My ishtory

गन्दी फिल्म

2011-12-28T14:31:00.004+05:30

In line with positng at least one entry per calenedar year on my blog, I come back to the blog for another movie review, one starring the same two lead actors from my previos post, Vidya Balan & Naseeruddin Shah, you would have guessed it right by now, with in between flashback moments of the naughty posters on dirtier walls, The Dirty Picture.

The offbeat subject of the film, and the competence of the lead actors, prompted me to watch the movie. I even justified the tacky promos centred around Vidya balan's carved out cleavage, as an effort to generate to draw the masses, as at the end of the day, commercials are important even for an offbeat movie.

Well, I was wrong, the offbeat treatment was limited to cheap dialogues and scenes without any underscoring sense of sarcasm or pain, which would normally justify them in such a plot.

The movie starts with a hurried flashback scene of a young girl running away from her house in some desolate village; fair enough, but then in the very next few scenes, Vidya balan is portrayed as a 'bold' girl who doesn't shy away from making orgasmic sounds to annoy the next-door horny couple, and so on.
I guess the purpose of any tragic movie to be based on a Silk Smitha's character has to show a progression of a normal girl into the caricature of a provacative 'slut' image which she was percieved as by the public, which would essentially show the irony of the whole situation. To start her character in the mould of that caricature seemed to defeat this whole purpose of the movie.

The director probably was trying to hurry up to show as many slutty dialogues, cleavage display etc as it would have been possible in the 3 hrs.

To speak of other characters, Naseer's character too was caricaturish as well but justified in the plot, and he didn't have to work too hard to essay the role hence.
Imraan Hashmi's angst as well as a grudged respect & love for Silk seemed too sudden and frivolous.
Tushar Kapoor's character was carved out possibly becaue of his association with the production house and his 'feelings' towards her too looked ridiculous, especially as he breaks off from her because of her provocative dance at a party, where his parents are present, as if the parents were being put up in some isolated island where they were not aware of Silk's image anyways!

On a minor note, given the setting of the story was set in the southern part of the country, none of the characters seemed to speak with any accent seemed a little odd, though I must say the same oddity can be mentioned about say movies on world war Germany where everyone is speaking English with a Queen's accent.

The only stand out part of the movie was Vidya balan, who managed to pull out a strong performance even without a strong characterization and dialogues. She undoubtedly is one of the finest actors of this generation.

Compared to say The Doors or even a Walk the line which are about real life stars, it is disapponting to see the level of detailing which goes into making of Indian movies like Dirty Picture which actually have a benefit of extra movie length of about an hour over their Hollywood counterparts. Oh, I do forget the time slots for songs/dance etc...

To sum it up, this movie's aim was more commercial than a serious attempt just as its promo read, entertainment, entertainment, entertainment...

इश्किया - Just short of intelligence

2010-02-08T18:52:00.006+05:30

Vishal Bharadwaj is back, thankfully, after the cinematically disappointing Kaminey (though commercially successful) at least as a producer and kudos for giving a break to debutante Abhishek Chaubey. For a debut movie, the director has done a commendable job. Tight editing, superb performances by established actors, and recreating an earthly UP locale which is less filmy kinds गाँव का देश but more real, are enough to classify this as one of the better movies of its times.
Naseer's brilliance is a given, so not point talking about it. Arshad Warsi seems to have developed the knack to get under the skin of a character so naturally, and his only test remains an out 'n out serious role as even this role had the usual comic element associated with him usually. Having said that, his comic sense of timing still is very enjoyable in the movie.
Vidya Balan, well, I am only too happy to see her doing a purely performance based role, and which she delivers with the utmost ease of a veteran. Her performance in परिणीता was outstanding, and this as a follow up is only a little short particularly due to a smaller role in the movie.

The two shortcomings of the movie

A weak story though an interesting one, which could have been elaborated more
"Cheating" on the part of Balan's character in the movie, as it is conveniently moulded from a temptress to love torn lioness. In the end, her character was that of a strong woman who demands justice for the betrayal, but from the start it was just built as that of a manipulative and flirtatious woman. The transition of a character in such cases demands more intensity and detail. The director seemed careless/impatient on this count in this otherwise fairly 'intelligent' flick

Two more minor positives

Intelligent music, which is given for Vishal Bharadwaj, but for the fact that he didn't get entangled in creating local/folk sound for the movie given the backdrop of rural India etc but experimented with the arrangement wrapping a rock-ish feel around the music
Minor characters like the old woman and the young boy Nandu, add a different tinge to the screenplay, and were reminiscent of this style used by Sudhir Mishra in हजारों ख्वाहिशें ऐसी

In all a 4/5 to the movie

Strategy breaks

2010-01-06T15:29:00.003+05:30

Well, for a change, the shorter it gets, the more exciting it becomes!! Well, before you get really excited on this new discovery, we are talking about cricket, from Tests with a day's break to Karry Packer's Pyjama cricket, down to the latest T20.

But in this age of instant karma, the organizers still want more sex out of the game. Here comes the controversial 'strategy break' between the innings. While some wonder if this is just to give more air time to slot hungry broadcasters and advertisers, I could think of more exciting ways to strategize the game.

Ok here it goes...

before the start of the match, the teams should be given a 10 min 'strategic negotiation' slots. In this case, one team can make the other team an offer, to have a particular player not bat/bowl in exchange for a fixed amount of runs/wickets. e.g. if Royal Challengers are fairly confident that Sehwag from the Daredevils is likely to score at least 35 runs in the match based on recent/past form, they can offer the Daredevils 30 runs (35 or less basically) in lieu of Sehwag not batting in the innings. To prevent the cricket match from completely becoming a strategy and negotiation play, such offers could be restricted to 3 players per team etc. This in a sense reflects the confidence level of the opposition team against a particular player.

While there could skepticism about this knocking down TRPs as there'd be lesser cricket, the live 'reality tv' broadcast element of the 'Strategic Negotiation' would only shoot up the TRPs given the recent fascination of the public towards this sickening show format.

Well, while you may wonder about the role of my Strategy lineage in such thoughts, if you look closely, this is likely to to create more job opportunities in my current profession of a quant wannabe, which is fairly important given the dearth of such opportunities in my current industry....

Hey......who woke me up!!!!

Sweet Guitar (S)kills

2009-09-23T17:31:00.002+05:30

Men are separated from boys in an acoustic setup...in this case the boy outshone the man though (no offence to the master though)

This is recognition enough for the guitar-sage of this era to have accompanied Clapton on guitar rather than vocals who has redefined guitar playing when I had given up on any new kind of sound in these times.

Many mistake Mayer for a choclate pop star, and I don't care for the rest, but true music lovers must listen to his live solo acoustic or even electric blues performances (check out crossroads with Clapton again on youtube)

Down the road (less travelled)

2009-09-09T12:46:00.006+05:30

Well, ahem...had my first quasi-professional performance at Goa, "Down The Road", Pub & Bistro!!!!!!
Given my hectic schedule, had to restrict the song-list to only three songs
- Evenflow (Pearl Jam), with a little niggle that I completely forgot the song & lyrics after the first two lines, old age you see
- Knockin' on heavens door (G'n'R version), yeah 'coz it still is a coupla years before I become old enough for the Dylan version :)
- Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) - Well, this was on popular demand (within my soul i.e.), messed a little bit on the high-pitch part, but in all the Van Morrison style suited the song better than I had thought

Crowd response stopped just short of a mass hysteria, especially amongst the ladies, they controlled themselves by only clapping i.e. and also the fact that about 20% of the population in the pub comprised of friends (Refer pic on top: The PAL, The ANT, The PUNK!!)

And as much as the monetary bit is concerned, it was that I paid for my drinks....
IT WAS A KAROKE NIGHT, hehehhehe
But it was fun nonetheless, as it always has been performing on stage in college days, hmmmm...Life keeps on calling (in short bursts), where the fcuk am I???

P.S : The date in the snaps are backdated for some reason

Thif fuckf, ferioufly!

2009-08-30T22:23:00.005+05:30

"Past performance may not indicate future performance" I thought this was only applicable to mutual fund industry. It breaks my heart to apply the same to my current favourite director Vishal Bharadwaj. Can't imagine the same guy who made the wonderfully refreshing & innocent "Blue Umbrella", the dark siblings "Maqbool" & "Omkara" each one of which left me mentally heavy coming out of theatre, makes a loosely put together "Kaminey".

Till the first half, this seemed like an attempt to make a run-movie where random plots come together ending in a chase, something like a "Lock, stock & two smoking barrels". But the next half reveals the story seems to revolve around the redemption of "Charlie". It surely would have been better if the director would have stuck to either of these themes.

Apart from "bhope bhau", none of the actors did anything outstanding, mostly average performances. Marketing the movie about lisping and stammering of the two lead characters seemed interesting in the promos but in the end was just plain tacky piece of generating a buzz.

Mr VB, I still haven't given up on ye', get back to doing what you do the best, which is focusing on making movies seriously than marketing them.

Face the book

2009-08-08T00:53:00.002+05:30

I have this uncanny knack of being like a fresher. And one day, I will get a hike!!!
Currently trying to gather my feet on this nu-age thingy called facebook.

Till I conquer this beast...

"Arranged Marriage" ends with an "Affair"

2009-08-02T23:08:00.004+05:30

Well, that's the last story in my maiden (read) novel, and maybe my own affair with books has just begun!!!

This was a collection of stories by Chitra Banerjee, all revolving around diasporic sensibilites. Though my understanding of literature is quite amateurish as of now , the stories score very well in building up emotions in a very sensitive manner. One cannot but admire the capacity of a writer to understand human sensitivity, put it in the context of a cultural sensibility and then create an imagery to which the reader can visualize and relate to.

An interesting point is how writers create the imagery; it is the seemingly unimportant detail e.g. "the waitress was wearing a light-blue dress..."; now, this helps a reader create the whole plot in his mind while she reads on, and the story is so much easier to hold on to.

Anyways, am just hoping that this habit which I had been trying to inculcate for a long time lasts for as long as possible, and I can do justice to being the son of a literature professor!!

Comfortably dumb

2009-07-26T00:34:00.004+05:30

Do I need to have point of views on life? Am I allowed to be self-centred all my life, interacting with the world through the windows on my floating cocoon-ed life, and being well ensconced in there, without caring to come out, Do I need to know what am I looking for, and the best part, is it ok if I still don't care much :) ?

Hello, hello.........is anybody in there........

....you may feel a little sick.......I do believe its working.....a distant ship's smoke.....

.......when I was a child.......okay...just a little pin-prick....aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............

"Ze kya bakwaas hai, bhai?"

Jashn - The music within

2009-07-25T22:32:00.004+05:30

Okay, this was audacious. I took the risk of going to watch the "typical" movie. Apart from an uncanny desire to do some cliched stuff, I went in primarily to see Shahana Goswami's performance. Had really liked her in Rock On. Also, as per some review, this could be an old Mahesh bhatt style movie exploring the intricacies of human relationships.

Hedged my risk to an extent by watching the movie at Gaiety theatre (75/- only), the now-old but once-upon-a-time revolutionary multitheatre concept. Deja-vu was in the air, with touts psssst'ing around for selling black tickets, something we have forgotten in the multiplex era.

The 'crowd' too was from pretty much from all walks of life, unlike the middle/upper middle clas which we find in multiplexes.

I knew I was in for some entertainment, if not from the movie, then at least from the crowd, as slogans of "vande mataram" and "bharat mata ki jai" took over just as the mandatory national anthem got over.

The movie, though fairly predictable in its plot, is an earnest effort. Over-acting has been avoided, no songs running around the trees, a trend catching up these days.

Shahana Goswami has again delivered a natural performance, though in the end you wonder, what was the emotional-pana all about. Adhyayan Suman has a long way to go to become a complete actor, but I do admire his honest effort, and probably the character he plays, that of a young & wayward artist, who is still trying to figure out what he wants to do in life, may not be too far from his real life persona, hence the fairly natural performance.

The stand-out part of this movie for me was the new age realistic portrayal of a brother-sister relationship, who are the closest buddies, instead of the tiring "mere bhaiya, meri behna" types portrayal, which has been beaten to death in Hindi movies.

Overall, I give it a 3/5, for the honest effort by actors who are more or less newcomers.

and things, they-are-a-lookin' up!!!

2009-07-25T22:19:00.001+05:30

Stock market is doing okay, I have survived the humid Mumbai summers without an AC, mosquitos haven't paid much of a visit this monsoon, me finally did some meaningful work this year (repositioning pitch for a business line, ok it was just a ppt, so what :) ), probability horizon of keeping a job has gone up to over 6 months, looks like I may be able to afford a house in Mumbai (at least the loan-wallas think so) , AND I HAVE LOST 3 kgs of weight, yippeeee!!!!!!!

Sri Jimi

2009-07-15T13:06:00.004+05:30

Managed to attend a concert I had been waiting forever, the Jimi hendrix of Carnatic Rock, Prasanna. From Carnatic Fusion to Rock to Pure Jazz, this guy is master. And the rhythmized version of Thriller/Bad as a tribute to Michael Jackson was outlandish but brilliant.
And could finally add company to my gifted lone Prasanna CD, including an instructional DVD which hopefuly will be useful to the 'forever' beginers like me.

P.S: This guy left a cushy job post his B.Tech from IIT-Madras to pursue Music from the Berklee college of Music, he is my personal Hero.

गुलाल

2009-07-13T12:53:00.005+05:30

How I wish I could command myself to write & update my blog!! But as with most things with life, I am a true 'naturalist', can't force nothin' on myself.

Having grown up in the environs of BHU (Banaras Hindu University, for the uninitiated), films related to student politics instantly strike a chord with me. Apart from the numerous कॉलेज-ishtudent kinda movies with an opening song like"ख़ुद को क्या समझती है, कॉलेज में नई-नई आई एक लड़की है"..., Gulaal & Haasil stand out in their realistic representation of the north-Indian neta-infested university campuses.

While Haasil stood out primarily because of an outstanding performance by Irfan Khan, Gulaal is remarkable because of a multitude of characters, and all of which look very real. The confused-yet-resolute Dileep, Mahi Gill in a cameo, Deepak Dobriyal as the confident sidekick, all did justice to their characters. KK Menon probably for the first time gets a very meaty role in the movie, and though a bit repetitive in terms of the characters he plays, delivers a very strong performance.
For me, the standout part of the movie was the treatment of "Prithvi Bana", played wonderfully well by the ever-reliable Piyush Mishra. It is not easy to put a theatre-like character in a movie and still pull it off. His cynicism expressed in a deranged manner through weird lyrics and hindi poetry-sque dialogues was timed very well through out the movie.
Abhimanyu Singh as "Ransa" too put in a brilliant cameo.

On the minor negatives, I still can't quite figure out what was Jessy Randhawa doing in the movie, plus Ayesha Mohn didn't do enough for Kiran's character.

All in all, a brilliant movie by Anurag Kashyap, and a much better product than "No Smoking" & "Dev-D"
Am waiting for the next.

The weak-end gone past

2009-06-29T11:34:00.002+05:30

Yippy!!!!! Hurray!!!!!! After a horrendous run in with bollywood, (आ देखें ज़रा, तस्वीर, ....), I finally got a hat-trick of good movies and plays. First it was the rebellious गुलाल, then New york, and finally the play I was waiting to watch for a long time - Wedding Album.

गुलाल & देव-डी
छात्र राजनीति पर आधारित यह फ़िल्म मुझे अनुराग कश्यप की पिछली फ़िल्म देव-डी से कही बेहतर लगी। देव-डी एक stylized फ़िल्म थी जिसके पात्र more or less fixed थे। It could also be attributed to the fact की यह फ़िल्म एक चर्चित उपन्यास पर आधारित थी जिसके कारण characters को हद से हद एक अलग treatment दिया जा सकता था और जो की दिया भी गया पर उससे ज़्यादा कुछ नही। एक और बात देव-डी में थी की असल में ये एक Musical थी। अमित त्रिवेदी के अभूतपूर्व संगीत निर्देशन ने हर plot को एक परिभाषा दी। इस फ़िल्म में अभिनय से ज़्यादा महत्वपूर्ण इसका plot था। इसमे अगर किसी भी अभिनेता को fit किया जा सकता था बशर्ते की वो इस plot से बड़ा न लगे, और शायद यही कारण भी था की अपेक्षाकृत नए कलाकार इस मूवी में बखूबी जंचे। अभय देओल हालांकि अपनी पिछली फिल्मों में एक अलग पहचान बना चुके है, लेकिन उनकी understated स्टाइल ने देवदास के पात्र को एक नया आयाम दिया। चंदा के पात्र में Kalki ने अच्छी कोशिश की लेकिन कमज़ोर dialogues ने मज़ा किरकिरा कर दिया। माही गिल का screen presence काफ़ी अच्छा है और इस रोल के साथ उन्होंने पूरा न्याय भी किया। कुल मिला के देव-डी को एक path-breaking movie का खिताब दिया जा सकता है पर ये ज़रूर कहना है की जितनी Dark यह फ़िल्म इसके promos में लग रही थी, theatre में वो प्रभाव उतना उभर के नही आया।

खैर, हम बात कर रहे थे गुलाल की। इंतज़ार करे मेरी अगली post की.

Plastic Straitjacket

2009-03-31T13:08:00.004+05:30

Got looks, got attitude, got some good PR buzz around you, can avoid being a disaster on the screen, well then you are fairly eligible to act in movies I have seen of late "Dev D", "No smoking" etc. No these ain't bad movies at all, but I am trying to focus on this new genre of movies where the skill of acting has taken a backseat, and the plot, background score have taken over.
You could more or less put anyone in that character and would have got similar output as the movie.
Purely from an acting skill view, this is analogous to the Backstreet boys kinda pop music culture, too plastic but sells nonetheless.

Easy fun

2009-02-03T13:33:00.002+05:30

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?- Emosanal Atyaachar – rock version
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?- Fried rice
LAST PERSON YOU HUGGED?- My Sister
How is the weather right now?- AC
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?- Mom
The first thing you notice about the opposite sex?- Elegance (or its lack)
Favorite type of Food?- Desi primarily north-indian
Do you want children?- No idea
Ever get so drunk you don't remember the entire night?- No
Hair color?- Black
Favorite holiday?- Diwali
Favorite Season?- Winter
Have you ever cried over a boy/girl?- Yes
Last Movie you Watched?- Elegy
What books are you reading?- Some discourse on game theory – that was 2 months back
What were you doing before filling this out?- Filling out another questionnaire
Any pets?- No
Msn or facebook?- No idea
Dogs or cats- Dogs
Favorite Flower?- Cauli (gobhi)
Have you ever loved someone?- Yes
Who would you like to see right now?- A slimmer me
Have you ever fired a gun?- No
Do you like to travel by plane?- Yes
Right-handed or Left-handed?- Right handed
If you could go to any place right now where would you go?- Monaco
Are you missing someone?- Yes
Do you have a tattoo?- No, have been thinking about one for a while
Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings?- No, but I can watch them anytime
ARE YOU 18?- No, its been 12 years
WHAT IS THE WALLPAPER ON YOUR CELLPHONE?- Carol – my niece
DID YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP LAST NIGHT?- No, though it is less worse than previous day
FIRST THING YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THIS MORNING?- An unmentionable dream
WHAT DO YOU HAVE HANDY AT YOUR BEDSIDE?- Cellphone
GRILLED OR FRIED?- Grilled, though it depends
WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE?- height, width, coiffure
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?- No
FAVORITE HANGOUT?- Café mondegaar
3 THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT?- Music, salary, family
FIRST THING YOU WILL BUY IF GIVEN 1 THOUSAND DOLLARS?- A fender stratocaster or Ibanez guitar
FAVORITE SONG?- Impossible to say
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?- Aimlessness
ARE YOU A GIVER OR TAKER?- Taker
WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?- d’costa, building
WHAT IS YOUR DAD'S MIDDLE NAME?- Kirti
STUCK ON A DESERTED ISLAND & COULD BRING ONE THING?- Food
FAVORITE T.V. COMMERCIAL?- can’t remember the name but it features a cute baby girl saying ‘sone ka daant’
WHO'S YOUR CELL PHONE PROVIDER?- Airtel
FIRST THING YOU'LL SAVE IN A FIRE?- Degree certificates
Favorite color?- Black, though it again depends
WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU ALWAYS BRING WITH YOU?- Clothes, shoes, phone
WHAT DID YOU WANNA BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID?- Fighter pilot
WHAT DO YOU USUALLY DO WHEN THE CLOCK READS 7AM?- Snoring, I guess
THE COLOR OF YOUR BEDSHEET?- Blue
WHO DO U WANT TO MEET?- No one in particular
WHAT DO U THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU GO TO BED?- happenings of that day

Thank you John Mayer

2009-02-03T12:39:00.004+05:30

I am yet to explore Mayer's music fully but it has shown a new light to my dwindling interest in music. His wrinkled vocals and a very personal style of guitar chord progressions make him stand out from everyone else. I can't remember too many people accompanying Eric Clapton on lead guitar (check out "crossroads" and "broken hearted" on youtube), tells you something about the respect Mayer has been getting so early in his career. Anyways, will come back with a detailed review in some time, till such time, WHY GEORGIA

am driving up 85 in the
kind of morning that
lasts all afternoon
just stuck inside the gloom

Four more exits to my apartment but
I am tempted to
keep the car in drive
and leave it all behind

Cause I wonder sometimes
about the outcome
of a still verdictless life

Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Why, why Georgia, why?

I rent a room and I
fill the spaces with
wood in places to
make it feel like home
but all I feel's alone

It might be a quarter life crisis
or just the stirring in my soul
Either way, I wonder sometimes
about the outcome
of a still verdictless life

Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Why, why Georgia, why?

So what, so I've got a smile on me
but it's hiding the quiet superstitions in my head
Don't believe me , Don't believe me
When I say I've got it down

Everybody is just a stranger
but that's the danger in going my own way
I guess it's the price I have to pay
still "Everything happens for a reason"
is no reason not to ask myself

If I'm living it right
Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?

Why, tell me why?
Why, why Georgia why?

A retrospective - The spent decade(nce?)

2009-01-17T13:18:00.014+05:30

Well ensconced in the fourth decade of my life, am just trying to recollect the things which stand out in the whole of my 20's.
In decreasing order of influence (positive as well as negative)

Music - primarily rock
Cigarettes (and the binges in early 20's)- Ughhhhhh and bye bye too
Absolute lack of any sense of purpose

I still remember me the 1st year student at IT-BHU entering a noisy auditorium, where 3 different guitars were being used and I couldn't quite figure out why, and that why was somebody writing "Deep Purple" on the blackboard!!!

Still remember asking Alok for some tapes for that kind of music and then listening to the liberating sound of "highway star" on my 10w mono player. Next was "Disciplined breakdown" by the then unheard Collective Soul. And then Mr. Fool-phil called me once to his room to make me listen to this 'weird' music. Now coming to think of it, it would indeed be difficult to comprehend, if you heard God play music for the first time. That was LED-ZEP, and the rest as they say, is history!!!

From Zep to John Mayer now, its been a long journey, and its been worthwhile. Thank you Alok (and also for asking me to buy a guitar and never teaching me :).

Cigarettes, hmmm, the less said the better, though its been a companion in so many moments of solitude, daze, boredom, excitement.....and so on. But I guess, me dear friend, its time for us to move on, and you find someone else to poison, though you should feel proud to have had such a long association with me given my reputation of getting bored with things fairly quickly!!

Lack of sense of purpose - well, that is almost an underlying theme of my life in general, so probably its not just a highlight of my 20s.

Oh, and how could I forget - Piling on 2 kgs/year (backcalculated average). I have managed to look 'healthy' instead of मोटू thanks to my vertical affiliation with the sky.

And one day, I will be able to write like a pro and not write some junk just to update my blog. Yukk!!!

"This too shall pass" but a lot many will fail

2008-12-05T09:48:00.006+05:30

An unfortunate analysis based on real-life observations - Confidence in most of the people is primarily driven by their shamelessness (lack of value for words)
For years, proponents of capitalism have been flooding the media with their passionate arguments about the basic tenet of capitalism - "Government has no business to be in business"
And look at things happening now, in US as well as elsewhere. Government has stakes/being asked to have stakes in as bizarre a business as investment banking!!

Most recent is our own country is the demand by real-estate developers for govt. help!! The same guys who had borrowed heavily just because they could charge anything for the houses they made and justify the same on another 'logical' basis of demand-supply issues.
It is appaling that even the most educated of the lot who pooh-pooh capitalism forget that 'free-market' capitalism is crony by its nature and if let free, would run over anything and everything.
A good comparison with the real-estate bailout is the case of farmers commting suicide under the burden of loans (and which is not because of a business plan gone bad, but because of the unfortunate dependence on monsoons). The the loan-waiver attracted so much criticism from the economists of the country on the basis of growing fiscal deficit etc etc. But the same people seem to have gone underground now. Even if the argument is reasoned as that a default by real-estate firms will trigger a systemic collapse of the financial system, this brings another big question with it, that of inclusion of all strata of the society in the economic growth. Do suicide-commiting-farmers form such a unimportant part of the economy of the country?

In this whole debate of govt. vs market argument, it is funny that the government is treated like an entity which exists in isolation. It is forgotten that government represents the will of the citizens and can not be considered just as a bureaucratic machinery(though I wish, real life govt. were better than this). In free-market, amongst the two inputs for production viz. labour and capital, labour is subservient to capital, forget being equal. Labour is just a statistic minus any human element!!!. This is only acceptable in the realms of an extreme version of the Darwinian theory.

This needs more thought, as absoute goverment control has not provided results elsewhere in the world and the slightest thought of such a system sends a shiver down my spine given the kind of govt. I see in my country.

Think, Think, Think.

तू कौन है?

2008-08-27T09:50:00.009+05:30

I thought it would be fun if I had multiple ME's like a multi-pack for mobile phone bodies, change them whenver you get tired of one. It has happenned to me now; A look at the mirror and it I can't relate to the image (an oblong,vertical parallelogram) I see there. It surely has got to do with latest 3 month excess of gobbling 1 kg mangoes a day abetted by an erratic sleeping schedule.
Neverthless, I don't relate to what I see in the mirror, and its not fun as I had thought. The journey seems to be getting over. According to BMI calculations, I am no more overweight, I AM OBESE!!!
I don't like it, so Talwalkar, here I come!!!

सर मुंडाते ही ओले पड़े!!!

2008-04-07T13:29:00.008+05:30

Induction in first company - "Yaaaaawwwwwn" for 2 days
Induction in second company - "Yaaaaawwwwwn" for 5 days
Induction in third company - "Yaaaaawwwwwn" for 2 days

Induction in latest company - can be 'analogised' like this
इस उड़ान में आपका स्वागत है,
यात्रा शुरू होने से पहले हम बताना चाहेंगे की
यात्रा अत्यन्त तेज़ गति पे पूरी की जायेगी,
यात्रा का हमें खाली गंतव्य पता है
रास्ते के बारे में ज़्यादा जानकारी नही है,
बाहर का मौसम अत्यन्त ख़राब होने की उम्मीद है
इसलिए कृपया अपने सीट की पेटी अपने से ही बाँध लें,
इस विमान में निकास का एक ही रास्ता है
और आपको बाहर निकालने का फ़ैसला एक-तरफा हम ही करेंगे,
दबाव बढ़ने की स्थिति में
धूम्रदंडिका के प्रयोग की अनुमति है,
यात्रा में नाश्ता मिल सकता है
बशर्ते आप सही वक्त पर उसे झपट लें,
बाकी अब आप को बेस्ट ऑफ़ लक हैगा
जय राम जी की!!!

First day in office turned out to be the first night (pun unintended) and then to first early morning as well!!! 4 am to be precise. And the next 3 days were not very different either.

Rock 'n' Roll.......................

The Baap of all biz ideas!!!!

2008-03-03T17:45:00.007+05:30

Well, if you are one of the lucky few to visit my blog, well, go ahead, buy that porcshe, buy that bungalow at colaba, splurge................'coz what you are going to find below is one of the biggest business ideas to have hit the planet in a long long time

THE SUE-SUE FUND
Well, just go through this link first to get an idea of what I am talking about
http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/stupid_lawsuit_collection.asp?wacky=0
Yes, you got it right, I am talking about combining cutting-edge financial securitization techniques with the litigation happy American Society, to give you unprecedented returns.

This fund plans to securitize all future receivables based on the amazingly high number of opportunities to SUE in the over-politically correct America. Since the gestation period can be higher for certain high-end litigations, multiple tranches of securities will be issued with the lower tranche protecting the higher tranche in case of payment delays.
Sub-Prime litigation anyone??

Also, as legal expenses form the biggest chunk of the cost of operations, this fund will also set up a legal outsourcing subsidiary in India which may even take up outside business depending upon the market scenario. Tracking stocks in this subsidiary can also be expected depending upon the market performance.

Another uniqueness of this fund would be that first time you would be making money and fulfilling CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in the same vein by improving societal standards. Basically, you don't even have to worry about any GLOBE about CSR, nor any money to be spent on setting some CSR board. Basically, no nonsense, just ethical super-returns.

"Sue-Sue fund, करे ऐसा Sue, निकाल दे सबकी सू-...!!!! "

Disclaimer - Sue-Sue Fund returns are subject to (if) Sanity returns. Pl roll up the offer document gleefully before investing.

Know Smoking

2008-02-04T22:36:00.002+05:30

Ok, this review was pending for long.

What the hell is the censor board for? I mean, well, its a great job, you get to see all the scenes uncut after all!!! but apart from rating sexual content, violence, social/political/religious content, I guess the censor board or some other authority should start officially rating movies as well. This movie should have had an "IG" sign attached to it, meaning "intellectual guidance recommended". Yeah, you got it right, it was one of those Art movies. This inference is not attributed to my intellectual skills but rather to my sense of logic, as they say, Art can never be interpreted (though from pure logic point of view, this inference is wrong, if u r still reading this post, well u may as well draw a Venn diagram and verify!!!).

This was one of those Open to Interpretation kinda movies; movies where most of us have no idea what the movie was all about till we go home and google for some review but we still play safe in a group by readily agreeing that it was pathbreaking movie etc etc.

Well, anyway, as I read on some review board myself, a critic had termed this as an arrogant movie by the director. I agree, without an "IG" rating, you are not being fair with the person who'll shell out 100+ bucks and lose even more in terms of pure opportunity cost of spending the two hrs in the theatre.

How can you rate the performances of the actors in this movie when its hard to understand what a particular character stands for? Still people try "John's been really slick in this movie" - Well what else can a model with the acting prowess of a mannequin do? "Ayesha takia is very subtle in her role" - Dude, shez just being natural, shez dumb!!! "Ranvir is undoubtedly the best export from the small to the big screen, of late" - Do people still watch Channel V???
Only thing likeable in this movie are the funny-arbit kinda spontaneous moments spread throught.

The movie director definitely loves to smoke, thats why he didn't name the movie Smoking, as then Smoking sucks, and with No Smoking, No Smoking sucks, and thats precisely why I smoke.

To Gym or not to जीम

2008-02-02T00:16:00.001+05:30

For lazy bums like me
How to waste money - Join a gym
How to feel bad about wasting money - Join a gym and put on 3 kgs :( !!! what the hell!!!

जिम गया तेल लेने , अब तो बस जम के जीमूंगा

Could it get any 'verse' ?

2008-01-28T21:51:00.001+05:30

ये क्या जगह है दोस्तों
ये कौन सा दयार है
हदे निगाह तक यहाँ
गुबार ही गुबार है

मैंने मांगी थी कंसल्टिंग
पर ये तो निकली इन्सल्टिंग
बनाया है इन्होने मेरा चूतीया
मुश्किल है करना, ये काम इतना घटिया

अब मुझे कौन बचायेगा
कौन इस जगह से निजात दिलायेगा
कर रक्खे हैं मैंने मस्त-मस्त फाइनेंस के सर्टिफिकेशन
पर मिला है खाली सीवी रिजेक्शन और फ्रस्ट्रेशन

दिल की ना सुनी मैंने पहले
घुस गया होता कोई छोटी-मोटी फाइनेंस कंपनी में
कर रहा होता अब तक कुछ हाई-फाई काम
ऊंचा कर रहा होता ५ प्वोईंटर भाई लोगों का नाम

अभी पड़ा हूँ एक सरकारी दफ्तर में,
सुन रहा हूँ लोगों की बकवास,
मन कर रहा है बकूँ गालियाँ जी भर के,
पर नही है कोई मेरी हालत समझने वाला आस-पास

ये क्या जगह है दोस्तों
ये कौन सा दयार है
हदे निगाह तक यहाँ
गुबार ही गुबार है

Someplace Else - Java city - Hard Rock Cafe

2008-01-27T23:45:00.000+05:30

Thankfully found something to compensate for S'else.
Java city provides you the old cafe ambiance with some above avg. live jazz music, and to top it with some good coffee & really good muffins. The high point of the band is the 85+ sax player 'Uncle Dominique', needs support to walk, but can play the Sax for hrs straight. The imported violin player was also very impressive and so was the drummer as much for his skills with drums as for showmanship. Didn't like the guitarist much though.

Hard rock cafe, well, what a departure from the ones I've seen in London/Amsterdam where its just another hangout pub (actually the one in Amsterdam is hardly worth mentioning). This one had great interiors but it was disappointing wrt the memorabilia. Where it stood out the most was in terms of the beauty quotient. Pretty good stuff. This also brought out an interesting conversation between me & Suri about whether its easier for women to look gorgeous or just that males are normally more frushtoo. Well, a look around that place and but for 2 (yes, we did count :) ) all the women seemed hot. In this materialistic age, it is so heartwarming to see that at least the mordern woman has taken unto herself the responsibility to implement the preachings of Mahatma Gandhi, though they have been strategically selective in that.

Taking the logic to the other side, we also discussed whether women bother about men the same way. Most of the blokes were in the usual attire, not to mention Suri & Dental with their million dollar chappals. Would this be frustrating for women too, means wouldn't they like to see all the men dressed up & stuff? Didn't seem so, from a general observation, looked like women were more interested in looking good themselves & as to how much attention they could gather rather than bothering about the males' dressing.

Amongst other things, I could hold on to my 2nd round of quitting booze after the cash-draining 'test' month I did at someplace else. Though just wondering, the conversation above could have been taken to new heights after 7-8 large pegs of Jack Daniels (no, I'm not looking for an excuse :))

Damn, Monday is here again :(

Me-Moi-Errrr......

2008-01-23T01:13:00.000+05:30

Kolkata, Kolkata, Don't worry kolkata......

Anyways, its difficult to ascertain whether my inability to write memoirs about places is b'coz of my general lack of receptivity or the city being kolkata. Koshish karta hoon khair

Kolkata times for me

heat & humidity
bong attack
start of another dull phase of career
joblessness & hence a disinterested introduction to orkut
Fight between real & virtual
non-veg pantries
someplace else (this deserves a separate post though)
endless job applications preceded and succeeded by even more endless career cribs
true meaning of brunch (wake up to lunch i.e.)
realization of an MBA's worth in the IT industry ( which is at best that of a Trespasser)
endless staring at the monitor without really looking at anything (though i had mastered this art earlier at IIM-L)
being away from kolkata every other weekend
a peak & trough in my bank account every month, which almost balanced themselves out, the trough definitely related to the point above

All in all, 'kal kata', aaj-bhi-kata, aur asha karta hoon ki aage bhi kat-ta rahega

Taare Zameen Par

2008-01-12T23:14:00.000+05:30

Well, a film review after a long time

AAMIR KHAN, the name itself so much hype in the media; I, as usual, entered the theatre with the usual skepticism.

Even before the movie actually begins, the brilliant casting graphics take your breath away, not just with the amazing concept & content, but the very subtle undertones that the director wants to set upfront, random but beautiful creative thoughts only possible in an innocent brain.

Anyways, a detalied analysis is out of scope given my patience & creative constraints, would just highlight the major points I felt in the movie.

Looking at Darsheel's (Ishaan) performance, it becomes difficult to decide who should get more credit, the young actor for his intelligence & spontaniety or the director, to have captured the raw emotions so perfectly. The control in his emotions when he is muddled between angst & helplesness is remarkable, not to forget the mischief in his eyes.

Another strong point is the music score. It seems Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy were given a free-er hand and that is evident in the essentially rock-laden backdrop, but which at no point becomes loud, and provides an altogether different feel.

The only thing which I didn't like somewhat was Aamir's entry into the movie with a general hey-kids-lets-have-fun kinda song. This could have been more subtle.

Aamir the actor takes a backseat in the movie (felt like he was too engrossed with the movie and didn't take/want his character to be too prominent) and Aamir the director wins hands down. It is not an easy task in Bollywood to make movies which are hatke but can still make money. Hats off!!!

On a cynical note, Ishaan though being dyslexic, is a brialliant child (a painter). Would people still watch the movie if he turned out to be just an average kid, with nothing really special about him. I mean, in the end, as it turned out with Ishaan, expecting every kid to be brilliant would itself defeat the message of the movie

"Screw it, Just do it???"

2007-12-08T16:53:00.001+05:30

Well, as they say, it was "lust at first sight"...the moment I saw "it" (yeah, "it", its an object of unadulterated desire)...and I guess, I am not alone, most of us would fall for it straightaway, and I was no exception. Anyways, due to other destractions, had kept away from it for a quite a while. But since coming back from the free-willed Amsterdam, the desire has been raging, restraining has become so difficult.

But doing it without "protection", as we all know, is outright stupid, in today's world. I have been hesistant to get one, but finally could get some, though the protetction is not of high quality. So far, its only been a tease, just a touch here & there, exploring it a little bit, but whenever it comes to the final level, I hold back.

I have done it only once previously, in totally different circumstances and with the best quality protection in those times, but this time its a little too risky.

It is dangerously enticing, almost as if calling me to caress it, making me feel helpless at times, at least I can't take my eyes off it anymore, but still ain't confident enough. Shall I do it or wait to get a really good quality protection?? Can do it, but the real outcome will only be known 9-12 months down the line...

Oh lord, give me strength...

Edit - Well, after a few of my frnds started to ask me about this post, I'd have to make the clarification, the 'it' refers to the resignation button in my company's peoplesoft system, rest I guess you would be able to figure out, and anyway to lazy to spell everything out :)

Creative Menstrual period

2007-11-23T17:57:00.001+05:30

Its been long......

Chirkutting

2007-11-16T18:17:00.000+05:30

having taken a voluntary retirement from orkut, could pretty much relate to the cynicism by Globus Maximus. Read on

http://weblog.xanga.com/professionalcynic/616909880/networking-that-is-asocial.html

The Guys’ Rules

2007-09-29T20:47:00.000+05:30

its a hat-trick of un-original posts....anyways good read
---------------------------------------------------------------

The Guys’ Rules At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down
Finally , the guys’ side of the story.( I must admit, it’s pretty good.)We always hear ” the rules ”From the female side.Now here are the rules from the male side.These are our rules!Please note.. these are all numbered “1″ON PURPOSE!
1. Men are NOT mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moonor the changing of the tides.Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport.And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmail.
1. Ask for what you want.Let us be clear on this one:Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work!Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a Problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you won’t dress like the Victoria ’s Secret girls, don’t Expect us to act like soap opera guys.
1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are.Don’t ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
1. You can either ask us to do somethingOr tell us how you want it done.Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched.We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” We will act like nothing’s wrong.We know you are lying, but it i s just not worth the hassle.
1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, Expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine… Really .
1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation,or golf.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

The Tyrrany of choices

2007-09-16T12:43:00.000+05:30

Intresting piece from http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/barry-schwartz-on-why-too-much-choice.php

Why too much choice is bad for us. Too many choices cause:

Paralysis rather than liberation - people prefer to make no decision rather than make a complicated choice.
Less satisfaction with decisions as people have greater reason to regret the decisions they have made.
Unrealistic expectations.
Self-blame - when experiences are not perfect, people blame themselves.

These days....

2007-09-11T10:44:00.000+05:30

Today you can’t land unless the tray table is up,
you can’t smack your children,
you can’t smoke in a pub,
you can’t take shampoo on a plane,
you can’t climb a ladder if you’re a policeman,
you can’t eat more than six grams of salt a day,
you can’t urge your dogs to kill a rat..........

Flicked from dhaliwal gtalk status message

Sex & ............................

2007-08-29T17:05:00.000+05:30

Was put up at Doc's place on my visit to Numbu's marriage at Bangalore.
Sutta discovered a book Doc had been reading - "Sex & the evolution of human mind".

Just wondered how easy it is to sex-up any title by adding "Sex &.....-whatever", most recalled is the "Sex & the City" though it has fair enough empahsis on the former part for its name to be justified as such.

I suggested "Sex & the rise of Indian cricket" where a statistical study can be done thorugh a correlation-regresssion analysis between the presence of wives & girlfriends on the tour & the cricket team's performance (no, I don't mean to say that is their only contribution, but given the realms of this post topic, other things have not been discussed, there must be some though I am limited by my own thought processes, EVIL.........)

Globu's suggestion was "Indian Cricket - A one night stand" given the consistency levels of our tem but I guess it could as well be "Sex & the rise of Indian cricket & its fall (pun un-intended)"!!!!

Sniff, Sniff...

2007-08-27T17:17:00.005+05:30

This sounds hypercynical but I smell something...
They say the world is getting smaller. Chat with anyone across the world for free and as much u wish. Discover old frnds and be in touch by scrapping each other on the n number of social-networking sites. Even the good old phone call is not that expensive to keep you away from calling someone as far flung off as Alaska.

But what is it ultimately leading to...
If you look at the bigger picture, WE ARE BEING CONFINED. 'Coz the easier it is for one to be in touch virtually, the lesser effort one would make to be in touch in reality. Its easier to be away & still be in touch, the emphasis clearly being on the first part.

No, this is not the usual rant about technology revolution & stuff, such innovations have been healthy. Some may argue that a simialr argument can be applied when the printing press would have been invented. It would have stopped the one-on-one oral communication between people at that time. By that logic, even this blog comes in the same category. But I am talking about more personal communcaition between people and not some kinda knowledge transfer stuff or talking to oneself (which translates to being equivalent of blogging in this age).

Guess, the MATRIX has been taking shape slowly & quitely but surely.
But even the MATRIX says, everything is a matter of choice, its upto you to choose the red or the green pill...DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!

Life's come a 'fool' circle

2007-08-27T13:47:00.000+05:30

Its amazing, and its amazingly boring too!!
For the past 3-4 weeks, I have been in exactly the same jobless state as I was when I started this blog 3 years back.

But this is worse this time, as the ritual of buying 2 HB pencils & a rubber (eraser for all you Amreekan pervs) towards the 2nd week of december doesn't exist for me anymore.

Hmmm...so what then....GMAT, FRM, CFA.....guess I'll kill my time researching as to why I shouldn't be going for these....

Catch ya later

Of Sandwitches & Gross National Happiness

2007-08-23T14:41:00.000+05:30

Ordering sandwitch @ office
- In India : Steel/Plastic plate, well made sandwitch, an irritated server (at best not shabbily dressed), paper napkins have to be asked for
- In Onsite (UK, holland based on my personal exp) : Plate (various kinds), well made sandwitches (but not to an Indain taste of course), garnsihed with things which have no significance edibility-wise, a smiling server (well dressed), and a nice "enjoy your meal"

Basically, having spent some time abroad, I just wonder if there is any correlation between level of formality (at formal occasions i.e.) and general happiness level of the society.
The ghaas-phoos which I used to get alongwith my sandwitches at the ING office were hardly edible, for a human at least, but still were put just to make my plate look good. So much effort for just a small thing.

Well, as they say, 'correaltion doesn't imply causality' bit then it at least doesn't deny it either.

The Great Indian Software Company -Nationalization Phase 2

2007-08-22T17:32:00.000+05:30

Butthead - "I just figured something out"
Beavis - "Whaat is it?"
Butthead - "This SUCKS!!"
Beavis - "Yeah, it really does!!!"
Butthead - "This sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before!!!"

Anywyas, my EUREKA moment:
I propose that the government should take all steps necessary to merge all the IT services companies in India in just one - The Great Indian Software company.
Sahi mein.....
Well, I forgot the name of the economic theory of international trade, but wage differentials eventually wipe out & so does the competitive advantage fo low-cost destinations.
Currently, job-hopping is the major source of wage-inflation, so if there is no other company to switch jobs to, how will the wage-inflation occur?
So shmart na???
Anyways, there is hardly any differentiation between the IT companies, especially the big-ones.

Nationalistic Capitalism, anyone?

DISCLAIMER - The views expressed here are totally personal and do not reflect borrowed insanity

Locational Updates

2007-08-22T17:19:00.000+05:30

Oh yes, in between, I moved back to Kolkata after spending exactly 84 days (includign flight time) in the picturesque Netherlands.

Vis-a-vis my last trip, this time I visited the european countryside and it was no doubt beautiful and a new experience.
Talking about new experiences, I actually felt and understood the meaning of adrenaline rush. This was the bungee-jump over the north sea at Schienevegen (see pic). Plus, cycling along the sea-shore in the fishing village MARKEN was also a memorable experience.

Thanks to Pandey & RG visting me at AMsti, I went around some places including Belgium.

Dreams of visting Spain were quashed rather abruptly by the might drawing board of our office meeting room, which given my popularity as a bungee jumper, decided to pay me a tribute by doing a bungee right on my left foot.

Happy Feet

2007-06-08T02:37:00.000+05:30

Now I really wonder how these well built europeans stand properly if the biggest shoes size availble commonly is less tha an Indian 10. Anyways, finally after a long search, I could find 2 shoes in the whole of Amsterdam which could grace my feet. Though this takes away my excuse from getting into a exercise regimen, but still I am happy somehow.

Will update the blog upon my JEEM routine once more!

(I)-Am-Stud-Am-(I??)

2007-06-06T01:54:00.000+05:30

Yes, I am desparately trying to regain my sense of humour
To put it straight I am currently in Amsterdam, been almost a month. Mt trip to europe after almost 5 yrs, and this time there'z hardly any excitement apart from not being in the shitty-of-joy in the humid summers.

About the place, well still havn't seen much, its funny as it seems more like ghar-ki-murgi-daal-barabar scenario. Had I been on a 2 day trip to this plcae, would ahve been going all over the place crazily clicking my digicam. And now, havn't even cared to charge the batteries.

Well from what have I seen, aprt from the usual eurpean gothic architecture-cobbled street-multinational crowd, canals set this city apart. My house is situated between two and it does make it for a nice walk. Another strikingly distinct feature is the bicycle riding junta. Then there are the souvenier shops named like "crazy amsterdam" overflowing with XXX pictures & other "toys".
The Koffee shops somehow don't even charm me anymore but have been to one purely with an academeic intent.

"THE DAM" is just a stone's throw away rom my apartment and on my way to office, so at least can claim to ahve seen oen of the imp places here. Anotehr place I haev visited is the Koningsplein area wih teh really scenic flower market.

What else, hmmm, people here seem to be more frndly than the junta in London (well then who isn't) though langauge is a bit of a problem if not a barrier.

Baaki, plan to chhanofy the city from this weekend onwards and also complete my mirage like shoe search.

Will try updating the blog and make it somewhat for all you virtual folks.

Of Morality & Open windows & RG

2007-06-05T23:29:00.000+05:30

DISCLAIMER - While starting this post I had real enthu to write about the topic but while in process, it became a drag, but I have promised to keep my creative juices flowing (pun unintended), so I had to finish. Read at your own risk.

RG!!! Relative Grading i.e. the most used & abused word at hel'L. Used as a verb - "RG mat kar mere saath", adjective - "bada RG insaan hai wo", literally - "this whole concept of RG sucks"...etc etc. Anyways, but its real, at least when it comes to morality. I am currently in Amsterdam (this somehow still impresses the non-s/w junta!!!), and this reminds me that itself needs a separate entry in my blog.

Well, for a change, I am staying in a very nice apartment provided by my company.
Somehow, I feel there are too many windows in this apartment, though I know there are not.
This place is a little contradicting, evryone seems to be very nice & friendly, on eye conatct, everyone say a seemingly warm "Hi" or a "Good morning" etc. But you still feel the distance. Everyone here seems to be walking with a purpose, no one seems to just loiter around, aprt from beggars & some punks sitting in a corner.

Anyways, coming back to morality, windows & RG, I have been hearing a lot of Peeping tom stories from my collegues reg. our apartment windows. One sunny day, I had my own abrupt moment. I was greeted by a warm first time "Hi" that day, while standing in the balcony & soaking in the sun, by the couple staying left to my flat. I resonded back with another warm "Hi" and they moved inside their flat. The flat has no a total glass wall to my balcony side and with no curtains. I was walking to-n-from in my balcony talking on phone that suddenly I saw the lady standing inside her flat & changing (to the maximum extent) with her back to me. I felt very odd as there already was this "Hi" connection and then this & I moved inside my flat immediately. Well, this is not the point. The point is how i would have considered the female had it been a case in with an Indian woman in India. definitely, aprt from a pure case of "accident/wardrobe malfunction", I would have consdered this to be outrageous, but it seemed not that outrageous in this context (tho I still cant understand why putting up a curtain would be so mcuh of an ask). There are other similar instances of scant clothing sometimes on the road or even in the office. But comapred to what I would react in India, it still seems noraml here. I dunno if I am expressing myself correctly, but what I want to say is, at what point do values become absolute, where is the line till it is all RG?
Social morality defnitely seems to work on the RG mode, and probably thats why all this talk about FREEWILL etc, but then what is absolute morality, is it just general human goodness & nothing else??
or as per Mr. Jerry, our comapny's cab driver referring to the (in)famous Red light ditrict - "It is a part of our "OPEN" culture". How can such a thing be Open-ness, I wonder? (And in case you were wondering that how can I take a cab driver seriosuly for intellectual talk, he knew about the M&A tussle over ABN AMRO by RBS & Baraclay plus the poulation of India plus the humid weather of kolkata,and has russian girlfriend(s))

Btw, do I need to get a life??

A matter of life & death - Maiden Wise (or foolishly?)

2007-04-26T11:23:00.000+05:30

DISCALIMER - This post may not be funny & humorous at all, as my sense of humour quotient has been on decline somehow. It should be read more from a transcript perspective.

"Adding insult to injury", I have heard and used this phrase many a times in my life....but whatever transpired from 1030 hrs - 2100 hrs, Mar 17th 2006, the lines between insult & injury got completely blurred.
Ok to give some background, after some thought and my stated respect (and not a gr8 liking) for IRON MAIDEN coupled with my otherwise unplugged social life in Kolkata had prompted me to make a weekend trip to attend the Iron maiden concert.

I had booked myself well in advance on AIR SAHARA to & fro. Catching the 10.30 flight was going to be a challenge anyway given my recent late-night electronic indulgences. Anyways, I did manage to reach the airport in time and boarded the plane. Within about 10 mins of taking my seat, the power inside the plane went off. This a was an almost first-one for me, last time it happened in the "video" coach I had taken between mumbai/pune. Anyways, its rather funny that custoemr service level expectations go down, the lesser money we pay ( paid 3.5 k for the blr ticket), so I was not too perturbed by this. This finally got fixed after ~45 mins with the genereal buzz level inside the plane going up. I was a little edgy when the plane took off but then everythign was fine, or at least seemed so.

The stopover was in Hyderabad. After the usual ~45 min stop, the plane again moved towards the air-strip only to turn back into the hangar again. And then it was announced that "we have found that oil is leakign from the engine, so we have to turn back to get this fixed. We apologise for the inconvinience but this has been done keeping in mind your safety only"!!! So mush for customer care!! I had tears in my eyes almost. And i was difficult to feel lucky or unlucky at that point. Unlucky - that I was getting late fro the show (the gates were to open a 3 pm in bangalore and it was already around 2.30 pm in Hyd), and lucky- well that I was still alive!!!
Finaly the passengers had it and teh usual hulla-gulla staretd within the plane. After about 30 mins, we were asked to vacate the plane as it would take quite a while to fix the problem.

After a lot of fight with the airlines staff, I was finally boarded on the 1645 Paramount airways flight. Things were still under control as I landed in BLR by 1800 hrs. "missed parikrama, that should be fine", was what I was thinking for I had forgotten the horror stories about BLR trafiic my frnds used to tell me.

In between, some more info, I had come without any luggage whatsoever, didn't have the show tickets witme (were lying with Nimbu's gatekeeper), plus I hadn't called up the guy (Pandey's flatmate) beforehand where I was supposed to be put up for the night, plus my mobile was not working.

Anyways, I took a cab from the airport and I reached at 2030 hrs!!! yeah 2.5 hrs within BLR. And that I had finally landed in BLR, i thought it might be a good idea to call up Pandey's flatmate as after the show finding a PCO may be difficult. I called up, only to find an irate kannada voice, i called up again, it was only harsher. Yeah, it was teh good ol' case of "wraang number, saaar".

I had become extremely philosophical by this time, and thoughts like "ye jeevan sab mithya hai, maaya hai" etc were hovering inside my head. Somehow, managed to pull myself together and finally landed at PALACE GROUNDS, the concert venue. It was 2100 hrs.
I asked someone there, how long have they been performing." 2hrs and max 1 hr more"!! I walked inside the grounds.

So there I was, coming all the way from Kolkata just for this show and missed most of it, plus I dont ahve a place to go in the night, and I cant even call anyone up!!!

It was one of the biggest "give-up" feelings I have got in my life, so I just started to enjoy the show.
Suddenly I hear "BUILDING!!!!" from somewhere behind my back, trust me, i don't like my nick, but it had never sounded so sweet ever before. I turned around to find SUTTA & TV, my two little angels!!!!!

Finished the show after listening to 5-6 songs, and ended up at sutta's place for the night, crahed into bed at first sight, woke up ~130 0hrs the next day and moved straight to the airport to catch my 1530 flight back to KOL.

The only takeway from this was, that my point of MAIDEN being not a gr8 band was proven right. yeah, I know this will invite a lot of comments, but that ain't bad, is it?

Are you ready

2007-02-26T04:46:00.000+05:30

CREED

Hey, Mr. Seeker hold on to this advice
If you keep seeking you will find
Don't want to follow
Down roads been walked before
It's so hard to find unopened doors

Are you ready? Are you ready?
For whats to come...Oh I said Are you ready?
Are you Ready?...For whats to come

GYM CARRY

2007-02-25T04:04:00.000+05:30

This is unbelievable, I was finally able to carry myself to the gym!!!!
Apart from the general condition as explained earlier, lotsa characters were present, viz. a 50 yr extremely enthu aunty dressed in traditional clothes and doing high five with the instructor after each set, a really pained 10 yr chuuby cute little girl with a perennial "get me out of this miserable place" look, a ladeej only instructor whose only qualification for a gym instructor seemed to be her gender, my instructor for whom even the gender thing won't work, and last but not the least me, the oversized gorilla who was being made to do some kinda mizo-naga folk dance in the name of what they call "cardio". And the fact that in between a really shapely female wud sit right next to me and keep on smiling while my belly was doing break dance didn't help matters at all.

Excuses, excuses, excuses............

sutta break

2007-02-18T21:30:00.000+05:30

After almost a month, its been broken.....but hell, I'm gonna fight it till the end!!!

"Jeem"

2007-02-17T11:39:00.000+05:30

One week later.
This time I have finished a kachauri-sabzi & jalebi before writing this blog. Hey hey, I am still very serious about the "jeem", u see.....

BAWDY Language

2007-02-11T14:32:00.000+05:30

Given that I decided to continue with my locks for a little longer, I thought it may be a good idea to give Hrithik Roshan a scare and I headed to the nearest Gym in my area to get registered.

I had seen it from outside a couple of times & didn't expect much from it anyways (it had a banner saying "Get a guaranteed fit body within 3 weeks" etc).

At the reception, I got an instant feel of being at the sankat-mochan temple given the deluge of chappal-jootas outside it. Anyways, I was positively distracted by a pair of girls at the desk. This was rather unusual to have girls doing the receptionist's job in a gym. My dreams were shattered rather quickly by the usual irritating "haan, bolun" by an over-smiling budding body builder (BBB) type character. The girls were there to for registration themselves (Aha!!!).

A look inside the gym was enough to make you sentimental if you happen to be one of the "miss-the-ol'-times" types. The newest equipment would have been from the early 70's, I am making a guess 'coz I havn't seen anything like that since I have been born.

All in all, this was a usual 3 BHK converted, the drawing hall comprised of the reception, a sorta crunch-machine, and some equipment which made a girl working on it look more like a jazz wannabe.

The Dining hall had the main workout equipment, it was so decrepited that I really wondered if it could take my 104 kgs if I sat on it.
The cramped bedroom was the "Wait-(I'm)-training" room with another set of BBB characters almost in a queue.

The reception guy then showed me the sauna room (yeah, no prizes for guessing, it was the usual baalti & mugga waala bathroom) and with a sheepish smile told me "dada, ishka ekshtra lagega". No wonder, it looked like a soona-room.

I could also hear some dhik-chik dhik-chik music from behind the curtain of the remaining room, guess that would have been the ladeeeeej only Aerobic room.

Given the lack of available choices, my ever protruding belly & sense of guilt, and a good number of girls in the gym, I decided to register. This was yesterday.

Today, I woke up at ~12 (the gym closes by 1pm on sundays) and in between writing this blog, have gobbled a "kachauri-sabzi" + aloo paratha + gobi paratha.

Thank god, they only charge 281/- per month!!!

Dream Theatre

2007-02-10T20:58:00.000+05:30

He seemed no different from the rest
Just a healthy normal boy
His mama always did her best
And he was daddy's pride and joy

He learned to walk and talk on time
But never cared much to be held
And steadily he would decline
Into his solitary shell

As a boy he was considered somewhat odd
Kept to himself most of the time
He would daydream in and out of his own world
But in every other way he was fine

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A temporary catatonic
Madman on occasion
When will he break out
Of his solitary shell

He struggled to get through his day
He was helplessly behind
He poured himself onto the page
Writing for hours at a time

As a man he was a danger to himself
Fearful and sad most of the time
He was drifting in and out of sanity
But in every other way he was fine

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A momentary maniac
With casual delusions
When will he be let out
Of his solitary shell

Is it possible

2007-02-09T23:44:00.000+05:30

Regarding an earlier post "something is wrong....", the use of option 3.

Basic tenet of socialism - Equality
Basic tenet of capitalism (indirect though) - shareholder value maximization

Ideal world - Totally capitalistic, free market, everyone having equal share-holdings
Lo kar lo maximization!!!!

Asuumption is then - Its not a zero-sum game......? Hmmm, I guess that's the question to be answered/justified

Intrusion

2007-02-09T23:33:00.000+05:30

The west has intruded, at least my stomach, considering that my staple diet is sub-marine sandwich + cappuciono as lunch & pizza + soft-drink as dinner, daily without 'naaga'. Only place, the swadeshi gets in is the office-ke-paas-waala bhelpuri stall, again 'fast food'.....

leaving aside my extremely disciplined lifestyle issues, I am just wondering, how come 'ready-to-deliver', 'fresh-to-eat' 'hasslle-free' food category belongs pretty much solely to the videshi food category?? Is there a "Need" which can be satisfied??? Any takers, am shelling out ideas for free.....

Something's wrong somewhere

2007-02-09T22:53:00.000+05:30

A to & fro to Park street from my place in a taxi - ~400/-
My house-helper's salary - 500/- (which I am told, is overpaying)

Option -
1. Start using the usual "left-tilted" buses
2. Increase the salary
3. Try to link it to some fancy socio-economic theory & go to sleep
4. Write a philisophical blog about it, make it look funny & feel great about my sense of humour

No prizes for guessing, of course.......

Does it really go round & round & round.........

2007-02-09T22:17:00.000+05:30

This was a short-lived post which I have edited now......basically it was about job satisfaction, and my cribs......hehe u missed it

Race-is-some-crap

2007-02-08T23:37:00.000+05:30

"fu*&in Paki".......that's what SS was allegedly called on the big brother show.....whats the big deal? what if she were called some MC/BC/k*tiya etc on big boss.....why do we have to be extra senti on abuses with a hint of racism??? an abuse is an abuse, that's it..why favour one over the other.......
All in all, she/channel 4 should be thankful for all the media hype the two words have garnered for them

a much better and yummily sarcastic post at http://www.xanga.com/professionalcynic

We're all alike, aren't we?

2007-02-06T00:06:00.000+05:30

This is a true story
I have two colleagues TR & KS in our Business Analyst group

TR happenens to get introduced to an "Xtreme Bong" Manager (XBM). The conversation goes like -
(XBM) to TR - "So, you are like KS?"
TR [(taken aback a bit by the straight-fwdness (or its lack) of the question] - "No, I'm not!!"
XBM (surprised) - "O, but I thought you are also a Business Analyst!!!!!!!!"

Too much.....sahi mein...mazaa aa gaya

It Ain't About How Hard You Hit

2007-02-04T00:02:00.000+05:30

Well Rocky is back with Balboa and so am I after the usual long hiatus.
We seem to have a lot in common, big, like to pack a punch , and we keep coming back....only he seems to be a bit fitter.....
Anyways, watched the movie today, not planned though.....
I have seen two of the Rocky movies before and it was so long back that I can't remember which ones were they, but this one did live up to my expectations
Forcibly senti, but given the Rocky legacy, one won't mind that, Sly is pretty much at his best, though why did he chose to join the ring again is not built up as convincingly, but nevertheless the rest of the movie has been handled well.
Rocky wants to come back as he is still left with something inside, wants to let go of the beast, once & for all, so what next then after the fight? Rocky, the grandpa??

Had seen GURU coupla weeks ago, sat thro' a hindi movie for full 3 hrs after a long time.
Good performance by AB Jr. no doubt, hez come a long way definitely but I still feel it was more the director's touch. The movie holds on somehow, though it could have definitely done without the unnecessary Mallika sherawat sequence. When will hindi cinema get over this whole naach-gana sequence, damn, are we that primitive??

On the flip side, it was really disappointing to see a mature director like Mani Ratnam to have introduced a lot of characters without proper justification and then leave them in a lurch while the movie carries on. Specifically Mithun Da, who was effortlessly brilliant in whatever little footage he got (without any character justification & build-up), and Vidya balan, she seemed to be present only to show the "he has a heart too" for Guru bhai, and that she's crippled etc was a liitle to mushy. Thankfully, shez dead before it got really annoying.

What else, there seems to be some cheap cashing-on the AB-Aish pairing, certain unnecessary intimate scenes between them seem to suggest that Mani was aware of the timing of their enagagement & the relase of Guru.

Give this page a life!!!

2006-04-20T18:19:00.000+05:30

Aisa kyon hota hai!! Why I am so lazy......

Well...was just going through several blogs and was just wondering how much enthu people have towards maintaining their blogs....
So I decided that kuch na kuch to likh ke hi rehoonga apne blog mein chahe kuch bhi kachra kyun na ho

While at L, Baniya was generally bitching about blogging or rather about bloggers...
why do people blog.....is it some kinda show-off , or an outlet for their repressed souls/emotions or some shit...... dunno...and I don't give a shit either as I definitely don't belong to these two categories..... but whatever I feel good to see myself on the web..... creative narcissism ???

Haan to haal ye hai ki I am back in banaras, chilling out ...probably my last summer vacations ever before I get back to the corporate duniya. Hope the work is interesting enough to stop me from doing Ph. D or some shit ..... and yeah .... another city to live in ...Kolkata this time ..my 6th in as many years...... and easily the music capital of the country.....

Hey that wasn't bad for an annual post......
Ok...cya later...................

Unemployed

2004-06-22T18:21:00.000+05:30

Yeah..finally put in my papers..and am chillaxing in my home town..
good old..banaras...
things seem to have taken a frozen stand here.... I come here and everything remains the same.....

The 'so what' attitude is always in the air of this place....seem to like it for a couple of days ..but then that's it..
its really frustrating to see the support facilities around ...

Power-cuts..something which I had almost forgotten.........are still at their nightmarish best out here.... roads ...well if at all they exist...are filled with potholes...which give one a feel of being in a car rally of sorts...

time has taken a standstill here ... and the couple of ATM's here are, at best, an aberration....

well anyway..in a week's time , I'll be at the place called 'hel'L...
but it doesn't seem to be on my mind at all for some reason....
I think as I am getting older..am getting 'Comfortably numb'

Introspection

2004-06-04T12:21:00.000+05:30

As my final day at work comes closer, I am just wondering whether these four years of work had any real tangible effect on me, apart from the very-very tangible issue of the flab around my waist!!

So that brings me to the question, why MBA now??
Answer is ....'coz I was bored of the mediocrity surrounding me(tired of doing 'testing')...I'd nothing much to do anyways..and probably about beating old-nemesis CAT!!

It wasn't really about doing an MBA, actually I don't think I even fit the bill for an MBA type's....
still whatever I could think of is hmmm.... salary(well compared to my current employer ...anything will be better !!) but it ain't salary as I won't be able to match the dollars I could've earned from an on-site assignment here...
..am just looking for better quality of work ..(what's that by the way !)
...and it was sorta ...."He did an MBA and ....he ..he did it too...so should I"......

So what does the future beckon for me ??? Dunno to be honest .....but I'll really try to 'study at college' this time ......(the last time I did was in std V ).

Probably the only thing I've learned is that a college's name won't carry one forward in the corporate world or wherever for that matter ...its really what you do will......

Okay.... a little about me

2004-06-04T12:03:00.000+05:30

Me a confused soul .. currently jobless (hence blogging) and will be literally in another 11 days exactly...and this is by choice (or is it ??)

Okay..no more riddles ....me goin' for an MBA after nearly four years of donkey-work ..(hey that's a -ve attitude ....yes so what ???)

First time in my life ..I've started to feel a bit old ....after looking at the kids who'll be my batchmates at (hel)L ..(even my ~20 odd grey hair didn't make me realize this) ...

I'm scared and excited....pretty much at the same time...
scared ....well have never been good at acads.....actually terrible.....
excited ...after all its college life for the next two years yaar......even if its (hel)L!!

My first publication--excited!!

2004-06-04T11:52:00.000+05:30

Yeah...its funny..but I'm really excited about me posting on my sorta-kinda own space on the web.... more later..lemme see how the page looks like first!!