Optimistic!

Sometimes when things don’t go your way, and you can’t see what lies ahead of you… Just keep doing the right things and have a clear mind. I am learning this now.

Things work out for the best!

The Indian Premier League and the Indian Political League

Disclaimer: This post was actually conceptualized and drafted before Rajdeep Sardesai’s post on IBNLive.com, which does a better coverage of what I wanted to write. However, since I did draft this one, I have decided to put it up, with a disclaimer that the contents are original. 

Two of the biggest entertainment blockbusters have just released in the television set near you. The IPL and the IPL. The Indian Premier League and the Indian Political League. The resemblances that both share are uncanny, right from their heroes, to the controversies to new strategies, the money involved, to the way the nature of the game (cricket and politics) has changed / evolved / degenerated. 

Of multiple captains and multiple PMs:  The Kolkata Knight Riders have announced their multiple captaincy theory, which can be summarized as, their team will no longer have 1 on-field captain, but 3-4 captains based to improve efficiency. The United Progressive Alliance is currently on a similar ground with Manmohan Singh being pronounced as the Congress’s candidate, while Sharad Pawar harbouring his Prime Ministerial ambitions. That the ‘third front’ as as many PM Candidates as the number of parties that constitute it is another example of the ‘multi-captain’ theory. Whereas, the National Democratic Alliance has claimed it has only 1 PM candidate, the problem is that the alliance has shrunk from 23 parties to 6 (4 of which are a political joke).

Bottomline: Too many cooks spoil the broth. More so in politics that in sports. I would fancy Kolkata Knight Riders’ attempt becoming successul, but post elections, with everyon wanting a powerful post in the centre, loyalties are going to be sold, resold and stolen. Clearly, an unstable government awaits us in the centre, with jackasses holding important portfolios. 

Thou shall entertain the masses: What does Shilpa Shetty know about cricket? For that matter, what does she know about anything at all? With an IQ of -250 and a body to die for, she definitely adds glamour to the game. So is the case with Preity Zinta. Shahrukh Khan is a marketing genius who will make profits again even if his team performs with the same level of ‘expertise’ as it did last year. Vijay Mallya’s team might not be favourites to win this year as well, but, there is ONE reaason why I would want them to perform well. Their cheerleaders redefine HOT. 🙂 The fact is, to win the masses, you must entertain them.  Our politicos have understood this centuries back. That is why people like Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shekhar Suman, Shotgum Shatrugan have joined the bandwagon. Unlike southern actor politicians like Chiranjeevi,MGR, NTR, Jayalalitha who had brilliant political acumen, the yesteryear’s Bollywood ‘Superstars’ are there for the exact same reason like Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta. Look pretty and hot and make fools out of themselves!

Bottomline: For every marketing genius (Shahrukh Khan), there is an equal and opposite bimbo (Shilpa Shetty). For every populous leader (Jayalalitha), there will continue to be an equal and opposite bimbo too (Hema Malini and others).

NEWS channels prefer Bad Boys as Bad boys = More TRPs, Less News: We all love bad boys and the controversies. Last year, we had the ‘Slap-Gate’ controversy between Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth. (That suffixing ‘Gate’ after every action word that creates a controversy shows our media’s obsession with the US is a rant I save for later). This year, the bad boy for the IPL was chosen even before the tournament began. John Buchanan for removing Dada from captaincy. Thank God the IPL is in South Africa. The communist party and Trinamool Congress would have possibly added this in their party manifesto, and reinstated as captain after elections. Needless to say, 7500 effigies for John Buchanan would have been burnt before every KKR match. Not to be outdone, the political parties needed to feed the media channels their bad boy too. Enter Varun Gandhi with his ‘Diplomacy and Secularism for dummies’. The only dummy to be slapped with an NSA, just like Harbhajan Singh after slapping Sreesanth, Varun Gandhi’s expression was priceless when he was being interviewed by the NEWS channels the day after he made the speech. Both looked like they would crap in their pants! 😀

Bottomline: Without controversies and bad boys, the NEWS Channels shall fail in their attampt to create a hysteria-type situation, and without such an environment, we shall not have the Civil War that these channels aim to create. Also, we need these bad boys to remind us, what a bunch of fools we ‘worship’. Be it in Cricket or Politics.

I am Stupid!: In the Indian Premier League, we are yet to have a contender for the ‘Duh!’ award for brilliance. Last year’s winner though was Sreesanth who thought it was funny to make fun of an angry sikh, and in the process got slapped, and cried like a baby, lost his place from the team, managed to get a stress facture without playing a single game, and now is the official male-cheerleader / break dancer of the King’s Eleven Punjab. However, in the political scenario, we already have quite a few contenders.

1. Sanjay Dutt for his homocidal / suicidal tendencies with his offer to give the jaadu ki jappi and pappi to Mayawati (of all people).

2. The Congress Party for their decision to field Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, after the CBI submitted theit ‘neutral’ observations and gave them a clean chit. That a shoe had to be thrown at the Hon. Home Minister of India, to ensure that the Congress revokes Sajjan Kumar’s and Jagdish Tytler’s tickets is not something that highlights their ‘foresight’.

Many more… 

Bottomline: With such representations, we are hitting rock bottom pretty fast.

What game are we talking about???: The Indian Premier League and the Indian Political League have both redefined the nature of the game. Gone are the days of Hit-Consolidate-Hit in cricket. Now its Wham-Bam-Thank You Ma’am. One good over can be the difference between a winner and a loser. If its a tie, we can have a bowl out. The good old fashioned cricket is… almost extinct. As in the case of the England’s Tests against the Windies. Its city based loyalties, where Kolkata boos when Sachin bats or Mumbai boos when Sehwag blasts away to glory. Indian politics has changed too. Regional parties have grown in power. Mayawati can dream of becoming the Prime Minister. Soon, the nation will have statues of Mayawati in every apartment. Andhra politics has evolved from fancy (green shirt / pink pant wearing) filmstars based campaigning to promises of Color TVs and set top boxes. Politics is maturing, with Samajwadi Party claiming to BAN ENGLISH. We shall soon get back to bullock carts. Meanwhile the ‘National Parties’ are busy discussing issues of national relevance like who is a weaker PM. The common man doesn’t care! He really doesn’t! 

Bottomline: Whether we like it or not, regional parties are here to stay and take us to the neolithic ages! Yaba Daba Dooooo!!! 

The backstage guys: The Election Commission and the Indian Premier League organization committee kick ass! This election is by far the most thought out elections, with so much thought going into each phase. Starting from the Naxalite infested zones, the phases have been planned such that the deployment of troop is easy and smooth. In such uncertain times, the EC had to get together and put up a show that truly demonstates the democracy India is. And it has done more than that.

2009 Loksabha elections map

The same must be told of the Indian Premier League. IPL1 was a HUGE success. It was entertaining, exciting, and the best reality show I have ever seen. IPL 2, despite the last minute setbacks promises much more, and I have no doubt, it will be a bigger success. 

Bottom Line: As always, we never give credit to the people who made it happen. What would we do without them?

Young Guns… Missing!!!: The Congress talks of itself as a ‘Young’ party. Except that the ones who are allowed to make speeches, talk to the media are Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Wadhra. The Jyotiradityas and the Milind Deoras are well, missing!!! The BJP doesn’t even have such faces, except probably people from the ABVP (their youth wind) who are known for murdering professors (Prof Sabharwal anyone???). The regional parties… Ah! Why am I even trying!

If the opening match of the IPL 2 is anything to go by, then this IPL is going to be dominated by the Seniors. A lot of them have been treated like dirt, thrown into a dustbin. Yes, IPL last year did manage to bring in a lot of youngsters, but the ones who are in the current team are pretty much the ones before IPL. Except maybe Yousuf Pathan! But to be honest, the IPL cannot be compared to the political system in this regard. IPL gives the younger cricketers a lot to look forward to. Not so, with the Political system.

Bottom Line: Talk all you want about us being a young nation, but eventually the reality is we have a choice between a 76 year old PM (Manmohan Singh) and 82 year old Advani. The next time some one talks abt the ‘Youth’ and ‘Gen Next’, I shall be throwing a chappal on them!!!

And Lastly… 

What is the point!!!  A fundamental question… What is the point!!! This election is the most pointless election in Indian electoral history. Not ONE national issue. You mean to say, we as a nation are have risen above national issues!!! So, why exactly are we voting? So that the politicians can rake in moolah while we are struggling to retain our jobs in the recession!  What is the point of the IPL??? To say, Rajasthan is a better team than Chennai (except Chennai team is lead by someone from Ranchi, Hyderabad by an Australian, Rajasthan by an Aussie too, Kolkatta by a Newzealander and 3 more people, Bangalore by an Englishman). The IPL is for the BCCI to rake in moolah, when we are losing jobs too! Ofcourse it is recession proof! Lalit Modi will become richer, and we will contribute to the same, while he makes statements about cricket like he is a statesman!!! 

Bottom Line: Just as pointless. But we are a part of it. ‘Cos, lets be honest, both the IPL’s are entertaining as hell!!!

Heights of house cleaning

Most companies refer to firing people as ‘house cleaning’. But Citi group has taken it to a completely new level. This article here mentions that they are going to fire (believe it or not)… Office cleaners!!!

I am not sure about the authenticity of the article, but if it is true, then it is darned funny! 🙂 So, they have the money to pay incentives to their executives, but cannot afford to keep their office cleaners!!! If true, then I am sure there must be some logic behind this decision… Just that it is a little difficult to find one now… Will update this post when I find the logic… 🙂

Bravo!

Election 2009’s turning point??

L.K. Advani proved yet once again, why he is the Chanakya. As a leader, and the prime minister of this country, I have my reservations against him. But, as a politician and a strategist, yesterday he delivered what could possibly be a crucial blow to the government by calling the Prime Minister to a televised national debate. When Manmohan Singh lashed out against Advani 3 days back, I was surprised and impressed. Yesterday, it was Advani’s turn to impress me.

In an era where political leadership is seeing a global transformation across the world, the educated masses have been hoping for an American style of presidential debate in India. With the PMO refusing Advani’s challenge, the repurcussions, I believe, will be felt as the campaigning progresses, and clearly, Advani has won this round. By inviting Manmohan Singh for an open debate, he has taken responded to Manmohan’s accusations without adding any further mudslinging, character assasination and yet dwelving on his strength, oratory. I am sure that Advani threw open this challenge only because he was 100% sure the Congress would go on the back foot. By squashing his challenge, the Congress has lost out on an opportunity to confuse Advani, and to make a stand that Manmohan Singh can defend himself in an hour of need, and most importantly, convince the educated voters that not only do we have an educated prime minister, but also an assertive one.

In my opinion, the Congress could have emerged more victorious from a national debate. Agreed that in any national debate, the ruling party is always on the defensive as it is easy to highlight their failures from the previous term. Congress could not have dwelved on NDA’s failures as it is too far back into history. That said, I am sure that this was the ideal platform for Manmohan Singh to outline his successes, use numbers to substantiate them, and share his vision for the next 5 years. In a national debate, Advani could not have involved in mudslinging, as this could drive away educated voters. Also, since the debate would have been moderated, both the national parties would have to answer questions relevant to the voters.

Whether the Congress did not trust their PM candidate to stand Advani’s verbose skills or they did not carry out enough reforms to face the electorate, or they realised that their manifesto is more populist than reformatory, this was their one chance to clear the mess they are spiralling towards. And they missed it. Not that the BJP is in any lesser mess. But if at all anything, the centre will be decided by the regional parties.

The Indian Election Tamasha is like a James Hadley Chase thriller! No one knows the end… but we all know how we reach the end… In a rather ugly manner!

P.S. If there were to be a national debate in India, it reiterates my belief that post poll alliances must be banned. We must have alliances and PM candidates declared before the elections. If the third front takes itself seriously, they must have a leader capable enough to talk ‘sense’ on national TV. Not build statues of herself, create a mess in the name of law and order and extort loot money from the working class.

Politics – A Profession?

This post is loosely inspired by the TATA Tea ad where this politician goes to ask for votes and a voter asks him for his qualification and work experience the the important ‘job’ that he is embarking upon. The politician laughs at the voter, asking him what job is the voter referring to. The voter responds, “The job to run the country”.

Do politicians in other countries view politics as a profession? Or is politics viewed similarly across international boundaries? The best way of course to find out is go to that ever useful tool for professionals – LinkedIn. 

Here are the results:

Barrack Obama

Hillary Clinton

Sarah Palin

The apparently technologically challenged Senator John McCain.

I also came across many politicians, prime ministers who have LinkedIn profiles. While having a LinkedIn profile is not a certificate of a person character, one has to appreciate the intent. Reach out to masses, and more importantly, take politics as a profession. Successful leaders, political and otherwise, have a common thread that binds them – their keenness to reach out to masses of different classes.

Unfortunately, in India, this does not seem to be the case. Today, every party can be clearly defined to the class they owe their loyalties to. The SP to the Muslims, the BSP to the Dalits, the Congress and BJP to the upper class and so on. I read an article on IBNLive.com which mentioned that Mayawati lacks the Pan-India appeal. My question is, do the national parties have a pan-India outlook? Unfortunately, the answer is No. And that is why, this election will mark the lowest ebb in indian politics, and will be the highlight of the failure of democracy owing to divisive politics by parties, with a clippered outlook. 

The BJP has been actively and aggressively campaigning off the TV sets while on the TV set, they have been bickering. Advani’s website looks fresh, an investment clearly aimed at targetting the younger voters, also borrowed from Obama. SMS campaigning is in full spree as well. While I strongly believe that the BJP have the wrong candidate for the PM’s role, atleast the attempt to reach out to young evident voters is evident. This probably marks a paradigm shift from the previous elections. The Congress, despite its hoard of young politicians, has very mediocre websites, and there is a clear lack of innovative thinking in their election campaigns. They came up with ads for different ministries, but what is new in that? By buying the rights to ‘Jai Ho’ song, I am not really sure, whom are they targetting. The third front is a joke, and I shall not waste my time expecting them to campaign with any issues except Congress-BJP bashing. 

What made the US presidential elections special was Barrack Obama’s effective use of technology, which was reciprocated by McCain’s camp. Both parties had national issues, which had to be answered. Solutions and strategies were explained to laymen. That is professionalism. And that is precisely what is lacking in Indian Politics. 

We ape the west in every possible sense. Why can’t we ape them as far as the professionalism in politics is concerned? If not a LinkedIn Profile, atleast a blog that outlines strategies. Post 2009 elections, both national parties will rework their strategy towards regional politics. But, at a time when there has been record number of new voters, a hung parliament can take us many years back.

It will be interesting to see how Indian Politics evolves from this!

Good News…

I have got an admit in Queen’s School of Business. I have decided to go ahead and take up the offer.

Meanwhile, I have also started a new blog for my MBA experience. This is expected to be a more ‘professional’ blog, aimed at tracking my professional progress in the coming years. This blog will continue to be my personal blog, aimed predominantly on issues, thoughts that leave an impact on me.

Please check out my new blog – A fistful of sky.

Why have I named it ‘A fistful of sky’? Because, that is what I seek. And I hope to jump higher and higher and higher… till I get the fistful.

Cheers!

KurukSASTRA 09

SASTRA’s inter-college fest KurukSASTRA is back. And has it become better or what!!

Last time, I was in college, judging a few events. I thought I would never feel the ampount of pride that I felt then for my alma mater. How wrong was I!!! This year, the theme of the cults is ‘Movies’ and the infrastructure is HUGE! The webpage is flashier, and the best part is (you won’t believe it) the LIVE STREAMING OF STAGE EVENTS!!!

Imagine watching the host performances LIVE sitting in the comfort of your bedroom. The feeling of pride just washes you away!!! Yesterday was the light music performance (where the competition was a tad disappointing) but it was amazing fun watching it live and commenting with fellow alumni. Today is the dance performance, and IF anyone sees this post before 6:30 p.m IST then please do not miss it. Click on the KS link . Click on the Live streaming option and viola! Watch and enjoy the performances. Tomorrow is the Pro-Night where a couple of famous singers from the Tamil Film Industry are going to be performing (and again we can watch it live).

Isn’t this awesome? I am proud of these kids, who seem to outclass us alums by sheer virtue of innovation. What we could not have thought possible 4 years back is looking outdated today. Technology is an ocean, and has the solution to everything. Its just about, where to find it! I am proud that my alma mater is churning out kids who are no longer purely academic, but creative in every sense of the term.

Where do I see KurukSASTRA 5 years from now? The rate at which it is embracing technology, all it needs some support from us Alums. A vision, a direction, and this can be big. Imagine how cool will it be if we alums could provide the infrastructure needed to stream every event. Imagine how cool will it be to watch the JAM finals live! How wonderful will it be if the debate finals were judged by a panel that spreads across 4 continents! And what a wonderful feeling would it be to say SASTRA Alumni present ‘KurukSASTRA 15’.

On a tangential plane, the alums need to regroup and give back to the institution what it needs. Ideas, Monetory assistance, support to faculty and students, guidance to kids. If we dont take this up… Who will?

Shri Rama Sena

Did you know that Shree Rama’s Sena was called Vanara Sena (An Army of Monkeys). The current sena is rightly named in that sense!

Heaven…

When someone says friends are your pillar of strength, I am not sure if they realise how deep the statement is. I believe that friends complete you in every possible way. And that is the beauty of friendship. No one is born perfect. But, often, the people we interact with, with whom we share our lives, make up for our inherent inadequacies. Be it a fear of spiders, or a character flaw, people who matter, who share their lives with us complete us in so many dimensions that these inadequacies do not matter anymore. And in a lot of cases, they help us identify our shortcomings, embrace them and eventually overcome them. 

However one denies this, the basic trait that binds us together is our desire to be accepted, to be loved. And probably, one always seeks out for more and more friends because, with each new friend, one is protected even more. We might never attain perfection, but, friends help us get there. Parents, lovers, kins… we might give each relationship a new name. But, in its crudest form, it is friendship, isnt it?

I have been lucky to have friends who cover for me. Everytime I goof up. Sometimes its my parents, sometimes my sister, sometimes D, and most times, my friends. I enjoy living, because, I have people who put up with me. People for whom I matter! People who complete me. 

I don’t know what happens when you see death. But I belive that that last minute before one dies, his whole life passes in front of his eyes. And how perfect has he become at the end of the day. And the sense of fulfillment that one is filled with, knowing that one has led a life worth living, attained perfection… that sense is heaven.

The last 25 years give me confidence that I will reach experience heaven. When I have to reach there.

 

P.S. This post is inspired by a conversation I had with Biks recently.  Thanks Biks, for making me think too. 🙂

On elections…

It is expected that the current global crisis will see India and China emerge as economies that will take over the mantle from the US as principle drivers as the world economy. With the Lok Sabha elections right around the corner, it is clear that one of these 3 is going to lead us to the next era of governance.

Dr. Manmohan Singh: A politician who, for the first 3 years of his term was seen as a ‘Yes Man’ for Madam-ji. Honest, reliable, but in a party that embodies corruption in every level. It took him 4.5 years to realize that he has an inept home minister. A former professor of Delhi University and Jawaharlal University, he lacks one small thing that any leader needs. The Power to INSPIRE people.

Shri Lal Krishna Advani: As someone who understands the Mumbai Riots, every one knows what role Shri L K Advani played in killing so many innocents. Under the brand of Hindutva, he was a part of the ‘elite’ group that managed to successfully divide India into Hindus and Muslims. A hardliner, he lacks one thing that Shri A B Vajpayee had… The sense of well being that one got when we saw Vajpayee-ji. Someone who, under the name of Hindutva, has endorsed Godhra, Babri Masjid, the attacks on the christians might very well be the next Prime Minister of the country. Atleast, he will not resort to the vote bank politics that the Congress resorted to, with the whole reservation drama.

Mayawati: I hope I do not live to see this day! But this will come true eventually. She defines corruption, and will be our own Musharraf or even a Hitler for that matter. Except that she will be even more unpredictable., and will lead our country to the dark ages successfully! Currently, her MLAs have to just extort 50Lakh INR from UP citizens for her birthday. As a prime minister, she will ensure that we ALL pay the money, and the whole of India will have her statues in every nukkad!

Yes! The choice is between an uninspiring leader, a hardliner responsible for the degradation of the society, and an autocrat who does not know the G of Governance.

And we talk of becoming a super power!!!

God save us!!!

The Slumdog Phenomenon

Went and saw Slumdog Millionaire today with SN. I was seeing this movie for the third time, and somehow, I was as excited as I was the first two times. Especially the scene where the kids are running, trying to escape the music as Rahman’s haunting voice and the drums beating the tume of a local train, the very essence of Mumbai, gives you goosebumps. All I can say is… What a scene!!! SN felt that the movie was horrifyingly true, something which a lot of Mumbaikars echoed. Well, sitting in multiplexes, paying 150 rupees for a ticket, when the other end of spectrum is shown on 70mm screen, one cannot help feeling amazed and hooked on to the screen. For people who have been talking on and on about the Mumbai Effect, and how horrifyingly close it is to reality, please read Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. A wonderful book on Mumbai.

I have been on a Mumbai trip for a while. First it was Shantaram, where the description of the Leopold Cafe and the underworld was fascinating. When Leopold (and Taj, the Oberoi and Nariman House) was attacked on 26/11/2008, there was this greater sense of wild belongingness to Mumbai engulfing me. NR gave me Maximum City, and I was again fascinated by the various dimensions of Mumbai that I was reading about in such depths for the first time. I knew they existed, but Suketu Mehta’s book gave an image that will be unforgettable. And then came Slumdog Millionaire. By now, I had spent so much time reading about Mumbai that I was not able to really feel the ‘Shock’ that most felt. I was just amazed by the way the child actors acted, Salim’s role in the movie, the pace with which the movie moved, Rahman’s music. I was gripped by so many things, that poverty, the so called underlying theme was even visible. Instead, what was tangible was how the movie was all of Mumbai. They say, in Mumbai, time flies like nowhere else in the world. Before you realise, the days, months, years, lifetimes come to an end. The movie was just that. The movie was just another one of those fast locals, that wait for no one. That have so many colorful characters who travel with you, represent a part of you. And Rahman’s music and Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography just add to the pace. And like every Mumbaikar’s story, all is well in the end.

I loved the movie. I loved the two books, Maximum City and Shantaram. I think, the last two months have endeared me to the city more than I have ever been. I am leaving Mumbai tomorrow, back to Bangalore. And this time, I want to stay back! Be a part of this city. Maybe, I will… Eventually!

A new begining…

Had a wonderful birth anniversary. Friends called from everywhere… Thanks everyone for calling. Yesterday, I read somewhere that as one grows old, it sucks to be forgotten. I am definitely not old… But when loved one’s call, remembering your birthday, celebrating the most important day of your life, the day your existence was defined, it makes one feel blessed, doesn’t it? Thank you guys! The day was perfect, in every sense of the word.

There were many best parts abt this birthday. The most important being that I was spending this birthday at home… After 8 years. That was the primary reason for my trip to Mumbai infact. A long vacation, with a birthday as an icing! (No vague indirect puns here).

Morning was sober. Afternoon, went for some Suit Shopping. Didn’t like any of the ready made ones, and decided to get one stiched. I loved the material, and the tailor is very reputed. So, hoping for a very smart suit indeed. Came back home to a wonderful surprise by the gang… They had sent a cake and D’s special touch of a rose. It was ammmazing. 🙂 So, after exactly 19 years, I got a chance to cut the cake with 6 year olders. 🙂 Neighbour’s kids Anika (aged 2), Vrinda (4) and Rishit (6/7) and Adarsh (8) came home within a record 10 minutes wishing me ‘Happy Birthday Bhaiyya’. Although, I am almost the Uncle Age now! 🙂 Cut the cake and got the cake smeared on my face by 6 year olds! 🙂 I am sure, the gang would have loved that! 🙂 THanks guys!

At 8:30, had an interview with Dr Lori Garnier of Queens University. The interview went good… The questions revolved aroung teams, and how to handle them. I am happy with the way the interview went, and am hoping for a favourable response. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Spent the evening with my family, replying to the scraps and wall messages in Orkut and Facebook respectively. Now, thinking of crashing… A wonderful birthday, and I am glad, I was remembered. Thank you guys. Meant a zillion! 🙂

Gmail Video Chat

Yet another first by Google.

Google has launched its Video Chat feature. Whats new with Video Chat? Its been around for centuries right? Yeah… except, its embedded within Gmail. 

Happy viewing! 

Cheers!

P.S. At any point of time in my career, if I get to work with these guys, I would consider my career a success!!!

The Big Five…

I came across this article in Cricinfo.com. One of the best articles I have read on the stalwarts of Indian Cricket!

Read ONLY if you are a cricket follower.

The US Financial Crisis for Dummies :)

Well, we have been reading up about the whole financial crunch and investment banking getting a blow! I really had no idea what the whole  fuss was about, and was trying to understand the entire situation.  The more I understood it, the more I got hooked! I have tried to summarize the entire situation, from what I understand. I also took the help of my cousins BN, AN, NH who gave me their insights about the problem. I have re-organized the mail thread and tried to come up with a coherent flow here. As I said, this is a very layman view of the issue:
Sub-prime loans: The most commonly used term here is sub-prime loans. This word is basically the root cause of the entire problem. Sub-prime loan is basically a loan given to a person who has a bad credit record OR someone who might NOT be able to repay the loan amount. The rate of interest is usually very high in this case.

So, why would a bank give loan to someone who cannot repay it? Normally, when a person wants to buy a house, he walks to a bank and applies for a loan, mortgaging his house. Like what I have done. Now, if your credit record is bad and the bank feels that you will not be able to repay the loan amount, then it gives you a sub-prime loan.

Now what is the problem here?
Take this example:

1.    If I have a bad credit history and wish to buy a house, I borrow some money from a bank. This would come under sub-prime loans.
2.    In the face of general recession, if I lose my job (Outsourcing), then I shall not be able to repay the loan amount.
3.    Since I am not able to repay the loan amount, the bank can seize my house and auction it. On a magnified level, as the banks acquire more houses, the demand decreases as there are not too many people to buy it. As a result the real estate values fall.
4.    Since the real estate values are falling, the banks cannot retrieve their loans.
5.    Now, most of these banks run on the money invested by these investment firms like Lehman Brothers etc. So, when the banks are not able to retrieve the money, they are not able to give these investment banks their money!

The common understanding that everybody had was, “Housing market will improve. Housing prices will adjust itself in couple of years”. These were some of the big-wrong assumptions that were made by these sub-prime lenders and borrowers. They did not see the simple supply demand funda here. As they acquired more and more houses, there were lesser and lesser people to buy the house. And the cycle was set in motion. As a result, the house value dropped. The drop was very steep and it varied from place to place. This caused the big hit. Why should the consumer pay back a loan when the underlying collateral is not worth that much? Foreclosures started. People said, “take my house, leave me alone!”

Credit Cards and the Credit System in the US:
The basic problem is this… In the US, the system pretty much mandates you to have a credit card. And it’s based on the card’s usage that your credit history is determined. Some of the factors taken into consideration are 1. How long you have had credit. 2. How regularly you pay your bills (which indirectly translates to ‘how frequently do you use your card?’) 3. How many established credit accounts you have (not too many, but definitely not too less).  Basically, the country advocates you to have a credit card, gets you into the habit of spending on credit. Banks makes money by offerring you loans at exorbitant interest rate, because you they know that you cannot repay it. They themselves have been spreading the evil right?
The logic behind this system is in order to give someone a loan, one needs to know if the person has capacity and willingness to repay the loan.  In US, the way this is checked is not only looking at the income (capacity to repay) but also willingness to repay by seeing if they have already taken a loan in the past, and have they repaid it.
So, to get a new loan, the rule is that you must have already taken a loan and repaid it.  So the question becomes, how do you get your first loan?  It is difficult to get the first loan.  The simplest form of loan is to apply for a credit card with a low credit limit, and ensure that you promptly pay the bills on time.  Each time you use a credit card, you are in effect taking a small loan that you repay within a month (next credit card statement).
Thus, by making people take these small loans, and get the habit of paying back on time, one builds the culture of honoring one’s loans.  Then, if you really need to take a big loan such as for buying a car or a house, then the bank can see your history and decide how good you are at paying back.
But, what happens is that Banks indulge in predatory lending.  It is no different from baniya lending in India.  You lend to a person who is going to find it very difficult to repay the principal.  An example of this is to introduce 0% interest for 6 months on consumer goods items.  People will take the loan thinking that they will repay the loan in 6 months, but often don’t.  They may not be able to afford it as some other expense might come up.  The banks hope that the debtor will keep repaying only interest for a long time, and Banks make money by increasing interest rates based on several factors to such customers.  From their point of view, there is nothing unethical here, as this is their business model.  It is how Baniyas make money in India as well.
Or was this due to a lack of self regulation? At this point I think it is.
I am reading about at the 700 billion dollars bailout, and its implications, and why it failed. As of now, I have an understanding that it was not good for the people. But in what way, I am looking at it.

Lousy PJs.

My roomie ‘V’ cracked this PJ:

Words shortest international news

– Goldman ‘Sacks’!

– Merrill ‘Lynched’

Could not help laughing at the irony of this one! 😀

Sex Sells!!!

Whats with CNN-IBN these days!!! Half their stories in IBNLive is obsessed with sex – visual images OR articles. Today, I felt they really outdid myself! Check out the Must Read section!

I have attached the screenshot! Now, why on earth with a News Channel fill their Must Read section with Danielle Radcliffe’s sex life or that of a sports lover!!!

Sex Sells!

Bob Seger

Bob Seger Rocks! I am totally in love with his music. Especially ‘Turn the Page‘ (of Metallica fame…) AND Katmandu!!!

Check out these songs whenever possible, if you’ve not heard em.

Currently Listening to Katmandu - bob seger - greatest hits 2

Someone’s watching you…

Current Mood: Having a headache

This weekend, I am home alone after a long time. Out of sheer boredom on a Friday evening, I was channel surfing and put on my favourite news channel to know whats happening in the country. Instead I see Shilpa Shetty giving gyaan on Prime Time News on (believe it or not!!!!) how to win the Big Boss!!! What a relevant piece of news, which I am sure the whole nation needed to know.

See, my blood pressure rises takes over when I see BULLSHIT on TV. And Reality Shows today are not helping the cause. I really don’t think the nation was interested in knowing that to survive in the Big Boss, one needs ‘to be yourself’. In which case Madam Shetty, its a miracle how you won the Big Brother!!! A super fake accent and this almost benign voice from a vampirish person, giving philosophy about Life! This is what CNN IBN has been reduced to!

The problem with boredom is, it arises curiosity after 15 minutes. And I was no different. I really wanted to see what is this Big Boss show all about. (I had not seen Big Boss 1). I was also wondering Shilpa Shetty had improved marginally as an actor. Boy! Was I in for some trouble!

So, I switched on Colours (the channel in which this show is being aired) and I see Madam Shetty sitting on this chair and spouting cheeseball lines with no conviction, making the Sun Music VJs look like experts in the art of ‘talking to the viewers’. The show by itself is cheap and voyeuristic in nature. So, Rahul Mahajan (god bless the man, for he has lost his way) and Sanjay Nirupam (A joke for an MP), and some Sambhavna female (the sluttish, vampish irritant) are having a very mature discussion about how many girlfriends Rahul Mahajan has. After that extremely profound conversation, Shilpa Shetty makes a few attempts at humour by showing Rahul Mahajan cleaning the bathroom floor. Is it just me, or was there nothing funny in that scene at all??? Well, for one full hour, Shilpa droned on and on putting up a plastic smile about the ‘house-mates’. And finally the omni-present voteout!!! Are people in India actually bored (or rich for that matter) enough to send SMS votes at 3 Rs per message? Shilpa tried to raise the suspense with all her acting skills (rather the lack of it!!!) and it was hilarious. Oh, her habit of telling ‘sooo sweet’ for the most irrelevant thing is probably more funnier than her failed attempts at humour!!! Ketaki Dave says, ‘ I miss my milk wala tea’ ans Shilpa Says ‘Sooo Sweeet!’. The politician says I am ready to be voted out, and Shilpa says, ‘Soooo Sweeet’…

Anyways the audience’s verdict (This is a show for the people, by the people and of the people, an epitome of democracy) was Sanjay Nirupam (the politician dude) had to leave the house!!! WHOA!!! What a result! Hitchcock could not have written a better thriller!!! And then this dude rambles on and on about how he wanted to be in the show just ‘to understand the mentality of the normal people who are not from his strata of life’ and that ‘he gave hints to his people from the show that he was no longer interested in being a part of that society, and that the cause of the aam admi is more important!!!’ Crap that made me shed silent tears!!!

You know, this sorry excuse for a show is getting extremely high TRPs. All reality shows cash upon the voyeuristic streak in us, and this show leads the way. As a nation, we have become obsessed with a sneek peek at the ‘life of others’. And that is sad. I forgot to mention the part of the show where SS was introducing the participants once again, and for each participant, a separate hindi song was being played. And they showed the part where Jade Goody was informed about her Cancer, they played the K3G’s title song. Is this how insensitive TV Channels have become? To actually cash in on someone else’s misery? And we, the so-called-educated middle class, are providing them the fodder for such insensitivity? I don’t mind reality shows like Fear Factor. But this… this is a sham which is a shame to us. The news channel actually had this broadcasted as Flash News once the show was over!!! The news channel have a responsibility to the people, and they are promoting sucnh a show! Accept it guys, we have become a nation of peeping toms. Someone is watching you!!

Cheers!!!

The relevance of the Olympics??

Current Mood: Hopeful

AM, a colleague from work forwarded this article from ‘The Times of India’ to me. The article talks about the relevance of the Olympics (or rather the lack of it) in modern sports. The author reckons that Olympics does not have a place for many sports like Golf, F1, Cricket, while others like Football, Tennis do not really consider Olympics as a cornerstone of global sporting. He also seems to consider that words like global integration and peace are just sugar coated (China and more recently Georgia Vs Russia being the examples).

But the funny part is, this article was written by an Indian newspaper. And that too at a time where India has given its best ever performance in the Olympics. I agree 1 gold, 1 bronze and another medal (bronze, silver OR gold depending upon where Vijendar Kumar goes) is miles behind what China and the US has achieved. But I have a feeling that, from a broader perspective, this Olympics could just be the start of a change.

A nation obsessed with statistics, we have always treated every other sport in a step motherly manner. But, this time around, I actually noticed a sense of excitement, especially at my work place. All of a sudden, people were discussing names I have never heard before. All of a sudden, my colleagues were optimistic that we might stand a chance to win something. Yesterday something happened, that I never thought was possible. I saw a boxing match. With an Indian competing. This was my second time watching a boxing match (the first time being Stallone’s Rocky Series) and I was surprised at the number of people from office who turned out to watch that match on DD. Names like Jitender Kumar, Akhil Kumar, Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar were doing rounds regularly at work and outside work. Saina Nehwal’s matches were being discussed at length. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore actually was in an ad for a Bike Major. And then our golden boy, Abhinav Bindra. We actually managed to move beyond the Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathis and Anju Bobby Georges. All of a sudden, people realised that our shooters and boxers have been sweeping the Commonwealth Games and other events. More favourable statistics began to be discussed.

As AM said, we are obsessed with Cricket as it gives us a place in the global sport map. Tennis has shown potential to put us somewhere in the global sport map as well. Else, its the ‘Chalta hai – Who cares’ attitudes that engulfs us. And that has been a pinch that other sports felt. This Olympics holds a lot of relevance to a country from being statistical gurus to actually inspire a few more to probably take sport as a career. At least, that’s what I hope for.

Everyone wants to be associated with a winning brand. That’s probably why the government has showered crores on the Olympic Winners. The world loves an underdog. I hope, this Olympics shows India its underdogs who have shown they are good. Not good enough to sweep the Olympics, but definitely good enough to realise our potential. I feel this Olympics will help us become that winning brand. Give us something that we desperately seek, (cliched that it might sound) Heroes in the sporting battlegrounds.

Cheers!!

P.S. The coverage by DD sucks as usual. The commentator had no friggin idea what was happening in the ring (Just like me!!!). 🙂 I don’t think he had even seen the Rocky Series ! I think, in that regard, I was more ‘educated’ in the sport! 🙂

Currently Listening to: Piya Bavari
By: Abhijit Pohankar

You’ve gotta see this… The bible to create ‘Indian political posters’

I came across this blog in RR’s status message, and decided to have a look. I laughed and made 10 of my colleagues laugh at the sheer creativity of the man!

Way to go Krish Ashok

Cheers!!!

A sense of belonging?

Current mood: Restrospective

I was talking to AK today and the topic eventually went to the number of places we have lived in, and its advantages. She came up with a term called ‘Traveller’s Temperament’. Her funda was that people who have travelled and seen more cultures have the tendency to acknowledge other’s opinions, be a little more thoughtful and a lot of other stuff.

I have lived in Bombay for 16 years, 2 years in Chennai, 4 in Tanjore (a small city with rich heritage in Tamil Nadu), followed by 2 years in Cochin, and now more than 1 year in Bangalore. On retrospection, it is amazing to see the way I have changed, and probably accepted different ways of thinking over this period.

Mumbai was fun, full of innocence, with a Don’t-Give-A-Damn attitude. Some of my closest friends are from Mumbai, we have probably been such great friends for over a decade now. Chennai was a complete shift from Mumbai, when it came to outlook of the people. Personally, I never liked Chennai. There was a conservative outlook that was almost a farce. The kind of conservative outlook that was (and is) prevalent in Chennai is largely because of the fear of the society, than actually believing in it. Tanjore was special in a lot of ways. I became independent there. Staying in a hostel, being with people who were entirely different from me, in every angle, I realised the importance of detachment there. I guess, it was in Tanjore that I stopped trusting people. I made mistakes, which I won’t make. I did good things, that I would do forever. To be judicious was something I learnt there I guess. I guess, Tanjore made me a big fish in a small pond, and I loved it. Cochin was entirely different. I made friends, and professional friends. I was responsible for a larger entity. The detachment grew. Now, bangalore is a complete mix of party, fun and absolute professional friendship. The decisions have to be practical, rather than emotional. I can safely say that I can make the most logical and judicious decisions today.

Now for the question. Is this good? from a professional stand point, definitely Yes. From a social perspective, I would tend to agree again. Having seen so many people, I guess I shall be able to work and socialize with them comfortably. But then when asked ‘Where do I want to settle down eventually?’, things are not that rosy. Mumbai? Chennai? Or Bangalore? (I am ruling out Tanjore and Cochin myself). I go back to Mumbai, and I am left with friends whom I know for over a decade. But still there is a vacuum. A gap left behind. I have some really close friends in Chennai. But I wont settle there. I am really different from the kind of mindset that persists there. I might never be able to satisfy the expectations of the extended family. Does that leave me with Bangalore as the option? No.

The problem is… in the process of ‘Maturing mentally’ I fear, I have lost the sense of belonging to any particular place. And that scares me. As I told AK, I might have the most logical answer to the question “Where do you want to settle down?”, But I don’t have an emotional answer. And this is one of those questions, which mandate an emotional answer as well.

I got this line from AK’s blog, and like her, it pretty much summed up how I am feeling now:

“And underneath it all, there remained an ever-present anger and hurt, the feeling of belonging nowhere that comes to people who belong everywhere.”

–White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Of Long Weekends and Dirty Politics.

Current mood:  Excited

Essays and more…

Current mood: Working

Am in the middle of the essay writing season, as a part of my Great Masters Dream. 🙂

The process of writing my SoP has been interesting to say the least. A good period of introspection, and what I really want to do with my life.

I feel every one must have his or her SoP, irrespective of whether they plan to do their Masters or not. One must always have in a piece of paper questions like:
1. What have I achieved professionally till date?
2. What are my short term goals?
3. What are my long term goals?
4. How can my current profile enable the transition?
5. How many contacts do I have, who can help me in this journey?
6. What do I need to go to the next goal?

I feel this will keep me on my feet, and help me not take myself too lightly. I see my answers changing to these questions every single time I think about them. I guess, that’s a part of growing up professionally!

Too much gyan for the day! 🙂

Cheers!

Blogging after ages…

Current Mood: Determined

So, After forever, I finally have another blog. My blogspot has not been updated for a couple of centuries now . Funnily though, last week, I started blogging in MySpace as well.

Yesterday evening, Ammu told me that wordpress is a lot more blogg-able. So, I decided to check wordpress out, and I loved it, and viola! I had my own wordpress blog as well! 🙂

What I have decided is to maintain both the blogs. Update both the blogs in parallel, and possibly make myspace as my photo blog.

So, this is my space, and my attempt to put in words what I see. 🙂 The opinions are purely mine, and if your views differ, please post them as a comment.

More to follow.

Cheers!

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

Hope… is beautiful!!!

I had the good fortune to watch an excellent movie recently… “Life is beautiful”. This Italian masterpiece “La Vita e bella” is probably one of the most beautifully made movies in in world cinema…

The story is about a Jewish bookkeeper Guido (played to perfection by Roberto Benigni) and his family, during the Nazi era.

While I have seen many World War II movies, or war movies in general, what makes this movie special is the hope that it brims you with, once you are thru with the movie. Guido and his family are taken to one of the many concentration camps that were prevalent during Hitler’s regime. What can a father do in this case? Does he tell him the grim reality, scaring the little boy to death? Does he try to do something heroic (like our desi movies) and save the boy and his family(making it too far fetched to believe)? NO! Instead, Guido tells the kid that the whole thing is a game, and the winner gets a real tank!

What I loved about the movie is the beautiful way in which Guido seeks hope in the darkest moment. His is the character that I cannot relate to, but would love to have an attitude like his. Be it wooing his lady love in a very innocent but cute manner, or hiding the racial discrimination that was meted against them for not being the ‘Aryan‘ race, or saving his son’s life in the most unusual yet believable manner thru sheer optimism.

How many times have we faced situations where we have faced despair, lost hope, immersed ourselves in self pity and bawled away to doom to everyone about out fate or kismet?? I have done that a lot of times. While I am not guaranteeing that I shall never do it again, what this movie taught me is what you see is what you get! While I believe in being realistic, than optimistic or pessimistic, this movie showed me the difference in being realistic and being cynical or critical about one’s choices.

I guess, our lives are governed by the choices that we make… But then, once a choice is made, we spend too much time analyzing if the choice made was correct and incorrect. Our ineptitude to identify the present from the ‘recent past’ makes us not cherish the present. Irrespective of the choices we make, I have been inspired by this movie to live the present to the fullest, and plan the future without ruining the present. Irrespective of the darndest situation that engulfs us, we get bogged down only if we lose hope. And this movie has taught me that ‘Nothing is worth losing your hope for’.

Yes, I agree… Life is indeed beautiful. and ‘Hope’ makes it so…

The Human Nature

The Human Nature

The last 3 weeks were wonderful. After almost 2 years, I spent 2 full weeks with my parents at home. Now that is a treat! I went home for a hardly 4 days last year, when I started blogging!

Anyways, I ve got a brand new camera. And now I am addicted!!! Call it juvenile, but I just cannot stop this obsession. Am enjoying my photography a lot!!!

In many ways, a photograph is like writing… Or reading a book. There are so many ways of looking at things in a photograph. And every single time you look at it, a new meaning appears out of nowhere, leaving you awestruck. I am not a good photographer, but, I find it fascinating. Like a child learning a new language… Every day, I learn new meanings of the same word… And I am hooked! 🙂 Its like reading a Richard Bach, a Paulo Coelho. Its beautiful! 🙂

Oh, while you are here, please check out my work of art!!! :))) I call it the Human ‘Nature’. Wonder why???? 🙂 (Clue: There is a Pun intended in the title!!! :)) )

No Time! BRB… :)

Well, the title says it all… Been sloggin my rear out for i-dunno-how-many days! N ben preparin for a few exams too…

And have not been finding any interesting stuff to write about… My brains are filled with cobwebs and right now, the only thing i can ramble about is printer drivers… That, i am sure will bring my “popularity ratings” low… (the fact that they are at their nadir doesnt help 😉 )

Be Right Back… probably before the New Year! 🙂

In-Divi-duality

Ive been thinking offlate… (Dont laugh Yet!!!) I was thinking how difficult it is to maintain indivuduality… Ive been pretty upset at my findings!!! Its ironical how many ppl claim to want you ‘for who you are’… The next time a person tells me that, i swear ill box him on his face!!! Nobody wants you for ‘Who You Are’!!! Infact Nobody wants you!!! Everybody wants what you can offer… Thats the truth!!! Call me cynical! But isnt that true??? Ask yourself!!!

Will you even cast a second glance at that fat dude who has just streaked his hair red??? Unless it is to laugh at him???
Will you even bother telling that Not So Pretty silent classmate/colleague of urs a Hi??? Nope!!!
Will you bother making thatr fresher who is just out of campus and has joined your team comfortable??? Just a ‘Hi.. hows it goin?? ‘ NO! Freshers are supposed to feel intimidated… Using buzzwords… jargons… and then n0ot caring a darn, even when they come asking for help! Try doing the same to some experienced canditate who knows what is what!!! and bloody, half the ‘experts’ run away!!!
Reservations, Creamy Layer everything is a farce… Relationships are rare and superficial!!! Everyone is a fake!!! So am I! I fake that I am cool with everything! So do u! we all close our eyes… and see what we want to see… We’ve become statistical analysis tools, which analyse the Pros and Cons of another person, and then brand him… and if we have something to gain from him, we accept him!!! Else, he is an Outcast!!!

Individuality is non existent! Nobody likes individuality, although we all claim to possess it! Are we not moulding ourselves into various shapes that is acceptable to our peers? to the society? WHen a dude speaks peter English (Which means, fluent proper english), we call him a wanna-be!!! When our brother does it… Its cool! WHo are we to brand people? What gives us the right? The right to freedom of thought, expression and speech??? Why cant we just change our calculating mind… why cant we just be innocent???

Shame on Me! Shame on US!!!

Btw, Happy Diwali! 🙂 (Faking here too)

P.S. I HAVE NOT STREAKED MY HAIR!!!

The Conduct code!!!

I am planning to take up the CAT this year! As the admission season has begun, I was doing my bit of scouting for diferent B Schools where I could apply to… All during office hours!!! Recently I came across a particular B School… and their code of conduct that was mentioned in the website. A leading B School had such trivial codes of conduct that I was really surprised how nobosy even noticed it! Neways, I believe ppl take up mgmt only afte they feel hey are mature enuf for it! But then, with rules like this, I have my own doubts abt the maturity of the management of the school!!!

XYZ INSTITUTE OF MGMT

At XYZ, we emphasize the importance of values, ethics, morals, sincerity, discipline, dedication etc in student life. We find more and more Recruiters are looking at not only your Intelligence Quotient (IQ) but also your Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ). (Cant believe they actually came up with all the quotients possibel! IO, QA and now SQ!!! What will they think of next!!! ) We desire to create a new breed of leaders, not just managers, who will be able to develop a strong nation. Both academic and personal disciplines are to be developed during your 2-year stay with us. We presume you have chosen to come to our B-school to make a career and not to waste your time in unproductive activities. (Holy Cow! How on earth did you get that!!! Was I that obvious???) Following code of conduct is developed for your personal development. You are requested to read this carefully and understand its implications before you decide to join us. If you have any reservations regarding these regulations, kindly feel free not to seek admission at XYZ. We look for a proper match between the philosophy, vision and mission of the Institute with your own personal values and expectations.

(This is some sort of disclaimer! A warning to all the students which says “Beware… Later don’t tell me I didn’t warn you!!!” )

CODE OF CONDUCT

1. I understand and accept that learning is MY responsibility. My purpose of being in XYZ is to learn and develop myself into a manager and a leader with a sense of responsibility towards society. I fully subscribe to the concerns, purpose of, and the processes at the Institute.
(I solemnly affirm that my loyalty shall never waiver from Taliban and its oppressive regime, and becoming a suicide bomber is MY responsibility!!! Dude! Whats wrong with you???)

2. This being a residential programme, I know that attendance requirement is 100% with respect to every class and every activity/assignment. However, I also understand that in case of exigencies I can avail 15% as leave with prior permission from the PGP Chairman.
(Ok… I am supposed to be a management student and not class 5th student from balshiksha elementary school! 100 percent attendence it seems! They’ll probably exect me to send a leave letter to PGP chairman tellin Dear Sir, As I am sufferrin from fever…)

3. I understand that Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs are not allowed in the campus, Presence of people having consumed liquor / drugs is also not allowed. Violation of these rules will result in instant dismissal from the Institute.
Fair enough! Considering the rest, this one doesn’t really make u laugh out loud!

4. I know that there is a dress code which requires all boys and girls to dress decently and in a dignified manner befitting a future management professional, which has to be adhered to and I shall abide by the dress code.
(No Comments! I wasn’t really expecting to come to college in torn jeans!)

5. I understand and accept that irrespective of any constraint(s) I have to complete activities and assignments on time. I will have to be self-motivated and no incentives will be available to me to get motivated, nor there shall be any incentives for co-curricular activities.
Motivation??? Ill be damned!!! After readin till this, I’ve begun to wonder as to what the word “Motivation” actually means!

6. I fully understand that I should not come out with any excuses or accusations for lack of initiative and efforts on my part. I shall not pass judgments either in public or private conversations without ascertaining facts from authentic sources.

7. I also understand that as a management student and one who subscribes to the values of XYZ, I will have to behave according to its norms at all times, both on and outside the campus. More particularly, I shall not behave in contravention of the Hostel Warden’s instructions. The Institute has the right to take correctional and disciplinary action if I misbehave with any outsider and if any act is in contravention of the norms of XYZ.
This one takes the prize!!! Now, I have to fear the warden too!!! Help!!!

8. I also understand that the examination system at XYZ is a strict one and in case of any malpractice I indulge in, I am risking my studentship for which there may not be any further warning, excuse or any opportunity to explain.

9. I understand that all the co-curricular activities including concept / space selling for souvenirs, EDPs, seminars, convocation etc. are essential assignments aimed at learning by doing and experiencing. These assignments may or may not have marks.

10. I understand that as per the OGPA evaluation system, I am liable to loose my studentship if I do not measure up to the standards prescribed. Even if I am allowed to proceed to the next trimester, I can be removed from the institution on declaration of the OGPA of the previous trimester / year. I am aware that I will not be allowed to proceed to the second year if I do not clear all the papers in the first year.

11. I understand that I will have to be courteous and polite with staff, colleagues, guests, faculty and others at all times, but not submissive.
Basically, I have tosuck up to the staffs!!!

12. I also promise that I shall not leave station without informing the Institute in writing. I shall also inform the change of my address and that of my parents both residential and official, to the Institute promptly.
Permissions Permissions and more permissions

13. I shall be attentive in all class sessions and shall write notes of each session which may or may not be evaluated by the faculty and may or may not be awarded marks. I also understand that if I absent from “Guest Lectures” I shall be fined to recover the cost incurred.
What the heck!!! I am speechless! Compulsory attendance… followed by taking down notes…

14. I undertake that I shall not lie, nor accuse / criticize or form judgments without understanding the context / circumstances, the person and the purpose. At the same time I understand that I shall have all the freedom, opportunity and avenues to air my views, suggestions, grievances, and also to express myself fully to the Director and staff at all times, which will be duly considered.

15. I accept XYZ as my own and I am here to make a career and therefore I shall do whatever is required to be done under the guidance, instructions, support and assistance of the Institute and shall not do or speak anything untrue, which will hamper the institution’s reputation and my purpose of being here.

16. I understand that whatever the Institute instructs or does will be in the best interest of the students and I shall abide by all the decisions of the Director and faculty although I may disagree personally or dislike certain aspects. However, I can exercise my right to clarify and being heard and to be counseled if I am wrong.

17. I agree to all the changes in the curriculum, fee structure, procedures and processes which may have to be modified from time to time as the institution evolves itself.

18. I fully understand that behavior (within or outside the campus) contrary to any of the principles, norms and codes while I am in this Institute will lead to remedial, correctional and deterrent measures and if the Director and or faculty considers it necessary, termination of my studentship.

19. I understand that the above rules and principles are meant to make my association with the Institute more effective, by functioning in orderly ways with a sense of purpose and commitment. Therefore, I understand what is important is not mechanical compliance but imbibing of the values and work ethos of XYZ. Towards this I hereby promise that I shall at all times along with the Director, faculty, staff and colleagues strive to promote and maintain a climate of love, mutual concern, togetherness, adaptation, team spirit, interaction and learning throughout my stay at XYZ. I shall be truthful to me, my purpose of being here, my parents and teachers at all times. I also understand and agree that I shall work tirelessly to live up to the vision, mission and concern of XYZ, which calls for at least 14-16 hours of conceptual learning and / or activities centered learning regardless of day and night.
How much more BS can they come up with? Esp. the at least 14-16 hours of conceptual learning and / or activities centered learning regardless of day and night part!!!Do they mean that hostel lights will be off only after each one completes 14-16 hours with the books? Whatever they meant, I’ll call it CRAP!

20. I shall follow all the rules of the hostel at all times and it will be my constant endeavor to keep my room and premises clean and tidy at all times.
I ve lived in a pig sty ever since I left home… Be it college hostel or current room! So, that leaves me out!!!

21. I shall not indulge in any activity, which would cause misunderstanding or division among students for any reason whatsoever I shall not indulge in any activity, which would lead to disharmony among the students who come from diverse backgrounds from all parts of the country.

22. I am fully aware that my purpose of joining XYZ is to have a quality education and placement is incidental in this process. I also understand that if my focus is only on placements, then learning will not take place. I also understand that I should develop myself competent enough to be selected by recruiters and XYZ can assist me only to the extent of bringing the recruiters to the campus and it is my sole responsibility to make myself fit enough for the recruiters.

23. I understand that I should live amicably with other room-mates in the hostel and I will not pick up quarrel with them on insignificant reasons.
I am 5 years old… and love playing marbles with a bunch of MBA aspirants. We love quarrelling on whether Barbie is hotter or Ariel (the mermaid). These are issues of international importance I suppose!!! (Phew!!!)

Basically, I wasted a lot of my 14-16 hours time going thru this sorry excuse for “Code of Conduct”. And in case u did the same… Welcome to the gang! The time you spent to read this could ve been utilised for scrating your hair, cutting your nails, sending forwards to unsuspecting colleagues, have 3 cigs, 2 coffee breaks… and then preparing for the CAT!!!

Surya+Jyothika+FANS+Media+Kodak=ANACINS

Ok! I ve had enough of this Surya-Jyothika Marriage crap! Well, if two people getting ‘bound’ forever in holy matrimony is not sad enough, what is even more irritating is everyone seems to be sending you pictures of their wedding! Dude!!! Gimme a break! I WAS NOT INVITED TO THEIR WEDDING!!! For that matter, NEITHER WERE YOU!!! So, stop spamming my inbox with Surya-Jyothika snaps!!! I have no interest in seeing her Mehndi snaps!!!

Dinamalar.com seems to be the source of all evil! Along with other tamil dailies!!! Scores of photoghaphs updated every hour… ‘Live Photographs’, one link screamed! Dude… get a life! This is not some India Pakistan match where any one would be obsessed with the ‘Live Pics’! Or so I thought! All I had to do was turn behind and look at the others in my cubicle! everyone seems to be hooked on to the pics!!! Thats it I give up!!! Ill have to spend atleast another week collecting Surya-Jyothika’s marriage albums… their mehndi ceremony, their reception pics… and keep cleaning my inbox by deleting these HUGE files…

Talking of HUGE files… one thing that irritates me is ppl sending bitmap images! Dude, THEY ARE HUGE! You are already getting on my nerves by sending me 20 pics per day of Surya-Jyothika, you dont have to confirm your seat there by semding me 20 BITMAP files! If you wanna send the good will news to every one, please atelast send JPEGS and zip them.

And looks like the News Channels have caught the bug too! Look, I am an ardent fan of NDTV… Among the News Channels, I feel they are the best! But they did let me down! Imagine going home after a tiring days work, switching ON the TV to catch the news… The Southern edition was going on! And guess whats the opinion poll running? “SHOULD JYOTHIKA CONTINUE TO WORK AFTER MARRIAGE?” Well, I might have rather been hit by a raging senile bull!!! Or tramped by a wild elephant! Does it even matter if Jyothika works after marriage? Is it even going to reduce my tax? Or will it help reducing the reservations? Or hell! Will it even play any role in that pretty looking female even acknowledging the fact that I exist??? No you morons! You guys are supposed to be the only guys who make sense in the television! Stick to that!!!

Neways, seeing that we (yes! there are ppl who actually think like me in this case! Lots actually!) are totally outnumbered, i guess, we’ll have to rage a war against these inhuman, cold hearted mortals! Or else, just keep deleting the mails, and bitch about the stupidity of the FANS, Media and every compulsive mail forwarder!!! 🙂

funny :)

Just came across this pic in one of the fwds! 🙂

Tears of the Innocent

Trudging along the dusty roads, in the summer heat
With a parched throat, fear encompassing our toddler feet

what wrong have we done, for we are li’l kids
wish we knew why we are punished, for whose evil deeds

while we hide under the ground in fear
a disquieting thought that the end is near

Hearing the shells bite ino the skin
our our family, kith and kin

We long for a ray of hope, the warmth of the sun
smiling upon us, a day of muted guns

Mommy please wake us up from this horrible dream
Take us in your arms, we want to play by the stream

Wake us up to the sweet alarm of chirping birds
not the clangs of the broken shards

Please tell us these scars will fade
Please tell us life’ll take us ahead

Please wake up from your eternal sleep
and dry our tears, for we can no longer weep.

Trust – A Paradox

“What drives the world?” Imagine being asked this question on a Sunday Morning, when you are contemplating whether it is absolutely necessary to wake up for breakfast or a direct lunch will be ‘just-fine’. Really what prompted me to ask this question to my roomie, I dont really know. I guess I was in this quasi philosophical mood… or plain jobless ans not sleepy too… Neways, even before he could open his eyes and his machinery ‘up there’ could start rolling, I started off…

Money? Well, it is a major factor, I agree. Accepted that it drives a lot of things today. Money and power have become synonymous infact. But then, can it really really drive us? I have my own doubts about that. I dont want to start off with the cliche and oft used statement that “money can buy you anything… but it cant…”. However, it does hold true in its own way.

Is it Love? I dont think so… I know that a lot of ppl will disagree with me on that… but then, ill rule it out because love is something that we all seek definitions and meanings of. And then there are these ‘prophets’ who can classify love into a hajjar categories… Conditional Love, Unconditional love… and lotsa other crap. I call it crap because, i doubt if there is anything like unconditional love… What we have for our parents is perhaps the closest thing to it… but then come on… get real… parents expect us to live their lives. i am not telling that they are unjustified in doing so… but then, hey there is a condition right??? 🙂 Basically, I feel every relationship is conditional… the thin line between emotional and practical people is how well they accept the condition! 🙂

Well, that still leaves our question open. I feel it is trust. Well, that is the only emotion that exists almost as long as life itself. (For all those who say Life is short, I wonder what is the other thing that you know of, which is longer than your life… You’ve been havin it since your birth and will have it till your death!). Ever since I was a kid, even before I knew what love was, I knew what trust was. Trust is holding your father’s lil finger while crossing the road. The trust that no vehicle will dare come near you, even though you are just 2 years old! Trust is lying down on your mother’s lap after a very tiring day. The trust that nobody, (not even your boss) can enter your territory now. Trust is your friend giving you his email id and password. The trust that you wont end up reading his personal mails… Well, a toddler begins to cry when he doesnt see his mother for sometime… and the reason is not because he is mature enough to realise that he loves her… but simply because his wall of trust seems to weaken in her absence. Time will make him trust you… and once he trusts you, he” cry if you are absent for a while too… I might not trust my neighbour, my colleague, my boss, my wife, my parents… but eventually it boils down to one thing… i ll trust myself! Face it! you cant find a person who doesnt trust anything… becasue in doing so, he trusts his judgement! Confusing? true!

The other day, I was lookin up for the meaning of the word ‘trust’. The verb means Confident Hope. Paradoxes side by side huh? Confident indicates surety, certainty, conviction and having no second thoughts. Hope on the other hand has an element of uncertainty to it. We hope for a miracle, although we know they dont exist. 🙂 I hope to lose weight… but then the proabability of me becoming a CEO of my cmpany is more realistic :-). Hope has always indicated caution and tentativeness… and a lot of praying work. However, ironically it is this comnitaion of opposites that goes on to create an emotion that, according to me, drives the world. Again this can be directly atributed to the fact that every moment, rather situation, i’d call it… is a paradox. And what adds to its beauty is the co-exisence of the opposites! Words, Ideas, thoughts might always be contradictory… but in the larger scheme of things, each would cease to exist without the other. Without hope, confidence dies… and without confidence, hope doesnt exist either! Well, as Sushan says… Life’s Tuff!!! 🙂

Cheers!!!
S

Peeping toms?

MMS… Been there, seen that. well, thats exactly the reaction that i seem to get from guys nowadays. From Preity to Kareena, DPS to Vidyaniketan, everyone seems to have a video of their own. I raeally dunno whats happening to us. Now I dont wanna sound like an avataar of some saint here… Yes, i have seen these MMSs too. But a few days back, when i was talking to a friend, he was like, “dude! i feel like a peeping tom”. One line… Think it hit a spot somewhere… Whats happened to us? Are we becoming a nation full of peeping toms? Is nobody to be trusted? I was never against getting physical in a relationship… I mean, thats the couple’s personal choice, and we need to give them their freedom, their privacy. But today, I doubt i there is anything like privacy left at all… Have we forgotten the meaning of the word trust? Whats wrong with us?

Back to the Pavilion!!!

Well, the time has come… The vacation has ended… The doc says I am alrite and can get back to work!!! How… Exciting… (obvious tone of sarcasm n boredom). Well, for those who have not been keepin abreast of whats been happenin in my life(which is basically the rest of the world except me), I was in Mumbai for almost 9 days… Was unwell. U know, this is the part i hate… ‘Unwell’ is such a soft word! It can never do justice to how ‘unwell’ I actually was… But then, that is a different story altogether… In the last 10 odd days, I
1. realised that half of the worlds population lives in the local trains of Mumbai.
2. found out that the formula for finding the actual cost price of any dress in Mumbai is the Quoted Price/2. In case of decent shops, it is Quoted Price/3.
3. found out that there are cheats with fancy restaurants who sell sugarcane juice for 20 Rs per glass. N the next shop sells the same shit for Rs. 3 per glass!!! So, when it comes to food items… there is no specific formula for actual Cost Price… it is determined thru years of experience.
4. realised that The best place for a free body massage is the Mumbai local trains… provided u can bear stinkin arm pits…
5. Created my own Blog!!! Wrote one article, begged a cpl o friends to read it and post their comments, and actually replied back to the comments (like they are gonna visit my blog again ever!).
6. Came to the conclusion that my family doctor is a genius. Well, he is the only one who can cure my perennial ulcers (Oxymoron???).
7. My Dad cant drive a car for peanuts. Neither can I!
8. Any car is only as goodas its driver,… So our Ford Icon is a worthless bauble.
9. Nothin can ever beat home food!
10. Meetin up with an old friend is one of the most refreshing things ever! It can keep u smilin for till the bill for the dinner comes!
11. Restaurants in Mumbai cant make Hyderabadi Biryani. Their idea of the same is Green Chutney mixed with rice! Help!!!
12. Our cable tv operator has no movie sense… and he actually puts soft porn (May i add lousy too) after the last football match of the day is over!
13. Nobody is indispensible. I was not there for 10 days, and nobody missed me @ work! Not that I made a lotta contribution at work.
14. Mumbai is just as sultry as Chennai… So i should stop comparin the 2 cities.
15. All Dads love travellin by King Fisher Airlines… while I always have the pleasure of travelling in Indian Airlines! When ll they change their service approach? They can be lousy! They are lousy!
16. Football is low scoring as compared to cricket… but Lotsa fun!!! I an become an expert in analysing post match performance even without knowing A,B,C of football! 🙂

Basically that winds up my break. Work Beckons… As Arnie put it… Ill Be Back… (Like it is gonna make a difference! 🙂 Adios!!!

Saapadu…

Well, having lived in Mumbai for almost 17 years, I wud always say that I am a Mumbaikar at heart! I mean, i can live on the Vada-Pavs and the Paani Puris sold by those hawkers standin by the railway station or the signal, with the busses,cars and every other vehicle possible adding to the flavour (courtesy pollution). But still the taste is brilliant! For all those of you, who love the cleanliness while makin food, this might not be ur recipe for a sumptous meal… but then, who the hell cares… The food tastes great, and this is Mumbai for u!!! And i loved it all…

U know, being a Tam-Bram based in Mumbai is sooo cool, esp if u are a foodie! I mean, at our home, I can remember being fed idly sambhar and dosa chutney, even before i was fed cerelac (intentional hyperbole!!!). N once i grew up, I remember the breakfasts having Pongal too.. Ven Pongal with chutney and Ghotsu. For the ill informed, Pongal is the tamil version of Kheer, Ghotsu is well… Ghotsu! Ven Pongal is lotsa Ghee with Pongal! And then ofcourse who can forget the elixir of life, thair sadam! (curd rice!) I mean, no true tam-bram who belongs to the lineage can deny loving Thair Sadam… and the innumerable helpings of mavadu or some other urga (achar/pickles). Whatever said and done, i feel Sambhar has been our contribution to the world… well, to Indian cuisines across the world. I mean, all my friends relish the crap that i cook and feed ’em, callin it Sambhar! My cousin abroad has her American n punjabi friends swoonin over the Liquid she proclaims as Sambhar too… 🙂

Oh! i forgot the kara kolambus… (the sibling of Sambhar, which is stronger and more spicier!) and Rasam (Sambhar without too much dal, and with lotsa tomatoes and Tamarind!) So u see, what a vital role Sambhar plays in our lives!!! I mean, it is the perfect side dish. With rice and dollops of ghee, with Curd rice, with dosa, pongal, idli, pakoda, u name it, and it can be used! (hell! when my mom is not lookin i actually have it as a side dish for pulao too!!!). Vada Sambhar is another famous combo which every tambram must know accept and relish!!! And the poriyals too… the Urlakalangu (Potatoes) and its siblings (senai) played such an important role in our brought up! And the Avials too!!!

Today I am in Kochi, cookin my own crap, eatin my sorry excuses for food! And missin ghar ka khana… call me a foodie to have devoted a whole blog for food! All typical tamil saapadu… whatever said n done, nothin can bring the taste of Veetu Saapadu (Home food!) All that talk has made me hungry like hell!!! As i cant gt home food, ill settle for the next best thing! Ill grab a beer (with urga!) n then some chicken 65 and finally end up with some fried rice from the roattu kadai (read as hawker) and go to sleep! Buonas noches n Bon Apetit! (different Languages i Know!!!)

My first time…

I came across this mail some months back… I ve treasured a copy, beacuse it was my first foray nto the world of TamBrams as such. Yes, I am a Tamil Brahmin but i dont bear any resemblance to ’em. Except that I am an engineering Grad myself! There ends the similarity. I dont do ‘Sandi’, eat Non Veg, strictly against going to the US for settling down, said ‘No’ for IIT classes, speak lousy tamil, hate madisar clad women, hate floral rangoli on my classmates/colelagues head, have never been invited to see the gollu bommai! When i got this mail, I just realised what all had i missed to notice… Brilliant stuff!! 🙂

“YOU graduated in Literature, right?” asked my young cousin. “No, in Economics.” I hastily clarified . “Economics honours,” I added for good measure. The question coming from anyone else would have been innocuous, but from my cousin who was a third year engineering student,it was almost offending. As a card carrying member of the Tamilian Brahmin community,or Tam Brams, as the endearment goes, I knew that in his world-and that included his parents, relatives, colony friends, project group,dorm mates-someone who graduated in Literature obviously did so because he or she had a learning disability. The poor thing was a freak who couldn’t get admission into an engineering college or even a pitiful, but definitely more acceptable, science course. Or worse, such a specimen was a wasted wanton whose desire to do B.A. was an irresponsible, rebellious act, almost akin to joining a Neo-Nazi like cult group and living on the edge of civilised society. In any such conversation with a bonafide Tam Bram, I find myself fervently hoping, that despite falling under the horrifying category of B.A Economics,with its connotations of statistics and analysis of numbers and trends, would redeem me a little in their maths-science obsessed eyes. For a Tam Bram family mathematics and science are not merely subjects in the school curriculum. They are a religion. And the dharma of every Tam Bram student is to master them and pave his way to the heavenly portal of an IIT. Or at least to the ordinary portal of a local engineering college,which the family will eventually reconcile to, in the absence of the ‘real thing’.The first time I seriously understood this was when I was in primary school and on one sunny day was gleefully reading out my final exam results to Grandpa who was sitting on the porch and frowning in attention. “English: 90 percent, Hindi: 85 percent, Social Studies:87percent..” I prattled on. “How much in maths?” interrupted Grandpa. “Maths: 97 percent,” I said grinning widely. “What happened to the remaining marks?” was his unexpected reaction. After which he asked me to fetch the question paper,spent the next two hours going through each problem and figured out where I could have lost the precious three marks.”Nothing less than a centum in Maths next time.” he said finally.’Centum’is a word unique to the Tam Bram world, that a child grows up listening to. It is a figure that even if sometimes elusive, is never lost sight of throughout the academic career. Centum, Maths, Science, Brilliant Tutorials,Engineering, IIT, B.Tech, Computer Science, USA, Financial Aid, I-20, Student Visa, M.S, San Jose, California, Oracle, Microsoft, Intel. These words and names are like carefully arranged furniture in the mental landscape of a Tam Bram boy-and increasingly girl- below the age of 25. Care is taken not to clutter it with anything related to useless stuff like literature, history or art. Show me a Tam Bram boy who wants to be a fashion designer, VJ, historian or air force pilot and I’ll show you something wrong in his blood line. For all such are heathen, a blemish on the fair face of the community. Till about 15 years ago, the only heathens were girls who did not sing. Formidable maamis from the neighbourhood would drop in> for a casual afternoon gossip session with grandmom and on espying any hapless young girls in the vicinity, would pounce on them with the dreaded entreaty, “Oru paatu paadein.” (Sing a song). A simple three word sentence, you would think, but in maamiland it is a deceptively camouflaged barometer of the girl’s cultural grooming and readiness for Tam Bram society (read marriage market) and her mother’s efforts in making her a fine Tamilian lady. A Tam Bram girl’s singing talents always have to be on standby, as they could be called upon by anyone no matter what the time of day, nature of the occasion or profile of the audience, by simply uttering the three powerful words, “Oru Paatu Paadein.” And woe betide the girl who in shameful ignorance, takes the words at face value. When the words were uttered by a visiting neighbour, I readily accepted and joyously broke into a popular Hindi film ditty. I had finished the second paragraph when I stopped to check audience response. My mother had a strained, embarrassed smile on her face, grandmom was scowling hard, an aunt hurriedly excused herself and went inside and the venerable neighbour looked so disturbed, I thought she was on the verge of a heart attack.”Well..that was nice, but don’t you sing any varnams or keerthanais?” she finally asked, after an awkward silence. My mother hurriedly explained how in the culturally bereft North we were unable to locate a Carnatic music teacher nearby…but hopefully by this summer she would manage to do something about it. That’s when I realised that the only music that was expected to pour out of your mellifluous throat where classical Carnatic songs. If you didn’t know any, you simply shut up and ducked out of sight of visiting maamis. And if like me, you are a non-engineer-non-Carnatic-trained loser of a Tam Bram, you should be drowning yourself in a drum full of idli batter for having wasted this lifetime.