The Social Connector

T.R.A.N.C.E – THE BEGINNING !!!

2011-12-24T03:21:00.002+05:30

It all started with the Edward Maya classic – ‘Stereo Love’! I still remember listening to this wonderful tune time & again, without the slightest hint about the artist, let alone the song itself! But the mystery was just too much for me…

And then I met my trance guru – my dearest bro James Ballack in Ambala for the umpteenth time, but as it turned out, this was going to be one of those very rare revolutionary meetings! For 3 straight nights, I was introduced to the wonderfully uplifting world of trance through numerous tracks on my bro’s mobile phone, listening whole night through earphones! My bro did not require those earphones, for he knew all the tunes already by heart! Enigmatic, Soul-Stirring, Mind-altering – Those nights were all these and more…

Those were my initial baby steps into the wide expanse of trance universe! Days went, Nights passed & I was getting overwhelmed by the ever-growing trancelectic beauties reaching my mailbox every single day/night, courtesy Mr. Maya! Edward Maya, David Guetta, Music of the Sun, 1200 Micrograms, Infected Mushrooms had a great impact on my early trance days, with my first top-20 trance list having numerous tracks from them and their likes…

Shiva on Trance was the next level, with our unprecedented devotion towards Lord Shiva! If Shiva’s India by 1200 Mics was brilliant, my trancematic experience reached the ultimate possible level with Shankara by Hilight tribe – my all-time Numero Uno ever!! I was ‘Becoming Insane’ due to Infected Mushrooms and drugged by 1200 Micrograms…

And then the world no. 1 DJ took over – Armin Van Buuren’s A State of Trance – 2011 blew me away with 2 hours of magical spell! It was time for my second top-20 trance list, led by AVB & various tracks from his legendary radio show ASOT! In the meantime, my exposure to different genres of trance also begun – As I moved from house mix to progressive to psychedelic trippp !!! This was the next level…

If Vibe Tribe – Destination Unknown, Melodrama & Wisecracks had me tripping in all directions, then the Intersys-Perplex combo known as Kreak (SpaceCat remix) had me in an absolute frenzy!! Add to this the maddening destruction caused by Skazi in I wish & the soothing music by Krishna Das and the latest top trance tunes underwent a huge change…

Then I joined Bangalore Trance Community (BTC) and I was no longer tripping only on my laptop or iPod! The Partyyy season was full ON now!! Mark Eteson gig at Blue Waves ushered in the supreme feeling of bliss through live musicals!! Jalebee Cartel’s techno at Kingfisher’s Octoberfest was absolutely off the hook!!

BOOM BOOM – Psykovsky & Kindzadza completely killed it during 7 straight hours of Psychedelic & Dark trance at E-zone!! An experience of a kind it was, very difficult to be replicated again…

And then the Perfect 100 Gig happened at F-Bar – Protoculture completely blasted me away left, right & center with his super-awesome Liquid Logic & Orjan Nilsen’s Viking on that heavenly trance night!!

And to think that all this is just a mere beginning!

S.U.N.B.U.R.N from 27-29 Dec. in GOA with JAMES BALLACK is next! The line-up boasts of giants such as Above & Beyond, Infected Mushrooms, Skazi, Markus Schulz, Jerome Isma-Ae among others! Indian techno masters – Lost Stories & Jalebee Cartel and some out-of-the-world stages! This MAHAKUMBH of Trance is all set to take us to some unbelievable heights, never witnessed before!!

See you on the sands :-)

Alma Mater, Bangalore & Cloud – The ABC Stories!

2011-11-14T03:05:00.002+05:30

The evergreen pastures of NITIE were left behind a few months back to culminate a thoroughly exciting and eventful journey that started way back in the summer of 2011. The life-altering MBA experience is something to be treasured and cherished forever – be it the sleepless and lively hostel-life or the hectic and challenging exam-time or the buzz around the campus ignited by those numerous extra-curricular events. Talking of events, reminds me of the legendary management fest Prerana and its latest 2011 avatar, which sure had all MBA junta hooked around with its emphatic ensemble cast. Besides others, it was the heady cocktail of “Beauty & Brains on the Rocks” what with Anurag Kashyap, Gul Panag and Indian Ocean gracing the campus this time around, which had everyone including yours truly, craving to be in the campus and missing it all the more when unable to attend Prerana! The ultimate realization of being a revered alumnus of this wonderful institute (popularly known as the hill station in Mumbai) was complete with a call and the mail from the mighty Alumni Committee! And hence followed this article.

Life after NITIE has only risen on the awesomeness scale mostly because Bangalore happened! Famous as the IT hub of India, this metropolis is a perfect mix of sheer brilliant weather, a foodie’s delight, work hard & party harder culture! The only slight blemish could be the sometimes immovable traffic jams, but the highly organized public transport system especially buses and the recently started metro facility provides travel comfort to the commuters. Concerns with respect to stable infrastructure in light of ever increasing population explosion maybe valid but as of now, this heart of South India is managing decently especially in comparison to other metropolitan cities across India. My take, based upon a still very short experience, reiterates Bangalore continuing to being the ‘Land of Opportunities’ atleast in the near future and a very suitable long-term option for settling down.

Being a part of an organization in its 100th centennial year of existence makes you feel really proud and excited! My IBM experience, previously also known as the Identical Blue Men in the 1950/60’s era because of their leaders singular attraction to everything blue (suits, shirts & trousers), has been so far so good. Big Blue, especially in the GMC (Global Marketing Centre) team where I work, provides you with a great combination of flexibility, quality and challenges all at the same time. Top it with an excellent work culture and a second-to-none brand, the experience becomes truly epic!

And the next Big thing is Cloud Computing, make no mistake about that! From an industry marketing perspective of chemicals and petroleum in particular and the complete gamut of industries in general, all organizations (small and big) are slowly but steadily moving towards the cloud culture both internally and externally. Be it enterprise asset management or storage a solution, cloud technology is everywhere. The biggest issue is of security in employing a public cloud that requires sharing of information with various companies that may include competitors too. However, the success of the private cloud model and the steep rise in data worldwide makes Cloud – A Must Have for all! Rate of adoption would vary from industries to services. IBM is all set to lead from the front in this domain leveraging its rich legacy of highly successful and dynamic solutions touching everybody’s lives. Recipient of the prestigious Forbes award for being the Numero Uno organization for leaders makes the Big Blue completely aware of the famous quote: “With great powers come great responsibilities”!

The Future is here. The Journey has just begun. The ABC Stories have been told.

Thank You “SHAITAN”!

2011-06-22T15:53:00.002+05:30

ENTER!

This is not a movie review of Shaitan. And its probably also not meant for anyone who could not relate himself or found this movie to be ‘below expectations’. Infact, this post is strictly meant to be read, enjoyed and savored by all the die-hard fans of this Bejoy Nambiar classic!

The expectations were just too huge. So much so that even matching them would have required a masterpiece showcase. SHAITAN did better – It blew me away!! Free time at home & my religious following (lets not use the word addiction) of Facebook meant that I liked the ‘Cult of Shaitan’ page and the rest as they say is history. The leaked trailer, the teaser and the exciting updates on this FB page made me follow it on a regular basis but the real turning point was the ‘Shaitan Hunt’ contest. Winning that contest and then getting a chance to meet Shaitan starcast and win cool merchandise (though none of these have materialized till now & that’s a pity), really hooked me completely. From that time onwards their was no going back!!

The second biggie came in the form of me winning the FB prankster contest & henceforth winning free passes to official music launch of OST at HRC Mumbai. Though I could not go their myself, two of my great friends did & had a rockkking time, courtesy among others: BHAYANAK MAUT!! Still remember listening to UNLEASHED hundreds of kms away in Doon on my mobile that night via Nishant’s Samsung Wave :)

And then OST was unleashed!! I can safely say that I have never ever heard such an amazing album in bollywood till date!! Rock, Pop, Trance, Sufi: you name it and they have it!! All of them pure bliss. ‘Bali: The Sound of Shaitan’ remains my ultimate favourite track! But I have loved everything from Pintya & Fareeda to Josh & Retro Pop Shit!!

And then came 10th June!! Booked my first day first show ticket in advance, only to miss the show due to last moment ‘official’ reasons!! And that was bad, very bad :(

But on 12th June, I finally witnessed something I had never seen in bollywood before: 130 minutes of GODly cinema or should I say: SHAITANI cinema!!! Gaspar Noe’s camerawork met Aronofosky’s darkness & Tarantino’s shockedness!! Felt Nolanic awesomeness in bollywood for the first time & that is saying something guys :)

Though I enjoyed every second of this classic, these are my favourites in no particular order:

KHOYA KHOYA CHAND: This was simply put “Orgasmic stuff”!!! Outstanding camerawork coupled with Superb remix made for a heavenly watch!!

PINTYA RUN-CHASE: Inspector Mathur chasing down the corrupt cop with Pintya in background was stuff of pure cinematic brilliance!!

HUMMER UNLEASHED: The turning point in the movie.. those few seconds of exhilarating Bhayank Maut’s Unleashed before the accident was just amazing!!

BALI BEGINNING: The first look at KC, Dash, Tanya, Zuben & Amy with Bali playing in background gave the movie the awesomest start possible!!

AMY’S THEME: Scenes of Amy’s mother getting drowned in the bath-tub with Amy were again a case of topclass direction!

THE ONE LINERS: Many of them from KC & Zuben throughout the movie were a pleasure to listen to!!

And there were so many more too!!

Hats Off to Bejoy Nambiar for storming into Bollywood with the perfect movie!! Yes, it is now officially my no. 1 movie in Bollywood till date!! (In Hollywood its ‘Inception’ :))

My Respect for Anurag Kashyap reaches its zenith for producing such movies (after Udaan last year).

Heartiest Congratulations to Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, all co-stars and anyone & everyone associated with this masterpiece.

Thank You “SHAITAN”!!!

OUTRO!

Cult of Dehradun!!

2011-05-21T02:27:00.001+05:30

Yes, the name is inspired by Cult of Shaitan!! But then during the past 12 years, Dehradun has earned this cult status in my mind & heart alike!! There is really nothing quite like it. And though my educational & professional stints did keep me away from Darling Doon during the last 8 years or so, the last 4 months have more than made up for it. I will always remember the golden period of Feb-May’11 for the maybe-never-again-possible great time spent with my family & friends: almost all in Doon!

“Home Sweet Home” is not the only reason for my Doon love, though it is indeed one of the most significant ones! Doon scores over Patiala, NCR & Mumbai solely in terms of its soul uplifting weather conditions. Amazingly cool in summers & Heart warming afternoons in winters: surely is a weather to die-for! Of the places I have spent appreciable time with, Chandigarh & Jaipur come the closest to Doon: being City Beautiful & Pink City in the truest literary sense. But then you will never find these heavenly things even their: the trippy ride to Maggi point (all credit to Rachit for making me witness this awesomeness), the unbelievable water falls of Sahastradhara, Lacchi waala, Robber Caves etc., the awe inspiring architecture of IMA and FRI, the utterly delicious burgers & coffee of Buffet, the thupas of KC (again thanks Rachit!), and the godly 25-km bike ride to Mussorie and above!!

Delhi & Mumbai may vouch for the sheer quality of fairer sex present in those geographies, but take my word delhities & mumbaikars, natural beauty is not only present in the curves & valleys of Doon’s hill-tops & mountains, it goes much beyond that till the humanly abode which truly represent the FAIR species in the true literary sense :) Just take a round of Rajpur Road here!

So as I somehow prepare myself to venture yet again for another professional stint, starting with Mumbai times and then further south in all probability, far away from Doon again! Nothing will ever match the sheer aesthetic beauty of doon and the way it always makes me feel: so very special! So much so that nothing, absolutely nothing, has kept me away from Darling Doon for a continuous stretch of more than 3 months all these years of office & college!! How I wish this good luck charm continues :)

Can somebody get me a job in Dehradun: please please please??

P.S. I know I have missed millions of more amazing things about Dehradun. So urge the Cult of Dehradun followers to add them up!!

Manoranjan ka Baap: Season-4!

2011-04-08T16:45:00.002+05:30

Not even a week has passed since Gambhir & Dhoni masterminded India’s legendary world cup final success over Lankans; and Indian cricket fans need to brace themselves for a contest between Gambhir’s KKR and Dhoni’s CSK to kick-start IPL: Season-4! It will be just the beginning of this “thrill-a-minute” cricket avatar that spans over 70 matches over 2 months; finally culminating with the 28 May final in Chennai to crown the champions: where the previous winners list includes Rajasthan Royals, Deccan Chargers and defending champs Chennai Super Kings! Whether the average Indian cricket fanatics absorb this entertainment with the same gusto as World Cup in these cricket hangover times? And after the hopefully-never-again auctioning drama, who will the fans vouch for: their home/favourite city or their favourite player teams? As we seek answers to these intriguing questions, I present before you ratings of the 10 teams (5 of them led by Indian players & 5 non-Indians) on a 10-point scale based on very complex calculations performed by yours truly cricket analyst :P
Here goes:

1. Kolkata Knight Riders (7.9/10): Captain – Gautam Gambhir. The best all-round side with the likes of Kallis, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Hasan at its disposal. And a batting-lineup powered by Manoj Tiwary, Eoin Morgan, Haddin & Ten Doeschate along with Gauti and you have a formidable team with the potential to go all the way indeed! Lee, Balaji, Sangawan & Unadkat form a decent bowling unit too. However, whether or not KKR is able to bury down the ghost of its IPL past remains to be seen? But on paper they are the firm favourites!

2. Chennai Super Kings (7.2/10): Captain – M S Dhoni. Defending champions with Captain Cool at its helm, CSK also boast of a powerful all-round unit with Bravo, A.Morkel & Styris standing out as IPL specialists. Add to that the likes of Raina, M.Hussey, Plessis and M.Vijay in batting & a versatile bowling line-up in Ashwin, Jakati, Randiv, Southee and Kulasekara. And CSK have all bases covered up there! Good to go till the final atleast!

3. Royal Challengers Bangalore (6.7/10): Captain – Daniel Vettori. Despite Virat Kohli being the only player still a part of RCB from previous seasons, this new-look side has a more than decent batting ability in A.B. Villiers, Dilshan, Kohli, S.Tiwary, C.Pujara & Pomerbasch. Zaheer Khan leads the bowling attack with Nannes, Langeveldt and clever captain Vettori. Mallaya’s team will hope to go one better than their IPL-2 final performance!

4. Mumbai Indians (6.6/10): Captain – Sachin Tendulkar. In Pollard & Symonds, MI possess one of the most destructive duo with the bat. With the guile of Harbhajan, Slinger of Malinga, rejuvenation of Munaf and batting prowess of Rohit Sharma, Rayudu and Suman. Last time around, this very talented team was undone by likes of MSD & company at the final hurdle. This time GOD will leave no stone upturned to lift IPL too!

5. Rajasthan Royals (6.4/10): Captain – Shane Warne. The winners of the inaugural edition led by the merecurial Warne, RR is stung by the loss of Yusuf this time. However, Shane Watson & Oram as the team all-rounders and Ross Taylor, Dravid to boost their batting. If Tait, Trivedi & Botha can come good with the bowl too, we may be in for another Royal surprise show!

6. Kochi Tuskers (6.3/10): Captain – M Jayawerdena. Some really shrewd captures in the auctioning means that this debut Kerala side has the potential to spring a few surprises for the established lot. Besides the captain: Hodge, Mc Cullum, Laxman & Owais Shah lend solidity to batting. Murali is a prized pick and KT will hope T. Perera also lives up to his allround potential. Of Sreesanth, RP Singh, R Powar: atleast one of them should come good or so KT will hope!

6. Pune Warriors (6.3/10): Captain - Yuvraj Singh. In Yuvi, N Mc Cullum & Jesse Ryder, this team does have a formidable allround attack. Batting is boosted by M Marsh, Manish Pandey, G Smith & R Uthappa. And if Nehra, Karthik, Parnell and J Taylor can save a few runs, the warriors might turn out to be a little hot to handle!

8. Kings XI Punjab (5.5/10): Captain – Adam Gilchrist. The best of the ‘worst trio’ of IPL-4. They have been hit really hard by auctioning mayhem! With an almost zero-size bowling, with Piyush Chawla their best hope. KXIP would really need D Hussey, Shaun Marsh, D Karthik, A Nayar and the captain himself to fire on all cylinders on a consistent basis for some success!

9. Delhi Daredevils (5.1/10): Captain – Virender Sehwag. My top-favourite during last season; DDR has hit the very bottom on paper this time and are desperately short in all departments! Only and only if the Captain, A Finch, D Warner, V Rao come good with the bat and Irfan Pathan, J Hopes & Van der Merwe can finally deliver as all-rounders, can the DDR offer some resistance to its oppositions!

10. Deccan Chargers (5/10): Captain – Kumar Sangakkara. From being the champions of IPL-2, this side has been absolutely ripped off by the auctioning! So much so that the woefully out-of-form C White is their best all-round bet! It will require some outstanding captaincy by the erstwhile Lankan skipper with a lot of support from Duminy, S Dhawan, Lumb, Steyn, Ojha & Mishra for the DC to make a substantial mark this time. However, in all probability, the ghost of IPL-1 may very well be back to haunt them again!

Here’s hoping that “Manoranjan ka Baap”-4 turns out to be yet another paisa-vasool entertainer!!!

P.S. As we have seen in previous three seasons, the 20-20 format comes with its share of surprises, so despite this analysis I am indeed all geared up to expect the unexpected again!! But would love to hear your predictions people? Which teams will you be vouching for?

Eternal Happiness of Billions of Hearts!!!

2011-04-06T21:51:00.002+05:30

Remember the day when you cracked CAT; or the afternoon when you landed up with your dream job; or the evening when you celebrated Happy Hours with your dear friends; or the night when your girlfriend finally accepted your ILU proposal. Add all that together and it may still not match the bliss, delight, joy & eternal happiness that swept the whole India after Captain Cool bludgeoned the final delivery of World Cup 2011 out of the ground with his all famous Helicopter shot!!!

4 days & nights have passed after the historic day but the feeling has not yet sunken in!! Yes, it will take sometime. For its not everyday, that our beloved India scripts an epic saga of a revolutionary-kind; be it sports or otherwise. As far as our religion cricket is concerned, it has indeed been a really long wait.. 28 years but as it now stands, worth all the way!!

I still remember the euphoric atmosphere after our T20 WC victory and silent admiration of MSD men after rising to Numero Uno in Tests. But this achievement overshadows everything and will continue to do so till atleast the next 2015 edition hosted by Aussies & Kiwis!! Scenes witnessed at Clock Tower, Dehradun… across whole India on TV… this probably is the only single event to be celebrated with unbelievable enthusiasm from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, cutting across gender, age-groups, geographies, caste, creed & religion.. Unity in Diversity Personified!!

And Dhoni Dashers did it in style!! After a majestic ton by Jayawardena and some lusty blows in batting powerplay took Lanka to an above average 274, even the over-optimistic MIB cricket fan was fearing for the worst when the GOD was Malinga-ined with a gem of a delivery to upset all predictions about the perfect WC ending with Tendulkar’s 100th international century! Yes, it was a world cup final and it was not going to be easy.. not a bit!! I have always thought of Gambhir as the crisis man in the all-mighty batting line-up of ours. And Gauti chose the ultimate stage of them all to prove his credentials for once and for all. That ‘97’ will always be remembered as the greatest fighting knock by the Delhi southpaw with some very able hand given by the Gen-X star of India: Virat Kohli!

And then came MSD! And I almost felt-like swinging to the trance of 1200 Micro-grams LSD..!!

“Cometh the hour, Cometh the man”!! This ‘91’ will be engraved in memories of all Indians forever for its steely resolve and do-or-die spirit! No Murali, No Slinger, None of Lankans fielding could halt India’s destined march to World Cup Glory!!

Tendulkar: This Crown is for the GOD of all things!

Yuvraj: ‘The Return of the Prince’ and Man of the tournament award!

MSD: The best captain this cricket-freak country has ever produced & Man of the grand finale Match!

And for the Super-15 that brought eternal happiness to billions of hearts!!!!!

A BIG THANK YOU TEAM INDIA!!! 2nd April, 2011 will be remembered till eternity!!!

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN :) :) :)

Unstoppable Force VS Immovable Object

2011-04-02T01:05:00.003+05:30

THE FORCE that destroyed 3-time defending champions in the Quarters & then steamrolled past our dangerous neighbours in the Semis… The GOD at the top of his powers… Viru at his electrifying best at top… The PRINCE in his career-best form with everything: Bat, Bowl & Fielding… Gauti & Kohli providing calmness & steadiness to the middle-order… MSD at his strategic brilliant on & off the field and due for a big-one with the bat for a long-time now… The rise of ‘Raina: the perfect no. 7’ when the going gets really tough… A bowling attack spearheaded by Zaheer at his wicket-taking best & given solid support by back-in-form Bhajji, competitive Ashwin and now street-smart Munaf & Nehra… The transformation from a ‘below-average’ fielding side to an ‘above-decent’ fielding unit… Team MIB is the Unstoppable Force!!

THE OBJECT inspired by the Lion’s heart & unmoved by burnt-to-ashes English in Quarters & yet-another-semis-act by the Kiwis… The barrage of boundaries by the ultimate Run-brigade of Dilshan & Tharanga… Captain Cool ‘Sangakkara’ in outstanding touch with both bat & gloves… Jayawerdana leading a bit fragile middle-order with his enormous experience… The DEADLY 3M: toe-crushing Malinga, GOD of spin Murali, Mysterious & Magical Mendis… Top all that with a give-it-all attitude on the field… The Island Nation is the Immovable Object!!

The Judgement Day has arrived… It’s the Final Showdown..!!

For the first time in the history of the WC, it will be an all Asian grand finale & the crown will be lifted by a wicket-keeper Captain..!!

“Its what you do that defines you”… And that defining moment is here now: 2nd April, 2011 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai..!!

But as Harsha Bhogle quipped, in this clash of equals, if there is one favourite: it surely is Team India!!

Its time for a 1983-encore… Glory Glory Team India!!

VANDE MATRAM!!!

A Wednesday. Bleed Blue. GOD. Victory!

2011-03-31T15:58:00.002+05:30

The Cricketing Religion in GOD’s own country has given us quite a few special moments to be cherished for a life-time. The 1983 WC victory.. 2003 WC Road to the finals.. Sachin’s ODI double century: to name a few.. However, the series of extraordinary events which materialized on 30th March, 2011 in the now-legendary PCA stadium in Mohali will be remembered forever!! Yes, It was a Wednesday when Team India inspired by GOD’s gritty 85 with due heavenly help; bled blue till the very last over to emerge victorious against arch-rivals Pakistan in a WC semifinal match!!

And that was after MSD seemingly shocking decision to replace Ashwin with Nehra for this priceless “mother of all games”. Despite a rampaging start by Viru, MIB finished with just 260! Considered to be a below par score by most experts and yours truly as well. I was in a state of utter hopelessness at the break; with some unbelievably negative thoughts haunting me: Is the DREAM finally over now? Will it be Pak vs Lanka final hosted by India? Will GOD remain without WC glory forever? Crashing out to Pakistan in a WC semis in India: it can’t get more horrible than this?

Hoping the MIB bowling without Ashwin on a spinning pitch & with both Munaf & Nehra on a seamless pitch; to defend this score seemed to be a case of extreme over-optimism!!! Heard about rising to the occasion against all odds with nerves of steel: that’s exactly what the so-called ordinary bowling attack of ours achieved on ‘A Wednesday’!! The fact that the very first extra was conceded in the 37th over of Pak innings is a reflection of the razor-sharp disciplined effort by the now famous-five!! More ironical being the fact that the stand-out performers were none other than ‘Nehra’ & ‘Munaf’: undoubtedly the most ridiculed players in this Indian outfit!! The way MSD marshalled its resources in the most optimum manner despite tons of pressure & a rock-solid start by Pak deserves a lot of appreciation! And the Indians did gave it their all in the field too, which indeed was a wonderfully pleasant surprise!! A strangely played knock by now India’s favourite Misbah and an agonizingly late batting powerplay taken by Pak further compounded their misery!!

Absolute craziness on streets all-over India with booming firecrackers, ultra-loud music, dancing, singing, drinking & what-not: this very very special victory was indeed celebrated with unbelievable enthusiasm & joy!!

Just like 24 Sept. 2007, the day we were crowned T20 champs after another special performance against Pakistan, 30 March, 2011 will also find its place in the golden pages of Indian Cricket history!!

HAPPINESS all around :) :) :D :D

The Asian Roar & Kiwi Flight!

2011-03-27T01:07:00.003+05:30

An adrenaline rush of the tsunami-kind, tempers flaring all over the place, blood pressure & heart-beat rates zooming every second & hope, belief, prayers ubiquitous all around: Wednesday , the 30th of March, 2011 will go down in cricket folklore as the dream-turned-reality knockout punch: INDIA vs PAKISTAN. World Cup Semi-final.

Yes, it just does not get better than this. The ultimate cricket-nirvana moment is all set to engulf Asia in particular and the whole cricket world in general when these two arch-rivals lock horns in Mohali. Infact, as soon as Yuvraj Singh dethorned the down-and-out Aussies of their cherished WC crown with that blazing boundary in Motera, the whole of India has been overwhelmed by the sheer thought of the upcoming “mother of all matches”!! Such has been the scale of excitement that the complete social network (Facebook & Twitter) will do well to double-check the power of its servers on this holy day!

The Rise in Price of match tickets will put the all-time-bullish Sensex to shame & after Black Caps, it’s the Black tickets which are the IN thing :P Mohali Mohalla is the cynosure of everyone’s eyes now!!

This God-sent matchup became a possibility after the Kangaroo-killers Pakistan took the stuffing out of Carribean Calypso with a thumping 10 wicket victory led by the ‘bowler’Afridi & 'batsman' Kamran!!

The Mini-finale also lived up to its expectations to produce the most electrifying & intense encounter in Ahmedabad to end the 12 year WC reign of Aussies; despite a determined knock by Punter!! The “UV-Raina” effect soaked in all the pressure to produce a scintillating partnership that shocked the Kangaroos to the core. If playing Raina instead of Yusuf was a MSD master-stroke, then Yuvi’s 4th man-of-the-match effort was the most special of them all: confident, courageous & sublime! This match will also be remembered for some absolutely brilliant performance in field & excellent bowling show by India barring “The Munaf”!

And then came the Oscar-winning knocked out saga of the “Choker in the pack”!! Kiwis ensured that S.A. continued their date with “Knock-out horror shows” with another shocking batting collapse reminiscent of what they managed against England in their group tie! The Kiwi flight was complete and there was no case of “Black Caps Down”!!

The Asian Roar was complete with the most emphatic display of dominating cricket by the inspired islanders!! Such was the extent of the 10 wicket thrashing that their most premier bowler became a “Black Swan” in a completely Straussed-out English side… & to top it all, the neutral cricket fan was even devoid of another English-directed thriller!! However, the curious case of “Yardy-depression” will always intrigue me here..!!

So after more than a month of exciting cricket, the crowning destiny is just 3 matches away for the chosen one!! But before that, it’s with bated breath that die-hard MIB fans await Wednesday, the 30th!!!

Super 7

2011-03-22T02:37:00.005+05:30

No, this is not about Steven Spielberg's next mega-hollywood project; which as a matter of fact is known as ‘Super 8’! For, ‘Super 7’ can be referred to as the series of high intensity & hyper-emotional cricket matches that are destined to take eight nations in particular and most of the world in general to the ultimate Oscar of cricket: The World Cup Crown!

Despite the all gung-ho Irish blood throughout and Bangladesh’s world cup record-breaking 9th wicket saga to stun TRP shooters & neutral cricket lover’s delight: England; it still turned out to be yours truly top-8 that finally did make it to the quarters! However, with certain glaring shockers in the positions indeed… As 10-man Pakistan finally finally halted Aussie juggernaut despite the presence of the one-who-should-not-be-named donning wicketkeeping gloves again… And MIB finally had an almost convincing win with its best bowling effort to date against Windies; courtesy: the Un-Chawla effect!!

Here’s my take on Super 7:

1.Green rule all the way: Despite the nature of its unpredictability, despite “him” in the team and despite a still fragile batting-line up; Pakistan should prove to be just too hot for the minnow-slammers Carribean. A WC Aussie conquest should be their absolute confidence booster!

2.The Mini Finale: Rightly termed-so by the Aussie coach, this could be the Superman encounter in Quarters; especially if Chawla-effect comes back to haunt MIB (remember warm-up match). However, if Ashwin-ism continues & Super-Sehwag is back to match fitness, there is no reason why MIB cant pull this one off! And here’s hoping that batting powerplay nightmares are finally over for once & for all.

3.African Safari rolls on: The only thing standing between Proteas and a semifinal appearance could be the Pallakele Plunderer: Ross Taylor!! But there’s also lot more to this tricky contest: the choker-savvy credentials, Vettori’s tweakers, Villiers injury and ofcourse the recent Black Caps resurgence!! But its definitely Advantage Africa here.

4.Inspired Islanders: One thing can be taken for granted – England will keep its flawless record of producing heart stopping thrillers intact. Everything else, however, is flawed when the case in point is England. For how can one explain this fact: England is the only team in quarters not to have lost to any other team left in this WC!!! And it’s the same bunch of eleven that went down to both Ireland and Bangladesh!! Home advantage, in-form captain & great all-round bowling: this could well be the recipe of Lankan success!

5.The Numero-Uno MATCH: Nothing has, nothing can and nothing will ever beat the awesomeness of India vs Pakistan match in WC!!! And MIB has never ever lost to its unpredictable neighbours in a WC encounter!!

6.The Revenge Match: All those who remember Boucher’s fist pumping in that unbelievable tie that led to S.A. end in WC’03, will know that Proteas would seek revenge in this colossal match-up! However, Lankans may not require any luck to get the better of Proteas this time around.

7.Glory Glory.. MIB!!! If it is indeed an India vs Sri Lanka WC final; rest assured it would be a battle of nerves between two very evenly matched sides. “Preparation can only take you thus far, after that you require a leap of faith”. How I wish :) :)

Fingers Crossed… Let the Super 7 begin…

Of Irish Bailey, MIB’s Blues & Strauss-ed Out English!!!

2011-03-03T01:48:00.004+05:30

338, 338, 327 & 329: And to think I had to watch my only live WC match in Delhi and not the new ‘Mecca of heart stopping cricket’: Bangalore!!

The 2011 edition of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ has reached an 8.0 on Richter scale after witnessing two of the all-time greatest matches’ ever played in history of the game.

The jaw-dropping fastest WC ton laced with 19 hits beyond the boundary-line in a 50-ball fury from Kevin O’Brien toppled the Englishmen and caused the first major upset of the gala event! Considering the Bob Woolmer case after Irish victory over Pak in ’07, I really hope all is well with Andy Flower in the coming days? Group B has indeed come alive.

And this is after ‘yours truly’ went through a complete roller-coaster emotional ride during the historic TIE on the same flat track earlier. From watching the GOD on top of his powers in a majestic display of sublime stroke play during his 120 in MIB-338 to being amazed & perplexed at the same time by Captain England masterly 154 and clueless Indian bowling. And finally dazzled by a mercurial Zaheer and last ball’s single (sigh-of-relief) in English-338.

Pak’s stunning win over the Lankans, Aussies confident start of their defense which keeps Ponting still unbeaten as their WC captain despite his off-field LCD woes and Malinga’s sensational hat-trick against a completely lost Kenyan side keeps Group A alive and kicking too!

Early days into the mega-event but few teams already need to get their thinking cap on:

MIB needs to do a thorough introspection to rekindle the belief and become a once decent bowling unit again. Maybe play a specialist bowler extra! Even the fielding has hit rock-bottom with dropped catches and frequent fumbles: Buck-up guys!!

If there is a team which requires an even greater turnaround in their bowling & fielding performances, it surely is England! But first they need to start believing in themselves again especially after the Irish Shocker!

The defeat to Pak may just bring out the best in the Lankans: how I would love them to halt the Aussies juggernaut finally!! South Africa has begun well and now start firm favourites against the English!! Afridi-led Pak is looking dangerous already & Black Caps need to pull up their socks for the big fights ahead.

As for now, its time to savour the delight of the exquisite Irish Bailey!! Will they be able to continue their killing spree, only time will tell? But MIB will do well not to underestimate them on the upcoming Super-Sunday clash, especially: MIB bowling vs Irish batting promises to be a really interesting affair!

De Ghuma Ke :)

THE WORLD CUP

2011-02-12T04:11:00.003+05:30

Its been 27 long years… When Kapil’s Devils gate crashed on the Caribbean party, inflicting a catastrophic defeat to avert a hat-trick of titles for the calypso brigade, and henceforth achieving the miraculous feat: THE WORLD CUP trophy!!

Six tournaments later & history is yet to repeat itself! From hitting the final lap in 2003 to the disgraceful first round exit in 2007, the Indian cricket lovers have seen it all besides the Cup itself. So when the Cricket Mahakumbh opens for the 10th time in the ‘Country of GOD’ with the sport as the Religion, prayers & tempers will reach their ultimate zenith during 19th Feb – 2nd April.

Predicting ‘who will’ & ‘who will not’ do well in such a pressure cooker event is way beyond even Nostradamus genius; but then what’s the fun if this is not done? So here we go:

The Party-crashers: Bangladesh; led by the inspirational Shakib Al Hasan with the very talented Tamim Iqbal as his deputy, are no longer pushovers especially when it comes to competing on the big stage. Add to that home advantage & the mercurial Ashraful and this confident bunch is more than capable of making it to the knockout round. Will they deliver remains to be seen?

Zimbabwe, Ireland & Kenya can also boast from their historical record in WC, but expecting them to go past the first stage will require some serious hara-kiri. I doubt it this time. Gut feeling maybe?

8. Caribbean Anti-Calypso: Despite Double Bravo’s and dangerous Pollard in their ranks, Windies will need the experience of Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Gayle to assure entry into second stage. After that, May God Bless Them?

7. Its All 'Black Caps': The fact that Newzealand is still to name their final 15 for the Cup really sums up the downfall of the once very dangerous outfit! The side plunged into its lowest ebb after suffering humiliation by the hands of Bangladesh recently. Can Vettori-men turnaround their sagging fortunes and make a distinctive mark this time? Maybe Not.

6. The Phoneix Englishmen: They rose from the Ashes to devastate the Aussies in tests, but were beaten fairly and squarely in ODIs. However, with in-form players such as Trott, Bell & Anderson under Strauss fine captaincy, can they finally finally deliver at the biggest stage of them all? Watch out, they just might this time!

5. The Unpredictable Neighbours: Their build up to the mega event has been typically Pakistani style! Surrounded by all possible controversies over match-fixing, player bans, captaincy issues etc. on one-hand and playing some brilliant cricket to outlast the Kiwis on another! The unpredictability of ‘which Pak will show up’ makes them the most dangerous team, yet again. Will Afridi, Misbah and company do a 1992 encore? Conditions will favour them: Remember Remember!

THE BIG FOUR!

4. Agent Smith’s Proteas: The Quintessential Chokers and Perennial Under-achievers! Recent performances suggest that South Africa is fast shedding this woeful image, however, WC is going to be their ultimate acid test. With Kallis & Amla; in their best forms of their lives, Smith does have a balanced side capable of beating anyone on their day and going all the way too. But, hasn’t this been their curious case last time & before & before…….? Kallis is the Key!

3. The Enigmatic Islanders: Sri Lankans have reasons to believe that they ought to be second-time lucky. Its Murali’s last world cup, Sangakkara is in top gear both as batsman and captain, in batting they have the perfect mix of dashers and technique; in bowling of spinners and pacers; the home advantage too! However, Will Inconsistency and lack of match-practice taboo their shot at glory this time? They don’t have the likes of Aravinda De Silva, Ranatunga & Jayasuriya from their 1996 crown, nobody even closer!

2. The Unstoppable Kangaroo-force: Aussies might be a little messed up right now: Ashes humiliation, Captaincy woes, Injury problems etc. But its near impossible to separate the world cup crown from them, even the mere thought seems utopia. 4 times champions and last 3 in a row: do we need to look any further! So will the champion team crusade to another ‘path of WC glory’ in typical juggernaut style or have times indeed changed a lot recently to trigger chaos? Experience & Confidence: both are scarce for the Aussies this time!

1. Numero Uno ‘Men In Blue’: We have the GOD playing for arguably the very last time at WC stage, We have the Home Advantage & We have billions of hearts praying day/night for the dearest & most precious jewel: “The Pursuit of World Cup Happyness”..!! And then we have MSD at the helm, unarguably the best top order batsmen at present, Zaheer & Bhajji hitting top form off late and a highly improved fielding unit. But most important of all, what this team possesses in abundance is the unflinching belief in its capabilities to go all the way this time, come what may! The GOD a.k.a “Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar”: Its Time for you to take centre-stage and add the ‘only thing’ and the most ‘important thing’ in your CV. For next-time may well be too late! So will the Men In Blue keep their date with immortality on 2nd April, 2011? Hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies. Ever.

MIB – JUST DO IT!

Let the Games Begin :)

Mumbai Diaries

2011-02-06T04:50:00.002+05:30

Munna: a typical dhobi in the morning & a secretive rat-killer in the night.. his intriguing liking to Sai.. slowly but steadily developing into love & the overwhelming confusion subsequently.. and in the background – his family & Arun!

Sai: an investment banking consultant from the States on a sabbatical in Mumbai.. her one-night-stand with Arun & the longing/desire for a lifetime relationship.. her interest in Munna triggered initially due to her passion for photography in ‘the maximum city’ and in the end due to his pure heart!

Arun: a painter, a loner, a widower.. his tryst with Yasmin through those precious video-tapes & the ensuing emotions ranging from astonishment to happiness to extreme sadness.. his unwanted escapade with Sai followed by attempts to set things straight.. and the majestic painting!

Yasmin: a beautiful & haunting portrait of a small town girl from U.P., married to a cheating husband in Mumbai.. her attempt to stay in touch with her brother Imran through stories told via video tapes.. and the devastating end!

Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) is the story of these four people living in Mumbai and their intersecting stories which are a part and parcel of life in the maximum city. The inaugural directorial venture by Kiran Rao grows on you minute by minute and then leaves you introspective as well as retrospective of the city called Mumbai and the diaries of its inhabitants.

Few of the scenes are bound to take your breath away:

The extreme shock on the face of Munna, when spotted by Sai during his rat-killing chronicles in the night..

The tear(s) in Sai’s eyes, when Munna gives him the address of Arun’s new place..

The utter despair & horror that engulfs Arun while coming to reality with Yasmin’s end..

Yasmin’s happiness while shooting the first tape for her beloved brother & the unimaginable distress with which she says “Mujhe maaf kar dena” in the end..

Aamir Khan Productions has scored another perfect 10, with its fifth movie, just like it did with the other four: Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Peepli Live! There has always been a group of critics which have not found alignment with these four movies in the past and that is quite understandable. However, the widespread flak and the degree of criticism faced by Dhobi Ghat has left me atleast, absolutely shocked and bewildered! And to think that it has come from the most unexpected quarters saddens me even more! Yes, it’s a pity that on one hand, we tend to condemn the Indian cinema of producing only commercially viable movies and its inability to match the high standards so often set by Hollywood, while on the other hand, when presented by a real piece of art and cinematic brilliance: we hate it with all our angst!

Being a Mumbaikar (for almost 18 months) and having experienced the highs and lows presented by the maximum city myself, I could perfectly relate with the Mumbai Diaries and which is why I admired this 95 minute spectacle so much! Why most of other Mumbaikars could not do so, is really besides my wildest dreams! And for all those who think that the movie’s entry as the official selection for the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival’10 was due to Aamir Khan’s presence and nothing else, need to do some serious introspection!

For this movie is not about a Aamir Khan, but all about raising a toast to the maximum city “Mumbai”!

Heads & Tails!

2011-01-15T01:43:00.004+05:30

Yes, Its Over!!

And what a roller-coaster ride it has been over the last 18 months... Full of twists & turns, ups & downs and everything imaginable and unimaginable too.. well its really difficult to put it into words, but i will give it a try!

June'09: I entered the hallowed portals of the B-school with various perceptions and saw most of them materialising into reality one way or another, thats how:

Heads: Grinding schedule (24*7)

Tails: Well well grinding it was but only if you are a huge movie buff, adore sitcoms, extra-curricular fanatic or ofcourse, if you love Mumbai and/or Goa: 24*7 is really not enough then!

Heads: Friends or Colleagues or Acquaintainces?

Tails: A mixture of all of them 20:30:50 more or less. But then those 20% would be Friends for Life! :)

Heads: Study 'Hard', Party 'Harder'!

Tails: The 'Hard-Harder' gulf will beat the 'Rich-Poor' divide in India! It was more like - Study Smart, Party Wilder!

Heads: Estrogen(20%)Testosterone(80%)levels :P

Tails: Quantity-wise: Almost true i would say - but then this was not really the E-Quality i had in mind ;) wont talk abt T-Quality though.. well I dare not!

Heads: Techno-Manager!

Tails: Now the Engg. Techno was more of a theoretical-kind, however the Managerial skills acquired here were more a result of hands-on experience (something present quite in abundance)!

Heads: Job/Placement/Profile/Money - The Goal..!!

Tails: Though it might well have been the driving force behind cracking CAT and secure entry into a top B-School. It sure was not the only goal for most of the budding managers. The complete MBA package was more fulfilling and enjoyable. And yes ofcourse The Goal was indeed achieved as a matter of fact :D

Jan'11: As I leave the evergreen campus with the complete package of experiences to be cherished for the entire life-time, NITIE has indeed followed the CHAOS Theory with Heads & Tails turning out to be two sides of the same golden coin.

Thanks NITIE!!

P.S. With more than 4 months of absolute nothingness to follow, the blogger in me is well & truly unleashed again. So watch out this space for some really kooooool stuff..!! :D

And Then There Were Just Three…

2010-10-31T15:48:00.001+05:30

As Prerana’10 ended on a rocking note, so did the month of October and plans were made on the journey back to doon yet again! And It was exactly at that point of time that reality struck me, real hard! And so here I am finally checking out my blog to take it out of a deep slumber recently and pen down my thoughts…

What started as a ‘Chaos Theory’ and remains much more so even 16 months after, is coming to an abrupt end, at a pace not contemplated by many. Yes, there are only 3 months left.. That’s all the time remaining to mark an end to what in all probability should be my final stint at college (& for many more too). Much has changed from the time it all started in June’09 and much more is expected to change by the time its all over. But one thing which will definitely not change come what may: It is going to be all over come Jan’10 end.

The CEAS and the movies, the parties and the beaches, the college lecture halls and the hostels, friends and acquaintances, what was and what could have been: all that is about to come at a full stop. And ‘work-life’ balance is soon going to become the talk of the town once again and forever afterwards…

Well its not quite the right time to become nostalgic just as yet, but yes few random thoughts do linger on: the amazing CEAS bonhomie and P-16 chronicles (through thick and thin) are the ones that really stand out amongst all. The one thing still not sorted out: When and how will I find the “Miss Understanding” (if at all I will someday/night)? And even more importantly: Will there be an end or an obvious extension to my love for the ‘Land of the Sea’ :P

So as I somehow manage to find time for the classics of the Nolan, Aronofosky, Kubrick, Polanski, Coppola, Fincher, Coen brothers and the Scorsees of Hollywood amidst the real tight academic schedule ;). And to the journey of the next 3 months @ NITIE, Mumbai, the final countdown has indeed begun. A countdown to end all countdowns really!!

And I don’t think I am prepared well enough to look beyond just as yet!!

Remember: Only three!!!

I N C E P T I O N

2010-08-02T03:18:00.003+05:30

The connoisseurs of pure cinematic excellence again stood up in awe and disbelief. The applause went on even as the crowd tried to comprehend what they had just witnessed, almost as if they were trying to kick themselves out of a dream. It was a hat-trick!

Nolan and Zimmer had not only lived up to their reputation but this time they had absolutely outdone themselves. For its one thing to create a masterpiece, but an altogether different class to put together a spellbinding show which lifts your spirits and souls, mind and heart to an aesthetic pinnacle! The more you watch it, the more you get soaked into it and the more you crave for it: a huge sedation, an irresistible experience!

The Architect, The Extractor, The Forger, The Mark, The Point Man, The Shade and The Tourist have successfully managed to plant an idea into my mind. They have successfully accomplished Inception for real. And it’s a very simple idea:

“Inception is the Greatest Movie of All Time”

And an idea is like a virus. Its Resilient. It spreads like a cancer. And after being Inception-ised for more than 7 hours now, it has indeed established a firm place in both my mind and the heart.

Much like Cobb, a couple of pseudo-Cobb’s have tried to De-inceptionise me of this idea. By bringing references to ‘Inception vs other Nolan masterpieces’ as well as even an absurd comparison between ‘Inception vs Matrix’, they have tried it all. But much like Mal, all this has been in vain, a sheer waste of effort indeed. But I don’t blame them for trying like Cobb, its worth a shot for sure. However, the fact remains that even if I have to die now to alienate myself from this idea, I may very well go into a Limbo. It’s a perfect possibility which cant be denied, considering the state of affairs at present!

Memento. For a long-time the non-linearity and the short-term memory loss concept of this Nolan classic had made it my all-time no.1, but only till 16 July, 2010.

Yes, it would require another Inception to completely erase this idea from my mind. But then it would be ‘Inception’ again: the Greatest Movie of All Time!!!

To damn with the IMDbs, Rotten tomatoes and the critics: this idea is going to live, grow and sustain itself for a long long time now :)

Rest Assured!

Vuvuzela trumpet, Jabulani balls & the Waving Flag!

2010-06-15T02:53:00.002+05:30

"When I get older, I will be stronger, They’ll call me freedom, just like a Waving Flag, And then it goes back, and then it goes back, And then it goes back"!!!

On 11th June, The Beautiful Game began in all its magnificence in the beautiful stadium of Johannesburg in South Africa! The one month footballing extravaganza will yet again bring hundreds of nations, thousands of cities and millions of people to a standstill like only it can. It would not be wrong to say that Nothing unites people, brings them together, excites them to core and makes them passionate & emotional like the magnanimous event known as THE WORL CUP FOOTBALL!!

Talking about favourites, for the sheer amount of bench strength and the multiple number of specialists that they have for every particular position, Spain, the Euro champions, are undoubtedly the numero uno team to lift the cup. The time has come for the long-time underdogs to shed this tag & finally win the championship. Torres and Villa at the front, Xavi, Xabi and Fabregas in the midfield and Captain Cassilas at the goal-post, this is on paper as well as on form, the Spanish Armada destined to be 2010 winners.

Giving them a really tough run for the ball, however, would be the likes of Argentina, Brazil and England indeed! If there is only one man who is capable of changing the course of this whole tournament and bring back the cup glory for Argentina, Lionel Messi it is!!! The world footballer of the year has been compared to the likes of Maradona and Pele already and HE IS THE ONE who can make this world cup his very own. How all we wish that he does so!!! Five-times winner Brazil have always been a major contender for the title and in coach Dunga, they have the commander who can take them to the distance. But it would be interesting to see how they counter the threat posed by Ronaldo’s Portugal and Drogba’s Ivory Coast in their ‘Group of Death’!! And after an outstanding qualifying campaign, England will fancy their chances of going all the way with the help of some luck. With the likes of Rooney, Gerrad and Lampard at their disposal, English are a serious threat for sure!

Having said all that, history has time and again proved that a football world cup is incomplete without its share of surprises. And the three dark horses: the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany will all prove to be a tough nut to crack. As I write this, Germany has already made the most resounding start to its campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of Australia!! And it would be a huge mistake to undermine the skills of Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo viz.a.viz Messi!!

The defending champions Italy are always a contender for the title. And no matter how much I personally hate them for their defensive style of play-making, it is also the biggest strength of this Cannavaro led compact unit.

With only 18 goals in 11 matches thus far, the first half of the tournament has been rather dull in terms of goal-scoring. Nevertheless, two things have ensured that WC’10 remains in the thick of headlines: The Vuvuzela trumpet and the Jabulani balls!!

Not for one second in the complete 90 minutes of the match, can you stay away from the blaring sound of the vuvuzela trumpet, known to be really high on the decibel levels. What started as something which will add to the fun-factor of this African safari, is now increasingly becoming an irritation for one and all alike. And then we have the case of the Jabulani footballs which made David Green, the English goalkeeper, in-famous as the ‘Hand of the Clod’ in their matchup with the USA, what with the ball conveniently slipping past his hands inside the goal!! And its not only the goal-keepers who are complaining, even the strikers are finding it very hard to keep the ball down during set-pieces and while making that final blow inside the D on the goal. Hence, the embarrassment is shared by both!

Only time will tell that which country will hold the ‘Waving Flag’ on 11th of July. But rest assured, this one month will once again prove to be full of excitement, passion and enjoyment!!

The Red Fury – GO GO GO!! :)

J'aime Paris!!

2010-06-07T19:37:00.002+05:30

Date: 14 May, 2010
Time: 12 midnight (Paris)

3 souls are hypnotized with what they are witnessing in front of them! One of the 7 wonders of the world is glittering with stunning lights over and over again, for the next 10 minutes!! For me, the already special day (my Mom’s birthday) became a day I will always remember forever!! Eiffel tower at 12 midnight in all its lightning beauty touched me inside the heart to the core. Yes, this is Paris!

The Paris trip started in almost the Barca way for us, travelling around a lot to find the right apartment and made even more exciting because of THE GAME we played (JD will agree the most I am sure :P). And then the Paris experience went from being good to better to best to near-perfect!!!

The monumental Arc di Triomphe with six diverging roads leading to all the architectural master-pieces such as Eiffel tower, Pantheon, Concorde, Notre Dam, Sacre Coure etc. The ‘Monalisa’ painting of the Louvre Museum attracted one and all, besides the other magnificent paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michael Angelo.
La Defense malls and the shopping we finally did at Zara and other biggie stores! Moulin Rogue in all its sensual colours (Red and more ;)). Lets keep some secrets here!

And then there was DISNEYLAND!!! To me, the defining moment of the whole Euro trip. One full day spent in this magic-world, the world that amazed us, enthralled us and glued us to our TV screens (in the form of Aladdin, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and so on…..), was now right in front of us and yes we could feel the magic!! Another experience, which one really has to experience to thoroughly enjoy the super-exciting world!!As it turned out, this was one place, where me and JD completely beat Kamra in enthusiasm levels: day-in & night-out!! :)

Amidst all the fun we had, there was one question which boggled me wherever I went!! Counter this: Temperature less than 5 degree Celsius, windy atmosphere and mild drizziling too: How can not only the teenagers (read 15-25 year olds), but also adults (read 50+ junta), both male and female roam around in shorts and skirts everywhere?? When we three can’t get enough warmth in our inners and full sleeves shirts and sweaters and jackets and gloves and caps?? Everyone said: “Adaptability”! Well I don’t agree with this guys: For I still melt the same and my sweat-o-meter hits Richter scale even after spending 1 year in Mumbai, and I still wear all that woolen stuff in Dehradun in January for the last 10 years!!! Food for thought guys??

Huh.. but I wont like to end on a question nary note!!

Awesome Mausam, Beautiful people, Clean surroundings, Majestic architecture, Automatic gadgets: All in All a lifetime experience!!

Europe: I will be back :)

J'aime Paris!!!

Adoro Barcelona!!

2010-06-07T19:05:00.001+05:30

Hotel Marina in Bogatel turned out to be a not so easy destination to reach! The three of us had been walking on the road for almost 2 hours now, quite a few kilometers for sure and if you have to keep up with kamra’s pace, you have to speed-walk or should I say mild-running! Now Bogatel is a small place in Barcelona… Now if I have to repeat a similar series of events in Mumbai, trust me we all would either have a heat stroke, melting from the sweltering heat and dehydrated our bodies to the last drop of H2O… But then we were enjoying ourselves in a very pleasant climate, with vacant roads, ultra-clean environment, very impressive crowd and the fact that we had finally arrived in Europe for the one week extravaganza!!

Right from the luxury of our 4-star hotel with majestic rooms and lavish breakfasts to the booming La Ramblas market (with JD’s couple dance with uncle: the icing on the cake :P) and the beaches and the night clubs and yes, I almost forgot – the beautiful, very beautiful Montsserat: Barcelona is an absolute delight!!

If we were all awed by the exquisite metro trains with their overwhelming interiors and amazing curls, then we were thrilled to the core by the crackling sound of Alonso, Schumi & Webber’s F-1 racing dynamos (cars would be an understatement)!

Moments that took my breath away:

3rd: The cable ride to Montsserat and the place itself: WOW!
2nd: The taste of the Sangria drink and its after-effects, something I can never ever forget. Infact, the one single reason I would like to be back in Barcelona again: WOWW!
1st: Club Razmatazz@4am!!! No I can’t describe this in words, you have to be their to experience the SHOW: WOWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Adoro Barcelona!! (I love you Barcelona in Spanish) :) :)

THE EURO TRIP!!!

2010-05-06T20:05:00.000+05:30

When Kimi Raikkonen stormed past the likes of Gavin Hamilton and Fernando Alonso to emerge the Formula One Champion few years back, my F-1 Grand Prix passion had reached its peak!!

When Barcelona, powered by the likes of the mercurial Lionel Messi, dominated both the Spanish Liga and UEFA Champions League, my craze about Barca was at its zenith!!

And the Eiffel tower, the Louvre museum of Da Vinci code as well as the Disneyland had always amazed and thrilled me forever!!

However, to think that I will be there in person to witness all these and more anytime soon was not even in my wildest of dreams, frankly speaking!!

So when I board the flight to Barcelona, early 7th morning of May, I would be on my way to what promises to be a trip, which is going to blow my head-off and put my world in a tizzy, its already a time for great expectations!!

Yes, the sequel to “when dreams come true” is all set to begin and the next week is going to change my world upside-down (or so I hope :P)!!

Let the EURO TRIP begin (7-15 May) – Barcelona & Paris!!!

The Frontrunners are coming :)

LSD

2010-03-29T04:10:00.002+05:30

He tickled us to the last gasp of ROTFL act with ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’ – 9/10

He made us smile, admire & love his Superchor with ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye!’ – 9.5/10

And then he delivered his masterpiece, which had it all, with ‘LSD’ – A Perfect 10!

Yes, Dibakar Banerjee has done IT!

In a country, where avid movie lovers absolutely freak out at the beauty of the F-word, when used in Hollywood (Scorsese’s Departed) and are in awe of the reality cinema showcased by the camera effect (Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, Blairwitch project), it needed the shocking-ness aura produced by LSD to transport them to a similar world in Indian cinema.

All credit to Mr. Dibakar, for its not easy for a Hindi movie to hit the theaters in raw form, with all the abuses and crude scenes, after passing through the Censor board. It sure would have been a hell of a task to convince the so called moral saviors of our ‘filmi duniya’ to give the green signal to this one!

However, once they did it and thank god for that, we witnessed a show seldom seen before in the history of bollywood: 3 parallel stories shot in live camera throughout, bringing to screen the 3 most outrageous emotions and passions of today’s world – LOVE, SEX & DHOKHA!!!

And to think that the stellar performances in all these stories have been delivered by debut-making-actors in bollywood, makes it even more amazing!! Yes, these actors (and few of them are real finds for Indian cinema) are the result of a one year ‘bharat bhraman’ undertaken by Dibakar!

The freshness of these first-timers coupled with no-bar-holds real-time storytelling and that too in front of a live camera makes LSD a revolutionary movie all the way!!

Add to that the trance music, the unbelievably creative song lyrics and the magic of Kailash Kher and Sneha Khanwalkar – You really cant ask for more!!

Remember Paanch, DevD, Gulaal and Hail Anurag Kashyap!

Remember Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and Hail Vishal Bhardwaj!

And now lets make way for another master of bollywood, the ‘Terrific Trio’ is indeed complete with the emergence of Dibakar Banerjee!!

Thanks to this ‘Terrific Trio’ for making me (a Hollywood die-hard fan), for once sit back, enjoy and take that leap into the trance world – a world where you live with the characters, songs and the movie!

LSD – A LUST WATCH!!

WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE

2010-03-20T05:36:00.003+05:30

Ideally this post should have been dated – January, 2009, when I should have supposedly got IIM calls once the CAT results were declared! But then, I had managed to screw up a section in CAT yet again! My dream college, like everyone else – Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (IIM-A) had eluded me once and for all…

On 19 March, 2010 (the date which I will remember for the rest of my life now) – I, as a part of team frontrunners, got a life-time opportunity to achieve one of my long-cherished dreams: If you don’t make it to IIM-A, you beat them! Yes, NITIE vs IIM-A grand finale in Lessons in Marketing Excellence (LIME) at Taj Hotel, Mumbai was the perfect opportunity. The stakes were really high, the competition rigorous and the prizes – just awesome!

The IIM-A team seemed to be having the best marketing combination possible – three guys from 2nd year with marketing specializations and having already secured impressive jobs in the industry. To add to that, the same team was our nemesis in the semifinal round – pushing us to the second spot by a whisker!

Nandan Nilekani’s UIDAI project itself seemed to be the most challenging and arduous case study in LIME till date. And we had the most reputed jury in place with loads of industry experience. Yes, this was not going to be easy.

But then team frontrunners had always believed in the quote – “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”, always using the underdogs tag to perfection!!

And YES – WE DID IT!!!

After a decent presentation followed by a tricky Q&A round, team frontrunners finally won the LIME competition after an intense battle with the so called ‘numero uno’ – IIM-A.

Yes, my dream had come true and with that an opportunity to be at the chequered flag in the Spanish Grand Prix, to attend the prestigious fast-track BLT (Business Leadership Training) programme of HUL with an international stint, and to be the guest editor on a Storyboard episode on CNBC.

But then this was ‘our destiny’, for team frontrunners consisted of two marketing jewels who are now destined for even bigger things – ‘Abhijit Kamra & Jeeta Das’!!

Well, frankly speaking, its really impossible for me to put on paper the rigour, sincerity and dedication with which both of them dissected each and every case LIME threw at us for the past 4-5 months or so (ya its been a really long time now). But I will give it a try anyways!!!

Always playing the catching-up act, I am absolutely a fan of the determination and unparalleled hardwork with which both of them toiled day-in, day-out, night-in, night-out for 5 consecutive months……………….

In my 25 years of life-history, I have never ever witnessed someone with such passion and infatuation (ya I really cant find another word which conveys the same meaning in a positive way) for marketing case studies. Yes, I was sometimes a little short of time to be completely devoted to the cases, but even if I had spent that much time, still would never have touched the marketing excellence levels set by this awesome twosome!!!

Guys – It really has been an honour of the highest order for me to be a part of such a super-fantabolous team, which was indeed a frontrunner, in its truest sense of the word, all-the-way!!!

Yes, it was a privilege to be a frontrunner that decimated the challenge of top-12 B-schools in the country, across a variety of cases spanning different sectors.

A learning experience to be treasured for the life-time, it really would not have been possible without the super-human efforts of Kamra bond & JD!!!

I don’t think I have done this before, but guys – this blog-post is dedicated to both of you as well as to the team frontrunners which made the impossible-possible!!

When Dreams come true…. Indeed!!!

THE PARADIGM SHIFT

2010-01-01T01:12:00.003+05:30

This is going to be a little difficult, so stay with me:

98.91

He opened his office PC. Logged on to THE website. His eyes were fixed on this number for a complete minute. And the 61st second made him blurt out – OH MY GOD! (January 2009)

19.50

His mobile phone beeped. One new message. He opened it. His eyes were fixed on this number for a complete minute. And the 61st second made him blurt out – OH MY GOD! (December 2009)

110

The results were out. Before I could open that make-or-break word doc, my mobile phone rang and he gave me the news – the GOOD news. Selected in one of the ‘centres of excellence’ in Mumbai. My name across this S.No confirmed it. Out of the CAT race. (April 2009)

13

4th day/night running – about to sit for another GD. Mobile phone rang – cleared someother GD and need to rush for the interview now. Phone rang again – Finally!!! 13th time lucky. Out of the RAT race. (October 2009)

Numbers have always fascinated me a lot. They somehow quantify your intangible emotions. Happiness… Sadness… Feeling lucky… Not quite lucky… So on & so forth. And it is another number – 365 that has brought about a shift, a paradigm shift in me forever. These 365 days of the year 2009 has revolutionized my life like no year has ever before. And this change has been so constant in 2k9, that until the clock ticked 12:00 on 31st December, I was not sure whether there will be another shift even in that last millionth of a second. So, as 1st January 2010 welcomes us to what promises to be another exciting year ahead! Its time to look back at the 2k9-special:

Perfect beginnings and then perfect ending are so very rare in this real world. Moving to the fantasy world of bollywood, Aamir Khan proved it once again that if Ghajini (my 1 January watch) was the perfect beginning, then 3 idiots (28 December) marked the perfect ending of the year for him. For me, the paradigm shift was not so perfect – blended with all possible highs and lows!

The Beginning (Jan-April): The full-sleeves shirt, the dark trousers, the matching tie & the leather shoes – and you have the EVS professional in its elements! Back at H.No 20, the super-six made sure that the funtime never halted in gurgaon. Life was predictable but satisfactory. The hecticity in job was compensated by the masti with flatmates.

The Gearing-up(May-June): With CAT cracked, it was time to relax & then plan for the future ahead. After solving the MDI vs NITIE puzzle after 45 days of intense research (ya I am good at that), I was U-NITIE-D. All set for the ensuing MBA-times!

The Shifting Act(July-Sept): And then it all began – 18th June marked the beginning of a series of events that were going to have an everlasting impact on my whole life. Back to college, back to studies and amongst a new circle of friends – life started to change – slowly but steadily. These 3 months were quite an experience.

The Paradigm Shift(Oct-Dec):

Once upon a time I attended more than 75% lectures (read school & engineering college)…

Once upon a time I made lecture notes (atleast of few subjects)…

Once upon a time I dreaded alcohol, then started with it in minimum quantities and then reached the zenith…

Once upon a time I was afraid of case-studies, debating stuff, presentations, B-plans… Rather thought myself ill-equipped for such things…

Once upon a time I maintained a balance between my interaction with the two sexes…

Once upon a time I was socially net-worked only on orkut…

Once upon a time emosional attayachar was only restricted to DevD…

Once upon a time I was never ‘loaded’ with things…

Once upon a time I had free-time…

And then MOD-2 happened!

2/10 attendance – Roll No. 72 will not be allowed to sit in the Macroeconomics exam… I topped in the ‘ascending order’ of attendance!

One lecture copy having notes (no – read short-hand piecemeal writings) of the 8 subjects… And that ‘one’ copy was lost a week before the exams!

As far as alcoholic mis-endeavours are concerned, I did it ALL. 10 hours of BLACKOUT & I said Quits forever!

It all started with the Pepsi case, then Paragana debating competition, then Airtel & then the successful HUL case… they just kept on coming one after another… And Team Frontrunners scaled greater heights…

For once, I did not have those coffee-breaks, those pond-walks and those chatting chronicles with my fairer counterparts!

First Face-booked, then Twitter-ed and also Linkedin-ed – orkutting has taken the backseat now! What next?

Bouts of emotional un-intelligence hit me more frequently than ever before… Sometimes it was almost impossible to FOCUS with all the hara-kiri going around!

Loader… Loaded… Too many things & too less time!

YES – Time was running at lightning speed and I was always playing the catching-up act!

And then came 22nd December – the most important day of the year assumed even more significance this time, as it gave me the god-sent opportunity to take that much needed break… to break-free from everything! It was time to reflect & introspect… Time to learn from the past & move forward! Time to be at HOME :)

So 2009 was the year of the paradigm shift for me – the year in which I lived life on the edge… sometimes came back from the brink… sometimes did not… & a year of numerous firsties!!

The 2010 Avatar?

As the NITIE-MBA saga moves to its 3rd phase now, it is going to get more & more exciting as the stakes go even higher-up now! The bar will be raised to that next level – be it masti, studies (case & otherwise) or the com-work! The important thing is to bring some stability and planning amongst all the chaos & anarchy around, without compromising on the fun-factor indeed!!

The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months! - Edward Payson Powell

Lets get started with the 2010-Act…

Ah.. I almost forgot.. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! :)

CHOICES...

2009-10-26T00:10:00.003+05:30

“I don’t want to be a product of the environment. I want the environment to be a product of me.” – The Departed

Life is all about making the choices, right or wrong, they govern everything. Whether you like it or not, they lay out the path to your future.

Choice-1: Time series: 1990s Location: Jammu

A was the loafer of the class. The kind who incurred the teachers’ wrath to the maximum. The back-bencher who never completed his homework on time and somehow managed to fail in almost all of the exams. But, A was the one who enjoyed school-life the way he liked it and the way he wanted it.

B was the allrounder of the class. The one who made everything gold just by touching it. Be it studies, sports, extra-curricular or girls. The one envied by one and all. But, B was a teacher’s delight & parents dream.

C was the very studious and very hardworking types. The one who kept maximum distance from girls out of shyness. The one who completed all his homework on time and kept fair distance from sports, lest it interfered with his studies. C envied B and was scared of A.

'I' chose to be C.

Choice-2: Time series: Early 2000s Location: Dehradun

D was the child prodigy. The one who danced with mathematics and revolved around science. The IIT type!

E was someone who had never heard of IIT-JEE till 11th standard. Whose only goal was to excel in 12th board exams, as successfully ingrained in his mind by the teachers. The one who bi-cycled his way from one tuition to another.

F was the one who played cricket during lunch break and basketball by bunking classes. The one who fought with all those who wanted a fight in school. And the one never to miss a beautiful scenery whenever presented with an opportunity.

'I' chose to be E.

Choice-3: Time series: 2003-07 Location: Patiala

G chose to be the studious type in 1st year, the sport buff in 2nd year, the relationship type in 3rd year and the heart-breaker type in 4th year – and landed with a decent placement.

H could not come to terms with higher engg. Subjects during 1st year, struggled in 2nd year too, made some good friends (finally opposite sex as well) in 3rd year, ended with a decent CGPA and a satisfactory placement in 4th year.

I was the sporty/lovebird type in 1st year & 2nd year & 3rd year & 4th year! Placement never mattered to this NRI types…

'I' chose to be H.

Choice-4: Time series: 2007-09 Location: Gurgaon

J chose to give priority to CAT over everything else. The job took a back seat atleast in the 2nd year after lotzzzz of grinding in the 1st year! However, many new interests came upfront like booze-ism (finally!!!!), chatting & then more chatting with the beauties of NCR :P This was step-1 of the paradigm shift…

K was the star-performer-in-office types! Worked morning, afternoon, evening & nights as well as spent weekends in office too! This complete work-a-holic type got appraisals, promotions & recommendations. But not the satisfaction of cracking CAT…

L was the one who cracked CAT without compromising on the job – the multi-tasker… & as if the IIMs were not enough for him (atleast not I,K), went on to join bigger firms and the dreams of cracking GMAT & then MBA from outside & then…

'I' chose to be J.

Choice-5: Time series: 2009 onwards Location: Mumbai

M is the typical studious MBA-types. The one who attends all the classes (out of all that do take place :D), takes all the quizzes, case-studies and presentations seriously. And participates in all MBA-related competitions, henceforth is able to build a star-studded CV and runs away with a glittering summers offer!!!

N is the other side of M. Never to attend a class, unless absolutely urgent! He gives top priority to sleep, the next priority to movies, games, sitcoms, P-stuff and anything & everything which can be watched on laptop! When seen in campus (in those rare instances), his percentage time spent with opposite sex candies (again a rare species in MBA instt.) = his CAT percentile (98+) ;) And he somehow manages to keep this engagement in summers also! Luck By Chance??

And then there is O. Or should I say OMG! Time is an entity in short-supply for this MBA soul. Which means that his ‘Theory of Busyness’ makes sure that he cannot become a part of the indulgences of either N or M. Like 14 others of his batch, he is the front-runner (who unlike his name suggests is lagging behind on many fronts…). But then he chose his destiny so he really cant regret! And so he tries his best to do justice to his responsibility and to strive for a college-frontrunner balance. Whether he will succeed or not, only time can tell – but rest assured he will never be down & out! Summers – No comments please!!!

'I', yes you guessed it correctly, chose to be O. (OMG!!!) – Paradigm shift – Complete!

From C-E-H-J-O, my world has been determined by the choices I have made till now! And choices, it will be again, that will chalk out my path in the coming future – choices made by me!!

So guys stay tuned, till I happen to take the next gamble and make my next move :-)

Time to make my next choice – over & out!

And the Mod-1 Oscar goes to...

2009-09-20T05:57:00.003+05:30

Remember Remember the 18th of September!

For exactly 3 months after it all started, as the clock ticked 4.30pm & I submitted the at-LAST Communication Skills answer sheet in the examination hall a.k.a Baddy Court, the Module-1 (or statistically speaking 16.67% of my stay) in NITIE came to an end.

To say that these last 3 months will register in my Mind-Map as an exciting part of my life, will be a grave under-statement. For the events in this module have revolved in the 100% confidence interval of being ‘completely outrageous’ to ‘absolutely laugh-o-mania’. And so I decided to reward the best of them all with a well-deserved Oscar!

So, here go the nominations:

10th - “The greatest journeys are the ones that take you back home” – The ‘blessing in disguise’ swine flue time at home sweet home!

Himanshu (with that super-desperate look on his face) : Plzzzzzzz let us board the flight mam – its very important!!!

Flight official: Sorry! Only 10 minutes left for the flight takeoff now… Your too late…

Himanshu: Can it be rescheduled mam??

Flight official: Ya it can be… Go to the flight counter NOW!

And so the 3 shocked souls (Me, Himanshu & Anant) make a desperate run for the flight counter… Well it turned out to be a lucky day or maybe the start of lucky things for all of us… The flight got rescheduled :-)! We all went to our cherished homes. Initially for just 4-5 days, but the swine scare extended it to 10-11 days in the end! To get such a loooong break while studying in a MBA college & that too in the First Module is (in just word): SUPER-KOOOOOOOL

9th – Mid-term tests@NITIE... You don’t know a thing… And then the Group task begins :D

Not once, Not twice but thrice!! ‘Theory of Cooperativity’ was in full application at Syndicate-1 and to maximum effect. The Gang of Guruji, Chandu & BF ensured that the NPL (Non Performing Liability) cleared these tests with a HUGE smile on his face! Thanks guys for all the help… Rest assured, it will be payback time in Mod-2!!

8th – ‘14th-18th September, 2009’ OR ‘At My Wits End’ Week :-(

50 minutes remaining in the Marketing exam… And I felt like being the main protagonist of the movies – Dev D/Requiem for a Dream/Trainspotting! For my head started spinning, hear-beat started racing & eyes were dizzying… Well, it had to happen sooner than later – The workoload was just mind-crushing… Complete night-outs followed by 6 hours exams daily without breakfast/lunch/dinner and surviving only on tea, black-tea, biscuits took its toll. It culminated with me having to take Glucon-D bottoms up shots for the last exam :P Undoubtedly, one of the toughest times ever in my life!

7th – “Learning on the street, Nobody can beat”

MANDI’09 was indeed a life-time experience… To know more, please read my previous post guys – ‘Dial M for Mandi (2009)’!

6th – THE Gunda Movie ;)

‘Munni meri behen munni, munni meri behen munni, tu toh mar gyee? Lambu ne tujhe lamba kar diya? Maachis ki tili ko khamba kar diya?’

I had the honour of watching this cult movie in this mod & it triggered such a laughter attack that Nishant became Munni with his CRACKLING laughter. A MUST WATCH – This one will be treasured for a life-time!

5th – 7 or 8 Tequila shots!!!

Its tough to believe that around 2 years back, the use and application of the word ‘Booz’ (in every possible form) had an instant repelling effect on me. For on that Tunga night, I practically surprised myself. It was the first party at NITIE enlightened by kariaoke and the rocking atmosphere. And then it started… For someone from the opposite sex started gulping one T-shot after another & the blenders prided me just could not stand it… as far as I can remember, I was Tequalised-7/8 in the end & she won with a Tequalised factor of 8. Damn that!! But this had set the booz flowing for rest of the NITIEism :D

4th – THE GROOVE’09

The first 3 days will always have a special place in my NITIE story. For it started everything with a stunning IMPACT. For more details: do read my earlier post: ‘CHAOS THEORY – Begins & How!!!’

*Bronze Medalist* – “Escape is only the beginning” (Prison Break – Season-1)

A very good friend had advised me sometime back: If you want to know what is meant by getting addicted? Watch – PB! And he was RIGHT!!

I tasted the Addicto during my homely stay… the 40 minutes of the first episode were superb… but the ending 5 minutes shook me inside out!!! It was 3.30am then… I had to watch 4 episodes that night & slept at 6am… & the rest is HISTORY!! Back to hostel – And the sleepless & PB-full nights began… it was almost as if the (2-8)am slot was booked for PB! A deserving 9/10 on IMdB – the season had me hooked like nothing before! No TV series have had that effect on me before :-)

“Preparation can only take you thus far, after that you need a few leaps of faith…………”

As Mod-2 is about to begin now, can Season-2 be far behind..!! Ask AIR-WIND-RAJ-ANNA :P

**Silver Medalist** - The 6th Floor GANG!!!

He started as a Brave-Fart, moved on to become a Bhasadi & is now a unique mixture of Bakar (50%), that 32-teeth SMILE (20%), the supremely-organized roomie (10%) and a would-be batch topper (9%)… The rest 1% of this chemically laughing-stock mixture consists of infinite elements…………………….

He started with the Munni Act, then moved on to even bigger LAUGHING Acts such as roaring at the top of his voice (which may put his sound-blaster lappy to shame :P), falling off the bed while laughing & then gave that ultimate BOOZ-ALL-OUT act on that C-party night which will be remembered forever!! This Munji Ki Kunni, atleast for me, is the DRIVING force of our GANG……………………………….

He started with an all-sleepy-lecturey-image, then differentiated himself with some stellar on-stage comparing in Mandi & Denovo, & also delivered that PERFECT Sleepy extempore with all the nuances of this classical art! But then this was just one side of our very own Chandu. His other side as a PB initiator for me, the CS champ, a mind full of ideas, the head-banging-rocking party soul and what not…… Chandu bhai is just too good!!

This ‘C for’ guy deserves a special mention…. The only one who can contest with Munni for that elusive title of the biggest C :P For me, he is the JOKER in the pack… the icey-koooooool of them all, the guy with that amazing smile & all the bhasadi ideas up his sleeve……………

He started as a LOVE GURU, & then became the GURU of everything he laid his hands upon… A magnificent brain, he is the only one in the GANG who is more than capable of cracking the SAD-O-GHOSH code & balancing the Sundry debtors shit :P

He started as a buffety Doon bloke for me, moved on to become a 7th wonder, and is now our very own DADDU. The most stable & level-headed dude around, he is almost unflappable when it comes to setting those ghastly confidence intervals……………….

And then there is NPL, armed with that one-and-only Sui & a thing for everything that was considered traditionally BAD but modernity otherwise – the opposite sex, the boooooz & good-for-nothing guy :P

These are the 622,621,619 & 612 Gangers!

And they are the ones that make NPL’s life in NITIE a laughing riot, a freaking great experience and an absolutely fundoooooooo joy-ride!!! THANKS GUYS – Love you all :-)

***GOLD-MEDALIST***

So the time has arrived, after all those superb nominations, this has to be something extremely special to make the CUT – To become the KING OF GOOD TIMES…….

And the OSCAR goes to – “Blood, Booz & Baddy Night - The Free Fall” :) ;) :P :D

How many of us have wanted to enact the Dev D’s falling act of Pardesi??? Or wanted to know how does it feel to get KNOCKED OUT??? And to do it all in front of an audience ranging in hundreds!!! For me, it happened on that night…. The freshers party night!!!

8 shots of BP + 4 shots of Vodka can be a fatal combination… Add to that some high-octane music and dirty dancing… And one is destined to hit those dizzying HEIGHTS… So when Godmother decided to take my hand and into our own friends group, it happened: I moved a leg on that slippery all-boozy floor and the next second I was down on the floor with a BANG (to know the exact sound you can contact Saini), with my spectacles gone for a toss & I just BLACKED-OUT!! When I finally stood up with all the supreme efforts of the Saini-Mohan duo, someone just burst – ‘He is bleeding’. Yes this was BLOOD, & it was REAL.

The B-Cube combination had worked to perfection! The rest of that unforgettable night was spent in that ALL-OUT mode & I awoke a supremely satisfied soul the next day! For that ‘Free Fall Act’ will go down in my memory book as one of those – ’10 Things to Do before you Die’ :-)

THE END

P.S. They say that MOD-2 is much more enjoyable than MOD-1. Roger that :P

Dial M for Mandi (2009)

2009-08-06T01:53:00.005+05:30

No, this is not any Alfred Hitchcock Movie! But the series of unforgettable events that comprised 1st of August, 2009 were nothing short of a roller-coaster ride in the realms of the unknown, excitement, thrill and most importantly – loads of learning. For Mandi – 2009 turned out to be, as was promised to me by my seniors and teachers alike, a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The above picture says it all – “Learning on the street, Nobody can beat"...
With the BSE building looming on the left-side, the stage was indeed set for the ultimate marketing extravaganza.
And as me, the student of Management batch of 2011, NITIE ventured into the streets of Mumbai with my group, the learning curve started almost instantly.

Part – 1: ‘The famous five’ targeted VT as their first destination. The first deal was made near a bus stop. Tangrams started selling as hot-cakes there, but soon we realized that this was the only thing. Due to the low-income group present there, the high-valued products did not attract many takers. However, persistence was the keyword here and we finally managed to sell a few Jodos and Rangometry to a juice-sipping uncle to an aunty about to board the bus.

Part – 2: The second destination was an open bookshop near Fountain Chowk, MG Road. However, the journey to this destination was also not ordinary. We were able to sell toys while on foot, by making Rangometry patterns on the street-side steel rods with water! The bookshop selling turned out to be our most successful venture. We made some new toys such as cube, helicopter, crown etc. to attract customers & bingo! Uncle, Aunty, Boy, Girl, Kids, Elder people – one and everyone were a part of our customer list. Teachers were one of the main customers in the bookstore, and easily bought the concept of the educational toys. Some doctors were interested in them for their patients. However, the icing on the cake was a middle-aged man, who was pretty impressed by our product as well as the concept. The fact that he did not had the money to pay at that moment and so he rushed to the nearest ATM to get money for the products was an incredible achievement for us.

Part – 3: 90% of the products sold. Time for relaxation and chilling out. And we decided to leave VT and meet our friends at Gateway of India. And this was the biggest mistake we did! For, Gateway was already flooded with fellow NITIEians and the market was at its complete saturation. Our marketing abilities faced the sternest here now. And we did it again! YES, after lots of hardships, which included roaming like zombies all around the Gateway (after a whole day out with just a quick breakfast and nothing else). The final result: 100% success!!!

THE END: “All is well that ends well”!

And after traveling in local trains and autos in a trance on our return journey, we finally reached our very own sweet NITIE as a fulfilled soul, with a good day work, which will be remembered forever.

So this masterpiece had all the ingredients of a Hitchcock thriller!

Dial M for Mandi (2010) – Bring It On!! :-)

CHAOS THEORY – Begins & How!!

2009-06-27T03:14:00.002+05:30

Its been 8 days now, since I became a follower of NITIEism, and to put it in a nutshell – LIFE HAS CHANGED! (The words in Caps are put there knowingly).

It all started with my initial footsteps into the all-green campus in the hot afternoon of 17th June. As my auto screeched to a halt in front of PGP-1/2/5 Hostel, with the huge luggage accompanying me, I was suddenly encompassed by that special feeling – last felt 2 years back in Thapar University!

Room No. 622 on the 6th floor was destined to be first year abode here, with Chandu & Nishant being my opposite room occupants, reaching at almost the same time with me. The Firsties were a mix bag. The room was in a complete mess, but pretty liveable once it was cleaned. The Mess food was not at all messy, and still holds good till now (3 cheers there). After the orkutty & gtalky interaction with fellow batchmates during the past 50 days, the time had come to meet them in real. Arvind, Manoj, Himanshu and the likes happened to be first among those. After lunch, we all had a campus stroll, which took us to the beautiful pond and the playground. Then I met my dear roomie – Bravefart a.k.a Himanshu :D We also managed to play a cricket match on the very first evening :)

But the Chaos Theory essentially began the next day: The IN-DUCT-ION programme!!

For as the clock ticked 6pm on the evening of 18th June, we all felt an IMPACT of a magnanimous kind, seldom seen before! The Intros started and the USPs and what not! From Marketing presentations to Pole dance, from Finance case study to strategy games, from B-Plan to campus tour, and from Out-of-the-box skits to the rainy bonfire dance – there was everything, so much so that it surpassed my wildest imaginations by a long range! 6-7 hours sleep in 3 days/nights – well that was all we could manage.

Amidst all the Chaos, we all interacted with each other – From 5 years work exp. Junta to gold medalists freshers, the diversity was one-of-a-kind. We had dancers, singers, athletes, sketchers, actors, intellectuals etc. and ordinary souls like me too :P The 200 something junta was definitely one of the best amongst the country. I was amazed & thrilled at the same time. Another pleasant surprise was the super-ratio of almost 1:4 that we managed to have in our 9/11 batch.

NITIE as a campus also felt so aesthetic, almost like a rainbow of colours. GREEN with all the trees around, BLUE with the pond, PINK with all the beauties being there, BROWN with the dusty playground and trekking zones, BLACK with all the mysteries surrounding some places here, YELLOW with our new hostel shades, and finally WHITE coming out as the spectrum of all colours!

Its difficult to believe that its only been a week since I came here, because so much has happened around me. With a bustling group of friends already accompanying me everywhere, with the very latest discussions focusing on Goa trip and breaking the fairer sex-code :P, I am already in an all-enjoyment mode here.

The classroom studies have commenced, the assignments are pouring in now, surprise quizzes don’t seem so far and full attendance is almost compulsory. The MBA-feeling is slowly but steadily sinking inside me now.

So as I blog down the closing words of my first post in NITIE with the clock ticking 3am (well the difference between am & pm has almost seized to exist now), I am sure that this journey during the next 2 years will definitely have a life-altering impact (the basic premise of the Chaos theory)!

NITIEism ROXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. The icing on the NITIE cake has been the wonderful weather in aamchi-mumbai, which after a super-humid & all sweaty first 2-3 days, is now at its rainy best! The NITIE-MUMBAI Combo has started to click guys!

Roger Federer – G.O.A.T

2009-06-07T22:55:00.003+05:30

The stakes were really high:

He was in a Grand Slam Final. One win away from the elusive French open crown. One victory short of a 14th Grand slam title, to equal Pete Sampras’s feat. A performance which could make him only the 7th player in the open era to win all 4 major slams. He was up against the Super-Swede Robin Soderling, the conqueror of Clay King Rafa earlier in the tournament, in this all-important final. His passage to the final had not been smooth though, he was pushed to the limit by Haas and Potro in the earlier rounds.

After almost 100 minutes of riveting tennis in the heavy clay of Roland Garros, HE DID IT. He is now G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time)!! He is the Swiss maestro – Roger Federer!

Finally, the moment had arrived for the champion. For it was on this red clay, that Roger’s untiring charge for the French crown had been thwarted for the past 4 years by Rafael Nadal, the Spanish armada. But this time the Spanish armada had sunk. On a loss that hit 10 on Richter scale, an earthquake that shook the roots of tennis folklore. Rafa, unbeaten since his Roland Garros debut in 2005, was eliminated by then little-known Robin Soderling in 4 sets. What made this victory even more shocking was the fact that this same Soderling was demolished 6-1, 6-0 on Madrid clay by Rafa himself just a month back. However this was a different Robin, as Super-Soderling unleashed a flurry of unreachable winners to strangle Rafa’s attempt to take the crown for a 5th consecutive time, hence breaking Bjorn Borg’s record. The 31-match winning streak had come to a screeching halt.

And the minute that supersonic upset occurred, Fedex heartbeat had become faster. He, of all men, knew that this was his chance. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay his hands on the very precious French crown. The desperation, the pressure and the change in attitude could be seen in the next matches of Roger. He came from 2 sets down against the German Tommy Haas and was 2 sets to 1 down against the dangerous Argentinean Potro. As the Swiss himself said – ‘Wherever I go now, people come out from everywhere and scream – this is your chance, you have to do it this time. Its now or never’.

The 5 time Wimbledon champion, 5 time US Open winner and 3 time Australian Open owner had silenced his critics once and for all. For the only thing that separated Fedex from the title of G.O.A.T was the elusive French Open title.

However, a 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 comprehensive win over the now-famous Swede meant that Roger Federer had reached the pinnacle of glory. For whatever he may do now in his upcoming tennis future and his subsequent life, the colossal burden has been lifted from Roger’s shoulders forever now.

As one of my dearest friend ‘Sid’ quoted in his sms just after the historic victory:

“Those tears after realizing the dream of conquering the world.. that sigh of proving yet again that he is better than the best.. those glittering eyes of the legend.. the king of the kings.. yet again achieving superlative supremacy on this world of tennis-ing arena.. we salute you.. Sir Roger Federer..!!”"

Roger Federer – G.O.A.T :-)

VODAFONE & ‘The Art of Innovation’

2009-05-20T00:45:00.000+05:30

Everyday I want to fly stay by my side,
Everyday I want to dream stay by my side,
Every morning I wish I could just play,
Wish the mornings would just stay!

This Vodafone song happens to be my caller tune. The other day a friend of mine called up and was intrigued to listen to this caller tune, which according to him is too old now.

‘Ab change bhi kar le hello tune yaar, bahut purani ho gayi hai yeh’… I thought for a second and then decided against changing it, a decision I have been making every month now. The reason is simple: I just LOVE this song! These 4 lines somehow fill my day with energy, enthusiasm and that refreshing feeling. :-)

And that’s the hallmark of VODAFONE – whatever they do just touches your heart like a wave of fresh air. Actually I am a huge fan of Vodafone, their consistently innovative advertisements have always fascinated me a lot.

As far as I remember, it all started with the erstwhile-Hutch Dog, the one that kept on following his/her master whatever be the situation (I am sure that you all remember the dog, Vodafone or non-vodafone user). Then came this lovely song. And their latest ads have won the hearts of everyone – boy or girl, young or old alike.

The ZooZoos – the white extremely funny creatures in the Vodafone ads these days!! Be it the ‘star-player of the match’ ZooZoo or the prayer singing ZooZoo or the crocodile teasing ZooZoo or the ZooZoo couple roaming around the world and so on, they have managed to put a big smile on the sternest of faces. In my case, they have triggered the ROTFL effect!! (For the uninitiated, ROTFL refers to Rolling On The Floor Laughing) :D

Such has been the ZooZoo effect, that they are everywhere these days – orkut, facebook, you name it and these lovely characters would be found fighting, screaming, laughing, grumbling or teasing everywhere! The emergence of their numerous fan clubs with stunning fan following everywhere is the testimony to their success.

In this age of state-of-the-art marketing, the ZooZoos are destined to go down as one of the cutest and the most memorable characters in the history of television.

With IPL-2009 throwing one thriller after another, it becomes really tough to bear the monotonous ads in-between the overs, with some of them being so frustrating and meaningless that I feel like bumping my head on the TV! (thank God I haven’t enacted the violent act as yet :P). The ZooZoos with their mischevious acts come as a whiff of fresh air here also. Fresh air – well Vodafone ads atleast, if not the connection also, have become symbolic of this thing to me!!

So don’t be surprised if your family doctor advises you to watch ZooZoo videos in order to stay healthy and de-stress yourself!!

A big THANKS to Vodafone & their ‘Art of Innovation’ – I look forward to the next creative advertisement from them!

Till then it’s the ZooZoos and their squeaking – Love you white cute-pies! :-)

INCREDIBLY PULSATING LEAGUE !!!

2009-05-15T01:12:00.000+05:30

Mumbai Indians need 12 to win from 10 balls against Rajasthan Royals…

Abhishek Nayaar hits Botha for a huge six!!!

6 to win from 9 balls.. Game Over for RR.. One can almost hear their co-owner Shilpa Shetty sigh – No Chance!

But this is IPL and RR are the defending champs led by the mercurial Shane Warne!

Botha bowls Nayaar of the next ball….. 4 to win off 6 balls…. And then Munaf Patel bowls an amazing final over as the Royals win by a whisker – 2 runs !!!

Welcome to the ‘Incredibly Pulsating League’ 2009 – the ultimate combo of cricket and entertainment, it just does not get better than this atleast for me!! What with an unbelievable amount of time at my disposal, courtesy my ongoing holiday time at home, IPL 2009 is serving as my daily dose of thrillenium!!

However, this fun & frolic saga had begun during my last EVS days only, when I accumulated a good fortune with my perfect IPL prophecies. Had I continued on with those, who knows I could have been an IPL consultant by now :P

So as this cricketing mahayudh reaches its edge-of-the-seat climax, these are my top-4 for the semis (in that order):

Delhi Daredevils: Viru and Gambhir at the top, followed by Warner, Dilshan, Villiers and Karthik and you have a super-strong 20-20 batting line-up. This coupled with a more than handy bowling attack comprising Nehra, Sangwan, now-injured Vettori, Nannes etc. and you have a really formidable outfit. Not to forget the fact that DDR is also one of the best fielding unit in IPL. Sitting pretty at the top of the table now, this has been favourite team from the start….

“Yeh Delhi Daredevils hai mere yaar, bas cricket, victory aur IPL 2009 is baar” :-)

Chennai Super Kings: Led by the captain-supreme MS Dhoni, CSK is one of the most balanced teams in the tournament and one of the favourites from the start. Runners-up last time, the team had a very ordinary start this time, what with winning only 1 of its first 5 matches. But since then the team has bounced back in style and is on its way to a semis birth. With Orange cap holder Hayden going great guns this time, Suresh Raina blazing on all cylinders, Albie Morkel as dangerous as ever and a decent bowling attack, CSK may well make it to the finals yet again.

Deccan Chargers: After hitting rock-bottom in 2008 with the last spot, the team is determined to make up for the debacle this time around. Fully charged up under the able leadership of Gilchrist, who is himself moving to top gear now, DC would be a tough nut to crack this time. The return of Symonds has further bolstered the team that also includes Gibbs. With some luck, one of the strongest line-ups in the tournament is all set to reach the last 4 stage and from thereon, anything is possible.

Rajasthan Royals: The winners of the last edition had the worst possible start this time, after being skittled out for the IPL-lowest 58 in their very first match against Royal Challangers Bangalore. But the defending champions have bounced back in their inimitable style under the inspirational leadership of Warne. With Yusuf Pathan (one of the most dangerous players in this format of the game), Graeme Smith, R Jadeja etc. in their line-up, the side is good in both batting and bowling. Their 211 runs effort against Kings XI Punjab was testimony of how the team is all set to repeat their 2008-act.

The Surprise Package: Vijay Mallaya’s RCB has been the surprise package of the tournament so far. With their latest victory against CSK, the team stays in reckoning for the semifinal birth. Sachin’s Mumbai Indians may be in a gloomy state after their 2-run loss to RR, but other teams would ignore MI at their own peril.

The Disappointments: SRK’s Kolkata Knight Riders has turned out to be the biggest disappointment of IPL 2009. After being plagued by captaincy issues at the start, the team has been found wanting on all fronts – batting, bowling and fielding despite being a formidable outfit on paper. KKR is all set to do a DC this time around. Yuvi’s Kings XI have also disappointed this time and would have to win all their remaining matches to replicate their top-4 performance of 2008. They will also hope that other results come out to their liking!

All said and done, the last phase of IPL-2009 promises to be a supremely exciting affair!!
Hats Off to Lalit Modi for making this IPL another winner amidst all the problems faced initially and despite this cricketing extravaganza happening away from home!!

So guys, stay glued to this ‘Incredibly Pulsating League’!!

Let the best team (read: DDR) win! :-)

The KODAK Moments

2009-04-12T01:12:00.000+05:30

“A Picture can say a thousand words”…

So this is my endeavour to sketch my life with 8*10 tasveers :-)

Chhonu kaka, the gol-matol always smiling whiz-kid. Well, I have always been so cute you see :P This pic was taken in Assam – my childhood abode :-)

Sonu’s birthday time – HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me :-)
I used to be everyone’s “Aakhon ka taara”! the smallest cute-pie is my sis, the other kid is Aseem (my school-friend in Jammu, who happens to be in ISB Hyderabad at present!). And the open-mouthed-almost-my-age sweet gal is my neighbor! As my mummy says, she used to wait for me near the banyan tree for long periods of time & I never used to meet her there (which sounds so unbelievable to me now). Ah those kiddish times…….

The GANG of DAV Public School Dehradun. This is actually a get-together pic. I moved on from Jammu, when I was in 7th standard. Then spent 3 years here, till 10th standard – when I faced the ghastly BOARD exams! J

And this is the KV-ONGC get-together. My 11th and 12th standard schooling here…

Thapar & I – my rendezvous with the then TIET Patiala, started in 2003……….

Hostel dayz – with 2 of my best buddies in Hostel-B (if I remember correctly). They are called ‘Sid’ & ‘SKR’!

(Rank – 5)

One of my all-time favourite pics: the titanic-pose with Sid. Behind you can see the grand lake of Thapar!

IIP, Dehradun training time… I was at ‘home sweet home’ then and so are my training friends here (in this pic).

The super-duper industrial trips that we had - The McLeod Ganj trip was the BEST one!!

The Chemcheez party!!!!!!!! “Mehfil mitran di” was a moment to savor – we all used to have a blast here…..

(Rank – 1)

The PERFECT photograph! This are the last college dayz……… we are besides the NESCAFE hut of Thapar…….. One of my dear friends gifted me this pic in a photo-frame, which is still shining in my room cupboard! Another reason for my distinct liking to this particular photo :-)

My Doon home – my abode for the last 7 years now! “The greatest journeys are the ones, which bring you back home”!! And I have always loved being here…………

The CONVO time! The last time I saw many of my college buddies…… Really miss you guys………….

(Rank – 3)

Its not really about the pic here. Buts its about the lovely soul which accompanies me here. Piyush alias Double was/is/and will always be a GREAT friend of mine!!

My first meeting with Gurgaon – the UOP interview. This is one of the most photo-genic pics of mine :-) Thanks Batta saab!

The ‘Evalueserve’ times had begun…… In Cyberpark, Gurgaon!

The rocking EVS parties!!!

(Rank-4)

The Lotus temple pic with Bhalla ji and Pat (my dearest buddy)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me again!! I really love 22 December guyzzzzzz!! All drenched with Cake in EVS office :-)

My short-stint with EVS Yoga classes, which culminated in my interview on ‘The Benefits of Yoga’ on NDTV!

The Jim Corbett Offsite. Loved it inside-out!!

The Eternal Sunshine of Nainital that was a part of the EVS Offiste!

(Rank –2)

Again its not really about the pic, but the hunks there :-)
House No. 20 and its inhabitants will always remain close to my heart.

Went to the ‘City of Nawabs’ – Hyderabad recently. A fantastic place!
I will be going there more often now, what with my dear sis going for an MBA there :-)

Talking about MBA – After 24+ years of my life, that’s exactly what I am going to pursue next………… The “million-dollar” question is: Where?

1. Mumbai (Juhu Beach here)

2.Gurgaon (Metro Mall here)

Lets see where my destiny takes me next……………….

Dev D vs Gulaal

2009-03-20T13:14:00.000+05:30

2 months and 4 days... Ha - now thats a hell lot of a time to update one's blog (more so when it has such a huge fan following :P)

But now that i m here (courtesy RJ), its time for some serious talk:

During the last few months (to be more precise after the release of Dev D), I have become a huge fan of 'Anurag Kashyap' - the Bollywood director. I simply adore his movies - it started with Dev D, followed by Black Friday and then finally Gulaal. I have also enjoyed 'Main Khuda' song from his movie Paanch (which unfortunately was not released in India & I dont know why :-(). So if any of you guys, somehow manage to get hold of it: plzzzzzzzzz let me know (& i will treat you with whatever you like!!). My future plans also include watching 'No Smoking' again (it was an OHT for me first time around - but i had a feeling that this is also a great movie). Well the only other movie to get me this OHT effect earlier was Memento, which happens to be my all-time favourite movie. So you never know...

Now coming to the point: Dev D vs Gulaal
But why this comparison you may ask? Well its triggered by one comment of my dear friend RJ (which had my head rolling like Abhay Deol in Dev D - Believe me!!). So lets do it:

1. The First Half:

Dev D - When the first half finished, I said WOWWWWW (the last movie which made me do so was Nolan's masterpiece - the dark knight!). Mind-blowing acting, coupled by a gripping storyline, tripled by a dizzying music. It was a feeling similar to my 'first tequila shot'. I was on a high, a real HIGH! The only thing i feared was that in the second half, the movie can only go down............

Gulaal - If i was Tequilaised by Dev D, then I was Blender's Pride(ed) by Gulaal (which happens to be my ultimate hangover till date, ask my dear flatmate). Yes, it had overtaken Dev D in the first half (even if it was by a whisker).

And what was the reason for this: Bold dialogues???
YES, they were one of the many reasons, not because no other movie had such a huge dosage of this censored stuff before, but because it gave the movie the REALITY that it portrayed. When in Rajasthan Rajputana, this is exactly how they talk (one of my friend from this place confirms it). And kudos for AK, for bringing this out in open like the way only he can :-)

Someone said: "Very gripless, senseless music"???
Well everyone is entitled for his/her opinion. But to me, it was almost the biggest LIE in the world (yes RJ - this really hurt)! For, i have not seen more sensible music in any movie which gels so well with the storyline, the characters, the whole setting up of the movie and which grips you right till the end..!! I honestly feel that AK has also mastered this art of giving the ultimate Movie-Music como to us - everytime without fail..!!!

Someone also said: "KK Menon is not even 1 percent of what he truly is"???
Now such a comment i think is good enough to trigger an India-Pakistan war :P
KK is undoubtedly one of the finest actors of our generation, and his Gulaal exploits again re-establish this fact. "Mrityunjay singh" role in Gulaal was made for KK. And thanks AK for choosing the best man for the job again!

2. The Second Half:

Dev D - Ah, my worst fears did not come true in the second half (thank GOD!). Dev D, Paaro and Chanda continued with their mesmerizing performances right till the end, giving the movie a well-deserved cult status. The Dev D effect was so overwhelming that whatever i saw for the next couple of weeks seemed utterly drab and forgetful. Never ever had a movie made me feel like this.............

Gulaal - My worst fears came true here :-(
The second half (though good) was unable to match the dizzying heights of the first half. The reason for that was "Dileep Singh" sudden transition from a scared piece of shit to almost terminator status. That in spite of being supremely exciting, was a touch unrealistic. Moreover, the movie somehow lost its plot towards the end as well. However having said that, the "Raanaji" song with its current political overtones and the amazing dialogues of "Prithvi Bana" (Piyush Mishra) throughout the movie were a sheer delight!

3. The Final Verdict

Somebody said: "DevD 5, Gulal 2.5" (on a 5-point scale)!!
The only person in this world that may just agree with this assessment is Nikhit Kazmi (the Times of India movie review authority). His ratings were: "DevD 5, Gulaal 3".

According to me: "Dev D: 5/5, Gulaal 4.5/5"
And thats not only my egoist verdict. That is the verdict of movie buffs nation-wide. If you are not satisfied, all you have to do is check IMDb: As i blog, the current ratings there are: "Dev D 8.7/10, Gulaal 8.7/10". OR check the movie reviews of 'The Hindu' OR just check on google, and i assure you that you will say: Bingo! :-)

4. The Best Lines

Dev D - Tauba Tera Jalwa, Tauba Tera Pyaar, Tera Emosional Attayachar...

Gulaal - Is Mulak Ne Har Shaks Ko Jo Kaam Tha Saupan, Har Shaks Ne Us Kaam Ki Maachis Laga Ke Chhod Di...

All said & done - the central figure behind all that was discussed here is the mercurial director AK..!! You can find all the details about him on wikipedia.
His next venture will be "Mumbai Cutting", which is still under production. As i write this post sitting in Mumbai, how i am looking forward to this next master-piece..!!!

Disclaimer: All the views expressed in this post are not only mine but of 99% of the movie buffs allover India (Dont worry, I have done a survey to arrive at this figure). You have the right to disagree with these views. I would really love constructive/destructive comments on this post!

Un-Ideally speaking...

2009-01-16T20:11:00.000+05:30

Ideally, this post should have been titled: "I DID IT" (a sequel to my one-year old post I could/should/would have...). And ideally, it should have been about my CAT'09 wonders (please dont kill me for bringing this CAT word again in my post! Well to be frank, I just love it :P)

But then ideally, 9 January 2009 should have been an auspicious occassion for me rather than a so-so day. And ideally, I should have cracked CAT inside-out!

But this is an un-deal world. For otherwise, rather than writing this post at 8pm on a Friday with a weekend beckoning, I would have been talking to my very gorgeous girl-friend and making plans for the weekend :P

But huh.. not everything goes as planned in this un-ideal world. So the verdict is "NO IIM CALLS" (for the third-year running...) Ideally you would think that I would be thinking of innovative ways of committing sucide after such a remark. But guys as I told you before this is indeed an un-ideal world!

For rather being highly disappointed (almost in a coma) after all this, i am alive and kicking. Well "almost-99" (or 98.91 :))is not exactly a very bad effort. And if all goes well I should be greeted with calls from some fine colleges...

So un-ideally speaking, I am gearing up for the next thing on my agenda now - Converting these futuristic calls, because that according to me is closer to reality than ideality. Yes i sincerely beleive to be amongst the best when the topic in discussion is GD/PI/case-studies and all that blah blah... (now thats some confidence... lolz :D)

Hmmm... so I should be giving you the GOOD news pretty soon guys... Stay tuned!

Hey dont move to the top-right of the window just as yet, few more things left...
On the movie-front, 2009 has started in an almost perfect manner!
If its Ghajini in bollywood, then its Australia in Hollywood calling all the shots!
Two excellent movies to kick-start the new year for me...

And a quick glance towards whats in store, makes me really excited:

Come 23rd January, and "Slumdog Millionaire" hits the Indian screens after overwhelming one and all worldwide. Leave aside the movie, A.R.Rahman's heart-warming music which is both edgy and bolly-style at the same time has won me over already. The Golden Globe was just the icing on the cake. Kudos Rahman!!

And then comes "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button": a serious contender to the OSCAR dreams of Slumdog! Another movie i just can't wait to watch!

Un-ideally speaking this new year brings new hopes for me...

Staying realistic and looking forward!

Will be back here soon (and sometimes i dont lie & this is a truth :D)

Sayonara..............

Things to do!

2008-12-01T23:58:00.000+05:30

Why has there been no blog updates from your side??

This curious question posed by my office colleague, made me think and as you can see now - write! thanks man :-)

well the reasons are many (of this unblogging streak):
1. Not much interesting has been happening in my life these days.
2. I did not very well in CAT, third year running (maybe my last go at this national hobby).
3. I suddenly seem to have lost interest in the fairer sex (not because i watched dostana guys!). Still thinking why...
4. Will 'the pursuit of MONEYness ever end'? This tricky question is bothering me a bit more these days!

And even if you take away these reasons: Should I be writing about the terrorised Mumbai - the unwavering indifference of the politicians about this grave national problem, the shocking remarks of the Maharashtra CM etc. etc.?
Or about Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore.............
Will anyone listen???

Should i write about India's 5-0 triumph over England (to cap the Aussie demolition), or the timely/untimely Kumble/Ganguly retirement issue?

Well, if there was anything i would have liked to write about, it was "Dasvidaniya". Loved this movie inside-out :-)

My 10 things to do:

1. Make my life interesting enough
2. Move over CAT, there are better things in life than cracking it
3. Re-generate my lost interest in MISS UNDERSTANDING
4. Money is not everything, but it sure is many things :), so let the pursuit continue...
5. If i can't make the politicians to do something, why not try doing a little myself, to make my world atleast a safer place!
6. Eat Cricket, Sleep Cricket..!! Not exactly this, but keep following the gentleman's game, and not think much about the gentlemen gone!

That makes it 6! What more...........

7. Watch hell lot of movies (or should i say continue watching them!!) Saw 5, Burn After Reading etc. Bring them on :)
8. Celebrate life@EVS
9. Celebrate life@house no. 20
10. Stay HAPPY :D

Not a bad-list i guess guys!

P.S. What's your 10 things to do?

Dreams Unlimited!

2008-10-04T15:16:00.000+05:30

The hunger has returned to this CAT aspirant...
It never really left!

We dream - All of us do. A 10-year old schoolboy dreams of a 'Very Good/Excellent' remark from his teacher; A 12th standard science student dreams of making it to an IIT; A final year engineering students dreams of a good job; A beggar dreams of having sufficient food/shelter and clothing; Parents dream of their children success; A movie director of an OSCAR nomination/win and so on...

Similarly, We - the occupants of House No. 20 (Mr.H, P, V, J, D, RG and RK) also have multiple dreams. Some fulfilled but most of them not quite! Being different personalities, we also differ in our goals and our means to achieve them. However, among these dreams unlimited - there is one which is close to everyone's heart. Well you got it wrong this time - because if you answered CAT (misguided by the first line here), its WRONG! Because what I am referring to is something else - the unending search for the fairer sex :)

Yes, its the same old thing - again & yet again! Even after a year long of persistent efforts, nothing much has changed - Alas!

Mr. H is an exception ofcourse, but then the ladyluck had smiled on him long before he decided to oblige our flat with his estemeed presence. The rest six are still in a 'state of deprievation'! However, few of them have indeed covered some ground for sure!
Q. Will Mr.H crack CAT or FMS this time for his galfriend.. errrr.. i mean for himself? ;-)

Mr. P is the leader of the race in every sense - mocks have started clicking for him and so are the ladies, the good news may not be very far away now. Atleast, all of us are banking on him to break the jinx. Dont disappoint us buddy :)
Q. Which MBA will Mr. P be doing first - Master of Business Administration or Marriage Before Anything?

Mr. V never puts a whole-hearted effort unfortunately. Actually, he is too busy with other important things in his life. Planning his life for one and Reading 'The Hindustan Times' for another. Hey but many thanks dude for making me situp and blog again!
Q. Will Mr. V ever give the much-needed attention to the opposite sex or to Hindu or TOI? Or whether he will continue planning his and others life?

Mr. D deserves to have this dream converted into a reality - everyone agrees to this school of thought. But for those mental-blocks of this most-qualified engineer here, he has also failed (atleast till now). But then he does not give a heck to it either! He used to do so before though (and a lot of thought to this :)). These days he is also Wi-Fied to the net connection, helping Mr. J out.
Q. Simply put - Why doesnot Mr.D have a galfriend yet? Why and more why's? Or is this engineer, biker, comp-guy etc. looking to turn-it-on this november?

Mr. RK is the latest addition to our flat. With an ever-widening smile on his face, this IIT-K dude is preparing for CFA second time - all geared up to crack it big-time! As for the quintessential dream - he is mostly seeking tips from Mr. P and Mr. J to make some headway. Lets see how far you can go man - you may win where others have lost!
Q. When is the next time Mr. RK getting bumps from his loving flat-mates? Dont worry people - he simply loves this gift from his friends (time and again!) :)

Mr. RG - Now this gets a bit emotional. Since the time has come to bid adieu to our very own yogiraj, come october-end. After rocking EVS for over 15 months, this never-say-die guy has finally decided to call it a day. I think EVS will lose a very talented analyst, but this loss is nothing when compared to the VOID which will be made in our flat, our hearts and our minds! All those good-old memories keep coming back to me again and again. Hey no more love-lost crap now guys - Kolkata is not so far and we will always stay connected dude! :-)
Q. How many of us will join Mr. RG in the IIMs next year? (I hope all of us)

Mr. J is back to doing what he knows best - blogging! Yes, i absolutely love this thing (despite frequent bouts of unblogging). Lately, i am also trying to achieve 'dreams unlimited' with my limited capabilities. Yes, the hunger has well and truly returned now :)
Q. Will the super-seven kill Mr. J for letting the flat secrets.. errr i mean family secrets out in open?

I will be back with the answers soon! Till then:

GOD give me this courage to fulfill my dreams... to achieve my goals... and to become happy and then supremely happy with-in!!
:-)

Questions – Unanswered?

2008-07-14T22:46:00.000+05:30

If you have not spent the better part of your existence on earth (23+ years in my case at present) – sleeping and eating (Ah! How I wish those luxuries!!), chances are you must have had an eventful time here. And so there must have been questions that life had asked of you or even vice-versa, which painfully for you are still left unanswered. Well, at least in my case there is indeed a long-list comprising of few intriguing questions! How many of these can you answer guys? Here we go:

Ø The Office ones –

o What do you do with a vending machine, which is 24*7 “under maintenance”, so much so that even the nearby washrooms are under the same effect?

o Where do you hide on your Birthday, when you know that your face, head, neck etc. would be lovingly smeared with the cake in the evening? And which new excuse do you make to avoid the b’day treat that costs a fortune?

o Which of the following things do you give top priority when faced with an urgent situation: An email from your project manager asking for an urgent meeting to discuss one’s performance, A phone call from a distant friend who needs your help big-time, An instant message from a close friend asking for a quick 5 min. coffee break?

o How do you know whether your boss is in a good mood or not? Has it got anything to do with the way he/she speaks or interacts with you?

o In the rare case that you are able to complete your work on time, do you pretend to look busy on your PC or do you start playing games or do you ask for more work?

o What excuse do you make to a female colleague who suddenly comes at your desk when you were checking a ***Careful*** mail?

o When your cell-phone rings in the middle of a serious meeting with a cheeky ring tone, how do you react?

o How do you handle the parking guard in the basement when he tells you (in not the politest manner) that the bike parking is already full, when you are already running late for the office?

Ø The Flat ones –

o Is there anything else to talk other than office cribbing, office woes and the escalating “work-life” imbalance?

o Oh I forgot, yes there are ofcourse the pretty gals in the workplace. But what if they don’t give you a damn and most of them are committed?

o Movies, Cricket and other such blah blah blah……. Is there any end to them?

o Do you bang the doors of the bathroom (till they almost break-up), to let your flat-mate know the urgency of the matter or do you patiently wait outside for your turn (unlike hostel-times)?

Ø The Personal stuff:

o With almost everyone around you, seemingly enjoying with a good-looking girl, do you think it’s a necessity to have a girlfriend now? If YES – what are your next steps? If NO – it’s the same old story………..

o In the monotony of everyday life, do you feel the need to try something different? Even thinking about doing it is different I guess! Any ideas here?

o After almost 20 months since my first rendezvous with CAT, how do you stay motivated to finally crack it big-time? More so, when the mocks have already started mocking around with you………….

o How often do you go home or really feel that deep urge to runaway from professional life to relax at home sweet home?

o Do you dream about your screwed up future if things continue to linger on as they do today? Do you believe in these dreams? Do you constantly think about CHANGE?

o Is ‘Maybe’ the answer to most of your questions than a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’?

Well, I think this would suffice for a start. And I assure you that this is only a small piece of the pie called ‘Unanswered questions’! These are the ones that came to my mind randomly, and hence are put in that fashion.

Frankly speaking, this was my way to finally Un-blog myself after a long time and on frequent requests of my dear friends!

Yup, its time to get back and start writing again………………….

One last question: Do you think that the Federer-era has ended and its Nadal-time now after the stunning Wimbledon final?

Questions – Unanswered?

MISS UNDERSTANDING!

2008-04-16T12:14:00.000+05:30

Yes, I have finally decided to take the plunge, to venture into mysterious territories, to understand the opposite sex... By far, the most complex thing in this world (atleast for me)!

My equation with our fairer counterparts (though in terms of fairness, even I could give most of them a run for their money :-)), has been very interesting, ranging between the extremes of sheer joy to bitter annoyance.

As far as my memory goes, my first crush goes back to school-days, 6th standard to be precise, during those good-old Jammu days! The gorgeous'Shweta' (name not changed) used to sit with me in the class. I can describe her as my crush
only now, since at that time I was completely unawares of this amazing feeling that engulfed me all over. We were good friends, but deep within me I knew there was something more to this than just simple friendship (atleast from my side).
Whenever I wanted any help such as completing my homework, preparing for exams or even asking for a new pencil. It was always 'she', whom I would care to ask! She was intelligent, nice and very cooperative. And I was slowly but surely attracted towards her. I will always regret the fact that I could never understand her feelings for me and she never elaborated on them too. I guess, we were still too young to comprehend these hormonal imbalances.

As I grew older, moving to higher classes from Jammu to Dehradun - my mapping with girls also witnessed a gradual change. Well this had much to do with the structural changes and passionate desires of the teenage world. To add some masala here -
'Udita Goswami' (the bolly bomb-shell) used to be my classmate in 8th standard at DAV Public School, dehradun,albeit only for a month, though it may surprise you that I never liked her a lot, then!

And then I met 'Aditi' in 9th standard, and my world changed (for few months for sure). We used to travel together in the bus. She was in a different section & though we never interacted a lot, still I relished her company very much.
I was always searching for her face in the school assembly line and then during that 30 min. lunch break, before finally making sure that I manage to sit with her or could atleast see her in the bus, on the way back. I used to be a very
shy guy then and was incapable of expressing my feelings towards her. And this relation also grew hazier day by day, finally vanishing once I reached the board-examined 10th standard.

KV ONGC was my abode during 11th and 12th standards. And during these two years, my attraction towards the "misses" started to diverge. Because now I was fatally attracted towards innumerable girls rather than only one or two, like in earlier days. My friend circle also included guys with similar state of mind, and we started evaluating every single girl on her merit. Days and then months passed, and I was still intrigued by the mystery of the opposite sex.

And then something 'big' happened! I was in 12th standard and had just topped in the English unit test amidst a strong competition in my 45 student class. Naturally, I was in high spirits that day and then 'she' came!(Well, now I will
no longer be taking any names, what if my crashes track me here :-)) 'She' was the prettiest girl in our class. I was sitting with 2-3 friends, and then 'she' approached my desk...

SHE: Congrats Jitin!!
ME (almost dumbfounded by this shocker): Oh Thank you so much..
SHE: If you dont mind, can I take your answer-sheet for a minute, just to check my mistakes..
ME: Sure, no problems at all yaar!! ( I am sure that was my first reference of the 'yaar' word to the "misses")
SHE: Thanks a lot!

It was a 2 min. conversation, but it changed everything - from my identity now as a real 'stud' in my friends communuity to my attitude towards girls. I was more confident than ever now!!

School ended and so did my crushes.. Because then I moved to college.. and from then onwards I only had crashes :-(

Yes, during the last 5 years - I have met many gals.. But understanding the MISS has gone from being tough to almost impossible.. Have a look at the "misses" in my life and you will understand why:

Miss A thinks she is the most beautiful girl on this planet.. So game over here!

Miss B flaunts her assets like a would be Mallika.. Not my type!

Miss C is of the opinion that she has Einsteinic intelligence in her genes, whatever she says must be the truth.. I am always some distance away from this species!

Miss D thinks I am flirting with her, if I send her a simple friendship sms at 10pm in the night.. My goodness!

Miss E goes a step further.. She replies with an emphatic NO, my parents dont allow me to talk with guys, when I ask for her cell no.. So I never ask her anything!

Miss F thinks that I am getting a tad too close, if I wish her Birthday 4 times (orkut, email, sms and finally phone)within 4 hours.. My mistake this time!

Miss G can play the sms game really well, which goes on for hours, but talking on phone is a cardinal sin for her.. So I remove her cell no. too!

Miss H already has a boyfriend.. Wrong choice!

And the list goes on...

But, as with most of the things in life, here too there are a few exceptions...
There have been few "miss"es- which I have not missed to understand. And they have continued to be great friends all this while (but nothing more)!!

"Mademosille" (as I call her) during college days and my buddy across the border are few examples :-)
But - Thats it!

As I am still clueless about the rest 90% of them..

Love them or hate them, but you can't live without them!

They say: "People come into your life for a reason, season or a life-time"...

And how true is this quote.. For many gals have entered into my life for some 'reason'.. some others have played with my feelings for a 'season'. But I am still looking for the MISS UNDERSTANDING! (who understands me completely)..
And comes in for a 'life-time'!!

The search is ON...

Anyone interested.............................

I am still alive...

2008-04-06T20:08:00.000+05:30

This is to humbly inform all those great souls who take out their precious time to visit this space or used to do so earlier.. (not that there are many):

I am still alive (though not kicking) on blogosphere..

And I would be back pretty soon with my "life-time thoughts" :-)

Well somethings are keeping me busy these days, especially the LNP effect!!

More on that soon....................

And RS-VP Combo worked again…

2008-02-12T10:21:00.000+05:30

So what’s the next big thing in Bollywood?

Well, its not SRK, not even the director-perfect AK and not even the beauties on the silver screen…

If you ask me, it’s the awesome twosome of Ranvir Shourie (RS) and Vinay Pathak (VP) which is taking the Indian cinema to dizzying heights these days…

Be it the ROTFL extravaganza called ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’, where RS-VP were at their hilarious best albeit their cameo performances!

And then came ‘Bheja Fry’, which left us laughterstruck, inside-out :D
This drop dead comedy turned out to be a VP show all along. But nobody can forget the funny income tax guy RS, with his unbelievable accent, that had us craving for more yet again!

With ‘Mithya’ – the deadly laughter duo have stamped their authority in full throttle. For the truth about ‘Mithya’ is, like all top-notch movies, it makes you think and then think more! The combo has certainly moved a gear up with this wholesome movie. Yes they are indeed the masters of the laughter game, but ‘Mithya’ proved that this bunch of naturally-gifted actors has more to offer to the Indian cinema. This Rajat Kapoor directorial venture has unleashed two of the most talented bollywood actors, at the peak of their powers!

As long as this RS-VP combo keeps the Indian cinema enlightened, Bollywood is surely alive and kicking!

Think RS…
Think VP…
Think laughter…
And now think more…

The ‘WOW’ combo is here to stay…

What next?

“The Super Six” : Unplugged!

2008-02-02T23:36:00.000+05:30

This is the story of our ‘gang of EVS’ – rocking gurgaon at present!
Story of 6 flatmates staying in House No. 20…
Of there sky-high dreams, screwed up office lives, how they sometimes get along and sometimes don’t, and how all of them are – same same but different!

It all started with that legendary ‘Talwar’s PG’! Our unforgettable stay in that place, which brought all of us together! As ‘united we stood’ against the sometimes foolish & sometimes wicked actions of the haughty landlord.

The Gang finally found peace and satisfaction, after a gigantic struggle – when life became mayhem and confusion ruled the roost. Finally, culminating in our Sec-15 flat. After a fascinating 4 month stay here, I present before you – ‘The Super Six’: Unplugged!

Yogiraj a.k.a Ritesh

Being my room-mate is not easy. But this not-so-typical IIT product has somehow managed to bear with me till now. And that’s simply because this – past IIT cracker, present EVS cracker and would be IIM cracker (99.26 this time!) adapts everywhere and fits into every group naturally. He is the driving force behind this blog! Always inspiring me with his critical and supportive comments. And though he may not be the best roomie (in terms of cleanliness), he sure is one of the most helpful & caring people around.

USP: The guy is a die-hard yoga-fanatic.

Yogiraj has a CATty relation with rickster, a close affair with CCD, and is a great fan of – ‘punjab ke puttar’ ;-)

CCD a.k.a Varun

The most mature dude of us all. He does almost everything like a business analyst – in a logical, rational and a calculative manner. And I really like him for this attitude. But the other side of this NSIT engineer is even better. Because he can be an all-out fun loving guy, when the watchword is enjoyment. CCD keeps everything simple and clear. Never afraid of taking an initiative, he is sure to excel pretty soon in his next mission – IIM possible! (We are both together in this dude) :-)

USP: Why we call him CCD? Because he is the Call Center Dude (no offence meant!). And ‘The Super Six’ know the story behind this name.

CCD is the room-mate of rickster (but they are sometimes poles apart in opinion), as I said before – shares a close bond with Yogiraj, and loves – ‘punjab ke puttar’ :D

Rickster a.k.a Rishabh

A four-digit number should be enough to describe him – 99.99 in CAT’08.
And he deserves all of it. The eternal CAT smasher (cracker would be a mild word) of our flat. And there is more to him – a die-hard cricket fan in particular and sports fan in general. The guy always has a humorous quote up his sleeve. He targets one of us on a given day and if you are on the receiving end, then may GOD help you! (He started with ‘spoc’ , then aimed at CCD, but alas the focus has shifted to me these days!). May the almighty bless us all from rickster’s not-so-funny PJ’s…

USP: You know who nick-named him ‘rickster’ – The man himself! And nobody else calls him by this name…

Rickster adores his fellow NSITian, discusses CAT stuff and more with Yogiraj, used to have some serious phagwara fights with spoc and is simply in awe of Goganeshwar!
And we share a common dialogue: Halla Bol :-)

SPOC a.k.a Pawan

Mr. Lightweight happens to be my fellow thaparian! We shared a pathetic PG house during our early days here, then shifted to Talwar’s PG and are again together here. The planner of our flat – he is unarguably the best person for this job. This ‘Punjab ka Puttar’ shares his room with Goganeshwar (the other ‘Punjab ka Puttar’!). He is also the landlord aunty’s favourite. And one of the ‘lucky two’ to have the ‘badi wali’ damsel on his orkut friend-list! (No points for guessing who is the second-one :-)). He takes life by the smooth handle and is one of the very few no-regrets-guy around. Keep it up buddy!

USP: He is the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) of our group!

SPOC simply loves Goganeshwar (different from CCD-Yogiraj affair), and is great friends with everyone else.

Goganeshwar a.k.a Dheeraj

The most desperate of us all (No offence meant!) – when it comes to a relationship with the fairer sex. He wants them and wants them fast! (‘Chhoti Wali’ – Beware!) So much so that he even interferes in other’s affairs. Jokes apart, he is one of the most talented guys in our flat. A true PEC engineer in every sense. He can fix anything and everything. Very health conscious with his ever bulging stomach these days :-). The best biker here and the only other non-vegetarian around! To me he personifies the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”! He is every bit my great friend!

USP: I don’t exactly remember how he was named – Goganeshwar. But it does not really matter. The most hatta-katta dude here! This ‘Punjab ka Puttar’Rocks!

Goganeshwar loves Spoc, is at his ‘desperate interfering’ best with Yogiraj, is not afraid of rickster’s PJ, and is a fan of CCD.

Pinki a.k.a Jitin

First things first – Don’t read much into this nickname. Its only because my dear flat mates think that I become pink and even reddish in colour most of the times (Though I don’t give a damn to it!). Of course I can’t go singing praises about myself, but I think I am an average person trying to achieve my dreams – whatever it takes to fulfill them!

USP: I think I am the only blogger in this group! (That’s because I have nothing better and more fruitful to do) :-)

Yogiraj still rues that moment when I became his room-mate, CCD is going to kill me for publicizing his nick-name, Rickster is going to ‘Halla Bol’ against me for all that PJ talk, SPOC may very well disconnect me from this group – sooner than later and Goganeshwar is desperately searching me now as if hell has broken loose. Infact, I am becoming reddish-pink!! So I better run-away now ……………

P.S. There is more to “The Super Six” and this is only a brief insight! And I would like to hear from all the other Five at least – How was that???

The Million-dollar Smile :D

2008-01-23T21:51:00.000+05:30

Me on NDTV

2008-01-17T22:07:00.001+05:30

No guys I am not ‘that’ famous as yet…
But I recently had my 10 minutes of fame, courtesy: Yoga and NDTV.An intriguing combination indeed!
It just happened and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands :-)

As a matter of fact, I have been attending the yoga classes in EVS over the last one month or so. Partly, to stay physically fit and partly as a refreshing time-out from work. Then came the pleasant surprise: NDTV people were going to shoot our yoga session (which they did for around 30-35 minutes). We all were on TV (Wow!!). As all of us left the yoga hall one by one, I was the last man standing there. Then came my ‘moment of fame’. One of the guys politely asked me if I would oblige them with an interview on the “Benefits of yoga”! How could I refuse the irresistible offer? With an emphatic ‘Yes’ , I headed straight for the mike. They assured me that this interview would be telecasted as part of their weekly show on ‘Yoga and Health’. I was delighted, but not sure whether I would catch the show on TV (what with these horrible power-cuts in gurgaon). So I asked them a favour: Please click photos of mine during the interview!! Well, they seemed more than happy to return the favour. And then IT started:

Q. Hi Jitin.. Welcome to the ‘Yoga and Health’ show on NDTV. So how are you doing?
A. I am doing great.

Q. So can you tell all of us how does yoga help you?
A. Well it’s the perfect stress-buster for the body and then all blah blah blah…

Q. Does it help you in coping up with the workload in office?
A. Yes absolutely. Infact, in my opinion it and then blah blah blah again…

Q. So would you recommend it to people working in the corporate world?
A. Yes why not! And again all that blah blah blah…

Thanks a lot for your time Jitin.
You are welcome.
And this was ‘THE END’ of my rendezvous with NDTV.
I was on cloud no. 9
And with all those fantastic photos, that ‘top of the world’ feeling engulfed me all over.

P.S. I missed the show on TV (power-cut again!!). But those precious photos would be there always :-)

I could/should/would have...

2008-01-10T19:41:00.000+05:30

Well its that time of the year again…
And do what you may, but you can’t run away from the CAT hoopla!
I tried my level-best to stay cool and composed…
But that eerie feeling is back again…
The feeling of déjà-vu…
Not even being close this time…
The feeling of CAT cracking me again & not the other way round :-(

And being in EVS makes it all the more harder to digest this fact!
With calls pouring from all sides and people reaching the zenith of percentiles, for once you start questioning your ability amongst this elite group!
Am I not good enough? or Is it that bad luck again?

And having flat mates scoring 99.99 and 99.26 percentiles does not help either!!

I could have…
I should have…
I would have…
But I did not!!

And its next time again…

On a brighter note:

Hoping to be ‘third time lucky’ :-)

The Magician called ‘Aamir Khan’

2007-12-31T20:32:00.000+05:30

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak

Andaz Apna Apna

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar

Sarfarosh

Lagaan

Rang De Basanti
And Now,
Taare Zameen Par!
We have been fascinated by the bubbling young boy in QSQT and delighted by the stomach-aching comedy of AAA. The ultimate spirit of competition and the riveting climax of JJWS have thrilled us to the core. The honest and dedicated ACP Rathod of Sarfarosh is still fresh in our minds. We have loved every moment of Lagaan – cricket and otherwise. Then we moved one gear up into the RDB mode – A watershed movie in Bollywood. And, now TZP!

These are just a few magic spells – courtesy the majestic wizardry of Aamir Khan. Magic: because they hypnotise us like nobody else can.

I still remember the RDB era, when the spirit of nationalism reached its pinnacle. The period preceding it as well as the aftermath of RDB was marked by that “Kuch Kar Dikhana hai” attitude. We all wanted to “Be a Rebel” against the corrupt political system.

So what sets apart Aamir Khan and his movies from the rest of the pack? Why do we feel that adrenaline rush and sense of enlightment during those unparalleled cinematic treats? Well its simple! Its because the characters, the storyline – cause and effect are not taken from an alien world. The AK show is to the people, by the people and for the people. For once, the real and reel world metamorphosis into each other. The 8mm world frame displays our world – feelings, emotions and passions. Couple all this with some breath-taking performances and the ‘magic spell’ is complete.

And then AK decided to put up the Director’s shoes and we all were mesmerized again! For TZP can’t be described by one single adjective from the vast English vocabulary. Well, I atleast could not find one!

2007 has infact been one of the better years in Bollywood. ‘Life in a Metro’ (7/10) and ‘Bheja Fry’ (7.5/10) were two special movies this year. And if ‘Johnny Gaddar’ (8/10) was an outstanding edge of the seat, fast-paced thriller; then, ‘Jab We Met’ (8.5/10) was entertainment at its best. A pleasant surprise and a welcome change from the other insipid Shahid-Kareena ventures. A perfect case of ‘Jab They Clicked’! “Chak De! India” (9/10) was the front-runner for the ‘best movie’ crown for most part of the year (till 21st December to be precise). Infact, this rare masterpiece has already been blogged here! But, then the ‘jaadugar’ wielded his magic wand for the umpteenth time.

“Taare Zameen Par” has been exquisitely reviewed and then reviewed again, quite a few times already. And it deserves all the accolades too.

Ishaan Awasthi’s portrayal of a dyslexic kid, under the perfect direction of Aamir Khan is a treat for the eyes, music for the years, an emotional saga for the heart and food for thought for the mind.

Well, we are all mortals living on planet Earth. But, some of us manage to dodge the universal truth – ‘To err is human’! Because these chosen few rarely put a foot wrong. They are all around us. Like the Sachin & Lara’s of cricket, the Federer’s of tennis and Schumi – formula one etc.

And now the time has duly arrived, to hail the greatness of the man who continues to amaze us over & over again – for more than a decade now!

If there was ever a slightest doubt about the quality, meaningfulness, the sense and sensibility of Hindi cinema – Then this ‘enigma’ erases it for once and for all. For until the moment the ‘one and only’ Aamir Khan graces the reel world with his esteemed presence – film industry in general and Bollywood in particular would never be worthless!

Remember Aamir Khan and his genius! And be thankful that we all lived in the era of ‘The reluctant star”…

Let his magic show continue till eternity…

“Beh Chal Kahin, Ud Chal Kahin,
Dil Khush Jahaan, Teri to manzil hai wohi”…

A B-day full of Wishes :-)

2007-12-25T02:05:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to all my dear friends who are indeed the wind beneath my wings! (As one of my dearest pal once pointed out)

6 days to go: Well I don’t have a best friends list in particular. But if I had one, ‘Sid’ would top it any given day! No I would not go waxing eloquent about him. His orkut testimonials serve that purpose. So as we met in gurgaon, there was a surprise awaiting me. My first B-day wish in advance with a special card and barista cake!

3 days to go: An email from China office, wishing me in advance… No points for guessing who had mailed dear buddy!

2 days to go: I was in office. And then my phone rang, a good old Thapar friend calling… after quite some time… A soft & refreshing voice that brought an instant smile on to my face. “Happy B-day in advance”. Before I could ask why so much in advance, bang comes the reply: “Because I know you would be at home and I am sure you wont pick up the phone on roaming!”. If only she had known, the roaming blues that lay ahead!! I reaffirm that this wont be the case and she promises to call me again.

7 hours to go: The standard EVS B-day mail hits my inbox! And this time I am also in the hall of fame. What follows is a sudden rush of B-day wishes mail and office colleagues wishing me ‘in advance’. The eternal “When is the party” question is next! I had already prepared for the answer. I am going home and party will have to wait till at least next week!

45 minutes to go: I am on my way back home, trying my level best to catch up with some sleep. But the B-day excitement has gotten over me now. And I just can’t sleep in that luxurious AC coach deluxe bus. My mobile starts ringing again. Its Harpreet@infy calling... from Mysore! She had a bad habit of forgetting things! But this time around, she more than made up for those forgotten times… With this call, I was completely on my heels now, for the ensuing callers…

20 minutes to go: This time its happy b-day wishes via written communication, as a sms beep has my cell ringing again!

5 minutes to go: An EVS-Doon friend calls up to wish me in advance, lest she sleeps after 5 minutes!!

22nd December, 2008 (12 am IST): Phew its my Birthday now!!! And another of my sweet friend calls, bang on time: Bingo! Piyush: He is always at the right place at the right time!

And then follows a flood of calls…
7 in the next 45 minutes: ranging from as small as 20 seconds to 16 minutes!! They come from everywhere: from RJ, left stranded in ambala (now that is another story) to Devein calling from Kolkata, from ‘Sid’ wishing many many happy returns of the day! to Vikas wishing in true Punjabi ishtyle! In between few sms also make their way amidst huge rush! Then the longest call till then (16 minutes), from the lady that gave me the idea to write this article. Thanks yaar :-) I will discuss that amazing trip some other time! 4 missed calls on my cell when the call ended: from my dear cousin@faridabad! Its 12:45 am now…

I wait for half-an-hour more anticipating some other well-wisher taking the pains to call me up at this weird time! Well my other friends are sane enough I guess, no more calls then. So, I finally slept!

6:50am: Once, twice, thrice… No I am not going to wake up. Well, I am sleeping in my cosy bed at home sweet home! So hold-on guys…

7:45am: Ha.. this one does wake me up! Maybe its because from a far-off place seeking urgent attention. A call from Jamshedpur: crisp & concise. Happy B-day!

9:00am: Now this one is special. Because its MJ calling from Chicago,USA. Its still the night of 21st there…

9:15am: “She” calls me again. And I do pick-up the phone on roaming!

The calls keep coming! And I also unfailingly receive all of them! They are all from different zones of India…
In between, I also swap wishing roles. Its Karan’s B-day too! And I take-up the honour to wish him in the afternoon…

From my chemcool batch to the EVS group, all my close buddies: call me, sms me or scrap me!!
There are some nostalgic college days conversations and some funny office ones too! I listen to everyone with growing amazement… There are talks of screwed up jobs and there are ramblings of being unemployed still! There are some unexpected wishers too and some friends who forgot the all-important-day!!

I had to charge my cell twice in the day and almost lost a fortune on roaming! But these things just did not matter… What mattered was how some people not only remembered me, but also those small things in our relationship! And how they made my B-day full of wishes, unforgettable…

The final caller was My flat mate Dheeraj at 10:50pm, making the cut just in time! (Otherwise I had planned to call him at 11:55pm, his b-day is on 23rd, and to make him feel guilty!)

So as the clock ticked 12 again, completing a fascinating B-day, I had perfectly understood the nuances of this very special occasion in everyone’s life!

Many Many Thanks to all my dear friends for making the 22nd December so special for me :-)

M A D

2007-12-17T10:31:00.000+05:30

Do you like Music?

And

Do you like to Dance?

If the answer to both these questions is NO, then please don’t read on. (It’s not worth the pain!)

But if you answered YES, then: Let the Music play and Dance to the tunes of MAD in a trance…

The atmosphere is Rocking! Sound levels are hitting maximum decibels. Lights are at their flickering best. On the disc floor: Body is moving at top speeds. The head is banging up and down. The hands are in perfect synchronization with the leggy mechanics. The bends are rotating and the curves are revolution(ary). The heart is pounding and the pulse is racing. The Dance Club is freaking out, the floor is creaking and the shrieking crowd is going crazy. The adrenaline rush is on: For the last 300 minutes!!!

Welcome to the M A D world of “Music And Dance”…

This was a scene taken out from the M A D parties, which serve as the ultimate stress buster from the workaholic world! Because when you dance, you let go everything. The mind is in a state of absolute relaxation. It is a matter of spirituality redefined, the MAD way. The everyday monotony is broken, paving the way for an all-out fun and enjoyment! The ideal tonic for the upliftment of the soul.

In this MAD world, there are no boundaries of formalization. There are no rules to be followed and timelines to meet. And most importantly, it gets people connected! There is instant interaction amongst seemingly unknown souls, irrespective of your hierarchal status. It units one and all. There are no racial overtones and cultural stigma attached in this carefree world.

Looking for a companion and bondage with opposite sex: MAD time is again the best time!

A win-win situation for everyone.
So guys, it just does not matter if you have no clue about which song is playing in the disc or you have never ever stretched your body, let alone dance.

Just go Mad about MAD and everything would fit in smoothly! Put your dancing shoes on, in this musical world and rock the party…
Aaja Nach Le…

PERFECT BUDDIES!

2007-12-03T11:37:00.000+05:30

“Good-Bye”

And with that one last word, she was gone…

Around 2 months ago:

I was stumped by that one-liner flashing on my computer screen. It read- ‘Would you like to be a buddy, Jitin?’ The question was asked by my manager. On first thought, I took it as some sort of mistake. So, I reconfirmed and to my amazement, it was intended at none other than me. I thought for a split second and then answered in the affirmative. How I relish that decision now!!

Miss Patricia Wang (or ‘Pat’ as I call her) graced India with her presence on the night of 15th October. My colleague and great friend ‘Sohail’ accompanied me for her pick-up from the air-port. I knew her face but carried a sign-board with ‘Patricia’ written on it, just in case! Suddenly a cute girl walked out of the airport with an intriguing expression on her face and a yellow bag on her back. Both of us shouted: “Patricia”!!! Our eyes met and there was instant recognition. Something told me that the next 45 days (the duration of Pat’s stay) are going to be fascinating. This time around, I was right!

We had already developed a great rapport, even before meeting. This was courtesy: Instant Messaging (IM) service. What followed were some amusing conversations…

Now, Pat is an interesting character. She can be quite serious at times (read: 1 out of 10) and almost notoriously funny at other times (read: 9 out of 10)! But her biggest asset is: Adaptability. Even after couple of days in India, she was completely at home. So much so that, she had chosen her home-town also: Chandigarh! And it was this quality, which made Pat’s stay all the more enjoyable. Infact, she loved anything and everything about India from day one:
The food was spicy for her taste, but she made it look delicious…

She was unawares of the Hindi language initially. But in no time she had learnt many good words. (The best ones being: ‘Theek hai’, ‘Accha Accha’,’ Haan Haan’(with that trademark neck movement :-) and her favourite one- ‘Chalein’).

Before stepping on the Indian soul, she knew only a handful of people. After one week, she was friends with everyone!

And then came the exhilarating weekends…

We went to the Malls of new gurgaon and also checked out the small shops of its old counterpart. Patricia tried everything for commuting: the rickshaw, the auto-rickshaw, the cab and what not! Yes, she was fond of exploring all the new things…

Then came the Delhi trip which simply rocked!! (My best weekend to date here). Steve and Rishabh joined us for this rendezevous with the Capital of India. The ‘Fantastic Four’ explored the heights of Qutab Minar, the markets of Delhi Haat, the handi-crafts emporium, the spicy restaurant of Connaught Place. The best part was the visit to India Gate. This all-out fun ride culminated with the glorious Rashtrapati Bhavan (President House). We had the times of our lives.

The following days were even better: We had this night-out party (sponsored by Manish and Rachit) with Adi’s show being the icing on the cake ;-)

Then our dearest Sanjeev sir invited us to the Lotus temple. And this ‘terrific trio’ performed a total hara-kiri there. We had lunch at an outstanding South Indian restaurant with Sir treating us :-)

Miss Pat also surveyed the International Trade Fair, Delhi and the wondrous Taj Mahal etc!!!

And then came the D-day…

A befitting farewell followed, with cake, sweets and gifts pouring in… All of us penned down our best wishes on the farewell card!

The journey back to the airport was next. Life had come a full circle!

At 1.30 am in the night of 30th November, she checked inside the airport and waved us…

I was assigned as a buddy to her. And in the end, we were the Perfect Buddies!!

Take care Pat and stay in touch :-)

CHAOS at ISBT, Doon (Part-1)

2007-11-21T22:52:00.000+05:30

The story-teller is back…

It is always a pleasure to be back in Doon, even if its only for a few days. And once this sweet period is over, I have to rush back to gurgaon. And I am not really fond of it. But alas! You don’t have a choice. So as I geared up for the monotonous journey back – all alone, I had no idea what was in store for me…

There is just one direct bus shuttling between the two cities. Officially, it leaves from ISBT at 11pm every night. For any ordinary bus, reaching 10-15 minutes in advance would have sufficed. But, then this is no ordinary bus: Welcome to the Bus Extraordinaire (BE)!
Infact, some of my well-wishers had already advised me to reach ISBT earlier. This meant: 9.30pm to be on the safe side (90 minutes before the scheduled time!). Anytime later may jeopardise my plans. So I decided to play safe. And the rest is History:

Scene 1 (On Independence day break)-

I was there at 9.35pm (a trifle later than expected). Now as this was my first rendezvous with BE, so I was unawares of its location. I went to the enquiry to check it out! There was this typical enquiry guy (in his mid 50’s or so). I started: ‘Bhaiya woh gurgaon wali bus kahaan…'
I was cut short, as boomed the reply: ‘Arre bhai late ho gaye ho aap toh, jaldi jao platform no. 14’! I don’t exactly remember whether it was this urgency in his voice. But whatever be it, I literally ran to no. 14. One look at the maddening crowd there and I had a hint of difficult times ahead. There was a huge line (never ever seen anything like that before). I gingerly searched for the end as I stood there dazed. Well, it was my lucky day or night: I got the all-important ticket (a big achievement keeping in mind that almost 30% of the people did not!!!). Well everything went smooth from there on…

Scene 2 (On Rakshabandhan break)-

This time, I came well prepared. Infact, I was there at 9.15pm. But My God! As I reached no. 14, there was not a single soul to be seen. All had vanished without a trace. Then I recollected my thoughts: During my journey from platform no. 50 to no. 14, a bewildered crowd was running haphazardly towards me and there were familiar faces.

Suddenly, a voice roared: ‘Gurgaon jaane wali sawariyon se anurodh hai ki who platform no. 42 mein line bnaiyen’! And it was Run-time again. On no. 42, CHAOS prevailed…
A ruffled up person was standing on a bench and shouting at the top of his voice: ‘Agar tumne line nahi bnaiye to saa*** kisiko ticket nahi milegi aur…’. Before the conductor (yes I had recognized the poor soul) could finish. The raging crowd backfired: ‘Hamein pagal samjha hai kya b***c***, picchle 2 ghante se kabhi yahaan kabhi wahaan bhaga rakha hai. Teri toh ****…’

I was almost paralysed at my place. When I finally returned to my senses and got hold of the situation, it seemed too late. I was standing on the 7th new line (the guy ahead of me told me this highly controversial no. – he had arrived at 8pm to catch BE). Hoping against hope, I gazed at my watch: 9.55pm. Then I looked forward at a gleam of hope. For there right at the start of the line, stood my old coaching class friend- Mayank! I knew: it was now or never! I dumped my bag on the ground and ran towards my would-be savior. After a quick introduction (Thank God! He recognized me too). He agreed to buy my ticket also, if allowed. But there was one small problem: His bag was lying somewhere in the BE. I assured him that I would take care of his belongings.

The interior of the bus told a different story. People had already occupied 90% of the seats and his Red & Black bag was nowhere to be found. Then I glanced on that last seat: Yippee! There it was lying beneath 3 big bags. In an instant fit, I took the bag in one hand and jumped to the nearest vacant seat. Two seats were booked now by yours truly, but where was Mayank?
More people had started filling the bus now (with those precious tickets in their hands). And then I saw a family of 4 people approaching the last seat.

‘Bhaiya yahaan koi baitha hai kya (pointing to the bag)’
My reply: ‘Haanji’
‘Kahaan hai???’
My reply: ‘Mera dost hai, washroom se aa rha hai…’
‘Jab aayega tab baithna, abhi utho yahaan…’

Before I could bounce back, there he was: my dear friend with the tickets. I have never been so much relieved to see a person.

So as 8 people sat on the last seat of BE: victorious after waging a herculean battle, the bus finally moved! I was again lucky. Because the whole bus was completely packed to the doors, with people standing everywhere (believe me even on a night journey)…

To be Continued…

LOST & FOUND!

2007-11-12T03:08:00.000+05:30

I was LOST:

‘The vagaries of an uncertain mind’ had taken over…
Suddenly there were too many questions and too few answers???
There was too much to do & so less time to do it…
I was always one step short and everyone else seemed to be a step forward!
Everything was becoming unmanageable day-in and night-out!

Something was wrong, very wrong somewhere!
The smiling face had LOST its charm, work was assuming gigantic proportions and to top-it-all, I even freaked out at one of my dear flat mates (without any reason).

Life was going haywire, spinning out-of-control, never like before!
& then happened the unimaginable: I LOST myself physically: on that dreaded night, I bled like it was going to be The End of Days! Courtesy, my flatmates it became nothing serious…
And that was the wake-up call for me.

Because, then I relaxed (oh, how I like that word). I decided to take a break and it paid off! I remembered: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! And then I implemented it…
It was a journey of rediscovering my inner self.
Peace, happiness, laughter, joy… Everything was back!

It all turned out to be a BIG learning for me, though it came the hard way. But this is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

My six-pence to the world is: Take everything by the smooth handle. And SMILE, because it is infectious!

No gyaan here, just lessons from my experience.

And hard work counts, but smart work counts more!

Because, The Smarter you work: The Luckier you get!

The earlier uncertainties had evaporated and I was pretty sure in my head now! There was answer for every question now, because I had erased many questions. The time was on my side yet again. Everyone was on the same page. And I FOUND the key to managing my life better.

Yes, I was Lost earlier…

But I have FOUND myself again :-) :-) :-)

P.S. This post is based on some real experiences, which I can’t detail too much. But I assure you those were hard times. Nonetheless, the good, no the better, infact the BEST thing is its all back to normal again. Hence, I am back to blogging again.

Malls, Movies, Mocks etc.

2007-10-09T09:24:00.000+05:30

I call ‘it’ the “Blogging syndrome”. Now, this refers to a curious situation in which a blogger can’t stay away from updating his/her blog after a specific duration (Otherwise there is a big crisis!). This time-period may vary from being few hours/days to maybe weeks and months. He/She has to religiously follow this regime or abnormality beckons! Its latest victim is “yours truly”. The time-frame happens to be a couple of weeks or there-about. So here I go again…
The purpose of this post is two-fold:
1. Ofcourse, to remind my dear readers that this patient is a severe case of BGS. Infact, it is fast becoming an epidemic in the blogosphere. So fellow bloggers: Beware!
2. To answer the eternal TGIF (Thank God Its Friday!) question:
What are you planning to do this weekend?

Now, this is a rather tricky question. For had it been dehradun, one could have come up with some interesting solutions after a bit of brain-storming! Well there are so many places to visit & lots of things to enjoy in ‘my’ doon.

But, alas its gurgaon, we are talking about! And when this query is about ‘there’ gurgaon, you always unfailingly utter this stale one-liner:
Malls, Movies etc.
Oh I almost forgot, there is Mocks in the end too (reminds me of how I forget to give the mocks too!).
This is not a complete answer. It is applicable when you are not busy with other very important weekend activities such as sleeping, sleeping and more sleeping………………………
So when you are not pursuing this favourite hobby of mine, you try (with not-so-great expectations) to explore the minimum city (liked this name more than the city itself!). The first place you go to (the word ‘visit’ should not be used here: it sounds too good) is Malls and then there is no second place! (Stumped?)

Though there are quite a few of this type here, you will not find any striking differentiation between all of them. But its quite amazing how most of this city’s junta targets the one & only: The Metropolitan Mall (Its in the name I think!). You must have heard about the Delhi marathon and stuff like that. Well, something very similar takes place here too. For those wise people, who don’t wake up early in the morning (like me) for a walk, this turns out to be an intelligent alternative. They walk ones & tens of kilometers. From one shop to another, from one elevator to another. They go forwards & backwards, upwards & downwards. Sometimes (no most of the times), they stop, so as to admire the artificial beauty around (no offence to the fairer sex, but its meant to be a wake up call for the relevant readers). And yes, some of them (who are fed up with money) are interested in ‘shopping’ as well. (And just in case you were wondering: ‘I’ have been a part of ‘they’ from the last century of days or so…)

But there are exceptions: As there is indeed another different class of ggnites, which does not walk but sprints to the ticket counter, watch the movie and then ‘quietly’ move out.
‘Quietly’ because they are always baffled by this query: “Was this worth 200 bucks?”

In this context, the ‘I’ in this ‘they’ has been lucky so far. As all I’s movie ventures here have been worth the fortune (Harry Potter-5, Ocean’s 13, Chak De! India & The Bourne Ultimatum).

And then there are the ‘Mocks’.
My long-term relationship with this species has witnessed different phases: ‘The Good, the Bad & the Ugly’ (exactly in this order). The Ugly phase seems to be almost over now (or so I hope). And most probably, the ‘Good’ would be back pretty soon (how I wish that!!!).

So as I try to prioritize & implement my plans (to bring the mocks before the malls and movies). Its time to change the gears for ‘The Race Ultimatum’ on November, the 18th.

And if you were quizzing yourself about what ‘I’ meant by etc. (in the rare case that you still remember the title). It referred to my incessant gossips & some interesting conversations with friends! {Ok enough of brackets & commas, must be some sort of a record by now :-)}

So as my office colleague shoots another question at me:

What are you going to do this week?

Work, Work, Work etc. :-)

COUNTERED!

2007-10-09T09:22:00.000+05:30

COUNTER

We, The World Champions!!!

2007-09-25T15:08:00.000+05:30

For once, the whole India came to a standstill…

From the valley of fear Kashmir to the Tsunami hit Kanyakumari…
From the deserts of Rajasthan to the wild beauty of north-east states…

The celebrations boomed: Everywhere!

Now this word ‘everywhere’, when spoken in context of our nation assumes mammoth proportions. It refers to millions of people of different religions, cultures and geographies. Even their languages are different.

But on this historical night of 24 September, 2007 (a date which would be remembered forever..), there was no communication gap! Infact, it was hard to distinguish between people from different parts, separated by thousands of miles… The reason: They were all hooting at the top of their voice, dancing like it’s a world gone crazy and partying with full vigour..
Bingo! You guessed it right…

Cricket is back in its new avatar of Twenty-Twenty jingoism…
& We, the Indians, are the World Champions of the inaugural edition.

Once upon another time, 24 years down memory lane, another group of cricket fanatics had made all of us proud. But for most of us, this crowning glory did not have a profound effect. As it was already history and captured by text book stuff, replayed matches & memorable pictures but still the essence was lost.

Then came the 2003 ODI world cup final: When the dream was almost relived but for the Aussies massacre in the final. It was yet again a case of so close but still so far………..
They said we were “almost there”, a phrase irrelevant in sporting arena in particular and in this competitive world in general.

Who remembers the runner-ups or the people who were second-best?

Only the champions make history, which gets embedded in sporting folklore for ages…
So, when the Indian team made an ignominious first round exit from the 2007 WC earlier this year, even this die-hard cricket fan had lost faith in the ‘Men in Blue’. The dream was almost over…

But, then arrived the ultimate cricketing makeover: the instant 3-hour action-packed drama of 20-20!
After a not so encouraging start, the Ind-Pak league humdinger set the tone for the rest of the tournament. An edge of the seat thriller with mind-boggling twists & turns. A tied match, finally decided on a bowl-out (synonymous to the penalty shootout in football)!

This was the turning point…

Not only old fans (like yours truly) got a new lease of life. But numerous new fans were made overnight!
The excitement (reminiscent to a Hollywood thriller) lured one & many more…
And from here on, the arch-rivals moved from strength to strength!!!

What with Pakistan stunning the islanders first, then shocking the kangaroos (both in super 8) & finally destroying the kiwis (in the semis)…

And India batted the Englishmen out of the match with Yuvi’s super sixes, then choking the Proteas into submission(both in super 8) & finally conquering the hapless Aussies: yes they are not at all invincible here (in the semis)…

The stage was set for the “Clash of the titans”:

India vs Pakistan in a World Cup final!

It just can’t get bigger than this…

So as the clock ticked 5.30 pm IST, the streets were empty, offices almost closed down & not a soul could be found anywhere else than in front of the match. Everybody braced up for the ‘Battle Royale’!

And for the umpteenth time, the Ind-Pak titanic clash lived up to its reputation…
If the league clash was a blockbuster, then this surely was a roller coaster storyline worthy of an Oscar!
(A sea change from the dull & insipid Aussie dominated finals of the past).
Both teams were hell bent to rejuvenate themselves and redeem lost pride after the ODI WC bashing.

And much to the supreme delight of all Indian supporters, the Murphy law worked again:

“India has never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup match”

& tonight was no exception!

So when Misbah-ul-haq scooped the ball in the air for a comfortable catch by Sreesanth, India completed a special piece of history. Something that would be ingrained in our minds forever!!!
The festivities were on & are still going on in full throttle as I somehow put a ‘The end’ to this fairytale saga (much against my will).

CONGRATULATIONS to every Indian supporter!

We are the World Champions!!!

What If...

2007-09-18T19:41:00.000+05:30

What If

The Sky was green and leaves were blue,
And all the things that I imagined were true.

I was not just another ordinary guy,
And there was more to a conversation than a simple ‘hi’.

What If

Gurgaon was another home away from the picturesque landscape of doon,
And the city had more to offer than lots of confusion and an aura of gloom.

The people were sane enough, the weather was more tolerable & everything was not in a fix,
And House no. 20 in gurgaon was somewhat similar, if not exactly like doon’s House no. 166.

What If

Life was a 24*7 masti, with not so hectic office and an all-out weekend fun,
And all this was an exception to the famous saying: ‘Its easier said than done’!

Everyone was not in a tearing hurry reminiscent to the hustle & bustle of 20-20 cricket,
And one had more time to stop, gaze and then enjoy life, much like the slow rumble of 5-day cricket.

What If

I knew the ‘reason’ behind my mortal existence on planet Earth & what exactly I was required to do?
My goals were a lot clearer, my dreams were less hazy and I stuck to my plans like the binding glue.

November 18 was not the most important date of the year 2007 for me,
And I had the courage to lock all my CATastrophic books in a room and throw away the damned key.

What If

The sole motive of my every endeavor in life was not only about: ‘I, Me & Myself’,
& I could contribute to my fellow beings, my nation and the whole world, unperturbed by the fate of thyself.

I was not just another brick in the wall,
& stood up, took guard and lead India, whenever there was a call.

What If

The Sky was green and leaves were blue,
And all the things that I imagined were true.

The “poetic me” was not an outright loser,
And my dreams & reality were not far away, but distinctly closer!

Of Rules, Regulations & Discipline…

2007-08-28T04:05:00.000+05:30

He has a cellphone. But you can’t call him. His sleeping hours are in the range 0-5 hours a day. Not one minute more. He has to wake up at 4am daily, throughout his stay. But he is not sure when he would sleep at night. He lives in dehradun, but knows only one place here: Indian Military Academy (IMA). He is a cousin of mine & there are many like him!

There is only one day when you can hope to meet him: Sunday. So I had the distinct pleasure to catch up with my dear cousin during the last two Sundays (being in doon luckily)! And what followed was a riveting account of ‘Living life on the edge 24*7’…

If you thought: ‘Rules are made to be broken, regulations are only on paper & disciplined behaviour is out of fashion’. Think again!
Because when you enter into the hallowed portals of IMA, Dehradun reality bites!

Its when the very definition of ‘difficult’ & its horrid synonyms changes! I have been through quite a few ‘tough’ situations during my life. But nothing can beat the rigorous schedule of a normal day at the academy. A brief snapshot:

0400 hrs: The alarm clock rings, but there is no option of snooze. You have to wake up now. You have to complete the morning ablutions, bath, dress-up and get ready in exactly half an hour.

0430 hrs: The uniform check is done. A proper dress up means: Only three buttons of your shirt should be visible, the rest should be inside your trousers. The tie should be perfectly aligned with the shirt & the trousers. The shoes should be well polished at all times. And the whole uniform should be neatly pressed. If you fail to comply by even one of them, then its punishment time.

0500 hrs: The PT starts which goes on &on with different exercises, followed by a yoga session, then running 10 km everyday on the field. And all this for 180 minutes!!!

0800 hrs: Breakfast time. The basic funda is to eat as much as possible. Because you are not sure whether or not you would get a chance to eat again during the whole day!

0900-1300 hrs: Theory classes in state of the art classrooms. No physical activity is involved here. And if you are lucky that any teacher is absent, then there is some rest, much to everyone’s relief.

1300-1430 hrs: The Drill test. The toughest of them all. It involves completing tasks of the gravest kind in minimum possible time. Usually, it takes more time than the allotted period. And once it is over, most of the people are totally exhausted & near a state of unconsciousness.

1430-1530 hrs: If you are lucky enough to survive past the drill test in time, then you can have lunch but only at your seniors mercy. Well there are three types of students in the academy. The first term’s are called ekkis, the second term as dukkis & the third term as teekis! One of the ‘teekis’ is your overstudy. He is responsible for all your actions & the way you behave in the academy. In return, you will have to complete all his tasks. From bringing items from shops, to searching for his bike and cleaning his room also. So you can eat only if the teekis allow you to do so.

1530-1630 hrs: Sports time! The most enjoyable time of the day. Here you can play all the games of your interest and based on the competitions ahead. Excelling in sports is considered to be of special significance in military & all the senior personnel in the academy are distinguished sportspersons! So even sports is a serious business here…

1700-2000 hrs: After a half an hour tea break (again only if you don’t have to complete any punishments or the order of teekis), this is Study time! Non-stop for three hours at a stretch…

2000-2100 hrs: Dinner break! Time to get some food in after a long day out :-)

2100-…… hrs: And now begins the dreaded part: The night time :-(

Because now you return back to your respective rooms and the dukkis & teekis are waiting for you there! No its not ragging… Infact, it is discipline being taught to the juniors by there kind seniors… You have to do everything: somethings which are uncensored to be written here and others which are physically draining, to say the least!

Hmmm… anybody reading this would have been terrified by now!

But not everything is so menacing... Their is the other side too!

Starting on a humorous note:
A conversation between a teeki and my cousin (ekki)…
Teeki: Hey you dumb ass come here!!!
Ekki: Yeeeeeeeesssss siiiiiiiir….
Teeki: What happened to you?
Ekki: Noooooo siiiiiiiiiir…….
Teeki: What yes and no? Bring fruits for me from the market you doper!!!
Ekki: Okkkkkkk sirrrrr….. Whiiiich onesssss?
Teeki: Some bananas, apples, mangoes etc.
Ekki: How maaaaaaaanyyyy……………….. Siiiiiiiiiir!!!
Teeki (now in a rage): Jitne milein! Now go. Fast!!!!
Ekki (floating like a drunkyard): Okkkkkkkkk….
(Slips and falls down!!!!!)
Teeki: Ok get up! Tell mishra to do all this. You go doper!!!

& so he manages to esacpe… With a drama act!
So its not only the physical stuff but your personality which develops on all fronts!

And once your over with the first term, life becomes more & more smooth…
As they say: First termer is an ‘orderly’. Second termer is the ‘master’. And the third termer is the ‘king’!
A movie is also screened every Saturday evening in the IMA’s world class auditorium known as “Khetrepal”! Another welcome change for the students!

And the icing on the cake is the famous POP. That is the “passing out parade”…
A once in a life-time experience…

So as this rather intriguing conversation came to a sudden end with a voice from behind. It was my cousin’s overstudy calling him from behind!
My cousin: Hello sir! How are you? Meet my elder brother. He is from dehradun only.
Overstudy: It’s a pleasure to meet you. (Then pointing to my cousin) Have you completed that…….
(But before he could finish)
My cousin: Oh brother I think you are getting a bit late now. Lets go. See you soon sir…

So as I get a real time experience of my cousin’s trickery at display…
I moved out of IMA with mixed emotions!
Life may be really tough here… but then at the end of the day: Its worth the pain!

There He was standing waving me “good-bye” and assuring me that he would call me from my cellphone again whenever he is allowed to meet people from dehradun! The dehradun that exists outside Indian Military Academy!

Chak De! India: A rare masterpiece!

2007-08-19T01:49:00.000+05:30

They say: “First impression is the last impression”…
But not always…
For if that had been the case, this post would not have been possible!

While watching Ocean’s 13 in gurgaon, I stumbled upon the trailer of Chak De! India and almost instantly made up my mind: I can live happily without bearing this stuff for sure!
Well first there was Hockey ( I am a sports lover, but never have been a die-hard ‘our national game’ fan), then it consisted of a terrible (yes that was the first word that hit my neurons) looking song: ‘Ek hockey doonge chak ke’, casting few not-so-beautiful girls ( now that does matter to some extent) and finally there was SRK again!!! Not that I hate him (Infact I think he is one of the best actors around), but he simply didn’t fit there.
So I made sure that this pathetic 2 minute-trailer immediately evaporated from my senses…

Then the last nail in the coffin: The movie was not receiving very healthy publicity owing to its (s)hocking origin! Moreover, I had still not completely recovered from my last bollywood movie hangover of ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’. It was a third-degree torture to say the least. Conveniently, the worst movie of the year by a long margin for me!!!

So the odds were heavily stacked against me watching ‘what I previously thought’ would be another bollywood disaster…

But then, that’s what this movie has achieved so beautifully throughout: Winning against all Odds!

The way it tackles different issues, brings them to the forefront and then blends them all into ONE, makes it a rare masterpiece.

If there is caste discrimination in the form of coach ‘Kabir Khan’, then there is gender biasing in the form of ‘women’s hockey’. If on one hand, its about the glory of nationalism & patriotism. Then on the other hand, it also symbolizes the triumph of ‘Girls Interrupted’ with determination & team spirit!

From the harsh ground realities & corruption in the sports authorities to the complete neglect of hockey in general & women’s hockey in particular in India. From the media- villain: ‘gadaar’ Kabir Khan who sold national pride to Pakistan in a World Cup Final to the media-hero: ‘desh ki shaan’ Kabir Khan who made the whole country proud by leading India to the World Cup crown.

Chak De! is about how a bunch of 16 girls from all over the country play as a TEAM. Something that is easily said than done. How they prioritize their game: First, the country. Second, the other players in the team. And lastly, in SRK’s words: ‘agar thodi bahut jaan bach jaati hai to’ for urself! How they grow as individuals: from being state players to being a part of team I N D I A…

The rift between the seniors & juniors and subsequently between the ‘sweet sixteen’ on one side and the coach on the other side and how matters get sorted out! The feeling of being so close but still so far in the men’s hockey match & then finally making it to down under. Then the crucification by the mighty Aussies in the opening match to the rejuvenation: rising from the ashes like a Phoenix to beat the kangaroos at their own game!

Well I can go on & on & on…

That’s because rarely a movie depicts various seemingly unique problems & then interconnects them with utmost ease and most importantly shows the way ahead: The solution. And Chak De! manages to do this without being very serious & boring. It remains a complete entertainer for the masses (read SRK fans) & also puts the message across very firmly indeed with a touch of sarcasm, here & there (the continual cold war with cricket). In a nutshell: A winner all along.

So as I moved out from the theatre, having watched the movie for the second time in one week after its release (the only other Hindi movie which got this privilege before was: Rang De Basanti), a few thoughts played hockey in my mind:

Would this turn out to be the best bollywood flick of the year? Maybe…
Any chances of being nominated for Oscar from India? Not sure…
& then winning it??? NO!

And then a smile broadened my face:
Leave all that, how about completing a hat-trick of Chak De!??? DEFINITELY…

Believe me: Its worth a watch anytime!

Hence, Proved: “First impression is not always the right one… Beware”!!!

P.S. To all those kind people who bear to go through this: Where would you rate this movie among your all-time favourites?
And to all those who have still not seen it: Hurry up & watch it soon! (And then return here again to answer my question.) Thanks :-)

10

2007-08-02T19:03:00.000+05:30

No, its not inspired from the so called numerical movies: 300 & 7 etc.
Infact, ‘10’ is the product of a business analyst at work. Where ‘work’ refers to a curious analysis of the unique species in a professional environment. As I complete a half-century of eventful days with this breed of Profo-sapiens, I have suddenly become a firm believer of the saying: “Man is a social animal”! For every single individual here can be categorized into one of these 10, courtesy- animal kingdom…

The COW: “Yes sir, Ok sir, Thank you sir” This species is Innocence personified!
You will see him/her sitting at the desk, working day in & day out, to meet the required deadline. Never asking a question, never hurting anyone. A shy & reserved character only concerned with WORK!

The ASS: “ Oh I dint knew this was my work, yes I will do that now” They are the real assholes in office. They don’t understand what is required of them & even when they finish there own work, they are usually busy with their pal’s work! Very easily befooled & taken advantage of their feelings. They usually crib about tons of workload, when mostly it is none of their business.

The PARROT: “ I wholeheartedly agree with my friend, that this would be the best course of action”. Zero on ideas, creativity and knowledge. They still tend to survive & flourish more than 1 & 2 because they never contradict anyone. By taking other’s ideas & implementing them as their own, they move upwards!

The RABBIT: “Couple of days!!! Ha… this project would be over in hours…” They are infinitely inspired by the movie: ‘The Fast & the Furious’! Always in a hurry to finish everything & stay one step ahead. But sometimes they crash due to rash driving. Overconfident and unreliable.

THE TORTOISE: “Slow and Study wins the race” This is not a universal truth, but still holds true most of the times. This breed takes its own time but unfailingly delivers the goods. Mr. Dependable in office. But they are not recommended when the need of the hour is: Quick thinking & decision-making.

THE ELEPHANT: “Behind the scenes: Chhupa Rustam” The people who drive the organization forward, albeit working backwards! The ‘heart & soul’ of the company. Calm, composed & proactive: their hallmark. But most importantly, they have a ‘mast chaal’… Very positive!

THE PEACOCK: “The Bold and the Beautiful” Men love them, Women loathe them. Yes you guessed it right: the Eye-candies in office! Their progress is directly proportional to their looks & friendliness ;-) They don’t possess brains but does that matter??? Mostly there is scarcity of these species but EVS is lucky :-)

THE CROCODILE: “Warning: Stay away from them!!!” They rise, when others fall. These are the solemn practitioners of every unethical activity in the corporate world. The Cow, the Ass and sometimes even the tortoise are their miserable victims. So who handles them & takes proper care of these scavengers? Read on…

THE LEOPARD: “The Commander: Fast,Efficient,Dynamic,Intelligent” When the going gets tough, the tough gets going! They are the ones who steer the ship to safety even when the tortoise & the elephants fail. They move exponentially upwards everywhere, not because they are clever and sharp! But much more than that, a 10 0ut of 10 on every scale. They are simply the best and Yes, they are the ones who keep the crocodiles at bay…

THE LION: “The Master, the King of the Ring: Numero Uno” The Leader who commands the group… He/She motivates the Cow, gives self-respect to the Ass, keeps an eye on the Parrot, optimizes the Rabbit, encourages the Tortoise, salutes the Elephant, hails the Peacock, restricts the Crocodile and guides the Leopard…
In a nutshell: The Fountainhead…

Hmmm…
So, now even you believe: “Man is a social animal”!!!

The POTTERmania…

2007-07-13T16:36:00.000+05:30

Its Friday, the 13th ( October 13, 1307): When officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated dawn raid that left several thousand Templars in chains, charged with crimes that were never proven. Hence from time immemorial, Friday, the 13th has been perceived as a day of special misfortune.

Its again Friday, the 13th ( July 13, 2007): When the witchcraft and wizards of Hogwarts school will take over the whole world, yet again. The Boy-Who-Lived ‘Harry Potter’ , the Miss-Know-It-All ‘Hermione Granger’ & the red-headed, adorably awkward ‘Ron Weasley’ would, for the umpteenth time, fight against Malfoy and other evil forces of Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle. So as “Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix” releases worldwide on Friday, the 13th, the POTTERmania is all set to rock us again…

And this is just the start of things to come, because just after the fifth flick in this hugely popular series is cinematically acclaimed, only days afterwards, i.e, on July 21, J K Rowling’s last book hits every remote bookstore possible all over the world. The Potterati is indeed buzzing!!!

So while you are sleeping on July 21, 2007 at 6 am (IST), a whole generation of Potter fans: boys & girls, young & old, rich & poor would be queuing up with bated breath to receive that one precious copy of ‘The Book’, named, “The Deathly Hallows”…

The penultimate book: “The Half-Blood Prince” sold an unbelievable 1,60,000 copies in India alone. This one is expected to go one step ahead, the prediction stands at a whooping 2,50,000 copies!!! & one thought that Indians don’t like reading a lot???

Infact, the ‘Harry effect’ is E V E R Y W H E R E…

You name it and Potter would be there. Be it the cyberspace or online gaming or cartoon strips or television shows or as you can see blogs too, the list is endless. The chances are that until and unless you live in a remote forest of Africa, the POTTERmania would strike you sooner than later, whether you like it or not. The choice remarkably is not yours when the case in study is Harry Potter & his world or a world of hundreds of thousands of Potter fans may I say now…

Its hard to imagine life post Potter-era??? What after its all over, never to return again???

The thought is just too horrible to contemplate, even more so than Lord Voldemort and his evil forces, so I would leave it for some other day… And rightly so, because today Friday, the 13th is a day to celebrate POTTERmania and nothing else.

So as we all Harry fans gear up, ready to get Potterized again, I leave you with this humorous conversation that I read in TOI (incidentally taken from a blogger in pune),

Welcome to Ekta Kapoor’s version of Harry to reproduce the Potter tale in K-serial mode.

Voldy (Lord Voldemort) goes to Gorric Hollow to meet Harry’s parents,

James (Harry’s father): “Voldy tum, bad-tameez! Itne bade jaadugar ho aur doorknob turn karna nahi aata!”
PHAAT (a slap)!
Voldy: “James, main tumse nahin tumhari biwi se milne aaya hoon. Aaj hum faisla karenge ki Harry kiska Puttar hai!”

Now this is what i meant by being Potterized…

The EVS effect :-) & sideffects :-(

2007-06-28T20:22:00.000+05:30

This post is on popular demand of my friends:

Its been 10 days now, out of my comfort zone (refer my last post). And as I sit back on the cushioned chair in ‘my’ EVS office, on ‘beach time’ ( which means free time) after a long, tiring & relatively boring project ( all those adjectives are very carefully chosen), its time to introspect, circumspect & retrospect on the chain of events & their consequences too!

Exhilarating: They say you have to see it, to believe it. Before joining EVS, I had a very positive feedback about the no.1 KPO in the world… & I am glad to say that EVS has lived up to its reputation! Once you enter into cyber park, gurgaon into their offices, you can almost feel the difference. Their motto is: Quality & its almost remarkable how they not only follow it but also exceed the standards most of the times… You are a part of an elite class here, amongst the best brains in the country & from abroad too: IITians, IIM grads & the cream from all the reputed institutes.

Venerate: They almost demand respectfulness in whatever they do: in interaction with clients or with employees or with anybody else & most importantly they respect everybody too! Its almost an unsaid & self-understood principle here.

Skillful, strategic & sublime: They follow this “3 S” rule. They have a group of highly skilled & motivated people working for a project, those who strategize well in advance & then are sublime in their execution, always delivering 100 when the client has just asked for 10.

This was the EVS effect..!!

But once you move out of this majestic workplace, not everything is rosy here…
Because then you look at gurgaon & its side-effects:

Take out the malls, skyscrapers & some other time-pass places here & the place is in a complete mess! Yes I don’t like it at all (at least till now, hope my perception changes though!) , it’s a tough & fast life out there, you have to run for everything: from finding a good place to live ( believe me its an uphill task to find a decent PG in all respects), there are power-cuts, the heat is scorching, the food & water is not upto the mark ( as a result of which I have been very ill, the last few days), its one of the most unsafe places in the country, the whole place becomes a muddy swimming pool whenever it rains ( irrespective of the quantity),i.e, the drainage system is pathetic & the people are anything but warm & caring!
All in all, a sea change from the world of “dehradun” ( which incidentally remains my favourite destination till now & by a good enough margin).

There is more but I would not dwell about it now… ( actually have to submit the project now & the beach time is over)…
So all in all its been a mixed bag till now…
But I sincerely hope that EVS continues to march forward in its quest for excellence & I contribute my level best to it!
And I also hope that I have been seriously mistaken in my assessment of gurgaon!

Till next post ( read beach time), good bye & take care…

Out of my comfort zone

2007-06-14T19:16:00.000+05:30

“ Ting ting ting ting…
It’s been 20 min. since the alarm clock is ringing, the snooze-mode is on…
Finally at 7:35 am, a still tired soul moves out from bed after sleeping for 200 minutes or so… but there are no regrets (it’s a routine now)…
At a speed which would put Schumacher credentials in a jeopardy, the guy is moving out of his PG room at 7:58 am, the bus stop is not exactly a 2 minute walk, but the poor soul sprints like a would be Gatlin to reach there at 8:01 am & to his relief the company cab has not left yet…

He reaches office at 8:30 am, reports at the main desk & starts working at 9am after completing yesterday’s work in a hurry! He works continuously for 10 hrs with a mini-lunch break in between. Gets out, absolutely distressed not only by the workload but also by the scorching heat of Gurgaon, at 7:30 pm, reaches his room at 8pm. Falls down on his bed like a lifeless body. Sometimes he takes dinner also & chats with his room-mate too, then goes back to complete the pending work again. He does not remember when he slept but fixes the alarm all rite…”

Meet professional Jitin Sharma working in gurgaon!!!

No all this has not begun yet but starting 18 june, all this & more is about to happen, maybe in a lot gruesome manner then what my dreams tell me…

Yes, this was a dream (the part that I remember, that is) & I don’t want it to come true… but somewhere deep down in my heart I know for sure that from a few days from now I would be ‘Out of my comfort zone’…

Life would be a hectic 24*5 schedule (Thank God weekends are off!)
Part & parcel of the professional world…

And all this after completing 4 enjoyable years at college, well its almost unbelievable how life can change at such a short notice…
Not that I was unawares of the fact on 23rd March(when I got placed), but now reality bits me harder as I come closer to the P-day ( a bigger cousin of the D-day)…

Not all is lost though, infact I am looking forward to this rendezvous, to come face to face with the corporate big-wigs for real. The world I have only heard about till now or seen on TV & cinema only!

I am in transition mode yet again…
From being an innocent child to a schoolboy,
From being a teenager to an adult,
From being a first year college junior to a complete engineer now…

& I have always been amazed by the challenges, which accompanies such transitional phases…
Whether good or bad, these experiences are an integral part of one’s learning curve, the metamorphosis of an amateur into an all round human being, & for complete personality development too.

So as I enter into the offices of Evalueserve(EVS) from next Monday, rest assure I would be ready for another transition!!!

The journey is about to begin…

& there are Miles to go before I sleep...

They came, They saw, They conquered…

2007-06-11T13:37:00.000+05:30

Samuel Johnson, the 18th century English poet & critic, once said:

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance”.

Now, this post is on TENNIS.
But it is not about the ‘genius’ of Roger Federer.
It is not even about the heroics of the glam girl Maria Sharapova ( two sportspersons I have written about earlier).

Nor does it deal with the Roddick’s, Hewitt’s or Safin’s of men’s tennis.
& Neither it describes the exploits of the Williams sisters or former no. 1 Amelie Mauresmo or the Russian brigade: Kuznetsova, Dementeiva, Myskina, Chakvetdze etc… (this is a long list indeed).

Infact, this is about the quotation of Samuel Johnson…

And this perseverance was on show aplenty during the French Open’07.
As for three years running now, the tennis folklore has been amazed by the sheer dominance on the red clay of Roland Garros by 2 players.

Well for those tennis dimwits who have not guessed it by now, I am referring to:
Justin Henin-Hardenne & Rafael Nadal.

Justin Henin-Hardenne:

A snapshot of her performance in French Open’07:

Quarters: def. S.Williams 6-4,6-3.
Semis: def. J.Jankovic 6-2,6-2.
Final: def. A.Ivanovic 6-1,6-2.

Which means that she overcame the current Australian Open champ effortlessly & then steamrolled past her miserable opponents dropping just 7 games: semifinal & final combined!

& If you thought that it was just a showcase of temporary form by the little Belgian, then beat this: The indomitable star has now won 3 straight Frenchies from 2005 onwards, 21 matches in a row, without breaking a sweat ( most of the times ). One of the rarest feats in the modern era indeed!

Rafael Nadal:

There is just one match on one court during the whole year when the King himself becomes the miser. When Federer sheds his favourite tag & plays like an underdog. When His Majesty, Your Highness, The Emperor himself bows towards his more fancied opponent. The occasion is:

FEDERER vs NADAL on a clay court.

But this year the tables were turned around during the Hamburg Masters, when Roger, after many failures, finally succeded in beating Nadal, with a 6-0 thrashing in the final set.

The million-dollar question was:

Will the history repeat itself during French’07 grand finale???

Well, the history did repeat itself, but it was not of the Hamburg Masters but on the contrary, it was of the French’06 finale!!!

With the title of GOAT (Greatest of All Time) at stake, the Swiss maestro gave it his all… But when you are facing this clay perfectionist, one thing you know for sure is that sometimes even your best efforts are good for nothing… And Roger learnt it the hard way: Vanquished in 4 sets yet again & for now the GOAT title took a backstage!

Conclusion:
They came almost like nobodies at Roland Garros in 2005…
They saw the red clay, the French hospitality & their opponents…
& then,
They conquered one & everyone who came in their path…
They are now the King & Queen of the French Open…

Queries:
Would Federer be able to win the French open ever?
Is ‘he’ the GOAT himself?
Would ‘they’ conquer the red clay yet again in ’08?

Remember Samuel Johnson & his golden words…

PS: I would really like to know your opinion on the above questions & I owe the origin of the term GOAT to one of my fellow bloggers. And I am fond of it :-)

…B L A C K & W H I T E…

2007-06-03T03:41:00.000+05:30

Question: “How would you describe your stay in Thapar in three words?”

Answers: A Sine Curve
Roller-coaster ride
A learning experience

…B L A C K & W H I T E…

That last answer came out of the blue or did it? Well, these two colours represent the two extremes. The end-points of the line segment which started its journey sometimes during September’03 & came to a halt at the end of May’07. Now ‘Black’ refers to the minima’s of the Sine curve, lows of the roller-coaster ride & bad experiences of the learning curve. ‘White’ is the spectrum of my colorful days at Thapar, the maxima’s, the highs & the good experiences!!! So here it goes…

B L A C K
My very first day at my alma mater: I had just left my parents & home far behind. I was about to enter into a new world. The fear of the unknown had horrified me to the core. I knew no one here. I was a stranger & all alone.

W H I T E
A month into the college, the scene had changed for the better. I had made many new friends & had come to terms with the rigour of college life. Even the hostel-life seemed very fascinating to me now.

B L A C K
The last days of the first semester were like hell. I had never ever studied all night long in my whole life before. Those exam days brought me to my wits end! And worst of all, even after those sleepless nights, I came up with a terrible result!

W H I T E
Aha… how I liked that first semester break. I was back to home for a two weeks break at a stretch. Something that seemed almost impossible during those exam days. This break rejuvenated my spirits…

B L A C K
The second semester was even worse than the first one (academically that is). I broke all my previous records of low scores. The subject I dreaded the most was: EGRA. Infact I came tantalizingly close to a D grade in it!

W H I T E
From the start of the second year, commenced the ‘golden age’@Thapar!
I became a part of the most rocking batch ever to grace the then TIET: ‘The chemical 2k3 batch’… ( & its not an exaggeregation)
So much so that the Blacks almost disappeared from my life…

W H I T E
The next two years turned out to be one of the best phases of my life. I made same great friends… had a fantastic time during all those trips… had a jamboree evening every now & then… studied under some very good teachers & even improved upon my acads!

B L A C K
Though the seventh semester training period at home in Dehradun should have been another enjoyable phase… I messed it up by screwing up with the MBA entrance exams… I regret that moment till now!

W H I T E
The start of the final year brought joys to the faces of many as it was the placement time! I still remember the no. 786(7th Aug ’06), when I got placed… I felt on top of the world at that moment…

B L A C K
The last semester started with an anti-climax. A six month gap during training seemed to have a negative impact on our otherwise mast batch! Then some further misunderstandings (scrapping time in particular) compounded the matter further. The million dollar question now was: “Would our batch never be the same again”???

W H I T E
The answer to that question was a big “NO”!!! Because during the next few months, we dissolved all our differences & had the most rollicking time of our lives: The Mcleod Ganj trip, the farewell party, placement parties, thanksgiving party to our respected teachers followed by colour dress codes in our final dayz, scribbling T-shirt day, Dandia night with director sir etc. All this enlightened our spirits…

B L A C K
And then came those last days of college: the partying time…
“As to meet, to know and then depart is the saddest tale of every heart”…
One by one we all left the hallowed portals of the now Thapar university (TU)… Everyone tried hard to keep the emotions under check… but tears kept on flowing… Within a moment it was all OVER!!!

W H I T E
On the brighter side: The initials Er. were now a part of my name. Finally. I had become an engineer!
So as I prepare myself to enter into the professional world of cut-throat competition…

Walking down memory lane, I will always remember the day when my life took a TU turn…

Sayonara…

When the clock ticked 12…

2007-05-14T00:51:00.000+05:30

During my last 4 years in college, there have been many ‘Fridays’…
Even more no. of lectures in E-block… Many times my cell phone on silent mode has beeped with a new sms…

But 11 May, 2007 was different from all other ‘Fridays’, & when I checked that sms on 11:55 am from one of my friends, my heart skipped a beat, a rush of emotions went through my head, the msg read:

“Never again the campus shall v walk, Never again in break shall v talk.
Its all over, v r leaving everything here.
The end was so far, but now seems so near.” :-(

And it was at that very moment, when reality hit me hard.
During the next 5 min. the time had come to a standstill. All those moments of college: the good, the better & the best, the ups & downs, went through my mind like a flashback. During all these years, I have never ever yearned a lecture to go on indefinitely, but today I wished so. Never ever had I listened to my teacher’s words with so much attention. But it was hard to concentrate, I was on the verge of breaking down.

And then the clock ticked 12…

It was the beginning of the END. It was going to be my “last lecture” in college. My last hour in the lecture rooms of college. My last interaction with the teachers in a classroom. My last notes ( not that there were many of them already), in the notebook. The last of everything…

My eyes roamed through every part of the room. There it was written on the blackboard: “Last working day of 2k3 batch”. Half of the class was empty. But one sight at those who were present & you knew that were also going through a flood of emotions. Our ‘mehta sir’ sensing the significance of this moment & the look on the face of the students, halted the lecture & shared his thoughts & experiences with us. At the end of it, like what has become a ritual now, there was a ‘photo-session’ with respected sir & everyone of us thanked him for his advice.

On any given ordinary day, the class should have been empty by now. But today was not ‘any ordinary day’, no one wanted to leave the room. So around 10-11 of us friends stayed there, discussed about our experiences, the best & the worst moments, our first days in college & what not!

When we finally decided to leave the room for that one ‘last’ time, everyone had gone nostalgic & went out with a heavy heart. As I moved out of room no. E-106, my cell phone beeped again. There could not have been a more appropriate sms to sum up the occasion. It read:

“ I walk back towards d large gates, breeze rustling leaves across d road, fluttering in wind! Walk past d lifeless canteen wid no one to shout! Peep into empty classes, missing d screams of joy. Stand at d tree where a hundred love was declared n broken. A single tear escapes my eye n falls towards d emptiness of d sand, as my mind races in thought. Alone I stand, as I think its all over. And only memories remain.”

The Two Worlds: Virtual Reality

2007-05-06T02:49:00.000+05:30

I exist in two worlds:

The “imperfect” (I) world-

I have been living here for the past 22 years or so. I have a permanent name here & some nicknames too. This is because I don’t have the liberty to decide about either of them. My parents decided the former one & my friends the later ones. Infact, this could be generalized to almost all my activities here, because I seldom have control over my life. I make plans about my near future & they are thwarted, not once, not twice, but again & again… till I almost give up & resign to the fate. Yes, destiny plays a very significant role here. But, the most soothing thing here is that I know for sure that whatever happens in this ‘I’ world is REAL. I can feel it, physical entities exist here & emotions have their say too. Moreover, it is more fascinating because you can never predict the future.

What is going to happen with you during the next day, next hour, next minute & even the next second!!! “Uncertainty” rules the roost. And that is why it is an “imperfect” world. And this is the reason why I LIKE it so much.

Till 2006, february was the month, I don’t remember exactly: this was the world in which I lived, I survived, I laughed, I cried, I made friends & then more friends. I went through almost every human emotion possible.

And then something happened……………………………..

“Virtual reality” (VR) world-

5 MAY, 2007: jitin.sharma@gmail.com

Welcome Jitin(~College~)
You are connected to 51,799,530 people through 271 friends.
Grow your network now!

You have 43 fans.
3,369 scraps.
Your profile views:Since Feb '06: 4,932, Last week: 39.

And so on & on it goes…

I can bet 99 percent of the people who are reading this article know what I am talking about. This the homepage of the most famous social networking website on internet: orkut. And I am also sure that not even half of you all ( including me) would have had any idea whatsoever about this, before feb 2006 or so ( one year back from now).

This is MY world. I control everything here. I can change my name here. I can write whatever I want in my profile. I can even explore other’s people world here without any restriction. In a nutshell, I can do whatever I like & whenever I like to do anything.

But still I don’t like it more than the ‘I’ world. And there are reasons to it.
This is an UNREAL world, almost a case of “virtual reality”. Where you cannot feel anything physical. You have friends, but you can’t touch them. You can write scraps, but you can’t talk. You may be connected to millions of people through one another, but you may not be knowing even 0.1% of them all. Here, you don’t know the TRUTH. Just like yourself, others possess the same powers too. They can penetrate your virtual world, whether you like it or not.

And this VR world is the one which is dominating our lives now. It is spinning its web on us, without our knowledge. We are being caught unawares. We are getting ADDICTED!!!

But the fact is that now, we have become slaves in this world. We can’t survive without it. The Yahoo messengers, google talks & other chat rooms are intruding in our daily life.

So what should we do?

“Everything in excess is a mess”. So the need of the hour is a perfect synchronization between the two worlds. A harmonious relationship between both of them.

Because its not a battle: REAL vs VIRTUAL world.

Infact its just the opposite: REAL & VIRTUAL world.

A mixture of both ingredients would make a delicious & nutritional dish. The excess of any one of them would spoil it.

What should be the percentage of both???

That everybody has to decide for himself.

After all, its always a matter of personal choice.

Hope all of us make the right decision!

PS: This is not meant to undermine the inherent benefits of social networking sites in any way. This only serves as a wake up call from the slumber we are in now. To get over this addiction.

The Power of “ONE”

2007-04-21T03:18:00.000+05:30

As Australia marched into the semifinals of the World Cup cricket ’07 as the “ONE” & only team with an unbelievably unbeaten record yet again (the last time they lost a WC match was way back in 1999 vs Pakistan), it almost looked as if everyone else has resigned to the fate. Just have a look at the way the Aussie juggernaut has steamrolled the other 3 teams already in this event:

· South Africa: They amassed a mammoth 377 against one of the best pace attacks in the world, eventually winning by 83 runs.
· Sri Lanka: They routed the hapless islanders by 7 wickets in an utterly one-sided encounter.
· Newzeland: Now this was one team which had blanked the kangaroos handsomely by a margin of 3-0 in the last series before WC ( an awesome feat by any standards indeed). And it is horrible to contemplate what happened to them??? They were crucified by 215 runs in the last Super Eight match!!!

It’s no longer a contest anymore. It is a case of Total annihilation, complete decimation & absolute destruction of the opposition in all respects.
It’s the Power of “ONE” unleashed…

They say that sport is a great leveler. But let me ask you some questions:

How many times have we seen “ONE” tennis player from Switzerland win every single match, against every possible opponent, every single time, day in & day out?
OR
How many times have we witnessed “ONE” formula one driver winning every single race on every single surface & then every championship year after year after year?
OR
“ONE” golf player stamping his authority again & again & again!
“ONE” soccer player beating innumerable defenders to score an impossible goal!
“ONE” basketball player breaking all NBA records once & for all!

They also say that GOD is invisible! But in my opinion, these are the blessed times when GOD himself or herself decides to play on earth by entering into the souls of the mortals. There may be people who won’t agree with me, but then how do you explain these inexplicable achievements with a logical & rational school of thought? The fact is that you simply can’t do that!

Because there are certain things which are better left unexplained or if these have to be explained somehow, then we will have to believe that there are times:

When Roger Federer can’t hit a shot long or into the net, however hard he may try… When Michael Schumacher can’t slow down his Ferrari or take a wrong turn even if he wants to… When Tiger Woods can’t control his eternal magnificence even if he desires so… When Pele can’t pass the ball to a wrong player or hit wider of the goal post even from the half-line… When Michael Jordan can’t fail to shoot even from the farthest point of the opposite side of the court…

These are the times when “ONE” species ( be it a team or a player etc.) rules the kingdom of sport!

Now coming back to cricket, if this is what awaits the Proteas in the semis against the mighty aussies, then even the almighty can’t help them out, bcoz then they would be up against the GOD themselves. Then the lanka-kiwi match would only be fit for the runner-up position indeed.

But only time will tell whether or not the GODS decide to play again…
& whether or not: The Power of “ONE” is unleashed yet again…

HBO movie fest ( Jan- May’07 )

2007-04-19T18:18:00.000+05:30

The last semester in college for me has been different from earlier SEVEN in more ways the one. There are 4 rules, one has to follow:
First: You don’t study…
Second: You don’t let others study too (in the rare case if anyone wants to)
Third: You keep reminding everyone of the first two rules…
Fourth: You never ever break the first three rules.

But then what the hell do you do, especially when you are a hostel resident?

Well either you can sleep & sleep & sleep even more…
Or you can join the HBO MOVIE CLUB!
HBO refers to the Hostel Box office.

So I decided to go for the later option & since then it has been a roller coaster ride during this never-ending movie fest. One of my dearest friend is the organizer of this fest, in which movies are screened almost everyday, irrespective of any time frame, there is no difference between a.m & p.m whatsoever. The only thing that matters is: Quality.

A brief glimpse:

It all started with the Matt Damon & Leonardo Di Caprio starrer, oscar winner DEPARTED, to the movie which brought down the sales of diamond all over the world: BLOOD DIAMOND, then to the amazingly hilarious AMERICAN PIE series, a disappointing sequel FINAL DESTINATION-3 ( I was hoping for a much better one), a mesmerizing showcase called THE ILLUSIONIST, a new 007 in CASINO ROYALE, watching LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL for the umpteenth time, the Brad Pitt starrer SEVEN, horror movies like SILENT HILL & THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, to scintillating thrillers: THE RECRUIT & SPYGAME.

For a change, few top-notch hindi movies also made it to HBO. From the oscar nominated WATER to Nagesh Kukkunor’s (My favourite Bollywood director) awesome twosome: 3 DEEWAREIN & DOR. I also remember watching OMKARA during exam nights.

Now I come to the most exhilarating season of the movie fest, where every movie seemed to surpass the earlier one. Just have a look:

From one of the most sensational thrillers I have ever seen: MINDHUNTERS, to one of the greatest movie of all times SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION… From the Brad Pitt’s electrifying FIGHT CLUB to the longest & most incredible movie of this fest SCHINDLER’S LIST…
& last but not the least: From the most unique movie of HBO: THANK YOU FOR SMOKING to the latest movie which was screened, a movie which moves in a flashback all the way, a movie which we had to pause after every 10 min., so as to keep pace with it, a movie which you can watch any no. of times & still enjoy it, a once-in-a-lifetime extravaganza: MEMENTO!!!

& many many more…

And its still not over… with a month still to go (till may end), there is still ample time for more such blockbusters… But out of all these my pick of the best 5 (not in any specific order) is:

Departed , Blood Diamond , Shawshank Redemption , Mindhunters & Memento.

Whats your pick guys?

PS: Well I would be very much interested in knowing whats your pick of all these??? & if you can recommend any more blockbusters which could be screened in HBO??? Reply soon… only one month to go…

A trip to McLeod Ganj

2007-03-27T10:58:00.000+05:30

One of the best things of being a part of chemical 2k3batch of TU (formerly known as TIET) Patiala is tha tyou get to do a lot of things that students from other branches can only dream about! Take for example theno. of so called “industrial trips” that I have been apart of. The no. stands at 5 as of now. And when youthink that some students can’t even think aboutorganizing let alone going to even a single trip, thisindeed is a big number. Infact, it is a TU record! We“chemchiz” have been to NFL nangal, a brewery inSolan, Nestle, shreyans paper mill during the courseof the last three years. The one thing common betweenall these trips was that each one of them was more enjoyable than its previous counterpart. So thebiggest challenge of our fifth trip to McLeod Ganj waswhether or not we could yet again have a fantabolous time. And take my word for it that this time we surpassed all our expectations!!!

The big difference was the fact that our junior chemical batch was also along with us this time & thatmade this trip all the more memorable. Actually officially we were supposed to visit a food industry named shivambu, but like past trips it was just a formality as this again was a “fun trip” instead. We left for this amazing journey at around 6am fromTU. The private bus was a video coach & unfortunatelyit started with never-heard-of & intolerable Punjabi songs. Moreover both senior & junior batches were busyin their own groups & I wondered what lies ahead?

Ourfirst major stop was at the anandpur sahib gurudwara,where we all took the blessings of the “wahe guru” forthe ensuing journey ahead. We reached the industry indistrict Una at around lunch time as was expected. Andthis is what we did there: Drank mango & pineapple juices made by them, then had a sumptuous lunch afterwhich amidst loud yawns, most of the tired souls wentto sleep in the comfortable sofas there. So much sothat the industry guys had to serve us tea to wake usagain. Then we had a whirlwind round of the industry in a record time of exactly 40 min.!Then we left for dharamshala & henceforth the most interesting part of our voyage began.

Now “antakshari”is one game that everyone can play & in this case itserved as the binding glue between the two batches.The contest was intense with both sides singing onesong after the other & so on… The whole group was nowenjoying. It first started drizzling when we reachedour hotel & then the clouds bursted during dinnertime. Everyone had a sound sleep of 3-4 hrs that night. Because we wake up at 5am again the next day &left for the “valley of hills: McLeod Ganj”. Thescenery was enigmatic, mountains were majestic & the whole atmosphere was magnificent. Our firstdestination at McLeod Ganj was the “Dall lake” &everyone was busy capturing each & every moment ontheir cameras, mobiles, digicams, handicams & what not!

And then we had the thrill of our life. Next targetwas the waterfall & the road leading to it was nothingless than a trekking experience. 2-3 times we had almost decided that we can’t go any further because itwas almost impossible to do so without risking one’slife!!! But the sight of the wonderful waterfall keptall of us going… & finally we reached there & what asight it was???

An out of the world experience which mesmerized everyone of us. The place was simply stunningly beautiful, the water was icy cold & all ofus had gone berserk at this sight. It was 2 hours ofpure & uninhibited fun & frolic…Then we had our last stop at the Dalai Lama monastery& after doing some shopping we were on our way back.This time though the journey was even more fascinating. Kudos to our hosts, we played games likeKoffee with chemchiz, Dum shiraz, song dedication &Intro time!!!

The best part was that now there was no demarcation between juniors & seniors, everyone wasenjoying now with everybody else…Finally we reached our college again at around 1am,with everyone exhausted not because we had traveled around 16kms in hills for around 7-8 hrs but becausenobody of us had ever dreamt that we were going to have such an electrifying trip!!!

And for those who think that its all over now… justfor your kind information that we all are now planning “A trip to vaishno devi”!!!

And I assure you that we will have even more funthere…

Till then good-bye…

What a spectacle!

2007-03-25T22:34:00.000+05:30

One of the dictionary meanings of “spectacle” is: An unusual or unexpected event or situation which attracts attention, interest or disapproval. And “spectacles” also mean glasses.

So one fine morning while attending a lecture in college & sitting on one of the last benches (a must for a final year student), I realized that not only the words of the teacher were creating confusion in my mind but even the writings on the blackboard were blurred! It was time I had an eye check up. The result: a power of –0.25 in both eyes. Not very bad for sure. But somehow the idea of wearing new fashionable spectacles was ingrained in my mind, partially as a result of most of my friends having good looking spects already & also because I desperately wanted to know how I looked like in them! So from that day onwards these “spectacles” of mine have created quite a “spectacle”. Just read on to find why?

A group of boys & girls are waiting for the next lecture to commence outside the lecture room in college.

Mr. A (with an incomprehensible look on his face): This is impossible!!!
Miss B: Hey what happened?
Mr. A (pointing towards me): Any guesses who is this guy coming towards us?
Miss B: My goodness! Don’t tell me that he is jitin???

Before Mr. A can give his opinion… another guy barges in…

Mr. C: He is Jitin Sharma for sure but what the hell is he wearing?
Mr. A: Looks like some sort of WELDING GLASSES yaar!!!

The whole group breaks up into peals of laughter… & this unfortunate soul (me that is) has almost joined the group now…

Mr. D (pointing to a chair in the room): Cum on jitinda just weld this chair… it is broken!
Miss B (in an uncontrollable fit): haaaaa… haaaa… haaaa… stoppppp!!!
Miss E (joining on this fun riot): On a serious note, I think jitin should be made the CEO of CWC ,i.e, C welding corporation (actually that first C word is uncensored, sorry!) So when are you coming for campus recruitment here? And…

Before Miss E has the pleasure of announcing the package that CWC should offer… it’s the turn of others to have their share of the cake…

Mr. F: NO NO NO! you all are wrong… he is our new masterji!!! Now everyone get ready masterji will take our attendance starting with me… Present masterji!

Finally the mute character in this whole discussion (me again) gets the chance to speak…

Me: Its too much yaar! Do I look so weird in these spectacles???

And then hoping to find some solace from his best friend Mr. G…

Me: What do you say G? Don’t I look good in these???

Mr. G: Well now that you ask me dear… these spectacles are indeed funky no doubt! Actually I was just contemplating which one of these would fit you better: IT professional or a fashion designer from Milan?

Me (proud of himself & with an air of satisfaction around him): SEE all of you… Mr. G is absolutely correct!!! I prefer to be a…

But before “Me” could finish… the icing on the cake…

Mr. G: Waaaaaaait!!! There is a third option also & that would fit you perfectly yaar… You remind me of BUGS BUNNY!!!

And now even all the laughter champions combined can’t generate more laughs than these!!! Even “Me” has a smile on his face…

What a spectacle!

Let the Heaven be returned to the Gods

2007-03-10T00:09:00.000+05:30

24 years is a long period of time, considering the fact that personally I have not reached that figure as yet! “1983” was the golden year in the history of India in general & cricket in particular. When the Kapil Dev led vintage Indian team did the unthinkable of beating the mighty Lloyd XI in the World Cup finals. Somebody once quoted:
“Cricket is by chance & hockey is by dance”.
And 24 years back, we took our chances & henceforth the crowning glory. The Heaven was indeed with the Gods!!!

Come 13 March 2007, & the search for that elusive WC begins again. Though cricket is a game of shocks & surprises, still one can safely assume that the no. of teams: 16 are only for statistics. For when it comes down to listing the title contenders, we have 8 teams vying for the title: Amazing Australia, Enigmatic England, Indomitable India, Never-say-die Newzeland, Pulsating Pakistan, Super South Africa, Scintillating Sri lanka & the Wonderful West Indies.

At the start of the year, it looked as if it was a foregone conclusion that the Aussies would have a cakewalk in this cricket mahakumbh. But much to almost everyone’s relief, this no longer seems to be the case, especially after “A series of six shocking losses” for the defending champs & the tournament is wide open. England is a rejuvenated lot, Newzeland are on cloud no. 9 after blanking the kangaroos 3-0, Pakistan are as always the unpredictable lot, South Africa is the most consistent of them all & my favourites for the title, Sri lanka come along with their “chuppa rustam” tag, & the hosts can never be underestimated especially with inspirational leader Lara at their helm.

So this leaves us with the million dollar question: What about the Men in Blue???

Well Dravid may not be a perfectionist when it comes to captaincy, Sehwag may be woefully out of touch, Dhoni is not at its riveting best, Irfan is no longer regarded as the next Kapil & so on…

But the point is this: According to Kapil paaji himself this Indian cricket team is much superior to those 1983 fanatics in terms of talent & has the potential & the ability to go all the way. Ofcourse its easier said then done, but with Sachin slowly but surely coming to his majestic best, Ganguly: the man on a mission, Yuvraj & the younger co. ready to put all they have got. There is indeed a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel & maybe just maybe when the curtains fall on this grand saga on 28 April, the Heaven is indeed returned to the Gods after an agonizing wait of 24 years.

GO INDIA GO!!!

VISTA, VESTA & ASTALAVISTA

2007-02-11T01:37:00.000+05:30

The only thing permanent in this world is "change". So as Microsoft once again launched another new version of Windows VISTA, an up gradation to the Windows XP, with several attractive features, it provoked a question in my mind which I had been contemplating for quite some time now: “Is change always for the better”? & “Has it assumed so much significance in our lives that we can’t survive without it”?

Well I guess there is not any exact answer to these questions! In the case of VISTA maybe such changes are indeed required for the betterment of operating systems. But what about VESTA then???

First of all let me introduce you to this term. In my college TIET, there is an annual inter-year competition in which the first, second, third year & the postgraduate students battle it out for glory. This 5 day tussle consists of various cultural events like dramatics,songs,dances,histrionics etc. which test the talents of different years to the maximum. The name of this competition earlier used to be IZHAAR (that is till this year). So much so good. And then this “change” bug hacked our system also. IZHAAR became VESTA. And that is precisely the only one thing that changed, the name that is.

For all the events remained the same, rules were unaltered, the audience that greets such events with their grand presence also did not budge, & the so called mishaps that come with organizing unfortunately also did not change.
The only refreshing change was the “first year”…

“First year di balle-balle baaki saare thale thale”…
“Jeet gaya bhai jeet gaya first year jeet gaya”…

The whole auditorium was buzzing with these ear-crunching slogans from the freshers. It seemed as if the whole first year had conquered the audi. They had come to support their year in such huge numbers that they were even more than all the students from all other years put together. And this enthusiasm perpetrated from the fact that their on stage performances were simply awesome.

Traditionally, third year has ruled this event. The only exception was last year when we infamously gave the crown to the PG’s. But this time the defending champions were gasping for their breath & lingering far far behind their rivals. So the stage was set for another “change”. For the first year to bag the much deserved title of VESTA champs.

And infact till the end of the penultimate day, they had indeed reached the pinnacle by outlasting the ‘third year’ in western dance. Now there is a bit of suspense about the final outcome. Because “yours truly” did not watch the final day of the competition.

But whatever may have been the result, first year has indeed proved its mettle. Well you all must be wondering during this whole article, there has been no mention of the ‘final year’??? That’s because we are the organizers instead…

So as that “change” trivia continues to puzzle me again…
Its time for the final year to bid adieu to this inter-year comptt. IZHAAR or VESTA or whatever its called in future!!!

ASTALAVISTA baby…

GENIUS is never boring

2007-01-28T23:05:00.000+05:30

CAUTION- A statutory warning: “This may not be my best post to date. Atleast I don’t think so, but this is the day when I realized the title’s worth. So just couldn’t resist writing something on it.”

It all started when I had a really serious debate with my friend about Michael Schumacher & the fact that I was fast losing interest in formula one due to the monotonous regularity of his victories two seasons back. I was hell bent that it is robbing the sport of its charm. Then my friend remarked that “Genius is never boring”. And today as I reflect upon that conversation, I must confess that he was indeed right…

As first Serena Williams, who tormented Sharapova in straight sets, & then as the Federer express ran over the hapless Chilean Gonzalez in Australian open finals, it was indeed a pleasure to watch. For these magicians function in a parallel universe, completely devoid of any flaws, & are immortal as God.

These genius people are everywhere around us. They are so much like us & then so much different too. Like us they also live on planet Earth, but seem to possess supernatural powers. For how in the God’s name, day in day out, match after match, Fed Ex destroys every Roddick, Nadal etc. with such precision, that it resembles nothing but fantasy. How can abhishek bacchan deliver such a breathtaking performance in GURU, so much so that even Big B is mesmerized!!! It is almost like “virtual reality”…

And voila this genius is simply exhilarating to say the least. Infact words like ‘fantabolous’, a combination of fantastic & fabulous have to be invented to describe them. There can’t be many better things in life than to watch these “Illusionists”, weaving another illusionary spell on us. They provide us with such moments of greatness which are worth savoring for an entire lifetime.

As Vijay Amritraj rightly said: “Challengers come, Challenger go, but the Champions stay”…

Yes,
Genius can be mind-boggling
Genius can be riveting
Genius can be enthralling…

But but but
As my friend proclaimed
Genius is never boring…

A New Year Wish list

2006-12-30T22:54:00.000+05:30

As 2006 comes to a rather dramatic end, what with the execution of dictator Saddam Hussein, it has certainly not been a perfect year.
But with 2007 calling…
Presenting before you my ten-point wishlist, things I would really like to be happening in the new year:

1. First things first, 2007 is the year of the cricketing mahakumbh, THE WORLD CUP, & though our recent performances have really not been awe-inspiring, still hoping that Men in Blue win the coveted trophy after 24 long years.
2. A Generation awakens… Be a Rebel… Let the spirit of “Rang de Basanti” keeps all of us motivated & here’s hoping that more such revolutionary movies keep Bollywood shining. And most importantly, we finally break the jinx & win the OSCAR.
3. As the era of Manmohanomics & Bushism enters into their last phases respectively, may India’s GDP growth is double digit & USA finally sheds its domineering image.
4. Roddick,Nadal & Co. hold a ‘Deconstructing Federer’ summit. First thing on the agenda halt the Federer juggernaut at Wimbledon.
5. The fifth point is dedicated to a five-letter word which has now assumed significant proportions in our life: “orkut”. Lets hope that the orkut mania keep all of us connected & we all “grow our network”.
6. SRK’s Kaun Banega Crorepati ‘tritiya’, is as good as its predecessors. Its a huge success & King Khan takes Big B’s legacy to unparalleled heights.
7. The rejuvenated ‘Manchester United’ wins English Premier League & the unstoppable ‘Chelsea’ land up with the UEFA Champions League crown, even vice-versa will perfectly do.
8. Now this one is straight from the heart, after all those mishappenings of the past, lets hope that “The world is a more safer place to live in the year 2007”.
9. They say you can never predict the future & as I move into that rather unknown & uncharted territories in the second phase of the year, I sincerely wish that it is as good as the first one.
10. Well you must be wondering that I didn’t talk about the first phase (Jan-June), that’s because I know beforehand that its gonna be the most wonderful part of my life: “Last semester at TIET with friends”. And I am really looking forward to it.

Last but not the least, wishing you a very happy & prosperous new year.
May all your dreams come true & so do my wishes!!!

“Sweet” memoirs@IIP

2006-12-12T17:02:00.000+05:30

Six months can be a relatively long period… but my training time at Indian Institute of Petroleum(IIP) was definitely not that. Infact a feeling of nostalgia sweeps me all around as I look back to those ups & downs of my rendezvous with IIP…

I still remember my very first day here, when I entered the gates of IIP after a long 30 min. travel (“long” in context of doon) on my bajaj chetak. The guard would just not allow me to get in without an I-card. So with a visitor card with the name of training incharge, Dr. V.P.Sharma on it, I finally got in. And hence on that historical day of 5 june,2006 I started my journey in the hallowed portals of one of the most respectable CSIR laboratories in India.

My first meeting with my guide, Dr. Gautam Das, was quite fascinating to say the least. For my dear “sir” had an unbelievable coded accent. The first 10 minutes that “sir” spoke to me were completely an OHD (overhead transmission), which hit like bullets on my mind. No matter how hard I may try, the comprehension remained below 10% (absolutely pathetic for a CAT apirant indeed). It was nevertheless once in a life time experience for me, an unforgettable one. But the very first thing that strikes you about my dear “sir” is his amazing physical stature. So much so that everyone at IIP feared for his well-being on a particularly windy day. One always got the feeling that you really don’t need to travel so far as moon to experience “weightlessness”, you could very well experience it, if you happened to be in my “sir’s” shoes. This association with my “sir” reaffirmed my ever growing belief that Bengalis are becoming an integral part of my life. Be it my room-mate in college or the headquarters of CTS. But I am really enjoying that a lot now.

And now to the person who was the best decoder of my “sir’s” accent, with whom I enjoyed every moment of my stay there, who shared all my joys & sorrows & vice-versa, and who infact is “The Reason”, I am writing this article : Mr. Sunil Kumar. The word “sweet” in the title owes much of its presence their due to this guy. Not only the fact that he was the incharge of the “sweetening” lab & my project was on also on “sweetening”, but more so because he was such a sweet person himself. I had developed such a great rapport with him that it was really difficult to contemplate life at IIP without dear sunil. From the various experiments performed with him to the celebration of his promotion party, from the innumerable times when he saved me from my “sir’s” anger to his very kind help in completion of my project report, he has been the driving force behind my survival at IIP.

If there was anyone person at IIP who could be termed as a “genius” in the truest sense of the term, who had a completely positive attitude towards everything in life, who had an aura associated with his persona, who was a great source of inspiration & motivation for me & who I respect the most in IIP, he is the one & only : Dr. Sudip Ganguly sir. The one thing that attracted the most towards him was his very friendly relationship that he developed with his students. His cheerful nature & a very good humour made him an instant hit with everyone who had the honour to come in contact with respected ganguly sir. As sir himself remarked once, I have indeed developed a “permanent bond” with ganguly sir. And I assure you sir that I will always stay in touch.

And this is not all, because there are many other people, things etc. that made my stay at IIP a truly remarkable & an unforgettable experience. And it is not possible to accommodate them all in my memoirs. My regrets to all of them.

So as it was on 4th December, the last day of my training when my dear “sir” gave me farewell. I bid an emotional good-bye to each & everyone at IIP who made my rendezvous a “sweetening” experience.

THANK YOU IIP…

Avtar no. 6

2006-12-02T22:42:00.000+05:30

The name is Bond… James Bond… and with this trademark 007 quote the 21st movie of Ian Fleming’s famous character comes to an end… & much like the case with every bond movie, this again was an enthralling experience… full of action, suspense, charisma & of course romance… But then it was also different…

For “Casino Royale” marked the advent of ‘Daniel Craig’ as the sixth actor to step into the shoes of the British secret service agent - Avtar no. 6.

And the big question was did he make the cut into this extraordinary league???

Well I will say he was just fine… This may seem as the most gruesome lie on earth to all those Pierce Brosnan’s die hard fans, but then I am one of them too!!! The fact is that there is really no comparison between these two as both of them are entirely different.

But then as this hard chin Englishman with a mysterious smile showcases in the latest bond flick, that he deserves to be the next 007. The first blond bond has a good physique and is also more real than all of his predecessors. That’s because of the minimum no. of electric gadgets he uses, there is no invisible car, no special goggles any more… but there is the ‘Rough & Tough’ bond… so much to everyone’s delight he sheds his larger than life image.

The journey of this quintessential secret agent dates back to year 1952, when the first novel of Ian Fleming was published & there has been no looking back since. Before this sixth avatar, the ‘famous five’ that have dawned the Bond legacy are Sean Connery, George Lezenbi, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton & Pierce Brosnan. The most popular of them all is unarguably Sean Connery who starting with ‘Dr. No’, performed in six scintillating movies. Roger Moore holds the record for the most no. Of seven bond movies. And the charismatic Pierce Brosnan has four movies to his credit, including the best bond movie to date: “Golden Eye”.

The absolutely majestic ‘Aston Martin’ remains the 007 supercar in ‘Casino Royale’ as is the case with bond’s boss: M. And most importantly the bond beauties continue their famous bikini-act again. If last time she was Halle Berry, then this time she is Eva Green. So the 007 once again mesmerizes all his die hard fans(like me) in his latest masterpiece.
My advice to all of you is to forget the ‘Brosnan vs Craig’ debate & instead enjoy “Casino Royale”.

And last but not the least, the news is that Daniel Craig will again be Bond in the next movie. The name of this 22nd movie is “Bond 22”… And did I tell you that my birthday also falls on the 22nd … & voila of this month itself… what a coincidence… or is it???

The name is Sharma… Jitin Sharma!!!

My Sunday Ritual

2006-11-12T22:27:00.000+05:30

Well I don’t exactly remember the Sunday when it all started, but it must be around 4-5 months back now… And then slowly but surely now it has expanded its horizons & become a ritual for me. For all these Sundays have somehow followed a curiously similar pattern & the credit for this goes to what they call it- “The Mock CAT’s”!!!

And as their name so shrewdly suggests they have always unfailingly delivered the goods in mocking me every time. Right from the start of this special day, which has now assumed special significance for me amongst all seven in the week, till the end it has always baffled me. From that “Good morning” sms on my cell, which serves as the alarm clock for me to wake up, & then performing those morning ablutions, to get ready at sharp 9.30 am. Then that not so long drive to the Career Launcher(CL) mock test center, it has really all been unbelievably same for quite some time now… And then the most disgusting part of it all, that “wait”, which I can’t bear. The official timings of the test are 10.30-1.00 am. But the CL Dehradun center people somehow always manage to be late & that too by the again “same” time interval- 30 mins. So the test starts at 11am, only to be interrupted again after 5 min. & now its time for Errata correction, as they say it, & after all these hustle & bustle, the “mock” takes-off again at 11.10am & to my deep relief it continues on without anymore speed-breakers to cross the finish line at 1.35am successfully. And then we have a swarm of CATers leaving the examination hall in such a mad hurry as if they have to catch up the next movie show at 2pm!!!

There are in excess of 200 students giving the “mock” on every Sunday & as u could very well imagine that there is not sufficient space for all of them to sit separately… so what happens is not a really exciting sight for any serious aspirant!!! For all of them sit in bunches of 2 & 3, as per their dear wishes, talking to each other as if they have arrived for a party… And the icing on this cake is the majestic sitting arrangement at the topmost floor of the building… As there is a round table there, around which 20 students sit side by side as if there is going to be a Group Discussion going to be held there, & not a written test… I really appreciate the CL people attitude to prepare students for the subsequent GD’s but alas! This is really not the way!!!

And though one could be forgiven for these errors once or twice but not everytime… In my opinion, this “Errata Correction” is even more important, so that budding aspirants can feel the real CAT atmosphere well in advance…

So this was my “Sunday Ritual” till today, i.e, 12th of November, the last mock test at the blessed CL center… But now there will be a slight variation indeed… For now its time for the real ones… the “Super Sundays”!!! For starting from next Sunday onwards till Almost January end… the scene would be pretty different as far as discipline & a time bound schedule is concerned… For their would be no late starters now, no doublets & triplets too & of course no round table conferences!!!

And the biggest of them all awaits me on the next “Super Sunday” itself!!! So its high time that we all leave behind the highs & lows of the mocks & get ready for the REAL CAT on “Sunday, the 19th”…

And for me to follow my “Sunday ritual” religiously as always…

A deserving winner… Finally!!!

2006-10-30T10:09:00.000+05:30

It was almost as if Sourav Ganguly, the ‘Prince of Kolkata’, had made an unprecedented comeback to the Indian cricket team… the atmosphere was reminiscent of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal… but nothing of this sort was ‘The Reason’ behind the deafening uproar in the streets of Kolkata…

Infact it was a 15-year old teenager from Kolkata which had sparkled off such grandiloquent festivities- “Sanchita Bhattacharya”, a name unknown to almost everyone in India about 4 months ago, was now the toast of the nation in general, & Kolkata in particular. Well this was because she was just crowned “LITTLE CHAMP” by the Don- Shahrukh Khan himself in an enthralling grand finale in Mumbai itself.

The event started by ZEE TV aimed to find the young singing sensation of India among thousands of participants. It provided the right platform for all budding little ‘Kishore Kumar’s’ & ‘Lata Mangeshkar’s’ of India to showcase their talent on the big stage. After many rounds of screening in different districts all over the country, finally 10 lucky little champs were selected for the final rounds. The judges, famously known as the ‘Terrific Trio’, were Abhijit,Alka Yagnik & Bappi Da. And ‘Shaan’ was the one who superbly anchored the show all along.

From these 10, the top three who made to the grand finale were besides Sanchita: Diwakar Sharma from Delhi & Sameer Mohammad from Mumbai. And though all three were really very good. Still the main contest was between the two most consistent performers of the show- “Sanchita vs Sameer”! But the fact that votes from people all over India were to be considered in final evaluation of results made the contest a lot closer than expected. As Diwakar being blind had an undue advantage of sympathy factor along with him, so much so that until the ending stages of voting he was at the top position, only to be overtaken by Sanchita during the dying moments of a nail-biting encounter indeed.

But it once again put a huge ??? mark over the credibility of champions emerging as a result of these voting systems. And this indeed is a serious debate. There are many examples which reaffirm this fact time and again that its often not the winners of this show who deserve the title but the runners-up instead!!!

Be it Abhijit Sawant’s victory over Amit Sana in “Indian Idol 1”, Sunil Pal’s victory over Raju Srivastav in “Laughter Challenge 1”, Sandeep Acharya’s victory over Karunya in “Indian Idol 2” or the most recent & most debatable “Rauf Lala” of Pakistan emerging victorious over his much fancied rivals in “Laughter Challenge 2”, the list is endless…

So the fact is that this much fashionable “voting system” only serves the hosts to expand their bank balance by hefty amounts. Besides these, they not only undermine the quality of such contests but are also a source of a great deal of frustration for all deserving participants who have worked really hard to reach this far. Who is to blame: “Public or Media”??? is anybody’s guess..

But for now lets put all these topics on the back-burner & extend our heartiest congratulations to the winner… & a deserving winner too… finally!!!

Hats Off to the Little Champ, the lovely & melodious Sanchita… to put it in Shaan’s words “Just Amazing” little champs!!!

Now whether She would be able to fulfill the huge aspirations that are a part & parcel, which come along the “champions” tag & whether she would be able to escalate the same heights as that of the great “Lata Mangeshkar”, only time will tell…

So till then as Shaan would say it again lets…

HOLD TIME!!!

The Chronicles of VIRASAT: The Ghazal maestro, The Sufi King & the Flops

2006-10-24T10:54:00.000+05:30

There is a very famous song of Green Day that goes: “Wake me up when September ends”… Well this song has all the more relevance when seen in context of the picturesque city of Dehradun… Because there is a unique buzz in the city, the air of doon feels different & you can’t ignore a sort of charismatic aura that engulfs every street here… As cometh the dawn of October, marks the arrival of a grand festival-
NO its not the festival of lights- Deepavali
NO its not the festival of sweets- Id either,
Infact it’s the festival of traditions- VIRASAT!!!

For nearly two weeks the whole city is mesmerized by some majestic performances by artists from all over India. And year 2006 marked another landmark achievement in its history as this cultural festival surpassed all boundaries and included pulsating displays from abroad too…

From an electrifying opening ceremony on 5th October in B.R.Ambedkar Stadium made all the more memorable by Ballet performance by Pt. Narendra Sharma, it set the trend for the whole event. The very next day on display was a world class Opera by Christine Matovich, USA.

But it was the 7th everyone was eagerly waiting for as the Ghazal maestro “Jagjit Singh” himself took center stage on the backdrop of a huge swarm of doonites hoping for sensational stuff from the magician… & Ah what an atmosphere it was… The man whose initials are same as that of mine (JS) started with “Kagaz ki kashti…” with a thunderous applause from the crowd & from there on he was simply unstoppable… For absolutely riveting ghazals poured from his gifted mouth one after another in a spellbinding display… & after more than two hours of heavenly abode, no one could quite comprehend that this show will ever end… such was the “Axe effect”…
Well having initials JS really helps…

In between those two weeks followed Quawwali by Warsi brothers, Kumaoni Holi, Mushaira & play reading by Dr. Mohan Agashe but all this went backstage to the most rocking night in the history of Virasat since it started from a modest beginning nearly 15 years ago… it was the night of 12th Oct… it was the night of the “Sufi King”…

Kailash Kher needs no introduction in the world of music… And if there was a show which could not only match the aroma of the JS night & even surpass it by quite some margin… it was the KK night… With “Manglam Manglam…”, he sat the stage on fire… & what followed was an ear piercing roar from the over enthusiastic Kailasha fans… Next up was “Teri Diwani”… & now the audience had gone crazy… the euphoria was just too amazing to contemplate. & with “Tauba Tauba…” , doubts in the mind of organizers(if any) about success of the show must have evaporated by now… King Kailasha ended his scintillating show with his most precious jewel… his opening hit… “Allah Ke Bande…” also promising that “Jo bhi ho Kal phir aaunaga…”!!!

But, though highly ironical, it’s a proven fact that everything on earth is in a state of constant equilibria… And for once if anyone had thought that Virasat was a smooth sailing all along… A fairy tale with everything perfect than it was unfortunately not the case…

What started with divine intervention with the accident of Wadali brothers that subsequently led to cancellation of their event… then this was only an indication of things to come… Since after the KK night… when the show reached its peak… it took a downward slope from there on… First ‘ Tumhari Amrita’, a play by Shabana Azmi was scrapped off… Then, the much awaited play by Anupam Kher- ‘Sab Kuch Ho Sakta Hai’ was shown the exit door… All these due to undisclosed reasons… & lame excuses like non-availability of dates of stars???

And last but not the least the cancellation of the enthralling Flute recital by the legendary Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia… which was to mark the closing ceremony of Virasat!!! All this was an absolute disgrace to an otherwise splendid & exquisite cultural event…

But all in all when the pros & cons of virasat would be weighed together, the result would be more positive than negative… more fantabolous then despairing… & the huge audience of doon would once again welcome “The Incredibles” next year for yet another rocking cultural festival…

But for the time being we all doonites now…

Bid Adieu Virasat…

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...

2006-10-08T13:52:00.000+05:30

Date: 19 November, 2006
Time: 10.30 am
Place: 50+ centers across India

“You can open your question paper now”, shouts the invigilator…
& with those magical words (much like “khul ja sim sim”), the race begins...
A race in which there are more than 2 lakh participants… And a race in which only a few thousand would succeed in reaching the podium… One false move and your doomed… 150 minutes of intense concentration, supreme determination, unparalleled dedication & loads of perseverance…
Well this and much more would be required in huge doses to be among those gifted few who would be smiling out of the examination hall at 1 pm after waging a gruesome battle!!!

Welcome to CAT 2006…

Some call it the Doomsday… some refer to it as their date with destiny…
Different people, different opinions…
CAT stands for Common Aptitude Test… But for me it means-
Uncommon Attitude Talent search test!!!

For the basic motto of the test is not to find common people but uncommon prodigies which have both the right aptitude as well as the attitude required to excel in the field of management. Those who don’t “work hard” but instead “work smart”. Those who rise to the occasion, who can sail past unknown shores, who can turnaround any situation…

Like the South African cricket team which believed it can chase 434 against world champions Australia…
Like Steven Gerrard led Liverpool who could recover from 0-3 down at half time to emerge as UEFA champs…
Like Michael Schumacher who is now level with Alonso in formula 1 after being 25 points short at one stage…

In a nutshell- “Those who think they can do it no matter what comes in their way”!!!

And the final countdown has begun & with hardly six weeks to go… As all serious aspirants gear up for that last push, look for that moment of inspiration, hoping against hope to land up on their dream destination…

The stage is set for the “battle royale” in which only the tough will survive…

And I being one of those “dreamers” myself wish everyone of those CATing around to be in “That league of Extraordinary Gentlemen & women”!!!

As the Nike saying goes: “JUST DO IT”!

A TALE OF TWO “MS”…

2006-09-12T09:41:00.000+05:30

Their names have the same initials. They both form an integral part of the sporting arena. But that’s it??? For if one is an immortal 37-year old German in the history of formula one, then the other is an electrifying combination of style with substance, the 19-year old Russian miss. Yes this is a tale of the legendary Michael Schumacher & the swashbuckling Maria Sharapova!!!

And what a coincidence for both of them to achieve the pinnacle of glory in subsequent days & yet it was not a foregone conclusion. For how much gifted these two sportspersons may be, they were certainly not the favorites. As the Russian teen prodigy faced the daunting prospect of a US open grand finale against the more consistent, more solid & more successful Henin-Hardenne. Then the ageing Schumi was up against the championship leader Fernando Alonso in an ever reliable Renault. The odds were heavily stacked against both of them.

But as the famous saying goes- “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”, it was to be proved true once again. For it was an exemplary performance, a gutsy display, like their very life depended on it. And this is the stuff, the champions are made off.

For on that Saturday night, it was not Henin who lost but it was Maria who won, simply because she was the one who called all the shots, she was the one who was more hungry for that coveted crown & she was the one who had the wherewithal to conquer all the odds. And so as the Flushing Meadows crowd gave a standing ovation, Sharapova stood their with the crown, like a kid with her most favorite toy of all.

And then came the Super Sunday which was to go down in the annals of history as one of the most memorable days in the history of formula one in particular & sports in general. For on this dazzling day, the incomparable Schumi proved once & for all why he is the greatest human ever to have stepped into that Ferrari. And that daredevil combination wreaked havoc for the umpteenth time on his rivals. As no alonso, no kimi could give the champion a fight on his last race in Monza,Italy. Victory here meant that Ferrari overtook Renault in the constructor’s championship & Schumacher himself is now within sniffing distance of alonso in the driver’s championship. Schumi also announced his retirement from his most beloved sport at the end of the season, much to the heartbreak of millions of his diehard fans across the world. But like all good things come to an end one day. The whole world bids adieu to this sporting phenomena.

So as the king “MS” now leaves his throne in formula one at the end of the year, the stage is all set for the queen “MS” to become the heir to his throne & reign in the kingdom of tennis.

That only time will tell but for the moment Let the magic of “MS” mesmerize our souls…

Celebrating “Blog” Day…

2006-08-31T09:36:00.000+05:30

From that historical day in the year 1997, when Jorn Barger coined the term ‘blog’, it has been almost 9 years since then & blogging has not looked back. To say that its rise has been upwards would infact be a great understatement as indeed blogging has moved by leaps & bounds in this modern era. Sky is the limit as it is not restricted by boundaries, cultures, traditions etc. And so it is rather obvious that there should be a day dedicated to the next revolution in Internet publishing. Hence, today ,i.e, 31 August is officially celebrated around the world as blog day…

Besides the ‘blog’ day itself the ever escalating heights & growing popularity of the blog is evident from many facts with manuals on ‘how to write blogs’ starting as early as 2001. Moreover blogs have gained increasing notice & coverage for their role in breaking, shaping & spinning news stories. The Iraq war saw bloggers taking measured and passionate points of view that go beyond the traditional left-right divide of the political spectrum. The second Iraq war was the first “blog war” in another way: Iraqi bloggers gained readership, and one, Salam Pax, published a book of his blog. In 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream, as political consultants; news services and candidates began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming.

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary declared “blog” as the word of the year in 2004.

And if all this was not enough the year 2006 has witnessed the most phenomenal impact of blogs with the launch of the first ever movie produced, directed & advertised on the internet as well by the bloggers themselves: “Snakes on The Plane”. The most outrageous thing about the movie is its most simplistic title itself as it only means snakes on the plane only & nothing more. Such has been the excitement created by this movie that even before its release there are talks of it being nominated for the ‘movie of the year’ award. And all this is possible only because of the widespread publicity done by a community of bloggers on the net without seeking any support from external sources & their more experienced counterparts. This movie has won worldwide acclaim even from the critics.

Believe me this is only the start, a mere glimpse of things to come from the repertoire of bloggers. Remember sachin batting in his teen years, Schumacher’s rip roaring driving on his arrival, all the hoopla surrounding the initial exploits of Sampras & Jordan. Well all of us knew that much more acts of greatness would follow. I assure you that same is the case with blogging.

For somebody once quoted-
“Ordinary persons discuss people,
Average persons discuss events,
Extraordinary people discuss ideas.”

I would like to add one more line in the end.
“Bloggers discuss everything.”

And me being one of them salutes the passion of blogging on this historical day…

I AM BACK!!!

2006-08-23T09:49:00.000+05:30

Yes its been a long time since my last post & an exciting one too. Since during
this hiatus I have experienced varying frequencies of emotions, ranging from a
state of absolute delirium to supreme ecstasy. And its been a fascinating
journey for sure which has seen me shuttling between dehradun & patiala. For
what started with initial disappointment & agony of not clearing the written
test of infosys & then failing at the final frontier (the doomed HR interview)
of TCS, soon took a U turn as a feeling of euphoria & immense satisfaction
prevailed all over me when I finally got placed in Cognizant Technologies. There
were just four words to describe this out of the world feeling: “I have done
it”!

As I have also been preparing for the “CAT” (with due respect) all along, my
journey through various mock tests has also been nothing short of ups & downs.
In fact, if one has to compare these two events: placements & mock CAT
simultaneously, then you would surely be dumbfounded by the degree of
contradictory results between the two of them. For these two have resembled the
two opposite sides of a coin in more ways than one. As I don’t seem to have both
going my way at the same time & frankly speaking it has left me quite perplexed
at times. The greatest irony being the fact that my best performance in mock
tests was on that very day when I had failed the infy written test. And from
that time onwards as I have slowly but steadily approached the day of my
placement, my mock scores are following a downhill slope & they seem to be
living up to the reputation of their name: mocking me from time to time.

But now with a job in hand, the time has well & truly arrived to stem this rot.
Its high time now that I redirect all my focus & single-minded levels of
concentration to my cherished goal in life, my dream…

So my dear friends I am off to another long journey again to make-

MISSION ‘IIM’POSSIBLE!!!

Yes I am back with a bang…

“The Hindu” : Simply the best…

2006-07-17T09:24:00.000+05:30

One of the great advantages of being at your home place for training is the unbelievable amount of time at your disposal to pursue one’s interests. Though initially I had the feeling that this ample time may lead to boredom at home, these undesirable thoughts were quickly dispelled from my mind within days of my arrival in the picturesque city of doon. For I found an unusual friend with whom I could not only spend a lot of time but can also share my feelings, my emotions, my passions.

For ranging from everyday politics to the French open , from Shashi Tharoor’s candidature for the post of General Secretary at UN to the ups & downs of fifa world cup, & now from Federer’s wimbledon to the recent terror strikes at Mumbai. It has indeed been a fascinating journey for me, for which I had the fantastic opportunity to cover with a true & sincere companion , who is none other than unarguably the most wholesome & accomplished newspaper of India: The Hindu.

Infact, my friendship with this legendary paper dates back to my hostel days, when I had a glimpse of the various flavours that this paper offered. But unfortunately due to time constraints, I could not do full justice to this friend of mine & had to opt for TOI. Its not that I didn’t like TOI, but “The Hindu” is on a different level altogether.

For no newspaper today can feed you with such a wide variety of news in one hand & on the other hand, carry out such detailed discussions on various contemporary issues that keep you engaged forever. Since its inception in 1878 as India’s national newspaper, “The Hindu” has not looked back. At first glance, the first thing about the paper that arrests your attention, is its well structured presentation. Everything about the paper seems to have an aura, charisma & royalty attached to it. And at the same time its sincerity, faithfulness & great discipline, inculcates a sense of attachment towards the paper.

If the front page is awesome & spectacular, then the ensuing pages which cover regional, national & international news keep up the rhythm. There is a continuity & freshness about the paper that is simply amazing. But if there is one thing about the paper that clearly separates it from everyone else, like a glowing titan among pearls, like an icing on the cake it is :

‘The Editorial page’. It carries on its left hand side two articles discussing about the most recent piece of news & what articles they are!!! An absolutely literary treat, you would not find more informative articles inter dispersed with high quality vocabulary any where else that leave an ever lasting impact on you. But my favourite one is the right hand side of this page which pertains to a complete & detailed account of contemporary issues along with treasured opinions from the experts themselves. Anybody of you all who is preparing for a competitive exam like CAT,GRE etc. which requires awareness about current topics, you can’t afford to miss this one as this is a must read. For you rarely find a discussion of such high quality & holistic approach. A ‘Cartoonscape’ right below it is a mocking revelation of political issues. Then comes “letters to the editor”, your chance to express yourself & let out your emotions, your feelings. This again is very interactive. On the next page is Paul Krugman’s column, which is too good to be left unattended. Right beside it, most of the times there is an interview of a world renowned personality, which is your chance to be one on one with the famous people of our time.

Another distinctive feature of the paper is its special coverage of sports in its ‘Sports page’. In fact, it is the most complete, updated & well compiled sports page that you will ever find ranging from 2 to 3 pages. The best thing being the special colored photo feature that is a part of it, for it is a visual spectacle worth a look atleast. The only page, that perhaps, is not quite able to maintain the otherwise very high standards generally set by the paper is the ‘Business page’. But it is also improving day by day.

The pull outs that come along with the paper are also top class. Be it the ‘Friday review’ & ‘The Young World’ that come on Friday or ‘The Hindu Magazine’ which accompany the Sunday issue. In fact all these make it the complete paper which entails to a wide age group & an ever increasing readership as well.

So through this article I don’t intend to mean that you all throw away your present newspapers & switch over to ‘The Hindu’. But I sincerely recommend to all of you who have never read it, to atleast give it a try, for you will appreciate its beauty & for those who read it already, to continue in the celebration of this paper. May your relationship with ‘The Hindu’ reach ever-escalating heights . But whatever be your opinion after reading the paper or not reading it, one thing is for sure that-

“The Hindu” is the voice of the nation & in a nutshell:
it is simply the best...

The World of “Blogging”

2006-07-13T16:54:00.000+05:30

Well this was meant to be my opening post on the blog. Since from the time I was introduced to the term “blog” by one of my good friends, I have always yearned to find out more about blogging & related things like its origin etc. My subsequent wandering so as to fulfill this endeavor of mine unexpectedly reached its destination when I came across an article on “Amateur Publishing” in Science Reporter July edition. And now I could not resist myself from sharing its excerpts with everyone. So here goes my blog on blog itself…

The word ‘blog’, shortened from ‘weblog’, may sound alien to many. In common speech, the term blog is often used to describe an online diary or journal. And as you all know authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called blogging & of course a person who posts entries is called a blogger.

On 17 December 1997, Jorn Barger coined the term “weblog” to describe the process of “logging the web” as he surfed. The short form, “blog”, has now been accepted as a noun(weblog shortened) and as a verb. Almost 9 years hence, these online diaries are becoming a part of the daily lives of many teenagers & college students like all of us.

So the question arises is why blog is so much growing in popularity?

Well there could be no joy greater than that of seeing one’s writing in print. The feeling of euphoria & immense satisfaction that engulfs oneself knowing that yours article is being read by many is absolutely awesome. But since traditional publishing entails high cost as well as the huge risk of being rejected by the editor, so it becomes a sort of barrier to the entry of amateur & first-time writers. So the easier & better way out is undoubtedly publishing on the net as it does not involve heavy investments and there is a much wider readership that may be interested in your opinions or imaginations.

The appeal of this form of communication is that the recipient can read whenever it is convenient, and the writer does not need to remember who still needs to be updated with certain pieces of information- it is there, waiting, for whenever people wish to read it! Blog allows for easy filtering of content for various presentations: by date, category, author or other attributes. A blog need not always be operated by a sole individual, there are community blogs too, in which a group of people contribute, responding to each other’s ideas, as well as remaining in view to the other interested readers.

The blogs are good indicators of the writing skills of a person. In addition, there are infact publishers that are looking out for fresh talent on the internet, so if your posts interest them, they may approach you. So, in a blog publishing becomes as effortless as the straight drive coming from sachin’s blade or the riveting backhand of federer or a beckham free kick.
Since you don’t have to seek permission from anyone to write. Neither do you need to convince skeptical publishers of the viability of your writing!

Now the flipside of a blog vs a website. Your blog is at the mercy of the organization/proprietor of the blogsite. If tomorrow he/she decides to close shop, or starts putting some advertisements along with your posts, you cannot ask for any compensation for the work you have posted on the site. Quite fair, isn’t it?? After all you are not charged any money for the facility.

So this was a sort of summary of the article written by Rakesh mohan hallen with some appropriate inputs from my side.
I hope this serves to quench all the queries you might have about blogging. As we all know that to excel in any field in life its very important to know its very roots, the basics. So now friends as Sherlock holmes once famously quoted: “I always know what ever there is to know”, I hope you also have a firm footing about the what’s & why’s of blogging.

For those who have not yet started with this amazingly addicted thing called blogging (I am one of the addicts myself!), I seriously recommend to you all log on to a blogsite create an account & start blogging. And to all those who blog regularly keep up the good work buddies. For after sometime(maybe even after reading this post) , you all may start singing the Enrique Iglesias super song: “May be I am addicted…”!!!

Welcome to the world of blogging and you are all invited…

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly…

2006-07-11T10:34:00.000+05:30

Finally the curtains were drawn over the biggest sporting extravaganza, the FIFA world cup 2006, with a majestic & spellbinding closing ceremony on 9th july. And as one looks back in retrospect over the whole plethora of events that occurred over the last month, a feeling of déjà vu engulfs me all over because this tournament has turned out to be a mixture of all spices: The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.

From the great hospitality, friendship & “welcome all” attitude shown by the host nation to an ignominious & dastardly act from one of the greatest player of our generation(you all know whom I am referring to), this grand festival like everyone else for that matter, had its ups & downs. But of course we all have been fascinated by “The Good” of fifa world cup even overwhelmed at times. And since its inception this footballing “mahakumbh”, has always done a balancing act with its share of brutal tackles, yellow & red cards on the field as well as sometimes minor & sometimes major cases of hooliganism from few over enthusiastic fans off the field. “The Bad” has always formed an integral part of this battle royale. So “The Good” & “The Bad” have been the basic ingredients of every fifa world cup to date.

But what is troubling me the most is, infact the third one: “The Ugly”. And the reason that you all see this undesirable third term are events that not only tarnish the image of this game but also are against the motto of this WC which says- “Its time to make friends!”. And if this uglier face of world cup took its shape during the unforgettable pre-quarterfinal match between Portugal & Holland, which broke all previous records for the most no. of bookings in a single match with both teams left with just 9 players a side in the end. Then this face evolved into a whole body, in what was undoubtedly the ugliest moment of the entire cup during the last minutes of extra time of the grand finale itself between italy & france…

For what the soccer great zinedine zidane or as he is more famously known zizou did during that moment of madness will go down in sporting folklore as one of the most shameful acts of disgrace that sport has ever seen. And the greatest irony being the fact that this was supposed to be a fitting farewell match for the star player. But as Harsha Bhogle anchoring for ESPN rightly quoted after the match: “The most ordinary players are remembered by their best moments & the greatest players are always remembered by their worst moments”.

For how can one explain it: A virtuoso player who single handedly had taken france from utter darkness & danger of another early exit to extreme pride & self-belief in themselves & on the doorsteps of being hailed as world cup champions. From his electrifying display against Spain to a mesmerizing performance against Brazil to another charismatic show vs Portugal in semis. The stage was all set for zizou, the magician, playing his last international match, in the grand finale at Olympystadion stadium in Berlin, with the whole france & die hard fans behind him, to weave another spell of magic & give another sublime display of soul stirring artistry.

But but but… in an anti climax not exactly a Kodak moment, what he does is something that nobody who loves this game can ever imagine even in their wildest of dreams. He hits the Italian defender Materazzi in his chest with such ferocity like a crazy bull left loose. What happens afterwards is not that difficult to contemplate, for the referee shows zidane the much dreaded red card. Zizou is out, his fare(not so)well over & with it all French dreams vanish too. For the team reduced to ten, play the rest of the match like zombies, not quite able to comprehend what had hit them. The match goes to penalties. And when Grosso hits the fifth penalty yet again past the miserable barthez, wild celebrations overwhelm whole of italy. They become world cup champions for the fourth time & they all deserve it for their tenacity & never say die spirit!

But after some time when all the hype surrounding the world cup has died down, one question will forever continue to haunt me. A question for which maybe the exact answer, the gospel truth may never come out in public. And the question is:

WHY ZIDANE WHY???

The quintessential phenomenon : Roger Federer.

2006-07-08T11:34:00.000+05:30

The scoreline read : 6-2,6-0,6-2.
The whole match was over in just 77 minutes…

A layman could have been forgiven for contemplating that it was a first round match at the Wimbeldon championships. For such a scorecard is rather reminiscent of the first week matches at the most prestigious grand slam event of the year.
But how wrong could one be??

For this was an almost inexplicable & grotesque display of monumental quality by the living God of tennis at the zenith of his powers. Yes, infact it was the first semifinal match at Wimbeldon 2006 between the Swiss maestro Roger Federer & the miserable Swede Jonas Bjorkman.

Ah!! And what a majestic performance it was by the one & only federer. For this sensational effort could not be dared to be described in words, let alone to be written down on paper. Such was the charisma & grandeur, it was an unprecedented display of highest brand of quality tennis imaginable so much so that it looked almost inconceivable & unrealistic.

The Swiss prodigy who has inherited the throne of the “King of Wimbeldon” from the legendary Pete Sampras had dropped just four games & did not face even a single break point on his own serve en route to this relentless spanking.
It was like an artist at work showcasing the multifarious dimensions of his beautiful art very much like Beethoven’s soul stirring performance, Mozart’s voice which transcends all the boundaries or like Leonardo Da Vinci’s fantabolous painting of Monalisa.

The hapless Bjorkman stood in disbelief, absolutely bewildered, shaking his head from time to time seeking some mercy from the eternal champion. But on that day the old warrior was doomed, for “Roger, the Great” proved once & for all that at the moment he is on a different level altogether & an unparalleled class act at the pinnacle of glory.

In yester years, tennis has produced some great champions from Rod Laver, Emerson to the golden era of Bjorn Bjorg & Mc Enroe to the awesome rivalry between Sampras & Agassi.
But now the time has well & truly arrived to acknowledge that this human being, born in Switzerland, and after years of mind blowing spectacular performances consistenly over time deserves a place right there at the very top. Federer is in a league of his own, he is simply, concisely & precisely a “perfectionist”.
.
Now the champion whose last loss at wimbeldon was in 2002 meets another teen sensation, the only player who has defeated him this year, not once, twice, thrice but four times & most recently in the French open final at Roland Garros : Rafael Nadal. So as the number one player in the world walks out at the Center Court on Super Sunday, another treat of unadulterated classic tennis will be on display once again from the great champ. And I can only say “God help Nadal!” because “The Lord of Tennis” is going to unleash again in full fury & the world will stand up to witness one of the greatest sporting extravaganza on this planet!!!

Hail the champion…