There will be blood

Ref: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469494/

It is a movie based in USA about how an oil-man (a self-presribed term) finds oil in a village and builds a big business. In doing so, he suffers numerous tragedies, including heart-breaking silence that is created in his relationship with his child. The village dynamics are affected and the effects are unforeseen. The story concludes with the death of a self-professed healer from the village.

This movie is very different from a typical Bollywood movie. It answers no question, raises no social issue, lionises no one and preaches no philosophy. For the interested, however, it offers deep insights and a thought-provoking drama. The hard working business man also becomes a ruthless murderer when someone antagonises him. The doting father disowns his own son and calls him an orphan and other very offensive things.

While oil plays the central role in the story line, the emotion most dominant in the movie is that of revenge. Anyone who is in a position to does so. The healer manipulates the business man when he knows the business cannot be done without church's help. The business man avenges the slight when his business has flourished.

The most touching aspect and the most confounding one is the relationship of this protagonist (if one can call him that) with his son. In the first half, he loves him very much but once the son gets hurt and apparently mentally affected (apart from losing his hearing ability), the father sends him to a hostel. In a moment of remorse, the father calls back his son. In the end, when the son wants to open his own company in Mexico, the father disowns him, calling him an orphan and a competitor.

It seems strange how oil can shape the life of this person. It dominates his thought process, makes him cross swords with numerous people and defines his relationship with his son. Success in an oil field makes him disillusioned about God.

All in all, this is serious drama. Not to be watched when one desires something light.

Recommended for the more pensive mood.

Noises Off and miss communication

This Sunday I watched Noises Off. Its Rael Padamsee's adaptation of the original play by Michael Frayn. 

To tell you the truth, I have only watched 3 plays in Mumbai so far - meaning, in the last 1.5 years. That statistic is a poor representative of my enthusiasm for watching plays. Instead, it exposes the effect the first play had one me. It was aweful. I do not like serious plays unless they are extra ordinary. The first one wasn't. 

The other play I saw was Anything But Love. It was amazingly funny and refreshing. Almost an Indianised version of Friends. Only, it was far more contextually relevant and comprehensible.

If ABL was fun, Noises Off was uber fun. Three acts, two breaks, 2.5 hours - the statistics look daunting indeed. The first half of the first act seems to reinforce those doubts. But once the humor sets in, there is no stopping the laughs, chortles and unwitting sounds from people facing inability to control their laughter. It was easily the heartiest laugh I had in a long time. Not that I have been deprived of laughter therapy. With friends like mine, a loud burst of laughter is a common phenomenon. This time it was different. Louder and more difficult to control.

If you get a chance, don't think twice. Watch it. We paid 250 bucks a person and it was absolutely worth it. 

 

In the intervening period, there have been three important birthdays - Strato, sis and coffeemate. I had taken a day off for Strato's, so we had a nice time. On coffeemate's birthday, we went for a midnight buffet to Le Meridien. 

Let me tell you something. French is funny. Indians trying to speak French are funnier. 

I mean, Le ,prima facie, should sound similar to Bruce Lee. Or Brett Lee. Unfortunately, it is more like the La of Lala. Phew.

On Coffeemate's birthday we went to the dinner buffet at Lala Meridien. And I hogged like a wild boar. 

Two rounds of starters, one round of main course, and two rounds of desserts. I could have gone to the dessert table once more, but I had been feeling lonely in my pursuit of food nirvana. Everybody else was eating in minuscule quantities. The food was delicious and at least for me, totally worth it. After this, I only ate at dinner the next day. And still felt full. 

Also I had this interesting conversation during break at Noises Off involving me Strato and Godov, a funny friend.

Me to Strato: I want to go to the loo. Come along - lets take a walk. You wait near the coffee stall  while I irrigate the land. I mean, relieve myself.

Strato: No. My body clock says I will need to go 42mins 32 second from now. You go with Godov. 

Me: Pls/Lets go na.

Strato: No

(repeat a few more times)

Me to Godov (privately): Lets go for some baywatching

Godov to Strato: Look what he's saying. He wants to go ...

Me (creating commotion to drown out Godov's last few words)

Strato: Go with him na

Godov: What? 

Me: (laughing loudly albeit silently)

(some more confused conversation between Godov and Strato)

Godov still doesn't believe his ears. Strato still doesn't know whats the issue. I am still smirking.

[ The movie seems to be bakwas. But I like this song. ]

What they say and what they mean

Oh.we should totally meet up sometime. Lets plan something.
Why don't you spend your time with your trophy wife/gf and leave us alone? May be send the home video production if you care (and if you understand what I mean) - we bachelors won't mind it. Unlike the upholders of our cultural ..er.. culture, we never took offence when hollywood celebrities uploaded their home video productions and made them available for free.

Your voice is good and you sing in a nice tune.
Probably you need to sing in ultrasonic frequencies. That will kill all those bats in our colony. Then the colony children won't play cricket on the street.

No Sweetheart, go and meet your buddy. I have no problems.
I am already picturising you whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He asks you what you are wearing inside and you say - Nothing. You can choose whichever hotel you want - but please don't go to the hotel we went for our honeymoon. They are still looking for the missing paintings on the wall.

I love my job. It is very exciting and challenging. I am not looking around for a change.
I don't have an option. Period. If I had one, I wouldn't be here licking the dirtier end of your alimentary canal. I would be kicking your donkey instead. But since that is not the case, let me file your tax claim, drop your kid off to school and help your wife with household work. Wait. You haven't seen The Graduate, have you?

Sir I would like to tell you about our investment plans. When are you free sir?
Tell me your name and contact details and I will automatically start this plan for you. Oh and your account details as well. Don't care if you don't want this plan. I need it. My bhookha bhai and beemaar maa need it.
I am busy right now. Can you call me later?
Send me your photo. Then we will talk.

TOW we choose easy targets

There is this lady who sits in my office in the row behind me and whose telephone's decibel levels are exceeded only by white ambassador's 'power horns'. She made a loud (as usual) comment on how MB has set the Indian industrial development back by a few decades. Before you start visualizing factory workers engrossed in sleazy literature (MB) ignoring work at hand, let me warn you. It turns out, the issue is far more serious.
MB here stands out for Mamata di. From Kolkata.
She is the one who is allegedly inciting violence in Tata's Nano plant. She is the one allegedly responsible for the bundling away of the plant and the prevention of many more investment projects from coming to Bengal.
It is a very easy thing to do - see the one person who is the face of the violence and blame her. What people who take up these issues during office lunch hours do not bother to do is to dig deeper and separate the two issues.
Let me ask you:
(i) Do you know how much the affected farmers are being compensated for their land?
(ii) I want to build a factory over your land. The government *forcibly* takes it away from you to give it to me and pays you less than what you expect to be paid. Will you not protest?
(iii) Do you know that the government has the right to take away your land for public purpose? Do you know how wide the net of 'public purpose' has been cast by our lawmakers?

The two issues are - land rights and mob violence. In both of these, the Indian government and the state governments have been errant - giving far too leniency in the latter case while limiting a citizen's rights far too much in the former.

Two related articles:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=a4Iv4YW9ggb0&refer=home
http://ajayshahblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/mystery-of-capital-by-hernando-de-soto.html

My understanding of law in this case is low but clearly the individual's property rights are limited. That is an issue which needs to be tackled as we proceed on our path of industrialization.

Companies will have to improvise on how they compensate landowners. The government needs to make the process more voluntary and transparent. We need to think before we take sides on such serious issues.

If we want to curb violence, we need to listen to the non violent voices of protest. That is the best way to prevent dirty politicians from hijacking genuine socio-economic issues.

TOW I link a lot

I spent Sunday morning reading articles on the web. There was the usual Lehman drama. Then Ike. And now, there's the news on New Delhi bomb blasts.
Chronology of major bombings in India
How many more blasts will it take for the government to take a more stringent attitude against terrorism? This is not going to help:
Shivraj Patil mouths old statements, old excuses
Sometimes I really really wonder how shameless these people can be. I mean, I can't see any change of tone in his voice. He is saying the same thing he said last time. That the situation is turning more grave with each serial blasts incident does not seem to be having an effect on senile ministers incapable of strong and firm action. 
Anti-terror law: NSA backs Gujarat demand
This is just one of the instances where he has simply refused to accept advice coming from several quarters - state governments and police officers included. We can speculate and discuss his reasons but the outcome of his actions is being seen in the way serial blasts recur as the headlines of daily news.

Shame on you Mr Patil. 

Shame also on people who are creating a issue of a convicted terrorist's execution. 

Ms Mehbooba, and all your supporters, a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist. He must be executed. While Arundhati Roy raises several pertinent questions about human rights violations, nothing in her article is a justification for the execution once the guilt has been established. There IS a hurry to punish terrorists, Ms Roy, and that is needed to send a strong signal. 

Now I am not saying that the police do not inflict human rights violations. Sure they do. That needs to be enquired and brought to light. But when several courts convict a person of a terror act, it is but natural justice that he be punished. 

Google is starting to act like a monopolist
I guess Google doesn't think monopolism is an evil. 

Scary, Isn’t She?
Mighty talented and very tall, yes. But scary as well. Lucky for her that she is born in USA where she is at least getting the opportunity to shape her career. In India, the idea of a girl competing in a male dominated sports, or for that matter, considering sports a full career itself would be frowned upon. Such a world we live in. 

TOW I try to be funny

Hmm. I have been to Germany twice, and I thought it was so cold that I really wished I could bath with my sweaters on - for most of the year except June. Contrast that with Mr Kranig:

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL343921120080903

In the same country, this happens: http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL336567920080903

I dread the consequences of skateboarding half that fast on any Indian road - even the expressways these days sport speedbreakers - a misnomer since they should be called carbreakers.

Also noteworthy is this:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/09/03/opinion/edconley.php?WT.mc_id=rssmostemailed

This Wednesday, I saw Rock On. And it really does rock. I mean, which was the last Hindi movie I enjoyed so much? Rang De Basanti, Taarey Zameen Par, Dil Chahta hai? In fact, there is an eery commonality in these - Aamir Khan and Farhaan Akhtar. 

On personal fronts, life is going through a rough patch. The time when I wrote the last email was a particularly nasty one. Things are cool now, though it  is somewhat like sitting on a hot stove after coming out of a furnace.

From Jodha Akbar, beautiful lyrics....

Kaise kahen kya hai sitam
Sochte hai ab yeh hum
Koi kaise kahen woh hai ya nahi humare

Karte to hai saath safar
Faasle hain phir bhi magar
Jaise milte nahi kisi dariya ke do kinare

Pass hain phir bhi paas nahi
Humko yeh gum raas nahi
Seeshe ki ek diware hai jaise darmiya

Sare sehmein nazare hain
Soye soye vaqt ke dhare hain
Aur dil mein koi khoye si baatein hain

TOW life s*cks...

Have you ever wondered how it feels :

-when you are hanging on the edge of a cliff, your hands slipping fast and your mind unable to comprehend whether the person standing nearby - and the only one who can help - is going to offer a helping hand or just let you go. The infinite uncertainty in the instant when you know that the next moment means life or death, but that the choice is not yours to make, and the one who makes this choice isn't inclined to tell you.

-when you realize that the lottery ticket you tore away last night has won a million dollars today

-when one small action, inconsequential by your standards, ends up as the concluding argument in 20 discussions in a single day

-when you jump into the middle of an empty road at the exact moment when a bus suddenly appears and you realize that the next thing under the bus tire is going to be your head

I think I know how it must feel. It is a complicated situation to narrate. And a one as well.

I am increasingly getting defeated. I think there's something in the design of this life that makes it difficult to achieve a smooth outcome. Especially when you are trying to prove popular wisdom wrong.

I always thought that it was humanly possible to have boundless love for a person. And that love, in its entirety, could solve all problems. The conviction that such a strong emotion would bring should be enough to tackle all problems - isn't it.

Well, I will soon find out.

[http://www.lyrics007.com/Eagles%20Lyrics/Love%20Will%20Keep%20Us%20Alive%20Lyrics.html]

I was standing
All alone against the world outside
You were searching
For a place to hide

Lost and lonely
Now you’ve given me the will to survive
When we’re hungry...love will keep us alive

Don’t you worry
Sometimes you’ve just gotta let it ride
The world is changing
Right before your eyes
Now I’ve found you
There’s no more emptiness inside
When we’re hungry...love will keep us alive

I would die for you
Climb the highest mountain
Baby, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do

I was standing
All alone against the worlk outside
You were searching
For a place to hide
Lost and lonely
Now you’ve given me the will to survive
When we’re hungry...love will keep us alive


[ http://kamjoshworld.blogspot.com/2007/06/kadmoon-taley-hamaare-kuch-zamin-bhi-na_01.html ]
कदमों तले हमारे एक ज़मीन ना थी कभी
आस है एक आसमान की मोहब्बत-ए-खुदा से फिर भी
ज़िंदगी में मोहब्बत की कमी तो ना थी कभी
तरसेगा तेरे प्यार को यह अकेला मन फिर भी
यूँ तो कमी ना थी एक हमसफ़र के आँचल की कभी
तरसेगा तेरे साथ को यह दिल फिर भी कभी
याद करेंगे तन्हाई में बीते लम्हों को जब हम कभी
रो दिया करेंगे चुपके से , बिन आसू कभी कभी...

Behold our moral hypocrisy!

Why is everyone making such a big controversy about the alleged(till proven) MP bribery scandal? Sample this:

-One doesn't get his pension unless the babu in-charge gets 'the cut'

-To get a passport, you have to bribe the police to clear your background check. Otherwise they will sit on your papers till the end of time

-One cannot set up and register a company without paying a number of babus in several different departments

-One can easily obtain a driver's licence without ever having to give a test by bribing the officials concerned through an agent

-My mother filed for a government loan through her salary account. The loan was sanctioned but the babu refused to sign the documents unless he got a suitable cut.

-There have been several incidents of crimes done by policemen - Matunga scam, several rapes and encounter killings of innocents.

What makes any of these less outrageous than an MP taking a bribe to vote for the government?

I think the statement that sums up the situation quite appropriately is this - People get the government they deserve.

The babu at the government office has no right to criticise the MPs. The police hawildar who routinely accepts 50Rupee notes from erring (and sometimes innocent) citizens has no right to criticise.

If we ourselves can't resist the lure of money, why blame the MPs?

There are several government departments where bribery is the norm. It is justified on the ground that the elite babus need money to sustain a lifestyle that their position entitles them. Think about the logic here. They think they deserve a lifestyle which the government is not providing them. Hence, it is acceptable to take bribe.

This logic effectively portrays them as a victim.

Let us not indulge in blatant moral hypocrisy.

Since this bribery system is so endemic, why not legitimise it?
A pension office be entitled to 1% of the pension disbursed. Let the police officer who fines a person for errant driving pocket the amount.

Let us have a moral system which discourages people from doing things in private that they can't admit in public.

I am aghast at the level of moral hypocrisy we have come to accept.

Either stop taking bribes or stop making such a fuss about those MPs.
Incidentally, I don't think the people are outraged as much as the media is portraying. That could easily be because many of them lack the moral ground to be outraged.

Incidentally again, I don't condone this behaviour of the MPs. At the same time, I have very little hope that anything is going to come out of all this moral outrage drama.

Lord save this country!

My view on Mr Sardesai's chat briefing

Something to think about :
[ Rajdeep on lessons from Arushi case ]

-------

Mr Sardesai:

There is a stark inconsistency in your statements. You admit 'Arushi murder case is a great story' while at the same time, you also say 'We could exercise more restraint'. What 'restraint'? Give me an instance when you exercised any of it!

I vehemently protest when you suggest that Dr Talwar must be more media-savvy in his appearance - after release from a 50-day prison term? You said -

"Let’s be less hypocritical. Arushi was a big story; Rajesh Talwar's release was a major photo opportunity. A cameraperson and a reporter are working in tough circumstances—they need the story; they need the pictures. Sure, we could handle it better, but for that it’s not just the journalists who need to learn a few lessons. Those who have to handle such situations could also become more media-savvy."

You must be joking Mr Sardesai. You had the time and luxury to prepare for this chat briefing. You didn't have to face the readers and could take the help of others around you in replying. You didn't even have to jostle with the readers surrounding you and forcing their mics inside your mouth.

When you say "Rajesh Talwar's release was a major photo opportunity", do you claim that it gives you the right to shove your mic inside his mouth? That is what your cameraperson did - and many others. To me, the sight was obnoxious. Yes, the camerapersons and reporters work in tough circumstances. Who is to blame for that? Dr Talwar? Isn't it because of the mad rat race between the channels for a 'quick byte'? Isn't it because reporters and camerapersons are expected (may be even required) to get the best photo-ops, other people's convenience and courtesy be damned!

Mr Sardesai, you ask - "Apologise for what?". And now, I will quote your own words in reply. You admit -

"I think at times television news channels need to go beyond the hourly news wheel and step back a bit. We are titillating viewers with morsels of information instead of really informing them."

"My prime responsibility as a journalist is to tell a story. My commitment must be to tell that story as honestly as possible. It’s a commitment we have often failed to respect."

"You make a good point. I think a 24-hour news channel is a bit like a carnivorous beast that needs to be constantly fed. There is a certain limitation of format that forces us to often pass off trivia as news. This is no excuse though for declining standards"

"A father was accused of murdering his daughter, so naturally the media was excited. Where we failed was to understand that the bigger the story, the greater the need to exercise restraint."

"If news is entertainment, then we live in dangerous times. Again, lets not blame the entire media for this. However, those of us in senior positions must take prime responsibility. We have failed to set an example to the next generation of journalists. Moreover, training systems have weakened considerably."

We have a lot of "We failed" statements here. Where is the corresponding "We are sorry"?

Mr Sardesai, you also say -

"I can say with great pride that at CNN-IBN, we never attempted to concoct facts, or do stories without cross checking on the Talwar case. Having said that, I do believe that we could have handled the story with greater sensitivity. I also feel that the answer is not for the media to apologise to the Talwar family, the bigger question is: when the next time an incident like Arushi happens, will our coverage be any different?"

You can be sure that readers will definitely watch out for CNN-IBN's coverage of the next big story. If past precedents are anything to go by, I have very little hope the coverage next time will be any different.

Let me also give you candid feedback about what happens at my house. While sifting through channels, we look at IndiaTV and simply say - What the f***. Invariably, the stories in that channel deserve the response they get. Increasingly, we look at CNN-IBN and say - What the heck? We restrict our exposure to your channel to a few minutes at the most. Your channel is no better than the others.

In my opinion books, Arushi case dealt a final blow to your channel's track record. I no more watch your channel for more than a few minutes at a stretch because the titillating headlines and repeat telecasts have become intolerable.

You have kept the focus on Arushi case and deserve the credit for ensuring the investigations follow through. But you are also to be blamed for making a tabloid scandal out of a murder story and dishing it out to the viewers 24-hours a day.

Finally I ask you - when the next time an incident like Arushi happens, will your coverage be any different?

TOW I miss IITK

Correct me if I am missing something here, but a company only breaks even once. Isn't it?
REF: (emphasis is mine)
Deccan Odyssey breaks even after five years
Neha Raghunath MUMBAI
Deccan Odyssey, the luxury train, has managed to break even for the first time since its inception five years ago, according to Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation CEO Jayant Gaikawad.


Finally I have done something worthwhile (or set something worthwhile in motion) in a long, long time. I have signed up for a social service scheme. As it happens, I love to teach. You may disagree strongly if you were one among the majority of students who took the Data Structures course at IITK that I taught. There is a faint chance that you may appreciate my decision.
I still remember reading the course feedback and comments ranged from "The nation needs more teachers like you" to "Please don't teach. EVER". Quite confusing, except that I love to teach which makes my own decision easy to make.
I sometimes wonder why I didn't end up as a professor in some nice university. One reason is that I wanted to earn more than what a typical teaching position at an IIT or IIM affords. Another reason is that there is something I want even more strongly - it will unravel itself in a few years' time I hope and believe.
However, deep inside me, I still relish the campus atmosphere. I loved the lively discussions that happened in the CS101 lecture hall of IITK. I didn't like the discussions at IIMA so much because somehow, they seemed to be motivated more by the incentive of class participation marks.
I was more an observer than an active participant - speaking on the few occasions prodded by the professor, but I thoroughly enjoyed most discussions.
I also remember the time my English professor at IITK made me feel extremely guilty. He was a member of the interview panel which had screened me for a big-name scholarship. Clearly, he held a good opinion of me. However, that opinion took a big beating when I took his course on Modern English Literature and attended very few (and I cannot over emphasise this!) of his sessions. I still performed pretty satisfactory and just missed an A. I probably would have grabbed that A if I had known the course syllabus. One day, in his office, he exhorted me to change my attitude and I felt very guilty, but in my typical rebellious teenager manner, I didn't budge. It makes me wonder about the thought processes I must have originated in the professor's mind.
I wish I had attended more of those lectures - at least the ones I liked.
I wouldn't like to teach a student like that.

Girls Gone Wild

Or Girls Gone Mild. [This is a family blog. Mind it!]
Girls Gone Domestic, rather. Many of my friends, specifically the girls, are going through this phase. Some are meeting new guys over lunch/dinner/coffee, a few have already been 'fianceed', while a few others are devising ingenious ways to tackle family resistance to marry their chosen ones. The most adventurous ones are already back from their trips to Kerala or Switzerland or Honolulu.
Heck, I even know a friend who has her photo with a toddler in arms - now 2 years old. Oh my.
I find it tough that the age is suddenly creeping in upon people in my league. The age in which we have to choose partners. Deep inside, I feel the urge to go back to college days. Those were the days of carefree idyll, amazing activities and wild emotions. We didn't have to bother about the price of oil or the rental rates in Mumbai suburbs. Alas. [ Watching '21' was the primary catalyst for this train of thoughts.]

Alas once again. Only recently I bought a hand blender. Only today I decided to make banana shake. And see what NYT has to say about the future of bananas. It has shaved off a few percentage points from the utility of the gadget. Also, another inch from my projected belly circumference in 2010.

I have been reading some hedge fund analysis off late. Pretty quant stuff, and some macroeconomics thrown in to garnish. But a good take on the Indian markets.

Lathe machines in my head

An empty mind is a devil's workshop. If that is true, I have a lathe machine, a griding machine and numerous other instruments right inside my head. Apart from brief spells of urgent deadlines, I have mostly had the luxury to spend time doing some of things I like to. Like reading up special reports - articles on Industry sectors, Economics articles etc, watching TV - the Euro Cup in particular and so on.

CoffeeMate's parents had come over and they stayed at our apartment for a little over a week. Therefore, we had a treat of tasty food - Aloo parathe, kheer etc. but aunty having left, we have to go back to our old ways. The new handblender is turning out to be handy though. Visualise me drinking mango shakes everyday. Also visualise me going to shop for new trousers every weekend.

These days I am reading Freaknomics. This I started after I stopped reading "Manias Panics and Depressions - A History of Financial Crises" party because I lost interest and partly because my flatmate took it with him on his trip to KL. I dislike the style of writing used in this book and would have loved it if it were structured more like a pleasant read than a PhD tome. I want to read about financial crises and learn as well - I have not been forced to read this book. That is why, I place greater emphasis on the pleasantness and interest-evoking capability of a book than on its pure technical information content.

Freaknomics scores somewhat lower on pure technical content. Sure it applies economic models to mundane social situations. But at times it fails in those very manners that it criticises the most. Like mixing causation with correlation. In other instances, the authors propose alternative explanations, but present in a manner as if they are estabilishing a truth. The presentation is bereft of arguments estabilishing the causative link, however. Apart from these, the book is a very interesting read. And a quick one.

--No songs tonight--

Monsoon rains and monkey brains

I mean, really. When Mumbai corporators say Mumbai was flooded because the drains are clogged, they must think they are speaking to an audience blessed with monkey brains. Come on. They told us this reason last year. And the year before that. When will they answer to the public why they are ineffective and incapable?
Quite clearly, the immobilizing Mumbai rains don't excite me much. They probably would if I had a sea-facing apartment in Worli. But there are more than just a few crores between me and that apartment. The one below Katrina Kaif's.
My apartment mate's parents are here. My culinary senses are in ninth heaven with all the tasty food I have been consuming. But I am worried about the disappointment I will face once I have to go back to eating the tiffin food.
I have just finished reading Catch-22. Those who haven't read it should definitely give it a try. For those who can digest that style of humour, and I say this because I know not everyone might, it is fresh and tangy. A very distinct style of writing which though not gripping, is interesting nonetheless. The book is a somewhat long read but worthwhile. Having put it in the 'out' bin, I am now latched on to 'Manias, Panics and Crashes'. This is my favorite genre. Inspired by true stories but somewhat fabricated to make it more interesting. 'Barbarians at the gate' is in that category. So is 'Liar's Poker'.
This week I will try to see '21'. I hear it is a nice movie.
I stumbled upon this video. Amazing. Sweet. Dedicated to by-now-everyone-knows-who.

My head is eating circles

Having killed all officeflies (as against houseflies) in the 5-feet radius, I am at a loss figuring out how to stop my head from eating circles.

Just this Sunday, I went to a homeopathic doctor. I was asked questions about my food habits, career ambitions, fears and childhood days. And I had gone for an infection of the toe nail! If this isn't the height of holistic healing, I don't know what is. I had never given so much thought to my toenail while I was worring about my career choices during the MBA days. But now, I don't think I will be able to do anything substantial in my life without wondering how it might affect my toe nail.

I recently weighed myself. I weigh an astounding 64kgs! Like Strato always does, you could claim that my shoes and wallet together weigh 4 kgs implying that I am porly paid - since the weight comes from too many coins, or that I am poorly fed. While the former is true, I contest the latter. With a waist size increasing at the speed of India's population, I can hardly be called poorly-fed.

My camera has been lying ununsed for some time now. Well, I did click a few snaps last Sunday when a group of us met up, but the setting wasn't very amenable to clicking too many snaps. And I was left unsatisfied with the end product which resembled a kid's crayon painting when he/she is in a learning stage. The colors were hazy and the photo had camera shake - the only kind of shake I hate.

Pilloo in my soup

Ref: The ad campaign of an MNC bank titled 'Your point of view'. Pilloo is the name of the green colored multipede (I don't know what else to call it). It is like a small caterpillar. Back home, we used to call it soondi.

There is this famous and decently expensive restaurant in South Mumbai called Fountains. It is famous for its sizzlers and the last time before today that I went to this place, which was a year ago, it served some amazing delicacies. Today, alas was different. And disgusting.

We had asked for veg soup but it came with a non veg topping. A pilloo.
I got ready to raise a hue and cry, but realized the futility of it. Anyway, I called the manager and complained to him. I also left the place and cancelled my order, realizing the best way to punish is to rob it of its business. I didn't go so far as to announce to everyone present in the restaurant, but I am sure at least the man sitting behind me noticed.

What is the point of drinking a soup that costs me 200 Rs but which is not assuredly hygienic?
My advice to you: Next time you order a soup, or anything else, watch out. And it doesn't matter how posh the place feels. A pilloo might still be floating in your soup.

In other things, I am desperately trying to finish Catch-22. Its a nice book with a humorous style which is unique indeed. But it is not gripping. I might as well stop reading it and I will not feel curious about what happens afterward. That was not the case with 'Barbarians at the Gate'. This one is an amazing read. The narrative is gripping, the fact that it is a close depiction of true incidents makes it all the more interesting and the coverage is comprehensive. When the authors introduce a new character, they make sure they provide enough information about him or her to help you form a character sketch. Every character is described in detail but it doesn't get boring. My recommendation for your bookshelf in case you are even slightly interested in the financial markets.

Another of my friends, a batch mate from IIT Kanpur has left his job and started out on his own. I salute the spirit. The desire has been wriggling inside my head for quite some time now and I guess lack of courage is one of the things that is stopping me. Apart from lack of a credible idea, of course!
Some day perhaps.

Because emotions are chemical reactions

Aren't they?
Think about it, but without emotions please.
This morning, while I was on my way to office, the thing which struck me, apart from the sudden jerks and even more sudden bumps was this.
Every emotion is a goddamn chemical reaction.
When we love someone, it is because some complex chemical molecules enter into a complicated reaction. Now I understand why relationships are said to be complex. But so is every other kind of feeling. Hatred. Envy. Deja vu.
When a person has a psychic experience, it is more likely that, just like the equations in Class XII chemistry exams, some chemical reactions got mixed up. There you see. Bam goes one molecule. Fe instead of Be. I am in ninth heaven instead of my office. Mg instead of Ca. My colleague is kissing the valet instead of giving him the car keys.
I certainly hope my molecules stay in shape.
Also, I will see comments about couples' chemistry in a very different light now. No, I haven't changed the tubelight in my house.

Much has changed since I last wrote. Wrote and posted, to be precise.

The more news I read, the more I am convinced that the taxes I pay every month are financing Mayawati's colossal bungalows, huge Ambedkar parks, expensive laptops for Mumbai Mayor, holiday junkets to Europe for MPs etc.
Ladies and gentlemen, I do not want my money to be spent on an MP's Europe trip. If I could, I would stop paying my taxes. But then, I do not want my money to be spent on bribing my way out of a tax muddle. Catch-22.

Since I do not drive a car, I do not want to finance another person's petrol. Or diesel or fertilisers. Why should I?
Support is one thing, subsidy is another.

Meanwhile, a lot of people certainly must be wishing they were in Chandigarh IPL team given its sponsor's (and you know which one I am talking about) frequent hugging gifts to the team. Ouch, did I choose a wrong career?

Sometimes, just the thought of liking something makes you feel guilty. Of stealing, cheating, hurting and more. Some emotions are so fragile, even the conscious awareness of their existence makes them evaporate into thin air. And it leaves you with the carbon black residue of mixed feelings.
Note: some molecules in my head were trying to act funny.

I stumbled upon the blogs of a few old friends including Talisma. Learnt of developments which surprised me. The only way I can react is to express my best wishes. :-)

Adios. With hopes of at least 2-3 posts a week.

Dedicated to you-know-who:

What matters and what doesn't !

So often we say things we don't really mean. Or, in the very least we end up giving the impression that we don't really mean them. Sample:

It's not that it doesn't matter but... [But I won't give it a nanosecond of my brain's processing time].

You know, that thing doesn't really matter but ... [But I will slit your throat for it].

People might say them because often they have to say something and there is nothing better to say. After all, the truth about most people is not tasteful enough to be told to them.

Sometimes, when people who are more important to me than, the earth's gravity, pull such a trick on me, it leaves me with an acute loss of words. Unsurprisingly, the impressions that are left are not very flattering. Yenna Raskalaa, Mind it!

There is a very interesting saying - When you are negotiating with someone, the deal is worth only as much as your BATNA - Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement. Upholding the best traditions of an engineer, I propose a corollary - The value of something is only as much as what you are willing to sacrifice for it. If there is something you won't give up at all to have something else, well, no use having something else!

A dear chub from engineering days sent across his research paper on something related to our B Tech Thesis. The title - Complete Constant Random Solution to Computing Non-Antagonistic Multi-player Dynamic Resource Allocation Problems in n-dimensional Momentum-restricted Space. Okay I was kidding. But I swear the actual title was something as scary as that. It took me a fifth of a nanosecond to figure out I won't understand a word of the abstract, leave alone the whole paper. And I lived up to my own expectations. Meanwhile, this stud-in-theory friend seems to have done a good job having teamed up with a fellow whose name sounds Russian.

I have started reading the collection of storied by Manto, translated into English. Very entertaining. Serious enough to touch the brains, but not so heavy as to burden it. A quick-fun read. Next in queue is Fooled by Randomness. Hope to complete it off soon.

A Big Void in life:

Sometimes one person's absence can make a huge difference to the way you live your life. With Strato not around, my life suddenly feels a lot emptier. Luckily, the emptiness is only temporary as she'll be back in a month's time. Till then, I seem to have all the time in the world.
We recently went on a trip to Panchgani. It was amazing though the heat during the afternoon was unbearable. Some photos here : bhomsphotos.blogspot.com
Meanwhile, I hear a few acquaintances having been laid off. How lucky I feel... so far!
The emptiness stretches from soul to brain. I put the milk to boil and started reading newspaper. It was only after I had read all the tabloid news - which is my favorite section - did I remember. By then, a liter of milk had been reduced to three cup fulls. Then it was the turn of the bread loaves to be forgotten - twice, inside the toaster. I pity the poor souls. After eating the recently-baked-now-cold bread, I pitied my teeth as well. Professional hazards, what else!
I am also at a loss of words now. Will resume full of words and thoughts.

The classic:
Tumko dekha to yeh khayal aaya

Various disjoint sets of thoughts:

On a Shayar at a popular expat joint in HK-
OK, I must first place the disclaimers and the sweeteners. That place serves good food. Its lunch buffet allegedly has more than 50 items. At least 10 of them are tasty. Heck, even their table cloth was tasty - or was I that hungry?

Now. There are two people on the dais there - one singer and one musician. The singer looks like he is waiting for the Indian shop next door to deliver a packet of ENO.The other one looks around waiting for the next ransom target. Meanwhile, people eat delicious food and wait for the intermittent breaks between songs.

There must also be those Indians who have been living in HK for decades and haven't had time to visit apna desh for quite some time. Their 'Hello's have become 'Whaai's and 'Offo's has become 'Haayaa's. You could possibly hear them say - "Hey, in that song, is it Sagar or Saygar? I can't remember. Never mind, he sings so well. And that is a Grammy-potential musician".

Its a Saturday evening and I am free - and alone. Had met up with a bunch of friends from college over lunch. The one who hosted was nice enough to do all the arrangements - from cleaning up his apartment in advance to buying all the food items. Its a pity that it has been raining so much and even the wind is so freezing cold. Every time I feel the slap of cold wind on my face, I am reminded of the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese travellers who are stranded at various places.

It is a deep contrast you can see in Hong Kong if you venture to spend your mind on anything more stimulating than interest rate curves and investment banking pitches. There are the odd BMWs and Porsches. Then there are also the long queues in front of money transfer agencies every Saturday - these are the housemaids who have come from various SE Asian countries and want to send home some money for their families. There are these Dunhills and LVs where you can find bags worth more than 10,000 HK$. And there are shops nearby where you can find similar looking bags for 100-150 HK$.
I thought such ostentatious difference in people's wealth could lead to crimes. This is a theory many people talk about when discussing the rise of crimes in Indian metros - especially crimes spurred by migrant population.
But in HK, that is not the case. Crime levels are low, except the odd stories - a fiest in Starbucks for instance.

It is easy to notice that there are a lot of taxis in HK (except when it is raining). It is such a well-connected place, people don't really need a car so much. Having a car effectively means you have more money than, say 60% of the junta. On an empirical observation of ~60cars, I found out that taxis comprise 75-80% of the total cars in HK.

I have become very lazy and the frequency of posts here is a clear proof. I wouldn't even have written this but for the nice words from a friend from college about whom I have a great opinion. Thanks bud!

Song for the day:


By the way, I have been to the place they show in the song above.

Aa kaheen door ...

This post is written as a reaction to a touching incident which happened at a Well Known Institute of Management in West India.
At the center of the matter is a professor in the finance department. A professor who has been been termed variously as boring, soporific and monotonous. I hope there are people who beg to differ - because I want some company here. While not everyone is as lively as SRK playing that remarkably shot "Raaskalaa" scene in OSO, here's a very knowledgeable person trying his best to inculcate some sense of a deeply theoretic discipline into a set of uninterested people - people who have been under the grind for 10 months and think they deserve a break.
I am sure I am not the only one who thinks so, but anyway - in no uncertain terms, I enjoyed his classes. Except the two in which I slept - but that was more because I had been watching a movie till 3 am the previous night. I didn't laugh at his jokes which frankly didn't seem funny to most of us. But when he delved into the more theoretic aspects, it became interesting. Applying one's mind made it a conversation full of insights rather than a monotonous monologue.
Anyway, the teaching abilities of that professor are not the central theme here. And things take a very sad turn now.
A very popular event in the campus, Chaos - the cultural festival, was scheduled to be held in second half of January. A few days before the date, Professor's son dies of some medical complications in the US. The professor's family is supposed to return on the day Chaos is scheduled to begin. The campus authorities see the glaring issue here - how ironic and perhaps insensitive it would be for the campus community as a whole to rejoice with such vigour while a family mourns right there inside the campus. The festival is called off but in the true authoritarian manner - the decision is announced as something being passed on from the authorities to the students. I think this was as much authoritarianism as HRD ministry's edicts which the campus authorities fight tooth and nail. Nevertheless, there is a brief discussion among the students with various opinions. My own opinion is that it was an excessively knee jerk response to entirely call off the festival - rescheduling would have been quite sufficient and absolutely necessary, but I am not much of a stakeholder in the festival now.
Even while this discussion is going on, the Professor sends across a message to the campus community - and that message is the most touching part of this incident. The Professor says that if his son was around, he would have liked the students to enjoy and rejoice in the spirit of Chaos. So, he says, the festival should not be called off.
Of course, the event was rescheduled but I was deeply moved by the manner in which Professor responded. While it is true anyone at that position is expected to show a level of grace and maturity, but in such trying times, this letter displays a gesture far more understanding and compassionate than anyone else's.
I might be, as I usually do, blowing things out of proportion. But fact remains fact. And there is a new name in the list of people I am a fan of.
I hope his family recovers from the shock soon and the situation comes back to normal. Amen.

Ref:http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9686/aakahindoorchale.htm

Aa Kahin Door Chale Jayein Hum

Aa Kahin Door Chale Jayein Hum

Door Itna Ki Humein

Choo Na Sake Koi Gaam

Why?

A popular theory in the MBA circle is 'Promise less, deliver more'. As a kind of strategic undertone, I think it makes sense. But during our outbound learning experience at the start of my current job, I encountered the usage of this edict to the point where under promise seriously hampered the bidding process. Nobody even tried to bid at what they thought was a 'fair' value! I dislike this. I have seen in other aspects - some I am not prepared to disclose through this channel, and I can see through it. When the over delivery happens, the other party ends up feeling cheated. If the under promise is too low, the over delivery will not matter much. It also effectively creates a lemon market for such bids. The other party gets used to over delivery. And what happens when you genuinely want to indicate a downturn? You have to exaggerate that as well!

There is something that strikes you the first time someone who speaks Cantonese (or is it Mandarin, I don't know) calls you up on wrong number. Suppose someone calls you and it starts like this:
You: Hello
Other Party: Why?
You: Hello
Other Party: Why?
Bang.

I began to think. I began to think deeply. I couldn't figure out what I could have done to elicit such a deep question. It was as if someone was asking me why I exist. Much to my chagrin, there were a few more repetitions of this kind. It was then it struck me. Why (or rather Wai) is the Hello in Chinese. Oh. Thats why.

I stumbled (or perhaps re stumbled) upon a blog. Reading it is fun for the spicy insights it contains. Pretty much like the S** and the city. That the quality of writing is good is beyond doubt. The author has just published a short collection of shorter poems (or longer poems, I don't know) and was mentioned on ET.

Strato and I have just begun seeing uncannily frequent coincidences. Too many times, the same thoughts emerge in our minds at the same time. Well, I guess it just happens over time. I have become lazier than I was - I am content spending a weekend watching movies, eating and a short walk. Lets see how Strato changes!

Suffocation

No. This does not refer to the black as a black hole smoke from idling trucks , stuck in a traffic jam on an Indian highway, waiting for the railway intersection to open. Nor does it refer to the dense fumes emanating from Chinese factories which I suspect are the reason behind the many permanently disfigured faces, dotted with acne more dense than ants inside an ant hill.

This comes after I saw a movie. Taarey Zameen Par. It made me cry - well, almost. Infinite thoughts crowded my mind. I remembered all the times when I felt like a machine running to the rules dictated by a cruel world. I remembered all those teachers who were criticized for not being hard working but whose classes were absolutely intriguing. I use this post to remember them, say them a thank you from a point in my heart deeper than Mariana Trench, and hope that they continue to enrich others for a long time to come.

When I was in a convent school, I was punished very often. For not wearing the proper dress on school day. For not wearing the blue socks with two red stripes. For not having the school symbol stitched into my blazer. And umpteen such reasons. I wasn't dyslexic, nor did I have the power of imagination that Ishaan is shown to possess. But I had my bad times. Like when they taught the nuances of the guts of a frog. Or the blood circulation inside insects.

Even to this day, I question the relevance of all that. I had my moments of solitude and absolute disillusionment. I went to a military school which groomed me to face the world. It taught me a lot of hard lessons that have stood by me in difficult times. But it was also where I felt absolutely out of place. I knew I wasn't meant to be a cross country runner. I knew I would never be able to play hockey without fearing the ball (and fearing for the balls!). I am sure each one of us has passed through those moments.

I was lucky that my parents put so much trust in me to let me get out of that school and live on my own for 2 years. While I was very lonely at times - imagine, I got into the habit of talking to stars ! - I read up a lot and performed well.

I look back at those days with mixed emotions. Certainly it was one of the happiest moments of my life when I learnt of my JEE rank. But there was no real reason why I had chosen to take that test. Just because everyone had. Just because it was a way to show that I can do whatever I want. I don't even know why I gave the CAT exam. Here again I performed much better than what I had ever hoped for, but I still don't know why I gave it. May be because it helped me tell people around me that while I have failed them in many respects, at least there are some things they can feel happy about. That it turned out to be a deciding factor in my career was only incidental.

I am another product of this system - the system which churns out doctors, engineer and MBAs. Where children spend their most beautiful years learning the most abstruse trigonometric identities and then forget them. Where they learn about Schrodinger's equations, Bohr's theories, various laboratory techniques and biological details of exotic animal species - never to return to them ever in their lives.

Some of my most beautiful memories of school days revolve around teachers who used to give us a free hand. And that I am sure you will realise is a very rare thing. I am yet to come across ambitious children, though it is not difficult to find children of ambitious parents. Most of the friends I know have become what was expected of them. It is blasphemy to say that parents can do harm to their children but I have seen parents being selfish enough to make their children go through rigorous activities - entirely against their wishes - just to enable the parents to bask in the glory of their children's accomplishments. I have seen a very small kid with thick glasses being dragged away from playground to attend his evening tuition.

I know of a very intelligent guy whose brilliance just got lost in the difficulties of this myriad world. When he was in class 9th, he used to read books more often read by people at the undergraduate level. His correspondences with Nobel laureates, their comments on his thoughts on the topic, his own reflections on myriad topics - from neurobiology to blackholes to quantum dynamics - these were a clear indication that his abilities far exceeded ours. While he may be happily employed somewhere, working among a sea of similar men, I think it is a very unfortunate thing that his dreams got lost somewhere in the course of life. Kamlesh Joshi, if you ever read this, do remember that I think of you as the brightest kid I ever met. As the kid whose genius was the stuff we read about in books. As the guy I was always scared of because he was the one I could almost never beat.

The most poignant moment in the movie comes when Aamir Khan describes how Ishaan must feel battling against everyone, refusing to accept that he cannot learn the letter as easily as others, and living each day to fight a battle against everyone - even his parents. How helpless and frustrated he must have felt. How immense the feeling of betrayal must have been when he was left in a boarding school he didn't want to go to. . .

It is a pity that the most beautiful part of childhood is lost in such rote learning.
It is a greater pity that we will see such a movie and forget it in a week. And then, we will avenge the suffocation of our own childhood by making our children go through the same trauma. The trauma of living on forced desires, of seeing someone else's dream, of not having a voice in deciding the course of their lives.

Something of my own doing :


A Boy of Five.


A boy of five ,
he cried , he cried .
For some mercy for his life
and to everyone he cried .

Tattered clothes, hungry eyes
till he had a hoarse voice.
For his mother long dead ,
for some water for some bread.
Countless corpses by his side ,
at the putrid smell ,he cried .

He tried to look around,
stupefied, he fell to ground .
He couldn't move, he couldn't speak
weeks of hunger made him weak .
In a camp of refugees,
slowly in his pant he pees .
Among the corpses he lay still ,
out of hunger tears spill .
All his hope this world belied,
till he lived ,he cried, he cried .

Hai Koi to Wajah...

It is curious how sharp the tips of Chinese pen must be - so exquisitely fine their script is.
I guess you know that the average physical size of humans is smaller in China - you can notice that on numerous expat messageboards where Westerners incessantly complain about not being able to find clothes of their size in HK. It is my suspicion that the diminution might be a direct consequence of the trauma of having to learn such a difficult language in early childhood. And it is a wonder that the children come out of it pretty much alive and sane.
It bewilders me when I go to the toilet in my office. There is a notice which says, "Dont dispose of garbage in the urinal". Below it is a graphic description. First it shows how you pee. Then it shows what garbage is. Then it shows how you can throw garbage into the urinal. And then, finally it shows what happens if you do that. Somewhat like this :


But the culture here is good. The people are warm and nice, helpful to the point where 'thank you' is the most often heard phrase every day for me. The lady at the counter says, thank you when - I give her my credit card for billing ; I take back my credit card; I collect the order; I leave the cafe. Heck, she would jump up with a quick 'thank you' if I looked in her direction with more than an emotionless gaze.

People are more liberal in their dressing sense (but this is a cosmo - don't know what the status in countryside is) . There is enough crowd to make you at home if you are a Mumbaiite but far less chaos. The lines are long - at bus stops, taxi stops, ticket points and so on. But the infrastructure is smooth. Buses are nice and cosy, tram is idyllic and metro is efficient - just the way one might want it. One feels safe walking around in the evening, and the ladies definitely feel safe considering the lengths of their dresses even on freezing cold evenings.

The two things I am averse to are - the smell of dried sea food and the exotic dishes on local restaurants' menus. The most memorable ones I have encountered are : Horse tongue in honey with cockroach whiskers to garnish and Corn fed chicken sprayed with finely chopped sea snakes. Eww. Even the thought makes me nauseous.

A good thing about this place is that genuine - or almost genuine, I dont know - CDs are available for much cheaper than elsewhere. The problem is when you want movie CDs without Chinese subtitles.

I have heard a lot about Taarey Zameen Par. Am waiting for the occasion to see this movie - especially now that it has been declared tax-free by the government. I had been planning to watch 'Halla Bol' this week till I learnt that the price of the movie ticket would be around 200HKD. That is a thousand bucks back home. Me and my friend can watch a movie in the sofas of the famous movie hall in Bandra - I forget its name.

Anyway, I am happy that I am writing a post second day in a row. That is happening after many many days!

Haan Hai Koi to wajah
To jeena ka maza yun aane laga

Yeh hawaon mein hai kya
Thoda sa jo naasha yun chane laga...

Aghast on new year!

I will never be able to think about new years in the same festive spirit as I used to. We all know what happened in Mumbai. And Kochi. And Kolkata. And many other places.
Sometimes I wonder if, as India becomes richer, young men feeling left out of the economic surge display their frustration through acts like these. Or is it that we have come to the inflexion point where our cultural values from medieval times ( can't say ancient because then you would say - look Ajanta , look Khajuraho ) are encountering the more liberal values from west (beamed to us through numerous channels and pirated dvds) , and making a cauldron of mixed notions and confused intentions. However, 'confused' sounds too soft a word when we look at the manner in which these acts repeat themselves and have become a constant recurrence in our daily lives. 'Evil' serves the purpose better.
I was aghast when a dear friend recently told me of her ordeal in walking the 300 meters from her home to the railway station. And then I think about it. It isn't that I have not known about it. I have walked in female company before and have noticed the looks, emanating from passersby.
And then, you read about articles like these. You feel slightly better till you read comments like this one: . The attitude towards women in India needs to change manifold before one can feel safe. Delhi, the most frequently mentioned city for sexual violence is not alone in its record. Mumbai's record is going down the lane. And all this talk is only about the one-off cases that the media takes up as exemplary cases.
What about the everyday eve-teasing? Even to call it eve teasing is to give it a somewhat dignified look. It is molestation and should be treated as such.
Those police officers and upholders of 'Bhartiya Sanskriti' who go about prowling for cultural violators in parks and elsewhere should feel ashamed. Will they ever realise how much more important it is to prevent such heinous events from happening than it is to guard our parks from coodling couples?

Will we ever give up our moral hypocrisy? The perpetrators have been identified in some cases. Will their mothers teach them a lesson or two in treating women with respect instead of trying to save their sons' skins?

Will we ever live in a country where women feel free to travel in public transport, celebrate new year and walk around without wondering about rowdy men?

No song today please.