I feel like James Bond. Undercover, having things shaken not stirred and women checking me out and saying “Hot”! And the rest of the story is the other dialogues that go with it like, “You need another blanket?”, “How many times have you had that syrup?” and “Shit, he needs another paracetamol!” As i manage to sit up after 2 days with my laptop open, I think a brief update is in order.
I’ve been struck by the cowardly disease that sounds like socks (thank God it doensn’t smell like) and it couldn’t have chosen a wrong timing. Fifa worldcup finals! Knowing the Fucchas! My 24th birthday! Work (ahem)! For all those of you who are doing an “awwwwww”- its ok people, shit happens. I’ll clarify at my own pace. As i always say, its a matter of perspective :)
Ever since I read the Christmas Carol in class XI (awesome English book for CBSE), I had until recently, the image of some ghost (A bearded ghost with a tuxedo) showing me clips from my past, my present and future. Until recently was cos, recently i saw the movie Ghost of Girlfriends Past and it gave new fears :P Anyways, as the doctor wrote down “to be kept in isolation” after confirming my fear , i couldn’t help recall the images painted by ghosts of Christmas future and was rethinking a few of my I-don’t-give-a-damn outbursts.
Shillong is a small and beautiful place. And i’ve been given a room in our institute guest house with a beautiful view and it seems almost like a resort. Well almost is true, cos I haven’t done much but sleep or stare out the window or raise fuss – much more like an asylum, while the Hellboy signs show up and bringing down the standard of my PJs. (for those of you who want to clear their throats at this point, a nice warm hug from me!)
I can’t believe the westerners call India, the land of superstitions, when the entire attention before every match of the FIFA WC is on an octa pedal squishy thingy that has no clue about football. Seriously if squids were to play football they’ll be yellow carded for fouls on themselves! And yet, it has been accurate so far in this WC. My heart broke to see the Germans go down to an out of form Spain. Or thats probably the reason why i couldn’t see the match! With sucky streaming and the effect of the dosage, while Spain slowly eroded Germany, I was sleeping my way to glory. Now that Germans have squashed Uruguay, I know i want Spain to win the trophy, but that match according to me befit the final.
As for my 24th birthday, ppl had trouble believing it was my 24th, it was made better thanks to the stream of calls and teaser party at 12 by the awesome 66. Of course my fairy tale memories for the day seem more like pages out of Sleeping beauty, snow white and whichever tale that involves sleeping. (My parents thought Panchatantra made more sense for me and so i had to catch the others a bit later on Zee! Does anyone remember the Zee or Jain TV’s tales from across the globe?) Small highs and state on unconsciousness made the lows seem far away. Oh a special mention of the toast i got from the chocolate boy of Awesome 66. Without the adjectives used – my blog, my pjs and the earlier said i-don’t-give-a-damn outbursts were mentioned and i was gloating :D
Since my blogs are already pretty long, here’s me cutting it short by mentioning some of the people who are integral to me striding through. Firstly my guardian angels – Sreethala and Priyanka – Thank God they got it before me. Followed by Samita, Sai Garu, Veena, Abha and Esha who think it is better to share updates, gossips and cruel judgements about people here in the ‘isolation’ place than in a party full of people :) A generic thanks to the Awesome 66 and my profs for the best wishes. As i have said before, I consider myself lucky.
Here’s me saying “te deseo lo mejor” to Spain. (courtesy: the Spanish Dictionary)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Dawned!
I had a discussion with a friend of mine about how blogs tell you much more about the writer than they ever intend to reveal. A blog is more like the wardrobe malfunction for models. So, when I decided to write this blog, when am terribly unhappy about certain happenings and feel let down, probably cos I expected where i had no right expecting, I guess, I know the consequences. Reading it as a continuation of my Lessons from my life blog is too early.
Being a manager is a hierarchical thing. Being a leader is a long process. But being a pain in the posterior is not that tough. However for the pain to be taken seriously and allowed to sustain, say like an injection for a disease, u need to have a context. Even if you are convinced it is essential, it does not cease to be a pain! I know without context this seems much like Confusious’s worldly wisdom, but i am starting to believe Confusious, Aristotle and the likes were mere mortals who saw deeply into life due to certain blessed souls :P
Power is perceived. If today Himesh Reshammiya can still churn out movie after movie of his own howling and still make statements as to how he is undefeatable, that is cos he thinks he is in a position of power thanks to the audience who look for an empty ac hall to sit to beat the heat. When someone can perceive power, so can they perceive powerlessness. People go to great lengths to make believe the other person is powerless. Silence is not always the sign of the weak.
Belief and intent have nothing to do with the outcome. Raavan is a beautiful movie (I loved it), but that does not mean it is going to be a blockbuster movie. Mani Sir, needs to be content with himself for the audience it was intended for liked it. Just because a movie critic doesn’t get it, there is no point in trying to convince him. Number of people who agree to an idea is inconsequential if the relevant few don’t! Does not again mean the idea is irrelevant.
Perception is overrated. Related to the previous point, it makes for a mask that makes Jim Carrey look professional! But do we want to know people without their masks? Can’t we let them wear it? Cos underneath most is an ugly face. No, this is not like Shilpa Shetty without makeup. Once you know the true face, it doesn’t seem worth it, to try to manage their perception about you.
For all the people, who couldn’t make head or tail of it, the gist of it – Its a bad bad world. If you are straight (in all means), life ain’t easy! :D
Being a manager is a hierarchical thing. Being a leader is a long process. But being a pain in the posterior is not that tough. However for the pain to be taken seriously and allowed to sustain, say like an injection for a disease, u need to have a context. Even if you are convinced it is essential, it does not cease to be a pain! I know without context this seems much like Confusious’s worldly wisdom, but i am starting to believe Confusious, Aristotle and the likes were mere mortals who saw deeply into life due to certain blessed souls :P
Power is perceived. If today Himesh Reshammiya can still churn out movie after movie of his own howling and still make statements as to how he is undefeatable, that is cos he thinks he is in a position of power thanks to the audience who look for an empty ac hall to sit to beat the heat. When someone can perceive power, so can they perceive powerlessness. People go to great lengths to make believe the other person is powerless. Silence is not always the sign of the weak.
Belief and intent have nothing to do with the outcome. Raavan is a beautiful movie (I loved it), but that does not mean it is going to be a blockbuster movie. Mani Sir, needs to be content with himself for the audience it was intended for liked it. Just because a movie critic doesn’t get it, there is no point in trying to convince him. Number of people who agree to an idea is inconsequential if the relevant few don’t! Does not again mean the idea is irrelevant.
Perception is overrated. Related to the previous point, it makes for a mask that makes Jim Carrey look professional! But do we want to know people without their masks? Can’t we let them wear it? Cos underneath most is an ugly face. No, this is not like Shilpa Shetty without makeup. Once you know the true face, it doesn’t seem worth it, to try to manage their perception about you.
For all the people, who couldn’t make head or tail of it, the gist of it – Its a bad bad world. If you are straight (in all means), life ain’t easy! :D
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Mumbai – Memories
After a blog that made as much sense to people as an Organizational Behaviour session on paradigm shift, I am back to cat-rat-bat writing.
My stint at Mumbai comes to an end today and I know the entire Mumbai chapter is going to play in front of my eyes much like a sitcom end! You can see the obvious positives and negatives, what could have beens and the people. The image of Mumbai I will carry is from Maratha Mandir where we watched DDLJ in its 758th week. Not that of conniving taxi drivers or scheming businessmen, but of romantics who cheer for Raj against Kuljeet, who plead Bavji to leave Simran, who grin when Simran sings “Chodo ji chodo, ab gaooge kya gaana” in antakshri, who hum (humming kind hum) tujhe dekha to yeh everytime the background score appears. And at the end of the movie we were all grinning! You can’t take bollywood (or kollywood or any wood) out of Indians
I encountered some of the best people i could hope to meet, here in this city. These people, I hope, unlike Ogden Nash’s hoped hopen, will not be just leaf in the book but the storyline itself. As Karan says in Hum Tum – “jitney choti ya lambi kyun na ho, humari koi kahani hogi zaroor”. Thanks to IIT DC++, I watched some of my old favourite movies again.
I need to make a mention of my luck with bosses. I’ve had people who have been extremely objective and a lot patient. Including my colleague, when people tell me, I’m a manager’s nightmare, I can’t help but gloat. My exit interview was probably the best learning about myself where the feedbacks were bang-on and constructive. Hope my luck continues (atleast at the corporate level!) As Woody Allen says in Match point “The man who said ‘I’d rather be lucky than good’ saw deeply into life”
The last one week in Mumbai, found me and my friend roaming the roads of Mumbai (not the tourist way). Mumbai heat is quite unforgiving! So when our prime food became ganne ka juice and vada/samosa pav, I was taking a thrill in such a living. There was a vibe that was just there, not the connectable one, but it is more like the feeling of a surgeon doing an open heart surgery, holding the beating heart in his hand. Ok, that was too much. I was just waiting for an AC room to get into where I can dry off, complaining – but in retrospect seemed more revealing! As Woody Allen says “Life is understood only backwards. It is only the movement that is forward”
These two months for me are not way different from my days at Bangalore, Shillong or Chennai. Seen the best and worst of emotions, hung around ice cream shops way after midnight, lived on 7Rs samosas and 8Rs Paratas, haunted the IIT campus in groups talking nonstop nonsense, caught the IPL finals and enjoyed the uncertainty of reaching back, gave gyan to people with brilliant potential, listened to gyan from people who thought I had brilliant potential, captured every tourist’s imagination, formed gangs out of thin air, toiled hard, grinned while toiling, opened up a bit, bit my tongue a lot, owned coffee house(s), found new places to love, new people to love, committed mistakes, realized mistakes, pointed out mistakes... (Tried out the voiceover of some ad that I can’t place – Mastercard?) OSO style - "Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!"
As I was telling my friend yesterday, everything kind of comes down to “at-the-end-of-the day”. My Mumbai has too many memories – nostalgic and otherwise too. As i bid adieu to this place (for now atleast) I loved my time here, although it was not the city that I connected with. People make the city and I’m glad I had the people I had. I wouldn’t change anything about the last two months, not one frame!
My stint at Mumbai comes to an end today and I know the entire Mumbai chapter is going to play in front of my eyes much like a sitcom end! You can see the obvious positives and negatives, what could have beens and the people. The image of Mumbai I will carry is from Maratha Mandir where we watched DDLJ in its 758th week. Not that of conniving taxi drivers or scheming businessmen, but of romantics who cheer for Raj against Kuljeet, who plead Bavji to leave Simran, who grin when Simran sings “Chodo ji chodo, ab gaooge kya gaana” in antakshri, who hum (humming kind hum) tujhe dekha to yeh everytime the background score appears. And at the end of the movie we were all grinning! You can’t take bollywood (or kollywood or any wood) out of Indians
I encountered some of the best people i could hope to meet, here in this city. These people, I hope, unlike Ogden Nash’s hoped hopen, will not be just leaf in the book but the storyline itself. As Karan says in Hum Tum – “jitney choti ya lambi kyun na ho, humari koi kahani hogi zaroor”. Thanks to IIT DC++, I watched some of my old favourite movies again.
I need to make a mention of my luck with bosses. I’ve had people who have been extremely objective and a lot patient. Including my colleague, when people tell me, I’m a manager’s nightmare, I can’t help but gloat. My exit interview was probably the best learning about myself where the feedbacks were bang-on and constructive. Hope my luck continues (atleast at the corporate level!) As Woody Allen says in Match point “The man who said ‘I’d rather be lucky than good’ saw deeply into life”
The last one week in Mumbai, found me and my friend roaming the roads of Mumbai (not the tourist way). Mumbai heat is quite unforgiving! So when our prime food became ganne ka juice and vada/samosa pav, I was taking a thrill in such a living. There was a vibe that was just there, not the connectable one, but it is more like the feeling of a surgeon doing an open heart surgery, holding the beating heart in his hand. Ok, that was too much. I was just waiting for an AC room to get into where I can dry off, complaining – but in retrospect seemed more revealing! As Woody Allen says “Life is understood only backwards. It is only the movement that is forward”
These two months for me are not way different from my days at Bangalore, Shillong or Chennai. Seen the best and worst of emotions, hung around ice cream shops way after midnight, lived on 7Rs samosas and 8Rs Paratas, haunted the IIT campus in groups talking nonstop nonsense, caught the IPL finals and enjoyed the uncertainty of reaching back, gave gyan to people with brilliant potential, listened to gyan from people who thought I had brilliant potential, captured every tourist’s imagination, formed gangs out of thin air, toiled hard, grinned while toiling, opened up a bit, bit my tongue a lot, owned coffee house(s), found new places to love, new people to love, committed mistakes, realized mistakes, pointed out mistakes... (Tried out the voiceover of some ad that I can’t place – Mastercard?) OSO style - "Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost!"
As I was telling my friend yesterday, everything kind of comes down to “at-the-end-of-the day”. My Mumbai has too many memories – nostalgic and otherwise too. As i bid adieu to this place (for now atleast) I loved my time here, although it was not the city that I connected with. People make the city and I’m glad I had the people I had. I wouldn’t change anything about the last two months, not one frame!
Friday, May 21, 2010
I can be your Hero!
Okay, the imagery that it brings to me is a Saturday morning at IIM Shillong with me trying to block out this song rendered with all passion by my friend, with a misnomer of a name, from the bathroom, unaware of the efforts of mine to sleep longer! Fan of your singing, buddy! :)
Imagery apart, the spark for this piece came from the by now famous cancer patient about whom Sachin tweeted! Sachin, the little master, “God”, the Great – words that we use without a second thought. Such love, such passion and such emotions - that surge up much like a shaken up can of coke from most Indians at his sight! To me, a fan of his cricket, he is on his way to becoming a hero. Because in this country a hero is above mortals, a person infallible and for whom vices donot exist and the believers are going to give their blind devotion and love so unselfish.
I remember a couple of years ago, me and my roomie in Bangalore had a discussion about religions and stories. What stopped a king, who was a obedient son, to have his wife kidnapped and then fight a battle to get her back? (Am super excited by Raavan btw) And add to that he was a mortal who asked to prove her "purity" before taking her back? What stopped a shepherd who sees the people fighting to say its cool not to fight and live in harmony? I’m not talking against beliefs, but I’m talking about our love for heroes.
What’s the fun in telling a kid there is no Santa Clause? Or as Chandler does, telling a kid he is adopted? :P I can point out 100 politicians! But somehow there is this void wherein we are not ready to accept the people for what they are. If we love them for their actions, we tend to try to love them overlooking the shortcomings, thus raising them above the lot! I’m talking only about heroes here. But somehow that trend, though is inconsequential, is not fair I guess. Cos in some cases, the other ppl wake up to the reality and either go thru the phases of denial, anger etc or hate. All this no fault of the guy/girl we chose to judge. Take Dhoni’s case for instance!
Speaking of heroes, superheroes are getting more and more real! Ironman with his narcissist wit (awesome), Batman who is battling his own demons(amazing), Spiderman who is in his own web (yuck), superheroes are becoming more relatable atleast with their problems.I remember the scene from Pyar ke side effects where Ranvir shorey and co discuss why superheroes can’t be married! Rofl scene.
It is fine for people who have borne the burden of being an hero (to the masses) to bare their life and lead a life of irrational expectations. What makes it worth it is after your time, your faults would be totally forgotten and only the fame remains. Who knows, you can end up being a God! Two relevant quotes from Batman – “It is not who you are but what you do that defines you” and “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”.
Oh on a corollary,if you hate a person, whatever they do, even if they are reaching out to help, people tend to take offense. (You there, you know who and what I’m talking about :P) – Sorry this was like a msg in the bottle (I want to do a public infomercial). I guess it is upto us to respect the actions and ideas separately from the person. So if Sachin is tweeting about a cancer patient, so are 1000s of people everyday! Lets be a bit more open minded and reduce the burden on our heroes. Tough to believe - but they are in fact human :)
Imagery apart, the spark for this piece came from the by now famous cancer patient about whom Sachin tweeted! Sachin, the little master, “God”, the Great – words that we use without a second thought. Such love, such passion and such emotions - that surge up much like a shaken up can of coke from most Indians at his sight! To me, a fan of his cricket, he is on his way to becoming a hero. Because in this country a hero is above mortals, a person infallible and for whom vices donot exist and the believers are going to give their blind devotion and love so unselfish.
I remember a couple of years ago, me and my roomie in Bangalore had a discussion about religions and stories. What stopped a king, who was a obedient son, to have his wife kidnapped and then fight a battle to get her back? (Am super excited by Raavan btw) And add to that he was a mortal who asked to prove her "purity" before taking her back? What stopped a shepherd who sees the people fighting to say its cool not to fight and live in harmony? I’m not talking against beliefs, but I’m talking about our love for heroes.
What’s the fun in telling a kid there is no Santa Clause? Or as Chandler does, telling a kid he is adopted? :P I can point out 100 politicians! But somehow there is this void wherein we are not ready to accept the people for what they are. If we love them for their actions, we tend to try to love them overlooking the shortcomings, thus raising them above the lot! I’m talking only about heroes here. But somehow that trend, though is inconsequential, is not fair I guess. Cos in some cases, the other ppl wake up to the reality and either go thru the phases of denial, anger etc or hate. All this no fault of the guy/girl we chose to judge. Take Dhoni’s case for instance!
Speaking of heroes, superheroes are getting more and more real! Ironman with his narcissist wit (awesome), Batman who is battling his own demons(amazing), Spiderman who is in his own web (yuck), superheroes are becoming more relatable atleast with their problems.I remember the scene from Pyar ke side effects where Ranvir shorey and co discuss why superheroes can’t be married! Rofl scene.
It is fine for people who have borne the burden of being an hero (to the masses) to bare their life and lead a life of irrational expectations. What makes it worth it is after your time, your faults would be totally forgotten and only the fame remains. Who knows, you can end up being a God! Two relevant quotes from Batman – “It is not who you are but what you do that defines you” and “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”.
Oh on a corollary,if you hate a person, whatever they do, even if they are reaching out to help, people tend to take offense. (You there, you know who and what I’m talking about :P) – Sorry this was like a msg in the bottle (I want to do a public infomercial). I guess it is upto us to respect the actions and ideas separately from the person. So if Sachin is tweeting about a cancer patient, so are 1000s of people everyday! Lets be a bit more open minded and reduce the burden on our heroes. Tough to believe - but they are in fact human :)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Mumbai Musings
Ok, Enough is enough. Without a net connection at hostel, I’ve put off writing the craziness of this city as seen thru my crazy perspective. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mumbai is every romantic’s love sonnet and every paranoid’s adrenaline rush. To a management student like me it is, simply put, theory of constrains :P
First thing that catches your attention here is the people bulging out of every space that is ever available. This is far far bigger than Bangalore but every inch of the space is competed for! More like a fat lady in a corset (God! What’s with me and similes today?!) And the pulse of the city, though every 2nd rate author to 1st rate bloggers have already referred to it. I know 1.30 in the night, I will reach my destination in a crowded bus with company. A city, I might not prefer for the long haul of my life, but am super excited about the short term here!
3 weeks here already and so much we have done! When I say we, i include the gang from IIM Shillong (PGP09 Mumbai Chapter), my team from internship and my split personality (the one who works). Not a weekends has gone where we have not taken in the Mumbai heat in our efforts to discover this city. Thanks to a guy who hasn’t been to a beach ever before we’ve hit almost all the major beaches in Mumbai, including the Priyanka Chopra (my pulse picked up a notch) starrer Aksa Beach! I must say its by far the cleanest beach here in Mumbai and thankfully a lot less crowded. Ferry ride, elephant caves, the gateway, malls, chat shops, HN – check!
Food in this city, as my friend says, u can find costly or cheap but never bad. However coffee has been a bit of let down here. Until recently when i discovered, thanks to my boss, Gloria Jean’s Coffee! Staying close to Hirnanandani at IIT Powai, I’ve discovered a few pleasures that are going to pinch my purse i guess. After a few coaxing sessions to get people there, I kind of realize not everybody is crazy about a good coffee as me. So today morning I hit a new high :D On a Sunday morning, I woke up at 7, took a book to GJC and settled down with a hot steaming Cappuchino! The view from this place is awesome and I’ve been grinning ever since that!
Oh and ya, now finally for the kicker. Watched the IPL Finals live in DY Patil Stadium!! :D :D and making it hyper-awesome is the fact that CSK ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Live performances and the arrangement was gala to say the least! Although we were the minority by a great margin, somehow we managed to have our voices heard. I wanted Sachin to play and so awesomely he did. So a totally awesome result :) Though travel did bite us pretty much and I felt discriminated against for the first time by the locals, I will let it pass. Anyways this i think will be the end of the IPL as we know it. With more games being played off the field, I fear IPL will become more of a monstrosity that is loathed with a few corporate houses going broke. Only time will tell.
I have just completed 3 weeks here. 6 more to go and in a way i think i will be counting the time left. Not that I don’t like the place, but somehow I don’t feel the connect. I felt it in Bangalore. I feel it in Shillong. Here, this city, it scares me a bit. I love it much like a crush on a teacher for a 10 year old – It’s nice and exciting but you know it would not work out. Some brilliant people I have met and am learning at every turn – by mistakes or otherwise. McD.
First thing that catches your attention here is the people bulging out of every space that is ever available. This is far far bigger than Bangalore but every inch of the space is competed for! More like a fat lady in a corset (God! What’s with me and similes today?!) And the pulse of the city, though every 2nd rate author to 1st rate bloggers have already referred to it. I know 1.30 in the night, I will reach my destination in a crowded bus with company. A city, I might not prefer for the long haul of my life, but am super excited about the short term here!
3 weeks here already and so much we have done! When I say we, i include the gang from IIM Shillong (PGP09 Mumbai Chapter), my team from internship and my split personality (the one who works). Not a weekends has gone where we have not taken in the Mumbai heat in our efforts to discover this city. Thanks to a guy who hasn’t been to a beach ever before we’ve hit almost all the major beaches in Mumbai, including the Priyanka Chopra (my pulse picked up a notch) starrer Aksa Beach! I must say its by far the cleanest beach here in Mumbai and thankfully a lot less crowded. Ferry ride, elephant caves, the gateway, malls, chat shops, HN – check!
Food in this city, as my friend says, u can find costly or cheap but never bad. However coffee has been a bit of let down here. Until recently when i discovered, thanks to my boss, Gloria Jean’s Coffee! Staying close to Hirnanandani at IIT Powai, I’ve discovered a few pleasures that are going to pinch my purse i guess. After a few coaxing sessions to get people there, I kind of realize not everybody is crazy about a good coffee as me. So today morning I hit a new high :D On a Sunday morning, I woke up at 7, took a book to GJC and settled down with a hot steaming Cappuchino! The view from this place is awesome and I’ve been grinning ever since that!
Oh and ya, now finally for the kicker. Watched the IPL Finals live in DY Patil Stadium!! :D :D and making it hyper-awesome is the fact that CSK ARE THE CHAMPIONS! Live performances and the arrangement was gala to say the least! Although we were the minority by a great margin, somehow we managed to have our voices heard. I wanted Sachin to play and so awesomely he did. So a totally awesome result :) Though travel did bite us pretty much and I felt discriminated against for the first time by the locals, I will let it pass. Anyways this i think will be the end of the IPL as we know it. With more games being played off the field, I fear IPL will become more of a monstrosity that is loathed with a few corporate houses going broke. Only time will tell.
I have just completed 3 weeks here. 6 more to go and in a way i think i will be counting the time left. Not that I don’t like the place, but somehow I don’t feel the connect. I felt it in Bangalore. I feel it in Shillong. Here, this city, it scares me a bit. I love it much like a crush on a teacher for a 10 year old – It’s nice and exciting but you know it would not work out. Some brilliant people I have met and am learning at every turn – by mistakes or otherwise. McD.
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