Amused To Death - Pratish Menon Blogs

Return To Base

2009-03-20T12:35:00.001+05:30

And thus it happened that I moved back to Mumbai on the 4th of March, 2009. It's been good to catch up with old friends and reconnect on matters that are close to the heart. Quite a few changes afoot.

Yes, I moved jobs too. And I do admit that I miss Satyam. More on work later.

Futuristic Gmail

2009-02-24T20:08:00.003+05:30

Now we all know that Google has been pretty futuristic with their products (the Google phone MAY be an exception) but how about getting an email from the future? Well, that's what happened to me just now.

I just booked a ticket on IRCTC and got an email on my gmail id. Nothing out of the ordinary really, until I noticed the 'time stamp' on the email... See the pic below to know what I am talking about.

Email from the future? Now THAT would be cooool, eh?

In Paradise

2009-02-19T18:42:00.000+05:30

Relaaaaxxing with V... It's been a hectic weekend actually, got
married after all :)

For A Few Inches More...

2009-01-23T16:13:00.003+05:30

Now, now, don’t get any ideas from the title of this post. I haven’t gone the Shobha De / Irving Wallace way, at least, not just yet.

It so happened that a happy occasion is fast approaching and I need to get a suit stitched to look presentable for that day. While I had been ‘measured up’ by the tailor last week, he’d called me for the ‘fitting’ yesterday. So I went with V to check it out. I was quite excited, this was probably the best tailor in Hyderabad and he was supposed to be responsible for dressing some of the top honchos around.

After keeping us waiting for more than a few minutes, while he measured up a portly gentleman, the tailor cast his benign look on us. I slipped into the suit, he pinned up the lapel and propped me in front of the mirror.

“Hmmm…” I said, turning and preening. The fit certainly seemed right and my shoulders looked like those of Michael Jordan. Not bad, I thought. Then I noticed that something was amiss.

“I need half-an-inch-of-cuff to be shown below the sleeve of the coat”, said I.

The tailor looked at me as if I had just quoted an ancient Egyptian hymn to raise long buried mummies from the dead. “I didn’t understand, sir?”, was all he managed.

“See, the sleeve reaches way below my wrist. You’ll need to raise the end a little so that a bit of the cuff of my shirt can be seen below the sleeve of the coat,” I explained. ” Isn’t that the norm?”, I asked rhetorically.

“Sir, if you raise the sleeve, then the shirt cuff will show!”, he remonstrated. Clearly, he wasn’t quite getting it.

“My good man”, said I, “That’s how it’s supposed to be!” I had started to sound like an evangelist now. I thought I should give an illustration. “You see my watch? The cuff of the shirt would reach towards the lower end of the strap, right?”

“You don’t wear a watch when you’re wearing a coat, sir”, was his curt but enigmatic response.

“Forget the watch, I am just talking about where the cuff would reach. So if my cuff would reach till the end of the strap…”

“You don’t wear a watch when you’re wearing a coat, sir”, the tailor insisted stubbornly.

“Okay, I won’t. Will you just listen to me?”, I had started sounding quite defensive by now.

“Are you sure of yourself? I mean, he’s the tailor right? He’d know what to do…”, V interjected.

“That’s how everyone wears it here, sir”, the tailor added helpfully. He had a puzzled look on his face. I suspect he was sniffing to check if I was inebriated. He was probably thinking further how V could have found someone like me. A crass act, he must have thought to himself. What has the world come to?

Divine intervention was needed here. I definitely couldn’t stand the thought of standing in full public view without my half-inch sticking out. The cuff, I mean. The tailor was obviously not going to acknowledge that he was wrong. V was looking at me rather questioningly. The consultant in me needed to figure out a win-win scenario for all. And then I had a brainwave.

“You see, I need this to be done in European style!” I declared grandly. “That’s how Europeans wear it”, I added as if to explain what European style would be. “The catalogue..”, I pointed.

“Ohhhh…!! Why didn’t sir say so before?”. The tailor moved behind his protective desk and brought out the catalogues (which we had referred to in Session I, while choosing the form & cut for the suit).

V & I quickly thumbed through the catalogue. It featured a bunch of impossibly shaped, sculpted, Greek god-ish men trying to appear very casual, scowling and smiling in turn, all the while dressed in formal, impeccable suits. With the legendary half-inch showing. Of cuff.

“Oh, that’s what you’re talking about…” said V. Her confidence in my sanity seemed to have returned. Evidently, I had passed the test. We quickly went through the catalogue and selected a particular style. It would leave the appropriate part of the cuff exposed as desired.

“You’ll have it on the day after, sir”, the tailor seemed relieved. “I have not seen sir before, is sir new in Hyderabad?”, he seemed to imply that I was not quite versed with the ways of the city.

“No my dear man, I am from Mumbai. And thence I shalt return someday”, I might have added that ‘European style’ was de rigueur in Mumbai too, but then I wanted to look good on D-day, so I let it pass. I had enough of off-the-cuff remarks for a day.

(belated) Update

2009-01-14T22:46:00.001+05:30

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/we-respect-satyam-staff-as-professionals-murthy/82567-7.html

I love the pic ;)

Also read this

In defence of Satyam

2009-01-08T15:25:00.003+05:30

I rarely speak on professional issues in my blog; I have always believed in keeping the two very separate and as 'de-linked' as possible. So you may find links to my LinkedIn profile, but 'work stuff' is not something that finds place in my personal blog a lot.

I am, however, making an exception this time; for what has happened is truly exceptional. And I will choose my words very carefully.

As many of you will know, I work with the Corporate Strategy Group at Satyam Computer Services Ltd., till yesterday, regarded as one of India's leading IT Services providers. 24 hours ago, the Chairman, B Ramalinga Raju made a sensational disclosure on financial wrong-doings to the tune of over a billion dollars. It certainly stands out as one of India Inc's biggest corporate scandals (if not the biggest).

The media has covered the story, that actually started on December 16, 2008 - following his abortive bid to take over Maytas Properties & Maytas Infra, extensively and in great depth. Various corporate captains, analysts & politicians of all hues have gone on record with their opinions on this sordid episode.

And while the brouhaha reaches a crescendo, no one should forget one very important thing.

Satyam is NOT just Ramalinga Raju and a few others.

Satyam is a 50,000 strong company.

It will be extremely poor judgment and maybe even spiteful to comment on Satyam as a whole. To castigate, taint and cast aspersions on Satyam as a company does not do justice to the 49, 9XX odd associates who have absolutely NOTHING to do with the scandal. Associates, many of whom have put in the best years of their prime professional lives into the organization, associates who have worked as hard as any in the industry, aspiring towards a better tomorrow.

It is only perfectly understandable that Narayan Murthy and his ilk will jump at a chance to put down one of their strongest competitors, especially in today's economic scenario where customers (of IT/BPO services) are looking at reducing costs further by various means such as vendor consolidation, price cuts etc etc. Comments from Satyam's competitors seem to be clearly aimed at undermining customer confidence in Satyam. If this is what they have to say in public, one can only imagine what they and their sales folks would be communicating to customers.

I leave it to the 'wisdom' of the media to separate Satyam from its promoters. Yes, Ramalinga Raju played no insignificant role in building brand Satyam. However, punishing the brand is doing gross injustice to the fabulous work its associates have done, and continue to do.

Let 'Truth' prevail.

P.S. I have not bothered hyperlinking to relevant news articles. Just click here to get the entire dose of recent news on Satyam, courtesy Google News.

Ending the year

2008-12-23T19:03:00.002+05:30

Christmas is just a few days away and New Year's Eve is around the corner. What a year it has been!

While the year itself started on a slightly negative note, it managed to straighten up in the coming months. And while I have had some irreplaceable losses, I have found some irreplaceable joys too.

I met two amazing people this year. Both of them managed to touch my life in their own special ways. One shall stay with me for life and make it beautiful; the other, I can only pray for, while trying to accept the fact that we have been torn apart forever. You both know who you are, thank you V & K.

In a few days, we shall be done with the festivities; I, however, shall cherish them, because Christmas and New Year's will never be the same again.

And life, in its own indefatigable way has come full circle this year. My post on the visit to Sarva Jnana Peetham comes back with a pleasant surprise. A hidden message, perhaps.

I am not totally sure that I will be able to post later this year, though I sure hope to. So here goes folks - Wish You All A Very Merry Christmas and a Fantastic New Year! I pray for peace, prosperity and smiles for all.

P.S. The 'comments' section is functioning again. I was totally unaware that it wasn't, till today. Apologies to Meera and all the other folks who wanted to contact / comment and couldn't. I have also included an email address under my profile box for all those souls who'd want to contact me. Don't worry, I won't sell your email addresses to the telemarketers. May the Lord forgive those who sell mine :)

In The Name Of The Motherland

2008-12-02T13:48:00.004+05:30

I started writing this post at least five times and ended up deleting every single word I wrote. Not because I have nothing to say. Not because I have nothing new to say. Only because, I have too much to say and no words that I can muster up can do sufficient justice to my emotions and feelings at this point in time.

A Travesty Of Faith
It did not happen on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 – a date that will live in infamy in the history of my beloved India. The travesty has happened systematically for a long time, as successive governments and an assortment of politicians have (and I hate using this word, especially in this context) raped the nation; in the name of communalism, in the name of secularism, in the name of war, in the name of peace, in the name of regionalism, in the name of nationalism; we have been divided along multiple fault lines. While, on one hand, we may have prospered economically (though there may be debates on equitable distribution of wealth), on the other hand, we, the citizens of India have lost the right to live in security. Our elected class has done everything it can to undermine the faith we repose in them, a faith that our fundamental rights will not be transgressed and trampled upon. A few heads have rolled, perhaps more will be held accountable. Dirty linen may get washed in public as an internal blame-game ensues, but will it amount to little more than an eye-wash? A few politicians will speak righteously but they will only seek to divide the electorate further in a bid to seek votes in the coming elections. The political machinery will move in hackneyed and predictable ways; we, the citizens, shall be disappointed once again.

A Time For Change
Yes, that’s what it is all about. We need leaders who can usher in true change. Leaders, who can at least start off on the promise of change and then actually deliver on it. Barely a month ago, the United States voted for change, voted for less of the last 8 years, voted for a leader who was able to inspire and overcome years of prejudice and touch the hearts of every citizen of that country. As the largest democracy in the world, do we have such a leader in our midst? Do we have a leader who can unify the nation when it stands divided, have the heart and the will to bring in a radical reform across the government?

My blood boils when politicians talk about reform today, our PM (and I am restraining myself from qualifying the man) delivered an insipid and demotivating speech 18 hours after the attack in which he promised ‘Police reform’. He represents a government which has grudged a decent payscale to the very people who are responsible for protecting this country. Various commissions have highlighted the need to bring about some degree of parity in the pay scales of our armed forces; only to be rejected or placed in deep freeze. Is it then a surprise that, today, the youth of the country are reluctant to join the armed forces? Does it come as a shock that we see attrition in the forces as young officers give up their commissions in search of better opportunities, thanks to a thankless government? Is it really unexpected to find a general apathy in the youth of the country towards joining the public services, youth who feel that they will not be able to do justice to their roles, in a system that conspires to keep the best at bay, a system that works to disillusion and demote those who sincerely want to make a change.

Yes, reform is needed, economic & social. But above all, we need a reform in governance. We need reforms in the way our government functions. Reforms that ensure that our politicians remember that they are in power to SERVE the very citizens who have put them in power, not fill their insatiable coffers through greed and corruption.

We have some of the best brains in the world. Some of our organizations viz. BARC, DRDO, ISRO to name a few, have survived and thrived despite sanctions and various other odds, thanks to the determination & commitment of its scientists. Our IITs and IIMs churn out bright engineers and managers, who now lead some of the top companies in the world. Why then, do we have a challenge in recruiting and putting these brains to use in contributing to all-round development of the country and not merely on the economic front?

The Hour of Transformation, A Need for Commitment
Whether we like it or not, more than a fair share of the blame for this mess we find ourselves in, lies with us. A quick quiz to illustrate this, select your option from those below:

A) Join Politics
B) Join the bureaucracy (IAS/IFS etc.)
C) Join an Indian/foreign MNC

The answer is really obvious, isn’t it? I can safely say that at least 80% of us would choose option C. Yet, it is the 20% that is spread across options A & B who can lead the overhaul that this country so needs. The images that A & B conjure up in our head are not pleasant. The word ‘politics’, brings forth visuals of some of our most corrupt politicians, including an assortment of convicts, visuals of mobs, of dirt. The bureaucracy fares little better, bringing to mind images of paper pushers, of corruption (yet again!, no surprises though) and of interminable delays that plague the ‘system’.

Unfortunately, one cannot clean the system without getting dirty oneself. If we are to truly bring in change and transformation, we will need to change and transform ourselves first. There will be no change without us as responsible citizens of our beloved nation, being party to that change, leading that change from the front. Action is needed today, not words, and this action needs to be taken by us first, not the political and bureaucratic junta of India.

Today, we are presented with a leadership moment. There has been no better time than today to wake up, stand up and lead by example.

The Last & The Most
In concluding, I wish to pay tribute to the heroes who risked and laid their lives for the nation. The true heroes who believe in action, not words; they persevered against the odds and looked at death in the face without losing their nerve, without wavering in courage or determination. They, who restored the pride that was dented, the faith that has suffered and held together the nation as it wept in public.

You, my dear brothers and sisters in the armed forces, in khaki are the true heroes of this nation. You are the ones who stood up to be counted, selflessly and fearlessly; when it mattered the most. You are the true heroes of this nation. You, who serve silently and have endeared yourself time and again to the nation you swore to protect. We need more of you today.

You, who the nation celebrates in these testing times, I, a citizen of India, the very citizen you protect, salute you.

Jai Jawan! Jai Hind!

Join the Indian Army
Join the Indian Air Force
Join the Indian Navy

Happy Diwali!

2008-10-28T20:38:00.002+05:30

Happy Diwali to one and all. May the lights of Diwali shine through as a beacon of hope, prosperity, peace and goodwill for all of us.

Writing a new post on the 'economic meltdown'. Should be up this weekend.

Introducing Vanushka

2008-10-04T16:14:00.001+05:30

Introducing Vanushka
Originally uploaded by PratishMenon

Got her on my last trip to Mumbai. I did try and look for a guitar in London but wasn't too happy... settled for this black beauty from my favourite 'Peter Pereira & Sons' in Thane...

Vanushka, welcome to the family :) Here's to some rocking times with you, and hopefully I'll get my musical days back soon..

On My Mind

2008-07-25T14:30:00.002+05:30

Now Farhan Akhtar is not the best singer I have heard in my life but somehow he manages to bring 'soul' to this song from the yet-to-be-released Rock On! I have been listening to this continuously for the past two days, both at work and in the car :)

Tum ho toh
Gaata hai dil
Tum nahin
Toh geet kahan

Tum ho toh
Hai sab haasil
Tum nahin
Toh kya hai yahan

Tum ho toh hai
Sapnon ke jaisa haseen
Ek samaaa

Jo tum ho toh
Yeh lagta hai
Ke mil gayi har khushi
Jo tum na ho
Yeh lagta hai
Ke har khushi mein hai kami

Tumko hai maangti
Yeh zindagi

Tum ho toh
Raahen bhi hain
Tum nahin
Toh raste kahan

Tum ho toh
Yahan sab hi hai
Tum nahin
Toh kaun yahan

Tum ho toh hai
Har ek pal meherbaan
Yeh jahaan

Jo tum ho toh
Hawa ke bhi
Mohabbaton ka rang hai
Jo tum na ho
Toh phir koi
Na josh na umang hai

Tum mile toh mili
Yeh zindagi

Yeah yeah, I know it's mushy and all that, :P but then you do love 'Everything I Do', don't you?

It's a good idea to grab the music of Rock On!; done by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, it's one of the better works I have heard this year.

Which reminds me:
a) Watched Kismat Konnection - Avoidable
b) The Dark Knight - A tad too long at 2 hours & 39 minutes, but well worth your time & money. Recommended watching on IMAX.

More laterz. Cheerio!

A Way With Words - II

2008-06-23T15:19:00.001+05:30

She: "... what is love?"
He sighed deeply as he negotiated the turn, "Love... it's just a convenient word to express my feelings for you... it's convenient because when I say 'I love you', I am saying that I can't live without you, because what I feel for you defines me.. I don't know where you begin and I end.. that I can't think of a life without you and that every breath I take is a paean to what I feel for you... Love is just a word that helps me put entire sentences in a word. I might as well say 'I XYZ you' and it would mean the same.."

Parting Shot

2008-06-19T19:40:00.002+05:30

Didn't know I could save about 2.5 Gb of space by deleting conversations with one single person! Are 'YOU' listening? You're so kicked about Global Warming; maybe you should do the same. Reduce our carbon footprints, eh?

Always Billie

2008-06-18T11:22:00.001+05:30

This has to be one of my all time favourite songs; thanks Mimi for introducing me to the song. Always appreciated it, never more than..

Billie Holiday - Good Morning Heartache

Good morning heartache
You old gloomy sight
Good morning heartache
Thought we said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seems you heve gone
But here you are with the dawn
Wish I forget you, but youre here to stay
It seems I met you
When my love went away
Now everyday I stop Im saying to you
Good morning heartache whats new

Stop haunting me now
Cant shake you nohow
Just leave me alone
Ive got those monday blues
Straight to sunday blues
Good morning heartache
Here we go again
Good morning heartache
Youre the one
Who knows me well
Might as well get use to you hanging around
Good morning heartache
Sit down

A Way With Words

2008-06-17T16:22:00.001+05:30

She: "How can you be in love with someone you haven't spent time with?"
He: "I am in love with someone I want to spend time with"

He's a charmer, I tell you ;)

The Nation & The Media - Who Leads Who?

2008-06-16T10:56:00.004+05:30

At least sixty (some say it was eighty) people perished and around two hundred were injured when six bombs ripped through crowded marketplaces in Jaipur on May 13, 2008. The media relayed live images of the dead and the injured being taken into hospitals. A particular image of (who I imagine to be) a bereaved mother wailing outside a hospital remains etched in my memory - a grim reminder of the soft casualties of a grisly terror attack.

A little over a month later, there is almost no mention of the blasts or the efforts of the government in tracing the suspects. The media doesn't seem too interested either and like most blasts that happened in the past year, this one seems to be forgotten and will in all probability, remain unsolved with the perpetrators going scot free.

Cut to May 16, 2008 - the scene is the upmarket suburb of NOIDA, where a 14 year old girl is killed brutally in her own bed. The servant is suspected initially, till his own body is found on the terrace of the same flat, the following day. Once again, the media swings into action with polls, debates, interviews and what not. I speak, of course, of Aarushi and Hemraj here.

A month later, this piece of news is firmly plastered across news channels, with dedicated reporters covering the beat and trickling every single detail - every flip flop by the police, every nuance of criminal investigation and moving montages of the girl who was killed. Ekta Kapoor in her infinite practicality (and showing lack of sensibility as usual) grabbed the opportunity to weave in a story into one of her umpteen 'K serials', a move that was fortunately scuttled in time.

I can't help wondering today, who is leading who? Is it really the nation, that has connected to the trauma of the murder of a 14 year old girl, or is it a beast, made to order by the Indian media that 'believes' that this is the news that the nation should be concerned about? Can we really blame NDTV/CNN-IBN/Aaj Tak or their ilk for this state of affairs, or have we, as a nation just grown insensitive to an attack on our democracy? After all, bomb blasts do happen with alarming regularity, don't they?

Do not get me wrong. I do not in any way condone either acts, indeed, I find ghastly similarities between the two -one, an act of terror against the nation, by a bunch of misguided cowards, another, a cold blooded act of murder by - as yet unknown. Both acts were carried out by human beings with scant respect to life and their own selfish interests in mind. Both acts reinforce the sheer apathy towards human life, that we as a race have grown to embody. Every day, we, as a race, kill people - physically sometimes, emotionally mostly, to get ahead in life.

Yet, one act has horrified the nation, while the other is glanced at with a 'chalta hai' attitude.

As of the time this post was published, a Google news search for "Jaipur blasts" returns 524 results. A Google news search for "Aarushi" yielded 1,996 results.

The image of that mother comes to mind as I type this post, and I just know that something is terribly wrong somewhere. Blaming the media would be just passing the buck.

P.S. This post was on my mind these past two evenings; however, a 'forward' I got really triggered it off. See the images below to know what I am talking about.

Poem

2008-06-11T16:26:00.002+05:30

better to burn,
a spark, bright,
than fade, forgotten

Don't exactly feel like finding a 'suitable pic' for away..

Sarkar Raj - The Review

2008-06-07T09:41:00.004+05:30

Some crazy driving got me to Prasadz yesterday evening and we got into the theatre just as Victor Banerjee was discussing business with Aishwarya Rai. I should have guessed then, that this RGV flick was going to be studded with stars, some less brighter than the others.

For those of you who just want to know if you should watch this movie or not - yes, it's worth a once-watch. Hopefully, if you don't up-n-leave after the intermission, you'll be able to savor the storyline and some decent performances. You can skip the analysis and go buy a ticket, or you can read on..

The show stealer of the movie is definitely AB Senior. RGV has employed (what he calls his favourite) the art of close-ups and a combination of mounted & hand-held camerawork - presumably to make it grittier and all that (though my vote for best hand-held cinematography goes to Black Hawk Down). It does leave you feeling dizzy since the orientation keeps on changing all the time, though AB Sr's change in expressions is brought out well with the close-ups.

The rest of the star cast - with AB Jr., ARB, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Govind Namdeo, Upendra Limaye, Rajesh Shringapure and many more - do pull of a good job.

The movie itself is loosely based around an entire sequence of events revolving around a massive power project (Enron anyone?), the rise of a new politico (Raj saab?) and of course, the ensuing trials and tribulations of the Nagre family. Political manouevres, assassinations, executions and mob violence abound in the movie; juxtaposed with some unintentionally funny dialogues ("You can't make an omlette without breaking the egg") and the recurring cello-based 'Sarkar' themes. The 'Govinda Govindaa...' theme appears again and again. My favourite song though was 'Jalte Ravan' that is picturized on a rioting mob, protesting against the power project (Nandigram revisited?).

Thankfully, the movie does stick the plotline without deviating too much; the pieces of the puzzle fall together into the end to construct the 'chess board' as it were.

The movie ends with a threat of a sequel (or is it a threequel?). RGV manages to redeem himself with AB after the thundering disaster of RGV Ki Aag, though 'Sarkar Raj' is not a patch on the original.

I'd give it three stars out of five. Let me know what you thought about it :)

P.S. We're working today, on account of a 'forced' holiday last week. Working in office on Saturday sucks, but only lesser than working from home on Saturdays ;)

Now what do I call this one?

2008-06-06T16:33:00.002+05:30

Am seriously challenged when it comes to naming my blog posts these days. I am somehow resisting the temptation to give in and just call them Updates, Updates, Updates - II/III....MCMXVI... whatever.

Coz, right now, that's all I really have to offer.

Even the updates have begun getting boring. It's the same old stuff about work etc. Now, I did have a short (albeit interesting) business trip to Germany last week, and will probably be going to UK sometime in July. The trip was too short to really matter; I was visiting our office in Wiesbaden for a day long meeting. Took the Lufthansa early early flight from Hyderabad on May 26 and landed at Frankfurt, around 7:15 am. Unlike my past trips, I was accompanied by two colleagues so that made life a lot easier. We decided to explore the option of travelling by train to Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof... It was an interesting experience in itself. Each train to Wiesbaden Hbf arrived at a different track... so you had one at 8:59 on track 7 and the next one at 9:15 on track 3. If you missed the 8:59 by a whisker, you had to endure a long walk to track 3 (with luggage in tow) and probably miss that train too. All said and done, we reached W Hbf at about 10 past 10 am; had breakfast and had the good sense to take a cab to our hotel.

Day 1 was mostly spent in the confines of the conference room, gorging on pizza. Stephanie, our office administrator (and an ex-Lufthansa air hostess!) is a delightful lady and she made sure we were thoroughly pampered while we were there. We visited the city centre late evening (the sun set at 9:30 pm was not something we were totally prepared for).. hung around the oldest casino in Europe and landed up at Tapas, a lovely Spanish joint, for dinner.

Day 2 was the actual meeting itself, we ended up with having dinner at the Oranjerie - supposedly the most expensive restaurant in the city. Wiesbaden is supposed to be the second-most richest city in Germany, so you can imagine how Oranjerie would be :) All said and done, I got to taste some exotic recipes. Enough said.

Shopping? Zero. No time. I really did want to explore this super music store in the city, but it would shut by the time we packed up at work.

Took the 1125 Lufthansa back to Hyderabad on Wednesday and arrived on time at 2315. Got home by 1:15 and spent the rest of the night talking to a 'friend' ;)

What else? Nothing much. Just a bad cold that's bothering me some and threatening to infect the rest of my colleagues :)

Planning to watch Sarkar Raj in an hour, shall try and crawl back to post my 'review'.

Till then, adios and aloha.

Oh yes, did write this song though I am nowhere close to recording it. It's called 'Spaced Out Princess' and it's mostly a work of fiction. Happy S?
She didn't wish goodbye,
When she left,
She wouldn't show the tears,
In her eyes,

She wouldn't even stay,
To hear me say,
That I was gonna miss her,
Anyway

Now that she's gone,
The emptiness rings,
Beyond those shifting sands,
A lonely gypsy sings,

She's a spaced-out-princess
I wish I could read her mind
But she's flown beyond the Milky Way
She's left me far behind

And I didn't even see it coming,
I could only watch her go,
She's a spaced-out-princess,
Why'd she have to go

I will never know,
If she loved,
Did she give her heart,
But in vain,

I hope she finds a place,
To call her own,
And she's at peace at last,
In her zone,

Dried tears on the pillow,
Mutely testify,
No honey dipped excuses,
Could ever justify,

She's a spaced-out-princess
I wish I could read her mind
But she's flown beyond the Milky Way
She's left me far behind

And I didn't even see it coming,
I could only watch her go,
She's a spaced-out-princess,
Why'd she have to go

Cheerio!

A New Record

2008-05-07T19:49:00.003+05:30

I don't know about others, but I think I just set a new record for myself (if not the whole city) by driving from home to work and back for three consecutive days (that's six trips for the ones slow at math) without using my horn even once!

For those of you living in high GDP-per-capita economies, this may sound unusual. 'Blow the horn?', one may ask. 'What's the big deal!?', may ask another, and so on...

Well, for reasons well documented in this blog (refer to posts in July '07), driving in Hyderabad is nothing short of a minor nightmare, with the total lack of road sense displayed by motorists...especially those on two wheels. It's practically impossible to drive a coupla kilometres without a scare or two. QED.

Life in the past month or more since I posted has not been exactly easygoing. Working on a very interesting 'engagement' (no, I am not getting engaged) which is taking up days, nights and twilights of my time. Hectic as hell for sure, but fun nevertheless. Quite a bit of learning on various fronts.

Won a bet with a rather interesting person that she wouldn't recognize me when she saw me, haha, that was fun.

It's my parents' wedding anniversary today, yaiy! Got some surprises for them :)

Some travel planned for the end of the month, fingers crossed on whether that comes through. Hopefully, yes. Hyderabad is getting bloody hot, need to get out for some time. Anyone for a trip to Ladakh?

Pregnant Men

2008-03-27T10:17:00.001+05:30

The first one's interesting.

The second one's just hilarious!

Updates updates updates

2008-02-22T10:41:00.001+05:30

The past few weeks have been quite hectic. Work has soared to an all-time high (at least in this job) and 14 hour days with no weekends was the norm. It seems to be regularizing now.

The last week was particularly hectic with our annual strategy summit - Open Minds 2008 happening. The event is owned, coordinated, facilitated, conducted and generally pretty much the baby of the team I work with. I was designated as the support for the Emcee, which meant dealing with last minute schedule changes, script writing and generally putting on best behaviour, Sunday clothes and all. Key highlights of the three day event were:
a) Dinner with Kevin Freiberg
b) Lunch with Ram Charan
c) Evening with Som Mittal
d) A very special evening with Niladri Kumar, Vikku Vinayakram, V Selvaganesh and accompanying artistes.

The sessions were great and while some gave me new perspectives & ideas, some reinforced basic beliefs. I shall be writing about those soon.

As you can imagine, there hasn't been much of 'life' other than this in the past few weeks.

My July post on 'Driving In Hyderabad' won me a dinner prize from 040 - Explocity's Hyderabad publication. Wondering when I will take that up. Thanks Renu for letting me know that I won!

Working on some interesting ideas (partly from need, partly to keep myself busy); shall keep you all posted on those as we go along.

9 lives

2008-01-20T16:24:00.001+05:30

Sitting inside the waiting room at kundapura railway station, waiting
for the matsyagandha express to come in half an hour. Hope to reach by
tomorrow early morning.

back to hyd on tue. The trip was great for the peace it brought. Life
goes on, it always must.

Anju's playing with a cat, simple pleasures of life. When was the last
time i played with a cat? Cant remember; though i did play with
brinkley the lab last week when i was in mumbai.

note: i hv spent more days in mumbai this new year than i hv in hyd.

note +: nothing can beat mumbai, horribly crowded bad roads notwithstanding.

Live from sarva jnana peetham

2008-01-19T12:20:00.001+05:30

After an arduous climb, finally reached here... One place that's
guaranteed to bring me peace each time i come...

a little boy pujari blows a balloon serenely, n airtel gprs works. How
times change :)

praying for peace.

Taxi!

2008-01-19T05:45:00.001+05:30

Just got into an ancient ambassador taxi, on our way to kollur
mookambika kshetram. Shall be back in mumbai on monday where many woes
beckon.

Planning on trekking today, hopefully I can still make it.

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