Strange Feelings

Feeling Suffocated
I part away the curtains...

Feeling restless
I neatly arrange everything on table

Feeling at loss
I take a sip of water

Feeling wayward
I take out the planner again..

Feeling short of time
I try to skip... only to return..

Feeling Nostalgic
I remember the same times in 'those' 4 years

Feeling angry
I dump everything..knowing I will come back.


P.S: Why does it always happen that when you HAVE to do something, you enjoy doing something else..

Post Office :(

It was a visit to a post office after I-don’t-know how many years and the first one to a Mumbai one – Vile Parle (W) to be specific. And now I realize it that it was actually a visit to any government office after a very long time. A visit to such government touch points really strengthens your view that capitalism/privatization is the key for development. It’s a faint memory when I used to buy stamps and inlands to write letters. From the past many years it has been the private courier services. So when my father asked me to send a 1 page document by normal post only (rather than using the ‘costly’ courier), I decided to try the post office once again. Reached the Post office whose building was in a pathetic condition (evident from the pic above). I asked for stamps from the counter which had “Stamps/Envelopes” written in front of it and was asked to go to another one. There was no one here, so I waited patiently for few minutes. After it was evident that a customer was not even being looked at by the employees, I asked a person standing there to give me the stamps. He again said that a lady was on her way. Again a few minutes wait. And Again I went to that person and requested him that it will take him a minute to give a 5 rupee stamp to me. Rather than giving, he went about calling the lady, asking where she was. I again went back to the counter. Our dude came back and started chit chatting with another lady there. 2 more people joined in. But still no sign of the ‘stamp-lady’. That was it for me. I went back and again asked, first politely and then a bit harshly that if he would give the stamps. “Wo uska kaam hai. Wo degi aa ke. Aap ruko” (its her job. She will give it. Just wait) , he said.

It was time and he duly received some niceties from me. He replied, “Isme main kya kar sakta hun” (What can I do in this?).

Guess instead if asking me, it would have been better had he asked the question to himself.

It is a gargantuan effort to restructure or reform such government bodies. The government has, infact tried to bring the private players down in recent past. Because they themselves know that bringing postal services to the higher level is simply not possible.

P.S: Sorry to my blogger friends for not visiting their blogs recently. Things will relax after 17^th..

Parakram

The buzz had begun a month earlier. A team involving people from all functions – Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations had to be formed for a 3 stage Inter B school event. We called ourselves NMIMS Bulls. The Bulls were Ankit, Abhishek (Finance),Rahul a.k.a Raka ( Operations), Sreejith (HR) and me (Marketing). The first stage online quiz narrowed the teams to 20. There were IIMs and ISBs to intimidate us in the 2^nd round Case Study competition. But the Bull was on a run and it came surging to the final round confidently beating the competition and being among the top 5 teams . Then came the real thing which made all the previous stages look minuscule.

It was a Business Simulation game which was to last 12 Straight hours. They say that it is the learning you should focus, not the result. And it was indeed a tremendous learning experience. There was plenty of material to be read and understood before the game started. So a lot of time was spent on the analysis of the information. And before we launched into the 12 hour marathon, we had a rough plan ready. The basic aim was to build a manufacturing company (with 3 million dollars given to us) and run it for 4 years with various constraints like Market demand, other teams’ strategies, attrition in the company etc.

Our strategy focused on being aggressive. We started with 2 plants, demand being not there in the market. The process started with us giving our strategy like number of plants to be constructed, salesmen to be hired etc for the first year in numbers to the administrator. The admin fed it in the simulator and gave us data like Balance Sheets, Profit Loss Statement, Cash Flows, Sales, Industry reports, future trends, views of industry people on the trends in the industry, R&D developments, attrition of Salesmen etc etc..

Within 15 minutes, we had to analyze those reports, plan for the next quarter and fill out the details like Selling Price, R&D expenditures, Expenditure on Sales Promotion, Salesmen hiring, No. of units to produce etc. This was then given to the admin who fed it again and gave us the same reports for the next quarters. The situation and company performance changed on basis of market conditions and other teams' strategies. The same process moved on for 16 quarters. The start was not well for us in terms of numbers. Due to the huge capacity we had built there were loads of inventories we accumulated each quarter. The second year went on with profits in the red for us. We were producing more than we could sell. Considering the aggressive strategy, we hired the max salesmen and at one point our cost on salesmen Salaries were eating into the profits like hell (32%). Our debt was at all time high and the bank was charging a hefty interest every quarter. But we persisted. Then came the lucky break for us. In the third year, due to the high R&D expenditure, we got a breakthrough in technology which made our product more salable for next 2 -3 quarters. But the problem was that it was a recession period in the economy and demand was quite low. But again our planning for future helped us. There came a huge export order and we were easily able to bid for it at relatively lower price (all teams had to bid for the order). That helped us see the profits in the positive for the first time in 3 years !!!! (They again went in red the next quarter is a different matter ;))

But we had recovered quite a bit by now. At least we were making good sales. At one point after 13 quarters we were quite confident that we were well ahead of others. The future plan for the last 3 quarters was well in place. The Market demand was at all time high. We had increased the price by around $1500 and were still selling. We had sufficient inventory and from the market reports we were buying we were sure that others were not producing even close to us. Victory was in sight. But then came the shocker. Along came an import order, where teams could buy products. We lost the bid. So now there was a good chance that all teams had plenty of finished goods. The market was good. So the line of reasoning suggested that prices would go high. We rubbed salt to the wound with this strategy. By quoting an exorbitant Selling Price, we could sell merely 36 units as against market average of around 250 – 300. The inventory had risen to 500 (huge number) and with 2 quarters left, we were almost in a soup. Suddenly we were thankful that we didn’t get the import bid because that would have added more finished goods. There was a light at the end of tunnel when a team approached us with offer to buy units (trading between teams had been going on in the past too). We sold most of the unsold items of previous quarter to this team who went by the forecast of huge surge in demand for next 2 quarters and bought the goods from us. The next problem for us was the huge production we were having in our factories. They had to be sold in the next 2 quarters. So we pulled back and lowered the price. The Sales team or “Pathe” as we jokingly called them were in place (we had not let the sales force decrease for all 4 years).

With these details we filled out the final data for the final 2 quarters (they had to be together this time) and waited. Waited to see if the light we had seen was the end if tunnel or the oncoming train. It was like the last ball if a thriller. We could be out or hit a six – anything could happen on that last ball. The problem was we didn’t know about what the other team(s) had scored. We waited for results for a long half hour. The results for last 2 quarters were being printed. It was a time when we discussed aimlessly. What does the expression of the admin is telling. That strategy was wrong. That was right. Was it really right? Fruitless discussions but discussions nonetheless. Nerves were on an all time high. Then the quarterly results were given. The first page opened was the Profit-Loss statement. It was positive – 17 lakhs profit. Then we saw inventory – zero. Bank debt – zero. Things were looking good. But we still didn’t know we had won or some other team had!!

The admin (who also designed the game) again made us wait for some 15 minutes and then gave his analysis. Under each analysis heading, Team 1 was coming on top. Team 1 did best in this and Team 1 in that. The strategy if Team 1 was best in this aspect and in that aspect. And we sat there holding the arm of the chair, the chair hurting under our forces. Then at the end of 12 long hours, we had 5 ROI’s (return on Investment) on the projector screen (along with results of 2 other separate modules – more about that later).

Team 1 had a big ROI of 179. The admin announced, “Team 3 were playing very well but they lost at one place in the middle due to XYZ reasons. Team 2 came close but for them it was more of a fluke than a real strategy(they had ROI of 139). But the team which had long term vision and strategy and blah blah blah in place was Team 1 and they are clear winners.”

All hell broke loose for Team 1 as they cheered, celebrated, shouted.

Team 1 was NMIMS Bulls.

Our Team had won the coveted Parakram with a prize money of cool Rs 50,000.

A Historical Day

Peeking through the wall

As I climbed down the gym steps, I observed something which was quite similar to what was happening today.

There was a big marriage function in the hall adjoining the gym and there was a wall separating me and the sprawling lawn sprayed with people, delicacies on the tables. I could see all of this through the slits designed in the wall. Far away in Chandigarh a similar fest was on. Punnu (Puneet), my friend since class 5^th (or was it 4^th) was getting married to Neetu (Bhavneet), again my very good friend. The wall in this case was obviously the distance while frequent updates by Rompy played the role of slits in the wall.

24^th November will be registered as the first momentous occasion in the history of my core group of closest friends. Unfortunately, I will follow up on the proceedings on the DVD only. I think it is quite a logical and blissful turn on the path which, as far as my memory goes, came to light when clandestine STD calls were made when we friends were on a week long holiday in Shimla. Now that I try to remember, I really don’t recall which year or which Shimla trip it was. Guess Rompy can help me on this.

And now that I have mentioned Shimla trips, guess they have missed a place on this blog till now. They were exceptional and demand a mention here.. Sometime soon!!

And Miles to go Before I Sleep...

This is only a part of To-Do projects and presentations to be completed in the next few days. The wall still does not know about the tests, specially the variety called surprise tests. They say that "Deewaron ke bhi kaan hote hain" (Walls also have ears).. so can it be the case that the wall in my teacher's room knows that when a surprise test is planned.. and if it knows then can it somehow inform this wall of mine which can update itself as when some information reaches it...

And is all this bull shit I am talking, effect of the late hour or can it be called 'Out of box Thinking'.. I mean we may have something like this in distant future.. Who knows...

Oh.. and by the way only the academics find place on the wall..the big annual corporate event of our college - Paragana, which is coming up next week is missing...
As some guy called Robert Frost has said..
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

So Close, yet so far...

In one of my earlier blogs I had written how I wished to watch(at a stadium) Sachin make a century...Last time I went to PCA Stadium, Mcgrath had spoiled the party... Today, with a new hope, the trip was made again to the high voltage India vs Pakistan match...
The proceedings were like a dream.. Sachin was in full flow..4's were being creamed at amazing regularity...And it was all around the wicket.. The ferocious pull...the silken drive...the powerful punch... the deadly cut..the delicate sweep...everything was there on the platter for you to relish.. Shoaib was butchered ( He has a damn long run up*).. The spinners were tossed around..and the fielders saw the ball flying over their heads...
Soon, for the first time in my life, I saw the God raise his bat after completing his 50... The run flow continued and so called 'jinxed' 90's had begun before the 25th over.. "Today is the day when ODI Batting records ought to be shattered", I thought..
Soon He was on 99.. People were going mad... Sachinnnn SAchinnn going everywhere... 30000 people clapping to the same jingle..everyone standing on their seats to watch 'The Moment'.... Then there was a hush...the only cheering was coming from the ground by 11 people dressed in greens..Everyone climbed down from the seats and sat down quietly.... The 90's jinx was not over...

* I tried counting the steps.. I could gather around 22.. they were surely more than that..


P.S:
I guess Cricket Stadium is one place where the national flag is insulted the most!!

Paanch...

As usual tagged by Fleiger ...
The 5 tag...

5 things in your room
I look around.. The things that I can call mine are:

1. A Bed besides the window with a pillow and some clothes which are on the chair when I am on the bed and vice versa.
2. A chair with a pillow – not much difference between chair and bed. Sometimes I use it for sleeping also..
3. A Table with lots of things – Laptop, headphones, notebooks, files, pen drive, water, biscuits, my friend’s ipod (which I am using these days)– these are some things I can see presently.
4. A basket to dump in all the to-be-washed clothes. They get transferred to the washing machine when the basket starts overflowing or the almirah looks empty.
5. An almirah with clothes, textbooks, untouched biscuit and namkeen packets, a box of washing powder, CD folders etc etc
   

5 things in my Bag

1. Laptop with Charger
2. Notebooks. These days I am experimenting with one for each subject (back to school)
3. A diary – to manage the future manager..(all to-do items that remain to-do everyday are noted there!!!!)
4. A newspaper – which once goes in, comes out at night and directly to ‘radddi’
5. Miscellaneous things like Library card, Calculator, Pens etc
   

5 things in my Wallet

1. Cash and coins – the core value of the wallet
2. Debit and credit cards – 2 each to be precise (have not kept all of them in wallet ;))
3. Driving license
4. Few Passport size photos
5. Some miscellaneous papers which I am throwing off now.

Any one interested can take up the tag..

Had some Pics of my room at Chandigarh.. thought they might be of some relevance here..
These show how different the room looked in my college and while I was working..

The 2 walls during college days...

The difference in the environs from the same angles 3 -4 years later..

The Mumbai Spirit

Since the time I came to Mumbai, I have been hearing about the poor human aspect of Mumbaikers which has become non-caring and selfish. There was a case of a women being stabbed in the middle of the road with scores of people just watching her die. Accidents taking place and no one bothering to take the injured to hospital etc etc…
But 2 such incidents have taken place within 4 days which show a positive face of Mumbai emerge out of the chaos we usually see in the trains and roads of the financial capital of India.
The first incident is of course which I mentioned in the previous post, where a bag with mobile phones and plenty of cash had been left in a local train. A good soul had taken care to call a few numbers from the mobile and some amazing coincidences had worked together to land the bag with all its contents (The coincidences were such that they demand another post).
Many said that it was impossible to find a bag left in a Mumbai Local. But it happened. And then to top it another incident happened just 2 days later. Amit, my roommate had given his bike for servicing. While going to get his bike back, he left the packet containing all the papers and driving license in the autorickshaw he had taken to the service center.
To further complicate the problem, there was no local phone number written anywhere in the documents and there was only 1 small mention of the local address. A day later, a person was standing on our door with the packet. The autowallah had taken pains to find the local address, then search for the house and came till the door step to deliver the packet. Moreover, when Amit tried to reward him, he refused to accept anything. “I know how it feels when you lose all your papers”, he said.
Incidents like these go a long way to re-instill the faith in others, in this self centered society today.
3 cheers to this spirit of Mumbai!!!!

A Roller Coaster Day!!

The day was quite similar to the roller coaster we experienced at Essel World today. The plan was made yesterday and this morning 28 people from our ‘rocking’ division marched from college to Vile Parle station. It was a comfortable journey to Malad Station from where we caught a ferry to the amusement park after a round of photo session. With a nice 50% discount on tickets, we entered the gates of childhood again. After warming up with trivial rides, we came to the big one – Thunder. It is basically an extended version of the swinging ‘boat’ we usually have. The difference is that the boat in this case turns 360 degrees. It also adds more spice to your life by staying for a few everlasting seconds at the top with everyone literally off the seats, shoulders pinned into the safety harness which somehow acts against an important force of nature – the gravitational force. There were 2 more favorites – the roller coaster which went through a water pool drenching you from head to toe and from outerwear to innerwear. The second one was the crazy cars where everyone played around 3 – 4 rounds. Guess all the ‘focused’ MBA students felt good to be just aimless. A heavy lunch (aloo parantha with lassi.. aahaa) was followed by a bowling session(after 2 years!!!!) and a shake of leg at the disc. The caravan moved to another session of getting drenched and a grand photo session. Overall it was amazing fun and the roller coaster moved up from morning 10 to 6. Now it was time to come down a bit.

The ‘Drenching’ Ride
Ok. So after getting down from the ferry, Pranshu, Stanley and I took an auto to Boriwali station. Some miscommunications followed which brought us in front of the local which had started moving and which had rest of our group on board. Pranshu – the NDA blood, jumped on the moving train. I had already made up my mind not to risk a tired limb of mine for a Rs 6 ticket. So Stanley and I took the next local. On the way I saw photos for the day on Stan’s Mobile. One that I found strange was that of a Blue colored Nike bag on Pooja’s back. Stan said that he clicked it by mistake. On reaching vile parle, we discovered that same very bag had been left in the train – and it had significant cash, wallets, I Cards and around 4 mobile phones!!! Some coincidence ..huh!!


The Bag
There was a pandemonium outside station master’s cabin who was perhaps enjoying being in the limelight in a regularly mundane routine of his. 2 people had been sent in the next train to the last station - Churchgate where the train was scheduled to stop for few minutes. The timings were being discussed. Key problems areas were being outlined – will they be able to reach on time, how much time will they have to search etc. After gathering more information it was known that they won’t be able to reach on time. Another search party was sent to Bombay Central to intercept the train there on its return journey and try finding the bag. The help desk was in place with real time monitoring being done on the groups, their timings, train’s timings and communication (with 4 less phones though!!). Another noteworthy problem that was at the core of issue was the colossal rush at that hour from churchgate to boriwali. So as a backup measure Bharath and I left for Bandra station to increase the interceptor points of the incoming train (it was a fast local which stopped at few stations only). Never before had I been a part of such a big search operation covering half of Mumbai. The train was scheduled to come into Bandra at 9.14PM on platform 4 (check out the’preciseness’). The timing was too perfect for us when we reached Bandra. We had to change platforms. This was the point where Bharath and I lost contact. I rushed to platform 4, managed to find the right compartment and somehow managed to get inside that also. I penetrated deep into the bogie scanning all bags on the shelf. There was humongous amount of rush – something that I had seen on news channels only. Then I got a call that the bag had been found at Churchgate station and had been deposited at police counter. I breathed a sigh of relief. The roller coaster was coming up again – but there was a small hiccup in between. I realized that Andheri station had come and I was like Abhimanyu standing in the middle of a chakravyooh. I fought – and fought really hard – using every muscle I had ever spent pumping in the gym. The gate was near, people were abusing right and left, I carried on. The train started moving. I believed in myself. I could make it. I pushed people harder. On the gate now. But train had gathered speed and I was advised not to get down. Next thought I got was that I was in for a long ride to Boriwali – back to square one as they say. I touched my wallet to make sure it was still there and realized that I had zero cash with me. The key problem areas had another dimension to it now. It was turning out to be a steep fall for the roller coaster. Luckily for me, the train had turned to slow train after Andheri and it stopped at Jogeshwari(next station). I managed to get down here. After all this, coming back to Vile Parle was a child’s play. So after starting the day with childhood ‘jhoolas’ it was back to a child play. The roller coaster after the full round had come back.

Coming through.....

It is strange, how days can be entirely different. One day, you fail in everything you do. And the next day everything starts falling into place and the same you succeed in what you are doing. How it happens is the intricacy of the human brain. But it sure does happen.

The exam time was a tough, sleep depriving time. But the tougher times had to follow - the summer placement time. When you see 250 people sitting in a room, vying to become the couple of people that a company selects – then you know what competition is! Actually the same happens in during MBA entrance also but somehow it didn’t feel that way then. Things here are definitely different considering that the 250 people with you are the ones that have been creamed out of 35000 in the country.

Anyways, the first day of the summers was a big disappointment. Around 10 companies, 5 shortlists for GD’s and not a single convert. It was the first time I experienced mass recruitment – that means many companies coming in a single day within hours of each other. As soon as you are out of 1 GD and reach the waiting room, calls are being made to locate you for the second one. And to add to it, you need to submit CV’s for another 2 companies. It can be quite harrowing at times. More so when you are not getting selected. Starting the day at 6.30 and running to college with no breakfast. 3 Group Discussions in a row and it is almost lunch time. And when you are called for another discussion without anything in your tummy for 20 hours, then sometimes the expected happens – a black out. Blanked mind. That was exactly what I experienced on day 1.

Day 2 started not very differently. No breakfast and running quickly to be in time for CV submission. First GD was a surprise for me. I had never done that well. Result: selected for the interview. A considerably long interview and as I come out of the room, I am being looked for another GD. Then as soon as I am out of that, I am being called for another interview. The mind actually gets numb and sometimes you mechanically move around. And one thing I noticed. When before the interview you have time in hand to think about things, then inside the room it doesn’t go well. When you have time to think, it allows the nerves to get in and sometimes a mixture of negative thoughts. It happens the same way in cricket also. When you start thinking about the next ball you are going to face, about the bowler, about how he spun the last ball viciously etc, you are bound to get out. That is a question I have always wanted to ask greats like Sachin that what do they think between balls. Rahul Dravid once said that he concentrates on his breathing between balls. That is how he keeps himself from distractive thoughts.

Anyways coming back to interview. With 4 people before me, I had plenty of time to think before the 1^st one. And that reflected during the process. It didn’t look natural. To some of the standard questions like Why MBA, Why marketing etc, there was no spontaneity – all answers coming from the short term memory where they had been stored minutes before the interview. The second one was different. It was almost like out of the GD room and into the Interview room. No time to think and so the answers came more naturally instead of vomiting all the crammed answers. Result: on spot selection after the interview. The thought is bit scary though. When you know that a spot offer policy is being followed and when at the end of the interview the panel just says, “Ok. Thanks for your time sidharth” – there is a definite feeling of uneasiness.

Anyways as they say, everything is well that ends well. And sure it did.

The struggle continues......

A Rare Holiday

A rare holiday after exams. It was decided to go for an excursion. Though it didn't turn out to be as planned.. but there were enough memories - both in mind as well as in form of 200 photographs..

Never in exams had we got up at 6.30... But had to do it to catch the train in a non-rush hour...

Breakfast @ Churchgate Station

No Autos in the poshest area of Mumbai.... so a Taxi ride to the Gateway..

The Taj - Mumbai one... can be said to be one of the wonders among the hotels...

'Chal dhano...'

With Dhano on the move.. its time to enjoy the serene surroundings

A magnificent view of Taj and Gateway together

The kafila moved to Haaji Ali after the boat ride...

Beautiful Nakasshi inside the structure


'Dhal gaya Din... Ho gayi shaam'..incidentally the previous evening was also spent at the same place

Catching up with the lost sleep of 10 days... The train is a lovely lullaby

Becoming Part of History..

So India has made up for the loss of World Cup early in this year with a great 20 - 20 World Cup victory... The match was awesome similar to the previous India - Pakistan tied match.
And we all go down in the history books as a rare species who have witnessed India win a World Cup.... though I am sure the number of people in this rare species will run into millions..
Well Done India...
(though I must say the last over by Joginder Sharma was pathetic.... the ball on which 10th wicket fell was a full toss and could have been easily tossed over the boundary had the batsman not tried to act extra smart.)
Anyways all's well that ends well!!!

A Rare Exclusive Interview !

Its 16th September again… Oh c’mon, don’t tell me you don’t remember… It’s my birthday today….
I am 2 years old today… taaaliyaaan!!!! Thank u thank u.... In this happening year, I have gained weight of 85 posts… cool na??
On this momentous occasion my creator - my father was exclusively interviewed by mother of my very good friend cuckoo.. read on….. Ya I know..my father is much less interesting than me..but hope you find it OK..
So here it goes…..

Good morning Mr Bedi. Before we start, let me Introduce my pet Tiger to you.. he's always hungry and let me put a few things a little straight to you. As you know I would be taking your interview, you have to remain seated calmly without questioning my questions or no. of questions. There are going to be five main questions with some sub-questions. Treat them as parts a, b, c etc. please be as detailed as possible, it'll give you some practice for your ongoing exams.
And please keep your face a little more cheerful. It looks like you have come here for a mourning or is it that Parampara experience is still fresh ? I hope they've not beaten you black & blue. Yeah, that's a little better now. Keep smiling like that. You look good in that pose. So, shall we start ?
1. Well, Mr. Bedi you have been blogging since Sep 2005.. almost 2 years. What changes have you noticed in you in these 2 years ? You have 2 blogs, how much importance do you give to each one of them? Now that you have again started studying , do you think it'll have adverse effect on your blogging? How are you planning to manage ? You are posting very little on your second blog. What happened now? Have your thoughts stopped provoking you ?


Well, change is the essence of life.. and without knowing we change a lot every moment, every day. 2 years is a long time and I myself cannot quantify the change in this long long time. How much of this can be attributed to the blog – well it is a medium to put in the thoughts.. and your thoughts to get modify if you write them. Sometimes it forces you to think positive, even if you are having negative mindset and that is the most important change one can have any time in life.
Regarding 2 blogs – yes, I have not concentrated on the second one. Actually I had started it as a theme blog. During that time, lots of discussions used to take place between us roommates - KT, Akash, Vibhu, me – so just wanted to capture some of them and hence started the blog. With time everyone moved out and hence the motivation actually went away. Now I do have some plans to revive it after exams in a different manner. Lets see how far it shapes up.
And studies do affect the blogging though I can say that it is not that bad till now…they have become smaller though.

2. Oh I am so sorry for throwing a bucket of water on you. I know you have a cute innocent face but that won't work on me. I told you not to pretend sleepy during interview. Now let us talk about your spiritual & political beliefs. What do you have to say on these? ... You are NOT supposed to copy my answers. And no one liner please. I know you have to complete a FinAcc assignment but that's not an excuse.

That bucket full of water was refreshing.. thanks.. i hadn't taken bath today... and was feeling sleepy too...
Fin. accounting assignment – don’t worry, my roomie is doing it. I just need to copy it… Ok. About political beliefs – I believe in what was said in RDB and Nayak . Oh sorry… I think you have still not seen the movies. In short, I believe that blaming the politicians is not entirely correct. If you blame, you should be courageous enough to step into their shoes or at least so something towards that direction. I know it’s very easy to say and tough to do… but I think it is changing and it will change.
As regards spiritual, I don’t believe in the concept of religion or praying to God. Jesus, guru nanak etc – they may have walked on this earth sometime in the ancient history. But they ended there and then. Their thoughts have carried on but considering them as God and praying them – I don’t believe in that…. But I do think there is some kind of unknown force present. It may be the unknown powers of our unexplored brain – not sure of it..


3. Well, Mr. Bedi. Ah, you have a pretty good short name. Can I call you SiD ? Oh thank you for obliging me. NO NO.. don't move. I understand it's quite hot in there sitting on that boiling pot. It is a matter of a few minutes if you co-operate nicely. Now describe your most embarrassing moment till date and also a moment when you felt like crying.

Shoo.. shooo.. get this tiger away yaar… I feel uncomfortable in presence of animals… specially the species called tigers… thanks.. much better… already an embarrassing question and top of it your ‘protective’ tiger… haan.. what was the question.. embarrassing moment.. umm… umm… what comes to mind at this particular time can be the first project at infy.. I had an important delivery that day to be sent onsite.. first project… first big delivery.. there were some nerves running out there.. I composed a nice mail.. added everyone in ‘To’ and ‘CC’.. and pressed ‘ctrl+ enter’.. had quite recently learnt the outlook shortcut… ..got back to work… and for some purpose opened the sent items folder.. and realized that there was no attachment in the mail… damn it..... it was late evening. That means morning at US… and the PM could check the mail anytime… more nerves now… I copied pasted the mail in a fresh window… added a line.. sorry for not sending the attachment.. and again pressed ctrl+enter…The 3rd mail did have the attachment… my PL later said.. no problem.. happens… It never happened after that !!!
As regards crying, my mother often tells me this story. During class 8th or 9th history exam, I actually cried while preparing for it as I couldn’t understand the damn mohanjedaro’s and iron age, bronze age civilizations…

4. No, you can not remove that bright jazzy red T-shirt which Rompy gifted you last year and again telling you.. remain seated quietly. Don't try to show off your biceps/triceps to a girl. Arre haan wahi your dole/shole. My pet tiger is curiously looking at you and he has just had a bucketful of Vodka. He now wants to taste some non-veg.
Well, the topic of friends has come up.. I can see you have written quite a lot posts about them. So would you please tell us what do friends mean to you ? Do you have any friend of school years whom you have lost touch with and would want to be with him/her now?
What about blogger friends ? What ?? Me ? NO, no don't even look at me. Tiger !! come here & sit near this sweet fella. He is upto something I guess.

Abbey hattt Tiger ke bacchee.. haan so what were you asking.. oh let me come sit near you. This tiger is growling a lot.. I can’t even hear you… ok.. this is much better.. so about friends…well friends are indeed very important for me…my core group of friends have been a great influence in my life.. I cherish every moment with them and when u are with them more than 8 hours every day for 4 years of your life.. you tend to have plenty of such moments.. hence the blogs.. regarding school friends.. orkut has played a big role in helping get in touch with many of them.. I don’t think there is any, with whom I have lost touch.. less frequency, I agree but not complete.
Blogger friends..hmm…you r leaning forward now.. I think this is a topic of interest for you..well.. there are just 2 people whom I have really become friends through my blog. One, whom I already knew and had seen and other one is the one sitting beside me listening quite intently…. I must say that your blogs have been remarkable – the high popularity in a short time proves that you are able to connect with people and their thoughts.. and that is what brings everyone including me to the pink nest of yours.. some one becomes your friend when he/she is able to understand you.. And that has precisely been the reason here…

just out of curiosity, how did u know that i had been gifted a red t-shirt??? it was not rompy though but some friends did gift me a red t-shirt before i came to mumbai..

5. Oh, that was quite fast, we have already reached the fifth question and I haven't asked anything… not even about your girlfriend or about Aamir Khan. Probably we'll sit for another session; that would be a bit longer only. Ok, jaldi se can you tell us about your first crush ? How old were you then and what happened subsequently ? ;)

Oh.*looking at watch*. I have an exam tomorrow yaar.. lets keep this question for the next meeting of ours… the next round which I hope will come soon. ;)


But at the same time I just can not ignore this very important question. Tell me honestly why you opted to be interviewed ? We all need a good detailed answer with why not & why yes. Attempt all the four parts of this.
a) Was it sheer habit of getting interviewed ?
b) You had nothing to post about ?
c) You wanted to find more about yourself ?
d) You wanted to have my mail-id ? Hey, come on, spill the beans now. See, all your friends are chuckling there.

Ok.. now that is an easy one so I will answer that in the limited time that I have…
You have come up with good options I must say…option d will be the priority 1 ;-)

...followed by b. more specifically, I would say I had nothing specific to post on my blog birthday…


Note-Your interview isn't complete yet. We'll sit for another round very soon. Those who are laughing at you, send them to me to be interviewed.

I would like to extend a warm thanks to you for the 1st special interview I have had…hope u enjoyed it… I know u are mad at me not answering all questions… but some bahana should be there for our next rendezvous also.. ryt???
Thanks a lot…

A day in life of MBA..

7:00 PM: Discussions for the Presentation next day..

9.00 PM: Working on the ".ppt's"

12.00 AM: Preparing for the Presentation and trying to time it to perfection. Takes 300 minutes to get a 30 minute presentation correct.

8.30 AM: The final look before the final thing..

9:00 AM: The final Presentation - for that day!!

12.00 PM: Glad to have finished it...

4.00 PM: Getting the much needed sleep.. (generally beds are for sleeping length wise... but after consistent night outs.. who cares!!!

Challenges..

As I wrote earlier... these days I am living by days.. Every day is a new chapter with a new challenge..
The latest challenge is quite interesting and well.... challenging :)
Its 2.30 AM now.. and we(my whole group) have 2 back to back presentations tomorrow starting at sleep defying 8.30 AM..
If we wade through these two and expect to fulfill the sleeping needs.. well its again a day dream... because day after - early morning another 'major' presentations awaits us.. that even has a strict time limit.. so a lot of practice has to go in that!!

I had once read in a book about how things go at mckinsey...it said that people make presentations till 4.00 AM and then give presentations to clients next day... that time i had thought - is it really possible or is it exaggeration!!
Now I know!!

Juicy Nights..

Late night hours bring along with it various things.
A strange floaty feeling... a slight trance... craving for something to fill your tummy
To fulfill the last need... every week end almost all of the 3rd floor goes to Big Bazaar/Food Bazaar and comes back stuffed.... A variety of things from biscuits, namkeen and the best of it - cheeslings can be found on the tables, in drawers or cupboards..
But the latest thing to catch the attention has been juices... 20 - 30 liters of juice makes it way almost every week end from the food bazaar shelves to out fridge.. many freebie schemes are going on for the past few weeks and this has resulted in increase in expenditure... so much so that it is rare to find anyone drinking water in the house... every one drinks Real, Tropicana...
OK.. its 3.15 now. and I have a class in the morning... so let me have some juice and sleep
(I need to finish this apple flavor so that my favourite - orange, which is next in line can make way to my sipper..

Shut Up..

Are you still saying that Sachin should have retired by now...
Oh .. You are !!
Then SHUT UP!!!

Dusk or Dawn??

Time: 4 A.M

Place: On my bed leaning besides the window.

It is raining heavily outside, with intermittent drops coming through the window gently falling on my face. Apart from the voice of the leaves enjoying the rain on them, there is complete silence. The effect of the hour, soothing rain and the silence is unimaginable. It’s a kind of trance where I am not sleepy, yet eyes are half closed. The titillating breeze keeps me up while the lullaby of rain tries to pulls me down. The laptop tires me down, while the cheeslings keep me awake. And then I hear the local train blowing in the far, the plane go up above me and the bells ringing in the temple below. Elsewhere, it is time for people to wake up and here on the window side, amidst the rain, it’s time to lay down. The lights go dim here while far away the orange color starts to appear.

Good Night..or should I say Good Morning!!

8 Random Facts About me: A Tag

As is the usual case, a tag by Fleiger.
Writing about yourself is always tough and so was this.
But the randomness brought about the tag has allowed me to say just random things..

So starting off with the rules of the Tag

The Rules of this tag:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
   
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
   
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
   
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

1. Done

2.

• I love photography – mostly the beauty of nature. But sometimes anything random – just like this blog. I think my first big buy after getting a good job would be a nice camera with zooom zaaam and all.

• Another thing on the ‘To-Buy’ List is an Ipod – No life without music. But presently I am a student again and also my Mobile (which was the first big buy of my first job) is serving both the purpose of camera and Mp3 player quite well. Hence postponing both these buys is feasible.

• I think I am a good listener. Once in a practice GD, the teacher remarked that he didn’t know I was listening or not but my face is such that it looks like I am keenly interested. :-)

• Despite having decided to keep away from cricket, earlier in the year, I still do watch it ONLY when Sachin is batting.

• After some days of being unorganized – be it the disoriented room, cupboard etc, I get an inner call and leaving everything aside I organize everything and feel quite satisfied at the end.

• Off Late I have learnt having a sound sleep, keeping my head down and also sleeping with my eyes open. In fact I wanted to write a post on different kinds of sleeps which you can sleep with your eyes open. But I realized that while you can sleep with your eyes open, you cannot write while you are sleeping – either with closed eyes or open… Aaaghh… what have I written.. Guess I am feeling sleepy (that is what you generally do at 2 AM)

• Off late, my roommates have told me that I have a new girlfriend – a Cost Accounting Book. I was always found with that book. Before sleeping, while sleeping. And I believe it was quite true. It was just like a girl friend – you spent most of your time with it(her) and still at the end of day, you realize you haven’t understood it(her) at all!!!

• Quite recently, when I was making PPT’s every day, I coined a phrase which has become quite famous now. It is: “PPT Banao. Khud Jaan Jao” (ofcourse some inspirations have been gained by the idiot box)
  

3 & 4. Ab koi bhi le lo yaar tag... jiska mann karta hai utha lo...

Yeh hai meri kahani......

A tag by fleiger, a blog interview with cuckoo – all pending.. Off late my blog life has been seriously affected due to studies and college work..

Today, after I got ‘another’ project, I just decided to put to paper, what will be my next 2 week schedule like…(mostly next week only)

It goes something like this…

Presentations: 4 subjects (Information Systems, Economics, Operations, HR)

Written Reports to be submitted: 4 subjects (Marketing, Economics, Operations, Financial Accounting)

Tests: 6 subjects (Economics, Decision Theory, HR, Mgmt Theory & Practices, Law, Cost Accounting (which will be surprise and can happen tomorrow also!!!!)

So now you know why the blogger in me is shying away from one of my favorite activities.

These days it is like living day wise. Many times at 9.00 PM, when you are returning from the college, you collate the things to do for the next day and then try to finish off whatever you can till the time the brain, with help from the eyes tells you to stop.

But nonetheless as they say, “When the going gets Tough.. the Tough get Going…”

Happy Independence Day

The momentous date is here again to have a Tryst with Destiny of Modern India.
Some quotes, which may be relevant..

"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!" - Albert Einstein

"Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own" - Seneca

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." - Mark Twain

"कोई भी देश परफेक्ट नही होता..
उससे परफेक्ट बनाना पड़ता है..." - Rang de Basanti..
(No Nation is a perfect Nation.. It has to be made perfect )

Happy Independence Day..

Parampara - A Sad Tradition

A Performer's view of the Hall
Officially it is the fresher event of the college and unofficially it is a ragging session. But I wonder, if ultimately it is a ragging session, then why prepare for it. It should be on the spot. People spend hours after college to prepare for events. The logic behind it is that it will help us make more friends and we will get to know more people from other sections as well. Very well. I am fully with this part of the tradition. And the second part of the logic behind the event says that, we will provide entertainment for the seniors. I am with that too. But strangely, again the idea of fun is completely different. Guess I am repeating the words used in one of the previous post. But I do think the sanctity of a Stage should be maintained. Yes, if one doesn’t like the performance, he is free to shout “1 2 3 4.. band karo yeh atyachar” or may be clapping in between performances. But it should be off the stage – as an audience. A rowdy audience is 1 thing. Handling that demands quick thinking and guts on the part of the performer. But an audience who climbs on to the stage or close the curtains while one is showcasing something which he has hard worked for days – that is simply pathetic. You see actors bow down and touch the stage when they go on it – it is a sacred thing. And today I saw people being made ‘murga’ on that very stage just to have fun. Not to mention some really sad non veg jokes – again on stage. Well, not everyone has the same perceptive and I am sure many of the attendees loved that but without mincing any words here, I would say that I hated this tradition, this parampara of my college.


Dressed up for the Play

Rare Napping Case Scenario...

Last Night after giving finishing touches to a PPT, I said, “I need a break yaar”. The previous 2 nights had also passed more or less the same way - having 9 PM meetings and then coming back to prepare or practice PPT’s. It seems the Nature, which was showering its blessings around, heard my plea. At 1.30 PM today, while in an intense Cost Accounting class, everyone’s mobile began to buzz. It was a SMS from the college that there would be no classes after 2.00PM due to heavy rains. We, anyways didn’t have any classes after 2 today. But the plans initially were to sit in the library and do some project work. The sms brought a twist in the mindset. The weather was wonderful outside. I had a tummy full of lunch and marched back home, wondering why were classes cancelled on such a cloudy but pleasant day. As soon as I reached back home, the real fury of clouds started. It was time to put off all the lights, draw the curtains, but on light music on the laptop and go away from the real world. Life is heaven, when you can manage this in a normal tight schedule. Though to offset the risk of not getting a good afternoon/evening nap, I have started practicing half hour naps in the head down position (I used to hate that) in library – and the last two naps have been really deep and invigorating. I don’t know what Mumbai rains did to the rest of the city today, but it was refreshing as far as I was concerned.

P.S: I don't know what I have written as the subject of the Post. It was the first thing that came to mind.

Time...

“I had 10 minutes for the lecture to start and I automatically thought of utilizing the time by quickly reading a couple of Eco Times articles”, Amit told me the other day.

That I feel is starting happening for every one of us. In the few days I have experienced an MBA school, I have realized that the key lesson that is to be learnt is in Time Management. It is a time of realization that so much can be done in the 24 hours we have with us everyday.

Today, for instance, I had classes from 9 – 4. Within minutes of exiting the class at 4, our Group was in a teacher’s cabin, where we were instructed to give a presentation on a case study. Quickly after that, the plan of action was decided. Time to go on for the next job – Alumni cell work for half an hour. After that, without losing time, onto the preparation for the fresher’s event, Parampara – giving auditions for acting in a Play (and getting selected!!). After that rushing back home, firing some mails, some minutes with the dumb bells, a quick hot shower, dinner and starting preparing for the presentation next day plus some left over work of some other presentations.. etc etc etc…Uff… bas...

Compare it with the good old college days.. Aah.. getting free at 5.00 (if its not a bunk after lunch), then loitering around in college or at verka. A round at lake, then coming home, spoiling Airtel’s profit figures by endless calling which were free ( 2 numbers free from a mobile – what a scheme!! There was a month when my actual bill was Rs 8000 but due to different schemes I paid Rs 450.). Calling was followed by Need for Speed. And then retiring to bed after watching some TV. What a Life!!!!

For a change I am finding it enjoyable being 'busy'.. ;-)

But as Pink Floyd says -
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but its sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but youre older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

So Lets see how long the enjoyment lasts…

Listening to: Time by Pink Floyd...(kya gaana hai yaar!!!)

There is still life on the way...

Wrote some words late at night while on my way back home from college..

Dreary eyed, I emerge
From a red - deathly day
It should have been peace and dark.
But there is still life on the way.

I feel the hastiness around.
“Take it Easy ”, the heart wants to say..
Mind says – “No time to waste.
Don’t you see the life on the way”

Only this time, I allow my heart to sing..
Allowing the air to take me under its wing..
In my ears, the noise scatters..
And then Nothing Else Matters....

Unity in Diversity

Though I am a non religious person who doesn’t believe in the so called distinctions made by man, but, it was something interesting that was observed today that prompted me to write this.

Whenever the word ‘religion’ is heard, it generally brings images of extremists painting a rather poor picture of their respective religions. Hence, for me this word, most of the times, brings a negative connotation along with it. But not today!

During the dinner today, it was observed that among all my flat mates who are living under 1 roof here, we have one (minimum) from each of the 4 prominent religions prevalent in India – Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian. And also we have at least one from 4 corners of India – North, South, East and West.

Everyone from a non-chicken eating Brahmin to the Chicken Biryani loving devout Muslim sit and eat their meals together here. Everyone from Chandigarh to Chennai, from Baroda to Kolkata is a part of this family at Hemu Vila, 3^rd Floor.

Today, on the first anniversary of the Mumbai Train Blasts, we are proud to represent all the religious and regional diversities of India in this 3 BHK of ours!!!

हिंदी में ब्लोग्गिंग!!!!

शायद काफी देर से पता चला पर कहते हैं कि देर से आये पर दुरुस्त आये!!

देर से यह पता चला कि ब्लागस्पाट पे हिंदी में ब्लोग्गिंग करना कितना सुविधाजनक है।
इससे पोस्ट में वरिएटी (variety) (इसका हिंदी क्या होता है यार!!) ला सकते हैं...

धन्यवाद देता हूँ आलोक को - यह ज्ञान बांटने के लिए!!

Life in a Metro..

It was the third or fourth time I was witness to it today.
Evening time, heavy office rush, traffic not even moving inches and in the middle of all of this mess, you see rotating blue lights along with those sirens hearing which gives you a strange bad feeling.
On the sides of the van it is written "We Save Lives".
The driver of the van is sitting coolly - knowing that he can not move. The car in front of it, the auto on the side, the bus at the back stand there unknown - or at least pretending to be unknown of the graveness of the situation. Through the small windows behind, you can see some anxious and helpless faces looking around. Everyone around is busy with his or her life and carry on their routines.
The first time I had seen this I had contemplated if I could do something to smoothen the flow and make the ambulance pass. Then I saw a sea of vehicles half a kilometer long on each side of the van.
Today it was the same. I just saw, shrugged and carried on. After all I had a train to catch.

Under Water City

Mumbai was at the mercy of rain gods yesterday with one of the highest rainfalls (around 400mm in 12 hours in central Mumbai).
Some of the moments early(around 9 AM) on this day, when things had just started to get bad..

IXI GOooo.....

I was shown before it was launched – courtesy Vibhu. And I found it pretty amazing and certainly ‘different’ from many other sites which thousands of people use everyday, fuelling the boom called aviation industry of the country. This boom has lead to a number of travel sites popping up. So when Vibhu told me that he is working on such a travel site called www.ixigo.com , I asked what’s different. Then he gave me a sneak peek at it.
Using the latest JSON technology, which incidentally is also being used by Google for Gmail, this is arguably the fastest site available around for booking your airline tickets. Considering my learning curve had become more or less flat, I was inclined to learn more about this JSON, but a look at the front end caught and didn’t leave my attention.
The speed factor was of course there. Once loaded, it was super fast (an indication of major use of client side programming). Within seconds, it browsed through all the airlines and brought out the comparative rates – of course the cheapest at the top.
A distinct feature I loved was the slider. You just move the slider and change the different timings on which you want the flight. And as you keep on moving slider, the right pane keeps on updating with the required timings
One of the best things is that the prices shown are including taxes. That is the exact amount you need to shell out. I have suffered at many other sites. They cause you heart break. You are so happy to see a ticket for 1000 bucks and think “ Yes. I have made it. I have something to boast about to friends. 2000 mein return”. Its such a nice feeling. And then when as you near the payment time, some strange taxes appear spoiling your party. That is why I liked the approach in this site. They don't take you to the dream world.
Moreover, unlike others, you are taken directly to the check out page, where you just have to pay. In many others, you see a 500 Rs ticket. With experience of additional taxes behind you, you add up everything mentally. “chalo 1700 rupees. Not bad” and then you reach the site and Woosh.. no tickets available any more. So guess it is much better in this case where they skip many intermediate steps for the user.
I really enjoyed just browsing the site. May be because my friend had a hand in its making it. But nevertheless you enjoy something which has a fresh feel to it.

The College Fun..

It’s back to college for me. After 3 years of living an independent, carefree life where you could pick just pick up expensive provogues or pepe’s while roaming, pay by card and carry on. But it is different back being a student. And also I have realized that 3 years indeed have brought changes – may be made more mature.
Take for example what happens in a class. I don’t know it is me only or what but the idea of fun for many of my classmates is still the same – the one we had in engineering college. Though most of the class has more than 2 years of work ex but it is the same what we did in engineering – clapping without reason, unnecessarily creating ruckus in the class, if there is someone’s birthday in the class – then singing it aloud in front of the teacher, creating hullah if the light goes or if the non working projector suddenly comes alive – as I said typical graduation type fun which entertained us for 4 years.
I am not saying people should not do it. May be they are trying to live that golden period once again by having the same kind of masti and fun. But for me, at this point of time, I am certainly not enjoying this. I used to do this and be a part of all these activities and I truly relish those times but I guess it’s over. That time is gone and this time is different. An MBA program – by the name itself sounds much more mature and serious. Not that we should stop having fun – not at all any time in one’s life but I am certain, there would be ways other than this childish fun.

On Top of Mumbai

Sunset at Juhu Beach

Rooftops always relax me. During the early years of 11^th, 12^th and then college, it was the home rooftop with a picture perfect view of Himalayas. Then in Hyderabad, it was the view of the far away buildings of IT giants - glittering no matter at what hour you see them. In Mysore too there were terrific views of greenery and sunsets at my second house. The romance with rooftop continues here in Mumbai. But the views are entirely different here. The two sides are covered with buildings higher, so as soon as you climb on, you see an array of windows hardly 30 meters away. The one on the right side is a bit far away but as you turn around there is an endless expanse of lights in front of you. As you sit in the slight drizzle of the monsoon shower, earphones plugged, you start seeing different lives – all together. There is a person sitting on his PC, a lonely old lady watching saas bahu soaps, another person praying before going to sleep, a lady preparing food in the kitchen, a girl talking animatedly on her mobile, children playing in their stylish 2 storey beds. The closeness to the Airport ensures a flight rising just in front of you every 5 minutes. Nothing specific I am trying to get to here but just the fact that it was pretty amazing and a new rooftop view for me in this city of dreams – a city which they say runs very fast. Strangely when I see the traffic, the people, the city - all running, I feel that all the while it is trying to run fast, it is getting slowed down.

Strengthened Beliefs.. err.. Non-Beliefs

It was 3 years ago, at the time I was leaving Chandigarh to Join Infosys, Hyderabad, that I went to a Gurudwara/ Mandir on extreme insistence of my parents. It happened again, today when again I am set to leave Chandigarh. It was a trip to Golden Temple, Amritsar this time. There was an unordinary rush at the most important pilgrimage place for Sikhs. The first thing that struck me, apart from the scorching heat was lack of any kind of security system – anywhere. While there were around 40 – 50 Thousand people, I couldn’t spot a single policeman. To plan and execute some bad things seemed to be the easiest thing to do there. The next thing to notice was the enormous rush of people. There were huge lines and average time a person took to get 2 minutes in front of the Guru Granth Sahib in the main complex was rumored to be 4 hours. We had some VIP ‘contacts’ which reduced our ‘turnaround time’ to 30 minutes.


This thing led to confusion for me. You go to a religious place to pray, pay homage, thank god or ask for His blessings. But there too one doesn’t have the patience to stand for his turn. All this basically becomes a ‘task’ which has to be completed. Not that I am targeting people who have VIP influences. Even the one standing in line is not by choice. Given a chance he will jump to take the advantage. While, as VIP you bypass the line, you get jealous and sometimes angry looks from the ones standing in lines. Who wants to stand in long lines, in so much heat?
Even inside, in front of the sacred book, while paying obeisance, there is so much pushing and pulling to get ‘close to God’. So much that even if one wants to pray in silence for a minute, he can’t. Seconds later, you will experience a push here and a nudge there.

Who has the time man?? Get over with it quickly. It’s a task. After completing this task, you have the next task ready – to manage a touch at the sacred tree. And then to get a sip of the holy water, a dip in the ‘sarovar’. You fight your way through all these and emerge a winner. At the end you are satisfied - not because you feel spiritual or at peace with yourself but of finishing all tasks in record time (courtesy VIP connections)


Carvings on the Golden Ceilings
Ironically, my beliefs in being a non-religious person were strengthened today. There was not a single moment after entering the complex that I closed my eyes or folded my hands – not even while kneeling down and paying the customary obeisance. For me, it was just an opportunity to see a historical place, admire the beauty and click a few photos to put in Orkut and blog. But unfortunately, there were problems even with that. Inside the main building, as I stood admiring the precision and accuracy with which a pattern was carved out, I was quickly shoved off as I was blocking the line. May be going to Jalianwala Bagh and Wagah Border could have been more satisfactory for me.


Photo to put in Orkut ;)