Memoirs of the Assiduous...

Blogging at 120 kmph

2010-09-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

Here I am, on my way home in an awesome LHB coach of the Shatabdi Express, being pestered by a bunch of bratty young kids on the seat ahead of me, wondering why God never thought of putting a mute button on humans when he created them! But hell, I’m going home, thats what matters!! After 3 gruelling months at WIMWI, these 3 days are going to provide some much-needed respite from the manic life there.

(1/6)^th an MBA, (1/3)^rd a PGP1 survivor.......been quite a ride so far. Slot 2 went surprisingly decently, although subjects like Marketing did take their toll. Group work was in full flow as we were preparing either a presentation or an assignment almost every night. Ultimately it came down to a point where we just decided to assign each person in the group an assignment or project and let them do it! An important learning from this slot though, especially after the exams, is the art of globing! For those unfamiliar with this highly essential concept for MBA grads, globing is the art of writing any arbitrary rubbish as an answer in the most elaborate way possible. This is especially applicable when you either have absolutely no clue of what the question demands but don’t want to show that to your evaluator, or have an idea of what to write but have too much space to fill! In fact, I just realized what I’m writing right now is pretty close to globing! Anyway, things have been pretty routine once T-nite got over........companies have been coming down to give talks in preparation for summer placements. At the end of each talk, we get free food (Pizza Hut if we’re lucky, samosa if we’re not!) and a souvenir (again a T-shirt if we’re lucky, nothing if we’re not!). A lotta fun times too though during this slot......the all-night Mafia/Dumb-charades at LKP, the dorm dinners, some of the fun exercises during IGP classes......great ways to relieve all the stress one goes through. Exams were quite a revelation of how sucky life can get at times. I just couldn’t stop thinking of how to compensate for subjects like Financial Markets whose papers I screwed up like never before. Oh well, I suppose it’s best to keep the golden words of Chulbul Pandey (from Dabangg) in mind: “There eej alwayj a first time, and there eej alwayj a next time”!!!

It’s gonna be quite a hefty challenge balancing acads, placement talks and placement preparations during the third slot......tuchchas are gonna go into overdrive with their “Muggo Fachchon Muggo” chants I suppose!! But, at the same time, I’m sure they’re going to be our mentors and guiding forces during the next two months in the lead-up to summer placements. They’ve already shown tremendous amount of support and encouragement, and have shared invaluable insights especially while we were making our CVs. That’s how amazing the culture out here is – you look out for each other, share in the happiness and lend more than just a helping hand in times of difficulty without any hesitation whatsoever.

Darn these kids are really getting on my nerves now......can’t think straight......I suppose I’ll have to save the rest for later......best thing to do now is put on my headphones and watch a movie! Anyways, until the next.....cheers..!

Charge of the EchchadharEEs!!

2010-08-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Holy cow...! 1 month? Has it been that long since my last blog post?? Wow, and that makes it two months since I set foot here in D15R21.......Slot 1 whizzed past, and now I'm praying slot 2 does too! Marketing, FM (not the Mirchi kind....rather Financial Markets) and PS (Probability n Stats) have already begun to eat into our heads. One major relief would be that, by the end of next weekend, we can say good riddance to WAC at least till the start of the next year!

Slot 1 exams were not as bad as I thought, though now the effects of relative grading remain to be seen. I was ecstatic about my PS paper for exactly 43 minutes after it got over, after which I was duly made to realize that I had screwed up. Trust me, you screw exams and quizzes over again and again here, so when you're this close to having finally cracked one, only to find out you've screwed up yet again......makes you feel sick to your stomach! All in all, it was quite evident that slot 1 was just the first look teaser.........leading up to slot 2 which would be the trailer, and slot 3 the feature film! The worst is yet to come......and the tuchchas are smacking their lips in delight with each passing day...!!

The last 1 week was all about one thing and one thing only - T-NITE!! The baap of all inter-section competitions, T-Nite gives one fachcha section bragging rights over the others for the rest of the year. Spread over a period of 4 nights, the competition brings out the best in the fachchas creatively, from dances to musical performances to poster-making and even a daily newsletter where each section rips the others apart! This year, it was the turn of Aatank, Bawaal, Cobras, Dang-e-baaz, EchchadharEEs and....well whatever PGPX called themselves.... to set the stage on fire from 5th to 8th August! 4 nights - Pub Run, Mess Nite, RJM Nite 1, RJM Nite 2 - of amazing fun and sheer awesomeness! Every night, we had to put up something new.....new themes, new costumes, new ideas, new events.....coming up with them sure was a mighty challenge, but we were all up to the task!

We EchchadharEEs had begun to make our presence felt in WIMWI way before talk about T-Nite had even begun. Our tempo shouts a few weeks before T-Nite made everyone on campus - tuchchas, fachchas, and even some bewildered campus staff - sit up and take notice. Enthu was on an unprecedented high, and despite not having any past history or proper section tuchchas, nothing was gonna stop us. A few tuchchas ultimately volunteered to mentor us, and their presence and encouragement only seemed to spur us on! Finally, as T-nite arrived, section E was decked up and ready to fight. As it turned out, history was created on those 4 nights, as event after event, the EchchadharEEs blew everyone away and were by far the most consistent section. Our dancers enthralled the audiences, our fashion show (FashP) was without a shadow of a doubt the highlight of T-Nite on the whole, some of us including me rocked the stage with our music performances, the newsletter and creatives team was on over-drive ensuring the EchchadharEEs looked good.......section E was on a roll.

Going into the final RJM Nite, we were well and truly on top, and the T-Nite trophy was within sniffing distance. Time for the grand finale - and what a way to end too!! The dances, the class act, the random and CR acts, the group songs......we well and truly ended with a bang, to rapturous applause and shouts of "Awesome!" from the crowd. Our adopted section tuchchas were mighty proud, and we were even more! The hard work and efforts had definitely paid off, and the announcement of the winners was turning out to be a mere formality.

The formality was completed 2 days later, as it was made official that Section E had created history. A T-Nite win on debut, and the EchchadharEEs had immersed themselves in WIMWI folklore for generations to come. Batch after batch after batch here at WIMWI will soon hear of the awesome EchchadharEEs of the batch of 2012 who stormed to a T-Nite victory in the year of their inception.

More than the win, T-Nite was memorable for one thing - the way our section bonded together. We all now know each other like never before, and each night has just brought all 86 of us closer together. The amount of fun we had.....trashing our classrooms, taking pics, practicing, performing, shouting, screaming.....it really was quite incredible. And even though I was down with viral fever throughout the T-Nite period, the enthu my class showed made me forget about my fever everytime I stepped into the classroom and was in their company.

Oh well......fun's over now for quite some time now I suppose.....back to the grind.....back to marketing strategies, sampling and hypothesis testing, NPVs, and what not......hope to update this space soon again......anyway, until the next....cheers..!

P.S: Saw "The Expendables" last night......let me sum it up by describing one scene: A wall of fire separates our heroes from a chopper which they need to destroy on the other side, so what do they do? This dude picks up this huge, heavy rocket, launches it into the air towards the chopper.....and our man Stallone fires some bullets at it......said rocket explodes, bye-bye chopper!! If you want more of this, watch the film... :P

KhuJLi..!

2010-07-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah that's right....that's my dorm name. We had the solemn dorm-naming ceremony yesterday night, after the initial hoax naming where I was given the name "LoLita". Somehow LoLita created a bit of a spark which I liked, but KhuJLi would catch up too I'm sure. However, I must clarify that the name has nothing to do with the literal meaning of the word or its direct implications! The ceremony was a lot of fun though, thanks to the dorm tuchchas, especially our dorm maa! Quite a few interesting names were given to the other fachchas...."Zigolo, Chhin-Chan, PoomPu, 3Some" etc. Some of the names are surely gonna be a rage out here.

It's been a pretty chill ride so far, although I'm sure this is the last day of that journey. We've only had 1 quiz so far in almost 15 days of classes, so I expect the coming week to be loaded with quizzes, probably beginning with FARA tomorrow, so gotta get to mugging soon! Club and committee interviews are also in full flow, and will carry on through the week I suppose. I sure hope I get into one at least, given the intense competition among 400 odd fachchas! The prestige associated with getting into these clubs is enormous, and can do wonders for one's skills and self-confidence, apart from of course adding to one's CV.

Procrastination levels reach new heights on weekends, at least for now. It does tend to get a tad worrying at times, and we sometimes wonder whether we're relaxing a bit too much, but then that age-old Indian "chhod yaar, chalta hai" attitude manages to come to the fore. That being said, from this weekend, quizzes are always going to be at the back of our minds so there's motivation enough to get some serious work done at least through the latter half of Sundays.

Saw "Knight and Day" yesterday.....decided it wasn't worth writing a review about! It's been a while since I saw such a stupid movie, even though it was decently entertaining in the first half. Cameron Diaz is old, Tom Cruise is way too old! I think its about time they started considering parental roles..! Anyway, the most-awaited movie finally arrives next week - Inception! If the movie is even half as good as its trailer, then we're in for a real treat. Christopher Nolan (of Dark Knight fame) in that sense rarely disappoints, and I'm sure he won't this time either.

Well, I suppose that's about it for now.....will try to update this space as regularly as "WIMWI-ly" possible! Until the next....cheers...

A memorable and eye-opening week...

2010-06-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

The events of the last one week, particularly over the last 3 days, have truly been incredible and have served as an invaluable eye-opener. I struggle to remember when was the last time I learnt so many useful lessons in life in such a short span of time. It's been a period where I have had the privilege of witnessing first hand why IIM-A is what it is....the no. 1 management institute in the country, the land of Gods, the most awesome campus to live and learn in, and being in the presence of the most helpful and loving bunch of "tuchchas" anywhere, anytime. In obedience of the sanctity of this institute and my duties as a WIMWIan, I won't reveal any of the events that transpired on campus over the last few days.....but all I'll say is that, I'm in awe of this place and it's inhabitants! Professionalism takes on a whole new meaning out here.

Classes began on Friday, and so we were introduced to the case method of studying. One thing's for sure...this method ensures you don't laze around. Preparation is everything out here.....u don't come to a class prepared -> u would have no idea what's being discussed -> u can't take part in the discussion -> you're screwed. Each case contains a situation that requires a person or an organisation to make a decision. Invariably, the prof. begins the session simply by saying "What should xxx do?"; there's no summarising the case or dwelling upon the facts, so if you haven't read it, you're nowhere. That also leads up to the dreaded concept of "cold-calls", where if you aren't prepared for a case, and a prof. points to you and asks for your opinion.....well...u get the idea! There's only one thing to note: tolerance for any kind of academic indiscipline is non-negotiable and ZERO (in fact I would say it strays into negative territory!).

This weekend would be our first WAC submission....a phenomenon unique and made notoriously famous by IIM-A! It's going to be quite an experience staying up all Friday night and preparing the WAC report. Although I would try my best to avoid that situation during the week, I'm fairly certain I would eventually succumb to the customary rituals of WIMWI...everyone does! Let's see how it goes. Anyway, that's it for now....rest later....cheers..

A short, sweet and warm welcome...

2010-06-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

It seems here at WIMWI, even though you're strapped for time, days especially in the first year just zip past. For me, classes haven't even started, but today sure has flown past before I even knew it. I finally got a chance to play TT.....had to trudge all the way to the new campus to get access to a TT table.......in that way, the guys in the new campus have access to all the fun....TT tables, pool tables, foosball.....whether they get time for all that or not is another issue! But 40 minutes of TT really took its toll on me, and I realized that if I were to stay up long enough and clock enough time on cases, sports unfortunately need to take a major backseat. Hopefully, the first lesson I learn out here in WIMWI is time management!

A nice nap in the afternoon (boy I sure will miss those!) was followed by the official welcome address by our Director and introduction of all the programme Chairpersons. Some familiar faces and names came up, and it was good to see some of the profs have a witty side to them.....hope to see more of the same in the classroom. Later in the night was an introduction to the Student Activities Committee or SAC. They gave us the requisite gyan on life at IIMA, most of which we already knew anyway thanks to our highly active Google group. An entertaining Q&A session ended the round of ceremonies for the day.

Orientation begins tomorrow.....quite a packed day it is too. Until the next, cheers...

WIMWI - First impressions....

2010-06-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

A tingling feeling ran through my body as I entered the gates of the "Well-known Institute of Management in Western India" (WIMWI) a.k.a IIM, Ahmedabad a.k.a my home for the next 2 years. I couldn't believe it......the day had finally arrived, here I am! The sheer grandeur emanating from the red brick walls that constitute the marvellous architecture in the campus reminded me of the enormity of what I'm about to venture into. As I stepped out of the cab, the Harvard steps loomed in front of me......something that until now I had only seen pictures of. Greenery everywhere......but even at 8.45 a.m, one thing kept coming up in my mind.....damn it's hot! And why is the air so still.....can't there even be a breeze of like 0.01 m/s??! Is that too much to ask for??

Dorm 15, Room 21. That's where I've checked into. First time in a hostel, yet suddenly I didn't feel alien.....in fact I felt quite at home. The room is in many ways similar to my room at home (except for one notable omission....an AC!). One thing's for sure.....IIM Ahmedabad definitely has it's own unique ways of reminding you why it's right up there at the top.....be it the magnificent Louis Kahn Plaza, the Harvard Steps, the subway connecting the two campuses lined with pictures and clippings, the characteristic WIMWI dorm architecture with the two huge round holes in the middle (looks like a mega-size speaker case with the actual speakers removed!) etc.

Some pics:

That's my dorm....dorm 15

The famed Harvard Steps

LKP...magnificent!

Am yet to venture into the mess, so can't comment on d food yet. Revisited Pakwan with my parents....food there is as delicious as ever! Some shopping done....a look around the campus....yeah that was pretty much my day today. Registration tomorrow. Shall post more later. Cheers...

Let the games begin...

2010-06-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Once in 4 years, comes an event that captivates......an event that spawns hysteria through the globe.........an event that adults and children alike sit up and watch with their hearts in their mouths.......an event that unites generations, cultures, traditions and peoples.....an event that gives boyfriends/husbands the sole and undisputed authority over access to the remote control.......and 4 years on since Fabio Cannavaro lifted the Jules Rimet trophy aloft in joy and ecstasy at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here!!

The favourites tag this time around is firmly rooted on the men from Spain, with the Argentines, Brazilians, Germans and English following behind. The reigning champs, the Italians, seem to have few backers, with many citing an aging squad as the reason for not backing them. They may want to look back at the 2006 World Cup, where a supposedly "aging" French team beat Brazil during a remarkable run to the finals. They may also want to note that both England and Brazil, two of the favourites to lift the trophy this time, have average ages higher than that of the Italians (28.7 and 28.6 respectively, compared to 28.2). Discount the Italians once again at your own peril!

I will be religiously supporting Spain. With a midfield boasting the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Alonso, Busquets, Pedro etc. and an attack led by Villa and Torres, how can one not enjoy and be mesmerised by the style and panache in their game! If my predictions come true, it'll be semis line-up of France vs Netherlands and Argentina vs Spain, with the Dutch and the Spanish clashing in the mega-final. Viva la Español!!!

Another 7 days to go before I leave for WIMWI, and it's slowly beginning to dawn on me that I am going to experience something completely new - a new environment where the stakes are higher than ever before. I'm just hoping that I'm at least psychologically prepared to handle it. A combination of excitement and nervousness is flowing through my body right now, as I begin preparations to leave the place I've called "home" for the last 10 years. One thing for sure.....it'll be great fun to watch the World Cup with a huge bunch of football fans (provided I get the time to watch matches)!!! :P

Anyway, I suppose my next post will be from within the red brick walls of WIMWI....so cheers!

P.S: For those confused by the term "WIMWI", it stands for "Well-known Institute of Management in Western India".....a.k.a Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad!

Raajneeti - Politics and more....

2010-06-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Rating - 3.5/5

With a star-studded cast including the likes of Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai etc. and a fine story-teller in Prakash Jha, Raajneeti was undoubtedly one of the most awaited movies of the year. As the title suggests, the film is about politics, and the sacrifices and immorality that supposedly go with it. Through his tale of treachery and deceit within a family that has been in power in the unnamed state for years together, Jha portrays the ugly face of Indian politics and leaves you with one simple message: Politics is a dirty game, and reality bites!

The movie revolves around 3 brothers - Virendra (Bajpai), Prithvi (Rampal) and Samar (Ranbir) whose father, after suffering a heart attack, hands over his post of President of the Rashtravadi Party to his brother. Confused?? Well, one spends the first 15 minutes of the movie simply trying to catch up with who exactly each character is, as they are all hastily introduced in the narrative. While Virendra and Prithvi are well-established in the political scene, Samar, who's about to complete his Ph.D in "(something) (something) (something) in Victorian poetry", returns from the U.S and soon gets embroiled in his murky family affairs. As the movie progresses, the inferences to the Mahabharata and the Hollywood masterpiece The Godfather become evident. Virendra plays the quintessential Duryodhana and believes he is the rightful heir to his father's throne in the Party. Assisted by Dalit leader Sooraj Kumar (Devgn), he manages to grab control of the Party, and we now have two rival factions - one headed by Virendra, and one by Prithvi. Virendra grossly under-estimates the shrewd and cunning Samar, who leaves his life and the girl he loves in the U.S behind and stands by his brother Prithvi. Somehow, he goes from a Literature student-about-to-turn-teacher to a scheming, sly aide to Prithvi. What follows is a political bloodbath on the election trail, as each faction tries to outdo the other to grab the highest seat of power in the State. Mayhem ensues, as the battle becomes personal and vengeance takes centre-stage. Relationships are compromised in the greater interest of politics, money and power. Eventually, as the dust settles after 3 hours, one wonders - was there a "hero" at all in this movie?

The movie works - through its story and its performances. Though, I must admit I was very disappointed with Ranbir Kapoor. The more I saw him in this movie, the more I was reminded of Abhishek Bachchan in Sarkar - expressionless, emotionless and monotonous. For example, even as the people dearest to him are dying, he looks confused rather than distraught. His character is pretty obviously built based on a combination of Arjuna from Mahabharata and Michael Coreleone from The Godfather. While I'm sure many people will go on to rave about his acting, I feel this was the dullest and most disappointing performance of his career so far. By far, the stand-out actor in this movie has to be Arjun Rampal. After Rock On, big things were expected of him, and he finally delivers a stellar performance again. He plays the role of the young, hot-headed politician with ease. Manoj Bajpai has the "more-negative" role in this movie, and he does complete justice to his selection for the role. Nana Patekar plays the Krishna-like Brij Gopal, who pulls the strings in the background and allows the brothers to bathe in the limelight of the political scene. The veteran rarely disappoints in such movies, and he does not here either. Katrina Kaif clearly shows that she has worked on her Hindi tremendously. As Indu, the daughter of a rich industrialist who is later forced to join politics ala a certain Mrs. G, Katrina shows that she ain't just hot - she's one of the better actresses in our film industry today as well, displaying all the requisite emotions with grace. Rest of the cast performs extremely well too. Songs are thankfully interspersed in the background in certain scenes, or else the already lengthy movie would've been unbearably long!

Now, coming to what I did not like about the movie - the message it conveys. Raajneeti clearly shows Indian politics to be a corrupt, murky, dirty and treacherous affair with people involved in betrayal, backstabbing and would go as far as murder to grab power. While this may be the ugly truth to an extent, I do not feel it needs to be shown so blatantly. Today, Indian politics is in a period of transition, with young leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Omar Abdullah, Sachin Pilot etc. stepping up to galvanize the Indian youth and try and get them to join politics and attempt to clean up the system. In such a scenario, a movie like Raajneeti will only serve to discourage people from joining political parties. Prakash Jha could easily have put a more positive spin on this movie by focussing more on Indu's eventual rise as a leader, or Sooraj's role as a Dalit leader, instead of the family feud and all the bloodshed. All in all, Raajneeti is indeed a powerful movie with a compelling story, but unlike the Rang De Basantis and the Taare Zameen Pars we have encountered in the past, you do not leave the cinema hall with a message you would wanna take home and be inspired by.

A year-long nightmare at Anfield - a case study

2010-05-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: In the interest of preserving the decency and sanctity of this blog, following guidelines may be observed for this post:
1. The well-known 4-letter expletive beginning with the letter "f" will hereby be replaced by the word "duck".
2. Any 4-letter word referring to garbage or human excreta will hereby be replaced by the word "clap".

Objectives of case:
1. To analyse Liverpool Football Club's ducked up 2009-10 season and the underlying causes for them ducking it up.
2. To perform a SWOT assessment of the club for the 2010-11 season.
3. To outline a true LFC fan's expectations for the club leading up to the start of the new season.

Introduction
Liverpool F.C is a professional football club based in the city of Liverpool, England. Founded in 1892, it is widely known to be the most awesome football club with the most awesome fans in the world (the Kop). It has produced some of the best players to have ever graced a football pitch on this planet, right from the likes of Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush to Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler. The club plays its home matches at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool. Amongst it's laurels are 18 first division league titles, 7 FA cup titles and 8 European titles. Liverpool F.C is also widely remembered for producing the most awesome football match in history, when they came from 3-0 behind to beat AC Milan of Italy in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final on penalties.

The 2009-10 disaster
The 2009-10 season has turned out to be a massive blot in LFC's illustrious history. Having finished 2nd in the Premier League the previous season, big things were expected of the club in the lead-up to the new season. But a combination of poor management and players playing like clap has led to LFC completely ducking things up. A brief summary of the significant events over the year for the club is listed below:

1. Pre-season shocker: Troubles began even before the league began, as Liverpool notched up just 2 wins out of 8 in pre-season. The writing seemed to be on the wall when the gaffer, Rafa Benitez, described that piece-of-clap midfielder Lucas Leiva as the best performer in pre-season. One wonders whether he was referring to his on-field performances or off-field :P
2. Aquilani for Alonso: Arguably Liverpool's best player in the 2008-09 season, Xabi Alonso, was sold off to Los Galacticos a.k.a Real Madrid a.k.a Clappiest club ever, and who do we get in his place? Walking wounded Alberto Aquilani for 20 million quid, who, according to Rafa, was not really an Alonso-type player. Well then why the duck do u need that injured prick, u nincompoop??
2. Duck-all start: When you lose two of the first three games of your season, you know you're ducked. However, some pride was restored after we thrashed Hull 6-1 and beat the Mancunians (thats Manchester United, an obscure club in North-West England) 2-0 at home like always.
3. Champions League Chumps: 2 wins out of 6, that too laboured wins over some Hungarian newcomers, saw the Reds unceremoniously exit from Europe's elite club competition.
4. Reading writes our FA Cup fate: On paper, one match should've been enough to see off lower division side Reading, but noooooo.....Liverpool's season is supposed to be ducked up isn't it? So the Reds lose the tie over two legs in extra-time and crash out of the FA cup. Oh, and sometime before this, they managed to get knocked out of the Carling Cup as well.
5. Club up for sale: Ah, finally those two stupid Yanks who own the club, Tom Hicks and George Gillet, do the sensible thing and put the club up for sale. The duo who left the club in 350 million pounds worth of debt brought nothing but catastrophe to the club ever since they took over. The only real piece of good news all season.
6. Europa League saving grace?: After being dumped out of the Champions League, Liverpool entered the Europa League, Europe's second tier competition. All hopes of a trophy rested on this competition, and for a while the Reds seemed to show some of that European magic, overturning first leg deficits to convincingly get past Lille and Benfica. Alas, as I earlier said, Liverpool's season is supposed to be ducked up isn't it? So they again lose in extra-time on away goals to Athletico Madrid in the semi-finals, and that's the end of that for the Reds.

Reasons for ducking up

1. Lack of quality: Apart from Gerrard, Torres, Reina and Carragher, Liverpool had completely duck-all players. There was no depth in the squad, and with Gerrard having the worst season of his life and Torres injured half the time, Liverpool had to rely on the likes of Ngog and Kuyt to produce the goals. Yeah, right!
2. Questionable management: There were too many occasions where decisions and tactics employed by Rafa Benitez were questionable to say the least. Whether it was the team formation with Lucas and Mascherano together in midfield, buying an injured Aquilani (how he passed the medical is beyond me) and then refusing to give him opportunities to play when fit, substituting Torres at critical junctures leaving even the skipper visibly flummoxed.......list goes on and on.....and sadly it's now high time that Rafa is replaced.
3. Stupid Yanks: Owner bad Americans.....no give money......no buy players.....no new stadium.....no success....

SWOT assessment

Strengths: Liverpool's key players, including the likes of Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Carragher, Benayoun etc. It is imperative that we keep hold of such players, even though most of them had pretty clappy seasons. Torres needs to go through a whole season without too many fitness worries. Also, the fans......the Kop's the club's biggest strength....YNWA!

Weaknesses: Bunch of duck-all players led by the likes of Lucas, Babel, Insua and Ngog. Seriously, I can't stop talking about how full of clap they are! No creativity in midfield, no worthy strike partner for Torres (Gerrard's better off in midfield), manager trusting the wrong players and making the wrong decisions. All the clap needs to be offloaded and new faces brought in. The youth academy needs to be looked into, as it's been a while since any major players have come through (Insua's clap, so not counted).

Opportunities: With the club being put up for sale, there is a chance for freshening up at the Boardroom level. An owner willing to invest massively in the club is the need of the hour, 'cos with a club like Liverpool, intelligent investing with a long term ambition will definitely yield good returns. Also, a new manager with a different style and perspective of the game is required, and his vision should be backed up with sufficient funding and resources.

Threats: Keeping the best players in the squad will be a tough task, now that the team has not qualified for the Champions League. Also, whether a large enough investment to overhaul the rest of the squad will be available is debatable. It's clear that money is available with the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City, and it's now upto the new owners, whoever they may be, to help Liverpool keep up the pace.

Expectations for 2010-11: An LFC fan's perspective

1. An owner with a vision and financial resources to back that vision. Look at Liverpool as a FOOTBALL CLUB and not a ducking business investment.
2. An astute manager who can create a tactically sound unit and get the best out of his players. I'd love to see someone like Martin O'Neill at the club.
3. Take out the trash, bring in some quality. Priorities: (a) a good left-back (b) cover at right-back for Glen Johnson (c) creative midfielder, I always felt Liverpool missed out on Wesley Sneijder last year when he was available, they need someone like him (d) decent wingers....crossing into the box has been atrocious this season, we need people like Milner, Ashley Young or David Silva (e) Strike partner for Torres.....Darren Bent is a name that comes to mind, scoring 20+ goals for teams like Charlton and Sunderland is no joke, and he has consistently proved himself in the Premier League.
4. Re-opening of plans and resumption of work on the new stadium at Stanley Park.....vital for increased revenue generation over the long term.
5. Consistency in performances.....positive and clinical football....leading to trophies.....we need silverware to restore confidence!

Conclusion
In summary, new owners -> money -> new manager -> quality players -> consistency -> success. Period.

The Return of Tony Stark

2010-05-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Not too many movies have been worth writing about this year. I last wrote about My Name is Khan primarily due to the controversy surrounding SRK and Mumbai, and the irony of the situation vis-a-vis the theme of the film. It really has been a disappointing year thus far for movie-lovers, but that drought has finally been broken - and we warmly welcome back Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark a.k.a the IRON MAN.

The sequel to the 2008 blockbuster was highly anticipated and built-up to be the adrenaline-filled entertainer of the year. Whether it truly does live up to that billing is debatable, but there is no doubt about one fact - the movie rockkkkkkss! High-octane action, memorable lines, mind-blowing visual effects, a chick named Scarlet......the movie has it all, and is a worthy sequel to the first member of the proposed trilogy. Tony Stark is back - and as cocky and arrogant as ever. The mega-billionaire refuses to share his technology with the US military, claiming it would be at least 5 years before anyone comes even close to replicating what he has created. While Tony basks in his own glory, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), a physicist and son of Anton Vanko, a former Soviet scientist, successfully recreates the arc-reactor that powers Tony's Iron Man suit. He is out for revenge on the Stark family after Tony's father Howard was indirectly responsible for his father being banished to Siberia. He proceeds to attack Tony in Monaco, but is captured. He is later broken out, and strikes a deal with Tony's rival, Justin Hammer. Hammer enlists Ivan's help to replicate the Iron Man, but Ivan secretly uses Hammer's resources to carry out his own hidden agenda. All this leads to a fantastic showdown between Ivan and Tony in the climax, with some exhilarating sequences powering the adrenaline rush inside you.

Robert Downey Jr. yet again steals the show, rendering a performance with flair and panache, just as you'd expect him to. He brings out the cocky and egoistic nature of Tony Stark's character effortlessly, yet providing subtle human touches in between when needed. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant and later CEO of Stark Industries, is elegant as ever. Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman provides the visual treat for the guys (and maybe some girls too? ;)), and you just cannot take your eyes off her when she's on screen! The sequence where she battles a bunch of agents in the corridoor reminds one of certain sequences from The Matrix. I was surprised by how little Mickey Rourke had to do in the film, and expected his role to be much longer. Though he emaculately portrayed the negative role as required, he hardly had any lines to say, and a man with the kind of talent he possesses (anyone who has watched The Wrestler would vouch for that) definitely deserved a lot more. The rest of the cast did justice to their parts, and contributed to one helluva movie.

The movie has its fair share of memorable lines too - I doubt anyone would ever forget Tony Stark pompously declaring "I have successfully privatized world peace!" for a long time! The movie may seem a bit more mindless, at least compared to the first part, but then hey, it's science fiction.....and when you have RDJ and Scarlett J on screen, who gives a fck?? Just sit back and enjoy....! 4/5 for me.....you'll definitely get your money's worth!

From one tweet to mayhem..

2010-04-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

On 12th April, 2010, among the millions and millions of "tweets" being sent all around the world, there was one particular tweet from a certain Lalit Modi that caught the eye. He, for his own reasons, decided to reveal the names of the stakeholders lof the Kochi IPL franchise on a public domain for the world to see. All it took was that one tweet from Modi to open up Pandora's box and gradually unearth what could turn out to be one of the biggest and ugliest scams this country has seen. The black hole now known popularly as "IPL-gate" soon started sucking in filmstars, politicians, businessmen, sportspersons, administrators....it spared none. Sharks in the media too were out for blood and a piece of the action, and, as I type this, one victim has already been claimed - Shashi Tharoor, former minister and one of the finest orators our country has seen.

Make no mistake about it, no one here is right, and no one is wrong. It's just a question of determining the lesser of two evils. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi thought he had produced a master-stroke by tweeting the names of the Kochi franchise stakeholders to resolve a potential conflict of interest, but little would he have known that it would backfire on him so badly. He is now on the verge of being ousted from the IPL governing council, and thrown out of the very enterprise he was responsible for conceptualising and conceiving. Yes, one may say that the idea isn't exactly original - similarities may be drawn with football leagues around the world and the (now bankrupt) Indian Cricket League (ICL), but one cannot argue that no brand has been built up and established in as short a span of time as IPL. The amount of money involved in the IPL is astounding, and at times even scary. When one is talking about thousands of crores of rupees exchanging hands, disparities and discrepancies are inevitable as one can easily tend to get carried away. And with Lalit being at the centre of all these dealings, it wouldn't be surprising to see him taking advantage of a number of such situations. There's always a line, and it's now upto the government and Income-Tax officials to see if that line has been crossed.

Coming to Shashi Tharoor, I must admit I was deeply disheartened to hear the kind of excuses he was offering, when it was blatantly clear what he was trying to do. I used to admire the man, and was always in awe of him whenever I heard him give a speech. Claiming that he was merely a "mentor" to the Kochi consortium is nothing short of farcical, given that his "partner" Sunanda Pushkar was given such a substantial stake as free equity. Who is this Sunanda Pushkar anyway? Well, apparently she's involved in multiple businesses. Apart from running a spa in Dubai, she holds an executive's post with an infrastructure company owned by the Emirate government. She has previously worked at an IT firm in Toronto and a travel agency in Dubai. The big question is: Is it mere co-incidence that she also happens to be involved in a relationship with Shashi Tharoor? There seems to be no real reason why she of all people was gifted that sweat equity if Mr. Tharoor had nothing to do with it. The bottom line is that Tharoor has abused his power as a minister to get a personal favour done; it doesn't matter whether he directly profits from it or not. As such, he was really left with no choice but to resign from his post.

The number of public figures being dragged into this just seems to increase day by day, with the likes of Praful Patel and Sharad Pawar also being added to the list. The ways in which power is being abused is extremely disturbing - the latest revelation being that of a commercial Air India flight from Delhi to Mumbai making an unscheduled stop in Jaipur to pick up the Mumbai Indians team. I mean, seriously, who do these people think they are to play around with the common man? It just gets murkier and murkier with each passing day, and the IPL's functioning and brand value may have sustained irreparable damage over the past few weeks.

Lesson to be learnt from all this: watch what you tweet, 'cos it may just come back to bite you in the a** someday!!

Life....wassup...blah..

2010-04-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

So much has been on my mind in the last few days, what with the IIM-Calcutta selection and everything, that I've been trying to think too fast.....and it's been scaring me to be quite honest. So I just decided to block it all out and distract myself for the time-being.....I've got 2 months to deal with it all and I'll take it one step at a time. I had the perfect distraction too: five seasons of 24!! What a show, edge of the seat stuff literally!! I watched the 3rd season in 1.5 days flat I think! Now in the middle of the 5th....! It's one of the few shows I've seen that actually makes me feel involved and in the middle of it all. It's not a series where I really admire any particular character or in awe of anyone, like Michael Scofield in Prison Break or Barney Stintson in HIMYM. Not even Jack Bauer....honestly, I'm not a big fan of his character, even though he ends up as the hero at the end of each day. He makes questionable choices and relies too much on instinct, which is sometimes surreal and hard to believe. What clicks for 24 is its fast-paced, high adrenaline action that grips you to the core, with each episode ending on an extreme cliffhanger. And I'm looking forward to much much more in the days to come..!

I'm missing the guyz at office tremendously.....those 20 months I spent there were the best of my life, and its taken a while to adjust to this new self-enforced break before my MBA. Thankfully, I bought my new HP Pavilion dv6-2159 laptop immediately, and its kept me busy :) The timing of my departure and the co-incidental shifting of offices for Su, Mark n Jidda seem to have brought a massive change to batch 3, as we move further and further apart.......I just hope those of you in Mumbai will keep meeting up and keep batch 3 alive....just 'cos you're in different offices doesn't mean y'all should never meet, so keep doing that.

Priorities have changed since the IIMC result.....unfortunately, I need to get back into study mode and prepare to compete with the best in the country in a couple of months time! It's a whole new ball-game now...and the prospect of having to mix it up with the creme de la creme seems both intimidating, yet exciting. I'm still waiting for my IIM-A result, and should I get that, its probably going to be the biggest decision of my life: A or C? I'm inclining towards A at the moment - about 52-48. Still need to speak to a few more people before I decide though....

Lots been happening in India and the rest of the world as well.....ash clouds (might as well be the name of a cloud computing firm started by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) in Europe, Twittergate between Tharoor and Modi, IPL, Greek crisis, Sania-Shoaib saga etc etc etc. One piece of news I read today brought a huge smile to my face: fiiiinalllly, to the relief of thousands of fans across the world, Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet Jr. have decided to sell the club and leave. And good riddance at that! Those two fools have taken the club into turmoil, resulting in our soon-to-be poorest finish in at least 5 years in the Premier League and loss of a Champions League spot. Their mismanagement and decisions have cost the club dearly, and they have dumped over $400 million of debt on the club. Although there have been quite a few tactical mistakes made by Rafa Benitez this season, I am definitely not of the opinion that he is to blame for the club's debacle this season; his hands were quite clearly tied. Lack of funds led to lack of quality on the pitch, and that coupled with Gerrard having his worst season ever and Torres out most of the time through injury has seen the club go from one disappointment to the other. Hopefully, the new owner(s) will bring in more room for optimism through greater support for the manager and funds to buy creative and quality players, especially in midfield.

That's it for now....back to 24! :)

Six days of madness - part 6

2010-04-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Day 6: April 1, 2010
Call: IIM Lucknow

Ok, now, I was in no mood for this GDPI....quite simply because of what lay ahead after I would be done with it - FREEDOM!! At least temporarily......this being the last of the GDPIs, and the previous day having been my last day at work, I would be free and relaxed at home with not too much to do for 2 months!! I was soo looking forward to that....so all I could think of was, get it over with quickly..!

Of course, it did help that it was scheduled in the morning, and I was second in line for the interview. But first, the pressing matter of an essay and a GD - both on the same topic: "In a socialist country like India, salaries of private executives should be capped.." (again don't really rem the exact words, but along those lines). Nice topic....wrote well.....GD was also very good....discussed how India isn't exactly socialist but a mixed economy after 1991....talked about competition in private sector, how it's boosting the Indian economy, and how salaries play an important role....capping isn't the solution, but more emphasis should be given on equitable distribution of wealth in an organisation......more tax incentives for donating to charity etc.........good stuff, but we soon ran out of points, and thankfully one person concluded in time just as we ran out!!

Interview time: two panelists P1, P2, both male, both faculty. P2 started glancing through my certificates while P1 began the questioning

P1: So tell me about yourself..
Me: For one last time..
P1: So what exactly does your work at Wipro entail?
Me: Told..
P1: You seem to be doing well in your job...why the switch to MBA?
Me: Blah..
P1: Hmm....Electronics and Telecom eh....how is this industry doing in India?
Me: Mentioned how telecom is the fastest growing sector in India....Bharti-Zain deal etc..
P1: What are your views on the deal?
Me: Told..
P1: Do you think Sunil Mittal has done the right thing by going through with this deal?
Me: Told how he wanted to build Bharti-Airtel as a global brand etc.
P1: But there are so many critics slamming the deal..
Me: Said how those critics were looking at short-term, Sunil Mittal had a long-term plan...
P1: (seemed satisfied) So why IIM-Lucknow, Arvind?
Me: Standard answer.....told about student culture, industry exposure, all-round development..
P1: But you find those in pretty much all the major B-schools isn't it?
Me: Told every B-school is different....e.g IIMC places high emphasis on academics....IIML is more inclusive development...blah blah....somehow he seemed satisfied with it!

He then looked at P2, to ask whether he had any questions...
P2: I don't see your marksheets among these certificates, Arvind....do you have them?
Me: Oh yes, sir (handed them over)
P2: (goes through it) So tell me about some of your achievements..
Me: mentioned leadership stuff, my USP..
P2: Do you have any achievements at State or National level?
Me: mentioned all-India 3rd rank in National Cyber Olympiad....also mentioned International Theatre Festival....
P2: (nodded, looks at P1, who nods as well) Ok, Arvind, I think that's about it....thank you..
Me: Thank you, Sirs..!

And.....done!!! FREEDOM!!! RELIEF!!! It's all over..! The same kind of relief I felt after I completed my engineering swept through me! Oh, the joy!! And it ended on a good note as well....that was by far the best interview among the four IIMs. Anyway, I didn't care, 'cos I had survived.......six days of madness, and I came through it unscathed! Time to finish some formalities in office, then go home and sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!

Six days of madness - part 5

2010-04-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Day 5: March 30, 2010
Call: SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai

I had to drag myself out of bed at 6.30 a.m to get ready for my SP Jain interview, after an exhausting day earlier. This was going to be an interesting one, since there was no GD, no essay - but two rounds of group interviews (two if you clear round 1 i.e). And, traditionally, no technical questions asked, so I fancied my chances here slightly. As I reached the institute campus, I was instantly disappointed - it was hardly even a campus, just one building, not very impressive. The campus is actually shared with the likes of Bhavan's college and SP CoE. Anyway, after registering inside, we were asked to complete a psychometric test - a bunch of statements about ourselves that we had to strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree with. This was to play a part in the second round of interviews, if we made it there i.e! We were then called for our first round of interview.

There were 7 members in our group for the first round, and 4 panelists (two faculty, a head of Marketing at Kingfisher Airlines, and an executive from Tata group). This was a very general interview round. It started off with each one of us giving the standard "tell-me-about-yourself" answer, followed by one unique strength or characteristic about us. I mentioned my leadership/organisational experiences and how I could become an effective leader. We were then given a situation where we were to get sponsors for the Force India Formula1 team, and were asked how we would go about selling the team and the sport to the sponsors. We mentioned various USPs including the idea of India on the world stage, the "Green" concept, using promotional events to increase the popularity of the sport etc. Quite decent, overall. And that was it for the first round.

Four members from our group, including me, were selected for the second round. The groups were then shuffled and different panels allocated for the second round. This time, there were 6 members in my group, and 2 panelists, both faculty. We once again introduced ourselves in the oh-so-familiar way. We were then asked one dream that we possessed, apart from our MBA and our career after that. People gave varied answers, from wanting to play for Manchester United, to doing something novel in education, lots of stuff. I said I wanted to buy Liverpool Football Club sometime in the future :). One of the panelists asked me about someone already wanting to buy it, and I nodded, speaking about Anil Ambani and his reported interest in the club. The next sequence of questions was based on our psychometric test. The panelists picked out one statement from our psychometric forms and grilled each one of us on it. Here's how mine went:

Panelists P1, P2 and Me
P2: So, "I always worry about my shortcomings" - you strongly disagree. Would you like to elaborate?
Me: Obliged....told how I instead work on them to improve them so they wouldn't be shortcomings anymore...etc..
P2: Tell me one thing....why do you work on your shortcomings when you could instead work on your strengths?
Me: Blah..
P1: Ok let's consider this situation....there are two children, one weak in Maths and Science and good at Arts.....the other good at Maths and Science but weak at Arts.....what would you advise them to do, work on their strength or their weakness?
Me: Said I'd ask the children what they wanted to do and what really interested them....if the child who's weak in Arts has an interest in it, I'd advise him to work hard at it rather than telling him you can't be an artist 'cos you're weak at it...etc etc
P2: But isn't a lot of talent in our country being wasted because they're doing things they're naturally not skilled in?
Me: Some more blah...
P1: But we'd see a lot more success if people were encouraged to focus on what they're good at, isnt it?
Me: (idea!) Sir, have you read Andre Agassi's autobiography?
P1: No...why?
Me: If you read even the first page of his book, sir, you'll notice he says "I hate tennis....have always hated it and will continue to hate it".....he talks about how he was forced into tennis by his father, made to attend a rigorous, hellish tennis camp just because he seemed to possess a natural penchant for it......he never wanted to play tennis, and was never happy with it......he may seem a huge tennis star and highly successful to us, but if you ask him, he would never say he is successful, quite simply because it wasnt something he wanted to do......(i don't remember what else I said exactly, but continued along this line.......simply put, I had never ever given a more convincing answer in my life...and don't think I ever will!!! Once I was done, both panelists were speechless....dumbstruck......they had no answer......they set out to take my case, but ended up having their own cases taken! The expressions on their faces gave me immense pleasure, and that one moment completely made up for all the horrors I endured in the interviews before this one!!)

They rounded off by asking how I had worked at my shortcomings and how I had improved them......I gave an example of how I wasn't really good at marketing and didn't do a very good job of getting sponsors for our college festival in my initial years (blabbered, but convincingly enough!) and then how I improved on it. We were each then asked to compare ourselves with an animal.....I said cheetah, 'cos I'm a quick learner and adapt quickly to situations (again, blabbered!) And that was it.......for the first time, I walked out of an interview room with a smile on my face! This was quite good.....and I knew one thing.....I had either clinched it, or guaranteed myself a rejection.....depends on how sporting the panelists were!!

Six days of madness - part 4

2010-04-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

Day 4 : March 29, 2010
Call: IIM-Ahmedabad

6.00 am....Ahmedabad Railway Station...I step off the Gujarat Mail, and say to myself, "Into the hands of fate!". The moment that I had both eagerly anticipated and dreaded at the same time was finally here. After having a quick bite at a local restaurant which was fortunately open, given the time, I took a rick to the IIMA campus. I realized how early I was when I found the campus completely deserted. It was a good one hour before another candidate sauntered in. And then, on cue, they all started streaming in. It was good to see a few familiar faces from the IIMC GDPIs as well. Soon, bang on time at 8.45 am, we were led into our respective rooms for the essay and PI (no GD here). Again, a pretty thought-provoking topic for the essay: "Are Gandhian principles relevant in society today?" I was able to ramble on and fill the required space within the allotted 10 minutes, and was relieved - stage one done, now for the big stage two. Second in line for the interview this time around.....and before I knew it, I was called in....

Panelists: P1 (male), P2 (female)

P1: So tell us about yourself, Arvind..
Me: Here we go again...
P1: (smug expression) Ah, an electronics engineer... (looks at P2 and smiles, I was like "what on earth was that??")
P2: Can you tell me about the latest TRAI guidelines?
Me: (whaaa??!) Ma'm, do u mean regarding the 3G spectrum auction?
P2: Yes, what are the criteria set for the auction?
Me: (Oh flip, God help me....time to think on my feet) Told whatever sounded logical....turnover, infrastructure etc..
P2: What else? What do they require in infrastructure?
Me: (and the torture begins..) blabbered about cell sites, coverage, equipment....
P2: So what exactly are the requirements?
Me: Sorry, not aware of the exact requirements...
P2: Any other criteria?
Me: Not that I'm aware of...
P1: What do you know about 4G?
Me: Told whatever I knew..
P1: So 4G seems to be better right?
Me: Yes, sir
P1: Then why all this haggling over 3G...why don't we go in for 4G directly?
Me: More blabbering about upgradation capability, bandwidth requirements and any shit that came in my head..!
P1: Do you know any countries that have implemented 4G?
Me: had read something about it being implemented in some Scandinavian countries, Japan...mentioned that...
P1: Ok....( went through my essay).....so why do u think Gandhian principles are still followed?
Me: Told....stumbled a bit in between but caught myself...
P1: What about all these Maoists and all?
Me: Said how they are using the wrong means to state their point....how they won't succeed...etc..
P1: Do you think Narendra Modi follows Gandhian values?
Me: (was about to say hell no! but then realized this is Ahmedabad!!!) Stated both sides of the issue....took diplomatic approach...

Then came the humdinger....P2 gave me a probability question to solve.....whaat?? Firstly I hate probability....and that's what I get in probably the most important interview of my life! Took couple of minutes to think about it....then she asked me to solve it on the blackboard that was there in the room....I somehow put forward a solution....don't know whether it was right or wrong, their expressions didn't convey anything either.....but that was all. I was stunned as I left the room......what on earth was that?! Where did probability come from?!!! Nowhere in my application had I mentioned anything about probability.....and its not like I got bad marks in any probability-related subject either! But then, IIM-A is IIM-A, expect the unexpected, I suppose! And that was as unexpected as it got....! Anyway, I was relieved it was over at least!

I glanced at the time in my watch: 9.30 am...wow that was fast! And I got a flight back to Mumbai at 6.15 pm......lots of time to kill, question is how?! I wasn't really interested in seeing the city....so after hanging around and chatting with other candidates for some time, I ventured out with another friend, whose interview was before mine, and who was staying in a hotel with his family. After freshening up a bit in his room, I decided to spend my time in a cyber-cafe somewhere preparing for SP Jain the next day. Spent a couple of hours there....then headed to a restaurant nearby for what turned out to be the best, yummiest meal I had had outside home for aaaaages!! A typical Gujarati thali.....with kadhi, all those Gujarati dishes whose names I can't remember....and best of all, aamras!! Oh man, the aamras!! I had like 5 cups I think! And they just keep coming and re-filling your plates.....they keep coming! As much as you want......I finish off one cup of aamras....immediately that guy comes and asks me "Sir, ras?"....and I hold out my cup with glee! After a really heavy, sumptuous, full-on paisa vasool lunch, I did some more net-surfing, before heading to the airport and taking a flight back home. A weird interview, but the lunch made my day!!! :)

Six days of madness - part 3

2010-04-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

Day 3 : 27th March, 2010
Call: Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon

It was an early Saturday morning trip back to Dadar yet again for me, and all I could think of was, let's just finish this off asap and get home. With the IIM-A interview edging closer, it was beginning to occupy my mind more and more. Thankfully, this time, I was first in line for the interview! Some people would rather not have their interview first up, but in my case, it was exactly what I wanted. Of course, before the interview, there was the not-so-small matter of a GD to complete. The person who was supposed to be 2nd hadn't turned up, so the seat next to me was empty. I felt a bit isolated 'cos of that, and wanted to make sure I began the GD in order to blend in easily. The topic was a good one: " Our roads and cities are crowded and polluted enough, we don't need small cars like the Nano". And fortunately, I did indeed begin the GD and put in some good points. Another healthy discussion, I was glad at least all my GDs were panning out well.

Interview time, and I thought since I was first up I should be done pretty quickly, but they made me wait almost 20 minutes before calling me in! Talk about frustration!! Anyway, here goes...

Panelists: P1 (female faculty), P2 (male faculty)

P2: So tell me about yourself, Arvind.
Me: Same ol' stuff...
P2: Wipro, eh? Wipro always seems to be in the news for the wrong reasons....fraud, the World Bank situation.....why are you working for such a company?
Me: (umm...duh...! It's not like I had a choice, they acquired our previous company!!!!) Blabbered some stuff about Wipro's growth, values.....
P2: Do you think Wipro is an ethical company?
Me: Told....mentioned a recent example from work where the management displayed ethics..
P2: What about the World Bank situation with Wipro...what can u tell me about that?
Me: (Damn, what exactly was it, was quite a long time back!) Fumbled through it..
P2: But what exactly happened?
Me: Fumbled again....made the mistake of mentioning the term "insider trading" in between..
P2: Insider trading? What's that?
Me: Gave a very vague description....
P2: Arvind, do you know you're not quite being precise with your answers?
Me: (%$$@!!@#$....!!) Sorry, sir, will surely improve from here on in...
P2: Ok tell me about this whole global economic downturn....where did it begin? And be precise, this time..
Me: (smiled, ah this I knew) Told about real estate situation in US...sub-prime...banks collapsing...blah blah..
P2: All right.....tell me, Arvind, have you heard of Robin Hood?
Me: Yes, sir
P2: Was he real?
Me: He is believed to be, sir, as there are many references and memorials in Nottingham in his memory....but there is no hard evidence.....
P2: Ok, what did he do?
Me: told about robbing from rich, giving to poor..
P2: Do you think what he did was right?
Me: Said no, explained..
P2: But he was helping the poor and doing a good deed right?
Me: Told about how poor should earn their money, not just have it handed to them....rich also have earned their money....etc etc..
P2: Ok, now suppose you were to justify what Robin Hood did....what would you say? Give me the counter-view...
Me: Told..

P2 then finally says something, describes a situation where I had to assume I had a chance to win a huge deal with a client for Wipro, but it involved a pay-off to the client....ethics stuff basically...I said I wouldn't go for it....against my principles, company's values etc etc.....they tried to grill me on it but I stood firm...

P1: Ok, Arvind, so what newspapers do you read?
Me: Told TOI, Economic Times...
P1: What do you read in TOI?
Me: mentioned main headlines...city news, editorial, sports etc..
P1: All right, describe the editorial page for me
Me: Described....some cross-questioning on that as well...

And that was it....! Didn't start off too well, but a pretty strong ending.....felt quite good about it....anyway, the big daddy next up, IIM-Ahmedabad!!

Six days of madness - part 2

2010-04-05T00:11:00.000-07:00

Day 2: March 26, 2010
Call: IIM-Kozhikode

3 days after a horrific start to my GDPI marathon, I returned to the scene of the disaster - this time to face the gang from down south, Kozhikode. As I mentioned in my previous post, I knew things could only get better - so I was kinda upbeat. This time, an essay was added into the mix, and with quite a humdinger of a topic too - "Fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, but wise people are always full of doubts." That's IIM for you.....weird, yet thought-provoking! Filled up 1.5 pages somehow....wrote about the way people are perceived in society, how people are only branded fools 'cos they go against norms established in society etc etc......was sufficiently happy with my effort. On to the GD....topic: a long paragraph, basically about conservation of water, how it is misused, farmers suffering etc. Nice topic to discuss......the first thing that came to my mind was the pipeline bursts in Mumbai the previous day. I brought that point up, and a few others.....I must admit that my group was excellent and very knowledgeable....came up with some amazing facts.....one person even brought up the point that just a few days earlier, the world celebrated "World Water Day".....wow, never knew that! All in all, a healthy discussion, well-structured with some very good points.....panel seemed to be satisfied.

Interview time....I was 6th in line, so a long wait...not helped by the fact that the panel was spending almost half an hour with every candidate!

Panelists P1 (very young guy, probably a recent alumnus), P2 (long beard, looked like a sadhu! Later came to know that he was in fact very religious), P3 (faculty most probably)

P3: So, Arvind, tell me about yourself very briefly
Me: Gave standard well-rehearsed answer......mentioned how initially I was in Citi and later our company was acquired by Wipro...
P3: Ok, so the company is the same, only the parent organization is different, right?
Me: That's right, sir
P3: All right, so tell me what are the differences you've found between Citi and Wipro
Me: In any specific aspects, sir?
P3: Everything....ok, I'll mention them one by one.....lets start with work environment..
Me: Blah...
P3: Policies, salary structure...
Me: Blah..
P3: HR
Me: Blah..
P3: Management
Me: Blah..
P3: Training, career scope...
Me: Blah..
P3: If you were to continue working for Wipro for another 5 years, would you continue in your current project or shift?
Me: had already written about this in the Personal Data form, repeated the same...
P3: What's the turnover of your organization?
Me: Told..
P3: Profit?
Me: Told..
Then focus shifted to P1..
P1: What's the GDP of our country?
Me: about $1.2 trillion..
P1: If our currency depreciates....i.e suppose right now from around 45 rs. to the $, it goes to say 49.....will our GDP change?
Me: told about how it depends on balance of trade....exports will bring in more money, but imports will be costlier....blah blah...
P1: No, tell me straight....will the GDP change or not?
Me: Not really sure, sir.
P1: Ok....tell me what's the area of Mumbai? (This guy was just shooting questions like a robot...no transition from one question to the other or anything!)
Me: I can tell you the area of Navi Mumbai, sir, that's where I'm from (wry smile on my face)
P1: (Smiled as well) But they're right next to each other right? You must be coming to Mumbai pretty often I'm sure.....come on, give me an estimated figure.
Me: (thought for a few secs) About 800 sq. km, Sir (later came to know its closer to 600)
P1: How did you arrive at that number?
Me: Told how I took the Western and Eastern Express Highways as reference.....assumed a rectangle for simplicity of calculations.....explained calculations..
P1: (seemed satisfied) Ok, tell me how to design an analog circuit using K-maps.
Me: (knew he asked this to some people before me as well, no one knew, and I had no idea either nor could I quickly find out from anywhere) Sorry, sir, I don't really remember K-maps.
P1: Ok....what is reverse breakdown voltage?
Me: (ah, thank God, an acad question whose answer i knew!) Told..
P1: Applications?
Me: Told..
Now onto P2, who was a mere spectator all this while..
P2: So, Arvind, tell me something about your parents.
Me: Told..
P2: Tell me something about Cuddalore (my father's native place, had mentioned that)
Me: Gave some gyan....mentioned about tsunami, mainly a fishing community
P2: So how many families were affected there by the tsunami?
Me: About 1200...(later came to know that was way too low, it was more like 30000!!)
All three looked at each other.....decided that was all, thanked me, I thanked them and left.

As I walked out the interview room, and began telling the other applicants about my interview, it struck me like a thunderbolt....I could imagine the huge tubelight lighting up above me...."Analog circuit using K-map?? Holy crap, K-maps are used for digital circuits, not analog circuits!!!!" Felt like banging my head against a brick wall....that one answer could've clinched it for me, given that no one else knew the answer! Oh well, I just walked out shaking my head in disbelief at how Murphy's law always seems to play a crucial role in my life..!

Six days of madness - part 1

2010-04-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Day 1 : 23 March, 2010
Call: IIM-Calcutta

This was it. All the weeks of preparation.....scouring the net for any little piece of information I could get my hands on that may help me with my interviews....asking people for any engineering notes they may have lying around....payoff time had arrived. As I stepped out of the cab in front of the Institute of Hotel Management in Dadar, and looked at all the other candidates streaming into the campus in their suits and what not, the enormity of the situation began to engulf me. I walked into the waiting area.....candidates engrossed in reading The Economic Times, others discussing the latest repo rate hikes......wow.....I began to wonder, what am I even doing here?! How did all this happen?!! I soon found myself in a conversation with some of my fellow aspirants......a couple of 100 %ilers, 99.98, 99.95.....intimidating, what? They'd already gotten into GD mode and were discussing the way calls had been meted out randomly by the IIMs...

Onto the actual GD then.....topic: "It's more important to make an impact than to be true to oneself". Typical topic for an MBA aspirant.....on came the monologues about ethics, values, business norms....even Mahatma Gandhi and the Gita found their way in there somewhere. I chipped in with some decent points.....cited the example of the movie Rann....was satisfied with the overall GD and my contribution as well. Then came 20 of the most torturous minutes of my life: the PI.

3 panelists P1, P2, P3....and Me, the unfortunate victim...

P1: So, Arvind, what are you currently doing?
Me: Describe work....maybe got a bit too technical in the process..
P1: Arvind, do u honestly expect us to understand everything u just said??
Me: Sorry sir.....tried to simplify the description...
P2: So what are these logs? (Mentioned our job involves monitoring and review of Unix logs..)
Me: Explained
P1: Have you heard of PL-SQL?
Me: Yes, sir, but don't know much about it
P1: But u just mentioned you work involves databases (I did actually, mistake!)
Me: (Damn you, Ari..watch what u say!) Yes we do work on some databases but at a very superficial level....not proper DBMS as such...
P1: Ok, do you know anything about event-driven programming?
Me: (whaa?!) Sorry sir, not really into the programming side
P2: But would you like to get into programming if you were given the choice of shifting from your current proj?
Me: Depends on the job profile.....would see if it would fit my interests....blah blah...
P2: So then tell me what's the difference between a programmer's role and your role?
Me: Blabbered some gyan...mentioned creativity, higher expectations, deadlines etc.
P2: So you wouldn't mind a programmer's role then?
Me: If the profile is right for me, then no, I wouldn't mind.......but at this moment, that's not the path I wish to follow....I'd like to move towards a management role (pheww...thank God i got that in!)
P2: Hmm ok......so you mentioned something about core values during the GD.....what are your core values?
Me: Told somethin about integrity...
P2: Integrity....that's a powerful word.....care to elaborate?
Me: Gave an example from work which in my opinion demonstrated integrity on my part..
P2: That's not integrity....that's just being helpful to your colleagues...
Me: attempted to justify...
P2: What exactly according to you is integrity??
Me: Told about believing and abiding by a set of values...
P2: But you just said your value is integrity....
Me: (freak, now what) Fumbled....basically went around in circles...P3 points that out....thankfully they decide to move on...
P1: So what other calls have u got?
Me: Told...L,A,K
P1: Ok so between A and C, u'd choose?
Me: (tried diplomatic approach) well i'd love to be faced with that choice....both are extremely good.....i'd probably have to interact with a few more students and alumni before making a decision...
P1: No, you need to make a decision now....which are u going to choose?
Me: (ok, now try the honest, upfront approach) Sir, as it stands, honestly, I'd mostly choose IIMA.....
P1: Why?
Me: Said some stuff about peers, student culture etc.
P1: Well, from what I've heard, somehow the companies seem to give the better packages to IIMC students.....why do u think that happens?
Me: Sir, package is secondary....what's important is the overall learning experience...blah blah..
P1: No I'm just stating a fact.....I just want to know from your side why u think that happens....what are these companies looking for in students?
Me: Blah about domain knowledge, experience etc.
P1: Do they need only academic knowledge or overall skills as well?
Me: Knowledge specific to job profile is important but significant emphasis on all-round skills...
P1: So if these companies recruit the best students....and IIMC has the best packages and placement figures....isn't IIMC the best B-school?
Me: (oh man, trapped!) Again take the "placement is only one aspect....overall experience" route....and again thankfully they changed topic...
P1: Watched the match yesterday?
Me: Yes, sir
P1: So u didn't prepare for this interview then?
Me: I made sure I completed my preparation before the match
P2: Oh, good, you're completely prepared then?
Me: (Sheepishly) To the best of my abilities, sir
P3: How did you prepare anyway?
Me: Mentioned PG, previous experiences, went through my work details, acads etc.
P3: Great, so you're pretty much prepared for everything.....but what if I ask you something you haven't prepared?
Me: (smiled) I'll give it my best shot, Sir
P3: OK.....give this your best shot....what is India's foreign policy towards Uzbekistan?
Me: I'm sorry, sir, not really aware...
P3: Fine.....what about towards Pakistan?
Me: mentioned Indo-Pak relation fundas..
P3: No, no, you're just talking about the political aspect of it.....i want foreign policy...
Me: (wtf?!!) tried to connect the two....
P3: Foreign policy is something different.....do u know what exactly our foreign policy for Pakistan is?
Me: (no use beating around the bush again) Afraid not, sir...

That was it......they thanked me, I thanked them....I walked out in a daze. I was quite like a deer caught in the headlights there.....couldn't have asked for a worse start to the round of interviews. The panelists set a trap out, and I nicely obliged them by falling right into it. Lesson learnt: watch what you say!! IIMK coming up next....and I know things can only get better from here on in...

Before and After

2010-03-07T02:53:00.000-08:00

Before:

Date: 26-Feb-2010

Time: 9.30 p.m

Immediate future plans:

1. Look forward to an awesome SAG trip to Alibaug during the weekend.

2. Collect all documents for US tourist visa interview on March 8th and prepare for the same.

3. Enjoy my last month at work by relaxing and chilling out. For a change, NO STUDIES.

4. Complete joining formalities for SIBM, Pune and prepare for the pre-induction course from April 1, 2010

5. Last but not the least, prepare for my most awaited event of the year - my first overseas trip to California in April 2010!!

6. Join SIBM, Pune in June 2010 and finally pursue my MBA

After:

Date: March 7, 2010

Time: 4 p.m

Immediate future plans:

1. CAT 99.9 %ile, interview calls from IIMs, study for GDPI, study for GDPI, study for GDPI, study for GDPI .............. spend the whole damn month studying.

2. US trip in jeopardy, Visa interview tomorrow now taken a backseat, somehow finish it off and try to get the visa.

3. SIBM-P right at the bottom of the pecking order now.

It just took one click of a button to turn my whole life around. And as i stared at my CAT scorecard, I was momentarily frozen, paralysed in shock and disbelief. A normal, sane person would jump for joy when he/she sees "99.9 percentile" as their overall score in CAT and an interview call letter from IIM Ahmedabad to boot. But somehow, for those few minutes that followed, I was anything but sane. My immediate reaction was dismay and I cursed my luck - "F*****************ckkkkk, there goes my US trip!! Back to studies now!" The chance of a lifetime - a month long vacation in California - crumbled right before my eyes. Then, slowly, the realization dawned upon me - that I had been blessed with another chance, a different kind of opportunity, one that over 2 lakh people in this country craved for. A chance to pursue my MBA from my dream destination - IIM-Ahmedabad! A chance to be among the elite! Wow!! That makes this interview day probably the biggest day of my life. Talk about pressure!

Well, its back to studies now. Not quite in the conventional sense of the term, but I gotta prepare some topics from engineering, which pretty much amounts to studying. It's gonna be a jam-packed March 2010 ahead......so i'll catch ya guyz in April...rest later...wish me luck! :)

My Name is Khan....and I AM a Mumbaiikar!

2010-02-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

Strange, isn't it....the aim of MNIK was to show the world that the words "Muslim" and "terrorist" aren't synonymous, but the lead-up to the film has all been about SRK trying to prove that he is a true citizen of India and Mumbai, forget terrorism! Little had he known that one small yet slightly naive comment could jeopardize his movie so deeply. But luckily for him, his fans have not let him down, and the film has managed to connect with the audiences in spite of its oh-so-familiar theme.

One thing you will notice as you sit through the 2 hr 40 min journey known as "My Name is Khan", is that this isn't exactly the same Karan Johar brand of cinema that we are used to seeing - no extravagant settings and costumes, no pot-pourri of song and dance, no irritating over-acting by cast, no emotional attyachar (not that much anyway...climax is debatable). But Karan does tend to go overboard with his story-telling and screenplay, and that is definitely evident in the second half of MNIK. The whole Georgia angle with him wading through waist-deep water to reach "maama Jennie and funny-hair Joel" was really over the top in my opinion. And then when Joel shouts "Maama, look!!" and the camera pans behind him, I was hoping that there would be a huge tidal wave ala 2012 ala Day After Tomorrow coming at them, but alas, this is Karan Johar's movie, not Roland Emmerich's! In the climax, the movie should've ended once he gets stabbed - they could've done without the last 10-15 minutes. I was also disappointed at the length of Vinay Pathak's role.....he is too good an actor to have such an itsy-bitsy portion in the movie.

Having said all this, the movie isn't actually all that bad, and does well especially in the acting department. Shah Rukh does go back to his restrained style of acting we've seen in films like Chak De and Swades. He doesn't overdo the autism portion of his character, although he did leave me a little confused as to how people with Asperger's syndrome actually behave - I've seen only one other character on television with the same disorder, and that's Jerry Espenson on Boston Legal, and his behaviour is pretty different from Rizwan Khan! But I suppose even with the disorder, each has his/her own personality. Kajol is graceful and refreshing, and the chemistry between the two leads works well, as it was expected to. Tanay Chheda plays the role of young Rizwan superbly, and is yet another example of the acting talent that India's next generation possesses.The remainder of the supporting cast including Jimmy Shergill, Sonya Jehan, Parveen Dabas etc. play their parts more than satisfactorily. The musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy haven't had much to do in this movie, but the two songs and the background score blend in well with the theme of the movie and have the required effects on the audience.

Who knows....given the current situation in Mumbai, maybe SRK's next project will be about a paan-chewing, Hindi-speaking guy who travels from Ambernath to Bandra (Matoshree) on foot to tell Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray/Mr. Raj Thackeray: "My name is Yadav, and I AM a Mumbaiikar"!!! Until the next, cheers...

Preparing for change..

2010-02-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

That rare but truly desirable feeling.....relief....feels good, doesn't it? An emotion that grabs all yours troubles and anxieties and tears 'em to shreads. A feeling that brings with it hope for more goodness to follow. Something that clears all those cobwebs in your , brings a smile to your face and gives you sound sleep at night. Some would imagine that my first emotion upon receiving the news of my selection into SIBM would be sheer delight and ecstacy, but somehow only one emotion swept through me: relief! Relief 'cos of the fact that I can finally accomplish what I had set out to achieve 3 years ago: complete my MBA from a prestigious B-school. Relief 'cos of the fact that I can finally move on from a job that honestly was taking me nowhere but down the depths of mediocrity and monotony. And relief that I will finally get a chance to explore and realize my true potential and abilities.

18 odd months after embarking on a new phase of my life, it begins all over again. One chapter closed, another about to be written. It's time for me to prepare for yet another major change. The first step for me is arranging for funds to finance my MBA, and that has introduced me to the ominous world of "loans". All about the fine print, baby - that's what I've realized after checking out websites of pretty much every bank that exists in the country, calling half of them and visiting half of those I called! Things seem so rosy when you first come across them, until you've seen the bigger picture, when you realize how screwed you are! Whether its the requirement of collateral, interest rates, co-applicants age, loan amount....one by one I've had to cross almost every bank off! SBI does seem to have a favourable scheme for SIBM students, so I hope to get it done there. SIBM has put us in quite a spot though, giving us less than 15 days to cough up 3.25 lacs for the first installment - not that it can't be done, but it sure puts those less privileged souls in a pickle (thanking my lucky stars I'm not one of them!). I'm sure they have their reasons though, so I ain't complaining....

Hmm...also need to consider my specialization options carefully....finance would obviously be my first choice....second is what has put me in a quandry. (a) Operations management is something I find interesting at the outset, but not having a background in it is what bothers me a little 'cos I have no idea how good I'll be at it (b) HR is kind of a default choice for people if not finance, esp. at SIBM...so I wanna avoid going down that road (c) Marketing....well lotta people have figured me out to be a marketing guy in the future, except for one - me! Somehow I can't see myself in marketing....have no interest in it, so am ruling it out for now. It's gonna be a toss-up between Operations and HR, but I think I'll mostly go for the former.

Anyway...rest later....time for some Seinfeld (need to finish 7 seasons of Seinfeld and 5 seasons of 24 before April!!)....

The SIBM Pune experience

2010-01-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well, that's one GD/PI done and dusted. Things went along pretty much as I had expected them to, having read numerous posts and experiences on PG. All in the hands of the good Lord above now.....

Waking up to a chilly morning in Pune, I reached the old SIBM campus on SB marg at 7.30. Buses were arranged to take us to the Lavale campus, and we arrived there by 8.15. The campus is simply stunning, nested in the middle of a bunch of hills with spectacular views, amazing weather and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Guided ably by members of the Aspirant Relations team (who did a splendid job of organizing and co-ordinating the whole process!!), we were asked to go to one room where we first arranged all required docs (call letter, SNAP scorecard, original SNAP admit card, work-ex letter if applicable, degree certi/latest sem marksheet, 10th n 12th marksheets). We then proceeded for registration and taken to another room where we met our group co-ordinator Reuben (great guy, really helpful). The session started at 9.20 with a bunch of general instructions and a presentation. Each group was then asked to proceed for whatever they had first (GD/GT/PI). After some snacks, our group had GD first.

The GD panel consisted of two people, one of whom was Col. Brijkrishnan (sorry if I got his name wrong!), apparently one of the most popular and witty profs in the institute......and we could clearly see why. A really jolly and cheerful guy, he made us feel at ease straight away....although he did put Neha (the only girl in our group...in fact very few girls seemed to have been called...wassup wid that?!) on the spot, asking her if she had to choose between SIBM and SCMHRD, which would she choose (a tough ques to answer given that he was a part of faculty in both institutes!!). Our GD topic was a really good one: "Should military training be made compulsory for India's youth?" Lots of points to put forward....I was all ready to set the GD in motion and just started opening my mouth to speak, and Abhinav beat me to it by a fraction of a second!! From there on it was a mad race where each was trying to take the lead and put their point across, and I struggled in the beginning to get an opening to speak. I finally got some points across though. At the end, after about 12-15 min, we were each asked to answer a common question by the panel. Overall, it was a healthy discussion....was veering towards a fish market in between (why do they call it a fish market....aren't vegetable markets equally noisy?? :P) but we kept it in control....we concentrated on the aspect of instilling discipline, all our points were valid and we didn't digress to much from the topic (although someone brought up obesity in our country....what??) . The panel seemed to be satisfied as well.

Next up were the interviews.....and damn, I was last in line in my group! After an agonizing wait, I headed to the interview room, where I was pleasantly surprised to see Akshay, a senior of mine from college, as the student co-ordinator for the interviews! Chatted a bit about college while waiting for the previous candidate to finish his interview......really helped calm me down (thanks, buddy!). I was then called in for my turn. Panel consisted of one lady (L) and two men (M1 and M2), forgot to find out who they were......anyways, here's how it went:

M1: So Arvind, you're from Navi Mumbai?

Me: Yes, Sir (wide smile on my face)....born and brought up there....have seen it grow and develop from virtually nothing!

M1: Wonderful.....and u're working in Wipro?

Me: Yes, sir......told him about how it was first Citi Technology Services, then Wipro took over..etc..

M1: asked about job profile

Me: explained....tried to keep it simple..

M1: So why do you want to leave your job for this?

Me: talked about how my long-term goals were different....and while i'm currently doing well in my job, the direction it was taking me wasnt aligned with my goals..

L: So Arvind, tell me your views about positive energy.

Me: (?? probably got it from my annexure somewhere) talked in general about positive vibes, optimism...its influence on people around us.....blabbered in general....mentioned Obama in between...

M2: Do you think the entire Obama election was overhyped and a political gimmick?

Me: (Yes! They took the Obama cue....exactly what I needed...politics...right down my alley!!) explained my views on Obama....how him being African-American isn't as important as his dynamism and his qualities.....how he's just the kind of leader the US needs in these times...blah blah...

M1: Do you feel India has a leader like Obama?

Me: talked about Rahul Gandhi..

M1: But Rahul Gandhi seems to be just moving along with the Gandhi name, doesnt he?

Me: No, sir...i really believe he has the potential and qualities needed to be an inspirational leader....blah blah...

M2: Have you voted in elections previously?

Me: Yes, sir....voted in both the recent national and state elections..

M2: What do you think about the right to vote? Should it be made compulsory?

Me: Definitely sir....justified myself..

Panel tried to sway me, talked about unscrupulous elements in society, people who dont pay taxes...why should they vote.....but I held firm and talked with conviction......they seemed pleased and satisfied. That was about it. Went on for around 10 min I think. Nothing about MBA, SIBM etc.....was a very general and interesting interview....and politics is something I can keep talking about.....so I'd like to think it went off well...

Time: 12 pm. Only group task left.....I thought "wow, this'll be over much earlier than expected!"....how wrong I was......we got our GT call after an hour!! As soon as we entered the room for the GT, we realized the intentions of the panel and the co-ordinators: to scare the crap outta us!! They spoke rudely and forcefully, leaving us all looking at each other incredulously! We were first each asked to choose a shape among a circle, a Z, a triangle n a square, and draw it on the sheet provided to us. That was followed by a psychometric test, which consisted on statements about ourselves which we had to agree or disagree with. We then had our actual group task. We were divided into two sub-groups and given cardboard, newspapers, 4 straws, cellotape, scissors n a ruler, and were asked to make a structure that would be 15 inches high and would support a football on top. The cardboard should not be tampered with or damaged in any way. Ah....a familiar task from PG posts....we were given 3 min.....started pitching in ideas.....time was zipping past....decided to connect two straws together as pillars and form a conical kind of structure on top to support the football using the cardboard as base.....wasn't quite working out....time running out....wtf.....do something....time up!! Screwed. We had hardly gotten started!!! Saw the other group's structure......what the f!! They had just folded the cardboard into a cylindrical form and put the football on top! I thought we weren't allowed to do that!! One guy from the panel grilled them....asked about whose decision it was to make something like that....one guy said collective decision....panel member furious.....he was like "you've been coached to say that, havnt u? which classes did u join? Don't give me that nonsense! etc etc"....complete firing....then he moved to our group.....asked about what happened...we told we had come up with the idea but couldnt quite implement....told us about sub-dividing tasks instead of everyone focusing on one thing.....gave a bit of a lecture....and that was that! It was a stress-test primarily....I'm sure we weren't expected to complete the task, only our effort was seen.....but still, I'm hoping that the fact that we couldn't even get a skeleton of our structure in place doesn't play on our marks too much!!

We were then asked to fill feedback forms.....and we were done for the day! The whole thing was over by 1.45. Got a bus back to Pune at 2. Everything went off quite smoothly, all the student co-ordinators were fantastic.....special thanks to Reuben...dude, u rock! Thanks to all my group members as well....u guys were wonderful, had a lovely time....

A New year....a new beginning...

2010-01-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

It's taken me 6 long months to conjure up enough patience to sit and compose a new post on my blog. My brain seemed to be bereft of ideas, given that I had pretty much started to eat, sleep and drink either Log Review (thats my work) or Quantitative Ability, Data Interpretation and Verbal Ability!! But all that's behind me now......for the moment at least......got GMAT next month, so have to get around to preparing for that as well. It's good to be back updating my blog though.....something I had promised myself I would do once the new year begins.

Most people I've met recently have always ended up asking me one question first up.....how were your exams? So let me put forth my standard, now memorized, response for everyone reading this: CAT was good, but then the problem is that it was good for everyone, so can't really say...gonna be really tough and competitive this time.......SNAP was very good, expecting GDPI calls from both SIBMs. I think I'll have to take a printout of this and stick it on my head the next time someone asks me how CAT n SNAP were!! Work's goin' along fine....same ol', nothing new. The fresh batch of campus recruits joined this past week.......watching them reminded me of when we joined in July 2k8 and the amount of fun we had......some really good times, especially those first 3-4 months.

Movies...hmm.....well I'm finally going to catch Avatar in IMAX 3D tomorrow....can't wait! 3 Idiots was the last one I saw......I'm not gonna review it 'cos by now I'm sure everyone knows how good it is. Although, I would like to comment on the whole Vidhu Vinod-Aamir-Chetan Bhagat controversy. Frankly, I side with the 3 Idiots team on this issue, 'cos I really think Chetan Bhagat is being an ass by saying that "70% of the movie is based on his book". What a load of hogwash; has he himself seen the movie, and read his own book??!! Let me list just what all has been taken from his book in the movie:

1. The basic character sketch of the primary characters

2. The setting i.e an engineering college and its lifestyle, Sharman's poor family background, Kareena being the daughter of the Principal (in the book it was the HOD)

3. Three scenes: one where the three of them climb into Kareena's room at night, the one where they break into Boman's office to steal the question papers, and Sharman's attempted suicide.

Does that qualify anywhere close to 70%?? I don't think so. Also, none of the above aspects have been directly lifted from the book, only the ideas have been taken. Even the phrase "based on the book" is inaccurate; it is at best "inspired by the book". The storyline is completely different, and Chetan's claim that the story and it's twists and turns have been taken from his book is utter rubbish. Anyway, the producers had signed a contract with Chetan which entitled him to a certain amount of money and that a disclaimer mentioning his book be shown in the movie. Both aspects have been duly honoured by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, so what's your problem, Chetan? You want more credit? Hell, everyone has been talking about your book from the moment the movie was announced, how much more credit and publicity do you want?? None of the memorable moments from the movie, such as Chatur's speech and the twist just before the interval, were in the book. Chatur's character itself, which was probably the most entertaining of them all, was not in the book (ok yes that nerdy guy was there but there was just a fleeting mention of him, no real prominence given). I just feel that Chetan is trying to cash in on all the success that the movie is enjoying and generate some publicity for his most recent book. Consider the case of Slumdog Millionaire: did Vikas Swaroop cry foul when the makers of the movie didn't include him in the publicity even though the movie was based on his book "Q&A"?No! Again, the contract was honoured, the disclaimer was displayed mentioning his book, and everyone was happy. What makes Chetan Bhagat's case any different? Of course, Vidhu Vinod's outburst at the media was not justified, and he has since apologized for that, but they really could've done without all this crap.

Many of you who know me well must be wondering why I haven't mentioned Liverpool yet :) . Well, the rant will come soon, 'cos I sure have a lot to say about them and their sorry season so far. I'll need one whole post for that actually, so that's next! Until then, keep checking in guyz....

The Great Indian Debacle

2009-06-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Or is it?? I must ask -- who honestly thought India was going to bring back the T20 World Cup for a second year in a row?! Sure, we were optimistic, we had high hopes, and some of us even found the time to pray that they would do so. It only takes one look at India's T20 record since the 2007 triumph to realize India's true place in the world of T20. They lost 3 of the 5 T20 internationals they played between the two World Cups, including 2 consecutive losses to New Zealand during their recent tour to the Kiwiland. In both those matches, it was India's star-studded batting line-up that fell apart, bar a face-saving innings in each match from Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh respectively. Moving on to the IPL, how many Indian players really stood out and consistently performed throughout the tournament?? It was the foreign contingent that stole the show in South Africa, and our desi boys tumbled into oblivion, with the Delhi duo of Sehwag and Gambhir leading the way.

The fall-out from the WC will go on for weeks and weeks to come, until and unless the Indian team redeems itself during its tour of the West Indies next month. Two years ago, we were heaping praises galore on MS Dhoni for his calm and innovative style of captaincy that helped us bring home the inaugural T20 WC. Now, the very same man, on the very same stage, is being crucified mercilessly for some suspect decisions, which, had they turned out successful, would have been hailed as inspired. Instead, they didn't work -- it's that simple. Yes, he took a gamble by promoting Ravindra Jadeja. It was like giving Joginder Sharma that last over against Pakistan in the final two years ago -- the difference being that move worked, this move didnt. Such decisions need to be made, and when they don't work, the captain has to take responsibility. As such, although MSD must shoulder a significant portion of the blame for India's loss, I wouldn't really play him out as the villain in the whole episode.

Nasser Hussain put it rightly: The Indians are out of this World Cup because they have been technically found out - they cannot handle short-pitched deliveries. Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma looked completely out of sorts with the ball nipping around and over their shoulder. The team failed to follow the golden rule of T20 - NO DOT BALLS, rotate the strike! Ravindra Jadeja, that was for u, in case u didnt get it! And finally, and not the least, the 10 wides that Harbhajan gave away was what I think made the difference ultimately - they were completely needless, and moreover, atrociously careless by a bowler of the class and quality of Harbhajan Singh.

Well, MSD could've looked at his own advertisements for guidance:
1. He could've used his Aircel Pocket Internet for Facebook and listened to the FB users!!
2. Or else he should've gone for PSPO - Promote Singh, Produce Onslaught! :D

Anyway, in a way, I'm glad the Indian team lost out on the T20 World Cup this time.....I want them to save the magic for 2011, the big WC, in our own country. Hopefully they can carry the momentum they have generated in the ODI arena through and be a little consistent, because I believe this is probably the best chance we shall have of winning the ODI World Cup, even more than 2003. Save the hype and hoopla for 2011 folks!!

Until the next (post i.e, not year!)..

Wazzzup...!

2009-06-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post (again!) so I thought I'd just stop by on my blog to say "Wazzzup people!". Nothing much, u say?? Same here guys....same here...! This is precisely why blogging is such a difficult art.....it's so frustrating to try and come up with something to write about again and again and again......I truly admire folks who post something on their blog virtually every day, sometimes every hour almost! I guess its a testament to the kind of life they lead....a life on the fast lane, an endless adventure, days filled with moments to capture and share with the world. Sometimes it makes me sit back and wonder where my life is leading me, and whether I'm on the right track. The transition from a student to a working professional seems to have made me reach new levels of laziness at home -- I just cannot remember when was the last time I stuck to a resolution I made, whether it was to start preparing for GMAT and CAT (I make a new resolution on this pretty much everyday!), or to take a course to boost my skill set, or even hitting the gym! There always seemed to be something to look forward to which made me continuously postpone my plans -- the Mahabaleshwar trip, the Goa trip, the endless movies and serials I've watched over the months, weekends hanging out with friends etc. Now, with no more major outings in the foreseeable future, and with the serials I follow wrapping up their latest season, I think it's about time I seriously get down to business and start my preparations!! Movies could be a problem, with a host of films set to hit the silver screen now that the producers' strike is over, but I'll work my way around it hopefully.

It's BAU (Business As Usual) at work....although it is indeed sad to see so many good friends leave the company in pursuit of a brighter career - Anupam (will miss all the games of TT we've played over the months, and of course all the "shots" we've shared!), Nipun (always brought out the fun element in our group and has been part of the best memories of batch 3 in the last 10 months, really sad to see you go bro!) and Liana (one of the hottest chicks in our office whose amazing wit and spontaneity will be sorely missed). I wish them all the very best in their respective careers, and a prosperous and fun-filled life ahead.

Hearty congratulations to Kavita on her wedding, and a big thank-you for having us over to share the joy! It really was a fantastic day yesterday, getting together with the guys from college and making the trip down to Satara. A lot of great moments and memories from the trip - Sanjay's "30th ko delivery hai" remark still has us roaring with laughter!! Dude, don't even attempt to take anyone's case, it will definitely backfire on you!! Seeing everyone again was indeed wonderful, and I hope we can get together every now and then and plan an outing (not just plan one, actually go for one!!). On another note, it is so weird seeing people getting married at such a young age, before they've had any time to settle into their career! I mean, if the timing of Deepika's marriage last year wasn't enough, just yesterday I came to know that one of my juniors in college got married during her Preparatory Leave for her exams, even before she had passed out of engineering! I guess that tradition of early marriages is here to stay in society for a long time.

I guess that's it for now....btw I wanted to mention that appearances on Orkut henceforth would be extremely rare....I'm full-on into Facebook now!! FB rules hands down! I urge everyone who is yet to join FB, to do so asap, and enjoy! The applications and games on FB are really awesome and blow away anything Orkut has to offer. No wonder Google is on the backfoot in the social-networking domain, and has resorted to the soon-to-launch Google Wave to win back their customers. Anyway, until the next..

That's a wrap - 4 seasons of Prison Break

2009-05-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

It is indeed with a heavy heart that we bid adieu to Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell and the rest of the cast of the highly acclaimed TV series, Prison Break, as they wrap up the show with the end of season 4. The series has provided its fans with a truckload of thrills and entertainment, thanks to some intelligent and innovative screenplay, backed up by brilliant acting by the members of the cast. One used to wait with baited breath every week for the next new episode to air, providing a new twist in the tale, the unpredictability of the storyline captivating its viewers. As the curtains draw to a close on one of the finest TV series, I thought I'd revisit each of the 4 seasons in this post, and reminisce on some of the best moments in the series.

Season 1 begins with a bang as we get an insight into the mind of a sheer genius, Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller). To put it straight, Michael Scofield is God! You cannot help but idolize him and bow down to his intellectual superiority. The plot initially hinges around his attempt to break his brother, Lincoln Burrows (a constantly brooding Dominic Purcell), out of Fox River State Penitentiary. Lincoln has been framed and wrongly convicted for the murder of the brother of the US Vice President, and is set to face the electric chair. Michael is hellbent on getting his brother out of prison and clearing his name, and to achieve this, he gets himself into prison. He has expertly tattooed the blueprints of the entire prison building in cryptic figures on his body. From then on, we are treated to a roller-coaster ride as Michael is forced to include several other inmates in his escape plan, while at the same time looking to gain the trust of the prison warden. He also befriends the prison doctor, Sarah Tancredi, whom he later falls in love with. Among the inmates, Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell, played expertly by Robert Knepper, stands out. He is my favourite character in the serial after Michael Scofield. His character is that of a dark, deranged psychopath, who constantly manipulates those around him with his classy English and weird mannerisms. Some of the best dialogues in the series are delivered by him. He, along with Michael and the rest of the gang, escape from Fox River thanks to the clever plan hatched by Scofield. The season ends with the eight escapees running for their lives from the pursuing cops and agents.

Season 2 is all about Michael and Lincoln trying to achieve justice by blackmailing the Vice President, after getting their hands on some controversial and secret evidence pointing to the fact that the Vice President's brother is actually alive. The VP (and later President), Caroline Reynolds, though, outwits Michael and gets away, leaving Michael, Lincoln, Sarah (who aided their escape) and the other surviving escapees (3 of them are gunned down) to flee for their lives. They head to Panama, which was exactly where Michael intended to go as part of his plan. Ultimately, they are forced to confront the local police, and the season ends with Michael being put into "Sona" - a notorious prison in Panama. Lincoln and Sara are meanwhile exonerated, thanks to the testimony of a former Secret Service Agent, Paul Kellerman, who used to work for the Vice President. This season saw the introduction of a worthy competitor to Scofield, to balance the field so to suppose - Alexander Mahone. A brilliant FBI agent, Mahone is at many times a step ahead of Michael, giving him a run for his money. Finally, though, Michael gets one over his arch nemesis, but they both end up in Sona, when Mahone gets arrested for drug possession after being set up by Michael.

Roles reverse in season 3, as this time its Lincoln trying to get his brother out of prison. The prison is completely run by the inmates, with the guards keeping vigil only on the outside. Michael once again reverts to his gifted brain to find a way past the prison walls. This time, he is also forced to help break out a man named James Whistler. This is where we really begin to get a clearer perspective of the organisation known as "The Company". They want Whistler out of the prison, and blackmail Michael and Lincoln into making that happen, by kidnapping Lincoln's son LJ and Michael's love interest Sara. Sara is shown to be apparently killed by the Company's operative, Gretchen, mid-way through the season. At the end of the season, after he has broken out, Michael goes after Gretchen for revenge.

The final season of Prison Break begins with Michael finding out that Sara is actually alive. From then on, we are subject to a huge bunch of twists and turns, as the brothers try to take down "The Company". They go after a vital Company device known as Scylla, and the entire season is hinged around this one little device as it goes from one person's hands to the other. It ends up in the hands of Michael's mother, who is revealed to be alive and heading a rival faction. I won't reveal much more than this, as I'm sure not everyone has finished watching the series. The season ends in a predictable manner, with the good guys getting what they want. The last few scenes are touching, as we are taken 4 years forward to see what each of the main characters is upto, with little references to earlier seasons thrown in.

Prison Break has provided some of the best moments and dialogues among television serials in recent times. Season 2 was undoubtedly the best, closely matched by Season 1. Season 3 was a big disappointment, and season 4 dragged a bit, but it all worked out well enough in the end. Overall, the series was deeply engrossing; in fact, addictive! Whether it be T-Bag's little quirks (Captivity of Negativity!), Michael's uncanny ability to hatch a plan to resolve even the most dire of situations, the ending of episodes on a knife-edge leaving us flustered as we wait for a week for the next episode, etc., it all came together in a delicious cocktail of drama and excitement. We will sorely miss it, and hope Paul Scheuring and Co. come up with an exciting new series to look forward to.

Until the next...

Jai Ho indeed!!

2009-05-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

No, this is not about an Oscar-winning movie. Rather this was the song that was played and sung outside 10, Race Course Road, New Delhi, as Congress party members and supporters celebrated yet another glorious victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. It was a historic mandate for both the Congress, which emerged as the single largest party, as well as the UPA, which is set to form the next Indian government. It was a victory in the face of adversity on the national stage, as the NDA and the Third Front looked to take advantage of the twin issues of terrorism and the economic crisis to build credible campaigns. Alas, for them, the Indian voter entrusted his/her faith in the leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh and the mother-son Gandhi duo for the next 5 years.

Firstly, thank God the voting took place on a weekend, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss the drama unfold for anything! At 8 am I was propped up in front of the idiot box, switching between my favourite news channels, as the numbers started to trickle in. Uttar Pradesh set the early trend, with both the UPA and the NDA posting huge gains and presenting quite a few surprises and raised eyebrows. The SP managed to catch up, but it was Mayawati's BSP who ended up as the big losers in the battle. Kerala and West Bengal posted staggering figures, as the Left was completely wiped out in both states. No real surprises in the other states, although the Congress posted some really huge gains from the last election in states like Rajasthan, helping their numbers surge higher. Ultimately, it was the Congress-led UPA that stole the show, proving most of the exit poll projections right (which the news channels proudly stated). The NDA was left with the hopeless task of introspection and the review of a pretty disastrous display at the Lok Sabha polls for a second consecutive time.

Where did the NDA and the Third Front get it wrong, is the question on everyone's mind. Well, according to the general view of experts on major news channels, both alliances banked heavily on the anti-incumbency vote, which never turned up. Quite a fancy term that, ain't it - "anti-incumbency"? Basically they played to much on the flaws and follies of the existing government, rather than highlight their own achievements and vision with much more vigour. Calling Dr. Manmohan Singh a "weak PM" was never going to work, as the results emphatically show. To an extent, it could be true that the electorate was left with no alternative -- apart from the Congress and the BJP, all other parties concentrated on regional issues rather than pushing forward their national agenda. Regionalism seems to be the core issue that political parties need to address while forming alliances and fighting elections, and a change at the centre can now come about only if either of two scenarios occur - (a) If a third party emerges on the national stage as a strong contender, which is highly unlikely in the current political environment, or (b) If the Congress-led UPA government messes up really badly on key issues, in which case the NDA and the rest of the opposition will be at their throats. Either way, the average voter is left with little choice on the national front, forcing him/her to look at the smaller picture i.e which candidate/party would be beneficial for his/her constituency.

Anyway, at the moment, it's time for Manmohan, Rahul and Sonia to take centre-stage yet again. Will Rahul Gandhi be offered a post in the cabinet? And more importantly, if he is, would he be willing to accept it? If he does, this would definitely be viewed as his first step in the direction of the arguably the biggest job in India. All the best to him and the UPA, deliver us on our faith in you, and make the nation proud!!

Until the next...

P.S: On a side note, like the NDA, I, as a Liverpool fan, congratulate Manchester United and all their supporters, and humbly accept defeat in the race for the Premier League crown :(

Goa Ahoy!!

2009-05-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

GOA BABY!!! That was the mantra for the whole of last week, leading up to the big weekend down in Calangute. Thurday started way too early for me, as I walked into office at 5.45 am, a record which I challenge anyone in Batch 3 to break!! In 3 hours, I was done with work, and picked up my bags to leave just as my manager walked in! Quite a sight that, I must say….anyway, I drove back home, and then went on to exercise my franchise and vote for the first time in a Lok Sabha Election. It really does feel good to know that you have made a contribution to the progress of the nation, however insignificant it may be. I totally second Mr. L.K Advani’s opinion that voting should be made compulsory in the country. Anyway, chuck that, this is about Goa!! So here I was, all packed and ready, waiting at Vashi for our Volvo sleeper with the rest of our gang in it. Bus arrives….Suyash and Manan step out….Suyash straight away says (jokingly), “Dude, tu mara….none of the guys are gonna pay you for the bus ticket!!”. I wondered, whoa, was the bus so bad?? My question was answered as I stepped inside. Each berth had two people lying on them, all cramped up and struggling to even move a muscle! Poor Mark, the 6”2’ tall guy couldn’t even straighten his legs properly. You shouldn’t have drank so much Complan in your childhood, bro! ;)

We somehow survived the 12-hour ordeal in the bus, and reached Mapusa at 10 am Friday morning. After another 20-minute ride, we entered our resort in Calangute. A quick shower and breakfast, and we were all refreshed, ready to hit the magnificent beaches of North Goa. We hired an open-top Gypsy – seemingly the best way to travel around Goa, and first headed to Calangute beach, the nearest to our resort. Karey and I were nominated as drivers for the whole trip…..hard luck Su, but if u drank, u weren’t gonna drive! As we enter Calangute beach, we were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of overly enthusiastic men going, “Sir, watersports..”, “Sir, parasailing..best rate”, “Sir, water-scooter…aapko chalane milega”, etc etc…..they had already begun to get on our nerves, and we ultimately succeeded in evading them. The beach was beautiful, the sand fine and bathed in a silvery tinge. Hordes of families, couples and friends were milling around, sunbathing, enjoying the (not-so-cold actually) water, heading out for watersports. We decided to relax and grab a few drinks at a beachside shack after getting our feet wet. For lunch, we drove to Baga beach and dined at Britto’s, which was heaven for two things in particular – “sightseeing” and cheesecakes!! Also, Furhad began his Prawn-fest here…..man that guy becomes hungry too quickly!! Baga is pretty similar to Calangute, so we decided not to spend too much time there, and returned to our resort to rest for a while. In the evening, we set off to catch the sunset (or as Su puts it, “sun ka go-down”!) at Anjuna beach, but all we found there was a bunch of rocks!! So we went to Vagator instead, where Nipun desperately attempted to record the sounds of the sea waves, warding off our efforts to interrupt the recording time and again. In the end, he succeeded, but only by first running as far away from us as physically possible, and then recording!

We shot some pool for an hour, before having dinner in a food court in central Calangute. Furhad had some more prawns, and vowed never to have them again during the trip!! Yeah right!!!! We spent the rest of the night enjoying a few games of poker and Bluff in our resort room. As the clock went past midnight, none of us were sleepy at all, so we went out on a midnight drive around Calangute, passing through some of the hot and happening areas (read: clubbing zones) in town. Life really begins here only after midnight, as the parties stretch well into the wee hours of the next morning. We actually got stuck in a jam on a narrow road near one of the clubs for 45 minutes!! After that, we decided we’d had enough, and quietly returned to our resort!

It was a “fine” Saturday morning as we set off towards Colva beach in South Goa (WHY??!!). I’ll get to why it was such a “fine” day a little later on, but first, about Colva beach. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, with a few stoppages in between. The beach, known for its white sands, was surprisingly less crowded, considering it is one of the more well-known beaches in Goa and probably the only place worth visiting in South Goa. Watersports were shockingly expensive, with a difference of almost Rs. 1000 between Calangute and here. No wonder there were hardly any people around! Anyway, we once again trudged along to a shack for lunch and drinks. Furhad, needless to say, had some kind of Prawns. As he had requested us to do the previous day if he ate prawns again, we each gave him a whack on the head everytime he had a piece of prawn!! Another memorable aspect of that afternoon was a little black puppy nestling under our table, and Nipun playing around with it. The mutt ultimately got so annoyed, it snatched Suyash’s slipper and ran away! Hilarious stuff!! Su managed to recover his slipper eventually, but the entire episode had us in splits..!!

We returned back to our resort after a round of shopping, getting ready for what we thought would be quite an enjoyable 1-hour sundown cruise from Panaji. Very high expectations, as it turned out. Boy, that was one lame cruise and a sheer waste of 150 bucks!!! Make that 200; 50 extra for entering the disco, which, to our dismay, turned out to be completely empty!! Apart from a DJ having ambitious hopes of proving himself in front of a considerable crowd, I guess!!! And to add insult to injury, we passed by the Casino Royale and the Caravela in all their glory, two awesome cruises that were a tad out of our budget, but we desperately wanted to get onto earlier. Anyway, I’d like to consider that a forgotten chapter in this trip. Never will mention it again.

We returned in a dazed state to our resort, and sought to bury our woes by catching a bit of IPL action before dinner. We revisited Britto’s for a late dinner at almost midnight (ours was the last order they took). We played some more cards later that night, this time a game of DONKEY. This was the game where a little quirk by Manan had us roaring with laughter for almost 15 minutes continuously!! In a nutshell, the objective of this game is to make one complete set of 3 cards (all hearts, or all spades etc.), and then secretively put down your cards. When one person puts down his cards, others immediately need to follow suit, and the last person to do so loses and is labelled ‘D’. After D comes O, and so on, until someone reaches ‘D-O-N-K-E-Y’. Anyway, MS was continuously holding his cards low in an attempt to sell a dummy and get someone to put down their cards, for which we were constantly berating him. Finally, at one point, he held his cards so low, he dropped one of them, which he immediately picked up. Meanwhile, Mark had actually completed a set and put down his cards, and everyone followed suit. Manan, thinking he had sold a dummy, kept the cards in his hands and shouted “Maine nahi rakha! Maine nahi rakha!!”…..Loolllllzzzzzz…..ROTFLMAO!!!!

About the “fine” day bit, well, we were stopped by the cops 4 times that day!!! Once ‘cos Karey wasn’t wearing his seatbelt (it was impossible to wear it actually ‘cos it was stuck like glue to the side of the car!), and three other times ‘cos we had hired a private vehicle, which, though unofficially permitted in Goa, isn’t exactly legal. We had to talk our way out of trouble on all 4 occasions! Anyway, chuck that….not something I wanna comment on or something I’m particularly proud of. Sunday was watersports day. We went to Calangute for some parasailing and a ride on a water-scooter (I decided only to go parasailing….Nips, Furhad, Karey n Manan rode the scooter as well). Parasailing was an awesome experience, though kind of short. It really was like a joyride – completely relaxing and at peace high in the air! Lunch at another restaurant by the beach (Furhad’s last prawns meal for the trip!), and we returned to pack up and check out of our resort. We had a quick photo session, and set off for Mapusa to begin our bus journey back to Mumbai. The bus for the return leg was fabulous, a multi-axle Volvo B9R – the lap of luxury! It was sooooo comfortable, in stark contrast to the bus we came to Goa in! We reached Mumbai, early the next morning, thus concluding a really memorable and cherished trip!

Bitter-sweet symphony - the Final Year Industrial Visit

2009-04-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

It was exactly a year ago on this day that I departed on a 10-day trip that not only produced some of my most cherished experiences, but also moments that have taught me valuable lessons about life, people and reality. This was, of course, an Industrial Visit to Delhi and Dehradun during my Final Year of Engineering. As one of the main organizers of the trip, the 3 months leading up to the trip and the trip itself constitute the most turbulent period of my life thus far without a shadow of any doubt. Although it was a trip that all of us (us => EXTC Batch of 2008) thoroughly enjoyed, it is indeed unfortunate that this was a trip that I will always remember for the stressful times I faced in dealing with my college authorities, rather than for the amazing fun that we all had during the trip.

Acting as mediators between my classmates and the department/college management, my colleagues in the “organizing committee” (if one could call it that) and I were forced to make radical decisions due to circumstances that surrounded the trip. Whether it was the “unavailability” of faculty members to accompany us for the trip, the eventual postponement of the trip from March to April 2008, the endless exchange of mails and telephone calls with companies convincing them to allow us to visit their facilities, or the haggling over the individual monetary contribution for the trip, my colleagues and I were constantly on our toes, dodging road block after road block in order to make the trip possible and a success. The final straw, though, was dealt by our college management, with just a few days to go before we departed for Delhi. I would rather not divulge any details here, but the situation that they left us with nearly reduced me to tears. It may sound like an exaggeration, but I honestly felt I was betrayed by the higher powers in the college at that point! What they had asked us to do was unthinkable, and downright inconsiderate, yet we were left with no choice. Relaying this news to my classmates was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. Though they were outraged, and rightly so, they agreed to co-operate and go ahead with the trip. It was indeed a testimony to our resolute will and determination to make the trip a grand success, which eventually, I am glad to say, we did!

All right, now that I've finally got that off my chest, time for some of my favourite memories from the trip. The train journey was typical, with a large number of people waking up in the morning with toothpaste and what not on their face! People were distinctly baffled by my ability to sleep peacefully with the light on right in front of me shining in my face!! The highlight of the visit to our first company on Day 2 of the trip was not the presentation, or the tour of their facilities, but in fact all of us pouncing on the cold drinks and cookies in the cafeteria as soon as they were offered to us. We didn't really get an opportunity to have lunch, and so we savoured anything and everything we could get our hands on at the time!! Later that night, on the terrace of the place where we were staying, we went on to play probably the best and most hilarious game of musical chairs I have ever played in my life! Kudos to the likes of our HOD and Roshan for livening the game up!! That night was a seriously awesome night!

The next day saw a trip to Gurgaon, and then on to the Railway Museum, Connaught Place and a late evening stop at India Gate....took some really cool snaps there, with the India Gate lit up in all her glory. Day 4 was tourist day, as we went around catching the sights and sounds of New Delhi, including the magnificent Akshardham temple, a ride in the Metro, Jantar Mantar and the Memorials of some of our great leaders. How can one forget the VVVVVIP treatment vetted out to a certain Ms. (soon to be Mrs.) Kavita Shinde!! So much so that some onlookers at places like Akshardham actually turned their heads around to have a look, thinking some Bollywood actress had arrived!

We left for Dehradun by bus early on Day 5. Here I must mention one thing before anything else......if you ever want to travel in and around Delhi, don't travel by bus even if ur life depended on it!! The strict rules prevalent there force the buses to travel at an agonizingly slow pace, and this applies to the tourist buses plying from Delhi to other cities as well. Thus, a journey which normally should not have taken more than 8 hours, took well over 10 hours eventually. It didn't help matters that we had no choice but to proceed straight to our first company in Dehradun without getting a chance to freshen up and have a proper lunch. As a result, during the presentation, one could literally count on their hands the number of people awake! But a quick trip to a nearby spring named Sahastradhara refreshed us all. Two more company visits, a stop at Malsi Deer Park (with no deer in sight) and a walk around the central market comprised the itinerary for Day 6.

We embarked on yet another frustratingly slow journey from Dehradun to Delhi early morning on Day 7, stopping over for a quick dip in the holy river of Ganges at Haridwar on the way. A detour to the Fr. Agnel Balbhavan in Greater Noida provided us the most satisfying and heartwarming experience of the entire trip. Home to a number of young orphans, we had a memorable time interacting and playing with the little children, who were clearly thrilled and excited with our presence there. Later that night, we left Delhi for home-sweet-home, Mumbai. The best part of the return journey was a marathon 8-hour game of Business. We played the game like it has never been played before, with partnerships, deals being made, loans from one team to another with mutually decided terms and conditions and what not. I am pretty sure we had created some kind of a record there for the game!

Looking back on the trip, I would just like to say one thing - a big THANK YOU and a thumbs up to my entire class for firstly, for their support and co-operation in making the trip possible, and secondly, making it as awesome as it turned out to be!

Until the next...

The Brawn Identity!

2009-03-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

The expectation and excitement surrounding the build-up to the start of the 2009 Formula 1 season was clearly palpable among motorsport fanatics. The anticipation of the start of the first race in Melbourne, Australia was higher than ever, with everyone keen to see what influence all the new technical regulations introduced would have on the race itself. But the one thing that dominated all the fervency was the introduction of a new team that took all the testing and pre-race practice sessions by storm : Brawn GP.

The story of the evolution of Brawn GP is the stuff dreams are made of. After Honda pulled out of F1 in December 2008, thanks to the global economic crisis, drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello sat at home without a job and staring at a bleak future. All the remaining teams had confirmed their rosters for the 2009 season, and times could not have been tougher for the Englishman and the Brazilian. With less than a month to go for the start of the new season, ex-team boss Ross Brawn decided to revive the Honda team, thus buying the team and starting afresh. With a new name, a new Mercedes engine and new technical regulations to comply with, Brawn GP were faced with an enormous task. While all the other teams had extensive testing on their cars for months together, Brawn GP had just about 20 days to put together a competent, efficient package with emphasis on reliability. They had one advantage though - a genius at the helm named Ross Brawn.

Being one of the architects of the run of success and dominance that Ferrari have achieved over the past decade, Ross Brawn is one of the most brilliant and technically gifted team bosses there is in the sport. With some fine tweaks in aerodynamics and clever thinking (including an innovative yet controversial interpretation of the new diffuser rule), Brawn GP set Albert Park on fire. They dominated qualifying, with Button and Barrichello finishing 1-2 and sitting proudly on top of the pack.

The race started perfectly for Button as he sped away, but not so well for Barrichello, as a slow start bumped him down to 7th place. The Australian GP though lived up to its reputation of having innumerable twists and turns, and the Brawn GP team finished the race as they started it: a class above the rest. Ferrari had a disastrous race, with both drivers retiring. Lewis Hamilton saved the day for Mclaren, finishing an impressive 3rd after starting 15th on the grid. Toyota and Williams looked very impressive as well.

Perhaps the title should actually have been "The Brawn Supremacy"!! All in all, this promises to be as open a season as ever in F1, with the big question being: Can Brawn GP continue to live the dream, and remain consistent throughout the season? And more importantly: Can the trailing pack keep up with them and step it up a notch?? Well, there's only one way to find out...

Until the next..

P.S: I actually wanted to list out all the new, innovative changes introduced this season in F1: the much-applauded return to slick tyres, the new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) electronic boost system similar to the one used in A1 GP, modified aerodynamics etc. It'll take up a whole new post, but instead I'll just provide the link, it's a must read for all F1 lovers:

http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/sporting_regulations/8692/

Merseyside in delirium!

2009-03-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

27 days since my last post....that's long enough, it's about time something was done to prevent the inactivity creeping in again into this blog! And the timing could not be more perfect. Let's get into it straight away, shall we?

I'd like to begin on a subtle note........ahem.............wooooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!

All right, all right....now I shall really keep it subtle. Nothing gives a Liverpool fan more pleasure than to rub it into a Manchester United fan with subtlety, given that we don't really get to do it too often!! But the events that transpired at Old Trafford, Manchester in the afternoon of 14 March, 2009, allowed Liverpool supporters all around the world to earn their bragging rights, and emphatically so, may I add. Watching Liverpool deliver a 4-1 drubbing to Manchester United, inflicting upon them their worst home defeat in 17 years, was a pleasure and a joy to watch. More than the scoreline, it was the sublime performance by the Reds, led by an inspirational skipper in Steven Gerrard and a stellar performance by El Nino, that was a breathtaking treat. Together, they achieved what no other Premier League team has been able to achieve this season, and for many seasons prior as well -- not just outplay them on their home turf, but to force them into shooting themselves in the foot time and again.

Here's a goal-by-goal account of the match:

MU 1-0 Liverpool

Tevez through ball to Ji-Sung Park...here come's Reina.....Park falls over him....wtf!! Penalty?!! U kidding me?? He just fell over Reina....Pepe pulled out of it....this is ludicrous! Shit...! Here's @%#!!@ Ronaldo....miss it for God's sake....Reina save....no....dammit! Not again....plzz...not again...not like last yr!!!

MU 1-1 Liverpool

Skrtel long ball into the United half....oh Vidic misses it....Torres in behind....he steals it! Go el Nino....he scores!!! Tooooorrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeesssss! 1-1! Cmon u Reds!!! Rip them apart like u said u wud!!! Wat a mistake from Vidic.....brother, u gonna be crucified!

MU 1-2 Liverpool

Torres to Gerrard.....bursts into the box ala Istanbul 2005.....Evra bring him down...!....surely a penalty?? Yeeesssss! Cmooooooonnnn! Stevie G from the spot.....puts it away!! Liverpool lead!! Awesome stuff!! Reds on top of their game!!!!

MU 1-3 Liverpool

Kuyt knockdown to Gerrard....spins away from Vidic.....he's in on goal....Vidic pulls him down....wat?? hey thats a red card....send him off ref...!.....yeeeesss, he's off!....Vidic's horrow show comes to a premature end.....man, what a shocking game he's had! Free-kick...hmm Aurelio should have a crack at this....he does....whoa, its in!!! OH FREAK!!!! Wat a kick!!!! 3-1!!!!!!!!Unbelievable!!! This is a dream...!! 3-1 at Old Trafford, Red Devils being pummeled at home! This is insane!! I'm gonna lose my voice today I think!! Hell, who cares, yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! Cmon Liverpool!!!! More...more please....crush them!! (ManU fans: Vidic, u $#@@#!!*.....**** off...!)

MU 1-4 Liverpool

Long ball again.....here's...Dossena (??!)....whoa, lob over van der Sar, what a finish!!! Dossena......oh man....even he's getting in on the act!! United done and dusted!!!! This is madness now, United what on earth have u done to urselves??!! This is utter humiliation.....shame on u guyz....shame on u!!

It was a spineless, gutless and wretched performance from a United side who are supposedly tipped to win the quintuple this season!! Yeah, right, good luck with that! But, one thing is for sure, Liverpool's dominance over 2 premier European sides in 5 days -- 4-0 against Real Madrid followed by 4-1 against Manchester United -- justifies their ranking by UEFA as the no. 1 team in Europe. And with the gap to the top of the BPL reduced to 4 points, hopefully Liverpool will lift their first Premier League trophy this season. All hail the Reds!! YNWA!!!!

Until the next...

The Talibanisation of modern India

2009-02-16T08:47:00.000-08:00

As you may have read in one of my earlier posts (a long, long, loooong time back!), one of my favourite things to look forward to is a Sunday morning, sitting with a cup of freshly brewed South Indian filter coffee in one hand, and The Times of India in the other. I always am eager to read the editorial section in the Sunday edition of TOI, where the thoughts of some of the best experts in finance, politics, business, sports and entertainment are presented. This past Sunday, a very thought-provoking article that was published caught my eye. It was based on the new wave of social extremism that seems to have swept through our country in recent times. All of a sudden, fights over religious differences, political blame-games, and even regionalism, seem to have taken a backseat. Apparently, a group of self-righteous people, mainly looking to gain some political ground, have taken it upon themselves to "cleanse" our society of its sins. They hold themselves above the law, above the prevailing social structure, and above humanity itself. They have been grossly brainwashed and misled on the nuances of our value system, ethics and culture which our country can proudly boast of. The author of the article, whose name currently escapes my mind, calls this the "Talibanisation of India".

Having read a substantial amount recently in Khaled Hosseini's books ("The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns") about the disturbing tales of the horrors that Afghans have faced in the last 40-odd years, I cannot help but compare the social system that the Taliban tried to bring into Afghanistan, and what the social radicals are trying to do in India right now. Innocent young women, whose only "crime" was to walk in and out of a club in Mangalore, were abused and beaten up in full public view. Couples sitting in parks etc. have been harrassed and further beaten, and, on Valentine's day, even forcibly married off! Even a policeman, who we trust with our lives, indulges in some couple-clobbering, dragging them away to a police station, only to find that there is no law under which he could book them. Even a brother-sister pair were taken for a couple and beaten up. All romantic alliances are seen as mortal sins which must be punished severely, that too physically. A taste of the Taliban, anyone?? The only difference seems to be that the Taliban roamed around in red Toyota jeeps carrying Kalashnikovs, while here the fundamentalists run around on the road (at the most commandeer a red Toyota Innova....sorry but I had to put that in!), and use anything they can lay their hands on as a weapon. It indeed is a shocking revelation, which should simultaneously serve as a wake-up call as well.

This is not about standing up in defiance against these extreme elements, but about facing the broader consequences of the issue, and getting that into everyone's head. I'm not saying that going to a pub, having drinks, smoking cigarettes, doping etc. should be completely permitted in society. In fact, I'm all for stricter implementation of stringent laws on the latter two at least. But its time both sides of society buck up and realize their responsibilities - be it as a friend, a brother/sister, a son/daughter, a father/mother, or simply as an adult and as a citizen of this great nation. We should be mature enough to understand what is right and what is wrong, what's good for us and what isn't. And for those who cannot come around to understanding and making those decisions, we need to ensure that the law is above all else, and more importantly, that the law is implemented correctly, logically and effectively. This may be a democracy, but no one has the right to take the law into their own hands. No one has the right to impose their own will on others. Yet, at the same time, no one has the right to hurt and disregard the sentiments of their fellow citizens, whether they make sense or not, which is something we need to be a little extra-careful about.

Until the next...

A few tears say a thousand words..

2009-02-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

One may say that a defining hallmark of a true sportsman is his ability to acknowledge, after a defeat, the fact that he has been beaten by a better man. At the finals of the 2009 Australian Open Men's Singles Championship, Roger Federer did just that through the use of a few tears. It seemed as if the round of applause and cheering that the crowd provided as he stepped up to speak after receiving the runners-up shield had overwhelmed him, but deeply, he may have realized that all that support was now starting to stem out of empathy rather than appreciation. He would have realized that, for the second successive Grand Slam final against his nemesis Rafael Nadal, he threw everything but the kitchen sink at him, yet failed to even cause a dent in the Spaniard's machinery. Rafa slowly but steadily absorbed everything the Swiss ace launched at him, and then demonstrated the magical capabilities that enabled him to dethrone the then king of Wimbledon. He also showed that his record against Fedex was no fluke; that he, indeed, was the better player. Armed with a fierce forehand and a bundle of energy, Nadal ran Roger ragged, picking him apart at will. He displayed absolutely no signs of the tiredness that everyone predicted he would experience, coming on the back of a 5+ hour marathon against compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semis less than 48 hours earlier. When the dust had finally settled, Rafa stood tall, knowing that he had yet again mastered his fiercest rival, physically as well as mentally.

Having said this, I would definitely be rooting for Federer to overcome the odds in Paris, come May. He has a massive challenge ahead of him now, and the horror of the final at Roland Garros a year earlier would definitely be playing on his mind. But a win at Paris this year would surely cement his place in history as arguably the greatest player the sport has ever seen. One thing is for sure, he would be much more determined than ever this year at the French Open.....the feud is now slowly developing into a battle for personal pride more than for Championships in the case of R-Fed.

South of the equator, the downfall of another champion(s) was witnessed - Ricky Ponting and his (not so) merry men. The Aussie cricket team has endured a horrific last 6 months, slumping from defeat after defeat. It all started with their tour of India, when the men in blue shocked the cricketing world with the ease with which they dispatched the Aussie brigade 2-0 in the test series. Returning to their homeland stunned and disheartened, they restored some pride with a test series win against neighbours New Zealand, although they did flatter to deceive in the process. On came the South Africans, riding high on a wave of successes earlier in the year. The Proteas came into the series with a dismal test record in Australia, but they capitalised on the poor form of the home side to deliver a 2-1 thumping to them in the test series and a 4-1 mauling in the ODI series, in the process becoming the no. 1 ODI side in the world. Cricket fans all over the world stared dumbfounded at the petty joke that the Australian side had been reduced to. Sure, everyone expected the absence of the likes of McGrath, Warne, Lee and Gilchrist to have a major impact on the quality of the side, but nobody would even in their wildest dreams would have imagined 6 months ago that the Aussies would capitulate as tamely as they did. Even today, I sit here writing this after watching them get beaten by a rookie New Zealand ODI team, after being bowled out for a paltry 181.

It really is sad to see so many champions around the world falling one by one, although some may look at it positively and say it does wonders for the game - nobody likes to see a sport dominated by one person or one team. A little healthy competition never hurts!! And hey, I'm not really complaining.......as long as the trend continues and we witness the demise of yet another champion side - this time in football - namely, Manchester United!!! ;)

Until the next...

P.S : 11.30 pm.....late addition to the post :

Toooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss!! Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!! Liverpool 2 -0 Chelsea!!!! El Nino is up and running again, Red Devils beware!!! Cmon u Reds!! YNWA!!!

All dazed and disoriented..!

2009-01-18T04:56:00.000-08:00

And no, that's not because of a hangover from a heavy night of drinking (I think people who know me know that there's no way that is possible for a guy like me!), but it feels the same nonetheless!! The reason?? Four simple words - CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA!!

Firstly, Mr. Nikhil Advani, what the f were u thinking??! That Indian movie-goers are dumb?? Or that we're Chinese, and that all those Chinese stunts would earn you a pat on the back?? Please do not attempt to insult our intelligence ever again in the future, sir, for you have already committed that mortal sin with this 2 hr 45 min of worthless rubbish! And just because Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon won Oscars inspite of its over-exaggerated action with the Chinese actors flying from point A to point B, doesn't mean CC2C will be subject to rapturous applause for the same reasons. Allow me to present you with a comparative study -- Tom & Jerry, with Tom falling off buildings and being kicked through the air, is funny. Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff thanks to the Road runner, is funny. Mithun da kicking Akshay Kumar in the backside, sending him flying through the Delhi skyline, unlike most other airlines nowadays due to fog, IS NOT FUNNY!! It is in fact really, really SAD! It is sad to see that this is what Indian cinema has come down to, that people like Akshay Kumar have stooped so low and are making fools of themselves. Then there's that scene on a pier where "Sidhu" puts his foot against the chest of one of the bad guys, and then does some bizarre move that even I couldn't comprehend, but the next thing we see is all the villains launched into the air, wooden boards flying around, winds swirling and the water in the sea rising as if a Tsunami is about to hit!! I've seen plenty of movies where one is required to leave one's brains at home and proceed to the cinema hall, and have appreciated quite a few such movies as well. CC2C, however, is a movie which, after watching, even a man lying on a surgery table with his brain in a jar next to him, would feel like banging his head against the nearest accessible wall, or any other hard object for that matter. It defies logic, gravity, law of conservation of energy, law of conservation of mass, law of conservation of charge, psychology, philosophy....everything!! (Suyash...go ahead...call me a nerd!! ). The acting is nothing to write home about either, although I did read in a review somewhere, "We have reached a point where it is no longer possible to use Deepika Padukone and acting in the same sentence"!! Very true, at least going by her last 2 movies, Bachna Ae Haseeno and CC2C! Overall, this movie is a dud. Yet, it wouldn't be surprising to see this movie gross over Rs. 100 crore, thanks to the loyal fans of Akki.

Anyway, I need to watch a decent movie now in order to compensate for this madness. Hopefully Slumdog Millionaire won't disappoint. Until the next...

2008 - A musical recap

2009-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

Firstly, at the outset, let me complete the required formality and wish the reader of these words a very Happy New Year! It's commonplace for bloggers at such times to look back at the year gone by and put down their thoughts. They may either describe their life over the last 316224000 seconds, or give their perspective of world events in the said time period. Well, I have always, on my blog, ventured to do something different and unconventional (at least for me!).

I got an idea while watching VH1 on the first day of the New Year. They were showing the hit Billy Joel number "We didn't start the fire". For those of you who are musically ignorant, this song is unique - in that its lyrics chronicle the most significant events and personalities of the 20th century (actually during Billy Joel's lifetime up till that point, from 1949 to 1989). So, before you move further on in this post, I suggest you get your hands on this song, and more importantly, go through the lyrics. Anyway, so watching the video gave me an idea for this post. I decided to write my own little song, sung to the same tune, chronicling the events of 2008. So here it is:

(to be sung to the tune of "We didn't start the fire" by Billy Joel):

Economic disarray, Fuel prices in a sway,
goin' up, comin' down, where are they headed now?
Merrill Lynch, Lehmann, fallin' over in a spin,
Losses and bailouts, is it gonna end and how?

Air fares on the rise, Ozzie cricket's sad demise,
IPL, ICL, cricket lovers in a spell
Writers strike, sitcom strife, entertainment going bust,
Iron Man, Dark Knight, Why so serious??

CHORUS:
2008 is over
There were twists n turns, there were chills n burns,
2009's upon us
Gotta live our life yeah, gotta make it brighter

Medvedev, Sarkozy, Musharraf and Zardari,
McCain-Palin bow out, Barack creates history
Indo-US nuke deal, UPA back on its feet,
Israel, Palestine, Hamas and the Gaza strip

Kosovo becomes free, South Ossetia under siege,
Democracy in Nepal, Fidel steps aside for Raul
Man Utd win the double, Liverpool now top the table,
Barcelona, Inter Milan, looking unstoppable.

CHORUS

Terrorists, militants, brainwashed imbeciles,
chaos and mass destruction, taking lives at their own will
Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kabul, Islamabad,
Last straw was Mumbai, how many more now have to die??!

Nadal downs Federer, Lewis has a glorious year,
Bindra gets his name in gold, Phelps swims to 8 and lo!
Bush ducks for cover twice, Nano stops 'cos Mamta cries,
Recession, destruction, c'mon people get it right!!

CHORUS

Somali piracy, NSG we salute thee,
Chandrayaan on the moon, Iphone debuts with a boom,
Khan wars to the fore, movie-goers still want more,
Aamir pips SRK, Sallu just gets blown away

Coldplay, Linkin Park, Big Bang with a spark,
G8 nations deliver, things just have to get better!!

2008 is over
There were twists and turns, there were chills and burns
2009's upon us
When the chips are down, keep fighting on and on and on.....

CHORUS

END

Suggestions for a title anyone???
Oh and by the way, this was my first ever attempt at something like this - never even written a poem in my life, forget a song! So appreciate your comments :)

Until the next...have a great year ahead everyone!

Two and two together

2008-12-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again....the day one celebrates his/her mere presence on this planet, the day we realize how significant and important we are in the lives of the people around us...and most of all how significant and valuable our own life is! Yes sir, "Arvind Jayanti" for me, you may say! Maybe someday Dec 20th will indeed be called that....maybe it'll be a bank holiday.....maybe there'll be a mail going out from a company to all its clients and employees citing "This is to remind you that the offices of XYZ Ltd. shall remain closed on December 20th on account of Arvind Jayanti. Normal business shall resume on December 21st". Maybe there'll be candlelight marches....a memorial...umm....a parade....no, not a parade....chuck that....hmm...a cheesecake-eating competition!! And the winner gets a free season ticket to watch Liverpool at Anfield!

Well let me ponder over what I need to do to achieve this....I guess the following are my options:

1. Start my own religion
2. Save the world from recession
3. Eliminate terrorism
4. Pick up a cause and launch a revolutionary movement in favour of it
5. Get Pakistan to back off from Kashmir
6. Become the first person of Indian origin to be selected as the US President and then humbly decline, owing my allegiance to my motherland
7. Create a human colony on the moon/Mars
8. Deliver a hit movie for Yashraj films
9. Finish an infrastructure project in Mumbai within first stipulated deadline
10. Keep my room clean for a minimum consecutive period of 48 hours

As the above tasks are not humanly possible by self, I would say....Arvind Jayanti?? NOT!

22 years have passed since I opened my eyes to the ceiling of Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai. Normally, some tend to dwell on their past on such occasions and introspect. Others like to look toward their future...plan, strategize, generate visions etc. Me? I live in the present...past is past, learn from it and move on, and let the future take it's course, don't mess with it....focus on today, never waste opportunities coming ur way, and most importantly, u only get one shot at life, so live it to the fullest! That is what i believe in.....will always keep believing in...

Anyway, as I type these words, my 22nd birthday officially ends...its 12 am....that's all for now I guess...until the next....

Be a Man! - An ode to RP

2008-12-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

It was a typical Sunday morning at home. I had basically nothing to do, so there I was, staring at my PC screen, glancing through the contents of my Western Digital 500 GB "My Book", looking for something to watch and pass the time. Usually, its a random episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, or some downloaded Youtube videos, or some specific scenes I love watching in certain movies (movies like A Few Good Men, Rush Hour 3 etc.....no, not those types of scenes, you perverts!!). This time, I was in the mood for some good ol' fashioned humour, so who else do I turn to, but our good friend, philosopher n guide, Russell Peters! :) As I began watching Outsourced for the 10^xth time, where x -> +infinity, I thought...hey, I was anyway looking for something to write on my blog, I finally think I have it! So, all you people who have only heard the name "Russell Dominic Peters", here is a quick refresher course on one of the greatest comedians of our time!!

First, get certain things straight: (a) He is NOT an Indian, he is a Canadian, born to Indian parents (b) Yes, that IS his real name.....as he himself says it "You have a doubt? Ask my parents, Eric and Maureen! And my brother Julio!" (although his brother's name is actually Clayton). Being an average student at school, comedy slowly became his "thing". He started doing stage shows in his late teens, and his popularity spread like wildfire. Soon he was performing in the States, doing a variety of stand-up acts both on television and in front of live audiences on stage. His unique repertoire of jokes, broadly ranging from those based on his Indian origin, different types of Asians, to the peculiarities of the British and Africans has brought the whole world down to the floor roaring with laughter. His impeccable impressions of Indians, Chinese, British, South Americans etc. leaves one craving for more everytime a show ends. Trademark lines include "Somebody gonna getta hurt real bad!", "Be a Man!", "!Xobile...he's got a click in his name!!!!", "I give you best deal.....34.50!" .....man, there's so many! Each and every joke of his is LEGENDARY in its own right!

Some of his best creations are part of his comedy special "Outsourced", still a top-selling DVD hit. He has featured numerous times on shows like Comedy Central, Just for Laughs etc. He has also hosted a number of award shows, having a handsome collection of awards himself. These include 4 Gemini awards, which are the official Canadian Television awards. His popularity grew worldwide with the dawn of the Youtube era, with his comic acts registering mind-boggling number of hits among users. Taking advantage of his ever growing popularity, Russell has done stage shows in a large number of countries including UK, Australia, India, Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, the Carribean etc.

Recently, Russell was in India as a part of a world tour to promote his new DVD, "Red, White and Brown", as well as celebrate his 20th anniversary in the business. I was among the fortunate ones to witness the side-splitting treat, and boy did he deliver! I swear I must've laughed more in those 1.5 hours than in the last 5 years of my life!! Poor old Sikander Kher, and that other director whose name I can't quite recollect, they'll be wishing they had given this one a miss! Russell has single-handedly ruined their careers I think! It indeed was an unforgettable experience.

Well I guess that's all you need to know. So, all you folks, here is the algorithm you need to follow:
1. Start
2. Log onto http://www.youtube.com/
3. Search for "Russell Peters"
4. Think of sad things, cry as much as you can......'cos the only tears you'll now be shedding are from all the hysterical laughter that is about to follow!
5. Click on a search result, and let the video load.
6. Watch video, laugh your a** off
7. If (you want more) Then goto step 5, else goto step 8
8. Lie down, relax, let that stomach ache die down!
9. Stop

Until the next...Good Day!

One Spirit? Or a rude Awakening??

2008-12-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

As blood and tears spilled over 3 of the finest hotels in Mumbai and indeed in India in the last week of November '08, blood boiled through the rest of the city. People joined hands in venting out their frustration and fury at the sheer apathy of the Indian government in tackling terrorism. Peace marches, silent protests and lighting of candles took place to symbolize the unity of the city of dreams. Mumbai, in one voice, rejected the prevailing political system and called for change, a change for the better.

The concept of "One Spirit - One Mumbai" has been well established for quite a while now, and somehow it takes a tragedy like this for everyone to come to wake up and smell the roses. Why?? Do we need an excuse to show our unity?? Hasn't our entire political and administrative system been flawed ever since independence? Sure, no system can be perfect, and one may be asking for a bit too much to change the system, but it sure can be improved with the help of some innovative inputs. For one, citizens should be allowed a more active role in checking the functioning of the government. With the dawn of the "Enough is Enough" era, a Citizens' Regulatory Body could be formulated to voice the concerns of the people and form an effective bridge between the administration and the common man. Every decision that the government takes may be analysed, and the citizens can provide their feedback as well. The RTI Act is another useful tool that needs to be utilised in a much more productive manner. And, most importantly, this Body should be completely devoid of any politics and bureaucracy. "Dream On, dude!", you may say, but it just takes one spark to ignite a fire, and I feel that spark has already been produced. Sure, its not the easiest of tasks, so probably it can first begin at a nodal level, before slowly growing to city levels.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing" - Albert Einstein

Of Monks and Merseysiders...

2008-12-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

"Never forget the importance of living with unbridled exhiliration. Never neglect to see the exquisite beauty in all living things. Today, and this very moment, is a gift. Stay focused on your purpose. The Universe will take care of everything else" - Robin Sharma

I picked this up from a book that I thought I would never read, but eventually got around to reading it. I am, of course, talking about the philosopher's delight, "The Monk who sold his Ferrari". Though it has been touted as a must-read for quite some time now for all book lovers, I was always reluctant to read it, given that I read books (and similarly watch movies) purely as a leisure activity and for entertainment, and not for exercising my mind. As such, I have never been a fan of non-fictional and philosophical works. But I decided that the time has come for me to expand my horizons in reading, and so I gave TMWSHF a shot. It's pretty decent, and certainly didn't put me to sleep at least, although I was not too impressed with the character portrayal of John, a supposed Harvard graduate, and some portions of the discourse being offered to him by the "monk" Julian (A Harvard graduate not knowing how to light a fire given a magnifying glass, a piece of paper, and some wood? Really??! Hell then getting into Harvard should be a piece of cake for me!!). One thing's for sure, the book does not teach you anything new, nor is it meant to. Whatever is essayed is pure common sense, expanded with the help of some flowery descriptions and examples. In fact, the whole book can be summed up in one line: "A healthy mind, a healthy body and a well-defined objective in life, pursued with everlasting determination, focus and passion....therein lies the key to all success". But, I must admit, it certainly has encouraged me to further widen my scope of books to read and pick up those that at one point I would've thought would be "dull and boring".

Hmm....havn't talked about football for quite some time! Well, lets see, Liverpool on top...Chelsea losing at home...ManU not clicking into gear...Arsenal may have beaten Chelsea n ManU, but they still suck this season...is there anything more left to say?? :) But yeah, the Reds have just a point's lead, when ideally it should've been 5 or more. 0-0 draws at home against the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Stoke City just aint the way to go, so they need to get their scoring boots on....but fear not, 'cos with Torres returning from injury, things can only get better...YNWA!!

Prison Break S4 simply rocks!!! The magic of Scofield n co still lives on, after a disappointing season 3. All those who still havnt started watching, well, what the hell r u waiting for???? Get your hands on a copy now! Heroes S3 just aint good enough, although it is picking up slowly. And "How I met your mother", well, it definitely is turning out to be the new "F.R.I.E.N.D.S"!

Hmmm...........sleepy now....damn...its just 10.10 pm!! Oh yeah...new episode of Heroes...completely forgot...gotta see it...so Cheerio! Until the next..

2008-12-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

Time for a fresh new beginning

Well its been almost 11 months since my last post, and how time flies. There I was, in my final year of engineering (Good Riddance!), struggling to put together something that could be labelled as a "Final Year Project", looking forward to the last semester and the much-awaited Industrial Visit (which eventually bombed big time for me), and amongst other things, having just started watching Prison Break!! And here I am now, Arvind Bhaskaran, Bachelor of Engineering, a "Technical Associate/Assistant Manager" with the technology division of a financial giant, learning the corporate way of life (read: Carrom in the morning/TT in the evening, and in between, whenever time permits, a few presses of the Enter key, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and filling up some excel sheets..lol), having a LEGENDARY time and doing things that I wish I had done more often during my 4 years of college life! Not to mention that I have added "How I Met your Mother" and "Heroes" to my list of regularly followed serials. Now, drawing inspiration from the fact that Mr. Suyash "Suppandi" Nikhil has started blogging, I too have decided to resume where I left off, and hopefully this time, a more consistent and periodic flow of posts will follow.

The beauty of work life vis-a-vis college life lies in one simple and yet extremely significant aspect: As soon as you step out of your office premises, that's it! Full stop!! Work mode off, Chill out mode On! Do what you want, go where you want, 'cos you're free in every sense of the word! No fretting about assignments to be completed at home, or tests to be taken the next day, or, the worst of them all, EXAMS! No more exams!! That is, of course, if one excludes all the competitive exams that we all end up giving some time or the other. I'm sure this is mostly true only in the formative years of one's career, but hell, live life in the present is what I always say!!

Anyway, so what else is up....I guess the recent audacious attacks by terrorists in Mumbai is the hottest ongoing topic of discussion for bloggers, but I'm going to refrain from commenting too much on the issue, as enough has been said already. Honestly, I'm sick and tired of reading and watching the same news over and over again. So, all I'm gonna say is, after all these years of brutal massacres by terrorist groups, and the level of inaction against them, I feel there's only one way out left if we really want to see results being produced: FIGHT TERROR WITH TERROR. What happened to the good old adage of "fighting fire with fire"?? Why wouldn't it apply here?? Are the terrorists completely cold-blooded?? Do they not have even an inkling of a weakness inside their souls? I'm sure they do, and that is what the authorities need to exploit. Sure, they may be able to withstand unimaginable amounts of physical pain even unto death, but how much mental and emotional pain can they withstand?? I believe there must be a limit, so these weaknesses need to be found out and taken advantage of. It may be a radical thought, but one can't deny that anything not radical can only be labelled as "soft" in these trying times! Enough said.

I was really disappointed in the way the media completely ignored the suffering that people in Tamil Nadu were also going through during the crisis in Mumbai. I cannot remember even a single mention being made of it anywhere in News channels or in the print media. The cyclone that hit the TN coast was devastating, and had it hit a place like Mumbai, I'm sure it would've been splattered all over the news. Agreed, the terror attacks in Mumbai were much more important and had a far greater impact on the rest of the nation and the world as well, but that does not justify not giving any airtime/reading space to the catastrophe in TN. It only re-affirms my earlier post on the media not being responsible enough and not realizing their true role in society.

I guess I'll sign off for now....will save some for the posts to come, else I'll pretty soon run out of things to say! That's one of the reasons why one doesn't find me talking on the phone too much....I hate it whenever there comes a point in the conversation where all we're saying is "Aur kya..", "What else", "So wassup"....! Chatting rocks in that way...if u've run out of things to talk about, just work on something else!! Anyway, until the next....Good Day!

The Tata NANO - a GRAND beginning to a new year...or is it??

2008-01-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, the chairman of the TATA group, Mr. Ratan Tata, made India a promise. And on this day, 10th January 2008, being the true pioneer and visionary that Mr. Tata is, he has delivered. And how!!

With the entire country and even large parts of the world holding their breath in anticipation, Ratan Tata rolled out in arguably his company's biggest and most ambitious project ever, the Tata Nano - a car for the masses, one that offers a safe and affordable means of transportation for the average Indian family. Then, facing an awestruck mass of reporters, delegates and spectators, he proceeded to list out features and facts that, word by word, silenced all those who questioned the feasibility of such a venture. The gala event is sure to change the automobile industry forever.

As I sat in front of the idiot box and watched the car steadily roll out onto the stage with the chairman at the wheel, my first reaction was "Whaaa.....??? You've gotta be kidding me! That thing actually moves??!" But then as the technicalities of the car were listed out, I realized that the Tatas may have probably pulled a rabbit out of the hat here! It really does serve the purpose for a customer who just desires to have a set of wheels under him to move, without all the nitty-gritties and fancy stuff that most popular cars in the small-car segment have. Here are some facts about the car:

A 33 hp, 625 cc engine is just about enough for city traffic and most highways, but it could struggle on hill roads and stretches with considerable slope, especially under large loads. The rear engine will provide a certain uniqueness to this car and will present most Indians with something they perhaps have never seen before, at least on Indian roads. It will be interesting to see what the maximum speed this little machine can conjure up is and how the pickup is compared to other cars in the same segment. Long drives on highways may get frustrating for drivers who have already experienced driving other cars such as the Santro, Swift etc.
I think the compliance to major safety and emission norms wasn't very surprising, as opposed to some other skeptics. Tata would never have unveiled this car had it not met standard requirements on all fronts. This being said, the fact that the team behind the car has managed to go a step further and even meet the EURO-IV standard criteria is commendable.
The car is said to provide a mileage of 20 kmpl in the city and about 25-26 kmpl on highways. Well, that definitely is fantastic news with oil prices skyrocketing, but the question is for how long can it sustain such a performance? And will these claims really hold true? I guess we just have to wait until the first car rolls out onto the streets to find out!
No power steering....hmm cant see why that should be a problem....even my Santro doesn't have power steering and even I can handle it pretty well!! :)
8% smaller externally and 21% larger internally than a Maruti 800...well I have to see that to believe it....if it is true, fantastic! Maruti better have an answer!
A Diesel variant of the car is also likely to be introduced soon. Along with a Diesel variant, I feel Tata should also look to introduce a CNG version to silence the environmental lobby further.
Finally, and most importantly, the price tag - yes, the standard model does have a dealer price of Rs. 1,00,000, but cost to the consumer will be in the region of 1.3-1.5 lakhs, inclusive of VAT, transportation etc. People should be ready for rises in production costs over the longer term, as manufacturing and transporting in an area like Singur, where the company has faced enough trouble already, is never going to be a smooth process.

All in all, this revolutionary move by the Tatas will surely "bring in the moolah" for them, albeit it'll take considerable time for them to break even. Now, the big question -- Is this really what India needs right now? More specifically, is this what a city like MUMBAI needs right now? A city, where already over 1.2 lakh cars are added to the streets annually....a city, where updates on traffic snarls already hog almost as much airtime of most radio stations as the actual music does....is this what such a city needs - a car that everyone can afford to buy and heap misery on road development authorities?? My answer - no way!!!! The unveiling of the Tata Nano has just opened up a huge Pandora's box, as even servants in some areas like Malabar Hills and other parts of Mumbai would be able to afford such a car, and the number of cars on the road would double very soon. The repercussions are already being felt, with a large number of companies including Maruti Suzuki and Renault-Bajaj announcing plans for a low cost car. On one side, the more sensible people encourage others to use public transport more often and not take their vehicles out to work -- well Tata has now done just the opposite! Those rooting for the car can wag their tongues all they want about meeting the emission norms, but if you have every other earning individual making a beeline to get their hands on one of these toys, the collective contribution of all these cars would be enough to make Dr. Pachauri's worst nightmare come true as well!!

My suggestion for the best way to utilize this car: convert them into taxis, and do away with the crappy Fiats! Its about time there was a major overhauling of the taxi fleet in major cities in India, particularly in Mumbai. High maintenance costs and lack of comfort for customers do not make things any easier for the taxi owners. We Mumbaiikars would love to zoom around on the streets of Mumbai in a Tata Nano cab rather than a rickety old Fiat any day of the week and twice on Sunday! In fact...hmm...a new autorickshaw costs somewhere in the region of 1 lakh....why not replace the autorickshaws too??? :) OK that might just be a little far-fetched, but it is possible!

Feel free to refute or add to any of the points I've made above....looking forward to your comments. Until the next, Good Day!

-Ari B

Breaking out..

2007-12-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

The traditional month-long exam period has taken its toll, and I'm glad to say its all behind me now. A brand new year, a fresh start, a bright new future to look forward to, with endless aims and infinite opportunities popping up along the road....2008 is the year which will see the student take a back seat and the professional step forward. It is a year in which a fun-filled final semester will be followed by tear-filled goodbyes (although on the bright side, college friendships will never be lost) and a new set of colleagues and friends to look forward to. Life in the fast lane will never stop though, it is just the environment and circumstances which will transform from mindless college-mania and brain-bashing to workplace professionalism and application of the human mind (of course, those pursuing further studies are an exception!).

A few days of post-exam relaxation are all we supposed engineers-in-the-making at 426, VASHI (FCRIT) can afford...then its back to work, and for most of us, back to the drawing board with our projects! The next 3 months are when we are supposed to get our act together and make sense of all the micro and macro components that define the highlight of our term: the Final Year Project. And during these few days, I have decided to completely indulge myself by following the exploits of Michael Scofield in attempting to firstly escape from the shackles of Fox State Penetentiary along with his brother, then to elude the cops and thwart their every attempt to recapture them, and finally land back in prison only to try and break the barriers once again. I am, of course, talking about the highly acclaimed "Prison Break" series, currently in its 3rd season. Few serials on the idiot box can truly be termed as addictive and gripping, and PB is undoubtedly one of them. Backed by a terrific script with more twists than a metre-long strand of human DNA, the actors play their roles to perfection, and the intense expressions on their faces send a chill down your spine everytime they scheme up new ways to stay one step ahead of the authorities. A must for all television aficionados...although it does come with a statutory warning: Once you start, you will not stop till you're done, and that's a guarantee!

Ok that's it, my patience has reached it's saturation limit, so its back to PB season 3....till the next, Good Day!

-Ari B

2007-11-25T02:28:00.000-08:00

Btw...dont get confused by the title of the post below and the date mentioned above it...it was a Sunday morning where I come from!

-Ari B

Another Sunday morning..

2007-11-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

That's right, its yet another bright Sunday morning. With December around the corner, things are beginning to get a bit chilly around here, though I must point out, even a normally pleasant 24 degrees can be termed as "chilly" for us Navi Mumbaikars! This Sunday morning is a bit different for me....no classes, no mock tests, no exam the next day....a welcome change after a really long time. As I went through my usual holiday morning routine of reading the newspaper while sipping a cup of hot South Indian filter coffee, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of the stories that caught my eye, on my blog.

One such story featured on the front page of the Sunday Times of India. The headline mentioned the words "SNS addiction", which immediately drew my attention. Some of you may probably be wondering what on earth 'SNS' is. The answer: something which you and me are very familiar with, and indulge in extensively - Social Networking Sites. Orkut, MySpace, Facebook, Hi5 and a whole bunch of others constitute this select group of websites that have more number of registered users from India than the entire population of most European countries, I would imagine! The article mentions how these sites are increasingly becoming addictive and influencing our lives. It points out how the lives of many people revolve around their "friends list". While such sites have been a boon for most people by bringing them closer and providing a platform for discussions through communities as well, it clearly has a very disturbing negative side. SNS addiction is becoming almost as alarming as alcohol or drug addiction, in the way that it's hard to get out of once you've been trapped by it. Studies, work etc. all go for a toss, and one needs to be mentally strong and be able to exercise considerable amount of self-control to ensure that one doesn't get an overdose of SNS.

Another shocking stat revealed in the newspaper was that only 1.08% of the entire population of India has health insurance!! Ok, now obviously a substantial proportion of these people belong to urban areas and having a decent job. But what about those who are actually in the line of fire: workers working in dangerous locations like mines, refineries etc., or people in areas constantly hit by natural disasters like floods and cyclones, or even those living in epidemic-prone areas. Aren't they the ones who really need health insurance? The problem lies in the fact that most of these people cannot afford health insurance. This is where the government should step in. If anyone can help people in this regard, its the elected officials. Forget all the corruption and bureaucracy existing in the system - just for once, can you not just act like responsible human beings and do your job of assisting your people when they need help??

Hmm....lets see whats on in the sports arena....the Indian cricket team look as if they're about to defeat Pakistan in the first test, unless the middle order throws it away.....India are still actually competing in A1 GP(lol..sorry! actually they've done pretty well...6th...good job Narain!!). Coming to football, Liverpool thrash a hapless Newcastle 3-0, that too with Fernando Torres seemingly having left his shooting boots back on Merseyside for some reason! It truly was unbelievable....I counted a total of 6 chances that, on any other given day, Torres would've knocked in with absolute ease! And how about this for a result...Bolton beat ManU 1-0!!!!(mmwaaaaahahahahahaha to all the ManU fans out there!!) Rest of the results were routine stuff, no real surprises, although Everton managing to conjure up 7 against a decent Sunderland side was a bit of a shock.

I cannot help but mention one article I read in the Mumbai Mirror that had me in splits!! It was about something interesting that happened when the national anthems were being sung during the England-Croatia match at Wembley on Wednesday. A British singer was to sing both the English and the Croatian anthems, and he messed up a part of the Croatian anthem so badly, it had some of the Croatian players grinning at each other during their own anthem. Well, what happened was, he was supposed to sing a line "mila kuda si planina", which means "You know my dear how we love the mountains". Instead, inadvertently, he sang it as "mila kura si planina" which literally means "My dear, my p***s is a mountain"!!!!!! OMG!! How I wish I was Croatian and heard that live during the match, would've had a really good laugh! But what was nice to see was that the Croatian players, crowd and the media took it very sportingly and in good humour, and didnt make a fuss about it. In fact, some of the fans are calling on the singer to become their official mascot for Euro 2008, because it seemed to help their players relax!!! Imagine what would happen if something like this was done to the Indian anthem....that person would've been torn to pieces for sure!

Well thats all for now...guess I'll be back when I have something intelligent to write about! Cheers till then..

-Ari B

News channels with nothing new

2007-11-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

This is an issue that really has been irking me over the past few months. There's no doubt that over the past 7-8 years, the rate at which 24x7 news channels have sprung up on our television screens has really taken the media scene in India by storm. Politicians, celebrities, sportspersons...everyone is under scrutiny like never before. There's hardly ever a moment in a day when u dont see the phrase "Breaking News"/"News Flash"/"Taaza Khabar" blazing across your TV screen, causing you to stare with rapt attention at the alphanumeric characters rolling across the bottom of the screen and interpret what the latest the world has to offer u is.

But for quite some time now, certain news channels have caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. I must admit, I love watching news channels almost as much as I love watching football...and whenever I switch on the TV, as a routine, a brief scan of the available sports channels is immediately followed by a skim of all the news channels for the latest happenings around us. But the sight that really irritates me during this process is that of some channels, particularly Hindi news channels, showing absolute rubbish which they proclaim proudly as "Taaza Khabar!!". I apologize for being biased in this regard, but one cannot argue the fact that such stories can only be seen on a group of channels, and all these channels happen to be Hindi channels. Let me give you an example. One of the news stories that I came across on a couple of these channels was that of "The Great Khali", an Indian wrestler in the famous WWE (formerly known as WWF). This guy is a monster, standing at more than 7 ft. tall and weighing 400 odd pounds. He seems to be making a huge impact among the wrestling audience in the US, and the news channels here have used the huge popularity of the WWE in India for advancing their "TRPs", so to speak. They carried a huge exclusive on the guy, proudly calling him "an ambassador of our nation" and describing how he is a prime example of Indians achieving success abroad. Now, I do not refute the fact that he is successful and that he has achieved a lot in the WWE. But, really, is this the best example they could garner? A WWE wrestler who is where he is just because he is "genetically unique", and not because of his Indian origin?? I can name a hundred other Indians who deserve that time and space on the screen for their achievements abroad. There are far more inspiring success stories out there than a guy who screams gibberish into the microphone and leads everyone into believing he's speaking Hindi!

This is just one example....one keeps seeing more and more such stories cropping up day-by-day and hogging our screens. How can I forget the infamous Kareena-Shahid kissing episode that was shown so distastefully on a particular news channel that it made me sick to my stomach. People, did it never occur to you that you don't have to show an ID card and prove you are 18 to watch television?? Do you not realize that news stories do not carry PG certificates with them?? I shudder to think what would have happened if a cute little kid was channel surfing that day, and came across these graphic pictures. Then he calls his mother and asks her in the most innocent of tones, "Mummy mummy, yeh log kya kar rahe hai???" How could that mother respond?? Imagine her dismay!

This is a sincere appeal to the media, not just in our country, but all over the world....stop behaving like a greedy business house and realize your role in society. Try not to take advantage of the weaknesses of certain sections of the audience, and show them what they should be shown, and not necessarily what they want to be shown. You guys are responsible for making us responsible citizens, please do not digress from that endeavour!

Until the next...

-Ari B

The cat has belled the nation

2007-11-18T03:56:00.000-08:00

Well its been more than a year, and having been perpetually involved with college activities and then preparing for the notorious CAT exam, I have decided to resume where I left off...which is basically nowhere 'cos I never really started blogging anyway! Just 2-3 posts in mid-2006 and that was the end of it.

It is kind of ironic that I decide to resume blogging due to one of the very reasons I stopped in the first place....the CAT exam. This post comes to you on the big day itself...life after CAT attempt #1 has begun. The 150-minute bomb attack on the human brain is finally over. I described it as "notorious" initially because thats exactly how it is slowly turning out to be....just when u think that the IIMs are starting to appreciate the fact that making things tougher than they already are for the candidates doesnt help, they turn around and do exactly that!! While I used my strong sections - thats PS (Problem Solving) and DI (Data Interpretation) - to my advantage, my weaker section - thats the verbal section- is bound to thoroughly weaken my overall performance.

Well, as they say, miracles do happen. And boy do I desperately need one now! Just this morning, I wake up to find a miracle had been achieved by - or rather for - the English football team. Needing Israel to defeat Russia (which many pundits couldn't see happening) or an even more unlikely (next to impossible I should say!) Macedonian win over Croatia, English hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 were hanging by a thread and weren't even in their own hands. But, lo and behold! Israel defeat Russia 2-1 and what's more, Macedonia defeat Croatia 2-0! A miracle has indeed been achieved, and the English team can not only go through with a draw against Croatia, they may even top the group!! That's the kind of miracle that's needed here. May the Gods favour us hard-working souls!!!

Rest later. You guys will see a lot more of me from now on in this section!

-Ari B

A week after becoming a free bird..

2006-06-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well i'm well and truly into the holiday mood now (read: getting bored). This is one problem with vacations.........unless u have concrete plans or specific objectives to accomplish during them, it really does start to become extremely dull. And though, yes, I do have certain things that I wish to do during the vacations, I really doubt how many of those goals I ultimately will achieve.

For example, I want to give learning to play the guitar another shot, and I have started trying out some simple songs and going through some lessons. But since I am at a beginner's level, I really am not able to go too far and sometimes not being able to strum properly or getting the chord positions wrong repeatedly does tend to frustrate me pretty often. But I'm sure every guitarist on this planet goes through this period sometime or the other during the course of learning, and I guess I just have to keep trying harder.

I wish to go for an MBA after my four years of engineering, and would like to specialise in Finance. Actually, for the past year or so, I have been pretty fascinated by the stock markets and their trends, though as of now, those points are just points and I cannot really make out what they actually mean. That is why I have started to take an interest and learn about the stock market, shares, investments etc. I would like to at least get started on this during these holidays.

Apart from that, its just your regular run-of-the-mill vacation for me........catching up on reading, watching the World Cup (need I mention that?!), watching movies, orkutting, blogging etc. Recently saw Phir Hera Pheri, and let me tell you, if you go and watch it in a theatre, you have just wasted a 100 bucks (or whatever the ticket price is) and 3 hours of your life!! It is a really huge disappointment and hardly manages to tickle your funny bone. Of course, there is the odd scene or two which will have you chuckling, but overall the gags are repetitive and mostly bland. Definitely a no-no, but if it comes on cable and you have nothing else to do, you may catch it.

Well, one thing I am looking forward to is a trip to a beautiful place near Ratnagiri called Ganpatipule. I will be there from Monday to Wednesday...so until then....Have a nice day!

Berlin Beckons...part II

2006-06-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

The past 2 days have seen matches with mixed tempos. On one hand, we had the likes of France, Switzerland and...........wait for it...........................yes, Brazil, would you believe it, putting us to sleep (quite literally....about 60 min. into the Brazil - Croatia match I was zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...................!!). On the other hand, one of my favourite teams in this WC, Spain, put on a master-class that left the Ukraine players wondering what sin they committed in their previous life to receive such a thrashing in their very first game ever in a World Cup!

To start off with, Korea showed us how a comfortable game on paper can be converted into a mess by just about managing to beat underdogs and newcomers Togo 2-1, with a substitute needed to come on and grab the winner. On the back of this performance, I cannot see Korea progressing from the group stages, and will have to come up with something special against France and/or Switzerland to have any chance of going through. France-Switzerland was probaby the most boring game of football I have seen in a long time, though England-Paraguay would come a close second. Thierry Henry for some particular reason is just not able to deliver for his country the way he does day in and day out for Arsenal. Zidane looks a shadow of his former self.... and to top it all the average age of the French starting XI was over 30 or something!!!!! How can anyone expect them to go all the way?!

Group H saw two very exciting games with contrasting styles of play. Spain, as I mentioned earlier, made a statement, and the rest of the 31 teams better beware. Even without their talisman Raul, this young and talented team looked at ease against quality opposition, and I see the likes of Fabregas, Puyol, Torres and Villa as the stars of this tournament. I only hope they do not choke in the knockout stages as they did last time around. Andriy Shevchenko definitely looked like someone just returning from injury, as he struggled throughout the match to get a decent chance of scoring. In the end, Spain more than deserved their 4-0 victory. The other match was thrilling for other reasons. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia didnt exactly produce world-class performances, but their high tempo and an immense desire to win brought the match to life. A pulsating end to the match saw the Saudis almost winning it with a late goal, but Tunisia produced an even later goal through Radhi Jaidi, who has produced such headers regularly for Bolton Wanderers in England, to break the hearts of Saudi supporters all over the world. If the Saudis had pulled this one off, it would probably have been the best moment in the lives of those 11 Saudi players. Ultimately 2-2 was a fair result, one would have to admit.

Until the next round of matches.......

Berlin Beckons....part I

2006-06-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

So people, here is the first edition of "Berlin Beckons"....my insight into the biggest event of the year....the FIFA World Cup. Firstly, apart from those regular die-hard football fans, how many of you know what the full form of FIFA actually is?? Well, fyi, its "Federation Internationale de Football Association".....the supreme governing body for football/soccer in the world. Just thought I'd mention that, may look dumb, but I am certain there are many people out there just wondering......why is it called the FIFA World Cup......are FIFA the official sponsors or something......?! Believe me its true..!

Anyway, coming to the tournament itself, I shall kick-off with the matches that took place last evening/night IST...i.e on 12/6/06. It was an interesting day....a day of no surprises I would say. Australia firstly deservedly beat Japan 3-1......I thought this game saw the socceroos show the true fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude that has made Australia arguably the best sporting country in the world.......seriously they are good at any sport you can think of!! Except maybe ice hockey and the likes..! But look at the list......cricket (obviously, they're the Brazil of cricket), hockey (again almost like a Brazil there), soccer, tennis, athletics, swimming......goes on and on, and they're excellent in virtually all of em. Coming back to the match, I agree with the majority view that the goal for Japan should not have stood as the Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was clearly being impeded. But Tim Cahill truly showed why he is good enough to play in the EPL with 2 crucial goals......the second one was brilliant.....we really are witnessing some very good goals in this tournament!!

Coming to Czech - USA, after that game, I was left wondering how on earth the US are ranked 5th in the world in the FIFA world rankings!! They were trampled over by the "bouncing Czechs".....pun unintended.....though they did have the odd sight of goal. The star of the show was truly Tomas Rosicky.....just signed newly for Arsenal........I think he really is a fantastic signing for the Gunners....an attack minded midfielder.....perfect to replace Robert Pires, maybe even better. Well, 3-0 was the scoreline, and yup i actually fancy the Czechs to make the semis..........i feel some people really underestimate them.......a very clinical and solid team. As for the US, I dont think they can make it past the group stage on the back of this performance.

I was looking forward to watching Italy play and see how much of an effect the turmoil at home because of the ongoing scandal inquiry will affect their performance.....to my relief it didnt seem to bother them. They put up a highly efficient performance, with some good passes and moves on the back of solid defending. Andrea Pirlo continued the trend of excellent goals in the competition with a fine strike.....he's known to do that especially from free kicks pretty often for AC Milan.....and it was nice to see Iaquinta get on the scoresheet.....havent seen much of him but he did impress in the group stage of the Champion's League last year for Udinese.

Well, all eyes on Brazil in the coming set on matches, with the triple R brigade ready to pounce on the Croats and steal the show.......Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo, Robinho....get ready for some Samba magic!! Until the next.....

Reply to me by me..

2006-06-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Dear self (and actually whoever's reading this),

Thank you for the note of congratulations. About the duties that you mentioned, well yes i agree to abide by all of them except one - I CANNOT STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOTBALL!! So, people, you are gonna get a lot of expert soccer opinions on the ongoing football extravaganza in my daily special post which I shall entitle "Berlin beckons..".

About the flowery language part, do not worry, I'm lousy with words. I cannot write an essay without a thesaurus......else it will be comparable to an 8-year old's essay!!!!! Thats exaggerating it a bit, but well you get the idea. And if you decide to dispute that claim by pointing towards the word "Assiduous" in my Blog title, well, if you wanna know, I just flipped open a dictionary and that was the first word i saw!!! Cant help it.....my blog title has to be good you know!!

*Addressing my audience now*
Blogging is not your regular cup of tea.....although it is relatively easy to come out with your thoughts, organizing them and making them into words and further into sentences is quite a task. I regularly have read blogs by people who are extremely expressive and emotional.....who claim to speak from their heart......who have the uncontrollable urge to open out to the world surrounding them........well, i have news for you boys and girls, I'm not one of them. I'm just a guy who wants to know more about himself.......I wanna explore my inner self........and this is one of the best ways to do it. I am not a very emotional guy........but at the same time I want to know for a fact what I am good at and what I am not. So, in view of this, if anyone finds the time to reply to my posts, they are always welcome and appreciated.

Anyway, thats that....now I shall be off to watch Australia play Japan....not the best match in prospect but still....soccer is soccer for me....doesnt matter who is playing!!! And i actually happened to notice while channel surfing that India is playing test matches in the West Indies.....do people actually watch that now?!! So then, till next.....Good Day!

-Me

A letter to me..

2006-06-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

Dear self,

Congratulations on achieving your first objective of your holiday period. You have successfully created your own blog section, and it is now your duty to post your views and thoughts on any electrical signal to be decoded in your brain a.k.a control centre. It is also your duty to make sure you do not drive people away from this blog by repeatedly posting your opinions on football only and expecting each and every homosapien to become a soccer fan just because the World Cup is going on!! You shall not attempt to impress any girls just for the heck of it by using very flowery language in your posts and wasting your own precious vacation time which you will anyway end up wasting, whatever you do. You shall not disrespect anyone or anything, for that matter, even a teapot or a piece of wire! You will, though, attempt to entertain and humor your audience through a couple of trademark wisecracks, which only the learned and the sophisticated will understand and appreciate the creativity. Finally, this is your space, this is not my space, so I am not the ultimate authority........but actually i am you........or are you me.....anyway the fact is that we are we and whoever we are we are you and you are us.........umm actually ignore that........i confused myself........that is i confused you........so ultimately you confused me................hell i think im gonna stop. Good Day, sire.....

-You (or me, whatever)