One fine day!

Chanakya

2009-02-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

Today when every part of the country is facing the challenge of regional identity v/s national identity, just stumbled across this clip, which depicts the same challenge circa 300 years B.C!! India of those days was spanned from modern day's Kandhaar, Afghanistan (original name Gandhaar in those days) to present Bangladesh.

Chanakya was a well known teacher of University of Taxsheela (which is now in modern days Pakistan). He addresses the convocation ceremony of the graduating students. Listen into this ever so relevant words of wisdom.

Golden Rules

2008-12-01T03:48:00.000-08:00

There are so many books about self imporvements in stores that sometimes we get confused over which one to buy. On top of it daily dose of preachings from our frineds and family and motivational gurus. Here is one of those things about how to be successful in life I read in one gujarati magazine (chitralekha) and thought it was worth pondering over.

A pencil manufracturer's 5 point success mantra for newly made pencils

1. You will have to submit yourself to a capable hand to taste the fruits of success.
2. On the path to success, dont be afraid of being scalped freequently.
3. Allow your mistakes to be erased. Don't stay stubborn.
4. Remember your single most important asset is within you.
5. Always leave a mark on any surface that you are applied upon.

You just have to replace "pencil" with "yourself" and you have got the golden rules of success!!

The Fall Street

2008-10-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

It is very important not to lose one's sense of humour amidst this global financial crisis. Some might have gone belly up. Sevaral others might have been sold out and still many others might be facing the heat. Keeping your cool is utmost important especially during such unprecedented crisis.

Here are some funny quotes on the financial meltdown. enjoy...

What worries me most about the credit crunch is that if one of my cheques is returned stamped "insufficient funds", I won't know whether that refers to mine or the bank's. :))

A trader on Dalal Street: "This is worse than a divorce. I've lost half my net worth and I still have a wife."

The market may be bad, but I slept like a baby last night. I woke up every hour and cried. :)

The stock market has forecast nine of the last five recessions ;)

Tag me if you can...

2008-04-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

Inspite of all my efforts to escape, I am tagged again. For once I thought to give it a pass but when two fellow bloggers (Chinmai and Kanan) tag you for the same set of questions and one even expects you to respond first of all the new recipients of the tag, you are left with little choice. (So now you know what you have to do if you want me to respond to your tags!!)

1) Last movie you saw in a theatre?
Taare Zameen Par. And it hasnt been that long for me. May be a month.

2) What book are you reading?
World is flat is still not complete.

3) Favorite board game?
How about Shun Chokadi? ;) You know those crosses and circles that we make !!

4) Favorite magazine?
ORACLE

5) Favorite smells?
Smell of fresh bank notes issued by the Reserve Bank of India. :)

6) Favorite thing to do in weekend?
Play table Tennis all day long.

7) Worst feeling in the world?
To find zero comments on my blog post!!

8)What is the first thing you think of when u wakeup?
SMS/Missed calls on cell :)

9) Favorite fast food place?
Mr. Puff

10) Future child’s name?
A meaningful fusion of the names of father and mother of the child !!

11) Finish this statement --- 'If I had a lot of money'
I would give it away. Because I believe in Infosys chairman Mr. Murthy's philosophy that the real power of money lies in giving it away.

12) Do you drive fast?
Yes, if you are talking about driving people crazy :)

13) Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?
History has proved that humans are social animals. and science has proved that they are stuffed too.. if you see what I mean ;)

14) Storms -- Cool or Scary?
No idea what-so-ever.

15) What was your first car?
Yet to buy one but probably TATA Nano ...second is Honda City and third Toyota Corolla. And BTW unlike the USA, you do not start with Corolla's in India. We are a poor country you know :)

16) Favorite drink?
Water

17) Finish this statement --- If i had the time i would...
Read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawkings. :)

18) Do you eat the stems on broccoli?
No idea.

19) If you could dye your hair any other color, what would be your choice?
Not into hair colouring.

20) Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in?
Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Baroda. In chronological order.

21) Favorite sports to watch?
Women's Tennis...hmmmm make it Women's tennis - doubles :)

22) One information about the person who sent this to you?
Kanan reminds me of sunny california and Chinmai creativiy.

23) What’s under your bed?
Nothing. Believe me nothing!!

24) Would you like to be born as yourself again?
No need. Attaining nirvana in this incarnation itself. :)) quite confident about it.

25) Morning person or night owl?
Does one have to be either of these two?

26) Over easy or sunny side up?
Can you repeat the question please? :)

27) Favorite place to relax?
Rest room? I thought thats why they are called so. :)

28) Favorite pie?
American Pie, all three parts. ;)

29) Favorite ice cream flavor?
Abstaining.

30) Of all the people you have tagged, who is the most likely to respond first?
I don't do tagging.

World is Flat

2008-03-22T01:02:00.000-07:00

There was a joke making rounds some time back about corporate meeting culture. Let me quickly tell that joke first and then back to a more serious topic, which this post is going to be!

A senior colleague, whilst preparing for a yet another meeting, gives one idea to enjoy these boring corporate meetings to his newly recruited colleague. Write down these words on a piece of paper he tells. The words are: globalisation, innovation, leverage, customer satisfaction, high performance, intuition, out-sourcing and competence. Now the idea is to strike out each word as and when it is heard during the meeting. At the end of the meeting if there is a single word left on the paper he wins otherwise he loses. And as you would have guessed, there were very few meetings which gave the new entrant a chance to win!! The morale of the story: most corporate meetings are stereotype and mere lip-service.

Why did I remember this story now? Because I am currently reading a book - The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. A highly acclaimed book about present times and how globalisation is shaping our new world and some of the challenges in this “flat world” that we are and will increasingly be facing. And to my utter surprise each of the above words is mentioned so many times in this book, repeatedly, that I could not but pose and ponder over them. It is a lengthy book rather a thesis from a well travelled gentleman and journalist who moved around the world trying to find answers to why India and China are stealing American jobs and ended up with this amazing book, which I will recommend to every global citizen who wants to succeed in this new world. The title of the book was conceived when the author heard Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani say "the playing field has been levelled". (This explains why Infosys' annual financial statements reach its shareholders with THINK FLAT embossed on its cover page!!)

One idea that I liked the most is a simple mathematical equation. CQ + PQ > IQ. Curiosity Quotient + Passion Quotient > Intelligence Quotient. Suggesting that in the new flat world it is an individual’s curiosity and passion for his work, which will drive him to success and to a better paying jobs and ultimately to better standard of living and not as much as his intelligence. Quite an equation there!

So if you are up for some dose of global economic environment and some ideas about how to compete in the new flat world, this is a book for you. Go grab it.

Tagged...again!!

2008-02-26T04:52:00.000-08:00

Chinmai tagged me. 20 questions .uhh thats too much to ask from a "busy" guy like me ...:) Still I will try and entertain you. here I go...

Instructions:Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question. Make it a total of 20 questions, and then tag 8 people in your list. List them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1) Who are the most & most important persons you like to meet in your life?
My better half . For as they say without her I am incomplete? ;)

2) Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
a. Rupee b. Dollar c. Pound

3) If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
That I am a good listener!!

4) What has been the happiest moment ?
This.

5) Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Pyramid, Egypt

6) If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
To be able to dream dreams, that can come true...at will ;) (now thats what I call a perfect use of recursion)

7) (My own question). Thank god they give some room for respite in between :)) I pass.

8) Two things which you always wanted to learn but never did till date?
Cooking and Swimming

9) What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
Put my visiting card in it and leave it as it is in a hope that some person with high moral value opens it ;)

10) If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Love is blind.............. and deaf ......................and dumb too..... ;)

11) List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
a)creative b)sincere c)philosopher

12) What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
She should understand SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) There are four phases in it.
a)Requirement gathering b)Development c) Support d)Phase out :-)

13) Which type of person do you like the most?
Logical with lots of sense of humour

14) What is your ambition?
Ok. if you are still reading (what??). Ambition is for losers. I like Hero Honda Passion :)

15) What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
Lack of integrity.

16) If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?
Exercise daily.

17) Something that made u laugh today?
Idea of tagging people :) (ok I confess not that. But then the truth is censored!!)

18) How do you deal with a friend who has wronged you?
Gandhigiri :)

19) Name one favorite song of yours.
Yeah jo desh hai tera (Swadesh). Very inspiring.

20) If you are about to lose all your memory and you have an option to remember just one person, who will it be?
A person that I was before the mishap. :)

No tagging further. (Ok I know what you are thinking. I don't have enough readers to tag. Right? And they needed 8 tags??) But as they say don't let truth come in way of a good story. And the story is I don't do tagging. ;)

Have a good one. Cheers.

No More a Gentleman’s Game.

2008-01-06T23:28:00.000-08:00

“Only one team was playing in right spirit of the game.” These were the words of Indian test skipper Anil Kumble on Sunday after losing a nail biting game of test cricket match with Australia. Those who know Kumble would know that it is very unlike him to have come up with such strong words for the opposite team. So what prompted Mr. skipper? Well, a series of wrong decisions by umpires - all going in favour of Aussie - was just a tip of the iceberg. What really was behind Kumble’s anger was the total lack of sportsman spirit shown by Ricky Ponting and his team.

As the rule goes you cannot and must not question umpire’s judgment on a cricket pitch. Fair enough. I personally also don’t think there is too much to read in the way both the umpires behaved on field (except Sourav’s decision when Benson ruled him out on Ponting’s version.) Umpires are humans and they are bound to make mistakes. It is very easy to find excuses when we lose. The fact of the matter is India could not bat even 2 full sessions to pull out a draw.

On the other side the champion Aussie wanted to prove a point. They were on the verge of equalling a world record of 16 consecutive test victories. The earlier record was with them only but it was regarded as Steve Waugh’s team!! This was the Ricky Ponting’s team. And if they had an opportunity to show their might they will - even at the cost of cricket. So their batsmen (Ponting, Symonds) stood their ground even after knowing they were out. They appealed incessantly for LBW’s and caught behind’s even after knowing the batsmen (Sourav, Dravid, Dhoni) were clear cut non outs. They used all the dark tricks in their book to see that they win a match which seemed a clear candidate of draw and at the end secure their name in record books. Umpires helped their cause by playing their part. (by giving Jafer out on a no-ball, not involving third umpire on numerous occasions when needed)

And the result? At the end ,Australia might have won the match and secured a world record but for me the proverbial game of test cricket has lost a tag. Tag of being a “Gentleman’s Game” that is.

Moditva...

2007-12-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

નિખાલસ

પ્રારબ્ધ ને અહીયા ગાઠે કોણ્?
હુ પડ્કાર ઝીલ્નારો માણસ છુ
હુ તેજ ઉછી નુ લઊ નહિ
હુ જાતે બળતુ ફાનસ છુ.

ઝળાહળા નો મોહ્તાજ નથી
મને મારુ અજ્વાળુ પુરતુ છે
અન્ધારા ના વમળ ને કાપે
કમળ તેજ તો સ્ફુરતુ છે

ધુમ્મસ મા મને રસ નથી
હુ ખુલ્લો અને નિખાલસ છુ
પ્રારબ્ધ ને અહીયા ગાઠે કોણ્?
હુ પડ્કાર ઝીલ્નારો માણસ છુ

કુન્ડળીને વળગવુ ગમે નહી
ને ગ્રહો કને શિર નમે નહી
કાયરોની શતરન્જ પર જીવ
સોગઠાબાજી રમે નહી

હુ પોતે જ મારો વન્શજ છુ
હુ પોતે મારો વારસ્ છુ
પ્રારબ્ધ ને અહીયા ગાઠે કોણ્?
હુ પડ્કાર ઝીલ્નારો માણસ છુ

-નરેન્દ્ર મોદી

As I write this, Narendrabhai has won the much hyped Gujarat election in style. So just thought that this poem goes well with the ocassion. For me this is the real "Moditva" which shows up in every line that he writes. Those who are really interested in knowing more about his style of writing, please go through his book of poems called "Aankh Aa Dhanya Chhe" (These eyes are blessed). Some time back the book was released in Mumbai. Here is a link to the video recording of entire book release function. It is quite an experience to be able to listen to some of the poems being sung by greats like Bhupinderji, Rup Kumar Rathore and Parthiv Gohil.

Finally, on his overwhelming victory today (and he fought like a one-man-army against every possible adversary) my heartiest congratulations to the Chief-Minister-To-Be Shri Narendrabhai Modi!!

Tagged!

2007-09-18T04:54:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have been tagged... Kanan you will repent I tell you :-)

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
Infosys ;) stock is trading at 300 rs lower than the price I bought ... big scar ;)

2. What does your phone look like? List your reasons to buy it?

got as a gift... didnt have to buy... ;)

3. What is on the walls of your bedroom?
Asian Paint ;)

4. What is your current desktop picture?
hehe... Windows XP Professional standard wallpaper ...BLISS ...too lazy to change it :)

5. Do you believe in gay marriage?
Law of my land doesnt and I believe in law of my land :)

6. What do you want more than anything right now?
Work... ;)

7 . What time were you born?
02:27 AM (GMT +5:30)

8. Are your parents still together?
haha what a question.

9. Last person who made you cry?
no .... havent cried in long time now... cant remember!

10. What is your favorite perfume / cologne?
Park Avenue

11. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?
Black

12. What are you listening to? Why?
Yeh Jo desh hai tera from Swades.. excellent music ...meaningful lyrics

13. Do you get scared of the dark?
hmmm let me switch off the lights..... ah... i guess no !!

14. Do you like painkillers?
Yes, laughter is the best painkiller ;)

15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Was. Not now... if you happen to be a girl.... what are you planning to do this weekend BTW? ;)

16. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Dal Dhokli ;) (Does anyone know how to prepare??)

17. Who was the last person who made you mad?
Haha.. no need of a person ...;)

18. List one habit you have that has the potential to annoy people?
Silence.

19. Who was the last person who made you smile?
A minute ago - a colleague of mine... 2 minutes ago - a friend of mine, 3 minutes ago- another friend of mine ..;) And Shahbudding Rathod since the time I learnt to laugh!!

And I am going to tag Kanan back. But this time you will have to reply in one line only.. That is your punishment for tagging me ;)

I-Don't-Know-Gujarati syndrome

2007-09-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

Veteran Gujarati humorist and columnist Shahbudding Rathod states in one of his cassettes that amongst all the ethnic groups in India, Gujaratis have the least respect towards their mother tongue. I have come across numerous such incidents where I have seen this being true time and again. I decided to go into the problem and find out the causes. Here is how I see this problem and my suggestion to improve the situation. Please leave your comments if you happen to agree/disagree :)

Agreed that we live in a free society where everyone has a right to choose - choose what we learn as well. And if someone chose not to learn Gujarati even after it being his mother tongue that decision should be respected. But you just cannot allow people to take pride in saying that they don't know their mother-tongue (read Gujarati); that they are not good in it; that their children cannot speak in it. There must be a sense of missing something precious if you happen to not know your mother tongue. Which sense is totally missing in utterances of such statements. Which is a real pity.

So why we Gujaratis are such careless bunch of people? There is no denying that English is must in today's "Flat World". But can it take the place of mother tongue? Will it help save our priceless heritage? Many Indian languages (including southern languages, Marathi, Bengali) are doing good even in today's heavy English influence. But the abysmal situation that Gujarati is in right now only spells doom's day for our mother tongue.

I want to end this by quoting one of my favourite dialogues from the movie Troy. When Romans attack Troy, The prince of Troy addresses his army in a decisive tone.

"All my life I have lived by a code. And the code is simple. Respect the Gods. Love your woman and protect your motherland. Troy is mother to our soul. Protect her..."

Lets pray that god give us wisdom to protect our mother tongue. In our endevour to serve this beautiful language, we have started an all Gujarati blog. I invite you to visit it here. And if you think you can contribute, leave us a comment there.

The ABC of alphabets!!

2007-09-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

This thought had first come in my mind long back when I was in high school. Stayed there with me at the back of my mind and suddenly popped up whilst discussing about different languages in a family get-to-gether. Thought of sharing with you all.

Right. Is there any similarity between English and Gujarati? Apparently not right? But have a look at the following.

ક ખ ગ ઘ ઙ
k kh g gh

ચ છ જ ઝ ઞ
ch chh j jh

ટ ઠ ડ ઢ ણ
T Th D Dh

ત થ દ ધ ન
t th d dh

પ ફ બ ભ મ
p ph b bh

ય ર લ ળ વ

શ ષ સ હ ક્ષ
sh SH s h

Rings the bell? OK. I wouldn't be surprised if my gujarati friends here would have forgotten their mother tongue and its alphabets. ;) So let me tell you what I have written here is the Gujarati alphabets in their correct sequence. Below each alphabet there is a direct transalation in english as per its pronunciation. Look how each second letter is connected with its predecessor with an extra 'h' !! Clearly this arrangment of alphabets is too perfect to be a coincidence. What say? Eureka?? :-)

Alright, and since we are talking about mother tongues, I thought it would be nice to end this post with the following poem. Enjoy!!

મળી હેમ આશિષ, નરસિહ મીરા
થયા પ્રેમ ભક્ત દયારામ ધીરા
સદા સૌમ્ય શી વૈભવે ઉભરાતી
મળી માત્રુભાષા મને ગુજરાતી
મળી માત્રુભાષા મને ગુજરાતી.

(The language which has been blessed by jain saint shri Hemchandracharyaji. Which has been served by great poets like Narsinh Mehta, Meerabai , Premanand, Dayaram. Which always radiates with courteous elegance. I am proud that that Gujarati language is my mother tongue.)

Cheers.

Sorry telling day.

2007-08-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

So we have all heard about thanks giving day. But sorry telling day? Now that is something new, isn't it? Okay, I have to admit that there isn't particulary any day dedicated to apologies but come monsoon in India and Jains spread all over the country start preparing for this 8 day long festival- called Paryushan, which culminates in a very meaningful apology session attended collectively by entire jain community at the final day - called Samvtsari!! This year this festival falls between 8-15 september.

For starters, Jainism is said to be the oldest living religion and has its roots in India. It has around 5-6 million followers around the world. (ah, thats quite less comparing with 1+ billion population of india- not even 1%). But this religion has weathered all storms and its core fundamentals still today exist more or less in purest of the form. One of the fundamentals is ofcourse that of forgiving and that is the reason why this day is celebrated with much vigour across all the sects of jainism.

So what is so special about the day? Well its obvious that jains ask for pardon for any of their actions that would have caused agony in other's heart. But that is not it. They ask pardon from all the living beings.. humans, animals, plants and birds alike !! Even the smallest of the creatures like ant are not excluded and if you actually look at the ceremony (called Pratikraman) , you will be immensely surprised by the sheer importance that this religion gives to even the smallest form of life.

I remember from my childhood days, my friends commenting rather provocatively that jains were a clever lot. For the entire year they would do all sorts of wrong deeds and on samvtsari day they would come to you and would ask for pardon :). Hehe.. I wish it were so simple. But try once. Saying sorry from the bottom of your heart is never easy. Not even to those who are so close to you, forget about plants and animals!!

OK. So it is about time I signed off. But before that did I forget saying sorry? Hmmm let me do it in a rather traditional way. The actual lines go something like this...

Khamemi savve jive, (I forgive all the living beings)
Savve jiva khammatu me, ( May all living beings please forgive me)
Metti me savve bhuyeshu, (My friendship is with everyone)
Veram majaham na kenai. (My enmity is totally nonexistent)

Micha-Mi-Dukdam - May my ill deeds turn fruitless.

1 2 3 and still counting.

2007-08-21T03:22:00.000-07:00

These are volatile times. Not in my wildest imagination I would have thought while writing this article sometime ago now that the civilian nuclear deal (popularly known as 123 agreement because the deal is being signed under article no 123 of US constitution) between India and the US will run into some rough weather. And boy before the deal could become reality here comes the good old comrades with their faces turned red against the deal and asking for the immediate rollback of the talks on the deal with the USA.

Don't know what even BJP has to oppose here and why are we even thinking of a mid term poll on this issue, which is supposed to be the key to India' s progress. After all 4 years ago it was Jaswant Singh (the then BJP external affairs minister) and Strobe Talbot (The then US deputy foreign Secretary) who had dreamt of the similar deal. Is it just for the sake of opposing, that the opposition parties in India behave so insanely? Will we ever grow up, guys?

On a side note, I thought it is a good time to check out on L&T. The stock which was supposed to go miles high on the back of the deal. And as I had predicted in my earlier article it surely has gone miles from around 1600 to currently around 2400 (after reaching life time high of 2700). Hahaha sometimes your random picks turn out to be gold!! Alas! I exited much much before. Damn it:-)

Anyway, lets hope that we stick to the deal and do not back off. Else only time will tell what price did India have to pay.

Cheers.

Inflation woes: Must hear

2007-03-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

Following Indian stock market crash post union budget ’08, CNBC TV18’s Udayan Mukherjee caught up with cabinet minister of commerce Mr. Kamal Nath to specifically talk about govt’s desire to price control cement sector.

Why I say it’s must hear because never before in my life have I listened to such to-the-point and blunt discussion by a media reporter with a senior cabinet minister in India. Udayan literally lashed onto Kamal Nath, who was proposing an export ban on cement companies in order to curtail cement prices. End result? Well, Mr.Nath was trying so very hard to find appropriate words in his defence and Udayan could not stop laughing. Hear it for yourself.

For Udayan, nice job mate. Add one more to your fan list!!

Cheers.

More laugh...

2007-03-01T04:49:00.000-08:00

Following are excerpts from HER & HIS diaries

HER DIARY:
I asked him what was wrong - he said, "Nothing."I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry.On the way home, I told him that I loved him, but he simply smiled and kept driving.I can't explain his behavior; I don't know why he didn't say, "I love you too."When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore.He just sat there and watched TV; he seemed distant and absent. Finally, I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later he came to bed. I decided that I could not take it anymore, so I decided to confront him with the situation but he had fallen asleep. I started crying and cried until I fell asleep.I do not know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someoneelse. My life is a disaster.

HIS DIARY:
Today India lost the cricket match again. DAMN IT.

Easy girls!! No offence meant. Just the way we are :-)

Cheers.

My Time is Now: A s(h)ane decision!

2006-12-21T21:58:00.000-08:00

Boy, the biggest bowler (arguably), contemporary cricket has ever produced, has decided to retire from international cricket at the pick of his career. To me and to many millions, this decision of Shane Warne has come as a big shock. Afterall he was one of the few reasons left in my cricketing interest. And if, as it is generally perceived, Glenn Mcgrath decides to follow the suit, it will spell the doom’s day for many cricket lovers.

Much has been said about his outstanding records. I ain’t an ardent follower of his records and statistics. I only know the ooohs and aaahs that came out when he delivered those magic deliveries. Guys see what we will miss

1. Those more than 60 degree turning leg breaks.
2. Those flippers that literally shoot off after pitching
3. Those around the legs clean bowled wickets that only he could produce
4. Those down the leg stumping with the brilliant help of Gillie!
5. Those googleys that caught even best of the batsmen plum in front of the wickets
6. Those zooters that pitched and kissed off stumps of many world class batsmen in fraction of a second.
7. Those “well bowled warney” shouts from behind the wickets!!
8. And that off-the-pitch flamboyance!!
9. Those impeccable catches that he took standing in first sleep.
10. Those cover drives, hooks and pools that made him batsman to have hit maximum number of runs without a century in test cricket!!

And much much more. May be it was a sane decision for him to take at this point in his career. But we cricket lovers might as well say, “Your time is now Shane. Come on. Go on Warney. You can reach 1000 wickets!!”

(Image source: www.news.com.au)

From the Doghouse to the Whitehouse

2006-12-08T04:14:00.000-08:00

Long wait is over. Final draft of the civilian nuclear deal between India and the USA is ready to be presented in congress and it is now a matter of formality looking at the overwhelming support the bill fetched from both sides that it will become a law.

Its the first time since independence that the USA and India have come this close. India was put in doghouse by the US when we first undertook nuclear tests in 1973. Now after more than 30 years we are back sitting face to face with law makers of the world's only super power in their own whitehouse dictating our terms!! What a change of affairs!! And for good.

It is now being forecast that in 2020 the closest nations in the world will be India and the USA. I have no doubt about that. We both have a lot in common and a lot to share than any other nations in the world. Lets raise a toast to the new friendship !!

On a side note, those who follow Indian stock market, buy is a call on L&T!! Let the bill become law and L&T will shoot up... Watch out there...:)

Cheers.

Laugh and the world laughs with you

2006-11-16T23:27:00.001-08:00

I have observed this. Whenever you talk about your foreign trip experiences with others, people tend to think you are proud, that you are trying to show off:) But at the same time if you talk about your stupidity, the way you got screwed up in foreign land, they tend to enjoy it!! Human psyche you know!!… So here I go, sharing some of the good ones …

1. This is the most recent one. I was on a month long official trip to London. August 2006. Remember this was the time when the whole of UK was under threat. Threat of liquid bomb, that is!! Airports all over the country turned into a never ending mess. Amidst this chaos, we were travelling in a tube train towards central London. Don’t know what inspired me but I suddenly asked my friend “is this the same tube which was attacked by serial bomb attacks last year?”. Now we were talking in Gujarati but I forgot to translate the word “Bomb”!! (Not that I knew Gujarati synonym!!). And I tell you, it’s really a difficult time ignoring others staring at you, trying to find similarities between you and Osama-bin-Laden!! lol…

2. Singapore Jun 2005. On my way back home from SanFrancisco, I decided to stay for a couple of days at Singapore. Tired by having to pass through multiple time zones in a short span of time and eagerness to reach home early after almost 6 months, I forgot to buy some Singapore currency at the airport. When I got off the taxi, so innocently I presented the taxi driver with USD bills!! The puzzled face said it all. Here I was caught in the middle of an alien city without having any local currency on me. The driver denied any credit cards so I was left with only option of exchanging USD with him, which he reluctantly accepted. (Thank God!)

3. LasVegas May 2006. We were on a 3 days pleasure trip to Los Angelese – LasVegas. At lasvegas, we were supposed to behave our selves!! The ambiance itself is good enough to “corrupt” you. After having restrained ourselves for a while, we could not stand the basic instinct to try our luck. The other 2 friends grabbed one slot machine and I, in an endeavour to find a better deal (I am made up for something big, slot machines? Huh!!), started roaming around the casino. Whilst I was so engrossed watching the game of poker being played on a table, one lady (looked like an Indian to me) came closer to me and asked what I was doing there? Before I could understand what’s going on, she suddenly asked for my documents. Fortunately I was carrying my passport so I showed her that. After observing it carefully, she gave it back to me with a smile and said, “by law people younger than 18 are not allowed in Casinos!!”… Lo karlo bat…. To her I looked like a teenager!! Was that a compliment or something else… not sure :)

Keep smiling...Laters…

Vanechand no Varghodo: Vanukaka passes away

2006-09-20T03:41:00.000-07:00

Those who are familiar with gujarati humour would have hardly missed this cassette by Shahbudding Rathod. I was thinking the character of vanechand, that is described in this cassette, is hypothetical untill i recently read an article in newspapers about the sad demise of Vanechand Shah, a real friend of Shahbuddin from Thangadh in Gujarat. Some hilarious incidents from the ever popular cassette...Non gujaratis please excuse :)

1. આમ તો વનેચન્દ્ અમારા અડધા ગામ હારે ભણેલો. જેને પુછો તો કેશે હા હુ વનેચન્દ્ જોડે ભ્ણેલો. એક એક ધોરણ્ મા બબે વરશ ત્રણ ત્રણ વરશ. માસ્તરો કંટાળી ને ધકેલે તૈ એ આગળ્ જાય્. એમ કર્તા 6th સુધી પહોચ્યો અને 6th મા પાછો ફૈલ થયો. મને આવી ને કહે કે હુ 2 માર્ક હાટુ રહિ ગયો. મે કીધુ હોઇ નહિ બતાય તો તારુ પ્રગતીપત્રક. હવે મે પ્રગતીપત્રક જોયુ તો ગ્રાન્ડ ટોટલ 33 માર્ક નુ. બધા વીષય ન થયિ ને 33 આવેલા બોલો. મે કીધુ આ બધા વીષય મા 35 આવવા જોઇએ. મને કહે એમ? આપણને ઇ શુ ખબર....:)

2. વનેચન્દ્ ને મે એક્ વાર કિધુ કે બાર વરસાદ પડે છે તો તુ અહિયા મારે ઘેરે રોકાઇ જા. મને કહે સારુ. હવે હુ એની વ્યવસ્થા કરવા રોકાયો એટલી વાર માં ત્યાંથી નીકળી ગયો. મને એમ કે ગયો હશે બાજુ મા ક્યાક. ત્યાતો છેક અડધી કલાકે આવ્યો. આખા શરિરે ભીંજાઇ ગયો હતો. પગ ગારો ગારો ભરેલા ને માથા માંથી પાણી ટપકે ને. મને કહે હુ ઘરે જૈ ને કહી આવ્યો કે હુ ઘરે નહી આવુ. મે કિંધુ તું ઘરે ગ્યો તો તો પાછો શું કામ આવ્યો???

3. અમારા પિન્ગળશી ભાઇ જેવા લોકકલાકાર કોઇ ફૂલેકા નુ આમ્ લઢાવી ને વર્ણન કરે તો એ વર્ણન કૈ આવુ હોઇ...

ગુડા હોતિ કેશવાલી, જાયદી ખજૂર ની પેશિ જેવો વાન, હામ હામે બે વહુવારુઓએ લાજ્ કાઢી હોઇ એવિ એની કાનહોરી અને રોમ ઝોમ રોમ્ ઝોમ નટા ઓ પટ મા પડે એમ ઘોડો આવી ને ઉભો છે. એ ઢાલીયા છાતી ફુલિ છે ને ગજવે ખમ્ભા નીકલ્યા છે ને લિમ્બુ નિ ફાયટ્ જેવી જેની આયખો છે એવો જુવાની આટો લઈ ગઈ છે એવો દશે આન્ગળિયે વેઢ પહેરેલો વીરભદ્ર જેવો વરરાજો ઠેકેક દૈ ને સવાર થયો ને ફુલેકુ માદરું માદરું માન્ડ્યું આગળ ચલવા. આ હારા ઘોડા અને હારા અસવાર ના વર્ણન છે. પણ્ વનેચન્દ ના ફૂલેકા મા આ માયલુ કાઇં ના મળે....

Ha ha ha ....There are so many such incidents that come to mind. But in reality Vanukaka was a total contrast to what is potrayed by Shahbuddin. A peace loving intelligent person.

Vanukaka a person may have passed away but Vanechand a character will still live with us thanks to Shahbuddin and his wonderful potrayal in this cassette. May his soul rest in peace.

Cheers.

A call to honour : Tol "Mole" ke Bol

2006-08-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

A book that was purchased just to kill time during my 24 hrs long train journey from Hyd to Amdavad suddenly became so riveting that I didnt realise i was more than half thru in a single day of reading!!

The controversy that the book has created definitely had some influence on me but my basic aim behind reading it was I wanted to understand what goes behind the scenes in international diplomacy. As a former E, F & D minister (External Affairs, Finance, Defense respectively, as the author likes to call)in Vajpayee govt, Mr. Jaswant Singh gives a first hand experience of the far impacting era in indian history spanning 1998 - 2004.

A memoir that starts in the deserts of Rajsthan - the motherland of Mr. Singh touches wide subjects of diplomacy and how india stirred its way through turbulent times post Pokhran-II, WTC attack, Kandhar hijack, military coup in pakistan, kargil war and attack on parliament and subsequent build up on border.

And something abt the controversy... The author does write about a PMO official ( widely known as "a mole in PMO during Narsimha rao govt"), who wrote to USA agency abt india's nuclear plans. But there is nothing controversial abt it. He just suggests that this type of clandestine approach to diplomacy is well known and just asks india to be aware and be prepared abt it.

Finally a statement that he quotes in this book twice and once to mark the end of it.
"My Lord! I dont even know what I dont know". Isnt it true?

For those who are interested in some serious diplomatic dose, I would certainly recommend this one. Its neither a memoir nor an autobiography. It's altogether a different genre...

Why Gujarat?

2006-07-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

I was thinking for a while about writing my feelings out on recent 'Fanaa' controversy which again put Gujarat on the center stage of media attention. I was reading some article on the issue and was astonished by the kind of media driven hype that has been created around Gujarat. Even gujaratis are carried away by that...

Let me put things into perspective here. The sardar sarovar dam which is being constructed on the river Narmada is almost in final stages after almost 40 years since its inception - almost 10 years behind the schedule. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has been protesting against the dam and for the rights of the people being rehabilitated. NBA guys were on hunger strike when Mr. Amir Khan went and shook hands with them. He doesnt have slightest of idea what were these people demanding. But the fact of the matter is that these people were on hunger strike to stall the dam construction. And Mr. Khan was seen as a supporter of the same cause when he shook hands with them.

Now no sane people would think that, after so much investments and raising expectations of the people of parched areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan, someone can come and stop the dam entirely. Amir later on tried to escape by saying "I was just demanding proper rehabilitation for these people. I have nothing against the dam". But by then damage was done. Theatre owners association in Gujarat unanimously decided against the screening of his movie. Point to note here is that Govt of Gujarat was no where in picture - contrary to the public perception that Govt banned the movie in the state. It was the theatre owner who have a right to decide which movie to screen and which not to.

What followed was a mass hysteria by TV news channels. Programs titled as absurdly as "Dammed in Gujarat" and "Amit being Fanaa" were making rounds almost every half an hour during prime time on every news channel. Look at the intended pun in these names. Do they smell of any decency? And the only motive of these talk shows was to belittle sentiments of the people of Gujarat and especially the CM Narendrabhai Modi.

Now contrast this against "The da vinci code". The movie was banned in several congress ruled states even after Supreme Court judgment against banning the movie. And this was really a govt driven ban not a democratic decision by theatre owners. If you ask me this was a clear case of democratic rights being violated. But all the news channels were silent on this one. Never seen any program titled "Banned in Andhra" or "Crucified in Punjab" .

I am not advocating that not screening Fanaa in Gujarat was right or Code in other states was wrong. My point is only this. Why is it that every time something happens in Gujarat, our national media jumps suddenly and tries to find out all the negatives without looking at the true picture. If Amir had the democratic right to go and speak for what he believed, by the same token dont these theatre owners have the same right to screen what they want?

On a side note, even I do not buy this idea of not screening any movie which is approved by the censor board. Better idea would have been to screen these movies and leave it to the people's discretion if they want to watch or not. As the famous saying goes - "I do not agree with you but I am ready to fight till death for your right to speak up and protest".

Aag jalni chahiye!!

2006-05-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Days come and pass by. Issues come and go by. But reservation is one such issue thats not fading away just yet. So much has been written and so much more will be. But for youths like me, just when we thought its nice time to stay back home and not be part of the brain drain phenomena, things start worsening. Havent we had enough of caste based politics. For heaven's sake guys leave us alone...

Reserve V/s deserve is an old saga. Agreed that a certain down trodden sections of society need help in every possible way to bring them at par. Its the question of finding a right way. In the name of reservation what is happening is a minority in this section is getting all the benefits and most of the people in the section are still showing no signs of improvements. The person who has been given enough edges over normal category person is going up the ladder- all the way up. But is this justified. Should he not be given an equal chance to compete with others and prove his credentials after he has been elevated to a certain level? Where does this reservation saga end?

Caste based reservation is another issue that baffels. Are there not people in general category worthy of any help? A person born in a brahmin or baniya community does not have right for quota? After all quite a lot of them also have to face the same kind of problems that a SC ST or OBC guy may face in his life. Similarily there will be a section of already elevated people in SC ST and OBC category who do not require any further help. Then isnt it logical to make quota based on financial backgorund rathe than caste?

I know these are some pointing questions which our politicians would pass tangentially. But we know that if we speak out, if we make our opinion count, we can change this situation. Its in the best interest of the country. Lets not divide the country further. Lets join Youth 4 Equality campaign. Lets give ourselves a chance to strengthen a cuase in which we strongly believe. Lets not sit idle.

Mere sine me nahi to tere sine me sahi,
Ho kahi bhi aag lekin aag jalni chahiye...

Lets keep the "aag" burning...

Those were the days -II

2006-05-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

For CN, my alma mater.

"Ame namie tane chir sathi, sathi vidhya vihar..."
Reciting the songs in honor of the vidhya vihar in the beautiful "Kavi shri snehrashmi prarthana mandir" is the first thing that comes into your mind when you think about CN. I have spent 8 beautiful years of my youth life in this place in my home town of , Amdavad. Arguably the best school of that time, CN rests at the center of my youth activities. From the first crush to first friends to first role models.. everything happened on that expansive campus...

Middle school, ,sangeet and suthari and chitra udhyog, Jitubhai and bhakti sir ... ah! there is so much to remember.

Come adolescence and we were right into high school, Technical classes, jhala- girish duo, having to study in a class without a single girl...:-)

last 2 years were all about study and trying to be serious about your career. Science classes , the pressure of having to perform in board exams!! There so much to write about.

God bless our alma mater...

Those were the days

2006-05-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

27-May-2006
So the day is almost approaching. I am making a move from Oracle after almost 2 and a half years. Fear of unknown is taking its toll... But then as Sabir Bhatia has said "the biggest risk in life is not to take any!!" So lets hope for the best...

... And what a wonderful journey it has been...

I can still remember the first day 13-jan-04 when i first stepped onto this place. I was a toddler, with lots of hopes and aspirations. I have matured a lot from that. And credit goes to all the team members and friends. Who can forget those volleyball and cricket matches, the lunch and dinner parties, trip to nagarjun sagar and so much more that we all cherish together...

Srini, you have been a wonderful leader. I learnt a lot from you. Thanks for all the support and knowledge that you shared.

If my fresher prooject was somewhat presentable the credit goes to Gopal. He has always been there to solve all my technical queries. Tejaswi has always been there to help on any issue. So has been Shobhit. Thanks to you only I got all the independence to work on issues and learnt things faster.

Prashant, I have not seen a more jovial person than you. It was great spending a couple of weeks with you in US. Harish, Ravi and Satish mama have been great buddies. Sasi will be remembered more as a table tennis companion!! Srinath, you have been more of a mentor and advisor. Thanks for all the advices!!

Neha, I know I have not missed an opportunity to tease you. But it was all in good taste. And yeah, you will be missed the most. I am not sure if I can recognize Alamelu by face but certainly by voice I can!

Also, I was fortunate to have had opportunity to closely work with global team mates. Mike, Maya, Veeresham, Hina, Theresa ,Rekha, Romel, Varughese, Yumi and all. You are all so amazing people to work with. I got to learn so much from you. I also cant forget the wonderful hospitality extended by Mike, Vishnu, Veeresham, Subbarao, Sanjay, Rajiv and all the team mates. Thanks guys for everything!!

God willing, our paths will again cross and i am sure we will say only one line then..."Those were the days!!!" Till that time, so long...

Best wishes to team PA.