I was travelling today from Maim to Kandivali for a client meeting. Pushed in to the 2nd class compartment and stuck in at a corner like a plug in a socket (yes absolutely I wouldn't have possibly come out of that socket without "extra-terrestrial" intervention). As usual, the 6 ft 4" that I am, getting easily noticed and stared for no other reason but being too tall.
At Bandra station a guy with long curly hair enters. For a change some stares are diverted towards him (including mine). Looked like, if possible, he would pull a guitar from somewhere and start head-banging right over there. Khar station arrives, labour gets in and out, and yeah literally labour.
Santacruz and Vile Parle go by quickly without getting too much notice as I am looking forward for Andheri to come and give some much needed space to my static limbs. Feeling like a statue (who is sweating). Finally Andheri comes but brings no relief.
A man gets in at Goregaon. The real life revolutionary from the film Dombivali fast. Fed up of the daily grind and travelling in the same condition everyday. He was shouting and howling at everybody and the way everybody was rushing in and out of the trains without caring whose face is getting stuck in whose armpit and other "mundane" issues like that. Most of the crowd including that man and myself get off at Kandivali - man is still shouting in frustration.
I try and follow him. Keen to find out what is going on in his mind. I thought I'll talk to him. But, considering his mood I decided to leave him alone and just follow him. There is a weird way of crossing over to Kandivali East. Had to climb and get down 2 separate bridges. Most people avoid the second bridge and take the tracks. I am still walking behind this person wondering if he'll take the tracks.(and also wondering whether he is another case of all-blah). He is walking towards the tracks and .... finally he takes the stairs -- the man beside his irritating way of expressing his frustration won my respect for practicing what he preached. Whether he was mentally imbalanced or no I don't know but it sure did make me feel sorry for the daily commuter. He seemed to be a pretty normal chap. This daily commuter is definitely facing some troublesome times everyday to be turned into such a violent mind.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The vision of a citizen - Vol 1 - Case 1
Case Study 1: Roads in Mumbai:
Facts:
The roads are dug up
The roads are said to be under construction
Roads are completed and touched up after months of work on it
In some cases the roads develop potholes every year and have to be done up every year.
Questions and concerns:
Why is the Quality of work so substandard??
Is there a quality control check that the authority follows?
The surface is not meant to provide excitement in the lives of people by making them feel as if riding on an amusement park ride. Prime purpose is to make smooth and safe roads for a peaceful journeys.
The borders of the roads are so badly defined. It reminds me of the shape of the amoeba in the my biology books.
Even if we assume that the workers may not have aesthetic sense or interest in the aesthetics of the roads.
Why can't the authorities set up a protocol which the workers will have to follow no matter what?
Please feel free to add more such cases which you might have observed regardless if we'll be able to do something about it or no :P
Facts:
The roads are dug up
The roads are said to be under construction
Roads are completed and touched up after months of work on it
In some cases the roads develop potholes every year and have to be done up every year.
Questions and concerns:
Why is the Quality of work so substandard??
Is there a quality control check that the authority follows?
The surface is not meant to provide excitement in the lives of people by making them feel as if riding on an amusement park ride. Prime purpose is to make smooth and safe roads for a peaceful journeys.
The borders of the roads are so badly defined. It reminds me of the shape of the amoeba in the my biology books.
Even if we assume that the workers may not have aesthetic sense or interest in the aesthetics of the roads.
Why can't the authorities set up a protocol which the workers will have to follow no matter what?
Please feel free to add more such cases which you might have observed regardless if we'll be able to do something about it or no :P
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A new addition for sports lovers
A dedicated website for Indian Football.
http://www.kickoffindia.com/
The best features I found out to be were a dedicated section for grassroots football and mainly its dedication towards Indian football.
Cheers to the website!!!!
http://www.kickoffindia.com/
The best features I found out to be were a dedicated section for grassroots football and mainly its dedication towards Indian football.
Cheers to the website!!!!
Friday, April 23, 2010
The MICA Experience (form filling and entering the audi)
I knew there was going to be no replacement of the paper but I simply couldn't afford to have contradicted my views which I had expressed earlier. We had to submit our completed SOP form at the beginning of the entire process. I had started filling my SOP from the 27th of March - The day when I got the news of getting selected for the MICA GE/PI round. I had filled atleast 10 rough copies of my form and was ready with atleast 15 likes and dislikes each before finalising 3 each on the form. I knew exactly what each and every word in my SOP form meant. The moment I made a mistake in my questionnaire I realized there was a contradiction. I cancelled the NO I had marked and turned it to YES for regular exercise. And in the regular sport I had also entered Cricket which again I had to cancel as by no means was I playing Cricket regularly. I scribbled over the word Cricket and wrote walking after it. The other 2 questions were answered neatly and efficiently as per what I feel about fitness. The scribbling in my questionnaire I reckon was a major part of my failure. When a person is given 20 minutes there is no need to do haste and scribble. For a reader of that questionnaire all it could project is that may be the person wanted to clarify about his stance but still about 2-3 cancellations means either hiding a fact or trying to manipulate with some data. All this thought about me doing badly in my questionnaire struck me only after it was declared that I was a spot reject for this year. With no apprehensions in my head at that moment I continued to answer the problem of the UN guy. The following was my answer:
" I think Mr. Chetan should go ahead and write the false report. The most important for any organization is to assure that business runs smoothly and the company has quality projects from potential clients. This would also help Mr. Chetan to maintain better relations with the ministry and help him get future projects for his organization. Using his power he should find a suitable job for the employee elsewhere."
I was comfortably left with atleast 5-6 minutes after putting the last full stop in the above para. That is when I was still staring at the cancellations I had made. I had left no room for correction at that moment not because I had done it well but because I had consumed my quota of visually pleasing pardonable mistakes. The sheets were collected as soon as the allotted time ended. Then we were told to check our interview slots. The interviews were slotted to start from 11:00 a.m. Those who were the first 3 people in the each of the 4 interview panels were requested to not be late. We were given a much needed break of atleast 30-40 minutes. From the classroom we were requested to move to the auditorium - A place which I seen in pictures a million times. A place which I felt described as to why the MICA experience is so unique.
We quickly checked our respective interview slots and moved to the auditorium. Entering again into an Air-conditioned room felt great. Digital Pictures turned into real vision. The colourful long drapes hanging from the ceiling just mesmerized me. I went right in front of the passage way of the audi and started to climb the steps observing the colourful cushions neatly placed on chataee on every step. Felt a sense of belonging like a Cicketer who is amongst the probables of the Indian Team might be feeling while going through further selection process drills in a boot camp. Gently placed my bag on one of the steps and left with my friends to have a bite at 'Chota's' - A well known eating joint at MICA.
" I think Mr. Chetan should go ahead and write the false report. The most important for any organization is to assure that business runs smoothly and the company has quality projects from potential clients. This would also help Mr. Chetan to maintain better relations with the ministry and help him get future projects for his organization. Using his power he should find a suitable job for the employee elsewhere."
I was comfortably left with atleast 5-6 minutes after putting the last full stop in the above para. That is when I was still staring at the cancellations I had made. I had left no room for correction at that moment not because I had done it well but because I had consumed my quota of visually pleasing pardonable mistakes. The sheets were collected as soon as the allotted time ended. Then we were told to check our interview slots. The interviews were slotted to start from 11:00 a.m. Those who were the first 3 people in the each of the 4 interview panels were requested to not be late. We were given a much needed break of atleast 30-40 minutes. From the classroom we were requested to move to the auditorium - A place which I seen in pictures a million times. A place which I felt described as to why the MICA experience is so unique.
We quickly checked our respective interview slots and moved to the auditorium. Entering again into an Air-conditioned room felt great. Digital Pictures turned into real vision. The colourful long drapes hanging from the ceiling just mesmerized me. I went right in front of the passage way of the audi and started to climb the steps observing the colourful cushions neatly placed on chataee on every step. Felt a sense of belonging like a Cicketer who is amongst the probables of the Indian Team might be feeling while going through further selection process drills in a boot camp. Gently placed my bag on one of the steps and left with my friends to have a bite at 'Chota's' - A well known eating joint at MICA.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The MICA Experience (contd again)
Time up??? It was just about that we started working on our task. Moreover, it was just about that our group had finally started working as a team, rather than than concentrating on earning individual brownie points by trying to gain attention of the examiners by trying to put each others individual points forward. Time indeed flew past. Reminded me of how under pressure my engineering exams which used to last literally for a month would pass by like a week. We had decided to to read out political, economic, entertainment, sports, crime and miscellaneous news. The content providing work was done. I was still confirming with the content gathering team if they needed any more news on any of these topics. It seemed at that moment that there was enough of content to be read out for the bulletin. I had no idea as on who was going to read the bulletin, how the news reading was going to be managed. Seeing our condition the examiners said, "Ok. We give you 2 minutes more. Just assemble everything within this time.". Did nothing productive in that time except for gathering the chart papers on which we had stuck the news to be read out and discussing how the news reading process would happen. Finally we had to start reading our bulletin. We expressed the categories of news that we were going to read out. The examiners then asked us, "So who is going to read the sports news?". I thought the entire process was set up. I also thought that though I didn't have much of an idea about the news reading department, atleast the news reading department would be having complete idea about what they are supposed to be done. After the question there were a million exchange of glances that our group members had with each other. Finally somebody from the news reading department stepped in and she read out the news pretty well. Ya, pretty well it was, but only to realize that there was only 1 news item as far as sports news was concerned. I looked at the damn chart paper in astonishment. Providing content was my job. But, Hey!!! I did ask everybody if any more content was required. If it was one of my mundane arguments I wouldn't have hesitated to argue. Of course I chose to be calm at that moment. With hiccups at various stages of the protocol of reading the news we were finally done with once and for all. The examiners weren't done with us. The picked one of us and asked," What do you think went wrong in this task?". He answered,"I think we were not clear about what we are supposed to do. And we did everything just randomly. We could have structured the process in a more efficient way.".
Now now... I was immediately asked the same question. "Yes no. 6. What do you think you'll could have done better??"
I don't know why I get stuck between my straightforward self and my diplomatic alter ego. I decided to go the diplomatic way. Mr Diplomatic answers, "I think our team started off pretty well." One of them immediately snapped at me,"Started off well???" And gave me such an offended look as if I told her to touch my feet and beg for mercy. Now again I had 2 options, either stick with my point or correct with sufficient support to do so. I chose to do the former and continued, "Yes, We started off well. As a group full of strangers it was going to be naturally difficult to come up with a plan which everybody would agree to. But we still managed to sort things out pretty quickly. Slowly we also started getting into the groove of how to go about things and give the task the proper direction. As a group in the allotted 20 minutes(oh oh... mistake... 30 minutes were allotted) we did a fairly god job as a team of 9 people." She seemed pretty content with the answer now. But to convince the examiner that our group had done a decent job i feel 'maine khudko bali ka bakra bana diya'. But after my answer I got some respite in seeing my group members being happy with my answer. Yeah, why not. I batted for you'll. You'll should be. A couple of more questions that I don't remember as I started thinking about my answer and evaluating it. Hey no offense to any of my group members. We were indeed a rocking group. So rocking, that inspite of knowing that we hadn't done kind of a good job, at the end of the task we gathered as a group in front of the examiners and clapped for ourselves gleefully. (And also for the fact that 2 girls got spot offers and 4 other guys got into the merit list.)
After the Group Exercise we came back to the classroom. Discussed for a few minutes of what we could have done better. Finally we got frustrated and started discussing about how we would sleep behind the last row of benches if we would get bored in a particular lecture. Really, there was ample amount of space to do that. We were the 1st group. After some time the other groups also started coming into the classroom. They started describing how rocking their group exercise was. Another group was proud of having completed the task 5 minutes before the time could end. Now on a comparative analysis I started to feel a bit tense. Finally all of us decided to just forget all of it and stay calm for the upcoming events.
After all the groups assembled in the classroom a couple of teachers entered with sheets of paper and distributed them. A middle aged pleasant looking teacher started giving instructions,"On this sheet there is a case of a particular person given to you who is facing a certain problem at his job. You have to write a solution in not more than 5-6 lines that are provided. When you turn the page there is a small questionnaire regarding your fitness that you need to answer. Fill the form really carefully. 20 minutes are more than sufficient to fill it. Please note that no replacement of the form shall be provided in any case."
The problem was as follows, "Mr. Chetan Shah has recently been appointed as the representative in a UN group. He has been asked to write a false report about an employee who is not so competent so that another person of the ministries choice could replace that person. He is also about to get a $3 million deal from the ministry soon. What advice would you give Mr. Chetan and why. I read this entire problem a couple of time, few instantaneous solutions jumped up but I didn't want to jump up to conclusions that soon. I turned the page, saw a questionnaire of 4 questions related to personal fitness. I had known a golden rule from seniors regarding the process to get into MICA,"Be yourself. Simply don't fake." The questionnaire was as follows:
1. Do you exercise regularly Yes/No
2. Do you Engage in any sport regularly including Yoga? If yes mention sport
3. How important do you rate fitness as a beneficial activity on a scale of 10
4. What would you rate your fitness on a scale of 10?
My answers went in the following order:
Exercise Regularly?? No, frankly I dont. Marked No.
Do you engage in any sport regularly? No. Not in my recent past or present. Heyyy... But I do walk regularly. But that has become my default routine and I consider that as a stress reliever rather than a way of exercise. Moreover, in one of my likes in the SOP form I had also mentioned one of my likes as going for a long walk. I had marked NO for regular exercise. I thought again what to do. And I scribbled on my answer...... (dhanae dhanae dhanae dhanae dhanae)
Now now... I was immediately asked the same question. "Yes no. 6. What do you think you'll could have done better??"
I don't know why I get stuck between my straightforward self and my diplomatic alter ego. I decided to go the diplomatic way. Mr Diplomatic answers, "I think our team started off pretty well." One of them immediately snapped at me,"Started off well???" And gave me such an offended look as if I told her to touch my feet and beg for mercy. Now again I had 2 options, either stick with my point or correct with sufficient support to do so. I chose to do the former and continued, "Yes, We started off well. As a group full of strangers it was going to be naturally difficult to come up with a plan which everybody would agree to. But we still managed to sort things out pretty quickly. Slowly we also started getting into the groove of how to go about things and give the task the proper direction. As a group in the allotted 20 minutes(oh oh... mistake... 30 minutes were allotted) we did a fairly god job as a team of 9 people." She seemed pretty content with the answer now. But to convince the examiner that our group had done a decent job i feel 'maine khudko bali ka bakra bana diya'. But after my answer I got some respite in seeing my group members being happy with my answer. Yeah, why not. I batted for you'll. You'll should be. A couple of more questions that I don't remember as I started thinking about my answer and evaluating it. Hey no offense to any of my group members. We were indeed a rocking group. So rocking, that inspite of knowing that we hadn't done kind of a good job, at the end of the task we gathered as a group in front of the examiners and clapped for ourselves gleefully. (And also for the fact that 2 girls got spot offers and 4 other guys got into the merit list.)
After the Group Exercise we came back to the classroom. Discussed for a few minutes of what we could have done better. Finally we got frustrated and started discussing about how we would sleep behind the last row of benches if we would get bored in a particular lecture. Really, there was ample amount of space to do that. We were the 1st group. After some time the other groups also started coming into the classroom. They started describing how rocking their group exercise was. Another group was proud of having completed the task 5 minutes before the time could end. Now on a comparative analysis I started to feel a bit tense. Finally all of us decided to just forget all of it and stay calm for the upcoming events.
After all the groups assembled in the classroom a couple of teachers entered with sheets of paper and distributed them. A middle aged pleasant looking teacher started giving instructions,"On this sheet there is a case of a particular person given to you who is facing a certain problem at his job. You have to write a solution in not more than 5-6 lines that are provided. When you turn the page there is a small questionnaire regarding your fitness that you need to answer. Fill the form really carefully. 20 minutes are more than sufficient to fill it. Please note that no replacement of the form shall be provided in any case."
The problem was as follows, "Mr. Chetan Shah has recently been appointed as the representative in a UN group. He has been asked to write a false report about an employee who is not so competent so that another person of the ministries choice could replace that person. He is also about to get a $3 million deal from the ministry soon. What advice would you give Mr. Chetan and why. I read this entire problem a couple of time, few instantaneous solutions jumped up but I didn't want to jump up to conclusions that soon. I turned the page, saw a questionnaire of 4 questions related to personal fitness. I had known a golden rule from seniors regarding the process to get into MICA,"Be yourself. Simply don't fake." The questionnaire was as follows:
1. Do you exercise regularly Yes/No
2. Do you Engage in any sport regularly including Yoga? If yes mention sport
3. How important do you rate fitness as a beneficial activity on a scale of 10
4. What would you rate your fitness on a scale of 10?
My answers went in the following order:
Exercise Regularly?? No, frankly I dont. Marked No.
Do you engage in any sport regularly? No. Not in my recent past or present. Heyyy... But I do walk regularly. But that has become my default routine and I consider that as a stress reliever rather than a way of exercise. Moreover, in one of my likes in the SOP form I had also mentioned one of my likes as going for a long walk. I had marked NO for regular exercise. I thought again what to do. And I scribbled on my answer...... (dhanae dhanae dhanae dhanae dhanae)
The Indian Profit League
In the roaring arena
of the Indian Premier league
Seeing a stage set up
a situation proud I would be
A different identity it is
for Indian Sport
A billion dollar affair
with all the crowds support
A new hope it is
for all the distraught cricketers
Recognition for their ignored talent
and crores of admirers
A circus is set up
for the crowd to stay entertained
Its has pulled the female gender too
who earlier from cricket abstained
The unpredictable turnarounds in games
give a strong hint of match fixing
But if cricket was so easy to be staged
the popularity wouldn't be so jaw dropping
The advertisers have found
a jackpot of a medium to earn
With luring chances of visibility and recall
the clients are eying a lot of returns
Celebrities, corporates part of all the bling
Cheer leaders enjoying doing their own thing
Crowds ready to shell out earnings
Friends, couples and families all are enjoying
The internet medium through youtube optimized
3D matches and private screenings are the new trend
The saas bahu serials are facing a beating
the marketers have a lot to learn from this bend
Controversies have loomed over it
Frauds and impersonations have led to disappointment
Hurt Egos are flying loose, exercising power
all these obstacles too weak to harm this huge achievement
In all this celebration & jamboree
I pray the essence of the game shouldn't be lost
Indian sports has got its profit earning flag-bearer
for this we Indians should raise a toast
-- Kaustubh Kabre
of the Indian Premier league
Seeing a stage set up
a situation proud I would be
A different identity it is
for Indian Sport
A billion dollar affair
with all the crowds support
A new hope it is
for all the distraught cricketers
Recognition for their ignored talent
and crores of admirers
A circus is set up
for the crowd to stay entertained
Its has pulled the female gender too
who earlier from cricket abstained
The unpredictable turnarounds in games
give a strong hint of match fixing
But if cricket was so easy to be staged
the popularity wouldn't be so jaw dropping
The advertisers have found
a jackpot of a medium to earn
With luring chances of visibility and recall
the clients are eying a lot of returns
Celebrities, corporates part of all the bling
Cheer leaders enjoying doing their own thing
Crowds ready to shell out earnings
Friends, couples and families all are enjoying
The internet medium through youtube optimized
3D matches and private screenings are the new trend
The saas bahu serials are facing a beating
the marketers have a lot to learn from this bend
Controversies have loomed over it
Frauds and impersonations have led to disappointment
Hurt Egos are flying loose, exercising power
all these obstacles too weak to harm this huge achievement
In all this celebration & jamboree
I pray the essence of the game shouldn't be lost
Indian sports has got its profit earning flag-bearer
for this we Indians should raise a toast
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The MICA Experience (contd)
The bus was scheduled to leave from IIM-A at sharp 8 and it did. One thing about MICA. One cannot expect the world out of MICA. It has its limitations and one has to accept them at every corner stone be it before getting into the institute, while studying in it and after completing your course when you are all ready to face the market. In the scorching 45 odd degree temperature, we were taken in a luxury AC Volvo bus... no way ... It was apna normal bus with cramped up seats in which a huge enough person like me doesn't fit. People were still filling in their SOP's. One of my one-day-old friends asked me for one of her dislikes which was to be filled into the form. After all the stupid options we gave her she settled down for Anu Malik's singing. Of course that had to be followed by some sample Annu(that is how he spells it and she also did) singing. The back benchers including me continued with their antics. It was such a riot in the bus, for example when we reached the MICA campus few people actually started shouting "Nahi mummy mujhe school nahi jaana hain.. Main school nahi jaunga". Loads of fun moments like these made me relaxed a tad bit before all the drama that was about to unfold on the eventful day.
It was my second time at the campus. My first one was a brief information gathering visit when I was too shy or scared to even talk to anybody and gather information considering it is as my right. I hadn't observed the surroundings of MICA then as I had simply hurried through the place. This time I had all the time to do that. This time I had longed for it so badly. The fields were as lush green as I had seen in pictures, the red bricked walls gave a pleasing effect to my eyes, got the same warm vibes from the staff as I had got from each of their communications, there was a certain cool factor about the entire place and I was simply in awe of the expanse of the campus.
Got quickly divided into groups of 9-10 to go ahead with the process. Were made to sit in one of the classrooms. Felt nice to be in the AC after the burning bus ride.We were taken into the Group Exercise room. Two middle aged ladies standing within welcoming smiles. I thought so nice, they seem to be so harmless, and thought I was in for a pleasant experience. They begun. "What you'll have to do is create a TV news bulletin which would last for 5 minutes from the material we have provided to you. If you have any questions we are not here to answer those, you may sort them within yourselves. Time allotted to you will be 30 minutes. Before you start the exercise we would like you'll to wear these aprons with numbers on them which would help us in grading you'll properly" Wore the aprons, I developed nerves. Not too unexpected as I'm pretty much experienced in the field of developing jittery feet. The group started to discuss as on what should be done, my legs were shivering, wondered if that was happening out of nervousness or no intake of edible particles in the morning. Finally pushed myself in the conversation, told the group to first have a look at the material that was provided . Economic Times, Bombay Times, DNA Money and quite a few other papers were there. Along with 5-6 chart papers and a dozen sketch pens. The work had to be divided into working departments. Was late to take charge of things so decided to play a team supporting role. Took responsibility of content gathering from the newspapers provided, coordinated with the team assimilating the information on the chart paper. The examiners suddenly said, "ok. time up." ... (to be contd)
It was my second time at the campus. My first one was a brief information gathering visit when I was too shy or scared to even talk to anybody and gather information considering it is as my right. I hadn't observed the surroundings of MICA then as I had simply hurried through the place. This time I had all the time to do that. This time I had longed for it so badly. The fields were as lush green as I had seen in pictures, the red bricked walls gave a pleasing effect to my eyes, got the same warm vibes from the staff as I had got from each of their communications, there was a certain cool factor about the entire place and I was simply in awe of the expanse of the campus.
Got quickly divided into groups of 9-10 to go ahead with the process. Were made to sit in one of the classrooms. Felt nice to be in the AC after the burning bus ride.We were taken into the Group Exercise room. Two middle aged ladies standing within welcoming smiles. I thought so nice, they seem to be so harmless, and thought I was in for a pleasant experience. They begun. "What you'll have to do is create a TV news bulletin which would last for 5 minutes from the material we have provided to you. If you have any questions we are not here to answer those, you may sort them within yourselves. Time allotted to you will be 30 minutes. Before you start the exercise we would like you'll to wear these aprons with numbers on them which would help us in grading you'll properly" Wore the aprons, I developed nerves. Not too unexpected as I'm pretty much experienced in the field of developing jittery feet. The group started to discuss as on what should be done, my legs were shivering, wondered if that was happening out of nervousness or no intake of edible particles in the morning. Finally pushed myself in the conversation, told the group to first have a look at the material that was provided . Economic Times, Bombay Times, DNA Money and quite a few other papers were there. Along with 5-6 chart papers and a dozen sketch pens. The work had to be divided into working departments. Was late to take charge of things so decided to play a team supporting role. Took responsibility of content gathering from the newspapers provided, coordinated with the team assimilating the information on the chart paper. The examiners suddenly said, "ok. time up." ... (to be contd)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Great Indian MBA Show
I am not particularly concerned with the reasons why people want to pursue an MBA. At the end of it at the core the reason is money. I wouldn't blame the system either which demands a degree in management to climb the ranks in an organization. The one's who do an MBA call it a hoax. The one's without it call it a ray of hope. But, yet the power of this 3 letter abbreviation is for all to see.
I have personally had times when I have wanted to pursue management studies so that it hones my leadership skills, and makes me more aware of things and build up essentials required to undertake managerial responsibilities in an organization. Which is true. Do you think without a know how of what all are the factors associated in taking business decisions I would be able to undertake positions of high responsibility especially the responsibilities involved in huge businesses. These businesses have reached this position after years, one wrong move from a not so competent manager could mean a disaster for the entire business and a threat to the hardwork of so many people involved in the business over the years. The real purpose of an MBA is this. To be capable of handling various arms of the company .... EFFICIENTLY .... The stream of choice ofcourse varies from person from person.
Money, Dowry, Marriage, Extortion, Pride, Ego, and what not reasons are the fringe benefits(Do not want to mingle my views against these topics when talking about MBA, So ignoring them). I do not say that they are not important(depends on a persons point of view) but I mean to say that at the end of the day if you do not transform yourself into an efficient manager be it from whichever B-school these benefits are a mere short-lived paradise. The lack of understanding of this very subject has given rise to institutes of the likes of IIPM. And the donations for absolutely average B-schools have sky-rocketed to amounts which if given away as charity would solve the problems of atleast 5 Vidarbha farmers. One could actually start an NGO with that kind of money. But the laws of the world are actually really simple. Where there is a demand, supply has to be provided, if supply is restricted, the people on the side of the demand are ready to pay astronomical amounts. The rat race has gotten to everybody. It all starts with lack of quality institutes. Then the problem worsens with the unbelievably huge number of aspirants... and mind you we indians are known to be intelligent ... so it is large number of good quality aspirants flowing in every year which means only handful get into the best colleges and a huge chunk of them are left finding just another MBA college. This huge chunk is pushed back into their jobs and try again next year competing yet another year with top quality students. And getting disappointed yet again and then finally landing into a college which they never wanted, just in pursuit of a better career and for a fitting end to their academic life to finally settle down and have a family.
Nobody wants substandard education. The problem is that we all who are a part of the rat race are being pushed into this regardless if we want this or not. It is not like people do not get jobs after graduating from 2nd rung or may be 3rd rung or 4th rung institutes. But the problem lies in the first rung being considered as Gods and the second rung being ambiguously considered as good just on the basis of a handful of entrance exams and a limit on the number of seats in these institutes. If anybody doesn't believe that the people from IIM's are treated as heroes, the salaries speak for themselves. All of us ask, what is that thing which is special about them that they get a salary which is approximately 5 times that of mine after we both get a PGDM certified by the AICTE. And if there is something so special(decided on the basis of an entrance exam) then why are seats so limited that force me to call myself not as special as him, when I know I have it what it takes to be there and I have also proved myself to be good enough in these MBA exams. The increase in the number of IIM's and in their seats is a good move, but is it enough to lessen the kind of bias that exists in the system today??? If a certain college is given AICTE approval why is it not considered on similar lines as any other good college which has got the same approval. That means the process of this accreditation is flawed. You either not give the approval or you give the approval on the basis of strict rules which would ensure everybody the same kind of development and an equal chance to fetch the top jobs ( Why not .... MBA to humne bhi kiya hain ... aao dekhe kisme kitna hain dum)
The exclusivity attached to the IIM's is fair enough. Otherwise why would 2 lakh people slog their asses every year in order to try and get into one of them. My only point is, don't make the junta who is not from the IIM's look like loosers who are not good enough to fetch the fattest of pay checks. If the Indian system devices a way to create a strong second rung of colleges which is lacking today... There would be atleast some kind of justice that would be done to the lakhs of participants who are ready to shell out lakhs to attain a management degree(for their various reasons) by giving them a feeling of belonging to a clan of good managers. The 3rd and 4th rung would continue to exist due to the huge demand. But atleast a good 50-60 colleges to choose from in the second rung who would be considered at par with each other considering various factors ... right from good learning methods to getting a good job.
I have personally had times when I have wanted to pursue management studies so that it hones my leadership skills, and makes me more aware of things and build up essentials required to undertake managerial responsibilities in an organization. Which is true. Do you think without a know how of what all are the factors associated in taking business decisions I would be able to undertake positions of high responsibility especially the responsibilities involved in huge businesses. These businesses have reached this position after years, one wrong move from a not so competent manager could mean a disaster for the entire business and a threat to the hardwork of so many people involved in the business over the years. The real purpose of an MBA is this. To be capable of handling various arms of the company .... EFFICIENTLY .... The stream of choice ofcourse varies from person from person.
Money, Dowry, Marriage, Extortion, Pride, Ego, and what not reasons are the fringe benefits(Do not want to mingle my views against these topics when talking about MBA, So ignoring them). I do not say that they are not important(depends on a persons point of view) but I mean to say that at the end of the day if you do not transform yourself into an efficient manager be it from whichever B-school these benefits are a mere short-lived paradise. The lack of understanding of this very subject has given rise to institutes of the likes of IIPM. And the donations for absolutely average B-schools have sky-rocketed to amounts which if given away as charity would solve the problems of atleast 5 Vidarbha farmers. One could actually start an NGO with that kind of money. But the laws of the world are actually really simple. Where there is a demand, supply has to be provided, if supply is restricted, the people on the side of the demand are ready to pay astronomical amounts. The rat race has gotten to everybody. It all starts with lack of quality institutes. Then the problem worsens with the unbelievably huge number of aspirants... and mind you we indians are known to be intelligent ... so it is large number of good quality aspirants flowing in every year which means only handful get into the best colleges and a huge chunk of them are left finding just another MBA college. This huge chunk is pushed back into their jobs and try again next year competing yet another year with top quality students. And getting disappointed yet again and then finally landing into a college which they never wanted, just in pursuit of a better career and for a fitting end to their academic life to finally settle down and have a family.
Nobody wants substandard education. The problem is that we all who are a part of the rat race are being pushed into this regardless if we want this or not. It is not like people do not get jobs after graduating from 2nd rung or may be 3rd rung or 4th rung institutes. But the problem lies in the first rung being considered as Gods and the second rung being ambiguously considered as good just on the basis of a handful of entrance exams and a limit on the number of seats in these institutes. If anybody doesn't believe that the people from IIM's are treated as heroes, the salaries speak for themselves. All of us ask, what is that thing which is special about them that they get a salary which is approximately 5 times that of mine after we both get a PGDM certified by the AICTE. And if there is something so special(decided on the basis of an entrance exam) then why are seats so limited that force me to call myself not as special as him, when I know I have it what it takes to be there and I have also proved myself to be good enough in these MBA exams. The increase in the number of IIM's and in their seats is a good move, but is it enough to lessen the kind of bias that exists in the system today??? If a certain college is given AICTE approval why is it not considered on similar lines as any other good college which has got the same approval. That means the process of this accreditation is flawed. You either not give the approval or you give the approval on the basis of strict rules which would ensure everybody the same kind of development and an equal chance to fetch the top jobs ( Why not .... MBA to humne bhi kiya hain ... aao dekhe kisme kitna hain dum)
The exclusivity attached to the IIM's is fair enough. Otherwise why would 2 lakh people slog their asses every year in order to try and get into one of them. My only point is, don't make the junta who is not from the IIM's look like loosers who are not good enough to fetch the fattest of pay checks. If the Indian system devices a way to create a strong second rung of colleges which is lacking today... There would be atleast some kind of justice that would be done to the lakhs of participants who are ready to shell out lakhs to attain a management degree(for their various reasons) by giving them a feeling of belonging to a clan of good managers. The 3rd and 4th rung would continue to exist due to the huge demand. But atleast a good 50-60 colleges to choose from in the second rung who would be considered at par with each other considering various factors ... right from good learning methods to getting a good job.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The MICA Experience
The day when dreams were near to be accomplished had arrived. Landed at Ahmedabad on the 11th of April 10'. Made a stupid choice of taking prepaid taxi which charged me 280 bucks for a distance as good as Mahim - Churchgate. The moment I got into the cab and its wheels started rolling, a hot(i literally mean hoooott) gust of dry air blew on my face. I asked my self. Dude if you get selected by MICA you will have to bear this for 2 years. And I was like, increase the temperature a few notches more and tell me to live in MICA for a year more I would still have the smile on my face that I had on that moment. Felt great that I had dreamed about something for nearly 2 years and I was just a group exercise and an interview away from realizing it. It was a feeling of accomplishment I would remember for the rest of my life. After all, how many times in life do we get what exactly we wanted. I had come this close to my dream for the first time in my life and was smiling from ear to ear atleast till the point on the next day when I was declared as not even being there on the waitlist of the probables for the PGDM(C) batch of 2010-2012.
But as the message that comes out of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, its the journey that teaches you the maximum things in life than the feeling of reaching the destination. When I had seen the requirements for MICA, 90+ in CAT/ 600+ in GMAT and then clearing MICAT to be eligible for the GE/PI, I thought that I didn't have the caliber to even have come this far. I was a total flop in competitive exams atleast until then. I kept belief in myself, slogged my ass off, scored a 640 in GMAT, I was so fairly well prepared for competitive exams post GMAT that I succeeded in most of the Indian exams including CAT to the extent I wanted myself to succeed. This was the degree of fighting spirit that my desire for MICA had pushed me into. I am thankful to this entire journey for building so much of confidence into me. It just taught me not to get frightened by a daunting task without putting in your best efforts, most importantly when you so badly want something in life. And today when I look back, I am literally in awe of the efforts that I had put in and that makes me feel proud about my abilities and has made me a much more confident for my future attempts at MBA exams and most importantly for my dream.... MICA. In no mood to let go that one so soon atleast. Comeon(the author at the time of upload of this article was 3 months short of turning 24... I hope he can consider himself to be young at that age).
Got the first taste of the cosmopolitan nature of MICA. I was constantly in touch with Abhbijit from Bangalore before reaching Ahmedabad. A kannad born and brought up in Calcutta, now working in Bangalore. On reaching my hotel the first person I met was Dhaval from Aaamchi Mumbai and later ever smiling Mahima - born and brought up in Ahmedabad, now working in Mumbai. Akshay from Delhi who runs a dance academy, Shelly from Noida working for an IT major, and Vidhu who had done a masters in microbiology or something from the UK. I am by nature a very quiet person, but I was amazed by the ease with which we all gelled within seconds. Right from this moment of meeting this people at vastrapur lake, finding a place for dinner in Bawarchi I knew I was in for an altogether different experience of my life. The world is indeed a really small place. Dhaval turned out to be working in the same company where one of my friend works. Mahima turned out to be a SAP Consultant from Siemens who complained of having a tough time with a certain Mr. Wadhwa during her stint at Times.... I'm sure some of my Times friends are listening :P
The D-day had arrived. The day started from India's premier MBA Institute IIM-A. Roughly 72 aspiring candidates on that day. I had to be just one of them to claim the coveted seat that I had been eying for a couple of years. The task seemed less daunting than eliminating 5200 aspirants from the 6000 odd students who appeared for MICAT to get a call for GE/PI. These top 800 students had to be really good after such a gruelling process. And boy, the quality of students that had come over there didn't disappoint at all. Needless to say, I felt proud to be part of the clan. ..... ( to be contd)
But as the message that comes out of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, its the journey that teaches you the maximum things in life than the feeling of reaching the destination. When I had seen the requirements for MICA, 90+ in CAT/ 600+ in GMAT and then clearing MICAT to be eligible for the GE/PI, I thought that I didn't have the caliber to even have come this far. I was a total flop in competitive exams atleast until then. I kept belief in myself, slogged my ass off, scored a 640 in GMAT, I was so fairly well prepared for competitive exams post GMAT that I succeeded in most of the Indian exams including CAT to the extent I wanted myself to succeed. This was the degree of fighting spirit that my desire for MICA had pushed me into. I am thankful to this entire journey for building so much of confidence into me. It just taught me not to get frightened by a daunting task without putting in your best efforts, most importantly when you so badly want something in life. And today when I look back, I am literally in awe of the efforts that I had put in and that makes me feel proud about my abilities and has made me a much more confident for my future attempts at MBA exams and most importantly for my dream.... MICA. In no mood to let go that one so soon atleast. Comeon(the author at the time of upload of this article was 3 months short of turning 24... I hope he can consider himself to be young at that age).
Got the first taste of the cosmopolitan nature of MICA. I was constantly in touch with Abhbijit from Bangalore before reaching Ahmedabad. A kannad born and brought up in Calcutta, now working in Bangalore. On reaching my hotel the first person I met was Dhaval from Aaamchi Mumbai and later ever smiling Mahima - born and brought up in Ahmedabad, now working in Mumbai. Akshay from Delhi who runs a dance academy, Shelly from Noida working for an IT major, and Vidhu who had done a masters in microbiology or something from the UK. I am by nature a very quiet person, but I was amazed by the ease with which we all gelled within seconds. Right from this moment of meeting this people at vastrapur lake, finding a place for dinner in Bawarchi I knew I was in for an altogether different experience of my life. The world is indeed a really small place. Dhaval turned out to be working in the same company where one of my friend works. Mahima turned out to be a SAP Consultant from Siemens who complained of having a tough time with a certain Mr. Wadhwa during her stint at Times.... I'm sure some of my Times friends are listening :P
The D-day had arrived. The day started from India's premier MBA Institute IIM-A. Roughly 72 aspiring candidates on that day. I had to be just one of them to claim the coveted seat that I had been eying for a couple of years. The task seemed less daunting than eliminating 5200 aspirants from the 6000 odd students who appeared for MICAT to get a call for GE/PI. These top 800 students had to be really good after such a gruelling process. And boy, the quality of students that had come over there didn't disappoint at all. Needless to say, I felt proud to be part of the clan. ..... ( to be contd)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
IPL3 - Equations of a few teams
Kolkata Knight Riders:
There is something about Dav Whatmore. He is the Guus Hiddink of Cricket. The man behind SriLanka's World Cup triumph. The man behind Bangladesh's Semi-final journey in the world cup. And he is back to be the helping hand behind yet another struggling side - Kolkata Knight Riders. If he can make the Knight Riders win the IPL he can be called the God of Cricket coaching. Of course they also have the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram in their roster. A couple of foreign players still to join the team, may make it a bit stronger.
Besides, The problem with KKR is that their domestic players are a weak lot as compared to the other sides. They have excellent foreign players, but the cap of number of foreign players that can be fielded, brings no added advantage to them. With Souravda leading the side, he does make the side look like fighting tigers rather than a lot of Puchka's about to be eaten up. Shah Rukh Khan is thankfully staying away from the dug out. And that is good for the team.
Punjab Kings XI:
With Sangakkara, Jayawadene, Yuvraj, Shaun Marsh, Kaif, Pathan there to handle the batting and also a decent enough bowling side with Abdulla reverse swinging, Pathan and Chawla doing a decent job they look a very good side. Brett should be hopefully back soon. However, I think Preity Zinta is a big distraction for the dugout. If she stops being in the dugout,the chances of this team doing well will increase by few leaps if nothing else. There are youth in the team who can easily get distracted by the actress.. There is something that I feel is missing in this team, but for some reason I feel that they are going to perform well this season
Mumbai Indians:
My home team. Naturally I wish it wins. A good team this time around. Have a nack of under-performing. Hope they decide to break their habit this time.
Reasons why I feel Sachin shouldn't be leading the Mumbai Indians side:
1. He is too big a figure as a player: This leads to tension within the dressing room. He may be reckoned to be friendly and down to earth but due to his demi-god like status people tend to take him too seriously and the team doesn't seem to be a fun team which affects the performance of the team at the end of it. If youngsters want to give any suggestion they must be feeling too apprehensive to approach the master. If somebody fails and Tendulkar is miffed about that person for some reason then the feeling of a legend of the stature of Sachin tendulkar having a doubt about one's competency is not at all an easy feeling to handle.
2. Ability to handle the entire teams pressure: Tendulkar is a master batsman and is a class apart. He has been there in the business for 20 long years and has been consistently scoring runs. All due credit to his hard work, patience and ability to handle pressure. But, till I have observed, he doesn't seem to be too comfortable tackling the pressure applied on the entire team. That doesn't make him any less a team person or a competent performer, but it only means that he may be lacking in the leadership skills department.
There is something about Dav Whatmore. He is the Guus Hiddink of Cricket. The man behind SriLanka's World Cup triumph. The man behind Bangladesh's Semi-final journey in the world cup. And he is back to be the helping hand behind yet another struggling side - Kolkata Knight Riders. If he can make the Knight Riders win the IPL he can be called the God of Cricket coaching. Of course they also have the 'Sultan of Swing' Wasim Akram in their roster. A couple of foreign players still to join the team, may make it a bit stronger.
Besides, The problem with KKR is that their domestic players are a weak lot as compared to the other sides. They have excellent foreign players, but the cap of number of foreign players that can be fielded, brings no added advantage to them. With Souravda leading the side, he does make the side look like fighting tigers rather than a lot of Puchka's about to be eaten up. Shah Rukh Khan is thankfully staying away from the dug out. And that is good for the team.
Punjab Kings XI:
With Sangakkara, Jayawadene, Yuvraj, Shaun Marsh, Kaif, Pathan there to handle the batting and also a decent enough bowling side with Abdulla reverse swinging, Pathan and Chawla doing a decent job they look a very good side. Brett should be hopefully back soon. However, I think Preity Zinta is a big distraction for the dugout. If she stops being in the dugout,the chances of this team doing well will increase by few leaps if nothing else. There are youth in the team who can easily get distracted by the actress.. There is something that I feel is missing in this team, but for some reason I feel that they are going to perform well this season
Mumbai Indians:
My home team. Naturally I wish it wins. A good team this time around. Have a nack of under-performing. Hope they decide to break their habit this time.
Reasons why I feel Sachin shouldn't be leading the Mumbai Indians side:
1. He is too big a figure as a player: This leads to tension within the dressing room. He may be reckoned to be friendly and down to earth but due to his demi-god like status people tend to take him too seriously and the team doesn't seem to be a fun team which affects the performance of the team at the end of it. If youngsters want to give any suggestion they must be feeling too apprehensive to approach the master. If somebody fails and Tendulkar is miffed about that person for some reason then the feeling of a legend of the stature of Sachin tendulkar having a doubt about one's competency is not at all an easy feeling to handle.
2. Ability to handle the entire teams pressure: Tendulkar is a master batsman and is a class apart. He has been there in the business for 20 long years and has been consistently scoring runs. All due credit to his hard work, patience and ability to handle pressure. But, till I have observed, he doesn't seem to be too comfortable tackling the pressure applied on the entire team. That doesn't make him any less a team person or a competent performer, but it only means that he may be lacking in the leadership skills department.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Coke khule to baat chale
The new Coke ad featuring Kalki Koechlin and Imran Khan is being liked by many. It has quite a bit of emotional quotient attached to it. I think the main reason for its popularity is the audience wanting to relate with it. They like the concept of two individuals of the opposite sex getting friendly in a public transport. I personally think there are many people in the world who like meeting new people(yes.. the opposite sex also) all the time and like having a casual conversation with them. I am one of those people. Par kya kare.."ye duniya kamini hain"... this adds to apprehension that everybody has within them. Is the person I want to talk to going to do any harm to me?? Would he/she take my friendly gesture in a wrong way?? or will he/she think that I have wile intentions?? Such questions in our mind act as obstacles to go ahead and start the conversation by taking the initiative from our end. The 2 youth shown in the ad portray this very hidden desire of not caring about what the world around thinks. I see little chance of any girl making that kind of a gesture in a local transport to an unknown guy. But, we like this concept because we secretly desire such instantaneously friendly relationships to exist in this world, but we simply don't trust each other these days. We are not to blame, the world does have people who you cannot trust.... Sadly...
Going by the concept of the ad, it is good timing as summer is saying a hot HI to us. The sign of Coke quenching a man's thirst who is feeling hot and tied up in a daily life situation works for conveying the purpose of the product. The entire ad goes along with 2 tag lines of Coke - "Coke khule to baat chale" & "Thanda matlab Coca Cola". Overall it is an ad which can work very well to maintain the brand image of Coke.
But, the thing that made me write this piece of writing was Roadies. I don't know how many people have watched the Roadies interviews this time. There was a very peculiar Marwari character who had a hard time with the judges. He claimed to be a model and all that stuff and thought of himself as a celebrity. He got screwed badly by the judges (Don't know how much of the reality shows are made up and are fake n all .... point is... If they weren't made in that particular manner, no person on this planet would be watching them in the very first place.. forget about talking about them later). That guy is featuring in that ad. Yeah.. he was right .. he is a model ... He is sitting right behind Kalki and giving all deadly wannabe looks .... Who cares.... Main point is ..the world would be a better place if there is any scope to trust each other a little more :-)
Going by the concept of the ad, it is good timing as summer is saying a hot HI to us. The sign of Coke quenching a man's thirst who is feeling hot and tied up in a daily life situation works for conveying the purpose of the product. The entire ad goes along with 2 tag lines of Coke - "Coke khule to baat chale" & "Thanda matlab Coca Cola". Overall it is an ad which can work very well to maintain the brand image of Coke.
But, the thing that made me write this piece of writing was Roadies. I don't know how many people have watched the Roadies interviews this time. There was a very peculiar Marwari character who had a hard time with the judges. He claimed to be a model and all that stuff and thought of himself as a celebrity. He got screwed badly by the judges (Don't know how much of the reality shows are made up and are fake n all .... point is... If they weren't made in that particular manner, no person on this planet would be watching them in the very first place.. forget about talking about them later). That guy is featuring in that ad. Yeah.. he was right .. he is a model ... He is sitting right behind Kalki and giving all deadly wannabe looks .... Who cares.... Main point is ..the world would be a better place if there is any scope to trust each other a little more :-)
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Women's bill
The SP and the RJD are up in arms against the womens bill being passed in the Rajya Sabha.(Surprisingly both the parties are not ruling their states currently. But their fair share of seats in their states and political weightage at the center cannot be ignored) Around 50% of the population constitutes of women and they cannot bear only 33% of the seats being reserved for them?? On a very harsh note, they are just scared that the parliament might get a bit more sophisticated(that is the only word that came to my mind after seeing yesterday's hooliganism) as mainly Tier1 Tier2 cities (pardon me if I ignore any area due to lack of knowledge) have a mind open enough to see their women going on a traditionally man's job of running the country. I see little chance that women from these states are going to be allowed to break the barriers of the kitchen and come out to lead the country. These leaders just don't know from where 33% women legislators will come in their state legislatures. May be that is why they are protesting!!! They are just feeling completely helpless if such a situation arises in the future.
The Congress is up for the Women's bill. Seeing an opportunity to break the ties between SP and Congress the BJP and Left are telling the Congress to act tough. Congress has the BSP support but cannot trust it(Mayawatiji ki jai). I think the Congress should indeed be strong in their stand for the bill to be passed. They will only win the hearts of women if they make this good move.
The problem in most states of India is that women have been long suppressed in the confines of their house and today if a 33% reservation bill is passed for all legislatures there is a dearth of women who have had a certain kind of an exposure to do such kind of jobs. But if they are still left unexposed then the situation will never improve. We talk about women empowerment and equality. How empowered is the woman in today's India??? I agree that in urban areas women might be considered to be at par with men or may be even ahead but are we people in the city open enough to accept a woman leader amongst us?? It is a frank question which we need to ask within us. I personally think there is a bias against woman leadership all over India. Passing this bill will facilitate the process of involving women in politics on a large scale which has never happened before, but it is necessary that such a thing happens.
But I am against over-empowerment of either sex. Just as an example. You ban any sex from facebook today, I guarantee you a month later facebook will not be as successful as it is today, or may be it may even close down. A particular sex might enjoy having private talk on the site, but for how long, they'll eventually get bored. My only point is, a particular thing is a huge success if both the sex's have equal participation in it. And I don't think it is any different for running a country. I am up in arms for the Women's bill being passed today.
PS: Ignore the example if it doesn't make sense. Bas meri bhavnao ko samjho :))
The Congress is up for the Women's bill. Seeing an opportunity to break the ties between SP and Congress the BJP and Left are telling the Congress to act tough. Congress has the BSP support but cannot trust it(Mayawatiji ki jai). I think the Congress should indeed be strong in their stand for the bill to be passed. They will only win the hearts of women if they make this good move.
The problem in most states of India is that women have been long suppressed in the confines of their house and today if a 33% reservation bill is passed for all legislatures there is a dearth of women who have had a certain kind of an exposure to do such kind of jobs. But if they are still left unexposed then the situation will never improve. We talk about women empowerment and equality. How empowered is the woman in today's India??? I agree that in urban areas women might be considered to be at par with men or may be even ahead but are we people in the city open enough to accept a woman leader amongst us?? It is a frank question which we need to ask within us. I personally think there is a bias against woman leadership all over India. Passing this bill will facilitate the process of involving women in politics on a large scale which has never happened before, but it is necessary that such a thing happens.
But I am against over-empowerment of either sex. Just as an example. You ban any sex from facebook today, I guarantee you a month later facebook will not be as successful as it is today, or may be it may even close down. A particular sex might enjoy having private talk on the site, but for how long, they'll eventually get bored. My only point is, a particular thing is a huge success if both the sex's have equal participation in it. And I don't think it is any different for running a country. I am up in arms for the Women's bill being passed today.
PS: Ignore the example if it doesn't make sense. Bas meri bhavnao ko samjho :))
Saturday, March 6, 2010
MY CAT - MICAT
The journey from the 'C' of MICA will be continued later. At this moment tomorrow it is MICAT time. Getting a shit scary feeling about what is in store.
But got an SMS which has helped me define my attitude before going into the exam since this morning:
Excellence has always been achieved only by those who dared to believe that something inside them is superior to the circumstance.
Just hope this attitude works :P
But got an SMS which has helped me define my attitude before going into the exam since this morning:
Excellence has always been achieved only by those who dared to believe that something inside them is superior to the circumstance.
Just hope this attitude works :P
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Littering - A problem
I may be stating the obvious. But as a citizen who has not littered at least for the last 3 years I think it is my right to speak regarding the same.
Why can't people put the kachara in their pockets. Did the apparel companies ever mention that the pockets are reserved for the wallet, mobile (or table tennis :P) Toffy wrapers, bus tickets, and so many such small things that can be easily be kept in the pocket momentarily and can easily be unloaded when one approaches a dust bin. That eliminates the reason that there are very few dust bins on the road. If the government doesn't understand its duties, you understand your duties. Just find a dustbin and make the inanimate creature feel important for doing its work of holding trash. Whatever happens to the kachara thereafter, is not your fault. But, at least you will feel good that you did your part. And if everybody starts following this as a part of their lifestyle I think it will make a major difference in the appearance of our surroundings. Then you can save your pocket on world tours, see world class cities in your own backyard :P You may also earn millions by starting a garbage collection business.
Joking...as the infrastructure is way behind, but that doesn't mean we spoil it further. We can at least maintain it, can't we?? The government will assist you in your campaign. Have some belief in them rather than being doubting all the time. A famous saying by Abraham Lincoln "To believe everybody is dangerous, to not believe anybody is even more dangerous".
The famous pichkarees are a major nuisance. It feels that there needs to be a Rancho who can invent a way to electrocute a person who does Pichkaree Visarjan on the road. Everytime I see the new trains of Mumbai turn red, I become red hot. I wish I could hit the people who spit that stuff. Can I do something about it?? Can you do something about it?? Once you'll be gone they'll be back with their antics. Government lacks in bringing strict action against such things. I have a suggestion sarkar. Get a 100 ranchos on your bandwagon and give them full independence to design a system to trap these thugs. We indians are known to be intelligent ..you know. And don't tell me, you don't have the money to pay them. Money talks. And if you award them for good work done, it will talk in their dreams also. It may sound big talk from me. But, at the end of it every problem has a solution. Open your eyes wide. This is a problem!!!!
As a citizen, the sea is definitely your property. Treat it like your home.
Most places have a dust-bin around. Just have some patience to perform your duties towards your country. If you dont find a dustbin. Keep it in your bag and unload later. (I do not need to mention - If do not have a bag, keep it in you hand or pockets) (This is the most feasible solution which can be followed from this very second)
PS: Oh, my country, forgive me for peeing on your long roads, when I was on looong trips. I couldn't control, and I had no option. Please forgive me if the excuse to fertilize your soil is too lame...
Why can't people put the kachara in their pockets. Did the apparel companies ever mention that the pockets are reserved for the wallet, mobile (or table tennis :P) Toffy wrapers, bus tickets, and so many such small things that can be easily be kept in the pocket momentarily and can easily be unloaded when one approaches a dust bin. That eliminates the reason that there are very few dust bins on the road. If the government doesn't understand its duties, you understand your duties. Just find a dustbin and make the inanimate creature feel important for doing its work of holding trash. Whatever happens to the kachara thereafter, is not your fault. But, at least you will feel good that you did your part. And if everybody starts following this as a part of their lifestyle I think it will make a major difference in the appearance of our surroundings. Then you can save your pocket on world tours, see world class cities in your own backyard :P You may also earn millions by starting a garbage collection business.
Joking...as the infrastructure is way behind, but that doesn't mean we spoil it further. We can at least maintain it, can't we?? The government will assist you in your campaign. Have some belief in them rather than being doubting all the time. A famous saying by Abraham Lincoln "To believe everybody is dangerous, to not believe anybody is even more dangerous".
The famous pichkarees are a major nuisance. It feels that there needs to be a Rancho who can invent a way to electrocute a person who does Pichkaree Visarjan on the road. Everytime I see the new trains of Mumbai turn red, I become red hot. I wish I could hit the people who spit that stuff. Can I do something about it?? Can you do something about it?? Once you'll be gone they'll be back with their antics. Government lacks in bringing strict action against such things. I have a suggestion sarkar. Get a 100 ranchos on your bandwagon and give them full independence to design a system to trap these thugs. We indians are known to be intelligent ..you know. And don't tell me, you don't have the money to pay them. Money talks. And if you award them for good work done, it will talk in their dreams also. It may sound big talk from me. But, at the end of it every problem has a solution. Open your eyes wide. This is a problem!!!!
As a citizen, the sea is definitely your property. Treat it like your home.
Most places have a dust-bin around. Just have some patience to perform your duties towards your country. If you dont find a dustbin. Keep it in your bag and unload later. (I do not need to mention - If do not have a bag, keep it in you hand or pockets) (This is the most feasible solution which can be followed from this very second)
PS: Oh, my country, forgive me for peeing on your long roads, when I was on looong trips. I couldn't control, and I had no option. Please forgive me if the excuse to fertilize your soil is too lame...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sachin the best??
Anwar's 13 year record had been surpassed. The master had achieved yet another milestone(i think it is unassailable.. or i strongly hope it to be). So many Pakistan hating people were overjoyed by the fact that a Pakistani's record had been broken by an Indian(tongue in cheek). But the master wasn't done yet. His eyes gleamed for the first ever double ton by a human being. MS Dhoni was in no mood of stopping his own rampage over the proteas. Would Sachin have to avoid getting a double ton for the teams sake (remember Rahul Dravid's decision to declare the innings?? Whatever .. That was a test match). Finally Sachin got strike. Charles Langeveldt with the ball in his hand and Sachin 1 run away from history, he guided the ball to point and there it was, (a Kodak moment would be an understatement), it was something absolutely supernatural. A heartfelt experience, I couldn't stop feeling tears under my eyes to see an icon whom I have followed right from my childhood days achieve something that big. I experienced an adrenaline rush just by sitting on the sofa and munching on a packet of chips, all thanks to the visuals which were right there in front of my eyes. And I dont think my feeling was any different from the feelings of the entire nation.
At this moment, I would refrain from speaking about his failures, and the extremist criticism(ill start abusing these extremist) that he has been subjected to. Sachin has often been compared to the great Sir Donald Bradman. His batting style and his technique is also revered as the best in the world. Tendulkar has often been compared to his counterparts like Lara and Ponting. But his achievements(and a thorough gentleman like projection of himself) has managed his name to stand out in todays era atleast, without any doubt. One would argue that Sachin's achievements are more significant than Don Bradman's anyday, plus the high level of fielding standards that teams have today and the span of time for which Sachin has played, he should be called the greatest batsman the world has ever seen, without an iota of thinking. But, at the same time we must not forget that in those days there used to be much lesser safety equipments guarding the batsman, much lesser matches that were played and much lesser medical facilities(imagine if Sachin never came out of his million injuries). Considering all these things it wouldn't be fair to compare batsmen of two completely different eras. Moreover, there was not much of Media coverage during Bradman's era, who would play "Yaha ke hum Sikandar"," Apni jeet ho unki haar haan" and play the footage of his achievements all day long. Its really fascinating to realize the magnitude of Bradman's achievements which have absolutely stood the test of time and are fresh in people's minds even today. This also gives me an optimistic feeling that Sachin's achievements will never be forgotten.
But the bottomline is, as far as the current era of cricket is concerned Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and his outstanding records are unassailable and he can be rightly called the Tiger Woods of Cricket(minus the sex scandals :P)
Similar Links
200 Moments of life - Vrashank Yadav
At this moment, I would refrain from speaking about his failures, and the extremist criticism(ill start abusing these extremist) that he has been subjected to. Sachin has often been compared to the great Sir Donald Bradman. His batting style and his technique is also revered as the best in the world. Tendulkar has often been compared to his counterparts like Lara and Ponting. But his achievements(and a thorough gentleman like projection of himself) has managed his name to stand out in todays era atleast, without any doubt. One would argue that Sachin's achievements are more significant than Don Bradman's anyday, plus the high level of fielding standards that teams have today and the span of time for which Sachin has played, he should be called the greatest batsman the world has ever seen, without an iota of thinking. But, at the same time we must not forget that in those days there used to be much lesser safety equipments guarding the batsman, much lesser matches that were played and much lesser medical facilities(imagine if Sachin never came out of his million injuries). Considering all these things it wouldn't be fair to compare batsmen of two completely different eras. Moreover, there was not much of Media coverage during Bradman's era, who would play "Yaha ke hum Sikandar"," Apni jeet ho unki haar haan" and play the footage of his achievements all day long. Its really fascinating to realize the magnitude of Bradman's achievements which have absolutely stood the test of time and are fresh in people's minds even today. This also gives me an optimistic feeling that Sachin's achievements will never be forgotten.
But the bottomline is, as far as the current era of cricket is concerned Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar and his outstanding records are unassailable and he can be rightly called the Tiger Woods of Cricket(minus the sex scandals :P)
Similar Links
200 Moments of life - Vrashank Yadav
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Lehmann story by a layman
Once Jack, Rose, Titanic and Lehmann were playing a game of Blackjack. Blackjack is a game full of risk like all endeavours in life are. Its a game of cards where a dealer is pitching against your success. However the point goes beyond knowing what Blackjack is.
Titanic was sailing freely, she got a lot of profit in one of the dealings. She bet all her money in the next one. And she sunk in the midst of all the glory she had gained earlier. Jack and Rose were cautious people. They played it safe and were getting regular returns in each dealing. Lehmann was a star, he was calculative and played his moves really smartly, and eventually was sitting above a huge sum of money, much more than the others. Seeing the beautiful(potential business) Titanic in need of money Lehmann lent her a huge sum of money. The foolish gambler that Titanic was she bet all the money one by one and to nobody's surprise lost all of it. Titanic seduced Lehmann with her sultry looks and convinced Lehmann to lend her some more. She said, "this time I will play safe and definitely give you all your money back, with the 'interest' you expect."
Jack and Rose were steady as always, Jack surged far ahead, by this time he had gone ahead of the in-hand balance of Lehmann. Jack shouted, " I'm the king of the world." But, Lehmann told him, " Sorry kid, I'm still the boss, the chick out here(with his hand extended towards Titanic) owes me 200,000 dollars, double of what you have with you ...haa haa haaaa... it'll take a decade for you 2 to catch up with me.. I can hire 5 more grads from the IIM's with a package 1/5th of that(oops, sorry for drifting away from the story)". Titanic lost everything to the dealer(various pockets of the economy where money flows and has no chance of coming back) again. Lehmann still thought he was very rich. But, Titanic had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, she was bankrupt, there was no way that she could repay her loan. And thus eventually, Bankrupt, was Lehmann too. And finally Lehmann had to accept in public that indeed he had become bankrupt....
Titanic was sailing freely, she got a lot of profit in one of the dealings. She bet all her money in the next one. And she sunk in the midst of all the glory she had gained earlier. Jack and Rose were cautious people. They played it safe and were getting regular returns in each dealing. Lehmann was a star, he was calculative and played his moves really smartly, and eventually was sitting above a huge sum of money, much more than the others. Seeing the beautiful(potential business) Titanic in need of money Lehmann lent her a huge sum of money. The foolish gambler that Titanic was she bet all the money one by one and to nobody's surprise lost all of it. Titanic seduced Lehmann with her sultry looks and convinced Lehmann to lend her some more. She said, "this time I will play safe and definitely give you all your money back, with the 'interest' you expect."
Jack and Rose were steady as always, Jack surged far ahead, by this time he had gone ahead of the in-hand balance of Lehmann. Jack shouted, " I'm the king of the world." But, Lehmann told him, " Sorry kid, I'm still the boss, the chick out here(with his hand extended towards Titanic) owes me 200,000 dollars, double of what you have with you ...haa haa haaaa... it'll take a decade for you 2 to catch up with me.. I can hire 5 more grads from the IIM's with a package 1/5th of that(oops, sorry for drifting away from the story)". Titanic lost everything to the dealer(various pockets of the economy where money flows and has no chance of coming back) again. Lehmann still thought he was very rich. But, Titanic had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, she was bankrupt, there was no way that she could repay her loan. And thus eventually, Bankrupt, was Lehmann too. And finally Lehmann had to accept in public that indeed he had become bankrupt....
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Light - A plea by innocent civilian victims of war over the world
Going through the pain
consciousness I hope to gain
when the earth will see the light
when we all will feel alright
the pain of war
seems to affect my mind
the pain of war
reminds me of all the crime
The situation - nobody seems
to be attending
violence seems to be
never ending
Lost my family
in your army's plight
there is no peace to me
even at night
I feel in my heart
that there is no end to this fight
but all i want now
is some light
but all i want forever
is some light
-- Kaustubh Kabre
consciousness I hope to gain
when the earth will see the light
when we all will feel alright
the pain of war
seems to affect my mind
the pain of war
reminds me of all the crime
The situation - nobody seems
to be attending
violence seems to be
never ending
Lost my family
in your army's plight
there is no peace to me
even at night
I feel in my heart
that there is no end to this fight
but all i want now
is some light
but all i want forever
is some light
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Inflation
Bhai ye inflation hain kya?? I have been tired of hearing about the word. Just yesterday I came face to face with inflation for the nth time in my life..
I had a Mah-CET exam scheduled yesterday. Due to my stupidity(actually strategy to avoid a tough situation later) in terms of selecting the centre I had to go to Thakur College in Kandivali, Mumbai. A journey of around an hour from my house.(Don't believe I'm using the word journey to travel within Mumbai). The standard protocol is - take a train from Mahim to Kandivali and then take a rickshaw from the station to the college. Apart from the Western Railway mega block on this particular day I thought that I'll sail through.(Thankfully the mega block turned out to be a major hoax)
Reached Kandivali station. Started searching for a rickshaw. But I wasn't alone. There were atleast 60 odd more students who had to go to the same venue. My mom had told me, that if it is a shared rickshaw, it will be 5 bucks per passenger. Some ricksha wallah's were firstly just not ready to go to Thakur. Seeing this even further increase in demand and lowering of supply of the service the rickshaw driver upped his charges the moment I got into his vehicle. "Sahab 10 Rupayaa each lagega.. chalega??" All of us had to agree to the proposal.
This is when I realised the concept of controlled inflation and its advantages. If the Rickshaw wallah had asked 25 bucks each then probably he would have lost his customers (at least me, definitely..well probably not considering I was getting late for my exam). Due to controlled inflation the money flew from the customer into the service thus kept the economy moving(High demand and thoughtful pricing ke wajeh se Rickshaw walleh ka bhi bhalaa ho gaya). Thats all from a layman. Experts please pour in......
I had a Mah-CET exam scheduled yesterday. Due to my stupidity(actually strategy to avoid a tough situation later) in terms of selecting the centre I had to go to Thakur College in Kandivali, Mumbai. A journey of around an hour from my house.(Don't believe I'm using the word journey to travel within Mumbai). The standard protocol is - take a train from Mahim to Kandivali and then take a rickshaw from the station to the college. Apart from the Western Railway mega block on this particular day I thought that I'll sail through.(Thankfully the mega block turned out to be a major hoax)
Reached Kandivali station. Started searching for a rickshaw. But I wasn't alone. There were atleast 60 odd more students who had to go to the same venue. My mom had told me, that if it is a shared rickshaw, it will be 5 bucks per passenger. Some ricksha wallah's were firstly just not ready to go to Thakur. Seeing this even further increase in demand and lowering of supply of the service the rickshaw driver upped his charges the moment I got into his vehicle. "Sahab 10 Rupayaa each lagega.. chalega??" All of us had to agree to the proposal.
This is when I realised the concept of controlled inflation and its advantages. If the Rickshaw wallah had asked 25 bucks each then probably he would have lost his customers (at least me, definitely..well probably not considering I was getting late for my exam). Due to controlled inflation the money flew from the customer into the service thus kept the economy moving(High demand and thoughtful pricing ke wajeh se Rickshaw walleh ka bhi bhalaa ho gaya). Thats all from a layman. Experts please pour in......
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Marriage by abduction :(
Was flipping through the channels this morning. Thanks to DTH services we are able to browse without flipping the current channel. Suddenly I saw a UNESCO program being shown. My hands stopped at seeing that abbreviation. And strangely this program was being shown on a very litle known channel called DD Bharti.
I was just casually having a look at what are they really showing over here. Slowly I began to realise this is something related to child marriage. Most of us Indians are aware that a criminal custom of child marriage is still existing in our system. But, what I saw was even worse...
Dowry is still a common thing during our marriages. In some places it is as good as a compulsory ritual.. Yes.. A big shame it is.. But this custom which is so detrimental to our society has led to the creation of another criminal custom. Somewhere in Bihar, the family of the girl child abducts the boy and forcefully make him marry their daughter, primarily to avoid the burden of dowry. I don't know if you had heard about such a thing happening in our country but at least for me it was an unpleasant revelation made by the idiot box. Not that I care less about the dastardly acts which I mentioned earlier that are happening in our country.
They were interviewing this chap who was a victim of 'marriage by abduction'. Now he was a grown up adult. Poor guy was so desperate to marry again. He was so frustrated that he didn't mind his current wife and kids staying in his house, but he simply didn't love his wife. This situation was pretty much inevitable. Unless he really liked his forcefully wedded wife. Phew.. that is when I feel really lucky to be a part of urban India.(I assume no such incidents happen in urban India). Further, I think, even arranged marriage is better. And on a serious note, to cover up for the sins I committed by making fun of this situation, this really should stop. But how, is the question.
I was just casually having a look at what are they really showing over here. Slowly I began to realise this is something related to child marriage. Most of us Indians are aware that a criminal custom of child marriage is still existing in our system. But, what I saw was even worse...
Dowry is still a common thing during our marriages. In some places it is as good as a compulsory ritual.. Yes.. A big shame it is.. But this custom which is so detrimental to our society has led to the creation of another criminal custom. Somewhere in Bihar, the family of the girl child abducts the boy and forcefully make him marry their daughter, primarily to avoid the burden of dowry. I don't know if you had heard about such a thing happening in our country but at least for me it was an unpleasant revelation made by the idiot box. Not that I care less about the dastardly acts which I mentioned earlier that are happening in our country.
They were interviewing this chap who was a victim of 'marriage by abduction'. Now he was a grown up adult. Poor guy was so desperate to marry again. He was so frustrated that he didn't mind his current wife and kids staying in his house, but he simply didn't love his wife. This situation was pretty much inevitable. Unless he really liked his forcefully wedded wife. Phew.. that is when I feel really lucky to be a part of urban India.(I assume no such incidents happen in urban India). Further, I think, even arranged marriage is better. And on a serious note, to cover up for the sins I committed by making fun of this situation, this really should stop. But how, is the question.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Somebody .. Stop him from dancing
My eyes are tired
and my mind is confused
somebody's dancing on the television
and I ain't amused
The beat of the music piece is right there, the picture quality is jhingalala, I'm tapping my feet looking at the person dancing in front of me, thinking this is another ad by Sony Ericsson in which Hrithik Roshan is dancing yet again. To my amazement, this is a Hide and Seek ad.
Ye accha hain, first make us put on calories by telling us to eat Hide and Seek, let our stomachs bulge out and then also make us feel bad that due to our newly developed paunch we cannot dance like Hrithik!!!
However, Hrithik dancing in the ad has become such an overdose, I really cannot distinguish which brand is he representing as he is made to dance in practically every ad. Probably the Italiano ad( then some butter .. and then .. umm) stands out of all of them. The journey that had started from the bottle juggling Coke ad doesn't seem to have ended. I just hope they can utilize his overflowing talent and gifted features without putting such limitations on him. Poor he, blame the ad wallahs.
and my mind is confused
somebody's dancing on the television
and I ain't amused
The beat of the music piece is right there, the picture quality is jhingalala, I'm tapping my feet looking at the person dancing in front of me, thinking this is another ad by Sony Ericsson in which Hrithik Roshan is dancing yet again. To my amazement, this is a Hide and Seek ad.
Ye accha hain, first make us put on calories by telling us to eat Hide and Seek, let our stomachs bulge out and then also make us feel bad that due to our newly developed paunch we cannot dance like Hrithik!!!
However, Hrithik dancing in the ad has become such an overdose, I really cannot distinguish which brand is he representing as he is made to dance in practically every ad. Probably the Italiano ad( then some butter .. and then .. umm) stands out of all of them. The journey that had started from the bottle juggling Coke ad doesn't seem to have ended. I just hope they can utilize his overflowing talent and gifted features without putting such limitations on him. Poor he, blame the ad wallahs.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The day Narendra Modi felt that he was being too nice
Not long ago the Indian political scene seemed have few examples of mutual admiration. Although, the on going tussles between regional parties had really heated up one major development broke all the clutter and made headlines among political circles. Narendra Modi, the very popular Chief Minister of Gujarat had praised Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his gang at the center for being very prompt in their actions and for being on their toes regarding security of the country and co-operating with the state governments.
I couldn't believe my ears that a senior as well as influential party leader of the BJP has showered praise on the way Congress has been running the Sarkar. How I wish Narendra Modi was without his Hindutva Agenda. He is a figure whom I immensely get attracted to, but when he opens his trap about Hindutva the entire effect vanishes. Someday I really want to see whether the tall claims he makes about progressive development in Gujarat is really very true. Nonetheless, it was indeed very heartening to see for once that opposition party leaders weren't fighting with each other and abandoning meetings like small children.
Today, Narendra Modi is back at Congress lashing. This time the Gandhi-Nehru Khandaan is the target yet again. NM has targeted Rajiv Gandhi's statement which was made years back regarding the leakage of money provided by the centre to the state into corrupt hands. Rajiv Gandhi had complained that only 15% percent of the money goes into the deserving pockets in those days, to which Narendra Modi has pointed out the 100% flawless allocation of funds to the people by his government. Rightly so pointed, if his government is indeed doing it, and he deserves a pat on the back for it, if completely true. With the BJP senior party leaders' meeting coming up, may be he wanted to rub off the niceness shown by him.
I couldn't believe my ears that a senior as well as influential party leader of the BJP has showered praise on the way Congress has been running the Sarkar. How I wish Narendra Modi was without his Hindutva Agenda. He is a figure whom I immensely get attracted to, but when he opens his trap about Hindutva the entire effect vanishes. Someday I really want to see whether the tall claims he makes about progressive development in Gujarat is really very true. Nonetheless, it was indeed very heartening to see for once that opposition party leaders weren't fighting with each other and abandoning meetings like small children.
Today, Narendra Modi is back at Congress lashing. This time the Gandhi-Nehru Khandaan is the target yet again. NM has targeted Rajiv Gandhi's statement which was made years back regarding the leakage of money provided by the centre to the state into corrupt hands. Rajiv Gandhi had complained that only 15% percent of the money goes into the deserving pockets in those days, to which Narendra Modi has pointed out the 100% flawless allocation of funds to the people by his government. Rightly so pointed, if his government is indeed doing it, and he deserves a pat on the back for it, if completely true. With the BJP senior party leaders' meeting coming up, may be he wanted to rub off the niceness shown by him.
Shame on you James Cameron - Courtesy a forwarded mail
Rajesh Khanna breaks his silence, accuses James Cameron of his latest blockbuster
Avatar being a copy of Kaka’s 1983 Bollywood masterpiece Avtaar.
He supported his argument with following proofs, They copied the POSTER!
They even copied my paralyzed hand.
Shabana’s faraway look, copied again.
Do you need more proof...?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Karthik Calling Karthik - A sneak-peek
My Favourite Indian Movie Maker is back. Farhan Akhtar. This time again in his new found profession, but pre-existing talent of acting. I somehow connect completely to whatever he does. The man really makes the character look real be it, he being in front of or behind the camera.
I have been lucky enough to have had a sneak-peek at the movie. And I should say I was completely awestruck by the entire movie. The music of the movie is really groovy. Another soul-connection album provided by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Especially Hey ya, Uff teri ada and Jaane ye kya Hua. Im sure Uff teri ada would be a hit the night clubs already.
The story of this movie is really hatke. The film starts with a very thrilling feeling in the dark backdrop of a cave. Where the protagonist of the movie Karthik lies with his head on the ground smashed with a heavy hand. His body exposed to the icy floor of the cave and his blood being getting diluted in the ice. He can't speak, he's numb and has 2 guards hovering right over him. Then the camera shifts on the silhouette of a pony-tailed guy, a familiar voice. He's on the phone, puffing a cigar and speaking to someone and surrounded by the biggest computers one might have ever seen. The cave is a lab full of scientist working day in and day out, and one gets a feeling that even they have been held under captivation.
The main plot of the movie surrounds the threats of human cloning of how dangerous things can get in the future. The love story is a flashback into the life of Karthik. And that is where the entire movie picks, how things change in the real Karthik's life, how a dangerous experiment, could have meant a huge threat to so many lives in the world. Farhan Aktar is at his usual best, and Deepika Padukone is looking fresher than ever. The climax of the movie and particularly the unfolding of events towards the end are absolutely breathtaking.
The most amazing thing about this movie, and very well guarded fact, is that, the person who is running the entire show of human cloning, the pony tailed guy, is.... Shah Rukh Khan. While Farhan Akhtar has been fooling people that Don 2 is on the cards, KCK is indeed Don 2. The entire movie has been shot in the Alps and the scenes have superb aesthetic appeal. The entire Don gang is back and back with a bang!!!
I have been lucky enough to have had a sneak-peek at the movie. And I should say I was completely awestruck by the entire movie. The music of the movie is really groovy. Another soul-connection album provided by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Especially Hey ya, Uff teri ada and Jaane ye kya Hua. Im sure Uff teri ada would be a hit the night clubs already.
The story of this movie is really hatke. The film starts with a very thrilling feeling in the dark backdrop of a cave. Where the protagonist of the movie Karthik lies with his head on the ground smashed with a heavy hand. His body exposed to the icy floor of the cave and his blood being getting diluted in the ice. He can't speak, he's numb and has 2 guards hovering right over him. Then the camera shifts on the silhouette of a pony-tailed guy, a familiar voice. He's on the phone, puffing a cigar and speaking to someone and surrounded by the biggest computers one might have ever seen. The cave is a lab full of scientist working day in and day out, and one gets a feeling that even they have been held under captivation.
The main plot of the movie surrounds the threats of human cloning of how dangerous things can get in the future. The love story is a flashback into the life of Karthik. And that is where the entire movie picks, how things change in the real Karthik's life, how a dangerous experiment, could have meant a huge threat to so many lives in the world. Farhan Aktar is at his usual best, and Deepika Padukone is looking fresher than ever. The climax of the movie and particularly the unfolding of events towards the end are absolutely breathtaking.
The most amazing thing about this movie, and very well guarded fact, is that, the person who is running the entire show of human cloning, the pony tailed guy, is.... Shah Rukh Khan. While Farhan Akhtar has been fooling people that Don 2 is on the cards, KCK is indeed Don 2. The entire movie has been shot in the Alps and the scenes have superb aesthetic appeal. The entire Don gang is back and back with a bang!!!
Uncalled for
Mystance - Ashamed
I admire the wit of Gujarati businessmen, but the things mentioned here seem to have very little backing.
When will Indians think like Indians?? And largely as representatives of the human race who respect everybody's effort.
I admire the wit of Gujarati businessmen, but the things mentioned here seem to have very little backing.
When will Indians think like Indians?? And largely as representatives of the human race who respect everybody's effort.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Out of Nowhere - Luck
I was down and out
with a will but no way
speechless if questioned
trying to hide my failure
and then out of nowhere
a light shone upon me
and said don't worry
I am here
At times of success I forget luck
At times of failure I curse it
Is luck such a worthless thing
that I think it is not worth it?
seldom does luck shine upon me
what made it think about me this time
i realised that this is just a sign
that I shall reach where I am destined.
-- Kaustubh Kabre
with a will but no way
speechless if questioned
trying to hide my failure
and then out of nowhere
a light shone upon me
and said don't worry
I am here
At times of success I forget luck
At times of failure I curse it
Is luck such a worthless thing
that I think it is not worth it?
seldom does luck shine upon me
what made it think about me this time
i realised that this is just a sign
that I shall reach where I am destined.
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Khel Power ka
I recently visited my native place. Angnewadi in Malwan. Sindhudurg District. It is very much a centre of Maratha Politics. Narayan Rane is a Demi-God in a place called Kankawli, a few kilometers away from my native place. I go for an annual visit to my native for a religious reason. It is an annual Jatra(fair) at the temple, right next to our house in the native, to which my family is really attached reaching through my ancestor roots.
I got off with my family at the Kankawli station. Moderate weather conditions, sunny day and most importantly away from the city pollution. It is a road journey from here to my native. I come across familiar faces on the hoardings welcoming everybody for the Jatra - Narayan Rane, Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and other biggies apart from other unheard workers of the parties. The banners and arcs are all over the place. Rajnikant would get a complex about the number of banners that exist for the parties if he visits this place... ok not that dramatic... nobody can beat the fan following of Rajnikant... This is the scene every year. After all this is a Maratha politics stronghold. What would one expect out of our politicians if not this... Fair enough.
Now I see cars having MNS and 'the older' Sena stickers printed on them. The cars are full of Orange flag stickers. Few cars have hoisted mini flags on their cars, some are carrying huge flags outside their cars window as if declaring war against somebody. The last time I remember, I felt proud of a similar scene was when India won the T20 World Cup when people were carrying huge flags of India and shouting out of joy from their cars. Well of course the country had made its mark in a prestigious event and there was hysteria in the air, people were jumping from top of the Sea-Link into the sea ( :P )... in short people had gone mad. It was a feeling of unity and a collective feeling of triumph.
I thought to myself what are these people trying to indicate by hoisting the Orange (and the other variety)flags of a particular party over their cars. One can say that they are supporting a certain party and representing that particular party.. ok .. again looking through a political angle things seemed fine. Then I thought these flags also signify power, these flags are also giving power to the people inside the car to throw their weight around, these flags are a signal to everybody around them that .. look liitle one ... don't mess with us.. coz now you where we are coming from.. So many people cant be representing political parties. That is when I get the feeling that this particular "Marathi Manoos" is feeling weak, supporting the agenda of Marathi shovenist parties makes him feel powerful.. It is not like the political parties are brain washing the minds of "this" Marathi Manoos, but the Marathi Manoos is readily wanting to be part of such an ideology because it makes him feel powerful, which wouldn't have been the case(according to them) if such parties did not exist. That gives me an even irritating thought that the Sena's are here to stay, regardless of how much people like you and me, including the 'Asli' Marathi Manoos hate such an ideology.
Another weird incident. We were on our way back from Kankawli. It was just my sis, jiju and myself. A hardcore Marathi gang had seats in our berth. Abusing in every alternate word, I could sense that it is going to be a tough journey back to the city(On our way to the native we had already experienced irritating co-travellers who made us switch of the lights really early, and also woke us up really early with their loud noise). But my doubts were converted into certainty when they removed a carton full of Beer and started opening the bottles 'Rang de Basanti' style. A couple of them were already sloshed, I coudn't imagine what their state would have been if they were going to have more. The TC came in, and he behaved as if he was a guest at a powerful persons house and not the sole authority in the train. My sis was too irritated with the entire scene, my jiju instinctively asked for a change in seat if they had an alternative with them. We asked them if their alternative seats are confirmed to which the sloshed guy replied " Arre amhi Marathi Manoos, no cheating". Fair enough dude, but never use the word Marathi Manoos atleast when you are in a such a state. We ultimately got peaceful seats.
The TC passed by. Jiju reprimanded him, reminded him of his duties, asked him he was pretending to be blind. The TC said that only if any passenger complains do we take action???!!!?? That's like you telling me that you are punishing me for peeing in your backyard only because your neighbour complained that I did so. Didn't you also catch me peeing in your backyard?? Whatever.. but I hope the point is through. But at least I got some respite when I saw he TC ultimately talking to those people outside the compartment where we were sitting earlier. If any action was taken.... I don't know???
I got off with my family at the Kankawli station. Moderate weather conditions, sunny day and most importantly away from the city pollution. It is a road journey from here to my native. I come across familiar faces on the hoardings welcoming everybody for the Jatra - Narayan Rane, Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and other biggies apart from other unheard workers of the parties. The banners and arcs are all over the place. Rajnikant would get a complex about the number of banners that exist for the parties if he visits this place... ok not that dramatic... nobody can beat the fan following of Rajnikant... This is the scene every year. After all this is a Maratha politics stronghold. What would one expect out of our politicians if not this... Fair enough.
Now I see cars having MNS and 'the older' Sena stickers printed on them. The cars are full of Orange flag stickers. Few cars have hoisted mini flags on their cars, some are carrying huge flags outside their cars window as if declaring war against somebody. The last time I remember, I felt proud of a similar scene was when India won the T20 World Cup when people were carrying huge flags of India and shouting out of joy from their cars. Well of course the country had made its mark in a prestigious event and there was hysteria in the air, people were jumping from top of the Sea-Link into the sea ( :P )... in short people had gone mad. It was a feeling of unity and a collective feeling of triumph.
I thought to myself what are these people trying to indicate by hoisting the Orange (and the other variety)flags of a particular party over their cars. One can say that they are supporting a certain party and representing that particular party.. ok .. again looking through a political angle things seemed fine. Then I thought these flags also signify power, these flags are also giving power to the people inside the car to throw their weight around, these flags are a signal to everybody around them that .. look liitle one ... don't mess with us.. coz now you where we are coming from.. So many people cant be representing political parties. That is when I get the feeling that this particular "Marathi Manoos" is feeling weak, supporting the agenda of Marathi shovenist parties makes him feel powerful.. It is not like the political parties are brain washing the minds of "this" Marathi Manoos, but the Marathi Manoos is readily wanting to be part of such an ideology because it makes him feel powerful, which wouldn't have been the case(according to them) if such parties did not exist. That gives me an even irritating thought that the Sena's are here to stay, regardless of how much people like you and me, including the 'Asli' Marathi Manoos hate such an ideology.
Another weird incident. We were on our way back from Kankawli. It was just my sis, jiju and myself. A hardcore Marathi gang had seats in our berth. Abusing in every alternate word, I could sense that it is going to be a tough journey back to the city(On our way to the native we had already experienced irritating co-travellers who made us switch of the lights really early, and also woke us up really early with their loud noise). But my doubts were converted into certainty when they removed a carton full of Beer and started opening the bottles 'Rang de Basanti' style. A couple of them were already sloshed, I coudn't imagine what their state would have been if they were going to have more. The TC came in, and he behaved as if he was a guest at a powerful persons house and not the sole authority in the train. My sis was too irritated with the entire scene, my jiju instinctively asked for a change in seat if they had an alternative with them. We asked them if their alternative seats are confirmed to which the sloshed guy replied " Arre amhi Marathi Manoos, no cheating". Fair enough dude, but never use the word Marathi Manoos atleast when you are in a such a state. We ultimately got peaceful seats.
The TC passed by. Jiju reprimanded him, reminded him of his duties, asked him he was pretending to be blind. The TC said that only if any passenger complains do we take action???!!!?? That's like you telling me that you are punishing me for peeing in your backyard only because your neighbour complained that I did so. Didn't you also catch me peeing in your backyard?? Whatever.. but I hope the point is through. But at least I got some respite when I saw he TC ultimately talking to those people outside the compartment where we were sitting earlier. If any action was taken.... I don't know???
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A Compromise - A short term insecurity killer
Just thinking about my future
It seems like I have to jump from Mercury to Jupiter
Seeing the world around busy working
I cant stop thinking
It feels numb
It feels dumb
the goal is all set
but it feels that im not done yet
lost in thought I am
people ask me if im alright
they look at me confused
they thought I was bright
the brain cant stop overanalysing
too nervous to attain success
sometimes I overdo it
without a direction clueless
Dazed and confused I am
The task seems to dawn upon me
If I dont stop getting scared
It is sure to walk over me
Feel low on confidence
getting a feeling of self destruction
running out of gas
insecurity shunts the propulsion
Jupiter is far away, Venus should be fine
But if I have the capability
why should I not shine
If I dont gather courage now
I will curse myself for life
Too far Jupiter is definitely
But I should commit to it as if it were my wife.
--Kaustubh Kabre
It seems like I have to jump from Mercury to Jupiter
Seeing the world around busy working
I cant stop thinking
It feels numb
It feels dumb
the goal is all set
but it feels that im not done yet
lost in thought I am
people ask me if im alright
they look at me confused
they thought I was bright
the brain cant stop overanalysing
too nervous to attain success
sometimes I overdo it
without a direction clueless
Dazed and confused I am
The task seems to dawn upon me
If I dont stop getting scared
It is sure to walk over me
Feel low on confidence
getting a feeling of self destruction
running out of gas
insecurity shunts the propulsion
Jupiter is far away, Venus should be fine
But if I have the capability
why should I not shine
If I dont gather courage now
I will curse myself for life
Too far Jupiter is definitely
But I should commit to it as if it were my wife.
--Kaustubh Kabre
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Right and the Wrong of Thackeray ideology
The Right's of the ideology:
1. Migrants coming and using(stealing) the resources like electricity & water free of cost, which is ultimately paid by other residents. Illegal slum developments - though it is their majboori - I don't think it is anymore acceptable in the already congested city of Mumbai, also keeping in mind the number of illegal developments already existing in Mumbai.
2. The shops should have the name printed in Marathi also. We are not yet a completely English speaking/writting country/state. Every citizen is atleast entitled to be able to read the name of the shop - regardless of whether he/she wants to enter it or no. It shouldn't be made such an issue as it is a common phenomenon inherited by a regionally divided state of India. Plus there is nothing unsophisticated in having vernacular language name alongside the English name. Unfortunately, many people consider this as an insult to their favourite brand. People you are just being Indian in doing so, so please consider it to be normal and not a pathetic style statement.(This is an effect of being westernized). But again, no reason for 'whichever' Sena to go on the streets and create a tamasha through violence. Also I think it would have been politically more correct, if they used the word 'Devanagri script' instead of Marathi. Probably, it wouldn't have been 'politically' correct for the Marathi shovenists.
3. Learn to speak Marathi.
My view:
But no offense if you don't want to. But if you may have visited government offices you would have the idea of the importance of knowing to speak Marathi in Mumbai. The situation is hard to change. Most Government jobs have their ranks occupied by Maharashtrians, sometimes I feel these positions are through family inheritence going by the degree of laziness and inefficiency shown by some of these particular officials. If somebody ever plans to settle in Mumbai, it is really a plus point if you know how to speak Marathi. Though it is not a compulsion in any case, but it is definitely an advantage in certain situations. So Sena, Please don't beat up people. live and let live.
The endless Wrongs:
Owwwww .... my hand is hurting even before starting to write this
1. To put the point straight. Mumbai tumchya Bapachi nahi aahe. Me Marathi asun tumchya muye mala marathi aslyachi kadhi kadhi laaj watte(Mumbai is not your fathers property, Though I myself am a maharashtrian, because of people like you I sometimes feel ashamed to be one). And btw Mr. B/R Thackeray Mumbaikar's are not a gift you got as Dowry to use them the way you want to. Who gave you the right to destroy public property or even cause a slight feeling of being terrorised amongst the residents of this beautiful city of mine.
2. Do the Sena's even realise who they talk about throwing out? For a fact, Maharashtrians are not the best of Entrepreuners to have existed in India at least up to today's date. Mumbai wouldn't have been Mumbai if it weren't for the Gujarati's, Parsee's Muslims, Jain's, Marwari's, Sindhi's, Christians, Punjabi's, Sikh's ... name more which the Sena names as migrants. These people have been the highest job creators for the city. The Finance departments are being ruled by the South Indians, and they are brilliant at what they do. If there are 'bhaiya's' who cause nuisance in the city, there are also Maharashtrians who cause nuisance, why not throw them out too. What to do they are part of your vote bank. There are so many Yadav's, Sharma's and Tiwari's who are successful and leading their lives as good citizens. If my tiny voice could ever reach you, the issue at hand is to identify the nuisance creators and take action against them. This, will effectively make a better Mumbai, which every Mumbaikar, every Indian dreams of.
3. Mumbai belongs to Mumbaikar's. Delhi belongs to Delhiites. Kolkata belongs to Bengali's. You are just stating an obvious fact. But as Indian you should realise that whoever comes to Mumbai as a migrant is an Indian first, and he/she has by every means full right to stay in India. Dont belive you are an Indian?? Let us have a look at your birth certificate. I would be proved wrong if in the nationality column it is written Maharashtrian. It is not the fault of the migrants that their state doesn't have enough facilities to provide, for them to become successful. It is just a human tendency of following his/her dreams due to which they take a decision of coming to the city of dreams. Apart from that, as a matter of fact the Koli's and the Agri's are the original inhabitants of Mumbai. So your claim of maharashtrians having a hold on Mumbai becomes null and void as is.
PS: I respect my community. I respect the success stories of all Maharashtrians. I respect the Maharashtrian culture and I am proud of the unique talents possessed by so many people in my community. I love Mumbai. I am proud to be an Indian.
1. Migrants coming and using(stealing) the resources like electricity & water free of cost, which is ultimately paid by other residents. Illegal slum developments - though it is their majboori - I don't think it is anymore acceptable in the already congested city of Mumbai, also keeping in mind the number of illegal developments already existing in Mumbai.
2. The shops should have the name printed in Marathi also. We are not yet a completely English speaking/writting country/state. Every citizen is atleast entitled to be able to read the name of the shop - regardless of whether he/she wants to enter it or no. It shouldn't be made such an issue as it is a common phenomenon inherited by a regionally divided state of India. Plus there is nothing unsophisticated in having vernacular language name alongside the English name. Unfortunately, many people consider this as an insult to their favourite brand. People you are just being Indian in doing so, so please consider it to be normal and not a pathetic style statement.(This is an effect of being westernized). But again, no reason for 'whichever' Sena to go on the streets and create a tamasha through violence. Also I think it would have been politically more correct, if they used the word 'Devanagri script' instead of Marathi. Probably, it wouldn't have been 'politically' correct for the Marathi shovenists.
3. Learn to speak Marathi.
My view:
But no offense if you don't want to. But if you may have visited government offices you would have the idea of the importance of knowing to speak Marathi in Mumbai. The situation is hard to change. Most Government jobs have their ranks occupied by Maharashtrians, sometimes I feel these positions are through family inheritence going by the degree of laziness and inefficiency shown by some of these particular officials. If somebody ever plans to settle in Mumbai, it is really a plus point if you know how to speak Marathi. Though it is not a compulsion in any case, but it is definitely an advantage in certain situations. So Sena, Please don't beat up people. live and let live.
The endless Wrongs:
Owwwww .... my hand is hurting even before starting to write this
1. To put the point straight. Mumbai tumchya Bapachi nahi aahe. Me Marathi asun tumchya muye mala marathi aslyachi kadhi kadhi laaj watte(Mumbai is not your fathers property, Though I myself am a maharashtrian, because of people like you I sometimes feel ashamed to be one). And btw Mr. B/R Thackeray Mumbaikar's are not a gift you got as Dowry to use them the way you want to. Who gave you the right to destroy public property or even cause a slight feeling of being terrorised amongst the residents of this beautiful city of mine.
2. Do the Sena's even realise who they talk about throwing out? For a fact, Maharashtrians are not the best of Entrepreuners to have existed in India at least up to today's date. Mumbai wouldn't have been Mumbai if it weren't for the Gujarati's, Parsee's Muslims, Jain's, Marwari's, Sindhi's, Christians, Punjabi's, Sikh's ... name more which the Sena names as migrants. These people have been the highest job creators for the city. The Finance departments are being ruled by the South Indians, and they are brilliant at what they do. If there are 'bhaiya's' who cause nuisance in the city, there are also Maharashtrians who cause nuisance, why not throw them out too. What to do they are part of your vote bank. There are so many Yadav's, Sharma's and Tiwari's who are successful and leading their lives as good citizens. If my tiny voice could ever reach you, the issue at hand is to identify the nuisance creators and take action against them. This, will effectively make a better Mumbai, which every Mumbaikar, every Indian dreams of.
3. Mumbai belongs to Mumbaikar's. Delhi belongs to Delhiites. Kolkata belongs to Bengali's. You are just stating an obvious fact. But as Indian you should realise that whoever comes to Mumbai as a migrant is an Indian first, and he/she has by every means full right to stay in India. Dont belive you are an Indian?? Let us have a look at your birth certificate. I would be proved wrong if in the nationality column it is written Maharashtrian. It is not the fault of the migrants that their state doesn't have enough facilities to provide, for them to become successful. It is just a human tendency of following his/her dreams due to which they take a decision of coming to the city of dreams. Apart from that, as a matter of fact the Koli's and the Agri's are the original inhabitants of Mumbai. So your claim of maharashtrians having a hold on Mumbai becomes null and void as is.
PS: I respect my community. I respect the success stories of all Maharashtrians. I respect the Maharashtrian culture and I am proud of the unique talents possessed by so many people in my community. I love Mumbai. I am proud to be an Indian.
Blink
Blink... Eureka!!! Its a piece of brilliant thinking, something that not many people could have thought of. The world is full of ideas, success is limited to a very few ideas. What distinguishes these ideas from the rest? Is it practice or is it purely more knowledge about a certain subject? Why do we sometimes take so much time to think over the solution to a problem and when you find the answer your like 'that was so simple to think of'. On the other hand someone might know the solution within a flash.
While you are reading this very line do you realize how effortlessly you are reading these very words. I had read an email stating that (please read the following line as fast as you can) "eevn if I worte smoethnig lkie tihs you wuold be albe to raed it. The lgioc bnhied this was siad to be taht wehn we do ripad radeing we look olny at the frsit and the lsat letetr and we asusme taht wrod to be a cretian wrod". This effortless reading has come only after years of reading something or the other everyday. This rapid decision making mechanism was has been developed through a mechanism called thin slicing as described in the book called "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell.
There is an amazing instance from the book where a research is being carried on married couples, as part of a marriage counseling workshop. The couple is made to sit in a room and left alone and told to talk about anything they want to discuss with each other. A video recording of their interaction is done. The couple may discuss probably about their neighbour or their dog or even about sex. To a layman the couple seems to be absolutely fine as they were hardly being agressive towards each other or even seemed as if they were fighting, but the researchers were noting down, every second of the conversation, each and every movement of each person, every expression like agreement, sigh, rolling eyes and even the restlessness developed by a particular partner. If any of them was being defensive in their approach towards the other person, in the sense, " thats true ... but ..." kind of style of argument. Through these thin sliced observations the scientists were able to predict 95% correctly if the couple were really happy with each other or stuff like if the couple would still be with each other after 7 years.
However, it is not about collecting a lot of information. it is about collecting the required information. But, the problem that most of us face is recognising which information is useful. Like, I have a penchant for developing my knowledge about current affairs, so I read newspapers. But if I read a complete story about a boy falling in a borewell and only the headlines regarding the reasons of the Lehmann Brothers tragedy, I know I have faultered in my goal. Its about knowing your goal and developing a focused strategy pertaining only to your goal. The method of developing this flash instinct is ambiguous. There is no hard and fast manner to develop this. May be it is a meticulous approach towards your passion!!
While you are reading this very line do you realize how effortlessly you are reading these very words. I had read an email stating that (please read the following line as fast as you can) "eevn if I worte smoethnig lkie tihs you wuold be albe to raed it. The lgioc bnhied this was siad to be taht wehn we do ripad radeing we look olny at the frsit and the lsat letetr and we asusme taht wrod to be a cretian wrod". This effortless reading has come only after years of reading something or the other everyday. This rapid decision making mechanism was has been developed through a mechanism called thin slicing as described in the book called "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell.
There is an amazing instance from the book where a research is being carried on married couples, as part of a marriage counseling workshop. The couple is made to sit in a room and left alone and told to talk about anything they want to discuss with each other. A video recording of their interaction is done. The couple may discuss probably about their neighbour or their dog or even about sex. To a layman the couple seems to be absolutely fine as they were hardly being agressive towards each other or even seemed as if they were fighting, but the researchers were noting down, every second of the conversation, each and every movement of each person, every expression like agreement, sigh, rolling eyes and even the restlessness developed by a particular partner. If any of them was being defensive in their approach towards the other person, in the sense, " thats true ... but ..." kind of style of argument. Through these thin sliced observations the scientists were able to predict 95% correctly if the couple were really happy with each other or stuff like if the couple would still be with each other after 7 years.
However, it is not about collecting a lot of information. it is about collecting the required information. But, the problem that most of us face is recognising which information is useful. Like, I have a penchant for developing my knowledge about current affairs, so I read newspapers. But if I read a complete story about a boy falling in a borewell and only the headlines regarding the reasons of the Lehmann Brothers tragedy, I know I have faultered in my goal. Its about knowing your goal and developing a focused strategy pertaining only to your goal. The method of developing this flash instinct is ambiguous. There is no hard and fast manner to develop this. May be it is a meticulous approach towards your passion!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A journey for acceptance
A dream to start something new
But I didn't know how to do
It was a concept new
could have been accepted by very few
People thought I was clueless
wasting my time aimless
In desperation I roamed around like a nomad
knowing that one day they would be glad
I wanted a few questions resolved
no man was ready to be involved
Too passionate to quit I was
I knew it was all for my cause
people could easily term me mad
sold all the furniture I had
caring neighbours and relatives in all sorts of pain
but some money i got to sustain
Recognized that it could only be London
where i could possibly get my job done
a man to help was gracious enough
learned the tricks of the trade and other stuff
came back and started in full swing
I felt like I had developed wings
it took little time to convince everyone again
confident of my capabilities I knew I would reign
the job was done got a lot of acclaim
ultimately had carved a niche for my name
success was incomplete without my families support
the journey was worthwhile despite all the retorts
-- Kaustubh Kabre
(Inspired from Harishchandrachi Factory - India's official entry to the Oscars 2010)
But I didn't know how to do
It was a concept new
could have been accepted by very few
People thought I was clueless
wasting my time aimless
In desperation I roamed around like a nomad
knowing that one day they would be glad
I wanted a few questions resolved
no man was ready to be involved
Too passionate to quit I was
I knew it was all for my cause
people could easily term me mad
sold all the furniture I had
caring neighbours and relatives in all sorts of pain
but some money i got to sustain
Recognized that it could only be London
where i could possibly get my job done
a man to help was gracious enough
learned the tricks of the trade and other stuff
came back and started in full swing
I felt like I had developed wings
it took little time to convince everyone again
confident of my capabilities I knew I would reign
the job was done got a lot of acclaim
ultimately had carved a niche for my name
success was incomplete without my families support
the journey was worthwhile despite all the retorts
-- Kaustubh Kabre
(Inspired from Harishchandrachi Factory - India's official entry to the Oscars 2010)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Inspiring speeches
Steve Jobs at a Harvard Convocation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
I finally know who Al Pacino is... time to watch his movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk&NR=1
There will definitely be many more, but these are definitely couple of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
I finally know who Al Pacino is... time to watch his movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO4tIrjBDkk&NR=1
There will definitely be many more, but these are definitely couple of them.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
ISHQIYA
A typical Vishal Bharadwaj movie, albeit directed by newbie Abhishek Chaubey. Bad start to a review by starting with a comparison. Although Vishal Bharadwaj has not directed the movie, his touch cannot go unnoticed in the movie. The man seems to have mastered the art of taking a totally unrealistic story/script and converting it into a realistic mind blowing piece of movie making.
It would have been a better experience if it weren't for a bunch of really irritating people (credit to stall seats in New Empire) who were sitting behind us and passing mindless comments ( every time there was a twist in the movie.. the guy behind me used to get overexcited and say .." ye bada game hone waala hain abhi... bohot bada jhol hain yaar" then he would ask his bajuwaala .." tujhe game samajh mein aa raha hain ki nahi??(poor guy was as confused as the person who asked him)" Ofcourse they also used the word 'game' along with non-stop commentary during the liplock scene between lovable Arshad Warsi and amazing Naseeruddin Shah... hahaha ... gotcha ...Section 377 is not that explicitly accepted in our country... ofcourse it was with the earthy beauty Vidya Balan.
Nonetheless, the 'game' was really interesting. The mama-bhanja duo was superb right from their rib-tickling opening act. The entire scenario surrounding Gorakhpur about its people and the people in power over there, the communist scenario(the shia sunni dialogue of arshad warsi ..lol) is also captured in a very 'ya.. it is so out here, can u believe that' manner and it suits the plot of the film completely. The humour of the VB movies is a class apart, you never come to know when there will be an out and out funny dialogue with the best comic timing ever and you will be found ROTF LYourAO..
The ISHQ part of ishqiya has also been very sensitively approached and pretty much in cognizance with human emotions. Yeah, it does project the lady as a figure who can mesmerize anybody's senses the way she wants to.. and boy .. Vidya Balan has lived upto the tough ask of the role.. The innocence of 'Dil to Baccha Hain Ji' fits really well in the movie. The way Naseeruddin Shah has portrayed the character of a man who goes in the seventh heaven at the very sight or thought of his lady love is very heartening. Arshad Warsi has been shown as a really cocky character and he suits the bill.
Apart from a drop of momentum here and there and the loose ending of the movie(they trio walks out on the bridge without anybody doing anything to them??The Bollywood Police is definitely the most inefficient force I have ever seen. Well, happy endings are a part of bollywood culture, but not all movies can end like Omkara) the movie was a complete treat. In short mindless, comic, dramatic and a combination of many good performances. A 3 - Star Rating would be apt. The 'game' is worth it.
It would have been a better experience if it weren't for a bunch of really irritating people (credit to stall seats in New Empire) who were sitting behind us and passing mindless comments ( every time there was a twist in the movie.. the guy behind me used to get overexcited and say .." ye bada game hone waala hain abhi... bohot bada jhol hain yaar" then he would ask his bajuwaala .." tujhe game samajh mein aa raha hain ki nahi??(poor guy was as confused as the person who asked him)" Ofcourse they also used the word 'game' along with non-stop commentary during the liplock scene between lovable Arshad Warsi and amazing Naseeruddin Shah... hahaha ... gotcha ...Section 377 is not that explicitly accepted in our country... ofcourse it was with the earthy beauty Vidya Balan.
Nonetheless, the 'game' was really interesting. The mama-bhanja duo was superb right from their rib-tickling opening act. The entire scenario surrounding Gorakhpur about its people and the people in power over there, the communist scenario(the shia sunni dialogue of arshad warsi ..lol) is also captured in a very 'ya.. it is so out here, can u believe that' manner and it suits the plot of the film completely. The humour of the VB movies is a class apart, you never come to know when there will be an out and out funny dialogue with the best comic timing ever and you will be found ROTF LYourAO..
The ISHQ part of ishqiya has also been very sensitively approached and pretty much in cognizance with human emotions. Yeah, it does project the lady as a figure who can mesmerize anybody's senses the way she wants to.. and boy .. Vidya Balan has lived upto the tough ask of the role.. The innocence of 'Dil to Baccha Hain Ji' fits really well in the movie. The way Naseeruddin Shah has portrayed the character of a man who goes in the seventh heaven at the very sight or thought of his lady love is very heartening. Arshad Warsi has been shown as a really cocky character and he suits the bill.
Apart from a drop of momentum here and there and the loose ending of the movie(they trio walks out on the bridge without anybody doing anything to them??The Bollywood Police is definitely the most inefficient force I have ever seen. Well, happy endings are a part of bollywood culture, but not all movies can end like Omkara) the movie was a complete treat. In short mindless, comic, dramatic and a combination of many good performances. A 3 - Star Rating would be apt. The 'game' is worth it.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
All of us tend to get attached to something that has been part of our life for a long time. Replacing these things wih something new is definitely very difficult. I realized this when I was watching the new version of mile sur mera tumhara. Here's the link for the new version:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoshow/5502160.cms
The original version was a legendary piece of work. The link for the original version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekvevq_ipaI
The original version is short and sweet. It is like an excellent short movie to give a brief about India. It had captured the diverse culture, the people, the celebrities and the earthiness of India in a very apt manner.
The new version is looooooonggg ... At over 16 minutes the audience might tend to get a little restless in waiting for the song to finally end. Having said that it has captured very frank ideas in a fairly effective manner.
Deepika Padukone wearing a short dress in a patriotic song might seem to be a horrible idea, but that is the changing face of India, no matter how much we would like to run away from that fact. Few western pieces of music are also a part of the changing taste of Indian audience and their their willingness to accept new ideas. The musical pieces by various artists are a treat to listen to. Salman Khan pulls off a very sweet act too. I think the solar powered water heater behind AR Rahman is also a different aspect of today's India. The tribute to our armed forces is also very heartening
But, somewhere I feel the people of India are missing. It seems like a more glamorized version. Of course that was expected out of a Zoom Entertainment Network Production. The musicians and celebrities of India have been captured fairly well. But with a 16 minutes of screen time, excessive screen time has been given to a few individuals which could have included many more significant achievers of our nation and made it a more complete version. I personally there was a lot of space to capture the rural India, the industries, the evergrowing telecom secctor, the famous institutes, many more beautiful visions of the India scenery... there is a lot that could have been done because India is changing by leaps and bounds and it is absolutely beyond all the celebrities, no offense to them, they are important, but they cannot solely represent India.
The expectations from the new version had to be huge, and people like me were bound to criticize its shortcomings. Acceptibility of the new version will take some time as people are still nostalgic about the old one. Overall a decent effort, but could have represented India in a much better way.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videoshow/5502160.cms
The original version was a legendary piece of work. The link for the original version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekvevq_ipaI
The original version is short and sweet. It is like an excellent short movie to give a brief about India. It had captured the diverse culture, the people, the celebrities and the earthiness of India in a very apt manner.
The new version is looooooonggg ... At over 16 minutes the audience might tend to get a little restless in waiting for the song to finally end. Having said that it has captured very frank ideas in a fairly effective manner.
Deepika Padukone wearing a short dress in a patriotic song might seem to be a horrible idea, but that is the changing face of India, no matter how much we would like to run away from that fact. Few western pieces of music are also a part of the changing taste of Indian audience and their their willingness to accept new ideas. The musical pieces by various artists are a treat to listen to. Salman Khan pulls off a very sweet act too. I think the solar powered water heater behind AR Rahman is also a different aspect of today's India. The tribute to our armed forces is also very heartening
But, somewhere I feel the people of India are missing. It seems like a more glamorized version. Of course that was expected out of a Zoom Entertainment Network Production. The musicians and celebrities of India have been captured fairly well. But with a 16 minutes of screen time, excessive screen time has been given to a few individuals which could have included many more significant achievers of our nation and made it a more complete version. I personally there was a lot of space to capture the rural India, the industries, the evergrowing telecom secctor, the famous institutes, many more beautiful visions of the India scenery... there is a lot that could have been done because India is changing by leaps and bounds and it is absolutely beyond all the celebrities, no offense to them, they are important, but they cannot solely represent India.
The expectations from the new version had to be huge, and people like me were bound to criticize its shortcomings. Acceptibility of the new version will take some time as people are still nostalgic about the old one. Overall a decent effort, but could have represented India in a much better way.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Love - End of a friendship
The heart has halted
the mind is in state of havoc
everything i take to heart
nothing seems to be a joke
one yes is all i am waiting for
when would I get that
every second is passing
just in anticipation of that
it seems to be a long day
the clock doesn't seem to tick
everytime I remember your angry face
I start to feel sick
you were walking so gently
nibbling with your hair
i remember last evenings walk
through the city fair
i expressed my feelings
still think that you'll understand
the aircraft of my dreams had taken off
now i hope it lands
I may be stupid
i may be crazy
just tell me whatever it is
don't keep the future hazy
from the first day of our friendship
u pointed clearly
this wont turn into a relationship
no matter what it may be
I had agreed then
as i had no choice
my heart always used to beat for u
i could hear its loud voice
no hope do I have of an affrmation
as i know i have disappointed
but love u I shall always
with arms extended
I dont know why
i think ul give me a yes
u may think this is emotional blackmail
but i cant help it i confess
I wish u the best
it was never your fault
i have acted ridiculously stupid
and i deserve this jolt
-- Kaustubh Kabre
the mind is in state of havoc
everything i take to heart
nothing seems to be a joke
one yes is all i am waiting for
when would I get that
every second is passing
just in anticipation of that
it seems to be a long day
the clock doesn't seem to tick
everytime I remember your angry face
I start to feel sick
you were walking so gently
nibbling with your hair
i remember last evenings walk
through the city fair
i expressed my feelings
still think that you'll understand
the aircraft of my dreams had taken off
now i hope it lands
I may be stupid
i may be crazy
just tell me whatever it is
don't keep the future hazy
from the first day of our friendship
u pointed clearly
this wont turn into a relationship
no matter what it may be
I had agreed then
as i had no choice
my heart always used to beat for u
i could hear its loud voice
no hope do I have of an affrmation
as i know i have disappointed
but love u I shall always
with arms extended
I dont know why
i think ul give me a yes
u may think this is emotional blackmail
but i cant help it i confess
I wish u the best
it was never your fault
i have acted ridiculously stupid
and i deserve this jolt
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The MICA story so far
15 months ago I was getting damn bored in office. My project had been stalled for 'top management' reasons. I had worked hard on it for 4 months. It was something I did not know at all and I had put in maximum effort to absorb as much knowledge as possible related to it. Everything had gone down the drain. The 26/11 tragedy had happened, I was reading all sorts of views, allegations being posted on various sites. The internet had become a sole hope of passing my time.
I was chatting up with one of my gtalk friends. We had incidently met at a salsa workshop which I had attended after my high school. Nooo ... this is not a romantic story... back to the topic.. We were discussing generally about career and job. She was doing great at her job. She was an 'academically' successful engineer and had done wonderfully at CAT and other competitive exams. I told her I wanted to do something exciting, something this stupid job can never give me - a very dynamic, full of ideas - like .. like anything that involves agressive marketing.. marketing your product ... customers happy ... you happy ... company rich .. you get your money ... you buy penthouse .. audi ... yaar ye sapno ki duniya kitni acchi hoti hain .... But ya, that is the kind of job I wanted, which would keep me on my toes, and an industry which would never be short of work, and developing newer crazier ideas.. Not that recession spared the media and advertising industry. I myself, though working in the software department of a media powerhouse had realised that.. every month there used to be a news of people getting off-loaded ... scary is not the word for those days.. My project had already been stalled ... and felt sure to be targeted... whatever that is not the point ... the point is MICA.. she told me that if you are interested in doing something interesting and different just learn more about Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad. She told me that she had got though the entire admission process.. but due to her own reasons she had rejected the offer.. I was like.. what ... Mudra .. look at the name ... the name only did not interest me.. Plus its in ahmedabad!! For a born and brought up in Mumbai, it is a matter of bother. I had heard boring stories about ahmedabad from my sister who was studying at Ahmedabad in NID - One of the most elite design schools in the country - or most certainly the most elite.
My friend gave me the home page link of the institute, the link of a pagalguy thread with a silly author name called chuck_gopal. and a site name called afaqs.com which would give me more knowledge regarding the advertising field. It was just me and my computer and countless hours of free time. I started on a boring note with the name Mudra .. the 'M' of MICA .. but after saying it 10 times it started sounding a bit interesting to me... After half a day of work .. I came to know more about the second word 'Institute' .. This is a really happening institute.. Lush green and beautiful campus.. loads of open spaces.. situated in a quiet locality away from the city .. sports facilities .. open air amphitheatre .. auditorium .. loads of events happening around the year.. a campus radio .. a professional theatre group .. a mixed culture of people .. a rare 1:1 sex ratio in a business school .. celebration of various festivals .. a residential course .. the list doesn't stop..(apart from the much more impressive course structure that will come later). In 4 hours I was completely star struck about the place.. This is the kind of college life that I had always dreamt of.. Though I didn't want to look further.. I reminded myself about my career and the kind of position my career was currently in.. Now that the 'I' of MICA had sunk into me I decided to go further and discover the big 'C' of MICA.. which being an engineer I was assured I didn't have much of an idea about... but for a starter .. the 'C' of MICA exists within every single place, idea, organization on the earth... so I more or less knew about it.. but never realised that how frequently I was using the 'C' in my life...
I was chatting up with one of my gtalk friends. We had incidently met at a salsa workshop which I had attended after my high school. Nooo ... this is not a romantic story... back to the topic.. We were discussing generally about career and job. She was doing great at her job. She was an 'academically' successful engineer and had done wonderfully at CAT and other competitive exams. I told her I wanted to do something exciting, something this stupid job can never give me - a very dynamic, full of ideas - like .. like anything that involves agressive marketing.. marketing your product ... customers happy ... you happy ... company rich .. you get your money ... you buy penthouse .. audi ... yaar ye sapno ki duniya kitni acchi hoti hain .... But ya, that is the kind of job I wanted, which would keep me on my toes, and an industry which would never be short of work, and developing newer crazier ideas.. Not that recession spared the media and advertising industry. I myself, though working in the software department of a media powerhouse had realised that.. every month there used to be a news of people getting off-loaded ... scary is not the word for those days.. My project had already been stalled ... and felt sure to be targeted... whatever that is not the point ... the point is MICA.. she told me that if you are interested in doing something interesting and different just learn more about Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad. She told me that she had got though the entire admission process.. but due to her own reasons she had rejected the offer.. I was like.. what ... Mudra .. look at the name ... the name only did not interest me.. Plus its in ahmedabad!! For a born and brought up in Mumbai, it is a matter of bother. I had heard boring stories about ahmedabad from my sister who was studying at Ahmedabad in NID - One of the most elite design schools in the country - or most certainly the most elite.
My friend gave me the home page link of the institute, the link of a pagalguy thread with a silly author name called chuck_gopal. and a site name called afaqs.com which would give me more knowledge regarding the advertising field. It was just me and my computer and countless hours of free time. I started on a boring note with the name Mudra .. the 'M' of MICA .. but after saying it 10 times it started sounding a bit interesting to me... After half a day of work .. I came to know more about the second word 'Institute' .. This is a really happening institute.. Lush green and beautiful campus.. loads of open spaces.. situated in a quiet locality away from the city .. sports facilities .. open air amphitheatre .. auditorium .. loads of events happening around the year.. a campus radio .. a professional theatre group .. a mixed culture of people .. a rare 1:1 sex ratio in a business school .. celebration of various festivals .. a residential course .. the list doesn't stop..(apart from the much more impressive course structure that will come later). In 4 hours I was completely star struck about the place.. This is the kind of college life that I had always dreamt of.. Though I didn't want to look further.. I reminded myself about my career and the kind of position my career was currently in.. Now that the 'I' of MICA had sunk into me I decided to go further and discover the big 'C' of MICA.. which being an engineer I was assured I didn't have much of an idea about... but for a starter .. the 'C' of MICA exists within every single place, idea, organization on the earth... so I more or less knew about it.. but never realised that how frequently I was using the 'C' in my life...
Save the earth - A responsibility
The trees want to touch the sky
lazying around they sway
The woodcutters on the round
now they wonder if they may
strike lightning on him oh heavens
make him cry in shock
take his cutting tool away
and make him a laughing stock
There was a day when the earth
was full of greenery, blooming flowers and fruits
Pray is not all we can
Action be taken in this span
Late it has already been
But not as late to face consequences unforeseen
Responsibility the earth understands
but who shall take the blame
the environment is of the poor
and also of nations with power, money and fame
Agitation and protest the world does
the earth is getting warmer they express
if only words could heal
it wouldn't have been such a mess
-- Kaustubh Kabre
lazying around they sway
The woodcutters on the round
now they wonder if they may
strike lightning on him oh heavens
make him cry in shock
take his cutting tool away
and make him a laughing stock
There was a day when the earth
was full of greenery, blooming flowers and fruits
Pray is not all we can
Action be taken in this span
Late it has already been
But not as late to face consequences unforeseen
Responsibility the earth understands
but who shall take the blame
the environment is of the poor
and also of nations with power, money and fame
Agitation and protest the world does
the earth is getting warmer they express
if only words could heal
it wouldn't have been such a mess
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
IPL3 - I want entertainment
The IPL comes back to India for its 3rd season. What a welcome it has already received. The media planners have their tongues wagging at the huge prospects that the IPL has to offer in terms of visibility. The advertisements aired by SET with Shane Warne doing a "Boy, did we miss you" with the electrifying sound of the indian crowd in the backdrop is a very good way of pulling back, connecting with the audience which had reduced by substantial margins as compared to the first season. The clear message being sent out is that we are back and we are going to give you the biggest treat ever this time around.
Though there is a lot of excitement surrounding the event there is a sense of it starting again from square one. There is the same feeling of apprehension in the air which was there during the first season. Tentative thoughts are floating regarding whether the event will be a success - the same situation as was during the first season. The advertising market players seem to be playing a wait and watch game even though they know that it is going to have a mind blowing viewership. The general public is not showing signs over-the-top interest about the event. Is T20 getting the tag of a gamblers paradise? Is it getting politicized? Are matches fixed ??
The ticket prizes are also starting to follow an upward direction going by the recent trend. on one hand they say everybody is gung-ho about the event and it is going to attract huge sponsorship on the other hand there is news about a below par response. The controversies surrounding cheer girls are a disappointing break in the excitement of the format. Is FUN going to be defined yet again? Whats in store for this season is purely a wait and watch game like it was for the first edition.
The auction has just started. After tearing apart any possible bowling attack in the world West Indian Kieron Pollard is being offered enough money to buy an IPL team for himself. Roach, Shane Bond also fetching huge sums. Damien Martyn the aussie veteran has gone away for a rather paltry sum.. Probably pretty justified. And now the big debate. No Paistani player has been picked by any of the franchise causing yet another controversy in the never ending list of indian cricket. The claim that they are the world champions and they feel humiliated for not being considered. Given the situation of the visa scenario for pak players the franchise owners may be probably justified in doing so. After all its their money which they dont want to go down the drain in any manner. The players should be a bit more responsible in handling this sensitive issue and not give out statements like we feel humiliated especially it being an INDIAN Premiere league. However the BCCI should also held responsible for keeping the pak players in the auction probable list inspite of doubts looming over the clearance of their legal documents. Hope every player player gets what he is worthy of. Just hope KKR turns things around and Mumbai Indians stop acting like chokers(kya kare Mumbai ko to support karna hi padta hain)
Leaving all the recent controversies and a fair bit of apprehension about its success I really wish it is a slam bang fest. That is what everybody wants it to be, that is what T20 is all about. I hope the glamour doesn't reduce, the music doesn't stop, the top players play their best game and make the event reach heights of EPL ... woah pretty superficial... long long way to go BCCI ... But if IPL ever reaches EPL levels nobodies going to complain...
Though there is a lot of excitement surrounding the event there is a sense of it starting again from square one. There is the same feeling of apprehension in the air which was there during the first season. Tentative thoughts are floating regarding whether the event will be a success - the same situation as was during the first season. The advertising market players seem to be playing a wait and watch game even though they know that it is going to have a mind blowing viewership. The general public is not showing signs over-the-top interest about the event. Is T20 getting the tag of a gamblers paradise? Is it getting politicized? Are matches fixed ??
The ticket prizes are also starting to follow an upward direction going by the recent trend. on one hand they say everybody is gung-ho about the event and it is going to attract huge sponsorship on the other hand there is news about a below par response. The controversies surrounding cheer girls are a disappointing break in the excitement of the format. Is FUN going to be defined yet again? Whats in store for this season is purely a wait and watch game like it was for the first edition.
The auction has just started. After tearing apart any possible bowling attack in the world West Indian Kieron Pollard is being offered enough money to buy an IPL team for himself. Roach, Shane Bond also fetching huge sums. Damien Martyn the aussie veteran has gone away for a rather paltry sum.. Probably pretty justified. And now the big debate. No Paistani player has been picked by any of the franchise causing yet another controversy in the never ending list of indian cricket. The claim that they are the world champions and they feel humiliated for not being considered. Given the situation of the visa scenario for pak players the franchise owners may be probably justified in doing so. After all its their money which they dont want to go down the drain in any manner. The players should be a bit more responsible in handling this sensitive issue and not give out statements like we feel humiliated especially it being an INDIAN Premiere league. However the BCCI should also held responsible for keeping the pak players in the auction probable list inspite of doubts looming over the clearance of their legal documents. Hope every player player gets what he is worthy of. Just hope KKR turns things around and Mumbai Indians stop acting like chokers(kya kare Mumbai ko to support karna hi padta hain)
Leaving all the recent controversies and a fair bit of apprehension about its success I really wish it is a slam bang fest. That is what everybody wants it to be, that is what T20 is all about. I hope the glamour doesn't reduce, the music doesn't stop, the top players play their best game and make the event reach heights of EPL ... woah pretty superficial... long long way to go BCCI ... But if IPL ever reaches EPL levels nobodies going to complain...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Dreams
Long ago quite a few years back
I packed my dreams in a haversack
Left my friends clueless of where i'm going,
it was a feeling nothing less than annoying.
The journey seemed long
but i began with a song
I thought these are the days that i am leaving behind
but have a to sacrifice a lot more to face life's grind
I had a dream of being known
I had a dream of building a palace of my own
there was a place called paradise
but to understand the illusion i had to be wise
I tried to escape the troublesome thought
with courage in my mind restlessly I fought
I want it and i want it now
just want it no matter how
faced bad weather faced bad days
I had started to fall short of ways
thought of returning back to the paradise
I could hear my heart giving out cries
took two steps back, the mind didn't agree
understood that nothing in life comes for free
I often thought that quit I may
but where there is a will there is always a way
-- Kaustubh Kabre
I packed my dreams in a haversack
Left my friends clueless of where i'm going,
it was a feeling nothing less than annoying.
The journey seemed long
but i began with a song
I thought these are the days that i am leaving behind
but have a to sacrifice a lot more to face life's grind
I had a dream of being known
I had a dream of building a palace of my own
there was a place called paradise
but to understand the illusion i had to be wise
I tried to escape the troublesome thought
with courage in my mind restlessly I fought
I want it and i want it now
just want it no matter how
faced bad weather faced bad days
I had started to fall short of ways
thought of returning back to the paradise
I could hear my heart giving out cries
took two steps back, the mind didn't agree
understood that nothing in life comes for free
I often thought that quit I may
but where there is a will there is always a way
-- Kaustubh Kabre
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Someting I had forgotten ... It took 3 idiots to remind me of it
I was genuinely interested in certain funda's that one actually joins engineering for.. Innovating something on my own which would solve the purpose of mankind in someway or the other ..
Rancho is a pretty much a fairy tale character(suited for cinematic viewing), but the ideology that he followed of getting 'educated' and showing his brilliance in applying his knowledge practically and developing something very passionately is something what most engineers dream of when they enter engineering..
But alas, their dream is shattered due to the rubbish structure of Engineering curriculum(I can claim that about University of Mumbai atleast)..
Life ek race hain... agar tej nahi daudoge to koi tumhe kuchal ke aage nikal jayega ... This dialogue has been made fun of in the movie.. but sadly this dialogue is what you need to follow if you are to get good marks in engineering exams...
A study curriculum where rote learning is a mantra to success... where you are not judged by your ideas and your application power but by how strong your mugging power is.. "agar tum reference book se slowly padhne jaoge aur tumhare funde clear karne ki der mein lage rahoge to sab log tumhse aage nikal jaenge .. to behtar hoga ke tum chupp chaap easy solutions lo aur ratta mar lo" ... that is the sad scene about engineering education ... you have to change ur ideology to meet the requirements of the rat race .. No minimum percentage in exams ... No job.. boss karna padta hain...
This is the point where most engineers stop innovating ... This is the reason why we are pathetic at research as compared to western as well as our asian counterparts.. This the reason why we are laid back in terms of technological innovation .. I do no mean to debilitate the magnificent achievements of few Indian scientists but what I mean to say is that we are under-achievers in this regard with 10000 engineers graduating every year..
3 idiots amazing movie ... For me apart from the message tried to be portrayed in the movie it reminded me that I had stopped innovating .. Thank you 3 idiots for reminding that to me... Hope I reinvent myself in some way!!!
Rancho is a pretty much a fairy tale character(suited for cinematic viewing), but the ideology that he followed of getting 'educated' and showing his brilliance in applying his knowledge practically and developing something very passionately is something what most engineers dream of when they enter engineering..
But alas, their dream is shattered due to the rubbish structure of Engineering curriculum(I can claim that about University of Mumbai atleast)..
Life ek race hain... agar tej nahi daudoge to koi tumhe kuchal ke aage nikal jayega ... This dialogue has been made fun of in the movie.. but sadly this dialogue is what you need to follow if you are to get good marks in engineering exams...
A study curriculum where rote learning is a mantra to success... where you are not judged by your ideas and your application power but by how strong your mugging power is.. "agar tum reference book se slowly padhne jaoge aur tumhare funde clear karne ki der mein lage rahoge to sab log tumhse aage nikal jaenge .. to behtar hoga ke tum chupp chaap easy solutions lo aur ratta mar lo" ... that is the sad scene about engineering education ... you have to change ur ideology to meet the requirements of the rat race .. No minimum percentage in exams ... No job.. boss karna padta hain...
This is the point where most engineers stop innovating ... This is the reason why we are pathetic at research as compared to western as well as our asian counterparts.. This the reason why we are laid back in terms of technological innovation .. I do no mean to debilitate the magnificent achievements of few Indian scientists but what I mean to say is that we are under-achievers in this regard with 10000 engineers graduating every year..
3 idiots amazing movie ... For me apart from the message tried to be portrayed in the movie it reminded me that I had stopped innovating .. Thank you 3 idiots for reminding that to me... Hope I reinvent myself in some way!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)