daroga speaks

शेर-ज्ञान # 10

2011-09-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

कपड़ों को रख दो किनारे, ज़रा बैठो, कुछ बात करो

मोहलतें और भी आएँगी, laundry करने की

Being busy can get tricky

2011-06-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.
xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.
[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Don't ask, Don't tell

2011-01-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.
xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.
[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

शेर ज्ञान # 9

2010-12-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

इस खामोश, वीराने साहिल पे
इक सिफ़र का आगोश है, और कहीं तुम हो
इन अनकहे लब्ज़ों के जनाज़े में
इक नाम हमारा है, और कहीं तुम हो

शेर ज्ञान # 8

2010-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

इज़हार-ए-उन्स की आज़माइश में
क़ामयाब भी हो जाते गुलफ़ाम
तलफ्फुज़ ने दग़ा दे दिया, वर्ना
अलफ़ाज़ तो बड़े रोमानी लिखे थे

The Great Trojan Dream

2010-12-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Presenting "The Great Trojan Dream": A skit by Vidushak for the Diwali Show 2010 organised by the Association of Indian Students in University of Southern California

Hope you like it.

jai ho

Truth or Dare

2010-12-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.
xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.
[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Perfect World

2010-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.
xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.
[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Diwali Show 2010

2010-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every year, hundreds of us come to USC and become an integral part of it. And when we leave, we take back memories, lots and lots of memories. The next skit follows two USC alumni who meet at a reunion and reminisce about the good old days. So, sit back, relax and let the Vidushaks take you through The Great Trojan Dream.

"The Great Trojan Dream" by Vidushak
AIS Diwali Show 2010
24th October, 2010
8:30 pm
Bovard Auditorium
USC

PS: The event starts at 7:00 pm
PPS: Video coming soon :)

jai ho

The Social Network

2010-10-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.
xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.
[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

When in doubt

2010-08-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Priorities

2010-08-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Geek and Firefox

2010-08-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Too soon to tell

2010-08-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

शेर ज्ञान # 7

2010-07-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

ज़हन से उन्हें मिटाने की जंग में,
ना जाने कब हो गए मघलूब
ख़ता बेशक़ याद्दाश्त की होगी,
यहाँ कोशिशें बेईमान नहीं थीं

Refresh

2010-07-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Type mis-match

2010-06-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

Global Minima

2010-06-18T14:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

शेर-ज्ञान # 6

2010-05-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

दिल-अज़ीज़ वो ख्वाब सुहाना था ,
क्यूँ फज्र का आमाद होना था
लाखों थे हसीं इस कायनात में ,
क्यूँ आपसे ही इश्क होना था

The computer in 'Krrish' : Behind the console

2010-05-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

Inspired by, and dedicated to all the geeky comic books out there.

xkcd , phdcomics , geek & poke etc.

[Click on the image to enlarge]

jai ho

शेर-ज्ञान # 5

2010-03-04T14:17:00.000-08:00

अर्ज़ किया है .....

सोने की चादर भी यक़ीनन चढ़ाते ,

'गर अशर्फियाँ नाकाफ़ी ना होतीं.
इतना तो ख़याल रखें ऐ हुज़ूर-ए-आला,
इबादतें तो हमने भी की हैं

I wish I knew

2010-01-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

===============================================

Dear Diary,

Something strange happened today. I was in a meeting when he walked in, unexpectedly. And then he looked at me and smiled. On other days I’d have dismissed it as yet another smirk but it was different today. At least it seemed different. I don’t know if it was a she-must-have-nice-things-to-say smile or a good-lord-she-is-also-here smile. I wish I knew. I wish I knew what he thinks of me. I wish I could talk freely with him. I wish I weren’t scared of him. Oh GOD, why are the advisors so difficult. Can’t they be, well, humans!

Everytime both of us are in a meeting, he’d do something to make me uncomfortable. Be it some silly joke, a light-hearted comment or just an evil look, but he never misses. I don’t know why he does that. I don’t know if he even realizes he does that. He may be a big-shot professor, dealing with high-profile people on a daily basis, talking millions but at least he should have the courtesy to respond to my good-morning and good-night emails. I mean, how long does it take to reply ‘same to you’. A little bit of acknowledgement, that’s all I ask. Is it too much for a student to ask from the advisor?

May be he isn’t the type of person who doesn’t express too much. Or may be he acknowledges with a smile but I, stupid that I am, dismiss it as a smirk. Yes, it is all in my head. May be I am thinking too much. I should sleep now. Tomorrow will be a good day. Or I’d find a better way to deal with it than ranting in my diary. I think I need help. Or may be just a sound sleep.

किसी को मुकम्मल जहाँ नहीं मिलता,

कभी ज़मीं, कभी आसमाँ नहीं मिलता.

===============================================

Inspired by and dedicated to one of the nicest persons I have met.

jai ho

Vidushak presents "Piya Basanti"

2009-11-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Every year the Association of India Students organizes a Diwali show where desi students of USC perform various art-forms : Singing, dancing, dramatics and the likes. It is one of the most awaited events of the year here and the performers put in a lot of energy and effort for the show. The appreciation, applaud and the seetis at the end make all the effort worth it. As some you might know, I am the current director of the only all-India Improv comedy group here called 'Vidushak'. We have been performing a skit at the Diwali show for the past 5 years. This is my 2nd year with the group.
Ladies and gentlemen, Vidushak presents "Piya Basanti"

jai ho

शेर-ज्ञान # 4

2009-09-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

वो रोये तो यूँ रोये कि
गोया आसमाँ बरस उठा
ज़रा चिल्मन से परे देखें
यहाँ क़यामतें और भी हैं

शेर-ज्ञान # 3

2009-08-29T15:05:00.001-07:00

इस नशीली फ़िज़ा के
कातिलाना आगोश में
कुछ गुमसुम से तुम हो
कुछ मदहोश से हम हैं

नाचीज़ का हाल-ए-दिल
ये आँखें बयाँ कर रही हैं
कुछ मुतजस्सिस से तुम हो
कुछ ख़ामोश से हम हैं

The new and improved F-words

2009-08-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

After a long time, there is a hindi film which is 100 % pure cinema. Those who have seen it will instantly know that I am talking about 'Kaminey'. Rest should watch it as soon as possible, before getting saturated by the 'Kamney fever' which is already spreading like wildfire.
To start with, and stating the very obvious : Vishal Bhardwaaj is a genius. An extremely brilliant filmmaker. Makdi, Maqbool, Omkara, The Blue Umbrella and now Kaminey, he has an extremely impressive resume. And the thing I love most about him is that he makes a film for the love of cinema. He doesn't get distracted by the bollywood formulae. He doesn't think about what will work, what not. He doesn't estimate the kind of money his film will make. He makes a film because he wants to tell a story, his way. I very firmly believe that honest work never goes unrewarded. Imtiaz Ali was honest till Love Aaj Kal happened. I hope Vishal Bhardwaaj remains honest all throughout.
Coming to 'Kaminey'. I am not going into a detailed review of the film because there are already very good reviews of the film all around. I would talk just a little about how I feel about it. As I mentioned in the beginning, 'Kaminey' is 100 % cinema. It is an extremely fast-paced story, set in the crime world. 99 % of the characters are evil, and yet very likeable. It is very difficult to single out anyone so I won't. So strong and absorbing were the characters that when one my friends praised the background score of the film, I couldn't recall a single tune apart from "Dhan te naa" which, by now, is on its way to become the new college anthem. All the characters are very well written and performed brilliantly by the actors, most of them with more than 10 years of theater experience. I didn't know about any of them, apart from Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Amol Gupte (the man behind Taare Zameen Par). And from now, I'll know them by the characters they played.
Another high point of the film are the dialogues, written by Bhardwaaj himself. So witty are the dialogues that they make you laugh in the most serious of situations. Dark humour at its best.
And to round it off, Shahid Kapoor has made lisping cool !! 'Kaminey' deserves to be a cult film and I won't be surprised if 50 years from now, somewhere in a village, a conversation goes like this :

Teacher : Paife kamaane ke kitne tareeke hote hain?
Student : Fir, 2. ek fortcut, doofra chhota fortcut.
Teacher : How fweet.

jai ho.

Dew Drops

2009-06-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Some macro-shots that i took when we went on a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. The heavily cloudy weather didn't help the pictures but on the plus side, we got to walk into the clouds !!!
Here's the slideshow :

jai ho

missin'

2009-04-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

I laugh, I run, I play
living life with arms open wide
but i know, i sense, i feel
that something's missing inside

I smile, I joke, I tease
for sure, i've learnt to hide.
i don't know what, but
something's surely missing inside

ग़म नहीं

2009-04-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

इस अंतहीन अन्तरिक्ष के अथाह अनंत में
खो जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं
तपती मरुभूमि की सुनहरी तपिश में
पिघल जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं
उन अक्षम्य त्रुटियों के प्रायश्चित-स्वरूप
अश्रु की इक बूँद में
समा जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं

शेर-ज्ञान # 2

2009-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

दिल पे बुलडोज़र चला कर
यूँ मुस्कुरा कर चले गए
इस उजड़े चमन को, ऐ ज़ालिम,
कमसकम अलविदा तो कहा होता

अर्ज़ किया है

2009-03-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

कुछ मुस्कुरा दो , आज वजह खामखाँ है
धडकनों को सुन लो , आज ज़ुबां खामखाँ है

Prakriti ki Pukaar.. when nature calls

2008-11-12T00:39:00.000-08:00

As you might know, I am a part [one of the directors, to be precise :)] of Vidushak -- the only Indian Improv Group at University of Southern California. Every year, Vidushak performs a skit in the Diwali Show organized by the Association of Indian Students. This years skit is called : "Prakriti ki Pukaar.. when nature calls.."

Here are the videos:
Part 1 :

Part 2:

Part 3:

Comments and criticism are most welcome.

jai ho

Adios ... The Silent Assasin !!!

2008-11-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

7 Feb, 1999

Ferozshah Kotla
Delhi

Javagal Srinath bowled the 1st wide ball of the test match. He bowled the 2nd and the last wide ball of the match in the same over. The reason: Anil Kumble had taken 9 Pakistani wickets and the last pair was batting. Kumble had told him to forget about the record and go for the last wicket. but how could Srinath do that. He knew Kumble would get it. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis knew Kumble would get the last one too. And he sure did.
There are a lot of apt adjectives one can associate with Anil Kumble but the one that I like the most is : Silent Assasin. Letting your work speak for yourself is the greatest reply to your detractors. And Kumble followed this principle to the T.
I salute Anil Kumble for all he has done for Indian Cricket. May he have a wonderful life post retirement.

The moment which will inspire and make every Indian, every sportsperson and every individual proud --

Anil Kumble bowling with a broken jaw and getting the wicket of Brian Lara (Antigua, 1999)
[pic courtsey : http://nebulaofthought.blogspot.com/2008/08/it-happens-only-in-india.html]

jai ho

Outsourced !!

2008-10-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

First of all, things have been very tight and I am just not able to find time to write.

Now, a few defintions:

Improv theater : A theater style were the actors perform a short scene based on the suggestions given by the audience. You can see it as 'Instant theater'. No prior script.

Second Nature : A USC student Improv group. The best one at USC, I would say.

Vidushak : The only Indian Improv group at USC. Yours truly has recently been promoted from actor to actor-director.

Tremendosaur :A brother group of Second Nature which makes short films/sketches/spoofs.

Q- What happens when Second Nature guys see Vidushaks perform and then decide to cast them for the next Tremendosaur production?
A- Beericorn !!!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

My debut in the 'American Amateur Short Films' world. Hope you like it.

jai ho

one more year

2008-09-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

Last time I had made people work a bit to come to the point but this time let's make life easier.
Another year has been added to this life of mine and I am happy.

AMEN !!!

PS: I am suffering from a very bad phase of writer's block. Hopefully this post will get me out of it.
Thanks for staying with me.

When Zero is enough

2008-08-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

The first indication of the future-to-be is out. The cut-off for Physics for IIT-JEE 2008 is ZERO !! Thanks to the mindless increase in the number of seats and creation of new IITs when the last one to be created has still to gain foothold by the crappy Ministry of Human Resources Development.

From now on all you have to do to be an IITian is to leave the paper blank. That, if you don't have a scheduled caste/tribe/OBC certificate. Now, before you begin to bash me for discrimination against oppressed people, let me mention that I belong to OBC and I thank GOD that this crap was not there when I got through IIT-JEE. Being an IITian is no more an achievement, something I, and all pre-2008 IITians, will always be proud of. Clearing JEE gives you the self-confidence which can't be described. It has to be experienced first hand. Not anymore. In very near future, a new born may very well receive an OBC/SC/ST certificate as a birthday present.

The anti-IIT people may say whatever they want, but they can't deny the very fact that the Brand IIT was one of the very few things which could compete and succeed anywhere in the world. Not anymore. It will no more be Brand IIT but Brand IIT-Kgp or Brand IIT-Mumbai or Brand IIT-Chennai or Brand IIT-Kanpur and so on. If you think of it carefully, it will do more harm to the students than good. Now they ask, "Which college?" and you say, "IIT". Tomorrow they'll ask," Which IIT?" And those who won't belong to one, won't even be considered. By the time this government completes its tenure, it will have done irrepairable damage to our education system (apart from national security et al)
The meritous students will still get a good All India Rank and therefore a good IIT, but in all probability, their credibility will be reduced, if not lost, because there will be tens of thousands of other students studying in an institute with the same name. The outside world will find it easier to shun them all , rather than find out which IIT is good and which is bad.

I believe that if one really wants welfare of the oppressed tribes, they should make sure the chidren have proper primary and secondary education. Thrusting them into an IIT hasn't and would never help them. 50 % reservation is not the solution. And if you are hell bent on reserving seats, do so at all the public and private schools. That would serve generations in a way you can't even imagine. Giving them easy admission to IITs is like pushing someone very hard and hoping that (s)he would reach the top, not realising that (s)he will fall flat more often that not. Common sense says that teach them how to climb the ladder and give them enough confidence so that they can reach the top on their own.

Good luck to all the future IITians, for you'll have to keep fighting beyond JEE.

jai ho

It's time

2008-07-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's time for the government to finally wake up. It's time to launch a massive crackdown on the existing/nurturing terrorist outfits in India. It's time to look beyond politics and declare a war on terror. It's time to take such actions that'll force the future terrorists to think twice. It's time to plug the loopholes in the intelligence and security systems. It's time to be able to see through few thousand rupees. It's time to have a Federal Agency with unmatched powers to counter terrorism.
The NDA government had introduced POTA. At least it was a step. The UPA government dissolved it on the grounds of misuse. It should very well then dissolve the laws related to dowry, murder, rape because if we let it to, any law can be misused. And that's all UPA government did, dissolve the POTA. Not finding ways to prevent its misuse, not passing an equivalent law, not giving enough attention to terrorism in India, just dissolved POTA and relaxed.
"Hundred criminals may get away but not a single innocent should be punished"
Well, innocents are being punished and terrorists are getting away with it. Everytime.
The poeple in power need to step up before it's too late. Let's, for once, care about the innocents first. I appeal to the Indian government to stand up and vow to save innocent lives at all costs. I appeal for them to actually do something instead of just adding points in their election speech.
I appeal to every politician who is opposing strict action against terrorist outfits and the likes to think about the people who died sue to such inaction.
This is not politics. This is a war and we have fight it very hard. Let's show them that they are not getting away with killing innocent citizens of India. Let's show them that we are a peaceful nation, we don't go around attacking countries or promoting terrorism BUT if an innocent Indian is hurt, we WILL hunt you down and we mean it.

I express my deepest condolescences for the victims of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts.

Fight On !!!

de-Tagged

2008-07-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

I was at-tagged by Reema almost a month back with this. I Hope she remembers tagging me !!

One religious work from a non-familiar tradition you’ll read:
Quran. I have lots of questions.

One music video–that you like–from your “least likely to listen to’ genre:
"Aur ahista, kijiye baatein' by Pankaj Udhas. Beautiful song and video, but I seldom listen/see it.

A book from a genre you almost never read, that you have read, or you will read (promise!):
None. I am not much of a reader and so I can't promise I'll read any, especially from a non-favorite genre. I like thriller novels though, the Dan Brown type.

Somewhere you’d never thought to go on holiday/vacation, and why it might be fun to go there?
The Carribean. I just love their accents and fun-loving lifestyle.

A specific food you’ve never tried, but will because of this meme, honest!:
Greek cuisine. (this meme is just co-incidental, I would have tried that eventually anyway :P)

A sport or game you really hate, or haven’t tried yet, but are willing to give one more go:
Badminton. I don't hate it per se, but it is not a great watch, as compared to cricket/hockey/soccer. Besides, it is one game I think I can play.

A style of dance you probably won’t try (we won’t make you promise on this one):
Acrobatic Dance. Too tough.

A career job you don’t feel you’re suited for, and why:

Business and Management. I have no reason but I can't picture myself being in this field.

An item that’s “thinking out of the box’ for this meme that hadn’t been included:
If given a chance, which song would you sing on stage, in front of a huge audience?
'Sweet Child O' Mine' by Guns and Roses

It’s there’s one thing in life you wanted to do, and will do because of this meme, what will it be?
Again.. I can't promise but I do want to direct a movie :)

I won't tag anyone. Feel free to do this tag if you wish.

Jai ho

Missing from action

2008-07-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I agree that I vanished, yet again. But I can't help it. (Actually, I could have helped it, but everytime I thought of posting a new post, I wanted it to be one of my best posts. And the improbability of this event held me back)

Best post or not, this thought just came across me while surfing the net (cricinfo, to be exact) and I said to myself that if I don't post it now, I may never do it.
So, this article was about Saqlain Mushtaq, the great off-spinner from Pakistan. For non-Indians, he is a cricketer. Rest, you better not say out loud that you have never heard of Saqlain Mushtaq. Not if you are older than 16 years. And this is my point. One of my wingies used to say,"Jawaani ke din hain bhai !!" When I meet guys 3-4 years younger than me, I wonder if jawaani ke din abhi bhi hain ya nahin. I believe that they are and I certainly hope they last for few more years, at least. Anyway, time flies and takes something with it. Here I am listing (in no particular order) what I miss now-a-days, which used to be an integral part of my growing years:

Literally praying for India to win a cricket match.
Govinda
Saqlain Mushtaq
Ajay Jadeja
Daler Mehandi
Ranchi
Captain Vyom
My 'gang' in Class 8-10
Being rank 1 in the class
Wasim Akram
Madhuri Dixit
Juhi Chawla

Well, no one can beat time.

jai ho

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani - What say now ?

2008-06-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

1999
Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza formed 'Dreamz Unlimited' and their first venture was 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'. The film could not live upto its hype and was largely trashed by audience and critics alike. People could not fathom the idea of media sprewn all over, media war et al. I read somewhere that the film was way ahead of its time.

2004 onwards
It turns out that the film was only 5 years ahead of its time. This was the time when news channels went 24-hour and gradually converted into 'entertainment news channel'. 99% of today's news is crap. And if you think of it, almost everything that PBDHH had shown is true and happening now.
The 'making' of a news, the 'Live Reports', 'Breaking news', anchors switching channels, shameless in-your-face news, the power of sponsorship ... what not. The only exception is India is yet to see the live telecast of an execution but it doesn't look improbable.

I agree that with the advent of enormous media power, investigative journalism etc. , there has been a great increase in the general level of awareness among common people. Now a victim sees the possibility of fighting injustice with the help of media. But the big question is : Does media understand the importance of its power and the responsibility that comes with it ?

Why would a news channel air a daily show called 'Kaal Kapaal Mahakaal' or 'Sannaata' !!!
Why would a news channel air a Breaking News titled 'Maine dekha bhoot ko' for more than 48 hours !!!
Why would a news channel follow a filmstar on his umpteenth visit to a temple !!!

Media has enormous power. And the effect of any power magnifies manifold if one knows when to stop, which the Indian media obviously doesn't. I wish that someday they had a reality check and transform into a powerful and responsible platform.

jai ho

The Power of 8

2008-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

It's tag time again !!! (And yeah... I still remember how to login to blogger. It's just that .... you know.... well... you all know so no point re-iterating)

Mini tagged me sometime back, and here it goes :-

8 things I am passionate about :

India
The place where I grew up (not my hometown Dhanbad, but the small little locality called 'Bhelatand')
I.I.T. Kharagpur
My Computer
Theatre
Movie-making
Fusion music
Phoenix Productions

8 things I want to do before I die :

Direct a movie
Act in a movie/US TV series
Name a scientific term after me.
Win an award.
Take my family on a World tour.
Learn to play Drums
Own the most luxurious Mercedes
Be on a mountain top, arms widespread, and welcome the sun.

8 things I say often :

Arre yaar
kya baat kar raha hai
kuchh oonch-neech ho gayi to
good for you
sahi hai
ummeed par to duniya kaayam hai
sab moh-maya hai
makhaa diya

8 books I last read :

Deception point
Angels and Demons
One Night @ The Call Center
The Da Vinci Code
Night over Water
Five Point Someone
Digital Fortress
The Interpreter of Maladies

8 songs I could listen to over and over again :

Coming Back to Life - Pink Floyd
Naa Jaane Kyun - Strings
Rock the Raaga - Mrigya
Bhor - Indian Ocean
Knocking on Heaven's Door - Guns n Roses
Deewana Hua Baadal - Mohd. Rafi & Asha Bhosle (Kashmir ki Kali)
Sweet Child of Mine (the first 3:33 minutes) -Guns n Roses
Jaage hain - A.R.Rahmaan (Guru)

8 people I think should do this tag :

jai ho

मनोरंजन पार्क

2008-05-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

(Best viewed in Firefox 3.0 and above or Internet Explorer 5.0 and above)

यूँ देखा जाए तो आज की शाम कुछ अलग नहीं थी। हवा ज़रूर कुछ तेज़ बह रही थी लेकिन ये तो उसकी फितरत है। कितना भी समझाओ उसे पर मानती ही नहीं। मेरी पत्तियों को तो अब आदत सी हो गई है। प्रकृति के आगे किसी की कभी चली है भला !!
खैर, छोड़िये हवा को, वो नहीं मानेगी। वापस आते हैं आज की इस शाम पर । आधी से ज़्यादा बीत चुकी है, सो वक्त ज़रा कम है। चिंटू और उसके दोस्त अपने क्रिकेट के नए नियम बना रहे हैं, और पिछले महीने ४ बार खिड़की के कांच बदलवा चुके नारंग साहब 'कॉलोनी मीटिंग' के लिए शरमा जी और वरमा जी को अपने पाले में करने की कोशिश में लगे हुए हैं। १५ मिनट सहने के बाद विमला जी की कमर तहेदिल, या यूँ कहें की तहेकमर से विश्राम की कामना कर रही है। मालिनी मैडम बच्चों को स्कूल से लेकर लौट रही हैं। दिनभर की नौकरी और २ छोटे बच्चों के बाद उन्हें पार्क की सैर करने की फ़ुर्सत नहीं है। वो बस रोज़ इसी वक्त इधर से गुज़रती हैं और बस हमें देख कर ही संतोष कर लेती हैं। वैसे ये सही ही है। हम कौन सा भागे जा रहे हैं। जब ज़िंदगी इज़ाजत देगी, मालिनी मैडम भी आया करेंगी।
पिंकी अपनी सहेलियों के साथ बाजू के गुलमोहर के नीचे गुड़िया-गुड़िया खेल रही है। पिंटू के गायब होने से पहले उसकी मम्मी भी साथ आती थीं। ४ महीने पहले पिंटू क्रिकेट खेलने के लिए घर से निकला था, उसके बाद से कोई ख़बर नहीं है उसकी। उसकी मम्मी आज भी रह रह कर फ़ोन की तरफ़ देखती रहती हैं। हम भले बहुत सख्त और मज़बूत दिखते हों, लेकिन पिछले महीने जब राखी के दिन पिंकी ने पूछा की क्या वो हमको राखी बाँध सकती है, अन्दर तक हिल गए थे हम। आज पिंकी को फिर से हँसते-खेलते देख कर बहुत अच्छा लग रहा है।
२ साल तक टालने के बाद १० दिन पहले गुप्ता जी ने अपना वज़न कराया और अब वो 'बाबा रामदेव क्लब' के सदस्य हैं। प्रतिदिन नियम से 'कपाल-भाँती' और 'अनुलोम-विलोम' करते हैं। पहले दिन ही उन्होंने घोषणा कर दी थी की जिस दिन १५ किलो वज़न घटा लेंगे, पूरी कॉलोनी में लड्डू बाँटेंगे।
आज १ महीने बाद शुकला जी दिखे हैं। पहले पति-पत्नी दोनों आया करते थे, बिल्कुल नियमित। रिटायरमेंट के बाद बहुत सुकून की ज़िंदगी जी रहे थे दोनों। काफ़ी मेहनत की थी उन्होंने ज़िंदगी भर। शुकला जी के चेहरे से संतुष्टि झलकती थी। किसी बात का ग़म नहीं था उन्हें। जिन्दादिली की मिसाल थे वो। बच्चों से साथ क्रिकेट और कभी कभी फुटबॉल भी खेलते थे !! हमारे बाजू वाली बेंच पर बैठ कर अक्सर मिसेज शुकला को छेड़ा करते थे। मिसेज शुकला तो शर्म से लाल हो जाया करती थीं। बहुत प्यारी जोड़ी थी इनकी। हंसमुख, खुशमिजाज़, ज़िंदगी से प्यार करने वाली जोड़ी।
पिछले महीने मिसेज शुकला का देहांत हो गया। बहुत दुनिया देखी है हमने, लेकिन इतना दुःख शायद ही कभी हुआ होगा। संसार की मोह-माया से मुक्ति मिल गई उन्हें, यही सोच कर ख़ुद को तसल्ली देते हैं लेकिन शुकला जी की तरफ़ देखने की भी हिम्मत नहीं होती है। टूट गए थे बिल्कुल, लेकिन ज़ाहिर नहीं होने दिया उन्होंने। हाँ, पार्क आना ज़रूर छोड़ दिया था उन्होंने। ये पेड़, हरा-भरा मैदान, बच्चे, ये पूरा माहौल उन्हें अतीत की ओर ले जाता था।
आज बहुत दिनों के बाद शुकला जी को मुस्कुराते हुए देख रहे हैं। इस मुस्कान में ग़म है पर शिकायत नहीं है। और किस बात की शिकायत हो। जब तक साथ थे दोनों, बहुत प्यारी ज़िंदगी जी थी उन्होंने। एक दिन तो सभी को जाना है। तो क्यों न कोशिश की जाए एक अच्छी, खुशियों भरी जिंदगी जीने की। शुकला जी कहा करते थे," ये ज़िंदगी जीने के लिए है, मौत के बारे में सोचने के लिए नहीं।" और आज भी वही कर रहे हैं वो।

किसी ने कहा है, और शत-प्रतिशत सही कहा है, "उम्मीद पर तो दुनिया कायम है"। सो, उम्मीद बरकरार है। मालिनी मैडम से मुलाक़ात की उम्मीद, चिंटू के अर्ध-शतक की उम्मीद, गुप्ता जी के लड्डू की उम्मीद, पिंटू के घर लौटने की उम्मीद, और शुकला जी के होठों पर पहले जैसी मुस्कान की उम्मीद ।

A Birthday and a Century

2008-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

April 13th, 2006 : Birth of 'Daroga Speaks'.

April 13th, 2008 : 100th post published.

I never thought I would come this far (if I may even use this term considering that there are bloggers who have posted 200 posts in an year) when I started, inspired by some exceptional bloggers and a desire to be heard, to be appreciated. All you readers are the best judge of how I have done till now, so I leave that to you.
I thank all those who spared even a second to actually consider giving my posts a try. And I can't even begin to thank those who stuck around with me, bearing with me all this while. I have met some great intellectual minds here and my interaction with them are devoid of any malice that arises from physical constraints, hence making them absolutely pure.

Thank you all for being with me.

jai ho.

Repeat Blog-cast

2008-04-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all !!!
Disclaimer : The relatively older (and not in terms of age :P) readers of my tiny little blog may ignore this post from this point.

During my stay in Kgp, I was very lucky to become friends with some of the best human beings ever. And as a result of our extremely high level of camaraderie and the desire to do something very unique, we founded "Phoenix Productions" in August 2006. So far we have made 3 short films and 1 trailer to our ambitious, but yet to be made project. Before "Phoenix Productions", we were Team Phoenix, which had done street plays in Kgp and IIM-C. We had also run (though for a short time) Radio Phoenix inside Kgp and I had actually RJ'ed for close to 2 hours. I just wanted to share all this with you. Here are the films, which I am extremely proud of. Comments, Compliments and Criticism are awaited and will be highly appreciated.

1. [Phoenix Productions]Tedhi Baat(Twisted Talk) with subtitles
A humorous take on the issue of ' "harassment" of Freshmen by Juniors and Seniors', which was the most talked about issue in Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) in July,2006.
Original Release Date: 08/10/2006 on the Local Area Network of IIT-KGP

2. [Phoenix Productions] Tedhi Baat Dwiteeya (Twisted Talk-II) with subtitles
Sequel to 'Tedhi Baat (Twisted Talk)'. This time the target was the administration and central forces behind all the turmoil in Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) during July-August 2006.
Original Release Date: 08/26/2006 on the Local Area Network of IIT-KGP.

3. Black n White Trailer (not the movie)
A trailer for a future short film called "Black n White" by Pheonix Productions.

4. [Phoenix Productions] dis-Placement
A short film shot in IIT Kharagpur. It's a humorous take on the Placement scenario in IIT KGP.
Original Release Date: 04/28/2007 on the Local Area Network of IIT-KGP.

Hope you all like them.

P.S. --> All the older readers. Now that you have reached this point, it didn't hurt to relive these memories with me, did it ? :)

jai ho

Tagged ... yet again!!!

2008-04-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Ya Ya... I am very much alive and kicking too. It's just that a good enough combination of writer's block (if I may call myself one) , PhD screening exam (failing which means that I won't be allowed to pursue a PhD degree) and my laziness kept me away for this long. Luckily, I got tagged few days back by Mini and my screening(written) got over today. So, here I go:

A - Available?

Since Eternity (and as the looks of it... till eternity)

B - Best Friend

With whom my wavelength matches the best ( there can't be a perfect match).

C - Cake or Pie

Cake…Definitely

D - Drink of Choice

Non-Alcoholic : Lassi. It is AWESOME.

Alcoholic : Margarita (which I have had only once, and that too a crude one)

E – Essential thing(s) used every day

My laptop and cell phone.

F – Favourite Colour

Black. Black is beautiful. period. I am near-obsessed with Black of late, though my wardrobe has lots of blue (past favorite).

G – Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms

Gummy Bears... 'coz worms in any form are eewwww. ( I have not yet tasted either of them)

H – Hometown

Dhanbad (Jharkhand). I love my locality more than the town/city.

I – Indulgence

Cake, cookies, Gajar ka Halwa, French fries and omlette :) ( I think I have mis-interpreted the word 'indulgence' here)

J – January or February

February. 25th February...the day when I got the confirmation of my Fellowship here.

K – Kids and Names

Are you kidding me !!!!

L – Life

Life is to flow along with. And I don't mean not to try to be afloat.

M – Marriage

Future tense.

N – Number of siblings

1 younger sister.

O –Oranges or Apples

Apples. Nothing against oranges though. I like both.

P – Phobia

Dogs, reptiles, height, water, must be more which I don't know yet.

Q – Quote

Life is a Drama

R - Reason to Smile

Being able to give my family whatever they wish for, Being able to pleasantly surprise a friend

S – Season

Spring. Hardly a surprise here. I find Autumn very romantic, though.

T – Tag people

Arpz, Still Searching , Zee

U – Unknown fact about me

I go blank after 1 min on the phone. After that I start to fumble for words, slurr, and sound all weird.

V – Vegetable you do not like

Kacchu ( I don't know the english name)

W – Worst Habit

Not studying enough for the exams. ( I used to be fully prepared during school days)

X-rays you have had.

For hairline fracture in left thumb, a long time ago.

Y – Your favourite food

Daal-Chawal and Aalu-Gobhi ki Bhaaji.

Tandoori Chicken

Aalu-Paalak and Plain Roti.

Z – Zodiac

Virgo. I don't really go into the details of zodaic signs.

Done-Dana-Done.

Jai Ho.

To Touch or not to Touch

2008-03-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

As she was walking through the street, a guy passed by and touched her (fill in the blank depending on how bad you want it to sound). She retorted back screaming,"How dare you touch me?????". And just as she was about to start the tumhare-ghar-mein-maa-behen-nahin-hain-kya thing, he stopped her in her tracks.
"I would pause you right there dear lady. Before you go on to ask me about the female members of my family, let me tell you one thing. I did NOT touch you. All I did was to bring the tip of my hand sufficiently close to your ( ). After that what happened was that the mutual interaction between the two skin surfaces increased to such a level,owing to that small a distance, that it triggered a neurotic response in your brain, and the way your conscience has been modeled, you perceived it to be a bad thing. So, if this is anyone's fault, it should be the nature and the way it works. I don't think reducing the distance between two skin surfaces is any sort of harassment. So, I reiterate that I did NOT 'touch' you, because if I had, there would have been a nuclear fusion releasing such an amount of energy that you and I would not be standing here having this discussion."

I say that if the guy asks the girl out, she definitely should 'coz
1. With this level of scientific knowledge, he will surely make a more than decent living.
2. Actually coming up with this when he was about to be 'sandal'ed proves that he has a terrific sense of humor.

P.S.--- What the guy said is absolutely correct scientifically.
P.P.S-- This is NOT a real incident.

jai ho.

'Book'ed

2008-02-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

Got tagged by Arpz who asked me to write about my tastes in books. Not that difficult a task unless you happen to be the one who is hardly into reading. So if most of the answers are blank, don't cringe 'coz that's pretty much all I have. Here it goes :

A book that made you laugh:
First ball bouncer !!!
(After forcing my grey cells to go wild hunting for 5 minutes) I duck. None of the books I have read falls into this category.

A book that made you cry:
Literally.... none.
Otherwise.... 'The God of Small Things'. Same reason as Arpz, it was way too boring and dragging. I actually got headache after some 25 pages and the maximum I could torture myself was upto 50 pages or so. Then I gave up.

A book that scared you:
Literally.... again... none.
Otherwise.... All the textbooks post school.

A book that disgusted you:
'The Blue Bedspread' by Rajkamal Jha. I have not read it but the content made me sick. It talks about lesbianism and incest. My objection is to the incest part of it, which is the basic underlying theme of this book.

A book you loved in elementary school:
'Chacha Chowdhary' series. Awesome stuff. I bet every kid still loves it. On a second thought, this is also the 'book that made me laugh'.

A book you loved in middle school or junior high school:
On the risk of sounding a Geek, 'Mathematics' text books.

A book you loved in high school:
Continuing in the geeky mode.... 'Mathematics' by R.S. Agarwal.

A book you loved in college:
'Five Point Someone'. Those who have read it will know why and others.... go, get it.

A book that challenged your identity:
None yet. And I don't think any book has the power to do that.

A series that you love:
The novels by Dan Brown. I have read all 4 of them and loved each one.

Your favorite science fiction book:
If I am allowed to double-count, then 'Digital Fortress' by Dan Brown.
Otherwise, none. Though, back in my growing years, there used to be science magazine called 'Vigyan Pragati' which had a Sci-fi story in every issue. I loved them.

Your favorite fantasy:
None, which is probably the perfect answer for a non-reader who doesn't like fantasy.

Your favorite mystery:
Double-counting again.... 'Angels and Demons' by Dan Brown. Truly riveting.

Your favorite biography:
None. 'Coz I have read none and I have no reason why.

Your favorite "coming of age" book:
Absolutely no idea. Though, venturing again in the geeky territory... 'Multi-Objective Optimization using Evolutionary Algorithms' by Kalyanmoy Deb. It IS the "coming of age" book in the world of Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Computations.

Your favorite classic:
'Tughlaq' by Girish Karnad. I read it as a textbook but it is a classic in every sense of the word. A true masterpiece.

Your favorite romance book:
Yet again... none. Though I like romantic stuff but somehow I am yet to convince myself to read a romantic novel.

Alright.... job done.
And I hereby tag Godiva , Zee , Still Searching , Di , Lavender and Mini .

P.S. - I am not a geek.
Jai ho.

Heroes

2008-02-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Few days ago I came across a segment on IBN-LIVE called 'Citizen Journalist'. Actually I stumbled on this piece of news:

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/impact-cj-hajabba-gets-the-fruit-of-his-labour/58031-20.html

Here is an illiterate fruit-seller who earns hardly Rs 100 a day and he saved for 12 years to open a school for the poor children of his village.

I followed the segment and came to know of a 75 year old man who owns a small cycle-repair shop in Faizabad in U.P. He makes sure that as many anonymous/unclaimed dead bodies in the region as possible are respectfully buried. Every individual deserves proper last rites and he has made this the mission of his life.

How else would you define 'Humanity'? How else would you define 'Selflessness'?

There are a lot of people silently doing their part and trying to bring about a change, a change for good.
http://cj.ibnlive.com/story/

All it takes is to believe and to actually do something about it.

I salute the Heroes of India.

The First day

2008-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

First day.... every first day is memorable, though we may not always remember them. First day in school, First day in a new city, First day in college, First day at job.... all of them unique in their own unique way. Specially talking about the first day at job, there are so many emotions running inside that it is extremely hard to be normal. I have not experienced it till now and neither did Shekhar before ... well... his first day at his job.

Shekhar was not a bright student and didn't really believe in hard work at school. He was an eccentric kid, to put it politely. But then, 'eccentricity' is a relative phenomenon. A normal person can be 'eccentric' to an eccentric person. So, for now, we'll assume the mass behavior to be 'normal' and hence Shekhar was an eccentric kid. His teachers and parents(read: mother; his father was mostly away for his job and on top of it, he really didn't care) had a terrible time to get him to pass every single of his exams. And it was not that he couldn't read, write or understand stuff. He simply refused to give attention to academics. He hated to study, and on some heavy over-dose of over-confidence, he did whatever he wanted to. By now, if you think he was a brat then ... well... you are quite right.

But everyone, brats included, learn something in school. The only lesson Shekhar learnt and retained was the story of Arjun aiming for the bird's eye and how he was able to see ONLY the bird's eye and nothing else. This little piece of mythology went deep inside Shekhar. After the teacher finished telling the story in the class, he ordered Shekhar out of the class for non-attentiveness. Little did he knew that the reason for Shekhar's non-attentiveness was that he was trying to concentrate on the tiny chunk of chalk-dust which slid along a vertical line on the blackboard. And to this day, only Shekhar knew that he was able to actually see 'only' that tiny chunk of chalk-dust and nothing else. It was at that moment, that Shekhar knew he could do something others couldn't. And probably this led to him being over-aggressive and extremely confident about himself.

Coming back to his first day at the job. He had got this job, courtesy his friend. Well, this was more of a practical interview. He was given a task and accessories required and he had to show his prospective employers that he could do it better than anybody else. Though, over the years Shekhar had become emotionally immune, this day was different. Like any other newbie, he was anxious, nervous and a little excited, all at the same time. With the current situation of cut-throat competition, he knew he had just this one opportunity to seal the deal. He bought a whole new attire for this day which included a Black leather jacket, a pair of Black shades, Black trousers, Black shoes, Black gloves, Black socks, Black belt.... he was literally living his obsession for the color black. Though extremely nervous, he was very stable and calm and trying to be a thorough professional. He went to the building, took the elevator to the top, assembled his portable workstation, positioned himself and waited for his moment.
He was supposed to be focussed but we rarely have control over our thoughts. A lot of thoughts were running across his mind while he was waiting. Most of them from his childhood. The images of him spending a lot of time at the pool trying to hit the electric wire from an electric pole with a stone, him concentrating hard on a tiny pebble hoping it would move, him staring at the teacher when he scolded him (Shekhar believed his best feature were his eyes), him hitting fellow kids with a stone, while hiding in a bush after they had beaten him up in an earlier fight. Lots of memories were relived in those few minutes.
Every job has a deadline. If you miss it, you missed your chance and you are screwed. Shekhar didn't want to miss his only chance at a career. So he took a deep breath, calmed himself, focussed and concentrated hard. He touched his lucky charm, a gold locket in a black thread around his neck (it was with him since he was 15) moments before taking his shot and when the moment came....... he was bang on.

This was the first of the 169 sniper shots Shekhar fired on his way to become the most dreaded Sharp-Shooter in the country. 15th January, 2008 was the day he was supposed to take his 170th victim. 15th January, 2008 was also the first day at job for Raghu. And as they say "Beginner's luck", Raghu didn't miss his chance either.

.

The art of losing

2008-01-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

Life is a BIG battle and in the due course we have to fight little battles almost everyday, some may be very significant and some not. Everyone wins some of them, but invariably loses a lot of them. And though every individual has a certain way of fighting and winning, (s)he can be understood inside out by the way (s)he loses.
I believe losing is a more of a virtue than an art. It is really difficult to distinguish on the basis of winning but every one has a unique way of losing. And that is a characteristic trait. Yesterday I watched season 6 of 'The Apprentice" again (for the sole reason that it is based in LA and I get to see some of the places that I have been to or passed by). Those who have watched the show will know that the board-room can get really really ugly. Those who haven't watched it yet, go and watch it. There's a LOT to learn from it. And of the 10 people who got fired in the board-room, most got buried in there by someone who fought as if for their lives.
Lesson: Fight On !!!!
But this is the story before the loss. Once lost, very few lost gracefully. And I have tremendous respect for those who did so. Once the battle is on, fight with all you have. But once you have lost, accept it and bow out gracefully. It is a game, and someone has to lose for other to win. It is the spirit with which you fight, matters. Results are secondary.
Whatever little battles in life that I have fought, I always did it in the right spirit. And I fought the way I am , not the way it HAD to be fought to win. And that is the reason I do not regret whenever I lost. Of course, I wish I had done a little more and won. But nevermind.

I have known people who think that only they deserve to win, and if they didn't , they would go around blaming everything under the sun for a conspiracy. It was just sickening. And the truth is, the world is full of such people. There is a difference between being aggressive and abusive, which sadly many people do not understand.

*When we lost 'Inter-Hall Choreography' at IIT Kgp, I was very sad. But there was this satisfaction that I tried my best, which just was not good enough.
*When we won the Bronze and the Best direction in 'Inter-Hall Hindi Dramatics', I was satisfied because finally our efforts paid off, though not in Gold.
*When we lost all the other times, I never tried to please the judges, or go about the formula. We did what we believed in. We did what we wanted to do.
*I could never jump upon a question in a viva-voce if it is asked to another person, inspite of knowing that though I can answer that particular question, I can't answer the question that followed from it. But I have been on the receiving end of it. Result: The professor thinks that the other one knows more than me.
*Before the results of IIT-JEE came, I knew whatever they would be, I would be satisfied because I had given it my best shot.

Fight hard, Fight honest and lose gracefully.

Jai ho

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

Ya ya.... The internet at my place is working fine and I do use it more often than the www wishes me to and NO, I haven't forgotten my password for Blogger.
It's just that I am caught up between my grad and personal life. There were finals (the results were as usual average) and there were other stuff. Actually, there are a lot of stuff I can write about but as you may agree with me, too much stuff leads to blockade. I want to write a poem may be, or few stories, or whatever but I can't concentrate on any of them, so they all will have to wait. As of now I am feeling desperately lonely. I don't know why. It is holiday time after all. May be that's why. Thankfully, the internet is full of useful and useless stuff for time-pass. I had been watching CSI:NY (Crime Scene Investigation : New York) and I love it. This led me to wonder, what if our own C.I.D. had its spin-offs. The first one could have been CID:Bangalore, and the second one could be CID:Delhi or CID:NCR (National Capital Region). And on top of it, I have the feeling that if and when these three will be on air, CID:Bangalore would be the most popular.
The other series that I am watching (was watching, thanks to the damn strike by the Writers' Guild of America ) are Prison Break, Heroes, How I met your mother, Desperate Housewives (all the raised eyebrows are politely requested to watch the very first episode and then try to raise themselves again), CSI and CSI:Miami (both unwillingly), The big Bang Theory (HILLARIOUS), Shark , Numb3rs (partly because both are based in LA and I like the aerial shots of the same Downtown which I see from near my home), Samantha who (time-pass), and waiting for season 7 of 24.
I really hope that the production houses and the WGA reach an agreement soon. I am getting bored.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Have fun.

jai ho

What's wrong with Rakhi Sawant ?

2007-12-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

No.... seriously.... What's wrong with her ?
Is it the fact that she calls a spade 'a spade with the date of manufacturing and expected date of failure' ?
Or the fact that she doesn't know how to be politically and diplomatically correct, in other words, doesn't know how to mince words.
Or may be the fact that she wears her heart on her sleeve.
And please don't tell me that her wearing skimpy clothes and dancing to item numbers is a problem for you.

Rakhi has a nick for being in the news for all the wrong reasons, none of them being her fault. I have been watching her on Nach Baliye 3 and she has gained more and more of my respect with every passing episode. She is sincere, hard-working, friendly and most importantly .. honest. And from whatever experience I have , courtesy my little age, I can say that she is not cooking it up. You have to watch her to believe her.
I can't understand the media. And I can't understand the level upto which the common mass believes in it. I am not saying that whatever they say is false, NO. Media has been very helpful, but less often than not. There is negligible amount of Constructive journalism. It took a lot of time to upgrade from Boring journalism to Active Journalism, but it took very less time to degrade from Active journalism to Commercial journalism. These days, NEWS is a commodity. There are merchants, agents, brokers, target niche, demand-supply, hoarding, price-tag.... the list goes on. The current motto: "NEWS is what can sell itself. Everything else.... crap."
I was very disappointed with the way the media handled the "Kiss controversy".
Question 1) What was controversial in that? Mika Singh forcibly kissed Rakhi Sawant, whom he invited on his birthday (and now you know the reason), in front of the camera. Loud and clear. Nothing controversial about it. She is an artist, a performer... and not a pro. Yet, all our media did , was to make money out of it. The newsreaders couldn't hide that little smile when they covered this 'piece'. When Rakhi Sawant talked about Women's rights, almost everyone was like 'yeah, right.' Shame.
The media needs to step-up and act impartially. Stop making and selling NEWS. Understand your power and importance and ACT.
Listen to what Rakhi Sawant had to say about that entire episode and tell me if she had said anything wrong.

jai ho

The pic says it all !!

2007-11-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

My new shoe :)

Welcome back Madhuri !!

2007-11-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

The Dancing Diva of Bollywood is BACK !!!
And she is looking much more graceful than ever !!!

When we (as in the people of my age ) grew up, we grew up watching Madhuri Dixit, Karishma Kapoor and Kajol. Of course, there were the likes of Mamta Kulkarni but the lesser said about them, the better. Karishma Kapoor was at her best with Govinda (whose comedy I miss so much) and David Dhawan. The over-the-top, loud (at times), whacky, non-sense but 100% comedy. They had the power to generate hysterical laughter, the only condition being that you had to switch your mind off.
No doubt, Kajol is the best among them (and definitely one of the best ever). Be it comedy, or romance , or sometimes tragedy... she delivered point blanc.
And then there was Madhuri Dixit. Her presence was more than enough. And on the top of it... she danced. I bet all the girls of my age practised "madhuri steps" in front of mirror. I doubt if any other heroine had THAT control over the masses.

"How is the movie?"
"Doesn't matter. Madhuri is there."
I can't say about before Madhuri, but after her, I couldn't find any movie which was worth watching just because it had XYZ as the heroine. Take note that I am not using 'actress' because there have been actresses who could pull people on the basis of performance. But making people sit through 2-3 hours by mere her presence..... question mark ---- Madhuri--- Blank.
Blank till Om shanti Om happened. Yes, I can sit through any movie , if it has Deepika Padukone as the heroine. Period.
She is WOW !!!
And now that OSO has come up, the only other WOW-thing in OSO is the performance by 'Omiswaami Shantinathan'. I would conclude by the dialogues of this hilarious scence :

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . You shotgun. Me quickgun Murugan. Na Ramba, Na nillay rakkhi atti patti katti. Munnyedaar munnyedaar munnyedaar. Yenna Rascalaaa.... thoo die..... Mind it.
(glasses drops).Never mind it. (fight sequence). Yenna rascalaaa... Mind it.
Pappu ... Thyger. ( Mind ith. Thyger cat)
You bad cat. You bad cat. Rascalaa cat. Naughty pussy, naughty pussy, naughty pussy. Who is your daddy now. You want to say sorry.... No sorry. Pussy cat, pussy cat.. where have you been. Have you been to London .... to see the queen.
Find it.
Yenna fly... yenna die............ yenna rascalaaa... Mind it."

PhD ke Side Effects

2007-11-13T22:39:00.000-08:00

We, a small group of Phd students, were watching this video ......

....... and when the video crossed -1:25 ....

Guy 1 : Hey look.... it is Schroedinger's Equation.
Conclusion : NERD

Guy 2 : Ya.... it is for Hydrogen atom.
Conclusion : No comments

(To have a better look at the equation, pause at -1:13)

A question

2007-11-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, there was a shoulder. The exact location is immaterial so you can place it at any point in the space-time continuum as you feel like.
It was a happy shoulder. Though not toned, it was a strong, stable shoulder. Always looking at the brighter side of the world. It had its friends- the other shoulders, brains, bodies etc, though not many. But it didn't complain, for whatever he had was precious.
It was happily walking its path when, at some some point in the space-time continuum, its path merged with that of a beautiful pair of eyes. Destined to walk together with the shoulder, the eyes had no choice but to talk to it. And as it happens with anyone talking to it, they became friends. At least the eyes thought so. Little did they know that the shoulder was falling for them, deeper by each moment. Or may be they knew and chose to ignore. Nevertheless, both continued to walk together, laughing, teasing each other and deliberately avoiding that uncomfortable silence all the way along until they reached a point when their paths diverged for a while.
Both were alone during that course. And while the shoulder kept thinking about the eyes , the eyes met a face on their way. A face which supported them when they were alone. A face which was the smartest face in the world according to the eyes. A face which they fell in love with.
For the first time, the shoulder lost its self-control and it hates itself for that ever since. But the way it is, it recovered soon and decided to be by the side of the eyes for whatever time they had left before their paths diverged again. And it stood by the eyes like a rock. It was there everytime the eyes had to cry, which, more often than not, was because of the face. It was always there to cheer them up. It was always there to comfort them, even though it really didn't believe in its words. Never ever did the shoulder say a word against the face because it knew that inspite of all the pain, the eyes loved it while knowing perfectly well that they would be much more happier with the shoulder.
To the world, the shoulder appeared to be the same strong, stable, determined shoulder of old, but deep inside, it was fragile, delicately poised and on the verge of breaking down. But it could not let the eyes see this as it was their only support. So, it stood firm till their paths diverged, this time for ever. And as the shoulder continues to walk alone, it can't help but to wonder:
Who was wrong? The eyes, for not understanding it; or itself, for not being able to get over the eyes. Perhaps both, perhaps none.

Hello

2007-10-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's just another day in the mundane life of Gajodhar Pandey. And just so you know, neither the first name nor the last name, or for that matter, the middle name (which happens to be Ramnarayan) intended to bear any significance to this story whatsoever, but then, things seldom go exactly as intended. Of course, the man who was forced upon these names is significant, in the way that he happens to be our protagonist, one of our protagonists, to be precise.
Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey doesn't like his name. Whenever someone calls his name, he feels like he/she is desperately calling GOD for some serious help. He always envied the characters in the fantasy world of Ekta Kapoor, for they had, if nothing else, fancy, modern, futuristic, artistic names. But nevermind, the damage had been inflicted upon him by his Grandma 31 years ago. Once, by mistake( he claims), he talked about legally changing his name and the next thing he knew was that his Grandma had to undergo double bypass surgery. The topic was buried, then and there, in some hospital trash can.
Anyhow, this story is about a day in the life of Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey, and not his name. Though Gajodhar loved his work and took good care of the clients, his heart was severely hurt when a female client exclaimed, " Wow, you look young !!" the first time they met. "Thanks Miss Sharma. Just one question though. Why did you expect me to be old?"
"Well...... err...... umm.............. it's just that.... i don't know....."
No wonder the deal didn't materialize.
He dies a little death everytime he has to introduce himself to a female client. 'Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey' !!!! He knew even he wouldn't have married himself.
He wrapped his work for today and took his seat in the office-cab, frustrated, tired, sick of himself as usual, when his phone rang.
Private number...... he he he
"What the **** is this?"
He looked around. No one. He looked at his phone again.
Pick up.. you suspicious moron.
The phone almost slipped off his hand.
"Hello??"
"Hello Gajodhar, this is GOD"
This time the phone slipped but held on tothe neckstrap.
"Who???"
"You heard me fine. I am GOD."
"Listen buddy, this is not the right time. I am not in a mood of silly jokes. So either come to the point or hang up."
"Ok, hang up if you don't want to talk. But do one thing. Turn the phone handsfree and put on the earphones."
He did so and hung up. There was silence but for 2 seconds only.
"Does it work??"
"Holy crap!!! Who the hell are you ? Leave me alone."
"I can force you to listen to me but that'll make you look a lot more paranoid. So be a good boy and talk. It won't harm you and definitely won't cost you."
[silence]
"So, you are GOD!!! Why should I believe that?"
"Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Son of Ramnarayan Batukeshwar Pandey. Born in Munger, Bihar, India on 20th September, 1966 at 7:14 am."
"Office database."
"Once suspended from school while pouring chalk dust on your teacher's back."
"School records."
"Have one major and three minor crushes on female colleagues."
"Common sense. Why are you wasting your time??"
"10th February, 1999. Sumedha Maitra tells you about her boyfriend and the next thing you thought was to run a truck over both of them."
"Well.... I...err.... I didn't mean to. Are you here to punish me for that .... (after a slight hesitation) GOD??"
"I didn't want to bring this up but you left me with no other choice."
"So why exactly are you here? Don't you have a world to protect?"
"Well.. I am planning to put up a Catastrophe later this century, and while my team is working on the blueprint, I took some time off.... you know... to relax..... have some fun."
"And I am your idea of having 'fun !!!"
"Well... not exactly. Anyways... I know it sounds cliched but.... Ask me, What do you want?"
"Really !!! Ok. For starters, Please change my name."
"And by calling yourself Tom Cruise, you expect girls to go berserk by just looking at you !! Why can't you be okay with your name? What's in a name anyway?"
"How would you know. Your name is not a haunting kind."
"That's my identity. Believe me, you don't want to know my name."
"OK. Give me a good wife. Nobody wants to be Mrs. Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey."
"So to you marriage is all about nameplates.. right? You just assume things won't work instead of actually trying to make them work. If you are so sure that changing your name will change everything, why didn't you change it yourself?"
"Ha ha ha. Very funny. As if you don't know."
"Ok, I accept. But isn't it fair to keep my share of sense of humor before distributing it to mankind?"
"Yes. Laugh. Laugh at me all you want. You don't know how it feels being laughed at. You don't know how it feels when your colleagues don't take you seriously. You don't know how it feels when the colony kids throw a ball in my house just to call my name. You haven't seen the supressed smiles of the ladies when I introduce myself to them. You have made me for fun, didn't you. I am a clown for you and this damn world of yours. I am the comic relief. I am the Joker. Laugh at me all you want."
"Done? Typical Gajodhar Ramnarayan Pandey. Why are you such a bitter man? This world is a nice place to live, provided you want to. Look at the positives dear. You are cribbing about something absolutely silly and worthless as compared to some of the serious troubles the world is going through."
"Look who speaks. Weren't we taught that all this has been created by you? And you have made me a part of this crap of yours."
"So, you think you are a part of those homeless children in Africa. You think you are a part of the slum-dwellers in Mumbai who sleep, not knowing whether they'll ever wake up again. You think you are a part of innocent victims of terrorism. You think you are a part of the lives of those unfortunate soldiers who either died or got disabled during the war inflicted upon them by a bunch of egoistic politicians. You think you are a part of the innocent children forced to beg for survival. You think you are a part of the world where girls are sold for money.
I accept that the world didn't turn out to be the way it was supposed to be, but then people like you are not helping either. The next time you crib about your life and your so-called stupid name, just remember one thing.... There are millions of people who would be much more than happy to trade lives with you. The question is: Are you willing to trade lives with any of them?"

"No. I won't"

"Why not? This is your house. You have to get down so that the rest of us can go home." Shekhar, his colleague and office-cab-mate was already getting late.

Words-Worth

2007-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

Of the infinite amount of crap we are forced to hear 24X7, few words/phrases stick with us. Here are some of my favorites:

The Show must go on.
Entirely self-explanatory. The show MUST go on. We just can't stop, for anything. If something goes wrong, we tend to stop and crib and whine. But the best thing to do is to learn and move on. Life doesn't stop, so shouldn't we.

Life is a Drama.
Shakespeare defined LIFE in the shortest and probably the best possible way. We have our entry, we play our part and we exit. LIFE continues. The only difference is that LIFE is a play of infinite length and infinite characters. We don't have a choice of our entry, but we can surely decide how to exit.

Sweetheart.
Though I have never had a chance to really use it, the lucky ones would know how much does this one word convey. I find this word extremely romantic.

Just do it.
The Nike tagline inspired a US President( i think he was Nixon) to get married !! This tells it all. If you want to do something, then forget about this world, don't care, follow your instincts, and JUST DO IT.

Fight on.
The slogan of USC, conveying the true sportsman spirit. You may be down and out. You may be overpowered. You may be on the verge of defeat. Never give up. Always FIGHT ON.

aaj main upar, aasman neeche.
Ecstasy expressed in the best possible way. I am very lucky to have actually felt this feeling on two different days:
20th June,2003--- The day when I got through into IIT.
25th February,2007---- The day when I got Fellowship offer from USC.
These words completely express my state of mind on these two days.

Coming back to life.
Though the lyrics of this masterpiece by Pink Floyd is itself extremely good, I like the title more. We all have our moments when we feel down and out. Everything seems to come to an end. We are just about to give up when LIFE drags us back into its mainstream and forces us to stay in there. Slowly and gradually we get engulfed by the rigors of Life. We all have our instances of Coming back to Life.

Underdog.
I really love this word. Underdog. No one expects you to win. No one bets on you. You are free to do what you want. You are not burdened. You don't have to answer. You go unnoticed. And when you actually win, it is Unbelievable. You take the world by surprise. And You love it.

Gray matter

2007-10-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing's pure black or pure white. Of course, one would say there are colors but then every color can be transformed into gray-scale and then all you get is different shades of gray. Not Black, not White, but Gray.
The point is.... no one is Good or Evil. Each one of us is a shade of Gray. As they say, nothing is 100%. So, if you think straight and conclude that I am a bad guy, you probably have erred somewhere. Also, if somehow you have managed to convince yourself that I am a good guy, you are in for a big surprise. The good me and the evil me are obviously at loggerheads to each other and the good me manages to keep the evil me under wraps, but not always. And when the evil me surfaces, he surprises even himself. I recalled one such instance.

Class X(A)
TATA DAV School, Sijua; Dhanbad
Jharkhand, India
Sometime in mid-1999

It may seem a silly, totally not worth mentioning after 8 years thing to you but then it is important to me. School days can be extremely silly at times. You have your groups of guys and girls, there are crushes, flowers, all kinds of stupid games, flirting, the guy-talk, the girl-talk, the gifts, the cards, the free periods and of course, that delicate age. I also had a small group. The entire class looked at us skewedly. The teachers turned hostile. The brothers and sisters were asked questions. But who cared. We used to do what we liked to and "to hell with them".
There was a girl in my group. Being known to us for about 2 years then, she was relatively new given that the rest of us had studied together since 1988. And she was different. With respect to those times and situations, one can safely say.. she was a rebel. I had not met such a lively and fun-loving girl in my life. And we really hit it off from day 2. There was an easyness associated with her. She and me shared some hilarious, unforgettable incidents and quotes. She was, and will remain very special to me.

Fast forward to the day of the incident.
I don't remember the reason now. But one day there was heated argument and a scuffle between us. I remember she had pulled my sweater but I don't remember anything else. What happened after that, disturbs me to this day. My 'other' friends took it worse than me and then there was a heavy dose of "tit for tat", "be a man", "revenge" and the likes. The evil me was pulled out. I went to her and had a quick, hard go at her ponytail. (I told you it will seem silly.)I thought we were even. But few minutes later, when the teacher entered the class, he asked her if she was all right. And then I saw her, with eyes full of tears. She was hurt, not physically. Believe me or not, those tears make me very uncomfortable to this day.
After that, there are again blank patches in my memory. I remember giving my book to her when she asked for another guy's book, to initiate the damage-control. And the next thing I remember is her last day in school. She left the school after a month or so. I don't remember how things worked out between us. And I certainly don't remember apologizing.
All I remember is that of all people, I had hurt her. And I, hereby, apologize to her.

I AM EXTREMELY SORRY for that day. I never meant to hurt you, in any which way.

Ad-ded

2007-10-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

Had my first mid-sems outside India, and though I managed to convince myself to believe that they went well, after getting the marks of one of the papers, I seriously doubt that now. But nevermind, I have a habit of screwing up exams. So this is another feather in my i-know-how-to-screw-exams hat.
Average scores did matter in India also, but continuous occurrence of this not-so-auspicious event may lead to me getting kicked back from US, which I definitely NOT want. So, I better increase the performance efficiency of my grey cells. My grey cells, By the way, have a tedency to play hide-n-seek with me and they somehow manage to excel in the 'hide' aspect during the exams. Anyways, it is between me and them. You don't need to worry.
What you do need to do is ...... watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhwIFbB5iuo

I just had one word for it: BRILLIANT.
I have tremendous respect for the (good) ad-makers. They manage to convey so much in so less time that one has to simply say... HATS OFF. And though I haven't watched many American, or for that matter many non-Indian, commercials, I have a feeling that when it comes to making ads, no one can beat Indian ads. Not that every Indian ad is good, but when an Indian ad is good, it is the BEST. The western ads can at best be whacky, corny, and the likes but I don't think they match the humor of our ads.
Talking of ads, did you know:

The man behind the exceptionally briliant ads of 'Happydent White chewing gum' is none other than the lyricist of Rang De Basanti, Mr. Prasoon Joshi. Take a look:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HdesIbwOYAA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SgEzCfePrlY

The singer in the Pepsi ad with Sachin Tendulkar and a bunch of kids in a desert, with lines going somewhat as:

Umad ghumad kar jiyara garje,
Dil ye bole, jhoom ke dole, taare choo le.
Arre pyaas badhi hai aaj to bhar le
Khol ke bandhan, tod ke taale ,
Ye dil maange mooooooore.

is the one and only ... apna Mungeri laal, Raghuvir Yadav.

The man who says "Fevicol aisa jod lagaye, acche se accha na tod paaye" in the famous Fevicol ad with an elephant and people doing tug-of-war to break a piece glued by Fevicol (the one with Zor laga ke haisha) is Rajkumar Hirani... yes .. the man who gave us Munnabhai.

The sardarji pilot who is seen at the end of the 1999 World Cup Cricket Pepsi ad with Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne and Brian Lara is Prahlad Kakkar, the creator of the ad and the greatest adman in India.

Jai Ho all the great Ad-makers.
c ya

The elementary code break

2007-09-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

..... continued from here

Twenty20
Two2
You are to see an ass
To2

Shekhar saw something different in the words. Each word had sound of a character.

You are to see an ass
Ur2cns

It was a password !!! Shekhar knew that since You began with a capital letter, it was U and not u.
So he had a password now, but of what? Instinct said it was of an e-mail account. No body was going to spend even a penny on such a game. So it HAD to be a free account. And the account server HAD to be a popular one since there was no clue about the account. So, the most popular e-mail accounts were.... G-mail, Yahoo and Hotmail. Since Shekhar had made a g-mail account for his father few months back, he knew a g-mail pasword should have minimum 8 characters. So g-mail was ruled out. He opened the Yahoo homepage and then paused. He had a password but only a password. "What's the username?", he asked himself. "Mr. Code had given the password, he MUST have given the username. Think."
By now Shekhar's brain was all charged up and working overtime. One look at the Yahoo homepage and another at the note he had received and he got it. Username is always above the password.

for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s

The most probable usernames based on the note were "for_shekhar" and"for.shekhar".
As he was about to enter them in the Yahoo homepage, his instincts took over him and he decided to try hotmail.com first.

e-mail address: for_shekhar ; password:Ur2cns ...... username and passwords don't match.

e-mail address: for.shekhar ; password: Ur2cns ....... Welcome Guest.

Shekhar was in. No messages except one in drafts.
Everything was blank except the body and it read:

claudus sanctus
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17
Let light and truth prevail

Mr. Code had laid the path for Shekhar and all Shekhar had to do was follow the path. And he was walking fast now. In this code, the only thing known to him was the last line.

Let light and truth prevail. It is the official motto of Patel Hall of Residence,IIT Kharagpur, the place where Shekhar spent his most memorable days as an undergraduate. The actual motto is Lux et Veritas Vincent, which is in Latin.
"I am getting closer Mr. Code". Shekhar now knew what claudus sanctus meant. He just had to translate it from Latin to English. He used the first translator Google offered him and the result was "lame holy". Shekhar knew he broke this code but just to make sure, he translated "sanctus" and got "holy, sacred, saint". He got what he was looking for... "saint".

So he was now left with

lame saint
39-6-23-7-51-26-81-87-85-51-71-11-14-59-105-47-12-51-90-36-27-105-68-104-17

To Robert Langdon, O lame saint would mean The Monalisa, but for Shekhar and everyone who had read it, it would simply mean The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. And anyone who have read Dan Brown would instantly know what these numbers meant. Each number had to be replaced by the 1st letter of the corresponding chapter in 'The Da Vinci Code'.
Shekhar did the same and got:

a h s t e d t t y e a u w t n r r e h o s n n r w

It didn't make sense but then he counted the no. of characters. It was 25, a perfect square. The Transposition Cipher was immediately applied and the message appeared.
Shekhar was now smiling.

The elementary code

2007-09-15T12:24:00.001-07:00

It was yet another morning in his new world for Shekhar. About a month ago he had landed in this country for his PhD. And though his resume suggests that he intended to do a high quality research, his friends in IIT Kharagpur knew that the sole reason for him doing PhD was that he could go to USA. What started as a possiblity in 2003, became an obsession by 2006, especially after he failed to get a Foreign Training during the summer of 2006. Perhaps only GOD knew how he would have reacted had he not got through. But that is no one's worry now as Shekhar somehow made it to the US and is very content, to say the least.
He had just finished the first class of the day in Vivian Hall of Engineering, the 7-storeyed building which hosts his department. The Downtown LA looks very beautiful from the top of VHE with the extension of Hollywood Hills forming the backdrop behind the high-rises and the not-so-high rises. After the class he used to sit in his desk in Seaver Science Centre-300. The SSC -300 was an extension of his reearch group. In general, SSC hosts many laboratories and offices. As he settled down in his chair, he saw a note stuck on the board. The content of the note clearly meant it was for him. It read:

for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s

"Ok", Shekhar said to himself, "what the hell is this !!"
No one was around to answer. His office-mates had not arrived yet. But even if they did, it was no point asking or doubting them as he was still a newbie in the office and the occasional 'Hi's were all they exchanged. Shekhar himself was a big time introvert which kept on postponing any meaningful communication what-so-ever. He did have some meaningless communications with the girl whose desk was beside his, owing to her talkative nature. But still it was too early for her to play such prank on him. He did doubt her for few moments given that she was a Computer Science Major, specializing in Process Optimization , but that was it. She couldn't have done that. This note was left for him by someone who knew him very well.
Though Shekhar did not pay much attention to studies when he was in IIT, he liked things that were out of norm. And this little note really excited him. He set down to decode it.

for shekhar
Y r s n o e e a u t e s a o a s

the first line clearly was an address to him. All he had to do was to decode the next line. He was not into books much, the total number of books he had read being in single digits. But he had read Dan Brown, all of them, and loved them. And by the nature of the code, he knew that the person behind the code was also a Dan Brown fan. Shekhar never knew that he had to actually apply Dan Brown some day. But nevertheless, he started. He counted the no. of letters in the code which turned out to be 16.
"That's it. You are not so smart, Mr. Code."
Few of the earliest methods of encryption were invented by Julius Caesar. There was Caesar Cipher, which decoded the message by a lateral shift in the alphabets. But Shekhar knew this code is a problem of Caesar Square, now known as The Transposition Cipher. Since 16 is a perfect square, it can be written in a 4X4 matrix. The Code is written across in a square matrix and is then read downwards. When the code was written in a matrix form, it appeared like:

Y r s n
o e e a
u t e s
a o a s

And reading it downwards, Shekhar got

Y o u a r e t o s e e a n a s s

Which, after adding the spaces, became :

You are to see an ass

"What the ****. What the hell does that mean?", Shekhar was not at all pleased. Apparently Mr. Code was not that stupid either. Succumbing to instincts, Shekhar actually looked down the window to see.... well ... if there actually an ass was around. But it was not to be.
"Ok, Mr. Code. You want to play it. Let's play." Shekhar loved such challenges. Not that he was very good at overcoming them, but he loved to try and give it his best shot.

You are to see an ass

"I will see an ass. There can't be an actual ass inside the campus or, for that matter, outside the campus unless someone had a pet ass." If not actual ass, then comes the more widely used meaning of ass. Shekhar now found a different kind of humor in the latter part of his previous statement. "But there are so many of them. What's so special", he thought, coming back to the problem in hand.
It HAS to be something different.
He thought his brains out but no use. He couldn't get anything out of the sentence. "Did I decipher it right?", he doubted his method. "No, it can't be a mere co-incidence that the code contained 16 characters. The words were chosen to make it a perfect square. The method is correct.", he reassured himself.

You are to see an ass

He had by now repeated this phrase umpteenth times in his mind. Still no result. He decided to give himself himself a break. And during the 'break', while his subconscious was still trying to figure out the code, his conscious surfed the net. He opened his favorite sites and after going through his mails, orkut and facebook accounts , he moved on to indiatimes.com for the latest news. India had defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the Twenty20 World Cup Tournament. Now the margin of victory sounded more like a soccer or hockey result, except that it was a cricket match result. The match had ended in a tie and the winner was decided with a bowl-out. As amusing as this may sound, some signals were exchanged between his conscious and subconscious and BANG !!! It wasn't the tournament, but its name and the way it was written that gave him the clue. The code was broken.

...... to be continued

Accently challenged !!!

2007-09-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

US is a multi-ethnic country, and my university totally seconds this fact. One can find students from all over the world, of course some forming the majority and the rest minority.
As the class began today, the Teaching Assistant said, " While studying Quantum Mechanics, most students sink..."

O Dear GOD ... where did you send me !!! Why on this earth did I take this course?? Help me.... please give me enough strength so that I don't sink !!!

GOD responded pretty early, some 3 seconds later.
The TA had actually said, "............ most students think.... "
This was the severest accentation of a word that I could comprehend till now.
More 'words' followed...

Unnergy [Energy]
Sun [Some]
Planket [Bracket] ( though I am not sure about this one as she might have said Planck's constant really really fast.)
Puthential [Potential]

The TA is not an American, by the way. One student asked the question, "Was zero there?"
Nothing wrong with the question except that the question actually asked was, " Why is zero there?"
All this after the now regular

Khalkhiulate [calculate]
khool [cool]
thoo [two]
zerow [zero]
fo [four]
etc.

Everytime I have to tell my phone no. , I try to accentise it the American way to help them comprehend it faster and since my no. contains 22, I have to say it like " .... thoo thoo ...." , which, in India, would directly infer that I hate my no.

And then comes my name. The following are some of the ways I am called here:

A ... what ? [answer] ...O .... ok.... A... Adaaaaaarsh [close but fine]
Shikhaaaaaaaar [not your fault buddy]
A.. ok I'll spell out the first name ... A...d...a....r....s...h [ya... tht's me :)]

I am on my way to become Adaaaaaaarsh Shikhaaaaaar.
The study train is gaining speed. I hope I match up to it.

c ya

Kaun ? - II

2007-08-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

.... continued from here.

The striking of 10 coincided with Uncle opening the door.

At the door, lay a man, in his mid-thirties. Casual shirt, cotton trousers, shoes. He was panting and sweating heavily. Fresh blood was coming out of his forehead, perhaps he had hit a pole while running.

Aa jao.. andar aa jao jaldi.

Thanks a lot sir. Aapne bacha liya mujhe. Please lock the doors and windows, don't open them. Usne shayd mujhe yahan aate hue dekh liya hai.

Uncle obliged. Aunty brought a glass of water.

*gulp-gulp-gulp* Thoda aur milega?

Aunty obliged.

After some 90 seconds of absolute silence, with continual hushing of tired, anxious and scared breaths, Uncle spoke.

Naam kya hai tumhara.

Ji. Rohan Mittal. I work as a Senior Business Analyst in i-Demand, an IPR firm. Bangalore mein posted hoon aur yahan abhi sister se milne aaya tha. On my way back, yahan se kareeb 1 km dooor, I saw two people firing at a car. I don't think the man had survived. kareeb 25 goliyaan maari hongi. main to saans roke dekh raha tha., but then one of them saw me. Police siren sun ke one of the guys fled on the bike while the other ran after me firing all the way along. Aapne bhi gunshots sune honge. Kisi tarah jaan bacha ke bhaga hoon. Wo to aap jaise bhale log hain jinhone mujhe andar aane diya aur meri jaan bacha li. I don't know how to thank you people.
I owe my life to you.

He told them everything he could in one breath, or two may be. Aunty was still gasping.

Ye to humara farz hai beta. ye aajkal ke logon ko pata nahin kya ho gaya hai. Ek-doosre ke khoon ke pyaase hain. Insaan ki jaan ki to koi keemat hi nahin.

The montage of the gory images of the deadly riots was playing in Uncle's mind while he was speaking. The mere thought of those days sent shivers down the spine.

Khair, tum fikar mat karo. yahan tumhe koi khatra nahin hai. wo gunda chala gaya hoga ab. raat bahut ho chuki hai, tumhare liye guest room mein bed laga dete hain. Raat bhar aaraam ka....

Arre nahin uncle.... main chala jaunga abhi hi.... aapne itna kiya, isi ka ehsaan zindagi bhar rahega. main aaplog ko aur taqleef nahin doonga. Main chala jaunga. You people don't worry about me, my car is just a km away.

Itni raat ko kahan jaoge? Aunty spoke for the first time. So jao... subah chale jaana. Raat ka koi bharosa nahin hai.

Arre humaari chinta mat karo. ye ghar bahut bada hai. Jao, fresh ho jao. Bathroom udhar hai.

Uncle and Aunty, aaplog mere liye bhagwaan se kam nahin hain. Ye mera card rakh lijiye. Bangalore mein kabhi aaye to please give me a chance to at least try to pay off the debt, though I know I can't, forever in this life.

Arre... abhi kya zaroori hai. Subah de dena.

Nahin Uncle. I'll leave early and aaplog ko disturb nahin karoonga. Please take it and whenever you come to Bangalore, do call me.

Theek hai beta. The first smile took its time to come up. It was midnight by the time lights went off.

.........................................

4 days later ...... 169 kms away.....

76 year old Ramgopal Mallik had finished his dinner by 9:20 pm, folded the newspaper, kept it on the table while Mrs. Mallik cleaned the kitchen when their only son, Rohan called from Atlanta, USA. He had got a promotion and a free holiday package for family in Sydney.

Mr. Mallik had missed the small news in the lower right hand side of the 'Region' page of the newspaper, which went like :

"An elderly couple found dead in their home, 36/7 Adarsh Villa, Gurgaon. The deceased were Mr. Suresh Prasad Sharma, a retired Manager in State Bank of India and his wife Mrs. Rajeshwari Sharma, both shot at point blank range. Police have registered a case of double homicide and robbery. According to initial sources, apparently no signs of breaking in has been found, which have led the investigators to cast their doubts on the relatives and servants. Interrogations are still in the beginning stage. The murderer(s) had also robbed the house of most of its belongings. No signs of struggle were found implying that murders preceded the robbery. While the public and human rights organisations are demanding immediate arrests of the culprits, police is repeating its usual phrase 'Investigations are still on.' Further reports are awaited."

Mr. Mallik was in bathroom when he heard two gunshots.

-------------- X --------------

Kaun ?

2007-08-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jaldi nahin chal sakte kya ???

Mrs. Sharma asked, actually taunted Mr. Sharma. This had now become a routine on their way back home from the Subhash Bose Park, their destination for evening walk. Being staunch followers of Ramdev Baba, the couple never missed a day. And at 70, they hardly looked more than 60, thanks to him. The couple had also appointed themselves as Brand Ambassadors of Ramdev Baba and didn't miss a single opportunity to tell people about him and his Shiksha and Aasans. Some accepted, some faked and most rejected. But they used to go on about their job religiously, just like they went about their evening walk.

So they eventually returned home by 7 pm. It was still 30 minutes before getting dark. After freshening up, Sharma uncle dug into the evening edition of Dainik Bhaskar as Aunty went to the kitchen to make tea.

Khaane mein kya banaun??

Jo hum bolegne wo to hoga nahin... phir kyun poochhti ho roz ? Jo sabzi jaldi kharaab hone waali hai wahi banta hai.... to wahi bana do.

Arre.. poochh lete hain nahin to padosiyon ko bolne lagoge ki hukum chalaati hai :)

They never changed, as fresh and romantic as ever, even after 42 years of courtship and 41 years of marriage. Behind all the nok-jhok, there was eternal love for each other. They had two sons, Akash and Prashant. Both are IT professionals working in top IT Firms and settled abroad with their respective families. Its not that the sons didn't love them. They were tied up by their respective careers and ambitions, and the old couple never ever asked them to stay with them, for it was too selfish of them.
The grandchildren visited in summers. Their home was a normal upper middle class home. A decent sized house, white and gray with azure linings, big glass but grilled windows and dark gray door. Almost every facility that they or the children needed was available. Uncle used the money from his Provident Fund to buy this house while the sons shared the amenities and household items.

It was a quiet neighborhood. In fact, VERY QUIET. In today's fast life, no one had the time for another. An occassional 'Hi' while crossing each other was more than enough to be a good neighbor. Everyone led his own life and was quite busy in it. Uncle and Aunty had only each other for company, support, fights.... literally for everything.

It was 9-30 pm by the time Aunty had cleaned up the kitchen. As they were preparing to go asleep, they heard some sounds outside. Uncle knew they were gunshots. Aunty, though very strong mentally, was beginning to shiver.

Arre kuchh nahin hoga. Aise hi koi pagal hoga.

Aajkal pagal log bandook le ke ghoomte hain !!!

Halla mat karo aur jaa ke so jao. Aur humko bhi sone do.

Uncle tried his best to hold himself as well as Aunty, praying that he be right.

Just then, there was a thunderous knocking on the door. Someone just collided with the door and then started beating it heavily.

Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwaza kholo. Wo mujhe maar daalega. Bhagwaan ke liye darwaza kholo. Koi hai..... arre koi to meri baat suno. Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe bacha lo... please..... wo mujhe maar daalega. Please.
............ thak-thak-thak-thak............

Mat kholna, Aunty said while managing to catch her breath.

Pagal ho kya, agar sach bol raha hoha to ? marne chhor dein usko ?

Kahin aur chala jayega.

Kahin jagah nahin milegi, ye tum bhi jaanti ho. Ye colony nahin jungle hai. yahan sab apna kaam karte hain. Samaaj, society... ye log nahin jaante. 2 taang par chalne waale praani hain ye sab, Insaan to is dinuya se kab ke khatam ho gaye.

Another gunshot.

Main jaa raha hoon.

Nahin.... ruko.

Another gunshot.

-------Thak-thak-thak-thak-thak.........
Darwaza kholo.... please darwa............

..... to be continued

Its not a game..

2007-08-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

All those who haven't yet watched The Nike Indian Cricket Ad .. do watch it NOW ....
here it is : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mpvuz8gg79Q

This excellent ad captures the essence of Cricket in India. No matter what... people will alwqays remain crazy about cricket. Its the passion for the game. Cricketers will come and go, some will be remembered.. but most will be forgotten in due course of time... BUT Cricket will live... forever in Indian hearts, no matter where they are.

The KODAK moment in the ad : The bowler(on top of a bus) hits the batsman (on the top of another bus) and appeals, not to the umpire..... but to the Idol of Banjrang Bali or Hanumaan. And the poor batsman is OUT as the 3rd and 4th hands of the Idol always point upwards. Simply great thinking on the part of the director.

Cricket is not a game in India, its a RELIGION. So what, if India has won only one world cup, that too 24 years back and a few championships, Indians are still the craziest fans of the game, or should I say, the craziest followers of the Religion.

We were heart-broken when India lost the semi-finals of 1987 & 1996 World Cup.
We couldn't believe India lost the finals of the ICC Knockout in 2000.
We were on top of our world when India won 8 consecutive games in the 2003 World Cup.
We were shocked when India lost to Bangladesh in 2007 World Cup.
We are proud of the fact that India has always defeated Pakistan in World Cups.
We talk about ending the 16 consecutive Test Match winning streak of Australia in Kolkata,2001 as our personal triumph.
We will always cherish the way Sachin single-handedly defeated Australia in Sharjah, 1998 or Sourav Ganguly winning the Sahara Cup for us against Pakistan in Toronto, 1997.
We eat cricket, We drink cricket, We worship cricket, We live cricket.
We are The Great Indian Cricket Fans.

I am missing Cricket in USA :(

Chak de INDIA !!!!

2007-08-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hello INDIA and Indians all around the world..... A very very Happy Independence Day !!!!

This Independence Day is a lot different than all the previous ones. To begin with, for the first time, I am not in my INDIA. 15th august is just another calender day here. There's no playing of Deshbhakti Songs all around. Children are not going to their school early in the morning wearing all white. There are no functions ( I am very disappointed by the Association of Indian Students here).
Not that I used to hoist our National Flag in my IIT days, but somehow I used to get the feel of Independence Day. But not here, not now. Here I am, some 12,000 kms away from my homeland, wearing a Kurta, writing this post and wishing myself a Happy Independence Day.

I hope the celebrations back home are as usual or even on a larger scale than ever this time, for our country is pretty young, even at 60.

I felt never so proud wearing a kurta.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY !!!!

cya

Uncla Sam ka Aangan

2007-08-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Few known/unknown facts about U.S.A.

People drive and walk to the right.
Currency notes are called 'Bills'.
In 'safe' areas, people park their vehicles outside their house,on the streets if there's no parking space inside.
Every street, and I mean EVERY, has a name.
There's absolutely no dress code inside the University. You can see people in Shorts inside the univ.
You can traverse places very easily following the Maps. Today, on my 6th day in Campus, I showed a lady (who seemed to be American) the way to her destination. Not a bad job by any standards for a guy like me who had a terrible direction sense back in India. I am now quite adept at map-reading and finding the shortest paths.
None of the commodities bears the price. You have to know it from somewhere else, usually the tags on the respective racks in the supermarkets, or you have to learn to decode the Bar-code.
No auto-rickshaw and the likes are available. So you better have your own means of transport to take your stuff from the market to your place or be prepared to walk all the way along.
METROs and TRAMs are actually buses here (Metro is both bus and rail service).
Street names are written parallel to the streets. So if you are at a junction, the name that you are seeing in the front is NOT the street in front of you, but it is the street that you'll cross to go to the street in front of you.
The houses are Wood-based.
The Power sockets don't have switches. Just plug-in and use.
The switches are ON when UP, opposite of India.
Americans are extremely helpful. I really like this trait of theirs.
Bi-cycles are called 'Bikes', and they come in all kinds of weird types, specially the handles.
In absence of a traffic light, people stop their cars and let pedestrians cross the road first, even if you are waiting at the side, so very unlike India.
Everything is costlier than India. I am ruing many things that I could have brought from India. At the same time I am happy for the stuff that I managed to bring.

So much for now.... pics and more Gyaan about US in later posts.
c ya

Touchdown !!

2007-08-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hello People........ Breaking news is that I have reached Los Angeles all safe and sound :)
The current days are passing by completing the formalities. I have some 10 days left before the Fall begins.

After leaving India and before landing in US.... I was in the air... in other words.... it was like.... "आज मैं ऊपर , आसमां नीचे " ........ literally. \
22 hrs of flight with one stopover can be quite boring and of course tiresome.

* The Procedure to board the plane (As per New Delhi Airport) :

Enter the airport after showing your passport and ticket. They will tell you the 'Row' where you'll get your Boarding Pass.
(optional)Wrap your luggage before security check. (Rs 150 per luggage)
Push your luggage (except cabin luggage) through the scanner. (DO NOT entertain any other worker other than the one operating the scanner)
Go to the appropriate Row. There are separate counters for the economy and business class, displayed on monitors.
You can tell the person there which seat do you want. The seats beside the emergency doors have more leg space but the windows are a bit far... so the view is restricted as well as obstructed. It's your choice. The luggages will be weighed and taken away. They are strict on the weight limits but generally allow 1-2 kg overshoot but not more. So Pack your luggage accordingly. You'll get a departure form at this counter.
Fill the form and go to the Immigration check-point. This is the point of no return. You can go outside the airport to bid goodbye to your loved ones before you cross this point, NOT after that. The officer will ask some regular questions and put a stamp beside your VISA. He'll also keep the departure form.
The Boarding Pass has your seat no. , the gate no. through which you'll board and the time of boarding. Just before the gate, there is another security check for the cabin luggage. No liquid is allowed, be it Ghee, Oily pickles,.... they all will be seized. So better not to take them. DO NOT keep vegetable knifes, peelers, etc in the cabin luggage.
Board the plane after showing your boarding pass. The Boarding pass is required throughout the journey, so keep it handy but safe.

* Inside the plane

Nothing much to know. They'll take care of everything.
Before Landing, they'll give you TWO forms to fill. They are very important forms. Keep them filled and safe.

* After Landing

They'll tell you the exit to the luggage claims. Remember the Carousal No. of your flight. Before you can claim your luggage, you'll be checked by immigration officer. There's nothing to worry, unless you are unsure why have you landed in US, or if you are not sure how will you meet your expenses if you are on a student VISA.
The Officer will put stamps beside your VISA and on your I-20. He'll return one form (the Customs one) and staple a part of the other form, which is a very very important form called the I-94, the immigration form. In my case the officer didn't staple it and I thought it to be a part of the formalities, only to realize its importance later. KEEP YOUR I-94 ALWAYS WITH YOUR PASSPORT. Staple it beside your VISA but NOT on your VISA.
Take your luggage and exit out of the airport. Before exiting, there are money machines, get some change from there as Quarter Dollar coins are required quite often in the US.

EXIT and WELCOME TO US !!!!

BTW.... HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY (belated) TO ALL OF YOU !!!

Its time to fly.....

2007-08-02T00:00:00.001-07:00

So folks... the countdown has almost completed. I am leaving today for Delhi from where, 40 hours from now, I shall fly... into my dreamland .... into my Karmabhoomi .... chasing my dreams.
Everything's set. Everything's done. (Hopefully)
We had spent the last two days trying to arrange the stuff to be inside the 'baggage limits'..... adding something here... removing something from there.
Have bid good-bye to my relatives... friends... teachers and all.
At present I am not sure how am I feeling. I don't know if to feel happy that I am going where I dreamt of going someday..... OR...... to feel sad to leave my parents.... my friends... my home..... my country. I know I'll return to India after an year or so..... but I also know that things will never be the same again. The next time I will be in India.... I'll be 'visiting' India instead of 'living' in India. And let me tell you.... this is a very big difference.
I don't know how I'll react to USA or for that matter... how USA will react to me :P
As of now.... I am staring into a door... which is open now... with bright,white light ushering in. I am not able to see beyond the door but I am hoping everything's exactly like I have dreamt.

Alvida India.... will surely be back.

c ya from Los Angeles .....

Sadho Re....

2007-07-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

AGNEE – the latest Fusion/Rock Band from India. And they are extremely promising if they continue the way they have debuted. Two of their videos are currently on air. Both songs were written by the Great Saint Kabir [1398-1448 A.D]. Actually the lyrics is comprised of his dohas.... which really convey the essence of life.

But here I am going to talk about the music videos of the forementioned songs. The first one to air was “Sadho Re” [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBsiFhcTbc4 ] and the second was “Kabira” [video not found on YouTube]. The best part about the videos is that they do not have any ‘model’. They are made with real, day-to-day people.

Lets talk first about “Sadho Re”. The video is based on the Ghats of Ganga in Banaras. It focusses on the pain in the world while emphasizing on death. A little girl is shown lost in the crowd and, while she is crying aloud, nobody is noticing her. In the meanwhile, some painful ways of devotion are shown, like hitting self with a hunter. The entire video is very dark in theme, so is the lyrics.. with one line going as....“Sadho re.... ye murdo ka gaon.....”
Absolutely wonderfully shot and edited. A must watch.

The second one.... “Kabira” is another masterpiece... both in terms of lyrics and video. In contrast with “Sadho Re” ..... “Kabira” is a happy song, and so is its video, which is based on Hope, Smile and Spirit. Everybody is smiling in the video... be it a Dabbawaala, a Panwaala, a Bhajiawala, a Saloon owner, a roadside posterwaala... anyone. Everyone loves his/her job and is proud of it. And their smile is really contagious. And different smile symbolises different feelings. A Dabbawaala smiles with the satisfaction of helping another man caught in the busy corporate life have home-made food. A bhajiawaala smiles being happy that he added some spice to the otherwise monotonous life of an office-goer. The old Posterwaala smiles being proud that he helped a foreigner know more about our motherland... our India. Every smile has a meaning. Every smile has a story. Every smile has the spirit of life.

Brilliant work by the director.

I hereby express my salute to the Great Saint Kabir ..... for the wonderful lyrics..... so very meaningful.
And Hats-off to the Band for bringing out such a great fusion music, and to the director for making such amazing videos.

-----------------------------------------

added later: the video link of "Kabira" : http://uncutvideo.aol.co.uk/videos/1d0cae37c873f801744f8554478d200b

The Countdown Begins....

2007-07-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

From today.... it is exactly 10 days to go.
Everything's done except Forex and Medical.
Came back yesterday after bidding good-bye to my relatives and lots of my kid-cousins. When I told them that when there's morning in India, there's evening in America.... one of them posed a BIG question.....
she: "भैया.... आप जब फ़ोन करियेगा तो हम good morning बोलेंगे या good evening?"
me: "err.... ummm..... देख लो .... हमको नहीं पता"
after giving it lots of thoughts.....
she: "ये good morning , good evening का झंझट छोड़िये ..... प्रणाम , नमस्ते का system रखेंगें... तब कोई दिक्कत नहीं होगा."
methinks..... Good job.

It's time to look at 'The Lasts' ... at least for the next 365 days or so....

The last time I was in my Institute.
The last time I was with my Wing.
The last time I travelled in a local train.
The last time I crossed Howrah Bridge.
The last time I rode my bi-cycle.
The last time I travelled in a jam-packed general compartment.
The last time I drove my Bajaj Legend.
The last time I get a तेल - मालिश from Mom
The last days at my home.
The last days in my motherland.

Indian Idol 3

2007-07-17T03:35:00.001-07:00

Well.... क्या करें... जब इन्सान घर पे हो और करने को कुछ ना हो .... तो मज़बूरी का नाम होता है TV. My 13 year old TV has just(?)39 channels but वो भी ज्यादा पड़ जाते हैं. So of the very very few watchable shows... Indian Idol 3 is one of the better ones. And.... now that I am hooked.... I am giving my review of the contestants in the Gala round(its sad that I ill be gone before Indian Idol 3 gets its final 7). Nevertheless..... here I go......

Meyang Chang : Very good singer. Has a charming appearance and a very sweet smile. The first one in my TOP 5. BTW... He's from my hometown Dhanbad.

Abhishek Kumar : Another very good singer, especially the Kishore Kumar songs. Wears a cap for luck a la you-know-who :P. Has very strong support of judges. I believe he doesn't need the cap now, for he can sing his way through. Definitely in my TOP 5. And oh... he is also from Dhanbad.

Deepali : This girl from Patna is extremely talented.... and she looks very graceful. But somehow I feel she is a bit short on luck. I definitely want her to be in TOP 5.

Puja Chatterjee : Another extremely talented, pretty and confident girl and the third one from Dhanbad. They don't call her 'Dhanbad Dynamite' for no reason. After being in the bottom 2 after the 1st gala.... she's bounced back superbly... and is singing powerfully. A must have in TOP 5.

Emon Chatterjee : A smarty from Kolkata and a very good singer. But somehow I get the feel that he won't last till the last. As of now.. he completes my TOP 5.

Ankita Mishra : This Kanpur gal is a very very confident performer. She very well makes up for the slight goof-ups in her singing by her extra-energetic performance. Its her performance that will take her to the top. After facing eviction in the piano round... she's come back very strongly and is a threat to all.

Charu Semwal : This Dehradun beauty is another very gud singer.. but somehow she has managed to irk the judges and the audience(read: me) by performing below her potential.

Amit Paul : This guy all the way from Shillong is a real Dark Horse. He is slowly and steadily making his mark. I believe he'll turn out to be a big threat. The reason why he is not in my TOP 5 is his singing in the piano round. But he has been terrific till now in the Galas.

Prashant Tamang : This sepoy from Kolkata has a sweet voice but not the kind which would take him to the top. He is destined to loose early and his below par performances in the Galas has not helped either.

Parleen : The over-praised guy. I don't know what do the judges see in him. I mean... okay... he is smart... and sings decent. But you shouldn't exclaim 'mindblowing', 'rockstar', etc for an average performance. This will only harm him. He may go a bit farther than deserved due to his looks.

So... here are the final 10 till now. Lets see if my TOP 5 matches yours and of course the actual TOP 5.

Disclaimer:
All the views expressed above are the personal views of this blogger and all the resemblance to the persons,of course living, was highly required.

ciao

Jai Ho e-world waalon !!!

2007-07-11T23:48:00.004-07:00

"I hated being away from my dear blog for such a long time" is a severe understatement. I actually i-don't-know-the-word it. Being dis-connected is one of the worst,if not the worst, thing to happen to any enginner. Oh.... did I tell you that I am now officially an Engineer.... a Metallurgical and Materials Engineer.... to be precise.

*taaliyaaan*

So much happened in the past month. I had to run from pillar to post to get my computer and phone repaired. You can understand the pain. The problem was that my PC was not responding to data cable and my bluetooth enabled handset was having problems with its bluetooth. The result..... no way to connect phone and PC. Anyway.... now I am connected through bluetooth. So... I guess.... All’s well that ends well.

End se yaad aaya..... my stay in my home.... my locality...... my district.... my state..... my country is coming to an end..... temporarily or permanently.... i don’t know. Shopping etc. is almost done. The paper work is also done. All I have to do now i to get used to cooking and teach my parents to oprate the computer and internet...... that pretty well ends the preparation.
All the while I was dis-connected... it was only Me, My bed and TV.

· Indian Idol(Sony TV) is good... in fact .... pretty good. I have always liked its presentation, but this time the level of singing is also very good. PLUS ..... 3 of the 11 remaining finalists are from my hometown Dhanbad. Go Idols..... lage raho. Jai Dhanbad.... Jai Jharkhand... Jai Bhaarat.

· Voice Of India(Star Plus) has brought tremendous talents. All of them sing very well and most are real gems. VOI lacks in its presentation and promotion.

· Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge (Zee TV) sucks. The last time.. when Shaan hosted it..... it was very good but as the creative team moved to Star alongwith Shaan..... the difference clearly shows.

· Antakshari(Star Plus) is back and rocking......... both the general series as well the children series. Anu Kapoor is a very powerful host and Juhi Parmar is very beautiful :)

· The Great India Laughter Challenge III brought some of the best new stand-up comedians. The first female contestant Arti Khandpal(i think) was excellent.

· Comedy Circus(Sony TV) sucks. Simply.... IT SUCKS.... inspite of bringing in the very beautiful Shruti Seth as host.

· Ekta Kapoor and her K-shows..... as usual Sucks. Her shows can easily qualify for “Who Dares Wins”. A normal human being with normal sensibilities just can’t watch any of her show for more than 30 seconds. It is mentally impossible. They don’t say ‘Indian Women are strong ‘ for no reason. After all Indian Women do watch such horible shows for more than 3 hours in a day!!! Jai ho Bhartiya Naari. When Ekta Kapoor came to Koffee with Karan... she said to her detractors “If you don’t like it... don’t watch it.” Good.... I liked that attitude.... and it was fair enough. But then she gave another master statement .... “I aim to make TV serials like Prison Break and 24.” I mean..... Ekta ji.... Please..... give us a break. Have you even watched any episode of the great series you just mentioned!!! They contain two basic ingredients which you, of course don’t know...... Story and Logic( to an extent). And their camermen don’t topple every 5 seconds while shooting. All right.... enough of Ekta.

· The news channels SUCK. All of them. They present just Commercial journalism.... when at such times... they should think of Constructive and Progressive journalism. Football star Christiano Ronaldo gave a peck on Bipasha basu’s cheeks..... and these idiot make it a ‘Headline’ and ‘Breaking News’ !!!! Please guys..... seriously.... who cares. Yesterday Zee News was showing how one can reach runways and other sensitive areas of Mumbai airport without any proper security chekups. In short... they were showing how to blow off the airport. Later they showed how bombs can be made easily. I just want to ask them a Question... Are they sure their channel is not watched by current or wannabe terrorists? If they had such information.... why didn’t they act responsibly and go to appropriate authorities with the video instead of relaying them on National television? Bloody Fools. Careless Buggers.

Anyway.... so much for the Indian Television. Its now back to Me, My PC and Internet.

20 days to go.........

daroga speaks .....reloaded

2007-06-05T08:51:00.003-07:00

If anything's constant.... tht's change ( कहीँ सुना था )
I have changed... my looks have changed (drastically) you have changed.... he has changed... she has changed.... the whole world has changed..... except ......
मेरे blog का template.... since its birth ... it had been the same.... same Anjuna beach of Goa ( which is beautiful BTW ).... same color.... same everything.
बेचारा बहुत दिन से बोल रहा था ..... i mean... बोलने कि सोच रहा था.... 'coz.... daroga can speak but daroga के blog का template can't speak ... u see :P (OK... a BAD one )

Life at home can be very monotonous... but then... I'll terribly miss this very monotonous life at home sweet home .... so it's highly recommended to njoy the monotonicity for the 2 months tht are left with me at home. BTW I will be going to KGP this friday to get my flight ticket done.... कुछ तो change होगा इसी बहाने ..... let's see

so here I change.... for the sake of change... hope u like it.

Pappu back ho gaya

2007-06-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

Bhaiyon aur ladies ..... bachaa aur bachhies.....
aapka apna (favorite bolna chaahein to add kar lein) daroga is now back on this gr8 World Wide Web !!!!
-------------taaaliyaaaaannnnnnnn-------------

After reaching home with all the bag and baggage and lot more... the first and only thing in my mind was to get a net connection.... and here I am.... [after trying 3 different handsets .... using all the PC knowledge I had acquired.... running from one end to the other of my locality (so what if it is only 2 km diameter circle.... mehnat lagti hai yaar... aur garmi bhi to hai naa) and talking to 7 different 'Customer Care Executives' ]...... blogging once again.

kasam se.... this world.. or so to say this e-world is running so fast that after only 10 days of dis-connection i feel like .....of stone age !!!! Arri internet ... kabhi to slow chala kar... kahan jaayegi itna tez bhaag ke.

aajkal to i am sirf eating and sleeping and of course... gaining weight :P
tasks to do bfore I drop in US.....
> lose (some) weight
>buy my ticket (of course)
>make my list of "things to do" and "things to take" and if mom forces ... "things not to do in US"
>ssshhhhh.... kisi ko batana nahin...... (things NOT to do in the plane)
>extreme shopping (i dont like shopping BTW)
> bas itna hi... ab kya bacche ki jaan loge !!!

till then.... khaate raho... sote raho.... hanste raho....... aur haan ......'Blog'te raho
c ya..... ab to roz ka aana jaana hai idhar
----------------------------------------------------
P.S.-> if anybody has any suggestions regarding task no. 3 ya aiwe hi......... u r always welcome :)

It's time....

2007-05-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Yes.... the day has arrived when I finally leave IIT Kharagpur.

I don't know if I am happy to be a Graduate now and finally going home being an engineer.... or I am sad to leave this great place..... greater friends..... greatest life. I really don't know.
This is my last post from Kharapur. Will see you people now from my home (I have to set up a net connection at home which may take time ).

Bye bye KGP... will miss you a LOT !!!!

What a Surprise !!!!

2007-05-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

Do you like surprises ?

Well... I do. And I love to take someone by surprise. If I see you walking ahead and I am on my cycle.... I would race it and brake right beside you in a jerk..... and say a modulated 'Hi'. I simply love that "astonished" look when I catch someone by surprise. (okay.... for me to do all this... you have to be a girl :P )
So, that day I planned to give a parting gift to AD, one of my best friends. I wanted to surprise her and for that I had to involve her friend who was supposed to keep the packet in her(AD's) room while she was away. Inspite of repeatedly being reminded that it was meant NOT to be told to anyone else.... she brought another friend of theirs to take the packet.( Ok... I was a bit late in giving the packet but tht doesn't mean you involve another person to do something tht was supposed to be a SECRET !!! )
Anyways.... after that it all went according to the plan. AD was completely amazed and heavily (and happily) surprised. I was also very happy.

The next morning.... I came to know that all my wingmates (some 10 of them) knew about the 'event'. As it was a SECRET.. I had not told them. So as it turned out.... those AD's friends.... had spilled the beans.... they couldn't wait for the morning even. Late night.... over the phone.... everything out !!!! I understand they were also very excited after all this... but still...
Oh Girls.... is it Sooooooooooo Hard to keep a SECRET !!!!!!

Nevermind... AD was much more than happy ... so...... Mission Accomplished :)
-----------------------------------
P.S.---> I have my VISA interview on 17th.

जनाब

2007-05-09T04:35:00.001-07:00

Best viewed in Internet Explorer v 5.0 and above
------------------------------------------------------
जनाब ने इक नज़र जो डाली
हम उस नज़र के गु़लाम हो गए
हमारी पलकें क्या झपकीं
वो कुछ बेरुखे से हो गए

मुँह फेर कर चले गए
इक बार सोचा तक नहीं
ये दिल जो इतने ज़ोर से टूटा
पलट कर देखा तक नहीं

जनाब जो रूठ कर गए
कोई मुकम्मिल वजह रही होगी
आप गलत ना समझियेगा
ख़ता ज़रूर हमारी रही होगी

दिल तोड़ा, दिल चीज़ ही क्या है
जनाब तो इस जान के हकदार हैं
इक बार कह कर तो देखें
हम मौत से ज्यादा वफ़ादार हैं
--------------------------------------------------------

एक ख़्वाब

2007-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Best viewed in Internet Explorer v 5.0 and above.
--------------------------------------------------------------
निगाहों को रोक लिया था
धड़कनें भी समझ गयी थी
दिल का वो समंदर चुप-चाप था
वो नामुम्किन ख़्वाब सो चुका था

अचानक कहीँ पर कुछ हुआ
और एक ऊंची सी लहर उठी
वो हसीं मुस्कान याद आ गयी
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हो गया

मेरे होश को कह दो
आज मुझे सोने दे
आज बख्श दे क्योंकि
आज फिर तुमसे प्यार हुआ है

इन पलों को समेट लेने दो
इस एहसास को जी लेने दो
काश लब्ज़ जुबां पे आ पाते
काश ये ख़्वाब सच होता

माना ये ख़्वाब मुमकिन नहीं
पर इक ज़र्रा भी गम नहीं
ख़्वाब ही सही, तुमसे प्यार तो है
और मुझे इस ख़्वाब से प्यार है
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Phoenix Rises.....

2007-04-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

August 2006
There was a whole lot of stuff going around regarding 'Ragging' in I.I.T. Kharagpur. The result..... 'Phoenix Productions' was conceived and created in I.I.T. Kharagpur, by few individuals..... 2 to be exact... to express themselves but ... in a humorous way.
The debut production .... widely appreciated "Tedhi Baat".

Late August 2006
The hue-n-cry regarding Reservation in IIMs and IITs was at its peak. The director of IIT Kharagpur took a stand.... and the Phoenix showed up again.... this time... even more successful and applauded..... "Tedhi Baat Dwiteeya" .... the sequel to "Tedhi Baat".

December 2006-January 2007
Placements in IIT Kharagpur. A lot happened. Ecstacy.... Dream Job... Heart-breaks... Compromise... everything. The Phoenix felt its need to show up again. The idea was conceived... the blueprint was ready. But due to avoidable and unavoidable circumstances... it could not show up.

27th April 2006
End semester exams going on in IIT Kgp. The Phoenix could not wait for them to end. The result.... their last production in IIT Kgp..... "dis-Placement".
Here's the current eye-candy of IIT Kgp: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3950103420970617511&hl=en

Some initial responses:
"Awesome is an understatement for this video"
"GODLY"
"U guys rock"
"The best ever video made in IIT Kgp"
"Sach mein sento ho gaye the yaar"

If you have sometime to spare.. do watch out last production and express your view either here and/or in our orkut community: Phoenix Productions

I express my heartiest thanks to all those who appreciated our work. We love you all.
c ya

Pal

2007-04-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

Waqt badalne k liye,
Ek lamha hi kaafi hai.
Aaj barson beet gaye,
Aur intezaar baaki hai.

Hazaaron lamhe kho gaye,
Aas mein us pal ke.
Hum khaak chhaante reh gaye,
Uljhe se, paagal se.

Shayad wo pal kahin chhup gaya,
Shayad chupke se chala gaya.
Shayad ek poora arsaa,
Us pal ke dwaara chhala gaya.

Ek ujli si kiran,
Ya wo anjaana kal ho.
Intezaar hi jeevan hai,
Shayad maut hi wo pal ho.

--------------------------------------------------
I have my Final end-sems from tomorrow and I am in no mood to study. Kisi tarah paar ho jaaye yaar.... aur nahin saha jaata.
Jai Ho !!!!

Memories

2007-04-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

Today the last class of my undergraduate career got over at 10:30 IST. I had decided to write my last post in class today. The post was supposed to be about the activites going on in the class... as in 'Live Telecast' but... as I woke up this morning... I decided to BUNK the class. So...... no class... no 'live telecast' :P
As a result... I am posting one of my earlier 'class-work' , written a few days earlier. Each stanza in this poem represents a certain stage of my life @ IIT Kgp, starting from the moment when I knew I got through IITJEE.

Safal hone ki wo umang,
Maa k chehre pe wo khushi,
Papa ki awaaz mein wo santosh,
Ab to sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.

Sapno ki duniya mein wo pehla kadam,
Ajnabi hawa mein wo pehli saans,
Akelepan ka wo pehla ehsaas,
Aaj sirf yaadein hi baaki hain.

Galti se galti karne ka wo darr,
Those days of living in terror,
While making friends forever,
Only the memory remains.

That pride of being in control,
Giving it all your heart and soul,
Those brave efforts only to lose it all,
The memory lives, so does the spirit.

It's time to set out,
It's time to show.
It's my turn to leave,
With the memories to follow.

I wish

2007-04-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

The ocean was black,
As it looked in moonlight,
The waves making noise,
While putting up a fight.

It were the only sound,
That I would hear,
Apart from the infinite lull,
That I had to bear.

Everything seems normal,
Everything seems fine,
But the void inside remains,
Growing with time.

I wish I could float,
I wish I could fly,
Across the vast ocean,
And into the sky.

Where everything would merge,
And no void remain,
So I won't feel the pinch,
And get rid of the pain.

20 ways to Time-pass in a boring lecture.

2007-04-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Chew nails. The time passed is directly proportional to the total surface area of your nails, relative strength of your teeth and your affinity for chewing nails.
Watch the fan moving and try to calculate its rpm (rotations per minute). The time passed is directly proportional to observation power and the accuracy of final prediction. (Won't work in winter)
Try to guess the native place of the professor by analysing his accent. Knowledge of his/her name would be helpful.
Nick-name each student's hair style.
Concentrate on the fuse light of the switchboard.
Activate 'paper messaging service'. The time passed is directly proportional to individual calibre.
Delete redundant pictures from you mobile. (applicable to whom it may concern)
Play 'snake' and 'nature park'.
Overhear the conversation of the guys behind you and guess their current mental and social status.
Write notes. Applicable only to the lone sample of a unique species, known on this Earth as AS ( Department Rank 1 hone ke side effects. BTW I am also AS but not DR 1)
Plan out your next trip and/or gifts for friends.
Engage yourself in Watch-gazing.
Yawn
Day-dream. The time passed is directly proportional to the beautiful memories.
Sleep. Again it depends on individual calibre.
Plan put what to wear on Final Day Exams. ( applicable only to IIT Kgpians as they wear fancy dress on that day)
Learn to write Bangla as the girl in front practises Bangla Calligraphy in tha back of her copy.
Study the 'manuscripts' engraved on the wooden desk. Some samples : "F**K Ya", "MUNNA BHAI RI3", "SEXY", "WH**E", "AAJ BHI PAKA RAHA HAI", "THOKA", "GPL",.....
Add some more.
Write posts. (applicable only to bloggers)

?

2007-04-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

As I was savoring the 'Bronze' and the 'Best Direction' in my last Hindi Dramatics in India, my cousin met with an accident and after fighting Death for 3 days.... he left. After 38 years on this earth..... after 5 years of married life.... he left all of us. As I write this, he is up there..... watching me and all others trying to come to terms, trying to believe that he is no more, trying to put the shattered pieces of our lives together, trying to live without him. Every breath that I take ... reminds me of his absence.
I don't know how it happened. I don't know why it happened. I don't know why, of the four persons involved in the accident, only he had to die. I don't know why he left us when Bhabhi is pregnant and my nephew is only 2 years old. I don't know what to say if he asks for his father. I don't know how Bhabhi is controlling herself. I don't know whose fault was it. Perhaps no one's. Perhaps we happened to be at the receiving end of fate. Perhaps Death got Bhaiya's name in its random game. Perhaps this is a nightmare and we all will wake up one fine morning. Or perhaps we'll never. I don't know.
I may not have felt his presence but I am definitely feeling his absence. As I was seeing the flames covering his body , I could feel his soul rising up to the heavens alongwith the smoke. One day each of us will end up similarly. That's life. They say... We have to move on. Yes...... we will move on. We will continue to live. Everything may be close to normal except for Bhabhi. Life won't be the same for her anymore. Never ever.

Jiyo , Muskurao ,
Khush raho kyuki tum zinda ho.
Gham ki wajah kya dhoondhte ho,
Yahan Maut bas ek pal dooor hai.

Long Time no P(ost)

2007-03-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

The main reason for this absence of mine from Blogeteria is that I was busy in Inter-Hostel Choreography competition.
Hold on folks.... before you jump out of your chair, smash the popcorn in your hands and roll on to floor laughing... let me tell you that I wasn't dancing . I am a terrible dancer( though I danced the last time around). This time I was directing and I swear to God.... Directing a Choreography is TOUGH !!!! Ours is not the conventional kind you see in films or awards functions. Here we have a theme to depict. So we have to tell a story through dance which makes it essentially a Dance-drama.
Ours was a choreography in the "Third Form". For those who don't know , "Third Form" is a kind of stage production wherein you don't use any props/sets etc. Everything ... be it a table, chair, door.... everything is depicted using people. So our choreo was abstract and entirely different from the others. There were on-stage fumbles and as expected, we didn't win any prize. (We did win the 'Best Lights' but I consider it more a gift than a win)
Winning and losing is part of the game. It's OK we didn't win. I'll always be proud of our design. We fell one day short otherwise it would have been perfect. Nonetheless, its over now. It was my last choreo in India. In a few days I'll be busy with my last Hindi Dramatics in India.
As they say .... "The show must go on."

And Oh.... did I tell you that I have got two more offers..... from Arizona State University and Iowa State University. And I have withdrawn my candidature from two others. One university knows about my USC and so they are not going to offer me anything. Another university says that it has received everything from me except the application fee :P There may have been some error during transaction. And I am not going to pay the fee now. So this makes it a total of 7 results out of 12. Waiting for the remaining 5.

Be happy and Keep Smiling
c ya soon

Look before you mail...

2007-03-03T20:42:00.000-08:00

Few days back I received a mail from USC Graduate Admissions . My heart skipped a beat or two when it read that my department had sent over proof that it'll fund me with 36,350 USD while the cost of the program is 46,630 USD and I had to send them the bank letter for the remaining amount.
WHHAAATTT !!!! I M NOT FULLY FUNDED !!!!
And as it happens... I started to think that may be that is the case and my dream of going to USA began to crumble, and that too when my parents were around, celebrating my 'success'.

With a very heavy heart I mailed them back seeking some kind of explanation of my 'fellowship'. And I got the reply that it was simply an 'addition error' and they will mail me the revised offer soon !!!!
Come on people.... next time please use ur calculator... someone could have had a heart-attack!!!!

And yesterday I got The Mail... stating that I would be getting Tuition fee waiver + medial insurance + 30,000 USD for the first year and for the next three years the 30,000 would be reduced to RA which will be a minimum of 23,000 USD. Believe me yaaron ... its enough :) So its offical now. I am going to the US in August beginning provided the US Consulate does not deny me VISA.

As I am typing this post I am all red,green,black,yellow,blue, and what not. HAPPY HOLI TO ALL YOU FOLKS !!! May this Holi fills your life with all the colors possible. I have been experiencing the colors from fews days back !!!!

Happy Holi....
c ya soon

California Calling.......

2007-02-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

Post exams was never better. As if the news was waiting for my exams to end ... gham aur khushi ka simultaneous dose hajam nahin hota you see :P
Neways.... instead of going round and round, let me break the Greatest news for me....

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls..... This is to inform you that .....
I have been admitted to the PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering in University of Southern California, USA for Fall 2007 with a Fellowship for the 1st Year.

Your thunderous applause has duely been appreciated. Thanks a lot for all your wishes. Wishes do work... hence proved. Unless I get a better call, I am joining USC in mid-August.
2007 is the greatest year of my life till now.
If you ask me how exactly am I feeling now.... my answer would be... I want to be on the top of a mountain and scream ... I AM THE KING !!!! but due to lack of words..... I am just smiling right now. It will take sometime for the fact that 'My dream of going to USA is finally materialising' to sink in.
Till then .... be good .......... be happy..... Take care..... and Keep Smiling :)
And .... THANKS A LOT ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR WISHES :)
Love you all.... c ya soon

I Dream of Amhaerikha......

2007-02-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

21 is the no. of results you'll get when you google "Adarsh Shekhar"

1210 is the total no. of results when daroga speaks is googled.

76 is the no. of companies that visited IIT Kharagpur before the one that took me.

23 is the no. of students of the same department and batch as myself.

7 is the no. of times I have been on stage.

53 is the no. of posts that I have published till now.

3 is the total no. of institutions that I have studied in till now.

12 is the no. of US universities that I have applied to.

If my getting a scholarship doesn't harm you in any which way then you may wish me luck. Results are expected in March.

And oh.... I just forgot..... Happy Valentine's Day :)

C ya on V-day (hopefully)

2007-02-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

It's the first time I am on "Official leave". My supervisor is taking me to Indo-US Workshop on Advances in Computational Optimization and Analysis of Systems {Kuchh samajh mein aaya ???? ................ me neither :D } to be held in I.I.T. Kanpur during 6-9 February,2007.

I knew you will take me otherwise. So let me make myself clear..... for me its nothing more than a paid trip to IITK.... jab 4 saal apne IIT mein nahin padha to baajuwaale IIT mein 4 din mein kya padhenge :P
Will go to home sweet home while returning.
----------------------------------------------------

Rickshaw fare from Patel Hall of Residence to Kharagpur Junction : Rs 30

Passenger train ticket from KGP to LAYABAD ( The railways don't give ticket for Sijua, where I disembark) : Rs 34

Lehar Kurkure and Brittania Good Day Cake ( which make my lunch) : Rs 20

Jhaal Murhi ( those who haven't heard of it.... I can't explain... you have to taste it to know it) :

Rs 4 (if given in local Bengali newspaper)
Rs 5 (if given in National English Daily, properly garnished with 1mm thick , 1cm wide, quarter of a ring of coconut)

Jhaal waala Lozenge ( again ... you have to experience it to know it) : Rs 2 (for a pack of 4... I buy 5 such packs)
Chana-ghugni : Rs 3
Boiled eggs : Rs 5 a pair ( in Summers) ....... Rs 6 a pair ( in winters)
Chiniya Badaam ( roasted groundnuts) : Rs 5 per 100 gms
The very sweet, green and fresh guavas that I take home for my sister : Rs 20 per kg
The smile on my parents' face when they see their son coming home with a job : Priceless.

c ya soon.....

Pehchaan Kaun ?

2007-02-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

Good Morning.

I know its early but you know when you enter professional life, the instantaneous positions of the hands of the clock really doesn't matter. Your job takes the utmost priority and everything else is pushed back, knowingly or unknowingly, by none other than you. Such is the demand and such should be the dedication. Anyways, lets get back to our morning. For some people, it may be the morning after they had experienced the best day in their life. For some others, it may be the beginning of the best day in their life. Some will awake today having a good, tight sleep after winning a kind of battle. For me and most of others, it is yet another morning. Time to get ready for the job. Sometimes I envy those having 9-5 jobs... but only sometimes. The rest of the times I relish the absence of constraints, the absence of dress code, the absence of extra mental burden that they carry home and above all.....the absence of a BOSS !!!

Oh.... I think you are still wondering about my job profile. OK.... let me try to explain. Actually, the job i simple but it becomes kind of hard to explain. Nevertheless, I'll try.
I am a self-emplyed serviceman in the SMV division of the transportation sector. As I said... I have no boss. I have no juniors either. I have colleagues but they all are independent. My vehicle runs with the energy produced when glucose and its cousins are decomposed by chemical reagents during a bio-chemical process. Like all other jobs, my job requires enormous will power. My customers range from new born babies to one-strong-hichki-and-i-am-dead elders, the fairer sex and the old being the niche domain. It is not customary in our job to use any artificial means such as print or screen media to publicise and attract customers. We have to rely on our PR skills, which has less than 50% probability of success. So the more veteran you are, the more customers you attract.

Though there is no fixed retirement age a la govt. jobs, my colleagues retire by the age of 55 due to physiological constraints but exceptions are always there. The rigours of my job requires usage of additional chemical stimulants which the so-called corporate world terms as 'alcohol'. Ours is a 24 hour service and I get to sleep in my office only. To compensate for this, I take a few days off in a month(one of the advantages of not having a boss). Every passerby without any artificial means of transport is a prospective customer and I respect each and every of them.
And Oh yes..... good pricing and negotiation skills are very important to excel in my field.
All those who still haven't figured out who I am... lemme tell you.... I am your local Rickshaw-waala.

P.S.---> SMV = Slow Moving Vehicle.

A dream

2007-01-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

One day you and I
Were walking thro' the wood
Everything was great
As fresh as they could.

Infinite as the skies,
Smooth as the cream,
White as the snow,
Just like a dream.

Suddenly the sky shrunk
And the snow was gone
It was a wind of faces
Leaving no time to run.

Everyone was rushing
No one would halt
It left me wonder
If it was my fault.

I was holding you
With no room to see
The next thing I knew
You were not with me.

'Was standing alone
Knowing not what to do
With all my senses
Straining to find you.

With maelstrom inside
I closed my eyes
And entrusting His ways
Prayed to the skies.

I saw countless faces
And then I saw You
Shining like an Angel
As fresh as dew.

The Making of VanBhoj-IV

2007-01-23T22:50:00.000-08:00

A: Who’s he?

Av: Bhoot.

As: May be just a passer-by.

A: He is carrying something in his hand.... dekh to.... its looking like a knife !!!

An: I think he is the owner of this land.... and someone must have told him about the simultaneous existence of us and his land at the same point of time and space.

J: About what ????????

S: Oye…. He’s my Dad !!!

J: What’s he doing here??? Come on Uncle…… we can manage. Why can’t these dads leave us alone??

Uncle: Is everything alright?

All: Absolutely fine.

Uncle: Did you start cooking??

S: Rice is on….meat is queued.

Uncle: Where’s the oil ?

S: (after an intensive search in all the bags) ummm……. Errrr…… we had put it in the….in the….. abe kahan rakha tha ???

Uncle: Here it is. You left it at home. I knew you’ll forget something.

S: Papa.... err..... did we leave nething else???

Uncle: I did not see anything else. Chalo….enjoy.

All: Thank you Uncle :D

1 P.M.

Av: Abe kya @%@%#^ hai ye !! (the F-word hadn’t entered their dictionaries yet) Where’s this wind coming from…. And more importantly…. WHY???

A: It would take forever to cook if this wind continues.

J: Abe…. Look at the chulha…..the heat’s going down!!!!

As: Abe do something. Everyone get dry leaves from wherever and put them in here. That’s the only way to maintain the heat. HURRY!!!!!!!!

After 15 minutes of pandemonium, the wind calmed, the chulha held its fort, the field was sans dry leaves and the ‘men’ were victorious.

2 hours later, they were having their lunch. The rice was overcooked. The meat was almost cooked. The gravy was thicker than water. Salt was slightly on the negative side, duely compensated by chilly on the positive side. The remains of dry leaves garnished the rice and salad. But the spirit, the fun, the innocence, the adventure, the pride, the sheer feeling of ‘Yes, we have done it’…. all confluenced to make that lunch the tastiest lunch they had ever had and the day….memorable forever.

As: What to do with the left rice??

An: Give it to Vanbudhi (the Goddess of fields and forests)

As: All of them!!!

S: Naah re…. give a little bit. I’ll take the rest home. Why waste it.

As: You’ll carry it all the way to your home!!!

S: Err…….. I think so. Anybody here to help me?? (everybody was walking)

They returned by 6 pm…. After living a day on their own terms…. The first such day in their lives .

One year later.

S: Abe…. Picnic karega??

--------X---------

The Making of VanBhoj-III

2007-01-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

The D-DAY…. 7:30 A.M.

S: Everybody present??? Where’s A ??

A: (entering) Here I am. Everybody present???

Av: Who’s he???

Earlier……..

Maa: Take R with you naa…. He’ll like it.

A: Maa, we haven’t planned for him. Besides, he’ll feel like a stranger.

Maa: Arre….. he’ll make friends with everyone.

A: ummmm…..err……. What about the 10 Rs???

Maa: I’ll make bread rolls for everyone….that’ll take care of the 10Rs. Get ready R… you are going with Bhaiya.

…………..

A: He’s my cousin. Came yesterday night.

S: Come on…..we’re getting late.

After 20 minutes of something equivalent to trekking, thanks to all the stuff they were carrying, albeit on plane fields with thin, serpentine pathways, they reached the spot.

Av: Is this the water stream that you were talking about??? Where does it come from??

S: Doesn’t matter. The top layer of flowing water is safe. Don’t worry.

Av: Are you sure??

S: Abe saale….. I am very sure. Besides… we have brought drinking water….idiot. You’ll not die. Now keep quiet.

Av: I’ll appreciate if and only if I reach home…alive.

As: Chalo chalo… let’s get to work. I am setting up the chulha. S…..come over here. Rest…place the bed sheets etc.

10 A.M.

J: Why hasn’t the chulha all fired up till now.

As: Dunno

An: Hurry yaar….I am getting hungry and restless.

Av: Let’s have everything else and will have the tea when this damn thing gets ready.

After another 30 minutes, the breakfast was over. The rampant mice in each stomach was calmed down but not for long.

Av: How many days before the water boils…. he he

S: Shut up. Days nahin….. minutes…..30 minutes.

Av: And another 30 minutes for cooking. Then another 1.5 hours for the meat. I hope we get to eat before night….. he he

A: Abe….. what if someone comes and drives us away or snatches our belongings??

An: (hoping things won't go THAT bad) We’ll thrash him.

S: Bhak….. No-one will come here.

J: I don't quite agree with you....... look there….. Someone’s coming !!!.

All eyes and heads turned.

............... to be concluded.........pakka se..... :D

The Making of VanBhoj-II

2007-01-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Planning Committee meets………..

A: What all will we have?

S: Bread-butter, tea, eggs, mixture, biscuits for breakfast and…………

A: Oye….. are we going to hotel or what ??? Such an extended breakfast will take all the time. When will we cook the lunch?

An: Shut up…. Only tea has to be made.

A: Err………. Okay. But remove bread-butter. Where would we toast them? The Chulha(stove) will take time to get ready and it would be too late for breakfast then.

All: Okay

S: Now to lunch. We’ll have rice, meat and salad. Simple.

A: Why salad?? I mean…. What’s the use??

All: Shut up !! Don’t you have salad???

A: No.

All: Whatever….salad will be there.

A: Maa said 200 gms of rice per head will be enough.

S: 7 of us….. that makes 1.4 kgs. Let’s take 2 kgs to be safe.

An: What !!! 2 kgs !!! Abe dukaan kholega kya ??? 1.5 kgs is more than enough.

J: What’s the need to buy rice? Let everyone bring in raw rice for himself. There won’t be any wastage either.

Av: Everyone of us don’t eat the same rice. The Biharis have Arwa…and the Bengalis…Usna.

S: So…which rice to buy…..Arwa or Usna???

All: Arwa…Usna…..Arwa….Arwa….Usna….Usna….Usna

A: Decide karo yaar….what is this?

The Bengalis: Abe have Usna naa….it’s matter of a day only!!!

Av: Same thing applies to you.

The Bengalis: Pleeeeaaaaasssssseeeeeeeee

Av: Okay… we’ll have Usna. Just tell us how much time will we be having after the dose of Usna…he he

A: 10 Rs. Per head. Lets market.

S: What about Utensils? Let’s distribute. Chulha…???

As: Me. Also the coal, kerosene, woods, etc.
………………..
……………….
S: Masala…. Me.

J: Should we boil the eggs there ??

A: No….. It’ll get late…I’ll bring them boiled.

Av: The BIG question??? Where are we going ??

An: Mahuda bridge.

A: Permission denied. I am not allowed to go out of 2 km radius.

J: The Project ground.

A: 50-50

S’s Mom: Do it in the fields up there.

All: Okay.

Next evening….the local market.

S: Tomorrow 7 am….. in my house. We’ll proceed from there.

They were unsure but raring to go.

........... to be continued..........

The Making of VanBhoj-I

2007-01-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

Abe….picnic karega ??

I am sure this must have rung some bells. I suppose everyone has gone for picnics. As children, it was one of the primary reasons we waited for the New Year.

Picnic…. A day away from the constraints of home. A day away from the watchful eyes of Maa. A day meant for wild partying. A day when we had the right to go haphazard. A day when mistakes were fun. A day to show Maa that we can cook. A day to show Papa that we can cope up with anything and everything. A day to be……. Our very own selves. A day of complete freedom. Welcome New Year….. let’s party together!!!

When was the first time you went for a picnic?

Let’s go through such a debut………..

-----------------------------------------------------------

December 1995
Class VI (A)

S: Abe picnic karega ?

A: Picnic !!! bhak….. won’t get permission.

S: Abe I’ll get it for you.

A: Who else are there?

S: You, me, A,B,C,D, Pappu,Chunnu,Gajodhar, Sankat, Tanki, Sadiya, Teli, Billi, RamSingh, Poodi, Puna, Jaga......

A: Did you talk to them ???

After roaming around the class for some 15 minutes, having similar conversations, S comes up with the list.

S: See…You, me , Av, An, J, Su, As are ready. Some else may join. You ask your parents.

A: You ask uncle to convince Papa.

Next day………..

A: Abe….. got the permission !!!!

S: Sahi !!!!!!! so when should we go???

After lots of yes’ and nos….

S: 1^st ???

A: 1^st will be too crowded…. Won’t get permission.

S: 31^st??

Av: I am going with my colony friends.

S: 2^nd ??

J: Which day is it ??

An: Thursday

J: Not on Thursday…. It’s the day of Goddess Lakshmi !!! No non-veg !!!

S: Bhak.

A: 25^th December

All: 5 days before New year !!!

A: We won’t be able to go after new year…we have our classes from 3^rd. 25^th is a good day. Problem kya hai ??

All: (slowly)Theeeeekkkkk haaaaiiiiiii.

S: 25^th done. A, An, J….lets meet this evening at my home to plan things out.

All: Okay.

No one knew how to start. They all left with a silent question….. Can we pull it off ???

............. to be continued.........

The Arrival.

2007-01-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

First School: TATA D.A.V. School, Sijua, Dhanbad, Jharkhand,INDIA
First prize: Consolation prize, Speech Competition,24th January,1992,Class II.
First Bicycle: Hero jet,ladies (it was bought for my sister),1995.
First Crush: Maa says she was the daughter of the principal of our school [:P], Class: U.K.G., 1989.
First Election: For the post of Dramatics Secretary, Patel Hall of Residence,IIT Kharagpur,August 2004, Lost.
First Street Play: For the theatre group BANJARA, 12th November,2004.
First Stage play: 14th January, 2005.
First time on camera: Self made short film--> 'Tedhi Baat', August,2006
First Industrial Experience: Research & Development,TATA STEEL, Jamshedpur, May-June,2006.
First Job: COVANSYS INDIA PVT. LTD., 15th January,2007, 7:45 pm IST (GMT +5:30)
----------------
Finally the good news arrived. I have got a Job and 'I am relieved' would be an understatement.
The New Year is now officially Happy.
And BTW did I tell you that since they were like 'No Formals Required'.... I gave my interview in a Light Pink and White checked Shirt over a Blue High-neck inner.... and light brown Trousers (I decided against going in wearing Floaters at the last moment).
The year has begun great.... lets see what more is in store.
Take care all you fabulous people...and Thanks for all your support and wishes. :)
c ya soon

Why?

2007-01-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

There were questions,
And the answers.
There were destinations,
And the paths.

There were labyrinths,
And the escape.
There were waves,
And the calm.

There were many more,
For sure.
But all I remember is Love,
Simple and pure.

It was deep,
And infinite as the skies.
O dear,
Why couldn't you understand my eyes.

------------------------------------
Feel free to crticize..... I know it's a very bad consequence of poetic induction.
Nevermind.

New Year version 2007 beta

2006-12-31T10:58:00.001-08:00

An year with a guarantee that my life will not be the same anymore.
An year which will define my course of life.
An year which will decide where I can be found 10 years down the line.
Welcome 2007....let's rock together.
But first of let's spare few moments to bid farewell to your younger sibling.... 2006 A.D.
An year which had started with a hope of getting an internship abroad...but nevermind.
An year which gave me my first 9 pointer.... thank you.
An year which gave me an internship where I learnt a lot.
An year which found me a long lost friend.... love you for that.
An year which unearthed the creative side of mine.
An year which showered me with honest and very nice compliments from even unknown quarters.
An year which strengthened some bonds beyond any fatigue whatsoever....I'll be indebted to you forever for that.
An year which made me understand myself a bit more than ever.
An year which ended with a promise to lead me to MY HORIZON.
An year which was .... Pretty Good...to say the least.
Good bye 2006... it was nice being with you.... will miss you throughout my life....love you.
Me and my wingies are bidding you farewell with a candle-light err....daaru-party(drinks) :D
....don't worry folks... I won't drink.
----------------------------------
I know it's cliched...but nevertheless....a tradition...so....
MAY THIS YEAR BRING WITH IT A LOT MORE THAN THE HAPPINESS,SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY THAT YOU WISH FOR :)

[BTW the 'beta' in the title is 'coz this new year will be 'Happy' in real sense when I'll get a job.]
c ya