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So its Independence day! It time for the real Will Smith to please stand up, Please stand up. But I am too excited about my trip to Las Vegas rather than worry about Hancock.
After approx 6 months that I made a trip to Phuket, I find myself lucky enough to make it to another tourist hotspot. Sin City, here I come.
Reconciliation, is something that I will do once I am back from Vegas.
My trip to phuket was one big party. Prasanna, Vikram, Satya and Me had a rocking time. One of the best part about that trip was that we managed to find an Indian hotel in Phuket. So it meant, chicken tandoori and paneer tikka as starters with our drinks. One more amusing fact was that we had booked 3 rooms between 7 of us. But we ended up with 6 sleeping in one room and 1 happy soul in the other. Blame it on the vodka or luck, but it was a funny incident. We enjoied every bit of that trip. There are no pictures (thank God), but memories a plenty. Nikhil, Amar and Kunal also were along. I am sure, we all carry fond memories and unforgettable incidents to remember all our lifetime.
One incident being, how we kept smuggling beer into the Banana club from the 7-11 outisde. So drunk, we lost count after 6 or 7 beers and kept doing it again and again and again.
Best part about that trip, I did not puke.
So on thursday, I leave for Vegas. Heard so much about it. Now its time to feel the heat. Vegas Baby, here i come!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Driver, Cleaner behind bars...
All these years, I was only a entertained spectator to the nuisances of the police force. But it all changed that cold evening in Ratnagiri. Sitting in that bus, the police would firstly not let us alight from the bus. They had their own reasons, which were not only plain stupid but ridiculous. The assemblage in the bus was that of people headed to bombay to meet family, leave for better jobs or just head home like me.After making us sit in the bus for almost 1 hour and no communication as to why we were under bus-arrest, a wasted hawaldar entered the bus with a notepad and pen. He started doing the unthinkable. He wanted to note down every single individuals name and address. 'Ohh my God' I thought. Instead of booking the goon and getting things settled fast, all our police can think is spend time like this. Of course, not a single soul in the bus gave a correct name or address. That itself speaks for the intergrity of the police. No one trusts them, but their larger than life ego would not bear understand that. So our wasted hawaldar started to make a fictional list of people sitting in the bus. It was hilarious to watch people give the weirdest of names and even more funny places of stay. I played the game too and gave a fake address and name.
In the meanwhile, i was looking out from the window of the bus and noticed that the police took the driver and cleaner somewhere outside the station. I presumed it must have been for a medical check up, because the driver was hurt. Our super slow hawaldar took like an hour to note down the names. Once down he told us that we could now alight the bus, but not leave the station. It was almost 3 AM now. I was supposed to have been home by 6:30!!
I alighted the bus, and came out on the road. It was pitch dark, some vehicles passed intermittently. No sign of life here. So i went back to police station and took a peak of what was happening. The scene was something like this. The goon and his wife sat at a table and narrated some story to another hawaldar. He furiously took down notes, as he ate his pan in the meanwhile. Soon I seen the driver and cleaner returning and they seemed shaken. Not shaken because of the bullet that just grazed them, but because of what was happening. So I followed them to the police station and kept my ears wide open.
In the meanwhile, a white maruti 800 arrived. A white dhoti adoring gentleman alighted, went straight to the senior inspector and had a intense discussion. He seemed to be some kind of a local corporator or neta of the area.
Ignoring him, I noticed the goon was now near his car. I wondered, was'nt he supposed to be near the jail cell. He did fire, did'nt he. But who was the near jail cell were the driver and cleaner. Things did not look right. Not at all.
Simultaneously, some people in the bus, with whom i had managed to make friends with, came upto to me and told me that they were leaving. One of them had an ailing mother back home and the other had a flight at 3:00 PM to catch to head to the gulf. I decided my staying there was of absolutely no use so I too was game.
Now the question was, can we just leave because the hawaldar had asked us specifically not to leave. We decided to screw the police and leave. The next biggest question was how? Of couse, only 1 option. Hitch a ride. So we headed for the road and started using our thumbs to get a lift back to bombay.
I took a break from the lift asking and came back to the police station. The scene is still clear to me. It has since shaken my confidence in the entire system. The driver and cleaner were INSIDE the lockup. The goon was OUTSIDE the lockup and readying to leave with his family.
There was a man, from the bus who was standing and following the entire episode. He did not seem to have anything important to do tomorrow( I think). I asked him what happened. He told me that the cops have charged the driver and cleaner for molestation and drinking and driving. The goon has been allowed to leave.
Molestation? When did this happen? He told me that the goon's wife lodged a complaint that the driver and cleaner tried to molest her and hence her husband fired upon the two. So he is innocent and our driver and cleaner are guilty. The scene inside the police station was appalling. Our driver was an innocent guy. He was almost in tears. His lip was bleeding and eyes were moist. I felt empty. The goon, happily light another cigarette and smoked away to glory. I quickly ran back to the road, I could not watch that scene. It made my hysterical. If i had a bomb or a gun, I would have killed that day.
In another 40 minutes we got hold of a brand new TATA bus headed to bombay for a test drive. It would have dropped us at Vashi. I was ok. Took my bag quickly, and boarded the bus. He charged us 120 Rs till Vashi. The bus ride started at like 4:30 Am and seemed one of the longest of my life. I did think of calling the Press and reporting the incident to them, but do you think anything would have happened.
So i just forgot about it. Prayed for the families of the driver and cleaner and carried on.
Today, I realise that incident was not funny, It was life changing. It changed many lives. The driver, the cleaner, the goon, many folks in the bus and to quite an extent mine too.
In the meanwhile, i was looking out from the window of the bus and noticed that the police took the driver and cleaner somewhere outside the station. I presumed it must have been for a medical check up, because the driver was hurt. Our super slow hawaldar took like an hour to note down the names. Once down he told us that we could now alight the bus, but not leave the station. It was almost 3 AM now. I was supposed to have been home by 6:30!!
I alighted the bus, and came out on the road. It was pitch dark, some vehicles passed intermittently. No sign of life here. So i went back to police station and took a peak of what was happening. The scene was something like this. The goon and his wife sat at a table and narrated some story to another hawaldar. He furiously took down notes, as he ate his pan in the meanwhile. Soon I seen the driver and cleaner returning and they seemed shaken. Not shaken because of the bullet that just grazed them, but because of what was happening. So I followed them to the police station and kept my ears wide open.
In the meanwhile, a white maruti 800 arrived. A white dhoti adoring gentleman alighted, went straight to the senior inspector and had a intense discussion. He seemed to be some kind of a local corporator or neta of the area.
Ignoring him, I noticed the goon was now near his car. I wondered, was'nt he supposed to be near the jail cell. He did fire, did'nt he. But who was the near jail cell were the driver and cleaner. Things did not look right. Not at all.
Simultaneously, some people in the bus, with whom i had managed to make friends with, came upto to me and told me that they were leaving. One of them had an ailing mother back home and the other had a flight at 3:00 PM to catch to head to the gulf. I decided my staying there was of absolutely no use so I too was game.
Now the question was, can we just leave because the hawaldar had asked us specifically not to leave. We decided to screw the police and leave. The next biggest question was how? Of couse, only 1 option. Hitch a ride. So we headed for the road and started using our thumbs to get a lift back to bombay.
I took a break from the lift asking and came back to the police station. The scene is still clear to me. It has since shaken my confidence in the entire system. The driver and cleaner were INSIDE the lockup. The goon was OUTSIDE the lockup and readying to leave with his family.
There was a man, from the bus who was standing and following the entire episode. He did not seem to have anything important to do tomorrow( I think). I asked him what happened. He told me that the cops have charged the driver and cleaner for molestation and drinking and driving. The goon has been allowed to leave.
Molestation? When did this happen? He told me that the goon's wife lodged a complaint that the driver and cleaner tried to molest her and hence her husband fired upon the two. So he is innocent and our driver and cleaner are guilty. The scene inside the police station was appalling. Our driver was an innocent guy. He was almost in tears. His lip was bleeding and eyes were moist. I felt empty. The goon, happily light another cigarette and smoked away to glory. I quickly ran back to the road, I could not watch that scene. It made my hysterical. If i had a bomb or a gun, I would have killed that day.
In another 40 minutes we got hold of a brand new TATA bus headed to bombay for a test drive. It would have dropped us at Vashi. I was ok. Took my bag quickly, and boarded the bus. He charged us 120 Rs till Vashi. The bus ride started at like 4:30 Am and seemed one of the longest of my life. I did think of calling the Press and reporting the incident to them, but do you think anything would have happened.
So i just forgot about it. Prayed for the families of the driver and cleaner and carried on.
Today, I realise that incident was not funny, It was life changing. It changed many lives. The driver, the cleaner, the goon, many folks in the bus and to quite an extent mine too.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
And we head to Ratnagiri police station!
So, still upset that I will be late to reach home, i got down. 11:30, wow, its getting late i thought. The scene was something like this. The goon, had moved his car onto the highway. He stood near his car, collar up, gun in tow and wife besides him. He had a small kiddo, who was inside the car. The entire junta of our bus had come down by now. They stood abt 50 mts away from the goon. The owner of the hotel, where our bus had halted for dinner, happened to be a good samaritan. He called the cops, gave ice to the driver and assured that he knew the DCP of the region and would surely help us. What was amazing at this time was the confidence and self-belief that the goon oozed with. But, then I realised, if you have the balls to pull the trigger for such a petty reason, you have the balls to face the 2 penny cops who were on their way.
So the nearest cop station was Ratnagiri. The cops came about 25 minutes later. Typical of what I have seen in movies, a Jeep arrives. 3 or 4 police folks come out. The first thing they do is treat the common man (like me) as a criminal and shoo us away. So the goon, walks with his confident guile towards the police. There was a small cabin, much like the watchmans cabin we have in societies. It was a little bigger though. We stood outside, listening to the conversation. I will put down the converstation in English, because my Marathi is not bad, it is pathetic. Of course, I can understand, but when it comes to writing and talking, I suck.
Police: So what happened?
Goon: Nothing, they burshed my car.
P: And?
G: And what, nothing, they were acting smart, esp the driver and cleaner.
P: So?
G: So, I had no alternative and I used my revolver.
P: Where is the weapon?
The goon placed the gun on the table. It was this sweet looking, silver coloured, shining weapon. Caught my attention immediately.
P: Where is the license?
G: I dont have license for the weapon?
P: So, what do you do?
G: I am a Judge.
Judge, I was like, errrrr. Not even laywer, he is a Judge. This is a twist. But i assumed, may be in this village, the judges are like this. Ignoring the questions running in my head, i presumed he was saying the truth.
The cops removed the cartridge out of the weapon and placed it on the table.
The goon, had all this while, been on his cell phone. I was sure, he was pulling some high strings and soon, the scene was to change.
In the meanwhile, the corrput cops came to the common man. i.e The Driver, Cleaner and owner of the restaurant. They asked what happened, took our side of the story. Spoke to a couple of people in the bus and went back into the cabin.
Another half an hour later, another jeep arrived. By now it was already past mid-night and I was getting restless. These were precious minutes we were losing here. All cops gave a salute. I put all my concentration to hear and see what was going on. DCP Joseph had arrived. Freaking catholic corrupt cop!!! His arrival itself was with him on a call. He came, pulled his cheap troupe into a huddle, they discussed something and he went into the cabin. He repeated the questioning.
Joseph: So who are you?
Goon: I am a doctor!
I was like, WTF, he was a judge, now a doctor, wat is wrong here?
J: So why did you shoot?
G: They hit my car.
In the meanwhile, DCP Joseph got another call. He came outside the cabin to take it. Much like how I come outside my office to take Lourdes's call. Simple, when the boss calls, you got to leave the public area. You never know when the firing will start. :)
So DCP nodded his head furiously for 3 minutes. He called one of the colleagues outside the cabin and looked like he was crying. His job was on the line. Typical hindi picture eh?
The DCP calls the driver and cleaner and says this:
"Mandavli kara na" (Do a compromise) "Kashasati tension gethe, jassth lagla nahin na" (Why take tension, you have not been seriously hurt, right?).
I was numb. I knew, the goon had pulled some high strings and this was a result. The smart chaps that my driver and cleaner were, instead of understanding that they were in the wrong battle, they decide against it.
Please Note: This is where the biggest mistake is made. At his point, if we had entered the bus and left, life would have been better for all. The driver would have had a small bruise. We would have been 3 hours or so late. The cops would not have to taken any more tension. The goon and his family would have been happily hunting for some other poor soul to shoot at.
But, alas, it was not to be. Our dear Driver and Cleaner decide to register a case against the goon and insist on going to the police station. The police try their best to make the 2 guys understand, but along with those 2 fools there were another 5-8 smart azz men in the bus who kept saying, "Nahi, Nahi, Police station chala, case thokwa" (No, No, lets go to the police station, register a case).
Ok, so at 12:30 odd, the entire bus load of people head backwards toward Goa, to Ratnagiri police station.
In the bus, I kept thinking, should I have left this bus and boarded another one, which had come for a dinner stop? May be it would have been a better choice. Or may be justice will be served and the goon be punished. I prayed the goon was taught a lesson.
So at around 1 AM, we reached Ratnagiri police station. Dimly lit, in the middle of no where. Looked like a police station on Mars to me. Only diff, Mars has water, this police station did not have.
So things have started to get worse. I have started to get irritated. People have become restless. All you want now is interation with the most wasteful people servicing the country. The police force.
The next part, tomorrow for sure. Things have just gotten worse. The unimaginable is yet to happen.
Good Luck,
Ashley
So the nearest cop station was Ratnagiri. The cops came about 25 minutes later. Typical of what I have seen in movies, a Jeep arrives. 3 or 4 police folks come out. The first thing they do is treat the common man (like me) as a criminal and shoo us away. So the goon, walks with his confident guile towards the police. There was a small cabin, much like the watchmans cabin we have in societies. It was a little bigger though. We stood outside, listening to the conversation. I will put down the converstation in English, because my Marathi is not bad, it is pathetic. Of course, I can understand, but when it comes to writing and talking, I suck.
Police: So what happened?
Goon: Nothing, they burshed my car.
P: And?
G: And what, nothing, they were acting smart, esp the driver and cleaner.
P: So?
G: So, I had no alternative and I used my revolver.
P: Where is the weapon?
The goon placed the gun on the table. It was this sweet looking, silver coloured, shining weapon. Caught my attention immediately.
P: Where is the license?
G: I dont have license for the weapon?
P: So, what do you do?
G: I am a Judge.
Judge, I was like, errrrr. Not even laywer, he is a Judge. This is a twist. But i assumed, may be in this village, the judges are like this. Ignoring the questions running in my head, i presumed he was saying the truth.
The cops removed the cartridge out of the weapon and placed it on the table.
The goon, had all this while, been on his cell phone. I was sure, he was pulling some high strings and soon, the scene was to change.
In the meanwhile, the corrput cops came to the common man. i.e The Driver, Cleaner and owner of the restaurant. They asked what happened, took our side of the story. Spoke to a couple of people in the bus and went back into the cabin.
Another half an hour later, another jeep arrived. By now it was already past mid-night and I was getting restless. These were precious minutes we were losing here. All cops gave a salute. I put all my concentration to hear and see what was going on. DCP Joseph had arrived. Freaking catholic corrupt cop!!! His arrival itself was with him on a call. He came, pulled his cheap troupe into a huddle, they discussed something and he went into the cabin. He repeated the questioning.
Joseph: So who are you?
Goon: I am a doctor!
I was like, WTF, he was a judge, now a doctor, wat is wrong here?
J: So why did you shoot?
G: They hit my car.
In the meanwhile, DCP Joseph got another call. He came outside the cabin to take it. Much like how I come outside my office to take Lourdes's call. Simple, when the boss calls, you got to leave the public area. You never know when the firing will start. :)
So DCP nodded his head furiously for 3 minutes. He called one of the colleagues outside the cabin and looked like he was crying. His job was on the line. Typical hindi picture eh?
The DCP calls the driver and cleaner and says this:
"Mandavli kara na" (Do a compromise) "Kashasati tension gethe, jassth lagla nahin na" (Why take tension, you have not been seriously hurt, right?).
I was numb. I knew, the goon had pulled some high strings and this was a result. The smart chaps that my driver and cleaner were, instead of understanding that they were in the wrong battle, they decide against it.
Please Note: This is where the biggest mistake is made. At his point, if we had entered the bus and left, life would have been better for all. The driver would have had a small bruise. We would have been 3 hours or so late. The cops would not have to taken any more tension. The goon and his family would have been happily hunting for some other poor soul to shoot at.
But, alas, it was not to be. Our dear Driver and Cleaner decide to register a case against the goon and insist on going to the police station. The police try their best to make the 2 guys understand, but along with those 2 fools there were another 5-8 smart azz men in the bus who kept saying, "Nahi, Nahi, Police station chala, case thokwa" (No, No, lets go to the police station, register a case).
Ok, so at 12:30 odd, the entire bus load of people head backwards toward Goa, to Ratnagiri police station.
In the bus, I kept thinking, should I have left this bus and boarded another one, which had come for a dinner stop? May be it would have been a better choice. Or may be justice will be served and the goon be punished. I prayed the goon was taught a lesson.
So at around 1 AM, we reached Ratnagiri police station. Dimly lit, in the middle of no where. Looked like a police station on Mars to me. Only diff, Mars has water, this police station did not have.
So things have started to get worse. I have started to get irritated. People have become restless. All you want now is interation with the most wasteful people servicing the country. The police force.
The next part, tomorrow for sure. Things have just gotten worse. The unimaginable is yet to happen.
Good Luck,
Ashley
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Can savages ever be civilized?
Life is unpredictable, and more so when people around you are just baying for each others blood. We all have this pre-concieved notion that street fights and community battles are between 2 different communities. Ludicrous as it may sound, but all these barriers were broken today when Sikhs started fighting amongst themselves.
Result? 1 boy dead, trains stopped, buses attacked on, common man (as always) has to suffer and so on and so forth. Again, there will be an enquiry, some people will be arrested, then released on bail. Those folks will never attend a hearing again. The case will go on for another 20 years. Then one fine day, a fire will break out in the room where all the case papers are kept and wooof, everything is smoke!!!!
Am I Bejan Daruwala, to have predicted all this. NO, I am an Indian!!! I know how the system works. I've seen it, like many of you, I have had at some point interacted with the system, and may I dare say, it is sickening.
I know quite a few of my friends, who question me. Why do I bash my country so much? Well, to all those folks out there, here is a humble confession. There have been thousands of petty reasons, which have accrued and had this ever lasting impact on me. But there are 2 distinct, disturbing incidents that have changed me forever.
The first one was when I was on a trip back from Goa somewhere in 2005. Heading to Bombay, the bus stopped for a dinner break some small place about 20 KMs from Ratnagiri. It was 10 PM or so when the bus took the scheduled halt. I did not eat much, just took a packet of peppy i remember. All folks boarded the bus and we were ready to leave. As per my estimate, we were going to touch base at 6:30 AM. So it was a quick nap and then home. Just as the bus moved, we heard a 'boom'. At first, like others even I thought it was a flat tyre. I cursed my luck that we would be later by another hour or so. Then i looked out from my window and seen that a huge guy, about 6'4 feet, well built, dark in colour (whom i will henceforth call GOON) got his hands on our driver and pulled him out. He kicked him mercilessly, until a crowd gathered and pulled the driver out. The driver was bleeding. Soon, I seen a gun in his hand. Just a reminder here, this is not a fake story or some mythological flashback, this is reality TV. He pointed the gun at the driver and cleaner and taunted them to come forward. A woman, who seemed like the goons wife, came toward the goon and pulled him away.
Soon, the picture was clear. As we were about to leave, this goon, who was travelling in a white maruti 800 also was leaving. He seen that he had a bump on his car. He did not know who did it, but as our bus was leaving, he assumed our driver was the culprit and decided to take action. And you may ask Action = ?
Yes, my friend. Action = Take a gun. Aim. Shoot.
He did that, the bullet had entered the bus, grazed our drivers lip and lie near the enterance of the bus. Suddenly I felt, is this bihar or what? So there we were, 11:15 PM, bus has stopped, people shocked. The worst part was yet to come.
I will write more tomorrow, but believe me, you are not going to freaking imagine what happened next...
Till then, be safe and God bless...
Result? 1 boy dead, trains stopped, buses attacked on, common man (as always) has to suffer and so on and so forth. Again, there will be an enquiry, some people will be arrested, then released on bail. Those folks will never attend a hearing again. The case will go on for another 20 years. Then one fine day, a fire will break out in the room where all the case papers are kept and wooof, everything is smoke!!!!
Am I Bejan Daruwala, to have predicted all this. NO, I am an Indian!!! I know how the system works. I've seen it, like many of you, I have had at some point interacted with the system, and may I dare say, it is sickening.
I know quite a few of my friends, who question me. Why do I bash my country so much? Well, to all those folks out there, here is a humble confession. There have been thousands of petty reasons, which have accrued and had this ever lasting impact on me. But there are 2 distinct, disturbing incidents that have changed me forever.
The first one was when I was on a trip back from Goa somewhere in 2005. Heading to Bombay, the bus stopped for a dinner break some small place about 20 KMs from Ratnagiri. It was 10 PM or so when the bus took the scheduled halt. I did not eat much, just took a packet of peppy i remember. All folks boarded the bus and we were ready to leave. As per my estimate, we were going to touch base at 6:30 AM. So it was a quick nap and then home. Just as the bus moved, we heard a 'boom'. At first, like others even I thought it was a flat tyre. I cursed my luck that we would be later by another hour or so. Then i looked out from my window and seen that a huge guy, about 6'4 feet, well built, dark in colour (whom i will henceforth call GOON) got his hands on our driver and pulled him out. He kicked him mercilessly, until a crowd gathered and pulled the driver out. The driver was bleeding. Soon, I seen a gun in his hand. Just a reminder here, this is not a fake story or some mythological flashback, this is reality TV. He pointed the gun at the driver and cleaner and taunted them to come forward. A woman, who seemed like the goons wife, came toward the goon and pulled him away.
Soon, the picture was clear. As we were about to leave, this goon, who was travelling in a white maruti 800 also was leaving. He seen that he had a bump on his car. He did not know who did it, but as our bus was leaving, he assumed our driver was the culprit and decided to take action. And you may ask Action = ?
Yes, my friend. Action = Take a gun. Aim. Shoot.
He did that, the bullet had entered the bus, grazed our drivers lip and lie near the enterance of the bus. Suddenly I felt, is this bihar or what? So there we were, 11:15 PM, bus has stopped, people shocked. The worst part was yet to come.
I will write more tomorrow, but believe me, you are not going to freaking imagine what happened next...
Till then, be safe and God bless...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Want Inspiration?
The past few weeks have been a treat for sports fan across the world. It just leaves me flummoxed and gaping in astonishment the commitment, energy, mental-strength and belief that the world best sportspersons get/bring. Let me start with tennis. Mr.Fed-Ex, has been trying extra-ordinarily hard to win the ever-elusive French Open. He lost the past 2 finals to Nadal and was hoping to be third time lucky. I myself have been rooting for him to win the French Open. But, that was not meant to be. The stupefying ease with which Nadal brushed aside Federer was remarkable. I did not expect it, not even Federer's harshest critic must have. But thats what Nadal was all about. He played almost flawless clay court tennis. Federer had no answer and just had to admit the fact that on court, "Nadal is King".
More recently, there was a baseball game. NY Yankees, 7-8 down. 2 outs and 2 strikes for Jason Giambi. And what does Giambi do?? You guessed right, a home run!! Yankees, score 2 and win 9-8. Isnt this stuff supposed to happen on TV only? Fairy tale stuff isnt it?
The you have the legendary, Tiger Woods. Trails all week in the US Open. Finally it all comes down to one single putt. 12 feet, drop it or drop out. Champions like this kind of challenges and they deliver, dont they. Tiger like the many times before did. He sunk the ball into the hole and tied for the lead. This meant, another 18 holes for the play-off to decide the champion. And what happens next day. Same story. After exchanging leads for the last 17 holes, it boils down to this. Tiger is 1 shot behind Rocco going into the final hole. At this moment, most if not all sport guys would have quit. A hurting knee, a weekend full of tough shots and tense putts. Who needs more of this? Tiger does!! He makes up that one shot on the final hole and we head to a sudden death. Tiger wraps up the US Open Championship on the first hole itself. No doubt this guy is the worlds most paid athelete. I mean, he even has his own freaking Gatorade!!!! Champion Tiger, we salute you.
Add to this, the performance of the Italian Football team and the Boston Celtics and we know why these guys are given so much respect and adoration around the world. The money they make is absolutely worth the talent and effort these guys put in so that they can entertain us and show us new levels of performance. Beating the lakers, or rather, thrashing the lakers in game 6 was no easy feat. Lakers had demolished almost all the teams en route to the finals. They did lose a couple on the way, but today, they were smashed! The big 3, Allen, KG and Pierce alongside Rondo were all over the lakers, and their desire to win, was overwhelming. Beating the lakers anyday is a tough task, beating them by a margin of more than 35 points, is unimaginable.
A hurting knee (Tiger), a non-favorite surface (Federer & clay), a massive opponent (lakers for the celtics) dont stop champions. They only make them more grittier. They wont whine, they wont make excuses. All they do is go out there and perform. And perform so damn beautifully that you stand and clap. Not always do they win (ask Federer), but their desire, appetite, self-belief and out-of-this-world performance makes humble beings like me realise that sports is indeed the best way to get inspired. Just when I think I am recovering from the Tigeresque performance, we have the quarter finals coming up. More moments of inspiration, more glorious moments to treasure and epic battles to cherish.
Ballack, we look forward to another wonder goal soon!!!!
More recently, there was a baseball game. NY Yankees, 7-8 down. 2 outs and 2 strikes for Jason Giambi. And what does Giambi do?? You guessed right, a home run!! Yankees, score 2 and win 9-8. Isnt this stuff supposed to happen on TV only? Fairy tale stuff isnt it?
The you have the legendary, Tiger Woods. Trails all week in the US Open. Finally it all comes down to one single putt. 12 feet, drop it or drop out. Champions like this kind of challenges and they deliver, dont they. Tiger like the many times before did. He sunk the ball into the hole and tied for the lead. This meant, another 18 holes for the play-off to decide the champion. And what happens next day. Same story. After exchanging leads for the last 17 holes, it boils down to this. Tiger is 1 shot behind Rocco going into the final hole. At this moment, most if not all sport guys would have quit. A hurting knee, a weekend full of tough shots and tense putts. Who needs more of this? Tiger does!! He makes up that one shot on the final hole and we head to a sudden death. Tiger wraps up the US Open Championship on the first hole itself. No doubt this guy is the worlds most paid athelete. I mean, he even has his own freaking Gatorade!!!! Champion Tiger, we salute you.
Add to this, the performance of the Italian Football team and the Boston Celtics and we know why these guys are given so much respect and adoration around the world. The money they make is absolutely worth the talent and effort these guys put in so that they can entertain us and show us new levels of performance. Beating the lakers, or rather, thrashing the lakers in game 6 was no easy feat. Lakers had demolished almost all the teams en route to the finals. They did lose a couple on the way, but today, they were smashed! The big 3, Allen, KG and Pierce alongside Rondo were all over the lakers, and their desire to win, was overwhelming. Beating the lakers anyday is a tough task, beating them by a margin of more than 35 points, is unimaginable.
A hurting knee (Tiger), a non-favorite surface (Federer & clay), a massive opponent (lakers for the celtics) dont stop champions. They only make them more grittier. They wont whine, they wont make excuses. All they do is go out there and perform. And perform so damn beautifully that you stand and clap. Not always do they win (ask Federer), but their desire, appetite, self-belief and out-of-this-world performance makes humble beings like me realise that sports is indeed the best way to get inspired. Just when I think I am recovering from the Tigeresque performance, we have the quarter finals coming up. More moments of inspiration, more glorious moments to treasure and epic battles to cherish.
Ballack, we look forward to another wonder goal soon!!!!
Boom... and so the dal flew..
Well, it was not exactly a loud, ear-drum bursting boom, but was a suprise for sure. And a surprise that I neither asked for, nor was called for. 8 something in the evening and I was all worked up about making dal. Asked my pal Manish if he would help me prepare dal using his out-of-this-world receipe. He agreed and I was on my way.
Put dal into the cooker and then the cooker on the gas, and started to cut onions, tomatoes and chilli. 2 whistles, Manish said. I turned the gas off after 2 whistles. Took another 5 odd minutes to finish the cutting.
Gave a call to Manish and he came to help me continue. He came to the kitchen and opened the cooker.
BOOM! The DAL exploded... did not understand what really happened!!! First thing i asked was whether Manish was burnt with the hot dal. Luckily, he did not go face first into the dal, like how yours truly would have done, so he was not doing bad. Just that the hot dal left some minor bruises on him and me. I hardly had a burn, but was acting as if I almost lost my life in that accident!!!
The kitchen was smashed. Dal was all over the place. Microwave, stove, cabinets, vessels.. you name anything in the kitchen and it had Dal over it.
So an unscheduled kitchen cleaning started. Manish and I got to work. Poor chap, he was only supposed to have guided me, but ended up cleaning the mess and even making the dal.
All cleaning done, he made a delicious dinner for us. All's well that ends well in the stomach!!
Thank God, the BOOM did not injure anyone.
Put dal into the cooker and then the cooker on the gas, and started to cut onions, tomatoes and chilli. 2 whistles, Manish said. I turned the gas off after 2 whistles. Took another 5 odd minutes to finish the cutting.
Gave a call to Manish and he came to help me continue. He came to the kitchen and opened the cooker.
BOOM! The DAL exploded... did not understand what really happened!!! First thing i asked was whether Manish was burnt with the hot dal. Luckily, he did not go face first into the dal, like how yours truly would have done, so he was not doing bad. Just that the hot dal left some minor bruises on him and me. I hardly had a burn, but was acting as if I almost lost my life in that accident!!!
The kitchen was smashed. Dal was all over the place. Microwave, stove, cabinets, vessels.. you name anything in the kitchen and it had Dal over it.
So an unscheduled kitchen cleaning started. Manish and I got to work. Poor chap, he was only supposed to have guided me, but ended up cleaning the mess and even making the dal.
All cleaning done, he made a delicious dinner for us. All's well that ends well in the stomach!!
Thank God, the BOOM did not injure anyone.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Soft governance = Poor governance!!
My friend Vishal Kalsi remarked the other day, "Isnt Malaysia not safe for Hindus?" I said, it is quite a safe place to live in. Infact during my stay there I must have hardly felt that I am in a state where 60% and more of the population follows Islam. Also, to add to the ironic situation, Sawan and I can vouch that we felt more mistreated by the tamilian folks in Malaysia. Especially the cab drivers who even wanted to pick a fight with Sawan and Me. I even told Vishal the reason why this mis-conception that MY is unsafe. It basically is a derivative of the arrests of the 5 Hindraf members for their alledged role in taking out a rally in KL. I am sure, it has a whole lot more to do, but what I would like to learn from that scenario is the direction the people in power take to overcome such a situation. There are only 2 options, aren't they? One, allow the assembly to take place and leave the rest to God or, show who is in control and make sure a democratic and systematic process is followed to address all issues.
The Malaysian government follows option number 2. It makes them look, anti-democratic, anti-social and a whole lot of other things. But, let us take a step back and look what happens when you allow the 'Junta' the freedom of assembly. Day-In and Day-out we read of riots, attacks on police, burning of vehicles, injuries to unsuspecting public and so on.
This is exactly what happens in my country. Not US, I am talking about India. Period. :)
But what I read today was disturbing for 2 reasons. One being that the place in questions was just visited by my parents less than a month ago. It gives me shivers to wonder what if my parents where still there, in the midst of the chaos. And secondly, the balant disregard for the law of the land. Let alone the law of the land, the audacity of the people to take on the people governing them and their threats to not only the administration but the public in general is deplorable.
The incident I am referring to is regarding the attack on tourists in Darjeeling, Siliguri and Gangtok. To be frank, I dont even know and dont give a f*** about why those morons are agitating. But what attracts my attention is the below statements made by one smart 'Gorkha Janamukti Morcha'. It seems, and I quote from the Times of India, GJM president Bimal Gurung had warned people at a meeting at Chowrasta to “get ready for the final battle’’. He said, “The (60-hour) relaxation has been given for people to stock up essentials. But there will be no more relaxation and the agitation will beintensified.’’ The deadline expires at 6 am on Saturday. Unquote.
A few simple questions that beg to be asked, also an opinion interposed:
1. Who the hell do these people think they are to take law into their own hands.
2. They need a separate Nepali speaking state, I say even better, get those pricks out of the country, take your shit and make your own country. Dont embaress our nation in front of the world.
3. Does the goverment(state or central) not have enough power to even curb the violent instincts of this small cadre of nepalis. I mean, we all know Nandigram happened because the entire Bengal went crazy, but atleast dont let people repeat the violence.
It is indeed shameful, that these incidents will keep happening and nothing can be done about it.
Vishal, if you are reading, this is the reason i say Malaysia is more safe than India. They wont allow a crowd to gather. Reason, its always better to be safe than sorry. And also, democracy is not about violence, it is a philosophy that was built to scratch violence and bring peace around us.
So much for screaming that we have the worlds biggest democracy.
A pic of a tourist stranded in Siliguri.
P.S: This is just one incident, everyday in our country there are 1000's of such incidents and we choose to ignore. it only hits us when we are victims. But then, that day it will be too late to even react and understand what the hell hit you and your family. Till then, be safe and pray hard!!!
The Malaysian government follows option number 2. It makes them look, anti-democratic, anti-social and a whole lot of other things. But, let us take a step back and look what happens when you allow the 'Junta' the freedom of assembly. Day-In and Day-out we read of riots, attacks on police, burning of vehicles, injuries to unsuspecting public and so on.
This is exactly what happens in my country. Not US, I am talking about India. Period. :)
But what I read today was disturbing for 2 reasons. One being that the place in questions was just visited by my parents less than a month ago. It gives me shivers to wonder what if my parents where still there, in the midst of the chaos. And secondly, the balant disregard for the law of the land. Let alone the law of the land, the audacity of the people to take on the people governing them and their threats to not only the administration but the public in general is deplorable.
The incident I am referring to is regarding the attack on tourists in Darjeeling, Siliguri and Gangtok. To be frank, I dont even know and dont give a f*** about why those morons are agitating. But what attracts my attention is the below statements made by one smart 'Gorkha Janamukti Morcha'. It seems, and I quote from the Times of India, GJM president Bimal Gurung had warned people at a meeting at Chowrasta to “get ready for the final battle’’. He said, “The (60-hour) relaxation has been given for people to stock up essentials. But there will be no more relaxation and the agitation will beintensified.’’ The deadline expires at 6 am on Saturday. Unquote.
A few simple questions that beg to be asked, also an opinion interposed:
1. Who the hell do these people think they are to take law into their own hands.
2. They need a separate Nepali speaking state, I say even better, get those pricks out of the country, take your shit and make your own country. Dont embaress our nation in front of the world.
3. Does the goverment(state or central) not have enough power to even curb the violent instincts of this small cadre of nepalis. I mean, we all know Nandigram happened because the entire Bengal went crazy, but atleast dont let people repeat the violence.
It is indeed shameful, that these incidents will keep happening and nothing can be done about it.
Vishal, if you are reading, this is the reason i say Malaysia is more safe than India. They wont allow a crowd to gather. Reason, its always better to be safe than sorry. And also, democracy is not about violence, it is a philosophy that was built to scratch violence and bring peace around us.
So much for screaming that we have the worlds biggest democracy.
A pic of a tourist stranded in Siliguri.
P.S: This is just one incident, everyday in our country there are 1000's of such incidents and we choose to ignore. it only hits us when we are victims. But then, that day it will be too late to even react and understand what the hell hit you and your family. Till then, be safe and pray hard!!!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Waiting for an answer... Any Infoscion around?
Infosys, the brand that puts values first and everything else second. True, most other companies would not dare take some steps that Infosys takes to maintain the tradition of 'Drive by values'. It is a proud feeling to be called an Infoscion. Yea, an ex-Infoscion is also pretty kewl. I spent 4 long years there, but when I left, I just had 1 question to ask.
This post is in no means to tell bad things about my ex-work place. Hell NO. I am a proud ex-infoscion. I loved my time there and it has given me unimaginable experience.
The question was:-
"Why is ICICI Direct not banned in office?". For those souls who dont know ICICI Direct, its a site that is used as an interface for share trading. Infosys somewhere in 2006 started getting serious about taking steps to track and correct the productivity of the resources.
This period also happened to see 2 thing, one was the sudden influx of employees (mostly fresh from college) and the two the meteoric rise of orkut, as a social networking site. So, someone in Infosys must have done some research and realised that orkut is dangerous. Dangerous from 2 perspectives, 1 it hurts the productivity of the employees and 2 it is a gateway of viruses. So orkut was banned. But still, smart software engg's that we are, we found proxy sites to access orkut. It meant, more risk involved(by accessing the proxy sites) and more productivity hit, because now we spent time on research too!!! Talk abt the plan backfiring. :)
But overall it must have been a success, or that is what Infosys would like to think. But then recently they even banned gmail. Reason: Productivity loss.
My question is, why is ICICI Direct not banned. Dont the managers see that their senior managers are glued to that site for atleast some time of the day. Isnt that taking a hit at the productivity in some way? Why different yard sticks for a poort software engineer and different for a Senior Manager? We should have an 'All Equal' policy should'nt we?
Secondly, if i understand correctly, money earned through share trading is a source of income. Hence we need to pay taxes on that money isnt it? I would like someone more technically robust in finance to correct/boost me here. But ill take the assumption based on my personal experience. So technically, you are earning money while at work in Infosys. Which is ethically wrong, isnt it? So even if you out aside the productivity question, 'Driven by values' clause should have got ICICI Direct banned? Logical right?
But no, that will never happen in Infosys. Reason: The people who make policies cant really axe their own feet. Can they?
Answers any Infoscions? I would like responses here...
This post is in no means to tell bad things about my ex-work place. Hell NO. I am a proud ex-infoscion. I loved my time there and it has given me unimaginable experience.
The question was:-
"Why is ICICI Direct not banned in office?". For those souls who dont know ICICI Direct, its a site that is used as an interface for share trading. Infosys somewhere in 2006 started getting serious about taking steps to track and correct the productivity of the resources.
This period also happened to see 2 thing, one was the sudden influx of employees (mostly fresh from college) and the two the meteoric rise of orkut, as a social networking site. So, someone in Infosys must have done some research and realised that orkut is dangerous. Dangerous from 2 perspectives, 1 it hurts the productivity of the employees and 2 it is a gateway of viruses. So orkut was banned. But still, smart software engg's that we are, we found proxy sites to access orkut. It meant, more risk involved(by accessing the proxy sites) and more productivity hit, because now we spent time on research too!!! Talk abt the plan backfiring. :)
But overall it must have been a success, or that is what Infosys would like to think. But then recently they even banned gmail. Reason: Productivity loss.
My question is, why is ICICI Direct not banned. Dont the managers see that their senior managers are glued to that site for atleast some time of the day. Isnt that taking a hit at the productivity in some way? Why different yard sticks for a poort software engineer and different for a Senior Manager? We should have an 'All Equal' policy should'nt we?
Secondly, if i understand correctly, money earned through share trading is a source of income. Hence we need to pay taxes on that money isnt it? I would like someone more technically robust in finance to correct/boost me here. But ill take the assumption based on my personal experience. So technically, you are earning money while at work in Infosys. Which is ethically wrong, isnt it? So even if you out aside the productivity question, 'Driven by values' clause should have got ICICI Direct banned? Logical right?
But no, that will never happen in Infosys. Reason: The people who make policies cant really axe their own feet. Can they?
Answers any Infoscions? I would like responses here...
Friday, June 6, 2008
PHL- Re-birth, Re-engineered, Re-energized!
IPL, wow, what a nice way for me to be a Mumbai supporter.
"My MI", screams the gmail status of one of my friends. So on and so forth.
You know what I tell these people. PHL was first. PHL arrived in 2005. It gave you Maratha Warriors. A bunch of home grown Mumbai + Maharashtra lads who slogged their bloody asses on the field for glory. And that time, not one of you freaking so-called Mumbai fans even cared. Today, when Mr.Ambani spends XXX Million $, suddenly the Mumbaikar in you has risen? The irony, most of the players palying for MI are not even from Maharshtra. Infact, loyalty is a big Zilch. How much of Mumbai-giri did you see in those 11 players. Ok, leave Sachin, but the rest? How much?
I know how much of a Mumbai-kar Girish Pimpale, Viren Rasqhuinha, Dhananjay Mahadik or Adrian D'souza is!!! But did anyone really stand up and support those guys? Did Maratha Warriors not appeal to you, just because it did not have scantily clad cheerleaders? Or was it because there was no Preity Zinta hugging and kissing Viren/Adrian after a game.
But today I have a dream. A dream to see Indian Hockey touch new heights. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Only if the new hockey management can see the light. I can see it. I can feel the vibes. I can hell, even visualize the PHL next year. It is gonna rock your world guys!!!
Picture this:
Maratha Warriors: Home Stadium: Mumbai
Chandigarh Dynamos: Home Stadium: Chandigarh
Bangalore Lions: Home Stadium: Bangalore
Hyderabad Sultans: Home Stadium: Hyderabad
Chennai Veerans: Home Stadium: Chennai
Sher-E-Jalandhar: Home Stadium: Jalandhar
Orissa Steelers: Home Stadium: Rourkela
Friends, you know what is one major difference between Hockey and any other sport in India. Even cricket is part of the other sports comparison. The passionate fans that hockey has will never be found in any sport in India. Hockey is special to India, just how Kashmir is special to us. Hockey has been through hell, but I still know people who love the game the same way they did since day 1. There are fans who follow each and every hockey tournament and even the players. Sometimes, the fans know more about my brother than I do. But that is hockey. It has a place in every Indians heart. It is not just our national sport, it had etched a place in history for us. Indian hockey supporters have seen the team free fall into a vaccum, but as I look at it, there is a change coming. A change in regime may actually trigger a turn around for the better. I am sure, if we auction the 7 teams above, let alone the Indian corporate people, NRI's (who are wonderful Hockey fans) from USA, Canada, Britain who are passionate hockey fans will want a piece of the pie.
Ok, So we have 7 teams. These 7 teams have good stadiums. With a couple of them worth of holding an internation match also. Most of the stadiums have facility to play a day-night game. Wont it be as interesting as IPL? Wont that so-called junoon burn inside you. Infact, hockey is more aggressive, more entertaining. It can even leave you breathless. Action from one end of the field to another. WOW! It has already got me excited. :)
So all we need now is the right direction. Even though hockey should get credit for the ICL or IPL invention, we dont care. What we care about is the well-being of the sport. People should be able to recognise hockey with players like Gurbaj Singh, Sandeep Singh, Adrian D'souza, Bimal Lakra. But a sad reality is, hockey still is Dhanraj Pillai.
Ironically he played his last game for India, almost 4 years ago in August. But thanks to the wonderful print/video media, DP is still hockey to all Indians.
Looking forward to write more in how to make PHL a better and robust product.
"My MI", screams the gmail status of one of my friends. So on and so forth.
You know what I tell these people. PHL was first. PHL arrived in 2005. It gave you Maratha Warriors. A bunch of home grown Mumbai + Maharashtra lads who slogged their bloody asses on the field for glory. And that time, not one of you freaking so-called Mumbai fans even cared. Today, when Mr.Ambani spends XXX Million $, suddenly the Mumbaikar in you has risen? The irony, most of the players palying for MI are not even from Maharshtra. Infact, loyalty is a big Zilch. How much of Mumbai-giri did you see in those 11 players. Ok, leave Sachin, but the rest? How much?
I know how much of a Mumbai-kar Girish Pimpale, Viren Rasqhuinha, Dhananjay Mahadik or Adrian D'souza is!!! But did anyone really stand up and support those guys? Did Maratha Warriors not appeal to you, just because it did not have scantily clad cheerleaders? Or was it because there was no Preity Zinta hugging and kissing Viren/Adrian after a game.
But today I have a dream. A dream to see Indian Hockey touch new heights. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Only if the new hockey management can see the light. I can see it. I can feel the vibes. I can hell, even visualize the PHL next year. It is gonna rock your world guys!!!
Picture this:
Maratha Warriors: Home Stadium: Mumbai
Chandigarh Dynamos: Home Stadium: Chandigarh
Bangalore Lions: Home Stadium: Bangalore
Hyderabad Sultans: Home Stadium: Hyderabad
Chennai Veerans: Home Stadium: Chennai
Sher-E-Jalandhar: Home Stadium: Jalandhar
Orissa Steelers: Home Stadium: Rourkela
Friends, you know what is one major difference between Hockey and any other sport in India. Even cricket is part of the other sports comparison. The passionate fans that hockey has will never be found in any sport in India. Hockey is special to India, just how Kashmir is special to us. Hockey has been through hell, but I still know people who love the game the same way they did since day 1. There are fans who follow each and every hockey tournament and even the players. Sometimes, the fans know more about my brother than I do. But that is hockey. It has a place in every Indians heart. It is not just our national sport, it had etched a place in history for us. Indian hockey supporters have seen the team free fall into a vaccum, but as I look at it, there is a change coming. A change in regime may actually trigger a turn around for the better. I am sure, if we auction the 7 teams above, let alone the Indian corporate people, NRI's (who are wonderful Hockey fans) from USA, Canada, Britain who are passionate hockey fans will want a piece of the pie.
Ok, So we have 7 teams. These 7 teams have good stadiums. With a couple of them worth of holding an internation match also. Most of the stadiums have facility to play a day-night game. Wont it be as interesting as IPL? Wont that so-called junoon burn inside you. Infact, hockey is more aggressive, more entertaining. It can even leave you breathless. Action from one end of the field to another. WOW! It has already got me excited. :)
So all we need now is the right direction. Even though hockey should get credit for the ICL or IPL invention, we dont care. What we care about is the well-being of the sport. People should be able to recognise hockey with players like Gurbaj Singh, Sandeep Singh, Adrian D'souza, Bimal Lakra. But a sad reality is, hockey still is Dhanraj Pillai.
Ironically he played his last game for India, almost 4 years ago in August. But thanks to the wonderful print/video media, DP is still hockey to all Indians.
Looking forward to write more in how to make PHL a better and robust product.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Pre-Deluge!!
Pictures speak a thousand words! The picture below is taken from the Times of India.
Place: Juhu, Mumbai.
Time: Around 1 PM on 5th June 2008.
The reason for the flooding was the high tide. Not a single drop of rain and look what happens? I wonder if we were Malaysia, a tropical forest region with rain predicted almost everyday....
Firstly, it rains anytime, and once it rains its no longer a rain, its a thunderstorm. Mumbai would have already become extinct.
Btw, I am sure, pretty sure that in the coming few days I will be able to share with you pictures with more of water and even less of land. Thanks to the hard(ly) working people who govern and maintain our city, we are blessed to retain so much water! Unfortunately, it is retained on the roads, railway tracks, housing compounds and everywhere but where it really should have...
So pre-deluge is over and done with... lets see what we have in store this monsoon season..
Met Dept, any predictions?
Place: Juhu, Mumbai.
Time: Around 1 PM on 5th June 2008.
The reason for the flooding was the high tide. Not a single drop of rain and look what happens? I wonder if we were Malaysia, a tropical forest region with rain predicted almost everyday....
Firstly, it rains anytime, and once it rains its no longer a rain, its a thunderstorm. Mumbai would have already become extinct.
Btw, I am sure, pretty sure that in the coming few days I will be able to share with you pictures with more of water and even less of land. Thanks to the hard(ly) working people who govern and maintain our city, we are blessed to retain so much water! Unfortunately, it is retained on the roads, railway tracks, housing compounds and everywhere but where it really should have...
So pre-deluge is over and done with... lets see what we have in store this monsoon season..
Met Dept, any predictions?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Albeit late.. petrol prices up..
We did not hike oil prices even though the global prices have more than doubled since the last hike. But finally, the inevitable has happened...
Some crude info...
"Petrol and diesel prices were last raised in February when the Indian basket of crude oil was at 67 dollars per barrel. Today it is at 124 dollars per barrel. "
courtesy: Economic Times.
So the late-night drive will cost u 5 bukz more per litre.. some food for thought ...
The Inflation is going to be in double digits? Thats supposed to be good isnt it? India shining...???
And the icing on the cake would be you getting a 12% hike!!! voila.. its a receipe for a lifetime isnt it?
Some crude info...
"Petrol and diesel prices were last raised in February when the Indian basket of crude oil was at 67 dollars per barrel. Today it is at 124 dollars per barrel. "
courtesy: Economic Times.
So the late-night drive will cost u 5 bukz more per litre.. some food for thought ...
The Inflation is going to be in double digits? Thats supposed to be good isnt it? India shining...???
And the icing on the cake would be you getting a 12% hike!!! voila.. its a receipe for a lifetime isnt it?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Professionalism exemplified...
The wordweb definition of Professionalism goes as 'The expertness characteristic of a professional person'. Not too complicated to infer the meaning and apply it to our everyday lives. So, when someone says that, he is a IT Professional, it means he is expert in the IT field and in the given field/realm, he would behave in a responsible and mature manner. Bringing shame/disrespect of any kind to the organisation or the professional community of which you are part of, can result in adverse reactions and follow ups.
Mind you, the act because of which your organisation may take action might not be directly linked to your professional misdemeanor. I for one, am of a personal opinion that there should be some leverage to all professionals, in every walk of life. Quantifying this leverage is open to debate and has to be taken on a case to case basis. Coming from an IT background, we all know that as professionals we are supposed to be working on our respective projects for around 8 hours a day, pack up and leave. But are we being thorough professionals? From my experience in the past 4 years or so, may be 10% of the entire lot are thorough professionals, or even less. But, many of us, at some point of the day do check our personal emails, do read the news sites, check our bank accounts, the share market or even chat with friends and family. But there has to be a line somewhere, isnt it? This is where, the organisation employing the professional comes into the picture.
In the internet era, where communication is just a click away, there is always a threat of some employee bringing bad reputation by not behaving professionally and more importantly irresonposibly.
And yes, there are these kind of people everywhere, in every walk of life in every profession. The political sphere has ample people that we can look up as examples!! More realistically, we must be knowing someone who was punished for his erroneous behaviour and given a diktat of some form or the other. In sports, we have all seen players punished for being un-professinal. This behaviour may not necessarily be on the field. Even off the field events are taken seriously and players reprimanded more often than not. Let is be Andrew Flintoff (drunk and floating in water) or Zizou (head butting), all have faced the wrath at some point or the other.
But today, when I read, Mr.Aisf's story on the web, I realised one thing. For long, Ive always had my doubts about cricket being a clean game. For all those who prefer to live in the bubble, please do so. But deep down, every single person who hs followed cricket and is following it know, it was tainted, is tainted and always will be. There are truckload of reasons, I can write another 2 complete days and I still will not be done. But, Mr.Asif, a professional cricketer, who played in the PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE, IPL, is carrying with him some 'Hakeem' given substance in his wallet. He is caught at the airport and he says he does not know what it is made of. I mean, for heavens sake, you are a bloody professional player. Every substance you carry, consume, inhale, drink matters! May be not in cricket, but in most other sports. Sometimes you get away, but sooner or later your luck is gonna run out. It is during this bad hour that the 'fake' sport called cricket comes to the rescude and cleanses the offenders of all their sins. To add to the mess, this same player was cleared of all DRUG charges after his blood sample tested positive during a dope test. Why he was cleared, how it happened are questions no one really has answers to? To be frank, cricket fans dont really care. Do they? Another bright example of unprofessionalism in the sport is the sudden dropping of the ban of one Mr.Shoaib Akhtar. We all know why this was done, the Badshah from Bandra pulled the strings!!! This guy, has done everything that a HUMAN being should not do. Let alone a professional sportsperson, but his conduct puts a 3 year to shame... But, the professional sport that cricket is, Mr.Akhtar gets another chance to beat someone ohhh.. that was Mr.Asif was'nt it??? One big mess ... i call it cricket!
P.S: Please note, my writing is based on cricket, because all i get to read online on Indian news sites is based on this 'fake' professional sport called cricket.
Mind you, the act because of which your organisation may take action might not be directly linked to your professional misdemeanor. I for one, am of a personal opinion that there should be some leverage to all professionals, in every walk of life. Quantifying this leverage is open to debate and has to be taken on a case to case basis. Coming from an IT background, we all know that as professionals we are supposed to be working on our respective projects for around 8 hours a day, pack up and leave. But are we being thorough professionals? From my experience in the past 4 years or so, may be 10% of the entire lot are thorough professionals, or even less. But, many of us, at some point of the day do check our personal emails, do read the news sites, check our bank accounts, the share market or even chat with friends and family. But there has to be a line somewhere, isnt it? This is where, the organisation employing the professional comes into the picture.
In the internet era, where communication is just a click away, there is always a threat of some employee bringing bad reputation by not behaving professionally and more importantly irresonposibly.
And yes, there are these kind of people everywhere, in every walk of life in every profession. The political sphere has ample people that we can look up as examples!! More realistically, we must be knowing someone who was punished for his erroneous behaviour and given a diktat of some form or the other. In sports, we have all seen players punished for being un-professinal. This behaviour may not necessarily be on the field. Even off the field events are taken seriously and players reprimanded more often than not. Let is be Andrew Flintoff (drunk and floating in water) or Zizou (head butting), all have faced the wrath at some point or the other.
But today, when I read, Mr.Aisf's story on the web, I realised one thing. For long, Ive always had my doubts about cricket being a clean game. For all those who prefer to live in the bubble, please do so. But deep down, every single person who hs followed cricket and is following it know, it was tainted, is tainted and always will be. There are truckload of reasons, I can write another 2 complete days and I still will not be done. But, Mr.Asif, a professional cricketer, who played in the PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE, IPL, is carrying with him some 'Hakeem' given substance in his wallet. He is caught at the airport and he says he does not know what it is made of. I mean, for heavens sake, you are a bloody professional player. Every substance you carry, consume, inhale, drink matters! May be not in cricket, but in most other sports. Sometimes you get away, but sooner or later your luck is gonna run out. It is during this bad hour that the 'fake' sport called cricket comes to the rescude and cleanses the offenders of all their sins. To add to the mess, this same player was cleared of all DRUG charges after his blood sample tested positive during a dope test. Why he was cleared, how it happened are questions no one really has answers to? To be frank, cricket fans dont really care. Do they? Another bright example of unprofessionalism in the sport is the sudden dropping of the ban of one Mr.Shoaib Akhtar. We all know why this was done, the Badshah from Bandra pulled the strings!!! This guy, has done everything that a HUMAN being should not do. Let alone a professional sportsperson, but his conduct puts a 3 year to shame... But, the professional sport that cricket is, Mr.Akhtar gets another chance to beat someone ohhh.. that was Mr.Asif was'nt it??? One big mess ... i call it cricket!
P.S: Please note, my writing is based on cricket, because all i get to read online on Indian news sites is based on this 'fake' professional sport called cricket.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Do it Anyway- Mother Teresa
Yesterday, at Church, the priest recited, the most beautiful sermon, ive ever come across yet. It was about how we should do good to everyone around us. I (and may be even you) many times assume that by just visiting the church, I will be welcome by the almighty. But NO, what is more important is that we be good human beings. We love each and everyone around us.
Below are a few lines present on a wall in the Childrens Home in Kolkotta, where Mother Teresa spent her most wonderful years.
Do It Anyway
People are unreasonable,
illogical, and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will
accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful, you win
false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will
be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty and frankness
make you vulnerable,
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY
What you spent years building
may be destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help but
may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you
have and you'll get kicked
in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.
I am sure some of you might have heard/seen these inspirational words before, but I thought it would be nice to still share them.
Below are a few lines present on a wall in the Childrens Home in Kolkotta, where Mother Teresa spent her most wonderful years.
Do It Anyway
People are unreasonable,
illogical, and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will
accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful, you win
false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will
be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty and frankness
make you vulnerable,
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY
What you spent years building
may be destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help but
may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you
have and you'll get kicked
in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.
I am sure some of you might have heard/seen these inspirational words before, but I thought it would be nice to still share them.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Truly Madly Deeply
'I want to stand with you on the mountain.. I want to bathe with you in the sea.....", melodiously humming the tune in my head, i prayed. I prayed for Gautam's family and friends to change their mind. I am singer for whom you would not even spend 1 penny to listen too... And here I was, caught in the midst of this hooplah... people wanting to listen to me 'SING'. Add to that my dear friend Summet would add the ceremonious fuel to the already raging flame. Sumeet would add, 'He can only sing English songs, he sings well though'.
So, there I was, going to sing, 'Truly Madly Deeply', the Savage Garden classic. I loved that song and must have sung it everyday, those days. For whom you may ask? Well, it was for someone!!!
And I did take the plunge, I sang 'Truly ...', I gave it my best shot. I dont really recall what the reaction was, the first thing I looked for once I was done was whether there were people 'booing'. Fortunately NO.
But this was not my thrust with the inner KK or Eminem. I vividly remember another 2 incidents where yours truly has tried to sing.
The Eminem incident was something that can happen only in college. 'The Real Slim Shady' was a hit those days. Everyone was a Eminem fan. I was not to be left behind. I would listen to EN day in and day out. I rapped the entire composition with ease and grace. So during my college fest, there was an audition for the Solo Singing competition. And yes, by now, you must have realised what happened. I was on stage, rapping 'Real Slim Shady'. Abuses and all. It was an uncut version. The judges were shocked, my friends laughing at the back and I was left embarressed. I dare did not ask the judges how my performance was. But like 'Truly Madly Deeply' I did not get any boos, yet!!!
The only song that I feel I can sing well is the KK hit, 'Dil Ko' from RHTDM. I had sung this to my engg friends when in the bus from Bombay and Goa. The songs from the movie are all good, but this song in particular is very appealing. I can listen to this song over and over again. Just downloaded this song over the weekend and sang it again. With black label accompanying me, it sounded like heaven!!!!
One song that I would love to sing melodiously is "Last Kiss' by Pearl Jam. Any one of you guys want to listen online music for free, try this.. www.pandora.com...
So, there I was, going to sing, 'Truly Madly Deeply', the Savage Garden classic. I loved that song and must have sung it everyday, those days. For whom you may ask? Well, it was for someone!!!
And I did take the plunge, I sang 'Truly ...', I gave it my best shot. I dont really recall what the reaction was, the first thing I looked for once I was done was whether there were people 'booing'. Fortunately NO.
But this was not my thrust with the inner KK or Eminem. I vividly remember another 2 incidents where yours truly has tried to sing.
The Eminem incident was something that can happen only in college. 'The Real Slim Shady' was a hit those days. Everyone was a Eminem fan. I was not to be left behind. I would listen to EN day in and day out. I rapped the entire composition with ease and grace. So during my college fest, there was an audition for the Solo Singing competition. And yes, by now, you must have realised what happened. I was on stage, rapping 'Real Slim Shady'. Abuses and all. It was an uncut version. The judges were shocked, my friends laughing at the back and I was left embarressed. I dare did not ask the judges how my performance was. But like 'Truly Madly Deeply' I did not get any boos, yet!!!
The only song that I feel I can sing well is the KK hit, 'Dil Ko' from RHTDM. I had sung this to my engg friends when in the bus from Bombay and Goa. The songs from the movie are all good, but this song in particular is very appealing. I can listen to this song over and over again. Just downloaded this song over the weekend and sang it again. With black label accompanying me, it sounded like heaven!!!!
One song that I would love to sing melodiously is "Last Kiss' by Pearl Jam. Any one of you guys want to listen online music for free, try this.. www.pandora.com...
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