Fork In The Road

Fork In The Road

At a crossroad that you once stood,
Tried to see as far as you could,
One was blocked beyond a few steps,
You could see little light on the other one, instead,

You made your choice,
In that darkness of the night,
What made you tread the second one?
'Don’t know, it just seemed right'

The two paths were now running parallel from what you could see
What awaits at the end of each - sorrow or glee?
You wonder, as the tracks come closer to each other,
Should you chicken out and move from one to another?

Caught gazing at the bright and abandoned,
You are stopped by a well-wisher and questioned,
"Are you sure you took the right path?
Isn’t that one lit and this one dark?"

Unsure, hesitant, silently you walk,
Devoid of company, to yourself you talk,
'Is the other path truly that bright?'
You tell yourself 'But still, this one just seems right'

As you progress, your dark boulevard glows,
A few more paces and its luster grows,
You continue walking as it just feels right,
Seems like, perhaps you are the brightness of this side

Confused, amazed, you wonder one last time,
'Is this why the path always seemed right?'
Needless to say, you soon realize,

The path was lit just for you… and you were its light!

Fool's Garden

Oh I am so being reminded of the Lemon Tree right now…

I am sitting here in the meeting room,
It’s just another post lunch afternoon
I’m wasting my time
When I got work to do
I’m dozing around
in the meeting room
But nothing ever happens
And I wonder

I am watching around from my seat
I am staring too hard
I am forcing my eyes
I’d like to drive the sleep away
I feel so helpless
As I fall from my desk
But nothing ever happens
And I wonder

I wonder how
I wonder why
Yesterday they told me about the meeting guide
And all that I can see, is some slides roll by
I am turning my head up and down
As slide, slide, slide, slide, slide, slide goes down
And all that I can see is just another hazy view

Ok … back to work … what crap !

Sweet Relics

The pink that surrounded me. The reminiscence, the silver lining. That silver around my neck. The satin. The drape, mild baby pink and the smooth silver. Fiddling around with the toy hanging down till the waist. The ambience, the mist. The whiff taking me back to the wistful dreamy land. Mild fragrance enveloping me, killing me softly. And then, I tore it apart. Untangled the wrap. Freeing myself from the omnipresent, or so it seemed. And contributing to a noble cause. Perhaps someone will cherish the gift. Be amused. Giggle. Laugh. Play around. Yes dear, I did it. One step to make it less pervasive.

Rendezvous with Bangalore – 2

Time 5:10 pm, Weekday
Place: Auto stand @ Exit Gate
Me: Hurrying to get home since my evening conf calls begin at 6pm
AG - AutoGuy


Me: Tippasandra
AG1: Disinterested, no response

Me: Tippasandra
AG2: Ignore

Me: Tippasandra
AG3: Where in Tippsasandra madam?
Me: Answers religiously
AG3: Ignore

Me: Tippasandra
AG4: 50 Rupees Madam [Grins]
Me: Ignore …
Yeah even we get to do that sometimes ;-)
And this is one of the first things you learn to do when AG’s Yappily demand thrice the meter amount.

------ditto------
------ditto------
------ditto------
------ditto------
------ditto------

End of the Queue…

Me: Tippasandra
AG: Come Madam, how much will u give?
Me: 20 Rupees
AG: Sit

Me wonders, why did I even say 20!

In the background –
Other AG’s: How much are u taking, 20?
AG: Yes. Go


Now in the Rick -

AG: What time do you leave office madam?
Me: Fix time nahin hai
AG: Same time madam?
Me: No
AG: Morning, madam?
Me: Ignore
AG: Continues questioning
Me: Ignore
AG: More rambling
Me: Ignore
Me is fed up of the over friendliness now


AG adjusts his rearview mirrors
Me goes #*@%#%
Wonders if I have seen him before

AG continues: Ek ghante se auto queue mein khada tha na.. end of queue mein customer nahin milta .. isiliye agreed for Tippsandra

Me: Ignore
Though My face Says – DO you want me to go down on my knees and thank you Saaar !??!!

AG: otherwise 20 rupees mein koi nahin aata. Madam you give 30 rupees otherwise na?
Me: NO. I never give 30 Rupees for this distance
AG: us din diye the na?
[Us din… kis din … kab … kaun … kahan conversation in pipeline]
Me: Ignore


A kilometer later…

Me: Go straight, don’t take this turn. Take the next right
AG: Maloom
AG: Ek baar rasta dekh liya to yaad rehta madam… bhoolta nahin. Kidhar bhi gaya to sab customer ka yaad rehta

Twas clear now that I had indeed seen him before. One of more such days in the past.
Thankfully that also meant – No more conversation with him since he knew the way.


But soon …

AG: Road kharab hai
Me: Ignore
AG turns to look back now
Agitated, My face now says – Would u care to look ahead and drive!!!!
Me: Aap auto chalao na
Signalling him to look ahead
AG: Madam speaker deck bahut heavy hai …blah blah blah … some shitty reason
Me is now looking outside the auto …its IGNORE in CAPS


We reach after a few more BIG time ignores…

I step out and pay him 20 bucks.
AG: Tomorrow evening I will be there same time madam
Me: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did I hear him right?
Agitated Me was ready to slap him now. But Composed me says – No need. I do not want to fix up any particular auto.
AG waits.
Me walks away.
That’s the Blore AG’s for you. Shameless in every possible manner. And I am being euphemistic here.

Getting Virtual

Nope, not talking about our online avtaars or social networking sites. I am talking about virtual desktops. Our PC’s will soon go virtual.
We’ve been hearing about remote solutions for quite some time. But what makes me happy is that this news has trickled down from the techie sites to our own ET. Check this link out

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Hardware/Virtual_PCs_free_workers_from_hardware/articleshow/msid-3353628,curpg-1.cms

Be ready to see more of this.

Mood – Virtually elated :-)

Happy Friendship Day

I might have passed that age when frndship day, ribbon day, flower day and the whole multitude of days did not seem like an overkill.
But this FD, I thought was unique. Not because there was any exchange of cards or gifts, but because I thought it coincided with reaching out to a lot of important people in the lives of my close friends. Changes that life brings upon us forces us to leave behind a few and join new hands…and we move on. Here is wishing A, K and K all the best for their new chapters. To A, I have always admired how you face the most challenging situations with tranquility. And I know you will go past this one too.

A post speaks more than its written words. Nd this one sure does.

Must Know

About a week old article ...But still -
http://computing.in.msn.com/articles/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1596051

Rendezvous with Bangalore - 1

I walk alone, amongst strangers. In a city that speaks an alien language, in a city which has its own norms. Through the hustle bustle of traffic and through the narrow lanes. Through the pallyas [locality] and through the hallis [ Village]. Along the lake, beneath the trees. Inside the market, besides the temple.

I am clearly not used to this kind of life. Here I walk, lost in my own musings. Knowing that I will not bump into any friend on the way or be greeted by an acquaintance. I am not scurrying to catch any bus/ train/ auto here. And so I walk, at my own pace, in my own world.

Nyone , relate to this ?

But slowly the city is growing on to me. I know a few people, some associations... and we acknowledge each other with a smile or a nod. Besides old TCS/ISB pals and the new friends that I am making, I am also greeted by other people who provide services…my watchman who opens the gate for me, my maid who gives me company for the evening chai, my tailor who sits down the street…

But in this unfamiliar city…things do not seem cold when I walk back home to meet the kindergarten kid playing downstairs. He always has stories to narrate to me – from school activities to the wonders of Chota Bheem – his favorite animation :-) And all the detachment disappears when a toddler walking down the street looks up and smiles at me standing in the balcony …and I wave back :-)

Food for Thought

Came across an interesting piece of political news today in the paper. And no I am not talking about the UPA confidence vote debate. Neither am I talking about how Laloo was the start entertainer or Omar Abdullah displayed his oratory skills.
I am talking about a small piece of news from our neighbor country Nepal. The news reports that Nepal has seen 3 days of continued protests against the newly elected Vice President. Reason – The Vice President took his oath of office in Hindi and not Nepali or his mother tongue Maithili. There were also reports of criticism of his style of dressing which is seen as non-Nepali, because he prefers to wear Dhoti Kurta.

Firstly it makes me sad that perhaps the 2 neighbors have not been able to build that cultural respect for each other. It surprises me that while my building’s watchman [from Nepal] conveniently talks Hindi, works in India and doesn’t see himself different from us, back in his home country there is agitation over the choice to speak Hindi. [Interestingly, the word Nepal itself has Sanskrit origins.]
And secondly, I wonder yet again about the cultural tolerance that Indians have. Something that we have always heard – whether it was giving shelter to Jews or absorbing the Parsi community or embracing and respecting other cultures. I know we are good at it . But do we over do it? Should we change with time? What do you think Nepal would do if Sonia Gandhi takes on the central role in their country’s political ruling?

<------ Interruption -->

I just received some news. More disturbing than agitation in Nepal. Brings me back to India and its cultural tolerance.

Marriages are made in heaven ….

...And confusions in marriages.

Off late I’ve attended 3 marriages and all of them have been inter caste. While I don’t usually like to use the term intercaste cause I believe the whole concept of caste is a little beyond me. Nevertheless, I would continue with the same for the lack of a better description. While marriages are big events in Indian society, they also display the complicated combinations of ceremonial rituals and social practices.

So this time around when I went for the Punju weddings – guess what! there was no Joote do paise lo, and yeah the bidai didn’t happen at 4 in the morning. While Suraj Barjatiya would surely be disappointed by the falling interests in extended wedding rituals, he is not alone. There is a Beeji who cribs that the baraat and seherabandi concluded in a hurry without completing all rites and a Paati who feels that the delay in baraat led to the shubh muhurat being lost out for her darling grand daughters wedding.

In the midst of this not so pleased elders and confused set of guests who do not know what to expect in the wedding, poor parents try to ensure that all goes well, the pandit is not pissed off for any reason and the ceremony concludes without any obstacle. But I sympathize the most with the bride and the groom who frankly speaking have no freaking idea of what’s happening in their wedding. In the entire mumbo jumbo of rituals they don’t know what comes next ! Welcome to the ceremony which can be best described as a patch work of “common to both practices” and a “must performs” for either party.

So after attending 3 such mix and match ceremonies I am totally convinced that soon we wouldn’t know how it is supposed to be. And maybe someday amidst this confusion will emerge a common wedding custom across India. Will the bride walk down the aisle in a white gown? Will the groom wear a sehera? Will they say Qubool Hai ? Will it be a 5am muhurat category or 4 am bidai category… I certainly am as clueless. But I am most certain will happen.

P.S – Don’t catch me if it doesn’t. After all they also predicted that the End is Near!

Alarming

http://www.bhopal.net/bhopalinthenews/archives/2008/04/air_water_earth.html

And it's over...

I finished my Term 8 exams today… No more pending assignments, no more submissions, no more classes and no more exams. It’s all over @ ISB. As Adi puts it “100% MBA …….* conditions apply” :-)
Of course I am thrilled – but then it’s a weird feeling. Alums say – “Co-2008 – Welcome back to the real world”
Everyone is dreading what’s the truth beyond the rosy picture that we see form campus. But WTH, we are ready to face it!

After 2 back 2 back exams and an hour of badminton, 4 of us headed to Sahib Singh Sultan for dinner. I with a very close group of friends @ ISB… and then it seemed how this time is now so short-lived.
Four of us have had umpteen numbers of meals together Donno if this time will ever come back. Will we ever get to sit like this again? We’ve had our share of misunderstandings, our laughs, our cries, but what was most important – was the assurance that we are there for each other.
Our daily lunch meets was something that I always looked forward to. I think its really been by support system @ ISB.
While I have never really posted any gyaan on this link for batch of Co-09, if I were to say one thing, it would be – Acknowledge that you will need a support system sooner or later; and that nothing can substitute a set of good friends.
One will have zillion things lined up – quizzes, assignments, exams, group meets, club meets, grades, networking, celebrations … ( and a lot more, which is for the next batch to discover)…But a daily ritual of catching up serves as a brilliant stress buster.

Anyways, coming back to present, it’s 1 am and I just walked into my quad. It’s empty.
All my quaddies have magically disappeared. They do have assignments pending and so I assume they are sitting around with their groups to meet the 8am deadline. Nevertheless, it is eerie.
Every piece of furniture assortment looks just the way I left it 10 hours ago – absolutely untouched and unmoved. And so I wonder, how will our quads be one week hence.
It’s hard to imagine a lifeless village with emptiness prevailing in the blocks – an abandoned village where once life thrived. Strange but true.
But what’s re-assuring is that the village will soon be buzzing with action by month end – A new batch, a new spirit and a new face of SV2 :-)

Seems like next 5 says are going to get us all super nostalgic. Despite a lot of people planning to make GOA, Dandeli trips, we’ve decided to stay back. Call it lack of planning, laziness or the sheer affinity to the place – we’ve all decided to be @ ISB for the next one week. So expect more nostalgic posts …

Cya!

Hello, m back :-)

I haven't posted anything in 2 months while a lot has been happening here in my life. Today again it's the weather that brings back the blogger in me. In one word it's just beautiful out here. After the heavy rains last week campus has been looking sparkling green. And now, in this sleepy lazy afternnoon it's drizzling. The sky is not dark, grey and gloomy...but it has shades of bright blue and white with dark streaks of black spread across. You can see the sun beam piercing the blue and black colored palette.

Sitting by the window, I can smell the wet earth. The gushes of moist wind bring on that smile, the happiness and the pure child like exuberance in me. It tells me not to miss Bombay while I can make the most of my last few days in HYd. After all, the countdown has begun - 10 more dayz while we enjoy ISB; the campus that gave a tough fight to my very own picturesque BARC campus back home. BARC is till close to heart, but then this post is not about getting nostalgic about BARC. More than that, KK's invitation for a hot cup of coffee is so irresistable. SO I shall Chal...Signing off...

P.S - KK, your coffee beats all else @ ISB!

The Wait

Wait seems endless,
Weather seems rough,
Faith is strong though
the times are tough

Six terms down, 2 more to go

ISB - A new place, a new world. 421 strangers, 356 days. This place would change my life, they had told me. And how I didn’t know then. I first drove into this campus on 13th April 2007. Didn’t know a soul. Was never a part of any Mumbai pre-ISB meets, so didn’t know my then to-be batch mates. Wasn’t fortunate enough to have anybody from my undergrad college joining me here.

One year is too short to transform someone, I thought. 8 months down and I can say I’ve been proved wrong.
What is a B-school without seniors on campus, I wondered. Now I know how this place doesn’t necessarily need that; with the alums pitching in every time you need em.
In more than 1 ways this campus has managed to challenge, if not change many of my perceptions. So while I look back now, I think about those numerous moments from the past 8 months, that have been etched clearly in my mind, those memories that I will cherish forever. The friends that I have made, the friends that I couldn’t make, the Profs that I salute to, the classes I would rather miss ;) the sleepless nights, the morning 8 am submissions, sleeping after breakfast, waking up to have dinner, the midnight snacks, the all exclusive booze parties, the poolside maggi, the spicy gossip sessions, the irony of being tagged as a Delhi-ite by Mumbai people and a Mumbai-ite by the Dilliwallas :-)

If I were to put my experience in one word, I would say constantly ‘Exploring’; it’s about exploring yourself, stretching yourself, knowing your strengths, your limitations, being able to take in stride things you never thought you could do and truly going beyond what you though (not so) do-able.
It’s been a party all the way for some, an ordeal for others, brought vacation for few, and ‘losin-it-all’ for others; But surely a challenge for all of us, that has given us the strength and confidence of being able to handle all that comes our way; And probably that’s been the most important thing. Now there is no such thing as ‘fatigue’, and no such thing as ‘being limited by time’ and when that happens, there is no looking back :-)

So Cheers! Let the party continue …

The Forthcoming

Unlocking the doors of future
He tells you what to tune
Only to sit back and wonder
‘What’s my fortune?’

Baby Tax to curb Global Warming – GSBC Revisited

And we thought we learn from our mistakes!
Or did we say history repeats itself?

Whichever way it is, while we could juggle our way in this play of words, I still find it hard to comprehend how one can slash upon a Baby Tax.
This bizarre stunt, which was earlier tried by the Chinese Government (to address different issues and via varied means), is now being contemplated by the doctors in Australia.

Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia, Associate Professor Barry Walters stated that every couple with more than 2 children should be taxed to pay for enough trees to offset the carbon emissions generated over each child's lifetime. And he believes that families should pay a $5000-plus “baby levy” at birth and an annual carbon tax of up to $800 per child.
Excuse Me!

While I am sure this is just the beginning of a debate (and I will keep away from the ethical issues here), this story in a way completed the circle by linking baby tax to carbon emissions and global warming, especially when this news was published alongside the reports of announcements of Nobel Peace Prize - Where Al Gore and Pachauri shared the honor for warning the world against the severe consequences of global warming!!

The focus of discussion in Oslo was clearly that technological progresses alone cannot stop global warming, and instead we also need to adjust our lifestyles. However seems like this suggestion was taken way too literally and way too far. While I am not sure if I would have really bothered about the Australian scientists silly propositions, I could not ignore it any more given what happened in China. Thanks to our core terms @ ISB and some shocking videos courtesy youtube, this seemingly stupid suggestion did a flashback for me – Term 4 Gov, Society & Biz Class

Coming back to current events, the Nobel Peace prize ceremony, as anticipated, did underscore the work being done on hammering out a post-Kyoto Protocol framework to address global warming. And that makes me wonder again – How fair is it to set national targets and set up an emission trading system? What’s the logical basis for deciding emission quotas? And what are the implications of such legislation measures?

Some relevant links:
News Australia
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22896334-2,00.html
Shocking China Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u7_afmT-8&feature=related
Innovative Suggestions
http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html

Value proposition - Enhancing viewer experience to maximize clicks? Does it work for my blog?

If you just went @**# on reading the subject line J Welcome to our world of jargon mania. 5 terms down the MBA-PGP@ISB, the language is sure rubbing on to all of us. Here are some of my encounters with the jargon laden conversational tit bits:

First one in Strategic IT lecture, when my cell went beep beep:
“Do you think that the ROI on predictive s/w for enhancing customer retention and provide analytical capabilities is justified?!!!”

When R managed to reply in a jargon heavy CP:
“That’s very good R, now tell us what it means”

S’s CP of the term, in a data mining lecture:
“ .. So Prof you mean, we need to massage and slice the data before ….”
Prof: “ :-D Yeah S, may be you need to visit a ayurvedic therapy parlor”

When A’s gf was visiting him on campus:
“My wify is coming this term break”
“Dude, she isn’t your wify yet”
“Yaar, it’s the Present value of future inflows”
M, who overheard the conversation almost fell off his chair!

Forever Parents

Last week I came to know, one of my friends has adopted a baby girl and I must say I am damn proud of the couple. In India its still not one of the 'in' things people would do, but I think it’s a very noble gesture.

While such acts are still limited to celebrities and media gaze and attention,
It takes quite a lot of familial and social convincing for a common man to do it. I am sure my friend was both lucky and brave to be able to proceed with the resolution.

Hats off to you my brave couple!

Shimmer, Magic, Delight ...

It’s that time again. Festivities all around. Light, Magic, Madness. I’ve loved the Diwali season since the time I remember and I still do. The cold winter setting, the celebration time, the radiance and the shine, it is just so rejuvenating.
After a sleepless week of surviving on barely 3 hours average sleep, I just indulged and pampered myself yesterday. A lazy afternoon, a cuppa chai, a Hillary Duff starrer ‘Perfect man’ (at least on screen) on HBO and my laptop – what else does one need!
For now, the movie name itself seems like such a hypothetical concept. But what the hell!
A cute movie, very girlie, and I think the inspiration behind Desi flick Mitr - my friend, in some ways. While the movie progressed and Holly became desperate to protect her mom's newfound happiness, my quadmates became more determined and pledged yet again, to get me drunk one day. Very clichéd ‘happily ever after’ end of the movie, but for the sparkling illusionary charming mood all around, I let it pass. Freezed another movie plan for Diwali night, this seems so unimaginable at ISB, indulging in movies back to back.

Looking back at Diwali celebrations that I’ve had in my life, from anar and lavangis to more progressed lakshmi bombs and rockets, from my camaraderie with anushakti friends to new found friends in Dallas, from mafco meetings to teen patti teams at ISB fiesta …
It’s brought me many new friends, loads of happiness and a sea of good memories that fetches a smile to my face. May this mood never end …
Happy Diwali people !! :-)