"Tata"nic....

Something struck me the other day when I was heading out to do one of my bosses a favour... Here I was working for TCS, sitting in a car made by Tata Motors, wearing Fasttrack shades and a Titan watch, having just had a scrumptious omlette seasoned by Tata salt, heading to a man's house who also works for TCS to move his car which also turned out to be made by Tata Motors...

Being TOO loyal am I?:-P...Or as Paulo Cohelo very succinctly put it: Is the whole universe conspiring to make me loyal?

New Avenue

I have decided to start a blog on a different track as well.. The views of the people who matter...The Common Man..Do check it out..

http://akashbanters.blogspot.com/

Never Say Never Again

No..This is not a post about the early 80s Bond flick starring Sean Connery and Kim Bassinger(who looks GREAT btw)... This is about certain situations in my life where i had said.."NEVER!"

There have been many situations in my life where i had said "I am never going to to that".... Lets illustrate a few:

Ever since i was little, the fear of maths was deeply entrenched in my psyche. I used to always fare poorly in the subject once i got beyond 5th standard. Not that i fared very well in other, but maths was one of the worse. And as you can guess from this, i didnt do too well in my 10th standard maths papers either. That firmly confirmed my dislike for the subject. Now having taken admission for science stream, maths was pretty much part and parcel of the whole affair. I did HORRIBLY in 11th standard as well(in maths that is). The conviction deepened. I announced that i HATED maths and i would NEVER like it...EVER! In conjunction i also announced that i would NEVER do engineering..EVER!

Then came along a phase in my life which changed a lot of things in my life. My parents put me in a 12th standard maths tution(EVERYONE who was ANYONE went to NMK..I went to a vitually unknown entity at that time). But that turned out to be a masterstroke. My teacher slowly but surely got rid of my dislike for the subject and in the end i ended up scoring quite well in my boards. And got admission into engineering as well..And now i actually enjoy anything mathematical...

Never right? Well..Engineer forever now!:-)

Sticking with academics, after completing my engineering i had announced that i would NEVER do a post graduation. Would NEVER give the CAT. Well, 2 years hence i was studying for the CAT and 2 years further on i am a qualified MBA....

Never right? Well..Post graduate forever now!:-)

Now, in my family everyone is known for their hair...or rather the lack of it. Hence when i was little(r), i had always said i would NEVER grow my hair.. Well, i grew my hair..Grew them long.. And am now attempting that feat again...

Also, when i was college, these high end coffee places had just started out. CCD, Barista et all. I used to wonder back then why peopl paid 50 bucks for a coffee and i would NEVER spend that kinda money on a coffee when i can buy a whole packet of coffee for half that price. Well, now i gulp atleast 2 of those coffees down every week...

Never right? Well..Coffee lover forever now!:-)

When i was doing my engineering and after i started out working, my mother used to always be after me to get into IT..."They pay well" used to be her argument. I had announced then that i would NEVER be an IT professional and bang away on a keyboard in front computer for 8 hours a day...Well, look at me now. I AM banging away on a keyboard in front of a computer...Not for 8 hours though..For 10 hours a day...

Never right? Well..IT guy for a while atleast now!:-)

After all this, what is the moral of the story? Or stories in this case. Well, never close the door on any option in your life. You never know when you might be walking through that door. Into a better life!

Never say..."Never!" again...

You can't "bank" on these people....

It is uncanny how certain jarring experiences in my life make me restart writing my blog after a long sabbatical. I guess such experiences jolt me out of my slumber and make me want to get off my lazy bum and actually do something.

Now, me being part of a respectable organisation in India, have been provided with a salary account with ICICI bank. This account has numerous "special" benefits, unlimited use of interbank ATMs all across India being one of them. This, on the face of it, looks like a great benefit. But in reality, it turned out anything but that for me.
On that fateful day, 30/08/2008, I had stepped out to make a high value purchase for myself. After I was done buying the said item, the shopkeeper announced that I would be charged a 1.5% surcharge on purchase by a debit card. Now people of my caste are often said to be extremely "careful" with money.(Misers would be a better way to put it right?;-)) I am no different. In order to save that 1.5%, i ventured into the nearest ATM in order to withdraw the requisite amount in cash.

Now the ATM was a HDFC machine. Since I had the so called priviledge of free interbanking, I didn’t even think twice before entering my card in the machine. After punching in my code and the 5 digit amount required, I waited for quite a few uneasy seconds till the machine did its thing. In the end, all I got was a message on the screen saying "Sorry! Transaction timed out" I didn’t get any cash in my hand. Now, just on a hunch, I checked my balance, I checked my balance and it showed the said amount debited to my account even though I had received no cash in my hand. In horror, I rushed out and told the guard there that such an incident had occurred. He assured me saying that "Happens. It’s a machine. It will get reversed" With not much choice left, I left the ATM.

After arranging for cash to purchase the item I had selected, I rushed to my neighbourhood ICICI bank branch and told them what had transpired. Very cooly, I was told to call the customer care number as the branch was only meant for CASA (current account and savings account). No customer complaints could be handled there. They didnt even have authority to call the customer service from their own telephones!!!I huffed and puffed and called the said number. There my complaint was noted down and I was told very nicely that it would take 8 working days for me to get my money back. I thanked the guy, grunted and cut the call.
Couple of days later, on my mother's insistence, I read the various papers ICICI had given me after opening the account. There, in very small print, was written that the bank cannot be held responsible for any discrepancies involving interbanking transactions.

Which brings me to the question that do all these private banks provide customers with so called “priviledge” services only to shake their hands off any trouble that comes their way? Their system is designed in such a robust way that once a discrepancy occurs, the customer is completely at the bank’s mercy for getting his compliant resolved. That’s not what I was taught in marketing under CRM i.e. Customer Relationship Marketing. CRM looks to keep the customer delighted with the service and make sure he remains your customer. Well, I am on the verge of closing one of my accounts with ICICI. So their CRM has resulted in making me a disgruntled and visibly angry customer. Quite the opposite of what they set out to do.

Now what if someone was in dire need of money and the machine had acted the same way with him? What would that poor chap have done? Account would have no money and no money in hand as well. NO CRM in the world would have got him to do business with the said bank again! You simply cant' "bank" on any bank anymore is what I feel.

I feel, the more we shift towards machines, the more complex our lives and errors in them are going to become.
But as they say all is well that ends well. I got my money back after about 8 days. But the moral of the story remains; I shall never use my card for an interbank transaction again. And the best part is, I wrote this entire blog on the very item I had stepped out to purchase when this whole rigmarole happened. My spanking new Nokia E71. But then that, is a subject of another post….

One flew out of a "Cocooned" nest...

All through my life, in junior college, during engineering, during work and during my MBA I have interacted with numerous people and have made some great friends in the process. Out of all those people there have been many who had come from different parts of the country to my hometown to study/work/straggle/struggle etc etc. And I have always wondered and been amazed at how well people cope up with and adjust to being away from home. I have always admired that!

I stand at a point in my life when I need to move out of my sheltered, cozy, protected life and face a world alien and unknown to me. I have never lived away from home for any extended period of time and that idea, while not scary, is still a little hard to imagine for me. But, that situations has dawned upon me now. And there is no way out this time!:-)

Me being a complete mamma's boy will find it hard to adjust to not having her around. Home cooked food, a washing machine to wash clothes, friends to talk to, family for support, broadband internet, a computer to fall back on, TV and most of all...a comfort zone is what I'll have to do without!

But I think flying out of this cocooned nest WILL open my mind to different horizons and maybe change my "duck in the pond" outlook.

To end this blog I would like to say.."We may sleep in a thousand golden beds, but the one at home, even if it is of straw, is the one where you can sleep the calmest"

"First Mover Advantage"...Really?

As I have mentioned in one of my previous blogs, I am a student of Marketing and tend to think about most things through that perspective. We have a concept in Marketing Strategy called a First Mover Advantage. Before going on to the core subject of this blog, let me elaborate a bit on this concept.

In marketing strategy, a First Mover Advantage is when an organisation is the first to introduce a product in a market. It has relatively no competition(other than a few substitutes) and can enjoy good return on investment for some time by keeping prices high. The also get and advantage in a sense that they build up brand awareness and brand loyalty by the time some significant competition arrives.

Now this marketing analogy is what I would like to use to ponder on something in our normal lives. In the dynamic world of dating(much like the dynamic business enviornment today), everything is "globalised". The world has definitely become flat(no pun intended). Traditionalists(mainly women) would argue that it is always the man who should make the first move. Ask for the phone number, ask for a date, hold hands, kiss etc etc. Now on the face of it, if the same marketing stragey scenario is recreated in this situation, the man should have the traditional First Mover Advantage right? In my opinion...Not quite!

The first move is associated with various pitfalls and brickbats. Rejection(prime problem), loss of "friendship", awkwardness while meeting post the "ask out" etc etc. The only advantage is, you GET a date. Ever ask a girl out and shes not sure(girls seem perpetually unsure and confused nowadays), she will withdraw or on the extreme, freak out(grow up...Your not 13 anymore!!) But she will leave you dangling, wont say no..wont agree. I guess its a way of wielding proxy power over a person. And i am writing this from a male perspective. Hence the reference of girls. Iam sure there are a LOT of guys out there who act in the same way. Since Iam not gay and havent ever asked a guy out, I cant comment on that.:-)

Me, being a simple soul, dont understand the point of all these games. You dont want to go out, say no. If you want to, say yes. How difficult is that?? The guy, by asking the girl out, has compromised his position and is most likely to lose out. So where is the First Mover Advantage?

To end this blog, heres an insight to a lot of people out there...Guys like girls to make the first move sometimes. Try it......

Bravo Dr. Singh!

The economist in our beloved PM has finally spoken..And acted too!! The Prime Minister's Office recently issued a circular to all cabinet ministers to cut down on expencses..Especially on fuel for official cars! The PMO also refused to approve Mani Shankar Iyer's recent trip abroad terming it as un-necessary. Dr. Singh has himself has reduced the size of his entourage for his foriegn visit next week. I think the PM should be commended for this step and for leading by example. Something all his ministers should follow. Bravo Dr. Singh!

Blog Clog?

Writing blogs is suddenly the "IN" thing nowadays. Anyone who is anyone is writing something or the other. Which is good! The more people learn to express themselves the better for them. But along with this has come the resident evil of Media Attention. People filing defamation cases against each other and all kinds of scrutiny and regulation being proposed for bloggers.

A year back, the Indian government had restricted access to several blog hosting sites in India due to alleged sensitive information realated to terrorist propaganda being displayed on certain blogs. This, in my opinion, IS a genuine concern. But lets get it into perspective. How many people do you think can a blog sensitise? Is the reach of this medium of communication as powerful as say mainstream media? Our mainstream media in itself is not the best regulated in content. So how can we control content on blogs? Is self regulation the answer? In my opinion not completely because this is a medium controlled by polarised individuals and not a collective entity.

Celebrity blogs have also suddenly become a hot topic of discussion for everyone. What did Aamir Khan say about SRK or what did Big B say about someone else being a dog is what hogs news limelight. To be very blunt and frank, WHO THE HELL CARES!!! Why do we give such stupid controversies so much credence? They can call each other by any names that they want. How does it affect you and me? Celebrities use blogs to take pot shots at one another and also as a fundamental right to express their opinion. Which is fair enough. I stiil dont get what all the hullabaloo is about.

Being a student of Marketing, I tend to look at everything from that perspective. Blogs are the new medium of marketing communication being used by many oganisations to promote their products/services at cost which are a fraction of mainstream media. The blogs with the most hits gets the most advertisements. This earns the host blogger a certain amount of money from these companies. Thus it is but natural for him/her to creat good/bad publicity of his/her blog in order to get more hits and thus more revenue. Simple economics right?

Blogs, in my opinion, should be used as a medium for people to express themselves freely. Some things which cannot be said/discussed in person are easier to write. This activity in itself can be very liberating. I have done it myself and can vouch for it So lets treat blogs for what they are...Online versions of what most people call a "Personal Diary"...Maybe we will soon get a movie called "Bridget Jones' Blog"...

(C)rude Shock!!!

Its Out...Finally!....After weeks of deliberation and pussyfooting around, the Ministry of Finance and the Petroleum Ministry have got together and reached a consensus on the fuel price hike. The announcements today include:

Hike in Petrol - Rs. 5/ Litre

Hike in Diesel - Rs. 3/ Litre

Hike in LPG - Rs. 50/ cylinder

NO Hike in Kerosene

Customs Duty on Crude - Down to 0% from 5% (Ad Valorem)

Customs Duty on Petrol and Diesel - Down to 2.5% from 7.5%

Customs Duty on Other petroleum products(including ATF) - Down to 5% from 10%

So after doing all these permutations and combinations, balancing everyone's interests and keeping their own face, the government has anounced this move. Predictably, politically, they are being stoned. BJP calls it "Economic Terrorism" and CPM cals it Unacceptable. But the fact of the matter is that the so called aam aadmi seems to think that the government is walking a tight rope. World Crude oil prices have gone up by 100% in teh past one year and it is NOT possibe for the government to insulate the final consumer from this. Which is fair enough. I couldnt agree more. But this is where my agreement with this situation ends.

For every litre of petrol/diesel sold, the government gets 50% in the form of some or the other tax/duty. That means in Pune, against every litre of petrol sold, the government gets Rs. 25(before the hike) in their kitty. Thus for every increase, half of that is going to back to the exchequer anyways. Highway robbery?

Also, why should the oil marketing companies be profit oriented units? Why should they be listed on the stock exchange and their performance be monitored? Petrol/Diesel is the one of those rare commodities whose demand is inelastic..It doesnt follow the standard demand curve. So whatever the enviornmental factors, the market for these oil companies (PSUs) is going to to remain static at the least. But looking at the data of the number of vehicles being put out on the road every year, there is only one way the demand is going..UP!! So they have no performance pressures. They are bound to attain a Year on Year growth and sustain themselves.

If you want to treat these companies like any other company, then there should be no sops handed out to them. If they are running losses, they have to look at ways in means to resurrect themselves. And iam sure they can. Otherwise, delist these companies off the stock exchange, make them into non profit organisations and then see the difference.

Reducing the amoount the government gets from the sale of these products will ensure that everyone(except the fat cats in the government) are happy. The oil companies get a just price and so does the consumer. But then how will each MP go on a foriegn trip each year? No sir..The taxes stay!

The Prime Minister today felt the need to address the nation regarding the fuel price hike. Seeing that address made me feel like I was sitting for a infomercial of the UPA government. The honourable PM went on rambling about all the successful missions/programs that this government has put out in its tenure. This was like trying to soften the public up before he dealt the blow of the fuel price hike. Also, he appealled to the public to "co-operate" with the government and reduce our consumption of fuel. Well Dr. Singh, I think giving two bit MLAs a convoy of 15 cars is THE way of conserving fuel. Bravo!!

To conclude, as i mentioned in my previous blog, the classical economic equation is not being followed by our great economists. The government is increasing expenditure and then looking for ways to generate additional income. Doesnt the quation work in reverse? Ateast, thats what i was taught..Pity, theory never gets applied in practice!

"Inflated" Worries?

"Oil Nymex USD 135 per barrel"

"Inflation touches 8% for week ended May 10"

"Prices of essentials like Edible Oil, Pulses, vegetables rise by 30%-60%"

These are the kind of headlines that we have been seeing for the past few weeks in the papers, on TV news channels and in panel discussions throughout India. The world is witnessing a slowdown and India is no exception. Increased supply pressures are pushing up costs and companies are finding it difficult to sustain in a price sensitive global market.

India, and the world, is witnessing a recession to a certain degree. This has mainly been fuelled by the sub-prime crisis in the USA. As they say, when the US sneezes, the world catches a cold. Well, India has caught this cold to a certain extent and is running around for a tissue to wipe its running nose!

The sub-prime crisis took force in the USA in the early part of August 2007. At that point, it freed up a lot of liquidity in the foreign market as people did not want to invest in USA and turned to emerging markets like India. This in turn brought in a lot of money through FDIs and FIIs. As a result, the stock market sky rocketed to 21000 and the USD weakened against the Rupee to a low of 1 USD = INR 39.30. On the face of it, all looked hunky dory. But on the face of "IT", the story was far from hunky dory. The IT companies were crying bloody murder due to the losses they were sustaining due to the weakening of the USD and the biggies like TCS resorted to hedging to consolidate their position. Several smaller players found it extremely difficult to compete.

Post January 2008, everything changed. The stock market plunged to a low of 14000 in a space of 30 days and several investors were wiped out. Especially those who banked on the Reliance Power stock to make a quick buck. The banking sector lost significant ground along with IT and other sectors and the market is still trying to recover from this setback.

The country is now gripped in a situation of industrial growth slowdown and extreme levels of inflation which stands at 8% as per the latest revised numbers. Let us look at this scenario. Keeping your money in a Fixed Deposit will yield u a maximum return of 9.5% per year, which JUST about covers inflation. Scary??.See the next one. At the current rate, you are losing money by keeping it in a savings bank account. The interest rate is 3.5% and inflation is 8%. Consequently, your money loses 4.5% of its value every year! This is forcing people to look for higher payout option like Mutual Funds and the equity market which yield average returns of 25% per year. But have a greater risk associated with them.

The government recently adopted several measures to control the rising inflation. Banning cement exports, steel exports being some of them. But the most ludicrous of measures was increasing the CRR rate of banks, thus making borrowing more expensive. Now this method is adopted to control demand driven inflation. The rise in lending rate reduces demand for borrowed funds and thus reduces the market demand over a period of 2 years, consequently curbing inflation. However, the inflation in India right now is pretty much supply driven. Deficient production, hoarding by wholesalers and retailers, rampant corruption etc are the causes. Not high demand!

There is NO magic pill to curb inflation. There just isn't. But there are way and means by which it can be controlled. Reducing government expenditure is one way. No you would ask me what does that have to do with inflation? Let me explain.

Income = Expenditure + Saving

Reducing expenditure frees a larger component of Income for saving/investment purposes and there is no need to raise direct and indirect taxes, thereby reducing inflation and keeping the sentiment positive.

I would like to end this blog by the following line:

"Inflation may or may not sink this country. But politicians will definitely will!"

Space Age Samosas!

Was watching the news today while having my dinner...Its been quite a few days since the media has been obsessed with Sunita Williams and the return of Atlantis to terra firma...Every move they were making was being tracked...Nice to see so much interest being shown in space missions suddenly!

Now every news channel i see is carrying the story of the return of Atlantis...This gets me thinking, why the sudden interest? Two things come to mind: Since the tragic death of Kalpana Chawla, people in India and all over the world have suddenly realised the dangers of space travel. Till then it seemed like an extremely glamourous and adventurous job. Also, the so called Indian roots of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams have sparked the interest of the normal Indian citizen in what NASA is doing.

Now, one point that struck me as odd were that the news channels were talking ONLY about Sunita Williams. What about the other astronauts with her? Sunita Williams is just like the other astronauts with her. Shes no more Indian than any of them! Isnt our pride a little misplaced? Lets consider her bio for a moment:

Sunita L. Williams (Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio, but considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Married to Michael J. Williams. Although they have no children, Labrador retrievers and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier named Gorby have added their share of excitement to their lives. Recreational interests include running, swimming, biking, triathlons, windsurfing, snowboarding and bow hunting. Her parents, Dr. Deepak (emmigrated from Gujrat in the 60s) and Mrs. Bonnie Pandya(Shes a Slovenian), reside in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

EDUCATION:
Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts, 1983.
B.S., Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 1987.
M.S., Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995.

ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Society of Flight Test Engineers, American Helicopter Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and various other service awards.

She is an American by birth! Taking the Bhagwat Gita & an idol of Ganesh along & eating samosas doesnt make someone Indian! In that vein all people eating pizzas should be Italian! Yes she is a PIO(Person of Indian Origin).. Accepted! But why do we want pick out only one individual from a team of very capable astronauts and wish for her safe return JUST because one of her parents are Indian? Arent the others in equal amount of danger? Arent they human beings too? Dont they have families as well? I dont see anyone wishing for the safe return of Atlantis on the whole. Only Sunita Williams! Reportedly, there were school children performing a havan for her safe return. Others with placards wishing her safe return. One news channel was even carrying a clock counting down on the time left for Sunita's return!!Not Atlantis..ONLY Sunita!Isnt this a little too much?

My views on space travel as it is are not very supportive. I personally feel that its all a BIG waste of money. But after having a LONG argument with my girlfriend about this and being the person i am, i am ready to accept that maybe there is some point to it. In future it might help mankind. We have invented satellites to assist us in our fast paced, globalised life. So i guess space travel helps too. Maybe!

Dont get me wrong here. Iam not saying that i dont appreciate what astronauts do. Every job in this world is challenging and theirs' more so. But thats just it. They are doing their job! Thats all!

Bottom line, i think, is that human beings by default are parocial in nature. Another case to point is a powerful leader from Maharashtra supporting Pratibha Patil for President JUST cause she is Maharashtrian. I find it saddening! I guess its easier to associate with someone when u find a common thread binding you to that person. But isn't being human a strong enough thread?

Even i am wishing for the safe return of Atlantis back to terra firma. But not because Sunita Williams is on it. Not because iam Indian. But ONLY because iam human.

P.S.: Last night i wrote this article thinking I am the ONLY one finding all this hullabaloo odd. But apparently I am not. The reason I am editing this post is because there is an article about this very issue in today's (22nd June, 2007) Indian Express titled "Indian Idol?" by Shobhit Mahajan who is a professor of physics and astrophysics at Delhi University. I would like to quote a few excerpts from his article:

"It is remarkable, given her(Sunita's) background millions around India still take pride in her achievements - not as a woman achiever, which she undoubtley is, but as an Indian!"

"Kalpana Chawla was born here (India), spent her formative years here and was educated in India. Thus, there could be some rationale in caling her an Indian-American and take some pride in her achievments as a nation. But the nationalistic pride on display for Sunita is somewhat misplaced."

"Maybe we could learn from Kalpana's favorite quote from the Roman stoic philosopher Seneca -' I was not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land' "

Indian Institutes of Emmigration

If you read the recent headlines in local Pune newspapers, all were proudly proclaiming that 250 students from Maharashtra got selected in various IITs in the country. This is against about 15-20 till recent years. On the face of it, it is a very proud achievement. But in my opinion, it’s not that proud. This article prompted me to write a blog I’ve wanted to write for ages!

First of all, I would like to express my suspicion on the “Kota” courses that most IIT aspirants go through. I somehow smell a scam going down here. What is so different that is taught in Kota as compared to the rest of the country? Why do year after year people from Kota come up trumps in IIT-JEE? Why do people flock to Kota and stay there for a year to prepare for the exam? Is the water there magical? If someone could offer me an explanation, I would be very interested to listen to it!

Recently the IITs made the entrance checks a little more stringent. Minimum 60% needed in the 12th Board exams. Otherwise not eligible to apply! Result? WIDESPREAD protests all over the country. Pitiable I must say. Seriously I mean. You really think someone securing 50 % in the 12th Boards is going to able to handle the IIT course? I don’t think so!

I for one never considered myself to be suited to even appear for the IIT-JEE. WAY over my level of intellectual capacity. I really admire all those who have cleared this test and fought their way into the IITs. Hats off to them! But I am now beginning to see a different perspective to this entire process. I shall elaborate on it a little later in the article.

Let us now move to the IIMs. “THE” place to be if you want to pursue an MBA. Path of entrance? The much feared CAT or the Common Aptitude Test. “Aptitude”. This word seems to have lost its fundamental meaning in modern Indian testing methodology. Aptitude should be something that comes naturally. Not coached. Then why are there COUNTLESS coaching classes claiming to give the BEST training to CAT aspirants to clear the toughest exam in the world?

Is it because the competition is so high that even natural aptitude needs to coached? Ironic isn’t it? But that is the truth in the today’s times. Coaching classes for CAT have mushroomed on every corner and are minting money. Reason? Economics, my dear Watson. Supply must equal Demand!

At this point I would like to add that I too appeared for the CAT and I too had joined a coching class for the same. A few facts I came across were:

The exam isn’t as tough as it is made out to be.
Coaching classes are virtually ESSENTIAL to do well in the exam.
Everyone should give the CAT once in their lives once at least. If nothing else, just for the sheer experience of appearing for the toughest exam in the world.
There are 2,50,000 hopefuls every year vying for 5000 odd seats. That’s a mere 2% hit ratio.
I got a 97 percentile despite getting a big fat ZERO in Maths.

Moral of the story? Don’t let the facts weigh you down. Give it your best efforts. Don’t give it just for the sake of giving it. For all you know, you could get through. Give the CAT and get an experience of your life!

The IITs & IIMs are premier institutes in India for acquiring graduate and post graduate degrees. Their course structure and teaching methodology are unparalleled. They are the best institutes in the country. But what makes these institutes the BEST? The course material? The faculty? Their placement record? None of these! It’s the students that make the institute. If you choose the best students in the country it stands to reason that you will be the best institute in the country. Simple! I would like to see these premier institutes open their doors to below average students and then see if they can maintain their high level of achievement. I would also like to see them give a chance to less fortunate students in this country to get the best education and move forward in life.

Let me elaborate on a story I heard recently. The niece of one of my superiors managed to secure admission in IIT Powai for Civil Engineering. Civil engineering you will ask? Well, she wanted to be ONLY in IIT Powai. Branch didn’t matter. This girl with relentless hard work and her superior intellectual capacity managed to come first in all the 5 IITs! Not a mean achievement by any stretch of imagination. Consequently she received a Presidential Gold medal for it.

Subsequently she went on to pursue her M.S. in Structures in the good ole US of A.(Why am I not surprised?) After which she was picked up by NASA. Again, on the face of it, a very proud achievement. But again, not from my perspective. Allow me to explain.

IITs & IIMs are government backed institutions. Their course fees are subsidized by the Government by the way of grants. These were started way back in the late 1960s in order to impart world class education to thousands of intelligent Indians and use their knowledge so gained to build the country. It was more or less that way for about 35 years. Then came the era of globalization. And it all changed!

People are now taking the best education from our country at subsidized rates and migrating overseas in search of “greener” (pun intended) pastures. As in the example I quoted above, do we need great minds to spend their time trying to put man into space which, on the face of it, is not going to benefit mankind in any perceivable way? Or do we need our great minds to solve the earth’s problems? To try and design a dam structure in such a way that it won’t disintegrate in the event of an earthquake and kill thousands?

Lets get to the crux of the matter then. Why is that the best minds of our country head out and then blame India for not being a progressive nation? Building a nation needs the best of minds working together for a common goal. A lot of readers of this article will say that it is a case of “sour grapes” with me. “You couldn’t go so why you blaming others?” I am not blaming anybody. People should head out and look for so called better prospects. By all means! But please don’t sit overseas and belittle me, my countrymen and my country! After all, a home, even if made of cow dung, is still home! And in a house where you are a guest, even if it is made of gold, you remain a guest no matter what!

Festive spirit...Not a high anymore!

The picture you see alongside here is one the most respected and popular sweet marts in Pune..This picture was taken on the 20th of October, 2006, one day prior to laxmi poojan..

I had gone there to get a box of kaju katli for the people in my father's office..I hadnt been to office to spend anytime with my collegues since i started college..so i thought id go wish everyone happy diwali...so i make my way to this shop and as soon as i enter i see this HUGE crowd of people around the counter..trying to push their way forward and get their share of the various ghee+khoa+sugar preparations..After muscling(as much as is possible for me*chuckle*) my way to the appropriate counter, i ask the person there for 1/2 kg of kaju katli...hes busy filling boxes after boxes of the same sweet...he just nods his head and continues with his work...now when people who have come in after me start to get their demands, i get my back up...so the man there tells me that i have been asking the wrong person...i roll my eyes and ask him to give me the sweet then...

After aquiring that prized possession, i make my way to the cash counter...whcih has a HUGE line for paying...i roll my eyes again...after i get to the counter the man rudely tells me "Gimme 200 bucks!!"...i feel like sounding him off then and there..but then bite my toungue...dont think that would make too much of a difference...i DONT wish him Happy Diwali and walk out...

As i ride on my way to office, i cant help wondering as to what have we all sunk to?...Has the purpose of celebrating diwali come to the point that people have to walk over each other to buy something as insignificant as sweets?..Is diwali charachterised by eating and binging out or by spending time with family, spreading love and in general being nice to one another?...These are questions we need to ask ourselves as we propel ourselves into the 21st century...Do we want to follow traditions or do we want to live life the Capitalist,modernist way?...cause both cant co-exist in harmony...its bound to blow up somewhere!

Presently in the Past

I made my Aai(my mother) read some of my recent blogs today...and she pointed out something to me...That i seem to be living in the past...all my blogs seem more like memories..and none too much about the present...and that got me thinking..maybe i AM living in the past...living on past memories rather than future expections or goals...

I think i do need to change my outlook towards my life....will help me in achieving whatever little ive set out to do...So from today iam gonna live in teh present and the future...ofcourse..i might reminice in the past once in a while..but my life will revolve around my present...and my future...I WILL Turn this Page once and for all!

A(l)titude rocks!!

I often say that i live in a bowl..Before anyone gets any cutlery ideas let me clarify that iam speaking of a geographical bowl..A lovely city called Pune situated on the leeward side of the great Western Ghats...surrounded on all sides by hills, which are the lifeline of the city..and one of my favorite places on this whole earth(of all that i have seen that is*chuckle*)!

My tryst with the these "tekdis", as they are so fondly called here, started way back when i was 10-11 years old...My mami used to take me and my cousin brother on half day long sojourns to the Law college tekdi, packed with sandwiches, water, binoculars etc...the works...lovely 15-20 km walk all along the plateau on top...climbing from one part of the city and getting down from another part way away..Also, we used to regularly visit the Hanuman tekdi(behind Ferguson College)..every evening in our summer holidays we used to to go up there...climb that Pagoda behind Symbiosis and get down from the same side and walk back home...

After losing touch with these hilly landmarks for a few years during 10 std and junior college, i started revisiting the Law college tekdi in the first year of engineering...it was my getaway..from the various laws that were crowding in my brain...Boyle, Faraday,Joule and the works...And it became a ritual!!..For the four years that i went through my engineering, the tekdi was my getaway!..during regular college, during PLs, even during exams...

The path well trodden. August 2005

The tekdi has also been a source of great friendships for me..I have met and made good friends with SO many people there...During engineering, we had a HUGE group up there of about 12-15 individuals, mostly from engineering(Mech at that), different age groups etc and we would discuss everything..right from sports(cricket ruling ofcourse), academics,movies etc...all this along with the benefit of good health...Those were some awesome times!

I still visit the tekdi whenever i can...I do meet a few of my old acquaintances..See familiar faces that have coming there for donkeys years...new faces...I make it a point to go and sit at the stone quarry and watch the sunset...makes me forget all my tensions...

Sunset at the quarry. October 2006

The tekdi has given me a LOT of special memories..great friends, a place to relax and a decent stamina level(he he)...And now they are out to take it away from me(refer the new road)...Hope all parties with vested interests see some sense and save the lungs of our city!

Sound of Music...And the lyrics of life!

I dont know why but only sad events in my life make me want to blog...Maybe its self pity..Maybe its the need to share..I dont know!...Feeling rather sad today...

Was lying in bed today, awake since 5 am, various things running through my tiny brain...My sem end exams, internals, the girl i (still!!) adore, my family, friends...everything!..And in retrospection i realise that all through this 25 years i have particular songs that make me remember various stages of my life...Its uncanny..But they do!..

All songs from the film Aashiqui(1988) - My association with these songs will be lifelong...Baba used to play these songs in our black,shiny 1973 FIAT President(MTY 3266....I miss that car like HELL!*sniff*) when we used to go out for drives all around Mumbai..Goregaon..Film city..MAN!..I miss those times!

O Sanam by Lucky Ali(1996) - This song always reminds me of the period of my first crush..10th standard...Shes one of my best friends now..and i adore her to the hilt!

All Backstreet Boys Songs(1997-1999) - Remind me the teenage college times!St. Aba's Rocks!!

Mere Khayalon ki Mallika from Josh (2000) - A crush!

Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N Roses(2000- for me) - This song heralded in the rock music craze in me..And made it life long for me...Second Year of Engineering..Submissions..Deadlines...Metallica..GNR...Nirvana...A Heady mix!!Man, i loved my Engineering days!

Unforgiven 2 by Metallica (2003 - for me) - This song will ALWAYS remind me of my trips to Amby Valley..My first few months of my professional life... Driving our white Premier 118 NE (MH 14 D 1193 - Shes gone now!*sniff*) in DENSE fog...up a terrifyingly(not to me) winding road...with this song playing on our Pioneer cassette player..Heady!!..Miss those days!

You spin me right round by Dead of Alive - OST The Wedding Singer (2003 - For me) - Heard it first in the ROTOMOTO advert during the 2003 ICC World Cup...LOVED it...And associated with yet another crush!

Turn the Page by Metallica (2004 - for me) - This song reminds me of my first "pseudo" girlfriend..She never was one..But i thought so..Made a mess of myself...Got out of it..Turned the page!

Aapki Kashish from Aashiq Banaya Aapne(2006 - for me) - My FIRST girlfriend!

Golmaal from Golmaal (2006) - My first few days in Indira Institute of Management, Pune...Used to play in the bus all the time...

Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai from Woh Lamhe (2006) - My strongest infatuation till date! EVERY word in this song spoke the way i felt..It was "OUR" song....Not anymore unfortunately!
P.S.: I STILL absolutely ADORE her!*sniff*

Die Die My Darling by Metallica [2004,2006(thrice) - for me] - ALL my failed relationships (half and full).

Painted on My Heart by Cult - OST Gone in 60 Seconds - [2004,2006(thrice) - for me] - Remembering ALL my failed relationships (half and full).

A rather large lot of music right? Well, music is my way of remembering the great(and not so great) times in my life...As i approach 25 years of completion of my life, i am reminded of Boman Irani's line to Abhishek Bacchan in Bluffmaster "Tumhare zindagi ke kitne din tumhen yaad hain Roy?" translated means "Roy, how many days of your life do you really remember?"..If he had asked me, i would have said, "Read my blog pal! Its all there"

Sound : Music
Words : Lyrics
Life : Memories

Mocha..Ka????

To begin, Ka = Why in marathi.

MOCHA IS OPENING UP IN PUNE!! I had been hearing this from NUMEROUS excited people for quite a few months now. Now never having sampled the Mumbai Mocha(to which people go from Pune just for a coffee!!). I was reserving my excitement uptill i went in myself and tasted the goods. However, the amount of time those jokers took to open up the joint would have made a sloth proud. From the initial date of 25th June, it finally opened on the 1st of August amidst a lot of fanfare and a fair share of glitterati.

4th of August marks the birthday of one of my very cute friends, Ms. PS. I had been invited to her party in Sharvaree. After the party she suggested we all troop into Mocha and spend some time there. So we all(8 of us) made our way there. I landed there first and was aghast to find that there was a queue of people waiting to get in. I said, WTF???.This is a coffee place right?? Since when did they start having waiting?? And SECURITY??. Yes there was a security guard manning the closed gate, opening it ever so slightly to let someone in or out! Maaazzzz i say!

On inquiry at the gate, we were greeted by a very prim and propah lady told us that we would have to wait 30 mins for a table. On hearing that, six of us decided to bunk the idea and move to Barista instead. However, two of the group wanted to get in badly and evidently struck a deal with one of the waiters and managed to get us in. Now we all seated indoors(as the outside was full of people smoking hookah...hence no place) and were brought the menu cards. One look at the prices and i had smoke coming out of my pockets. There was a Cappuchino for Rs. 20 and after that things went up exponentially. Next cheapest was Rs. 75 which went way upto Rs. 280 for a cup of some special gold dusted coffee i assume!! The ambience of the place was more like a lounge bar than a coffee place. Smoky lighting, dark decor, funny music and even funnier people. Not something to my aste honestly!.

Now since no one was coming over to take our order(most of us werent planning ot have anything anyway), we got fed up and just got up and walked out! Judging from the desperation of people to get in, we must have been the first people in the history of Mocha, Pune to get a table and voluntarily walk out of there without ordering! We promptly trudged into Barista and sat there for 45 mins without ordering a thing!

I give Mocha BIG thumbs down as of now. As of now, the are exhibiting MAAZZZ!(Again, for non-maharashtrians, Mazz = Concietment). Lets see if i change my mind after a month.My advise:Unless your desperate or incredibly loaded, give Mocha a miss!!

Saturday Night Fever...

No!This is not a post about the hit 70s movie by the same name...Au contrere.....Its about a comic anecdote from my very real life....

It all started with a dinner plan, that for a change, was planned well in advance(5 hours!!). All were to congregate at 8:30 pm at Mr. S's place and then head out together. Now i anticipate the late arriving tendencies of my friends(weve been together for about 14 years now, so i think i can take a fair guess!!) and go 20 minutes late. And voila!..For the first time, iam not the first one to arrive. Mr. P had arrived first. So we both got talking downstairs till Mr. S arrived. As soon as he gt down, he stuck his cellphone ot his ear and walked the equivalent of about 3 kms by the time he was finished. Till the Mr. SG and his fiance Ms. AV also made their appearance. After the usual indecision on where to go, we decided to Ambrosia since we had a Ms. AV's Santro at our disposal. So off we went discussing everything from our common friends to football on the way.

On getting there we approach the Maitre'D and ask him for a table for 5. We get the standard "saturday night in a restaurant in Pune" reply.."Thatl be 15-20 minutes Sir"..So he takes down my name and cell phone number(talk about slick!!) in his diary....and we head out to the lawn at the rear of the restaurant to while away the time.Now personally i hate having to wait for a table at a restaurant.Its like standing in queue to eat(which i incidently hate as well). Nevertheless, we were sitting there discussing something bout someones and somethings..me and AV were fiddling with SG's MotoRAZR V3i...and suddenly, i get a call on my phone...its the Maitre'D.."Your table is ready sir"...Wow!..Real Slick i say...

So we all walk up to our table and get seated...we unfortunately get a table which doesnt face the TV...Czech Republic Vs. Ghana is on....and Ghana are leading 1-0...i say...this looks interesting....however we park our butts on the chairs and start to look around..admiring the ambience and all that jazz...soon we get the menu cards and order soups with a plethora of starters....i rub my hands in glee..Food!!...

The soups came and we started to dig into them like Bangladeshi refugees! Now as we are waiting for our starters to arrive, AV suddenly announces that her cars keys are missing...And as SG was responsible for them, we all look at him expecting him to pull a David Blaine and conjour the keys out of thin air. But alas! Nothing that magical was about to happen! We had a full blown crisis now. We immediately trooped out to the place where we had been chatting so animatedly before and scoured the entire perimeter looking for our keys. Leaves were parted, branches moved, ground kicked and hands dirtied. But to no avail. We came up with zilch. AV had by that time called her dad and told him about our little mishap and inquired if the spare keys were handy. Suddenly, one of our buddies, PP calls us in excitedly. He had found the keys!!! We rush to him like Superman to Lois Lane(only in the speedy sense) to inquire. Evidently a kindly gentleman had found the keys on the parapet and held on to them. Bless him!We all returned to our table euphoric at our stroke of luck!

Now by this time our starters had arrived and had gone stone cold. I requested the waiter close by to kindly re-heat them for us. However, he flatly refused. Now that left me kinda miffed. However, not wanting to create a scene, we all sat down and began to devour the food. WIth those down, the main course was ordered and more waiting was to be had.

Now al this while, there was this group of people sitting opposite us. A couple, one of their parents and one of their sisters. Now they were sitting with their back to me. We were chatting in general when i AV suddenly started to snicker and elbowed SG. I inquired as to what was afoot and was told that the "mother of all PDAs" was under progress behind me. That guy was going at his girlfriend/wife with all he had. MAJOR PDA! And in full view of the family. And other patrons as well. Now ordinarily iam a strong proponant of PDA, but this was getting ridiculous. They were one step away from making out right there on the table. Our food arrived(and so did theirs) and all the while we were eating i could guess that the show was still on judging by AVs reactions.

Now halfway through our meal we heard a commotion going on at the PDA table. Evidently the hotel had charged them for a dish of prawns(which they had sent back cause they didnt like it) which the man there termed as "bad food". He demanded the cook be summoned which he was. The entire family was under the influence. The 2 men in particular. Now the cook was not one to be cowed down by a man so obviously under the influence. He stuck to his stand that "this hotel does not serve bad food". So the man now got down to abuse. "I wanna talk to the f*****g owner. What the f**k do u think you are serving? I want his f******g mobile number!"."Its not a question of the f*****g money. I can trhow that on your face. But i dont expect to be charged for f*****g bad food!" On this the cook coolly replied that nothing of that sort was necessary and possible. So the manager was called and evidently everything was settled. They were packed off with a complimentary serving of prawns i think. Now if what ive seen in the program "When chefs attack" is anything to go by, that dish of prawns they got complimentary had quite a few moret hings "complimentary" in it!!

By this time we had finished with our dinner and walked out with this drunk group as they prepared to leave. On the way the girl asked her hubby/boyfriend "Do u think i should drive?". On whick i let loose from behind.."Yeah i think you should!". Now i dont know if they heard me or not, but they didnt say a thing. We all crammed ourselves in to the car and let out a hearty laugh. What a night!!

Inhumanity Unplugged

Friday, 9th June, 2006, 2:20 pm

I was on my way to office from my house after having a particularly satisfying lunch. I was riding my bike at ease(65 km/h is at ease for me) when i suddenly come across a Thane registered silver Maruti Esteem parked on the side of the road. The driver's door was open, and a man was opening the rear left side of the car. The man got inside the car and started brutally beating up someone sitting in the back seat. Initially I thought this was a case of road rage. I stopped and to my horror i saw that the person in the back seat was a yound boy no older than 10! And that man was presumably his father! He was brutally assaulting the boy with punches and kicks while the boy tried to sheild the blows with raised hands covering his face. The man stopped the beating in about 1 min and got out of the car and started hurling unmentionable abuses at the young child . By now a large crowd had gathered around the car. At the same time, a woman, presumably his wife, got down from the passenger seat of the car. I was hit like a punch in the gut when i saw that she was bleeding from the head. The man must have obviously assaulted her too. Her head had a gash and she was bleeding profusely. I had seen enough. I asked two guys on a bike to hold the guy off while i went and got the police. I peeled out of there like a bat out of hell and made my way to the police chowkey which was about 100 m from the spot of the incident. Apparently, the had seen the commotion and I saw 2 havaldars on their way over. I went to the chowkey nevertheless and confirmed if they were indeed going to the accident spot. I got an answer in the affirmative and I zoomed my way over to the spot again. But by this time the guy had fled and the police were puttering on their slow 100 cc Hero Honda after him, looking slightly bemused. I caught up with them and explained the whole thing to them. Another burly guy(about 22) was riding alongside us, looking as shaken as me. We asked the police's permission to chase the guy down and hold him till they caught up. On receiving the go-ahead, 4 of us, two guys on a Pulsar, the burly guy and me weaved like maniacs through the relatively moderate traffic chasing the Esteem and finally managed to intercept the guy in front of the Law College tennis coutrs. We signalled him to stop but he wouldnt heed. Finally i got right in front of him and stopped my bike in the middle of the road. He stopped as well and asked me angrilly as to why he had been stopped. By now a large huge traffic snarl was happening behind us. The police arrived just as the guy got out of his car. He saw the two policemen and quickly got back in his car and ran away. As we started our bikes to give chase again, the police sounded out the law to us. "This is a domestic squabble. We cannot apprehend him unless his wife lodges a complaint with us.Let him go". The 5 of us gathered there looked at each other helplessly. The burly guy remarked "Tyala dharun khup badvayla hava hota!"(We should have caught him and bashed him up!). Another elderly gentleman who had stopped remaked "Kasa zhala aahe manus aajkaal!"(What has happened to mankind nowadays?)

I turned my bike around and headed for office. Along the way i was thinking that what has happened to humanity today. Out of the 50 people gathered there why were only 4 of us acting for assistance? The same thing happens during the case of accidents as wel. That woman was badly hurt and in need of help. I will never forget that image of her crying helplessly in the front seat as the guy ran after seeing the police. Are we not living in a civil society? What can possess a man to manhandle his wife and children so brutally? And is domestic violence not punishable if it happens in broad daylight in front of 50 people? Why must the wife complain?

The answer to these questions will be simple and the same. "Its the system that need a change". What system? Who made this system? We did! And if we as citizens of the country cant help a woman and child from the brutality of her husband, we bloody well change it then!!

My First!

"She's got a smile that it seems to me,

Reminds me of childhood memories,

When everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky:

Now and then when i see her face,

She Takes me away to that special place,

And if i stared too long,

I'd probably break down and cry."

The first time i heard these words was in Second year of Engineering. On a particularly soggy day, I was sitting on my desk completing a Industrial Electronics assignment. I was listening to some mushy song by MLTR which got over and i didnt even realise. Suddenly a great guitar piece sounded. Strong, hypnotizing and alluring. The guitarist was laying it on thick! I thought to myself that I hadnt heard this one before. I looked up from my sheet and glanced at my computer screen to see which song was playing. And there i read it: Guns N Roses - Sweet Child of Mine!

As the first section guitar sequence ended a particularly unique voice started to sing the words above. I was listening to the song quite hypnotised. The two lyrics verses ended in no time(or so I thought) and then what came after that simply floored me. The song transformed into a mind numbing solo guitar sequence by the lead guitarist(Slash!) which had me sitting there mesmerised. I mean it was AWESOME! The whole song just left me spell bound. I totally forgot about my Electronics assignment and replayed the song 7 times over! And every time, i got more and more mesmerised! Rock music had entered my bloodstream. And the needle was: Guns N Roses - Sweet Child Of Mine!

What followed was my complete transformation into a rock music freak. Facts of which are well documented! Till date this remains my favorite rock song. Anytime it starts playing, i never change it. Or skip it. If it comes on, i listen. And i try to mimic Axl with his microphone antics. Or Slash with his INCREDIBLE guitar pyrotecnics! This song always leave me with a amazing feeling. Its weird, but it happens!

Ive heard a lot of rock songs since then.And many have caught my fancy. But the song that got me first, the song that transformed a pop music audiophile to a rock music addict was, is and always will be.. Sweet Child of Mine!