Life on the IIMC Campus (Part 2)

The last time I wrote, I had mentioned about a big celebration on Christmas night. It turned out to be the GGP! (Err, in case anyone wants to know what GGP is, please contact me separately.) That turned out to be a lot of fun. It somehow gives me an insane amount of pleasure to watch others get stoned and make complete fools of themselves. One time during the party, SSV, SSV (female), their guests and I decided to go and make ourselves comfortable on the jetty. Now, this jetty is like a raft of planks fitted on pontoons floating in the lake. Since it was reunion time, it had been nicely decorated with yellow lights, making it seem as if it were Diwali instead of Christmas! When we reached this place, there was a solitary fellow sitting right in the middle of the jetty, trying to get further intoxicated by the swaying motion of the jetty. At first, he looked bored, but he immediately "perked" up when SSV (female) narrated a tale of having seen two females make out during the same event last year! A simple suggestion of swinging the jetty even more resulted in SSV and I managing to put out the lights. Needless to say, we left soon after, causing the poor bloke's high to all but disappear.

We decided to call it a day, erm...night...err, early morning, and head home. The path home takes us over the "Howrah Bridge". That night, the fog was extremely bad. The visibility was down to five feet. The entire setting seemed to have been picked straight out of The Hound of The Baskervilles. At any time, we expected to see a hound jump out at us! (Well, if not a hound, at least a ghost or two......naah, I suppose Bong ghosts are too genial for such early morning haunting jaunts.) So, we all managed to reach home safe and hound - I mean sound - at around 0430 hours (4:30 a.m.)....Man, Bengal is famous for unions....but I will probably remember IIMC for this re-union!

The last paragraph has been practically written by SSV.

Life on the IIMC Campus

Arrived here @ the IIMC campus on vacation yesterday. SSV's place, to be precise. Have been enjoying life since then. Life here seems to be pretty laid back. Nobody seems to be in any hurry whatsoever. Anything and everything can be done sooner or later, the latter being more likely! There is also an Alumni Reunion taking place at this time over here. It sounded like fun when SSV mentioned it yesterday, but the DJ Nite, which we attended yesterday, was extremely disappointing. Maybe it was because the oldies who had gathered there were too tired to dance. Maybe it was well past their bed time! The youngsters seemed to be more interested in the booze. And to top it all, the DJ seemed to be an amateur picked right out of last October's Durga Puja!!!

Anyway, I hope today will be better. There is a play scheduled to start in an hour's time. It's supposed to be an adaptation of the Audrey Hepburn movie, Wait Until Dark. The least I can do is keep my fingers crossed.

Finally Free!!!

Yes! The day has finally dawned! I am, as of today, free from the shackles of my first project. It has been a horrid, yet interesting experience. I have suffered and enjoyed, learnt and forgotten, and if someone were to ask me whether I would exchange it for anything else, I would probably reply in the negative.

But, nostalgia aside, it's time to look ahead. Let's see what new opportunities come calling. RMLR, dude, I am FINALLY FREE!!!

Order in the midst of Disorder

The British do seem have made a profound impression on our collective psyche. I suppose this can happen only in Bombay!!!

Corporate Actions

Well, CAT is over and I have basically screwed up my chances of making it into an IIM. Well, it was at least worth a try! But when I get chance to think about this all alone, I sometimes wonder whether all this is worth it. I mean the general perception is that in order to get into a good management college, one has to work really hard...blah blah blah. But, what after that? Is all this hard work going to guarantee an easy life for me?

After having spent a good two years in a corporate project, complete with all the highs and lows of belonging, what have I achieved? Everyone I meet outside congratulates me on landing such a good job in campus placement, but sometimes I am left wondering what is so good about this job? And is it to get a better one that I am trying to get into a decent management college? Who is to say that it wont be worse? Forget the job conditions for a minute. Think about the people that make up the team. Why does everyone have to pretend that all is well and that we are all a well-oiled unit, when there are obviously glaring problems existing just below the surface? Is this what being a part of the corporate world involves? Being a hypocrite who blurts out the truth only when totally pissed?

She

She came and sat next to me in the bus, at Opera House. Her hair was a radiant brown and it gave off a nice and flowery fragrance. She had fixed it atop her head with a nice butterfly clip, but a few stray wisps fell around her small face, framing it nicely. A hint of a smile played on her lips as she swayed slightly to the tune of the music on her Walkman phone. She answered a call in a lilting feminine voice which, for no reason, brought a smile to my face. She accidentally brushed my foot and apologised with so much sincerity in her soft brown eyes that I couldn't get a coherent word out! Suddenly, I was glad I had a big office bag in my lap.

All too soon, VT arrived and she got off. The bus sped along mercilessly, hurrying me to my office two stops ahead!

Lessons in Two-Wheeler Riding - A Dummy's Viewpoint (Concluding Part)

Well well well. The day finally arrived. I finally went to office on my own with the bike. And it felt good. True, I was a bit rusty. But then, the faults started ironing themselves out with each day. Though, it must be said that my previous experience driving a car did hold me in good stead. Plus, I managed to strike a nice deal with the parking attendant at Horniman Circle. 150 bucks for the whole month. Pretty good, if you ask me.

Alas! All good things must come to an end. And so did this. The rains decided to put in an appearance all day today and that was curtains for my bike riding. The problem is that this wet spell looks like it's gonna last for some time. God knows when we will get the next dry spell.

Other news is that I am going to get lonelier. My best friend since school, SB will be leaving for the US for a period of 11 months, starting August. Which means that I do not have anyone other than TAP to spend my time with until RSK comes back from Milan. And that's in September.

So, until September, it's time to sing "Tanhaayee tanhaayee..."!!!

(You think of a title for this one!!!)

I know...I know!!! I should have blogged a long time earlier, blah blah blah!!! Frankly speaking, even I don't know why I didn't do so earlier. I mean I had lots of free time but the zeal just wasn't there. Anyway, all that's water under the bridge.

A lot of things have been happening since I last blogged. And I mean A LOT!!! India actually managed to defeat South Africa in cricket, I managed to ride my bike home from Worli Sea Face and RMLR ended up being called Chuchchee Singh of Unnees!!!

But then, some things have also not changed. Like I get yelled at everyday for leaving my things lying about on my bed, it continues to rain at least once a day so that I cant ride my bike to office and office continues to be boring and uninspiring.

Just one thing to wait for in the near future - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Need I say more?

Musings...

The past week has been extremely boring in office. I never thought I would say this but, I think I should have had more work!!! I just had too much of free time. So, I did what I usually do - I pondered over what was wrong with my life and what wasn't. So, what did I come up with? Well, read on to find out (if you wanna...)

Wrongs :

• Why can't anyone ever understand that whenever my shoulder dislocates, it's not a walk in the park for me, not that I am particularly fond of walks in parks. But then, I am digressing here. What I mean is, it is funny to joke about it for some time. But, after a while, it begins to remind me of those painful episodes and mind you, they are NOT funny. Imagine what it would feel like if you can't feel your arm suddenly...if your fingers were as good as non-existent, if you had to feel the ligament holding your arm attached to your body slowly but surely tearing away bringing more and more pain with it, so much so that you wanna retch!!!
  
• Why cant my Mom ever understand me? It irks me to know that I am still a stranger to the person I thought knew me best!!!
  
• Why do I always have to be the generous one? The one who lets others through?
  
• After more than 23 years of blissful existence, why do I have to feel now that I would have liked nothing better than to have a little sister? A squirt to whom I could relate all my problems without expecting to get a sermon? Someone I could really pamper. Someone who I could tease to no end, but at the same time, feel like beating the pulp out of anyone else who tried to do the same.

Rights :

• I like the fact that I have a few friends whom I can trust with most of my problems. It's a nice feeling.
• I like it that I have finally started looking at two-wheelers as a means of transportation. I mean for a car guy like me, it's really big.
• I like it that I can be really me wherever I go. I hate people who get their work done on the basis of false pretences, and thank God, I am not one of them!!!
• I like that I can write my blog entries in such a detached way. It really helps me to understand myself when I read through them later.

Pretty balanced life, eh??

Lessons in Two-Wheeler Riding - A Dummy's Viewpoint (Part 2)

It's been almost a month since I first started learning how to ride a two-wheeler. Well, I must say that there has been progress.

For one, I have graduated from Dad's scooter to my own bike (a Honda Unicorn). I can now find balance easily so, I guess Dad's cycling lessons have helped. I am also beginning to enjoy the experience of riding.

But, there are still some things that I would like to iron out. Most important is my balance at the fag end of braking. I MUST learn to somehow keep the bike upright when I am about to get my feet down at the end of braking to a stop. Also, I am currently finding shifting up through my bike's gearbox a bit of a pain coz I just don't seem to know when the gearshift has taken place!!! I guess that should improve with time.

It must be looking very bad for me considering that it's been a month since I started riding. But, I guess the only Saturdays and Sundays clause bails me out to a certain extent. Still, I must improve fast else, the rains will be upon me soon!!!

Cheeni Kum - A Review

Went to watch Cheeni Kum at Sterling today. The promos of the movie had interested me greatly and I was interested in seeing whether the movie lived up to the interest it aroused in me.

The movie starts with a quick introduction of the lead characters. No grand entry, no loud music. Just the beginning of a story. The story of a romance between a 64 yr old man and a 34 yr old woman. The story of the pitfalls such a romance must inevitably face.

The movie-makers have been very wise to choose AB and Tabu for their respective roles. For, it is very difficult to imagine two people more perfect for this story. Both of them shine in the movie, be it the restrained emotion, or the tacit understanding between the two. Especially entertaining are the witty potshots that both characters can't resist taking at each other.

Tabu makes a return after a long hiatus and the wait was simply well worth it. She certainly delivers what is expected of her. AB, as always, is perfect. He portrays the character of the "khadoos" but lovable buddha quite well. Very often, he irritates you but, you still manage to feel sorry for him, at times. And, just when you have begun to feel that this fellow is not all that bad...BAM...he snaps at someone again!!! Zohra Sehgal, as AB's mom, packs in quite a punch. It is amazing to see this versatile actress still deliver such great performances in her 90's. Also, deserving a special mention is Baby Svini. Her scenes with AB are simply delightful and she effortlessly manages to keep pace with the Big B. This young lass sure has some potential. Hope she doesn't fade away, for one feels that there is surely more to come from her.

So, did Cheeni Kum justify my interest? You bet it did!!!

Now, if only all companies could advertise honestly like this...

Lessons in Two-Wheeler Riding - A Dummy's Viewpoint (Part 1)

Started learning how to ride a two-wheeler today. The vehicle? My dad's trusty LML Vespa 150 NV. Turns out the learning process was just the opposite for me. No need for any coaching regarding clutch release, gear changing, braking distances etc. What I needed was help with balancing!!! So, I suppose it must have presented a very comical sight to the passers-by at the Marine Drive service road. I mean, a greying man holding onto a scooter trying to make a fat 23 yr old learn how to balance a two-wheeler, must be funny to watch. Pathetic!!!

Next lesson scheduled for next Saturday. I am beginning to get a hang of the balance now. Hope I manage to keep the scooter moving in the intended direction for more than 30 seconds now!!!

Impressive Service!!!

Looks like the 24 hr time period has not yet started.

Apologies for the picture quality. The guard just wouldn't let me take a front-on pic.

Paradise on Earth

When I checked my blog today, I found that my last post date was 15th April, 2007. Whew!!! Almost a month ago!!! Yeah yeah...I know!!! I should have posted a long time back, especially considering that it's been a week since I have returned from vacation. But, hey!!! The laziness has finally subsided and I have finally decided to put pen to paper...well, fingers to the keys, at least!!!

Hmm, where do I begin? The entire vacation was full of pleasant and a few not-so-pleasant experiences (which I shall not mention here). It began with a sojourn to Calcutta which was going to be our hub for Port Blair. A couple of days there and we would be off to the Andamans. Well, Calcutta proved to be HOT!!! A sizzling 38 degrees and there would be an uncomfortably warm breeze coming in through the windows of the old crock Amby taxis. But, it was something different as compared to Bombay.

The flight to Port Blair certainly cannot be called uneventful. I don't mean that there were any close calls or any other such thing inflight. I mean that the first view of the Andamans was such that it shall forever remain etched in my memory. No amount of description from me is going to do justice to that sight. It would be better if you saw the pics for yourself. Link to these pics will be at the end of this post.

Port Blair is like any other British town. Small, quaint houses dotting the well maintained roads which curve steeply around the stunted hills, glimpses of the brilliantly blue sea, small and crowded marketplaces which sell all sorts of knick-knacks, half-naked foreigners moving about on rented two-wheelers. The weather was just like Bombay. The only thing that struck me was that the air was extremely clean, people followed traffic rules religiously and the service industry there was interested in just that - service. No expectations of favours or tips. You pay me the fixed rate, I will do what I promised. As simple as that.

The main tourist attraction of Port Blair was the Cellular Jail, notorious as "Kaala Paani". The walls of this infamous jail, which incarcerated many of the freedom fighters, still look pretty imposing. Originally, there were seven arms radiating out of a central watch tower. Now, only 3 of these arms still exist. One look at the cells and you realise from the outset that all the gruesome incidents that we have read about in the history books must have been true. A peek at the oil extraction machine and the gallows only serve to strengthen this conviction. A recently built museum serves to dispel all remaining doubts one may have about the brutality and hard-heartedness the British displayed while dealing with the prisoners. Quite a bit of information is also available there about Veer Savarkar, the jail's most famous prisoner.

The other sites around Port Blair are pretty much like the ones you will find near any coastal tourist spot, only much cleaner and greener. However, what one could call a paradise on earth...well, at least in India, is Havelock Island. This place is home to Radhanagar beach, Asia's best beach according to Time magazine. Turquoise blue and emerald green waters, pristine white sand and rides on tusker elephants are the highlights of this place. There are so few people on this beach that you almost get the feeling that you own it!!! The only things strewn on the beach are dead branches, fallen coconuts and sleeping foreigners!!! Anyone with marriage on their minds may note that this is just about the perfect place for a honeymoon!!! Also worth a mention are the coconuts sold here. Enormous green fellows with sweeeeet water which never seems to get over. All this for only 10 bucks, and that too at a tourist spot. Compare that with Bombay where I get sickly looking brown coconuts for 14 bucks each. Havelock Island also has other beaches like Elephanta beach where one can do snorkeling for viewing coral. The water here shows shades of brown, green and deep blue, all at the same time, depending upon the depth of the water.

The tour of the Andamans certainly convinced me that this is truly the last place on earth that is yet to come into its own as a tourist destination. And for it's sake, I hope it stays that way.

PS : Pictures are available here.

Here's a glimpse

Just another post

Again, a long time since the last post. I know, I know!!! I should write more frequently...blah...blah!!! Some of the anonymous ppl commenting here feel I shouldn't write at all!!! Ah, but then, I am digressing!!! Blogger's block!!! Promise it wont happen again (believe me at your own risk!!!)

It's been a very busy couple of weeks in office. A big release, a big problem, a quick solution, new problem, another brilliant solution, another release, short meeting with friends. Now, one more week to go before I proceed on vacation!!! Maybe I will write a proper post when I get bored in office!!!

Childhood Faux Pas

I just read RMLR's latest post about how his kiddie antics are the topic of conversation at most of his family functions. This set me thinking. What is it about the things we do as a kid that makes us so adorable to our elders?

I, for one, am constantly tormented by this incident being recalled at every gathering of my extended family. It seems that there used to be an 11 lakh State lottery that was advertised very aggressively on TV when I was 2 or 3. The words "Akra Laakh" (11 lakhs) were constantly shouted out during this commercial. My take on these words? "Akhkha Naak" (Full Nose)!!!

The other thing that irritates me is the tendency of the older aunties to pull my cheeks. OK, I know I am fat, my cheeks are big, but that doesn't mean that u should pull them!!! Oh boy, the hours I have spent plotting the various forms of torture that I would submit their cheeks to.....

Thoughts of an Uninspired Fatso!!!

• It is actually more fun to drive on a Saturday evening, as compared to a Sunday evening.
• I bought a camera last week and I must say that Canon sure delighted me.
• I am thinking of going for a jog in the mornings at Marine Drive but, somehow, I never get up before 9.
• It was a waste of a night watching India lose to Bangladesh.
• I wonder whether I should try GMAT this year. As of now, I haven't made up my mind, but am inclined towards it.
• It will be initially weird not having RMLR in my project.
• I wonder when I will get rid of the R** monkey on my back.
• Slowly all my friends are going away from Bombay, and that makes me sad.
• I can still put bat to ball, as Saturday's picnic showed (see pic).
  
• Yeah, I know!!! I finally made an appearance on my blog!!!
  
• I cant wait for my Andaman holiday to start.
• This post is the result of my promise to Everyman. See what happens when I am not inspired??
  

Music

I was reading my friend, AD's latest post on how people tend to say that modern music has less value as compared to the good old days. This got me thinking. When can we say that any music is good? It may be simple for those technically trained or at least, inclined towards music to quantify the various parameters which may help us decide whether a given piece of music is good or bad. But, what about mere mortals like me? For me, F and G are just letters. And why the hell do we have to sharpen them???

I guess one can figure out by now the extent of my musical knowledge. But then, I too like listening to music. I have never managed to figure out why I like a particular piece of music, though. Take for example, Jiya Jale from Dil Se. I simply love the song. It's just so catchy...well, at least to me, it is. I don't understand half of the words in it coz they are in Malayalam (or is it Tamil). But, the music, the lyrics, the vocals, they all come together in a smooth package. Ditto for Pyar humko bhi hai from Chalte Chalte. And the guitar piece from KK's Pal? Simply awesome. I just find myself rewinding the song over and over just to listen to that neat piece of guitaring.

Now, one must think that here I am speaking about music making me feel something and I mention only Hindi songs here. Well, I like a few English ones too. Like You're Still the One, or the Titanic OST, or even Candle in the Wind. The list is small but, I guess that's coz I was brought up on a diet of pure unadulterated Hindi film music. The so-called Olden Goldies. The first time I was exposed to so many good English songs was during ILP in Bhubaneswar. Even today, this exposure, although slow, continues. Maybe, that's why I still have arguments with my Dad who feels that I should listen to more "Indian" compositions. Yeah right!!!

I just read the paragraphs above and I realised that I have rambled on and on. I had set out to establish what might constitute good music, and I ended up explaining why I don't know much about English music!!! But, then let's get something from you now. Tell me...what do you think makes good music?

City of Gold

Started reading "City of Gold" by Gillian Tindall this weekend. Felt really nice to read about the history of Bombay. Gillian presents the topic with an admirable amount of honesty, in spite of being a Brit, herself. There is no glossing over the materialistic motives of the British behind developing Bombay. At the same time, there is also a definite mention of the resistance of the original inhabitants against establishment of any sort of order.

The complete cycle of development that Bombay has gone through, from a small forgotten group of islands with coconut jungles to a bustling port to the Gateway to India from the west to a metropolis. Since this book was written in the 1980's, the recent developments of Bombay are not covered. The roads are described in graphic detail. So much so, that you can actually imagine walking down those roads and recognising the landmarks mentioned. Nothing much seems to have changed today.

One also gets to discover the origin of the names of certain areas, which we simply took for granted. For example, Pydhonie gets its name from the foot wash which used to exist on the shores of the creek that separated the islands. Although the creek has long since dried up, the name sticks. In fact, I got to know from the book that the garden I used to play in as a kid, near Charni Road station, was once a cemetery!!! Spooky, huh??

Bombay again!!! This time it's the view from the Oval Maidan!!!

Salaam-e-Ishq - A Review

Went to watch Salaam-e-Ishq at Regal yesterday to see what the hype was all about. Huge starcast, nice songs, catchy promos. But, somehow, to me, it didn't live up to expectations. Read on to find out why.

The movie is about 6 couples. About how they go about their respective lives and how love supposedly keeps them connected. Err...make that 5 couples. Coz the Sohail Khan - Isha Koppikar pair seems to have been picked straight out of your local porn movie. There is nothing much in terms of a storyline. But, 3 couples seem to have a justified presence here. The first one, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, leads a very boring city life in London. But, Mr. Corporate is bored coz he wants "more"!!! Enter the bimbo who, expectedly, falls for him, and even goes to the extent of asking him to elope with her!!! All this when wifey dear is at the door. Whoopsy daisy!!! An argument, a night at the coffee shop and a scene in a plane later, Mr. Corporate gets wifey dear back. Sniff!!!

Then, we have Akshaye Khanna and Ayesha Takia making up the second pair. Mr. Monkey is confused and panics at the thought of marriage. Ms. Goody Two Shoes wants marriage at any cost. Result? Breakup, loneliness, a scene at another marriage, and our lovebirds are together again. No questions asked!!!

In both the above cases, the acting is pretty good. Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla maintain the high standards expected of them, but there really isn't much for them to do. However, there is damn good chemistry that sparkles between the two. Also, the bimbo (Anjana Sukhani) does a really good job, and certainly deserves a mention. Akshaye Khanna tries really hard to do justice to a Chandler Bing-like character, and does a pretty commendable job of it. Some of the expressions this guy can give are really funny. Ayesha Takia seems to be improving as an actress with every film, but I still think Dor was her best performance so far.

All this is fine, but the third couple is what makes the film really worth watching. Govinda, as a happy-go-lucky taxi driver and Shannon Esra as the American in search of her boyfriend, come across as a made for each other couple. This movie is like a second innings for Govinda and he certainly proves himself here, a la Sourav 'Dada' Ganguly. This role is tailor-made for him and not once does he overact like he did earlier in the David Dhawan movies. It makes you realise that this veteran is actually capable of acting!!! Shannon Esra does a brilliant job here. Full marks to her for her efforts. She looks and sounds really cute pouting out those Hindi dialogues in her firangee accent. The two share a brilliant camaraderie on screen.

Now, this leaves John Abraham-Vidya Balan and Salman Khan-Priyanka Chopra. God knows what they are doing in this movie. I certainly have no idea!!! One gets the feeling that their individual storylines could have been spun into movies on their own. And the acting isn't much to talk about either!!! John Abraham, Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra are strictly OK. And Salman Khan looks really old and deprived of sleep!!! Don't even get me started on Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar!!!

All in all, a true Bollywood style masala movie. But, with its long running length of around three and a half hours, it tends to drag on endlessly. So should you watch it? Yeah, go for the night show if you have lots of time to spare and dont have to catch the last train home from Churchgate!!!

If only...

The following is an excerpt from the book 'The Joy of Achievement' by R. M. Lala. It is about his conversations with the legendary J. R. D. Tata.
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JRD : My recollections of very early babyhood days are nil. But I remember when I was about four, must have been 1908, I got a thrashing from my father for having kicked the ayah.

RML : That is one of your first recollections?

JRD : Yes, and when she remonstrated with me I said,"I can hit you, kick you because you're poor." Can you imagine (me doing it)? So when she repeated it to my mother and my mother told my father, my father quite rightly gave me a thrashing. Never understood how anybody could ever say something like that.
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Now, if only even a quarter of India's elite would curb snobbish behaviour like this, right in the beginning, we may have had more J.R.D's today. Sigh...if only...

Help!!! I cant see A future!!!

It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote a post. Holiday season...long break. Actually, a lot has been happenning. Most importantly, CAT results were declared. I ended up scoring a wee bit less than around 6000 other ppl taking the exam!!! With such a stellar performance, a double I tag was as likely as seeing a bikini clad girl in Saudi Arabia. I still have hopes of a call from a couple of other institutes, but they too are slowly evaporating into thin air!!!

Maybe XAT had the potential to deliver me from this madness. Alas, it wasnt to be. A not-so-easy paper and plus, I screwed up my nemesis - QUANT!!! Or rather, QUANT screwed me up!!! Whichever way it may be, fact is that I dont expect anything to come of yesterday's performance.

The only silver lining about yesterday was that the exam venue was my school. In fact, even the class was my former class!!! Talk about serious home advantage!!! It felt nice to be back in those huge corridors, the stern grey stone walls, the high ceilings with the pesky crows, the gravelly ground. The only thing that was missing was my school uniform.

Ok, but back to reality now. After yesterday's debacle, I dont know what I should expect. Future predictions, anyone??