my friends told me day before yesterday that he’s going to watch DCH. I thought how come he’s watching DCH without it being in my “to-do” list? So I watched it, again.

When I went with my friends to watch it for the first time, the reason we liked it was that every one of us was able to relate to one of the characters out of 3 leads. As it is said that you like a movie more if you are able to relate to it. It was exactly that kind of movie. It was about that one relationship which I keep at the highest pedestal above all the other relationships. It was about friendship and then, of course, love.

There have many mails floating around since then about the learning’s from DCH. I would say that the movie just highlighted the facts. Some of them that I liked the most are:

• Whatever kind of creature you are, reserved or confused or careless. You need friends. All three leads here.
• Best friends are those who make life hell for you but you know that they love you the most. Aamir with Saif all the time. This one is especially for my friends;)
• There’s a line, which should not be crossed even with best friends. Aamir does that with Akshay.
• You can fall in love with anyone. Yes, anyone. One of the best scenes of the movie is the one where Akshay slaps Aamir and gives some gyan about love. Awesome and so true!
• Its never too late to make up with your friends. You can give your ego a break. It can be massaged with so many other people you have in your life but not with friends. Aamir’s apology to Akshay. Bestest!!!!

Not many movies are there that leaves such an impact on you. DCH is that rare one. It says so many complex things in such an entertaining manner. DCH is one of the ways in which go back to be with my friends again. To hell with the fact that I don’t see them regularly anymore!

Good Decisions. Bad Decisions.

2010-08-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

“…and the only thing that sets apart great leaders from others is their ability to take good decisions”, said one of my professors before ending his class. We have heard this so many times before as well. But I have my own take on this saying. I will say it’s the ability to take decisions rather than end result of that decision, proving good or bad, which is important. Of course, not all of us are born to become great leaders but all of us are born to take at least those decisions that affect us, if not the humanity.

We all have, at some point in our life; have faced tough situations that demanded a tough decision from us. And I have felt that in those moments of indecision, I have panicked a lot. What if my decision goes wrong?

Today, as anyone else can, I can very well analyze those decisions and start thinking that I should have done that thing differently or I should not have taken that decision. Yeah, some decisions did not work as expected. But I have the satisfaction of taking those decisions on my own to the best of my knowledge at that time. I chose something that was best for me at that particular time of my life. I have seen that many of the decisions have turned out to be brilliant and I don’t rue the ones which did not go well. And many of my decisions have actually carved a path for me for which I can only thank my stars. The important thing here is that I stand by every decision (good or bad) of mine even after years of taking them. Because, I feel if we regret our decisions, we are actually trying to escape from ourselves and are ashamed of some part of our own.

Life is more fulfilling if we know that everything that has happened, is happening and will happen to us because we wanted it that way. It’s just like giving a script to the God, who is the ultimate director, and waiting to watch a blockbuster in the end. But I think a below average and flop performance also has something in it: Learning. And anyway, I believe in not recognizing failures.

P.S.: Someone sent me a message few years back: “Be very careful about what you want from God, You may get it”. Hmm..interesting;)

(In)Justice: Delivered

2010-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Apart from Math, History is one subject that has always fascinated me. Though both the subjects are as different as chalk and cheese. In one everything can be proved and in other everything you have to believe. And wherever belief is concerned, you tend to believe more a first hand account. But how many first hand accounts of events of historic importance are there? I think you can go back only till partition. I’ve heard few of my Punjabi uncles narrating the series of tragic events that took place in the winter of ’47. Horrific as they are, there is one more disaster of which I have heard from the people directly involved in that. Actually I was also involved in that but I was a kid of only 2 years at that time. Yes, I’m talking about Bhopal Gas leak accident.

My mom’s family belongs to Bhopal and on that fateful night of 2nd and 3rd December 1984, we all were in Bhopal because of my Uncle’s marriage. It was around 1:30 in the night that people started smelling something in the air. At first, it felt like it’s an LPG gas leak but when all the cylinders (around 10-12 in number because of the marriage) were checked 2-3 times and the smell getting more discomforting, that people started guessing. And then by the dawn, the news spread faster than the gas in the air.

There was a poisonous gas that leaked from the premises of Union Carbide’s plant in old city. There were reports that initially said that the gas has only caused people to vomit and made their eyes red/swollen and no casualty was there. Newspapers were not allowed to give the actual number because it could cause the panic. But to hell with that, people got the actual numbers: more than 20,000 dead and over a lakh having serious problems. But these still are official figures. Rest you can guess. In the morning, families running away from the Gas plant as far as possible were the only sites.

We were lucky that we were living at a place that was 15 km away from the gas plant. And we feel lucky every time such an incident happens and none of “our” people has been harmed. But this incident left an indelible mark on public’s mind space. And yes there were more visible ones as well. The next generation of the families living in the vicinity of the plant has also been crippled. And many have died a silent death, in the coming years, which never got counted in that initial figure.

This week came the “justice” to the families of victims. It took 26 good years to establish the responsibility for this worst industrial disaster in the history of mankind. And wow! The convicts were given 2 years of imprisonment and 1.7 lakh Rs fine for causing death due to “negligence”. All the convicts got bail just after their sentencing as well. If we needed any more proof of mockery of justice in India, this was it.

Now, the media would scrutinize the case and we will see a lot of charges and counter charges of government’s impotency at that time (it has already started as I post this blog). But nothing will come out of this for sure.

I have always believed that more than and sooner than any other reforms, we need judicial reforms in our country. If you look at any problem of India, the bottom line is that the offenders know that first they wont be caught and if they are caught they wont be persecuted and in case they are persecuted they would have died comfortably by then. Though we know that they would rot in hell for sure but we want them to rot in prison here on earth. This whole system here is so “Justice proof” that Warren Anderson was openly allowed to run away (of course he bribed the people who were supposed to persecute him and US pressurized Indian government).

There have been so many instances of criminals being left scot free because of delay in Indian legal process. But we can’t blame judiciary for this whole mess. I read somewhere that it would take 350 years to complete all the cases pending in courts across the country. What we need is judicial reforms. We need to increase the number of judges and courts (actually we need to double them according to one report), we need to change some archaic laws (the recent verdict is a result of that only) and introduce some new and better laws. We all have witnessed what can happen with judicial activism (Few years back, Veerappan kidnapped Kannada superstar Rajkumar and asked for release of around 120 criminals and the Karnataka government actually gave orders for their release but SC came into the picture and spoiled Veerappan’s party).

Politicians here are never going to go aggressively for judicial reforms, as they know that they would be the first casualties of those reforms. But I believe that pressure from public can really make them act. And media has a big role to play here. If we can have justice delivered in Kasab’s case within a year, why not in all those other million cases?

May the souls of the deceased in Bhopal gas leak rest in peace.

When one ends, Another begins

2010-06-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Just after my convocation, I thought what am I going to do next two and a half months? I made a “to-do list”. It involved visiting new places, re-visiting few places, and doing things I never had time for. I thought this is a great opportunity to explore many things. I mean, when am I going to get 2.5 months break next? Maybe, at least, after 30 years when I’ll retire.

So my trips included Vaishno Devi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Amritsar, Bhilai, Pune and Mumbai. And the best adventure that I had was 16Km rafting in the waters of Ganges in Rishikesh and the Wagah border in Amritsar can really make you feel the pain of partition! More on this some other time but in no language can one describe what you feel inside Jalianwala Bagh.

I really was successful in getting reconnected to my roots. There’s a wonderful ad, sponsored by MP tourism, which has a punch line “Hindustan ka dil dekho”. I have seen that ad sitting in every corner of the country. So I thought I should visit (and re-visit) all those wonderful places. But plans are seldom put properly into action. How shameful it is for people like me who proudly claim to have explored so many parts of India and look forward to make the same claim for the world but have seen little of their own state! I was thinking from a long time to write (or boast) about my hometown. So I’ll do this now.

This time, I surely explored many aspects of my City: Hoshangabad. A small town on the southern bank of river Narmada, 70 Km away from Bhopal. A typical small Indian town where you know most of the people living in your colony. There are many things my city can boast of. Some I knew: it has the only hill station (Pachmarhi) of MP, rock paintings (at Bhim Batheka) dating 9000 years back are here (if you open Wiki and search for India, “Bhim-Batheka” is used to show the life of Indian civilization) and river Narmada is in its widest (650-700 meters!), deepest (300-400 feet) and cleanest form here.

And there are some really astonishing facts that I didn’t know: farmland here is at least 3 times costlier than the rates else where in the whole state! I can guess the reason for that. No shortage of water (Thanks to Narmada) and for underground water, you need to bore only 30 feet. Power cut also is just 2-3 hours as compared to 9-10 hours in many parts of the state during summer. This has actually put my plan of buying farmland and growing mangoes on hold for some more timeL The land here is so fertile that I have heard that farmers from other states have bought land. As a matter of fact, the district stood first in per hectare wheat production in the whole country this year (it produced 45 Quintal per hectare and the distant second was one Punjab district with 38 Quintal per hectare). Though these figures are just numbers for me as I don’t know what this whole thing means other than that this is a good news for farmers here and truly a unique feat.

Enough now. To know more, visit Hoshangabad which is well connected to every part of the country.

Come June 14 and I’ll again become part of the corporate world. And now there’s no escape for me. Earlier, during all those working years, every task I used to take half-heartedly as I always had one thought in the back of mind: “Abhi kar lo ye kaam, maine toh jaldi hi MBA karne nikal jaana hai”. But now, no space for such thoughts. Now I’ve to work but with how much percentage of heart, I’ll know in few days. So embarking upon a new journey very soon. Away from the comforts of home. The breakfasts, lunches and dinners will again be felt like a task. No more sleeps without alarm.

One journey ends and another begins…..

PS 1: The coincidence is that it was FIFA world cup when I joined a company last time and this time too its FIFA world cup!

PS 2: The opening scene of recent release “Raajniti” is Hoshangabad’s Narmada Ghat.

Few snaps of Narmada are attached.