Vyo's World

Kitchen Fantasy

2012-01-15T20:42:00.001+05:30

Woke up early to a Pongal Morning. Early by Sunday standards, but late given the fact that I had a main course cooking responsibility on me. Dad and Grandpa get super enthusiastic when I take up cooking. They like to contribute in every possible way they can, to make cooking easier for me. If nothing,they look for opportunities to chop vegetables or grate a coconut. With repeated requests and reminders, I keep them away, to let me have a full time cooking experience.

Festive look was already in. Traditional rangoli at the door, melodious South Indian music in the background, Coconut, Fruit and Flower offerings to the Lord. What was left, was a proper South Indian Meal waiting to be cooked.

The mood was set. I wanted decipher how close I am to traditional cooking style. Decided to do away with plating this time, a hangover, that cookery shows and books have given me. In any case, for a traditional cooking in 95% steel crockery, plating seemed a western idea.

Given the full enthusiasm, the frequency of my thoughts (on traditional cooking) were stronger than I thought. So strong, that my kitchen walls and appliances sensed them. Within minutes, they began unfolding themselves in a manner and intention that pulled me back to reality.

To begin with the "Chopping Board" behind my tomatoes stared with a look "Traditional Cooking did you say?"

Just then the "Pressure Cooker" went off, as if,giving, a tongue in cheek expression to my traditional cooking zeal.

To my back stood a tall and mighty "Refrigerator", hand in hand with a "Modular standalone". All my ingredients of so called/ well intended traditional cooking were housed in there.

Every mustard seed that popped up, bounced back to a "Non stick Pan" base. It was their way of telling me, to come out of the fantasy world.

In a modern kitchen set up,with an Apron on me and wrist watch in hand, trying to locate traditionality was fantasy, I realized.

Highlights 2011

2011-12-26T17:23:00.000+05:30

#Travel 2011
Visited the Milk Capital of India, got the taste of Khaakras, Faafdas and Theplas
With Cold mornings and chilled nights, it was a 10 days break, right in the beginning of the year.

A longer stay in the Island country, tried making friends with chopsticks
Familiar lanes, known surroundings, encouraged my dependence on public transport.(During my previous visit, I relied more on the private vehicles.)

#People 2011
To begin with, met a journalist at the Delhi Airport, who also happens to be running a Journalism School for people of all ages.
Reconnected with the personality development faculty, who had conducted PD Sessions at school. Thanks to Times Wellness, for publishing her article with the contact details.
Met Chef Vikas Khanna, Chef Kunal Kapoor and Chef Ajay Chopra at the Blogger Meet, courtesy Indiblogger

#Books 2011
Amish Tripathi’s Immortals of Meluha and Secret of Nagas.
Bimal Jalan’s Parliament: A view from the Backbench.

#Better late than Never 2011
Watched Mani Ratnam’s” Bombay.
Tasted Vada Pav at a “Shiv Vada Pav”.
Realized Vada Pav at other food stalls, is one genre, at Shiv Vada Pav it is a different story, taste-wise.

#Resolutions2012
This section is under construction. Will open shortly.Appreciate your understanding.

Smiling Sooji :)

2011-12-18T16:43:00.000+05:30

Hand Slipped-Semolina inspires Art.

Direction Maps always have this.
Given all the political and economic chaos around, trying to draw a "You Are Here" Pointer.

An FDI Opening is waiting to happen. Hurried body language by the Government angers Opposition, confuses allies.
Adjourned Parliament Sessions finally put the policy on hold.
More than anti- FDI, its an Anti- Govt sentiment that is showing results.

Fasts and mass gatherings bring Lokpal Discussion on Table. Subsequent, differences in the Draft of the Bill, hint at fresh set of peaceful protests.
Onlookers are divided in their opinion.
Set 1: Lokpal is a panacea to nail corruption, want it in place ASAP.
Set 2: Unsure if it will do any wonders, but still, want it in place, mainly to avoid "mass protests" (in future) and its dedicated media coverage.

Administrative convenience inspires fragmentation of big states. Not many are interested in abysmal stats of states for which it didnt work.
Telangana, Awadh , Harit Pradesh, and more in the pipeline.
India of Our Dreams will have a more colourful map for sure.

Marathons, Cycle Rides (Green Initiative) to show "We" Care.
Ok, everyone has taken note of it.
They fully respect the fact that we are equally concerned, if not more, than the delegates in Durban/ Copenhagen Summits.

However chaotic our political, economic or social circles may be, sports is sports. Sorry meant Cricket is Cricket, a religion with Gods and Demi Gods in it. We shall cheer and celebrate Sehwag's double century, but in the same tone, remind self and others that Sachin is supreme.

Then its time for regular doses of anguish over crore's spent on Arthur Jail resident for his contribution to 26/11.
Its public anger, so vent it.

But irrespective of the busy schedule, one eye always, on our dear neighbour country, their country heads, their army and their ties with their allies.
Meanwhile, closer home a celebrity will deliver a child. Don't lose track of the news, until it is fully known what they named the child, and whom he/she resembles.

Happy Living..
I almost have a feel, I am getting the Pointer right....

Thank You

2011-11-26T22:42:00.000+05:30

"Childish as it may seem, very immature to read.
But if I don’t treasure them here, they will be lost forever."

2 Poems that I penned during my school days, published in kids section of a Local Newspaper.This newspaper supplement,treasured for years, is turning pale-yellow now. Before the readability withers, saving a note here.

FRIENDS,
(Class 8):
There is a great relationship, which is called friendship
Friends always play the main part, so they cant be kept apart
Sometimes some have only one or two, But share their joys and sorrows too
Sometimes some have five and tens, but are like the brittle lens.
Friendship should be a long-lasting one, Not like a small little bun
Friendship is considered very sweet,
As man is known by the company he keeps.

++++++++++++++++++

A RAINBOW,
(Class 6):
Multicolored Rainbow , Is present during the sun and rain
At such time it is in the sky, To show us that it also lies.
Red, Blue, Green, you all must have seen,
Are its colours, like the blooming flowers.
In the shape of an arc, like a fallen bark
Across the sky it lies, thinking it is a Zebra Cross.

These childish, immature writings put up here, form my 100th Blog Post today.

100 (Minus 1)

2011-11-12T13:06:00.004+05:30

This is my Penultimate entry, in the Pre-100 Section. A” Line 100” will follow my Next Post, helping me demarcate My "Pre-100" from the "Post 100" Entries.

Not that I have tracked my blogging milestones. I don’t recall when 25-50- 75, happened. Sadly, I don’t even know who my 1st (blog)follower was.

I still wonder, if I am justified in giving so much importance to this 100. With a lot of slow blogging- and no blogging days, this 100 comes 4.5 years later.

But on second thoughts I realize, there are a lot of 100’s that keep coming, but go unnoticed. Here are a few” Sachin Moments” we tend to miss...

• 100 Days of Driving.
• 100th Day at Work
• 100th Book you Read
• 100th City you visit.
• 100th Dish you cooked
• 100th Stamp/ Coin/ Hobby-interest you collect.
• 100th Movie you watch
• 100th Stock you trade
• 100th Word of your Child’s Vocab.
• 100th Minute of a Conversation. (Try this next time, should be easy)

This list can go on…..
even as i think, what my 100th Post should be...

BIT- Matunga

2011-10-24T19:17:00.002+05:30

Readers, not familiar with the title: you may begin with the Footnote.

A serpentine entrance leads you into the building. The entrance carries no warning to hawkers, salesmen or trespassers. This single gate entry point, allows just one person at a time to walk in. No high gate, no watchman, I am still wondering, when the building got constructed, what must have been their idea of security.

Wooden hand-rest leads you to the residents, through cemented floors. Building Corridors have pigeon holes, for sunbeam to usher in. Some stray cob-webs surrounding them, politely convey a message, of "live and let live”.

As we wait for the door bell to be answered, I notice different compartments on the door. At the centre lies a rectangular opening with a wooden flap, inscribed LETTER BOX. (The first “E” and the “R” have turned faint) The postman must be sliding the letters in, so that the residents have them at their feet, when they go by the door. I recall not having seen any Letterbox at the building entrance.
To compartmentalize the door further is another opening at the eye-level, with sliding arrangement. It allows the residents to know who the visitor/ stranger is. This arrangement I believe is much easier than the modern day key holes, which gives a hazy picture of the visitor; sometimes they just give a laughing mirror type of images.

For a first time visitor like me, every object in this “1 Room Kitchen” and its way of presentation seemed antique. To begin with a cupboard veiled with saree thin curtain cloth.

I am wondering the purpose behind veiling the cupboard. So far I managed to jot down 3 options:
• Veil the object that stores valuables of the household. (Not highly convincing, as the veil only manages to attract more attention than necessary)
• Olden Day Scratch Pad, to protect the Mirror on it.
• A way of Furnishing.

In a 1RK,"space" is a constraint, but, “the Cloth line in the house” is never made to realize this. Those cloth-lines that humbly occupy air-space make themselves comfortable stretching across ends. As the ceiling fan exhales, moisture laden air seeps down, giving you a refreshing feel. I wonder, if Coolers, a relatively new development got their inspiration from this?
To supplement the internal cool air, “prison van type window grills” act in co-ordination.

These windows serve a dual purpose. They allow fresh air from outside, at the same time keep flies at bay. No wonder, separate need for Mosquito Nets was never felt.

Moving to Kitchen. L Shaped Platforms were absent those days, and Modular structures were ages ahead. Kitchen queens seem to have divided their options into 4 categories. Floor Space, Mid Air Space, Air Space or a combination of any two. BIT- Kitchen introduced this to me in its own way.
• A segmented Worship place starting from ground level to 5 feet height (A Combination).
• An Airborne Plate Stand.
• Multiple tables segregating dry from wet ingredients (Mid Air Space)

For those of you who say, Creativity gets dampened under Constraints. Time to revisit your thinking. Creativity can work best, even under Constraints.

Footnote:
I recently visited my “GREAT Grand Ma’s” house. My account of the old building and its ancient furnishing. BIT stands for Bombay Improvement Trust.

Foodie Saturday

2011-10-17T20:27:00.001+05:30

“In India, people have memories associated with Food. Every taste has a story behind it. It’s normal for us to connect when, where and how a particular taste got introduced. For some reason, if we are unable to comprehend the taste, we go on to associate it with the closest possible flavor. And to get this, we relate events, people, time, day and every other thing, that helps recall the taste right”

Thus was the “Food for Thought” shared by Master Chef Kunal Kapoor. It is not every day that you have Chef’s discussing food with you. This Saturday, thanks to Indiblogger, we had, 3 Master Chef’s, share their food and beyond food experience.

If you have seen the latest Nissan Micra Ad, they say, “its not just a Car, it’s a Caaaaaaaaaaar”. Similarly, when Chef’s discuss food, its Fooooooooood. A Chef’s perception, attitude and approach to food, if totally different from what we do.

For us, its normal to categorize food into Likes and Dislikes. A Chef in his words admits “ We can’t hate (dislike) food, we are the Creators of it”. (somewhere, this statement touched)

Master Chef aside, there were other highlight of the Indi Meet.

To begin with- the Familiarity- Unlike the 1st meet, this time there was Familiarity. They are no more Fellow- Bloggers, they are Blogger- Friends now.

RK Studios: This place is less than 10 mins away from our Office. Yet it takes an Indiblogger Meet, for me to get to the place. Thanks IndiTeam.

High Tea: Ok this is lame, I admit. But I was hungry. While all I expected was a Tea/ Coffee option with some dry Cookies. The Sandwiches, Pastry and bread bun, were really sumptuous. Yes it matters, because I was hungry.

2 Master Chef Aprons/ 1 Indiblogger T Shirt/ 1 Coffee Mug : Freebies always welcome :)

Picture Courtesy Gkam

Untitled - (you are free to title it)

2011-10-01T10:17:00.000+05:30

When I made my 94th post on 27th Aug, I thought 100 was just a shout away. I was wrong, the whole Sept went dry (“dry”, that’s what bankers say, when ATMs run out of Cash).

I would not say, there wasn’t enough to write. Sept gave me 2 books, entirely different from one another. One historic, the other contemporary. One on Hindu Mythology, the other an Indian Satire.
When my colleague asked for a book that sounded like Importance of Meluga, I mumbled exactly the same to the Librarian. It turned out to be “Immortals of Meluha”. Another thing I realize,the book is extremely popular and highly sought. But for a book that runs into 500 pages & more needs to have something more than just being popular, to tempt me. This happened in the form of 3-4 story sessions. My colleague kept narrating the story just as she progressed with her reading. It was story time over lunch (just like vacations). This didn’t last long; my colleague went on a leave, leaving me guessing, on what happens next. It was my turn to turn pages and discover myself. Final word: Go for it.

Having finished with Meluha, I was looking for “Secret of Nagas”. But it called for a waiting period. Now I wanted to take up something light, and here was a book by a blogger turned author. My cliché about blogger turned authors is that, the book may turn out to be a compilation of blog posts, projected as a logical extension. I was not fully wrong. But when logical extensions get a tone of satire, it takes less than 4 hours (with warranted breaks) to finish a “May I Hebb your Attention Pliss”.

Milk Man's Creativity

2011-09-17T13:42:00.000+05:30

It happened this morning :)
Could not wait for a Wednesday to make it "Wordless"
So let me call it a "Silent Saturday"

Times View- Mr Chatterjee - Mr Pai: Where I disagree.

2011-08-27T18:33:00.000+05:30

I tried my best not to write on this subject.But now that I have surrendered to my temptation, albeit a bit too late, I put across a few points of disagreement. Ironically for me, these points have been raised by people, whose views (on the subject) I have concurred with.

From the time, this campaign started,
The Times has been a supporter of Parliamentary Democracy. But I feel, they did go a little overboard when they said:
"The beauty of our nation is in Democracy, however imperfect it may be."
Dear Times, The beauty of Democracy also lies staying within tolerance levels. Street Power is a reflection that tolerance has been tested enough.
Its time to realize, shifting the needle a few degrees towards perfection, won’t spoil its beauty.

Somnath Chatterjee disapproves of the method adopted by Team Anna.
In his recent appeal to nation, he made a striking analogy. I am not quoting him word to word: but he echoed a sentiment that said
"if tomorrow he wants to get a law passed and has supporters for it, all they need to do is, stage a protest at Ramlila Maidan”

I fully agree with him, that a wrong precedent is being set by Anna and his team. However, if I am getting the numbers right, we are debating on a bill that got introduced 8 times in the past. Had it not been for this septuagenarian heading a protest, (to say the least) the wait could have been longer.

Nitin Pai in his article suggests an alternative to Lokpal.
During the Jantar Mantar protests, when you and I were still trying to distinguish between Lokpal and Jan Lokpal , Nitin had put across where Team Anna is getting wrong.
In his,recent article he suggests reforms and liberalization as an alternative to Lokpal.
Sorry, but I wonder, why the running away from Accountability. Through Lokpal,an attempt is being made to make the elected representatives and system as whole accountable. Reforms and Liberalization may do wonders, but that should not, ideally, take away the onus of accountability from the doer.

Anyway, the reason why these points came to my notice is because of the source it came from. As stated in the beginning of this post, I have been in concurrence with their views, except for the above points, that took me by surprise.

Wordless - Priceless

2011-08-08T20:03:00.000+05:30

II Confluence of Pink -Yellow bushes, in there
Await my attention and some time to spare II

II Like the negatives of an old frame
The side beams of a neighbour’s wall lie lame II

II How tempting a look, can a Venn diagram have,
When, in them, mouth-watering delicacies get their share II

II How refreshing the morning dews can be,
Not words, but a perfect picture can speak II

Assorted, disorganized, and unlabelled: they survive,
Giving me time to align my thoughts
In what order, when, how to unfold them I wonder,
For how many Wordless Wednesdays it might take!

Under-Estimated or Over Delivered? A Giri Trading Experience

2011-07-17T16:52:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I visited the next door multiplex for an advance booking. But the booking counter had not opened. With 40 mins in hand, I decided to visit Giri Trading Stores at SIES Campus. It was just an alibi to kill time, as returning home would have made me lazy to revisit the multiplex.

A familiar face greeted me at the counter. The lady has been at the store from the time the store opened. Fluent in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and managing to speak Hindi and English, she was a known face for every third customer walking in. Giri Trading at SIES is a small one room store, with 1 Counter clerk (the lady) and an assistant. It’s not a supermarket where one can pass time without being noticed or cared for.
Not even 2 mins inside the stores, and the assistant walked up to me offering help. I asked him if they had the "Shankara Bharanam" Collection. The lady at the counter was the first to respond in affirmative. The assistant looked a little doubtful, but the lady’s assurance got him searching. And I got some more time to browse through the English Subtitles.

2.5 mins down, and his search for was still on. I was prepared to hear of its non-availability. Surprisingly I got an unexpected response. He told me, it was not there, but he could make one right away. He guided me to store Kiosk,showed me the song collection there, waiting for my permission to start compiling. A little hesitant I told him, I will not have the list of songs and their order, if he gave me this instant compilation. He assured I will be given that too.

I was not expecting this from a man who looked no less than a road side vegetable vendor. The next couple of minutes I watched him, open folders, drag-drop files, and that too at a speed of seasoned computer user. His next question to me came as a bigger surprise. This Dhoti Clad veg vendor look alike asked me if I wanted the Collection in Audio or MP3 Format. I said the Audio one would suffice and he handed it over to me.
He went on attend the next customer, a senior man, looking out for a“Vallakk”.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T08:19:00.000+05:30

The Other Day

2011-06-11T11:25:00.001+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 21; the twenty first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

My sister and i got our bicycles on the same day.She was around 4 and i was 9, when we got it.

I recall the day, we bought it home.It was evening time. My Dad had come to help us take our first bicycle ride. My Sister's one had balancing wheels, so he thought of making her comfortable first. All i had to do was, wait for a few extra minutes till he comes to me.

I had seen my other friends ride their bicycle. They would mount on it, and start peddling. The Cycle would mobilize itself with ease.
Or so it seemed.

My Dad was still busy assisting my Sis, when i took the seat. Felt all set to take on, the new adventure. It looked very easy. Somehow, there was no fear, no doubts, about hurting myself.

No second thoughts, as i placed my foot on the pedal. It was a matter of seconds, when i made my attempt to pedal, attempt to balance, all by myself, without any support system.

The inevitable happened.I lost my balance, fell , with the new cycle on me.
Thankfully unhurt, nevertheless Dad came for immediate rescue.

The other day, i was pondering if i would ever attempt something like this with my Driving. Its been more than 3 years since i learnt driving, own a licence. Took a few ferry rides along Palm Beach Road. But still far from exploiting the skill. Never really thought of making that head on adventure like the one i did during my cycling days. A fearless, doubt-free approach, with a "come what may attitude".

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton

Train Tales of a Rainy Day!

2011-06-04T22:58:00.001+05:30

“Don’t worry I will be home in 10 mins”; says a concerned mother comforting her son. Their conversation is in a vernacular language, which gives out that she is speaking to her son and not a daughter. Another call, at a 3 people away distance, the lady is instructing somebody to keep “hot tea” ready for her, before she reaches home. I could not guess the relationship here, but the idea of hot tea in this suddenly chilled weather, was soothing to hear.

A young boy, approximately 7-8 years old, was standing in front of me, fully drenched, his face wet with trickling rain water. He never bothered to dry himself. In any case, standing at the doorway with rains pouring in, his efforts to dry would have hardly helped. I was tempted to click a picture of him. It would have made a perfect image for this post. But my own hands are too wet, to reach out to my cell. More so I had to be sensitive to the fact, that even a slightest change in my position, could cause inconvenience to my dear fellow commuters.

It’s ironical. However drenched one may be, they don’t want their neighbours wet palm, elbows, or feet near them. Each one maintains as much safe distance as possible, even in a densely populated ladies compartment. It’s almost like a self imposed Stand still order.

When people’s options to swing-sway and move are curtailed, they land up looking up and down. They look up to the fan, with an expression “You are hardly of any use”. They look down, adjust and re-adjust their legs as much as possible to place them in the tidiest available slot. Their Capri length folded trousers may be dripping rain water, but that does not discourage them from expecting the neatest option available.

On getting down at the stations, even the otherwise trailing people, brisk walk their way out. Smart commuters. They know, three wheelers are more in demand than supply on a rainy day. They step out from the crowded local and get into the coyly dressed, curtain drawn rickshaws…..

"Zhi-Ji" v/s "Yi"

2011-05-20T18:45:00.001+05:30

From the time “Kani” is making news, 1 thing has been a sheer amusement for me. It’s the way people, including the Media pronouncing her name. I understand there is no English Equivalent to the last part of it (her name), but can’t we have a closer pronunciation? May be the issue lies with the way the name gets registered in English, which then gets type casted (pun-intended) everywhere else.

The funnier part is the reference by the Hindi Bulletins. The “Zhi” of English is translated into “Ji” in the National Language. I suppose even the Marathi and Gujarati ones must be using a similar reference.

Will “Yi” not bring it closer to the actual pronunciation? It’s not an accurate equivalent, but doesn't it sound, some degrees better than “Zhi” or “Ji” presently in use? Just wondering!

A Misty Window

2011-05-07T11:03:00.009+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 20; the twentieth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The maid with a cloth went to mop the misty glass; I stopped and lead her to nearby table. Dusting the table was more important, I said, I have to chop my vegetables there.

The mist had just begun to form, I realized.

I reached for the remote of the television set, to get updates on the latest news. My Sis casually passed by me, heading to the window, for a misty see. Quickly I placed the remote back in her hand, reminded her it was KBC Time. Ensured she headed for a comfortable seating,

I quietly glanced at my window wet!

Mom returned home, after a tiring day. Stuffy is the room, she said, and asked for some fresh air. But the A/c of the next room is already On, I quipped. Recalling, she helped herself straight there.

Some silent dews slid by the window pane….

Naughty Fluffy has discipline to abide. But with the screens drawn open, the panes are bare. Off from my hand it jumps, and lands on its paws, sliding them across the misty panes. Disgusted I feel, prepared to face the distorted dews…

They jostled, but only to re-settle on the slippery surface!

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Image - Window Rain Drops by Eric Alder

Courtesy - http://deviantart.com/ via http://www.blogaton.in/

100, and still counting...

2011-04-28T18:31:00.000+05:30

She is less than 4, but has over a 100 followers .You think she is a minor, but holds opinions strong
The thoughts have been mine but platform is all hers.

As decided and as promised, I let her do the talking today.
+++++++++++++++
Yippeee!! I have over a 100 followers today. I know, I know, my mentor would have already told you this. She keeps doing something like FB and Twitter, and takes all my credit on her.

This June I am going to be 4 years old.

Last year I got enrolled to Indi blogger School. Initially I was little afraid, but now I like it. Nice place, made lot of new friends. They rank me based on my performance.

Then the Marathon thing happened. I love Blog a Ton. We race on a single day on a single topic, and see who wins. I haven’t won so far, but will surely do someday. When my total participation in the Marathon becomes 10, they will call me a "Veteran Blogger". My mentor says, I m just 3 months away from getting this title.

There are some things I like, that my mentor doesn’t let me do.

Like my other friends, I want to earn, from Google Ads. But for some reason, she does not let me do it.
Also, I don’t like the Comment Moderation. Comments should appear as and when they come. If my mentor is busy, your comments await approval for more than a day. I feel sad.

My mentor says, I am too demanding. I don’t think so. It’s just that, I get bored too fast.

She bought me a counter sometime back. It helped me count the number of eye falls. After a few days, I got bored counting, I gave it back to her. Same happened with the dial clock. I was super-thrilled when I got it. But none of you came to me asking for time. So, I hid that too.

Now I want a glossy look. She has kept that demand on hold. I will try asking for it, again on my 4th Birthday.
Signing off!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T07:54:00.000+05:30

A Late Thanks Giving

2011-04-09T14:32:00.001+05:30

Year 2000- 2001
A typical final year at school, with academics, at the centre. Be it assembly gatherings or social gatherings, people of varied shapes, sizes and dimensions have immense interest in your studies. For me year 2000-2001 was no different. The countdown for the Boards has begun right from Day 1. Unit Tests, Semesters, Prelims bulleted 1,2,3 (3 was optional) pre-decided by school authorities.

In such scheduled atmosphere, anything out of routine attracts attention. For our batch, it was Ratna Khemani’s personality development workshop. The 1.5 hours session in the Science Laboratory, minced a few surprises. For once, somebody said “Exams are not important”. For a fraction of second, our eyes gleamed, smiles spread, murmurs rose. What followed was a structured reasoning in a passive tone, suggesting how the statement needs to be taken in context. A series of philanthropic narrations followed, importance of health was discussed. “Water is the passport of life”, one recallable quote I can remember offhand.

The next day, the city local daily, carried an article about her. I was super- thrilled, to see the picture of someone in the Newspaper, whom I had just met the previous day. It was as though, I met a celebrity. Immediately I got the Newspaper cutting done. I clipped a 1 page write up, on her interaction with us, at school and placed this, in my bag of handwritten diary events.

Each time, thereafter, whenever I browsed this bag, this clipping would come forth. May be that’s the reason why I remember this name so well.

++++++++++++++++++++++
03rd April 2011: Times Wellness: Make Your Child a Winner: By Mrs Ratna Khemani.
++++++++++++++++++++++

PS: I thanked her on the session she held with us at School. She promptly acknowledged.

Journey

2011-04-03T16:20:00.003+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 19; the nineteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Jostling around these busy streets,
Once there lay a familiar path
Unending... seems the lane today
Recalling the residents, that once stayed.
Now,fractured concrete is left to stare
Every prayer builds hope in the air
Yearning to forgive,how the Quake has fared!

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The Tweeting Tree

2011-03-25T14:14:00.000+05:30

Yesterday at this point of time, the sentiments were something like this.

@Vikram Chandra
Feeling like the morning of a school exam! Hoping for the best and yet fearing the worst! What's the view on the pitch??
@sardesairajdeep: will anyone watch the news today? or should we just request star cricket to switch their beam to us?!
RT @sidvee: It's all about Harbhajan and Munaf today. After all, it's the Sardar Patel Stadium

Twitterholics is the right word. Be it before, during or after, they just tweet, They tweet at every ball, every run made or lost, and also during the breaks. If online scorecard only gives you the runs/balls/ wickets history – Tweets add feelings to it. For Eg: When Australia won the toss and elected to Bat, an optimistic Patriot comes up saying:

RT @Harneetsin: Also don't worry about the toss. Remember we ALWAYS win when Dhoni loses the toss.

On Australia’s 1st Wicket Fall (Shane Watson)
#funnysledge - wat son did Pan ting can do better - get out earlier.

To all the twitterholics, wonder how long you charge your cell batteries for so much of continuous GPRS usage. Or for that matter, how long you keep your PC’s / Notebooks “ON”for such relentless tweeting.

In any case, thanks to all you enthu-tweeples, never felt I missed seeing the Indian Bowling.

# CHEERS # Good Luck # All the Best Team India for the SEMI-FINALS

In Conversation with a Journalist

2011-03-10T18:32:00.001+05:30

With an Orange Pulp Juice in hand, I was going through the Boarding Information listed on the Aerial LCD at the INDIRA GANDHI DOMESTIC TERMIAL-3. Very surprisingly I found New Delhi catering direct services to a lot of small cities. The blink and miss screen, kept rotating the flight list information. Didn’t realize, I had been staring at that screen for a more than 4 mins!!!! Well, that me…..

But the person sitting in opposite table did take note of it. When I was about to leave, he called me to express his amusement. It seems, initially he did not know what it was behind him that I was looking at. Until he realized it was the boarding information.

In order to avoid looking stupid, I casually told him about Delhi’s connectivity to smaller cities, with special mention to Aurangabad.

My dear Audi (Aurangabad), I always believe is a silent star. Nobody talks about it, but the moment you make a mention, everyone has something to connect or recall. His understanding on the industrial and tourism side of Aurangabad was interesting. He seemed to know the city well; including some of the minute details which even the residents might miss.

And then came the intros!!!!

All this while, I was busy clarifying to an anonymous person, my interest in Boarding info Board. This conversation accidently led to Aurangabad. It would have been normal to end it here, with pleasant acknowledging smiles. But he went on to ask where I was working. This means, my Blazers and Conference Bag (with Sponsor’s name yelling on it) gave away, that I was working. Fair enough!!
I respond to that. And that’s when I realize, for the last 15 mins I have been speaking to a Journalist. Not just a journalist, but he also turns out to be a faculty at various Journalism Schools across India. Not to get carried away, but it surprised me to note, his students include people from the Medical Faculty, Full time Doctors, majority Dentists, trying their hands on Journalism. One of the schools he mentors has a full time segment dedicated to 40+ (age-profile) wannabes, who have passion for Journalism. This includes homemakers, retired professionals and also those who prefer to stay occupied with something other than a full time job.

I punch myself for wasting time in the initial scrap conversation; since the latter part was turning to be a more interesting discussion. With my boarding time drawing near, the least I could think of was exchange cards.
And well that’s what I did!

10 things i will miss, when i am back to India

2011-02-22T16:44:00.001+05:30

1. Estimating IST, every time, I make a call
2. Stocking / Replenishing Breakfast Inventory
3. Tracking Exchange Rate on daily basis
4. Snoozing my alarm every 10 mins, before I finally wake up
5. Movies on Zee- Variasi, the SE Asian, Zee channel.

6. Bus No 32 and its infrequent frequency.
7. Audio of non-stop SING-LISH, around me.
8. CP Meiji’s Bottled Milk.
9. Door access and EZ-Link Cards (1 whole portion of my bag, is dedicated to them)
10. Chatting with Mummy, on Gtalk every Morning :) :) :)

A for Anand, B for Baroda...

2011-02-09T13:34:00.000+05:30

It will be a total injustice, if I start jotting my Singapore experiences, without any mentions to the wonderful Gujarat trip that I just had. “The Milk Capital of India, is known to host weddings on lavish grounds”, is an understatement. Couldn’t think of a more modest way of expressing it, especially after witnessing the events unfold day after day.

You might have heard of meticulous planning, think what it would take for meticulous styling. It isn’t easy to plan style. Here you have a choreographer, who has choreographed the family members, for the Sangeet Ceremony. Combined Rehearsal sessions (Bride and Groom’s Family both inclusive) are held prior to the actual event, to get the co-ordination right. So much for the D Day, and that too on cold chilly nights. My initial days….. Errr…sorry, nights at Anand were spent watching Dance Rehearsals at the terrace. I put myself to bed only past 2.00 AM. And all this, when Anand’s night temperature was reigning close to 15 degree Celsius.

Vidhi Party Plot, the venue of the wedding, as the name suggests is just a plot. A plot by any means has scarce or nil walls to its credit. To decorate a uni-dimensional structure is a task in itself. Further stylizing it is equally challenging. Flowers, Lamp-lighting, red-carpets, if I mention them, it would sound mundane. But their collective presence in a differentiated way each day, made the difference.

If you too believe Small is big then, these are some minute points worth taking note of:

Schooling introduced us to the concept of “Labels” (on book –covers, remember?). Planners at this wedding, put this to use in smart ways. Wedding Envelops, were pasted with small round labels, carrying “Kalash” images on them. No gums-no fevicols, basically no sticky business.

On other occasions, uniform glittered envelops were used, every time it was required. There is fine line between glitter and eye hurting jazziness. Tastefully they ensured the line of balance is maintained.

If chocolate distribution at the wedding, sounds childish, its time to re-think .When a bunch of assorted chocolates are clothed in inverse- balloon shaped colorful tiny bags, most invitees actually eye them.

Colour code might have become the order, but very few expect Napkins, and Mobile pouches to follow this discipline.

Aha….I can go on…especially on this small is big segment….but prefer to pause here.

Apart from the Anand, had a brief stay at “Vadodara” (વડોદરા) during “Uttarayan” ( ઉત્તારયાના).The festival brings out Regional diversity in the busy city. ”Ahemdavad”, ( અમદાવાદ) as the residents prefer to call it, seems to be another place of frequent dependence. Trip to “Ranaoli” was too short, but it did give a home away from home experience. I got to taste the much acclaimed Faafda here!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T08:45:00.002+05:30

Wrap Up Post of the Year

2010-12-26T13:55:00.010+05:30

Time for the wrap up post of the year. If it is to be described in less than 140 characters, a fast paced year, I would say. I recall the 1st day of 2010, watching 3 Idiots with friends. Infact there have been lots of firsts this year. 1st time watched a Tamil Movie (Raavan), immediately on release. Managed to catch up with 2 English Movies (Inception, and The Social Network) on big screen. Loved the way, small screen treated its viewers with good genre Marathi Movies. Else I might have missed the likes of “Jhenda” and “Saat Chya Aath Gharat”. 2010 revived my taste for Marathi Cinema.

Moving away from Movies. Shopping, got a bit over-rated this year. Explicitly expressed my love for bags, by not giving a miss to BAG SHOPPING, whenever the opportunity came my way. Won’t say I have an excellent collection, but definitely own a decent variety. Gift shopping was another frequent experience of 2010. With colleagues and friends getting married, the question “what to gift” haunted more than countable times this year. Breaking the monotones of Crockery, ventured into the segments of “Candle Sets”, “Gift Vouchers”, and ”Couple Watches”. Insisted wherever possible, to decorate the wrapping with bows and ribbons. Slightly moving away from austerity? Well, you may say so.

Sigh! Not much on the travel front, infact 2009 scored far better on this. Hope 2011 comes up with exciting travel itinerary. But to compensate, it looked like people came town to the city, bringing in cross cultural experience. Playing host to a Chinese Delegation followed by a Canadian Clientele mark themselves well in my 2010 calendar. Taking a break from work, to play host to a relatively distant – geographically close cousin, was a 1st time experience. For reasons unknown, I feel a sense of achievement here!

Reading was good and serious. Thanks to Just Books Clc Library at the door step.
On the blogging platform, whole heartedly participated in Blog- A – Ton, which ensured at least 1 post a month. Followers and Comments that came along were a bonus. 2010 also brought me the 1st Blogger Meet. “Unknown friends from the Virtual World” may sound scary to read, but touchwood, the experience was pleasant and memorable.

While Cooking still remains a newly explored area, driving continues to be an unexploited territory. So you know, what drives my New Year resolution for the coming year. Ending it on this note, see you in 2011. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T08:10:00.001+05:30

The Mystery

2010-12-04T11:33:00.005+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 17; the seventeenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

Misnomers kept coming in. Thermal precursors added to the chaos. Spectral disturbances caused more psychological harm than actual damage.
Shut schools, deserted roads, silent trees, gave an eerie feel. Country heads urged the citizens to maintain calm. People tried to use their associative intelligence to comprehend the warnings. They longed for some God-Father assurance to suggest everything was fine. Nothing seemed coming around, but hopes remained…..

And so, did the mystery……

82 year old, Simon tucked himself inside the cave. With eyes tight shut, he silently vented his anger. He cursed the masses for their ignorance. He shunned the leaders for their slack. He growled at the wise for their silence. For none realized, that the seeds of global warming had begun to sprout!!!

I tore the pages off the book...

2010-11-19T17:52:00.002+05:30

I tore the pages off the book,
Stapled them to clumsiest best,
Beneath the bed they stay ignored,
Till I lay my hands another day.
Sporadically a few more pages I add,
Swelling the size of the leaflets loose,
Again it lays untouched for days,
Till few more pages, find their way.
This went on for years to come,
Until, one day I stopped adding them,
It was time to bundle the pile,
Lest I lose them in a while.

Today, they kindle memories sweet,
Treasure the school time stories for me,
Every academic chapter I loved,
Are found in these pages above.
Be it Badlu the Laundry Man,
Or Pheidippides of the Marathon Run,
Every story gets refreshed,
Tickling the classroom memories best.
Not stopping here, I take a step ahead,
Go on to attempt the questions at the end,
Strangely, my answers get better and better,
Makes me realize its only revision that matters.

Celebrations

2010-11-07T08:23:00.007+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 16; the sixteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

Write an Essay in 150-200 words describing your Diwali Celebration.
(STD –V/ SUB - ENGLISH/ ASSIGNMENT: VACATION HOMEWORK).
Blog a ton 16 seems to have indirectly replicated what our English teacher did years back. Though "Celebrations" could be treated in any form, I prefer maintaining Diwali as the theme.

Waking up before dawn, and attiring the new dress, prior sunrise.
Being the 1st ones to wish the neighbours, much before they come to wish you.
Mulling over the Rangoli Designs, its colours, and spending more than decided time over the minute imperfections.

Well, these are a few instant glimpses I get, thinking of Diwali.

Going back in history, one significant ritual we miss these days is the celebration of making handmade greetings. “V2 Greetings”, as we use to call them, was a trademark behind every card. The card making would begin at least a week in advance, and invariably end just a day prior to the event. Knowingly – unknowingly it involved a lot of planning.

The festive season gets brighter with the colourful touch. Peep out of the balcony, and you see strings of lanterns dangling by the windows. The sound of crackers continues in the backdrop. Brave hearted are the ones who opt for Rockets, Bombs and the likes. We have always been satisfied with their noiseless counterparts. Step out of the house, and inhale the smoke filled air. No, I don’t intend to enter the Go-Green side. But just to say, every sensory organ gets the feel of the occasion.

Shopping for Diwali has been another big time affair at our place. Since the festival falls mostly end of Oct / beginning November, it coincides with 2 Birthdays at home. The Bday + Diwali combine shopping experience, has always been a much awaited family event.

Now I seriously wonder how many of the above points, formed a part of my School Essay on Diwali. Diwali Experience for me has been as mentioned above. But none of it really formed a part of my essay. Probably because, it would not have been in line with my classmates.
A school write- up on Diwali meant, describing the 5 (Diwali) days in chronological order, marking the importance of each day and highlighting the message Diwali brings with it. It was a true educative form of writing, but not a souvenir of the real “Celebrations.”

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T07:04:00.000+05:30

Now you know... what i did this weekend

2010-10-19T13:56:00.003+05:30

Ganesh Festival was my 1st attempt of taking over the full menu responsibility. Managed the adventure fairly well and as intended served lunch well within time. At the dining, when my grandfather went to help himself with the Sāmbhar, he briefly stopped. He attempted to re-serve himself the gravy….. I realized what he was looking for. He tired fishing for vegetables in the gravy. Well, he never succeeded, coz there weren’t any.

My 2nd attempt came pretty soon, the recent Dusshera Weekend. This time with some extra care. Extra Care meant no compromise on SOP’s (Standard Operating Practices), with improvements in the deviations identified. But goof Ups had their share this time too.
The earnestly boiling Pepper Rasam, evaporated into this air, leaving behind a concentrated residue. It reminded me of the science lab -sugar heating experiment, that leaves black carbon atoms behind.

At one point of time, the four walls of my wok showed signs of darkening. With sufficient lubricant to fodder the content, I knew nothing could go wrong. Yet the wok wouldn’t co-operate. It turned darker by the minute, and I could hear the decibels of sneezes and cough rising. A lot is said about, taking cue from the surroundings. Well, it worked here. I changed the container, and the sneeze- cough combo that had ripped the house, subsided.
Later of course, Mom tells me I use too many vessels to cook. What to do, Mom, to save the content, had to change the container.

There was one amazing thing that I noticed this time.
When in kitchen, milk can’t be only milk. It’s a generic way of referring to the product, for people outside the culinary bracket. When inside, they slip into bifurcations. There is one Fresh Milk just delivered by the Milkman, a Cold Milk, chilling itself in the refrigerator, a lukewarm one waiting to undergo fermentation. Residing in containers of varied shapes and sizes, they demand huge attention of the maker.

That’s all for now. Will serve you with more insignificant – amazing facts, next time.

House of Peace: A Violent History Unfolds

2010-10-02T12:56:00.017+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 15; the fifteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

YEAR 2050
LOCATION: MULBARA, INDIA

Mrs. Som was leading a group of students into the “House of Peace”. Having read a lot about it, I was curious to see it for myself. Strategically located within the Mulbara Station premises, a smart rail connects city tourists to “the House”. Ironically named the House of Peace, it actually treasures India’s Violent History.

The House unfolds different sections, as you enter. Clearly titled by the “Location”, you can pick-choose the segments you intend to visit. I started with Kashmir, just as Mrs. Som and her group of students did.

Srinagar, J&K: The walls had newspaper clippings of the Curfew times. Anger and Agitation yelled through them. With CSF on the streets, and civil life disrupted, the valley wore a deserted look. I recall having seen all this on the television, read about them in the newspapers. The UPA was in the ruling; Omar Abdullah could not recreate the magic that his father Dr Farooq Abdullah had done. Chidambaram the then, Home Minister appealed to the people of Kashmir to maintain peace. The facts locked in this House of Peace, were events that had unfolded day after day. Everything looked as if it was a recent past, but years have rolled. To the students of 2050, this is history. Kashmir that was once a tourist destination has also become a commercial and educational hub today. India has come a long way, I smiled at my thought and moved to the next section.

Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh: Communal Clashes at its helm, this was one of the shoddiest incidents in the history of India. Babri Masjid Demolition followed by mass violence across states of India, have left pages and pages of violent history. These pages now showed up on the walls of the” House”. With Amendment 122 not in place, the Constitution then did not provide against wanton falling of religious/ heritage / commercial structures. The absence of the Court of Speedy Recovery caused undue delays in verdict pronouncements. The Ayodhya Issue is one of the biggest lessons that made India re-think on the functioning of the Judicial Systems.

Mrs. Som and her group were heading towards a section titled “The Commercial Capital”. I decided to go with them. Her explanations to the students fascinated me.

Mumbai, Maharashtra .
Year 1993:. Spill over of the Babri Masjid demolition. Air India Building to Bombay Stock Exchange fumed under attack. Mrs Som, asked the students to take note of the fact, on how the strategic and most populated parts of the city were targeted. Suddenly a student from the group, while pointing out to a TOI Clipping, shouted with enthusiasm, “He is Trishala’s Dad”. Mrs Som grinned. Yes indeed, “Sanjay Dutt was the star power associated to the blasts. Sanjay Dutt was now better known as Trishala’s Dad, and why not, she is one of the highly paid actresses in Bollywood today.

Year 2006: Mumbai Train Blasts, again the vastly populated, under target. Today, the RTS or the Rapid Transport System, (as the local trains are called) has metal detectors at different entry points. It was nostalgic to see pictures of crowd hanging at the door, sitting on the top of the erstwhile Mumbai local. RTS does not permit all this; it’s a sophisticated yet economical transport mechanism that Mumbai uses today. Erstwhile locals were vulnerable to attacks; RTS is way ahead and much better equipped.

Year 2008: The Taj Assault: Images moved like a motion picture, though I was just looking at static frames. Mrs. Som took pains to explain the students what it meant to attack the Taj, the elite were target, and this included foreigners. India’s image was under threat. There were murmurs among the young group, the decibel levels were raising. Mrs Som asked for silence but it was curiosity that was making noise and it had to be answered. Students were unable to comprehend how the terrorists could get past the 3 Level -Bar Code security checks, and how they skipped the flying squad measures. It was difficult to explain and even harder for them to comprehend, that India did not have such stringent security measures at that time. These came in much later.

Time was running out, and I had to catch up with my return flight. I quickly glanced though the other sections of the House. A segment on Malegoan Terror with clippings of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakkur. On yet another page, the Parliament attack with Afzal Guru at the centre. Looking back, it shows, from Common Man to the Bureaucrats, none have been sparred. German Bakery was a closer to home experience. Chronologically the House was revealing every ugly fact that India braced though. I wondered why Operation Blue Star and the Kargil War were missing from the House. That’s when I am told, separate amphitheatres are dedicated to these events where documentaries get screened thrice a day.

House of Peace depicts the violent history India has undergone. For Gen 2050, History does not restrict to the Mughal Era or the Indian Independence alone. There is much more it. Real seeds of technological advancement were sown in the more recent past, decades after independence. Each time Indian security was challenged, India was forced to mature. After all, India’s superpower status has not come overnight.

IMAGE CREDIT: Alston Station by Wandering Soul

Return

2010-09-04T14:29:00.009+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 14; the fourteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

I finally return to what I had once upon a time started on a different page. Known to few, unknown to many, I merged my book appreciation blog with this one. It was a zealously started initiative that got neglected until finally I decided to give it a permanent closure. Whether the decision was wise / unwise, hasty / thoughtful, didn’t brood too much over it.

So what prompts me to return back to writing a book summary?
Having participated in 3 consecutive Blog A Tons, didn’t want to give this one a miss. So the subject assists me to return to this segment.

It is not everyday that Indian Born, New York based Writers produce Maximum City. Suketu Mehtha’s Bombay Lost and Found is a Point to point account of his experiences in the newly discovered city. What begins as a travelogue turns more narrative, with blends of biographical and autographical references. For those living, breathing and waking up to the city every morning, Maximum City is like an ongoing screenplay of the city you live.

You wake upto reality when you are told, clustering of 7 islands into 1 city is nothing but Man’s quest to capture water, and conquer land. Construction of Mumbai (then, Bombay) therefore becomes a struggle against the Sea.

He describes Democracy as an exercise, legitimate or otherwise of Powertoni (power of attorney). A right that people take upon themselves under the name of democracy.
Despite being nonfiction, the narration enumerates interesting acquaintances. Sunil a smart cable operator with political proximity who gets his share, irrespective of whether the city loses or gains. Ajay, young, fearless cop, a name the crime world shudders to hear. Suketu’s references to Radhabai Chawl and Napean Sea Road (renamed Lady Laxmibai Jagmohandas Marg, something I just learnt) stand out distinctively. In the words of the author, every city has a catalyst event, Bombay got it, way back in 93’ in the form of Communal Riots.

From the story of slums to reclamation and renaming, it’s a fast paced narration, one shouldn’t miss.

Some People Make Life Easy

2010-08-25T19:09:00.009+05:30

In my quest to explore 55 and 77 Fiction, introducing a new category called “Some People Make Life Easy”

SOME PEOPLE MAKE LIFE EASY- 1

Looking up to me, he acknowledged my presence. His humble effort to sympathize with my waiting. His hands ironed out the imperfections on the shoes, ignoring the sweat trickling down his brow.
When the pair got done, a coin was flipped. He worshipped it and placed it aside.

It was my turn to shine my shoes, his turn to pick up the brush again. Not a minute he let me wait, laboriously he set to work again…

Indiblogger Meet: 15th Aug 2010

2010-08-18T21:47:00.008+05:30

I am just back from meeting a bunch of over enthusiastic bloggers. I call them overenthusiastic; b’coz here is a lot, that blogs in less than 12 hrs of the event conclusion.
When I left home for Hotel Sea Princess on 15th Aug, I was clueless of what the coming 5 hours had in store for me. I was headed to be in company of 200+ anonymous faces, unheard names, different cross sections, with only one common binding: We blog, therefore we are here!

First things first. A big thanks to Indi blogger for organizing this event, the INDIMUM Meet, as they call it. A lot has already been said and written about how wonderfully the event was managed. A few links reflecting the same, from my blogger friends.

http://www.nehasilam.com/
http://miilee.wordpress.com/
http://42quirks.com/indimum/

So let me say something, on the interesting people I came across. To begin with, I was introduced to the world of Pair Blogging. I call them the super-combo lot.

Magali Vaaz and her Mom: Mother- Daughter Bloggers,
Shrikant and His Wife: Husband – Wife bloggers.

There is another set, i call them, Disguise Bloggers. Acorpolo, Magiceye, Gkam. Met them, Interacted! The pseudo veil was finally lifted.
It was nice to meet the Sari clad Maithili Desai, a person,even Gul Panag took notice of. A self confessed blog addict, she turned out to be the Millie of Blogosphere.

The regulars in Indi blogger forum, relate well with the name of Mohan Bhargav, the time to time Indi blogger of the Month. I envy him, every time he features in the list of top 5 bloggers. This humble middle aged man was a face most recognized.

With new people came newer ideas/concepts.
Project 365:
Never knew something like this exists, where a blogger decides to blog 1 topic a day for the whole year.
Co- Blogging:
The concept is more popular than I thought, it was.
Writers/ Authors
There are bloggers, who run online magazines, take up social awareness issues to educate their readers. Also met the team of THE OPINION, a Mumbai based Magazine that voices the opinion of the Youth.
Guest Post!
Ah! A couple of months back, I got a request from a friend to write a guest post on her blog. Happily, I honored the commitment, not knowing what etiquette it warranted. Looks like it is customary to invite the requestor, to guest post back on your blog. Phew!!! Didn’t know this!

So, that leaves me with a little more enlightenment and lot more new friends. Kudos to Renie Ravin and his team!!
We are indeed…
Indian by birth, Blogger by Choice.

Good Bye!

2010-08-07T07:09:00.005+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 13; the thirteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

Last evening I got stuck in the traffic snarls of Mumbai. Quite unusual for me, as I prefer to stay in these days. Infact, honestly put, they prefer it that way. A short ride to a nearby destination is all I take up.

So after a long hiatus, to be back on roads left me with a mixed feeling. I was thrilled, at the thought of meeting some old companions. I was excited to hit on familiar routes. All I did not realize was that, the times had changed.

In a new surrounding amidst unfamiliar crowd, my memories flooded back to the early 90’s. When bikes meant Honda and Scooters meant Bajaj, Car meant MARUTI, the obvious Maruti 800.

Back then, we were the cynosure. With no power windows and rare air conditioning we managed to give you a closer to road driving experience. I remember the attention we use to get, with stares and glares of the passers by.

Pulsars, Gladiators were still years ahead. With Fiat and Ambassador our only colleagues, we put millions (of people) on the roads.

Today, I realize the multitude at which our generation has leapt. Comfort Levels have increased. Small-Medium- Big segments, looks like size matters. It leaves me with an eerie feeling to be back on roads. Feel nowhere a part of this community. I understand, you have already bid farewell to the Old Fiat.

And before you take me off the roads, just thought I should say: Good Bye!

Back and Forth i did...

2010-07-24T16:44:00.001+05:30

Last morning I got an email alert: Your Grandfather turns 78 today, Wish him”, with 3 colorful balloons dangling alongside his pic.

That was cute. The cuteness was not in the reminder, but in the way it appeared on my Gmail, with his photograph and balloons. I would love to get such reminders, even if I remember their bdays.

That reminds me of how silly I had been 2.5 months back.

Last year I started exploring My Heritage. A comprehensive website that allows you to plot generations under 1 Family Tree. My initial europhia died as I began to encounter glitches in the tree designing.
Firstly, it did not permit me to show certain links in relationships. As a result, I found myself duplicating people. Secondly, the website did not recognize when the same name was added twice. That meant a wrong tally on the total number of family members. As the magnitude of same problems multiplied, it irritated me more. To the extent, I left it half done.

Instead switched over to my own custom made format. Plotted 4 Generations on workbooks of Microsoft Excel. It consumed substantial time and enormous energy. But worked better. There was no duplication as hyperlinks served the purpose. Adding data was easier. Not being at the mercy of broadband connection gave a new sense of freedom. Managed to add, even the distant relations well within the traceable radar. This is 2.5 months back.

Recently there have been some new additions in the family. With the idea of adding them in the tree I opened my workbook. To my own surprise, the whole format didn’t excite me. Excel’s style was Black and White, now I felt, I preferred something more pictorgraphical. The appeal factor mattered. I also realized My Heritage allows storage of contacts, Birth Dates and Anniversaries, something that my excel sheets missed. Best part, are the Email Alerts that remind you of upcoming events, like the one I got last morning.

Thankfully, I had not deleted my Heritage Account. And now I am back to completing my half done work. Back to adding pictures, special events, and dates. The minor glitches still remain, but no complaints, the broader picture still looks perfect.

Wish

2010-07-10T12:12:00.004+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 12; the twelfth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

I shudder at the sound of a barking dog
Fearing it might approach me
Slouch myself at one end of the wall
Till a helping hand reaches me

Immobile as I sit on the fleet of stairs
Hearing the footsteps of passers by
Somewhere deep within I pray
For yet another peaceful day

The fear of unknown continues to grip
Fanatic, I get, with every slip
I look up again, and pray to thee
How I wish, I could see.

You know you are a 93.5 RED FM Addict when…..

2010-06-19T13:44:00.004+05:30

You start humming Nahar Amrit Shakti’s Flamingo Song.

You know by heart, the suburbs where “RG Stones” is located.

Malishka Ka Jaasus ( Malishka’s Spy) is the new ISI, you have learnt to bank upon.

(If) I say, there is a Life Insurance Plan which is as good as Sachin Hitting a Century + India Winning the Match, you know I am referring to LIC’s Market Plus 1.

Your familiarity with Stationary products is restricted to Sundaram Notebooks.

You may not know the ET- CEO of the Year. But you cant be wrong, if asked which show won the Promax Award this year?

For Non Radio Listeners:

Though Amrit Shakti may sound like a Sona- Chaandi Chawanprash, it is actually the name under which Nahar Group has launched 2 new towers “ Water Lily” and White Lily”

55 Fiction

2010-06-10T10:08:00.002+05:30

Vengeance and anger had exhausted him. They were counting his words as he spoke. Content was lost, only numbers remained.

“5 more words and he stops”; the regulator’s words echoed the room.

Baffled and numb he didn’t know what to say. “Who governs these curtailments?” he managed to ask.

Fiction 55, came the reply.

Hidden

2010-06-04T12:15:00.012+05:30

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 11; the eleventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following
Blog a Ton

U have the courage to leave traces behind.
Brave enough to show u came.
What stops u from meeting the eye
Lest u fret the morning sun

Hidden in the dark, wonder what games u play
When u came, how long u stayed?
Over the cup of coffee I mull,
What the wet roads, have got to say

Sooner or later we got to meet
We know u’ve got a date with us
Why then play this hide and seek
Just pour and pour, get off the heat!

Daughter of the East

2010-05-19T13:37:00.001+05:30

When I started this blog, I had all intentions of posting every review of the book I read. Too idealistic it sounds for me now. So I have rephrased my goal as “ atleast 1 post a month”.
But first things first. If at all something prompted me to get back here, it is the Just books Library that has come up next door. This is Justbooks first entry into Mumbai and first outlet outside Bangalore.
My first pick from Mumbai’s Justbooks: “ Daughter of the East”

Daughter of the East is an autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. I haven’t read Goodbye Shahzadi by Shyam Bhatia, which I believe has become more popular after Benazir’s demise. DoE is a good pick especially for the language and analogies reflected.

The opening lines in the preface say “I didn’t choose this life, it chose me. If these lines sound, a little pessimistic, in immediate succession follows a clarification “I do not wish to take the place of any other woman in history”. The book goes on to describe a number of analogies from happy childhood to a challenging adulthood. Daughter of the East maps the transformation of Pinkie to Begum which in her own words is a journey of trials, tragedies and triumphs.
The autobiography doesn’t speak of Benazir alone. Substantial emphasis is laid on the tribulations faced by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the formation of People’s Party of Pakistan, her mother’s sacrifices then subsequently focusing on her own efforts towards sustenance of PPP.

Highlights of the book:

Benazir’s mainden speech at Oxford
Benazir’s meeting with PM Indira Gandhi at the Simla Accord
Comparison of her childhood with life under house arrest at Al Muratza (her home)

Final Line: Not to be missed!!

My Adhoc Best

2010-05-14T18:03:00.004+05:30

There was a time, when I was active on Yahoo Answers! Now a days I occasionally scroll through the questions, and randomly answer a selected few. 40% of my answers have been, so far rated best. Best Answers are chosen either by Voters Polling or Asker’s Rating.
Ofllate as I m not regular, I don’t think over the questions much. Just to rectify my inactive status, I hand pick a few questions, and make adhoc responses.
Surprisingly 2 of my latest adhoc answers got voted best

Question: . I need help writing a conversation between two people about…. pretty much anything

My Answer:
Couldn’t think of anything better!

You: I want to write a conversation
Me: About What?
You: About pretty much anything
Me: So, how r you going to go about it?
You: I will put this up on Yahoo Answers
Me: And you think it will work?
You: Whats the harm in giving a try!
Me: Good Luck, go ahead!
You: Thanks!

Q2: Do souls have a gender?

My Answer:
We believe, when people die, its only the Body that dies/ withers, but Soul remains IMMORTAL.
Since we intend to FEEL the presence of our beloved (departed) ones in the SOULS, we associate gender to them,

Souls, per se, may not have gender. When alive, SOULS are a part of HUMAN BODY, which has a gender.
It is the Wholeness of BODY + SOUL that defines the gender.

The Big B

2010-05-04T17:24:00.006+05:30

I have been out of Blogosphere for quite sometime. A lot of things have changed over the period.

Back then, Lalit Modi was still the IPL Commisioner. Sania Mirza was single, with Ayesha Sidiqqui making news. SC’s verdict on Manu Sharma’s appeal was pending.
Hopes were high on Mumbai Indians, winning the IPL-3.

1 Month and 18 days later:
The name and face of Chirayu Amin emerges as the new IPL Chief. Sania is happily wedded to Shoiab. We are testimony to the fact of SC upholding Delhi High Court Decision on Jessica Lal case. Finally, team CSK, sweeps IPL Season-3 Trophy.

Huh!! A season so transitory…a period full of surprises.

Media, the common thread, was seen switching and swapping the front page menu. With Cricket and Tennis as the header and footer, the print media conveniently moved geopolitical and defense issues to secondary columns.

If we look at it closely, it’s ultimately the brand image that takes the lead. Be it a product or a person, Brand IPL or Brand Sania, what makes news is the “Brand Image”.
An image that carves out of the joint and combined attention it gets.
It’s surprising to hear, when some people blame the media for coverage on Sania issue. What they fail to see, perhaps, is that, we are closely linked in creation of this Brand.

The rise and stardom of IPL is no different. They say Lalit Modi built the brand. It might probably be more appropriate to say, he promoted the brand. The brand got built in the process of its promotion. BCCI today abrogates from taking any responsibility on the bidding malfunctions. But IPL could not have become Brand IPL without BCCI fathering it.
As Suhel Seth, rightly says, “Brands cannot be built in isolation”.

Welcome- Back!

2010-04-28T17:37:00.001+05:30

This is for you! Thanks for Visiting.

Have been out of Blogosphere for almost a month. Feels great to be back!

Online Omnipresence

2010-03-16T17:08:00.003+05:30

For a long time, I quarantined the thought of uploading pictures on Facebook. Hostility continued, until recently, when my Picassa pleaded for some free space.

I recall, not very long back, when our hard disk began showing signs of saturation. It was then, that I inducted Picassa. Now, with this Gmail application reaching tolerance limits, Facebook offers a handy solution.

While juggling with pictures and reshuffling their locations, I realize there are a lot of pics, coming under the” Wallpaper segment”. The birds, trees, the blue sky, artistic skyscrapers……Barring a handful people (nature lovers are an obvious exception) the majority of us, don’t even have a second look at them.

Nevertheless efforts have gone into capturing these images and they deserve to be treasured. Appreciated or not, is an entirely different question.
Facebook Albums turned out viable. The purpose was served. Both Picassa and Hard Disk got a new lease. A third partner now stands to share the online omnipresence of a few Kodak moments.

The Divine 200

2010-02-25T17:10:00.002+05:30

Scaling yet another summit in cricketing excellence, creating History once again!
ET calls him the “Tiger” that is never in the woods, media immortalizes him as the Living Legend.
The words bring goose bumps, even as I key them “Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the God of Indian Cricket”
These words echoed Gwalior stadium last evening as the Midas touch was cast on the divine 200!

For reasons unexplainable this achievement reminds me of Sachin’s century post his father’s demise.
Ten days into the World Cup and the first century had been recorded. In the most phenomenal moment back then, the Maestro received 3 standing ovations:
One: when he walked into the crease,
Two: when he reached his Century
Three: when he walked off with fellow-centurion Rahul Dravid

If not 3, this double century surely, brings him one of the highly commendable appreciations. Aptly silencing the critics, who talk of Sachin being on the wrong side of 30’s, the Little Master yet again, treats his fans with an immaculate series.

Unchartered waters, undreamt shores

2010-02-24T17:24:00.005+05:30

From Unchartered waters, un-dreamt shores
Winds of change come calling for
Laden with seeds of opportunity, they come
Also carrying the forces of challenges along.

The fears of novicity may creep in
So what, if the design perfections aren’t seen.
For, the woods would be silent
If no birds sang….
Except those, who sang the best

It’s hard when I have to
And easy when I want to
Is a sweet rhyme, worth the rehearse.
Coz nothing can tranquilize the mind so much
As a focused goal and a steady purpose.

Hello Mr Anis!

2010-02-05T00:16:00.003+05:30

Thanks Mr. Anis, I owe this (entry) to you. I really wonder how each time, you received (only) my message but not the attachment!! My wonder turned into anxiety and anxiety into annoyance, as time passed. In India, we were nearing mid night, and I was awake only for the sake of one UN-DELIVERED attachment. While I cud view, open and read all the contents of it, your mail box never even bothered to detect that attachment.

They say, mind works faster in times of crisis. Not sure if its true for all, but to some extent, I am convinced it holds true for me. I was scanning for alternate possibilities to get the attachment delivered.

Option 0: Fax : (Useless Choice): Printer at home not working, first I need to print the doc to fax it to you. Option Ruled Out!!

Option 1: I mailed it to Jeff, who works in the same department as you. (Just hoping his inbox is more gracious).

But then, after a 5 mins wait, I m left totally clueless. When Jeff forwarded the msg to you, (keeping me in copy) did you receive the attachment? Or did Jeff in the first place get the attached contents? A HOLLOW VACCUM HERE!! His forwarded msg showed me the attachment, but did it reflect in yours? Enlighten me sometime on this, when you are free.

Option 2: ( Time 23.25 Hrs INDIA TIME, 12.56 Hrs MONTREAL TIME) : Well, I m sure Anis, you would understand, I was half asleep! Look at the time zone difference we have!! So for a quick response, I had to send you this msg:

Quote
Anis/ Viyoma
have re- sent the msg THRICE thereafter. If still not rcvd, pls adv an alternate ID where the msg can be sent.

Kindly adv MSN/ SKYPE..for easy commmunication.

MY SKYPE: ( ) Dear reader, read on..dont bother about the Skype details..;). That was for Anis alone.
MY MSN: ( ) Same as above
Unquote

Eureka!! It worked. Thanks to your gmail id. What Microsoft couldn’t do, Google did. It detected what your MS OUTLOOK could not.

So now that you have the attachment and I m done with my duty, I take your leave.

Point to Ponder for readers: Why did Anis not receive the attachment on Outlook? ( I had to literally LOOK – OUT for options)

Defenseless

2010-01-16T13:38:00.004+05:30

Breezed the winds across his face, making him tug closer to her.
Coyly cuddled around her arms, for want of warmth from her slim blanket.

Exhilarating was the speed, making his body shiver,
Entwined were his fingers, in this cold weather

Peacefully couched all by herself,
Cocooned in the blanket sheltering her alone

Defenseless against the winds he stood
Lest he disturb her peaceful sleep.

Celebrating Life

2009-12-31T14:05:00.002+05:30

We walk a million miles,
We hum a million songs,
We connect...and we smile,
We observe...and we narrate,
We experience. and we rejoice,
THE CELEBRATION CALLED "LIFE"

May the journey continue..

Wish you a Happy and Cheerful New Year!

Old Man and His God

2009-12-21T13:31:00.000+05:30

When my reading habits go in for hibernation, all I need is a Sudha Murthy appetizer.
The Old Man and his God was a similar starter. It helped me rejuvenate my reading interest.

A simple collection of stories, so realistically narrated, that it keeps the flow on.
Similar to Wise and Otherwise, this book talks about different stories of different people at different times.
It could either be a simple incident of two quarreling brothers or a classic advice given by Mrs. Murthy to a friend. (Definitely watch out for the last line of this narration).
The incidents may not be fresh. They are not something unheard of.
They are incidents of day today life. Something that even you and I may come across.

But it takes a Sudha Murthy to narrate it with simplicity.
“The Old Man and His God”, the title refers to the first story and then it goes on to make a classic collection of short tales, all for a light reading.

A definite pick for Sudha Murthy fans!

Aurangabad: Meet My Metro

2009-12-11T20:52:00.003+05:30

Standing by the roadside, I was waiting for the traffic to slow down. Almost every latest big/ medium/ small segment had hit the road. Even the public transport has undergone a design upliftment…

Seems to me like an uncanny resemblance to a metro city.
With broad roads and busier people, the city wears a different look…

3 years back the concept of departmental stores was new here. Today Big Bazaar, Spencer and “More” are a craze. Having heard these names, atleast a dozen times from different people, I planned to make a visit to “More”. The idea was to do a bit of “Window shopping of the shoppers”.
Hats off to the perfect positioning strategy of the stores, even a week days pulls in enormous crowd.
Post the checking and frisking, the first thing I noticed were the heavily guarded escalators.
Escalators are new to Aurangabad.
2 domestic helps, strategically stationed at the head and foot of every escalator. They assist the anxiety-laden shoppers to mount and descend safely.

With footprints of a big city already making grounds, we see the resident’s adaptation to changes. At the same time, they manage to leave a beautiful local feel with at every stage.

If metros are popular for a BIG “NO PARKING” in front of multiplexes, Aurangabad joyfully erects mobile ferry rides and chaat stalls outside them. For those familiar with the term, it gives a typical Anand -Nagari feel.

FM Radio is another revolution. To suit the taste of the city audience, the Radio Jockeys generously host majority shows in Marathi. The buses/ auto rickshaws tuning the FM for popular numbers, has become a value added service for the commuters!

Well, for those wishing to hear, if anything at all remains unchanged in this city, for nostalgic purposes, gleefully I say “Yes”.

Maximum people (here) still call it a day, by 6.30 or max 7.00pm.
Post 9.30pm, the roads give a deserted look, where, even the sound of a barking dog, echoes.
Independent houses score over Multi- storeys, as it has been for so many years.
Local Newspapers continue to shout on top of their voice, when a bollywood celebrity visits the city.
“Lokmat Times” hasn’t changed its supplements or style. Saturday Sizzler, Sunday Montage, Campus Carol….all are the same with handful amendments, if carefully noticed.

And thanks to these unchanged treasures, that the city remains SPECIAL for a few!!!

Planned Sunday

2009-11-03T17:44:00.003+05:30

When you are working 6 days a week, your definition of weekend changes. Looks like, Sunday is accidentally dropped in between 2 working days. By the time you decide and plan what to do, the eve of Monday is already waving at you.

Having cribbed about this phenomena, for quite sometime, I decided to handle it slightly better, this time.
Guess, all it takes is to have a pre-planned Sunday.
This is how my first trial went by….

I had a book to finish. Wanted to catch up with the media coverage on India Gandhi (31st Oct marked her Martyrdom). Experiment with Twirl was on agenda. Sorting out of brochures collected in a conference 2 weeks back was a long pending task.

Started off with my most favourite…the book!
The first half of the day was taken up by Stephen Hawkins “Theory of Everything. From Aristotle’s Principles to Friedman's Models, in almost half a day, it was like to travel to the space and back.
Now to catch up with the Indira Legacy, I had to wait for the channels to oblige. Meanwhile, experimented with Twirl, did the usual mail checking, social networking and some quick digital journey on my favourite subjects.
Sorting of brochures was still pending. But no issues, half a day more to go..

The best part of a planned Sunday, is that, even some unplanned musings manage to find their way without hampering the planned schedule. For instance, book shelves and apparel wardrobes need regular touch ups. This Sunday they got their dues. More than 150 pics, waiting to get uploaded on the standalone, smoothly managed to do that.
While these small wonders were getting done, it was almost evening.

CNN IBN, NDTV, DD News all three had their exclusive coverage. Must say, this time, Barkha Dutt scored over Sagarika Ghose. Yes, I m saying this, despite my favoritism towards the latter. Neelam Sharma was at her best, or probably, the national language in her show makes a difference. Nevertheless 3 channels, 3 shows on Indira Gandhi’s journey, a good treat to end a Sunday.

A Sunday, that was a bit too planned, a bit too well executed. Well….miracles happen!

@ 24

2009-10-16T17:32:00.008+05:30

On the eve of my 24th Birthday, listing, 24 things I did, over the last one year that I m happy about:

1. Joined Twitter and heavily following Journos, anchors, authors and editors.
2. Travelled substantially. Goa, Mangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Singapore. The year marked my first visit abroad.
3. Participated in the Navi Mumbai Marathon. Cause: Race against terrorism
4. Revived my sketching skills, after a gap of 5 Years.
5. Won the confidence of some of the toughest peers at work. They now come out of the way to help in times of need or otherwise.
6. Exercised my right: both at Assembly and State elections. Thanks to all those who worked hard in getting my name listed. (My own contribution was restricted to actual voting)
7. Earnestly did some blog promotion, by getting my blogs listed on Blog Catalog, Indiblogger, and Blog Adda. Must say: it works.
8. Reduced my count of Belated Birthday wishes. Realized that mobile reminders are more reliable when it comes to remembering birthdays.
9. Started Vyo’s World of Appreciation: though it is yet to gain momentum
10. Increased the circulation list of my weekly shipping bulletin (“Canopus Eye”) from 43 to 135. The elevating moment was when it touched the 100 mark.
11. Didn’t miss on the opportunity to click a snap with former Indian Captain Mohd Azzaruddin at Oberoi’s Delhi
12. Complimented Chetan Bhagat on his latest book. Very surprisingly received a thanks mail from him.
13. Learnt to recite “Hanuman Chalisa” without referring to the book
14. Hit the Gym for 2 months. Didn’t get the expected results, yet the Feel Good Factor remains
15. Utilized the paid leave at the right time for the right purpose.
16. Made it a point to thank Rickshaw & Cab Drivers, every time I hired their service.
17. Experimented with Google Chrome when its Beta Version hit the market.
18. Watched “Mumbai Meri Jaan”: a movie that will perennially remain in my list of favorites.
19. Managed to graph a family tree inclusive of 4 generations, on My Heritage.
20. Attended the Sunday Evening Mass at Our Lady Church, Mangalore.
21. Didn’t miss the College Annual Gathering that most of them gave a miss.
22. Got the taste of “Allen Solly”. Brand Loyalty to continue.
23. Captured some wonderful Kodak moments, and treasured them with Picassa
24. Successfully jotted down the above 23 happy moments and still left with some unwritten ones.

Wish u a happy and prosperous Diwali :)

2 States

2009-10-10T13:28:00.000+05:30

When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it. I made 3 trips to the nearest book house, looking out for “2 States”. Disheartened I returned. But then the Indian Coal Conference 2009 made me fly down to the National Capital and on my return, the Delhi Airport, handed me the much awaited “2 States”. Looks like the organizers of Coal Conference, the 500+ delegates across the globe and most importantly my Company that chose me for attending it, conspired to get me my copy.

To begin with, the master story teller, has conquered the Youth Market, yet again, When an stories like Ek Duje Ke Liye, get an intellectual and Gen Next touch, narrations like 2 States come up. Classic narration, excellent sarcasm and fast pace, form the bullet point highlights. The story of two IIM – A Grads, bringing their families together makes a cute scene in the backdrop of bringing forth the Indian Mind Set, towards the Institution of Inter Community Marriages. Though CB calls it a work of fiction, the title mentions it is story of his marriage. This North meets South flick induces frequent bouts of laughter at regular intervals.

For all those unfamiliar with the Great Indian Wedding System the book begins with a note saying.

Love marriages around the world are simple:
Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. They get married.

In India, there are a few more steps:

Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy.
Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl.
Girl's Family has to love Boy's Family. Boy's family has to love girl's family.

Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married.

After the slightly disappointing 3 mistakes of my life, CB is back with mild doses of food for thought, wrapped in a beautiful love story. So when he says, I m 90% entertainer and 10% reformer, he means it.

PS: One thing I still wonder. 5 Point Someone, 1 Night @ Call Centre, 3 Mistakes of my Life and now 2 States…Is CB sentimental about Alpha-Numeric titles?

Untitled (Readers are free to suggest a title)

2009-09-11T15:14:00.006+05:30

2.5 hours ahead they race
And to catch up with them, I got to chase
As with the South East markets, I pace,
To office, 7.30 in the morning, I grace.

Internationally, I m a part of the eastern buzz
Domestically I avoid the local rush
At Lunch hours, when their markets hush
That’s when, with full vigor, our markets brush

Spanning across 2 time zones
To a new regime, my body is thrown
With challenging targets, the mind is sown
To fodder the creative ideas grown.

The lengthy hours don’t seem to matter
With each passing day, the excitement greater
The dose of experience is injected deeper
That blows the balloon of confidence bigger.

Snippets from Singapore

2009-09-03T00:17:00.003+05:30

23rd Aug 2009: 13 Carpenter Street was relatively calm. Standing by the window as I sip the hot coffee, a cool breeze pours in…it disturbs the elevating steam from the coffee mug…. I look down, there is an unusual quietness on the road…it is also quite unusual of me standing by the window and sipping the coffee.
This is my 3rd week in Singapore and it marvels me to know, that I don’t need the morning tea or coffee, to get off my bed laziness. My body clock has been faring extremely well, even without these caffeine doses.
Call it a change of place or the change of routine, but a break from monotony surely works.

My thoughts are interrupted by a telephone ring…..its Nishith, I know…
“Nishith”, with an “H”, “people generally have the habit of leaving it on “T”….his trademark punch line, something that I have heard a dozen times now.
He is my colleague from India, who has accompanied me to Singapore, and this call is to remind me of the city touring plan of the day. Its weekend time and we have some plans. …His intentions are to rest for the day, which means I accompany my Boss’s son to the Snow City, Science Centre and Singapore Flyer. So well and so good…got 1.5 hours in hand to get ready and reach Raffles Place MRT. …which means, this snippet ends here, the only thing that I can think of now, is,
“Does my store card, have sufficient value in it?”
There have been many such snippets and numerable thoughts that inspired me to write….but what didn’t help them develop into a complete blog post, was my lack of efforts and understanding of threading them together.

The other day, I was in the company of a Jordan native, an Indonesian Hotel mate, and an Indian Colleague, discussing an entirely new side of the island city. What started off in a lighter vein gradually headed towards a host of serious issues, bringing out an entirely dark side of the city. The issues were strong enough to drive each one of us participate in the discussion.
Looking back what surprises me, is the uniformity of thought that blossomed despite the geographical and cultural diversity of the participants.

Courtesy and Hospitality is something Singaporeans practice with ease. On the day of departure one gesture made a distinct impact on my return journey. I had hired a cab for Sin Changi Airport. Tucking in the luggage and after the final good byes as I got into the cab, the cab driver enquired:
“Maam, just checking, since u are heading to the airport, u got your passport and ticket with you?”
One simple gesture, a simple question showing his concern, made me feel escalated. Clark Quay to Sin Changi was 25 mins drive. Throughout the ride, I tried to feed my feelings with words.
The feel could not be the result of the driver’s gesture alone. His generous words of concern, just added flavour to the already simmering moments of thrill…the moments that were bringing me closer to my country, my family, my people…
As the cab moved forward, I could sense a part of Singapore receding behind….

Lots more to write, a lot more to share. Many snippets remain unstitched, and they all form a part of a different story, different experience in Singapore. The link is missing, for me to add them with the above.
Attempting my best, to enjoin the missing links and shape them into a concrete memoir.

Tell Me your Dreams

2009-08-01T13:24:00.001+05:30

When Ashley Peterson fears someone is following her, not knowing what his/her motive could be, she runs for aid to the most trusted cop in town.
Her relief to have, one of the best guardians lasts not even for a night, as the cop is found dead the next morning.
Toni Prescott, a bold and tom boyish persona (and her famous signature sonnet) discovers her would be fiancé killed. While Toni dislikes Ashley for some unknown reasons, she befriends Allete, who is doomed to learn of her best friend and upcoming artist’s murder.

Momentum gains as evidence shows the same person being involved in all the 3 murders. The shuffling story lines between Ashley, Toni and Allete keep your needle of suspicion turning when the reader is introduced to a psychiatric condition of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

I know it’s unfair on my part, to mention the suspense sections; nevertheless, it is still a good one to pick. (U still don’t know the motive behind the killing)
The book feeds you with substantial information on DID. (Also called Multiple Personality Disorder)

As the story takes you through the interaction between the “Host” and the “Altars” many questions sequentially get answered.
For non medicos, it is alluring to note, that sometimes the “Host” may not know the presence of “Altars” but the “altars” may know each other as well as the “Host”.
It is equally shocking to accept the fact that many doctors around the world, still do not believe that a psychiatric disorder like DID persists.

DID also poses a challenge to the legal doctors when the accused gets convicted of murder in the court of law.
Sidney Sheldon beautifully plays a balancing act with medical and legal sides of the psychological disorder.

Showers of Happiness

2009-06-27T16:16:00.005+05:30

With puddles of water on the way,
Up the sky, the clouds are gray,
Ahead of you, a wet path lays
For, the showers of happiness are at play!

When colourful shelters shot up the air,
And people don the rainy wear,
On the way you walk with care
And feel the showers of happiness everywhere.

You sense a joy that makes you sing,
It makes you dance or makes you swing
A moist smell, the soil brings
Yes, showers of happiness are pouring in.

So its time, for the lakes to fill
And its time, when the winds go chill
Haven’t you thanked the Rain God still?
For, the showers of happiness are His will.

I m Mangaloring these days..

2009-06-01T16:56:00.003+05:30

ಮಂಗಳೂರು (Mangalore)

Frequent power cuts, dominance of local dialect, heavy dependence on private transport…are a few factors that make you realize you are in a Tier Two city.
Here I m, at Mangalore, a place far different from the Metro City of Mumbai.
It’s been a week now, since Bisleri, Aquafina and Kinley have coolly found their place in my accessory kit.
Comfortably accommodated in a working women’s hostel (cum old age home) I m now a familiar stranger to the residents of Sri Ramakrishna Lodge.
Though language still remains an issue, communication is not a problem.

Day before yesterday I had been to dine with 2 of my collegues.Ideally it should have been a “Chat Session over Meal” but turned out to be a “Who shall have the Quickest Bite competition”. Mangalore seems to rely heavily on Private Road transport, the frequency of which is disappointing after 9.00pm. With the office vehicle off on some other duty we were dependent on private transport. So for us to target the pre-9.00 bus, “Quick Bite Session” was a pleasant excuse.

On the city touring front, St Aloysius, Sultan Battery and New Mangalore port are on the list. Not sure, how many I will be able to cover, with just 1 week and all week days in hand.

Despite residing slightly in the outskirts of the city, Lalbaug gives me access to 3 malls and 1 multiplex. That’s where the evening entertainment gets taken care of.
And as for the bed time stories, Sidney Sheldon novels play their part.

Introducing: Vyo's World

2009-05-18T19:16:00.004+05:30

For quite some time, I had been toying with the idea of starting a book appreciation blog. Not wanting to affect the sanctity of this blog, created a separate one in Wordpress.
Wordpress gave an opportunity to retain the identity of vyoworld. The initial days were exciting. The newness was adventurous until the swells of rigidity started showing up. Wordpress, for some reason, did not excite to the extent blogspot did.
But beta testing of the content had to continue.
So retaining the wordpress blog as it is, moved on to Xanga (yet another blogging platform)
Xanga seems to match the Google’s platform in almost every front. In fact in many areas, Xanga even scores over it.
Xanga pinches only when it comes to Google Ads. “Xanga classic”, by default, places Google ads on the blog. If one has to avoid it, the only option is to opt for Xanga Premium, which simply means “pay and blog”. Option ruled out.

To back to our familiar domain, back to blogspot.
Never mind, if I can’t retain vyoworld!

Vyosworld doesn’t sound alien either.

So here it is:

http://vyosworld.blogspot.com/

Feng Shui

2009-05-17T13:25:00.001+05:30

Very recently I laid my hand on my grandfather’s collection,
when a small book titled Feng Shui caught my attention

For novice like me, having no knowledge of the subject, the book turned out to be a sweet introduction.
Starting from “TAOISM” it journeys the reader through “Yin-Yang” philosophy, “Concept of Chi” and the 5 elements of nature.
It’s interesting to get oneself acquainted with: Production and Destruction” cycles, 12 celestial animals of Chinese calendar and also the Kua Number.
Author A H Hari also touches on the subject of Arm Chair Configuration, taking the reader deeper into the subject of Cardinal and Corner Directions.

Having introduced the subject in the first half, the author wades through the practicality of Feng Shui.Taking into consideration the rigidity of the environment,the Author acknowledges the fact that 100% Feng Shui adherence may not be possible in most cases.
It is at this stage, that the reader gets introduced to Intuitive Feng Shui-ism. A new concept of relying on instincts and gauging the positive/ negative vibes based on past instances. An interesting chapter on LOSHU SQUARE and Pakua follows.

As a concluding part of this 45 pages book by Vasan Publications, references are made to commonly used Feng Shui articles along with directional instructions.

Bakula: The Protagonist

2009-05-15T17:20:00.000+05:30

In between several heavy readings, i choose to pick up Sudha Murthy's collection, for a light refreshing experience. Gently falls the Bakula has been one of them.

Traveling from the silent backdrop of Hubli to the busy lanes of Mumbai, at every stage, a striking yet subtle comparison is drawn to the flower Bakula.

It interests the readers to know, that, “Bakula’s” attraction lies purely in its fragrance. The narration shows a stunning similarity between Shrimati (the protagonist) and Bakula (the flower), thus making the reader comprehend the meaning of implied similie.

Bakula which is placed high at the beginning of the narration slips slowly and steadily as the events unfold, losing its sheen.

The fall of Bakula implies the fading of Shrimati, until one day…she decides to pursue her passion for academics.

A simple story, classic narration by Mrs. Sudha Murthy, Chairperson Infosys Foundation.

Pablo: The Miracle Man

2009-05-14T18:39:00.000+05:30

It is tempting for some, if not all, to resist the sight of an unlocked Book Shelf ahead of you.

If this unlocked treasure is at your workplace, casualties are even higher.

On one such occassion, i fell prey to Pablo and Bruno.

These 2 happy go lucky guys were employed by their villages for water transportation. They earned their livelihood by transporting water from River to the Village Tavern.

BRUNO was happy earning 1 penny a bucket; he lived a lavish lifestyle in his whole day’s work.

Pablo on the other hand had a vision, a vision to let the Water Flow into the tavern without his carrying the bucket.

Villagers and friends mocked him for his vision, and named him a lazy man, shrugging responsibilities.

Bruno grew richer working whole day long, his bucket carrying effort steadily filled his pockets, Pablo worked only ½ day and spent the balance working on his vision.

He dug holes, laid a path, a path for his water transportation mechanism to come true.

Small actions lead to big results says, Bruke Hudges, when Pablo’s PIPLELINE turned reality.

Now water flowed in without the bucket being carried. Pablo raised high on the charts of popularity among villagers.

Pablo the miracle maker didn’t stop here; he began selling his idea of pipeline to other villagers, then other cities, then countries…

Bruno the Bucket Man, was now tired and stooped by shoulders, the heaviness of work began showing on his health.

Pablo now recruited his dear friend in the business of pipeline making, the two merrily spread the word of Building pipeline.

Visioners like Pablo get criticized at the first instance, safe methods of bucket carrying are always voted for. But buckets get dried up, however big they may be. For a sustainable solution, pipelines need to be built, is the final word of advice.

Hats off to You, Bruke Hudges!

Mice - o - Nomics

2009-05-14T17:24:00.000+05:30

If not the humans, let’s learn it from the mice.

Sniff and Scurry are one good lot, who depict the value of change.

Way back in 1998, Dr Spencer Johnson spotted 2 mice enjoying their huge piece of Cheese. He observed them devour bite by bite, day after day. What marveled him was the fact, that these 2 tiny creatures made it a point to note the diminishing supply of cheese with every day’s meal.

Tugged along with them, were 2 brain-laden humans, Hem and Haw, who enjoyed the same cheese but with a blinded vision. The reducing Cheese supply didn’t bother them, for they never seemed to take notice of it.

Just like you and me, Dr Johnson too waited for the day, the Cheese would diminish completely, and this fateful day arrived sooner than expected.

S&S were fast to let go their old cheese and moved on in search of new ones.

But H&H were the usual brooding brainy creatures, not ready to accept the change.

While Sniff and scurry set on their new journey of finding a new cheese, it took some time for Haw to realize, they too had to do the same.

Spencer makes a detail note of Haw’s transformation from Reluctance to Willingness of accepting change and distress to Hope of finding a new cheese.

Haw carves his learning’s on the walls of the maze, an attempt to motivate his friend Hem to join him in his endeavor.

At the end of the Treasure Hunt Journey, Haw summarizes his newly dawned wisdom as follows:

If you do not change, you get extinct
Get Ready for the Cheese to Move
The quicker you let go the old Cheese, the sooner you find the new one
Move with the Cheese

A Delayed Entry...

2009-04-11T15:42:00.004+05:30

Entry Drafted: 07th April 2009, 11.15 – 11.45am.

A few operational changes and higher autonomy is what consumes most of my time. And no, this time, it isn’t an excuse for not blogging. When u have a God father watching over u, a few minor errors (if any) get auto-corrected. But once the eagle over your head vanishes off, leaving it entirely on you to show up, you realize, low accountability is inversely proportional to higher responsibilities. It’s been a month and more, and I find myself feeding more and more time towards this newly developed decentralization.

Glad and happy that all the new things came in after a much awaited break. A close friend’s wedding tagged with an exhaustible pile of leave inventory, is, an irresistible opportunity to miss. It’s been almost a month now, since my visit to Chennai. Though wont be able to give a point to point account of my journey, would like to reflect a few interesting observations that took me by surprise.

The wedding ceremony to start with. For once got to attend a highly NON-CHAOTIC wedding. Not that I have attended too many South Indian weddings, but to whatever few I made an entry, couldn’t get eyes “off” the chaos factor. Here, the proximity to which I watched the events unfold, must say, seeds of planning blossomed to near perfection levels.

Second comes the Chennai city as a whole. It’s high time I confess, I have seriously fallen in love with the city. My erstwhile picture of the city was something totally different, un-describable. I always associated Chennai as a high decibel city, sans sophistication. I was wrong, atleast on the generalization front. Brief shopping visits to RMKV brought out an entirely new side of Chennai (that I was totally unaware of). Commuting by motored 3 wheelers which is made out to be a challenging task for non-chennaites is fairly manageable. Highly admirable are the Chennai Locals, who rest for more than a couple of minutes at each station, quite unlike their Mumbai Counterparts.

Catching up with people after a considerable period of time, and in some cases almost the first time, was an exciting event in itself. School going kiddos familiarized me with a term called “SUPPERRR”, it’s the Chennai version of “MASSSTTT”. Also got myself acquainted with a local health drink called “PEDIA-SHOOR”, something close to Boost or Milo here. A visit to St Thomas Mount hill filled the site seeing section of my diary.

With a bag full of Sri Krishna Sweets and luggage laden with Cotton Dress Material, i bid adieu to Domestic Kamaraj Terminal on the 15th of March…

Lessons from a Vendor

2009-02-25T19:29:00.003+05:30

Today, as I boarded the usual 9.58a.m local, two guys boarded in right away. Quite customary to the scene these days, the guys, one aged 19 and odd and the other in his pre teen, were in the ladies compartment, not selling anything, but just avoiding the General section crowd.

In a relatively less crowded environment, I was enlightened by the conversation of these two guys.
The pre-teen seemed to be a potential entrant in the world of train vendors, while the other guy was a tycoon who had mastered the art of switching business lines.
Proudly calling himself as an experienced player, this 19 year old something was now giving business management lessons to the younger one.

Within a span of 20 mins, the following lessons were delivered.

Oranges, available these days, are more of the sour category. This guy had started off as a fruit vendor but soon left the business due to high perishability level of the product. Though an attractive business, advisable only for the well experienced.
(My Inference: The pre-teen should not be eyeing this option)

Notebooks are in high demand. A famous roadside vendor in Dadar sells notebooks in bulk and reasonable rates. (I was all ears, to hear the name, but he chose to keep it a business secret!). Timing is important in business. In an exam season, notebooks sell the best. (My Inference: A hint to the pre-teen, from where to begin)

Train Time Table and Pass Covers are ever green business options. Always have a steady source of income as a back up. Even if the core business doesn’t sell, these products are always in the list of wants.
(My Inference: The pre teen must carry a stock of TT and Pass covers apart from whatever he sells)

There is no harm in starting your day late, so long as you are ready to stretch yourself to late working hours.
Encash the opportunities, either in the peak hours of morning or rush hours of the evening. The latter is preferable, given that people are more “tension free” on their way back home. It also gives you the pleasure of getting up late.
Not sure, of what the pre-teen got out of this, but my inference was two fold.
One: Start early or Work Late
Two: Squeeze in some pleasurable moments, along with work, whenever you can.

By now my station was almost nearing, which meant I had to abandon the class half way through. In the final session that I could attend, the pre-teen was being educated on how to avoid being caught by TC’s.
Guess, the master was touching on the subject of “Challenges in the Way of Business”…

Words of Motivation...

2009-02-23T21:19:00.003+05:30

Today the grass is green on both sides of the fence
For once, let’s say so, and change the trend.
Don’t complain of the day, as tiresome and long,
For those who wish to sing, always find a song.
You may call the objects on your way as “Stones”
But once you cross them, they turn to Milestones!

Walt Disney passed through 302 denials,
Before “The Happiest Place on the Earth” got final
1009 “No’s”, and then came the “Yes”
For Colonel Sander’s recipe to be voted the best.
Belief, Patience and Hope are the best rhymes
Together they always sing “Try One More Time”

Look, at bright morning star, shining at you,
Wishing all your dreams to come true.
Don’t complain of the Glass “Half Full”
Look at the other half, and say its “Its Full”
Rise, awaken and march towards the glory,
For its time, you create another story!

Just a Thought..

2009-02-06T15:27:00.005+05:30

Call it “Chandini Chowk to China” or “Chandini Shock to China”, if movie titles get in the hands of the Critics, this is bound to happen. “A Wednesday” becomes “A Wed-mess-day”, “Dostana” becomes “LOSTana”, and then of course we have “Fa-SHUN”, “HelLOL” etc.
The other day I stumbled upon a blog, wherein the blogger seems to be a tough audience to please. Though not much keen in the critical reviews, the satirical titles surely kept me interested. “Yuck by Chance” and “Ulloo Barber” are yet to be criticized, hence I m giving in my titles, lets see how close I get to the critics.

Leaving the critics apart, let’s talk of the general audience.
It’s highly difficult to comprehend the tastes of the movie goers.
While the big fat Indian wedding shown by Sooraj Bharjatya becomes a hit, the content-driven Aaa Ab Laut Chalen bombs at the Box Office.
Hum Dil de chuke sanam, tagged as the remake of Woh Saat Din, set the cash registers ringing, but the story of Channel-Wars doesn’t seem to interest the pubic.

From the production to release, looks like the whole drama is a war between two perfectionists.
In the production stage, the film is succumbed to a number of editions and alterations. It is the film maker’s idea of perfection.
To assist him in his journey, are the Technicians, Camera Men, Directors, Art Designers, and many more “behind the screen” brains.
If Censor Board gets touchy, a few more amendments deserve an honour.

Now with all efforts combined, one set of so called perfectionist population is all set to throw up an idea at the other set of perfectionists.
In between the two, sits a JUDGE named BOX OFFICE.
Underneath the Box Office lies the mood, tastes, thinking and opinion of infinite souls.
On the D –Day the Box Office either beams with pride or shudders with guilt.
Over crispy popcorns in a comfy multiplex, millions watch the story unfold…
It’s a matter of the next 180 minutes that decides, on who shall feast over for rest of the season, the film maker or the critics!

Exactly a Year Ago...14th Jan 08

2009-01-14T15:39:00.002+05:30

Exactly a year ago.… 14th Jan 08:
Streets of Chennai were buzzing with Pongal preparations. With Schools and Offices remaining closed, the city was enjoying the extended Holiday Season….
Some 1450 Nautical Miles away, Tilguls were getting distributed…that was Mumbai celebrating its Harvest Festival … Gujarat’s Kite Festival was as usual making news!

But, at 302, Centre Point, Chembur, The World was different.
Someone had stepped into the Corporate World for the first time…

It was my first day at Work…Right at the centre at the table; was a book titled “Maritime Economics. Below it, lay a bulletin titled “Trading in Indian Waters”. The Annual Calendar carried a Vessel Picture on it, the 24 Hour Clock looked as if it could sail on land…

Water Water everywhere and it was time to plunge...
Time to plunge into the Industry dynamics, learn the Market Movements, Company operations…and lots more…
I intended on to plunge in, learn, sail up and keep floating….

However its been over a year, and I m still plunging, the more I plunge, the more there is to plunge, Each time I feel I closer to the Ocean floor, greater Ocean Depths are seen.

A quick glimpse at what changed over a year…

For a commerce graduate like me, Buoyancy Principle became the Epic Centre. Mass- Density Volume calculations suddenly turned very important.
Tides at the sea are said to be affected by the Moon. At any point of time, this piece of information would have meant General Knowledge.
Not anymore! It’s been over a year, since Tide tables are being tracked…

Mode and Medium of Communication changed. Phonetics became an essential part it. This is something I loved to learn and till date, implement…
Next time u ask me my Name and I shall go…Victor, India, Yankee, Oscar, Mike, Alpha….

Importance of Time scaled high on the charts of seriousness. Sundays and Holidays are exploited the best.
Presentations have always been taken seriously but now innovations in presentations have become a point to ponder…

The best thing that I enjoy is, my part of Accidental Learning…..When a mail from a client shows “Holiday on the eve of HK Liberation Day”…my curiosity screams to know what HK Liberation means. Similarly, when Central European Companies suffix their names with Gmbh, work in hand doesn’t proceed without decoding it.
Thanks to Google, taming curiosity is never an issue!

Talking of curiosity, now I m curious to check the length of this post and ponder on some editing….After all very few loyalists like u make it to the end of the post.. (Irrespective of its length)

11th Hour Checklist

2008-12-31T18:20:00.004+05:30

Deleted all mails from inbox, Sent Items and Folders. Just to have the feel of a Newly Created Mail Account with an In-Built Contact List.

At Work desk, ensured no task is carried forward for the next year. A planned mission successfully accomplished.

Intended to finish reading the Dan Brown Fiction: Deception point. Sadly, I m still far from the completion line. No Regrets, the plot is interesting enough to be read at leisure.

Sent New Year Wishes, to most of them, a day in advance. Simply to save the time of replying to messages tomorrow.

Finally signing off with the final post for this year…an unplanned activity, probably to persuade myself with an early entry in 2009…

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! HAVE A GREAT 2009!

The Taj Speaks...

2008-12-10T16:22:00.004+05:30

While, breathing the busyness on the roads
And greeting the winds from the Arabian Shore,
Never did the thought flash my mind
That I was on the hit list of someone else’s mind.
The dark nights’ events, as I recall
My heart sinks and my body shivers
Like a giant I stood with all might and pride,
Not realizing what was coming my side.

Wonder what harm I did to them,
Why of all, did they choose me then?
“No, my friend, you are not the only one”
Says a neighbor that leaves me stunned.
Sensing all the fears I hold,
Trident, Nariman house and Leopold I m told.
I wondered who is there to get them free,
If NSG, Marcos, the Police are all fighting for me!

Handicapped and helpless I stood still,
Inward and outward letting the bullets drill
With shock, fear, rage and anxiety
Faces looked up to me and then the deity.
A gust of black smoke blowing up the air,
Set in the mood of hope and despair,
From one end, came the fierce firing,
All others let the prayers pour in.

It’s more than a week since the event passed,
But deep within it has left some scars
There have been loses irreversible,
Millions of questions, still answerable.
I too have a query to add,
If you all, please, let me share,
Having reduced me into a symbol of sympathy,
Are the winds of terror still blowing free?

Dematerialising Them...

2008-11-24T18:54:00.009+05:30

A couple of days back while I was reshuffling my book shelf, a bunch of loosely held pages caught my attention.
Burdened under many heavy weights (of books), looked like they were falling prey to every natural calamity coming their way.
The hand written content was nearing illegibility…. the rusted stapler on it indicated its age …with every torn corner pleading euthanasia.

Long before Google gave birth to Blogger, experiences were treasured in physical form.
These pages belonged to the same era. They have a rich soul but a weak body, i realized.
That’s when the idea of dematerialisation struck me!

If Conversion of physical entries, into electronic form can ensure their eternality, why not go for it!!!!!
This process may be tedious, nevertheless exciting.

Right from “My SSC Examinations” to “A Wedding to Remember” watch out as numerous pages virtually unfold….

An Old Promise...

2008-11-13T20:50:00.001+05:30

So, at 23 I realize, it takes 2 Tinkles (Tinkle Digest) to keep up an old promise!
21 Posts and 16 months back, a thread in this blog read:

Watch Out for the Sequel of this article: Paradise on Earth.

Approximately 480 days from the date of announcement, here it comes…..

Paradise on Earth

2008-11-13T20:16:00.008+05:30

27/Paradise Building,
Grandparents House,
Enjoyment Lane,
Summer Vacations.

Here the day dawns at the will of the sleeper. No alarm beeps, no wake up calls. Wicked minds work sharp when total freedom is granted. If my eyes oblige to open by 6.15 and I find my younger sis still asleep, I seize the opportunity to have a quick morning bath, so that, whole day long I get a chance to brag about this “me-first, me first event.”
On the days when I wake up only by 8.00 (which use to happen 95% of the times, or 98% to be precise), no regrets! After all it is vacation time!

Thus begins my day, on a usual summer holiday.
Join me, in this escapade of summer vacation special, as I try to recall some of my most memorable events.
Best Things first!

Story Sessions were always the best. They truly kindle the power of visualization. The credit, of course, goes entirely to the Master Story Teller: MY GRAND MA!
Even today, when I recollect those stories, they hold the same motion pictures as they were years back.
Villain in the story has to be dressed in dark shades and good natured humans will always dawn light colored attire. Same when it comes to animals.
A good tiger’s look in one story will differ from a bad tiger’s look in another story.
Right from the appearance to the lanes and by- lanes of the surroundings, everything is left to the power of visualization.
The famous Indian Mythological Persona, "The Naarad Muni", still stands high in my list of favourites. In most of the stories he would make an entry as a commoner with ignorance and leave with wisdom. Uncanny resemblance to humans on Earth makes him special.

Mangoes ruled the Vacation Food Zone. Nothing comes for free, they say. Mango eating at 27/paradise came with a milk drinking clause. For non milk lovers, this is a bit undesirable, but for me, it was manageable. Every day, close to one fourth portion of my milk would efficiently make its way into the drainage system.

Hobby Classes weren’t a part my summer holidays. At least not those regulated ones, where like school you had to take a bag and reach on time.
But I have graced some self selected hobby sessions.
When a lady in a building showed interest to teach some Basic Stitching, that became “Poornima Aunty’s Stitching Class”
Anchor Kits were a craze, so they were a part of almost every vacation. If the neighborhood library guy gives books at Rs 25 each, with a refundable deposit of Rs 100/-, lap up the opportunity.
While majority of my friends would go for Enid Blyton stuff, I would merry with Kapish, Supandi, Ramu-Shamu and Tantri the Mantri of the Tinkle digest. (Now, you know how Tinkle helped me keep up an old promise!)

Evenings made a perfect scene. While, the youth exploited the maximum area of the terrace with their gaming activities; the wise (senior citizens) occupied a selected path for their evening stroll. From sun-set to moon rise, the terrace buzzed. It would dawn silence, when people retire for dinner.
“The last to retire has to shut the door of the terrace” was a SAID rule in the building. Very few knew, the door would shortly re-open in the post dinner session.

A bunch of pre-teens & teens arrive here to get their daily doze on horror flicks. 2 Eminent horror movie watchers would narrate the scary anecdotes to the rest of the gang. The calm night, the story teller’s sound effects amid the silent surroundings, were a deadly combination for the mood to set in.
This would be the final escapade of the day. From here on, my next target would be to hit the bed.
One penultimate task before that. Check up with what the local cable guy has to play. (Cable guys are always famous for showing latest movies). Not that a late night movie watching was ever allowed, but it would help me plan whether i need to catch with the re-run session,the coming morning….

"Inquisitive India"

2008-10-07T19:53:00.002+05:30

After a whole lot of new distractions, I humbly return back. Not that the new distractions have been left behind, but just a quick entry to intimate you on my latest craziness.

The reference is being made to Yahoo Answers! This wasn’t an accident. A noble thought of getting myself some help on Data Mining brought me here. It’s been 6.5 months since I have been hunting for websites that publish the Baltic Dry Index for free.
My 6.5 months of efforts have resulted in just 2 such websites, leave alone the Baltic Exchange. Pricy people! They charge for this service!

Tired of self mining, I thought of trying my luck on Yahoo Answers. It’s been almost a week or so, and I m still awaiting Response. Today Yahoo gave me a surprise saying my Question has been removed.
All my dear critics ready to point out that my return here, is result of the disappointment of getting no response, need to re-visit the second line of this entry. It talks about some new craziness!

So coming back. This new craziness gave me an insight into, what I call as “Inquisitive India”. Starting with the financials to technology and legality to morality every single thing gets discussed here. Serious queries like US financial Crisis and Global Warming receive highly appreciating replies. It leaves one, elevated to know, the extent of awareness and concern the common man has on grim issues like these.
Having appreciated the High Thinkers I would also acknowledge the silly mischief mongers who come up with one of the World’s Craziest Questions. I call them, High Entertainers. These sections of people ask complex questions like,
What to wear for tonight’s party?
Should I apologize to my friend for my mistake?
These are really cute stress buster questions. If high thinkers help u gain 10 bonus points for impressive answers, stress busters like these effortlessly add 2 points to your kitty.

Finally I apologize, for that mis-leading title that brought u to the end of this post. I m just recovering from the hang-over of “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari”. (Check how many times the word "Ferrari" appears in the Book!)

Tete a Tete with Mini Wonder....

2008-09-10T18:56:00.006+05:30

I say:
Hello to u, my mini wonder,
U are more than generous to me dear,
Taking ur own sweet time to boot,
U leave me with lots of extra time to loot.

Of course I thank u for ur generosity,
But this cant go on for long buddy,
Before the pending things get piling,
U got to gear up and start running.

Ur warm up sessions are longer these days,
Getting older, are u hinting in a way?
Let me remind u, u just got a check up done,
Fit and fine u are, had the verdict come.

So whats delaying u so much, honey,
Have u forgotten, time is money?

My Mini Says:
Hello to u, my dear user,
Thanks for bearing with my performance poor.
Yes I know time is money,
But I m static, have u forgotten honey?

Use ur dynamism and get thinking,
What’s taking me, so long for booting!
I m a child and know no good or bad,
I take the path that u show me where!

My warm up sessions are longer no doubt,
But u are busy, u say, is something I doubt!
Knowing I m low, u still compose rhymes,
And then remind me of importance of time!

For every extra minute I take to boot,
U compose a line, with the time u loot,
U made me reply to all ur poetic queries,
Is this an additional task for me, I Worry!

How i made him feel better....

2008-09-02T18:29:00.003+05:30

He reported to me at 3.00, the post lunch session. I was given to understand he is a new recruit and under Test-Training. (On the Job training with an intention to check which area u excel). I handed him a list of our branch office Contact Nos and PIC. A follow up call, to all the branch heads, had to be made regarding an exclusive report they were to send. I assigned him the task.
Off with the list and the cordless he went on the other end. A transparent glass door, which courteously allowed sound waves to pass thru it, stood between us.

The First Call: Chennai branch: Fluent and Confident he went on in Tamil…PIC of Chennai turned out to be his old friend (this was a surprise to me, not him). The conversation went on for more than 20 mins (in Tamil), more like 2 frnz chatting after a long time…nevertheless the intended msg was conveyed.
The Subsequent Calls: lasted for hardly 2-3 mins. The msg was conveyed crisp and short, that too with great difficulty. Lack of clarity in communication, warranted my intervention occasionally. For him, Language was a barrier. Tamil was the only known language and English was just about manageable. Relentless of his drawback, he carried on the task with great dedication. His intentions to convey were visible, but language was a problem.

1.5 hours past…all follow-ups were done. I went to thank him for the genuine efforts he had put in.
Struggling to frame sentences, he communicated to me his language issues. My efforts to convince him that language is only a temporary barrier, and he will overcome it soon, didn’t bring any positive results. During our conversation I realized his agitation and helplessness went beyond Language.
He was unhappy with the entire idea of “being Trained” and then put to work.
“Push and thou shall learn to swim” was his point of view.
I made some futile attempts by giving mini lectures on “Company Policy, Training: A platform for Better working” etc etc…..Dumb and Silly, sometimes I feel, on my urge to use those bookish fundas….
Finally I decided to do what I had as my Master Plan.
Breaking all my apprehensions, I spoke to him in Tamil. Tamil, for me, is as bad as any other language to him. Yet, at this point, his strength was more important than my weakness. May be his issues on training could be resolved better, in his own language. My ideas on training were the same, (old and boring bookish fundas), but language made a difference. He seemed to agree, on certain sections, though not all, when Tamil was chosen as a medium of Communication. Time and again he put forth the question on why I did not let him know earlier, of my Tamil Speaking Ability.
I had the same reply each time
“ I m not very fluent with the language”(This phrase had been his monopoly throughout the conversation) [;)]

Some Hidden Treasures

2008-08-29T19:29:00.005+05:30

Cozily I lay on my bed…some random thoughts, freaky ideas, abstract conversations all pouring in. This inspires me to write. But write what? Haven’t thought about it… definitely something using the best of my vocabulary…something tender, something pensive, something articulate….just an experience. Just a feeling.
It isn’t everyday that I read thru my older posts. Wonder why I chose to do it this time?
A “wow” wave flows in as I recall that rainy afternoon when I knitted those wonderful lines….
This post might not excite you highly, but it surely leaves me with a grim feeling to re-read my own experiences, hidden in the form of entries here.
Expectantly I move on to see if I can come across some more phrases that I would love to call “My Favourite”
Not a long wait. ……as I stumble upon this one…
Over the years, they have graduated…elevated themselves by status,
I invite them for some fruitful discussions and they come up with brilliant ideas
Rarely does the World get an insight into my Universe of Imagination. This was one such opportunity. That evening, I translated my imaginations in Words…
My appetite encourages me to scan thru some older entries. In an attempt to feed myself, I come across this one…
Is it the time constraint, I wonder,
Or is it the constraint of creativity.
Is it the problem of communication,
Or is it all about others’ perception
Disability to keep up with frequent posts leads to couplets like these. They are one of my all time favourites.
In yet another leaf, I state,
I m a journey lover irrespective of the mode of transport
How very true! That me! Any further explanations, I fear, might tarnish its element of simplicity.
Anxiously I browse. In my urge to find more hidden treasures I discover this….
Every Article posted here… originally gets scribbled elsewhere…. Mostly in the last few pages of some book
This isn’t one of my favourite, but an old habit that died its own death. My initial posts in this blog have had hard copies too. The latest ones don’t share this privilege.
Having discovered some of these hidden treasures, I believe, it’s time to create some more of them and hide them further.

Me and My Mumbai Local

2008-07-28T18:05:00.004+05:30

10.30ST
10.26PL
10.28 on a week-day morning. The 10.26PL train is as usual delayed. The arrival of this local consistently matches with its counter part 10.30ST, the local that I await. Punctually delayed by 3 mins, my ST local gracefully makes an entry at 10.33.A bunch of hungry passengers, decked in Formals-Semi-Formals and Casuals hog on to it.

Once in, the wise and lazy look for vacant seats, while the young and energetic occupy the entrance standings. I belong to the latter category. The permission to stand at the entrance comes with a set of Rights and Duties.

Familiarity with the quantum of crowd getting in and out at each stop is warranted.
By-standers are duty bound to pave way for inflow and outflow of passengers at each station.
The ability to put on, with some minor stampede, keeping the “Cleanliness Mantra” at bay, is a “must” factor. This ability undergoes a litmus test, when vegetable vendors place their huge-healthy cargoes at your feet.
Cribbing and exchange of angry looks is strictly prohibited for a peaceful journey of one and all. The height of tolerance comes, when, at each station you have passengers standing behind u, tapping at your shoulder, only to know if you are getting down at the next station. If the answer is affirmative, you are spared, else the next in line co-passengers get the right to make their way ahead of you. A temporary impediment experienced at each stop.

As against all this, one enjoys sufficient privileges for being in the latter category. Primarily, free-flowing breeze when the train is in momentum as compared to stuffy interiors. The golden touch of the mid morning-pre-afternoon sunrays on bright sunny days. During Monsoon, in the absence of heavy rains, the pleasantries of the weather are a treat to experience. If this is not all, watching the common Indian Street families busy with their day today chores isn’t a bad site either. Clothes are put to dry in between the tracks, letting Mother Nature dry them. School goers walk alongside the tracks glancing at each train passing by. For these school goers and families dwelling along the tracks, the site of a noisy train passing by, is not unusual. Yet they acknowledge it, by giving a glance. The best part would be to watch the trains change tracks. The intertwined tracks make the locals change direction at an astonishing pace. May sound silly, but interesting to note that the destination of the trains lies in its tracks.

Amidst all the liveliness and distractions, I reach my destination station, only to get back in the late evening hours (night to be precise). Evening Scene is different, calm and peaceful. Golden sunrays get replaced by silver lunar beams. Wayside families have resided home, street lights, on roads, shine bright, announcing the busy-ness in them. Clothes put to dry in the morning must have dried; their absence from the tracks indicates it. The crowd inside the train is less pushy and more tired.
After all, the same crowd-cum-co-passenger needs to board a local next morning……

Critical Concerns.

2008-07-22T18:05:00.003+05:30

Passion in its final colour is obsession and obsession in its worst stage is madness. The initial 3 mistakes weren’t an accidental phenomena. It dates back to the first train taken. The train and its experience were a new beginning. A beginning that wanted to see no end. Escapades happened adventures came along, some cheerful, some serious, but nothing deterred from lightening the spark of passion. And passion like fire gobbles in no time.

Stopping, was, by no means possible, changing the course of action seemed a better option. That’s exactly what was given a try. Drawing a Five Point Agenda, to invest the time and energy in an else- to-do-activities was chalked out. An impossible attempt with a secret intention. Dan Brown in his book introduces the readers to a whole new world of cryptics. Good Option, if thought of, an excellent pass time to kill time. But in this case it failed to create magic. Call it magic, in the Tradition of the Sun or the Tradition of the Moon, it works only if it succeeds. Here the cryptic strategy failed miserably, infact, it can no more be called a strategy, just a namesake attempt to move the cheese in the maze. Television, Music none of the conventional methods worked. Books didn’t do any good either. From Thousand Splendid Suns to Mahatma v/s Gandhi, all have been game to it and turned futile. They say, in turbulent times, lateral thinking should be adopted, it works wonders.

Lateral Thinking if applied, brings up the most critical concern of whether efforts are being made in the right direction. Tough question, even for me to answer. May be, time consuming as well. No point brooding over miscellaneous issues unless this most critical query is answered. So I decided to take a few moments off and entangle myself into some puzzle writing.

Read back and discover, an attempt to make a silent note of some prominent books that I have read so far.

BFI Down.

2008-07-16T14:29:00.004+05:30

4.5 months of hibernation and back. Must admit; to the enormous changes that have taken place. The GREAT Indian Film Industry is now with us…. in the blogging world. With AB, AK, SK owning blogs, we have a glamour quotient added to this space.

With the population of this genre increasing by the day, I decided to take a quick stroll through these lanes. Honestly, for me, there has been too much of writing these days. (One of the prime reasons for my absence here).Happy to grace the research side of the Shipping Industry, my daily report generation mechanism gives me sufficient opportunity to play with words. Bar Graphs, Pie Charts and Series Tables have now become integral. Infact, it was during one of these exciting graphical endeavors that I realized, my much enthusiastically begun blogging space has been neglected. A quick plotting along the X-Y Axis enlightened me on the downward sloping Blogging Frequency Index. (Here after referred as BFI).

In my daily routine I always hope for positive indices, positive market trends, because it is easy to narrate a happy story than brood over sad ones. Red indices, falling markets compel me to analyze the adverse conditions with non-repetitive sorrow phrases. But my own BFI showed declining trends: A sign indicating, its time for corrections.

At the time of adverse conditions, sad stories can be turned to happy ones, with the commonly used tool of FORECASTS. When indices are down, show them the forecasts, if near future trends are equally saddening, bring up the long term fundamentals. On being well acquainted with these gimmicks, it is difficult to resist their usage in today’s post.

However…I better refrain my temptation. As it is, with my consistently inconsistent blogging, “My Space” is crying out loud. It’s high time the BFI starts moving northwards, and this post intends to take the first step towards yet another humble beginning.

Here it goes ...yet again...

2008-02-14T18:04:00.007+05:30

Here it goes. One more post-Work Related.Need to think of sumthing else b4 my readers brand me Monotonous.

Par kya kare,when from 12.00pm to 9.00pm u r in front of a Digital Notebook tracing the Freight rates,Crude oil prices, Vessel Positions and Port Operations…such workaholic posts are bound to come up.
So coming to the point…..2day is an independence day for me.In the sense,Boss is out,his Secretary is out..its me with only myself around.
Independent working, No interruptions....i find the usual 30mins work gets done in less than 10mins when done with continuity!
A Great sense of freedom…Management books talk a lot on delegation n decentralization of Authority…..A day without the Boss seems some what decentralized.
The schedule for the day was well decided….My agenda was drawn up in advance by HIM…yet…the order of priority was left to me. There were no
(un)necessary interactions to distract, Phone calls came up…but were non-diverting….in the sense, the calls didn’t warrant the dropping of task in hand and heading for sumthing new.
A smooth working with systematic timing!

Now for all those who are waiting to read, that I packed up soon n rushed back home..Sorry to disappoint u!
That didn’t happen. As of now…all I know, is, I need to be heading to a golf club to attend a Dinner hosted by our Company in the honour of an overseas Guest.
Heeeheeee….Smart readers know I m posting this from Office!
Cya…Bye!

Sailing in a New Ship.

2008-01-31T21:16:00.001+05:30

Sailing in a new Ship, all the day long,
My Voyage charters me to hum a new song.
A different routine, all in a new weather,
Where Weekdays are long and Sundays seem shorter.

Bunkered with Joy, my each day dawns,
Carrying the Cargo of Zeal, all the way long.
I reach the port and face the sea,
Watching the waves of Experience waiting for me.

On to the Vessel I jump and sail with them
From the shore they take me to the Knowledge Den.
With each nautical mile, a discovery is made,
With the thrill of learning a new path is laid.

Sailing in a new Ship, all the day long,
Carrying a fleet of dreams and wishes along.
Praying and hoping to have a merry time,
In the industry that is often called Maritime!

The Blogger Returns

2007-12-18T13:51:00.001+05:30

“Jab We Met” in June 2007, I had just toppled the Board of “No Entry” to enter the Blogosphere.
Initially “My Experiments with Truth” on Blogging were shrouded by fear and apprehensions.
It seemed like a “Mission Impossible” to accomplish.

However on “Applying Thought” I realized that what I have in me, is a “Basic Instinct” to Blog and there was no point killing this instinct.
So I decided to experience “The Joy of Flying” high on this passion.
With cute lil baby steps, I entered this new domain; only to discover that, soon I was all set to board the “Train to Maturity”

Today the “Baby’s Day is Out”.
The “Sense and Sensibility” of Blogging has been learnt.
With 6 months and 15 posts, it can be said that….
“In pursuit of Happiness” under the name of blogging, I see myself heading towards; what I call; “The Vyom Supremacy”.

Catch 22!

2007-10-26T12:36:00.001+05:30

Hello and Wel-Come to an exclusive section on Catch 22.
This is Anjali Kapoor and we bring u the live updates of Catch 22..the Mega Event. We are here to catch up with 22nd Bday Celebrations of 21st of October. This is the eve of 21st Oct…the 9th Day of Navratri and the eve of Dusshera .So without wasting much of the time…lets get in touch with our correspondent Suja Sharma…

Anjali: Suja,tell us how is the mood out there? It’s the eve of 21st Oct and 9th day of Navratri?
Suja: Yes Anjali..as u see its jubilation time out here….the bday girl is with her friends at the Navratri Night and with the bday coming up..its makes the event all the more special.

Anjali: That’s gr8 Suja, can u throw some light on who all are present with the bday girl on the eve of her Bday cum Dusshera?
Suja: As I just said Anjali,she is with her college friends,they are all decked up to take the dance floor...the cheer and joy is visible on their face..at the same time we also see a bit of impatience, for the Dance Night is yet to begin.

Thnx a lot for those updates Suja…we will get back to u for more.

For all those who have just joined us….let us tell them..that we are here to Catch Up with the 22nd Bday Celebrations of the 21st of October…a very rare event that coincides with final day of Navratri. And this is the eve of 21st Oct…
Let us recall that this is not the 1st time that her bday is coinciding with a festive occasion. Last year too the bday fell in line with Diwali..and some years back it was Dusshera…a wonderful observation to make.

And as we speak to u….looks like the Dance Night has begun…lets get back to Suja…

On to u Suja….

Suja: Anjali,u should be here to watch them…the colourful navratri dance is taken its full form….The group is njoying like anything…they have an excellent choreographer within the group to assist them in co-ordination. It’s a treat to watch them perform. The bday girl is having a gala time.

Thnx Suja for those updates..the excitement in ur voice speaks for itself.
We take a short break on this note…..n will be right back….so stay tuned!

BREAKING NEWS: TEAM INDIA GIFTS THE BDAY GIRL

Wel-come back…looks like the bday girl has got her 1st bday gift…n guess who has given it to her? Well..its none other than the Capt Dhoni himself…Team India wins the T20 against the mighty Aussies.Its interesting to note that amidst all the festive celebrations and the Bday, there was this exciting match going on, n the Victory of Indian Team comes as a big Good News….…making celebration all the more special.

And now…With the eve of bday coming to an end…hardly a few minutes left for the clock to strike 12.00….the phone calls and smses have already started pouring in for the bday girl.

For all our Viewers who wish to send their bday greetings can send them at the following nos, flashing on the Screen.

56324--------- 56248----------- 54975

And here we get the updates that… THE FAMILY seems to be the 1st to wish…the frnz still waiting for the extact 12.00…
And there it goes…
the Clock Strikes 12.00!!!
God!!!Its the 21st of October.....
the much awaited Day Finally arrives!!!!
Loads of wishes, calls ,messages, friends rushing in to wish…. multi-tasking seems to be needed…its the The Very Special: 21st of October….n that’s evident.

The bday Girl is on her way back home…let’s catch up what’s in store for her at the residence?
Tons and tons of wishes of course, a cute mobile pouch and a Wallet…as a bday Gift…Wow!!!!

The Journey for the 22nd Year begins here….

And here we come to the end of this special section of Catch 22.
For more updates…Keep Watching Vyospace!!!

A page from my Diary

2007-10-08T21:58:00.000+05:30

Adhoc Writing has taken a toll on me…With a marketing friend on one side and a finance one on the other..i try to key my thoughts from the computer Lab of our college.

The entrance of the Lab is right in front of me..n each time the door opens..my lil mind pops out to see who ushers in…if it’s a known face, I m forced to smile…else I m lucky to continue this thread..

How does Inflation affect the Consumer Buying Behaviour? Ahhh!! That’s the question my dear marketing friend has put up to me…
The query is answered to the best of my knowledge…n on the face of it, he seems content with my reply…He is busy giving final touches to his upcoming presentation, as I resume my post…

For once the lab has adorned complete silence…just perfect for me to blog…such a divine silence indicates the presence of a Faculty in the Room…Once quick glance around to check if my contentions are right…
Of course they are…How can I be wrong?..the pride in me speaks!

Pause Pause…
One brief pause again!…

Such pauses are imminent…esp when ppl hover around u, to see, what u r doing. That’s what just happened.
Obviously, I don’t want to tell them I m Blogging….so, I minimize this page in a jiffy…My backup is ready…a document titled “Bretton Woods Conference”….a stuff boring enough to shoo ppl away….

Eureka!! I m successful…they are Gone!
I grin at my wickedness…

This wickedness, however, won’t last long…with the room getting noisier and interruptions increasing… its time for:
*Preview
*Publish Post
*View Blog
*Sign Out

N for all u readers who are now at the end of this post…plz help urself to the Add Comment Hall.

Straight from the Heart

2007-09-20T22:15:00.000+05:30

Every Article posted here… originally gets scribbled elsewhere….Mostly in the last few pages of some scrap book….
Phase 2: It gets edited and modified and by the time the final version comes out for the readers, the blogger has already read it at least a 4-5 times.

This one comes straight from the heart to the Blog….no editions no modifications…no prior reading….Direct Shoot!

*STATUTORY WARNING*: Intentions of the Blogger are subject to change.
The intention expressed in this article should NOT be generally applied to the forth coming articles

Productive HR.

2007-09-20T22:07:00.000+05:30

When a faculty lectures on “Attitude”, “Ego”, “Superior-Sub-ordinate Relationship”…which session do u think is going on?
HR?
Well….not really…it is a session on Productivity Techniques (P.T)
Amused? Let me explain….here is how it goes!

Each session of P.T starts with recapitulation of Productivity Ratio. (Output/Input)
From here, it moves on to Partial Productivity of Labour….
Once the “Labour” term comes in…The HR Domain is entered…and then there is no looking back.
The numericals of Productivity get replaced by the Theories of HR….The so called P.T Session gets transformed into an HR Class.

The Receivers of the session or the so called Future Managers aren’t very happy with this.
“He (the faculty) isn’t teaching what he is meant to teach”…..goes the Class Sentiment.

The efficiency with which the faculty slips out of his subject and targets an entirely new one…helps them understand the practical aspects of Labour Productivity in the wrong direction!

The Fear....

2007-09-06T15:30:00.001+05:30

U came to me, like an unknown concept,
I tried understanding u,
U generated an idea in me,

I tried developing u,
U gave me a new platform for communication,
I started gaining from u.

From every opportunity, I encashed
With every mistake, I rectified
From every feedback, I learnt
With each passing event- I Grew.

U continue to remain loyal,
Though my loyalty is at stake,
With tons and tons of apprehensions
I fear the sight of fading passion.

Is it the time constraint, I wonder
Or is it the constraint of creativity
Is it the problem of communication
Or is it all about others’ perception?

Again I look upto to u, Dear Friend
For answers, that will put my queries to end
I know, I can still bank on ur loyalty,
Though mine is at stake, Already!

Check Mate!

2007-08-22T21:36:00.001+05:30

Sometimes...even simple people in common places stand apart due to their individuality.
Here are, a few such Mates….whom I find individualistic and original in their own way.

MATE 1:
So to begin with, I have this wonderful friend of mine who comes to the college everyday with the hope that “All Lectures should get cancelled”. Not that she likes to bunk lectures but in case the scheduled lecture gets called off…she will be the first to rush back home.
At PG Level where Sunday Sessions are mandatory, for her, they are Self-Declared Holidays.
If u ask me, for my take on this person,
Well…. for reasons unknown, I find this quirky friend very interesting.

MATE 2:
Religion can be classified into 2 parts: Morality and Spirituality.
Thought provoking, isn’t it?
This un-conventional, somewhat ahead of the times persona comes up with many such Point to Ponder Statements….
Another major point (for me) to mention is…..When one sect of society goes gaga over my articles…this self-proclaimed- hardcore critic advices me not to blog or write articles just for the sake of filling up empty spaces.
And this is where…I start reviewing my Creative Writing Skills.(with due respect to all your honesty,Dear friend).

MATE 3:
If I ever get a chance to probe more into the life of this celebrity friend, I would land up writing a Biography on her.
I brand her as someone who can achieve anything and everything under the sky.
Smart, Stylish with loads of attitude…an extrovert who loves to take the stage often.
Whether opportunities come her way or she goes on to create them is still a mystery...
But what left me spell bound is one of the recent confessions where she says:
I love the stage...but love it even more when there is no audience...I love being on stage...with absolutely no one else to perform for...except myself...that perhaps when i love it the most!

MATE 4:
A Double PG Holder, both the degrees, from elite institutions…capable of earning a handsome package…BUT takes the self-employment route. The self-owned venture barely manages to stay afloat, a few points above BEP level…yet there is, this immense persistence to stay in and help the venture grow.
What makes me sit up and take notice in this person is the urge to take the tougher route when the easier one is readily available on the platter.

MATE 5:
Hey, my best mate, my love, my treasure… MY THOUGHTS.
I like unwinding them in my own pace….with my own style…
The anonymity maintained in this article, the obvious under-statements, and the subtle narrations….for all this, Courtesy: MATE 5!

One gloomy Saturday

2007-07-28T17:26:00.001+05:30

One dark gloomy Saturday.
Gloomy..that explains the weather outside.
Raining Heavily…Its afternoon time..sun-rays seen no-where.

Here,I m all by myself…in a relaxed mood. Weather is chill…the ceiling fan of my room rotating in full swing. I love to make the atmosphere around me more chilling…even though it’s already cold outside.

Cozily I lay on my bed…some random thoughts, freaky ideas, abstract conversations all pouring in. This inspires me to write. But write what? Haven’t thought about it… definitely something using the best of my vocabulary…something tender, something pensive, something articulate…And no! it shouldn’t be funny…neither thought provoking….just an experience..Just a feeling.

Rains continue to pour outside. I m in my room, with lights dim. Wise people generally advice not to strain our eyes in dim lights. But I m here with my writing pad, penning some stray thoughts, just hoping, not to be disturbed while cherishing these beautiful moments.

The experience is Enchanting…
Chillness Endearing…
A wonderful-wonderful feeling…that makes me say…
“Luxury Defined”

19 years Later....

2007-07-26T19:22:00.001+05:30

A Matured Adult….
Married to a friend’s Sibling,
Waving goodbyes….to the kids leaving for school...

Surprised?
Me too!

Well…that’s the glimpse of the final chapter of the 607 pages book titled
“Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows”

With a high rated anticipation and killing curiosity I went to the nearest bookstore to get the 1st hand insight of the final edition of the Harry Potter series.

Disappointed I was..to find the “All Copies Sold out” Board.
May be that’s the penalty for not being a Harry fan..I was late by a day.

Aimlessly I wandered around the store hunting for some interesting titles….only to be given a surprise!
One copy of Harry Potter book lying somewhere in the Management Section. Was this a customized move or an accident, is debatable...But no time for all that.

I hurriedly opened the last section of the book... to find Harry married, having kids.
Nineteen years later,…to me, sounds like a generation leap of a K-serial.
Disappointed to see Rowling going the Ekta (Kapoor) way.

I m not a Harry Potter fan…haven’t read any of the HP series, except for the 1st one.
I just wanted to know if the much predicted Harry's death, takes place... (Infact didn’t want Harry to die)

So why did the end upset me?
Why don’t I sympathize with Rowling’s way of termination?

No Answers for all these!!!!!!
Muggles can be crazy….Harry would agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet them..They are Special:-)

2007-07-05T08:52:00.001+05:30

Hey stop!!!…I call out….
Who asked u to leave?
Innocently they look at me... as if, begging for permission…My heart melts and I let them go.
Oh No! Definitely not alone…I got to accompany them. These lil creatures soon get lost..n then it takes a lot of time to bring them back.
Left to themselves..they wander like vagabond clouds. with absolutely no sense of direction…

They go on to gender the inanimate objects..

Table-Masculine
Chair-Feminine

Book? I ask….one curious look at me…and they say…Male!! For sure!
Why? I question. And they remind me of their identity.
Yes….i say to myself, they are entitled to what they are doing.

Encourage them a little more…and they come up with interesting stories…Right Hand and Left Hand are 2 different families with 5 members each….they say…
These stories continue as long as my curiosity in them exists. I enjoy being in their company. and love all the crazy things they do.Infact I flow with their innocence…and cherish those wonderful moments.

But then I keep reminding them that I have got some priorities to do…and tactfully convince these lil creatures to be back in their room…They obey my orders obediently only to find them out the very next moment…
What now? I ask….
They point at the bird sitting at the window…the bird flies and so do, these innocent ones. And now, I have no choice but to follow them….
They make me experience the joy of flying... show me the aerial view of the earth…and once again I m lost with them…

Well…for all those who r still wondering who these notorious creatures are… they are my Imaginations…reside in my mind,

Over the years, they have graduated…elevated themselves by status…Gendering inanimate objects and Right hand-Left hand family stories have become history…They have matured intellectually…infact,now I invite them for some fruitful discussions and they come up with brilliant ideas…
I have got used to their interruptions….they are, in a way, my loyal companions….
And the latest news being, we have registered ourselves with M.A.S. (mutual Admiration Society)!

The Demand and Supply Side of ME

2007-06-27T14:36:00.000+05:30

The journalist in me does a fine job of generating periodical reports indicating the gap between the Demand and Supply Side in me.
The Demand Side represents my Dreams,Ambitions,Passion and a huge list of things to do....
The Supply Side is a production House of my efforts,plans and policies and my working towards my target. I call this supply side as VyoCom Ltd. VyoCom Ltd is a public Company and the subscribers to the issue are my kith and kin,near and dear ones...who help me achieve my targets.The supply side is well supported by infrastructural,financial and social resources....though the optimum utilization of these, lie in the hands of the enterpreneur of VyoCom alone(thats me).

Here i present a snap-shot of the interview taken by the journalist in me with the enterpreneur of VyoCom..(me again)

Q1:Journalist : VyoCom's performance in the Car Driving Sector seems to have died down shortly after commencement?
Ans: It hasn't really died down.We are well equipped with the driving skills and test runs have also been successful.We have even obtained the requisite license.There are a few issues which need to be tackled.To enter this sector we need to take the Joint-Venture route.We are in look out for a technical Co-venturer and then we will soon have our take on the roads.

Q2:Journalist : Friendship Sector is booming and so is your Company?
Ans : Yeah..thats right,Social Contact Sector is booming...and we are doing well on the personal and professional front.Its great to be back in touch with good old buddies..Thanks to the social community websites..they act as a great aid to this robost side of economy.

Q3:Journalist : You seem to be a pioneer in the Virtual Space?
Ans : Oh no!Not a pioneer..but surely ahead of a few counterparts.A blog helped us in creating a niche in the virtual Space.There are more expansion plans in this sector...and they will be shortly announced.

Q4:Journalist : When will VyoCom enter the Corporate World?
Ans : 1 more year to go...we are in the process...VyoCom is at present taking Internship training for the same.We will soon make our presence felt in the Corporate World.

Q5: Journalist : There are allegations that VyoCom is not performing well in the Culinary Sector?
Ans : Not performing well? Not performing at all..you must say..Ha Ha Ha...Well...we do not believe in taking up new ventures without having enterpreneurial interest in them.We intend to enter the Culinary side ..but not right at the moment... surely very soon..

Q6: Journalist : Final Question : VyoCom, 5 years down the line?
Ans : Hmmm....a long pause....a deafening silence...the silence continues...........................(the jounalist gets fed up and walks away).
INTERVIEW ENDS!

And the Bus moves on....

2007-06-10T17:50:00.000+05:30

Time 8.45pm : Mom is busy with the last moment packing and Dad is ensuring whether all doors of the balcony and windows are locked.And, both me and my lil sis are enthusiatic as ever,with our summer vacations just having begun.We are heading towards Mumbai for vacations.(from Aurangabad)

The watchman of the building arrives to carry our luggage to the ground floor.Ours is a 4storeyed bldg and we live on the 4th Floor of the bldg with a "NO LIFT" facility.But for the watchman, we would have to carry our luggage ourselves.Dad pays the watchman somewhere between Rs2/- to Rs5/- for his obligation...i aint sure how much he pays, but he makes a coin payment.

Time 9.00pm: We are at the bus stop waiting for the bus.This waiting period always brings with it some usual conversations..Mom giving us instructions about behaving well,not to fight,help grandma in the day today chores....these are certain usual unobeyed instructions, and we have no choice but to hear them.

Time 9.15pm: If the bus is on time it arrives by 9.15pm.Boarding the bus brings with itself the joy of vacations.It sets the vacation mood in us.A bit of hussle-bussle till we settle down and then the bus moves on....Initailly there are a lot of irritating stops but then the continuous journey sets in....

I m a journey lover and njoy long rides irrespective of the mode of transport..and this journey is all the more special to me...As the bus moves on..the cool breeeze pours in,the honking of the cargo trucks is soothing to the ears, the street lights on the highway make a wonderful sight and the sound of the movie played in the bus is worth the hear....if u all are wondering what is so pleasurable about these sounds..its the thrill of vacations,the excitement of meeting grandparents that makes them pleasurable. As the bus moves on...the joy of nearing Mumbai dawns in....

Lost in the thoughts,mentally making plans for vacations..i doze off to sleep..Even in the sleep one can hear the honking of the cargo trucks,feel the jerk of the bus..n once the bus stops..it disturbs the sleep.Again as the bus moves on...i am back in my dreams.

A sudden bout of humidity disturbs my sleep again...but this time its a wakeup call..the difference in the weather conditions speaks for itself..Aurangabad has a dry weather and thats why Mumbai's humidity strikes the body with a grace.....i realize

Once off the bus,we cant wait a second,we hire a taxi straight to Grandparents place..and HURRAH!!!!!
There begins our summer vacations...the 2 best months of the year...i simply wish they go on and on and on.......

Watch out for the sequel of this article "Paradise on Earth"

Vyo's World

Kitchen Fantasy

Highlights 2011

Smiling Sooji :)

You are Here

Thank You

100 (Minus 1)

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Foodie Saturday

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Just a Thought..

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11th Hour Checklist

The Taj Speaks...

Dematerialising Them...

An Old Promise...

Paradise on Earth

Straight from the Heart