Bas yun hee

About Maoists and Indian State

2009-10-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Two differing scenarios:

1. Pukistan sends its army to fight terrorists in its western areas of Waziristan etc. They are Pukistan citizens. They have even been bred and armed by Pukistan establishment. But they are destabilizing the state and are a threat to its integrity and existence and so its army is sent to fight to eliminate them. Pretty obvious and logical, correct!

2. India faces threats from Maoists. Which are also its citizens, Which are a threat to India's integrity and existence and are bent upon destabiliazing the country. But we debate whether the helicopters which would rescue the dead and wounded security forces personnel could retaliate if they are attacked.
Yes Chidambram is talking tough. Yes Shivraj Patil has been sent away rightly. But still there is a hesitation.

Sure there are a lot of sympathisers in the Indian establishment questioning the use of force, but so is the case in Pukistan.

Why does Pukistan more decisive in this and India is not?

Water on Moon by Chandrayan - 1 mission

2009-09-24T21:43:00.001-07:00

Amazing achievement.
Proud that an Indian mission has resulted in this discovery.
Provides motivation to do our work even better.

Snub to Indian media by Cricket team in SA

2009-09-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wonderful. Especially the reader's comments following the article.
Team India continues to snub media

If the media continues to cultivate people as demi gods and glorify them after every success, small or big, and the next day vilify them after just one failure, then this is treatment that they definitely should be getting.

As it is, the Indian media has become even less credible.

Another Indian Press gaffe

2009-09-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

So the first 'Duranto' run completed from Sealdah to Delhi.

Times of India reported that Duranto was delayed by 50 minutes. Link
Dainik Jagran that Duranto was before . (No link available but was it in the newspaper).

So much for our fourth estate's credibility.

Swine Flu aka H1N1

2009-08-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

So the media created hype and panic around Swine flu (I will say the word Swine and if am politically incorrect then so be it) is finally subsiding and people are getting back to reasonable levels of behavior.

Isnt that wierd in a coountry where one does not thinktwice before behaving and driving dangerously.

Or crossing the expressway on foot between high speed and heavy traffic, even though a zebra crossing / subway / over-bridge may be just 10 metres away.

Or riding a bike on a very busy and dangerous highway without helmet.

Or ramming one's bike between two trucks on a highway trying to overtake

And there is such a great deal of panic over a 'flu' !!!!!

Isnt it wierd that in a country where the total number of deaths due to TB would be much more than those because of 'Swine flu'.

Maybe because Swine flu is a disease of the rich or affluent as that class is the most affected (travel abroad, bring it back, afffect the social circle of the class) and that is why media is putting so much 'attention' to it whereas TB is a disease of the poor and so they just dont care.

I have actually stopped watching any news channel for the past month now. It is getting ridiculuos now.

And lets accept it. Indian media is extremely irresponsible and untrustworthy. Next time there is any 'Scoop' or a 'Sting' ... have your doubts.

Re: Why did India fall behind West

2009-08-22T01:45:00.000-07:00

So I got a response to this which said "Industrial Revolution". The main question is what made Industrial Revolution happen in the West before it did in India even though India was not far behind in terms of technology (Tipu Sultan's army invented rockets).

Well to me the main point of inflection was invention of the Printing Press which enabled thoughts, ideas and learnings to be duplicated and replicated far and wide whereas in India learning and knowledge passing was oral. This meant that in India one had to be close to a learned person to be able to develop intellect. Moreover because things were not written down or recorded, they kept getting lost throughout. Human mind does have its limitations.

In the West one the printing press got developed and replication of knowledge became easy, that would have spawned creating people far and wide to build on the available knowledge. There are intelligent, creative and hard-working people everywhere.

The internet is doing the same now and that is enabling India to start catching up.

Thats my thought. Ideas / comments?

Why did India fall behind West

2009-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

Getting to the blog after a long while.

So lets hear the thoughts... Till 1700s India was ahead of the west in terms of economy, GDP etc. What according to you was the primary reason why India started falling behind the West?

Lets hear.

Our crashing out chances from T20 World Cup

2009-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

At least 20 runs were lost during the phase when Dhoni was trying to just concentrate on taking singles.
Hey this is T20 mahi. And you became captain for your ability to make big scores 'faaassst'. And now it is your batting basically which lost us those 20 runs.
Also, need to get RP in to play in place of Ishant who just is not getting into the wicket taking scheme. We needed wickets and Rohit and Raina did not even bowl a single over. Dunno what is going on in Dhoni's mind.
But yes of course it is very easy to criticise when all plans and strategies fall apart and very easy to applaud the 'genius' when all of it just works.
So for the fans and the Indian media, it is extremely important to keep up their support for 'OUR' team and not go overboard (as they usually do) in their criticism if we do not make it to the semis (which looks really likely now) especially seeing our dismal run rate. Lets hope that this 'bump' is taken in the right spirit by all for charting out a better future.

For those who love cricket

2009-06-09T04:11:00.000-07:00

If you have not been following this... you better coz there is hardly anything as good as this currently in the world of cricket. Well Prince of Patiala in his full flow comes close... but not exactly :-) Love to know your comments (and hear your laughter over phone is you would care to call me to gossip on this)
http://fakeiplplayer.blogspot.com/

Yes - Aussies out!

2009-06-09T03:49:00.000-07:00

After a looong looong time... really a looong time India team start a world championship as the favorites.
And after a looooong looooong time.... really looooong looooong time the Aussie sissies start a tournament NOT as favorites.
They tried to argue and speculate that they should be considered among the favorites, but that was not to be and they are KICKED nay BUTT-ed out in the first round itself.
I am delighted. Server those arrogant arses well. Hope they learn some humility and sportsmanship now.
It seemed Auussies did not want to win as much as they want India to lose. Same seems to be the case with Pukistan.
Lets see what happens.

On Kapil Sibal

2009-05-31T03:55:00.000-07:00

On a Times Now program after the elections and before the cabinet announcement Kapil Sibal was participating. He clearly mentioned that due to his sons being lawyers, it would be unbecoming of him being appointed law minister (MK, please take note).
He also mentioned something else which I would like to share.
When asked by Arnab for what is he in politics when he had such a wonderful and high earning practice, his response was something like this:
"There is no end to how much money one can want and one can continue to run after it. But I believe that I have made enough money with my practice. Both my children are well settled. My wife is still working so that is another source of income for the family. And I wanted to do something for the country so I decided to take the plunge into politics. Fortunately the electorate has put me into the parliament for two successive terms so I seem to be doing the right thing."
This does not exactly capture what and how he said it, but if someone saw it, this was straight and honest talk. I did not have any tilt for or against Kapil Sibal. But after that I have begun to be hopeful that he would deliver in his stint as HRD minister. Hopefully the education system will get a boost now that a competent man like him is there.

Back after a long while

2009-05-31T03:31:00.000-07:00

So here I am back after a long break. Not that I did not have anything to right, rather it is more like I was not able to get time.

The little one is becoming cuter and active day by day hence demands for time from her. Sister is going to get married and will be leaving us in about three weeks from now. And office work is becoming more and more challenging, not so much in terms of challenge of work overload, rather it has become more of thinking and insight and managing people and not just technology, which has its own challenges.

IPL 2 is over with its share of excitement. Due to the reasons mentioned above, except for the final, I was not able to watch any single match fully. It was either one team's batting or another's.
But it was great, especially seeing the bowlers, especially the spinners holding their own.

It was also proved once and for all that Sachin Tendulkar can never be a good captain, nor can Yuvaraj, though his team to me seemed the most flamboyant in the way they play. Something of the captain rubbing off.

Now it is to the T20 world cup, where though Indian team looks formidable, I have my doubts due to the continuous cricket. Apart from fatigue, I believe this would affect the hunger for success as well for some of them, which I feel was the biggest reason for the triumph last time around.

Thank God we have a stable government for the next term, a lot more stable than the previous one and apart from the Indian electorate, Team Congress also needs to be congratulated. Brand Rahul is beginning to be felt. They also need to be congratulated for the way MK's tantrums were handled. Now it is the time to deliver.
The Indian electorate does seem to be voting with intelligence in the past one year, considering the recent assembly elections and this parliamentary election. Is this a maturing of the electorate who are willing to look beyond those who merely flaunt caste, regional and religious affiliations and linkages to try to get to power? I do hope so looking at the way the CMs who delivered were brought back in power in the assembly elections and the results of the parliamentary elections. Though these still are really early times.
Some ministerialdecisions are good. Keeping messrs Arjun Singh, Antulay, Bharadwaj etc out of the cabinet is great.
But some are purely from political compulsions. For example no one can expect Mamta Banerjee to be a better railway minister than Lalu.
For Bengal it is a case of either the Devil (Left, inspite of Buddhaeb) or the deep sea (Mamta). Both seem incompetent. Though finally the Left's audacious use of violence throughout Bengal to stay in power seems to have met its match as well as Karat's ego bubble has been pricked.

On Advani, well any sensible Indian would never have believed ever that Advani would become a Prime Minister. And this dream of his is dead.

Penchant for procuring criminals for elections

2009-02-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

I do not understand this fixation of Samajwadi Party to provide tickets to fight elections to people with criminal backgrounds.
Currently they have announced Sanjay Dutt as their candidate from Lucknow for the parliament elections this year. Now we all know the kind of background Sanjay Dutt has and his part in the Mumbai blasts and the subsequent multiple finger pointing with regard to his alleged relations with D company.
Why does Samajwadi Party consider him such a great choice? What has he done so far? What is his contribution towards and social cause?

In fact I remember reading some time back that they were also keen to offer M/S Abu Salem a ticket from Azamgarh. What exactly do they think that they are trying to do here?

Idiots in ShowBiz

2009-01-31T08:43:00.000-08:00

Sajid Khan and Arun Lal... good for nothings in showbiz. The former is a useless compere but somehow still manages to keep on appearing in shows. Man he must have a lot of strings.
Arun lal, in each and every match he is comentating, he always puts his foot in his mouth. Even today, he is saying that the srilankans are not doing right by batting a little slowly and trying to save wickets even though they lost 3 very quick wickets. Now tell me, even if the run rate required goes upto 8.5 or 9, isnt getting 85 or so runs in the last 10 overs in a one-day match pretty much normal? Having 6-7 wickets in hand would definitely ensure that. And the batting power-play still to be opted which would up the scoring.
So in that sense the strategy is perfect. Arun Lal, maybe you are stupid or maybe you are getting just too old to understand cricket of this generation.

India's North-West

2009-01-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

A comment from someone in office grabbed my attention.
"The NW area of India, Baluchistan, Afghanistan etc. has always been a source of trouble for her."

Think of it ... how very true. Right from the extremists in modern times, to raiders like babar, ghazni, ghauri and abdali, going right back to shakuni in mahabharat, who was from Kandhar and primarily responsible for the mahabharata war.

Is it India's fate till eternity?

How I feel, Substandard vests, batons vs AK 47

2008-12-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Right now I feel the same way as I felt during the Kargil war. The feeling is no different than that of India having been attacked and at war.
On top of that, just add the comments by politicians everyday. Yesterday RR Pateeel says that 'Small things like this in big cities happen". Yesterday he says that "Why should I resign?". Today he has resigned and says that "I am resigning because of my conscience".
Today Achutanandan (translating to child of an untouchable) says that "Had it not been for Sandeep, not even a og would have visited his house." A father who has lost his young son is being said this just because he did not like his son's martyrdom being politicised. What kind of people are governing our country!
Today I hear about deficient bulletproof vests being the reason for the death of Mr Karkare and several other policemen. http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/dec/01mumterror-were-the-bulletproof-vests-substandard.htm
The purchasing is done by the department headed by the joint commissioner of police (administration). Why is he still holding his office. Why is there a case of treason not slapped on him?
Today a TV channel played clips recorded by a mobile showing the Mumbai policemen fighting with the terror module at Girgaun - Chowpaty with a baton and a service revolver. Fighting two hard core militants who have received commando training for a year and who are armed with AK 47 and granades with what - One Service Revolver which is so old that it is unreliable and batons. Why isnt Mumbai Police better equipped and armed? What does the Police Commissioner have to say about this?

The whole brass needs to be rejigged. Is PC listening?

More comments on Mumbai Terror Attack

2008-11-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Shivraj Patil's resignation was default. Government should not expect to be seen as doing something by getting him to resign. It needs to do a lot more and needs to be also seen to be doing a lot more. No one from the government should be talking to any news channel in a loud or aggressive tone.
And vigilant Indians and press should ensure that an incompetent sycophantic fool like Shivraj is not given something like an ambassador or governor posting.
I believe thay Raj Thackray is finished unless he goes back to his chacha, who too not have a lot of steam left.
I believe that Advani and Rajnath did a crime by not being a part of the all-party meeting called by MMS. It is another matter altogether that there was nothing as such decided or announced in the meeting that required an all party consensus.
I believe that Maharashtra government leadership has also shown itself to be incompetent twice in quick succession. Once in their failure to handle the Raj Thackrey episode. And now in ignoring intelligence failures to the state again and again and again, in R R Patil saying 'Small things like these happen in big cities' and in Deshmukh taking along people like his actor son and Ram Gopal Verma for a 'disaster tourism' of the scenes of massacre and bloodbath. They too should be sacked now for first of all big blunders and secondly trivializing something as major as this.
Along with this political rolling, there are no bureaucratic rolling as such is happening. The IB head, home secy and national security advisor also need to be booted out.
Lets see what happens in the coming days.
What is still scary is one of the disclosures by the caught terrorist that 15 terrorists landed at Bombay. The current count of those accounted for is 10. What about the remaining 5?

Passing the buck again ... yeay yeay !

2008-11-28T23:25:00.000-08:00

Even before the encounter ends and full evidence is collected and collated, the Political Establishment started passing the buck and looking at scapegoats to diverge attention.

Its Pukistaan this time. Its the ISI this time they say. Thank God at least no one mentioned the retaliation for the Babri structure demolition 16 yrs ago or Gujarat carnage more than 5 yrs ago.

But no one from the government, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE is talking about the failures within and the need for restructuring revamping and sacking the people internally responsible for the lapse. It becomes easier to point fingers outside than within because that will make them work for the people of this country, something which they do not want to do.

By keeping Shivraj Patil hidden right through this and instead getting Minister of State for home (who also looks and sounds in the same league as Patil) and Pranab, their is definitely an acknowledgment regarding his incompetence, failures and the public's ire against him. Why they still continue to carry this sort of incompetence within themselves I cant fathom. Why they cannot simply turn around and sack him I cant fathom considering that they will not have any impact on their 'majority' in parliament because he is not from any coalition partner. Maybe he was again busy taking a shower and changing clothes and hence was late for the various media briefings and other public appearances. Or maybe he is covering in his hole, ashamed and embarrassed about himself and his existence.

We also need to other political parties to stop taking advantage and politicising this. Modi was rightly snubbed by Mr Karkare's widow who refused to meet him. Any party or politician who decides to politicise this needs to be asked that if you are so critical, please explain in exact terms what and how can this be handle and the changes that need to be made. Ask them to get specific and not to just rattle off vague statements.

Election in my area for Delhi Assembly is on 13th. I VOW to vote and also if I meet any candidate canvassing now I will demand to know the specific actions he or she has for the problems.

Messers MMS, Rahul, Sonia, Advani, Lalu - this is the right and actual time to lose sleep. This is the time to come up with a right strategy and action and come to public after the actions which are needed within the establishment.

Roll heads.
Reorganise security and intelligence structure.
Re write laws and penal codes for terrorist activitiess.
And for God's sake, complete the sentencing of Afzal Guru at least now damnit. He is becoming a liability for the govt day after day after day. Time to cut losses at least on that front.

THIS IS A WAR AND NEEDS TO BE TREATED AS SUCH.

Fab four NAY Fab five

2008-11-03T08:24:00.000-08:00

There are farewells .... and then there are FAREWELLS.
How many of us remember Kapil Dev's farewell, or for that matter Sunil Gavaskar's farewell.
And how many will forget Anil Kumble's farewell!
What timing, what emotion, and what dignity. There were so many critics who were questioning his form, fitness and inclusion in the India team. Even they would have got a lump in their throats when the great cricketer bid good bye.
Yours truly was actually somewhere in the middle. I did believe (probably hope) for him to turn on his magic at THE Kotla. He did not and eventually India did miss one fully functional and effective spinner, (though Harbhajan's injury made the decision easier for the selectors) and maybe because of that the Aussies were able to fetch a draw (that and the atrocious fielding too).
But eventually it was appropriate that Anil Kumble's last test match over was delivered on the Kotla turf. The place where his reinstatement into the India team began after he was dropped in 1992 after his first series. It was here Kumble broke Delhi's back in the Irani trophy. And then of course a PERFECT 10 in a test innings at Kotla again. So this is his luckiest pitch and fortune conspired in making it his last test and announcing his retirement as well.
Sunil Gavaskar once asked a question about Anil Kumble because he is (was) always underrated. "How many runs are equal to 500 wickets - 15,000?" That talks about his contribution and greatness. If you combine Saurav's and Laxman's runs, they do not total 15,000. So one could argue that Kumble's contribution to Indian cricket was greater than both these gentleman combined!
Its high time our media stopped talking about the era of 'Fab Four' coming to an end. They have done enough injustice for very long by coining the term - 'Fab Four' which leaves out the very important fifth element of this resurgent era of Indian cricket - Anil Kumble.

Please, lets all refer to this era as the era of 'Fab Five' from now on. The four would not have been so effective had there not been the very important lone warrior who had the capability to run through the opposition line up. वो जिसका opposition को खौफ रहता था.

Singur and CPM

2008-08-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Within the economic (and hence national) tragedy of Singur the irony is not lost I believe to everyone.
The very people who have always worked to kill industrialization are now facing the same tactics being used against them, and are literally at their wits end.
I am sure Buddhadeb would be having recurring dreams of all the agitations he has participated and led in his lifetime to force industries to close down. I am sure he will now probably have some pangs of regret and apology for it.

Makes me smile and a gleam of satisfaction penetrates my heart with this. It great to see the villain finally get a taste of his own medicine and now accept that what he did is wrong.

Another retail shopping experience

2008-08-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Big Apple retail store at Naraina on 15th August 2008.

Looked for and found packets of frozen peas, albeit small ones of 200g. Picked up one and turned around when the attendant stopped me.

A: "Sir you cannot take that !"
Me: "Why?"
A: "Thats not for sale!"
Me: "Why not. Its in stock. Its within the validity period. So why not?"
A: "Sir, thats free with a bigger packet of frozen peas".
Me: (WoW! Jackpot) "Ok so where do I get the bigger packet then"
A: "Sir thats out of stock"
Me: "What! Anyway I will be happy to take this then"
A: "But sir I told you thats not for sale."
Me: "Look I need a packet of frozen peas. You do not have a bigger one (which you have surprisingly run short of while still holding stock of the freebies). I am happy to pay for the one available so whats the problem?"
A: "Sir or computer will not accept the entry"
Me: (An AHA moment). "So you mean even if you have a packet you will not let me take it. How wierd can it get!"
A: Smiles.
Me: Shrugs and walks off.

Is Shivraj Patil the worst Home Minister

2008-08-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

- Increase in Maoist activities
- Increase in terrorism
- Blatant apathy with regard to approaching extension of ban on SIMI
- Amarnath land row (one wonders whether Ram Setu would also lead to something similar)

What more can one ask for. Event after events after events keep happening and he just sits there, meekly. He should have put in his papers long back owning moral responsibility for the law & order mess. Need to remove the security cover enjoyed by all such folks to get them to work in the direction of internal security.

I would also like to bring to the forefront the following article related to Amarnath land row, referred to me by Aditya.

Put in your views regarding India's worst home minister ever.

Amarnath agitation in J & K

2008-08-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

What is happening in J & K today fortunately did not happen in 1989 otherwise Kashmir might have gone out of India's control much more than what it is today.
Is it due to the pent up anger of people of Jammu regarding whatever has been happening there for so long? 100 acres of land available for providing facilities for pilgrims is if you see not a big deal and probably an extension of spirit of bonhomie between the communities of Kashmir which has been making the pilgrimage possible for so many years.
One radical voice opposing the land transfer and Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress ran for cover. No surprise that they are unable to fight terrorism.
On the other hand there is the RamSetu controversy where there are numerous facts defying government's claims of this being a worthy project but still the government is refusing to accept and is getting confused over affidavits and versions of Ramayana and history.
Wonder why the government did not show this kind of a conviction in the Amarnath land row.
On the other hand, wonder why the government did not show the "flexibility" in Ransetu project.

Obvious answers???

From SC - "Even God cannot save this country"

2008-08-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Saw this on Rediff today. Well now the SC has thrown up its arms in disgust when we all are aware that in fact it is the Indian judicial system which makes ordinary citizens want to take the easy way out of breaking the law or ignoring lawlessness and moving on with their lives.
The Nikita Mehta case has again proved this well known fact. A couple, who have approached the Courts for permission to abort their child due to doubts about the child being able to lead a normal healthy life have been sent back by the courts saying that the law does not permit it as it would amount to mercy killing. I wonder if the judges just want to go by the book then why not replace the whole lot of them with computers. The reason I say this is because in pronouncing judgments such as the one cited above, no human intervention and intelligence is shown, hence this job can be very effectively, and possibly even more efficiently be done by a computing machine.
लकीर के फकीर बनके बैठने का क्या फायदा। इससे अच्छा काम तो कंप्यूटर ज़रूर कर लेंगे.

So net net ... the SC is exasperated today ... what about the whole country being exasperated by the whole judicial system for so long?

Came back to it within 30 minutes to edit is as just right now on TV flashed a news that the ban on SIMI has been revoked by the court. How many such instances of mindless verdicts which will hurt the country are going to happen in my lifetime?

Winners and losers

2008-07-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

My take:

Winners - Manmohan, Sonia, Amar Singh, Mulayam.
Losers - BJP, Left.

Is this a change of momentum for the congress in recent Indian politics where it lost one state after another?

In the intermittent days

2008-07-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Had been busy in work firstly, and then took a break to Goa. Yes Goa in the monsoons. It was beautiful lush green all around.
Some tips: DO NOT go to the cruises on the Mandovi river. Just a waste of time and money.

Meanwhile, here are some pics of the trip:

Where is the authenticity guys!

2008-07-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today's (1st July) Delhi Times, last page, Big Bazar ad talks about a scheme on दशेहरी mangoes with a photo of a bunch of, guess what, चुसनी mangoes.

The ad has been created by Mudra (as mentioned in the sidebar). What is the issue in looking at what you are creating guys. Why not give it some thought and think about it deeply?

That really hurt a दशेहरी lover like me.

Fatherhod : An unparalleled emotion

2008-06-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

What happens when a young one comes into this world.

When she opens her eyes for the first time and finds herself being cradled in someone's arms with a gaggle of doting people around her.

She looks confused. She is quiet. She looks so vulnerable. She at times make you feel sorry for her. She makes you want to just put barriers around her. For her protection.

She makes you nervous because of her feebleness. Heck she even makes you afraid of touching her yourself because of that.

Then you grow out of that phase. You begin to get confident about the whole thing. You begin to hold her, cuddle her, walk in the room with her on your shoulder. You begin to talk a lot of cute nonsense to her and make faces at her. You begin to start telling your plans about her ... to her. You know that she does not understand a single word of what you are saying, but thats just a way of you pouring out your feelings.

Mind you, it does not strike you when you see her for the first time. It just grows on you and you start to look for her and miss her when she is not around. You put her best photograph on your computer's desktop. You want to talk about her in every discussion. You celebrate and every new action, behavior, stunt (if I may say so) from her. You discard logic when interpreting her actions and in talking to her.

Wow... just three months... and so much. What will happen when she will start her cackling. Fatherhood has been some experience so far.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

2008-06-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Saw the movie titled as above during the weekend. What is talks about is that, all other things remaining the same, if a person gets one's beloved's memory erased from the mind they would again fall for the same person if they come in contact with them.
Very interesting concept and presented in a very nice manner as well.

IPL 2008 Final

2008-06-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

The event which had its non-believers and doubters has been a roaring success.

If Chennai wins it under Dhoni, he would have a BIG stature in the cricketing world, after the 20-20 world cup win and beating Auusies in the tri-series down under.

2008 - What a year!

2008-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

IPL, European Cup Football and Beijing Olympics... has there been a better year in history for sports lovers in terms of Mega events? I dont think so.

He let me down

2008-05-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Harbhajan has let me down. I am embarassed that I sided and supported him in the controversy in Australia.
He has been banned for a number of matches and stripped off his huge renumeration for IPL. That is how it should have been.

I am sure that these are the feelings of all Indian fans and so no one is supporting him today. Sresanth seems to have learned his lesson and has sobered down.

Ricky Ponting goes and does what his soul makes him do.... talk crap about Indian players, even though he is playing a series against the West Indies.

The Indian board has done its job. Now what the ICC or CA do to make sure that the Aussies get punished for their boorish behavior remains to be seen.

Truth and open media

2008-05-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

This is a kind of a response to my friend's post here about the many faces of truth which got me thinking about my views.
The media has only recently begun to be so active and open and reaching to masses at such a large scale after the advent of so many private news channels. In places like China, Myanmar etc this is still not true.
Old habits die hard and so the powers that be are still not adjusted to the fact that today in more open society it would be tougher for them to get away with improper comments unlike previously when it was possible to fool the masses by making pronouncements which masses had no means to verify.
Today in India, a Mayawati says that Rahul Gandhi washes himself with a special soap after visiting dalit homes because she still does not understand the free and open media.
China says that Tibetan Youth congress is associated with Taliban and expects the world to believe it again based on its own country's restricted media.
Myanmar generals mark international humanitarian aid with their names before sending it out.
Arjun Singh chairs a meeting to celebrate 150 year anniversary of 1857 war of India's independence not expecting anyone to realise that his previous generations had supported the British and so he had no moral right to chair such a function.

Its a different matter altogether that our media is covered mostly either with IPL or Khali nowadays and seems to have nothing much else to report currently.

Name - Humans and a penchant to organise

2008-03-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

What is the first thing we encounter after we are born which symbolises the inate human desire to organise and simplify things? It is the name given to us. The name which differentiates us from the rest. The name by which in a crowd we can make out that we are being called and others make out that they are not being called. The name by which the lineage, caste, creed, religion, nationality is reflected. Yes, thats right.
To quote a cliche ... Shakespeare said 'whats in a name... blah... blah... blah'. Well it turns out that there is actually quite a lot in a name. Had it not been so, why would that have been the first and foremost thing to do upon a new one's arrival. Why would a number of people want their suggested name to be accepted and feel elated or disheartened when their suggestion is accepted or rejected ... in that order. Because a name signifies our unique identity... our very own individuality. A name also helps make remembering and refering to each one of us a lot easier than if we did not have a name. It helps the whole world to make sense of or organise the huge population on the planet and make it easier to refer to each one of us uniquely.

The Day - 2nd March. Aadyaa's arrival.

2008-03-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

The day started with wifey reporting that her water has broken. The baby seems to be on the way... two weeks earlier than predicted by the gynecologist. The gynae confirmed it after inspection and wifey was admitted to the hospital. So from the initial plan of leisurely spending the Sunday watching the first of the India - Australia cricket finals, the scenario changed to hectic activity in the hospital and nervousness. Now when I think of it, the match that day provided moments of relief from the pressure to me and the others who were present.

There was a scene right out of "Nine Months" movie when in one of the moments when I tried to comfort wifey during a painful contraction in the evening, she shooed me away saying 'हट जाओ । भाग जाओ ।' :-) lol

Finally the call came from the gynae to take wifey to labor room at around 9.15 pm.

Once wifey was in the labor room, did I realise I was hungry ... and tired. I went to the hospital room, switched on the TV and tried to eat some dinner... The TV was full of news of the cricket victory over Aussies in the first final. An hour passed. I remembered the gynae telling us that it could take an hour or more. The 38 week wait is going to get over anytime. came back to wait outside the labor room. Prachi and my mothers and one of her brothers were present. The rest of the family had been sent home.

More than an hour passed. Apart from the tension of waiting and hoping for everything to be fine, I was in another fix... what to name the kid. Girl's name was decided 3 months back. And the name was so liked by wifey and me that we just did not think about a name in the eventuality of the baby being a boy.

Finally someone emerged from the labor room and asked for cloth to wrap the baby in as the baby had arrived. Our barrage of questions were not answered by him and he disappeared after getting the cloth and a shawl from my mother. I was congratulated and hugged by wifeys brother and all four of us went into a huddle. After another agonising 15 minutes or so, the baby emerged, wrapped in the shawl and we were informed that its a girl. Oh Man !!! Finally I get to see my offspring.

My Offspring!

She was taken up to the hospital room and wifey's brother and I returned to wait for and receive wifey. All this in the middle of frantic texting and making and receiving phone calls. Wifey came out and in discomfort, but was looking ok overall.

It actually began to sink in from the next morning that we had hoped for a girl and got her. God had been kind. So we found the name which the two of us had decided for her to be extremely appropriate - Aadyaa, after Goddess Durga.

Three months earlier I had decided in my mind the text message which I was going to send to the rest of the world when she arrives. Yes. The exact words were in my mind months before. So I was well prepared when the moment came :-)

Since then it has been a roller coaster so far for me, feeling peaceful and happy when she is quiet, seems comforted in my arms and goes to sleep at my shoulder... and feeling extremely disturbed when she is crying out loud.

This is not as perfect a description as I would have liked to put out, but that is because of the time which has passed. And in the ensuing time, I have preferred to be with Aadyaa rather than spend the time putting out this post. I will possibly edit it in the course of the next few days and add more details as I remember them.

Hilarious... Bhajji vs Symonds... teri maa ki

2008-01-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here is the transcript of what the stump mike caught:
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23131303-5003413,00.html

And here is the hilarious part... quotes from the firang judge who sat over the proceedings...
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23134165-5003413,00.html
I never thought 'teri maaki' would be so hilarious... I have used it in a very hilarious manner a lot of times but nothing really beats this court room proceeding. I would love to get a tape of how the firang judge said it. What a treat it would be. :-)

I do hope that the aussies are given more of teri maaki in the ensuing matches ... there be so much fun in watching cricket then, even if India was losing. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLLLLL

Solution for controversial decisions

2008-01-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

I have a solution framework for catches becoming more open and fair.
If a catch is taken in the deep the batsman walks and does not wait for the umpire's decision. Why cant the same principal be applied. One or two wrong decisions divided equally between both teams can be attributed to human errors but in a game where as many as 6 wrong decisions were given by the umpires against a single team who get affected enough to loose the match from a winning position then there is a BIG NEED for a change deep down.

Make it imperative that the batsmen HAVE to walk when they are out be catching in any manner, whether in the deep or behind the stumps. If they dont walk, then BAN them for next 5 Tests and 5 One-Days apart from deducting their full fee for the current series.
In other words, get the on-field umpires totally out of deciding on caught behind and edges. If a batsman does not walk then the fielding team appeals to third umpire who adjudicates and based on the result of TV replays the above is enforced.
So in the 2nd Test the crook Ponting and the monkey Symonds did not walk in the first inning and Hussey in the second and Dravid and Ganguly were wrongly given out. Put that into perspective here. TV replays clearly showed the Aussie cheaters out and hence they would have been forced to leave and Saurav and Dravid would have stayed put. Because the penalty for not walking is so high, each and every cricketer would HAVE to respect it and those who are not out will have no fear and can stay put without fear. The human error element in umpiring also gets totally removed. There may be genuine doubts in parties' mind and there too they can tell the on-field umpires that they are not sure and can ask for replays.
Similarly, apply the same punishment and penalty if a fielder grounds a catch but still claims it by appealing for it. This will again stop crooks like Ponting and Clark from claiming catches when they are grounded and then losing their cool against the media. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06rick.htm

Now someone needs to take this idea out and put it in front ICC for review. Send in your comments folks and refer it around to others as well if it seems good.

Symonds Monkey, Ponting Crook

2008-01-06T06:21:00.000-08:00

I have been away for a long time and have been forced today to return because of the gross behavior with the country's representatives in Aussie land.
A lot has been said and written since the first day of the match and I am not going to add a lot to it. Though I am going to put my thoughts a little differently.
We all know that Ponting is a crook and I am sure each and every umpire around the world knows the nature of all the players in the international arena. We all also know that Andrew Symonds is a typical ill-mannered गाँव वाला who has no morals, mannerisms and even a decent upbringing. His behavior seems as if he has been pulled in from the jungle into civilization. There was a shot during the match when Sachin hit a century and only Gilchrist and Clarke were the ones who gave the semblance of applauding the feat... the rest of the Aussie team were not interested in it and Symonds behaved as if he doesn't know what has happened. Hence HE deserves to be called a MONKEY... just because his mannerisms make it seem that he has just been brought down from the trees in the jungle.
Ricky Ponting is a BIG CROOK... its not the first time that he has cheated... he even lashed out at the reporters when he was probed. http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06rick.htm
when the whole Aussie media gets hostile to any visiting team.
Latest is that Mr Speed, head of ICC is defending the umpires http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06speed.htm
I don't feel that there is going to be any retribution for the way Indian interest was quashed in Sydney because the BCCI and its head being spineless and gutless.

Growing up

2007-11-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Another video which I shot today morning... the grey colored feathers have started covering them.

Diwali in Delhi

2007-11-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to do this post (extremely important from my perspective) for a few days but have been quite busy.
Diwali night in Delhi and what would one expect ... brightly lit city, decorated with all the splendor. Well here is some news... my family decided to visit Cannaught Place / India Gate, the works on diwali night after dinner to see the रौनक there on this very important festival and lo and behold, it was barren there there... nothing... zilch बिल्कुल खाली no lighting, no decoration whatsoever at both the places. It was shocking for all of us. What is that happening?? Saving Electricity or being unreasonably miser !! If the government is serious about saving electricity / money then the government just needs to do its job and nothing extra.
Diwali is one festival which is close to the Indian culture and we felt bad at these city landmarks totally barren and not decorated at all.
I hate to think this way but the thought that came to my mind is... lets wait for Christmas and see the status again.

Update on Pigeons

2007-11-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Another picture and a video that I managed to shoot today of the chicks. One seems while the other seems docile.

Hatched

2007-11-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the long awaited update (especially for those who are following this).
The eggs have hatched and two chicks (I suppose pigeons are called that) were spotted yesterday (right after Diwali). They may have been hatched a day or two earlier. The mother pigeon allowed us to take a look now and then by moving away.

Pigeon Update

2007-10-31T04:11:00.000-07:00

So here is the second egg. Must have been laid some days back but because she had not moved since then, I was not able to get a picture of the second one. Most probably 8th should be the hatching day.

Pigeons in my home

2007-10-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

Something good after the depressing news of the cowardly shelving from the Indian Govt of the Indo US nuclear technology agreement.

A pair of pigeons have built a nest in my balcony and an egg has been laid yesterday. This site says that another should be coming by tomorrow and they should be hatching on Diwali. Will keep the updates coming.

Deal in Cold Storage

2007-10-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks messers Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi for putting the Indo-US Nuclear co-operation agreement into cold storage. You prefer to stick to your seats and power rather than keep your word and promises (Manmohan Singh had dared the left last month to pull down the government over the nuclear deal. Now he has covered down and defended his chair.)
This may encourage the Left parties to try and stop even other things like the Indo-US military co-operation. The left which has got its parliamentary seats from basically Bengal is ruining the rest of the nation. And we say that democracy is the bet system there is... a system where a minority can dictate terms.

Why dont the Left parties spell out clearly what the hell do they want to be done with India? How long do they expect India to be a laggard in terms of infrastructure? Or do they actually want India to be a laggard in these things... if poverty is reduced then who will vote for "Messiahs of the Poor"?

Crying Out Loud

2007-10-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Indian cricket is crying out loud:

"We anyway cant win 50 over with the BIG THREE anymore. Lets get them out and try with new folks, maybe we have a chance"

Hope the authorities and the BIG THREE listen.

Fwded - A Bridge Too Far

2007-10-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

The Lord surveyed the Ram Setu and said "Hanuman, how diligently and strenuously you and your vanara sena had built this bridge several centuries back. It is remarkable that it has withstood the ravages of the climatic and geographical changes over centuries. It is indeed an amazing feat especially considering the fact that a bridge at Hyderabad built by Gammon using latest technology collapsed the other day even before they could stick the posters on its pillars."

Hanuman with all humility spoke "Jai Sri Ram, it is all because of your grace. We just scribbled your name on the bricks and threw them in thesea and they held. No steel from TISCO or cement from Ambuja or ACC was ever used. But Lord, why rake up the old issue now."

Ram spoke "Well, Hanuman some people down there want to demolish the bridge and construct a canal. The contract involves lot of money and lot of money will be made. They will make money on demolition and make more money on construction. "

Hanuman humbly bowed down and said "Why not we go down and present our case?"

Ram said "Times have changed since we were down there. They will ask us to submit age proof and we don't have either a birth certificate or school leaving certificate. We traveled mainly on foot and some times in bullock carts and so we don't have a driving license either. As far as the address proof is concerned the fact that I was born at Ayodhya is itself under litigation for over half a century, If I go in a traditional attire with bow and arrow, the ordinary folks may recognize me but Arjun Singh may take me to be some tribal and, at the most, offer a seat at IIT under the reserved category. Also, a God cannot walk in dressed in a three-piece suit and announce his arrival. It would make even the devotees suspicious. So it is dilemma so to say."

"I can vouch for you by saying that I personally built the bridge."

"My dear, Anjani putra, it will not work. They will ask you to produce the lay-out plan, the project details, including financial outlay and how the project cost was met and the completion certificate. Nothing is accepted without documentary evidence in India. You may cough but unless a doctor certifies it, you have no cough. A pensioner may present himself personally but the authorities do not take it as proof. He has to produce a life-certificate to prove that he is alive. It is that complicated."

"Lord can't understand these historians. Over the years you have given darshan once every hundred years to saints like Surdas, Tulsidas, Saint Thyagaraja, Jayadeva, Bhadrachala Ramdas and even Sant Tukaram and still they disbelieve your existence and say Ramayana is a myth. The only option, I see, is to re-enact Ramayana on earth and set the government records straight once for all."

Lord smiled "It isn't that easy today. Ravan is apprehensive that he may look like a saint in front of Karunanidhi. I also spoke to his mama Mareecha, who appeared as a golden deer to tempt Sita maiyya when I was in the forest and he said that he won't take a chance of stepping on earth as long as Salman Khan is around."

My Theory on Dravid's actions

2007-09-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

Without the BIG THREE of Indian cricket the team has become world champions in Twenty Twenty which was one of the most competitive tournament that I have ever witnessed.

But there could also be a method to the actions taken by Dravid in first convincing the other BIG TWO to shun this tournament, and later, in resigning from captaincy.

Had he resigned from captaincy without convincing the other BIG TWO to shun Twenty Twenty cup the BCCI might have made one of them the captain which would indeed have been a step back.
Also, by resigning from captaincy after the new Twenty Twenty captain was announced and had left for the tour it was ensured that Mahi would definitely be offered the One-Day Captaincy and no one else. The BCCI could not have gone any other way on this.

So now in hindsight it looks like the perfect steps were taken to ensure the next level was passed on the baton and that 'experience' was not called up again for captaincy for a 2nd or 3rd time.

Now did this happen by chance, or did Dravid make this happen deliberately, trying to ensure the good and progressiveness of Indian cricket?

Congrats and Well Done!

2007-09-24T20:52:00.001-07:00

Heartiest Congrats to the Men in Blue for being the 20-20 world champions.

Muaah :-D

T20 cup

2007-09-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

So Indian team ... the 'Young' Indian team in in the final setting up a dream clash for the spectators with Pakis in South Africa tomorrow.
I am not going to talk about the team's performance etc coz enough of it would be seen and heard already.
What I have in my mind is a thought about the potential change in the way cricket is going to be played around the world.
I have begun to believe that One-Day cricket as we know it is going to come to an end.
Now having experienced the exhiliration of 20-20 cricket, I am unable to think of how am I going to spend a whole day watching a limited overs cricket match when there is another format which lasts for 3 hours, gives me the best of batting, bowling and fielding and not a single dull moment throughout.
Also, with two competing 20-20 leagues starting in India soon, because of the strength India commands in the cricket world, this means that 20-20 is the future of limited overs cricket.
The thought of having to spend one full day for a limited overs match does not excite me anymore and I dont believe that there is space for 2 different versions of limited overs cricket.

Test matches are a different ball game altogether and they, just like all classical stuff, will continue to stay and charm one and all.

Limited overs cricket has taken the next step in its evolution and has emerged a more beautiful being after this metamorphosis.

Twenty Two and its effects

2007-09-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just like the impact one-day cricket had on the game- better fielding, faster running between wickets, diving stops, more attractive strokeplay- I believe that Twenty Twenty will also have an impact, the biggest which could be scores of 400 in 50 over matches.
It is said that this new format is all to the detriment of the bowlers, but on the contrary, it puts a lot of pressure on the batsmen! Every dot-ball puts pressure on the batsman. Every wicket to fall is a dot-ball to, so if a team loses 6-wickets in their innings, thats 6 dot balls additionally or one over less for the batting side. So not losing wickets is also as important here, even though it is just twenty overs. And again, this is adding to the batsmen's pressure. Where is the pressure on the bowler here? I dont see it.
This format will also bring about changes in bowling skills. Bowlers will have to learn to be more and more accurate and precise. The action is quick, fast-paced which would mean that bowlers like Munaf Patel who are pathetic fielders have no place here. which I feel is the right way for it to be. Fielding is a very important part of the game, its one of the 3 dimensions of the game where each player needs to compulsorily perform and if you are not fit to perform in this one, you better stay out.
So better fielding, more accurate throwing will also be positives emerging out of this format.

The one possibility I am not happy about is the chances of this game also becoming a power game, just like tennins has become now. I hope it doesnt become a slogger's game.

Issue to bring down the govt

2007-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

It has happenned agagin... Bomb Blasts in Hyderabad. More than 50 dead and lots injured. Victims ... innocent citizens, enjoying a 'Laser Show' and 'Ethnic Snacks' with their families. People who would just want to live their lives quietly, send their children to schools, colleges and get good careers.
Attend to their families and worry about their health and well-being.
Watch soaps and cricket matches with the whole family on TV and argue with each other over ownership of the remote.
Enjoy films which include those of the Khan Brigade.
Make plans to take time out of work in a few days to get 'Rakhi' tied from sisters scatterred around the city and conversely, keep the post and couriers busy delivering the 'Rakhis' on time.
Worry about how to buy a home of one's own against the gigantic price rise.
Give reasons for the following to queue up on our doors : Vodafone, Walmart, Hyundai, Suzuki, IBM, HP, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Revelon, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Nike, Adidas, Sony ... the list is endless

Come on Karat & Co. Show your commitment and patriotism to the nation. Here is a much bigger issue to threaten to bring down the government. Pounce over the government and say that if there is one more blast killing innocents anywhere in the country, we will bring down the government. ... Yechury, Brinda, Bardhan and all the others...

From Rediff- China's Interest is our Interest

2007-08-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

From B Raman... India's ex head of IB.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/19raman.htm

and here is from the Man in the Middle of the mayhem and arrogance:

Prakash Karat ://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/20guest.htm
Interestingly, nowhere does he mention anything about the nuclear deal's terms clearly. He is just talking on and on about US - India strategic tie-up to which he (and his Chinese mandarins obviously) are opposed.

Anguish

2007-08-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

I came to vent out my anger at the Left parties nuking India's progress in technology. But I see that my friends here and here have already done it very well.

How helpless I feel!

First overwhelming majority of Indians' opinion with regards to the choice of the president was simply trampled by The Congress and Mrs Sonia Gandhi and a sycophant with a dubious track record in terms of her past ventures and frauds was placed into the highest post of the country. And there was nothing that I or the millions of others who sent their votes and opinions could do about it.

And now this minority Leftists, who are just making a blatant display of their arrogance by putting the government on the mat over something which overwhelmingly is to India's benefit. I just dont see the Left gaining anything from this in terms of their future electoral performance or prospective. It just seems to be a case of 'Every dog has its day'. Today the 50 odd-seat left is making the most of being in the limelight.
Well I am not actually surprised at the Left's opinion. I am just anguished at their choice of opportunity. This just goes on to further my opinion that they are the traitors for this country.

They are and historically have been opposed to whatever may be happening to India's benefit. Surely, they would be getting high rewards for the same from China. This is a blatant public display of the group working against India's interest.

But somewhere I am also gratified by looking at the state of Congress. Probably serves them right after the way Sonia and her cahoots chose to trample over the overwhelming majority of Indians in favor of giving Kalam a second term for president. The problem is that this retribution could cost the country one of its biggest strategic foreign policy coup in history.

Warning Bells for Indian IT Biggies

2007-08-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Found this article on the web and it seems very good and apt.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2007/gb2007086_988535.htm?chan=globalbiz_asia+index+page_top+stories

Long Live Sycophancy!!!

2007-06-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

"चापलूसी की जय हो "
The Congress has done it again. An unheard, unseen, unknown Pratibha Patil (who?) a BIG चापलूस of the Royal Gandhi family looks set to storm into Rashtrapati Bhavan for the next 5 years.

The Subhiksha 'tasty mangoes'

2007-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone seen the latest Subhiksha ad regarding the baarish of mangoes in their stores?
Well the ad itself is quite interesting : A PYT telling a lady outside the store "Aapke mangoes kaafi yummy lag rahe hain". Now what exactly did she mean?? What or rather which mangoes?? The ones in the basket or the ones in the... ahem!

Anyway, I was dissapointed to find only the safeda variety available in the here in spite of the ad promising the availability of various varieties. I have never found the Subhiksha shopping experience satisfactory. They will charge extra for accepting some brands of credit cards. The availability of brands is limited. I havent been able to find the medicines I have gone and asked for. Wonder how do they survive and manage the chain. Is there a different set of customers they are targetting?

About Retail Revolution

2007-05-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

There are changes happening in the Retail Sector which I dont know how many people have noticed.

Big Bazar in Sahara Mall, Gurgaon has become very crowded. That is the single largest departmental store but it just gets too crowded to shop comfortably. NEVER take the trolley for your shopping as it gets impossible to manouver it within the store looking for stuff. You are much better off holding the shopping basket in your hand and carrying that along. If there are two of you, then its even better because you can carry a basket each.

Even if you struggle and get hold of what you came to buy and approach the Billing Counter, you could very well be stranded waiting for your turn for more than 30 minutes. It was definitely better to shop in the traditional markets of Old Cities where you did not have that 'Aura' of being in a comfy Air Conditioned place. You had decided to sweat it out in the busy, noisy and chaotic market, and you were ready for it. You searched, haggled, shopped and came back satiated.

Coming back to the change I had started this post with. Once while at Big Bazaar, wifey and I got so pissed off seeing the long queue at the billing counter that we just left whatever we had picked and filled our trolley and walked out. We came to a departmental store near our house and picked up exactly the same things at just about the same price and in a duration which was one-fourth of what it would take to do in Big Bazaar. Yesterday I went to do the monthly ration shopping in Sector 31 market where a total of 3 departmental stores have opened and was able to feel the relaxed shopping experience which Big Bazaar gave 3 years back. I think that the concept of one super large store would need to be interspersed with multiple localised smaller stores for success. Super large stores will have their crowds, their one central location. But people are always going to need places right below their apartments where they can walk down when they need something urgently or even pick things up while returning from work.

Big Bazaar, Reliance and Walmart are going to setup and thrive but what they will not be able to do id put the local mom'n'pop stores out of business. The mom'n'pop stores will need to modernize, go in for electronic payment machines, setup airconditioning in their store, learn about consumer tastes and choices and they will continue to thrive.

Silent Temples

2007-05-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

There is this temple in South City-I, Gurgaon. When one visits it, next to it one finds a small pond below a huge Banyan tree. There is also a small straw hut which is inside the temple boundary.
There used to be an ascetic who lived in the hut, long before Gurgaon as we know it came about. The hut is still maintained. The pond seems to have shrunk a little in all these 3 years I have visited the temple.

What appeals to me is the thought that once upon a time this would be open land and this ascetic chose to build a hut near a pond to spend his days meditating. It offers a very strong contrast to the multi storied buildings that stand behind it. The multi-storied buildings signifying the modern amenities and luxuries and this with the pond - the simple existence.

In Sushant Lok -1, Gurgaon, there is another temple, which you need to know exists to reach there. It is hidden right in the middle of sprawling Sushant Lok but it too commands an environment of its own. There is a huge pond in front of it which has sand on its banks. It is sorrounded by huge Banyan trees and the temple gives a look of one of those temples which are right in the middle of a jungle because of the sorrounding environment. One can hear peacocks and some other birds and animals. The temple is deserted for most parts of the day and the place is really peaceful.

Two places which are reminiscent of the life away from chaos, noise and stress of modern day living in the city.

About Cities

2007-05-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

What makes a city livable? Roads, Water, Power, Climate? Almost all 'cities' in India have these in an acceptable range or one which can be made acceptable by spending some money on backups.

What I am talking about is the culture / the soul of a place. The feeling of belonging or acceptability you feel. The feeling where you do not wish to be in another city or place and are satisfied with what the city has to offer.

Lucknow makes me feel good in spite of its extreme climate.

Pune made me feel good. Was it climate ...I dont think so... was it the culture ... maybe... even though the language barrier was there. There were concerts, recitals, theatre which I attended and relished.

In Gurgaon I really do not have avenues for spending leisure time. There are just the malls and multiplexes! What about the culture... what about concerts... and recitals... and theatre... nope. You have malls and multiplexes and you better make do with those because thats the standard stuff - one size fits all. If you want to experience the cultural part, you need to drive an hour to Delhi for it which gets in it another set of planning and thinking (if the concert is at 5 we need to reach by 4.30 to get tickets so we should start by 3.30 which means that we should have lunch by then which means that there is no chance to do the cleanup and sorting planned for the house for this weekend!!! nah!!! too many things to think about. Just adds to the stress and the frustration)

I do not find Gurgaon having a soul. I have to go to the old city - the Sadar Bazaar to feel it. I like to go to Sadar Bazar just for that. Maybe I am used to the chaotic markets of UP and this is similar. Last week, wifey and I found a reason to go to Sadar Bazar... exchange scheme for utencils and an opportunity for wifey to shop for Diwan sets. Spent about 2 hours there and came back feeling refreshed and satiated with the experience... inspite of the chaos and the noise and the warm weather. I dont feel that way coming out shopping from the neat and clean and spic span and swanky air conditioned malls. Pity, these markets too would sooner or later convert to the mall ilk.

WC 2007 Final

2007-04-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

I like the Lankans more for their cricket but I feel (like many others) that the Aussie juggernaut is unstoppable. Australia look good to complete a hat-trick of World Cup Victories.

Meanwhile I am eagerly looking forward to Subhash Chandra's new upcoming cricket league. I really want to see the real domestic talent come out in the open and the current lot of the Indian international cricketers' reality to be displayed against the upcoming cricketers.

Cricket Team and CMMI level 5

2007-04-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Australia is a CMMI level 5 team. India would be somewhere level 3 and South Africa, Sri Lanka at Level 4.
Sounds Crazy! Cricket and CMMI? Well I do observe similarities in approach, winnability and focus in both.

CMMI process tries to create an environment where the performance is repeatable and optimizing. The Australian team is showing that continuously for the past 5 years or so. Earlier teams would score 250 or so against them in one days... now its tough to get to 200 also.

In CMMI process there is a need of not relying on heroics to make the project successful. In cricket also, there is a philosophy of teamwork and a desire not to depend on individual heroics. Everyone in the team should be capable, which is why there are multiple batsmen, multiple bowlers etc. If there was a single Hero then what is the need for having multiple people for the same objective.

I am sure there are a lot of other similar things but do not have the inclination to go into that much detail at this time. But you generally get the idea...

Fw: World Cup 2019 Special News

2007-04-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

Got this hilarious forward today... dont know the source so I acknowledge whoever is the author etc.

Year 2019 - Cricket World Cup news:

· India failed to defeat Afghanistan in the world cup
qualifier in the Asia -Pacific zone

· Coach Sehwag said that he is not worried bcoz he has
backing of selectors, captain and board.... and that they had
won a close match against Papua new guinea just 2 yrs ago

· Rahul Dravid, the coach of New Zealand team said
that Sachin should now consider retiring gracefully and let his
son take over the captaincy

· Mahender Singh Dhoni broke Ajit Agarkars record of
most no of consecutive ducks in twenty 20

· Saurav Ganguly, the coach of England feels that the
boys need to control their emotions on the field

· The current leading man from bollywood Bret Lee
advices MS Dhoni to take up acting as well

· Minnows Pakistan beat Ireland in a close match...and
thus they avenged their defeat in the 2007 WC against the then
minnows Ireland

· Inzamam ul haq, who was the captain of the losing
team and now the present coach said in a press interview that
"Boys plays well...they try hard...inshallah we wins the world
cup"

· The police arrested 8 ppl for violence after England
and NZ match...
Investigations revealed that these ppl were members of Dravid
and Ganguly fan communities on Orkut, which have 62 and 12
members respectively.

· The Indian cricket board led by president Rahul
Gandhi has called for an emergency meeting to discuss future
course of action. Former players like Yuvraj Singh, Md Kaif,
VVS Laxman and Kumble have been invited...coach Sehwag and
captain Tendulkar will present a report...

· VVS Laxman today created a new controversy by saying
that he expected a written apology from Rahul Gandhi for
including him in the category of former players.... he said
that he has improved his fielding and fitness and wants to play
2023 WC in Brazil

नमस्कार जनता!

2007-04-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

क्या बात है... हिंदी में ब्लोग। कमाल हो गया :-)
बस लिखते चलो और ब्राउजर में जावा स्क्रिप्ट उसको अपने आप हिंदी में बदलती चली जायेगी। तो अब जब मेरा मन करेगा मैं हिंदी में लिखूंगा और जब नही तो इंग्लिश में। वैसे मेरे कुछ ऐसे भी दोस्त हैं जो हिंदी नही जानते हैं तो इसलिये मुझे इंग्लिश में ही लिखते रहना पड़ेगा। लेकिन इस नयी चीज़ को देखके मज़ा आ गया।

New KBC

2007-04-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

There was and is a lot of debate on whether the new KBC hosted by Shahrukh is better or the older one hosted by Big B.
I have watched a couple of episodes of the new one and found that Shahrukh has given it a distinct identity of his own compared to what Big B had given it. And for this exact reason, I will not be able to comment on which one is better.
Big B had a different appeal and aura for his show and Shahrukh has given this one another appeal. Big B's was more sedate, just right to do with Big B's age and maturity. Shahrukh's is more youthful. With Big B hosting, the contestants were faced with an elderly person, with Shahrukh there is a person who seems to be close to their age group, they can even get away with his leg pulling ... witness one of the contestants saying K..K..K..K..Khan.
So there will always be KBC known by 'Big B's KBC' and "King Khan's KBC'.

Random Musings

2007-04-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Long weekend ... gone. Lot of planning for an outing but in the end, just stayed at home most of the time. It gets more frustrating when there are no decent movies also on the TV during these days.

And of course India is not playing cricket!!!

A thought comes to mind. 'Experts' talk about Generation Gaps at home. But how many have acknowledged and have thought about Generation Gap at workplace? In my opinion, the biggest gap in the workplaces today in India is related to the difference in mentality between my generation and the previous one regarding the capability of Indians. The previous generation is coming from a time when the general thought was that Everything Imported is good and Everything Indian is of inferior quality. Same for plans and ideas. My generation believes that we Indians are no less or different than the rest of the world and given the right opportunity, or even at times without it, we can become world beaters. And this is just one example.

Signs of changes in Airport Infrastructure

2007-04-01T20:12:00.000-07:00

Was returning from Kolkata recently and went to the washroom after landing at the Delhi Airport. Signs of change after the privatization have already beginning to show. The washroom and the utilities in there are resembling those of a top hotel now rather than the dingy old ones from before.

Its Over!!!

2007-03-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

So World Cup '07 is over for India almost as soon as it began. Well at least the hopes were killed right in the beginning so was saved a lot of time in the later stages.

Was watching the news coverage regarding it the next morning and there was a scanning shot of the Indian players in the dressing room when the last rites were being carried out in the field. It started with Dravid, went to Sehwag, and then to Sachin. All were morose but Sachin's expression somehow made me feel sorry over the event. Yes, sorry. He had made a Royal Duck when India in a veri critical match. But his eyes were very wide, sad, his fingers twitching in the air, his face conveying a deep sense of gloom and ... in all of it, there was also an expression of hope against hope which was making him keep looking on the field wide eyed and all, trying to concentrate and feel and find any flicker of resurgence or a turnaround by the tail batting on the field. I am very angry with the performance!!! But this image of the players is going to haunt me for some time.

Well what can one say. He was 'ONCE' a great player. The very fact that he is not a great player anymore is that for the past one full year he has been consistently getting out in a similar fashion -inside edge onto the stumps - to all the bowlers around the world. If he was still the same great player, then he should have already sorted it out.

By the way, one of my colleagues had in the morning said that Chapell should go to the field with his baggage packed so that in case India is ejected, he can save his life and go to the airport directly from the stadium to catch a flight to Australia. He and Dravid have brought about the downfall since they took over and they have to take most of the blame.

Another thought is that maybe there would be some underhand dealing between the commercially interested parties and Bangladesh cricket establishment to make them loose against Bermuda. There is so much money at stake here, and I am just talking legal money, that if India get ejected along with Pakistan at this preliminary stage, then a lot of commercial loss will take place. I am sticking my neck out. If this result comes true in the next match then you know where you read it first.

Sri Lanka Match

2007-03-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

As nervous as I would be before the final where India is playing.
Everywhere the talk revolved around that during the day. I was in a training and we all found some topic or another to connect it to today's match.

The beginning signs are not good. I am not hoping too much.

Killing me softly

2007-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Thats what the budget for the year seems to be doing.

It seems to be telling that you, a middle-class salaried person will not be affected, but look closely and you will find that it is going to hurt.

Of prime (dis)interest to me is the introduction of 'Service Tax' on leasing of immovable property for commercial purposes. This means that the cost of commercial real estate will increase and companies will have to compensate this loss by cutting down on salaries raises. Salaried people always bear the brunt.

Why cant the service tax net be increased and the rate of income tax be reduced. This would definitely get in greater revenue and ensure a more equitable distribution of tax liability in general.

Lets begin something where tax can be hidden - a self-owned setup... a startup... waddaya say!!

The year of return

2007-02-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

The year started with me visiting Nainital, the place where I grew up and did my schooling.
And then in Feb I was in Pune, where I started my career, for a short while.
This year seems to be a year of returning to places which have connection to my past. Will it be a return or meeting of some people also similarly?

What have they done!

2007-02-17T06:05:00.000-08:00

Thumping victory at Vizag. Batting works wonderfully. Bowling too does well. And fielding too. They have just raised our hopes for the World Cup. Now I will need to take time out to think about, to follow the progress, to exult in victories and to sulk in defeats during the tournament. Because now I, a quintessential Indian cricket fan, have my hopes, desires and appetites raised.

About Master Plans

2007-02-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Gurgaon and Delhi Master Plans 2021 have been released. A lot of talk of improvements in the one for Gurgaon and compromises in the one for Delhi.

I wonder how is it going to affect me personally. Ideally speaking I would like to live in a city where I can walk on (on the sides) the roads without being honked or continuously staying alert so that I am not run over. I want to enjoy the sun in winters and cool evening breeze in summers. I want to walk to a restaurant near my house for dinner and return on foot in the night.
I want to have the choice of driving or cycling to work.

A lot of us in India have become so used to using vehicles because the roads are not safe for walking or cycling. Either there is no pavement, or if there is then it has been encroached by vendors. Little things that can make a lot of difference in the quality of life.

Another recent development was a ruling by the honourable Supreme Court ruling that in Delhi, 'No food can be cooked on roadside. All the hawkers selling eatables need to cook it at home and pack them and then only will they be able to sell these.' I find this absurd. What about the chat and kulche chole on the sidewalks? What about the momos and kathi rolls? Moreover the logic of hygiene doesnt stand here. On the street I can see how hygienic or not a place is and based on that make my decision whether to eat or not but if the food is packed then for a road-side vendor, I dont know the condition of his kitchen at home so what or who do I trust before eating? I will not have this choice.

World Cup Squad

2007-02-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

So... finally THE team has been chosen. No surprises for me in terms of inclusions or ommissions based upon current form (Dinesh Karthik, Sreeshant, Uthappa) and potential due to past reputation (Sehwag, Pathan).
The dice has been rolled. Time to stop criticism of players and their selection. Rather this is the time to show whole-hearted support to them.

All the best gentleman.

A New Read

2007-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

The time between finishing a book and starting another is just something else. A book does not cost a lot, but still I go to great lengths to make sure I do not end up with a bad one.
Sometimes I do pick out a few in bulk so that I have ready stock to start when I finish reading the current one. And sometimes I am not able to decide which to pick next even after the current one has been finished for a few days.

The habit of reading developed in me thanks to the presence of two Mahanubhavs in the Pune household. One of them being a voracious reader and the other a 'moody' reader.

Anyway, so this weekend I got hold of 'Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance'. Heard a lot about it so am looking forward to spending my free-time with it, either tucked up in a quilt or sunning in the grass.

They are back

2007-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

Saw a cockroach crawling in the loo in the morning. A lizard once again is crawling on the wall. A mosquito was flying around yesterday in my room. They are back from hibernation.
Winter has truly ended here.

Two Wishes

2007-02-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

There are times when I get so many ideas to write about but am nowhere near a computer to put in my thoughts. And then when I get to a computer to write, I am at a loss of ideas. Now just this morning while walking to the office I was thinking of someting very interesting to pen down but now at night when I am ready to 'blog' I forget. Life is good!!!

Anyhow, there are a few things in my life close to my heart which I wish I could do or knew how to do. The first one is Poetry. I love reading poetry - Hindi, Urdu and English (especially the philosophical variety). I thouroughly enjoyed reading Vikram Seth's Golden Gate which has been fully written in verse (including the acknowledgement and preface) but I cant come up with verses myself.
The second one is Music skill. I love listening to music. Ihave music sense as well as an ear that can even recognize which instrument is being played but I myself do not know how to play any musical instrument. I had my chance in school but at that time was not motivated enough to learn it.

I wonder if I will fulfill these wishes in this lifetime.

Productive chaos at workplace

2007-02-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Ha! This is for those bosses who insist on more of processes, more of organisation, more of structure, more of predictability in the work of their reportees. Tha article talks about how chaos and 'anti-structure' at work can bring success. This also tells me that probably I am more organised and neat than I should be in my work. Check this out

Reads

2007-02-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts. Interesting story. I would not say that it is inspiring but it was good to read and relax with. One person can go through so many varied experiences in one's life. Thats a life full of adventure which overwhelms at times. It colors a totally different picture of Mumbai to me.. a truly cosmopolitan one.

I feel the need to get another book now and am not able to decide which to pick. Any suggestions from out there?

Two events yesterday

2007-02-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Tata Steel bid successfully for Corus and Sachin scored a century in style, raising our hopes for a better performance at the world cup.
What a day of successes and being an Indian :)!

WOW Technology!!!

2007-02-01T06:52:00.000-08:00

Saw this article on rediff. And this recording of the event on youtube.

This could possibly be the next leap for technology in terms of human interface after the mouse .... or rather beyond the mouse. It is just a technology or concept which is waiting for applications of it.

He also has an interesting point against the concept of $100 laptop which a lot of people are talking about.

What do the people think and come up with :-)!

Gender related mindset

2007-01-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

Wifey dragged me to 'TexMach' expo in Pragati Maidan on the weekend. I was forced to tag along because there was no one to go with her and she was really interested in attending that. The expo was a display and presentation of machinery used in the manufacturing of textiles. There were international companies showing off their wares in the expo from Germany, China, Korea etc.
What hit me was something else though. The stalls were manned by Indians mostly. When wifey (and I) approached any stall to enquire the details etc, the person at the stall would invariably explain the query refering, talking and giving attention to me (the male), even though it was wifey who asked the question and was the one who was keener and interjecting during the explanations. I believe that we in India have still many a mile to go before getting over the gender bias at professional level. Doesnt matter that we have had a woman prime-minister and women chief-ministers. Doesnt matter that we have the most powerful politician in the country today who is a woman. Doesnt matter that the most well-known cop in India is a woman. Doesnt matter that we have women CEOs in many Indian companies today as well as an India woman heading the international giant PepsiCo.
The common man still gives attention to the Male in the group in professional arena. This could also be industry specific because in the textile manufacturing industry there are not a lot of women on the factory floor and hence these people may not be acustomed to talk to a woman in position or possession of knowledge. But then these kind still form the majority in India.

Singur and SEZ Controversies

2007-01-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot on the Singur controversy and the fast?? of "Maumta di"!!

The agitation of the farmers and the government as well as the corporate house's predicament. I am no fan of Communists... I believe that the Indian Commies are a lot of rigid, narrow-minded and useless old hags who just want to hold on to an idealogy which has been proved to be a failure. They support the government from the outside which shows another aspect of their slyminess - Authority without accountability. Now this might be seem to be a tirade in favor of "Maumta di". That is not true. I have friends from West Bengal who tell me that the people over there are very poor and the kind of money which Tatas have offerred to them is a big saviour.
Neverthless, what gets my goat is that India is a Democracy in just the name. We just elect our law-makers. That is the only democratic aspect of our country. After that the government and the elected (and non-elected) decision-makers just keep everything about running the country under wraps. I have not seen any parameters based on which the government decided to allocate the Singur land for SEZ. If they have really done a good deal then they should come out with facts and figures to convince at least the classes. No one bothered to do that. Where are the statistics related to the percentage of land that is farmed in Singur area. Where is the statistic related to number and kind of crops harvested in a year for the last 5 years in the region. Where is the statistic related to the number of deaths due to poverty, the number of people who are unemployed etc etc.
The best way would be to make the people partners in the industry which is getting developed. The local population also becomes stakeholders in the development and fully supports it. Look what has happenned in Magarpatta near Pune. There is no controversy there and everyone is happy.

Guru!

2007-01-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

I was very well inclined to watch this on the very weekend it released and finally did manage to get tickets, albeit they were of Friday night itself but of the very first row in the theater.

I wonder when everyone knows that the movie is based on Dhirubhai Ambani's life then why does the director still put a message that the story is fictional. Why not come out in the open and say that it is biographical. It also showed the animosity between him and the Wadias of Bombay Dyeing. Anyway...

Great and very promising first half. Second half was also good but because the first half was so good that there was a hint on dissatisfaction at the end of the movie. A couple of songs were also misplaced and should not have been there.

But all in all one of the better films and a good one to start 2007 with.

Good that we are seeing refreshingly different films being made by Bollywood than the same old masala and song and dance route. Last year had a lot of those kind of films and this year has also started on that positive note.

New Don

2007-01-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

Just saw the new Don on cable. Found it to be a very decent attempt at a remake. Hi-Tech, Classy, Sophisticated and loads of attitude. People often criticise Indian films comparing them with the western counterparts but I do not see anything amiss with the way Indian Cinema has evolved and continues to churn out its own kind of movies. Cinema is for entertainment and I am thoroughly entertained by Indian films. I get completely lost in a good film while watching it, whether it is Hindi or English, and I believe that ultimately, thats what Cinema is for.

Hiding Taxable Income is OKAY!!

2007-01-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

When you do not get service by the government for which you pay tax then I feel that it is morally justified that one goes all out to hide one's income as much as possible and not pay tax.
Nithari skeletons are a case in point. Gurgaon cab serial killers are another case. Police refused to register FIRs and even ignored the pattern of killings which was there to see around these.
These days, at any point of time when Indian cops come across any case, their mind starts thinking in the direction of now can I make money out of this!
I believe that the DPS RKPuram MMS scandal around three years back also got the hype and attention by the cops because all those involved were rich and there was every option to harass them and extort money.
I do not make resolutions, but today I feel like making one. I will go to extreme length and pain to hide every part of my income as much as possible so as not to pay tax to the government of India to the greatest extent. The government does not give me even the most basic service for which it charges tax - Police, Road, Electricity.

Match-Fixing again (Tendulkar and Dravid doing it)!!

2007-01-06T05:12:00.000-08:00

Sure seems like it when batsmen of the calibre of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hop around while facing a rookie leg-spinner - Harris. Dinesh Kartik, another debutant played fluently against him and attacked him beautifully.
What were Sachin and Rahul doing just standing there and trying to defend the ball? What the hell were they afraid of? When in India Sachin has hit Shane Warne around the ground when Shane bowled in the rough then why did he give Harris so much respect and not hit him? And what was up with Dravid also? These kind of things give you proof and start making you believe the match-fixing theories.

New Year

2007-01-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Here is wishing the patrons of this page a wonderful 2007.

Wifey and I celebrated the arrival in Nainital. I went there after 14 years. So much changes and so much remains the same. The shops in Bara Bazar were the same and the faces manning those shops familiar but all of those faces had grown old. There is a motorable road right upto 'Snow View' now.

My school has changed quite a lot but it still seemed as if I was there only yesterday. We met my House-Master Mr. Pande who is still as moody as before (initially gave us permision for 20 minutes to show wifey around the school premises and then himself sat us down and talked for an hour in his office). He retired last year but is on an extension. Good to see the new principal exposing students to the world 'outside' by sending them to compete in extra-curricular activities around the country.

Also met Shravan Nagpal, the bloke from my class who teased and troubled me quite a lot in school days. He is running a cloth business in Haldwani along with his brother and is doing rather well (bloke supplies uniforms to 50 schools in the region). We enquired about his shop and stopped there on our way back. I knew that he would certainly meet me extremely warmly but the way he welcomed me was truly extraordinary... with such warmth and compassion :-) While the two of us talked, wifey decided to make good use of her time and started looking at some of the sweaters in his shop and picked one and dear Nagpal refused to take any money for it as this was our first visit to his shop.

I showed wifey around to so many places where I did so many firsts of my life... where I played Billiards first time... where I tasted butter chicken first time... where I tased fried fish first time... where I learnt leg-spin bowling... you get the point, dont you !

The Mall Road has become so commercialised. It is decorated with lights and there are megaphones around playing music... Rowdy elements stop their bikes in the middle of the road and dance vulgarily!!

People are discouraged from using plastic bags to preserve the lake. You get your stuff in good old paper bags and if you buy a few things then unless you are carrying a hand bag or something, you have a problem carrying the multiple paper bags around.

All in all a nice visit to my past and an excellent way to welcome 2007. Lets hope this year also brings in its path memories as cherishable as the ones this trip of mine brought back to me.

Interesting Trivia

2006-12-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

Wifey is a textile designer and specialises in weaving. I am a Software Engineer. These two fields being so divergent from each other have a point of convergence in history (which a lot of people know but are not conscious about). There was a gentleman called Joseph Jacquard who was a weaver. He created an automated loom for which he invented a mechanism to pre-store and provide input through 'Punched Cards'. Yes. That is the convergence point. Punched Cards were the 'ancestors' of all storage devices (floppy, hard disk, Flash Memory).
And that loom also evolved. Today it in in an avatar where designs are created in computers on a digital pad, saved in a floppy disk and fed into the loom via an attached disk drive from which the loom reads the design and begins to weave.

Very Important Day

2006-12-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

Monday - 18th December 2006 could be a Historic Day for 3 reasons:

1) Verdict on the Fodder and Corruption case against Lalu.
2) Verdict on the Jessica Lal murder case.
3) India might win their first Test in SA and for the first time go ahead in a series there.

I am going to go to work and do my job with as much dedication as possible and hope that the respective people involved in the events mentioned above also do their job correctly and with utmost dedication.

First Test

2006-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

I spent a great part of the weekend following the match. India are definitely in a strong and a potentially match-winning position and I really loved the fight, the dedication and the attitude displayed by the team.
Now there is still a chance that SA might make a match of it. Prince and Boucher currently batting with Pollock to follow, there is definitely an opportunity for SA to get the approx 260 runs required to win because the pitch has also eased out and become better for batting and Kumble is not producing anything yet.
Still, the gutsy fight in the first inning and even more so the fight by the batsmen especially Laxman and Zaheer in the second innings would ensure that even if India loses from here, the Indian cricket fan would be pleased by the will to fight shown by the players. Ultimately that is what the fans want to see. The heart to fight.
I loved the way Zaheer batted. It should be a lesson to the top order. Leave EVERYTHING outside off stump. Just leave it. Anything coming close to off-stump, go right behind it and play it down. And then when the bowler gets bored and straightens the line even more, smack him twards the leg-side. Simple. Sensible. And Damn Effective. So many great thing in life are the simple ones.
It ensured that India lasted amost all of the first session on the third day and raised the Target to an unlikely 400 after Dhoni and Kumble departed early playing loose shots.
Of course, Sreeshanth antics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjEYzm-nHrw) were a great booster :-)

Fashion Show

2006-12-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

First Live Fashion Show - thanks to wifey who got passes for the event. Final semester Fashion Designing students of Pearl Academy are each given an opportunity to present 5 designs of their collection to be displayed on ramp in front of parents, teachers, guests from fashion industry and media. This is like the final presentation or submission of their course.
Just imagine the exhilaration of the students who are not yet in the industry but have their designs modeled by the likes of Jesse Randhawa and even Isha Kopikkar on the ramp.
From an outsider's point of view, I enjoyed the presentation of the event, the glamour and the vivaciousness there. I did try very hard just to concentrate on the Models ! But my attention was digressing to the clothes and the music again and again and again. Even from my perspective I did manage to get to like a few designs on the clothes. The names that were given to the collections by the students were no less astounding and creative. Check out a few :
Chastity of Radha, Vicca, Delicate Sensibilities... when there is style, it is there in everything in the event.

The Delhi Weekend

2006-12-12T07:05:00.000-08:00

So my Bro-in-law was visiting and had never seen the Qutb Minar. I had also visited it more than 15 years ago and because one could see it everytime one travelled from Gurgaon to South-Delhi and back, somehow it hadnt appealed enough for a visit during my more than 3-yr stay here.
We decided to go to Qutb Minar and then see from there what to do.

We reached there in the afternoon and the sunny winter afternoon made the visit quite pleasant. There is huge open space around the Minar which is carpeted with lush green and well maintained lawns. The Minar and other monuments inside the complex are like interspersed in the middle of the green carpet. I have begun to believe that I am developing into someone who has started appreciating the arts because I was just fascinated by the beauty of the carvings around the Minar. On every floor of the Minar was an exquisitely carved balcony that hung outward and the intricate work on those took my breath away. In short, the winter afternoon sun and the beauty of the monument made the visit extremely enjoyable.

Then we decided to pay a visit to CP/Janpath, first for a bite and then for a shopping trip for wifey. We hit the much celebrated South Indian place called Sarvana Bhavan. While the rest ordered assorted dosas, I ordered Paneer Dosa and after 10 minutes they said that it will take 15 minutes for them to prepare. As I was quite hungry by the time I asked them how much time would Idli take and they said 'Immediately'. So I asked them to get me a plate of Idli immediately and follow it up with the Paneer Dosa. Idli was good but even after my having finished off the idli they said that paneer dosa would take nother 15 minutes. Clearly, they did not want to serve me Paneer Dosa. They tried to push Mysore Masala Dosa which I accepted because I was extremely hungry. What arrived was a very spicy plate of Dosa 'dripping' with oil. The others too had got their Dosas dripping with oil. The sambhar and chatni were good but we were really put off by the oil-dripping dosa servings. Wonder why the place is so famous and is called the best South-Indian food joint in Delhi. Naivedyam chain is much better in terms of service and preparation. I have been eating there since 2000 and the experience has always been very good.

It was dusk when we visited India Gate and drove along Raj Path right to the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan. When you drive up Raisina hill and park the car next to South Block and turn around, you feel GRAND. I wonder how many tourists in Delhi go down that road. The drive to Raisina hill and the view of Raj[ath and India Gate from there are really wonderful and highly recommended for anyone visiting Delhi. It just takes 10 minutes to start from from India Gate. Stop for some pictures from between North Block and South Block and return and the time is worth it.

Weekend Specials in Delhi

2006-12-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

I feel so short of ideas when I am confronted with outing in Delhi. I am done with the malling and CP-ing routine. I am not interested in another shopping trip to Karol Bagh. I am not interested in watching a movie at times. I am done with Qutab Minar/Red Fort.
There are a couple of places to go around Gurgaon but I want to SEE Delhi for what it is.
Going to search the net and find a few places to see this weekend.

91-Runs

2006-11-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

So my beloved team gets a drubbing in South Africa. And there is a BIG hue and cry over it.
But wasnt it expected? I mean come on... you would crib about something which you didnt expect, and this wasnt like that. All Indian cricket fans worth their salt knew at the bottom of their hearts that SA tour would be a losing cause, given the performers of our 'STARS' and 'MODELS' this very recently.
There were so many news items showign these 'MODELS' walking the ramp, signing endorsements, shooting ads, and Dhoni was even spotted shooting a music video while a domestic season was on. Now thats their level of commitment! So what else can you expect?

Just one Yuvraj Singh's injury doesnt cause a 91 run debacle.

One moment they are playing shots and the next they are out, gone, bowled, through the gate. What was that about? Deception? By the bowlers? Or by our 'MODELS' towards us, giving us hope with their shots.

Relative Merit

2006-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Which is better? Being the best in your circle of influence, or, being the best in the world? Or do both give the same level of satisfaction?
For example, one might be the best runner in the school but may not be the best in the city. Would one still feel satisfied of at least some level of achievement? Should one?

And its not just the 'space' factor of comparison. There is a factor of time too.

Indian cricket team won the world cup in 1983. Would they have been good enough to beat the Australian team of today? If not, then does it take away from them some of their Halo? Should it take away some of their Halo?

Contradictions in management

2006-11-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

I have strongly come to the conclusion that a lot of managers try to avoid hard-work and use their minds (Yes, I know some people would smirk and say what took you so long. But I had my reasons).
What with things like reports, trackings, models, guidelines, frameworks etc.
If you put in a framework or methodology, ultimately you are trying to force the human mind to work in a certain narrow path, which is not something that should be encouraged. A number of articles are appearing one after another trumpeting the idea that innovation cannot be regulated. It has to be groomed but cannot be 'modelised' in any way. But some managers tend to create models which they feel is a great thing that they are doing. The model would be that the reportee would need to commit a date by which he/she would finish 'thinking' about a new idea, followed by a date by which the reportee would need to commit a date by which to finish 'thinking' about the innovation or application or mechanism to implement the new idea, followed lastly by a date by which a paper or a prototype of the idea would be ready.
Also a mechanism or a spreadsheet using the timelines to track these milestones.

Yes, I know it sounds ridiculous. It does not work and slowly the effort around this also dies down.

That takes me to another point, the fact of creating trackers for 'everything'. That again makes the managers' job easier. They just need to look at the tracker and find out where things stand. That is another matter that most of the times the trackers are made to look good so that the manager may not fire back. So managers can stay away from the ground reality and just look at the tracker and feel happy at what is being reported as the progress.

In call centers, agents are trained on using the keyboard in a fixed sequence of hand movements. The quality analysts say that they have arrived at these by going through motion studies. That I believe is the best example of the attempt by organisations and managements to mechanise the working and thinking of humans.

Another observation in this regard has been at ICICI Bank at DLF Qutub Plaza branch, which might be the case elsewhere too.

There had been 'compartments' made instead of desks. There were a total of 9 of them and each had a number hung on top of them. There was one bank employee sitting behind a desk at each compartment having a computer and a printer on their desk.
It reminded me of workstations in a call-center or even better, the counters at the railway reservation system.

One cannot just approach any 'compartment' with your query or request. I was redirected to a terminal where I had to punch in my request type and get a token with an assigned queue number. There is a terminal which displays the queue number and the 'compartment' number which keeps updating so that when your turn comes, your queue number and the 'compartment' to which it is assigned is displayed and you can move there and have your query sorted out.

It really seemed very impersonal and mechanical. Banks, as I have grown up, signify a vibrant place with a lot of mixing up of people. But this was just so individualistic. In traditional banks - read PSU ones-there would be less literate people asking others to fill in a check or requests for drafts. All the forms would be available in at least two languages. The above experience seemed to end all that.

Change from pen and paper to computers was just a change of the medium of recording. This change of medium also had the advantages of increasing efficiency of computations and faster data transfers, hence it was a welcome change. But this is a whole lot different and raises a lot of questions.

Using the terminal to get the tokens is non-trivial. To those who are not very well educated or are not technology savy it will be very tough. Does ICICI bank intend not to keep and serve those customers? Moreover, I believe that these tokens will be tracked and computed in terms of rate per transaction for 'Management' to review. It makes banking impersonal and makes working in Banks so mechanical.

What a contradiction! We are trying to make machines intelligent and humans mechanical!!

Options for Fun in Gurgaon

2006-11-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

I found out today that there is a 4 hole golf course close to my house which is maintained by HUDA and where one does not need to be a member to go and tee. Just pay up and play. Damages for an hour's game would be around Rs. 100.

Ditto for lawn tennis.

The only thing in Gurgaon for fun used to be shopping Malls, Bowling, Go-Karting and Movies. I have discovered another goodie and am going to try to make the most of it now. Hopefully the missus would also like this news when she returns from her trip to Chennai. Yes! She is away for a week and I am almost like a bachelor these days.

Sports Week

2006-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

I still hate it if I lose in Cricket!

Two matches in a day. Team batted first in both of them and put up reasonable scores both times. Both ended up being close contests which my team lost, one by 5 deliveries remaining and another by 6 deliveries (I wanted to use the phrase balls but something told me not to, wonder why). I ended up wishing that had I been more forceful and got my way in the batting order and the bowling line-up then I might have been able to make a difference.

Really, I still still hate losing in Cricket!

I won two rounds of Chess and am to play semi-final tomorrow. I lost TT singles and doubles in the first round. Won first rounds of Lawn Tennis singles to someone who supposedly had a superior game and got a walkover in doubles. Lost Carrom doubles in the first round. But none of these losses gave me as much discomfort or the wins would have given greater joy than the same result in cricket.

Damn! I STILL HATE LOSING IN CRICKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Equilibrium

2006-11-12T01:04:00.000-08:00

I heard a joke sometime back.

God's assisstant asks God "You always say that you maintain equilibrium, but thats not true. Look at India, the country has great natural resources, abundance of mineral wealth, lots of intelligent and hard-working people. You have been unfair to the rest of the world by giving one country 'EVERYTHING'". God replies "You cant say that. Look at the neighbours I gave it".

Moot point is that there is always equilibrium in the world. If you had a pesky colleague who was making your visit to the office and the thought of seeing his/her face as a result, repulsive, and he/she leaves, then you might get another one like that. Or you might get a new boss who is arrogant. There is always something in this world which keeps us on our feet. There is always just that one thing which you hope wasn't there OR was there to make your life fully peaceful.

Waddya say world?

Came back here after a long time. I keep getting thoughts off and on which I want to put here but don't just get the time.

I am reading 'Shantaram' currently. Interesting story because I get to learn about India and its problems from an outsider's perspective.