Random Thoughts

Did the Ambani's really have a fight?

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:18:00 +0000

This was one of the topics that incidentally came up for discussion in one of lectures a few months ago. Today when I bumped into the news that both the Ambani families had reunited I couldn't help but recollect the discussion we had had.

First a few basics. In economics sum of parts is normally greater than the whole. What that means is:
Say you have a big company worth 100 Rs. When you break it up into two smaller companies, the value of the smaller companies may work out to be 60 Rs each. That is a full 20 Rs more than the value the company had as a single entity.

This was the simple logic that the Ambani's seem to have exploited. Here were some points of arguements:

The break up was made very public. Normally, when big business families have internal discord they tend to keep it private. Here it was the other way round.
Despite such vocal opposition of one another, both the families lived in the same building 'The Sea Wind'.
It's like Sonia Gandhi and Anna Hazare sharing the same building. If they really had non negotiable differences, they would have never shared the same place to live.
Although there were many verbal duels between the two brothers, it never resulted in any financial loss for either party.

There are very few stark points that can be seen at the surface. A bit more digging can sure give more information. Just a Random Thought as always. :)

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com

Being Lazy...

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:13:00 +0000

After what has been a very tiring one and a half years of my MBA course; finally I am getting a break. A full week of nothingness to enjoy. The cafeteria issues are finally on the verge of ending (fingers crossed), placements are not an issue any more, nor are studies.

This time I am also taking a break from everyone. Limiting my contact to some unknown passerby, or the occasional friend who happens to pass by. Other than that, I keep myself engrossed with my book or just sit around the cafeteria watching the sun set. It's an amazing feeling to have, a blank mind with no worries or pending work or pending relatives to call and keep in touch.

Tomorrow I will turn 26, and possibly wont get such a lazy period for the next 35 years from there. So am going to relish every moment that I can get devoid of anything to do. If you look at it this way, it does put a lot of pressure on me to enjoy. :)

Possibly the best thing to have happened is that I have got a severe cold and have taken pretty strong medicine courtesy my doctor mum (love her :)). That keeps me in a continuous sense of delirium almost bordering on sleep. I guess this is the same feeling a cocaine addict gets (I managed to get that at 1/1000000 the price thanks to the medicine).

Anyways, this will be a pretty random entry in the course of my random thoughts but actually is a very good representation of my current thoughts. I bet the previous sentence made no sense whatsoever...

Who cares? Not me for one... :)

Of politics in the Hazare era

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:37:00 +0000

Sitting at home doing absolutely nothing(almost) means I have loads of time to watch TV. More precisely, to watch the great Story of India on multitudes of (so called) news channels unfold. These channels border more on an entertainment channel than actually a news channel(a la Indian AXN); but well, prefer to call themselves News Channels.

Now, the interesting thing this time round is that these news channels have actually become interesting. The breaking news is really breaking at times! (Disclaimer : Most channels keep flashing the Breaking News logo 24 x 7 and it’s not all that breaking most of the times). The Anna Hazare campaign, bomb blast in Delhi ( the latest one – we’ve had too many to call it ‘The Bomb blast’) or the general booing of Rahul Gandhi.

That rings a bell; booing of Rahul Gandhi. The guy who has been made the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian politics possibly even before he was conceived! I’d hate to be him. Not knowing what to do and why to do what, and the whole world (OK, whole India) expects him to do something great! The future prime minister of India (as touted by the Congress Party) Reminds me of the good old days, when a king gave the reins to his son. Ummm.. Yea, it still happens in India but with Mr.. Rahul I’m skeptical.. I’d rather go for Priyanka Gandhi than Rahul. At least she has some respect in the party and seems the chirpy bubbly wicked types. Not an easy pushover as Rahul has come to represent.

So what’s so great about this story. Everyone knows this, everyone knows what Hazare did, that Rahul Gandhi is a boring, that K Sibal is an arrogant troll.. So what’s new?

Well, the Anna Hazare campaign has made the political class vulnerable, more human. Three months ago if the Z plus security entourage of some minister pushed you aside at some airport; you’d quietly oblige. Hurt but oblige. Do that now, and a politician can be roasted! The high and mighty suddenly are vulnerable. Up against a man who had nothing to lose (in Anna Hazare) this class lost a lot. Politics was always a vulgar and cash rich business, now they are being actually made to feel the feeling as it were. And it doesn’t stop there, Mr Hazare had made things pretty personal by asking people to go to the homes of politicians. Now that’s a big time first!

Till now, the political class has taken this humiliation (from their point of view) in their stride. Hoping to wear off the opposition. But someone will soon blink. My hunch is, the Hazare camp will wear out. However, in the event that the political class wears out before them things could get ugly before they improve. The state machinery will resist such powerful forces of change tooth and nail. When Mr Hazare says that the fight has just begun, I wonder if others actually foresee the war that Mr Hazare plans to start and the pain it holds.

We live in interesting times; and the next couple of years may actually come to define the future decades of India.

Other Observations

Delhi Bomb Blast
The Delhi police/NIA is pretty desperate to solve the bomb blast case. Which is good but too much pressure maybe actually detrimental. Some of the ideas they are pursuing are completely bizarre! E.g. : Analyzing the CCTV footage of 700+ hotels in Delhi, requesting the CIA to inform them of any recorded chatter about the blast, etc.

Goes to show their desperation. But given the fact that the bomb planters were simply too good at their work (actually practicing with a demo bomb a few months earlier), I’d personally say; they are up against a wall.

Mr Advani
Only one thing; please retire. The only people who will be unhappy to see you gone will be the opposition. You are not destined to be the prime minister, please don’t try to challenge your destiny.

I firmly believe it is better that you retire now, when you can, with self respect and dignity (as Mr Vajpayee did) lest you become obsolete and are chucked out for being a hindrance.

Mr Modi
He may turn out to be the most unlucky man from the most lucky one if Mr Advani fails to yield. It is time he is made the primary contender from the BJP. He is the only precision guided missile that the BJP actually have to use on the congress, especially on the Gandhi family.

Keeping him in cold storage will only increase his problems in his home state(Congress is working day and night on it) and he will become rusty. Past/Incumbency catches up with politicians pretty fast, so its better the BJP promote him or his potential will forever remain a potential. There is no point waiting for his entry to time with Mr Gandhi’s entry.

The END :)

List of Scandals in the last two years (Source : Wikipedia)

2011	2010
Hasan Ali Khan scandal Noida Corporation farm land scandal Indian Black Money in Swiss Banks Bellary mines scandal BL Kashyap EPFO Scam ^[1]	2G spectrum scam and Radia Tapes Controversy Adarsh Housing Society scam Commonwealth Games Scam 2010 housing loan scam in India Belekeri port scam Lavasa Scandal Uttar Pradesh Food Grain Scam Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Controversy Indian Premier League Cricket Scandals

The mega city called Bombay

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:50:00 +0000

Bombay… The mere mention of the name of this metropolis sprouts emotions of all kinds. From utter rage of it being called Bombay instead of Mumbai, to fond memories of dreams fulfilled. It’s a city of dreams, a city that lives on the extreme, a city constantly on the move. The first city that I have seen that has no time to waste.

It’s a city whose sole aim is ‘dhanda’ meaning business. Here nothing goes waste. The slum of Dharavi makes sure every possible item is recycled. In this city every opportunity to make money is tapped. It is the city of the brave & the smart. If you are not smart enough or quick enough, there will always be someone to fleece you. But it is one of those few metropolis which has a heart.

The Locals
It would be unwise to talk about Mumbai without introducing the local trains. They are the lifeline of the city. This is the transport system that makes Mumbai what it is. This system sets the pace of Mumbai. They give and take life. If there is one human force that can control this behemoth called Mumbai, it’s the locals. When they stop, everything stops.

And for some reasons, Mumbaites love the locals. I guess it’s something that comes from living and growing up here. Here in a place where train becomes a part of your everyday routine.

I being an outsider am still to adjust to the locals. Right from understanding the local time displays to understanding the directions. Finally after a month of being here I have to come terms with a few things. At peak hours they form a huge human meat ball. People hang from any foothold they can manage and each piece of the train is stress tested to every possible limit. The urge to get back home is same as what the wild beast must feel on their migration in Africa. Here is a huge human mass migration that happens everyday as people move from north to south in the morning and south to north in the evening.

The most interesting part is when the train reaches the platform. There is an unspoken rule that those on board will get down first and then the outsiders will climb. The urge to get down on the platform is similar to what the Allied forces had when they beached at Normandy during WW II. Every army officer must be asked to see people getting out of a local once to learn how an ideal beaching/attack happens. It’s a mad mega rush. A mega rush to get on the platform once the train reaches there, a mega rush on the foot bridge as everyone tries to reach the exit, a mega rush at the auto stand… But why the rush??? Well, there is a simple reason, if you are the first of the crowd, you are the first on the foot over bridge, the first to get the auto, the first among others who will add to the traffic a moment later. A rush that makes Mumbai what it is. Here people really don’t have time to stand and stare.

The People

It is amazing how cities loose their Identity once they become a metropolis. Delhi is a prime example of such a waste. It is a city that you can’t call home. Luckily Mumbai has avoided this fate. I guess it’s because its institutions are strong and well developed. Moreover, possibly because most of these institutions are governed by one community who feels ever threatened by the new comers. Possibly, this has made the people in the city responsible for it. They love it and caress it. Only in Mumbai have I heard a BEST bus conductor say, ‘Meri BEST ko galiyaan deta hai'!’ (You curse my BEST). The important word here is MY. An affinity to an institution that is much beyond the call of duty. A responsibility that pervades most of the institutions. People may say that Bombay is the crime capital but only here I have seen traffic police fining motorist for any broken rule including lane cutting. Only here have I seen police present on every major junction. They may take the occasional bribe, chain snatching on trains is common, but for some reason I would say on the whole the Police department as an institution is far better than what I have seen else where.

______________________________________________________________

I can go on in this vein, praising and criticizing Mumbai, but on they whole I’ll say it’s a metropolis who has not lost her soul. She does what she has to survive. Her people live the proverbial rat race literally. But compared to other Indian mega cities she is far better, far quicker, far ingenious and far more efficient to be clubbed with them.

How to reach GIM / Reaching GIM

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:38:00 +0000

Disclaimer : This is a post I wrote to be put on my college blog. Just pasting it here as I always like to post whatever I write :).

A few basic things about Goa that should help anyone more around in Goa.

It’s a tourist destination (a no brainer) and so transport is on the dearer side. The good thing is that the transport industry is very well developed and mature. So if you are ready to pay a price you can practically get any mode of transport at any time.
Pilot taxi (i.e. bike taxi) is a novel concept and used widely for short distances. To identify these bikes look at the number plates: they are yellow in colour.
Since the state is sparsely populated (except the cities), most of the taxis/auto rickshaws/pilot taxi can be called by giving a call. Always take the mobile number of any taxi you used, with their base location,so that you can give them a call in case you are at the same location in the future and need a ride. If that guy is not free, odds are he will send his partner to pick you up.
State bus transport closes around 8:00 PM so don’t rely on it beyond that.
Students get a 50% discount on state transport on display of their ID card.
The roads are in very good shape all year round so driving is fun if you have a vehicle. Especially in winter just after the monsoon. There is more beauty inland to Goa than on the beaches so don’t miss it.
When you are looking for a taxi at a station always look at the demand/supply scenario. If you see that the number of taxi’s are more than the passengers needing them then you can really bargain and get a good deal. Vice versa also holds true.

From Airport

Prepaid taxis are available right outside the airport. The prepaid booth charges around Rs700-800 to reach GIM. Just ask them for Sanquelim and once you reach there you’ll see GIM boards around or ask the local folks, all of them know it.

Practical Tip: Ask for taxi drivers around if they are ready to take you at cheaper rates than the pre paid rates. You can save Rs 100-300 depending on your luck.

The Cheaper way: Now this is a route a person can take if he has a lot of time, is adventurous and has less luggage. This is how it is:

Take a bus/bike taxi from airport to Chikali. (Rs.5-30)
If you reach Chikali, take a bus for Panjim. It will cost you Rs 18 without students discount.
From Panjim bus stand take a bus for Sanquelim bus stand. Buses leave every 15 mins so getting a bus wont be a problem during normal working hours. It’ll cost Rs 20 to reach Sanquelim from Panjim without discount.
From Sanquelim bus stand take a bike taxi to the college. Bike taxi’s charge Rs 30 to take you to the college from the bus stand.

Railway Station

Madgaon is a big station with all the regular hustle bustle of a regular Indian station + tonnes of foreigners depending on the time of the year. Karmali and Thivim on the other hand are small, cute stations. Karmali however is close(500 meters of trek on the railway line) to a national highway and Thivim is a tad bit secluded.

Madgaon

This is the farthest of the three stations that are covered here. The best way to reach Sanquelim from there is take a prepaid taxi. It will cost about Rs 800 if I remember correctly.

Karmali

This is among the closest stations to Sanquelim. It’s around 20 km and has a prepaid booth. The prepaid booth has exorbitant rates and my suggestion is to negotiate the prices with the taxi drivers. A taxi should come for Rs 400-450 and an auto rickshaw for Rs 200-250. Beyond that its your negotiating skills. :)

For the adventurous soul: Once you get down at the station you will notice a bridge down/up the railway track. If you walk upto the bridge and reach the national highway you’ll be able to get a bus for Sanquelim. From the bus stand you can take a pilot up to the college.

Thivim

This station too is around 19-20 km from Sanquelim. Though I have never been there I guess it will cost around the same amount as with Karmali or lesser.

Gaurav Golwalkar

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com

The Time of Transition….

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:42:00 +0000

The last few weeks have been amazing,hectic and fun even by GIM standards. Today, finally, as I sit by the Cafeteria watching the sun set, the last rays bouncing off my head , I dwell.

It is that time of the year when the PGP 2’s leave and an era in GIM history that is Ribandar will draw to a close. A time that makes you dwell. A time when every moment is to savour. A time when every walk, every glance could be the last. The time for a last visit to Casa, the last ride on the ferry to Deewar, the last time table or the last lecture. A time when the drive down the cause way (which all must have done a zillion times) becomes a drive in paradise, a time when Maggie at Jaggu becomes manna from heaven. The time when a person stands at the intersection of joy, sadness and expectation of the adventure ahead. It is that time of the year…. Indefinable yet so defined…

The lead up to this week had been amazing. It all began with Inception followed by Sangamam a few weeks back. Sangamam - The South Indian festival. Trust me, it is an amazing feeling - Sitting there in the cafeteria, eating on banana leaves, serving your batch mates and getting served by them! If there is any way a bond can be strengthened then this is the way to do it. It was simple, traditional, tasty and above all a dinner to remember. Not to mention the fabulous performances that were displayed. We even had our very own Mahabali attending the function.

The austerity of Sangamam was preceded by a night of some serious head banging. Inception was incepted . I am not a big fan of music, but when you hear Gino Banks and Sheldon play even a guy like me stands mesmerized. It was a night when some amazing talent from our batch teamed up with Gino and Sheldon and created magic. A time for revelry and fun along with a nice crispy chicken.

I should have known that the two days were too good to last. If there is one thing that can take the life out of you – it is the mid terms. It strikes you like a bolt from PGP office and all you can do is grumble. At GIM time flies except during the exams. It’s like you can actually see Einstein’s relativity at work. A time when 2 AM is just the beginning of the evening. A time when you realize for the n’th time, MBA is TOUGH!!!

But the good thing is, all things must pass. So must the mid terms. Post the mid terms it was the time of the Razzies. These guys know how to throw a party along with Prayas. First time in my life have I gone neck deep in the sea and seen the sun set over the horizon. Saw fishes jumping out and played football on the beach. This is when you really come to appreciate the fact of doing your MBA from one of the best colleges in India, which luckily happens to be in GOA :).

So, with the Wizbiz tomorrow, a Razzie party and the convocation lined up and the sun now set it is time to bid adieu to the PGP 2’s and plan for the incoming PGP 1’s. Best of luck folks! Best of Luck Ribandar....

Disclaimer : I had posted this on Pagalguy, reproduced it here again.

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com

GIM Sanquelim : The Inception

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:40:00 +0000

It has taken some time it coming, my post on GIM Sanquelim, something I have been aching to do for long... Here it is finally.

No story can begin without a bit of history, and the old campus provides just that. When I joined GIM, I was one of the few who got a chance to stay at the old campus(for a brief period). The old campus is seeped in history and has that typical old world charm. A beautiful old Victorian building by the side of the river Mandovi, mysterious passages that seem to connect the whole campus and an amazing stillness & calm that is ever pervasive. Once in a while an occasional chatter or laughter drifts your way, but is soon engulfed by the tranquillity the campus offers. The Mandovi silently flows by and an occasional trawler glides through it. In one word; it's amazing…

The first thought that came to my mind when I saw the new campus was ; mind blowing! All you need are a few turrets, a Hogwarts express and it might as well be Hogwarts from Harry Potter. We also have our own dark forest where you can go on a hike whenever you feel adventurous. Instead of werewolves you will find flamboyantly coloured moths and descendants of Aragog. Nestled on top of a mountain, surrounded by the western ghats, this is as close to nature as you can get. During monsoon you are literally above the clouds and at times the clouds are right in your room! A short distance from the town of Sanquelim, this place is famous. The best thing, the folks in Sanquelim admire and help you a lot; my hunch & experience is that Goa admires & respects anyone from GIM a lot!

Ah, sadly life is not so easy in MBA. The only day you get to admire this beauty is the first day. After that it’s work.. Cracking XAT is one thing, MBA a completely different ball game. You need to be ready 24 x 7. And when you are with the top minds of the country, the level of ingenuity & work done is tremendous. You run from submissions to canteen, to lectures, to a quick coke and back again. The TT tables are ever occupied (even at 4 AM !) and the washing machines & dryers ever humming. Occasionally you see a brave soul issuing a library book at 3 AM in the morning and an even braver soul roaming around at 4 AM. The best part about roaming around in the night; you are bound to see a shooting star. Somehow, the campus never never sleeps aided and abetted by the cafeteria that remains open till 2 AM.
I can go on this vein for a long time but that is for next post. Till then am possibly going to practise my cricketing skills for the upcoming Basanti cup. Ah yes, and it goes without saying that studying is an occupational hazard here which one must endure.

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com/

The year that was the second

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:39:00 +0000

______________________________________________________________________________

Boka(Having just walked into my new room at Abhilasha. A victorious smile on his face) : Hey…
Me(Curious as I always would be) : Kay re.. Kay zala? (What happened)
Boka : Kahi nahi.(Nothing) (And then furiously types away another SMS to someone)
Me : Konala SMS kela…? (Whom did you SMS)
Boka (Hesitantly with a slight blush) : Kunte la… ______________________________________________________________________________

This was how the second year was destined to progress. Girls, teasing, alliances, submissions and a frog in Bunny’s shorts. Yup, I moved out of my college hostel to Abhilasha with Bunny and got myself a bike. Made quite a few life time friends from Boka to Ban and met some very interesting characters who will remain etched in my memory forever.

Now, in the second year, studies took a back seat (We became devils). Found a great partner in crime in a fish & rice eating bong called Ban. A guy who liked to spend most of his time doing the craziest of things and smelling of fish. This was when me, ban and Boka began the weekend custom of going out to eat to some far off forsaken place. Spending nights on end on the Mahtre or Garware bridge. Or just dropping off girls home after a late movie! A time when I learnt to eat chicken and figured out the joy of not studying. A time when we spent boys night out at Boka’s place discussing, well, you know. :)

By the time the tradition fizzled out, me and ban had been to hotels covering the length and breath of Pune. From the three of us we had become close to 10 including Adu, Maitra, Kunte, Savyra, Robo and Shraddha making a guest appearance on certain Sundays.

BE Comp – The formulation

Now, the constituents for BE Comp were in place. Providence had brought together various personalities from an MNS Supporter to a Jaipuri foot. From a coch to a Hippie. From the dude of PWD Jalagaon to whatever you could call the tiny round head of nana. From the greats of Mali to the depths of Ruj to the pinks of N babe. And so the story begins.

Life began with Data structures with Garaje and DBMS with Bamnodkar. The only thing we did in Garaje’s lectures was count the number of times he repeated certain words. Lectures were fun no doubt, but not attending the lectures was more fun.

Many a lectures were spent sitting in the parking lot cat calling or playing football on the most uneven ground on this planet. The parking lot was where the great truth that Papa used to wake up every morning and write jokes for the day was revealed. It explained his utter lack of spontaneous jokes, a fact he denies till date. This was where Ghoda’s unimaginably loud voice was used the best. This was where, the dude of Jalagaon hit out on juniors in his typical unassuming style. And this was where Shirish let out his typical one liners in his inimitable style. And this was where Nana admitted that he had had a relationship with a GIRL! ( I still think he was talking crap that day)

Now, associations with the fairer race where and are a common part of these years. So it was to be. Ghoda was linked to Shefu and till this date shuts up oh her mention. The couple of Hippie was rarely seen as they spent most of their time fattening up in their zudup as people called it. Then there were some round robin associations of Pushki with Neha 1 and MNS Worker with Neha 2. People even used their photo shop skills to associate the MNS with Neha 2! Gandhi’s jaipuri foot became a legend and till date I believe that it was his foot that made him a goalkeeper. His ability to fall was inherent, a necessary skill for goalkeeping.

There where other fallouts too. Dabur became famous as Dabur and Vide became the official jaduwala for the art circle. It was later that Vide went on a rebranding exercise and tried to market himself as Sarkar. This was the time when Rohit and Joshi wadewala became the de facto coffee house for the batch.

Submission Time & Orals

Submission time was chaos time. The files were prepared in 3 days flat. VIT, VIIT or just some random crap where the sources of information for our practical entries. Nana’s room became the epicentre of the planet during this period. Armies upon armies of guys would stream in and out(girls were banned) of his place when submission was at the peak.

The most moody where the printers. They followed Moorre’s laws to the core. When you need something urgently, something that can go wrong will go wrong. 97% of the times it was the printer which used to give up making us run.

After the submissions came the orals and the practical. For orals people used to invoke every God in the book. It was a time when you could never predict what the professor would ask you. A time when you felt it was best that the earth be destroyed by a meteorite than face the oral. As for the practical, people where pretty resourceful and managed them pretty well.

The Annual Events & Festivals

These were the deal changers. The days from tie and saree to rose day got the entire batch together. Any minor differences and inhibitions that existed disappeared this day on and the batch really started gelling. The days were filled with snaps, events and madness.

Another great incident was holi. It was colourful and fun and everyone participated or was forced to participate. :) I can sometimes still smell the muck and taste the colours that went in on that fateful day.

Then there were other victories like reduction in fees, the threat to go on strike and the never ending gossips. Study room became ‘The Place’ for gossip and Ruj ‘The Source’.

Finally the Hostel

This was the place. Heaven on earth. It had the Math freaked out Umesh, the desperate bunny and the craziness of Dhiraj, Ravi, Kane, Mitesh and Nishant and the weirdness of our aunty. This was the place where we put a frog in bunnys shorts, tried to heat milk for 1 hour on a turned off electric kettle and celebrate khojagiri at 2 in the night. It was the place where we scared the shit out of a 6 feet giant called Shoaib. A place where 6 guys hid in the bathroom after making a hell of a racket at 1 in the night. A place where we deliberately rang our 11 cell phones opposite our aunty’s residence at midnight. A place which would be my abode for the coming 2 years.

It was to be that in the second year I got my lowest grades. A measly 60% was where the class topper sat(3rd semester). But it was a year filled with fun and frolic. It was a year where real friends where made for life. It was a year when the world came to know that bunny holds the largest stock of some very interesting movies. A year that ban incepted an issue.

A year that BE Comp 2007 was born.

Coming Up : Year 3.. An extension of year 2. Deeping relationships and interesting issues.

@All : Feel free to suggest any incidents you may remember for any years.

The first year in Engineering…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 04:09:00 +0000

Well, this one is more of a blog on demand and is similar to the previous one. Here Ill walk through my first year of engineering,which I remember more vividly than child hood. Ill be pulling up names so more people can associate themselves with it. Mind well, its going to be lonnggg… I have deliberately not put in any pictures as I am not sure whether the others will like it.

The First Day

It all began on the 15th of August/September 2003(if I remember the date correctly). It was early morning, somewhere around 10. I had just come by PMT from my aunts place to attend my first day at college. I walked into the building observing the Ganapati statue that had been placed there ages ago; somehow it looked pretty aptly placed. On top of the statue there were some pretty interesting carvings, the exact meaning I have not been able to decipher till date.

There I strolled over to a black board which had been kept there which had our time table. Now, there was this other guy who was looking at that time table. He looked the studious types. With a neatly ironed white striped shirt, neatly trimmed moustache, trimmed hair, and a round head. I thought it would be prudent to begin some light conversation with him in English.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Me : “Hi, so are you in first year”
Round head(replies curtly) : "Yes”
Me : “Which section”
Round head(another curt reply) : “A”
Me : “Oh great! I too am in A. Do you know where our classroom is located?”
Round head(gave me an exasperated looked and walked off! )

_____________________________________________________________________________

I assumed he was a year down guy and so was frustrated with life of something. Little did I know that this round head would become someone famous. Someone whom every girl would love to hate. Someone called Nana. Yup, Nana was the first person I conversed with when I landed up in college and I remember it to this date.

The Classes

The classes were an interesting experience unto themselves. I kept mostly to myself for the major part of the first semester. Spending my time in my room or library as long as it was open.

We had some really great professors in Walimbe, Modak, etc and some really helpful professors in Chandrachood for Electrical. In Electrical I observed the refined art of bunking courtesy Shailesh, Pande, Nanadikar and their gang. They had the balls to literally walk out of the classroom the moment attendance was done. Then there was the genius of the cycle driving Kedar and the toxicity of the twin to keep the class running.

I was not especially good at submissions. Leaving everything for the last moment. This is where I really have to appreciate the contribution made by Arya and Shefali. It was their notes I copied on the last day to finish off my submission. At times I was so late, that the chemistry professor actually gave me a call one evening asking me if I was going to submit or no! (PS : I managed to become the teachers pet pretty easily :))

The second semester came with a bit a of a heart break. Our section was dissolved and I was moved to section E. At that time I thought it to be the worst thing possible, but today when I look back I think it was a good thing. I met two people in Maitra and Indrayani who would become an integral part of my Engineering days and beyond.

This section turned out to be more rowdier than A. There were many people in this section who would become a part of the fabled BE Comp 2007, but sadly I do not remember them in the first year that vividly.

The Hostel

Now this is one hell of an experience. The first day I walked in to that 10 x 15 room of 3 people. The first day I met Rahul, Saurabh, Pramod, Swapnil, Kunal, Bunny, Tejpal, Vaibhav, Rohny and many more. They are all memorable unto themselves.

I still remember how we hired a mini bus and went to see a movie in some C grade cinema hall. How, Saurabh kept trying to convince me that he did not smoke (3 years later he accepted that he did :)) How bunny was locked in the room for wasting too much time in the toilets. How we queued up every morning for a bucket of hot water. And finally how, during our preparatory leaves Joshi & Rohit vadevala and the study room were an integral part of life. We even went to City Pride for a movie in pyjamas one evening after dinner!

The Snob group

Now this is a digression to the main story, however there was this art circle in our college. The only thing for which the college was really known. For some reason it had an air of snobby ness to it. I feel its worth mentioning here because it was that group which made me watch my first Natak. It happened to be ‘Saala ekda tari’.

The End of the First Year

The first year ended pretty sadly. Applied Mechanics, Maths 2 and Graphics screwed many a brave souls. Wounded and battered we marched in the second year. Second year is where the History of BE Comp begins.

Coming Up : “Ban, Indra, Maitra, Rujuta, Durga, Hippie, Sooraj, Aditi, Shefali, Nana, Bunny, Papa, Gandhi, Shirish, Garaje, Aundhkar and many more…”

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com/2010/11/first-year-in-engineering.html

The past that was

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Well, finally we have got a temporary break from our hectic schedule. So after many days, months actually, I decided to write. As I sat thinking my mind wandered to some of the oldest thoughts and things I did. And so that’s what I am going to pen down here.

Sitting on a mound of sand waiting for Kites
I guess I spent major part of childhood running after kites. Every evening from 5 to 7 was religiously spent sitting on a mound of sand from October to January for that elusive kite. 14th January was the most awaited day of the calendar, and for me the world did not begin with the big bang, but with Uttarayan.
The nightly fires
This was a nightly activity reserved for autumns. I don’t remember how it started, but it did. Thing was, the place where we lived was surrounded by an assortment of trees and close to 100 eucalyptus trees. Every autumn, the leaves used to shed giving us ample fodder for our bon fire. So whenever we were in the mood, and mum had time, we used to have an hour long fire. It was a great way to spend the last remaining energy of the day. I guess this is among the oldest thoughts I have of my childhood.
Digging in mud after rains
If a kid hasn’t played with mud, he is no kid. Well, we were smart kids. Our aim : To dig to the other side of the world with bare hands. We never managed past a few feet, but playing and digging in mud (after rains) was just too much fun to resist.
Sunday trips
Ah yes, this was fun. Every evening on Sundays we used to go somewhere. The beach, Victoria Park, the lock gate, a lake, the farm, just some random place. Now the memories are all scattered and hotch potch, but they form an important part of what I can think of that time.
Football
This is after I was close to 13 years old. I remember many incidents and events around this game. It was the game that made me rougher and tougher. It gave me experiences which otherwise would never have come.
Studying at 5 in the morning
Now, I was an early sleeper. Used to sleep by 9 or even 8 at times and wake up real early. Around 5 AM. Now, our school bus used to come at 7:30 and I used to take just 30 minutes to get dressed. This gave me ample time to finish all my homework in the morning and so that’s what I did. Another thing was, mum too came to drop us to school for a year or so when she was learning to drive the car. Gave me a couple of extra minutes to finish more homework. :)
Wrestling with my younger brother
My younger bro has been a part of almost every incident that I have encountered till I was 17. So, it was to be that I fought with him the most. One favourite summer time pass was wrestling with him. Since I was the older one, I always won. :)
Talking with my plants
Ah, now this is something that was funny. I love/d plants. Partly I guess because my mum too likes gardening. So, on our terrace I had got this tiny nursery where I grew carrots, moong, wheat, etc. Every after noon after lunch I used to water them and talk with them for a few minutes cajoling them to grow faster. Till date I believe that they grew faster and stronger than any other plants in that league. :)

Now as I sit and think, many incidents, sights and smells come through my mind. Writing them will make it an endless story. I’ll just jot down a few points that I remember as concisely as possible.

Playing badminton every morning.
Learning skating, drawing, table tennis.
Fishing with a chunni!
Falling off a wall and breaking my milk teeth.
Being bitten by a dog.
Sitting in my mums consulting room looking at all the medical representatives make presentations.
School! Boy, I miss those carefree days!!
Accidents on my scooty. Lucky am still alive.
10th and 12th coaching.
And many more……

Thing is thoughts are tumbling out of my mind. One thing is leading to the other. All it all, I had an awesome childhood. Spent it running after kites, falling into pits, being bitten by dogs, chasing dogs, attempting to see bird nests, climbing trees and much more….

Will I ever trade it for anything else? NEVER

Back Link : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com/2010/11/past-that-was.html

Nokia C5 - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:51:00 +0000

Well I recently got a new Nokia C5 for myself and here is my take on the phone.
The good things about it:

Its a plain simple phone. No QWERTY, No Flaps, No Slides. I like it simple and this phone has it.
Its small.
The processor is real fast. You rarely have to wait for anything in this.
The camera is decent and so are the apps. Though you’ll need GPRS to use most of them.
The sound is pretty good quality especially if you have headphones on.

The issues with it:

Now I don’t know if all phones have this issue. But sometimes my phone simply goes dead! Wont start for for few minutes and then poof, its back to normal. I need to contact Nokia for it, but there ain’t a shop nearby so waiting for the time when I go home. My hunch is that the processor overheats.
The memory card is a pain to remove. The socket is badly designed.
The loudspeaker sound could have been louder.
It should have had WiFi. Presence of WiFi would have made it a great phone.

Since the phone goes dead, Ill give it a 3/5. Else its a great, sleek, respectable phone to have. More suited for the business guy than for someone looking for something flashy.

@19th November
It has been almost 25 days and the company has not returned me my cellphone which I had given for repair. They have been unable to rectify the flaw. Nokia seems to have lost its touch.

@27th November
Finally after a month, Nokia was unable to repair the handset and replaced it. Not sure how long this one will last.

The First Trimester in Goa

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:22:00 +0000

My first trimester finished off in a jiffy. All I had time for was the daily travel from the old to the new & back, the shift to the new and poof! The term was over! I agree the first few weeks were wasted in settling issues and a few ‘management problems & mishandling’. And even some more time was wasted because returning back to studies was challenging for me.

I fared pretty badly in this trimester; flunked in a couple of exams and was among the bottom ones in others.

Ditch studies. There were other interesting things I did. Roamed around Goa as many times as I could afford to rent a car/bike. Did a case study with a bunch of Belgians, which was interesting. Saw immense sized moths and countless varieties of insects. And got the canteen on track. :)

What’s my perception of Goa??… Well, there is much more to Goa than bars, beaches and skimpily clad Russians sun tanning on the beach. For starters, it is much more costlier than any other city I have stayed in. The roads are awesome and people are ultra friendly. They will go out of their way to help you in some cases! The old churches and greenery give it a nice Victorian feel.

Entire Goa is spread out (barring parts of Panjim and Madgaon). All the houses are right next to the highway. There is nothing 500 meters from the highway in either direction except green lush fields.

Now, there is another thing that people need to understand. The countryside in Goa is awesome. Much better than the beaches is what I’d say. Best time to visit would be in October through to February I guess. That is after the rains(it rains 24 x 7 here) and before the summer. And in this time, you ought to visit the mountains(the Sahayadri). Its pretty scenic with its proximity to clouds and dense jungle. Not to mention the countless waterfalls that trickle from everywhere around.

Also, visit the islands that abound the Mandovi. We had time to take a ferry ride to an island called Deewar. It was calm, pretty and scenic there. Definitely worth a visit.

@edit on 14th Oct : Added a few more pics & a vid.

View Full Album

The American Milk Market : A case of flawed government policy and cartelization.

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:22:00 +0000

Update
A few guys moved to the new campus including my room partner. So I have the entire room to myself! It also means: I have a single room, 2 beds, 2 cupboard, and even sacred washrooms are solely owned by me now. Having lived in hostels for 8 years, this is turning out to be among the best stays in terms of accommodation! Also, the great thing about this place is that its very secure. I can leave my room open and go and none will touch a thing! The only drawback : A one hour travel from here to the new campus.

The Real Purpose : American Milk Markets

However, I write this blog for a different purpose. Studies are now on in full swing and we are just done with a couple of tests. And a expecting a few more in the coming week. After the initial shock, things have settled down. From an ‘OB’ perspective, relations currently stand at a bond building stage. :) A stage I have seen happen wherever I have been.

Recently we were asked to check out the US milk market from an economic point of view. Also, this assignment showed how government intervention has resulted in an artificially high price of milk in the USA. So this is how our first hurriedly made (as you never have time in an MBA) case study looked like:

Known facts:

Government fixed the base price of milk as per the Eau Clarie Rule.
This price was higher than the prevalent market price.
Milk cartels were formed.
Milk cartels have a strong lobby in the senate to keep the prices artificially high (Citation needed).
The extra market surplus that is created is converted to dairy products or exported. (Citation needed)
The American customer is the prime loser in due to this artificially higher price of Milk.

Disclaimer : This was done to the best of our knowledge. This analysis is prone to flaws and should be only considered as a primer to understanding the concept of market surplus.

Back link to my blog : http://routineblabber.blogspot.com

The first couple of weeks at MBA…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:13:00 +0000

I’ve begun my MBA and have been here a couple of weeks now. And it feels like I’ve been here for years in spite of the teething issues we had with the new campus.

Goa is a magical place. Even in monsoon. The first thing that strikes you about this place is the amount of rain it gets. It’s famous for its beaches, but might as well be famous for rain. When it rains here, it pours cats, dogs, giraffes and any other animal you can think of! Rain becomes a part of your routine. First you hate it, then you tolerate it and then you stop bothering about it! And finally, you see the beauty in it.

Rains apart, the old campus where we are currently staying is seeped in history. Its an old hospital, Victorian Style, which was converted to a college. And it looks and feels great. The hostel names carry the old legacy.. We have rooms called OT (Operation Theatre), The Morgue, Hill Top and Doctors Residence! It literally was a hospital. I don’t envy the guys living in the morgue. :)

And one great thing about being a college so compact and with less students : You know everyone and it is like one big happy group. Surviving MBA without seniors is impossible. Here, the seniors are ultra helpful. They go the extra mile to help us out which is amazing.

And then there are the studies. Boy, PG is completely different from what you did till graduation. Here there are no fixed text books, only approximate syllabus and the biggest progression, the syllabus is updated and latest. We study the latest stuff, not some old discovery made a decade ago. Moreover, each professor is awesome! There are guys here who have dedicated their lives to the field they work on!

Ah, so how has been my routine for the last couple of weeks. Well, to start with it has involved travelling daily to the new campus, a few teething issues, lots and lots of lectures and then finally weekend parties. In short, it has been packed with activity.

Its just been a few weeks that I have been here, and so many things have happened. One thing is sure, my MBA is going to be a memorable experience and I am definitely going to have more to say on it.

The pricking grass story…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:20:00 +0000

In the last quarter of a century, I have had my share of interesting experiences. I will dare to boast a bit and add that I have had fair bit more experiences than the average Joe coz fate made me travel more.

Today I will narrate a incident that took place more than a decade ago. So unique and singular was that incident that I remember it vividly even today. I was in 8th grade at that time, around the year 1998-99. Had just moved to a new school building(as 8th grade to 12th grade were in a different location), and everything was fun and new. Football was the craze here and so like everyone else, football was the game I picked up.

I played decent football (partly because I was the only 6 footer in that age group), and got a chance to represent my school & district in the under 14 football tournament (Shubrato cup as it was called). Getting selected in the district team meant that I had to go for practice daily. Everyday we use to cycle 4 km to the ground in scorching heat. It had its own charm. At the ground, our coach (who was a full time rickshaw driver and a part time coach), used to make us do every possible exercise but play football. He said that building stamina was the main thing, other things were later. And once when practice used to get over he would ferry a few kids home in his rickshaw (at a nominal fare).

Finally the D-Day came. We had to travel to a remote place near Navsari to some unknown village whose total population would have been less than 500 people. Since this was the first time I was going out on my own, I took down all the instructions that our coach gave before leaving. There weren’t much per say:

Don’t bring valuables like watch, gold chains etc. as they will get stolen.
Even don’t bring your water bottles. Instead get water in some plastic disposable bottle. (my guess was that even the bottles would be stolen)

So away we went in a rickety State Transport bus. In the course of our journey we had the pleasure of sitting on top of the bus as there was no space inside. It was awesome fun until one low hanging tree branch hit me smack on my forehead head. The pain evaporated all the fun. After that smack I kept a very watery vigilant eye glued to the road and its low lying branches as long as we sat there.J

By the time we reached it was late night. There we had a scare of our lives because one of our team mates disappeared after we disembarked from the bus. After a frantic search lasting 2 hours we found him sleeping on a bench in a dark corner. Turned out that he was so exhausted after the journey that he just dozed off on the bench.

Even calling home was a struggle as this was the pre mobile phone era and there was only one STD booth in the entire village! Imagine the queue at the single booth were more than a dozen football teams had landed! Finally, once we were fed and watered off we dozed.

Since we were among the last teams to go to sleep, we were the last to wake up too. Imagine our horror when we saw the two long serpentine queues in front of the two lone toilets. It is a scary site especially when things inside you are raring to get out. Kids that we were, off we went to our coach to crib. This was not a new complaint for the old experienced hand. He merely smiled and said, “ You brought the disposable water bottles I asked you to bring, right? Fill them up and off into the mountains you go.” For a few moments the statement he did not register in my mind and finally when it did I was filled with revulsion at the very idea.

I cursed every single tit bit I had eaten the previous day. They seemed really desperate to get out. Couldn’t they stay in there for a few more days? After much deliberation and controlling the pressures, I decided to do the unthinkable. So off I went into the mountain searching for a secluded spot. Trust me, getting naked on a mountain is very embarrassing even in the most secluded of spots. You always feel that someone might be watching you and the wind through you makes you really jittery. Another prickly issue I realized pretty painfully was, that the grass pricks horribly at your rear end! Ouch that hurt! So I had to use bricks as soon as I realized the hard fact. Using bricks had other advantages too is what I heard later from others.

So there in a secluded spot a jittery 13 year old me finished his business, dumped his disposable bottle there and swore that I would not speak of this humiliating incident to anyone.

Now as I look back, I find it more funny than humiliating and we laugh about it many times. Even though we lost in the quarters itself, it was a very memorable experience. As a matter of fact I remember all my footballing experiences more for such memories than the actual game.

P.S. – Another experience I would like to add with this as it is related to a football expedition though the place is different. I’d title it “The canine night”

As usual we reached late to another location for under 17 tournament. Now the rooms allotted to us were tiny and just as we managed to stuff ourselves in them, the electricity went away. So sleeping in the hot stuffy room was not an option for me and a few others. Off we went to sleep on the play ground.

We all slept in a row one besides the other and I was the last one in the row. Now, although the night had begun on a hot note it slowly grew cooler. I hadn’t got any blankets with me to the ground so I tugged on a soft fluffy rug of my neighbor. I was warm and cozy. And the night passed off peacefully.

When the first rays of the sun hit us, we were woken by the sound of the football being kicked around us. I woke up and saw a disgusting scene. The smell of which I remember even today. The warm soft fluffy rug was not a rug at all. It was dog hair. Not one but two dogs were sleeping right besides me! Even they might have felt cold at night and found my bed and me comparative warm so had to come to sleep right next to me!

Boy, after the initial scare I did manage to smile. My friends were laughing like mad. It took me some time to take off that dog smell off me but it was an experience worth having. J

To Pavankhind with friends..

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:21:00 +0000

A couple of weekends ago, on 26th June to be precise, me and a few of my close friends went to Pavankhind Resorts to enjoy and relax. Now before I dive into the details of my trip here are a few facts. ‘Khind’ means a valley in Marathi. This valley has a historical significance, as Shivaji Maharaj escaped through this valley and his brave soldiers (Led by sardar Baji Prabhu Deshpande) laid down their lives so that Shivaji could get time to escape. As per the local folk lore, Despande fought so hard that his limbs continued to fight even after his head was severed from his body!! A bravery and commitment so hard to find in today’s times.

We began our journey early in the morning. The time when the night is at its darkest and the moon glows the brightest. The time when the earth itself is in deep slumber. At this cool hour we left the borders of Pune before the first rays of the sun woke the city. These rays, hit us when we halted to get fed and watered. And as was the case on many occasions in this trip, it was a majestic site. The first rays of the sun just peeping over the western ghats colouring the sky in a vivid array of yellow.

Once fed and watered our cars trudged on. Here I’d like to congratulate the excellent driving skills of Hippu and Robo. Full marks to them for their skills which I can only dream to emulate.

After a four and a half hour ride in our red chariots we reached our resort which was to be our abode for the next 2 days and a night. The place where Kuntya would refine her star rating policy and award us stars for any work done for her!

Now something about the resort : This resort (Pavankhind resort) has all the amenities you can dream of in such a place. They have everything right upto a swimming pool, library and a table tennis table! To add to it, they give you such personalized attention and service that you really miss them when you leave the place. Plus, the food there is simply awesome and instructions at each step detailed and to the point with a touch of humour. Also, one very important point to note is, this resort is perennially under the curtain of a drizzle which makes cool pleasant weather and mind blowing greenery omnipresent.

On this picture perfect location we had a sumptuous breakfast with a pre-recorded announcement chalking out our iternary for the day. The first was a sight seeing trip on the roof top of a jeep. (Some of the pics have been deliberately blurred as I am not sure whether the owner of the face will like seeing it here). The ride on the roof was again an amazing experience. Through dense forest and fog our jeep went on. Stopping at amazing sites where the pre-recorded announcement gave some brief info on the location. Each turn was more beautiful than the last and each tree greener than the previous one. All the while, a slight drizzle and cool wind were a continuous companion.

We even trekked downhill for a good 30-45 mins to enjoy the beauty on foot. Finally, after some more adventurous trekking we reached the base of a water fall. Boy! We had the time of our lives there. It was like the worlds largest shower with no end to water. And to add to the sense of adventure, there were leeches around to give us company. One managed to drink a lot of blood off me. But it was fun, the waterfall I mean. (Sadly no pics of the place as we were too busy enjoying than risking our cams there). When we were done bathing and felt cleaner than we ever had, up we trekked back to a waiting cup of hot tea and coffee. Even the rain Gods blessed us and halted the near incessant rain for a few minutes.

With all the trekking and bathing we were hungry as hell despite our heavy breakfasts. Off we were shepherded on top of the jeep to a waiting hot lunch. It was a meal fit for a king. Ill just jot down a few items if not all.. Roasted chicken, boiled corn, roasted potatoes & onions (a local delicacy), gulab jamuns, raita, dal, roti, vegetables, etc. etc… And to cap it all there was a bonfire lit where we could sit and dry ourselves!!

Once we were all dried and rested the jeep was ready to take us back to our resort where we would spend the night. The journey back was made more adventurous by the fact that our jeep skid off road!!! But well, all is well that ends well. We reached back safe and sound, had a hot bath and spent the evening chatting and relaxing. Ah.. Lifee….

And with a content smile and tired but happy legs we dozed off. That was how day 1 went at Pavankhind Resorts.

Day 2

Day 2 dawned on a lazy note. Had a late breakfast which comprised of hot aloo parothas, curd and pickels. An ideal meal for the cool morning on the mountain. I’ll keep this short as we didn’t do much this day but see some fabulous sites. Here pictures speak more than words.. :)

View Full Album

Spider….

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 22 May 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Well, I continue with my art and craft time pass. It is more like re-learning art and craft. This time I went about making a spider. It is pretty easy, all you need is lots of black colour, long spiny black legs, a dirty web infested corner and some grainy images to make the whole setup real.

So folks, behold my latest creation : The spider!

Creating a spider is a messy affair though and you need lots of glue and black colour for it. But when you get done, no matter how bad an effort it might have been, the thing that you create will look unmistakably like a spider. That’s how remarkably distinct a spider is. :)

Ill cut the crap and leave you to behold the images of my spider.

Crayons….

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 16 May 2010 09:57:00 +0000

Ah well, looking at my new found love with water colours, a close friend of mine gifted me crayons. I used them to create the below piece. Reminded me of nursery school.. As much as I could remember of my good old days that is.J

Goa Institute of Management (GIM) – The beginning.

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Yesterday I sent my resignation email. The first resignation email of my life. I do not know how many more Ill be sending. J Put in my papers as now I plan to do an MBA from GIM. Am on a notice period now; my resignation did raised quite a few eyebrows tho. Per my managers understanding I had a great life here, the work was great and I enjoyed it a lot.

Well I agree to to the second point, the first and the third are subjective. If you are from West India, you are not going to enjoy Bengal much. There is abject poverty, dirt and strikes everywhere. The system just about functions. And well, getting basic things here can be a real challenge. Though folks here are way ahead in women empowerment. Here you might need laws to protect men from atrocities carried out by women.J But overall, it has miles to go in a short time before it catches up with rest of India. Anyways, fact of the matter is, you can’t have a great life in such a system J. And I am not planning to change the system.

So, I have ditched a decent salary and great prospects to do an MBA. Why? Maybe I just want to enjoy college life again. If you have worked for a few years, you really come to appreciate college life. Though on a serious note, I plan to speed up my career and change my location too J. Just coding has limits to it, and anyone can code. I have nothing again BSc grads, but well my (to be)ex company has started hiring even BSc grad. Just replace quality with quantity is the motto. J Anyways, so its time to dump and move on.

Of course, what the future holds is a big question mark now. And where it lies is even a bigger question. I would love to have a decent relaxed job in Pune or whereabouts, but that’s just a dream. After 2 years I shall know whether it was worth it or no.

The ‘Luck’ factor…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:46:00 +0000

It is amazing how big a role luck plays in life. It has been beautifully portrayed in the movie Match Point, but well, I wish to re-iterate it here using examples from my own experience.

Luck and the tennis ball...

There are so many movies around that there will be a movie on every instance of life and at that rate I won’t be able to write a single blog…J

Ah well, so here begins my story. Three years ago, I was a fresher. Dreamt of joining the IIMs(MBA College) or one of the colleges in that league. Had given CAT, but well, I didn’t get through. Had been placed in a decent company so a job was guaranteed. So began my job. The heartless company put me in the farthest possible location(Kolkata) from home but within India. But well, that’s how it is – Providence. The first six odd months I was without a project, but finally managed to earn my place in one of the best project in this centre. Phew.. Finally.

Luck Take 1
Ok, so in this project I worked pretty hard. 1 year into the project some new project comes in and I am told that I’ll be going to US to work on this project. Yippie.. J

But such things are never straight, 1 month into the preparation, recession struck. The rest is history along with my attempt to go to the US in that year. That new project was postponed indefinitely.

Oh yes, and my CAT result was also not that great. L

Luck Take 2
Well, no problem. Back to hard work and toil again. Slowly and steadily recession withdrew its tentacles. And a second onsite opportunity came. I was ready this time. Had made up my mind, 2 years in US and then the next two years an MBA degree from one of the colleges there. The grand plan.

The Visa Interview date arrived. L1 B Visa. Blanket for 3 years. Nothing could stop me now. Alas.. I forgot the US Consulate was the one that could stop me. I’ll not get into details but here is how the conversation ended:
”You are a very smart and intelligent guy. Please don’t take this personally, I have nothing against you, but I cannot grant you this Visa. Please don’t take this personally”.

Thing was, the US consulate was rejecting Visa’s for folks less than 3 years experience. I had 2.5… And now, post rejection, I couldn’t apply for a US visa for the next 1 year.

Yea, and my CAT result was not that awesome.. L Becoming a pattern wasn’t it.

Luck Take 3
Well, I’ll admit, the US visa rejection was a heart break. But well, can’t do much about it. Hey and just some irony, the guy who rejected my Visa had emigrated from India to the US.

Anyways, now I think law of averages kicks in. You can’t always be unlucky. One of the decent MBA colleges I had applied to called me and informed me that I had been selected as they had lowered their cut off & given more weightage to work ex! The college wasn’t an IIM or any from the ivy league but a college just a step of two below them. Yippee.. Finally some luck in my favour.

Summary
Well, so what it goes to show?
By working hard you can create an environment so that you get what you want, but it is never guaranteed. Hard work will get you there, but whether it works out or not depends completely on your luck…

I wasn’t a believer in fate or providence. I am going to have to re-visit my view on that.J

Ah, and did I join the college? Well there are still 2 months before the college starts. Dunno, how the next years will work out. Life is never a straight line is another thing that I have learnt. There are always uncertainties. So, I plan to join, the rest I leave to ‘luck’.

I’ll revisit my decisions 6 years from now, and I hope they do not disappoint.

Why you should not go for DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:20:00 +0000

My dad is a doctor & a TB specialist having worked in this field for the past 28 years. Per him the DOT therapy launched to fight TB is flawed. I am planning to start a new blog/website on it all together, but before I do that, below is his take on it for a start. Feel free to comment on it. Comments and awareness is most welcome in this case.

WHY NOT DOT!!

Even after 10 years of introduction of RNTPC (DOT Therapy), Tuberculosis control is not even in sight. One should introspect as to why?

So far, it seems, the only achievement of DOT is emergence of MDR (Multi Drug Resistance) & XDR (Extreme Drug Resistance).

The plausible reasons are:

T.B. bacilli differ from other bacterial pathogens:
Reason : They can remain in dormant state for years!!
How cavity is formed - It follows following sequence:
Infection > Pneumonic lesion > Caseopneumonic lesion > Colliquative Necrosis > Expectoration of necrotic material > Cavity formation.
Time required to form a cavity: Minimum of Two months.

Is sputum always positive in cavitary lesion?
The answer is No. It depends upon:

Quality of Sputum
Technician’s skill and sincerity
Number of bacilli in sputum (Min. 5000bacilli/ML)

Sputum examination holds the cornerstone of DOT therapy.

Is it justifiable??
Let us see, what the Radiological appearance of Pulmnary Koch’s is.

Exudative
Milliary
Effusion
Fibrotic
Fibrocaseous
Cavitary lesion.

But, do we get sputum positivity in all of these lesions?
No!!

So, what determines the type of lesion?
It is the end result of interplay between numerical load and virulence of bacilli versus Immunity and hypersensitivity of the host.

Drug therapy alone can never eradicate the infection completely, had it been so, we wouldn’t have failed in HIV with Tuberculosis.

Let us look at the sputum positivity for Pulmonary active tuberculosis.

Only 25 % of patients with active pulmonary disease have sputum positivity!!

Should we rely solely on sputum examination for case identification and treatment?
As far as the treatment aspect is concerned, initial intensive attack irrespective of type of lesion is of paramount importance and is the only golden chance we have of eradicating the infection. Whereas in DOT therapy, by categorizing the treatment regimen one compromises the initial attack.

Which favors the emergence of resistant strains?
Another aspect is when to stop the therapy? Following are the recommendations of tuberculosis specialist’s world over,

(A) Six months after sputum conversion
(B) Radiological stabilization of lesion for minimum of 3 months.

In DOT therapy treatment is given for initial 6 months with uncertain and ambiguous follow up strategy. No consideration is given to radiological appearance or sputum examination or objective examination.

Is it justifiable to give three drugs in primary treatment? In 1982 it was established that primary drug resistance to INH-EMB-RMP can happen.
In this context giving three drugs only in initial treatment is not logical.
DOT depends on sputum examination, which is helpful in stamping the diagnosis, but for that to happen a post pneumonic lesion undergoes necrosis,cavitation and destruction of lung takes place and then if only numbers of bacilli exceed around 5000/ML,it will be stamped as pulmonary TB!!.And treated! One has to wait for extensive destruction of lung tissue to stamp the diagnosis.

Is over treatment in highly suspicious case harmful? Actually it seldom is. But, under treatment is DISASTROUS.

When radiological assistance is available at most places, what is the rationale of denying radiological help in diagnosis and screening?
Radio logically positive cases can be subjected to thorough investigation for confirmation.

Dear fellow colleagues, please make your own judgment whether to follow DOT blindly or not.

Your inputs and suggestions are most welcome.

My First CSDP batch…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:40:00 +0000

On weekends, I take Communication Improvement and English speaking classes for the under privileged. The students who come to these classes are generally 18 years and above folks who have done graduation/post graduation and have not been able to get a job. For me, it is fun teaching them and it also helps them. Plus it also feels good to be doing something worthwhile. J

Today, was the last day of my first batch. And it was impressive to see the confidence some of them had gained and the improvement they had made compared to what they were 3 months back. The most notable improvement I found was in a guy named Parag. Here is his story, some facts I am not sure, so I have filled in to the best of my knowledge.

Parag was born in a typical Indian poor rural family. It was a low income family, had to leave education midway and start working in the fields and all the hardships that go with it. When he came to us, he barely knew a word in English, had a great smile and there was something about him that was special. Till date I have not been able to point out what it is.

He told us, he was married, no kids and had a small mobile repair shop. He had tried his hand at taking tuitions but the money in that field was less so he had opened up the mobile repair shop. He wanted to learn English so that he could get a job in a better shop. One thing that impressed us all when we interviewed him was the fact that he had a clear practical goal. Some of the folks who come to us are too confused and live in fantasy land. He was practical.

Anyways, that was how our first interview with him went. We took him (more for his smile than his practicality I guess :P ). As the lectures went by, it became evident that he was one of the best of the lot and made the most effort. Above all, he had practical expectations.

Today was the last day of the batch. And we took an interview. His confidence level had improved. The best part was, he had started teaching again as the mobile business wasn’t that profitable. And now he taught in English. To top it up, he taught a couple of his students who couldn’t afford for free.

I do not know how successful his endeavour will be. But I hope it will be a great success. Makes our effort worthwhile and goes further. It reaches the grass roots from where this poverty is born and provides people like him a bright future.

*The name of the person has been changed to protect his identity. And a few weeks ago he became a father. :)

Sachin – The enigma…

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:04:00 +0000

It is amazing isn’t it. How one person, who rarely comments on any issues, rarely gives any interviews and is not at all involved in politics can elicit such sharp emotions. Countless odes & criticism has been heaped on him and I am just going to add my two cents to it (to the praise side J).

The other day when he scored 200, the streets were almost empty. Taxi drivers were tuned onto their radios, the chaiwala glued to his tiny dirty TV set spilling half the tea and the company canteen brimming with a rowdy crowd of software professionals. Yes on that day he scored 200, yes he is the best batsman today, yes to the fact that some say he plays only for creating records, but that’s not what I wish to dwell on.

A few days ago I was listening to an interview by Harsha Bhogle. It was amazingly succinct yet touched the core. The greats like Lara, Sachin, Bradman, etc. had the talent no doubt. But as he rightly put, talent alone can get you to the top 10% at best. That’s where these folks are, but to be the top one, you need something more. You need hard work, dedication and perseverance. For 20 years Sachin has had to toil to reach the summit. Not to mention the hours of practise that went with it. For 20 long years he has continued to have the same enthusiasm for the game (And trust me it is tough). The most important thing is, it does not matter how enthusiastically you begin something, what matters is how enthusiastically you end it. And even today he continues to end it beautifully.

These are Sachin’s twilight years. Someday soon he will make his final stand. Take his last guard. Hopefully it will be at Mumbai Wankehde against Pakistan for the World Cup final. That will be a fitting end to a journey that began 20 years ago.

There is a beautiful line in the movie, the Dark Knight : ‘Either you die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain’. Hope Sachin proves it wrong as he deserves something better…

The last few weeks….

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:34:00 +0000

Well the last few weeks have been the craziest few since I have had in a long time. And trust me, I have had pretty crazy weeks in my life. There are simply too many things happening around me to actually be able to make sense of them all. Information overload.L

From a work point of view there is nothing much happening. Ironically I have less work these days as they are planning to shift my base, so haven’t been allocating me much work. Thing is, with the economy picking up people I know have started moving around a lot it seems. And for some reason, quite a few of my friends have decided to get married at the same time! And a few good ones whom I had made here, have moved on (I classify them as the mean ones J)…Priorities changed.

So, you can feel a bit lost. Someone whom you could just call by picking up the phone at 12 in the night can’t be done now as the person is a family man now J. Alas! That means now I got to change myself a bit too, call them during work hours, which is not possible most of the times.

Of course, things are moving on my personal front too but you always feel that they ain’t happening fast enough. Though I figured every one feels that way. Plus you always worry about the big question mark that stands in front of each endeavour of yours.

I tried making a semblance of them all, but it won’t fit in. It becomes an equation with only variables and no constant. What I figured is, let the dust settle, the few who care shall someday call you. And the ones who don’t, well, I had tried my best. But guess it was time for them to move on.. Or they did not find you ‘compatible enough’, a term I learnt recently. J

This one is a pretty random blog post and may not make sense to the casual reader.

A colourful Saturday….

noreply@blogger.com (Everything) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 14:08:00 +0000

Today I was in a mood to do something different. Something colourful, so after a gap of 6 years I went and got myself a water colours and a paint brush. With some help from Goddess google and some improvisation, off I began creating a master piece. :)

I was a bit amazed at the prices. Not sure if I was fleeced or what but the box of six water colours now costs 55 Rs! And the paint brush was worth 5 Rs.! I remember that when I used to paint the colour box used to cost 12 Rs and a paint brush 2! :) Time flies….

After a saga lasting a complete 5 hours the master piece was created. Below is the final out put. :)