My mind speaketh....

कुछ समय पहले की बात है......

2010-11-28T10:12:00.001+05:30

कुछ समय पहले की बात है, जब माँ को कोएले पर रोटी बनाते देखा है

अब तो पापड़ भी खाना हो तो बीवी की उंगलियों को माइक्रो वेव का बटन दबाते देखा हैं

कुछ समय पहले की बात है, जब खुद को डाकघर से पोस्टकार्ड लाते हुए देखा है

अब तो खुद को आइफ़ोन की टचस्क्रीन से फ्री में एस एम एस करते भी देखा है

कुछ समय पहले की बात है, जब मेरे खर्चो के लिए पापा को बैंक की लम्बी लाइन में देखा है

और अब पापा को पैसे भेजने के लिए खुद को बस इक 'enter' का बटन दबाते देखा है

कुछ समय पहले की बात है जब खुद को धूल मिट्टी में खेलते हुए देखा है

और अब दो साल की बच्ची को आइ फ़ोन पर गेम्स खेलते हुए भी देखा है

कुछ समय पहले की बात है जब केवल हनुमान जी को ही बॉडी दिखाते देखा है

और अब हर गली नुक्कड़ में डम्बल उठाते नौजवानों को भी देखा है

कुछ समय पहले की बात है जब खुद को घर की छत पर तारे गिनते हुए देखा है

और अब 'ए सी के बिना नींद नहीं आती', खुद को यह कहते हुए भी देखा है

कुछ समय पहले की बात है जब रामलीला के मेले में खुद को १ रूपए में झूला झूलते देखा है

और अब युनिवरसल इस्टूदीओस के एक झूले के लिए खुद को डॉलर्स में खर्च करते हुए देखा है

कुछ समय कुछ समय करके यह वक़्त जाने कहाँ गया.........

बस कुछ यादें रह गयी, वो बचपन मेरा कहाँ गया......

Being NRI....

2010-09-19T08:44:00.001+05:30

Yes, as the title discloses.... I am a NRI now (6 months continuously out of the country). But I don’t know why... I feeal nothing great, unusual or different in being an NRI. Its been more than 6 months in Singapore..... since Feb 27^th, 2010... the day I first landed on the Changi International Airport (world’s 7^th busiest international airport). Time flew so quickly.... Just from the inner side of my heart.. want to go back to India as soon as possible.

Earlier I was contributing to GDP of my nation.... yes, now I find solace that at least I am contributing to GNP (if not to GDP) J

Before arriving Singapore I always use to think how can a country so small, with no natural resources of its own has developed at such a fast pace (projected to grow 15-18% this year) and why is that a country like ours which is loaded with resources (including much needed human capital) is still called a developing nation (even after 6 decades of independence).... don’t know whether I am right or wrong... but I feel the only answer is best governance and regulation practices. Singapore has taken advantage of the situation which we have not been able to. Both India and Singapore were British colonies, and Singapore has rapidly taken advantage of this fact after gaining independence and turned itself into a trading and finance hub, enjoying advantage of its location for developing itself into one of world’s leading port.

I think another differentiating factor is the willingness of its people to align with rules and regulation, which automatically turned into a habit flowing through generations. Singapore is known as ‘country of fines’, which to a certain extent has been a boon for this nation. You spit, and you pay $1000 fine, you carry some prohibited items into public transport and you pay $5000 fine, and to the last resort you bring some prohibited items into the country (including drug trafficking) and you end up paying with your life. The key point is that all these are strictly followed and the government makes sure that all key projects (infrastructure, public health, education etc) are well implemented on time. The problem with India and we Indians is that we want everything but never follows any policies, regulation. The problem starts with our childhood when we see that world surrounding us involved in malpractices to survive and we make it a key point that if you have to survive, you have to follow these as well. E.g. signal toda to traffic police ko paise dedo (bachpan mein bike se 20 rupay se shuru kiya jo baad mein car se signal todne par 100-200 par aa gaya); passport banwana hai to police wale ko 500 dedo; train mein sleeper ka ticket leke AC dabbe mein betho aur TTE ko 200 rupay dedo..... it start with this and end up in strong corruption (jiska example hamare saamne hai ---- commonwealth games). If this ends up with us, its for sure our kids will never follow the same, because they learn from us and our surroundings.

If the corruption is stopped and we get good and strong governance, it is for sure that we will be able to get key infra projects on time and our growth rate will be well above 15-20%. With the improved system, we can definitely see actual increase in educated, healthy and well employed India. And then, people like won’t have to look at some bloody Singapore or New York or London as dream job-destination because every opportunity will be here right back at home.

I know this will take time but let’s try and start this..... Insha-allah someday an American or Singaporean will be writing like this – How to learn from India and its people J

Yeh Dilli hai mere yaaarrrr.....

2009-03-22T18:12:00.019+05:30

Delhi... The city where I am living for close to 2 years now.... Lemme take you to the city's tour, its different areas.. and introduce you to the vibrant, multi-colored and different shades of Delhi.

Wahe Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahe guru ji ki fatah..... Only in front of Gurudwara Seesganj, Chandni Chowk, Delhi

"Attention pls, pickpocketers have been identified in the train and station's area. Pls vacate seats for the ladies, physically challenged and the senior citizens. Next Stn is Rajiv Chowk.. The doors will open on the left. Pls mind the gap. Keep at centre while boarding or deboarding the train at the station. "

If you hear something like this, you are definitely in Delhi's pride --- Delhi Metro..

Oopppps, bike kharaab ho gayi hai.... Yahan Metro stn hai lekin mechanic nahin :) Yups... you are at Asia's largest residential colony --- Dwarka !!

Hum Valentine's Day mana ke hi rahenge !!! ... In appr 360 out of 365 days, Jantar Mantar is the victim of dharnas like these, and poor fellows like me whose offices are nearby have to suffer..

"Abe Rickshaw hata, abe tu hata..... abe mein kehta hun side mein le"... Well, you have just reached Paharganj (near New Delhi Rly Stn)

Aaahhh, maza aa gaya... khule mein karne ka maza hi alag hai.... What??? U dont know... he he, then better ask common junta here about the experience :)

Welcome to Janpath Market ji.... Buy any damn cloth you want... Ekdum Sasta aur tikao... and meet the monk who just bought a new phone :)

Oh ji meet our Happy Family of Tilak Nagar, Delhi :)

Thank God Its Friday !!!!! Famous Bar in Connaught Place, Delhi... You dont need to work on weekdays, but you have to visit bars like these on weekends .....

The Gals of South-Extension !!!! Oooohhh lala

The Gay Delhi :) somewhere @ Connaught Place

Hard Life!!!!! Sex Workers @ GB Road

Computer ... Whats That??? We only use typewriter... He he, You have just reached Tees Hazari Court !!

Delhi's famous Khan Market... Its like Drona's Chakraviewh...You can only Enter... Exit ka pata nahin :)

A common sight when-ever you find a subway in delhi :) (A DTC bus in the background)...

Palika Parking... Heart of Delhi's Heart (Connaught Place)... Pls park your vehicle over the tree .. lolzzz

Jai ho English mata ki......

2009-03-15T22:58:00.012+05:30

We are a country with 2nd largest number of English speaking population in the world, only after the US. Close to 10% of Indian population speaks English or at least try to :)

No offense to India, but just couldn’t resist myself from sharing some great examples of English in our land.

See this:

1) This shop owner is selling “CHILD BEAR” instead of “CHILLED BEER” lolzzzz… wow, bears are everywhere… Isn’t it?? Right from Stock Market to Bewda Market !!

2) Now see this instruction written somewhere in a mosque…. “Not allowed inside open head” … he he, This means keep your dirty brain inside your body, you dare open your head and take your brain out… only Allah knows what will happen to you…

3) Now, I didn’t expect stuff like this from a government body like New Delhi Municipal Corporation… See the text encircled in black.

4) Wooohoooo… another cool stuff, and this time from Indian Railways…. Check it out :)

5) Poor fellow…. trying to sell English books only for Rs 20. Check out how he spells “ENGLISH”

Am sure most of us must have come across something of this sort.... Nevermind... nothing to make fun of... but still, we Indians are extremely brilliant in turning everything in our favor, be it bad bad english speaking / writing potential (not all, but yeah... a good number)....

Disclaimer: The pics are collected from various sources. Inka vastvik jeevan ya vyakti se hi naata hai.

Olympics for India – Sky is the limit….

2009-03-01T15:44:00.005+05:30

One gold medal and two silver medals out of a country of 1.14 billion people… Well !! those moments were really something to feel proud about, but to me that was just like a silver lining in the dark clouds. With time, most of us have forgotten Rajyavardhan Rathore, and I am sure that slowly, already fainted memories of the Beijing-2008 moments will disappear just like a morning dew drop vanishes as soon as it kisses sunlight…

But somehow, if we try to look among ourselves…. We will see that Indians have the caliber that just needs to be polished and sharpened… Here are few tareekas by which we can increase our medal count (in the sports where we stand nowhere)…Have a look:

Basketball: ohk.. let me start with the sport which is not so popular in India.. It requires agility, stamina, height and most importantly…. ACCURACY (ha ha, remember KOI MIL GAYA….). Have you ever noticed accuracy /efficiency of Newspaper hawker by which he throws the newspaper from road straight to a little balcony on the sixth floor in one go.. I think if they are properly trained, we will have……. (no need to mention what !!)

Cycling: Now the most important thing which cycling requires apart from proper training is STAMINA and THIGH MUSCLE POWER…. Any idea, where to look for the potential Olympian in our country for this game…Guys… nowhere to go when we you can find them on every railway stations, bus stops, metro stations, and gali-nukkads… Yessss, our own rickshaw-wallahs… I am not joking.. These people may look skiny, tired and mal-nourished… but they have tremendous stamina and power in their legs… I am sure, we need some government support to train them in proper conditions and equipments… and bingo, we will have an army of Olympians :)

Rowing: Onam festival in Kerala starts with rowing contest… these men are superb in rowing and just need international level training to stand at par with other nations…

Archery: The land of Arjuna, Karna and Eklavya stands nowhere as far as Archery is considered (with few instances like runner-up in World Archery Championship). North-Eastern tribes of Khasi and Garo are very good archers and in fact Archery is very popular game in Meghalaya and Manipur.. but the bad part is that the game is mostly localized and there is no talent recognition at the international level. This is the nerve we need to twist to bring it forward.

Swimming: Ever seen the speed and agility of local kids at the Ghats of river Ganges in plains of Uttar Pradesh… The essence and need of the hour is to catch them young, nourish them and train them……

There could be many more examples / sports where we can actually excel over other countries… At this point of time, I can only think few as enumerated above….

I know Olympic Game is not a joke, and it demand proper combination of training, nutrition, determination, government support and more importantly killer instinct…. But still, if we really have to focus, why not start with something which exhibits more potential or chances as compared to others…..

Mr Manmohan?? Are you there??… Is anybody listening?? … Knock Knock…..

Every dog has its day... Feb 22nd was Slumdog's !!!

2009-02-25T11:32:00.002+05:30

Finally, Rahman got what he deserves…. Sweeping 2 Oscars in one go.. a kind of achievement in entertainment industry which every artist could just dream of…..

But frankly speaking I don’t understand what was so great about Slumdog Millionaire…except a brilliant concept and story (the credit for which goes to Q&A author Vikas Swaroop)… I didn’t found anything great either in direction or performance by actors…

Ever wondered why the movies which somehow exhibit India’s poverty to its extreme become such an instant hit?? Hmm.. May be these gorahs have never seen a crazy Indian kid jumping in a pool of shit only to meet his favorite actor Amitabh Bachhan, or maybe they were forced to open their mouth in extreme astonishment when they saw how the multi-million dollars begging industry works in India (when some SoB trains the kids to sing only to put acid in their eyes)….The same story holds true for movies like Salaam Bombay. They fetch instant sympathy of the gorahs towards the so called poor India (in their words). And we feel so proud of it…. Isn’t it??

Ok, never mind… coming back to Rahman… Even I am sure he must be wondering, GOD!!! What was so great about this musical score… Even a moron can compare and say that Rahman’s earlier composition were 10,000 times better than this after listening to Roja, Chaiya-Chaiya, Dil Se, Maa Tujhe Salaam etc etc…So why is that it was never praised to this extent earlier??
The answer is simple… The Oscar Jury must listen to the composition and they didn’t earlier simply because the movies were not nominated.. hmm poor chap.. Is it because of some Brit connection or something?? I mean, when the movie is directed by a Brit/American.. then it will be considered, otherwise not (all other things were Indian.. be it music, actors, story, sound, etc). Why did Lagaan failed even after such a brilliant concept of struggle and victory?? I guess because of similar reasons…

No matter what… hats off to the all members of the movie who enabled India to mark its presence in the Oscars, Golden Globe and BAFTA esp. I must say that the performance by junior Jamaal and Latika (Slumdogs in reel as well as real life) was far ahead than the grown ups (Slumdogs in reel life but NRIs in real) :)

An Ode to Love....

2009-02-13T22:00:00.003+05:30

She is standing on the ground, as he climbed over me…
With her watery eyes, she is praying God to prevent him falling free…
He finally plucked it for her, but fell straight on the Earth...
With bloodied knees and muddy face, presented his token of ‘love’ to her..

The kids are in their teens now, with all the charm on their face…
She is most beautiful girl around, with all the grace..
Embracing her Prince Charming, standing under my shade…
I wish O mighty Lord, their love just never fade…

I now see them as the cutest couple of “Husband-Wife”…
Though they are looking at the Sun, at the dusk of their life…
With toothless jaws and shivering body, their soul is still full of bliss..
He touched her wrinkled forehead, and planted a gentle kiss..

It is rainy, windy and chilly….
Even I am frozen, as the land is hilly….
Their bodies are lying motionless, calm and subtle..
She is still beautiful, and he is still gentle…

Love is selfless, caring and pure…
As they hug each other, buried deep near my roots…
Even this “Mango Tree” now understands and say…
To all the humans out there, a Happy Valentine’s Day…

To all DDs generation…

2008-07-06T11:41:00.003+05:30

Television in hindi actually means Door-Darshan, which used to be constant and sole of means entertainment during my teen-days i.e. late 90s. I don’t know why, but on this rainy and calm Sunday morning, I am feeling nostalgic about those days. And all those soaps and operas came to my mind one-by-one like fresh drops of rain tickling from green leaves of the banyan tree opposite my room. A very important aspect of those days was that there wasn’t any fight between siblings over the channel, as there used to be only one – Door-Darshan.

I still remember, a usual DD day started with a screen showing India’s population with the number kept on adding 2 every second and Vande -Mataram. This was followed by a spinning wheel which transformed itself into DD logo.

Though I don’t remember much about DDs first and most popular serial – “Hum Log”, I still remember some characters like Nanhe, Badki, Manjhli etc. Its popularity was on account of the fact that it presented a true picture of typical Indian family of those days. Then followed Ramayana, which people say was responsible for Television boom in India during late 80s and early 90s. People used to worship TV sets with all haar-malas and nariyals when Arun Govil (Rama) was getting married to Deepika (Sita); cried when Rama was sent to vanvaas and danced when Ravana was killed or when Hanuman burnt entire Lanka.

Then it was below mentioned bunch of flowers which made me hooked to our TV set like anything. I will start plucking the petals of each flower one by one.

Let me start with Rose – the flower of love which also represents thrill, murder and blood. If you have already started pushing your grey cells in motion, then you got it right. Rajat Kapur in Byomkesh Bakshi, Vijay Anand in Tehqiqat (remember, Tehqiqaaaaaat.. yeh hai teqiqaaaaat) and Shekhar Suman in Reporter – each episode uniquely framed and kept us thinking about the killer with different permutations and combinations.

Now I move to Jasmine – the smell which always soothes our soul. Guys, be prepared for a ride to your Bachpan – with Tap tap topi topi, top mein jo dube (Alice in Wonderland), chaddi pehen ke phul khila hai, phul khila hai (The Jungle Book, Mowgli - Bagira - Sher Khan - Shanti - Baloo), greedy Uncle Scrooge (Duck Tales), Balu – Kid – Madam Mahalingam – Sher Khan – Don Karnash (Tales Pin), Aladdin - Iago - Jasmine - Abu (Aladdin), Aaya Aaya jhunjhar wali jheenu wali jhunnu ka baba, kisso ka kahaniyon ka geeto ka chhaba (Potli Baba Ki), Yeh hai tarram too, o bhaiya ye hai tarram too….(Tarram Too), Guchha hai bhai guchha hai, kahaniyo ka guchha hai, kahani lelo (Guchhe).

Taking our ride further to next platform let me introduce you to Tulip, the flower of grace, royalty and valor. The Sword of Tipu Sultan, The Great Maratha, Akbar – the great, Jhansi Ki Rani, Fauji (Shahrukh Khan special), Yug (Yug badla, badla Hindustan), Shaktimaaaan, Captain Vyom, Jhansi Ki Rani, Prithviraj Chauhan. Among these, it was The Sword of Tipu Sultan and The Great Maratha (sorry Shaktiman) which thrilled me most. I still remember the last episode of Tipu Sultan in which he fought single handedly with Brit Soldiers with this sword facing the guns.

Our next destination is Aloe – the flower which is a symbol of integrity and wisdom. The first thing I remember of this is Panchtantra ki kahaniyan (Yeh Panchatantra hai…), Malgudi Days (Ta na na, tana nana naaaa) and Vikram – Betal Stories. To some extent, I will also like to add Surabhi to this. I can’t forget Surabhi, as I had my first official communication to Surabhi Team (as part of contest). Surabhi can be acknowledged as the pioneer in contests through post-cards. (Now-a-days, of course every damn stupid show is coming out with online contests or through SMSes).

Our journey ends with Marigold – the flower which can be used for any occasion, be it worshipping, marriage, home – decoration etc. Starting with early days of Circus (again Shahrukh Khan, much before his fame as k k k k … Kiran), Buniyaad (Pal chhin, pal chhin, tere mere jivan ki yahi Buniyaad), Comedy King Jaspal Bhatti (Flop show), Nukkad, Alif Laila (ha ha ha.. tilismi jinn prakat ho), Chandrakanta (remember, Yakku of Kroor Singh), Udaan (which actually made people realize about girl-power) and Chitrahaar, which every family member use to watch, as it was the first ever visual version of songs which earlier our mom-dads and their mom-dads use to only listen through Akashvani (All India Radio) or their so called Transistors (I still do not understand why tape-recorders were called as transistors).
Well that's all about it. Hope, you enjoyed the ride with me.

Its 11:05 PM, Dawn is just few hours away……

2008-06-21T09:15:00.002+05:30

Son - Let me sleep ma, its already 11:05 PM… pls don’t disturb, I was just getting closer to Salma Hayek in my dreams… and you just interrupted me !!

Mother - Boy, it’s not the right time to sleep… for you it is 11:05 PM, but for me it is 11.05% inflation rate which is bothering me, and I am worried about your other brothers and sisters who didn’t have their dinner this night. You are not bothered, as even skyrocketing fuel prices is not going to hamper you from driving your luxurious Porsche car, but my 300 million kids are shattered when wheat or milk or vegetables prices rise even by 5-10 bucks. Please do something…., the mother cried.

Son - You care for them only…. What about me!!... The Young, IT-stud, dude, smart fellow who is responsible for all those ‘India-shining’ or ‘Incredible-India’ types glory to you…. You know what ma, even my bank raised the home-loan rates yesterday... Van-Heusen and Georgio Armani stuff is also costlier now, because of which me and my girl-friend cancelled our Euro-trip and are now planning only for Singapore or Bangkok….. Sigh !!

Mother - Alas!! You think like this….. I know son, prosperity has to be there for a country to propel, but we have to take everyone along side…. Why don’t you understand?
This is not the time to sleep, we need to work for this night only, as the Dawn is just few hours away… just imagine, how will it look tomorrow morning when I will bath in sun-shine and sparkle like gold again….. the sone-ki-chidiya !!

Tarun - I hope, I need not to explain who is playing the role of mother-son here……., the people out there reading this stuff are intelligent enough to get the feel.....

Are we changing ???

2008-06-15T12:09:00.003+05:30

Are we changing?? Oh, I think we are… change is in the blood of Indians, considering n number of peaks and troughs in the cycle from being cradle of human civilization (Indus Valley civilization) to business hub controlling global trade during the Mughals… to a poverty-striken and blood-bathed India of 1900’s. You name it, and we have seen it all. We have seen extremes in many cases… be it science, politics, sports etc… Consider this -----

1975: India’s first satellite Aryabhatta was launched from Soviet Union.
1984: First Indian in space, Rakesh Sharma proudly uttered “Sare jahan se achha, Hindustan hamara”, when asked by Indira Gandhi, “How does India look from above?”
2008: ISRO sets world record by launching 10 satellites in one go using PSLV C-9. The satellites were from nations like Japan and Germany, so called technologically advanced nations

1960s: Lal Bahadur Shastri urged Indians to have only a meal daily, so as to curb food shortage. India refused US food aid because quality of food was good for cattle-fodder but not for humans.
2008: Condoleeza Rice and George Bush blamed Indian middle class for rising food prices, as our per capita income is rising and we are eating more. Poor fellow... somebody please remind him that more than half of Americans are suffering from excessive eating and obesity....

1962: Jawaharlal Nehru to China – “Hindi-chini bhai bhai”
China to India – “Oh really, but we want your land” and Indians lost the war to the Chinese.
1998: hmm.. dare not to look at our land, you Pakistanis and Chinese… we have the nuke-bomb with us… ha ha ha
2008: America to India – “what the hell you can do with your nuclear power, you Indians are not able to strike a nuclear-deal for power generation…. Shame on you”

1928: Indian Hockey Team won first Olympics Gold Medal
1980: Indian Hockey Team won 8th Olympics Gold Medal
2008: Indian Hockey Team failed even to qualify for Olympics …..

Negatives and positives are always there, but a country has to move forward to overcome others in all fields of excellence.
The essence is that we, the nation where average age is 24.8 years, still share a dream of ruling this world economy through sheer power of our young working force – the human capital. Extremes are always there and India believes to be at peak once again. Amen !!

The Speed Breaker

2007-10-20T09:39:00.000+05:30

SPEED – What a grrrrrrrrr8 movie !!!

A stupendous combination of 2 dumb heroes and 2 super dumb villains. Oh yeah how can I forget the 4 babes… out of which one (Urmila) is always crying… “Mera bachha, mera bachha… bu hu hu”, other (Tanushree) is thr for “The Great Indian Cleavage Show”, the super vamp (sorry, I don’t know her name !!! and I don’t want to) – there to show her THUNDER THIGHS & kick boxing with our poor hero (Zayed), and the last lady…… oops !!! she (amrita arora) has got a 5 min role in the movie, only to be screwed by villain (Ashish Chaudhary) and get murdered !!! Holy Christ…. How mean u r, to do such thing to a duffer lady !!

And yeah…. Baweja & Co are such an expert in stealing the concept from Hollywood gr8s, thinking that Indian cinema viewers can see whatever they wanna show them…..

The story is a perfect copy from “Cellular” (courtesy Sudhanshu !!, poor chap, who was my bakra for the movie) and “True Lies”….. Our super agent hero (Suri saheb), who is a professional chef for his family, but actually an agent for some shitty organization… nobody heard of !! finally ended up in a plot to kill Indian Prime Minister with a so called sniper rifle, which actually looks like an airgun which we use to shot at gubbaras during diwali melas !!…. WOW !! that was just amazing…. And yes… the prime minister totally resembles Sonia Gandhi !! hehe , so that means Baweja sahib ne Manmohan Singh ki chhutti kar di hai !!
And who is behind the entire plot…. None other than her own son, (bechara Rahul Gandhi… kisi ko muh dikhane ke layak nahin raha !!)

In her escape attempt, Urmilaji (a science teacher & wife of super agent) tried to escape out of chungul of the VAMP….. and u know what she did….. she put an electric wire and the current passed through villain’s body…. THROUGH HIS JEANS…. My god… only a science teacher cud have achieved that miracle….. she deserves nobel prize for passing electricity through a bad conductor !!!

Somebody pls remind Baweja that Aftab can only do lip-locking scenes with Lisa Ray & Co…. Not this ex-indian agent typo…..
I was just wondering, why the name “Speed”…. Scratching my and Sudhanshu’s head again again….. then I understood….. coz they wanted to calculate the speed at which junta come in and go out of theatre :)

In the end…. Only one statement for the movie…. !!!

SPEED – Specially Produced & Engineered for Erroneous Dustbin

Being Republic !!

2007-01-25T00:38:00.000+05:30

“A Salute of 31 guns and unfurling of the Presidential flag over Government House will herald the historic birth of the Indian Republic, 894 days after this country became a dominion by withdrawal of British power.”

This is the first sentence on front page of The Times of India, (Bombay edition), January 26, 1950. For reading full page, log on to http://www.indiapoised.com/india_bestoftimes_best.htm. 47 years have passed since then…..two generations indeed, and this country have seen enough of ups and downs.

For us, the day has got its own importance………creation of impulsive patriotism when we look at Republic Day parade or the Tiranga or even our calendar which shows Jan 26. But do we need such instances or days like Jan 26/Aug 15 to build so called Indian-ness which is like a quantum of current flowing thru our body for few moments…… even a movie like Rang De Basanti can do the job for 3 hours.

I think we have to start thinking some thing different now……… the crying need of the hour is to develop the tempo sparked by Big 5 (Manmohan, Chidambaram, Reddy, Narasimha Rao, Ahluwalia) some fifteen years ago, when our reserves declined to a week of imports. Some of us start looking at the calendar months ago…….when is Jan 26^th…..Oh !! gr8, its Friday man….and Jan 30 is Moharram….wow..that means Friday to Tuesday gap..with one break of Monday. Give me a break!! We are not school going kids cursing Mondays and praying for Sundays. I may sound a bit of party-spoiler…..but the truth is that we need to put in extra for gaining something extra…..

Our Gross Domestic Production figures have touched $700 billion, so that means if on that day we are not working, we are loosing approximately $ 2 billion for each non working day (and if you inculcate present value of all future investments of this amount….this cud be a huge figure). Banks are not working……millions are lost in transactions……machines are not producing goods……..

Remember we are the youngest nation in the world with average age of 27 years, expected to be 24 years by 2015. We should not forget how Japan developed itself after World War 2…… the hunger to stay ahead of America. Yes, we need to show the world where we stand….what true India is…. but for that we don’t need false shows and impulsive patriotism………we have to fulfill basic needs – empower our people. We talk of retail and telecom boom, but that has become possible only when middle class population is growing at 30% and percentage of BPL population has declined to about 18% from 25% and is expected to reach a level of 12% by 2010. The true meaning can only come out when we act together and lay emphasis on true meaning of being REPUBLIC:

R – Rural upliftment: this is where our future is as growth will be driven by these markets when it get saturated in urban areas. One in every eighth inhabitant of the Earth lives in some Indian village and this is where the entire world is looking at.

E – Education of general masses and Energy sufficiency

P – Political Stability

U – Unlocking the free flow of entrepreneurial ideas with emphasis on innovation

B – Bonding of all communities and regions. There should not be any Maharashtra Vs Bihar or General Category Vs Reserved Category

L – Look Forward approach: The Yes factor

I – Infrastructure Development

C – Capital markets development to boost trade, research, merchandise and ultimately - productivity

"Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."

- Rabindra Nath Tagore

Tagore prayed to awaken the country. India – the caged tiger was awakened many times earlier, be it 1857, 1947, 1950 or 1991, but could not gather the required pace. Let this tiger go out in the jungle and its roar be heard to entire world.

Amen !!

Gantantra Diwas ki shubhkamnao ke saath ……………….

It is just another maniac monday

2006-12-31T20:49:00.000+05:30

Why I am getting several msgs on my phone,

Why my orkut scrap book is ringing with new tone;

Why several new mails are arriving with colorful pics,

Why kids are busy lighting crackers and gunpowder sticks;

Isn't it just another maniac Monday,

Oh God ! It’s a new year day !!!

They say we will dance,rock and party,

Open wine bottles and get fully dirty;

Even if it’s a chilling night of 3 degrees and dying crops,

And someone else is dying for few warm water drops;

Isn't it just another maniac Monday,

Oh God ! It’s a new year day !!!

Zidane headbutted Materazzi ….Who cares?

Mittal acquired Arcelor ….. Who cares?

Saddam Hussain executed….. Who cares?

Sensex skyrocketing like anything……Who cares?

For me, it is just another maniac Monday,

And to you all, A Very Happy New Year Day !!!

Untitled :)

2006-12-27T02:01:00.000+05:30

Home, Sweet Home…….

So, finally I landed up in Agra in the chilled morning of December 13^th, missing my b’day @ home by a whisker. The thing which I am feeling since last six years and probably for many more to come is that nothing has changed in this city………

U jump out of train only to see some families cooking their morning diet (and most probably the only one) of the day in open air on the platform…….their faces were deeply groomed …… a small kid of about 2 years was playing near the railway line, and his parents were totally unaware of the fact that a speeding Shatabdi cud actually take this child away like anything….but wearing a small piece of shirt, which barely covered his upper half, he looks at you with a smiling face……because he has no idea what winter season is, he is busy playing with mud…….

I wonder whether we are really growing at over 9% or is it just a hoax……Probably, the funnel of our economy is much skewed…….You pour 100 crore at the top and u will get just a rupee out of the bottom for these ppl……..

With these thoughts, as soon as I came out of the exit gate……I saw a bunch of taxi/rickshaw wallahs who were busy scanning every passenger…….These guys are very smart fellows…..they interpret the passenger quickly and then target only one (just like a lion scanning its prey before running after it) J. And yes, the families with a female are hot targets of these ppl….. (Probably because there is a very low chance that these families will refuse OR may be because of typical human character)…….

As I was a lone character looking at them ….. “arey yaar, koi mujhse bhi pooch lo”…. Ah, finally I found an old chap lying on his rickshaw…..Uncle ji, chalenge kya…… And his reply was, “kya saab subah subah utha diya”….. As in, I am a rickshaw wala and I am going to pull him….. Voila…!!!

Kitna??? I asked……At this, he replied….. bees Rupaiah….. WTF… I have no idea that the inflation is increasing faster than Saurav Ganguly’s return…. My God, last time tak to 10 hi tha….

Saab, bauni (first income of the day) ka time hai…..chalna hai to chalo……

Now for the first time I was experiencing the importance of Demand-Supply theory which I read in my term 1…..Otherwise till now it was all in books….. J

“Arey ab kya hua…chalo bhi…… “

“Haan saab, ek bidi sulga lein…..”…..

Holy shit, this man’s family might not get a day’s food, but he will definitely have tons of bidis in his working day….. Probably he is contributing more towards 9% growth in GDP rather than Ambanis and Goenkas….

So, here I am………sitting in my Lamborghini visiting the city……… thinking all over again and again….this city will never change…… same bumpy roads (u will actually swing to and fro more than the ball which has been just released by Wasim Akram)

Same Holiday Inn, which reminds you of some promise…….then finally u reach home……….and inspite of the fact that u r loaded with n number of sweaters, ur mommy will always says ki kuchh kapde nahi hai thand mein pehn ne ke liye… J

And when you sneeze a bit, she will just quickly make u to eat a paan (beetle) filled with adrak, honey, pepper etc etc……….and believe me, it really works……

And just compare Agra with Lko railway stn…….here in lko, its not one-to-one mapping…..rather its many-to-one because all rickshaw wallahas will jump on you just like a bunch of convicts who were thr in Tihar Jail have just come across Mallika Sherawat……….

Haan saab, hotel mein jayenge…..pass hi mein ek hai, chhod denge aapko……..Arey kahan jayenge, bataiye to…..

And when u ask him for IIM……he will vanish faster than speed of light…..because he knows he is wasting his time……..and urs also… J

But in spite of all these messy things, u wish as in these moments come again and again……..baar baar chutti mile aur baar baar mein ghar jaon…….because wherever u r, thr is no better place on this Earth other than ur Ghar.

The name is Fraud.......James Fraud

2006-11-26T12:30:00.000+05:30

Casino Royale..... I cudn't find anything royal or special....

This time, Bond is good and more active than his previous counterparts.....He is more serious for his job than just spending time in bed.......

This Bond is also less hi-tech and uses his bare hands only many times :)

We generally criticize Bollywood movies for making anything crap with 'n' number of mistakes.......But who will take care of these Hollywood hunks and million dollars budget movies with terrible mistakes.....

Let me enumerate few of them one by one:

1) First of all, I dont understand that if this was the first novel by Ian Fleming, then he must have written it sometimes during 1950 (Remember, Bond's first movie Dr No was released in 1952)....Then how can in the movie, they show stuff like Sony Laptop, Cell Phones, .....forget these things....Bond is using stuff which didnt exist that time....and moreover they are trying to show as if the story is going on in 2006.... (1 message in cell phone of Bond read date as July 06, 2006).

2) When our Villain shows 2 Kings in Casino Royale, Bond immediately came out with 2 Aces.... grow up Mr Bond.... Amitabh Bachhan used to show this trick long long ago....(Remember Gambler !!)

3) At one scene, Bond tried to figure out who called his victim in Madagascar from Bahamas. He used his old Bond types technique...Cameras in the hotel etc...And then finally identified the man who called at time 17:12:22 .....but poor chap and the director forget that there is 9 hours time lag between the two countries. Let me remind you that Bahamas is in Caribbean Islands, and Madagascar is situated at east coast of Africa. But Mr Bond figured out the guy using same time concept in both countries. :)

4) In first scene, Bond sustained scars and bruises on his face....and look the next day when he traveled to Bahamas....his face is all clear.... My God, thats a miracle.....

5) Bond was poisoned by the villain during his game in Casino Royale, he just have to press a red button which cud bring him back to life.....as explained by his peers in London....but poor chap failed to do it and almost fainted.....
suddenly our heroine arrives and pressed that red button, to bring back Bond to life as if nothing happened....... WOW !! how did she knows that she has to press the red button.... ???

6) Our hero just need a bullet to crash entire gang, whether that blowing cylinders in Madagaskar, or blowing water pipes in Vienna... he he

There might be lots of other funny stuff u can find.....I don't remember right now....But one thing is clear, though we make bad movies, these guys don't make better ones !!!

I dream of ............

2006-11-11T02:34:00.000+05:30

Date: November 11th, 2036

Location: Agra

Time:  8 : 15 AM ...

A 53 year old man came out of his room and sat down in the garden of genetically modified roses. As soon as he looked at his cup of coffee, that pre-programmed device uttered, "Good morning Tarun, should I speak out today's news for you". The old man smiled and said, "yeah!! go ahead".

Prime Minister Mr. Shatmohan Hussain congratulated ISRO scientists for the first ever manned mission on Saturn. They have made the entire world proud.

Venkatasweran Karthikeyan, nephew of Narain Karthikeyan won Formula 1 - Japanese Grand Prix. Francis Xaviers, Captain of Indian Football team is confident of their victory in their encounter with China in the World Cup Final.

Bang !! Suddenly a football came from somewhere and crashed his coffee cup. Old man's grandson came running, and just stand up there. The old man kicked the ball high and asked his grandson to kick it harder next time. The magnetic properties of the cup allowed it to re-engineer itself. And it resumed its programmed state as before. It continues:

Now moving to business world, Maruti launched fastest ever flying car of the world much before its nearest rival TATA Motors. Company sources said that they are moving much faster after they set up manufacturing facility in Germany 10 years ago when a dead plant of BMW was revived by the company.
Number of call centre employees in Infosys office of Boston has increased by 25% this year after many fresh American graduates are trying hard to get such jobs. Infosys said that it is very cost effective to hire such low wage skilled workers from United States because many of them are getting fluent in Hindi and in India, for getting same work done, you have to pay sky rocketed salaries to the employees.

From international news: External Affairs minister Chhotelal Sharma, who is also first cyborg minister in any country advised North Korea and South Korea to handle the issue of line of control peacefully. In his statement, he virtually threatened North Korea of military operation if conditions are worsened.

Addressing the worsening condition of England due to its civil war and request of the ruling party to take control, Prime Minister finally announced that India will send its peace keeping force in England to handle the situation. Experts from Delhi University have commented that this could be the first step towards colonising any country by India.

Due to the fact that India import crude oil from Saudi Arabia and export products like petrol, diesel, CNG to it, Arabia is submerged in huge debt to pay to India. World Bank has requested India to pardon some reasonable amount of debt considering plight of the country.

At that moment, his grandson came and reminded him that its sunday today and he had promised to take him to a trip to Moon. 
He realized that his body was moving and his grandson was shouting...U promised, U promised..

Cooko koooo...cookkooo..U promised....Cooko koooo...cookkooo..U promised......wats happening .... how come his sweet voice is mixed with this murge ki sound...

Then suddenly I realized that Bunshee Scream Alarm of my computer was shouting.....Oh man its already 8 20 AM...and I have a class at 8 30....

Utho aur bhaaaaaaaago....otherwise Sahadevan will latch the door sharp at exactly 08 30 00 hrs IST.

I washed my face (barely allowed water to touch it)....and then, run Forrest run...with a faith in some part of my heart that my dream will be a reality some day !!!

David takes over Goliath !!!!

2006-10-21T10:28:00.000+05:30

“The only place we want to fly the flag is on the cricket field. Not in our steel plants. And see what India did to England last week – they beat us.”

Well, these are the words of James Leng, Chairman of Corus Steel after TATA Steel acquire Corus for a whopping $ 8 bn. And what a Diwali Dhamaka for India Inc. Is this a sign of coming days of mighty Indian Economy?

Profit/Sales ratio for Corus before acquisition is a meager 4.44%, as compared to 16.8% of the TATAs which is lowest cost steel producer in the world.

Just compare it with Mittal-Arcelor deal, wherein u have lot of resistance from Arcelor and cultural conflicts. Whereas in this case, its like marriage made in heaven where 99 yr old guy from India married 86 yr old girl from England.
And just see what the bride has to say about the groom : “Look, it is clearly an acquisition. We belong to the Tatas.”

I wish we will hear more dhamakas like this. Happy Diwali to all.

Signing Off.....

kahani ghar ghar ki (but that ghar shud have a student)

2006-10-17T18:34:00.000+05:30

Act 1, Scene 1

January, 2006 :

I got my term 2 grade sheet. PGP ID: 21152

Grade: 5.69

Me (thinking): O shit man, this is the first time in my life that I have become five point someone. Yaar, this summer placement ruined me. Otherwise, I am not that bad. OK cool, I will perform better next time.

Act 1, Scene 2:

May, 2006 :
I got my term 3 grade sheet. PGP ID: 21152
Grade: 6.71

Me (thinking): yaar, I need to put up more effort. Next time se strategy bana kar padoonga. Ab se no movie, no BC.

Act 2, Scene 1:

October, 2006 :
I got my term 4 grade sheet. PGP ID: wahi hai yaar, baar baar likhne se change thode hi ho jayega
Grade: 5.29

Me (thinking): Sorry, not able to think. Bola tha na no movie, no timepass....Chal leave it yaar, chill maar. Next class is after 2 hrs, till then I can finish one gud movie. Bas ek hi dekhoonga.

Lesson: Strategic Management can put you in deep shit. (Both in theory and practice)

Please come to our country, screw us and get away easily .........

2006-10-10T18:40:00.000+05:30

Wat's wrong with our politicians......... any bloody ****er can plan an attack to the parliament of world's largest democracy, almost killed top guns of this democracy, killed 8 security personals, then file a mercy petition and get away...........

Thanks to Mr Abdulla and Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who initiated the issue that Kashmir will burn if Mohammad Afzal is hanged.........Is Kashmir not burning now, and who is responsible for this?

I dont know who all are responsible, but I do know one thing......our so called "kavi-hriday bhootpoorva Pradhaanmantri " Atal Vajpayee did some mistake few years ago.......Mahmud Azhar was facing life impronment in Indian Jail, when IA plane was hijacked and he was released. He went back to Pakistan only to reorganise Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is actively involved in Terrorist attacks in India including December attack on Parliament, and most probably 7/11.

why shud we leave these bastards to face life imprisonment only, only to wait for such incident to happen again.

Probably, our own judiciary and political system is to be blamed to some extent. Mumbai Blasts trial took 13 years, and then too some of the people found guilty have no feeling of their wrong deeds. Even someone asked the court to forgive him because his fiancee is waiting for him since last 13 years...... thats ridiculous........ these guys do not deserve any trial, but should be shot on the spot.

Why shud soldiers who throw their lives at risk capture them, when know that they will be pardoned by our President????
Why shud ppl like Anami Roy (Mumbai Police Commissioner), who worked hard to collect evidences against Pak role in 7/11 and submit the same to our govt, shud try when they know that same words will be used again and again which our govt is using since a decade, i.e, "first Pakistan shud stop cross-border terrorism, we have proof". Why cant they just do anything if they have all damn fucking proof.........

God help my country...... probably I don't know what is right and what is wrong, people sitting in our cabinet have long long experience of such things...........but ppl like me need answers.......

Welcome to Indian Institute of Reptiles !!!!!

2006-10-03T10:09:00.000+05:30

well, its not a typo.....u heard me right !!!!

We have everything to show and entertain u...... Venomous Russell Viper, Python (about 15 feet tall), Monitor Lizard and some bloody chhutkar phutkar saanp.

And probably, I am the most privileged one to actually have one residing in My Balcony :)

That was Dussehra morning when I woke up and switched off my cooler, only to find out that a triangular faced 4 feet long Monitor Lizard is gazing at me and probably saying "Good Morning, Tarun..... Chai piyoge ya zeher".

Guys u can have a look at this creature in this pic.......

chalo then, zinda rahe to fir likhenge....

till then gud bye

41.66% MBA.......

2006-02-16T11:38:00.000+05:30

well mid term xams (term 3) finished yesterday.........

and to add sth to it....... no classes to attend this week......

(though its a sweet poison in disguise.... :) coz i know these profs are brilliant in taking full charge at wrng time...... )

and i tell u ... this is really a tough time as we dont know wat next to do??? how to pass ur time..... only movies and surfing :(

stimes I feel that our profs are too gud in keepin us busy.......

Rang De Basanti....chak de phatte

2006-01-27T22:32:00.000+05:30

only one word for the movie..............." Awesome"

really....sth to learn from the movie... Aamir doing a gr8 job....

hope Bollywood could come out with more stuff like this...

:)

Manifest de MANFEST

2006-01-27T22:23:00.000+05:30

20th to 22nd Jan ....... 3 gr8 days

with KK and Naveen Prabhakar...adding charisma to the fest of IIML...

gr8 minds like Sam Pitroda, Rajat Gupta, Sunil Handa, Arvind Singhal sharing their views..

with Geet Sethi and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore giving leadership tips...

All these moments made "Manfest-2006" a magnificent event to cherish.....

Luv u IIML.....

first mid term xams.....

2005-08-19T18:51:00.000+05:30

hey thr...

my first mid-term xams came to an end.......and for the first time in IIML we got relief for 3 days....

hey tarun....u r right but Rajeshwar didnt discuss much ab it.....he is first IPS officer to be nominated as Governor....
what he all tell us ab his grand-daughter who has joined IIMA this year......and just normal lecture which old guys generally deliver to young ones......(do's and dont's)

and tomorrow we will meet Pradip Baijal, TRAI chairman and marketing head of Yash Raj Films...

so this is all for now...

b bye

Tarun Maheshwari
IIM, Lucknow

Munjal and Rajeshwar

2005-07-28T05:45:00.000+05:30

hello frnds....

I am back...

well guys ...am coming from 21st foundation day of IIML.....(so i am 1 yr elder to my college..he he).......

well, todaywe met BrijMohan Lal Munjal (Chairman, Hero Honda)....and T V Rajeshwar...(Governor, UP).....

really a nice experience....and esp Mr Munjal, who told us ab his life experiences...and challenges he faced in his life and how he successfully came out of them....

also i plant a sapling...with our name...so at least there is sth which wil grow along with us...in the college...

chalo aaj ke liye itna hi.....sabha samapt hui...namaskar

Tarun Maheshwari

convo....

2005-07-19T15:00:00.000+05:30

that was really a gr8 exp.....2 days with my old pals....!!!

with 2 traets...malay's NTPC and asit's first salary.......aur haan pehli baar college ka dinner achha laga....!!!

finally asit and jain sahab came to lko to visit my campus....but i couldnt devote much time with them.....due to some imp reasons.....anyway it was a very nice exp to spend time with some of ur friends.....

will keep write more in future

bye

Tarun

industry interaction......

2005-07-12T15:38:00.000+05:30

so here is one more......

yesterday we had a session with MD, Rourkela Steel Plant.....Mr. Sanak Mishra......but couldnt say much ab it...coz i didnt attend it.....yaar sota reh gaya.......!!!!!

but day bfore yesterday.....we met with Stefeno Pelle , MD, Perfetti.....that session was a different one......quite interesting.....u know he talked ab innovations in marketing.....the entire big babol story...how it faced competition with Boomer and then how it emerged as a market leader.......

hope to meet some more corporate honchos.......

and will keep on sharing with u

bye

Tarun Maheshwari
321, IIML
9935639403

class experiences......

2005-07-07T18:54:00.000+05:30

wat to say......

we have different subjects to read in the first term itself....accounting...organizational behaviour....economics.....law....operations......communication in business......

we have classes in morning session only.....till1:30 at max.....

profs are really very dedicated here......and they have their own method of teaching....like one prof use soft music throughout his session.....st we are also shown video-clips of ab 20-30 mins in the session of 1 hr which can b on body-language......organisation behaviour...cases etc....

and yeah 1 important aspect...our seats r fixed for the entire yr...with our names written infront so that the prof can directly interact and he marked only absents while having attendance ...so attendace process is finished in 20-30 secs.......

anyway thanks bajaj...for ur comments....it will b of gr8 pleasure to me if u can b benefitted....

and yeah,,,polly has also joined the elite club of IIMLians......

chalo bye and tc

will keep on writing
Tarun Maheshwari
Room no 321
IIML
9935639403

rocking insti party

2005-07-03T01:47:00.000+05:30

halo thr
had our first insti party tonight........that was amazing and my fisrt exp of such kind ........ also had two pegs of whisky for the first time.......u know everyone dancing with girls....... go and dance.....if tired rest in lawn with frnds...again go n dance.....and it went like this till 1 at night......and u know we were fucked for 3 days....that was pre-planned by our seniors....just to make us feel the edge of life of IIML.......like we were told to submit cases before deadlines....presentations......through notices by pgp office....we thought it was all formal....but we came to know just before our insti party...that it wasn't formal.....just planned by seniors.......so guys be aware....esp asit, manas and anugi....nxt yr tumhare saath bhi aisa ho sakta hai...
and yeah we had our registration today.......got 17 books in total from the office to read.....and that too till mid-term....will get more after august....have to consult seniors....actually kitna padna hai........

chalo take care

first day experience

2005-07-03T01:38:00.000+05:30

hi frnds.....this is another one

this mail I am not writing from CC but from my own room......using the same dabba i used at moti....

yahan par to bahut li ja rahi hai.....u know we were having induction module for 2 days......thats before registration.....just to give us the feel of the system here.....from 9 in the morning to 3 at night with 1 hr break for lunch and half an hour for dinner...thats it.......first day i thought as if I m in IIM(hel)L..........(hell not L)
we were given 2 cases of ab 20 pages each and were told to submit nxt morning before 9.....ab tum hi batao.....raat ko 3 baje chaat kar chhoda and then prepare the case for them after 3 in the night......hum aadmi hain ya janwar.......

pata nahin aage kya hoga........seriously and u know i am not accustomed to late night studies.........i was feeling that plz God save me for today....kal se karronga.......

we were given lectures on etiquettes and methodologies of IIML by senior profs.....chairman each of PGP, student affairs, admin.......senior doc etc.....and also by alumni some of who came a long from london.....melbourne just to talk to us.....this thing really make me relaxed and thier sessions really helped me

but now we have registration tomorrow.....and then classes from 4th....from 9 to 1:30......saturdays are not free......and there can be N number of extra classes in a week......(only God and the Prof himself know how many)

seriously yaar...life at an IIM is just at a 180 degrees reflection of that was at MNNIT........

there r many things which I have to share with u guys...nxt blog mein
bye and take care

Tarun Maheshwari
Room no 321
IIM, Lucknow

28th june...the day I arrived at IIML

2005-07-03T01:22:00.000+05:30

hey frnds.......
I arrived in the city of nawabs on 28th june along with my father.......station is damn dirty and congested....but anyhow we reach IIML campus which is around 15 km from station.....he he this place I think is totally isolated.....so got my room first of all.....Room no 321..
residing along with gals......infrastructure is damn good.....u know we have washing machines in the bathrooms....solar heaters for warm water during winters......a dustbin at every 10 steps......a phone with intercom service at every floor......here electricians, carpenters etc attend ur room within 15 min of ur call.....
Room is pretty spacious.....hopefully we will b transferred to newly built hostels after 4-5 months which seniors say r ice-creams.......wat else to say...first impression I will never forget in my life......and yeah...the most important part....mess...its amazing guys...really