CHESS... AGAIN...

Read another funny line... And how true and meaningful...

Life is like a game of chess... The people whom we interact with assume the role of pawns and rooks and knights and queen and king...

There is a slight difference between life and a game of chess though... In the game of chess, a piece stays in its role... In the game of life, any person can change his/her personality according to the situation and, often will, play the role that suits him/her the best... He who can accurately identify the role played by other individuals gets to be the king...

KINGS?

Noticed a funny thing... Monarchy was abolished at the time of independence but kingdoms continued to exist... Some of their descendants still use the title and now rule indirectly after standing for elections... This election also stars many royals trying their luck at the ballot casino... More often than not, the royals win handsomely proving that people are still obsessed with this medieval concept of royalty... Here is one more proof --

The IPL teams are named as --
Bangalore ROYAL challengers
Chennai SUPER KINGS
Mohali KINGS Eleven
Rajasthan ROYALS

Their competitors, ICL, are not so far behind --
Lahore Badshahs
Dhaka Warriors

Was reading an article abt the ongoing feud between IPL and ICL where money muscle has made IPL a king and the ICL a pawn... Then read a funny line "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box"... Ironic, but how apt...

SENSE OF HUMOR
Last week, wifey forwarded this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiVcnJ5iLqs And this video reminded me of a very funny experience a couple of years back...

We were flying back from Miami to Philadelphia after a 4 day vacation... It had been an exhausting day... The weather at the beach had been brutal and the mental agony of the fact that the vacation is getting over with every passing minute and the boring routine for the workweek lurking ahead were making the torture even unbearable... Then this funny flight announcer started the party... His announcements cheered us up and we actually felt that the vacation actually was extended by a hour and a half of the flight... He cracked us up with his witty one-liners and made our journey thoroughly enjoyable... Of our numerous flight journeys, this one remains always fresh in our memories...

Similarly, I had a colleague in engineering... Due to his Bengali surname (though he was not actually a Bong), we used to affectionately call him Babu moshaay... He was an average student who managed to pass comfortably but never featured amongst the rankers... Very Lazy in every aspect... Not so active in sports or extra cirricular activities or reading or general knowledge or speaking skills... Overall, nothing spectacular worth mentioning abt him... But his biggest (and only) asset was a very good sense of humor... With his silliest comments, he used to crack everyone up... Even the professors were never spared... This made his company the most craved one... He used to be on every organizing comittee and every group and every function... We spoke a few days back and i was glad to find out that he still retained his most important asset...

Then in the office life, there was a guy (who later was my roommate as well) who always knew how to release the tension with one silly comment... His sense of humor and wit was not as spontaneous as Babu Moshaay's and more often than not, repetitive... But still, that made him popular and a wanted (well, not most-wanted) fellow...

Even now, it can be seen that people with a sense of humor (albeit laced with sarcasm) command a special mention and are very popular... Be it friend circle, office group or relatives, wit and humor is a entry ticket to the show...

Sadly, this is one thing which either you have or you do not have... It cannot be learnt... One can learn a few jokes here and there, but the spontaneity is either inborn or not... This time, I am on the wrong side of the receiving end... Thankfully, wifey makes it up for both of us and keep me grinning regularly... She is most-wanted everywhere and i just tag along ;-)

Hopefully, my readers are lucky (either inborn or partner wise)...

THOUGHT PROVOKING ARTICLE

http://virsanghvi.com/vir-world-ArticleDetail.aspx?ID=236

Also, please read the comments on the blog... Makes for an interesting reading...

OUTSOURCED

Saw this movie tonight... Very nice movie... I like these types of movies which are easy on the brain and heart when u see it and not much to recall once the movie is done... But this movie, though easy on the brain when seeing it, leaves a lot to recall after its done... The reason being, I can connect to this movie...

Starting from the whole concept of outsourcing, where most of us have a distinct role to play to the country where the movie is based - India - there are a lot of things which we can relate to... Not all the aspects of India shown in the movie show India in good light, but we cannot deny that these aspects are true...

1 - Not all call centers have the best facilities setup...
2 - Indians do not find it important to respect personal boundaries of the people whom they care about...
3 - The view about how losing a job is such a small thing for call center employees though shocked me...
4 - Poverty can shock the hell out of visitors to India, but the fact that anyone can be happy even within those circumstances shocks them even more...
5 - Some people still consider INDIA = I'm Not Doing It Again...

Having said all that, this movie really touched me, especially the scene when the staff manages to meet their targets inspite of working on the terrace of a flooded building... Worth a watch definitely... Just dont expect anything special once the movie is over...

YEH DELHI HAI MERE YAAR!!!

Took a flight to Delhi to meet my sister... Was very excited to meet her and her family... Had met my parents and my in-laws when they visited us, but had not spent any time with sis / B-I-L and my nephew since the wedding... My nephew is 4 1/2 year old and i have not spent even 4 1/2 weeks with him since the time he was born...

So, to set it all right, S and I reached Delhi... Sis came to pick us up at the airport and after a hour long ride, we get to meet the family... My nephew thought that 4 1/2 years of silence was not enough and decided to stretch it for 1 more hour by sleeping all the time during the drive... And after reaching home, he decided stretch it a no more and eventually -- after accepting a bribe of bag full of toys and chocolates -- relented to "accept" his uncle and aunty...

Once, we got the approval, it was amazing fun after that... Every minute was fun for all of us... Those memories will linger in our memories for ever... Every time i miss my nephew, i just have to close my eyes and switch back to those days... Thats it... The golden moments just play themselves back as a youtube video...

Then came the most awaited part of any Delhi visit... Food!!! The foodie that i am, I could not wait to go out and freak out on that gorgeous food... Bro-in-law decided to see to test our apetite and took us to a place called "Punjabi by nature"... They decided to make sure that our apetite peaks by serving the food as late as possible... But boy, we failed miserably... Amongst 4 of us, we could not finish even half the food meant for 3 ppl...

Next day, sister took us to eat golgappa (pani-puri)... Though this pani-puri is not the best i have ever eaten (fyi, i am from mumbai and the pani-puri at my local gaadi is the best), it ranks right up there... And, the pani-puri did what it should do... It gave me a delhi belly...

Few more days of lots of fun with my nephew, great food cooked by my sis, yapping with bro-in-law and sis and driving a bullet-thunderbird and it was time to say alvida to Delhi...
More tears and more hugs and it was time to bid adieu to few more dear ones...

MUMBHAI!!!

So, after surviving the first round of shopping, i decided to go to my place... my city... Mumbai... After 1.45 hrs of airtime, I reached on a not-so-hot day on Feb 16th... It was hot and humid by any standards, other than Mumbai standards... Actually, a typical mumbai-ite would term it as a pleasant day... The moment I landed at the airport and the first drop of sweat tricked down my neck, I knew I was home...

There are a few things which characterize a Mumbai-ite... He loves heat and sweat... It doesnt bother him a bit... Secondly, if someone tries to act over-smart, knows how to bring the "shAAna" (over-smart fellow) down to earth... And I got to do that as soon as I landed out of the airport...

The auto-rickshaw driver tried to squeeze out a chota-Gandhi (100 rupee note) out of me for the ride to my place... When he started to act smart, the dormant-for-3-years mumbai-ite in me sprang up and gave it back so nicely that he did not even dare to ask anything extra for luggage...
Reached home at 3... Did not want mom and dad to come to the airport at 2 o clock in the afternoon... So had told them that i am scheduled to reach at 5... They were pleasantly surprised to see me early and then angry because I deprived them of 1 hour under the sun :-)...

Cups of tea followed with yap yap and yap... Then dad went and got the best sev-puri in the world... From the local gaadi... How funny that every one thinks that their shop serves the best delicacy... A bengali thinks that his halwai makes the best mishti... A mumbai-ite thinks that his galli has the best wada-pav... A londoner thinks that his lane has the best fish and chips... A new-yorker thinks that his local pizza place makes the best pizza... Funny, but true...

Relished the sev puri... followed by another round of tea...

Next day, went to Siddhivinayak temple... Try to be there every tuesday of my stay in Mumbai... Was there even 2 days before my sister's wedding... 1.5 hours in the queue and was not tired even a bit... Thats the amazing thing abt waiting in line at the Siddhivinayak temple... I have waited once for 7.5 hours and still had the strength to go and work the rest of the day in the office... After the temple, went and had amazing limbu-paani at a street side stall and then chaats again in the evening...

The remaining 2 days passed even quicker... Some gifts for family members and some for friends... Some more chaats... Lots of tea... More eating and eating and eating... Then wifey arrived...

Once wifey arrived, it was even more fun... Mom and dad were happier (even more happy than when i arrived)... First day, met college friends... It was the first time when Sneha met them... Met a very close friend with his wife and kid... Got to know that the other friend couple is expecting in June...

Next day, was even better... Relaxed the first half of the day... Second half, had to go to navi mumbai to meet cousins... Actually, the fact that it all fell in place was nothing less than a miracle... One cousin and his wife had to drive from Pune... The other one's wife had to work that weekend... The third one's kid had 10th standard examination going on... Eventually, after lots of planning and re-planning, the venue was decided...

Bombay traffic decided to show its ugly face today... 2.5 hours of wait and sweat in a non-ac cab were very difficult... Amazingly, not even 1 cool cab showed up on the way for us to switch over... Reached the venue 1 hour after the scheduled time...

But things switched after that... Next 4-5 hours were full of fun... Yapped Yapped and Yapped with cousins and their spouses and uncles and aunties... Amazing food in a restaurant (theme based on a mumbai local) with drinks... And a smooth ride in a MERU cab made the evening memorable...

Next day, more relatives, more delicacies to eat and more yapping and fun... Came home at 9 O clock after a long hard day... Thats when it hit me that in a few hours, I will be leaving Mumbai... Its all down hill from now... The crest is over, the downward slope begins now...

SHOPPING SHOPPING!!!

Wifey was given a license to go crazy on shopping in India... She had been a darling in the few months prior to the travel and deserved one such free license... But boy, did she use it like a Ferrari in the Catalunya Grand Prix...

The first pitstop was curtain shopping... The next one was the first amongst the many many ones for dresses... The next one (fastest lap so far) was for shoes... i have been promised by her that this is going to be he career best performance, so I better fasten my seatbelts for some serious damage!!!

Watch this space for more news and dont be surprised if this turns out to be the boost that Indian economy needed to get out of recession!!!

VISA, I WANT IN SIR...

Needed to get my visa stamped from the US embassy... The planning continued for more than a month... Umpteen documents, copies, statements, forms, certificates are being procured and arranged for this most important task of the visit... The entire visit was planned around the visa date so that the visa stamping is done upfront... The rest of the vacation is fun time...

Reached Chennai the day before the appointment... Checked in into the hotel, crashed immediately... But could not sleep for the whole night... Was checking the time every 3 minutes (really!!!) and by the time it was 5 am, was up like a spring... Ready in 22 minutes and could not be more nervous to go to the embassy...

Left 1 hr before the interview time and reached the embassy at 7 am... Hoping to be the first in the queue, but there were atleast 50 ppl already in the queue when we reached there... Then got to know that abt 50 odd were already in... Interviews were scheduled from 7 am in the morning, ppl reach the embassy at 6 am and the actual interviews do not start before 8 am...

This was my first ever visa interview and wifey had promised that it would be SOME EXPERIENCE... And u bet she was right... Waited in the queue... There were SO MANY ppl there, i felt that it was the queue to the gates of heaven... But wait, I think ppl do think that US is next to heaven, so may be i was really in the gates to heaven...

Then came the disappointing part... The way ppl (esp. students) were asking for their visa made me droop my head in shame... It was like going for a job interview without knowing that you do not qualify for the job and then begging for an opportunity...

Some of the funny QnA which i could not help but eavesdrop --

1 -
VO -- Why do u want to go the US?
CD -- Because the agriculture system in US is very developed...
VO -- What does agriculture have to do with ur degree?
CD -- Nothing, but i can learn agriculture after my MS.
REJECT

2 -
VO -- Why ABC university specifically?
CD -- Because this university does not need me to take a GRE and a TOEFL...
VO -- But why did u not take a GRE and a TOEFL...
CD -- Because this university does not need me to take a GRE and a TOEFL...
VO -- Did u apply to any other university?
CD -- No, because i did not like any other university which does not need a GRE or a TOEFL...
VO -- Do u know that GRE and TOEFL are a must for students interested in coming to the US?
CD -- But this university does not need me to take a GRE and a TOEFL...
REJECT

3 -
VO -- Why do u want to go to the US?
CD -- To learn to cook Biryani... (O???? YES!!!)
VO -- Why there? Why not here?
CD -- Because, the Biryani there is better...
REJECT

There are many many more funny instances of such interviews... But these actually made me sad... Is life so difficult in India that ppl are so desperate to go to the US?

Then came the most disappointing part (not that i really regret it, i would have this disappointment every time i go for any visa)... S and I were done with our interview in less than a minute with 1 Q each... The only Q for me -- how long have u been working for ur employer? the only Q for S -- Does ur husband have his own visa? Thats it...

We got the visa stamped and passport delivered next day at 10 am... After all the effort put in to create a stack of documents, only the first document on the top (the visa approval) was required...

Came back to the hotel, grabbed a bite and crashed again (to get over the sleepless night)... Woke up just in time for the flight... A 45 minute flight later, back in Namma Bengaluru... A crazy 2 hour ride in an ac cab later, home sweet home... Awesome meal and zzzz!!!

HOME SWEET HOME

For the first time in little more than 3 years, I was in a queue where no one could have stopped me from entering... I was in the immigration queue at the new Bangalore International Airport waiting to enter Indian soil... And I knew that there was no way that anyone could have stopped me from doing that... After all, it is MY COUNTRY, some place which i know that i belong... Something which I can call MINE... That feeling brought an instant smile which has lingered on ever since...

Since the first step (felt like the first step on the moon) after the immigration counter, I started thinking about everything that I could see and analyze it in my own way... Here is what I think at that instant...
1 - This new airport is beautiful... Hats off to the planners... I can not see any feasible aspect which makes this airport any way inferior than other airports I have seen till now... Obviously, there are a lot of other pieces which are out of our hands -- weather, dust etc... But, it is CLEAN (why is that even considered an achievement), nicely planned, nicely maintained so far...
There are some who find faults in this airport... But the easiest job in this world is that of a critic... Hail the successful and criticize everything else... If these same people were on the planning commission of the airport, then this would have been the best ever piece of architecture after the St. Paul's cathedral according to them...
Thats when I recall the not-so-famous lines of my friend Azzu... He says (unless, he has copied) -- Be the change you want to see in this world... These same people are the hypocrites who will throw trash right outside the bin and spit on the "DO NOT SPIT" board and park right under the "NO PARKING" board... So, they do not have any right to throw dirt that any fair effort of such magnitude...

2 - The approach road sucks though... The only road connecting the airport to the city goes through umpteen villages (or small towns) before hitting Bangalore right in the heart of the city from where one has to find the way to the destination... With the city traffic already in a terrible shape, this is one aspect where the planners have erred... There should have been something like a ring road around the entire city (with atleast 3 lanes on each side) which connects the airport... Later I learnt that the original plan was to create a high-speed train way (or a mono-rail or an expressway) around the entire city to connect the airport to the city and the access points of the train would allow multiple entry spots into the city. Brilliant idea except that the proposal turned out to be very expensive and there is more mulling going on. By the time, the green signal is received for this proposal and the dream turns out to be a reality, the solution will be too inadequate for the over bustling city...

3 - Traffic needs a blog of its own... Too much to finish in 2-3 lines...

4 - People -- The city has grown like crazy in the last 3 years... The new immigrants are no longer limited to the IT junta... Labourers from Andhra and Tamil Nadu are trying their luck in all the mega-construction projects being undertaken in the city or some mundane jobs elsewhere... There is a big chunk of ppl from the north-east india who can easily be recognized by their looks... These ppl usually find jobs in restaurants or showrooms or malls etc... Another set of immigrants are the parents of the kids who have settled here... The kids ask the parents to sell all their assets at their native place so that they can afford to buy a home in Bangalore... Naturally, the parents have no other place to live and have to come to stay in this city at a ripe old age... These elderly citizens can be seen taking walks in the parks (once abundant and now very few are left) in the early mornings or in the evenings...

5 - Family -- Most important... These are the people who are planning for our visit from months together... Utmost care has been taken to arrange for our favorite brands of cosmetics, favorite dishes, extra cell phone, power adapters (to enable US appliances to work at Indian voltage), bottled water and toilet paper... They will get up at 1 am in the morning, drive for 40+ kilometers (25+ miles) to reach the airport at 5 am, wait for us at the arrival gate without a cup of morning coffee just to catch a glimpse of their little ones... Choicest breakfast will be ready at home with hot water for bath... These arrangments will take them more than a few months, but all this will be done without the tiniest wrinkle on the forehead just with the anticipation of spending a few days with the people who matter the most to them...

6 - Helping staff -- The driver, the cleaning maid, the sweeper, the gardener, the cook... all the employees at home are waiting anxiously to see us after a long time... At the back of the mind, there is a sweet anxiety for "imported" chocolates and gifts... But they are very happy when they get to see that we have not changed even 1 bit in the last few years...

7 - India rocking -- In the numerous drive around the city, one cannot pretend to not notice that India is booming... The number of cars and two wheelers and cell phones have gone up like anything in the last 2 years... There is nothing that is not sold in india... American, Japanese and European cars... Latest cell phone handsets... You name it!!!

8 - Relatives -- The phone starts ringing over time with calls from the close relatives to enquire about our well being... All of them pretty much ask the same questions -- when did u land, how was the flight, what plans for the next few days and u have to spend atleast 1 evening with us... The affection behind each of those calls is very touching... In my case, there are a few more Qs -- Have u learnt Kannada by now? Atleast, can u understand the meaning? The moment I answer affirmative in Kannada, I get one more point towards the nomination for best son-in-law of the year...Close cousins leave work earlier than usual just to meet us... Neighbours drop in so do close friends who knew about our travel plans... Some ppl fret over less time allotted for them, and a tight vacation schedule leaves us in a difficult spot...

9 - Awesome food -- The choicest foods are waiting for us... We have decided not to hog street-side food until the visa appointment, so in the first 3 days, everything is limited to mother's kitchen (in my case, mother-in-law)...
The saga will continue...

LONDON CALLING

Spent 2 days in London en route to India... Beautiful city... Every nook and corner carries a big chunk of history within itself... Bone numbing chilly weather preceded by the worst snowfall in the last 18 years in London made things difficult, but still, once one is dressed appropriately, nothing should stop one from reveling in this town of amazing architecture...

S's cousin was sweet enough to accommodate us in their lavish London home during our visit and we had the most comfortable accommodation and the best home-cooked food in London... Their guidance helped us decode the maps and tricky London roads easily and left us using our brains only for sight-seeing...

Here are some points worth mentioning during the entire visit --
1 - Heathrow -- a mini-city within itself... Huge, clean and very organized... And the Indian diaspora just loves working at Heathrow... Reminds me of Russell Peters -- Indians can never think of bombing airports, because Indians love working at airports...
2 - Subway system -- very convenient and most-importantly, clean... I did not see even 1 trash bin (or litter-bin as it is called there)... Instead, there were message boards which said "Take your litter home with you"... Interesting concept, especially considering it works... Makes me wonder, is it so difficult to expect our transport system to be clean? I don't expect to do away with the trash bins, but is the effective usage of the trash bins too much to expect?
3 - Monuments -- Each of them stands apart in its own way... London Eye, Buckingham palace, Tower of London, River Thames, Lords cricket ground, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar square... Each one of them are legend which blend perfectly into this extravaganza called London... Makes me wonder, if all the heritage that India had could have been harnessed, how many Londons could India have boasted of?
4 - Crazy Cold -- I was wearing a jacket which was meant for Antarctica and 4 layers of clothing underneath... Still was numb to the bone... Had to sip coffee (2 pounds a cup) to keep me warm... Pity the cricketers who have to play with 4 sweaters on...
5 - Expensive -- Train ticket from airport to paddington station at 34 pounds per head... Train ticket at 2$ per line per head... whoa!!! Thats First class fare in Mumbai for an entire month (ALL U CAN USE!!!)... The Indian in me doesnt stop converting currency...
6 - Accent -- After seeing the UK accent being made fun of in US (esp. Emily in Friends), it was kind of funny to actually talk to ppl talking that way... Had to try not to burst out laughing...

Having said all that, I repeat, London is a beautiful city with loads and loads of history... Visit that city for atleast a week in summer... Unforgettable experience for sure... And dont forget to load your pockets before u enter the city...

SATYAM EV JAYATE

Seeing the events of the day, this quote flashed in my mind. Hence the title to this blog.

Mr. Raju, once heralded in the US to be as dangerous as Osama (because Satyam was taking jobs away from US), has turned out to be Hero-to-Zero in a matter of a day.

To the IT-junta, this was never a revelation. "Window-dressing" as it is called in our industry, has been happening for some time now. The fiscal year in US and the fiscal year in India do not overlap. So, there are cold quarters in US where Indian companies have to show consistent revenues and vice-versa. So, some additional assets from previous quarters are adjusted towards missing assets from the current quarter or missing assets from current quarter are adjusted against more-than-expected assets from next quarter. All this is done with honest interests to provide a consistent revenue pattern and avoid wild fluctuations in the share prices. And it is fine as long as there is no carry-forward of the manipulations across fiscal years.

Sadly, it does not work that way. The ever-growing demand from shareholders makes the companies take that dangerous stride and inflate the numbers beyond the Lakshman-Rekha called as the fiscal year end. Then the Ramayana takes plane. More and more hot air is pumped into the balloon. This hot air makes the balloon fly higher, than it can do safely, making everyone happy. But, soon the hyper-inflated balloon is stretched beyond its capacity and a small pin (Maytas deal going sour) causes it to burst.

So, as RS puts it, its a discovery and not an invention. And it would have not been uncovered at all, had the MAYTAS deal not gone sour. Probably, a bruised ego and a stained reputation pushed Mr. Raju in doing this.

All said, the whole reason underneath this fiasco (and the potential many others still under the covers) is the greedy shareholder. They need to understand that IT companies cannot yield high revenues and huge dividends quarter after quarter and year after year. It is easy for a company to reach from 1 million to 10 million in 2 years, but it is not possible for the same company to reach from 1 billion to 10 billion in even 5 years. But under pressure from the shareholders and stake holders, such things had to happen and will continue to happen.

Once a high-paying sector where freshers were hired at 20 thousand rupees a month has now shrunk to a stage where getting 8 thousand a month is considered lucky. College passouts choose an employer purely based on the pay and not on career prospects. MBAs are made to work as clerks.

Not sure whom to blame here -- the hunter or the hunted? Because, while the hunter (shareholders) was enjoying chasing the prey (IT companies and employees), the prey itself was enjoying the luxuries during the chase. Rather, the prey itself allowed itself to be chased faster and faster.

The only truth is, the cup once thought to be made of crystal has now turned out to be made of brittle glass instead. And it has cracked.
INSANITY RESTORED

Few days back --

Thanksgiving --> Christmas --> Holidays --> New Year...
2 day weekends --> 3 day weekends --> 4 day weekends --> Whole week off...
Half empty office --> Just 20 team mates in the office --> Just 10 of them (all indians) in the office --> Working from home --> Not even 1 person in the office...
Semi-formal attire allowed --> Denims allowed in office for 2 weeks...

Today --

Formal dressing... Everyone back in office... Full House... Frantic calls to and from India... Managers and developers panicking for deliverables due this Friday... Escalated Client calls... Production issues (few pennies of interest being incorrectly credited to the account)... May have to work on Thursday night to support production install... What a crazy day to start the new year...

Feels like insanity has been restored after all!!!
THE YEAR THAT WAS!!!

Naming this blog as a tribute to a favorite show during my childhood. This show made me fall into the habit ofdesperately look forward to a Friday evening. I have maintained that habit by the way ;-).

So, the year that just went by a few hours back gave me lots of memories, good and bad.

Let me list the bad ones first, so that I can end up on a good note --
1 - The worst one - Mumbai attacks. It left a permanent scar. I dont think i was more upset than on this day. And the fact that the torture continued for 3 days, ended lives of 300 including some good officers, made it worse.
2 - The global economy went from bad to worse. Every one step in the right direction was followed by two in the other direction. Feel bad for anyone and everyone who is impacted.
3 - Life in India for a common man is getting bad with every passing day. Politics is hitting new lows below the rock bottom (yes, it hit the rock long back). Safety has gone to the dogs. Caste and religion seems to be the only qualification. Scandals keep on mushrooming every now and then and just die a natural death. No one is convicted.
4 - Some sports (hockey, soccer, tennis (paes? bhupathi? sania?)) continued their nosedive and the politicians in charge of the respective sports associations are least bothered.
5 - Once again, I flattered to decieve on my promise to have breakfast daily.

And the good ones now --
1 - My first 5-wicket haul and a first-ever tournament victory.
2 - Joined a gym and am going their sincerely since then. Feel good about it.
3 - First time i had a hookah. Got that one struck off my all-time TO-DO list.
4 - Had my folks over and spent quality 3 months with them. A memory of a lifetime.
5 - India continued to do well in few sports (badminton, boxing and cricket with the olympics being the crowning glory).
6 - Indian economy is doing much better than others the credit of which goes to Mr. PM and Mr. FM. Along with Mr. MS Ahluwalia, these 2 continue to deliver the good stuff.
7 - My nephew created a new record in telephone conversation with me. Yes, 2 months ago we spoke for 7 long seconds when he asked me to get "Big Fiat Palio car" from here. Earlier our conversations never crossed 5 seconds. Hopefully, this year, we manage to get into double digits.
8 - Wifey continues to amaze with her culinary skills, apetite for bhel, addiction for cleaning and stamina to talk. Yes, she raised the bar even further this year.
9 - My father started to have breakfast and take vitamin tablets daily. He has been doing this sincerely since he restarted it last time.

So yes, the goods outnumber the bads, so all-in-all a better year. On this note, let me wish my (read-4) audience a very happy and a prosperous and a SAFE 2009. May all your wishes come true.
GHAJINI

Saw this movie FDFS (in our town) yesterday. The movie critic in me could not resist in writing a review. So here it goes.

Let me note the pros first --
1 - This movie is a remake of its Tamil namesake, so the story was well known. No surprises there. But still the storyline is a different from the routine ones.

2 - Asin plays the girl-next-door very well. She brings an instant smile. No nerves in her debut but with a nice filmography in the south, she is no newcomer either.

3 - Aamir displays the emotions, anguish and pain very well. At the same time, he portrays a corporate honcho and a sweet boyfriend so well. Especially, the switch between an MD and a average guy is handled very well by him.

4 - The romance between Asin and "Sachin" is handled very sensitively by the director. The part where he does not reveal his identity so that it does not influence her decision is superb.

4 - The director has managed the flow of story between the flashback and the present very well.

5 - The songs have been excellently picturized.

6 - Good comedy. Nice relief from the tension.

7 - Aamir the (ghost) director has shown his creativity and has dared to name the movie after the villain.

8 - And the happy ending makes the viewers leave the cinema halls on a happy note.

Now for the cons of the movie --

1 - Asin is charming in her debut but her persona does not create the impact that a Deepika Padukone did in her debut movie. This movie was ideally suited for her. Not sure how she can manage more demanding roles.

2 - Very graphic. But probably the storyline demands it.

3 - Support cast was a downer. Too many irrelevant characters. Jiah Khan can never play a medical student. A lot of characters could be done away with -- for e.g. the inspector.

4 - The villains were not up to the mark to say the least. A villain should be scary by their deeds and not by their appearance. The Rashid from Sarkaar was more scary by his stare than the villains here. Huge guys with crazy hairdo just are not scary.

5 - Common sense --
a - Total lack of CS and multiple instances of it. The villains go and kill anyone and everyone using guns. But in the climax, not even 1 of his guys have a gun.
b - Asin is in danger, but Aamir does not even think twice of calling the cops before rushing empty handed to her apartment.
c - The villain moves to his "fort" because he is safe there. But in the entire fight, less than 15 men confront Aamir. If he is a guy who can patronize a medical college, he better have more than 15 "troops" in his fort.
d - Guys way bigger than Ghazini are killed in one blow by Aamir. But, Ghazini can fight way longer than the rest combined.
6 - Too many and ill-timed songs. Probably, all but 1 (2 may be) could be done away with.

All said above, the movie has more good than bad. Especially, when you are not going anywhere in a 4-day long weekend. See it, unless u have better things to do.
MAHABHARAT -- a different view?

From the time I think I had the sense to analyze events, I realized one thing -- Victor writes the history. In any era, the victor survives to tell the tale from his point of view. Without a doubt, the loser is the villain.

Take any story from the legends -- there is a hero and a villain and the rest just take sides (for whatever reasons). The hero wins in the end -- or the survivor is the winner? The slain is the loser.

Check out any epic -- Ram-Ravan, Kaurava-Pandava, Shivaji-Aurangzeb, Hitler-Allies, Saddam-Bush, Steve Waugh-Ganguly, Ponting-Kumble.

For a moment, just think about a keenly contested India-Australia cricket match. An Indian sports writer and an Australian sports writer can come up with entirely different versions of the game.

That made me think, is Mahabharat the way it is (or the way Mr. B. R. Chopra presented it) really that way? Could there be another view to it?

Think -- Will any king ever name his sons as Duryodhan (Bad luck and wealth, It was Suyodhana) or Dusshasana (Bad ruler, it was Susshasana). Would any woman like to be termed herself as alms on the day of her swayamvara and shared among 5 brothers for the rest of her life? Can a prince who seems to know Dharma ever gamble on his wife? Weird!!!

Thats when I came across Prem Panicker's blog where Mahabharat is written from Bheem's point of view (okay, written by Prem thinking how Bheem would have written it).

link -- http://www.prempanicker.com/index.php (search tag = "Bhimsen")

And it gives an different view of the characters. Again note, Bheem was a Pandava, so Kauravas are going to be doomed as villains. But still, there is a entirely different version of himself (no doubt). A not-so-confident version of Arjun (worried about Karna). A very dark side of Yudhishtira (boring to be with, addicted to gambling, attracted to Draupadi) etc.

While this version is still a work-in-progress, it is very interesting. Makes me wonder if there was a version of Mahabharat from some survivor from the Kaurava side? Would make a very interesting read.
THE AFTERMATH

So, less than one week after all that happened in Mumbai, here are the steps taken by the government to improve the security situation in the country --

1 - Annual NSG budget was reduced from 118 crores to 117 crores. Annual VIP security budget was upped from 120 crores to 180 crores.

2 - Home minister gets the long deserved kick on the back. The second-best Finance Minister has been replaced by the best Finance Minister India has had. The incumbent gets the thorny crown on Home ministry for keeping the economy healthy.

3 - One CM insults a slain commando's family and refuses to apologize. Bowing to public sentiment (read -- Afraid of losing votes), his party spokesman apologizes.

4 - Blame games continues amidst international diplomacy. US continue doing whatever it has been doing forever -- nothing.

5 - Dawood is most wanted, India asks for him and is denied. All this while nothing is done to demolish his empire in Mumbai.

6 - Masood Azhar is asked for and is denied. All this while he himself was released during the plane hijack episode. And at the same time, no sentence is served to Afzal Guru when he has accepted masterminding the attacks on the Parliament.

7 - Advani demands resignation from anyone and everyone in the government when his party did not resign after the plane hijack episode and after the parliament attacks and after Kargil. All these were intelligence failures which led to many people being dead and India being attacked.

8 - Maharashtra deputy CM writes the happenings of the last week as "Bade Bade shehron mein choti choti baatein tou hoti rehti hai" ala SRK in DDLJ.

9 - Maharashtra deputy CM gets a sudden bout of conscience (read -- is made to resign) due to public sentiment (read -- Afraid of losing votes) and then Sharad Pawar demands "one wicket" from his alliance partner in the government.

10 - Maharashtra CM visits Taj hotel with his actor son and a very famous director. Plays it down.

11 - Maharashtra CM then catches the conscience fever (read -- is made to resign) after seeing a massive rally near Gateway of India.

12 - Resignation submitted --> Resignation not accepted --> CM will change --> CM will not change --> Resignation accepted --> Mr. A will be the new CM --> Mr. S will be the new CM --> Mr. N will be the new CM --> No, Mr. S --> No, Mr. A --> CM will not change, resignation rejected --> Resignation accepted --> Mr. S --> Mr. A --> Mr. N is furious --> Mr. S goes to Bhutan --> Mr. S does not go to Bhutan --> Mr. S --> Mr. A. --> Madam will take the decision --> Mr. S --> Mr. A --> Madam will take the decision --> Mr. N is furious and opts out of the race which he was never in consideration --> Mr. S --> Mr. A. --> Mr. A.

13 - Shivsena, the sleeping tiger, suddenly wakes up demands everyone's resignation. Forgot that the city has a Mayor from their own party. She need not resign by the way.

14 - ATS is suddenly dormant. No one wants to take charge of that force. No body cares.

15 - Bomb which was accidentally left behind by the attackers was enjoying the hospitality of Railway police for a week and then was accidentally discovered by the police.

16 - 1 bomb from the 10 brough in last week is still missing.

17 - 14 terrorists have landed (along with the 10 from last week) in Gujarat. No idea where they are currently. And yes, Gujarat's chief minister Narendra Modi is still demanding everyone else's resignation. Not to forget, he never resigned when Akshardham temple was attacked.

18 - Probably, 1 or 2 terrorists smoothly escaped from Taj and Oberoi along with guests. No one has any idea about it.

19 - Lalit Modi still wants IPL and Champions League to go through.

20 - Absolutely nothing is done to improve the security anywhere in the country.

21 - Mumbai comes back to normal. The spirit of the city keeps it alive and kicking.

To put it in 2 words -- Jai Hind!!!
RUMOR HAS IT!!!

This snapshot from http://www.timesofindia.com/ at around 4:22 pm EST on 4th December 2008.

The "breaking news" scrolling ticker says that firing has been reported in the New Delhi airport terminus and 6 terrorists have been shot dead and NSG commandos have been summoned and they have cordoned the area and blah...

And immediately below, it mentions that the Delhi airport is normal despite the shooting report. In that article, it even mentions that the shooting report should be blamed on the Delhi airport authorities and BBC who published the news.

Wow!!!

HOW LONG?

I have never felt so sad to be proven correct. Never!!! Ever!!!

Less than 2 weeks back, I posted a hardlined blog. I felt a bit remorseful after that. But today, I feel that my stance was fully justified.

Its high time we hit back. I repeat -- "Shoot dead anybody who is remotely associated or suspected of association with these terrorists." I mean it. And do that publicly. These bastards dont deserve anything less.

I promise, I swear to god, I will never repent this.

May those souls rest in peace. May god give strength to their families to recover from this death blow.