Irresistible- Varun's Blog

Secret of the Tan on Valentines day- Have a leisurely read

2011-02-23T00:45:00.000-08:00

Super tired and wary, i step into office at 12 30 on Valentine’s day, the first question my collegue puts to me, "hey so late on valentine’s day, (eye balls popping)!!!, Seems u had a superb valentines weekend at a lonely beach resort!! Kya baat hai!!!." Fuming from the resort i go back to my seat and start wondering "what a torrid day!, what a Loser of a guy!, what am i to do to get rid of my tan, Why my V-Days are a disaster when most of the world is super happy today???!!!!.

Flashback- 6 Hours back- 6 30 AM in the morning (Concentric Circles, bloody that’s what they used to show in old movies)

I wake up with my dreams filled with lazy afternoons after a hugely ONROAD weekend filled with fighter jets, long rides on the mad hot sun, cricket matches and smokeless hookahs!! This week is it i thought, a weeklong desired with very little work, lots of sleep, swimming lessons and no tension. Little that i realize that DJ who has come to Bangalore on a business visit, is shaking in his XXXL size undies at the other end.

His dream is straight forward, he misses his flight to Hawai at 12 20 PM- 14th Feb, spends the day looking at old aunties while he rather look at their much younger daughters at the airport and finally wins a crying competition with a bawling baby to win the last available ticket on the 11 59 AM- 14th feb (last flight to Mumbai). Curiously as he gets on to the flight, he realizes that he’s the only passenger of the flight piloted by a telegu speaking- kannada guy with a dragon head face. His worst nightmare!! After being sedated on the flight by a 24 year old, 70 looking overweight Air India stewardess, DJ wakes up at 6 31 AM at Kandahar airport surrounded by air cushions, laptops, chips and sweet fragrance of a warm bed. What?? He is at my house (6 32 AM - 14th February). phew - DJs mind speaks "that was close, I let the stewardess too close to me on my dreams!!!!”. “Negative vibes”

I had decided on this plan yesterday, leave home at 9 20, get DJ hopped on to the most reliable BIA Volvo buses which would take him to the Airport an hour ahead of time and i enjoy a peaceful day at work and have much vaunted rest. 6 35 AM still and I am peacefully soft asleep when i hear the most horrendous noise of a pig grunt, its DJ brushing his teeth. Still holding my soft pillow, i yell out- dude what u are doing so early in the morning??. DJ says- "Abey, jaldi tayyar hona hai, jaldi jaana hai airport"- he trembles as he speaks. Paying no head i doze back and slowly switch on laptop to check latest happenings of the world in Facebook still draped in my cozy blanket.

Finally i look at the clock, 7 30 AM and right next to the clock stands a forlorn looking fatso with a "i am 2 seconds away from suicide"-look. What happened i gush. Dude, I am getting “negative vibes”, i want to leave to the airport soon. Stunned!! “What? Your flight is at 12 30 and not at 9 30”. i quietly make my way to the door, pick up the news paper , milk and proceed to make a hot pipping coffee, and vola, the cook is here too. As i feel a tantalizing smell of refreshing coffee intervened only by fluffy aloo parathas, i see DJ coming out of the bath room screaming, no water dude, negative vibes i m telling you, i am gonna get screwed, whats the plan he asks? Innocently i answer, "dropping you at the BIA bus stop, it will take you to airport by 11". DJ almost shivering- "Hey drop me off at the airport na, on a bike you will slide through traffic and reach on time. Please dude, i am begging you!!", Stunned i ask, "dude, whats wrong, you awake or dreaming, the Airport is 60 kms away, i l go crazy doing 120 kms and coming back to office!!!, You have breakfast , i l get ready and drop you at the bus stop earlier, i l come back and have breakfast and then go to office", DJ says, "it’s ok, not feel like having break fast, lets leave right away".

Took out the bike and DJ got on, Already handicapped by the ton of load on the back seat, DJ further lands his huge 18th century bag on to his lap to make my bike not only the most disastrous projection from behind, but left the already paralysed engine gasping for breath. I pat the bikey and say "5 Kms mate, you will do it easy." Past the ravaged roads near my house, half the way on to the bus stop, i hear a squeaky voice from behind, to hear clearly i open the helmet half the way up to listen clearly. DJ was bawling, sitting behind me, he starts ranting, "tu mumbai aayega toh main aisa nahi karta, tu mujhe beech raaste chod ke jaa raha hai, i l be lost, the bus will breakfown, bangalore traffic will take me down, i l be kidnapped and i will never reach mumbai!!!". i slam the brakes hard and i am like. "What????", "Please please mujhe airport chod de, tu bahut ziddi hai, please mujhe airport chod de. mein tera guest hoon.". For a moment i thought its my 8 year old cousin sitting behind me and not a 25 year old over grown, double sized friend. "negative vibes".

Unable to think clearly i turn the bike around and decide, enough is enough. I dont want to be charged with child ignorance and emotional atyachaar when i knock the doors of heaven, i l drop this sly in airport!!!!!

Thus began the begining of my tan. For those who dont know, the Bangalore airport is located 45 kms north of the city and exactly 60 kms from my house. Along the journey , my first encounter is with the predecessor of the volvo (BIA) bus that DJ was supposed to travel, the driver laughs uncontrollably looking at my plight. He rants, i drive a luxury bus designed to take even the most raunchy of losers (those who dont have a car) to the airport in the least possible time and here he sees a young man on a young overburdened bike heading of to the same destination because of a negative vibe. The second encounter is with a Meru cab (numbered 6520) taking pity on the plight, promises to give company all the way to the airport. In between i hear squeals saying, "Arrey 90 KMPH pe chalega toh mereko neend aa jayega ( you go this fast, i will fall asleep), slow chala". All i do is ignore and spell out the choicest of BC, MC, BDK all directed at DJ but not carried to him by the airwaves blocked by the burning helmet with the fuming head inside. After almost a 2 hour ride, the Bangalore international airport receives its first Bike visitor from the hinterland, All of Heavens spurned to see the Godly sight of a Bike venturing into an all new terrain and as the roses pout and I have finally had enough of the ghastly sight.

12 30 PM- 14th feb. No breakfast, No appetite for lunch, I can feel my skin burning, I just can’t sit and I still wonder! "What a torrid day! What a Loser of a guy!, what am I to do to get rid of my tan, Why my V-Days are a disaster when most of the world is super happy today???!!!!

Dinner at dharamsala

2010-11-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

Just returned from the most memorable dinner and wanted to store it for eternity, what better than share?!!!

I fixed the place for dinner during the evening get-a-bike walk, turned out a brilliant choice. We go to the Italian-tibetian food place- green!!! As we walk in , the place is buzzing and filled with foreigners and we sit outside. As we just start browsing the menu, a tibetian family walks in. A smiling man who greeted every table also smiles broadly at us. He simply asks, are you locals? We said no we are from Bangalore!!!! Hes overjoyed, just shakes hands with each of us. He went back memory lane, 25 years back he used to stay in bangalore where he stayed while he studied as well as worked a while before moving to nepal. He introduces himselves as Dha-wa, and quickly translated as chandrashekar , dha means moon and hence he was named chandrashekar in college, our Chandra speaks fluent Kannada and first introduced us to his wife and his 20 odd year old son who was leaving to kushalnagar for his studies.

He suggested our dinner menu- special lasagna, tofu momos and thenthuk!! He then shared his life learnings of how money means so little, how Buddhism and ofcourse Hinduism is all about being happy mentally than being lodged in a spic n clean new York appartment with no peace of mind, He practically knew everyone among the foriegners in the room - who he said come to india for peace and took example of a 100 year old rich European who had let go of everything and was living here for a long time just cared for by friends at dharamsala, on observation I find that the man could hardly move and yet was cheered and entertained by the staff.

Dha-wa then suggested us places to see around here to go to the place of the government in exile, dalailamas abode and the karmapa's. He then said that he had just returned from a direct audience with the dAlailama and asked us to meet him as well. He said the Indians have been soo helpful of the tibetian cause by housing the lama and the karmapa as well as provide every possible assistance. He sAid that the lama is extremely friendly and one could easily sight him etc and would have granted audience if we had taken prior appointments.

Food then arrived and our chandrshekar took his leave after a few photos for us!! The food was brilliant and memorable just per se. Loved it!!

The smile is a wonderful thing and wonder why we don't retain the warmth and hospitality we were once famous for!! A
Thing to ponder. Walked back to a slew of PJ from whom I call Raksas ever since he scared the little kid in a manali shop- Rakesh Pai who divides his name into two halves- one who has glowing hair(Ra dium /kesh-hair) and whose day is celebrated world over on 22/7- (pi). More than a dinner can take!!!

Kashmir - Is it worth it

2010-09-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

Kashmir is a wonderful place. I have seen it with my eyes and there is no doubt that if there is paradise on earth- it is Kashmir..

Whats wrong i wonder. Some 50 percent of the population of Kashmir- within LOC voted some 2 years back and elected a government under the Indian sovereign. And they have been doing that over and over for the last 20 years or so since the insurgency began. It just proves one thing that there are many "Kashmiris" who believe they are Indian. But i also know that there a lot of seperatists who identify themselves with Pakistan and either want to go to Pakistan or form a separate country. The third dimension are the people who were the erstwhile Hindu minority who lived there but forcibly moved out to make way for a Kashmiri movement. Now their claim is about the land- "Kashmir". But Do the people really have a voice in all of this?

Now whats the Kashmiri problem? During the partition, Kashmir was a unique case where the Hindu head of a muslim majority state apparently opted to remain with India. Now that Kashmir of the 1950s has been since bifurcated into 3 regions. One which is Pakistan Occupied, One which is Indian occupied and one which is China occupied(apparently gifted by Pakistan).

India is probably the only world country which runs to other countries to solve its problems. China has dealt with Tibet strongly in the past. So has Israel with innumerable attacks in the middle east. UK has dealt with a rogue Irish state. All three are examples of how a country has successfully dealt with rogue elements with an iron hand. India has done it as well when dealing with insurgency with Punjab. Agreed that all this has been without dealing with a foriegn hand . ie. Pakistan in our case. But considering that Pakistan is in a shoddy state of affairs by itself, doesnt it feel ripe that its time to act and deal with the situation NOW.

This is seriously a situation that demands an iron hand maneovering. License the indian army to cleaning up Kashmir rather than take off its priveleges (ASPA). The solution is apparent in my eyes. Make LOC the border. Ask the people to choose where they want to go, India or Pakistan and solve the issue once and for all. The people in indian kashmir who want to move should be allowed to relocate once and for all. Peace isnt a byproduct of inaction but definitely a product of stern action.

It burns me from within when more rampant issues affecting the rest 95% of the country like inflation and education are left to inaction while the majority of the time is spent on trying to talk to separatists and hear their grievances while they spread hatred and burn the indian flag in the streets of Srinagar. It certainly isnt worth my tax payers money to spend on infrastructure that anti nationals would just burn down. Ask them to go to Pakistan instead if they so desire.

Scared as a Lamb Part 1

2010-03-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

What happens when a scared lamb goes to slaughter house?????????... Let us analyse his thinking.... First how does it identify that it is slaughter house? Well some calling from heaven.. Lights get dim, He hears screaming, he hears screeching, but all he can see is red faces of limber and leather.. He can feel happiness all round as his heart feels light while the body feels too heavy that even the thought of walking cramps muscles. With great courage he steps up in front, the road ahead is slippery, he thinks thats how lifes been, but never before has the road been as red and chimy almost like a red carpet rolled on welcoming a piece of meat that the hungry human is dying to eat. The Slaughter house he looks around is characterized by plain interiors but the saving grace is a smiling assasin in shining armour with a weapon so sharp that he cant wait to use its brilliant enamor.

It had been a tiring day at work for Veena who from her traditional tam bram household where tayir sadam is usually breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was extremely difficult to get used to the dulls and rigors of the IT job that she stepped into some years back. Her parents had been pressurising her to get married and get settled. Not that she didnt want to, but as much as she tried, she could never get a groom. Either he was too fat, didnt have a US job or plain too well educated and macho to agree to all her whims and fancies which she d planned after marriage. So most of the time she was all alone wherever she went.

Veena worked in a typical Indian IT company which made her work for 18 hours a day, typically paying as much as for 2 hours of her work. The desired qualification and profile of the company Job description slotted like "Wanted - Boring non-intellectual, no work life balance, should be prepared to work without credit and get paid the best in class peanuts exported from north africa". Veena getting excited by the Job description jumped at the oppurtunity and here she was 2 years later standing at the doorway of doom, or so she thought.

It was as usual a party of her umpteenth friend getting married , she often wondered when will my number come "Oh Perumale"............ It was another such evening when one of her best friends had been married. And Veena had liked her idea all over again. "US Groom, No Sisters- No Liabilities- Parents long gone, No compromise on these constraints". The dinner was brilliant, a 7 course buffet with the finest savories and it was followed by a paatu kutcheri by Unni Krishnan. She d forgotten her watch, so the first semblance, Veena got of time was when her mom called her. She almost fainted when she heard was the time was 8 30 PPPPMMMMMM.... It was sooo late in the night and the christined fat old lady had started singing..... How will i get home "perumalae"??????,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Interesting meetings at Unexpected locations

2010-03-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey i know this guy u think.. havent i seen him somewhere. You are clear, You know him.. How many times does this happen to us. Some old classmate, college-mate or even a person you have met in a bus sometime and struck an impressive chat.

It so happened that two things happened over the last week. I met two people whom i had all but forgotten in life. It happened so unexpectedly that the thrill of the moment lasts for a long clatter to add some excitement to otherwise boring silly lifes ( i wonder, my last two blogs have the title Bore to it, signifying how life has become).

Scene1: Location: KPN Bus stop. Hey i know that pretty lass in the corner of the room. But shes on the phone. Isnt she from school. yes she is. She was in my school though had hardly even seen her in school. but knew her from social networking site called Orkut... (It used to be my fad those days, they say these days , they are writing its obituary since everyone is farming in facebook). Bad news. i hear that my bus is cancelled and i would have to endure a non AC sitting journey to Chennai. But thats not whats ringing thru my mind.

Am i sure it is her, i decide to call up friends to check. Not sure. No one in touch. Doubt creeps. I turn to the girl, shes giving me a long hard stare. Now does that say, "Dumbo, cant you say Hi, i m from your school" or does that mean "Bitch why you staring, tere maa- behen nahi hai kya".. after a lot of oxygen through my viens, i decide to finally ask. Holding my breath, Are you from sankara????? ,, "My foot..... Last fifteen minutes have been trying to make conversation with you, i am here ... and u dont even recognize me" says the awoken tigresss... Well thats not fair. She could have talked to me either. After all post womens liberation movement and 33 percent reservation, its common knowledge that guys cant go up and speak to girls :P . That was one heck of a meet, My Bus came in 2 minutes and i had exactly a minute to exchange numbers. innumerable chats and phone calls followed and it feels like having found one long lost friend in this depressing city.

Scene2: Where else do u find solace on a weekend in Bangalore.. It has to be a mall and my credit card had just been transfixed to a Mastercard server somewhere in the US for the umpteenth time in exchange for some tshirts and again i find a long lost face. I know her. This time i am sure. She was the Chatter Aunty on the flight, i made conversation with her about a year and a half back on a flight between mumbai and chennai. I was going for my SP Jain interview and was reading through a ton of notes that i had made for myself.

Aunty was travelling alone and being the compulsive talker types immediately struck conversation with me. She is from chennai and is in Mumbai to spend time with her son and grandchildren. (Which she apparently was doing now as well in bangalore as her son had moved.) She gave me lots of tips for the interview. She was a school teacher and told me one golden rule because of which i remember her even now. She told me which roughly translates to, "before you go for the GD, go early to the campus, talk to people there, make yourself comfortable with the atmosphere and just rock it like theres no tomorrow". I did exactly that.

Now when i met her, she introduced me to her son and grandson. And had a noticeable flutter in her eyes when i told her that it was her advice that helped me. She blessed me and told to keep in touch.

Lifes a constant journey, people we see on the wayside arent just travellers but sometimes the arm holders and its just that we need to remember these small moments that make life all the more enriched. I am sooo excited to have had these experiences and i hope to bump into every of my lost friends... Life has to have such high points

La-Bore

2010-03-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

I love Marketing.... But sometimes when that becomes a lot of bull shit, i mean the product isn't worth ten percent of the expected result, it really makes the perpetrators, the brand ambassadors look such Losers, and lose a lot of face and respect.. I felt let down by probably the smartest marketers around - Times of India who have been promoting this movie- Lahore , tactly to back their honorable intentions in the "Aman ki Aasha" campaign.

I always feel that movies are to entertain and they should never preach. All the screeching and "Yo"s were so out of character. Whats abt Pakistan thats soo stereotypical. You show Indian boxers train in world class facilities, and Paki athletes given training in what looks like a terror camp. Stereotyping has been the yore of the indian mindset, and what better example than have a paki coach who looks to win at all costs, and the indian coach saying "we indians dont undo evil to what was done to them". This statement has lost its catch value coz of its tenous use, reuse and misuse in indo- pak rivalry.

The acting was sooo fake. Just reading out dialogues straight out of a 4 year olds stage play script, which is written normally for causes like water conservation etc, here its for promoting cross border peace... A screening of the script should have found my kid sisters script much better. I pity actors like Mukesh Rishi who played a superb character in Sarfarosh to be playing such pitiable roles, particularly coz we have been seeing him on screen for well over two decades to believe that his son should have been doing that role of a paki launda

how untouching was the end........ "tum hindustaniyon ne match nahi jeeta , par dil jeet liye". This when they show the crowd baying for blood and the media speculating that an indian player has come to avenge the death of his brother. Hows that dil jeetna. A half crooned attempt at joining a small meagre crowd melanged by TOI for Aman ki aasha. I really kind of lost faith in the organisation if this is just another gimmick or a serious gesture aimed with intent at good relations against a neighbour , not even half of india is convinced is serious about peace and its just a half baked nation with no principles, no leadership and not worth trusting. Maybe thas why the movie was also half baked and such an utter bore that it almost spoiled 3 hours of my Saturday and also stuck in my mind that i had to waste much more of a Sunday to write on it.....

What to do to attack Boredom???

2010-03-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

Please note that there is a question mark in the title...... This is not a reckoner to beat boredom..

Its quite a chore this. Work happens through the week and you wait for the weekends... And when weekends do happen, a lack of a water tight plan like a weekend getaway(tickets get booked) or parasailing ( i am glued to give it a miss) or some shopping with a female( they wont let u go, so its watertight) and you are hoping for it to pass because of the lack of Things to do and due to a principal factor : BOREDOM..

Many times, pick up the phone to beat it.. On closer inspection i am amazed at the depths of things boredom can propel a talk at.. "Whasup... Nothing.... You tell me whassup......." and the conversation goes on and on. All i can say is, I have long been telling me that i have to learn French, maybe that would help me atleast say "Ca va tres bien" and show off to the other and maybe teach it to her.

Or i was thinking that i should go for Squash or Swimming to add more skills to my repertoire, but i still wonder what i would do in time when i m not near a squash court or near a pool. I already enjoy playing billiards, TT or other such boredom killing stuff i learnt due to such introspections in the past but they dont help me when i am not near these tables.

OK, next up- tried and tested- Reading. Theres a lot to read says Dilberten Anyone but what.. i get bored deciding what to read, that i dont read. I browse a lot and play games online. Well thats part of what i do when i m not bored. I have also decided to get water colors and do something i havent done for almost 20 years - Paint and not for 19 years- Stitch a Poster..... Watching TV is a good suggestion my mind made.. but hey i dont want to watch Rahul Mahajan get married on TV.

Well things rolling up my head...... I was thinking what to do when my friend suggested, why dont you blog.. You love it... then i thought what would the topic be?????? Boredom and yooo here i go....

Memories of a Brilliant Project

2010-02-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

I am in memoirs mood... what better to start than the best project i have done than my ALP in SP Jain with Jaejo, Matt and Soji...

Well to start of , the project didnt include half the team, i mean it was a very young team to begin with when Kanno walked out and me and Matt were left with just each other to do a project. We still are doing it, we decided. Then a random thought, why not ask Jaejo. The grand old man thought about it for a while, obviously weighed down by academic interests, he must have had a thought- The indian cricket selectors are opting for youth and i can try it out as well, but that would mean academic interests take a back seat.. he finally danced his way into the team with some pomp... Jaejo thought his academic interest burden must be let loose and to give it to Sojish is as dangerous, Finally history was made, heavens applauded, the UB GLOBAL team is formed.

First meet with the UB team at bangalore, the set up itself is 2 hour long. Our college is such a high fundoo campus that the Video conference doesnt allow for any conference. We just have a glimpse of our mentor and beloved Achu, but then it snapped and we decided to have just a voice call. It worked as well. We had a good plan of action lined up. Prof Seetha introduced us to team and almost told UB to give us a job with them right away. uff, that was close to being a dampner but hey the rest of the meet went fine.

What followed was a series of meeting with business federations, heads of industry, stealing info off data servers with mail accounts, even dates with car parking areas, off to remote corners of singapore usually in teams of two. Me and Jaejo ( experience with naiveness), sojish and Matt (acting and action).

The best days were balanced only with better days, calculating weird numbers, searching for any possible contacts, talking to professors, we couldnt have explored any other options. Work was always mitigated by sessions of cricket match scores and live reports by me, some singing sessions apart from the buffonery that Sojish subjects us to. lots of firefighting happened at a lot of times, Sojish got elected to the PLACOM and arun didnt like it too much, nor when any deadline was even half met. But work happened at slick notes and a rocking final presentation followed.

Well for hardwork theres always just reward. And for bearing the best of our work, the batch got a farewell reward too. 72 pints of Kingfisher beer gulped down by thirsty maverick throats. And to the rollign credits, the young part of the team didnt have any......... We guys rocked dudes.. not for nothing do i call this my best learning experience. The BEST OF My life

Social Media Marketing at its best

2010-02-13T23:33:00.000-08:00

The recent campaign by Aircel "Save our tigers" is a marketers dream. Who said Social media marketing is a dying art. This is a perfect promotion vehicle.

Here we have a company who has a strong base down south. And looking to expand pan-india. What is the traditional way to expand. Hire a national icon- Shah rukh khan is everyones favorite. Promise the sun and capture the sand.

The marketing team at Aircel has done exactly that. Hired Dhoni as brand ambasaddor, but hey theres a hitch... theres too much competition and an urge to be different than just the same. Docomo is offering PPS, competing on that would be a Me too. But hey, i get the idea from one of Dhonis ads.. The last campaign that featured Dhoni encapsulated the VAS (Value added services) of Aircel. He says its mobile on the go to blog, check scores online and update facebook , share pics.

But hey they go smarter still. "Save our Tigers" is launched. The aircel campaign goes CSR, 1411 tigers says the campaign and counting down. Dudes, you touched the chords of an average indian. Then it says, blog, write and share on their packaged site and lo. Aircel is promoted.

A brilliant piece of Strategic marketing whereby they have tried to build Aircel as a brand with a conscience. I particularly like the telecom market at the moment, where they are identifying different niches. Vodafone said connectivity with its Pug campaign , Idea is somewhere on the CSR range as well with "what an idea" sirjee. Interesting times to be a telecom marketer.

My Name is Varun Sankar and i am Impressed

2010-02-13T02:50:00.000-08:00

I get up today expecting a real gluttony over myself for booking tickets for a Karan Johar Movie that had SRK and Kajol. Last couple of times this had happened, i was utterly disappointed that i decided to give KANK a miss. Actually K3G had one of my relatives repeatedly asking in between long sleeps over the movie ... Why doesnt Kareena wear clothes!!!!... It was that mushy and boring.

Over the years, this guy Karan Johar who i now realize is an utterly intelligent director, sensed the reaction of the audience (Or atleast people like me) and decided just to produce movies with happy result, i was pleasently surprised by Dostana and Wake up Sid. I was happy at that status quo. I used to cringe at another mushy movie starring his favorite protagonists, Rahul and Anjali.... But hey the promos seemed different. Welcome to MNIK said the promos, Well i guess some people in Matoshree and Pitoshree may object.

To cut it short... A standing ovation for a film-maker. This is Karan Johars triumph. A movie with its Heart in the absolute right place. Was the movie 2 and half hours? the first two hours were to me rivetting narration. This is how life would be i felt if any other person was Rizwan Khan. The last half an hour was a big dud... I agree, but this was fabulous makeover for a man who i thought bought in mush to indian cinema (he was a partner in crime in DDLJ) too.

When i think of that, i realise when you look at yourself, at what you have done, and if you can revisit yourself, not repeat mistakes, and continously look to evolve as a person, you make not only a better person but a really terrific and intelligent human being who would not only get respect, he would have earned it.......

Nobel Peace Prize Undeserved

2009-10-10T05:03:00.000-07:00

The Nobel Peace Prize has long been used as a tool to pacify the politics. Probably the least credible of the Nobel Prizes, I feel as there has been a long standing preference for American politicians who are the least deserving.

How many people do we know who are much more capable and who demand a Global Achievement just for their great achievements. I would say the credibility of the award grew in my eyes when Muhammed Yunus was recognized for his great achievements. There have been tremendous who miss out. I know Mahatma Gandhi stands out because of his sheer stature. But it’s believed that his teachings percolated slower to the west and most obviously because he was Anti- British.

Some real achievements by social workers in India such as Baba Amte and Vinobha Bhave, people who worked so hard for leprosy eradication and religional harmony deserved much more. Our very own Bharat Ratna has been used abused and misused by various governments of the past. The Magsaysay award has in that sense identified real deserving awardees.

But why Obama?

Here is a man who leads a country with troops all over the world with no promise of a withdrawal. He has had a bucket list of promises but nothing that’s close to reality. The world truth has been that all awards are always on achievements rather than promises. But this is a shocking annihilation of any such theory. It’s just an elevation of a stated achiever to cult status without any delivery on promise. Hope Obama sees the award as an incentive to fulfill rather than sit back and wait as he has while handling the financial crisis where his performance has been just about average.

i went Roller Blading

2009-07-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Oh my god what a day it was!!!!! One that i will definitely not forget for a lifetime.

We decided to head to East Coast park for an evening of cycling and some light hearted fun filled with beach volleyball and maybe a dip in the sea... The entire gang was there. Myself, Vivek, Bharat and Rishi took the cab and others in different cabs to East Coast Park. THe day looked promising. we got a Hyundai Sonata for a cab and the drive was fab.

Well First impressions first: It was a picnic paradise. People with tents, hundreds by the cycle. and thousands with skates. Well decided first to have a nice NewZeland icecream.. True to the day, it was amazingly good. Thats when Shaheen and Bharat turned left and got hooked to the roller blades/ skates shop out there. It looked quite a deal. $10 and equipment and protection gear free. I shy away from it at first and move with the crowd thats going to play volleyball.. Then Rishi calls me for something and i return back with fascination. Thats a call... Now i m too engrossed not to skate today... Everyone around is. what if i fall, i have arm and knee guards.. Yes i will go. Yes i will try. I think and ask the shop guy to give me my blades....

Yes i was in all the gear and before long i had locked out all my stuff into the locker. There's no looking back now.. Shaheen has taken well to skating, it cant be tough.. I move, first few meters, felt like heaven, and then a big thud and a crash landing.. I am down.... Felt so good, they say a fall in the first few steps is a sign of an amazing experience to come..
i get up,, Bharat is there with glides doing alright himself and gives me a helping hand.. Lo, i take Bharat down and ho we fall. What a start!!!!!

Priyanka, Naazish and Kriti take up their skates and i feel they are arent too bad at it.. then like a pack of cards we fall near the first intersection. Shaheen is talking like an expert now. Dude legs in a V, just glide forward, its easy, see i can do it so easily!!!!! Yaaa and thud he falls!!!..

Next quarter of an hour was a bliss. we reached one end of the stretch , slowly walking speed almost, small strides, but good progress. All 7 of us were now pretty alright. Shaheen was good and was often showing off, Priyanka was steady and boasting she hadnt fallen even once. I was falling every few steps. Rishi was suggesting new strategies and somehow disappeared into the Blue.. Bharat was too good. he was helping me all the way to the end..

We now decide to turn back and now, head to the main road.. The Main road looks tricky, a zillion cyclists, pediastrians and more skaters all with great skills showing off. So far so good.
Some thuddy falls here and there, but apart from a few bruises to the hand, we were all doing alright... Turn, i go a bit fast and thump!!!! I fall forward right on the support of my right arm and just with head to the side. Big fall. My arm is writhing.. I know something is wrong.. i just sit there and good amount of pain on the elbow. I just get up slowly. and sit back again.. Bharat helps me on to my feet and we are back on the way. i know theres a problem, but i keep going.

Next, Priyanka falls big time, with two other people also. but no one is hurt. Then finally all land up near the skates shop.. Its over folks!!!!!!.. What an experience. Inspite or even because of the falls and the like, it was mind blowing experience. its sooo tough to learn. soo tough, yet so enjoyable.

The days isnt over yet.. Shaheen and Bharat have a Rang de Basanti moment by immersing themselves in the sea.. Then they play volleyball, throwball and what not. Amazing fun watching while i still writh in pain.. It went to the limit that when Kriti doc was checking the arm/ i just coudlnt stand, felt dizzy and just fell.. Finally doc concludes no fracture.. Thank god. But she still keeps option open of maybe doing a heath check tomorrow. lets see!!!!

Its still not over, Naazish twists her ankle and is probably an even worse situation than i am in. Shes in a soup and cant even walk properly, but she says shes used to it and takes it better than even i have!!!

Well, the food today was also great... The day rocked after all!!!! My arm is still aching.. Ricky doc says its a tendon damage and i l take 4-5 days to recover. So not to worry!!! fingers crossed though. lets see what happens!! If anyone touches my right arm for the next few days, rest assured i l kill u before i leave singapore!!

I sang a song

2009-07-12T07:07:00.001-07:00

It feels so great when you always you do something for the first time!!!

I did actually sing a song on stage for the first time in my life and i never imagined that it would also go well. It went alright according to me.. i was alright at the right places ( ie the high pitches that get noticed :) ), Ramiya thanks a ton for the amazing performance yourself. It is such a satisfying feelign that i am also bunking the night party that has to follow to put it in a blog :)

Ramiya and Myself sang the song Pudhu Vellai Mazhai from the movie Roja... Its all about the song!! This movie got me into film music and have been patronising A R Rahman songs ever since.. So many of his songs i could just sing along a hundred times in my sleep. It all started in Dubai when i reeled off Kabhi kabhi Aditi to THE group during a 2 AM Tea JAM session. That gave me the incentive to try when i got an oppurtunity to sing the next time.

Thanks to all my friends Roopa, Sanjay, Matt and Kanno for the encouragement to sing.. But thanks a ton to Sanup, Sojish, Jaejo, Ramiya and Divya ( all the way from Bangalore) who actually made me do this one time on stage.
Trust me it feels like mission accomplished !!! Well i guess the next one would be to learn dance which is another in my to-do list for the long run.

Retail Marketing - An Exciting World

2009-07-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!! To introduce myself as a Retailer would be just like a business card to the unknown. I am entering a world, that I have craven for, only armed with the zeal and wide eyes of a child taking his first steps.
Retailing – It’s an amazing concept that has evolved over the years. Tested over time Buying and selling of goods must have a past that I am unaware of but I can just assume that must have its roots even prior to the barter trade. Concepts evolved over hundreds of years would hence require more than just a lifetime to learn.
It is just fascinating how making goods available to the customer in a way replete with making him buy, would seem so complex that requires more than just an MBA course that would make us more than just an average Retailer.
Our study in the next few months would entail just that, making us smart retailers! Is retailing just about how stores are designed, studying the various formats of stores? Understanding why you and I buy and where? Is it learning about the various success stories that made the Walmarts, Metros and Carrefours of the world? Folks, it is much more, and I m dying to learn and share much more.
Thanks to the college that apart from just classroom study, we have a fascinating class mix of students providing ample scope to learn with and from everyone concerned. Another part of the jigsaw is an exposure to the Retail havens of Singapore and Dubai. There are also two batches in Singapore now to boost. We just formed the Retail Club to have a better coherence between the junior-senior link and enhance a learn-together environment.
This is just the beginning. An intense learning awaits us and I promise to update you on all the interesting news and learning that drives us into a world full of opportunities’ in three of the world’s most promising regions of South East Asia, Middle east, India and beyond, there are not just hurdles and challenges but more than a lifetime of learning to go.
Varun Sankar
Retail Management
December 08

Blood donation Camp

2009-07-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

They say providing one meal to the needy is the biggest Dharma. An even bigger one is donating blood to the really needy. One is a life giver and the other is a life saver.
We at SPJCM Singapore followed the latter to conduct one of the most successful Blood Donation Drives for the Singapore Red Cross. Ably led by Thanneer Sir, our team of volunteers and the workers of the Red Cross made it an event to remember for one and all.

Starting at 1 pm at the registration desk, Donors faced the all new thermometer which went into of all places – the ear for reading the temperature. The panic about the H1N1 flu in this region was the reason behind the entry barrier. This was followed by a long registration form. It had the most interesting questions in the world. I would let the others answer what the questions were.
Then finally we had the hemoglobin count and then voila: The blood donation becomes a reality. 58 of us donated blood went through this process while 15 others who made the noble decision got left out due to one reason or the other; but have vowed to donate within the next month with Thanneer Sir who would take it up later. Well, the refreshments offered were also amazing making it a wholesome experience.
The whole affair was a resounding success with hardly any bottlenecks and smooth flow of donors right upto the evening. Kudos to us!! I am proud of being part of the whole drive as a volunteer and we promise that more of such initiatives as part of the Leadership Club are on their way..
Just looking forward to the Palau Ubin trip this weekend!!!

Missing the Great Indian Elections

2009-05-01T07:21:00.001-07:00

I have been away from Chennai now for about 5 months. One of the things i miss most about home is the great Indian Political Tamasha as it is known according to NDTV... What can be more interesting than watching Indian elections live. Whether it is the Lalus and Amar Singhs of the world stepping over each other for the catchy sound byte that would Rock Indian News Channels for a while, or the Arun Jaitleys and Abhishek Manu Singhvi who perenially sit in TV studios justifying their parties actions, Or the Pranoy Roys and Rajdeeps of the world who do the predictions and Opinion Polls and the ultimate tamasha of the Election day when the dhols and Melas surrounding the winners and haunted offices about the losers.

The great indian democracy, many people say is the most dynamic and lauded as one of the best, but what intrigues me is that i believe the exact opposite. Yes there is freedom, But is there too much freedom? Yes there are rights, But aren't there too many that is missing? Are they enough Duties? I am not sure.

As a 62 year old Democracy, why are elections held more on caste than ever before. Why aren't the most important issues concerning the voter today; education, development and livelihood but caste, religion and violence. It certainly is the bane of our democracy that we still fight over trivial issues and neglect the big ones. One such parameter that has been continually neglected is Education. We as Indians outside the country are lauded for our being an intellectual - knowledge based system. The system as such isnt bad, but where is the implementation? why arent we asking these questions?

The problem is that It is not the political class that is to blame? who are these politicians, they are promoted by us. It is the educated class that needs to set an example to the rest of country. Consider this. This is one thought that has always come to my mind which i plan to help do.

What if One contituency in the country, decides to set things right, say the most urban, educated constituency. What if all the voters choose their candidate? ( Read the words - All voters in the constituency-vote). That would be the start. More importantly people choose based on not caste but on the merit of the candidate. The politicians in the area realise that they are under scrutiny and their performance definitely goes up. Also a constant tab on their performance is kept by the really watchful media and self help groups. This is how a democracy needs to function. Is it possible?

Is it possible that this model can be replicated acorss the other constituencies?? What can we do to increase particupation of youth in the political system? These are questions we need to find answer and move out country towards better development... any pointers?

College anxieties

2009-03-09T03:39:00.000-07:00

College and more likely Hostel life brings forward a collage of views and ideas, interests and conflicts. Its such an experience that all of us remember these days long after they are over.

Its such a lovely new world away from what we were. Now we are in an environment where the controlling variables are few. Brings out a different dimension in the person in you. Meeting, interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, new friends and acquaintances.

I have learned to respect people irrespective of their religion, their background, past experience, eating habits and many other things. With respect comes also a learning. A learning about Management that management schools can never dream to include in their sylabi. To work and learn to work around prudent administrators, identify trouble makers and learn to work with them and apart from them..

Learn to ignore the really loud , bombastic and overdone people , learn to listen to the really soft knowledgable people. Its all about learning. Lifes all about learning. The learning has just begun. The anxiety is over the few black sheep who try to impose themselves on others, try hard to create an environment of hate and love all according to their ideals. , The anxiety is whether i can learn from them how NOT to be.... Some people even think they teach the profs on their subject......
The best comment i have heard. " The prof doesnt seem to understand the subject well"...

Movies in Dubai

2009-02-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Movie watching in Dubai is really an expensive affair.. tickets cost abt 25-30 dirhams, so for us students we can watch only select movies, ones which we anticipate or ones that fall in the period where we are free.

Let me write about the two movies i watched over here.

One movie which i anticipated since a long while is Ghajini... And this released just as we had landed in here. I had huge expectations from this one. The original in Tamil was my all time favorite and me a fan of Surya and as such Aamir Khan is one of actors you look upto in Indian Cinema.. Well how was the movie ? Almost flawless adaptation into Hindi. The parts which were good in tamil were as good in tamil , esp the scenes showing Aamir and Asin in the flashback. The pretty poor ones having the villian in tamil were made moderately good and the climax in tamil was bad but was pretty impressive in hindi..
The acting, Surya lived the character and was a once in a lifetime performance while Aamir potrayed the character more intensely but wasnt as good as Surya in the flashback. Music was as good.. Kaise Mujhe tum mil gayi just touched me no end and has become my favorite song. The tamil ones also had Oru Maalai and Rangola hola hola which were super impressive.

The ghajini experience i will remember because when we returned, we came back on a egyptian cab driver. The cab driver gave us a brilliant scare. The first statement he made was " I hate Indians". We tried concentrating on other things and we started speaking in hindi abt the movie and generally other topics. The driver got angry and started playing with his car and started playing islamic music in full volume. He was obviously pissed for some reason and we didnt want to aggrevate it any further and just kept mum for the rest of the journey. Our first lesson in Global management probably for us.

Then after a hectic schedule of studies, finally after our first term exams got over yesterday and we decided to reward ourselves with a movie "Luck by Chance". One of the most colorful movies to come out of bollywood and it had to be about Hindi film industry, what else.
A movie that represented the struggle of an upcoming actor. How trends run in the industry, how alliances are made, how friendships run. A series of cameos by real film personalities and i loved SRK in his short interlude of how he advises the upcoming star on keeping his feet on the ground.

Konkana Sen Sharma breathes life into every scene she does and is THE best actress in the industry and Isha Shervani was spot on in her role as a star kid. A sensational performance. I expected better music from Shankar Ehsaan loy but they werent as disappointing as all the songs were very situational and pretty hummable.

After all i havent wasted a single penny on my movies so far and i m proud of the same :)
Keep blogging is the call. i l heed to it.

TERROR STRIKES

2008-11-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

Its one of the coldest mornings most of us have woken up to. It is the coldness due by the numbness caused to the senses on what is seen and heard on the news channels. This is what Terror really causes. shock and awe. Why is this not run of the mill is to be noted.

It is not new to strike Mumbai but this is a brave attack on the people of the country by probably people from within. This is not a cowardly act of timing off loaded cycles or tiffen carriers, This is real war. Ak-47 wielding gross shooting at people all round. This is more like the parliament attack though one which is much more than symbolic. Target is not only general people but people who would impact the country. The posh hotels where the foriegn tourists , government officials and dignitaries of the state stay, aiming to spread not terror among indians watching and being affected but sending a message to the world.

How do we respond? This is most definitely Indias version of 9/11 if not more daring and tactfully because there are 25-26 people armed with mere guns waging a war but not prepared to commit suicide in doing so. They want to escape and strike again at a later time. How will an average mumbaikar roam the roads from today if many of these men escape. When will they replenish their ammunation and strike again? and where?

The problem with a response to the crisis is this. We are mostly under attack not from a different country , not from a community that is alien to the make up of the country, this time we are facing misguided individuals without a face from our own land and who make up the very fabric of the country. Its easy to remain a stain from the fabric but not a wrong thread thats woven into it.

What is the intelligence doing? Surely these people didnt get AK-47s made from the bylanes of bhendi bazaar. This is funded by the most corrupt of minds within and outside and a lot of material is provided from somewhere which is definitely trackable. I hope that there isnt the usual blame on Pak intelligence, then develop , release a few sketches. capture a few whoevers and blame them for not this but also a hundred previous blasts across the country and forget all about it. TV channels will hold discussions for ten more days about it all and later move on to more important issues like rakhi sawants kiss and big boss winner ashutoshs dog's fever.

It is easy to blame a community but the long term solution to this maynot be to shift blame but to clear the alienation, definitely not in the way "secular parties" are doing it, but by providing oppurtunities in education and making them a general part of the mainstream. But first weed out the fundamentalists and find out how they got armed and developed the hide to kill civilians. These people dont deserve to live.

Part 2

2008-11-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

Kirtan stepped into Mysore with the same golden dreams in his mind as did every one of us. He though had unfulfilled potential that he had to live up to as well. Though from the same college as us, Kirtan prefers to stay aloof and never was one of us. Actually a good dancer and a below average singer, Kirtan considers himself a rocking dancer and a splendid singer, No wonder he idolizes Himesh and Govinda.

There is some charm about Kirtan and he knows bloody well how to use it. The secret of Kirtan’s life is this- He has proposed to every girl that he has befriended, but none of them has responded in the affirmative. That is one truth he intends to change. He is the wannabe. Even fails tests to take time out to supposedly learn salsa in his attempt to befriend as many of the female population as he possibly can. The Salsa lessons are so exciting that it has the concept of revolving partners. The girls move in a clockwise direction moving in a circle. Its a bloody exciting concept and trust Kirtan to make maximum mistakes and learn about it from the girls. Kirtan manages to start flirting with at least 4-5 girls and lavishly takes them out for treats. It is doubly exciting for us to have Kirtan and Vikram in our group.

Well yes Vikram is the happiest person around. He has even managed to get a smile out of the "dream". But he realises he is running out of time. There have been enough near misses, enough times spent finding out about her, even gymming hasn’t helped too much, now all he needs now is to befriend her, know her and tell her how he feels. All he needs is an opportunity. While this is going on, we witness the madness in Vikram.

He lives on milkshakes that too after waiting all the time for Richa to leave her class, following her all the way. But it so happens that Richa is in her group all the time and Vikram just follows and admires from a distance. And gets to caught up in the mind and timeclocks don’t allow for more time than for a quick juice center dash.

His grades also drop alarmingly. He manages only a B+ in his final two exams including the Main Compre Exam; the entire batch manages A. Squash isn’t too much of a spectator friendly sport. But trust Vikram to make it entertaining. He plays Sid, loses 10-0. Nothing about the result, that was expected, But the value came when he managed to trip all over himself thrice and still emerged out entertaining us. The high point of it all was in the ILI sessions (Personality Development Skills) where we all sing "Mere Saamne wale kidki mein, ek chaand ka tukda rehta hai" for Vikram. He was blushing all over.

Finally realising enough water has flown under the bridge, Vikram decides its time. He hasn’t managed to even speak to Richa after that ravishing smile. Its early in the morning and Vikram is ready and has decided to try to walk to the class today with Richa and is waiting for her. He eggs all of us to leave early so that he can have his time alone under the sun. Here it goes, The Gods are smiling, Richa is down from her room and she starts walking towards the GEC. He quickly sorts himself up and walks up beside her. He says ‘Hi’, Richa replies back with a smile and a ‘Good Morning’. Wow. That’s the start.

But hey who is that behind? Someone prods and hangs on to Vikram from behind, Says ‘Hello’ to Richa. Richa smiles back and says hello. Vikram is stunned. He doesn’t know how to react. Thats Kirtan and Minish in tow. Vikram just stops and Richa continues walking. It is heartbreaking. Vikram slowly picks himself up and starts walking. Kirtan and Minish start walking with him, just two steps behind Richa. Kirtan starts giving catcalls and teasing Vikram all the way to the GEC. Vikram lands up to our class almost in tears. This is not what he had hoped for. He doesn’t know how Richa would have felt walking just two steps ahead of all banter going on, seemingly about her. He is crestfallen.

The first session goes off very slowly for Vikram. Finally the break arrives. He needs to see how Richa has taken it. Richa emerges out of her class with her group. She sees Vikram over the corner and says something to her friends, everyone in her group glare at Vikram. The look says it all, Vikram knows , Its OVER. From now on, she is now always surrounded by people of her group, wherever she goes. Its not the same anymore. Vikram has lost it. He knew that this was his biggest challenge in life, But it was over before it started looking achievable. Vikram then somehow manages to explain it all to me and Vaibhav.

Its time for revenge, We were planning it, But didn’t know destiny had an opportunity just to do that.

A Short Story- Mickey Out of the Bag

2008-10-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Life is full of Happiness. It just takes a person to look around and find smiles all around him. A hectic year allows me to turn back and recollect a wonderful time filled with a million smiles and a thousand tears. The tears too; most of them borne due to happiness.

The man who has given a whole movie of experiences is Vikram. His story has drama, comedy, emotion, action, suspense and romance. Well how do I begin, Vikram comes to Mysore with a clear mind. He has to find a girl for himself or else he would be packed off with a girl chosen by his village elders. So mission- FIND a girl. And there is divine intervention. Lighting strikes, The skies open, Vikram spots the one. She is dressed in a fairy white salwar and talks like she chirps. Its love before first sight. He claims to have seen her before, in his dreams, But we guys lay claim to have seen her before too, we nickname her Yana because of the striking resemblance she bears to Yana Gupta, the bolly siren.

Vikram is a man possessed. He knows this is it. He has to pull it off here and how? Vaibhav lands up a plan-“ Body bana aur impress kar daal” in true bollywood style. Here we go. The entire team that includes me, Narendra, Divgikar, Siddharth , Tushar are all now bent on helping Vikram on whatever it takes. The feeling is two prone. A romance always lights up the hectic schedule and it adds a lot of excitement to the goings around. Meanwhile Vikram hits the gym in return for the perfect body. For all you know, Vikram is a lukha, and guess what Vikrams favourite hero Shahrukh had hit the gym in good earnest and had come up with what Vikram wanted - a six pack. But we guys sadly miss a ball boy for our cricket as training sets in and classes begin in earnest.

While Yana becomes a sideshow compared to the real agony of tests of modules. Vikram breezes through tests with great grades because as he says, mind happy, toh results happy. Vikram over time becomes great buddies with all in the group. He also gets a nickname- Mand, because quite evidently he is the tubelight of the group that too, a very low light one at that.

Cut to the emotion and part. I never knew that Vikram had it in him to be a roaring tiger. But he so showed to one and all, when he took the phone in a fit of bravado and mouthed expletives at our project manager. Well we have a model project to do during training when all of us are expected to perform various roles. What do you do when the supposedly most important person in a project acts irresponsible? Like a true Hero, Vikram sways the swagger, He Gives it back in words to Samidha who doesn’t know how to react. Well thats for the time being, When Samidha returns to class, she is a mess. She walks slowly, puts her arm on her head, lies down in the table and and starts weeping, if crying buckets of tears/water had a better term, I would like to know, but Sammy is now cured, miraculously, She takes over the reins over the project, slogs the hours and as a team we finish the project very ahead of time. Hail the hero, bravo- Vikram.

Time for the love story to move forward, Vikram is now well connected among Yana’s friends. He knows most of her friends. Knows that her favourite hero is Ajay Devgan and she loves the song ‘Arre re arre yeh kya hua’. Vikram spends hours and hours at the park bench outside her building trying to find out more. Thats where the drama starts. Havent I told you yet? Vikram hasn’t spoken yet to Yana. Ably supported by Vaibhav, He decides to finally take the plunge now that all the body that can be made is done. He stutters, he stammers, finally breaks the silence, and introduces himself as Vikram. You are Richa right? I am in FT batch. You are in TL2 right, blah blah all upto Your mobile number is this, all in one bated breath. And finally, Can we be friends with an extended arm for a hand shake. What follows is a million dollar smile and a question mark thats longer than a face can take.

(More in next- to be continued)

How are We

2008-10-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

I write this blog just after witnessing the proud occassion of India launching Chandrayaan to the moon. It feels great to see that India is among the top scientific powers of the world. ISRO is one organisation that has given us such proud moments year in and year out. It just shows that Once we resolve to do something, if we have the will to achieve it, and if we do it to the best of our abilities, We are the best in the world. I have been part of conversations questioning the need for a moon mission which the US and Soviet Union competed for long back in the 1970s and have long withdrawn and moved now to Mars and other echelons. The fact still remains, India is doing what it is just very GOOD at, India has a proven track record in Remote sensing sattelites and the chandrayaan is just that. It would do a complete remote sensing analysis of the moon, its characterisitics and only at a later stage would attempt a landing and search for water in the polar caps etc. Proud of ISRO again.

The same newspaper that would carry this news would also carry the Rotten saga of a man who holds Indias financial capital to his mercy. Raj Thackarey and his team of rabid men do whatever it takes to be in the public eye. I havent seen a more brash and more nuisence filled politician than him. I also have a lot of respect for his uncle who actually i thought actually fought for the rights of the Marathis while his nephew is just faking it for reasons known to every person in the world apart from the brainless crowd who listen to him. I have a curiosity to know how these politicians think. Do they think that the people at large are big fools who simply get swayed by emotions of hatred against fellow indians let alone fellow humanity. I think they do and they are partially right that there are a few of his followers. But what they do is beyond doubt unjust in the minds of the 98 percent of the remaining population.

Now that starts a debate in my mind. Is it that only people like Raj Thackarey alone to blame for the ruckus that is happening? The answer is not a debate its a resounding NO, only the factors are debatable. I am putting forward a few conclusions of the same here. India is divided into two blocks of politicians- THE EXTREME POWER HUNGRY and THE EXTREMELY CORRUPT. Though there is a interlinking of the two, i am yet to find a third category of politician in the country though there maybe exceptions. Tamil Nadu for example is a prime example of the above two categories, one contender is probably the most corrupt family(Karunanidhis) with some power hungry thespians in the midst while the second contender is the most headstrong power hungry type(Jayalalitha) with a proven corrpution record. So as Voters what choice do we have? Whenever a third alternative tries to emerge, he immediately jumps into the bandwagon of one of the two kinds and the option itself becomes impotent. The problem is TINA ( There is No Alternative).

Why is this such a huge problem for the county of the Mahatma, the problem is two fold. The GREAT INDIAN MINDSET. We as a society are scared of change. Scared of the unknown and always scared of the future. I dont know of a country where everything is talked about has a religion undertone attached to it, yet we call ourselves a secular country. Show me an Indian ( that includes me) who would like to stand in the line for a passport form for an entire day when a passport form is available for 50 bucks for a 10 minute wait. (As u see, the two options are so badly matched that the choice is obvious). I can narrate this recent experience of mine, A pair of shoes was stolen off one of my neighbour's house,they didnt inform my parents(building secretary), in turn parents didnt care about enquiring , even the people whose shoe was stolen didnt care about it, the only person concerned was the watchman whose job was under the gun. The saddest part is we all know who might have carried it away as hardly anyone new comes to the building. Just a bit of investigation and we could have nabbed the culprit. I have heard that we have a resilient mindset, who are used to deep sorrow and deep sadness that we TOLERATE everything. I beg to differ, WE have an INDIFFERENT mindset and a careless attitude which we by all chance have to change.

The second gaping hole is lack of MONITORING by the two watchdogs of the democracy- the Police and the Media. The police is known in India to be a arm of the politico rather than the watchdog- an extremely inept, spoilt(by corruption ofcourse) and sloppy force. But what about the Media. It is the media of the day that has cropped up the Raj Thackareys. Trust me if the media avoids the Raj Thackarey story for one of his episodes and just blacks it out, the next time at his command there would be exactly 20 people ready to carry out his orders for the next episode. Media coverage today symbolises power, one in which the Amar Singhs and the Rajs revel at. But Media is more swayed by sensationalism rather than a social responsibility that it never knew in the first place.

As an individual with a responsibility, it writhes me on my part. Does one vote every five years suffice any complete cause? No absolutely not. It is essential to be part of the local society, be part of NGOs that aid social welfare. It is easy to say that Politics is passe and social activism is different from politics, but thats the only thing thats believable in the present times. We ( that certainly includes me) need to look at what we can do to take more part of this great indian System

Bollywood has evolved with Me

2008-09-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am bought up in a generation that is changing. I had this perception during my school days that i would get out of india as soon as i do a Engineering, get my parents to stay with me and build my own cocoon somewhere in the US. Eveything about the US was fascinating. Clean roads, swanky cars, come once a while to india and spend big when here. In my mind, India just seemed to be this place which is destined to be the same, it cannot change, just get out of here.

But something has changed in me, in india, and in BOllywood. First of all the word Bollywood itself looks a mundane reflection of what India is... We aspire to be like the West. We have no identity of our own. Life in School in Chennai was all about having a good time, just getting ready to do Engineering and get out. Part executed, I am now in College in Mumbai though. That is a real change from being in suburban-Iyer-Chennai.

Life here is totally different. People are different than they were in school. College Life is more dikhawa than anything i know. Hey i have changed. Dressing styles are different, I even talk differently in just 3 months of college. What is the net result. Mumbai has changed me in 3 months. I look at it how. Mumbai has taught me to be more independant. I am this person completely dependant on friends for fun and time. Its changed, Here i am with no friends as if a frog out of his well. I realise that this is preparation for the US. Life there is expected to be like this. Yes its going fine.

Then as time moves, i start making friends. Its now pyaara Mumbai. Life is totally different. Filled with movies every other day, bunking classes for them, booing teachers, and running for the trains. It is really the best. Then Bollywood turns it around for me..... a bang called Rang De Basanti is released. I wouldnt know if this movie impacted people any which way that it did to me, But it seriously changed the whole perception of me. I think more so that Rakesh OmPrakash Mehra intended to do this to us. Maybe i was impacted most. I identify with the movie so much. Bhagat singh and Azad made me respect myself, as an Indian. I really gave up this craze for even going to the US right in the few days after the movie (though i didnt plan to kill the defence minister for anything). The movie showed NDTV as a messenger for journalism, and i compeltely am of the belief that Media in India has to evolve as well to play the role of the watch dog. A R Rahman became an obsession. Though i was a fan even till before RDB, in the few days later, i have all his compositions( even he may not have it all). i always believe we need a jhatka to wake up. and RDP was just that.

In the next few months, another masterpiece made me fall for all that is India. Lage Raho Munnabhai. This made me fall for Bollywood, i really started seeing every thing out of bollywood after this masterpiece.. Gandhiji became fashionable. It had individual brilliance written all over it. How could a movie impact national conscience. It certainly tried to. Even Sanjay Dutt became akin to a gandhian and even his past misadventures were pardoned by the public at large.

Cut to the present, Bollywood still has its escapades from reality like a Bachna ae Haseeno, i drooled over the movie and even became a Ranbir Kapoor Fan. Movies like Aamir and A Wednesday have made me think about the terrorists and the problems plagued by it in india. Like in A Wednesday, i believe that as an individual, its our responsibility to be aware of our surroundings and react to it rather than not react at all and have a chalta hai attitude. I have pledged to do my bit as far as i can.

Watching Aamir, i had this strange feeling. I didnt quite completely agree to the movie. In the movie when Rajeev Khandelwal is sashaying through the muslim bylanes of Mumbai, all on lookers seemed to be staring at the protagonist. I was wondering if they all knew that he was beeing used to plant the bomb. If it was the case, was the director showing an entire community being party to the bomb plans. If it is true, then we need to seriously have a look at ourselves and they at themselves. I believe that the muslim community as a whole isnt party to this all and its just misguided individuals who press a button and decide the fate of millions as Nasseruddin Shah put it.

What has bollywood done? It has changed itself in the world opinion.. HOW? It relooked at itself, said I am proud of the song and dance routine. I am proud of its length of 3 hour movies. I am proud of cricket... I am proud of portraying us just as we are.. "happy".

Thats my learning out of it all, Its all about you , how you percieve yourself and your surroundings. Working with infosys has given me an environment around me which i am proud of. World class workplaces, Enough money to survive here well and shop within limits. Why go our of the country... India is such a glorious place to stay. And I am proud of having taken the decision not to move out of here for now. Now with going out of the country to persue an MBA, i have promised myslef that i l return here to my nest as soon as i am done with my education

Most Adventurous Day of my life

2008-09-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

21st May 2008

Most adventurous day of my life so far-- Day dawned normally. Reached Bus Stop normally at 11 25. But first signs of a great day. I call up Transport desk to find out that shuttle is cancelled. So fend for myself and get to office in Chennai with public transport comparable with hell. 3 Rickshaws and 2 MTC buses later, I land up at work 2 hours after I left home. Sweating like a hog, decided to go to gym and have a shower as I felt totally uncomfortable. Work was pleasantly fine. With Onsite Server down, not much work to do, hammed through office.

Decided to leave office early at 6 20, but decided at 6 18, Dashed through campus to reach gate to find buses leaving…. Fortunately mine is among the last buses, Managed to get in , or so I thought. Managed to get a cozy cool(fan wala) seat and settled in to sleep with iPod plugged in. Great. Dream sets in. Best days of life I thought, humming nice romantic tune of the song I was listening to.

Woken up mid dream, mid sleep to find that the bus is empty, Driver shouts at me and another person to get off at the last stop.

But hey, its half way home. It was a wrong bus supposedly ( I still argue that I go by the same bus, but the driver had gone crazy), run off and get down……. Bus chugs away… Hey wheres my iPod. Almost down to tears, I call up infy help desk, complain abt bus stopping midway, lost iPod. Transport desk finally assures me that things lost in the bus would be safely kept with the Security and I could collect it tomorrow. Feeling reassured, look around, Its mid way and I don’t know way back home.

Fortunately I have company, Later know her as my HR and she stays close to my home and both of us in the same situation, Stranded. Manage to get into a rickshaw. Two near accidents, three big impact hits to fellow vehicles, and the most drunk person I have seen in my life behind the rickshaw wheel(what do you call that!?). Still on the phone and tense abt the iPod, see that we are going to further hell. Egged on, We get down in the middle of nowhere. The driver chases us with expletives !!! But manage to get into another rickshaw and finally get on a sane travel home. Thanks to her for the sanity in the middle of all the confusion, I get a lift home and some reassurance….

Any further twists? Ya in middle responding to messages from dear friend planning for the weekend!!!, A final call confirms that Security find my iPod in the bus and I can collect it next day from the desk… A day to remember, near misses, near losses but down memory lane an adventure worth remembering. (though Sachin lost, Rahul won and that’s a good deal as long as Sachin manages the Semis )

22nd May, Man U won, what a game on penalties!!!!!… Manage to sleep at 3 and get up kicked out of bed… Getting up I get a fright looking at the clock and to avoid the previous day adventure at all costs, do things at break neck pace.. In the bus stop 10 minutes ahead of time, Bus on time, now iPod in hand…. Same song running…. Life’s Great.

THE SP JAIN EXPERIENCE

2008-09-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

the day starts with me going over early. i meet a few people. the first person i meet is a smart young guy ( i mistook him to be of my age..) he incidently is in the merchant navy for 8 years. is 29 years old and married since a year.... i was taken aback...... then met a few others. i realise that all people here are average aged 25 or more. and i am going to be the baby of the interview process.
I need to assert myself.They take us to a conference hall and provide us papers for the essays.First topic is " what is recession and what is the impact of recession on todays economy"... i dont know exactly what it means, but i just said when market slows down , and demand is much lesser than supply, the price of goods/stocks/commodities drops and as a result individual/entire economy suffer very grave losses. A recession in todays economy could greatly impact the developing countries including india... Lots of beating around the bush i did for the above two lines...

second topic is " list out three major accomplishments" i made up all three... ha ha. thats the best part and i made it look decent, i guess. then there is a case study, the topic being ' what would you do as head of ur organisation to curb financial irregularities"i am like, a company is composed of individuals and i l make sure each employee of the organisation has ethics and high moral values. i would also personally set an example of good conduct and ensure each transaction that my company goes through would be clean and would adhere to best norms. also citing social responsibility, paying proper taxes as an individual, as employees and as a company, i would ensure that my company is as respected as say an infosys is today... the GD ;topic is :is corruption the price for indian democracy :i take part in the conversation. add a few points. but i am in the average speak list of the GD.off the six , 2 spoke well and valid points. 2 were average and 2 were bad. so not too bad.

the interview starts. i am first asked introduce yourself.then asked why retail. i am like, when i started out in infy, i was completely new to retail, but i had a bench period of about 2 months, in which i developed a lot of interest for the domain, gave a couple of certification exams that the company proposes for employees. i was fascinated that how retailing, which i thought was just about storing and selling goods had sooo much to it, that all including layout of the store, placemtn of departments in the store, how the goods are placed and marketed, even the music that plays in the background all enthused me.the interviewer asks.. what kind of music should be played and why: the music actually soothes and relaxes the mind of the customer. afterall a cool customer would think more about what he needs and would shop more.then

what is ITs Role in Retailing., say specifically 3 areas where it operates: i am like, IT has its role in Retail just like in every spher of life, just making life simpler, tracking all the things. making accounting easier etc.what are challenges faced by IT today: attrition leads to lack of skills in the middle level organisation and lack of complete skill set as a result.tell me whats the turnover of Kraft (i said my project is in Retail in Kraft Foods). i am like, i am not sure, but i handle Kraft cheese and meat divisions, and i guess their turnover is around 10,11 billion dollars. So how big a company is Kraft: i am like it is the second biggest retailer after Nestle.]\but i thought Nestles turnover was about 70 billion dollars: yes it might be, as i said, Kraft is just behind Nestle and Kraft is worth about 10 billion dollars in cheese and meat alone, it must be worth much more , other products like chocolates, biscuits etc.but u said krafts entire turnover is 10 billion dollars: i as like. no i said only kraft cheese and meat is 10 billion, so he was like, you shoudl be clear on what you tell.i dont argue, but say, i tried to be clear, maybe i wasnt clear enough(phew, dont know how i managed this one, but probably that was the crucial thing. i got all figures wrong, all points wrong, but, to my mind i managed it alright)So what kind of a retailer is Kraft. i stutter badly at this one,, its a manufactorer as well as seller, but doesnt have its own outlets, has shops within a shop etc.

ok whats the turnover of infosys : 4.5 billion dollars.how much is it in indian rupee : i think for a while and say 1600 crores., interviewer smiling,, are u sure, i think again and say, yes sir 1600 croresthen which is the biggest IT company of india : its TCS, its worth about 5.5 billion dollars. But infy would beat TCS at it by 2010 or so...oh really.. what do u think the dollar rising and falling impacts the indian industry so much : yes sir, to counterbalance infy is looking to make deals in INR in which most employees are paid rather than in dollars so that, infy doesnt get impacted that much ( This is my worst answer, may be my killer)...ok Varun, had a good time talking to you, please wait outside and send th enext person.

i came out, was happy, though apprehensive. i know that a measure of success is how the assistant with my file returns and what she asks me to do next. she says, fill up the feedback form, i thought it was all over, i did that and then she says, u now have another interview with the director.i am tooooo happy, i know that the interivew i just faced was a elimination interview, i might have been eliminated if i stand no chance. but since i am called for the next round, i do have a chance. meet the entire batch up again. we do another round of intros. where are u from etc. exchanged cards etc. then we asked each other our marks.. that was my thriller. everyone was like, SPJAT-79, SPJ-81, CAT-92, SPJ-74 and when it comes to me, i am like SPJ-99, and all people are like,, arrey tu toh star hai...uske baad, everyone every sentence had a bash line. tu toh 99 hai, tereko kya interview lenge, tu jaaek bol, lena hai to loh nahi toh chod do and all that. the talk was centered around 99 for some time when one said, that he passed out school in 99, he has never got a 99 in any subject in life. it was fun. great interacting with people from different professions.

then the director intreview. Director was like, how was your experience since morning, how do you find the process, any change u suggest.then goes through my file, oh, so u have moved around india quite a bit, tell me how has been work with infy: i am like its been such a good learning experience. just a short while, but i know i have come a long way since been a college studentyou have been given a good appraisal in infy why do u think you have gotten it: i was like, since i was new to the team, i worked extra harder to blend in to the team, the project required working long hours, and i have worked 14-15 hours for weeks at a stretch without complaint. maybe that impresesd the managers.thats it.. ok, you have any questions? i am like. nope. nothing.ok, thanks for being part of the SPJain Evaluation process, the results you would know soon enough. thats all .

Quite an experience. Even if i dont get in, i would have learnt a lot from the entire experience in the least. i know i have a 50-50 chance but think that the one year expereince thing might weigh heavily against me. the interview and GD went quite decently