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December 24, 2005
Examinations....
The warriors of Room 20 are gearing up for the second battle in the War of the MBAs. The war which analysts predict will last another 18 months and will involve 4 more such encounters and many more petty skirmishes is expected to give the reins of Corporate India in the hands of the victorious.
OK, I am not so good with metaphors but you get the drift. It is that time of the year. And no I am not referring to festivities in any manner. Poor souls, us all, have to study Optimising Models on the eve of Christmas and Statistics on New Year's.
So my faithful readers will have to wait till the 5th of Jan in the new year to get another peek into my (rather unhep) life.
Another and a rather pleasant discovery is that among the band(?) of readers of my page are some esteemed (and net savvy) profs of my insti, and what was even better was that they actually like my content and expect more and better stuff. I will try and live upto your expectations Antara Ma'am.
Which brings me to an issue which is also being talked about recently in the blogosphere. The fact about the responsibility of Bloggers towards the content posted on the websites and whether or not, or to what extent, bloggers should be held accountable.
Like a question that was raised in the Law lecture once, that what rules and regulatory mechanism, if at all, should be applied to blogs, and yours truly was of the opinion that the same rules which apply to publishing of Magazines, Journals and Newspapers should be held for blogs too, for a majority of them are similar to the aforementioned, only that the latter are in the ‘e’ form.
I believe, and have significant matter to substantiate my belief, that Bloggers today exercise significant power in the moulding of public opinion. And with that power also comes responsibility which is now slowly but surely being inculcated.
With that thought and another pic which i have given the caption "Rays of Hope" from the beautiful piece of land called Manipal I return to a rendezvous with one Mr. N.D. Vohra……… (The Quant Methods’ book author, yaar!)
OK, I am not so good with metaphors but you get the drift. It is that time of the year. And no I am not referring to festivities in any manner. Poor souls, us all, have to study Optimising Models on the eve of Christmas and Statistics on New Year's.
So my faithful readers will have to wait till the 5th of Jan in the new year to get another peek into my (rather unhep) life.
Another and a rather pleasant discovery is that among the band(?) of readers of my page are some esteemed (and net savvy) profs of my insti, and what was even better was that they actually like my content and expect more and better stuff. I will try and live upto your expectations Antara Ma'am.
Which brings me to an issue which is also being talked about recently in the blogosphere. The fact about the responsibility of Bloggers towards the content posted on the websites and whether or not, or to what extent, bloggers should be held accountable.
Like a question that was raised in the Law lecture once, that what rules and regulatory mechanism, if at all, should be applied to blogs, and yours truly was of the opinion that the same rules which apply to publishing of Magazines, Journals and Newspapers should be held for blogs too, for a majority of them are similar to the aforementioned, only that the latter are in the ‘e’ form.
I believe, and have significant matter to substantiate my belief, that Bloggers today exercise significant power in the moulding of public opinion. And with that power also comes responsibility which is now slowly but surely being inculcated.
With that thought and another pic which i have given the caption "Rays of Hope" from the beautiful piece of land called Manipal I return to a rendezvous with one Mr. N.D. Vohra……… (The Quant Methods’ book author, yaar!)
Rays of Hope
December 23, 2005
My Life, Rated
| This Is My Life, Rated | |
| Life: |  6.4 |
| Mind: | 6 |
| Body: | 5.9 |
| Spirit: |  8.8 |
| Friends/Family: |  2.4 |
| Love: |  1.5 |
| Finance: | 6.1 |
| Take the Rate My Life Quiz | |
December 20, 2005
hmm....
Its been a long time since i posted, and i know some people who are angry about that. But i really couldn't have helped it. The rule about blogging i stated a long time back still holds true..... when stuff worth writing about happens in my life, i dont have the time to blog about it. Since the last post, i have been on an eventful trip down south....to Manipal, and my first time in Karnataka. The place is beautiful, and vibrant as a majority of its populace are young students from all over India. The event was TAPMI's annual B-School Fest, Atharva '05 and we managed to win a couple of prizes, a 1st in 'Global Investor' an investment simulation game, and 2nd in 'Markatti', a Marketing negotiations game. The Event was very well managed by the TAPMI dudes, but the highlight of the 4 days we spent in the town was the QUIZ ON THE BEACH, a great concept which i think will catch on soon. We went to Kaup (pronounced as 'kaapu' ) beach and it is one of the most beautiful beaches i have seen. White sand, a lot of surf and a great quiz. doesnt quite gel, but that evening it did.
we've gotten over with most of the lectures for all subjects and another 5 days to go before final exams for this trimester start. I have gotten used to spending christmas eve and new year's in the midst of books.
Then there was the Marketing presentation on Branding and Product mix and i did it on Honda Cars and the Honda City in particular. The case i took up was that of the repositioning of the CITY brand and we really did work hard on it and i guess it showed when we presented the case. have a look.
And by the way i have just got the song i have been looking for since a very long time. It is 'angel' by Lionel Richie, from his Album - Rennaissance. I have also uploaded it here to share it with all of you. Hope you like it.
Aaj ke samachar yahin samapt hote hain....
November 28, 2005
The talk of a Sikh Nation
Have been caught up with Paragana '05, mid-terms and presentations, so havent been able to post alot of interesting stuff that has been happening over the week.
While surfing today i came across this link on the site of The Jung newspaper of Pakistan and couldnt help but react.
I would really like a rendezvous with Sardar Manmohan Singh,Chairman World Sikh Muslim Federation(?) and give him a piece of my mind, but i hope he reads this, (do not confuse with the Prime minister Manmohan Singh)
what this gentleman would want us to believe is that "according to Article 25 of the Constitution of Republic of India, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains were part of Hindus and had no separate entity. "When the Constitution does not recognise them as a separate nation how could they accept India as their motherland,"
There is alot i wanted to babble, but in short i would like the gentleman to notice that his namesake is rightnow the PRIME MINISTER of the country and he happens to be a sikh. The Indian Army is headed by a Sikh. The Planning Commission is headed by a sikh. If this is not proof enough for him and others like him to understand that this country is as much of the Sikh as it is of the Hindu and the Muslim and Chrisitian and of all the other peoples who reside in this part of the world, then nothing will satisfy their urge to claim a seperate homeland. For all those people who want a seperate 'homeland' for themselves, not just the Sikhs, but also the Kashmiris, my brethren in the north-east, and those in Ireland, Catalunya, Chechnya, Baluchistan and elsewhere, why is it so difficult to learn from history......that a 'homeland', a piece of land for ourselves is not a guarantee for a better, more peaceful, more independent life.
I don't have anything against Pakistan or Pakistanis. Neither Bangladesh or Bangladeshis, but now the people have a homeland, as they and their ancestors wanted, but are they alot better off than if they had been part of a bigger nation. I am not trying to suggest reunification. Not in the least bit, because i dont think that is possible or practical.
But when better sense prevails over nations who i think are modern in more ways than one, that a bigger and organised union is in the better interest of all members, why are there people who still want to talk of separation.
I think i speak of the community when i say this : We the sikhs are proud to be Indians and India is our homeland, motherland. Our roots might be in Punjab but our soul is in this greater land. A sikh today is not necessarily a Punjabi. There are lakhs of 1st and second generation sikhs who have been born and brought up in different parts of the country and speak another language more fluently than they speak Punjabi or Hindi.
Even in the west, the Sikh is a symbol of India. The turban style unique to the Sikhs is instantly recognised as India, and everything Indian.
At the root of all seperatist movements around the world is only one of the following 2 reasons,
a) A severe injustice to an ethnic group or community or
b) Vested interests and Desire for power of some corrupt few who manage to grab the collective attention of a group of people and instigate them to ask for the unreasonable and nonsensical.
The second one dies a natural death. Uniformly, Always.
The first one however does not subside but also is never settled through violence. It will, however, and does come to a peaceful end when the groups involved understand the sensibilities of each other and give some deserved space to each other.
India is as proud of the Sikhs as the Sikh today is proud to be an Indian.
While surfing today i came across this link on the site of The Jung newspaper of Pakistan and couldnt help but react.
I would really like a rendezvous with Sardar Manmohan Singh,Chairman World Sikh Muslim Federation(?) and give him a piece of my mind, but i hope he reads this, (do not confuse with the Prime minister Manmohan Singh)
what this gentleman would want us to believe is that "according to Article 25 of the Constitution of Republic of India, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains were part of Hindus and had no separate entity. "When the Constitution does not recognise them as a separate nation how could they accept India as their motherland,"
There is alot i wanted to babble, but in short i would like the gentleman to notice that his namesake is rightnow the PRIME MINISTER of the country and he happens to be a sikh. The Indian Army is headed by a Sikh. The Planning Commission is headed by a sikh. If this is not proof enough for him and others like him to understand that this country is as much of the Sikh as it is of the Hindu and the Muslim and Chrisitian and of all the other peoples who reside in this part of the world, then nothing will satisfy their urge to claim a seperate homeland. For all those people who want a seperate 'homeland' for themselves, not just the Sikhs, but also the Kashmiris, my brethren in the north-east, and those in Ireland, Catalunya, Chechnya, Baluchistan and elsewhere, why is it so difficult to learn from history......that a 'homeland', a piece of land for ourselves is not a guarantee for a better, more peaceful, more independent life.
I don't have anything against Pakistan or Pakistanis. Neither Bangladesh or Bangladeshis, but now the people have a homeland, as they and their ancestors wanted, but are they alot better off than if they had been part of a bigger nation. I am not trying to suggest reunification. Not in the least bit, because i dont think that is possible or practical.
But when better sense prevails over nations who i think are modern in more ways than one, that a bigger and organised union is in the better interest of all members, why are there people who still want to talk of separation.
I think i speak of the community when i say this : We the sikhs are proud to be Indians and India is our homeland, motherland. Our roots might be in Punjab but our soul is in this greater land. A sikh today is not necessarily a Punjabi. There are lakhs of 1st and second generation sikhs who have been born and brought up in different parts of the country and speak another language more fluently than they speak Punjabi or Hindi.
Even in the west, the Sikh is a symbol of India. The turban style unique to the Sikhs is instantly recognised as India, and everything Indian.
At the root of all seperatist movements around the world is only one of the following 2 reasons,
a) A severe injustice to an ethnic group or community or
b) Vested interests and Desire for power of some corrupt few who manage to grab the collective attention of a group of people and instigate them to ask for the unreasonable and nonsensical.
The second one dies a natural death. Uniformly, Always.
The first one however does not subside but also is never settled through violence. It will, however, and does come to a peaceful end when the groups involved understand the sensibilities of each other and give some deserved space to each other.
India is as proud of the Sikhs as the Sikh today is proud to be an Indian.
November 25, 2005
When Life will be a Bed of Flowers...
Was the Caption i gave it....
Finally some recognition for the miniscule photography abilities i DO posess.
I didn't get a podium place but am satisfied and it seems worth the effort finally.
Date:Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:44:18 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Abhivyakti iimlucknow"
Subject:AKS-Congrats
To:achandeepsingh@yahoo.com
Hi Achan,
You will be pleased to know that your photo," When life will be a bed of Flowers" has been accepted for exhibition.
We will keep you posted with further news.
Regards,
Team Abhivyakti
Finally some recognition for the miniscule photography abilities i DO posess.
I didn't get a podium place but am satisfied and it seems worth the effort finally.
Date:Wed, 23 Nov 2005 14:44:18 +0000 (GMT)
From: "Abhivyakti iimlucknow"
Subject:AKS-Congrats
To:achandeepsingh@yahoo.com
Hi Achan,
You will be pleased to know that your photo," When life will be a bed of Flowers" has been accepted for exhibition.
We will keep you posted with further news.
Regards,
Team Abhivyakti
November 17, 2005
Aggressive Media
When it comes to freedom of expression i will go any distance to secure mine and everybody else's. It is a virtue of the country that it has the most independent and rather uninfluenced press and electronic media in the world. But now it is getting too far. News, both in the form of newspapers and TV news channels is becoming commercial. The leading newspapers and the biggest news channels will sensationalise each and every happenning around town, and that at the expense of accuracy of the material being reported.
The case in point is the Murder of a girl by her boyfriend near the NMIMS campus. Almost every newspaper including Mid-Day and Mumbai Mirror have indulged in gross misrepresentation and misquoting of facts, resulting in a potential PR nightmare for NMIMS.
I have complete sympathy with the victim's family and advocate severe reprimand and punishment for the accused, but this is about the unnecessary and gross sensationalisation of news by the media.
Mumbai Mirror says "On monday, after classes, he (the accused) called Doshi (the victim) to the college parking lot at 9.20 pm". The truth is that the NMIMS campus doesn't have a parking lot of its own at all. There was a photograph of the crime scene printed in a newspaper and the caption read "the scene of the crime on campus".
The incident happened in a by lane near the institute where most people visiting NMIMS park their vehicles, which is by all means a public road.
1. The murder did not happen on campus. We have enough security on campus to prevent any such things happenning.
2. The girl and the boy did not meet each other for the first time at NMIMS. Their friendship was an old one and they first met at Mithibai college when both were undergraduate students.
3. The girl is an ex-student of Family Business management programme and the boy is in the 2nd yr of the Part time MBA course at NMIMS. And that is the only NM connection to it.
What its students do outside the safe confines of the institute is not its business and should not reflect on it. I dont know why there has been a delay in an official release on this issue from the institute but i am sure it will come out soon. And i hope the management sues the media houses on the wrong side of the line.
NMIMS remains a regarded and respected institution of quality higher education and all its students are proud to be a part of it.
Journalists, respect your freedom and be responsible towards it.
The case in point is the Murder of a girl by her boyfriend near the NMIMS campus. Almost every newspaper including Mid-Day and Mumbai Mirror have indulged in gross misrepresentation and misquoting of facts, resulting in a potential PR nightmare for NMIMS.
I have complete sympathy with the victim's family and advocate severe reprimand and punishment for the accused, but this is about the unnecessary and gross sensationalisation of news by the media.
Mumbai Mirror says "On monday, after classes, he (the accused) called Doshi (the victim) to the college parking lot at 9.20 pm". The truth is that the NMIMS campus doesn't have a parking lot of its own at all. There was a photograph of the crime scene printed in a newspaper and the caption read "the scene of the crime on campus".
The incident happened in a by lane near the institute where most people visiting NMIMS park their vehicles, which is by all means a public road.
1. The murder did not happen on campus. We have enough security on campus to prevent any such things happenning.
2. The girl and the boy did not meet each other for the first time at NMIMS. Their friendship was an old one and they first met at Mithibai college when both were undergraduate students.
3. The girl is an ex-student of Family Business management programme and the boy is in the 2nd yr of the Part time MBA course at NMIMS. And that is the only NM connection to it.
What its students do outside the safe confines of the institute is not its business and should not reflect on it. I dont know why there has been a delay in an official release on this issue from the institute but i am sure it will come out soon. And i hope the management sues the media houses on the wrong side of the line.
NMIMS remains a regarded and respected institution of quality higher education and all its students are proud to be a part of it.
Journalists, respect your freedom and be responsible towards it.
Can Ethics be Taught?
"You can be monetarily corrupt, you shall be saved. If you are sexually corrupt, you might be saved. But if you are Ideologically corrupt, you are doomed. It will keep you from looking at the other side. It will keep you from saying sorry."
"Mills of God grind slow but they grind Sure"
Professor Dhondy is one of the few people who manage to set young minds thinking. Quite often he'd say things which might sound outrageous, but i feel he does that deliberately to make us react. To shake us from our slumber, people who have conditioned themselves to be comfortably numb even in times when there is gross injustice and wrongdoings in every part of our lives.
That we're turning completely insensitive towards such things is evident when some of my academically superior and bright colleagues laugh off some very serious statements made by the professor who teaches 'Values and Ethics in Management". The other day Shubham even questioned the need to teach Values and Ethics as a complete paper which will be evaluated and exams held for the same. But i feel, we, at this stage in our careers might not realise, but this conditioning for being ethical in our day to day business in the organisation will definitely put to use and put to test. When managers of tomorrow are shown the consequences of unethical business practices that were carried out in the past, you are already wiping clean the present.
"Mills of God grind slow but they grind Sure"
Professor Dhondy is one of the few people who manage to set young minds thinking. Quite often he'd say things which might sound outrageous, but i feel he does that deliberately to make us react. To shake us from our slumber, people who have conditioned themselves to be comfortably numb even in times when there is gross injustice and wrongdoings in every part of our lives.
That we're turning completely insensitive towards such things is evident when some of my academically superior and bright colleagues laugh off some very serious statements made by the professor who teaches 'Values and Ethics in Management". The other day Shubham even questioned the need to teach Values and Ethics as a complete paper which will be evaluated and exams held for the same. But i feel, we, at this stage in our careers might not realise, but this conditioning for being ethical in our day to day business in the organisation will definitely put to use and put to test. When managers of tomorrow are shown the consequences of unethical business practices that were carried out in the past, you are already wiping clean the present.
November 11, 2005
Belated Happy (?) Birthday
Its been 23 years and 3 days since a strange creature, named : Achan landed on the 3rd rock from the sun. Where or which celestial body this creature has its genesis in, is a fact only known to the almighty.
3 days after my birthday, which i celebrated in the safe confines of my home in Delhi, i was subjected to another celebration, this time in the hostel. And if it is celebrated in the same fashion 362 days from now, there is a very slim chance, my friends will get to give me 25 blows the year after next.
Today was the hardest ever bash (literally) i ever got. Never in a brawl, never in a joke, have i ever been hit so hard.....by many of my 'friends'. Every single one of them embodied the soul of Beckham, trying hard to bend it (my back this time), and kicked as hard as they could. May be they knew, they would never get a ball this big, again, to practice soccer.
My back and Bums are blue (i checked that out), the ones who hit the hardest are now suggesting 'Haldi waala doodh' and stuff.
3 hours and 2 painkillers later, i am lying on my stomach working the comp. Everytime i try to sit or lie down, i relive all the zillion birthday bumps i was subjected to. And then Shubham HAD to try his birthday drencher trick on me. And it almost worked.
The days between 30th of october and 8th november went past faster than my Aston. Before i knew i was on vacation, i was boarding Air Deccan DN666 back to Mumbai. THE most cherished week in a long time. Met a lot of old friends, drove a car after a long time, did 100 on the Honda once more, it is the Ring Road in Delhi, you know. One cant imagine going faster than 60 for more than a minute on ANY Mumbai road. Then the 7th was a happy (birth)day too, spent with family and very few close friends.
And now am back to the daily HumDrum of MBA life. Back to the endless series of Presentations, Project submissions and a sprinkling of Mid-terms to spice things up, as if they weren't already hot enough.
I better get some sleep, the Marketing prof doesn't give much margin after 9, and i have a serious problem with that..........i am never on time!!!
P.S. I am still lying on my stomach....But I forgive you .....the perpetrators of the birthday Bumps......Like the Avenger dude.....i feel like GOD.
hehehehe :-)
3 days after my birthday, which i celebrated in the safe confines of my home in Delhi, i was subjected to another celebration, this time in the hostel. And if it is celebrated in the same fashion 362 days from now, there is a very slim chance, my friends will get to give me 25 blows the year after next.
Today was the hardest ever bash (literally) i ever got. Never in a brawl, never in a joke, have i ever been hit so hard.....by many of my 'friends'. Every single one of them embodied the soul of Beckham, trying hard to bend it (my back this time), and kicked as hard as they could. May be they knew, they would never get a ball this big, again, to practice soccer.
My back and Bums are blue (i checked that out), the ones who hit the hardest are now suggesting 'Haldi waala doodh' and stuff.
3 hours and 2 painkillers later, i am lying on my stomach working the comp. Everytime i try to sit or lie down, i relive all the zillion birthday bumps i was subjected to. And then Shubham HAD to try his birthday drencher trick on me. And it almost worked.
The days between 30th of october and 8th november went past faster than my Aston. Before i knew i was on vacation, i was boarding Air Deccan DN666 back to Mumbai. THE most cherished week in a long time. Met a lot of old friends, drove a car after a long time, did 100 on the Honda once more, it is the Ring Road in Delhi, you know. One cant imagine going faster than 60 for more than a minute on ANY Mumbai road. Then the 7th was a happy (birth)day too, spent with family and very few close friends.
And now am back to the daily HumDrum of MBA life. Back to the endless series of Presentations, Project submissions and a sprinkling of Mid-terms to spice things up, as if they weren't already hot enough.
I better get some sleep, the Marketing prof doesn't give much margin after 9, and i have a serious problem with that..........i am never on time!!!
P.S. I am still lying on my stomach....But I forgive you .....the perpetrators of the birthday Bumps......Like the Avenger dude.....i feel like GOD.
hehehehe :-)
October 28, 2005
Paragana 2005
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Deemed University) in its 25th year of celebrated existence and stupendous growth is one of the premier business schools of the nation and now at the threshold of a new chapter. Quarter of a century old, and already a hallmark of quality management education, NMIMS has strived to produce young managers capable of taking on challenges faced by corporations across the world. The incessant interaction with the leading beacons of India Inc and the academia is what makes students of NMIMS the thought leaders of today and tomorrow – which is tangibly reflected in awards like Crisil Young Thought Leader bestowed upon them.
This belief in the significance of student-corporate interaction is the premise of Paragana, the flagship seminar of NMIMS, which year after year, attracts the best brains and management gurus of the Indian industry. ‘Paragana’, Sanskrit for pollination, does exactly that - Pollinate young minds with seeds of knowledge and stimulates an independent and holistic thought process in the minds of the budding managers.
Paragana, in its previous chapters has seen stalwarts like Dr J.J. Irani, Mr. Subir Raha,
Mr. K. Ramachandran, Mr Sajjan Jindal and Mr Suhel Seth orate and share their insights on Indian businesses and management perspectives. Paragana ’05 comes to you with the theme “India Evolving – A Montage of Promises”, and the aim to delve into the evolution of India Inc. and its stakeholders, its present and the opportunities and challenges it faces in the near future.
Paragana is a 2 day event, the 1st day being dedicated to competitions among b-school students from across India, and the final day sees perspective building sessions conducted by the industry leaders, followed by the annual corporate dinner which is conducted with sole aim of providing a networking platform for all participants. The Event will be held on the 29th and 30th of November 2005 at the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Mumbai. We look forward to your participation in the same.
For details contact:
Shanu Singh – 9322121459 Achan Deep Singh - 9867025425
This belief in the significance of student-corporate interaction is the premise of Paragana, the flagship seminar of NMIMS, which year after year, attracts the best brains and management gurus of the Indian industry. ‘Paragana’, Sanskrit for pollination, does exactly that - Pollinate young minds with seeds of knowledge and stimulates an independent and holistic thought process in the minds of the budding managers.
Paragana, in its previous chapters has seen stalwarts like Dr J.J. Irani, Mr. Subir Raha,
Mr. K. Ramachandran, Mr Sajjan Jindal and Mr Suhel Seth orate and share their insights on Indian businesses and management perspectives. Paragana ’05 comes to you with the theme “India Evolving – A Montage of Promises”, and the aim to delve into the evolution of India Inc. and its stakeholders, its present and the opportunities and challenges it faces in the near future.
Paragana is a 2 day event, the 1st day being dedicated to competitions among b-school students from across India, and the final day sees perspective building sessions conducted by the industry leaders, followed by the annual corporate dinner which is conducted with sole aim of providing a networking platform for all participants. The Event will be held on the 29th and 30th of November 2005 at the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Mumbai. We look forward to your participation in the same.
For details contact:
Shanu Singh – 9322121459 Achan Deep Singh - 9867025425
Rambling...
Nothing much to write.... Niranjan Hiranandani on campus as part of the ongoing CEO series by Colloquium, the guest lecture cell. Though on most occasionsi am appreciative of the efforts by the cell, in getting good speakers on campus and also the discipline they (try to) maintain before and during the lecture, but today was one of the rare occasions when i did something rather irrational out of anger. Anger was at the fact that colloquium dudes stormed into our class while the spanish lecture was going on, demanding the teacher to leave the class early coz they hadn't filled in enough number of seats in the lecture hall. And that irritated me no extent.
Being the instinctive rebel that i am, i declared that i would not attend the guest lecture, whatever the consequences may be (these dudes promise strict action against people who bunk industry guest lectures, when attendance is compulsory).
Though an hour later, i did repent not attending the lecture, not because i was afraid of being penalised, but for a ling time, i had been looking forward to hearing this guy speak.
Another bad news is that due to very irresponsible behavior of some students, a big financial services company which had come to campus for summer placements, left in a huff leaving the placement coordinators red-faced and now they fear that the entire group of companies under the umbrella of the parent of this fin services company might not come to campus. Not acceptable. I would personally look into it that the people who are responsible for this are severly dealt with and taken out of the placement process through the campus, which is also the most likely thing to happen.
The press release for Paragana '05 is ready and i will be posting it in a while.
53 More hours to go before i board a Boeing which takes me 1000 miles...back to my pind (punjabi for village), Delhi. And hopefully this time, i will convince my parents to let me take my beautiful Honda along, before it rusts to death. I dont know what shape i will find it in, i left it gleaming and graceful in good 3 coats of showroom gray paint. Mummy i will ride slow and will not zig-zag and will not jump the signal and papa i will not give it to anybody else....sachchi muchi!
Being the instinctive rebel that i am, i declared that i would not attend the guest lecture, whatever the consequences may be (these dudes promise strict action against people who bunk industry guest lectures, when attendance is compulsory).
Though an hour later, i did repent not attending the lecture, not because i was afraid of being penalised, but for a ling time, i had been looking forward to hearing this guy speak.
Another bad news is that due to very irresponsible behavior of some students, a big financial services company which had come to campus for summer placements, left in a huff leaving the placement coordinators red-faced and now they fear that the entire group of companies under the umbrella of the parent of this fin services company might not come to campus. Not acceptable. I would personally look into it that the people who are responsible for this are severly dealt with and taken out of the placement process through the campus, which is also the most likely thing to happen.
The press release for Paragana '05 is ready and i will be posting it in a while.
53 More hours to go before i board a Boeing which takes me 1000 miles...back to my pind (punjabi for village), Delhi. And hopefully this time, i will convince my parents to let me take my beautiful Honda along, before it rusts to death. I dont know what shape i will find it in, i left it gleaming and graceful in good 3 coats of showroom gray paint. Mummy i will ride slow and will not zig-zag and will not jump the signal and papa i will not give it to anybody else....sachchi muchi!
October 27, 2005
The Homecoming
4 months and 16 days, since i first landed in the city of dreams.
3 months and 1 day, since i last smelt the Delhi Soil.
3 days, before i do it again.
The late risers are shuttling to the nearest travel agents, checking out all the ticket-booking sites, to get 1 ticket, any ticket, any plane, any train to their hometown. But yours truly, was wise (not really, you'll know in a short while) to get the tickets booked months back, as soon as the schedule for this trim was finalised.
But it turns out that although i have saved a good 4k on the spiceJet ticket, but a couple of days back an AirDeccan ticket was available at the same price i booked my spice ticket months back for, so not such a great ,move after all :-P . Plus, i am going to be the last person out of this hostel, as everybody us going to be out by at least the 28th. The ones who couldnt take it anymore have already left and are leaving in droves.
And thats not all. I think i should be awarded for being the most diligent student, for missing the least number of classes, as i am leaving the last and coming back the earliest. Effectively taking only a 9 day break as against the 2 weeks most of the other guys are taking, at the expense of some classes though. Even a biggie is planned to come on campus for summers on the 7th, a majority are not coming back before the 8th of november.
Meanwhile teams working on Paragana '05, our annual Corporate Seminar, the biggest event at NMIMS have started warming up to working over time and between lectures, and i have chosen to work in the PR-Media team again. And for that the first task is constructing the press release, which, is already on.
But for now, all i can think of is Diwali in Delhi, Fun with friends, and Frolic with Family.
3 more days........3 more days.........
3 months and 1 day, since i last smelt the Delhi Soil.
3 days, before i do it again.
The late risers are shuttling to the nearest travel agents, checking out all the ticket-booking sites, to get 1 ticket, any ticket, any plane, any train to their hometown. But yours truly, was wise (not really, you'll know in a short while) to get the tickets booked months back, as soon as the schedule for this trim was finalised.
But it turns out that although i have saved a good 4k on the spiceJet ticket, but a couple of days back an AirDeccan ticket was available at the same price i booked my spice ticket months back for, so not such a great ,move after all :-P . Plus, i am going to be the last person out of this hostel, as everybody us going to be out by at least the 28th. The ones who couldnt take it anymore have already left and are leaving in droves.
And thats not all. I think i should be awarded for being the most diligent student, for missing the least number of classes, as i am leaving the last and coming back the earliest. Effectively taking only a 9 day break as against the 2 weeks most of the other guys are taking, at the expense of some classes though. Even a biggie is planned to come on campus for summers on the 7th, a majority are not coming back before the 8th of november.
Meanwhile teams working on Paragana '05, our annual Corporate Seminar, the biggest event at NMIMS have started warming up to working over time and between lectures, and i have chosen to work in the PR-Media team again. And for that the first task is constructing the press release, which, is already on.
But for now, all i can think of is Diwali in Delhi, Fun with friends, and Frolic with Family.
3 more days........3 more days.........
October 25, 2005
Aur main tha ki sach bolta rah gaya
You must've heard this ghazal, and the lyrics, till today were these. But today i heard a different version, by Jagjit himself. I realised it was different when i was trying to do a karaoke but suddenly realised that either i had completely forgotten the lyrics or Jagjit uncle was making a mistake. But it turned out to be a live version and uncle is known to enthrall audiences with new poems at the good concerts.
The one first is the one that was the older version : -
Aap ko dekh kar dekhta reh gaya
Kya kahoon or kehne ko kya reh gaya
Unki aankhon se kaise chhalakne laga
Mere hoton pe yoon majra rah gaya
Aise bichhde sabhi raat ke mod par
Aakhri hum safar rasta rah gaya
Soch kar aao hue tamanna yahi
janeman jo yanha rah gaya, rah gaya
And this one is the latest version i heard today -
aapko dekh kar dekhta rah gaya
kya kahoon aur kahne ko kya rah gaya
aate aate mera naam sa rah gaya
uske hothon pe kuchh kaampta rah gaya
woh mere saamne hi gaya aur main
raaste ki tarah dekhta rah gaya
I loved this couplet :-
jhooth waale kahin se kahin badh gaye
aur main tha ki sach bolta rah gaya
aandhiyon ke irade to achhe na the
yeh diyaa kaise jalta hua rah gaya
October 22, 2005
Was the quake not earth-shaking enough?
I was about to write my own comments on this article after i read it in Mumbai mirror a week back, but i dont think i would have written much different or could have written much better than this.
I think somewhere, somehow, the militancy in Kashmir and North-East is justified, and this is also what i told Puneet when we were having a discussion on the same.
We dont treat them as our own and want them to call themselves Indians. What have we given them till today?
The least we can give them is some self respect and an identity, different from the "Indian" tag. The day we make them feel like Indians, there wouldnt be half as much problems for the aforementioned regions of (as yet) undivided India.
I also read in today's TOI that the toll in the South - Asia Quake has reached 79,000. Mind you, the news was a snippet in the 'briefs' column on the front page. Does it not deserve a little more ink?
Mirror reader Arnab Das asks why the October 8 earthquake hasn’t aroused as much sympathy as other disasters
I think somewhere, somehow, the militancy in Kashmir and North-East is justified, and this is also what i told Puneet when we were having a discussion on the same.
We dont treat them as our own and want them to call themselves Indians. What have we given them till today?
The least we can give them is some self respect and an identity, different from the "Indian" tag. The day we make them feel like Indians, there wouldnt be half as much problems for the aforementioned regions of (as yet) undivided India.
I also read in today's TOI that the toll in the South - Asia Quake has reached 79,000. Mind you, the news was a snippet in the 'briefs' column on the front page. Does it not deserve a little more ink?
"
Is the quake not earth-shaking enough?
Is the quake not earth-shaking enough?
Saturday, October 15, 2005 City
Mirror reader Arnab Das asks why the October 8 earthquake hasn’t aroused as much sympathy as other disasters
"
I am beginning to understand why people in Jammu and Kashmir feel alienated from the rest of the country. Just compare how people have reacted to the earthquake crisis in Kashmir and the way they responded to the Tsunami, the Orissa cyclone or even the Mumbai flooding. Especially during the Tsunami, corporates, NGOs and even many celebrities rushed to the area with aid and relief.
I am beginning to understand why people in Jammu and Kashmir feel alienated from the rest of the country. Just compare how people have reacted to the earthquake crisis in Kashmir and the way they responded to the Tsunami, the Orissa cyclone or even the Mumbai flooding. Especially during the Tsunami, corporates, NGOs and even many celebrities rushed to the area with aid and relief.
Over 1,300 people have died in Jammu and Kashmir alone and over 20,000 in Pakistan. Where are the ‘concerned’ people now?
Why isn’t there a hue and cry about the plight of the people in J&K and what we can do for them?
Is it that we have had too many crises and we don’t have the appetite for any more?
Or is that we can’t see beyond our noses and something that is out of our sight is also out of our mind?
The relegation of the earthquake-affected to the periphery of public awareness is, of course, also because this particular disaster has shifted out of the news headlines rather quickly. After July 26, in Mumbai we pursued the issue of disaster management for weeks together. But this is not the case with the Kashmir coverage. Even Katrina, the hurricane in New Orleans, was covered in the Indian media in such a way that your heart went out to the suffering of victims and you felt angry about the government apathy. But, somehow, I have not seen or heard anything that moves me as far as the ‘Asian earthquake’ is concerned.Are these thousands of victims of the temblor going to find a place in our consciousness and our conscience?"
"
October 14, 2005
IIPM?
This time its not about me, about NM or life here.
I came accross a link in Manpreet's Page which took me to Gaurav Sabnis's website and i, for the first time, came across the crap that has been happenning with the IIPM expose. I think it was long overdue. And i am in awe of Gaurav for having done what he has.
Quit a cool job at an even cooler company, all for principles. Not many do that these days....standing by their belief.
What Gaurav and Rashmi have done is brave and the whole blogosphere seems to have erupted in their support. Although both are facing the heat right now, but like Gaurav said, Truth never hurts those who are right.
Thank you for giving that self styled management guru what he deserved.
But like Manpreet, I too am of the opinion that Gaurav shouldn't have quit. It would have been quite a sight watching IIPM students burning IBM laptops. I wonder if one soul would hurt its own machine for the cause (?) of IIPM.
What Gaurav has to say about Parnab Mukherjee is funny, and i quite agree with his opinion about the bandar, having witnessed him in the act (of being a queez-master).
I came accross a link in Manpreet's Page which took me to Gaurav Sabnis's website and i, for the first time, came across the crap that has been happenning with the IIPM expose. I think it was long overdue. And i am in awe of Gaurav for having done what he has.
Quit a cool job at an even cooler company, all for principles. Not many do that these days....standing by their belief.
What Gaurav and Rashmi have done is brave and the whole blogosphere seems to have erupted in their support. Although both are facing the heat right now, but like Gaurav said, Truth never hurts those who are right.
Thank you for giving that self styled management guru what he deserved.
But like Manpreet, I too am of the opinion that Gaurav shouldn't have quit. It would have been quite a sight watching IIPM students burning IBM laptops. I wonder if one soul would hurt its own machine for the cause (?) of IIPM.
What Gaurav has to say about Parnab Mukherjee is funny, and i quite agree with his opinion about the bandar, having witnessed him in the act (of being a queez-master).
October 7, 2005
Woh 10 din
The exams are over. So is the 1st trim. I am 1/6th of an MBA now (given that i pass all the papers). I think the last 10 days (9 exams and a sunday in between) have been the best and laziest days in the past 3 months. I havent slept more, played more NFS Underground, Hitman2, seen more movies on my laptop than in these few days when my contemporaries were burning the midnight oil. (just a finger of speech, we have uninterrupted electricity at the hostel :-)) ) Not that i was too confident, just that dint feel like. I did study for Quant methods, finance and economics though. Marketing and IB papers were as expected, full of cases. And no amount of last minute study can help u with case studies if ya havent studied during the sem and attended lectures. At the risk of sounding immodest, i did well to listen carefully in the class.
Exams ended saturday 1st. Saturday night was the biggest party GR Jani hostel has seen. And we were allowed on the rooftop for the first time. And what fun we had. There was alot to consume, about which i cant post over here, but..... u get the drift.
Then early next morning we left for Lonavala. And i found the 2nd good reason for living in mumbai, the serene hills are just 2 hours away. From Delhi, one has to drive at least 8 hours to get respite from the heat, whether u goto the hills of Uttaranchal or the Himachal Mountains.
Exams ended saturday 1st. Saturday night was the biggest party GR Jani hostel has seen. And we were allowed on the rooftop for the first time. And what fun we had. There was alot to consume, about which i cant post over here, but..... u get the drift.
Then early next morning we left for Lonavala. And i found the 2nd good reason for living in mumbai, the serene hills are just 2 hours away. From Delhi, one has to drive at least 8 hours to get respite from the heat, whether u goto the hills of Uttaranchal or the Himachal Mountains.
Some really breathtaking sights and an amazing drive up the hills. The roads are in a decent condition. I was missing my camera and thought would have to live with the 6600 - sub 1 megapixel cam just when i saw an Nikon SLR with Chetan. And my eyes lit up. An extra roll of Kodak 400 and i went on shooting spree. I thoroughly enjoyed the SLR experience, but think i would rather get myself a 4-5 megapixel digicam than get a second hand SLR when i am not a good technical photographer, plus not in a very good position to bear the prohibitive costs of film and film development, filters for the cam etc.
After lonavla, we went to powaii and the Hiranandani gardens. I thought the DLF thingy in Gurgaon was big. Wait till u see the hiranandani sub city. It is really done well and architecture is everybit european. We went Go - karting there.
Monday morning, i met a pakistani for the first time. And who else but Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan, Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (L.U.M.S.)
He was here for the leadership convention on wednesday and the NMIMS' Panel discussion today, and i was entrusted with the task of receiving him at the airport. The short interaction from the airport to his hotel was nice and enlightening.
Monday is also when we had our first class of the 2nd trim, that was on 'Values and Ethics in Business'. I dont know good or bad, but now they're takin it too far. WE have entire papers on such gassy subjects. I mean we can have one subject covering other facets, but CSR last trim and now this.
Anyway the teacher is definitely more interesting than the subject, Mr. Nadirshaw K Dhondy is a Supreme Court lawyer with 35 years of law practice and a little less of teaching.
Next day was Business Law with Prof Antara Ingole. Mixed reaction in the class over the new teacher, but anyway the subject is less gas than i expected. Anticipating some debates and lawful discussions.
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Wednesday was when we went for the convention at the Nehru Centre in worli. The convention was organised by the Dr. P.N. Singh Foundation and ITM mumbai. In between we sneaked out to visit the Haji Ali dargah. I guess this was the first time i went to a mohammedan shrine. It was a nice experience, just wish that the approach to the shrine was cleaner than what it is. Otherwise the sight is quite amazing. from the coast line to the shrine and from the dargah looking towards the towering buildings of Worli.
Today was another day with the Panel Discussion at BJ hall on 'Need for netwrking in business'. The speakers were familiar from the previous day.
AND i had the first Spanish session and thouroughly enjoyed it. The different pronunciation, different words and the culture. Always enchanting. And once i am slightly fluent with it, i will watch Penelope's Spanish Movies too !!!!!
September 16, 2005
The Auto Dream
Finally, It happened. I think i am less happy than i was dejected yesterday, when Tata Motors wouldn't even short list my CV. It had been a long wait for the only 2 auto companies which were gonna come for summers. And i had big plans for Tata. But i guess they will have to wait some more time before they have the auspice of having my name on their rolls.
I was really pissed when i was writing the 8 page long form for Mahindra. But i didnt forget to mention how i was good at cars and that was the only thing i was gonna do. In fact i dont think i had the faintest idea whether or not i would like to do the summers at the Scorpio maker's. I even limited my locational preference to delhi mumbai, knowing fully well that previous year's summer trainees have been all over the nation.
In all 70 ppl applied for positions in all 4 functional areas and 48 ppl were shortlisted on the basis of the CVs and write ups. 4 GD batches of 12 each out of which 17 ppl were shortlisted for interviews.
Since my application form was all filled with cars, i expected and was prepared for questions on the auto industry. And what happened was a conversation on the auto industry, i thoroughly enjoyed. It really didn't begin well, with me claiming to know it all, and when the panel asked me for the size and CAGR of the industry, i drew a blank. But from then on it was good. There was alot that they grilled me on and dont even remember all of it now.
It began with the usual, 'Tell us about yourself' routine. And i intentionally put in some cars here and there in the fag end of my reply.
There were questions on petrol vs Diesel as fuels and how i felt about Diesel being a polluting fuel.
What do you think is more important? Sales or After Sales?
What would you choose between Sales and After Sales?
What would you like to do, marketing or sales?
What is the difference between marketing and sales?
Is the Swift a B segment car?
.
.
.
And many more...it lasted some 15 minutes.
what followed were minutes of anxiety, a second of relief, and hours of back slapping and hugging. Almost every body i know, and i dont know came up to me and congratulated. I dont know if it was that big. But i definitely feel better. There were also the ones who would tease me saying how good i would look atop a Mahindra tractor and me replying that i would look better in a Scorpio.
It has been some 2 weeks of very hectic running around with presentations, assignments, tests, extra lecutures and what not. Next Wednesday is when our final exams for the 1st trim start and i dont even feel like studying. The exams are gonna be 9 papers back to back, with the exception of a sunday in between.
So, please excuse me if the next post happens to be after the 1st of october.
1st Trim Final Schedule
22/9 - Micro Economics
23/9 - Finance
24/9 - OB
25/9 - SUNDAY
26/9 - MIS
27/9 - Marketing
28/9 - Quant (Decision Analysis)
29/9 - Operations
30/9 - International Business
1/10 - Corporate Social Responsibility
I was really pissed when i was writing the 8 page long form for Mahindra. But i didnt forget to mention how i was good at cars and that was the only thing i was gonna do. In fact i dont think i had the faintest idea whether or not i would like to do the summers at the Scorpio maker's. I even limited my locational preference to delhi mumbai, knowing fully well that previous year's summer trainees have been all over the nation.
In all 70 ppl applied for positions in all 4 functional areas and 48 ppl were shortlisted on the basis of the CVs and write ups. 4 GD batches of 12 each out of which 17 ppl were shortlisted for interviews.
Since my application form was all filled with cars, i expected and was prepared for questions on the auto industry. And what happened was a conversation on the auto industry, i thoroughly enjoyed. It really didn't begin well, with me claiming to know it all, and when the panel asked me for the size and CAGR of the industry, i drew a blank. But from then on it was good. There was alot that they grilled me on and dont even remember all of it now.
It began with the usual, 'Tell us about yourself' routine. And i intentionally put in some cars here and there in the fag end of my reply.
There were questions on petrol vs Diesel as fuels and how i felt about Diesel being a polluting fuel.
What do you think is more important? Sales or After Sales?
What would you choose between Sales and After Sales?
What would you like to do, marketing or sales?
What is the difference between marketing and sales?
Is the Swift a B segment car?
.
.
.
And many more...it lasted some 15 minutes.
what followed were minutes of anxiety, a second of relief, and hours of back slapping and hugging. Almost every body i know, and i dont know came up to me and congratulated. I dont know if it was that big. But i definitely feel better. There were also the ones who would tease me saying how good i would look atop a Mahindra tractor and me replying that i would look better in a Scorpio.
It has been some 2 weeks of very hectic running around with presentations, assignments, tests, extra lecutures and what not. Next Wednesday is when our final exams for the 1st trim start and i dont even feel like studying. The exams are gonna be 9 papers back to back, with the exception of a sunday in between.
So, please excuse me if the next post happens to be after the 1st of october.
1st Trim Final Schedule
22/9 - Micro Economics
23/9 - Finance
24/9 - OB
25/9 - SUNDAY
26/9 - MIS
27/9 - Marketing
28/9 - Quant (Decision Analysis)
29/9 - Operations
30/9 - International Business
1/10 - Corporate Social Responsibility
August 28, 2005
The MBA Song?
This is a ghazal I am particularly fond of, but today i just so struck me, it says quite a lot about the MBA life right now and after...
See if you find a link too...
See if you find a link too...
Safar mein dhoop to hogi, jo chal sako to chalo
Sabhi hain bheed mein tum bhi nikal sako to chalo
Kisi ke waaste raahein kahan badalti hai,
tum apne aap ko khud hi badal sako to chalo
Yahan kisi ko koi raasta nahin deta,
mujhe gira ke agar tum sambhal sako to chalo,
Yahi hai zindagi, kuch khwaab, chand ummeedein,
Inhi khilonon se tum bhee bahal sako to chalo
August 26, 2005
August 24, 2005
Sleight of Mind 2005
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Deemed University) celebrates 25 years of phenomenal growth and exceptional contributions to the industry in a variety of disciplines. One of the premier B-Schools of the nation, NMIMS is known for nurturing young minds into thought leaders of tomorrow. NMIMS has played a significant role in conjunction with the industry to develop innovative solutions for management problems & socio-cultural issues for over two decades. This high degree of industry interface is a catalyst for putting management theory into practice.
Keeping this thought in mind, the institute enters its Silver Jubilee year with its Corporate Event -'Sleight of Mind’ - an annual Biz Simulation games’ event. Since its inception, Sleight of Mind has proven to be a platform for the students to interact with young executives who not-so-long-ago were management students. For the participants the management games are an arena for testing their managerial dexterity & perspicacity in simulated and unconventional business environments for the much-coveted title of intellectual supremacy.
In 2004, Sleight of Mind found participation from the likes of TCS, PCS and CA, and was judged by representatives of Infosys. In 2005, Sleight of Mind returns with an array of games - “Management Ladders” and Champion“Ship”.
Set on a snakes and ladders board - Management Ladders is a real time business simulation game involving strategic decision making, teamwork and innovative answers to atypical management challenges. The second game Champion-ship takes you to a futuristic setting, where most natural resources have been exhausted and survival on earth is a daunting task. Executives are entrusted with the mission of building spaceships with as few materials as possible to transport people to another, safer celestial body.
Sleight of mind will be held on Saturday, the 3rd of September 2005 at the NMIMS campus. For participation contact: Shruti Sachdeva at 9322935566 or Nithya Balasubramanium at 9819395050 or email : nmims_sleightofmind@yahoo.com
Keeping this thought in mind, the institute enters its Silver Jubilee year with its Corporate Event -'Sleight of Mind’ - an annual Biz Simulation games’ event. Since its inception, Sleight of Mind has proven to be a platform for the students to interact with young executives who not-so-long-ago were management students. For the participants the management games are an arena for testing their managerial dexterity & perspicacity in simulated and unconventional business environments for the much-coveted title of intellectual supremacy.
In 2004, Sleight of Mind found participation from the likes of TCS, PCS and CA, and was judged by representatives of Infosys. In 2005, Sleight of Mind returns with an array of games - “Management Ladders” and Champion“Ship”.
Set on a snakes and ladders board - Management Ladders is a real time business simulation game involving strategic decision making, teamwork and innovative answers to atypical management challenges. The second game Champion-ship takes you to a futuristic setting, where most natural resources have been exhausted and survival on earth is a daunting task. Executives are entrusted with the mission of building spaceships with as few materials as possible to transport people to another, safer celestial body.
Sleight of mind will be held on Saturday, the 3rd of September 2005 at the NMIMS campus. For participation contact: Shruti Sachdeva at 9322935566 or Nithya Balasubramanium at 9819395050 or email : nmims_sleightofmind@yahoo.com
August 22, 2005
yeh dekho ji!!
Of the many pics i clicked in Manali 3 months back, this is the one i like most. yeah its late, but there is nothing i could have done about it. Was away frm the net and a decent comp for all this time. I even have this one as the wallpaper on my comp AND my mobile. I SOOO want to go back to the hills!!!!!!!!!!!
Man in the Glass.....
Woke up late, very late. In the Afternoon that is. Rushed to college. Running after people and myself to get work done on the press releases. Watched Bunty aur Bubli for the first time coz it was being screened by SRF for Fund raising for street children's education. Good timepass, the movie....
Oh By the way, 4 guys placed with L 'Oreal for summers. One of them being dear friend Anish. Aur isi ke saath NM 1st years ne apne khaata khola ek chauke ke saath!!!!!!!!!
Excuse please...........
Anyway, Came accross this poem at a fellow blogger's page. Liked it. So here it is
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your Father or Mother or wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people may call you a straight shooting chum
And call you a wonderful guy,
but the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest
For he's with you clear to the end,
And you have passed your most dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may face the whole world down the pathway of life
And get pats on the back when you pass,
But your final reward will be heartache and strife
If you've cheated the man in the glass.
- Dale Wimbrow, 1895-1954
August 21, 2005
Vandey.............
Mataram!!!! is what i wanted to shout out loud when the movie ended, but my throat had a huge lump. It usually is when i witness that artiste squeeze out every bit of emotion he has.
I dont know what makes TOI give it a 2 and a half rating, OK its not a Lagaan but it definitely deserves better than that. I think if you quit the commercial aspect and only look at it as a depiction, i think Ketan Mehta and Amir have done a brilliant job and the detailing is amazing too.
Another thing i noticed and wanted to talk about was, that every theatre i have been to in Mumbai, still plays the National Anthem before the beginning of every show. And this incidentally, doesnt happen in Cinema Halls in Delhi. Wonder if the Delhiites are any less patriotic. I for one, still get all the goosebumps when i sing the anthem as i used to when we sung it in the morning assembly at school some 5-6 years back.
Anyway, the show got over past 12 midnight at G7 and then we went to Fat Kong's on S.V. road to munch on some chinese grub. And the discussion on the movie and other things continued. We wondered why we had so less literature on Mangal Pandey in our CBSE History text books. May be it had something to do with the fact that he wasnt affiliated with either the RSS or the Congress. The discussion then veered to, whether his fight was only about the Fat-greased bullets or was it really about freedom from the Raj. The movie would definitely want us to believe that it started with the grease which was only the trigger for the suppressed masses to revolt. Anubhav suggested something like, that the raj wasnt all that bad and it did something FOR India too. I most definitely didnt agree. I think even the Brits hadnt been on this land for more than 200 years, we would have found our destiny.
There can be a zillion would have beens, but i love the one we have right now. Some one also suggested that Gandhi made the wrong choice by picking Nehru over Sardar Patel....for a variety of reasons...
Work on the biz Simulation Games Even - 'Sleight of Mind' is going on and i expect the press releases to come out sooner than later.
I will also be posting a testimonial over here. So keep tuning in.
I dont know what makes TOI give it a 2 and a half rating, OK its not a Lagaan but it definitely deserves better than that. I think if you quit the commercial aspect and only look at it as a depiction, i think Ketan Mehta and Amir have done a brilliant job and the detailing is amazing too.
Another thing i noticed and wanted to talk about was, that every theatre i have been to in Mumbai, still plays the National Anthem before the beginning of every show. And this incidentally, doesnt happen in Cinema Halls in Delhi. Wonder if the Delhiites are any less patriotic. I for one, still get all the goosebumps when i sing the anthem as i used to when we sung it in the morning assembly at school some 5-6 years back.
Anyway, the show got over past 12 midnight at G7 and then we went to Fat Kong's on S.V. road to munch on some chinese grub. And the discussion on the movie and other things continued. We wondered why we had so less literature on Mangal Pandey in our CBSE History text books. May be it had something to do with the fact that he wasnt affiliated with either the RSS or the Congress. The discussion then veered to, whether his fight was only about the Fat-greased bullets or was it really about freedom from the Raj. The movie would definitely want us to believe that it started with the grease which was only the trigger for the suppressed masses to revolt. Anubhav suggested something like, that the raj wasnt all that bad and it did something FOR India too. I most definitely didnt agree. I think even the Brits hadnt been on this land for more than 200 years, we would have found our destiny.
There can be a zillion would have beens, but i love the one we have right now. Some one also suggested that Gandhi made the wrong choice by picking Nehru over Sardar Patel....for a variety of reasons...
Work on the biz Simulation Games Even - 'Sleight of Mind' is going on and i expect the press releases to come out sooner than later.
I will also be posting a testimonial over here. So keep tuning in.
August 19, 2005
Let the games begin
Ok. I am back in right earnest. I have a comp (a laptop, to be more precise) to call my own. Access to a high speed net connection. Speeds which i have been addicted to, ever since i got broadband at my home some 18 months back. It is such a relief, its been 2 months since i did anything vella on the net.
Life at NM is happenning. Especially when it has, by default, become a residential program for me, and for some 200 out of the 240 strong batch. Enter the library at any hour of the day and you will find some heads dug into the Robbins/Kotlers/Myers or some hands ferociously typing some project report or the other or most others doing nothing remotely academic but still enjoyin their time. The fact that the library is AC and hostel is not, makes it even more attractive to be the place we do our self study at.
And when we're not studying in the library, some are dozing in a gassy lectures and others are running around to make the events happen. There are at least 3 meetings of a zillion interest groups happenning in the quad every evening at 6.30. that is when all the scheduled classes end.
Of the many, i am a part of 3.
1. Not Just Marketing (NJM)
2. Social Responsibility Forum (SRF)
3. Nepathya ( i dont know what that means, but that is the extra-curricular activities cell)
The run up to the blood donation drive concluded on the 16th, when it actually happened.
I, for one, donated blood for the first time in my life. Funnily, it's one of the many things that make me feel as an independent adult now. I say many things now, because many have happened recently and thats coz i have gotten out of the secure confines of my home and finally living a life fending for myself.
The other cells, at least the ones i remember right now are, Finomenon (the finance cell), AdVerb (advertising), HRuday (HR cell), Info-hub (this is an amazing venture, where all sorts of Data regarding previous exec and summer placements is collated and analysed and inputs are given to candidates applying to companies which have a history at NM), the Entrepreneurship Cell (this is a new cell created by the 1st yr guys and i am not a part of it, so i dont know much),
Mantavya (another hard sanskrit word for a cell name, but it is the one which organises debates and quizzes).
O, i dint mention the PlaceCom and the Alumni Committee coz i took them for granted. I purposely dint apply for these coz i know what work these cells demand and i have a prior experience of the same at MIB, and it wasnt a really pleasant one, and also makes it difficult for me to manage acads and committee work.
Achha, we also had a tarot card reader the day we had the blood donation drive, as a novelty for the ppl who donated blood. I too queued up for predictions. Of course i aint talkin abt them over here. But according to her, life is gonna get happenning after november this year.
O yeah, what is it right now?
Today, the seniors breifed us about their summers in dream companies, right from the selection process to the execution of their projects. The companies we got to know abt....L 'Oreal, BNP Paribas, Carat Media, Pepsi, Greaves Cotton, Titan, Dr.Reddy's and may be a couple more which i dont remember. It was a good 2 hr long session and very informative too. And its important coz the 1st set of interviews happen in a week's time. The first one on the blocks is L'Oreal. The guy who worked there last year said, among the many good things about the company and its culture is, that 51% of the employess are women. But unfortunately i dint apply.
Anyway
Next up is Sleight Of Mind. This is an NJM initiative, of which i am a member. Sleight of mind is a biz simulation game event in which, we the students devise the games and then invite young corporate executives to play them. I hear, the event last year was a great success and all of the invitees went back loaded with prizes and a productive sunday. I am working on the Media and PR exercises for the event. So more stuff about it will be put up later on the page.
Meanwhile, my hostel wears a deserted look for this week coz most of the guys have left for home for Rakhi. And my rakhi's havent arrived, altho sisters say they have mailed em some 10 days back. Although everything seems to be improving in the hostel, but the number of guys falling sick keeps increasing. Jeet came back from his relative's place in Vashi, where he'd gone a couple of days back when he was feeling feverish. he came back to hostel only to pack his bags and go back home to Kolkata. Poor chap has been diagnosed with Malaria AND Typhoid. that aint nice. Another guy, Makhija has reported Lepto, ran up a bill of 10 grand at a hospital and today left for his home in Allahabad. One is trying hard to keep anything of this sort out of my room, though my roomie Ankur has a persisting fever for the past 3 days and it has now gotten us worried.
Today morning when i left the hostel i saw insect killers being installed, and a new fruit juice counter in the mess. The Wi-fi should be operational by the next week, that would make life so much easier. All research and googling would be possible from my comfy bed.
Most of which i write now has no structure, but that is coz i am blurting out all that has not been done up on the blog in the past 2 months.
But the next time you come, you wont be reading a month old post. Promise.
Keep coming.
Life at NM is happenning. Especially when it has, by default, become a residential program for me, and for some 200 out of the 240 strong batch. Enter the library at any hour of the day and you will find some heads dug into the Robbins/Kotlers/Myers or some hands ferociously typing some project report or the other or most others doing nothing remotely academic but still enjoyin their time. The fact that the library is AC and hostel is not, makes it even more attractive to be the place we do our self study at.
And when we're not studying in the library, some are dozing in a gassy lectures and others are running around to make the events happen. There are at least 3 meetings of a zillion interest groups happenning in the quad every evening at 6.30. that is when all the scheduled classes end.
Of the many, i am a part of 3.
1. Not Just Marketing (NJM)
2. Social Responsibility Forum (SRF)
3. Nepathya ( i dont know what that means, but that is the extra-curricular activities cell)
The run up to the blood donation drive concluded on the 16th, when it actually happened.
I, for one, donated blood for the first time in my life. Funnily, it's one of the many things that make me feel as an independent adult now. I say many things now, because many have happened recently and thats coz i have gotten out of the secure confines of my home and finally living a life fending for myself.
The other cells, at least the ones i remember right now are, Finomenon (the finance cell), AdVerb (advertising), HRuday (HR cell), Info-hub (this is an amazing venture, where all sorts of Data regarding previous exec and summer placements is collated and analysed and inputs are given to candidates applying to companies which have a history at NM), the Entrepreneurship Cell (this is a new cell created by the 1st yr guys and i am not a part of it, so i dont know much),
Mantavya (another hard sanskrit word for a cell name, but it is the one which organises debates and quizzes).
O, i dint mention the PlaceCom and the Alumni Committee coz i took them for granted. I purposely dint apply for these coz i know what work these cells demand and i have a prior experience of the same at MIB, and it wasnt a really pleasant one, and also makes it difficult for me to manage acads and committee work.
Achha, we also had a tarot card reader the day we had the blood donation drive, as a novelty for the ppl who donated blood. I too queued up for predictions. Of course i aint talkin abt them over here. But according to her, life is gonna get happenning after november this year.
O yeah, what is it right now?
Today, the seniors breifed us about their summers in dream companies, right from the selection process to the execution of their projects. The companies we got to know abt....L 'Oreal, BNP Paribas, Carat Media, Pepsi, Greaves Cotton, Titan, Dr.Reddy's and may be a couple more which i dont remember. It was a good 2 hr long session and very informative too. And its important coz the 1st set of interviews happen in a week's time. The first one on the blocks is L'Oreal. The guy who worked there last year said, among the many good things about the company and its culture is, that 51% of the employess are women. But unfortunately i dint apply.
Anyway
Next up is Sleight Of Mind. This is an NJM initiative, of which i am a member. Sleight of mind is a biz simulation game event in which, we the students devise the games and then invite young corporate executives to play them. I hear, the event last year was a great success and all of the invitees went back loaded with prizes and a productive sunday. I am working on the Media and PR exercises for the event. So more stuff about it will be put up later on the page.
Meanwhile, my hostel wears a deserted look for this week coz most of the guys have left for home for Rakhi. And my rakhi's havent arrived, altho sisters say they have mailed em some 10 days back. Although everything seems to be improving in the hostel, but the number of guys falling sick keeps increasing. Jeet came back from his relative's place in Vashi, where he'd gone a couple of days back when he was feeling feverish. he came back to hostel only to pack his bags and go back home to Kolkata. Poor chap has been diagnosed with Malaria AND Typhoid. that aint nice. Another guy, Makhija has reported Lepto, ran up a bill of 10 grand at a hospital and today left for his home in Allahabad. One is trying hard to keep anything of this sort out of my room, though my roomie Ankur has a persisting fever for the past 3 days and it has now gotten us worried.
Today morning when i left the hostel i saw insect killers being installed, and a new fruit juice counter in the mess. The Wi-fi should be operational by the next week, that would make life so much easier. All research and googling would be possible from my comfy bed.
Most of which i write now has no structure, but that is coz i am blurting out all that has not been done up on the blog in the past 2 months.
But the next time you come, you wont be reading a month old post. Promise.
Keep coming.
August 2, 2005
July 12, 2005
One Month Anniversary
I am not trying to make a monthly affair out of my blog, it is sheer coincidence that the last post happens to be posted on the 11th of june and this one comes out on the 11 july.
It is funny that i have all the time to write the blog when practically nothing happens, and when the most interesting things in the world are happenning to me, i dont have a comp to myself to write a blog. And this post is being written only coz i am late for the first lecture and now will enter the class only when the prof takes a break in the 3 hr long lecture. And i have nothing better to do.
Its been exactly a month since i landed in this city, Mumbai, and I am still in the process of building my home, (the corner room in the boys hostel).
The first thing which struck me was, hell this city is more crowded than Delhi, and i called Delhi a crowded place. As the legend goes, if u want to board the local train in the morning, u dont have to make an effort, just stand 6-8 feets away frm the platform and u will automatically pushed into the train and pushed out when ure station arrives, and dont worry about ironing your clothes in the morning, coz 30 seconds in the train is all it takes to undo it.
And now i know how to build a home from scratch. Home, mind you, not a house. My ma dint have a daughter, but she gave me all the training she wud have given to her daughter before she was packed off to her new home. Well, the GR Jani boys hostel happens to be my new home, and will be my home for the next 2 years. One can often catch me washing utensils and drying clothes. Not something i wud have done at home out of choice, but i was made to do it nevertheless. Anyway, it helps me now.
Strangely enough i dont miss home. And am rather enjoying myself. The goods and the bads together.
I guess she has called for a break and i will get going.
June 6, 2005
2 more days to go
When i take off, quite literally. I have gotten the tickets on the Mumbai Rajdhani cancelled and booked myself a seat in SpiceJet. The new low fare airline from ModiLuft.
I am not really nervous or anxious, though everybody around expects me to be. I think i am really looking forward to it. 2 years in the financial capital of India, should be something.
There are going to be so many firsts. My first air travel, My first time outside of home, for such a long time. My first interstate travel by myself.
I wont have to ask myself the emirates question for a long time to come now - "When was the last time u did something for the first time?"
Got my self new luggage cases today and the packing has well and truly begun. After a whirlwind shopping tour on sunday in which i blew up 15k on the credit card. 10 out of which were for my new phone. I got myself a new N6600, although every tom,dick and Channi has it now, i stil wanted one coz i had been eyeing it for so long,i dint feel like giving up on it. So i m an owner of a decent camera phone now. no MMS making in this one for sure ;).
Still a lot of running around to do.
Oh, by the way. My 'could have been' was formally engaged with her 'would be' and the love of her life this sunday. I met the guy for the first time too (another first?). And he is a nice fella. Contrary to what a friend of mine expected me to be, i was quite happy and confortable in the situation i was in.
At the back of my mind, i wanted myself to be there coz i want to groom myself to handle all kinds of hard situations i can be in. Emotional or professional. like the nike guys exhort me to, I Just Did It, without inhibitions and trying to run away frm it. And she was happy that i came. So was her family. And so i was i.
Wish u a happy married life A.
I am not really nervous or anxious, though everybody around expects me to be. I think i am really looking forward to it. 2 years in the financial capital of India, should be something.
There are going to be so many firsts. My first air travel, My first time outside of home, for such a long time. My first interstate travel by myself.
I wont have to ask myself the emirates question for a long time to come now - "When was the last time u did something for the first time?"
Got my self new luggage cases today and the packing has well and truly begun. After a whirlwind shopping tour on sunday in which i blew up 15k on the credit card. 10 out of which were for my new phone. I got myself a new N6600, although every tom,dick and Channi has it now, i stil wanted one coz i had been eyeing it for so long,i dint feel like giving up on it. So i m an owner of a decent camera phone now. no MMS making in this one for sure ;).
Still a lot of running around to do.
Oh, by the way. My 'could have been' was formally engaged with her 'would be' and the love of her life this sunday. I met the guy for the first time too (another first?). And he is a nice fella. Contrary to what a friend of mine expected me to be, i was quite happy and confortable in the situation i was in.
At the back of my mind, i wanted myself to be there coz i want to groom myself to handle all kinds of hard situations i can be in. Emotional or professional. like the nike guys exhort me to, I Just Did It, without inhibitions and trying to run away frm it. And she was happy that i came. So was her family. And so i was i.
Wish u a happy married life A.
May 31, 2005
Manali
Despite my best efforts, i haven't been able to exhaust the remaining 2 shots on the reel which contains the visuals of my travails in the mountains. As soon as i do that, i will get the roll developed and the pics uploaded.
The annual (?) sojourn to the mountains.....this time to Manali.
Before i take u too on a trip to the beautiful hill station, albeit verbally, i will tell u what actually takes me there. My friends asked me "Wow! So u are in Manali!! Who are u holidaying with? Family? Friends?" And i'd reply, "No, it is a business trip". And Everybody, without exception, was perplexed. They had sufficient reason to be. Coz i dont have a business, hence there can't be a business trip.
The inside bit is, that a relative of mine has a travel and tour company and they take school trips, among other things, to various places in India. This the season when the business peaks, and they need manpower. I, on the other hand, am fond of travelling and seeing new places. So we both help each other out. I travel for free and help the tour leader with the logistics on the way.
So, a 6 day excursion it was to be. May 23-38. Batch of 30 students frm classes 7,9 and 11th.
And it is always fun to be with these young kids. (Seems kinda funny, i am already referring to some ppl as 'young kids', as if i am a buddha baba already) And this batch was quite nice.
I tried hard to maintain a Real Log of the journey, but as soon as i was in the hills, i forgot all pen and paper. All i could do was gasp at the snow covered mountains, climb some of them and click sceneries and sceneries and sceneries.
First day began with me takin the bus to the school at 5 am, where the kids were supposed to assemble at 5.30 and we were supposed to start for chandigarh at 6. But as always, we left some 20 mins late. The journey to chandigarh was boring and uninspiring as usual. (the drive in a bus even on the best highways is anything but interesting). This was a budget tour, so no AC bus for this batch. Vaise, U cant really appreciate the climate of the mountains if u make the climb in an AC vehicle. Its like getting out of an AC car and walking out into an AC City (yes it was THAT good)
So, we reached Chandigarh by lunch time. Lunch at the hotel was waiting. After that we retired to our rooms, and the children were asked to be ready by 4.30. What followed was the most common routine we make all batches follow in chandigarh. Actually there are some handful of places u can see when u are on a one day stop at the city. The first and the most obvious stop was the Rock Garden by Nek Chand (or is it 'Tek' Chand?), I have been to the place n times to have noticed that. The place has really grown from its original size. 3 more phases have been added to the original creation.
Then onto the sukhna lake. still nothing much inspiring to write about.
The following is the only log that i wrote. This was on the way to Bilaspur, from chandigarh.
" Its been 3 hours since we left our hotel in chandigarh and 1 and a half hours since we hit the hills.
It isn't as warm as the plains, but i wont call it cool either. I was itching to start writing coz its been more than 2 weeks since I blogged and now that something is happening, I'm away from a computer.
Manali is still a good 200 kms away although it actually might only be a 10 km angled climb vertically. The climb is steeper than what it is for simla.
The 1st 24 hrs of the trip were a bore really with a trip to the rock garden and Sukhna lake for the nth time. The window shopping at the seec 17 mkt was the only novelty.
Anyway now i am enjoying the climb up the hills. What a life it must be, in the hills.Physically tough alright but otherwise relaxed, calm and serene.
It's only recently that it struck me, over all else, an annually sojourn to the hills aids me in keeping my head on my shoulders. Reminds me not of my insignificance but the worries, anxiety.....and all....all that seems so worthless.
I am losing track......
Another thing that comes to my mind everytime i see the face of the mountainis..... How amazing it would be to climg it, thru the forest and reach the summit. What a high that shall be. I am not talking mountaineering but only plain foote climb.
I will do it, one day.
The guy sitting next to me is the school's games teacher. And as obnoxious as any other. Picks hisn nose every 10 minutes. Wonder what an unlimited supply of muck he has in his nostrils.
----------------------------
Its 12.30 and from where we are, manali is 190kms and Simla is 68. so i presume Manali is further up and away from Simla. I also hope this place isnt an eyesore like simla.
Quite honestly, Simla looks like a moster's puke on the mountain. Just too bad and aesthetically bankrupt. Otherwise dirty, too.
Another 10 minutes till we reach our Lunch stop, Bilaspur. I have been comforting the hungry souls for an hour now.
27/5/05
3 Days have happened like a breeze. These have been very fast, too green to be true, sweet, nostalgic and amazingly beautiful days.
The place is the most beautiful i have ever seen and i haven't got enough of it. I just so HAVE to come back.
Such a contrast to the day we were coming to this town. The fatigue, the tiring journey.....
One sight of the snow capped mountains and it was all worth it.
1st thing in the morning, I removed the curtains and what a sight that was. My first ever....
I have been telling everyone i talked to , that the sceneries we all put up in our drawing rooms. i am seeing it for real! "
Quite an enthu post no?! Wait, there is more to it. I m like making up for lost time and all the unwritten blogs will come out in one go, now.
The experience near Rohtang was quite thrilling and embarassing at the same time. On the way to rohtang, there are a number of shops offering woollens and snow boots. I was just too comfortable in my reeboks, to take the trouble of changing footwear. Anyway, these were SPORTS shoes, these were supposed to work on all terrains.
And now i must tell you. BASKETBALL SHOES DONT WORK ON ICE AND SNOW!!!!. Bloody i couldn't stand straight on the snow. And the locals were jumping, running and doing everything on the life threatening steep inclines. Well, they were wearing the same downmarket PVC boots, which actally seemed to work for them.
Also, i did realise my fantasy of climbing the face of the mountain, many times over. The part which wasnt snow clad, i did climb the rocky surface, which saved me 1.5 kms of walk on the paved road. the climb took 10 minutes and it wasnt really easy coz my shoes were slipping even on the mud on the slants, leave alone solid rock.
On the way up i made all 30 of them climb up with me, although on the way down, most of them chickened out and said they'd rather walk 1500 mtrs than risk slipping on the slant.
It was great fun. On the last day in city, we went to the river front (the city is situated on the banks of the river BEAS). And the water was friggin cold. 5 seconds in the water and my feet were numb already. I also went to the van vihar sanctuary, and it was the first virgin territory of mountainous forests i treaded on. It was really really cool. All alone in the picturesque forest. It almost looked to good to be true. Long and high trees, i have no idea what they're called but they are simply majestic.
I really was sad when we started our way back.
I am really gonna go there again. Very soon.
The annual (?) sojourn to the mountains.....this time to Manali.
Before i take u too on a trip to the beautiful hill station, albeit verbally, i will tell u what actually takes me there. My friends asked me "Wow! So u are in Manali!! Who are u holidaying with? Family? Friends?" And i'd reply, "No, it is a business trip". And Everybody, without exception, was perplexed. They had sufficient reason to be. Coz i dont have a business, hence there can't be a business trip.
The inside bit is, that a relative of mine has a travel and tour company and they take school trips, among other things, to various places in India. This the season when the business peaks, and they need manpower. I, on the other hand, am fond of travelling and seeing new places. So we both help each other out. I travel for free and help the tour leader with the logistics on the way.
So, a 6 day excursion it was to be. May 23-38. Batch of 30 students frm classes 7,9 and 11th.
And it is always fun to be with these young kids. (Seems kinda funny, i am already referring to some ppl as 'young kids', as if i am a buddha baba already) And this batch was quite nice.
I tried hard to maintain a Real Log of the journey, but as soon as i was in the hills, i forgot all pen and paper. All i could do was gasp at the snow covered mountains, climb some of them and click sceneries and sceneries and sceneries.
First day began with me takin the bus to the school at 5 am, where the kids were supposed to assemble at 5.30 and we were supposed to start for chandigarh at 6. But as always, we left some 20 mins late. The journey to chandigarh was boring and uninspiring as usual. (the drive in a bus even on the best highways is anything but interesting). This was a budget tour, so no AC bus for this batch. Vaise, U cant really appreciate the climate of the mountains if u make the climb in an AC vehicle. Its like getting out of an AC car and walking out into an AC City (yes it was THAT good)
So, we reached Chandigarh by lunch time. Lunch at the hotel was waiting. After that we retired to our rooms, and the children were asked to be ready by 4.30. What followed was the most common routine we make all batches follow in chandigarh. Actually there are some handful of places u can see when u are on a one day stop at the city. The first and the most obvious stop was the Rock Garden by Nek Chand (or is it 'Tek' Chand?), I have been to the place n times to have noticed that. The place has really grown from its original size. 3 more phases have been added to the original creation.
Then onto the sukhna lake. still nothing much inspiring to write about.
The following is the only log that i wrote. This was on the way to Bilaspur, from chandigarh.
" Its been 3 hours since we left our hotel in chandigarh and 1 and a half hours since we hit the hills.
It isn't as warm as the plains, but i wont call it cool either. I was itching to start writing coz its been more than 2 weeks since I blogged and now that something is happening, I'm away from a computer.
Manali is still a good 200 kms away although it actually might only be a 10 km angled climb vertically. The climb is steeper than what it is for simla.
The 1st 24 hrs of the trip were a bore really with a trip to the rock garden and Sukhna lake for the nth time. The window shopping at the seec 17 mkt was the only novelty.
Anyway now i am enjoying the climb up the hills. What a life it must be, in the hills.Physically tough alright but otherwise relaxed, calm and serene.
It's only recently that it struck me, over all else, an annually sojourn to the hills aids me in keeping my head on my shoulders. Reminds me not of my insignificance but the worries, anxiety.....and all....all that seems so worthless.
I am losing track......
Another thing that comes to my mind everytime i see the face of the mountainis..... How amazing it would be to climg it, thru the forest and reach the summit. What a high that shall be. I am not talking mountaineering but only plain foote climb.
I will do it, one day.
The guy sitting next to me is the school's games teacher. And as obnoxious as any other. Picks hisn nose every 10 minutes. Wonder what an unlimited supply of muck he has in his nostrils.
----------------------------
Its 12.30 and from where we are, manali is 190kms and Simla is 68. so i presume Manali is further up and away from Simla. I also hope this place isnt an eyesore like simla.
Quite honestly, Simla looks like a moster's puke on the mountain. Just too bad and aesthetically bankrupt. Otherwise dirty, too.
Another 10 minutes till we reach our Lunch stop, Bilaspur. I have been comforting the hungry souls for an hour now.
27/5/05
3 Days have happened like a breeze. These have been very fast, too green to be true, sweet, nostalgic and amazingly beautiful days.
The place is the most beautiful i have ever seen and i haven't got enough of it. I just so HAVE to come back.
Such a contrast to the day we were coming to this town. The fatigue, the tiring journey.....
One sight of the snow capped mountains and it was all worth it.
1st thing in the morning, I removed the curtains and what a sight that was. My first ever....
I have been telling everyone i talked to , that the sceneries we all put up in our drawing rooms. i am seeing it for real! "
Quite an enthu post no?! Wait, there is more to it. I m like making up for lost time and all the unwritten blogs will come out in one go, now.
The experience near Rohtang was quite thrilling and embarassing at the same time. On the way to rohtang, there are a number of shops offering woollens and snow boots. I was just too comfortable in my reeboks, to take the trouble of changing footwear. Anyway, these were SPORTS shoes, these were supposed to work on all terrains.
And now i must tell you. BASKETBALL SHOES DONT WORK ON ICE AND SNOW!!!!. Bloody i couldn't stand straight on the snow. And the locals were jumping, running and doing everything on the life threatening steep inclines. Well, they were wearing the same downmarket PVC boots, which actally seemed to work for them.
Also, i did realise my fantasy of climbing the face of the mountain, many times over. The part which wasnt snow clad, i did climb the rocky surface, which saved me 1.5 kms of walk on the paved road. the climb took 10 minutes and it wasnt really easy coz my shoes were slipping even on the mud on the slants, leave alone solid rock.
On the way up i made all 30 of them climb up with me, although on the way down, most of them chickened out and said they'd rather walk 1500 mtrs than risk slipping on the slant.
It was great fun. On the last day in city, we went to the river front (the city is situated on the banks of the river BEAS). And the water was friggin cold. 5 seconds in the water and my feet were numb already. I also went to the van vihar sanctuary, and it was the first virgin territory of mountainous forests i treaded on. It was really really cool. All alone in the picturesque forest. It almost looked to good to be true. Long and high trees, i have no idea what they're called but they are simply majestic.
I really was sad when we started our way back.
I am really gonna go there again. Very soon.
May 11, 2005
This city has gone to the dogs
U R living in the gutters if u dont know what happened this sunday night at Dhaula Kuan.
And its pathetic.
I am slightly cut off from the offline world these days, coz i am in front of this box most of the time. Oh, what a cozy and comfy this place is.Every one is so nice to me. But why isnt everyone the same to my friends who come down from the beautiful hills in the north-east.
I know this isnt organised, and i am sorry for that. But i really dont have words to express my anger. I read about the whole episode when i was munching on a Filet-o-fish grub at McD's this Monday with a frnd and i happened to see the headline on TOI kept there.
Screaming, the headline was, but i dint see any one waking up. Will anybody ever? When will we get out of our slumber? The way we treat women in particular, and all ppl frm the north-east in general. It HAS to change.
It is nauseating, when the shiv sena mouth piece says that, it is the way in which women dress, which is responsible for men behaving the way they do. Think about it, before you label me as another one of those feminist kinds. Because I am not. Is 4 inches of skin all that u need see to get turned on in that nasty way. This friend of mine, i was dining with (?) said, with the way they dress, walking out at 2 in the night, "yeh nahi hoga to kya hoga."
I mean, hello! ppl?!
Do men still have their brains in the head, or has it found place somewhere in their pants?
The ppl who do this, (RAPE is what i am talkin about, if u havent got it still), how do they go home and face their mamas and sisters (and wives and daughters). These are not always the gangster types, always the criminal types. These are very much 'normal' ppl. They have families, work in an office and go back home........
What will it take, to civilise these beasts? Shoot'em on the street, if nothing will. At least it will keep the others from turning into such parasites.
And the stuff about people, who we all love to call "chinkys" and make fun of. These are as human as u and i am. It is not their fault if they look different. Well YOU would look different if you go to their home. They're here not to make our lives worse, but to make their own, better. To look for better opportunities, better life, better education. And it is because we havent given them their fair share. We haven't given them what they need, at their home. We love to call the seven states in the north east a part of india, but dont really treat them as Indians. Most of us in the metropolises are so busy in our own comfi lives that we give a damn about a woman being raped by the army in a distant land, or houses burning or students rioting on the street because they have nothing better to do. My friends are as hardworking and intelligent as we, mainlanders are, if not more.
I dont get as many stares when i ride with another gal, as i do with Sam, who happens to hail frm Meghalaya. I mean, why can't ppl GROW UP. Give them space. The city is as much theirs as it is mine. Just as not everybody in delhi understands telugu, tamil, marathi.....similarly it isnt funny if u dont understand assamese, or mizo. If they speak heavily accented hindi and aren't always able to put their ideas across, d u want to make an effort to understand them, or do you want to laugh them off?
Studying school or becoming graduates doesnt make us educated......it makes us literate.
GET THE DIFFERENCE? That guy selling sabji under the tree, near my home, isnt "LITERATE", but he is EDUCATED & CIVILISED, to the extent, that he knows how to talk to women, to behave with his children, even when he is slightly inebriated, and doesnt bash up his wife at the slightest provocation.
I know young execs working in reputed companies, using public means of transportation, wouldnt think twice before forcefully brushing past a woman, to get his share of cheap thrill. RESPECT, doesnt only have to be outwardly manifest. It is when u think about the other gender with respect, will u be able to alter your thought processes.
Please god, bless the people of this city, and make it a little safer for my female friends to have some harmless fun. At all hours.
And its pathetic.
I am slightly cut off from the offline world these days, coz i am in front of this box most of the time. Oh, what a cozy and comfy this place is.Every one is so nice to me. But why isnt everyone the same to my friends who come down from the beautiful hills in the north-east.
I know this isnt organised, and i am sorry for that. But i really dont have words to express my anger. I read about the whole episode when i was munching on a Filet-o-fish grub at McD's this Monday with a frnd and i happened to see the headline on TOI kept there.
Screaming, the headline was, but i dint see any one waking up. Will anybody ever? When will we get out of our slumber? The way we treat women in particular, and all ppl frm the north-east in general. It HAS to change.
It is nauseating, when the shiv sena mouth piece says that, it is the way in which women dress, which is responsible for men behaving the way they do. Think about it, before you label me as another one of those feminist kinds. Because I am not. Is 4 inches of skin all that u need see to get turned on in that nasty way. This friend of mine, i was dining with (?) said, with the way they dress, walking out at 2 in the night, "yeh nahi hoga to kya hoga."
I mean, hello! ppl?!
Do men still have their brains in the head, or has it found place somewhere in their pants?
The ppl who do this, (RAPE is what i am talkin about, if u havent got it still), how do they go home and face their mamas and sisters (and wives and daughters). These are not always the gangster types, always the criminal types. These are very much 'normal' ppl. They have families, work in an office and go back home........
What will it take, to civilise these beasts? Shoot'em on the street, if nothing will. At least it will keep the others from turning into such parasites.
And the stuff about people, who we all love to call "chinkys" and make fun of. These are as human as u and i am. It is not their fault if they look different. Well YOU would look different if you go to their home. They're here not to make our lives worse, but to make their own, better. To look for better opportunities, better life, better education. And it is because we havent given them their fair share. We haven't given them what they need, at their home. We love to call the seven states in the north east a part of india, but dont really treat them as Indians. Most of us in the metropolises are so busy in our own comfi lives that we give a damn about a woman being raped by the army in a distant land, or houses burning or students rioting on the street because they have nothing better to do. My friends are as hardworking and intelligent as we, mainlanders are, if not more.
I dont get as many stares when i ride with another gal, as i do with Sam, who happens to hail frm Meghalaya. I mean, why can't ppl GROW UP. Give them space. The city is as much theirs as it is mine. Just as not everybody in delhi understands telugu, tamil, marathi.....similarly it isnt funny if u dont understand assamese, or mizo. If they speak heavily accented hindi and aren't always able to put their ideas across, d u want to make an effort to understand them, or do you want to laugh them off?
Studying school or becoming graduates doesnt make us educated......it makes us literate.
GET THE DIFFERENCE? That guy selling sabji under the tree, near my home, isnt "LITERATE", but he is EDUCATED & CIVILISED, to the extent, that he knows how to talk to women, to behave with his children, even when he is slightly inebriated, and doesnt bash up his wife at the slightest provocation.
I know young execs working in reputed companies, using public means of transportation, wouldnt think twice before forcefully brushing past a woman, to get his share of cheap thrill. RESPECT, doesnt only have to be outwardly manifest. It is when u think about the other gender with respect, will u be able to alter your thought processes.
Please god, bless the people of this city, and make it a little safer for my female friends to have some harmless fun. At all hours.
May 4, 2005
One of those days
It was one of those days..... days which you wouldnt forget in a hurry.
It was one of those days when, as Paulo Coelho would have said, the universe conspires in your favor, to get you what you want.
I had to go to the university, that is at Kashmere gate. A good 30 kilometres from my place, post which i would have gone and met my friends at MIB, and have a good time coz they were getting free with with the 2nd sem exams, after which all of them wud have been off to their summer projects and never have the time to breath, leave alone go out with frnz.
It was my 3rd round to the university to get a darned Migration Certificate, which the finicky NM admin staff wouldnt let me in without.
See, the world knows that offices in delhi (hence also all educational institutions also) shut shop by 5 in the evening. But yours truly, the worlds biggest lazy bum would only get out of home at 4.25 knowing fully well that the 30 km odd trip thru one of the most congested roads in delhi, wud not take less than 50 minutes.
So, as usual, the only thing which takes the beating in such a case is my poor bike. Whipped as hell, the iron horse would gallop and neigh at all obstacles in its course, slowing only for the blue colored, 6 wheeled behemoths roaming the jungle. And honestly, i was impressed for the first time, at its ability to really really go fast and stop even quicker. So this thoroughbred got me to my destination in 40 mins flat. Thats an amazing avg speed of 45 in city.
5.05 it is 5 minutes overtime alrite, but not all indian govt. officers leave for home early. (not coz they are overly enthu about their work, but coz they cant finish the simplest tasks in time) So i had the good fortune of finding the concerned guy and handed him all the relevant documents, rushed to another office on the 4th floor, to submit an application for an additional 1st sem marksheet.
Came back down, to find my stuff almost ready.
The Universe had conspired, FOR me.
But now i was a lil late to join the gang in Kamla Ngr McD's, where most o the ppl were about to leave for home, and quite contrary to my expectations, were too weary after the exam to really chill out. But i wasnt gonna let em go so easily. For i knew, there wudnt be many such days in the future for me, ever. When i had most o the gang with me and we could do whatever we wanted to and go wherever we wanted to.
So yours truly, managed to convince enough ppl to come along to CP.
Hey, all this while i missed mentioning the squall, which made the weather so pleasant and the ride one of the best ever. And add to that i had to travel thru the ridge, and i was smitten. I mean had it not been for the plan with frnds, i wud have gone up and down the 3km road till it became dark. It is so darn beautiful, the curves, the bends, the uphill and the downhill, and of course the honda ride is so enjoyable.
And now, when we're plannin to goto CP frm K Nags, Sam asks G, if its ok if she came wid me on the bike and not G. And u know Sam not one of the, but the only woman i know who loves bikes and enjoys bike rides as much as i do. for eg, when i take a really fast corner, others say "ACHAN!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" and Sam says "WHEEEEEEEEEE, WHOAAAAAA!!!!" And when u have some one who enjoys it as much as u do, its double the fun.
imagine that thru the ridge, then on the wide open ring road.............
Then we had fun at CCD in CP, and when we came out it was dark and it was raining.
On other days, i shud be worrying about getting wet, going back home late, and wondering what excuses should i conjure up which wud sound convincing enough, but today was different.
Today was a day everything was happenning for me. And so was this rain, we walked to Palika Parking and got a lil wet alrite, but then when we came out of the underground lot, it had stopped. Almost as if tellin me, that uve had ure share of fun, now get back home safely.
Came back home and it was all cool..............
The universe conspired.........big time!
It was one of those days when, as Paulo Coelho would have said, the universe conspires in your favor, to get you what you want.
I had to go to the university, that is at Kashmere gate. A good 30 kilometres from my place, post which i would have gone and met my friends at MIB, and have a good time coz they were getting free with with the 2nd sem exams, after which all of them wud have been off to their summer projects and never have the time to breath, leave alone go out with frnz.
It was my 3rd round to the university to get a darned Migration Certificate, which the finicky NM admin staff wouldnt let me in without.
See, the world knows that offices in delhi (hence also all educational institutions also) shut shop by 5 in the evening. But yours truly, the worlds biggest lazy bum would only get out of home at 4.25 knowing fully well that the 30 km odd trip thru one of the most congested roads in delhi, wud not take less than 50 minutes.
So, as usual, the only thing which takes the beating in such a case is my poor bike. Whipped as hell, the iron horse would gallop and neigh at all obstacles in its course, slowing only for the blue colored, 6 wheeled behemoths roaming the jungle. And honestly, i was impressed for the first time, at its ability to really really go fast and stop even quicker. So this thoroughbred got me to my destination in 40 mins flat. Thats an amazing avg speed of 45 in city.
5.05 it is 5 minutes overtime alrite, but not all indian govt. officers leave for home early. (not coz they are overly enthu about their work, but coz they cant finish the simplest tasks in time) So i had the good fortune of finding the concerned guy and handed him all the relevant documents, rushed to another office on the 4th floor, to submit an application for an additional 1st sem marksheet.
Came back down, to find my stuff almost ready.
The Universe had conspired, FOR me.
But now i was a lil late to join the gang in Kamla Ngr McD's, where most o the ppl were about to leave for home, and quite contrary to my expectations, were too weary after the exam to really chill out. But i wasnt gonna let em go so easily. For i knew, there wudnt be many such days in the future for me, ever. When i had most o the gang with me and we could do whatever we wanted to and go wherever we wanted to.
So yours truly, managed to convince enough ppl to come along to CP.
Hey, all this while i missed mentioning the squall, which made the weather so pleasant and the ride one of the best ever. And add to that i had to travel thru the ridge, and i was smitten. I mean had it not been for the plan with frnds, i wud have gone up and down the 3km road till it became dark. It is so darn beautiful, the curves, the bends, the uphill and the downhill, and of course the honda ride is so enjoyable.
And now, when we're plannin to goto CP frm K Nags, Sam asks G, if its ok if she came wid me on the bike and not G. And u know Sam not one of the, but the only woman i know who loves bikes and enjoys bike rides as much as i do. for eg, when i take a really fast corner, others say "ACHAN!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" and Sam says "WHEEEEEEEEEE, WHOAAAAAA!!!!" And when u have some one who enjoys it as much as u do, its double the fun.
imagine that thru the ridge, then on the wide open ring road.............
Then we had fun at CCD in CP, and when we came out it was dark and it was raining.
On other days, i shud be worrying about getting wet, going back home late, and wondering what excuses should i conjure up which wud sound convincing enough, but today was different.
Today was a day everything was happenning for me. And so was this rain, we walked to Palika Parking and got a lil wet alrite, but then when we came out of the underground lot, it had stopped. Almost as if tellin me, that uve had ure share of fun, now get back home safely.
Came back home and it was all cool..............
The universe conspired.........big time!
April 23, 2005
Reason.....
Tell me if there aren't times when you remember the way you USED to be...... "i used to be so happy" "i used to be so cheerful" "i used to be so emotional" or whatever....... and look at me now.
someone u think u were, but not now.........uve changed. may be on purpose or most likely it were the 'circumstances' which changed you.
I am just beating about the bush.
A week back, ma sent this song and believe u me, no other song has been on the winamp since. It's on 24hrs.
I dont know why, but in some way, this song makes me remember the way i was..... the way i used to be. It's not the lyrics, not the music they're set to.....may be its just the sound. It makes me remember i was the "Senti Singh" in college, coz i literally was very senti and emotional at heart. Not many would say the same today. May be i still am, may be not..... the song reminds me of the crazy things i have done for some not so crazy people............
is it too complicated........i always am.....
anyway
I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear
I've found a resaon for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You
I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
someone u think u were, but not now.........uve changed. may be on purpose or most likely it were the 'circumstances' which changed you.
I am just beating about the bush.
A week back, ma sent this song and believe u me, no other song has been on the winamp since. It's on 24hrs.
I dont know why, but in some way, this song makes me remember the way i was..... the way i used to be. It's not the lyrics, not the music they're set to.....may be its just the sound. It makes me remember i was the "Senti Singh" in college, coz i literally was very senti and emotional at heart. Not many would say the same today. May be i still am, may be not..... the song reminds me of the crazy things i have done for some not so crazy people............
is it too complicated........i always am.....
anyway
I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear
I've found a resaon for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You
I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
April 13, 2005
My first day in Mumbai!!
Its just been 12 hours since i first set my feet on the island city of Mumbai.
Before i left home, papa suggested me to be extra careful...... he had heard Mumbai being called the 'maya nagri' many a times....
I still have loads of discovering to do, like visit places other than NM for instance.
With my limited knowledge and experience of a half a day, i can safely make a couple of comparisons between Mumbai and my home-Metropolis ('hometown' is the wrong word for Delhi).
The city is smaller in terms of land, but houses a larger population.
Mumbai has 2 lakh Autos for Delhi's 45,000 (the auto-wallah told me this afternoon), but everything still seems to work with a system. There are no overtakers in a lane stuck with trffic. There isn't even a yellow dividing line for chrissake! and even then there is not one vehicle out of line.And the last time i saw a BUS drive that well and safely was...... keep guessing.
Like some one pointed out, not just the trains, even the freakin' buses run like clockwork.
The people..... i think they are a shy lot. May be not shy but definitely not as gregarious as the dilliwalas. I was not able to strike up a longer conversation on a topic as vivid as the Indo-pak match at ahmedabad today, than just ask the score. In delhi one has seen strangers turning life long friends after having watched and India Pakistan Match. Every body is so busy into their own thing, they hardly have time to talk to strangers, or to give directions for that matter.
And then we went to Juhu beach in the night. "Let's go to the beach", uncle said after dinner.
"NOW!!", I said?!
I mean 10:45 in the night is not the time one ventures out of home for a drive or whatever reason. A walk outside the home is alright, but the BEACH? NOW?
Anyway, we went and it was as if the crowds had only just begun to come over to the beach. And it was my first sighting of sea, EVER.
Believe you me, it's beautiful! Even at night. I think i can spend hours at the beach and not get bored of the sea. I dont think any one does. The beach was dirty alright, but anywhere u find indians enjoying, u see them doing it in garbage, strewn evenly by themselves. But inspite of it all, it was worth a lot.
So much for mumbai and its travails. I did all the important work i was here for, now will do some more sightseeing tommoro.
Before i left home, papa suggested me to be extra careful...... he had heard Mumbai being called the 'maya nagri' many a times....
I still have loads of discovering to do, like visit places other than NM for instance.
With my limited knowledge and experience of a half a day, i can safely make a couple of comparisons between Mumbai and my home-Metropolis ('hometown' is the wrong word for Delhi).
The city is smaller in terms of land, but houses a larger population.
Mumbai has 2 lakh Autos for Delhi's 45,000 (the auto-wallah told me this afternoon), but everything still seems to work with a system. There are no overtakers in a lane stuck with trffic. There isn't even a yellow dividing line for chrissake! and even then there is not one vehicle out of line.And the last time i saw a BUS drive that well and safely was...... keep guessing.
Like some one pointed out, not just the trains, even the freakin' buses run like clockwork.
The people..... i think they are a shy lot. May be not shy but definitely not as gregarious as the dilliwalas. I was not able to strike up a longer conversation on a topic as vivid as the Indo-pak match at ahmedabad today, than just ask the score. In delhi one has seen strangers turning life long friends after having watched and India Pakistan Match. Every body is so busy into their own thing, they hardly have time to talk to strangers, or to give directions for that matter.
And then we went to Juhu beach in the night. "Let's go to the beach", uncle said after dinner.
"NOW!!", I said?!
I mean 10:45 in the night is not the time one ventures out of home for a drive or whatever reason. A walk outside the home is alright, but the BEACH? NOW?
Anyway, we went and it was as if the crowds had only just begun to come over to the beach. And it was my first sighting of sea, EVER.
Believe you me, it's beautiful! Even at night. I think i can spend hours at the beach and not get bored of the sea. I dont think any one does. The beach was dirty alright, but anywhere u find indians enjoying, u see them doing it in garbage, strewn evenly by themselves. But inspite of it all, it was worth a lot.
So much for mumbai and its travails. I did all the important work i was here for, now will do some more sightseeing tommoro.
April 9, 2005
City of Dreams....
That's what they call it. Mumbai, the city which makes the dreams of dreamers come true. The strong willed make fortunes and the weaker species is filtered out.
Yes, it is the fantasy come true, the sweetest dream fulfilled. I think i corrected a mistake i committed last year, to a large extent. I have learnt, though through experience, i wish some one had guided me, but now i know.
Never underestimate yourself
Identify your goals well in advance
And give it your best shot, the first time, every time.
I took CAT03, missed the IIMs by a whisker but didnt apply to other good schools which accepted cat scores. coz i never thot i cud have gotten that much so i didnt take the trouble of making enough good applications. And with that score i cud have easily gotten into one of the 'ivy league'. Anyway i took what i got and was pretty happy for the 1st 2 months. But slowly i realised the 'fire in the belly' and all things like that slowly dying down. And i think it was the strangles of an unstructured............i will stop here. I dont want to bad mouth anyplace. but it is only that i didnt fit into the scheme of things. I might have accepted whatever was happening. note; things were happening to me and i wasnt making them happen like i wud have liked them to.
And by the time i decided to give better b schools another shot, it was too late. NM was the only b school which figured in my wishlist whose form was still available, and i filled it. Took the exam without any preparation at all. didnt have much time to do that anyway with the semester exams at MIB hovering. But the exam went ok and i dont think i cud have done it better.
And when yours truly was shortlisted for the PI, a ray of hope, or watever.... and suddenly this chap became pious, faithful with ultimate religious fervor. Wat with daily prayers and all, even ma was surprised at wat was happenin
And then i was really hooked on to NM.
Things came to such a head, that one went to sleep in the night telling oneself that it was now 9 days to go, 9 days to go, 9 days to go for the final result and when one woke up the count had automatically come down and it said 8 days to go, 8 days to go 8 days to go.
Well then, as they say, faith has moved mountains. I am sure more than my work, it is luck and providence which has got me here. It took a couple of days to sink in.
I wondered how the reactions would be, family is happy alright. And the Real friends are happy too, the others......well it shows on the faces.
Any which way, i m eager to meet my fate now. To work with my destiny and make mine and my family's life a better one.
Thank u J, Dibbi, jinny, arch, for your support and your faith and belief in me and my abilities.
I hope u see me through the next couple of years too. I stil need ure wishes.
P.S.: geetu sorri for the delay, didnt have words till now.
Yes, it is the fantasy come true, the sweetest dream fulfilled. I think i corrected a mistake i committed last year, to a large extent. I have learnt, though through experience, i wish some one had guided me, but now i know.
Never underestimate yourself
Identify your goals well in advance
And give it your best shot, the first time, every time.
I took CAT03, missed the IIMs by a whisker but didnt apply to other good schools which accepted cat scores. coz i never thot i cud have gotten that much so i didnt take the trouble of making enough good applications. And with that score i cud have easily gotten into one of the 'ivy league'. Anyway i took what i got and was pretty happy for the 1st 2 months. But slowly i realised the 'fire in the belly' and all things like that slowly dying down. And i think it was the strangles of an unstructured............i will stop here. I dont want to bad mouth anyplace. but it is only that i didnt fit into the scheme of things. I might have accepted whatever was happening. note; things were happening to me and i wasnt making them happen like i wud have liked them to.
And by the time i decided to give better b schools another shot, it was too late. NM was the only b school which figured in my wishlist whose form was still available, and i filled it. Took the exam without any preparation at all. didnt have much time to do that anyway with the semester exams at MIB hovering. But the exam went ok and i dont think i cud have done it better.
And when yours truly was shortlisted for the PI, a ray of hope, or watever.... and suddenly this chap became pious, faithful with ultimate religious fervor. Wat with daily prayers and all, even ma was surprised at wat was happenin
And then i was really hooked on to NM.
Things came to such a head, that one went to sleep in the night telling oneself that it was now 9 days to go, 9 days to go, 9 days to go for the final result and when one woke up the count had automatically come down and it said 8 days to go, 8 days to go 8 days to go.
Well then, as they say, faith has moved mountains. I am sure more than my work, it is luck and providence which has got me here. It took a couple of days to sink in.
I wondered how the reactions would be, family is happy alright. And the Real friends are happy too, the others......well it shows on the faces.
Any which way, i m eager to meet my fate now. To work with my destiny and make mine and my family's life a better one.
Thank u J, Dibbi, jinny, arch, for your support and your faith and belief in me and my abilities.
I hope u see me through the next couple of years too. I stil need ure wishes.
P.S.: geetu sorri for the delay, didnt have words till now.
April 6, 2005
Chennai Born Confused Softie: The Bane of being a tamil Iyer Lad
Funny and Nice read...
Chennai Born Confused Softie: The Bane of being a tamil Iyer Lad
Thankfully, i am not in the same situation but can see what Hari feels...
Chennai Born Confused Softie: The Bane of being a tamil Iyer Lad
Thankfully, i am not in the same situation but can see what Hari feels...
Me at it again
You Are a Pundit Blogger! |
 Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few. |
March 22, 2005
Rain!
There are days when one is sad for no reason and then there are days when u are hopping all over the place just coz ure happy and why's that is a guess. Today was such a day. Its been months when one felt like this. And i know it was the rain which did the trick. Darn amazing downpour. I even went out and got wet. its been a long time since i did that. Since the time i entered the world of the prim and propah people, i havent been as wild as i was today.
And then the egg rolls in K nags, the hot gulab jamuns at Laxmi Sweets, i know i will remember the food, and the evening of wet soil and the evening for years to come. It wasnt an occasion. But i felt like celebrating just for the heck of being alive.
Enjoy it while it lasts. Its life.
And then the egg rolls in K nags, the hot gulab jamuns at Laxmi Sweets, i know i will remember the food, and the evening of wet soil and the evening for years to come. It wasnt an occasion. But i felt like celebrating just for the heck of being alive.
Enjoy it while it lasts. Its life.
March 21, 2005
Patriot..My foot!!
In order to prove that I'm a true Indian, do I have to stand up for Narendra Modi?
The cancellation of the Gujarat CM's US visa has caused an epidemic of patriotism. How dare the neo-imperialists in Washington impugn the sovereignty of the Indian republic by denying entry to an elected representative of the people of an Indian state? Never mind that Modi is accused of mass murder. His Indianness comes before his alleged murderousness, and as such we, as Indians first and moral beings second, must support him. As one commentator put it, he might be a mass murderer. But he is our mass murderer and we ought to close ranks behind him. An ingenious argument, which the Nazis should have adopted at the Nuremberg trials. Sure Hitler was a monster, but he was our monster and we had to follow him. Come to that, the Jews were also our Jews, to do with as we liked.
Patriotism is not just the last refuge of scoundrels. It is often also the first refuge of the morally and mentally unsound. Playing to the patriotic gallery, Modi has likened himself to Mohandas Gandhi, victim of imperialism who demolished the empire which sought to subjugate him. The comparison will appeal only to those unable to differentiate between the Father of the Nation and the Fuhrer of the Nation. The issue raises questions far more important than Modi's visa: What does it mean to be a good Indian? Is patriotism the same as Indianness? Gandhi's Indian identity could not be bestowed on him by the Indian state, which of course did not exist at the time. Nor was it bestowed on him by the British, because it was precisely that British-imposed identity of Indian-as-subject which he was struggling against. Though he was a consummate politician, Gandhi's identity, his Indianness, did not derive from any state or government. He did not identify himself first as a political entity and then as a moral or spiritual being. Quite the reverse. Gandhi sought, and found, his Indic roots deep within the cultural and civilisational traditions of the subcontinent which far preceded its dismemberment into warring nation-states. Based on the principles of tolerance and ahimsa, Gandhi's satyagraha was first and foremost a moral crusade, and only secondarily a political campaign. The means had to justify the end, not the other way round. Political freedom meant nothing without the basis of moral emancipation.
Your moral identity preceded and legitimised your political identity. You could be a good Indian only by realising that your Indianness was just a part, and by much the smaller part, of your humanness. And that, in turn, was only a part of a consciousness which recognised the undifferentiated sanctity of all life in its myriad, inextricably interlinked manifestations. Gandhi became an iconic Indian by transcending the parochialism of Indianness, of patriotism as a political straitjacket. He empowered himself - and potentially at least empowered us - by breaking the shackles of chauvinism. When are we going to learn to grow to be big enough to follow his liberating example? When will we rid ourselves of the manipulative puppet strings of patriotism? E M Foster said if he had to choose between his friend and his country, he hoped he would have the courage to choose his friend. Which do you hope you would choose? Which do you hope your friend would?
And leave all other arguments alone, who are we to protest? If that country does not want some one like Modi on their soil, why do u have such a problem. The US does not have any problems with an Indian coming to their country. It certainly has problems with people of a questionable character coming to their country. It is their country and hence their business and discretion. All this talk of insulting India and Indianness for having denied a visa to an elected CM of an Indian State is utter crap. People who are harping on this point are hard pressed to observe the point which is more than obvious here. It is a reminder to the people who have elected as their representative, a person who has been called a mass murderer time and again. And elected him after he has committed such crimes against humanity.
For Humanity's sake wake up and shout out that the erstwhile heaven called India, can well do without Devils like Modi who are hell bent on transforming it into a hell. Why does it take an outsider to jolt you out of your daze??!
The cancellation of the Gujarat CM's US visa has caused an epidemic of patriotism. How dare the neo-imperialists in Washington impugn the sovereignty of the Indian republic by denying entry to an elected representative of the people of an Indian state? Never mind that Modi is accused of mass murder. His Indianness comes before his alleged murderousness, and as such we, as Indians first and moral beings second, must support him. As one commentator put it, he might be a mass murderer. But he is our mass murderer and we ought to close ranks behind him. An ingenious argument, which the Nazis should have adopted at the Nuremberg trials. Sure Hitler was a monster, but he was our monster and we had to follow him. Come to that, the Jews were also our Jews, to do with as we liked.
Patriotism is not just the last refuge of scoundrels. It is often also the first refuge of the morally and mentally unsound. Playing to the patriotic gallery, Modi has likened himself to Mohandas Gandhi, victim of imperialism who demolished the empire which sought to subjugate him. The comparison will appeal only to those unable to differentiate between the Father of the Nation and the Fuhrer of the Nation. The issue raises questions far more important than Modi's visa: What does it mean to be a good Indian? Is patriotism the same as Indianness? Gandhi's Indian identity could not be bestowed on him by the Indian state, which of course did not exist at the time. Nor was it bestowed on him by the British, because it was precisely that British-imposed identity of Indian-as-subject which he was struggling against. Though he was a consummate politician, Gandhi's identity, his Indianness, did not derive from any state or government. He did not identify himself first as a political entity and then as a moral or spiritual being. Quite the reverse. Gandhi sought, and found, his Indic roots deep within the cultural and civilisational traditions of the subcontinent which far preceded its dismemberment into warring nation-states. Based on the principles of tolerance and ahimsa, Gandhi's satyagraha was first and foremost a moral crusade, and only secondarily a political campaign. The means had to justify the end, not the other way round. Political freedom meant nothing without the basis of moral emancipation.
Your moral identity preceded and legitimised your political identity. You could be a good Indian only by realising that your Indianness was just a part, and by much the smaller part, of your humanness. And that, in turn, was only a part of a consciousness which recognised the undifferentiated sanctity of all life in its myriad, inextricably interlinked manifestations. Gandhi became an iconic Indian by transcending the parochialism of Indianness, of patriotism as a political straitjacket. He empowered himself - and potentially at least empowered us - by breaking the shackles of chauvinism. When are we going to learn to grow to be big enough to follow his liberating example? When will we rid ourselves of the manipulative puppet strings of patriotism? E M Foster said if he had to choose between his friend and his country, he hoped he would have the courage to choose his friend. Which do you hope you would choose? Which do you hope your friend would?
And leave all other arguments alone, who are we to protest? If that country does not want some one like Modi on their soil, why do u have such a problem. The US does not have any problems with an Indian coming to their country. It certainly has problems with people of a questionable character coming to their country. It is their country and hence their business and discretion. All this talk of insulting India and Indianness for having denied a visa to an elected CM of an Indian State is utter crap. People who are harping on this point are hard pressed to observe the point which is more than obvious here. It is a reminder to the people who have elected as their representative, a person who has been called a mass murderer time and again. And elected him after he has committed such crimes against humanity.
For Humanity's sake wake up and shout out that the erstwhile heaven called India, can well do without Devils like Modi who are hell bent on transforming it into a hell. Why does it take an outsider to jolt you out of your daze??!
March 14, 2005
SMSes
These are some of the better SMSes i have been getting ever since the cell companies have gone crazy and charge only 1 paisa per SMS
- Consequences of of an American Lifestyle : The wife rushed in2 her house screaming 2 her hubby "darling come quickly, ur kids and my kids are beating up OUR kids" !!!
- Ek bhoot dusre se: Tujhe kisi se darr lagta hai?
dusra: nahin
1st : Kabhi tuney sardar dekha hai?
2nd : Sardar - vardar kuchh nahi hota, sab mann ka veham hai !!
- Mallika sherawat ko draupadi ka role dein to kaisa rahega..? Tab duryodhan kahega : "Pehle ise kapde to pehnao tabhi to vastra haran kar paaunga" :-)
- What will be written on Mallika Sherawat's Headstone when she dies?
At last
she sleeps alone !!!!!!!!!! LOLROF
- Teacher to Sardarji : Sardarji aap Darwaje par khade ho kar exam paper kyun likh rahe ho?
Sardarji : "bewkoof!! Entrance Test de raha hun!!"
- Sardarji1 :"Marte waqt aadmi ke munh mein kya dalna chahiye?"
Sardarji2 : "Birla Cement"
Sardarji1 : Kyun?
Sardarji2 : "Kyunki is Cement mein JAAN hai"?!?!?!
- Gabbar singh jab paida hue to unki maan ne unhe zor se thappad maara! Logon ne puchh kyun maara bechare bachche ko? Maan boli "Puchhta hai 'Kitne AADMI THE?!' "
- This one takes the cake.........
If you want the latest Mercedes Maybach on easy instalments please log on to our website -
I AM LISTENING TO :: Mora Saiyyan - FUZON
Achan Deep Singh
sweetachan@yahoo.com
http://www.achansblog.blogspot.com
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SMSes
These are some of the better SMSes i have been getting ever since the cell companies have gone crazy and charge only 1 paisa per SMS
- Consequences of of an American Lifestyle : The wife rushed in2 her house screaming 2 her hubby "darling come quickly, ur kids and my kids are beating up OUR kids" !!!
- Ek bhoot dusre se: Tujhe kisi se darr lagta hai?
dusra: nahin
1st : Kabhi tuney sardar dekha hai?
2nd : Sardar - vardar kuchh nahi hota, sab mann ka veham hai !!
- Mallika sherawat ko draupadi ka role dein to kaisa rahega..? Tab duryodhan kahega : "Pehle ise kapde to pehnao tabhi to vastra haran kar paaunga" :-)
- What will be written on Mallika Sherawat's Headstone when she dies?
At last
she sleeps alone !!!!!!!!!! LOLROF
- Teacher to Sardarji : Sardarji aap Darwaje par khade ho kar exam paper kyun likh rahe ho?
Sardarji : "bewkoof!! Entrance Test de raha hun!!"
- Sardarji1 :"Marte waqt aadmi ke munh mein kya dalna chahiye?"
Sardarji2 : "Birla Cement"
Sardarji1 : Kyun?
Sardarji2 : "Kyunki is Cement mein JAAN hai"?!?!?!
- Gabbar singh jab paida hue to unki maan ne unhe zor se thappad maara! Logon ne puchh kyun maara bechare bachche ko? Maan boli "Puchhta hai 'Kitne AADMI THE?!' "
- This one takes the cake.........
If you want the latest Mercedes Maybach on easy instalments please log on to our website -
www.KutteApniAukatPeAaja.Com
I AM LISTENING TO :: Mora Saiyyan - FUZON
- Consequences of of an American Lifestyle : The wife rushed in2 her house screaming 2 her hubby "darling come quickly, ur kids and my kids are beating up OUR kids" !!!
- Ek bhoot dusre se: Tujhe kisi se darr lagta hai?
dusra: nahin
1st : Kabhi tuney sardar dekha hai?
2nd : Sardar - vardar kuchh nahi hota, sab mann ka veham hai !!
- Mallika sherawat ko draupadi ka role dein to kaisa rahega..? Tab duryodhan kahega : "Pehle ise kapde to pehnao tabhi to vastra haran kar paaunga" :-)
- What will be written on Mallika Sherawat's Headstone when she dies?
At last
she sleeps alone !!!!!!!!!! LOLROF
- Teacher to Sardarji : Sardarji aap Darwaje par khade ho kar exam paper kyun likh rahe ho?
Sardarji : "bewkoof!! Entrance Test de raha hun!!"
- Sardarji1 :"Marte waqt aadmi ke munh mein kya dalna chahiye?"
Sardarji2 : "Birla Cement"
Sardarji1 : Kyun?
Sardarji2 : "Kyunki is Cement mein JAAN hai"?!?!?!
- Gabbar singh jab paida hue to unki maan ne unhe zor se thappad maara! Logon ne puchh kyun maara bechare bachche ko? Maan boli "Puchhta hai 'Kitne AADMI THE?!' "
- This one takes the cake.........
If you want the latest Mercedes Maybach on easy instalments please log on to our website -
www.KutteApniAukatPeAaja.Com
I AM LISTENING TO :: Mora Saiyyan - FUZON
March 3, 2005
Happy birthday Sonia
s
Hi Sonia! How's the weather up there mate. Sorry i cried in the morning when the birthday reminder rang. I stopped when i realised you wouldn't have liked to see those tears had u been with me. You know last year when i forgot to wish u, and was so ashamed to even talk. I SMSed you and u called me back and u said how angry u were at me. And i knew i wouldnt forget it the next year but still put reminders in my cell.
But you punished me real bad for that. You never gave me the chance to wish you again. You have always taught me so much and continue to do so. Even when u left me, u taught me something, albeit the hard way. There is never a 'later' to tell my loved one, to express, to let him/her know that how much she means to me. You left us all with a lifetime of memories. I am not angry with almighty for having taken back his gift so soon. But thank him for giving me those precious moments spent with you. Moments which will last a lifetime.....and beyond. I just so wish you were here today and i would give u the best Birthday gift i could have managed... a hug. But right now all i have on offer is a tear..... hope that will do.
I miss you Sonia.... happy birthday.
sonia
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