The silver lining - link repaired

Life sometimes hands us a lemon. Only a few of us, however, are able to make lemonade out of it. This was the thought that came to my mind when I saw the following link:

Alam's time on national tv

Lage raho, Alam bhai!!

Monday morning

I write this on a dreary Monday morning. There is plenty of work to be done, but little enthusiam for it. The week stretches out long and onerous ahead, and five days look like eternity. Monday mornings often do this to me.

Interestingly, the 5 day week is a relatively recent phenomenon. Not too long ago, it was usual for people to go to office 6 days of the week. I wonder how people would stand Mondays then!! The history of the short work week is a violent one. Organized labour in countries like Britain, Australia, the US and Europe had to struggle long and hard for limiting the legal work day to 10 hours. Robert Owen (a Welsh socialist and social reformer), first proposed the 8 hour workday way back in 1817 (God bless his soul!!). He coined the slogan Eight hours labour, Eight hours recreation, Eight hours rest. Due to his efforts, the working day came down to 12 hours, then 10 hours in different countries one at a time. However the idea took time to mature.

At its convention in Chicago in 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions resolved that "eight hours shall constitute a legal day's labour from and after May 1, 1886, and that we recommend to labour organizations throughout this jurisdiction that they so direct their laws as to conform to this resolution by the time named."

There was a massive parade of 80,000 workers in Chicago on May 1, 1886, what is regarded as the first-ever modern May Day Parade, in support of the eight-hour day. In the next few days they were joined nationwide by 350,000 workers who went on strike at 1,200 factories, including 70,000 in Chicago, 45,000 in New York, 32,000 in Cincinnati, and additional thousands in other cities. Some workers gained shorter hours (eight or nine) with no reduction in pay; others accepted pay cuts with the reduction in hours.

The real impetus came, not surprisingly, from market forces and the father of capitalism.On January 5, 1914, the Ford Motor Company took the radical step of doubling pay to $5 a day, and cut shifts from nine hours to an eight hour day, moves that were not popular with rival companies, although seeing the increase in Ford's productivity, most soon followed suit.

France, of course, took the lead in legislating 35 hour work weeks, ironically enough, not out of any altruistic motives, but as a means to combat unemployment!! Most European countries have 40 hour work weeks, while the US has usually 50 hour work weeks. Of course, we in India have 65-70 hour work weeks on average (outside of Government service).

I hope this changes soon, and we move to 35 hour work weeks like our French brethren! For now, of course, this looks like a pipe dream. I'll settle with getting through Monday mornings :-(

Note: italicized portions of the post are courtesy Wikipedia

Flash of insight

The last word has not been said on the war of the cities. Although I make no secret of my preference for Delhi over Bombay, I think I've been successful in becoming friends with Mumbai. We understand each other better now :-)

I've been spending a lot of time recently in Mumbai. Although I live (at someone else's expense!) in the tony southermost part of the city, I have been travelling a lot by local train and autorickshaw, visiting the suburbs. On one of the local train journeys, hanging on to a thin pole (my only anchor against approximately 5000 people who seemed to want to push me off the running train), trying not to breathe in the stench from the tracks, and longing for a sight of land that was not covered in garbage, I finally had the eureka moment.

Mumbai is loved because it is the city of dreams. Survival in this great city requires you to rise above the mundane parts of life. The garbage, stench, crowds, heat and dust - all are mere trifles that necessarily must be overcome if one is to stay sane. An escape from reality becomes a must, and what better escape from reality than through dreams. I have not met many people local to this city who do not dream of great rewards or accomplishments for their toil. And the city of such beautiful dreams necessarily needs to be beautiful.

Mumbai's greatness lies in the fact that dreams could actually come true here. It is a truly green city - only the green is not provided by mother nature, but by the great god Mammon!!

I dont love Mumbai any more than I did before, but I think we understand each other better now :-)

The Good German

I almost missed this gem!!

Even though today is a working day, I went out to watch 'The Good German' in the multiplex close by. The two hours it took away from my day were repaid in ample measure by this searing movie set in 1945 in Berlin.

The movie is in black and white, and stars George Clooney, Tobey Maguire and Cate Blanchett, and is the fifth Steven Soderbergh movie I've seen (Traffic, Syriana, Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve being the other ones). Apart from Ocean's Twelve, which was so-so, all the others have been brilliant movies.

The movie is set in post-war Berlin, and is a tale of murder, intrigue and mystery. It is Hitchcock-like in its use of frames without dialogue, and background scores which heighten the tempo. Most of all, it is a movie that makes one realize the horror of war and the depths to which human kind can plummet.

Like Traffic and Syriana, this movie also takes 15 minutes after the movie has ended to figure out, and once you do, it stays with you for very long!!

For reviews, visit this http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/good_german/

Bheja Fry

I saw this movie recently, and only the magical sight of the sun setting into a calm ocean could get me to recover from the impact. But first, the context -

I had heard great things about this movie from a dear buddy, who confidently expressed great approval of the plot. Therefore I stood in line for a significant time on Sunday afternoon, and actually gloated when I managed to procure the last ticket in the house - a front row seat about two feet away from the screen.

My enthusiasm waned a bit when I entered the movie hall and saw the seat I had got. Anyway, being a philosopher, I accepted it as fate and settled down to enjoy the movie. With every additional tortuous idiocy from the main character, my neck got more and more sore. At one point in time, I felt the distinct need to shake the main characters by their lapels and ask them to PLEASE get some sense.

I came away from the movie strangely irritated, although I think other people in the movie hall enjoyed the shenanigans of a half-wit idiot and the weird cast of characters. Thinking back, I think what got to me was the complete lack of reality in the movie - such incidents could never happen in real life. Though the acting was good (I particularly liked Ranvir Shorey's cameo), the story and the treatment left me very very cold.

All in all, a complete bheja-frying experience!!

The dome

I have not updated my blog in a long time, primarily because I have been in Mumbai for a couple of weeks and have been doing the usual office-hotel-office routine that leaves such little time for creativity. However, there is one good thing that I have experienced during my stay here which is worth a mention.

And that is the Dome. The dome is a rooftop open air bar at the Intercontinental Hotel, overlooking Marine Drive. Nice seating, a pleasant breeze and nice drinks characterize this hang out. I was at the dome on a leisurely Sunday evening, and the sight of the sun setting into the sea was extraordinarily beautiful. The skyline in the distance and the absence of the normal road noises made the moment quite magical (though I'm sure the large quantities of vodka I had imbibed also helped).

Although I've heard that the food is not great, it is a must-visit, if you need to surround yourself in beauty and contemplate the meaning of life, the universe and everything!
I think I will visit again this week...

Snorkelling

I am recently back from a vacation in Phuket. I absolutely loved it :-) Apart from the usual vacation type things (beach-bumming, speed boating, getting drunk, getting more drunk, canoeing, getting tanned, getting drunk yet again, gorging on seafood, making a fool of myself on the ramp), I had a new experience - snorkelling. Alas, I dont have any pictures to share. So I shall have to remain content trying to describe the experience.

Snorkelling is essentially scuba diving without the scuba gear and without the diving :-) You put a really tight mask around your eyes and nose, and bite into a clamp which lets you breathe only with your mouth. Then you go underwater, floating just under the surface of the sea. And if you are anywhere near the coral reefs near Rang Yai near Phuket, you try to get used to all the fish ramming into your eyes, hands and body :-)

The fish are truly spectacular - shiny and multiple colored. The sea floor is invisible - its covered with coral. The water is cool and mighty. Strange patterns, shapes and forms become suddenly visible. You realize the fragility of your breathing. You try to get used to the strange wheezing sound that signifies your breath. And you wonder at your insignificance and loneliness in this wondrous world. The sea is lovely, dark and deep. It is at once dignified and dangerous, unfamiliar and friendly, ever changing and always the same.

I would LOVE to go snorkelling again :-)

How I got my blog back

I just had a terrible last thirty minutes. Apparently big boy Google has done some skullduggery with my modest blog, and moved it to some new version or some such. Now usually I set cookies so that I can login to blogger and start posting right away. Because of this version shift, I was asked to login to blogger, and when I did so with my google account, it logged in nice and proper, but I could not see my blog!! In other words, Nothing Spectacular was frozen in time for ever, never to be updated!!!
Now I'm usually quite casual in updating my blog, and have never afforded it any kind of importance. But once I realized that I had lost it, I was frantic!! I felt unheard and invisible. My identity had vanished!! (I may be hyperventilating a bit here, but I really was quite upset).
Various help queries and a million links later, I was struck by one stray thought, which led me to check on some old file where I usually store my myraid usernames. A quick check, and I realized the goof up that I was making, so finally I got my blog back... Yippee :-)

This has a few lessons for me (in random order):

1. Backup, backup, backup - usernames, passwords, posts, everything
2. Google really does hold a lot of power over my life (and its surely and steadily increasing)
3. No man is an island - I realize I've begun to covet my blog!!
4. You realize the value of something only once you lose it
5. All's well that ends well :-)

hazaaron khwaishen aisi

I saw this movie recently, and was quite struck by it. Starring Chitrangada Singh, KK Menon and Shiney Ahuja, and directed by Sudhir Mishra, the movie packs quite a punch and is not easy to forget.
The movie tells the story of three college friends - the privileged guy who can afford to care for society and his dream of the Marxist revolution, the pretty girl who will follow him anywhere, and the smart wheeler dealer who is in love with the girl.
The movie follows their story over a decade, and ends on a tragic, and yet ironically twisted note. Wont reveal too much because would like you to see it for yourself.

Yet what struck me in the movie was the passion that each character displays. They do anything to uphold what is dear to them. Somehow, I dont find this passion in too many people around me today.
Is it a function of the times - were the 70s a time of nation building and taking sides? Or is it to do with the fact that its fiction and therefore needs to be made interesting? Anyway, I came away from the movie quite inspired to believe in a cause - feel a passion - and not give it up in the face of the most tremendous odds!
May this feeling thrive!!

Marketing ploy

I usually get a lot of discount coupons sent to me by random retailers. Citibank sends me something each month. So does Shopper's Stop. Mostly these discount coupons are structured to make me spend money in the hope of getting discounts. However, Wills Lifestyle has this habit of sending gift vouchers (not discount coupons). It was always quite puzzling for me - why would they give away stuff? Today I found out the answer.

I had been sent 2 gift vouchers (for Rs 500 each). One was for the clothing range and the other for the cosmetics brand at Wills Lifestyle stores. The vouchers were due to expire in less than a week, and since I was in the vicinity of a store at a time when I remembered those vouchers, I jumped right in!

And then it struck me - the cosmetics range has NOTHING which is less than Rs. 650 (except soap, but very very fine print on the voucher exclaims in confusing legalese that the offer is not valid on 'bathing bars'). Similarly, the clothing range has NOTHING less than Rs 700 (even a plain T Shirt which would cost Rs 200 at Westside costs close to 4x the amount here). I walked out of the store with socks!! and an unused voucher from the cosmetics range.

However, I did like the Rs 650 deodorant, and I think I will go buy it tomorrow. Thus Wills Lifestyle has been successful in making me spend Rs 150 through its one grand worth of gift vouchers. I'm not sure if I wouldn't be happier without the vouchers, though!!

Media rules

Usually when I'm suffering from fever, my mind keeps buzzing with random thoughts and this usually makes it difficult to concentrate on any one thing. Even with slight fever, I had two thoughts today with some kind of business potential - one is actually an old idea, but I tried to put some thought behind it to see how far I could go with it. Interestingly enough, the idea deals with media and how it can be leveraged. I also bounced it off a good friend, and found some support there.

To cut a long story short, the idea is quite simple - it is essentially an advertising revenue driven business model, with low cost outsourced operations. The initial investment required is actually not too much, but the business would not scale rapidly. It would require significant time investment, and I'm sure it is not unique in any way. But I take heart from the fact that most businesses are about execution anyway. I'm excited enough to undertake some rough market research, but I would like to have a proof of concept ready to gauge authentic reactions. I hope I can sustain enthusiasm long enough to make something out of this!!

The other idea I had is still to be fully baked - it is a sub plot in the storyline of my magnum opus :-). Actually I'm not sure if the magnum opus should be a big fat novel or a nice collection of short stories. Certainly the latter is lower effort. But its too early to speak about that!

Today was also the day my friend (and freelance writer) Shraman inspired me to take a crack at a cool idea. This one, I suspect, would be very satisfying creatively, but not so rewarding monetarily.

To sum up, I've got three damn good ideas. Now I need to GET MOVING.

Decidedly funereal

The Namesake is a very popular (and well made) movie playing at theatres these days. It is based on Jhumpa Lahiri's novel of the same name, and stars Kal Penn, Irrfan Khan and Tabu. But this post is not about the Namesake. Rather this is a bland summary of Nikolai Gogol's 'The Overcoat', which is the central motif of 'The Namesake'. Thanks to wikipedia for the content.

I must confess, though, that this summary leaves me quite cold and that I would NEVER want to read this mad genius's works. Its too dark and foreboding for me! But I will let you decide for yourself -

The story centers on the life and death of Akakii Akakievich, an impoverished government clerk and copyist in the Russian capital of St. Petersburg. Akakii is dedicated to his job, taking special relish in the hand-copying of documents, though little recognized in his department for his hard work. Instead, the younger clerks tease him and attempt to distract him whenever they can. His threadbare overcoat is often the butt of their jokes. Akakii decides it is necessary to have the coat repaired, so he takes it to his tailor, Petrovich, who declares the coat irreparable, telling Akakii he must buy a new overcoat.
The cost of a new overcoat is beyond Akakii's meagre salary, so he forces himself to live within a strict budget to save sufficient money to buy the new overcoat. Meantime, he and Petrovich frequently meet to discuss the style of the new coat. During that time, Akakii's zeal for copying is replaced with excitement about his new overcoat, to the point that he thinks of little else. Finally, with the addition of an unexpectedly large holiday salary bonus, Akakii has saved enough money to buy a new overcoat.
Akakii and Petrovitch go to the shops in St. Petersberg and pick the finest materials they can afford (beaver fur is unaffordable, but they buy the best cat skin available). The new coat is of impressively good quality and appearance, and is the talk of Akakii's office on the day he arrives wearing it. His clerk superior is host to a party honoring the new overcoat, at which the habitually solitary Akakii is out of place; in the event, Akakii goes home from the party, far later that he normally would. Enroute home, two ruffians confront him, take his coat, kick him down, and leave him unconscious in the snow.
Akakii finds no help with the authorities in recovering his lost overcoat. Finally, on the advice of another clerk in his department, he asks help from a "Very Important Person" (sometimes translated the prominent person, the person of consequence), a high-ranking general. The narrator notes that the general habitually belittles subordinates in attempting to appear more important than he truly is. After keeping Akakii waiting an unnecessarily long time, the general demands of him exactly why he has brought so trivial a matter to him, personally, and not presented it to his secretary (the procedure for separating the VIPerson from the lesser clerks).
Socially inept, Akakii makes an unflattering remark concerning departmental secretaries, provoking so powerful a scolding from the general that he nearly faints and must be led from the general's office. Soon afterwards, Akakii falls sick with fever, likely to die. In his last hours, he is delirious, imagining himself again sitting before the VIP, who is again scolding him. At first, Akakii pleads forgiveness, but as his death nears, he curses the general.
Soon, Akakii's ghost (sometimes translated as "corpse", though Gogol wrote "ghost"--"привидение" in the original text) is reportedly haunting areas of St. Petersburg, taking overcoats from people; the police refusing to approach and stop him. Finally, Akakii's ghost catches up with the VIP — who, since Akakii's death, had felt very guilty over having mistreated him — and takes his overcoat, scaring him severely; satisfied, Akakii is not seen again. The narrator ends his narration with the account of another ghost seen in another part of the city, but that one was larger, muscled, and had a moustache, bearing resemblence to the criminials who had burglered him earlier.

Random analysis

My buddy Alam commented that I was posting much more frequently these days. I decided to test this assertion. Here is a graph showing the distribution of my 66 posts on this blog (including this one). This graph shows (on the columns) the number of posts per month, and (on the line) the average days per post for each month. Clearly, Alam is correct when he says that postings in March are frequent - as can be seen on the RHS y axis, the average post has been occuring every 3.2 days since the inception of this blog, and the March numbers are pretty close to the average. Clearly, September was an aberration, since I posted a flurry of articles in the first romantic blush of blogging. Oct - Dec were normal months, but Jan and Feb really brought down the average (perhaps because I was mentally disturbed? who knows? - interestingly this means that I'm in good mental health in March!!)

What this graph also tells me is that I'm quite inanely (is there such a word?) analytical and should be spending time on better things!!

Errors: Type I and II

Writing about mistakes is not the most positive thing one can do on Monday morning. However, all through this weekend, I have been thinking about the liberal sprinkling of errors that I have made all through my life, and find that they fit a particular pattern.

First, a quick refresher: Type I errors occur when a suitable object is declared defected (i.e. an innocent person is sentenced to jail for some crime, or the rightly coded software is declared buggy). A type II error, on the other hand, occurs when a wrong object is declared suitable (i.e. a defected light bulb is declared fit for sale after testing, or a guilty defendant is declared innocent).

Ideally, one would want to minimize both types of errors, however, it turns out that prevention of these types of errors is mutually exclusive - it cannot be done! Lets take an example - if I was a bank and wanted to make sure that I do not give loans to any potential defaulters (i.e. do not make any type II errors) then the only way of ensuring that would be to not give any loans at all - in which case I would be making TONS of type I errors by declaring perfectly good prospects as unfit for loans.

As I look back, I find that my life has been spent in preventing type II errors - i.e. I usually feel worse at having missed out on rising stocks (i.e. made type II errors) than at having lost money on falling ones (i.e. type I errors). This is contrary to good sense - when I met a friend recently who invests for a living, he told me that their motto was not to make the maximum possible money, but to make money on each deal they did i.e. a conservative approach which ensures that even though you may forgo the best deals (make type II errors), you ensure that you do not do any bad ones (no type I errors).

I agree that making type II errors to ensure you do not make type I errors is risky and sub-optimal. But being congenitally optimistic (and this could be my biggest flaw!!), I feel that it still makes sense to hope for the rainmaking deal, the last-ball six, the perfect answer, even if you lose a few matches or money on the way.

But at the end, its a personal choice!! For more info on error types visit this site.

Too much of a good thing!

I discovered a fascinating thing yesterday - and then promptly tested it out as well to figure out that it is indeed true - that ingesting too much water can intoxicate you!!

In this day and age of experts telling us to drink more and more water, this sounds discordant. Apparently, the human body functions on a balance of water and salts. Drinking too much water disturbs this balance, and causes cells in the kidneys to swell. In extreme cases, when one ingests more than 1.5 quarts of water per hour (that's roughly 2 litres), it could lead to disorientation and even bursting of the brain!!

I actually tried this yesterday - I drank 1.5 litres of water in 15 minutes - and then felt pretty intoxicated for the next 2 hours!! Of course in normal circumstances, none of us would ever need to worry about drinking too much water - can't think of anyone who drinks more than 15 liters of water per day!!

Check out this cool article! if you need more gory detail.

The Board

I write this as I sit unobtrusively in the back of a big bang board meeting of a large company. The board is grilling the management team about their plans going forward. There is discussion around tactics, issues, finances etc. etc. However, all this does not imply anything to me.

What is really exciting about this meeting is POWER. The board has power (and responsibilty, of course) and is using it (judiciously and otherwise). The management team is edgy and jumping to answer questions - doing it rather well, actually. However, there is no doubt about where the power lies.

I seem to keep coming back to this point again and again - and maybe I'm wrong - for true power, you need to be an owner, and not a manager. The game we are all in will give us differing rewards - some will strike it big - CEOs / VPs / Directors etc etc - and some will not strike it so big. But at the end of the day, we will all depend on someone to hand out the prizes.

Is this the best game to be in? Or would a high-stakes, all or nothing kind of game, where you hand out the prizes at the end of the show be better?

Depends on the individual, really. But for me, the thought is sorely tempting!!

Another lost opportunity!

While driving today from Faridabad to Gurgaon, I saw this brightly painted truck with a logo on it proclaiming 'Chatak Chaat' - lokkal Indian. This intrigued me quite a bit.

So when I did a quick google search on this name, I got to know that it is a new (soon to be coming?) fast food chain with outlets in Delhi, Gurgaon and Nodia, with a central kitchen in Faridabad which supplies semi cooked food to the front ends.

Also got to know that the promoters are planning a high end wedding management chain, which would also branch out into beauty health spas and a coutoure lifestyle brand.
Now these are ideas which I thought would be sure fire successes (of course given immaculate execution). But I have not done anything about my bright ideas, and therefore Chatak Chat - India's 'lokkal' food chain - has stolen a march!

Never mind, I'm sure there is plenty of space for more than one player in this market!

Another one from the spymaster

I finished reading John Le Carre’s The Tailor of Panama yesterday. And came away strangely disturbed. Like his earlier books (most notably The Little Drummer Girl, The Perfect Spy and Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy), the story has little to do with spying or glamour, and everything to do with human weaknesses, emotions and thoughts.

The Tailor of Panama is as haunting as they come – an all too real, happy family man, the tailor in question sets off in motion a catastrophic chain of events which devastate him and all those he loves.

In Le Carre’s books, as in real life, there is no good or bad. There are only people – unique, real and with their own strengths and demons – who survive or are swept up by life. So the scheming, lying cheat often gets away to his next victim, while the noble-purposed heroes are left behind salvaging remains of their tragedies.

I have often wondered why I find Le Carre so enchanting. I think the reason is that his heroes are so fallible – one would easily identify with them. So George Smiley – master spy par excellence, is frail, human and has an unhappy marriage. Or Harry Pendel (the eponymous tailor of Panama), a weak and kind liar. The villains, on the other hand – the Israeli agent in the Little Drummer Girl, or the dashing someone (forgotten the name!) of Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy, or even Osnard of the Tailor, are winners in life. Even though the reader wants them to get their comeuppance, it never comes. They just move on to their next scheme. And the strong, solid types (always a few in the background) just go on with their lives, seeing and understanding everything, yet unable to do anything.

All in all, every new Le Carre book reveals more to me about myself. That’s something I can’t say about other authors!!

Holi

...this year was more like the traditional holi of yore. Last year at this time I was stuck in Bombay and was busy with work, so this year the festival came as a pleasant experience.

Nothing spectacular happened, though. I was fortunate to be applied only with dry color (I'm not a great fan of getting all soaked) and everything would have been fine had i not chanced to partake of some bhang-laden thandai. A lot from my family also indulged in the same, but as far as I know, it had effect only on me! I went to sleep at 5:30 pm right after the festivities, and woke up next morning, a solid 14 hours later!!

Not a pleasant sensation at all!! A bit like Rip van Winkle, actually

News time

I was recently, thanks to my buddy Dominic, inside a news channel's studio. Quite an eye opening experience for me. While I had expected a staid, serious and huge place, I actually found a young, vibrant, dynamic hole-in-the wall (figuratively speaking, of course!) and apparent mayhem ruled the roost.

A studio is made up of 3 different sections - there is the ingress room (a place where reporters file all their video reports and where graphics designers make up cool graphs, designs, charts etc), the processing section - where a) someone writes up a script while watching the uncut report b) another person decided on the layout of the video and the graphics c) yet another matches the voiceover to the video d) a whole host of people edit the news item. Finally there is the airtime room, which is connected to live feeds from the studio (panel discussions, commentaries, VJs etc, as well as all to the edited items from the processing section). Incidently this is also the area where the commercials are scheduled in between the news items.

The studio(s) is actually one room with barely standing space for 3 people. Pretty anchors, eminent experts, news anchors are all shot there (on camera!) on a black background. After that the editors in the processing room put these people in front of whatever the appropriate background would be, and voila! you have a wonderful ring-side view of the action.

But what I really admire about the place is the order in seeming pandemonium. People rushing about here and there (1 sec before going live on camera), shouting out stuff and transforming in a moment into grace personified!!
Truly smoke and mirrors stuff...

As always, here are some photos to describe what mere words cannot...

Omens

I was in Bhubaneshwar for some meetings, and was trying to gauge if the state would actually grow faster than it has in the past. Even though conspicuous consumption in the market, billboards displaying new projects, and construction activity gave soft evidence of growth, what REALLY convinced me was an article on the main page of the local newspaper.

The article essentially said that the morals of the youth in Bhubaneswar were on a rapid decline, these irresponsible people spent money on parties and pubs and (horror of horrors!!) on playing pool!! What was more, you could also see girls in restaurants with male friends!! The import of the article was essentially that humanity had been denigrated to the lowest levels because of these crimes of the youth :-)

I knew then that I was on to a good thing!!

The embarrassing truth...

Last week I was in Bhubaneshwar. Quite a happening town - right from proximity to the Konark Temple and the beautiful beach town on Puri - to great fish - to a town which is beginning to boom. But that is not why I will remember Bhubaneshwar!

The truth - and it must prevail :-) - is that I had a huge adventure while in Bhubaneshwar. In my hurried and addle-minded condition while leaving home for the airport, I forgot to take along my carelessly packed suitcase for the trip!! I realized this just as I reached the airport, and since there was not enough time to go back and get it, I decided to display a maddening lack of any sense and a philosopher's sense of equanimity, and went right ahead with a smile and a song.

Judicious scheduling of laundry, a few purchases to increase GDP of the city, the state, and the country and an attitude of derring-do enabled me to spend my three days in Bhubaneshwar without incident. However, more challenge was on the horizon.

I had to go from Bhub to Bombay via Calcutta, and attend an official meeting there. The travel schedules would create havoc with my careful rationing of clothes!! That is when my business suit came in handy - I now have empirical evidence to state that in a business suit, no one notices the shirt :-)

So it was a case of all's well that ends well. Here's to more such adventures (with clothes this time, hopefully!!)

... and Ajmer

In continuing with my last post, Ajmer is a small, quaint and noisy town in Rajasthan. It is famous for the dargah (mausoleum) of Garib Nawaz (Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti). Legend has it that whatever one asks for at this dargah, is granted by the gods. Akbar apparently visited this place each year on foot, all the way from Agra, asking for a son till Salim was born. My buddy Alam also informs me that he was wished for by his mother here many years ago.

The dargah is surrounded by many ancient buildings. Most notable among them are a mosque built by Shah Jahan, the Akbari mosque built by Akbar and a huge iron vessel, also donated by Akbar, which can cook 100 tons of rice at a time.

Although the Garib Nawaz was a famous Sufi saint who learnt at the feet of great Islamic teachers in Samarkand and Bukhara, the taxi driver who was driving me back from Pushkar had an interesting local spin on the legend. Apparently, the saint used to serve water to travellers out of a goatskin bag, and would hang his bag above an old Shiva lingam. Water would fall on the shivling drop by drop, and this greatly pleased Shiva. So the God appeared to the saint in a dream, and granted him a wish. The Sufi saint asked for fame as a servant of the poor, and that is how he acquired a substantial following in the whole world.

Now even though I am inclined to disbelieve this story, I find it interesting to see how closely Islam and Hinduism intermingled to create this uniquely Indian amalgam that is pervasive in our country today.

Ajmer also has a Jain temple with a solid 50kg statue of pure gold, which depicts the Jain view of the universe - of 13 concentric galaxies circling mount Sumeru, and the birth of Rishabhdev, the first tirthankar at Ayodhya.

I could also go on and on about the beautiful and soothing (and extremely dirty from close quarters!) Ana Sagar, but more on that sometime later...

All in all, quite an interesting visit.

Pushkar

This weekend I went with my family to Ajmer and Pushkar - twin cities in Rajasthan, about 450 kms from Delhi. The trip was short, hectic and fun.
Pushkar, a hilly town located about 12 kms away from Ajmer, is famous for two things – one is the only Brahma temple in the world, and the other is large numbers of foreign backpackers looking for a fix of grass, coke or ganja. The story behind the Brahma temple is quite interesting, and I suspect it also has a bearing on the availability of dope.

Legend has it that Brahma underwent a penance for 1000 years after he created the universe (with the Pushkar lake, a confluence of the waters of the Ganga, Yamuna and the Saraswati as its center). This penance was to have a huge yagna (a religious ceremony to invoke the blessings of the Gods) as its culmination. When the time for the yagna came, Brahma sent his son Narad (a nosey-parker kind of fellow, with a penchant for creating fights between gods) to fetch his wife (and Narad’s mother) Savitri from a nearby hill. Now Narad thought that his reputation as a creator of conflicts would be under threat if he did not create some misunderstanding between his own parents. So he went to Savitri and told her that she should come down for the yagna, but because there were multiple gods to be present, she should take her time to dress up really well. He then came down to tell his dad that mom would take some time as she wanted to really dress up.

The time for starting the yagna was non-negotiable since it was an auspicious period that would come only once in a thousand years. So Brahma sent out Indra, the king of the devas, to get someone to take Savitri’s place for the yagna. Indra found a cow-girl some distance away and got her to the venue, promising her that she could sell lots of ghee and milk to the assembled dignitaries. Brahma purified the girl by passing her thrice through the mouth of a cow (and hence the name Gayatri), seated her on his wife’s seat and began the event.
When Savitri eventually came down to the venue and saw someone else in her place, she was furious. She cast a curse on Brahma, saying that from now on, no married person will ever worship you because you have placed some other woman in your wife’s place. Brahma was quite crestfallen, and asked for some kind of mitigation from this harsh curse. So she relented and said that though no married person will worship you, they can worship this lake.

And that is why there is no other temple of Brahma in the whole world. The interesting thing about the temple is that only Naga sadhus perform the worship of Brahma. And where there are Naga sadhus, there is dope. And this brings on the backpackers (esp. Israeli nationals – the place is full of Hebrew restaurants and shops with Hebrew speaking locals)

Another bit of interesting trivia about Pushkar is that it is situated on Nag parbat (i.e. Cobra hill) cos the rocks are all jutting out on the top - very much like hooded cobras. This actually makes for quite a fascinating drive up the hill from Ajmer to Pushkar.

I've been trying to upload some photos but cant seem to succeed. Anyhow, I guess there is enough dope for one post.

Well of the sun

Every year, the first fortnight of February is witness to a massive congregation of humanity (and their vehicles!!) in the idyllic hamlet of Surajkund (literally the well or pool of the sun) in Faridabad. The Surajkund crafts fair is a congregation of small artisans and craftsmen from all over the country, who come to this fair ground to sell their wares.
This year too was no exception. To experience this phenomenon first hand, armed with a lot of time, an empty stomach and a not-so-great mobile phone camera, I landed up at the grounds. It was perfect weather for a day out, with the sun bright and cheerful, a cool nip in the air, and Delhiites of all hues proved this by turning up in massive numbers!!
The colorful mass of humanity seemed to be having a great time, entertained by various groups of people dancing, singing and making people laugh! Shoppers could be found bargaining vigourously, and replenishing energies with the exotic and delicious hot food on offer. Here are some pictures (not so good unfortunately)...

New lesson

I have recently discovered the (apparent) answer to the question of eternal health, wisdom and sanity. An answer that takes 15 minutes per day to implement, and promises a lifetime of peace.

Its quite simple, actually. All one needs to do is to breathe in and breathe out in particular ways. A set of 7 exercises, to be done for 3-5 minutes each, which can sharpen your mind, restore your health and optimize bodily functions. Also called 'pranayaam', a subset of yoga.

Pranayaam is a combination of the words 'prana' or energy and 'yaam' or control. The human body apparently has 7 'chakras' or energy centers, which usually atrophy with disuse. What pranayaam does is to shake up these chakras and make them hum with activity. Having tried it for a couple of days now, I can vouch for the fact that definitely I feel more energetic (maybe its just the placebo effect!!)

One key component of these breathing exercises is to chant 'ooooooooooooom' through the nose. Doing this makes one reverbate with vibrations, accompanied with an echoing of similar vibrations in your environment. Sounds a bit like mumbo-jumbo, but I personally find it quite energising!

In any case, I'm sure it cant hurt to try out these exercises once in a while. Use it if it works, lose it if it doesn't!!

Driving again

Posting after a long time. Another long drive, another epiphany.

I was thinking about the current (latest!!) tumult in life, when I thought of two very different people, both going through very tough times. And yet smiling their way through it. And determined to come out on top.

Also, I happen at this time to be reading a strange book called 'The Greatness Guide', written by the latest self help guru in the USofA. This book is full of cliches and I would never have read it had it not been a birthday gift! The surprise is that this person - who is thought to be so successful at helping others improve their personal and professional lives - has had a turbulent and tough time in his own personal life. The insight is that everyone - but everyone - has problems.

Therefore, the epiphany (for me) is to stop taking myself so seriously. Considering that I am one of six billion, in a planet which is like 7 others (poor Pluto has been 'plutoed' last year), going around a sun which is a mid sized average kind of sun, like a billion others, in a galaxy which is like a million billion others, in a universe (I'm not really sure there are more than one - whatever Richard Bach may say!!) ... I think I've belaboured the point enough.

Whatever it is that disturbs me, is really so trivial that its not worth thinking about.
Here's to more driving!!

Flawed inference

Still on the topic of happiness, here is a news article that I saw today:


Wed, sleep to live happily ever after
1/10/2007 4:01:00 PM

New Delhi: So, finally someone seems to have figured out the key to happiness. And believe it or not, it’s something so ridiculously simple that it wouldn’t have occurred to most.
Well, the secret to happiness seems to be marriage and a good night’s sleep – whether or not in the same order is well, debatable.
A study conducted by the UK government shows that sufficient sleep and a healthy matrimony gave the maximum people a reason to feel a ‘state of well-being’.
The study – conducted by researches of the Whitehall Wellbeing Working Group - also found people who spend more time socialising, chatting with a neighbour over the fence, having plenty of sex in a steady relationship and caring about endangered species also tend to be happier than others.
“It's shown that married people are happier - so what does that mean for politics? Does it follow that we should be encouraging people to marry? Is that the realm of politics...or something that should be left to individual choice?” the Daily Mail quoted professor of economics at Imperial College in London, Paul Dolan, as saying.
So much for happiness. What makes people unhappy? The reasons again are aplenty. Researchers found that extreme weather, being dumped, getting sacked or having to live in a heavily polluted area makes people gloomy.

Source: CNN-IBN

Now I think this inference is completely flawed. What if cause and effect are inverted? It is quite possible that a happy person would enjoy a good night's sleep and therefore do more of it, would want to get married in the optimistic hope that this would increase happiness, would socialize more, would speak to neighbours over the fence, would want to have plenty of sex and would care about endangered species (since the person wont have to spend time worrying about his / her lack of happiness)!! This is quite conceiveable.
So maybe happiness is just something you have (or lack) inherently - and all these are just effects of the inherent cause. Or maybe happiness is just caused by the feeling of being better off than your fellow men, as this earlier post suggests. Or maybe its something else altogehter. Who knows? But this kind of research is certainly not of too much help!!!

Something we knew all along...

Money does not buy happiness. What does make you happy, though, is the thought that you are doing better than your neighbours!!
And what better sanction for this philosophy than this

And another....

Walt Whitman this time. Rather deep, but oftentimes I have felt like this:

To a Stranger
by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)

Passing stranger! you do not know
How longingly I look upon you,
You must be he I was seeking,
Or she I was seeking(It comes to me as a dream)

I have somewhere surely
Lived a life of joy with you,
All is recall'd as we flit by each other,
Fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,

You grew up with me,
Were a boy with me or a girl with me,
I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become
not yours only nor left my body mine only,

You give me the pleasure of your eyes,face, flesh as we pass,
You take of my beard, breast, hands,in return,

I am not to speak to you,
I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night, alone
I am to wait,
I do not doubt I am to meet you again
I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

A song of love

Thanks to Andre De Souza (for his choosing impeccable verse to grace his orkut profile), I googled for classical verse. Here is a good sample from Robert Burns:

O my luve's like a red, red rose.
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will love thee still, my Dear,
Till a'the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun:
I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o'life shall run.

And fare thee weel my only Luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile!

- Robert Burns

Value creation

I met a couple of old buddies of mine over the long weekend, and we got talking about what we thought of life while we were at IIT and how it has turned out. That conversation set me thinking quite a bit - what is the right way to lead life? What leads to long term satisfaction and happiness?

After some deliberation, I have come to the point of view that the most important thing one can do towards one's life is to invest in assets that can create value over the long term. For example, I went to IIT and did a course in CS just because it was the 'in' thing to do and because my rank could buy me the entry ticket. Thankfully I enjoyed the course and (hopefully) learnt something!! But I fear most of us just go and do something because we are allowed to.

Often we start getting into routines and stop questioning whether what we are doing is really creating an asset for us. For example, a lot of my b-school colleagues got into jobs on campus because they could, not because they wanted to. The monotony and routine of our regular jobs often makes us oblivious to the fact that what we really want to do is something else altogether. Only a few can break out of this trap and create long term value for themselves. Investing in learning at the early stages of a career, even if not immediately rewarding, is always beneficial in the long run.

There really is no short cut to long term value. The sequence is quite simple: figure out what you want, picture yourself in the end state, and constantly ask yourself if your single steps are leading towards that milepost. If yes, keep the faith and soldier on, if no then cut your losses and start afresh.

Asset creation is the key. Investing time and effort in value creating assets (whether jobs, learning or relationships) is what can make life meaningful and satisfying in the long run.

Major insight: What women want

Today I was part of a very interesting conversation with a bunch of friends over a leisurely cup of coffee - a young colleague was despondent with his inability to make any positive (amorous) impression on multiple girls he had been hitting on. Somehow the topic of conversation veered around to his dilemma, and eveyone else jumped in with advice on what he should be doing. However, being a smart dude, he turned to the women in the group and asked point blank: What do women want???

Now, each woman in the group had some idea on what model works best with women, but here is a synthesis of the insights that could be gleaned:

1. Women (and even men) apparently want things they cannot have - so the critical aspect of attraction is unattainability. And yet one must be attainable at times. This game needs to be played really masterfully - any error on either side can make the other party either give up, or worse - lose interest. Unfortunately I was unable to pick up tips on what exactly makes you either - but I got the general concept and agree with it wholeheartedly.
2. The other aspect of attraction is desirability - here the insight was that it helps if you are a good conversationalist, are genuinely passionate about something, can make the girl laugh, and most importantly - are ambitious. The implication for us males is: Guys!! WAKE UP! And do something with your lives!!!
3. Another insight was that women are usually looking for guys they can mother i.e. the girl needs to believe that she can either a) improve the guy or b) without her, the guy will just waste away.
4. The last insight was that girls dont care too much for looks, build, height etc etc. Now the women were very very insistent on this (even though I dont really believe it :-). I do think its much easier for strikingly handsome guys to strike up friendships with girls.

I realized also that this list is extremely long and demanding - there does not seem to be too much hope for my poor brethren, unless they are just PERFECT :-). Therefore my two bits of wisdom to my worried colleague: Dont worry, just be yourself. Along will come the right girl for you, and you will be tied to her for the rest of your life!! Amen.

A tale of two cities

As they say - there is a thin line between plagiarism and inspiration :-). My buddy Saini's post brought to surface one not-so-cooked thought that has been bubbling in my mind.

Recently, I paid an almost-flying visit to that city of dreams - Mumbai. Being a hardcore 'Dilliwala' (I have been told by some girls that I'm the quintessential Delhi guy, even though I dispute the assertion stoutly), the city just does not cut it for me. Now before the Mumbai folk crucify me, let me present my credentials - I have lived in Mumbai for close to a decade, the most recent instance being a two year stint at work. Therefore I speak of the city as I would of an old friend, with frankness and familiarity.

In my opinion, the most objectionable thing about Mumbai is 'lack' - lack of space, lack of time, lack of comfort and lack of civility. Somehow, I can never be comfortable with the bustling hum of activity in the city 24x7. Everywhere one goes, one is accosted by 5000 other people trying to get in...contrast this to the vast spaces of Delhi, the wide roads, the gardens which let one reflect and the thrill of trying to prevent everyone else from taking you for a ride :-). I have never (in Mumbai) gone to one place and actually had the inclination to think, or even just observe - all I ever seem to be able to do is negotiate room to walk in, protect myself from bulldozing crowds, watch out for potholes or just plain long for the silence of my room. Even the Crossword book store this time seemed too full and noisy.

This is not to say that Mumbai does not have its points - it has the ONE thing that I love most - the sea. Walking along the Marine Drive hearing the roar of the sea is something I am willing to do anytime. But even there one has to be careful that the ever-continuous pavement repair work, the milling crowds of lovers, joggers and families do not trip you up.

No one in Mumbai seems to have time for anything - people actually time their lives according to the local train timings. And the poverty is so open and in-your-face. There is also so much of it. Delhi scores much better on both parameters.

The weather is also a negative factor - the humidity and heat of Mumbai make me twitchy (not to say Delhi has great weather - but at least its not dusty and humid like good ol' Mumbai).

As I wrap up this litany of complaints against Mumbai, I must say - winter in Delhi makes me want to spend sunny days in Mumbai!!

Inspiration

For a couple of days now I've been bereft of ideas on what to write. However, in blogging, as in life, inspiration can come from strange quarters - in this case it was a chance visit to the orkut homepage of my buddy Nitin Saini. I chanced upon his irregular blog and found some good pieces - for example this one:

http://if-only-then-what.blogspot.com/2006/10/metros-of-modern-india.html

My advice to you my friend (if you are reading this...) - dont stop!!!

Two victories

Today is a day for good news - with India winning their first ever test in South Africa, and much more importantly, the murderer of Jessica Lal getting convicted by the High Court in Delhi.

A couple of things that stand out about both:

1. The test victory really proves that re-invention is necessary for achievement. For example, the test success came on the back of solid batting performances from Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, both of who had been axed from the team not so long ago. Their exclusion probably reignited their hunger for success and more runs. Therefore, Saurav Ganguly, with a well known weakness for the short ball, is fighting and succeeding where other Indian batsmen are failing. Perhaps there is a lesson here for the Indian selectors, who have been letting a few superstars fail too often?
2. The other, and much more significant victory is of course the conviction of Manu Sharma and his acolytes for Jessica Lal's murder. I think it proves the old adage that the windmills of the Gods grind slow, but they grind exceedingly small. In other words: "yahan der hai, andher nahi". Good precedent for public involvement in a travesty of justice. Now only if Arjun Singh was convicted similarly for his short sighted short circuiting of our education....(Sigh! Am I being too idealistic??)

Jinxed

My current project at work seems to be jinxed. Nothing is as it should be - extremely long hours, working weekends, early morning (make that really late night) flights, tons of negative feedback, lots of angst and general unhappiness have been starring features of this project. But what takes the cake is events of this morning.

I write this as I sit inside a grounded Jet Airways airplane, approximately 3.5 hours after I boarded. After a late night (slept at 1am), I got up again and left home at 4:30am, to be in time to catch the 6:15 am flight to Kolkata. Just as we boarded, dense fog enveloped the airfield and that was the end of flying hopes. Even now, the cabin crew confidently expect a delay of 'only' 30 mins before we can be airborne.

In this happy situation, I can think of two lessons for myself:

1. When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade - I have tried to live by this and catch up on some sleep. But the cramped seats on Jet are not exactly conducive to this activity. The next best activity in this situation is blogging, which I am doing now.
2. Its time to think of other things - this thought actually came to me last night after a particularly frustrating day. Maybe this is not how I was intended to lead my (apology of a) life. I'm sure there are many better things out there, waiting to be tried. Maybe it is time to jump into the deep end.

At the end of the day, I think all that matters is the ability to look detachedly at situations and figure out how they can be used to make the future better. In that context, maybe this project is not jinxed after all!!

A new invention: QQ

As I was driving home from work on a late Saturday night, I thought of a totally random idea - a scale for rating people on the interesting / non-interesting dimension. I call this the 'quirkyness quotient', on the principle that the more quirky people are, the more interesting I find them.

First, a definition of the word 'quirky'. I think quirky is another word for eccentric, unique or plain mad. A quirky person is obsessed with trivia, is interested about inane stuff, and gives a damn about what other people may think of his / her preferences.

I have been fortunate to associate with people I consider quirky - Gullu (of Bland Spice fame), Gaurav Saxena (who was interested only in quantum physics and little else), good buddy Mahender Bisht (who backpacks through the Sahara desert and Peru in his spare time), Pratik Biswas (a guy I interned with in Munich, and who was mad as a hatter), Farhad Mehta (who lived in his own world of fractals in IITD) and others too numerous to mention here.

As I struggle to find uses of the QQ, I can think of some - like it should be a necessary input in a job resume, in a matrimonial column, in a social networking website like orkut etc.
Even blogs could have QQs - thus attracting the right kind of readership. Research institutes could insist on high QQs.

In fact, once QQ becomes all pervasive, we could even get quotas in jobs, schools etc for high QQ cohorts.

So from now on, there will only be 2 kinds of people in the world for me - high QQ or low QQ. May the former thrive and multiply!!

Yella OK Cooldrink Yakke

This is one of the funnier stories I have heard, and it is apparently true :-)
There is an advertisement in the fair state of Bengalooru and Mangalooru that features God Upendra (he is apparently the #3 God in the heirarchy of movie stars in Kannada cinema). The ad goes like this:

Upendra walks into a swaky restaurant. He takes of his 'cooling glasses' (Kannadiga for sunglasses) and surveys the place like to the manor born. On the far corner, who does he see but his sweetheart (!!!) coyly enjoying her coke with another man (heresy!!).
Our buddy walks over to their table, and stares at them with bloodshot eyes. He looks menacing. The poor couple cower...
Then he says - Yella OK, Cooldrink yakke? (Everything else is fine, why are you drinking a cold drink?)

Cut to a chilled bottle of Fosters beer!!!

I need a glass of Fosters now, to truly appreciate this masterpiece!!

Bong words I've learnt so far

They say that the words you first pick up in a new city most characterise the city. Although I have not heard anyone speak in Bengali in Calcutta(!!!) so far other than the tea guy, here are a few words I've picked up:

1. fatafati: I think this is the local equivalent of Delhi's 'chak de phatte' (check an earlier blog for the meaning of that phrase)
2. naika: This is an interesting word meaning a mix of 'chaloo', fussy, grating (used to describe women, and used only by other women incidentally :-). I heard this on a local radio channel where a girl said Ash-Abhishek should not marry cos Abhishek was sweet, whereas Aishwarya was very naika-naika
3. hobe na: this is of course the catch phrase of communism. Literal translation is 'can't happen'. Everything has a stock reply - hobe na
4. khobe: This is a Bengali word for ingest, as far as I have been able to figure out. So you can say bhat (rice) khobe, jol (water) khobe or even cigarette khobe
5. ekta: This means one. So I have to tell the tea guy - ekta cha

Pumped up and on adrenalin

Staying up late for many nights does strange things to you. I noticed this only this morning, and the cause for this was that I've been having late nights (2-3 am) and early mornings (7am) for three nights in a row now. Although such periods have been a frequent occurance for a couple of years now, it was only today morning that I thought about this phenomena.

The effects of sleep deprivation are quite interesting. A major one is that of mood swings - I feel quite exhilerated right now (though not fully coherent), perhaps because of the adrenalin being pumped into my nervous system. However, I am also cognizant that by afternoon I will be completely deflated and snappy.

Another effect is on my appetite - I usually dont want to eat anything when I am sleep deprived. However, stimulants like tea and coffee are always welcome.

Usually such periods are followed by a bout of slight illness, like the flu or a cold. Though now since I am aware of this, I take enough precaution, like wearing warm clothes, and not ingesting any alcohol, and drinking plenty of water.

There is also an interesting effect on productivity. Because of the mood swings, the only way to maintain a decent work output is to work when peppy and chill when down. However, the problem is that when I'm peppy I never feel like working (for eg now - when I'm listening to Nirvana and blogging). So productivity takes a hit.

However, I also think that sleep deprivation addles your mind a bit and therefore makes you a bit more creative and lateral (for a short period of time).

What do you think?

Calcutta calling

I have been spending weekdays for the last two weeks in Calcutta. While I was quite apprehensive about going to this bastion of communism initially, overall it has been an interesting experience. A few impressions about the city:

1. The food is amazing: roadside kathi rolls (available in such wondrous choices as double egg single chicken, single egg single chicken, single egg double chicken and various other permutations), greasy (yet cheap) Indian food at Mogambo, fish in mustard curry, aloo in mustard curry, everything in mustard curry, rosogolla at K C Das (and I am told by my maadu friends that I need to go to Tiwari to know what a samosa should be like, also need to try out phuchkas)
2. The traffic drives one crazy: driving (even sitting in front of the car) is a heart-attack inducing experience. Once you navigate large cars on one fourth of the road (the other 3/4ths taken up by parked cars), you would do well to keep the horn pressed continuously to subtly let the meandering junta ahead of you know that they will be crushed unless they move. Of course the horn does not convey anything to them because its sound is drowned in the 500 other horns blaring.
3. The people are fond of talking: period.
4. The city moves on its own rhythm, which is difficult to understand for a commercially oriented person: e.g. at the airport, the snacks bar counter does you a favor by giving you the sandwich you want to eat. When he is present at the counter, that is. He is not interested in earning money, you see :-)
5. The city loves to let its hair down: according to reliable sources, the discotheques and night clubs remain open till 6 am, at which time they serve breakfast!! Also you see a lot of women out partying and having a good time, much more than other cities. Even middle aged gents and ladies enjoy themselves listening to live rock bands.
6. It still has trams plying in the middle of roads. Very British.
   

So far I have not been able to sample all of the city’s charms. Hope I have time to do so in the next few weeks.

A different take on work

Was sent this interesting post yesterday:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/10-reasons-you-should-never-get-a-job

My take on this:
What if working for oneself if just an excitement that I am seeking? Will I be really as passionate about it as I will need to be? I first need to find my passion - then I wont care if I do that in a job or for myself.
Take no 2:
I think I know what my passion is - only I have not encountered much success following it for 7-8 years now. Therefore the need for security is making me hang on to my (admittedly superior, if not perfect) job.

A better Bond

I saw Casino Royale, the new Bond movie yesterday. The after effects of the movie are actually quite good. Daniel Craig, the new Bond, is quite the right person for the role. Here are a few reasons why the movie is good:

1. It is realistic and gritty: this movie shows Bond as he should be – a fighter, gritty, reckless, lightning fast. Not some guy with attitude and loads of futuristic gadgets. Here it is about human effort, and Bond is how Ian Fleming intended him to be – a cold blooded killer, rough around the edges.
2. Bond is vulnerable: James Bond falls in love!! And wants to quit life as a double zero. Till the object of his affection is killed in a gory scene. This also explains his attitude towards women in later movies.
3. Bond makes mistakes: He loses all his money in a poker game against Le Chiffre and almost gets killed. He trusts the wrong people. The newly minted double 0 is learning through his mistakes.
4. Daniel Craig: This Bond looks like he is just come out of a fight. He looks haggard and willing to break out in a scrap anytime. Doesn’t care how is martini is – shaken or stirred. A very guy’s guy. It works!!

What does it mean series 1: Chak de phatte

If there is one statement that characterizes Delhi (and I mean polite statement here :-), it would have to be ‘Chak de phatte’. I have heard this phrase in Delhi at multiple fora, by various people, carrying out various activities (usually on the dance floor, or on a cricket field, or generally in random conversations) Though I have heard (and used) this phrase many times, I did not know its meaning. So I decided to get to the bottom of the exhortation / exclamation.

I first checked with a couple of Punjabi buddies, but drew more or less a blank there. So I turned to big brother Google, and found a wealth of information. A couple of interpretations of this phrase struck me as relevant, which I thought worthwhile to reproduce here:

1) In olden times, whenever Sikh infantrymen attacked enemy Mughal camps, they would pull out the pegs of their tents, thus burying the enemy under the heavy fabric. These pegs were called ‘phatte’. Also, when these same dudes were running back to base camp, they would destroy any bridges (made of wooden planks) to prevent hot pursuit by the justifiably bemused enemy. The wooden planks are also called ‘phatte’. So to ‘chak de’ or take out the ‘phatte’ means to sock it to the enemy. Therefore whenever anyone needs to be encouraged, (s)he is wisely and enthusiastically advised to ‘chak de phatte’.

2) ‘Phatte’ is also synonymous with wooden floor boards. So when desi bands in the UK needed a cool phrase to hook their music (bhangra) on, they used a literal translation of ‘beat up the floor boards’ or chak de phatte

3) The best explanation is this one: the slit between the two pieces of cloth stitched together to make a kurta is called a chak. When this slit tears (phat jaana in Hindi) due to excessive dancing, it signifies ‘chak de phatte’ :-)

You could believe in any of these, but it is not important. What is important is that you continue to chak de phatte!!!

...and already implementing some of it

Here is a typical travesty-of-justice kind of thing that we have become sadly immune to:
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sikh-man-killed-jessica-jethmalani/25707-3.html

Interesting post I read today - kind of resonates with my line of thought on the issue:
http://juicy-bytes.blogspot.com/2006/10/tantrums-of-senile-la-ire.html

An effort to improve...

I think this blog can be improved a bit. So far it has been deriving all its content from a single source and functions as (more or less) a broadcaster of one person's thoughts. This has a couple of problems:
1) It takes a lot to create new and interesting content
2) It is not interactive and does not leverage the interesting topics that you may want to discuss
3) It leads to limited readership

Here are a few suggestions on how these roadblocks can be overcome:
1) A redoubled effort from me to talk / write about more contemporary and current topics
2) Incorporation of third party content (acknowledged, of course!!)
2) Suggestions from you on what could be discussed (this could be in comments to any post / through mail to me directly)

What do you think? Should we try this for a couple of posts and see where it goes? Let me know...

A contrarian view

Saw Dor over the weekend. Since have heard and read multiple words of praise on it, couldn't resist throwing in my bits of wisdom, summarized in this statement - "Iqbal is much much better!!"

A strange meeting

I had a strange experience today. So strange that even now I am not sure how I feel about it. I met a very interesting person, who sounded uncannily like myself. Now I have been certified to be a confused lunatic by many (including my mother, who probably knows me best and is therefore right), but hearing my own thoughts and ambiguities echo in another person was really creepy.

I must have spent an hour and a half in this gentleman’s company, and we did not talk for even two minutes about the agenda items. Rather we talked about life and the decision making process. I will try to synthesize here what I recall out of the conclusions of the discussion, trying to straighten out my muddled thoughts:

1. Most of us go through life following “mind-patterns” (for want of a better term). All our decisions, all our actions are based on these patterns. It is as if we are programmed to behave in a certain way. As long as we do not question, we are happy. Introspection leads to conflict and dissatisfaction. As long as our thought pattern remains the same, we cannot fundamentally change our lives. And changing the thought pattern is nearly impossible, since that is how we are supposed to be (anyone reminded here of the Matrix, please bear with me – this will not end with a whimper like the Matrix Revolutions J). The only way to save ourselves from this pattern is to be aware of it and try to consciously act against it. (the example quoted of one common pattern was: I want to work for XYZ, because I want to prove myself better than the other people who cannot work for XYZ. Or, I will study at ABC because a lot of people want to study there, but cannot. I am significant in the scheme of things, and will prove this if I achieve success, money, fame. Achievement equals significance)

2. Whenever we take any decision, we never can know for sure how it will turn out. Even post the event about which the decision needed to be taken, we can compare it to an inferior situation and feel pleased with the decision, or we can compare it to a superior situation and feel dis-satisfied. So good or bad is not really about the event or the situation, it is actually about us.

3. There is really no answer to the question of life, the universe and everything, unless it is forty-two (apologies to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). There is no right or wrong, good or bad. Each one of us is insignificant in the scheme of things, and keeps fighting against this insignificance. Each one does whatever we do because we believe somewhere that what we are doing will make us significant.

4. If we let go of this mind pattern and accept that we are what we are, life becomes much more free. Freed of expectations, fears, desires, we can do what we really want to do.

Apologies for the heavy duty dose of rambling. Would love to know – is it only me who has such weird questions? Do you also wonder about the same things? Do you agree with what is written here?

Lessons from a surprise

I was watching the dying stages of the second semi-final of the Champions Trophy for cricket today. Watching the West Indies beat South Africa was a pleasant surprise, and brought to mind a few thoughts. Since I am constantly introspective, like making linkages between different events and love finding patterns in life, these could strike you as not pertinent or even relevant. Anyway, here goes:

Lesson #1: Life always turns a circle – the West Indies were not one of the top teams in the tournament and had to slug with the likes of Bangladesh and Kenya to enter the tournament. However they have beaten Australia, South Africa and India on route to the finals. I like to think of life as a sine wave, sometimes up and sometimes down. This is true for almost everything I have seen in my limited experience, as true as it is for the West Indies’ fortunes.

Lesson #2: When someone plays for pride, get out of the way. Indian coach Greg Chappell commented that the Windies had forgotten to win – Brian Lara and his team took that to heart and beat India in the next 7 games that they played. Lara always makes it a point to mention this after each game against India. Therefore I would never hurt a person’s pride and would never humiliate someone enough for them to want to get back.

Lesson #3: Nothing is lost for ever – the Indian cricket team (I don’t think too highly of them, by the way) need not despair. All they need to do is dig deep within themselves and find a pride, a reason to play. They can bounce back. As can each one of us.

Killer lines

"Don ke dushman ki sabse badi bhool hai Don se dushmani" - Amitabh Bachchan in (the original) Don

"Chinai seth, jinke ghar sheeshe ke hote hain wo doosron ke gharon pe patthar phenka nahi karte" - Raj Kumar in Waqt

"Hasta la vista, baby" - Arnold Schwarzenegger in TII

"May the force be with you" - Master Yoda in Star Wars

"The game is afoot" - Sherlock Holmes in some silly movie not written by Conan Doyle

"Elementary, my dear Watson" - Sherlock Holmes NEVER said this!!

More contributions invited...

An idyllic day

This weekend has been one of the best ever. This was mainly because I had nothing much to do over the weekend. Mom was not in town and papa had work to be done that took most of the weekend. So I had no formal agenda to follow..

The weekend kicked off in grand style with an official party on Friday night. The tequila was flowing and I helped myself to several mojitos at the fascinating rooftop restaurant at the Oberoi in Delhi. As is wont, this led to some intellectually stimulating conversation with a group of close friends, the subject of which I do not seem to recall in the least :-). As I dragged myself into bed at two am, I thanked God that it was friday.

Saturday morning saw me wake up to a glorious day. I fixed myself a delicious breakfast of Maggi noodles and toast with tea and ate with gusto. I think it was the weather that caused me to sing out loud as I was cooking - clear blue sky, cool breeze, benign warm sunshine! It was the ideal day for a drive. So I picked up my car keys and headed out to the great unknown...

After driving aimlessly for a couple of hours, I landed at one of the new malls in Gurgaon, which has a HUGE bookstore. This bookstore is particularly good, since they stock good books new or old. I spent a couple of hours browsing around and finally bought a book called 'Running Money', which is the amusing story and experiences of a guy who ran his own hedge fund in Silicon Valley (more on this in a later post).

After that I met a friend for coffee and generally chatted about this and that. Time flowed so smoothly that I did not realise when it turned dark and was time to get home. Got back home to a great meal of microwaved frozen stuff that mom had left in the fridge. I then settled down with a cup of tea and the book I had bought, and spent a pleasant couple of hours reading up.

It was soon time to sleep and I dreamt of days like this in the future :-)

Singapore Sling - 5: Some reactions

My buddy Tambourine Man has this to say on the Singapore Sling series:

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I left Singapore because I wanted a change of scenery; but I hate it (and that's a carefully chosen word) when people say Singapore does not have much beyond its plastic-shopping-mall-clean-street-good-cops-and-no-robbers front... It's like saying Delhi is full of snobs and Delhiites dont make good friends... Just to throw a few examples, Singapore has a holiday resort for pets (not a very common thing,and a really exciting place to visit)... I once visited a turtle collector in Singapore who has the world's largest collection of turtles (which makes more sense once you dig into the Chinese fascination for turtles and the good luck they bring) and so on and so forth... Even Sentosa has a history far beyond the plastic face they sell to tourists... Its original name was Pulau Belakang Mati, which means "Island of Death from Behind" (read more on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentosa which gives some vague explanations... More interesting stories about Sentosa can be found in the book "Final Notes from a Great Island" by Neil Humphreys)... I used to believe all the usual cliches about Singapore for a long time... But now I think Singapore is an exciting city if you dig a bit deep and start understanding the local people in the remote corners of the island (trust me, they are different from the orchard road shoppers)... so next time, go to a coffee shop in some non-touristy part... and start talking to people there (they will talk if u say you are a writer from BBC)... it's great fun..
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Interesting stuff!!

The Lake House

I saw a movie recently on the flight from Singapore (I saw plenty actually, but remember only a couple). The movie was called The Lake House and stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Watching the movie was a strange and moving experience, especially on a flight, because it gave you the feeling of being disengaged with the real world, in a world of your own (I often get this feeling on long flights). This was perfect for the movie, because it also requires you to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride.

The movie is a lyrical tale of romance between two occupants of the (eponymous) lake house who actually live two years apart (two years apart for each other, but actually in the same time). Their only mode of communication is an old post box which they use to send each other hand written notes, and a dog who both own (the dog is the only living link with each other). Even though they have never met (and never can meet) they find meaning, strength and love in each other. The guy (who lives in 2004) does meet the girl (who is in 2006) in his time, but at that point in her life she does not know him. So when they meet they cannot express their love, and there is no other way to meet.

Of course there are other twists and turns in the plot, but what is good in the movie to me is its languid pace, its belief in a better future, and its sheer romance (in fact at multiple points in the movie I actually was in tears).

Overall, highly recommended if you are a romantic like me.

Once again...

I will return to the real world again today. The last two weeks have been a smorgasbord of learning, bonding and fun!! Cocooned in a unique risk-free and helpful environment, I have learnt a lot about others, the world and mostly about myself. I look forward to applying my new found learnings in the real world.

The biggest take away for me from this experiment is the need to listen - too often we talk 'at' each other instead of 'to' each other. The other learning is a weird thing called the 'trust equation' that actually has a formula for building trust :-) And perhaps the ease (and indeed rewards) of stepping outside my comfort zone.

But most of all, my learning is that people are very good at heart. All one needs to do to bring out this fundamental goodness (and determination, resolve, honesty, care, love and...) is to show them a possibility. I think that is all we need to make this world a better place. Sounds very 'Matrix'-like, but I believe it to be true :-)

Watch out world!!

Singapore Sling - 4: Sharks and lions

I find that I am fascinated by heights (although I think I have vertigo as well). Every city I visit I always do one touristy thing - find the top spot i.e. tower or cable car or whatever else and go on top.

So here are some photos from a cable car ride and a tall tower I took from my mobile phone in Singapore:
The port The Superstar Gemini
Those are people on top of the lion's head!


I also visited the underwater aquarium and took some shark photos (quality not so good cos it was somewhat dark). But truly was amazed to see such gigantic and dangerous fishes.

Books etc...

Last weekend I read Q&A on the flight to Singapore. Here is a synopsis of the story:

When Ram Mohammad Thomas, an orphaned, uneducated waiter from Mumbai, wins a billion rupees on a quiz show, he finds himself thrown in jail. (Unable to pay out the prize, the program's producers bribed local authorities to declare Ram a cheater.) Enter attractive lawyer Smita Shah, to get Ram out of prison and listen to him explain, via flashbacks, how he knew the answers to all the show's questions. Indian diplomat Swarup's fanciful debut is based on a sound premise: you learn a lot about the world by living in it (Ram has survived abandonment, child abuse, murder). And just as the quiz show format is meant to distill his life story (each question prompts a separate flashback), Ram's life seems intended to distill the predicament of India's underclass in general. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Although it had been recommended highly by a colleague, I did not think it a truly great story. I thought it was quite clever and innovative, especially using the format of a quiz show like 'KBC' to frame different short stories, but my principal objection to the book is that I found it very 'filmy' (to use a very Indian word - I'm sure this word does not exist outside of India).

Indeed, I have three principal criteria to judge how good a book is. One is how the book changes me as a person after I have read it. The other is how interesting the book is while reading. The third is how much of the book I remember a long time after I have read it. Some books that meet my criteria include:

1. Of Human Bondage - Somerset Maugham
2. The Great Gatsby - Scott Fitzgerald
3. Catcher in the Rye - J D Salinger
4. The Money Game (non fiction) - Adam Smith
5. Fooled by randomness (non fiction) - Nissim Nicholas Taleb
6. Notes from the Himalayas (non fiction) - Ruskin Bond
7. Papillon - Henri Charriere
8. The Dilbert Principle (there is a chapter on Affirmations at the end of the book which is quite intriguing) - Scott Adams
9. Candide - George Bernard Shaw (this is actually only a short story)

Some books that meet only criteria two and three are:

1. A perfect spy - Le Carre
2. The little drummer girl - Le Carre
3. Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy - Le Carre
4. A book of short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (forgotten the name)
5. Barbarians at the gate
6. When genius failed - the rise and fall of LTCM
7. The Odessa File - Frederick Forsythe
8. A study in scarlet - Conan Doyle

Would be quite interesting to hear about what books others read and find inspiring! These are only the books that came to mind - perhaps I will update this list as I think of more books that i have read and liked.

Singapore Sling - 3

I have been interacting with a lot of people lately here in Singapore. And all of various nationalities – Germans, Scandinavians, Americans, English, Chinese, Japanese, other Asians, Indians, Australians, South Africans and other assorted Europeans. All in all a diverse bunch. It is quite amusing and insightful to observe the cultural norms and peculiarities of different nationalities. Some stereotypes (apologies to any hurt feelings - no mal intent here!!):
1. Americans usually take center stage – not because they are great problem solvers or people persons, but simply because they are quite assertive and focus a lot on communication.
2. The Germans are dour (that’s a nice word, meant here in a positive way!!), rational and serious.
3. The Scandinavians are a shy and pleasant bunch.
4. The Koreans are the most aggressive of the Asian gang.
5. Indians and Chinese actually get along together quite well!!
6. Indians (living in India) are usually quite intelligent but are usually content to give up the spotlight. Indians (living in the US or Europe) are more assertive and savvy in communicating.

At the same time, it is a strangely reassuring experience to find similarities between people of roughly the same age, background and profession. Overall, it was surprising for me that the issues most people of my age and milieu in India grapple with are exactly the same for my buddies here. For example
1. How can we get ahead?
2. How can we lead more meaningful lives?
3. How can I earn double of my current salary?
4. How can I get drunk quickly?
There are also a few differences –
1. The importance of sports, health and exercise in the lives of people of developed countries is a feature worth emulating in Indians.
2. The fact that most people of other nationalities have some interests and hobbies outside of work which they take seriously.

What is also interesting is the fact that most people respect economic prowess. India is big on everyone’s radar right now because it is BOOMING!! It feels very powerful and privileged to be an Indian living in India right now :-D. I hope I keep getting this feeling for a long long time. I also hope that I can contribute to increasing GDP not only by increasing consumption, but also by producing some valuable goods or services and providing employment to my countrymen!!

Singapore Sling - 2

One interesting tidbit - Singapore's main attraction is an island called Sentosa. This is usually a must-visit place in Singapore for all tourists and even for local Singaporeans.
Did you know that 'Sentosa' is a Malaysian word roughly meaning 'Satisfaction' or 'Peace'??
Remind anyone of 'Santosh' in Hindi??
Quite awesome - the extent of our influence over southeast Asia in historical times!!

Singapore Sling -1

For the last few days, I have been in Singapore. Although cooped up in a beautiful seaside resort for the most time, I had an opportunity to explore the city (to call it a country seems somewhat incongruous, given that it would roughly be of the same size as Delhi) over last weekend. My overall impressions about the place:
The positives:
1. It’s a nice and friendly place. Populated mostly by Asians (and people of South Indian origin), it almost feels like home.
2. It is a very clean and well organized city. There are free bus services on some routes, spic and span public places, taxes on road usage according to peak hour traffic, greenery, awesome infrastructure and the works.
3. It tries hard to be an interesting place – with shopping plazas, multiple pubs, great food joints, a night safari, underwater aquaria, cable cars, cruises along the sea and other attractions that would make a tourist feel engaged.
4. A huge airport that is very efficient and easy to navigate.

The negatives:
1. There is a weird haze over Singapore these days (the kind you would find over Delhi on winter evenings in the pre-CNG days) due to some forest fires burning in the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The news and newspapers are full of dire predictions about how terrible it is for people’s health.
2. The newspapers are all very juvenile and seem to be written by earnest 14 year olds, carrying such weighty articles as ‘Is Singapore losing its culture?’ or ‘Why do women care so much about their weight?’ or ‘Are Singapore malls displaying too many expensive clothes in stores?’ on front pages.
3. The city overall seems mechanical (for want of a better word!!). There seems to be too much planning, too much structure, too much organization. One longs for some good old Indian-style commotion and hullabaloo.

All in all, I think it is understandable why so many Indians make Singapore their home. It offers the closest you can get to an Indian life with western public systems.
But I can never live in Singapore for long. For the sole reason that there is no chewing gum allowed here!!! Not sold in shops, nor allowed to be carried into the country. Gives me the shudders. I am beginning to hyper-ventilate as I think of a chewing-gum-less fortnight ahead in Singapore.

Two countries

Sometimes I feel as if I live in two countries at the same time. One poised to take its place in the league of powerful nations and another, which is mired in filth, decadence and corruption.

Yesterday I returned from one of my regular visits to Chennai. The first half of my trip was in the great country. I visited a place on the outskirts of the city, which had recently had a port built in quick time by private operators. The port had completely changed the topography and profile of the erstwhile sleepy town. Now it was bustling with activity, and was witnessing a boom in infrastructural development, roads, industries, employment and economic development. I felt part of something big, and I think so did everyone else who had encountered this development.

The other half of my trip was in the medieval nation. I had to visit the office of a local government run agency in the same city. From the first step inside the filthy, ill kept and depressing building, I felt somehow oppressed and revolted. This feeling was only reinforced as I met one babu who had been mandated by law to attend to people like me. Not only was this gentleman filled with a sense of his power, he was also ignorant and arrogant (a deadly combination!). He was far removed from the logic of business or the compulsion of change – all he cared about was his position of authority, which I guess he owed to sycophancy of political masters. I felt a sense of great relief as I walked out of that building, even with my work not done.

Sometimes I wonder about the sustainability of all the good things happening in this country. Growth and progress will one day have to meet and overcome the barriers placed by babus like my friend above. One day the two different countries will have to collide and go to war against each other. I don’t know which one will win – still under the influence of my visit to the latter country, I only fear the worst!!

Words that allure

Words have a strange magic. I like words that take time to be said - a word with a weighty meaning that takes time to say, is pon-der-ous and requires effort to grasp fully makes the effort of speaking worthwhile. This occured to me while I was driving on a beautiful road today.

I thought of the word pro-li-fic. Such a delicious word - you can roll it over and over again in your mouth. I thought that's what I want to be with my blog - pro-li-fic.
This led me to the word pro-li-x. I hope none of the blogs are prolix!! Rather, I would prefer them to sc-in-til-lla-te. And not ob-fus-cate matters.

A short and sweet word that I admire is hock (a type of wine - not to be confused with hawk). It is sharp and immediately brings to mind the assertiveness of a stodgy Englishman asking for his favourite drink!
A colleague of mine once used ‘bl-ud-geon’ to describe the style of a batsman. This is a cool word – it immediately brings to mind violence and crudity.

Some non-English words are also my favourites. For example – zeitgeist. Very apt word for describing the ‘spirit of the times’. Also scha-den-fre-ude. Very weighty word - though I doubt if I have ever heard anyone use it (or ever will). I think one word that truly is unique is wanderlust. A more apt name for this malaise is impossible to find - I think it is the 'wander' in the word that clinches the issue. For example 'travel-lust' would be nowhere as powerful.

Another German word that I find quite funny is 'putsch'. Although the consequences of one are terrible, the feeling I get on hearing it is as if I have stepped on some horrible bad smelling gooey substance. Ugh!!

I hope this post brings out the quint-es-sen-tial beauty of words and does not sound like so much so-phis-try :-)