This is it..

Travels

2011-12-24T15:12:00.001+05:30

I've been on the road for a while now. My travel is mostly such - that when it is travel time, I end up traveling up to 10 days a month, and when it's not, I don't travel even for a couple of months at a stretch. And most of the times, I can decide if I want to travel.

So recent travels took me to Mumbai. I don't dislike Mumbai, but I am not a huge fan either. I have mostly traveled to the city for work, and haven't stayed in the city for more than a week at a time. Plus, I haven't traveled extensively within the city as well, since mostly I end up staying close to my office, which is far from where most of the friends stay, and I hardly get time when traveling for work.

Of whatever I know and have seen, Mumbai has not been my cup of tea. Needless to say, Delhi's been my fav, and I could never get used to the pace of Mumbai. Too fast for my liking. And what puts me off most in Mumbai is that it is not conducive for self driving - I love driving, and staying in a city where I can't drive would kill me. Reading this (Delhi vs Mumbai) doesn't change much either. The debate on which city is better is endless, and I know I'm bull headed enough to stick to my gut.

Well, this time around, I ended up spending the weekend in the city as well. Friends insisted [and who am I to resist, when friends insist ;)], and the plan that chalked out was to make merry through the night, and go to WK the next day. Awesome fun, mind you. Can't describe better than P has, in her blog.

So what I was coming to, was that traveling this time was so unique in ways more than one. Firstly, I ended up spending some quality time in the city. And second, in those 2-3 days, we chanced upon traveling on a bike, an auto-rickshaw, a cab, a bus, a ferry, a train, a local, an airplane, and even a raft! It was as if we were destined to travel by all modes - where we could not get a taxi, auto was the saving grace; where we could not get an auto, a bus saved us; en-route airport while I could have missed my flight, a local came to the rescue. So net net, realized that all means of transport have their own niche.

And I guess I left Mumbai with a few brownie points to its credit.

Country Roads, Take Me Home..

2011-12-21T00:46:00.002+05:30

My previous post did raise a question - whether big cities are the place to be, or should it be the small towns where one would find happiness. Going one step further would be to ask if countryside is what shall provide the much needed stillness in life?

One of my schooling stints did take me to countryside, where I ended up spending a good part of my childhood. And glad am I not, to have spent those years in the campus. Every time I cross the highway leading to my school (which is a good 100 kms+ away from Delhi), I would give a nostalgic look in that direction, wondering who would be going through life altering changes in his life, in that school of mine, sitting where I used to sit, sleeping where I used to sleep, playing where I used to play; wondering who's that Abhinav for today!

Tryst with destiny, and I ended up driving in that direction for a friend's wedding two weeks back. And there was no way I was going to let go of this opportunity to revisit those times. Not that I could enter the school campus, since no one is allowed to enter without a valid ID. I remember that even during the times when I was a student there, if not for valid documentation to allow my entry, I wasn't allowed to. Defence services and their rules, I tell you!

So we reached my school and I ended up driving around the campus. I was looking for the forests through which we used to run every morning. I was looking for the river front where we used to culminate our morning jogs, to sprint back to our hostels which were more than 3 kilometres away, just to make sure we'll be amongst the first in line to take a shower and be ready for classes. I was looking for the horse stables in the forest where all the horses of our school were kept. I was looking for the canal where we used to sit on second Sundays of the month, throwing pebbles and stones in it, waiting desperately for our parents, who could visit us only on this particular day of the month. I was looking for the fields where we used to sneak through at nights, tasting the fruit and vegetable gardens.

But the times have changed! The forests have been replaced by habitation. Fields and vegetable gardens have been replaced with hutments. Lost my way finding the river, and the canal had lost its prestige. That's when it hit me - that it has been so long - more than a decade. Things have changed so much - but not people from the school. Still when I talk to friends from the school, the relationships are so intimate, so warm, that it feels we all still get up together early in the morning, ready to run up to the river again. Every time I wake up early, the early morning sky reminds me of the foggy riverside from those 90's mornings. Every time I am talking to these friends, the same childish persona comes out, that used to be the distinct quality of those determined kids in their early teens.

After circling the area, we stopped at the main gate (inset), for a memorabilia photograph for keeps. Nostalgia grew on me, and I had to pass on the wheel to A for further driving, while I sunk deep into the memories, relishing the awesome times we had at the school.

Not many can understand how disciplined and sincere the life would be in such a school run by the defence services - what they show in movies is not even the tip of the iceberg. And when my friends ask me, I do tell them that it's hard! Hard as in, I may not have the guts to send my kids to that school. (And I'm so glad my parents had the vision and guts to do so - they knew it was what would make me what I am. That has made me who I am today!) Hard as in, as hard as it was to cycle from Kullu to Khardung La. (Just like I wouldn't do the cycling trip again.) But ask me if I'll ever want to rewrite my past and not go in those directions - and the answer would be, "are you kidding"?!

Life gives us chances, and it's up to us to grab them with both hands. Hands could slip, hands could bleed - doesn't mean the chance wasn't meant to be grabbed. Just like I was telling a friend last week, if given a chance, I wouldn't change a single thing in my life, not in a zillion years!

Big Fish

2011-12-06T19:29:00.000+05:30

I have lived in a big city all my life (actually, most of my life); Delhi is the city I have called ‘home’. Though I have stayed away in other cities for a few years at a time on multiple occasions, I still like to call Delhi my home.

The quiet, yet bustling metropolis is an epitome of diversity. It is dotted with scattered houses, shiny skyscrapers and green in between; and filled with eateries that have been the inspiration behind the new word “Delhi Belly" recently added to the Oxford dictionary.

Work has taken me to quite a few towns and cities in last few years, and last week was no different. I ended up traveling to these towns of Jhansi, then Agra, briefly Karnal also, and I realized that if I were based in one of these towns, the life would have been different altogether.

I find that, although small towns in India do not have the kind of traffic jams that the big cities have, the crowded areas of the town are not entirely free of traffic. Here the traffic is of the unruly kind with vehicles, cycles, carts, bulls, cows, dogs, cats, vendors and pedestrians all on top of each other. To drive a car in a small town requires unlearning the rules that big city driving schools teach and learning new learn-as-you-go rules.

To drive a car on the road means to dip and rise as if riding a ship in a sea storm; or to ride the auto rickshaw, which is more suited to the four foot wide, tiny, ancient streets, means to be tossed about like a marble and, even after you reach your destination for a few minutes, to have your teeth clatter and eyeballs continue to roll in your head. If you prefer to take the wider roads on the outskirts of town then be ready to wade through oceans of black and white goats that often flood the roads.

Time in the small town is a different concept, from time in the big city. When people give you an appointment for 10 in the morning, it means that this is just one of the possible times that they might appear. As I wait with my big city time precision, I find instead of losing my happiness at their casual attitude, it is a lot less stressful to loosen the hold that time has held over me all these years. The next time someone says they will come at 10 sharp, I find myself saying, “10 o’clock sharp means I might meet them some time today, if not, tomorrow, or if not, sometime this week, this month or two”.

I find more than once that small towns have the capacity to surprise. For example my first such surprise comes on the very first day I spend in Jhansi. I am tired with traveling and as the evening falls I settle down for my read before going to bed. As my city trained ears prepare to fight their accustomed battle against the “whirr” and “honks” of the city traffic so that I can concentrate on my book better, I hear something I have never heard before.

This sound is so unfamiliar to me that I put my book aside and listen to it with my full attention. It is the sound of silence. So complete and deep that it caresses me like a soft velvet auditory blanket. I close my eyes to take in the full feeling of complete peace that it brings. My breathing eases. My stressed out city senses covet this experience with unimagined thirst.

After spending some time just listening to the silence, I pick up my book again. In this magical silence, reading a book, I find, is an experience not ever duplicated in the city. The book covers your senses softly with its contents in the manner similar to the beautiful, deep silence. The lack of noise, I find is truly, truly beautiful.

Next morning the auditory pleasure of the night before continues when I wake up to an orchestra of birds. In Delhi, the birds would compete with the traffic sounds. Here in Jhansi the birds compete with no one but each other. They hold center stage with their performances. And as I sit with my steaming morning coffee cup looking out at the early mist through which the birds sing, I feel as though I have a box seat to their performance: a performance of so many maestros.

A few days have passed since I came back. But I still have the reassurance that I have the magical silence and the talented birds waiting for me when I get there again. I came home and was again reminded of the comforts and the system the city has which a small town doesn’t.

I am not calling myself best suited for a small town yet, but I am at a stage where a small fond place for such small towns has developed in my heart that is growing at an alarming rate. I might yet be in the danger of turning “small town”. I do not know when, or if, that will happen, but right now, I can comfortably say I am glad I know now what it would mean, to me.

Changing the way FB looks

2011-11-14T15:03:00.000+05:30

So, a few months after the last facelift, Facebook once again changed their layout. And, frankly, people aren’t too happy with the change. So goes another round of interweb bitching about Facebook’s new layout, even if the site is for free and they can do whatever they want with how the site looks. Heck, they can even put a big slab of google links on the site and they should be able to get away with it.

This is how Facebook should look like, forever.

As I’ve been following the updates of people trying to deal with the new layout, (yes, “deal.” It’s life-changing, didn’t you know?) I’ve noticed a pattern. People go through stages when trying to deal with this major tragedy called “Facebook changed its layout, holy shit, my life is over.”

Denial
One day, you log on to Facebook, and the layout has changed. it’s no longer the familiar layout you were used to from yesterday. You stare at the screen in shock. You press F5 continuously, hoping that the old layout will go back after a while. You refuse to accept the change.

Anger
There has got to be somebody to blame. You are seething with anger. You need somebody to hit. You may rail against fate, questioning “Why me?”

Bargaining
You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair. You try to give up something, just to see the old Facebook again. For one last time. But deep inside, you know it’s all futile.

Depression
A long period of sadness may overtake you at this point. People are telling you that you should be moving on, but you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you.

Acceptance
Finally, you learn to accept that Facebook is going to change, whether you like it or not. You begin to see hope, and you move on. It’s not like the world is going to end, you realize. It’s just a stupid website.

And there you go. I hope people can understand that their lives ain't over just because they feel that a web company decided to let go of all common sense and churn out a look that doesn’t give anybody a clue on how to navigate it. There’s always Orkut if you feel like bitching more.

Also, I like the new layout. So guys, stop bitching and whining. Please. Except for a couple of changes I don’t like, the new Facebook rocks. Get over it.

The Spirit of 'Dilli'

2011-10-11T15:48:00.000+05:30

The time is here, when the festivities galore!

Last week was Dussehra. And Durga Puja. And I could not help but recollect the times when these days used to be the most sought after vacation days for us kids. With the pepped up mood, numerous shopping sprees, moderation of Delhi climate from acute summers to chilly winters - this time used to be the epitome of Dilli's spirit.

Not that Dilli has changed - the times have. Now-a-days, kids would rather spend time at home zooming their iPads, then going out having fun in those quintessential melas! In fact, during a conversation with one of my teenage cousins a few days back, she mentioned she so much wanted to go to these fairs with friends, but friends thought there were better things to do!

I don't remember where I was last year at this time. Neither do I remember the year before that. But I knew I could not miss these Ramleela fairs this year.

My craving to attend these festivities, buying those "teer kamaan" & swords & "gada" (mace) & shields, and having that Lovely Chuski, had the better of my schedule, and I managed to go out to a couple of Ramleela grounds! As always, I ended up breaking quite a few of these things I bought on my way back, but as the Mastercard ad says, the feeling was priceless!

On one of such outings to a nearby fair, one of the things that grabbed my attention was a piezoelectric ball that had a pressure sensor in it which glowed when struck on a surface forcefully. I was so fascinated by it, but I never realized that it has always been available everywhere. In fact, one of my friends who I was out with me that day told me that even their baby daughter had grown out of such glowing balls long time back! Not me though - I was just getting into it. And what fascinated me most was, what seemed like a simple glowing ball to everyone, was one of the very few implications I had seen of effects of physics that were so hard for me to grasp when I was a kid. Simple, yet Marvelous.

Add to it the ritual visuals of Ravana idols (and of his son and his bro) all around, waiting to be burned down, depicting victory of good over evil, and everyone dancing around the idols. Before long Lord Rama arrives, blessed in his guise, with his bow and arrows, and gives everyone the flavor of what they had been waiting for.

Like someone said, it is on such days that I feel with greater vigor that what a marvelous thing is it to be born an Indian. One thing is true - we are such amazingly crazy for festivals people. It is on these festivals that we bond again, leaving behind whatever little there is to nag about.

Michhami Dukkadam

2011-09-18T12:49:00.000+05:30

My Bad, I'm sorry.

That's the meaning of the phrase I was recently introduced to by a friend - Michhami Dukkadam.

Digging deeper, I realized that this is not Sanskrit, but Prakrit, which is derived from old Indic dialects. Interestingly, Sanskrit is a language with literary and religious roots, while Prakrit is derived, evolve-as-you-go kind of language.

Michhami Dukkadam is a concept where one feels and asks for forgiveness from those who have been hurt knowingly or unknowingly. It is also a way of letting go of any resentment or qualms one may have with anyone.

A noble thought in principle, I found it to be much more than a means to control the ego.

Many-a-times, especially in today's fast paced age, we end up spending insufficient time on things that matter, and run after those that don't. Few weeks back, when I came to know this concept MD - it was a perfect launchpad to try something new.

Not that I have an army of enemies I needed to say MD to (!), it was anyways good to know that there is something to take cue from, and be yourself for a moment. ~~Like I always said - "People are good, unless proved otherwise"~~. While it still holds, a more relevant thing to say would be, "People are good if you give them a chance to be"

Train Timing Inc

2011-08-14T16:26:00.004+05:30

Well, there's something new about trains that I learned last week.

Was traveling in West Bengal / Jharkhand last week (yes, of all places!), and was on road, when a railway crossing closed right in front of us. Since it was countryside, we decided to roam around for a few minutes and stretch our legs, till the train crosses over.

I wandered around to the signal station on railway crossing, and invariably started chatting up with the guy who manages the barricade.

As a child, I used to think that there are automatic electric means and modes that connect all such railways crossings, so that the operator gets to know when a train is nearby and the barricades have to be closed. However, there was one fundamental flaw in this theory - that electricity is available everywhere. In reality, there are countless crossings in India that would be devoid of any electric supply.

I had further thought that in absence of electric supply, there would be some sort of morse code devices that would be used by these railway crossing operators to communicate with the central room, to know when to operate the barricades. I was always fascinated by how sophisticated the systems would be, that enable these operators across the country to know minutes before any train reaches their junction.

While I was chatting with the operator, these long lost thoughts came running back to me, and I ended up asking him how they were so skilled.

The answer was surprising, and as simple as it could have been - it is a normal 'telephone' that they use. Each crossing calls up the next one when the train crosses theirs, to give a heads up.

How simple is that!

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

2011-08-02T14:07:00.007+05:30

Continuing with yesterday's badminton session, today is PS' happy waala budday. PS and I were baddy partners in college. I remember that during college, SR/AS made the unbeatable baddy couple, and all the while through the tournament, the quest was mostly for who would finish second! Everyone believed so, me included. But not PS!

PS has this uncanny notion of doing things other won't even think of. PS had the belief, and even with a low seeded player like me, had the conviction to make it through the finals. And the finals were breathtaking - the badminton courts in the college had an apt location - right at the centre of the hostel, with all corridors filled with audience, cheering on top of their voices. No other complex can match the tournament atmosphere generated at this facility.

The crowd was deafening, and I do not even remember what we did afterwards. Awesome feeling, nonetheless.

That actually brings me to another such tournament, though in that one SR/AS were also in our team representing our college, when we went to IITK for National Sports Convention. With SR/AS/PS part of our team, there was no way we were not going to win the gold there. And the most interesting part of that tournament was the journey back! When we did not even have confirmed train tickets on the way back, but just a handful of us managed to takeover a full compartment, as if we owned the train. I guess AA would remember what train it was!

Trivial, Leap

2011-08-01T23:34:00.000+05:30

Today's badminton session was a class act.

What made the session so special was the quest to jump the wall - sounds unrelated & basic, but it most definitely is not! It sure was Déjà vu!

The place where we play badminton at night is surrounded on two sides by high enough boundary walls, a huge building on the third, and a short partitioning wall (which I wouldn't even call a wall - it was not even 5 feet high). While playing badminton today, during the first game of the night itself, the short wall grabbed my attention - it sort of reminded me of the athletics wing of sports complex we used to have in our school. It reminded me of the days when jumping as much as your own height was the norm (which I usually fell short of) in our school!

So the first game ended, and I walked towards the short wall, all eager to jump over it, and prove to myself that I still have it in me! Made a few advances, but the concrete wall pushed me back - Since the wall was all concrete, unlike the high jump station & the safe landing sand pit ahead that used to be the reassuring pad at school, I kept thinking of what if I couldn't jump over, and banged my head on the ground on the other side, or the likes. I rehearsed on a few bushes on the side, which actually were higher than the short wall, and could clear the bushes comfortably, but whenever it came to the short wall, something held me back.

Thinking I might need some more warm up before the leap, I started the second game of badminton as well. But I just could not concentrate anymore - after every point, I glanced over to the wall - and there it stood, laughing at me, making me realize how plastic I had become. I finished the game, and went over to the wall again - I had a point to prove, and I wasn't going anywhere without making it.

Twenty minutes, tens of attempts, various leaps later - I could gather so much courage as to jump so much so that my feet were landing on the top of the wall - and this took me back to Circa 1992, annual athletics meet, blue house trailing the leading green house by a razor thin margin, and every medal counting - and when we could just about make the gold medal in high jump (no, it wasn't me who got it - there was a five foot ten guy in our class when I was five feet two in 6th standard, who did the trick). And the cheering and noise that followed - that was almost my first tryst with passion for the team, for the house. And I could still feel it, standing over the short wall.

Trip down the memory lane - made the day.

Where's time?

2011-07-25T00:35:00.004+05:30

It's been crazy, these last few weeks. Whether it was 18 hour days at a stretch in Mumbai, or the blast that happened minutes after I crossed Colaba; housewarming parties that I just made, or the birthday parties that I just missed; all those who I planned to meet, or all those who I eventually ended up meeting; going to bed at 6 in the morning, or waking up at 4.

Over the last few weeks, I have been inundated with too many things at hand - workwise, and otherwise. All the way from developing pipelines to financial modeling to investor decks and government liaising to deal origination to conference calls, to top it up with unending travel. It has been overwhelming - the quantum of work I did not know I could do, that now I do. All this work has been helpful in learning, but also exhausting.

While I've learned a lot, I also got to know that there's a plethora of knowledge gathering tasks available to everyone. What I realized is that while we may want to perform well in everything we do and learn everything at hand, we will only be able to excel at only a few. Say, two. And we will have to pick which two these would be.

Realizing this broke me - I want to do well at everything. I want to do well in my work, I want to have a good social life outside work, I want to spend loads of time with friends and family, I want to make tons of new friends, I want to take part in countless activities, I want to take a break to travel, and so on and so forth. I began considering whether doing well in one area and doing a mediocre job in all the other areas would be acceptable, although this option does not satisfy me either. There are clearly some big decisions that I have to make about how I should manage my time.

I used to believe that by effectively managing my time, I would be able to do everything I want. I am now realising that this is simply not true. There are always going to be trade-offs and this is becoming glaringly obvious as hundreds of open tasks loom before me. Something has got to give. But I know that somehow I will figure out a plan that will work for me. It may take some trial and error and definitely fewer sleeping hours than I might like, but somehow I will have to make this work.

Random Journal Entry

2011-06-27T23:59:00.005+05:30

This has been the best of days.
This has been the worst of days.

Not so bad actually. Worst rhymes well, and so it seemed apt!

The day was one of the most hectic ones in last few months for sure, work-wise. Mumbai meetings last week added fuel to fire, and I find myself doing double the work I have been doing of late. Hence the urgency to finish things in time.

So the weather was to die for in the morning. I could see that it will rain, it was only a matter of when! By the time I reached office, I had my mind preoccupied with what all I had to do. Another 3 hours, and I realized I hadn't turned my neck to the right even once, to the window right next to my cube which covers such an awesome panoramic view over CP. And as expected, the weather was awesome!

I finished some deliverables in a jiffy, and left office to run an errand. And it started raining cats and dogs instantly, as if it was waiting all these hours for me to step out!

While talking to A, I had already mentioned that the day was destined to have a sports session - only matter was, will work allow me to?

I reach office, get immersed in work, and before I know it - it is way past my office hours. With the thought of finishing rest of the work from home, I could see my plans going for a toss. Disheartened, I drive back home.

Just before I take the final turn to my home, there is a football field - it was water logged because of rains in the day, and I could see people playing football and falling all around. One look at this, and I knew the work had to wait! Went home, changed, and here I was, running around the football like a Spitz! I'm sure I haven't enjoyed a football session more.

Relieved, dirty, and fresh! I get home, and work that would have taken hours started getting done in minutes. Before I knew it, work that I wouldn't have been able to finish in next two days, is already done by midnight (interspaced with multitasking - read chatting online)! The day more than deserves a post :)

Tired! But Fresh as ever!

Be a 'Sport'

2011-05-31T11:30:00.003+05:30

Yesterday, while I was at work, we came to discussing recent sports activities - how IPL has turned into a drab affair with no loyal following whatsoever, how CL final was one sided as well the night before, with Barca thrashing ManU handsomely, and how F1 has lost its following in recent times, though Indian participation has increased in form of Force India and Indian drivers on the circuit.

We recollected the time when in addition to Cricket, other sports like Tennis and F1 used to have a fan base too.

We got talking about the ongoing French Open, and how in the women's circuit, we hardly even recognize some of the names in the top seeds! How Federer and Nadal, and of late Djokovic have made waves, and no one else has come to the fore. How in the earlier times, Sampras used to be the undisputed leader, with only a handful of players like Agassi, Ivanesevic, Rafter, Philippoussis etc struggling to reach the finals, only to be thrashed by S. And before Sampras, there were Edberg, and Becker, and Courier, and Stich, and even earlier Pat Cash, and McEnroe, and Connors, Ivan Lendl, and many more. How Sabatini got the tag of one of the biggest chokers, and how Hingis, Graf and Seles used to be the numero uno in their own era. And why Navratrilova was the best ever. After Chris Evert!

I remembered how I used to wake up early in the morning to watch Australian Open on telly, and used to sleep so late at night to follow French & US Open. Wimbledon, as always, has been the prime mover anyways.

But those times are gone. No more dedicated fan following anymore. One just gets to know who won which Slam and thats about it. Is it because of so many sports channels that it becomes difficult to keep track of them. Or something else has changed!

Similarly for Formula 1. I remember that I was always out of home in the evenings, going out to play Cricket or Badminton or Football or something or the other - but I used to make it a point to come back home in time on Saturdays to watch the qualifying, and Sundays for the Raceday. How my study calendar used to have dates marked for the next F1 races, and how closely I followed rivalry between Schumacher & Hakkinen first, and then later Schumacher with Raikonnen & Montoya! How Barrichello used to play the second fiddle to S gracefully, and S was the undisputed leader of the time. The way the rules of the game have changed considerably, I can hardly imagine what all dynamics it has brought to the sport, and how the car makes such a huge difference now!

Those were the days when sports were enjoyed as sports - now it is just a matter of following something or the other. Ask people what's happening in Roadies or Splitsvilla and they'll tell you who's out and who's not, while Sports and associated passion has lost its ground to IPL and its commercial extravaganza! How long this will last, for what it's worth, is anybody's guess.

Too soon to quit

2011-05-18T11:49:00.001+05:30

Badminton is incredible. Not one of those sports that you need to warm up for hours before you get on the field, nor one of those that will hardly make you feel kicking. Inclusive. Energetic. Fun.

I used to play a lot earlier, and recent times have had lesser share of those sporting days. I do try to play at least a few days a week. I can’t think of a more fun way to spend my free time whilst feeling fresh! Much better than being bored or ending up going home and vegging on the couch after a hard days work.

Not a bad way to have fun, vent frustrations, and make some friends all in one go.

Earlier this week, I was out to Siri Fort (one of the sporting arenas where one can go and play). It was a choice between Basketball and Badminton on that day, and since our Basketball team was running late and was still on the way, we decided to take a sneak peek at the Badminton courts, to see if any courts were vacant for us to squeeze in.

Indoor courts at Siri Fort are awesome. I somehow like Yonex synthetic turf more than the wooden ones.

On the court right next to where we were standing, we noticed two kids on one side of the court, playing badminton with their dad on the other side. What caught my attention was that the younger kid, who I guess would not be more than 6-7 years old, had his left hand inside his tee, and he was keeping only his right hand out of the tee to hold the racquet, so that their team does not have unfair advantage over their dad, who was single player on the other side of the court. This kid was very energetic, running from one end of the court to the other, trying to pick every shot played by his dad. And his elder brother (who by the looks of it would be 10-12 years old) did let him do all the running. It was a fun filled court, everyone laughing around, full of smiles, entertaining.

Everytime this kid would hit the shuttle, he would turn around, look at us, chuckle, and again run around the court to pick the next shot. This happened for a while, and everyone was enjoying it. Then suddenly, he tripped while reaching for a shot and fell down. To my surprise, neither his brother nor his dad came to help him get up. The concern was evident on their faces, but they were trying real hard not to show so. And the young champ did not even take his left hand out of his tee to take support and get up. He slowly rolled around, and gradually managed to get up. And then it hit me! He had just one arm!

He got up, his dad and bro took a sigh of relief, and he started running around yet again and it was business-as-usual at the court once again. However, I got chills run down my spine - here was a little champ who had no qualms about what he did or did not have, and his family was making him feel as normal as he should be. The guy's a winner for me - all the way through. Hat's off to the spirit.

I didn't get a court to play badminton that day. I couldn't learn any new tricks of the trade. But the champ made me realize, it's always too soon to quit, come what may.

Just another MAD afternoon

2011-04-11T14:27:00.007+05:30

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

I recently went to Annual Day function of an NGO that I have found to be one of the very few organizations that work based on commitment. It is a group of volunteers, spread all over India in 10 cities, that teach English to underprivileged children living in shelter homes. The kids are prepared to face life better by improving their communication skills, computer skills and their overall personality. This is to make them ready for the world outside, where English is considered one of the most important traits to get a decent opportunity. Apart from that, a number of placement & fun activities are also conducted for these children to expose them to various career opportunities.

The best part about this group is that it is totally commitment oriented - one who wants to join the group, has to commit time to the endeavor. The time, whether 2 hrs a week, or 4, is totally dependent on the individual who wants to commit. But once the time is committed, one has to stick to it. If you can't make it, get someone to replace you, and get a strike. Three strikes, and you are out of the system.

There are innumerable instances that I can pick from around me, where people want to do something for the society, but don't know how to contribute. Some give away money, some in kind, some give time, and some have better things to do otherwise.

Reminds me of Khalil Gibran,
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

Being there brings back the memories of our childhood days, when playing and winning games like Ring A Ring O'Roses and Musical Chairs used to be the achievement of the day; When the high point of the day used to be when one could sneak out of the class without teacher noticing it; When the race to the school bus used to be like the time when you are running for your life; When that oily burger from school canteen was the yummiest dish to have; When the fights with friends used to last as long as batting of the eyelids; When Cricket Bats and Soccer balls used to be possessions more prized than school books; When we did not get carried away like I am getting carried away now!

Anyways, most of the volunteers here are inspired college students and working professionals, who spend their time over weekends making lives better.

This actually brings aboard a thought that I have encountered many-a-times in past few months, and I get caught in its midst - in many of the circles I am a part of (read professional circles), more often than not, the discussions sway around how people are finding more and more ways of making money, and what are the ways to spend weekends effectively to bring in more moolah. I have friends, who have found ways to and are happy to spend their weekends productively moneywise. Sometimes, I am tempted to think whether I should join such an endeavor too - after all, extra few bucks never harmed anyone. But being the lazy soul I am, I know I do not have a penchant to spend my weekends doing anything other than lazing around, or sports (Agreed - it is an irony that lazing around and sports, both motivate me!).

So on one hand I know these friends whose pockets are overflowing weekend after weekend, and they are happy doing so; on the other hand are these friends who devote their time to such endeavors (like NGO above) and find bliss.

And then there is the third kind - those who laze around :)

When Friends Die..

2011-03-23T23:29:00.001+05:30

Death is something that seems to be beyond us. Despite it being a birthright, we are never able to prepare adequately for the pain and grief with which it entails. The death of someone young seems to silence us indeterminably. After the grief and pain of it all, we learn to pause before we speak their name.

The night before, a friend met with an accident. He's no more with us today. It was shocking and tragic.

It somehow prompted me to start looking back on our poor choices through youth. Our foolish mistakes and social disasters. I thought about our somewhat, er, 'misguided'(?) experiences; all those times when we have lost control of our bikes and cars, and those close shaves on road.

Perhaps we don't discuss the dead in such a convivial context in order to ease the stark reality of it. The reality that we wish so much to avoid is that it could be us. One of us has died and we are forced to readjust our life lens. We would all like to live each day as if it were our last, but we don't because we assume we have to plan for the future. That our future could be diminished with such immediacy is too frightening to bear, so instead we do not discuss our young friend and his death at all; except in the period of immediate mourning. The name is avoided while we quietly reconfigure our own fears of impermanence. Our memories do not fade, but we keep them to ourselves and hold them close, keeping them private.

Life is short, period. People and moments are precious. Savor the time together; remember with love instead of regret and guilt.

Peace.

Of "Udaan" & Childhood..

2011-03-16T01:26:00.005+05:30

This post begins on the note of a movie I recently watched - "Udaan". I had heard very good things about the movie; it had swept various awards nonchalantly as I had heard, and being a movie of Anurag Kashyap has its charm too. So I decided to watch it.

Udaan is a story of hope, dreams, aspirations, conflicts, expectations, friendships, relationships, love, despair, and much more. It is about the rebel streak that we face in our teens, which ultimately defines who we are - the phase that defines who we become. The crux of the movie is the scene where Rohan runs and runs and runs. For me, that is the scene in which he eventually takes off (and so does the movie)! Hats off to that scene, to say the least. Nothing grand, nothing extraordinary, plain simple awesome!

So I was discussing this movie yesterday with a bunch of friends, when it came up how there was a TV serial named Udaan in early 90s that used to air on DD. It was about that female (can't recall the name, but remember the face) and her struggle to become a police officer against the backdrop of preferred male sibling and other hardships.

And then we came to discussing all those epic serials we all grew up watching - be it Ramayana or Mahabharata. And that quaint DD logo. And those interesting knowledge based series like Surbhi, Turning Point and Bharat Ek Khoj. And the regular, and much awaited Chitrahaar. And Byomkesh Bakshi. And He-Man & Captain Vyom. And Dekh Bhai Dekh. And many more.

Still remember that whole family used to sit together to watch these. The roads would be deserted on Sundays morning 9 to 10 - all families glued to their TV sets. Friday evenings would be much awaited to see which songs would be aired this week. And then ever repeating "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara".

True, that Childhood, after all, is the original score for one’s life song. Awesome time 'twas.

My childhood was an improbable mix of antique and modern, outdoor and indoor, freedom and constraint. At six, I wanted to be a school principal, at seven a movie director, at eight Superman, at eleven a fighter pilot, at twelve a politician, at thirteen a history professor, at fifteen an artist, at seventeen a scuba diver, at twenty a traveler. It wasn’t that I was watching too much TV; I hardly did. I was simply mirroring, as children will, the goings-on around me.

Ask me now what I want to be. Answer - anything. I want to be me.

PS: As an afterthought, recalled that Shahid Kapoor & Ayesha Takia used to come in a Complan ad too! Did I start insisting on Complan after seeing this ad?!

Recharged

2011-03-03T00:52:00.003+05:30

It is always so much fun catching up with friends.

Using email makes it so easy to catch up with old friends and family. Social networking sites, pictures on picasa, or even blogs bring me closer to my friends. But as always, nothing beats meeting those near and dear ones in person.

Today was one such day!

As usual, day began late. I can't really call 2p start of the day an early start, can I! So today was the day off, and thanks to my stars, I managed to get ready in a jiffy and all set to go out for atleast something.

A was in town, since he was coming back from yet another skiing trip in Gulmarg. I had missed the basketball session in the morning since I woke up late, so meeting M & SA was also on the cards. Obviously, AA & G were on the cards. N's office wasn't far. AC was also meeting for Golf. Hadn't caught up with S in a while, so had to check up with him on his GMAT scores and the likes. P was in town, and had to discuss a business proposition with AT too. So net net, loads to do in the already shortened day!

Managed to do a lot during the day, and though the movie plans could not materialize at the end of the day, badminton session in the evening, and Cocoberry discussions at night did sum up the day well. Did manage to have a gala time, plan an outing much in advance for March end, and enough food for thought on ideation for the rest of the week.

Batteries recharged - all set for the remainder of the week. Puff!

Meeting the right people = Success

2011-01-20T11:22:00.001+05:30

All of those successful people you see around your city, with their cars, villas and huge televisions? Approximately 100 percent of them got where they are because they had three things. All three are absolutely essential, but one of them is almost never mentioned. They are:

* Talent
* Hard Work
* Randomly Meeting the Right People and Not Pissing Them Off

The autobiographies of famous people will do everything they can to downplay that third part, because it has the element of sheer luck. People get offended when you mention it, because they think it somehow undermines the first two. But remember, one needs all three.

For instance, let's take maybe the most successful movie actor of all time, Harrison Ford. He roamed around Hollywood for nine years, taking bit parts without anything major ever coming his way. Clearly talented, very hard-working. Yet not once did anybody look at him and say, "This guy will sell several billion dollars' worth of tickets and action figures some day!" He was just another ambitious, pretty face, in a city full of them. He got so fed up, he quit acting and became a carpenter.

Then one day he got hired to install cabinets in the home of a guy named George Lucas. They became friends. That got him the role of Han Solo in Star Wars a few years later. True story!

Decades earlier another Ford, Henry, was just one of many engineers screwing around with early car engine designs until he became friends with a wealthy businessman named Alexander Malcomson who forked over the money to get Ford Motor Company started.

This also works for guys not named Ford; Justin Bieber was one of several hundred thousand teenagers singing on YouTube videos before a former record exec named Scooter Braun clicked on one of his videos by accident and got him a record deal.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have guys like Edgar Allan Poe, whose legendary poem "The Raven" earned him... nine dollars. He burned so many bridges he wound up basically begging the public for money before dying at 40.

At some point Poe probably met his George Lucas, but made such a horrible impression on him the guy wouldn't return his calls.

Morale of the story:

I. First Impressions are Really Important;
II. Subsequent Impressions Are Also Important;
III. No, We're Not Tiger Woods!

Lazy Bum

2010-12-13T00:35:00.004+05:30

Yawn! Can't bring myself to writing this article I am supposed to give this week for a magazine. I have known the deadline for over a month, and now that deadline is here, I don't think I have enough time. Lazy me!

Think

2010-12-12T18:41:00.002+05:30

I was speaking with a friend today, when he mentioned that there are many days he asks himself if he actually is doing anything worthwhile. Has this MBA given us license only to think, and do nothing? Or in other words, has this MBA taken away our license to do, and perform just thinking? Are we good enough for powerpoint presentations only?

I don't completely agree with him, but don't disagree altogether either. I do understand that there are thinkers, there are doers, and then there are those who actually make things happen.

In a firm where I used to work earlier, my boss was believed to be an opinionated person. He was an MBA, ex-Mckinsey, had served as the head of a transnational high-impact organization, thereby gaining loads of exposure, and I admired him for what he had achieved. He once told me that I am a thinker, and I should become a doer. This post is not a measure of whether he was right or wrong about me at that time, but the point is, it did make me realize that not 'knowing' what you are 'thinking' should be 'done', can only work in the short term, if at all. In that discussion, I realized that doing is as important as thinking (and vice versa) - one of the key reasons why I quit to join another firm where I believed I will be much closer to 'doing' (and another key reason being the biking trip to Khardung La – covered here).

What I have realized is - there is a HUGE difference when it comes to thinkers vs doers. Doers do their fair share of thinking, but they do it on the fly; they think while they are doing. Let me break it down and let you decide which side of the track you are on. Are you on the side of the track where people get stuff done, or are you on the side where people think and dream about getting stuff done? It may sound confusing - what I am going to write now (primarily because even I am not clear what I mean).

Thinkers think that thinking is doing. They think that the act of thinking and “learning” is moving them closer to their end goal when in fact thinking (rather than doing) is blocking their progress. Thinkers know that they have to do in order to reach their goals, but they think that the act of thinking always precedes the act of doing. In reality, the act of thinking delays the act of doing. What thinkers don’t know is that the thinking that truly helps achieve goals is not really thinking at all (I know, I told you to bear with me). The thinking that helps achieve goals is actually doing in disguise. Thinking just to be thinking is counterproductive. It is when thinking becomes doing that thinking truly becomes productive. Do you think and learn just to do so? Or does your thinking and learning truly complement each other is the question!

Enough ‘thinking’ for the day – I should go and ‘do’ something – maybe ‘sleep’.

Books

2010-11-23T23:00:00.004+05:30

I am not much of a reader; but I read whatever I can lay my hands on, or anything that comes recommended. From random articles on wiki to random blogs, there is much more than meets the eye in this world. While I've read Bhagavad Gita, Qu'ran and Bible, I don't really think there is much difference in what they are trying to preach. Language is different - essence is the same. And I do not really follow any of them blindly, one of the arguments given in one of the books is as follows:

According to injunctions, there are six kinds of aggressors:
1) a poison giver,
2) one who sets fire to the house,
3) one who attacks with deadly weapons,
4) one who plunders riches,
5) one who occupies another's land, and
6) one who kidnaps a wife.

Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors.

Again, I am not supporting or opposing the argument above - merely stating what has been mentioned. Where I find irony is, though all major books follow the above, the laws of the land do not suggest that an individual should take justice in his own hands. And while the basic premise of all judicial systems is one such text or the other, capital punishment still doesn't find favor with most of these courts.

Guess it's time I pick up something to read into the judicial system.

Latest movies

2010-11-23T21:37:00.004+05:30

I have been quite a movie buff - having watched loads and loads of movies over last few years, having imdb to serve as the movie bible, having watched more than half of imdb top 250, having a collection of thousands of movies that I like in my hard disks - it is safe to say that I am inclined towards movies in general.

There are quite a few movies that I had seen in last year or so, which have sort of blacked out from my mind. I can remember bits and pieces of the storylines of a few of them here and there, but can't come to recall the names of the movies or the plots, or the endings for that matter. Was watching an animation last night, "How to train a dragon" - a fun movie.

Only after the movie had finished did I realize that I had already seen it early this year! Guess it's an overload of watching so many movies that I can't even remember which ones I have watched and which ones I haven't.

Personal pointer - keep a tab on what you watch! A few sitcoms can make the week smooth which enough media for the week. And then, wait for white collar in jan.

In the news

2010-11-22T21:57:00.003+05:30

I am intrigued by the happenings in our surroundings today.

You open the television, and move to a news channel - and all there is playing is either a scam, or a political turmoil. At best, a happy news about India doing well on a specific day in Cricket, or one of the cricketing starts reaching yet another landmark! Of the current ones I can see on TV, there is a tainted CVC issue, some case of Supreme Court asking PM about clarifications on what he did or did not do when one of his ministers was distributing favors in the market in form of some licenses, another case of CWG officials being arrested by CBI and interrogated for money laundering while the supreme boss holidays in Monaco, a case of a state CM refusing to resign after being accused of a land scam, another real estate scam based on defense property, and many more.

(While on CWG, every time I see a name related to CWG scams on TV, I anxiously look for names that I worked with when the games were happening. Not to my surprise, none of the names that feature in the TV are of those who actually were visible during the games, running around doing all the hard work. Sort of verifies my hypothesis that there were two kinds of people in CWG - ones who made the games happen, and ones who did all the "hard" work before the actual work started, and made merry, and made sure those who follow will have to burn in midnight oil in order to make games happen!)

Just last week, I was introduced to a few audio clips on youtube (I think I picked them up through FB, where some connection of mine had shared the link), where a media personality was negotiating portfolios on phone on behalf of a political party, while another political strategist was representing the coalition partner for a specific ministry.

A stupid optimist that I am, I am still hopeful that we will come out of these roadblocks - supplemented by tainted CVC, unresponsive CBI, hand-tied Supreme Court.

On that note, it reminds me of another incident a friend told me last week. I have this friend who also believes that if you have to have the right to crib, be there to make a change yourself first, to have that right to crib. (Like I mentioned in an earlier post here). So he thought he'll turn a few stones, and went on to connect with the youth wing of one of the leading national political parties. To his amazement, it took him weeks to get an appointment with the relevant first, and when he finally reached to meet, he was frowned upon on knowing that he was neither son of a business family, or a political family! He was told that it is better to stay in corporate world, trying to make a difference to the country's economy, rather than through politics, unless he had some big moolah to shell out, or a political family to step into shoes of!

Sad that this friend actually wanted to get in the system and try and make a difference to the society! Another 10-20 years and things will change dramatically from where they are today, but I guess the real beginning of that change is yet to start.

Ownership - Do we, Don't we..

2010-09-17T18:39:00.001+05:30

Here's a thought - "Every man [and woman] . . . lives by exchanging, or becomes in some measure a merchant, and the society itself grows to be what is properly a commercial society."

This is not easily bought, but it's an awesome thought - it was first quoted by Adam Smith long way back, but the essence is still as fresh as new. Ownership does pervade our lives and, in a strange way, shapes many of the things we do.

Much of our life story can be told by describing the ebb and flow of our particular possessions — what we get and what we give up. We buy clothes and food, automobiles and homes, for instance. And we sell things as well — homes and cars, and in the course of our careers, our time.

Since so much of our lives is dedicated to ownership, how great would that be to know exactly how much we would enjoy a new home, a new car, a different sofa, so that we could make accurate decisions about owning them? Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. We are mostly fumbling around in the dark.

Ownership is not limited to material things. It can also apply to points of view. Once we take ownership of an idea — whether it's about politics or sports or love — what do we do? We love it perhaps more than we should. And most frequently, we have trouble letting go of it because we can't stand the idea of its loss. What are we left with then? An ideology — rigid and unyielding.

Reasons - here they are.

1. We fall in love with what we have. Nature has this innate ability to make us instantly attached to what we have.
2. We focus on what we may lose, rather than what we may gain. Our aversion to loss is a strong emotion, one that sometimes causes us to make our decisions. As soon as we begin thinking about giving up our valued possessions, we are already mourning the loss.
3. We assume other people will see it from the same perspective as we do. It is just difficult for us to imagine that the person on the other side of the arrangement is not seeing the world as we see it.

And we begin to feel ownership even before we own something. This is what is not fair. And this is where we falter. We start thinking something to be our own, while it was only in our mind that it did. Call it "virtual ownership".

So the crux of the matter is - you own it if you own it. You don't, if you don't.

Drenched

2010-09-09T10:39:00.000+05:30

Intermittent rains in Delhi have been a nightmare for last few weeks, and one never knows when the rain gods will blast our souls.

Unaware of wishes of the rain gods, I picked up my bags as the clock struck 6. The weather was awesome, with petrichor all around. But no rains at that instant. Through the day, I was standing by the window, watching the dark clouds engulf the city. However, they hardly burst. As if they were waiting for something to happen.

So I step out, take my car out and start driving. A few hundred metres, and I realize that I have driven over a bump that got me a flat tire. I stop on the side, thinking whether I should look for a mechanic, or some other help. With clouds still holding back, and no help in sight, I decided to do the honors myself. My mood was somehow blue, and I wasn't too keen on doing it myself, but something pressed me to go on.

I step out of the car, and start the process. And as soon as I am midway, I feel droplets of water tripping over my shoulders. Instantly, I feel better. Everyone is running for cover, but I turn into my own renewed energetic self. I empty my pockets in the car, and roam around. Just like old days, when you care for nothing. For 10 minutes I stand there, looking at people trying to run for cover, and birds trying to find a set of leaves to hold them safe. And when you notice plants and trees, it seems as if flowers and fruits are trying to embrace the drops, spreading their aroma, as if trying to let others know of their presence.

Maybe that's why, there is lots of aromatic material that the moisture and impact of rain can stir up, and the moist atmosphere following a downpour is particularly good at carrying these particles through the air.

By the time it stopped raining, I was dripping from head to toe. Reluctantly, I changed the tire, and moved on, with "Khudi ko kar buland itna" by Junoon playing on the ipod. Sweet.

I am glad I got drenched. Best thing to happen to me today!

A Crib

2010-09-07T22:14:00.004+05:30

Cribbing is good. You know why?

Because it helps initiate a discussion. It breaks the ice. Any one can do it. It doesn't need to even conclude. Mostly, you leave it hanging - that's the whole point.

And here, one doesn't need to provide any solution. You just have to keep talking about stuff. Finding loopholes. That's what we have come to believe in. Give "Problem Statement", not the way forward.

I somehow find it strange that typical mentality is to crib, and leave it at that. The other day, I was talking to someone who mentioned how these Commonwealth Games have created havoc for Delhi; how so much corruption in the system has eaten away our hard earned tax money.

I do understand that there is corruption prevalent in the system, but if we choose to not act against it, it makes no point to crib about it. I read somewhere that from ~40,000 Crores that has been spent on CWG, about 28,000 Crores was for Metro Services, and roads, and flyovers, and underpasses, and better infrastructure for the city. This development anyways had to happen. So why do we choose to put a spotlight on these numbers, and try to malign the development of the city.

Yes, the traffic is a monster for everyone in Delhi, agreed. But only CWG work is not responsible for it. And how conveniently we choose to ignore the blessings of staying in a city like Delhi, where infra is developing at much faster pace than its population, or else we would not have survived the population growth in last 10-15 years.

I remember, about 15 years back, I used to think Gurgaon was on a different planet, because to reach there, you had to cross Dhaula Kuan. With no flyovers, all trucks blocking the way, I used to conveniently finish my sleep sitting in the comforts of my car, going from Delhi to Gurgaon. And now, at a good time, CP to Gurgaon would take 30 mins tops. When the ferrari swooshes at 150 on these roads, you feel the heat.

True that there are numbers attached to CWG. 900,000 bucks for a treadmill, which actually costs just a fraction of that amount! The scale of money made would have been what - a couple hundreds crores, tops! Compare that to any other scam, and you know what relative figures mean. (Infact, I did write a post on relative numbers - here it is!) I just opened TV in my room to pick some figures related to scams, and here is one I picked up - there is a scam going on, in which land worth roughly 12 lakh crores has been "given" to a religious board for developmental activities related to that community. Now look at the figure - 12 lakh crores. I wonder what Indian GDP is!

Leave that aside. Want to make a difference - join administrative services. Or politics.

Oh wait - want to crib - earn a right to.

Numbers

2010-08-26T12:31:00.008+05:30

Numbers, when put in right perspective, can speak wonders. And it is all relative. If US spending in Iraq war is told to be $ 300 Billion, we don't know whether it is too small or too large. But if we are told that US spending for Afghan control is $ 3,000 Billion, then we know what both mean.

Presentation is all that matters. Look at this graph for instance - what could this be a graph of, where there is a short peak every monday, peaks just before summer and winter breaks for kids, and a trough on Christmas?

Could be sales of anything. Pattern of any activity.

It actually is the pattern of breakups in the US. Most break ups happen just before holidays (so that partners can explore new and better avenues)! Break ups at Christmas would be cruel, and hence the trough. And regular fights over weekends lead to rise in breakups on Monday.

Interesting.

And the source - a study conducted on facebook status updates, which monitored 10,000 individuals in US during the year.

Now who does these kind of studies? Need to join that firm. Who should I send my CV to..

Rest if you must...

2010-07-17T01:15:00.000+05:30

(Continued from Post 1)

The blankness has a definite beauty and purpose. Dust swirls in all directions, the roads get choppy, and life indefinitely stretches uphill after Darcha. Road construction teams also multiply, while general conversations steer around weather and road conditions on the looming mountain passes ahead.

And suddenly, you reach a mirage – a crystal blue lake, compact enough to camp next to, even as a howling wind shreds the barren silence. At Deepak Tal, 16 km from Darcha, one is introduced to the concept of parachute tent dhabas that remain a hallmark of the Leh road. These temporary rest stops bloom at strategic locations, providing tea, snacks and much needed company along the bleak way. The next stop is Zing Zing Bar, where truckers check their vehicles before ascending Baralacha La (4890 m), a mean and mighty pass that sternly tests human integrity, as well as the durability of your bike.

A rough descent through crooked roads and a narrow, rocky chasm leads you into the Gorges of Pang, which is straight from the pages of a Tolkien fantasy.

32 km down, Sarchu is a bitterly cold overnight stop with numerous tents and dhabas at the state border.

Leaving Sarchu, one gets into J&K officially, and the scenery along this last lap to Ladakh is achingly spectacular. The road soon zigzags up 21 hairpin bends to form the Gata Loops, only to drop slightly at the immense flats of the curiously names Whiskey Nallah – a temporary truck stop with few dhabas also offering beds. At this point, life in comfortable Leh seems like an impossible reward. But it’s not over yet. A short but hard road takes you right up to the 5060 m Lachlung La offering views across the khaki colored mountains of the Zanskar range.

(To reach Leh shortly - to be continued)

Rohtang and beyond...

2010-07-16T10:51:00.007+05:30

The journey to Leh has become one of the most talked about and most done trips of our generation and lifetime, and quite rightfully so. Starting from Kullu/Manali, the road trip is nothing short of a pilgrimage, with long waits for the great Himalayan passes to open; the punishing yet breathtaking terrain, and the gradual arrival at the destination – Leh, as oasis of succor in the bleak universe of desert mountains and rarefied air.

However, it’s not just the destination that matters. On this fabled route lie several villages and towns that deserve much more than a cursory gander, while being perfect enough to camp in for a night or two.

Since its discovery, Manali has greeted overlanders with its abundant greenery and exquisite scenery. A primary reason Indian tourists come to Manali is to experience their first snow on the mighty Rohtang Pass. 51 kms away, Rohtang Pass (3978 m) was not always the all season playground of the plain dwellers; pre historic folks in Kullu Valley believed that the world ended at the mighty mountains that the pass now spans across. Unexpected blizzards and landslides atop Rohtang have earned it its mystical name that eerily translates to “Heap Dead Bodies” in Tibetan.

Despite its formidable size and notoriety, Rohtang is one scenically stunning Himalayan Pass. On this natural watershed, the road curves and bends among evergreen alpine meadows, revealing eye level mountain views at sunrise, apart from the perpetual possibility of snow. In spite of its mythical character, Rohtang Pass remains an underrate pass among travelers on the road to Leh. But not for long, as you cross and see the parallel world it retains beyond its great barriers.

At the turn off point of Gramphu, to the east lies the Spiti valley, and to the north-west the Lahaul valley – a largely unexplored land steeped in an intoxicating blend of myth, beauty and extreme landscapes. A quick descent of 5 kms brings you to Khoksar. This small hamlet consists of little more than several dhabas, a police checkpoint and several warm hearted locals who willingly offer advice and aid on the onward journey. It’s a great place to tuck into a hot lunch by the waterfall.

Leaving Khoksar, the road splits across a hardened valley floor, with sheer cliffs dominating either side of the Chandra River. Sissu is revered for the temple of Lord Gyephang (the protector god of the Lahaulis), the Gyephang Peak and the famed hanging waterfall.

18 kms further is Lahaul’s biggest town – Keylong, set against a backdrop of brown hills and snowy peaks. The Bhaga River nourishes this side valley, roaring from its source in Baralacha La, and it is a pretty sight to see the willows on her banks. Keylong is the official overnight stop for travelers, and many stay back to explore. One can usually come across scores of happily hyper kids here.

Jispa, 22 km ahead, is a small village that is big on camping sites and trout fishing, thanks to its pleasant setting next to the Bhaga. There’s decent accommodation available, and locals cook up basic meals on request (read Maggi and Lemon Tea). From here onwards, trees start disappearing.

At first sight, Darcha appears to be an unpromising junction, but it’s the last permanent settlement, and the trailhead for a number of astounding treks into Zanskar and Leh. Barring the dhabas, there is no accommodation here. From here, the wooded greens of Lahaul fade into stark mountain terrain and the next set of trees will be seen in Rumtse, 80 kms from Leh.

The way forward in next post..

Recharge

2010-04-12T17:07:00.005+05:30

It's been a while.

It had been a while too. Recharging batteries was much needed, and hence I ventured on a solo trip on a bike to the countryside. The road took me all the way to Haridwar, one of the four locations where Kumbha Mela happens. And incidentally, it was on.

Predominantly, a sacred Hindu pilgrimage, Kumbha Mela is the largest spiritual gathering in the world. 'Kumbha' means 'pot' (with no handles) and 'Mela' means 'gathering' or 'fair'. Legend has it that at the beginning of creation, all the Gods were under a curse making them weak. Brahma (The Creator) advised them to retrieve the pot of immortality. The Gods sought the help of the Demons. During the battle to retrieve and possess the nectar, four drops spilled in four places: Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.

This auspicious coming together, takes place four times every twelve years at one of the four sacred places along the Ganga River, dependent upon the position of planet Brahaspati (Jupiter), the Moon and Sun.

This is what Mark Twain had to say after his Kumbh Mela experience in 1895: 'It is wonderful, the power of a faith like that, that can make multitudes upon multitudes of the old and weak and the young and frail enter without hesitation or complaint upon such incredible journeys and endure the resultant miseries without repining. It is done in love, or it is done in fear; I do not know which it is. No matter what the impulse is, the act born of it is beyond imagination, marvelous to our kind of people, the cold whites.'

Nevertheless, I went to Haridwar, took a holy dip, spent a peaceful night, noticed millions of devotees, understood why kids always separated during Kumbha Mela and continued on my journey.

On my way back, got into one of the most interesting discussions with strangers.

The sun was at its peak, and the clock showed noon. Tired of driving the bike continuously for a couple of hours, I chose to tread the bike on the fields instead of the metallic road. Saw a tree that reminded of my school days when we used to run in the cross country races across the fields. I parked the bike, and to my amusement, noticed that a group of farmers and villagers were also taking a break alongside from their routine ploughing of the fields.

I put my backpack and sat down beside them, striking a conversation around tilling the land, and the heat at this time of the year, and the rains, and the IPL, and future prospects of village kids. And when the topic of future prospects came, the grim faces of the elderly were evident. They were adamant that with the recent times, it is imperative that the kids of the village should go out and venture into the outside world. That they should stop staying in their cocoon and be bold enough to embrace uncertainty. According to them, success is not a matter of staying close to family and having a good time anymore, it is more a matter of how vastly one has traveled, how much money one makes, how many mobiles one has and the likes. I was just a silent spectator to all these discussions, and could hardly understand what they saw in the world outside. On the other side of the fields, I could see kids playing an IPL match of their own, unconcerned how concerned their elderly were, of their own wherewithall.

One of the elderly asked me if I was traveling for work; I nodded, which they took as yes. I chose not to correct them. They took me to be some kind of deliveryman who was traveling from one place to another, delivering some stuff. While they kept continuing with the discussions of how in city life, I have made a mark for myself and how earning a 20,000 per month salary will be the best thing to happen to their kids, I could hardly make out if I was really doing what I am meant to, and if I had ever made even an iota of mark for myself. Seeing a blackberry was like looking at the next big invention after wheel for them. And what amazed them was how the maps on blackberry can pinpoint one’s location to a few metres – one specific comment being, “kya humein bhi koi upar aakaash se dekh raha hai!” (Translation – Is someone watching us from heavens above?)

Two hours well spent, I picked up my bike and exchanged pleasantries. All the way back, all I could think of was, did I get what I hoped for, when I started this trip? Did I know what I wanted to find, when I started this trip?

A break well taken, time well spent.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Angry Young Man?

2010-03-05T18:09:00.001+05:30

I've always thought of myself as the most patient person in the world. No, seriously. Just ask my ex girlfriends. (Kidding, ladies. Please don't kill me.) But I'm becoming really, as in really, cranky and short-tempered as of late and it's starting to worry me.

Anger. It bursts me at the seams.

Take this incident from this week, for instance. I was running late for work and I had to go through another astoundingly mind-numbing traffic rush enroute my office. There have been fables of casualties there, my car's many dents being regulars among them. Anyway, imagine going through a traffic stampede on a daily basis, plus having to deal with breakfast while driving and the whole gamut of pending phone calls. But I'm zen. Really, I am, not even when that zooming Scorpio stood in front of me and showed me, up close, how tiny I looked. So I push on the accelerator, still zen and shit and I get in line at the head at the traffic signal, when suddenly this rickshaw which has probably had ninja training had sneakily snuck himself in front of me and was acting like he did nothing stupid.

And that's when my zen bubble burst. I actually fantasized about getting out of the car, pushing him off the line and giving him an hour-long lecture on driving etiquettes and lanes and how I do not kill people who drive sane.

But in reality I was just standing behind him, glaring at him and finding a way to get him behind me again.

But yeah, I fail at anger management. I usually end up cranky lately which as we all know isn't a good thing. I really have to get to the bottom of this or I'll probably lose the six remaining friends I have. Then I'd have nobody to buzz at Gmail. Or Poke at Facebook. We wouldn't want that, would we?

2010-03-05T15:19:00.000+05:30

Inside each and every one of us is our one, true authentic swing. Something we was born with. Something that's ours and ours alone. Something that can't be learned... something that's got to be remembered.

Newtonian Day

2010-02-08T13:18:00.002+05:30

I am somehow having a "Newtonian" day, though Science is not my strong point - first, it was Pythagoras in the morning, when I noticed a triangular, weird looking calendar on my desk. It made me wonder why and how sum of sides' squares make up something related to the third side. (Yes, get the drift. I didn't study hard enough during school)

And now, while having tea, I noticed the tea leaves at the bottom and wondered why they assemble at the centre, and not on the outer edges. Centrifugal force should come into picture, thereby pushing the leaves to the sides of the cup. But to my wonder, it did not. I decided I get to the bottom of this (Pun intended!). Maybe, in course of doing this, I might end up discovering something radical - "Abhinav's theory of tea cups" shall we say! Hence, I turned to my trusted companion (Google) and thought I'll figure out why it happens.

Seems like Einstein uncle had better sense of tea. He already had studied this theory, and some blood separation technique is already based on this theory. I won't dump technical stuff here explaining why it happens - I'm devastated already that my attempt at making history (or science) goes in vain, and science will have to wait for some more time to capitalize on my discoveries.

Think. It's not illegal yet.

Simple, yet intriguing

2010-02-08T10:20:00.004+05:30

Exquisite Demonstration - Pythagoras

..have a good time

2010-02-07T00:05:00.001+05:30

There are some movies that make you feel good. Whatever be their genre, they always end up giving you a nice time. Then there are some movies ahead of their time, because of which they end up not doing good commercially, but you watch it a few years down the line, you get the essence. Will share the thoughts about the former in this post.

Right, so. Nora Ephron's creations have been above average. There was "Sleepless in Seattle". Then there was "You've Got Mail". And now there is "Julie and Julia". First two, most have seen and appreciated, so this post won't talk about them (will just mention that "You've Got Mail" used to be one of my favorites during post-grad. I could see the movie endlessly, and would have screened it more than 50 times in one year. Some phase, huh!

Anyways, continuing with J&J. A very sweet, simple movie, with no complications. Meryl Streep, as always, is perfect, and there is no reason why she should not get the Oscar this year (though I hardly end up watching Oscar nominated movies, but with years passing by, I have started to appreciate the beauty of these movies, which are full of complications, and yet Rx Oscars. One outlier, which I just could never understand Rxed an Oscar, was "No Country for Old Men' in 2008).

Meryl's "The Devil Wears Prada" again is one of those movies, which give you a flavor of the world which one sees in awe, without actually knowing what really goes on. Agreed, I haven't read the book, and I've heard the book is good too, but somehow I don't feel like changing my perception of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada". I never knew what fashion industry mean before I watched this movie (as if I know it now! But anyways.)

J&J is a movie that runs parallel across generations. Julia (Meryl Streep) and Julie (Amy Adams) share the common bliss - cooking. Julia's writing a book about it, and Julie's blogging (notice how Nora brings technology/internet as the focal point to connect today's generation - remember, You've Got Mail. And now J&J.). Julia is so cheerful and energetic, that I frankly haven't seen anyone - sure it's only a movie, but still. Julie is her counterpart. Julia is thoughtful, Julie obsessed. I think both complement each other very well.

I was talking to someone about this movie, when I was told that if only the movie had more about Julia's life and less about Julie's (or even none about her), the movie would have been better. But I somehow think without Julie, the movie would have been a dud. Sure Meryl is THE talented one, and brings life to the character, but the story actually has been brought alive by Amy. Her dedication, her obsession, her spirit, her will is what makes this movie special.

There's another movie I watched recently, "The Boat That Rocked". Released last year I guess. Now, I am not really that much into music. Yes, I do follow some, but I only follow what I follow. Very restricted. And this movie is based on how music brings about joy in people's lives. How it can become an obsession, or maybe a mild term would be dedication. Movie's about a pirate radio station stationed in the ocean on a liner, that brings joy to whole of the UK.

Nice watch, both "Julie & Julia" & "The Boat That Rocked". Good time guaranteed.

..being a passenger?

2010-01-22T11:30:00.002+05:30

For many years, I was perfectly content, even relieved, to sit back and release the control and direction of my life to others. I found comfort in relinquishing personal responsibility and allowing someone else to take charge. The decisions, and consequences, no longer rested heavy upon my shoulders. I had no need to take care of myself as my trust and faith lay completely in those around me. When life reared its ugly head, I was comforted with the knowledge and acceptance that the driver would maneuver me to a place of safety. The more time that passed, the more control I relinquished to others, the less I trusted myself and the less I knew the boundary between my own life and those that were carrying me along for the ride.

In many ways, it was a comfortable way to live. It was the easy way. It was the only way I knew. Eventually, and gradually, I came to realize that life is not always easy and finding the most comfortable way is only guaranteed to impede any personal growth. I needed a driver and I was destined to be the passenger.

Years later, I look back on those times with mixed emotions. At times, I think back and long for the comfort of reassurances that “everything will be okay”. But I also look back and realize that where I stand today, and who I am today, is far better than being just “a passenger in my own life”. The journey is much harder now, the terrain much more treacherous at times. I no longer take the easy route, depending on others to guide me toward that illusory pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In fact, it is often difficult to even see the rainbow these days. But when the rain stops and the clouds move away, when I look up and see the rainbow at the end of the storm, I know that the beauty I see is because I have chosen to look up and see it. I am no longer dictated by the direction of others, no longer dependent upon the reassurance that “everything will be okay”. The truth of life is that everything will not always be okay, but through the struggles, I will become stronger and in the end, I will be okay.

I like to be the driver these days. It’s frustrating and confusing and overwhelming at times, especially when the traffic is bad. But in each of the difficult moments, I remind myself that I am not a weak person and I grow a little bit more. Through frustration, I learn patience. Through confusion, I learn to seek clarity, to take chances, and to have faith in myself. And in those overwhelming moments, I learn that my own strength is far greater than I ever knew. Strength and hope and determination are the passengers that now accompany me. I am happy to no longer be “a passenger in my own life”.

All is well!

India's Energy Plans - or the lack of it!

2010-01-21T11:05:00.000+05:30

Anything tangible or intangible, that costs money is evaluated very carefully and used equally carefully in India. This means expenses are controlled and kept as low as possible. The scenario in energy consumption in India is no different. It is not surprising that the per capita energy consumption figures are very low inspite of high rate of development now taking place.

Conventional sources are depleting, and even those coal based projects that are located at pit-mouth (for instance, in Jharkhand, WB) have only paltry stocks as fuel reserve. The solution is either to import coal and gas, or look towards other non-conventional sources.

India is blessed with an abundance of sunlight, water and biomass. What vigorous efforts during the past two decades have done is that people in all walks of life are more aware of the benefits of renewable energy, especially decentralized energy where required in villages and in urban or semi-urban centers. India has the world's largest programme for renewable energy as well.

However, a critical issue is that most of the capital allocated to such initiatives does not reach the intended target. A major share of this capital is consumed trying to make policies and trying to figure out what should be done. Policymakers' lack of clarity and gap between state and centre leads to unwarranted delay too.

What is required is a "learn as you go" approach, thereby reducing time-to-market, and inculcate a sense of continuity for the plans.

Startups - and money!

2010-01-17T22:45:00.000+05:30

Raising money is the second hardest part of starting a startup. The hardest part is making something people want: most startups that die, die because they didn't do that. But the second biggest cause of death is probably the difficulty of raising money. Fundraising is brutal.

One reason it's so brutal is simply the brutality of markets. People who've spent most of their lives in schools or big companies may not have been exposed to that. Professors and bosses usually feel some sense of responsibility toward you; if you make a valiant effort and fail, they'll cut you a break. Markets are less forgiving. Customers don't care how hard you worked, only whether you solved their problems.

Investors evaluate startups the way customers evaluate products, not the way bosses evaluate employees. If you're making a valiant effort and failing, maybe they'll invest in your next startup, but not this one.

But raising money from investors is harder than selling to customers, because there are so few of them.

When investors can't make up their minds, they sometimes describe it as if it were a property of the startup. "You're too early for us," they sometimes say. But which of them, if they were taken back in a time machine to the hour Google was founded, wouldn't offer to invest at any valuation the founders chose? An hour old is not too early if it's the right startup. What "you're too early" really means is "we can't figure out yet whether you'll succeed."

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

True story, huh!

2009-12-30T11:00:00.000+05:30

Jesus waited THREE days to come back to life. It was perfect! If he had only waited ONE day, a lot of people wouldn't have even heard he died. They'd be all, "Hey Jesus, what up?" and Jesus would probably be like, "What up? I DIED yesterday!" and they'd be all, "Uhh, you look pretty alive to me, dude..." and then Jesus would have to explain how he was resurrected, and how it was a miracle, and the dude'd be like "Uhh okay, whatever you say, bro..." And he's not gonna come back on a SATURDAY. Everybody's busy, doing chores, workin' the loom, trimmin' the beard, NO. He waited the perfect number of days, THREE. Plus it's SUNDAY, so everyone's in church already, and they're all in there like "Oh no, Jesus is DEAD", and then BAM! He bursts in the back door, runnin' up the aisle, everyone's totally psyched, and FYI, that's when he invented the high five. That's why we wait three days to call a woman, because that's how long Jesus wants us to wait.... True story - Barney

2009-08-05T11:04:00.000+05:30

"As we mature, the relationship matures with us?"
That's just something my friend read in psychology today.
Alright, she read it in Cosmo.
Alright, I read it in Cosmo.
Alright, it was CosmoGirl!

2009-08-04T23:40:00.000+05:30

There are certain things in life where you know it's a mistake but you don't really know it's a mistake because the only way to really know it is a mistake is to make that mistake and look back and say, "Yup, that was a mistake". So really, the bigger mistake would be to not make the mistake because then you'll go your whole life not really know if something is a mistake or not. Does any of this make any sense? Did I make a mistake?

2009-07-31T16:32:00.001+05:30

"Roughly speaking, there are three times when a cyclist in mountains should drink: when he is thirsty, when he isn't thirsty, and in between."

Too many things..

2009-07-19T21:25:00.000+05:30

I am feeling mostly better now - still sore, but much of focus has moved to my head - something I am at least used to. I am unfortunately, also rather cranky - both because of the headache and because this whole episode has put me behind where I wanted to be right now.

Have you ever had too much on your mind, or does that just happen to people who can admit to over thinking? I have SO many things swirling around in my brain lately that I cannot even focus on one simple blog post. I can barely even manage conversation which is very strange.

My first thought is around why I am "killing time" instead of doing something constructive. Yes, I keep busy with one thing or the other, but there hardly is any value addition - it's plain vanilla trivial stuff.

Second thought is around what all needs to be done in next two weeks - it's crucial because biking trip will overlap with other commitments, and I need to prioritize.

Third is argumentative – friends or extended family – which one comes first?

Fourth – a subset of third – with friends, how do you manage expectations? More importantly, transformation of good to great, or good to worse, depending on how external factors & personnel play their part.

Fifth one is around keeping personal and professional life separate!

Sixth thought my mind keeps boggling over is how to stay satisfied – and does it make sense to stay satisfied? Because if one does, there is no motive to improvise. If one doesn’t, it leads to expectations, which may or may not be logical.

Seventh, how much should one multi-task?

Eighth, related to seventh, is whether it makes sense to be a jack of all trades, or master of one?

Ninth, is whether being polite is also a matter of concern – last night, I had a fight with someone while parking my car, and the other person starting fighting saying “Don’t try to be sweet with me!” Duh! – did he want me to be brash instead of polite?

Tenth, I am feeling hungry now, though I don’t feel like eating anything alone.

And I won't go past 10 because if you have not already stopped reading you will soon. But my brain has never been so burdened with things I cannot solve with just making a list or drinking some beer.

Primary activity, trying to figure out “beck & call” issues, what to say to whom at what point of time, practicing for biking trip, things to file, filing returns, keeping the house clean, planned meet for friends sometime soon, insurance of my car which expired last month, career aspirations & putting them in place, books to read, meetings scheduled for the week..

Sometimes I briefly wonder if anyone realizes how difficult it is to organize this mess I have willingly gotten myself into and how much I appreciate having information early enough to help me figure it all out. I mean we are talking about a serious "spreadsheet situation".

dressed to kill?

2009-06-25T01:50:00.001+05:30

Strange is the phrase "kill time" - how can you kill time? Is it same as the way you would make time, save time, lose time, use time, spend time, waste time, consume time?

One of the earliest references I got for the phrase dates back to 19th century, when the playwright Dion Boucicault wrote in 1841, "Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them."

Kill time, but you won't get a sentence! (Pun intended)

2009-06-13T01:14:00.001+05:30

"There are times when the one thing you want the most is the only one you can't get. That's destiny for you, my dear friend."

another rant

2009-06-11T18:00:00.001+05:30

...why is it that it ends up being complicated, when it's just starting to get simple, yet again.

"the" angrezi

2009-05-28T12:00:00.000+05:30

Take a look at our English.

Forget the Gujarati 'snakes' (snacks) and 'takes' (tax). Or the Bengali 'brij' (breeze) and 'shit of paper' (sheet of paper). Or the south Indian spelling of banana: bee-yay-yen-yay-yen-yay. Or the Punjabi celebration of 'birdays' (birthdays), especially if they fall on 'Sacherdays' (Saturdays) and the person concerned is of good 'krakter' (character). Punjab is also famous for its 'loins' (lions) and its 'laiyers' (lawyers).

Our orthography is even more inventive. 'Child bear, sold hare' (Chilled beer, sold here) might be an exaggeration, just about. But lots of shops sell 'milk and cureds' (curds). And restaurants serve 'Chinees, Muglai and Conti' (continental) food. Many a political speech is made from a 'dias' (dais) which may or may not be 'miniscule' (minuscule).

Advertisements always proclaim 'Offer open till stocks last', never 'while stocks last'. 'Till' denotes termination (We will love each other till we die); 'while' denotes duration (We will love each other while we live). While, till? Termination, duration?

It doesn't. Like the use of the apostrophe 's', which indicates a shortened or contracted form: 'it's' for 'it is'. Technically, in the other use of 'its', as a pronoun (Its price makes the Nano a great buy), the 's' shouldn't take an apostrophe. But who cares a flying fig for technicalities. We apostrophise at will. As in our wont. Or should that be 'won't'?

Fewer and fewer of us can tell the difference between 'fewer' and 'lesser'. What's that you say? 'Fewer' should be used when we are talking in numeric, or countable, terms: Fewer people (not 'lesser' people) attended today's rally. 'Lesser' should be used in describing non-numeric quantity or magnitude: children of a lesser god; theft is a lesser crime than murder. But all of us including the TOI swap our lessers and our fewers with abandon.

We like to 'er', and generously add 'er' to words that don't need it as a suffix. So neighbour becomes a 'neighbourer', preferably a 'next-door neighbourer', to distinguish him from the neighbourer living 50 doors down the road. And forger, as in someone who forges currency notes, becomes a 'forgerer'.

We also tend to be nervous 'the'-ists: we are never quite sure when to use 'the' and when not to. For example, all of us tend to talk on phone (not 'the phone'). On the other hand, when we fly, we prefer to travel by 'the plane', rather than 'by plane', which may or may not be made by 'the Boeing'.

2009-05-20T11:01:00.000+05:30

मुद्दत हुई है यार को महमां किए हुए
जोशे-क़दह से, बज्म चरागाँ किए हुए

...Expectations

2009-05-19T22:45:00.000+05:30

I have come to realize that we should keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs. The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better. There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying upon you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his/her expectation.

I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful. If not, it can't be helped.

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

mom!

2009-05-10T10:41:00.001+05:30

Here's something on this Mother's Day

My Mother taught me LOGIC...
"If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICINE...
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD...
"If you don't pass your test, you'll never get a good job!"

My Mother taught me ESP...
"Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?"

My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE...
"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you...Don't talk back to me!"

My Mother taught me HUMOR...
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My Mother taught me about GENETICS...
"You are just like your father!"

My Mother taught me about my ROOTS...
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My Mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE...
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...
"Just wait until your father gets home."

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING...
"You are going to get it when we get home."

And my all time favorite thing--JUSTICE
"One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU.. then you'll see what it's like."

In between all this, my Mother taught me how to Live!
Thank you Mom for all I have learned these years.

Best Wishes for Mothers Day!.

I'P'L - Political vs Premier

2009-05-02T23:54:00.000+05:30

Is it Narendra Modi vs Lalit Modi?
Both have intense action at hand. Till the last day's voting is done, no one can predict who will come to power - UPA was leading a few months back, until Fourth front came into picture. Varun Gandhi making his moves at an opportune time too. Likewise, till the dire end of a 20-20 match, no knows which way it'll swing. Whether it is a bowler who takes a hat-trick to change the course of the match, or a Yusuf Pathan who clears the short boundaries to leave Daredevils at dismay.
20-20 has teams that are city-centric. So is the case with political parties, with more and more regional parties coming at fore.
Political parties are owned by families and dynasties (a la gandhis, scindias, pilots and more), and cricket teams are private property of business houses (reliance, red chilli, and others)
Where there's power, there's controversy - so how can these be any different. On one hand is Varun Gandhi's speech, on the other Shahrukh Khan's call to Ganguly to step down from captaincy. There is slipper throwing incident on politicians, and there was Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth last time around.
Interestingly, both are recession proof! The rates of politicians as well as cricket players have gone over the roof over last few months. Both follow the highest bidder!
And how can we forget glamour - be it Salman Khan attending a political rally and taking his shirt off on request from the crowd, or a Shilpa / Shamita Shetty, trying to boost their team, throwing parties all over Jo'burg

s c a t t er e d

2009-04-29T21:22:00.000+05:30

50,000 years ago, there were not even a million people on the planet.

10,000 years ago, there were two million people on the planet.

Now there's between 6 & 7 billion people on the planet, right?

Now, if we all have our own individual, unique soul, where do they all come from? Are modern souls only a fraction of the original souls? Because if they are, that represents a 6000 to 1 split of each soul in the last 50,000 years, which is a blip in the Earth's timeline. So at best we're like these tiny fractions of people, walking...

Is that why we're so scattered? Is that why we're all so specialized?

2009-04-26T23:26:00.000+05:30

हस्ती अपनी हबाब की सी है
यह नुमाइश सराब की सी है

नाजुकी उसके लब की क्या कहिये
पंखडी इक गुलाब की सी है

मैं जो बोला कहा की यह आवाज़
उसी खानाखराब की सी है

बार बार उसके दर प जाता हूँ
हालत अब इन्ज्तिराब की सी है

'मीर' उन नीमबाज़ आंखों में
सारी मस्ती शराब की सी है |

2009-04-10T23:23:00.001+05:30

..and though I know
I've already blown more chances
Than anyone should ever get
All I'm asking you
Is don't write me off just yet...

2009-04-09T13:44:00.000+05:30

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Closure

2009-03-25T14:49:00.001+05:30

Year end closing: A procedure undertaken at the end of the year to close out business from the previous year, carry forward balances from the previous year, and open posting accounts for the upcoming year. Year-end closing is part of closing operations (which lead to opening up new ones in the next year), and is used to create statements that show how you have fared over the year.

This "closure" can be applied to real life too - only difference being, there is no set timeline when it has to happen.

These days, with the year end closure, I have other chapters to close too - and this has been keeping me in turmoil, as to how to manage things. Normally, I can multitask, but in recent times, I have noticed a need to focus. Focus has become the key now, because without that, there is lack of direction of your actions, which render yours efforts meaningless.

There are so many fronts that keep me on my toes all the time these days, and lack of support does provide setbacks, but it's just a matter of taking things into stride, wait for when the time is ripe, and then proceed with what you have to say, or do. Even when you don't know what you have to. And all the instances of misunderstandings, well - they'll come and go, and things will be fine. Hope.

2009-03-16T19:15:00.001+05:30

What we do does not define who we are. What defines us is how well we rise after falling.

Dear Blog..

2009-03-11T14:13:00.002+05:30

Dear Blog,

I have been away, and many-a-times, I feel I should get back to you since you always are with me during the thick and thin of times. Let me apprise you of proceedings of last week, which has proved wanting.

1. I managed to play cricket last week (which, you by now know, is something I cherish). However, exertion led to ligament tear, that forced me to bed for a few days :(
2. I have been trying to close a few projects, but seems like every time I try to get closer to closure, something new crops up, pushing me one step behind! This has been real pain.
3. Met with an unfortunate accident this week, which took my beloved car to the workshop. And this comes on top of my ligament tear last week - week's been bad, dear.
4. Next two weeks will be testing me, since I have loads of things to do - two weeks for two months worth of work. Which means, I may tend to ignore coming back to you. Have patience - I'll try and seep through once in a while
5. On a happy note, it's only a few weeks, after which I see interesting times ahead!

Amigos!

A dysfunctional family, and a wedding

2009-02-20T13:05:00.002+05:30

"Rachel Getting Married" is a contemporary drama with an aggressive sense of humor about the return of an estranged daughter to the family home for her sister's wedding. Kym's reemergence throws a wrench into the family dynamics, forcing long-simmering tensions to surface in ways both hilarious and heartbreaking. It paints a colorful, nuanced family portrait and is filled with the rich characters.

Net net, the movie is a cacophony.

It could be cheaply disparaged as a film about rich people's annoying problems, but the acting has a weight and complexity that drags you in, even against your will.

A genuine revelation, Kym's pained wastrel is cutting and articulate – I loved Kym going off to "register as a general biohazard" – but also needy, damaged and more vulnerable than she likes to show.

Rachel matches her with a combination of gracefulness and snippy backbiting. Playing their parents, we get brilliant sketches from the great Bill Irwin, as their floundering peacekeeper dad, and their mother who has divorced herself from intimacy with her own girls.

It is dysfunctional family drama on a combination of grainy, handheld 35mm and consumer video – without rehearsal, with a huge ensemble cast made up of actors and musicians

The script is, perhaps, the best thing about Rachel Getting Married; many things are left unsaid, many things are unexplained, and many things are said and explained through the natural ebb and flow of the conversation. When Kym steps into "her" room at the family's house; it's preserved as if in amber, still and airless and perfect and dead. It also captures the jumbled, joyous chaos of a mixed-race wedding - the weird mix of territorial squabbles over everything from seating charts to roles in the bridal party and warm, loving, celebration. And as we go from rehearsal to reception, difficulty to disaster, we learn how much Kym truly has to atone for. The characters bring to life someone who has, through her own fault, earned a crushing sorrow that she will feel every day of her life: Kym notes, of her gravest error, how "I can live with it, but I can't forgive myself ..."; Hathaway makes us believe it. At the same time, Rachel Getting Married is very funny - from quick-cut gags to smart character-driven asides to a character's explosion of annoyance late in the film that may echo the audience's feelings about one of the film's devices.

Movie is meant for those who're not afraid to open themselves up to it.

...smile

2009-02-19T23:50:00.000+05:30

The other day I was driving along in a bad mood (mainly due to the traffic and some meeting I was getting late for). Noticing a red light up ahead, I changed lanes to get on the wrong side, and given my mood, I expected to have a hard time getting across. But no, the car that was coming up on my left immediately slowed down and let me pass. As I exchanged a smile with the driver, my mood immediately lifted.

What this simple act of kindness made me realize is that often it doesn't take much to make someone else's day. Or even your own day. So here's what I think:

1. Ping. Time is NEVER an issue.
2. Compliment. Everybody loves to receive a sincere compliment.
3. Remember a birthday / anniversary. Everyone loves it.
4. Stand up for someone. Nothing like it.
5. Listen. Sometimes people just need to vent.
6. Listen to music.
7. Tell a joke. As Cummings once said, "the most wasted of all days is one without laughter." So tell a joke, even if it is just to your car.
8. Say thank you. Saying "thank you" is perhaps the easiest way to show someone you appreciate.
9. Have lunch with friends. If you haven't seen a friend for awhile, taking them out to lunch is a great way to catch up.
10. Give chocolate. Even if you don’t eat it.
11. Donate to a charity. You may not see the person you help, but that's not really the point, is it?
12. Believe. In yourself. In friends.
13. Show you care.
14. Share a happy memory. Have some photos from a recent outing - send a quick email to your friend so that they can relive the memory.
15. Cook.
16. Read. Keep reading.
17. Buy gifts. This shows that you think about the person you buy the gift for.
18. Play with babies.
19. Smile. Period!

tea...

2009-02-12T22:41:00.002+05:30

Many-a-times, it happens that you yearn for something that you would want to look forward to. Some of the days, it's a cuppa for me! A book along proves an icing.

However hectic or consuming day has been, come a cup of tea, and there’s hope again. The spirit of tea is one of poise. It’s serene. Tea being prepared, favorite conversations galore - my dear friend, there’s always time for you.

Last few months, every evening I make it a point to meet this friend of mine outside office – and we go to this place that serves awesome tea. It’s heaven. With a cup in hand, we talk about endless endless things, worrying about nothing, forgetting about all the meetings. About emails. About office politics.

And now this friend is shifting to another city. Wonder what’ll keep me serene from next week on!

Rightly put - The whole point of civilization is to provide one with someone to drink tea with at the end of an evening.

strange?

2009-02-09T23:07:00.000+05:30

Truth is stranger than fiction, but this is because fiction is obliged to stick to probability; truth is not.

Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for what we have. And, fortunately, when there aren't many things to thank for, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention soft-spoken secrets, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true.

2009-01-30T02:35:00.002+05:30

For some people, money is a foreign film without subtitles.

I am one.

2009-01-27T02:23:00.001+05:30

Many-a-times, we lose control over pity things. So what if a rickshaw dweller tried to overtake your car, or a guy pushed over to get ahead in the queue - how much difference does it make really. If you're pissed off, nothing you ever do like scolding or getting into a fight can ever take that feeling away. It won't make you feel any different - It just gets you more lost and you get tired of being pissed off; you just get tired of it.

Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it.

2009-01-12T03:28:00.001+05:30

Fantasies have to be unrealistic. Because the minute- the second- that you get what you want, you don't- you can't- want it anymore.

...perception

2009-01-09T01:35:00.002+05:30

There a quote I heard long time back -

"Every day in the forest, when a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must run faster than the fastest tiger or it will be killed. Every day when the tigers wake up, they know they must get the slowest gazelle or they'll die. It doesn't matter if you're a tiger or a gazelle; when the sun rise—you'd better be running."

There are many takeaways from this quote. One is obvious - be on your toes, always. Another one, though a bit subtle, is how important team work is. If you notice the second line of the quote, it says "when the tigers wake up", and not just a tiger. A team is as good as the team collectively is.

Been a part of quite a few teams; been audience to a few - the only thing that has come out as a standard observation is, team dynamics make or break the objective of having the team. And more often than not, it's not our preferences that cause problems; it's our attachment to them.

Team Dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex.

One can recognize team dynamics by looking for the forces that influence team behavior. These forces might include:

Personality styles (eg: including or excluding people)
Office layout (eg: cupboards dividing teams into two)
Tools and technology (eg: email, bulletin board, information pool enabling hidden communication).
Organisational culture (eg: flexibility of working from home)

Sometimes these factors can play an influence. For example, if a wall of cupboards were to be placed across the middle of the office, this would also form a 'natural force' that influences the communication flow and may separate the group into two further sub-groups.

Sometimes, an "absence" of a natural force can also be a team dynamic. For example, if the leader or manager is permanently removed from the office, the group may be drawn into a change of behaviour.

To manage team dynamics constructively, one needs to:

1. look for the team dynamics - the 'natural forces' at play
2. determine whether they are acting for good or ill,
3. make interventions to make the effect of those dynamics more positive.

For example, if a wall of cupboards is inhibiting communication within a group, that wall can be repositioned and the room layout designed to encourage communication (without making the environment too uncomfortable for those who value their privacy when working on individual tasks).

There is one more kind of factor - social factor. Suppose in a small team of people working in one office, there are two people who have a particularly strong friendship. This friendship is a "natural force" that may have an influence on the rest of the team, and can manifest in various ways, either positively or negatively.

The positive effect of a strong friendship in a team might be:

the friends communicate a lot together...
...which naturally results in other members being drawn into the discussion
...which results in a good 'social' feel to the group
...which makes people enjoy being in the group
...which improves motivation and commitment

The negative effect of a strong friendship might be:

to cause the other people to feel excluded...
...which means decision making will be skewed
...which means that there are likely to be sub-groups
...which means that information may not flow across the whole group, but only within the subgroups
...which means that miscommunication may lead to misunderstanding and poor collective performance

Whether it is good or bad depends on other factors.

Get ready for emosanal atyachaar!

2009-01-08T01:43:00.008+05:30

I was talking to a friend a few hours back, and got this tip to notice "Dev.D". I had listened to one of the songs of the movie, "Emosanal Atyachaar" (yes, not emotional), and I quite liked it. The usage of pump organs instead of conventional guitars and keyboard gave it a unique feel.

But as I now notice, that song was only the tip of the iceberg. Listen to other songs (there are as many as 15 songs in the movie), and you know that there is another music marvel shaping up - Music Director Amit Trivedi (Amit Trivedi who? - I myself had to do some google search to get to know, but I now know he is on my watch list for sure!) is another Rahman in the making, if I may call that.

The movie has world music, Rajasthani folk, head-banging rock, street band baaja, an Awadhi song, Punjabi song and 1980's Euro-pop song.

Dev D is about Devdas, Chandramukhi and Paro. Devdas is called Dev D. It is about today's Devdas, who doesn't drink alcohol but is into drugs like cocaine and ganja. His character is psychedelic so there are hard-rock songs (notice the posters of the movie for the same).

Chandramukhi is not a kothewali prostitute but today's school-going 16-year old prostitute. Chandramukhi is Chanda, a London-returned woman, so her songs have a western classical flavour.

Paro is from Chandigarh here. There are a lot of Punjabi and Awadhi songs for Paro.

My personal fav songs are Nayan Tarse & Pardesi - and lyrics blow you away with somelines going as, "Kahaan Chali Gayi Hai Saari Khushi..". Dejavu, Amrita Pritam?

And finally, look at this poster - creativity at its level best!

...watch your back

2009-01-02T21:55:00.000+05:30

I was in Bihar a few days back, and I must say, the phrase "Watch you back" has been custom made for the place. Not that I faced any problems in the area, and I frankly had no issues going to the place, though many people had told me otherwise. I don't really go by only the reputation of the place, but I choose to take a feel before making a judgment. And I should say, it's more of an experience than a comment made by someone. While I was traveling places within Bihar, I was told by many not to travel to far off places, and was strictly instructed not to be on roads during nights. And a chill went through my spine when I went against the suggestions, and started catching up on my travel during night - it was strange to see every shop closed by 7p in the evening. Hardly any soul was to be seen on the roads. I am not making an opinion about the place, but it's just that the aura of the place makes you feel vulnerable. No wonder why we have to include a "political" risk and a "security" risk while analyzing a project based in this land of Chanakya! Hope things get better soon enough. Or rather say, people start realizing that things are better, soon enough.

friends and their renewed time table..

2008-12-28T23:36:00.001+05:30

It's a fact that marriage can alter friendships, but it's important to recognize and manage this fact. When couples get married, the first few months, nigh on years can be time spent focusing intently on each other - to the exclusion of previous friendships. While most don't do it deliberately, there is a line of exclusion that seems to divide married ones from their single and married friends.

The losses always begin subtly. You don't call your friends as often. You beg off from lunch dates and you forgo plans to head out to dinner and the movies. Your topics of conversation may seem a great deal more limited than they did before. When a married couple begins expecting a baby - the divide may fracture even wider between themselves and their single friends.

Yes - some change is to be expected, but how much is the real question. When you become Mister and Missus, it should not be at the expense of whom the two of you were before you were married.

While your single friends may not be preparing dinner & running household errands, they are still available for support, amusement and conversation as long as you are available to provide it and seek it out as well. You may not be going bar-hopping every Friday night, but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy each others company over coffee in the morning before work or at lunch during the day.

It's important to remember that maybe single friends want to talk about what they did last weekend, and married ones might want to discuss how much time they end up spending on getting things done for the household. One might not be able to relate to the lifestyle anymore, but it's not like you weren't single once upon a time yourself, or you won't be married at a later date. Sometimes, listening is more important than understanding.

There is this odd feeling in our society that once one is married, all he/she ever wants to do is stuff with thy spouse. This isn't wrong, but isn't right either. It should not end with a feeling of, "Well, our friendship was great while it lasted."

The truth is, marriages are wonderful, but it could be that there are other streams that need to pour water in this pond. Our lives are built on the structure of multiple relationships. The relationships we have with our families, our spouses, our children and yes, our friends. We need different support systems for different reasons. Support and understanding is vital in all aspects.

Just because you do things differently, doesn't mean you don't still have a place in your life for others.

Ahem - short term memory loss!

2008-12-27T22:34:00.000+05:30

Short term memory loss - ahem! I recall this from somewhere.

Well, the most anticipated movie of the year is finally here. Aamir Khan’s Ghajini brings with it the huge amount of expectations that people usually carry with them to the theatre while watching an Aamir Khan film.

Aamir portrays the business tycoon to perfection, and Asin play the girl next door with ease. First reaction after watching Ghajini is of how long the movie is (3 hours +) - but you don't realize 3 hours have passed by - especially the romantic part of the movie, which is quite enjoyable. I heard Aamir in one of his interviews before the movie's release, and he mentioned that this is a tender romantic movie. I couldn't understand that then, but I guess the romantic 2 hours of the movie are worth a watch. Infact, we kept waiting during the course of the movie when the 2006 Diary would be read!

Scenes of ferocious Aamir are good too - one where he makes out from Jiah's faster breath that she has been running, takes all the credit. This version of Aamir hardly speaks, but communicates very well.

Asin proves to be a good actress - Good screen presence, bubbly and charismatic. Aamir Khan is brilliant, as usual! An actor who can never disappoint, neither with his performances nor the overall quality of his movies. What with a different variety of movies like Lagaan, DCH, RDB, TZP and now Ghajini! All very different, but brilliant nonetheless! Jiah Khan had a forgettable performance; her most important scene was when Aamir gets down from her scooter, and she hardly had any expressions while trying to stop Aamir.

Movie definitely is not very violent - this much goes with a masala bollywood movie.

So except an acceptable ending, everything was great. I haven't heard very good of the movie from others, but I got my money's worth. I wonder what's the ending of Tam version of the movie though!

...all you are

2008-12-19T15:19:00.001+05:30

Put your eyes on him... Look at his practice swing, almost like he's searching for something... Then he finds it... Watch how he settles himself right into the middle of it, feel that focus... He's got a lot of shots he could choose from... Duffs and tops and skulls, there's only ONE shot that's in perfect harmony with the field... One shot that's his, authentic shot, and that shot is gonna choose him... There's a perfect shot out there tryin' to find each and every one of us... All we got to do is get ourselves out of its way, to let it choose us... Can't see that flag as some dragon you got to slay... You got to look with soft eyes... See the place where the tides and the seasons and the turning of the Earth, all come together... where everything that is, becomes one... You got to seek that place with your soul dear... Seek it with your hands don't think about it... Feel it... Your hands are wiser than your head's ever gonna be... Now I can't take you there... Just hope I can help you find a way... Just you... that ball... that flag... and all you are...

Young Turks

2008-12-02T00:01:00.000+05:30

I've had the opportunity of working with Anupam & Jayadev from TinfoMobile. What I really liked about their venture was the enthusiasm and aspirations with which the firm operated. Be it operating out of a two-room house, to a full-fledged-well-decorated-nicely-furnished office space on the prime location of the city, the firm saw it all. This is what gives you kicks, from a startup; though the ultimate aim is to gain a chunk from client's pockets, the adrenaline rush comes from the quest of being what you want to be; the never-say-die attitude; the hunger of success; overloaded work; kicks drawn from overloaded work; never letting others know about your overload; going for drinks with friends with the thought on your mind that a deadline is pending; and at the end of the day, feeling great that you did what no one else could have done. Sweet.

Here's a sneak peek on their success story, as covered by CNBC Young Turks.

Choice

2008-12-01T22:50:00.002+05:30

If you know less than what you should, you're being ignorant. If you are ignorant, you act stupid. If you act stupid, you learn. If you learn, you will do better. If you do better, you'll stay happy.

If you know more than what you should, you're creating imbalance. If you create imbalance, it will affect the equilibrium. If equilibrium is affected, things change for worse. If things change for worse, you stay unhappy.

Choice is yours!

Wedding Blues

2008-11-30T19:20:00.005+05:30

This being wedding season, I have attended 10+ ceremonies in last 5 days; have spent 3 sleepless nights in last 7; and on one of those nights, was thinking of how weddings are a complete package in itself. Here are a few thoughts:

The way: Here in India, Hindu couples are married before a small fire, into which we toss flowers, water, seeds, and fruits, which are considered the four symbols of life. In the West, it has been replaced with a larger, metaphorical fire, into which great piles of currency are hurled.

Decent proposals: in private, on a starry night, preferably atop something tall. On bended knee: optional. Skip the bended knee thing if there are lots of other people around - you don't need applause. Besides, she might say no!

Indecent proposals: anything involving skywriting, fireworks, a sporting event, or submerging jewelry in champagne.
It's a classy, if outdated and sexist custom to ask her father for her hand.

The wedding timetable: Six months before, set the date. Also the budget. And the number of guests. This would also be a good time to place an accredited psychotherapist on retainer.

It being your wedding, of course, you get to invite whomever you want.

Here's how it's gonna be: Everybody she wants to receive an invitation will receive an invitation.

An exercise in a most basic aspect of matrimonial preparedness:
Step One. In quiet moments, when alone, try substituting the phrase "my fiancee" for "my girlfriend."
Step Two. Attempt same in public.
Step Three. Make note of any involuntary gastric reactions to this utterance.
Step Four. Now try saying, "my wife."
Repeat steps Two and Three.

Some women believe expensive diamond rings are silly and excessive.
I've not yet met one.

Ask your father and a couple of your married male contemporaries how much to spend. Spend that much.

While it is thoughtful to let her pick out the ring, it is also gutless and infinitely less romantic than surprising her with one.

Make a list of things that you hated from other people's weddings: the horse and carriage, the lack of liquor, religious ceremonies, the lack of liquor, lack of bride's friends, the lack of liquor.
Don't allow these things at yours.
Like it or not, you will defer to your fiancee's wishes in all such matters and be a better man for it. Think of it as pre-marriage practice for the rest of your life.

Comic relief: Now and then, look back at the original wedding budget and laugh at your childlike optimism.

The bachelor party, which, you should be aware, sometimes involves drinking noteworthy quantities of liquor, shall not occur any less than one solid week prior to the wedding day. Recovery time, that's why.

Also in the bachelor party:
Drugs are avoidable.
Shots are avoidable.
Strippers are always avoidable.

On the wedding day, it's all right to be nervous.
It's all right to be scared.
It's not all right to soil your wedding sherwani.

Wedding pictures: Black-and-white is more permanent and more romantic.
Spend more on the photographer than on the flowers, because photos last forever.

Meantime, keep smiling.

We know it sometimes hurts, but you've got no choice: Keep smiling.

PS: A few friends asked me after looking at this post, whether there's anything on the cards for me! The answer is - No. Definitely not!

Boil an egg

2008-11-29T22:30:00.002+05:30

One would consider it easy to boil an egg - isn't it.

I came home early today, and was held up in a couple of things. When I turned to see the clock, it was 10 already - thought of calling up some friends to go out for dinner or drinks, but 10 becomes too late for married couples to call upon, and all bachelor friends already had plans. I didn't want to go out alone, and all I was left to do was to get some eggs from the market (considering making eggs is the easiest thing to do, or as I would suppose).

Now that I am back with eggs, I have a task at hand - how to boil eggs. And the answer is, I don't know! Whether water should be boiled first, and then eggs put in the container, or both of them together? What should be the level of water in the container? How long should it stay on the burner? Should I run boiled eggs through cold water also, at a later stage?

I thought of calling up some friends, who might know answers to these trivial questions, but I decided against it, owing to my quest to do it on my own. The only helper now is "Google" - and guess what, there are 3 million results for "how to boil an egg"! I guess I can do it now.

Is it google that is sum of all wisdom (wasn't it The Godfather, as quoted in "You've Got Mail"), or am I so ignorant?

2008-11-11T16:46:00.000+05:30

It is but natural to safeguard one's interests. What one does is right every single time, without fail, because if nothing else, it makes the person feel comfortable that he did what he thought he should have.

Infact this is what I have noticed - you ask anyone - "what is it that you would change in your past, if you could?"; and the slapstick answer is "I won't change a thing - I will just try and learn from my mistakes."

Well, good to say, but who knows how actionable this would be.

Would you (want to change anything)!
I won't.
Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Startups

2008-11-10T23:47:00.001+05:30

In this glorious new age, a key question is this: Just how American is entrepreneurship? The word, of course, is French. But the question is, are you more american that french?

I started feeling good about myself as soon as I realized that I was going to be a part of a startup - nothing gives you a kick more than feeling good about whatever you have achieved at the end of the day - be it a small order raised, or another fellow recruited, or a simple visiting card designed for yourself - one can get that feeling only if you get that feeling. Can't be explained.

I have been a trouble maker - and entrepreneurship is the last refuge of the trouble making individual. But what's good about this trouble making is that the solution is also on the cards - because you know what role you are playing at what time.

I see myself as an entrepreneur, but I define it in a different way. People mix up entrepreneurship with risk-taking - I would rather say that an entrepreneur is a risk-minimizer, an opportunity seeker. I have never felt that I am taking risks - though all my near and dear ones have been of such an opinion. It normally seems so clearly to make sense. One could faintly smell a monster.

And it's also about trust - all those who are together have to have faith - in each other; in their business; most of all, in themselves.

Most entrepreneurs I know do it because they want to, not just to get rich. Money will flow when it should. And anyways, it is never the most sought after thingy.

Nobody talks of entrepreneurship as survival, but that's exactly what it is and what nurtures creative thinking. It brings out the best (maybe the worst). But it definitely brings things out - so there is no harm trying, because you atleast get to know who you are.

And then there is this friend of mine, who has been through various life cycles, each time being in this startup mode, and fighting through the way. Rightly, it is more about preparing yourself for the mindshare and commitment, before anything else.

I admire him for reasons more than one, and I love the way he has explained a startup in the simplest of words here. (http://anupamvarghese.blogspot.com/2008/10/startup-and-family.html). We were both in startups at the same time, and we both have grown in different ways. Stories are different, essence is the same. Ask him. Ask me.

Heroes

2008-11-09T20:59:00.002+05:30

Many-a-times, there are things that we see around us, and we instantly think – “yes, this is me”, or “oh yes, this is what I am, or want to be”.

And most of such things are drawn out of media – be it television, radio, or internet.

There is this TV series “Heroes” that I follow – I started following it on recommendation by a friend, and now I can’t miss any of it – I have to catch it on the same day a new episode is released. The show is about people with supernatural abilities, and how fate makes their lives interconnected. It also reflects how someone can be bad at one point of time, while good at the other - it reaffirms the point that perception and introspection play a good hand in what one does.

I understand that F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is the most popular of all times, and I am addicted to it too – I would have watched each season multiple times, and it has gone over to such an extent that now I can watch an episode on mute, and can almost perfectly recite the dialogues verbatim. (Oh I wish I was so good in my school)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is very nice dinner, but for me, Heroes is dessert.

“Save the cheerleader, save the world”.

Random Ramblings

2008-11-05T01:28:00.003+05:30

I was watching this show on Nat Geo, where the waves come over the shore, and disturb the sand castle. Someone makes the castle again, and sea waves perform their act once again, without fail. I was thinking of something else, when I found a similarity between what I was thinking and this one.

It's not that waves have anything against anyone, but they just are doing what they are meant to do. And the kid next door, who is creating these beautiful sand castles is trying to hone his skills as an artist, and retrying to perfect his castle every single time - but still there is an "uncalled for"conflict between the existence of the two.

Likewise is the case with us - we never wish to do others bad; in fact, it is this human nature only that thinks of how others can be benefited, sometimes even before thinking of his own (all right, in some cases it may not be true; but I'm sure it is, in many cases. How can one otherwise explain superiority of human race over other life forms) - and the hypothesis that I have reiterated innumerable times comes befitting, which says that every human is good, unless proved otherwise.

Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

I do agree that bad things happen, but most of the times, it is a bad judgment or situation, which, by the way, can be handled. The critical thing is to know how to get to the best solution - because there is only one best solution. Any other way, will only be second best. But not getting the best way should not be a concern - the concern should arise only if it seems that there is no way out.

And what works without fail is, plain talk. Talk, because silence is the root of all evil, and blurting your heart out is the best way to know what you yourself think as well; that's because before you say it, even you don't know what you know and what you don't. It's just like when I was a kid and my mom used to tell me to write whatever I had learned - whatever I wrote, I never forgot, and whatever I thought I knew, but didn't not pen down, never occurred to me when required. This now explains to me why I got such grades in school.

And finally - I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same things too, So we're really not that different, me and you. We're the same. Me and you. And everyone else too.

In a trans

2008-11-04T23:20:00.000+05:30

..and every time I drive, I wander in a state of trans, where I write blog posts many-a-times, but by the time I come back to reality, more often than not, I reach my destination, and I have no clue of what I have written. It's as if it's just a job - grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand, and you never get to notice.

Massa wins, but loses :(

2008-11-03T00:29:00.001+05:30

This is bizarre; it's atrocious.

How can Glock let them pass - how can it happen. It just has to be reversed - just like it was done a few years back, when Barrichello had allowed Schumacher to pass, in order to get the desired points.

For those who don't know, Massa won the battle, but Hamilton wins the crown. Most breathtaking last 30 seconds in a formula 1 GP I have ever witnessed.

Next year, beware. Ferrari drivers will be on a roll yet again - Raikonnen & Massa won't let it happen again, and win comfortably. This just might be Hamilton's first one (if he can cling on to it, in case no inquiry sits for this), but definitely his last. The guy just doesn't have the penchant for lucky charms. Or should I stay unlucky charms.

2008-09-17T18:52:00.004+05:30

With great power comes great responsibility – but what’s critical is not whether one has responsibilities to take care of, it is to realize that power comes only to those who have the mettle to sustain it.

Chaos Theory

2008-09-17T18:52:00.003+05:30

If things go wrong,

As they sometimes will,

And the road onwards,

Seems all uphill..

..when the … is low,

And the debts are high..

..something something something..

..rest if you must,

But don’t you quit!

These are a few lines I can recollect from long time back (I guess I got one of my first prizes reciting this poem in primary school, gesturing my hands up & down, round & round, making faces full of amazement & shock at times, just to show how good I was engrossed during the recitation). It looks obvious, very simple, and yet so complicated.

Innumerable times has it been discussed that when things go wrong, one should take them into stride & go on. However, one hardly thinks of the takeaways from such instances.

And yet, there is hope. Irony, maybe.

Random thoughts, actually.

2008-08-20T21:26:00.000+05:30

... Umrey daraaz maangkar, laaye they chaar din
Do aarzoo mein kat gaye, do intezaar mein...
Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Dream On..

2008-08-14T16:41:00.002+05:30

Dream, you should. I know I don't, but guess will do, sometime.

If you have an hour to spare, click below - exciting stuff. Inspirational. Ecstatic.

'Good'

2008-08-06T22:31:00.000+05:30

I have had this discussion many times, with many people, under various circumstances - and whatever one may say, the crux of the matter is that "everyone is good".

Come what may, even when circumstances galore, just like entropy that always increases, goodness in the world can only appreciate.

Sample this - I host many people from International Hospitality Club; infact, recently more often than not, I've had someone at our place, spending the night, on a stopover or having a look around delhi. And in all cases, I have only heard cases of people helping each other - never has been the case that ANY HC member would tell me that they've had a shabby experience anywhere.

Curiosity is one thing; personal interests could be another - but other than that, I've seen that people don't trouble each other. Agreed that there is a cold war kind of culture change happening everywhere, where people don't even know their neighbors properly these days, but that is mostly because of busy nature of people, and don't say anything about people not being 'good' to each other.

Every day, I greet many people. Many greet me.

"Hey Abhinav, how are you today?"
"I am good Deepak. Thanks. How are you doing?"
"I'm good - thanks"

Having this conversation time and again, everyday, with everyone, doesn't bore me. That's because, it gives a 'good' feeling - a feeling which tells you that you 'indeed' HAVE a life - a life where people do care - although very in a very passive way, as it emanates from this example, but it does make sense, doesn't it?

Don't you think you're doing good? Or you are good? Or if nothing else, I'm good?

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

with arms wide open

2008-08-06T22:11:00.000+05:30

Creed performs to bring out the most sensational of the feelings inside, while giving this number.

Another one says:

...when you are with me,
I'm free,
I'm careless.....

...My sacrifice
Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

my lady..

2008-08-04T23:16:00.004+05:30

The best thing about My Fair Lady perhaps is the way she portrays herself - its awesome. The quick wit gives life and she is nothing less than a pure joyful experience.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn!
I've grown accustomed to her face.
She almost makes the day begin.
I've grown accustomed to the tune that
She whistles night and noon.
Her smiles, her frowns,
Her ups, her downs
Are second nature to me now;
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I was serenely independent and content before we met;
Surely I could always be that way again-
And yet
I've grown accustomed to her look;
Accustomed to her voice;
Accustomed to her face.

Her joys, her woes,
Her highs, her lows,
Are second nature to me now;
Like breathing out and breathing in.
I'm very grateful she's a woman
And so easy to forget;
Rather like a habit
One can always break-
And yet,
I've grown accustomed to the trace
Of something in the air;
Accustomed to her face.

a few things..

2008-08-04T00:20:00.004+05:30

Good: This thing that the modern day commercialism has started - called as "Friendship Day". Even those who don't really have ample time to let those who matter know that they really matter, take some time out one way or the way, and drop in a message, to say the least.

Awesome: India wins, finally. Defeated SL by 170 runs.

Bad: Massa had an engine failure, with only a few laps to go - sad that he lost out on the championship lead.

Interesting: My folks shifted home recently, and shifted to our home where I grew up as a kid. Since me and my younger bro have been out of home for a long time now (owing to studies first, and then work), all the boxes with stuff came out in the limelight when the shifting happened last week. And boy-oh-boy, what a pandora's box it has been. Reminds me of the F.R.E.I.N.D.S episode, where Monica and Ross go to their parents' home, to pick up their stuff, while the latter were moving. Obviously, all of our stuff was intact (unlike Monica in the TV series, who lost all her stuff to rains, but instead got a Porsche!), and I could feel a kid yet again, while going through my childhood stuff. I did bring a couple of things back to my place from those boxes, to remind me of the good ol' times. Guess I'll start with a few things soon enough.

Awaited: Lots of things. Can't pen down all right now - infact, can't pen down many, ever. Catch 22. Perception. Good will. Confusion. Loads to come..

Milkshake..

2008-08-01T21:23:00.003+05:30

Daydream delusion, limousine eyelash
Oh baby with your pretty face
Drop a tear in my wineglass
Look at those big eyes
See what you mean to me
Sweet-cakes and milkshakes
I am a delusion angel
I am a fantasy parade
I want you to know what I think
Don't want you to guess anymore
You have no idea where I came from
We have no idea where we're going
Lodged in life
Like branches in a river
Flowing downstream
Caught in the current
I carry you
You'll carry me
That's how it could be
Don't you know me?
Don't you know me by now?

- Before Sunrise

2008-07-31T10:52:00.003+05:30

The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count

Superpowers..

2008-07-28T12:46:00.005+05:30

There’s this game (or let’s call it an application, an activity) on Facebook, where you rank various parameters on one of the topics from most favorable to least favorable, and you are matched to all those friends of yours who run that application as well. The name of the application is LIKENESS (or is it LIKENESS UnRATED, I am not too sure).

I was killing my time a few days back, when a request from one of my friends came (on facebook), which said that my friend has run the activity “Superpowers” in Facebook, and wanted me to take the same as well. Workless as I was, I clicked on the link and started the app. Before I knew, I was fantasizing all the powers one-by-one, in order to select which one I will cherish most.

Anyhow, I finished my rankings and got a match score with my friends (to see the scores, one can go to facebook and check my scores there).

Well, this has happened about two weeks back, and I had almost forgotten about this. But just a few days back, I realized that having such powers (or even the faintest hint of some/any of them), might take you for a toss!

No, I am not talking about any superpower here – I am talking about real life. If you look at the image above, you’ll see that one of the powers mentioned there is “Mind Reading” – when I was visualizing this power two weeks back, I thought it should make life really cool, because you get to know what the other person might be thinking in front of you, and accordingly you can manipulate the person – manipulate is not the right word; it is better to say that you can do proper conditioning of the circumstances at hand, so that things are for the best. (Remember, Mel Gibson in ‘What Women Want”?)

So now, again, let me reinstate that I am not talking about superpowers in real life. The “Superpowers” app of facebook merely gave me an insight that I would not change a thing in me-self, because I just can not say what all baggage it will come with.

I have to my credit (or has it been that credit of anxiety, of worries, of tension) the knowledge of something that I would have never liked to know. We live in such an artistic world, that we have acclimatized ourselves to the rights and wrongs of our society, our culture, our acquaintances, our near and dear ones. But when one gets to know something which is a little bit more than what he/she ought to know, it disturbs the equilibrium of knowledge, and creates instability - at least in a human mind. It leads one to think what should not be thought, and question every act – which is quite misleading. If it’s about a person/s, this makes it difficult to look him/her in the eye.

Don’t think I’ll be able to elaborate on that – so net net, superpowers are a big no no.

...the 'water'ful journey continued..

2008-07-23T22:05:00.003+05:30

After we reached our destination, we had a guided tour of the largest rice mill of the country (with no comparison to Indian ones though). It has always fascinated me - I have always wondered that whatever we eat, we use - how is it created, how is it prepared, how has it reached the state it is in?

Hence, it was an inspiring tour.

After the tour comes the hard part - the one of explaining to the owners of the industry (who, by the way, know as much English or Hindi, as I know Bengali). So most of the communication was done by nods and signals - we took the easy way out - I nodded affirmative to whatever they said, and they reciprocated in the a similar fashion.

As I understand (or I choose to believe), they understood our proposition, and we, in principle, agreed to work together. Timelines to be still decided.

After the meeting, had nothing to do in that countryside place, so we were just killing time when someone mentioned that Rabindranath Tagore's house was nearby, just a 10 mins drive. Having nothing better to do, we went over.

It was a country house that Tagore used in his spare time, when he wanted some time out from his Shanti Niketan affairs.

One interesting point - I just observed that I have always believed that Einstein's era was a long long time ago - but when I saw a pic of Tagore & Einstein together in former's countryhouse, I got some credit in my knowledge bank.

Water Water everywhere..

2008-07-23T21:06:00.008+05:30

Astalavista Baby!

Thus came the field trips, in thy countryside.

The day comes with a trip - had to visit the largest agro-industry in B'desh, because they were interested in making use of our services (true it is, that our line of business has lots of takers, and I have hardly met anyone who hasn't been interested in the kind of work I do!) - t'was a 200 mile journey, and I enjoyed every bit of it (including the time I dozed off for).

I have never really been a morning person (wow, that's news!) - but still, I am bang on time when it comes to urgency. Early morn it was when we had to start (yes, 0700 hrs is too early for me), and first one hour was slept off - in this time, we only managed to come outside Dhaka, so nothing was really lost (I have already traveled the city a lot in last few days, and hence can recognize places/roads). Once we were in the outskirts, scenes of the havoc created by floods started showing (it was shocking for me, but for those who stay here (e.g., our driver, our client), it was business-as-usual [wow, additionality factor {only those who work in the field that I do, will understand this, so don't break your head thinking about this 'additionality'}]).

Anyways, I saw hundreds of brick kilns submerged! Could only see their chimneys above the water - its difficult for me to digest that people plan their business around floods, and are OK if their bread & butter goes down in floods, albeit only for a few months.

We go forward, and cometh another exciting thing - crossing an over-flooded river by a ferry. This has been the most adventurous thing of my trip so far (all right, I won't compare my flight with this one - both are different genre). These huge ferries take as many as 20 trucks across the river - very streamlined process, and very interesting. It reminds me of the ferry ride Tommy Lee & Ashley Judd take in the movie "Double Jeopardy" (yes, I liked the movie, and what was nice to see was how Judd escapes from there).

Our ferry ride took about an hour to cross the river (it was long).

And here's what happened - while we were crossing the river, we saw a boat (with fisherman in it) going down in the midst of the river - obviously, the attention of all (300+) people on-board shifted to the scene - though I had no part to play in this whole exercise of saving them, I felt very content after this journey. (Pic of the saved boat/fisherman below [notice where everyone is focused]).

Well, the day was eventful enough, and we reached the destination in another few hours. Totally exhausted at the end of it though. Understandable.

Easy way to lose $$$

2008-07-21T11:29:00.003+05:30

Day 2:

Day starts fine with the breakfast in the hotel. First meeting of the day is with the one of the ministries of this place, and it came as no surprise that there are no regulations at all! Over and above that, WE are asked to prepare a draft policy (taking some cues from Indian policies), that we want to be implemented in Bangladesh - "what an idea sirji".

Next meeting is with a honcho - the person who supplies people (as labour) to Japan & Mid-East - awesome and flourishing business he has - apparently he also wants to jump the bandwagon and invest in renewable space.

Then we meet those who manage Grameen Shakti, the NGO arm of Nobel Laureate Muhamad Yunus' Grameen Bank - there, we get the flavor of where actually all the funds coming in Bangladesh are going.

Its all about PR, at the end of the day, is what I have realized.

Talking about the city, its amazing to note that this place runs on gas - not on gasoline. Bangladesh is almost self-sufficient in its fuel requirements! More than 90% of the vehicles here are Toyotas (with a majority of them reconditioned and shipped from Japan).

Points to note: never ask for veg food; never ask for liquor; always wear a neck-tie if you want to impress the one in front of you; never leave your bag in your cab [if you leave it, don't leave any cash in it; stupid me - I did, and lost $$$ :( ]

Poor me.

Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

Bangla Diaries

2008-07-20T22:35:00.002+05:30

As a matter of fact, yes, I am. I am here. Not Kolkata - its Bangadesh.

When the opportunity to visit B'desh was building up a few months ago (mind you, for purely business purposes), I thought the country wouldn't be very different from India - anyhow, the country was an offshoot of India, and shouldn't be very different. Though many advised me not to visit this place for numerous reasons (many reasons being social, many developmental, many others, only a few reasonable) - I chose my work to take priority, and went ahead planning for the visit.

So, the plan finalized; Visa received; hence cometh the date to travel.

We get to know that Friday and Saturday are the weekends in B'desh, so we had to be in the country before Sunday morning, so that we may start our meetings Sunday first thing (like Monday first thing in India). Hence we had to take a Biman Bangladesh (BB) flight (this is the official airline of B'desh). My travel agent double checked with me before finalizing the ticket, suggesting that I should travel a day later, so that I can take a Jet Airways flight, which would reach B'desh Sunday mid-day. In order to save that half day, I overruled and asked him to get the tickets.

So here we were, at Delhi IGI Airport, at 12 noon on Saturday (flight scheduled to take off at 1500 hrs, to reach Dhaka at 1730 hrs). Reached airport, and we don't see at BB counter - on inquiring, we are told that the flight is delayed by a whopping 5 hours. Striving to catch hold of any BB official, we waited for an hour, and then lost hope - went back home, to again come back at 1700 hrs. So, we come back at 1700 hrs, and see a mob standing near BB counter - there are two helpless ladies standing at the counter, trying to help people get their boarding passes. I was amazed to notice that after Raipur airport in India, this was the second place where manual entry was done (imagine, no computers at the counter of BB, to check records!).

So back to the boarding pass queue - a flight of a capacity of 200, and out of them 100+ were Surds! I thought it wasn't to Dhaka, but to Ludhiana. Anyways, 2 hours hence, we get our passes, and we are off to the lounge, and subsequently for the aircraft.

In the aircraft at 2030 hrs, and surprizzze - no air-hostesses! No stewards as well. Wait 30 mins, and we see two stewards coming in,asking everyone to keep quiet. Another amazing thing - person sitting next to me - takes his shoes off - brings out his radio - and we all a part of the melodious thumping Punjabi songs courtesy Jaggy-D and Mika! True, Music has no boundaries!

So the stewards trying to tell everyone to fasten their seat belts, but alas - they don't speak in Punjabi, which most of the junta in the plane understand - so the steward goes out of the place, and calls security to help people with tying their seat belts! Amazing.

Cometh 2200 hrs, and the pilot come in - we fly, at last! (Should I expect any soft drinks to start with, or a 3 course meal? A wine bottle please? Joking?)

The course of the journey refreshed my memories that date back ten years - to the days when Blue line and Red line buses used to ply in Delhi. If I were to say that those buses were better than this journey, THAT would be an understatement as well!

Another key observation - everyone has his own bottle of Scotch handy - flight takes off and the glasses come out. People start drinking as well as hiding. I have never tried to hide as much while cheating/copying in my college exams, as these guys were trying to, from each other. Wonder if people thought drinks will be taken away from them, if caught??

And food in flight - well, don't even talk about it - I couldn't even have half a bite. Thankfully, I had a sandwich at the airport, that kept me alive.

Finally, we land at the airport (how many airports have I seen like this - ufff!), and head for immigration - 0200 hrs, day 2. Another 90 minutes at the immigration/luggage collection, and we are off to our hotel (thankfully the airport pickup by the hotel was patient enough to wait for us all the while).

And at the hotel, when at the reception we told that we came in BB, they were awe-struck! I am not surprised why!

So a journey that started 1200 hrs day 1 from Delhi, ended at 0200 hrs day 2 - time taken from Delhi to NY non-stop 14 hours. Time we took - 14 hours. Cool, not very far. Just yet!

PS: I am here for a few days - so more action awaited!

Run Lola Run

2008-07-17T14:37:00.004+05:30

As the name suggests, the movie's all about running (no, not like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump) - The beauty of the movie is in the details - there are 1581 transitions (edits, dissolves, fades, wipes, etc) in 71 minutes of action (i.e. excluding the credits, and pre-credits sequence). This equates to an Average Shot Length of about 2.7 seconds. Interestingly, if you observe, the editing is relatively slower towards the end of the film. For most contemporary films, the opposite is the norm. This is what makes this movie so unique.

No wonder this one is quoted (arguably) as the best from German cinema till date.

Itsy bitsy

2008-07-04T14:20:00.004+05:30

With time passing by, it becomes all the more difficult to stay away from this..

True, it's been a long time now that I was here. Been held up in so many things - a glorified version would say that I have been "making a difference to the society" ;)

Yes, I'm working these days. And working good. Be it arranging Carbon Finance for sustainable technologies, or deal structuring for renewable energy projects - it's all happening. On top of it, talk about making companies and events "Carbon Neutral" - Neutral means offsetting the emissions made by the activity.

The space sure is exciting, and with every passing day, it gives me enough and more evidence that this is where I would want to be!

"Nice Try" is Worthless

2008-06-11T10:21:00.002+05:30

Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count.

Check..

2008-05-09T02:17:00.001+05:30

Time: 0100 hours
Mode: A Ford
Down: Spirits (6 Vodkas, 1 Beer & 2 glasses of water!)
Up: Spirits again!
Reading: 130 kmph
Distance traveled: 35 kms
Time taken: 16 minutes

I wonder why, but I tend to condone overspeeding as long as I can reach the destination.
Check! Don't repeat.