The charm of learning a new language!

‘English Vinglish’ – A lot has been written, a lot has been said and a lot has been discussed about this film. May it be the impactful dialogues or the nuanced screenplay – director Gauri Shinde has done a commendable job. Much acclaimed for its relevance across audience categories, the film is a complete delight to watch, as much for its appealing content as it is for the charismatic performance of Sridevi. What I am going to talk about however is a related yet slightly different topic i.e. ‘The charm of learning a new language’!

Language, ya Bhasha, gives life to life. While the expression of love may not need a language yet the same expression of love becomes so much more enticing when done with a beautiful set of words. Many a times we are able to remember certain events or cherish certain moments not for the way they happened but for the way a particular person said a particular thing. Language also helps in connecting people across boundaries. All it takes is a few minutes for two strangers, who hail from the same country, to become friends in a foreign land. I remember meeting a Fijian old married couple when going to a desert safari in Dubai. While we were watching the belly dance performance, the Fijian lady commented ‘Waise toh rule laga ke rakha hai ki short kapde mat pehno; ab yahan pe aise dance chal raha hai toh koi problem nhi hai in logo ko :P’. Now, without endorsing or subscribing to the viewpoint, there was an instant connect. It felt so great; in the sense, you have somebody from a country that is thousands of miles away from India yet so close when it comes to culture and language. What followed was a memorable discussion. We talked about a lot of things ranging from their traditional attire to their cuisines. I was especially delighted to hear about the Hindi writers in Fiji.



Language is the foundation of culture. Our understanding of a culture can never be complete unless we know its language. There is a famous Czech Proverb which goes like ‘Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem’ meaning ‘You live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once’. Not sure how many people will agree with this but learning a new language is therapeutic in nature. It is an engaging activity that not only is fun to pursue but also enhances the positivity in the learner’s attitude. And you do get to learn so many new things as well. Honestly speaking, my idea of a Romance Language was that of a language which probably has some relation with poetry or has lot of literature written around the feeling of love until one of my friends who is learning French told me that it actually refers to the languages that have derived from Latin e.g. Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.

However, I would agree that much of what I wrote above doesn’t hold true when it comes to learning English. I think a lot of it derives out of the fact that English is not really seen as a foreign language in India. Lot of Indians can speak very good English. And those who cannot are often looked down or picked for the incorrect usage of grammar. This not only takes away the whole charm and fun related to learning a new language but also leads to a huge amount of insecurity amongst the person struggling to learn the language. What is even sad is the fact that a huge chunk of population in India now values knowing English far more than knowing their mother tongue. Sadly though, it only takes the younger generation away from their native culture. How many of us do read books written in our mother tongue? How many of us know the name of last year’s ‘Sahitya Academy Award Winner’? Rather do we even know that such an award exists in our country?

But we feel amused when we come across a foreigner who can speak even a little bit of Hindi (or any of our Indian languages). We would even go out of our way to teach him/her a few new words. Well if we can be so appreciative of a foreigner trying to learn a few words of our mother tongue, why can’t we be appreciative of somebody amongst us who is struggling to learn English. I think this is one of the major points that Gauri Shinde has wonderfully depicted in English Vinglish and hopefully we all will be able to realize the importance of it.

Just so that the charm of learning a new language doesn’t get replaced by a gamut of insecurities :)

A 'Nano' for the 'Student of the Year' ???

I, initially, thought of posting this article on a new blog that I have been planning to start for quite a while now i.e. ‘lifeatiimr’; however, while organizing the various thoughts that I was planning to pen down, I felt it is better that I post it here only.

Let us start with a question. What do you think can be a good reason for you to join a particular company/organization? A lot of organizations that I come across nowadays claim that they are very different from other companies and the argument that they have to support this claim goes like ‘We have a really diverse workforce. We have a drummer and a writer working in the same team’. While a lot of people may like and appreciate this, I always wonder why it should be such a great Employee Value Proposition at all. I don’t think diverse workforce can be a great reason for me to join a company. After all I don’t join an organization so as to get a chance of being in the company of a music enthusiast or an upcoming writer. I would rather join an interest group if at all I wish to inculcate any of these talents. With due regards to the respective talents, the most compelling reason for a person to join a particular company should rather be getting an opportunity to work on a project of his/her area of interest wherein he/she can make a meaningful contribution and enhance some of his/her professional and personal skills in the process.

While it is true that having a diverse workforce enhances creativity and leads to interesting discussions at times, it should not be the prime reason for joining a particular organization nor should it be the prime EVP from the organization’s point of view. The most important reason should always be the nature of work opportunity and a clear description of associated roles and responsibilities. Why I say so is because a lot of my friends often tell me that they feel like useless in their current roles at their respective organizations. And most of these organizations are renowned MNCs. So the point is, while things like diverse workforce, creative outlook and other fun activities are important, work is the most important thing that one should focus on while selecting a particular organization. The satisfaction derived out of having made a meaningful contribution at your work is immense and that's what matters the most in a longer run.

Moving on, let us talk about the marketing strategy of Tata Motors’ much talked car ‘Nano’. I often wonder whether it’s the marketing strategy that is lacking or is it the product that has some problem. Well to me the problem seems to be located at the marketing front. Attempt after attempt the promotion just seem to be going wrong. For example, the latest marketing campaign wherein they have associated Tata Nano with the movie ‘Student of the year’ and have invited the students across campuses to participate in a series of competitions. 

As per the information on web, the Nano Student of the Year will be awarded with a Rs. 3-lakh scholarship, the first runner-up will get a Tata Nano and the second runner-up will receive a Macbook Pro. Now the whole concept seems completely at fault. First of all ‘Student of the year’ is a glam packed movie featuring a school so posh that such a school might not even exist in real in the entire country; and where the students on the very first day of their joining come in some of most luxurious cars available out there. Now attaching what was meant to be a common man’s car to such a film seems a little odd at the very thought of it. Secondly, why would you give a Tata Nano to the first runner up and not to the winner of the competition while the whole reason behind the competition is to promote the car?

Look at the promotional campaign of the recent season of KBC. ‘Gyan hi aapko aapka hak dilata hai’! Simple and clear positioning! I think KBC is one of the best positioned products that everyone can identify with especially the common man. In my opinion the marketing team of Tata Nano should have associated themselves with the current season of KBC rather than a glamorous movie like ‘Student of the year’. Giving away a Tata Nano instead of Rs. 200,000/- cash prize or may be a Tata Nano + Rs. 800,000/- instead of Rs.1,000,000/- would have been a good way of marketing the car to the right customer segment through a right channel.

In the end, just came across this nicely written article on 'Pagalguy.com' - 'Swapnil Dharmsktu, only female student at IIM Kashipur is 'most wanted' during group assignments for 'other' view point [http://www.pagalguy.com/news/swapnil-dharmsktu-only-female-student-iim-kashipur-most-wanted-during-group-assignments-other-view-point-a-29367]'. The poor gender ratio at most of the Indian BSchools is saddening so to say the least. In an era where more and more women are joining and leading the corporate workforce, lack of healthy gender ratio limits the overall learning experience to a great extent. Hope the situation will improve in the coming years!

Don’t quite agree with the above opinions? Well then leave a comment and let us discuss it further …

#1 Hypocrite?? Naah ... may be #1 Blogger ....

With lot of fanfare I would like to take this opportunity of introducing the first guest writer to this very special blog of mine ….. “Shruti Carol” …. Taliyan J J ….. A wonderful person and a very dear friend, Shruti is an extremely talented writer. She writes about fashion and enjoys a great fan following at her blog Ramp or' Not!. Recently she won ‘The Versatile Blogger’ award for the inspiring work she has been doing all this while. Pictures that are an essential part of all her writings (as you might have seen by now) make her blog come alive. Many thanks to her for she has been sport enough to add grace to my blog with yet another lively picture of hers. Now, without any more ado let us find what Shruti has written for us today …..

This post was planned about a week ago, except that there was no content. Considering the fact that I don't write that often I have been looking for some inspiration. Inspiration is a freckle thing, comes and goes. You'll find it when it is least expected like it has happened to me today. I got down from the warm layer of my blankets, slipped into my favorite sweatshirt, grabbed a big cup of coffee and walked around the balcony with nothing on my mind.

And then I thought I was bored with my life. It had turned monotonous. I wonder if it's just me or many other twenty-something people who look back at the years passed and feel that they haven't really done anything. The frustration of that moment runs through my veins and makes me restless. I feel I am wasting my days as if I could retrieve all those days I named ‘wasted’. Which were gone! I succumb to emotions and forget that I am wasting more time and energy pondering over things that are physically impossible to change. I, for a moment feel like running away from things around and not return for five years (just a random number, don't pay attention to my figures) as if that could get me freedom forever. But then, I do a favor on myself and stay back.

Freedom is so individualistic and changes with time. Right? When we were kids, a holiday from school would mean freedom for that day. Freedom was to not apologize for coming late to school or for not doing home work. As teenagers, getting away from scolding for scoring less in the exam or even spending a day at a friend's place away from home meant freedom. Spending all day playing video games and not fearing being watched was freedom. We joined college and became rebellions. We thought freedom was to bunk classes whenever we wanted and not be punished for it. We claimed freedom to speak our mind, freedom to protest a wrong doing, freedom to decide our future and what not. Then it all comes down to where we are now. Freedom from the angry boss, from overwhelming responsibilities, from marriage, from a nagging partner or anything and everything a general survey would bring up. This is us. This is our nature. Feeling dissatisfied with what we have and trying to grab things beyond

I want to run away from the monotony of life but what happens when I come back? It's the same me and my life. Who am I running away from, some silly problems? What about the other happy things? And I feel…you know.... sometimes random is good :)

I am not complaining. There are things that weigh heavily on everybody's minds.

Mine is just a lot heavier right now but trust me, there are many MANY times when my mind has weighed lighter that you can imagine. With the genetically inherited factory of mixed emotions I own, I get surprised every time I put up with myself. It is so easy for us to succumb to emotions, to speak/act without thinking, to get frustrated, to want to give up on life (translated - run away in my language).

I will move on… like I always have. Honestly, right at this moment it is this awesome cup of coffee I hold in my hands which I am grateful for ... it raised me all the questions about the purpose of my ‘existence’ and answered them for me. And guess what is written on the cup?


'If it is important for you

You’ll find a way

If not you'll find an excuse' 

That makes me look like a #1 Hypocrite! So, I will stop here and allow you to judge :)

Hypocrite?? Naah ... Read more from Shruti at Ramp or' Not!

Thanks Shruti for this wonderful post!! :) :)

Better Late than Never!

Who would have thought that a guy for whom Kannada music used to be nothing more than noise, just two years down the line, will spend more than half of his 32 hour long journey thinking ‘Wish I had just one more Sandalwood song in my play list!’. I always knew leaving Bengaluru was going to be tough but it was only after boarding the train that I realized how much the city meant to me. And what a city! Jitni taarif karo utni kam. They all say its the weather of Bengaluru that makes it so special but believe its not the weather; its the people of Bengaluru who make it the best city of India. Weather comes second!

Gaadi aage chali main peechey!

Bengaluru mein bitaya har ek din aankhon ke saamne tha. The first time I travelled by air, the first job offer I got, the first salary credit, first authentic South Indian dosa, first trip abroad, the city gave me everything I could have asked for. And of course ‘Pace’. You might have heard a lot of actors and politicians say that they have the best job in the world. But do you know even a single software engineer who does claim that? Well here is one. Cribbing apart, J being in Pace was a privilege. I don’t think there ever was a Monday when I found it tough heading to office. I have had some of the most memorable moments with Pace and made lots of good friends. Not just this. Weekends! It used to the best part. Catch up with your friends, eat out at your favorite places, watch movies, go to Forum or may be just sleep. Sounds like usual stuff. Doesn’t it? In fact you must be thinking ‘Why the hell is he pointing out such trivial things?’ Well, I know its usual stuff. But the same usual stuff looks so much more exciting and worth it when you land up in a position like mine. I mean 26^th of every month I can’t stop but check my account balance again and again. Who knows when Citibank may make a salary credit into my account by mistake? No matter it is no longer a salary account. After Bengaluru, its salary I miss the most.

Today as I sit and write all this, there is a strong desire to come back and be able to relive that entire time once again. Thanks to Rahul, Mohit, Nitin, Ayush,Kamal, Kanak, Jojo, Palaxa, everyone. Its because of you people that I had such a wonderful stay there. Wish all you guys’ dreams come true and God bless us all!

Wondering how life here is? Well it is fun. Kannada music has finally find a substitute and I have started developing a taste for Haryanvi songs ;). Last week we had a theatre festival in the nearby university. Heard a really nice song there. Unlike other Haryanvi songs it is a soft song with nostalgic lyrics that go like:

Bin tension ke thay din bachpan ke ...

Buddhi dadi ki kahani mein
Raja ka man tha Rani mein
Jab Rani nay Daanav kha jaata
Hamein neend ka jhoka aa jata

Ek master topi aala tha
Uska thappad bada chala tha ....

Abhi ke liye itna hi. Will write more about this place in my next post.

P.S: I were to post this around a month ago but got delayed cause of my laziness. Fir maine socha 'Better Late than Never!'. Hope you guys will like it.

Chup ek Biwi thi, Bol Maa rahi hai!

Kabhi kabhi life mein break lena kitna jaruri hota hai ye hamein tabtak pata nahi chalta jab tak ki hum asal mein break na le lein ..... Well I know its easier said than done given the never ending work pressure, ever increasing peer pressure and various other pressures we have in life(including the gastric ones for a few ;) ) but then kuch paane ke liye kuch khona toh padta hi hai. Meri mano toh is baar Diwali (or whenever you might be planning to take long off from your office) pe ghar mat jao, apne liye time nikalo and do all that you have not been able to do for so long. Its more than worth. Infact its superb!! Am all happy :) :)

hmm tob ab jab ki main khali hun ... ekdam vella .... kuch kaam nahi ... toh maine socha ki movie dekh li jaye ... magar kaun si?? Aaajkal Bollywood mein toh koi dhang ki movie aa nahi rahi ... khair main kaun bada bhari critic hoon ... apan ko toh jo free mein dekhne ko mil jaye wahi sahi. So I got a DVD (read pirated downloaded version) of Patiala House and started watching it. And to my surprise the movie is not really bad. Thodi dramatic hai but the subject is quite relevant especially in today's world of globalization. Waise bhi HiFi (Hindi Film Industry) movie dramatic na ho toh maza nhi aata. Coming back to the subject, the movie is about a big joint Punjabi family settled in England with Rishi Kapoor playing the dominant head. His son Akshay Kumar likes cricket and is a very good bowler. Infact he plays so well that he gets a chance to be a part of England's national cricket team. But Rishi Kapoor due to some unfortunate racial incidents he did face in past has a problem with the very idea of his own son playing for 'Goras'. Thereafter its the same old stuff like how the family convinces him and how everything falls into place eventually.

I think agar iski jagah yeh dikhaya hota ki kisi aur country se aayi family India mein settled hai aur unme se koi Indian National Cricket team ka part banne ke layak hai toh it could have had a far better impact on audience. Globalization has really changed things and changed them for good. On a personal level I don't think there is much difference in me getting settled in Bangalore or me getting settled in Europe. Thoda bahut discrimination toh kabhi kabhi apni country mein bhi face karna pad jata hai. I am sure most of you will disagree with me on this point. But as the world becomes more and more connected and as the boundaries fade it will become rather apparent.

Waise hamari country bhi ajib hai ... On one hand we talk about women empowerment and on the other hand we have dogmatic dialogues like "chup ek Biwi thi, bol Maa rahi hai"! This is the explanation that Dimple Kapadia gives to Rishi Kapoor as to why she was silent for so many years when Rishi Kapoor didn't let Akshay Kumar play for England cricket team. Arre main poochta hoon Biwi kab bolegi yaar. 70s ke decade ki movie hoti toh thik tha. Ab toh bol lene do yaar ussey. Pata nahi kis ne likhe thay dialogue. Ye bhi nahi sochte ki these films are seen across the countries. Anyways, jab itna kuch badal raha hai toh dheere dheere dialouge bhi badal hi jayenge. Meanwhile, picturization of the song "Beeba tere haathon mein ..." is quite innovative. Same song being played simultaneously on two floors of the same house in two different genres adressing two different generations; Good attempt! I must say.

Ab mujhe bhook lag rahi hai ... so I am gonna go grab some delicious burgers. Tab tak you keep listening to the song "fire ige mis use eni Miss Fire :) Miss amma Miss amma Miss misuse aagidrey big mistake" ... mast gana hai yaar ;)

Chak de India!!

Kehte hain ek achche din ki shuruat achchi subah se hoti hai. Probably that’s the reason, every morning we all do something special which marks the start of a perfect day. In fact over the time it becomes a habit and we don’t even realize we are practicing it until one day we forget to do that and end up saying ‘aaj maine Bhagwan ke aage hath nhi jode na isiliye sara din kharab ja rha hai’! Aisi hi choti choti aadatein, ummm my neice for example, she would not step out for school until she has said ‘bye’ to every single person in the home. Usey toh kirayedaaron ko bhi bye bolna hota hai. Probably that’s her way of starting a beautiful day. But not just her there are thousands of us jo nashta karna bhool sakte hain magar ek chammach misthi dahi khana nhi bhoolte. Similarly my ideal morning starts with an energy filled inspiring song. I indeed have a separate play list in my music player consisting of numbers I would start my day with. Aur is play list mein se bhi kuch gaane thode jyada khaas hain and comes first in them is ‘chak de India…’

Dhamakedar movie ka dhamakedar song, listen to it and within seconds you can feel the adrenalin rush. Remember, how this song had become the anthem in the sports world? Yes we have not been doing well for quite a while now, when it comes to the performance of India in international Hockey tournaments but still this movie had sowed some rays of hope in that small corner of our heart that one day we will also be able to win loads of medals in Olympics and various other events of similar repute. Ah! How I wished for the Commonwealth Games 2010 to start as soon as possible and see various sports persons of our country to come up with flying colors. I would listen to this song and imagine it being played on television with pictures of Indian players getting loads of medals, at the backdrop. But alas! We are about to miss the deadlines of completing the preparations itself. And above that there is plethora of useless debate going on whether we should be holding such events. Things couldn’t have gone worst than this. If no one else, we should have learnt something from our neighbor country China at least, which made full use one single opportunity and turned itself to the world’s second largest economy. Not sure how the players who would have been practicing day and night must be feeling. But amid all this chaos there is one more person who, if had taken a small step at the correct time, could have contributed to the success of this event however small that contribution though it might have been. A few months back I had got a mail from some educational institute to be one of the volunteer in CWG organization committee but I replied very late thinking whether I will get leaves or not, kuch aur kaam aa gaya toh and blah blah. Probably by that time they were done all the selection. Yesterday I read in newspaper that the volunteers and not well trained and it is a major hurdle that might hinder us from putting up a grand show. Wish I had been a bit more responsible and taken the initiative at correct time:(.

Anyways one small thing I am going to do now is to include “successful organization of this long awaited event” as one of my requests to God in my Morning Prayer. And I request you all to do the same kyonki hamare desh mein kai baar dawa se jyada dua kaam kar jati hai. So Chak de India…….. chak de!

PS: Kuch logon ka perfect day morning se jyada evening pe depend karta hai. For example hamari Makan Malkin jinka din tab tak poora nhi hota jab tak who Star Plus pe apna favourite show Pratigya na dekh le. Loll!

Paife ka Khel!

“How much money would I need to live in the US, without having to work for the rest of my life?” Well, before you start any calculations or reach any conclusion, let me clarify that my intention is not at all to find an answer to this question; rather this is one of the thousand of responses that you get when you search for the word ‘money’ in ‘Google’. Perhaps, even Google knows it well that no one is interested in thy definition or meaning.
After all it is Money – introduction not required.

We all know the importance of money and the power it brings with itself. That is the thing we are all running after and that’s what make the world go round. After all it’s all ‘paife ka khel’. Such is the charm of money that even the founder of the website ‘Secondlife.com’ (whose main intention was to provide a world where people can live a life of their dreams without giving a thought to the never ending rat race of real world) couldn’t do without a market place and of course – ‘money’.

But do you really think money is what makes a person rich? No doubt we can’t do without it as well, still how right is it to give it the utmost important and losing on the opportunity of enjoying various small moments of joy that come our way every now and then. Life is what happens to us while we are planning the future. So, let us all make it a point to appreciate the infinite small gifts that God gives us in the form of family, friends, nature etc.

And as far as becoming rich is concerned:

“If you really want to feel rich, count the things you own that can’t be bought by Money!”

ye hai Vividh Bharti..........

Damn it!! Again I forgot my earphones at my desk itself, now I’ll have to go all the way back to fifth floor, collect it and rush back to catch the bus. But there is no other choice; after this nine hour torturous job missing my favorite most show would be the last thing I want to do. God! Hardly five minutes are left and now this haunted lift will not let me go. Don’t know why everything has to go wrong at this time only. Finally, here it is. I quickly put on my earphones and started the radio. ‘Bengalurille bombat music station Radiooooooooo Pity’, ‘Minimum music Minimum choice Maximum ads Maximum noise’, ‘FM One-du Irudu Nura Nallaku’ etc. se hote huay I finally reached my sweet and sober radio channel – ‘Vividh Bharti’. Aur aayiye ab aapko sunwate hain Border film ka ek geet; Iski farmaish ki hai Rajasthan se Subedar Pahalwan Singh ji ne; aawajein hain Sonu Nigam aur Roop Kumar Rathore ki….and here it goes ………’Sandeshe aate hain….’. Thank God! I didn't miss it. Believe me pure din ki thakaan aur boriyat ek gaane mein door ho jati hai. You feel as if you are in some far away place listening to those few selective songs you always wanted to have in your play list. Not just one or two songs, there complete line up of songs is awesome. I mean seriously yaar once is a while getting to listen ‘Na kajre ki dhaar’ and all is actually pretty cool.

Pehle pehle main bhi Vividh Bharti kam hi sunta tha. And then I didn’t even realize when this whole thing changed and I become one of those loyal listeners. I think what makes Vividh Bharti stand out is the versatility in the programs being broadcasted by them. Their content relates to the lives of common men. They have programs targeting various sections of society e.g. ‘sakhi saheli for women’, ‘Youth express for the new generation’, ‘sms ke bahane vbs ke tarane for music lovers’, ‘chayageet’, ‘sadabahar nagme’ and many more. The one more program that I look forward to listening is ‘Hawa Mahal’ –featuring skits (Radio Play) based on various novels. Through these skits they try to find solutions of the various small problems that we face in day to day life.

In the present world where advertisements and marketing have reduced the value of meaningful content to such an extent that before getting to hear the song, we get to hear the brand who is presenting it, Vividh Bharti is the only Radio channel that values the listener’s preference. In fact they have a dedicated program in which they read the letters written to them by their listeners and try to take note of what their audiences like or dislike. The way Vividh Bharti has evolved over the 52 yrs of its existence is also worth appreciation. Providing healthy entertainment to everyone in a country which is developing so fast and still have more than sixty percent of its population in villages is no easy job. But they do it and do it really well. Kudos! to Vividhta in our country and kudos! to ‘Vividh Bharti’.

I got these lines somewhere and found interesting:

kucch aawaje hasaati hai.........kucch aawaje sikhati hai.........kucch sudur anchal mein lekar jati hai...kucch gudgudati hai.........barso se ye dhwaniyan hawan mein tair rahi hai........inhe aap ke gharo tak pahunchati hai.......VIVIDH BHARATI

trip to Malaysia........truly Asia!!

hardly five days in malaysia and I am dying to come back. Not that I didnt like the place, its the food that has taken toll on me. Matlab chirag leke bhi dhundne niklo toh jaldi se vegetarian food nahi milta......but then its a beautiful country as if someone might have pull in the weather of Dehradoon to Connaught Place.

Hmm...so my trip started as soon as I stepped out of airport. The first thing you will notice about Malaysia is its excellent transport system. Wide roads, fast running buses, easily available cab and efficient taxi services make it even more appreciable. Infact for the first time in my life I got to see a tunnel, meant for reducing the traffic jams, like the ones we generally see in hollywood flicks. It is known as the SMART Tunnel and is is the longest stormwatertunnel in South East Asia and second longest in Asia. It took me around one hour to reach the hotel. The very next day was a public holiday here and I got a three day long weekend to roam around and see the places. The first place I visited was none other than the famous PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur's biggest tourist attraction. I know we all have seem it in pictures and its beautiful. But believe me, when you actually see it then only you realise that its far more huge than how it looks like in the pictures, i mean huge as in 'really huge'. At the back side of twin towers is the KLCC Park. It contains a fountain with incorporated light show and is a nice place to be visited in the evenings. While returning I took a taxi and for the first time in my life it so happened that somebody thought that I belong to SriLanka. When I asked that taxi wala that what made him think so, he told that my face cut is like that. I just hope thats not true.

The next day one of my colleague and I went ot Batu Caves - the greatest murugun temple in Malaysia. Its situated in the hills and to reach the main temple one needs to climb a steep flight of around 300 steps. It being a Hindu temple there are a lot of south indian food restaurants nearby and hence I finally could manage to get a meal of my choice. We had south indian meal and yes ..it included Rasam as well. Khane ke baad we proceeded to the main temple and spent some time inside. The whole place looks marvellous from inside. And as in most of the Indian temples, monkeys can easily be spotted here also. Isn't it strange? Like as if there is some strange connection between monkeys and temples. Nearby the Murugun temple is a Ramayana Cave and a big statue of Hanuman ji. Evenings, it generally rains here in KL and while we were returning it started heavily. So while waiting for the rain to stop we had some coconut water,one other good thing you get near Batu caves. Finally, on our way back we stopped at One Utama City Center and booked the tickets for 'Genting Highlands'.Yep, 9:00 am package is what decide to take. I only know how I managed to wake up and reach in time. I actually put some 15 alarms and thank god! I reached in time.

'Genting Highlands' I was really looking forward to visit there, cause one of my friends had told me that if you are going to Malaysia and you dont go to Genting then its a waste. Also known as the Las Vegas of Malaysia the place features a lot of exciting things like 'Genting Skyway a 3.4 km ride in a cable car', 'indoor and outdoor amusement theme parks', 'casino' and 'First world Hotel which is the world's largest hotel'. Oh! did i mention 2002 IIFA awards ceremony was held in Genting Highlands only? Yeah mujhe bhi aane ke baad hi pata chala. Well....yes the place was extremely beautiful and we had a lot of fun. In fact some silly incidents happened as well. There was a ride named as space trip. The picture outside created an impression as if there will be a gravitation less chamber wherein you can go and experience the feel of being in space. So with lot of enthusiasm and expectation, I decided to go for it. Now, inside there were quite a few people, all left in doubt what exactly gonna happen, then finally they switched off all the lights and the show began. And you know what happened then, instead of rotating us they rotated the round chamber we all were seated in.........sheer torture of full ten minutes.........yep it actually was meant for small kids.In Genting there is one Indian restaurant as well. Its name is Spice Garden and they serve pretty decent food. Finally the three day weekend was over and we returned back to pavilion :).

There is a lot of self realization that has happened during this trip. I in fact believe that travel more than an opportunity of learning new cultures or things, is an opportunity of learning ourselves better. And the first thing I noticed about myself is that mujhe daily soaps dekhne ka keeda hai. Yeah I started watching a Malaysian tv serial there. Its name is Siong and it has got English subtitles. Believe me its good, quite like Mandira Bedi's Shanti. What? I am not talking about the female protagonist; the serial is good. Waise you may be surprised to hear that they play Bollywood songs in the background songs in their serials. In one of the programmes based on a love story they played Kuch Kuch Hota Hai while the hero was day dreaming about the heroine. Even bollywood radio stations are also there. And their song selection also is pretty awesome. I was thrilled to hear them taking about Deepika Padukone, Ranbir and Katrina. Well I don't know why but it really felt good.

When in Malaysia I used to feel very special about I being an Indian and would thank God every now and then. And there were a lot of reasons behind it. I generally don't watch news channels much but as there were no Hindi entertainment channels available, I would see BBC World at times. And it used to be heartening to see India being the highlight in many a special reports.

Isn't it nice to see our Finance minister's daughter writing an open letter demanding solutions from him on the eve of Union Budget. Its great! In Malaysia also the dropping attendance in Parliament is a concern these days. At least that's what I read in Strait Times one of the leading newspapers there. I felt proud when I read on net, the ruling party chair person in India is taking strict steps in this direction. Another programme on BBC talked about the nation wide competition to select a currency symbol. And again it was heart touching to see the sheer energy and passion with which people from all age groups were going gaga to tell their views about the same. Another great thing to be seen was Sandra Bullock receiving the Oscar at an age of 45 reiterating the fact that if you work hard you are bound get your dues some day or the other. And what an acceptance speech, still doing rounds all over the net.

Ok ab bahut ho gaya I don't think anything else is left to be written. Yeah that's it for today.

Budhiya ke baal.........

Remember those pink colored fluffy cotton candies?...the ones that the old street hawker used to bring in a pack of six. He would come after school hours and make announcements in cacophonous though sweet voice, sweet because the very name would leave a person's mouth watered, 'budhiya ke baal lelo......'! Well aware of my liking for the same, he used to wait a bit longer while passing by my house. And believe me convincing my mother for buying it was far more difficult then convincing my manager for approving my leaves.

Yesterday, while coming from office I happened to see cotton candies and though there was nothing special in that I did feel a bit nostalgic, may be because I got to see them after a long while. But to my surprise this time they were available in various colors ranging from 'blue' to 'silver'. Probably the Budhiya has started coloring her hair these days :). But seriously, these are the things that bring back the memories of childhood. Infact there are many such things that we used to eat when we were kids and hardly do we get to see them these days. For example, the various kind of Churans, then woh ice cream jo pipe mein aati thi aur ek ka toh main bhi bhul gaya hun; but haan the person selling it used to bring some elastic material roped around a big stick and then he used to prepare so many creatures out of it like Bichhoo, Elephant, lockets etc. And then we use to eat infact khate kam thay aur dusron ko chidhate jyada thay....

How I wish the same days were back!!!!!

Happy Independence day!

The spirit of the occasion is everywhere. Here are some pictures displaying the shades of tricolor.....

Waise toh India is a country of festival but '15Th August' has its own importance!

Today, all the citizens of the country together celebrates the spirit of 'Freedom'!

The picture displayed at the left depicts the beautiful decoration at the Forum Mall. The feeling of love for the nation can be easily seen. 'Students dressed in tricolor', 'the flags at auto rickshaws' and 'the patriotic songs being played everywhere from radio stations to the loud speakers at schools and colleges arranged specially for the festival' -all this has grown into a tradition over time.

Shown below is one more picture that I found really good. All I would like to say is: I am really proud to be an Indian.

'Maana agam agadh sindhu hai, sangharshon ka paar nahi hai
Kintu doobna majdharon mein sahas ko sveekar nahi hai!!
Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

Bindakalor is cool!

It has been more than two weeks that I am here in Bengaluru. The decision of coming here was taken all of a sudden without any preplanning. And now I have a lot of interesting events to mention.

I hired a taxi from the airport to reach Kormangla. Hardly did I know at that time that the journey was supposed to take more than an hour. As the numbers being played by most of the radio stations were in Kannad, starting a conversation was the best option left. Everyone has his own domain of questions and how different this domain can be is evident from the things we inquired each other about. ‘What is the current price of petrol in Delhi?’ he inquired. However it was a general question, I had to admit my ignorance as I didn’t know it. What I asked was ‘Mumbai is named after Mumba devi, Kolkata after Kali Maa so what is the story behind naming this place as Bengaluru’? Well he was a ‘Paanchvi pass se tez guy’ not ignorant like me and he told me a story that goes like this…….

Bahut samay pehle ki baat hai, ek raja tha. Uska rajya dur dur tak faila hua tha aur praja bhi use bahut chahti thi. Ek baar woh yudhh mein sab kuch haar gaya. Who bhukha pyasa idhar udhar bhatak raha tha. Khane ko kuch na hone ki wajah se usne ek budhiya se madad mangi. Usne use daal mein pani milake koi vyanjan diya jise ‘Bindakalor’ kehte hain. Baad mein jab raja ne dobara apna rajtantra prapt kiya to jagah ka naam ‘Bindakalor’ rakha. Jab angrez aaye to it became ‘Bengkalor’ then ‘Bangalore’ and finally we know it as ‘Bengaluru’.

Within an hour I reached Kormangla, and went for sleeping as it was already late. The very next day started brought with itself a whole new set of experiences. Kannad being the mother-tongue of people here, they don’t understand much of Hindi. So whenever I do have to search for an address it becomes pretty difficult. However, people here are very helpful and they find out some way or the other to solve this problem. And if they fail to understand you, what follows is an innocent wink of eyes in an expression of the fact ‘bole toh humein Hindi nahi aati!’ But this winking is so childish and so innocent that it makes me unconditionally happy.

How can I forget to mention the delicious food of this place? The typical South Indian food! Earlier I had tasted only ‘Idli sambhar’ and ‘Masala dosa’ but now I can name many of them. In a small restaurant the menu comprises of : ‘Sambhar Idli’, ‘Sambhar Vada’, ‘Pongal’, ‘Curd Rice’, ‘Rice Bath’, ‘Lemon Rice’, ‘Masala Dosa’, ‘Plain Dosa’, ‘Rava Masala Dosa’, ‘Onion Dosa’, ‘Uttapam’,’ Sev Puri’, ‘Khakra Bath’, ‘Plate Meals’………………….

‘Chai’ jo mujhe bahut pasand hai who to yahan kuch jyada hi badhiya milti hai.

Also, the weather of Bengaluru is very fine. Neither very hot nor very cold, it is just moderate. You never know when it is going to rain. I think that’s what sets Bengaluru apart from other big cities: especially Delhi. Even if it’s a long tiring day you don’t feel exhaustive. All in all it’s really a cool place. It has got some really good places as well. One can easily pass his free time there. The most happening place is ‘Forum-the mall’. Well, it is just like all other shopping malls but being in the middle of city it is always busy and lively. Bengaluru has got a lot of gardens also. I too visited one of them. It is known as ‘Lalbagh’ and has got a lot of points of attraction. At the entry there is a statue of a Maharaja, nearby which you get to see a ‘Floral Clock’. Apart from this the garden also has a ‘Glass House’ and a small lake.

Aray haan radio se related ek baat toh main batana hi bhul gaya, the restaurant I have my dinner at has a radio and at times I get to listen Kannad songs. Though I can hardly understand them one of them is everyone’s favorite. Its music is really nice and it goes like ‘Nindanhale………Nindanhale…..!! ’

1..2..3..4 Tai tet thai

Don’t try to reach any consequences by reading the headline because this time it has nothing to do with the content that lies below. Yeh heading toh aise hi likh di kyonki kuch aur samajh nahi aa raha tha.

Chai garam chai----what can be better than having tea (chai) when you are traveling in a train and it is raining outside. I have always been very fond of tea. I also remember a poem that goes like…..

Chitrakut ke ghaat par bhai santan ki bhid

Chai piyan ko jut gaye raja, rank, fakir!!!!

Yesterday, I was traveling from Moradabad to Delhi by the train ‘Guwahati Express’ and apart from this tea not even a single favorable thing happened. In fact it was one of the worst journeys of my life. After facing a lot of difficulties like

a) not being able to catch the train ‘Sampark kranti’ at Rudrapur and ending up in a bus to Moradabad which was willing to compete with a bullock cart

b) managing to catch the ‘Guwahati Express’ at the last moment

c) then unnecessarily reaching late as the train stood for 45 minutes to be modest enough to let other trains go first, when only a few kilometers were left for the destination

d) all this along with a lot of sweet fellow passengers who were willing to create as many problems as they could

when I finally reached Delhi and looked back at the whole day the thought that came to my mind was that it was fine as it gave some pretty good material to add to my blog.

‘Railway Station’ this place has always fascinated me a lot. Life in its various shades can be seen here.

Life in its various shades can be seen here. Everyday hundreds of people come here to do their journeys. The guys who were no less than strangers just a few moments back do find so much to talk and share that anyone would mistook them for childhood friends. In a single train are discussed, all the topics ranging from ‘hot bollywood gossip’ to ‘the sensitive political issues’. The description would be incomplete if I forget to mention the hawkers who sell various delicious food items.

If someone enjoys watching people endlessly, as do I then a train is the best place to be at. Masses from different part of country, having different background be it the lifestyle or the mother tongue are all at same place at the same moment. I can bet that a long route Indian Railways train can give complex to a museum in terms of cultural diversity it holds within itself. Yet another example of ‘Unity in diversity’ that lies in the soul of our country.

Now, let me come to the point why I did choose the tagline “ “. Well today while roaming in the Connaught Place I happened to come across a cultural program being organized over there. It was a showcase of paintings made by small kids during their summer camps. Along with this were some dance presentations of ‘Kathak’ and ‘Kuchipudi’. The lady who was guiding the kids started like ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ again ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ and then ended up it as ‘ One two three four, five six seven eight’ next time it was ‘One two three four to thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen’. And I found it humorous strangely. Thank god! She didn’t count it further. One of the student performers was giving weird expressions so this time that lady recited ‘Tat taam tam SMILE BETA te hit tat taam tehi’. However, as it was a marvelous performance as they were small kids after all.

Ok ‘goodbye’ and ‘Tat taam tam te hit tat taam tehi’ for now!

Life just moves on.......

'Life just moves on' - actually its my tag line on orkut nowadays. But there is a reason behind it. I just returned after the final year project submission from Saharanpur. I was there for 4 days and each day recalled memories of the four years spent over there. It seems like yesterday when I landed in SIET for doing B.tech in Computer Science and Engineering. After that time just flew away and now here we are going to our homes with a hope of meeting somewhere in future. It is really strange that the day we all wait for so long time, when finally arrives a feeling of belonging starts finding place in some soft corner of our heart and we try to find reasons for staying with our friends for one more day!!

But mine case is a bit different, I miss the place more than the persons. It has always been like this with me. I still can feel the airs of Nainital, the scenario in Kota, the rush in Noida and the silence of Greater noida. The same thoughts surround me when I think about Saharanpur. Maine kahin padha tha 'Shahar kisi ka nahi hota - log yahan aate hain, iska hissa ban jaate hain par phir bhi apni jadein(roots) hi unke jahan mein rehti hain!' Well the phenomenon seems complex enough to be understood by a ordinary person like me.

Memories keep on unwinding themselves but we need to look forward as time waits for none and life just moves on.............................

But before finishing I would like to thank 'Gaurav' and 'Priyanka' for their lovely comments that inspired me to write further!!

"Some Poems I wrote in my childhood"!

Our Dreams

All the persons see some dreams,
Some want to be King, some want to be Queen.


Dreams give us purpose of life,
Dreams make us full of delight.


Without dreams life is like a barren field,
Like a torn kite on the field.


It floats in the river without any aim,
It becomes an unbearable pain.


All the persons see some dreams,
Some want to be King, some want to be Queen.

Heaven Bet

Definitely one day will come,
When I will see heaven


It really will be nice
When I will see Paradise


That day will be special
It’ll be seen by people


Specially, the sun will rise
I will see Paradise


The moon will specially set
I will win ‘Heaven Bet’

"May 17" No less than a Dday!

'Mobile Computing'-finally the wait is over with this last examination as i completed my Btech in Computer Science. Eight semesters, 39 exams, 117 sessionals along with a lot of tutes and labs - seems the course had been especially designed to turn a guy mad!

Well actually the real picture is somewhat different. Two or three semesters pass by and you realise it all crap! No more regular study and 'one night fight' is the key to success. Btech kuch sikhaye na sikhaye bhokali sikha deti hai. I guess bhokali is not a new word for you, its like describing a buffalo when asked to write an essay on a cow. And the best thing about it is that it fetches pretty good marks also - after all milk is produced by buffalo and cow both.

In an effort of becoming the bachelor of technology the person learns the technology of being a bachelor .....................the more you bunk the classes the more is your attendance percentage and all. Ok, jokes apart my take on this course is that its a good professional course in which you learn to deal with different situations in life along with a lot of enjoyable moments!

'Btech Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!'

My interview at LBSIM, Delhi

The topic given to me us in the GD was "State is the biggest violator of human rights".The GD panel consisted of 6 persons.The GD was fine, however a bit fish market stuff at times.

Then the interview started one by one. I was the second last candidate to be interviewed in my group. It started with an Extempore in front of Interview panel itself on the topic " MBA education is all fraud." It was quite OK lasted for a minute and half.
Then they started asking questions:
P1: In which subject in your engineering you achieved highest marks?
Me: Mathematics in first semester.
P1: Mathematics or discreet Mathematics?
Me: Mathematics but i am fine with discreet also.
P1: OK, What is a "Lattice"
Me: I don't remember exactly but it is related to partial ordering.
P1: How will you arrange students of your class in partial order.
Me: I will arrange them in the alphabetic order of their names.
P1: will it be a partial order.
Me: yes.
P1: Will it be a total order.
Me: Yes.
P2: Have you studied Databases in your engineering.
Me: Yes
P2: Explain 'normalisation'
Me: Answered in detail.
P3: do you consider yourself a good student, average student or bad student.
Me: Sir I consider myself a good student.
P3: Why ........
Me: Because I am a sincere student and do my work with full dedication and to the best of my abilities.
P4: What is the difference between Database Management and Information management?
Me: Sir, databases are used for storing information in a proper way itself.[ P4 didn't seemed convinced]
P4: Differentiate 'Data' and 'information' with the help of databases.
Me: Sir, information is processed form of data conveying a meaning. e.g. a tuple can be seen as an information but not the data in a column.
P4: Can a particular information in a particular format be displayed by pressing a single button? i.e. can queries be saved.
Me: Yes sir, we can make use of 'VIEWS' for this.
P4: What is SAP?
Me: It is an ERP module.
P4: What is ERP?
Me: Explained.
Panel: Thank you! You can go now.
I was selected finally !

Had u been there......!!

A man was travelling in a local bus in Delhi going from ISBT to Noida. As all the seats were already occupied he had no other option but to keep standing. So, there he stood resting his one arm on a nearby seat and the other holding the supporting rod at the ceiling of bus.

At the next stop entered a couple. The lady probably was not feeling well and could not keep standing. As no seats were empty, her husband asked a person to leave his seat for the lady. The person denied to do so saying that better ask the guys sitting on the 'women's reserved seats'. At this the lady's husband started debating and within no time started beating that person.

The lady's husband was at least twice as big that person and easily beat him up badly. No one seemed eager to stop them not even the conductor. But when it didn't came to an end finally some people interfered and stopped the fighting.

The lady was given a seat in driver's cabin and the injured person again got his seat.Then a girl sitting over there tried to console the injured saying,"Bhaiya ye jo aap ke saath hua ise mind mat karna. If you will take it to your heart it will affect no one else than you yourself!"

At it an another guy standing over there said he couldn't even understand what happened otherwise he would have done something. The girl this time all the more enthusiastically made the statement, " is country ki problem hi yahi hai sab selfish hain. No one cares for others. The lady's husband is wrong and the injured can case a file against him."

Within no time everyone had his opinion to utter out. The injured kept quite with a heart rending expression on his face.

And the man with whom the story started stood silently just watching the whole incident .......thinking who was the real evil doer......'The lady's husband'........'The one making comments later on' or was 'he himself.................'!!

That man was none other than me myself..........

What would have been your reaction......"HAD U BEEN THERE??"